Kuzhambus- the gravies of South India.

Moong dhal & masoor dhal - each ¼ cup (soak together for 30 mts)

Choppe ginger, garlic (optional) - 1 tsp each

Green chilli - 1, slit

3-4 ladies’ finger - cut into 1” long

Cluster beans - ½ cup (1: long)

Brinjal pieces - ½ cup (1” long)

Drumstick - (cut to 2” pieces)

Carrot cubes - ¼ cup

Potato cubes - ¼ cup

Sweet corn kernels - ½ cup

To temper:

Oil + ghee - 1 tbsp

Jeera - 1 tsp

Hing, salt

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - few

Pressurise dhals with haldi, ginger, garlic & green chilli till soft.

Remove the chilli & mash.

In a pressure pan, temper as given, add all vegetables & sauté for 5 mts.

Add ½ cup of water, little salt & cook for one whistle.

Cool, open & add the dhal mixture.

Add water to get the required consistency & simmer for about 10 mts.

This is a very tasty dhal.
one dish dhal.jpg

Let me first tell you something deceptively simple but very successful.
I plan to post this in Tips.
Methi leaves:
Pick clean leaves, wash thoroughly, drain & spread on a cloth for 3-4 hrs.
They become perfectly free from moisture.
Now take them in a shallow vessel, smear a tsp of oil on the leaves with hand & MW hi for 2-3 mts. They become absolutely crisp. If necessary MW for a mte or so more.
Cool & crumble with your palm & preserve in the fridge. I use this for methi paratha, the following dhal etc.

Methi leaves (if not by the above method, chop fine & use) - 1 cup

Tur dhal - 1 cup

Jaggery - 2 tsp

Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Salt, haldi

To temper:

Ghee - 1 tbsp

Hing - ¼ tsp

First wash & soak for 30 mts, then pressurise tur dhal with haldi, adding 3 cups of water till soft.

Mash, add jaggery & chilli powder.

Simmer for a few ts & remove.

Temper & add hing.

Next add methi leaes & sauté for 2 mts.

Pour this over the cooked dhal, mix & serve hot with rice+ghee or rotis..
methi dhal.jpg

Pressurise together till soft:

Tur dhal - 1 cup +2 cups of water

Minced green chillies+ginger - 2 tsp

Chopped palak - 3-4 cups

Haldi

Cool & whisk well.

Temper:

Ghee - 1 tbsp

Bay leaf - 1

Cloves - 2,3

Red chillies 2,3 broken

Jeera - 1 tsp

Hing - ¼ tsp

Add tempered ingredients to dhal & simmer to blend.

Remove & add lime juice to taste.
palak turdhal.jpg

Moong dhal - 1 cup

Peeled & chopped Ridgegourd - 4 cups

Minced green chilli-ginger - 2 tsp

Finely chopped onions - 1 cup

Salt, haldi

To temper:

Oil + ghee - 1=1` tsp

Jeera - 1 tsp

Hing - ½ tsp

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Garam masala - ½ tsp (or more)

Pressurise dhal with haldi, & minced green chilli-ginger till soft, in a pressure cooker.

Cool & whisk.

Heat 1 tsp oil & sauté the onions till glossy.

Add vegetable pieces & just ½ cup of water.

Cover & cook till tender.

Mix both dhal & vegs & simmer adding salt.

Heat ghee & temper as given.

Mix well & garnish with coriander leaves.
ridgegourd dhal.jpg

Jiffy morkuzambu:

The following powder, if made & stored helps one make morkuzambu in 5 mts. If you want to add vegetables, it takes, one-whisle time or the vegetable-cooking time.

Roast to golden brown on a dry kadai & powder:

Gram dhal - 4 tbsp

Red chillies - 8-10

Jeera - 3 tsp

Methi & pepper - ½ tsp, each

Curry leaves - few
Jiffy MK-1.jpg

Jiffy MK-2.jpg

Beat one cup of thick curds well, add to it 1 tbsp of the above powder & mix thoroughly.

In a kadai, heat 1 tsp oil & temper 1 red chilli, mustard seeds, methi seeds (or powder) & curry leaves.

Add the above mixture & switch off immediately.

Keep stirring for 2-3 mts & add salt.

If adding vegetables, boil them with littler salt & minimum water & then add curd-mixture. Temper last.

jiffy MK-4.jpg

Yellow moong dhal - ½ cup

White radish, grated fine - 1` cup

Jeera - 1 tsp

Bayleaf - 1 no:

Cloves - 3

Minced green chillies & ginger - 1 tsp, each (or to taste)

Salt, haldi, hing

Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Ghee - 1 tbsp

Chopped coriander leaves

Cook dhal, radish, haldi & little salt with 2 cups of water till the dhal is tender.

Whisk well to mash.

Heat ghee & temper with the spices, hing, green chilli-ginger minced, chilli powder
And sauté for 2-3 mts.

Add the dhal mixture, a little more salt & more water, if necessary.

Simmer to blend & remove.

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

mooli dhal.jpg

This is a mild, not-spicy dish.

Sweet potatoes (medium) - 3

Chopped tomatoes - 3, medium

Green chillies - 3-4, slit

Coconut milk - 1 cup (1/3 cup fresh coconut +1 cup warm water, blended & strained)

To temper:

Oil - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Cinnamon - 1 “

Cloves - 3-4

Salt

Peel & chop sweet potato into cubes.

Boil in 1 cup of water.

When cooked, temper as given & add.

Next add chopped tomatoes +green chillies.

Cook for a few mts.

Finally add coconut milk & salt.

Simmer for a few mtes & remove.

It tends to thicken on cooling; so make this slightly loose.

Goes with rice+ghee and roti also.
sweetpotato melgore.jpg
melgore.jpg

Dosakkai is the cucumber variety, popular in Andhra.
dosakkai.jpg
Slice from both ends & test for bitterness. Peel & cut into 1 cm cubes.

Tur dhal - ½ cup

Dosakkai cubes - 1 cup

Green chillies - 2 (slit long)

Tomatoes - 2, copped

Tamarind paste - 2 tsp (or to taste)

Chilli powder - 1 tsp

To temper:

Ghee - 2 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Urad dhal - 2 tsp

Chopped garlic - 1 tsp (optional)

Salt, haldi, hing, curry leaves

Chooped coriander leaves - to garnish

Boil dhal with green chillies & haldi till soft.

Whisk well & keep.

In a pressure pan, heat ghee & temper as given.

Add chilli powder & tomatoes, sauté well & add dosakkai cubes.

Add salt, tamarind paste & just ½ cup of water & cook for a whistle.

Cool, open, add cooked dhal & simmer.
Adding little jaggery when simmerng enhances the taste.

Garnish & serve with hot white rice+ghee or roti.
dosakkai pappu.jpg

This is an extremely simple kuzambu to make.

Any variety of mango suits this dish. Peel, cut & blend.

Pulp - 2 cups

Ghee - 2 tsp

Jeera - 1 tsp

Hing - ¼ tsp

Red chilli powder & dhaniya powder - 1 tsp, each (more, by option)

Salt, haldi

In a kadai, heat ghee & temper jeera & hing.

Add masalas, fry for a few secs & add ½ cup of water + salt.

When it starts boiling, add the pulp.

Simmer to boil & remove.
Ripe mango gravy.jpg

There is no tamarind; it is best made with a single vegetable, like, avarakkai, snakegourd, french beans, cabbage or brinjal.

You can use either of the following dhal combinations -

half tur dhal+half moong dhal,

half moong dhal+half masoor dhal or

plain tur dhal.

Uncooked dhal (any combination) - ½ cup

Cubed vegetables - 3 cups

Sambar powder - 2 tsp

Hing - ½ tsp

Salt, haldi

To temper;

Oil - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Urad dhal - 2 tsp

Curry leaves - few

To the cooked dhal, add vegetables, sambar powder, hing & salt& cook for 1 or 2 whistles depending on how fresh the vegetables are.

Add less water because if the consistency is thick, it can be diluted by adding little more boiled water.

Cool, open & temper.

Goes best with rotis or rice, raitha, roast curry & papad.

Tur dhal+moong dhal+avarakkai
easy pk-avarakkai.jpg
Tur dhal+beans
Easy PK-beans.jpg
moong dhal+masoor dhal
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moong dhal+cabbage
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tur dhal+ masoor dhal
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