Pirandai Thuvayal (Chutney)

Recipe Credits

Mrs. Santha Ramanujam (Kumudham Snegidhi Kara Saaramaana Thuvayal) 


Ingredients:

Pirandai (cleaned and chopped) - 1 tbsp
Curry Leaves - 1 handful
Scraped Coconut - 2 tbsp
Urad Dal - 2 tbsp
Red Chillies - 5
Fenugreek - 1/2 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Coriander Seeds - 1 tsp
Gingelly Oil - 1 tsp
Salt - 1-1/2 tsp
Tamarind Extract - 1-1/2 tbsp
 Asafoetida - 1 small piece

Method:

Heat gingelly oil in a kadai.

Add asafoetida, dry red chillies, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, and urad dhal and fry for a minute.

Then, add curry leaves, pirandai pieces, and coconut scrapings one after one and fry well together.  Remove from fire and allow to cool.

Grind them all together coarsely in the mixer jar along with tamarind extract and salt.  Add enough water while grinding.

Splutter mustard seeds in little gingelly oil and mix to the ground pirandai chutney and serve.

This chutney can be mixed with hot plain cooked rice or had along with curd rice.

This chutney/thuvayal (thogayal) helps in good digestion.


Notes:

Choose tender pirandai for cooking as the thick, matured ones will cause itching in the throat.  String the pirandai and scrape or peel the sharp angular edges on all sides.  Discard the nodes and leaves (instead the leaves can be used to make soup along with other green leaves or in this chutney itself).  It is advisable to grease your hands with gingelly oil to prevent itching.  Wash and cut into small pieces and use.

Red Onion Chutney

Adapted From

Mrs. Mallika Badrinath (Tiffin Varieties)

Ingredients:

Onions - 2 (big)

Red Chillies - 12

Tamarind Extract - 1 tbsp

Rock Salt - 3/4 tsp

Sugar - 1/2 tsp

Oil - 1 tbsp (for tampering)

Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp

Method:

Chop onions into bigger pieces (say 1 inch square pieces).

Soak red chillies in water for 10 to 15 minutes.

Squeeze out the chillies alone and grind them along with salt and sugar.

Add onions and tamarind extract and grind coarsely.

Heat oil and tamper the mustard seeds in it and pour on top of the chutney.

This chutney goes well with any tiffin variety, viz., idli, dosa, kozhukattais, paniyarams, adai, etc.  Store this in an airtight container in the fridge for a longer shelf life.

Vegetable Dhal Oothappam

Source:

Mrs. Saraswathi


Ingredients:

Raw Rice - 1 cup

Par Boiled Rice - 1 cup

Urad Dal - 1/4 cup

Thuar Dal - 1/4 cup

Salt - 2 tsp or to taste

Carrots - 2 (grated)

Cabbage (finely chopped) - 1/2 cup

Onions - 2 (finely chopped)

Coriander Leaves (finely chopped) - 2 tbsp

Idli Chilli Powder (Idli podi) - As needed

Oil - To fry oothappams


Method: 

1.  Wash and soak the raw rice, par boiled rice, and the dhals for at least 2 hours.

2.  Grind together to a smooth and thick dosa batter adding salt and water as necessary.  Allow to ferment for at least 6 to 8 hours.

3.  Just before making oothappams, mix together grated carrots, chopped onions, chopped cabbage, and coriander leaves.  Keep aside.

4.  Heat a dosa tawa and smear it with little oil.  Pour a ladle of the batter in the center of the tawa and spread around to 1 cm thickness to form oothappams.  Sprinkle the veggie mixture all over the dosa and then top it with the idli milagai podi.  Pour 1 tsp of oil all around and close with a lid.  After a minute, remove the lid and turn over the oothappam to cook on the other side.  Drizzle oil if needed.

5.  When done, serve hot with coconut chutney or any other chutney of your choice.  Generally, coconut chutney, tomato chutney, onion chutney, or a tomato onion chutney are the best combinations.  The oothappams can also be had as such as they have the spiciness and the crunchiness of the vegetables making it a complete meal to relish.  This dish is best for a healthy morning breakfast.

Capsicum Palsuvai Pachadi

Source:

Aval Vikatan


Ingredients:

Capsicum - 1/2 kg

Green Chillies - 50 gm

Tamarind - 50 gm

Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp

Urad Dal - 2 tsp

Bengal Gram Dal (Kadala Paruppu) - 4 tsp

Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp

Jaggery - 250 gm (grated)

Gingelly Oil - 100 mL

Salt - As needed


Method:

1.  Slice capsicum thinly.  Chop green chillies finely.

2.  Adding enough water, make pulp of tamarind.

3.  In a kadai, heat oil and splutter mustard seeds and the dals.  Add asafoetida powder.

4.  Add finely chopped green chillies and fry for a minute or so.

5.  Add in finely sliced capsicum and fry again.

6.  Mix in salt and give a quick stir.

7.  Now, add the pulp and allow to boil.

8.  After it has boiled for about 15 to 20 minutes, add in the grated jaggery and mix well.

9.  When all the ingredients boil and combine together to form a thick paste, switch off the flame.

10.  Serve hot or store in an airtight container.

This pachadi has all the tastes in it together - the tanginess (pulippu), the sourness (karam), the sweetness (inippu) making it yummy side dish for rotis, upma, puris, dosa, curd rice, sambar rice, etc.  This can be stored for a fairly long time in the refrigerator.