COCONUT MILK RASAM

This is popular in coastal areas of south India , where they use coconut in many of their recipe ,Its a very flavorful recipe.During my last visit to India one of our friends served this and  told me she has used coconut  in this.I couldn’t think how coconut and tamarind could mix ? Meaning the taste, tamarind, a tangy,sour and coconut ,sweet and nutty flavor ? But to my surprise it was so very flavorful and tasty.
INGREDIENTS:for 3
Coconut milk -1/4 cup thick first milk and 1/3 thin second milk
Tamarind - small lemon size
Tomato-1 small(chopped)
Pepper-1tsp crushed
Cumin-1tsp crushed
(Our friend used rasam powder.since I didn’t have that I used pepper and cumin)
Or
Rasam powder -1tbs
Turmeric-1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste 
For seasoning
Coconut oil-1 tsp ( friend used gingerly oil,but I preferred coconut oil )
Mustard-1/4 tsp
Asafoetida-1/4 tsp
Garlic-1(crushed)
Green chilli-1 slit for flavor
Curry leaf - few
Coriander leaves-few
METHOD:

1)Soak tamarind in water and extract pulp and add turmeric and salt.( if using rasam powder add )

2)A add chopped tomatoes and squeeze the juice and keep the skin .

3)Add the second coconut milk and enough water  and keep.

4)Heat a oil in a pan and add  mustard,asafoetida,crushed pepper, cumin( if using rasam powder this is optional), garlic, tomato  skin (that was kept after squeezing the juice )and curry leaf and keep aside.

5)Now boil the tamarind mix till froth and add the seasoning (cumin, tomatoes  mix)and boil for just a second.

6)Now add the  coconut first milk and switch off  the flame and add coriander.

                                          Serve with hot rice 

Kovakkai kurma /ivy gourd/ Tindora Kurma

This recipe was given by one of my friend Uma , who told  this was from a cook book by Ms.Vijayalakshmi .
When I first heard this kurma using kovakkai it sounded interesting. All I have done with this veggie was curry, fry, sambar or podimas. Though I have made kurma using Chow chow/Chayote ,I never thought kovakkai can also be cooked this way.But believe me, this tastes better than the one with chow chow ( at least for me.)
But I had to make couple of changes from the recipe meaning I used walnut ( actually I ran out of cashew or almond) and added kalpasi ( black stone flower) for flavor ( I feel this gives very good flavor to kurma) and I shallow fried  instead of deep frying as  told in recipe( I also used airfryer couple of times but feel shallow frying tastes better). And did not use mint ,which I think must have been for flavor.

INGREDIENTS  -for 2
Kovakkai/ivy gourd / tindora- 1 Cup (slit)
Onion- 1 medium chopped
Tomato-1 medium chopped
Green chilli -1 slit ( I added just for flavor. You can use as per taste)
Curry leaves- few
Coriander leaves -few chopped
Cinnamon-1 small
Clove -1
Kalpasi/ black stone flower- small piece ( too much will spoil the flavor )
Ginger garlic paste- 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder-1/4tsp( according to taste )
Coriander powder-little less than 1/4 tsp (chilli -coriander ratio is 2:1)
Oil- 1 tbs ( for shallow frying and cooking kurma)
Water- as needed
Yogurt-3 tsp or 1 tbs
Salt- to taste

TO GRIND:
Coconut-about 1 tbs grated.
Walnut( can use any nuts )-3 to 4
Khas khas/poppyseeds-1 tsp

METHOD:

1. Grind coconut khas khas and buts into smooth paste using water .
2.Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry kovakkai/ ivy gourd and remove from oil and keep aside.

3.Heat the oil left over from frying add spices- cinnamon,clove and kalpasi.

4.Add chopped onion and chilli  and ginger garlic paste and fry till raw smell goes.

5.Add curry leaves and tomatoes and fry ( add little salt to fasten cooking)

6.Add the ground paste and sauté for few minutes and add the powders - chilli, coriander and turmeric powders and sauté well.( actually we are supposed to add the powders with tomatoes and sauté well and then add the ground paste but this time I forgot and added after the paste)

7.Add fried kovakkai and mix well .Add water mix well.

8.Add yogurt  and water as needed and cook for couple of minutes and remove and garnish with coriander.

Enjoy this tasty gravy with roti and this tastes very good with nice crispy dosai😋

Malai kofta

One among our favorite is malai kofta. I think for most of them who loves North Indian food would love malai kofta.
It’s one of the dishes that I learnt from chellam Aunty but with slight changes.Mostly potatoes  are used in making kofta but this is bit different without potatoes And also this time tried to make the kofta with less oil meaning ..using my air fryer.
INGREDIENTS  :

For Kofta:
Carrot, Beans (finely chopped),peas-1/4 cup
Coriander powder-1 tsp
Chilli powder-1 tsp
Garam masala powder- 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Bread crumbs- as needed
For white sauce :
Butter/oil-4 tbs( I used 2 butter and 2 oil mix)
Maida-1/2 cup
Milk-1 cup
For Gravy:
Onion - 1chopped
Garlic-3 or 4
Ginger- small piece
Tomato-1 big
Cumin- 1tsp
Chilli powder- 2 tsp( according to taste)
Coriander powder-2 tsp( equal to chilli powder)
Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
Cardamom,Clove,Cinnamon- each 2 fried and powdered (or garam masala- 1tsp)
Khas khas -1 tsp
Cashew- 6 to 8
Salt - to taste
Oil- to fry ( I used about 1 tbs oil  to grease the kofta to be fried in air fryer)

METHOD:

 For Kofta:
1)Heat pan add butter/ oil and fry served maida.
2) Add milk slowly and make thick batter without lumps and add salt and coriander powder and chilli powder and chopped veggies and mix well and cook till it becomes a  soft dough.
3) When the dough is warm enough to handle,make small balls and roll in bread crumbs and deep fry .(I applied drop of oil on the balls and kept in air fryer in 390 for 10 min turning it after 5 minutes)

For Gravy:

1) Grind onion ,ginger and garlic to a paste and keep aside.
2) Grind khas khas and cashew to paste and keep.
3) Blanch tomato and grind.
4) Heat oil in a pan and season with cumin and add the onion ginger garlic paste and fry  well.
5)Now add dry powders( coriander,chilli,turmeric,and ground cinnamon,clove,cardamom or garam masala powder) fry for few minutes .
6) Add tomatoes purée and salt and  cook till it becomes thick.
7) Now add the cashew paste along with water and cook till the gravy consistency ( try to make it little watery than the desired gravy consistency as after adding kofta it will become thick )
8) Warm the gravy before adding kofta when serving.
Garnish with cream if desired and serve.

Kollu kuzhambu ( Horsegram curry )

Horse gram , also known as Madras gram/Kulthi bean has medicinal qualities  in Indian medical system like Siddha and Ayurveda.Its used to treat many health issues like water retention, weight gain issues etc..Recently It has been found that it has anti hyperglycemic properties and reduce insulin resistance.
Horse gram is rich in protein,iron,calcium and fiber along with other vitamins like thiamine, riboflavin and niacin.Above all it’s low in FAT.

Horse gram has become one of my favorite bean ,not just because of its medicinal value but personally As told in my other recipes like kollu idly, kollu dosai,kollu rasam, kollu thogayal , I have a liking for its taste

This  recipe that goes very well with rice and also dosa .

INGREDIENTS:

• Horsegram-3/4 th cup
• Small Onion-10 ( approximately)chopped
• Tomato-1 big chopped
• Garlic- 1 bulb/ head  ( approximately 8-9 clove)chopped
• Green chilli- 2 ( according to taste)
• Pepper-1 tsp
• Cumin-1 tsp
• Coriander seed-2 tsp
• Curry leaf - few
• Salt- to taste
• Oil- as needed
• Water- as needed
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Asafoetida- 1/4 tsp

METHOD:

1)Wash and soak horse gram overnight.

2)Heat pan add little oil and fry Coriander seed,cumin and pepper and keep aside.

                                     

3)Add little oil in pan and add chopped Onion, garlic and fry till onion turns pink.

4)Add curry leaf,green chilli,tomatoes ,salt and turmeric and sauté well.

                           

5)Add this along with the soaked and drained horse gram and water and pressure cook for 6 to 7 whistle .( I used my instant pot and cooked in Bean mode for 20 min)

6)When cooked remove and smash using mathu ( churner ) ( I used hand mixture as I didn’t have churner)

7)Finally for seasoning heat little oil and add asafoetida and curry leaf  and add it to the cooked horsegram curry.

            Now horse gram curry is ready.This goes very well with hot rice and also with idly and dosai

Palak kofta gravy

One of my favorite gravy for chapathi/roti ,which I learned from chellam  Aunty.Cashew and khas khas  adds richness to the taste of this dish. If you are very health conscious about frying kofta in oil...(I think it’s not bad to indulge once in a while)don’t have to worry you can air fry ( if you have one ) or shallow fry like cutlets.So let’s move to ingredients for this delicious gravy
Ingredients :
Spinach-1 bunch

Paneer-150 grams 

Bread crumbs-50 grams 

Corn flour-2tbs

Onion -100 grams 

Ginger - small 

Garlic-3 or 4 pods

Cashew-20 grams 

Khas khas-1 tbs

Green chilli-2 or 3

Chilli powder-1/2 tsp

Cumin powder-1/2 tsp

Garam Marsala powder-1/2 tsp
Kasuri methi-1/4 tsp

Turmeric-1/4 tsp ( was not in Aunty’s recipe)

Salt to taste

Oil- to fry

Water- as needed

Method:

1)Wash , drain and boil spinach with less than 1/4 cup water for 5 min and allow it to dry.(but I steamed it with out adding water )
2) Grate or crumble   paneer.

3)Grind ginger ,garlic and green chilli to paste and keep separately.
4)Grind cashews ,khas khas to smooth paste adding little milk.

5)Chop onion.
6) Grate or crumble   paneer.
7)Grind spinach  and paneer to smooth thick paste without water .Add chopped onion,cornflour,salt, garam masala powder,cumin powder,chilli powder mix well and make balls.
8) Roll in bread crumbs and deep fry till golden brown.(or shallow fry. I dropped a tsp oil on each ball and kept in air fryer for 20 minutes turning it once in a while in 360 F)
9)Heat a pan add oil fry onion till golden brown.Add kasuri methi,ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell of ginger garlic goes then add salt,half tsp of garam masala and half tsp of cumin powder and add 1/4 cup water and cook for couple of minutes then add cashew paste and remaining milk and cook.
10)Add kofta before serving.Garnish with cream and coriander ( optional). Serve with roti and enjoy.

             For video 

Note:

The kofta can also be had as a snack with ketchup .

For video

SUNDAKKAI VATHAKUZHAMBU

I used to wonder what was the difference between Kara kuzhambu and vathakuzhambu  except the latter has Dry veggies (vathal )  instead of  fresh ones,till this Aunty from Pondicherry  taught this.This has become one of most favorite of not only our family but also our guests.Not only the consistency but also the flavor was different from what my Amma ,mother in-law or what was served in restaurants.
It was almost like store bought bottled vathakuzhambu,which can be stored for long .
I think this is one among the South Indian ,especially Tamilnadu dish like Idly, Dosa,Vadai.My mother-in-law told more on this,she said in olden days the farmers in villages used to preserve the veggies like mango,brinjal, turkey berry,sun berry etc for winter times ,when these veggies were not available unlike these days where it’s exported from other countries or frozen and available all round the year.
 They used to preserve these by either drying them after soaking in curd (like sun berry,chilli )and drying or half cooking  (Mango or brinjal )and then drying .
Then they used these veggies to make various dishes like pickle ( Mango) or Sambar or vathakuzhambu or Karakuzhambu.

Ingredients : 
Onion-1 finely chopped
Tomato- finely chopped 
Ginger-small to make paste
Garlic - 1 big pod ( few for making paste )
Vathal (if using  dry mango or brinjal soak it in Hot water for 10-15 minutes and then use)- as needed
chilli powder - 1 Tbs or to taste
Salt- to taste
Turmeric powder -1/2 tsp
asafoetida-1/4 tsp
Jaggery- 1/2 tsp
Curry leaf -few
Gingelly Oil- 1/4 cup (appropriately) 
Water-as needed
Tamarind-small lime size
Vadagam-1 tbs ( I feel this is important ,it gives flavor and taste to this kuzhambu).

Method:
1.Soak tamarind in water and extract thick pulp.
2.Heat oil add vadagam,fry for few seconds add vathal (if using mango or brinjal soak them in hot water for about 10-15 and add )fry for few minutes.
3.Add onion and fry for few minutes add garlic clove and asafoetida, then ginger garlic paste( this is optional .But I personally feel this gives nice flavor  like vadagam to the dish.)and fry till the raw smell goes .
4.Add tomatoes and fry for few minutes ,add salt,turmeric and chilli powder,curry leaves and fry well till it becomes mushy.( this gives thickness to the kuzhambu).
5.Now add tamarind pulp and mix well.Then add enough water and cook till the oil oozes and the kuzhambu (gravy) becomes thick.
6. Add jaggery and remove.


Vathakuzhambu is ready to be served .

                                        
NOTE: when cooled this can be stored in a bottle and kept in fridge for a month.

VENDYA RASAM (FENUGREEK SOUP)

Vendhayam/fenugreek is considered in India specially in south India to have many medicinal value and one among them being helps reduce diabetes and reduce body heat.Apart from this a good conditioner for hair too.

 

I have heard about vendhaya kali from my amma and have tasted vendhaya kuzhambu but rasam was very new to me that too onion in rasam was very new when I had it for the first time made by my mother in law .it was very aromatic and tasty.she made this again last week and was able to take photos and wanted to share this aromatic rasam.

INGREDIENTS:

Tamarind -small lime size

Mustard-1/4tsp

Urad dhal-1/2 tsp

Tur dhal-1/2 tsp

Fenugreek-1/2 tsp

Asefotida-little

Red chili-to taste 

Curry leaf-few

Salt-to taste

Turmeric powder

Small onion - finely chopped about 2-3 tsp

Water - as needed to  make thin tamarind water

Oil

METHOD:

1)Heat oil and sauté Mustard,urad dhal ,tur dhal and fenugreek.

2) Add asefotida and red chili and then add chopped onion and fry till translucent .

3) Add tamarind water and turmeric and salt and boil .

4)Add curry leaf just before removing from flame.

 Serve with rice...and enjoy this rasam with different flavor ...I personally love to drink this like soup.

NACHUKOTTAI KEERAI KAARAKUZHAMBU

    

                                    

'Pisonia Alba', or lettuce tree , or Cabbage tree, or  latcha kottai keerai, or Sule sappu, or Chandi keerai or Nachu kottai keerai  is not just a ornamental shrub grown in tropical countries in graden but also a medicinal plant which has found its place in Indian cuisine too.

 

In Tamil Nachu meaning poison, kottai( - changed in usage from ketta, -meaning doesn't )

meaning it removes the toxins or the gas from body.It is said to be good for Arthritis/ rheumatism , gastric problems . and also to reduce blood viscosity and increase blood flow to joints ans thereby improve mobility in arthritis patients.(http://www.chennai-ayurveda.com/2014/01/pisonia-alba.html    ,  http://www.medicinalpedia.com/pisonia-grandis/)

 

 

 

 

When I was  a kid our servant maid Chinna Kuzhadhai(cant not forget this person. she was very sweet, cant forget her help when my amma was ill) told my Amma regarding this keerai and she also showed  how to make this recipe and she taught me too after my amma's death .

 

Anyways,it was only during this visit I was able to make this and take a photo. here is the recipe for you all, if you can get this amazing  leaf...do try and see and sure you will love the flavor and taste of this tasty kuzhambu.

 

 INGREDIENTS:

 

Tamarind - 1 goose berry size(adjust according to the sourness of tamarind)

Garlic- 1 or 2 pods

Small onion- 1 cup

Nachukottai keerai -1 10 to 12 leaves

Curry leaf- few

Tomato- 1

Mustard- 1/4 tsp

Asefotida- pinch

Jeera-1/4 tsp

Fenugreek _1/4 tsp

Salt-to taste

Chilli powder- 1 tsp(to taste)

Corriander powder-1/2 tsp

     Or

Sambar powder - 1 1/2 tsp(to taste)

Oil -3 tbs(approximately)

(I prefer sesame oil)

 

METHOD:

 

1)Soak tamarind in water.

 

2)Wash the leaf and remove the center vein in the leaf and chop.

3)Add 1 or 2 garlic clove grind along with the leaf to a paste using water.

4)Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan .Add mustard, jeera, asefotida ,curry leaf.Add onion and cook well till it becomes transclucent.Add tomato cook well, add salt, chilli and coriander powder(or sambar powder) and saute well.

 

5)Add the ground leaf  paste  and saute well till nice aroma comes.(take care as it may stick to bottom of the pan)

6)Add tamarind water and cook well(Add water that's necessary)till the oil oozes out and the gravy thickens.

 

Mix with hot rice and sesame oil (optional) to enjoy this yummy gravy with medicinal value.

 

NOTE:Adding a pinch of sugar or jaggery to this when cooking will enhance the taste.