BITTER GOURD PICKLE, PAVAKKA PICKLE, KAIPPAKKA URUGAI, KAIPAKKA UPPLILITATHU, KARELA ACHAR

Bittergourd or karela or pavakka or kaipakka  is a vegetables that is low in calorie but rich in many nutrients. It is an excellent source of vitamins B1, B2 and B3, Vitamin C, magnesium, folic acid, zinc, phosphorus, manganes, iron, calcium, beta-carotene and has high dietary fiber.  a hypoglycemic effect called charantin. It also has polypeptide, an insulin like compound that is good for diabetic patients.  in take of juice in the empty stomach helps in reducing the diabetic.

MYSORE PAK

Mysore Pak

Today is my daughter's birthday.  When i asked her  what should i make for her, she said Mysore Pak as she loves it.  Mysore pak is made with gramflour, sugar and ghee.  You can use generous amount of ghee in it but keeping the health factor, i have used only the required quantity and not more.

Mysore pak is a sweet dish made specially for Diwali and occasions like wedding, engagement etc.  It is a mouth watering rather meling in the mouth item and i love this.  I have seen my father making this but that time did not bother to  learn.  After coming to Mumbai, I attended a wedding there they served this mouth watering dish. Let me tell you, it melted in mouth so I decided to try my hand on it.

BIITER GOURD FRY, PAVAKKA FRY, KARELA FRY, KAIPPAKKA FRY - DIET FRIENDLY

BITTER GOURD FRY, PAVAKKA FRY, KARELA FRY, KAIPPAKKA FRY - DIET FRIENDLY

Karela or bittergourd or pavakka or kaipakka is bitter in taste but has got medicinal values as well as quite tasty if prepared well.  For diet friendly people, this method is quite ok with them as i have not used oil at all in this preparation.  I have already posted one recipe which is fried in oil.  Considering the health conscious people, i have made this in microwave oven and is cent percent diet friendly.  I could have very well  included the same in the same post but it will not serve the purpose much as people will think about frying them in oil only.

SARKARA PONGAL, VELLA PAYASAM,

SARKARA PONGAL, VELLA PAYASAM

Sarkara pongal is made for almost all the festivals. This pongal is part of Pongal festival too.   Rice, roasted moongdal with jaggery, roasted cashewnuts and the ghee, we all love the payasam.  I also like to fry the coconut bits in ghee and the kalkand (sugar candy) to put in.  This is made for neivedyam and is a part of the feast. (Sadya).  The taste of temple sarkara pongal is awesome.

COCONUT RICE, THENGA SAADAM, NARIYAL BHATH

As I have already briefed in my post of Thayir saadam or curd rice, many varieites of rice are prepared for Aadi Perukku.  Coconut rice is one among them.  It is a flavourful dish for tiffin box as well as sitting at home you can enjoy with papad or karuvadam or kurudai.  Baiscally rice is mixed with the coconut and tempered with mustard seeds and urid dal and fried kajus especially in coconut oil, i love this.

Coconut rice, thenga saadam

CURD RICE, YOGHURT RICE, THAYIR SADAM

To day is Aadi perukku or Pathinettam perukku. festival of Tamil nadu.  I do not have to elaborate much about this festival as all the Tamilians are aware of the importance of this festival.  However, for others, I  have to brief little bit about it.

During this festival varieties of rice  are made for the neivedyam out of which one is curd rice.   Curd rice is cool and any time it is good for the stomach.

South Indian meal is incomplete without Curd Rice.  After having the sambar, rasam rice and the payasam (Kheer), we await for the curd rice to relish with some pickle or puli inji (inji curry).  It is good in summer as it has got a cooling effect in the stomach. 

In olden days, people used to keep the left over rice in water and next day morning, they add some salt and asafetida and curd  or butter milk in it and with hand nicely smash the rice.  This is watery and they drink a glass or two of this before setting out for their work.  Normally,  we  consider it  as a good breakfast.  Even I remember, my mother used to give to us before going to school.  It is really filling and tasty especially of the brown rice.

Now coming to the point of making curd rice.

BHARLI VAANGI (STUFFED BRINJAL IN GRAVY)

BHARLI VAANGI

Brinjal is a favorite vegetable of mine.  Be it in sambar, dry subzi, bhajia, vaangi bhath anything i love it.  Since so many days i was thinking of making bharli vaangi and did not get time to do it.  Today, I was at home and thought I will make it for chapati.  My husband and children do not like this vegetable at all and i have to eat the whole stuff alone.     Ofcourse, it is not possible for me to eat the 250 gms vaangi which i made, so i decided to cook and share it with my maid who comes to make chapati for us.

RAW BANANA PARATHA (KACHE KELE KI PARATHA), VAZHAKAI PARATHA, VAZHAKKA PARATHA

RAW BANANA PARATHA (KACHE KELE KI PARATHA), VAZHAKAI PARATHA, VAZHAKKA PARATHA

Kache kele ik paratha or raw banana paratha or vazhakka paratha you name it anything, it is a lovely paratha with curd, sugar and pickle, i love it.   This partha is made with some oats, masalas, chopped onion etc.

 Parathas can be made with aloo, radish, carrot etc. etc. Raw banana 
is very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Potassium and Manganese, and a very good source of Vitamin B6.  


The bad: A large portion of the calories in this food come from sugars

LOTUS STEM SUBZI (KAMAL KAKKADI SUBZI), TAMARA KIZHANGU CURRY

 Lotus stem subzi is  also known as  Kamal Kakkadi, tamara kizhangu.  This root of lotus flower is also cooked in salt and chilli powder and dried and sold in almost all South Indian Stores is called Tamara Kizhangu Vattal.  It is deep fried in oil and served as a side dish for sambar, rasam and curd rice.

I was only aware of tamara kizhangu vattal till such time, one of my colleage who is a native of Uttarakhand brought some lovely pickle of this and i loved it.  another Sindhi friend of mine gave me the subzi made out of it and since then, whenever i get an opportunity to pick up some of these from D Mart, I never miss it.  I often make the subzi out of it though my children do not eat this.  They are very choosy and only selected items.

Now let us have a look at the ingredients of the subzi and some of the health benefits of this.

SAMBHAR

SAMBAR

Sambar is the main South Indian Dish in every household.  You can have it with Idli, dosa, medu vada, rice some people eat with chapati too, like me.  It is a delicious dish can be made in various styles.  Today I am presenting my way of making it.  Yesterday we had conducted Bhagawati Seva Pooja which is performed by every South Indians one day atleast in their house in the month of Karkidagam  (Aadi month) (Aashad) starting from July 17 till August 16 mostly except the day of Amavasya.  

I love the Padmam, rangoli made by the Vadyar (Priest), then the vilaku (lamps ) decorated with flowers and the japam (chanting of Devi's stuthi).  I cannot post the pictures of the pooja as our Priest did not allow us to click the pictures of padmam and the pooja afterwards.  We make nei payasam, medu vada for the neivedyam which is mouth watering.  

coming to the point of making sambhar.  Normally i make the sambar without tamarind pulp and it equally tastes good as we make with the tamarind pulp.  Once my brother in law and family had come to our place.  I made the sambar following the below mentioned method without tamarind pulp.  My brother in law said, sambar is excellent.  I told him that i have not added one ingredient in it, can you find out?  He said no.  When i told them that the sambar is without tamarind pulp, my sister in law could not believe it.
By the way, instead of tamarind pulp, you can add amchur powder or kokum also but i did not use even this.

Ingredients:

1 cup diced vegetables (red pumpkin, white pumpkin (ashgourd), capsicum, drumstick, colacasia)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 Cup tuvar dal (tuvaram pariuppu, arhar dal, toor dal)
salt

For the Masala

1/4 cup coriander seeds

5 tsp chana dal

1 tsp methi seeds

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

6-7 red chillies
3 green chillies
2 sprigs of curry leaves
3/4  cup grated coconut
Asafoetida
1 piece of jaggery
2 tsp oil

Optional

1/4 cup thin tamarind pulp  ( I did not use.)
6-7 shallots (on auspicious days, we do not use). you have to shallow fry the same in oil and grind along with the masalas.

Tempering:

1 tsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
few curry leaves
2-3 broken red chilli

garnishing

chopped coriander leaves

Method:

Cook the vegetables by adding salt and turmeric powder. (if you are using tamarind pulp, add this too)
pressure cook the toor dal and keep aside.
Now heat oil in kadai, add the coriander seeds, chana dal, red chilli saute for a minute. now add the methi seeds, black pepper, cumin seeds and fry the same, do not burn it.  now add the curry leaves, green chilli and the coconut and fry for another one minute and switch off gas. add the asafoetida powder in it.  when it cools down, grind to a fine paste by adding water in it keep aside.

Now check the vegetables, if they are cooked, add the mashed toor dal bring to a boil.  now add the ground paste, jaggery,  mix well and bring to a boil, switch off gas.

temper with the ingredients mentioned under tempering and garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Sambar is ready to serve with idli, dosa, rice, vada etc.

Note:  my mother in law grind the curry leaves with the masala as it is good for health.  normally, we throw the same without knowing the medicinal value of it.

enjoy the sambar.  Yesterday, when i served with idli, and vada, everyone was  praising stating that it tasted like the hotel sambar.  so whey are u waiting.  you too enjoy, banao, khilao or khud khao or do not forget to give me the feed back.


Note: you can skip tamarind pulp, instead use tomato, amchur powder or kokum. without all these, the sambar tastes good.