Recipe - Adaidosai

Adaidosai (அடைதோசை)

This is a simple dosai recipe I learnt from my mother in law. I think this tiffen item needs a proper christening as it is usually called jovially “neither adai nor dosai” as it is not as heavy as adai and not regular dosai either. Jokes apart, this is an easy-to-make breakfast and full of moong dal nutrition. It is quite similar to pesarat but lighter than that.

Ingredients

Yellow moong dal (பயத்தம்  பருப்பு/ பாசிப் பருப்பு)   - 1 glass

Raw rice  (பச்சரிசி)                                                        - a handful

Red chillies (காய்ந்த மிளகாய்)                                    - 4 or 5

Green chillies (பச்சை மிளகாய்)                                   - 1 (optional)

Curry leaves (கறிவேப்பிலை)                                      - 2 sprigs

Asafoetida  (பெருங்காயம்)                                          - 2 pinches

Salt  (உப்பு)                                                                    - to taste

Oil (எண்ணெய்)                                             

Method:

Soak the moong dal and raw rice together for about 30 – 40 minutes. Add this to the mixie, add the chillies, curry leaves, salt and grind after adding some water. Make sure the end product is not too smooth and a little grainy. Add asafoedita and add some more water to bring it to a dosai batter consistency. 

 

Pour a ladle full of the batter on a tawa, add little oil and make like a dosai. This does not need as much oil as an adai.

Yummy Adaidosai is ready to eat. Side dishes can be sambar/chutney/milagai podi/pickle/sugar or it can be had plain too! 

Recipe - Vazhaithandu morkootu (வாழைத்தண்டு மோர்க்கூட்டு)

Vazhaithandu morkootu (வாழைத்தண்டு மோர்க்கூட்டு)

The stem of banana, Vazhaithandu is rich in fibre and is very good for health.

This healthy dish is quite common in my parents’ place and relished by all of us

Ingredients

Banana stem       - 1

Toor dall            - 2 tsp

Grated coconut   - ½ cup

Red chillies          - 3

Jeera                  - ½ tsp

Beaten curd       - ¾ cup

Salt                    - to taste

For seasoning

Oil                    - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds  - 1 tsp

Urad dall         - 1 tsp

Curry leaves     - a few

Soak the toor dall in a cup of water.

Cut the banana stem into tiny pieces and keep it soaked in water to which few teaspoons of buttermilk is added. This is to ensure that the stem does not blacken due to oxidation

Drain the buttermilk water, wash the cut vegetable once again and cook with some water.

Banana stem takes some time to cook. Add salt half way through. Ensure less salt is only added as this vegetable cannot take much salt.

Grind the coconut, soaked dall, red chillies and jeera with some water into a paste. Add this to the cooked banana stem. Keep stirring as this mixture will thicken very fast because of the toor dall in it. After 2-3 minutes, add the beaten curd and switch off gas after one boil

In a kadai add oil, coconut oil tastes very nice, but any cooking oil is okay. Add mustard seeds and when it splutters, add the urad dall. As soon as the urad dall becomes golden brown, take the kadai off the gas, add the curry leaves to it and then add the seasoning on the vegetable.

Delicious vazhaithandu morkootu is ready to eat!

Recipe : Karunaikizhangu Thuvayal

Karunaikizhangu thuvayal (கருணைக்கிழங்கு துவையல்)

This is my favourite among the dishes made out of karunaikizhangu, the other one being karunaikizhangu masiyal, my sister Sabi's favourite! I have never personally made this dish as the slightly itchy karunaikizhangu is not relished in my inlaw's place but I love to hog it whenever Amma makes it for me.

Karunaikizhangu  (கருணைக்கிழங்கு) (yam)- 2 numbers  
Mustard seeds (கடுகு)   - 1 tsp
Urad dall (உளுத்தம்பருப்பு)  - 2 tsp
Dry red chillies (காய்ந்த மிளகாய்)   - 4
Tamarind (புளி)          - 2 inch strip / 2 tsp of pulp
Asafoetida (பெருங்காயம்) - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder  (மஞ்சள் பொடி) -1/2 tsp
Salt (உப்பு)     - to taste
Gingelly Oil (நல்லெண்ணெய்) -  2 tsp

Peel the yam and cut into small round pieces. Wash well and pressure cook in water adding turmeric powder. It should be well cooked with two whistles. Take out the cooked yam, drain the water completely and let it cool.

In a kadai take oil, add mustard seeds and when it crackles, add the urad dall, let it become golden, add the red chillies and switch off the gas. Put these in a mixie along with tamarind, salt and asafoetida and grind. 

Mash the cooled yam with a masher and add the ground mixture to it. Mix the whole thing together and your karunaikizhangu thuvayal is ready to eat with hot rice and gingelly oil!

Recipe : Kathirikkai rasavaangi

Katharikkai rasavaangi (கத்திரிக்காய் ரசவாங்கி)

This is one of the specialities of my mother and a hot favourite in our house.

Ingredients
Eggplant  ( கத்திரிக்காய்) - ¼ kg
Toor dall ( துவரம் பருப்பு) - ½ cup
Dry karamani (காராமணி) – 2 tbsp
Tamarind - size of gooseberry / Tamarind paste (புளி விழுது) – 1 tsp
Sambar powder (சாம்பார் பொடி) – 2 tsp
Turmeric powder (மஞ்சள் பொடி)– ½ tsp
Asafoetida  (பெருங்காயம்) - ¼ tsp
Grated coconut (துருவிய தேங்காய்) - 3 tbsp
Mustard (கடுகு) - ½ tsp
Urad dall (உளுத்தம் பருப்பு) - 1 tsp
Curry leaves (கறிவேப்பில்லை) - 2 sprigs
Green chillies (பச்சை மிளகாய்) - 2
Lemon (எலுமிச்சம்பழம்) - ½
Salt (உப்பு) - to taste
Oil (எண்ணெய்) - 3 tsp

Pressure cook the karamani and toor dall in separate vessels. Cut the egg plants into 2 inch pieces and cook directly adding water, turmeric powder and salt. Once cooked, add the cooked karamani, tamarind paste, sambar powder and cook for 10 minutes. Add the cooked toor dall and boil for 3 minutes and then add the asafoetida

Heat a kadai, add oil, mustard and when mustard crackles add the urad dall. When the dall becomes golden colour, add the vertically slit green chillies, curry leaves and grated coconut. Roast for 2-3 minutes. Add this to the cooked egg plant. Squeeze the lemon and mix well. Your katharikkai rasavaangi is ready to be relished with rice or rotis.

Dry karamani can be replaced with any other dry pulse like brown / white channa etc.

Recipe - Mor Kuzhambu

Mor Kuzhambu
(மோர் குழம்பு)

The mor kuzhambu I am familiar with from childhood is the Thanjavur style mor kuzhambu. Once I tasted this mor kuzhambu made by my mother in law, I started liking it and nowadays I  make either mor kuzhambu depending on my mood.

Ingredients
Beaten curd (கடைந்த தயிர்)  - 1 cup
Besan (கடலை மாவு)             - 1 tsp
Methi powder (வெந்தயப்பொடி) - 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida  (பெருங்காயப் பொடி)   - 1/4 tsp
Mustard (கடுகு)                                  - 1/2 tsp
Oil (எண்ணெய்)                               - 1 tsp
Curry leaves (கறிவேப்பில்லை)       - a few
Salt  (உப்பு)                                   - to taste
Turmeric powder (மஞ்சள்ப்பொடி) - a pinch

To be ground to paste
Scraped coconut (திருவிய தேங்காய்)   - 1/2 cup
Green chillies (பச்சை மிளகாய்)    - 2
Jeera (சீரகம்)                      - 1/2 tsp

Grind the ingredients to a paste, add some water, turmeric powder and salt and boil.
Add besan to the beaten curd, mix well to ensure there are no lumps and add it to the boiled coconut mixture. Let this boil for 5-7 minutes. Keep stirring on and off to ensure that the kuzhambu does not curdle.
Take it off the stove, add methi powder, asafoetida. In a pan take oil and add mustard, once it splutters, add the curry leaves take off the stove and pour on top of the methi and asafoetida powder
The flavour of methi powder is the speciality of this dish.
Mor kuzhambu is ready to be eaten with rice and any fried vegetable!

Vegetables that can be added to this kuzhambu are -

White pumpkin/chow chow/colacasia - to be boiled and added to the coconut mixture
Lady's finger/sundaikai it has to be shallow fried and added last along with the mustard.

Seasoning with coconut oil gives a special taste though any cooking oil can be used.

Recipe - Milagu Kuzhambu

Milagu kuzhambu aka Karuveppilai kuzhambu

(மிளகு குழம்பு என்கிற கறிவேப்பிலை குழம்பு)

This is a very popular recipe of my mother, with a lot of medicinal properties. Though people in south India are familiar with this gravy to be eaten with rice, I am very partial to my mother's recipe which she learnt from her mother and so on. I have just followed her method of making this gravy in one of the ancient type of stone utensils used in Tamil Nadu - kalchatti (கல் சட்டி). Ofcourse this gravy    can be made  in a  kadai

Ingredients

Tamarind (புளி)          - big lemon sized ball
Pepper corn (மிளகு)  - 2 tbsp
Dry red chillies (காய்ந்த மிளகாய்) - 2
Toor dall  (துவரம் பருப்பு)   - 1 tsp
Curry leaves  (கறிவேப்பிலை) - 5-6 sprigs
Turmeric powder (மஞ்சள் பொடி)- 1/2 tsp
Mustard (கடுகு)- 1/2 tsp
Methi seeds (வெந்தயம்)- 1/4 tsp
Gingelly Oil (நல்லெண்ணெய்) - 3 tbsp
Asafoetida (பெருங்காயம்)- 1/4 tsp
Salt (உப்பு)- to taste

Soak tamarind in warm water and extract the juice, add salt, asafoetida and turmeric. In a kadai heat two tbsp of oil, add mustard and when it starts spluttering, add the methi seeds, saute and then add the tamarind water. Let it boil until the raw smell of tamarind goes. In another kadai heat the remaining 1 tbsp of oil, add pepper corns,toor dall and then the red chillies. Add 4-5 sprigs of curry leaves and let the mixture cool. Grind this in a mixie adding little water so that it becomes a paste. Add this paste to the boiled tamarind water and let it boil for a few minutes till it thickens slightly. Add some more curry leaves and switch off the stove.

This gravy can be mixed with hot rice and ghee / gingelly oil and eaten. It helps tummy upsets. A good quantity of iron rich curry leaves is also used in this recipe.

- Gingelly oil used in this recipe can be replaced with எனி other cooking oil , but the best flavour comes  with gingelly oil. 
- This gravy can be stored for 2 -3 days in room temperature and upto a week in the fridge.  

Recipe - Poricha Rasam

Poricha rasam

This is a rasam I learnt from my mother-in-law. It is called poricha rasam as tamarind is not used in this rasam. We usually prepare this rasam in a  Iyachombu (ஈயசொம்பு) ( Iyam is an alloy made of tin and aluminium and rasam made in this vessel is said to taste better)

 Ingredients:

  

Tomato (தக்காளி) – 2

Toor dall (துவரம் பருப்பு)  – ½ cup

Turmeric powder (மஞ்சள் தூள்)  - ¼ tsp

Salt (உப்பு) – to taste

Asafoetida (பெருங்காயம்) – ½ tsp

Lots of coriander leaves (கொத்தமல்லி) for garnish

Curry leaves (கருவேப்பில்லை) – 2 sprigs

Ghee (நெய்) – 1 tsp

Mustard seeds (கடுகு) – 1 tsp
Jaggery (வெல்லம்) - 1 /2 tsp

To be ground to a paste

Coriander seeds (தனியா) – 1 tbsp

Channa dall (கடலை பருப்பு) - ½ tbsp

Pepper  (மிளகு)– 8 nos.

Jeera   (சீரகம்)- 1 tsp

Red chillies (காய்ந்த மிளகாய்)  – 2

Oil (எண்ணெய்)  – 2 tsp to roast above

Cut tomatoes into quarters, put in the vessel, add water, salt and haldi and let it boil till the tomato pieces are cooked.

Pressure cook the toor dall and keep it aside.

Add oil to a kadai. Add coriander seeds, channa dall, pepper, jeera one after the other and roast well, Finally add the red chilles and switch off the stove. Let this cool and then run it through a mixie adding little water to make a paste.

Add this paste to the boiled tomato water, let it boil once and then add the cooked toor dall. Add water to bring it to the consistency of rasam. After adding water, just let the rasam boil once.

In a kadai, pour a teaspoon on ghee and when hot, add mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds crackle, add it to the rasam. Add the jaggery.

Add a few sprigs of curry leaves and a lot of coriander leaves.