Spicy Chettinad Poondu Kuzhambu / Poondu Puli Kuzhambu - Step by step Recipe

I've tried puli kuzhambu from many sources....each one different in its own way. But finally settled down with this one which is my keeper as its our family favorite. This is a chettinad style recipe which I learnt from a cookery show named 'Anjarai Petti' in Zee tamil channel. I made few changes and came up with this below recipe. It tastes best the next day with idly or dosa.....Pairs well with hot steamed rice too.

Ingredients

• Garlic - 10 to 12 cloves
• Shallots/Chinna Vengayam - 5 to 6 halved
• Tomato - 1/2 finely chopped
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Fenugreek seeds / Venthayam - 1/2 tsp
• Red Chillies - 1
• Curry leaves - few
• Tamarind- lemon sized ball
• Turmeric powder- a generous pinch
• Chilli powder - 1/4 tsp
• Sambar powder - 1/2 tsp
• Hing - a pinch
• Oil - 1.5 tbsp
• Jaggery powder- 1/2 heaped tbsp (optional)
• Salt- as required

To roast and grind to a fine paste:

• Jeera - 1/2 tsp
• Pepper corns- 1/2 tsp
• Coriander seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Channa Dal - 1/2 tbsp (optional)
• Curry leaves - few
• Shallots(Chinna Vengayam) - 3
• Garlic - 3 to 4 cloves
• Red Chillies-1
• Tomato - 1/2

Method:

Add a tsp of oil and roast the ingredients in the same order given under : To roast and grind section.Allow it to cool and grind it with little water to form a thick paste and keep aside. Soak tamarind in warm water, leave it for 10mins.Then extract tamarind water and keep aside.

Now heat the remaining oil in a wide kadai, add mustard seeds, let it splutter. Then add curry leaves, red chilli, fenugreek seeds saute for 2mins.Then add garlic and shallots, saute till garlic, onion turns lightly browned. Now add chopped tomato fry well till its slightly mushy and raw smell goes off. Then add the extracted tamarind water to the curry and mix well.

Now add the ground paste and allow it to boil till raw smell leaves. When the curry thickens add half cup water and allow it to boil for 3mins.

Add hing, turmeric, chilli, sambar powder and required salt. Mix well and simmer it. Add jaggery,allow it to boil till it becomes a thick curry. It may take around 10-15mins to thicken...depends on how watery is ur kuzhambu. When oil starts seperating the perfect stage is reached.Switch off and serve with hot steamed rice.

I luv garlic in any form, so this kuzhambu is obviously my fav. The spicy and tangy taste with a dash of sweetness is perfect for rice / idlies or even dosas. This keeps well for 3-4 days.I usually use this as the base for any pulikuzhambu either bhindis or brinjals and it comes out very well.

My Notes & Variations :

• You can omit jaggery if you dont like sweet taste in ur curry but the show recommended to add it and we luved it as the tangy spicy taste compliments well with the sweetness.



• You can also add veggies like brinjal and bhindis with garlic. Just saute the veggies like we do for garlic and onion and follow the same procedure.



• The red chillies can be adjusted as per ur spice level adjust chilli powder accordingly.

Sprouted Green Gram Stir Fry - Easy Sprouts Recipe

Hope things are fine at ur end....Here slowly things are getting settled down. Time is running super fast its already been a week since we came here. We are enjoying the weather, settling at new home, knowing new people and the surroundings etc. My favourite times are the ones when we walk in and around the apartment, watching the work progress for each home........Though blaming on mittu for the outside walk, I am just loving those times...:)

I havent tried sprouting though have seen amma doing it several times. After hearing so many goodness about sprouts I also tried to sprout green gram recently. It is so filling for breakfast or can be packed as a snack. I tried a simple stir fry with it more like sundal as I didnt want to add more masalas/spices instead preferred the mild seasoning.

Method : How to sprout green gram

1. Soak green gram in water (just immersing level) overnight or at least 7-8 hours.


2. After 7 or 8 hours , drain all the water. Then just wipe of with a dry cloth to absorb all the moisture.


3. Now wrap the green gram in a muslin cloth, tie and hang it. Leave it undisturbed for 6 hours


4. After 6 hours , when you open you can see the sprouts grown as in the picture below.If not leave it for 1 more hour.

If you leave it for more hours after soaking, the sprouts will grow longer which will be harder to chew, so just 6 hours is just enough.

Ingredients:

• Green Gram / Pacha payar - 1 cup
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Oil - 1/2 tsp
• Coconut - 1 tbsp
• Red Chilli - 1
• Curry leaves - few

Method : To make Green gram stir fry:

1. Pressure cook sprouted green gram for 1 whistle not more than that else it will turn mushy.


2. Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds allow it to splutter. Add red chillies and curry leaves, fry for a minute.


3. Now add coconut, saute till the coconut turns light browned , now add the sprouted green gram. Add salt and mix well.


4. Stir fry for 3-4 mins and ur green gram stir fry is ready

I was surprised to see the variety of sprouts.Read further down to know more.....

Health Benefits of Sprouts - Source : Google

• Sprouts provide many things our body needs for us to live a healthy life.


• They are an excellent source of protein which helps our bodies repair itself as well as regulates many of our bodily functions (balancing of water, delivering nutrients, etc.).


• Sprouts also provide a huge dose of vitamin C, helping our immune systems fight off colds and diseases.


• Sprouts continue producing vitamins up until the moment you consume them. Even in your refrigerator, they will keep growing and producing vitamins.


• Eating these instead of store-bought fruits and vegetables ensures that your body will enjoy the maximum amount of vitamin content.

Types Of Sprouts :

• When most people think of sprouts , they think of little green, leafy things. But, sprouting can be performed on dozens of different food items.


• You can sprout nuts and seeds such as peanuts, almonds, sunflower and pumpkin seeds. This can also involve foods that you are already familiar with such as cabbage, chick peas, mung beans and green peas.


• Sprouts offer nutritional value that is nearly impossible to get from other vegetables and fruits that are purchased from grocery stores.


• In addition, their nature allows for the easy absorption of nutrients and vitamins enabling our bodies to fight off diseases more effectively.

Happy Sprouting and Healthy Eating!! :)

Eggless Dates Rava(Sooji) Cake

I am back and this is my first post from Coimbatore.... Kind of settling in new home and am sure it will take time to settle down fully. Never even thought I will be connected to net so soon.....Sometimes its hard to believe things that happens unexpectedly even if its favorable to us. Have just started cooking for the past 2 days....still havent got into the clicking mode/mood also the location for photo shoot is still not yet finalised ;) So all the posts from now on till a month will be from my drafts :)

The source for this is from Red Chillies. I made a few variation and used dates instead of banana and the result was absolutely delicious. A cake without maida and that was the first reason that made me glance at this recipe.......Am glad I tried this, sure a keeper recipe!

Ingredients:

• Rava/Sooji - 1 cup (200 gms)
• Seedless Dates - 3/4 cup chopped or blended (100 gms)
• Milk - 1 cup (250 ml)
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Ghee - 2 tbsp
• Granulated Sugar - 1/4 cup (60 gms)
• Baking powder - 1 tsp
• Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
• Cashews - 3 to 4 broken into small pieces

Method:

1. Roast the rava on medium flame for 3-4 mins or till nice aroma comes and keep aside.



2. Mix the sugar, cardamom powder, cashews and baking powder well and add it to rava.



3. Next add milk,oil ,ghee to the rava mixture and mix well. Finally add the chopped/blended dates and mix till all ingredients are mixed well. Keep aside for 10 minutes.



4. Pre-heat the oven to 180 deg C and bake it for 30-35 minutes. Check it after 25mins, check with a fork if it comes out clean ur cake is done



5. Allow it to cool completely before cutting.I was not patient enough and so the pieces werent shaped perfectly :)

My Notes :

• The orginal recipe didnt call for roasting the rava but I tried it and the cake did turn out super good.



• If it is baked for a longer time, the cake becomes hard as the first time I did that mistake and the cake turned out a little harder.



• You can also soak the dates in 1/4 cup milk and blend it to form a paste then add it to rava for uniform mixing.



• If you are using banana then add 1/2 cup sugar instead of 1/4 cup. Mine was fine as dates had the natural sweetness.



• Dont expect the cake to raise, it will not raise much....may be just a thin unnoticeable layer but the cake will turn out light and fluffy.

Mothagam (Modak) / Pooranam Kozhukattai for Vinayagar Chathurthi

First comes the news : We are shifting to a new place this weekend!! :) I'm stuck with kind of mixed feelings.....It has been around 6 yrs here in Chennai and its always sad to leave the known territory. On the other side yes I am totally happy to shift back to the place I've loved and adored so much! You can check the savoury version with ulunthu filling recipe with stepwise here

Guess you can understand the work & tight schedule for the next few weeks in arranging up things at our new home. Am not sure when I will be accessing net after this. It all depends on the time delay for the net connection to be given....hopefully sooner. Till then dont forget my litte space, Keep visiting :) I'll be back soon!

Now coming to Vinayagar Chathurthi which falls on 11th Sept this year...since all things are almost packed even my props......I somehow managed to do a quick post for this festival so here is mine in advance :) I remember my MIL and SIL both are great devotess of Lord Ganesh. And my SIL is so so attached to him that we used to call and wish her "Happy Bday" on that day :)

Mothagam Recipe:

Pooranam Ingredients:

• Coconut - 1/2 cup
• Powdered Jaggery - 1/4 cup
• Cardomom powder - a pinch

Method for making the pooranam:

Dry roast coconut in a tawa till the moisture is absorbed fully, it need not change its color to light brown.Take powdered jaggerry, add water till immersing level and mix well in a small bowl. Filter it in a strainer to remove the impurities and add it to the roasted coconut.

Further heat it up till jaggery gets coated well with the coconut. Add cardamom powder.After 3-4 mins the mixture will start getting thick to be rolled into a ball.At this stage switch off and let it cool and make small balls and keep aside.

Mothagam Recipe:

Outer Dough Ingredients:

• Rice flour / Idiyappam flour - 1 cup
• Salt - 1/2 tsp
• Water - as required to form a dough

Method for the outer covering:

First sieve the rice flour 2-3 times, keep aside. Boil water, Take rice flour in a wide bowl.

Add the boiling water little by little and mix it with the help of a wooden laddle. Mix it till it gathers to a smooth dough. Allow it to cool for 2-3 mins then knead once with your hands to make a smooth dough but it will be slightly sticky.Keep aside.

Always make the poornam ready first then make the outer dough so that the outer dough doesnt get dried up. Once the pooranams are ready you can relax, watch ur favourite tv program and do the kozhukattai.

Method to make it as kozhukattai/mothagam:

Grease ur hands with oil.Make lemon sized small balls with the prepared dough and flatten them as thin as possible like a small cup.Now keep the coconut pooranum stuffed ball and keep in middle of the cup as shown below.

Pull around the edges and bring it to center over the top of the filling. Bring it together to form the modak shape.Now follow the procedure for the remaining then arrange it in a idly plate and steam it for 10-15mins.After 10-12 mins check if the kozhukottais are done, the outer layer will be a bit shiny.Now carefully transfer them in a bowl and ur kozhukattais are ready!

This mothagam or pooranam kozhukattai(as we call it) is my fav......Have updated the stepswise pics and my notes section.

My Notes :

• Make thin outer layers of the outer dough so that the mothagams are soft and gets cooked easily.



• The coconut pooranam should be thick in consistency else you will have a tough time wrapping them into kozhukattais.

• Make sure to sieve even the readymade flours atleast 2 times.

Eggless French Toast (Sweet Version)

I've already tried Eggless French toast(SavouryVersion) here and was totally happy with the results. So here is my french toast sweet version. I luv to try anything new out of bread, and this try was totally successful. These are simple and quick to make.....but trust me they are very tasty.

Ingredients:

• Whole wheat bread - 4 slices [White bread would also do]
• Milk - 1/2 cup
• Cornflour - 1 tbsp
• Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
• Custard powder - 1 to 2 tsp [optional]
• Sugar - 1 tsp
• Ghee/Oil - 1 tbsp to toast

Method:

1. Boil milk, switch off. Now combine the warm milk with cornflour, vanilla essence, sugar and custard powder in a wide bowl.


2. Stir well till cornflour and sugar is dissolved fully.


3. Heat a pan/dosa tawa, Add ghee or oil. Dip the bread slices on both the sides in the milk mixture, place the bread slices on the pan. Allow it to get toasted well now turn bread over and cook on other side. If its sticky add a little more ghee.


4. Cut diagonally and serve with topping of your choice or can be served as such. Serve hot/warm!

NOTE : While dipping dont leave it for more time , just a fraction of second for each side of the bread else the bread slices would become mushy and stick to the pan.

Rava Laddu / Rava Laddoo for Krishnar Jayanthi

"Krishnar Jayanthi / Gokulashtami" - The festival I look forward each year.....the little footprints drawn gives the home a divine look. In hindu customs, it is believed that the footprints drawn brings little krishna home :) Last year I planned to draw footprints of my lil one but amma warned me as she was only 2months old and she was scared that she might catch cold.....so this year I was waiting...so after a great struggle with the hyperactive kiddo managed to get her footprints here which is going to be treasured :)

Few facts about Krishnar Jayanthi:

Sri Krishna Jayanti marks the celebration of the birth of Bhagavan Sri Krishna. Lord Sri Krishna was born on the 'Rohini' nakshatram (star) on Ashtami day. The festival Sri Krishna Jayanti is also known as Gokulashtami or Janmashtami. The actual day of celebration can be on two different days as the star 'Rohini' and Ashtami may not be on the same day.

The birthday of this marvellous child is celebrated as a festive and sacred day on the eighth day of the dark fortnight in the month of Sravana called Aadi in Tamil which corresponds to the English months of August-September.

Ingredients:

Makes 15 rava laddus

• Fine Sooji/ Rava - 2 cups
• Sugar - 1 cup
• Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
• Broken cashew nuts - 1 to 2 tbsp
• Hot milk (Hand bearable) - A little more than 1/4 cup (Adjust enough to form a ball) - You can substitute milk fully with ghee too
• Ghee - 2 tbsp

NOTE : If you want more shelf life then use ghee else go ahead with milk if you are looking out for a low fat version.

Method:

Heat ghee in pan and roast cashews till golden brown, keep aside.Then add rava and roast it in the remaining ghee in the tawa till nice aroma comes. Take care not to brown them, turn off heat, keep aside and allow it to cool. Add the sugar for powdering in a dry mixer.

Powder the sugar very fine, set aside in a bowl. Then grind the roasted rava to a fine powder. Transfer this to a wide bottomed bowl. Now add powdered rava to powdered sugar and mix well till sugar is even on all sides.

Add ghee, fried cashews, raisins(if you use) and cardamom powder to the powdered rava sugar mixture and mix well, it looks crumbly like in the second pic below. Now take hot milk and add little by little say one tablespoon at a time.

Mix everything together. Mix it and keep adding milk till the mixture starts to form a ball. Now stop adding milk and quickly form into balls using the palms of your hands. Grease your palms with few drops of ghee if the mixture is sticky.Your guilt free rava laddus are ready to be served. Enjoy!!

The festive day is known by different names. Some call it Krishna Jayanti day. A few call it Janma Ashtami day, while a good many call it Gokula Ashtami and Krishnar Jayanti. You can view my Akkaravadisal recipe here which amma made earlier.

My Notes :

• While roasting rava take care not to brown the rava, be very careful to turn over if not it might get browned at the bottom giving you a light brown color.



• Add milk little by little, the lesser the milk the better, the result will be soft melt in your mouth rava laddus. If you add more milk, the laddus will be a little harder. You can substitute milk with ghee too.



• It keeps well for 3 days when kept outside itself. If you want to store them for few more days refrigerate it but when refrigerated the laddus become a little harder.So few mins before serving keep the laddus outside may be in a warm place.



• While mixing rava and sugar, mix thoroughly so that the sugar is evenly coated on all sides.After the milk is added quickly form them into balls, dont let it dry. If its dried add few drops of ghee and form into balls.

Thengai Podi Sadham / Coconut Powder Rice

I think each one has their own version of coconut rice but this thengai podi satham is little different from our usual coconut rice. This recipe was purely on a hear say from a friend and it turned out gud so thought to jot it down before I forget. I am not a big fan of variety rice but still this comes to our rescue when there is less time.Ammas version of coconut rice is on its way on this space so keep watching.

Ingredients:

• Cooked rice - 2 cups
• Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
• Salt - to taste
• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Mustard Seeds - 1tsp
• Hing
• Dry red chillies - 1
• Curry leaves - a few
• Jeera - 2tsp
• Cashews - 2 broken [optional]

For grinding to a coarse powder

• Chana dal (Kadala parupu) - 2 tbsp
• Urad dal (Ulutham parupu) - 1 tbsp
• Dry red chillies - 1
• Curry leaves - few
• Coconut - 1 tbsp

Method:

1. First dry roast broken cashews in a pan and keep aside.


2. Then dry roast the ingredients under grinding until the dals and coconut turn lightly browned. Fry till the redchillies turn browned. Grind it to a coarse powder.


3. Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds let it splutter then add curry leaves, jeera and red chilly. Let it fry for a minute or 2 then add coconut and fry till its lightly browned.


4. Add the grinded powder to this and mix well.Now add the 2 cups of rice and mix well.


5. Garnish with ghee fried cashews and Serve with raita or chips!