Vathal Kozhambu and Aloo podimas

Hello,

I was busy with bit of my research work. Sorry could not post yesterday. My apologies! In the meanwhile I have posted a few Indian vegetable and requested my friends and lovely readers to name it in their mother tongue. The response was good. Thoroughly enjoyed the activity. 

Today I made vathal kozhambu and aloo podimas. I know its difficult for you to pronounce. Its read as Vathal( dried manathakkali berry)  kozhambu(gravy) By the way my mother tongue is Tamil but I can speak Malayalam and Hindi  with great ease.


Let me share with you Vathal Kozhambu recipe.

Ingredients

Drum sticks - 2 (cut into 3 inch pieces)

Brinjal 3 cut into four pieces 

10 bhindi cut into two inch long 
vathal - 2 tbsp(chundakay/marthankkali)
tamarind pulp (extracted from a gooseberry size)
turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Jaggery a small piece 
salt as required

For dry roast powder 

Chana dal - 2 tablespoon 
Tuvar dal -  2 tablespoon 
Black broken urad dal - 1 tablespoon 
raw rice - 1 tablespoon 

Peppercorns a few
kayam (hing) - a small  piece
Dry red chilly - 10
curry leaves - a few

for the tadka

gingly oil - 1 tsp
mustrd seeds - 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves a few 

Method of Preparation

1. Pressure cook tamarind using a glass of water for two whistle, off stove and extract tamarind pulp. Keep aside.

2. In a small kadai dry roast rice,tuvar dal, black peppercorns, hing,black broken urad dal, curry leaves and red chilly till golden brown. Remove from stove cool and coarsely powder using mixer. 

In kalchatti pour a glass of hot water add drum sticks, turmeric powder and salt allow it too cook till tender. In a small pan pour a tsp of ghee/gingly oil add vathal and roast till its crispy. Pour the vathal into drumsticks. Now add tamarind pulp. Reduce the flame allow the vattal to mix well with tamarind pulp. Now you can add roasted powder. Add more water if needed as we are going to allow the vathal kuzhambu to boil and reduce the quantity. Add crushed jaggery. Allow it to boil for another 10 minutes. Adjust salt/ Now keep a small pan pour gingly oil add mustard seeds allow it to splutter add on top of the prepared vathal kuzhambu. 

Variation

I used bhindi and brinjal and manathakalli for today's vathal kozhambu. It tastes really yummy. 

Aloo podimas              


Ingredients

potato - 4 (cut into four pieces)
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
curry leaves a few
Salt as required

For frying
sunflower oil = 2 tsp
mustard seed = 1 tsp
urad dal = 1.2 tsp
red chilly - 1 broken
green chilly - 2 chopped
ginger - 1 tsp finely chopped


Method of Preparation

In pressure cooker pour enough water add potato cubes and salt. coo for 3 whistles. Off stove remove potatoes and peel off the skin. Now using  a mathu or fork gently smash the potatoes. In a heated deep kadai pour oil add mustard allow it to splutter add urad dal, red chilly. Now add green chilly, ginger and curry leaves. Mix well its time to add smashed potatoes. Mix well reduce flame. Allow the potato to turn mild golden colour. Off the stove serve hot with rice vattal kozhambu and roasted papad. 

In our palghat cooking with vattal kozhambu we also prepare plain moong dal. Add a little salt to moong dal 1/2 cup and cook in kalchatti adding just enough water for cooking. Serve with vattal kozhambu.