ARACHA KUZHAMBU / COCONUT GRAVY WITH CABBAGE AND PEAS/MOCHAI - EASY & QUICK TANJORE DISTRICT SPECIAL

Serving size - 2

Preparation time - 10 minutes

Cooking time - 20 minutes

Aracha Kuzhambu is one of the best gravy in our region especially Tanjore district. I love to have this from my childhood to now and forever. I learned this recipe from my mom. 

I do remember that my mom got fresh Mochai in the particular season, cooked and feed that until before marriage. Even when I was pregnant, she did the same though she had a heart surgery during that time. She never use spoon for feeding, always use her hand. I love the taste of her hands too. MOM is always special with LOVE,CARE and EVERYTHING right ?

It is a very easy and tasty recipe. You can give a try friends. If you will taste it, then you will be mad of this gravy. It will goes well with rice as well as idli, dosa or any Indian flat bread. Let us go to the recipe.

Ingredients

Cabbage - 1/3 cup
Peas - 2 tbsp (I used frozen )
Red chilli powder - 1/4 tsp (optional) - I din't use
Water - 3/4 or 1 cup
Salt - as needed
Oil - 1 tbsp

To Grind

 Coconut - 1/3 cup
 Shallot - 1
 Garlic - 1

Toast in the direct fire

  Shallot - 1
  Garlic - 1

To fry slightly

   Coriander seeds - 1 tsp
   Channa dal - 1 tsp
   Green chilly - 1
   Red chillies - 3
   Oil - 1 tsp

Seasoning

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 4 or 5

Method

• You must toast shallot and garlic in the direct fire.  IF you have only coil on the stove top, you could use the tava for toasting. Sometimes, I toast on the coil too. IT works wells and keep it aside.
• Add all the ingredients under the heading To fry slightly into the pan and fry slightly. Don't fry much, then the taste will get spoil.
• Grind all the ingredients coconut, toasted shallot & garlic and fried ingredients together and keep it aside.
• Heat oil in a pan for seasoning, add mustard seeds, urad dal, curry leaves and then finally ground paste. Fry for a minute or 2 in a low flame.
• Add water to the pan and allow it to boil until the raw smell goes.
• In the mean while, boil cabbage and peas in the microwave for 2 or 3 minutes. Else you can also boil these veggies on the stove top too.
• Finally add the veggies to the gravy and allow it to boil for 5 to 10 minutes or the gravy and veggies get well together.
• Aracha Kuzhambu is ready now. It will go very good with white rice and even to idli, dosa and chappathis. 

Tips

• You must be very careful while frying. That will change the whole gravy's taste.
• Instead of dry coriander seeds, you can use fresh coriander leaves too. It is more tastier than coriander seeds.
• The most speciality in this gravy is toast and un toast shallot and garlic. In tamil, we use to say sutta pondhu sudhatha pondu, sutta vengayam, sudhath vengayam gives special taste to this gravy.
• you can also use either red chillies or green chillies too. Its totally upto your preference.

MISAL PAV - SNC CHALLENGE - 3

December month challenge is MISAL PAV and MEDHU VADA. We south team have to make Misal pav.

I am going to repeat the same story. Please don not think that I am boring you all. Just for spreading SNC to the blogosphere, I am repeating the same. It will be helpful to improve our SNC members.

ABOUT SNC 

SNC (South vs North Challenge) is a challenge between north indian and south indian teams which is hosted by Divya Pramil (baby boss) from Youtoocancook 

Click on the logo to get details about this challenge

• Motive of the SNC is to learn different regional food recipes from our co-bloggers. 
• Every month one member from north team challenges the south team and one member from south team challenges the north team.
• We have sufficient time to finish the challenge. Every month 1st, they post the challenges and we have time to finish it off until the end of the same month.
• Divya pamil allotted some points for the recipe posts. According to that, the winning team will be announced by her around second week of every month.
• If you would like to participate in this event, please contact divya.pramil@gmail.com. She will help you definitely.

About the challenge of every month

 

 

 

SNC Challengers 

 

              North Indian                            South Indian

1. Shruthi - Shruti Rasoi            1. Divya Prakash - Divya's Culinary 
                                                                                 Journey

2. Pallavi - Cook Eat Burp         2. Yashodha        - Yashodha's Kitchen

3. Meena - Random Ramblings 3. Sherin             - Kuk's Kitchen

SNC - WINNERS

 

OCT  2012 - NORTH TEAM

NOV 2012 - SOUTH TEAM

SNC - Queen of the month

 

October 2012 - Shruthi Dhingra from Shruthi rasoi

November 2012 - Meenu aunty from Random ramblings

North team always rocks.... Good luck forever friends!!!!

MISAL PAV - SNC NO : 3

I am a part of south team. This month our friend Sherin from Kuk's Kitchen represent from south team is challenged north team friends with Medu vadai and our friend Meenu aunty from Random ramblings challenged our south team with Misal Pav

 

About MISAL PAV

 

 

 

Misal pav is a spicy curry made of sprouts or peas and chilli powder gravy with Indian bread. The spicy curry is topped with farsan or hot sev mix, onions, cilantro and lemon. It is very famous and originated from Maharashtra, India.

Ingredients

To grind Masala

 

Onions - 1 cup chopped

Tomatoes - 

Ginger - 1/3 inches

Garlic  - 3 pods

Green chilly - 1

Shredded coconut - 2 or 3 tbsp

Oil - 2 tsp

For Misal

Above grounded paste

Frozen or dry Green / white peas - 1/2 cup

Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp

Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder - 3/4 tsp

Garam masala powder - 1tsp (or 1 1/2 tsp)

Dry mango powder - 1/4 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/3 tsp

Water  - 1/2 to 1 cup (according to the consistency required)

Oil - 2 tbsp

 

For Pav buns/ bread 

 

Bread / Pav buns - as needed

Butter/ oil - to toast pav buns

To serve Misal Pav

 

Onions - 1/4 cup chopped 

Cilantro - few for garnishing (optional)

Farsan/ hot sev mix - as needed

Lime slice - for garnishing (optional)

 

 

  Method

• If it is frozen peas, we can use as it is. I used frozen peas. If we use dry peas, soak it overnight. Wash it next day and fill it with fresh water. Pressure cook them for 1 or 2 whistles. The cooked peas should be soft but not mashy. Keep it aside and it will be use at the end stage of the spicy misal.
  
  
  For Grounded Masala
  
  
  

  
  
  
  Heat oil in a pan, salute onions for 2 minutes or until it becomes slightly transulent
  
  
  Add ginger, garlic & green chilly, salute for a minute.
  
  
  Add chopped tomatoes and salute until it becomes slightly soft.
  
  
  Add coconut to it and salute for a minute or less. Remove it from the flame and allow it to cool.
  
  
  Grind all together into a fine paste. Use enough water to make them into paste.
  
  
  
  
  For Misal 
  
  
  

  
  
  
  Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds.
  
  
  Once it splutters, add all the powder ingredients and fry for few seconds.
  
  
  Before the powder ingredients gets burn, add the ground paste to the curry and salute it for 1 or 2 minutes
  
  
  Add little water and allow it to boil.
  
  
  Finally add green/ white peas to it and again allow them to boil for 5 minutes or until the gravy should get correct consistency and the raw smell goes from the gravy.
  
  
  

  
  
  
  Spicy misal is ready now. Use as much as spicy you can.
  
  
  
  
  Toast Pav buns
  
  
  Pav buns have 2 parts. Top part and bottom part. Separate both the parts fully or partially.
  
  
  Heat pan, apply oil or butter on the pan, place the inner side of the both parts of the pav buns and toast well.
  
  Remove it on the plate.
  
  

  To Garnish

   

  

   

  Add onion, farsan, lime juice and cilantro on the spicy misal.
  
  
  
  To serve
  
  
  
  
  Add enough misal on the bottom part of the pav bun.
  
  Garnish with onions, farsan (up to your taste), cilantro and lime juice drops.
  
  
  

  

  
  Close the misal with top part of the pav bun.
  
  Serve Misal pav with butter milk to reduce the spicy. But I din't serve with butter milk, all having severe cold :(
  
  NOTE :
  
  
  Please add farsan when you serve, else it will be soggy and spoil misal taste.
  
  
  

  

  
  
  I and my husband love this misal pav very much. Our dinner on monday was MISAL PAV. It was awesome and very big thanks to Meenu aunty from Random ramblings for introducing this wonderful delicious recipe.
  
  
  
  
  
  I'm linking this to Random ramblings for SNC - 3 - DEC 2012
  
  
  I'm linking this to Innovative recipes 2013 by Ramya from Lemon kurry
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I'm linking up this recipe to the event '60 days to christmas' hosted by my friends Divya pramil youtoocancookindianrecipes and Priya cook like priya 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   
  
  
  

NOOL KOL / TURNIP KORMA

Serving size - 3 

Preparation time - 15 minutes

Cooking time - 15 or 20 minutes

Korma is very familiar side dish for roti varieties. It is bit different from original kormas. I used turnip as main ingredient in this side dish. My husband is picky food eater. I thought of doing something different on my 4th wedding anniversary. It should be healthy as well as have to get good marks from my husband. I tried this recipe. It came out awesome. My hubby loved it very much and drowned me on his praising showers. I was flying. My lil. one also loved it very much and told Amma Kumma super ikki :) I was flying flying flying....  for the whole day. I told my mom that she was very glad to hear this. It is my own recipe. It came as my hubby and lil. Prince's favorite. SO I would like to dedicate this recipe to MY HUBBY and MY LIL. PRINCE

Ingredients

Turnip - 1 small cubed

Potato - 1/2 or 1 small cubed (optional)

Frozen Green peas - 1/4 cup

Onion - 1 cup chopped

Tomato - 1

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp (freshly grounded)

Cinnamon - 1

Annise star - 1

Curry leaves - 4 or 5 leaves

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Mango powder - a pinch (optional)

Water - 1 or 1 1/2 cups

Oil - 2 or 3 tsp

Salt - as needed

To grind for paste

Shredded Coconut - 2 or 3 tbsp

Fennel seeds - 3/4 tsp

Red chilli powder - 1/2 to 3/4 tsp (Upto your spice level)

Coriander powder - 3/4 tsp

Garam masala - 1 tsp

Cashews - 2 (optional)

Tomato - 1/2 

Method

• Grind all the ingredients under the heading ' to grind for paste' into a fine paste. Note :If you need water, use little water to make fine paste. Sometimes, tomatoes juice is enough for making fine paste.
• Heat oil in a pan, add cinnamon & star to fry for few seconds.

• Add onions & curry leaves, fry until onion slightly changes its color.

 

• Add ginger garlic paste and fry until raw smell goes.
• Add tomatoes, mango powder, salt and turmeric. Fry until tomatoes are cooked soft.

• Add grounded masala to the onion & tomato gravy. Fry it for less than a minute and add 1 cup or more water. (According to the consistency. It should not be too watery)

 

   

• Allow it to boil for 5 minutes or until raw smell goes.

• In the mean time, keep potato & turnip with little water & salt in the microwave for 3 or 4 minutes to cook 3/4 of that veggies.
• Now add boiled potato, turnip and green peas to the Korma.

• Allow it to boil for 5 or 10 minutes. 
• Turnip korma is ready and serve it with any roti varieties.

Tips 

• If you use dry green peas, soak it over night and boil it for sometime before you add to the korma.
• If you use fresh green peas, boil if for sometime(can use microwave too) before you add to the Korma. 

I'm sending this to my friend Nithu's Kitchen

Event Announcement & Giveaway - Walking Through the Memory Lane  

which is hosted for her friend Gayathri from Gayathri's cookspot

SPINACH PORUCHAKUZHAMBU

Serving Size - 2

Ingredients

Moong dal - 2 tbsp
Spinach - 1 1/2 cups
Sambar powder - 1 tbsp
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Onion vathal/vadam - 1 tbsp
Water - 1/2 cup +1 cup
Salt - as required
Oil - 2 tsp

Method

1. Soak moong dal overnight or pressure cook with two extra whistles from usual.
2. Chop spinach and keep it aside.
3. Add moong dal, cumin powder, sambar powder and 1/2 cup water  in a vessel and place inside a pressure cooker. Allow whistles as same as cooking for plain rice.
4. Heat pan with 1 cup of water and add chopped spinach to it. Allow it to boil until spinach are cooked. 
5. Remove dal from the cooker, add dal, salt and coconut powder to the spinach pan. Allow it to boil for 2 minutes.
6. Heat oil in a small pan and add onion vathal to it for seasoning. Once it pops, add it to the kuzhambu.
7. If you feel it is too thick, add little water.
8. Spinach porucha kuzhambu is ready now and serve with plain rice.

Note

• You can use shredded coconut paste instead of coconut powder and cumin powder.
• Coconut paste -  1 1/2 tsp coconut + 1/4 tsp cumin seeds + water.
• This will be more taste than coconut powder.

I'm sending this to Hubby's delight contest



I'm sending this to Divya pramil's you too can cook and  Priya.R's cook like priya join together and hosting an event "60 Days To Christmas"

 

I'm sending this to Siri's food flavors Celebrating First Anniversary

POTATO CURRY FOR POORI (POORI KIZHANGU)

Serving size - 2

Preparation time - 10 minutes

Cooking time - 15 to 20 minutes

 

 

It is a very good combination and authentic dish with PURI in India. Both children and adults love this dish very much.

  

Ingredients

Potatoes - 2 (Small cubed)
Onions - 1/2 (big)
Green chillies - 4 or 5
Tomatoes - 1/2
Curry leaves - 5 or 6
Cilantro - handful (for garnishing)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Sambar powder - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Urad dal - 1/4 tsp
Hing powder - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 3 or 4 tsp
Salt - as required

Method 

Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds. Once it splutters, add curry leaves, hing powder and green chillies. Fry for few seconds.

Add urad dal and fry for 15 seconds. Add onions and fry until it becomes transparent.

Add tomatoes and fry for a minute. Add potatoes, turmeric powder and fry for a minute.

Add sambar powder with enough water and mix well.

Allow it to boil until the potatoes are cooked like mashy consistency. Smash potatoes slightly using smasher or with spatula itself.

Add little water to the smashed potato and allow it to boil for few minutes.

Garnish curry with chopped cilantro.

Potato curry for puri should be neither too thick nor too watery. Serve it with hot puris. 

I'm sending this to Divya pramil's you too can cook and priya.R's cook like priya who are hosting an event "60 Days To Christmas"

 

Also sending this to Hubby's delight contest

 

I'm sending this to

Dish In 30 minutes Event Announcement ~ Giveaway