Valaikkai Puttu

Vazhaikkai - unripe banana; puttu - anything steam cooked and loose as sand .

Vazhaikkai puttu is a spicy scrambled plantain fry served as side dish with rice.

Click to see how I prepare Nenthrankai puttu (long green plantain) in my YouTube channel. Kindly subscribe. Thanks for subscribing and liking as this will encourage me to create more videos. Thanks and blessings !

Ingredients:

Unripe Plantain Nenthran kaaai - 2
onion (finely chopped) - 1
dry red chilly - 2
curry leaf - 1 sprig
coconut oil - 1 tbsp

mustard - 1 tsp

urid dal - 1 tsp
shredded coconut - 1/4 cup
cumin - 1/2 tsp
turmeric - 1/2 tsp

hing - a pinch
salt - 1 tsp

Method:

Wash the green plantains / bananas. Steam cook them using an Idly cooker or in a normal cooker without adding the pressure valve for 10 minutes. Check it by piercing a fork and it should pass through without difficulty but firm in shape.

Take out and let them cool. Remove the skin and grate the unripe banana in a carrot shredder. 

In a wok, heat the coconut oil and add mustard seeds followed by the black gram lentil. As soon as the mustard crackles add the dry red chillies, curry leaves , onion and stir till the onion wilts. Immediately add the shredded plantain, salt, turmeric, hing and mix well. Check for salt.  Fry till it becomes loose. If using nentharankaai (plantain variety) add 1/4 cup water and cook closed for 5 mins if needed. If using shorter banana (Tamilnadu variety), no need to cook in water after steaming.

Then mix the freshly shredded coconut and switch off.

Vazhaikkai puttu is ready!

Serving suggestions:

Serve as side dish with rice and sambar or vatral kulambu or kara kulambu or rasam.

Note:

Some people add turmeric to the puttu , while others make it white. Both tastes good.

வாழைக்காய் புட்டு :

வாழைக்காய் புட்டு 

நேந்திரங்காய் / நாட்டு வாழைக்காய்  - 2

வெங்காயம்  - 1

காய்ந்த மிளகாய் - 2

கறிவேப்பிலை - 1 sprig

தேங்காய்  எண்ணெய் - 1 tbsp

கடுகு - 1 tsp 

உளுந்து - 1 tsp 

தேங்காய் துருவல் - 1/4 cup

சீரகம்  - 1/2 tsp

மஞ்சள்  - 1/2 tsp

பெருங்காயத்தூள்  - a pinch

உப்பு  - 1 tsp 

 

Hotel Saravana Bhavan Vegetable Kuruma in InstantPot

Hotel Saravana Bhavan is a classy Indian Vegetarian restaurant founded by a cooking genius and entrepreneur  from Tirunelveli district. That restaurant has many branches all over the world. It is known for it's classy vegetarian recipes and less spicy mouthwatering food prepared in a hygienic way. The original founder called as Annachi started this restaurant to provide good food for the newbies in Chennai, as getting hygienic good food was not easy those days. First they gave puliyotharai and variety rices, while he was running a grocery store as it is the family's main job. Then after seeing the enthusiasm shown by Chennai people and travelers, he started to give many special dishes of Tirunelveli by employing lot of chefs. Then it became very popular for it's good food. Even though  some people feel that it's prices are higher and the portion size is smaller (compared to others) ,  the prices are justifiable due to the hygiene and safer family friendly ambiance. I am ok with that portion size too. But opinions vary due to their serving quantity. My hubby thinks that they don't bring enough sambar like other restaurants in a big serving bowl. That's a valuable comment too. But my niece Shakthi showed me how to love that hotel's food and hence I am ok with that portion size.

All foods are delicious in the restaurant's menu card, while Saravana Bhavan's kuruma is a white  kuruma is my favorite.

It is made using unique masala and yogurt.

I have written about this kuruma decades ago and now posting this as a video too.

(Vegetable kuruma  / kurma is a kind of spicy curry with lot of vegetables (definitely the English vegetables not the native Indian vegetables). 

Today I am narrating how to prepare Saravana Bhavan style vegetable kuruma in Instant pot in this post. Hope you all love this !

Kindly show your support for my YouTube channel also. Thanks in advance.

Click to see my vegetable kuruma in InstantPot video . 

Vegetables needed:
Cauliflower - 100 gms (1/4 flower)
Beans - 10  
Carrot - 1
Potato - 1

Fresh peas - 1 cup

For Kuruma:

Red onion - 1

Tomato - 1

Green chili - 4
Coriander leaves - a handful.
Curry leaves - few

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tso
Coriander powder - 2 tsp

Curry masala powder - 1 tsp (optional)
salt - to taste
Oil  / ghee - 2 tbsp

Curd - 1/4 cup

To Grind 1:
Ginger - 1 inch

Garlic - 5 cloves

To Grind 2:

Shredded coconut - 1/4 cup
Cumin - 1/2 tsp

Fennel - 1 tsp

Poppy seed - 1 tsp

Cashew - 4

To Temper:

Fennel - 1 tsp
Cinnamon - 1 inch
Kalpasi - 1 inch
bay leaf - 1

Preparation:
Grind ginger and garlic together.
Grind items under 2.
Prepare the tempering spices and keep them together.

Chop onion, tomato coarsely.

Cut cauliflower into big pieces.
Peel and cube the potato, carrot into 1 inch size cubes.

Cut beans into 1 inch long pieces.

Slit green chilies or chop finely.

Method:

Set the Instantpot to saute mode by pressing the 'SAUTE' button. We are not closing the lid.

We are going to use this as a regular pan during saute process.

Now it will stay hot for 30 mins by default setting.

Add 2 tbsp sesame oil or any cooking oil.

Add the items given under tempering.

As the fennel gets red, add the chopped onion. 

Saute onion till it is soft and golden brown.

Add the ginger garlic paste.

Saute for just 10 secs.

Immediately add chopped tomato, green chili.

Saute till tomato gets soft.

Add red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder , curry masala powder (optional).

Saute for 30 secs.

Add chopped vegetables.

Switch off by pressing 'cancel' button.

Then press 'Pressure cook' button.

Set time to 5 minutes by pressing plus or minus signs or as per the Instantpot (by rotating the knob in Ultra type InstantPot).

Add required salt.

Add the coconut masala , curd.

Add 2 cups of water.

Close the lid.

Put on the pressure valve. Keep it in seal position (away from display).

The pressure will build up automatically , then the cooker will be sealed . We can see the safety valve raising once enough pressure is build up.

This may take 5 - 10 mins.

Then the cooker will pressure cook for 5 minutes, and will switch off automatically.

After 10 minutes we can release the pressure manually by turning the pressure valve towards us (see my video).

Or we can wait for some time for the pressure to release by itself.

The remove the pressure valve and open the cooker. If needed add some more water and bring to a boil by pressing cancel and then saute . Or serve as thick kuruma (my preference).

Delicious vegetable kuruma is done !

Serving suggestions:

Serve hot with parathas or roti or naan .
Makes 5 cups of vegetable kuruma and serves 8 people.

Note:

We can do the same in the normal pressure cooker (in gas stove) too. Just cook until we get 1 whistle, then reduce pressure and cook for 5 mins in low heat.

If done in open pot, then cook the kuruma until all vegetables are 100% cooked.

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வெஜிடபிள் குருமா செய்ய தேவையான காய்கறிகள்:

காலிப்ளார்  - 100 gms (1/4 flower)

பீன்ஸ்  - 10  

கேரட்  - 1

உருளைகிழங்கு  - 1

பச்சைபட்டாணி  - 1 cup

தாளிக்க :

சோம்பு  - 1 tsp

பட்டை - 1 inch

கடல்பாசி  - 1 inch

பிரிஞ்சி இலை  - 1

தாளிக்க :

வெங்காயம் - 1

தக்காளி  - 1

மிளகாய் - 4

கொத்தமல்லி இலை - கைப்பிடியளவு 

கறிவேப்பிலை  - சிறிதளவு 

மிளகாய்த்தூள் - 1 tsp

மஞ்சள்தூள்  -1/2 tsp 

மல்லி தூள்  - 2 tsp

கறிமசாலா தூள்  - 1 tsp (optional)

உப்பு  - 2 tsp 

நல்லெண்ணெய் / நெய்  - 2 tbsp

தயிர் - 1/4 கப் 

அரைக்க  1:

இஞ்சி  - 1 இன்ச் 

பூண்டு - 5 

அரைக்க 2:

துருவிய தேங்காய் - 1/4 கப் 

சீரகம்  - 1 /2 tsp

சோம்பு - 1 tsp

கசகசா  - 1 tsp

முந்திரி - 4