TIRUNELVELI SODHI, How to make a Coconut milk based , tasty Veg side dish

 TIRUNELVELI......

 A Great name,....."Thiru" means, auspicious; "Nel" means, paddy; "Veli" means, fence....this is a famous place, where Lord Shiva guarded his devotee's paddy field, putting  a fence around!!

The very famous Nelliappar -Kanthimathi temple is here, with its beautiful architecture. This temple is very renowned for its musical pillars, which when struck produce Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni , the Saptha swarams, and they are highly esteemed!!!

Tirunelveli is also famous for its Iruttukkadai halwa, which I have already posted.

Now I am going to give you another typical Tirunelveli side dish, SODHI, which is an amazing combo for chapathi varieties, idiyappam, aappam, Jeera rice, Peas pulao etc

So, instead of the usual Vegetable Stew, we can make this Sodhi too.

It is called Mappillai Sodhi , a special dish, made when the sons in law come  . Just another kuzhambu recipe like Mappillai sambhar 

Today is my Grand daughter's Birthday, this is her favourite!!!!!

Ingredients

Small Onions - 15 - 20

Cut ginger pieces - 1 tsp

Garlic pods - 3 - 4

Few curry leaves

Coarsely pulsed Green Chillies - 3

Moong dhal - 2 tbsps, soaked in hot water, pressure cooked, with a pinch of turmeric

Potato - 1, thinly sliced

Carrot - 1, thinly sliced

Drumstick - 1, cut

Beans - about 10, slit lengthwise

Green peas - 1/2 cup

Thin coconut milk - 1 1/2 cups

Thick coconut milk - 1 1/2 cups

Salt to taste

For seasoning

Coconut oil - 3 tbsps

Hing powder a pinch

Jeera - 1 tsp

Recipe Cuisine: South Indian; Category: Anytime side dish

Prep time: 10 mts; Cooking time: 15 - 20 mts

Serves 3

                                                                                                              

                                                               All Veggies kept ready

                                           

                                                                                Cooked Moong dhal

                                                                      Thin coconut milk

                                Pressure pan heated with 3 tsps of Coconut oil, hing and jeera seasoned

                                                        Onions, ginger, garlic and pulsed green chillies added 

                                                    all veggies added, sauteed on low flames

                                                                                 Salt to taste

                                                    Thin coconut milk added, cooked for 2 whistles

                                                     After opening, this is how it looks

  Cooked moong and thick coconut milk added, mixed well, on low flames, allow to boil for 2-3 minutes

                                              The flavorful, yumm yumm SODHI is ready!!!!

                            Enjoy it with the super soft, fluffy and amazing AAPPAMS!!!!

This post first appeared in www.malpatskitchen.com

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

                                        

MULTIPURPOSE CHUTNEY, An amazing Chutney to go with many...

 Here is a Chutney, which goes well with not only Tiffin Varieties...Dosa varieties...rotis, stuffed parathas...can be used as a thogayal...this chutney is a real treasure, to be the side of so many dishes....and it is very healthy too...

Has in it

Small Onions.......which contain antioxidants and reduce cholesterol levels

Big Onions......which contain Cancer-fighting compounds abd boost bone density

Ginger.....Contains Gingerol which has medicinal properties

Garlic.....prevents Dementia and Alzheimer

Curry leaves.....reduce heart disease risk factors

Coriander leaves ........full of Vitamin K, plays an important role in helping blood clot

Mint leaves........relieve indigestion and improve brain function

Tomatoes......loaded with Lycopene, protects your cells from damaging...

Coconut.......controls diabetes and has anti-ageing effects on body

And almost all these are easily available at home...we don't have to run for any exotic ingredient...

and on top of everything, very easy to make and very tasty too!!!

I have served with Wheat dosas!!!

Ingredients

Small Onions - 1 small cup

Big Onion - 1, chopped

Tomatoes - 2, chopped

Ginger - 1 tsp, chopped

Garlic - 4 pods

Curry leaves - 1 small cup

Coriander leaves - 1 small cup

Mint leaves - 1 small cup

Fresh grated coconut - 2 tbsps

Tamarind paste - 3/4 tsp

Jaggery - 1 tsp

Salt to taste

To Season

Cooking oil - 2 - 3 tbsps

Hing powder 

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Split Urad dhal - 1 1/2 tsps

Channa dhal - 11/2 tsps

Red chillies - 3-4

Recipe Cuisine : South Indian; Category: Side to tiffins, rotis and rice

Prep time: 10 mts; Cooking time: 10 mts

Serves 3-4

Cooking oil heated in a pan, hing powder, mustard, split urad and channa dhal added

Sauteed till the seasoning become golden in color and mustards splutter

Now, chopped ginger , garlic pods, red chillies and small onions added, sauteed on medium flame for 3-4 minutes

Big onions, chopped, are added now

Now enter the chopped tomatoes

jaggery and salt to taste added

After the tomatoes become mushy, add the 3 greens...mint, curry and Cilantro/coriander

Add tamarind paste, and saute well, till all the greens shrink in size and lose their raw smell

Switch off, now add the coconut

Mix well, allow the mixture to cool nicely

Load into a blender jar, and grind to a smooth chutney!

Here it is!!!

Served with  Godhumai dosas

This post first appeared in www.malpatskitchen.com

Notes

* Garlic is optional

SAATVIK TOMATO KUZHAMBU, how to make a tomato side dish sans onion and garlic

 This recipe used to be made by a family friend, during my childhood days...

all these days, I had forgotten this yummy side dish, which can be prepared even on Vrat and festival days since this has no Onions and garlic...but nobody knows from where it derives its flavor and 'ruchi".....

Can be served with Dosa varieties and all Tiffin varieties

Ingredients

Tomatoes - 4-5

Chilli powder - 1/2  tsp or as you want

Jaggery powder - 1 tsp

Besan flour - 1 tsp, diluted in water

Salt to taste

Coriander leaves for garnishing

To season

Cooking oil - 3 tbsps

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Hing powder - 1/2 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Jeera - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - a few

Slit green chillies - 1 - 2

Recipe cuisine: South Indian; Category: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner

Prep time: 5 mts; Cooking time: 10 mts

Serves 2-3

Pressure pan heated, turmeric powder, hing powder, mustard and jeera seasoned

Then curry leaves, slit green chillies and chopped tomatoes added ........

and sauteed

Jaggery (can add brown sugar too), chilli powder and salt added

water poured to immersing level

Diluted besan added

Lid closed and pressure cooked for 3-4 whistles, after the pressure releases, opened.

Serve with any tiffin variety!!!

Served with Ven pongal!!

This post first appeared in www.malpatskitchen.com

FIRE ROASTED EGGPLANT GOTHSU, how to make fire roasted brinjal gothsu

 

A very flavorful gothsu, an apt side for Venpongal , idlis and dosas.

Please check my other side dishes for tiffins here

For roasted eggplant thogayals, click here

Ingredients

Big brinjal/eggplant - 1, washed & wiped well, then,  smeared with cooking oil/gingely oil

Onion - 1, chopped

Tomatoes - 2, chopped

Tamarind paste - 1 tsp

Jaggery - 1 tbsp

Sambar podi/chilli powder - 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Coriander leaves for garnishing

To season

Cooking oil - 2 tsps

Hing powder - 1/2 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Split urad dhal - 1 tsp

Channa dhal - 1 tsp

Green chillies, chopped - 2

Red chillies - 2

Curry leaves - a few

Recipe cuisine: South Indian; Category: Side dish/breakfast/lunch/dinner

Fire roasting time: 20-30 mts; Cooking time: 15 mts

Serves 2-3

Brinjal being roasted on very slow flames, take care to turn it now and then so that all sides get roasted uniformly. It is very essential to roast on slow flames, then only inside also gets cooked well

Well roasted

Then drop it in a bowl of water, allow it to cool down

Then peel of the skin slowly

See, how beautifully it has been cooked!!

Seasonings, above mentioned, done in oil

Tomatoes, onions, green chillies and curry leaves added too, all sauteed

After onions and tomatoes become well sauteed, add enough water, add tamarind paste

Add sambar powder and jaggery. You can add chilli powder too, but I added sambar powder

Now, add the brinjal pulp

salt to taste added

Take a masher, and mix and mash everything nicely.

Boil just for 5-7 minutes. In fact, my mother-in-law used to add the sauteed mixture to raw tamarind water. But I just boiled the whole thing for a little while, so that the tamarind paste and sambar powder lose their raw flavor. 

Serve this extremely aromatic gothsu with Ven pongal

This post first appeared in www.malpatskitchen.com