Kanji and Muthira Puzhukku/ Rice Gruel and Horsegram Curry

My daughter’s school vacations started on Friday. This is the first time in 9 nine years, that I am at my mom’s house for vacation to stay for a month. All these years, mom was in the same town as me close to each other, so I used to visit her often. Never used to wait for vacations! So, came to Bangalore on Saturday and just got settled here at home, that was the reason I was unable to blog or take a peek at my friend’s blogs.
Kanji and Puzhukku is a comfort food. Puzhukku is mild on spices, flavored with fresh coconut and coconut oil. This is one of my favorite meal menus. Another dish called Vanni, is also made in combination with this. I will be posting the recipe for Vanni very shortly.
Muthira/Kollu/Uluva/Horsegram is kind of legume known for its medicinal value. It is an excellent source of Iron. It helps in weight reduction.

Muthira Puzhukku

Ingredients

1. Muthira/Kollu/Horsegram – 1 cup
2. Raw Banana – ½
3. Grated Fresh Coconut – 1/3 cup
4. Chilly Powder – 1 to 2 tsp
5. Jaggery – 1tblsp
6. Coconut oil – 1 tblsp
7. Salt to taste

Method

Wash, pick and soak the horsegram for 8 to 10 hours. Drain the water. Wash well. Pour enough water and pressure cook the horsegram for 3 whistles. Then cook in low flame for 20 mins. By now the horsegram would be cooked well. Wash, peel and cube the raw banana, and cook it separately adding little salt.
Now in a vessel, transfer the cooked horsegram with the water, add the cooked raw banana, chilly powder, jaggery and salt to taste. Let this boil for a few minutes. Next add the grated coconut and simmer for a few minutes. Check for the consistency of the puzhukku. It should not be too runny nor too dry. It should be of a semi solid consistency. Finally drizzle with coconut oil and mix well.
Yummy and delicious puzhukku is ready to be had with Kanji.

Sending this to MlAA 34 hosted by Jaya Wagle of Desi Soccer Mom originally started by Susan

Kanji

1. Par boiled rice/Puzhiganl ari – 1 cup
2. Water – 6 cups

Method

Wash the rice well. For 1 cup of rice add 6 cups of water and pressure cook it for 3 whistles. Open the cooker after it cools, add salt and serve the Kanji with tasty puzhukku.

Carrot Rice

Preparing lunch and snacks for my daughter is a big challenge for me. She is such a fussy and choosy eater that I have a tough time making her eat something healthy. My daughter’s hot favorites for her snack and lunch box on any day would be Potato chips and Noodles and that too without veggies. (She’s very particular about that). Thankfully, the school she goes to now has a set menu which does not permit noodles. I was so happy when I saw the menu. Everyday there would be a choice of either a rice item or some roti or paratha. So I pack her rice and rotis on alternate days.

In my never ending struggle to feed my daughter something healthy and nutritious, I found this particular recipe in my favorite author Mallika Badrinath’s book. She comes as my savior on most occasions. This is simple and healthy rice and is a quick fix for kids as well as hubby’s lunch box. Most kids like carrots when compared to other vegetables. And all mothers will surely know its health benefits. Carrot rice has become a family favorite now and is there in my daughter’s and H’s box at least once in 10 days.

Ingredients

1. Rice – 1 Cup
2. Carrots – 2 Big
3. Onions – 2 Medium
4. Groundnuts – 2 Tblsps
5. Oil – 2 Tbl sp
6. Salt as required
7. Cinnamon – a small piece
8. Cloves – 2
9. Cardamom – 1 or 2
10. Cashews a few


For the spice powder

1. Coriander Seeds – 2 tsps
2. Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp
3. Red Chillies – 3 to 4
4. Grated Dry Coconut / Khopra – 2 tblsp

Method

Cut onions into small pieces. Peel and grate carrots. Cook rice, allow it to cool and separate grains.
Heat a Kadai with oil, add the cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and cashews. Fry till cashews turn golden. Next add the onions and sauté till onions turn translucent. Next add grated carrots and fry for few minutes. Cover and cook till carrots are slightly soft.
In the meanwhile, fry the items mentioned under For spice powder in a teaspoon of oil and powder it. Also, roast the groundnuts without oil, remove skin and powder it coarsely.
Once the carrots are done, add the cooked rice, spice powder and salt to taste. Mix well for 2 to 3 mins on high heat till the flavors are blended together. Finally add the coarsely ground peanuts. Mix well.

Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with a simple potato fry or a raita of your choice.

Sending this to CWS- Coriander seeds originally started by Priya, Guest hosted by Aruna
Also sending this to Priya and Aipi's Bookmarked Recipes.

Nei Payasam

Wishing all my friends a very Happy Vishu.

Payasam is a must to celebrate any festival and same goes with Vishu. Generally my MIL would have gone with Paal Payasam, but since we had made it only two days back for Sri Rama Navami, decided on making another traditional payasam i.e Nei Payasam. It is also called Kadu Madhura Payasam i.e. very sweet payasam.

This Payasam is very special in Kerala temples. It is also made as a prasadam on the occasion of Bagavathy Sevai – a special pooja conducted between mid July and August to please Devi.
So here’s the recipe for this divine treat:

Ingredients

1. Rice – 1 cup
2. Powdered Jaggery – 2 ½ cups
3. Ghee – 3 – 4 tblsp
4. Cardamom Powder – little
5. Coconut cut into small pieces – a handful

Method

Wash rice well. Add 3 cups water and cook the rice in pressure cooker for 3 whistles. In the meanwhile, heat a heavy bottom vessel; add the powdered jaggery and about ¼ cup of water. When the jaggery dissolves completely, strain for impurities and pour it back into the same vessel. Let this jaggery syrup boil for a few minutes till the syrup starts thickening. Mash the cooked rice and add it to the jaggery syrup. Mix well. Now keep stirring for few minutes. Add about 2 tblsps of ghee. Mix well. Keep stirring till the Payasam starts leaving the sides of the vessel and reaches a saucy consistency. Do not cook for very long as this will become very hard once it cools down.

In a small frying pan, heat 1 tblsp of ghee, add the chopped coconut pieces and fry till golden brown. Add these to the payasam. Also add the cardamom powder and mix well.

Delicious nei payasam is ready to eat.

Note:

This payasam is generally very sweet, so you can’t eat more than 3 to 4 spoons at one go. But you can reduce the sweetness according to your taste.

Sending this to Celebrate Sweets - Sweets with Rice Event by Niveditha hosted by Priya.

Goduma Rava Kesari (Broken Wheat Kesari)

This weekend I had a few guests over during tea time. I wanted to try a different sweet which would not take too long to make as well. I took out my favorite author Mallika Badhrinath’s book and decided to make this recipe. The outcome was well appreciated. This is the prasadam given in Annavaram Satyanarayana Temple (Andhra Pradesh). It is also called Lapsi. Considering the regular Rava Kesari, this is a healthier option. So here’s the recipe

Ingredients

1. Goduma Rava/Broken Wheat – 1 cup
2. Powdered Jaggery – 1 ½ cups
3. Water – 3 cups
4. Ghee – 3 tblsps
5. Cardamom Powder – ½ tsp
6. Cashews – few
7. Kismis / raisins– few

Method

Heat a heavy bottom Kadai or Non stick Kadai with about 2 tblsps of ghee. Add the Broken wheat and fry for about 3 to 4 mins. Then add 3 cups of water. Give a good stir and cook covered in low flame till the broken wheat gets cooked and the water is completely absorbed. In the meanwhile, in another vessel add the powdered jaggery and dissolve it in little water. Strain for impurities and keep aside.

Once the broken wheat is cooked add the jaggery syrup and mix well. Keep stirring till the jaggery syrup is absorbed completely. Add few drops of ghee if kesari sticks to the pan. Remove from heat when the kesari leaves the sides of the Kadai.

Heat a small frying pan with a little ghee, fry the cashews till golden brown, then add the raisins and remove quickly. Add these to the kesari. Also add the cardamom powder and mix well.

Tasty Goduma Rava Kesari is ready to eat.

Sending this to Aipi’s Bookmarked Recipes and to Akila’s Dish name starts with G.

Navarathri Pulinkari

Here is a traditional Palakkad recipe after a long time..

This post is dedicated to Goddess Annapoorneswari of Puthucode. Puthocode – my native place is a small village in Palakkad District. The famous Annapoorneswari Temple is situated in the centre of the village. There are four main streets – North, South, East and West. (Vadakke Gramam, Thekke Gramam, Kizhakke Gramam and Padinjare Gramam). It also has a Siva temple at the other end of the Village. The activities of this village revolve around these temples.

Navarathri Temple Festival is celebrated with great fanfare. The festival starts on the Prathamai Thithi after the Mahalaya Amavasya. The following nine days each of the villages are assigned particular days with the responsibility of flower decorations, garlands, lighting of lamps, annadanam for devotees, elephant procession etc. The festival ends on the 10th day i.e Vijayadasami with the aarattu.

A sheeveli consisting of five elephants take the Utsavmurthy around the village accompanied by Panchvadhyam and Chandai in the morning and evening followed by lunch and dinner respectively. The eighth day or the ettam villakku is the day of the North Village. There is a grand show of lights and fireworks in the evening.

Coming to the lunch, menu consists of Navrathri Pulinkari, Olan and Chadachadyam Payasam on all nine days. And that’s how this pulinkari gained popularity. The pulinkari, and olan have to be made in very large quantities and so the cooks there never bother to cut the veggies. They just drop the whole pumpkin and ashgourd from atop and use the broken pieces as it is in the pulinkari.

Pulinkari is a variant of the Sambar, but surely the taste and aroma is very different. It can be had with rice just like Sambar.

Now here is the recipe for the Navarathri Pulinkari

Ingredients

1. Ashgourd – 1 cup, chopped into big cubes
2. Pumkin – 1 cup, chopped into big cuvrs
3. Raw Bananas – 1 cup, chopped into big cubes
4. Yam or Chenai – 1 cup, chopped into big cubes
5. Tamarind – a big lemon size
6. Tuvar Dal – 4 heaped tblsp
7. Grated Coconut – 1/2 cup
8. Green Chillies – 3 – 4 (or according to taste)
9. Powdered Jaggery - 2 tbsp
10. Curry leaves a few
11. Turmeric Powder – a pinch
12. Salt to taste

To be roasted and powdered

1. Methi seeds – ½ tsp

For Tempering

2. Coconut oil – 1 tsp
3. Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
4. Dried Red Chillies – 1

Method

1. Cook tuvar dal in pressure cooker until soft, mash and keep aside.
2. Soak tamarind in 1 cup of hot water for 10 mins. Squeeze and extract tamarind juice. Pour this in a vessel. Add about 3 cups of water.
3. Remove skin and cut the vegetables into big cubes. (Little bigger than usual Sambar). Add these vegetables to the Tamarind juice.
4. Now add turmeric powder, salt and jaggery.
5. Boil this till the vegetables are cooked.
6. Once the vegetables are cooked, add the mashed dal and boil for 2 to 3 mins.
7. Grind coconut and green chillies to a fine paste adding little water.
8. Add this ground paste to the tamarind – veggie – dal mixture. Simmer for 5 mins. Check for salt and also adjust consistency by adding water.
9. Heat a small fry pan with oil, temper with mustard seeds. Pour over pulinkari and garnish with curry leaves.
10. Sprinkle roasted and powdered Methi seeds on top cover and keep for a few mins.

Serve this delicious Pulinkari with rice and olan as an accompaniment.