Killu Vathal/Vengaya vathal

Killu vathal is one of my favourite vathal as it taste too yummy similar to javarisi vathal. I still remember my grandmother used to make it during my summer holidays in her home cuddalore. I love her passion in making it and her patience. I tried making it in least quantity and in batches. It came out so good and taste really yummy. Small onion is the secret behind this recipe. This vathal goes well with sambar rice and variety rice. It is really very easy to make and you can store for longer days with no added preservative.

Ingredients:

Idly Rice /Boiled Rice - 2 cup
Green Chilli - 3 nos
Shallots /Small onion - 150 gm
Salt - to taste
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Hing - 1 teaspoon
Water - 12 cups + to grind

Preparation Method:

1. Wash and soak Idly rice for 4 hours to 6 hours.



2. Wash and peel the skin of small onion and chop it finely. Add or reduce small onion according to your taste.



3. In a mixer grinder, add soaked rice, green chilli, cumin seeds, hing, salt and grind it to fine paste.



4. In a thick bottom pan / kadai, add 12 cups of water (for one cup of rice - 6 cup of water) and needed salt. Allow it to boil and reduce it to low flame. Now add the grounded paste  to the boiling water and keep stirring.



5. Stir continuously until the mixture boils and one can observe air bubbles on the top of mixture. At that point, switch off the flame and keep it aside.



6. Once it cools down add chopped onion and mix well.



7. Keep little portion of mixture in a butter paper/plastic sheet and allow it to dry in hot sun.





8. Turn upside down the vathal and allow the other side to dry in hot sun.



9. Ensure to allow the vathal to dry completely. Store it in air tight box.



10. Heat cooking oil in a pan. Deep fry this vathal in medium flame until it turns golden brown colour. Ensure flame is in medium - low. Otherwise fryums get burnt.

Serve this vathal / Fryums with sambar rice, variety rice, vathal kuzhambu. Yummy tasty killu vathal is ready.

Tips:

1. Always try to use small onion to make this vathal as it adds good taste to vathal. If you don´t get shallots, then use normal onion.
2. Once grounded paste is added to boiling water, stir well and ensure to mix continuously else lumps will be formed.
3. Ensure to dry this vathal in hot sun otherwise it get spoiled in first 2 days.
4. I use butter paper as it is easy to remove vathal and turn otherside.  

Tomato Capsicum soup

Healthy and most tasty soup, which is so appetizing by colour and look. Simple vegetables can be used for making this soup. It is so simple to make when we pressure cook it. Soup can be served as pre-dinner for kids and elders. As it contains lot of vegetables, soup is more healthy to consume.

Preparation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins
Serves: 4 nos

Ingredients:

Tomato -3 (large, diced into cubes)
Onion -1 (large, diced into cubes)
Green chilli - 1 (medium, slit )
Capsicum - 1/2 (yellow or red)
Salt -to taste
Water - to boil
Butter - 2 tablespoon
Red chilli powder - 1/4 teaspoon (optional)
Garlic clove - 1 no
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Coriander leaves - 1 tablespoon(chopped)
Nutmeg powder - 1 pinch(optional)
Carrot -1 (diced, optional)

Preparation Method:

1. In a pressure cooker add diced tomato, onion, green chilli, carrot, capsicum, garlic clove, curry leaf, coriander leaf, butter and needed salt, chilli powder and required water and pressure cook it for 2 to 3 whistle in medium flame.
2. Once pressure is released, allow vegetables to cool off.
3. Strain boiled water and keep aside.
4. In a mixer blend boiled vegetables to fine paste. Add this vegetable paste to strained water.
5. Allow the mixture to boil well. Adjust salt and water.
6. Finally add nutmeg powder and switch off the flame.

Serve Tomato capsicum soup with 2 brown bread.

Tips:

1. Try using yellow capsicum or red capsicum, as it doesn´t change colour of soup. Also remove seeds of capsicum , as it will increase the spice of soup.
2. Serve soup with ghee fried bread for children.
3. Rich cream can be added at last while serving.
4. Carrot is optional vegetable. It increase richness and sweetness of soup.

Ennai Kathirikai kuzhambu

Ennai Kathirikai Kuzhambu is the easiest recipe that can be made within 30 minutes. There are so many version of making this kuzhambu, but this method is so simple and gives nice aroma and fantastic taste. Fresh masala is used for this kuzhambu, which is the specialty. I love to consume this with steam rice and sutta applam. I used to make one more version by stuffing brinjal with masala but this one kuzhambu is so simple and not time consuming.

Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 25 mins 
Serves: 4 nos

Ingredients for Kuzhambu:

Small brinjal - 5-6 nos
Gingelly oil / Sesame oil - 4 tablespoon
Kuzhambu powder - 1/2 teaspoon (optional)
Coconut milk -1/3 cup (first milk)
Onion - 1 (large, finely chopped)
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaf - 1 sprig
Turmeric powder- 1/4 teaspoon
Hing - 1/4 tespoon
Salt - to taste

Ingredients for grinding:

Coriander seeds - 2 tablespoon
Channa dal - 2 tablespoon
Red chili - 8 nos
Tamarind - 2 tablespoon paste / one medium lemon size

Preparation Method:

1. Wash and cut the stem of brinjal. At the bottom slit brinjal into 4 parts.
2. In a medium flame, heat 2 tablespoon of oil in a kadai and add brinjal and saute well. Ensure brinjal doesn´t cut into pieces. Close the kadai with lid and reduce the flame to low. It helps to cook the brinjal on bottom side. After 5 mins, turn the brinjal to other side and repeat the same process. Once brinjal is cooked, keep it aside.



3. In a small pan add 1 teaspoon of oil and roast coriander seeds, chilli, channa dal to nice brown colour. Allow roasted ingredients to cool off.
4. Add soaked tamarind /tamarind paste, roasted ingredients into mixer and blend well. Add  required water and blend it to fine paste.



5. In a thick bottom vessel, heat 2 tablespoon oil and mustard seeds. Once mustard seeds splutter add fenugreek seeds, curry leaf, onion and saute well.



6. Once onion turns translucent colour, add grounded masala and required water, salt. turmeric powder, kuzhambu powder and hing. Mix well and allow it to boil for 5 mins in medium flame.



7. Add roasted brinjal and left oil in kadai to the kuzhambu and allow it to boil in medium to low flame, until raw smell of masala vanish off. Finally add coconut milk and just boil it for few mins. Oil oozes out from side of kadai and its right time to switch off the flame.



8. Sprinkle coriander leaf and switch off the flame.

Flavourful, tasty Ennai Kathirikai Kuzhambu is ready to be served.

Tips:

1. Small brinjal gives good taste to this kuzhambu. I didn´t get small brinjal here, so I have used medium sized brinjal.
2. Instead of large onion, shallots can be used (10 nos).
3. Ensure seedless tamarind is used or while soaking remove seeds.

Simple, Quick and Aromatic Rasam

From my childhood my favorite dish is rasam. I remember, I have learnt this recipe from my grandma and repeated making this recipe to get perfection continuously for 10 days during my school holidays. I used to grind the rasam powder using hand (in ammi) and still when ever I make this recipe I remember her though she is no more. My father loves my rasam too much and my hubby started eating rasam after our marriage. It is very easy to make and aroma of rasam will sustain throughout the house.

Preparation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins
Serves: 4 nos

Ingredients:

Tamarind - Gooseberry size
Tomato - 1
Rasam Powder -fresh coarsely grounded
Sugar - 1/4 teaspoon
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Asafoetida  Hing - 1/2 teaspoon
Coriander leaves - 2 tablespoon
Salt - to taste

Ingredients for Rasam Powder:

Coriander seeds - 2 tablespoon
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tablespoon
Black pepper - 1/2 tablespoon
Toor dal - 1/2 tablespoon
Red Chilli - 1 no
Curry leaf - 1 tablespoon

For Tempering:

Ghee - 2 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Curry leaf - 1 tablespoon
Red chilli - 1 no
Jeera - 1/4 teaspoon (semi crushed)
Garlic - 2 nos (Semi crushed)

Preparation Method:

1. Dry roast coriander seeds, Toor dal, pepper cons, cumin seeds, Red chilli and curry leaf in medium flame and keep aside.



2. Coarsely grind the roasted ingredients in mixer.



3. Slit skin of tomato and allow it to boil in a cup of water separately. Once tomato is boiled, remove it from boiling water and remove the skin.



4. Smash tomato using hand and keep it aside.
5. Extract tamarind juice and add smashed tomato, coarsely grounded powder, turmeric powder, hing and needed salt to it. (~ 3-4 cups)



6. In medium flame, allow the mixture to boil.
7. Once rasam is boiled, froath is observed on top. Switch off the flame and add little sugar and coriander leaves.



8. Simultaneously heat ghee in a small kadai and fry mustard, curry leaf, red chilli, jeera and semi crushed garlic. Add this tempering to rasam and close the rasam with lid immediately.



Serve this hot rasam as soup or with steam rice and raw banana fry. Yummy, tasty and aromatic rasam is ready to be served.

Tips:

1. Dont´t over boil rasam, as it will give bitter taste.
2. Always boil rasam in medium flame.
3. Tempering should be done in ghee for rasam. Crushed garlic can be added more according to taste. Ghee fried garlic adds flavor and aroma to rasam.
4. Adding a pinch of sugar will aloow the rasam to settle down faster and adds good taste to rasam.
5. Always try to grind fresh powder for rasam.

Yellow Pumpkin Soup

I am a soup lover and try different varieties of soup. My favorite soup was Hot and sour veg soup which I have shared in my blog earlier. Recently I have tried Yellow pumpkin soup, which my sister used to feed his son when he was young. This soup is rich and creamy. I love this soup as it is so creamy and good filler. In Paleo diet, we can take this soup along with paneer tikka for night dinner. Even sugar patients can drink this soup along with 2 brown bread which can be served as dinner.

Preparation time : 15 mins
Cooking time - 35 mins
Serves - 4 nos

Ingredients:

Yellow pumpkin - 2 cups (diced cubes)
Onion -1 (Medium, diced)
Tomato - 1 (small, diced)
Capsicum - 1/2 (diced)
Green chilli - 1/2
Garlic - 1 pods
Ginger - 1/2 inch
Coriander leaf - 1 tablespoon
Curry leaf - 1 tablespoon
Turmeric powder -1/2 teaspoon
Chilli powder -1/2 teaspoon
Butter - 2 tablespoon
Coconut milk - 1 cup
Water - to boil
Salt - to taste
Pepper - 1/2 teaspoon

Preparation Method:

1. Cut the external layer of yellow pumpkin, remove seeds inside and dice it to cubes. Wash 2 to 3 times and keep aside. Slice onion, tomato, capsicum (red/yelloe/green) and chop green chilli, coriander leaf.



2. In a thick kadai/ sauce pan add pumpkin, onion, tomato, green chilli, capsicum, garlic, ginger, curry leaf, coriander leaf, turmeric powder, chilli powder, butter, salt and finally sufficient water to boil.



3. Allow all the ingredients to boil approximately 20 mins in high flame.  Ensure no raw smell remains. Once all vegetables are cooked, strain the water and keep aside. Allow cooked vegetables to cool off.
4. Blend all the vegetable to fine paste in mixer.



5. Mix vegetable paste, strained water, coconut milk and allow it to boil again. Finally adjust salt and switch off the flame.



While serving srinkle little peeper and add a tablespoon of fresh cream.

Yummy, creamy and rich soup is ready to be served.

Tips:

1. Ensure all vegetables are boiled, if not while drinking soup we can feel the smell of raw vegetables.
2. Don´t add too much garlic or ginger, it will overpower the soup flavor.
3. Soup can be served with thick brown bread. It is best dinner for sugar patients.