Soya chunks rice # OPOS

My daughter's  friend 's  mom usually prepare this  kind of rice. I want  to try  this , Yesterday when I google something , i came across  this soya chunks rice, Tried  my hand and  got a  good comments  from the family members too. Today I tried  in layering them in pressure cooker and done in 10 mins. with very less oil & ghee .
Ingredients :
Soya  chunks  = 2  cups
Basmati Rice - 2 cups (Today I used  ordinary raw rice, no stock of basmati rice)
Salt  - to taste
vegetables  - carrot, capsicum , beans ( i used   little  carrots  only)
 Onion  - 2  sliced
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
 jeeragam , saunf  - 1/2 tsp
 red  chilly powder  - 1/2 tsp
 oil+ ghee  - 3 tsp
 clove - 1
Coriander leaves - to garnish

  Method :
 Soak the soya chunks  in hot water for 5 mins  and  drain and wash the chunks in cold water  2 times  and squeeze the water completely.
 In a   pressure cooker add the ghee+ oil , add jeera, saunf  , clove ,1 bay leave,then layer onion  sliced  , next  layer  ginger garlic paste , red chilly powder , then nicely cut vegetables with  a  pinch of salt spinkled  , and sprinkle garam masala, next layer   soaked basmati/ raw rice   sprinkle  salt ,  add 2  cups of water slowly by the side without disturbing the layers ,cook for  2 whistles  by closing the lid ( just  10 mins ). Then open the lid and garnish with fresh coriander leaves  and  enjoy the soya chunks rice. Soya is good for health , we can use  in kanji maavu /  adding  with  wheat flour  to prepare chapathi .

Appalam vatha kuzhambu

Vathakuzhambu  is our  all time favourite . We  prepare   vathakuzhambu with green  vegetables .. called as Vendaya kuzhambu , with manathakkali / sunda vathal./ kathrikai  vaththals... we   used  to prepare  as  vathakuzhambu . If we prepare with urad  appalam  it is appala kuzhambu , its  a finger licking dish . During my school days  , my friend's mom makes   urad  appalam , rice appalam in her house , She prepares  vathakuzhambu with appalam   in her house most of the times , It was tasty  still I recollects aroma/ the  taste   and  remembers  the aroma  and taste whenever I prepare this appala kuzhambu.
Ingredients:
 Appalam - 3 medium size ( make  each of them  into 8 pieces)
Tamarind juice - ( 2 goose berry size  - soak and take extract for  3 cups)
 Samabar powder  - 2 tsp
 Salt - to taste
 Thur dal - 1 tsp
 Vendayam (methi seeds) - 1/2 tsp
 Kadugu (mustard seed ) -  1/2 tsp
 Gingelly oil- 4 tsp
 Curry leaves - 5 / 6
Hing  - 1 tsp ( powder / katti perungayam )

Method:
     Take a kadai  pour the gingelly oil and temper kadugu ,  thur dal  ,vendhayam,( fry dal and vendhayam till golden colour) curry leaves  add hing then   add the  pieces  of appalam  and  roast them . After that add the tamarind juice , sambar powder and salt  . Allow to  boil and  make it  half  the quantity  of  what we added , we can smell  a good aroma of  appalam, gingelly oil , curry leaves .. Now we  get the correct consistancy of the vatha kuzhambu . You can have  the aroma in the  whole house . We can enjoy  with hot rice, arisi upma,  curd rice ...with pazhaya sadham ,( a healthy diet ,,, now  American  agree that our  pazhaya sadham is a  healthy diet and they are selling in bottles) ...... the list  is endless. We  can give the whole world  to the vathakuzhambu.

Sutta Vaazhaikai podi

Vaazhaikai podi is very old recipe  prepared  my granny , mom , it is  our favourite recipe too. My grand ma   put this vaazhaikai  in   venneer aduppu which they use to heat hot water to take bath.My mom  used to roast in direct flame in  gas stove , I too follow the  very same  . Some   used to steam  the vaazhaikai  in cooker without adding water , then preparing  in the usual way .When we roast directly over the gas stove this gives   smoky  flavour too for this podi which we like very much.
Ingredients:
 Raw banana ( vaazhai kai ) -- 2
Red chillies  --  7 or 8
 Kadalai paruppu  - 3  tsp
 Urad dal  -  3 tsp
 Salt  - to taste
 Tamarind  - 1 gooseberry size
Hing  - small katti ( little more )
 oil -  1 tsp

 Method :
           In kadai add the oil and roast  kadalai paruppu ,  urad dal . rechillies , hing , remove from fire then add tamarind ,  allow to cool  .In a mixie add the roasted ingredients  and salt  and  grind  coarsely .In the meanwhile , roast the vaazhaikai  in  direct flame on the gas stove  till the skin becomes  black . Then remove the skin , mash it by hand . Then add  this in the mixie with the  powder and give a   whip for  2 sec, if we do for more time  then it will become mashy . Give   just a whip  to get a  podi structure .  we can  mix  this  podi  in hot rice  with a dash of gingly oil  ,  or  we  can use  as a side dish for  curd rice , This recipe  is forgotten  one.

Samba Godhumai rava payasam PIP method #OPOS

Usually we propare  payasam  during the festivals, amavasya, navarathri times. During  Navarathri we prepare daily a  payasam , sundal ,  kalandha sadham for neivedhyam. Each day    we have a  special payasam  as neivedhyam . One day we prepare Samba Godhumai Rava payasam. It is a  healthy one also easy to prepare too.
 Ingredients :
 Samaba Godhumai rava- 1 small cup
 Vellam  -  1/2   to  3/4  cup(  according to your taste )
 Elaichi powder  - 1 pinch
 Boiled cold milk  -  3/4   cup

  Method :
              Dry roast samba godhumai rava  till the  flavour  comes , not to brown / red  colour.
 We can prepare  payasam  in open vessel  / in cooker .Today I prepared in 2 lt cooker .. Take  the cooker  put the vellam  ( jaggery)and  add water just to the level of  jaggery  , heat  it to  get dissolved  , filter this  jaggery  water , to remove the impurities  and  pour it in the cooker  and pour  1/2  cup  more  water   , in another vessel  take the  samba godhumai ravai and add milk  and close it with lid  tightly  and place it in the cooker in the jaggery water  close the cooker with lid and  allow for 2 whistles . After a meditation for  3 minutes  open the cooker and   mix the jaggery water with the cooked  godhumai rava  and   whisk it quickly , then add  elaichi powder .If  you want you can add cashews  roasted in ghee   also . Now  the tasty, healthy  payasam ready ( i didnt  have the  cashews in stock , so didnt add )

Brinjal stuffed curry

Again  kathrikai   ...... this time  our favourite  stuffed curry .We have to prepare this  with extra care, otherwise  it will get broken . Very tasty  curry , When we have this ready made podi we can prepare very quickly.
 Ingredients:
 Kutty kathrikai ( tender) - 1/2 kilo
 Salt  -  to taste
 Curry powder -  2 to 3 tsp ( according to spicy )
 Oil -  4 tsp
 Turmeric powder  - 1/2 tsp
 Curry leaves   - 4  /  5 
 To prepare curry powder :
 Dania ( coriander seeds  )  -  3 tsp
 Chana dal -  2 tsp
 Red chillies - 4  / 5
 Tempering :
 Kadugu  - 1 tsp

 Dry roast  dania. chana dal. red chillies in kadai  and powder it in a mixie.
 Wash the brinjal  check for the worms then  slit  from bottom side  or  top side  without cutting  fully. Take the curry powder and  add  the required salt and mix  thoroughly. Then stuff this mixer inside the slit brinjal without braking into pieces.
 In a  kadai  add   oil  , add    kadugu , curry leaves  temper it , then add the stuffed brinjal slowly  turning every now and then with out bracking  into pieces  cook it  by closing it with the lid.. In  5 minutes  it will be ready .
Another method , # OPOS:
For  this we  stuff the brinjal  first with curry powder ( as  given above) and   take a   2 lt cooker  add  4 tsp of oil  , curry leaves , then arrange the stuffed brinjal carefully  and  add 2  tsp of water from the side and  cook for  1  whistle / 4 mins. Allow the pressure to settle down and  open the lid and  take  the stuffed  brinjal carefully and  serve  with hot  rasam sadham / mor kuzhambu . Enjoy   the   stuffed  kathrikai  curry.

Easy Vegetable koottu # OPOS

My mom made us to  eat all the vegetables, saying  " ovvoru kayile  ovvoru saththu  irukku "..... She prepared deliciously also . She wont use more spicy or more  ingredients .. with anjaraipetti  ingredients    we got  very very yummy food prepared  my mom.  , I  try to follow her methods  as far as possible.
Now  I am using one pot one shot  with the same ingredients ,Sometimes  Mom use   grated coconut, red chillies , jeeragam .  grind coarsely  and  ading to the koottu , Sometimes  simple  koottu without  coconuts .
Today I prepared simple delicious koottu with out coconut .
Ingredients:
 Snake gourd/ pudalangai   - 2 ( 1/2 kilo){ cabbage/ avaraikai/ raw tomato / peerkangai   also we can  use instead of pudalangai}
 Turmeric powder -  1/2 tsp
 Green dal (payatham paruppu)   - 3 tsp
 Salt  - to taste
Green chillies - 2  to 3 ( sliced)
 Tempering:
 Oil - 2 tsp
 Kadugu - 1 tsp
 Curry leaves -  4 /5 leaves

 Method :
   Wash and   cut the pudalangai  remove the centre part and seeds   and cut  it into small pieces .
 Take  a  2  lt cooker use   2 tsp oil  ,then add the ingredients  as layers ..   cut  vegetables , green dal , salt , green chillies,turmeric powder , then add   2 cups of water be the side of the cooker without disturbing the layers , Cook for  3 whistles  or  10 to 12  mins. Allow the cooker get cooled, open the cooker mash the koottu and  add the  tempering ingredients  garnish with fresh coriander leaves( but i dont have today ).You can use  this koottu as side dish for sambar rice/ vatha kuzhambu rice/ rasam rice .... 
             

Easy Mysore pa

Making mysore pa  is   not  a easy one, some times  this will become  sunnambu katti  some times  juicy ..... How to solve this  in aeasy way to get a  soft mysore pa  using sugar syrup hack procedure .
 In our   food group we  used to  prepare  many sweets  using this method, so that we can be hazzle free , using lee ghee  can enjoy the sweets.
Ingredients:
 Besan -
 Sugar ,
 water.
 ghee
1 cup roasted gram flour ( Roasted in 1/4 cup ghee ) Roast till raw smell goes 1 cup sugar Quarter cup water Switch off sugar syrup at 4th whistle Mix well n add extra 2 tbsp ghee it is perfecto It's really mouth melting .

Vaazhaikkai roast / Raw banana roast

We use vaazhaikai during  amavasya  , rituals  and also during marriages too. Ofcourse  the elders afraid that it is an  gastric  vegetable.  We  can prepare  so many variety of dishes  using Vaazhaikai , here is  one  which  my family members  love  to have .
Ingredients:
 Raw banana (Vaazhaikai ) -  3
 Salt    - to taste
 Sambar powder   --- 2 tsp
  Temper:
 Oil  to fry -- 3 tsp
 Kadugu   - 1 tsp
 Urad dal  -  2 tsp
 Curry   leaves  -  6  /  7

 Method :
 Cut the the banana  with skin  in  3 or 4 pieces  and cook in water  with skin . After  three fourth cooked ,  filter the water , allow to cool , then remove the skin and  cut into slices in  2inches thickness.
In kadai  pour oil, temper with kadugu, urad dal and curry leaves then add the banana  slices and turn for 2 minutes. Now add the sambar powder and  salt and  fry till  it gets coated and   to golden brown colour.
Now the crispy  vaazhaikai roast ready , Easy to prepare  and  can use less oil too

Seven cup cake

I learnt this  excellent easy  sweet from my mom, ofcourse  she   is an excellent cook, I love  all the dishes  prepared by her  .I learnt so many dishes  after   my marriage  only . We are  sweet lovers .
 Ingredients:
 Besan -  1 cup
 Ghee    - 1 cup
 Milk  -  1 cup ( boiled and cooled)
 Grated coconut - 1 cup
 Sugar   - 3 cups

 Method :   Mix all the ingredients  together  and    turn frequently without leaving  the hands,  When   the mix  leaves the sides of the kadai and bubbles  came ( nearly mysorepak consistancy)  adding elaichi powder and  remove from the fire and  pour  on the greased tray , leave   it to settle for  5 minuts and   cut it into the desired shape. Never failed  sweet.Less  ghee too .
                 Very easy   yummy tasty sweet is ready . 

Diwali sweet 2- Rava laddu

Very tasty sweet ,  all my siblings  and appa   love this sweet  very much , I remember  my patti (mom's mom)  is an expert cook , she  prepared this  extraordinarily  good, Every year when we return after our  summer vacation from our   patti's village, she   used  to prepare and  give rava laddu, payatham laddu, aval ( home made -- what a lovely flavour that aval had)It may  be due to  patti's added  love too!!!.These are good old  memories
Ingredients:
Rava - 1 cup
 Sugar  -   1  to 1 1/2  cup ( according to your taste  )
 Ghee  = 1/4  cup
Elaichi powder - 1 tsp
Cashew nut - 6to 8

Method:
 Dry roast rava till aroma comes ... (not  into  brown color) .Then in  flour mill  ground roasted rava to powder, make sugar also  to powder in mixie.Then mix them  together by adding elaichi powder  .Heat the ghee and fry cashews and pour on the mix and mix them   thoroughly and  make  rounds , yummy easy rava  laddu ready. 

Diwali sweet-1 Kunjaalaadu / laddu

This is my  first try for this Diwali, Every year I think to try this Laddu , but  somehow or  other that didnt happen.This time  I planned prior to  try this laddu for this Diwali positively. Yes did it and got appreciation too from the family members .My elder sister  is   an expert in making laddu , so got the tips also from her earlier .
Very simple ingredients only , in no time all can make this and can enjoy the sweet.
Ingredients :
Besan  -  kadalai maavu   - 1 cup
Water  - 1/2 cup (nearly) [for making batter]
Sugar  - 1 cup
 Water for making paagu( sugar syrup)  - 1/2 cup
Ghee  - 2 tsp
 kismis  - 2 tsp
 Cashewnut - 5 to 6
 elaichi powder - 1/2 tsp
 Diamond kalkandu- 10
 Oil - to prepare Boondhi

 First  sieve the kadalai maavu nicely then  add water  little by little and  make   it like  a dosa batter  consistancy .
In the meanwhile  add water to  the sugar allow  to dissolve completely and filter it  to remove impurities  if there is any .Then prepare sugar syrup in one string consistancy   and   switch off the flame.Take  oil in kadai, start preparing  bhoondhis using the bhoondhi laddle, (pour the batter in the  bhoondhi laddle and   drop on the  warm (not very hot)oil  ) allow to drop the batter  round  not in conical or thattai shape.,remove fried bhoondis from the oil, filter the oil from the bhoondhis  in a kitchen towel and soak in the sugar syrup.Each time   we have to wash and wipe the  laddle and  then only we have to pour the batter through the laddle in oil. .Otherwise  the bhoondhis  will not  be round in shape. You can prepare  the  bhoondhis in 2 /3 times .Then in ghee fry cashew nuts, kismis,and  put them on the bhoondhis soaking on the sugar syrup also add elaichi powder, diamond kalkandu, Turn them frequently to get the sugar coated  completely and allow to soak. Allow  it get  cooled  , then make  round . urundais . Yummy  yummy laddu ready .

Goddu kuzhambu

My mother in law is a great cook ,she prepares   tasty  food items, I learnt  many dishes  from her . This  kuzhambu  is little similar to pitlai  but no  roasting , grinding  of  spices , coconut  etc. Easy and tasty kuzhambu .We use green sundaikai, karunai kizhangu, black chana ( karuppu kothukadalai- soaked and boiled) ,
Ingredients :
 Thur dal  - 3 tsp ( cooked  and mashed)
 Tamarind - 1 gooseberry  size ( soak it and extract the juice  for 2 - 2 1/2 cups)
 Sambar powder - 2 tsp
 Salt - to taste
Hing - little
Curry leaves -6
 Grated  Coconut -  3 tsp
 Coconut oil - 2 tsp

To  Temper :
 Kadugu - 1 tsp
 Chana dal ( kadalai  paruppu ) - 1 tsp
 Method :
       In a kadai ., take coconut oil  and temper mustard seeds, chana dal , hing , grated coconut , curry leaves putting one by one  and  fry ,add the cooked karunai kizhangu / pachcha sundai kai(  slit the  sundal kai little  at the mouth side) / cooked black chana  and  roast for  2 minutes  , then add tamarind juice , sambar powder and salt .Allow to boil/ cook for 15 to 20 minutes till the raw smell of tamarind, sambar powder goes.Now add the cooked , mashed dal with the kuzhambu and  boil for  2 minutes to get the required consistancy . Now the    good aroma  filled   goddu kuzhambu is ready to serve with hot  rice .
 

Brinjal podi thoovina Curry

Brinjal   our favourite vegetable..Brinjal is a species of the nightshade family. It is known as a vegetable but botanically speaking it is a fruit. Eggplant is native to India but is now grown in many parts of the world. Being a good source of number vitamins,minerals, antioxidants, dietary fibers and other compounds, they are very beneficial for us and provides a lot of health and beauty benefits. However, there are also some side effects of eating too many eggplants (1) Can Stimulate Menstruation (2) May cause Acidic Problems.(3) Can cause Allergic  reaction (4) May contain Nicotine (5) Too much potassium and fibre.(6) Interfere with Antidepressant Drugs(7) May give false Positive  Result in Carcinoid Tumors Test .So take  a normal amount , not excess -" Alavukku minjinaal amruthamum visham ."

 Ingredients Needed:
 Brinjal -    1/2 kilo ( cut length wise and put it  water - for non decolorising)
 Salt - to taste
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)
 For  dry roasting and powdering :
  Chana dal -  3 tsp
Dania (coriander seeds)-  4 tsp
 Red chillies   = 4 / 5
 Cococnut - 2 tsp ( optional)
 Tempering :
 Oil - 4 tsp
 kadugu (mustard seeds) - 1 tsp
 Urad dal -  2  tsp
 Curry leaves   -  4 / 5 leaves
Method :
               First   dry roast the  ingredients given and powder in  a  mixie. Then take  the same wok/ kadai  add the cooking oil  , temper with mustard seeds, urad dal , curry leaves , then  add the cut brinjal pieces ,
 turn  them frequently , then add salt  and  fry for  5 more minutes , then add  the dry roasted powder and fry till it becomes   soft and cooked  . Now  brinjal fry  is ready .

 

Seppangkizhangu Roast

We like this  Seppangkizhangu very much , but this  is  not that much good  for the health, although this   is in excellent taste.We dont  make this  often .We   will use the  little old   kizhangu , not the very fresh  one.

Ingredients:
 Seppang kizhangu  - 1/2 kilo
 Sambar powder     - 2 tsp
 Salt  - to taste
 hing ---  very little
Oil  - 4 tsp
 curry leaves , coriander leaves for  garnishing 
 Method :
 Cook seppang kizhangu in a vessel for  20 to 25 mins ( not too much cooked)  use  1 tsp of  cooking oil while cooking.Remove the skin  and  in a bowl   put the  deskinned   kizhangu ,  sambar powder , salt and marinate it for  15 to 20 minutes.
Take a  wok / kadai , put 4 tsp of oil  and  put   5/6 curry leaves , then add the marinated  kizhangu  and  fry in a  slow flame  to get a good fried one  by turning often  without getting burnt at the bottom.Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

This  is tasty roast  with  arachu vitta sambar / rasam / mor kuzhambu ....

Brinjal Asadu koottu

My  grandma  prepare this koottu  in a casual way , She was  a great cook , My mom and mom in law  too prepared  the  food  in a jiff and   in  excellent  taste . We   still remember  and recollect their way of cooking in a   wooden aduppu, kumutti etc  with so much of  smoke ,Those days are golden days. As she says about  Kathrikai    , kai le kathrikayum  uravile chiththaathaa uravum usathi .. Means  in vegetables  Brinjal  and  in relation aunt ( mother's  younger  sister ) are great . She  prepared  so many dishes  with brinjal.
We can see the Asadu koottu  now:

Ingredients :
 Brinjal -  2 cups( washed  and  cut  and  put it in water  to avoid discolouring)
 Thur dal - 1 small cup ( cooked )
Tamarind juice  -  gooseberry size , soak and extract the juice
Ginger -   1/2 inch size ( cut very small pieces)
Green chilly - 3 (slit )
Turmeric powder -  little
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp  and urad dal - 1 tsp for tempering
 Sambar powder - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
  Garnishing - Curry leaves and  coriander leaves
 For  dry  roast: and powder in mixie
Chana dal - 1 tsp
Dhania - 2 tsp
Thur dal - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 2 tsp
 Red chilly -3
 Pepper - 1/2 tsp
 Hing -    small katti
Method :
Take a kadai and take   2 tsp of cooking oil temper  kadugu , urad dal , green chillies, turmeric powder , ginger pieces, then add brinjals  and fry for 2 minutes  , then add  tamarind juice, salt , sambar powder  and  cook till the raw smell of the tamarind and samber powder  goes.Then add the  cooked dal   and   add the   dry and ground  powder  , mix it without lumps  allow to boil for  1 minutes , then   garnish with curry leaves and fresh coriander leaves  and  enjoy the koottu   in hot  rice/  samber rice/ rasam rice.


 
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Karunaikizhangu Masiyal..--Elephant Yam Masiyal.

 Yam is a  good  root vegetable , it is good for the health , It is easily available in Tamilnadu.It has amazing health benefits without any side effects,it is  good for curing loss of appetite, bleeding piles and piles related problem, it helps to reduce constipation.Some  mistake Seppankizhangu for  Karunai kizhangu

 Ingredients : 

  Karunai kizhangu -- 4 to 5 ( wash thoroughly , peel the skin , then cook )

  Salt - to taste 

  Green chillies - 2 ( slit/ cut nicely)

  Turmeric powder  - 1/2 tsp

  Tamarind juice - little to treat for  the itchy when we  consume

  Lemon juice  -  3 tsp( from1/2 lemon)

 Tempering :

 Oil - 1 tsp

 Kadugu/ mustard seeds- 1 tsp

 Urad dal - 1 tsp

 Red chilly  - 1  

 For Garnishing : fresh curry leaves  & coriander leaves

 Karunai kizhangu Masiyal:

 Cook the  karunaikizhangu  and peel the skin, then mash it. If it is little itching  then add little tamarind water .Then add  turmeric powder ,  slit green chillies ,  cleaned , sliced ginger pieces salt  and  cook for  5 minutes after adding some  water . Then add the tadka  kadugu ,urad dal ,  red chilly ,curry leaves  in oil .After  1 minute add lemon juice and garnish with fresh coriander leaves . Enjoy Karunai kizhangu masiyal with hot sambar rice / rasam rice .