KEERAI SUNDAL / CURRY

This Keerai (Amaranthus) Curry is a Tanjore Special , again. It is called Keerai Sundal, because it is allowed to shrink in very little water, along with the protein rich tur dhal. It is so simple, yet so tasty, with any sambar, rasam, or  koottu . "Sundal" in Tamil also means, getting shrunk.

Ingredients

                            Spinach (Mulai Keerai) - 1 bunch, chopped, cleaned, washed & drained
                            Tur dhal - 1/2 cup
                            Fresh coconut, grated - 3 tbsps
                            Salt to taste
                            A pinch of turmeric

                                                                 For Seasoning
                                                         Cooking oil - 2 tbsps
                                                         Hing powder - a pinch
                                                         Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
                                                         Broken urad dhal - 1 tsp
                                                         Broken red chillies - 2 or 3

                                                         Recipe Cuisine: South Indian; Category: Dry Curry/Lunch
                                                         Prep time: 10 minutes; Cooking time: 15 minutes

                                                                                  Serves 4
                                                                 

                            In a pan, add some water, and add the tur dhal, with a pinch of turmeric

Cut, cleaned spinach on the colander

When it starts boiling, add the washed spinach on top of the dhal and cover with a lid, on low flames

If you open the lid after 5 minutes, and gently stir, you can see the curry  as below

                   And the beauty is, when the spinach gets fully cooked, the tur dhal will be half cooked (called "Killu padham" ....கிள்ளு பதம்..... in Tamil). Add salt at this stage, and also the grated coconut. If there is some more water, no need to drain it, if you keep the flame on high, it will get absorbed.

In another pan, add cooking oil, add all the seasoning ingredients mentioned above.

When Mustard seeds splutter and urad dhal turns golden, pout it on top of the curry.

Here is the wholesome Spinach / Keerai Sundal! Serve with sambar or rasam, along with papads or vadams. It will be heavenly! This is a dish, where the goodness of Spinach is highlighted with the protein rich Tur dhal.

                                      

ROASTED GREEN BRINJAL / EGG PLANT WITH SPICE POWDERS

Generally Brinjal / eggplant is very low in calories and fats but rich in fibre content. It is very effective in controlling blood pressure too.It is also a good source of many minerals. This curry, roasted brinjals with spice powders, specially roasted and home made is a very tasty one. Some prefer to add it straight to rice, and with little bit ghee or gingely oil, mix it up well and eat.

Ingredients

Brinjals, lengthwise cut - 1/2 kg (1.1 lbs)

Chilly powder - 1/2 tsp - 3/4 tsp

Salt to taste

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Hing powder - 1/4 tsp

Oil - 4 tbsps

Curry leaves - a handful

To roast and grind to a powder

Cooking oil - 2 tsps

Channa dhal - 2 tsps

Coriander seeds - 3 tsps

Red chillies - 3-4

Recipe Cuisine: South Indian; Category: Dry Curry

Prep time: 10-12 minutes; Cooking time: 20 minutes

Serves 4

Cut brinjals, soaked in water, so that they will not turn black

Take oil in a pan, add turmeric, hing powders, and mustard seeds.

                                     After the seeds splutter, add brinjals, salt and chilli powder

                                   

Add curry leaves too, gently roast, keeping on slow flame.

Take a pan, add 2 tsps oil, and roast all the ingredients mentioned above

Powder to a slightly coarse mixture, after it cools down a bit

By now, the brinjals would have been roasted to perfection. Add the spice powder also, mix and switch off.

Serve with hot rice and kuzhambu or rasam of your choice.

You can make the same version of the curry with Purple Brinjals / Eggplants too, which is in rich antioxidants, which have potential health effects against cancer, aging and neurological diseases.

PARUPPU THOGAYAL

This is again a Tanjore Special...a very nutritious one too....This goes well with Vatha Kuzhambu, Rasam etc. When we make this, we do not make sambar, mainly because both contain tur dhal . Earlier before, my father in law used to insist that we grind this on a grinding stone, because he used to like the coarse texture we used to get. I really wonder, whether there are people , these days,  using grinding stones...we have to take care not to grind it to a too mushy consistency, and it tastes good if it is coarse.

Ingredients

Tur dhal - 1 cup

Red chillies - 2 or 3 according to your taste

Black pepper - 1/2 tsp

Hing powder - 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

Gingely oil or any cooking oil - 2 tsps to roast all these ingredients

Fresh grated coconut - 2 tsps

Recipe Cuisine : South Indian;  Category: Side dish to mix with  rice

Prep time: 5 minutes; Cooking time: 15 minutes

Serves 4

Add oil in a pan, first add hing powder, then tur dhal along with red chillies and black pepper. 

Keep on slow fire, and continue to roast till dhal  becomes golden in colour.

Switch off the gas stove, now add the coconut and salt to taste.

First dry grind in the blender.

Then add water as required. This thogayal takes in quite a lot of water. Add little by little, till the required consistency arrives.

Enjoy with hot rice, a dash of ghee, and with kuzhambu or rasam of your choice. Drumstick Vatha kuzhambu tastes awesome with this.

ONION CHUTNEY

This is a simple chutney, with the goodness and full flavour of Onions. I used half the quantity Pearl Onions and half the quantity Big Onions. You may do however it suits you.

                                                                      Ingredients
                                                    Pearl onions, chopped - 1 cup
                                                     Big onions, chopped - 1 cup
                                                            Red chillies - 3-4
                                                          Hing powder - 1/4 tsp
                                                    Broken Urad dhal - 3 tbsps
                                                             Salt to taste
                                                      Tamarind paste - 1/2 tsp
                                                                    Oil 3 tsps

                               Recipe Cuisine : South Indian; Category: Side dish for tiffins
                               Prep time: 10 minutes; Cooking & grinding time: 10 minutes
                                                                           Serves 4

                                          In a pan, add oil, add all the ingredients for seasoning.

                             Then add the onions, continue to saute. Salt and tamarind paste added

Transfer the mixture to the blender jar, allow to cool down completely.

                     

Grind to a chutney, after it cools down a bit, and serve with  any variety of dosas.

KUZHI PANIYARAM/MUFFIN DOSAS

While the traditional name Kuzhi Paniyaram goes on, my grandkids have named it Muffin Dosas. I see to it, lot of nutrition goes into each and every muffin, and since I chop the vegetables very very finely and also add it to the batter, little do they realise that so many vegetables are there.

Ingredients

Dosa batter - 10 ladels

Rice flour - 2 tsps

Salt - 1/2 tsp, for the veggies added

Carrot - finely grated

Red bell pepper - 1, finely chopped

Green bell pepper - 1, finely chopped

Yellow bell pepper - 1, finely chopped

Pearl Onions -  10-12,  very finely chopped

Green chilli - 1, de -seeded, and very finely chopped

Coriander leaves - handful, washed and chopped

Cooking oil - 4-5 tsps

Recipe Cuisine: South Indian; Category: Tiffin variety

Prep time: 15 mts; Cooking time: 30 mts

Yields 20 Muffin Dosas

All vegetables chopped

, and with  little salt, added to the batter

and mixed well

                                Muffin pan greased, and batter poured. It should be on low flame.

Cover with a lid, to enable the muffin dosas to get  cooked  well.

                                                 Muffin dosas turned, and a drop of oil drizzled.

Muffin dosas gently picked from the pan, and arranged

    Ready, serve with  any chutney of your choice or molagappodi

                                 

Variations

*If you add 2 tsps of Dosa Molagappodi to the batter, it tastes awesome.

KEERAI MASIYAL

Mulaikeerai...which is called Amaranthus in English, is called the "Queen" of all the spinach varieties. This makes the body strong and healthy, reduces blood pressure, gall bladder disease, promotes excellent growth in children, and has many more magnificent values . I chose to make a simple masiyal, which in Salem cuisine is slightly thicker, but in Tanjore cuisine, is a little bit watery. You can treat it as a side dish too, and also as a main dish to mix and eat with rice, and the perfect combo for this Masiyal is, Vathakuzhambu.

Ingredients

Mulaikeerai - 1 bunch, cleaned, chopped and washed nicely

A small solid hing

Jeera - 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Rice flour 1 1/2 tsps, mixed with water

For seasoning

Cooking oil - 2 tsps

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Split urad dhal - 1 tsp

Dry red chillies - 2, broken

Jeera - 1/2 tsp

Recipe Cuisine: South Indian; Category: side dish

Prep time: 15mts; Cooking time: 15mts

Serves 4

The chopped and washed spinach, kept on stove, with very minimal water, topped with solid hing and jeera.

It will shrink after sometime. Don't worry if the vessel is over full.

Keep covered with a lid.

                                       Rock salt added after it is half cooked

                                   When fully cooked, rice flour, mixed with water added, to thicken.

                                 Blended with a hand blender and allow to boil for 5 minutes

Ingredients for seasoning, mentioned above, added.

Serve with Sambar, rasam, rice and papad.