Pepper-Cauliflower Kurma

Heavily seasoned with black pepper, this spicy gravy is a great side for mild pulao / rotis. While the gravy lets the flavor of perfectly cooked cauliflower to shine through, the spicy note from pepper is really satisfying.

I made this along with corn pulao and we loved the combo very much! Mild corn pulao & spic-c-c-c-y cauliflower gravy was truly appetizing. Try this amazing combo for the weekend and take it easy on all the ooh 's & aah 's that you are gonna get!

Basic Info

Complexity - Simple
Prep time - 15 mins
Cook time - 15 mins
Serves - 3-4

Ingredients
Cauliflower florets - 3 cups
Green peas - 1 cup (frozen)
Tomatoes - 2 nos (chopped into 1 inch squares)
Onion - 1 no (large, chopped into big pieces)
Garlic - 2 pods
Ginger - 1/2 inch
Pepper + Cumin powder - 3 tsp (see Notes)
Chilly powder - 1 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Cornflour - 2 tsp (adjust depending on the consistency you like)
Cilantro - 2 tbsp (chopped)

Salt - to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp

Method

Grind onion, ginger, garlic into a fine paste.

Heat oil in a saucepan, and saute tomatoes until soft & tender. To this, add the ground paste of onion, ginger, garlic and saute until the raw smell goes away. Add ground pepper + cumin powder, chilly powder, coriander powder and saute for about 2 mins. Now, add cauliflower, peas, salt with a cup of water and bring to a boil. Cover and cook for another 5 - 8 mins or until cauliflower/peas is cooked & tender.

Mix cornflour with a tsp of water without any lumps and add it to the gravy. Continue stirring as your pour (to avoid lumps) and let the gravy come to a boil until it reaches the desired consistency. Finally, add chopped cilantro and remove from heat.

Serve hot with rice (or) rotis.

Notes

- Take equal portion of fresh black peppercorns & fresh cumin seeds and dry-grind into a fine powder.

Corn & Capsicum Pulao

Another tasty pulao with mild flavors. With spicy pepper-cauliflower gravy on the side, you can't think of a better combo for the weekend brunch! The great mix of flavors from corn, mint & coriander makes this pulao simply irresistible.

Amazingly quick & easy to make, this wholesome meal is a real crowd-pleaser of all ages. VJ was double 'thumbs up' for the spicy combo (corn pulao + pepper-cauliflower gravy) and no complaints from my daughter either! My little one, being a corn lover, was all ga-ga over the corn pulao.

Basic Info

Complexity - Medium

Prep time - 20 mins

Cook time - 20 mins

Serves - 3-4

Ingredients

Rice - 1.25 cups

Water - 1.25 cups

Onion - 1 no

Bell pepper - 2 nos (1 yellow + 1 orange (or) whichever available)

Corn - 2 cups (3 corns)

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Oil - 3 tbsp

Salt - 2 tsp + a pinch

Dry Masala

Poppy seeds - 1 tsp

Fennel seeds - 1 tsp

Star anise - 1 no

Bay leaf - 1 no
Cinnamon stick - 1 inch
Cloves - 3 nos

Cardamom - 2 pods

To Grind
Whole Cashews - 10 nos
Tomatoes - 1 no (Medium sized)
Ginger - 1 inch
Garlic - 2 pods
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup

Mint leaves - 1/2 cup
Green chillies - 1 no
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp

Method

Wash rice and soak in water for atleast 30 mins. Grind all the ingredients given under 'To Grind' into a fine paste without adding water and set it aside.

Heat oil in a pressure pan, fry all the ingredients under 'Dry Masala' for a min. To this, add onion, bell pepper and saute until onion becomes translucent. Now, add the ground paste and saute for 2 mins. Add corn, red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, salt and saute for 2 more mins. 

Drain the water completely out of rice. Finally, add rice & water, give it a nice mix and pressure cook upto 1 whistle.

Enjoy this mild, flavorful sweet corn pulao with a spicy gravy & raitha.

Pulikaichal / Puliyodharai

Here it is! The "most wanted" recipe from a Brahmin's kitchen!

Pulikaichal, if literally translated, means boiled/condensed tamarind pulp and puliyodharai is pulikaichal mixed with rice. In a more elaborate sense, tamarind pulp is cooked with spices (like coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, dry red chillies etc) and thickened into a paste like consistency. Pulikaichal can then be used as a instant rice mix especially during the days when you are just too tired or plain lazy to cook. Works like a charm for lunch boxes & travel. With just chips/vadam on the side, puliyodharai makes a perfect picnic lunch.

Puliyodharai is so famous that south Indians consider it as a festival food, is given as prasadam in temples. Of all the varieties known, Iyengar puliyodharai tops the list and perumal kovil (Lord Vishnu temple) offers the best-tasting puliyodharai. The tanginess from tamarind & spiciness from the chillies strikes a perfect balance as it cures in gingelly oil and with the addition of crunchy peanuts, what's not to like in this 'divine' combo?!

This recipe here is my mom's and I am a big fan of her pulikaichal, especially when she makes it in kal-chatti (stone cooking-pot) - tastes out of the world! Don't be surprised with the recipe using less number of red chillies, you will still be able to achieve that spicy-tangy authentic taste.

Basic Info
Complexity - Medium
Prep time - 20 mins
Cook time - 30 mins
Serves - 1 cup

Ingredients
Tamarind - about the size of a lime
Water - 2.5 cups
Urid dal - 2 tsp
Channa dal - 2 tsp
Dry red chillies - 4 nos (broken into 2 halves)
Hing - 1 small piece
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Gingelly (Sesame) oil - 1/3 cup
Curry leaves - 8-10 nos
Peanuts - 1/4 cup
Salt - 1 tsp



To dry roast
Dry red chillies - 7 nos
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tbsp
Corainder seeds - 2 tbsp

Method

Extract about 2.5 cups of tamarind juice and set aside. Refer Notes below to learn how to extract tamarind juice.

Roast peanuts in a tsp of oil until golden brown and set aside.

Meanwhile, dry roast all the ingredients under "To dry roast". Let it cool completely and grind it into a fine powder. Set aside.

Heat a tsp of gingelly oil in a deep saucepan preferably non-stick. To this, add mustard seeds and let them splutter, fry broken red chillies, urid dal & channa dal until golden brown. 

Add rest of the gingelly oil, and when the oil gets hot, add the tamarind juice extract, turmeric powder, hing and let it come to a boil. Be very careful when adding tamarind juice to hot oil, as the oil might splutter on your hands & face. After boiling on medium heat for 10 mins, add the ground spice powder, curry leaves, salt and stir to mix. 

Let the mixture boil (on medium heat) for another 20 mins and voila.. pulikaichal is ready! Can you see the mixture reduced down to 1/3 rd of the initial quantity in the pictures above & below?

Remove pulikaichal from heat, add roasted peanuts, mix well and let it cool.

Enjoy puliyodharai (pulikaichal mixed with rice) with chips/vadam on the side.

Note

• Note that pulikaichal might look a little runny when hot, but it thickens to a paste like consistency as it cools. 
• Pulikaichal tastes great as it sits for a day or so - needs time for all the flavors to mingle. 
• If you store pulikaichal in a air-tight container and use only dry spoons, it stays good for even more than a month.
• Gingelly/Sesame oil is the key to get the right flavor, nothing else works. Also, be generous when it comes to oil for couple of reasons - oil helps to preserve pulikaichal for weeks together & gingelly oil is good for health.
• Do not let the number of red chillies being added to bother you. You need them all to perfectly balance the tanginess from tamarind juice. After a week or so, you 'll see the spice level to even out and pulikaichal becoming less & less spicier. 
• If needed, you can always add more salt when mixing puliyodharai. 
• When mixing with rice, add more/less pulikaichal depending upon the spiciness you prefer.
• Pulikaichal works best with fluffy, perfectly cooked rice.
• Pulikaichal can also be used as a side (as pickle) for curd rice / idli / dosas.

How to extract tamarind juice

Heat about a cup of water and soak tamarind in it for atleast 15 mins. This is basically to soften the tamarind for easier handling.

After 15-20 mins of rest, 

- Squeeze the tamarind hard enough using your fingers to release its juice. 

- Now, strain the juice into a clean bowl. 

- Add half of the remaining water to the tamarind pulp and repeat the first step.

- Strain the juice into the same bowl used in step 2 above.

- Add rest of the water and repeat the first & second steps again.
- I used about 2.5 cups of water for this recipe that yielded about a cup of pulikaichal.

The basic idea is to extract as much juice as possible out of the pulp. Finally, discard all the membranes & seeds.

Ellu podi

There is a famous adage in tamil "கடுகு சிறுத்தாலும் காரம் குறையாது", which literally means "Size doesn't matter". It very well applies to sesame seeds too. You might get surprisingly-shocked (if at all there is a term like that!) to learn about its health benefits. Its medicinal properties are known for treating major conditions like diabetes, lowering blood pressure, cancer, depression etc and also used in oral health & infant health. Sesame seed's anti-oxidant & anti-inflammatory properties contributes to improve cardiovascular health too.

Sesame seeds are available in various forms viz., white sesame seeds, black sesame seeds, sesame oil etc. Make sure to include one (or) more in your day-to-day meal. Also, know that sesame seeds/oil could be seriously allergic to few people. So, be cautious about it, if you are using it for the first time.

How genius of our ancestors to include a healthy ingredient like this in their day-to-day life?! pure wisdom!! A tbsp or two of sesame oil mixed with rice (like lemon rice, ellu rice, tamarind rice, vathal kuzhambu etc) or with idli-milagai podi (gun powder) goes a long way!! Our ancestors have also used sesame oil as hair & skin vitalizer, even for infants. No wonder, our parents, grand-parents & generations before could easily maintain good health, clear skin & thick, long hair whereas we are wasting our precious time knocking at the doors of health centers & beauty salons!

Ingredients
Black sesame seeds - 1/2 cup
Whole urid dal - 1/8 cup
Dry red chillies - 4 nos
Hing - a small piece
Salt - to taste

Method
Dry roast hing, urid dal, dry red chillies until crisp & urid dal turns golden brown. Set aside.

Dry roast sesame seeds until the popping sound of the seeds subsides (similar logic that we use when popping pop-corns). Also, take care not to over roast the seeds. Let it all cool down completely.

Use a mixer to grind hing, red chillies into fine powder. To this, add sesame seeds, urid dal, salt and give it a pulse or two. Not more than that! (See Notes)



To make ellu podi sadham (sesame seeds rice), take about a cup of cooked rice (I used sona masoori), add 1 tsp of ghee, 1 tsp of sesame oil, 2-3 tsp of ellu podi and mix well. Take care not to mush up the rice. Taste & adjust salt / ellu podi, if required. Serve it with urid dal vada on the side. Perfect combo!

Notes:

• Known for its high oil content, sesame seeds gives out oil when you run it in the mixer for more than couple of pulses and podi could become wet & sticky. It is okay if urid dal is coarsely ground, it gives a nice crunch when you eat it with rice.
• If the brand of sesame seeds that you buy has any kind of impurities/stones, first wash them in water and soak it for atleast 30 mins. Wash the seeds again to remove all the impurities & stones. Then, dry roast in a pan until crisp / the seeds stop spluttering.
• My mom always makes ellu podi with just roasted sesame seeds, red chillies & salt. She doesn't add hing. And, while mixing it with rice, she roasts a tsp of urid dal & a sprig of curry leaves in a tsp of sesame oil and adds it to the rice.

Soya Chunks Pulao

Carbs - Yes ; Protein - Ofcourse ; Vegetables - Certainly ; Fat - Sure ;

How about a pulao loaded with all the goodness that you would want in a meal?! Served with raitha, this pulao makes a well rounded & complete meal packed with lot of flavors!

There are few recipes that never make it to the blog; a few others finds their place in the blog, but rarely attempted for a second time; but there are few recipes that are repeated again & again even before making it to the blog and soya chunks pulao is one! I have made this pulao 3-4 times in the last 3 weeks and I know for sure that I will be making it often hereafter. VJ & my daughter loved this pulao especially for that chewy protein-packed soya chunks!

I know a few families who do not like soya chunks. My family is one among them - I think my parents couldn't appreciate soya for its meat-like texture and also for that distinct smell that soya has. I was very doubtful when I bought a pack of soya chunks (Nutrela brand) mainly for its health benefits, but I totally gave in after tasting the pulao. The flavor of soya chunks is really amazing mainly from the marination and the texture is something that you have to get used to. All in all, this is a low cost / high protein product with long shelf life that comes handy whenever you want a wholesome variety!

Basic Info
Complexity - Medium
Prep time - 30-45 mins
Cook time - 20 mins
Serves - 4

Ingredients
Basmati rice - 1 cup (I replace it with sona masoori if I run out of Basmati rice)
Soya chunks - 1 cup
Onion - 2 nos (chopped)
Tomato - 1 no (chopped)
Green chillies - 4 nos (vertically slit open)
Ginger - 1 inch (grated)
Garlic - 4 pods (minced)
Mint leaves - 2 tbsp (optional)
Carrot - 1 no (peeled & chopped)
Potatoes - 2 nos (peeled & chopped)
Peas - a handful (chopped)
Beans - 15 nos (chopped)
Fresh coconut - 1/8 cup
Oil - 2 tbsp
Ghee - 1 tbsp (substitute with 1 tbsp of oil)
Lime juice - from 1 lime

For marination
Yogurt - 1/4 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 3/4 tsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp

Dry MasalaFennel seeds - 1 tsp
Poppy seeds - 1 tsp
Cashews - 10 nos
Bay leaf - 1
Star anise - 1
Cinnamon stick - 1 inch
Cloves - 4 nos
Cardamom - 2 pods

Method

Grind fresh coconut into a fine paste by adding few drops of water. Set aside.

In a saucepan, add 1-2 cups of water and when it comes to a boil, add soya chunks. Let it boil for 2-3 mins (or) until soft. Drain the water and squeeze the soya chunks to take out the extra water. Marinate soya chunks for atleast 20 mins in a mix of yogurt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala. Set aside.

Wash and soak rice in water for atleast 30 mins. Set aside.

Heat oil & ghee in a pressure pan. When hot, add all the ingredients in the same order given under "dry masala" and fry till cashews are golden brown. Now, add chopped onion, green chillies and saute until onion turns translucent. Add garlic, ginger, mint leaves and saute until the raw smell of garlic is gone. Add tomatoes and saute until soft. 

Now, add all the vegetables, marinated soya chunks, salt, coconut paste and give it a nice mix.

After 2-3 mins, add drained rice, and water (1:1), give it one last mix and pressure cook for 1 whistle. Set the cooker aside until all the pressure is released and the cooker is cooled down.

Add lime juice to the rice & mix well before serving. Serve this delicious pulao with cool raitha!