Milagu/Kariveppilai Kuzhambu...Pepper/Curry Leaves Subji.

 

Kaththrikkai milagu kuzhambu

People who like pepper taste will love this subji/kuzhambu.  This can be made with garlic or without.  Our family loves garlic taste in this kuzhambu. Typical Tamilnadu dish!

Ingredients:

1.  1 lemon sized Tamarind (Puli) soaked in warm water for 10 mts.and strained.

2.  1/4 kg. Brinjal (Kaththrikkai/bengan) cut into pieces.

3.  15-20 Garlic (Poondu) pods.

Fry these ingredients with 1 tsp. coconut oil:

4.  1/2 tsp. or a small piece Perungaayam Hing/Asafoetida

5.  1 tbs. Bengal gram/kadalai paruppu/Chana dhaal

6.  1/2 tbs. Black gram/Uluththam paruppu/Urad dhaal

7.  1 tbs. Coriander/Koththamalli vidhai/Dhania

8.  1 tbs. Pepper corn (you can take half tsp.more if you like the taste)

10. 3-4 red chillies.

11. 1/2 tsp. Fenugreek seeds/Vendhayam/Methi (optional)

12. 1 small piece of Jaggery to blend the taste. 

13. 1/2 cup grated or small pieces of coconut.

14. Curry leaves, as much as you like. 

15. Salt 1 to 1 1/2 tbs. Add 1 tbs. first,taste and add more if you feel it is too tangy.

15. 1/4 cup Gingelly oil/Nallennai/Til oil  

Method: 

You can see all the ingredients here.

Roasted ingredients on the left and tamarind water with salt and jaggery on the right.

Take a Kadai, add a tsp. of coconut oil, add hing/perungaayam. It will fluff up. Heat should be medium. Add bengal gram, fry a bit, add black gram, coriander, chillies and curry leaves.  Fry a bit till the leaves look roasted.  Add coconut pieces.  Fry little more. Add pepper.  Fry till one pepper flutters! Switch off the stove.  Grind these ingredients in a mixer.  You can add water in the end and blend.  Keep it aside.

Take a vessel. Boil the strained tamarind water with the jaggery piece and salt.  I add half tsp. of haldi/manjal podi/Turmeric powder in this.  Some people don't.

Keep the kadai in another burner, switch on and add the gingelly oil.  Some people add a tsp. of mustard seeds/Kadugu/rai and let it flutter.  I don't.  Again, medium heat. Add garlic, fry a bit and then add the cut brinjal pieces.  Fry it a bit more and then add it in the boiling tamarind water. Add the ground paste after you check the brinjal is soft/cooked.  Add 2-3 glasses of water till you get the needed consistency.  Bring it to a boil.  Switch off.

Some people like it slightly thick and some people like it a bit watery.  Do as you please.  We can have it with rice or chapaathi/roti or dosa/idly even.  You can keep it for 2-3 days and use.  It tastes better when it gets old!


Variations: You can use drumstick/murungakkaai  instead of brinjal.  You can add a tsp. of Jeera/cumin seeds/jeeragam also while grinding.  No need to roast. You can do this recipe without adding coconut too.  You can do your own variations.  I do this quantity for 3 people in my family and use it for minimum two days!

Hope you, esp. Sharada, because of whom I wrote this recipe, like it

Any doubt means just drop a line here.  I will be happy if you write if you like too!

Pulikkaachchal Paste With Tamarind/Huliogare Gojju

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Pulikkaachchal

We prepare this chutney at home, esp. during Pongal festival time because we make mixed rice on the next day of Pongal, Kanu.  Pulianjaadham (rice mixed with this chutney) or lemon rice and other rice like 'yellu saadham' (Podi/powder recipe is here)

Now, let me give the recipe:

Ingredients:

1. 2 lemon sized ball of Imli/Puli/Tamarind. Soak it in warm water and keep
    aside. After 10-15 mts. squeeze and filter the water in a vessel. Do it
    2-3 times by adding water.  It should not be very watery also.

Dry Roast:

2.  1 tbs. Til/Yellu/Sesame seeds

3.  1 tbs. Urad dhaal/Uluththam paruppu/Broken black gram (for powdering)
     1 tbs. for garnishing.

4.  2 tsp. not tbs.:) Methi/Vendhayam/Fenugreek seeds


Roast with 2 tsp.of coconut oil:

5. 1 tbs. Channa dhaal/Kadalai paruppu/Bengal gram (for powdering)
     1 tbs. for garnishing.

6.  1 tbs.  Dhania/Coriander seeds

7.  1 tbs. Kaali mirch/Pepper/Milagu

8.  20-25 Red chillies

9.  Curry leaves

For the Last step:

10.1 small piece of jaggery (or 1 tbs.) to moderate the tamarind's sour taste.

11.1/2 to 1 cup Til ke tel/Gingily oil/Nallennei (You can use refined or groundnut
      oil too, if you like. But Tamilians use Nallennei)

12.4 tbs. Namak/Salt/uppu (nearly or according to your taste...you can add
      later  if it is less)

13.1 small piece or 1 tsp. (powder) of Hing/asofoetida/perungaayam

14. 3-4 tbs. Moongphali/Groundnut/Verkkadalai

15. 1 tsp. Rai/Mustard/Kadugu

16. 1/2 tsp.Haldi/Turmeric powder/manjal podi

Method:

Take a kadai/wok and dry roast til, till you hear them burst/crackle... Remove from fire as soon as it starts bursting.  Put it in a plate.  Then roast methi till it becomes a little burnished in colour.  Put it in the plate. Roast Urad dhaal, till it becomes a bit brown in colour. Put it in the plate.

Now, put the coconut oil in the kadai and fry hing if it is a piece. (If you are going to use hing powder, you can add it later).  It becomes slightly bigger in size. Add Channa dhaal, dhania, fry a bit. Add previously washed and cleaned curry leaves, chilly etc.  Roast a bit more.  Then add pepper.  You should not add it in the beginning.  It will burst and you should remove from fire as soon as you hear one sound! Put it with the earlier ingredients.   When it is cool, powder it in a mixer and keep aside.

Tamarind

Filtering 

Fried ingredients for powdering.

Take a vessel/kadai (a bit thick bottomed would be better), pour gingily oil.  Add mustard. When it crackles, add groundnut.  Let it fry till it turns its colour slightly.  Add Channa dhaal, urad dhaal etc.  We are adding them size wise.  When they are fried, reduce the heat and add the filtered tamarind water, slowly.  Fumes will come out.  Be careful.  Add haldi, jaggery, salt and hing powder if you hadn't added the hard hing in the powder.  You can increase the heat now. Boil it well.  Add the powder from the mixer after 10 mts.  If you add a bit more of gingily oil, it would be tastier.  This oil is harmless and good for health.  You can see the oil on the sides in the first picture. Let it boil till it becomes a bit thicker, not dry.  It should be lose.  Reduce the heat when it starts becoming thicker.  Your pulikkachchal is ready!

You can mix it with hot rice, eat it with dosa, idly, chapaathi or apply on bread for sandwiches.  Hope you like it.  You can use it for a couple of days and then keep the remaining in the fridge in an airtight container.

Try it and tell me if you like it or if you got any doubt while preparing it.

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P.S.: If you want to prepare less quantity, take 50% of all the ingredients.

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Yellu Podi/Sesame Seeds Chutney Powder!

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Yellu podi/Sesame chutney powder.

Ingredients and method: 

First, these are the ingredients for dry roasting:



1. 200 gms. Black sesame seeds/til/karuppu yellu
    Black sesame seed has got more nutrition and smells good.                              
    Dry roast it in a kadaai and let it cool.
    Grind it in a mixi and keep aside.

Fry these ingredients in 1 tsp.of coconut oil:

2. 1 tsp. Mustard seeds/rai/Kadugu.  Let it splutter and then add:

3. 1 tbs. Black gram dhaal/urad dhaal/uluththam paruppu

4.  6-7 Red chillies 

5.  Washed and cleaned curry leaves...add this and fry a little. Then add

6. 2 tsp. of Black pepper/kaali mirchi/milagu (as soon as you hear the        
    'ttup'of one pepper's bursting/spluttering, switch off the fire.  If you allow all  
    the peppers to burst/crackle, the powder might taste bitter).

7. Let it cool and then grind in a mixi.  The chilli seeds should get crushed    
    properly. Add enough salt (1 tsp. first, taste it after grinding and add more if
    needed). 1/2 tsp. of sugar to blend the taste and 1/2 tsp. of Dri Tam
    (brand name for dry tamarind powder) should be added.  Add the ground    
    sesame powder and grind again. 

    Tasty yellu podi is ready.

Dry roasted sesame seeds.

Fried ingredients. You can reduce or increase the no.of chillies as per your taste.

Grind separately and then mix together in the end.

The tasty yellu podi!

Try it at home and let me know if you liked it.  You can store it in a normal container.  Refrigeration is not needed! Stays for months together if wet spoon is not used:). Good luck!


P.S.: I did with 200 gms. of seeds.  Reduce the quantity of the ingredients if you are doing with 100 gms. I took photographs when I did it during last Pongal!

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