Red Chili Chutney / Varamilagai Thuvaiyal

It is an easy to prepare Tamil home recipe, also called Milakai / Chilli / Lal mirchi / Lal mirch / tuvaial / thohaiyal / thovaiyal / thovial / thovaial.


Ingredients:

• Red chili (Varamilakai): 7
• Tomato (Thakkali): 2
• Onion (Vengayam): 1
• Tamarind (Puli / imli): A little (A small lemon sized ball)
• Curry leaves (Karuveppilai / kari veppilai / kari patha): About 10
• Mustard (Kadugu / Rai / Sarson): ½ tsp
• Black gram (Uluntham paruppu / uluththam paruppu / Urad dhal / dal): ¼ tsp
• Split chick peas (kadalai paruppu / Channa dal): 1 tsp
• Oil for frying: 1 table spoon
• Salt: As required
  
  

Method of preparation:

• Cut the onion.
• Cut the tomatoes.
• Heat 1 tsp of oil in a wok (iruppu chatti / tawa).
• Add split chick peas, curry leaves and red chilies.
• Wait for spluttering and add onion.
• Sauté well.
• Add the tomatoes.
• Continue sauté for a while.
• Add the tamarind ball and stir.
• Remove from flame.
• After cooling, finely grind all the ingredients with salt.
• Heat again 2 tsp of oil in a wok.
• Add mustard followed by black gram.
• Allow to splutter.
• Mix this with the chutney and transfer to a serving dish.
  

Tastes good with hot idli / idly, dosai / dosa, Puri, purotta / barotta / parantha, vellai paniyaram, kulipaniyaram, etc.

Wheat Laddoo (Godhumai mavurundai / Atta laddu)

It is an easy to prepare energetic dessert. It is enjoyable to have during tea time along with snacks. It is also called kodhumai maavu urundai.

Method of preparation:

• Roast 250 grams of wheat flour (Atta / Godhumai mavu).
• Mix 200 grams of grated jaggery (Gud / Vellam) with the roasted flour.
• Add 30 grams of ghee (clarified butter / makkan / vennai).
• Mix well.
• With the help of your palm, prepare ball shaped laddus of your preferred size.
• Serve with or without snacks and tea or coffee.

Vellai Paniyaram

It is a very popular, tasty, easy to prepare Chettinadu dish, white in colour and soft to touch.
Vendanpatti, Veguppatti, Velangudi, Vairavankoil and Pillaiyarpatti special.

Method of preparation

• Wash and soak 1 cup of raw rice ( Pachcharisi / Kachcha Chawal) and 1/6 cup of Black gram (Uluntham paruppu / Urad dal) in water for about an hour.
• Drain the water.
• Finely grind to obtain batter.
• Add water little by little while grinding to get Dosai batter consistency.
• Add salt as per requirement at the last stage of grinding.
• Transfer the batter to a vessel.
• Heat three cups of oil in a deep pan (Iruppu chatti / Wok / Tawa)
• Pour the batter in the hot oil using a ladle (Soup Spoon).
• The batter will become flat and float on the oil.
• Turn to the other side so as to be cooked well equally on both the side.
• Remove this Vellai Paniyaram from the pan, drain the oil and keep it on a plate.
• Continue making Vellai Paniyarams and add them to plate.
• Serve hot with tomato chutney (Thakkali thuvaiyal).
  
  

Kalkandu Vadai

It is a delicious Chettinadu sweet, karkandu vada, tastes good hot or cold.

Ingredients (for Qty 20):

• Raw rice (colam rice / pachcharisi / kachcha chawal): ¼ cup
• Husked black gram (Urad dal / Uluntham paruppu): 1 cup
• Sugar candy (Kalkandu): 1 cup Sugar: 1 ¼ cup
• Oil for deep frying: 3 cups
• (If sugar candy is not available, 1 ¼ cup sugar can be used)
  

Method:

• Wash and soak the raw rice and black gram together in water for an hour.
• Drain the water well.
• Grind this using a grinder by adding sugar gradually, without adding water for about 20 minutes.
• Transfer the batter to a vessel.
• Turn upside down a small flat bottomed vessel, wet with a little water and place a plastic sheet on top of it.
• Wet your palms with water.
• Take a small scoop of batter.
• Keep it on the plastic sheet and gently flatten it.
• Make a hole in the centre.
• Carefully remove from the plastic sheet and deep fry in oil under medium flame.
• When both sides turn golden brown, drain the oil well and keep it on a plate.
• Serve hot or cold.
  

Tip: In the U.S., one cup (8 fluid ounces) is equal to 237 milliliters, In the U.K., one cup is 227 millilitres and in Australia, one cup is 250 milliliters.

Kummayam

It is an excellent, easy to prepare, delicious chettinadu / chettinad sweet dish or dessert.

Ingredients:

• Raw rice (pacharisi / colam rice / kachcha chawal): ¼ azhakku (approx 60 ml)
• Black gram (uluttham paruppu / urad dal): ½ azhakku (approx 125 ml)
  Split green gram (pasipparuppu / moong dal wash): 2 azhakku (approx 500 ml)
• Jaggery (vellam / gud): 500 gm
• Ghee (nei): 200 gm
  
  
  Method:
  
  
• Roast the rice, black gram and green gram separately.
• Mix them together and grind to fine flour.
• Sift with the help of a sieve and keep aside.
• Take the jaggery in a vessel.
• Add a little water.
• Heat a little till the jaggery dissolves and filter.
• Mix this with the flour.
• Make up the consistency like that of dosai batter.
• Now, heat it slowly by adding ghee gradually.
• Cook till the appearance of shiny colour.
• Serve hot or cold.
  

Suitable to prepare during festivals and special family functions.

Ragi idli / Finger millet idli / Kezhvaragu idli

Ragi (finger millet) is rich in protein and calcium. It is easily digestible and good for all ages. It is also called as ragee, African millet, coracan, corakan, kurakkan, eleusine coracana and keppai.

Ingredients:

• Ragi: 200 gm
• Rice: 100 gm
• Black gram (Urad dal / Ulundham paruppu): 100 gm
• Fenugreek (Methi / Vendhayam): 2 tsp
• Curd (yogurt): 50 gm
• Salt to taste
  
  

Procedure:

• Clean ragi thoroughly and soak overnight.
• Also soak the black gram, rice and fenugreek overnight.
• Grind them separately and mix them together.
• Add salt, curd and keep for 5 to 6 hours for fermentation.
• Grease (apply edible oil) idli plates and pour the ragi batter.
• Cook in pressure cooker without using whistle or cook in idli cooker.
• Remove idlies using a spoon. (Same as making common idli).
• Serve hot with coconut chutney, Kuruma, puli kuzhambu or Kaara kuzhambu .

Thengai Mangai Pattani Sundal

It is a tasty evening snack, also called chundal, rich in protein.

Ingredients:

• Dry green peas (pattani): 2 cups
• Raw mango (mangai / kachcha aam): 1
• Coriander seeds( malli / dhania) : 4 tsp
• Coconut (thengai / nariyal): 1/4 cup
• Mustard (kadugu / rai / sarson): 1/4 tsp
• Red chili (vara milakai / lal mirchi): 8
• Asafetida (Perungayam / Hing): one pinch
• Husked black gram (Ulundham paruppu / Urad dal): 1 tsp
• Oil: 1 tsp
• Salt: 1 tsp

Method:

• Soak peas overnight in four cups of water, pressure cook in medium flame for two whistles, strain the excess water and keep it aside.
• Grind coriander seeds, coconut, and red chilies.
• Fry mustard, black gram and asafetida in oil and add the ground masala.
• Keep frying until a pleasant flavor comes out.
• Now add peas and salt.
• Cook for a few minutes.
• Remove from flame.
• Garnish with chopped mangoes.
• Serve hot or cold.
• Suitable to serve during festivals like Navarathri and Ayudha puja / Saraswathi puja. During non season of mangoes, mango powder can be used effectively.