Idly Milagai podi – For Idly, Dosa

‘Idly podi’ or commonly called as ‘Milaga podi’, is a hot and spicy coarse powder made with lentils and spices. Every South Indian household will have this podi in their pantry. Usually they are homemade, prepared in bulk quantities and stored in air tight containers for months. This podi serves as a side dish for idly and dosa, also goes well with adai. It can be stored in room temperature, but if your place is too cold or hot, its best to store it in freezer to retain the freshness. Mix some sesame oil to the podi while serving.

Ingredients:

 

Long Dried Red chilli – 2 hand full or ¼ kg  

Chana dal / Kadalai paruppu – ¾ cup
Urad dal / Ulutham paruppu – ¾ cup     
Hing / Perungayam – 1 tsp (I used a small piece of katti perungayam)

Black sesame seeds – 2tbsp
Salt – 2 tbsp (adjust as per your taste)
Oil – 1tbsp

Method:

Heat 1tbsp oil in a heavy bottom kadai or pan.

Add chana dal and fry for few seconds, and then add urad dal, hing and fry for 2 to 3min in low flame.

Add dried red chilli (remove the stick from the red chilli) and fry.
Once both chana dal and urad dal turn light brown, remove the mixer from the fire and let them cool.

In the same kadai fry the sesame seeds without oil.
Once the sesame seeds start making the creaking sound remove the seeds from the fire and let them cool.
Now add the seeds to the blender and grind them to fine powder and keep aside.
Transfer the chilli, dal mixer along with salt to the blender and ground coarsely.
Add the sesame powder to the mixture and give a final blend. (Adjust salt in this stage)
Remove the milagai podi from the blender and cool them for a while.
Then store it in an air tight container. 

Thakkali Vengaya Gotsu

Gotsu is a unique side dish for Pongal. It’s a complete breakfast menu. Pongal, gotsu, coconut chutney, along with urad dal vada, will make the morning so yummy. Gotsu also do best with dosa, idly.

Ingredients:

Onion small – 1

Tomato small – 3 (make puree)
Green chilli – 2
Red chilli powder – ½ tsp
Turmeric – ¼ tsp
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Hing – a pinch
Urad dal – ½ tsp
Chana dal – ½ tsp
Curry leaves – 1tbsp
Chopped coriander – 1tbsp
Salt to taste
Oil – 1tbsp

Method:

Heat oil, add mustard seeds, once they start cracking add urad dal, chana dal, green chilli, chopped onion, curry leaves and sauté till the onion turn light brown.
Add the tomato puree along with 1cup water.
Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt.
Let them boil for 15 to 20min in low flame.
Once they reach the semi- thick consistency add the chopped coriander and remove from fire.
Serve hot with Pongal.

Note: If the gotsu looks watery mix 1tsp of rice flour in 1tbsp water and add it to the

          Gotsu.
          If you like a spicy gotsu add one more green chilli.    
   
Check here for Kathirikai Gotsu

Paneer Butter Masala: Without Cream

This recipe, I got it from a friend. Though the name sounds heavy, they are easy to prepare. But if you are a weigh watcher, sorry this recipe is not for you ;-) I used 3tbsp of butter in this recipe, but if you going to prepare this for any party or for kids; one more tbsp. of butter will do well to the taste buds. And in the absence of cream, butter will make the dish rich.

Ingredients:

Paneer – 200gms
Onion – 2small
Tomato – 4small
Ginger garlic paste – 1tsp
Cashew nut paste – 1tbsp
Red chilli powder – 2tsp
Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Coriander powder – 1tsp
Garam masala powder – 1tsp
Dried Kasuri methi – 1/2tsp (crushed)
Butter – 3tbsp
Salt to taste

Method:

Cut the paneer into small cubes and toss it in melted butter till they turn light
brown.

Chop the onion into two half, remove the skin and blanch it in boiling water for 5min.
Remove from the heat, cool down and make a puree.
Now blanch the tomatoes in boiling water, remove the skin and make a puree.
Soak the cashews in water for 15min and grind them to fine paste.
In a pan add 2tbsp butter, once they get melted, add the onion puree and sauté for few min till they turn brown.
Add the ginger- garlic paste and sauté for 3more min.
Add chilli powder, cashew paste and sauté a little.

Now add the tomato puree, coriander powder, garam masala, salt, turmeric and give a nice mix.

Let them sit in low flame for 5min. Stir occasionally.
Add the paneer cubes to the gravy. Combine well and fry for few seconds.

Once the paneer get coated with the gravy, add some water and let them boil for 10min in low flame.

Add the crushed kasuri methi, give a quick mix, add the reaming butter and remove from the fire.
Serve hot with roti, naan, chapattis, and fried rice.

 

Aadi Pathinettu Recipes

Aadi pathinettu or Aadi peruku is a festival celebrated every year 18^th day of Tamil month ‘Aadi’ ( mid-July to mid-August). In this period of the year, the river water level rises after the yearly monsoon. People, especially women do the water rituals, near the river banks to show their gratitude to the mother nature. A thanks giving, to the water sources for making their life prosperous. Kalandha sadam (variety rice) is the main menu on this special day along with sweet and vada. I prepared,

Pal payasam,
Thengai sadam,
Puli sadam,
Thayir sadam and
More Kuzhambu.

 

Here goes the recipes..

Thengai Sadam / Coconut Rice

Puli Sadam / pulikachal sadam / puliyogare / tamarind rice:

 

Puli sadham is made with cooked rice and pulikachal mix.

Pulikachal Mix:

Ingredients:

Puli – small lime size (soak in water and extract the juice)
Red chilli -7 to 8 numbers
Peanuts – 1tbsp
Hing – ¼ tsp
Chana dal – 1tsp
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Turmeric powder – 1tsp
Black sesame/ karuppu ellu seeds (powdered) – ½ tsp
Coriander seeds powdered – ½ tsp
Vendayam / fenugreek powdered – ¼ tsp
Curry leaves chopped – ½ tsp
Salt to taste
Sesame oil / nallennai – ¼ cup

Method:

Soak the tamarind in ½ cup water.
Dry roast coriander seeds, sesame seeds, fenugreek separately. Powder them separately and keep aside.

Dry roast the peanuts, remove the skin and keep side.

Make thick extract out of the soaked tamarind and keep aside
In a heavy pan or kadai, heat the sesame oil ( if not available, use any refined oil).
When the oil is ready, creak mustard seeds, add chana dal, hing, curry leaves, red chilli, peanuts and fry for few seconds.
Pour the tamarind extract followed by turmeric powder and salt.
Stir and let them boil for 10min in low flame.
When the oil starts oozing out, add all the powers (sesame , coriander, fenugreek) one by one and mix well.
Let them boil for 2more min.
Remove from the fire.

Puli sadham:

Mix the pulikachal to the cooked rice 1 hour before serving.
There is lot of side dishes which makes puli sadham more yummy, chips, vadam, papad, raita, potato fry, more kuzhambu.

Pal Payasam/ Kheer:

A kheer, made with cooked rice and Milk.

 

Ingredients:

Milk – ½ litter
Raw rice – ¼ cup
Sugar – ¾ cup
Cardamom powder – a pinch
Ghee – 2 tsp

Garnishing

Cashew nut – 1tbsp
Raisin – 1tsp

Method

In a pan add ghee, cashew nuts, raisin and fry. Keep aside
In the same ghee add the raw rice and fry for 1min in low flame.
Pressure cook the rice adding water ¾ cup. (3 whistle).
Boil the milk and add the cooked rice.
Stir well and add sugar. Let them boil for 2min.
Add cardamom powder and remove from fire.
Garnish with cashew and raisin.

More Kuzhambu:

In simple, More Kuzhambu is a type of Kuzhambu made with curd and coconut masala.

Ingredients:

Thick curd – 1cup
Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Shredded coconut – 1tbsp
Pottu kadalai / roasted gram split – 1tbsp
Green chilli – 2numbers
Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
Ginger – 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Curry leaves – 1tbsp
Hing – a small pinch
Salt to taste
Coconut oil or refind oil – 2tsp

Method

Add water ½ cup to the thick curd and beat well.
Add turmeric and salt to the curd and bring to boil.
Boil them for just 2min in low flame.
Grind coconut, cumin, green chilli, ginger, roasted gram split adding little water.
Add the past to the boiling curd.
Let them boil for 5min.
Remove from fire.
In a small kadai, heat coconut oil, add mustard seeds, when they splutter add hing and curry leaves.
Pour them to the more kuzhambu.
Now the yummy More Kuzhambu is ready. Serves with hot rice, or serve as a side dish for the Varity rice.

Thayir Sadam:

The simplest but yummiest rice variety made with cooked rice and curd.

Method:

In a small pan add any refined oil, add mustard seeds, when they start cracking add finelly chopped green chilli, finely chopped ginger, urad dal and hing. Remove from the fire and pour them to the cooked rice.
Add some salt and thick curd along with little milk and water.
Mix well with a ladle.

Serve with any pickle.

Black- eyed pea or black-eyed bean Masala / Vellai karamani Masala

The Black- eyed pea comes in two types one is Pale white colour, we call it in Tamil as ‘Vellai karamani’ and another one is Red or dark brown colour. Both have a black spot on it. Now you know where the name ‘black-eye’ came from. They fall under the ‘Legume’ category, packed with lot of nutrition. In this recipe I have used the white colour pea. This masala goes well with roti/ chapatti, plain white rice, naan, poori, sambr rice or with plain rice. Good choice for simple curd rice, if you are a fan of curd rice ;-)

Ingredients:

Black-eyed pea – ¾ cup
Onion – 1
Tomato – 2 (make puree)
Capsicum chopped – ½ cup
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Green chilli – 2 big
Garlic – 1small
Clove -1
Fennel seeds – ½ tsp
Cinnamon – 1small piece
Coriander powder – 2tsp
Turmeric – ½ tsp
Chilli powder – 2tsp
Dried Kasuri methi – ¼ tsp crushed (store bought)
Salt to taste
Oil – 1tbsp

Method:

Soak the pea for 6 hrs.
Cook in pressure cooker with salt and turmeric powder. (3 whistle)
In a wok or a pan heat oil. Add mustard seeds, when they start splutter, add clove, fennel seeds, cinnamon, green chilli and sauté a little.
Add onion and fry for few seconds, then add the chopped capsicum fry for a minute.
Add the tomato puree followed by, coriander powder, turmeric powder, chilli powder, salt and fry for 2 min in low flame.
Now add the cooked pea without straining the cooked water.
Mix well and close the pan. Let the gravy sit for 5min in low flame.
Crush the kasuri methi and sprinkle over the gravy. Give a quick sauté and remove from the fire.
Serve hot with roti

 

Have a look at Black-eyed pea Sundal here.