Mean kuzhambu @ Fish curry

Mean Kuzhambu suits for Rice, Idli, Dosa, Chapathi, Puri. Best pair with hot rice and hot idli. Actually speaking this kuzhambu has to be served in next meal once it is prepared. So that fish gets soaked well in the curry and increase it's taste. For rice no side dish will be required, just fish from kuzhambu or fried fish is enough. I am great fan on Idli and Fish kuzhambu, I think most of the people like this combo.

About Fish:

   Usually in US, we get Salomon fish, small fishes from Bangladesh, few varieties like Sankara and Vancharam. Salomon fish doesn't have scales, can give it for kids. Bangladesh fishes from Indian store will be frozen, good for fry. While I get it from market, immediately I will clean it and marinate it with following ingredients. So that it will be handy for fish fry and can use it for kuzhambu.

To Marinate:

1.  Fish - 1 kg.

2. Salt - 2 Tea spoon

3. Turmeric powder - 2 Tea spoon

4. Chilly powder (sambar) - 2 Table spoon

5. Kashmiri chilly powder - 1 Table spoon

6. Gingelly oil - 2 Table spoon

 

Let's move on to make kuzhambu. Try adding Ladies finger, piece of Mango with fish kuzhambu, it goes very well, learnt from Chef Dhamu from cookery show.

Ingredients:

Onion Shallots - 7 to 8 no's

Tomato (small) - 2 no's

Ladies finger - 5 to 6 no's

Raw Mango - 1 piece

Garlic pods - 10 no's

Green Chilly - 3 no's
Sea Salt - required

Turmeric Powder - 2 Tea spoon
Tamarind - An big Amla size

Chilly powder - 2 Table spoon (Sambar Powder)

Curry leaves - for flavour

To Grind:

Peppercorns  - 1 Table spoon

Cumin seeds - 2 Tea spoons

Chopped Onions and Tomatoes - small fist.

To Temper:

Gingelly/Sesame Oil - 5 Table spoons

Fennel seeds - 1 Tea spoon
Fenugreek seeds - 1 Tea spoon
Cumin seeds - 1 Tea Spoon

Curry leaves - few

Method:

1. Soak the tamarind and sea salt with less water till the tamarind got soaked. Tamarind extract should be thick. Chop the veggies required for this dish. Add Garlic bit more, as it gives nice flavor, Grind the items which is given in "To Grind" list. So that we have kept ready - Mea-some-plans.

Tip: Onions and Garlic as to be chopped as lengthier ones, so it will be crunchy while tasting it.
2. Place a pan and add oil, Gingelly oil tastes good for Mean Kuzhambu, once oil is hot, add the ingredients mentioned in "To Temper" list, one by one. Fennel and Fenugreek seeds if u dry roast, powder, try by adding it while temper, it gives nice aroma.

3. Then add garlic. Once garlic turns golden brown, add onion and Green chilly.

4. Once onion turns to translucent color, add tomatoes, close the lid to get cooked.

5. Once Tomatoes will be smashed, add Ladies finger and Mango.

6. Once veggies are cooked, add grounded paste just sauté it nicely, once the raw smell is gone, squeeze the tamarind, extract the juice add it with salt, turmeric, Chilly powder with required water, add it in pan, remember that we have added these spices while marinating as well, so add it half. Have a taste check for salt and spicy and close the lid.

6. Once the kuzhambu starts boiling add Fish pieces, let fish get cooked for 10 minutes, Kuzhambu gets its consistency, oil will get ooze out. Add half teaspoon of pepper powder while switching off from the fire will give nice aroma.

Tips:

1. Kara Kuzhambu should not be cooked in high flame after adding tamarind, keep it in medium fire, open the lid and Tamarind extract has to be thick, helps the kuzhambu to get thicker. Rather in our native they say "Kuzhambu Kaduthu Poidum"

2. Fish kuzhambu taste so well for the second meal that is fish get soaked in kuzhambu gives more taste later, goes very well with Idli, usually i cook for afternoon meal and carry forward for the dinner with Idli. 

Please share your comments while u try this recipe that motivates me a lot to post more recipes. Thanks.

Garlic pickle

 

Ribbon Pakoda

 

Vessels in Chettinadu

New joiners to Umayal Kitchen. This is called "Adukku" meaning Adukki vaikkalam, goes inside of each vessel. Mainly will be used as serving dishes. Same way we display vessels during marriages from bride's parents side called "Saaman parapuradhu". Main advantage is, less place consumption and used as per capacity while guest arrives or depends on the curry we prepares. In our native for veg and non-veg, always they maintain different set of utensils including Pan, Knife, Laddle.... #Adukku #newjoinerstoumayalkitchen #umayalkitchen #silverutensils #utensilsdisplay #chettinadumarriages #saamanparaparudhu

Thenkuzhal / Seepu Seedai / Pachai Thenkuzhal

Thenkuzhal & Seepu seedai is a traditional snack in Chettinadu,  while thinking about Seepu seedai, first thing strikes in my mind during childhood days while my Mom preparing this snack, me and my Bro wear it as rings in each finger and taste it. Its really fun for kids, Good thing for ladies making in this snack is it will  not burst like normal Seedai. My daughter loves Thenkuzhal, so my mom prepare murukku flour and send it to me, always there will be stock in my freezer to prepare for her, while store it in freezer, flour will be fresh and bug free. I alter Thenkuzhal flour to Seepu Seedai by adding Roasted gram - Pottukadalai & Coconut milk.

Ingredients:

Flour preparation for Thenkuzhal:

Raw Rice or Pachai arisi - 7 cups
Broken Urad Dal - 2 cups (as whole Urad dhal will not be roasted quick)

Adding some ingredients for Seepu Seedai with Thenkuzhal floor:

Roasted gram or Pottukadalai - 1 cup
Warm Coconut milk - 2 cups (mixture of first and second milk)

Method of making Thenkuzhal:

1. Wash the rice and dry it in the Sun or you can wet the towel in water, squeeze it nicely, take a handful of rice, rub it in towel, do the same for entire rice, dry it under fan by spreading up in paper.

2. Then dry roast the Urad dhal, by taking handful quantity into the pan, keep the fire as low and roast it else it will become red and not roasted. May be five to six times u need to roast the entire quantity of Urad dhal.

3. Allow the Urad dhal to cool, add it with the rice and take it to the Mill.

4. Take additional two cups of rice, as this flour has to be grinded only if rice floor is grinded before else Muruku floor, any other ingredients has been grinded than rice taken by us can be used to grind, later we can grind Murukku mavu. If Thenkuzhal mavu is grinded after wheat flour or ragi, it will spoil the taste of the murukku you are making. In Chettinad we don't add anything else to the mavu, like chilly powder, omam or jeeragam, that will make the murukku to crack and burst in oil causes a danger, so that murukku will be plain, white and no cracks.

Once the mavu is ready, things are simple. Just add enough water and salt, mix the flour. Fill the kuzhal or kattai, we call muruku pillium kattai, mine has seven different sills or plates to make different dishes and shapes like Idiyappam....

Pls note the following while making murukku:

1. Wash the kattai with sill before using it.

2. Make the shapes of flour to fit in kuzhal and keep it ready, more helpful to fill the kuzhal every time.

3. Fit the sill, for Thenkuzhal it has five openings, shape is straight, for mullu muruku, shape will has its teeth, fill the mavu in the kattai, press it in the oil directly, slightly rotate it, my youtube channel video describes how to press thenkuzhal, after finishing it, break the joint for next one. Some use to press in Spatula and drop it in oil, it changes the crispiness of the murukku, its well and good to drop it in Oil directly.

4. While making dough nicely mix it, all should be blend properly, else murukku will burst, stay away for safety purpose for some time while murukku is getting cooked. Fire should be medium not too high and too simmer else murukku will be burnt or it will drink so much oil. 

5. Make ready of air tight container, while oil is dripped from murukku, you can store it in but don't close immediately. then crispiness will be gone, once all murukku comes to room temperature, you can close it.

6. Before taking out the murukku from oil, check its cooked, sound should be reduced & oil should not be too hot, rather u will lose crispiness. 

7. Store it in air tight container, enjoy it for a month.

Pachai Thenkuzhal:  This murukku will be served with evening tiffin in the marriages, which will not be cooked properly. This murukku is taken out from the oil after few seconds, it has bit more oil content while compare to normal murukku. Diet conscious will skip this one, tastes good, can be served immediate while guests are arrived with maavu urundai as its a instant one.

Method of making Seepu Seedai:

        I usually make Seepu seedai by altering murukku mavu by adding above mentioned ingredients like one cup of pottukadalai powder and 2 cups of warm coconut milk. Definitely you need to a helping hand to make shapes like press, cut and shape it, one person need to roast it.  

Pls note the following while making seepu seedai:

1. Wash the kattai with sill before using it.

2. Make the shapes of flour to fit in kuzhal and keep it ready, more helpful to fill the kuzhal every time.

3. Sill is like flat one with one drop, fit the sill, fill the mavu, and press it the paper.

4. Then cut by leaving proper length to make it round by turning it in Index finger.

5. Follow the same to allow the shapes fill a plate.

6. Make ready of air tight container, while oil is dripped from seedai, you can store it in but don't close immediately. then crispiness will be gone, once all seedai comes to room temperature, you can close it.

7. Before taking out the seedai from oil, check its cooked, sound should be reduced & oil should not be too hot, rather u will lose crispiness. 

8. Store it in air tight container, enjoy it for a month.

Tips & Tricks:

1. While making dough nicely mix it, all should be blend properly, else murukku will burst, stay away for safety purpose for some time while murukku is getting cooked. Fire should be medium not too high and too simmer. Else it will be burnt.

2.Make ready of air tight container, while oil is dripped from seedai, you can store it in but don't close immediately. then crispiness will be gone, once all seedai comes to room temperature, you can close it.

3. Before taking out the seedai from oil, check its cooked, sound should be reduced & oil should not be too hot, rather u will lose crispiness. 

4. Wash the kattai and sill before use to avoid hard press.

5. Some use to press in Spatula and drop it in oil, it changes the crispiness of the murukku, its well and good to drop it in Oil directly.

6. While store the flour in freezer, flour will be fresh and bug free.

7. If Thenkuzhal mavu is grinded after wheat flour or ragi, it will spoil the taste of the murukku you are making. 

 

Kumayam

Kumayam is a traditional sweet in Chettinadu. Usually this will be the sweet in weddings for the evening tiffin in Ponnai allaicha Palagaram. This sweet is very healthy and good for Uterus similar to Ulandham Kazhi, once girl child attains puberty they will serve this sweet, to reduce waist pain along with Gingelly oil and Egg. I usually prepare this sweet for Neivedhyam on special occassions.

Ingredients:

Flour Preparation:

Whole Urad dhal - 5 cups
Raw rice - 1 cup 

Moong dhal - 1 cup

Rest:

Kumayam Flour - 1/2 cup
Jaggery or Palm Jaggery - 1/2 cup
Ghee - 5 Table spoons
Cardamom Powder - 1 Tea spoon

Method:

Take the ingredients under flour preparation, dry roast it and powder it. Take a 1/2 cup of Kumayam flour, 1/2 cup of Jaggery or Palm Jaggery, make a pagu with Jaggery by adding little water, filter it. Add water to the flour make it kind of dosa batter, add jaggery pagu, cook it till u get better consistency, add Cardamom powder for flavour and add ghee as final touch, remove it from flame, serve it to the dish, hope it helps.

Tips:

Quick sweet if you have flour in stock. I usually store it in freezer as it's mom preparation to save from bugs.

My mom says before making it fry the flour in ghee to get better rich taste.

Chicken kuzhambu

This is my first Non-Veg recipe in my blog as everyone started asking me that whether I am vegetarian?   I would say this Chicken kuzhambu is in modern style as we saute all the ingredients step by step. This Kuzhambu suits for Rice, Idli, Dosa, Chapathi, Puri. I usu ally prepare this kuzhambu in pressure cooker, so that Chicken will be cooked very nicely. Soon I will post authentic style kuzhambu.

Ingredients:

Chicken - 1/2 kg
Onion - 1 no. big in size

Tomato - 2 no's

Garlic pods - 5 no's
Green Chilly - 1 no.
Salt - required

Chilly Powder(curry) - 3 Table spoon
Chicken powder (Garam masala) - 1 Table spoon
Turmeric Powder - 2 Tea spoon
Tamarind - An Amla size
Coriander leaves - few

To Grind:

Onion Shallots  - 5 no's
Tomato - 1 no.
Garlic pods - 3 no's
Ginger - 3 pieces

Cumin seeds - 2 Table spoons
Pepper - 1 Table spoons
Grated Coconut - 3 Table spoons

To Temper:

Oil - 5 Table spoons

Fennel seeds - 1 Tea spoon
Fenugreek seeds - 1 Tea spoon
Cumin seeds - 1 Tea spoon
Bay leaf -  1 no.
Cinamon - Small piece

Curry leaves - few

Method:

1.Wash the chicken gently thrice with plain water, add Turmeric, mix it keep it aside. Turmeric acts as effective disinfectant, so its good to add with Chicken.

                 
Place a pan and add oil, good to have Gingelly oil for better taste, once oil is hot, add the ingredients mentioned in "To Temper" list, one by one. 

3. Then add garlic. Once garlic turns golden brown, add onion.

4. Once onion turns to translucent color, add tomatoes with required salt and turmeric powder, close the lid to get cooked.

5. Tomatoes will be smashed, add Chicken, once its cooked, turns soft, add Chilly powder, it can be curry powder and add grounded paste.

6. Close the lid, wait for 2 whistles....Once the pressure is released add extracted tamarind water to the kuzhambu, add Chicken curry powder or Garam masala for flavor.

7. Once Kuzhambu get boiled, Garnish with Coriander leaves.

Tips:

1. Chicken curry powder added at the end to keep the flavor.
2. Fennel seeds and Fenugreek seeds in the "To Temper" list can be added as powder once its finely roasted, gives a better flavor.
3. For rich flavor, you can add Kasa Kasa and Cashews in "To grind" list
4. Either Country Chicken or Broiler Chicken suits this recipe, Country Chicken always taste great and good for kids.