A simple Vethakuzhambu with added paruppu urindai is the yummy paruppu urundai kuzhambu. It goes well with idly, dosai, steamed hot rice. I prepared this for idly. It tasted so yum. The spicy and tangy taste from the kuzhambu mingles with parruppu urundai and gives a delicious flavor to the food.
Ingredients:
For Paruppu Urundai:
Toor dal - 1/2 cup
Channa dal - 2 tbsp
Red chilli - 4
hing - 1tsp
Salt
Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
For Kuzhambu:
Small onion - 4 to 5
Tomato - 1/2
Garlic pods - 4 numbers
Tamarind - small lemon size
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
Channa dal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 5 to 6
Sambar powder - 1 tbsp (if your sambar powder is spicy, make it 1/2 tbsp)
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Sesame oil - 1 1/2 tbsp
Salt
For Grinding:
Coriander seeds - 1 tsp
Channa dal - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Hing - a pinch
Coconut - 1 tbsp
Oil - a drop
Method:
For Paruppu urundai:
Soak both the dal for 1 hr.
Grain it with red chilli, hing and salt without adding water. Grind it to coarsely.
Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, once it splutters, add hing and grinded dal.
Fry for 2 min and remove from flame.
Once it become warm, grease the idly plate with oil, make small balls of the dal paste and place it in the plate.
Steam cook for 15 min.
Remove from the plate and keep ready to place it in the kuzhambu.
For kuzhambu:
Soak tamarind in 2 cups warm water and keep aside.
Peal the skin from small onion and cut tomato into small pieces.
In a wide pan (we are going to add the paruppu urundal so the pan should have wide space) heat oil.
Add mustard seeds, once it splutters, add channa dal, curry leaves, fenugreek and fry for few seconds.
Add the onions, garlic and fry for a minute.
Add the chopped tomato, sambar powder, turmeric powder, little salt and fry till the tomato become mushy and oil ooze out.
Pour the tamarind puree and add 2 more cups of water. We need the kuzhambu little watery, as after adding paruppu urundau the kuzhambu becoms thick.
Keep the flame in medium and let it boil till the raw small from the tamarind and sambar powder goes off.
In the mean time, fry the ingredients to grind in a drop of oil.
Grain it to a fine paste adding required water.
Once the raw smell goes, add the ground paste to the kuzhambu.
Let it boil for 10 min.
Now slowly add the paruppu urundai to the kuzhambu.
Keep the flame in medium-low or low and boil it till the balls get cooked in the kuzhambu.
Once its ready take a ball and check if its cooked well.
Boil for some more time if its not cooked.
Remove from pan and serve hot.
Karadayan Nombu is a festival celebated in Tamil Nadu. It is celebrated on the aspecious time when the tamil month 'Masi' ends and 'Panguni' starts (English month March). The function is based on a legend told in old times.
The synopsis of the story is, Savithri a princess got married to a Sathyavan who is cursed with a short life span. Despite of this fact, Savithiri Prayed to lord Yama, God of death to bring back her husband to life. She performed this viratham and offered the adai made of rice flour (Kara-adai-yan Nombu)and butter to lord Yama. With her brilliance she tricked Yama and asked boon to give life to her husband. Yama appreciated her devotion and gave life to her husband.
On this day, married women keep virat and offer vella adai, uppu adai with unmelted butter to God and tie a yellow thread (saradu in tamil)around neck for the well being of her life partner.
While offering the prasad to God the two lines " Urugatha Vennaiyun, oradaiyum naan nutren
Orunallun en kanavar ennai vittu piriyadhirukka vendum" is chanted,
meaning "I'm offering you unmelted butter and adai, my husband should never leave me"
Now we are going to the recipe,
Vella Adai/Sweet Adai:
Ingredients:
Rice flour - 1 cup
Jaggery - 3/4 cup
Karamani (cowpeas/ black eyed peas) - 1/4 cup
Coconut pieces - 1/4 cup
Cardamom Powder - 1tsp
Water - 2 cups
Method:
Soak 1 cup karamani overnight and cook with salt (4 to 5 whistles). Use this for both the adai.
Cut the coconut pieces into thin slices.
In a heavy bottom pan add the rice flour and fry till it turn brown colour( more brown than vella adai). Make sure not to over fry or burn.
In the mean time add the jaggery to the 2 cups water and bring them to boil. (If your jaggery is impure and have dust, first dissolve it in water and strain it using a strainer)
Remove the rice flour from pan and place it in a plate .
Add the jaggery water to the pan and bring to boil.
Once you see the bubbles, add coconut, karamani, cardamom powder and give a stir.
Remove the pan from heat and slowly add the flour to it stirring constantly. (remove from heat to avoid lump)
Now bring back to the heat and stir till all the water gets evaporated (approx 2 to 3 min)
Switch off the heat and remove from the stove.
Close it with a lid to retain the moisture.
Wait to turn warm, make small balls out of it and flatten it and make a hole in the middle.
Place it in the greased(with sesame oil) idly plate and steam it for 15 to 20 min.
Kara Adai / Spicy Adai:
Ingredients:
Rice flour - 1 cup
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 7 to 8 leaves
Red chilli - 1
Green chilli - 2
Asafetida (hing) - 1/2 tsp
karamani - 1/4 cup
Coconut pieces(chopped into thin slices) - 1/4 cup
Salt
Water - 2 cups
Method:
Take a heavy bottom pan and add the rice flour to it.
Fry it till it turn very light brown, keep the flame in medium.
Remove from heat and transfer to a plate.
Heat oil in a the same pan.
Add mustard seeds, once it splutters add urad dal, curry leaves, red chilli , green chilli and fry for few seconds.
Add water and bring to boil.
Once the bubble start appearing add karamani, coconut, salt and give a stir.
Remove the pan from heat and add the rice flour slowly, stirring constantly.
Bring it back to the heat and fry for a minute and switch off the stove.
Remove it from heat and close it with a lid to maintain the moisture.
Once it become warm, make small balls out of the flour.
Flatten it, and hole it in the center.
Grease the idly plate with oil (sesame or coconut, coconut gives nice flavor).
Place the adai in the plate and steam it for 15 to 20 min like idly.
Switch off the stove, cool it and remove from the plate.
Spread the butter over the adai before serving!
Note:
I kept both vella adai and uppu adiai in same idly plate. You can do it when you are doing in small quantity to save time.
Keep limited adai in one plate to avoid sticking.
For large quantity, do it in batches as adai may stick with each other if crowded in one plate.
The jaggery should not reach the one sting consistency as it will spoil the recipe. Just boil it.
I added karamani 1/4 cup. But its can be added as per your taste, more or less.
I used the fresh coconut chopped into thin slices. You can also use the frozen shredded coconut.
Dosa is an all time favorite tiffin item in many households. But the regular dosas with chutney or sambar will bring the boredom soon. Also same goes with the potato masala dosa. Though its a most loved food of all age group, a change once in a while is good for the taste buds.
I made this cauliflower masala dosa for a change from regular dosas. This spicy dosa goes well with chutney and sambar. If you are dosa fan, then you will definitely love the cauliflower dosa and coconut chutney combo.
Don't forget a filter coffee after this spicy dosa!!!
Ingredients:
Cauliflower florets - 1 cup
Onion - 1/2 of 1 big onion
Tomato - 1 big
Ginger, Garlic chopped - each 1 tsp
Dhaniya powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tbsp
Green chilli - 1 stilted
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 5 to 6
Coriander chopped - 1 tbsp
Salt
Oil - 1 1/2 tbsp
Method:
For Cauliflower Masala:
Wash and chop the cauliflower into small florets.
Boil water in a pan and add the florets to the boiling water. Sprinkle some salt and cook till the florst turn soft. (don't overcook, the cauliflower will turn mushy)
Remove and drain the water. Keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, when it splutters add cumin seeds and fry for few seconds.
Add chopped onion, curry leaves, green chilli and ginger garlic and fry till the onion turn light brown.
Add the tomato and fry for a minute.
Now add all the powders, chilli, dhaniya, turmeric and salt.
Fry for 5 min and add the cooked florets.
Now turn the flame to medium low and fry the masala till it get cooked well. (Approx 15 min)
Once you see the oil oozing out from the masala, chop the coriander and sprinkle over it. (I forgot, then added while making dosa)
Give a quick fry and remove from the flame.
For Dosa:
Heat the dosa pan.
Once it is ready to use, pour a ladle full of dosa batter and spread it in circular motion using the ladle.
Sprinkle some oil (preferably sesame oil). once it turn crisp and you see brown parts, turn it to the other side using a dosa ladle.
Wait for few seconds and turn the dosa(before it turn crisp), place the masala and close it in crescent moon shape.
Cook on both side till it turn crisp.
Remove and serve hot with any chutneys or sambar. Coconut chutney goes well with this cauliflower masala dosa.
Here is the link for making Dosa batter
Note:
The taste of the dosa depend on the cauliflower, if it overcooked the masala will turn mushy. If it not cooked well, it gives a raw crunch taste.
Depend on the nature of the cauliflower the cooking time may differ. So half cook while boiling in water, then check if it cooked well in the last stage of making masala.
You can use microwave for cooking the cauliflower.
You can add ginger garlic pasted instead of whole ginger garlic.
