KUZHAMBU MAAV UPMA

THOSE DAYS RICE FLOUR WAS USED IN SOUTHINDIAN HOUSEHOLDS AS A MAIN INGREDIENT FOR TIFFIN ITEMS.ROTIS,PHULKAS,NAANS WERE NOT KNOWN.PURIS AND CHAPPATHTHIS WERE MADE AS SPECIAL ITEMS.kUZHAMBU MAAV UPMA IS MADE USING RICE FLOUR.RICE FLOUR IS USED AS A THICKENING AGENT FOR KUZHAMBU AND SO THIS TIFFIN ITEM GOT ITS NOMENCLATURE.

METHOD OF PREPARATION
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TAKE A CUP OF SOUR CURD.ADD SEASONED MUSTARD,CURRY LEAVES,GREEN CHILLIES AND RED CHILLIES.ADD SALT.ADD THIS MIXTURE TO 2 CUPS OF RICE FLOUR AND KNEAD WELL.ADD GINGELLY OIL
MAKE BALLS USING THE PALM.
STEAM COOK THE BALLS IN IDLI STEAMER.
REMOVE THE BALLS FROM THE STEAMER .
USE A LADLE OR WITH YOUR PALM CRUMBLE THEM.

Odd combinations and tastes

1.My granny was very strict when she was fasting with an exception.A very simple item which used to be very tempting to us and she used to share it with us...just a bite.
Roast the pappads directly over the flame.keep 3 spoons of ghee in a cup.Keep ready a jar full of slightly sour butter milk flavoured with asfoetida,curry leaves.
how to eat this?
Break a piece of pappad.dip it in ghee and munch.After 2 munchings drink little butter milk.
2.My dear dads combinatios:
Deep fry thin stripped vadgam.Break it in a cup.Just before eating add little curds and finely cut onions.
3.My moms preparation for our school lunch box:
Make milagu jeera podi.(pepper jeera powder with salt)
Season mustard,urad dal and mix it with cooked rice.Add pepper jeera powder and mix well.
We can do pepper poha(aval,flattened rice),rice,pepper rice noodles(sevai) in the same manner.
4.Im sure nobody would have tasted this roti,poritcha kuzambu combo.
Make soft rotis.
Make poritcha kuzhamu...Recipe:roast coconut,pepper,cumin seeds,red gram'red chillies and grind.Boil one of the vegetables like snake gourd,pumpkin etc with sambhar powder.Mix the ground paste and boil.Add cooked dal.
Pour the thick kuzambu over the roti.
After 2 or 3 hours the rotis will be soft and tasty.

Vengarai vadai

Vengarai is a place in Tamilnadu but I really do not know why this vadai got this nomenclature.Iam giving this recipe in this blog although it was given to me by my tenant who is very close to me.Now she has moved away but the taste of her preparations lingers in my mouth still.
Ingredients:
1.sour butter milk(2cups)
Make curds.Keep it out side for 2 days.Then churn it.
2.parboiled rice-1cup
3.Raw rice -3 tea spoons
4.Urad dal-2 tea spoons
5.Red chillies-10
6.salt
7.oil for deep frying
Method:
soak the rice,urad dal chillies in butter milk for 3 hours.
Remove the ingredients from the buttermilk and grind coarsely using butter milk.
It should be thick enough to be made in to vadai.
Deep fry after adding salt to the batter.
The vadais will be puffy and crisp.

pepper tomato

This is my favourite side dish.My brothers wife used to make this for me.I was fortunate to taste this when i was young, the time when i was not at all bothered about the cholesterol levels etc.
Ingredients:
Hard tomatos-4
ghee
salt and pepper powder
Method:
Poke the black eye of the tomato with a knifeand make a hole.
use the other end of a spoon and scoop out so as to make enough space to stuff the pepper powder.
heat a kadai and add 2 spoons of ghee.Put the tomatos and cover with a lid.Open the lid and cook the tomatos on every side till the outer layer of the tomatos shrink uniformly.Switch off the stove.it should not be over cooked.
Note: You can have it with cool curd rice or use it as a side dish for rotis,bread etc.

Kanchi puram Idlis

Kanchipuram is a place in tamilnadu.It is also known as a town of 1000 temples.The kudalai idlis now known as kanchipuram idlis are a special offerings made to a deity there in one of the temples.The idli batter is poured in kudalai a shallow bamboo basket and then steamed.We make it at home in our regular idli steamer.
Ingredients:
parboiled rice-1 cup
raw rice-1 cup
red gram-3/4 cup(thuvar dal)
Blackgram-1 cup
fenugreek-1 spoon
gingelly oil-1 cup
dry ginger powder-1 spoon
pepper powder-1 spoon
Method:
Soak the ingredients separately for 8 hours and grind coarsely.
Add a cup of gingelly oil and mix with the batter.It will be ready for steaming after 4 hours'
before steaming add dry ginger powder and pepper powder.Steam it in the idli cooker.
Note:there is another way of steaming this.Place a plantain leaf on rice cooker seperator and pour the batter.Steam for 15 minutes in the rice cooker(without putting the weight valve)and then cut in to square pieces.

Drumstick porichcha Kuzhambu

My maternal grandma lived in a small town in Tanjore district.Our visits during the summer are still fresh in my memory not only because of the bullock cart rides,food served in plantain leaves,application of fresh and cool home ground mehendi but also of the tasty,delicious drumstick porichchakuzhambu prepared by my granny.Ofcourse the drumsticks were always available in the garden.
This is different from the regular koottu.
this is slightly different from the milagoottal of kerala.
This is a main dish to be had with rice like sambar.

Ingredients:
Drumsticks-4 cut into 1 inch long pieces
water-3 cups
salt
sambhar powder-1 spoon
cooked thuvar dal- 1cup
mustard,curry leaves,red chillies and urad dal for seasoning.
for paste:
bengal gram dal-1 spoon
pepper-2spoons
cumin- 2spoons
red chillies-5
coconut-grated 3 spoons
coconut oil- 2 spoons
for seasoning:
mustard,urad dal,red chillies and curry leaves
Method;
Fry the ingredients given for paste and grind to a smooth paste.
Put the drumsticks in water and boil by adding salt and sambhar powder.when it is cooked add the ground paste and cook for a minute and add the cooked dal.Pour coconut oil and mix.
If the consistency is thick add water.If it is thin add rice flour solution.season with mustard,urad dal ,curry leaves and red chillies.
Note:You can have it with cucumber raita or colacasia roast

Pickle without chilly powder

When I was young, not a day passed without the arrival of a guest.So i would always find my mom making kesaris(sweet).Naturally we were all sweet tongued.We could not taste hot pickles.So my mother would make tasty pickles without adding chilly powder.
Lemon pickle:
Cut lemon in to eight pieces.
Add salt and turmeric powder.Store it for 2 days.
After 2 days heat a kadai,put gingelly oil and season with mustard,fenugreek and green chillies.
Mix it with the salted lemon and keep it in the refrigerator.
Narathangai(narangi) pickle:
cut them like spring rolls.Insert salt and store for 3 days.
the salt would have dissolved and the extract of narathangai would give a nice flavour.
Keep it in the refrigerator.
No need to add chilly powder or chillies.