Tuesday 15 November 2016

KARUNAI KIZHANGU PULI KUZHAMBU/ELEPHANT FOOT YAM TAMARIND GRAVY

Elephant foot yam is very potential source of nutritional and medicinal values. Most of all its nutritional profile, it is a very low-fat veggie. In our rural areas, the people have been consuming this yam often to get its potency. 

This yam can be had only after removal its toxic contents. Before cooking, the  yam must be soaked in water for ten minutes to remove its rough contents. It has been cooked well and the outer brown skin is thoroughly washed and removed. Then it has been cut into various sizes to cook delicious recipes. There are many yummy recipes are available in kongu traditional culinary world. 


Before cooking we just learn some important medicinal values and nutritional profile of the elephant foot yam.

Medicinal profile:
Yam is consumed for its wonderful treatment of piles.
It helps to reduce cholesterol level.
It is the best food for diabetic people.
Sometimes it is termed as feminine food because of its maintenance of hormonal balance by increasing the estrogen level in women. It cures amazingly the premenstrual syndrome as well. 
It is good for the treatment of constipation.
It treats acute rheumatism.
It has cooling effect, 
It is a cure for hypertension.
It treats irregular bowel movements.

Nutritional information:

Potassium, calcium, magnesium and phosphorous are the main sources of Yam. 
It contains  omega-3  fatty acids. 
it has one hormone called Diosgenin a molecular hormone which treats potentially the cancer effects. 
It is high in vitamin B6 contents.

Now we will get ready to cook karunai kizhangu pulikuzambu 


Ingredients:

Karunai kizhangu (Elephant foot yam ) 100 gms
Coconut gratings half cup
Bengal gram to then the gravy one spoon
Tamarind one gooseberry size
Jaggery one piece
Fenugreek powder half spoon
Asafoetida one pinch
Mustard seeds one spoon
Sesame oil half cup
Cilantro leaves half cup
Curry leaves one sprig
Shallots half cup
Garlic pods four
Chopped tomatoes two
Red chilly one split
Red chilly powder half spoon
Coriander powder one tablespoon
Cumin Seeds  powder one spoon.

Procedure:

For blending:

Blend coconut gratings, bengal gram, garlic pods, coriander powder, cumin powder and tamarind into a fine paste.

For cooking:

Wash the yam and pressure cook allowing three whistles with one pinch of turmeric and salt required.
Set aside to release entire pressure and cool down/
Peel off the cooked yam and chop them into discs.
Heat the frying pan with oil over a medium flame.
Add mustard seeds to pop up.
Add shallots, curry leaves, red chilly.
Switch off the flame to avoid burning of the powders we are now adding.
Add turmeric, asafoetida and fenugreek powder and red chilly powder.
Stir for a while. 
Add yam  and stir fry.
Add tomato chops and saute for a while.
Transfer the paste and adjust with water.
Add salt needed to taste.
Allow to attain gravy consistency.
Pour the remaining oil and cilantro leaves.
Cook in a medium flame until the oil separates.

A Tongue tickling Karunai kizhangu puli kuzhambu is ready to serve with hot steamed rice.😊😋
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Sunday 13 November 2016

RED PICKLES/THAKKALI OORUKAI

Tomato pickle is going very well with any south Indian food such as Idlies, Dosais, oothappam, and so on. It is an instant recipe and can be cooked in a jiffy. Very tasteful and has long shelf life.







How to make tomato pickle that serves for two ?

Ingredients:

Red country tomatoes  medium size four
Fenugreek seeds powder (roasted) one pinch
Asafoetida one pinch
Salt to taste
Red chilly powder half spoon
Sesame oil half cup
Mustard seeds one spoon
Curry leaves one sprig

Procedure:

Wash the tomatoes and pressure cook the tomatoes (as shown in the image below) with two whistles.
Set aside to cool.
Peel off the tomatoes.
Mash them.
Heat the frying pan with sesame oil over a medium flame.
Add mustard seeds to splutter.
When it starts to splutter, switch off the flame.
Add curry leaves, red chilly powder. fenugreek powder, asafoetida and turmeric powder and give an instant stir.
Then add tomato pulp and switch one the flame in medium level.
Add salt and a piece of jaggery to balance the tanginess.
Cook until the oil separates from the pulp.

Yummy tomato pickle is ready to have.
Use most free spoons. Store in a dry jar. You can store it for ten days. You can make it often whenever it exhausts. It will come in hand during urgent needs.

































Friday 11 November 2016

FOXTAIL MILLET DOSAIS

Fiber rich, high protein empowered Foxtail millet can be used too make delicious dosais with chutney, sambar, tomato chutney etc.

How to make?







Ingredients:

Fresh Fox tail millet flour 250gms
Urad dal 50gms 
One spoon of fenugreek seeds
Adequate water
Salt to taste.

Procedure:

Soak urad dal and one spoon of fenugreek seeds for one hour.
Wash and grind them with adequate water to a smooth and fluffy batter.
Take 250 gms of foxtail millet flour in a mixing bowl.
Pour the batter in the mixing bowl and mix with the dry flour by adding adequate water.
Add salt and mix.
Blend well with hand.
Close with the lid and set aside overnight.
In the next day morning, you can notice it fermented well.
Heat the dosa pan and pour the one big spoon of batter over it.
Spread the batter to a thin round in a circular motion.
Drizzle oil over the sides of the dosai.
Close with the lid and allow to cook for one second.
Flip over the dosa.
collect the dosa in a dry plate.
Repeat the process as per your requirement.

It pairs very well with tomato onion chutney or with any souring dishes like sambar, mint chutney and coriander chutney.
  


KACHAYAM TRADITIONAL SWEET

Kachayam is one of the traditional sweets of kongu folks. It is specially prepared and brought as a gift sweets by the people when they visited their relatives home. They will bring a lot in a closed silver buckets to show their abundance of love.








It has a long process and many members take part in preparing this sweet.

Let us start our procedure to make this yummy kachayams.

Ingredients:

Raw rice IR 20 or Pongal pacharisi 350 gms
Jaggery crushed powder  350 gms
Adequate water to prepare jaggery syrup
Cardamom seeds crushed one tablespoon
Ghee one cup
Refined Peanut oil to deep fry

Procedure:

Wash and soak the raw rice overnight.
Drain the water completely and spread on a paper or dry white cloth for one hour.
Blend the raw rice into a fine powder.
Sieve the flour to get a fine powder.
Again give the remaining coarse raw grains to a mixer and blend two to three  seconds.
Sieve again until the entire raw rice turns into a nice flour.
Bring to boil the jaggery with one cup of water until the one string consistency reached,
Collect the flour in a dry mixing bowl and pour the jaggery syrup and stir gently giving a rotatory stir.
Stir well until the flour and syrup combined each other.
Let the batter be looser
Allow to cool and close the dough with the lid.
Allow more than 12 hours.
Divide into equal portions and make balls.
Spread the white or color cloth.
Make the circular discs in rows using first three fingers.
Heat the frying pan with oil over a medium flame.
Drop one disc at one time. Notice the disc is raising up like a poori.
Take two big spoons and keep the fried disc in between the spoons.
Let the flame now in simmer level.
Drain the excess oil by holding the fried kachayam in between the spoons.
Collect every kachayam in a dry plate.
Repeat the process until the dough used entirely.
Crush the cardamom seeds and sprinkle over the kachayams on both sides.



Yummy kachayams are ready to have.












































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