Vendhaya Idli/ Fenugreek Idli

All of us make idlies with rice and urad dal.......this recipe for idli uses rice and fenugreek seeds without urad dal.
It is a kongunad speciality, in fact very few people know the recipe in kongunad, leave alone tamil nadu......

when i was a small boy and one with a fiery temper, when ever i fight with my parents, Kaliyannan Kadai used to be my saviour.......this was the shop opposite my house at kavindapadi.....a small town in kongunad.......at the age of 5 r 6 i used to get the money out of my undial and get breakfast from this kaliyannan kadai. Their signature dish is these vendhaya idlies.

These idlies are so soft and spongy that you will fall in love with them instantly......

INGREDIENTS:

Idli rice : 1 kg

Vendhayam/ fenugreek seeds : 25 grams ( traditionally its oru padi arisi and oru pudi vendhayam)

Castor seeds - 40 no. ( also known as amanakku vedhai or kottamuthu )

Old (fermented) dosa batter - 2 laddles.

salt - to taste

Appa soda - 1 tsp

Method:

soak the rice and the fenugreek seeds seperately for atleast 4 hours.

gently crack the castor seeds and shell them.

grind the fenugreek and castor seeds to a fine paste in a mixer

grind the rice to a fine batter i a wet grinder. the finer you grind it, the better your idlies will turn out.

mix the fenugreek, castor seeds and rice batter with adequate salt and 2 laddles of old dosa batter. as there is no urad dal, this batter won't ferment on its own, hence the old dosa batter.

allow to ferment overnight.

once fermented, add the appa soda, mix well and pour into idli moulds and steam.

thats it, wonderful vendhaya idlies are ready......tastes best when had with Kaliannan Kadai Kuzhambu and getti chutney....will post these recipes soon.....

Ratham poriyal/ Lamb Blood stir fry

Ingredients: 

Blood of one lamb

onion 1

tomato 1

curry leaves 1 sprig

cloves 3

cinnamon 2-3 pieces

ginger garlic paste - 2 tbsp

turmeric - a pinch

green chillies - 3-4 split in half

chilli powder - 2 tsp

coriander powder - 2 tsp

grated coconut and fresh coriander leaves for garnish

salt and vegetable oil as required.

Method: 

heat oil in a thick bottomed pan, add cloves, cinnamon, jeera seeds, once they splutter add curry leaves and onions, saute, then add salt, turmeric and ginger garlic paste, saute for few seconds, add tomato and saute till it turns mushy. now add chilli and coriander powder and saute. add the cut clotted blood pieces along with the serum that it let out while clotting and saute....the serum will turn white and grainy due to the coagulation of the proteins and the blood pieces will turn black..... add water and cook till well done....once dry garnish with grated fresh coconut and coriander leaves......

enjoy with steamed rice and a nice curry..........

Kudal Kari - Lamb Tripe Curry - Lamb stomach and intestines

Kudal kari - a traditional Tamil non vegetarian dish is famous for its combo with idlis. Its also called as boti curry in various parts of Tamil Nadu.

Many don't cook this at home, as u may well imagine the idea of eating an animal's stomach is bizarre.....

But it is a traditional dish that is served during Kari Virundhu ( Nonveg feast) in Kongu nadu.All the parts of the sacrificial lamb are used to prepare various dishes - brain fry, head curry, blood stir fry,meat for curries and biryani, tripe curry and the trotters for soup.

Its been a long time since I had this dish and I was in a mood to prepare this today. It was a hot day today with the tropical sun blazing away. The butcher said that the only available boti was reserved by another customer and that I have to wait. He showed me a Goat tied to the nearby post and said that once he slaughters it then I would get the boti.

The poor animal was happily munching away some leaves totally unaware of its inevitable fate. Anyway I waited for an hour under the hot sun and the butcher handed me the boti, I got the blood too to make stir-fry. I will post it soon.

The toughest part of cooking kudal kari is cleaning. If u have never done it before then get a demo from someone who knows. The best way to clean is starting from the intestines - hold the cut ends under running tap water and clean each segment of intestine thoroughly.

Now coming to the ugly looking stomach - rinse it thoroughly, then put the stomach and intestines in a large pot of boiling water. close the vessel and turn of the heat. The inside of the stomach will have a rough surface, green to grey in color due to the chlorophyll in the goats diet. This has to be thoroughly cleaned. After 15 min take out the stomach and lightly brush it. The grayish inner layer will peel of revealing a white surface. You have to meticulously clean the stomach and intestines.


Then comes the painstaking process of cutting the slippery intestines and stomach. I used my clever, it is much easier if done with the traditional Arival manai but I have never tried. Once u have cut up the boti to bite size pieces its better to wash it again in hot water. With all the hard work over, this is how it should look..........

Now the recipe...
INGREDIENTS:

1. Kudal - 1
2. Onion - 2
3. Tomatoes- 2
4. Curry leaves
5. Cloves - 6
6. Cinnamon - 1 inch
7. Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tablespoon
8. Turmeric powder - a pinch
9. Cumin powder - 1 tsp
10. Pepper powder - 1 tsp
11. Coriander powder - 1 tablespoon
12. Red chili powder - to taste
13. Coconut paste - 2 tbsp
14. coriander leaves - to garnish
15. Salt and Cooking oil

• Heat oil in a Pressure cooker and add the cloves and cinnamon followed by curry leaves and chopped onions and saute.
• and salt, turmeric and ginger garlic paste and saute., add the tomatoes.
• once the tomatoes are soft add the coriander and chili powder. DON'T add the cumin and pepper powder now.
• add the cleaned and cut boti and saute.
• add the coconut paste and adequate water and pressure cook for atleast 20 - 25 min.
• open the pressure cooker after the pressure has decreased and check the consistency and seasoning, adjust these and add the coriander leaves and pepper and cumin powder, simmer for a min and turn of the heat. This is how my Kudal Kari looked at the end.

Enjoy with hot Idlis or Steaming hot rice......

Until next time .....tc.....bye.....

Kongunadu Kozhi Kuzhambu - Kongunadu Chicken Curry

let me start my first blog by sharing with you all a wonderful recipe. there are zillions of chicken curry recipes in the net...so why another one?.........well this recipe is nothing like any other......have it with steaming hot idlis and half a dozen idlis will only make u long for more.

first time i tasted this was at the age of 6 or 7 years. on one fine day my grand dad took me our farmhouse to visit my great grand mother, his mother. she was in her late eighties and was stubborn enough to live alone at the farmhouse and cook her own food and do the daily chores.

she was delighted to see me and wanted to cook something special for me. she came out and saw the roosters and chickens roaming around. she selected a prime bird and soon it was despatched, plucked, cleaned and cut by our farmhand.

then she lighted her woodfire stove and started cooking with earthenware pots. all the ingredients were fresh. curry leaves plucked from the garden, shallots from the fields and what not.

when i tasted it ........IT WAS SIMPLY HEAVEN......

so when i told about it to my mom and granny they said they would prepare it for me at home. both my mom and granny are great cooks. but their curry resembled my great granny's curry just like a bald father and hairy son.

i was shocked.........it was the smoky woodfire and earthenware pots and the curry paste made with the grinding stone that made it sooooooo tasty. well not practical for us now isnt it?

so i took that basic recipe, spiced it up so that it would taste great even if done with a blender and pressure cooker and here it is.....

INGREDIENTS:

• chicken - 750 grams
• dried red chilis - 15 - 20
• corriander seeds - 3 tablespoons
• pepper corns - 1 teaspoon
• cumin - 1 teaspoon
• fennel seeds - 2 teaspoons
• cloves - 6
• indian cinnamon - 2 inch sticks
• grated coconut - 1 cup
• shallots - 20 no. 
• onion - 1
• tomato - 2
• ginger garlic paste - 2 table spoons
• curry leaves - a few
• mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
• turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon
• salt and oil as required. 

  now lets get cooking........

1. in a thick bottomed pan heat few drops of oil and roast the red chilis and remove
2. then roast the dry spices viz. corriander, fennel, pepper corns, cumin, cloves and cinnamon, set aside,
3. fry the grated coconut and remove and slightly brown the shallots with oil in the same pan.
4. let all these ingredients cool. then blend them to a fine paste. this is our curry paste or masala.
5. heat adequate oil in a pressure cooker or pan and splutter the mustard seeds
6. add the curry leaves and onion and saute
7. add necessary salt and the turmeric powder and stir
8. add the ginger garlic paste and saute, followed by the tomatoes.
9. once the tomatoes turn soft add the cleaned chicken pieces. ( yes, u have to add the chicken now, before adding the blended masala)
10. once the chicken is sealed in hot oil and starts oozing out its juices add the blended masala and saute
11. add adequate water and cook till chicken is tender
12. check for seasoning and garnish with corriander leaves.
13. Voila! Kongunad Kozhi Kulambu is ready, serve with hot idlis or dosas or steamed rice and enjoy....

hope u enjoyed this blog, please do post ur comments......until next time...tc, bye.......

Hello Friends, its nice seeing ya all through this blog.