Kadappa – I had first tasted this dish at one of my neighbors place as a side dish for idly and I was immediately fell in love with it. Traditionally from Kumbakonam, this dish is not something that is known outside of that area. I had gotten the recipe from my neighbor and scrawled it onto my recipe book, completely forgetting about it. Yesterday, while looking at the book I found the recipe and immediately made it as a side dish for idly for dinner.

If you are wondering how this would taste: imagine a cross between moong dal sambar and a potato kurma. A very delicately spiced curry that is traditionally served with idli/dosa/idiyappam. It is made slightly watery in the consistency of sambar, but if made a bit thicker can be used as a side dish for puris, chapatis as well.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup husked yellow moong dal/paasi paruppu
2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 medium onion, sliced thin
4 garlic cloves, sliced
6 green chillies, slit
a pinch of turmeric powder
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
2 tsp freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
2 cloves
1 small piece of cinnamon
2 bay leaves
1 sprig curry leaves
salt, to taste

To Grind:
1/4 cup grated coconut
1/4 tsp poppy seeds/kasa kasa
1 tsp fennel seeds
2 cloves garlic

Method:
Soak the moong dal in water while prepping other ingredients.

Grind all the ingredients under ‘to grind’ into a smooth paste. Set aside.

Heat oil in a pan over medium high heat. Add in the cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves and let it infuse the oil. Add the fennel seeds and curry leaves next. When the fennel seeds sizzle in the oil, add the sliced onion and the sliced green chillies. Saute until translucent. Add in the chopped potato, pinch of turmeric and salt. Saute in the oil for couple of minutes. Add in the soaked moong dal and enough water to cover the dal. Let this cook until the dal is soft and cooked, but not mushy and the potatoes are cooked and fork tender.

Now add in the ground coconut paste and some water, rinsing the blender jar. Let this come to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes, until the raw smell of the ground paste disappears. Switch off the stove, add in the chopped cilantro and the lime juice. Serve hot with idly/dosa/idiyappam.

Verdict: This was a hit with my family when served with idli. The curry is very mildly spiced only from the green chillies and has a great flavor from the potatoes and the fennel flavored paste. The lime juice and cilantro add a great finishing touch to this dish.

Sending this to Spotlight – Beans and Lentils, Cooking with seeds – Yellow Moong dal event series by Priya. Also sending to ‘Walk Through Memory Lane’ event series by Gayathri.

The post Kumbakonam Kadappa – Moong dal curry – Side Dish for Idli/Dosa/Idiyappam first appeared on Denny's Recipes.

If you asked me to list the top 10 dishes that my mom makes that are my absolute favorites, this mor kuzhambu dish will definitely feature as one of them. This is one of the dishes where my mom calls me and says, “I made this today and thought about how you would polish off your plate when I make it”. It is also one of the dishes that even though I follow my mom’s recipe to the T(I follow a hand written recipe from her), I still don’t seem to replicate the test from my memory. I guess you can never replicate a mom’s love.

With memories of yummy food, here is my mom’s recipe for mor kuzhambu…
Ingredients:
1/2 cup grate coconut
1 inch piece ginger
1 red chilly
2 green chillies
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp raw rice
1 tsp toor dal
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp channa dal
1 tsp coconut oil
1/2 pint low fat cultured buttermilk
1 onion, sliced(optional)
2 cups poosankai/ash gourd peeled and chopped
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
salt, to taste

For tadka:
2 tsp coconut oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp asafoetida
1 sprig curry leaves
1 red chilly, broken(optional)

Method:
Soak the cumin, rice, toor dal, channa dal, coriander seeds and the red chilly in a few tablespoons of warm water. Set aside for a few minutes.

Heat oil in a saucepan, add in the sliced onion. Saute until translucent. Add in the ash gourd pieces, salt and turmeric powder. Add 1/4 cup of water. Place a lid on the pan, cover and cook until the vegetable is soft.

Meanwhile make a paste out of the soaked ingredients along with the water, ginger, green chillies and the grated coconut. Pour the buttermilk in a bowl, mix it with the spice paste adding water to achieve the desired consistency. Pour this into the pan. Cook until just until frothy, and barely until boiling. The mor kuzhambu should not boil, lest the buttermilk should curdle.

For the tadka, heat the oil, add the mustard seeds. Let is splutter, add the broken red chilly, asafoetida and curry leaves. Add the tadka to the morkuzhambu. Serve with rice!

Verdict: Creamy, perfectly spiced and delicious, this dish is filled with so many memories, it makes me nostalgic. It is a great variation from the usual run of the mill, sambars and kuzhambus of the tamil kitchen. If you are looking for a side dish to pair with this, go with paruppu usili(recipe coming soon).

Notes:

• I have been making this kuzhambu often nowadays using low fat buttermilk, as it is low in carb and high in protein as compared to yogurt diluted with water. You can also make it with thinned yogurt.
• Typically vegetables such as bottle gourd, okra, eggplant, chayote, tomato etc. are used in the mor kuzhambu. Fry the okra, eggplant seperately in oil and add it finally to the kuzhambu. You can also make it with paruppu urundai(lentil dumplings), as I have made in the recipe here.
• The usage of onion in mor kuzhambu is not typical, and is my addition.
• The tadka is completely optional too, but if you do plan on doing it, please use coconut oil. It elevates the taste of the mor kuzhambu to a completely new level.

Sending this delicious kuzhambu to the following events:
– Walk through Memory Lane, event series by Gayathri
– Cook Like Mom
– Know Your Dairy – Buttermilk, event series by Jagruti
– Celebrate Love for Mum event, series by Jagruti
– Taste of the Tropics – Turmeric, event series by Chef Mireille

The post Mor Kuzhambu/South Indian Spiced Buttermilk Curry first appeared on Denny's Recipes.

The past few days in Seattle have been so very cold, and we’ve had a misty fog that hung over the city for almost a week. With such a weather, we were longing for something warm and comforting and also hearty and filling. This kuzhambu is a perfect candidate and I made this for our weekend lunch. With a couple of vegetable sides and served over freshly steamed rice, it made for a wonderful lunch.

Kaaramani is the tamil name for black eyed peas. You can use the fresh black eyed peas if you can get it, or if you can’t feel free to use the dried version, liked I did. You can also substitute red chori beans in the same kuzhambu, it would taste pretty much the same. My mother used to make it with fresh beans, both red and white, as it used to grow in our grandma’s home in the village. The fresh ones taste best and the taste even now lingers in my mouth.

Ingredients:
1 cup dried black eyed peas, soaked overnight and cooked
5 small Indian eggplants, sliced
1 medium red onion chopped
1/4 cup pearl onions/shallots, peeled and left whole
6-8 cloves garlic, sliced
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/3 cup grated coconut
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp red chilly powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 small golf ball sized tamarind, soaked in warm water.
2 tbsp gingelly oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp methi seeds
1 sprig curry leaves
salt to taste

Method:
Grind the grated coconut and the cumin seeds into a smooth paste, set aside.

Extract the tamarind water from the soaked tamarind, set aside.

Heat oil in a pan over medium high heat. Add the mustard seeds, let it splutter. Add the methi seeds and the curry leaves. Add the chopped red onion, shallots and the garlic saute until translucent. Add in the tomatoes, salt and turmeric powder. Cook until soft and pulpy. Add the sliced eggplants, saute it for a couple of minutes and put a lid on the pan. Let the eggplant cook in the sauce. Add in the chilli powder and coriander powder. Add 1 cup of water. Cover with the lid and let the curry cook until the eggplants are soft and the raw smell of the chilli/coriander powder is gone. Now add in the cooked black eyed peas, extracted tamarind and the ground coconut paste. Thin the kuzhambu to a consistency of choice. Let this come to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes, or until oil floats to the top. Serve hot with rice!

Verdict: This is a hearty and nutritious kuzhambu. The cumin and the garlic added aid in digestion and the tangy gravy is awesome with rice. This kuzhambu can be eaten as a side for idly, dosa as well.

Sending this delicious kuzhambu to:
– Taste of the Tropics – Tamarind
– Walk through Memory Lane – January
– Favorite Recipes:Lentils/Legumes/Beans
– Healthy Appetite

The post Kaaramani Kathirikkai kuzhambu(Black eyed peas and Eggplant spicy curry) first appeared on Denny's Recipes.

Curry leaves or Karuvepilai(tamil) is rarely something that is the star of a dish. Although it adds a beautiful finishing touch to almost all South Indian dishes, it also has an ill fate of being ‘cast away’, as a mere garnish. It is purely edible, quite tasty and also is very healthy. Treat it just as you would spinach, but twice as good. That said, I realized that I did not have any dish that used this in its entirety – of flavor. I found some really good curry leaves in the store today and I decided to make a quick and easy kaara kuzhambu with it. It was not only an easy recipe to put together, but a very tasty one.

 

Ingredients:
1 cup curry leaves, washed, rinsed and dried
1 cup chopped red onion/shallots
1/2 cup whole garlic pods
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp whole urad dal
1 tbsp toor dal
1 tbsp channa dal
1 tbsp dry dessicated coconut
4 red chillies
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp whole black pepper
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 cup of tamaraind extract
2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
salt to taste

Method:
Heat a pan and dry roast the urad dal, toor dal, channa dal, until golden brown and fragrant, over medium heat. Remove and set aside. Add the red chillies, pepper, coriander and cumin and roast until the spices give out their aroma and are toasted. Don’t burn them. Switch off the stove and add the coconut and the curry leaves. The residual heat from the pan is enough to toast the curry leaves and the coconut. Now dry grind all of these into a fine powder.

In the same pan heat the 2 tbsp oil. Add 1/2 tsp mustard and 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds. Let the seeds splutter. Add the chopped onion or shallots and saute until translucent. Add the whole garlic pods and cook for about 5 minutes, until the garlic is soft and cooked through. Add turmeric powder and salt. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes, so that you get a nice saucy mixture. Add the dry spice mixture and mix this with the tomatoes and onions. Add the tamarind extract and mix thoroughly. Add another cup of water. Let this thicken up to a thick stew consistency. Serve with extra curry leaves sprinkled on top for garnish.

Verdict: This was a tangy, spicy and vibrant green kara kuzhambu that we enjoyed with hot steamed rice and cabbage poriyal. There is a warmth of spice from the pepper and the coriander seeds, and the dals act as great thickening agents. A very comforting meal – but rich in nutrition.

Notes:
* If you have store bought kauvepilai podi, you can use that, just add 1 tsp red chilly powder and coriander powder and proceed with the same recipe.
* You can also omit the onion, garlic tomato and proceed without it, add some vathal(sundakkai, manathakkali) etc. for a tasty variation on vathakuzhambu.

Sending these delicious kuzhambu to ‘Herbs and Flowers – Curry Leaves’ event series by PJ. Also sending to ‘Food Palette – Rainbow Finale’ event.

The post Karuvepilai Kara Kuzhambu(Curry leaves spicy gravy) first appeared on Denny's Recipes.

This is another specialty of my grandmas…it tastes so good, that even people who love non vegetarian like my brother, absolutely love it. It tastes very different, where the lentil dumplings are made by grinding soaked dal along with a medley of spices and steamed. The steamed dumplings are then drowned in a curry again made again with a similar freshly ground spice blend. Nothing tastes as great as freshly ground spices made into a curry.

Ingredients:
For the paruppu urundai(lentil dumplings):
1 cup toor dal
1/2 of a big red onion, chopped very fine
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
5 red chillies
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
salt to taste

For the kuzhambu(curry):
1 red onion, finely chopped/ 1 cup shallots, chopped
6 cloves garlic, sliced thin
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup tamarind extract
2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 sprig curry leaves
salt to taste

Grind to a paste:
1 tbsp coriander seeds
8 red chillies
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1 1/2 tsp poppy seeds(khuskhus)
1/4 cup grated coconut

Method:

First off, soak the toor dal, for about an hour.

Make the spice paste for the curry by blending together all the ingredients, listed under ‘Grind to a paste’. Remove and set aside.

In the same blender, place the drained dal, along with the red chillies, cumin, fennel seeds and pulse for about 2-3 times. You are looking for a coarse crumbly mixture. Dump this onto a bowl and mix in the salt, chopped onion, garlic and cilantro. Divide it into equal golf sized balls and place in a steamer. Steam for about 10 minutes, until firm and cooked through.

While the dumplings steam, heat oil in a pan over medium high heat. Make the tadka by adding mustard, fennel seeds and fenugreek seeds. When the seeds splutter, add the curry leaves, followed by the onions and sliced garlic. Saute until completely cooked and translucent. Add the tomatoes and salt and cook until soft and pulpy. Add the spice paste and a cup of water. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the tamarind extract and simmer for another 5 minutes. The dumplings should be steamed and ready , gently place the dumplings in the curry and let it simmer for another 5 minutes, until the dumplings absorb the flavors of the curry. Serve hot with steaming rice!

Note: If the curry appears runny and not so thick, break up one or two dumplings to add thickness to the curry.

Verdict: I remember how my grandma’s curry tasted like, very distinctly..even the cute little round bottomed pan, she always served this curry in. And, I felt a warm sensation, as I licked up the curry and the curry soaked dumplings(paruppu urundai’s) and enjoyed the familiar comforting taste. I feel really happy that I could replicate the delicious taste of my grandmas recipe. Hope you would try and like it too.

Sending this to ‘CWF – Toor dal’, event series by Kiran and also to ‘My Legume Love affair – 36‘ series by Susan.

The post Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu(Lentil dumpling curry) first appeared on Denny's Recipes.

Vendhaya Keerai or methi, was not a well known dish in my family, until a lot of people started having diabetes and became more aware of methi being a healthy green that aids in controlling blood sugar in diabetics. I guess it is more a North Indian green as opposed to a South Indian. But, this was back in the days. Nowadays, thanks to globalization, almost every veggie/fruit can be found in the local markets. Forget North/South India, I even saw fruits/veggies that are common here in Koyambedu market when I visited a couple of years back – strawberry, kiwi, zucchini etc.

That said, I always get requests from family members to give them recipes with methi(now readily available, even with the local lady who sells greens), so that they can include it easily in their diets. From what I have seen, they are not fans of North Indian curries such as Methi Mutter Malai, coss it involves adding cream to the dish as well. They prefer more something in the South Indian genre, and this recipe is one that fits perfectly. Spooned over rice, it is a comforting and healthy meal.

Ingredients:
2 bunches methi leaves( I used half a pack of frozen methi)
1/4 cup toor dal
1 onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tomato, chopped
1/4 cup tamarind extract
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
2 tbsp gingelly oil
1/2 tsp mustard
1/2 tsp methi
1 sprig curry leaves

For spice paste:
1 tbsp channa dal
1 tbsp coriander seeds
4 red chillies
1/2 tsp cumin
1 carrot chopped

Method:
Rinse the toor dal, place it in a sauce pan with enough water to cover. Cook the toor dal until soft, but not mushy. It should still hold its shape. Set aside.

Dry roast the channa dal, coriander seeds, red chillies and cumin until toasted and fragrant. Remove from the heat and let cool. Grind along with the chopped carrot and enough water to make a smooth paste. The carrot counter balances the bitterness from the methi and adds a sweet undertone to the kuzhambu, kind of like when you add a small piece of jaggery to pulikuzhambu/pulusu etc. Feel free to omit it if you dont like the sweet taste.

Heat oil in a pan, splutter the mustard and methi seeds. Add in the curry leaves onion and garlic. Saute until the onions and garlic and soft and translucent. Add the turmeric powder, salt and tomatoes. Saute again until the tomatoes are mushy. Add the spice paste and saute until the oil seperates. Add the methi leaves and saute until they wilt. Add the tamarind extract and bring to a boil. finally add the toor dal and simmer for about 5 minutes until all the flavors meld and come together.

Serve it hot spooned over rice…

Verdict: A very different kuzhambu with methi leaves, this has a slight bitterness from the methi leaves, perfectly countered by the sweetness from the carrot and the tartness from the tamarind. Made wholesome with the toor dal, that still has a bite to it, a wholesome healthy meal. I served this with cabbage poriyal.

Sending this to ‘Herbs and flowers – Fenugreek’ event, series by PJ of Seduce Your Tastebuds. Also sending the following archived entries to this event:
1. Tofu Methi Thepla, made with kasoori methi

2. Aloo methi masala, a slightly different variation from the traditional recipe.

3. Methi Mushroom Mutter Masala, with the addition of earthy mushrooms to the regular methi mushroom malai curry.

The post Vendhaya Keerai Kuzhambu(Methi dal Curry) first appeared on Denny's Recipes.