Bitter gourd varuval. This is a bitterless Pagarkai fry made by my amma often.
Ingredients:
Bitter gourd - 1/2 kg Peanut oil - 3 tbsp Fennel - 1 tsp Red onion - 1 chilli powder - 1/2 tsp salt - 1.5 tsp Method: Carefully examine the bitter gourd while buying. They should be dark green in color with the spikes closely packed. Discard the matured seeds. Heat oil in a kadai. Add 1/2 tsp mustard seeds and after they splutter add the chopped bitter gourd.Cook it with constant stirring and uncovered. After 10 minutes add the chopped onion. Fry really crisp. Finally add salt , garam masala powder and chilli powder. sprinkle a handful of water and cook it covered. Adding a little water helps to coat the masala thoroughly. open the lid, Saute for 2 minutes and put off stove. crispy bitter gourd fry is ready. Adding more oil makes it bitter-less curry:) Serving suggestions: This is a good combination with 'paruppu satham' (Toor dhal and rice) It takes 25 minutes to cook 1/2 kg.
Wash the okra and wipe well using a clean kitchen towel. Let it dry in air while we prepare the other items. Remove the top and bottom of okra. Cut the okra into 2 inch pieces slantingly or in straight pieces.
Chop onion, tomato and keep separately.
Soak the tamarind in hot water and extract the juice thrice with 2-3 cups of water. Add the chilly powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, salt to the tamarind extract . Keep aside.
In a kulambu vessel, heat 2 tbsp sesame oil.
Add mustard seeds. Once the mustard starts popping add fenugreek seeds. Once fenugreek starts turning red, add the chopped onion, curry leaves and asafoetida.
Then add the okra pieces and stir fry till they turn slightly crispy (almost cooked). Add the chopped tomato and cook till tomato is mushy.
Add the tamarind mixture, garlic and bring it to a boil. Cook for 10 mins and switch off.
Vendakkai puli kuzhambu is ready!
Serving suggestions:
Serve hot with rice, appalam, greens, vegetable side dish or omelet. Tastes good with chapati / dosa too.
Puttu - A breakfast item common in Kerala and Southern TamilNadu. Generally rice flour is steamed with shredded cocount and served with sugar / banana / spicy kadalai curry.
Kuzha puttu - A puttu resembling a pipe.
There are many ways to steam this puttu. We can use a simple cloth over hot steam or idly making plates or this special tool 'puttu kudam' for steaming the flour. The most authentic and tasty variety of puttu is made by using the red rice flour (rose matta arisi or sivappu samba rice).
I used the store bought ready made red rice flour (double roasted). Instead we can roast the ordinary white rice also.Some people prepare the flour from scratch by soaking and dry grinding the rice.
Puttu maker in box along with the ingredients. (2010 pics)
Puttu kuzhal and puttu kudam with ingredients . Puttu maker consists of 2 main parts: The puttu kuzhal (to fill the processed rice flour) and kudam (to fill water and generate steam).
Puttu served. The white coconut is the frozen shredded coconut and the darker one is what I got from fresh coconut:)
Ingredients: (For 3 kuzha puttu) Red rice flour - 1 1/2 cup
1 puttu = 1/2 cup rice flour (If not readymade, roast it till we get a pleasant smell and the grains look very flowy) Salt - 1/2 tsp Shredded coconut - 1 cup (Coconut should be almost equal to that of rice flour.We can reduce it too, but we can't get the real taste.) Water - 1 cup ( at room temp) Method: Fill the puttu kudam (the broader vessel) with water to its 3/4 th. Close the top with the given lid that has the nozzle. Start heating it.
Put the roasted rice flour in a mixing bowl.
Mix salt with the rice flour.
Slowly sprinkle the water and mix well without any lumps. The consistency should be such that we should be able to make a solid with the flour, but the solid should be breakable in to flour when touched gently. Totally we should get a wet flour but not any lumpy.
Take the puttu kuzhal. Fill the bottom with 2 tsp shredded coconut. Then put the prepared flour and fill half way very loosely. Again spread 2 tsp coconut and fill the pipe with prepared rice flour. Again put 3 tbsp puttu flour. Then 1.5 tbsp coconut at top.
Now check if the steam starts hushing out of the puttu kudam.
Close the puttu kuzhal .Make some holes in the filled flour using the stick given and fit it over the nozzle.
Heat till we see steam out of the top of puttu maker. Then continue heating for 5 minutes after steam comes off the top (totally 10 mins) and switch off.
Carefully take out and serve immediately.
Kuzha puttu is ready!
Serving suggestions: Serve hot with sugar and banana. Other combination are channa masala (kadalai curry), green gram chundal etc.
Note: Try to serve the puttu immediately otherwise it may turn hard. Reheating in microwave helps a bit.
Preparation: Rinse the Ivy gourd very well (thrice). Remove the top and bottom of each. No need to remove skin. Slice them into thin coin like pieces.
Method: Heat oil in a wok. Add fennel, once it stars getting mild red, add the sliced kovaikkai. (Saute for 2 mins in medium heat)
Add the required salt, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, red chili powder and stir well. Cook covered for 5 minutes in low heat. Check and cook till done. Tindora fry is ready !
Serving suggestion: Makes 4 servings. Serve as side dish with sambar rice, any rice variety, chapati , roti.
Tomato rice in home style was the first tomato rice we all used to take to school (in my childhood). Then afterwards it was jazzed up by our mothers , sisters and aunts, and became 'Thakkali briyani '. This is the first dish my hubby tasted and he learned that I made it myself (as I was helping my mom to pack lunchbox ). I made this for our Valentine's Day lunch this year to recreate our special day and I think happy foods like this make love grow stronger each day and keeps loving couples together always. Hubby gifted me a designer handbag and some 'props' for my youtube channel.
Gifts we exchanged for Valentine's Day
Ingredients:
Basmathi rice or any raw rice - 2 cups (400 gm) Tomato - 5 (1/2 kg)
Red onion - 1 (medium size)
Ginger - 2 inch
Garlic - 1
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp Green chili - 6 Garam masala / Briyani masala - 1/2 tsp
Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp (optional) Cilantro- 10 stems Mint leaf -1 handful.
salt - 2 tsp (check and add) Peanut oil - 3 tbsp
To temper: Fennel - 1 tsp Bay leaves - 1 star aniseed - 1, Cinnamom stick - 2 inch cardamom - 4 cloves - 4
Rice preparation: Wash the rice and soak it for 10 mins. Add 1/2 tsp salt. Cook the rice to firm stage (100% cooked , but not mushy). Strain and remove the excess water using a colander. Keep open and let it cool.
Preparation: wash and clean the tomatoes. Puree them. Keep aside.
Method: Heat 2 tbsp oil in a broad flat bottom vessel. Add fennel ,star aniseed , cinnamon stick,cardamom ,cloves, bay leaf , cashew and saute for a few seconds.
Put the chopped onion . Fry it till golden brown and add the ginger garlic paste and stir well till the raw smell goes. Then add the chopped chillies, chopped cilantro + mint and stir well.
Now add the tomato paste along with red chilly powder and biryani masala powders.
Add salt to taste. Cook till oil oozes out.
Mix with the cooked rice without breaking the grains.
Tomato biryani is ready!
Serving suggestions: Garnish with 2 tbsp ghee , chopped cilantro , mint leaves. Serve with onion raitha, potato chips etc. Serves 3 adults.
Lemon rice is a kind of 'Variety rice' 'sitharannam' prepared in Tamilnadu, Andhra, Kerala and almost whole South India.
For variety rice we should consider taking uncooked rice 3/4 cup for 1 adult whereas for plain rice with sambar or any other curries, we will need lesser quantity (1/2 cup for 1 adult). This measurement is based on a person who eats a 'city side' small size meal. But for hard working adults they may need more rice measurement.
I prefer 'Pacharisi' (raw rice. Smells just like Basmati rice) and sesame oil for preparing lemon rice, puliyotharai as they give these variety rices an authentic flavor.
Ingredients: (for 3 - 4 adults)
Rice - 2 cup
Water - as per need
Lemon - 1
Mustard - 1 tsp
Bengal gram (channa dhal)- 2 tbsp
Dry red chilli - 2 Turmeric powder - 1 tsp curry leaves - 1 sprig Sesame oil - 2 tbsp salt - to taste
Method: Rinse and cook the rice.
Cook the rice in a pressure cooker or rice cooker or by boiling on stove top.
If cooking using a pressure cooker , the water measurement = (rice x2)-1/2 cup
If using a rice cooker, then add rinsed rice to the inner pot of electric rice cooker. Then add water upto the mark. (If we added 2 cups rice, then fill water upto line says 2). My electric rice cooker brand is Aroma and that's how I cook the rice. I have seen almost all the other brands also have the same instruction.
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.
If needed add some lime juice, salt after checking the taste. Lemon rice is ready. Serving suggestions: Serves 3 people as lunch or travel food.
If prepared along with curd rice, then this quantity will be enough for 4-5 people. Serve with Sesame chutney , coconut chutney or ulunthu 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.
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.
