Kuzhambus - Gravies of South India!

Mango Sasive - yet another South Canara Recipe !

This dish is sweet & sour. This goes well with rice and rotis. Small whole mangoes can be used or diced mangoes can be used.
If using small mangoes, peel first. Add a little water to the peel & squeeze.

Mango pieces - 1 cups

Salt

Jaggery - optional.

Grind together:

Raw coconut - ½ cup

Red chilli - 1-2

Slightly roasted mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Mix mango pieces, ground paste, enough water, salt & haldi.

Bring to a boil & remove.

Some prefer to add a little tamarind paste to this.

The consistency should not be watery, but a little thick.

No tempering is done.

I just added curry leaves for flavour.

 

Senai & Kadalai Kuzambu - I learnt this from my friend, Mrs Cheeniya !

Mrs Cheeniya is a treasure house of recipes from her 95 year old MIL ! I earnestly hope, I will learn a few more from her & post here !

The very small variety of brown channa ( called kothukadalai or sundakadalai) is ideally used for this. Senai is the elephant-yam variety. Chop senai, the same size as the small brown channa.

Small brown channa - ½ cup (soak with a pinch of soda in water for 8 hrs)

Senai cubes - 1 cup

Sambar powder - 2-3 tsp

Salt, hing

To be boiled & pureed:

Tomatoes - 4

Tamarind paste - 2 tsp

To temper:

Oil - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - few

Pressurise brown channa with very little salt & boil senai cubes separately.

In a pressure pan, heat oil, temper as given & add sambar powder.

Add the tamarind-tomato puree, salt, boiled channa & senai.

Cover with lid and weight & cook for one whistle.

The consistency should be correct because there will be no loss in volume by evaporation.

Serve with a green vegetable curry (with coconut) and appalam.

 

Brinjal – Mochai Kuzambu - yet another recipe from Ms Cheeniya !

This is a famous kuzambu from Madurai – that is the native place of me & Ms Cheeniya !
Select fresh uniform sized small round brinjals & slit into 4 keeping the bottom intact.
Fresh mochai ( avarekalu) can be used . Or soak dried white mochai overnight in plenty of water, wash & pressurize till soft.

Brinjals - 8-10

Mochai - ½ cup dry or 1 cup fresh

Oil - 1 tbsp

Salt, haldi

Tamarind pulp - 1 tbsp (little more, by choice)

To roast in 1 tsp oil & grind to a paste:

Red chillies - 5, 6

Gram dhal - 2 tsp

Dhaniya - 3 tsp

Grated coconut - 2 tbsp

To temper:

Oil - ½ tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - few

Boil mochai, add tamarind paste with water, salt & haldi.

In another kadai, heat 1 tbsp oil & fry the brinjals fr 5 mts on medium flame.

Add to the boiling mixture & cook.

When brinjal becomes soft, add ground paste & simmer.

Remove when the right consistency is reached & temper.

Besides rice, this kuzambu goes very well with dosai, pongal etc.



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Gram Dhal Kadhi - a less common combination from Gujarath !

Gram dhal - ½ cup

Curds - 1 cup

To temper:

Oil - 1 tsp

Jeera - 1 tsp

Hing - ¼ tsp

Minced green chillies + ginger - 2 tsp

Red chilli powder - ½ - 1 tsp

Salt, sugar

Coriander leaves

Soak dhal for an hour & cook with 1 cup of water till soft.

In another kadai, add oil & temper as given.

When done, add cooked dhal & simmer.

Remove when everything is well blended.

Add salt, sugar & whisked curds.

Mix thoroughly to get a uniform consistency.

Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve with roti or rice.

 

Clusterbeans Poricha Kuzambu - a less common dish

This can be made little thick & used as a side dish with vathakuzambu, kalanda sadams etc.
If made into the kuzambu consistency, can be served with rice, a raita or a puli pachadi & appalam.

Select fresh, tender clusterbeans & chop fine.

Chopped clusterbeans = 1 cup

Cooked tur dhal - ½ cup

Roast in ½ tsp oil


Red chillies - 2

Peppercorn - ½ tsp

Urad dhal - 2 tsp

Hing - ½ tsp

& Grind to a paste with

Grated coconut - 2 tbsp

Rice - 1 tsp

Salt

To temper:

Oil - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - ½ tsp

Urad dhal - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - few.

Cook the clusterbeans in just enough water with haldi till soft.

Add cooked dhal, ground paste & salt.

Boil & add little water if necessary to get the required consistency.

Remove & temper.

 

Simple Kuzambu - we also call it "Easy kuzambu" !

Onions - 3 – chop fine

Tomatoes - 3 – chop fine

Potatoes - 3 ( peel, cut into ½” cubes, steam)

Drumstick - 2 – cut 2 “ long ( steam)

Tamarind paste - 2 tsp

Red chilli powder - 2 tsp

Dhaniya powder - 1 tsp

Haldi, salt

To temper:

Oil - 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Jeera - ½ tsp

Methi seeds - ½ tsp

Saunf - ½ tsp

Curry leaves - few

Heat oil & temper all given ingredients one by one.

Then add chopped onions & fry till colour changes.

Add chopped tomatoes & fry till it becomes pulpy.

Now add water, tamarind paste, all masala powders & steamed vegetables.

When everything boils together, remove & add coriander leaves.

Goes with rice as well as tiffins.

 

Omum (ajwain) Morkuzambu - an Andhra special !

I learnt this from my very young Andhra friend.

Set the dining table & get this ready. Serve, freshly made for best flavour.
Whip curds with a fork to get it thick buttermilk. Do not blend in the mixie.
It is tasty if the buttermilk is just mildly sour.

Thick sour buttermilk - 2 cups

To temper:

Oil - 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds - ½ tsp

Methi seeds - 1 tsp

Omum - 3 tsp

Green chillies - 5,6, slit long

Curry leaves - few

Hing - ½ tsp

Haldi - a pinch

Salt

Chopped coriander leaves - for garnishing.

Cooking the butter milk on stove op is not necessary at all.

Keep it ready in a veesel.

Heat oil add in order, mustard seeds, methi seeds, omum ( crushed well by rubbing in the palm of your hand), green chillies, curry leaves, hing & haldi.

When well fried, add to the buttermilk.

Add salt & mix well, crushing the green chillies with hand.

Garnish with coriander leaves & serve fresh.

Goes with hot rice, vegetable curry & appalam.

 

Tomato Pappu - I learnt this from my young Andhra friend

This can be made with tur dhal or moong dhal. This goes well with hot rice & ghee and also with chappathis.

Dhal - ½ cup

Tomatoes - 3 chopped

Red chilli powder - 1tsp

Salt, haldi

Grind together:

Fresh coconut - ¼ cup

Green chillies - 5, 6 (or to taste)

To temper:

Oil - 2 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Red chillies - 1, 2

Methi seeds - ½ tsp

Curry leaves - few

Hing - ½ tsp

Optional:

Onions finely chopped - 2 tbsp

Crushed garlic - 2 tsp

To garnish:

Ghee - 2 tsp

Chopped coriander leaves - 1 tbsp

Pressurise dhal with 1 ½ cups of water & haldi, till soft.

In a kadai, temper as given.

Then add chopped tomatoes & red chilli powder.

Fry till tomatoes are cooked.

Add dhal and ground paste.

Simmer to boil.

Adjust to desired consistency by adding a little hot water.

Remove & garnish.

 

Brinjal-Channa Rasavangi - a tasty S I dish with channa

This is usually served in wedding lunches in Tamil Nadu

Boiled channa - ½ cup (can be more by preference)

Cubed brinjal - 2 cups

Tamarind paste - 1 ½ tbsp

Salt, haldi

Boiled tur dhal - ½ cup

To roast in a few drops of oil & powder:

Red chillies - 6,7

Dhaniya - 4 tsp

Gram dhal - 3 tsp

Coconut - 2 tbsp

To temper:

Oil - 1 tsp

Mustard - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - few

Chopped coriander leaves - 2 tbsp to garnish

Boil brinjal with tamarind paste and haldi in 1 cup of water till soft.

Add cooked channa & cooked tur dhal & cook for a few mts.

Now mix the masala powder with minimum water & add.

Simmer to just boil.

Add a little more water, if necessary, to get the required consistency.

Remove, garnish & temper.
Pumpkin-mochai combo:

 

Mushroom-Curry leaves Kara kuzambu - special South Indian dish for mushroom lovers

Mushrooms - 200 gms

Fresh curry leaves - 1 cup

Small onion - ½ cup – peel

Roast in 2 tsp oil:

Red chillies - 4,5

Dhaniya - 3 tsp

Jeera – 1 tsp

Khuskhus - 2 tsp

Green chillies - 4,5

Garlic - 8,

Tomatoes - 4 – chop

Curry leaves - 1 cup

Lastly add 2 tbsp coconut

Grind the roasted ingredients with:

Tamarind paste - 1 tbsp

Salt

To temper:

Oil - 2 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Heat oil & temper.

Add small onions .

Fry very well, add paste, & salt.

Add water, boil & add chopped mushrooms.

On a small flame allow to boil & then simmer for 3-4 mts.

Keep coverd for sometime.