Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Kola Urundai Kuzhambu
A gravy for rice made out of Thoor dhal and channa dhal. Very handy when there are no vegetables at home but we want something special. The balls in the curry will act as a side dish and will help us from making something separate for that.
Ingredients for the urundai
Thoor dhal- ½ cup or 1 cup of this dhal alone can be used
Channa dhal-1/2 cup
Red chillies-6
Fennel seeds-1 teaspoon
Chopped onion-1/2 cup
Grated coconut-2 table spoon
Chopped curry leaf-little
Chopped coriander leaves-little
Ingredients for the gravy
Small onion-20
Garlic-8 pods
Tomato-1
Tamarind-little
Sambar milagai thool-2 tablespoons
To season
Mustard seed-1 teaspoon
Urudh dhal-1 teaspoon
Curry leaf-little
Procedure
Soak all the dhal items, red chili and fennel seed in water for 30 minutes. Drain the soaked items and grind in the mixie with minimum water. Don’t grind it very smooth. Add chopped onions, Turmeric powder, asafetida, chopped curry leaves, chopped coriander leaves and the salt required to the mixture. Mix nicely and make small balls. Steam the balls in the idly pan for just 5 minutes. Over steaming will make the urundai hard.
For the gravy, Take 3 cups of water. Add tamarind into that and take out the juice. Add turmeric powder and the sambar powder also. Mix one urundai also into the gravy to give thickness to it.
Keep a flat bottom vessel in the stove .In 1 tablespoon of oil, season with the items in ‘To season’. Add the chopped onions, tomato and garlic and sauté for some time nicely. Pour the gravy into the kadai and cook .When the gravy starts boiling add the urundai one by one in such a way that they don’t stick to each other. Cook in medium fire for another 10 minutes. Switch off the stove when the gravy is little watery itself. The urundai will absorb lot of gravy as time goes by. So if you make it very thick, there will be no gravy left at the end. It will be better if you don’t transfer the gravy into another vessel. Garnish with coriander leaves.
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Eral Kathirikkai Murungakkai Kuzhambu Prawns with Brinjal and Drumstick
Since cleaning prawns is a tough job, I always buy prawns from the lady who brings on her head home. I buy from her for the past 20 years. She as a practice cleans the prawns and takes out the kudal i.e., a long black thread like thing from its stomach. If that is not taken out it will lead to stomach pain. After she cleans and goes, I will make sure that she has taken it out from all the prawns. This Sunday as it is holiday time the town looks deserted as many have gone to their native place and she could not sell her prawns fully. She compelled me to buy more and was telling different recipes. I always make the prawn curry which my younger one loves. So I have never thought about an alternate recipe and that too kuzhambu. She said make vadai adding surakkai. I said I don’t use surakkai. Then she said radish and a handful of prawns will make yummy gravy. The smell of radish also will make my younger one run away from the dining table. So I thought I will make kuzhambu using one brinjal and one drumstick with little small onions and garlic. She said that also will be good and managed to sell ½ kg more of prawns.
The taste of the kuzhambu has no words to describe. My husband who always tries to make fun of my cooking somehow couldn’t resist telling that the dish is one of the best that I have cooked. My younger one who is very choosy also fell for its taste and said if I write a blog on this she will be the first to write the comment as she has tasted it. There was not a drop of gravy left over after dinner.
Those who live abroad may find it difficult to get fresh drumstick. They can try with radish or brinjal alone. A handful of prawns are enough. 100 to 200 Gms of cleaned prawns will be enough.
Ingredients
Prawns-100 Gms (cleaned) more can be added if desired
Brinjal-1
Drumstick-1
Small onion-20
Tomato-1
Garlic-20 pods
Curry leaves-little
Sambar powder-2 teaspoons
Coriander powder-2 teaspoons
Turmeric powder-1/2 teaspoon
Tamarind-gooseberry size
Procedure
In a kadai in 2 teaspoons of gingerly oil or cooking oil season the gravy with a teaspoon of mustard seed and little vendayam and curry leaf. Sauté the chopped onions nicely then the garlic and finally the tomatoes. When they are sautéed well add the sambar powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder and sauté well. Now add the brinjals and sauté in medium fire for 5 minutes. Meanwhile in 2 cups of water mix the tamarind and the salt needed .Once the brinjals are sautéed well add the tamarind salt water. Reduce the flame once the gravy starts boiling. Add the drum stick also. Cook for 10 minutes in low fire. Make sure that the brinjals doesn’t get overcooked. If so reduce the cooking time. Now add the prawns and cook for 5 more minutes. Prawns do not need much time to cook. Let the gravy stay for at least 2 hours before serving for best taste.
The gravy should not be very watery. It should be like puli kuzhambu.
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Ennai Kathirikai Kuzhambu
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| Ennai Kathirikai Kuzhambu |
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| Ennai Kathirikai |
Friday, December 27, 2013
Appalam Kuzhambu
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| Applam Vathakuzhambu |
Appalam - 2 nos ( torn into small pieces)
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Whole dry chilli - 2 nos
Toor dal - 1 tsp
Channa dal - 1 tsp
Methi seeds - tsp
Curry leaves - few
Asafetida - few pinch
Tamarind - Gooseberry size( soaked in water and extracted)
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 3 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 cup
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| Applam Kuzhambu Recipe |
1. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, whole dry chilli, toor dal, channa dal, methi seeds and torn applam pieces.
2. Saute for few seconds, add red chilli powder and coriander powder to the pan and stir well.
3. Now add tamarind extract, salt and a cup of water to the pan, bring gravy to boil.
4. Once gravy starts boiling add curry leaves and asafetida, reduce heat simmer gravy for few minutes.
Serve hot Applam Kuzhambu with steamed rice and poriyal
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| Applam Vathakulambu |