Beetroot Halwa and a Review of the Preethi Zodiac Mixer Grinder

Couple of months back I was asked to do a product review for Preethi Zodiac Mixer Grinder. Before writing a review I wanted to use it for sometime. Also, this happens to be my first product review post, so I am really happy doing it. I have also shared a recipe which makes use of the grater blade of the mixer grinder. So, let's get on with my opinion about the Zodiac mixer grinder.


Preethi Zodiac MG 218 750-Watt Mixer Grinder 

SPECIFICATIONS (As mentioned in the product)

• Model No.: Zodiac - MG 218
• Voltage: 230V AC ~ 50 Hz
• Power Consumption: 750 Watt
• Motor: Universal 750 Watt High Power Motor
• Material of Body: A.B.S
• Material of Jars: Stainless Steel and Transparent Plastic
• Blade Assemblies: Stainless Steel, Machine Ground and Polished
• Speed Controls: Rotary Switch with 3 Speeds and inches
• Flex Cord: PVC insulated 3 Core, Flexi cord with Plugtop and earthing
• Country of Origin: INDIA

Preethi Zodiac Mixer grinder came neatly packaged in a carton, with all parts parts carefully packed. I fell in love with its black coloured base. The instruction manual is very handy and easy to understand. I was able to easily assemble and use all the attachments that came with it. 

Pros:

1. A strong and sturdy base with vacuum rubber pads, which gives it a good grip on the surface.

2. Powerful motor.

3. Does a great job of both dry and wet grinding. Perfect for grinding those podis and idli, dosa and vada batters.

4. I am in love with its grater attachment, does a neat job in no time with lot less effort.

5. The slicer and kneader are also good.

6. The juicer jar and a special citrus juice press are very good for whipping up some fresh juices.

Cons:

1. The first thing that hit me was the noise. I found it just too loud.

2. The kneader attachment though great for kneading chappati dough, is a tad bit difficult to clean up.

3. I found there are too many small parts to keep track of while using the attachments.

In short, i am enjoying its presence and all that it is doing in my kitchen. It has definitely made my life a little more easier. So if you are looking at buying a sturdy mixer grinder with added features of a food processor then Preethi Zodiac Mixer Grinder is definitely worth it.

Now to the recipe,

What you'll need

Beetroot - 500gm (approx 3.5 cups when grated)

Milk - 500ml (2.5 cups)

Sugar - 3/4 cup

Cardamom - 4, crushed and powdered

Cashewnuts - few

Ghee - 3 to 4 tbps

Method

1. Wash and peel the beets. Chop them roughly into quarters.

2. Assemble the master chef jar and fit it with the grater blade. Close with the lid. Ensure it is locked.

3. Add 2 or 3 pieces at a time and run the mixer. Within minutes the beets would be grated.

4. Heat a Kadai, with a tbsp of ghee, fry the cashew nuts till golden and keep aside. 

5. Add another spoon of ghee and saute the beets.

6. Now add the milk and let it cook on medium flame, till milk start boiling. Then simmer and keep cooking till milk is almost reduced.

7. Now add the sugar and stir well. The mixture will become runny again.

8. Keep stirring till it starts thickening again. Add the remaining ghee and stir for a couple more minutes.

9. Do not stir for a very long time else the halwa will become hard and powdery.

10. Add the powdered cardamoms and fried cashewnuts. Mix well.

Serve warm or cold.

Thengai Paal Murukku/Coconut Milk Murukku - Easy Diwali Recipes

Every Diwali we end up making Ribbon Pokkodam, thenkuzhal and mixture. This time I wanted to try something a little different. Every time we buy murukku from shops, I buy a packet of Thengai Paal murukku. I just love the mild flavour of coconut milk. While talking to one of my aunts who is an expert in making snacks, I got the recipe for this murukku. It comes out well each and every time and is big hit with my kids as it is mild and not spicy yet very flavorful. So if you are looking for a simple snack, then do give this a try.

What you’ll need

1. Rice flour – 1 cup
2. Urad Dal Flour – 1/8 cup
3. Cumin Seeds/Jeera – 1 tsp
4. Thick Coconut Milk – ¼ to ½ cup
5. Butter – 1 tbsp
6. Salt to taste
7. Oil to deep fry

Method

1. In a wide bowl, take the rice flour, urad dal flour, cumin seeds, salt and mix well.
2. Next add the butter and mix it well.
3. Add the coconut milk little at a time and mix well to make a soft and smooth dough, not too lose and not too tight.
4. Heat oil for deep frying, take a big orange sized ball of the dough and put it in the murukku press.
5. Once the oil is hot, Squeeze into small or big murukku, directly in the oil. Take care while squeezing.
6. Fry until on medium heat until all the bubbles stop.
7. Drain on to a tissue paper.
8. Tasty and flavorful thengai paal murukku is ready.

Note:

I used up only about ¼ cup of coconut milk, as my rice flour was freshly made at home and it was kind of wet (eera podi), if you are using store bought flour you may have to use up the ½ cup fully.

Badusha/Balushahi

My blog has been lying dormant for quite sometime. Diwali, the festival of lights is knocking at our doors. Now, Diwali calls for a couple of posts. So I finally, started my Diwali preparations today. I started out by making this delicious sweet – Badusha. These are small doughnut shaped sweets, crisp and coated with sugar on the outside and juicy on the inside.

I have grown up seeing my grandfather, religiously prepare these, for almost every Diwali. He was an expert in making these. My grandmother and mother were his so-called assistants. He would do the major work of kneading the dough and take help from them to shape the badushas. I still remember him frying the badushas in large steel “thalam”/ “thambalam” so that all badushas got the same amount of heat and fried well. He used Vanaspati/dalda to prepare them. With changing times my mother has slightly altered the recipe and uses ghee instead.

Let us move on the recipe

Makes – 30 medium sized badushas

What you’ll need

1. All Purpose Flour/Maida – 4 cup
2. Ghee – ¾ cup
3. Curd – 8 tbsp
4. Salt – a pinch
5. Cooking Soda – 1 tsp
6. Oil for deep frying

For the sugar syrup

1. Sugar – 2 cup
2. Rose Essence – few drops or Powdered Cardamom – 1 tsp

Method

1. In a wide vessel, add ghee and cooking soda and rub it very well with your finger so as to mix the soda well with the ghee.
2. To this add the curd and mix well.
3. Now sprinkle the maida little at time and bring it together into a dough.
4. Add a little water and make into a smooth dough. Do not apply too much pressure while kneading.
5. Cover and rest it for at least 30 minutes.
6. Now, pinch out small lemon sized balls, roll into smooth ball, flatten slightly with your palm and make an indent with your thumb in the centre.
7. Repeat this with the rest of the dough
8. In the meanwhile, heat oil for deep frying in a kadai. Once the oil has heated up, (test by adding a tiny piece of dough, it should come up immediately), turn off the heat.
9. Slide in 3 to 4 pieces of the shaped dough into the oil and let it cook in the pre-heated oil for a while.
10. Now, turn the stove on, and cook on low heat, by flipping and turning the badhushas, until they have turned a nice golden brown, or until the sound stops.
11. Drain into a tissue paper.
12. Simultaneously prepare the sugar syrup, heat another kadai, add the sugar and water enough to submerge the sugar. Heat it until one string consistency and remove from heat.
13. Add the rose essence or cardamom powder mix well.
14. Soak the first batch of badhushas in the syrup until the next batch is ready.
15. Remove the first batch from the syrup and line them up in a wide plate.
16. Repeat the above until all the badushas are fried and dipped in sugar syrup.
17. Now, keep the remaining sugar syrup on heat again and keep stirring, till it turns into a white saucy liquid.
18. Remove from heat, and dip all the badushas in this white crystal sugar, place them on a wide plate and let them cool for at least a couple of hours.

Delicious badushas are ready.

Notes:

1. The last step of dipping the badhushas again in the crystal sugar, is optional, if you like your badhuha like the store bought ones, stop at step 15. But my grandfather used to proceed and make this way and we like it this way.
2. Take care not to add too much water while kneading, use as little as possible. Also, do not knead like chappati dough giving a lot of pressure.

Tomato Thokku/Thakkali Thokku

I am a big fan of thokku varieties. I have a bottle of thokku in my refrigerator at all times. Be it tomato, coriander or pudina. They are so versatile and are always a life saviour. They are a perfect accompaniment to idly/dosa/adai and chapathi. They are perfect as a spread on the bread. Just mix a little thokku to a portion of hot rice and have it with some papad or chips and there you have a quick lunch ready in a jiffy for that really busy day. 

Among the various varieties of thokku, if I had to choose one, I would definitely pick tomato. It is by far, my most favorite. There are a number of ways to make this. Here is my way. It tastes really delicious and is our family favorite. 

I have used Bangalore Tomatoes, feel free to use country tomatoes, but reduce or totally omit the tamarind as they are more tart. Also adjust the seasoning accordingly. Also please adjust the quantity of salt and chilly powder according to your preference. I have provided the measure I have used, but it may vary depending on the brand you use. 

What you'll need

1. Tomato – 1 Kg (about 12 to 13 Medium sized)
2. Tamarind – a small gooseberry sized ball
3. Chilly Powder – 2 tbsp
4. Powdered Jaggery – 2 tbsp
5. Asafoetida Powder – ½ tsp
6. Salt – approx  2 tbsp (adjust according to taste)
7. Gingely Oil – ¼ cup

For Tempering

1. Mustard Seeds – 2 tsp
2. Curry Leaves – few sprigs

To dry roast and grind

1. Fenugreek seeds/Vendayam - 2 tsp

Method

1. Wash and pat dry the tomatoes. Chop into quarters.
2. Heat a heavy bottomed kadai, add the chopped tomatoes, tamarind and let them cook in their own juices. Keep the heat on medium and stir once in a while to avoid burning. The tomatoes should be cooked till mushy.
3. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
4. Once cooled, transfer to a mixie jar and grind it. You may keep it slightly coarse.
5. Heat a heavy bottomed kadai with the oil.
6. Temper with mustard seeds, curry leaves.
7. Add the ground tomato, asafoetida, mix well. Cover with a lid and let it cook on medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes or till the mixture has reduced well. Keep stirring once in a while to avoid burning.
8. Now add the chilly powder, jaggery and salt mix well. Keep stirring till you start seeing oil on the sides of the kadai. Remove from heat.
9. Dry Roast the fenugreek seeds until dark brown and powder it using a mortar and pestle. Add this to the thokku and mix well.

 Cool completely and transfer to a clean container. Tomato thokku is ready.

Note:

1. I used Bangalore tomatoes which are not very sour, if using nattu thakkali then reduce the amount of tamarind. You may do without it too.
2. After add the chilly powder, salt and jaggery, keep stirring constantly.
3. This thokku remains fresh for a couple of days at room temperature and upto a month when refrigerated.
4. Use a clean dry spoon.

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Mixed Vegetable Kootu

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A post after a long time!! No excuses this time. It was pure laziness on my side. So finally, I managed to come out of hibernation.

While browsing the recipe index on my blog, the other day, I noticed that I haven’t posted some very basic recipes like this kootu, and a few others. So, thought of sharing this simple recipe today. This is an everyday kootu, unlike the kootu curry that is served during sadhyas. But I like this, for its simplicity. Few basic ingredients create magic. I would say it is a very close cousin of the molagootal. The Molagootal is more like a kuzhambu as in runnier, while the kootu is a side dish usually paired with mor kootam/ rasam or vatha kuzhambu. Now, off to the recipe.

Serves 4

What you'll need

1. Mixed Vegetables – 3 cup (I used Malabar Vellarikai, Carrot, and Potato)
2. Channa Dal – ½ cup
3. Scraped Fresh Coconut – ½ cup
4. Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp
5. Green Chilly – 1
6. Turmeric Powder – ½ tsp
7. Salt to taste
8. Jaggery – 1 tsp (optional)

For Tempering

1. Coconut Oil – 2 tsp
2. Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp
3. Broken Urad Dal – 1 tsp
4. Curry Leaves – few

Method

1. Soak the channa dal for 20 minutes. Then pressure cook it with until soft.
2. Wash, peel and chop the vegetables into small cubes. I used 1 cup each of Malabar vellarikai, carrots and potatoes.
3. In a bowl, add the chopped vegetables, add just enough water, turmeric powder and salt to taste.
4. Allow this is boil, cook partially covered until the vegetables are cooked.
5. Add jaggery if using and boil for another couple of minutes.
6. In the meanwhile, grind the coconut, green chillies and cumin into a fine paste with very little water. Add water just enough to grind – a couple of spoons.
7. Next add in the cooked dal, mix carefully without mashing the vegetables. Let this simmer for couple of minutes.
8. Finally, add the ground coconut paste, mix well and simmer for another 3 to 4 minutes.
9. Adjust seasoning. Remove from heat.
10. Heat a small frying pan with coconut oil. Temper with mustard seeds and urad dal. Pour this tempering over the kootu. Garnish with curry leaves.

Kootu is ready. Serve as an accompaniment with Vathakuzhambu/Mor Kuzhambu/Rasam.

Note:

1. You may add green peas and French beans as well.
2. Make sure to add any one water vegetable like ash gourd or chow chow, or Malabar vellarikai.
3. Addition of jaggery is optional, but we like our kootu slightly sweet and so I add a little bit.
4. Use coconut oil for good flavour.

Koozh Dosai

Koozh dosai is a very old and traditional recipe, which I feel is slowly fading away from most households, including mine. Whenever it comes to grinding batter, I end up grinding for the regular idly and dosa batter and so all the other varieties always takes a back seat. The Koozh dosai would be a welcome change if you are bored of your regular idly dosas.

This dosa does not have any urad dal. It is made only of raw rice. The most important thing to note in this recipe is that the batter should be well fermented and enough quantity of Koozh should be added to get soft dosas.

What you’ll need

1. Raw Rice – 2 Cup
2. Salt to taste
3. Oil – as needed to make dosas

Method

1. Wash and soak the rice for 3 to 4 hours.
2. Now grind the rice into a smooth batter adding water as and when required.
3. Add salt mix well and let this batter ferment for 8 to 10 hours.
4. Take a big ladle full of this batter and mix it with 2 cups water. Mix it well without any lumps.
5. Place this on heat and keep stirring on medium flame, until it starts thickening and becomes translucent. This is called Koozh.
6. Let this cool well.
7. Before making the dosas, add this cooled Koozh to the batter and mix well. Add about 2 cups of water and make the batter very thin, like rava dosa batter.
8. Place an iron pan on heat, drizzle a little oil, mix the batter well and pour a ladle full of batter, start from the outer edges and then move in.
9. Drizzle oil on the edges. And cook on medium flame flip over and drizzle a tsp of oil and cook until the dosas are done. Repeat with remaining batter.
10. Serve these delicious dosas with chutney/sambar or molagapodi.

Note:

The batter should be well fermented.

The quantity of koozh would be just right, sometimes, the dosa may tear, it might be because the koozh is more in quantiy. So don’t add the whole koozh at a time. Add ¾ th of the koozh make a dosa a check, if the dosas come without any white patches then the koozh is enough. If you see white patches on the cooked dosa, then add more koozh. 

Lemon Oorugai | Lemon Pickle without Oil

Pickles are an integral part of Indian households and so it is at our home. A proper South Indian meal is incomplete without the customary Thayir Sadam (curd rice) and oorugai. My MIL is an expert when it comes to pickling. Not only our family, but anyone who visits our home and tastes her pickles doesn’t go without asking her for its recipe. Among all the pickles she makes, my favorite is Avakkai and Vadu Mangai. I hope to post these recipes this summer.

Now, is the season for lemons. I am not a huge fan of lemon pickle. But the one I am sharing today is an exception. I learnt this from my grandmother. The USP of this pickle is that it does not use oil. The salt and sugar act as preservatives. Please don't panic! It is not a sweet pickle. The sugar just balances the sourness of the lemon. It tastes really good and is perfect with a bowl of curd rice.

What you'll need

1. Indian Lemon – 15 medium sized
2. Red Chilly Powder – 1/3 + 1/8 cup
3. Salt – 1/3 + 1/8 cup
4. Sugar 1/3 + 1/8 cup
5. Fenugreek – 1 tbsp
6. Asafoetida – ½ tsp

Method

1. Wash and wipe the lemon well. Let it dry well.
2. Cut 12 of the lemons into quarters or cut each into 8 pieces. I had approximate 2.5 cup of cut lemon pieces.
3. Squeeze and extract the juice from the remaining 3 lemons.
4. Transfer the lemon pieces into a wide glass bowl, add the measured quantities of red chilly powder, salt and sugar. Also add the lemon juice. Mix well.
5. Scrape the sides of the bowl.
6. Now, heat a small frying pan, dry roast the fenugreek seeds until they start to pop. Transfer to a plate. To the hot pan add the asafoetida powder fry for few seconds.
7. Grind the roasted fenugreek seeds with the help of a mortar and pestle.
8. Add the fenugreek powder and asafoetida to the pickle mixture. Stir well.
9. Cover with a lid and keep aside.
10. Keep stirring once everyday. Transfer to a clean and sterilized bottle after about 10 days.
11. Let it sit at least for a month before consuming by when lemon would have become soft and would have absorbed all the spices well.

Note:

1. Select firm yellow, thin skinned lemon. Make sure there are no black spots or soft spots on the lemon.
2. Always use a clean and dry spoon.
3. Keep stirring it once everyday, with a clean dry spoon for at least 10 days.
4. Store in clean sterilized glass bottle. I recommend, washing the bottle with soap water and then rinsing it with hot water. And dry in sunlight before storing the pickle. 

Vendhaya Keerai Paruppu Usili

Here I am, with the next recipe in the New Year.  I love paruppu usili period. I have already posted 2-3 usili recipes using different vegetables like Kothavarangai, Cabbage and Vazhapoo. Among these my favourite was Cabbage. But now I have 2 favorites. Cabbage and this Vendhaya Keerai Usili. 

In our house, I had never seen my mother or MIL prepare usili using keerai. A couple of days back, I tasted this usili, prepared by my friend. It was new to me. And I just loved it. I also came to know that usili using murungai keerai is also quite popular. Last week I tried this and it was a big hit at home. My kids also loved it. The flavour of vendhaya keerai with the spiced steamed lentils is just too good. It tastes best as an accompaniment with Vatha Kuzhambu or with Mor Kuzhambu. If you have not tried this before, then do give it a try. I am sure you will love it.

Serves 3 to 4

What you’ll need

1. Methi Leaves/Vendhaya Keerai – 1 Big Bunch
2. Tuar Dal – 1/3 Cup
3. Kadala Paruppu – 1/3 cup
4. Dry Red Chilly – 2 or 3
5. Asafoetida – a generous pinch
6. Salt to taste
7. To temper
8. Coconut Oil – 2 tbsp
9. Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp
10. Urad Dal – 1 tsp
11. Red Chilly – 1

Method

1. Wash and soak the dals for atleast 30 mins along with the dried red chillies.
2. After 30 mins, drain the water completely, and grind into a coarse paste with red chillies, salt, few curry leaves and asafoetida. Do not add water.
3. Grease an idly plate with few drops of oil, take a lemon sized ball of the ground dal paste and pat it on the idly moulds. Repeat this until all the dal paste is used up.
4. Steam this in a cooker/steamer for 5 to 8 minutes or until the dal is cooked. To check, insert a knife through the dal discs, the knife should come out clean.
5. Let this cool very well. Pulse it again in the mixie, the dal should crumble and resemble a coarse powder.
6. Meanwhile, clean and wash the methi leaves/vendhaya keerai, I used only the leaves and very tender stock. I had about 2 heaped and tightly packed cup of leaves. Chop them roughly.
7. Heat a Kadai with oil, temper with mustard seeds, once it splutters, add the urad dal and fry till the dal turns golden, add the red chilly and fry till it turns crisp.
8. Now add the chopped leaves and saute till the leaves get wilted. Add a little salt.
9. Next add the ground dal and mix everything very well. Keep sautéing for 5 to 6 minutes or until everything mixes well and resembles a crumble.

Delicious Usili ready. 

Notes:

1. Drain water completely from the dals before grinding.
2. Also grind the dals coarsely without adding any water.

Kadala Paruppu Pradhaman

Wishing all readers a very Happy New Year!!

It has been a really long time since I last posted a recipe on the blog. Life has become very busy and blog just took a back seat without me even realizing it. But I hope to be more regular this year. So here is to sweet beginnings. 

A delicious pradhaman - Kadala Paruppu Pradhaman. Jaggery and coconut milk like I always say are a match made it heaven, that with the bite of kadala paruppu/channa dal is just amazing. I took out the camera after a really long time and I have not done any justice to the pradhaman. You'll have to just take my word for it and try it out. And I am sure you will not regret it. Now off to the recipe.

Serves 3 to 4

What you’ll need

1. Kadala Paruppu/Channa Dal – 1/3^rd cup
2. Javvarisi/ Sago – 1/8^th cup
3. Powdered Jaggery – ¾ cup
4. Thin Coconut Milk – 1 cup
5. Thick Coconut Milk – ½ cup
6. Dry Ginger Powder – ¼ tsp
7. Cardamom Powder – ½ tsp
8. Ghee – 1 tbsp
9. Cashew nuts – few

Method

1. Dry roast the sago and channa dal till the raw smell disappears.
2. Soak these in water for 10 minutes.
3. Pressure cook the channa dal and sago with just enough water for 3 to 4 whistles. Let the water level be just above the dal.
4. Once, the pressure is released, open the cooker and mash the dal lightly.
5. Heat a heavy bottomed vessel, add the powdered jaggery, with ¼ cup of water. Once the jaggery dissolves, strain for impurities and pour it back in the vessel.
6. Add the mashed dal and sago to this jaggery syrup. Let it boil for a couple of minutes. Then add the thin coconut milk and boil for 5 to 6 minutes. Keep stirring once in a while.
7. Once the payasam thicken slightly, remove from heat.
8. Now add the thick coconut milk and mix well.
9. Heat a small frying pan with ghee, add the cashewnuts and fry until golden. Add this to the pradhman.
10. Also add the ginger powder and cardamom powder. Mix well.

Serve warm.

Notes:

1. Channa dal should be cooked till soft, the dal should easily crumble when pressed between fingers, but not mushy.
2. The pradhaman will thicken once it cools.
3. You can add boiled and cooled regular milk if the pradhaman is very thick.
4. Do not add more than the mentioned quantity of sago, it will thicken the pradhaman very much.
5. Traditionally, roasted coconut slivers are added to the pradhman, since I did not have coconut handy, I used cashewnuts.

Karuveppilai Kuzhambu / Curry Leaves Kuzhambu

I am back after a very long break. Things have become very busy all of a sudden at the personal front. It feels good to be back to blogging. I really hope I can be regular with my posting.

Now that I decided to start drafting my post, I am completely lost for words. So let me get straight to the recipe. Today, I am sharing a kuzhambu recipe. Unlike most of the other kuzhambu/kootan recipes on the blog, which I have grown up with, this is a relatively new recipe. My mother got to know of it from a very good friend of hers. And since then, my mother has been making it now and then.

So now that amma is here with me, I asked her to prepare this. It is a spicy, tangy and flavorful kuzhambu.. If you have fresh curry leaves at hand, it is a breeze to prepare and pairs well with any thoran  or roast curries like potato or seppankizhangu.

What you’ll need

1. Fresh Curry Leaves – 1 cup, tightly packed
2. Tamarind – a gooseberry sized ball
3. Turmeric Powder – ½ tsp
4. Jaggery – 1 tsp (optional)
5. Salt to taste

To roast and grind

1. Gingely oil – 1 tsp
2. White Urad Dal – 1 tbsp
3. Black Pepper – 1 tsp
4. Dried Red Chillies – 4 to 5 (increase or decrease according to taste)
5. Asafoetida – a small piece

To temper

1. Gingely Oil /Nalla Ennai – 2 tsp
2. Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp
3. Cumin Seeds – ½ tsp

Method

1. Soak the tamarind in a cup of hot water for 10 minutes.
2. Squeeze and extract the juice and discard the fibers.
3. Add 1.5 cups of water more to this.
4. Add turmeric powder, jaggery and salt to taste. Place it on medium heat and bring it to a boil.
5. In the meanwhile, heat a small kadai with a tsp of oil add the asafoetida, once it puffs up well add the urad dal and fry it on medium heat. Once it starts changing color, add the black pepper and dry red chillies and fry till the chillies are bright red. Take care not to burn the dal. Transfer to a plate and cool.
6. Now, grind the roasted ingredients along with the curry leaves to a fine paste adding a little water.
7. Add this ground paste to the tamarind water and let it boil on medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes or till the raw smell of the tamarind and curry leaves disappears and the kuzhambu has thickened and reached a saucy consistency. Don't let it thicken too much as it will thicken a little more on cooling.
8. Remove from heat.
9. Heat a small frying pan with oil, temper with mustard seeds and cumin. Pour the tempering over the kuzhambu.

Flavorful karuvepilai kuzhambu is ready.

Serve with steamed rice and any thoran or potato or seppankizhangu fry.

Notes

You may saute few shallots and a couple of cloves of garlic if you like, and then add the tamarind water to it and follow the remaining steps.

Thayir Vadai - A Guest Post for Rafeeda of The Big Sweet Tooth

Today’s post is a guest post for a wonderful blogger friend Rafeeda. Rafeeda’s blog The Big Sweet Tooth is a treasure trove of recipes, from mouthwatering biriyanis to delicious bakes and puddings, you name it and you will find it on her space. I love the quotes she posts and her write ups. I feel an instant connect with whatever she writes. I am inspired by her dedication towards her blog. Inspite of being a busy working mother of 2 beautiful girls, she manages to post recipes almost every day on her space.

I am sharing one of my family’s favorite summer recipes – Thayir Vadai or Curd Vadai. It is a very simple dish to prepare and tastes great. A make ahead dish, perfect for those small get togethers or parties. 

Thanks a lot Rafeeda for inviting me to your space.

Hop over to Rafeeda's space for the full recipe.

Porulvilangai/Porivilangai Uruandai

Poruvilangi or Porulvilangi Uruandai is a healthy and nutritious sweet ball. The name Porulvilangai literally means that the ingredients are a mystery. Though it resembles any other laddu in appearance, but the texture is very different. These balls are very hard, infact, you need to use a small hammer or a grinding stone to break it.

Poruvilangai was one of the things which my grandmother would always keep ready when we went for our summer vacations as it was my mother’s favorite. As a child I never really liked them, just because they were too hard. These are a favorite with my in laws and my mother in law makes them on and off. She tells me that, in her times, when people used to go on long train journeys, they would prepare these and carry it along. These hard balls have a very long shelf life and stay fresh for a couple of months.

The main ingredients used in its preparation are Whole Wheat grains, Boiled Rice/Puzhungal Arisi, Green Moong/Pacha Payaru, Dry ginger, cardamom and coconut bits sweetened with Jaggery. The measurements and ingredients seem to differ from one household to another. I came across recipes making use of Channa dal, roasted gram dal and even groundnuts. The recipe I am sharing is handed down to me by one my mother in law’s relative who is has been regularly preparing these for a very long time now.

Poruvilangai, like I mentioned earlier are supposed to be very hard, hard to the extent that they need to be broken with pestle. The reason it was made like this was so it could have a long shelf life, as these were made in large quantities in those days. But now, children don’t and adults don’t seem to like it so hard, so the balls made from the recipe I am sharing today, are not so hard. I won’t say they are soft and crumbly, but they can be broken by our teeth. Refer the notes section, if you want to make the stone hard poruvilangais.

What you’ll need

1. Boiled Rice/Puzhungal Arisi – 4 Cup
2. Whole Wheat Grains/Gothumai – 1 Cup
3. Green Moong/Pacha Payaru – 1 Cup
4. Jaggery – 6 cup, powdered
5. Dry Ginger/Sukku – a big piece
6. Cardamom – about 10
7. Coconut – 1 cup, cut into small pieces

Method

Roast and Grind

1. Dry roast the rice, whole wheat, green moong until golden. Keep stirring and roast on medium heat to avoid burning and for even roasting.
2. Break the dry ginger into smaller pieces used a pestle, heat that also for a minute or so, for easy grinding.
3. Spread all the roasted ingredients on a newspaper and allow to cool slightly.
4. Then grind them along with the dry ginger and cardamom in batches in a mixie, sieve it and keep aside.

Prepare Jaggery Syrup

1. Heat a heavy bottomed kadai, with the jaggery and water enough to immerse the jaggery. Heat it on medium flame, else the syrup will thicken even before the jaggery dissolves.
2. Once the jaggery has dissolved completely, strain for impurities and pour it back into the kadai.
3. Add the coconut pieces to this.
4. Keep heating on medium flame, stirring once in a while, we need to get the soft ball consistency or thakkali pagu. It is ok if you remove the syrup just before the soft ball consistency.  (Check Notes)
5. To check for the soft ball consistency, take some water in a plate, and add a drop of the syrup into it, if it settles and you are able to roll it into a ball then the syrup is ready. Remove from heat.
6. I removed mine from heat, just before the soft ball consistency.

Prepare the urundai

1. Keep a medium sized bowl with a cup of the flour in it. This is for rolling the prepared urundais.
2. In another wide bowl, take a cup of the flour and add about 2 ladles of the syrup. Mix it quickly with a wooden spoon or spatula, and try forming balls, if you are able to form the balls, then quickly roll them into balls and put them into the bowl with flour. If you are not able to form balls then add another spoon of syrup and try.
3. The balls may feel soft while rolling, but they harden on cooling.
4. Repeat the above procedure until you are done with all the flour.
5. Some syrup may be left over, you can refrigerate the syrup and use it later again to make the urundais, by heating it with little water.
6. Healthy and tasty poruvilangai urundais are ready.

Notes:

1. If you have the facility to get the grains milled in flour mill, then that would be good. Else use the mixie and sieve the powdered flour. I ground mine at home in a regular mixie.
2. The jaggery syrup is the one that is responsible for the hardness of the urundai, so if you want them a little softer, you can remove the syrup just before it reaches the soft ball consistency. Or if you want really stone hard urundais then keep the syrup a little longer than soft ball consistency. I removed mine, just before the soft ball consistency.
3. The urundais will feel soft while shaping, but on cooling, they will harden.
4. I had some jaggery syrup left, it is difficult to give exact measurement of the jaggery syurp.
5. The ratio is 1:1, for one cup of powder, use 1 cup of powdered jaggery.
6. The main flavoring agents are sukku and cardamom, so don’t skip that.