Vatral Kuzhambu / Vatha Kulambu / Dried Berry Tamarind Gravy

   Some food always remain dear to your heart....okay.....well.....taste buds:-).One of those foods which brings the authentic Tamil Nadu memories back is Vatral Kuzhambu or simply Vathakuzhambu.Vatral is nothing but sun dried vegetables.I have used Manathakkali Vatral(a form of berry which is known as 'Black Nightshade' in english),Feel free to try this out with any Vatral or veggies like brinjal or drumstick together with the Vatral you choose.

The berry and its leaves hold quite some medicinal values:

*can treat digestive disorders

*has proven to be effective on Asthma patients

*treats stomach ulcers

  Now let us move on to the recipe.Thanks to my 2 year old son for sleeping a little longer(which is very unusual for a busy bee like him) and giving me some extra time to try out this after a long time:-).

Ingredients:

Shallots/small onions - 6 to 7 in no.

Garlic - 5 pods

Manathakkali Vatral - 1 tbsp

Tomato - 1 small

Tamarind - lemon sized ball / Tamarind paste - 1 1/2 tsp (adjust according to your taste)

Coriander Powder - 2 tsp

Red Chilli Powder - 1 1/2 tsp

Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp

Sakthi Vathal Kuzhambu Powder - 1 tsp (or any Sambar Powder - 1 tsp)

Rice flour - 1 tsp

Fenugreek powder - 1 tsp (or fenugreek seeds will also do) 

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Sesame oil (nallennai) - 5 tsp 

Preparation:

1.Heat oil in a kadai and add fenugreek powder(or seeds) as soon as the oil gets hot(Make sure not to burn the fenugreek powder as it might give a bitter taste)

2.Add garlic pods and fry for 2 minutes

3.Then add shallots and fry for another 2-3 minutes till the onions turn translucent

4.Add half of the curry leaves now

5.Add tomato along with turmeric,coriander,red chilli,vathal kuzhambu(or sambar) powder and fry till the raw smell goes off.

6.Let oil ooze out and mash the tomato well with a spatula.

7.Now add the tamarind paste and add 2 cups of water to this.Let this come to a boil.Simmer

8.Finally pour 2 tsps of water to the rice flour to make a paste of it and then add it to the kuzhambu.Mix the kuzhambu with a spatula and you will notice the kuzhambu thickening a little.

9.Add rest of the curry leaves along with 1 tbsp of sesame oil and let this thicken for some more time.

Your vatral kuzhambu is now ready.Savor with steamed rice and appalam :-)

Tastes heavenly ;-)!!!

Happy Lunching!!!

Ennai Kathirikai Kuzhambu / Egg plant Gravy South Indian style

 This is a south indian delight.I have craved for this Kuzhambu everytime  I see hot steaming rice infront of me.I have always been a big fan of eggplants.Guess it came down from my dad. I don’t remember a week where we don’t have this  kuzhambu at home when I was a kid.It goes well with any subtle veggie like bottleguard or even potato chips or a hot yummy scrambled egg,which is my fav :-).

 

Here is a modified recipe of my mom’s Kathirikai Kuzhambu.

Ingredients:

8 – small brinjals

2 tbsp – tamarind paste

5 tbsp -  sesame / gingelly oil

1 tsp salt

To Grind:

1 tbsp - oil

1 tsp -  asafoetida

5 - dried red chillies (you can add 2 or 3 more if you like it hot)

2 tbsp - coriander seeds

1 1/2 tbsp - chana dal

1 1/2 tbsp - toor dal

1/2 tbsp - urad dal

1/2 tbsp – whole black pepper (you can add more if you like)

3-4 – curry leaves

1 tsp salt

For Tempering:

1/2 tsp – fenugreek seeds/powder (I always prefer using powder)

1 or 2 – garlic,crushed

6 – small onions/shallots

1 sprig curry leaves

Preparation:

1. Heat oil in a kadai and add all ingredients under the list ‘To Grind’ except salt. Fry till they turn golden brown.

2. Remove from heat, keep aside and cool the mixture.Sometime later mix in salt and grind to a powder.

3. Wash the egg plants/brinjals and make criss-cross cuts into them from the top upto the stalks.

4. Stuff the egg plants/brinjals  with enough ground powder and set aside the remaining powder.

5. Heat sesame oil in a kadai and fry the egg plants/brinjals till they become semi-cooked and set them aside.

6. To the above hot oil, add the ingredients for tempering.Add fenugreek powder(make sure you don’t burn them s the oil is already hot,otherwise your gravy will turn bitter), add the garlic,then add the shallots and fry till they become translucent.Then add the curry leaves anf fry for half a minute.

7.Now add the tamarind paste ,enough water for gravy ,the remaining ground powder(you can save a portion if you feel the powder is too much) and finally add salt. Simmer for about 10 mins.

8. Add fried eggplants/brinjals to the above gravy and simmer for another 5 mins.Wait till the oil spreads out.(I like adding a tsp of sesame oil at the end of it.you can also try if you like the smell of it)

9. Serve hot with plain white steaming rice and the universal dish – scrambled egg ;-).

This dish demands a little more work and time than the ny regular Kuzhambu.But trust me guys,it is all worth it when you sit down with a hot plate of rice topped with this kathirikai kuzhambu to spice up a sober n boring afternoon .

Have fun…..Adios!!! J

Badam Kheer / Almond Pudding

Badam Kheer / Almond Pudding

Let me start my blog with something sweet.The first and the most simple sweet that comes to my mind is "Badam Kheer".This is a milk based dessert where ground almonds are cooked in milk and sugar and flavored with saffron and cardamom.I personally dont like adding cardamom in any of my sweet dishes as i feel they dominate the rest of the ingredients.So you might not find elaichi in any of my dishes.But feel free to add 2-3 pods / powder if you like to.

Benefits of Badam/Almond:

 - Almonds help in fighting diabetes and heart Diseases

 - Almonds are the best source of alpha-tocopherol form of Vitamin-E

 - Almonds are a great cholestrol lowering food

 This is one of the most favorite desserts of my hubby. He usually prefers it with minimal sweet less sugar. So please dont mind my sugar measurements here.You can add more or less according to your taste palate.


Ingredients

1 cup Blanched Almonds
1/4 -1/2 cup sugar 
1.5  cups milk, as needed for consistency 
3 tsp ghee
1 tsp cardamom powder(optional)
Few strands of saffron
Few blanched almonds/pista for garnish (optional)

• 
  
• Method of Preparation
• 
  
• 1. Blanch the almonds.
• 2. Take the almonds in batches in a mixie along with little milk enough to grind them into a smooth paste.
• 3. Take a non stick pan and add ghee and add the almond paste.
• 4. Cook it in low heat till the mixture thickens and turns lightly golden.
• 5. Heat rest of the milk until hot and then slowly add it to the almond paste. 
• 6. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes and then add sugar. Stir well.
• 7. Add the cardamom powder(which i dint).
• 8. Add some saffron strands to warm milk.Then add the milk to the kheer.
• 9. Cook for another few minutes until everything is well dissolved.
•  
• I prefer to serve it chilled, garnished with blanched almonds/pistachios.
• 
  

Hope you like it:-)!!!