Idli - Vadai Curry is a classic combo and very delicious. Vadai curry used to be made with left over dal/paruppu vadas. But it sure is worth making them just to prepare this curry. People who worry about the deep frying can simply use steamed vadas.
Soak 1/2 cup channa dal/kadalai paruppu with 1tsp of rice for an hour.
Coarse grind them with a few curry leaves, green chillies, cumin, sombu, salt. Use very little water.
Mix with finely chopped onions and coriander leaves. Deep fry flat discs of this mixture or steam the discs.
Use your idli cooker and steam like idlis for 15min.
For the Gravy:
1 Onion finely chopped, 1 tomato chopped, 2tsp ginger garlic paste, few green chillies finely chopped
curry leaves, cumin and saunf/perunjeerakam/sombu for saute, chilly pwd, sombu pwd, turmeric pwd, salt, 2 tbs curd/yoghurt, saunf pwd 1tsp to garnish.
Heat a tsp of oil. Saute curry leaves, cumin, sombu. Add onions, green chillies and tomatoes. When they amost done add ginger garlic paste. Fry some more. Add all the powders. Now break the steamed vadas into pieces and add them. Fry on medium heat. Add some water and let all of them blend well. When it comes to the consistency you like add curd mix and garnish with coriander leaves. Enjoy with hot steaming idlis and dosas too.
You can prepare the vada dough and keep it in the fridge for a week and use it whenever needed.
Variation : People who like garlic can saute finely chopped garlic with onions.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Madras Sambar
Sambar is almost synonymous with Tamilnadu cuisine. It is seen in different flavors in various parts of South India maintaining the basic toor dal - tamarind - vegetables blend. It goes best with idli and rice.
1/2 cup toor dal, a handful of moong dal, 1/2 cup tamarind juice from a small lemon sized tamarind or 3/4tsp paste, vegetables like potato, carrot, brinjal, drumstick, cut in cubes, 1 large tomato, turmeric pwd, 4-5 tsp sambar pwd (any store brand you like), coriander leaves, curry leaves, mustard seeds, asafoetida/perungayam and salt.
Pressure cook dals with tomatoes, turmeric pwd, 2tsp sambar pwd, salt.
Boil water add turmeric pwd a little with all the vegetables. When the vegetables are half cooked add tamarind juice and sambar pwd, cook well. Add dal mixture and cook till you get the sambar consistency but don't boil more than needed (maybe 4-8min), it loses its flavor and the dal becomes too mushy. Season with mustard, perungayam, curry leaves. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.
Variation : You can make onion sambar with the same process, just saute the small onions with a little oil before adding them to tamarind water.
1/2 cup toor dal, a handful of moong dal, 1/2 cup tamarind juice from a small lemon sized tamarind or 3/4tsp paste, vegetables like potato, carrot, brinjal, drumstick, cut in cubes, 1 large tomato, turmeric pwd, 4-5 tsp sambar pwd (any store brand you like), coriander leaves, curry leaves, mustard seeds, asafoetida/perungayam and salt.
Pressure cook dals with tomatoes, turmeric pwd, 2tsp sambar pwd, salt.
Boil water add turmeric pwd a little with all the vegetables. When the vegetables are half cooked add tamarind juice and sambar pwd, cook well. Add dal mixture and cook till you get the sambar consistency but don't boil more than needed (maybe 4-8min), it loses its flavor and the dal becomes too mushy. Season with mustard, perungayam, curry leaves. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.
Variation : You can make onion sambar with the same process, just saute the small onions with a little oil before adding them to tamarind water.
Moru Kozhambu
Moru kozhambu is common in TamilNadu and Kerala, just the method of preparation varies in different parts of the states. Moru kozhambu is soothing and a light preparation. In Kerala it is mostly made with yams like colocasia, elephant yam, pavakkai/karela/bittergourd. In TamilNadu you can find pumpkin, ladies finger, sundakai/dry turkey berry ( it is used to make vathal kuzhambu ).
Cooked chopped colocasia, 1 1/2 cups curd or yoghurt blended with a little water, 1/2 cup grated coconut, 2tsp jeera, 4-5 green chillies, turmeric powder, curry leaves, mustard, dry red chillies.
optional : garlic to grind with coconut.
Blend the curd with a little water with your hand mixer and bring to thick lassi consistency. Grind coconut with green chillies and jeera well.
Heat oil in a pan and fry mustard seeds, curry leaves and chillies. Add vegetable, turmeric pwd fry for some time. Add the coconut paste and little water and salt to taste. Boil till the vegetables are cooked. Leave it to cool a little, when it is almost cold keep it on low heat and mix the curd. Take it off the heat immediately before the curd separates. The hint is not to boil the curd, the mixture just needs to blend in warm temperature.
Serve with rice and some applams.
Variation : Instead of green chillies you can also use red for grinding.
Cooked chopped colocasia, 1 1/2 cups curd or yoghurt blended with a little water, 1/2 cup grated coconut, 2tsp jeera, 4-5 green chillies, turmeric powder, curry leaves, mustard, dry red chillies.
optional : garlic to grind with coconut.
Blend the curd with a little water with your hand mixer and bring to thick lassi consistency. Grind coconut with green chillies and jeera well.
Heat oil in a pan and fry mustard seeds, curry leaves and chillies. Add vegetable, turmeric pwd fry for some time. Add the coconut paste and little water and salt to taste. Boil till the vegetables are cooked. Leave it to cool a little, when it is almost cold keep it on low heat and mix the curd. Take it off the heat immediately before the curd separates. The hint is not to boil the curd, the mixture just needs to blend in warm temperature.
Serve with rice and some applams.
Variation : Instead of green chillies you can also use red for grinding.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Puli Inji
Puli Inji is part of any meal (sadhya) in Kerala. It is a ginger based pickle like curry which can be stored for many weeks. It is good for digestion specially after a heavy meal.
Finely chopped tender ginger pieces 1 cup, Chopped Green Chilli pieces 1/4 cup, Tamarind (lemon size) soaked in 1 cup of water, Jaggery (gooseberry size), Salt to taste, Hing
for tempering: Oil (Gingely Oil), Mustard Seeds, fenugreek seeds, Curry Leaves, Dry Red Chillies
Heat Oil in a wok / kadai and temper Mustard Seeds, fenugreek seeds, Curry leaves and Red Chillies. Add Chopped Ginger and Green Chilli pieces for a fry for few minutes. Add thick Tamarind extract, Jaggery, Salt and Hing. Cook on low flame till oil floats on top. Store in a cool place.
Finely chopped tender ginger pieces 1 cup, Chopped Green Chilli pieces 1/4 cup, Tamarind (lemon size) soaked in 1 cup of water, Jaggery (gooseberry size), Salt to taste, Hing
for tempering: Oil (Gingely Oil), Mustard Seeds, fenugreek seeds, Curry Leaves, Dry Red Chillies
Heat Oil in a wok / kadai and temper Mustard Seeds, fenugreek seeds, Curry leaves and Red Chillies. Add Chopped Ginger and Green Chilli pieces for a fry for few minutes. Add thick Tamarind extract, Jaggery, Salt and Hing. Cook on low flame till oil floats on top. Store in a cool place.
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