RAW GROUNDNUTS CURRY KUZHAMBU/GRAVY

Here is the nostalgic accompaniment for hot steamed rice and chappatis, idlis and dosas and other south Indian dishes!

This is an all time favorite for kongu folks. They love to eat field fresh, raw groundnuts with jaggery. They enjoy the raw peanuts cooked with shells. They sundry the ground nuts and they roast the peanuts with shells with sand in a mud pan. The kids and adults enjoy the nutty nuts by breaking open the shells. These peanuts are the wholesome snack. 

Nutritional information of these raw nuts:

One cup of raw peanuts contains 828 calories. They are enriched with the high profile of protein. They are rich in fiber 10% and saturated fat 12%They are the good source of copper, vitamin E Vitamin B1 and folate. 

It supports tissue health and good for the cardio vascular system.

                                                                                                                               Source google.

Kongu folks, hailing from the agrarian family enjoy as staple snack. They cook the groundnuts in various versions and serve.

This recipe is one of their smart versions named as vaerkadalai curry kuzhabu.

How to make?

Preparation 10 minutes

Cooking    10 minutes

Serving: Three

Ingredients:

Raw peanuts half cup 

Curry masal powder one tablespoon

Sesame oil one tablespoon

Mustard seeds one spoon

Cloves three

Cinnamon sticks three

Curry leaves 10 nos

Shallots or Bellary onion pieces one spoon

Red chilly [powder half spoon

Turmeric one spoon

Tomato medium size chopped

Coconut gratings half cup

Ginger garlic gratins one tablespoon

Coriander leaves optional

Fennel seeds powder one spoon

Pepper powder one spoon

Fried gran one tablespoon for making this gravy or kuzhambu thick and delicious.

Salt to taste

Brinji leaves one

Procedure:

Break the shells and collect the groundnuts.

Grind the coconut gratings, ginger garlic gratings, half tomato, fried Bengal gram with water to a fine paste.

Heat the frying pan with oil over a medium flame.

Add mustard seeds to splutter. add cinnamon sticks, cloves.

Add onion and curry leaves and saute for a while. add turmeric, curry masal powder, red chilly powder, fennel powder and pepper powder.

Let the flame be in the low level.

Add tomato and saute for a while till the tomato mashed and well cooked. Then add peanuts and ground masala paste.

Adjust the ingredients with one cup of water.

Add salt.

Allow boiling until the gravy texture with oil along the sides.

Garnish coriander leaves if available.

Now the raw groundnuts curry kuzhambu is ready to be served with hot steamed rice or chappathis, idlis and other South Indian main dishes.

Ajwain leaves rasam

WHEAT DOSAS

Here is the scrumptious breakfast recipe! This is the instant and easy dosas made up with wheat flour.

This dosa is highly recommended for weight loss. These wheat dosas are wonderfully gone well with tomato kuzhmbu.

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Servings: 2

Ingredients:

Samba wheat flour 250 gms

Water as required

Salt to taste

Procedure:

Mix the wheat flour, salt and four cups of water.

Take care that the batter should be dilute little more than Rice dosa batter.

Heat the iron dosa skillet )rubbed with Bellary onion piece. ( to make the dosa non-sticky and delicious)

Pour one ladle of batter in the centre of the skillet and spread the batter as a thin and circular motion.

Let the flame be in the medium.

Wait for a while until the dosa cooked with air holes around.

Drizzle half a spoon of pea nut oil around the sides of the dosa.

Take the dosa using a spatula and flip over the other side.

Take out the dosa and collect in a dry plate.

Now the crispy and thin wheat dosas are ready to have. 

Enjoy with tomato chutney/coconut chutney/tomato kuzhambu!

We like to have with tomato kuzhambu. 

KARPOORAVALLI RASAM

Karpooravalli herb is named as Country borage in English. It bears much aromatic semi-suuculent leaves and stem. The leaves. are fleshy, coarsely crenate to dentate margins. They are thickly studded with hairs giving a frosted apapearance. They are having the combination of the aromas of thyme, turpentine and oregano . They are edible and used for the natural treatment of cold and cough.The Karpooravalli can be cultivatedor propagated in a soil or pot according to our comfort. It is a must plant in every home garden to immediate treatment for cold and cough.

Ingredients:

Karpooravalli leaves 10

Pressure cooked dal and its contents two cups

Tamarind and tomato extract two cups

Cumin powder one spoon

Pepper powder one spoon

Asafoetida one pinch

Sesame oil one tablespoon

Mustard seeds one spoon

Salt to taste

Jaggery powder one spoon

Red chilly one 

Curry leaves 10 nos

Coriander leaves 

Garlic gratings one spoon

Procedure:

Wash and grind the karpooravalli leaves to a coarse paste.

Pressure cook the dal with turmeric and castor oil two drops with three whistles.

Set aside to cool.

Soak tamarind and cooked tomato half for ten minutes.

Take extract from tamarind pulp and tomato.

Heat the oil in a pan over a medium flame. 

Add mustard seeds to crackle.

Switch off the flame for a while to avoid burning.

Add red chilly and curry leaves. 

Saute for a while and add tamarind extract. 

Add salt and jaggery powder.

Allow boiling.

Filter the karpooravalli mixture using water directly to the boiling tamarind extract.

Allow boiling for one second.

Pour the dal contents.

Add pepper powder, cumin powder and garlic gratings.

Allow boiling for few seconds.

Remove from flame and serve.

IRRESISTIBLE CARROT MASAL STIR FRY

Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 6 minutes
Serves: 2 

Ingredients:

Carrots 8nos 

Peanut oil one tablespoon

Mustard seeds one spoon

Saunf powder one spoon

Karam masal powder one spoon

Turmeric powder one spoon

Red chilly powder one spoon

Green chilly one or two

Curry leaves 10 nos

Cilantro leaves optional half cup

Bellary onion pieces one tablespoon

Ginger grates one spoon

Garlic grates one spoon

Salt to taste

Lemon half

Procedure:

Wash the carrots and peel off.

Trim both the edges.

Chop them into discs.

Heat the oil over a medium flame.

Add mustard seeds to crackle.

Add onion, curry leaves and green chilly.

Saute them until the onion turns transparent.

Add saunf powder, turmeric powder, red chilly powder and karam masal powder.

Add ginger and garlic gratings. Saute them over a low flame until the fine aroma emanates.

Transfer the carrot discs to the pan.

Saute them so as to stick all the ingredients over the discs.

Sprinkle salt and add required water.

Allow cooking for 6 minutes over low flame until the entire water exhausts.

Squeeze lemon over the carrot discs.

Add cilantro leaves. 

Remove from flame and transfer the cooked carrot discs to the serving bowl.

Serve hot or warm with any meal!

PODI IDLIES

For this Tiffin, fresh idlis should be prepared to get soft podi idlis. Fresh Idli podi should be prepared. Fresh cow ghee is needed. These three fresh ingredients transform the idlis into a delectable treat for your loved ones. Tossing the idli pieces with ghee and idli podi makes it spicy and delicious and ensures that it maintains softness and moisture for more than five hours. It is a perfect picnic packing.

Important note: Never heat the ghee or sesame oil to make this Tiffin. the rich taste of ghee and its nutrients destroyed while heating. Sesame oil should be consumed raw to attain its nutritional value. The fresh hot steamed idlis are tossed with fresh ghee and fresh idli podi.


Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 3 minutes
Servings: two
     

Ingredients:

Fresh Idlies 8 nos
Fresh Idli Podi 3 tablespoons
Ghee Three tablespoons

Procedure:

Cut each idli into six pieces using a knife dipped in water.
Collect them in a broad bowl.

Sprinkle the Idli podi over the idli pieces.
Pour the fresh cow ghee over the idli pieces.

Waggle the bowl so as to mix podi and ghee with idli pieces evenly.
You can substitute sesame oil instead of ghee.

Serve hot! 
This can be served during monsoon as evening tiffin.
Kids will love to eat!
It can be packed for picnics, lunch of kids.

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.