15. Morkuzhambu

Morkuzhambu is the best gravy that goes with the side dish parupu usili. Other fried vegetables like potato, brinjal, bitter gourd(midhi pavakai) okra, coccinia/ ivy gourd/ kovaikai and kothavangai/ cluster beans.
This is the important south Indian gravy in weddings and other functions. Iyangars and tamil brahmins main dish.

Ash gourd is the best vegetable used for this gravy. Okra, brinjal, and capsicum.

Sundaikai vathal, ash gourd/ poosani kai vathal, vendaikai vathal can also be fried and added lastly instead of the  vegetable.

We can also use parupu urundai instead of the vegetable.

Ingredients:
Chopped vegetable - 1 cup
Curd/ butter milk (sour) - 1 cup
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Hinge - a pinch
Salt - 1 tbs

For grinding:
Grated coconut - 2 tbs
Toor dal - 1 1/2 tbs
Channa dal - 1/2 tsp
cumin seed/ jeeragam - 1/2 tsp
Green chili - 7
coriander leaves- little
optional
corriandar seed ( roasted with little oil) - 1 tsp
Urid dal (roasted with little oil) - 1/2 tsp

For seasoning:
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Red chili - 1
Methi seeds- few
Hinge - a pinch
curry leaves - few
coconut oil/cooking oil - 1 tsp

Method :

1. Soak the items given under grinding for half an hour except coconut, coriander and green chili. Boiling water if used may reduce the soaking time for 15 minutes.
2. Grind the soaked items along with coriander, coconut and green chili into a fine paste.
3. Cook the chopped vegetables with salt, turmeric powder and hinge in 1 cup of water.
4. Mix the ground paste, Add enough water so that the consistency is not very thick. 
5. Boil the mixture.
6. Churn the curd. Add to the boiling mixture.Do not boil too much. Just when the mixture rises up switch of the stove.
7. Season and serve.

Note: For parupu urundai, Soak 1 cup of toor dal separately with 6 red chilli for half an hour. Grind into coarse paste along with salt. curry leaves and hinge. Make the paste into small balls and steam cook for 15 minutes, Add the ball to the boiling mixture. Then add curd and stir well.

 Constant stirring is very important for this gravy.

You can also add roasted coriander seeds and roasted urid dal each half tsp for grinding.

14. Morum puliyum kuzhambu

Morum puliyum kuzhambu is an aweome gravy. Any vegetable vathakal will be good combo along with keerai masiyal. Any vegetable like brinjal, ladies finger. ash guard can be used in the gravy.  Fried sundaikai can also be used,

Ingredients:
Tamarind - half lemon size
Vegetable chopped- 1/2 cup
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Hinge - a pinch
Salt - 1 tbs
curd / butter milk - 1 cup

For Grinding:
Urid dal - 2 tbs
Methi seeds - 1 tbs
Raw rice - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli - 8
Hinge - a pinch
Grated coconut -2 tbs
Oil - 1 tsp

For seasoning:
Oil- 1 tsp
Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - few

Method:
1. Extract tamarind juice and cook the vegetables in it adding salt, turmeric powder and hinge.
2. Fry the ingredients given under grinding except coconut.
3. Grind the fried items with coconut into a fine paste,
4. Mix the paste well with boiled  tamarind extract with the cooked vegetable. Stir well so that no lumps are left.
5. Add buttermilk. If you are using curd, churn well and add to the mixture,
6, Allow it to boil for a second.
7, Season and serve hot.

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.

12. Keerai kuzhambu

Keerai kuzhambu

It is a simple side dish for lunch that goes with any fried vegetable curry like brinjal, kovaikai, sepangkhangu, lady's finger, potato and carrot. Mulai keerai/ arai keerai/ siru keerai can be used. Lettuce can also be used.

Ingredients:

Toor dal - 1 cup 

Tamarind - 1 big lemon size.

Green chilli - 7

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Hinge - a pinch

Salt - 1tbs

Keerai - 1 bunch (kattu)

Seasoning:

Sesame oil - 1tsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Channa dal -1/2 tsp

Urid dal - 1/2 tsp

Red chilli - 4

Methi seeds - 1tsp

Hinge - a pinch

Method:

1. Clean the greens and soak in water for 10 minutes and rinse twice and cut into small pieces.

   

   
   
   
   
   
2. Pressure cook toor dal with turmeric powder and hinge. Smash well and keep aside.
3. Soak Tamarind in hot water and extract the syrup.
4. Season all the ingredients add tamrind water and greens (keerai).
5. Cut the green chillies in length wise and add to the tamarind water. Allow it boil till the leaves are cooked.
   
   
   
6. Add smashed toor dal and allow it boil. If the consistency is watery add rice flour paste to thicken.

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.

10. Puli sertha poricha kuzhambu

Puli sertha poricha kuzhambu

We can use any vegetable or mixed vegetables. only with ash guard or only with brinjal and lady's finger will also be good. On dwadasi day, brinjal and lady's finger puli sertha kzuhambu will be the main dish but pasi parupu will be used. Other vegetables like chow, ash guard, avaraikai, vazhakai, drumstick can be used.

Ingredients:
thur dhal/ moong dhal - 1 cup
tamarind - 1lemon size
salt -1 tbs
hinge - a pinch
turmeric powder
curry leaves
chopped vegetable - 1cup

For grinding:
oil - 1tsp
Urid dal - 1 1/2tbs
pepper -1/2tsp
red chilli - 5
daniya -1tsp
methi seeds- 1/2tsp
hinge - a pinch

For seasoning:
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
hinge - a pinch
curry leaves
grated coconut -1tsp
oil - 1tsp

Method:

1. Pressure cook the dhal with hinge and turmeric powder and smash well and keep it aside.
2. Extract the tamrind juice to 1 1/2 cups and cook the vegetables adding curry leaves, turmeric powder, salt and hinge.
3. Roast the ingredients for grinding and grind it to fine paste.
4. Add the paste to the smashed dhal mix well and then add to the boiling tamarind juice with the vegetables. Boil for two minutes.
5. Season with the ingredients given.

Keerai (spinach) masiyal சுவையான கீரை மசியல்

Keerai masiyal

This is the best side dish along with vatha kuzhambu, verum kuzhambu mor kuzhambu and milagu kuzhambu,
Mixed with little of this kuzhambu and keerai will be delicious side dish for curd rice.

Ingredients:
Spinach - 1bunch (1 kattu arai/ siru/ mulai keerai)
Salt - 1/2tsp
Rice flour - 1tsp
Hinge - a pinch
Lime (Chunnambu) - a pinch

For seasoning:
Urid dal - 1tsp
red chilli  -2 (broken)
Hinge - a pinch
vepambu dried - 1/2 tsp (optional)
poosanikai vathal/ kuzhambu vathal - 2 (broken)
Coconut oil/ cooking oil - 1tbs

Preparation:
Washing and cleaning the spincah is very important.
Separate the leaves and very tender stem from the bunch.
Soak in water in a big vessel for atleast 10 mins. Rinse well.
Slowly take out the leaves from the top of the water leaving the mud particles at the bottom. You may use strainer. Do this at least two time and then wash under running water once. Leave it for a while for the water to drain.

Method:

1. Cook the spinach in a vessel along with a cup of water, salt and hinge by stirring occasionaly.
2. Strain the remaining water in a vessel and take the spinach and just whip in once or twice in the mixer jar. You may use blender also.
3. Now transfer it to the vessel and clean the jar using the cooked water. 
4. Add rice flour and mix well. Boil it for once.
5. Season all the ingredients mentioned. This is the most important one. As much as possible have all the ingredients mentioned. This adds the flavor and taste.

Note: While whipping in care should be taken that the water is strained completely and whipped once or twice only. It helps to have spinach coarse.