Friday, April 24, 2009

Venn pongal

Ingredients
2 cups rice 3/4 cup mung dal,
dry roasted to a golden brown cracked black peppercorns
1 1/2 tspns lightly crushed cumin, turmeric,
salt to taste. A good bunch curry leaves
a little chopped ginger
5-6 tbspns ghee/melted butter turned brown
bunch cashews
Preparation
Wash rice and roasted dal. Add water to one inch above level of rice. Add turmeric and let it simmer. Add a
little more water if not semi- solid. When done remove from heat.
Warm ghee and roast cashews until a golden, remove carefully and set aside. Throw in cumin seeds, cracked
pepper, curry leaves into the ghee and in a minute or two pour int onto the pongal with the cashews. Add the
ginger. Mix well.

Erucheri

Ingredients
2 plaintanos
1 1/2 cups fresh coconut
crushed black pepper
turmeric, salt to taste.
mustard, 1 red chilli, urad dal, curry leaves, oil for seasoning
Preparation
Peel plaintanos and cut into small pieces after slitting lengthwise into quarters.
Cook with water well above level of veggies, salt turmeric and pepper added on low heat until plantanos get
really done. Takes about 25 mins or so. Grind half the fresh coconut and add to cooked plaintanos.
In a separate pan season with mustard, urad dal, curry leaves and fry remaining grated coconut until a reddish
brown. Pour this onto the plaintainos and ericheri is ready.

Pitlai

Ingredients
2 med bitter gourds ("karela")
3/4 can chickpeas
1/2 cup cooked toovar dal
3 green chillies slit
1 1/2 tspn tamarind paste
3-4 red dry chillies
2 tspns urad dal
1 1/2 tspn coriander seeds
1/2 cup grated coconut
few peppercorns
a little jaggery or sugar
turmeric, salt to taste
mustard seeds, curry leaves, oil for seasoning
Preparation
Slit bitter gourd into four quarters and cut 1/2 inch thick pieces across.
In a little oil, saute cut bitter gourd and green chillies. Add 2 cups water, tamarind, turmeric and salt. Let simmer
until bitter gourd are tender. Add chickpeas and jaggery/sugar.
While bitter gourd are cooking, in another pan sprinkle a little oil and fry coriander seeds, urad dal, red chillies
and peppercorns until well roasted. Add coconut, stir a min or two and then grind in a blender. Add a little
tomato paste if handy for color.
Blend in cocunut paste into the bitter gourd-tamarind mixture. Add the dal. Mix well and reheat a till it begins to
simmer. Take off stove.
Pour seasoning on top.

Katirikka Rasavangi

Ingredients
One Bhima eggplant(Brinjal)
1/2 tbsp tamarind paste
1 1/2 tspn coriander seeds
1 tspn chana dal
3-4 dried red chillies
4 tbsp coconut (dry will do but fresh is better)
1/2 cup cooked toovar dal (with turmeric)
1/2 tspn mustard seeds
a pinch asafoetida
curry leaves
A little oil for roasting and seasoning
salt to taste
Preparation
Cube eggplant. In about a cup of water dissolve the tamcon paste. Set on stove, add eggplant to tamarind
water, a little turmeric, salt and let cook until eggplant is done but has not lost its shape.
In a pan with very little oil roast red chillies, coriander seeds, chana dal and asafoetida. When you can get the
aroma of roasted coriander or the red chillies have turned a dark, dark red remove from heat and let cool.
Throw into blender with coconut, add 3 tbsp water and grind slowly into paste. Add a little water if blade gets
stuck. Remove from jar and wash it out with water and save this.
Mash cooked dal with a spoon until blended and add to cooked eggplant. Now add the coconut paste and its
water. Keep on low heat till it starts to simmer a little. Take off heat.
Season with spluttering mustard seeds and curry leaves.
Variations: You can throw in a handful of chick peas from a can into this, thin it out somewhat and have it as
katirikka sambar. Alternately, you can make the cooked dal with half toor and half chana dal, in which case you
should not cook until mashed. Remove a trifle before it gets fully done.

Gotsu

Ingredients
One small to medium eggplant
1/2 tbsp tamarind paste or extract from a tamarind size marble, soaked
one large onion, chopped (if using little ones in a bag, about five)
2 ripe tomatoes, diced
6 hot green chilles, slit and cut into pieces
curry leaves
1 tspn mustard
1/2 tspn turmeric
garlic (optional)
salt to taste
3-4 tbspn oil
Preparation
Chop the eggplant into very tiny pieces. Heat oil, add mustard seeds, when popping add curry leaves, chillies,
onions and fry till onions become transcluscent. Add tomatoes and eggplant and fry for another five minutes. If
using tamarind paste add a cup and half of water, or pour equal quantity of extract from fresh pulp. Throw in the
turmeric, salt and garlic. Let it simmer for a while until eggplant becomes really soft and is barely able to retain
its shape. Remove from heat.
Tomato-Onion Gotsu More tomatoes can be substituted instead of the eggplant for a tomato- onion gotsu. Add
more chillies if necessary.

Pulikacchal

Ingredients
Soaked tamarind about the size of a large lemon
1 1/2 tbspn jaggery
2 tbspns sesame seeds roasted dry
6-8 green chillies, slit into two (add more for spice)
2 inch ginger cut into thin strips
1 tspn mustard seeds
1 tspn chana dal
3-4 tbspns oil, preferably sesame
good pinch asafoetida
pinch turmeric
curry leaves
Preparation
Squeeze out the pulp from the tamarind. You can add a little fresh water each time to extract the pulp. When
you have a about a small bowl full, set aside.
Warm oil, season with mustard seeds first. When they start to pop throw in red chillies, chana dal, asafoetida
and curry leaves. When dal turns red, add the green chillies and fry. Throw in the ginger, add tamarind extract
carefully, a pinch turmeric, salt to taste and jaggery. Simmer on low heat till raw smell disappears and the sauce
has reduced to one-third or thickened yet spoonable.
Crush the roasted sesame seeds with a rolling pin on paper or in a spice mill rather coarsely. Add this at the end
to the pulikacchal Mix well so there are no lumps.