Broccoli Usili

Usili is a side dish made with dal, which can be compared to a dry form of dal fry.  It is one of the traditional foods that can be seen in many households of Tamilnadu. Any fibrous vegetable like carrot, beans, cabbage can be turned into usili. It is a great recipe to enrich the simple vegetables with proteins.

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The top 6 healthiest vegetables for everyday are : BroccoliKaleSpinachCarrotBell pepperBeetroot.
Today we are going to make a delicious protein rich side dish using broccoli and dal. I have used channa dal in this recipe, but we can use any combo of dal like 'toor dal, moong dal and channa dal'. This tastes good as an evening tea time snack too.

Ingredients:

Broccoli - 1 lb
Sesame oil - 2 tbsp (any oil)
mustard - 1 tsp

Urid dal - 1 tsp

curry leaf - 1 sprig
To grind:
Channa dal  - 1/2 cup
dry red chilly - 3
sea salt - 1 tsp, to taste
hing - 1/8 tsp

தேவையான பொருட்கள்:

ப்ரோக்கலி - 1/4 kg 

நல்லெண்ணெய்  - 2 tbsp

கடுகு  - 1 tsp

உளுந்து  - 1 tsp

கறிவேப்பிலை - 1 sprig

அரைக்க :

கடலைப்பருப்பு  - 1/2 cup

வரமிளகாய் - 3

தூள் உப்பு - 1 tsp, to taste

பெருங்காயத்தூள் - 1/8 tsp

Method:
Soak dal for 1 hour and grind without water along with the other items to a fine paste.
Scoop the dal into idly plates and steam cook for 10 minutes.
Let it get cool completely.
Put it in the mixie again and pulse gently for a few times, so that the cooked dal looks loose.
In the mean time wash the broccoli and peel the carrot. cut them into small pieces.
Heat oil in a wok and let mustard splutter.
Then add the curry leaves, chopped broccoli and stir fry it.
Cook covered along with little salt for 5 minutes.
Then add the prepared dal mixture and stir fry it in high flame for few minutes.
Switch off.
Broccoli usili is ready!

Serving suggestions:
Serve with kara kulambu + rice or rasam + rice.
Tastes good with chapati also.
I like it as snack too:)

Pongal Puli curry

Puli - Tamarind; curry - a side dish. 

Pongal - Indian Thanks giving festival or Farmer's festival . It comes on the first day of 'Thai month'. or January 14 or 15 th every year. This is a 4 day long celebration, that starts with the cleaning day 'Bogi', Pongal day , the important day 'Pongal day' then comes the 'Cow's Pongal day' the 'Mattu Pongal' and visiting the  family or nearby tours,  'Kanum Pongal'

On Pongal day, we Tamilians prepare a lot of vegetarian foods using almost all the vegetables.

Today's recipe was handed over by my mom to me. Mom used to make this Puli curry on Pongal morning along with Aviyal, dal, white rice and the much awaited 'sweet Pongal'. 

The previous day mom and myself would do a lot of kolam, rangoli paintings in front of our house. Also we used to paint the clay stoves using a red color , white color combo.

Mom used to get up by 3.30 Am or 4 Am, would take bath, cladded in her gorgeous pattu sarees wearing lot of jewelry  and would start preparing these yummy dishes as Pongal offering to the Sun God. While I was a preteen , we used to do this in the front yard of our house. Thatha and appa would help amma by minding the cooking process using palm leaves as fuel and in poojai.

Later on getting palm leaf was not easy in my home town, (even though we own a lot of palm trees), that process seemed laborious. So we started making 'pressure cooker Pongal'. 

I love this festival very much , as it brings back a lot of happy memories for me. So hubby and myself , we together celebrate this Pongal with lot of happiness.

This Puli curry is amma's signature dish.  We make this a lot and would use it as left over sundacurry the next day (mixed with all left over spicy curries).

Click to see my video on 'Pongal Puli curry'.

Root vegetables:

Yam / senai kilangu / suran - 200 gm

Potato / urulai kilangu / aloo - 1

siru kilangu / chiru kizhangu - 5

Sembu / taro root/ colocasia / arbi - 5

pidi karunai kilangu / yam - 1 (small)

other ingredients:

Tamarind - 1 small lime size
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
coriander powder - 3 tsp
turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
water - 2 cups
salt - 2 tsp (to taste)

To grind:

shredded coconut - 1/2 cup
shallot onion - 5
cumin seeds - 1 tsp

To temper:

mustard - 1 tsp
fenugreek seeds- 1 tsp
curry leaves - 1 sprig
Sesame oil - 2 tbsp
asafoetida - 1 pinch

கிழங்கு வகைகள் 

உருளை கிழங்கு  - 1

சேனை கிழங்கு  - 200 gm

சிறு கிழங்கு - 5

சேப்பங்கிழங்கு - 5

பிடி கருணை கிழங்கு - 1 

புளி சிறிய எலுமிச்சை அளவு 

மிளகாய் தூள் - 1 tsp

மஞ்சள் தூள் - 1/2 tsp

மல்லி தூள்- 3 tsp 

உப்பு - 2 tsp

அரைக்க :

தேங்காய் - 1/2 cup

நாட்டு வெங்காயம் - 5 

சீரகம் - 1 tsp

தாளிக்க:

கடுகு - 1 tsp

வெந்தயம் - 1 tsp

கறிவேப்பிலை - சிறிதளவு 

நல்லெண்ணெய் - 2 tbsp 

பெருங்காயம் - 1 சிட்டிகை

Method:

Wash and peel the root vegetables. Cut them into 2 inch size cubes.
(Take care while handling the yams).
Cook them together till soft (10 minutes). Discard the water and keep aside.

Soak the tamarind in hot water and extract the juice thrice with 2 cups of water.
Add the chilly powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, salt to the tamarind extract and start boiling with the cooked roots.

Grind coconut, onion and cumin seeds with little water and add it to the boiling curry. let it get thick.

Heat oil in a pan. Crackle mustard seeds , add fenugreek seeds , curry leaves and asafoetida. Pour over the boiling thick curry. Switch off.

Pongal puli kulambu is ready!

Serving suggestions:
Serve as side dish with sweet pongal.
Can be used as kulambu / curry over plain rice or with chapati.

Temple Sakkarai Pongal in Instantpot electric cooker

Wishing all a very happy and prosperous Pongal,

May this Pongal festival brings peace, good health, success, cheer, prosperity and every happiness we wish for.

Happy Pongal! Love, Viki Xavier

Ingredients: (for 4 servings)

Raw rice or Basmati  - 2 cup

Green gram lentil - 1/2 cup

Water - 4 cups

Jaggery (Indian brown sugar ) - 2 cup 

(Add little more jaggery or up to twice measure if desired)

Water - 1/2 cup

Ghee -  2 tbsp
Cashew - 10
Raisins - 10
Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
Edible camphor (Pachai karpooram) - a tiny pinch

சர்க்கரை பொங்கல் 4 பேருக்கு:

பச்சரிசி  - 2 கப் 

பாசிபருப்பு - 1/2 cup

தண்ணீர் - 4 கப் 

வெல்லம் (துருவியது) - 2 கப் 

தண்ணீர் - 1/2 கப் 

நெய் -  2 மேஜைக்கரண்டி 

முந்திரி  - 10

கிஸ்மிஸ்  - 10

ஏலக்காய்  - 1 தேக்கரண்டி 

பச்சைக்கற்பூரம்  - மிக சிறிய துளி 

Method:
Instant pot method:

Rinse rice and dal.

Add them to Instantpot inner vessel.

Press 'PRESSURE COOK'  button.

Adjust time and set to 5 minutes in high pressure cook.

Close lid, put the weight valve.

It will cook and switch off automatically (in  almost 15 minutes totally).

Open after 5 minutes (by releasing the pressure manually).

In ordinary pressure cooker : Cook to 1 whistle then reduce flame and switch off after 5 minutes.

Open after the pressure is released. 

After pressure cooking:

Mash rice and dal together using a spatula.

In the mean time : 

Dissolve the jaggery and bring to a boil with 1/2 cup water. Strain and remove impurities. Add the jaggery solution to the boiling mixture. (If the jaggery is of very good quality without any sand in it, then we can add as shown in my video).

Set the Instant pot to 'SAUTE'

Now the rice, dal, jaggery will start boiling.

In a stove , keep an wok. 

Add ghee, then goes the cashews, raisins .

Fry till raisin is puffy.

Add this to  the cooked pongal along with cardamom powder, edible camphor and mix well.

Stir till the pongal gets little thick and starts leaving the edges.

Add more ghee if desired.
Sarkarai pongal is ready!

Note:

Add jaggery twice the cup measurement of rice+dal to get an extremely sweet sarkarai Pongal.

Choose dark colored vellam (pagu vellam) to get correct color of Pongal.

Serving suggestion:
Serve as breakfast on Pongal day.
Makes a dessert along with idli during a grand breakfast.

Other Pongal recipes :

Rich Sarkarai pongal

Pongal Aviyal with Video
Sarkarai pongal
Pongal avial
Pongal puLi curry
Venn pongal 
Ketti paruppu

Wishing all a very happy and prosperous Pongal,

May this Pongal festival brings peace, good health, success, cheer, prosperity and every happiness we wish for.
Happy Pongal! Love, Viki Xavier

Pongal Aviyal

Happy Pongal  dear all !

Here is a Pongal aviyal, a mixed vegetable curry , that is prepared during Pongal  festival in Tamilnadu. This recipe is popular in Tirunelveli, Nagercoil and some parts of Kerala.

Serve 6 adults.

Cooking time 15 minutes.

Preparation time 15 minutes.

Good for health !

Ingredients:

Raw green banana - 1

Brinjal - 4

Drumstick -1 

White pumpkin - 100 gm

Yellow pumpkin - 100 gm

Carrot - 1

Beans - 10

Broad beans - 10

String beans - 10

Yam - 100 gm

Potato - 1

Arbi - 2

Small green mango - 50 gm

Shallot onion - 10

Coconut - 3/4 cup

Green chili - 3

Coconut oil - 2 tbsp

Cumin - 1 tsp

Curd - 1/2 cup

Curry Leaf - handful

பொங்கல் அவியல் :

வாழைக்காய் 1  
கத்தரிக்காய் 4
முருங்கைக்காய் 1
வெண்பூசணி 100 கி 
மஞ்சள் பூசணி 100 கி
கேரட் 1
பீன்ஸ் 10
அவரைக்காய் 10
கொத்தவரங்காய்  - 10
சேனைக்கிழங்கு 100 கி
உருளை கிழங்கு 1
சேப்பங்கிழங்கு 2
சிறிய மாங்காய் -  1
நாட்டு வெங்காயம்  10
தேங்காய் துருவல் - 3/4 கப் 
மிளகாய் -3
சீரகம் - 1 தேக்கரண்டி 
தேங்காய் எண்ணை - 2 மேஜைக்கரண்டி 
தயிர் - 1/2 கப்

கறிவேப்பிலை - சிறிதளவு

Method:
Cut all the vegetable in one and a half inch long thin strips (like finger chips) .

Start cooking with veggies that take more cooking time (like drumstick, root veggies).

Boil the vegetables with salt. 

Grind the coconut and chillies to a fine paste. Add to cooked vegetables. Bring to a boil.

Let those veggies be tender crisp (90 % cooked only).

When the vegetables are almost cooked and absorbed all water,  Add 2 tbsp coconut oil.

Then add curry leaf.

Switch off.

Add the yogurt, mix well.

Pongal aviyal is ready 

Serving suggestions:
Serve with rice , rasam and papadam.It can also be served with chapathi , naan , adai etc.

Tirunelveli Meen kulambu

 Fish curry or fish kulambu or Meen kulambu (Tamil).

There are a lot of varieties of fish curry in India and Sri Lanka and all over Asia. 

This particular dish is my most favorite as this is my amma's recipe.

This is how meen kulambu is made in Tirunelveli.

Nowadays fish curry is made like a thick curry in high-end restaurants with a glossy layer of oil floating above.   But originally the villagers of Tamilnadu make it like a watery curry , so that it stretches out to more plates at home. One shouldn't underestimate the taste of this native fish curry, by comparing it with the thokku like oily hotel style curry. This Tirunelveli fish curry is nothing fancy but gives us the 100% nutritional value of the fish.  We can eat this fish curry almost all days of the week and stay healthy and beautiful, By saying this, I won't say that , I don't prepare an oily fish curry, but I do it occasionally, as it is a delicacy and I love fish in any form .LOL,🙂

Click to see my Youtube video on how to make 'Tirunelveli fish curry, Fish fry and Red snapper cutting technique'  'திருநெல்வேலி மீன் குழம்பு,  பொறிச்ச மீன், சங்கரா மீன் வெட்டும் முறை '

Ingredients:
Fish - 3/4 kg (1.5 lb))
(choose any fish like Red snapper, Sea Bass, Butter fish ,king fish)
Sesame oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds- 1/2 tsp
Tamarind - 1 lime size
Red chilli powder -1 tsp
Coriander powder-3 tsp
Turmeric powder- 3/4 tsp
Tomato - 2
Green chillies -2 (optional)
Curry leaves- 2 sprigs.

Garlic - 1
To grind:
Shredded coconut -1/2 cup
Shallot - 4
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

தேவையான பொருட்கள்: (குழம்பு + பொறிக்க)

மீன்  - 3/4 கிலோ  (1.5 பவுண்டு))

(சங்கரா, கொடுவா, கொதிப்பு, சாளை மீன், வஞ்சிரம்,என ஏதாவது)

நல்லெண்ணெய் - 1 மேஜைக்கரண்டி 

கடுகு - 1 தேக்கரண்டி 

வெந்தயம்  1/2 தேக்கரண்டி 

புளி  - 1 சின்ன எலுமிச்சை அளவு 

மிளகாய் தூள்  -1 தேக்கரண்டி 

கொத்தமல்லி தூள் -3 தேக்கரண்டி 

மஞ்சள் தூள் - 3/4 தேக்கரண்டி 

தக்காளி - 2

மிளகாய்  -2

கறிவேப்பிலை - 2 இணுக்கு 

பூண்டு - 1 

மசாலா அரைக்க :

துருவிய தேங்காய் -1/2 கப் 

நாட்டு வெங்காயம்  - 4

சீரகம் - 1 தேக்கரண்டி 

Method:
Wash the fish and remove all the fins and scales by a knife.
Then slice it into big chunks.
Rinse and keep aside.

Choose the head, tail and belly portion of fish for curry. The other pieces can be reserved for frying.
Extract juice from tamarind and add chilli powder, coriander powder, pinch of turmeric powder, salt and mix well.
Heat the sesame oil in vessel .Add mustard and fenugreek seeds. After the nustard seeds crackle add the curry leaves .
Then add chopped tomato and saute it for 1 minute.
Add tamarind juice mixture and let it boil for 5 minutes.
Then add the finely ground coconut-onion paste.
Immediately after this starts boiling add the fish pieces.
cover the vessel and simmer the heat.
Keep the curry gets cooked in simmer heat for 15 minutes.
DO NOT stir the curry after adding the fish, otherwise you may end up with broken pieces.
Then put off fire.Garnish with chopped green chillies and curry leaves and serve hot with rice or chapathi or Idly or dosai .

Serving suggestions:
Serves 3 people.
Serve with fried fish , a vegetable stir fry or any keerai spinach masiyal and ripe mango as side dish.

Tamil meaning for fishes:
shark -pillai sura.
sardine - chalai.
anchovy-nethili
Butter fish- kuthippu,
king fish- seela / vanjiram

Red snapper - Romeo, sankara, kili meen,

Sea Bas - Koduva

How to prepare chapathi dough using Kitchenaid stand mixer ?

 This is about preparing Chapathi dough using Kitchenaid stand mixer.

How to prepare chapathi dough using Kitchenaid stand mixer ?

Ingredients:

Whole wheat flour - 4 cups

Water - 2 cup (1/4 cup lesser sometimes)

salt - 1/2 tsp

sesame oil (or any oil) - 2 tbsp

Serving suggestions: Click to see my recipe

1 cup wheat flour gives - 5 chapathi or roti of  7 inch diameter.

Time taken to knead - 10 minutes (including cleaning).

Time taken to prepare 6 chapathi - 10 minutes.

Method:

Add the 4 cups wheat flour to stand mixer.

Add salt. Attach the dough hook.

Start at speed 2, run for 1 minute.

Add 1 tbsp oil. Keep mixing at speed 2.

Add water little by little.

Increase speed to 4 or 5. It will take nearly 5 minutes to mix completely.

Watch the my video to see how I check the dough consistency.

It will require 2 cups of water minus 1/4 cup (mostly). So add water little by little.

Some flours may need more water (2 cups + 1 tbsp). 

I am using Ashirvad 100% whole wheat flour.

After its mixed well, add few drops of oil to give it a polished look.

By doing this the dough won't dry up.

Switch off. 

Lower the bow. Remove dough hook.

Remove dough. 

Chapathi dough is ready to use.

Keep the dough tightly closed in an airtight container.

Refrigerate and use upto 3 days,

Serving suggestions:

1 cup wheat flour gives 5 chapathi or roti of  7 inch diameter.

Time taken to knead 10 minutes (including cleaning).

Time taken to prepare 6 chapathi - 10 minutes.

---------------------------

Specifications of my stand mixer: (Link courtesy: Lowes.com)

KitchenAid Professional 600 6-Quart 10-Speed 

Pink Residential Stand Mixer

Item #367053 |

Model #KP26M1XPK

KitchenAid’s KP26M1XPK Professional 600 Series 6 Qt. Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer, in pink, comes equipped with a high-performance, professional-level motor. This mixer can effectively mix up to 14 cups of all-purpose flour per batch and it is capable of powerfully churning through bread dough and triple batches of cookie dough. The 6-quart polished, stainless-steel, wide-mouth bowl with contoured handle accommodates large quantities. The dual-purpose pouring shield minimizes splatter and makes adding ingredients easier with its wide pouring chute. The Soft Start mixing feature helps minimize ingredient splatter with gentle acceleration to selected speed. Ten mixing speeds range from slow stir to very fast whip. Plus the multipurpose attachment hub powers a variety of optional attachments (sold separately) you can use to make homemade pasta, stuff fresh sausage, whip up ice cream, and more. The power and versatility of this mixer make it a reliable culinary partner.

• KitchenAid 6-qt stand mixer from the Professional 600 series yields 8 loaves of bread, 8-lbs of mashed potatoes and 13 dozen cookies, so you can prepare course after course

• 10 mixing speeds with soft start are powerful enough to stir wet and dry ingredients, lightly whip cream and knead the toughest dough for the perfect mixture every time

• 67-point planetary mixing action provides full bowl coverage and 575-watt professional-style motor allows you to efficiently mix thick dough and create creamy confections

• Polished, stainless steel bowl with generous capacity and bowl-lift design makes mixing large batches simple

• Dual-purpose pouring shield and contoured handle reduce splatter, so you can add ingredients and pour with ease

• All-metal body and all-steel gear transmission are durable for long-lasting performance

• Includes flat beater, 6-wire whip, dough hook and power hub for 15 additional optional attachments

• Motor protection shuts off mixer when an overload is sensed, protecting the motor from damage

• Pink finish adds a vibrant element to your unique kitchen features

Probiotic Oats with veggies

Carrot oats for 2 people: 

Ingredients:

Oats - 1 cup

Water - 4 cups

Pink salt / salt - 1/4 tsp (to taste)

curd - 1 cup

cumin powder - 1/4 tsp

Hing - pinch

sesame oil - 1 tsp

mustard - 1/2 tsp

urid dal - 1/2 tsp

Carrot - 1 (shredded)

Ginger - 1 inch

Curry leaf - few

Cilantro - few

Green chili - 1

Method:

Cook oats well.

Peel carrot and shred it.

Peel ginger and finely chop it along with chili, curry leaf, cilantro.

In a kadai, add oil.

Add mustard and let it start popping . Then add urid dal, hing.

Add the minced ginger, curry leaf, cilantro, green chili.

Saute for 30 secs.

Add shredded carrot.

Saute for 2 minutes until the carrot if semi cooked.

Add to cooked oats.

Add curd, salt, cumin and mix well.

Serve in bowls with spoon.

Serving suggestions:

Makes 2 servings.

Cooking time 20 minutes.

Serve with 1/4 avocado and 1 egg scrambled.

Or Serve with 1/2 avocado.

Always serve with pickle.

Click to see my cranberry pickle recipe.