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: LT (@ dhcp-0-2-e3-5-ca-b1.cpe.townisp.com) on: Fri Nov 21 00:07:54 EST 2003

Hi Sai,

We usually don't ferment the batter, but you could grind it the previous evening and keep it in the fridge and make it the next morning. And yes, just grinding it gives it the soft texture and we use only raw rice, salt , milk and the water used to wash the grinder to make the paniyarams. Always cook in medius flame, the paniyarams should not change colour and they should never get crisp or rubbery.Good Luck!
From: LT (@ dhcp-0-2-e3-5-ca-b1.cpe.townisp.com) on: Fri Nov 21 00:15:15 EST 2003

Hello Mrs.Mano,

Could you please post a recipe for pumpkin halwa using white pumpkin.Thanks.
From: Sai (@ 206.67.208.252) on: Fri Nov 21 11:49:34 EST 2003

Hi LT,

Thanks a lot for the information.

Sai
From: Sai (@ 206.67.208.252) on: Fri Nov 21 11:51:48 EST 2003

Hi Mrs. Mano,

I made the Wheat gulkundh yesterday. It came out very well. I have one doubt though. The texture was like kesari not like halwa.... you know like tirunelveli halwa. I had milk boiling in one stove and when the sugar melted and fried for few minutes, I added the milk and it immediately thickened... Will the texture be different if I used cooled boiled milk?

Thanks,
Sai
From: Mrs.Mano (@ 195.229.241.167) on: Sat Nov 22 10:47:41 EST 2003

Dear Sai!
Thanks for the feedback on Sambar sadham.
About Wheat kulkandh, it is better to keep the milk warm . Moreover, the texture will be sometimes different according to the type of wheat flour, and the ghee. But the taste will be the same. You are right.It will not look like halwa. It will look like kesari.
From: Mrs.Mano (@ 195.229.241.167) on: Sat Nov 22 11:59:42 EST 2003

Hello Kamakshi!
Here are the recipes for some vathal preparations!
ARISI KOOZH VATHAL:
Soak 6 cups of raw rice for 2 hours and then grind it to a paste. Keep it covered for a full day. In the next morning, boil 2 liters of water in a big vessel. When the water begins to simmer, add 100gms of cleaned and washed sago [javvarisi] with 1sp of asafoetida . Let the sago simmer on a medium fire until it is half-cooked. Then add the rice paste and the ground paste of 30 -40 green chillies with enough salt. Mix well and cook the koozh until it is done.. You can immediately press the koozh into desired shapes with the help of a presser on a clean cloth and let them dry under the hot sunlight.
MANATHTHAKKALI VATHAL:
Soak 2 kilos of raw manathakkali[manaththakkalikai] in Ľ liter of salted-thick buttermilk in a mud pot for 5 days. Shake well the vessel now and then every day. On the 6th day, drain the water completely and let them dry on a clean sheet well under the sunlight. Dry well until it becomes crisp.
CLUSTERBEANS[KOTHTHAVARAI] VATHAL:
Boil 1 kilo of koththavarai in salted water in a big vessel until they are half-cooked. Drain the water and dry them under the sunlight until it becomes crisp. You can alsomake avaraikkai vathal like this.
From: Mrs.Mano (@ 195.229.241.167) on: Sat Nov 22 13:00:54 EST 2003

Hello LT!
Here is the recipe for white pumpkin halwa[pooshanikkai halwa] which is also called as kasi halwa. Normally it is prepared with shredded poosanikkai, sugar and ghee. But it is also prepared either with coconut milk or milk. I am posting here two varieties of kasi halwa.
WHITE PUMPKIN[KASI ] HALWA:
Pressurecook 2 cups of shredded white pumpkin in a small vessel to three whistles. When it is cooled, extract the water out of the pumpkin. Heat a kadai and add 1 cup of sugar with the extracted water. Prepare kambi paahu under medium fire and then add the cooked pumpkin to the sugar syrup. Cook well and when it is thickened add 1tbsp of ghee, and a little kesari color. When the halwa leaves on the sides, put off the fire. Add some pieces of fried cashew nuts and almonds.
WHITE PUMPKIN HALWA-II:
Cook 1 ˝ cups of shredded pumpkin as above. Boil 4 cups of thick milk in a beg vessel until it becomes a soft kova. After extracting the water out of the cooked pumpkin, add the kova to the pumpkin and mix well. Prepare kambi paahu as above with 1 cup of sugar, then add the pumpkin-kova mixture and make halwa as above. In the end, add 1/4sp of cardamom powder and 1tbsp of ghee.
From: Kamakshi (@ ac9.emirates.net.ae) on: Sat Nov 22 17:32:20 EST 2003

Thanks so much for your quick response Mrs.Mano. I am going to try them out next week, when my mother is coming to visit. But won't the rice paste become sour if kept for one full day -- must it be kept in fridge? Using this same dough can I make tomato/onion vadam also?
I also like to know how to make potato chips; I tried many times but they became browned & were not crisp also. Please explain how to make white & crisp chips as those we get in shops & sweet stalls. Sorry for so many questions. Thanks.
From: Kamakshi (@ 195.229.241.228) on: Sat Nov 22 17:33:40 EST 2003

I forgot one thing -- can i put this vadam in kuzhambus also?
From: Mrs.Mano (@ 213.42.2.8) on: Sat Nov 22 22:41:05 EST 2003

Hello Kamakshi!
There are so many preperations in making vathals, vadams etc. In older generations, they used to keep the batter covered for atleast 2 days so that it will sour. They will also add salt to it. In UAE'S climate, it will not sour much within a day.
These vathals are not added in normal kuzhambu varieties. There are some kuzhambu vadam varieties for that. I will post them if you need those varieties. I will soon post the recipes of tomato&onion vathals and also the potato chips.
From: R (@ bgp530243bgs.ebrnsw01.nj.comcast.net) on: Mon Nov 24 09:16:06 EST 2003

Hello Mrs.Mano,

Can u give me recipe for rava idly? Tried so many methods, still, not getting the softness just like the hotels? Any idea..

Thanks and Bye
From: Mrs.Mano (@ 195.229.241.164) on: Tue Nov 25 13:13:18 EST 2003

Hello R!
I have already posted the recipe of rawa idli some months back. It will be very soft to eat. Here, I have re-posted that recipe for you!
RAWA IDLI:
Fry 1 cup semolina[rawa] in 3tbsps ghee on moderate fire for a few minutes. No need to turn the rawa into light brown colour. When cold, add 1/2 cup water, thick curd 1/2cup, frozen corn 1/2 cup, 2 green chillies[nicely cut], some curry leaves, and coriander leaves, soda bi-corbonate 1/4sp, shredded coconut 1/2 cup, and nicely cut capsicum 1/4 cup and enough salt to taste. Mix well and keep the batter covered for 1/2 hour. Then you can make the idlies as usual. These idlies will be very soft
From: R (@ bgp530824bgs.ebrnsw01.nj.comcast.net) on: Tue Nov 25 15:13:13 EST 2003

thanks Mrs.Mano, did not notice it properly, sorry for the trouble.

The batter consistency will be the same just like our urad idly or more thicker ? If I dont add soda salt, will the outcome be good?

Bye
From: Mrs.Mano (@ 195.229.241.164) on: Wed Nov 26 10:11:18 EST 2003

Hello R!
The batter for Rawa idli will be a little thicker than the idli batter. When preparing the batter, first mix the fried rawa with water and the curd with salt. And then add the soda bi carbonate and mix well. Now you will feel the soft texture. Rawa idli is always prepared either with soda bi carbonate or Eno salt[plain]. If you do not add soda bi corbonate, then the idlis will not be that much soft.
From: kanaka (@ 213.42.2.6) on: Thu Nov 27 08:23:43 EST 2003

how to make idli molagai podi - tirunelveli type in special or any other type also wu\ill do - little karam type.

thanks
From: R (@ bgp530824bgs.ebrnsw01.nj.comcast.net) on: Thu Nov 27 08:29:11 EST 2003

Got it, will try and let you know. Thanks anyway, Mrs.Mano.

Bye
From: R (@ bgp530824bgs.ebrnsw01.nj.comcast.net) on: Fri Nov 28 05:04:41 EST 2003

Hello Mrs.Mano,

I have a few queries, pls answer whenever you find time.

1. Every time, I make appam for karthigai or krishna jayanthi, it is not coming softly. Either it will stick at the bottom while frying or if it comes up, it is becoming very hard till I wait for the brown color, any idea or do u have any recipe for that or neiappam?

2. My daughter's 1st b.day is coming up, so for star b.day, we are doing the ceremony, so, 3 families we are expecting. What kind of tiffins I can serve for them with dessert?

3. Finally, we have this tradition making paruppu thengai for all occasions. If I want to do in mysore pak(dont have that cone), what is the consistency should I take it? Is the normal one we use to do or a different pagu is there for this purpose?

Sorry for these many queries, hope you dont mind, I think.

Thanks a lot for listening, Bye

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