Bottle Gourd Sambar Recipe / Sorakkai Sambar / Lauki Sambar

Sorakkai sambar / Bottle gourd sambar with freshly ground spices (Arachuvitta sorakkai sambar in Tamil) is an yummy, flavorful sambar recipe for rice. I have never tried varieties of sorakkai recipes for rice apart from  paal kootu , Poricha kuzhambu,  sorakkai dosai and poriyal. When I heard about this sorakka sambar from my neighbor, I was tempted to give a try.  Basically bottle gourd is a bland vegetable. It doesn’t have any appealing flavor or taste. But its a healthy vegetable with lots of benefits. It has more water content which helps for weight loss, provides cooling effect to body, reduces liver inflammation, treats constipation etc. So I try to include this veggie atleast once in a week in my diet. For this sambar instead of following my usual sambar recipe, I added Tamil brahmin style arachuvitta sambar masala by roasting and grinding the spices, chilli and coconut. It came out very well with an awesome aroma. We loved this sambar very much. In Karnataka, my friends make Sorakkai sambar in a different way by adding a different masala. Soon I will try to learn from them and make a post. Now lets see how to make Tamilnadu style sorakkai sambar recipe with step by step pictures.

Check out my other sambar varieties for rice.

Also check out my 70+ kuzhambu recipes !

Sorakkai Samabr / Bottle gourd sambar recipe

Arachuvitta Sorakkai sambar / Bottle gourd sambar for rice with freshly ground masala.

Cuisine: Tamil nadu

Category: Sambar

Serves: Serves 4

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml Toor dal - 1/3 cup Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Cooking oil - few drops Bottle gourd - 1/2 ( Cut into big chunks) Big onion - 1 (Chop into cubes) Tomato - 1 (Chop into cubes) Green chilli – 1 (slit into two) Curry leaves - Few Cumin seeds / Jeera - 1/4 tsp Tamarind - Big gooseberry size Sambar powder – 1/2 tsp (Optional, Use any brand or homemade) Salt & water - as needed To roast and grind Cooking oil - 2 tsp Coriander seeds / dhania - 1 tbsp Chana dal - 1 tbsp Urad dal - 1 tsp Methi seeds - 1/4 tsp Red chilli - 6 Raw rice - 1/2 tsp Hing - 2 pinches Grated coconut - 1 tbsp To Temper Ghee - 1 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Curry leaves - Few Coriander leaves - to garnish

HOW TO MAKE SORAKKAI SAMBAR

1. Wash and peel the skin of sorakkai / bottle gourd. Cut into two and chop the spongy portion. Discard it. Chop sorakkai into big cubes and set aside.
2. In a pressure cooker, take the toor dal, chopped bottle gourd, onion, tomato, green chilli, cumin seeds, required water and a drop of cooking oil. Cook for 1 whistle in very low flame. Mash the dal gently and set aside.
3. Heat oil in a kadai. Roast all the items given under “To roast and grind”. Grind to smooth paste.
4. To the cooked dal add tamarind extract, ground masala paste, salt and some water.
5. Roll boil for 5 minutes till nice aroma wafts. Temper in ghee and add to sambar. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with rice !

SORAKKAI SAMBAR RECIPE - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Soak tamarind in 1 cup of water. Wash the bottle gourd and peel its outer skin using a peeler. Cut into two pieces and remove the center, spongy part using a knife and hands. Discard the soft part with seeds. Now chop the sorakkai into big pieces as we are making sambar with it. For poriyal or kootu, you can chop it finely. In a pressure cooker base, take toor dal, chopped bottle gourd, chopped big onion, tomato, slit green chilli, cumin seeds, turmeric powder, required water and a drop of cooking oil. Keep the flame high and cook till steam starts to come out of the nozzle. As soon as steam comes out, lower the flame completely and put the weight valve. Let it pressure cook in very low flame for one whistle. It may take 8 to 12 minutes depending on the size of cooker. (If you use small sized cooker, keep it in small burner gas stove. For bigger sized cooker, use big burner.). Open the cooker lid after the steam is released on its own. Mash the dal gently with a ladle. Make sure you don’t mash the sorakkai pieces. While pressure cooking, you can roast the ingredients for sambar masala. For this, heat 1 tbsp oil in a kadai. Roast chana dal, urad dal, red chilli, methi seeds, coriander seeds and raw rice. Roast in medium flame till dal turns golden brown. Do not burn any ingredient. After roasting, grind everything to a smooth paste adding coconut and water.    Add 1 cup of tamarind extract, sambar powder (optional), ground sambar masala paste to the cooked dal. Adjust the consistency of sambar by adding water. Add required salt. Let the sambar roll boil for few minutes till nice aroma wafts through your house. Add little water based on the thickness of sambar. Switch off the flame and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves. Last but not the least do the tempering part. Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a small kadai. Splutter mustard seeds, curry leaves and add to sambar. Mix well and close with a lid. Give a standing time of 30 minutes to 1 hour for best taste and flavor. Mix this sambar with plain rice. Do not forget to add few drops of ghee while serving !(This sambar thickens as it cools down. So add some water, give a boil and serve hot whenever needed). Enjoy !

Note

Do not chop sorakkai into small pieces. It gets mashed up while pressure cooking. So use big pieces. Adjust the quantity of red chilli as per your spice level. This sambar thickens over time. So you should add water whenever needed, give a boil and serve hot. Addition of sambar powder is optional in arachuvitta kuzhambu. But I use little. Do not forget to temper in ghee for more flavor.

Try this yummy sorakkai arachuvitta sambar and share your feedback with me.

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Ration Arisi Idli Dosa Recipe - How To Make Soft Idli With Ration Rice

I must thank my MIL for teaching me how to make soft idli batter with ration rice (Ration arisi). For the past 2 years my in-laws are getting ration rice (both idli rice/ puzhungal arisi and raw rice / pacharisi) regularly in Salem, Tamil nadu. Most of the people avoid using ration rice/ idli rice because it looks pale yellow in color with lots of dirt, sometimes with worms too. Cleaning itself is a big deal. But my MIL does everything patiently and gives me few kgs whenever we visit Salem. 

After trying so many combinations, my MIL is fixed with this ratio of rice and dal (6:1) to make soft idli and crispy dosa batter using ration rice. So I too follow the same and get good results every time. The biggest problem with ration rice idli is its pale color, sticky in texture with musty smell (We call it as Oora naatham in Tamil). To avoid this & to get white colored idli without any smell, we must wash the rice at least 5 to 6 times before soaking and thrice after soaking. Similarly the quality of ration rice keeps changing. 

Based on that we make idli dosa in two ways by changing the ratio of rice and dal. I have given both of them below. You can follow the ratio of 6:1 (rice : urad dal) if you use grinder. If you want to use our Indian mixie for grinding the batter, use 4:1 ratio. I hope this post will help the people who are using ration rice for the first time. By following this recipe, you can make soft idli, crispy dosa, paniyaram, uthappam and appam with the same batter. Ok, lets move on to the recipe below.

Check out my 15+ idli varieties if you are interested !

How To make Idli Using Ration Rice

How to make soft idli and crispy dosa batter with ration rice

Cuisine: Tamil nadu

Category: Breakfast

Serves: 30

Prep time: 12 Hours

Cook time: 10 Minutes

Total time: 12H10 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 250ml Ration idli rice / Puzhungal arisi - 3 cups OR Ration idli rice + ration raw rice – 1.5 cups each White, round urad dal - 1/2 cup Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp Salt & water - as needed

HOW TO MAKE RATION RICE IDLI

1. Wash the ration idli rice 5 to 6 times to remove the dust. Soak for 4 to 5 hours adding fenugreek seeds. Wash and soak urad dal for 1 hour.
2. Drain the soaked water and wash twice again to remove the bad smell of rice.
3. Grind the rice to a smooth paste adding clean water. Remove the rice batter in a big vessel.
4. Grind the soaked urad dal adding required water. Add water gradually and make smooth, fluffy batter.
5. Add to the rice batter and mix with your hands. Ferment it over night or minimum 12 hours.
6. The next day, add salt and mix the batter well. Make idli in a plate and steam it for 10 to 15 minutes. Rest it for 5 minutes and then remove the idli.
7. To make dosa, take the required batter in a vessel. Add little water. Spread thin dosa in a pan and cook till done. Fold and remove. Serve soft idli and crispy dosa with chutney , sambar. Enjoy !

RATION RICE IDLI - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash the ratio idli rice 5 to 6 times thoroughly with your hands till the water becomes clear without any debris or dust. Remove the husk, black particles while washing the rice. Discard it. Soak the rice in enough water for 4 to 5 hours.  Color of the rice becomes white after soaking. To avoid the musty smell from the rice, again wash the soaked rice twice or thrice before grinding.   Wash and soak urad dal + fenugreek seeds for 2 hours.  After soaking, rice looks white in color. Now drain the soaked water to remove the musty smell in rice. Wash it twice or thrice based on the smell. Add fresh, clean water and grind to a smooth paste. It takes 25 to 30 minutes approx for grinding. ( If you have the practice of grinding dal first, you can grind the urad dal and then rice). Remove the rice batter in a big vessel. Do not add salt while grinding rice If you live in cold countries. ( Salt delays fermentation). Grind the soaked urad dal to a fluffy, spongy batter by sprinkling water gradually. It takes 20 minutes approx. Mix the urad dal batter with rice batter with your hands. (Do not add salt If you live in cold countries or during winter season because salt delays fermentation process. If you are in hot place or during summer season, you can add salt in the batter while mixing or grinding.) Close the vessel with a lid. Let the idli batter ferment over night or minimum 12 hours. The next morning, batter would have become sour and raised well or sometimes doubled based on the weather.                          The next morning add salt if you haven’t added it. Mix the batter well. Check the batter consistency. Add little water if the batter is too thick. Grease idli plate with oil. Pour the batter. Keep the idli plate over the boiling water in idli pot. Steam it for 10 to 15 minutes. Switch off the flame. Remove the idli plate and rest it for 5 minutes. Then take the idli using a small ladle or spoon. To make dosa, take the required batter in a bowl. Add little water to adjust the consistency. Spread thin or thick dosa as you like on a hot dosa pan. Cook both sides, fold and remove. Enjoy this soft idli and dosa with your favorite chutney and sambar!

Note

You can either use idli rice alone or ration idli rice + ration raw rice in equal quantities. Both works for me. The ratio of rice and dal is 6:1.

Try this soft idli batter using ration rice at home and enjoy with your favorite chutney and sambar !

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Palak Pulao Recipe in Pressure cooker – Spinach Pulao Recipe | Easy Lunch Box Recipes

Palak pulao is an easy, healthy one pot rice variety that can be prepared easily in a pressure cooker under 15 minutes. Indian style Spinach rice can be prepared in many ways. Today I have shared an easy version of palak rice using a pressure cooker. Its a healthy and filling lunch box recipe for kids and adults. I learnt it from my School moms friend Tara. 

This recipe is very similar to my Karnataka style veg palav recipe. To make this palak rice bright green in color, add some turmeric powder and sugar. I have added frozen green peas. You can also add mixed vegetables like carrot, beans, potato, paneer pieces to make this rice more healthy and filling. 

Ok, lets see how to make palak pulao / spinach rice recipe with step by step pictures and a video. 

Check out my

• Palak sambar

• Palak kootu

• Palak chapathi 

• Palak paneer 

• Dhaba style palak paneer

• Palak poori

• Aloo palak gravy

• Palak biryani

• Andhra dal palak 

Palak pulao recipe

Palak pulao recipe / Spinach rice using a pressure cooker for lunch box

Cuisine: South Indian

Category: Main course

Serves: Serves 4

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml Basmati rice - 1 cup Water - 1.5 cups Cooking oil + ghee - 2 tbsp + 1 tbsp Bay leaf - 1 Black stone flower / Kalpasi - 1 Big onion - 1 (finely chopped) Cashew nuts - Few Green peas – 2 tbsp Sugar - a pinch Salt - as needed Lemon juice - few drops To grind Palak leaves - 1.5 cups Green chilli - 2 to 3 Ginger - 1 inch piece Garlic cloves - 5 Cinnamon - 1 inch Cloves - 2 Cardamom - 1 Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp Coriander seeds - 1/2 tsp Big onion - 1/2 Turmeric powder - 1/2tsp

HOW TO MAKE PALAK PULAO / SPINACH PULAO

1. Wash and chop the palak leaves. Wash and soak Basmtai rice for 15 minutes.
2. In a mixie jar, grind palak and other ingredients given under “To Grind” to a smooth paste.
3. Heat oil in a pressure cooker base. Saute the spices, onion and cashews.
4. Saute the palak masala adding sugar and salt. Add peas.
5. Add water and bring to boil. Add the rice and lemon juice.
6. Mix well and pressure cook in low flame for one whistle.
7. Open the cooker after steam is released. Fluff the rice and serve with onion raita !

PALAK PULAO / SPINACH PULAO - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Cut the root and stem part of palak leaves/ spinach. Wash it well. Chop roughly and set aside. Wash and soak basmati rice in water for 15 minutes. In the mean time, grind the masala. In a mixie jar, take the palak leaves, cinnamon , cloves, cardamom, ginger, garlic, green chilli, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, big onion and turmeric powder to a smooth paste adding water. Set aside. Heat oil + ghee in a pressure cooker. Saute a bayleaf and black stone flower. Add onion and saute till transparent. Add cashews and saute for a minute. Now add the ground palak masala paste. Saute in medium flame till its raw smell goes off. Add some sugar and required salt. Add frozen green peas and mixed vegetables (if using). Mix well. Lastly add 1.5 cups of water and sprinkle some lemon juice. Let it come to a roll boil. Taste the water to check the salt and spices.  Now add the soaked rice. Mix gently and close the lid of pressure cooker. Keep the flame high till steam comes out of the nozzle. As soon as vapor comes out, lower the flame completely and put the weight valve. Pressure cook in very low flame for one whistle. It takes nearly 8 to 10 minutes. Switch off the flame. Open the lid after the steam is released. Fluff the rice gently with a fork like ladle. Serve hot with onion raita. Enjoy !

Note

Adjust the quantity of green chilli as per your taste. To retain the green color of rice, add some turmeric powder and sugar. Do not keep the palak puree for long time. Use it as soon as you grind the masala to avoid discoloration.

Easy, yummy, one pot palak pulao is ready, Enjoy !

Technorati Tags: Palak pulao,palak palav,palak rice,spinach pulao,spinach palav,spinach rice,palak recipes,spinach recipes

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Karamani Kuzhambu – Thatta Payaru Kulambu Recipe

I tried this Karamani kuzhambu aka Thatta payaru kuzhambu in Tamil (cowpeas / black eyed pea gravy in English) for the first time by getting the recipe from a friend. This kulambu recipe is with coconut and fennel seeds masala. So it was so good and flavorful just like hotel kara kuzhambu. The flavor of roasted red karamani enhanced it even better. We all loved this Kulambu. We had a satisfaction of including a healthy legume in our regular diet. 

My friend told me to soak the cowpeas over night and pressure cook it before adding to the kuzhambu. But I simplified the job by following my MIL’s technique of cooking karamani instantly without soaking. Yes, I roasted the karamani in little oil till its aromatic and then pressure cooked it in the kulambu itself. It was well cooked and soft to eat. 

Friends, if you follow this method you can make cowpeas gravy for rice under 15 minutes using a pressure cooker. I am sure you will love to see the layer of oil floating on top once you open the cooker. If you want try the same recipe by soaking and pre cooking karamani, you can try that too. In that case soak it for 3 to 4 hours in hot water. Similarly you can use white Lobia/ cowpeas or brown chana. If you like, you can pair it with any vegetables like brinjal, potato or lady’s finger. 

Ok, lets see how to make karamani / thatta payir kuzhambu recipe with step by step pictures.

If you want to try this kuzhambu without coconut, please check my brown chana kuzhambu for an idea. You can use karamani instead of kondakadalai.

Karamani kuzhambu / thatta payir kulambu recipe

Thatta payaru kuzhambu / Karamani kulambu recipe for rice made instantly without soaking cowpeas in an easy way using a pressure cooker.

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 Cowpeas / red karamani / thattai payir - 1/2 cup Sesame oil or cooking oil - 2 tbsp  Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Fenugreek / Methi seeds - 1/4 tsp Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp Urad dal – 1/2 tsp Big onion - 1 (chopped finely) Garlic cloves – 10 no. Curry leaves - Few Ripe tomato - 1 (chopped finely) Tamarind - Big gooseberry size Sambar powder - 1 tbsp Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Salt and water - as needed To Grind Grated coconut - 1/4 cup Fennel seeds - 1 tsp

HOW TO MAKE KARAMANI KUZHAMBU

1. Wash and keep the karamai aside. You ca n soak it for 4 hours optionally. Wash and chop onion, tomato.
2. In a pressure cooker base, heat oil. Splutter mustard seeds, methi seeds, cumin seeds and urad dal.
3. Saute onion, garlic cloves and curry leaves till transparent.
4. Add karamani and roast for 5 minutes in low to medium flame.
5. Add chopped tomato and saute till mushy. Add sambar powder, salt and turmeric powder.
6. Saute quickly without burning. Add 1 cup of tamarind extract, ground coconut paste. Mix well.
7. Pressure cook in low flame for 3 to 4 whistles. Switch off the flame and remove after steam is released. Mix well and serve hot with plain rice. Enjoy !

THATTA PAYARU KULAMBU / KARAMANI KUZHAMBU RECIPE - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash the karamani/ cowpeas and drain the water completely.  You can soak the karamani adding enough water for 4 to 6 hours OR make it without soaking too. I did not soak the karamani instead I roasted in oil till flavorful and pressure cooked as told below.  Wash and chop onion, tomato finely. Peel garlic cloves. Grind coconut, fennel seeds to a smooth paste adding required water. Set aside. In a pressure cooker base, heat oil. Splutter mustard seeds, urad dal, methi seeds and cumin seeds. Add onion, garlic cloves and curry leaves. Saute till onion becomes transparent. Add karamani. Roast it for 5 minutes in low to medium flame till nice aroma arises. Then add tomato and saute till mushy. (Instead of roasting karamani, you can soak it for 4 hours, pressure cook it and add to the cooker. In that case pressure cook the kuzhambu for one whistle in low flame). Add turmeric powder, sambar powder and salt. Saute quickly. Then add 1 cup of tamarind extract. Mix well. When it comes to a boil, add the ground coconut paste. Mix well and check for taste. Add more salt and sambar powder if needed. Cover the cooker with a lid. Keep the flame high. When the steam starts to come out, put the weight valve. Reduce the flame completely low. Cook for 4 to 5 whistles in low flame. Karamani cooks well and soft. Don't worry, it won't turn mushy. If you are using soaked karamani,  pressure cook for one whistle in low flame. Remove after the steam is released. You can see a layer of oil floating on top. Mix well an check for consistency of kuzhambu.  If its too thick, add some water and give one boil. If its too thin, boil for few minutes to evaporate the excess water. Serve with plain rice. If you like, you can add a tsp of oil or ghee over the kuzhambu while serving. Enjoy ! Stays good for 2 days in refrigerator.

Note

For variations, you can use brown chana or white chana instead of cowpeas in this kuzhambu but soak them overnight, pressure cook and then add it. Fennel seeds gives a nice flavor to this kuzhambu. So do not skip it. This kuzhambu stays good in refrigerator for more than 2 days. You can store and enjoy.

Try this easy, yummy karamani kara kuzhambu and share your feedback with me !

Technorati Tags: Karamani kuzhambu,thatta payir kuzhambu,thatta payaru kulambu,karamani kuzhambu recipe,cowpeas recipes,how to make karamani kuzhambu

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Macaroni Upma Recipe – Indian Style Macaroni Recipes With Vegetables

Macaroni upma is an easy, interesting, Indian style macaroni recipe prepared by adding vegetables and garam masala.  I never thought it tastes so good. Actually this recipe was suggested by one of my friends. When she told me to make this easy macaroni recipe for Raksha’s lunch box, I was hesitant to try it because Raksha is very fussy when it comes for her lunch box recipes. So I tried it for our Sunday breakfast as the first trial. Raksha loved it very much and told me to pack it for her school this week. Even myself and Sendhil liked it too. So this recipe is a hit in my home✌. No side dish is required for this upma. You can eat it as such. Macaroni tastes so soft, juicy and flavorful. Friends, do try this yummy macroni recipe for your family and share the feedback with me. Lets see how to make Indian style macaroni upma recipe with step by step pictures.

Check out my Indian style pasta recipe, creamy white sauce pasta, Garlic spaghetti,  Tomato spaghetti, tacos recipe, Indian veg quesedilla recipes !

Macaroni upma recipe

Indian style macaroni upma recipe with onion, tomato, vegetables and garam masala.

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Main course

Serves: Serves 3

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml Macaroni - 1 cup Cooking oil - 2 tbsp Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp Big onion - 1 (finely chopped) Ginger garlic paste (gg paste) – 1 tsp Ripe tomato - 2 (Finely chopped) Capsicum - 2 tbsp (-do-) Carrot - 1 small (-do-) Green peas - 2 tbsp Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Red chilli powder - 1 tsp Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp Tomato ketchup – 1.5 tbsp Salt & water - as needed

HOW TO MAKE MACARONI UPMA

1. Boil 3 cups of water in a bowl. Add macaroni. Cook till soft.
2. Drain the excess water and run the macaroni under tap water to retain its shape. Keep aside.
3. Heat oil in a kadai. Splutter cumin seeds. Saute onion, gg paste till raw smell goes off.
4. Add capsicum, carrot and green peas. Add salt and saute till half cooked.
5. Add tomato and cook till mushy. Lastly add turmeric, red chilli powder, garam masala powder.
6. Add some water and cover cook till vegetables are done. Lastly add tomato ketchup. Mix well. 
7. Now add cooked macaroni, mix well. Garnish with coriander leaves.
8. Serve hot and enjoy !

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

In a wide bowl, boil 3 to 4 cups of water. Add a tsp of cooking oil and some salt. After the water comes to roll boil, add macaroni and mix well. Cook in medium flame for 10 to 15 minutes. Stir it every now and then to avoid macaroni sticking to the bottom of bowl. Water spills if you cover cook. So you should cook in an open pan till its 3/4th cooked. Last 5 minutes, you can cover and cook the macaroni in low flame to make it soft. Switch off the flame and drain the macaroni in a sieve. Remove the excess cooked water. Show the macaroni under the tap water to make it retain its shape. Set aside. In a kadai, heat oil. Splutter cumin seeds. Saute onion, curry leaves and ginger garlic paste. Saute till raw smell goes off. Add capsicum, carrot and fresh or frozen green peas. Add salt and saute in medium flame till the vegetables are half cooked. Add chopped tomato and saute till mushy. Lastly add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and garam masala powder. Saute well. Add 1/2 cup of water. Cover the kadai with a lid. Cook till vegetables are soft. After all the water is drained, add tomato ketchup and mix well. Then add cooked macaroni. Mix and coat well in medium flame. Switch off the flame. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Enjoy eating hot for best taste !

Note

Adjust the quantity of chilli powder and garam masala powder as per your taste. You can replace macaroni with cooked pasta. Addition of tomato sauce helps to give a creamy base to the paste. So do not skip it.

Try this yummy Indian style macaroni upma with vegetables for your breakfast or dinner. Enjoy !

Technorati Tags: Macaroni upma,macaroni upma recipe,macaroni recipes,Indian style macaroni,how to make Indian style vegetables macaroni

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Tirunelveli style Puli Illa Kari – Puli Illa Kuzhambu Recipe – Kuzhambu Without Tamarind

This is mom’s Tirunelveli style puli illa kari ( i.e. Kuzhambu for rice without tamarind). Puli illa curry is usually prepared adding drumstick leaves (Murungai keerai). But my mom makes it with drumstick, brinjal and onion. There are two methods of making puli illa kari. 

One by roasting & grinding pepper, cumin, red chilli and coconut. Another method is by grinding coconut, cumin and onion just like poricha kuzhambu. My mom uses pepper if she adds drumstick leaves else she follows the second method. 

Today I have shared the same. Similarly this kuzhambu can be prepared with toor dal or moong dal. As this kuzhambu is without tamarind and tomato, we add some lemon juice while serving. Friends, do try this easy puli illa kuhambu for rice and share your feedback with me.

Check out my other Tirunelveli style recipes below :

Idi sambar for rice

Puli kulambu

Avial recipe

Sodhi and inji pachadi

Idli sambar

Collection of all Tirunelveli style recipes !

Puli illa kari - Kuzhambu without tamarind

Puli illa kari - Kuzhambu without tamarind for rice

Cuisine: Tamil nadu

Category: Side dish

Serves: 3

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

Toor dal – 1/4 cup Water - 1 cup for pressure cooking dal Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Cooking oil - Few drops for dal Brinjal – 3 (chop vertically) Drumstick – 1 (chop into small finger size) Small onion – 12 Red chilli powder – 1 tsp Water – 2 to 2.5 cups (for cooking vegetables) Cooking oil – 1 tbsp Salt – as needed To Grind Grated coconut - 2 tbsp Cumin seeds / Jeera - 1/4 tsp Small onion - 2 nos. To Temper Cooking oil - 1 tsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Curry leaves - Few

METHOD

1. Wash and pressure cook toor dal adding enough water, turmeric powder and few drops of oil.
2. Pressure cook in low flame for two whistles. Open the lid after steam is released. Mash the dal. Grind coconut, onion and cumin to smooth paste.  Set aside.
3. Wash and chop brinjal, drumstick and onion.
4. In a kadai, heat oil and saute onion. Add brinjal, drumstick. Saute for a minute.
5. Add 2.5 cups of water, required salt, red chilli powder. Boil and cover cook till vegetables are cooked.
6. Now add the cooked dal and ground coconut paste. Boil for few minutes.
7. Temper mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add to kuzhambu and Switch off the flame.
8. Serve hot with rice and enjoy !

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash and chop onion, brinjal and drumstick. Wash and pressure cook toor dal adding turmeric powder, a drop of cooking oil. Cook in low flame for one whistle. Open the cooker after the steam is released. Mash the dal well. Grind coconut, cumin seeds and small onion to a smooth paste. Keep it aside. Heat oil in a kadai. Saute small onion till transparent. Add chopped brinjal and drumstick. Saute for a minute. Now add 2 cups of water, salt and red chilli powder. Cover the kadai and cook in medium flame till the vegetables are cooked well. Now add the cooked dal and ground coconut paste.   Boil for few minutes. Temper mustard seeds and curry leaves in 2 tsp of oil. Add to the kuzhambu. Switch off the flame.   Serve hot with rice. While serving, you can drizzle few drops of lemon juice in the kuzhambu and mix with plain rice. Enjoy !

Note

Adjust the quantity of red chilli powder as per your taste. For variations, you can add roasted and ground pepper, cumin, coconut and red chilli paste instead of red chilli powder. If you have drumstick leaves, you can pressure cook in separately. Add to the kuzhambu along with vegetables and make it. It tastes and smells good.

Try this easy, yummy Tirunelveli style Puli illa kari and enjoy !

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