Mor Kuzhambu With Oats Vada

I learnt this method from my MIL.My mom’s method is completely different from this.Check that post that too.Most of us add veggies like okra, pumpkin, cucumber etc in mor kuzhambu.But we always make masal vada and dump into it.Kuzhambu gets absorbed into vada and it tastes excellent..My husband likes this combination very much.Once I added oats and made the vada..There was no difference in taste, flavor , crispness etc.It was equally good to the usual masal vada & at  the same time healthy too:)Then i started making oats vada every time i prepare mor kuzhambu.U can enjoy this vada as a snack too ..
So here is the recipe for mor kuzhambu and vada,

Ingredients
1 cup - 200ml

• Sour curd – 1 cup
• Salt & water – as needed.

To grind:

• Grated Coconut – 3 tbsp
• Green chilly – 3 to 4 nos(increase based on the sourness of curd)
• Coriander seeds – 1 tsp
• Curry leaves - 5 leaves
• Ginger – 1 inch size
• Small onion  / Sambar onion– 3 nos
• Cumin seeds / Jeera – 1/2 tsp

To season:

• Cooking Oil or coconut oil – 2 tsp
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Methi seeds – 1/8 tsp
• Urad dal – 1/2 tsp
• Red chilly –1 no (Pinch into two)

For  Oats masala vada :

• Quick Oats – 1/4 cup ( I used Quaker brand )
• Chana dal – 1/4 cup
• Toor dal – 1/8 cup
• Red chilly – 4-5 nos (adjust as per ur taste)
• Asafetida/Hing – 1/4 tsp
• Salt & water – as needed
• Oil – to deep fry

Method 

• Beat the sour curd with little water and add salt to it(Don’t worry even if it becomes watery, vada will absorb everything).Set aside.
• Grind the first 4 items ( coconut + chilli+ coriander seeds + curry leaves) given under “to grind” with water.
• Then add the last three ingredients ( Ginger, onion, cumin seeds) and run once or twice.Make it a paste.
• Now add the ground mixture to the beaten curd and check for salt.
• Keep the bowl on the stove and simmer it.Let it boil for 3-4 mins in low flame.Mix it once in the middle.By this time, the mor kuzhambu becomes frothy , it should not roll boil.
• Remove from the flame and don’t close it with the lid.  If you want, you can close it partially by keeping a ladle inside. Let it be open for sometime. Do not pour to another vessel when mor kuzhambu is hot. (It’ll become watery).
• Now heat a kadai with oil and do the seasoning part. Add it to the mor kuzhambu.

How to make vada:

• Soak the dals together for 2 hrs and grind it with red chillies, hing , oats and salt.
• Add less water to grind may be 2 tbsp.Batter should be thick and coarse.
• Now heat oil in a kadai and make vada of ur desired shape.
• Deep Fry on both sides.

Now dump these vadas into mor kuzhambu and keep it immersed for 10-15 mins.

Then take the vadas out and keep it in a separate plate because it will absorb the kuzhambu/gravy.
Yummy mor kuzhambu with oats vada is ready to serve with plain rice :)

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Sunnundalu, Corn Flour Murukku - Diwali Recipes

I saw this sunnundalu & corn flour murukku recipe in a cookery show (Vijay tv – samayal  samayal kitchen killaadigal ).As u all know sunnundalu is a famous traditional sweet in Andhra which is made using urad dal flour with jaggery.It is called as Minapa sunnundalu in Telugu.It is very easy to make at the same time tasty & healthy too.Last time when i went to my mom’s place, she gave me **roasted and ground urad dal for making murukku/Thenkuzhal.I prepared this urad dal ladoo & cornflour murukku with the leftover urad dal flour.Both came out very well.Everyone loved it.Cornflour murukku was very crunchy and flavorful.Its a great tea time snack for elders as well as kids.Apt for festivals like Diwali,Gokulashtami and Ganesh chaturthi.Do try these yummy sweet n snacks recipes & let me know your feedback.

Sunnundalu/Urad dal ladoo recipe

Sunnundalu - Traditional Andhra sweet recipe made using Urad dal flour & jaggery | Corn flour murukku - Crunchy snack for tea time !

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Sweet,Snacks

Serves: 10 nos

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 10 Minutes

Total time: 20 Minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 200ml

For urad dal ladoo **Roasted Urad dal flour - 1/2 cup Grated jaggery - 1/3-1/2 cup Melted ghee - 3-4 tbsp Cardamom - 2 nos Raw rice - 1 tsp ( optional.i dint use) For corn flour murukku Corn flour - 1/4 cup Rice flour - 1/2 cup Besan flour - 1/4 cup Softened butter - 1 tbsp Hot cooking oil - 1/2 tbsp Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp Hing/Asafetida - 1/4 tsp Salt & water - as needed Cooking oil - to deep fry

METHOD

FOR URAD DAL LADOO : Dry 1/2 cup of roast urad dal in low to medium flame till you get nice roasted smell.Make sure you don’t change the color of urad dal.After it cools down,grind it to a fine powder.Sieve it and again grind the coarse particles.Sieve again.Measure 1/2 cup of flour and take it in a bowl.Add grated jaggery,melted ghee,cardamom powder & roasted cashews, mix well.Make small balls out of it.Arrange in a box and enjoy eating ! It stays well for a week.( Urad dal should be roasted well else u will get raw smell of dal in ladoo.So take care). FOR CORN FLOUR MURUKKU: Sieve and take all the flours together.Add chilli powder,hing,salt n cumin seeds.Mix well.Add the softened butter and spread it well with the flour.Heat oil required for deep frying.Add 1/2 tbsp of hot oil to the murukku flour.Mix well.Add the required water and make a non-sticky,soft dough. Take a star shaped mould and keep a ball of dough in the murukku press.Press the murukku in the back of ladle.After the oil is heated,drop a pinch of dough in the oil.If it rises immediately,simmer the flame & put the murukku.U can drop 3-4 murukkus in the kadai based on its size.Cook till the bubbles cease completely.Flip it once in the middle.Cook till it turns golden brown.Remove in a tissue and stack it in a box after they cool down.It tastes & flavours the best the next day. Enjoy !

Note

For variations,u can replace jaggery with powdered sugar in urad dal ladoo.Some poeple also add a tsp of raw rice while roasting urad dal.Its completely optional though. For murukku,u can use fried gram flour instead of urad dal flour but i feel urad dal flour is more flavorful.And u can use ghee instead of butter. Add more red chilli powder if u want spicy murukku.

Try this yummy,healthy ladoo n murukku recipes Enjoy your festival !

Technorati Tags: Sunnundalu recipe,corn flour murukku recipe,Minappa sunnundalu,Sunnundalu telugu,Easy sweets recipes,Murukku recipes,Diwali sweets recipes

Very good recipes Tags: Sunnundalu recipe, corn flour murukku recipe, Minappa sunnundalu, Sunnundalu telugu, Easy sweets recipes, Murukku recipes, Diwali sweets recipes

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Kathirikai Kichadi-Brinjal Sambar Recipe For Idli

I learnt this brinjal sambar recipe from my Amma.It is a Tirunelveli(Tamil nadu) style Kathirikai sambar made as a side dish for Idli. My mom calls this as Kathirikai kichadi.So I've mentioned the same as title.You can call this Kathirikai gosthu,kochu etc..This is my most favorite sambar with brinjal.My mom makes this gravy especially for me whenever I visit her place.I am a great fan of brinjal recipes whereas Sendhil is just the reverse.Last week i got some fresh brinjals from my uncle’s garden.So I got tempted to make this kichadi for me and I prepared tomato sambar for my husband.It came out exactly like my mom’s preparation.I felt like eating from my mom’s hand.So I am sharing my mom’s recipe with you all.Try this recipe only if you are an ardent brinjal fan like me.In this sambar,you can enjoy the original flavor of brinjal.Asafetida,coriander leaves and small onions used in it helps to enhance the taste and flavor.So do try this sambar and enjoy with hot idli.Don’t forget to add gingely oil while serving.Lets see how to make this Tirunelveli style Kathirikai Kichadi with new updated pictures 

Kathirikai Kichadi Recipe

Kathirikai Kichadi Recipe / Brinjal sambar - Side dish for Idli

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Side dish

Serves: Serves 4

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Brinjal - 4 nos ( medium size) (Finely chopped ) Green chilli –  3 to 4 nos ( slit cut ) Tamarind – Small gooseberry size ( soak in water ) Small onions – 15 nos ( finely chopped ) Hing / Asafetida – 2 pinches Salt & water - as needed To season Cooking oil - 1 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp Hing – 1/4 tsp Urad dal – 1/2 tsp Chana dal – 1 tsp Coriander leaves – a fistful ( must add  to garnish )

METHOD

Wash and chop the brinjals into small pieces. Keep them immersed in water to prevent discoloration of brinjals.Slit the green chillies and set aside.chop the small onions roughly.Soak tamarind in little water and take the extract.Keep aside. Heat a pressure cooker base adding oil and saute the slitted green chillies. Add brinjals to it and mix well.Add little water,salt and pressure cook the brinjals in high flame for 2-3whistles. Open the cooker,drain the excess water in a bowl and mash the brinjals well with a whisk or a back of ladle.You can also grind the cooked brinjals to a paste if you like smooth paste like sambar. Heat oil in a kadai and splutter mustard seeds,urad dal,chana dal, half of the hing and curry leaves.Saute the small onions.Add the tamarind extract and the drained water from brinjals.Allow the onions to cook well.Add  the remaining Asafetida,salt when the water boils.   After the onions are cooked,add the mashed brinjal with some water to adjust the consistency.Let the gravy boil well. Lastly garnish with coriander leaves and switch off the flame. Enjoy with hot idli adding a tsp of gingely oil/Sesame oil ! Don’t forget sesame oil adds a great taste to this kichadi.

Note

Please don’t forget to add asafetida/Hing twice here. Garnishing with coriander leaves is also a must.

Technorati Tags: Kathirikai kichadi recipe,Kathirikai kichadi,Brinjal recipes,Kathirikai sambar,Kathirikai gosthu,Side dish for idli,side dish for idli,dosa

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RICE PAYASAM , MANGO PACHADI | TAMIL NEW YEAR RECIPES

Wish u all a very happy and prosperous Tamil new year:).
We usually make rice payasam / Arisi payasam and Mango pachadi along with other lunch recipes like rice ,  sambar  , Poriyal  and Vada for tamil new year as offerings to god. I learnt these recipes from my MIL. Rice payasam is a very tasty , rich dessert recipe with jaggery , coconut milk and milk. Mango pachadi has all the 6 tastes ie Sweet , salt , tangy , sour , spicy and saline which denotes our life with all the stages.. . Try these recipes , offer to god and have a great new year ..Color of payasam and pachadi may vary based on the color of jaggery ..

RICE PAYASAM / RICE KHEER

Ingredients

Raw Rice – 1/4 cup Moong dal – 1.5 tbsp Powdered jaggery –  3/4 cup (adjust to ur taste) Thick coconut milk – 1/4 cup Milk – 3/4 – 1 cup Cardamom powder – 1/4 tsp or 2 cardamoms powdered. Water – 3 cups (depends on the quality of rice ) Fried Cashew nuts – to decorate Fried cloves – 2-3 nos Roasted and powdered jaathikkai /Mace – a pinch

Method

Roast rice and moong dal separately in a kadai with little ghee till the rice puffs and dal turns light golden brown. Now transfer the roasted items into a cooker with adequate water.Pressure cook for 1- 2 whistles till it turns mushy. Once it is done , mash the rice well and add the jaggery and let it melt .Boil till the raw smell leaves and becomes frothy.Add water if necessary so that it doesn’t get burnt.Stir constantly.Boil in low flame..( Or u can make jaggery syrup and add to it) Mix well and then add the thick coconut milk,stir it well. Let it boil once and transfer it to the serving bowl. Then add the cardamom powder,fried cashews,cloves and jathikaai powder along with 1/4 cup of milk. As time proceeds, this payasam may get thicker , so add milk accordingly to make it watery and check for sweetness.. Decorate it with saffron if u wish:)

MANGO PACHADI

Ingredients

Raw mango – 1.25 cups ( 300 gms ) Green chilly – 1 no (Finely chopped) Powdered jaggery – 1/2 cup Grated coconut – 1/4 cup Salt – very little Water – as needed. Neem flower – 1 tsp ( dry roast till nice aroma & crush it with hands) To season Oil – 1 tsp Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp Urad dal – 1/4 tsp Red chilly – 1 no (pinched) Curry leaves – a sprig

Method

Cut the raw mango into slices and cook with finely chopped green chilly and little salt and water. Let it cook well. Once it starts to turn mushy , add the powdered jaggery and let it melt and boil till the raw smell leaves. Boil in low flame..Mean while grind the coconut with little water. Add the ground coconut paste to the cooked mango mixture. Mix it well and season with mustard,urad dal , red chilly and curry leaves. Add the crushed neem flower at the end. ( This step is optional, we add for this occasion only) . mix well and serve.. Pachadi is ready !!

NOTE

• If the mango is too sour , u may have to add more jaggery. To avoid this ,add more water to cook the mango & drain the additional water while boiling. It helps to remove the sourness.
• U can follow this recipe and make pachadi with Raw banana stem (Vazhaithandu ) and yellow pumpkin..

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Vendhaya Dosai / Fenugreek Seeds Dosa / Methi Dosa Recipe

We make this vendhaya dosai / fenugreek seeds dosa at least once in a month.This is very good for health.It reduces the body heat and good for stomach ulcer & diabetes. I learnt this recipe from my MIL and i made it yesterday. It was crispy , spongy and tasted great. This fenugreek seeds dosa batter can be stored for few days in refigerator. Poondu molaapdi/ raw garlic dry chutney is the best combination for this dosa.I have tasted this dosa with sambar,chutney , korma etc.But nothing can beat this poondu molaapdi..U can have this dosa with coconut milk or milk mixed with jaggery syrup.I used to have 2 dosas with milk and 2 dosas with molaapdi :) It may resemble like aapam, but it tastes different. Usually it is made thick like uttapam but my husband likes it crispy. So i make thick ones for me & crispy for my husband. It tastes & comes out great in either ways!

INGREDIENTS

Idli rice/ salem rice / boiled rice – 2 cups ( 1 cup = 200 ml) Fenugreek seeds / Methi seeds – 2 tbsp  Urad dal – 1 tbsp Toor dal – 1.5 tsp Salt & water – as needed.

METHOD

Wash and soak the rice for 2 hrs. Similarly , wash and soak urad dal, toor dal and methi seeds for 2 hrs. You can also soak everything together and grind in mixie too. Now grind the methi seeds along with dals with water for 10 mins.Batter will be fluffy becomes smooth.. Then add the rice with required water and salt to it , grind to make a smooth batter. Remove and transfer it to a bowl.Check for salt. Let it ferment for 10 hrs or over night. The next day ,mix the batter well with the ladle. Add little water if batter is too thick. Pour it on the hot dosa tawa.Spread a little , drizzle sesame oil around it and cover cook for 1- 2 mins .No need to flip over. Make it thick or thin as per ur wish.. Remove the dosa and serve hot with poondu molaapdi or coconut milk.

POONDU MOLAPDI / GARLIC CHUTNEY

INGREDIENTS

Garlic – 1 bulb or 15 flakes. Red chilly – 5 -7 nos Grated Coconut – 1 tbsp  Salt – as needed. Oil – 1 tsp

METHOD

How to grind: Peel the garlic and keep it aside. Heat a kadai with oil and roast the red chillies till it turns dark brown. Now grind the garlic flakes,roasted red chillies , grated coconut with the required salt. Please don’t add water. This chutney should be coarse.. Remove and Keep it in the serving bowl.

Serve with this dosa by adding sesame oil.This molapdi stays good even for 10 days when refrigerated and it tastes good with dosa & idli too

Technorati Tags: vendhaya dosa,vendhaya dosai recipe,vendhaya dosai south indian,dosa varieties,breakfast recipes,south indian breakfast recipes,dosa recipes,fenugreek seeds dosa,methi dosa,poondu chutney,garlic chutney recipe,garlic chutney for dosa,chutney for idli,dosa,poondu chutney recipe

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SUNDAKKAI PORITHA KUZHAMBU / PEA AUBERGINE GRAVY

It is also known as  Devil's Fig, Prickly Nightshade, Shoo-shoo Bush, Wild Eggplant, Pea Eggplant, susumba, boo, terongan, tekokak, berenjena cimarrona, berenjena de gallina, berenjena silvestre, tabacón, pendejera, tomatillo, bâtard balengène, zamorette, friega-platos, sundaikkai (Tamil: சுண்டைக்கா), makhua phuang (Thai: มะเขือพวง)
I learnt this recipe from my aunty (MIL).Most of us use sundakkai vathal in vatha kuzhambu or fry and eat as it is for curd rice.This is a different recipe with fresh sundakkai and i like this very much.U can try this , it doesn’t taste bitter:)

Ingredients
1 cup - 200ml

• Raw Sundakkai– 1 cup
• Moong dal – 1.5 tbsp
• Tamarind – Medium gooseberry size
• Sambar powder – 1- 2 tsp ( u can use any sambar powder )
• Tomato – 1 no (Chopped)
• Turmeric powder – a pinch
• Salt & water – as needed.

To season:

• Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp
• Urad dal – 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves – a sprig
• Oil – 1 tbsp

To Grind:

• Grated coconut – 1/4 cup

Method:

• Wash the sundakkai and remove the stem.Cut into two halves and soak in water so that the color doesn’t change.

• Heat a kadai with 1 tsp of oil  and saute the sundakkai till it turns light greenish white, gets shrunken & slightly reduced in quantity.

• Now Pressure cook the sundakkai along with moong dal and chopped tomato .
• Mean while soak the tamarind in water and extract the juice from it.Add the sambar powder , salt  and a pinch of turmeric powder to it.Keep aside.
• Grind the coconut with water and make it to a paste.Set aside.
• Once the sundakkai and dal gets cooked, add the tamarind extract mixture to it and let it boil for 5 – 7 mins.Add water if necessary.
• Now add the coconut paste and boil for sometime till the gravy becomes thick(should not be too thick like kootu at the same time not too watery .)
• If u feel the water is more, u can add little rice flour/corn flour( 1 tsp) to make it thick.
• Finally, temper with all the items given under “to season”.

Healthy sundakkai poricha kuzhambu is ready to serve.
Mix with plain rice and ghee and accompany with papad /vaddam. It tastes excellent!!

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Sunda Curry - Pazhang Curry - Leftover Recipes

Pazhang curry @ Sunda Curry – This name may be new to some of you.It is nothing but a thick gravy made using left over sambar + kootu/avial + poriyal.People in Tirunelveli knows this recipe very well.
My mom used to make this on festival days like Diwali,Pongal and on No/Full Moon Days.On these days,we all prepare full meals with sambar,poriyal,kootu/avial,pachadi,Vadai and Payasam .Not only on these days, we do all these items whenever we have guest at home.Sometimes theese recipes may left over excessively.During those times,my mom do this pazhang curry on that night or the next day morning  by refrigerating it.My MIL also makes it and call this as Sunda curry.It serves as an excellent accompaniment for Rice,Idli/dosa.I love this mixed curry more than sambar & kootu.We usually have it by mixing with plain rice adding few drops of gingely oil.My aachi used to make this rice in a big plate(thaambalam) make balls and feed us with papad as side dish.I crave for those days now.Its very easy to make & at the same time we can utilize left over recipes effectively without wasting them .So friends,try this sunda curry recipe if you have left over Dal+sambar+poriyal/kootu.It tastes great !!

Sunda curry recipe / Pazhang curry

How to use leftover sambar,kootu,avial & poriyal

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Side dish

Serves: Serves 3

Prep time: 5 Minutes

Cook time: 10 Minutes

Total time: 15 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Left over sambar, kootu/avial , poriyal – 2 cups Sesame oil – 1 tbsp Water & salt – if required. (optional)

METHOD

Mix the leftover sambar,kootu,poriyal and dal.Do not mix thayir pachadi.You can even add rasam but without sediments.Add clear rasam.Mix everything well and check for taste.Add salt & little water if needed. Heat a tbsp of gingely oil and pour this mixture. Let it boil for few minutes till the gravy thickens slightly and becomes a semi sold mixture.You will get a nice smell all over your house.Switch off the flame and let it cool down.It will thicken once it cools down.Mix with plain rice or serve as a side dish for idli,dosa.Store in a box and refrigerate.Stays good for a week if handled with a clean spoon eveytime.If needed,you can reheat whenever you need. Enjoy !

Note

You can do the tempering before you boil the mixture.But it may not be needed as sambar,kootu & poriyal are already tempered. You can also add sambar powder or red chilli powder to add more spiciness to the dish.

Enjoy this yummy sunda curry with Idli,dosa or mix with plain rice +sesame oil !!

Technorati Tags: Sunda curry recipe,Pazhang curry recipe,Pazhang curry,leftover recipes,left over recipes,leftover sambar recioes,side dish for idli dosa

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