Eeya Chombu Thakkali Rasam(Tangy Tomato Lentil Soup)

I am not a rasam person but I would like to devour a well made Tomato/Thakkali Rasam made in this silver coloured beauty I mean Eeya Chombu(Tin vessel).A couple of decades back almost every house had a Eeya chombu and the family got to taste a flaourful rasam at home.But as time passed by people started to use stainless steel,non stick and ceramic and forgot this old beauty.

There were also rumors that cooking in Eeya Chombu leads to lead poisoning and blah blah blah....So I would like to list out few things which will help us to know why we should use Eeya Chombu in our households.First of all the one we use to cook is made of an alloy of  Tin and not Lead(Which is toxic).In Tamil Tin is called Velli Eeyam and Lead is called Kaari Eeyam,i.e both the metal names has eeyam a part of its name and hence the confusion and problem.Also Tin has a very low melting point so care should be taken taken while making rasam in Eeya Chombu.The Eeya Chombu should not be kept empty on the flame as it will start melting.So always ensure the pot is filled with water or liquid before placing it on fire or heat.It is always best to cook on medium or low flame when cooking in Eeya Chombu.

Whenever we make a trip to Trichy or Kumbakonam my mom goes for Eeya Chombu and vegetable shopping.She got 2 pots (one which was melted down by someone who didn't know to cook in Eeya Chombu ) and the other one is still in use at home.Its a small one and serves rasam for 3 people.But now there is no need to travel so far to get an original Eeya Chombu as Zishta(https://goo.gl/dy2MJq) offers a variety of Eeya Chombu s in different sizes and shapes.Simply go to their Facebook shop and buy handmade traditional products with just a click.Their personalized service makes the shopping super easy.

 Now lets get started with the recipe.

Preparation time:20 mins
Makes rasam for 3 persons

Ingredients:

Tomato-2 no
Tamarind-small gooseberry size(roughly 25 g)
Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
Asafoetida or Hing-1/2 tsp
Rasam powder-1 tbsp
Toor dal or pigeon peas water-1 cup
Curry leaves-a few
Chopped coriander leaves-a few
salt-to taste

To temper:

Ghee or clarified butter-1 tsp
Mustard seeds-1 tsp
Jeera or cumin -1 tsp
Red chillies-1 no

Procedure:

1.Soak the tamarind and extract the pulp.Chop one tomato into 4 big pieces and grind another tomato to a coarse paste(you can add this tomato also chopped but I would like to grind as it gives a bright red colour).

2.Add the tamarind pulp,chopped tomato,tomato paste and curry leaves to the Eeya Chombu.Add a cup of water and turmeric powder.

3.Add the required salt and asafoetida and mix well.

4.Light the stove and keep the flame to low and bring to a boil and after 10 mins you can see the tomatoes turning mushy or cooked.

5.Now add the rasam powder and dal water with dal mashed in it .

6.Allow the rasam to turn frothy as shown below. Now turn off the flame and add chopped coriander leaves.Immediately close it with a lid to seal the flavour.

7.Now heat ghee and add the ingredients mentioned to temper and once the mustard seeds splutter add it to the rasam and serve hot with rice,poriyal and applam .

yummm...Your Eeya chombu thakkali rasam is ready!

Notes:

1.You can make any rasam of yoyr choice in Eeya chombu.
2.Rasam powder can be replaced with sambar powder.
3.You can add a tsp of freshly grounded pepper and  cumin powder alomg with rasam powder for enhanced falvour.
4.Do not heat the Eeya Chombu empty.The pot will melt.Always add water and heat it in low flame.
5.Adjust the sambar powder or rasam powder amount according to the spice level of the powders.

7 Cups Burfi/ 7 Cups Fudge

The first time I had seven cups burfi  is when a neighbor of mine shared it on an occasion. It tasted very delicious and yet different from kaju katli. When asked she told me that it was 7 cups.I was thrilled by the name and googled it to find out the recipe.After seeing the ingredients I understood why it got the name.So I tried it immediately on the following weekend.It is a very easy one as there is no need to boil sugar to a string consistency .Just mix all the ingredients together and keep stirring till the desired consistency for burfi is reached.So it is a fail proof one for all the beginners out there who are trying to make burfi for the first time.

Makes around 35 small burfis

Preparation time:30 minutes

Ingredients:

Gram flour or besan-1 cup

Cashew-1 cup(or coconut flakes-1 cup)

milk-1 cup

Ghee-1 cup

Sugar- 3 cups

Procedure:

1.Grind the cashews to a fine paste.

2.Dry roast the gram flour or besan till you get a nice aroma.Do not brown the flour. Add the cashew paste to it.

3.Now add all the other ingredients to this besan mixture and mix well till no lumps are formed.Keep the flame to a medium and keep stirring.

4.Keep stirring till the mixture thickens and starts leaving the sides of the pan or wok.

5.Pour this mixture on to a greased plate and spread it evenly.Once it cools down slightly ,cut it into squares of equal shape.

6.Store the yummy 7 cups burfi in a dry jar or container.Stays good for 3-4 days when stored at room temperature.

Tips:

* You can add coconut instead for cashews if you like coconut.

* Do not reduce the amount of sugar.

* You can add cardamom powder for an enhanced flavor.

* Roasting the gram flour adds a nice flavor tot the dish.

Inji Puli(Ginger Tamarind Chutney)

A long pending post and the most asked recipe.I very often make this inji puli at home and stock it in fridge.It is basically a recipe from the Palakkad Brahmin cuisine and a common one in their weddings.I look forward to it whenever I get to attend their weddings!They chop the ginger and green chillies into small pieces and add it to the recipe but this recipe varies slightly in texture as I prefer to grind the ginger and green chillies to a fine paste before adding it to the recipe.Enough of blah blah blah...Here is the recipe...

Makes a small jar(around 60-70 gms)

preparation time:20 minutes

Ingredients:

Peeled ginger-50 gms

Green chillies(medium spicy)-5

Tamarind extract- from Big gooseberry  size or 35 g

Sesame oil or gingelly oil-5 tbsp

mustard seeds-1 tsp

Asafoetida or hing-1 tsp

Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp

Jaggery-2 tbsp

salt-  as required

Procedure:

1. Peel the ginger and cut in to cubes.Soak the tamarind in 1/4 cup of water.

2. Grind the green chillies and the ginger in to a fine paste by adding a little water.

3.Heat a wok and add the oil and mustard seeds.Once it splutters add the ginger and chilli paste.Mix well .

4. Add asafoetida ,salt,turmeric powder and the tamarind extract.Mix it well and simmer the flame.
Close the wok with a lid and cook till the oil separates from the mixture.

5.Add the jaggery to the thokku and mix weel.Remove from the heat and once it cools down, store it in a clean and dry glass jar. Refrigerate and usea dry spoon.Yummy Inji Puli Thokku is ready to be served with curd rice. 

Tips:

*Increase or decrease the green chillies based on your spice level.
*Add more jaggery if you are sweet toothed.
*If the mixtures is not sauteed till the oil separates then you might get the raw smell of ginger and is not good for your tummy.

Thalagam

Thiruvadharai always comes in the month of Margazhi with hot flavorful Kali(Sweet rice pudding) and Thalagam a.k.a 7 kari kootu. The name thalagam is mostly associated with the people of Tirunelveli as they have a different method of preparing this 7 kari kootu. I love my mom's way of preparing it and she said that she got the recipe from my aunt(My dad and his family hails from Tirunelveli).In my house we prepare this thalagam frequently and not just on thiruvadharai as all of us love  it.It goes well with hot plain rice and papad or appalam.

Preparation time:30 mins

serves:4

Ingredients:

Mixed large diced vegetables(Yellow pumpkin,white pumpkin,elephant yam(senai),seppankizhangu,Mochai payaru or fresh field beans,carrot,vazhaikai and beans)-350 gms

tamarind-1 small lemon size

fresh grated coconut-1/4 cup

coconut oil-1 tbsp

curry leaves-few

Turmeric powder-1 tsp

hing or asafoetida-1 tsp

salt-as required

To be roasted and grind to a fine paste:

Channa dhal-2 tbsp

Dry red chillies-8 or 9(Depending on your spice level)

Raw rice- 2 tsp

Coriander seeds-1 tsp

Sesame seeds(white)-2 tbsp

curry leaves-few

Grated Coconut-1 cup

Procedure :

1.Take all the ingredients given for roasting and grinding except coconut and sesame seeds ,and roast them till they are golden brown and nice aroma arises.Keep them aside to cool.

2.Roast the grated coconut in low flame for 5 mins and keep it along with the other roasted ingredients above.

3.Now keep the flame high and allow the wok to heat up.Then add the sesame seeds to it and keep stirring it.The sesame seeds will splutter rendering a nice aroma.Do not allow them to burn.Once the spluttering stops,remove them and keep it with the other ingredients that are already roasted to cool down.

4.Now grind all the roasted ingredients to a fine paste by adding a little water.

5.Soak the tamarind in water and extract its juice.Boil the tamrind extract till the raw smell goes off.

6.Boil all the vegetables mentioned above with required salt,hing and turmeric powder and add the tamarind extract to it and simmer it on low flame.

7.Now add the ground paste and the fresh grated coconut to the vegetable mixture.

8.After heating the thalagam on low flame for 5 minutes.switch off the flame and add coconut oil and curry leaves as garnish .

9.The thalagam is ready to be served.Serve hot with plain rice and appalam(papad).

Pav Bhaji(Hot toasted buns with a vegetable gravy)

Well what to say ! I have absolutely No words to describe the Pav Bhaji as it is one of my most favorite dish . Whenever I make Pav Bhaji I would love click pictures but the moment it is ready I forget everything and just gobble it up with hot toasted Pav buns! I just love the Bhaji with vegetables well mashed and here goes the recipe of my favorite dish !

Preparation time :25 mins

Serves:4

Ingredients :

Mixed vegetables ( potatoes,carrot,cauliflower,beans,capsicum peas)-2 cups

Big onion chopped-1 no

Chopped tomatoes-2 nos

Ginger garlic paste-2 tsp

Jeera or cumin-2 tsp

Turmeric powder-1 tsp

Chili powder-1 tsp or as desired 

Pav Bhaji masala-1 tbsp

Salt - as needed

Oil-1 tbsp

To garnish:

Butter-1 tbsp

Chopped Coriander leaves-a few

Sliced lemon-1/2 

Chopped raw onion-1 tbsp

Procedure :

1. Heat a wok with 1 tbsp of oil and add the cumin seeds.After it splutters add the chopped onion and sauté well till the onion turns transparent . 

2. Now add the ginger-garlic paste and mix well.After the raw smell goes off add the tomatoes,salt,turmeric powder,chili powder and the Pav Bhaji masala and sauté till the tomatoes are soft .

3. In a pressure cooker add all the vegetables and cook them for 5-6 whistles and mash the vegetables to a semi purée. Add the onion tomato mixture to the mashed vegetables .

4.Mix everything well and add a little water if it's too thick and boil it for 5 mins in low flame.Switch off the flame and garnish with chopped coriander leaves and chopped onion.Serve with hot Pav buns with a dollop of butter on top.Delicious Pav Bhaji is ready !

Tips :

• You can add a slice of lemon along with Bhaji .
• Reduce or add more of chili powder according to your spice level.

Pindi Chole Recipe (Chickpeas cooked with a special spice powder)

This is one of the fantastic recipes which I got to try after tasting my friend's pindi chole along with ajwain poori. It was too yum and the taste was lingering in my mouth for a long time .It made me call my friend to get the recipe and to try it the same weekend .it was a great hit with my family as they liked it more than the ones served with batura at the restaurant.The recipe called for homemade special masala powder which rendered very delicate flavour to the dish.

Ingredients:

White Channa or chickpeas -2 cups

Tea bag-1 or tea infusion -1/4 cup

Cumin seeds-1 tsp

Tomato purée -from 3 tomatoes

Oil-2 tbsp

Fresh coriander leaves-for garnish

Fried potato cubes(optional)-for garnish

Fried green chilies(optional)-for garnish

A)To be roasted and grinded to a fine powder:

Dhaniya or coriander seeds-1 tbsp

Cumin seeds or jeera-1 tsp

Bay leaf-1 

Cinnamon - 1 inch stick

Cloves-1 no

Cardamom(preferably black)-1 no

B)To be grind to a fine paste:

Green chillies -2 no

Onions-2 big ones

Garlic-4 no

Ginger-1 inch

Fresh coriander-1/4 cup

Procedure:

1.Soak the chickpeas with a tea bag or tea infusion and pressure cook it along with the tea bag for 8 whistles or till soft .

2.Dry roast the ingredients given in A) till nice aroma arises and powder them dry in a mixer. 

2.Grind the ingredients given in B) to a fine paste by adding a little water.

3.Heat the oil in a wok and add the jeera seeds .Once it  splutters ,add the onion mixture paste and saute till the raw smell goes off.

4.Then add the tomato purée, salt and mix well.Once it is sautéed well add the powdered masala powder .

5.simmer the flame and cover it with a lid.Once the gravy is thickened switch off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves.

6.Hot and yum pindi chole is ready to be served with batura or poori  topped with fried green chillies and potato cubes or chopped onion .

Tips:

*Soak the chickpeas overnight.

*The consistency of the chole is semi dry but if you wish you can make it as a gravy also.