Murungai Keerai (Drumstick leaves) Porucha Kuzhambu

Thanks to all my friends and readers who continuously support me and they are the reason for me to make this post after a,most 2years.

Murungai Keerai is native to India, but now available in more parts of the world. It is the most powerful health enhancing plants. It is a natural energy booster without sugar, a multivitamin providing, vitamin c, calcium, vitamin A, potassium, and protein too.

Keerai or Spinach has never been my favorite when I was a kid or before marriage. Well, for sure things changed after marriage. And when I got kids, my liking for the healthy foods grew more. I am one happy person as my kids like these healthy ones unlike me.
My love for Murugai Keerai grew with the murungai keerai adai. So mouth watering..My friend Priya's mom used to make it and I get to eat it there. Staying away from your hometown, you cannot expect to get all your hometown foods. So I used to make the Ragi adai without the murungai leaves. And suddenly one day, I got the murungai leaves in my town. Now, I regularly buy and try different recipes.

It is very important to pick murungai keerai. Do not pick any yellow leaves, or any leaves with black ones. The leaves has to be removed nicely from the stems. This is the more time consuming work.

Thalagam

I really think that the women in my family live through cooking. The stories that they tell about how they learned to make a certain dish and what occasions they cook it on tell a lot about themselves and our family history. Recently I've gotten to know my mother-in-law a lot better by learning to cook from her, importantly I've learned the dishes my husband loves the most. In-fact, he is specific to have that particular taste for these dishes.  She is the best kind of mother-in-law, I have met no other friend who can claim a the same with their m-in-laws to the one I have with mine. Knock on wood.

I have already shared  about each of our likes to food at home. Sundar hails from southern part of Tamilnadu, Nagercoil, specifically the village Erachakulam. This dish is traditionally prepared there, and usually on the occasions of Thiruvathirai as a side dish for Kali.

Mor Kuzhambu

Mor Kuzhambu is a scrumptious Buttermilk curry to have along with the rice. In Iyengar homes, these are made on auspicious days. 
Lovely Mor Kuzhambu and a different version is here, rather called the Iyengar version. This is also called as Varuthu Aracha Mor Kuzhambu. This also my MIL style of mor kuzhambu, a yummy and delicious style.

Gothsu

This is a simple and very tasty side dish for variety rices. They are prepared on all marriages for venn pongal and other upma varieties.

Kara Kuzhambu

For chennai people, vatha kuzhambu and kara kuzhambu means almost same. We do not differentiate it much. But it is only now I have learnt the difference. I made this kara kuzhambu and I was about to post it under Vatha Kuzhambu. I always try to look some recipes and try to better up my recipe if required. It was only then I realized this should be Kara Kuzhambu.
I am never able to take best of my pictures for this. Everytime I prepare, it goes away so soon.

There are recipes which calls for us to add masala and garlic. And the typical ones prepared in our homes, just requires sambar powder and the vegetable to add to it.
I'm preparing with the recipe which is amidst the both. I learnt this from someone who cook for marriages. I tried to manage to that taste. It is only then I learnt that I can use lima beans or any similar kind for vegetable in this (anything other the sweet taste).


You need:
roughly chopped Onion - 1/2 cup
roughly chopped tomatoes - 1/2 cup
Drumstick or any other veg - 1 cup or about 10 -15 pieces
Fenugreek Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp
lemon size tamarind - 1 (take the essence of tamarind)
Sambar powder - 2 big tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Water to cook
Salt to taste
Enormous amount of oil to cook


For Tampering
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dhal - 1 tsp
oil for tampering

Method:
Heat oil in a skillet. Add the fenugreek seeds and once it splutters, add the roughly chopped onions. Once the onion turns to golden brown, add the chopped tomatoes. If you want to use garlic, add minced garlic before the tomatoes and saute until the rawness of the garlic goes away. Saute for a while, and add the drumstick, asafoetida, and curry leaves. Saute for a while. Now add the tamarind water, turmeric, sambar powder, salt and cook until the raw taste of the sambar powder goes off. Keep adding oil once in a while cooking.
Now Tamper the mustard seeds and urad dhal and add to the Kara kuzhambu.
Kara Kuzhambu is the favorite in our home all the time. And when I say the name, my mouth waters immediately.
To mention, we can prepare without any veggies also. I used to love my grandmas, kara kuzhambu made from urad appalam. They just taste awesome.

Sambar Powder

Ever since my marriage till now, I have the readily prepared sambar powder sent by my aunt from India. So handy it is, and so tasty sambar comes out as result. My aunt (Mother's sister) is such a great cook. She prepares most of the podis for me. When it comes to sambar powder and idli chilli powder, she makes loads and loads that I stock it for more than a year. Well, the idli powder comes for couple of months. But with her recipe, it comes out great for me too.

You need:

Dry red chillies -  1 Lb
Coriander seeds - 2 lbs
Turmeric - 200 gm (I used the whole turmeric, varali manjal in tamil)
Black pepper - 100 gm
Toor dhal - 400 gm
Channa dhal - 25 gm
Cumin seeds - 25 gm
Methi seeds - 10 gm

Mix everything and dry grind everything to a fine powder. This needs to be done in a dry grinder. Cool the powder by placing it on a paper for sometime. Then store in a container for months.
Prepare yummy sambar or even rasam. I sometimes use this powder for simply making potato fry, okra fry or tindora fry.

Tapioca Puzhukku with Banana podimas

Prep time 60 min

cooking time 15 min

fresh Tapioca - 2 Big pieces

turmeric powder 1/2 tspn
water to cook 4-5 cups
coconut oil
curry leaves

To make a coarse paste
frozen or fresh coconut - 1 cup

red dry chilli - 3-4 pieces  

green chilli - 2 pieces

cumin seeds - 1 tspn

Grind the above to make a coarse mix.

 

Take the Tapioca, Peel the skin completely. If you do not like its irritation in your hand, apply coconut oil in your hand and then peel.
Now cut into 2 halves. In the center there will be the root(thread like) peel that off completely.
After peeling the skin, still there will be a thin layer which needs to be removed. (It is like a layer covering up, if you start peeling on one side it gets off like a banana skin.

Now, add this to 3 cups of boiling water. Let it stay for 2-3 mins. Then drain the water off. Now cut into 1/2 cubes, and add 2 1/2 cups of water. To it add turmeric powder and bring it to boil. Let it go for 5 mins.

Now add the ground paste to it and let it cook for another 5-8 mins.
In a small pan, add 2 tspn coconut oil and slightly fry curry leaves and to the puzhuku.
The puzhukku is ready, and it tastes good on the same day. It gets too mushy for consequent days.
Banana podimas goes well with this. And it can be prepared in no time.
 

Ingredients

4 unripe banana
coconut - 2 tspn
Urad dhall - 4 tspn
asafoetida - 1/4 tspn
coriander seeds - 1/4 tspn
red dry chillies - 10 pieces
curry leaves - 1 bunch
oil - 2tspn for frying

 

Cook the banana in cooker for 5 -8 mins. Once cooked, remove and peel the skin away.
Slightly mash the banana or can be cut into small pieces.
Now add this to the pan to fry with the masala powder.

Heat oil in a pan, add coriander seeds then add Urad dhall, fry untill it turns to golden color.Then add coconut, asafoetida, chillies for about 1 min.
Grind this to a slightly coarse powder.
Add this masala powder to the cooked banana in the pan.
And curry leaves, simmer and cook for 2 mins.

Now Banana podimas is ready to served with Puzhuku.

The puzhukku can be made gravy and had with rice(like sambar). Or it can be had like a poriyal with less water. 

Facts about Tapioca:

• Low in Saturated Fat, Sodium, and Cholesterol

The nutritional value of tapioca makes it somewhat suitable for:

• Weight gain

Avoid including tapioca in your diet if you're interested in:

• Weight loss
• Maintaining optimum health

sambar Powder

Sambar Powder

Red chilli powder - 1/2 kg
Coriander seeds - 1 kg
Turmeric - 200 gm
Black pepper - 100 gm
Toor Dhal - 400 gm
Gram dhal - 25 gm
Cumin - 25 gm
Fenugreek - 5gm

Lightly roast each of the above and grind together into a fine powder. This is Sambar powder.
Store in a air tight container at room temperatur.