TAMARIND UPMA

Are you bored of eating the usual upma? Then,you can try this yummy tangy tamarind or puli upma. Puli translates to tamarind in Tamil. Puli upma is an authentic dish from the Tamil brahmin cuisine.With rice flour in hand,you can readily prepare this dish with other staple ingredients. 

 

 

 INGREDIENTS :

RICE FLOUR-  1 CUP

WATER- 1 1/2  CUPS

TAMARIND SYRUP- 1/2 CUP

TURMERIC POWDER-1/4 TSP

ASAFOETIDA-1/4 TSP

SALT TO TASTE

FOR SEASONING

 

SESAME OIL- 1 TBSP

MUSTARD- 1 TP

URAD DAL-1 TSP

GRAM DAL-1 TSP

RED CHILLIES- 3 NOS

CURRY LEAVES- 3 SPRIGS

CHOPPED ONIONS- 2 NOS

 

PROCEDURE :

1. In a wide bowl,take rice flour,water,turmeric powder salt and asafetida and whisk it to smooth consistency.

 

2. Soak tamarind in warm water and extract syrup. Add this syrup to rice flour mixture and once again whisk it .The consistency should be that of thick idli batter.

3. Heat sesame oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds,gram dal.urad dal,curry leaves, broken red chillies and curry leaves.

 

4. Throw in chopped onions over the seasoned ingredients and fry till it turns translucent.

 

5. Now gently add the rice flour mixture over the sauteed ingredients and keep stirring in mild heat it till it reaches crumble consistency. If you are preparing the upma in non-stick cookware,then you can keep it covered in sim for five minutes.

 

 

KADALA CURRY : A KERALA DELICACY

Kadala curry,is an authentic curry prepared from black chickpeas popular in Kerala. It is often paired with puttu or steamed rice cake. Generous amount of coconut imparts an nice flavour to this curry. Since,I'm not adept at making puttu,I always pair this flavoursome curry with rice and chapati.

 

 INGREDIENTS TO GRIND

 

COCONUT GRATINGS- 2 1/2  TBSP

 ROASTED GRAM DAL (Potukadalai)- 3 TSP

OTHER INGREDIENTS

BLACK CHICKPEAS- 1 1/2 CUPS

ONION- 3 NOS

GREEN CHILLIES-2

GINGER GARLIC CRUSHED- 1 TSP

CHILLI POWDER- 3/4 TSP

CORIANDER POWDER- 1 TSP

TURMERIC POWDER-1/4 TSP

COCONUT OIL- 1 1/2 TBSP

CINNAMON-1

CLOVES- 3 NOS

BAY LEAF- 1

MUSTARD- 3/4 TSP

CRUSHED GARLIC- 4 NOS

TOMATOES- 2 NOS 

CURRY LEAVES- 2 SPRIGS

CORIANDER LEAVES CHOPPED- 1/4 CUP

PROCEDURE

1. Soak chickpeas for 6-7 hours . After it softens,transfer it to a pressure cooker along with chopped onions,crushed ginger garlic,green chillies,salt.

2. Close the pressure cooker lid and cook for 7-8 whistles.

 

3. Add oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds,cinnamon,cloves and bay leaves. Add chopped onions,salt,curry leaves and fry till it turns translucent.

4. Add crushed garlic,chopped tomatoes and fry till the tomatoes turn mushy.

5.Now add in the coconut paste,chilli powder,turmeric powder and coriander powder and saute till the raw flavour evades completely.

6. Add some water to the paste. Boil for a couple of minutes.

7. Now transfer the steamed contents to the paste and simmer in mild heat till the gravy thickens.

8. Switch off the stove and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

 

KODUBALE : A CRISPY KARNATAKA SNACK

 Kodubale is a popular crispy snack prepared in Karnataka. Bale means bangle in Kannada; this snack is shaped like a bangle,hence acquired this name. There are many variations of this kodubale across  varied regions in Karnataka. This snack has made its way into small eateries to big departmental stores in many Indian states as well. There is a knack in preparing this yummy snack: Mixing all the flours in right proportion and frying it in right temperature to get the perfect crunch. This would be an excellent tea-time snack. After seeing this snack on my friend's post,I  decided to try this.

 

 

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS :

 

RICE FLOUR- 1 1/2 CUPS

SEMOLINA ( FINE VARIANT)-  1/4 CUP

ROASTED GRAM DAL POWDER- 1/4 CUP

MAIDA FLOUR- 1/4 CUP

WHITE SESAME SEEDS- 2 TSP

RED CHILLI POWDER- 1 TSP

ASAFOETIDA- 1/2 TSP

COCONUT GRATINGS- 1 TBSP

SALT TO TASTE

HOT OIL( FOR MIXING) - 2 1/2 TSP

WATER FOR KNEADING 

OIL FOR FRYING.

 

PROCEDURE :

1. Dry roast rice flour and keep it aside. Take care not to burn the flour.

2. Dry roast roasted gram dal and powder it on cooling.

3. In a wide bowl,add roasted rice flour,maida flour,gram dal flour ,semolina,red chilli powder,asafoetida,white sesame seeds,hot oil,salt,coconut gratings,water and knead to tight dough.

4.Keep the dough covered. Meanwhile, heat oil in a pan. Check the temperature of the oil by dropping a small portion of the dough in oil. If the dough pops up,it is the correct temperature.

5. Pinch out a portion of the dough and gently roll it into lengthy tube shape. You can place the dough either on a plastic sheet or a chapati stone.

 

6. After rolling the dough,join the ends to form a ring shape.

 

7. Gently drop all the rings in hot oil. Always fry in medium heat.

ENNAI KATHIRIKKAI VARUVAL

 

 

 

 

I made this spicy,yummy curry for lunch today. This brinjal curry is from the Chettinad cuisine.The salient feature of Chettinad cuisine is-  spicy flavour,traditional taste and the slew of spices incorporated in both veg and non-veg dishes. I learned this dish from a cookery show. You can use any variant of brinjal; but the variant I have used blends well with the masala. This variant is colloquially called as ujala brinjal,prolly due to the bright purple hue. This curry pairs well with rice,chapati,phulka.

 

 INGREDIENTS TO GRIND :

COCONUT GRATINGS- 2 1/2 TBSP

FENNEL SEEDS- 1 TSP

POPPY SEEDS- 1 1/2 TSP

CASHEWNUTS- 4-5 NOS

ROASTED GRAM DAL- 4  TSP

TAMARIND-GOOSEBERRY SIZE

OTHER INGREDIENTS :

BRINJAL- 600 GRAMS

ONION- 2 NOS

CHOPPED GREEN CHILLIES- 1

GARLIC CLOVES- 4-5 NOS

CURRY LEAVES- 2 SPRIGS

CORIANDER POWDER- 1 1/2 TSP

RED CHILLI POWDER- 1 TSP

TURMERIC POWDER-1/4 TSP

SALT TO TASTE

SESAME OIL- 1 1/2 TBSP

PROCEDURE :

1. Wash,wipe and chop brinjal lengthwise and keep it aside. Marinate the chopped brinjal by mixing with salt,chilli powder,turmeric powder and coriander powder and allow it to rest for thirty minutes.

2. Heat oil in a pan and add copped onions and salt and fry till the onions turn translucent. Now add in the chopped garlic cloves and fry well.

3. Add the marinated brinjal over sauteed onions and fry well till its three fourth cooked.

4. Now pour the ground paste over the sauteed brinjal and simmer in mild heat till the paste blends well with the veggie and the veggie too is cooked.

5. Check if the brinjal is fully cooked and switch off the stove.

6. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve.

 

SHALLOT RASAM

Initially,I was attuned to only a few variants of rasam : Toor dal rasam,tomato rasam,pepper rasam,garli rasam and lemon. But after I discovered newer variants,I really started liking it and have included it in my menu. I was really intrigued by this onion rasam,as I haven't tried this before. The taste was really amazing as the shallots in the rasam enhanced it. You can even use the store bought/home-made rasam powder; but i always prefer the powder cited in this post.

 INGREDIENTS TO  GRIND :

TOOR DAL- 3 TSP

PEPPERCORNS-  3/4 TSP

CUMIN SEEDS- 3/4 TSP

GARLIC CLOVES- 3 NOS

RED CHILLIES- 1

FOR SEASONING :

GHEE- 2 TSP

MUSTARD- 3/4 TSP

CUMIN SEEDS-3/4 TSP

ASAFOETIDA-1/2 TSP

CURRY LEAVES- 2 SPRIGS

 

OTHER  INGREDIENTS :

SHALLOTS- 10- 12 NOS

TOMATOES-2 NOS

TURMERIC POWDER-1/4 TSP

SALT TO TASTE

TAMARIND- GOOSEBERRY SIZE

CHOPPED CORIANDER LEAVES 

OIL- 3 TSP

METHOD :

1. Soak tamarind in warm water and extract syrup.

2. Wash,wipe and cut the tomatoes and mash it well inside the tamarind syrup. Add turmeric powder and salt to the syrup and keep it aside.

3. Grind toordal,peppercorns,cumin seeds and red chillies to fine powder. At last add the garlic cloves to the powder and blend it along.

 

4. Heat oil in a pan and throw the shallots after peeling it. Add some salt and saute till the shallots change colour. 

5. Now pour the tamarind syrup over the sauteed shallots and boil till the raw smell of the tamarind evades completely.

6. Now add in the powder to the boiling syrup and simmer in mild heat for a minute.

7. Prepare the seasoning and add it to the rasam.

8. At last garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve.

SWEET CORN GRAVY

I love sweet corn for its nice sweet taste and soft texture. It cooks fast and has a host of health benefits. Besides the salad, I relish sweet corn in this gravy. This gravy is really easy to prepare and doesn't involve too much of masala powders. This gravy pairs well with phulka,puri,chapati,naan and even cooked plain rice.

 

 

 INGREDIENTS TO GRIND

ONIONS- 2 NOS

 

TOMATOES-2 NOS

 

CUMIN SEEDS- 3/4 TSP

 

CINNAMON- 1

 

CLOVES- 2 NOS

 

GARLIC CLOVES- 4 NOS

 

GINGER MINCED-  1 TSP

OTHER INGREDIENTS

 

SWEET CORN- 2 CUPS

CORIANDER CHOPPED- 1 TBSP

CHILLI POWDER-  3/4 TSP

 

OIL- 4-5 TSP

 

SALT TO TASTE

 

TURMERIC POWDER- 1/4 TSP 

 

METHOD :

1. Take the corn kernels off the cob using a sharp knife.

2. Boil the kernels in water along with salt for a couple of minute and switch off.

3. Saute the ingredients cited in the column 'to grind'. On cooling blend the ingredients to fine paste.

4. In a pan heat oil and throw bay leaves.

5. Add the ground paste ,salt,turmeric powder,chilli powder,coriander powder and saute till the raw smell of the paste evades completely and the oil oozes from the sides of the gravy. 

6. Add the blanched kernel to the gravy and boil for a minute and switch off.

7. At last garnish with chopped coriander leaves and mix well.