Chinna Kathirikkai Puli Kuzhambu/Tangy Small Brinjal Gravy

Every South Indian house especially Tamilians cooks often tangy gravy aka puli kuzhambu with couple of vegetables. I love my kuzhambu with loads of garlic,shallots and potatoes cubes. I can survive for many days with this tangy gravies. Personally this kind of tangy gravies tastes absolutely marvellous the next day when they served with rice topped with gingelly oil or ghee. Obviously i make varieties of this kind of gravy atleast once a week.Usually i make this kathirikkai kuzhambu aka brinjal gravy with eggplants whenever i feel like having, eventhough i love to get small brinjals from Indian stores specially for making this kuzhambu. You might have noticed in my posts recently that mom came from India with loads of fresh vegetables. When she called me from India i asked her to get those tiny small brinjals and green mangoes, she brought me both vegetables.

Sennakunni Idly Podi/Chennakunni Podi/Sennang Kunni Idly Podi/Dried Shrimps Idli Podi

Sennakunni/Sennangkunni/Sennagunni are tiny dried shrimps, we Pondicherrians makes a delicious idly podi with these sun dried shrimps. They tastes excellent with hot steaming idlies and definitely along with crispy dosas. Just mix them with gingelly oil and enjoy it with idlies.Dried shrimps, dry roasted in low flame grounded with other dry roasted dals and red chillies makes this delicious flavourful spice powder. I have pampered with this podi since ages and we love it to the core. Sennakunni podi have its important place in our cuisine,this podi was shared among the family from the old peoples to the younger ones. Obviously some recipes may varies depending upon the spices but still if its sennakunni podi its goes definitely for dried tiny shrimps we get easily from fish markets along with dried fishes.

If you love shrimps very much like le, this spice powder is for you, we also make a simple spice powder with this dried shrimps to have with rice, will share it soon.If you get tiny dried shrimps,dont forget to make this super delicious spice powder.This podi is going to be a part of Friendship 5 Series an event by Geetha and Savitha.

Sundakka Kaarakuzhambu/Dried Turkey Berry Gravy/சுண்டக்காய் காரகுழம்பு

Without kaara kuzhambu, i cant think about a South Indian Thali. This tangy fingerlicking gravy have its important place. With a bowl of rice, some papads is quite enough for me to enjoy thoroughly this delicious looking kuzhambu.This gravy goes for dried turkey berries and this flavourful kuzhambu goes for simple preparation too. You can prepare this tangy gravy simply as Kaarakuzhambu or else like Vathal Kuzhambu.Turkey berries are good for controlling diabetes, gastric problem. Fresh turkey berries are used in making dal based gravies, while dried ones are used for tamarind based gravies. I used those dark dried turkey berries for making this kuzhambu.

This tangy gravy stays prefect for a week if conserved in fridge, usually this kind of gravies tastes super delicious after a day, obviously i love my bowl of rice with this kuzhambu the next day. You can serve this gravy even with wheat upma,idlies or dosas,even with chappathis, they tastes super good with everything. Since this gravy goes for gingelly oil for tempering, just guess the flavor of this gravy.This post goes to Tamizhar Samayal Tuesday.

Sakkaravalli Kizhangu Kaara Kari/Sweet Potato Spicy Fry

You may wonder why am posting quite often recipes with sweet potatoes, its  a peek season of sweet potato here, obviously am cooking with this incredible veggies quite often in my cooking. Today's recipe is a super simple fry, which my mom usually make with potatoes. This incredible spicy fry aka kaara kari goes awesome as side dish along with sambhar,rasam or else with curd rice. This kaara kari takes hardly very much less time to get ready, you can make this delicious fry just within few minutes if you have already cooked sweet potato chunks.

Today is the 4th tuesday of the month, i belong to a group of friends  who shares authentic dishes from Tamilnadu and the name of the event is Tamizhar Samayal Tuesday, please do check the announcement if you want to be a part of it.

Senai Kizhangu Chips/Elephant Yam Chips/Karunai Kizhangu Chips

Deep fried foods are always a big hit among kids, they will go crazy if they get deep fried foods for their lunch or for snacks. My kids are ardent fan of deepfried foods,somehow i keep myself away from deepfried foods, but my lil one was bugging me to make some fries. This weekend we went to Indian grocery where i picked half a kg of elephant yam aka senai kizhangu, back home i prepared my paternal grandma's signature dish aka senai kizhangu crispy chips with it. Am a great fan of her elephant yam chips and its been ages i prepared them at home.

Since my lil one asked for some fries, instead of making french fries i prepared this super crispy finger chips with the famous itching elephant yam. This dish gets ready very much quickly apart from peeling and slicing the elephant yam. If you dont have patience this dish is not for you, ask help to your better half, as i do sometimes. Coz peeling the outer skin of elephant need loads of patience and it gives itching while peeling obviously you need to protect your hands either by wearing vinyl gloves or by applying oil generously over your hands.However these crispies tastes fabulous simply without any sides, a prefect evening snacks for kids.This dish is going to be a part of Tamizhar Samayal Tuesday,happening twice a month.

Nethili Milagu Kuzhambu/Peppered Anchovy Fish Gravy/Anchovy Fish Curry

Been born and brought up in Pondicherry, a beautiful seashore city i have been pampered by fresh seafoods. Obviously i miss those super fresh seafoods here. My mom makes seafoods twice a week either as gravies or as fries. My most favourite fish is always the small tiny anchovies, with which we make pakoras. If you visit Pondicherry,you should taste these fish pakoras or prawn pakoras we call them as kavapu, these sea food fritters are my grandma's signature dish.

Eventhough Anchovies are available in frozen food section, i'll never fail to get them from. This time i had a chance to get some large sizec anchovies, back home i prepared a Pondicherry style milagu kuzhambu aka peppered anchovy gravy. Love this gravy simply with hot steaming rice and papads, while typing itself my mouth is watering here.This dish is one of my mom's signature dish, which i cooked from my handwritten cookbook. If you want to make a different fish curry,give a try to this gravy.This gravy tastes fabulous after a day, so you can keep some aside to have them the next day with some idlies or dosas for breakfast.This post goes  for the CC Challenge of the month.

Mochai Murungakkai Kuzhambu /Field Beans & Drumsticks in Tamarind Gravy

Mochai aka Val beans or Field beans are well known beans among the South Indians. We make excellent gravy with them. This delicious mochai murungakkai kaara kuzhambu goes awesome as a gravy when served with rice and papads. Drumsticks gives a wonderful flavour to this kuzhambu, since i love adding potatoes in kaara kuzhambu i have added few cubed potatoes. You can skip it,but i love potatoes in tangy tamarind gravy. This mochai kuzhambu is an authentic dish of Tamilnadu,needless to say that this dish is often made at many households. This gravy can stay prefect for many days and tastes fantastic after a day.

If my mom makes this gravy, she will keep and serve this gravy atleast for three days and we love to have this fingerlicking kuzhambu from breakfast to lunch. Yes a day old gravy tastes simply awesome to enjoy thoroughly with hot steaming idlies or with crispy dosas. Personally this gravy is one among my favourite.Every 2nd and 4th tuesdays of the month, we a group of friends shares authentic dishes from Tamilnadu and the name of the event is Tamizhar Samayal Tuesday, please do check the announcement if you want to be a part of it.

மொச்சை  முருங்கக்காய்  காரக்குழம்பு 

Kandathippili Kuzhambu

South Indian especially Tamilians can survive for many days with a simple tamarind gravy and rice, thats why every Tamilian household makes different types of gravies with tamarind as the main ingredient. Today's post is also one among those kuzhambu aka tamarind based gravies, this dish is prepared with a very rarely used herbal sticks in our cooking along with other usual spices. Kandathippili, an incredible herbal sticks are available in Tamil herbals stores and this fingerlicking herbal gravy is prepared with them.

These sticks are from India, am sure you cant find them in our Indian stores if you are not living in India. This kuzhambu have many medicinal value and this dish is completely spiced with black peppercorns,cuminseeds,dry red chillies and coriander seeds. My mom call this kuzhambu as pathiya kuzhambu which suits prefectly when you suffering with fever and this gravy will definitely tickle your tastebuds. This kuzhambu stay for a long and they tastes incredible after a day, if you dont like this kuzhambu,you can still make this rasam which acts a medicine if you are suffering from cold or with body aches.This dish goes directly to Tamizhar Samayal Tuesday..

Pacha Thakkali Kootu/Thakkali Kaai Kootu/Green Tomato Kootu

Pacha Thakkali is raw tomatoes or green tomatoes, we Tamilians makes a wonderful kootu with this vegetable. Whenever the green tomatoes shows their heads in our home garden, my mom make this delicious and fingerlicking kootu. Kootu is a South Indian semi gravy like accompaniment served usually with rice.This dish is usually made with vegetable,lentils and spices-coconut paste. I rarely get this pacha thakkali here and this time when i went to Indian groceries,i got few super fresh raw tomatoes, back home i prepared this delicious kootu . The mild tartness of this tomatoes make this kootu seriously very delicious.

This kootu will have sourness and spiciness together and goes awesome with rice.I used black peppercorns for a mild spiciness to this kootu, if you want it more spicy you can also add dry red chillies and deduce the amount of black peppercorns.Personally i love to have this kootu with idlies and dosas, especially this kootu goes awesome with crispy dosas, my favourite combination. If you are making this kootu with pacha thakkali, serve this dish with a spicy side dish like potato roast or egg roast, am sure you will definitely  have a satisfy meal.

Kandathippili Rasam

Kandathippili is available in herbals stores in South India, they are about 2-3inch long sticks. These sticks have many medicinal values and its used in cooking. If you are suffering from body aches,cold or fever, make a simple comforting food aka rasam with these kandathippili sticks and enjoy it. After having this spiced soup you will definitely see the difference. My mom brought me these kandathippili sticks from India and i tried recently this rasam with those herbal sticks.

While talking with my mom she told that my grandma makes even tangy gravy aka kuzhambu with this sticks, however my first trial with this kandathippili sticks is this rasam. You can have this rasam just like a soup or else with some rice.This rasam is quite famous in Tamil Nadu cuisine especially among the Iyer community.

Snakegourd & Channadal Kootu

What is kootu?? its a tamil word which means addition, when vegetable added with lentils forms a semi solid in consistency like curry is called Kootu. Whenever we serve a feast to a guest, we Tamilians never forget to serve rice, sambar,rasam,curd,poriyal,appalam,pickle and a sweet with this famous kootu. There are so many variations of kootu however kootu will always goes for vegetables and lentils combination.

Coming to today's kootu, snakegourd and channadal both works wonder together, this dish goes awesome as a curry with rice and as side dish with rotis. This thick kootu tastes fantabulous with papads or else with potato fries, you can also serve with any kind of non vegetarian sides as well. This kootu goes for an easy preparation along with a simple masala paste which makes the difference from the usual kootu.