Paruppu Urundai Mor Kuzhambu/ Lentil balls in spicy yogurt gravy

Paruppu Urundai Mor Kuzhambu is an authentic and traditional recipe made in most Tamil homes . It is a festive dish and relished by all .  

The lentil dumplings are made by soaking and grinding thoor dhall along with red chillies ,curry leaves and some salt . This ground mixture is then shaped as balls and steamed to be further simmered along with the yogurt gravy until the flavors are absorbed into the urundais.

 Some use a combination of lentils /paruppu to make the urundais while some use just thoor dhall . This time I have used just thoor dhall and a handful of udad dhall to get the softness.  Pair this delicious paruppu urundai more kulambu with a simple vegetable stir fry with coconut gratings and mix along with piping hot rice to have a wholesome and delicious lunch . 

You may also want to try Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu which is a tamarind based gravy for another gastronomic feast .

Onset of January brings about a lot of festivals in India and the best way to enjoy them is by cooking and eating a delicious feast.This month on our food bloggers' group Shhh Cooking Secretly Challenge , we are celebrating a festive theme suggested by me . I was partnered with the versatile and fantastic food blogger ,Mayuri ji who has prepared a Holi special Thandai Flavored Rava cake 

Some more lipsmacking and tasty Mor Kuzhambu variations on my blog

Pooshnikaai (ash gourd) Mor Kuzhambu 

Kumbalkkai (ash gourd )Majjige Huli 

Pooshnikaai (ash gourd) Mor Kootu 

Vendakkai (ladies finger)Mor Kuzhambu 

Bonda Mor Kuzhambu 

Ingredients 

For the Paruppu Urundais

1/2 cup thoor dhall /split pigeon peas

2 tbsp udad dhall

2 to 3 green chillies 

Few curry leaves 

Salt as needed

Generous pinch of asafoetida

For the Mor Kuzhambu 

250ml thick yogurt 
100 ml water 
2 tsp oil
1 tsp mustard 
2 to 3 dry red chillies 
fresh curry leaves 
pinch of turmeric 
Pinch of asafoetida 
salt
To grind
 6 to 7 tbsp  fresh grated coconut 
1/2 tsp jeera/cumin 
3 to 4 green chillies 
1 tsp channa dhall /bengal gram
2 tsp dhaniya /corriander seeds
Small piece ginger 

Method 

To make the Paruppu Urundais 

• Wash and soak the lentils in sufficient water for 2 to 3 hrs .
• Drain the water and grind the lentils along with  chillies ,curry leaves, salt and asafoetida to a fine paste .
• Make small lemon sized balls out of these and steam it until it is half done . Don't steam until the lentils become hard ,else they won't absorb the flavor of gravy into them . Keeping them half cooked helps it remain soft and easy to eat .

To make the Mor Kuzhambu 

• Soak all the ingredients under the "to grind" section in water for 10 to 15 mins and grind into a fine paste.
• Whisk the yogurt until is creamy and smooth. 
• Add in the ground spice paste to the whisked yogurt along with salt and turmeric powder and mix well with water mentioned . Donot add too much water , else the mor kuzhambu will be runny and will split on boiling.
• Add the steamed lentil dumplings to the mor kuzhmabu as soon as it starts frothing up.Simmer for a few mins and turn it off. 
• Prepare a tempering of mustard seeds, dry red chillies and fresh curry leaves in oil and pour it over the mor kuzhambu. 

Thai Pongal / Sankranti Celebrations - Traditional recipe

 Makar Sankranti / Pongal is an Indian Harvest Festival celebrated in the month of January . This festival marks the end of winter solstice and beginning of Summer solstice.  Invariably January 14th or 15th is the date when we celebrate Sankranti . 

Farmers all over India offer their gratitude to Sun God by performing various divine rituals and the first harvest is offered to Sun and the cattle are well fed . 

Makar Sankranti is celebrated all over India and is known by different names ;

• Pongal in Tamilnadu
• Uttarayan in Gujarat & Rajasthan
• Makar Sankrant in Maharashtra , UP, Bengal , Bihar
• Sankranti in Karnataka & Andhra 
• Maghi in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana
• Bihu in Assam 

As per Tamil Solar Calender,the sun's movement shifts from Dhanur Rasshi (Sagittarius) to Makara Rasshi (Capricorn)  and this festival is also known as Thai Pongal . Thai is the Tamil month and Pongal means to "boil or to overflow". 

On this auspicious day the front yard of the houses are cleaned and beautiful rangolis (colored motifs) are drawn , mud pots or heavy bronze pots are decorated with flowers, fresh turmeric, sugarcane and then milk is boiled in that pot allowing it to overflow and  the family gathers around gloriously and happily shout " Pongal O Pongal"  . This sight is something to behold and indicates abundance and prosperity.  

In the same pot , rice and split lentil are cooked until mushy and then fresh jaggery is added along with ghee and some dry fruits.  This is then offered to Sun God, cattle and the family then rejoices this delicacy alongwith a festive meal prepared using freshly harvested vegetables.  Either Aviyal or 7 kari kootu is prepared in most houses . Some families also make Ven Pongal along with the sakkarai Pongal (Sweet pongal) 

Traditionally,the Pongal is cooked on wooden fire in the front yard or porch but in urban lifestyle we do it on the regular stove top in our kitchens. In my house we use a traditional bronze vessel to prepare this sweet Pongal .

This week in our  280th FMBH (Foodie Monday Bloghop) we are sharing Pongal / Sankranti recipes as this is the next festival in line . Apt for the theme , I thought I must share how Thai Pongal is celebrated typically in most Tamil homes.  The pictures you see are from the Pongal celebrations in my home last year. Stay tuned to my Facebook profile to check out some interesting and traditional Sankranti special recipes by my blogger friends. 

 The paanai is decorated with fresh turmeric and sugar cane leaves and kept ready . At an auspicious time or typically at Sunrise we place the pot on the stove with milk in it and wait for it to boil and overflow . This year the auspicious time as told by our family priest is 11.50am on 14th Jan 2021.

There is a tradition of gifting the daughter with a heavy Bronze Pot (Vengala paanai) on her first Sankranti after her marriage and the Pongal is prepared in this pot.  So most homes will have atleast 2 or 3 bronze pots of different sizes which will belong to the grand mom in law, mom in law and then the daughter in law . Depending on the family size the apt bronze vessel will be used to prepare the Pongal.  

The cooking process in this traditional way is time consuming as we have to cook the rice and lentils completely in this pot and this can easily take about 1 to 1.5hrs . Though it takes a lot of time , the taste is simply out of the world .

Preparation Time - 10min
Cooking Time - 1.5 to 2 hrs
Complexity - Medium 
Serves - 3 to 4

Ingredients 

1 cup rice 
1/4 cup moong dhall/split yellow lentil / paasi paruppu /hessuru bele
1/2 litre milk 
1/2 ltr water
2 cups grated jaggery  (reduce if the jaggery is too sweet ) 
1 tsp cardamom powder 
Pinch of edible camphor 
Handful of cashews and raisins
Few strands of saffron
5 to 6 tbsp ghee/clarified butter 

Method 

• Pour milk into the bronze vessel with the saffron strands and wait until it boils. 
• Meanwhile wash the rice and lentils and soak it in a cup of water . This enables the rice to cook faster .
• As soon as the milk boils add the soaked rice and lentils and keep stirring to cook it well.  Keep adjusting water as and when needed.  The rice and lentil has to cook really well and must be soft and mushy.  
• Add the jaggery and turn the flame to low once the rice has become fully mushy, until then don't add the jaggery as the rice won't cook once we add the jaggery .
• Be very careful after adding the jaggery as the Pongal mixture will begin to boil and splutter vigorously. Keep it on low flame and drop a wooden ladle into the pot so that the bubbling is controlled and doesn't spill over .
• Continue cooking until the jaggery is incorporated well with the rice and lentils and you get a a nice aroma . The mixture will slowly start solidifying . Turn off at this stage and leave it on the stove.  The Pongal will further cook and solidify on its own as the bronze vessel will retain heat for a long time. 
• Add the edible camphor, ghee and cardamom powder and mix it well .
• Roast the cashews and raisins in ghee and pour it over the sakkara Pongal. 
• Offer the Pongal to the God and do the pooja as per your family custom and enjoy the festive day with your near and dear ones .

Tips to keep in mind

• Once the sakkarai Pongal has cooled down, transfer it from the bronze vessel without fail ,don't leave it for long in the pot . Milk tends to react with bronze and will have a toxic reaction if left for long. 
• Melt the jaggery and filter it if you feel there are impurities and then use the strained jaggery water.
• Adjust water as you are cooking the rice and keep stirring, else there are chances it will burn and stick to the pot .

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Ellu Saadham | Ellu Ogre | Sesame flavored Rice

Ellu means Sesame in Tamil and Kannada while it is called as Nuvvulu in Telugu and Til in Hindi /Marathi/Gujarati.

Sesame seeds have a very distinct and nutty flavor and adds a lot of flavor to any dish that makes use of these seeds .

Tamil Nadu cuisines extensively use Gingelly oil or Til oil in the day today cooking while Karnataka , Andhra cuisines use them in their spice powders as flavoring agent. Gujarati cuisine uses Til as tempering and garnish for various delicacies. 

Today we shall see a very traditional recipe ; Ellu Saadham / Ellu Ogre  made in most Tamil and Kannadiga homes mainly as an offering to Lord Balaji .

Saadham means Rice in Tamil so Ellu Saadham literally means Sesame Rice .

Ogre in kannada is flavored rice, so again literally translated,Ellu Ogre also means the same as mentioned above .

A very flavorful spice powder is freshly roasted and ground and is mixed with pre cooked rice along with a tempering of mustard seeds , curry leaves and fried peanuts.

Ellu saadham is made on days like Aadi 18 , Kanu Pandigai and most importantly during Purataasi Saturdays when we offer Maav Vilakku to Lord Srinivasa .

Preparation Time - 30 mins

Cooking Time - 45 mins

Serves : 2-3

Complexity: Medium

Ingredients
150 gms rice
2 tablespoon udad dhall
2 tablespoon channa dhall
1 tablespoon  white sesame seeds/til /ellu
3-4 dry red chillies
1 tsp pepper
Pinch of asafoetida
Gingelly oil as needed
Salt to taste
Handful of groundnuts
Few curry leaves
1 tsp mustard seeds

Method

• Wash the rice well and pressure cook it with enough water such that the rice is separate and fluffy after cooking. 
• Spread the hot rice on a big plate and pour about 2 tsp gingelly oil over the rice and let is cool .
• In a dry pan , first dry roast the sesame seeds until it starts popping and gives out a fragrant aroma . Remove it from the kadai and keep aside on a plate for cooling. 
• Now heat about 1 tsp oil and fry the udad + channa dhall until crisp and golden brown , followed by red chillies and pepper corn.  Add some asafoetida/hing. Let the roasted ingredients cool down .
• First blend the roasted  lentils and chilli in a mixie jar until it is turned into a fine powder. 
• Add the roasted sesame and give a quick pulse.Do not run the mixie for a long time as the sesame seeds will give out oil and the entire spice powder will become pasty .
• In another pan , heat some gingelly oil and fry the peanuts followed by the mustard seeds and curry leaves. 
• Pour this tempering over the hot rice and spread the freshly ground spice powder and salt on the rice and mix it well with a spoon .
• Donot use your hands to mix as it will get spoilt in case you plan to use it sometime later in the day or packing for lunch or some picnic.
• Adjust salt if needed and also add some more spice powder if you need a little more spice .
• Enjoy it with some chilled curd and some papads or fryums .

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Thiruvaadhirai Kootu | 7 kari Kootu - Vegan

Thiruvadhirai Kootu or 7 kari (vegetables) kootu is made on the Auspicious day called "Arudra Darshanam" in the holy month of "Margazhi" or "Dhanur" as per Tamil Calendar .

This  recipe was on my mind for a very long time to blog but somehow wouldn't come together. This month we are traveling through recipes from the state of Tamil Nadu in  our FB group called Shhhhh Cooking Secretly Challenge and I was given the secret ingredients by Renu who blogs on "Cook With Renu".
Thanks to you Renu , that I could finally put this recipe together which was otherwise pending for a long time .

Significance of Arudra Darshanam

This auspicious day will fall anytime between Dec 15 to Jan 15 on the day coinciding with the star/Nakshatram "Thiruvadhirai" or "Arudra" and Full moon day (Pournami) .
Astronomical speaking , this happens to be one of the Longest nights .
Mythologically speaking , it is believed that Lord Shiva is in his Cosmic Dance form on this day and blesses all his devotees in the form of Nataraja - his cosmic avatar .
The holy temple of Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu celebrates this festival with all pomp and glory . Devotees flock in large numbers to have the Darshan of Lord Nataraja on this day.
A special prasadam called Thiruvadhirai Kali and Kootu are prepared and offered to the Lord .
Kali is a sweet made using broken rice, jaggery and cardamom while kootu is a savory made using 7 vegetables basically tubers and a few native vegetables like yam(chenai/suran), raw banana, potato, Arbi(Seppan) , Ash gourd(poosanikkai) , Red Pumpkin(Parangikkai) , Field beans  or Peas , Sweet potatoes , Brinjal .

Today we shall see the recipe for the Kootu while I shall blog the recipe for Kali sometime soon .
This kootu is also known as Thalagam in many households especially those from the Thirunelveli Region of TN .
Each house will have their own signature recipe with minor variations as passed down to them from their ancestors or elders over generations.

Preparation Time : 30 mins
Cooking Time : 30 to 40 mins
Serves : 4-5
Complexity: Medium

 Ingredients
1 medium raw banana
1 medium sized potato
150 gms yam/ Suran
100 gms ash gourd (white pumpkin/elavan/poosnikaai)
100 gms red pumpkin (Parangikkai/ Matthan)
Handful of boiled field beans(mochai)
Or
Handful of fresh or frozen peas (I used peas today)
1 medium sized carrot
1 cup tamarind extract
1/2 cup thoor dal pressure cooked (50gms approx)
2 tsp powdered jaggery

To roast and Grind
1 tablespoon thoor dhall
1/2 tablespoon udad dhall
2 tablespoon dhaniya seeds
1 tsp methi seeds
2 tsp raw rice
5-6 dry red chillies
1 cup fresh grated coconut

To temper
2 tsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
Few curry leaves
Asafoetida

Method
Roast all the ingredients except Coconut under the Roast & Grind till they turn brown and crisp. Let it cool for a few mins and then add the coconut and grind to a fine paste. Keep aside .

Chop all the vegetables like how we do for sambar and then boil them until 1/2 done in 1 cup water with a little salt and turmeric.  Once the veggies are 1/2 cooked ,add the tamarind extract and cook until the raw flavor of tamarind is lost.
To this add the ground coconut paste , boiled dhal , mix well and add some water . The consistency should be slightly thick . Allow it to come to a rolling boil . Stir occasionally to avoid sticking to the bottom and cook on medium flame.

Add some jaggery and adjust salt if needed.
Lastly temper with mustard ,curry leaves and asafoetida and pour it over the kootu.
Serve hot with rice or the traditional Kali .

The kootu will tend to thicken over time due to the presence of coconut mixture and dhall . If you find it too thick while eating, add a little warm water to dilute.

 Notes

• Generally 7 types of vegetables are used , but you can do with fewer also , but try to use atleast 5 . 
• The addition of pressure cooked thoor dhall is optional . You can skip it too.
• THALAGAM recipe made in Thirunelveli side doesnt use mashed thoor dhall while the rest of the steps are same .