I get at least a couple of mails a month asking for Annapoorna sambar recipe as I am from Coimbatore. Everyone in Coimbatore loves the food from this iconic Annapoorna hotel. I am no different. Their Sambar is one of the best. I had tried different recipes but could not nail it. Then this happened. I was talking about my sambar quest to Prema akka (Vinodhs aunt) and she told she knows someone who can give us the recipe. She told me that one Mr. Palinisamy had worked as a cook in their house in the 80’s before moving to Annapoorna as a chef. She told me that she will definitely get hold of him for me. And she did. I met him at a function recently where he was in charge of the kitchen. Mr. Palanisamy is a dhoti clad chef with prominent brown eyes and a big mustache. His eyes are very unique. You will never forget him once you have met him. As soon as I met him, we started talking. He told that he started cooking at the age of 12. He worked at the hotel for 27 years. He now runs his own food and catering service at Coimbatore. His food rocks. If you are in Coimbatore and have a party at home, try Mr. Palanisamy’s food.  You can contact Mr. Palanisamy, Sai Baba catering. His phone number 96984 88764. Another number 9344680106 . His food is as good as home cooked food. If you are having a party in Coimbatore, this is the number you need to be calling.

A note on the quantity of vegetables to the dal.
We are going to use half a cup of toor dal for this recipe, which is 125 ml or roughly about 100 grams. We need to use 200 grams of drumstick for this recipe. About 2 drumsticks.

Wash and soak 1/2 a cup of toor dal in 2 cups of water for 20 minutes. Pressure cook the dal with the water for 6 whistles. Remove from heat and wait for the pressure in the cooker to release naturally. Use the back of the tumbler to mash the dal. Set the dal aside to a bowl.

In another cooker, add in the drumsticks, diced onion, diced shallots (small onion) and tomatoes. Add one cup of water, a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of turmeric. Cook for 4 whistles. Remove from heat and wait for the pressure in the cooker to release naturally. Set aside.

Now for the Sambar Masala
Get all the ingredients listed below ready before you proceed. We will need a dozen ingredients namely coriander seeds, cumin seeds, pepper, fenugreek seeds, chana dal, urad dal, curry leaves, dry red chillies, asafoetida, coconut, jaggery and the tamarind.
A note on jaggery and tamarind.
The quantity of jaggery and tamarind has to be equal.

Heat oil in a pan and add in the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, pepper, fenugreek seeds, chana dal and urad dal. Fry for a minute. Once the chana dal is brown, add in the curry leaves, dry red chillies, asafoetida, coconut, jaggery and the tamarind. Fry for 30 seconds. Remove from heat.

Grind the mixture with half a cup of water to a paste. Let the paste be very slightly coarse. Set aside.

Take a heavy bottomed pan and add in the ground masala and one cup of water. Let it come to a boil on medium flame. Once its boiling, add in the cooked vegetables along with the water used for cooking. Add in the salt. Let it boil for 2-3 minutes on medium flame. Add in the cooked dal and let it continue to boil for 2-3 minutes.

When the dal is cooking, we will do the tempering for the sambar. Heat oil in a kadai and add in the mustard seeds when the oil is hot. Add in the curry leaves and switch off the flame. Add in 1/2 teaspoon of red chilli powder and immediately pour it on the sambar. The red chilli powder might burn if kept in the oil for too long. So have an eye on the kadai. Add in the coriander leaves and a tablespoon of ghee. Switch off the flame.

Coimbatore Annapoorna Style Hotel Tiffin Sambar is ready!

4.9 from 16 reviews

Coimbatore Annapoorna Hotel Sambar Recipe

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

Recipe for Coimbatore Hotel Annapoorna Sambar. Recipe as told by a cook who worked in the hotel for 27 years.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Side Dish

Cuisine: South Indian, Tamilnadu

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Measurments Used - 1 Cup = 250 ml

For Dal

• ½ cup Toor Dal
• 2 Cups Water

For Veggies

• 2 Drumsticks
• 1 onion, diced
• 10 shallots (small onions), diced
• 1 Tomato, diced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 cup water

For Sambar Masala

• 2 teaspoon sesame oil (gingely oil)
• 2 teaspoon coriander seeds
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• 5 black pepper corn
• 5 fenugreek seeds
• 2 tablespoon chana dal
• 1 tablespoon urad dal
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 3 dry red chillies (gundu variety)
• ¼ teaspoon Asafoetida (hing)
• 3 tablespoon coconut
• 1½ teaspoon jaggery
• gooseberry size tamarind

Other ingredients

• ½ teaspoon salt
• 4 stalks coriander leaves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon ghee

For Tempering

• 1 teaspoon sesame oil (gingely oil)
• ½ teaspoon black mustard seeds
• 2 sprigs curry leaves
• ½ teaspoon red chilli powder

Instructions

For Dal

1. Wash and soak ½ a cup of toor dal in 2 cups of water for 20 minutes. Pressure cook the dal with the water for 6 whistles. Remove from heat and wait for the pressure in the cooker to release naturally. Set aside.

For Veggies

1. In another cooker add in the drumsticks, diced onion, diced shallots (small onion) and tomatoes. Add one cup of water, a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of turmeric. Cook for 4 whistles. Remove from heat and wait for the pressure in the cooker to release naturally. Set aside.

For Sambar Masala

1. Heat oil in a pan and add in the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, pepper, fenugreek seeds, chana dal, urad dal. Fry for a minute. Once the chana dal is brown, add in the curry leaves, dry red chillies, asafoetida, coconut, jaggery and the tamarind. Fry for 30 seconds. Remove from heat.
2. Grind the mixture with half a cup of water to a paste. Let the paste be very slightly coarse. Set aside.

For the Sambar

1. Take a heavy bottomed pan and add in the ground masala and one cup of water. Let it come to a boil on medium flame. Once its boiling, add in the cooked vegetables along with the water used for cooking. Add in the salt. Let it boil for 2-3 minutes on medium flame. Add in the cooked dal and let it continue to boil for 2-3 minutes.

For Tempering

1. Heat oil in a kadai and add in the mustard seeds when the oil is hot. Add in the curry leaves and switch off the flame. Add in ½ teaspoon of red chilli powder and immediately pour it on the sambar. The red chilli powder might burn if kept in the oil for too long. So have an eye on the kadai. Add in the coriander leaves and a tablespoon of ghee. Switch off the flame.

3.4.3177

The post Coimbatore Annapoorna Hotel Style Sambar Recipe appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.

My moms family is big. Super big. She has 6 sisters and 4 brothers. The last of the lot is my aunt Prema Sithi. She was the one who would take all the children for shopping in her Fiat car and would buy big boxes of ice cream on the way back home. Usually, when our aunts and uncles visited home, they would bring sweets and snacks. But Prema Sithi would get us toys. Not just any toys but super cool toys and board games. So Prema Sithi was the favorite aunt among the kids. She still is. This is her signature vadai recipe. Here is a picture of Prema Sithi, my baby and paati.

Soak the chana dal for 2 hours. Do not soak longer than that or the vadai will consume a lot of oil while frying. Drain the dal after 2 hours. Grind the dal with the red chillies, asafoetida and salt. My aunt says rock salt tastes well for this recipe. Use about 2-3 tablespoon of water while grinding. You should grind the batter to a coarse paste. The coarse texture is very important.

To the ground batter, add in lots of finely chopped onions, chopped curry leaves, chopped coriander leaves, finely chopped green chillies and cumin seeds. My aunt says that adding lots of onions and coriander leaves adds flavour to the vadai. So be generous with the veggies.

Mix well and check for seasoning. Add extra salt if necessary. Form the vadai. Take a small lime size batter in hand and make a ball. Make small balls. Remember that smaller balls makes for crispier vadai’s. Gently flatten it on the hands. Gather the edges to smoothen. The more you flatten, the more crispier the vadais.

Gently lower the vadais in hot oil and cook the vadai on both sides until golden brown. Drain on paper towel.

Serve hot in a big bowl with your family.

Tamilnadu Style Paruppu Vadai

 

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Prep time

2 hours

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

2 hours 20 mins

 

Recipe for south indian Tamilnadu style paruppu vadai recipe. Made with chana dal.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Appetizer

Cuisine: Tamilnadu

Serves: 20

Ingredients

For Grinding

• 1 cup (250 ml) Chana Dal
• 1 teaspoon rock salt
• 2 dried red chillies
• ¼ teaspoon asafoetida

Other Ingredients

• 2 onions, finely choppes
• 10 stalks coriander leaves, finely chopped
• 2 sprigs curry leaves, finely chopped
• 1 green chilli, finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds

For frying

• 500 ml Oil for deep frying

Instructions

1. Soak the chana dal for 2 hours. Drain the dal after 2 hours. Grind the dal with the red chillies, asafoetida and salt. Use about 2-3 tablespoon of water while grinding. Grind the batter to a coarse paste.
2. To the ground batter, add in lots of finely chopped onions, chopped curry leaves, chopped coriander leaves, finely chopped green chillies and cumin seeds.
3. Mix well and check for seasoning. Form the vadai. Take a small lime size batter in hand and make a ball. Gently flatten it on the hands. Gather the edges to smoothen.
4. Gently lower the vadais in hot oil and cook the vadai on both sides until golden brown. Drain on paper towel.
5. Serve hot!

3.4.3177

The post Tamilnadu Style Paruppu Vadai appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.

My husband Vinodh is a fan of country vegetables. Avarakkai / broad beans is one of his favorites. This Avarakkai Kuzhambu (pronounced Ku-lam-boo) is very hearty and comforting. Vinodh also likes red rice. But I am choosy with red rice. I will eat red rice provided there is a hearty curry like this one.  This is an everyday curry or side dish and all you need is some ghee for the meal. Here is our house favorite Avarakkai Paruppu Curry.

Soak the Avarakkai in lots of water for 10 minutes to get rid of the fine dirt. Wash the beans and set aside. Now we need to de-string the beans. This is an important step as the strings are very fibrous and not pleasant to eat. Snap off the tip of one end of the bean with a paring knife and pull the string like below. Snap and pull other end of the bean too. Discard the snapped-off ends and strings. Note that the tender young bean might not have strings. So just snap off the ends alone.

Cut the beans into 2 inch pieces. Boil the beans in 2 cups of water until tender. Set aside. ( I pressure cooked the beans with water for two whistles.) Set aside.

Heat oil in a pan and add in the black pepper, coriander seeds and cumin seeds. Fry in low flame until fragrant. Add in the chopped tomatoes, green chillies, salt and turmeric. We use green chillies for this curry and not red chillies. Fry till the tomatoes are soft. About 3-4 minutes on medium flame. Add in the shredded coconut and fry for a minute more. Remove from heat and let it cool a bit. Grind the mixture to a smooth paste with one cup of water. Set aside.

Soak tamarind in one cup of water for 20 minutes. Squeeze the tamarind to release the juice and discard any hard bits. Set aside the tamarind water. Heat oil in a pan and add in the mustard seeds. Let it splutter. Add in the tamarind water and let the tamarind water come to a boil. Once the mixture boils, add in the ground masala paste and a small piece of jaggery. I have already said in many of my posts that wherever tamarind goes, a small piece of jaggery also goes. Jaggery helps to enhance the taste of the final dish. Cook for 2 minutes on low flame.

Add in the cooked toor dal and the boiled broad beans. Add in the curry leaves and coriander leaves. Simmer for 5 minutes on low flame. Remove from heat. Serve the curry hot with rice.

5.0 from 5 reviews

Avarakkai Kuzhambu, Avarakkai Paruppu Curry, Broad Beans Curry

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

Recipe for Avarakkai Kuzhambu, Avarakkai Paruppu Curry, Broad Beans Curry. Perfect South Indian Tamilnadu style lunch side dish for rice.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Side Dish

Cuisine: South Indian, Tamilnadu

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Main Ingredients

• 250 grams Avarakkai / Broad Beans
• ½ cup fully cooked Toor Dal
• 1 inch piece tamarind (gooseberry size)
• 1 teaspoon oil
• ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon Jaggery
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 2 stalks coriander leaves, chopped

For the Masala

• 1 tablespoon sesame / gingely oil
• ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
• 2 tablespoon Coriander Seeds
• 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
• 2 Tomatoes, chopped
• 2 Green Chillies
• ½ teaspoon Turmeric
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• ½ cup fresh shredded coconut

Instructions

1. Boil the cut beans in 2 cups of water until tender. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add in the black pepper, coriander seeds and cumin seeds. Fry in low flame until fragrant. Add in the chopped tomatoes, green chillies, salt and turmeric. Fry till the tomatoes are soft. About 3-4 minutes on medium flame. Add in the shredded coconut and fry for a minute more. Remove from heat and let it cool a bit. Grind the mixture to a smooth paste with one cup of water. Set aside.
3. Soak tamarind in one cup of water for 20 minutes. Squeeze the tamarind with hands and discard any hard bits. Set aside the tamarind water. Heat oil in a pan and add in the mustard seeds. Let it splutter. Add in the tamarind water and let the tamarind water come to a boil. Once the mixture boils, add in the ground masala paste and a small piece of jaggery. Cook for 2 minutes on low flame.
4. Add in the cooked toor dal and the boiled broad beans. Add in the curry leaves and coriander leaves. Simmer for 5 minutes on low flame. Remove from heat. Serve the curry hot with rice.

3.4.3177

The post Avarakkai Kuzhambu, Avarakkai Paruppu Curry, Broad Beans Curry appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.

As a typical south Indian, nothing satisfies me during lunch like lentils and rice. Whenever I used to return back home during my hostel days, I would ask my mom to make lentils. As they say “The journey home is never too long, Your heart arrives before the train.” Lentils and rice is what I used to crave the most. This is a simple everyday lentil Dal Fry recipe. The addition of coconut gives it such a nice flavor and aroma. Just try it once. I am sure you will be hooked. This recipe is usually done using toor dal. It can also be done with moong dal or masoor dal. I have used masoor dal for today’s recipe.
I have already shared the recipe for Thanjavur Dal Fry.
Here is how to do South Indian Style Dal Fry recipe.

Boil half cup of lentils in water in a pressure cooker till mushy. You can read here to know how to cook lentils to the right consistency. You can use Toor Dal , Moong Dal or Masoor Dal for this recipe.

Heat a teaspoon of coconut oil in a pan until hot. The little coconut oil gives a really nice flavour to the dal. Add in the finely chopped garlic, finely chopped onions, finely chopped curry leaves and finely chopped green chillies. Use more chopped green chillies if you want a spicy dal fry. Fry till the onions are soft. Add in the salt and turmeric. Fry for a minute.

Add in the cooked dal. Take quarter cup of coconut and grind it in a blender with half a cup of water to a smooth paste. Add it to the pan. Let the mixture come to a boil. Switch off the flame and remove the pan from heat.

Now lets do the tempering. Heat ghee in a pan and add in some red chillies and cumin seeds. Let it splutter. Add it to the dal.

Serve hot with rice.

Dal Fry Recipe / Easy Tamilnadu Style Dal Fry

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

This DAL FRY recipe is usually done using toor dal. I also do it with moong dal or masoor dal. South Indian Style dal fry with step by step pictures.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Side Dish

Cuisine: Tamilnadu, South Indian

Serves: 3

Ingredients

For the Curry

• ½ cup Dal (Toor Dal / Masoor Dal / Moong Dal)
• 1 teaspoon Coconut Oil
• 5 cloves Garlic, finely chopped (optional)
• 2 sprigs Curry leaves, finely chopped
• 1 Onion, finely chopped
• 2 Green Chillies, finely chopped
• ¾ teaspoon Salt
• ½ teaspoon Turmeric
• ¼ cup fresh Coconut

For Tempering

• 1½ teaspoon Ghee
• ½ teaspoon Cumin Seeds
• 3 dried red chillies

Instructions

1. Boil half cup of lentils till mushy. Set aside.
2. Heat a teaspoon of coconut oil in a pan until hot. Add in the finely chopped garlic, finely chopped onions, finely chopped curry leaves and finely chopped green chillies. Fry till the onions are soft. Add in the salt and turmeric. Fry for a minute.
3. Add in the cooked dal.
4. Take quarter cup of coconut and grind it in a blender with half a cup of water to a smooth paste. Add it to the pan. Let the mixture come to a boil. Switch off the flame and remove the pan from heat.
5. Heat ghee in a pan and add in some red chillies and cumin seeds. Let it splutter. Add it to the dal.

3.5.3208

The post Dal Fry Recipe / Easy Tamilnadu Style Dal Fry appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.

Horsegram is a favorite lentil among households in the Coimbatore Kongunad region. I have already shared our favorite Kollu Paruppu and Kollu Rasam recipe. Horsegram / Kollu is such a flavorful lentil. Its one of the healthiest too. This recipe for horsegram curry is called as Kaata Kuzhambu. Kaatam காட்டம் literally means heat. But heat has nothing to do with this curry. It got this name because of its strong flavor. Just like Garam masala. Garam means hot but its used to denote the strong flavor of the masala. Kaatam means intense in this recipe. This curry is usually served with Ragi Kali / Ragi Mudde. It tastes well with rice and idli too. The curry has a very strong delicious aroma that will fill the kitchen as you cook. Here is how to do an authentic Kongunad Kaata Kuzhambu Horsegram Curry. This is my aunt’s recipe.

Horsegram/kollu needs to be cleaned first. It almost always has some small stones and sand particles. Just take quarter cup of lentils and spread it on a plate and slowly remove the stones and sand. Dry roast the horse gram on low flame until fragrant. Fry until one or two lentils break and burst and it smells very fragrant. My aunt says, fry till you hear “sattu buttu” sound and “gama gama” smell. Remove from heat and set aside on a plate.

In the same pan dry roast the red chillies and coriander seeds until fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside on the plate. Slightly roast the fresh shredded coconut until the coconut is slightly dry. Do not roast the coconut until brown. Remove from heat and set aside. Grind the roasted horse gram, red chilli, coriander and coconut to a very fine paste. Add up-to a cup of water while grinding.

Heat sesame oil (gingely oil) in a pan and add in the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Let it splutter. Add in the finely chopped shallots and salt. Saute till the shallots are soft and start to brown.

Soak the tamarind in 1 cup of water for 20 minutes. Squeeze the tamarind in the water to extract all the juices. Strain the juice and set aside the tamarind pulp / juice. Discard the tamarind seeds and the pith. Add the tamarind pulp to the pan. Let it come to a boil.

Add in the ground paste and a small piece of tamarind. In Kongunad food, wherever you add tamarind, you add a small piece of jaggery too. Jaggery balances out the hot and sour. Add a cup of water to the curry. Close the pan with a lid and let it simmer for 10 minutes on low flame. Once the mixture is thick and cooked, remove from heat.

Serve hot with Ragi kali/ Mudde or rice.

Kongunad Kaata Kuzhambu / Horsegram Curry

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Tamil Coimbatore style kollu paruppu kuzhambu. This kaara kuzhambu is very popular in kongunad region. With step by step pictures

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Side Dish

Cuisine: Kongunad, Tamilnadu

Serves: 3 persons

Ingredients

• Measurements used - 1 Cup = 250 ml

For the Masala

• ¼ cup Horse-gram (kollu)
• 1 tablespoon Coriander seeds
• 4 dried Red chillies
• ½ cup fresh shredded Coconut

Other Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon Sesame oil / Gingely oil
• ¼ teaspoon Mustard seeds
• 2 sprigs Curry leaves
• 15 Shallots, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• half a lime size Tamarind
• 1 teaspoon jaggery

Instructions

1. Dry roast the horse gram on low flame until fragrant. Set aside.
2. Dry roast the red chillies and coriander seeds until fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside. Slightly roast the fresh shredded coconut until the coconut is slightly dry.Grind the roasted horse gram, red chilli, coriander and coconut to a very fine paste. Add upto a cup of water while grinding.
3. Heat sesame oil (gingely oil) in a pan and add in the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Let it splutter. Add in the finely chopped shallots and salt. Saute till the shallots are soft and start to brown.
4. Soak the tamarind in 1 cup of water for 20 minutes. Squeeze the tamarind in the water to extract all the juices. Strain the juice and set aside the tamarind pulp / juice. Discard the tamarind seeds and the pith. Add the tamarind pulp to the pan. Let it come to a boil.
5. Add in the ground paste and a small piece of tamarind. Add a cup of water to the curry. Close the pan with a lid and let it simmer for 10 minutes on low flame. Once the mixture is thick and cooked, remove from heat.
6. Serve hot.

3.5.3208

The post Kongunad Kaata Kuzhambu / Kollu Kuzhambu / Horsegram Curry appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.

Appala Kootu. This is a basic variation to the everyday lentil. They never made Appala kootu at my home. This is not a very common dish in Coimbatore. First time I had this was at Manju Aunties place in Chennai. I was very curious to know what that white layer thing on the dal was and auntie told it was appalam / papad. I was like “really..appalam…soaked on paruppu..wow.” It was really delicious. Ever since, I make it too. Usually all lentils in the indian households are generally cooked in the pressure cooker. But for this kootu, auntie says using pressure cooker makes the dish slimy. So she likes to let the lentil boil and cook on a pan. She also adds one potato to the kootu which makes it more creamier. Here is how to do an awesome Appala Kootu.

Take a heavy pan and add in the moong dal, chopped onion, chopped tomato, 1 green chilli sliced, 1/4 teaspoon turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder, 1/4 teaspoon red chilli powder. Add 1 finely chopped potato (without skin). Potatoes gives a nice richness to the kootu. Add 1/2 litre of water, cover the pan and let it cook on medium flame for 20-25 minutes until the dal is fully cooked and starting to break apart.

In the mean time fry appalams in hot oil. We will need about 7-8 appalams. Break the appalams in small pieces and set aside.

Once the dal is cooked, add in the salt. We add salt after the dal is cooked. The dal takes longer time to cook if salt is added in the beginning. Add in the fried appalams. The appalams will get soaked in the dal. It will absorb some of the water. Add in a little hot water if the dal is too thick. Add water only if really necessary. Heat oil in a small pan. When the oil is hot, add in the cumin seeds, curry leaves and green chillies. Let it splutter. Add it to the dal. Let it simmer for two more minutes.

Remove from heat and serve hot with rice.

Appala Kootu / Tamil Appalam Kootu Recipe / Paapad Kootu

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

1 hour

 

Tamilnadu style Appala Kootu recipe. Made with moong dal and fried appalams.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Side Dish

Cuisine: Tamilnadu, South Indian

Serves: 3 persons

Ingredients

For Boiling Lentils

• ⅓ cup split moong dal
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1 potato, finely chopped (skin removed)
• 1 green chilli, sliced
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric
• ½ teaspoon coriander powder
• ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder

For Tempering

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1 green chilli, chopped

For Frying Appalams

• 8 Appalams
• ½ litre vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

1. Take a heavy pan and add in the moong dal, chopped onion, chopped tomato, 1 green chilli sliced, ¼ teaspoon turmeric, ½ teaspoon coriander powder, ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder. Add 1 finely chopped potato (without skin). Add ½ litre of water, cover the pan and let it cook on medium flame for 20-25 minutes until the dal is fully cooked and starting to break apart.
2. In the mean time fry appalams in hot oil. Break the appalams in small pieces and set aside.
3. Once the dal is cooked, add in the salt. Add in the fried appalams. The appalams will get soaked in the dal. It will absorb some of the water. Add in a little hot water if the dal is too thick. Add water only if really necessary. Heat oil in a small pan. When the oil is hot, add in the cumin seeds, curry leaves and green chillies. Let it splutter. Add it to the dal. Let it simmer for two more minutes.
4. Remove from heat and serve hot with rice.

3.5.3208

The post Appala Kootu / Tamil Appalam Kootu Recipe / Lentils in Paapad Curry appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.

Usili is a very traditional dish made in Tamilnadu and is very popular among the brahmin community. My friend Priya is married to a Tamil Brahmin and she learnt this recipe after marriage. Its a Tam-Brahm recipe as we call it. When I first heard it from her, I dint know what she was talking about. I have never heard of the word usili till then. But its such a common dish in her family and I learnt it later from her. Its such a delicious recipe that goes so well with rice for lunch along with sambar or rasam. The lentils are cooked and roasted till they are nutty and veggies are added along with a tempering. Beans is a very traditional veggie used in usili. There are so many variations that are available and this is Priya’s recipe. The original recipe does not use onions. But I like it in the recipe and so I have added onions too. Here is how to do tamil style Beans Paruppu Usili.

Soak the chana dal in water for one hour. Drain the water after soaking. Grind the chana dal with salt, asafoetida and dried red chillies. Do not add any water while grinding. Pulse it several times.

Oil an idli plate and place the ground mixture on the plate. Fill about half an inch of water in a pressure cooker and place the idli plate on the cooker. Pressure cook the mixture for 2 whistles. Switch off the flame. Let the pressure from the cooker release naturally. Let the mixture cool. Once the mixture is cool, crumble the mixture onto a plate. Set aside.

Wash and clean the beans. Now we need to de-string the beans. This is an important step as the strings are very fibrous and not pleasant to eat. Snap off the tip of one end of the bean with a paring knife and pull the string like below. Snap and pull other end of the bean too. Discard the snapped-off ends and strings. Note that the tender young bean might not have strings. So just snap off the ends alone. Finely chop the beans and steam the beans in a pressure cooker for two to three whistles until tender. Set aside.

Many people have asked me about the small pressure cooker that I use for my recipes. Its a 3 litre prestige stainless steel pressure cooker thats so perfect for my small family and I use it for everything. Boiling rice, lentils, veggies, steaming idlis etc.. Its such a multi tasker and does not consume lots of space. Here is where you can buy it online.
Prestige Deluxe Alpha Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker, 3 Litres

Now, back to the recipe.
Heat oil in a pan and add in the mustard seeds, dried red chillies and curry leaves. Let the mustard seeds splutter. Add in the finely chopped onions and fry till the onions are soft. Add in the crumbled lentils and fry for a good 6-7 minutes.

Roasting the lentils until light brown is very important for this recipe. Roasting the lentils gives a very nice flavor to the dish. Once the lentils are nicely roasted, add in the cooked beans, salt and turmeric. Fry for 5 minutes.

Switch off the flame and serve the beans paruppu usili.
Paruppu usili is usually served for lunch with Rasam and Sambar.

5.0 from 2 reviews

Paruppu Usili Recipe / Beans Usili Tamil Style

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

Recipe for Beans Usili. Paruppu Usili with Beans. Traditional Tamil kitchen style recipe.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Stir-fry

Cuisine: South Indian, Tamilnadu

Serves: 4 persons

Ingredients

For Steaming Lentils

• ½ cup chana dal
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 dried red chillies
• ¼ teaspoon asafoetida
• ⅛ teaspoon vegetable oil, for oiling idli plate

For Tempering

• 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
• ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
• 2 dried red chillies
• 2 sprigs curry leaves
• 1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• 250 grams beans, cleaned and finely chopped

Instructions

1. Soak the chana dal in water for one hour. Drain the water after soaking. Grind the chana dal with salt, asafoetida and dried red chillies. Do not add any water while grinding.
2. Oil an idli plate and place the ground mixture on the plate. Pressure cook the mixture for 2 whistles. Switch off the flame. Once the mixture is cool, crumble the mixture onto a plate. Set aside.
3. Wash and clean the beans.Finely chop the beans and steam the beans in a pressure cooker for two to three whistles until tender. Set aside.
4. Heat oil in a pan and add in the mustard seeds, dried red chillies and curry leaves. Let the mustard seeds splutter. Add in the finely chopped onions and fry till the onions are soft. Add in the crumbled lentils and fry for a good 6-7 minutes.
5. Once the lentils are nicely roasted, add in the cooked beans, salt and turmeric. Fry for 5 minutes.
6. Switch off the flame and serve the beans paruppu usili.

3.5.3208

The post Paruppu Usili Recipe / Beans Usili Tamil Style appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.

This sambar made with Pasi Paruppu / moong dal is so light on the stomach and very easy to digest. As its so good and so easy to digest, you will find a version of this sambar in almost all the tamil kitchens all the time. Especially pasi paruppu sambar is what you will be made to eat when you are pregnant, nursing, or when you have aged people at home who want to eat light food. If you are down with flu or tired from work, then this sambar is what you should be making as its very light and very healthy. Here is how to do it. There is no tamarind used in this sambar and its so easy to make this recipe.

Take a bowl and add in the washed moong dal. Add in the chopped onion, tomatoes, curry leaves and vegetables of your choice. I added carrots, brinjal and yellow pumpkin today. You can add whatever you have in your fridge. Add 2 cups of water and cook in a pressure cooker for 2 whistles. Not more than that. You want the dal to have a little texture. If you cook moong dal for a long time, it will become slimy and mushy and the sambar wont have the right consistency. So do not overcook your lentils. After the 2 whistles, switch off the flame and allow the cooker to release its pressure naturally. Set aside.

Heat sesame oil in a pan and add in the mustard seeds when the oil is hot. Add in the cumin seeds and the fenugreek (vendhayam) seeds. Let the seeds splutter. Add in the asafoetida (perungayam). Add 1/2 a cup of water to the pan. After adding the water, add in the sambar powder and turmeric powder. If you don’t have home made sambar powder, no worries. Any store bought sambar powder will do. Add in the salt. Let it cook for 3 minutes so the masala powders gets fully cooked.

Add in the boiled lentil mixture and mix well. If you think the sambar is too thick, then add 1/2 a cup of hot water to the pan. Add only if you think its really necessary. Let it simmer on low flame for a couple of minutes. The dal will have a nice texture and should not be mushy. Add in the coriander leaves and switch off the flame.

Serve the pasi paruppu sambar hot with south Indian tiffin items.

Pasi paruppu sambar / moong dal sambar

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Recipe for pasi paruppu sambar. Sambar recipe made with moong dal. Very light recipe which is easy to digest.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Side Dish

Cuisine: Tamilnadu

Serves: 4 persons

Ingredients

Lentils and Veggies

• ⅓ cup split moong dal (paasi paruppu)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 2 cups vegetables of your choice
• (I used 1 carrot, 1 brinjal and ½ cup of yellow pumpkin)

For the Tempering

• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
• ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
• ⅛ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• a big pinch of asafoetida
• 1 teaspoon sambar powder
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 sprigs coriander leaves, chopped

Instructions

1. Take a pressure cooker and add in all the ingredients listed under Lentils and Veggies. Add 2 cups of water and cook in a pressure cooker for 2 whistles. Switch off the flame and allow the cooker to release its pressure naturally. Set aside.
2. Heat sesame oil in a pan and add in the mustard seeds when the oil is hot. Add in the cumin seeds and the fenugreek (vendhayam) seeds. Let the seeds splutter. Add in the asafoetida (perungayam). Add ½ a cup of water to the pan. After adding the water, add in the sambar powder and turmeric powder. Add in the salt. Let it cook for 3 minutes so the masala powders gets fully cooked.
3. Add in the boiled lentil mixture and mix well. If you think the sambar is too thick, then add ½ a cup of hot water to the pan.
4. Let it simmer on low flame for a couple of minutes. Add in the coriander leaves and switch off the flame.

3.5.3208

The post Pasi paruppu sambar / moong dal sambar appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.

If there is one recipe that is so proudly kongunad, then it has to be arisiyum paruppum saadham. Actor Sivakumar is from Coimbatore and in his autobiography idhu raaja paatai alla, he writes his love for arisiyum paruppum saadham.

I am a great fan of his writing more than his acting I should say. Grapevine has it that, it is still his favorite dish and proudly refers the dish to everyone on the dining table as “kavundar biriyani”. Arisi Paruppu Saadham has to be one of the most comforting food for the people of Coimbatore.

Here is the recipe for Arisi paruppu saadham. This is a very simple recipe and requires very few ingredients. Parboiled rice like ponni rice is usually used for making this rice. If you do not have parboiled rice, then any good raw rice variety like sona masuri works well for this recipe. Wash the rice well in running water for 2-3 times. Soak the rice and the toor dal in water. We need to soak the rice for at-least 20-30 minutes. Set aside. Chop the onion and tomatoes fine. Set aside.

Heat oil in a pan until hot. Sesame oil (nallennai) is preferred for this recipe. Add in the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves and dried red chillies. Let the mustard seeds splutter. Add in the onions and the garlic and fry till the onions are soft and slowly starting to brown. About 5 minutes on medium flame.

Add in the finely chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, sambar powder and salt. Store bought sambar powder works fine for this recipe. Fry well till the tomatoes are juiced down and mashed together. About 5 minutes on medium flame.

In the mean time, bring a bowl of water to a boil. We are using one cup of rice and half cup of dal today. For this quantity, we will be using 3.5 cups of water. Add in the hot water to the pan. Strain the rice and dal and add it to the pan. Check for seasoning. Adjust for salt if need be at this stage. Let the mixture come to a boil. Mix well once and cover the pan.

Cook the rice in a pressure pan for 3 whistles on medium flame. Remove from heat. Wait for the pressure from the cooker to release naturally. Do not omit this step!

Arisiyum paruppum saadham is ready to be served! This dish is always ALWAYS served with hot ghee. Just add a teaspoon and mix and enjoy your meal!

4.9 from 8 reviews

Arisi Paruppu Saadham

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

Arisiyum paruppum saadham recipe

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Main COurse

Cuisine: Tamilnadu

Serves: 3 persons

Ingredients

Main Ingredients

• 1 cup Rice, preferably parboiled rice like ponni
• ½ cup toor dal
• 3.5 cups water

Other Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon sesame / gingely oil
• ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
• ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
• 2 sprigs curry leaves
• 2 dried red chillies
• 2 onions. finely chopped
• 6 cloves garlic
• 2 tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon sambar powder
• 2 tablespoon hot Ghee for serving

Instructions

1. Wash and soak the rice and the toor dal in water.
2. Heat oil in a pan until hot. Add in the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves and dried red chillies. Let the mustard seeds splutter. Add in the onions and the garlic and fry till the onions are soft and slowly starting to brown.
3. Add in the finely chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, sambar powder and salt. Fry well till the tomatoes are juiced down and mashed together.
4. Add in the hot water to the pan. Strain the rice and dal and add it to the pan. Check for seasoning.
5. Cook the rice in a pressure pan for 3 whistles on medium flame. Remove from heat.
6. Serve hot!

3.5.3208

The post Arisi Paruppu Saadam appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.

This is a very unique recipe for upma made entirely with moong dal. Its very healthy and very easy to make. This is popular around Coimbatore region and usually made for breakfast. Here is how to do Pasi Payaru Upma. We use split green gram dal with the green skin still on. This works well for the recipe.

Wash and soak the moong dal in water for 4-5 hours. After soaking, scrub the lentils well between fingers. Wash in running water and drain several times. Drain between your fingers to get rid of the green skin. Repeat the procedure until most of the green skin from the dal has been removed. Some of the skin might still be attached. That’s fine. Set aside.

Add around 1 to 1 1/2 cups of water and grind the dal to a smooth paste. Add the salt and mix well.

Put some water in an idly vessel and put it on medium flame. Oil the idli plate and gently fill the rounds with the batter. Put it inside the idly vessel , cover the vessel, and let it steam for 15-20 minutes. After around 15 minutes, insert a spoon into the idlis. It should come clean. If it comes clean, the moong dal idlis are done. Remove from heat. Scoop the idlis out of the idli mold onto a plate.

Shred the moong dal idlis using a vegetable shredder. It should resemble shredded cheese. Set aside.

Now we will make upma.
Heat oil in a pan until hot. Add in the mustard seeds. Let it splutter. Add in the finely chopped ginger, dried red chillies and curry leaves. Fry for a few seconds until fragrant. Add in the chopped onions and green chillies. Using a lot of onions in this dish makes the upma very tasty. Fry till the onions are soft. Add in a little salt to taste.

Add in the shredded dal and coriander leaves and mix well to combine. Switch off the flame and serve warm with coconut chutney.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Pasi Payaru Upma

 

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Prep time

4 hours

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

4 hours 30 mins

 

Recipe for healthy pasi payaru upma. green moong dal pulao.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: Tamilnadu

Serves: 4 persons

Ingredients

For the Moong dal Idlis

• 1 Cup (250 ml) Green Moong Dal - Split
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 - 1½ cups of water for grinding
• 1 teaspoon oil for coating idli plates

For Tempering

• 2 teaspoon sesame oil (gingely oil)
• ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
• 2 inch ginger, finely chopped
• 2 dried red chillies
• 2 sprigs curry leaves
• 3 onions, finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 green chillies, chopped
• 3 sprigs coriander leaves, chopped

Instructions

1. Wash and soak the moong dal in water for 4-5 hours. After soaking, scrub the lentils well between fingers. Wash in running water and drain several times. Drain between your fingers to get rid of the green skin. Set aside.
2. Add around 1 to 1½ cups of water and grind the dal to a smooth paste. Add the salt and mix well.
3. Put some water in an idly vessel and put it on medium flame. Oil the idli plate and gently fill the rounds with the batter. Put it inside the idly vessel , cover the vessel, and let it steam for 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat. Scoop the idlis out of the idli mold onto a plate.
4. Shred the moong dal idlis using a vegetable shredder. Set aside.
5. Heat oil in a pan until hot. Add in the mustard seeds. Let it splutter. Add in the finely chopped ginger, dried red chillies and curry leaves. Fry for a few seconds until fragrant. Add in the chopped onions and green chillies. Using a lot of onions in this dish makes the upma very tasty. Fry till the onions are soft. Add in a little salt to taste.
6. Add in the shredded dal and coriander leaves and mix well to combine. Switch off the flame and serve warm with coconut chutney.

3.5.3208

The post Pasi Payaru Upma / Moong Dal Upma appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.

We used to live in a residential colony when we were young. Mornings were lively and busy. The milk man would be the first to come. Followed by the fish guy on his cycle, with wicker baskets tied on either side of the carrier. The baskets would be filled with that days catch and crushed ice. The baskets would be dripping and was a sight to watch. The one that I looked for the most was this old lady who had a wet burlap lined wicker basket on her head selling greens. She had all kinds of greens. She would chew on the tobacco constantly. She was so kind and called everyone “kannu”. She would sing songs with the names of the greens that she had in the basket. She had an attitude like no one. So positive all the time. I loved watching her on the street. My mom would buy the greens and she would handle the change from a small pouch that she had tied to her saree. She would throw in a couple of sprigs of curry leaves and coriander leaves for free. That was customary then. Fresh produce was really the norm. The old lady is gone now. I only have memories of her. My mom used to make greens almost every day. She cooked simple food but I loved it. This is my moms recipe for making keerai kuzhambu. Her Keerai Kadayal recipe is a family favorite. She makes greens so flavorful that everyone at home loves greens. Here is how to do Keerai Kuzhambu with dal.

You can use any kind of regular keerai / greens like Arai keerai , siru keerai, amaranth and palak. Do not use bitter variety of leaves like drumstick leaves or methi. Wash and clean the greens and chop them roughly. Set aside.

Heat coconut oil in a pan and add in the mustard seeds. Let the mustard seeds splutter. Add in the cumin seeds, ginger and the roughly chopped curry leaves. Fry briefly for a minute.

Add in the chopped onions and saute until soft. About 2-3 minutes on medium flame. No need to brown the onions.

Add in the chopped tomatoes and the finely chopped green chillies. Add in the salt and the turmeric powder. Saute on medium flame for 5 minutes until the tomatoes are mushy. Add in half a cup of water to the mixture.

Add in the chopped greens / keerai and let it cook for 7-8 minutes on medium flame. Once the greens are cooked, add in one cup of toor dal to the pan. Let it simmer for two minutes.

Grind half a cup of fresh shredded coconut with half a cup of water to a fine paste. Add it to the pan. Mix well to combine. Let the mixture simmer for a minute. Switch off the flame. Keerai kuzhambu is ready. Serve hot with rice for lunch.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Keerai Kuzhambu - Greens Kulambu Curry

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

Easy Recipe for Keerai Kuzhambu / kulambu. Made with toor dal, ginger and coconut. Served with rice. South Indian lunch recipe.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Curry

Cuisine: Tamilnadu

Serves: 4-5 persons

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1½ inch piece ginger, finely minced
• 2 sprigs curry leaves, chopped
• 2 medium sized red onion, finely chopped
• 2 big tomatoes, finely chopped
• 4 green chillies, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 250 grams keerai / greens
• 1 cup cooked toor dal
• ½ cup fresh shredded coconut

Instructions

1. Heat coconut oil in a pan and add in the mustard seeds. Let the mustard seeds splutter. Add in the cumin seeds, ginger and the roughly chopped curry leaves. Fry briefly for a minute.
2. Add in the chopped onions and saute until soft. About 2-3 minutes on medium flame. No need to brown the onions.
3. Add in the chopped tomatoes and the finely chopped green chillies. Add in the salt and the turmeric powder. Saute on medium flame for 5 minutes until the tomatoes are mushy. Add in half a cup of water to the mixture.
4. Add in the chopped greens / keerai and let it cook for 7-8 minutes on medium flame. Once the greens are cooked, add in one cup of toor dal to the pan. Let it simmer for two minutes.
5. Grind half a cup of coconut with half a cup of water to a fine paste. Add it to the pan. Mix well to combine. Let the mixture simmer for a minute. Switch off the flame. Keerai kuzhambu is ready. Serve hot with rice for lunch.

3.5.3208

The post Keerai Kuzhambu / kulambu – Greens in Dal Recipe appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.

Kadappa is a lentil based gravy (resembling kurma) usually served with idli / dosa varieties in the Thanjavur – Kumbakonam region. When I first heard about this dish, I was curious about the name. I do not know as to how the dish got its name as kadappa. There isn’t any history available. Thanjavur – Kumbakonam is rich in history and heritage and this dish is truly an unique dish that belongs to the region. There are several things that are so unique to the region. Starting from the great temples to the degree coffee, it has a lot to offer. I was fortunate to witness the making of thanjavur bronzes ( may be the last generation of the dying breed of craftsmen) during my last trip. Chola Bronzes are famous worldwide and this art has a rich heritage of more than a thousand years. It is so meticulously crafted and detailed that one falls in love the moment you see them. If you happen to visit Thanjavur-Kumbakonam, don’t forget to pick up a few.

Here is the recipe for kadappa. There is a little prep work thats needed.
Boil half a cup of split yellow moong dal with 1.5 cups of water in a pressure cooker for 4 whistles/10 minutes until mushy. Set aside.
Boil the potatoes in salted water until they are fork tender. Peel the potatoes, chop them into small pieces and set aside.

We will now grind the kadappa masala. Take all of the ingredients listed under masala and grind it to a smooth paste. Add up to 1 cup of water while grinding. Set aside.

Heat oil in a pan and add in the chopped onions and curry leaves. Saute till the onions are soft. Add in the tomatoes and the salt. Saute till the tomatoes are slightly mushy.

Add in the ground masala, potatoes and the dal. Add in 1.5 cups of water. Cover the pan and let it simmer on a low flame for 10 minutes.

Saute once in a while so the gravy does not stick to the bottom. The gravy is ready when the potatoes fall apart. Add in couple of sprigs of curry leaves. Switch off the flame and serve hot with with idli / dosa varieties.

5.0 from 2 reviews

Kumbakonam - Thanjavur Kadappa Recipe

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

Kadappa is very flavorful side dish served traditionally with idli in the kumbakonam / thanjavur side. Its made with lentils,potatoes and coconut masala.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Side Dish

Cuisine: Tamilnadu

Serves: 4 persons

Ingredients

Main Ingredients

• 4 medium sized potatoes
• ½ cup of yellow split moong dal

For Kadappa Masala

• ½ cup fresh shredded coconut
• 5 green chillies
• 1 inch piece ginger
• 5 cloves garlic
• 2 cloves
• 1 star anise
• 2 cardamon
• 2 piece cinnamon
• 2 teaspoon fennel seeds (sombu/perunjeeragam)

For Tempering

• 2 teaspoon peanut oil
• 2 medium sized onions, chopped
• 4 sprigs curry leaves
• 1 big ripe tomato, chopped
• 1½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Boil half a cup of split yellow moong dal with 1.5 cups of water in a pressure cooker for 4 whistles/10 minutes until mushy. Set aside.
2. Boil the potatoes in salted water till they are fork tender. Peel the potatoes, chop them into small pieces and set aside.
3. Take all of the ingredients listed under masala and grind it to a smooth paste. Add up to 1 cup of water while grinding. Set aside.
4. Heat oil in a pan and add in the chopped onions and curry leaves. Saute till the onions are soft. Add in the tomatoes and the salt. Saute till the tomatoes are slightly mushy.
5. Add in the ground masala, potatoes and the dal. Add in 1.5 cups of water. Cover the pan and let it simmer on a low flame for 10 minutes.
6. Saute once in a while so the gravy does not stick to the bottom. The gravy is ready when the potatoes fall apart. Add in couple of sprigs of curry leaves. Switch off the flame and serve hot with with idli / dosa varieties.

Notes

Green chillies are only used for this dish. If you want a very spicy dish, add more green chillies.

3.5.3208

The post Kumbakonam – Thanjavur Kadappa Recipe appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.

Mung bean or pasi payaru / pachai payaru is a staple in the kongunad region. Sundal, dosa, vada, upma – mung dal is used in such varied recipes. Its health benefits are endless and sprouted mung beans curry is something that’s so tasty and flavorful. Its a lunch staple in many households. We used to have this curry at-least once a week with rice.

Even though ready made sprouted mung bean is easily available, sprouting mung bean is one of the most easiest things to do at home. I have used home made mung sprouts for this recipe.
Here is how to sprout mung moong bean at home.

Moong sprouts curry – Mulai payaru masala – Mung Curry

Heat sesame oil in a pan until hot. Add in the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dried red chillies and curry leaves. Let it splutter. Add in the finely chopped onions and saute for 5 minutes until the onions are cooked and soft and slightly starting to brown on the edges.

Add in the chopped ripe tomatoes, minced ginger, turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder and salt. Saute till the mixture is fully cooked and the tomatoes become mushy and looks like a thick paste. It will take about 5 minutes of sauteing on medium flame. Add in the tamarind pulp.

Add the sprouted mung dal. Mix well and cover with a lid and let it simmer on a low flame for 20 minutes until the sprouts are well cooked and the curry has become thick and all the liquid has been absorbed and its a thick masala.

Add in the coconut milk (optional) and the curry leaves. Switch off the flame and serve hot with rice.

Moong sprouts curry - Mulai payaru masala - Mung Curry

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

55 mins

 

Moong sprouts masala - Mulai payaru Kuzhambu. Easy to make sprouted mung curry. A kongunad Specialty. Tamilnadu recipe.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Side Dish

Cuisine: Tamilnadu

Serves: 4 persons

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoon sesame oil
• ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 dried red chillies
• 2 sprigs curry leaves
• 2 medium sized onions, finely chopped
• 2 ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 1 inch piece ginger, minced
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 2 teaspoon chilli powder
• 2 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1½ teaspoon salt
• 1 inch tamarind soaked in 2 cups of water and pulp extracted.
• 2 cups sprouted mung bean / mulai payaru
• ⅓ cup thick coconut milk (optional)
• 2 sprigs coriander leaves, finely chopped

Instructions

1. Heat sesame oil in a pan until hot. Add in the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dried red chillies and curry leaves. Let it splutter. Add in the finely chopped onions and saute for 5 minutes until the onions are cooked and soft and slightly starting to brown on the edges.
2. Add in the chopped ripe tomatoes, turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder and salt. Saute till the mixture is fully cooked and the tomatoes become mushy and looks like a thick paste. It will take about 5 minutes of sauteing on medium flame.
3. Add in the tamarind pulp and the sprouted mung dal. Mix well and cover with a lid and let it simmer on a low flame for 20 minutes until the sprouts are well cooked and the curry has become thick and all the liquid has been absorbed and its a thick masala.
4. Add in the coconut milk (optional) and the curry leaves. Switch off the flame and serve hot with rice.

3.5.3208

The post Moong sprouts curry – Mulai payaru masala – Mung Curry appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.

Nombu Kanji / Nonbu Kanji is a porridge made during the ramadan season to break the fast in the evening.
This recipe is from my good friend Thahira. Thahira’s father was a Quran scholar in Vridhachalam, Tamilnadu. Their house was inside the Town Juma Palli Vaasal (Masjid) compound. Thahira remembers the Ramadan season very vividly. As their house was inside the masjid compound, she has seen the making of Nombu Kanji / Nonbu Kanji countless number of times. Nombu Kanji was made in huge vessels and stirred continuously by masjid men. This is the same recipe she makes it even today and this is what she had to say about the making of the Nombu Kanji. “We prefer our Kanji to be very light. We do not add too much spices as it can irritate the stomach after the long fast and can make one feel very thirsty afterwords. This recipe is very soothing to the tummy. Fenugreek seeds (vendhayam) is an important ingredient in the kanji. We never make kanji without vendhayam (fenugreek). It helps to keep the body cool as fenugreek has cooling properties. This is a plain kanji. Sometimes, we also add little drumstick leaves to make it a little more rich and nourishing.”
Drumstick leaves is a nutrient dense food. Drumstick leaves is an iron-rich food source (31% Daily Value per 100 g consumed). She says during the ramadan season, the rice is sold as grits “noi arisi” or “arisi kurunai” in shops. If one cant find the rice grits or lives abroad, it can be made easily at home in bulk and can be stored and used. I have shared the recipe for making rice grits below. Let this Ramadan season bring in lots of love to everyone.

Here is the recipe for authentic Palli Vaasal Nombu Kanji.

First, lets make rice grits. You can make it in larger quantity if you want and store it and use it for the entire season. Take raw rice and wash it in water for 3-4 times. Soak the raw rice in water for 10 minutes. After soaking, drain the water completely and dry the rice on a cloth for 15 minutes.

Once the rice is dried and has very little moisture left, pulse it in a mixie one or two times so that each grain of rice gets broken into 2-3 pieces. Set aside.

Here is how to make the porridge.

Heat oil in a pan and add in one clove and a small half inch piece of cinnamon. Do not add in too many spices. Add in the fenugreek seeds (vendhayam) and the yellow moong dal (paasi paruppu ) and fry on a low flame for 3-4 minutes until its roasted well and very fragrant.

Add in the onion, tomato, ginger garlic paste and green chillies. Add in the rice grits and water. Cover the pressure pan and cook for 4 whistles. Switch off the flame and wait for the pressure from the cooker to release naturally.

Open the cooker and add in the fresh shredded coconut, finely chopped coriander leaves and the salt. Mix well to combine. Note on salt: Thahira remembers very well that the salt was always added at the last. Salt hinders with the cooking of dal and rice to a very mashy consistency. So always add the salt at the end. Also too much salt can make one thirsty and interfere with the Ramadan fasting. So go easy on the salt if you are fasting.

Nombu Kanji is ready!

If Thahira was here, she would have said Bismillah! before serving the Kanji!
Bismillah (Arabic: “In the name of God” or “In the name of Allah”) is the first word in the Quran. Holy Quran’s opening phrase in Arabic, bismillāhi r-raḥmāni r-raḥīm (“In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the most Merciful”).

Ramzan Nombu Kanji - Authentic Palli Vaasal Nombu Kanji - Veg Recipe

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

15 mins

 

Authentic Pallivaasal Nombu kanji recipe. Vegetarian nonbu kanji recipe. Made during the ramadan/ramzan season.With step by step pictures.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Porridge

Cuisine: Tamilnadu

Serves: serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 clove
• ½ inch piece cinnamon
• ¾ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• ¼ cup yellow moong dal
• ½ of a medium onion, chopped fine
• ½ of a ripe tomato, chopped fine
• ½ teaspoon ginger garlic paste
• 1 green chilli, chopped
• ½ cup rice grits -kurunai arisi - recipe given above.
• 3½ cups water
• 2 tablespoon fresh shredded coconut
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 sprigs coriander leaves, finely chopped

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a pan and add in one clove and a small half inch piece of cinnamon. Add in the fenugreek seeds (vendhayam) and the yellow moong dal (paasi paruppu ) and fry on a low flame for 3-4 minutes until its roasted well and very fragrant.
2. Add in the onion, tomato, ginger garlic paste and green chillies. Add in the rice grits and water. Cover the pan and cook for 4 whistles. Switch off the flame and wait for the pressure from the cooker to release naturally.
3. Open the cooker and add in the fresh shredded coconut, coriander leaves and the salt. Mix well to combine.

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Puli Vadai is a southern kongunad specialty. Its very popular in the Pollachi – Udumalpet belt. People of southern kongunad are called as the Dhatchanam people / Dakshin people meaning people of the south. My father in law always says that its a dhatchanam specialty and Coimbatore guys can never make it as good as them. I need to agree with him. I did not know about this vadai till the time I got married. Its a must for all festivals and special occasions at my husbands place. This tamarind vadai fluffs up like poori when fried and the vadai batter is nothing like you have seen. Its very unique and very delicious tangy fluffy goodness. My mother in law Gokilama makes amazing puli vadai / pulusu vadai. This is her way of making it. She learnt it from her mother in law. Here is how to do it.

NOTE: This is not a beginners recipe

This vadai is made with a rice batter. Par boiled rice / puzhungal arisi is what is used for making this vadai. The ingredients are soaked and ground to a very thick batter and then shaped and fried.

Soak the rice and the toor dal in water for a couple of hours. Drain and set aside.

Take a mixie jar and add in all the ingredients to the jar. The soaked rice and dal, tamarind, salt, dried red chillies and fresh shredded coconut.

Do not add water at the beginning while grinding. Pulse the mixie several times until the mixture is kind of pasty. Add couple of tablespoons of water at a time and grind the batter to a paste. Add water only when absolutely necessary. Let the paste be very slightly coarse. The batter should be thick. So use caution and add very little water while grinding. The batter will slightly firm up after an hour of resting.

Now, what to do if the batter goes wet?

So sometimes, the batter may go wet and here is a remedy. Take the ground batter and spread it on a plate. Place a dry towel on the batter and gently press to remove the excess water. If the batter is still wet, then add in a couple of tablespoon of rice flour and mix well.

Once the batter is ground, rest it for an hour. I keep the ground batter in the refrigerator to firm up. You can store the batter at this stage for up to 2 days in the refrigerator.

Now its frying time. Heat oil until hot.

Take a plastic paper and keep it on a flat surface. Slightly oil the paper and your hands. Take a small piece of the batter and make a ball. Place the ball on the paper and spread the ball with finger tips to form a circle. Keep the circle thick. Thin vadas will not fluff up. Also make sure there are no holes while forming the vadas.

Gently remove the spread batter from the plastic sheet and place it in oil. Do not disturb for 10-15 seconds. The vadas will start to fluff up. Gently turn the vadas. Fry for 20-30 seconds on each side. The batter will fluff up in oil like pooris. When the vadai is deep golden brown, remove and drain on paper towels.  Do not crowd the pan while making vadas.

Serve hot.

Puli Vadai, Tamarind Vadai - Kongunad Special Pulusu Vadai

 

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Prep time

2 hours

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

2 hours 20 mins

 

Recipe for Puli Vadai , Pulusu Vadai - A southern kongunad specialty. Puli Vadai made with rice, lentils and tamarind.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Appetizer

Cuisine: Kongunad

Serves: 15-20 vadas

Ingredients

• measurements used - 1 cup = 240 ml
• 1 cup par boiled rice (puzhungal arisi)
• ¼ cup toor dal
• 1 small lime size tamarind
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 dried red chillies
• ¼ cup fresh shredded coconut
• 500 ml vegetable oil for deep frying

Instructions

Grinding

1. Soak the rice and the toor dal in water for a couple of hours. Drain and set aside.
2. Take a mixie jar and add in all the ingredients to the jar.
3. Do not add water at the beginning while grinding. Pulse the mixie several times until the mixture is coarse. Add couple of tablespoons of water at a time and grind the batter to a paste. Let the paste be very slightly coarse. Do not grind to a fine paste. The batter should be thick. So use caution and add very little water while grinding.
4. Once the batter is ground, rest it for an hour in the refrigerator.

For frying

1. Heat oil until hot.
2. Take a plastic paper and keep it on a flat surface. Slightly oil the surface. Take a small piece of the batter and make a ball. Place the ball on the paper and spread the ball with finger tips to form a circle.
3. Gently remove the spread dough and place it in oil. Fry for a minute on each side. The batter will fluff up in oil like pooris. When the vadai is deep golden brown, remove and drain on paper towels.
4. Serve hot.

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This is a simple pasi paruppu dal thats made in Tamilnadu for Chapati. Its truly simple to make and a very nourishing side dish for chapati. The dal is cooked with a lot of vegetables and finally lemon / lime juice and coriander leaves are added. The fresh sourness from lime with veggies and dal makes it so tasty. There is a version of this recipe in each household. My aunt is an awesome cook. Even though she cooks with a lot of masalas, the kongunad way for us, she cooks simple dishes like these for herself. She never eats the kurmas and spicy gravies that she makes for us. She is a complete vegetarian who cooks awesome non-veg recipes without even tasting. She just smells and says whether the recipe needs more salt. I don’t know how she does that.

Here is how to do pasi paruppu dal, moong dal for chapathi, chapati dal recipe.

Get all the veggies chopped and ready to go. Use a combination of vegetables that you can find in your refrigerator. Potatoes is a must as it makes for a thick gravy . You can use carrots, potatoes, cauliflower, peas and beans etc…

Heat a pressure pan and add in a teaspoon of ghee.  Add in the cumin seeds and curry leaves. Let it splutter. Add in the chopped ginger. Fry for a minute until the ginger turns very aromatic.

Add in the onions and green chillies. Fry till its soft. Onions are optional. If you take off the onions from the recipe, this dish becomes completely Sathvik. Add in the moong dal, chopped tomatoes and the veggies.

Add in the water and cover the pan and cook for 3 whistles. Switch off the flame and wait for the pressure to release naturally.

Open the cooker and add in the salt. We add the salt at the last so the dal gets cooked well in the cooker. Add in the lime / lemon juice and coriander leaves. Mix well to combine.  Do not cook after adding the lemon juice. Lemon juice should not be cooked else it will turn bitter.

Serve with chapati.

pasi paruppu dal, moong dal for chapathi, chapati dal recipe

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

25 mins

 

This is a very simple pasi paruppu dal, chapati dal recipe. A very easy to do recipe that can be prepared in no time.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Side Dish

Cuisine: Tailnadu

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon ghee
• ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1 inch ginger, minced
• 1 medium sized onion, chopped fine
• 3 green chillies, chopped
• 1 ripe tomato, chopped
• ⅓ cup moong dal
• 2 cups veggies
• 1½ cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Juice of 1 lime
• 4 sprigs coriander leaves, chopped

Instructions

1. Heat a pressure pan and add in a teaspoon of ghee. Add in the cumin seeds and curry leaves. Let it splutter. Add in the chopped ginger. Fry for a minute until the ginger turns very aromatic.
2. Add in the onions and green chillies. Fry till its soft.
3. Add in the moong dal, chopped tomatoes and the veggies.
4. Add in the water and cover the pan and cook for 3 whistles. Switch off the flame and wait for the pressure to release naturally.
5. Open the cooker and add in the salt. We add the salt at the last so the dal gets cooked well in the cooker. Add in the lime / lemon juice and coriander leaves. Mix well to combine.
6. Serve with chapati.

Notes

A note on Veggies:
Potatoes is a must as it makes for a thick gravy . You can use carrots, potatoes, cauliflower peas and beans etc...

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When I was in my high school, my mom sent me to tuition everyday. 10th grade was like “THE” most important grade on earth for her and like all other households, I was sent to tuition with an excellent teacher named Chandra. She was originally from Kallakurichi. After marriage, she spent a lot of years in Bangalore and then relocated to Coimbatore during her retirement years. She used to come all the way from Kovai Pudur to teach us in town. She was extremely funny, strict and would never take “NO” for an answer. The tuition took place in Karthika-Krithika’s house. Karthi and Krithi were twins and that’s how we called them. Chandra Miss liked English Literature a lot. If we did not do our tests up to expectations, she would shout AA-KE-MOO…AA-KE-MOO. It meant ” Arivu Ketta Moodevi” in Tamil. Sorry, I cannot translate that. She was extremely caring and wanted all of us to excel. Most of us scored real good marks with more than half of her students scoring centum in various subjects. I scored a centum in Math. Hurray!!!!! So that’s one up my sleeve. We were around 15-20 students. After the exams were over, she gave a party to all of us. The menu was bisi bele bath, Appalam and potato chips. I vividly remember that day. A bigggg vessel of bisi bele bath and homemade potato chips were polished off in no time. We cracked jokes and spent the whole day at her home before saying goodbye. I still remember her. She always wore short sleeved blouse and was very punctual. The memories are still so very fresh. Now to the recipe.

The thing about bisi bele bath is the BBB masala powder. Here is the recipe for Bisi Bele Bath Masala Powder. We will be using this powder to flavor the rice.

First we will cook the dal and the rice. We will be using raw rice for this recipe.  Wash the dal and the rice and add it to a pressure cooker. Add in the water and cook for 5 whistles. Remove from the stove and wait for the pressure to release.

Add a cup of hot water and mix well to loosen the rice dal mixture a little bit. Adding hot water at this stage makes the rice very creamy. Set aside. The rice will thicken up as it cools.

Heat Ghee in a pan and add in the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Let it pop. Add in the cashewnuts and peanuts. Fry till the nuts are brown.

Add in the tamarind paste and jaggery. Add in a cup of water. Add in the Bisi Bele Bath powder and the salt. Let it come to a boil. Let it boil for 3-4 minutes to cook the tamarind and the masalas.

Add in the cooked rice dal mixture. Mix well and let it simmer for a couple of minutes on the stove. Remove from heat and set aside.

Serve hot with a good teaspoon of ghee for each serving.

Bisi Bele Bath Recipe, bisi bele huli anna, Karnataka Style spiced lentil with rice

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

25 mins

 

Recipe for Bisi bele bath. Bisi bele huli anna. Karnataka style recipe for spiced lentils and rice.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: Karnataka

Serves: 3 People

Ingredients

Dal Rice Mixture

• ¾ Cup Toor Dal
• ¾ Cup Raw Rice (I used Sona Masuri Rice)
• 5 Cups Water
• 1 Cup Hot Water

For Bisi Bele Bath

• 2 Tablespoon Ghee
• ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
• 2 Sprigs Curry Leaves
• 3 Tablespoon Tamarind Paste
• 1 Tablespoon Jaggery
• 2½ Tablespoon Bisi Bele Bath Powder
• 1½ Teaspoon Salt
• 1 Cup Water
• Ghee to serve

Instructions

1. Wash the dal and rice and add it to a pressure cooker. Add in 5 cups of water and cook for 5 whistles. Remove from stove and wait for the pressure to release.
2. Add a cup of hot water and mix well to loosen the rice dal mixture a little bit. Adding hot water at this stage makes the rice very creamy. Set aside.
3. Heat Ghee in a pan and add in the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Let it pop. Add in the cashewnuts and peanuts. Fry till the nuts are brown.
4. Add in the tamarind paste and jaggery. Add in a cup of water. Add in the Bisi Bele Bath powder and the salt. Let it come to a boil. Let it boil for 3-4 minutes to cook the tamarind and the masalas.
5. Add in the cooked rice dal mixture. Mix well and let it simmer for a couple of minutes on the stove. Remove from heat and set aside.
6. Serve hot with a good teaspoon of ghee for each serving.

Notes

I have not used any veggies in this recipe and have kept it traditional.
You can add veggies of your choice.
Optional: Fry some peanuts, cashewnuts and curry leaves in ghee and serve as a garnish.

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The first time I had Dalcha was at Thahiras house. At most households in Coimbatore, it was only a raita and a chicken kurma or salna that was served. So this dalcha recipe was so new to me. Thahira told me that they would not eat biryani without this mutton dalcha as side dish. Many people have requested the recipe for Dalcha. Here it is! “Baai” veetu Mutton Dalcha.

Usually, Dalcha is made with mutton and a little bit of mutton fat. Dice the mutton into small pieces and set aside. Take a pressure pan and add in the mutton pieces. I did not add the mutton fat. Add it if using. Add in the toor dal and chana dal. Add in the water and cook for 5 whistles. Switch off the flame and wait for the pressure to release naturally.

Grind the garlic, ginger and onion with a little water to a fine paste. Set aside.

Heat oil in a pan and add in the onions, curry leaves and green chillies. Fry for 3-4 minutes till the onions are soft. Add in the tomatoes and the onion-ginger-garlic paste. Fry for a couple of minutes.

Add in the red chilli powder and salt. Add in the garam masala / curry masala powder. I added my home made curry masala powder today. Add in 2 tablespoon of tamarind paste. I use home made tamarind paste which works so well and makes for one chore less everyday. Here is the recipe for homemade tamarind paste. Fry for a minute.

Add in the veggies. I used raw mangoes and brinjal today. You can also add drumsticks, raw plantains etc. Add in little water and simmer for 15 minutes covered with a lid.

Add in the cooked dal-mutton mixture. Add in the ground coconut paste and let it simmer for a couple of minutes. Add in the coriander leaves and remove the pan from heat.

Serve with biryani or ghee rice.

Dalcha, Dalcha Recipe for Biryani, Mutton Dalcha Recipe

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

1 hour

 

Recipe for Mutton Dalcha. Side dish served for biryani. Mutton Dalcha with lentils, meat and veggies. Tamil Style recipe.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Side Dish

Cuisine: South Indian

Serves: 5-6 servings

Ingredients

For Cooking Dal and Mutton

• 100 grams mutton with bone
• ¼ cup chana dal
• ¼ cup toor dal
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
• 2 cups water

Ginger-Garlic-Onion Paste

• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 inch piece ginger
• 1 medium size onion
• ¼ cup water to grind

Other Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 medium sized onion, chopped
• 2 green chillies, chopped
• 2 sprigs curry leaves
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 2 teaspoon red chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon garam masala / curry masala powder
• 2 tablespoon tamarind paste
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 5 small brinjals, chopped
• ½ of a raw mango, chopped
• ½ of a raw plantain, chopped
• ¼ cup fresh coconut ground to a paste with ¼ cup water

Instructions

1. Take a pressure pan and add in the mutton pieces. Add in the toor dal and chana dal. Add in the water and cook for 5 whistles. Switch off the flame and wait for the pressure to release naturally.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add in the onions, curry leaves and green chillies. Fry for 3-4 minutes till the onions are soft. Add in the tomatoes and the onion-ginger-garlic paste. Fry for a couple of minutes.
3. Add in the red chilli powder. Add in the garam masala powder. Add in 2 tablespoon of tamarind paste and salt. Fry for a minute.
4. Add in the veggies - brinjal, mango and raw plantain. Add in little water and simmer for 15 minutes covered with a lid.
5. Add in the cooked dal-mutton mixture. Add in the ground coconut paste and let it simmer for a couple of minutes. Add in the coriander leaves and remove the pan from heat.

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My mother in law has an younger brother. The brother’s mother in law had visited my mil at the village when my husband was around 3 years old. Her name is Rajamani Ammal. So when she was leaving, she took my husband for holiday vacation to Coimbatore. A long holiday vacation that lasted for years. He stayed with her till he got married. Can you believe this story? I was awestruck when he told me about this when we met before marriage. She was the one who got him into school, college and got him married. She took care of everything as her own son. I cannot imagine someone to do something like this. She is the most simple person you will ever meet in life. Before marriage, Vinodh told me that I will have two mother in laws after marriage. She is the most generous person I have met in life. No double standards. She treats everyone the same. She asks her cook Suresh to make this Vadai whenever we go to Coimbatore. Suresh takes the pain to grind the batter in a stone mortar (attangal) as that’s how amma likes it. This is her recipe for moong dal vadai and her favorite Vadai. Here is a picture of Amma with her son and mine.

Here is Suresh grinding the moong dal vadai batter in attangal.

Soak the Moong dal in water for couple of hours. We use split moong dal with the skin still on. The texture of the vada is really nice with this dal. You can use split yellow moong dal too.

Soak the moong dal for a couple of hours in lots of water.

Wash the moong dal and drain several times to get rid of the skin attached to the dal. Wash until most of the skin has been removed. Little skin will remain and that is OK. Its desirable.

Take a blender and add in the dal, red chillies and cumin seeds. Don’t add water while grinding. The dal would have soaked lots of moisture and there will be enough moisture already. Grind the dal to a slightly coarse paste. The batter should be really thick. Pulse several times stopping in between to mix. Add in the chopped onions, minced ginger, coriander leaves, green chillies, asafoetida, baking soda, rice flour and salt. Mix well to combine.

Heat oil in a kadai until hot. Drop little spoonful’s of batter in oil. Take a small piece of the batter in your finger tips and use your thumb to slide the batter into the oil.

After dropping the batter, do not disturb the oil kadai for 30 seconds. The vadais may break. Just leave it to cook. Use a fork to turn the vadais in between. Deep fry till golden.

Serve hot with tea.

Moong Dal Vadai, How to make vadai with moong dal, pasi paruppu

 

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Prep time

2 hours

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

2 hours 10 mins

 

Easy recipe for moong dal vadai, pasi paruppu vadai made with moong dal and spices. Vadai made using split moong dal.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Appetizer

Cuisine: Tamilnadu

Serves: 18-20 vadai

Ingredients

For Grinding

• ¾ cup green mung dal preferably with skin
• 2 dried red chillies
• ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds

For final mixing

• 1 big onion, finely chopped
• 2-3 green chillies, finely chopped
• ½ inch piece ginger, finely minced
• 3 sprigs coriander leaves, finely chopped
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• a pinch of asafoetida
• 2 tablespoon rice flour

Deep Fry

• 500 ml sunflower / vegetable oil

Instructions

1. Soak the Moong dal in water for couple of hours. Wash the moong dal and drain several times to get rid of the skin attached to the dal. Wash until most of the skin has been removed. Little skin will remain and thats OK. Its desirable.
2. Take a blender and add in the dal, red chillies and cumin seeds. Dont add water while grinding. Grind to a slightly coarse paste. Add in the chopped onions, minced ginger, coriander leaves, green chillies, asafoetida, baking soda, rice flour and salt. Mix well to combine.
3. Heat oil in a kadai until hot. Drop little spoonful’s of batter in oil.
4. Deep fry till golden.

Notes

If the batter is too runny, add in a couple of tablespoon of rice flour.

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Paruppu Payasam is a house favorite. This is my husbands favorite payasam. Coconut milk, lentils and the very mild flavor of cardamom and ghee makes the payasam sublime. Its a very traditional recipe and here is how to do it.

Wash the moong dal. Take a bowl and add in the washed 1/3 cup moong dal and 1 cup water. I like to cook the moong dal in the pressure cooker. The important thing for paruppu payasam is the texture of the lentil. It should not be very mushy. So the water quantity needs to be appropriate. For one part of lentil, use three parts of water. I use pot in pot technique to avoid the cooker from spewing water while cooking. Take a pressure cooker and add in a cup of water. Then place the lentil bowl with water into the pressure cooker. Cover the cooker and cook for 3 whistles on medium flame. It will take about 6-7 minutes. Remove from heat and wait for the pressure from the cooker to release naturally. Set aside.

Take a pan and add in half a cup of jaggery and half a cup of water. Wait for it to melt completely.

Take a small mixie jar and grind 3 pods cardamom with 2 tablespoon of sugar to a powder. Add it to the pan. Let it simmer for couple of minutes.

Remove from heat and strain the mixture.

Add the strained jaggery liquid back to the pan. Add in the cooked dal, little salt and the thick coconut milk. Keep the flame of the stove at low. Simmer the payasam briefly for two minutes. Do not bring it to a boil. Remove the payasam from heat. Set aside. The payasam should still have a little texture from the lentils. The lentils should not be mushy.
Here is how to do coconut milk at home. Canned coconut milk can be used for this recipe if you are in a hurry.

Take a small pan and add in two teaspoons of ghee. Add in the cashews and fry till brown. Add it to the payasam.

Serve warm.

paruppu payasam, moong dal payasam, lentil payasam recipe

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Recipe for Payatham Paruppu Payasam made with moong dal, jaggery and coconut milk. Easy recipe with step by step pictures.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: Tamilnadu

Serves: 3 cups

Ingredients

For cooking dal

• ⅓ cup split yellow moong dal
• 1 cup water

Other Ingredients

• ½ cup jaggery
• ½ cup water
• 2 tablespoon sugar
• 3 cardamom
• ½ cup thick coconut milk
• 2 pinches salt

Final Tempering

• 2 teaspoon ghee
• 15 cashewnuts

Instructions

1. Wash the moong dal. Cook the dal with water for 3 whistles in a pressure cooker. Set aside.
2. Take a pan and add in half a cup of jaggery and half a cup of water. Wait for it to melt completely.
3. Take a small mixie jar and grind 3 pods cardamom with 2 tablespoon of sugar to a powder. Add it to the pan. Let it simmer for couple of minutes.
4. Remove from heat and strain the mixture.
5. Add the strained jaggery liquid back to the pan. Add in the cooked dal, little salt and the thick coconut milk. Keep the flame of the stove at low. Simmer the payasam briefly for two minutes. Do not bring it to a boil. Remove the payasam from heat. Set aside.
6. Take a small pan and add in two teaspoons of ghee. Add in the cashews and fry till brown. Add it to the payasam.
7. Serve warm.

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