Appala Kulambu – Iyengar Appalam Kuzhambu Recipe

 

Last week when I was looking for kuzhambu without vegetables, I made this Iyengar style appala  kulambu for the first time. I never thought a vatha kuzhambu adding fried appalam / papad tastes so good. Its so easy to prepare and also stays good for 3 to 4 days in refrigerator.

Day by day, its taste and flavor got improved when I reheated and consumed it. I am sure this kuzhambu recipe without vegetable, coconut, onion, garlic would be helpful during this lockdown period. Use sesame oil / gingely oil / nalla ennai and fry the papad in oil for best taste.

 Ok friends, lets see how to make this no onion, no garlic, no vegetable, no coconut appala kulambu recipe with step by step pictures.

Appala Kulambu Recipe

Iyengar appala kuzhambu without any vegetables, onion, garlic and coconut.

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Side dish for rice

Serves: Serves 4

Prep time: 5 Minutes

Cook time: 15 Minutes

Total time: 20 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

To saute in oil ( 1 cup = 240ml) Sesame Oil - 3 tbsp Appalam / Plain Papad - 3 ( small) Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp Urad dal – 1/2 tsp Methi seeds – 1/8 tsp Cumin seeds – 1/4 tsp Chana dal – 1 tsp Curry leaves - Few Red chilli - 1 ( pinched into 2)   Hing / Asafetida – a pinch Tamarind – Big gooseberry size Sambar powder – 1 tbsp ( add more based on taste) Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp Jaggery – 1/2 tsp Rice flour – 1 tsp Water & Salt – as required

HOW TO MAKE APPALA KULAMBU

1. Heat sesame oil in a kadai. Tear the papad into small pieces. Fry the papad in oil.
2. Lower the flame and splutter mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal, methi seeds, cumin seeds and red chilli.
3. Once the dal turns golden, lower the flame completely. Add turmeric powder, sambar powder, salt, hing and pinched curry leaves. 
4. Saute quickly and add 1 cup of tamarind extract immediately.
5. Add jaggery and boil the kulambu till raw smell leaves.
6. Mix rice flour in little water without lumps.
7. Add to the kuzhambu and boil till it becomes thick and oil starts to float on top.
8. Switch off the flame. Serve with plain rice and enjoy !

HOW TO MAKE APPALA KULAMBU - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Soak tamarind in 1 cup warm water for 15 minutes and take the extract. Take the papad and tear it into small pieces. Heat sesame oil in a kadai and fry the papad pieces.  Lower the flame and add the mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal, methi seeds, pinched red chilli, hing and curry leaves. Saute till dal turns golden brown. Lower the flame completely. Add sambar powder, turmeric powder. Mix quickly without burning.  Add 1 cup of tamarind extract. Mix well, add required salt, jaggery. Boil till raw smell of tamarind goes off. If needed, add 1/2 cup more water. Check for taste and add more sambar powder if necessary. Mix 1 tsp of rice flour in 1/4 cup water without lumps. Add to the kuzhambu and boil till it becomes thick and oil starts to float on top.  Switch off the flame. Transfer to a bowl, serve with plain rice with any kootu as side dish.

Note

Adjust the quantity of sambar powder as per your taste.  You can also fry the papad in oil separately and add to kulambu while boiling at the end.

Friends, try this easy, yummy appala kulambu for rice and enjoy  !

 

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Cauliflower curry without onion, garlic – Jain Style Gobi Sabzi

Cauliflower is in season now. So I buy it once in a week and trying some yummy recipes with it. Last week I prepared this cauliflower curry without onion and garlic, tomato for the first time. Its a dry sabzi that goes well with rice, roti or naan. This Jain style gobi curry came out so well even though its without onion, garlic. Its called as Sukha gobi and this recipe is ideal for fasting / Vrat ka khana during Navratri. Friends, do try this easy, yummy cauliflower curry without onion and garlic for rice or roti. Share your feedback with me.

Cauliflower / Gobi Curry without onion, garlic

Cauliflower curry without onion and garlic, tomato

Cuisine: North Indian

Category: Side dish

Serves: Serves 3

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 240ml Cauliflower - 1/2 (I used big one) Cooking oil - 2 tbsp Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp Bay leaf - 1 Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp Red chilli powder - 1 tsp Coriander seeds powder - 1.5 tsp Garam masala powder – 1/2 tsp Aamchur powder or lemon juice – 1/4 tsp (optional, I din't use) Salt - as needed Water - to sprinkle + 3 cups ( to boil cauliflower florets) Coriander leaves – to garnish

HOW TO MAKE JAIN CAULIFLOWER CURRY

1. Wash the cauliflower florets and parboil in water for few minutes adding turmeric powder.
2. Drain the water and keep the parboiled cauliflower aside.
3. Heat oil in a kadai. Temper cumin seeds, bay leaf.
4. Lower the flame. Add chilli powder, coriander seeds powder, garam masala powder.
5. Mix quickly and add the cauliflower florets, required salt. Mix well.
6. Cover cook for few minutes. Sprinkle little water if its too dry.
7. Switch off the flame after the cauliflower is completely cooked.
8. Garnish with coriander leaves, sprinkle lemon juice and serve hot with rice, roti !

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash the cauliflower florets and parboil in 3 cups of water adding turmeric powder. Drain the water completely and set aside. Heat oil in a kadai and splutter cumin seeds, bay leaf. Lower the flame completely. Add red chilli powder, coriander seeds powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder and required salt. Mix quickly and add the parboiled cauliflower florets. Mix well. Sprinkle little water if the curry looks too dry. Cover cook till cauliflower is completely cooked. Add some aamchur powder (optional) and mix well. Boil and evaporate if there is excess water. Switch off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves. Sprinkle lemon juice if you like.  Serve hot with rice, roti and naan. Enjoy ! For variations, you can add some frozen green peas, boiled and cubed potato along with cauliflower. This is called as aloo gobi matar curry in North India. Enjoy !

Note

I didn’t use tomato or aamchur powder in this recipe. Instead I sprinkled some lemon juice at the end. For variations, you can saute frozen green peas along with cauliflower and make this curry. You can also make this in gravy kind by sauting tomato along with cauliflower and adding more water for cooking. Adjust the quantity of chilli powder and other spice powders as per your taste.

Try this easy, yummy cauliflower curry without onion, garlic, tomato and enjoy with rice, roti !

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Bengali Tetor Dal Recipe – Korolar Dal / Bitter Gourd Dal Recipe

Recently when I went to Salem, my MIL gave me few bitter gourds that was grown in our backyard. Usually I make bitter gourd pitlai, poriyal or crispy bitter gourd chips. This time for a change, I tried Bengali style Tetor dal recipe with moong dal and bitter gourd (Korola in Bengali). We can call it as bitter gourd dal in English. When I saw this recipe in YouTube, I felt bitter gourd and dal combo tastes weird as we are adding a bitter vegetable. But to my surprise, it came out really well.

Being a bitter gourd fan, I just loved it. The trick lies in slicing bitter gourd thinly and saute in oil till its cooked. By doing this way, bitter gourd tastes mildly bitter in this recipe. Cooking procedure is simple too. Tastes good when mixed with plain rice adding few drops of ghee. Begun bhaja and aloo posto are the best side dish for this tetor dal. Luckily I have posted both the recipes in my blog already. So please check the links below. My recent love for Bengali vegetarian food is reflected in this dish. Ok friends, do try this Bengali style Tetor dal / bitter gourd dal and share your feedback with me.

Check out my Bengali lunch menu - Vegetarian if you like !

Bengali Tetor Dal Recipe

Bengali Tetor Dal Recipe / Bitter gourd moong dal recipe.

Cuisine: Bengali

Category: Side dish

Serves: Serves 3

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 240ml Moong dal - 1/3 cup Bitter gourd - 1 (slice thinly) Cooking oil or mustard oil - 2 tbsp ( I used refined oil) Salt & water - as needed To temper Ghee / clarified butter - 1 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Bay leaf - 2 Red chilli - 2 (whole) Grated coconut - 1/4 cup Ginger paste – 1 tsp

HOW TO MAKE TETOR DAL

1. Wash the moong dal and pressure cook adding enough water. Mash and keep aside.
2. Wash and chop bitter gourd slices thinly. Heat oil and saute the slices till its completely cooked and shrink in size. Remove in a plate.
3. Temper mustard seeds, bay leaf, red chilli, grated coconut, half of ginger paste and saute for few minutes.
4. Add the bitter gourd slices to it and saute well.
5. Lastly add the cooked moong dal, salt, sugar and required water.
6. Boil for few minutes. Add the remaining ginger paste and switch off the flame.
7. Serve with plain rice, begun bhaja or aloo posto !

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash the moong dal and take in a pressure cooker. Add 2 cups of water, a pinch of turmeric powder. Pressure cook in low flame for 2 whistles till dal cooks mushy. Open the cooker after steam is released. Mash and set aside. Wash and slice the bitter gourd thinly. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a kadai. Saute the thin bitter gourd slices in low to medium flame till its roasted and golden brown in color. Remove in a plate. Melt ghee in a pan. Temper mustard seeds, 2 bay leaf, 2 whole red chilli and 1/2 tsp of grated ginger / ginger paste. Lastly add grated coconut and saute till it turns golden in color. Switch off the flame. Add the sautéed bitter gourd slices, required salt, sugar to the cooked dal. Add tempered ingredients too. Add the remaining ginger too. Mix well. Add little water and adjust the consistency. Boil for few minutes. Switch off the flame. Serve with plain rice adding few drops of ghee. You can serve with begun bhaja or aloo posto as side dish. Enjoy !

Note

Make sure you saute and roast the bitter gourd slices. If you want to remove bitterness, soak the bitter gourd in little salted water. Squeeze well and then saute in oil. Some people add 1 cinnamon, 1 clove and cardamom in ghee while tempering. But I din't use it.

Bengali style tetor dal / bitter gourd dal recipe is ready to enjoy with plain rice.

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Arbi Roast – Seppankizhangu / Cheppankizhangu Roast Recipe

I love arbi roast and make this recipe in my kitchen very often. But somehow I haven’t shared this easy, yummy recipe in my blog. So I thought of sharing this recipe for people who look for easy poriyal recipes to cook in a jiffy during busy morning hours. This arbi fry, we call it as seppankizhangu / cheppankizhangu roast in Tamil tastes great with sambar rice, rasam rice and curd rice. Its my family favorite. 

More than us, Raksha loves it very much as it has a crispy exterior and soft interior just like potato roast. For variations, you can use small sized baby potatoes instead of arbi (colocasia, taro root in English). Friends, do try this yummy arbi roast and enjoy with rice.

Arbi roast recipe - Seppankizhangu roast - Taro root fry

Arbi roast recipe - Seppankizhangu roast for rice

Cuisine: Tamil nadu

Category: Side dish

Serves: Serves 4

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 240ml Arbi / colocasia / Seppankizhangu - 6 Red chilli powder - 1 tsp Coriander powder – 1.5 tsp Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Garam masala powder – 1/2 tsp (optional) Crushed fennel seeds – 1/2 tsp (optional) Asafetida / Hing – 2 pinches Rice flour - 2 tbsp Corn flour - 1 tbsp Cooking oil – 2 tsp Salt - as needed Water - to sprinkle To Temper Cooking oil - 2 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Urad dal - 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp Curry leaves - Few

HOW TO MAKE ARBI ROAST

1. Wash the arbi and pressure cook for 1 whistle in low flame.
2. Remove the skin and chop into thick roundels.
3. In a plate, take the spice powders, salt and flours.
4. Mix gently. Add arbi, cooking oil and coat well. Heat oil and temper the ingredients.
5. Arrange the arbi and cook in medium flame till golden on both sides.
6. Cook till crispy. Remove and serve hot with rice.

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash and clean the arbi /colocasia. In a pressure cooker, take the arbi and add sufficient water. Pressure cook in low flame for 1 whistle. Make sure arbi is cooked retaining its shape. It should not become mushy. Open the cooker after the steam is released. Keep in cold water and peel the skin. Chop into thick roundels. Set aside. In a wide plate, add in red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, salt, rice flour, corn flour. You can add garam masala powder and crushed fennel seeds optionally. Add arbi and 2 tsp of oil. Mix everything to coat the arbi with masala. Add very little water only if needed. Make sure you don’t break the arbi. Handle it gently. Heat oil in a kadai. Splutter mustard seeds, urad dal, cumin seeds and curry leaves. Arrange the masala coated arbi in the kadai. Cook in medium flame till the bottom turns golden. Flip and cook the other side till golden brown. It will turn slightly crispy too. Please adjust the flame to medium or high as per the need. Once its golden on both the sides, remove it from the flame. Serve hot with rice and sambar / rasam. Enjoy !

Note

Adjust the quantity of spice powders as per your taste. You can use yam or baby potato instead of arbi.

Try this easy, yummy arbi fry for rice and enjoy !

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Instant Ulavacharu Using Readymade Paste

Ulavacharu is a traditional Andhra special dish originated from Krishna and Guntur districts. Ulavacharu is a soupy (rasam/ saaru) kind of dish made from horsegram (Ulavalu in Telugu and Kollu in Tamil). Its a protein-rich, low fat food that contains a high amount of dietary fibers and is known to lower cholesterol, helps to reduce obesity. It looks thick, dark in color and it has a spicy, tangy taste with an earthy smell and flavor. Ulavacharu is usually served with plain rice adding a dollop of fresh cream, butter or ghee.

Recently people from Sitara foods, a homemade and handmade food brand based out of Hyderabad reached out to me. They are supported and recognized by the Government of India as a women empowerment startup. Friends , do check out their website sitarafoods.com to see their Andhra special pickles, pulihora paste, masala powders, traditional sweets and fryums. When they asked me to try their readymade ulavacharu paste and make a post in my blog, I had no clue about this recipe. After watching few YouTube videos, I came to know that making ulavacharu is a lengthy process which involves hours of cooking. But Sitara foods has made this authentically on wood fired mud stoves or poyyi by boiling Ulavalu for 14 to 15 hours and then made this readymade paste adding tamarind, spices and is prepared without any preservatives. You can make and enjoy this healthy ulavacharu using this paste effortlessly at home.

Here is the picture of readymade ulavacharu paste. 

All you have to do is just mix the paste in water, simmer and boil till thick. You can do the tempering with or without onion, garlic as you like. I did small modifications in this recipe by adding chilli powder as the spice level is less in this paste. So you can adjust it as per your taste buds. I made it for our weekend lunch. The smell was amazingly good. While boiling, its aroma was wafting through the entire house which tempted us to eat. I am sure everyone would love to try this delicious and delightful dish undoubtedly. As I am not aware of the authentic taste of ulavacharu, I passed a sample of this paste to my neighbor who is from Andhra. She too liked it and gave a good feedback. Apart from the spice level, everything is good in this paste. Friends, do check out and buy this ulavacharu paste from Sitara foods. It will be helpful for bachelors and people who travel abroad to make a quick lunch. Sitara foods is giving a shelf life of 9 months for this product under refrigeration. I hope you find the price reasonable as well. Ok, lets see how to make this yummy and tasty Andhra special ulavacharu easily, instantly and quickly using this readymade paste from Sitara foods.

Ulavacharu using readymade paste

Andhra special ulavacharu using readymade paste

Cuisine: Andhra

Category: Side dish for rice

Serves: Serves 4

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 240ml Readymade ulavacharu paste - 3 tbsp (adjust as per taste) Water - 2 cups Red chilli powder - 1/2 to 1 tsp (as per taste) Salt - as needed To Temper Cooking oil - 1 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Urad dal - 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp Red chilli - 2 (pinched into two) Green chilli - 1 (slit into two) Curry leaves - few Big onion – 1 (finely chopped)

HOW TO MAKE ULAVACHARU USING PASTE

1. In a bowl, take 2 cups of water and mix 3 to 4 tbsp of ulavacharu paste.
2. Heat a kadai and add this diluted ulavacharu. Boil for few minutes in low flame.
3. Check for taste and add some chilli powder, salt if needed.
4. In the mean time, heat a small kadai with oil. Temper mustard seeds, urad dal and cumin seeds.
5. Add red chilli, green chilli and curry leaves. Saute onion till transparent.
6. Add to the boiling ulavacharu. Boil for few minutes till it reaches desired consistency.
7. Serve hot with plain rice adding butter, ghee or fresh cream. Enjoy !

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Take 3 to 4 tbsp of ulavacharu paste and mix with 2 cups of water. Check for taste and add some salt and chilli powder if needed. I added 1/2 tsp chilli powder. Heat a kadai and add this mixture. Let it roll boil for few minutes in low to medium flame. In the mean time, heat oil in a small kadai. Splutter mustard seeds, urad dal, cumin seeds, curry leaves. Add onion and saute till transparent. Add to the boiling ulavacharu. Boil for few more minutes till it reaches the desired consistency. I made it slightly thick in consistency as it becomes thicker over the time. Serve hot with plain rice adding ghee or butter or fresh cream. We relished it adding ghee. You can refrigerate the leftover paste and use for few months.

Note

Adjust the quantity of paste as per your taste. I felt the paste was less spicy. So I used red chilli powder. Tempering and adding sautéed onions makes this ulavacharu tastes so good and flavorful. So don’t skip it.

Try this Andhra special Ulavacharu easily using the paste and enjoy with plain rice !

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Sweet Potato Kuzhambu – Sakkaraivalli Kizhangu kulambu Recipe

Sweet potato kuzhambu / Sakkaraivalli kizhangu kulambu in Tamil is an easy, yummy and quick kuzhambu recipe that can be prepared in a pressure cooker or Instant pot. As sweet potatoes are in season now, I used this veggie which I bought during pongal festival. Even though this is my first try, we all loved it very much. It came out with a perfect blend tangy, spicy and mildly sweet taste. We call it as sweet potato vatha kuzhambu. You can mention it as sweet potato puli kulambu too. 

In my house, we usually pressure cook sweet potato and consume it as such. Sometimes we try poriyal / dry curry with it. This year I wanted to try some easy and yummy recipes with it. As a first step, I tried this sweet potato puli kuzhambu recipe. Soon I will share more sweet potato recipes. Friends, do try this yummy sweet potato kulambu in pressure cooker and let me know your feedback.

Sweet potato kuzhambu / Sakkarai valli kizhangu recipe

Sweet potato puli kuzhambu for rice

Cuisine: South Indian

Category: Kuzhambu recipes

Serves: 4

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 250ml Sweet potato - 1 (medium sized) Tamarind – Small lemon size Big onion - 1 (chopped finely) Garlic cloves - 10 (chopped finely) Curry leaves - Few Sambar powder - 1 tbsp (adjust as per taste) Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Jaggery - 2 tsp (optional) Salt - as needed Rice flour – 2 tsp (Mix with 1/4 cup of water) To temper Gingelly oil - 2 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Methi seeds / fenugreek seeds – 1/4 tsp Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp Urad dal - 1 tsp Toor dal - 1.5 tsp

HOW TO MAKE SWEET POTATO KUZHAMBU

1. Wash and peel the sweet potato. Chop into big cubes. Soak tamarind in 1 cup of warm water for 10 minutes.
2. In a pressure cooker, heat oil. Temper the ingredients given under “To temper”.
3. Saute onion, garlic cloves and curry leaves. Once its transparent, add sweet potato cubes.
4. Add sambar powder, salt and turmeric powder. Saute for a minute.
5. Add 1.5 cups of tamarind extract. Mix well and pressure cook in low flame for one to 2 whistles.
6. Open the cooker after steam is released. Mix well and boil if its too watery.
7. Serve hot in desired consistency. Enjoy with plain rice and papad !

SWEET POTATO KUZHAMBU - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Soak tamarind in 1.5 cups of warm water for 10 to 15 minutes. In the mean time, wash and peel sweet potato. Chop into big cubes. Set aside. Chop onion, garlic, curry leaves finely.   Heat 2 tbsp gingely oil in a pressure cooker base (Use small burner if using small sized cooker). Once its hot, splutter mustard seeds, methi seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal and toor dal. Saute in medium flame till dals turn golden brown. Add chopped onion, garlic cloves and curry leaves. Saute till transparent. Add sweet potato cubes and mix for a minute in low flame. Add sambar powder, turmeric powder and salt. Mix quickly without burning. Add 1.5 cups of tamarind extract and jaggery.  Take 2 tsp rice flour and dilute in 1/4 cup of water. Add to kuzhambu. Mix well and check for taste. Add more sambar powder, salt if required. Close the lid and keep the flame high till steam comes out. Now put the weight valve and lower the flame completely. Pressure cook in low flame for one to two whistles. Open the cooker after the steam is released naturally. Check the consistency. If its too thick, add some water and give a boil. If its too thin, boil for few minutes till it becomes thick. Switch off the flame and serve hot with plain rice drizzled with gingely oil. Enjoy !

Note

Do not add more water while pressure cooking. Kuzhambu will become watery. Use small burner for small sized cooker. Adjust the quantity of sambar powder as per taste. Adjust the quantity of water as per the consistency you like. Addition of jaggery helps to give mild sweetness to the kuzhambu. Skip if you don’t like it. Sweet potato doesn’t turn mushy as we are cooking in tamarind extract.

Try this easy, yummy sweet potato kuzhambu for plain rice and enjoy !

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