27. Ennai Kathirikai

Ennai kathirikai is an excellent gravy. Though the name has oil in it, we actually need very little oil.
Deep fried thali vadam or appalam or arisi appalam will be a good combination with hot rice.

Ingridients: (2 persons)

Small baby brinjal - 250 gms
Tamarind - small lemon size
Salt -1tbs or to taste
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Hinge - a pinch

For grinding:

Channa dal - 1tbs
Daniya - 1tbs
Red chilli - 4
Meth seeds - 1/2tsp
Hinge a pinch
cooking oil - 3tbs

Seasoning:

Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Hinge - a pinch
Curry leaves- a few.

Method:

1. Extract tamarind juice and keep aside.
2. Add1/2 tsp of oil and roast the ingredients mentioned till channa dal turns brown and grind it to coarse powder with few curry leaves.
3. Wash  brinjal and split on top into 4 quarters leaving the bottom of the brinjal. This makes it easy to stuff.
4. Stuff the brinjal with ground powder.
5. Add the rest of the oil and season as mentioned.
6. Add the brinjals and saute for a minute.
7. Add tamarind extract, turmeric powder, hinge, salt and curry leaves.
8. Allow it to boil then bring it to medium flame. Close the kadai and leave it till the brinjal gets cooked.
9. If the consistency is not thick enough. add a spoon of rice flour made into thick paste and stir immediately. Serve hot with chips or anything of your choice. 

22. Parupu urundai kuzhambu

Paruppu urundai kuzhambu is a delecious and nurtitious gravy/kuzhambu. Keerai and any vegetable will be a good combination along with rice.

Ingredients:
Toor dal - 1 cup
Red chilli - 5 or 6
Tamarind - 1 lemon size
Turmeric powder - a pinch
salt - 1tbs or as required
Hinge - a pinch
Sambar powder - 2 1/2 tsp




Seasoning:
Oil - 1tbs
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Hinge - a pinch
Red chilli - 1
Curry leaves - few

Method:

1. Soak Toor dal in hot water for 15mins.
2. Extract tamarind paste.
3. Boil tamarind water with salt, turmeric powder and hinge.
4. Allow the tamarind water to boil for 5mins, meanwhile grind soaked dal, red chiili, salt and a pinch of hinge with few curry leaves into a coarse paste with minimum water. When it is rolled into balls it should retain the shape for some time. 
5. Now add sambar powder to boiling tamarind water after adding it in a small cup of water so that there won't be any lumps. Allow it to boil for 5 more minutes.
6. Use a flat vessel or kadai for boiling tamarind water. This helps the dal balls to have enough space to get cooked.
7. While the water is boiling, bring the flame to sim and drop the dal balls one by one gently with out they touching each other.
8. Do not disturb the setup and allow it boil in medium flame.
9. The balls which get immersed first will start to float once it is cooked. Now gently stir the gravy without disturbing the balls.
10. The ground paste of dal can be kept a little, and can be added to the gravy after mixing with some water. This gives a little thickness to the gravy.
11. Season the gravy and serve it hot or cold.

Note: Care should be taken that the gravy may get stick to the bottom of the vessel which may lead to char.
If the dal paste is too watery, the balls will loose its shape once dropped in the gravy.
If stirred before the dal balls are cooked also will collapse the balls and they will not stay in shape. It should not be too dry which will make the balls hard after cooking. 

23. Mambazha kuzhambu

Mambazha kuzhambu is another kuzhambu/gravy which can be prepared only during mango season. It's delicious and different. Actually mango has lot of nutrients and available only during summer season. So to make use of maximum use during this season, this gravy can be a good option.

Ingredients: (For 4 to 6 persons) 
Ripe mangoes small in size ; 5/6
Tamarind - a lemon size
Hinge : a pinch
Turmeric powder : a pinch
Salt: to taste (1tbs)
Curry leaves: a few


For grinding: 
Channa dal: 2tbs
Daniya: 2tbs
Red chilli : 5 or 6
Methi seeds : 1tsp
Hinge: a pinch


For seasoning: Method:
Mustard seed : 1tsp
Hinge : a pinch
Red chilli: 1
Curry leaves : a few

1.  Extract tamarind juice, add turmeric powder, hinge and salt.
2. Allow it to boil. Take something hard and just pierce the mangoes on three or four points and drop them in boiling tamarind water.
3. Allow the mangoes to get cooked.
4. Grind the ingredients mentioned into a fine paste.
5. Mix well to the tamarind water and mix well.
6. Allow it boil for 2 mins, season and serve with rice and any vegetable

24. Pidikaranai Masiyal

Pidikaranai Masiyal is a simple kuzhambu/ gravy with out dal. Pidikarani is in between size of yam and colocasia . It looks like sweet potato and is a variety of yam. It hels reduce constipation , decreases bad cholesterol and fights agains colon cancer. 

 Ingredient: (4persons)

Pidikaranai - 3 or 4

Tamarind -  lemon size

Green chilli - 5/6

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Hinge - a pinch

Curry leaves- few

Salt - 1tbs or to taste

Seasoning: 

Mustard seed - 1tsp

Methi seeds - 1/2 a tsp

Hinge - a pinch

Curry leaves - a few

Method:

1. pressure cook karanai kizhangu.
2. Season and add green chillies cut in lenght wise and saute for a second.
3. Extract and add the tamarind juice. 
4. Boil tamarind extract, seasoned items along with turmeric powder, hinge and salt.
5. Peel the skin of the karanai kizhangu carefully with out touching the pulpy portion as it may cause itching. Smash it.
6. Mix it with tamarind extract. Boil it for 2 mins.

26 Uppuchaar

Uppuchaar is a kuzhambu/gravy. It is a Tirunelveli special dish. It's different than other kuzhambu varieities. Keerai masiyal, dangar(a type of raitha) and uppuchaar are a good combination.

Ingredients:

Tamarind - a lemon size

Brinjal - 2

Lady's finger - 4

Kothavarangai/cluster beans(optional) - few

Salt - 1tbs or to taste

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Hinge - a pinch

Curry leaves

For grinding:

Urid dal -2tbs
Sesame seeds - 1tbs
Methi seeds - 1/2 tbs
Raw rice - 1/2tbs
Red chilli - 6
Hinge - a pinch

For seasoning:

Gingely oil - 1tbs
Mustard seeds
Hinge a pinch
Curry leaves

Method:

1. Cut the vegetables into two or four pieces each.
2. Extract tamarind juice and add salt, turmeric powder, hinge and the cut vegetables. 
3. Allow it to boil till the vegetables get cooked.
4. Dry roast sesame seeds seperately till it splutters. Keep aside
5.  Dry roast urid dal, methi seeds and raw rice.Keep aside
6. Add little seasame oil and roast the red chilli with hinge.
7. Grind red chilli hinge and sesame seeds into fine powder with few curry leaves. Add roasted urid dal, methi seeds and raw rice and grind it to coarse powder.
8. Add gingely oil and season. To this add the ground powder and saute slightly then add it to the tamarind juice with the cooked vegetables. 
9. Allow it to boil for a minute.
10. If the consistancy is not thick enough, take 1tsp of rice flour made into thick paste, add and stir well.

Dangar

Ingredients:
A cup of thick fresh curd
 Dry roasted urid dal powder-1tsp
Salt to taste
coriander leaves
Hinge - a pinch

For seasoning:

mustard seeds - 1,2tsp
hinge- a pinch
Urid dal-1/2 tsp 
Red chilli-1
Green chilli -1 (cut into small bits) 
grated ginger -a pinch
Few curry leaves.

Method:

1. It is a curd pacchadi (raitha).
2. Add a 1tsp of dry roasted urid dal powder to a cup or curd. Add salt to taste. 
3. Season . Add coriander leaves cut into very small pieces.