Variety Rice

SWEET PONGAL:

Ingredients:

• Raw rice – 1 cup
• Moong dhal – ½ cup
• Ghee/ clarified butter – ¼ cup
• Milk – ¼ cup (optional)
• Cashews – 5-8 nos
• Dry grapes – 10 nos
• Cardamom powder – a generous pinch
• Pacha karpooram/ edible camphor – a pinch
• Salt – a pinch
• Jaggery – ¾ cup
• Water – as req

Procedure:

• Wash the rice and dhal thoroughly and pressure cook it along with ¼ cup of milk (optional) and required amount of water for about 3-4 whistles/ boil them finely
• In a sauce pan melt the jaggery and filter out the impurities and keep aside
• Mash the cooked rice and dhal mixture and add the melted jaggery with a pinch of salt into the mixture, allow it to cook for a while now add 2-3 tblsp of ghee to the Pongal
• In a small pan add 1 tblsp of ghee, add some cashews and dry grapes and roast nicely into the ghee and pour the mixture into the Pongal
• To the final stage add a generous pinch of cardamom powder and edible camphor with rest of the ghee and turn off the flame.
• Enjoy the lusciousness of our SOUTHERN DELICACY “SWEET PONGAL/ SAKARAI PONGAL”

PULIYODHARAI/TAMARIND RICE :

PULI KACHAL:

Ingredient:

• Puli karasal (Tamarind Paste)  –  ½ cup
• Kadalaparuppu/ splitted chickpea – 1 tblsp
• Peanuts/ verkadalai  –   2 tblsp
• Curry leaves  –  1 string
• Turmeric powder –   1 tsp
• Gingelly oil (must) –  3 tblsp or as req
• Mustard seeds –   1tsp
• Asafetida –  1 tsp
• Dry red chilli –   3 nos or as per the spice level
• Vendaya podi/roasted fenugreek powder –    1 tsp
• Jaggery –   1 tsp
• Salt –  as req

Spl Powder 1 (Mel Podi)

• Coriander seeds –  2 tblsp
• Dry red chilli –   5 nos
• Black pepper –   8-10 nos

Spl Powder 2 (optional)

• Sesame seeds black    –  1 tblsp
• Urad dhal      –     1 tsp
• Dry red chilli   – 2 nos

Procedure:

Spl powder 1:

Dry roast all the ingredient, cool completely and grind it well and store it on a clean and dry container.

Fenugreek Powder:

Fenugreek seeds    –    1 tblsp

Dry roast the seeds until golden brown (do not burn), cool completely and grind it well and store it on a clean and dry container.

HomeMedicine TIP:

If anyone suffering from diarrhea or any stomach upset. Take 1 tsp of roasted fenugreek powder and mix with a cup of thick curd and blend it well. Have this on empty stomach. For sure you can see the difference. So we always keep this powder on our kitchen counter

NOTE/TIP:

Since we are using the spl powder 1 for MEL PODI, so keep this powder separately.

You can use this for any other kuzhambu like vatha kuzhambu or any tamarind based curry to reduce the heat from tamarind pulp.

 Spl Powder 2(this is purely optional but this taste delicious. Do try and share the feedback)

Dry roast all the ingredient, cool completely and grind it well and store it on a clean and dry container.

Making Pulikachal:

In a heavy bottomed pan, add some gingelly oil allow it to heat and add splitted chickpeas and peanuts along with a tsp of mustard seeds. Once the mustards seeds spluttered add the broken dry red chilli and puli karasal (tamarind water), bring it to boil

Then add a tsp of turmeric powder and salt, let it boil for about 10-12 mins, it starts thickening now we have to add the spl powder 1 & 2 (if you are adding) along with a tsp of fenugreek powder.

Within 5-8 mins you can see the oil starts oozing out from the edges. Add a generous pinch of asafetida, curry leaves and a tsp of jaggery and turn off the flame.

Cool completely and store it on airtight BPA Free Plastic or in a clean Mason jar or in a clean Steel container. You can keep this for 2-3 weeks over the kitchen counter and more than 2 months over refrigerator.

NOTE/TIP

• Always use a dry spoon to avoid quick spoiling
• Puli karasal should be thick not too thin (exactly 1^st karasal/filter)
• Adding asafetida, jaggery and curry leaves towards the end that really enhance the flavor.

PULIYODHARAI/ PULI SADAM

Ingredient:

• White rice –          1 cup
• Gingelly oil –          1 tsp
• Salt –          as req
• Sp podi 1/ mel podi –          2 tsp
• Puli kachal –          1 tblsp

Procedure:

In a wide mixing bowl add the cooled white rice along with a tblsp of puli kachal and mel podi and gently fold it together. Check the texture and taste, if it needs more salt then add accordingly. If it is too sticky then add a tsp of gingelly oil. Njoy the PURE and DIVINE taste of PULIYODHARAI as it is or with any sides.

NOTE/TIP

The word GENTLY i bold it, because most of us just mix it well and the rice turns mushy. The thing is we should fold the mixture gently so that the rice won’t break and the texture too fluffy.

LEMON RICE:

Ingredients:

• Boiled rice – 1 cup
• Lemon juice – 2 tblsp
• Kadalaparuppu – 1 tblsp
• Peanuts – 1 tblsp
• Dry red chili – 2 nos
• Curry leaves – 1 sprig
• Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
• Tumeric powder – ½ tsp
• Asafetida – a generous pinch
• Gingelly oil – 1tblsp
• Salt – as req

Procedure:

• Place a kadai add some gingelly oil, add mustards seeds, let it splutter by the time add some peanuts, kadalaparuppu, broken dry red chilies, asafetida.
• Turn off the flame now add turmeric powder, salt and lemon juice and curry leaves.
• Pour the mixture to the room temperature cooled rice. Fold gently, adjust the salt as per your taste.
• Tangy- colorful and delicious “LEMON RICE” is ready to serve.

COCONUT RICE:

Ingredients:

• Boiled rice – 1 cup
• Grated coconut – 2 tblsp
• Kadalaparuppu – 1 tblsp
• Peanuts – 1 tblsp
• Dry red chili – 2 nos
• Curry leaves – 1 sprig
• Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
• coconut oil – 1tblsp
• Salt – as req

Procedure:

• Place a kadai add some coconut oil, add mustards seeds, let it splutter by the time add some peanuts, kadalaparuppu, broken dry red chilies.
• Now add the grated coconut and curry leaves saute for about 2-3 mins along with some salt.
• Pour the mixture to the room temperature cooled rice. Fold gently, adjust the salt as per your taste.
• Flavorful-tasty “COCONUT RICE” is ready to serve.

CURD RICE:

Ingredients:

• Boiled rice – 1 cup
• Thick curd – ½ cup
• Boiled milk – ¼ cup
• Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
• Urad dhal – 1 tsp
• Dry red chili – 2 nos
• Curry leaves – 1 sprig
• Coriander leaves – 1 tsp (finely chopped)
• Mild cooking oil – 1tsp
• Salt – as req

Procedure:

• Place a kadai add some mild cooking oil, add mustards seeds, let it splutter by the time add some urad dhal, broken dry red chilies and curry leaves.
• In a mixing bowl mash the boiled rice nicely and add some salt, thick curd and milk. Mix well without any lumps.
• Now pour the tempered mixture along with some freshly chopped coriander leaves. Mix gently.
• YUMMY-TASTY CURD RICE is ready to serve.