Milagu Poondu thakkali Rasam / Garlic Pepper and Tomato Soup Recipe

                              There is a popular saying in Tamil that, "உணவே மருந்து". Meaning the food we eat itself is a medicine. Rasam is the dish which is apt for the above saying. I remember my grandma making rasam almost all the days for lunch. I am fond of drinking the rasam, which my kid follows too:-)

                                     The Pepper, Cumin, Garlic, Tomato, Tamarind syrup, and the coriander leaves, will make wonders in ailing your digestion. Want to treat your cold and cough without seeking doctor, then having rasam for a week along with cooked rice will help you. This helps in relieving constipation and gastric problems also. The first baby food with rice will be mashed rasam rice in my native regions.

Mochakottai Kuzhambu / Fried Beans Kuzhambu

                       Mochakottai Kuzhambu according to me made by my aachi(grandma) is the perfect one. For cooking the mochakottai (fried beans) she only uses mud pots instead of cooker. The cooking time using mud pots will be a little more but still the taste will be heavenly. As always cooking in mud utensils will give a added up taste from usual taste.

                     I have also read in a article that the black mochai ( black fried beans ) is good for health. Lets look into the preparation.

Prep time 15 mins
Cooking time 30 mins


Ingredients

1/2 cup Mochakottai ( Fried Beans)
Small lemon sized Tamarind
2-3 nos Small Onion Chopped
1 Tomato 
3 nos Brinjal (small)
2 nos Ladys finger
1/2 Drumstick
3 small pieces Raw Mango
1 tbsp Chilly Powder
1/2 tbsp Coriander Powder
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
As per Taste Salt


To grind
1/4 cup coconut grated
2-3 nos Small Onion
1 tsp Cumin Seeds


To Temper
1 tbsp Sesame Oil
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/4 tsp Fenugreek Seeds (Vendhayam)
1/4 cup Small onion Chopped
1 spring Curry Leaves



Procedure

1. Soak the mochakottai(fried beans) for nearly four hours. Cube all the vegetables. Cut drumstick lengthwise (into equal sized pieces)
Soak the tamarind in hot water. In a mixer jar put all the items under to grind and make paste.

2. Extract the juice of tamarind. In a vessel put all the vegetables (except lady finger and raw mango), grind-ed paste and the extracted tamarind juice.

Saute the ladyfinger in frying pan separately and keep aside.
Cook the soaked mochaikottai for nearly 5 whistles in pressure cooker and keep aside. 

3. In a small plate take the chilly powder and coriander powder. We have to saute the both the powders in 1/2 tsp oil.

4. Add the saute-ed powder along with the above mixture(coconut paste, tamarind juice n veges).

5. In a heated kadai add the sesame oil, after it gets heated add the mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds. After the mustard splutters, add the curry leaves and chopped small onion. Wait till the small onion turns brown colour. Add it along with the above mixture. Add the cooked Mochaikottai also.

6. Heat the above mixture and allow it to boil for 5 minutes in high flame, now add the mango and ladysfinger. Again allow it to boil for another 5-7 minutes in medium flame. Then switch off the stove. 

                  Your Mochaikottai kuzhambu is ready to be served.


                Note:

• You can make this kuzhambu by roasting the mochaikottai also(instead of cooking).
• This kuzhambu can be made without adding brinjal, drumstick, ladys finger, mango also. i.e; just by adding onion and tomato and mochai kottai (fried beans).
• Sauteing of chilly and coriander powder gives a good flavor. If you feel no need to saute you can just add the powders.

Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu / Vadai Kuzhambu

                   Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu will be in the favorite list of many. And so me and my husband just loves this kuzhambu. 

                   On my initial stages of cooking, it was a big challenge for me to make this kuzhambu without breaking the paruppu urundai's in it. Then my neighbor said me a technique to just shallow fry the balls so that they will not break while cooking.

                This Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu is the typical Tirunelveli style of cooking. We don't add fennel seeds but instead jeera is added. This taste will also be great.

Prep time  2 hours ( For soaking the bengal gram)

Cooking time 20-30 mins

Ingredients

For Urundai's

3/4 cup Bengal Gram
7-8 Small Onion chopped
1 Chilly chopped
1 inch sized Ginger chopped
2 tbsp Curry leaves chopped
A pinch Hing
As per taste Salt

 
   For Grinding

   1/2 cup Coconut grated

   1 tsp Cumin seeds

   5-6 Small onion peeled
   1 tbsp Chilly powder
   1 tbsp Coriander powder


   For Gravy

  1 gooseberry sized tamarind ( juice extracted)
  Along with above grind-ed paste


  To Temper

  3 tbsp Sesame oil
  1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds
  1 tsp Mustard seeds
  3-4 Small onion chopped
  1 Drumstick (optional)
  2 tsp Curry leaves



Procedure

1. Soak the bengal gram for two hours. Then drain the water and grind it into a course paste. With the paste add chopped onion, green chilly, ginger, curry leaves, little hing and salt.

2. Mix all the ingredients in the step 1 and make balls out of it. Then in a Kadai put little oil and and shallow fry the balls.

3. Fry all the balls and keep them aside.

4. This is the step for making gravy. First soak the tamarind and extract the juice out of it.

Then make very fine paste using coconut, small onion and jeera. Finally add the chilly powder and coriander powder to the paste and just inch the mixer grinder. 

Add this paste along with the extracted tamarind juice.

This is the image of extracted juice and chopped veges for tempering.

5. In a kadai (I use mud pot) put the sesame oil , then fenugreek seeds followed by mustard seeds. After it splutters add onion and curry leaves. Then add drumstick, garlic is optional. Saute it for some time.

6. After the  drumstick is half cooked add the tamarind gravy mixer and allow it to boil. Once it starts to boil add the fried balls.

             Don't mix it with the laddle because the balls may break.Let it cook for five minutes, now your most awaited Paruppu Urundai kuzhambu is ready. 

Best with steamed rice. They usually make kadalai thovaiyal as side for this in my native.

In my plate I served it along with greens and poriyal.   

         Note: 

• We in Tirunelveli Style of cooking don't add fennel seeds to it, if you wish you can also add the fennels seeds add it to the balls/urundai's we make.
• If you feel no need to shallow fry the balls/urundai's , you can also them cook in idly cooker.
• When I make this kuzhambu I usually take more measure of the items for make urundai's, because I will store it and make Aama Vadai/ Bengal gram ada out of them. Served with hot tea.(See my next post)