sanjeev

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Valliyoor Kuravu Pulusu


The comfort curry I learnt from Amma. Apparently this dish is a mix of Andhra and Tamil, our ancestors, who belonged to Andhra, later got settled in the Southern towns of Tamil Nadu (in and around Valliyoor) would have possibly included the curry in their regular diet.

A request to my blogger pals who hail from Andhra….

Have you heard of this ‘Pulusu’ in your state, as such?..as I still wonder how this Pulusu acquired this strange name. May be Valliyoor, the town in Southern Tamil Nadu, Kuravu- the spinach and Pulusu- the curry, put together would explain the same.

An aromatic, healthy curry which goes well with rice, a meal by itself..

Ingredients:

Spinach-any variety-use the leaves only- a medium bunch which yields 3 cups more or less when chopped fine.

Shallots/ pearl onions-assort smallest ones to use it as such-10-15 nos or a handful

Tamarind- a gooseberry sized ball- Soak and extract pulp

Salt-to taste

To grind to a smooth paste

Grated Coconut- ¾ cup
Garlic cloves-1-2
Red chillies-10 (I use 20 ;)-according to your spice level.. you can also use chilly powder)
Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
Jeera powder-1/2tsp

To Season

Oil-Preferably sesame seed oil :)-a tbsp
Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp
Urad dal-1/4 tsp
Uluva/venthaiyam/methi seeds-1/4 tsp
Shallots/ pearl onions-2-3 sliced round
Red chillies-2 nos-broken to 3 pcs.
Curry leaves- a sprig

Method:

1. Cook chopped spinach in a cup of water along with the handful of onions.. While 3/4th done, add the ground paste, salt and tamarind extract.
3. Bring to a boil and simmer until the raw smell of the curry disappears; say for 10-15 mins.Add 4. water if needed to get the right consistency.
5. Remove from fire, season the curry with the listed ingredients.
6. Serve warm with steamed rice.

I've been tagged by Lena and Priya.

The rules :
1. Link the person who tagged you.

2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Share the ABCs of you.
4. Tag 4 people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
5. Let the 4 tagged people know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.
6. Do not tag the same person repeatedly but try to tag different people, so that there is a big network of bloggers doing this tag.

The Tag:
1. A – Available/Single? Sorry- No(sigh) ;)
2. B – Best friend? Amma, Sis, Swapna, Seba n Raju (5 Best please)
3. C – Cake or Pie? Cake
4. D – Drink of choice? Apple nectar
5. E – Essential item you use every day? Mobile phone
6. F – Favorite color? Peach
7.G–Gummy Bears Or Worms? Like both.The flavour matters rather than the shape.Still not choosy...
8. H – Hometown? Kottayam.
9. I – Indulgence? Non-veg food, any time, any day :)
10. J – January or February? Jan- My Birthmonth
11. K – Kids & their names? Kavya and Akshay
12. L – Life is incomplete without? A warm family.
13. M – Marriage date? 26th Jan
14. N – Number of siblings? Two
15. O – Oranges or Apples? Apples
16. P – Phobias/Fears? Ophidio(Snakes)and Hydro(deep water)Phobias..
17. Q – Quote for today? Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.
18. R – Reason to smile? Friends.
19. S – Season? Spring
20. T – Tag 3 People? Kitchen Queen, Suma, Sharmilee
21. U – Unknown fact about me? impatience
22. V – Vegetable you don't like? Love all
23. W – Worst habit? Browsing without a clue of time.. :)
24. X – X-rays you've had? The back bone X-ray for lower back pain, a few years ago
25. Y – Your favorite food? Edibly Non-veg ;)
26. Z – Zodiac sign? Aquarius

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Onappattin thalam thullum thumba poove
Ninne thazhukanai kulirkattin kunyikaikal..

Onavillil oonjaladum vannathikkiliye
Ninne pulkanay kothiyoorum marikkarum...

Onam is just round the corner, another year of festivity, pomp and delight for the people of God's own country, the dear subjects of very own Mahabali...

Yet another year of Ona Pattu, Puthu kkodi, Ona Pookalam, and Onasadya..


Aviyal as you all might know is a thick coconut based curry of the down South of our country and can be regarded as a speciality in Kerala cuisine.
The mildly spiced vegetable stew goes well with rice and must serve for the Sadhya related to Onam.The very own nadan vegetables(vegetables that grow locally) of the state goes into it which gives the exact authentic taste to the same.

The Mythology of this mixed vegetable curry, according to wiki goes…

"It is supposed to have been invented by Bheema (one of the Pandava brothers) during his agnaatha vaasa. According to the legend, Ballav (Bheema's name during this time) when he assumed his duties as the cook in the kitchen of Virata, did not know how to cook. One of the first things he did was to chop up many different vegetables, boil them together and top the dish with grated coconut".




Now, let's get ready with the ingredients, that goes to the stove in order:

The vegetables ;

Drumstick-1
Brinjal-2
Jackfruit seeds/chakka kuru
Raw banana/vazhakka-1
Raw mango-sour variety-1/2.(use the a whole small mango if less sour)
Gherkins/kovakka-5-6
Yam/chena-a small piece-which yields a cup when cut
Cucumber-cut-a cup
Snake gourd-small-1/2
Long string beans/Achinga payar-4


Green chillies-5-6
Cumin seeds/jeerakam -1/2 tsp-jeera powder can also be substituted
Shallots/kunjulli-5-6

Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
Salt- to taste

Freshly grated coconut- 1 ½ cups
Coconut oil/pacha velichenna- 2tbsp
Curry leaves-2 sprigs


* Cut the vegetables lengthwise, a little chunky, to one inch pieces.

* Transfer them to a broad and wide pan,except the raw mango(as the acidity in it interferes with the cooking of the other vegetables) with just enough water.Close with a lid and ensure even cooking by turning them now and then for a few minutes or till 1/4th done.

* Crush/pulse green chillies, jeera and shallots coarsely.Add this to the vegetables along with turmeric powder and salt.

* Grind coconut, not too smooth, adding a little water.Keep aside.

* Now, rinse the pulser/mixer with ½ cup of water.Add this to the vegetables on the stove and stir carefully not to break the pieces as would have almost cooked or half done, at this stage.Ensure the ‘hard to cook’ vegetables like yam has turned soft.

* Add the ground coconut and raw mango pieces.Let it simmer for 5 mins.Check salt and *sourness.Make sure the Aviyal has reached the right semi solid consistency.

* Turn off fire.Coconut oil and curry leaves are to be added last.

* Press the Aviyal gently and close with the lid of the pan, so that the aroma of the coconut oil and curry leaves seeps in, to give the very own flavour to the authentic dish. :)



*-.If you fail to grab the raw mango, feel free to use curd/tamarind extract for sourness.

P.S-The traditional aviyal doesn’t call for veggies like carrots and beans. Yet I compromise on carrots as they always improve the taste of the final curry.

Vaninnevam asuya valarthi
Vazka maveli mangalamoorthy.."

'Long live Maveli, provider of peace and prosperity, inciting jealousy in the heavenly beings!'.

Wishing you all a Very Happy,Peaceful and Prosperous Onam!!..

Olan
Chips
Adapradhaman
nadan parippu
muringakka sambhar
semiyapayasam

Other Recipes for Onam feast

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Aviyal as you all might know is a thick coconut based curry of the down South of our country and can be regarded as a speciality in Kerala cuisine.
The mildly spiced vegetable stew goes well with rice and must serve for the Sadhya related to Onam in Kerala.The very own nadan vegetables of the state goes into it which gives the exact authentic taste to the same.

The Mythology according to wiki goes… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aviyal

It is supposed to have been invented by Bheema (one of the Pandava brothers) during his agnaathavaasa. According to the legend, Ballav (Bheema's name during this time) when he assumed his duties as the cook in the kitchen of Virata, did not know how to cook. One of the first things he did was to chop up many different vegetables, boil them together and top the dish with grated coconut.

Get ready with:
The vegetables
Drumstick-1
Brinjal-2
Jackfruit seeds/chakka kuru
Raw banana/vazhakka-1
Raw mango-sour variety-1/2.(use the a whole small mango if less sour)
Gherkins/kovakka-5-6
Yam/chena-a small piece-which yields a cup when cut
Cucumber-cut-a cup
Snake gourd-small-1/2
Long string beans/Achinga payar-4
Carrot-1
Green chillies-5-6


Freshly grated coconut- 1 ½ cups
Cumin seeds/jeerakam -1/2 tsp-jeera powder can also be substituted
Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
Curry leaves-2 sprigs
Shallots/kunjulli-5-6
Salt- to taste
Coconut oil/pacha velichenna- 2tbsp

Cut the vegetables lengthwise, a little chunky, to one inch pieces.

Transfer them to a pan,except the raw mango(as the acidity in it interferes with the cooking of the other vegetables)with just enough water.Close with a lid and ensure even cooking by turning them now and then for a few minutes or till 1/4th done.
Crush/pulse green chillies, jeera and shallots coarsely.Add this to the vegetables along with turmeric powder and salt.
Grind coconut, not too smooth, adding a little water.Keep aside.Now, rinse the pulser/mixie with ½ cup of water.Add this to the vegetables on the stove and stir carefully not to break the pieces as would have almost cooked or half done,at this stage.Ensure the ‘hard to cook’ vegetables like yam is soft .
Add the ground coconut and raw mango pieces.Let it simmer for 5 mins.Check salt and **sourness.Make sure the aviyal has reached the right semi solid consistency.

Coconut oil and curryleaves are to be added last.Press the aviyal very lightly and close with the lid of the pan, so that the aroma of the coconut oil and curry leaves seeps in, to give the very own flavour to the authentic dish.


**-.If you fail to grab the raw mango, feel free to use curd/tamarind extract for sourness.

P.S-The traditional aviyal doesn’t call for veggies like carrot beans .but since I added them along with with the nadan veggies as it always improves the taste of the final curry.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onam

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sadhya

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Okra thoran

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"

When I woke up on Mother’s day, Anon’s words flushed into my mind "God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers"

Still in my home town,I was glad that I could spend this special day with her after a long time;hurried downstairs to hug and wish amma who was making the morning coffee hugged me back with the same warmth,asking me,”Bharathy, what do you want for breakfast?..

Hmm.. something simple..

Chappathis?Pooris?...idiyappam??(all these obviously fall under her easy-to-make list)

what about godhambu dosa and red chammathi?I intruded..

Yeah sure!, but will you blog this?..for me??

YAY!! Why not..??!!..

She deserved another TIGHT bear hug from me…

The batteries were pulled out from the charger and the camera was loaded and all set..

While amma was making them preparations I noted down the ingredients:

Wheat flour - 2 cups
Water – 1 3/4 to 2 cups

Salt to taste

To temper:

Oil-2 tbsps(you may not need oil to make dosas)

Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp

Finely cut big onions-1/2 cup

Green Chillies- slit once lengthwise and across to four pcs- 2

Curry Leaves- a sprig

Method:

1.She mixed the flour and salt in a large bowl.

2.Gradually added water to make a thin batter taking care that no lumps are formed while doing so. I gave her a hand here.

3.The consistency of the batter was thinner than the normal dosa batter. We needed about 1 3/4-2 cups of water.

4.She heated oil in a pan.Spluttered the mustard seeds. Sauteed the onions, green chillies and the curry leaves.Poured this over the batter while warm(not hot, straight from the fire) which I finished mixing by then.

9.She heated up the dosa griddle, greased with a few drops of oil and pouedr a ladleful of batter from the edges towards the centre to form a round shaped dosa.

12.She told me to trickle the edges with a few drops of oil only if necessary.The dosa lifted on its own well with the tempered oil in itself.

13.Allowed to cook for a couple of minutes on each side while turning over. The dosa was ready when browned on both sides.

14.While I took hold of the dosa making part, she proceeded with the red chutney, the divine combination for godhambu dosa

Red Coconut chutney

You need:

Red chillies-6

Coconut -2 cups

Garlic cloves-2

Tamarind- a tamarind seed sized

Salt-to taste

Water- as needed

Curry leaves- 6 nos

Grind all the above with enough water and salt to make the chutney.

Make sure that you pulse the chillies alone at first , grind all the rest except the curry leaves which are to be added lastly.

We settled down together and enjoyed our breakfast together with rest of the members in my family J

I am thinking of getting her some cute gift now.. J

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Pavakka thoran

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