Vinku's recipes

Simple More kuzhambu (no coconut)

Method 1: Heat oil.  Add mustard, cumin seeds, methi seeds, hing, grated ginger, slit green chilli, curry leaves and chopped coriander.  Then add turmeric powder.  Once it cools, add buttermilk/yogurt+water and salt.  For this, accompaniment has to be usli.

Method 2 (for two people):  Soak 1 tsp each of channa dal and toor dal for 30 mins.  Grind with 1/2 tsp each of coriander and cumin seeds, ginger and green chilli.  Heat oil.  Mustard, cumin, methi seeds, hing, turmeric pwdr, curry leaves, chopped coriander.  Add turmeric powder, add the paste and saute in oil for a couple of mins.  Then, add water and salt and boil for 2-3 minutes.  Turn off the heat and add yogurt.

Masala oats

Precook steel cut oats.  Heat oil, burst mustard, urad dal, hing, frozen mixed veggies (optional:can add copped onions).  Once they cook, add 1/2 chopped tomato.  Then, add turmeric powder, cooked oats and 1/4 tsp tamarind paste, 1 1/2 tsps vangi bath pwdr.  Cook for a few minutes.  Garnish with grated coconut and chopped coriander leaves.

Rava dosa

Equal quantities of wheat flour, rava and rice flour.  Can use cream of wheat for rava.

Amma's small onion Sambar 

Roast Chana dal, red chili, coriander seeds and coconut.  Sauté the small onions.  Grind few onions along with the spices.  Boil the rest of the onions in tamarind water until raw smell goes.  Add the paste and boil for a few mins.

Amma's Vetha Kuzhambu

Soak tamarind.  Heat a little Idhayam oil and add hing.  Keep it aside.  Grind 1/4 cup coconut and keep aside.  Burst 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 1/2 tsp methi seeds, 1 red chili, 3 tsps tuar dal. Grind into a paste. In some regular oil, saute some vethal.  Once done, add coconut paste, tamarind water and salt and if needed some jaggery.  Then add seed paste.  Boil until raw smell goes.  

Mom just added hing to the oil before adding coconut.  

Vatha Kuzhambu

Ingredients

lime size tamarind, soak in water
1 tbsp urad dal
pinch of fenugreek powder
hing
2 tsps chilli powder ( add 1 tsp and if required add more)
1 small drumstick


Heat 3 tbsps oil in a pan and burst mustard seeds. Add urad dal, fenugreek powder, hing, chilli powder. Saute for 1 minute. Add tamarind water, 1 cup water, drum stick,salt, & let it boil till it thickens. Add curry leaves & turn it off.

Theeyal

Grate 1/2 coconut
Fry 1 tbsp bengal gram dal, 1 1/2 tsp coriander seeds and 1 red chili.
Fry coconut separately till light brown.
Grind coconut and fried dals.
Add oil in a kadai. Add mustard seeds. When it splutters, add 2 medium sized onions(chopped finely) and fry till soft. Add tamarind water and cook till raw smell goes. Add ground mixture and salt and let it boil for 5 minutes. Serve with hot rice.

Eggplant Kothsu

I made this kothsu for D the other day and she loved it. K also had some with rice and he said it was not bad. Considering he hates eggplant, that was high praise indeed! 

Eggplant Kothsu

1/4 eggplant, chopped (I used the long purple one)
1 tomato, chopped
2 green chillies, slit
1/3 tsp tamarind pulp
1 tsp sambar powder
curry leaves, 1 sprig
mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp
salt
hing
cilantro
oil

Heat oil and burst mustard seeds. Add eggplant and stir. When it is partially cooked, add tomatoes, curry leaves, green chillies and cilantro. After two minutes, add sambar powder and hing. Stir. Now add tamarind pulp, salt and 2 cups water and allow to boil well. Simmer till it reaches required consistency. This goes well with upma, ven pongal etc.

Rasam (without dal)

This is Mom's favorite rasam now. It is very easy and simple to make. V used to make a similar kind of rasam with a can of diced tomatoes. Here, the tomatoes are ground with a few other ingredients and then boiled.

Rasam (without dal)

 3 fresh tomatoes
1 tsp cumin seeds
handful of coriander leaves
1 sprig curry leaves
3-4 whole black pepper
ghee
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
salt

Grind first 5 ingredients. Heat ghee in a pan. Burst mustard seeds. Add the ground tomato paste and 1-2 cups water, salt and allow to boil well. Serve hot with rice. Had this for lunch today with roasted baby potatoes.

Mysore Rasam

Ma made jeera rasam and mysore rasam specially for K when he was sick. I got to taste the mysore rasam and it was yummy!

Mysore Rasam

 

2 tbsps toor dal, pressure cooked

lime size tamarind

turmeric powder pinch

salt

1 tbsp coconut

1 tsp bengal gram dal

1/2 cumin seeds

1/2 tsp coriander seeds

1/4 tsp whole black pepper

1-2 red chilies

1/4 tsp mustard seeds

1 sprig curry leaves

ghee

Dry roast bengal gram dal, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, red chilies and pepper. When bengal gram dal is slightly brown, add coconut and fry till coconut is lightly roasted. Cool and grind to a coarse powder. Meanwhile, heat oil in a kadai, burst mustard seeds. Add curry leaves. Add 2 cups tamarind water, turmeric water, salt and let it come to a boil. Add powder and simmer for about 10 minutes. Now add the boiled toor dal and simmer for 5 more minutes. Serve hot with rice.

Vatha Kuzhambu

I was telling Ma that we do not get small onions here so she brought small onions with her this time. And that too peeled!!! She made some yummy onion sambar one day. Then the other day she made vatha kuzhambu with it. I love vatha kuzhambu but K does not like it so I do not make it often. Now that Ma and Pa are here, I can have vatha kuzhambu every day.

Vatha Kuzhambu

1/ 3 cup small onions, peeled
1 tsp urad dal
1 sprig curry leaves
1 tsp sambar powder
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 1/2 tsp tamarind paste
1 tbsp sesame oil
salt
small piece of jaggery (optional)

Heat oil in a pan. Add urad dal and mustard seeds. When mustard seeds splutter, add curry leaves, turmeric powder and sambar powder. Fry for few seconds, then add onions. Fry for a minute. Add tamarind paste, salt, jaggery and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes. If very watery, mix 2 tsps rice flour with little water and add to the kuzhambu. Simmer till you get the desired thickness. Serve hot with rice.

Curry leaves kuzhambu

We hardly get any curry leaves in the area we live in. I never gave these aromatic leaves its proper due and I am being punished for it now.....
I am visiting my parents and curry leaves are in abundance at their place. I add a sprig to every dish mom makes, even if it does not require it! Today, mom made curry leaves kuzhambu. It was delicious and I could not stop eating it.

Curry leaves kuzhambu

For the paste - 2 red chillies, 1 tsp whole black pepper, 1 tsp hing, 2 tsp urad dal, 1 1/2 tsp raw rice, 30 curry leaves (approx. 5 sprigs), 1 1/2 tsp tamarind
For tempering - 2 tbsp gingely oil, 1/4 tsp mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds

Roast dry all the ingredients for the paste except tamarind and curry leaves. Add curry leaves & tamarind and turn off gas immediately. Grind to a fine paste. Add very little water.
Dissolve the ground paste in 2 cups water. Add salt. Keep aside.
Heat oil. Add the ingredients for tempering. When the mustard seeds splutter, add dissolved paste and simmer till the kuzhambu thickens.