CHENAI PORICHA KUZHAMBU

I started my blog on 5th May 2013 and completed 4 years.  I wanted to post this recipe yesterday, but could not do so.

thanks to all for the support and guidance during my four years journey of rasavinsuvai.blogspot.in.  without your support, it would not have been possible for me to continue  this journey. and this is my 988th post.

Chenai means yam, elephant foot, suran it is known as.  We  make mezhuku puratti with chenai, chenai varuval,  kaalan, cutlet etc with this vegetable.  My favourite poricha kuzhambu is with brinjal and karamani means red chowli.  My mother always makes this for me whenever I visit her after my marriage.  I love to eat this with plain rice and vadu mangai.  Though the combination for me is papad and thoran varieties.

This poricha kuzhambu is a liquid curry like sambhar but the masala ingredients is different from sambhar.  My mother's version I am presenting here.

Some people add little bit of black pepper but my mother skip this.  Sometimes, I add, sometimes do not.  Adding pepper will give you a bit different flavour and taste.  Choice is yours.

Now let us look at the recipe

Ingredients:

1/4 cup karamani, red chowli, vellapayar

1 cup cubed chenai pcs

salt

turmeric

2-3 leaves of kokam or a small gooseberry size tamarind

Masala

2 tbsp grated coconut

1 tsp urid dal

2 red chilli

few curry leaves ( optional)  I add it for sambar too while grinding.

a generous pinch of hing powder

 1 tsp oil

Tempering:

1 tsp oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

few curry leaves.

Method:

Step 1

Wash and soak the karamani overnight or in hot water for one hour.  Pressure cook the same till soft.

Step 2

Put the kokam  in 1/4 cup water or tamarind in  1 cup hot water to extract the pulp.  If using kokam, you can put the entire thing in the vegetable for boiling.  If using tamarind, extract the pulp and keep aside.

Step 3

Boil one cup water, put the cubed yam pieces in it.  Cook the same.  Add turmeric powder, salt and cook till soft, but not mushy.

You can also pressure cook them for one or two whistles with enough water.

Step 4

If using tamarind pulp,  boil in a vessel along with the cooked yam  and karamani for about 10 minutes so that the raw taste of tamarind goes off. 

Step 5

Heat oil in kadai.  Add the urid dal, red chilli and fry them.  add asafoetida.   If using black pepper, curry leaves and add that too and put in mixer along with the coconut and grind to a smooth paste.

By the time, the chenai must have cooked and blended well in the tamarind pulp along with the karamani.  

Step 6

Add the ground masala in it, mix well and bring to boil for two minutes.  If the consistency is thick, add little more water to bring the desired consistency.

Step7

Heat oil in kadai.  add the mustard seeds and curry leaves and add to the kuzhambu.  I have added urid dal for the tempering as my mother's recipe it is.

Poricha kuzhambu is ready.





How to serve:

Serve it with  plain hot rice along with some thoran, papad and pickle etc.

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