Mixed Pullipu Kootu

Pullipu or Tangy or Khatta gravy dish made during 3rd day of Pongal festival down south. It is one of the healthiest and yummy traditional dishes made during that season. It is served with mixed rices like coconut rice, lemon rice, tomato rice, puliyogare rice, curd rice etc.. on normal days too you can serve it along with dosa, chappati.

Serves - 4

Ingredients:
2                - Large Red/Orange Carrots
10             - French Beans
5               - Clustered Beans
100 gms - Fresh green peas
100 gms  - White pumpkin
100 gms  - Red pumpkin
50   gms  - Yam
2                - Medium Potato
1                - Large Capsicum
1/2            - Chayote/Cho-Cho/Chow-Chow
2                - Green chillies
1/2 inch  - Ginger
200 ml     - Tamarind pulp
1 tbs         - Turmeric powder
1 tbs         - Sambhar powder
3 tbs         - Home made kootu powder (check end of the page for the recipe)
1 tbs         - Oil
1/2 tbs     - Mustard seeds
2 arc          - Curry leaves
1/2 tbs     - Asafatida
1     tbs     - ghee
Salt to taste

Method/Vidhiee:
1. Roughly chop carrots, french beans, clustered beans, white pumpkin, red pumpkin, capsicum, potato, Yam(to be chopped and par boiled separately), chayote, green chilly, ginger finely chopped.
2. In a pressure cooker add oil and splutter the mustard seeds, curry leaves along with asafatida.
3. Add in the vegetables, turmeric powder, sambhar powder, tamarind pulp, salt amd if needed add in 1/2 cup water.
4. Pressure cook the vegetables until 3 whistles come.
5. Once the pressure cools add in the kootu powder.

Kootu Powder : Dry roast & Grind the below ingredients. You can use them in various other south Indian kootus and curries.

2 tbs   - Channa dal
1 tbs   - Corainder seeds
2          - Dry red chilly
1/2 tbs - Asafatida
1/4 tbs - Fenugreek seeds

6. Add in the kootu powder on the vegetables and boil them by stirring for 3 mins.
7. Temper some more curry leaves and mustard in ghee . Pour them over the vegetables.

Tutty Fruity Nutty Eggless Olive Cake

Well well well it was a new year eve and this year planned to make a cake which was bit healthier. Oh don't have that look towards me asking cake and healthier???!!! yes made few changes in the ingredients..may be that was the reason the cake was cracked from top but was smooth from the base. But, this cracked was no botheration to people who eat it.. it was perfectly YUmmmmmmm :)))

So lets move on to technicality ;p

Ingredients:
2 cups   - All purpose flour (Maida)
1/4 cup - Melted butter
2/4 cup - Light Olive Oil
1     cup - Light Buttermilk
1 tbs      - Vinegar
2 tbs      - Powdered Flax Seeds
3/4  cup- Powdered sugar
1.5 tbs   - Baking powder
1/2 tbs   - Baking soda
1/2 cup  - Tutty fruity
1/4 cup   - Chopped (almonds,raisins, cashewnuts,walnuts)
1/2 tbs    - Orange & lemon rind
Butter for greasing & Maida for dusting the cake tin.

Method / Vidhiee:

1. Always sieve maida, baking powder, baking soda and keep it aside.
2. Pre-heat the Owen @ 230 degrees (i used my mother's age old dome type Owen which has 360 degree heat transfer into the cake. Each Owen has its own temperature heating. So, test small portions and analyse your Owen)
3. Mix butter, olive oil. Beat them well. Add vinegar and buttermilk. Beat again them well.
4. Sieve the powdered sugar and add it to the liquid mixture. Add in the flax seeds powder.
5. Beat the mixture well for 5-7 minutes.
6. Add in the maida slowly to the mixture and keep folding the mixture.
7. Add in extra butter milk or olive oil if the batter seems to be tight.
8. Remember the batter has to the pouring consistency but, not in flowing consistency.
9. Add in the orange & lemon rind. Also the nuts, raisins, tutty fruity.
10. Mix well.  Grease the cake tin with butter completely and dust with maida a bit.
11. Pour in the cake batter into the tin. Garnish some tutty fruity chunks on  top.
12. Heat it for 45 minutes @ 230 degrees. In-between you can check by immersing the wooden stick into the cake. If, the batter is done it wouldn't stick on to the wooden stick.
13. Once it's done do not immediately open the Owen. Keep it inside for 15 minutes.
14. Once cake cools down transfer the cake to another plate.

Serve along with tea/ coffee/juice/ or any beverage. Perfect for evenings. You can also pour on fruit sauce over it to have a immersed fruity sponge cake.

Happy New Year 2014

Happy New Year 2014 wishes from Delicious Bhojanam.
It had been a wonderful year in terms of exploring few cuisines. Indeed it was at a slow pace but, each one was worth it. Thanks for all the love and support. Hope it continues thru the next beautiful year ahead. Lets join hands and learn more new recipes from across the globe. Soon a page is going to be dedicated to only visitors recipes.
Here is a wonderful Tutty Fruity Nutty Eggless Olive Cake... just for you. (recipe would be uploaded soon)

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2014

Sootta Kathrikai Godssu / Burnt Aubergine Spicy Curry

Brinjal / Aubergine / Kathrikai / Baigan  what ever you name you call... it's one kind of vegetable affordable but, not liked by many. It contains low fat but, also low in minerals and proteins. The best smoky vegetable you can have. This dish is an very old one from our grandmothers book. It is generally served along with the hot hot pongal!!!!

Ingredients:

1             -  Big hallow Violet Aubergine
2             -  Red Tomatoes
2             -  Green Chilly
2             -  Curry Leaves Arc
1 inch   - Ginger
1 tbs     - Turmeric powder
1 tbs     - Red chilly powder
1/2 tbs - Sambhar powder
10 ml    - Tamarind Pulp
2 tbs     - Til oil
1 tbs     - Mustard seeds
1/2 tbs - Broken urad dal
1/2 tbs  - Asafatida
2              - Red Chilly
Salt to taste
100 ml - Water
Optional 1  -  Onion 


You can make a spice powder exclusively to add to the godssu
2 tbs - Channa Dal, 1 tbs - Coriander seeds, 1/4 tbs - Fenugreek seeds, 5 - Dry red chilly, 1/4 tbs - Asafatida
Dry roast them and grind them coarsely. Store the powder in a dry air tight container. 


Method / Vidhiee:

1. Wash the aubergine thoroughly and wipe it completely. 
2. Rub some oil over the aubergine.
3. Smoke it over a wood fire or a normal gas stove.

4. Make sure the vegetable turns fully black.
5. In between poke a knife inside the aubergine.
6. If the knife goes smoothly inside it means that the vegetable is cooked.
7. Keep it aside and cool it down.
8. De-skin the burnt aubergine. Chop the inside pulp of it or mash it with a masher.
9. Meanwhile finely chop tomatoes, green chilly, ginger.
10. In a pan add in til oil. Splutter mustard seeds, broken urad dal, asafatida, curry leaves, dry red chilly.
11. Add in the chopped tomatoes, green chilly, ginger.
12. Saute and add in all dry powders to it including salt.
13. Until the tomatoes turn soft saute it.
14. Now add in the mashed aubergine to it.
15. Mix well and add some water to it. Add in the tamarind pulp. Boil it for 3 mins.
16. If needed add in the home made masala powder.
17. Keep stirring occasionally.
18. Garnish with chopped green coriander leaves.

Serve hot along with Pongal!