Drumstick poriyal / Murungai keerai poriyal is an healthy, yummy stir fry recipe that goes well for sambar rice. Recently when I went to Salem, my in-laws got me a bunch of drumstick leaves (Murungai keerai in Tamil, Nugge soppu in Kannada). I always make sambar adding drumstick leaves. But this time for a change, I tried drumstick leaves poriyal with toor dal. I learnt this recipe from my friend Shalini. Usually this poriyal is prepared by tempering, sautéing and cooking drumstick leaves along with onion, red chilli and spices. But I pressure cooked toor dal, drumstick leaves and then did the above said procedure. So it helped to get a nice color of leaves. Friends, do try this yummy drumstick leaves poriyal with toor dal and share your feedback with me.
Sugar and turmeric powder - 2 pinch (to get bright green color)
To Temper
Cooking oil or coconut oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - Few
Asafetida / Hing - a pinch
HOW TO MAKE DRUMSTICK LEAVES PORIYAL
Clean the drumstick leaves and wash it well to remove the sticks.
In a pressure cooker, take the murungai keerai, toor dal, turmeric powder. sugar and required water.
Pressure cook in low flame for one whistle. Drain the excess water and keep the keerai aside.
In a kadai, heat oil temper mustard seeds, urad dal, cumin seeds and red chilli.
Saute onion. Add cooked drumstick leaves with toor dal. Add required salt and toss well.
Lastly add grated coconut, mix gently and switch off the flame. Serve with sambar rice !
DRUMSTICK LEAVES PORIYAL - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Clean the drumstick leaves by removing it from the stem. Discard all the stem and stalk part. Wash it thrice to remove the dirt and small sticks. It will settle down in the water. Remove the leaves and set aside.
In a pressure cooker base, take the washed toor dal,, drumstick leaves, sugar. Add required water and pressure cook for 2 whistles in very low flame. Drain the cooked water and consume as soup adding salt and pepper powder. (Don't worry toor dal won't turn mushy. It will stay firm but cooked soft).
Heat oil in a kadai. Splutter mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal, curry leaves, hing, red chilli and finely chopped onion. Add the cooked toor dal and drumstick leaves. Add required salt and toss well.
Add grated coconut and switch off the flame. Mix well and serve with sambar rice.
Enjoy !
Note
You can skip toor dal and make this poriyal.
You can also use moong dal instead of toor dal.
For variations you can saute the drumstick leaves instead of pressure cooking it.
Try this healthy drumstick leaves poriyal n enjoy with sambar rice !
If you like, you can mix with plain rice adding few drops of ghee.
Recently I tasted this snake gourd poriyal with chana dal in a hotel in Tamil nadu. Usually I make snake gourd poriyal (Pudalangai poriyal in Tamil) with moong dal, onion and green chilli. But when I tasted this type of poriyal in that hotel with snake gourd, onion, chana dal / kadalai paruppu and sambar powder as major ingredients, I was tempted to try at home. Last week I prepared it as side dish for sambar rice. As usual I made this dish directly in a pressure cooker to ease my job and to save time. It came out so well. Tasted great with sambar rice and curd rice. As we are using chana dal, it takes more time to cook than snake gourd. So you can add previously cooked chana dal and add to poriyal or soak it for 30 minutes in water and add it as I did here. Other than this step, this pudalangai poriyal is so easy to make under 15 minutes. Also remember to add less water in pressure cooker else snake gourd turns mushy. Ok, lets see how to make snake gourd poriyal adding chana dal with step by step pictures.
Snake gourd poriyal with chana dal
How to make snake gourd poriyal with chana dal like Tamil nadu hotel style.
Wash ad chop snake gourd into small pieces. Soak chana dal for 30 minutes.
Heat oil in a pressure cooker base. Splutter mustard seeds, Urad dal, cumin seeds, curry leaves.
Add onion and saute till transparent. Add the chopped snake gourd.
Mix well. Add salt, turmeric powder, sugar and sambar powder. Mix it well.
Lastly add soaked chana dal. Add 1/2 cup of water and pressure cook for one whistle in low flame.
Open the cooker after the steam is released. Mix gently.
Boil and drain the excess water if any. Lastly add grated coconut. Toss gently and switch off the flame.
Serve with sambar rice, curd rice.
METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Wash and soak chana dal for 30 minutes. In the mean time, wash and chop snake gourd into small pieces. Chop the onion. Set aside.
In a pressure cooker base, heat oil. Splutter mustard seeds, urad dal and cumin seeds. Add chopped onion, curry leaves. Saute till onion becomes transparent.
Add chopped snake gourd, sambar powder, turmeric powder, salt and sugar. Mix for a minute. Lastly add soaked chana dal.
Add 1/2 cup of water. Mix well. Close the lid and keep the flame high. Once the steam starts to come off, put the weight valve. Keep the flame completely low.
Cook for one whistle. Open the cooker after steam is released. Mix gently without breaking the veggie. Boil and drain the excess water if any.
Lastly add the grated coconut and toss it gently. Switch off the flame. Serve with sambar rice and curd rice.
Enjoy !
Note
For variations you can add moong dal instead of chana dal.
You can add slit green chilli instead of sambar powder.
Try this hotel style snake gourd poriyal with chana dal and enjoy !
Usually we make vendakkai puli kulambu for rice without coconut. Its my MIL’s recipe. Recently I tried this vendakkai kara kuzhambu with coconut just for a change. It came out so good and flavorful with all the masala. I followed Madras samayal Youtube channel’s recipe and modified slightly as per my taste. I added more lady’s finger and had it as side dish without making any.
If you want to make any side dish, you can try keerai kootu, chow chow kootu or cabbage kootu. Ok friends, lets see how to make vendakkai kara kuzhambu with coconut, fennel seeds masala with step by step pictures and video.
Vendakkai kara kuzhambu / Lady's finger kara kulambu
Vendakkai kara kuzhambu / Lady's finger kara kulambu for rice
Sambar powder or kuzhambu milagai thool - 1 to 1.5 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt & water - as needed
To temper and saute
Sesame oil / Gingely oil - 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/ 2 tsp
Methi seeds / Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - Few
To Grind
Grated coconut - 2 tbsp
Small onion / Big onion - 2 / 1/4th
Garlic cloves - 2
Fennel seeds or cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
HOW TO MAKE VENDAKKAI KARA KUZHAMBU
Wash and chop lady’s finger into 2 inch cubes, chop onion, tomato. Soak tamarind in water. Take the extract.
Grind coconut and other ingredients to a smooth paste. Keep it aside.
Heat oil in a kadai. Splutter mustard, cumin, methi seeds and curry leaves.
Saute chopped vendakkai till its half cooked. Then add onion, tomato and saute till tomato becomes mushy.
Now add sambar powder, turmeric powder, salt and saute in medium flame without burning.
Add tamarind extract. Boil till lady’s finger is cooked well.
Lastly add coconut paste, boil and simmer for few minutes till oil separates.
Remove and serve hot with rice.
VENDAKKAI KARA KUZHAMBU - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Wash and chop lady’s finger / vendakkai into 2 inch cylinder shape. Wash and chop onion, tomato into small pieces.
Heat gingely oil in a kadai. Splutter mustard seeds, cumin seeds, methi seeds and curry leaves. Saute chopped vendakkai till its half cooked.
Add chopped onion, tomato and saute till tomato becomes mushy. Add turmeric powder, sambar powder / Kuzhambu milagai thool, salt. Saute well for a minute.
Add 1 cup of tamarind extract and cover cook in low flame till lady’s finger is cooked well.
Grind coconut mixture to a smooth paste. Add the paste to the kuzhambu, add required water and boil the gravy in medium flame till raw smell vanishes.
Simmer the kuzhambu till oil starts to float in the sides. Switch off the flame and serve with plain rice. Add few drops of gingely oil or ghee while serving. It gives a nice taste.
Enjoy !
Note
You can use brinjal instead of lady’s finger.
For variations, you can use cumin seeds instead of fennel seeds.
You can use any brand sambar powder or kuzhambu milagai thool. I used my homemade sambar powder.
Try this easy, yummy vendakkai kara kuzhambu and enjoy with plain rice !
This is a simple ellu podi recipe that tastes great with plain rice, idli, dosa. I learnt this sesame seeds powder recipe / til powder from my MIL. It needs just 2 ingredients. Usually we make ellu sadam for festivals like Aadi 18, Kaanum pongal. But that is a different recipe using black sesame seeds, urad dal and coconut. Please check it HERE.
Recently when my MIL visited my house, I told her to prepare 5 podi varieties for rice and took videos. She prepared coconut podi, paruppu podi, sundakkai podi, paruppu podi and ellu podi. I will share the recipes one by one in my space. To begin with here is an easy ellu podi for rice. I used white sesame seeds in this recipe. You can also use black sesame seeds. This podi stays good for more than 10 days if you store properly with clean handling. Friends, do try this yummy ellu podi recipe for rice and enjoy.
Heat a kadai and dry roast the sesame seeds and red chilli till seeds splutter.
Remove in a plate and cool down.
Add required salt and grind to a powder.
Do not grind for long time as sesame seeds leaves oil.
Remove in a box, use clean spoon. Stays good for 10 days.
Mix with plain rice adding sesame oil or ghee. Enjoy !
ELLU PODI RECIPE - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Heat a kadai and dry roast sesame seeds and red chilli in medium flame. Saute till sesame seeds starts to splutter. Make sure it doesn’t burn. Switch off the flame and cool down.
Add required salt. Grind to a fine powder. Do not run the mixie continuously for long time because sesame seeds release oil and it becomes a paste. So grind to a fine powder carefully. Remove in a box and close with a lid. Use a clean spoon for handling.
You can mix this powder with plain rice adding few drops of ghee or gingely oil. If you like, you can have it with idli, dosa too.
Enjoy !
Note
Adjust the quantity of red chili as per your taste.
You can use black sesame seeds instead of white ones.
Do not grind the mixie for long time to avoid becoming paste.
For variations, you can grind a garlic clove for additional flavor.
Try this easy, yummy flavorful ellu podi for rice and enjoy !
Recently I started making vendakkai poriyal (Okra fry / Lady’s finger curry) in microwave. Its so easy to make and hassle free. I tried it in my own way by microwaving chopped onion and lady’s finger in high power for 8 to 10 minutes by tossing them twice in the middle. Then did the seasoning. It came out very well. The best part is you don’t have to stand nearby and keep sautéing to remove the slimy texture of vendakkai. Lady’s finger cooks so quickly in less oil. I am happy with my first attempt of making lady’s finger poriyal in microwave. You too give a try and share your feedback with me. Ok, lets see how to make vendakkai poriyal in microwave with step by step pictures.
Wash and pat dry lady’s finger with a towel. Chop into small roundels.
In a microwave safe bowl, take the chopped vendakkai, chopped big onion, turmeric, sambar powder and salt.
Add a tbsp of cooking oil and mix well to coat the vegetable.
Microwave in high power (800w) for 6 to 8 minutes. Open the microwave once in 2 minutes and stir it well.
Remove the lady’s finger after its cooked soft. In a small kadai, temper mustard, urad dal, cumin and curry leaves, add to the poriyal. You can add grated coconut if you like.
METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Wash the lady’s finger. Pat it dry using a cloth towel. Chop into small roundels. Wash and peel the onion skin. Chop into small squares.
In a microwave safe bowl, take the chopped lady’s finger, onion, turmeric powder, sambar powder and salt. Pour a tbsp of cooking oil and mix well to coat the pieces.
Microwave in high power (800w) for 2 minutes. Open the microwave and remove the bowl. Mix well. Again cook for 2 minutes.
Lady’s finger starts to cook and becomes slimy leaving out threads. Mix well and cook for 2 more minutes.
Open and mix again. Cook till sliminess goes off and lady’s finger becomes soft. It shrinks in quantity too. It took total 8 minutes for me. Time may vary based on the power of your microwave oven.
Once its cooked soft, remove. Temper mustard, urad dal, cumin seeds and curry leaves in a small kadai. Add to lady’s finger poriyal. Mix well and serve ! Optionally you can garnish the poriyal with grated coconut.
Note
You can red chilli powder instead of sambar powder.
For variations you can add one finely chopped tomato along with lady’s finger. It also helps to remove the sliminess quickly.
Try this easy vendakkai poriyal in microwave quickly and enjoy !
Bitter gourd is one of my favorite vegetables. So I love to try varieties of bitter gourd recipes in my kitchen. Recently I tried this yummy bitter gourd thokku recipe for rice (pavakkai in Tamil, Karela in Hindi) from Sangeetha’s blog. Its basically an onion, tomato, bitter gourd curry very similar to our Tamil nadu style tomato thokku. As usual I tried this bitter gourd thokku in an easy way by using my pressure cooker. It came out so well with a combination of tangy, sweet and mild bitter taste. It was so easy and quick to make in a pressure cooker. It tastes great when mixed with plain rice drizzled with few drops of sesame oil. It goes well with curd rice and chapathi as well. The bitterness is not much visible in this recipe as we are adding tomato, tamarind and jaggery. Also slicing the bitter gourd thinly helps to reduce the bitterness. If you are a bitter gourd lover, you must try this recipe. You will love it for sure. This pavakkai thokku stays good for 10 days or more when refrigerated. If kept outside, it stays good for 2 days. So you can pack it for travel too. But use a clean spoon to handle it. Ok, lets see how to make this easy, yummy bitter gourd thokku recipe with step by step pictures.
Add finely chopped onion and garlic. Once transparent, add sliced bitter gourd.
Add turmeric powder and salt. Mix well and saute for 5 minutes till its quantity reduces slightly.
Now add tomato and saute till it becomes mushy. Add chilli powder and coriander powder.
Mix till raw smell goes off. Lastly add 1/4 cup of tamarind extract, powdered jaggery. Mix well.
Pressure cook in low flame for one whistle. Remove the lid after the steam is released.
Mix and boil if thokku is watery. Once its thick, you can remove and cool down.
Yummy Pavakkai thokku is ready ! Store in a clean box and refrigerate it. Enjoy with plain rice, curd rice and chapathi
BITTER GOURD THOKKU - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Wash and chop bitter gourd into small, thin slices. Slicing thinly helps to remove bitterness. You can mix the chopped bitter gourd pieces and salt. Keep it aside for 15 to 30 minutes. Squeeze and drain the water. It also helps to reduce the bitterness. But its nutritional value is lost. So I don’t do this way. I just chop the BG thinly. Similarly chop onion, garlic and tomato into very small pieces.
Heat oil in a pressure cooker base. Splutter mustard seeds, urad dal, cumin seeds, hing and curry leaves.
Add onion, garlic and saute till transparent. Now add thinly sliced bitter gourd, turmeric powder and salt. Saute for 5 minutes in medium flame till bitter gourd shrinks in quantity slightly.
Add tomato pieces. Saute till it turns mushy. Then add chilli powder and dhania powder. Mix well till its raw smell goes off.
Lastly add 1/4 cup of tamarind extract, jaggery and mix well. You can add very little water if the thokku is too thick. Close the pressure cooker lid. Keep the flame high till steam comes out. Put the weight valve and simmer the flame completely. Cook in low flame for one whistle.
Open the cooker lid after the steam is released. If you find there is excess water in the thokku, boil for sometime till its thick. Switch off the flame and remove in a clean bowl. Let it cool down. Store in a refrigerator. It stays good for 10 days. You can enjoy with plain rice, curd rice, chapathi, idli dosa too.
Enjoy !
Note
Adjust the quantity of chili powder as per your taste.
Do not skip jaggery. It gives a mild sweet taste to this thokku.
Make sure there is no excess water in the thokku. It will reduce its shelf life.
Try this easy, yummy bitter gourd thokku and enjoy !
Mushroom stir fry (Kalan poriyal / Kalan varuval in Tamil) is an easy, simple, Indian style, healthy and quick side dish for rice. It can be prepared with button mushroom under 10 minutes using very less ingredients. Today I have shared a simple mushroom stir fry recipe with onion, garlic, chilli powder and garam masala powder. It is a basic South Indian style stir fry / poriyal recipe without coconut that tastes good for sambar rice and rasam rice. I got this recipe from my neighbor who taught me mushroom kuzhambu. If you like, you can have this as a stuffing for chapathi and bread sandwich. For variations, you can add pepper powder instead of chilli powder to make mushroom pepper fry. All edible mushrooms are high in protein, anti oxidants which help to improve immunity. Its low in calories and fat. So lets try to include mushroom in our diet by making this simple recipe. Now we will see how to make this simple mushroom stir fry/ kalan poriyal for rice with step by step pictures.
Wash and finely chop onion. Peel garlic and keep aside.
Heat oil in a kadai. Splutter mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal, cumin seeds.
Saute onion, garlic cloves till transparent.
Add mushroom. Saute and add salt, red chilli powder, turmeric and garam masala powder.
Saute till mushroom cooks well. Cover and cook in low flame till mushroom becomes soft.
Switch off the flame. Squeeze some lemon juice if needed. Serve with sambar rice and rasam rice.
METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Wash and clean mushroom. Chop the stem and discard it. Slice into pieces. Chop the onion finely. Peel the garlic and set aside.
Heat oil in a kadai. Splutter mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal and cumin seeds.
Add onion, garlic and curry leaves. Saute till onion, garlic becomes transparent. Add mushroom pieces and saute till its half cooked.
Add the required salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and garam masala powder. Mix well. Mushroom will leave some water. So do not add water additionally.
Cover and cook in low flame till mushroom becomes soft and well cooked. Switch off the flame. Garnish with coriander leaves. Squeeze some lemon juice if you like. Serve with sambar rice and rasam rice. Roll in chapathi or stuff in bread sandwich.
Enjoy !
Note
For variations, you can add 1/2 tsp of ginger garlic paste and saute with onion till raw smell goes off.
You can use sambar powder instead of red chilli powder.
To make it like a semi gravy consistency, you can saute 1/2 cup of tomato too.
Try this easy mushroom stir fry and enjoy with rice ! I served with paruppu kulambu.
