Ridge Gourd Gravy/Peerkangai Kuzhambu Recipe

Ridge gourd gravy/Peerkangai kuzhambu is one of my favourite and easiest kuzhambu recipes.I love this gravy more than peerkangai thogayal/thuvayal.My MIL call this as peerkangai chutney though it is not thick like our usual chutneys.This gravy goes well with rice more than idli,dosa.I made this for our lunch last week when my in-laws were here.We had a simple yet yummy lunch with this gravy and bitter gourd fry.I will share bitter gourd fry recipe soon.Now lets see how to make this delicious peerkangai gravy recipe for rice.

Ridge gourd gravy/Peerkangai kuzhambu recipe

Ridge groud gravy recipe for rice- Simple n delicious gravy !

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Gravies

Serves: Serves 2

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 10 Minutes

Total time: 20 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Ridge gourd - 1 no ( medium sized) Tamarind - Medium gooseberry size(slightly more than small gooseberry) Green chillies - 5 nos Curry leaves - few Hing/Asafetida - 1/2 tsp ( 1/4 + 1/4 tsp) Small onions - 15 nos ( peel n chop into chunks) Salt & water – as needed To temper & saute Cooking oil - 1 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Urad dal - 1 tsp Chana dal - 2 tsp Coriander leaves - to garnish

METHOD

Wash and scrape the skin of ridge gourd.Do not peel the entire skin.Just remove the ridges.Chop them into small cubes.Peel and chop the small onions roughly into small chunks.Slit the green chillies & chop into small pieces. In a pressure cooker base,take the chopped ridge gourd,salt,tamarind along with 1 cup of water.Pressure cook in low flame for one whistle or 3-4 whistles in high flame.Remove and let it cool. (I kept in a tiffin box and pressure cooked it along with dal) After it cools down,drain the excess water in a bowl and grind the cooked ridge gourd along with tamarind to a smooth paste. Add this paste to the reserved ridge gourd water.Add hing and few,torn curry leaves.Check for salt. Heat oil in a kadai and temper mustard seeds,urad dal,chana dal,hing,chopped small onions and slitted green chillies. Now add the ridge gourd paste water.Add 1/2 cup of more water and let it boil for 2-3 minutes.Lastly add the finely chopped coriander leaves and garnish it.Mix with plain rice adding few drops of gingely oil and serve hot.It tastes yummy !

Note

You can follow the same recipe and make gravy using pumpkin.Please check this link. Adding small onions gives the best taste.But you can also add big onions if u don’t have small onions in hand. Asafetida/Hing is the star ingredient for this recipe.We add it twice in this recipe.Once during tempering and the other when the gravy boils.So never skip this ingredient.

Enjoy this yummy gravy with plain rice.It tastes yum !

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Tamilnadu Rasam Recipe - South Indian Rasam Recipe

This is my basic South Indian style rasam recipe which I learnt from my Aachi in Tirunelveli, Tamilnadu. I make this rasam almost everyday without using homemade or store bought rasam powder and dal water. Instead I make it with freshly ground rasam powder. My MIL like this rasam a lot & this is my daughter’s favourite Rasam mammu too. 

Last year I shared my dad’s Easy rasam recipe using Instant rasam powder. This is also very similar recipe but the ingredients of rasam powder differs slightly. As we are using freshly ground powder,this rasam comes out very flavourful but I  tell you it tastes the best when prepared in advance. It needs some standing time for all the flavours to infuse. Beginners and bachelors can also try this recipe. U can make this powder using a small mortar & pestle if you don’t have a mixie. 

Now lets see how to prepare this yummy Tamil nadu style basic rasam recipe. Soon I will post more rasam varieties here.

Rasam recipe

Everyday rasam recipe using freshly ground rasam powder.

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Lunch

Serves: 3

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 10 Minutes

Total time: 20 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Tamarind – Medium gooseberry size Ripe tomato - 1 no Turmeric powder – 1/8 tsp Salt & water – as needed Sugar – 1/8 tsp For Rasam powder Dhania/Coriander seeds - 1/2 tsp Pepper - 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds/Jeera – 1 tsp Garlic - 4 nos Red chilli - 1 no Methi seeds -1/4 tsp To temper Cooking oil OR Ghee - 2 tsp  Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp Red chilli - 1 no Hing – a pinch Curry leaves - few Coriander leaves - to garnish

HOW TO MAKE TAMILNADU RASAM - METHOD

Soak tamarind in warm water for 15 minutes. Take the extract using 1 cup of water and add the finely chopped or crushed tomato, salt, turmeric powder to it. Take all the ingredients in a mixie jar for rasam powder and grind it coarsely ( Red chilli is missing in the below picture.Sorry,i forgot to keep it). Heat a kadai with 2 tsp oil or ghee and splutter mustard seeds, jeera and pinched red chilli. ( Alternately you can temper at the end in ghee and pour over the rasam.)  Add the tamarind extract mixture and a cup of water. Boil well for 2-3 minutes till raw smell goes off completely. Add hing while it boils. Now add the freshly ground rasam powder, sugar and add 1/4 cup of water. Allow it to give a full roll boil only once and switch off the flame immediately. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and transfer the rasam to a bowl. Give a standing time of one hour and serve with hot rice and papad. Enjoy !

Note

U can also add store bought rasam powder to replace this powder.In that case,add 1-2 tsp of it based on the spiciness u need. U can also 2 tbsp of dal water along with tamarind extract if you wish. Dhania adds flavor to this rasam but it takes some time to lend it. So prepare this rasam at least one hour in advance. U can reheat at the time of serving. Coriander leaves is a must n should for garnishing. U can use ghee for tempering. You can also temper at the end using ghee. It gives a nice flavor.

Enjoy this rasam with hot rice adding a drop of ghee.It tastes yum ! This is my daughter’s Rasam Mammu bowl when she was a kid .

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Brinjal Masala Kuzhambu/Kathirikai Kuzhambu Recipe

I learnt this brinjal masala gravy recipe from my friend Megha. Its a kurma kind of gravy that goes well with rice, idli, dosa and even chapathi too. Here in Bangalore, people make a brinjal gravy named as “Ennegaayi gojju” as a side dish for akki roti. This gravy tastes similar to that but not exactly. I will share authentic ennegaayi recipe soon.

I tasted this gravy once in Megha’s house and liked it a lot. I got the recipe from her immediately and wrote in my cook book. I have made this many times in my kitchen but somehow I couldn’t blog it. Today I made this brinjal gravy along with tindora curry(yet to post) for Sendhil’s lunch box and thought of sharing here. 

Basically I am a big fan of brinjal recipes. I keep trying one or the other new recipes using brinjal. When I made this gravy, I became very happy that I got yet another easy, interesting brinjal gravy recipe just like my Ennai kathirikai kuzhambu and brinjal kara kuzhambu recipes. Brinjal lovers, do try this gravy. Its very simple to make and yummy too ! The best part is this brinjal gravy can be made directly in a pressure cooker. Do try this brinjal masala gravy for rice and enjoy !

Brinjal masala kuzhambu

Brinjal masala kuzhambu recipe - A kurma kind of gravy for rice,idli n dosa !

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Gravies

Serves: Serves 2

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 15 Minutes

Total time: 25 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Brinjal - 6 nos Tomato - 1 no Big onion - 1 no(finely chopped) Salt & water - as needed To grind Grated coconut - 3 tbsp Big onion - 1 no Ginger & garlic paste – 1 tsp ( heaped)  Cinnamon - 1 small piece Cloves - 2 nos Coriander leaves - a fistful( 2 tbsp,chopped) Red chilli powder - 1 tsp ( add 1.5 tsp for spicy gravy) Dhania powder - 3/4 tsp Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp To temper Cooking oil - 1.5 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Urad dal - 1/2 tsp Curry leaves – few Coriander leaves – little ( to garnish)

HOW TO MAKE BRINJAL MASALA KUZHAMBU - METHOD

Wash and slit the brinjals into 4. Keep it immersed in water till use. Grind all the items given under “ to grind” to a smooth paste. In a pressure cooker base, heat oil and splutter mustard seeds,urad dal and cumin seeds. Saute finely chopped big onions till transparent. Add curry leaves and then add the slitted brinjals. Saute till the skin of brinjal shrinks lightly. Now add the ground masala paste and saute till raw smell vanishes. Then add a roughly chopped tomato and saute till slightly mushy. Lastly add water and pressure cook in low flame for one whistle. Remove the lid after the steam is released completely. Mix well.Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve with plain rice adding ghee. Enjoy !

Note

You can replace brinjal with avarekalu/mochakottai/hyacinth beans. This gravy tastes the best when mixed with plain rice adding ghee. Ghee is a must here. You can also have this as a side dish for idli, dosa Here I have not used tamarind.If u want u can replace tomato with a small gooseberry size of tamarind. Garnish with coriander leaves for more flavor.

Enjoy this masala gravy mixing with plain rice and ghee.

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VAZHAIPOO KUZHAMBU RECIPE/BANANA FLOWER GRAVY-VAZHAIPOO RECIPES

Vazhaipoo kuzhambu recipe was in my to-do list for years I should say. It is also known as Saiva meen kulambu in Tamil. As we all know cleaning and chopping vazhaipoo/Banana flower is the most time consuming job that tests our patience. But when we see its health benefits, we won’t feel lazy to do. Just watch some movie or megaaaa serial. This job will become much more easy. 

Choosing & buying a proper vazhaipoo is itself an art. Last few times when I bought banana flower, it was too bitter, I couldn’t prepare anything with it and finally I had to throw it out. So I have made a separate post with some tips for buying & cleaning vazhaipoo with stepwise pictures & health benefits. For this gravy, you don’t need to use the entire flower as we need only the tender white part.

Usually I make vazhaipoo usili or poriyal whenever I buy plantain flower. As we are bored of it, I tried Vazhaipoo vadai & this kuzhambu recipe for the first time. Both were awesome in taste. The best part is Sendhil & Raksha ate very well . Its a very easy one pot gravy. There is no chopping or grinding process. Only thing is you have to extract one cup of coconut milk. As I had readymade storebought coconut milk powder in hand, my job became very simple and i made this gravy within 15 minutes.

The picture looks like spicy Parota salna with oil floating on top right ?. But it takes very less oil & medium spicy, only the looks make u feel that.I forgot to tell u the source for this recipe.Its from Prema’s cook book .Thank u so much Prema sundar. I learnt a healthy n yummy gravy from you.
This gravy tastes the best when mixed with plain rice topped with ghee ! Moreover this gravy is very healthy and the tender bud & flower parts are very good for stomach ulcers.The combination of coconut milk makes it more healthy.Just try this gravy once for a change from the usual vazhaipoo recipes.U may love it like us.

Vazhaipoo kuzhambu recipe

Banana flower gravy/Vazhaipoo kuzhambu - Banana blossom cooked in coconut milk & spices !

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Lunch

Serves: 3

Prep time: 30 Minutes

Cook time: 15 Minutes

Total time: 45 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Vazhaipoo/Banana flower - 1 no Big onion - 1 no (very big) OR 2 nos (if small) Green chilli -1 no (slit) Red chilli powder – 1/2 - 1 tsp (use 1 tsp for spicy gravy) Coriander powder – 1/2 tsp Jeera powder - 1 tsp Coconut milk - 3/4 cup ( use 4 tbsp coconut milk powder if using) Cumin seeds/Jeera – 1/2 tsp Curry leaves - few Cooking oil - 1.5 tbsp Salt & water - as needed Lemon juice – optional Rice flour – 1 tsp (use only if the gravy is too watery)

HOW TO MAKE VAZHAIPOO KUZHAMBU - METHOD

Wash the whole banana flower.Grease your hands with oil or wear gloves to prevent blackening of hands.Take some curd diluted in a cup of water.Spread a newspaper on the floor or table. Peel the outer layers of banana flower. Remove the flower and keep it immersed till u use. If you are not cooking immediately,no need to clean it. Just keep the flower immersed in buttermilk in the refrigerator and you can clean it whenever you find time. It stays fresh. When you keep on peeling the layers, the color of the purple cover will change to a pale white and the flowers will become more tender as you reach the inner part. Collect these tender flowers and keep peeling the layers till whole blossom becomes small enough to hold in your palm. Slit the blossom vertically into two. Keep the tender flowers immersed in a bowl of buttermilk till you use. No need to chop them. Mix the coconut milk powder in 3/4 cup of water & make a thick milk OR grate 3/4 cup of coconut and take the extract adding 3/4 cup of warm water. Set aside. In a pressure cooker base, heat oil and splutter cumin seeds. Add chopped big onions, curry leaves and slitted green chillies. Saute till onion turns transparent. Now add all the powders mentioned above and mix well. Lastly add the coconut milk with 1/2 cup of water. When it comes to roll boil, add the tender flowers immersed in buttermilk. Add the required salt and check for spiciness & taste. Pressure cook it in low flame for one whistle. Switch off & after the steam is released,open the cooker. U will see the layer of oil floating on top. Mix well.If the gravy is very watery and very thin, add little rice flour diluted in water, add to the kuzhambu and allow it to boil till it thickens. Transfer to a serving bowl and add some lemon juice if its more spicy. Mix with rice topped with few tsp of ghee.Good to taste & Good for health too ! Enjoy !

Note

If you don’t have jeera powder, feel free to skip it. Saute jeera seeds instead along with onions. Jeera is good for digestion of coconut milk. I used Aashirvaad chilli powder here. U can use any kashmiri chilli powder to get this awesome color. This gravy looks reddish but when u mix well it turns to pale white as u see in the plate picture Add ghee while eating. It helps to enhance the taste and also increases the medicinal value of this gravy.

Serve this healthy banana flower gravy with any poriyal. I served with easy vendakkai poriyal. 

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ALOO POSTO,KALAI DAL RECIPE-BENGALI RECIPES

This week’s Bengali recipe  Kalai er dal and aloo posto is one of the famous,hot combo that is served in an authentic Bengali lunch thali.I actually wanted to try aloo posto recipe and some bengali style dal recipe with toor dal or masoor dal.But when i was going through some blogs,they had mentioned aloo posto tastes great with kalai-er dal (dal made of split white urad dal).As i have not tried any dal recipes with urad dal,i tried this combo recipes from here.Both are no onion no garlic dishes.As Bengali’s say,aloo posto and kalai dal is really a classic combo and healthy too.The dal was aromatic with fennel n ginger flavour and alu posto was a bit spicy sidedish coated with poppy seeds paste.This combo went along each other very well . We loved its taste.I had some leftover dal and aloo posto for dinner and i found its taste was much much improved.I think this dish needs some standing time for all the flavours to blend well.Ok,lets see how to make this bengali  urad dal and the famous aloo posto recipes below .

KALAI ER DAL

Kalai dal recipe

Bengali style kalai er dal recipe - Split white urad dal flavoured with ginger & fennel !

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Dal

Serves: Serves 3

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 200ml

Split white urad dal - 1/2 cup Green Chillies -2-3 nos Hing/Asafetida - 1/4 tsp Water - 2 cups for cooking the dal & 1/2 cup later Salt- as needed Turmeric powder - 2 pinches (optional) To grind to a paste Ada-Mouri bata ( a wet paste of Ginger and Fennel Seeds) Mouri/Fennel Seeds - 1 tbsp Ginger - 1 inch piece

METHOD

In a pressure cooker base,take the dal and dry roast it till it turns golden brown lightly with a nice smell.Roasting is to avoid the sliminess of the dal while eating.But this step is completely optional.Add enough water,turmeric powder,hing and pressure cook till dal turns mushy. In the mean time,grind the ginger and fennel seeds to a smooth paste adding water. After the pressure is released,remove the lid of the cooker and mash the dal well with a whisk or ladle.Keep aside. In a kadai,heat oil and saute the green chillies and the ground paste.Saute till u get a nice smell. Add the cooked dal,salt and some water.Allow it to boil well for 5-7 minutes.check the consistency.Make it thick or slightly thin as per ur wish. Serve hot with rice topped with a drop of ghee !Enjoy !

ALOO POSTO RECIPE

Aloo posto recipe

Bengali style aloo posto - Yummy side dish for kalai dal or any bengali dal recipe

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Side dish

Serves: Serves 4

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Potato - 3 nos Poppy seeds - 3 tbsp Salt & water - as needed Cooking oil - 1tbsp Jeera/Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp Green chillies - 3 nos

METHOD

Soak poppy seeds in enough water.Wash and chop the potatoes into cubes(refer picture) Grind the poppy seeds after 10-15 minutes to a smooth paste adding little water.Grind for long time to get a smooth paste. Heat oil in a kadai and splutter jeera & saute slitted green chillies.Add the potato cubes and saute till golden brown.Add salt. Add the ground poppy seeds paste.Mix well and add some water.Cover & cook till potatoes are well cooked.All the water will be absorbed and the mixture will be semi dry. Remove and serve with dal rice. Enjoy !

Enjoy this hot and delicious Bengali combo for lunch !

 

Do check out my other Bengali recipes too

• Chaler payesh
• Begun Bhaja

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