Vegetable Kuruma.

This is a kind of vegetable kuruma prepared in Tirunelveli hotels and parotta stalls.
It has a unique flavor as the kuruma is made with a different masala and curd.It goes fine with parotta. It can be made in bulk for a week and stored in fridge for serving with chapathi at night.


Ingredients:
Cauliflower - 100 gms (1/4 flower)
Beans - 100 gms (25 number)
carrot - 1
potato - 2 (medium size)
tomato - 1
Red onion - 2 (medium size)
green chillies - 4
coriander leaves - a handful.
mint leaves - few
curry leaves - few
curd - 1/2 cup
besan flour - 2 tsp
shredded coconut - 2 tbsp
cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
red chilli powder - 1 tbsp
turmeric powder - a pinch
curry masala powder / channa masala powder - 1 tsp
salt - to taste
olive oil - 1 tbsp
cardamom - 2
cloves - 2
Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp
bay leaf - 1
ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp

Method:
Grind ginger and garlic together.
Grind shredded coconut ,cardamom, cloves, cumin seeds and 1 onion together.
Grind again together  with curd, besan flour keep aside.
Cut cauliflower into big pieces.
peel and cut other vegetables in to big pieces.
Heat oil in a pan. fry some fennel seeds and bay leaf.
Add the chopped onion, green chillies ,curry leaves, cilantro and mint leaves. After the onion turns golden brown , add ginger garlic paste and saute well.
Now add all the vegetables, salt and mix well.
Add 2 cups of water, chilli powder, turmeric powder , curry masal powder and stir well.
close the lid and cook all the vegetables to tender.Add the coconut masala and let it boil it gives a nice flavor.
Boil for few more minutes in low flame , close and Switch off.
Serving suggestions:
serve hot with parathas or roti or naan .
Makes 4 cups of vegetable kuruma and serves 8 people.

Home made Syrup for digestion.

People in India consume some home made syrups for digestion problems.
They drink this syrup before bedtime once in a week.
This is one of the few kashayams (syrups) used in TamilNadu for getting gas relief.
This is the simplest among various syrups . Pregnant women should not drink this.

Ingredients:
Garlic - 7 pearls
Dry ginger powder - 1 tbsp
cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Black pepper - 1 tsp
coriander seeds - 2 tbsp
Asafoetida - 1 pinch
Jaggery - 100 gms
water - 3 cups (600 ml)

Method:
Except jaggery grind all the ingredients given above with little water.
Boil the given amount of water with jaggery and add the herbal paste made.
Stir occasionally and boil everything until the liquid gets reduced to 2 cups.
Now cool the syrup and strain the clear syrup out of it.
Drink it at night (one hour after dinner) to get rid of digestion problems.
serves 2 people.

Milagu saadam

Milagu saadam is the Tamil equivalent of Black pepper fried rice. (saadam means cooked rice and Milagu means Black pepper). Milagu saadam is a special dish usually prepared in the Lord Shiva Temple (Nellaiyappar kovil)of Tirunelveli , TN , India as Pooja offering . It is easy to make and tastes wonderful. Stick to the recipe and DO NOT USE ready made PEPPER POWDER to make this dish. USE WHOLE PEPPER ONLY. Because whole pepper has a wonderful aroma.
Usually people serve 'Paruppu podi saadam' in the beginning of a feast. Instead of it Milagu saadam can also be served before serving sambar rice in a vegetarian dinner. Milagu saadam is good for digestion.

Ingredients:
Rice (Jeeraga samba / kali Jeera rice) - 1 cup
Black pepper (whole) - 1 tbsp
cumin seeds - 1 tsp
mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp.
salt - 3/4 tsp
Olive oil - 1 tsp
Ghee - 1 tsp
cashew nut - 5
curry leaves - 2 sprig

Method:
Heat oil in pan . Fry mustard , cumin and pepper corn till the mustard seeds start to crackle.Put off fire and fry 1 brig of curry leaves in that heat.
Let them cool . Crush them in a small jar of the mixie /blender.
Add some salt (1/2 tsp ) to this powder.
Cook 1 cup rice with little salt (1/4 tsp) and 2 cups water.
Care should be taken so that the cooked rice is firm and all the grains remain separate.
Heat 1 tsp ghee in a pan. Roast the cashews in ghee . Switch off flame. Add 1 brig curry leaves to the same pan . Garnish the rice with this.
Mix the crushed pepper mixture with the rice thoroughly.
Do not break the rice while stirring.
Pepper fried rice is ready.

Serving suggestions:
Serve hot with 'vada kari' (a spicy stew prepared with fried lentil balls) or aviyal ( boiled mixed-veggie side dish) and appalam.

Red Capsicum Chutney

Ingredients
Red capsicum - (400 gms) deseeded and chopped
Dry red chillies - 4
garlic - 2 pearls
mustard seeds - 1 tsp
cumin - 1/4 tsp
curry leaves - 1 brig
olive oil - 1 tbsp
tamarind - cherry fruit size
salt to taste
Tomato - 1 (optional)

Method:
Heat olive oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. Once they splutter, add the cumin and fry a few seconds. Add a couple of curry leaves.
Add dry red chillies and fry for a few seconds.
Take them out.
In the same oil fry the chopped red capsicum . Add chopped tomato also , if you want more quantity.
Add the tamarind to it , sprinkle some water and close it with a lid.
Cook the capsicum till it becomes tender.
Once all fried ingredients are cool, grind with garlic and salt to taste .
No need to temper this chutney at the end.

Serving suggestions:
Serve with hot fluffy idly or chapathi or dosa.
It can be used as a sandwich spreading too.

Butter milk stew

'More' is the tamil word for Buttermilk .So 'More kulambu' means a stew prepared with Buttermilk.Originally people prepare this stew with churned buttermilk. But I make it with thick yogurt and it tastes great.This kulambu is a must if you prepare a traditional TamilNadu style lunch. More-kulambu should be served over steamed rice , after serving sambar and vathak kulambu. I will narrate the order of serving various curries in a typical Tamil Nadu style soon.

Ingredients:
Thick curd (Desi Yogurt) - 1 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

white pumpkin / winter melon - 200 gms
(Or) any vegetable like brinjaal , fried Okra - 200 gms
(or) masal vadai - 7

Ginger - 2 inch
green chilli - 2
Bengal gram / channa dhal - 1 tbsp
rice - 1 tbsp
salt - to taste
oil - 1 tsp
mustard - 1/2 tsp
Dry red chilli - 2
curry leaves - 1 brig
water - 2 cups

Method:
soak channa dhal and rice for 30 minutes.
Grind ginger , green chillies , rice and channa dhal to a fine paste and keep aside.
Heat 2 cups of water in a cooking pan and add the white pumpkin pieces .Add turmeric and salt to it.
Close the lid and cook the white pumpkin.After the white pumpkin gets cooked , add the masala paste and stir continuously till the raw smell disappears.SWITCH OFF THE STOVE.
Beat the curd and add it to the boiling veggies.
Heat oil in a pan.
Crackle some mustard seeds and add chopped dry red chillies with curry leaves.Add this tempering to the above.Garnish with chopped cilantro.
Yummy Buttermilk curry is ready.

Serving Suggestions:
Serves 4 people. Serve over steamed rice.
Potato fry is a good side dish for More Kulambu.

sesame chutney

Tamil translation for sesame chutney is 'Ellu thovaiyal' or 'Yellu thovayal'.
I use black sesame seeds to make this chutney.It should not be watery like coconut chutney.After grinding , you should be able to make a ball out of it. That is the perfect consistency.

Ingredients:
Sesame - 2 tbsp
shredded coconut - 1 tbsp
Dry Red chillies - 4
garlic - 1 pearl
cumin - 1/4 tsp
salt - 1/2 tsp
Tamarind - 1 inch
curry leaves - 1 brig
olive oil - 1 tsp

Method:
Dry roast the sesame seeds , till they start splutter. Take care not to char them.
Add 1 tsp olive oil in the pan and roast the dry red chillies.
Using a small jar in mixie / blender , grind all the items together after they become cool .
Add a little water only. You will get a lemon size ball of sesame chutney.

Serving suggestions:
It can be served as a side dish with any 'variety rice' like lemon rice , coconut rice or tamarind rice.
This chutney stays good for 2 days (without refrigerator) , if you roast all the given items and make chutney.

Lemon Rice

Ingredients:
Rice - 1 1/4 cup (200 g)
Lemon - 1 /2 small (3 tbsp fresh juice)
Mustard - 1 tsp
Bengal gram (channa dhal)- 2 tbsp
Dry red chilli - 2
turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
curry leaves - 1 sprig
Sesame oil - 2 tbsp
salt - to taste

photo updated from Jan 2016 

Mixing the lemon rice in wok

lemon rice with paruppu thogayal in lunch box

Method:
Rinse and cook the rice. Cook the rice in a grainy finish (not mushy). Let it cool a bit, by spreading it on a plate.
Heat oil in a pan . Add mustard and as soon as it starts crackle, add channa dal. Let the channa dal get mild red.
Add curry leaves and cut dry chillies.
Switch off stove.
In a  separate bowl, squeeze a lemon and discard seeds .
Add the juice to the fried items in the pan.
Add salt and turmeric powder.
Cool the rice a little and mix it with the items in the pan.
Lemon rice is ready.

Serving suggestions:
Serves 2 people as lunch or travel food.
Serve with Sesame chutney , coconut chutney or Black gram chutney.
This lemon rice will not get spoiled , if prepared without touching by hands or adding water at the end. It stays good for 2 days even outside the refrigerator.
Many people in India prefer to pack this for a road side trip or long train journey.
Best side dishes for lemon rice are potato fry or boiled egg stuffed with masala or masal vadai and also a piece of lemon pickle or a tbsp of thick coconut thogaiyal.