Tamilnadu Delicacies

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Tamilnadu Delicacies Tamilnadu Delicacies

Topic started by Mrs.Mano (@ 195.229.241.234) on Sat Nov 23 03:55:19 .
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

Dear hubbers,
I am from Thanjavur in Tamilnadu eventhough I am residing in the middle East for the past 27 years. Thanjavur is famous for its filter coffee as Mayiladuthurai is famous for its masal vadai,Kumbakonam is known for its 'kothsu',chetti Nadu[Which consists of Karaikudi,pudhukkottai,sivakangai] is famous for its paniyarams,appams,chicken specials etc,thirunelveli is famous for its 'sothi kuzambu'and Madurai is famous for its briyanis.I really wish to bring out the specials of tamilnadu in this thread so that each and every hubber could be benefitied from it.I also wish to share the recipes from my collection with all of you. All the hubbers from various districts could share their precious recipes here.Here I really miss Mrs.Soma who shared her valuable recipes from rare vegetables. First I am starting with the 'tiffen varieties'.

AAPPAM[with boiled rice]
Ingredients needed:
Boiled rice-1/2 kilo
black gram-one handful,
fenugreek seeds-1sp
thich fresh curd-1/2 cup
one day old cooked rice-1 handful
enough salt to taste
Method:
soak the rice and the black gram with the f.seeds seperately for 8 to 12 hours.
Grind the black gram first and when the batter is soft enough add the cooked rice and the curd and grind it very smoothly.
Then grind the boiled rice seperately to a fine consistency.
Mix both batter very well and let it ferment for the whole night.
In the morning you can make fresh aappams.In the Thanjavur side the accompaniment will be vellappaagu and thick coconut milk.At the serving time we can pour first vellappaagu over the hot aappam and then pour coconut milk occording to our taste.Some people enjoy the aappams with mutton stew or vegetable thengaipaal korma.

Responses:

Old responses
From: R (@ bgp530243bgs.ebrnsw01.nj.comcast.net) on: Tue Dec 16 18:57:46 EST 2003

Hi Mrs.Mano,

Thanks for elaborating me patiently. About Mysore pak, as u said, used to do, but the problem is it would take long time to convert into solid state. Not only that, it is coming very softly which my husband never likes it.

Can u pls tell me your recipe which I hope it should be like the one the people makes for marriages (little hard with holes) ?

Thank you once again.

Bye
From: Mrs.Mano (@ 195.229.241.164) on: Wed Dec 17 14:10:43 EST 2003

Here I am posting some more recipes on KUZHAMBU VARIETIES.
PORITHTHA KUZHAMBU:[chettinadu style]
Cook 1 cup of lentils in a pressure cooker. In a tbsp
oil fry 10 red chillies, 1 ˝ sp black gram, 1 ˝ sp
cumin seeds, and ˝ shredded coconut to a brown colour
and then grind them to a fine paste. In a vessel cook
2 cups of diced peerkangai, 2 chopped onions and 1 cup
of chopped tomatoes with enough water, salt and 1sp
turmeric powder. When the vegetables are cooked add
the cook dhal, the ground paste and mix well. Cook for
a few minutes. In a small kadai pour 2tbsp oil and
add 1sp mustard seeds, curry leaves and 1sp black
gram. When the mustards splutter pour them in the
kuzhambu. Mix well and put off the fire. Cooked green
gram can be added instead of lentils.
PORITHTHA KUZHAMBU-II
Pressure cook ˝ cup of lentils well. Cook 1 cup of
diced peerkangai, ˝ cup of chopped tomatoes, and 1 cup
of diced avaraikkai, with enough water, 1sp turmeric
powder and enough salt. Grind ˝ cup of shredded
coconut, 1sp peppercorns and ˝ sp cumin seeds to a
fine paste. When the vegetables are cooked add the
cooked dhal, and the ground paste. Cook well. In a
small kadai pour 2tbsp oil and heat it. Add 1sp
mustard seeds and when they splutter add 1sp
asafoetida powder and curry leaves. Pour this on the
kuzhambu. Mix well.
From: HVM (@ pool-141-156-214-20.res.east.verizon.net) on: Thu Dec 18 13:45:46 EST 2003

Hi R
Try this recipe for Mysore pak which will be bit
harder to the bite.This method will take less than 45 minutes to prepare.

Besan -1 cup
sugar -1 1/2 cup
ghee -1 3/4 cup
water -1 1/2 cup

Sift the besan flour and remove all the lumps.
Mix sugar in water and heat it in a heavy bottomed
pan.
Heat the ghee in a low flame on another stove.It should not be very hot.
Stir the mixture till you get one thread consistency.
Reduce the heat and add little flour (about 2 tbsp)to the syrup.Stir.Pour hot ghee (around 2 Tbsp of ghee) and stir till there are no lumps in the mixture.
Add alternatively the flour and ghee to the mixture till all the besan and ghee is mixed without any lumps.
If you have any extra ghee left over add little by
little to the mixture stirring continuously till
it is mixed completely and it couldnt absorb any
ghee.
Keep stirring till the color of the mixture
changes and also its texture.
It will start to leave the edges and become one
mass with porous consistency.
Remove the mixture from fire and spread it on a
plate.
As Mrs.Mano said at this point it will start
to expel ghee.The moment just before this happens
you have to remove it.(I know its bit tricky,please see note).
Level the mixture with a wooden spoon.
Cut into diamond shapes before it is cooled.
Other wise it will be difficult to cut.
Note : Initially I too used to the get the ghee
oozed out from the mixture. Its only by trial
and error we can master this to know the exact
point when to remove from fire.
As Mrs.Mano said some times if you remove the mixture from fire immediately after the ghee oozes out still it will be absorbed into the mixture.
Another tip: I use a steel strainer with handle.
I dust the besan (which is already sifted) directly to the syrup with the strainer little at
a time.That way not many lumps are formed.
Hope this helps!
Dont worry eventually you will get the hang of it.
Try it and post your comment.
From: R (@ bgp530243bgs.ebrnsw01.nj.comcast.net) on: Thu Dec 18 16:48:45 EST 2003

Hi HVM,

During the long weekend, will try and give you my feedback, Thanks a lot.

Bye
From: R (@ bgp530243bgs.ebrnsw01.nj.comcast.net) on: Fri Dec 19 12:29:14 EST 2003

Hello Mrs.Mano,

Tried Rava idly and it came out really soft. Thanks a ton.

I have a query-if I prepare rava idly an hour before or so, will it remain the same ?

Saw the recipe for sundaikkai thokku. I dont get raw sundaikkai, so can I use with sundaikkai vathal. I know the taste wont be the same, still is it ok ?

Thanks once again

Bye
From: Mrs.Mano (@ 195.229.241.164) on: Sun Dec 21 02:52:35 EST 2003

Hello Kamakshi!
I am posting here the recipe of VAZAIPPOO VADAI. To my knowledge, there is no special recipe of Keerai vadai. When you make either Medhu vadai or Thavalai vadai, you can mix finely chopped keerai to it and fry. I haven’t yet come across any vadai recipe on Chenaikizhangu[Yam] till now. If I find one, I will post it to you.
VAAZHAIPOO VADAI: [BANANA FLOWER SNACK]
Clean and wash a medium vaazhaipoo and chop finely. With little water and salt, cook this until all the water is evaporated. Grind 1 cup of shredded coconut with ˝ sp fennel seed, 3 green chillies, 3 red chillies , 1 small piece of cinnamon, ˝ sp ginger and ˝ cup of pottukkadalai to a paste. Add enough salt and the cooked vaazhaippoo to this and run the motor of the mixie for a second. The vaazhaippoo must be ground coarsely, not finely. You can add chopped onions, coriander leaves and curry leaves to this. Fry vadais in hot oil.
NB: You can make vaazahippoo vadai with ˝ cup of soaked chenna dal[Bengal gram] instead of pottukkadalai using this same method.
From: Mrs.Mano (@ 195.229.241.164) on: Sun Dec 21 03:04:23 EST 2003

Hello R!
I am very happy that you have got soft rawa idlies. It is ok if you prepare them 1 hour before the meal and keep them in a hot box.
You can not prepare thokku with sundaikkai vathal. You can make vathal kuzhambu with its powder and it will be delicious to taste. Fry 1tbsp of sundaikkai in a sp of ghee with 1sp of peppercorns in slow fire and then powder them. You can add this powder in vathal kuzhambu when it reaches its last stage. Mix well and allow the kuzhambu simmer for 5 minutes.
Our chef is preparing the Mysore pak with 1 cup of gram flour, 3 cups of sugar and 1 ľ cup of ghee. It will be a little bit hard to eat. You can try this.
From: Mrs.Mano (@ 195.229.241.164) on: Sun Dec 21 03:06:02 EST 2003

HELLO R!
For the Mysore pak, you must add 1 3/4 cup of ghee.
From: Kamakshi (@ ac0.emirates.net.ae) on: Sun Dec 21 06:49:15 EST 2003

Dear Mrs.Mano,
Thanks for posting the vadai recipe. But one tiny doubt- curd is also usually an ingredient in these vadais, is it not? I am asking because when I had this at a neighbour's house years back in Salem, they said they used curd also.

Also can you help in telling how to make crisp potato roast (poriyal); everytime I make it the pieces lose shape & stick together & not crisp and separate, though I use sufficient oil. Can you also post a recipe for Podimas & any other variety of potato poriyal?
Sorry for troubling with so much requests.
Kamakshi.
From: Mrs.Mano (@ 195.229.241.164) on: Sun Dec 21 12:29:53 EST 2003

Dear Kamakshi!
Before making vaazhaippoo poriyal, the chopped vazhaippoo is always immersed in curd or thick buter milk to avoid them changing into black colour. You can also immerse them in a little curd if you do not prefer to cook the vaazhaippoo immediately. But curd is not added in the main cooking of making vadais..
I will post the potato recipes soon.
From: R (@ bgp530243bgs.ebrnsw01.nj.comcast.net) on: Sun Dec 21 15:57:15 EST 2003

Hi Mrs.Mano,

Thanks so much for sharing the recipe.

Today, I tried poricha kuzhambu(chettinadu style) and it was really nice, the only thing I made pooshanikai kootu as the side dish, by mistake. Anyways, what could be its side dish?

Can I substitute with cucumber in the place of peerkangai?

Thanks and Bye
From: Megalavairamani (@ 213.42.2.16) on: Sun Dec 21 16:34:31 EST 2003

Dear Mrs.Mano,
Now in BurDubai,Blackpepper is available in the form of greenbunchcorns.i dont know what to do?Do you have any idea?
another one querry is please help me to make keerai sambar.THANKS IN ADVANCE.BYE.

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