SURAIKKAI KOOTU

When we combine  veggies with any dal such as Toor dal, moong dal, chana dal and green gram in preparing dishes, we term it as kootu. Today, we are going to cook bottlegourd paired with chana dal.

Ingredients:

Chana dal one tablespoon
Bottlegourd peeled off and chopped into cubes two cups
Green chillies two or three
Shredded Coconut one cup
Cumin seeds one spoon
Salt required
Mustard seeds one spoon
Curry leaves half cup
Turmeric one spoon
Cooking oil two spoons
shallots chopped half cup

Procedure:

Heat the cooking oil.
Add mustard seeds to crackle
Followed by shallots and curry leaves.
Add turmeric and bottlegourd cubes
Add salt and saute for five minutes in medium heat.
Blend coconut grates, cumin seeds and green chillies together.
Transfer the blended ingredients into the cooked veggie.
Mix well and let it cook for two minutes.
Add chopped coriander leaves finally..
Switch off the flame.
Transfer the kootu into a serving bowl.

Bottlegourd and chana dal kootu is ready to eat with hot steamed rice.

Easy to make..! very simple method..! highly nutritional..!
kongu traditional..so yummy..!

Check it out..!

AGATHI KEERAI PORIAL/SESBANIA GREENS STIR FRY

Agathi leaves are fully loaded with  exhaustive sources of calcium and iron. So it is termed as the best bone strengthener. The agathi leaves are diuretic, Antiulcer, anticancer, anticonvulsant and antioxidant properties according to the scientific research studies.

Take a look on the preparation of agathy keerai porial:

To prepare the Agathy leaves for cooking, first remove them from the stem. We can achieve this by pinching the stalk with the thumb and forefinger, and then sliding down the main branch. The leaves will  fall away ease.

Cut the leaves using a scissor and rinse the leaves in a colander to remove dirt and any sediment.

Now they are ready to be sauted into a porial.

Ingredients:

Mustard seeds one spoon

Moong dal one tablespoon

Cooking oil one tablespoon

Shallots one cup chopped

Split red chillies two

Curry leaves half cup

Sesbania leaves three cups chopped

Shredded and fresh coconut one cup

jaggery tiny piece

Turmeric one spoon

Coconut water half cup

Salt required

Procedure:

Heat the cooking oil in a dry pan.

Add mustard seeds and allow until popped.

Followed by shallots, red chillies, curry leaves and moong dal.

Saute for a couple of minutes until the shallots turn translucent.

Add turmeric, salt and coconut water.

Addition of a small piece of jaggery is optional in this stage.

Add half a cup of water.

Allow to cook in medium heat.

Don't close the lid. (to maintain the green color of the greens.)

When the leaves are cooked and become soft and the entire water absorbed, sprinkle the shredded  coconut and mix well.

Turn off the heat.

Yummy Agathi porial is ready to have with hot steamed rice.

RAGI MURUKKU BITS

Raagi murukku bits are crunchy, delicious and nutritional snack. The method is so easy and instant. It is a kongu traditional way to incorporate the Finger millet into our regular diet in any form.

Finger millet is loaded with calcium and iron, as you already know. 

Let us move to prepare Raagi murukku/Fingermillet murukku bits:

Ingredients:

Finger millet flour 200 gm/two cups

Fried gram 100 gm

Ajwain seeds one spoon

Asafoetida very little

Red chilly powder one spoon

Salt required

water to knead required

Sesame seeds( optional)

Procedure:

Blend the fried gram, ajwain seeds, asafoetida, red chilly powder together.

Let the mixture be very fine powder.

Mix the finger millet flour and the blended fried gram powder mix and salt well.

Then add water little by little to knead into a soft dough.

Fill a portion of the dough into murukku mould.

Heat the cooking oil to frying temperature and squeeze the murukku directly into oil.

Allow to fry until the oil bubbles cease to minimum.

Transfer the bits into a paper towel placed in a plate.

Repeat the process until the entire dough over.

Serve with hot tea.

Very scrumptious, indeed..!

Such a simple idea but so tasty. 

You see, simple ingredients, well executed and put together delicously. The final result is with an addictive taste..!

Do let me know if you try the recipe...

Till next post..!

Sulo Sundar

KAMBU ARISI FLOUR PUTTU/PEARLMILLET FLOUR PUTTU/

We, the Kongu folks  consume the pearl millet in various versions of cooking since ancient times.As we are basically farmers, we follow the regular intake of this wonderful millet in our diet.The pearl millet is the major nutritional sources of dietary energy and nutritional security. Apart from offering an excellent taste, these millets contain an essential mineral and nutrients which provide variety of advantages to our body.

Pearl millet is a rich source of phosphorous which plays an important role in the structure of body cells. It contains a good source of magnesium. Magnesium is essential for maintaining good heart health, as it lowers blood pressure and reduces the risk of heart attacks.

Pearl millet is a high energy food and an excellent source and fiber.

Google source.

Ingredients:

Pearl millet flour 250 gm

Shallots one cup

Green chillies three and four

Salt required

Half cup of water

Curry leaves half cup

Cooking oil one table spoon

Mustard seeds one spoon

Urad dal one spoon
Coriander leaves chopped one cup

Procedure:

Boil one cup of water.

Add salt desired

Add boiled water to the pearl millet flour little by little so as to  obtain bread crumbs consistency.

Fill the Idli mould with Pearl millet flour

Steam the flour.

Cook for five minutes.

Allow to cool and take out the steamed flour.

Add the cooking oil in a dry pan.

Add mustard seeds to splutter.

Followed by split urad dal, chopped shallots, green chillies and curry leaves.

Transfer the puttu into the fried ingredients and mix well finally with coriander leaves garnished.

Spicy Puttu is done..

Serve with veg kurma, chick peas kurma or whole green gram curry.

GREEN TOMATO PICKLE/PACHAITHAKKALI URUGAI

Ingredients:

Green raw tomatoes 250 gms plucked from my garden chopped
Roasted and powdered dals i.e., Split urad dal one spoon+moongdal one spoon+Bengal gram one spoon and fennel seeds one spoon and mustard seeds one spoon
Thick mixture of a pinch of asafoetida+ a half pinch of fenugreek powder and red chilly powder two tablespoons with required water.
Mustard seeds one spoon
Split urad dal one spoon
Curry leaves one cup
Turmeric one spoon
Sesame oil one cup
Salt one tablespoon

Procedure:

Heat the sesame oil in a dry pan.
Add mustard seeds to start crackle.
Add split urad dal and curry leaves.
Switch off the flame.
Add turmeric and raw tomato chops.
Now switch on the flame.
Add salt required.
Allow to cook until tender.
Then transfer the coarse powder of dals
Saute a while and add the thick mixture of chilly powder+asafoetida and fenugreek powder.
Make sure that it doesn't catch on the bottom.
Check the salt.
Bring to boil and cook until the oil pools around the sides.
Set aside to cool down.
Transfer the pickle into an airtight container to restore in a refrigerator.

Very simple ingredients...!well executed and put together deliciously
Our Green Raw tomato pickle is ready to serve..!

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I'd like to hear from you..! 

This is a versatile dish pairing with chappathies, poories, idlies, dosais, paniyarams, idiyappams even with bread toasts.. It will work great..!

Do try    :)