Podalangai Poriyal

Podalangai Poriyal 

Podalangai Poriyal is a delicious, healthy, side dish...which is very popular in Tamilnadu (One of the South Indian State from India).

Poriyal is a dry curry which is served with steamed rice, Sambar/ Rasam...this also goes well with chapati/ roti.

Ingredients:

Snake gourd- 250 gms

Grated coconut- 3 tablespoons

Oil - 1tsp

Mustard- 1/2 tsp

Urud dhall- 1/4 tsp

Turmeric powder- 1 pinch

Salt - as per taste 

Few curry leaves 

Method:

# Wash and chop finely the snake gourd.

# Heat a pan add oil, add mustard seeds let it crackle well...add urud dhall. Let the urud dhall change its colour, add Snake gourd, turmeric powder, salt and 1/4 cup water and cook on a medium flame.

# It takes 10-12 minutes to cook. Check once it cooks well, add grated coconut, curry leaves and mix well.

Snake gourd curry is ready.

Pl.do try and provide your comments.

Thank you!

Gongura Rice/ Gongura Pulihora

Gongura Rice/ Gongura Pulihora

In South India we make a lot of one pot meal which is easy to make and packed with flavours. 

Gongura Rice is a spicy, tangy delicious variety rice which is a perfect for Lunch Box.

There are two varieties of Gongura one is green leaves with maroon stems (red sorrel leaves) and another one is green leaves with green stem. 

The red sorrel leaves are more tangy / sour in taste. In Tamil it is called as 'Pullicha keerai,'.

Today I'm using red sorrel leaves (Gongura) to make Gongura rice. In this recipe I' ve included a small marble size tamarind which gives a nice flavour to the rice...and also a little jaggery as it balances the spices and tangyness and enhances the taste.

Ingredients:

Cooked rice - 1.5 cups

Gongura / red sorrel leaves - 1 bunch

Peanuts - 1 tablespoon

Mustard seeds- 1 tsp

Channa dal - 1 tsp

Urud dal - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Red chilli - 2 nos

Gingerly oil - 2.5 tablespoons

Asafatedia - 1/4 tsp

Jaggery powder - 1 tsp

Salt to taste.

Roasted powder:

Mustard - 1/2 tsp

Methi / Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp

Corriader seeds - 1 tsp

White sesame seeds - 1.5 tsp

Red chilli - 3-4 nos

Method:

# In a pan dry roast mustard, methi seeds, corriader seeds, red chilli, tamarind and white sesame one after another. Allow it to cool down completely.

# Wash and rinse gongura leaves.

# Heat a pan add one tsp of oil, add gongura leaves and fry for 3-4 minutes or until it becomes soft in texture. Allow it to cool.

# Make a powder of roasted ingredients.

# Make a fine paste of fried gongura leaves.

# Heat a pan add oil, fry peanuts, add mustard seeds let it splutter well add urud dal, channa dal, red chillies and wait till it slightly changes its colour. 

# Add gongura paste, grounded spice powder, turmeric powder, salt, asafoetida and cook well. It takes 7-8 minutes on medium flame for gongura paste to cook. Once oil seperates from pan and gongura paste becomes thick like pickle add jaggery powder mix well switch off the flame.

#Add little salt and 1 tablespoon of gingerly oil to cooked rice and mix well.

# Add 1/2 of gongura paste to the rice, mix well. Do not break the rice. Add oil as required while mixing gongura paste and rice. If needed add more of gongura paste or else you can store the paste in an airtight container.

Gongura Rice is ready to serve. 

Please do try and provide your comments.

Milagu Sadam/ Pepper Cumin Rice

Milagu Sadam/ Pepper Cumin Rice

Milagu means Pepper in Tamil. Milagu Sadam is a flavourful rice with freshly ground pepper and cumin. A simple, delicious tasty variety rice which can also be offered as a Neivedayam during Navratri...specially on Saturdays.

Ingredients:

Cooked Rice - 1 cup

Pepper - 1 tsp

Cumin / jeera - 1/2 tsp

Channa dal - 1 tablespoon

Peanuts - 1 tablespoon

Oil - 2 tablespoons

Mustard - 1/2 tsp

Urud dal - 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves - few

Asafatedia - less than 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

Method:

# Heat a pan add 1 tsp of oil, add channa dal roast till slightly it changes its colour add pepper, cumin and roast / fry on medium flame until you get a nice aroma. Switch off and allow it to cool.

# Make a fine powder of above roasted ingredients.

# Add salt, asafoetida, freshly ground pepper powder to the rice.

# In the same pan add oil, add peanuts fry on medium flame, add mustard, urud dal, curry leaves. Let mustard splutter well and urud dal change its colour, pour the seasoning in rice. Mix well. 

# Mix well and serve.

Please do try and provide your comments.

Thank U!

Puliyodharai / Tamarind Rice

Pulliyodharai/ Tamarind Rice

Puliyodharai / Tamarind Rice is a spicy, tangy, delicious variety rice which we South Indian's make for Aadi Perukku, Kannu Pongal, Navaratri Neivedayam etc. 

Today I'm sharing my mother-in-law's version of Puliyodharai. 

Ingredients:

Cooked rice - 1 cup

Tamarind - 1 gooseberry size

Gingerly oil - 2.5 tablespoons

Peanuts - 1 tablespoon

Mustard - 1 tsp

Channa dal -1 tsp

Red chilli - 3-4 nos

Asafatedia - 1/4 tsp

Red chilli powder- 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder- less than 1/4 tsp

Jaggery- 1 tsp

Curry leaves few

Salt to taste

For  dry powder:

Corriader seeds/ dhania - 1 tablespoon

Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp

Sesame seeds - 1/2 tsp

Method:

#Soak tamarind in 1/4 cup of water for 1/2 hr. Squize and take the thick juice / extract from tamarind.

# Dry roast Corriader seeds, Fenugreek seeds, one by one until nice aroma comes on medium flame. Dry roast sesame until it splutter's well. Let it cool down make a fine powder.

# In a kadai add oil, fry peanuts and keep a side.

# In the same oil add mustard let it splutter well add channa dal, red chillies, when it slightly changes colour add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, asafoetida, tamarind juice, salt, curry leaves and allow it to boil on medium flame. Cover with a lid as it splashes while boiling.

# In every 5 minutes mix well. 

# Add jaggery and boil well. Once it becomes thick paste /oil ozzes out / oil separate's from pulikachal  switch off the flame.

# Add little salt to cooked rice and mix pulikachal. Do not break the rice. Add peanuts and roasted grounded powder and mix well. Add 1 more tablespoon of gingerly oil. Mix well.

Puliyodharai is ready to serve.

Please do try and provide your comments.

Thank U!

Coconut Rice

Coconut Rice

A simple, easy, delicious rice recipe made with few ingredients in your kitchen. A South Indian Special variety rice which we make for Aadi Perukku, Kannu Pongal, Navaratri etc.

Ingredients:

Cooked rice - 1 cup

Grated coconut - 1/3 cup

Coconut oil/ refined oil - 1.5 tablespoons

Mustard seeds- 1.5 tsp

Urud dal - 1 tsp

Red chilli- 3-5

Peanuts - 2 tablespoons

Asafatedia - a pinch

Curry leaves few

Salt to taste

Method:

# Heat a pan add oil, add peanuts fry well. Remove in a separate plate. In the same pan add mustard seeds let it splutter well add urud dal once it slightly changes colour add red chilli, grated coconut and saute well on medium flame it should not change its colour, add salt, asafoetida, curry leaves and switch off the flame. Add the fried peanuts 

# Mix cooked rice with coconut seasoning.

Coconut Rice is ready to serve.

Please do try and provide your comments.

Thank U!

Ven Pongal

Ven Pongal

Ven Pongal / Kara Pongal is very easy and fast to prepare. This can also be offered as a Neivedayam to Ambal for Navaratri.

 Rice recipes are a staple food of South India. We South Indian's prepare this Ven Pongal for breakfast as it is very light, healthy and delicious. 

Traditionally whole pepper and cumin seeds/ jeera are fried in ghee  and mixed with Pongal. I prefer roasted pepper and jeera powder. (homemade)

Ingredients:

Raw rice - 1 cup

Moong dal - 1/2 cup

Roasted pepper powder - 1/2 tsp

Roasted Cumin / jeera powder - 1/2 tsp

Cashew - 7-8 nos

Asafatedia - 1/4 tsp

Ghee - 2.5 tablespoons

Finely chopped ginger - 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves - few

Salt to taste

Method:

# Wash rice and moong dal. Add 2.5 cups of water and pressure cook for 3-4 whistles.

# Let the pressure release. Mash the rice and moong dal mixture.

# Heat a pan add ghee, fry cashew to slight golden colour add pepper and cumin powder, asafoetida, chopped ginger, curry leaves. Scard well pour the seasoning in Pongal. Add salt mix well. 

Serve with Sambar and chutney. 

Please do try and provide your comments.

Thank U!

Kadamba Sadam

Kadamba Sadam

Kadamba Sadam is a medley of vegetables, legumes, rice, lentils with freshly grounded spices. 

 This is a one pot meal perfect for a lunch box.

 This recipe is slightly different from normal Sambar Sadam and Bisiebele bath. 

For Kadamba Sadam we use only Country Vegetables ( Nattu kaikare) with freshly grounded spices. 

You can also add fried turkey berries (sundakkai) while tempering which gives authentic taste to Kadamba Sadam. 

Today I used vegetables:  Ash gourd, yellow pumpkin, cluster beans, raw banana, chow chow. 

Legumes: grean peas, red eye beans.

Ingredients:

Vegetables - 1 cup

Raw rice - 1.5 cups

Tamarind - medium size gooseberry 

Toor dal - 1/4 cup

Salt to taste

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Ghee- 1 tsp

Asafatedia - 1/4 tsp

Legumes:

Black eyed beans - 2 tablespoons

Green peas - 2 tablespoons.

Spices:

Dhania/ Corriader seeds - 1.5 tablespoons

Channa dal - 1 tsp

Pepper corns - 7-8 nos

Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp

Red chillies - 4-5 nos

Grated coconut - 2 tablespoons

Curry leaves - handful 

Tempering:

Mustard - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - few

Corriader leaves - few

Oil - 2 tsp

Method:

# Wash and chop the vegetables in square diced shape.

# Soak tamarind in 1/2 cup of water. Squize tamarind extract to get tamarind juice.

# Cook vegetables, legumes. Donot over cook them.

# In 1 tsp of oil roast the spices for spice powder.

(Corriader seeds, Fenugreek seeds, channa dal, pepper, red chillies, grated coconut, curry leaves.)

Allow it to cool for some time and make a fine powder.

# Wash rice and toor dal and pressure cook for 4-5 whistles/ until they are cooked well.

# Heat a pan add oil, mustard seeds let is splutter well add curry leaves scard well...add cooked vegetables, legumes, tamarind juice, salt and allow it to boil for 5-7 minutes until the raw smell of tamarind goes. 

# Add freshly grinded spice powder and boil for 2-3 minutes.

# Mash cooked dal and rice well, add to the boiling vegetables in tamarind sauce.

# Add asafoetida and mix well. Switch off the flame.

# Add chopped coriander leaves and curry leaves.

# Add a dollop of ghee and serve.

Please do try and provide your comments.

Thank U!