Poricha Kootu

To serve 5 Members

Vegetables that can be prepared this way:

1. Chow Chow  (Bangalore Kathirikkai)
2. Kose (Cabbage)
3. Carrot
4. Pudalangai
5. Beans
6. Avarakkai
7. Keerai (Greens)
8. Nucol
9. Above vegetables can be mixed with carrot also for the koottu.
10. Parangikkai (Yellow Pumpkin)
11. Cucumber

Ingredients:

1. Vegetable: 700 gms
2. Moong Dal: ¼ Azhakku (or say 60 gms)
3. Toor Dal: 25 gms
4. Coconut (Grated) : 1 small cup
5. Coconut oil: 1 to 2 tsps
6. Mustard: 1 tsp
7. Orid dal: 1 tsp
8. Red Chillies: 4 to 5
9. Jeera: 2 tsps
10. Asafoedita
11. Curry Leaves: Few
12. Turmeric Powder: A Pinch
13. Salt
14. Water

Preparation Procedure:

1. In a kadai, add water and boil it. Add moong dal and turmeric powder and let the moong dal to cook fully. (Alternatively, you can choose to cook moong dal in a pressure cooker and then transfer the same to the kadai after cooking)
2. Add the cut vegetables, few curry leaves and salt to the kadai along with water such that the vegetables are immersed in water to half the level.
3. Cook the toor dal separately in a pressure cooker (you can cook it along with rice in a separate container)
4. Grind the Red Chillies, Jeera and coconut and very few curry leaves in a mixer by adding little water and grind it as a paste.
5. When the vegetables are almost cooked (more than 3/4^th), add this paste and allow this on the stove for 5 mins
6. Mash the cooked toor dal very nicely and add this to the kadai.
7. Season mustard and orid dal using coconut oil and asafoedita. Add few more curry leaves now.

Note

1. You can add water in the mid of your cooking in case you feel the koottu is very thick. Depends on taste. Also, if you feel it is very watery at the end, before you switch off the kadai, add 2 tbsps of Rice flour (arisi maavu) and make it as a paste with water and add this to the kadai.
2. This can also be used as a side dish for Roti items.. J

Koottu Types

Kootu is a South Indian Gravy prepared out of Vegetable, Dal and less spices and almost nil oil and hence considered to be very healthy.. Tastes well when served with rice as a side dish / some of them prefer to eat this as a mixed rice by having curry as a side dish.

Here are some types of Koottu:

1. Poricha Koottu
2. More Koottu
3. Puli Koottu (Popularly referred to as ‘Thiruvadhirai Koottu’ by the Iyers)
4. Masiyal
5. Rasavaangi

Vegetables that can be prepared under these types of kootu is as below:

1. Poricha Kootu:

1. Chow Chow Kootu (Bangalore Kathirikkai Kootu)
2. Pudalangai Kootu (Snake gourd kootu)
3. Beans Kootu
4. Avaraikkai Kootu (Broad Beans Kootu)
5. Muttakose kootu / kose kootu (Cabbage kootu)
6. Nucol kootu
7. Keerai Kootu
8. Peerkangai Kootu
9. Carrot Kootu
10. Parangikkai Kootu (Yellow Pumpkin)
11. Pooshanikkai Kootu (White Pumpkin)
12. Cucumber Kootu (Velrikai Kootu / Vellarikkai Kootu)

2. More Kootu:

1. Chow Chow More Kootu
2. Vazhathandu More Kootu (Banana stem kootu)
3. Pumpkin Kootu (Pooshanikkai More Kootu)

Few more types of Curry

Potato Urappu Curry

Combination Tips: Tastes excellent when served with Vengaya Sambhar (made out of small onions – Sambhar onions)

Ingredients:

1. Potato: 750 gms
2. Salt
3. Chilly Powder: 2 tbsps
4. Turmeric
5. Onion: 2 (Optional but gives an excellent flavour) – chop them very finely
6. Curry Leaves
7. Mustard
8. Asafoedita
9. Oil: 3 to 4 tbsps
10. Gram Flour / Kadalai Maavu (Optional)  - 2 tsps
11. Water

Preparation Procedure:

1. Cook the Potatoes in a cooker so that it is not mashed fully. Say 3/4^th cooking.
2. Cool them, peel the potatoes and cut them in to fairly big pieces. Spread the chilly powder and salt on them evenly.
3. In a Kadai, add oil, add mustard and when the mustard starts spluttering, add the cut onions and fry them till onion turns golden brown. Now add the curry leaves and after a few seconds, add asafoedita followed by the salt chilly mixed potatoes. Add 1 or 2 tsps of water if the fry becomes too sticky.
4. Add a pinch of turmeric powder and the gram flour also.
5. Keep frying for 10 to 15 mins with medium flame and when the potatoes are sort of roasted, switch off the stove.

Plain Usili Curry (Dal Curry)

Procedure remains the same as that of paruppu usili with no vegetables. It is like a curry made out of dal alone.. Can be used in case of emergencies where there is no vegetable at home but still you need some curry/side dish to the rice..

Deep Fry (Poricha Curry)

This poricha curry type works very well with Seppan Kizhangu and also with Potato. Tastes too yummy J

Ingredients:

1. Vegetable: 750 gms
2. Salt
3. Red Chillies: 8
4. Oil: To fry the vegetables (say 150 to 200 ml)
5. Tamarind: very small (of the size of a kali pakku)
6. Coriander seeds: 1 tsp
7. Gram Dal: 1 tsp
8. Water

Preparation Procedure:

1. Cook the vegetable in a cooker (just 3/4^th) so that they are not mashed.
2. Cool the cooked vegetables, peel them and cut them in to fairly big pieces without mashing them.
3. In a kadai, add 2 tsps oil and roast the chillies, coriander seeds and gram dal for very few mins till the dal turns colour lightly.
4. Grind this mix along with Tamarind, Salt and asafoedita by adding little water. (Add the entire quantity of salt while grinding itself since we are not going to add salt while cooking again). This needs to be like a paste – neither powdery nor too watery.
5. Spread this above paste with your hand to the entire quantity of cut vegetables fully and evenly.
6. Now, in a clean kadai with no water traces, add the oil (150 to 200 ml) depending on the quantity of vegetables to fry and heat up the oil kadai.
7. Like you fry a vadam, add the vegetables in little quantities and allow them to fry in the kadai. See if they are roasted (it would appear in dark brown colour once they are completely roasted) and then with a ladle (that has tiny holes to drain the oil while removing the fried items from the kadai: typical to that you use while frying oil items), take the fried item and transfer to a vessel containing tiny holed bottom to filter out the excess oil if any.

Potato Podimaas

Potato podimaas is very famous among many house holds..

Ingredients:

1.       Potato: 750 gms

2.       Green Chilly: 4

3.       Ginger: small piece

4.       Coconut: 75 gms

5.       Salt

6.       Turmeric powder: A Pinch

7.       Asafoedita

8.       Curry and Coriander leaves

9.       Oil: 4 tsps

10.   Mustard: 1 tbsp

11.   Orid dal: 2 tbsps

12.   Water

Preparation Procedure:

1.       Boil the potatoes in cooker (allow just 1 whistle) so that the potato is not deep cooked..

2.       Cool the potatoes for some time, cut them in to small pieces (small granules) or you may choose to mash them by hand so that they are tiny small pieces.

3.       In a kadai, add oil. Add mustard and while it starts spluttering, add orid dal and asafoedita.

4.       Now add the finely cut green chillies and ginger also and when the orid dal turns colour to light golden, add the grated coconut, curry leaves and the granuled potato. Add salt and pinch of turmeric powder.

5.       Leave it on stove at sim flame for 5 to 10 mins by stirring constantly and in the end when you switch off the stove, add finely cut coriander leaves.

Podi Idicha Curry

Also referred to as ‘Podi Thooval’ curry..

Vegetables that can be prepared this way: Potato, Seppan kizhangu

Ingredients:

1. Vegetable: 750 gms
2. Salt
3. Mustard: 2 tsps
4. Oil
5. Red Chillies: 6
6. Gram dal (Kadala Paruppu): 6 tbsps
7. Coriander Seeds: Kothamalli Vidhai: 6 tbsps
8. Curry Leaves: Few
9. A pinch of turmeric powder
10. Asafoedita
11. Water

Preparation Procedure:

1. Cook the Potato / Seppan kizhangu in a cooker by steaming it with water. Ensure that the vegetable is not mashed. It should only be 3/4^th cooked so that you are able to cut the boiled vegetable without mashing them.
2. In a kadai add 2 tsps of oil and roast the gram dal, coriander seeds and the red chillies till light colour change to golden yellow colour.. allow the roasted mix to cool. Transfer the contents to a mixer and add salt and asafoedita to the mixer and grind it without adding water so that it is powdery.
3. Cut the boiled vegetable in to fairly big pieces (not too small or too big).
4. In a Kadai, add 4 tbsps of oil, add mustard and when mustard starts spluttering, add the cut vegetable. Add turmeric powder and asafoedita (pinches) and the powdered mix to the kadai with continuous stirring so that it spreads uniformly.. You need not add salt if you have added enough salt while grinding the roasted mix itself. Otherwise, add some more salt here.
5. Allow it on kadai for around 10 mins to 15 mins and when the vegetable is medium roasted, add few curry leaves and remove it from the flame.

Steamed Curry

Steamed Curry (Vegavaitha Curry)

To serve 4/5 Members

Includes:

1. Carrot Curry
2. Beet Root Curry
3. Beans Curry
4. Avaraikkai Curry / Broad Beans Curry
5. Cauliflower Curry
6. Cabbage Curry / Kose Curry
7. Pudalangai Curry / Snake Gourd Curry
8. Vazhakkai Curry / Platain Curry
9. Vazhathandu Curry / Banana Stem Curry
10. Chow Chow Curry / Bangalore Kathirikkai Curry
11. Kothavarangaai Curry

Vegetables that can be prepared this way:

Group 1:

1.       Beans

2.       Carrot

3.       Beet root

4.       Avaraikkai

5.       Cabbage (Kose)

6.       Cauli Flower

7.       Kothavarangai

Group 2:

1.       Chow Chow

2.       Pudalangai (Snake Gourd)

Group 3:

1.       Vazhakkai

2.       Vazhathandu

Ingredients:

1. Vegetable (say 750 gms)
2. Moong dal (Only for Group 1&2 Vegetable types) : 4 tbsps
3. Coconut (grated) : 75 to 100 gms (rough measure)
4. Green Chilly (For Group 1 & 3 Vegetables): 2 or 3 (depending on the size)
5. Red Chilly (For Group 2 vegetables): 5 or 6 for the fat red chilly types and 3 for the long red chilly types.
6. Mustard: 2 tsps
7. Oil: 3 tsps
8. Curry Leaves: Very Few
9. Turmeric powder: A pinch
10. Asafoedita
11. Jeera seeds: ½ tsp
12. Ginger (only for Group 3 vegetable types)
13. Water

Preparation Procedure:

Group 1 Vegetables

1. In a kadai, add 150 ml to 200 ml water and boil it.
2. Add the moong dal, Cut vegetables and green chillies (you can cut them in the middle as vertically 2 pieces like in Bajji) and few curry leaves and a pinch of turmeric powder.
3. Add salt
4. Cover the kadai with the lid so that the vegetables are steamed in pressure.
5. Once the vegetables are cooked completely, the water will almost drain.
6. Transfer the vegetables to a separate container, so that you can reuse the kadai for seasoning. Ensure that there is no water in the steamed vegetables.
7. Add oil to the kadai, add mustard and when mustard seeds start spluttering, add orid dal, jeera and asafoedita.
8. Keep frying and when orid dal starts turning golden brown, add the grated coconut and few more curry leaves. Keep frying the mix in sim and now add the steamed vegetables also and keep stirring and frying the mix in sim for 2 to 3 mins and switch off the stove.

Group 2 Vegetables

1. In a kadai, add 150 ml water and boil it.
2. Add the moong dal, Cut vegetables and few curry leaves and a pinch of turmeric powder.
3. Add salt
4. Cover the kadai with the lid so that the vegetables are steamed in pressure.
5. Once the vegetables are cooked completely, the water will almost drain.
6. Transfer the vegetables to a separate container, so that you can reuse the kadai for seasoning. Ensure that there is no water in the steamed vegetables.
7. Add oil to the kadai, add mustard and when mustard seeds start spluttering, add orid dal, jeera , red chillies and asafoedita.
8. Keep frying and when orid dal starts turning golden brown, add the grated coconut and few more curry leaves. Keep frying the mix in sim and now add the steamed vegetables also and keep stirring and frying the mix in sim for 2 to 3 mins and switch off the stove.

Group 3 Vegetables

1. In a kadai, add 100 ml water and boil it.
2. Add the Cut vegetables and few curry leaves and a pinch of turmeric powder.
3. Add salt
4. Cover the kadai with the lid so that the vegetables are steamed in pressure.
5. Once the vegetables are cooked completely, the water will almost drain. Drain excess water completely.
6. Transfer the vegetables to a separate container, so that you can reuse the kadai for seasoning. Ensure that there is no water in the steamed vegetables.
7. Add oil to the kadai, add mustard and when mustard seeds start spluttering, add orid dal, jeera , green chillies (cut in to small pieces) and ginger (cut in to small pieces), asafoedita in order
8. Keep frying and when orid dal starts turning golden brown, add the grated coconut and few more curry leaves. Keep frying the mix in sim and now add the steamed vegetables also and keep stirring and frying the mix in sim for 2 to 3 mins and switch off the stove.

Roast Curry

Roast Curry (Vathakkal Curry)

To serve 4/5 Members

Includes:
a. Potato Curry
b. Lady's finger Curry
c. Vazhakkai Curry
d. Yam Curry (Senai & Seppankizhangu types)

Vegetables that can be prepared this way:

1. Potato
2. Banana (Vazhakkai)
3. Ladys Finger
4. Yam (Senai Kizhangu)

Ingredients:

1. Vegetable  (750 gms)
2. Salt
3. Chilly Powder (Plain Red Chilly Powder): 1 ½ tbsps.
4. A pinch of Turmeric powder
5. Oil (quantity differs for different vegetables) :

For Potato and Ladys finger , add 4 to 5 tsps oil since they do not absorb oil but eject them finally.

For Yam/Senai kizhangu, add 6 tsps oil.

Vazhakkai roast tastes good only when the oil is more..you can add around 7 to 8 tsps oil.

6. Mustard
7. Orid dall
8. Curry Leaves
9. Asafoedita
10. Water

Preparation Procedure:

1. Heat the kadai and add the required quantity of oil based on the vegetable as described earlier.
2. Once the oil heats up, add mustard, allow it to splutter and then add, orid dal and asafoedita..
3. When the orid dal starts changing colour to light golden colour, add the cut vegetable.
4. Now add salt, Chilly powder and a pinch or two of turmeric powder..
5. Now sprlinkle water occasionally – say 3 tbsp max..
6. Keep the stove in medium and stir then and there so that it does not stick to the pan and burn..
7. Once the vegetables are 3/4^th roasted, change the stove to sim and continue roasting till it is deep roasted…otherwise, the vegetables may not give the deep roasted taste… time may vary between 15 to 25 mins depending on vegetables..less for Ladys finger and more for potato, vazhakkai and yam..
8. Add very few curry leaves at the end (optional)

Note:

1. My Personal preference here is to use the traditional kadai for better taste rather than the Non Stick ones.. I found that the Traditional (White Metal / Aluminum) Kadai (Iluppachatti) works better esp for roast varieties..
2. In case of vendakkai (ladys finger) since it turns viscous once you put it on to the stove, instead of sprinkling water at step 5, you can sprinkle tamarind water / sour butter milk to reduce and avoid the viscosity

Curry Types

Popularity: Iyers refer the vegetables as Curry while the Iyengars term them as Karamedhu (Curry Amudhu). Otherwise known as Poriyal in the southern state..

1. Roast (Vathakkal Curry)
2. Steamed (Vegavaitha Curry)
3. Podi Idicha Curry
4. Podimaas
5. Usili Type
6. Poricha Curry (Deep Fry Types)
7. There are few more types of curry as well that are not grouped.. you would be able to find them in the few more types of curry section of this blog.

Kollu Rasam

Popularity: ‘Kollu’ is the Tamil name for Horse Gram.. Very effective for cold and to reduce Body weight..

Type 1 : You can prepare it with Dal Rasam Base

Procedure remains the same as that of Dal Rasam except that you should also cook horse gram separately like dal (say 5 tbsps of horsegram) in a cooker separator by putting the horse gram and say 200 ml water. At the end, after adding the cooked dal water to the Rasam, also add the horse gram water too before you season the Rasam..

(The Horse gram water can be extracted by squeezing thoroughly the cooked horsegram with water)

Type 2: You can prepare it with Jeera Milagu Rasam Base

Procedure remains the same as that of Jeera Milagu Rasam except that you should cook horse gram separately and add the horse gram water at the end before you season the Rasam.

Poondu Rasam

Poondu Rasam (Garlic Rasam)

             Ingredients:

1.       Tamarind: Size of a big lemon

2.       Garlic (Peeled) : 7 to 8 petals

3.       Toor Dal: 2 tbsps

4.       Jeera: 1 tsp

5.       Pepper: 2 tsps

6.       Curry Leaves: Few

7.       Red Chilly: 1 (medium sized)

8.       Salt

9.       Ghee

10.   Water

Preparation Procedure:

1.       Extract Tamarind essence by putting tamarind in warm water (say 400 ml).

2.       Add salt, very few curry leaves and boil the tamarind water for 10 mins.

3.       In a kadai, add 1 tsp of ghee and roast the Toor dal, pepper, Jeera and red chillies for 2 to 3 mins and take the roasted mix out of the kadai.

4.       Now, to the empty kadai, again add 2 tsps of Ghee and roast the garlic petals till they turn colour to light golden. This will ensure that the strong smell of garlic is reduced to an extent.

5.       Grind all the roasted ingredients together with a little curry leaves

6.       Add this paste to the boiling tamarind water and stir well and allow this to boil for 5 more mins stirring at regular intervals.

7.       Add 2 tsps of ghee in the kadai, add mustard seeds and while it starts spluttering, add it to the Rasam and add little more curry leaves to the Rasam and switch off the stove.

Do NOT add asafoedita since it may taste a little bitter

Jeera Milagu Rasam

To serve 4/5 persons

Popularity: This is a very famous 'pathiya' samayal and is very effective when someone is recovering from fever / cold.

Ingredients:

1. Tamarind: Size of a big lemon
2. Toor Dal: 2 tbsps
3. Jeera: 1 Tbsp
4. Pepper: 1 Tbsp
5. Curry Leaves: Few
6. Red Chilly: 2 (medium sized)
7. Salt
8. Ghee
9. Water

Preparation Procedure:

1. Extract Tamarind essence by putting tamarind in warm water (say 400 ml).
2. Add salt, very few curry leaves and boil the tamarind water for 10 mins.
3. In a kadai, add 2 tsps of ghee and roast the Toor dal, pepper, Jeera and red chillies for 2 to 3 mins. Allow this roasted mix to cool down for few mins and grind them in a mixer by adding few curry leaves. You can grind them first without adding water as a fine powder and then add little water and grind them to make it as a paste.
4. Add this paste to the boiling tamarind water and stir well and allow this to boil for 5 more mins stirring at regular intervals.
5. Add 2 tsps of ghee in the kadai, add mustard seeds and while it starts spluttering, add it to the Rasam and add little more curry leaves to the Rasam and switch off the stove.

Do NOT add asafoedita for Jeera Milagu Rasam since it may taste a little bitter

Gottu Rasam

Gottu Rasam is a term referred by Iyers for a type of Instant Rasam that does not require much ingredients other than the key essentials and also does not require much time to prepare..

To serve 4/5 persons

Ingredients:

1. Tamarind: Size of a Big lemon
2. Rasam Powder: 1.5 tbsps / Sambhar powder: 1 tbsp
3. Toor Dal: 1 tsp
4. Salt
5. Asafoedita
6. Curry, Coriander leaves
7. Red Chillies: 2 (Medium sized)
8. Water

Preparation Procedure:

1. Add tamarind to warm water (say 300 ml) and extract juice.
2. Add Toor dal (raw), Salt, Rasam Powder, few curry leaves & Asafoedita and heat it till Rasam powder smell vanishes… say 15 mins..
3. Add some more water now for the Rasam.
4. In a kadai, add 2 to 3 tsps ghee, add mustard and while it splutters, add asafoedita and Red Chillies and allow it for a min. Add this to the boiling rasam.
5. Add coriander & curry leaves liberally and when the Rasam starts boiling and switch off the stove.

The most simple, easy to make Rasam is ready...

Paruppu Rasam / Tomato Rasam

To serve 4/5 persons

Ingredients:

1. Tamarind: Size of a big lemon
2. Tomato: 1 (Big) – Preferably Bangalore Tomato
3. Rasam powder : 2 tbsps / Sambhar Powder: 1.5 tbsp (in case there is no separate Rasam powder)
4. Salt
5. Toor Dal: 50 gms
6. Asafoedita
7. Ghee
8. Mustard: 1 tsp
9. Curry Leaves, Coriander Leaves
10. Turmeric Powder: A pinch
11. Pepper Powder & Jeera Powder: A pinch
12. Water

Preparation Procedure:

1. Add tamarind to warm water (say 300 ml) and extract juice.
2. Smash Tomato and take the tomato juice as well and mix it with the tamarind extract.

(You may choose to extract tomato juice from half the tomato and the remaining half tomato cut it in to small pieces and add it to the tamarind tomato water)

3. Add Salt, Rasam Powder, turmeric Powder, few curry leaves & Asafoedita and heat it till Rasam powder smell vanishes… say 15 mins..
4. Separately cook the toor dal by adding water (in a cooker )
5. Take the cooked dal, smash it very well and add water (say 200 ml) to the smashed mix such that no dal appears floating and the water is a pure dal water…

(Rasam essentially contains the ‘saaru’ from dal and hence referred to as Saar, Satramudhu by some communities…Do not add cooked dal as such without mashing, this is very essential for Rasam to taste good..)

6. Add this dal water to the boiling mixture
7. In a kadai, add 2 to 3 tsps ghee, add mustard and while it splutters, add asafoedita and a pinch of pepper and jeera powder..
8. Add coriander leaves liberally and when the Rasam starts boiling , switch off the stove..

Hot yummy steaming Rasam ready…..  

Tastes well esp if you eat it with Vadaam (Vadagam/vathal) J

Rasam Types

Popularly called as Rasam, this is an excellent appetizer / South Indian soup as well..Iyengars refer this as Sathamudhu.For those who think Rasam is really boring…just a tamarind water, no…it is not….You can think of adding flavour to your menu by preparing different types of Rasam….

1. Paruppu Rasam (Tomato Paruppu Rasam)
2. Gottu Rasam
3. Jeera Milagu Rasam
4. Poondu (Garlic) Rasam
5. Kollu Rasam (Horse Gram)
6. Kandathippili Rasam
7. Sathaguppai Rasam
8. Mysore Rasam
9. Lemon Rasam
10. Pineapple Rasam
11. Veppampoo Rasam
12. Paneer Rasam
13. Poricha Rasam