Prawn kuzhambu - chettinad Eral kolambu

Here is another tasty kolambu in chettinadu style with prawns.

Ingredients:

• Big Prawns- 10 pieces
• Curd - 1/4 cup
  
• Onion -2
• Tomato- 2 small size
• Grated coconut- 3 tablespoon
• Tamarind- a size of a small lemon
• Turmeric powder-1/4 teaspoon
• Chilli powder- 3/4 teaspoon
• Coriander powder-1/2 teaspoon
• Ginger - 1 inch
• Garlic -5 or 6
• Cumin seeds- 1/2 teaspoon
• Oil - 3 tablespoon
• For seasoning- Mustard, fennel, curry leaves
• Salt

Method:

• Soak the tamarind in warm water for 15 minutes and extract juice out of it.
• Clean the prawns in curd and then in water.
• Make the paste of ginger and garlic seperately.
• Make another paste of coconut, half onion and cumin seeds seperately.
• Heat oil in pan and add all the seasoning items one by one.
• When the mustard starts spluttering, add ginger garlic paste.
• Then add onions and fry till it becomes transparent brown.
• Add the cut tomatoes and some turmeric powder.
• After the tomatoes are cooked, add the prawns with little salt.
• Allow it to cook in closed lid.
• When the prawns are half cooked add the chilli powder, coriander powder, coconut onion paste with little water and cook it in closed lid.
• Add water little by little when needed and check for the salt.
  
• When the prawns are cooked well, add the tamarind juice and allow it to boil for 3 minutes.
• Serve it with hot plain rice, jeera rice or idli, dosa.

Poondu kuzhambu - Garlic kuzhambu - Aanam

This is a very tasty kulambu without using tamarind juice. Whenever I feel tired of the usual kuzhambu and sambar, I just do this easy kuzhambu, which my mother taught. Though my mother taught this , the credit of cooking it in a best way goes to my aunt (periamma), because I have never tasted the same garlic kuzhambu tastier than hers anywhere else. Here is the recipe to enjoy:-)


Ingredients:

• Garlic- 10-12
• Mustard- 1 teaspoon
• Jeera or Cumin seeds- 1 1/2 teaspoon
• Black Pepper- 1 teaspoon
• Turmeric powder- 1/4 teaspoon
• Red chilli -2 (or more according to taste)
• Grated coconut- 1 1/2 tablespoon(can also be roasted slightly, if desired)
• Gingerly oil - 5 Tablespoon(1 kuzhi karandi)
• Salt- for taste

Method:

• Grind mustard, cumin seeds, black pepper, red chilli, grated (roasted) coconut into a fine paste.
• Take oil in a pan and fry the garlics in medium flame.
• Take care that it does not turn brown.
• When the garlics are half cooked, add the turmeric powder, the ground paste and enough salt.
• Add little water and allow it to cook till the garlic is well cooked and the oil comes out.
• Do not add much water as we do in normal kuzhambu.
• This has to be somewhat thicker in consistency.
• Suits well with plain rice.
• Potato fry, brinjal fry, lady's finger fry are some of the best combo.. :-D

Vathal kuzhambu

This is one of the famous gravy in South India. My mom do this with sambar powder, but there are other ways also to do this.

Ingredients:

• Sundakai/ other kind of vathal -10 to 12(available in asian shops)
• Garlic-8
• Large Onion-1
• Sambar powder-1 1/2 heaped teaspoon (see previous posts to know the ingredients of sambar powder)
• Cumin seeds(jeera)-1 teaspoon
• Grated coconut-3 heaped teaspoon
• Gingerly oil(Sesame seed oil)-3 tablespoon
• Tamarind- size of a small lemon
• Salt
  

Method:

• Soak the tamarind in very little warm water for 15 minutes and extract thick juice out of it.
• Heat the pan and roast the grated coconut in medium flame without oil.
• Fry the grated coconut evenly, till it becomes roasted to evenly golden brown.
• Allow it to cool and then grind it with onion and cumin seeds into a thick paste.
• Heat oil in pan and roast the vathals till it becomes crispy.
• Add the garlic and fry it with the lid closed.
• When it is half cooked, add the paste and the sambar powder, along with very little amount of water.
• Add required salt and allow it to cook with the lid closed for few minutes.
• When the garlics are cooked well and when the oil comes out, add the tamarind juice.
• Allow it for few more minutes, till it becomes a thick gravy.
• Serve it with hot plain rice along with appalam (or papadam) which is said to be a perfect combination...

Chettinad Eral Masala Curry - Chettinad Prawn Masal Curry

Here is another variety of non veg recipe with prawns in chettinadu style.


Ingredients:

• Prawns-125 grams(approx 10 big pieces)
• Large Onion-1
• Tomato-1
• Garlic-5,6
• Turmeric powder-1/4 teaspoon
• Oil-2 tablespoon
• Salt
• For seasoning: Mustard, Urad dal, Cumin seeds, Curry leaves

To grind:

• Fennel(sombu)-1 teaspoon
• Khuskhus(poppy seeds/ kasakasa)-1/2 teaspoon
• Pepper-1 teaspoon
• Red chilli-2 or 3
• Grated coconut-3 tablespoon

Method:

• Grind the above said items without adding much water.
• Heat oil in pan and add the seasoning items.
• When it starts to splutter, add the onions and garlic.
• When it is half cooked in oil, add the turmeric powder and then the tomatoes.
• After the tomatoes are cooked well add the cleaned prawns.
• Fry the prawns for few minutes and allow it to cook in the closed lid with very little water.
• When the prawns are half cooked add the masala paste and required amount of salt.
• Now add approximately 1/4 cup of water and cook it with the lid closed.
• Add water little by little till the prawns are well cooked.
• Allow the gravy to cook till it reduces into a thick masala.
• Serve it with all types of rices , idlis or dosas.

Garlic kuzhambu (Poondu kuzhambu)

This can be done in many methods. Garlic has more medicinal value though it also have some mild side effects like halitosis or bad breath. It is claimed to help preventing heart diseases like artherosclerosis, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. It is also believed to control the blood sugar level to certain limit. So here is a nice recipe with garlic...the garlic kuzhambu...

Ingredients:

• Garlic-15(even size)
• Onion-2
• Tomato-2 (small size)
• Cumin seeds -1/2 teaspoon
• Sambar powder-1 and 1/2 heaped teaspoon
• Tamarind- size of a small lemon
• Oil-1 tablespoon
• Salt

For seasoning: Mustard, Urad dal, Cumin seeds, Curry leaves.




Method:

• Soak the tamarind in hot water for 10 -15 minutes and extract juice.
• Cut 1 onion and two tomatoes into large pieces.
• Heat oil in pan and add mustard.
• When the mustard starts spluttering, add the urad dal and cumin seeds, and the curry leaves.
• Add onions and garlic.
• Fry till it become glassy and then add the tomatoes.
• Add little water and allow it to cook with the lid closed.
• Grind the remaining 1 onion and cumin seeds into a fine paste.
• When the onions and garlics are half cooked add the paste and sambar powder.
• Add enough water and allow it cook well.
• When the garlic is cooked well enough, add the tamarind juice and allow it to boil for few more minutes.
• Allow it to boil till a thick consistency is reached.
• Suits well with plain rice, curd rice, dosa and idli.

How to make Sambar powder/Masala powder?

Sambar powder is very essential in most of the South Indian recipes. Nowadays there are many brands of ready- made sambar powder available. But still they cannot compete with the home-made ones.
Only the ratio should be right enough to make it perfect. So here is my mother's ratio which makes my sambar always perfect and tasty.


Ingredients:

• Red chilli-1/4 kg
• Coriander seeds-1/4 kg
• Channa dal-100g
• Toor dal-100g
• Urad dal-25g
• Cumin Seeds(jeeragam)-75g
• Pepper-50g
• Mustard-25g
• Rice- 40 g
• Turmeric powder-40 g
• Fenugreek(vendhayam)-50g
• Asafoetida-1 & 1/2 spoon

Methods:

• Fry all the ingredients individually in a pan without oil in medium flame.
• Take care that the ingredients are roasted evenly.
  
• Powder it after allowing to cool.
• Store in an air-tight container.