Old is gold.

Thengai-Mangai-Pattani Sundal - Feeling nostalgic about a visit to Marina beach ?

Dry white peas or green peas can be used. I made it with white peas.

Dry peas - 1 cup

Salt, soda

Cocunut pieces, finely chopped - 1-2 tbsp

Sour mangoes, finely chopped - 2 tbsp

To temper:

Oil - 2 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Urad dhal - 2 tsp

Green chillies - 3, 4, chopped

Curry leaves - few

Hing - ½ tsp

Wash & soak the peas in water with a pinch of soda for about 8 hrs.

Again wash, add with little salt & just enough water in a pressure pan.

Cook for just 2 whistles.

Overcooking will make it mushy.

Cool, open & strain.

In a kadai, heat oil & temper as given.

Finally add the cooked peas & sauté for a while.

Switch off & add coconut & mango pieces.

 

Gramdhal Sundal - Simplest, yet tastiest sunadal.

Gram dhal - 1 cup

To crush together:

Grated coconut - ½ cup

Green chillies - 2

To temper:

Oil - 2 tsp

Red chillies - 2, 3

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - few

Lime juice - 2-3 tsp

Salt

Soak gram dhal in water for 2 hrs.

Cook in minimum water with little salt in a pressure pan for 2 whistles.

Strain – the water can be used for rasam.

Heat oil in a kadai & temper as give.

Add dhal & sauté for a few mts.

Add coconut mixture & switch off.

Add lime juice to taste.

Moong dhal ( pasi paruppu) can be made in the same way, but soak for just 15 mts. Make sure, it does not become mushy.

 

Sprouts Sundal - the “no-cook" sundal” !

Moong sprouts - 1 cup

Tomatoes - 2, chopped

Green chillies - 2, slit into 2

Jeera powder - ½ tsp

Amchur powder - ½ tsp

Salt

Chopped coriander leaves - 1 tbsp

Boil 2 cups of water in a vessel.

As soon as it boils, drop the sprouts in water, switch off & cover the vessel.

After 10 mts, drain & cool.

Add all other ingredients & garnish with coriander leaves.

 

Black Channa Sundal – the last in the Sundal series.

Black channa - 1 cup

Salt, soda

Tamarind paste - 1 tsp

To fry in ¼ tsp oil & powder:

Red chillies - 3, 4

Dhaniya - 2 tsp

Hing - ¼ tsp

To temper:

Oil - 2 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - few

Wash & soak channa in plenty of cold water with ¼ tsp soda for 10 hrs.

Wash & cook with little salt in water till soft.

Drain & keep ready.

Mix tamarind paste with the powder.

In a kadai, heat oil & temper as given.

Add powder-paste mixture & mix well.

Saute on a low flame for a few mts.

You can prepare all whole pulses this way. If you prefer, add amchur powder instead of tamarind paste.

 

My dear Kalpana !

Thankyou for the prompt F b .
Please do not try with store bought rice flour. The result may not be good.
Either the pagu patham was more or you slightly overcooked. But do not lose hope, athirasam can be slightly tricky.
Love & regards,
Chithra.

 

Venni - similar, yet different from Aviyal !

This is a traditional side dish for Podiyarisi Kanji.

This is very similar to aviyal, but the sourness comes from raw mango fully.
Besides, tempering is done, unlike aviyal.

Please refer to the recipe of aviyal.
Do not add tamarind.

Vegetables like White pumpkin, pudalangai, raw mango, raw banana, carrot, drumstick can be used.

Just like for aviyal, grated carrot can be substituted or added to grated coconut.

Grind coconut and green chillies coarsely and do not add jeera.

When it boils add butter milk ( not sour) and when it foams add curry leaves.

In one spoon coconut oil temper mustard , red chilli and add this to this.

 

Uluthamkali – Ideal to give girls attaining puberty.

This is a high-protein dish. This is tyically made in deep south and given to young girls & is believed to strengthen waist and hips. It is ideally given to pregnant ladies also.

Urad dhal - 1 kg

Raw rice - 125 gms

Moong dhal - 125 gms

The above three are roasted, individually to golden colour.

Cool & grind in a flour mill. Sieve.

Sieved flour - 1 cup

Jaggery powder 1 ½ cups ( karuppatti or black molasses is best used)

Ghee - ½ cup

Add water to jaggery till it just dissolves completely, heat to dissolve & strain.

Make it up with water to 3 cups.

Fry the flour in 2 tbsp ghee & add to this.

Mix well without lumps.

In a broad vessel, boil this mixture, stirring continuously & adding rest of the ghee gradually till the mass does not stick to hand anymore & the whole mass leaves the sides of the vessel.

Some add little gingelly oil at the end.

Serve hot.

 

My dear Mohana,
It is a typical South recipe ! No wonder, we both love it ! I have extra flour - how do I send you, tell me ??!!
Love,
Chithra.