GRAVIES & BATHS
Buttermilk Kuzhambu
Slightly soured buttermilk - 1 cup
Grated coconut - 1 tablespoon
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Green chillies -4
Bengal gram dhal -1tsp
Raw rice -1tsp
Salt -To taste
Soak the rice and dhal in a little water for half an hour. Grind them along with coconut, cumin seeds and chillies. Disolve the ground masala in the buttermilk. Add salt to taste. Keep on a low fire and simmer for a while. Do not boil too long. Any vegetable like pumpkin or okra can be boiled separately and then added.
Gujurati Methi Papad
3 tbsp fenugreek leaves (methi)
6 raw papads, broken into pieces
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp asafoetida
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp grated jaggery
2 tsp ghee
salt to taste
Soak the fenugreek seeds in hot water for 30 minutes and then pressure cook for 3 whistles. Drain out all the water and keep the fenugreek seeds aside. Heat the oil, add the mustard seeds and asafoetida and fry until the seeds crackle. Add 2 to 3 cups of water and then add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander and cumin powder, jaggery and salt. Add the fenugreek and the papad pieces and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes.
Kozhambhu
Yogurt 32 oz.
Coriander seeds 2 tsp.
Cumin seeds 2 tsp.
Red Chili powder 1 tsp.
Chana Daal 1 tsp.
Rice or rice powder 1 tsp.
Coconut (grated) 2 tsp.
Salt 2 tsp.
Mustard 1 tsp.
Turmeric pinch
Red Chili 1
Fry Coriander seeds, Cumin seeds, Chana Daal, Red Chili in a little oil. Grind the mixture with the coconut and add to the beaten yogurt. Add turmeric and bring to a boil. Stir in rice powder, and heat on low until consistent texture is achieved. Heat oil and mustard seeds and add to the mixture.
Masiyal
Tamarind Juice (concentrated) - 1 cup
Thoor Dhal - 1/4 cup
Sambhar Powder - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Venthayam (fenugreek/methi seeds) - 1/2 tsp
Dry Red Chilly - 3
Green Chilly - 3
Salt - 1 1/2 tsp
Spinach - 1 head
Cook the dhal separately. To the tamarind juice, add salt, some curry leaves, sambhar powder and some curry leaves. Fry the other ingredients in some oil and add to this. Bring to a boil. Mash the dhal well and add to the boiling mix. Cook finely chopped Spinach or Bangalore Kathrikai (brinjal) separately and mash along with the cooked dhal and add to the Masiyal as said earlier.
Milagu Kuzhambu
Tamarind Juice - 2 1/2 cups
Dry Red Chilly - 3 or 4
Urad Dhal - 1 tsp
Thoor Dhal - 1 tsp
Asafetida - a pinch
Salt - 1 tsp
Curry Leaves - some
Black Pepper - 1/4 tsp
Add the salt and curry leaves to the tamarind juice. Fry the other ingredients in oil and grind into a fine paste. Mix this to the tamarind mix and boil for 8 - 10 minutes. Garnish with mustard seeds spluttered in oil or ghee.
Molahu Kozhambhu
For Masala:
Black Pepper 1 tsp.
Red chillies 6
Chana Daal 1 tbsp.
Toor Daal 1 tbsp.
Coriander Seeds 1 tbsp.
Coconut (grated) 1 tbsp.
For Kozhambhu:
Tamarind paste, 1 flat tsp.
Salt 2 tsp.
Mustard Seeds 1 tsp.
Turmeric pinch
Tomatoes 1/2 can
Rice powder 1 tsp.
Asofoetida 1/4 tsp.
Make the masala: Fry all ingredients (except coconut) in as little oil as possible. Add coconut, grind (very fine) in blender.
Make Kozhambhu: Heat oil and fry mustard seeds. Add 4 cups water, tamarind, masala, turmeric, tomatoes, and salt to the pan. Boil for about 10 minutes.
Add asafoetida, rice powder and stir to thicken. Boil for another minute or so.
Pitlai
Thoor Dhal - 2 tbs
Split Channa Dhal - 3 tbs
Urad dhal - 1 tsp
Dhaniya (Coriander powder) - 1 tbs
Asafetida - a pinch
Dry Red Chilly - 4
Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Grated Coconut - 3 tbs
Salt - 1 1/2 tsp
Tamarind juice - 1 1/2 cups
Cook the dhals well. Fry the remaining channa dhal, chilly, asafetida, dhaniya and urad dhal in some oil and grind along with the coconut. Mix this to the tamarind juice, add salt and bring to a boil. Add the cooked dhal and if watery add some rice flour and water and boil further. Garnish with mustard seeds spluttered in oil or ghee.
Tamil Kuzhambu
Tamarind juice - 2 1/2 cups
Salt - 1 1/2 tsp
Sambhar Powder - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Venthayam (fenugreek/methi seeds) - 1 tsp
Dry Red Chilly - 4
Asofoetida - a pinch
Urad dhal - 1/2 tsp
Thoor Dhal - 1 tsp
A few Curry leaves
Add the sambhar powder, salt and curry leaves to the tamarind juice. Heat oil in a pan and crackle the mustard seeds. Fry the dry chilli, venthayam, asafotida and the dhals. Add the juice mix to this and boil well for at least 10 minutes. If the kuzhambu is watery, add some rice flour mixed in water and bring to a boil. Variation: Instead of venthayam you may add cumin to make Jeeraga Kuzhambu.
Tomato Bath
2 cups Suji (Bombay Rava)
3 ripe tomatoes
Few green chillies
One potato
A small piece of ginger
Few curry leaves
Handful Coriander (Cilantro)
1 teaspoon Asofoetida
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon split chana dal
1 teaspoon urad dal
a few curry leaves
2 red chillis
1-2 Tblsps of ghee
Salt to taste
Chop ginger and green chillies into small pieces. Peel and cut the potato into small pieces. Chop the tomatoes. Keep a deep non stick vessel on low flame and add 1 Tblsp ghee to it. When the oil is warm, add all the above mentioned seasoning ingredients to it. Once the mustard seeds start spluttering, add ginger and green chillies. Fry until lightly crisped, then add potatoes and asofoetida to the mixture and fry the mixture stirring it frequently. When the potatoes become tender, add chopped tomatoes to the mixture and fry the mixture further till the tomatoes are well done. Add chopped coriander to the mixture and fry it till the coriander loses it color. Add water to the mixture in 1:2 proportion, (i.e. for one cup of suji put two cups of water. Add slightly more water for a more liquid consistency). Add salt. Meanwhile, add suji to another frying pan and fry it dry on a low flame till the suji turns a little golden brown but take care not to burn it. Once the water added to the mixture begins to boil, add the fried suji to the mixture by stirring the mixture well avoiding the formation of any lumps. Just before turning the flame off, add one more tblsp of ghee to the dish and stir it well.
Tomato Gravy
4 to 5 tomatoes chopped
1/2 inch ginger chopped
4 Green chillies
A small bunch of coriander leaves
1/2 tsp of chilli powder
1 teaspoon asofoetida
1/4 tsp of Turmeric
4 Cloves
1 Cardomom
1/2 inch Piece of Cinnamon
Heat oil and add cloves, cardomom and cinnamon. Add Add tomatoes, green chillies, chilli powder, asofoetida and turmeric. Simmer until the gravy thickens, becomes a deep red and the oil floats.
Vathal Kuzhambu
Manathakkali Vathal (or Brinjal) - 1
Tamarind juice - 2 1/2 cups
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Dry Red Chilly - 4
Venthayam (methi seeds) - 1/4 tsp
Urad Dhal - 1 tsp
Salt - 1 1/2 tsp
Sambhar Powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Asafetida - a pinch
Mix the sambhar powder and salt in the Tamarind juice. Then, in some oil or ghee fry the mustard, chilly and dhal. Pour the tamarind mix onto this and let it boil well. In the meanwhile, heat oil in another vessel and fry the vathal in it. Add it to the boiling kuzhambu. In case it is watery, mix some rice flour to little water and add to the kuzhambu and bring to a boil.
