Urulaikizhangu Kara Curry/Potato Curry

Potato is one vegetable which is like by adults and kids alike. It is a favourite at our home too. While going through the posts on my blog the other day, I realized I haven’t posted our family’s most loved curry. And so, this weekend I decided to cook and click this all time favourite of many.

The recipe is very simple, anybody can prepare it. You can add sliced onions too in this, though I have not added this time. A meal of rice, Vengaya sambar and potato curry is bliss. So here is my potato curry.

Serves 3 to 4

What you’ll need

1. Potatoes – 5 to 6 Medium Sized
2. Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp
3. Sambar Powder – 1 to 2 tbsp
4. Red Chilly Powder – ½ tsp
5. Asafoetida – a generous pinch
6. Salt to taste

For tempering

1. Oil – 2 tbsp
2. Mustard Seeds – ½ tsp
3. Urad Dal – 1 tsp
4. Channa dal – 1 tsp
5. Curry Leaves – few

Method

1. Wash the potatoes well and cut them into half or quarters.
2. Pressure cook the potatoes with some water for 2 whistles. Don’t overcook.
3. Once the cooker cools, open, and let the potatoes cool down well.
4. Remove skin, and cut into smaller pieces.
5. Heat a non stick pan with oil, temper with mustard seeds, once they crackle, add the channa dal and urad dal fry till the color of the dals turn golden. Add the curry leaves.
6. Add the potatoes, turmeric powder, asafoetida and salt to taste and mix gently.
7. Let this roast for few minutes, keep stirring once in a while.
8. Now add the red chilly powder and sambar powder, adjust the quantities according to taste.
9. Stir well and roast for few more minutes.

Serve hot with rice and sambar or rasam.

Note:

1. Don’t overcook the potatoes; else the curry would be completely mashed.
2. If adding onions, add after the tempering and sauté for a few minutes before adding the potatoes.
3. Always add the chilly powder and Sambar powder towards the end, else, this keeps the aroma of the sambar powder intact without burning the masala too much.

Poricha Kuzhambu

Poricha kuzhambu is a tamarind based kuzhambu with lot of vegetables. I have already posted a couple of variations of this kuzhambu. Today's version is yet another variation. It doesn't have any ground masalas. Yet it is very flavorful and delicious. I learnt it recently from my MIL. I have made this a couple of times now and all at home including my kids liked it very much. Don't be scared by the number of ingredients. They are all very basic ingredients that are easily available in your kitchen. This kuzhambu has a lot of vegetables, which is its speciality and so a simple Keerai masiyal or paruppu thogayal would be a great accompaniment with this.

What you’ll need

1. Karamani/Red Chowri Beans – ½ cup
2. Raw Banana/Vazhakkai – ¾ cup, peeled and chopped into small cubes
3. Yam/Chenai- ¾ cup, peeled and chopped into small cubes
4. Brinjal – ¾ cup, chopped into small cubes
5. Tamarind – gooseberry sized
6. Chilly Powder – ½ tsp
7. Black Pepper Powder – ½ tsp
8. Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp
9. Asafoetida – a generous pinch
10. Scraped Coconut – ¼ cup
11. Jaggery – 1 tsp

For tempering

1. Coconut oil – 1 tsp
2. Mustard Seeds – ½ tsp
3. Cumin Seeds – ½ tsp
4. Curry Leaves – few sprigs

Method

1. Soak the karamani in hot water for about 15 to 20 minutes. Then pressure cook it with sufficient water for 3 to 4 whistles or till the beans are soft. Once cool, mash the beans and set aside.
2. Also steam or pressure cook the vazhakkai and chenai pieces with about a cup of water.
3. Soak the tamarind in a cup of hot water for 10 minutes. Squeeze and extract the juice.
4. Transfer the tamarind extract to a vessel, add the brinjal pieces, turmeric powder, asafoetida, chilly powder, pepper powder, and jaggery and bring to a boil.
5. When the brinjal is almost cooked, add the vazhakkai and chenai pieces, the cooked red beans and salt to taste. Boil for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat.
6. In a small kadai, add some coconut oil, and roast the coconut till the color changes to dark brown. Take care not to burn the coconut.
7. Add the roasted coconut to the kuzhambu and mix well.
8. Heat a small frying pan, with a tsp of oil, temper with mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves. Pour the tempering over the kuzhambu.

Serve hot with steamed rice and Keerai Masiyal or Paruppu Thogayal.

Note:

1. While taking the tamarind extract use only 1 to 1.5 cups of water. Also while cooking the vegetables and the Karamani, don't use more than 1 cup each. Else the kuzhambu will become too watery.
2. If you have feel there is too much water in the beans or vegetables, reserve some of the water before adding to kuzhambu and add if necessary.

Kothamalli Thokku / Coriander Leaves Thokku

I am a great fan of pickles and thokku varieties, especially the Grand sweets and Snacks ones. Back in India I used to get them frequently. I also carried a couple of bottles while travelling to Amsterdam. But alas, they didn’t last me very long. Now, I was left with no other option other than trying it in my kitchen.

I remembered having a homemade version of the kothamalli thokku at one of my aunt’s place. I checked with her for the recipe. Infact she had learnt it from her MIL. So here is her version of the Kothamalli thokku. I was very pleased with the result.

It is a great accompaniment with curd rice, parathas or even as a sandwich spread. You could also simply mix a portion of the thokku with steaming hot rice. It tastes great. 

Makes a small cup

What you’ll need

1. Fresh Coriander Leaves – 2 Big bunches, (approx 2 cups tightly packed) only leaves and tender stems
2. Dried Red Chillies – 5 or 6
3. Tamarind – a small gooseberry sized ball
4. Asafoetida – a generous pinch
5. Jaggery – 1 tsp
6. Salt to taste
7. Mustard Seeds – ½ tsp
8. Gingely oil/Nalla Ennai – 3 to 4 tbsp

Method

1. Wash and clean the coriander leaves. Discard the hard and mature stem. Roughly chop and keep aside.
2. Heat a kadai with a spoon of oil and fry the red chillies, tamarind and asafoetida.
3. Grind the red chillies and tamarind and then add the chopped coriander leaves to the mixie jar and grind. Add very little water and grind to a smooth paste.
4. Heat a kadai and add the remaining oil, once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds.
5. Once the mustard splutters add the ground coriander paste, salt and jaggery and sauté till the oil leaves the sides of the kadai.