Snake gourd kootu recipe | Pudalangai kootu

I had this kootu in my friend ‘B’s place,she made this with her yummy tangy,spicy kaara kuzhambu so this one made an awesome combo with its mild and flavorful taste! We make it usually with moong dal and sambar powder. But this is so easy and so different from the usual recipe, so obviously I loved it. So tried it.

Pudalangai kootu recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Indian  |  Recipe Category: Lunch
Prep Time: 15 mins    |  Cook time: 15 mins    |  Serves: 2

Ingredients

Snake gourd - 2 cups, chopped

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Kadalai paruppu/ channa dal - 1/4 cup

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Paasi paruppu /mung dal - 2 tblsp

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Turmeric - 2 pinches

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Salt - As needed

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To grind

Coconut - 1/4 cup

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Rice flour - 1/4 tsp

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Green chilli - 2-3 nos

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Cumin seeds - 3/4 tsp

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Small onion/shallots - 2 nos.

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To temper

Oil(I used coconut oil) - 1 tsp

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Mustard - 3/4 tsp

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Urad dalSna /Ulutham paruppu - 1 tsp

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Curry leaves - A sprig

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Method

1. Clean and cut the snake gourd to ur desired size cubes.I chopped little fine.

2. Take both the dhals in a small pressure cooker and just add enough water to immerse the dal. Add turmeric and stir well.

3. Add the chopped veggie over it (don’t stir)
 
4. Pressure cook till 2-3 whistles in medium flame.(I kept in one of my  pressure cooker container,along with rice..not directly.You can follow stove top method as well!)

5. Grind the coconut,rice flour and green chillies first ,with little water and then add the cumin seeds and shallot lastly and grind coarsely.
6. Open the pressure cooker after the pressure gets released by itself.Add the ground paste  and salt and mix in well and bring to boil.

7. After it boils,switch off the heat and temper it with the items given under the To temper table.

Serve as accompaniment with vatral kuzhambu or kaara kuzhambu… I tasted with roti,tasted good too :)



One sad news 😭 I dropped my camera down and my lens which I use for taking step wise picture is stuck…I have to take it to Nikon service centre and get it done,which will not happen in recent days. May take more than 2 weeks. Still I have another lens,so hopefully I will post some recipes but not sure about stepwise pictures!  Even this was lying in my drafts as this is a simple and boooooring recipe😰.

And since most of you all are going on break and holidays,I am wishing you all bloggers and my readers A HAPPY NEW YEAR!  Wishing each and every one a Prosperous New year!!


Catch you all after New year!

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Kalkandu pongal recipe, how to make kalkandu pongal

Kalkandu pongal (sugar candy pongal) is one of my hubby’s favorite sweet,I make this now and then,so thought of posting here... Sorry for the too 'close up' shots in step wise as I clicked with a zoom lens:(  My mom make sakkarai pongal often, but MIL makes this often, sometimes for special occasions, sometimes, in ordinary days too! I have added half kalkandu and half sugar as they say too much of kalkandu may not suit some people.

Kalkandu pongal recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Indian  |  Recipe Category: Sweet
Prep Time: 5 mins    |  Cook time: 25 mins    |  Serves: 2

Ingredients

Raw rice - 1/2 cup

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Paasi paruppu /Moong dal - 1 tbsp

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Sugar +sugar candy(kalkandu) - 3/4 cup(together in equal ratio)

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Clarified butter/ Ghee - 4 tbsp

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Milk - 1/4 cup

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Cardamom - 1, powdered

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Raisins (optional) - 1 tbsp

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Cashew nut - 5

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Edible camphor (Optional) - Mustard size

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Saffron (Optional) - 5 strands

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salt - A generous pinch

How to make kalkandu pongal step by step method:

1. Powder the kalkandu and sugar and keep aside. This is totally an optional step, as I dont like the sound of kalkandu while stirring in it, I follow this step ;)
2. Fry paasi paruppu with a drizzle of ghee till nice aroma comes,in a pressure cooker directly.(You can skip this step as well)Wash rice and add it along with water,use 1:4 ratio(so I added 2 cups here).Pressure cook for 4 whistles and after done,mash it by adding milk.
3. Keep again the cooker, over heat and add the powdered kalkandu&sugar. Add saffron and edible camphor at this stage, if adding. Soak saffron in milk before adding. Keep stirring adding ghee in between,for 5-8 minutes in medium low heat.Add elachi lastly and fry the cashews and raisins in ghee and mix in to the pongal .

My hubby never likes elachi, cashewnuts or raisins in any of the sweets, so I never add too. Just garnished for photo sake ;) I have not added saffron and edible camphor too, but it adds a real nice flavour. You can use milk in place of water too for richness.

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Puli saaru, vendhaya vengaya rasam

Puli saaru is a type of rasam,we make when we get bored of sambar and kuzhmbu and or sometimes we feel to have rice for dinner,yet we need it to be light meal and also easy to make. Puli saaru helps in these situations,I make this and just make a simple poriyal or just fry vadavams as side. Some call this Vendhaya Vengaya Rasam too…  So here’s a comfort dish,yet a flavorful,spicy one.   I never make this if I don’t have shallots.

Ingredients:

Tamarind	Small gooseberry sized
Shallots/small onions	10 nos.
Tomato	1 medium sized
Green chillies	7
Coriander leaves	chopped,1 tblsp(optional)
Sugar	1/4 tsp
Salt	As needed

To Temper:(Don’t miss Anything)

Oil	3 tsp
fenugreek seeds	3/4 tsp
Mustard	3/4 tsp
Toor dal	1 tsp
Curry leaves	1 sprig
Asafetida powder	1/4 tsp

Method:

1. Extract tamarind juice and mix 2 –  2& 1/ 2 cups of water and keep aside.
2. Chop onions and cut tomatoes into cubes,slit the green chillies.
3. Heat a pan with oil and temper with the tempering items,given in the table in the same order.
4. Add onion and green chillies and fry till onions turn transparent.Add the tomatoes and fry for 2 mins in medium flame to make it soft.
5. Add the tamarind extract and salt,sugar and bring it to boil and let it boil for just 2 mins.
6. Transfer to the serving bowl and garnish with coriander leaves if desired.

Note:

If you like asafetida smell you can add a pinch of raw powder, after u add  tamarind extract.The smell of asafetida is a plus for this You can replace green chillies with red chillies and add it while tempering.

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Mixed vegetable kurma recipe (Mixed veg kurma)

Vegetable Kurma recipe - This kurma is made in pressure cooker and it tastes very similar to hotel kurma. Made with mixed vegetables.
This is a wonderful kurma I found in Prema’s Cook book blog!  I have made this so many time and now ended up in a modified recipe,which suits my family’s taste.. I usually make this kurma with chapathi but as Prema have mentioned this goes well with poori…Also tastes the best with Parotta.. 


Updated video: How to make mixed vegetable kurma. Please note that, the recipe in this video is slightly different from the given recipe with step by step pictures. The slight variations I have done in the video are : 1)used finely chopped garlic in place of ginger garlic paste and used ginger in grinding part, 2) Grinding part has few badam in place of khus khus, 3) added few green chillies and reduced red chilli powder, 4) added few mint leaves in the grinding part.

 Mixed vegetable kurma recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Indian  |  Recipe Category: Side dish
Prep Time: 15 mins    |  Cook time: 20 mins    |  Serves: 4

Ingredients

Potato - 1

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carrot, small - 1

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beans - 10

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cauliflower - 12 small cut pieces

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peas - 1/4 cup

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onion - 2, small sized

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tomato - 2, large

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ginger garlic paste* - 2 tsp

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turmeric - 1/8 tsp

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red chilli powder - 1 tsp

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garam masala - 1/2 tsp

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curry leaves - 1 sprig

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coriander leaves,chopped - 2 tbsp

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salt - as needed

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To Temper

Cardamom - 1

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Clove - 1

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Cinnamon - 1 inch piece

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Bay leaf - 1

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Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

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Oil - 2 tblsp

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To grind

Coconut - 3 tblsp

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Fennel - 3/4 tsp

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Khus khus or badam - 3/4 tsp or 4

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cashew nuts - 6

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Fried gram dal(pottu kadalai) - 1 tbsp

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Method

1. Chop the veggies to fine cubes, chop the onions and tomatoes finely. Grind the ingredients under the table “To grind”  to a  smooth paste.

2. Heat a small pressure cooker/pan with oil and add the tempering items in the table “to temper”. After the cumin splutters,add curry leaves .Add onion and fry for a minute and add the ginger garlic paste and fry in low flame till the raw smell of the ginger garlic paste disappears.

3. Add tomato, salt and give it a fry. Add red chilli powder, garam masala powder and turmeric powder. Fry until mushy. Add ground paste.

4. Fry in low flame till the raw smell goes off(3-4 minutes approx.). Add the chopped veggies except cauliflower. Add a cup of water and mix well.Check for salt. Bring to boil and lastly add cauliflower (kept immersed in hot water plus turmeric). Mix well and close the lid.

5. Pressure cook for a whislte in medium flame. Open and add coriander leaves. I added in previous step and pressure cooked. You can follow any method as per your preference.

Note

• Please dont skip curry leaves and coriander leaves as it gives a nice flavor.
• You can also add soya chunks with the veggies. 
• If you dont have ginger garlic paste, add finely chopped garlic after cumin seeds and fry till fragrant, followed by onion. Ginger can be ground with grinding items.

I have made in larger quantities two three times for get together,never failed, hope this helps budding cooks….Tastes very similar to hotel kurma😊

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