Pagarkkai Poriyal is a very traditional Poriyal, good for health.This can be prepared with slight variations.
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| Pagarkkai Poriyal |
Ingredients :
Bittergourd 250 gms.
Onion 1
Garlic (optional) 5 pods
Red chillies 2
Salt
For grinding in the mixer :
Coconut 2 tbsp
Cummin / Zeera 1/2 tsp.
Small onions 4 ( or a few sliced pieces of big onion )
For seasoning :
Oil 1 tbsp.
Mustard, Urad Dhal, Curry Leaves.
Method :
1. Pressure cook the sliced Pagarkai in a small cooker just for 1 or 2 whistles. I always add
2 tbsp. of Toor Dhal with Pagarkai, pressure cook for 1 whistle and carefully release
pressure after 1 min.The Pagarkai is perfectly cooked and Toor Dhal is partly cooked,
without losing shape. This is good for elderly people and also fast.Toor Dhal is a
source of protein, nutralises the bitter taste of bittergourd and also the quantity of the
Poriyal is more.
2. Dry grind the given ingredients in the mixer.Grated coconut can also be added directly
without grinding.
3. Heat oil, add the seasoning ingredients,broken red chillies, then the crushed garlic
pods and the sliced onion. Saute well.
4. Then add the cooked Pagarkai and salt.I do not discard the water,as I add only less
water.If there is extra water and if you feel that the Pagarkai may be bitter, discard
the water and that can be used by the diabetic people.
Without pressure cooking, Pagarkai can also be directly cooked by adding after onion
and roasted.This requires more oil but has a different taste. This is good for the young
people.
5. Keep on stirring the Pagarkai on medium flame for 2 mins.
6. Add the ground coconut or grated coconut and saute on low fire for 5 mins.The tasty
and healthy Pagarkai Poriyal is ready.
Drumstick Leaves Adai is made with the Adai batter and Drumstick Leaves. ( Murungai Keerai ). As Drumstick Leaves are full of iron, this Adai is very nutritious and also helps the people, suffering from constipation.
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| Drumstick Leaves Adai |
The ingredients and the method are same as Adai.Before preparing the Adai,for the batter prepared from 1 cup of rice and the Dhal, 1/2 cup of cleaned Drumstick leaves can be mixed well with the batter.
Drumstick Leaves Adais are very crispy and tasty.
Suraikkai Adai is an Adai full of fibre and nutrition, hence very good for health.The basic ingredients and the methods are the same as Adai.The quantity of Urad Dhal may be reduced or totally left out as Suraikkai gives a very soft texture to the Adai.
Suraikkai is bottlegourd in English.For 1 cup of rice, half cup of sliced Suraikkai can be added with the soaked rice and Dhal and ground with the other ingredients.Suraikkai can also be grated and added before grinding.ponniskitchen.blogspot.com.Adai
This version of the Inji Pachadi. a combination for Sodhi was passed on to me by my cosister and sister in law. This is preferred by the people who like a slightly spicy combination for the Sodhi, full of coconut milk. This can be preserved for a day or two.
By adding more oil, this also can be refrigerated and used as a pickle to be taken with rice and tiffin items.
It can also be taken as a Lehiam by adding 1 tbsp. of honey as Ginger is good for digestion.
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| Inji Pachadi |
Ingredients :
Ginger 100 gms.
Red Chillies 2 to 3
Tamarind 1 Amla size
Powdered Jaggery 1 or 2 tbsp.
Salt
Method :
1. Clean, peel and finely slice the Ginger.Soak the Tamarind in warm water and take 1
cup of Tamarind water.
2. Heat 1 tsp. oil, roast the red chillies and keep aside.Instead of this, Chilly Powder can
also be used.
3. In the same Kadai, add 1 more tsp. of oil and saute the ginger till they turn red, giving
an aroma. Let them cool.
4. In a mixer, powder the red chillies and then grind the Ginger coarsely.If the Tamarind
is free from seeds and impurities, it can also be ground with the Ginger.
5. Boil the ground paste, 1/2 tsp. of salt, tamarind water and the Jaggery in a thick
bottomed vessel for 3 to 4 mins. on medium flame with stirrings in between.
When it reaches the semi solid consistency of Pachadi, switch off. To be used as a
Lehiam,1 tbsp. of Honey has to added and boiled till a thick consistency is reached.
6. Seasoning with Mustard and Curry leaves is optional. The tasty Pachadi is ready.
Inji Pachadi is a combination for Sodhi. They are never separable and always go in a pair as Ginger is said to help in the digestion of the coconut, the main ingredient of the Sodhi.This version of the Inji Pachadi, I came to know from my paternal aunt, who was a great culinary expert.There was a beauty in whatever she did.Even the way she sliced the vegetables into fine pieces, especially the onion and cabbage into fine, even shreds was admired by one and all.This recipe is dedicated to my great aunt, the late, Smt. Velammal.
This is a less spicy version and recommended for children, as they always relish the Sodhi.
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| Inji Pachadi I |
Ingredients :
Ginger 100 gms.
Kadalai Paruppu ( Channa Dhal ) 2 tbsp.
Grated coconut 3 tbsp.
Tamarind 1 amla size
Powdered Jaggery ( Vellam ) 1 to 2 tbsp.
Salt, Oil, Mutard, Split Urad Dhal, Curry Leaves.
Method :
1. Clean the Ginger, peel off and slice into fine pieces. Soak the Tamarind in
warm water and take one cup of extract.
2. Heai 1 tsp. of oil in a Tawa and roast the Kadalai Paruppu till they turn
colour.Tranfer to a plate.
3. Heat the same Tawa, add the sliced Ginger and saute the Ginger in tsp. of oil
on a low fire for 3 to 4 mins. till an aroma comes out. Add the coconut and
stir for 1 min. Cool.
4. In a dry mixer, coarsely powder the roasted Kadalai Paruppu, then add the
ginger and coconut. Grind coarsely with some water.
5. Boil the ground ingredients with 1/2 tsp. of salt ,Jaggery and the Tamarind
water on a low fire for 5 mins.Water can be added to get semi solid
consistency of Pachadi.
6. Season with Musatard, Urad Dhal and Curry Leaves, The tasty and healthy
side dish for Sodhi is ready.
Usili is prepared with vegetables like Pudalangai, kothavarangai and Vazhaippu.This preparation gives us a change from the Kottu, Curry or Poriyal which we make frequently.
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| Kothavarangai Usili |
Ingredients :
Kothavarangai 250 gms.
Channa Dhal 1/2 cup
Toor Dhal 1/4 to 1/2 cup.
Red chillies 2 to 3
Salt, Turmeric Powder
For Seasoning :
Oil 2 tbsp. Mustard, Split Urad dhal, Curry leaves.
Method :
1. Soak the Dhals for 30 mins. and coarsely grind in the mixer with the red chillies, adding
a tbsp. of water if necessary.The proportion of the Dhals can be altered slightly to our
taste and availability.
2. Cook the sliced Kothavarangai with water till they become soft.I always pressure cook
in a small cooker for 2 whistles and release the pressure carefully after 1 minute.It
is fast and perfect.I use only less water but extreme care has to be taken to check if
the vent is clear, place the weight and watch for the whistle as only little water is used.
The gasket must be fitting. If not, the water leaks and the vegetable gets burnt.
3. Heat oil, season with the given ingredients and add the ground Dhal.Add turmeric
powder and little salt. Stir on constantly on a medium flame till they get cooked and
get scattered.It may take 5 mins.
4. Then add the cooked Kothavarangai,discarding the water, if any,salt and saute on low
fire for 3 mins.Salt can also be added while cooking the vegetable, if exact quantity
of water is used. Grated coconut can also be added. The tasty Usili is ready.
Adai, has been tried and tasted by me with the various combinations of the ingredients.Finally I found the following combination, even with the minimum ingredients, the Adai is very tasty.I feel it is not absolutely necessary to add so many Dhals.It all depends on individual taste and preference.I always prefer Vadai Paruppu ( Pattani Paruppu or Peanut Dhal )Anyhow, let me document the recipe, atleast for my children.
With the basic ingredients,different varieties of Adai are prepared by me.
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| Adai |
Ingredients :
Idli rice 1 cup.
Pattani Paruppu 1/2 cup.
Urad Dhal 1 to 2 tbsp.
Fenugreek 1 tsp.
Red chillies 3 to 4
Ginger 1 small piece.
Salt, Curry Leaves, Hing
Finely sliced onion 1/4 cup
Method :
1. Soak the rice, Dhals and Fenugreek for 4 hrs.
2. Grind with the chillies, ginger and salt. Let this not be very coarse.Only if the batter
is little fine, thin roast like Adais can be prepared.Grated coconut can be added.
3. Let the batter rest atleast for 1 hour.I always allow it to rest for 2 hrs. Then only the
Adai will be soft and crisp.Most of the people prepare Adai, immediately after grinding,
as they feel the batter may become sour.
4. Add Curry leaves,onion and Hing. Some season with Mustard.
5. Heat the Tawa, spread the batter into a thin round, add oil. After one side is roasted,
turn to the other side and remove from the tawa.
Note :
1. Small quantities can be ground in the mixer. As for Adai, grinding in the mixer or the
grinder gives the same taste.
2. The more Urad Dhal we add, the more soft the Adai is. My mother always soaks
and grinds the Urad Dhal separately. Then she adds rice and the other ingredients and
grinds them.Some add 2 tbsp. of raw rice also with the Idli Rice to get crisp Adais.
3. Kadalai Paruppu can be used instead of Vadai Paruppu.Toor Dhal and Pasi Paruppu,
1 tbsp. each can also be added with the Vadai Paruppu.I feel that, for an urgent
preparation of Adai, the ingredients can be altered according to the availability.
