Sundaikkai_Koottu

 #SundaikkaiKoottu  [ #PeaEggplant Lentil ] :

Sundaikkai [ Sundakkai ] is called Devil's fig, Prickly nightshade, Turkish berry, Wild eggplant, pea eggplant in English. The scientific name is Solanum torvum.

#Sundaikkai [ #Sundakkai ] tastes like brinjal but slightly bitter. It is commonly dried in the Sun to make vathal. The fried sundaikkai vathal is used in the preparation of vatha kuzhambu and tastes good with sambar rice.

Generally people prepare vathakuzhambu using sundaikkai as it tastes slightly bitter. It is not as bitter as bitter gourd [ pavakkai ]. The taste is just like that of brinjal but slightly bitter. But the tender sundaikkai happens to be less bitter in taste and has a nice aroma. When koottu is being prepared from tender sundaikkai, the taste and aroma happens to be too good. 

I always combine Sundaikkai with Avaraikkai [ Broad beans ] or Murungaikkai [ Drumstick ] or Peerkangai [ ridge gourd ] to make a tasty koottu [ lentil ]. These are great combos just like the same way these vegetables are with Katharikkai [ eggplant ]. 

Here I am presenting Sundaikkai avarakkai koottu - Turkish berry Broad beans lentil.

The ingredients given in this recipe is enough to prepare approximately 1 1/2 cup of koottu [ Lentil ].

Ingredients :
20 - 25	Sundaikkai [ Turkish berry ]
1/4 cup	Green gram split [ moong dal ]
5 - 6	Avaraikkai [ Broad beans ]
1 small size	Onion, chop nicely
2	Garlic pods, chop nicely
1/2 inch long	Turmeric tuber, chop finely*
3/4 Tsp	Sambar powder
1/2 Tsp	Salt [ adjust ]
Grind into paste :
4 Tsp	Coconut scrapping
1/4 Tsp	Cumin seeds [ Jeera ]
1 pinch	Rice flour
Tempering :
1/4 Tsp	Vengaya vadavam
1/2 Tsp	Groundnut oil [ or any oil ]

* If turmeric tuber is not available, use 2 pinches of turmeric powder.

Some coriander leaves to garnish

Method :

Take green gram in a pressure cooker. Wash once and add 3/4 cup of water. 

Add half of chopped turmeric tuber. 

Pressure cook on HIGH flame for a whistle & reduce the flame and cook for 5 minutes.

Open the pressure cooker only after it ran out off steam.

Transfer into a bowl and keep aside.

Wash sundaikkai and avarakkai in water.

Cut each sundaikkai into halves and drop into a bowl of water. Set aside.

Snap the ends of avarakkai and remove the fiber along the edges. Chop nicely. Keep aside.

Heat a kadai or a heavy bottomed vessel with 1/2 cup of water.

Add Sambar powder, chopped turmeric tuber [ or turmeric powder ] and salt.

When it starts boiling, add chopped onion, garlic, halved sundaikkai and chopped avaraikkai.

Close with a lid and cook on slow fire till vegetables become soft.

In the meantime grind coconut scrapping, cumin seeds and rice flour into a smooth paste adding enough water in a blender.

When vegetables turn soft, add the coconut paste and cooked lentil.

Cook on medium fire for 3 to 4 minutes.

Finally add chopped coriander leaves and turn off the stove.

Heat a kadai with oil.

Fry onion vadavam [ vengaya vadavam ] and pour it over prepared koottu.

Tasty tasty sundaikkai koottu in combo with avarakkai is ready to relish.

Mix with hot white rice and enjoy with spicy thuvaiyal 

or urugai or with all time favorite, the sambar.

Health benefits of Sundaikkai - Turkish Berry - Pea Eggplant :

The size of the sundaikkai is tiny but it is packed with high quality protein, dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

100 gm of Turkish berry contains 8.3 gm of Protein, 22.5 gm of Iron, 390 mg of Calcium, 180 mg of Phosphorous.

The high protein content in it, comprising essential amino acids, is good for heart health. It strengthens cardiac muscles which helps to maintain normal heartbeat and pulse.

The dietary fiber helps to tackle constipation and takes care of indigestion, diarrhoea and gastric ulcers.It is rich in Vitamin A and Vitamin B. It also has good amount of vitamin C. So it boosts the body's immunity and saves us from catching common cold, cough & the seasonal flu.

The minerals like Iron, Calcium, Sodium and Potassium are present abundantly in it.

Sundaikkai - Turkish berry is abundant in unique phytonutrients, such as sapogenin steroids, alkaloids, flavonoids,torvosides, glycosides, chlorogenins, tannins and phenols. These nutrients give it anti - inflammatory, anti microbial, anti oxidant, antidiuretic traits. It helps as a remedy to pancreatic ulcers, arthritis and gout.

You might like to try

Sundaikkai Vatha Kuzhambu	Vazhaipoo [ banana blossom ] Kuzhambu	Sundaikkai [ Pea Eggplant ] Curry
Tomato bhindi curry	Sundaikkai Dried [ PeaEggplant dried]

Jute_Leaf_in_Cooking

 #JuteLeafinCooking :

Last week my husband came with a big bunch of green leafy vegetables from the vegetable market. When he bought that bunch, he thought that it was amaranth green [ mulai keerai ]. But he had a doubt as the leaves were not looking like amaranth leaves. The edges of the leaves were not smooth. The leaves were oblong in shape with pointed tips. Just then our milk man came to deliver milk. When my husband asked him, he told the local name of the green. Then he elaborated that ropes were being made from the plant. We vaguely understood that the leaves might be that of Jute. We searched the web world to confirm it. Yes, it was Jute leaf and I saw some videos to make sure.

Whenever I try to consume a new type of greens I always used to prepare koottu from it. The same way I made koottu and the taste was good and they didn't have any distinct flavour. The texture of the leaves after cooking was slippery just like that of Spinach [ Kodi pasalai keerai ].

Later I found out that the leaves are being widely consumed by the people of West Bengal, India and they used to prepare tasty dal [ Lentil ].

I learned from the web world that Jute leaf contains mucilage, considered as a detoxifying agent and also a rich source of soluble fiber.

It contains Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Calcium, copper, folate, iron, manganese, magnesium,niacin, potassium, thiamin and zinc.

Here I would like to show two recipes where I have included Jute Leaf. They are :

1. Jute Leaf Koottu
2. Jute Leaf Dal

Preparation time                  : 10 mins

Cooking Time                     : 10 mins

Quantity prepared               : 1 cup approx.

Both the recipes need cooked green gram. To cook green gram split :

Take 1/3 cup of Green gram split in a pressure cooker. 

Rinse once with water and add slightly more than half a cup of water & a pinch of turmeric powder. 

Pressure cook on HIGH flame for three whistles and reduce the flame to SIM and cook for 3 minutes. 

Open the pressure cooker only after it ran out of steam.

1. Jute Leaf Koottu :

Ingredients for koottu :
1 Cup	Jute Leaves chopped
1/3 Cup	Green gram split
3/4 Tsp	Sambar Powder
1 pinch	Turmeric powder
1/2 Tsp	Salt [ Adjust ]
To Grind :
4 Tsp	Coconut scrapings
1/4 Tsp	Cumin seeds
3 - 4	Black pepper
2 pinch	Rice flour
Tempering : :
1/2 Tsp	Vengaya vadavam
1/2 Tsp	Cooking Oil

Method :

Grind coconut scrapings, cumin seed, black pepper and rice flour into a fine paste in a mixie [ blender ] and keep aside.

Cook green gram split as per method given above.

Heat a kadai or heavy bottom vessel on a stove over medium heat.

Add 1/3 cup of water, Sambar Powder, turmeric powder, chopped Jute leaves and salt.

Bring them into boil and reduce the flame.

Keep the kadai closed to cook jute leaves soft.

Add cooked green gram and coconut paste once the leaves are well cooked.

Mix well and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.

Transfer into a serving bowl.

Fry Vengaya vadavam in another kadai with half a teaspoon of oil.

Pour over the prepared Jute Leaf koottu.

Jute Leaf Koottu can be mixed with hot white rice and relished along with any spicy curry.

The koottu is a great accompaniment to rice mixed with either Sambar or Rasam.

2. Jute Leaf Dal :

Ingredients for Dal :
1 Cup	Jute Leaves chopped
1/3 Cup	Green gram split
1/4 Tsp	Asafoetida
1 pinch	Turmeric powder
1/2 Tsp	Salt [ Adjust ]
1	Onion, chop nicely
1 - 2	Green chilly, slit
1	Tomato, chop
6 - 8	Curry leaves
Tempering :
1/2 Tsp	Mustard seed
1/2 Tsp	Black gram split
1 Tsp	Cooking Oil

Method :

Cook green gram split in a pressure cooker following the method given above.

Chop onion, tomato and Jute leaves nicely and slit green chilly lengthwise.

Heat a kadai with 1 Tsp of oil on a stove over medium heat.

Crackle mustard seeds and then add black gram split.

Keep stirring until black gram turns golden brown.

Then add asafoetida, green chilly, curry leaves and onion in the order.

Saute for a minute and then add tomato.

Saute for a minute and include chopped Jute leaves.

Stir well and saute for a minute.

Now add cooked green gram, 1/4 cup of water & salt. Let it simmer for 4 - 5 minutes or until jute leaves cook soft.

Transfer into a serving bowl.

Jute Leaf Dal can be mixed with hot white rice and relished along with Sambar or any spicy curry

You may also like to try

Manathakkali keerai Koottu

Murungai keerai paal saaru

Noolkhol leaf lentil

Manathakkali keerai paal saru [ Kazhani Saru ]

Vazhaipoo Koottu

vegetable pulillacurry

Manathakkali keerai Rice

Palak Koottu [ Palak Lentil ]

For other tasty dishes

Recipe Index

Manathakkali-Keerai-Koottu

 #ManathakkaliKeeraiKoottu  #ManathakkaliKeeraiLentil :

#ManathakkaliKeerai is a medicinal plant which grows as a weed in fields, wooded areas, parks and along road sides in villages. It is also cultivated for its seeds and green leafy vegetables [ Greens ]. There are many varieties of manathakkali plants. The leaves of some plants are tender, deep green in color and less bitter in taste. These leaves are tastier than the other varieties and its image is shown below. Some plants have thick and serrated leaves with hairs, dull green in color and slightly more bitter in taste. The flowers are white in color. Usually the vegetables [ manathakkali ] are green in color with a green lampshade like structure at the top near the stem and fruits are black in color. There are some varieties whose fruits are orange in color.

The unripe fruits and fruits are called manathakkali. They are dried in the Sun and sold in the grocery shops as manathakkali vathal.

It is called Black Nightshade or Blackberry Nightshade in English.

The scientific name is Solanum nigrum.

The leaf - keerai is widely used in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the best remedies for mouth ulcers and stomach ulcers as well. We used to prepare a dish called manathakkali keerai paal saaru [ kazhani saaru ] regularly at home for lunch in which the leaves are cooked soft and coconut milk is added. This is specially made at home whenever a family member or members are suffering from mouth ulcers. The mouth ulcers are cured more effectively if the leaves are eaten raw. 

Manathakkali keerai is called Kasi soppu in Kannada. It is widely sold in the markets of Bangalore and Mysuru. But a very limited number of people consume them as greens at home. I have heard vegetable vendors saying that kasi soppu is being bought mainly by the people of Tamil origin and others use it sparingly.

Here in Chittaranjan also the people are not consuming this wonderful healthy leaves. They never knew that manathakkali keerai belongs to green leafy vegetable and can be eaten just like any other greens. We have seen these plants along the road side and also as wild growth in the backyard of our house. We have uprooted & planted them in our vegetable garden and have been reaping its benefits.

 Manathakkali is a rich source of vitamins such as vitamin A, B and C and minerals like iron, calcium, phophorous and magnesium. As I have mentioned earlier these leaves are more effective than any other medicine for mouth and stomach ulcers.

A tasty koottu can be prepared from #manathakkaliKeerai just the same way as we do with other greens adding cooked green gram and coconut paste.

Preparation time                  : 10 mins

Cooking Time                     : 10 mins

Quantity prepared               : 1 cup approx.

Ingredients :
1 Cup	Manathakkali keerai chopped
1/3 Cup	Green gram split
3/4 Tsp	Sambar Powder
1 pinch	Turmeric powder
1/2 Tsp	Salt [ Adjust ]
To Grind :
4 Tsp	Coconut scrapings
1/4 Tsp	Cumin seeds
3 - 4	Black pepper
2 pinch	Rice flour
Tempering : :
1/2 Tsp	Vengaya vadavam
1/2 Tsp	Cooking Oil

Method :

Take Green gram in 3 liter pressure cooker and rinse well.

Add 3/4 Cup of water and a pinch of turmeric powder [ I have used 1/4 Tsp of finely chopped turmeric tuber ].

Close the cooker with its lid and put the weight on.

Cook on HIGH flame for 3 whistles or after one whistle reduce the flame to SIM & cook for 5 minutes.

Open the cooker only after it ran out of steam.

Transfer into a bowl and keep aside.

In the meantime, grind coconut scrapings, cumin seed, black pepper and rice flour into a fine paste in a mixie [ blender ] and keep aside.

In the same cooker now add 1/3 cup of water, Sambar Powder, turmeric powder, chopped manathakkali keerai and salt.

Close the pressure cooker with weight on.

Pressure cook on HIGH flame for 2 whistles.

Turn off the stove and immediately release the pressure slowly and open it.

Add cooked green gram and coconut paste.

Mix well and allow to simmer for 3 - 4 minutes.

Koottu is ready and transfer into a serving bowl.

Heat a kadai with oil on a stove over medium flame.

Fry Vengaya vadavam and pour over the koottu in the serving bowl.

#ManathakkaliKeeraiKoottu is a great accompaniment to sambar rice or rasam rice.

ManathakkaliKeerai Koottu can also be mixed with hot white rice and relished along with 

any poriyal or kara curry 

or pickle

You may also like to try

Manathakkali keerai Rice

Murungai keerai paal saaru

Noolkhol leaf lentil

Manathakkali keerai paal saru [ Kazhani Saru ]

Vazhaipoo Koottu

vegetable pulillacurry

Manathakkali keerai Rice

Palak Koottu [ Palak Lentil ]

For other tasty dishes

Recipe Index

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