Jackfruit Sodhi - a Chettinadu Special Tender jackfruit, peeled & cut into 2 cm cubes - 2 cups Onion - 1 big – chop into big pieces Tomato - 1 big – chop fine Salt Grind to a paste: Green chillies - 7,8 ( or to taste) Grated coconut - ½ cup Fried gram ( pottukadalai) - 2 tbsp Jeera - ½ tsp To temper: Oil - 2 tbsp Cinnamon - 1” Pepper - ¼ tsp Saunf - ¼ tsp Cook jackfruit pieces in water till soft, drain & reserve the water for gravy. Heat oil, temper as given, add onions & fry till they become glossy. Add tomatoes & fry till soft. Add the paste & go on frying till the raw smell goes. Add jackfruit pieces, salt & blend thoroughly. Add the reserved water & more water if necessary, to simmer & get a gravy of desired consistency.
Beans Kootu - From my Chettinad friend's kitchen. French beans used for this must be very fresh & very tender. Moong dhal ( lightly roasted) - ¼ cup Tender beans, chopped - 1 cup Green chillies - 2,3 – slit into 2 Onion - 1 – chop Salt, haldi To temper: Ghee - 1 tsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Urad dhal - 1 tsp Jeera - ½ tsp Curry leaves - few. Wash & soak dhal for 1 hr. Cook in 1 cup of water with haldi. When half cooked, add vegetable, onion & green chillies. When the vegetable becomes soft, add salt, mix well & remove. Temper as given. Those who do not prefer onions can omit it. When you boil everything togeter, make sure there is not excess of water, but just sufficient for the desired consistency. Vegetables like cabbage, banana stem, chow chow, snake gourd can be prepared this way.
Idichakkai Thoran - Idichalum kalangatha ruchi ! Idichakai is also known as tender jackfruit in English & Kathal in hindi. This method of preparation is very popular in Kerala. Select a tender jackfruit, peel the hard skin & cut into 1 “ cubes. Jackfruit cubes - 3 cups Grated coconut - 1 cup Red chillies - 2,3 Jeera - 1 tsp To temper: Coconut oil - 2 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Urad dhal - 2 tsp Curry leaves - few Cook the jackfruit pieces in water till ¾ cooked. Strain & discard the boiled water. Cool & crush them coarsely. Formerly this used to be done in the grinding stone carefully, to prevent it from being mashed completely. Now one can do it using the whipper blade of the mixi jar & churning small quantities at a time. Keep the crushed mixture ready. Coarsely grind coconut with dry chillies & jeera without adding water. In a kadai heat coconut oil ( if you wish so, you can use refined oil), add mustard seeds, urad dhal & curry leaves. When done add the mixture, salt, coconut paste & mix well. Saute on a low flame for a few mts. Makes a good side dish with rice & sambar, rasam etc.
Paneer Kurma - Forget you calories for a while. Paneer - 400 gms Grated coconut - 2 cups Onions - 250 gms Potatoes - 250 gms Tomatoes - 250 gms Ghee - 4 tbsp Salt, haldi Chilli powder - 2 tsp Grind to a paste (1) Ginger - 1” Pepper - 1 tsp Khus khus - 2 tsp Onion - 1 Coriander leaves - 1 cup Grind to a paste (2): Green chillies - 7,8 Garlic - 6 pieces Grind to a paste (3): Cashews - 10,12 Fry in 2,3 drops of ghee & powder: Cloves - 6 Cardamom - 6 Cinnamon - 1 “ To temper: Saunf - 1 tsp Jeera - 1 tsp Peel, cube & lightly steam the potatoes. Add 1 cup of warm water to coconut & take the first milk. To the residue add 2 more cups of warm water & take the second milk. Heat ghee & temper as given. Add first paste & fry well. Add steamed potatoes & onions & fry well to coat them with the masala. Add second coconut milk with the second paste & cook for a few mts. Add salt, haldi & chilli powder. Add chopped tomatoes, cover with a lid & cook till tomatoes are soft. Now add the first extract along with cashew paste & spice powder. Add salt & simmer for atleast 10 mts for all flavours to blend. In the meanwhile soak chopped paneer cubes in warm water to soften them. Add the paneer cubes, simmer for a few more mts & remove. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Channa - South Indian Way ! Anardhana is dried pomegranate seeds, available as such in departmental stores. It gives a tangy, sour taste to the dish. You can omit it, if it is not available. Kabul channa - 1 cup Tomatoes - 3 – chop fine Tamarind paste – 1 tsp ( optional) Coriander leaves, copped - ¼ cup Oil - 2 tbsp Jeera - 1 tsp Salt To grind raw: Dhaniya ( soaked well) - 1 tbsp Red chillies - 6 ( or to taste) Cinnamon - 1 cm Cardamom - 3 Cloves - 3 Coconut - ½ cup Anardhana ( roasted) - 1 tsp Onions - 2 – chop Soak channa overnight with a pinch of soda in plenty of water. Wash & pressurecook it with little salt, till very soft. Drain & reserve the liquid. This liquid can be used for grinding the ingredients. In a pressure pan, heat oil & temper jeera. Add the ground paste & fry on a low fire till the raw smell goes. Next fry the chopped tomatoes till they turn pulpy. Now add the cooked channa, salt, tamarind paste & as much of the remaining reserved liquid to get the gravy of desired consistency, as you like. Close the pan & cook for one whistle for thorough blending. Cool, open, add coriander leaves & top with 1 tbsp ghee for a delicious flavour. Note: Those who do not eat onions can grind 7,8 cashewnuts with the paste & 1 tbsp cooked channa if you prefer a thick consistency.
Karunaikizangu masiyal - made with " pidi karunai". Karunaikizangu is a variety of yam about 3-4" long & oblong in shape. It is also known as " pidi karunai". Do not use karunaikizangu when it is fresh – it is best to allow it to stand for 4,5 days & then cook it. With tamarind: Karunaikizangu - 3 medium size Cooked tur dhal - ½ cup Salt, haldi Dry roast & powder: Red chillies - 3-4 Rice - 1 tsp Gram dhal (or tur dhal) - 2 tsp Udad dhal - 2 tsp Hing - ½ tsp To temper in 1 tsp oil: Mustard seeds - ½ tsp Curry leaves - few Boil the vegetable in jacket, directly in the pressure pan, in water for 2 whistles. Cool, open, peel & crumble. In the pressure pan, add mashed vegetable, freshly made powder, tamarind paste , 1 cup water, salt, haldi & cooked dhal. Make it up to desired consistency & pressurecook for 1 whistle. Cool, open & temper. Variation: Instead of cooked tur dhal, cooked moong dhal can be used. If preferred, dhal can be omitted completely. With lime juice & little tamarind: Karunaikizangu - 3 medium size Cooked tur dhal - ½ cup (optional) Tamarind paste - 1 tsp or less Green chillies - 2, chopped Ginger - 2 “, chopped Lime juice - 2 tsp Salt, haldi Coriander leaves - few, chopped To temper in 2 tsp oil: Mustard seeds - ½ tsp Udad dhal - 1 tsp Red chilli - 1 Hing - ½ tsp Curry leaves - few Boil the vegetable in jacket, directly in the pressure pan, in water for 2 whistles Cool, open, peel & crumble. Mix this with thin tamarind water, salt & haldi. In a kadai add oil, temper, add chopped green chillies & ginger, then add the crumbled mixture with salt & haldi. If you are using dhal, add now. Boil & simmer for a few mts. Remove, cool &add lime juice. It is customary to add little jaggery to this. Add coriander leaves.
vazhakkai, chenai, seppankizhangu Dear Mrs Chithra, Shakambari is a good thread. Looking hard, I find I use it's recipes more often than other recipes since this is daily cooking. When it is convenient can you post traditional Southi recipes with vazhakkai, chenai and seppankizhangu. I make the vazhakkaikootu you gave in IT, it is wonderful. best regards Vidya
Yam ( Chenai) Masiyal - ways with chenai. Chenai is elephant yam. With tamarind: Chenai cut into thin 1” squares - 2 cups Tamarind paste - 2 tsp Sambar powder - 2 tsp Cooked tur dhal - ½ cup Salt, haldi To temper in 1 tsp oil: Red chilli - 1 Mustard seeds - ½ tsp Urad dhal - 1 tsp Curry leaves - few Hing powder - ½ tsp Boil chenai in just enough water with haldi in a pressure pan for one whistle. Cool, open & drain .( If the vegetable is itchy, it is safer to drain the water ) Wash the pan & in that, put cooked chenai, tamarind paste mixed with 1 cup water, sambar powder, salt & cooked dhal. Adjust to the desired consistency by adding necessary water. Again pressurecook for one whistle. Open, lightly mash the contents & temper as given. Chopped coriander leaves can be added. With lime juice: This is called chenai kadi & is best with very good variety of the vegetable. Chenai, chopped into very small cubes - 2 cups Gram dhal (soaked in boiling water for 1 hr) - ½ cup Green chillies chopped - 2,3 Ginger finely chopped - 1 “ Grated coconut - 2 tbsp (more is optional) Salt, haldi , curry leaves Lime juice - 2 tsp ( or a little more) To temper in1 tsp oil:; Red chilli - 1 Mustard seeds - ½ tsp Urad dhal - 1 tsp Hing powder - ½ tsp To decorate: Chopped coriander leaves. Boil the soaked gram dhal, vegetable, chopped ginger & green chillies, haldi & salt in just enough water in a pressure pan. After the first whistle comes, in 2 mts (before the second whistle comes), switch off the flame. The dhal & vegetable should be soft, not mushy. Cool, open add grated coconut & temper as given. When it cools a little, add lime juice & coriander leaves.
Alu ki Rasedar Sabji - a recipe of the 50's ! Potatoes - ½ kg Oil - 2 tbsp + 1 tbsp Salt, haldi Grind together: Onions - 3 big Cinnamon - 1 “ Cardamom - 5 Gram dhal - 1 tbsp Dhaniya - 2 tsp Red chillies - 7,8 ( or to taste) Peel & cut potatoes into big cubes. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pressure pan & fry the potato cubes for 3,4 mts & remove. Add the remaining oil & fry the paste well. Then add fried potato cubes, salt, haldi & 2 cups of water. Pressure cook for 3 whistles.
Gobi-Peas Masala - a simple, delicious sabji. Cauliflowerettes small - 3 cups Boiled peas - 1 cup Tomatoes - 2 - chop Red chilli powder - 2 tsp Dhaniya powder - 1 tsp Pepper powder - ½ tsp Salt, haldi Grind to a paste: Onions - 2 Garlic - 6 flakes Melon seeds - 1 tbsp ( soak for 2 hrs) Ginger - 1 ‘ To temper: Oil - 1 tbsp Jeera - 1 tsp Curry leaves - few Clean the cauliflowerettes by immersing them in warm water to which little salt or vinegar is added. Rise well & drain. In a pressure pan, heat oil & temper as given. Next fry the tomatoes till they turn pulpy. Add spice powders, peas, ground paste, salt & cauliflower. Add ½ cup of water & pressure cook for one whistle. Cool, open & serve hot.