Verkadalai Chutney/Kadalai Chutney
I learnt this recipe from my chithi, though I didn’t try it more than once. Recently in an health article about kambu(pearl millet/bajra) we read that kadalai chutney is a good combination for kambu dosai (will post recipe soon). From that time DH has been asking me to make kadalai chutney. We tried it with kambu dosai and varagu arisi dosai, tastes yummy. It even tasted good with regular idli and dosa.
Verkadalai Chutney/Kadalai Chutney
Ingredients:
1/2 cup roasted peanuts
3-4 red chillies
a big marble size tamarind
6 flakes of garlic
salt to taste
1 tsp oil
For tempering:
1/2 tsp mustard
1/2 tsp urad dhal
a sprig og curry leaves
1 tsp oil
Method:
- Soak the tamarind in little bit of water.
- Roast the red chillies in 1 tsp of oil.
- Grind together the chillies, peanuts, tamarind, garlic and salt.
- This chutney is quiet thick, so dilute with water if necessary.
- Tempering is done with mustard seeds, urad dhal and curry leaves.
Vazhaikkai Puttu / Podimas
This is different from the regular poriyal we make from raw bananas. It is easy to make and tastes different too.The crunchiness of onions and the softness of banana together is delicious. Its white colour makes it a favourite with the kids too. It is a good combo with rice and sambhar.
Vazhaikkai Puttu / Podimas
Ingredients:
1 big sized raw banana
1 medium sized onion chopped finely
1 green chilly chopped finely
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp urad dhal
2 tsp oil
salt to taste
2 tsp shredded coconut to garnish
Method:
- Cut the raw banana two halves.
- In a big pan add the raw bananas and add water till it immerses.
- Allow it to cook for 5-7 minutes. Check with a knife whether its completely cooked.(Knife will pass through easily once cooked).
- Now cool the raw banana. Peel it and grate in a big size grater.
- Heat oil in a pan.
- Add mustard and urad dhal and after it splutters add the green chilly and onion and saute.
- Add the grated raw banana and required salt and mix well.
- Garnish with shredded coconut and serve.
Ellu Thuvaiyal /Sesame Chutney
This chutney is the perfect accompaniment to ulundham paruppu saadham. It is very simple to prepare.
Sending this recipe to Serve it – Blended series by Krithi of Krithi’s Kitchen & Denny of Oh taste and see.
Ellu Thuvaiyal
Ingredients:
50 mg black/brown sesame seeds
3-5 red chillies (adjust according to taste)
A big marble sizetamarind
½ tsp oil
Salt as required
Method:
- Wash sesame seeds in water to remove any impurities and strain in a tea-strainer. Let all the water drain.
- In a pan dry roast the sesame seeds till they crackle.
- Roast the red chillies separately with ½ tsp oil.
- Grind together roasted red chillies, sesame, tamarind and salt into chutney.
- Serve hot with ulundham paruppu saadham along with a spoon of gingelly oil.
Aviyal
Aviyal is a delicious medley of vegetables in creamy coconut and yogurt sauce. I read somewhere that aviyal is usually made in Kerala during weekends, when there is a little bit of all vegetables remaining in the vegetable basket, along with old curds. But it is not necessarily so. You can make aviyal with fresh vegetables and curd also. I cant imagine any festival / auspicious day at home without aviyal.
Some times my mom adds a little bit of tamarind extract instead of curd, that tastes good too..Infact I like Puli aviyal way better than Thayir aviyal 
Aviyal is very simple to make, now over to the recipe…
Posting this recipe for The keralakitchen event conducted by Geetha of Sunmoonandpotatoes and started originally by Rose of The Kerala Kitchen.
Aviyal
Ingredients :
1 raw banana
1 drumstick
3-4 brinjals
1 medium sized carrot
10 no beans
1 potato
A small piece of yam
½ cup green peas
A small piece of ash gourd
2-3 tbsp curd/2 tbsp tamarind juice
¼ tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste
To grind:
2/3 cup shredded coconut
2-3 green chillies
1tsp jeera
2-3 shallots
To temper:
3 tsp coconut oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dhal
Few curry leaves
Method:
- Wash, peel and cut all the vegetables lengthwise. You need not use all the vegetables, Raw banana, drumstick, brinjal,carrot are must..others you can vary according to choice.
- Grind all ingredients under ‘to grind’ to a coarse paste.
- Cook vegetables in a pan with water, turmeric and salt till they are firm. Alternatively you can pressure cook the vegetables for 2 whistles.
- Now add the curd/tamarind juice and the ground paste. Let it simmer in a low flame for 5-7minutes.
- Do the tempering in coconut oil with mustard, urad dhal and curry leaves.
- Aviyal can be served with sambhar, rasam,vathal kuzhambu along with steamed rice. Aviyal can also be served with adai. And aviyal is the best accompaniment for ulundham paruppu saadham.
P.S.
- Tempering with coconut oil adds a special flavour to aviyal.
- As a side dish for ulundham paruppu saadham, aviyal is made in a little thinner consistency.
Puli Milagai
This is a hot and sweet pachadi, that goes well with idly, dosa and curd rice. You can make this recipe when you are tired of the regular chutneys. This is a saiva-pillai recipe which I learnt from my mom. This recipe is typically made with young and tender green chillies -my mom calls them pinju milagai / kunju milagai. When the chilly season ends the chillies which remain in the plant do not mature and remain small in size. Such chillies are ideal for this recipe. These green chillies are not very hot and spicy and they can be eaten along with the pachadi. Green chillies and shallots are sautéed in gingelly oil and simmered in tamarind sauce to which jaggery is added to create this yummy sidedish. This stays at room temperature for 2 days and in fridge for 3-4 days.
Posting this recipe for “spotlight-curries and gravies” event conducted by Chandhrani of Cuisine delights, originally started by Indrani of Recipe Junction.
Puli Milagai
Ingredients:
1 tbsp. gingelly oil
10 12 no. young & tender greenchillies
25 no.shallots / sambar onions
¼ tsp turmeric powder
A big marble size tamarind
A small lemon size ball of jaggery
Salt to taste
For tempering:
1 tbsp.gingelly oil
½ tsp mustard
½ tsp urad dhal
A pinch of hing
Few curry leaves
Method:
- Wash and slit the green chillies half way through .
- Peel the shallots .
- Extract juice from tamarind.
- In a pan heat 1 tbsp. gingelly oil. Add the chillies and shallots and sauté well, till they are half cooked.
- Now add ½ cup of water. Let the chillies and onions get cooked thoroughly.
- Now add the tamarind juice, turmeric powder and salt . Allow the mixture to simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add jaggery to the mix, let it simmer for few more minutes and remove from fire.
- The tempering is done liberally with gingelly oil. Enjoy puli milagai with hot Idli or Dosa.
Naarthangai Pachadi / Citron Pachadi
When I saw naarthangai at the local market last week, bought them on an impulse because where we live it is a rare sight to see. When I came home MIL told that we already have a big jar of naarthangai pickle. So I decided to make some other recipes using naarthangai – made pachadi and uppu naarthangai.
This naarthangai pachadi is a saiva pillai special which I learnt from my mom, but this is the first time I am trying it on my own. This sweet and sour pachadi tastes different from your regular pickle and tingles your tastebuds. This recipe is conventionally had as a side dish with idli, dosa and curd rice. I have tried them with rotis and they taste as good. This easily provides you with your daily dose of vitamin C, which in turn helps in better absorption of iron. No wonder moms and grandmothers always served a piece of citron/lemon pickle with lunch
This stays well in the fridge for 2-3 weeks in a sterile closed container. When needed, take the required quantity of pachadi in a separate bowl using a clean dry spoon. Reheat if you want. Outside the fridge it stays well for a week.
P.S. Use only gingelly oil, which is important for the flavour of the pachadi. It also acts as a preservative.
Naarthangai Pachadi / Citron Pachadi
Ingredients:
1 naarthangai / citron big size
1 big lemon size ball of tamarind
2 small lemon size balls of jaggery
6-8 red chillies ( adjust according to taste )
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
2 pinches of hing
salt as required
2 tsp + 1/2 tsp gingelly oil
For tempering:
1 tbsp gingelly oil
1 tsp mustard
1/2 tsp urad dhal
1 sprig of curry leaves (optional)
Method:
- Soak the tamarind in 2 cups of hot water and extract a thick juice.
- Roast the red chillies, fenugreek and hing separately in 1/2 tsp oil. Cool and make it into a powder.
- Wash and cut the naarthangai into small bite size pieces.
- In a pan add 2 tsp gingelly oil and saute the cut pieces. Add 2 cups of water or water till the pieces are immersed. Cook in a medium flame for about 10 minutes till the naarthangai pieces are soft.
- Now drain the excess water and keep the cooked naarthangai pieces aside. This step is very important because the water in naarthangai is cooked is very bitter and should be discarded.
- Now add the naarthangai pieces to the tamarind juice along with the chilly powder mix and the required amount of salt. Pour this into the pan and allow it to boil.
- Now add the jaggery and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
- Finally do the tempering in generous amounts of gingelly oil. This acts as a preservative.
- Store in a dry, sterile container with a tight lid in the fridge. Enjoy with idli, dosa and curd rice.
Kumbakonam Kadappa
Though I have been a foodie all my life, I have never heard of kumbakonam kadappa till I entered the world of blogosphere. Well… I have been wanting to try this recipe for such a long time. Got the recipe from my friend Priya Sreeram of Bon Appetit.
For people who don’t know what is kadappa ….
Even though the name sounds similar to a place in AP or a variety of stone for making slabs, to the people of kumbakonam,tanjore and surrounding areas it also means a flavorful side dish for idli and dosa made from moong dhal and potatoes in a mildly spiced gravy. In my family’s opinion it tastes good with chappatis and puris too. It is a very easy recipe to make and after tasting this I was thinking- OMG! why haven’t I heard about this recipe earlier…
Kumbakonam Kadappa
Ingredients:
2 medium sized potatoes
1/3 cup of moong dhal
2 medium sized onions-thinly sliced
1 green chilly-slit into half
Salt as required
To grind :
1/2 cup grated coconut
1-2 green chillies ( adjust according to taste )
2-3 garlic flakes
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 medium sized tomato
1 tsp roasted gram ( optional )
For tempering:
2 tsp oil
1/2 inch piece of cinnamon
1 bay leaf
1 cardamom
1 star anise
2-3 cloves
Method:
- Pressure cook the dhal and potatoes till soft. Mash well and keep aside.
- Grind all the ingredients given under to grind into a fine paste.
- Heat 2 tsp of oil in a pan. Add the whole spices and sauté.
- Next add the sliced onions and green chilly.
- Now add the ground paste and sauté for a minute or two.
- Now add the mashed dhal and potatoes.
- Add required salt and allow it to simmer for 5-7 minutes.
- Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with idli or dosa.
P.S.
Instead of grinding the tomato, you can chop and sauté them along with the onions.
Instead of adding tomato, you can also add juice of half a lemon after you switch off the stove.
Inji Pachadi / Ginger Pachadi
This is a very simple dish served as an accompaniment to sodhi. It also tastes good with curd rice. It is very good for digestion.
Reposting this recipe for DNSW-I event hosted by Akila of Akila’s Kitchen.
Inji Pachadi / Ginger Pachadi
Ingredients:
50 gms ginger-peeled and cut into small pieces
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1-2 red chillies
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
A large lemon sized ball of jaggery
Salt to taste
2+2 tsp oil
For tempering:
1 tsp oil
½ tsp mustard
½ tsp urad dhal
1-2 sprigs curry leaves
Method:
- Heat the pan. Add 2 tsp oil and fry the red chillies. In the same oil fry the chopped ginger till golden brown.
- Add 2 more tsp of oil and fry the shredded coconut till golden brown.
- Allow this to cool and grind in mixer along with salt to a fine paste.
- Transfer this paste along with turmeric powder to a pan and allow it to simmer. Add the jaggery and simmer till raw smell is gone.
- Temper with mustard, urad dhal and curry leaves. Serve with rice and sodhi.
Mangai Pachadi / Raw Mango Pachadi
Iniya tamil puthandu nalvazhthukal (Wishing you all a very happy tamil new year). This recipe is a staple at my home on tamil new year’s day. I don’t know what is the relationship of mango and tamil new year. I guess the month of “chithirai” marks the onset of mango season and so it is cooked on the day of tamil new year.
This is a very simple recipe. This sweet and tangy recipe tastes good with sambar, rasam and curd rice as well. From my experience I know it tastes good with rotis also.
Posting this recipe for ’C for colorful currries’ event hosted by Charitha of ’women’s era2008′.
Reposting this recipe for mango recipes hosted by Sameena of myculinarycreations.
Mangai pachadi / raw mango pachadi
Ingredients:
I medium sized raw mango (preferably kili-mooku type which is not very sour)
¼ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp chilli powder
Salt as required
1 big lemon sized ball of jaggery
¼ cup shredded coconut
½ tsp jeera
For tempering:
1 tsp oil
½ tsp mustard
½ tsp urad dhal
1-2 sprigs curry leaves
Method:
- Wash and peel the mango .
- Now cut the mango into thin slices.
- In a pan add half a cup of water and cook the mango slices with salt, chilli powder and turmeric powder till the mango pieces become very soft and mushy. Alternatively you can pressur cook the mango for two whistles.
- Grind the coconut and jeera into a paste. After the mango is cooked add this coconut paste and jaggery and simmer for 2-3 minutes
- . Temper with mustard, urad dhal and curry leaves. Tangy mango pachadi is ready to serve.
Karunai kizhangu thayir masiyal
Siddha medicine says that of all vegetables growing below the soil , sweet potato ( sarkarai valli kizhangu ) and yams ( karunai kizhangu ) are the best.
Yam is supposed to be very good for people with piles. Some people get an itchy sensation in their throat and tongue after eating yam. This can be avoided by using days old yams instead of fresh ones or by using a sour ingredient in the recipe such as curd or tamarind extract. Now the recipe for Karunai kizhangu thayir masiyal.
Karunai kizhangu thayir masiyal
Ingredients:
3 medium no yams
10 no small onions finely chopped
1 green chilly finely chopped
1/2 inch Ginger finely chopped
A handful of fresh field beans (mochai payiru)
1 cup curd
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp mustard
1/2 tsp urad dhal
Few sprigs curry leaves
1 tbsp oil
Salt as required
Method:
- Pressure cook the yams and field beans for 3 whistles.
- Mash the yams and add turmeric and salt to it. Add curd to the mashed yams and mix well.
- Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard, urad dhal and curry leaves. Add the chopped onions and green chilly and sauté.
- Now add the mashed yam mix to the pan and allow it to simmer for 2-3 minutes. Yam masiyal is ready. This can be had with white rice as such or can be served with rasam rice.
