Ingredients

Rice flour – 1 cup (see note 1)

Salt – 1/4 tsp

Coconut oil – 2 + 1/2 tbsp (see note 2 for alternative)

Water – 2 to 2 1/2 cups (approximately)

Ghee or sesame oil – 1 tsp

Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp

Fresh curry leaves finely chopped – 2 tbsp

 Dosai/Idli Milagaai Podi – 2 tbsp (see note 3 for alternative)

Fresh grated coconut – 3 tbsp (optional)

Method

1)   In a wide bowl take rice flour, salt and ghee/sesame oil. Mix thoroughly by hand so the salt and fat spreads evenly. Set aside.

2)   Heat the water and once it starts boiling add this hot water little by little to the rice flour mixture and roughly mix with a spatula. Add enough water to bring the rice flour together roughly. Add 1/2 tbsp coconut oil on top of this hot rice flour mixture, cover the bowl fully and allow it to rest for 10 mins. Cover and save rest of the hot water for kneading the dough later.

3)   After 10 mins, when the rice mixture is warm and you are able to handle it with your hands, apply some coconut oil in your palm and start kneading the dough. If the mixture is too dry and doesn’t come together, then sprinkle some hot water we’ve saved and knead well until all the flour comes together and forms one smooth crack free dough. Cover this dough and let it rest for a further 5 mins.

4)   Now grease your palms with coconut oil and divide the dough into 3 or 4 portions. Take one portion out and make small balls, the size of a marble. Keep the rest of the dough portions covered with a damp kitchen towel until you shape them into small balls. Keeping the dough covered with a damp cloth helps keep the dough moist.

5)   Continue to shape the entire dough into small balls, cover and set aside. Now steam the prepared dough balls in a steamer or a pressure cooker for 6 to 7 mins. After 6 to 7 mins remove the steamed kozhakattai from the steamer and let it cool completely.

6)   Now in a wide pan or kadai take 2 tbsp coconut oil and heat it. Add mustard seeds and let it splutter. Immediately add the fresh curry leaves and mix once. Simmer the heat and add the steamed kozhakattais. Gently mix once so the oil coats evenly on them.

7)   Add dosai/idli milagaai podi and fresh grated coconut to the kozhakattai and mix completely. Cover the pan for just 2 mins and your tasty ammini kozhakattai is ready to serve.

Notes

1. I’ve used normal store bought rice flour to make this dish. You can use the same or if you get processed rice flour like idiyappam flour or more specifically kozhakkattai flour then it’s even better. The process is the same whichever rice flour you use.
2. You can use sesame oil instead of coconut oil.
3. I’ve chosen to spice up my ammini kozhakkattais with dosai milagaai podi, which is my favourite. You can feel free to try any other readymade spice powder like Kollu Karuveppilai Podi, Rasam powder etc according to your taste.

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When I got married and moved  to a foreign country I wanted a piece of the food culture from my mom’s place to go with me. Didn’t want to miss out the delicacies I enjoyed from childhood so decided to write down the recipes from my mom and grandma, just like a souvenir. And in that long list of recipes I had collected, this was the first recipe. To date I cherish the book in which I had written down all such tried and perfected recipes from my family. And I still remember the first time I made Paal PoLi, it was no way close to what my mom made. Over the years I’ve tried to perfect the recipe and this 100th post in my blog is dedicated to my dear grandma and her awesome cooking.

Happy to share a piece of my treasure with you guys

Ingredients

Fine semolina – 1 cup

Salt – a pinch

Ghee – 1 1/2 tbsp

Water – as needed

Full cream milk – 750 to 800 ml

Demarara sugar or any unrefined brown sugar – 3/4 cup

Cardamom powder – 1/4 tsp

Saffron – 1/4 tsp

Almonds (sliced) – 20 pieces

Pistachios (chopped) – 10 pieces

Cooking oil – as needed for deep frying the puris

Yield
~ 15 pieces

Prep time
1 hr to soak the dough

Cook time
30 mins

Method

1)   In a wide bowl take semolina, salt and ghee together. Mix and rub the ghee thoroughly into the semolina with your fingers. Slowly add water to the semolina mixture and knead this into a soft pliable dough. Apply few drops of ghee on the surface of the dough ball to avoid the outer surface drying out. Cover the dough with a damp muslin cloth or a kitchen towel. Let this rest for an hour.

2)   While the dough is resting, take the milk in a thick bottomed wide pan and boil it. Keep stirring continuously to avoid the milk sticking to the bottom of the pan. When the milk reduces to nearly two thirds of the original quantity simmer the heat fully and add saffron and cardamom powder.

3)  Then add sugar and mix well. Boil the milk for a further 5 to 7 mins on medium heat. At this stage add most of the dry nuts (reserve some for garnish), mix once and switch off the heat. Cover the pan and set aside to avoid skin formation on the surface.

4)   Heat a thick bottomed deep pan and add oil for deep frying. While the oil is heating take the semolina dough and knead gently for 2 to 3 mins. This will make the dough stretchy and soft. Keep stretching and folding inward and repeat this for a further 3 to 4 mins. Now divide the dough into small portions to make around 14 to 15 puris.

5)   Place each portion of the dough between your palms and make it into a smooth round ball. Grease the surface and the rolling pin with some ghee and roll the dough balls into thin round puris about the size of your palm. Place them side by side on a parchment paper or a big plate.

6)   Now gently slide each puri into the hot oil and wait until it puffs up. Carefully flip the puri and let the other side fry too. Remove each golden fried puri from oil and drop it directly into the warm milk mixture. 

7)   Press the puri gently into the milk without breaking it. Let it soak for a minute. Remove the soaked puris and stack them side by side on a wide plate. Keep repeating the process until you are done with all the puris. Pour the leftover milk onto the puris. Garnish with some chopped nuts and few strands of saffron. Your rich, tasty Paal PoLi is ready to be served now.  

Notes

1. Resting of the semolina dough is very important. Semolina soaks up liquid and tightens the dough. So make your dough a little too soft and allow the semolina to do the tightening work. Add a few tsp of milk if dough is not very soft. After the resting period, stretching and kneading the semolina dough is very important. This process helps to get soft puris.
2. Do not reduce the milk too much because the puris will not soak properly if the milk is very thick. The milk also has to be reasonably warm for the puris to soak and
   absorb the milk. If the milk has cooled down then heat it a bit on low
   heat before you try to soak the puris.
3. I’ve suggested to use brown sugar in this recipe for convenience. Originally my grandma used to make Paal PoLi with jaggery. If you are familiar with it and like to use jaggery, then make a thick syrup with jaggery and add it to the boiling milk. Don’t add the raw jaggery directly to boiling milk without making it into a thick syrup because the milk will curdle.
4. If you like this one, try my Paneer Kheer recipe as well!

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Recently, for the first time I tried to add coconut milk (for a tinge of sweetness) and kidney beans (for protein value) to the basic version of tomato rice. It just turned out to be a  bit of sweet, tangy, spicy, salty and flavourful rice enriched with the goodness of kidney beans. It was awesomely tasty and has become my favourite lunch box option and a party dish too in my house!

Here’s the recipe for my (new) favourite Tomato Rice.

Ingredients

Cooked kidney beans – 1 cup

Basmati rice – 1 cup

Water – 1 cup

Thick coconut milk – 1 cup

Cooking oil – 3 tbsp

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Cardamom – 3

Cloves – 3

Cinnamon stick – 2 inch piece

Bay leaf – 1

Star anise – 1

Green chillies (slit) – 3 (to taste)

Ginger (finely chopped) – 1 tbsp heaped

Garlic (finely chopped) – 1 tbsp

Onion (thinly sliced) – 2 medium sized

Salt – 1 tsp (to taste)

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Red chilly powder – 1 tsp

Ripe tomatoes (thinly sliced) – 2 large

Green capsicum (cut into small cubes) – 1/2 medium sized (totally optional)

Fresh coriander leaves (finely chopped) – handful

Yield
Serves 3 – 4

Prep time
8 to 10 hrs for soaking kidney beans
30 mins on the day

Cook time
30 mins

Method

1)   Wash and soak kidney beans for 8 to 10 hrs. After soaking drain the beans completely and add 1/4 tsp salt and fresh water, boil until the beans cook well. Once the beans are cooked well drain them and set aside. If you are using store bought canned beans, skip this cooking process. Just drain the beans in the can and use straightaway.

2)   While the beans are cooking, wash the basmati rice and then soak in water and coconut milk for 20 mins.

3)   Heat a thick bottomed kadai  or cooking pan, add oil. When it is hot enough add cumin seeds and let it splutter. Then add cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick, bay leaf and star anise. Saute for 30 s.

4)   Now reduce the heat to a minimum and add green chillies, ginger and garlic. Fry for 1 min or until garlic turns golden. Then add onions and 1/4 tsp salt and fry on medium heat until onion becomes translucent.

5)   Now add turmeric powder and red chilly powder. Saute for 30 to 40 s and add the tomatoes. Mix, cover and cook until the tomatoes are cooked and mushy.

6)   Then add the rice with the water and coconut milk mixture. Mix gently, add the remaining salt and cover the pan. Cook on high heat for the first 6 to 7 mins. Then simmer the heat completely, open the pan and add the cooked kidney beans. Mix everything very gently, cover the pan again and cook the rice for a further 7 to 8 mins or until the rice is cooked.

7)   Now add coriander leaves and capsicum and your tasty tomato rice is ready to serve. Pair it with some vegetable raitha to make it a complete meal.

Notes

1. If you are not vegan, go ahead and add a tbsp of ghee just before adding coriander leaves. This adds an extra aroma to tomato rice and also keeps the rice fluffy and not stick together. 
2. I generally don’t add mint in tomato rice, but if you are a big fan of mint, you can add a handful of fresh mint leaves along with the onions.
3. If you want to use store bought ginger garlic paste instead of fresh ginger and garlic use 1 tbsp for this recipe.
4. Be gentle when mixing basmati rice. It will break easily!
5. Check out my other interesting rice dishes like Tawa Pulao, Moringa Pulao and Chickpea Pulao.

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Ingredients

Cashew nuts – 10

Fresh paneer (cubed) – 250 g

Onion – 1 large + 2 medium

Cooking oil – as required (for deep frying)

Garam masala powder – 1tsp

Milk – as required (for grinding)

Ghee – 1 tbsp

Unsalted butter – 2 tbsp

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Green chilly (slit) – 3 (or to taste)

Ginger (finely chopped) – 1 tbsp

Garlic (finely chopped) – 1 tbsp

Salt – 1 tsp (or to taste)

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp

Red chilly powder – 2 tsp (or to taste)

Coriander powder – 2 tsp

Dry fenugreek leaves – 1 tbsp (optional)

Tomato (finely chopped) – 2 medium sized

Jaggery/brown sugar – 1 tbsp

Green capsicum (cubed) – 1 large

Fresh cream – 3 tbsp

Coriander leaves (finely chopped) – for garnish

Yield
Serves 4

Prep time
20 mins

Cook time
40 mins

Method

1)   Soak cashew nuts in hot water for 15 mins. While this is soaking, slice 1 large onion, deep fry until golden, drain and let it cool down.

2)   Once the fried onion cools down transfer it to a blender. Add the soaked cashew nuts, 2 paneer cubes and 1/2 tsp garam masala. Blend everything to a fine paste adding milk as required to run the mixer. Set aside.

3)   In a heavy bottomed pan (kadai) heat ghee and 1 tbsp butter together. Add the cumin seeds when it is hot enough and let it splutter.

4)   Immediately add the slit green chillies, ginger and garlic. Sauté for a minute on low heat. Now add the onion and a pinch of salt. Fry in medium heat until golden.

5)   Simmer the heat now, add turmeric, red chilly, coriander and the remaining garam masala powders. Sauté for 30 s. Add the tomatoes, dry fenugreek leaves, jaggery and salt. Mix everything once and add 1/4 cup of water. Cover the pan and cook on medium heat for 5-7 mins or until the fat starts to seperate and float on top of the gravy.    

6)   Now add the ground cashew mixture and 1/4 cup of water and mix well. Cover the pan again and let it cook for another 3 to 4 mins (stir once in between to avoid the gravy sticking to the bottom of the pan).

7)   Now add the capsicum, remaining paneer cubes and fresh cream. Simmer the heat completely and allow it to cook for another 2 mins. 

8)   Shahi Paneer is ready now. Add handful of finely chopped coriander and a tbsp of butter for garnish. Enjoy this creamy paneer gravy with any kind of Indian bread or rice.

Notes

1. I’ve used cashew nuts to thicken this gravy. You can use almonds or walnuts as an alternative.
2. Deep frying onions will take a minimum of 10 mins on medium heat. The aroma of perfectly fried onions gives a unique flavour to shahi paneer gravy. So be patient and take time to fry onions until golden for that perfect flavour. If the oil is too hot then onions will get the colour quickly but the flavour will not be good.
   If you don’t want to do the frying at home, you can also buy fried onions at your local supermarket.
3. If you are a paneer lover like me, check out my other paneer based recipes like Paneer Burji and Paneer Kheer.

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Ingredients

Cooking sesame oil – 1 1/2 tbsp

Ridge gourd (cut into cubes) – 3 cups (beginners, check notes to learn how to prep ridge gourd!)

Salt – 1/2 tsp (or to taste)

Fresh curry leaves – a handful

Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp

Moong dhal – 1 tsp

Fresh coriander leaves – a handful

Thick tamarind extract – 1 1/2 tbsp

Green chillies – 4 (or to taste)

Walnuts – handful

Yield
2 cups

Prep time
15 mins

Cook time
15 mins

Method

1)   Heat a shallow frying pan and add 1 tbsp oil. When it is warm add cubed ridge gourd, salt and jaggery. Mix once, cover and cook for nearly 10 mins on medium heat. Open the lid and mix intermittently to avoid charring. Once the ridge gourd cooks and shrinks to almost 1/3 of its original quantity add curry leaves (reserve few for tempering) and saute for a further 2 mins. Set this aside to cool completely.

2)   In a tempering pan heat 1/2 tbsp oil, add mustard seeds and let it splutter. Now add moong dhal and fry until golden. Add the reserved curry leaves and saute for a few secs. Transfer this to a serving dish.

3)   In a mixer jar add the cooked ridge gourd, coriander leaves, tamarind extract, green chillies and walnuts. Pulse a few times. Now add 2 to 3 tbsps water and grind to a chutney consistency. Transfer this spicy ridge gourd chutney to the serving dish. Mix the tempering into the chutney.

4)   Serve this healthy chutney with any Indian savoury tiffin and enjoy. Stays fresh for 2 days when refrigerated.   

Notes

1. Take your time to cook the ridge gourd and make sure it cooks well, shrinks and most of the moisture evaporates before grinding. Otherwise your chutney will have an uncooked raw flavour which is not good.
2. The spice level in this chutney is according to my taste preference. I like my chutneys hot and spicy. If it is too spicy for your taste then reduce the number of chillies.
3. You can add some chopped onions or grated carrots to the chutney after adding the tempering. This will enhance the taste and give a bit of crunch/texture to the ridge gourd chutney.
4. Try this yummy chutney with Yam Paratha. One of my favourite lunch box options!

Beginners tips

1. Make sure to buy ridge gourd that is tender to touch and not hard. Take the gourd in your hand and try twisting it a bit. You should be able to twist it slightly with ease. This means it is fresh and tender.
2. Wash the ridge gourd properly, and cut it into big pieces. Hold the piece vertically and slice off the ridges/rough edges with a knife. Now gently scrape the leftover skin of the gourd and wash the pieces once more.
3. When your ridge gourd is tender you can use the entire pulp after getting rid of the ridges fully and scraping the skin roughly. You don’t have to discard the outer skin completely or the seeds inside. If your gourd is old then it becomes very fibrous and the seeds become hard, the outer skin is difficult to cook and difficult to digest too. You may have to discard if it becomes old.

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The recipe is quick and easy, especially if you have some leftover rice. If you plan to take this for your lunch box, cook rice the night before and refrigerate to save more time. I’ve added peanuts for crunchy texture but feel free to experiment with any other nut variety!

Ingredients

Rice (any) – 1 cup

Water – as needed to cook the rice

Salt – 1 1/4 tsp (or to taste)

Cooking Sesame Oil – 3 1/2 tbsp

Curry leaves – a few leaves

Flavour enhancer powder – 1/2 tsp (optional) (refer Puliyodharai recipe to make this)

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Chana dhal – 1 tbsp

Urad dhal – 1 tbsp

Peanuts – 1/2 cup

Green chillies (finely chopped) – 2 tbsp

Asafoetida – 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Lime/lemon zest – 1 tbsp

Lime/lemon juice – 3 to 4 tbsp

Jaggery powder/brown sugar – 1 tsp

Yield
Serves 3 – 4

Prep time
15 mins

Cook time
30 mins

Method

1)   Wash and soak rice for 15 mins. Then cook the rice until soft and fluffy, but not mushy. Transfer the cooked rice to a wide bowl or a plate to cool down a bit. Sprinkle 1/2 tsp salt, a few curry leaves (hand torn), flavour enhancer powder and 1 tbsp sesame oil on the rice and set aside.

2)   While the rice is cooking, heat 1/2 tsp of oil in a wide pan and roast the peanuts on low flame until crunchy and set aside.

3)   In a bowl take 3/4 tsp salt, jaggery powder/brown sugar, lime/lemon zest and lime/lemon juice. Mix well and set aside.

4)   Heat the remaining oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and allow it to splutter. Simmer completely and add chana dhal and urad dhal. Roast until golden. Add asafoetida and turmeric powder to the roasted dhals and mix once.

4)   Immediately add green chillies and few curry leaves. Fry for 30 seconds. Transfer this tempering to the lime juice mixture. Allow it to sit for about 5 mins.

5)   After 5 mins transfer the tempering and lime juice mixture to the cooked rice and add the fried peanuts. Add some curry leaves and gently mix (without breaking the rice) once. Gently press down the rice and cover the pan. Let it sit for 10 mins at least.The rice will absorb all the seasoning and the flavours during this time. 

6)   6)   Serve lime rice with a vegetable koottu (check out my green papaya koottu and watermelon rind koottu) or any dry vegetable spicy curry. Simple Indian papad and fryums are also great accompaniments. My all time favourite with lime rice is crunchy potato chips or spicy potato dry curry.

Notes

1. Make sure to cook your rice just enough, because Lime Rice will not taste good if the rice is mushy. Adding a small amount of oil on top of the cooked rice, while it is cooling helps to keep the grains separate.
2. You can use cashews or walnuts, instead of peanuts, if you prefer. Adding any one of these nuts gives a nice crunch to the rice and also adds protein value to your meal.
3. Adding zest increases the nutritive value and enhances the intense lime flavour.
4. Lemon/lime juice and zest left on its own (without adding sugar or salt) might become bitter after few mins. So whenever you squeeze citrus fruits for your food, squeeze directly on top of your food which is already seasoned.
5. Like Puliyodharai, this rice also is a great option for short travels, picnic or lunch box. The natural acidity from lemons, sesame oil and the flavour enhancer acts as a preservative and increase the shelf life even without refrigeration. Stays good for nearly 2 days at room temperature.

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Ingredients

Cooking oil – 3 tbsp

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Carom seeds – 1/2 tsp

Green chilli (finely chopped) – 1 tbsp

Onion (medium sized) – 1 (finely chopped)

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Red chilly powder – 1 tbsp

Garam masala powder – 1/2 tsp

Tomato (medium sized) – 1 (finely chopped)

Salt – 1 tsp (as per taste)

Jaggery – 1 tsp

Dry bajji mixture – 1 1/2 tbsp (refer Bajji recipe)

Fresh yoghurt – 3/4 cup

Water – 1 1/2 cups

Leftover bajji – 6 or 7 (chopped roughly into chunks)

Fresh coriander leaves – handful (finely chopped)

Yield
Serves 4

Prep time
10 mins

Cook time
20 mins

Method

1)   Heat a kadai and add cooking oil. When hot add cumin and carom seeds and let it splutter. Then add chopped green chilly and saute for 30 secs.

2)   Now add chopped onion and a pinch of salt and saute until transparent. Simmer the heat now and add turmeric, red chilly and garam masala powders. Give it a quick mix and add chopped tomato and salt. Cover and cook on medium heat until the tomato cooks well and becomes mushy.

3)   Once the tomato cooks, add jaggery and the dry bajji mixture. Fry for 2 mins. Whisk fresh yoghurt and add it to the masala. Mix once. Now add water and bring it to thin gravy consistency. Again cover the kadai and let it cook until the raw smell of bajji mixture goes and oil seperates on top of the gravy. This should take around 5 to 6 mins.

4)   Now simmer the heat completely, add leftover bajji pieces and gently mix. Don’t cover the kadai now. After about 3 to 4 mins switch off the heat. Garnish with some fresh coriander leaves and enjoy with rice or any kind of bread.

Notes

1. Don’t reheat the bajji or pakoda before adding to the gravy. Just cut the bajjis into big pieces and drop it in the gravy. When the bajji pieces boil in gravy it will automatically soften and absorb the masalas.
2. Whisk or beat the yoghurt fully to make it smooth without any lumps. This way the chances of yoghurt curdling in the gravy will be minimised.

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These delicious laddus are a great option to gift when you visit friends and family. It is also ideal for growing kids as a snack in their lunch box or as an after school snack because it is packed with protein and tastes awesome. This recipe is quite versatile and you can play around with the ingredients according to your choice or availability. Stays fresh for 10 to 15 days at room temperature and for a month when refrigerated.

With minimal cooking involved this Protein Laddu will be a great addition to your quick fix snack list!

Ingredients

Roasted bengal gram – 1 1/2 cups

Flax seeds – 1/4 cup

Walnuts – 1/2 cup

Almonds – 1/2 cup

Pistachio – 1/2 cup

Jaggery (powdered) – 1 1/2 cups

Salt – a pinch

Cardamom powder – 1 tsp

Saffron – 1/4 tsp

Ghee – 1/2 cup (Use plant based oil/butter for vegan option)

Yield
25 lime sized laddus

Prep time
10 mins

Cook time
15 mins

Method

1)   On minimum heat, dry roast the flax seeds and the roasted bengal gram until aromatic (approximately 3 to 4 mins). Set aside in a bowl. Let cool.

2)   In the same pan, dry roast walnuts, almonds and pistachios until warm to touch. Transfer this to a plate and let it cool down.

3)   In a mixer grinder grind the flax seeds and the roasted bengal gram until powdered. Then add walnuts, almonds and pistachios and pulse a few times. Transfer this mixture to a wide bowl. Now take the jaggery and pulse this also few times to break any lumps. Transfer this jaggery to the ground mixture.

4)   Add salt, cardamom powder and saffron to the nuts-jaggery mixture. Mix well. Heat ghee in a small tempering pan until just warm and add it to the mixture. Mix roughly with a spoon and pack the mixture tightly in the bowl like how you would do for cheese cake biscuit base. Set aside for 5 mins.

5)   After 5 mins mix everything with greased hand until incorporated well. Take a handful of laddu mixture and press firmly in your palm to make small round balls/laddus. Place it on a plate until the protein laddus cool down completely. Store in an airtight container.

Notes

1. I’ve used good quality jaggery powder in this recipe. You can replace jaggery with brown sugar or country sugar.
2. Pulse the mixer when processing the nuts. Running the mixer continuously will release the natural oil in it. So instead of a nice sandy texture you will end up with a lump that will stick to the sides of the mixer jar.
3. I’ve used cardamom powder and saffron to add a nice flavour to this dish. You can use nutmeg powder in this protein laddu too, as an alternative. 
4. I’ve used walnuts, almonds and pistachios, but you can use any dry nuts. Adding roasted peanuts instead of pistachios is also a great option.
5. To give a totally different flavour to this protein laddu you can add 2 tbsp of unsweetened peanut butter and vanilla essence. This way you can reduce the amount to ghee/oil and avoid cardamom powder totally.
6. Make sure the laddus are at room temperature before storing it in a clean container.
7. For some similar quick bite recipes check out my No Bake Chocolate Biscuit Bars and Walnut Cashew Chikki recipes.

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Morekuzhambu is very important in our wedding lunch menu and almost all other functions and festivals. This is mildly sour and spicy, with the richness of coconut and coconut oil. This is one of the easy, quick dishes to make in literally 15 mins from prep to end. Vegetables like ash gourd, okra, brinjal, pumpkin, capsicum are normally added to morekuzhambu to make it more nutritious. Fried turkey berry, medhu vadai and bonda are few other exotic additions to make morekuzhambu more interesing. Quite often this dish is paired with a dry spicy curry like okra, potato, yam or sweet potato. But for an authentic south Indian experience pair morekuzhambu with either french beans or cluster beans paruppu usili or go for a simple dry brinjal curry with brinjal podi. 

Here’s my recipe for a simple tasty morekuzhambu. Serve with hot steamed rice and curry of your choice.

Ingredients

Ash gourd (peeled and cut into chunks) – 2 cups (see note 1 for alternate vegetables to use)

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Salt – 1 tsp (or to taste)

Sour yoghurt – 2 cups

Water – 2 cups

Brown sugar – 1/2 tsp

Coconut oil – 2 tbsp

Fresh coconut (grated) – 4 tbsp

Green chillies – 6 (or to taste)

Coriander seeds – 1 tsp

Cumin seeds – 2 tsp

Ginger (grated) – 1 tbsp

Fresh coriander leaves (roughly chopped) – 3 tbsp

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Fenugreek seeds – 1/2 tsp

Fresh curry leaves – a few leaves

Yield
Serves 5

Prep time
10 mins

Cook time
15 mins

Method

1)   In a pan take the cut ash gourd chunks. Add 1/4 tsp turmeric powder and 1/4 tsp salt. Add just enough water to cover the ash gourd and keep on medium heat until it is fully cooked. Set aside.

2)   Take sour yoghurt, add 2 cups of water, sugar, 3/4 tsp salt and 1 tbsp coconut oil. Blend everything well with a whisk. Set aside.

3)   In a mixer take fresh grated coconut, chillies, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, coriander leaves and ginger. Grind these to a coarse paste with just a tbsp of water. Add this ground mixture to the diluted yoghurt, mix and set aside.

4)   Heat a tempering pan and add a tbsp of coconut oil. Add mustard seeds and let it splutter. Now add fenugreek seeds and fry until golden. Then add curry leaves, mix and transfer to the yoghurt-coconut mixture. Add the cooked ash gourd also to this tempered yoghurt mixture and mix well.

5)   Now heat this tempered yoghurt mixture on minimum heat for just 2 to 3 mins. Your tasty morekuzhambu is ready to serve.

Notes

1. I’ve used ash gourd to make this morekuzhambu. Ash gourd being a watery vegetable, I’ve boiled it with salt and added to the kuzhambu. Alternatively you can use shallow fried okra, brinjal, pumpkin or capsicum. Use enough coconut oil and salt to shallow fry any of the above vegetables until well cooked. Particularly if you are using okra or brinjal, fry until the vegetable turns crisp. Then add this to the diluted yoghurt and continue with the other steps.
2. I get sour yoghurt in the supermarkets and I use that to make this dish. If you don’t get sour yoghurt easily, then keep fresh yoghurt in a warm place for a day (to make it sour) and then use. The tanginess from sour yoghurt is important and adds an extra taste to this dish.
3. The highlight of this dish is fresh coconut and coconut oil. So I suggest to use only fresh coconut and good quality coconut oil to make morekuzhambu and enjoy its authentic taste.
4. Generally coriander leaves is not used in this dish. But I love the flavour and colour it adds, so I use it. You can choose to either add or omit this totally. It’s up to you.
5. Refrigerate leftover kuzhambu and use it for up to 2 days.

Beginner’s tips

1. Make sure to just warm the morekuzhambu after adding all the ingredients. Don’t bring it to boil as yoghurt tends to curdle when heated.

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Puttu is a traditional South Indian dish. It is made both in sweet and  savoury varieties. This recipe is for a sweet puttu variety made with yellow lentils (split and skinned green gram), jaggery and coconut, and flavoured with exotic cardamom.

When I was young my grandmother made dishes like puttu, poLi, fire roasted sweet potato, boiled sweet potato with jaggery syrup, sundal and many more simple yet healthy snacks. These kind of dishes are definitely nutritious and can be a great option for after school/work snack.

Go ahead and make this protein rich Moong Dal Puttu and satisfy your sweet tooth craving anytime of the day.

Ingredients

Yellow moong dal – 1 cup

Ghee (Neutral oil or vegan butter for a vegan version) – 2 tbsp

Cashew nuts – 20

Raisins – 2 tbsp

Fresh grated coconut – 1 cup

Jaggery (powdered) – 1 1/2 cups

Salt – a pinch

Cardamom powder – 1 tsp

Yield
Serves 4

Prep time
2 hrs to soak moong dal

Cook time
45 mins

Method

1)   On low heat dry roast moong dal for 5 to 7 mins until fragrant. (Make sure the colour of moong dal doesn’t change). Transfer to a bowl and let it cool down a bit. Then wash twice and soak in water for 2 hours.

2)   After 2 hours drain the water completely and grind the soaked moong dal in a mixer. Add just enough water to run the mixer. The consistency of the moong dal batter should be thick and grainy.

3)   Now grease a shallow pan with a few drops of ghee/butter and transfer the moong dal batter into this. Place this batter in a steamer and steam until an inserted knife comes out clean. Remove from heat and let it come to room temperature.

4)   Now make rough chunks of the steamed moong dal using a knife and carefully pulse the chunks in a mixer. Don’t run the mixer continuously. Pulse until you get a breadcrumb texture. Set aside.

5)   Heat a pan and add the jaggery powder in it. Add enough water to cover the jaggery and stir continuously. Add salt and keep stirring until the jaggery dissolves fully. Now strain the jaggery water through a fine strainer to remove any impurities.

6)   In a wide, thick bottomed pan heat 1 tbsp ghee. Add cashew nuts and fry until golden. Then add raisins and fry until they swell. Add grated coconut and fry all together for 2 to 3 mins. Remove the nuts, raisins and coconut in a plate and set aside.

7)   In the same pan take the jaggery water. Boil jaggery water on medium heat until syrup comes to soft ball consistency (refer video). When syrup reaches soft ball consistency, simmer and add the crumbled moong dal, fried nuts, raisins and coconut mixture to the syrup and mix fully.

https://www.thepearpapers.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/WhatsApp-Video-2021-09-05-at-08.34.15.mp4

8)   The puttu will resemble wet sand texture now. To this add a tbsp of ghee and cardamom powder. Mix well. Simmer for 2 to 3 mins, then remove from heat and set aside. Your tasty Moong Dal Puttu is ready. Wait until it comes to room temperature to store in an airtight container.

9)   Refrigerate leftover puttu and use up to 3 to 4 days. Heat it up a bit before serving.

Notes

1. I’ve used good quality jaggery powder for this recipe. You can replace jaggery with brown sugar or country sugar.
2. Pulse the mixer when processing the steamed moong dal. Running the mixer continuously will make moong dal stick to the sides of the mixer and you will end up with big lumps of steamed dal.
3. I’ve used cardamom powder to add a nice flavour to this dish. You can use nutmeg powder too, as an alternative. If you are familiar with edible camphor, then add a pinch of edible camphor along with cardamom powder to enhance the flavour of this puttu. 
4. I’ve used only cashew nuts and raisins, but you can use any variety of nuts to add crunch to Moong Dal Puttu.

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