Green chutney is an essential and easy to prepare ingredient for chat items.
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| Green Chutney |
Ingredients :
Cleaned coriander leaves 1 handful
Cleaned Mint leaves 1 handful
Green chillies 2
Lemon juice 1 tsp.
Method :
1. Grind all the ingredients in a mixer. If the chutney is only less and exact in quantity to
be mixed with the chat item, add lemon juice with the chutney.
2. If the chutney is more in quantity, the lemon juice need not be added with the
chutney. The juice can be added while mixing the chat items.The reason is, if
lemon juice is mixed with the large quantity of chutney, the left over chutney will not
be very tasty for Dosais, Idlis etc. as it is raw.
3. If the green chutney is without lemon juice, and is left over after preparing
the chat item,grind it with salt, a small piece of soaked tamarind and 1 tbsp.of grated
coconut and a pinch of hing.Heat little oil, add mustard and later the chutney, Let it
simmer for 1 min. A tasty chutney is ready for Idli, Dosai and Chappathi.
for Idli, Chappathi etc.
Sweet Chutney is very easy to prepare and we all know that it is an important ingredient for the chat items, especially Bhel Poori.
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| Sweet Chutney |
Ingredients :
Dates 15
Roasted and powdered Zeera 1 tsp.
Tamarind juice 1 1/2 tbsp.
Powdered Jaggery 1 tsp.
Chilly Powder 1 tsp.
Chat Masala 1 tsp.
Method :
1. Cook the dates after removing the seeds,along with the tamarind, if the quality of the
tamarind is good. Add little water and pressure cook in a mini cooker for 2 whistles
with care as only little water is added.If the tamarind seems to have dust, soak in
warm water and take a thick extract.
2. After they get cooled grind all the ingredients in a mixi and boil on a low fire for
3 mins.
Ellu Thuvaial is the chutney that we prepare as a combination with Uzhundham Paruppu Sadham to be mixed with it and eaten.Ellu means sesame seeds from which the Gingelly oil or Nallennai is extracted.We can use Black or white Ellu.Our choice is always the Black Ellu as we feel it to be tasty with a unique aroma. The Ellu should be free from impurities.
For one cup of rice ( before cooking ), the following quantity will be perfect.
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Ellu Thuvaial |
Ingredients :
Ellu 1/2 cup.
Red chillies 2 or 3
Grated coconut 1 tbsp.
Tamarind 1 small piece.
Salt, Oil.
Method :
1. Heat little oil , saute the red chillies and transfer to a plate.Soak tamarind in water.
2. Heat the same Kadai and roast the Ellu till they stat spluttering.
3. Switch off and transfer to the plate with the chillies.Let them cool.
4. Grind all the ingredients together in a mixer by adding only little water for binding
the ingredients.Thuvaial means the thick form of chutney and it should be " Getti ".
Uzhundham Paruppu Sadham, again is a rice variety, prepared at least once or twice in a month, preferably, on the days of oil bath, by the people of the southern districts of Tamil Nadu. The reason behind is Uzundham Paruppu, a rich source of protein, in turn, is a source of strength to our body.
In my mother's house, we prepare this variety using black gram dhal as we like that taste. Moving to Chennai, in late 1970s, black gram, not easily available at all stores in Chennai,black gram dhal would always find a place in my mother's baggage, returning after a visit to Tirunelveli or Coimbatore.Now, the world being a global village, both my daughter and daughter in law, living in two opposite directions of the world, prepare this Uzhundham Paruppu and Kurunai Dosai, as black gram dhal is easliy available at their places.
My mother in law and some of the relatives use white whole gram or the Urad Dhal ( Vellai Paruppu ).Any rice, raw or boiled can be used.The picture displayed is white as I use Vellai Paruppu.
Ellu ( Sesame ) Thuvaial is the best combination for this rice. The rice has to be mixed with Ellu Thuvaial and Gingelly oil and eaten with Vathal or Appalam or Vellam.Some people relish this rice with Avial.For the second serving, this rice can be mixed with curd and taken with the Ellu Thuvaial.A full and healthy meal is over.
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| Uzhundham Paruppu Sadham |
Ingredients :
Raw or Boiled Rice 1 cup.
Urad dhal or Vellai Muzhu Uzhundu or Black Dhal 1/4 cup.
Grated coconut 2 tbsp.
Salt
Method :
1.Cook rice with the Dhal, salt and grated coconut. Add water as you do normally. Mostly
we add 3 cups of water for 1 cup of rice.Add 1/2 cup of water for the 1/4 cup of
Uzhundhu. Totally add 3 1/2 cups of water and pressure cook. The water can be
adjusted according to the rice we use.
A different type of variety rice,healthy and oil free is ready.
Kurunai Dosai, also called, Muzhu Uzundhu Dosai is a popular Dosai variety of the Tirunelveli region. This Dosai has a unique taste and flavour of the black gram, ground without removing the outer black covering and also the flavour of Fenugreek, added with it.In early days, fenugreek was not regularly added with the Idli and Dosai batter.
Kurunai is a Tamil word which means,gruel,any grain broken into small irregular shapes. During the early days, whole black gram was bought in large quantities for the whole year and split into dhals at home using a Thiruvai.After sieving, the tiny grains were called Kurunai, from which removing the outer black coating, even after soaking was difficult. So they were ground with the black coating, by soaking just for 10 mins.
Three or four decades back, white whole Urad Dhals used now for Idli batter were not common. It was available in Chennai and only used by a few.It was believed to be expensive. Also most people felt that only Karuppu Uzhundham Paruupu could produce good and more batter ( Mavu Nalla Pongum ) and used only Tholi Paruppu. ( Black gram dhal)
Today, most of the people use only white Urad Dhal for grinding as it is easy.Karuppu Paruppu is bought only for making Kurunai Dosai as no Kurunai is available now.Karuppu Paruppu is only preferred by some people for Idli Podi and Uzhundham Paruppu Sadham.
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| Kurunai Dosai |
Ingredients :
Idli rice 2 cups.
Black gram dhal 1/2 cup.
Fenugreek 1 tsp.
Method :
1. Soak the rice for 4 hrs.If your are particular about adding raw rice, make it as 1 1/2
cups of Idli rice and 1/2 cup of raw rice.
2.Soak the Black gram dhal with the Fenugrrek just 10 mins. before grinding. This is very
important.If the Dhal is fresh and good, the quantity can be reduced.
3. Grind separately the rice and the dhal as you do regularly for Doasi batter and mix well
with salt.Let it ferment for 8 to 10 hrs.
4. This batter is good for making slightly thick and spongy Dosais like Kal Dosai and Set
Dosai, rather than Roasts.
This traditional Kuruma,learned from my mother in law, is free from onion, tomato and oil.She started preparing this Kuruma, even 40 years back, when Chappathis and Kuruma were treated as " Royal Food " in Tamil Nadu.
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Plain Kuruma |
Ingredients :
Carrot, Beans, Potato 250 to 300 grams.( If available, fresh green peas can be added )
To grind in the mixi :
Grated coconut 3/4 cup, Green chillies 3,Cashew 4, a small piece of Ginger,Garlic pods 2
Pattai ( cinnamon), Sombu ( Aniseed ), Cloves, Cardamom, Kasakasa ( Poppy seeds )
All the spices, only the minimum
Method :
1.
Cook the sliced vegetables in a pressure cooker for 1 or 2 whistles. After 1 minute,
remove the weight slowly and carefully to release the pressure. This helps to retain
the original colours of the vegetables.
2. Add the ground coconut paste, salt and water if needed. Let it simmer till the thick
consistency is reached. Pottu Kadalai can also be added instead of cashews. Garnish
with coriander leaves. The traditional or Parampariya Kuruma with a unique aroma
and taste is ready.
Let me wish the few visitors to my site, a Happy, Prosperous and Peaceful New Year. Pal Payasam is an easy to prepare Rice Kheer for all occasions, both religious and social.
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Pal Payasam |
Ingredients :
Thick whole milk 1 lit.
Raw rice / Red rice / Basmathi rice 1 tbsp.
Sugar 1/3 cup.
Optional:
Ghee, Saffron, Cardamom Powder, Raisins, Cashew nuts
Method :
1. Cook the rice in a pressure cooker and mash well.Each variety of rice has its own
taste.
2. Boil milk in a thick container, add the cooked rice and let it to simmer till it is reduced
to nearly 3/4 lit.
3. Add sugar and mix well.The kheer may become little watery after sugar is dissolved.
Stir well and simmer till it is nearly reduced to 1/2 lit.The quantity of sugar can be
slightly increased or decreased to our taste.
4. Adding fried cashews, raisins, cardamom powder and saffron is purely optional.
