Pomegranate/ Maadulampazha Juice

Pomegranate possess immense nutritional benefits, which is rich in Vitamin C, antioxidants, anti-bacterial properties, fiber and potassium (to name a few). It's good for pregnant women as it contains folic acid and lowers the blood pressure, along with the other benefits. Since it improves the blood circulation, it's often included in the diet for girls who have attained puberty.

Pomegranates are lovely to be consumed fresh by itself, which makes a healthy fruit snack, or as part of colourful salads.

If your kids are reluctant to eat it, you can make fresh juice out of it and I can guarantee that kids wouldn't have any qualms about drinking it. In fact, they would love the pink colour juice which is naturally sweet (mild though).

Here's how you make the juice:

Lovely colour!

Ingredients:

Fresh Pomegranate - 2

Water - 1/2 to 1 cup

Ready to grind..

ground Juice..

Filter using both large and fine strainer..

or a clean cotton towel..


Method:

Peel and take out all the seeds, add water and grind it in a blender.  Strain it with a fine strainer or clean cotton towel. No extra sugar needed, the natural sweet is enough to soothe our taste buds.


Serve right away!

Mulaikeerai poriyal/Spinach Stir fry

 

Mulaikeerai poriyal/Spinach Stir fry

 

Mulaikeerai poriyal/Spinach Stir fry with Idlis
 

 

 

I would call this as splendid spinach recipe which we can have with Idlis/Rice cakes for

Breakfast, with rice for lunch or even a snack during mid-morning.

Mulaikeerai (also called as Amaranth leaves)is tasty by itself, so we need not add too many

 ingredients to make it palatable. With very little ingredients we can make a nutritious and

tasty dish.

 

In Chettinad, it's a very common Breakfast item, taken along with Idlis/Rice cakes dabbed

with Ghee. My Father would insist on Keerai cooked for Breakfast, so we often eat with hot

Idlis dabbed with ghee, the tastiest combination ever. Even the kids who usually hate

Keerai/spinach would love this recipe.  I've seen my Mother-in-law giving this

as a mid-morning snack for my Father-in-law.  It can be givien to toddlers as well, bland yet

nutritious, thus making great baby food.

 

 

Ghee/Clarified butter has been used to treat Ulcers and Constipation, it is also considered

 good for 'brain development'.  So we should try to include moderate amount of ghee in

 the daily diet of growing Children.  Always melt the ghee/clarified butter before you serve!

 

 

 

 

Mulaikeerai/Amaranth leaves!

 

 

 



Ghee/clarified butter!



Ingredients:

 

 

Mulaikeerai/Spinach - 2 bunches

Finely chopped Big Onion - 1

Dry red Chilli - 1 or 2

Salt - to taste

Tempering:

Oil - 2 tsp.

Kadugu/Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp.

 

Method:

 

Wash the Keerai/Spinach well and drain the excess water, washing thrice in a large
pot/basin helps, otherwise you can expect some soil residue after cooking.

In a kadai/pan, pour oil, add Kadugu/mustard seeds, when it splutters, stir in the chopped

 onion, sauté well until it becomes golden brown.  Add the chopped Mulaikeerai/spinach and

sauté for couple of minutes.  Add salt (use little amount of salt, because

Mulaikeerai/Spinach will become too salty if you add more) and cook over medium heat. Do

not cover the Kadai/pan, otherwise it will become watery.



It will cook very fast, around 5 minutes.  Before switching off, check if it's watery, if so sauté

in high heat for 2 more minutes to get rid of the water.  If you prefer it to be crunchy, switch

 off when it's 3/4th done.



Delicious Mulaikeerai Poriyal/Spinach stir fry is ready in a jiffy.  Serve hot.

 

 

 

Mulaikeerai poriyal/Spinach Stir fry with Idlis/Rice cakes!
 

 

Chettinad Pasiparuppu pacchadi/Green gram/Moong dhal Sambhar

Pasiparuppu Pachadi with Ragi Dosa!

With Idli!

This is a popular Chettinad gravy for Tiffin, like idli, all kinds of Dosas, Upma and idiyappam.

Ingredients:

Mahed Pasiparuppu/Green gram/Moong dhal!

Soaked Tamarind!

Pasiparuppu/Green gram /Moong dhal - 1/2 Cup

Big Onion (chopped) - 1

Potato (diced) - 1to 2 (medium to small)

Brinjal (diced) - 2 to 3 (medium to small)

Large ripe tomato (diced) - 1

Tamarind extract - 1 tbsp. (not much)

Split Green Chillies - 6

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp.

Dry Red Chillies - 2

Salt - to taste

Coriander leaves - to garnish & to enhance the flavour

Tempering:

Kadugu/Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp.

Seeragam/Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp.

Perungayam/ Asafetida - 1/4 tsp.

Oil - 2 tsp.

Curry leaves - few

Method:

Cooking in progress..

Take half cup of Pasiparuppu/Green gram/Moong dhal, wash and soak with enough water, add turmeric

powder.  Cook in pressure cooker for about 8 t 10 minutes, until it becomes soft and mushy. Set aside.

In a Kadai or cooking pot pour oil, add tempering ingredients, followed by chopped onions and chillies. Sauté

until it becomes translucent, now add potato and cook for few minutes. Stir in brinjal, followed by tomato. 

Cook well, now stir in the mashed Pasiparuppu/dhal. Toss in enough salt, add the tamarind extract and

simmer until the vegetables are cooked through.

Garnish with Coriander leaves, Pasiparuppu Pachadi is ready to serve.

Pasiparuppu pacchadi/Green gram/Moong dhal Sambhar!

Vengayam Vellapoodu Thakkali Chutney/Travel Chutney

Vengayam Vellapoodu Thakkali Chutney/Travel Chutney

We call this travel chutney because; it's mostly used for travel or a picnic. This can be a great accompaniment for Idi/Dosa/Uthappam/Chappati and Curd Rice.

Ingredients:

 

 

Red Chilli Powder

Big Onion - 6 (finely chopped)

Or Small onion - 30 (Both taste good, yet the latter wins clearly - very well worth the trouble)

Large Ripe Tomato - 7 (cut into small cubes)

Garlic cloves - 10 to 12 (finely chopped)

Less Spicy Red Chilli Powder - 1 tbsp. (use little more if you prefer it to be more spicy)

Salt - to taste



Tempering:

Mustard seeds/Kadugu - 1/2 tsp.


Fennel seeds/Sombu - 1/2 tsp.

Asafoetida/ Perungayam - 1/4 tsp.

Curry leaves - few

Oil - 3 to 4 tbsp.

 

 

 
Method:


In a kadai or pan, pour oil, add the tempering ingredients, while spluttering add garlic and sauté for two minutes, followed by onion. Sauté for few more minutes, turn the flame to low and allow it to become golden brown, stir in the tomato cook for few minutes.  Now toss in the Chilli powder and salt, cook in low heat for ten to fifteen minutes until oil appears on the surface.


Delicious Garlic, Onion and Tomato Chutney is ready to serve.

 

Vengayam Vellapoodu Thakkali Chutney/Travel Chutney with Chapati

 

With Dosa!

Tips Tips Tips...

Add oil generously if using for travel, otherwise you can reduce the oil to 1 to 2 tablespoons.

Chettinad Karuveppilai Kuzhambu/Curry leaves Gravy

Karuveppilai Kuzhambu/Curry leaves Gravy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Curry leaves is packed with Vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants, which aids digestion, gives better eyesight, prevents premature greying of hair, helps hair growth and many more..

We should consume it more often, so I always try to find different ways of including it in our diet.  This is a traditional recipe, which is widely cooked by Achis.  I try to make it less oily.

Whenever, mom finds no vegetable, she would head straight to the garden,(yes, we had a lovely small garden in our backyard, which had curry leaves tree, lemon tree, hibiscus and few more plants) pick stalks of curry leaves and make this gravy. So it’s a ‘rare’ dish, not cooked often.  Her recipe is the most delicious one, which I feel I can never reproduce. 

 

Ingredients:

 

Curry leaves – 2 Cups

Garlic cloves (finely chopped) – 6 to 8

Small Onion (finely chopped) – 12

Large ripe Tomato (pureed) – 1
 

Tamarind Extract - 2 tbsp.

Salt – to taste

 

Karuvepeeilai/Curry leaves!

Masala:

Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp.

Coriander seeds – 1 tsp.

Black Pepper - 1 tsp. (optional)

Long grain rice – 1 tsp.

Dried red chilli – 3 to 4

Grated Coconut – 2 tsp. (optional)

Dry roast the above spices, except coconut for 1 minute, let it cool.  Grind everything together with coconut and curry leaves, with little water.  Set aside.

 

Tempering:

 

Mustard seeds – ½ tsp.

Cumin seeds – ¼ tsp.

Oil – 2 tbsp.

 

Method:

 

In a Kadai or deep pan, pour oil and do the tempering.  Stir in finely chopped garlic, followed by small onion.  Sauté for few minutes, now add the tomato puree and cook for 2 more minutes. (can add finely chopped tomato as well, but sauté well). Combine the ground masala, tamarind extract and ½ a cup of water. Add enough salt and simmer for about 10 minutes until everything blends together.  The oil would start floating on the surface and the gravy would have thickened by this time.  The gravy is ready to serve with hot rice, Idli or Uthappam.  Nutritious, yet very delicious gravy is suitable even for children, since it’s less spicy. However, you can add ghee or gingelly oil before you feed the children.

 

Curry leaves gravy with Soft Idlis!

 

 

 

 

 

Karunaikizhangu Puli Kozhambu/Yam in Tamarind Gravy

 

Karunaikizhangu Puli Kozhambu/Yam in Tamarind Gravy!
 
 
 
 

Full meals! Rice with Kozhambu, Rasam, Keerai & Poriyal! 

 

 

 

This is one of the typical Chettinad gravies, which is made for lunch, usually accompanied by kootukari, which is made with vegetables and green gram/pasi paruppu. 

 

 

Ingredients:

 

Karunaikizhangu /Yam
 
 
 
 

Karunaikizhangu/Yam – 5 to 6

Small Onion (sliced) – 10

Garlic Cloves (quartered) – 6 to 8

Large Ripe Tomato (diced) – 1

Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp.

Sambhar Powder – 1 to 1&1/2 tsp.

Red Chilli Powder – 1tsp.

Coriander Powder – 1tsp.

Thick Tamarind extract – 2 tbsp.

 

Tempering:

 

Oil – 1 tbsp.

Vendhayam/Fenugreek seeds – 1/2 tsp.

Sombu/Fennel seeds – ½ tsp.

Perungayam/Asafoetida – ¼ tsp.

Curry leaves – few

Coriander leaves – to garnish

 
 

Method:

 

Cook Yam in pressure cooker, with water (just enough to soak) with skin on.  After boiling, let it cool, peel and cut into ½ inch circles. Set aside.

In a wok, add oil and do the tempering, stir in onions, followed by garlic.  Fry until its golden brown and add tomato and fry for 2 minutes.  Stir in yam and sauté for few more minutes and allow it to get mashed partially, this will blend in the gravy and give wonderful texture.

Add sambhar powder, chilli powder, coriander and turmeric. Add salt accordingly, combine well and pour in tamarind extract along with 2 to 3 cups of water.  Simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, until the oil floats on the surface. Now, delicious yam gravy is ready to serve with rice.  It also goes well with Idli, Dosai, Uthappam and Adai.

 

 

Tips Tips Tips...

 

To make the gravy thick, take one boiled karunaikizhangu/Yam, mash it well, mix little water and add it to the gravy along with water and tamarind extract.

 

To make it tastier, you can mix well with mashed rice and a tsp. of ghee, before you feed your kids.  Ghee will not only minimise the spicy effect but also give wonderful flavour.

Mashed rice with Karunaikizhangu/Yam gravy with ghee!