Collard Greens Thanni Saaru

'Thanni Saaru' is a soup like curry, made predominantly with greens and coconut milk. The slightly bitter tasting greens like drumstick leaves, Manathakali keerai, or Agathi keerai are used for this saaru.
 I experimented this dish with the fresh bunch of collard greens. Traditionally it is made with freshly made coconut milk (thin and the thicker version), but I used the coconut milk from the can. This is a great way to use collard greens apart from the porial/stir fry.

Ingredients:
3 cups chopped collard greens
1 cup coconut milk from the can
1 cup water
2 green chillies(slit) / red chillies
1 clove garlic, sliced thin
1 medium onion chopped
1 medium tomato chopped
1 tsp mustard
1/2 tsp fenugreek/methi seeds(optional)
1 tsp jeera/cumin seeds.


Method:


Wash the Collard greens and remove the center stalk from the leaf. Roll the leaf and chop finely.
Add 2 tsp of oil in a sauce pan.
When the oil is hot add mustard seeds, methi and jeera.
When the mustard pops, add the onion, garlic green chillies and fry till translucent.
Now add the tomatoes and cook till mushy Add the collard greens, and salt.
Add the water, cover and cook in medium heat for atleast 10 minutes. 
Once the greens are cooked, add the coconut milk and give it a stir.
Bring it just to a boil. Switch off just when it becomes frothy. 
Do not over boil or it will become curdled.


Enjoy with hot steamed rice.

Mutton Kuzhambhu / Lamb Curry

Here is a delicious recipe for mutton kuzhambhu passed on by my grandmother to my mother and now to me. We rarely include mutton/lamb in our diet probably once a year and that's the reason why it took so many years  for this recipe to be posted in this blog.The original recipe calls for grinding the masala one by one to a smooth paste. Ya, they did that in the good old days when they did'nt have any access to ready made masala powders, using the 'Ammi kal'  (stone grinder) by hand. Though my mom followed the method for quite some time she switched to the mixer eventually. She also adds some potatoes which gives a unique flavor to this dish.
I have given the original recipe as such and also some modifications needed to suit our kitchen :)

Ingredients :
500 gm Mutton/lamb chopped
1 medium onion
1 medium tomato
1 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
2 medium potatos peeled and cubed
1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves
for tempering 
1 tsp sombhu/ fennel seeds
few curry leaves
Paste 1
8 cloves garlic
1 inch piece of ginger
Paste 2:
1 inch cinnamon
4 cloves
Paste 3:
1 tsp whole pepper
2 tsp jeera/cummin
 Paste 4:
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1 tsp poppy seeds (optional)  - I didnt use


Method:
Traditionally each masala set is ground seperately.
But here is how I made it.
Grind the garlic, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, pepper and jeera to a smooth paste.keep aside.
Next grind the coconut and the poppy seeds (optional) to a smooth paste. keep aside.
Pressure cook the mutton with salt, turmeric, and 1/2 tsp of chilli powder and 1 cup water for  upto 4 - 5 whistles.


In a thick bottomed sauce pan, add 2 tblsp of oil.
Add the fennel seeds and curry leaves when the oil is hot.
Then add the chopped onion and fry till translucent.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the ground masala paste and fry for couple of minutes.
Then add the chopped tomatoes and salt fry till the oil seperates on the sides.
Now add the chilli powder, coriander powder, and turmeric powder and mix well. 
Add the cubed potatoes and about 1/2 cup of water and cook covered for 3-4 minutes.
Then add the cooked mutton along with the water. Mix well, cover and cook for 10 mins.
At last add the ground coconut mixture, chopped coriander leaves and cook uncovered for another 2 mins or just until it comes to a boil again. 
 Serve hot with steamed white rice

Notes/Variations:

• Poppy seeds are optional, I didnt use it for this dish
• I follow the same recipe to make chicken kuzhambhu
• This recipe is a bit on the spicier side, reduce the spice levels or increase the coconut to 1/2 cup for a mild/less spicy version and vice versa.
• If its difficult to make the paste in your blender  try the following - Mix together 2 tblsp of ginger garlic paste(readymade) with 2 tsp of garam masala , 1 tsp pepper powder and 1 tsp jeera powder. 
• You can also use thick coconut milk instead of coconut paste although there will be a slight difference in taste.
• Cauliflower and potatoes makes a great vegetarian substitution.

Other Related recipes:
Chettinad chicken kuzhambhu/curry 
Lamb/Mutton soup
Mutton Chops Pepper fry

Meen Kuzhambhu / Fish Kuzhambhu

In Tamil fish is 'Meen' and 'Kuz(l)hambu' is a tamarind based gravy which is spicy and tangy, more like the pulusu in Telugu. Meen kuzhambhu is the most common recipe in the southern part of India and is the most favorite recipe for fish. Growing up whenever Amma cooks fish its always been this kuzhambhu accompanied by a spicy fish fry.The menu never changed and we never got bored with this dish :). 
After venturing into a totally different style of cooking after marriage (Tanjore based) which was quite difficult for me adapt I was quite releaved to see that there was no change in this particular kuzhambhu made by my MIL :) . So this is the common recipe used in most of the household, with very slight changes, sometimes with coconut or without coconut. I personally prefer the no coconut version which is slightly more tangy than the other. My mother regularly adds 2 or 3 whole slit brinjals or some pieces of mangoes (when in season) which also enhances the taste greatly.

Ingredients:
1/2 kg of any white fish( catfish, tilapia, trout..)
11/2 tsp chilli powder 
3 tsp coriander powder 
1 lemon sized ball tamarind
3 garlic cloves thinly sliced.
1/2 cup shallots/onion chopped
1/2 cup chopped tomato


Tempering:
2 tsp of Karu vadagam/kuzhambhu vadagam *
               (or)
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp methi seeds/vendhayam
few curry leaves


Method:
Soak the tamarind in warm water and squeeze the thick pulp out of that (approx 2 cups).
If using Tamarind paste , mix 1tblsp of the paste to two cups of water. 
Wash the fish pieces with little bit of salt and keep aside.
In a kadai or sauce pan add 3 tblsp of gingelly/sesame oil.
When the oil is hot add the tempering ingredients, then add sliced garlic and chopped onion and fry till translucent.
Now add the chopped tomato, turmeric and salt.
Fry till the tomatoes are reduced to a pulp and the oil seperates out.
Now add the chilli powder and coriander powder and fry for 2 mins. Now add the thick tamarind juice stir and close with a lid.
Let it boil in medium heat for about 10 mins. 
Add the fish pieces one by one gently. Close with a lid and simmer for 10 mins. Do not over cook the fish as it will become mushy. 
Switch off the stove and let the kuzhambhu sit for atleast an hour before serving.

Notes/Variations:

• I have used sesame oil which needs an acquired taste, you can also use any other type of oil except olive oil.
• Vegetables like Brinjal or mango can be added while frying the onions to bring out an extra flavour.
• 1/4 cup of  ground coconut paste can also be added as a yummy variation.
• The amount of onion should be very little as given in the recipe,more onion will give a mildly sweet taste to the kuzhambhu.
• If the kuzhambhu is little thin or watery - fry 1/4 cup of chopped onion. Grind to a paste and add along with the tamarind juice.
• * Vadagam is a homemade combination of different spices like fennel, methi, garlic onion , mustardd etc., bind using castor oil and sundried till its completly dry. This vadagam is regularly used for tempering especially for the tamarind based gravies.

This 

Pongal Kuz(l)hambhu/ Lentil Stew With Mixed Vegetables

Traditionally during Pongal festival two types of pongal are made as offering to the Sun God. One is the ever famous 'Sarkarai pongal' and the other one is the plain and simple 'Pal Pongal' - rice cooked in simmering milk. 

This Pongal kuzhambhu is made to be served as a side dish to the delicious 'Pal Pongal'. Its  basically made with lentils and all the seasonal and locally available vegetables like pumpkin, sweet potato, drumstick, green mochai, avarakkai, brinjal , vazhaikai (green plantain ) etc., It looks more like a sambhar but the consistency is more thick  and taste is quite different.

I make this kuzhambhu every year, but this time made it a couple of days earlier to post it in the blog.

Recipe for 'Pal Pongal'

Soak 1 cup of raw rice for ½ hour. Boil 2 cups of water and 2 cups of full cream milk in a cooking vessel. When it starts simmering, add the rice to it and cook on a medium flame until the rice is almost cooked. Add 1 cup of shredded coconut and a little salt. Mix well and cook until it is done. 

Recipe for 'Pongal Kuzhambhu'

Ingredients:

Lentils-1/2 cup

Tamarind- a small orange size

Chopped tomatoes-1 cup

Avaraikkai- a handful [cut into halves]

Red pumpkin- a handful [cut into 1” pieces]

Sweet potato- 2 handfuls [cut into cubes]

Brinjal- 1 handful [cut into medium pieces]

Raw banana-1 [cut into cubes]

Green mochaikkai-1 cup

Turmeric powder-1sp

Chilli powder-1tbsp

Coriander powder-2 tbsp

Shredded coconut- 1/2 cup

Curry leaves- a handful

Chopped coriander leaves-a handful

To make the powder:

Boiled rice- 2 tblsp

Raw rice-1 tbsp

Peppercorns-1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds- 1 tsp

Fennel seeds-1 tsp

Method:

Cook the lentils in a cooker. 

Soak the tamarind in warm water and then extract the juice after ½ hour. 

Dry roast the boiled rice, raw rice, cumin seeds, peppercorns and fennel seeds to a nice brown colour and powder them finely. 

Add the chopped tomatoes, avaraikkai, red pumpkin pieces, sweet potatoes pieces, brinjal pieces, raw banana cubes and the mochaikkai in a cooking vessel and add enough water to cover it. Cook them with enough salt the turmeric powder. 

When the vegetables are half done, add the tamarind juice, the chilli powder and the coriander powder or use equal proportion of sambhar powder.

After cooking them for some minutes add the dhal and again cook for a few minutes.

 Now add the powder, the coriander leaves , curry leaves and the shredded coconut. 

Cook under low heat for 5 minutes.

 Let it sit atleast 30 mins before serving, for the flavors to mature. 

Serve with pal pongal or hot steaming rice

Notes:

 I have mentioned the ideal vegetables traditionally used in the recipe, but except the pumpkin the choice is all yours.

The original recipe does not call for seasoning(so its a fat free recipe too), but I did some tempering with mustard to give an extra flavour

Wish you all a very Happy Pongal !

Black eyed peas kulambhu with drumsticks and egg

This is my entry to the JFI event conducted by Sailu for the month of July.

My mom makes this kulambhu atleast once a month especially on saturdays.Back at home she used to soak the dry black eyed peas overnight and then cook it in the morning, whereas over here its much easier to make this kulambhu using the frozen ones readily available.The addition of boiled egg and drumsticks to this makes it more good.But those are optional you can always omit the eggs part if you are a vegetarian.Some other vegetables that could be used are raw plantain, brinjal, or potatoes.
To take it up one more notch, you can also add dried fish or dried shrimp to this kulambhu.

Ingredients:

1 cup black eyed peas(dried or fresh frozen)
10 pieces of drumsticks
10 small onions or 1 medium sized onion sliced thinly
1 medium sized tomato chopped finely
3 garlic cloves sliced thinlly
Juice of lemon sized tamarind soaked in 1 cup water.
1 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder.
1 tsp curry leaves powder (op)
1/2 tsp fenugreek powder (op)

2 boiled eggs

for tempering:
1 tsp mustard
2 tsp urad dhal
1 tsp channa dhal
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
few curry leaves

Method:

Add 2 tsp of oil in a thick bottomed vessel, when the oil is hot add all the tempering ingredients.
when the mustard pops add garlic and curry leaves, to this add onions and fry well.
When the onions are tranlucent add the tomotoes and fry well.
To this add the black eyed peas , turmeric, chilli powder, coriander powder salt and fry till oil seperated.Now add the drumstick pieces and mix well. To this add the tamarind juice , check the taste for salt and karam.close it with a lid and allow it to boil for 1o mins or until the kulambhu becomed thick. Make slits on the boiled egg and add to the kulambhu at this stage and add the curry leaves powder, fenygreek powder mix well and boil for 2 mins and switch of the stove.

The kulambhu should rest atleast for an hour before its served.