Puliyotharai

'Puli saatham' , the name itself has the power to make any one drool. There are so many variations in making a puli saatham.
In Tirunelveli (TamilNad, India) ,we call it as Puliyotharai. The main variation is the addition of garlic and its roasted ingredients .Moreover we have the habit of using pure chekku Nallennai otherwise called Virgin Sesame oil for the pulihora and dosai.
After tasting the dosas and Puliyotharai made with that virgin sesame (gingelly) oil we cannot satisfy our taste buds with the branded gingelly oil.
Still I remember the vacations amma and chithi making Puliyotharai for our temple visits. The post brings me the memories of our vacations in Tiruchendur resorts (a beach side village famous for its Lord Murugan Temple) and the long train journeys to Madras:) Mom used to pack the puliyotharai in broiled banana leaves.(Placing the banana leaf over the fire for a few seconds make it flexible to pack food). I have always wondered if the aroma of the puliyotharai comes from the banana leaf or by the gingelly oil:) But now I am sure it is by the love of the person who prepares it:)
Anyways here goes the recipe for Puliyotharai.

Other names: Puliyodharai / Tamarind rice / Puli saatham / Pulihora.


Ingredients:
Raw ponni rice (Pacharisi) / Basmati rice - 1.5 cup (300 gm)
Salt - 1 tsp (to taste)
Tamarind - a lemon size ball
Gingelly oil - 4 tbsp (2 tbsp per cup of rice)
Garlic - 10 pearls (must)
Channa dhal - 1 tbsp
mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Unroasted Ground nut - a handful
Cashew nut - 15
Dry red chilly - 4
Curry leaf - a sprig.
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida (perungayam)- a pinch

To roast and powder afresh:
fenugreek seed (venthayam) - 1/2 tsp
mustard seed - 1 tsp
oil - 1 tsp

Cooking the rice:
Cook the rice with 1/2 tsp salt and ample water .
Drain the excess water. Spread the cooked rice in a wide plate (thambalam) and let it cool completely.

Puliyotharai powder:
Heat 1 tsp oil in a wok and fry the fenugreek seed and mustard till we get nice aroma.
Cool and powder it in a hand mortar / blender.

Puli kaachal (Tamarind masala):
Heat 1 tbsp gingelly oil in a wok. Fry the ground nut, cashew nut separately and keep aside.
Again heat the remaining oil in the same wok.
Add mustard, Channa dhal, red chillies (torn into bits),curry leaf , asafoetida and fry well till mustard pops.
Then add the peeled garlic and stir till the garlic starts turning golden.
Extract juice from tamarind using 1 cup of water and pour the juice into the wok.
Now put the Turmeric powder , salt and boil till the oil starts showing.
Then add the freshly grind powder. Turn off heat.
Puli kaachal is ready. We can store it in refrigerator for further use also.

Puliyotharai preparation:
Sprinkle the roasted nuts over the cooked rice.
Add the puli kaachal to the cooked rice little by little and mix well till it tastes good (not too sour).
Puliyotharai is ready!
Keep the remaining gravy refrigerated for further use.

Serving suggestions:
Serve as main course lunch / dinner / breakfast.
Serves 2 adults.
The best side dishes can be the crispy masal vadai and thengai thovaiyal (thick coconut chutney) or simply with potato chips.
It goes well with hard boiled eggs too.

Note:
Tamarind rice cooked in this manner can stay fresh for nearly 3 days without refrigerator. So it can be packed as a best packed food for a long journey, if we prefer home made food.
If packed for a long journey , make separate parcels for every time use. Do not mix the touched food along with fresh one. Do not keep coconut chutney for the journey as it will get spoiled soon. Care should be taken not to touch the food with hand / wet spoon while cooking , if we need a long shelf life.

Tomato sweet

After posting the 'Tamil Muslim's wedding Biryani' , I wanted to explain about the side dishes. (Yes, the biryani preparation varies from state to state and there can be a lot of variations).
Tomato sweet explained here is authentically known as Thakkali thithippu in Tamil. Thakkali means Tomato and Thithippu means sweet . It is an unique side dish served with Biryani in Tamil-Muslim festivals. Many a time I had the opportunity to taste this sweet brought by my mother's friend. The aunt tells us that the Tomato sweet can pacify the heat of biryani and will help in digestion. Mom got many recipes from that aunt and thereafter my mom too started making her yummy dishes in our house:) One among those is the drool worthy sweet, the Thakkali thithippu




Ingredients:
Ripe Vine Tomato (nattu thakkali)- 5 (1/2 kg)
Sugar - 1/4 kg
cardamom - 5
cashew nut - 10
Kismis / Raisin - 10
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Rose essence - 2 drops (must)
Water

Method:
Put all the whole tomatoes in a wide vessel.
Pour water to immerse the tomatoes.
Cover and cook till the tomato starts cracking.
Put off fire and let the fruits get cool.
Then peel off the skin and discard.
Grind the pulp into a fine puree.
Now heat a wide vessel with 1 tbsp ghee.
Fry the cashews , raisins and keep aside.
In the same vessel pour the puree and sugar .
Let them boil to get a thick consistency.
Now add the fried cashew, raisins and powdered cardamom.
Turn off heat.
Add 2 drops of rose essence and mix well.
(I have seen a lot of rose petals strewn over the sweet in the marriage feasts).
Tomato sweet is ready !

Serving suggestions:
Serve as side dish with Biryani or simply like a jam with bread.

Note:
I have given the original measurements for sugar , just like I make. But you can vary that with Zero calorie sugars. But I am not sure of the results.

Some reposts

Sending the following for Sanghi's FIL - Brinjal event.



1. Ennai Kathirikai kulambu


2.Mochai kulambu


3. Pongal Aviyal



4. Vangi Badth


The following posts are for Padma's Dosa corner event.



1. Soft dosai



2. Azhagar Kovil dosai



3. Green gram dosai


4. Nava Dhanya Adai




Expecting numerous dosa varieties from Padma and mouthwatering brinjal dishes from Sanghi.
Happy hosting friends!

Lasagna (Vegetarian)

Many of us love the comic character Garfield , the cute cat. He is known to be born in an Italian Restaurant . It would be portrayed that he is a cat of great affinity for Lasagna. From the minute of knowing it I got addicted to Lasagna. Yeah , I am a proud fan of Garfield and I love whatever he eats:) That cartoon inspired me a lot to grow with cats as my pet till my marriage.

Lasagna / Lasagne is a kind of pasta made like sheets with rippled adges. It is made into a recipe called 'lasagne al forno' (means 'oven-baked lasagne") . It is made with alternate layers of pasta, cheese, and often ragù (a meat sauce) or tomato sauce. Americans commonly use the singular term 'lasagna' while others use the Italian plural 'lasagne'.

I have made my version of vegetarian Lasagna without any Ragu sauce. Just like many other Italian dishes the preparation of Lasagna is also a very easy one.




To cook Lasagna:
whole wheat lasagna - 10 strips
Water - 1/2 of the vessel.

We may need a large vessel to accommodate the Lasagna as they always come as long strips. Smooth breaking is impossible before cooking:)
First bring the water to boil and add the full strips of Lasagna and cook as per directions. (Cook them 75 % and not completely)
Drain water and run it under cold water.
Then cut every strip into two equal parts.
Now we get 2o strips. We will be arranging them into 4 stacks of Lasagna

Preparing the vegetables:
olive oil - 2 tbsp
Kale leaf - 2 cups (chopped)
Spinach - 3 cups (chopped)
Black olive fruits - 10 (cut in circles)
yellow bell pepper - 1/2 cup (chopped)
Green bell pepper - 1/2 cup
Carrot - 1
Tomato - 1 cup(chopped)
Onion - 1/2 cup (chopped)
Red pepper flakes - 1 tbsp
Garlic - 2 cloves
Tomato sauce - 2 tbsp

Heat oil in a wok. Add the crushed garlic followed by the onion.
Then add the kale leaf with spinach and saute well. Keep aside.
Saute the vegetables and mix the tomato sauce , keep aside.

Pasta sauce :
Grated Parmesan cheese - 1/2 cup
low-fat cottage cheese - 1 cup
Dried mixed Italian herbs - 1 tbsp
Milk - 1/2 cup
Sour cream (I used plain yogurt)- 1/2 cup
All purpose flour - 1 tsp (for thickening)

Mix the flour with milk. Then add everything above and mix well.
Pasta sauce is ready.
We can use ready made sauce also.
Divide it into 3.Mix one portion with the cooked vegetables another portion with the cooked greens and keep the remaining aside.

Arranging the layers:
Grease a baking sheet with cooking spray / oil.
First place a sheet of cooked Lasagna on the sheet.
Spread the Kale + spinach filling over the Lasagna.
Place the second layer of lasagna sheet over it.
Arrange the cooked vegetables on it.
Place the third sheet over it.
Again spread some more Kale + spinach filling.
Place the fourth Lasagna sheet again.
Spread the vegetables again.
Now place the fifth sheet over the vegetables.
The stacking should look like the playing cards:)
Now pour the prepared pasta sauce over the stacked lasagna.

Just like this make as many stacking as you want side by side.





Baking the Lasagna:
Shredded mozzarella cheese - 1/2 cup (1 cup if u want)
Italian seasoning - 1 tbsp

Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese , Italian seasoning powder over the arranged layers.
Preheat the oven to 325 deg F.Cover baking dish with aluminum foil.
The foil should not touch the top of Lasagna.
Bake for 45 minutes in oven. (Till the cheese in the top starts bubbling)
Then remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes ,so that the top is slightly brown.

Serving suggestions:
Serve as main course lunch or dinner along with any sides like garlic bread , french fries or any fried chicken along with a drink of your choice.
We had it with baked Texas toast and coke:)

Enjoy your weekend!

Tuti fruity and an award

Hope many of you are familiar with those Christmas cakes studded with the tiny bits of fruit like sweet. They are globally called as Tuti fruity / Tooti frooti .Actually these tiny pieces of heaven are not real fruits. They are made from the raw papaya colored and soaked in sugar.
We can buy them easily in any grocery shop. But the fact is if we are doing it at home, we can be sure of using some natural / organic colors and sugar-free stuff. Isn't it:)
The entire process will not take more than 30 minutes and we will be all set for a baking spree:)

In the mean time, I am so much thrilled when my friend Chakh..le..re passed me this cute award. Thank you so much dear. I feel honored.
I am passing on this cute award to any one who leave a comment here:)
Enjoy!



Tooti fruity:



Step 1:
Raw papaya - 1 (chopped 3 cups)
Water - 2 cup

Peel and wash the raw papaya.
Chop it into small pieces.
Bring 2 cups of water to boil and add the papaya pieces.
Cover and cook till the papaya gets 80 percent cooked.
(Don't cook it completely).
Drain excess water and keep the pieces aside.

Step 2:
Bring 1/2 cup of fresh water to boil.
Add 1 cup of sugar along with some sugar free sugar according to taste.
(We can add original sugar completely also.)
Add 5 drops of any organic food color .
Put the cooked papaya pieces and cook till the sugar starts crystallizing.

Tooti frooti is ready !

Let them cool and store in zip lock covers in refrigerator.

Notes:
The general colors are yellow , red and green.
Tooti fruity are used in making cakes , breads and ice creams.
We can make individual colors in separate vessels also.
Beet root juice , carrot juice can make natural colors.

Onion samosa / Cinema theater Samsa

Samosa is an Indian deep fried spicy snack usually served with tea .
In India we can see numerous varieties of samosas. The famous ones are made by the Gujarathis. Those samosa are normally stuffed with potato , onion, vegetables and chaat masala.

But the Samosa I explain below is a different one. It has a simple onion masala as stuffing with a more crispier outer layer. May be this one can be called a typical South Indian Samosa. We pronounce it as Samsa:)
Onion samosa can be a very usual snack in the cinema theaters of my native place.
Ranganathan street in T.Nagar of Chennai is famous for its mini onion samosas.
Because of my love for the street foods of my native place, I prepared this onion samosa and it came out pretty good. Hope you all enjoy them.



Stuffing :

Ingredients:
Red onion - 2 (100 gms)
salt - 1/4 tsp or to taste
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Curry masala powder - 1/2 tsp
curry leaf - 1 brig
green chilly - 2
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Fennel seed (sombu) - 1/2 tsp
oil - 1 tbsp

Method:
Chop the onion finely in lengthwise.
Heat oil in a wok.
Add the fennel seed and let it get red.
Then add the onion and saute mildly till it becomes almost tender.
(Don't cook the onion completely).
Then add all the items given and mix well.
Samosa masala is ready. Keep it aside.

Samosa preparation:
Maida / All purpose flour - 1 1/2 cup
Rice flour (fine) - 1 tbsp
salt - 1/8 tsp
baking soda - 1/8 tsp
Oil - to deep fry (250 ml)
cumin seed - 1/2 tsp

Mix all the items given above except the oil. Remove any lumps.
Add water little by little and knead it into a chapathi dough like one.
Divide it into lemon size balls.

Take one ball. Spread it into a circle by applying some oil.
Put a tbsp of onion masala in the center.
Fold it in to a triangle.

Heat oil in a wok.
Deep fry the samosas one by one .

Drain oil in a paper towel.
If prepared in a correct way ( i.e., immediately after kneading the dough), the samosa will not absorb oil.

Onion samosa is ready!

Serving suggestion:
Serve with Tomato ketchup as tea time snack.
Makes 6 - 8 samosas .

White kuruma (vegetarian)

White kuruma is a different variety of kuruma cherished by coconut lovers.
Even though the cooking process won't allow a perfect white color to the kuruma , we call it by the name. My kuruma got a yellow tint from the carrots:) So we can avoid using carrots here to get a more white color.
The coconut and green chillies along with the poppy seeds gives a gorgeous creamy touch to the normal vegetable kuruma. This can be a perfect treat for any person who loves a lesser spicy side dish.

Vellai Kuruma / vegetarian white kuruma:



Ingredients:
Cauliflower - 100 gms (1/4 flower)
Beans - 50 gms (10 number)
carrot - 1
potato - 2 (medium size)
Red onion - 2 (medium size)
coriander leaves - a handful.
mint leaves - few
curry leaves - few
curd - 1/2 cup
bay leaf - 1
salt - to taste
olive oil - 1 tbsp
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp

paste 1:
ginger - 1 inch
garlic - 4 pods

paste 2:
shredded coconut - 1/4 cup
green chillies - 6
cashew nut - 5
poppy seed - 1 tbsp
cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
cardamom - 3
cloves - 5
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
cinnamon - 1 inch

Method:
Grind ginger and garlic together.

Dry roast the poppy seeds till they make a popping sound.
Grind everything given under paste 2 and keep aside.

Wash peel and cut the vegetables into small pieces.
Heat oil in a pan. fry some fennel seeds and bay leaf.
Add the chopped onion, curry leaves, cilantro and mint leaves. After the onion turns golden brown , add ginger garlic paste and saute well.
Now add all the vegetables and mix well.
Add 2 cups of water, salt and cook covered till the vegetables become soft.

Then add the paste 2 , curd and mix well.Boil it for one minute and Switch off immediately.
Vellai kuruma is ready!


Serving suggestions:
serve hot with parathas / roti / naan / rice/ pulav .