Poosanikai vathal/ Kuzhambu vathal/Ash gourd vathal

Poosanikai vathal is the easiest and very tasty vathal. Also we can use the entire ash gourd unlike the other ash gourd dishes. It is a South Indian dish.

Ingredients: 

Ash gourd / white poosanikai - 1/2 kg

Urid dal - 1 cup

Red chili - 10 to 15

Hinge- 1/4tsp

Fresh curry leaves - few

Salt - as required (1tbs)

Method:

1. Wash the ash gourd and remove the skin and keep aside. you can cut off the skin along with some flesh which will be easier.
2. Take the urid dal and red chili in a broad vessel.
3.  Cut the flesh part along with the seed into small pieces and add over the urid dal. Mix well. Leave it aside for at least 2hrs. Urid dal gets soaked by the water in ash gourd pieces.
   
   
   
4. Grind the skin first well and then grind the urid dal, red chili, salt, hinge, curry leaves and ash gourd pieces into a coarse paste.
   
   
   

 5. Using a table spoon, drop on a plastic sheet and dry under the sun for two days and store in an air           tight container.

Tips:

• You can cut the ash gourd and soak the urid dal the previous day evening, grind and refrigerate. 
• Next day morning you can put the vathal before 8am.
•  Do not soak urid dal separately which will increase the water and it might affect the consistency.
• This can be fried in very little oil and used for verum kuzhambu , more kuzhambu instead of the vegetable as a than.
• This can be used in seasoning keerai masiyal by breaking it into bits along with vepambu and other ingredients.
  
  
  
  

Javvarisi/Sabudana vadam

 Javvarisi vadam

It is the simplest vathal. Also very tasty. It can be used as a evening crispy snack. It can be used as a substitute  for potato chips and as a side dish for any mixed rice, sambar sadam etc.,

Ingredients:

Javvarisi - 1kg 

Green chilli - 20

Salt - as needed (add lesser than usual because when dried in sun it will be more salty.

Lemon - 5

Any thick plastic sheet for drying the vadam

Water - 25 cups

Hinge - 1tsp

Method 

1. Soak javarisi in a big vessel with a thick base, the previous day. Pour water from the measured quantity of water till it comes well above the javarisi. Check after 2 hours it will be fluffy and add some more water if the water is absorbed completely  
2. It should be soaked for 7 to 8 hours. If you soak it at 12 noon, you can prepare the koozh at 7 or 8pm. If the koozh is prepared the previous day night, we can add the lemon juice the next day morning as it will be cooled. The vadam can also be put in the plastic sheet befor 8am to avoid the scorching heat of the sun later during the day.

3. Take half of the rest of the water and start boiling it.

4.Grind the green chilli and salt, hinge into a fine paste. Add it to the boiling water and allow it boil for some time. 

5.Add the soaked javarisi and stir well with a ladle. Once it starts boiling add the rest of the water if any, slowly and keep stirring.  

6. Once again when it starts boiling, keep the stove in sim. It is better to use pressure cooker. Keep stirring till the javarisi gets cooked. 

7. Most of the javarisi turns transparent once cooked. But some may not turn transparent. But it will be cooked. You can check it by smashing it. 

8. Cover it air tight and leave it. 

9. Next day morning add the squeezed lemon juice to the koozh and mix thoroughly. 

10.Spread the plastic sheet, take a tbs of the koozh and drop it on the sheet. The koozh should not be too thick nor too thin. Some javarisi may require more or less than the specified quantity of water. 

11. Dry it in hot sun for 3 days. The vadam will come out automatically.  Store in air tight container. It has shelf life more than a year.

12.Heat cooking oil in a pan and deep fry the vadam. If the vadams have some hard beads while biting, then dry for it one more day.

 

 

 

 

 

         

Tips: 

• During the month of panguni (March 15th to April15), the temperature will be apt. 
• There will be no air movement which will avoid the dust particles sticking to the vadam. Dry the vadam and finish it before 8am to avoid the heat of the day. 

• If you want you can add colors to the koozh.  Adding fine paste of mint leaves/ coriander leaves/tomatoes can add flavors and colors to the vadam. Plain vadam will also be delicious.