CHAYOTE GRAVY/CHOWCHOW CURRY KUZHAMBU

A Short introduction of chayote:

Chayote, being a low-calorie and fiber rich vegetable, it is highly recommended as the vegetable which supports cholesterol controlling and weight reduction in diet programs.

They are the excellent source of vitamin C, Vitamin B complex and folates. It is a good source of potassium and contains an adequate source of manganese and copper.

How to make Chayote gravy/chowchow curry kuzhambu for hot steamed rice/chappatis?

Preparation Time 15 minutes
Serves For four
Cooking time 10minutes
Cuisine : South Indian

Ingredients: 

Chayote one medium size

Shallots or bellary onion half

Curry leaves 10 nos

Mustard seeds one tsp

Saunf one tsp

Cinnamon sticks four

Cloves four

Star anise one

Bay leaf one

Red chilly powder one tsp

Turmeric one tsp

Curry masal powder one tablespoon

Ginger and garlic gratings one tablespoon

Tomato one

Sesame oil half cup

To grind:

coconut gratings two cups

Bengal gram one tablespoon

Coriander powder one tablespoon

Water one cup

ginger and garlic gratings one tablespoon

Salt to taste

Procedure:

Grind above contents with required water to a fine paste.

Peel off the chayote and chop into cubes.

Every ingredient above mentioned should be kept ready on the cooktop. 

Heat the pressure pan with sesame oil over a medium flame.

Add mustard seeds to crackle.

Once it starts to crackle, add onion, curry leaves, ginger and garlic gratings, turmeric, Masal powder, Red chilly powder, Saunf powder, Cloves, Cinnamon, Stara anise.

Switch off the flame to avoid burning.

Add tomato, chayote cubes and saute well.

Transfer the coconut paste and saute on low flame.

Once all the ingredients incorporated together, raise the flame.

Add salt.

Adjust the consistency by adding two cups of water.and salt to taste.

Allow boiling for seven minutes.

Check the gravy reaches the thick consistency.

Add coriander leaves chopped to enrich the taste of the gravy.

Chayote curry kuzhambu is ready to have with hot steamed rice.

CHANADAL WONDERS

This is an easy and simple sweet for festivals.



Ingredients:

Chana dal 250 gms
Jaggery 200 gms
Cardamom crushed 8 nos
Fresh cow ghee 20ml
Cashews 10 nos
Water to cook chana dal two cups

Procedure:

Wash the chana dal several times.
Pressure-cook the chana dal with two cups of water for two whistles.
Set aside to cool down.
Powder the jaggery.
Crush the cardamoms into a fine powder.
Drain the excess water from cooked dal. 
Mix the cardamom powder jaggery powder with dal.
Grind the mixed ingredients to a coarsely textured mass.
Transfer the ground dal mix in a dry bowl.
Heat the ghee in a tempering pan.
Add broken cashews and fry unril golden brown.
Pour the hot ghee over the mass.
Add the remaining ghee to the mass and knead.
Make lemon sized balls.
Chana dal delight wonders are ready to enjoy!

              

VELLACHUGIUM/SWEET STUFFED FRIUMS

This is an instant sweet with nice taste.

Ingredients:

Jaggery powder 250 gms
Bengal gram 150 gms
Cardamom pods 7 nos
Pea nut oil to deep fry
Wheat flour 200 gm
Rice flour 50 gm
Cooking soda half spoon
Water to mix the flours as idli batter.
Salt half spoon

Procedure:

Pressure cook bengal gram with one cup of water for two whistles.

Drain water if excess.

Grate or break jaggery (urundai vellam)or jaggery powder 250 gms
-
Grind the cooked bengal gram, cardamom
 and jaggery powder into coarse paste.

Pour one tablespoon cow ghee and make lemon size balls.

Mix the wheat flour, raw rice flour, salt and cooking soda with required wate to make idli batter consistency.

Heat peanut oil to deepfry temperature.

Dip the bengal gram balls and drop one by one.

Dip the bengal gram balls into the batter and drop the balls one by one.

Allow deepfrying Until the balls turn golden brown.
Collect them in a tissue papee to absorb excess oil from the friums.

Serve hot!

This sweet can be offered to Lord Ganesh during shri Vinayakar Sathurthi festival.

Shri Ganesh chathurthi greetings to everyone!!!!!!!!

 

GARLIC RASAM/POONDU RASAM

A Special South Indian Rasa m imbibing the aroma of garlic, that is consumed for digestive disorders as well as good for healthy living. The unique flavor of the Garlic pulses is the Main theme of this Rasam.

Preparation Time: 20 minutes.
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves: 4 members

Ingredients:

Cooked Toor dal with water two cups (pressure cooked dal with half spoon of turmeric and castor oil 2 drops allowing three whistles)
Tamarind goose berry size
Garlic pulses 7 nos(Malai poondu variety)
Sesame oil one tablespoon
Roasted cumin seeds one spoon
Pepper powder one spoon
Mustard seeds one spoon
Asafoetida one pinch
Curry leaves 14 nos
Red chilly one
Coriander leaves chopped (optional)
Salt to taste

Procedure:

Soak Tamarind  (goose berry size) in one cup of water for15 minutes

Pressure cook Toor dal with water, turmeric one spoon and two drops of castor oil for three whistles. 
Set aside.
Boil two cups of water and put one red tomato and allow boiling until the tomato cooked.
Take the Tomato and add with tamarind that is soaked in water.
Mash tamarind and tomato and get the extract from it.

Peel off the garlic and grate them into tiny pieces.
Heat the oil in a pan over the medium flame.
Add mustard seeds to crackle.

Once it starts to crackle, Add red chilly split and curry leaves.
Switch off the flame to avoid burning.
Raise the flame and saute the garlic gratings for a minute.
Now add the tamarind tomato extract.

Add asafoetida, cumin powder, and pepper powder.
Add salt and one piece of jaggery.
Allow boiling for five minutes and finally add toor dal extract and finely chopped coriander leaves.

Allow boiling for a second and remove from the flame.

Garlic Rasam is ready to have with hot steamed rice.

COWPEAS BEANS PULIKUZHAMBU/KARAMANI PULIKUZHAMBU/THATTAIPYIRU KUZHAMBU

This is a typical south Indian curry loved by everyone in Tamilnadu. It goes well with hot steamed rice topped with one spoon of Sesame oil.

How to make this highly nutritional Thattaipayiru kuzhambu?

Ingredients:

Cowpea beans/Balck eyed beans/Karamani Payiru/Thattai payiru one cup

Tamarind one gooseberry size

Shallots six

Curry leaves 10nos

Mustard seeds one tsp

Turmeric one tsp

Sambar powder one tsp

Coriander powder one tsp

Fenugreek powder half tsp

Asafoetida one pinch

Water as required

Red chilly powder one tsp

Sesame oil one tablespoon

Peanut oil one tablespoon

Tomato optional

Jaggery one piece

Salt to taste

Procedure:

Soak the cow peas for two hours.

Wash the cow peas and pressure cook for three whistles.

Heat the pan with peanut oil over a medium flame.

Add mustard seeds to pop up.

Once the mustard seeds start to crackle, add shallots and curry leaves.

Saute for a minute until the shallots turn transparent.

Add asafoetida, fenugreek powder, sambar powder, turmeric, red chilly powder and coriander powder.

Saute for a while over a medium flame.

Add tamarind extract.

Add salt and jaggery.

Allow boiling for a few minutes until the gravy texture reached.

Add cooked cowpea beans and allow boiling for a while.

Add coriander leaves (optional)

Pour one tablespoon of sesame oil over the gravy and serve hot with hot steamed rice.

The combination of this cowpea beans gravy makes the hot steamed rice, a delicious meal.

YUMMY PODI DOSA

Dosas are all time favorite for kongu folks and other south Indian people. There are endless varieties of dosas in our regions.

Try out this Podi Dosa in a jiffy if you have idli podi and dosa batter ready.

Ingredients:

Three cups of Dosa batter

Idli milagai podi 100 gms

100 ml of Sesame oil or Cow ghee (optional)

Procedure:

Heat Dosa pan over medium lame.

Pour the batter using a ladle on thee centre of the Dosa pan and spread as a circle.

Sprinkle Idli milagai podi over dosa  and pour oil around the dosa and on sprinkled podi.

Close the dosa with an appropriate lid.

Allow to cook for two seconds over a medium flame.

Remove the lid and Take dosa out of the pan.

Observe the crispiness and flavor of podi emanated from dosa!

Repeat the process collect the dosas in  a dry plate.

Serve hot!

This does not require any accompaniment.
But if your loved ones want coconut chutney to pair with this podi dosa, you can serve.