INSTANT MOR KULAMBU

 

 

I always love gravy with a subtle flavour; Hence,I have affinity for curd -based dishes from any cuisine. In South Indian cuisine,Mor kulambu, tops the list of my favourite dishes. Mor is Tamil word for buttermilk and kulambu implies gravy. It goes by different names in other languages- Majige huli in Kannada and Majige pulusu in Telugu. 

I have prepared and savoured many different variants of this kulambu,but this is the first time,I tried this instant version.You can prepare the below cited powder(sans coconut )and stock it inside the refrigerator for up to 3 months. With this powder on hand,you can whip up a tasty kulambu in the scant time available.This kulambu can be prepared without coconut,as coconut oil imparts a nice aroma and taste to this dish. Any veggie can be incorporated;I have used my favourite- Brinjal/ Eggplant.  

 INGREDIENTS TO ROAST& GRIND:

 

TOOR DAL- 2 TSP

GRAM DAL- 2 TSP

CORIANDER SEEDS- 1 TSP

FENUGREEK SEEDS- 1/4 TSP

CUMIN SEEDS- 1/2 TSP

RED CHILLIES- 3 NOS

FOR SEASONING :

 

COCONUT OIL- 3 TSP

MUSTARD- 3/4 TSP

CURRY LEAVES- 1 SPRIG

ASAFOETIDA- 1/2 TSP 

OTHER INGREDIENTS :

CURD- 1 1/2 CUP

COCONUT SCRAPINGS- 1 TBSP

TURMERIC POWDER- 1/4 TSP

SALT TO TASTE

PROCEDURE :

1. Roast all the above cited ingredients in a drop of oil till crisp and grind to a little coarse powder and keep it aside. Grind coconut gratings to a fine paste.

2. Add water to the thick curd and whisk it . If the curd is thicker in consistency,then you can adjust the quantity of water to dilute it.

 

3. Add the powder to whisked curd along with salt and turmeric powder and whisk again and keep it aside.

4. Saute chopped brinjal in oil till it softens. Pour the curd mixture and coconut paste over  this and boil for a minute and switch off.Mor kulambu will curdle,when it is heated for a long time.

LOBIA / BLACK-EYED BEAN MASALA GRAVY

 

 

The taste of steamed lobia / black-eyed beans is similar to urad dal,hence I try out different combinations of ingredients to make it palatable.It comes in different hues and is loaded with lots of health benefits. I always love  to have it as gravy with chapati. I have relished this bean as nutritious sundal and crispy snack vadai /vada.

 

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS TO GRIND ( In raw form) :

 

TOMATOES- 2 NOS

ONIONS- 2 NOS

FENNEL SEEDS- 1 TSP

 

OTHER INGREDIENTS : 

LOBIA / BLACK- EYED BEANS- 125 GRAMS

CHILLI POWDER- 3/4 TSP

GARAM MASALA POWDER- 1/4 TSP

TURMERIC POWDER- 1/8 TSP

KASOORI METHI - 1 TSP

CHOPPED CORIANDER LEAVES- 

SALT TO TASTE

OIL - 1 TBSP

 FOR SEASONING :

OIL- 1 TBSP

CINNAMON- 1 

CARDAMOM- 2 NOS

PROCEDURE :

 

1. Wash and rinse lobia for a couple of times in water and soak it in fresh water for 4-5 hours.

 

2. When the lobia becomes soft,discard the water and transfer it to a pressure cooker after adding salt. Close the lid of the cooker and steam it for 5-6 whistles.

3.Meanwhile grind chopped tomatoes,chopped onions along with fennel seeds to a fine paste and keep it aside.

4. Heat oil in a pan. Add cinnamon piece,split cardamom along with skin. 

5. Pour the ground mixture over this. Add salt, all the spice powders and boil in mild heat till the raw smell evades completely. 

6. Transfer the steamed lobia over the paste and simmer in mild heat for a minute. Add crushed kasoori methi and chopped coriander leaves and switch off.

The taste of steamed lobia / black-eyed beans is similar to urad dal,hence try out different combinations of ingredients to make it palatable.It comes in different hues and loaded with lots of health benefits. Hence,  

RAW BANANA PODIMAS

 

 

 

Raw banana podimas is a simple curry with subtle flavour. In preparing this curry,boiled raw banana is grated and tossed over a simple seasoning. This curry has a crumble consistency and an apt side dish for any kind of spicy preparations.There is another version,that is devoid of onions-mostly prepared in brahmin households. I have also come across spicier version of this podimas curry with strong masala flavour. It can also be prepared with potatoes.

 

 

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS :

 

RAW BANANA- 1 

ONION-  1 ( BIG)

 COCONUT GRATINGS- 2 TBSP

GINGER GRATING- 1 TSP

GREEN CHILLIES- 2 NOS

SALT TO TASTE 

LEMON JUICE-  2 TSP

FOR SEASONING :

OIL-  1 TBSP

MUSTARD- 3/4 TSP

URAD DAL- 1 TTSP

CURRY LEAVES- 2 SPRIGS

PROCEDURE :

1. Wash and wipe raw banana and cut it into two halves with the peel intact. Fill water in a pan and boil till peel turns black.

2. Allow the boiled veggie to cool and remove the peel.

3. Grate the veggie using a grater.

4. Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds,urad dal and add curry leaves. Add chopped onions and fry till it turns translucent after adding salt.

5. Add ginger gratings and chopped green chillies and fry.

6. Transfer the raw banana gratings and coconut gratings over the seasoning and fry for a second and switch off.

7. At last sprinkle lemon juice and mix well.

RAW BANANA SPICY CURRY

 

 

I made note of this recipe in my recipe book,a decade ago. Then on,this has become my go-to recipe for raw banana curry. The procedure is simple and the ingredients are minimal,yet the taste of this curry is amazing. I have even tried this recipe with boiled potatoes and it tasted yum as well. Whenever I decide to prepare raw banana curry,my family insists on this balekai palya- Kannada word for raw banana curry.

 

 

 

 

 

 INGREDIENTS TO GRIND TO COARSE PASTE:

COCONUT GRATINGS-  2 1/2 TBSP

RED CHILLIES- 4 NOS

FENNEL SEEDS- 1 TSP

FOR SEASONING :

OIL-  1 TBSP

MUSTARD- 3/4 TSP

URAD DAL- 3/4 TSP

CURRY LEAVES- 1 SPRIG

OTHER INGREDIENTS :

RAW BANANA- 2

ONION- 2 NOS

MINCED GINGER- 1 TSP

TURMERIC POWDER-1/4  TSP

SALT TO TASTE

PROCEDURE :

1. Wash,wipe,peel and chop raw bananas to little bigger chunks and keep it aside.

2. Transfer the chopped pieces to a pan filled with water. Add turmeric powder and salt and boil till it softens.

3. Drain the excess water fom the boiled veggie and keep it aside.

4. Grind all the above cited ingredients to a coarse mixture without using water and keep it aside.

5. Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds,urad dal. Add chopped onions over this along with salt and curry leaves. Saute till the onions turn translucent.

6. Now add in the minced ginger to this and saute for a couple of seconds and switch off.

7. Transfer the boiled veggie chunks,ground mixture over the sauteed onions and mix well in mild heat for a minute and switch off.

ASH GOURD KOOTU

                                         

Kootu is a lentil-based gravy and a main stay in South Indian thali. It is a combination of two or three veggies or any kind of greens. At times,even a single vegetable is used. This dish has a temperate flavour owing to the predominance of coconut and coconut oil. I have posted four different varieties of kootu on this blog.I always refer to this kootu as 'hotel style kootu' due to the distinct flavour. This dish can be paired with spicy preparations like kara kuzhambu or vathal kuzhambu or chapati,puri and phulkas. It even tastes good with steaming hot rice with a dollop of ghee.

 

 

 INGREDIENTS :

 

TOOR DAL-  3/4 CUP

ASH GOURD- 500 GRAMS

ONION- 2 NOS

TOMATOES- 2 NOS

GREEN CHILLIES- 2 NOS

CHILLI POWDER- 1/2 TSP

TURMERIC POWDER-  1/4 TSP

SALT TO TASTE

INGREDIENTS TO GRIND

COCONUT GRATINGS- 2 TBSP

CUMIN SEEDS- 1/2 TSP

GARLIC CLOVES- 3 NOS

 

 INGREDIENTS  FOR SEASONING:

COCONUT OIL- 4 TSP

MUSTARD- 3/4 TSP

CURRY LEAVES- 2 SPRIGS

ASAFOETIDA- 1/4 TSP

PROCEDURE :

1. Wash toor dal and keep it aside. Chop ash gourd into slightly bigger pieces and keep it aside. 

2. In a pressure cooker transfer washed toor dal and after adding water,cook for three whistles.

3. On cooling, remove the cooker lid and add chopped onions,tomatoes,slit green chillies and salt and close the lid and cook for two whistles and switch off.

4. Open the lid of the cooker and transfer the chopped ash gourd pieces,turmeric powder,chilli powder and cook for one whistle and switch off.

7. Now add in the paste to the cooked veggie mixture and simmer in mild heat for a couple of minutes and switch off.

8. Add the prepared seasoning to the kootu and mix well. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

SPICY CARROT CURRY

                                     



 

 As a passionate cook,I mostly watch only cookery shows on different channels.The other day,while fiddling with my T.V remote,I chanced upon a cookery show on one of the channels.I turned on the channel in the middle and hence couldn't guess the dish. But I jotted down the ingredients shown on the channel for preparing masala paste.To my dismay,it turned out to be meat-based dish,hence I switched off the show but retained the recipe for later use. I incorporated the above cited masala in preparing this spicy curry. The original recipe calls for shallots,since I was running out of the same,I substituted it with onion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 INGREDIENTS FOR GRINDING :

COCONUT GRATINGS-  1 1/2 TBSP

PEPPERCORNS- 1/2 TSP

FENNEL SEEDS- 3/4 TSP

CUMIN SEEDS- 1/2 TSP

CHILLI POWDER- 3/4 TSP

TURMERIC POWDER- 1/4 TSP

SHALLOTS- 5-6 NOS. 

Grind all the above cited ingredients to a paste using little water.

 

OTHER INGREDIENTS:

 

CARROT-  400 GRAMS

SALT TO TASTE

INGREDIENTS FOR SAUTEING PASTE :

 

OIL-  1 TBSP

MUSTARD-3/4 TSP

URAD DAL- 3/4 TSP

CURRY LEAVES- 1 SPRIG

 

PROCEDURE :

1.Wash carrots thoroughly and wipe it using a clean cloth.Place the peeled carrots in the vessel and close the lid of the pressure cooker.Place the pressure regulator on the vent pipe and steam for one or two whistles and switch off.

 

2.Now chopping steamed carrots is quite easy and time saving.

 

3. Heat oil in a pan. Splutter mustard seeds,urad da,curry leaves and transfer the paste over it. Add salt and saute till the raw smell evades completely.

 

 

4. Transfer the chopped carrots over the sauteed paste and mix in mild heat for a minute and switch off.