Mochai kuzhambhu(Dry Field Beans Gravy for rice)

I go bonkers with Mochai paruppu or dry field beans and love to add them in any dish which goes well with it. Even the fresh Mochai is very tasty and I use during its season.But the main fear is that it may cause gas or bloating. I do not deny it but at the same time how can one avoid such a tasty and nutritious legume which is high on protein and fibre?So like what I said in moonu paruppu sambar I pair it up with ingredients like garlic,ginger,horse gram or kollu,fennel,hing or jeera which will reduce gas or bloating.whenever I eat these legumes I feel full longer and satiated in small portion of carbs(like rice/chappathi).

The recipe here is an adaptation of menu rani chellam's channa dal kuzhambhu which I saw on a tv program long back.i tried channa kuzhambhu and it was too good and it became my husband's favorite.So I adapted the same recipe with Mochai instead of channa dal and the outcome was delicious and very flavorful. Mochai kuzhambhu goes well with hot plain rice, papad and any vegetable stir fry or poriyal.

Preparation time:20 mins

Serves:3

If you like this recipe please feel free to leave a comment below in the comment section.Your comments encourage me to do more.

Ingredients :

 Mochai paruppu or dry field beans-50 gms

Chopped Small onions -10 no

Chopped / crushed Garlic pods -6 no

Chopped tomatoes-1 no

Turmeric powder-1 tsp

Chilli powder-1 tsp

Sambar powder-2 tbsp

Hing -1 tsp

Sesame oil-2 tbsp

Tamarind -1 small lemon size

Salt-to taste

Jaggery -1 tsp

To be grind to a paste:

Grated coconut -3 tbsp

Poppy seeds-1tbsp

Fried gram dhal/pottukadalai-2 tsp

Saunf/fennel seeds-1/2 tsp(optional)

To temper:

Mustard seeds -1/2 tsp

Fenugreek seeds-1/2 tsp

Red chillies-2

Curry leaves- few

Procedure:

1. Soak the dry field beans/Mochai paruppu for 6-7 hours and pressure cook them till they are soft.

2.Grind coconut ,fennel seeds,poppy seeds and fried gram dal to a fine paste.

3.Heat a wok with sesame oil and add the tempering ingredients.once the mustard splutters add the chopped small onion and garlic and sauté well.

4.Add hing and salt.Then add the chopped tomato,turmeric powder,sambar powder and chilli powder and sauté well.

5.Add the tamarind extract and water and allow it boil well till the raw smell goes off.then add the ground paste and simmer the flame and let it boil till the kuzhambhu thickens and oil separates.

6.Once the kuzhambhu has thickened add the jaggery and switch off the flame . Serve hot with plain rice and poriyal of your choice.

Tips:

*You can add cashews instead of fried gram dal for a rich taste.

*I added fennel seeds. You can avoid it if you don't like its flavor.

*If you don't have sambar powder then add equal quantities of coriander powder and chilli powder instead of sambar powder.

Moonu Paruppu Sambar(Three Dal Sambar)

Moonu Paruppu Sambar/Three Dal Sambar

Moonu paruppu Sambar or Three dal Sambar is new to me also but came to know through my aunt Mangalam who is a great cook.She is very good in making authentic tambrahm dishes and pickles.Whenever she visits our home I get to taste a new dish which is authentic to our cuisine but forgotten by many of us these days.I once heard my cousin Lata(my aunts daughter) asking her mom to make moonu paruppu Sambar.I was quite puzzled to hear the name but thought it must be one of my aunt's speciality but never got  the opportunity to taste this sambar made by my aunt.

After I started blogging I wanted to post some of the most authentic and forgotten recipes as well.I remembered the name of this dish and wanted the recipe and my mom helped in getting the recipe from my aunt Mangalam .I was amazed by the simplicity of the recipe and wondered how it will taste, but to my surprise the outcome was so delicious and made me think  how simple ingredients could lead to such wonderful dish with awesome taste.

Last weekend was a good meal for our family with this moonu paruppu sambar paired with cabbage and carrot stir fry and rice.My son too enjoyed the sambar.

The addition of kollu or horse gram adds health benefits to this dish and also reduces gas formation which can happen due to the addition of mochai paruppu or dry field beans in this dish.How those days our ancestors paired ingredients!(In an authentic tambrahm cuisine garlic was never used  so they used hing or ginger and in this case used horse gram ).Horse gram reduces cholesterol ,gas and aids in reducing our weight as well.So lets get to the recipe.

Monnu Paruppu Sambar

If you like this recipe please be free to leave a comment below in the comments section.Your comments motivate me to do more.

Other kuzhambhu /Sambar recipes in my blog are:

1.Ennai Kathrikai Kuzhambhu

2.Karuveppilai Kuzhambhu

3.Mor Kuzhambhu

4.Sundaikai Vathakuzhambhu

Preparation time:30 minutes

Serves:4

Ingredients:

Toor dal or thuvaram paruppu-100 gms

Mochai paruppu or dry field beans-100 gms

Kollu paruppu or horsegram-100 gms

Tamarind-1 lemon size ball

Hing or asafetida -1 tsp

Turmeric powder-1 tsp

Jaggery-1 tsp

Oil-2 tsp

Sambar powder-3 tbsp

Fresh coriander leaves-few

To temper :

Mustard -1 tsp

Fenugreek -1/2 tsp

Red chillies-2 

Curry leaves-few 

Procedure:

1.Dry roast horse gram for 2-3 minutes till nice atone arises and ground them to a coarse mixture without water.

2.Soak the dry field beans or mochai paruppu overnight.

3.Add the toor dal to the soaked mochai paruppu and pressure cook mochai paruppu and toor dal together in a vessel  and the horse gram on a different vessel with required amount of water.

4.Once all the dals are cooked well mix them together till they become mushy and come together.

5.In a wok add the oil and temper it with the tempering ingredients and once mustard splutters add the tamarind extract ,salt,turmeric powder,sambar powder and hing.Let it boil till the raw smell of tamarind and sambar powder goes away

.

6.After about 8 mins add the three cooked dals and let it boil for few more mins.Add water if the sambar is too thick.

7.Then switch off the flame add the jaggery and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.Serve hot with poriyal/stir fry and rice.

Moonu Paruppu Sambar

Tips:

*The dry field beans/mochai need not get smashed ,it needs to be soft after pressure cooked.

*The authentic dish doesn't require any onion but you can add small onions while tempering for enhanced taste.

*If the horse gram didn't get mushy but is cooked then you can pulse it in a mixer for few seconds and then add it to the other dals.

Karuveppilai Kuzhambhu(Curry Leaves gravy for rice)-I

Everytime I buy veggies from the nearby grocer ,I get a lot of curry leaves for free and inspite of using them daily for rasam and sambar ,still there was a lot and sometimes they get dried up and ends up in the bin.With all the nutrients in it ,I felt I should not waste it and make it taste delicious to the taste buds as well.So this time I made a lovely and authentic karuveppilai kuzhambhu and had it with plain rice.It was so yummy and one major advantage of this kuzhambhu is that it stays well for 2 days at room temperature and up to 4 days in fridge when used with a dry spoon.I added less oil ,if you wish you can add a little more oil which will definitely increase the taste and shelf life.

Preparation time:30 mins

Serves:3

Ingredients:

Curry leaves -2 cups or 1 big bunch

Tamarind-1 lemon size

Peppercorns-2 tbsp

Red chillies-2 nos

Fenugreek-1/2 tsp

Toor dhal-1 tbsp

Hing-1 tsp

Salt- to taste

Turmeric powder-1 tsp

Oil-2 tbsp

To temper :

Mustard-1 tsp

Fenugreek-1/2tsp

Procedure:

1.Wash the curry leaves well and strain them.

2.Dry roast peppercorns,red chillies,toor dal and 1/2 tsp fenugreek and keep it separately .

3.In the same wok,roast curry leaves well followed by tamarind.

4.Grind all the above roasted ingredients to a fine paste(curry leaves,tamarind,peppercorns,fenugreek,toor dhal and redchillies).

5.Heat 2 tbsp of sesame oil and add the tempering ingredients and turmeric powder.After the mustard splutter add the  ground paste ,1 cup of water ,salt and hing .allow the mixture to boil and after it starts boiling simmer the flame and close the wok with a lid .let it boil till the oil oozes out and the kuzhambhu thickens.

6.If you don't want it too thick ,then switch off the flame after your required consistency is reached when you slow cook it with a lid.serve with hot plain rice and appalam.

Easy Mor Kuzhambu

Actually there are two types of Mor kuzhambhu which my mom makes at home.The one with coconut and other ingredients is called as Arachuvitta mor kuzhambhu and the one made with besan flour is known as Vedikavitta mor kuzhambhu as we generally temper the besan flour mixed curd.I am going to give the recipe of the latter as it is super easy and tasty also.Generally it is prepared with leftover or sour curd.Sour curd gives a nice tanginess to this mor kuzhambhu.It goes well with plain rice,coconut,rice and even with coconut/lemon sevai.

Preparation time:10 mins

serves:2

Ingredients:

Curd-1/2 litre

Besan flour-3 tbsp

Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp

Hing-1 tsp

Salt-to taste

Oil-1 tbsp

To Temper:

Mustard seeds-1 tsp

Omam/Ajwain -1/2 tsp

Chopped Green Chillies-4 to 6 depending on your spice level and chilli's hotness.

Chopped Ginger-1 1/2 inch

Curry leaves-few

Procedure:

1.Beat the curd and add besan flour,turmeric powder and hing and mix well so that there are no lumps.

2.Heat oil in a wok and add all the tempering ingredients.Let it all splutter.Then add the curd mixture and simmer the flame.

3.When the curd mixture starts to bubble slightly and starts to thicken,switch off the flame and transfer it to a vessel.Now add salt and mix well.Make sure you don't boil mor kuzhambhu for a long time or in a high flame,otherwise it will curdle.

4.Serve hot with plain rice or any sevai of your choice.It goes well with beans paruppu usli/Vazhakkai Varuval.

Tips:

1.You can add chopped onion or ladies finger after tempering and roast them well and then add the curd.

2.If you are using sour curd ,then add more green chillies.If the curd is not sour ,then reduce green chillies,otherwise it will be too hot and spicy.

Ennai Kathrikai Khuzhambu (Andhra style)-Stuffed Eggplants in a spicy gravy

I grew up eating Ennai Kathrikai at home which is a dry curry where the slit brinjals stuffed with Kari podi(dania,red chillies,urad dal and gram dal - roasted and grounded to a coarse powder)are shallow fried in oil. My mother makes it really good. I first tasted Ennai Kathrikai khuzhambu when I went for a holiday trip to masinagudi. I stayed in a resort where the cook prepared this siah. It tasted heavenly with both rice and chapathi. The dish made was spicy and made in Andhra style with peanuts and sesame paste.

I wanted to find this recipe for a long time.I did a lot of research on its ingredients and cooking specifications so as to make changes to fine tune the recipe. I was finally successful in preparing the khuzhambu which was almost same as that of the dish made by the cook in masinagudi. From that day, this khuzhambu is a regular one on our weekend menu at home whenever we get bored of the usual rasam and sambar. It tastes superb with hot rice and any vegetable curry. The curry can be refrigerated and used for the next day and quite interestingly I found that  it's taste increases with time, the more the brinjals are soaked in curry, the better they taste. I mean it tastes best after few hours of making it. Though the process is little bit long, it's worth every step.

Serves:3

Preparation time :35 mins

Ingredients:

Purple brinjals:6-8 nos ( please pick uniform sized brinjals)

Chopped big onion-1 no

Tamarind- 1 lemon size 

Chopped tomato-1 no

Small onions-10 nos

Garlic-5 cloves

Curry leaves- few bunch

Peanuts - 2 tbsp

Sesame seeds- 2 tsp

Poppy seeds-2 tsp

Red chillies-8 to 10 nos

Dhania seeds-2 tsp

Jeera and fenugreek seeds- 1/2 tsp each

Peppercorns-1 tsp

Grated coconut-2 tbsp

Turmeric powder- 1 tsp

Hing- 1 tsp

Salt- to taste

Oil - 5 tbsp

Jaggery-1 tsp( optional)

To temper:

Mustard -1 tsp

Fenugreek -1/2 tsp

Curry leaves -1 string

Red chilli-1

Procedure:

1. In a tbsp of oil , roast peanuts,dhania,red chillies ,peppercorns,jeera and fenugreek and keep it aside.Now in the same kadai add sesame and poppy seeds and roast them till they splutter and keep them aside with the above roasted ingredients.(below picture shows ingredients before roasting)

2.In the same kadai ,add small onion,garlic and curry leaves and sauté well. Then add tomatoes and mix well till they become soft.

3.Switch off  the flame and grind all the roasted ingredients in step 1 and 2 along with 2 tbsp of grated coconut to a fine paste.

4. Slit the brinjals lengthwise such that they don't fall apart completely. Make sure to remove the stalk of brinjals.

5. Take a spoon of the ground paste and carefully fill the slit brinjals.

6.In a non -stick kadai add 2 tbsp of oil and place all the stuffed brinjals in it and close the Kadai with a lid.

7.Reduce the flame as well. After few mins open the lid and carefully turn the brinjals so that they get roasted on the other side as well.

8. Once they are roasted ,completely switch off the flame.

9.In a separate kadai,add 2 tbsp oil and add the tempering ingredients.Then add chopped big onion and sauté well.

10.After the onions are done,add the tamarind extract,turmeric powder,hing and salt.

11.Once the mixture starts boiling ,add the ground peanut mixture Of step 3 and roasted brinjals.Reduce the flame and close the kadai with lid.Cook till oil separates.

12.Add jaggery and turn off the heat.Serve hot with rice or chapathi.

Sundaikai Vathakhuzhambu

This is an authentic Tam Brahm recipe. Sundaikai(fresh one not vathal)is very healthy as it contains a lot of iron.That's why we put the vegetable after chopping in to the water as it gets oxidized very fast. Many people don't take it as they think it tastes bitter.Sundaikai when cooked properly in an appropriate recipe really tastes very good with 0% bitterness.I generally make either Sundaikai poricha kootu or Sundaikai vathakhuzhambu.This recipe is tangy and spicy and goes well paruppu podi rice or curd rice.

Preparation time:20 mins

Serves:2

Ingredients:

Sundaikai split into two or crushed slightly- 50 grams

Tamarind - lemon size

Sambar powder- 21/2 tbsp

Turmeric powder-1 tsp

Hing-1 tsp

Gingelly oil-2 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Jaggery- 1 tsp 

To temper:

Mustard-1 tsp

Fenugreek - 1 tsp

Dry chillies- 2

Curry leaves-few

Procedure:

1.Heat oil in a Kadai and add the tempering ingredients to it.

2.After it splutters,add the fresh split Sundaikai and sauté it in oil.

3.After a minute of sauteing, add tamarind juice ( tamarind dissolved in 11/2 cup water) and add turmeric powder,salt,sambar powder and hing to it.

4.Allow it to boil until the mixture reaches a thick gravy consistency.

5.Once it thickens, add jaggery and remove from flame.Serve hot with plain rice and fried Papad or with paruppu podi rice or curd rice.

Tips:

*Use only gingelly oil as it renders a good flavour.

*If you feel the gravy has not thickened, then you can add 1 tsp of rice flour dissolved in a tbsp of water at last.This helps the gravy to thicken.

*Adjust sambar powder slightly according to the tanginess of your tamarind.

*Sautéing Sundaikai is must as it becomes soft and bitter free.