Tamarind rice (Puliodarai)

This delicious rice variety is also called Pulihora, puliyogare or Puliogare. Tamarind extract or tamarind sauce is mixed with cooked rice for the easy preparation of this special variety. It can be taken as a picnic, packed food while on travel, or at work.
It is also eaten as a snack. It is also prepared during special occasions.

Method of preparation:

• Soak a lemon size ball of tamarind in four cups of water till the tamarind softens.
• With the help of your fingers, prepare tamarind extract by crushing, squeezing, separating the seeds if any and filtering. (Tamarind extract is also called tamarind sauce, pulikkaichal, pulikkaichchal, or pulikkaraisal.
• Dry roast 1 tsp of fenugreek (venthayam / vendhayam / vendayam / methi).
• Fry two red chilies in a little edible oil. Powder this fenugreek and red chilies with ½ tsp of salt.
• Set aside.
• Heat 1 tbsp of edible oil.
• Add 1 tsp of mustard (rai / kaduku), a pinch of asafetida (hing / perungayam), 1 tbsp of Bengal gram (chana dal / kadalaipparuppu) and 1 tbsp of black gram (urad dal / uluntham paruppu).
• Fry for about a minute and add 2 tbsp of peanuts (ground nuts / nilakkadalai / verkadalai / manila kottai / mallaattai / kadalai paruppu / moong phali).
• When the peanuts start browning, add the tamarind sauce, the chili-fenugreek powder, about ½ tsp of turmeric powder and check seasoning.
• Add more salt if needed.
• Let the tamarind sauce be reduced to thick consistency under low flame.
  (This can be preserved airtight for long time and can be used as and when required.)
  
  

The mixing:

• Heat 1 tsp of edible oil and crackle1 tsp of mustard in it.
• Add 1 sprig of curry leaves and 1 tbsp of peanuts.
• Fry until the peanuts turn brown.Transfer this on 2 cups of cooked rice.
• Add required amount of tamarind sauce (about 3 tbsp).
• Mix thoroughly.
• Tamarind rice is ready.

Serve hot or cold.

Pudur pudupatti Poli

Poli or poly is a very delicious sweet dish liked by all. It’s nice to take it during tea time.

Ingredients:

• Coconut: 1
• Jaggery: 300gm
• Bengal gram: 200 gm
• Cardamom: 5
• All purpose flour (Maida): 300 gm
• Ghee: 100 gm
• Rice flour: 1 tsp

Method of preparation:

• Grate the coconut.

• Soak Bengal gram in water and cook it partially.

• Drain the water from half cooked Bengal gram.

• Grind it with jaggery, grated coconut and cardamom. Add rice flour.

• Heat the ghee in a frying pan.

• Add the ground item and stir well.

• Remove from flame.

• Prepare dough with all purpose flour.

• Make small balls of the dough and press evenly so as to obtain round chappati like soft discs.

• Sandwich with the ground paste (the paste is spread in between two soft, round chappaties and sealed by closing the ends properly).

• Cook under low flame on a flat pan by adding a little ghee around it.

Muyal varuval or Rabbit fry

It’s a very delicious non vegetarian dish.

Ingredients:

• Rabbit meat: 500 gram (cut into small pieces)
• Turmeric powder: 1 tsp
• Black pepper powder: 2 tbsp
• Ginger garlic paste: 2 tbsp
• Salt: As required
• Curry leaves: A few leaves
• Edible oil for frying

Method of Preparation:

• Marinate the pieces of rabbit meat with all the above ingredients except curry leaves for about half an hour.

• Fry the marinated rabbit meat pieces in oil.

• Garnish with the sautéed curry leaves.

Serve hot with anything like cooked rice, chapatti, parantha, purotta, bread, idli, dosai (dosa), vadai (vada), puri (poori), samosa, biriyani, kushka. Also taken with drinks.

Egg bonda or Muttai bonda

It is a very easy to prepare side dish cum snack. Required number of eggs depends upon how many bondas you need.

Ingredients:

• Eggs: As required
• Bengal gram flour (Besan / Kadalai mavu)
• Chili powder
• Salt
• Edible oil for deep frying
  

Method of Preparation:

• Hard boil the eggs, remove the shell from each egg and cut each egg into two.
  
• Make a batter with gram flour, chili powder, salt and water.
  
• Heat edible oil in a sauce pot / wok (kadhai / kadai / Iruppuchchatti.
• Dip the egg in the batter and deep fry in oil till golden brown.
  
• Serve hot with or without chutney / thuvaiyal / pickle / podi / thokku.
  

Any edible flour can be made into a batter, into which a variety of bondas, bajjis, pakodas / pakoras, tempuras, hush puppies, bhajias, kakiage, beignets, fritters etc. can be deep fried. This may be experimented in the leisure time using small quantity. Different flours will make different bondas with different flavours (flavors) and textures.