Sodhi - Tirunelveli Special

You all know Tirunelveli is famous for “Godhumai Halwa” / “Irrutu Kadai Halwa“, it is also famous for Sodhi. Sodhi is a popular and unique dish from Tirunelveli side, they usually prepared for the occasion when the groom visits brides home for the first time. It is traditionally followed by the people living there and also called as “Mapillai sodhi”. It has a delicious taste of veggies which are cooked in coconut milk. I learned this recipe from Sumi a friend of mine, who is from Tirunelveli. I started liking it instantly. She also prepared potato curry and ginger pickle for side and it was really good and went well with Sodhi.

I am sure this will a good substitute for normal sambar and rasam. But it takes time to cook and one need patience to prepare. I am sure this will be a sure hit if you try at your kitchen. Its simply superb with hot rice and iddiyappam too.

Ingredients:

Grated Coconut – 2cup
Vegetables – 2cup (I used carrot -1no, Beans- 5nos, potato-1big, frozen peas -1/4 cup)
Moong dhal – 1/4cup
Green chillies – 10nos
Small onions/ shallots – 10nos
Ginger – 2tsp finely chopped
Garlic – 4pods finely chopped
Lemon juice – 2tsp
Water – 2 and 1/2 cup
Coriander leaves few
Curry leaves few
Salt to taste

For Seasoning:

Oil – 1tsp
Mustard – 1/4tsp
Urad dhal – 1/4tsp
Hing – 1/2tsp

Method:

• Pressure cooks the moong dhal with enough water and smashes it and set aside.
• Wash and chop the vegetables as desired shapes.
• Wash and remove the skin of shallots. Finely chop or crush the ginger and garlic into tiny pieces.
• Make a fine paste of green chillies.
• Now grind the grated coconut by adding one cup of water and extract the first thick coconut milk and keep separately.
• Use the same coconut and repeat the same process to extract second and third coconut milk and keep separately. Now we are ready to start the Sodhi making process.
• In a broad vessel or pan take the third coconut milk and add the veggies to it and allow cooking in low flame for some time, stir frequently.
• When it half-cooked add the second coconut milk and mix gently till the veggies is fully done and get soft.





• Meanwhile in a frying pan add oil and fry the finely chopped or crushed ginger, garlic and sauté well till it turns golden brown.
• Then add the shallots and fry until translucent. Now switch off the flame and add this to the coconut milk.
• Now add the grind green chilli paste, salt, smashed moong dhal and mix well and allow boiling for 5 minutes till it gets thickens, take care should cook in low flame.





• At this stage add the first thick coconut milk and allow boiling couple of minutes and remove from fire.
• Finally season with mustard seeds, urad dhal, hing and curry leaves. Add lemon juice 2tsp and mix gently.Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve hot with Rice and accompanied with potato curry or ginger pickle!!

Note:

• You can also include drumstick and brinjal to this.
• Add the lemon juice, after you remove from fire.
• The consistency of sodhi should be little watery than sambar and serve generously until it runs out of rice.
• I prefer adding the fresh extract coconut milk, than the store bought coconut milk.

Murungai Keerai Adai

It is one of my fav recipe, normally I plan this for dinner. Its very tastier with drumstick leaves which are very fresh and tender ones. It is highly protein rich and nutritious adai with lot of medicinal values from drumstick leaves and with a combination of lentils.

Ingredients:

Raw rice – 1cup
Idly rice / parboiled rice – 3/4 cup
Toor dhal – 1cup
Red chillies – 6 to 8nos
Drumstick leaves - 2 cups
Hing – 1/4tsp
Salt to taste

Method:

• Clean and wash the drumstick leaves and set aside to drain the excess water.
• Wash and soak the rice and dhal together for 2hrs.
• Grind along with red chillies into rava consistency.
• Now add drumstick leaves, salt and mix well, the batter should be thiner than normal dosa batter.





• Heat tawa and spread some oil and pour the batter as thick adai or spread by using your palm and get cook on both sides.Enjoy the soft, crispy and tasty adai.

Serve with avial, curd or onion chutney.

Note:

• No need to ferment the batter.
• To make soft adai, the ratio for dhal and rice should be equal.
• Also can add chopped onions along with drumstick leaves.
• To enhance the taste use butter instead of oil to make adai.
• As the dhal and leaves takes time to digest, early dinner is best.

Vendaikai Fry / Varuval

It is very tempting and crispy fry perfect with any kind of dish like sambar or morekulambu.

Ingredients:

Vendaikai / Ladies finger – 200 gm
Chilli powder – 2tsp
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying


Method:

• Wash and clean the vendaikai and dry in a tissue paper . Now chop them into roundels as shown below.





• Heat oil in a pan and sprinkle the chopped ladies finger and fry them in medium flame and flip well for even cooking till the sound ceases and crisp. Remove from oil and drain in tissue paper.





• Now add turmeric power, chilli powder and salt and mix it well.

Enjoy the crispy vendaikai fries with hot rice!!

Rasmalai

Wishing all friends a very happy Tamil New Year and Vishu.

Ras Malai, basically a Bengali sweets made from a cottage cheese in a flavoured milk. I love this sweet, and had tried this in my kitchen several times and usually it comes out very well, my husband use to say that the taste is as store bought. 

Ingredients:
RAS:

Full cream milk – 1litre
Sugar – 1/2 cup
Saffron few strands
Pistachios few
Almonds few
Cardamom powder

Method:

• Crush and Soak the saffron strands in warm milk.
• Chop the nuts into thin slices.
• In a heavy bottom vessel add milk and bring to boil till it reduces to half the quantity, keeping in low flame and stir frequently.





• Then add the sugar, cardamom powder, chopped nuts (reserve few nuts for garnish) and soaked saffron strands along with milk and allow boiling for couple of minutes till the sugar dissolves and then switch off the flame.
• Now the Ras is ready.

Malai:

Full cream milk – 1 litre
Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
Sugar – 1 cup
Water – 3 cups
Cardamom powder – 1tsp

Method:

• In a heavy bottom vessel, boil the milk. Once it starts boiling sim the flame and add lemon juice.
• Now you will see the milk starts separate and curdles, now turn off the heat and strain in the damp cheese cloth or muslin cloth.





• Rinse under the running water to remove the sourness of lemon flavour and hang the cloth to drain the excess water, for 1 hour.





• Remove and open the cloth and knead gently to get soft and pliable dough and make a small balls in gooseberry sized.





• In a pressure cooker add water, sugar and cardamom powder and mix well to gets sugar dissolves and then allow to boil, once it starts boiling drop the panner balls carefully and leave for 5 minutes.





• Then close the lid and pressure cook for 1 whistle and Switch off the stove.
• Open the lid after the pressure releases, you can see the balls doubled in size, soft and spongy.
• Transfer these paneer balls with sugar syrup to another serving bowl and leave it for 1 hour, to absorb the sugar syrup.





• Now gently squeeze the paneer balls from jeera and press between your palms to drain the sugar syrup and add it to the prepared Ras.





• Now the Yummy Rasmalai is ready, garnish with chopped nuts.
• Keep in room temperature for some time and then refrigerate.

Serve chill and enjoy the delicious Rasmalai.

Vankaya Pulusu / Brinjal / Kathirikai Sambar

I packed few veggies from India which was freshly picked from ‘thootam‘. I decided to bring because of its freshness and taste. When my MIL prepared this pulusu it was excellent and tasty.

Ingredients:

Brinjal – 4nos (I used purple colour in long one)
Shallots /Small onions -10 nos
Tomato – 1medium
Toor dhal – 1/2 cup
Tamarind paste – 1tbsp
Jaggery – 1tsp
Turmeric powder -1/4 tsp
Coriander leaves few
Salt to taste

To grind:

Coconut – 2tbsp
Green Chillies – 5no

To temper:

Musturad seeds – 1/4tsp
Curry leaves few
Hing – 1/4tsp
Oil/ghee – 2tsp

Method:

• Pressure cook the toor dhal with enough water by adding turmeric powder and strain the water separately and keep aside.
• Make a smooth paste of coconut and green chillies by adding little water and keep aside.



• Cut the brinjal into desired shapes, including the stem part also.
• Peel the skin of shallots and chop the tomatoes.
• Heat oil in a pan and add the ground paste and sauté for 2 minute to leave the raw smell.



• Then add the chopped brinjal, shallots and tomatoes and fry well. Now add the cooked toor dhal water and close the pan with lid and cook until the brinjal becomes soft.
• Now add the cooked dhal, salt, Tamarind paste and jaggery and mix well and allow boiling for couple of minute.
• Finely season with mustard seeds, curry leaves and hing. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve with hot rice and Vendakai fry.

KhasKhas / Poppy seeds Payasam

Hi friends I am back, after a month long break, actually I was in India for my In-Laws 60th wedding anniversary and family get-to-gether. The trip was very satisfied and did spend quality time with my families. The only thing was bit tired as there were many programs lined up during my stay there. Its nice to be back on track and blogging. And now will try to catch up with you guys. Keep watching this space for some new and exiting recipes which were introduced to me recently.

So, today letz get with poppy seeds payasam, a delicious and healthy payasam. I say its healthy because it cools off your body and removes heat effectively and this recipe is most recommended for summer season. More over it is also used as an effective antiseptic herb. I donno why this is prohibited in some countries like in Singapore. Anyways this payasam is from our favourites list. 

Ingredients:

Poppy seeds/KhasKhas – 1cup

Ghee – 2tsp

Sugar – 1cup
Milk – 2cups

Method:

• Soak the poppy seeds in water for an hour.
• Then strain the water and grind into smooth and fine paste using 1 cup of milk.





• Take a ground paste in a a heavy bottom vessel, along with the remaining milk and add sugar. Mix well before flaming up.
• And that's it, let give some action to ours hands ;) by conitnously stirring the mixture in a low flame to avoid sticking on bottom and till it gets cooked and raw smell leaves. (Approximately it would take 12 – 15 minutes for this step)



• Now add 2tsp of ghee and switch off the flame.

Serve warm or chill.

Note:

• After the paysam cool down it will become thick so while serving add some milk.
• You can garnish with roasted nuts and raisins. I like to have as it is.
• Do not add cardamom powder, poppy seeds has its own flavour and tastes good.
• For a fine and smooth paste, soak the poppy seeds for longer time, In case you have no time you could skip soaking part can directly grind the khas khas.
• To make it more tasty and give a enhanced richness add few cashews and/or almond while grinding the poppy seeds.