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Monday, February 27, 2017

ERICHA KUZHAMBU / YERICHA KUZHAMBU

How to make erichcha kuzhambu, How to make yericha kuzhambu

Ericha kozhambu is a left-over special kuzhambu. This is made with leftovers after any functions, shraddham, festivals or any special occasions. My grandma makes this in a kalchatti.  She says, if generous oil is used and properly heated, it can be preserved for a couple of days (in those days there was no fridge at home). As everything is re-heated, it gets the name 'erichcha' kuzhambu. The leftovers transform to a kuzhambu with unique taste thus preventing wastage. As the shraaddha leftovers are not given to anyone, this procedure is followed.

Generally, in any household, nothing is checked for the taste before offering to GOD. In Iyengar household, offering to bhagavan is said as 'kandarulap pannudhal'(கண்டருளப் பண்ணுதல்), which means everything cooked for the day is presented before bhagavan, so that he can mercifully glance them with his divine vision to purify the same. So, nothing is tasted while cooking.

But as the ingredients in this kuzhambu are already offered and tasted, you are at liberty to check for the taste and add salt, chilli powder or sambar powder if needed.

This kuzhambu has a unique taste. It can be mixed with hot cooked rice and ghee and goes well with adai, dosai, idlies too. Tastes excellent with curd rice. It is almost a forgotten grandma's recipe.

Some people say ezhu kari koottu/ thalagam which is made on Tiruvadhirai as erichcha kuzhambu. But this is different from that, with very little ingredients, heated and heated in oil until it becomes thick . Click here for ezhu kari koottu.

NOTE: DON'TS

* DO NOT ADD* leftover raitha/thayir pachadi, sweet pachadi, payasam, pradhaman or anything which has jaggery or sugar, milk, buttermilk or curd in it.


INGREDIENTS:

Leftover kariamudhu(roast,curry/poriyal), kootu, sambar/kuzhambu, thogayal and rasam
Oil - one /two ladles or more depending on the leftovers

How to make erichcha kuzhambu, How to make yericha kuzhambu
METHOD:

Heat a generous quantity of oil in a kadai, add all the items mentioned in the ingredients, mix everything and allow it to boil in medium flame until thick.

NO TEMPERING NEEDED. GENEROUS QUANTITY OF OIL IS A MUST.

Friday, February 24, 2017

OMAVALLI BAJJI / AJWAIN LEAVES FRITTERS / KARPOORAVALLI BAJJI

How to make omavalli leaves bajji, How to make ajwain leaves fritters

Ajwain leaves are known as Karpooravalli ilai. Also called as omavalli ilai in Tamil and doddapatre (sambar balli) in Kannada. The leaves are used as home remedy for cough, nasal congestion,cold and indigestion problems. And now to the aromatic, simple and tasty recipe. 


INGREDIENTS:

Omavalli ilai / Karpooravalli ilai (Ajwain leaves) - 10
Besan flour - 1/2 cup
Corn flour - 2 tsp.
Rice flour - 2 tsp.
Chilli powder - 1/4 tsp.
Hing - a pinch
Salt - to taste
Ghee - 1 tsp.
Oil - to deep fry

METHOD:

Pluck leaves with stems intact, wash well, pat it dry and keep ready.

Mix all ingredients well (except the leaves). Add water little by little to form a medium thick batter.

Heat oil in a kadai , dip the leaf one by one in the batter and gently drop in the oil. Fry in medium flame until golden brown. Serve hot with any chutney of your choice.


Wednesday, February 22, 2017

RAVA ROAST / RAVA DOSAI / INSTANT RAVA DOSA / INSTANT RAVA ROAST

How to make rava roast, How to make rava dosai, How to make crispy rava dosa at home

Rava roast / Rava dosa is a popular South Indian breakfast. It is an easy to make instant dosa using sooji and needs no fermentation.

INGREDIENTS:

Rava/Sooji - 1 cup
Rice flour - 1 cup
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Black pepper - 1/4 tsp. 
Ginger - 1" piece 
Green chilli - 1
Hing - a generous pinch
Curry leaves - few 
Coriander leaves - few 
Cashews - 4  
Salt - to taste 
Oil - 2 to 3 tablespoons
Ghee - 1 tsp.
Buttermilk slightly sour - 1 ladle (optional)

METHOD:

Mix oil and ghee. Keep aside.  Finely chop ginger, green chillies, curry leaves and coriander leaves. Crush black pepper slightly. Break cashews into small pieces.

Mix all ingredients in a ladle buttermilk(optional) and water without any lumps to a thin, watery batter. Set aside for 30 minutes. Add little more water if necessary.

How to make rava roast, How to make rava dosai, How to make crispy rava dosa at home

Heat a dosa pan and pour the batter with a ladle from the sides. You can also sprinkle the batter with your hands.

Drizzle ghee and oil mixture through the sides. Cook on medium flame and when it is golden brown in the bottom part, flip it to the other side and cook until crisp. Mix the batter well before making each dosa. 

Crispy rava roast is ready. Serve hot with sambar, milagaipodi or any chutney of your choice.

How to make rava roast, How to make rava dosai, How to make crispy rava dosa at home

NOTE: 
Buttermilk is optional. Water alone can be used.
The batter should be thin and watery. Thin and watery batter gives lacy dosas.
Mix the batter well before making each dosa. 
DO NOT cook in high flame. 
DO NOT spread the batter with ladle. 
Pouring the batter on the pan from 1 or 2 inches height gives lacy rava dosas.

VARIATION:

1/4 cup maida can be added to the above ingredients.

Onion rava dosa: If using onions, sprinkle finely chopped onions all over the tawa and pour the batter, alternatively onions can be sprinkled quickly after pouring the batter too. Finely chopped onions can be added to the batter as well.   

Monday, February 20, 2017

KARUNAIKIZHANGU MASIYAL / MASHED YAM / PIDI KARUNAI MASIYAL

How to do Karunai kizhangu masiyal, How to make Pidi karanai masiyal


Masiyal in Tamil means mashed. Pidi karunai masiyal is a traditional tamil brahmin recipe. This masiyal is made from a variety of yam which is fist shaped. The regular elephant foot yam is senai kizhangu (In chennai, people call senai kizhangu as karunai kizhangu). So check for the fist shaped karunai kizhangu, we call it as 'pidi karunai / pidi karanai' as it is fist sized. I do not know the english name for this.This cures piles and good for constipation problems. This is mixed with hot rice and ghee and a great side dish for dosa, idli, poori and chappathi.

Also, use this yam after atleast 10 days of buying it, to ensure the kizhangu is well dried.

INGREDIENTS:

Karunai kizhangu / Pidi karanai - 4 (fist sized)
Tamarind - amla sized ball
Toor dal - 3 tablespoons
Sambar powder - 1 tsp.
Oil - 4 tsp.(preferably gingelly oil)
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Bengal gram - 1/2 tsp.
Turmeric powder -1/4 tsp
Asafoetida - a generous pinch
Red chillies - 2
Green chillies - 2
Ginger - 1" piece
Curry leaves - few
Salt - to taste

METHOD:

Wash yam well. Soak tamarind in water and extract juice. Discard the pulp. Finely chop green chillies and grate ginger.

Take yam and toor dhal in separate containers. Add turmeric powder to toor dhal alongwith required water. Pressure cook for 3 or 4 whistles or until soft.

When pressure subsides, remove the skin of yam, mash well and keep it aside. Alternatively, you can peel the skin, cut into chunks and pressure cook until soft. Mash toor dhal well and keep aside.

Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds, urad dhal, bengal gram, red chillies, asafoetida, green chillies, ginger and curry leaves. Saute a while. Add tamarind extract, little turmeric powder, sambar powder and allow it to boil until the raw smell diffuses. Now add mashed yam and dhal, required salt and mix well. Add water if necessary. Allow it to boil for few more minutes and when thick, switch off the flame. Serve with hot rice and a dollop of ghee.

NOTE:
Ensure the kizhangu is well dried for atleast 10 days before using it.
Cook karunaikizhangu well, else it will be itchy.
Lemon juice can be substituted for tamarind.

Thursday, February 9, 2017

SEMIYA PAAL PAYASAM / VERMICELLI KHEER / SEMIYA PAYASAM

How to make semiya payasam, How to make vermicelli kheer, How to make semiya paal payasam

I launched this blog nine years ago. Yes, my blog is 8 years old and stepping into the 9th year. I am happy to share on my Blog Anniversary, the stats google gives me. Over this period of blogging, my blog and has 35,86,334 Lifetime Pageviews/readers/visitors.With every blog post, I engaged myself and learned and the learning continues. Thanks to all for your support. I celebrate this with a Semiya paal payasam. Very appropriately and with no plan whatsoever, this is the 651st  post on my site.

INGREDIENTS:

Roasted vermicelli - 1/2 cup
Milk - 1 ltr.
Cardamom powdered - 1/2 tsp.
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Ghee fried cashews and raisins - few
Condensed milk -1/4 cup
Saffron (optional)
Ghee - 1 tablespoons

METHOD:

Heat a tablespoon of ghee and fry vermicelli until golden brown. Fry cashews and raisins in ghee and keep aside. Powder cardamoms and keep ready.

Boil milk in a heavy- bottomed deep pan. Stir frequently until the milk reduces to 3/4th. Simmer and add ghee roasted vermicelli into the milk and cook until soft. Now add sugar, condensed milk, stir and cook until the milk is thick. Add the powdered cardamoms,saffron and ghee. Garnish with ghee-fried cashews and saffron. Serve hot or cold. Both will taste good.

NOTE: Sugar can be adjusted to suit your taste.