21. Pitlai

Pitlai  is a kuzhambu vaiety. Any fried vegetable is a good combination. We can make pitlai with pakarkai/bitter gourd, brinjal or jack fruit seed.

Ingredients:
Toor dal - 3/4 cup
Channa dal - 1/4 cup.
Tamarind - 1 lemon size
Turmeric powder - a pinch
salt - 1tbs
Hinge - a pinch
vegetable - 1cup
Black channa or ground nut - 1tbs

For grinding:
Coriander seeds - 1tbs
Channa dal - 1tbs
Hinge - a pinch
Red chilli - 5
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Oil - 1tbs  for frying the above

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

Method:

1. Pressure cook Toor dal and channa dal together.
2. Extract tamarind paste.
3. Cook chopped vegetables and channa in tamarind water with salt, turmeric powder and hinge.
4. Roast the items given under grinding till the dal turns brown. Grind along with coconut.
5. Mix cooked and smashed dal with the ground paste and add to the tamarind paste.
6. Allow it boil for a few seconds.
7. Season and serve hot.

Note: Chop pakarkai in round shape. If you use brinjal chop into small cubes. If you use jack fruit seed, cook it in pressure cooker in a separate vessel along with dal and remove the white skin. cut them into small cubes.

20. Killi thirumari parupu kuzhambu

This is a modified form of parupu kuzhambu, Vegetables like brinjal and okra(both or any one) or drumstick can be used.

Ingredients: 
Toor dal - 1 cup
Chopped vegetable - 1 cup
Tamarind - 1 lemon size
salt - 1tbs
Hinge - a pinch
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Curry leaves

For grinding:
Channa dal - 1tbs
Daniya - 1tbs
Hinge - a pinch
Fresh curry leaves - few

For seasoning:
Oil - 1tbs
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli - 7 ( broken)
Methi/vendhayam - 1tsp
Hinge - a pinch
Curry leaves

Method:

1. Dry fry the items given under grinding and make it a coarse powder. Leave it aside.
2. Pressure cook the dal.
3. Extract 3 cups tamarind juice and cook the chopped vegetable in it adding turmeric powder, hinge, curry leaves and salt.
4. Smash the cooked dal and mix the ground powder.
5. Season the items and add the mixture and tamarind juice with cooked vegetables. Allow it boil.

19. Vendhaya kuzhambu

Vendhaya kuzhambu is a simple gravy and a good combination with keerai masiyal and brinjal or other fried vegetables,

Ingredients: 
Chopped brinjal and okra/lady's finger - 1/2cup
Tamarind - a lemon size
Salt - 1tbs
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Fresh curry leaves - few
Hinge - a pinch
Rice flour - 1 tbs

For seasoning:
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Toor dal - 1tsp
Channa dal -1tsp
Methi/ vendhayam - 1tbs
Hinge - a pinch
Gingely oil - 1tbs
Red chilli - 8

Method:

1. Extract 3cups of tamarind syrup and leave aside.
2. Heat the oil in a kadai add mustard. After it splutters add broken pieces of red chilli, toor dal, channa dal, methi and hinge.
3. Fry till the dal turns dark brown and add half of the curry leaves and the chopped vegetables.
4. Saute fora while and add turmeric powder followed by tamarind paste , salt, hinge and rest of the curry leaves.
5. Allow it to boil till the vegetables get cooked.
6. Add rice flour paste to get a thick consistency.

Thengai kuzhambu

Thengai kuzhambu is a simple side easy to do and very tasty with any vegetable curry. Vegetables like lady's finger, brinjal, capsicum, drum stick and ash guard can be used.

Ingredients:
Vegetable pieces - 1 cup.
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Rice flour - 1tbs
Salt - 1tbs

For grinding:
Grated coconut - 1 cup
Cumin seeds(jeera) - 1/2tsp
Daniya seeds (coriander seeds) - 1/2tsp
Red chilli - 7
Tamarind - 1 lemon size
Hinge - a pinch

For seasoning:
Oil - 1tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Hinge - a pinch
Curry leaves

Method:

1. Cook the vegetable in one cup of water adding salt, turmeric powder and hinge.
2. Soak tamarind in hot water. Remove the seeds and seed coats if any.
3. Grind coconut, cleaned tamarind, jeera, red chilli, daniya and hinge into a thick paste.
4. Add the paste to the cooked vegetable and mix well. Add 2 cups of water.
5. Boil it for 3 minutes. Add rice flour paste and mix well. Boil again for a minute.
6. Season with the given ingredients.

Note: If the consistency is thin add some more rice flour paste.

11. Puli illa poricha kuzhambu and puli keerai

Puli illa poricha kuzhambu and puli keerai

This is an excellent and exclusive lunch combo of my in-laws native, Tirunelveli.  Mixing rice with ghee or coconut oil and having these side dishes will be nutritious and tasty.

Puli illa poricha kuzhambu 

Ingredients:

Toor dal - 1cup

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Hinge - a pinch

Rice flour - 1tbs

Salt - 1tbs

Brinjal - 1/4 Kg 

Snake guard (pudalangai) - 1

Cluster beans - few (optional)

For grinding:

Grated coconut - 1 ladle (karandi)

Jeera - 1/2 tsp

Pepper - 4

Red chili - 2 (or you can use  1 red chili and 1 green chili)

For seasoning:

Coconut oil - 1tbs

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Urid dal - 1/2 tsp

Jeera - 1/4 tsp

Hinge - a pinch

Curry leaves

Method:

1. Pressure cook the Toor dal with turmeric powder and hinge.
2. Cut all the vegetables into very small pieces and cook in a vessel adding turmeric powder and hinge.
   
   
   
3. Grind all the ingredients given into fine paste. 
   

   

   
   
   
   
4. Mix the paste, cooked and smashed toor dal and cooked vegetables.
5. Season with the ingredients mentioned.
   
   
   

Puli keerai

Any greens like arai keerai, mulai keerai, siru keerai or the lettuce can be used.

Ingredients:

Keerai - 1kattu (bunch)

Tamarind - 1 small lemon size

Salt - 1tbs

Hinge - a pinch

Seasoning: 

Sesame oil - 2 tsp

Red chlli (broken)- 5 or 6

Methi seeds - 1tsp

Hinge - a pinch

Method:

1. Clean the green, Soak in water for 10 minutes and rinse well twice to remove the mud and odour.
2. Soak the tamarind in hot water and extract one cup of thick syrup. 
3. Cook the keerai (greens) in tamrind water with salt and hinge. Smash well, Add rice flour, mix well.
4. Season with the ingredients mentioned and boil once.
   

   

   
   
   
   

Note: You can grind tamarind removing the seeds and seed coats and other unwanted things in it after soaking in hot water. Greens can be smashed using blender or you can smash it in mixie but water should be removed and whipper switch should be used once or twice only.

1. parupu kuzhambu

Parupu kuzhambu is the simplest gravy.
Vegetables that can be used - Brinjal, ash guard, carrot, raddish, drumstick, lady's finger,capsicum etc
Ingredients:
Thur dhal - 1cup
Tamrind - 1 big lemon size
Salt - 1tbs
Hinge - apinch
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Sambar/ kuzhambu podi - 2 and 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves
coriander leaves
Green chilli - 3

For seasoning:
Mustartd seeds - 1/2 tsp
Hinge - a pinch
Red chilli -1
Curry leaves
Gingely oil/ ghee - 1tsp

Method:

1. Soak thur dhal and tamrind in separate vessels in hot water.
2. Pressure cook thur dhal adding hinge and turmeric powder.
3. Add salt to the soaked tamarind and extract the juice. (you can use two cups of water to squeeze the tamarind)
4. Cook the vegetable in tamarind water adding turmeric powder.
5. Fry the sambar powder adding very little gingely oil and add to the tamarind juice.
6. Mash the cooked thur dhal and add to the tamarind, sambar powder gravy.
7. Add green chillies (choped lenght wise) and boil the mixture for 2 mins.
8. Season it using the items given under seasoning.