Venpongal / Pongal / Southindian Kichidi

Hello,

Here I am again, after a long break......  with a yummy dish... A colleague of mine asked for this recipe. I noticed i have not made a post on Pongal making........

Pongal - falls into Breakfast Menu of Tamizh Nadu. It is one of my favourite. I love to have Hot pongal and Meduvada with chutney and sambar followed by a cup of Filter Coffee to complete the ritual! A good start of the day with a Foodie Bliss!

It is a form of kichidi made in the state of Tamizh Nadu.  This is salt version hence the name 'Ven Pongal' (ven means white in tamizh). The sweet version is known as 'Sakkarai Pongal' which is made using jaggery hence little brown in color. The famous Harvest festival of southern india during Makarasankaranti - called 'Pongal' when the Salt as well as Sweet version is offered to the Sun God. Pongal also means rising... i.e. when you cook rice, when the water start boiling it rise and flow out.... it is considered auspicious on pongal day ... it is believed that "like the overflowing water happiness and prosperity should overflow in one's life".

Let's go ahead with the pongal making. It is very easy to make this dish. 

Ingredients :-

1. Rice - 1 Cup
2. Moong Dal - 1/4 Cup (split and deskinned green gram)
3. Water - 3.5 to 4 Cups
4. Milk - 1/2 Cup (optional)
5. Salt to taste

For temepering :

1. Curry leaves - 1 Sprig
2. Black Peppercorns - 1 to 2 tsp
3. Cumin Seeds - 1/4 tsp
4. Asafoetida - One pinch
5. Cashew Nut - 6 to 8 nos. (Broken) - (optional)
6. Ghee - 3 Tbsp

Procedure :-

• Lightly dry roast the Moong Dal (split deskinned green gram) till nice aroma comes. Color should not change.

• Add to the raw rice and wash it well.  Drain.

• Add Water and Milk to it. mix. (If you are not using milk, then you can add upto 4 cups water). If using milk, add 3.5 cup water and half cup milk.

• Pressure cook till it turns mushy. (I never let the whistle come. When the first whistle is about to come, i lower the flame and cook for 10 minutes).

• Add salt to taste.

• Crush the pepper and Cumin seeds coarsely using a mortal and pestle (this is to make the aroma blend well with the pongal. If you don't have one, no problem, crush the black pepper corns very lightly so that it will not burst while tempering)

• Now heat a tempering pan, add ghee, When it is heated, add the coarsely crushed black pepper, cumin seeds, curry leaves, asafoetida, cashew nuts. Roast in low flame till cashew turn light golden in color.

• Add this tempering to the rice dal mix.

• Once done, mix it well when the pongal is still hot.

• Relish it with coconut chutney / sambar.

I enjoy the pongal even without any side dish.

I remember the yummy pongal prashad we get at vishnu temples in the month of Margazhi. This month which falls during winter season air is cold in the morning and the hot hot  prashad just slips in spreading the warmth and soothe the hungry stomach. Makes the early waking and visit to temple in the cold morning an interesting one!

It is an excellent Food and is very good to consume when you have cold / cough / sore throat. In monsoon, it is apt to have a bowl of hot pongal followed by a cup of coffee watching the rains pitter patter near the window sil......

I am not getting much leisure hours now but still i have very good memories of my favourite time and pongal breakfast is one such gastronomically nostalgic moment! - to cherish for the life time.

Here is a hot cup of virtual Filter Kaapi (coffee) for you......

Enjoy!

Vazhathandu Pachadi / Plantain Stem Curry

Banana tree / Plantain tree is one of the few species, where every part of the tree is useful. The tree as a whole (which had flowered) is used to decorate the entrance of the house or the place for an auspicious occasion.  The Stem, Flower and the Raw Banana is used as a vegetable. The ripen Bananas makes an excellent instant supply of energy. The fibre that comes while peeling the layer to extract the inner white part of the stem is used for tying purposes especially for tying flower garlands in Southern India. The leaf is not only makes a healthy and eco-friendly use & through plate but considered auspicious to feed the guests on special occassions.

Plantain tree Stem is very commonly used in Tamil Nadu and in some parts of West Bengal. Known as Vazhai Thandu (tamizh), Vazha Pindi (Malayalam), Kele ki dandi (hindi). Can be consumed raw or cooked.

1. It high in fibre content. 
2. Rich in Vitamin B6 and Potassium. 
3. It helps in detoxifying the body.
4. Regulates bowel movement.
5. Used in traditional medicine to treat kidney stones.
6. 
   

How to select a good Stem? : Go for the tender ones. It should look white, which means it is fresh. If you press the cut end you can feel how tender it is. The tender the stem is, more edible it is for consumption as less amount of cleaning work.

How to clean? : Remove the external layer around the stem (may be two or 3 layers that can be removed easily). wash. slice them into roundels. If you see fibre coming out while cutting, use your index finger and wind the fibre around it. this way you can remove the excess fibre. If the stem is very tender, fibre is less. Keep a vessel filled with water ready. Now cut the roundels into juliens and then finely chop them into very small cubes. Keep transferring the finely chopped pieces into the water to prevent them from blackening.

The yellow gravy is this dish. The green one is called molakootal made using green leafy vegetable.

There are variety of dishes made using this vegetable. I am going to share one traditional dish called "Puli Pachadi". This is dish with a combo of various taste (Sweet, Spice, Salt and Sour) - khatta meetha chatpata!

Ingredients :-

1. Banana Stem - 1 (Medium size)
2. Tamarind - 1 medium lemon size
3. Jaggery - 1.5 tbsp
4. Grated coconut - 1 cup
5. Green chillies - 2 - 3 nos.
6. Curry leaves - 8 nos. (4 nos. for masala and 4 nos. for tempering)
7. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
8. Fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp
9. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp (for masala grinding)
10. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp for tempering.
11. Asafoetida - 1 pinch
12. Oil for tempering - 1.5 tbsp
13. Salt to taste
14. Rice grain - 1/2 tsp

 Procedure :

• Boil tamarind in 1 cup water till it becomes tender. Extract water thrice by adding fresh water. it should be approx 3 cups of tamarind extract.
• Soak 1/2 tsp rice grain in water.
• Drain the water into which we have put the finely chopped plantain stem. Put them into the vessel with tamarind water.
• Add Turmeric Powder, Salt, Jaggery and boil till the stem becomes tender and cooked.
• In a tempering pan, dry roast the fenugreek seeds (methi seeds) till it little dark and start spluttering.
• Finely grind to a paste : Grated coconut, soaked rice grain, Mustard seeds, Green chillies, curry leaves 4 nos.,  roasted fenugreek seeds by adding water little by little.
• Add this paste to the cooked plantain stem, bring to boil. When foam forms on top, switch off the gas.
• Heat oil for tempering, add mustard seeds. After the seed splutters, add 4 nos. of curry leaves and add it to the prepared gravy.
• Yummy gravy / curry is ready to be served as a side dish with molakootal rice / curd rice / chapathi .

If you are looking for the green molakootal recipe, here it is!

 The roasted fenugreek seeds and mustard seeds in the masala paste gives a mouthwatering aroma to the dish and the combo of various tastes viz., spicy, sweet, sour, salt makes it more interesting, that will make you go for additional helpings again and again!

Suggestions : You can replace the Plantain Stem with Ladies Finger  or Brinjal or Pumpkin (yellow).

Happy New Year and Thiruvadira Prashad

Hi





Wish you all a very Happy New Year 2015



May this year bring you prosperity and good health.

Today being somvar Tiruvadirai, an auspicious celebration on an auspicious day (a working day for me) I managed to prepare the kali and the kootu .  sharing with you my humble mobile upload taken on a hurry. Virtual prashad for you.

May Lord Shiva - the destroyer of evil, bless you all with good health & a prosperous life.

Om Namashivaya

Orange thol pulikachal / Orange tholi puliinji / Orange Peel Sauce

Compliments of the season!  



Life is extremely busy and  i miss you and blogging very much

While bidding farewell to the year 2014, i would like to share with you a citrus flavoured chatpata and tangy side dish using Orange Peel.

The winter season has finally arrived at our place! For the last two weeks, the air is cold and dry. Sunrise is late. There is a light fog everywhere.

This is the season of Oranges, Strawberries and Grapes here! I could get nice organic oranges from our weekly market this time. They tasted awesome. I saved some peel to make our favourite side dish called Orange thol Pulickachal or the orange inji-puli. Orange Tamarind Sauce (yeah it can be used as a spread on wheat bread too or a side dish for dosa or for rice or for chapaties). An all rounder!! ;-)

Ingredients :-

1. Orange peel of one Orange
2. Tamarind - A big Lemon size
3. Ginger - 2" piece (finely chopped) - [Optional]
4. Green Chillie - 2 Nos. (finely chopped)
5. Curry leaves - 10 Nos.
6. Sesame Oil - 3 Tbsp
7. Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
8. Asafoetida Powder - 1/4 tsp
9. Red Chilli Powder - 1/4 tsp
10. Chana Dal - 1/2 tsp ( split bengal gram)
11. Jaggery - 1.5 tbsp
12. Salt to taste

Video Recipe is here :- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1G5tUTcRc9Q&t=22s

Procedure :

•  Boil tamarind in hot water till becomes tender. Extract thick pulp and keep it aside.
• Chop the orange peel into big pieces.
• Heat oil in a wok, add mustard seeds. After they splutter add, Chana Dal. When it turns light red in color, add the cut orange peel and fry till it turns light golden in color.
• add curry leaves, Green chillies, Ginger and fry for a minute. 
• Add Tamarind Pulp, Turmeric powder, Asafoetida powder, Red Chilli Powder, Jaggery and salt to taste, bring to boil.
• Then lower the flame and keep it covered till the gravy thickens into paste consistency.
• Bring to room temperature and refrigerate.

In case if you have added more water by mistake, you can dissolve some rice flour or wheat flour in little water and add to it, bring to boil till the gravy thickens and turns glossy on top. Cool and refrigerate.