Comfort Food 1

Everyone here likes to eat something of their favorite meal. In some families, there will be a routine to cook sambar, rasam and curry most of the days and some days, say two days in a week they make kootu or some days they make more kozhambu etc... but each one will be having something as their comfort food. I have some which I want to share with you all. First one I picked is Vathakozhambu and Potato curry. Yesterday I made Pumpkin Vatha kozhambu and Potato & Onion curry. I am reposting all those recipes here. Here goes the recipe for Vatha kozhambu...

Ingredients:-

1. Tamarind - one small lemon sized or 2 tbsp paste
   
2. Pumpkin or pearl onion - one small cup (may 10 small cubes)
3. Tumeric powder - 1/2 tsp
4. Sambar powder - 1 1/2 tbsp
5. salt to taste
6. Sesame oil - 4 tbsp (may need more)
7. Jaggery - 1 tbsp
8. mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
9. urid dal - 1/2 tsp
10. channa dal - 1/2 tsp
11. Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
12. Red chillies - 1 or 2 (acc. to taste)
    
13. Asafoetida powder - a pinch
14. Rice flour - 1 1/2 tsp
    

Take a wide pan, pre heat 3 tbsp oil, add mustard seeds, when it splutters, add urid dal, channa dal, fenugreek seeds, red chillies and asafoetida powder and fry these ingredient in low flame, to golden brown. Now add the vegetable to it and saute for a minute. Now put the tamarind paste(if you are using tamarind, squeeze out the juice from it and pour it) and add 1 1/2 cup of water to the paste. Add turmeric powder, sambar powder and salt and let it cook for 10 mts. in medium flame. Now add the jaggery to it and again add 1/2 cup of water and let it boil for another 5 to 7 mts. In order to make the consistency thick, now mix the rice flour with a tbsp of water and pour it on top of the kozhambu and also pour the remaining oil. Let it boil for another 3 mts. Now Vatha kozhambu is ready to serve. Serve it hot with rice. Potato curry will be a good side dish for this rice.

Well here is the recipe for Potato curry...

Ingredints:-

1. Potato - 3-5 (washed)
2. Onion - 1 (if its big or 2 if its small)
3. Oil - 1 tbsp
4. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
5. Curry powder - 1 tsp
6. Salt to taste
7. Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
8. Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
9. Asafoetida powder - a pinch
   
10. Curry leaves - 10 nos.

First pressure cook the potato and cut them into pieces. If you want you can remove the skin. Take a wide pan, pre heat the oil add mustard seeds, when it splutters add cumin seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida powder. Now add the finely chopped onion. Stir it till the onion turns golden brown. Add the turmeric powder, salt and curry powder (see Receipe) and mix it thoroughly till the onion absorbs the flavour. Now add the cooked potato pieces to it and mix it carefully. Do not mash the potato while mixing. Make sure everything mixes well properly. Now potato curry is ready to serve. Garnish it with coriander leaves.

Well friends I will be re-posting couple of more recipes in the next posts. Feel free to leave a link of your comfort food from your blog. I will add the links in this post. I am pretty sure everyone of us have their choice of comfort food even though we make many dishes everyday.