Thiruvadhirai Kali & kozhambu.

Thiruvadhirai Kali is my all time favorite dish. I can eat this every day. When I was 3 months pregnant, 4 years back, I had a temptation (what we call "masakkai") all of a sudden to eat this kali and at that time, I didn't know the recipe. It was like 2PM here in USA and I called my patti to get the recipe, it was 2.30 AM (early morning) in India, and they were all really shocked to get a call from me at that time and I didn't bothered all about those, just got the recipe and made it immediately and ate couple of teaspoons and finally vommitted everything(!). But I was happy that I could eat that kali. After that, I like to make this very often and eat it. Here is the recipe I usually follow to make this Kali..

Ingredients:-

1. Raw rice - 1 cup
2. Moong dhall - 2 tbsp
3. Jaggery - 1 cup
4. Water - 1 1/2 to 2 cups (depending upon the rice, adjust water)
   
5. Cardamom - 1 or 2
   
6. Pacha karpooram - a pinch
7. Ghee - 2 tsp
8. Coconut - 1 tsp
   
9. Cashew - few
10. Raisins- few

There are two ways of treating rice while making this kali. My patti usually wash the rice first, let it dry and roast it till it becomes golden brown, cool it and grind it into a fine rava consistency. My MIL does it other way round, she first roast the rice, then wash it after it is cool, then grind it into a rava consistency. Either way you can follow, both ways you get good kali. You do the same thing with moong dhall. Roast it till golden brown, let it cool, wash it and let it dry and then grind it or other way round, wash it, let it dry, roast it and then grind it into rava consistency.

Now dissolve jaggery with 1 1/2 to 2 cups of water, (depending upon the rice) add cardamom, coconut, pacha karpooram and a teaspoon of ghee. Bring it to boil, now add the grounded rice and dhall mixture to it. Mix it well and transfer it to another vessel and pressure cook it upto 2 whistles. When the pressure is released, take it out mix it well. Roast cashews and raisins in remaining ghee, to golden brown, pour it on top of kali. Serve it with kozhambu.

Here is the recipe for Kozhambu which MIL used to make. This is Thanjavur style of making kozhambu. Its basically called as "Ezhukari kozhambu" cos we use seven vegetables to make this. The recipe goes like this..

Ingredients:-

1. Vaazhakkai (Green Plantain) - 1/2
2. Pumpkin - Less than 1/4
3. Egg plant - 4
4. Potato - 2
5. Peas - 1/4 cup
6. Sweet Potato - 1/2
7. Chow Chow - 1/2
8. Toor dhall - 1/4 cup
9. Channa dhall - 3 tbsp
10. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
11. Sambar powder - 1 tsp
12. Salt to taste
13. Tamarind Juice - 1/4 cup (thick juice)
    

To Grind:-

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

To Season:-

1. Oil - 2 tsp
2. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
3. Curry leaves - few
4. Coriander leaves - few

First cook the toor dhall and channa dhall with a pinch of turmeric powder and keep it aside. In the mean time, cut the vegetables in the same size, also fry the ingredients given for grinding, to golden brown and let it cool, grind it into a fine paste. Keep it aside. Take a wide pan, put the vegetables, add the tamarind juice, turmeric powder, sambar powder, salt and required amount of water(if necessary) and let all the vegetables cook. When the vegetables become tender, add the grounded paste and let it cook for another 5 mts. Then add the cooked dhall to it, add water to adjust the consistency and let it cook for another 5 to 7 mts till everything mixes together. The final consistency, should not be watery like sambar or thick like kootu. It should be in between these two. When it is done, turn off the stove, take a small pan, pre heat oil, splutter mustards seeds, fry curry leaves to golden brown and pour it on top of kozhambu. Also add coriander leaves. Serve it hot. The advantage of this kozhambu is we add lots of veggies in it. We can keep it kozhambu for 3 days maximum and while reheating, all the spices mixes together and it tastes really heavenly.