Milagu Kuzhambu

Ingredients:
Gingelly oil 2-3 tbsp
Tamarind paste - 2 tsp (vary based on preference
Red chillies 2-3
Curry leaves for garnishing

Masala to grind:
Hing - a pinch
Dhaniya 2 tsp
Kadalai paruppu 1 tsp
Methi ½ tsp
Pepper 1.5 tsp
Jeera 1 tsp


Method:
Roast all masala, in 1 tsp oil.

Heat 2 tbsp Gingelly oil in a pan. Splutter mustard seeds. Add tamarind paste, and 1-2 glasses water. Add ground mixture, mix well and boil for 5-10 mins. Optionally add powdered jaggery.
Garnish with curry leaves and red chillies. Serve mixed with hot rice. You can store this for several days in the fridge if you let most water evaporate and make a thick paste.

Omam Kuzhambu

Omam aka Ajwain/Caraway is an excellent carminative.

Method to prepare:
In the Karuveppilai kuzhambu recipe, simply substitute curry leaves with 1 tsp of Omam. You can garnish with curry leaves.

Karuveppilai Kuzhambu

Ingredients:
Gingelly oil 2-3 tbsp
Tamarind paste - 2 tsp (vary based on preference

Masala to grind:
Hing - a pinch
Dhaniya 2 tsp
Kadalai paruppu 1 tsp
Methi ½ tsp
Pepper ¾ tsp
Red chillies 2-3 (or Byadige chillies 4-5)
Handful of curry leaves washed and dried


Method:
Roast all masala including curry leaves, in 1 tsp oil. Optionally add about 1.5 tsp sambar powder and roast.

Heat 2 tbsp Gingelly oil in a pan. Splutter mustard seeds. Add tamarind paste, and 1-2 glasses water. Add ground mixture, mix well and boil for 5-10 mins. Optionally add powdered jaggery. Serve mixed with hot rice. You can store this for several days in the fridge if you let most water evaporate and make a thick paste.

Thogayal

Paati says: The difference between Thogayal and Chutney is that chutney almost always contains raw ingredients (for eg. coconut chutney which is served with idli/dosa), whereas Thogayal almost always contains cooked/roasted ingredients. Thogayal is primarily meant to be eaten mixed with rice. It can also be served as a side for Dosa, idly and the likes. There are innumerable types of Thogayal. The following are 2 basic Thogayal recipes. Alter them slightly to get brand a new Thogayal!

THENGAI THOGAYAL:
Ingredients:
White Urad dal (whole or split) - 2 tbsp
Coconut gratings - 1 cup
Red chillies - 3 or 4
Hing - a pinch
Salt -to taste
Cooking Oil - 1 tsp

Method:
Roast Urad dal, red chillies, hing in 1 tsp oil, till dal turns medium brown. Add coconut gratings, saute for 2 minutes. Turn off heat, let cool and grind in a mixer with salt. You can add litle water to aid grinding, but avoid as much as possible.

VARIATIONS:
Instead of coconut gratings,
* Add roughly chopped onions for Onion Thogayal. The onions should be well cooked before you transfer it to the mixer. Raw onions ruin the thogayal.
* Add roughly chopped vegetables for Vegetable Thogayal. Vegetables like carrot, bottle gourd, yellow pumpkin (parangikkai), are especially Thogayal-friendly.
* Add peeled, chopped pieces of ridge gourd (peerkangai). This makes a delicious thogayal especially if the gourds are in season.

In addition to coconut gratings,
* Add washed and chopped mint (pudina) or coriander (kothamalli) leaves. Saute till the leaves are soft.

Paati says: You get it now. Urad dal, red chillies and hing are common across all the Thogayals. The rest is upto your imagination!

PARUPPU THOGAYAL:
Ingredients:
Tur dal - 1 cup
White Urad dal (whole or split) - 1 tbsp
Hing - a pinch
Pepper - ½ tsp
Red chillies - 2

Method:
Roast all ingredients in 1 tsp oil till urad dal turns medium brown. Optionally add 2 tsp coconut gratings (traditionally Paruppu Thogayal has no coconut though!) and saute for a minute or two. Turn off heat, let cool and grind in a mixer with salt. You can add litle water to aid grinding, but avoid as much as possible.

Pooshanikkai Rasavaangi

Ingredients:
White pumpkin/ pooshanikkai - 1/2 kg diced into small cubes.
Sambar powder - 1 tsp
Haldi powder - 1/2 tsp
Tur Dal - 1 cup
Jaggery - 2 tsp powdered
Tamarind extract - 1 tsp (optional)
Oil - for roasting and garnishing

Masala To Grind:
Hing - a pinch
Whole Dhaniya seeds - 2 tsp
Kadalai paruppu/chana dal - 1 tsp
Pepper 4 -5
Red chillies 3-4
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Coconut – grated, 4 tbsp

Method:
Roast the masala in 1 tsp oil and grind to a fine paste, adding a little water.
Cook tur dal as you would for normal dal/sambar.

Cook pumpkin pieces along with haldi powder and Sambar powder. Add tamarind paste/extract if you wish to. You can cook in pressure cooker to one whistle or cook in a closed vessel with sufficient water. The vessel method results in better taste, though.

When completely cooked, add ground masala and cooked tur dal cooked. Add more water if required. Let boil for 5 mins. Now simmer and add powdered jaggery. Simmer for 5 more mins and turn off heat. Garnish with mustard seeds, hing and curry leaves.

Goes well with Rice and a Thogayal of your choice.

You can substitute pumpkin with Brinjal for Kathirikkai Rasavangi. You might want to cut brinjal into larger pieces to make sure they dont get mashed up.