Paruppu Rasam

Ingredients Required:

Tamarind - small lemon size
Thuar dal - 1/4 cup
Tomatoes chopped - 1 or 2
Finely chopped ginger - 1/2 inch
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp or a small piece
Rasam powder - 2 to 2 1/2 tsps
Chopped cilantro - some
Ghee - 1 tsp

For tempering:

Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs

Method:

1) Cook thuar dal in pressure cooker
2) Soak tamarind in water and extract the juice
3) Cook cut tomatoes and ginger in a pan ( this process enchances the tanginess in tomatoes)
4) Once the tomatoes are completely cooked, add turmeric, asafoetida, rasam powder and cook for few minutes
5) Add tamarind water to this and cook for some time over medium heat till the raw tamarind smell goes off
6) Mash the cooked thuar dal and add to rasam, cook over medium heat till the rasam starts foaming
7)When rasam starts foaming switch off the heat, do not boil the rasam
8) Heat tsp of ghee, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves and pour over rasam
9) Add chopped cilantro in the end

Side dish:

Any curry goes well with this, thoyagals and kootu are also good matches for rasams.

I made podalangai / snake gourd curry today and I will share the recipe with you.

Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, once it sputters add cumin seeds, curry leaves, red chilli flakes little for spice or broken red chillies, turmeric, asafoetida and finally add the veggies and cook over medium heat.
Add required salt. You can sprinkle water every now. Add tbsp of grated coconut in the end, cook for few minutes and switich off the heat.

Kuzhi Paniyaram

Ingredients Required:

For Batter/ Maavu:

Raw Rice - 1 Cup
Idli Rice - 1 Cup
Grated Coconut - 1/4 Cup
Sago/ Javvarisi - 1/4 Cup
Urad dal - 1/4 Cup
Green gram dal or Payaru - 1 tbsp
Channa dal - 1 tbsp
Methi - 1/2 tsp

For tempering:

Curry leaves - 2 sprigs

Mustard - 1/2 tsp

Giner - an inch

Green chillies 2 or more

Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp

Pearl onions or regular onion, or use grated carrots, beet root if you dont use onions

Method:

1) To make the batter/ maavu, soak all the ingredients listed for batter except grated coconut for 5 hours or overnight
2) Grind the batter, I use blender if I am making just for 2 other wise grinder
3) Add required salt and  ferment the batter overnight
4) When you are about to make paniyarams, heat a spoon of oil, add mustard, curry leaves, grated ginger, cut green chillies, asafoetida, onions or grated veggies
5) Mix this to the batter
6) Non stick paniyaram pan uses little oil, i just use pastry brush and brush the cups with little oil to make it less fat
7) Fill the cups with the batter, close the pan with a lid and cook for few minutes
8) Turn over the paniyarams with a wooden stick and cook the other side for few minutes
  Use more oil if you dont mind. I am frugal when it comes to oil

Side dish suggestions:

Tomato chutney, mint or corriander chutney, peanut chutney anything tangy goes well with this.

Neer Mor, good accompaniment to paniyarams:

Neer mor is very well known to aid with digestion. So its always good to have neer mor after a heavy meal like paniyaram or bajjis. Make a pot of neer mor as an accompaniment to paniyarams. There are many methods to make this one but i will share a couple...

1 : 4 is the proportion for Curd: water for making neer mor. Wisk 4 cups of water to 1 cup of curd. Add required salt, roasted cumin powder 1/2 tsp, Lemon juice little, a tsp of Jal jeera ( you can get this digestive powder in indian groceries). Mix everything well and drink as much as you want.

Another method: Same 1:4 proportion. Grind 1 green chilli, 1/2 inch ginger, some chopped cilantro, little cucumber, and little raw mango if you have into a paste and mix to buttlemilk. Add 1/2 tsp cumin powder, 1/4 tsp asafoetida, little lemon juice, salt and enjoy with heavy meals.

About Amma's Thaligai blog....

Birth of this blog...
What to cook for the next meal? A million dollar question that everyone has esp when you are new in kitchen. I had this question every time i thought about the next meal. When I got married, my aunty wrote down all our grand mothers recipes in a book for me and thats how i started developing my cooking skills. She’s my saver. When my mother got married and went off to inlaws, she had to write letters to my grandmother for recipes since they dint have phone or internet those days. Thanks to technology now we are lucky enough to find numerous wonderful recipes on the web. My brother in law (very good cook as well) and I decided to share all the good ones with the world hence the blog. My sister is the backbone for this work.
This blog is all about Authentic South Indian cuisine,  most of them are our family's Iyengar recipes but it doesn’t stop there. We would slowly move into other regional cuisines and baking as well.
Please be patient since all of us are busy with our own lives, we promise to add recipes as frequent as possible. Hope you enjoy the site.....

Puli keerai

Ingredients Required:
Spinach or any greens of your choice - 1 bunch
Tamarind - 1 small lemon size
Channa dal - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Red chillies - 1 or more
Green chillies - 1 or more
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Jaggery - small piece (optional)
Method:
1) Soak tamarind in water and extract the juice
2) Heat oil, add urad dal, channa dal, red chillies, green chillies, asafoetida, mustard, turmeric  and fry
3) Add tamarind juice to the above and cook till the raw tamarind smell goes
4) Add chopped spinach and cook for few minutes and add required salt and jaggery if using
5) Cook for few minutes, if its too watery, mix a spoon of rice flour with little water and add to the kozhambu
6) Cook for few minutes until the kozhambu thickens

Pachai thayir kuzhambu

Ingredients Required:
Yogurt - 1 cup
Methi seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Red chillies - 1 or 2
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp or small piece
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Method:
1) Heat oil and add methi seeds, urad dal, chillies and grind into a paste
2) Heat oil and add mustard, curry leaves, turmeric and asafoetida and add to yogurt
3) Add salt, ground paste to yogurt mixture and serve over hot rice.

Kariveppillai / curry leaves kuzhambu

Ingredients Required:

Tamarind - small lemon size
Curry leaves - Handful
Thuar dal - 1 tbsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Pepper - 1 tsp
Red chillies - 2 or more
Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp or a small piece
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Gingilly oil - 2 tbsp

Method:

1) Soak tamarind in water and extract the juice
2) Heat a spoon of oil, and fry all the above ingredients except mustard and tamarind and grind into a paste
3) Cook Tamarind water, salt, turmeric till the raw tamarind smell goes
4) Add the ground curry leaves paste to kuzhambu and cook over medium heat for a while
5) Heat oil, mustard seeds and add to kuzhambu and switch off the heat

Mor Kuzhambu

Ingredients:
Thuar dal - 1 tbsp
Channa dal - 1 tbsp
Green chillies - 3 or more according to spice tolerance
Cumin seeds - 2 tsps
Grated Coconut - 2 tbsps
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp or a small piece
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Coconut oil - 2 tsps
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Sour buttermilk - 2 or 3 cups
Veggies steamed (pumpkin, okra, taro root goes well with this, use anything you prefer)
Chopped Cilantro  - some
Method:
1) Soak thuar dal, channa dal in water for half hour
2) Mix sour buttermilk, turmeric, salt, steamed veggies  and heat on medium flame
3) Grind soaked thuar dal, channa dal, coconut, cumin seeds, Green chillies into a paste
4) Add the ground paste to kuzhambu and cook on medium heat till it foams
5) Heat coconut oil, add mustard, curry leaves, asafoetida and add to the kuzhambu
6) Add chopped cilantro and switch off the heat
Roasted Taro root, paruppu usili, goes well with mor kuzhambu. Just some suggestions:)
Variation tips:
Can soak 1 tsp corriander seeds, 1/2 tsp methi seeds along with the dals.

Paavakai Pitlai

Ingredients Required:
Tamarind - A small lemon size
Channa dal - 1/4 cup
Thuar dal - 1/4 cup
Chick peas soaked overnight - 1/4 cup (can used canned also)
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Jaggery - small piece (optional)
Paavakai- 1 or 2 if small (bitter guard) - cut into small pieces
For powder:
Corriander seeds - 1 tbsp
Channa dal - 1 tbsp
Red chillies - 2 ( or more)
Grated coconut - 1 tbsp
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp or small piece
Curry leaves - few
Ghee - 1 tsp
For tempering:
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Method:
1) Cook channa dhal, thuar dal and chick peas in pressure cooker and keep aside
2) Soak tamarind in water and extract juice
3) Boil tamarind water, salt, turmeric, bitter guard pieces
4) Dry roast all the powder ingredients mentioned above and grind
5) Add the cooked dals and chick peas to kuzhambu and add the ground powder as well
6) Cook for a while until it all comes together, add jaggery piece if needed
7) Heat tsp ghee, add mustard and curry leaves and add to kuzhambu
8) Switch off the heat and enjoy

Poricha kuzhambu

Ingredients Required:
Tamarind - 1 small lemon size
Kuzhambu powder - 1 tbsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Channa dal - 1 tsp
Dry red chillies - 1 or 2 (or more if required)
Black pepper - 1/2 tsp
Grated coconut - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp or a small piece
Veggies (chow chow goes well with this)
Rice flour - 1 tsp
Jaggery - a small piece (optional)
Method:
1) Soak tamarind in water and extract juice
2) Add salt to tamarind water, asafoetida, veggies, turmeric, kuzhambu powder and boil
3) Dry roast urad dal, channa dal, red chillies and grind along with coconut, curry leaves and pepper
4) Add the ground mixture to kuzhambu and boil
5) Mix rice flour with couple of spoons of water and add to kuzhambu, also add jaggery if using
6) Switch off heat when the kuzhambu comes together

Masiyal Kuzhambu

Ingredients Required:
Tamarind - 1 small lemon size
Channa dal - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Green chillies - 1 or 2
Red chillies - 1 or 2
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp or 1 small piece
Rice flour - 1 tsp
Jaggery - 1 small piece ( optional)
Cut veggies - (Chow Chow or brinjal or okra goes well)
Method:
1) Soak tamarind in water and extract juice
2) Heat oil, add channa dal, urad dal, red chilli, mustard and fry
3) Add turmeric, asafoetida, curry leaves and fry
4) Add to the above tamarind juice, salt and split green chilli, veggies and boil
5) In the end add little piece of jaggery and mix rice flour to couple of spoons of water and add to kuzhambu
6) Cook for few minutes and switch off when kuzhambu comes together.
This kuzhambu is a good match for upmas, pongal

Uppu Char (Tirunelveli special kuzhambu)

Ingredients Required:

Tamarind - small lemon size

Thuar dal - 1 tbsp

Channa dal - 1 tbsp

Urad dal - 1 tbsp

Black sesame seeds - 1/2 tsp

Raw rice - 1/2 tsp

Dry red chillies - 2 ( or more according to spice requirement)

Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp or small piece

Curry leaves - 2 sprigs

Turmeric - 1/4 tsp

Cut veggies of your choice

Method:

1) Soak tamarind in water and extract juice

2) Boil tamarind water with turmeric, salt, asafoetida and veggies

3) Dry roast thuar dal, urad dal, channa dal, sesame seeds, raw rice, chillies and little curry leaves and grind into a powder

4) Add the ground powder to the kuzhambu and cook over medium heat

5) Heat oil, add mustard, once it sputters, add curry leaves and add to kuzhambu

6) Switch off heat once kuzhambu comes together

Podi Kuzhambu

Ingredients Required:
Tamarind - 1 small lemon size
Corriander seeds - 2 tsps
Thuar dal - 11/2 tsps
Channa dal - 1 1/2 tsps
Urad dal - 1 1/2 tsps
Methi seeds - 1/2 tsps
Black Pepper - 1/2 tsps
Dry red chillies - 2 or more according to spice tolerance
Grated coconut - 1 tbsp
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Cut veggie mix (root veggies like potatoes, yam, taro root, carrot, beans, peas, okra, brinjal)
--can include onion and drumstick if needed
For tempering:
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp or a small piece
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Method:
1) Soak tamarind in water and extract the juice
2) Boil tamarind water with salt, turmeric, asafoetida, veggies
3)  Heat oil, add channa dal, urad dal, thuar dal, methi seeds, black pepper, chillies, little curry leaves and fry till golden
4) Grind the fried stuff with a spoon of coconut and add to kuzhambu
5) Heat oil, add mustard and curry leaves and add to kuzhambu
6) Switch off heat when kuzhambu comes together

Vendhaya Kuzhambu

Ingredients Required:
Tamarind - Medium lemon size
Sambhar powder - 1 tbsp
Methi seeds - 1 tsp
Channa dhal - 1 tsp
Thuar dhal - 1 tsp
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Few sprigs curry leaves.
Cut veggies or sundaka vathal or manathakali vathal (pearl onions or drumstick or lady's finger or guar beans or just vathal)
Method:
1) Soak tamarind in water and extract the juice
2) Heat 1 tbsp oil (gingilly oil adds good taste) and add methi , thuar dhal and channa dhal , fry
3) Add to the above turmeric, asafoetida,sambhar powder and the veggies of your choice and cook for few minutes
4) Add tamarind extract to this and let it boil over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes.
5) Heat oil, add mustard, curry leaves and add to the kuzhambu.
Enjoy with hot rice, Appalam or pappad goes very well with this. Potato curry is also a very good match.
Variation tips:
1) I dont like the whole dhal in kuzhambu so i sometimes grind the fried methi, thuar dhal and channa dhal into a paste.
2) If using manathakali vathal or other dry vathal instead of veggies, fry the vathal in oil and add to kuzhambu while boiling.

Arachu vitta kuzhambu

Same as paruppu kuzhambu but the powder if different.
Follow the same recipe as paruppu kuzhambu but add freshly made powder after the veggies are cooked in tamarind water.
Fresh Kuzhambu powder recipe:
Required Ingredients:
Channa dhal - 1 1/2 tbsp
Corriander seeds - 1 tbsp
Methi seeds - 1/4 tsp
Dry red chillies - 2 ( or add more if you like it spicy)
Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp
Grated coconut - 1 tbsp
Method:
Heat tsp ghee and fry all the above ingredients and grind. Use this powder for arachu vitta kuzhambu. rest of the recipe -- follow that same as paruppu kuzhambu.

Paruppu Kuzhambu

This is basic paruppu Kuzhambu recipe.....

 Ingredients Required: (for 2 people)

Tamarind  - Small lemon size
Kuzhambu powder - 2 1/2 tsp  

Thuar Dhal - 1/2 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Any veggies of your choice..
You can add any vegetable / veggie mix for this type.

For Tempering:

Ghee /oil - 1 tsp
mustard - 1/2 tsp
Methi seeds - 1 tsp
2 sprigs curry leaves
dry chilli - 1 ( if you need more spice)
asafotida powder - 1/2 tsp or a small peice asafotida cake




Method:

1) Wash thuar dhal and cook in pressure cooker
2) Soak tamarind in water and make into a paste.
3)Add required salt, turmeric, kuzhambu powder to tamarind water and the cut veggies and boil till the veggies are cooked
4)Add cooked thuar dhal to the kuzhambu and cook for another 5 to 10 mins over medium heat
5)Heat ghee and add mustard, once it sputters, add rest of the tempering ingredients and add to kuzhambu and switch off the heat
6)IF the kuzhambu is too watery, mix a tsp of rice flour in couple of spoons of water and add to kuzhambu and cook for 5 minutes to thicken

Enjoy with hot rice, ghee and side dish of your choice......