Moru Kootan

Moru Kootan – My husband’s favorite dish. He simply loves this curry made out of sour curd and ground coconut. This can be made with vegetables like Ash gourd, Pumpkin, Raw bananas, Carrots, Yam, or Colocassia (Chembu). Today I am  doing a post on Elavan moru kootan i.e. Ash gourd 

Ingredients                                         Serves 3 to 4 

1.       Elavan (Ash gourd) cut into big cubes – 1 cup

2.       Thick Curd (sour) – 1.5 cups

3.       Grated Coconut – 1 cup

4.       Green Chilies – 2 or 3
5.       Turmeric Powder – a pinch

6.       Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

7.       Dried Red Chillies - 1

8.       Methi seeds  - ¼ tsp

9.       Coconut Oil – 1 tsp

10.   Curry leaves

Method

1. In a vessel add the chopped ashgourd and about 1.5 cups of water. 
2. Add turmeric powder and salt and boil until the ashgourd pieces are cooked.
3. Grind coconut with green chillies into a paste. Use a little of the curd for grinding instead of water.
4. Add the ground paste to the cooked ashgourd. 
5. Mix well. 
6. Now whisk the sour curd without any lumps and add to the coconut ashgourd mixture. Check for consistency and salt. 
7. Simmer until the kootan froths up. Do not boil after adding curd. Remove from heat. 
8. Temper with Mustard, Red Chillies and Methi seeds. Garnish with curry leaves. 

Molagooshyam

This dish is our family favorite. Made out of Lentils and veggies.  Pepper is one of the main ingredients in this dish. Also coconut oil is a must to get the right aroma and taste. This dish is usually given to convalescing mothers after delivery.  

Ingredients                                                         Serves 3 adults and 2 children

1.       Pasi Paruppu – 3Tbsp

2.       Diced into cubes Veggies like Raw bananas, Yam, Ash Gourd, Carrots – 3 cup

3.       Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp

4.       Pepper Powder – ½ to 3/4 tsp

5.       Salt  to taste

6.       Coconut Oil – 1 Tblsp

7.       Curry Leaves

Method

1. Dry roast the pasi paruppu till nice aroma comes out.
2. Pressure cook the paruppu and veggies with turmeric powder, pepper powder, and 2 cups of water.  
3. Pour the cooked veggies and paruppu into another vessel. 
4. Add required amount of salt. Adjust consistency of molagutiam by adding about 1/2 cup of water. 
5. Allow to boil for 5 mins. Turn off heat. 
6. Add coconut oil and curry leaves. Let this sit covered for 5 mins then serve.

Now wasn’t that really simple. Have it with steaming rice and some pickle or with thayir pachadi.

Note:
Using coconut oil and curry leaves in the end is important to bring out the taste of this kootan or kuzhambu.

Vazhakkai Chenai Mezhukuperatti/Mezhukkupuratti

This is another dish which is very simple and yet very tasty. It goes very well as a side dish with Sambar,  Rasam and Moru Kootan.

Ingredients                                                                 Serves: 2

1. Raw Bananas cut into small cubes - 1 cup
2. Yam cut into small cubes - 1 cup
3. Coconut Oil
4. Turmeric Powder a pinch
5. Salt to taste

Preparation

Pressure cook the vegetables without adding any water for 1 Whistle. Heat a non stick Kadai. All about 2 Tblsps of coconut oil. Add the vegetables to this. Add a pinch of turmeric powder and salt to taste. Allow it roast on slow flame for 10 to 15 mins stirring carefully in between so as not to mash the vegetables.

Sambar Palakkad Style

Hello Everybody,

                         Today I would like to share the recipe of Palakkad Style Sambar. Sambar is made on daily basis in any Tamil household. Sambar is usually made with Sambar Powder. The Palakkad Sambar is made with freshly ground spices and coconut and hence makes its taste unique. You can make use of vegetables like Pumpkin, Ash Gourd, Lady’s Finger, Brinjal and Drumstick. All the above vegetables can either be used in combination or you can prepare it with any one of the above vegetables.

Ingredients            
Serves: 4

1.       Mixed Vegetables diced into medium sized cubes – 1.5 cups (I used Ash gourd and drumstick)

2.       Tamarind – A small lemon sized ball

3.       Hing Block – A small piece

4.       Bengal Gram Dal – 1/2 tbsp
5.       Coriander Seeds – 1 tbsp

6.       Methi Seeds or Vendayam – ¼ tsp

7.       Dry Red Chillies – 4 big ones

8.       Fresh Grated Coconut – 1/2 cup

9.       Tuvar Dal – 5 tbsp

10.   Turmeric Powder – pinch

11.   Oil – 2tsps

12.   Mustard Seeds for Seasoning

13.   Curry leaves for garnish

14.   Salt to taste

 Preparation

1. Pressure cook the dal, mash it well and keep aside. 
2. Soak the tamarind in water for 10 to 15 mins. Squeeze and extract the juice. Add about 2.5 cups water to this.
3. Add the vegetables, turmeric powder and salt. 
4. Allow it to boil till the vegetables are cooked. 
5. Meanwhile, heat a pan, add a teaspoon of oil, add Hing allow it to be fried. Now add the Bengal gram dal, coriander seeds, methi seeds and chillies and fry till dal is golden brown and good aroma starts emanating. 
6. Now grind these fried ingredients with grated coconut into a paste by adding little water.
7. Once the vegetables are cooked and the raw smell of tamarind is gone add the cooked dal allow to boil for 2 mins, stirring in between. 
8. Then add the ground paste and allow to simmer for another 2 mins. 
9. Season with mustard seeds and garnish with curry leaves and coriander leaves.

Serve hot with steamed rice and any vegetable stir fry.

Molagootal

Think Palakkad Chamayal and the first thing that comes to my mind is Molaguttal. One of the easiest dishes to make. Some sweet memories are attached to this. Molaguttal is the first curry I dished out for my husband after our marriage. That was 8 years ago....Time has flied away since then. I still remember those days of cooking with my recipe diary on one end of the kitchen slab....Now let's come back to the present and see how to make this quick and really simple dish of lentils and veggies and ground coconut. 

Ingredients

1. 1 Cup - Mixed Veggies like White Pumpkin, Yellow Pumpkin, Raw Banana, Carrots, Yam, Potato, Green peas etc. diced into small cubes.
2. 3 Tblsps - Tuvar Dal
3. 1/2 cup grated cococut
4. A pinch - Turmeric Powder
5. 1 tsp - Chilli Powder
6. 1 tsp - Cumin Seeds (Jeera)
7. 1 Tsp oil for Tempering
8. 1 Tsp - Mustard Seeds
9. 1 Tsp - Urad Dal
10. Few Curry Leaves
11. Salt to Taste

Preparation

Pressure cook vegetables with a pinch of turmeric powder and chilli powder. Also pressure cook the dal, mash it without lumps and keep aside.

Grind grated coconut with jeera to a fine paste adding little water.

Now in a separate vessel, add the cooked veggies, dal, and salt. Mix well and boil for 2 minutes. Now pour the coconut paste and adjust consistency by adding water. Allow to simmer for a few minutes. Add Curry leaves. Heat oil in a small pan, add mustard seeds and urad dal. Pour over the Molagutal. Serve hot with rice and some pickle of your choice.