Poricha Kozhambu - Thanjavur Style

This is how my MIL make poricha kozhambu in our house. The main ingredients are as follows.

Ingredients:-

1. Toor Dal - 3/4 cup
2. Channa dal - 3 tbsp
3. Brinjal - 4 or 5 (cut it in an inch shape)
   
4. Tamarind - one small lemon sized
   
5. Coriander seeds - 3/4 tbsp
6. Fresh coconut - 1 tbsp
7. Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
8. Red chillies - 2 (or according to taste)
9. Chana dal - 1 tsp
10. Asafoetida - a pinch
11. Salt to taste
12. Sambar powder - 3/4 tsp
    
13. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
14. Ground nuts (peanuts) - 2 tbsp

For Seasoning:-

1. Oil - 2 tsp
2. Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
3. Curry leaves
   
4. Asafoetida powder - a pinch

Take a small pan, add a drop of oil and fry coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, red chillies, coconut and 1 tsp channa dal with a pinch of asafoetida powder, to golden brown. Grind it and make it into a paste. Cook both Toor dal and 3 tbsp channa dal in a pressure cooker. Do not overcook the channa dal(its better to cook toor dal and channa dal one by one). Keep it aside.

In a wide pan, put the brinjal pieces, add tamarind water, sambar powder, salt, turmeric powder and peanuts. Let it boil for 10 to 12 mts. Now add the Coconut paste to it and let it boil for another 3 mts. Now add the cooked Toor dal and Channa dal to it and let it cook for another 5 mts. Take a small pan, pre heat the oil, add mustard seeds. when it splutters, add asafoetida powder and curry leaves to it. Pour the oil into the poricha kozhambu. Now the poricha kozhambu is ready to serve. This can be a very good side dish for Dosai. My MIL usually make Thogayal with this poricha kozhambu. We use this kozhambu as side dish for Thogayal Saadam. Try this and lemme know your comments.

!! Merry Christmas !!

Cauliflower Curry

Cauliflower is rich in Folate, Vitamin C and Dietary Fibre. The main ingredients for this curry are as follow..
Ingredients

1. Cauliflower - 1
2. Tomato -1
3. Onion - 1/2
4. Oil - 1 tbsp
5. Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
6. Cumin Seeds - 1/4 tsp
7. Red chillies -1
8. Urid dhal - 1/2 tsp
9. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
10. Salt to taste
11. Curry Powder - 3/4 tsp (or acc to taste) ***
12. Garam Masala Powder - 1/4 tsp
    
13. Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp

First, remove the florets from the cauliflower and put it in hot water for 2 mts. It will clean up the florets. In the mean time, chop the tomato and onion and keep it aside. Now take a microwave safe vessel, put the cauliflower in it, add 1/2 cup of water, also add salt and keep it in the microwave for 5 to 7 mts. Cauliflower is cooked now.

Now take a pan, pre heat the oil, add mustard seeds, when it splutters add urAd dhal, cumin seeds, red chillies and asafoetida powder to it and fry it for a minute. Now add onion and tomato one by one and saute for a minute. Now add the turmeric powder and curry powder to it and stir it for another 2 mts. Now add the cooked cauliflower to it and mix everything thoroughly. Close the pan for 2 mts and let everything cook. Now turn off the stove and garnish it with the coriander leaves.

*** - I usually make curry powder and use it for making side dishes like this. Instead we can always replace curry powder with coriander powder + Red chillies powder

Nenthrangai Sambar

When I first heard about this sambar, I was really surprised that I didn't know people make sambar with nenthrangai (plantain). Since I am from Kerala, I have tasted nenthrangai chips which my patti used to make with coconut oil. I have tasted home made chips and also store bought chips. But sambar is something I have not tasted or tried before. We had a small vacation in Atlanta, two week back. We went to my cousin's place and his wife told me about this sambar which her mother-in-law(my mom's cousin) used to make. I wanted to try this sambar immediately after coming back to Calif. Since I was sick all these days, I couldn't make it. Today I tried. Frankly speaking my husband was not sure about the taste and was scared to taste. But atlast he tried and said it came out really well(Thank god!) Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:-

1. Plantain (nenthrangai) - 1
2. Toor dhall - 1/2 cup
   
3. Tamarind - a small lemon sized
4. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
5. Sambar powder - 1 1/2 tsp
6. Salt to taste

For Grinding:-

1. Coconut *** - 2 1/2 tbsp
2. Coriander seeds - 2 tbsp
3. Channa dhall - 1/2 tsp
4. Asafoetida powder - a pinch
5. Red chillies - 1(acc to taste)
   
6. Urad dhall - 1/4 tsp

For Seasoning:-

1. Oil - 1 tsp
2. Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
3. Fenugreek seeds - 1/4tsp
4. Asafoetida powder - a pinch
5. Curry leaves - few

Cook toor dhall with a pinch of turmeric powder and keep it aside. Soak tamarind in two cups of water and take out the juice and keep it aside. In the mean time, fry the ingredients given for grinding, into golden brown and grind it into a fine paste. Remove the skin from plantain and cut it into medium sized cubes. Now take a pan, put the plantain pieces, add the tamarind juice, turmeric powder, sambar powder and salt and let it cook for 10 mts. It may take 7 to 10 mts to cook the plantain. Stir the ingredients ocassionally. When the plantain is 3/4th done, add the grounded paste and add water accordingly to let the mixture boil for another 3 mts. Now add the cooked toor dhall to it and mix everything well. Take a small pan, pre heat oil, splutter mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida powder, to golden brown and pour it on top of sambar. Now sambar is ready to serve.

*** - I have started replacing coconut with almonds. In this recipe we can use 4 or 5 whole almonds in the place of coconut.

Paavakkavathal vatha kozhambu

I started writing this recipe last week. Because of my sickness, I couldn't finish this one last week. Even now I feel like sleeping all the time and computer monitor light irritates my eyes. I don't know whats going on.. But I just wanted to finish this recipe first. Paavakka (bittergourd) is my favorite vegetable and I make something or the other with this veggie very often. This vathal I got it from a Indian grocery store and wanted to try vathakozhambu with this one. so here goes the recipe...

Ingredients:-

1. Paavakka Vathal - 10 (depending upon the quantity of kozhambu)
2. Tamarind - a small lemon sized
3. Sesame Oil - 5 tbsp
4. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
5. Sambar Powder - 1 1/2 tsp
6. Salt to taste
7. Jaggery - 1 tbsp

For seasoning:-

1. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
2. Urad dhall - 1/2 tsp
3. Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
4. Asafoetida powder - a pinch
5. Curry leaves - few

Soak the tamarind in 2 cups of water and get the thick juice out of it and keep it aside. In a pan, pre heat 1 tbsp of oil and fry the paavakka vathal to golden brown and keep it aside. Now take a wide bottomed pan, pre heat remaining oil, splutter mustard seeds, fry urad dhall, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida powder to golden brown, pour the tamarind juice, add turmeric powder, sambar powder and salt and let it boil for 7 to 10 mts so that the raw smell of tamarind and sambar powder goes away. Now add the fried vathal, jaggery to it and let it cook together for another 5 mts. A nice aroma comes out when everything is done. By adding the vathal last, the crispyness will be there. Try this

Zuchini Curry

This is something I learned from one of my friend here in Sacramento. She actually called this pachadi, but I would like to call this curry. Here is the recipe..

Ingredients:-

1. Zuchini - 2
2. Onion - 1
3. Tomato - 1
4. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
5. Curry Powder - 1 tsp (acc to taste)
6. Garam Masala Powder - 1/4 tsp
7. Salt to taste
8. Oil - 1 tsp
9. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
10. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
11. Coriander leaves - for garnishing
    

Cut zuchini into small cubes, onion and tomato in to small pieces. Take a wide pan, pre heat oil, splutter mustard and cumin seeds, add the onion to it and saute' for a minute. Now add the chopped tomato and mix it with onion and stir it for another minute. Now add the zuchini pieces, add turmeric powder, curry powder and salt and also add required amount of water to let the veggies cook. When the zuchini is 3/4th done, add the garam masala powder and stir it for another 3 mts. Zuchini takes less time to cook. Garnish it with coriander leaves. This tastes really good as a side dish with sambar rice or with chapathi.