south indian – Meal Haven

Vatha Kozhumbu

A traditional tamil brahmin style curry using sundakkai (dried Turkey berry/black nightshade seeds). When I run out of vegetables at home or feel like having a tangy curry, Vatha Kozhumbu comes to my rescue always.

Ingredients:

For Seasoning

Sesame oil – 1 tsp

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Jeera/Cumin seeds – 3/4 tsp

Fenugreek seeds/Methi – 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves – 6 – 7

Tamarind – lemon sized ball

For curry

Dried Sundakkai (Dried Turkey berry or black nighshade berries) – 2 tbsp

Salt – to taste

Jaggery powdered – 1 tsp

Water – 1 cup

Sesame oil – 1 tbsp

Rice powder – 1 tsp

To grind:

Sesame oil- 1 tsp

Asafoetida – 1/2 tsp

Urad dal – 1 3/4 tbsp

Whole Pepper – 1 tsp

Whole Red chillies – 7

Curry leaves – 4

Preparation:

Soak the tamarind in warm water for 10 minutes. Then, squeeze it well and keep the juice aside.

Heat a pan and add 1 tsp of oil. Add the pepper, udad dal and saute and then add red chillies, curry leaves and hing. Fry till it becomes slightly brown in colour.Transfer to a mixer when it cools down. Grind it to a smooth paste.

In the same pan, add a teaspoon of oil. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds and the sundakkai and saute till it becomes slightlly brown. Add curry leaves and the ground paste to it and saute tll the raw smell disappears. Add the tamarind extract and let it boil for about 10 minutes on low flame. Add 1 cup of water, rice powder and the jaggery and boil until it starts to thicken. Stir it in between. When it is slightly thickened, take it off the flame.

Serve it with rice and any vegetable kootu.

Dindigul Thalapakatti Mutton Biriyani

Rice

Thalapakatti is a popular chain of restaurants which was first started in Dindigul, a district in Tamilnadu. Their biriyani is so popular that I am also a huge fan of it. When a friend suggested that I try Suguna Vinod’s recipe, I quickly decided to make it for the weekend. So, here it is and hope you like it.

For this biriyani, the tiny grain of rice variety known as seerage samba (in tamil) or Jeeragashala (in malayalam) is used.

Ingredients:

Seeeraga samba rice – 2 cups

Mutton with bone – 500 gms

Ghee – 2 tbsp

Oil – 3 tbsp

Red chillie powder – 1/2 tsp

Yogurt – 1/2 cup

Salt – 1 1/2 tsp

Mint leaves – a handful

Coriander leaves – a handful

Juice of 1/2 lime

For Masala:

Green chillies – 5

Cinnamon stick – 3 (2 inch sticks)

Cardamom – 3

Cloves – 3

Nutmeg (Jathika) – 1/8th of a nutmeg

Mace – (Jathi pathri) – 1 small piece

Ginger – 2 inch piece

Garlic – 12

Small onions (Shallots) – 15

Water – half cup

Preparation:

Before starting to cook, wash and soak the rice for 20 minutes in water.Do not soak it more as it may become mushy. After 20 minutes, drain it and it should be ready to use.

Wash the mutton and keep it aside.

Grind all the masalas listed under ‘masala paste’.

Take a pressure cooker and heat it. Add oil and ghee. When it becomes hot, add the ground masala to it. Saute it well and add the mutton. Saute it again for 2 minutes. Add 2 cups of water, salt, red chillie powder and the yogurt. Mix well and close the lid of the cooker and cook the mutton in it. After the first whistle, reduce the flame and cook the mutton for 20 minutes. Put off the flame and allow it to cool down.

Then, open the cooker and remove the mutton pieces from it to a bowl and roughly measure the liquid in the cooker. You should have approximately 1.5 cups as it need not be accurate.

Transfer the liquid (1.5 cups of liquid) to a wide bottomed cooking pan in which the biriyani is to be cooked. As we require 2 times water to the quantity of rice, we need to add 4 cups of water. As you would have 1.5 cups of liquid already in the cooker, add 2.5 cups of water to the pan. Then, add the chopped mint leaves and coriander leaves and let the mixture come to a boil. (The total amount of water in the pan should be 4 cups).

When it starts boiling, add the meat pieces which were taken out and check the seasoning. Adjust the salt and add the drained rice to the pan. When it starts boiling, add lime juice. Cover the pan with a lid and cook on medium flame for the first 4 minutes.

Then, open the lid. Gently mix once from the bottom, cover the lid again and simmer with lid on for 10 minutes on very low flame. Open the lid and the rice would have been three fourth cooked. Let it cook for a few more minutes.

Switch off the flame and close the lid again and let it rest with the lid on for 20 minutes. The rice will get swollen and absorb all the left out moisture. Do not rush as this step is very important.

Enjoy the biriyani with boiled egg and raita.

Ragi Idlis (Finger Millet Idlis)

Breakfast

Ragi/Finger millet is a power house of minerals like iron, calcium and protein. In rural India, this grain is consumed by rural folks because of its high protein, low glycemic index and affordability.

A good alternative to the rice idlis that we all make, these ragi idlis are very soft, porous and very fluffy.

Ingredients:

Urad Dal – 1/2 cup

Idli Rice – 1 cup

Whole grain ragi – 1 cup

Fenugreek seeds – 1 tsp

Salt – to taste

Water – 1 cup for grinding

Preparation:

Wash and rinse the ragi and rice. Soak it together with 4 cups of water for 4-5 hours. Also, wash the udad dal and soak it with 1 1/2 cups of water for 4 -5 hours.

Drain the water and in a mixie or wet grinder, grind the ragi and rice together to a fine paste, adding 1/2 cup of water. Next , add the udad dal and grind it to a smooth paste. Add enough water (around 1/2 cup) to the batter while grinding. As udad dal grinds, it will turn fluffy and soft. Remove from the grinder/mixer and transfer to a vessel.

In a wide tall vessel, combine both the rice and the udad dal batter and mix it together with clean hands. The vessel should be tall and slightly wide as the batter may rise while fermenting. I always add salt to the batter before fermenting it.

Cover it with a lid and ferment overnight or for 8 hours.

Once fermented and risen, mix very gently to combine. Pour into greased idli moulds and steam it for 12 minutes for soft and spongy idlis. After the idlis have cooled down a bit, using a wet spoon, remove the idlis from the mould.

Serve with any chutney of your choice.

Seeraga Kozhumbu (Jeera/Cumin seeds Curry)

Vegetarian

A simple recipe which can be made using items available in your pantry. This curry acts as a good stomach cleanser and is good for digestion too. We make this quite often and can be prepared when you do not have any vegetables at home.

It is best served with rice and any poriyal of your choice.

Soak a small piece of tamarind in water for 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Onions – 2 medium (finely cut)

Tomato – 2 medium (finely cut)

Red chillie powder – 1/2 tsp

Sambar powder – 1 tsp

Tamarind – a small ball

Water – 1/4 cup (for soaking tamarind)

Water – 1 cup

Gingelley oil – 1 tbsp or any other cooking oil

To grind:

Oil – 1/2 tsp

Shallots – 6

Jeera/Cumin seeds – 1 – 1 1/4 tsp

Peppercorns – 3/4 tsp

Coconut pieces – 1 1/2 tbsp

Water – 2 tbsp

For Seasoning:

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Udad dal – 1/2 tsp

Fenugreek/Methi seeds – 1/4 tsp

Jeera/Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves – 1 sprig

Preparation:

Soak the tamarind in 1/4 cup of water for 10 minutes and squeeze it well. After 10 minutes, remove the water and keep it separately.

In a pan, add 1/2 tsp oil . Wait till it becomes hot and add the peppercorns and jeera. Do not overburn the jeera or the taste may turn bitter. Next, add the shallots and saute for 2 minutes. Turn off the flame and keep it aside. When it becomes cold, transfer to a mixer and grind it alongwith coconut and 2 tbsp of water to a fine paste.

In another pan, add oil. Add the mustard and when it starts to splutter, add the udad dal, methi seeds and jeera. Add the finely chopped onions and curry leaves and saute till it becomes golden in colour. Then, add the tomatoes and keep stirring until it becomes pulpy and a paste. Now, add the ground paste, chillie powder, sambar powder, tamarind water and salt. Also, add 1 cup of water and let it boil on medium flame for 6 -7 minutes until the raw smell goes off.

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with rice and any vegetable poriyal/thoran.

Note: For a more authentic taste, use gingelley oil. If you have vadagam, you can use it for seasoning instead of the items mentioned under ‘seasoning’.

Malabar Fish Curry

Non-Vegetarian

This curry originates from the Northern part of Kerala, The Malabar region. This curry is adapted from Umi Abdulla’s style of cooking. This particular fish curry from Kerala is my favourite. Here, the coconut is roasted to a golden colour and ground alongwith aniseed which gives it a tangy and a nutty taste. It can be served with rice or dosas.

Ingredients:

Seer fish or any other fish – 250 gms

Coconut grated or cut into pieces- 3/4 cup

Onion – 1 big finely chopped

Green chillies – 4 sliced long

Tamarind – a small ball

Curry leaves – 10 leaves

Ginger cut fine – 2 inch piece

Garlic chopped fine – 6 cloves

Shallots – 1 tbsp chopped

Fenugreek seeds – 1/2 tsp

Coriander leaves – 3 or 4 stalks

Chillie powder – 1 tsp

Coriander powder – 2 tbsp

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Aniseed/Saunf – 1 tbsp

Tomato – 1 big chopped

Water – 1 1/2 cups

Oil – 1 tbsp + 1 tsp

Preparation:

Soak tamarind in little water. Clean and cut the fish and keep it aside.

In a pan, add a tsp of oil, add the chopped shallots and aniseed and saute well. Add curry leaves (5- 6 leaves) and then the grated coconut until it turns golden brown in colour. Let it cool and then transfer it to a mixie. Add 1 tbsp of water and pulse it. Grind it until it is fine and keep it aside.

In the same pan, add 1 tbsp of oil and heat it. When hot, add fenugreek seeds and when it slightly changes colour, add the chopped onions and then the chillies. Next, in goes the chopped ginger and garlic . Saute for a few minutes and then add the chillie powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and salt. Saute it again and add the chopped tomatoes and saute it well for 5 minutes until the raw smell disappears. Now add the tamarind pulp to it and two cups of water. Boil for 5 minutes and add the fish and close the lid. Lower the flame and let it simmer for some time.

Lastly, add curry leaves, coriander leaves and the ground paste and let it boil once. Make sure you gently stir the gravy so that the fish pieces do not break. Garnish it with coriander leaves.

Drumstick leaves Adai (Moringa Lentils Pancake)

Breakfast

Full of proteins, this savoury lentils pancake is served typically with avial (a yogurt based vegetable gravy). I prefer to have it smeared with butter or with a chutney. You can also make it to a thinner consistency and pour it like a dosa.

Ingredients:

Raw rice/ Ordinary Basmati rice – 1 cup

Tur Dal – 1/4 cup

Bengal gram dal/Chana dal – 1/4 cup

Udad dal – 1/4 cup

Moong Dal – 1/4 cup

Whole red chillies – 8

Pepper powder – 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida – a pinch

Grated coconut – 1 to 2 tbsp or coconut bits/pieces – 10

Drumstick leaves – a handful (optional)

Salt – to taste

Oil- as required

Preparation:

Wash and soak the lentils and the red chillies together in a bowl of water, overnight.

In a mixer, add the red chillies and grind it . Next, add the rice and lentils/dals together with little salt and grind it to a coarse consistency. Add very little water, if you want a thicker version of the adai. If you would like to pour it like a dosa, you can add half a cup of water and grind. To the batter, add the drumstick leaves, pepper powder, asafoetida, grated coconut and mix well. Adjust the salt.

Heat an iron griddle or a non stick pan. Wipe it with a piece of cloth dipped in oil and pour one ladle of the batter and spread it like a dosa. Turn the flame to medium and add a tsp of oil all over the sides of the dosa. When it gets cooked, flip it to the other side and cook. Serve it with coconut chutney or tomato chutney.

If you would like a thicker version of the adai, instead of pouring it like a dosa, take a handful of dough and place it on the griddle and spread it by hand. Or you could spread the adai on a banana leaf and place the adai directly on the pan by flipping the banana leaf. Pour a tsp of oil on all sides so that it is cooked to a golden colour. Flip and cook the other side also. Take it off the fire and serve.

Note: If you do not have drumstick leaves, you can substitute it with mint leaves /coriander leaves or spring onion greens.

Mango Rice

Rice

As the summer season is on and mangoes have started appearing in the market, this rice recipe with coconut and mango came to my mind. Tangy and bursting with flavours, it is a good option for a lunchbox meal.

Ingredients:

Rice – 1 cup

Water – 3 cups

Gingely oil – 1/2 tsp + 1/2 tsp

Mango grated – 1/2 cup

Coconut grated – 1/2 cup

Salt – as needed

Cashewnuts – 4 or 5 fried

Seasoning:

Mustard seeds – 1tsp

Chana dal/bengal gram dal – 1/2 tsp

Urad dal – 1/2 tsp

Whole red chillies – 2

Green chillie – 1

Asafoetida – 1/4 tsp

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Oil – 1 tsp

Preparation:

Boil rice with 3 cups water, 1/2 tsp gingely oil (so that the grains remain separate) and salt. When rice is cooked, drain the water. Allow it to cool. Add one tsp gingelly oil again to the rice which is cooked and cooled.

Heat gingely oil in kadai. Add mustard seeds, channa dal, bengal gram (urad)dal, 2 whole red chillies, one green chilli whole, 1/4 tsp asafoetida, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder for yellow colour, ( If you want a white coloured rice, you may skip the turmeric powder) and grated mango. Saute for 2-3 minutes till the flavour of the raw mango goes away. Then add grated coconut, mix well for sometime and add rice to it. Mix slightly on fire for 1 minute or 2 minutes. Adjust the salt as required. Add chopped coriander on top and garnish it with fried cashewnuts.

Mutton Chukka Keerai Curry

Non-Vegetarian

Another recipe which is a regualr in my mom’s kitchen is mutton with brinjal and sorrel leaves/khatta palak or chukka keerai as we call it. This curry can be served with rice, chapathi or pooris too.

Ingredients:

Mutton – 500 gms

Medium sized Tomatoes – 2

Onions – 2

Chilly powder – 2 tsp

Coriander powder – 4 tsp

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Ginger paste – 1 1/2 tsp

Garlic paste – 1 1/2 tsp

Small violet brinjals to be sliced into four – 7 -8 nos

1 small bunch consisting of 15-20 leaves of Chukka keerai/sorrel leaves(English)/Khatta palak(Hindi)

Oil – 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Coriander leaves (chopped finely) – 10 stalks

Mint leaves (chopped finely) – 15

Preparation:

Clean the greens and take only the leaves. Discard the stems. Wash and chop them.

Heat oil. Add chopped onion and sauté till it becomes soft. Add ginger garlic paste and sauté till the raw smell of ginger and garlic goes away. Add mint leaves and half of coriander leaves. Chopped tomatoes and fry well till tomatoes turn pulpy. Then, add chilly powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and sauté on very low fire for 2-3 minutes or else, the powders may get burnt. Then add meat and sauté well. If you feel the meat may stick to the pan, sprinkle with water and sauté for 5-7minutes. Transfer to cooker and add 1 and 1/2 cup of water to cook meat. Cook for one whistle. After one whistle, lower the heat and cook for 10 minutes (depending on the quality of meat).Since this is soft, tender meat I have kept it for 10 minutes only. Put off the fire and open the cooker only after the pressure goes down. Then add sliced brinjals and add chopped sorrel leaves and cook on low flame till brinjals are tender. Remove when gravy thickens.

Bread Uthappam

Breakfast

Another quick South Indian breakfast or evening snack recipe which is quite filling.

Ingredients:

Bread – 4 slices

Bombay Rava – 1 cup

Curds – 1/2 cup

Rice flour – 2 tsp

Maida – 1 tsp

Onion- 1 medium chopped

Finely Green chillies – 2 chopped

Finely chopped Coriander leaves – 10 stalks

Curry leaves – about 10 leaves ( each leaf to be pinched into two pieces)

Ginger – 1 inch bit chopped fine

Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp

Urad dhal/ black ram dal- 1 tsp

Bengal gram dal – 1 tsp

Asafoetida powder – 1/4 tsp

Baking soda – 1/4 tsp

Oil for frying

Salt to taste

Preparation:

Take curds and beat it well. Add rava to it. Add 1 cup water. Mix well and set aside for 20 minutes. Cut the edges of the bread and crumble to pieces. Put in mixer to grind to a fine powder. Heat oil in a kadai/ pan, add mustard seeds. When it splutters, add both the dals and fry till golden in colour. Add green chillies, ginger, onions and curry leaves and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add a pinch of salt so that the onions cook faster. After 20 minutes, take the soaked rava and add the finely powdered bread crumbs to it. Add the fried ingredients to the batter. Add salt to taste and baking soda. Add water to make a thick batter consistency and mix well. Heat a tawa/ saucepan and put some oil. Keep it on medium flame as you pour the batter in the middle and spread a little in an outward motion. Uthapams should be about 1/2 an inch thick. Pour 1/2 tsp oil around it. When edges become slightly brown, flip it on the other side. Pour 1/2 tsp oil once again. Remove when it is slightly browned on the other side as well. You can add grated carrot, finely chopped cabbage, chopped capsicum, cooked peas to the batter to make it more nutritious.Can be served with any chutney of your choice. I served it with carrot chutney but it is delicious on its own.

Sura Puttu (Shredded Shark Scramble)

Non-Vegetarian

This recipe is made with milk shark known as ‘paal sura’. It pairs excellently with rice and rasam. It is also commonly served to lactating mothers in several parts of Tamilnadu. It resembles a scrambled egg or the “meen peera’ of Kerala. Sura puttu is loved by all in our house and is often cooked at home.

Ingredients:

Shark pieces – 500 gms

Water – 3 cups

Turmeric – 1/2 tsp

Onions – 2 big

Green chillies – 2 finely cut

Curry leaves – 1 sprig

Garlic – 8 pods chopped

Ginger – 1 inch piece chopped

Pepper powder – 1/2 tsp

Red chillie powder – 1 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder – 1 1/2 tsp

Salt – as required

Coriander leaves – 1 1/2 tsp

Preparation

Boil the shark fish in water until it is soft. When it is cooked, take it out from water and keep it aside. Take the skin off and shred it well using your hands. Do not squeeze out the water. Add chillie powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt to the shredded fish and keep it aside.

In another pan, heat oil. Add the green chillies, ginger and garlic and saute well. Then add the curry leaves and onions and saute for just 2 minutes. Do not brown the onions. Now add the fish and toss it well. Close and keep for 3 -4 minutes. When done, add pepper powder and coriander leaves.