PARUPPU PODI (SPICED LENTILS POWDER)

PARUPPU PODI (SPICED LENTILS POWDER)

Paruppu Podi with steaming hot rice is food for the soul. It is a saving grace when we are not feeling well or tired and lazy to cook an elaborate meal. Whenever we go to the restaurants and order an Andhra meal, my hubby Yo completely relishes Paruppu podi mixed with steaming hot rice and a dollop of ghee.

Nowadays, we can buy Paruppu podi from the shops and they come in various permutations and combinations and do taste good. But nothing can beat the aroma, the flavour and the taste of the freshly roasted and ground podi at home.

Mix hot steaming rice with some Paruppu podi and ghee or Gingelly oil and it’s a one pot meal. Some fried and roasted papadam will do well with it.

There are many variations to this recipe. Below is an absolutely divine recipe. This is my grandmother’s recipe and I got this from my cousin sister. I made it for my trip overseas and it was definitely a hit. Do try it and enjoy.

Ingredients

Toor Dal (Split Pigeon Peas) – 1 Cup

Chana Dal – 2 tbsps (Split Bengal gram dal)

Red Chilly – 3 Nos.

Peppercorns – 1 tsp

Asafoetida – ¼ tsp

Salt as per Taste

Method

Dry roast the ingredients till the dals turns into a golden brown color. Add in the salt and asafoetida.

Once it’s cool, grind it into a fine powder.

Enjoy yummy paruppu podi with hot rice and a dollop of ghee or gingelly oil.

Store the remaining in an air tight jar for enjoying later.

Tips

·         You can add 1 tbsp of Urad Dal (Split Black Gram/ White lentil). Just roast along with the above ingredients and grind.

·         You can add curry leaves, Wash, dry and roast along with the above ingredients and grind. Gives a good aroma and is good for health too.

·         You can add Garlic. Just peel and roast 4-5 cloves of Garlic along with the above ingredients and grind.

·         You can add 1 tbsp of Desiccated coconut powder (dry). This can be dry roasted and added. (If you add coconut it won’t have a longer shelf life).

PEERKANGAI THOGAYAL (RIDGE GOURD CHUTNEY)

PEERKANGAI THOGAYAL (RIDGE GOURD CHUTNEY)

Thogyal’s are an integral part of “Tambram”(Tamil Brahmin) cuisine. Life without thogayals would be life without spice for a south indian.

Thogayals add that extra zest to a bland meal, an extra flavor and an extra zing to your palate.

Thogayals are made using different vegetables, but ridge gourd is one of the very popular vegetables added to the conventional thogayal.

Ingredients

Ridge gourd – 1

Skinless split Black gram (Udad dal) - 2 tbsps

Bengal gram (Chana dal) – 1 tbsps

Dried red chillies -2-3

Tamarind – small lemon size

Asafetida (Hing) - ½  tsp

Curry Leaves – 8

Salt as per taste

Method

Heat oil in a Wok (kadhai), Add the udad dal, chana dal and the red chillies and roast until the dals turn pink and the chillies turn plump. Keep aside on a plate.

Now add the coconut, salt, curry leaves and asafetida and roast until the coconut is light pink in color and a lovely aroma is emanating, allow this to cool down as well.

Now, run the roasted dal mixture in the dry mill of your blender to a coarse powder consistency. Keep aside.

Then run the coconut mix and keep aside.

De-skin the ridge gourd (you can add the skin as well provided it’s not very sharp and stringy). Chop the peeled ridge gourd. Meanwhile in the same wok, add some oil, once it’s hot, add the chopped ridge gourd pieces and the ridge gourd skin as well incase you are using and a pinch of salt.

You will notice that the ridge gourd mixture becomes watery, sauté until all the water evaporates. Keep aside.

Once it cools down, run in the blender. Then add this paste with the blended coarse dal and coconut powders.

Check for the salt, if required, add at this stage Run once more in the blender with some water (about 4-5 tablespoonful), this time don’t run the blender too much, just one spin would be enough. Just remember, don’t make it a fine powder. The mix should be coarse. 

This should be coarse as shown in the picture not too fine.

If you grind all the ingredients together and not separately as directed then you will notice that the dals don’t get powdered and if you run it too much to ensure that the dals get powdered then the mixture will be too fine and not so tasty.

All the ingredients get grounded at different levels hence it has to be done separately.

The best way to grind it is always using a stone manual grinder and if not you can achieve the similar taste if you grind in the wet/dry automated grinder which we use nowadays to grind idly/ dosa batter.

PARUPPU THOGAIYAL (A Chutney made with Lentils)

PARUPPU THOGAIYAL (A Chutney made with Lentils)

After the Diwali snacks and sweets onslaught, I am thinking of foods which are easy to digest and lighter on the stomach. Togayal is one such dish which usually is a treat to the taste buds and light on the stomach as well. Thogayal is generally served as an accompaniment to a meal.

I made bottle gourd kootu and paruppu thogayal and it felt like a slice of heaven.

Paruppu thogayal can be eaten with Idly, dosai or any snack. We can also eat this by mixing it with hot rice and a dollop of ghee or some gingelly oil.

This thogayal can be made with Moong dal or toor dal. I used moong dal as it’s a healthier option.

Ingredients

Yellow split Moong dal / Pigeon Pea (Toor dal) – 1 cup

Coconut – 2 tbsps (Freshly grated)

Dry red chilli – 1 (To taste)

Curry leaves – A sprig

Peppercorns – 1 tsp

Asafetida – ½ tsp

Salt as per taste

Oil – 1-2 tbsp

Method

Heat oil in a Wok (kadhai), Add the Yellow split moong dal or Toor dal (whichever you are using) and the red chillies and roast until the dals turn pink and the chillies turn plump. Keep aside on a plate. Dry roast the peppercorns and keep aside. Now add the coconut, salt, curry leaves and asafetida and roast until the coconut is light pink in color and a lovely aroma is emanating, allow this to cool down as well.

Now, run the roasted dal mixture in the dry mill of your blender to a coarse powder consistency. Keep aside.

After this, run the roasted coconut. Mix the dal mixtures and coconut mixture together.

Check for the salt, if required, add at this stage Run once more in the blender with some water(about 4-5 tablespoonful), This time don’t run the blender too much, just one spin would be enough. Remember, don’t make it a fine powder. The mix should be coarse.  

This should be coarse as shown in the picture not too fine. If you grind all the ingredients together and not separately as directed then you will notice that the dals don’t get powdered and if you run it too much to ensure that the dals get powdered then the mixture will be too fine and not so tasty. All the ingredients get grounded at different levels hence it has to be done separately. The best way to grind it is always using a stone manual grinder and if not you can achieve the similar taste if you grind in the wet/dry automated grinder which we use nowadays to grind idly/dosa batter.

TOMATO THOKKU / THAKKALI THOKKU

TOMATO THOKKU / THAKKALI THOKKU
I had bought a kilo of tomatoes accidentally not knowing that there was huge bag of tomatoes lying in my fridge already. Since I had so many tomatoes and I knew that they surely would spoil. I sorted them and picked out the red ripe tomatoes and decided to make this awesome Thokku. (Read all about thokku in this link). Thakkali thokku tastes awesome with curd rice, bread, dosas, chappatis or absolutely anything
The cooking of the tomatoes takes time but the thokku has a shelf life of weeks and you can enjoy it everyday. I have used to 10-12 tomatoes which gives me about 300gms of thokku. If you want more use more tomatoes.

Ingredients
Tomato – 10 - 12
Tamarind paste – 1 tbsp
Fenugreek powder – 1 tsp
Asafoetida - a pinch
Red chilly powder – 1½ tbsp
Mustard seeds for seasoning – 2 tsps
Sesame (Til) oil – 8-10 tbsps
Method
Wash and wipe the tomatoes. Chop them and grind them in a blender along with 1 tablespoon of the tamarind paste. Blend into a puree.
Now in a wok heat 8-10 tablespoons of oil, Add in the mustard seeds and when it crackles, add in the fenugreek powder, red chilly powder, asafetida(referred to as masala hereon) and salt and fry for a few seconds. Be careful and don’t let it get black.
Now, add the Tomato puree and cook until the water evaporates. Check for salt. If required you can add some more at this point.
Cook covered as the water in the tomato starts to splutter.
Cook until you see the tomato puree starts to leave the sides of the pan and the oil starts separating from the mixture.
This indicates that the thokku is done. Turn off the heat and let the thokku come to room temperature, after which you can store it in an air tight container and enjoy as a condiment with any of the dishes mentioned above.
Yo(my husband) was eating it with bread and saying that it tastes great and my mom has it with her curd rice. You can even add some to plain hot rice, mix well, add some oil if you want and eat it plain with papad. "Thokkun chaadam"(Thokku rice)
This can be stored in the refrigerator for many weeks like any other pickle.

(Above picture - A closer look at the tomato thokku)
Tips
• I had readymade fenugreek powder, for those who don’t have it. Dry roast a tablespoon of fenugreek seeds and powder it to use in the thokku. Make it fresh, it tastes better.

• Once the mustard splutters, the temperature of the oil will be very high, so reduce the flame of the gas to sim and add in the powders and when you see them froth just wait for about 10-12 seconds, be careful don’t let the masala get black. Frying the masala imparts great taste to the thokku. If you are not confident, then you can add the masalas later to the puree.
• For those who like garlic, you can add 4-5 pods of garlic (4-5 for Indian garlic which is small in size), if using the bigger sized ones that we get abroad, make it half of the said quantity. Fry the garlic well after the mustard splutters and then add in the masala. If you want you can use garlic paste as well, but ensure to fry it well else the thokku won’t be aromatic.

• You can add chinna vengayam(madras vengayam/shallots/ mini onions), but always fry them once the mustard splutters.

• My mom usually adds green chillies . If you are using green chillies reduce the amount of red chilly powder, else your thokku will be very spicy.

• My grandmom used to add a bit of ginger. When you are adding ginger, make a paste and fry well after the mustard splutters.

You can try any variation that you desire and enjoy this awesome finger licking thokku.

AMMA'S MOLAGAPODI / MILAGAI PODI / IDLI -DOSA PODI (DRY CHUTNEY POWDER) (BRAHMIN STYLE MOLAGAPODI) "BEST RECIPE"

AMMA'S MOLAGAPODI / MILAGAI PODI / IDLI -DOSA PODI (DRY CHUTNEY POWDER) (BRAHMIN STYLE MOLAGAPODI)

"THIS IS THE BEST RECIPE FOR MILAGAI PODI ONLINE" 

Believe me, I have tried various permutations and combinations from various blogs in pursuit for a change but this is by far "the bestest" recipe. 

This is also special because it is my Mother's recipe.
Amma's molagapodi was fondly called as Gun powder by my friends at school and college. 

Milagai podi is Colloquially called Molaga podi / Molaha podi. 

Molagai / Molahai / Milagai are all the same it means Chilly and Podi means powder. 

Molagapodi, when translated actually, means chilly powder, but this is not chilly powder, it has a recipe with a few ingredients, most of which are staples, usually available in Indian kitchens, chilly being "one "of the ingredients. 

This powder is usually spicy and goes well with bland dishes like Idli and Dosai. 

Molagapodi is a standard chutney powder available in most South Indian homes as a side dish for snacks.

It's handy to have this when there is no time to prepare chutneys and sambhars. 

I can't do without Molagapodi in my home. What is an Idli or a Dosai without Molagapodi.
Even if there is chutney and sambhar, I still need molagapodi, I see my daughter's following the same too....so much is the love for molagapodi.
It's one of the staple spice powders of my kitchen, I also use it while preparing vegetables. It adds to the crispness and spice of the vegetables. 

This is my mom’s recipe of the Molagapodi. I could say my mother is one of the connoisseur’s of this powder and makes the best molagapodi in this world. She has fans all over.

When I got married and moved to Singapore, Amma would pack me a year's supply of Molagapodi  which would last me until my next visit to India, until I thought, its high time I learnt the recipe from her. 

A taste of heaven, I must say. So here’s my mother's famous recipe of the Best Molagapodi in this world right from my mother’s kitchen. 

Some make this so spicy that it cannot be consumed by the faint hearted, but, of course, my mother's recipe will not be very spicy as she doesn’t like anything too spicy, so for those who like to tantalize their taste buds, you can go ahead and increase the number of red chilies to suit your tastes. 

Ingredients
Udad Dal – 1 cup
Chana dal – 1cup
Red chillies – ½ cup (broken into small pieces and tightly packed)
White Sesame Seeds – ¼ cup
Oil - 1 tsp
Asafoetida (Hing) – 1-2 teaspoons
Salt to taste

Method
De-stalk the red chillies. Preferably use Kashmiri chillies as they give a strong color to the powder and aren’t so spicy. Break the red chillies into smaller pieces (to enable easier powdering). 

Heat oil in a Wok /Pan (kadhai) and fry the red chillies on a slow fire till the chillies turn plump, this also removes the raw smell (pachai vaadai) of the red chillies. 

Keep aside on a plate.
Now in the same pan, add the Udad dal and Chana dal and roast till it is light pink in colour.
When it is well roasted, a lovely aroma is emanated. 

Roasting makes the dals crisp and enables the dals to get powdered easily. It also enables to store the masala powders for longer time. 

Once roasted, remove from flame and allow to cool.
In the same Pan, roast the White sesame seeds. Sesame seeds should be roasted separately as they get roasted very fast unlike the dals, When the sesame seeds start spluttering, remove from fire and allow to cool down. Do not roast until discolored.
Grind the dals and the chillies together to a coarse powder in the dry blender / mixie, keep aside.

Grind the sesame seeds separately, Don’t grind the sesame too much as it will become oily and form lumps and the molagapodi will have the lumps in it as well. Just grind until you see that it breaks and is powdered. 

Now mix the powdered sesame seeds with the rest of the ingredients, Add Salt and Hing and mix well. 

Store in an airtight container.

This powder goes well with Idli, Dosai, Adai etc. 

It can be used as a Masala while preparing vegetables. Why my appa likes it with even Curd Rice.

Serving Instructions 

• Take some powder on your plate, make a well and add gingelly oil and mix and enjoybelow. 

Tips

• Molagapodi. if made in small quantities and when "fresh" tastes better than Molagapodi which is one year old. 
• If making big batches, avoid oil in the recipe. Store in the deep freezer in airtight zip lock bags.
• Molagapodi tastes best when mixed with Gingelly(Sesame) oil (A word of Caution: don't use any other oil, for best results it must and only be mixed with gingelly oil also known as Sesame oil or Til ka tel)
• For those who like it spicy, you can increase the number of red chillies in the recipe. 
• Use Kashmiri chillies as they are less spicy and give a good color to the Molagapodi
• Do not leave unattended while roasting
• Keep stirring while roasting for even roasting.
• This powder can be stored for a few months, Always use a dry spoon to remove the masala powders. 

Variations

There are many variations to the the recipe of the molagapodi and different houses make it differently, 

• Some add black sesame seeds to the podi instead of the white ones, but my grandmother used to usually avoid using black sesame seeds in cooking as it is used for Devasham/ Shraddham (prayers to the dead ancestors). 
• Some add Garlic to the podi (Garlic Molagapodi)
• Some add curry leaves
• Some add tamarind 

MULLANGI CHUTNEY (CHUTNEY MADE WITH RADDISH)

Mullangi Chutney(Chutney made with Raddish)

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups of grated white radish
5-6 tbsp scraped fresh coconut
5-6 garlic flakes, crushed (optional)
3 green chillies
1 small piece ginger
1 tsp tamarind juice
1 tsp Chana ka daali (Pottu Kadalai)
3-4 peppercorns
1 sprig curry leaves
1 tbsp cooking oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
Salt to taste
Method
Blend together the Coconut, tamarind, peppercorns, Chana ka daali, green chillies and the ginger. When it's almost smooth in texture, add the garlic, salt to taste and the grated radish. Run the blender for about 3-4 secs. The radish and garlic should be about a quarter mashed up. Remove from the blender and season with mustard seeds and curry leaves.

CHUTNEY SPREAD

Chutney spread

Ingredients:
1/2 cup grated coconut
4 red chillies or 1 tsp. red chilli powder
1 tbsp Tamarind paste
2 flakes garlic (optional)
1 tbsp. roasted groundnuts
Salt to taste
Method
Grind all ingredients into a smooth paste without adding much water. The chutney consistency should be firm.