Araithu vitta vathakuzambu - has a different taste ! This can be completely prepared with tamarind alone. I am giving a method using tomatoes & little coconutmilk. Vegetables of your choice – drumstick, brinjal, ladies’ finger etc can be used. Vegetables - 1 cup ( cut into 1 “ cubes) Give a boil & blend together with ½ cup of water: Tamarind paste - 2 tsp Tomatoes - 2-3 Add 1 cup of warm water & take milk from: Grated coconut - 3 tbsp To roast in ½ tsp oil & grind to a paste: Red chillies - 4,5 Pepper - ½ tsp Urad dhal - 1 tsp Gram dhal - 1 tsp Jeera - ¼ tsp ( optional) Hing - ½ tsp Curry leaves - few To temper: Oil - 1 tsp Mustard seeds - ½ tsp Curry leaves - few You can fry 2 chopped tomatoes & grind with the above. It gives good texture & taste. In a pressure pan heat 1 tsp oil & fry the vegetables lightly. Add tomato-tamarind pulp, coconut milk, ground paste, salt & enough water. Close the cooker, keep the weight & cook for one whistle. Open & temper.
Methi - Tomato Kuzambu - very different & very tasty ! I make this kuzambu, withut tamarind, but using amchur powder, to give a very different taste. This goes well with rice as well as chappathis. One can completely avoid onions in this - it taste equally good. Methi leaves bunch - big 1 or 4 small Tomatoes - 2, big ( deskin & chop) Onions - 2 ( optional ) Amchur Powder - 2 tsp Salt, haldi Roast dry & powder coarse: Red chillies - 2 Jeera - 1tsp (without onion, ½ tsp ) Dhaniya - 2tsp Seasame seeds - 2 tsp Peanuts: - 2 tbsp To temper: Oil - 2 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Wash & drain the methi leaves completely. Heat oil in a kadai, temper mustard seeds. Add methi leaves, salt & haldi. Then add onions & fry till the colour changes. Now add tomatoes & fry till they become pulpy. Mix& cook till the mixture blends well. Add amchur powder,sprinkle the made powder & mix thoroughly. Add more water to get the required consistency. Simmer & remove.
Sphagetti Pal Kuzambu - Very novel & tasty ! Only green chillies are added for spice & so use to your discretion. Cooked sphagetti - 1 cup Potatoes - 2 (medium ) – cut into cubes Carrots - 2 (medium ) – cut into cubes Cauliflower - 1 cup ( small flowerettes) Peas - ½ cup Coconut grated - 1 cup Oil - 2 tbsp Cinnamon - 1” Cardamom - 3 Cloves - 3 Onions - 2 big ( chopped ) - optional Garlic - 7,8 ( chopped ) - optional To grind to a fine paste: Green chillies - 5-6 ( or more) Khus khus - 3 tsp Cashewnuts - 10 (or use 2 tsp melon seeds) Salt Take 1 cup first milk & 3cups second milk from the coconut. Boil sphagetti in plenty of water to which a little oil & salt are added. Remove in 3,4 mtes & drain. Rinse in cold water & smear 1 tsp oil on it to prevent their sticking to eachother. Keep boiled sphagetti ready. In a vessel, heat oil, fry cinnamon, cloves & cardamom. When they pop up, add onion & garlic & fry till their colour changes. Add second milk, all vegetables, salt & cook on a medium flame. When the vegatables become soft, add the ground paste & give a boil. Now simmer the stove, add first milk & mix well. Add sphagetti, allow everything to blend well on a low fire & remove.
Mango Gotsu - No tamarind, no tomato please ! This goes well with idli, dosai, pongal, kozakkattai, arisi upma etc. Mango, fairly sour, medium size -1 – chop into small cubes Brinjal - 2 - chop into small cubes Capsicum, medium - 2 - chop into small cubes Yellow pumpkin -- 1 piece - chop into small cubes (optional) Green chillies - 7,8 – slit into 2 Cooked tur dhal - ½ - 1 cup Salt, haldi Roast dry in a kadai & powder: Red chillies - 7, 8 Dhaniya - 1 tbsp Gram dhal - 1 tbsp Hing - ½ tsp Curry leaves - few To temper: Oil - 1 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Methi seeds - ½ tsp Red chillies - 3,4 To garnish: Chopped coriander leaves - few In a kadai, heat oil & add all tempering ingredients. Add the cubes of capsicum, brinjal & green chillies. Saute well &add 2 cups of water. Add cubes of mango & yellow pumpkin. Now add salt, haldi & cookthe vegetables till soft. Halfway through add the powder mixed with 1 tbsp of water. Finally add as much cooked dhal as is necessary to get the required consistency. Simmer till well blended & remove. Garnish with coriander leaves. This is an ideal side dish for idli, dosai, upma, kozakkattai etc.
Morsambar - You will ask for " more" ! Vegetables like white pumpkin, brinja, drumstcks can be used. Cut as for sambar. Vegetables - 1 cup Sour thick buttermilk - 3 cups Cooked tur dhal - 2 tbsp Salt, haldi To roast in ½ tsp oil & grind: Grated coconut - 2 tbsp Red chillies - 5, 6 ( to taste) Dhania - 2 tsp Gram dhal - 3 tsp Methi seeds - 1 tsp ( to give a nice taste) To temper: Oil - 1 tsp Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Red chillies - 3, 4 Curry leaves - few Cook vegetables in minimum water, say ½ cup with little salt & haldi. When they are soft, add cooked dhal & ground paste. When the mixture boils together for 2-3 mts, add buttermilk & simmer. When it froths, remove, add salt & mix very well. Temper as given.
Sweet Vathakuzambu - Our Family Special ! Sweet potoes or ripe yellow pumpkin are suitable. I am giving a method using tomatoes & little coconutmilk. For this mainly green chillies are used & very little sambar powder. Give a boil & blend together with ½ cup of water: Tamarind paste - 2 tsp Tomatoes - 2-3 Vegetables - 1 cup ( cut into 1 “ cubes) Add 1 cup of warm water & take milk from: Grated coconut - 3 tbsp Cut vegetables into 1 “ cubes. Sweet potato may be lightly peeled & ripe yellow pumpkin should be peeled. Vegetable cubes - 1 cup Green chillies - 7,8 slit into 2 Sambar powder - 1 tsp Salt, haldi Hing - ½ tsp Jaggery - 2-3 tbsp To temper: Oil - 3 tsp Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Tur dhal - 2 tsp Methi seeds - ½ tsp Hing - ½ tsp Curry leaves - few In a pressure pan, heat 2 tsp oil. Temper tur dhal, methi seeds & hing. When they are fried, add slit green chillies & then sambar powder. Then add tamarind-tomato mixture, coconut milk, vegetables & salt. Adjust the consistency so that it does not become thin, but remains medium. Close the pan & put the weight. Cook for 1 or 2 whistles, depending on how soft, you prefer the vegetable to be. Cool & open. If the consistency is not right, add little rice flour mixed with 2-3 tsp water to the same & boil. Add powdered jaggery & simmer. Remove & temper mustard seeds & curry leaves in 1 tsp oil.
Mampaza Puliseri - the ultimate delight with ripe mangoes For this, country variety is ideally suited with its rustic rich flavour. Ripe mangoes(sweet)- 2 big or 3 medium Fairly sour curds-2 cups Grated coconut-1 cup Green chillis- 6 ( more or less) To temper: Coconut oil - 1 tsp 1 tsp mustard seeds 1/2 tsp methi seeds Red chillies - 1 curry leaves Steam the fruits, cool, deskin and remove the pulp. Pass it through a blender for a smooth texture. Grind coconut and green chillis to a fine paste. Beat the curds well. Mix all the three , put in a saucepan and heat the mixture on medium heat. As soon as it starts frothing, remove, add salt and stir continuously for a few minutes. Temper as given.
Mampaza Sambar - The sweet & sour kuzambu of South India. For making this dish freshly ground masala tastes better than sambhar powder. Generally for cooking ripe mango curries, Nattu (Nadan) variety mango is good enough. Ripe mangoes 2 medium or 3 small Cooked tur dhal ½ cup Tamarind paste 1 tbsp To roast in 1tsp oil & grind Red chillis about 6 Methi seeds ½ tsp Dhania seeds 4 tsp Gram dhal 2 tsp Grated coconut 2 tbsp Hing powder 1 tsp Curry leaves few Green chillies (slit ) 3-4 Salt,haldi. To temper: Oil 1 tsp Mustard seeds 1 tsp Red chillies 2 Chopped coriander leaves Keep the cooked & mashed tur dhal ready. Mix the tamarind paste with 2 cups of water. Take the mango fruit, steam whole, de-skin, remove the pulp & put in a blender to get a smooth texture. Fry the given ingredients & grind to a smooth paste. Mix the cooked dhal, mango pulp, tamarind water, ground paste, slit green chillies, salt & haldi in a pressure pan. Cook till one whistle comes. Remove, cool, open & temper. Add chopped coriander leaves.
Kollu Sprout Sambar - a delicacy with kollu sprouts Sprouted Kollu - ½ cup ( Refer to http://www.indusladies.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16556&postcount=159) Sambar vegetables - of one’s choice Sambar powder - 2-3 tsp Salt, haldi Boil or MW together & blend Tomatoes - 3 Tamarind paste - 1-2 tsp Water - ½ cup To temper: Oil - 2 tsp Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Red chillies - 2,3 Hing - ¼ tsp Curry leaves - few Pressure cook kollu sprouts with water for 3-4 whistles. Open, cool & blend. Mix tamarind-tomato mixture, kollu sprouts boiled & blended, vegetables for sambar, sambar powder, salt & haldi in a pressure pan to the desired consistency. Cook for 1 or 2 whistles. Cool, open & temper.
Methi Balls kuzambu - Yet another " urundai kuzambu". Cleaned & chopped methi leaves - 1 cup Tamarind paste - 2 tsp ( or little more to taste) Grated coconut - ½ cup To grind for the urundai: Tur dhal - 3 tbsp Gram dhal - 3 tbsp Red chillies - 3 Green chillies - 3 Hing - ½ tsp Salt To grind for gravy: Onion - 2 Garlic - 4,5 pieces Green chillies - 4,5 Tomatoes - 3 To temper: Oil - 2 tbsp Jeera - 1 tsp Add 1 cup warm water to coconut & take milk. To tamarind paste add 1 cup of water, salt & haldi. Grind the ingredients for the urundai, add chopped methi leaves, roll into balls ( do not make tight balls). Steam for 6,7 mts. Heat oil, temper jeera & add the second paste. Fry well till the raw smell goes. Add tamarind – coconut mixture. When it boils well, add urundais, simmer & remove.