Mochakottai Kulambhu /Kathirikkai Mochai Kulambhu/Field beans and Eggplant Gravy

Coming to day 2 in mega marathon in protein rich dishes,is an authentic dish made with field beans.This kulambhu is one such popular in southern parts of Tamilnadu.

Kaara kulambhu is something,made in most of the households of Tamilnadu in n number of ways.But the one with field beans is particularly made in village sides.

In the original recipe,along with the mochai some kind of dried fish also used.Freshly ground masala paste is used to get a nice flavor.But for the vegetarian version,egg plant or drumstick is used mostly.

Also the field beans aka mochai is dry roasted and cooked.But here I soaked it overnight and cooked it.For a simpler and instant version I used sambar powder along with the red chilly and coriander powder.The fresh coconut pieces soaked in the kulambhu tastes so good.Off to the recipe......

                                                                      

                                                            

                                           Mochakottai Kulambhu/Mochai Puli Kulamb

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   Basic Information

   Preparation time 10 minutes
   Soaking time 6-8 hours or overnight
   Cooking time 35 minutes

   Serves 4(generously)

   Ingredients

  

Ingredient	Quantity
Dried field beans/Mochai	1/2 cup
Garlic/poondu	12-15 cloves
Onion(finely chopped)	1 medium size
Tomato(finely chopped)	1 medium size
Baby Egg plant/kathirikkai(sliced)	3-4
Tamarind	a big gooseberry size
Turmeric powder/manjal podi	1/4 tsp
Sambar powder	2 tsp
Red chilly powder/milagai podi	1 tsp
Coriander powder/dhaniya podi	1 tsp
Salt	1.5 tsp
Curry leaves /karivepillai	few leaves
Fresh Coconut pieces	2-3 tbs(optional)
Oil	3 tbs

 
  To grind

Ingredient	Quantity
Coconut	2-3 tbs
Cumin seeds/jeeragam	1/2 tsp
Fennel seeds/sombu	1/2 tsp
Curry leaves	few leaves

 For Tempering

Ingredient	Quantity
Mustard seeds/kadugu	1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds/vendhayam	1/8 tsp
Asafoetid/perunagaym	a pinch

    Method 

• Soak the field beans in water for over night and pressure cook it with enough water along with a pinch of salt.It should be soft not mushy.Also grind the given ingredients to a fine paste and set it aside.

•  Soak the tamarind in a cup of water and extract the juice and keep it aside .Heat the oil in a pan and do the tempering with the given ingredients.Add in the onion and garlic.Saute it till the onion turned pinkish.Add in the chopped tomato and sliced eggplants.Saute it for 2-3 minutes.

• Now add in all the spice powders and salt.Fry it for a minute and add in the tamarind water.

• Also add around a cup of water and allow it to boil for 6-7 minutes or until the raw smell goes away.Now add in the ground coconut paste and let it simmer it for couple of minutes..

• At this stage add the chopped coconut pieces and cooked beans.

• Allow it to cook for one boil and put off the flame.

• Serve it along with rice and poriyal or kootu

• Addition fresh coconut pieces is purely optional.
• If you are using fresh tender eggplant,just slit the whole eggplant and use it.
• The amount of spice powders given is for slightly spicy version.

Enjoy...................................

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 80

An InLinkz Link-up

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Whole Mung Beans Curry / Mung Beans Curry

After a break I am back to blogging and this month is going to be special.My blog baby turned 6 this month and I am participating in  mega marathon of Blogging Marathon edition.

Some of you may know,a group of bloggers participate in a monthly event Blogging Marathon.From 2013 on wards we do participate in 2 mega marathon events happening in the month of April and September.
In this special edition,bloggers who are participating,post the recipes for whole month(26 days) with Sundays off with the themes given.

For this mega marathon the theme given is Protein rich Dishes with no sub themes.The sub themes are personal preference and I chose to share each week with different set of ingredients.

For this week I am sharing the recipes made with Legumes and Lentils.Legumes and lentils are high source of vegetarian protein.

Coming to day 1 of protein rich dishes with lentils and legumes is a curry made with whole mung beans.I have limited the use of spices,so that my kids can enjoy with no complaints.

This curry is simply comforting and delicious to eat as such like a soup or with rice and roti.
I paired it with basmathi rice along with some papads for kids and I had a bowl of this curry along with some fruits.

                                                             

                                                            

                                      Whole Mung Beans Curry/Mung Beans Curry

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   Basic Information

   Preparation time 10 minutes
   Cooking time 20 minutes

   Serves 3-4

  Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Whole mung beans/Pachai Payiru	1 cups
Turmeric powder/manjal podi	1/4 tsp
Onion(finely chopped)	2 tbs
Garlic(finely chopped)	3-4 cloves
Curry leaves /karivepillai	few leaves
Coriander leaves/kothamalli	as needed(finely chopped)
Salt	to taste
Oil	3 tsp

 Saute and grind to a fine paste

Ingredient	Quantity
Onion(roughly chopped)	1 (medium size)
Tomato(roughly chopped)	1 (medium size)
Red chilly/varamilagai	3-4
Coriander seeds/dhaniya	1 tbs
Coconut(grated)	1-2 tbs
Cumin seeds/jeeragam	1 tsp

  For the Tempering

Ingredient	Quantity
Cumin seeds/jeeragam	1/2 tsp
Asafoetida/perungayam	a pinch
Red chilly/varamilagai	1(broken)

   

   Method 

• Wash and cook the whole mung beans with enough water along with a pinch of salt in a pressure cooker until soft (not mushy,it should hold the shape).

•  Meanwhile in a pan heat a tsp of oil,crackle the cumin seeds and add the red chilly,coriander seeds.Fry it for 30 seconds.Now add in the onion and saute it till transparent.Then goes in tomato and grated coconut.

• Saute it until the tomato is mushy.Put off the flame,after cooling take the mixture in a blender jar and grind it to a smooth paste.

• Add the ground paste to the cooked mung beans and turn on the flame.Add around a cup of water and let it cook.Meanwhile in a pan take the remaining oil and crackle the cumin seeds,add in the red chilly and asfoetida.Ti this add the finely chopped onion,garlic and curry leaves.

• Saute it for a minute and put off the flame.Add it to the boiling mung beans, add in some chopped coriander leaves and mix it well.Put off the flame.

•  Serve it  with roti or rice.

• A tsp of ghee can also be added along with the oil while tempering.
• Here I didn't soak the beans but with extra few whistles,it cooked very well.
• If you are using the soaked beans then cook it for one whistle in the pressure cooker.
• Consistency can be adjusted with water.

Enjoy.............................

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 80

An InLinkz Link-up

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Cucumber Raitha /Vellarikkai Thayir Pachadi

Raitha is a yogurt based accompaniment made with different types of veggies and fruits.Also it can be accompanied with various main dishes and even served as a dip.

Cucumber raitha is a creamy one which goes very with biriyani,pulaos.It also pairs up very well with some of the spicy South Indian gravy such as kaara kulambhu.

Coming to the recipe,I have used the mini cucumbers.Since mini cucumbers are used I chopped it finely and used.If you are using a a large cucumber then grate it.The addition of coconut paste and the tempering makes gives an additional flavor and taste.

                                                             

                                                            

                                      Cucumber Raitha/Vellarikkai Thayir Pachadi

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   Basic Information

   Preparation time 10 minutes
   Cooking time 2 minutes

   Serves 4(generously)

  Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Cucumber/vellarikkai	1-1.25 cups(finely chopped)
Thick Yogurt/thayir	1-1.25 cups
Coconut/thegai(grated)	2 tbs
Green chilly/pachamilagai	1-2(depending on spice level)
Curry leaves /karivepillai	few leaves
Coriander leaves/kothamalli	as needed(finely chopped)
Salt	to taste
Oil	2 tsp

  For the Tempering

Ingredient	Quantity
Mustard seeds/kadugu	1/2 tsp
Asafoetida/perungayam	a pinch
Red chilly/varamilagai	1(broken)

   

   Method 

• Take the yogurt in a bowl and add the salt,whisk it well till it becomes creamy.Set it aside.
• Now in a blender jar take the green chilly and grated coconut.Grind it to a smooth paste along with a tbs of whisked yogurt.

• To the whisked yogurt add the finely chopped cucumber and ground paste.Mix it well.

• Now in a small pan heat the oil and crackle the mustard seeds,add in the asafoetida and red chilly.Toast the curry leaves and put off the flame.Add it to the yogurt mixture also add in some chopped coriander leaves and mix it well.

•  Serve it  as an accomapniment.

• Since my green chilly is not spicy,I used 2.
• Using a thick yogurt gives a nice and creamy raitha.
• If you feel the yogurt is sour,add some milk and mix it well.
• Couple of tbs of fresh cream can also be added for an extra rich taste.

Enjoy................

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#77

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Flax Seed Idly Spice Powder /Flax Seed Idly Milagai podi

Flax seeds are known for its numerous health benefits and it contains lot of omega-3 fatty acid which reduce the risk of heart disease.

As it has a nutty flavor,it needs to be mixed along with some spices to make it tasty.One such easy way to include flax seed is making idly podi/powder.Here I have used a good amount of curry leaves to make it even more flavorful.

As spice powder comes under condiments,I am sharing this podi for the day 2 of Blogging Marathon#77,themed Condiments.Off to the recipe..........

                                               

                                         

                                                                              

                                Flax Seed Idly Powder/Flax seed Idly Podi 

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   Basic Information

   Preparation time 10 minutes

   Cooking time 25 minutes

   Makes around 2 cups

  Ingredients

  

Ingredient	Quantity
Channa dhal/kadala paruppu	1/4 cup
Flax seeds/Aali vidhai	1/2 cup
Urad dhal/ulutham paruppu	1/3 cup
Coriander seeds/dhaniya	2 tbs
Red chilly/varamilagai	10-12
Asafoetida/perungayam	1/4 tsp
Curry leaves/karivepillai	5-6 sprigs
Garlic/poondu	-5 fat cloves
Oil	2 tsp
Salt	1 tsp or to taste

   
  T

  

  

 Method 

• Add 1/2 tsp of oil and fry the red chilly in a medium flame till the color changes and crisp remove it.Fry curry leaves till the curry leaves turned crisp.

• Now fry the crushed garlic in the pan and fry it for a minute and remove it.Remove it from the keep it.In the same pan add few drops of oil and fry the coriander seeds till it becomes golden and crisp.Set it aside.

• Add the channa dhal in pan with few drops of oil.Fry it till golden color and nice aroma comes out.Add the asafoetida and remove it.
• Fry the urad dhal also the same way.Add in the flax seeds and fry it.After some time it will pop up and gets fried.Put off the flame and let it be in the hot pan for few minutes.Remove it,let all the ingredients get cool down.

• After cooling,take the red chillies, curry leaves,salt,dhals and coriander seeds in a dry blender jar.Give it a pulse and  grind it to a bit coarse powder.Now add the garlic and flax seeds and pulse it.Do not run the blender continuously.The spicy flax seed powder is ready.

• Store it in an air tight container.Serve it with idly or dosa along with sesame oil or melted ghee..

• The amount red chilly given here is for a bit spicier version.It can be altered according to personal preference. 
• Roast the ingredients separately to get roasted evenly.
• While grinding the flax seed,do not run the blender continuously.

Enjoy................

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#77

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Coriander Chutney /Kothamalli Chutney

Coriander chutney is an easy to make chutney,uses few ingredients and pairs very well idly,dosa.This chutney can even used as a spread for sandwiches.

The best part is,it has a good shelf life if it is stored in the refrigerator. If you want to store it for more than 2-3 days then coconut can be avoided.

The coriander leaves are home grown so used some of the tender stalks also.As the green leaves tend to oxidize,after grinding,a generous amount of tamarind is used to avoid.The original recipe uses shallots,as I ran out of it used half of the regular onion.Off to the recipe...........

                                                             

                                                            

                             Coriander Chutney/Kothamalli Chutney

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   Basic Information

   Preparation time 10 minutes
   Cooking time 10 minutes

   Serves 6(generously)

  Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Coriander leaves/kothamalli illai	2.5-3 cups(tightly packed)
Shallots/chinna vengayam	6-7
Red chilly/vara milagai	4-5
Tomato (finely chopped)	1 (small size)
Curry leaves /karivepillai	2 sprigs
Coconut(grated)	2 tbs
Tamarind/puli	a small gooseberry size
Salt	1 tsp or to taste
Channa dhal/kadalaparuppu	2 tbs
Asafoetida/perungayam	a generous pinch
Oil	1.5 tbs
Mustard seeds/kadugu	1 /2 tsp

   

   Method 

• Heat around 2 tsp of oil in a pan,to this add the red chilly and channa dhal.Fry it till the dhal turns golden. Add the tamarind and asafoetida and remove it and keep it aside.Heat another tsp of oil and saute the onion,till it becomes transparent.

• Add in the chopped tomato,curry leaves and cook it till the tomato becomes mushy.At this stage add the grated coconut and fry it for a minute.

• Add coriander leaves,saute it till the leaves wilts ,put off the flame.Let it cool down. After cooling,take the red chilly,channa dhal,tamarind and salt in a blender jar.

• Grind it to coarse powder.Then add in the sauteed coriander leaves mixture to a paste with water as needed.Transfer the ground paste to a bowl.Heat the rest of the oil in a small pan and do the tempering with mustard seeds and add it to the ground chutney.

•  Serve it  with idly or dosa.

• The amount red chilly and green chilly given here is for a bit spicier version.It can be altered according to personal preference. .
• Use a clean dry spoon,if you are refrigerating and use it for 2-3 days.
• Adjust the consistency of the chutney as per personal preference.

Enjoy................

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#77

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com