Omam kuzambu

Ingredients:

Omam (ajwain)                     : 1 Tsp
Red chillies                           : 4
Tamarind                              :  large marble size
Sambar podi                         :  1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder                  :  1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds                     :  1/2 tsp
Curry leaves
OIl                                        :   2 tsp
Salt                                      :   to taste
Rice flour                             :  1/2 tsp

Method:

Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. split chillies into small bits and add them to then oil. Add omam seeds.
Extract juice of tamarind to make a cup and half. Add this to seasoning.
Add sambar podi, turmeric powder, salt and curry leaves and boil it on a slow flame for about 5 minutes.
Mix rice flour in a little water and add it to the kuzambu and bring it to a boil.
Remove from fire.

paruppu thogayal

Ingredients:

Tur dal                  : 1/2 cup
Whole pepper       : 1 tbsp
OIl                         : 1 tbsp
Salt                       : to taste

Method:

heat oil and fry the tur dal till it turns golden brown. Remove.
In the same oil, fry whole pepper corns.
Cool the fried ingredients, add salt and a little water and grind to a thick paste.


Method 2:

Use equal measure of Tur dal and Channa dal.Fry in a little oil.
Fry 3 or 4 chillies in oil.
Add half cup grated coconut and salt and grind to a smooth thick paste.


Travancore/ Palakkad parupputhogayal
 Ingredients:
Split green gram dal (payaru)
Coconut
Cumin seeds
Salt
One red chilli or a few pepper corns.
Method:

Clean and dry fry split green gram and grind to a coarse powder. Soak in water for an hour. Add coconut, chillies/ pepper, Cumin seeds and salt and grind to a paste.
 

Gothsu Varieties

Ingredients

Moong dal /Payaththam paruppu            1 cup
Tamarind                    the size of a large marble
Chilli powder                                           1 tsp
Turmeric powder                                     1/2 tsp
Blue Brinjal (cut into small pieces)           4
Onion    (cut into small pieces)                2
Green chillies (slit lengthwise)                 5
Tomato (cut into small pieces)                 2
Curry leaves                                            a few sprigs
Coriander leaves (Chopped)                   1/2 cup
Salt                                                          to taste
Mustard seeds                                        1 tsp
Asafoetida (powdered)                           1/2 tsp
Oil                                                           2 tbsp
Jaggery                                                  a small piece.

Method:
Boil the dal.
In a pan, heat oil. Add mustard seeds and asafoetoda.. Then add the onions and chillies. Saute till onion is tender.
Add tomato and saute for a few more minutes.
Add the brinjal and saute for 2 more minutes.
Add tamarind water and bring it to a boil.
Then add the curry leaves, turmeric powder, chilli powder, jaggery and salt.
Add the boiled dal and mash together.
Cook till the mix comes together to a thick consistency
Switch off and garnish with Coriander leaves.

Great combination for Hot soft idlis and Pongal.

For special occasions you can fry a few cashew nut bits and add to the gothsu.

Chidambaram Gothsu
Ingredients:
Brijals (tender blue ones)           1/4 kg
Sambar Onion                           100 gm                  
Tamarind                                    Size of a lemon
Turmeric Powder                       1 Tsp
Salt                                            To taste
Cooking Oil                               4 Tsp
Gingelly (sesame) Oil                  2 Tsp
Curry leaves                               a few
Mustard seeds                           1 tsp
For the powder:
Coriander seeds                         2 Tsp
Channa dal                                11/2 Tsp
Urad dal                                    1/2 tsp
Asafotoda powder                     a pinch
Dried chillies                              4 or 5
Method


In a little oil, fry the ingredients for the powder and powder them.
Soak tamarind and get a extract thick pulp.
Cut brinjal to fine pieces.
Peel Sambar onions.
Heat oil, add mustard seeds.Fry sambar onions.Once they are tender add brinjal pieces and turmeric powder.
Add salt.
When the brinjals are cooked, add the ground powder. Saute for 2 minutes.
Add tamarind extract. Simmer till the raw smell disappears.
Add curry leaves.
If it is too watery, dissolve a spoon of rice flour in a little water and add it. This will thicken the gothsu.
Add sesame / gingelly oil. Boil for 2 more minutes and remove from heat.

This is a good side dish for idli and dosa and also tastes good with hot rice and ghee.


                               Mannarkudi Gothsu
Ingredients
Potato                              2
Onion                               2
Tomato                             5
Green Chilli                      3
Gingelly/ Sesame Oil        2 Tsp
Mustard                          1 tsp
Channa dal                      1 tsp
Urad dal                         1 tsp
Asafoetida                       a pinch
Turmeric powder            1/2 tsp
Sambar powder              2 tsp
idli batter                        one serving spoonful
Salt                                 To taste
Coriander leaves             a fistful
Curry leaves                    a fistful


Method:
Cut potatoes, onion and tomato to small pieces.
Slit green chillies lengthwise.
Heat gingely oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds. Then add channa dal and urad dal.
Add green chillies and onions. Saute for a few minutes.
Then add the potatoes and saute for two minutes. Finally add the tomatoes.
When all the vegetables have cooked add 4 cups water and boil together for 3 minutes.
Add asafoetida, turmeric powder, sambar powder and salt and boil .
Once all the ingredients have mixed well and  the gothsu lets out a nice aroma, add a seving spoonful of idli batter and turn off the stove.
Garnish with coriander leaves and curry leaves.

                                    Sutta kathirikkai Gothsu

It is a bit like Baingan bharta but its Tamil cousin, I suppose.You don't need the big brinjal for this but can use the normal blue brinjals.

Ingredients:

Brinjal                          3
Onion                           2
Tomato                         2
Green Chilli                  4
Ginger                          a small piece
Tamarind                      size of a large marble.

Method:

Smear oil on the brinjals, roast them on the stove and remove the skin. 

Heat oil in a  pan, add mustard and asafoetida. Add onions and saute well. Then add the tomatoes and saute till they get mashed. 

Mash the brinjals well and add to the mix.

Add turmeric powder and thick pulp extracted from tamarind. Add salt.

Boil till the ingredients come together in the mix, add curry leaves and switch off.

This is quick and easy and goes well with venpongal and arisi upma.

 

Note: Sambar onion is needed only for the Chidambaram gothsu. You can use normal red onions for the others.

Race Kuzambu

Ingredients:
channa dhal,moong dhal,

urad dhal,thuvar dhal       1 tsp each
asafetida                          a small piece
dhaniya seeds                  2 tsp
tamarind                           size of a small lemon
pepper                              6-8
methi seeds                     1/ 2 tsp
raw rice                            1/2 tsp
dry red chillies                  6
green chillies                    4 - 6 vertically slit
gingelly oil                       10 tsp

Vegetables                       brinjal or ladies finger. Drumstick-last choice

Method:
Dry fry methi seeds and rice separately and the dhals,dhaniya,pepper,red chillies with oil till golden brown.Make a fine powder of the above.

Saute the veg and green chillies well in oil.

In a kadai heat oil season mustard,curry leaves.

Pour the tamarind extract,add salt.Add the powder slowly stirring continously to avoid lumps.

Once it begins to boil Add the vegetable and mix well.Once the vegetable is completly cooked remove from fire.

Note:Raw Rice is optional if you are preparing the kuzhambu in small quantities.

Morkuzambu

Thanjavur version

Ingredients:

Channa dal                : 1tbsp

Dania                        : 1 tbsp

Jeera                         : 1 tbsp

Green chillies             : 6/7 (if small; adjust according to taste)

Red chilli                    : 3

Ginger                        : a one inchl piece

Coconut                     :grated from half a coconut

Turmeric powder       : 1 tsp

Thick butter milk        : 2 cups

Mustard seeds           : 1 tsp

Curry leaves              : a few

Preferred vegetable for Morkozambu is White Pumpkin. Alternatively Brinjals or ladies finger (Okra) can be fried and added.

No vegetable is needed if you are making it with dal urundai ( paruppu urundai - recipe below)

Method: 

Cut pumpkins to large pieces and boil them with turmeric and salt.

Soak Channa dal, dhania, jeera and red chilies for a about 5 minutes. Add coconut and green chillies and grind to a smooth paste.

Add this paste to the vegetable and bring it to a boil.

Add  thick butter milk and boil for about 3 minutes.

Heat oil. Add mustard and curry leaves and pour it over the kuzambu,.

Alternatively you can skip step one and mix the paste to the thick butter milk and boil it for about 3 -4 minutes.

Cut ladies finger into 2 inch pieces and fry them in oil and pour over the kuzhambu.

Tirunelveli version:

Methi                : 1 tsp

Red chilli           : 6/8

Urad dal            : 2 tsp

Fry the above till you get  a nice aroma.. Add coconut and grind to a paste.

Heat oil. Add Mustard , Curry leaves, 1 tsp haldi powder and vegetable. Add thick butter milk and the ground paste. bring to a boil.

Use drumstick or brinjal for this.

(if butermilk is not sour, you can add a little tamarind)

Parupurundai Morkuzambu

Soak 1 cup tur dal. Add salt, 4 red chillies and grind to a thick paste. make into balls and steam llike idlis. Add these balls when morkozhambu boils.

Palakkad version
Thick sour  butter milk : 3 cups
Coconut                        : 1/ 3cup
Red chillies                   : 3
Green Chilli                   : 1
Channa dal                    : 1 tsp
Dhaniya                         : 1tsp
Methi seeds                   : 1/4 tsp
Raw rice                        : 1/2 tsp
Salt                                : to taste
Curry leaves                  :  a few
Mustard seeds               : 1/2 tsp
Oil                                 : 2 tsp

Method:
Add a cup of water, salt and turmeric to the buttermilk and mix it well.
In a little oil, fry dhaniya, channa dal, red chillies , methi seeds and rice.
Grind this together with the coconut, jeera and green chilli to a smooth paste.
Add to the buttermilk and boil the mixture for about 5 minutes on low flame.
Heat a little oil and splutter mustard seeds and pour it over the mixture.
Vegetables like ash gourd can be boiled and added to the mixture before putting it to boil.
Or you can fry okra pieces or brinjal pieces and add them in the end.

Kadhi:

Thick buttermilk            – 4 cups

Besan (kadalaimavu)     – 1 cup

Chilli powder                – 4 tsp

garam masala               – 2 tsp

Daniya powder            – 2 tsp

salt

Mix all ingredients together.

heat oil. fry jeera, add the mixture and cook till besan is cooked

Podimaas kari

Ingredients:


Potatoes                               : 1/2 Kg
OR
Plantain (thick, mature ones): 2

Green chillies                       : 2 (finely chopped)
Urad dal                               : 2 tsp
Mustard seeds                     : 1 tsp
Salt
Oil
Curry leaves
Turmeric powder                  : 1 tsp
Lemon Juice                         : 1 Tblsp

Preparation Method:
Boil potatoes or cut plantain into two and boil. Remove the skin and crumble the vegetable nicely.

In a pan, heat oil and splutter mustard seeds. Add urad dal, green chilli pieces and curry leaves. Once the dal turns pinkish add the crumbled vegetable, turmeric powder and salt. Mix well and switch off.

Optionally, Lemon juice can be added before serving.

Pitlai

Ingredients:
Two or three different vegetables like Drumstick, snake gourd(pudalangkai) , potatoes and avaraikai (Hyacinth Beans) - a large cupful of cut mixed vegetables
Tamarind                  : small lemon-size
Salt                           : to taste
Tur dal                      : 1/2 cup
Curry leaves             : a few

To be ground to a paste:
Urad dal                    : 1 Tsp
Red chillies               : 4 (if spicy) or more if less spicy
Peppercorns             : 10
Shredded Coconut    : 2 tbsp
Asafoetida                 : a pinch
Oil                             : 1 tsp

For seasoning:
Oil                             : 1 tsp
Mustard seeds          : 1/2 tsp
Urad dal                    : 1/2 Tsp

Preparation Method:

Pressure cook the tur dal and keep aside.
In a little oil, fry urad dal and red chillies, pepper corns and asafoetida. Grind them together with shredded coconut into a smooth taste.
Add enough water to the mixed vegetables cut to bite sized bits. Add turmeric powder and salt and boil the vegetables.
Once the vegetables are half cooked, add tamarind water and boil till the vegetables are well-cooked.
Add the ground paste and boil  for two minutes.
Mash the pressure cooked dal and add it and stir the mix together well.
Switch off after boiling for another minute.
This is how it used to be made in my house. So i call it kalathur method.
Method 2:
You can also add a spoon of fried channa dal to the ingredients to be ground to a paste. You can fry two spoons of coconut and add it to the pitlai in the end.
This is Travancore method.

Method 3:

Pitlai with brinjals and bittergourd are usually prepared using the following masala ingredients:
Dhaniya seeds                   : 2 spoons
Channa dal                        : 1 spoon
Red chillies                        : 2 or 3
Methi seeds                       : 1/2 spoon
Coconut                             : 4 tblsp


Fry the above one after the other and grind to a paste.
Rest of the preparation method is the same as Method 1. This tastes like araichu vitta sambar with a lot of vegetables.

This is how it is made in Thanjavur families.

kal dosai

Ingredients:

Boiled Rice         : 1 cup
Raw rice             : 1 cup
Urad dal              : 1 cup
Methi seeds        : 1 Tblsp
Salt
Oil                

Preparation Method:

Soak rice, dal and Methi together for about 8 hours (or overnight) and grind to a smooth batter.
For kal dosai, the batter is not fermented so you can start making the dosas immediately.

This dosai is usually made very thin and gingelly oil adds to the taste.

The chutney that goes with it is made with grated coconut, green chillies and salt and is really white in colour. So we call it vellai chutney in our house.

Keerai recipes

Keerai molaguttal / keerai kootu

Ingredients: 

Keerai                     1 large bunch

Moong or Tur dal    1/2 cup

Jeera                      1 spoon

Urad dal                 1 tsp

red chillies              1 or 2

Salt

Oil                           for tempering

Preparation Method:

Thandu keerai (Amaranth)  is best for the recipe.

Clean, cut and boil the greens with some cumin seeds. Mash the cooked keerai nicely with a wooden masher (Maththu). Using a blender doesn’t give the same taste as the maththu. but can be done in the absence of masher.

Boil dal (half cup or less depending on the quantity of greens used)

Add to the mashed greens. Add salt.

In a spoon of oil fry urad dal, red chillies and a little coconut . Grind and add to the mixture.

Cook together for a few minutes.

Heat oil. Splutter mustard seeds and a red chilli and pour over the keerai masiyal.

Mor keerai

Molai keerai/arai keerai  1 bunch ( about 3 cups of loosely packed greens of any type)
coconut                           grated, 5 table spoons
green chillies                  1
cumin                              1/2 teaspoon
coconut oil                      1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon
mustard                          1/2 teaspoon
Curd                               whipped
salt to taste
Method:

Rinse the greens very well and chop roughly

Grind coconut, chilli and cumin into a fine paste

In a heavy-pan add the greens and enough water to just immerse the greens, salt to taste
( add salt carefully - greens tend to shrink a lot and the quantity of the final dish reduces )
After the greens are cooked completely mash it well.
Add the ground paste and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes
Add the coconut oil
Finally add the tadka of mustard in coconut oil and sizzle over the cooked greens

Cool the dish completely and add the whipped yogurt just before serving.

Recipe Courtesy: Shalini Via dailysamayal.

Kadainja keerai / keerai masiyal

Ingredients:
 Any variety of greens- mulaikeerai*, araikeerai* or thandu* - 1 large bunch cleaned and cut
Onion                          a few Sambar Onions or one large onion diced
Garlic flakes                3 or 4 peeled and crushed
Tomato                        1 ; cut into large pieces
Gren chillies                3 or 4 slit
Tur dal                         half cup
Salt                      
For tempering:
Oil                               a little
Mustard                      1/2 tsp


Method:       
Clean and chop the greens.
Wash dal and boil it in water. When dal is half-cooked add all the other ingredients. Keep the vessel covered. periodically stir the contents. when the dal gets completely cooked transfer the ingredients to a large vessel and mash them together nicely using a Mathu (Curd churner pic)
If you want to use a blender carefully take out only the greens, chillies, tomato and garlic and mash them in the blender. For the dal use the back of a heavy spoon and make it into a smooth paste. Mix them together.
Heat oil, add mustard and when it splutters add it to the dal.

Note: onion and garlic can be avoided.

Keerai Sambar

The stems of Thandu keerai (Amaranth) are ideal for this. You can also add some keerai leaves along with the stems. Other keerais can also be used.

Ingredients:
Tur dal                                 1/2 cup pressure cooked and mashed
Tamarind water                    from a small lemon sized ball
Sambar podi                        2 tsp
Salt
Curry leaves                        a sprig

For seasoning
Oil                                       1 tsp
Mustard                               1/2 tsp
asafoetida                           a pinch

Preparation Method:
Heat a little oil in a vessel and add cut keerai stems and leaves. Add tamarind water, sambar powder and salt. Boil till raw smell evaporates. Now add the dal and mix well. Boil for a few more minutes.
Heat oil and splutter mustard seeds, add asafoetida and curry leaves and pour over the sambar.

Mor Koozh/ Mor kaLi

Ingredients:

Rice flour                            1 Cup

Sour buttermilk/curd.           1 Cup

Powdered asafeoida            about half a teaspoon

Mor milagai                         1 or 2

Mustard seeds and curry leaves for seasoning.

A tablespoonful of edible oil for seasoning.

Salt to taste.

Method:

Mix rice flour, salt, asaofetida powder and sour butter milk adding a little water if required to bring it to a homogeneous mixture of a pouring consistency (dosai batter consistency). 

Pour a tablespoon of oil in a kadai/frying pan heating it in a medium flame. Add mustard seed and allow it to splutter. Add Mor milagai and fry till dark brown in color. Add curry leaves and stir. 

Pour the rice/buttermilk mixture and continue to stir till the batter thickens to the consistency of halwa. 

To test whether it is properly cooked take a teaspoonful of the thickened batter and flatten it on a plate. Try rolling it when it cools. If it is sticky cook it for some more time. If it can be rolled into a neat ball then it is ready to be served.

Tips- 1.Maida can be used as an alternative to rice flour.

        2.The batter can be thick like idly batter instead of a pouring consistency in which case it will be like uppuma instead of halwa and is called Mor kali instead of mor koozhu. However in this case maida cannot be used.

Recipe provided by Padma Ramachandran.

Karaicha Mavu Dosai

Karaicha Mavu Dosai with Araichu Vitta Vengaya Sambar is a pleasant memory from my mom's kitchen.
We were a family of 7 and usually we had a few more people joining us during evening tiffin time. So mother had to make at least 40 or 50 dosas in an evening sitting in that hot Chennai kitchen. Looking back I admire her and the fact that she never complained about it. And those were pre-Teflon Tawa days and Karaicha mavu dosai was quite a temperamental dish. It could tear if you tried to take it off the tawa too quickly and it could stick to the pan if the proportion of ingredients was amiss; It. took longer to cook - almost three times the tome needed for the regular Araicha Dosai. The heat had to be adjusted periodically. So it was not a regular event and I always looked forward to that odd day when Karaicha Mavu Dosai happened with Araichu Vitta Sambar. Heaven!

Today it would probably qualify as a quick snack, fast food since all the flours can be picked off the shelves of stores and non-stick pans are any dosa-maker's delight. Here is the simple version of the Dosa, the type my mom made. You can add ginger and onions and make it like Rava Dosa if you like.

Ingredients:

Arisi Mavu (Rice Flour)               : 1 1/2 cup
Maida  (all purpose flour)            : 1/2 cup
Rawa   (Semolina)                      : 1/4 cup
Jeeragam (Cumin)                      : 1 tblsp
Pacahai Milagai (Green chillies) : 3 - 4 finely chopped
Oil                                               : for tempering and to cook the dosas.

Mix The flours and Rawa and add enough water to bring it to a watery thin consistency. Let the mixture rest for an hour. Add salt.

Heat 2 tsps oil and add the cumin and green chillies. Pour it over the mixture and mix well. Now the batter is ready for use.

Heat a tawa and smear oil on it. The Tawa has to be really hot before you pour the batter. Take a ladleful of batter and pour it over the pan like Rava dosa. It doesn't have to be a perfect circle but can form a rough continuous shape with small holes all over the inner surface.  Pour a spoon of oil all around the outer edge and also in the holes in the inner surface, Once the dosa is cooked it will leave the pan easily.Cook on both sides.

Thani kootu

Ingredients:

Puli (Tamarind)                                    lemon sized ball

Vellam (Jaggery)                                 3-4 tablespoon

Uppu (Salt)                                          to taste

Dhaniya (Corainder seeds)                1 1/2 tblsp

Kadalai Paruppu (Split gram dal )      1 ½ tblsp

Vatral Milagai (Red chillies)                5 or 6

Thengai Thuruval (shreddedCoconut) 3 tblsp

Perungaya podi (asafoetida Powder) a pinch

Ennai (oil)                                            2 tsp.

Method:

Extract pulp of tamarind, add salt and jaggery and bring the mixture to a boil until the smell of raw tamarind is gone and the mixture thickens.

Heat a spoon of oil in a pan and fry the coriander seeds, dal, red chillies and coconut.Add a pinch of asafoetida powder and grind to a paste.

Add paste to the mixture.

As it is, the Thani kootu makes a good side dish for Pongal, Idli etc.

Any vegetable such as Kothavarangai ( cluster beans), Kathirikkai (brinjal) or even Pandhal avaraikkai (hyacinth beans) can be cut and boiled and added to the gravy. I like to sauté some onions and add it to the thani koottu and it tastes like Gothsu or Gojju.

If you are adding vegetables, then give the mixture a good stir and bring it to a boil.

Heat oil, add mustard seeds and pour it over the kootu. Add curry leaves, if desired.

Red Pumpkin (Parangikkai) Masiyal

Ingredients:

Parangikkai (Pumpkin- Red)             400 gms
Vatral MIlagai (Red Chillies)              3 - 4
Milagu (Pepper Corns)                      1 tsp
Kadalai paruppu (Bengal gram)        1 Tsp

Shredded Coconut                            3 Tsp

Salt                                                    per taste

Perungkaya podi (Asafoetida powder) a Pinch

Oil                                                      2 Tsp

Mustard seeds                                   1 Tsp

Lemon Juice                                      1Tsp (optional)

Curry Leaves                                      a few

Method:

1. Wash and de-skin pumpkin and cut it to small pieces.

2. In a thick -bottomed pan, add enough water to cover the pumpkin pieces. Add salt and and boil until the pieces are tender.

3. Traditionally they used Gingelly oil but refined oil works fine too. Heat a tsp oil in a pan and fry the channa dal, chilles, pepper and coconut.  Add  asafoetida and grind to a smooth paste.

4. Add the paste to the boiled vegetable and mix together mashing the pumpkins nicely. Bring the mixture to a boil and switch off.

5. Heat oil in  a pan, splutter mustard seeds and pour it over the Masiyal. Add curry leaves.

6. When it is lukewarm, add  lime juice. (optional)