pulikoozh - spicy tamarind cake

#Pulikoozh  #TamarindRiceCake : One of the forgotten spicy n tangy evening tiffins.
It is very easy to make. It can be prepared from dry rice flour or ground rice batter.

Ingredients :
Rice batter (rice flour)                         : 1/3 cup
Tamarind                                            : a small marble size 
Red chilly                                           : 2 or 3 
Gram dhal                                          : 3 tsp
Urad dhal                                           : 1 tsp
Ground nut                                         : 1 1/2 tblsp
Mustard seeds                                    : 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves                                       : 10 nos.
Asafoetida                                          : 1/4 tsp
Oil (preferrably gingelly oil )                 : 4 tsp

Method :
Soak tamarind in luke warm water for 15 mins.
Squeeze & strain in a container and keep aside.
Keep a kadai on stove, add oil.
Add mustard seeds when the oil becomes hot.
Once the mustard seeds splutters add broken pieces of red chillies, gram dhal and ground nuts.
When the dhals are turning into slightly golden brown add curry leaves.
Once the dhals turn to golden color add strained tamarind water & salt. Allow to simmer.

If rice is one cup take tamarind water one cup and water one cup.
Now dilute( mix ) rice batter ( rice flour ) with water.
When the tamarind water start boiling slowly add this rice mixture.

Keep on stirring with a ladle while adding the rice mixture.

It has to be stirred continuously for 10 minutes.
First the liquid slightly thickens and then leaves the sides of the kadai.
Now the koozh is ready.

Then transfer into a tray and spread well with a flat spoon by applying a little bit of oil on the surface of the koozh.
Allow it to cool down for sometime.
Then slices can be made with a knife.

It tastes too good when its hot and even better once it cooled down.
If anybody tastes once will definitely ask for one more serving!!
Koozh doesn't require chutny or any dips or sauce!
Very good for winter evenings with a hot coffee/tea.






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Savory Recipes

Vazhaipoo Vadai

#VazhaipooVadai : #Bananablossom or #bananaflower is called #Vazhaipoo in Tamil. This is not liked by many because of its astringent ( துவர்ப்பு  ) taste. 

But vazhaipoo vadai is more tastier than vazhaipoo thuvattal ( porial ) 


and easier than preparing vazhaipoo paruppu usili.

Ingredients :
Vazhaipoo                                      : 4 to 5 bunches from a flower

a bunch of vazhaipoo is shown

Onion                                             : 1 small size
Coriander leaves                             : 1 tblsp nicely chopped
Curry leaves                                    : 9 to 10
Turmeric powder                             : 1/4 tsp
Oil ( ones choice )                           : 1 cup

To grind :
Gram dhal                                       : 1/4 cup
Thuvar dhal                                     : 1/4 cup
Urad dhal                                        : 1 tblsp
whole green gram sprouted             : 1/4 cup ( optional )
Red chilly                                         : 2 ( adjust if you want it spicy)
Cumin ( jeera )                                 : 1/2 tsp
Sombu                                             : 1/2 tsp
Ginger                                              : 1/2 inch piece
Salt                                                  : 1/2 tsp adjust to taste

Method :
Wash gram dhal, thuvar dhal and urad dhal together and soak for 2 hours.
[Green gram sprouts can be used to increase the nutritional value. Soak whole green gram for 8 to 10 hours the previous day & drain the water and keep in a closed container to sprout.]
Clean vazaipoo and keep aside.
Drain water from soaked grams & Coarsely grind all the ingredients without water.
Cut vazhaipoo nicely and also chop onions nicely.
Add chopped vazhaipoo, onion, coriander leaves, curry leaves and turmeric powder to the ground dhals.

chopped onion,coriander, curry leaves & nicely
 chopped vazhaipoo added to dhals

Mix well and if its watery add small quantity of besan ( gram dhal flour ).
Keep a kadai on a stove with oil.
Heat the oil on a medium flame.
Take a small ball of vadai dough in hand slightly flatten it and fry in the hot oil.

Keep the flame to SIM position. 
Fry till the vadai turns into golden brown.

Transfer onto a serving plate lined with tissue paper.
Again fry next batch of vazhaipoo vadai.
Ha! Now enjoy hot vadai with a cup of tea/coffee.

Vazhaipoo vadai is a very tasty and healthy evening snack. 
Its a good side dish for lunch also.






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Vazhaipoo curry	Vazhaipoo koottu	Vazhaipoo adai
Masaal vadai	vazhaipoo milagu..

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Tiffin Recipes

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Recipe Index

coconut storing - preserving

We use coconut for many recipes. But if we break open a coconut it will not be possible to consume it the same day. We may be using coconut in chutney for breakfast, in koottu and poriyal for lunch and we may or may not be using for dinner. So we have to save the remaining coconut otherwise it will become rancid. We can keep it in fridge with shell but it would lose its water content and becomes tasteless. Let me explain to you all how I used to store it in fridge for many days and how to use it in recipes.
  
Scrap coconut using coconut scraper. 

Transfer into a plastic/freezer box. Close with lid.
Keep in the freezer compartment of the fridge.

The coconut scrap can be stored for a week to 10 days

Whenever coconut is needed for chutney/masala grind the frozen coconut scrap with warm water.

Wow!! the chutny/masala tastes as fresh as done from a fresh coconut.

Coconut milk can also be extracted with warm water.

For poriyal ( stir fries ) just cut out a portion from frozen coconut scrap and add at the end and stir well for a minute. It will blend well with the poriyal and tastes as good as fresh one. 

Palak Keerai Masiyal - Mashed Greens For Rice

#PalakKeeraiMasiyal ( #PalakMashedGreens ), the most simplest & tastiest recipe using green leafy vegetable. It is one of  the best ways to get all the goodness of green leafy vegetable since it is not being cooked over fire for a long time thereby destroying its vital nutrients.
Keerai Masiyal is a Tamil word and it means mashed greens.
All greens are not suitable for making keerai masiyal. The taste of keerai masiyal will be very good only when its been done with some greens like mulai keerai, palak, tender thandu keerai, red mulai keerai and arai keerai.
 The green leafy vegetable is washed in water two or three times to remove all the impurities . It is then cooked in a vessel or pressure cooker with little water. I usually pressure cook greens on high flame for one whistle and then take out cooked greens after immediately releasing steam by keeping the pressure cooker under running water or by carefully lifting the weight from the nozzle.
Allow cooked greens to come to room temperature and then mashed along with crushed garlic and salt.
Commonly the cooked greens are mashed using a wooden pestle in a wide mouthed mud pot. But I used to mash them using a blender.
Preparing keerai masiyal seems to be very easy but it should be done with utmost care. If It is overcooked greens might loose its green color and also its distinct taste. If it is undercooked it might not be palatable.

Ingredients :
Palak keerai                         : 1 hand full
Salt                                     : 1/4 tsp ( adjust )
garlic clove                          : 1 or 2

Method :
Wash palak thoroughly 2 or 3 times with water in a wide mouthed vessel.
Take 1/2 cup of water in a pressure cooker.
Put palak in the cooker.
Close the lid with weight on.
Cook for 1 whistle on high flame.
Turn off the stove.

Release steam immediately by keeping the cooker under running water or simply removing weight.Transfer into a bowl.

Allow the cooked palak to come down to room temperature.

Now in a mixie jar take garlic cloves ( remove skin ) and run for a second.

Then add the palak & salt and grind only for few seconds to get coarsely blended palak masiyal.
Tasty tasty keerai masiyal is ready!!

Take hot white rice in a plate. Put 2 to 3 tsp full of masiyal & a tsp of gingelly oil ( sesame/till oil ).

Mix well and have it with hot sambar especially drumstick sambar. 

ah!! wow!! Wow!! superb taste!! 


 and also too good with vathakuzhambu

Other green leafy vegetable recipes

Red Greens Masiyal

Red Greens Dhal Masiyal

Red Greens Lentil

manathakkali keerai paal saru

murungai keerai paal saru

Variety of Dishes for Lunch

Lunch Recipes

Vazhai Thandu Poriyal

#VazhaiThanduPoriyal - #BananStemStirFry : #Vazhaithandu is the inner tender core of the trunk of banana tree. Vazhaithandu is called #BananaStem or #BananaTrunk. Banana stem ( vazhaithandu ) is also an edible part of banana tree.
It is widely used in recipes of South India especially in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
Generally vazhaithandu thayir pachadi and vazhaithandu poriyal ( stir fry ) are widely prepared from vazhaithandu.
It is rich in dietary fiber and also rich in potassium & vitamin B6.
It is diuretic which helps to detoxify the body. It is believed that eating banana stem as well as its juice dissolves or flushes out kidney stones.
Now to the preparation of vazhaithandu poriyal. 

Ingredients :
Vazhai thandu  [banana stem ]      : 20 cm long piece

Onion                                              : 1 small size
Red chilly                                        : 1 (take 1 more if needed)

Mustard seeds                                 : 1/4 tsp
Urad dhal [ black gram split ]         : 1/2 tsp
curry leaves                                     : 5 to 6
grated coconut                                 : 3 tsp(can add more also)
Oil                                                    : 1tsp

Method :
Peel off skin lengthwise.

Cut one circular piece horizontally ( cross cut ) and you could see fibers holding the piece onto the stem. Remove those fibers by pulling out that piece from the stem. 

Wind the fiber onto your fore finger.

Again cut next piece, pull out and remove fiber. Repeat the procedure to remove fiber from the stem.

Place all the circular pieces of the stem in a very thin ( watery ) butter milk or simply in plain water to avoid decolorization of vazhaithandu pieces .
Now chop all the pieces into long thin pieces ( julians ) and again put in water or thin buttermilk.

Nicely chop onions & break red chilly into 3 to 4 pieces.
Keep aside.
Now place a kadai with a tsp of oil on slow flame.
First splutter mustard seeds, then add red chilly pieces, & urad dhal.
When urad dhal turns golden brown add curry leaves and onion.
Saute for a minute, then add vazhaithandu.
Add enough salt and mix thoroughly.
Now close the kadai with a lid.
It cooks very fast ( only a minute or so) as the thandu is watery .
Open the lid and add grated coconut.
Ha! vazhaithandu poriyal is ready. Transfer into a serving bowl.

Note:
Soak 1 tblsp of green gram dhal ( moong dhal ) for half an hour, drain water and add after onion has been sauteed well. Moong dhal gives a different taste to poriyal.

Also you can add a pinch of turmeric powder along with onion.

A very good side dish for sambar or rasam rice.





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Lunch Index

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Arisi Upma - Rice Upma

#ArisiUpma  #RiceUpma : #Upma is a traditional dish of Tamil Nadu, India prepared from rice. Nowadays upma prepared from sooji ( rawa ) or vermicelli ( semiya ) is more popular.

Many people generally used to say  "I hate upma". But I am sure, if they have relished #riceupma once, then they would definitely fall in love with it.

The prepared quantity is just enough for 3 persons.
Cooking time : 15 - 20 minutes.

Ingredients :

Raw Rice                                       :  1 1/2 cup
Tuvar dhal                                      : 1 Tbsp
Onion                                             : 2
Green Chilly                                    : 4 ( adjust accordingly )
Red Chilly                                       : 1 break into pieces
Mustard seeds                                 : 1 tsp
Gram dhal                                      : 3 tsp
Urad dhal                                       : 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida                                      : 1/2 tsp ( if powder ) or a small piece
Ginger                                             : a small piece, cut and smash
Curry leaves                                   : 10 to 12
Cooking Oil                                     : 3 tsp

Any cooking oil can be used. But if made with gingelly ( till - sesame ) oil upma tastes good with nice aroma.

Method :
Wash rice and tuvar dhal together in a wide mouthed vessel thoroughly and drain water completely.

Keep aside. Allow it to dry.

Remove skin of onion and nicely chop.
Wash curry leaves and dab with kitchen towel to remove water.
Wash green chilly and slit lengthwise into two.
Now keep a thick bottomed vessel or kadai or cooker on a slow flame.
Add 3 tsp of oil.
When oil is hot, add mustard seeds.
Once mustard seeds pop up, add urad dhal, gram dhal, broken red chilly pieces and asafoetida.

When dhal turns golden brown add curry leaves & slit green chilly.

Saute well for few seconds and add onions.
Keep stirring till onion turns into pale pink color.
Then add smashed ginger piece and saute until its raw smell goes off. 
At this stage add salt.
Add 3 cups of water. Now increase flame to HIGH position.
Bring it to boil.

Now take the rice in a mixie jar. 

Run for a few seconds only to grind coarsely.

When it starts boiling turn the stove to SIM position and add rice.

Stir well and cook for 3 minute closing with a lid.
After 3 minutes open the lid and mix well with a ladle.

Again close with a lid and cook for 8 minutes.
In between, open the lid and stir well with a ladle.

Now upma is ready.

After the upma is done it can be kept on the stove at SIM position for another 10 to 15 minutes ( or for 1/2 hour also ) to get a thick layer of golden crust at the bottom of the cooking vessel which is called adai. It tastes yummy and everyone likes it!!!

Have Upma with coconut chutney.

Here upma is served with Pudhina chutney My preference is upma with jaggery.


The adai ( golden crust ) formed at the bottom of the vessel goes well with sugar or jaggery.

Other recipes you may like to try

Rice Sundal

Kodo Millet Sundal

Kodo millet upma

Kuthiraivaali upma

Kodo venthaya kanji

Ideas for Breakfast/Dinner

Tiffin varieties

For accompaniments

Chutney Recipes