Yesterday, My Hubby was reading a book, and i was watching TV, my son was playing with his car. Hubby Dear Interrupted me, on how would வெந்தய குழம்பு , உருளை கிழங்கு பொடிமாஸ் {Fenugreek Curry and Potato masal } would make a great combination. He was reading a book written my la.sa.ra. I did'nt have an idea, other than, it will be very bitter in taste. 

Today I tried it, it was not bad, or so bitter, a different taste one should give a try. It was spicy, tangy, little bitter. according to me, if you have all taste's as per the ratio, then its the perfect kuzhambu/curry. this kuzhambu is a hit at home. 

whenever i ask my hubby, what to prepare for lunch, he asks me to prepare this kuzhambu. update: i am preparing this kuzhambu quite often now a days. it goes well with the potato masal / urulaikizhangu podimaas.

Vendhaya Kuzhambu Recipe

Prep Time: 10 mins 
Ingredients:


Shallots / Small Onions - 12
Tomato - half of a tomato
Fenugreek seeds / vendhayam - 10 seeds
Tamarind - one lemon size ball
Sambhar Powder - 1 tbsp
Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
Sesame Oil - 3 tbsp's
Mustard - 1/ 2 tsp
Curry Leaves - 10

Dry roast the following:

1 tbsp Chana dal
1 tbsp Corriander seeds
1/2 tsp Cumin
4 Dry Red Chilli's
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds (roughly 8 seeds)


Method:

Peel the shallots / small onions and keep aside.

Dry roast 10 fenugreek seeds for 2 minutes in medium flame till it turns into golden color. once cooled powder it coarsely and keep aside.

Soak the tamarind in 2 cups of warm water and squeeze the pulp out. add sambhar powder, turmeric powder and mix well with the tamarind water and keep aside.

Dry Roast the chana dal, corriander seeds, cumin, red chilli's, and fenugreek seeds, till they turn golden color. after roasting, cool them down and powder finely. to that add 3 shallots and half tomato to the coarsely grinded powder and gind them into a fine paste. add a tsp of water and grind into a very fine paste.

Heat 3 tbsp's of oil, add 1/2 tsp mustard, let it pop, add 10 curry leaves. fry it and add the remaining shallots and fry them till they turn translucent.

Add the grinded paste to the onion and fry them for a minute by stirring.

Add the 2 cups of tamarind water(mixed with turmeric and sambhar powder), salt to taste and stir well.

Let it boil for 4-5 minutes and remove from the flame.

Sprinkle the coarsely grinded fenugreek seed powder over the top of the kuzhambu and serve with hot rice.
It also taste's good with hot idli's and dosa's.



For Potato Podimaas / Urulai kizhangu podimaas refer suganya's recipe. I just followed her's and it turned out splendid.


Try this combination and fall in love.

Spicy Potato Curry, I prepare this dish, whenever i am in short of vegetables and in need of curry with lots of kaaram. If you have tasted the chettinaad dishes. their main spice ingredient would be the Pepper..but it will be a hidden spice, dominated spice would be of red chili's. In same way, I have added Pepper powder here.

Ingredients for Pad Thai Sauce: (Vegetarian Pad Thai Sauce)

1. Tamarind - small lemon size soaked in 1 cup warm water / Tamarind Paste - 2 tbsp diluted in a cup of water.

2. Soy Sauce - 1 tbsp

3. Chilli Powder / Cayenne Pepper Powdere / Red Chilli Sauce - 2 tbsp's

4. Palm Sugar /Brown Sugar - 2 tsp's

5. Worcestershire sauce - 1 tbsp

6. Salt - 1/2 tbsp

Let the Tamarind get soaked in a cup of warm water for 5 minutes. Then squeeze the pulp out.
Now mix all the other ingredients along with Tamarind water and heat them in a pan. Let it boil for about 5 minutes and start thickening. Remove it from the pan to a cup and let it cool.

Depending on the thickness, you get about 5 - 6 tbsp's of sauce with the above ingredients.

The sauce will be very spicy, tangy, sweety, but when you add this to noodles, it will all mingle up and give you a nice taste.


How to Prepare Tofu Pad Thai:


Bean Sprouts - 1 cup

Roasted Peanuts - 1 cup

Lemon Grass - 1/4 cup (chopped) - Spring Onions cal also be used.

Chilli Flakes - 2 tbsp's

Lemon Wedges - 4

Tofu - 50 gms



Shallots / Small Onion's - 5

Garlic - 4



Rice Noodles - 75 gms ( i used Rice Vermicelli)

Oil - 2 tbsp's

Pad Thai Sauce - 2 tbsp's

Salt to Taste.


Get Ready First: (as its cooking time is less, first get ready with ingredients)

Soak the Rice Noodles in warm water for about 5 minutes and Drain them. Leave them aside for 5 minutes after drained.

Though the noodles was little crisp after soaking and draining, when i started to cook along with sauce, it became soft.


1. Wash the Bean Sprouts and keep aside.

2. Roast the Peanuts(without skin) and cut them into small pieces. I just crushed them in my Mixie using pulse button.

3. Grind 5 Dry Red chilli's into flakes in your mixie.

4. If your Tofu is freezed, put it in warm water for 5 minutes and slice them into cubes.

5. Mince the shallots or finely chop them.

6. Chop the Garlic Finely.

7. Prepare the Pad Thai Sauce.



Starting to Cook:


1. Heat Oil in a Wok / Pan. Add the Garlic and Shallots and bit of salt and fry till they turn translucent.

2. Now add the Tofu Cubes and fry them, till the edges get browned.

3. Now add the soaked and drained rice noodles to the Wok / Pan and stir well. (let the flame be slow)

4. Add the Pad thai sauce and stir well along with the noodles. add a little bit of salt (as the sauce has salt already) and mix well.

5. Now add the Lemon Grass, Bean Sprouts, Chopped Peanuts.

6. Stir well and remove from flame.

Now Serve it with some chilli flakes, chopped peanuts and lemon wedges on side.

We loved it so much. The peanuts and sprouts gave a crunchy taste to the spicy noodles.

I found this one serving of pad thai costing 170rs. in a restaurant nearby our home. In stores Rice Noodles costs around 35rs. and iam sure the other all ingredients are easily available in home. also its easy to make.

I was searching for my favourite childhood adai recipe and found at Nirmala's blog. But i could'nt get drumstick leaves/murungai ilai, all these days to try this adai, Thanks to our Apartment Security Guard, for he managed to get me few bunches of drumstick leaves yesterday. I remember my AVVA(Kollu Paati) preparing this for evening snack, and we will be served this adai very hot with stone ground coconut chutney. It used to taste great, as my grandmom use lots of oil to prepare this adai. I prepared this Adai Today and enjoyed the memories associated with the adai and my mom and grandmom.

Adai Patted with Fingers ready to go on tawa.

Massaman Curry Paste:

Dry Roast the following:

1. Dry Red Chilli's - 8 - 10
2. Corriander Seed's - 2 tbsp's
3. Cumin Seed's - 2 tsp's
4. Cardamon - 2 pods
5. Cloves - 3
6. Cinnamon stick - 1" inch size (2 nos)
7. Nutmeg - 1/4 (crush a nutmeg and use a small part) **
8. Peanuts - 1/4 cup (Roast it seperately)

Grind along with the Dry Roasted spices:

1. Shallots - 10 - 12 / one Red Onion
2. Garlic - 5
3. Galangal / Ginger - 1 inch size
4. Soy Sauce - 1 and half tbsp.
5. Basil Leaves - 10
6. Tamarind Paste - 4 tbsp's.

It's authentic to grind using pestle and mortar. If you feel its tough to grind, add some tamarind water and grind to a fine paste.



Ingredients for the Curry:

1. Eggplant's - 8
2. Potato's - 4 (chopped cubically)
3. Coconut Milk - 3 cup
4. Cooking Oil - 5 tbsp's
5. Tamarind Juice - 2 tbsp's
6. Palm Sugar - 3 tsp's

First Heat the oil in a Pan and add the chopped potatoes and and roast the potatoes till they are semi-cooked.

Add the freshly chopped Eggplant's to the pan and fry along with the potato's, till the eggplant's start to shrink and change its skin colour. add little bit salt to cook the eggplant's fast.

Now add the Massaman curry paste to the pan and saute it along with the eggplant's and Potato's. Let the curry paste get sauteed along with eggplant's for a minute. Add the Tamarind juice and let it boil for 2 minute's.

Slow the flame and add the Coconut Milk. Mix well. add salt to taste and Let it rest in slow flame for about 10 minute's.

Add the Palm sugar and mix well. also let the curry stand on slow flame for about 5 minutes.

Serve with some chopped spring onion's on top with Rice.


This is such a flavourfull curry with soft eggplant's and Potato's. It was little spicy, little tangy, little sweety, little heavy. No flavours dominated the curry and all played its role perfect.

A must try dish!!

** Do not use Nutmeg more than specified in the recipe, it makes your curry sweeter. so make sure its presence is not felt.

We had our friends from france for lunch on last week-end, me and my hubby were confusing each other on planning the menu for them. We wanted to show off our Tamil lunch also. Somehow we both planned the Menu with, * Badam Kheer, * Vadai, * Appalam, * Baked Pasta with Cabbage & Egg Salad, * Tomato Rice, * Curd Rice, * Chapathi, * Tomato Dal and * Chocolate Cake.

Baked Pasta with White Sauce Recipe

Prep Time: 15 mins 
Ingredients:



Pasta - 20 nos.
Water - 2 cup's
Salt - 1 tsp




I bought Tri-Colour Pasta, took some 20 pasta in no's.
Boiled 2 cup's of water with a tsp of salt.
Added the Pasta to the Boiling water and cooked it for about 10 minute's.
I Drained the Pasta and kept it aside.

While the Pasta was getting Cooked, I Prepared the White Sauce.

White Sauce / Be'chamel Sauce :

Butter - 1 tbsp
All Purpose Flour / Maida - 1 tbsp
Milk - 1 and half cup
Fresh Cream - 2 tbsp's
Salt - a pinch


Heated a Pan, then i added a tbsp of butter and let it to melt on low flame.

After the Butter got melted, i added a tbsp of all purpose flour and mixed with butter with a whisk. Don't let lump's get formed.

The flour started to change its colour to golden yellow. (Just wait till the flour starts changing its colour). Add Milk and stirr well in the low flame.

Do not allow any lumps to be formed. Keep stirring for about 2 minute's or till the sauce get's thicker, if it's too thick add some more milk and let it get thick a bit. The consistency is, it should be able to coat the spoon and little thin.

Switch of the flame. Add the Fresh Cream and Salt. Stir well and keep it aside.

How to Bake?

Processed Cheese - 3 tbsp's Grated
Mozarella Cheese - 2 tbsp's Grated
Oregano - few sprinkled on top
Pepper Powder - a pinch


Pre-Heat the oven for about 10 minutes. While the oven get's heated, Place the cooked pasta in a glass baking bowl, add the white sauce on top and mix well. add some grated Processed Cheese and Mozarella Cheese on top.

If desired, add Oregano and Pepper Powder on top.

Place the Pasta bowl in the oven and Bake it on 180C / 350F for about 20 minute's.


The Cheese on top should have melted and should have turned golden in colour.

Serving Suggestion:


Serve it with some Cabbage Salad and Boiled Egg's and Tomatoe's. I also served with boiled potatoe's.


We all Loved this Creamy, Cheesy Pasta. I learned that this is also called as au gratin, as it is cooked till it gets golden colour top. It can be called as Baked Pasta / Pasta au gratin.