Hello Readers, Thank you for taking time to visit this blog...




As with every art, cooking also requires passion, interest and time... Irrespective of doing it as a leisure activity or on a regular basis, it involves dedication. The happiness you derive out of cooking by your self and serving is endless... esp someone appreciating your recipe...how nice it feels, is it not???




You may wonder about the title of this blog..Iyer Iyengar Kitchen...I am a Tanjore Iyer married to an Iyengar and picked up cooking by learning the delicacies of both the customs....and that is what I am sharing here... Recipes popular among the Tamil Iyer & Iyengar communities..




I would be really happy if this benefits atleast few of you....if you find this useful, pass this on to your friends..

Wednesday 14 December 2011

Pudina Thogayal

Ingredients:
1.       Fresh Pudina leaves: 1 cup full
2.       Dry Red Chillies: 6 (Medium sized) – I use Gundu vathal milagai
3.       Urad dal / orid dal: 2 tbsps
4.       Asafoedita: A pinch
5.       Tamarind: very small sized – say of the size of a Cadbury gems
6.       Salt
7.       Water: little
8.       Oil: 2 tsps
Preparation Procedure:
1.       In a small kadai, add 1 tsp oil and roast the orid dal, red chillies till the dal turns light golden colour. Keep this aside out of the kadai.
2.       In the same kadai, add 1 tsp oil again, heat it on sim and add the mint leaves and fry till it shrinks and reduces size. Immediately switch off the stove and transfer the contents to a mixie and allow it to cool for few minutes.
3.       Now grind the mint leaves alone first till it becomes tiny pieces for one or two whips.
4.       Now add the roasted dal, red chillies along with salt, asafoedita and tamarind bit and grind again adding water very little by little
5.       Note that the mixer ingredients should be like a thick ball. You should grind it like a firm mass by adding water very little by little. If the water goes little more also, it will become like a paste.
6.       Remove the contents out of the mixie and using your hand, make it like a shape of a dough / ball like and store it in a vessel and serve.
This can even be refrigerated and consumed for the next few days if you make it thick.

Serving Tip:
1.       Make rice in cooker allowing 3 or 4 whistles.
2.       Once the rice sets, take the required quantity of rice in a big mouth bowl.
3.       Add 2 tsps of Gingely oil and ½ tsp of ghee to the hot rice in the bowl.
4.       Allow the rice to cool for 2 to 3 mins.
5.       Now with a flat ladle, spread the rice and add the pudina thogayal and mix it..note that the rice and thogayal needs to be mixed and not mashed..

Karuveppilai Thogayal

Ingredients:
1.       Fresh Curry leaves: 1 cup full
2.       Dry Red Chillies: 6 (Medium sized) – I use Gundu vathal milagai
3.       Urad dal / orid dal: 2 tbsps
4.       Asafoedita: A pinch
5.       Tamarind: very small sized – say of the size of a Cadbury gems
6.       Salt
7.       Water: little
8.       Oil: 2 tsps
Preparation Procedure:
1.       In a small kadai, add 1 tsp oil and roast the orid dal, red chillies till the dal turns light golden colour. Keep this aside out of the kadai.
2.       In the same kadai, add 1 tsp oil again, heat it on sim and add the curry leaves and fry till it turns light crispier. Immediately switch off the stove and transfer the contents to a mixie and allow it to cool for few minutes.
3.       Now grind the curry leaves alone first till it becomes tiny pieces for one or two whips.
4.       Now add the roasted dal, red chillies along with salt, asafoedita and tamarind bit and grind again adding water very little by little
5.       Note that the mixer ingredients should be like a thick ball. You should grind it like a firm mass by adding water very little by little. If the water goes little more also, it will become like a paste.
6.       Remove the contents out of the mixie and using your hand, make it like a shape of a dough / ball like and store it in a vessel and serve.
This can even be refrigerated and consumed for the next few days if you make it thick.
Excellent tastier Curry leaf thogayal is ready..
Serving Tip:
1.       Make rice in cooker allowing 3 or 4 whistles.
2.       Once the rice sets, take the required quantity of rice in a big mouth bowl.
3.       Add 2 tsps of Gingely oil and ½ tsp of ghee to the hot rice in the bowl.
4.       Allow the rice to cool for 2 to 3 mins.
5.       Now with a flat ladle, spread the rice and add the Karuveppilai thogayal and mix it..note that the rice and thogayal needs to be mixed and not mashed..

Tuesday 13 December 2011

Kothamalli Thogayal / Coriander Thogayal

This is a very excellent accompaniment for Curd rice and also can be mixed with rice and taken as ‘Kothamalli Sadham’. What more, mix it with curd and use it as a raitha as well J
Ingredients:
1.       Coriander leaves: 1 cup full
2.       Dry Red Chillies: 5 (Medium sized) – I use Gundu vathal milagai
3.       Urad dal / orid dal: 2 tbsps
4.       Asafoedita: A pinch
5.       Tamarind: very small sized – say of the size of a Cadbury gems
6.       Salt
7.       Water: little
8.       Oil: 1 tsp
Preparation Procedure:
1.       In a small kadai, add 1 tsp oil and roast the orid dal, red chillies till the dal turns light golden colour. Switch off the stove
2.       Allow the above roasted minutes to cool for few minutes. Ensure that the orid dal does not turn brown while it remains in the kadai since the heat will remain in the kadai for few minutes. I usually transfer it to another vessel / mixie to allow the mix to cool.
3.       Add salt, asafoedita and the little bit of tamarind to the mixie along with the ingredients and grind them for a minute initially without adding water.
4.       Now add the coriander leaves and grind it fine by adding very little water.
5.       Now, keep on sprinkling water –( not pouring water) now and then and make the mixer ingredients as a thick ball. Note this should neither be powdery nor be a paste like. You should grind it like a firm mass by adding water very little by little. If the water goes little more also, it will become like a paste.
6.       Remove the contents out of the mixie and using your hand, make it like a shape of a dough / ball like and store it in a vessel and serve.
This can even be refrigerated and consumed for the next day if you make it thick.

Kothamalli Sadham Serving Tip:
1.       Make rice in cooker allowing 3 or 4 whistles.
2.       Once the rice sets, take the required quantity of rice in a big mouth bowl.
3.       Add 2 tsps of Gingely oil and ½ tsp of ghee to the hot rice in the bowl.
4.       Allow the rice to cool for 2 to 3 mins.
5.       Now with a flat ladle, spread the rice and add the kothamalli thogayal and mix it..note that the rice and kothamalli needs to be mixed and not mashed..

Friday 2 December 2011

Thaengai Thogayal / Coconut Thogayal

This is a very popular Thogayal which is very well known for its taste and very simple to make. Especially when you spend a week full time with menus like Sambhar, Rasam, etc etc, this gives a great change to the menu.
1.       This can be mixed with rice and gingely oil and consumed. This tastes heavenly, believe me!
2.       Can be used as a side dish for curd rice.
3.       Can be used as a side dish for idly, dosai, upma, even chappathis..by adding little water to the thogayal
4.       Can be mixed with a little curd and you can even consume this as a pachadi/raitha J
Ingredients:
1.       Grated Coconut: ½ the coconut – i.e. 1 half coconut shell fully
2.       Dry Red Chillies: 6 (Medium sized) – I use Gundu vathal milagai
3.       Urad dal / orid dal: 3 tbsps
4.       Asafoedita: A pinch
5.       Tamarind: very small sized – say of the size of a Cadbury gems
6.       Salt
7.       Water: little
8.       Oil: 1 tsp
Preparation Procedure:
1.       In a small kadai, add 1 tsp oil and roast the orid dal, red chillies till the dal turns light golden colour. Switch off the stove
2.       Allow the above roasted minutes to cool for few minutes. Ensure that the orid dal does not turn brown while it remains in the kadai since the heat will remain in the kadai for few minutes. I usually transfer it to another vessel / mixie to allow the mix to cool.
3.       Add salt, asafoedita and the little bit of tamarind to the mixie along with the ingredients and grind them for a minute initially without adding water.
4.       Now add the grated coconut and grind them without adding water initially.
5.       Now, keep on sprinkling water –( not pouring water) now and then and make the mixer ingredients as a thick ball. Note this should neither be powdery nor be a paste like. You should grind it like a firm mass by adding water very little by little. If the water goes little more also, it will become like a paste.
6.       Remove the contents out of the mixie and using your hand, make it like a shape of a dough / ball like and store it in a vessel and serve.
This can even be refrigerated and consumed for the next day if you make it thick.

Thogayal Varieties

Monday 14 November 2011

Filter Coffee

Popularity: Definitely most of you would agree that the aroma of filter coffee from an Iyer’s kitchen is fabulous and would love to have a dose of it… though this is very easy and simple to make, I just wanted to mention few tips on coffee making to serve all the coffee lovers – esp filter coffee lovers – like me.. I cannot imagine a morning without this. The day seems almost incomplete J Though filter coffee making may consume a little bit time compared to instant / ready to use coffee, I would still say that it is worth the taste. This is also referred to as Filter Kaapi sometimes. J
1.       Pure coffee is always recommended when compared to the usage of coffee with chicory. Pure coffee may be a little costlier than coffee with chicory mix and the latter will seem to give more aroma but for regular coffee in takers, it is recommended to use pure coffee than coffee chicory blend for health purposes.
2.        Pure coffee comes in various blend like Mysore ‘A’, PB (referred to as Pea Berry), and some more.
3.       I usually get my coffee grinded freshly from the stores and use it for lasting flavour.
4.       Mix of PB & Mysore ‘A’ or Simply PB & A in the ratio of 50:50 gives a very tasty pure filter coffee home blend.
Coffee Decoction Making:
You need to ascertain the strength of the coffee powder by trial and error method since I have noted it differs from shop to shop and brand to brand… usually 6 tbsps (heaped) of coffee powder needs 250 to 300 ml of water and can serve coffee for 2 to 3 persons.


For a family of 5 members, you can choose to prepare the decoction by using 10 tbsps (heaped) coffee powder with 500 ml of water (adding 250 ml - twice)
Preparation Using Coffee Maker:
1.       Ensure that the filter of the coffee maker is clean and dry with no water drops
2.       Put the coffee powder in the coffee maker – filter and press it firmly using your fist. I learnt this tip from my husband who equally considers coffee as an elixir like me JThis will ensure that the water percolation takes time and absorbs the coffee flavour well as it becomes decoction.
3.       Close the coffee maker lid and pour normal water (neither hot nor cold in the water area) – ensure that you read the instructions properly of the coffee maker brand that you use.. usually the coffee makers have a separate water passage area that converts the plain water as steaming hot water before it drips to the coffee filter of the coffee maker.
4.       Switch off the coffee maker when the switch / light glows off and wait for few minutes for the water to drip completely through the powder and become decotion
5.       Boil milk to steaming hot temperature.
6.       Mix the decotion and milk along with sugar to the desired consistency and prepare the coffee.
7.       Both decotion and milk should be done simultaneously so that the coffee is hot. Else, the decotion will cool down and you have to re heat milk decotion mix to make it hot, making it lose the original degree coffee flavour.
Preparation using Traditional Coffee Filter: (I learnt this from My Grand Mother – this is the old method for preparing the coffee decotion)
1.       Ensure that the coffee filter is completely dry with no water drops.
2.       Add 5 or 6 sugar crystals to the bottom of the filter.
3.       Add the coffee powder and press it firmly using your   fist. The ratio of coffee powder - water remains the same almost as stated before.
4.       Boil water separately to boiling – steaming hot.
5.       Pour the required water quantity little by little. Otherwise, it will over flow. Give time for the poured water to become decotion and pour the remaining measure then.
6.       Boil milk to steaming hot temperature.
7.       Mix the decotion and milk along with sugar to the desired consistency and prepare the coffee.
8.       Both decotion and milk should be done simultaneously so that the coffee is hot. Else, the decotion will cool down and you have to re heat milk decotion mix to make it hot.

Friday 11 November 2011

Neer More

This is usually prepared on Sri Rama Navami. This is nothing but butter milk offered for Neivedhyam.
Ingredients:
1.       Curd: 2 Big ladles
2.       Water: 400 ml
3.       Salt
4.       Asafoedita
5.       Curry leaves
Preparation Procedure:
1.       In a vessel, add 2 ladles of curd and with a Thayir Mathu / curd beater stir it well. Add water and stir well again.
2.       Add salt and asafoedita and mix well
3.       Add curry leaves. You can tear the leaves and add to give more flavour.

Panagam

This is also offered as Neivedhyam on Sri Rama Navami.
Ingredients:
1.       Powdered Jaggery: 200 gms
2.       Water: 400 ml
3.       Sukku Powder: A pinch
Preparation Procedure:
1.       Add little water and jaggery and crush them nicely by hand in the form of paste. Slowly make it dissolve in water, filter out the impurities and then add the remaining water also. Do not keep it on stove, it may become like vella pagu otherwise.
2.       Add little pinch of sukku powder.

Masala More / Spicy Butter Milk

This is a very healthy and nutritious drink , very useful to quench thirst.  Intake of Butter milk on regular basis is very good for health and this also acts as a effective diet menu with less calorific value. This spicy butter milk has an enhanced taste that most of us would really love to have this as a summer drink too. And most of all, this is so easy to make…
Ingredients:
  1. Curd: 2 Big Ladles
  2. Water: 400 ml
  3. Green Chilly: 1/4th of a big green chilly
  4. Ginger: very small tiny piece (same size as green chilly)
  5. Curry Leaves: 10
  6. Corinader leaves: few
  7. Salt
  8. Asafoedita
  9. Mustard: ½ tsp
  10. Jeera: 4
  11. Oil: ½ tsp
Preparation Procedure:
  1. Grind the following with little water in the form of paste: Green chilly, ginger, 5 curry leaves and few coriander leaves and keep it aside
  2. In a vessel, add 2 ladles of curd and with a Thayir Mathu / curd beater stir it well. Add water and stir well again.
  3. Add salt and the grinded paste and asafoedita
  4. In a kadai, add ½ tsp oil and season mustard and while it starts spluttering, add 4 jeera and switch kadai and add this kadai contents to the butter milk.. Add the remaining curry and coriander leaves
Spicy Butter Milk is all ready to serve…you can consume it as such or serve chilled.

Appalam Vathal Kuzhambu

Popularity: This is a very famous type of Vathal Kuzhambu and comes in very handy especially when you run out of vegetable stocks / vathal to prepare Vathal Kuzhambu..
Preparation Procedure:
The procedure remains just the same as that of Vathal Kuzhambu – my earlier blog.. Instead of using any vathal / thaan – vegetable, just prepare the kuzhambu without any vegetable / vathal and at the end you need to add fried appalam after you switch off the stove by breaking the appalam in to two half pieces. You can add some 5 or 6 half pieces of a full appalam. This kuzhambu is very tasty and easy to make.

Thayir Semiya / Curd Semiya

This is nothing but curd semiya and is a substitute for curd rice..
Ingredients:
  1. Roasted Vermicelli : ½ Azhakku (1/2 cup)
  2. Boiled – warm milk: 300 ml
  3. A pinch of salt
  4. Carrot (1 Medium sized): Grated
  5. Red Chillies: 4 (Medium Sized)
  6. Manga Inji / Inji (Ginger): Cut as small pieces – 1 tsp
  7. Pomegranate fruit pearls: 1 tbsp (Optional)
  8. Green Seedless Grapes (Optional) – 10 numbers
  9. Kismis / Dry Grapes: 1 tbsp (Optional)
  10. Broken Cashews: 1 tsp (Optional)
  11. Curry Leaves
  12. Coriander Leaves
  13. Curd
  14. Oil: 2 tsp
  15. Ghee: 1 tsp
  16. Mustard: 1 tsp
  17. Asafoedita: a pinch
Preparation Procedure:
  1. Pressure cook the semiya in less water by allowing 2 whistles.
  2. In a big kadai, add 2 tsps oil and add mustard and while it starts spluttering, add asafoedita, red chillies, ginger pieces and carrot one by one in order allowing few seconds in between each ingredient addition.
  3. Add curry leaves and a pinch of salt. Keep the stove in low flame.
  4. Immediately add the cooked semiya after draining the water (if any) to the kadai and keep mixing along with the seasoned ingredients of the kadai.
  5. In a small kadai, using a tsp of ghee, sauté the cashews and dry grapes till they change colour and add this to the semiya kadai.
  6. Add finely cut coriander leaves.
  7. Slowly add milk and keep mashing well. Do not add all the milk at one go. Keep adding and mashing.  Switch off the stove now.
  8. If you are going to consume this only after 4 or 5 hours from the preparation like for lunch recipe, etc then add lot of milk (300 ml) and 1 tbsp of curd alone. If you are going to consume it immediately, then add 200 ml milk and 5 tbsps of curd and mash well.
  9. You can further increase or decrease the milk quantity depending on the consistency you would require.
  10. Add pomegranate and Green seedless grapes at the end and decorate it.

Bahala Bhath / Bagala Bath / Thayir Sadham

Popularity: Thayir Sadham is almost popular among every house hold. You can add more taste and flavour to Thayir Sadham by mixing some spices and vegetables..this is very common dish served in marriages, parties and buffets. Often referred to as Bahala Bhath / Bagala Bath. Iyers refer to this as Thayir Sadham and Iyengars refer to this as Dhadhionnam / Dahi Annam.
Ingredients:
  1. Rice: ½ Azhakku (1/2 cup)
  2. Boiled – warm milk: 300 ml
  3. A pinch of salt
  4. Carrot (2 Medium sized): Grated
  5. Green Chilly (Big): 1 – Cut as small pieces
  6. Manga Inji / Inji (Ginger): Cut as small pieces – 1 tsp
  7. Pomegranate fruit pearls: 1 tbsp (Optional)
  8. Green Seedless Grapes (Optional) – 10 numbers
  9. Kismis / Dry Grapes: 1 tbsp (Optional)
  10. Broken Cashews: 1 tsp (Optional)
  11. Curry Leaves
  12. Coriander Leaves
  13. Curd
  14. Oil: 2 tsp
  15. Ghee: 1 tsp
  16. Mustard: 1 tsp
  17. Asafoedita: a pinch
Preparation Procedure:
  1. Cook the rice in a pressure cooker by allowing more whistles than you would do for normal rice so that the rice is mash cooked.
  2. In a big kadai, add 2 tsps oil and add mustard and while it starts spluttering, add asafoedita, green chillies, ginger pieces and carrot one by one in order allowing few seconds in between each ingredient addition..switch off the stove immediately as soon as you add carrot.
  3. Add curry leaves and a pinch of salt.
  4. Immediately add the mashed rice to the kadai and keep mixing and mashing the rice along with the seasoned ingredients of the kadai.
  5. In a small kadai, using a tsp of ghee, sauté the cashews and dry grapes till they change colour and add this to the rice kadai.
  6. Add finely cut coriander leaves to the mashed rice now.
  7. Slowly add milk and keep mashing well. Do not add all the milk at one go. Keep adding and mashing.
  8. If you are going to use the Bagala Bath only after 4 or 5 hours from the preparation like for lunch recipe, etc then add lot of milk (300 ml) and 1 tbsp of curd alone. If you are going to consume it immediately, then add 200 ml milk and 5 tbsps of curd and mash well.
  9. You can further increase or decrease the milk quantity depending on the consistency you would require.
  10. Add pomegranate and Green seedless grapes at the end and decorate it.

Pudalangai Thayir Pachadi / Snake Gourd Raitha

Ingredients:
1.       Pudalangai: Cut like that for preparing curry : 100 gms
2.       Salt
3.       Coriander leaves: few
4.       Mustard: 1 tsp
5.       Orid dal: ½ tsp
6.       Red Chillies: 3
7.       Oil: 2 tsp
Preparation Procedure:
1.       In a small kadai, add 1 tsp of oil.
2.       Season mustard and while it starts spluttering, add orid dal, Red Chillies and fry, when the orid dal turns golden yellow colour, add Pudalangai and sauté it on low flame till pudalangai shrinks to some extent.
3.       Keep the curd in the serving bowl along with salt and add the kadai ingredients to the serving bowl just before serving to retain the fresh taste.
4.       Garnish with very few coriander leaves.

Mangai Pachadi / Mango Raitha

Popularity:
Manga Pachadi / Mangai Vella Pachadi is the Tamizh name for Mango Raitha. Also frequently referred to as Mambazha Pachadi, this is an essential menu for Tamizh Varusha Pirappu / Tamil New Year. Also this is included as a part of the Srardham Samayal.
There is a variation when preparing this Pachadi for the New Year. Madurai based Iyers usually prepare Manga Pachadi and Veppampoo Pachadi separately for the New Year while Tanjavur based Iyers prepare Manga Veppampoo pachadi together. Iyengars also prepare this together / separately based on their family practices...
Ingredients:
1.       Raw Mango: Cut in to medium sized pieces (little smaller than Kuzhambu thaan) : 250 gms
2.       Crushed Jaggery: 300 gms
3.       Salt
4.       Red Chilly: 3
5.       Mustard: 1 tsp
6.       Oil: 1 tsp
Preparation Procedure:
1.       In a vessel, add the cut raw mangoes and a little pinch of salt and water (say 100 ml) and cook the mangoes on low flame such that it does not burn
2.       Add jaggery and little water in a vessel/kadai and make jaggery paste
3.       Add the jaggery paste to the cooked mangoes and season it with mustard and red chilly..
Yummy Manga Pachadi ready J