Mochai kottai Puli kulambu / Mochai kai kara kulambu:

Mochai - Val dal / Field Beans or Hyacinth Beans.  A tamarind based curry famous in Tirunelveli of Tamilnadu, India. This curry is poured over rice on everyone's plate. It should be mixed with hands and enjoyed as main course meal during lunch or dinner. This rice and curry is accompanied with some vegetable curries or appalam. This is a spicy curry.

Ingredients:
Mochai kottai / val dhal -  3/4 cup

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 3 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chili powder  - 1 tsp
water - 2 cups
salt - 2 tsp

Small Brinjal - 2
Tomato - 1
Tamarind - small lime size

To Grind:

Red onion - 1/2 cup (chopped)

Shredded coconut - 1/4 cup

Cumin - 1 tsp

To  Temper:
Mustard - 1 tsp
Methi seeds- 1/2 tsp
curry leaves - 1 sprig
Sesame oil - 2 tbsp
Hing - 1 pinch

Note:
(If you are using the fresh beans then just start from the method.
otherwise go for pre soaking.)
Preparation:

Dry roast the mochai kottai, till u see dark spots on the outer layer and a nice aroma. (takes 5 mins)
Then rinse it with water twice. Add water till it gets well immersed. Soak for an hour (just 15 mins is enough).

While it is soaking, start cooking the other stuffs or make the side dish or rice.

Soak the tamarind in hot water and extract juice using 2 cups of water.

Pressure cook:
This mochai kottai can be cooked in stove top too, but it takes nearly an hour. It is also common to soak this dal overnight instead of dry roasting it. (dry roasting makes this curry more yummy).

So to save fuel, we are Pressure cooking it.

In stove top pressure cooker, let it make one whistle. Then reduce flame and cook for 5 minutes.

Instant pot:

In electric pressure cooker, touch the 'pressure cook' button. Set time to 5 mins. 

It will be ready within 15 mins.

Method:

After cooking the mochai kottai, add turmeric, salt, chili powder, coriander powder and keep aside.

Cut the eggplant / brinjal into long size pieces.

Chop the tomato finely.
Heat oil in a pan.
Crackle mustard seeds , add fenugreek seeds , curry leaves and asafoetida.
Add the cut chopped onion, brinjal and fry till eggplant gets semi cooked (wilt).
Then add the mochai kottai with masalas, Mix well.

Add the tamarind juice.

Let it boil till the raw smell of tamarind vanishes.

Add the prepared coconut masala and cook covered (5 mins).

Cook till the vegetables become tender.

Switch off and serve hot.
Yummy Mochai kottai kulambu is ready.

Serving suggestions:
Makes 3 cups of thick spicy Puli kulambu.
It can be served for 4 people.
Serve hot with steamed rice and and any vegetable side dish or with egg omelet.

மொச்சைக்கொட்டை புளி குழம்பு 

மொச்சைக்கொட்டை -  3/4 கப் 

மஞ்சள் தூள் - 1/2 தேக்கரண்டி 

மிளகாய் தூள் - 1 தேக்கரண்டி 

மல்லி தூள்  - 3 தேக்கரண்டி 

தண்ணீர்  - 2 கப் 

கல்உப்பு  - 2 தேக்கரண்டி 

கத்தரிக்காய் - 2 

தக்காளி - 1

புளி - சின்ன எலுமிச்சை அளவு 

அரைக்க : 

வெங்காயம்  - 1 /2 கப் 

துருவிய தேங்காய்  - 1/4 கப் 

சீரகம்  - 1 தேக்கரண்டி 

தாளிக்க :

கடுகு  - 1 தேக்கரண்டி 

வெந்தயம்  1/2 தேக்கரண்டி 

கறிவேப்பிலை  - 1 கொத்து 

நல்லெண்ணெய்  - 2 மேஜைக்கரண்டி 

பெருங்காயம்  - 1 சிட்டிகை 

Kadalai kulambu

Kadalai kulambu generally means a curry made with channa. This is also a typical sounth Indian curry made with tamarind and hot spices.
The interesting fact is people call this lentil as 'Vegetarians' chicken' because of the high protein content.

Other names: chickpea, Cicer arietinum, garbanzo bean, Indian pea, ceci bean, bengal gram, Kabuli chana, konda kadalai, kadale kaalu, sanaga pappu, shimbra, Kadala



Ingredients:
Black channa - 1 cup.
(We can use white channa also, but the black / red one has more flavor and fiber.)
Tamarind- 1 gooseberry size
chilli powder - 1tsp
coriander powder - 2 tsp
turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp
salt - to taste
feugreek (methi seed)-1/4 tsp
mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
curry leaves - 1 sprig
sesame oil - 1 tbsp

To grind:
cumin seeds - 1 tsp
shredded coconut - 2 tbsp
onion (chopped)- 1 cup


Method:
Soak the channa overnight and pressure cook to get a whistle.
After the whistle , simmer the stove and switch off the stove after 10 minutes.
(20 minutes for white channa).

Extract the juice from tamarind. Keep aside.
Add the chilli powder, coriander powder, salt and turmeric powder to the tamarind extract.

In a pan add the oil , put mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds.
After the mustard gets cracked , add curry leaves.

Then add the tamarind extract mixture.
Let it boil for 10 minutes.
Now add the cooked channa along with the remaining water , if any.

Grind the coconut , cumin seeds and onion into a fine paste.
Put this paste into the boiling tamarind extract.
Check for salt and put off fire immediately after the raw smell vanishes.

Serving suggestions:
Serves for 4 to 5 people.
Serve with cooked rice, appalam and aviyal.

Mochai Kottai Kulambu

Mochai kottai is a tasty bean prevalently used in villages of TamilNadu. It is a variety of bean just like Toor dhal or snow peas with an enormous growth rate.
We can see the fresh pods in and around bazaars of Madurai, Tuticorin and Kovilpatti (TN, India) during the summer season . commercially the val dhal is removed from the pods and dried for the storage purpose so that there would be an year round supply. It is supposed to be sold at a lesser price because of its ample supply but an excellent source of protein like all dals.
People of TamilNadu make a tangy curry called Mochai kottai kulambu along with tamarind paste.
Festival associated with the Kulambu:
Though the Mochai kottai kulambu is famous all over South India, I have tasted it with dry fish and great taste in the villages near Madras and Madurai.
I am narrating about the curry made in a village in India and the the festival associated with it .
It is a custom to make this curry with brinjal , drumstick vegetable, tomato and dried fish during the Tamil month of Aadi (mid July - mid August).
During that month we can see a lot of functions in the Temple.
On Sundays of the Aadi month , they prepare the 'Mochai kottai kulambu' with dry fish as 'karuvattu kulambu' along with a porridge called 'koozh' (read as kooll) and offer it for the Goddess Amman in various forms. Then they distribute it to all those who visit them and will have great meals together.
In Madras , my neighbors used to make the dishes in huge volume with fervent love for the Goddess Amman and any one who go to their house would be encouraged to have the meal . Myself being the pet of the area, won't even think of cooking on those days as i would get a Lion's share always:) I love that festival very much as there would be a lot of activities in my neighborhood like 'poo kuzhi , walking on hot charcoal' and many events. Moreover I love that koozh and dry fish curry combination very much.

Otherwise in ordinary days people make a vegetarian version also.
I wished to bring back a closer cousin of that kulambu called Mochai kottai kulambu, the vegetarian version.
It turned out so good and here goes the recipe for it.

Translations for Mochai kottai:
Hindi - Val dal / English - Hyacinth bean or field bean / Tamil - Mochai payeru or mochai kai or mochai kottai / Telugu - Anapa kayalu or Ginjalu
Kindly comment me if you know the translation for val dal in your language.


Mochai kottai puli kulambu / Mochai kai kara kulambu:

Ingredients:
Mochai kottai / val dhal - 1 cup
Baby Brinjal - 4
Drumstick (vegetable) - 1
Tomato - 2
Tamarind - small lime size
Red onion - 1 (chopped)
mustard - 1/2 tsp
fenugreek seeds- 1/2 tsp
curry leaves - 1 brig
oil - 1 tbsp
asafoetida - 1 pinch
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
coriander powder - 2 tsp
turmeric powder - 1 pinch
sambar powder - 1/2 tsp
water - 2 cups
salt - 2 tsp

Preparation:
(If you are using the fresh beans then just start from the method.
otherwise go for pre soaking.)
Dry roast the mochai kottai, till u see dark spots on the outer layer and a nice aroma.
Then rinse it with water twice. Add water till it gets well immersed. Soak overnight or an hour.
Pressure cook for 3 whistles.
(we can cook it in stove top also, but it will take an hour).

Method:
Cut drumstick into 2 inch pieces and make a small slit in each piece.
Cut the eggplant / brinjal into small pieces.
Soak the tamarind in hot water and extract juice using 2 cups of water.
Heat oil in a pan.
Crackle mustard seeds , add fenugreek seeds , curry leaves and asafoetida.
Add the cut chopped onion and fry till it becomes mild red.
Then add the chopped tomato and fry till becomes mushy.
Then add the tamarind juice ,salt, the chilly powder, Turmeric , coriander powder and Sambar powder.
Let it boil till the raw smell of tamarind vanishes.
Now add the cut vegetables with 2 cups water (use drained water from the cooked dal) and cook till the vegetables become tender.
Then add the cooked val dhal (mochai kottai) and bring it to a boil.
Some people love to add some ground coconut paste in this stage. But even without coconut this kulambu will be great.
switch off and serve hot.
Mochai kottai kulambu is ready.

Serving suggestions:
Makes 500 ml of Puli kulambu.
It can be served for 5 people.
Serve hot with steamed rice and and any vegetable side dish or with egg omlete.

Awards:
I am very much excited when two of my friends Pryia of Priya's Sourashtrian kitchen and Shama of Easy2cook recipes passed me this beautiful award.

Thank you friends. I feel honored.
I think it is appropriate to pass on this award to all who visit me. Feel free to pick it up , buddies.
Enjoy!

Event:
Sending this 'Mochai kottai kulambu' to Shama's 'Village special' (Giramathu kaimanam), an innovative way to bring out the best from our native places. Hope this suits the event. My hearty wishes to Shama to conduct the event successfully.