This Katarikkai Kichadi is a traditional, very tasty and popular gravy for Idlies and Dosais in the Tirunelveli region.A slightly different version of this Kichadi is called as Kotsu by some people of other regions.This Kichadi is totally different from the Rava Kichadi.This is a favourite gravy for Idly and Dosai for the entire Saiva Vellala Community.This is also very nutritious with a lot of fibres.
This can also be prepared using Tomatoes and a combination of Peerkkankai ( Ridgegourd ) and Tomatoes.
Any variety of Brinjal, either violet or white can be used. People may wonder about white Brinjal as they are mostly grown and sold only in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu.Tasty white Brinjals are the speciality of our hometown, Sattur
along with the Kara Sevu and Vellari Pinju ( tender cucumbers ).
The long, green Brinjals can be the last choice.
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Katharikkai Kichadi |
To serve 4
Ingredients :
Medium size Brinjals 8
Moong Dhal 3 tbsp.
Grated coconut ( optional ) 2 tbsp.
Tomatoes 2
Onion 1
Green chillies 4
Red chillies 2
Oil, Mustard, Split Urad Dhal, Curry leaves, Hing, Salt
Method :
1. Soak the Moong Dhal for 15 mins. Cook the sliced Binjals,Tomatoes, Chillies and Moong
Dhal for just 3 or 4 whistles.
2.After the steam subsides,when the cooked vegetables are hot,add coconut and mash
everything together using a big cup shaped spoon,called Kuzhi Karandi in Tamil.Those
who have a wooden laddlle called Keerai Mathu, used for mashing Greens and Dhal can
use that.My mom is an expert in preparing this Kichad. My brothers and their children
are addicts of this kichadi of my mom who is very particular about using an earthern
ware (Mann Chatti ) and wooden laddle for mashing.
Those who do not have the time for mashing manually and wish the Kichadi to be like
Sambhar can mash them coarsely with the coconut using a hand blender or in the mixi
using the whipper button for 10 seconds.For this,switch off after 1 or 2 whistles, let
them cool and mash in the mixi.
3. Heat oil in a Tawa, add mustard, urad dhal, hing, curry leaves and broken chillies.Then
add the finely sliced onion and saute till they turn brown.Add the onions to the mashed
vegetables. Add salt and water to the required consistency and simmer for 2 to 3 mins.
The tasty Katharikkai Kichadi is ready.
Note :
Those who like the taste of Toor Dhal can use that instead off Moong Dhal.
If there is left over cooked plain Toor Dhal in the frigde , which is very common in the vegetarian families, that can also be used.If tomatoes are out of stock,little tamarind water can be added.
This Ribbon Pakoda is prepared from the same batter for Murukku using Idli rice and Pottukadalai flour ( Roasted Channa Dhal ). We can prepare within 30 mins. tasty Ribbon Pakodas.
This can be prepared on the day when we are grinding the Idli batter, so that cleaning the grinder is easy.The Pakoda should be prpared atleast within 30 mins. after grinding.The Pakodas will be very crispy as the Pottukadalai ratio is different but
does not absorb oil.
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Ribbon Pakoda |
Ingredients :
Idli rice 2 cups
Roasted Channa Dhal ( Pottu Kadalai ) 1 cup.
Chilly Powder 1 tsp.
Butter 1 tsp. ( If no stock, hot oil can be used )
Salt, Hing
Oil 2 cups.
Method :
1. Dry the Pottukadalai in the sun for 2 hrs. or dry roast for 2 mins. If the Pottukadalai is
fresh and crisp, they can be powdered without drying.Seive them.This can be prepared
in advance and kept ready.
2. Soak the rice for 2 hours and grind to a fine paste. Add 1 tsp. of salt and hing
removing from the grinder.The consistency must be similar to Idli batter.
3. Mix the batter,Pottukadalai flour and butter together.If the batter is very hard,
sprinkle some water and mix. Be careful and don't add much water. The batter should
not be too hard or too loose.
4. Press them in the hot oil using the Murukku mould and the disc meant for Ribbon
Pakodas as one single round piece.Turn to the other side and remove from the oil after
the bubbles disappear.The whole batter can be made as Pakodas with in 30 mins.
Note :
As the batter is the same for Murukku,grinding 2 cups of rice, half can be made as
Ribbon Pakoda and half as Murukkus.For 2 cups of rice, 1 cup of Pottukadalai is used.
So the Pakodas are very crisp.For this proportion, adding coconuts or more butter
will make the batter to break into small pieces in the oil.
This Murukku, made of Boiled rice and Pottukadalai Flour is a very popular savoury of Kongu region.The measurements of the ingredients are my own, out of my experience because in our family, we used to make most of the snacks using raw rice flour.
The ratio of the ingredients were passed on to me by my neighbours and friends who gave as per kilo.They have been changed to cups for convenience.The ratio of the Pottukadalai to rice may seem to be high. But I have been preparing this Murukku for the past 30 years.They are very crispy and tasty. Murukkus made of raw rice flour and urad dhal powder,posted by me as Murukku I have an aroma of urad dhal flour whereas this Murukkus II have a different taste.
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Murukku |
Ingredients :
Puzhungal arisi ( Idli Rice ) 2 cups.
Roasted Channa Dhal 1 cup
Butter 1 tsp.( if not, hot oil 2 tsp. )
Cumin or Ellu ( Sesame , Black or White ) 2 tsp.
Chilly Powder 1 tsp.( optional )
Hing
Salt 1 tsp.
Oil 2 cups
Method :
1. Dry the Pottukadalai in the sun for 1 hour or dry roast for 1 min. in a tawa.Powder in
the mixi and seive it.If the Pottukadalai is crisp, they can be powdered without drying
or roasting and seived.
2. Soak the rice for 2 hours and grind to a fine paste by adding water as for idli batter.Add
salt in the end.Make the Murukkus atleast within 30 mins. after grinding.
3. Collect the batter in a bowl, add Hing, butter and Sesame or Cumin.Add Pottukadalai
powder and Chilli powder.Mix well. If the batter is hard, sprinkle some water and make
it little loose.The Sesame should be free from impurities.
4.Using the Murukku mould, press 4 by 4 in the hot oil in a tawa.Turn to the other side
and remove from oil after the bubbles disappear.The time taken is only 30 mins.
Note :
4 tbsp.of grated coconut also can be added while grinding the rice.In that case, Pottukadali has to be reduced to 3/4 cup.Otherwise the Murukkus may dissolve in oil.
One more tips.Some in their over enthusiasm to make soft Murukkus, add more butter.That is not right. Because already in my recipe, Pottukadalai, rice ratio is 1 : 2.
Adding more butter may make the Murukku to get split to small pieces.
With the same batter, Ribbon Pakoda can also be prepared.Half of the batter can be made into Murukkus and the other half as Ribbon Pakodas.
This is a spicy and tasty Kuzhambu for rice.
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Vendaikkai Karakuzhambu |
To serve 2
Ingredients :
Vendaikkai 8
Onion 1
Tomatoes 1
Garlic pods 6
Tamarind 1 big goose berry size
Grated coconut 2 tbsp.
Chilly Powder 3/4 tsp.
Coriander Powder 1 1/2 tsp.
Oil 2 tbsp.
Mustard, split urad dhal
Salt, Turmeric Powder
Method :
1. Soak the tamarind in warm water and take 2 cups of tamarind extract.
2. Heat oil, add the mustard, split urad dhal and curry leaves.
3. When the mustard splutters, add the sliced onions,garlic and saute.
4. When the onions turn brown, add the tomatoes,little salt and saute on medium flame.
5. Once the tomatoes shrink, add the sliced Vendaikkai and saute for 5 mins.
6. Then add the chilly powder, coriander powder,turmeric powder and saute for 2 mins.
7. Add the tamarind water and salt.Mix well and let it boil on medium flame.
8. In 5 to 6 mins. the gravy reaches a thick consistency.Add the finely ground coconut.
9. Mix well and simmer for 3 mins. Switch off. The delicious Vendaikkai Gravy is ready
Note :
1. Garlic ,Onions and coconut can be avoided.Then reduce the chilly powder.
2. Coconut can be rduced a little by adding Pottukadalai with coconut for grinding.
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Banana Halwa |
Banana Halwa is a sweet made with the common ingredients but tasty.The only condition is that the Bananas should be ripe with more of sweetness and less sour.This sweet can be prepared when many ripe Bananas are left after Poojas and festivals.Try with four Bananas for the first time.
Ingredients :
Bananas 4
Sugar 1/2 cup.
Ghee 2 tbsp.
Cardamom Powder, Cashew nuts, Raisins.
Method :
1. Heat 1 tsp.of ghee in a thick bottomed tawa, fry the nuts and raisins.Set aside.
2. In the same tawa, heat 1 tbsp. of ghee, add the sliced and mashed Bananas.
3
.Keep on stirring continuously on a medium flame till the Bananas shrink and get cooked.
4. After 5 mins. add the sugar and the colour,if you wish to add.Reduce the flame.
5. Let the mixture simmer for 5 to 7 mins. The Halwa consistency must be formed.
6. Switch off, add the remaining ghee, nuts, raisins and cardamom powder.
7. Mix well and tranfer to the serving bowl.This is very important.If it is left in the hot
tawa, the Halwa becomes hard.The hot and tasty Banana Halwa is ready
This is a traditional and tasty gravy for rice to be mixed with it and eaten.A tablespoon of plain cooked toor dhal or mashed greens ( Keerai Masial ) added with the rice and this kuzhambu gives a unique and combined taste.
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Katharikkai Kuzhambu |
Ingredients :
Medium sized Brinjals 8
Onions 2
Tomatoes 2
Tamarind 1 small lemon size
Chilly Powder 1 tsp.
Coriander Powder 2 tsp.
Grated coconut 3 tbsp.
Garlic Pods 6
Oil 3 tbsp.
Salt, Turmeric Powder, Mustard, Split Urad Dhal, Curry leaves.
Method :
1. Soak the tamarind in warm water and take two cups of tamarind extract.
2. Split the Brinjals into 4 parts from the stalk side, removing the stalk and do not cut till
the end. The Brinjal must be whole but cut in 4 parts, joined at the bottom.
3. Heat the oil, preferably Gingelly Oil, add the mustard, urad dhal and curry leaves.
4. After the mustard splutters, add the finely sliced Onions and the Garlic.Saute well.
5.When the Onions turn brown, add the sliced tomatoes and little salt.Saute on a medium
flame.
6.After the tomatoes shrink, add the split Brinjals, add little more salt for the Brinjals and
saute on medium flame. The veg. should not get burnt.
7. After 8 to 10 mins. the Brinjals become soft, getting cooked in the oil.Add the chilly
powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder .Sautefor another 2 to 3 mins.
8. Add the tamarind water and salt.Mix well and let the gravy boil on a medium flame for
5 mins.
9. When a thick gravy consistency for rice is reached, add the finely ground coconut
paste, mix well and allow it to simmer for 3 mins. Switch off. The tasty Katharikkai
Kuzhambu is ready.
Note :
The oil is the real taste maker and the Brinjals have to get cooked in the oil.It can be reduced a little.
Chilly Powder and salt can be added according to our taste.
Pottukadalai ( Roasted Channa Dhal ) can be added to the coconut, reducing the coconut a little.
Thirty or forty years ago, for most of the people of Tamil Nadu, so many varieties of side dishes for chappathies were not known.Not many cookery shows on TV; no internet ; not so many magazines were in circulation.Notebooks were used to document the favourite recipes using a pen.
Learning from our mothers,in laws, relatives and some acquaintances, a few cookery books and one or two women's magazines in Tamil and English ( I remember Mangai, Femina and The Eve's Weekly ) with cookery recipes were the sources.
Now things have totally changed. The stores are flooded with cookery books;Someone is seen demonstrating a dish in any one of the numerous channels, once the TV is on.Above all hundreds of recipes pop up in the food blog at the click of the mouse.
Still, the Vegetable Kuruma prepared out of the common vegetables like Potato,Carrot, Beans, Peas both at home and the restaurants, according to me, can be called as the Queen of the infinite variety of side dishes cooked for the chappathies.
The credit of this veg. Kuruma, one of my favourite dishes, goes to an aunty who was a good friend and neighbour of us three decades ago.
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Vegetable kuruma |
To serve four.
Ingredients :
Sliced mixed veg.( Potatoes, Carrot, Beans, Peas ) 2 cup.
Medium sized tomatoes 2
Medium sized Onions 2
Chilly Powder 1 tsp.
Coriander powder 1 tsp.
KasaKasa ( poppy seeds ) 1 tsp.
Cashew nuts 8
Ginger, Garlic paste 1 1/2 tsp.
Cinnamon ( Pattai) 1 piece
Aniseed ( sombu ) 1 tsp.
Grated coconut 5 to 6 tbsp.
Oil 2 tbsp.
Method :
1.Cook the finely sliced veg. in a three lit. cooker with little water for just 1 or 2
whistles.
2. Soak the Kasakasa and cashew and grind them with the coconut to a fine paste.
3. Heat oil in a kadai, add the Pattai, Sombu and then the sliced onions.
4. When the onions turn brown, add the finely sliced tomatoes.
5. Once the tomatoes start shrinking, add the ginger, garlic paste.
6. When the oil starts coming out with an aroma, add the cooked veg. and 2 cups of water
7. Add salt, chilly powder and coriander powder.Mix well and simmer on low flame for 10
mins.A thick consistency will be formed.If not, simmer for few more mins.
8.Add the coconut paste, stir well and allow it to simmer again for 5 mins.Garnish with
coriander leaves and switch off. The tasty evergreen side dish for Chappathies is ready.
Note :
1. The ginger, garlic paste and the spices Pattai and sombu used in seasoning are more
than enough to give a mild aroma and a good taste.Little Garam Masala can be added.
2. The combination of spices can be changed to an individual's taste.
3. Health conscious people can avoid cashew and reduce the coconut and add little
Roasted channa Dhal ( Pottukadalai )
