Kovil Thayir Saadham|Temple Style Curd Rice|Dhadhiyodhannam

Thayir Saadham/Curd Rice / Dahi Chawal is a comfort food at any given point in time. During scorching summer heat ,a bowl of chilled curd rice with a dash of lemon or mango pickle is a bliss to our digestive system.

For those of you who have visited the South Indian Temples (Kovil) either in South India or Temples managed by South Indians ,Curd rice served as Prasad is very heavenly and unique in taste.
Each temple has a different style of making it ,but the end product is simply mind blowing.

 Curd Rice is also known as Bahala Baath /Bagaala Baath ,Dhadhiyodhanam,Daddhojannam.

Jain Version : Skip the ginger and follow the recipe as is

Preparation Time : 5 mins
Cooking Time : 25 mins
Serves : 2-3 generously
Complexity : Simple

Ingredients

1 cup rice - 200 grams (donot use flavored rice like basmati or gobindo bhog rice).
1.5 cups boiled milk
2 cups thick curd
2 cups water
ginger finely grated
fresh corriander finely chopped
salt

Oil to temper
To Temper
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp udad dhall
1/2 tsp channa dhall
2-3 green chillies slit or finely chopped
few curry leaves
pinch of asafoetida/hing

Method

• Pressure cook the rice with 3.5 cups of water until soft for 3 whistles on medium flame,
• Once the pressure is released,open the lid carefully and mash the rice nicely using the bac of your ladle. The rice should be mashed really well ..must resemble the texture of a porridge I.e. mushy and gooey .
• Add the milk and mix well and let it cool for a while. Using milk prevents the curd rice from getting lumpy and stiff .
• Meanwhile prepare the tempering  in 2 tsp oil using the ingredients mentioned in the To Temper list.
• Once the rice is cooled,add the curd,water,salt ,chopped ginger,corriander and the tempering and mix well. Never use watered down curd or yogurt . I prefer to use curd that has been set at home with atleast 2% fat milk . 
• If it feels too thick and difficult to mix you can add a little more milk and loosen it. 
• Mix well and offer to the lord as prasad /neivedhiyam.
• Tomato chutney, Mango Thokku , lemon pickle or simple potato roast curry are fantastic combinations for this heavenly delicious curd rice. 

Notes :

• Some temples dont make use of ginger and green chillies ,instead use dry red chillies. You can also add dry red chillies if you wish.
• Grated carrots,cucumber and pomogranate pearls also can be used for garnish. This wont be authentic temple style in that case.
• Please donot use ghee for the tempering. 

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Inji Karvepillai Thogayal | Ginger Curryleaves Chutney (Relish)

Ginger as well as curryleaves are widely used in many forms in the Indian Kitchens and South Indian kitchens are no exception. No meal is complete without the addition of these two in any recipe. 

Inji Karvepillai thogayal is very commonly prepared in most tambrahm homes atleast once a week . Normally the thogayals are paired with a simple maincourse like Morkuzhambu or vetha kuzhambu and some roasted papads and a simple coconut based vegetable stir fry. 

Inji Karvepillai thogayal is also prepared during Amavasya and Dwadasi Cooking . 

As curry leaves and ginger are very beneficial for proper digestion ,overall health and immunity normally we make it when there is a lavish spread like festivals or functions.  I enjoy this Karvepillai thogayal with chilled curd rice.  It is so very satisfying to end the meal with a refreshing after taste lingering around the taste buds .

In addition to mixing it with hot rice and ghee as part of the main course meal, you can also enjoy the thogayal with chapati,dosas and puris as well

Preparation Time : 5-10 mins
Cooking Time : 5 mins
Complexity : simple
Serves : 2-3 people

Ingredients

handful of curry leaves ( 2 -3 sprigs /20-30 leaves) - wash and pat dry with a kitchen towel.
1 inch piece of ginger (peel the skin)
2-3 tbsp grated coconut
4-5 tsp udad dhall
1 tsp pepper corns
3-4 dry red chillies
small piece of tamarind
1/2 tsp asafoetida/hing
100ml water for grinding.
salt to taste

Method

• In a small kadai/pan,heat oil and roast the udad dhall till you get a nice aroma and the dal starts turning a little brown.
• Add the pepper corns and curry leaves at this stage and roast well.
• Add the red chillies and roast for a minute or so .
• Next add the asafoetida,tamarind  and turn off the heat. Let it cool for a few mins.
• Add all the roasted ingredients along with the coconut,salt and chopped ginger ,100ml water and grind it coarsely and not very smooth like chutney.
• Adjust the water if you find it difficult to grind.
• Thuvayal/Thogayal as such is a little thick in consistency but if you want it to be a little loose/runny you can add some warm water and adjust the consistency. Donot add too much water as the flavor and texture of the thogayal will be reduced when diluted.

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This post was first published in 2017 and I recently  updated this post in August 2022 with fresh photos and write up linking to various other recipes.  Thanks to Renu for forming the Facebook group redoing old posts which is a very nice initiative to revive and activate old posts.

Thakkali/Tomato Rasam | Saathuamudhu

Rasam (Tamil),Saaru (Kannada) ,Chaaru (Telugu) is always a part of the main course meal served soon after Sambar Rice and just before Curd rice .It can also be sipped as an appetiser as well.

The Iyengars call this as SaatruAmudhu / SaathuAmudhu literally meaning Nectar to Rice (Amudhu - Nectar and Saatru/Saatham - Rice)

In Tamil Rasam actually means "The Juice".

 Juice can mean anything like how pazha rasam means Fruit Juice .Rasam is now synonymous to the soup prepared with Tamarind juice or Tomato juice as the base or even a combination of the two in set proportion. along with a spice powder (Rasam Powder) made of cumin (jeera),pepper(milagu),red chillies,corriander seeds(dhaniya) and turmeric.

Rasam rice with Paruppu Usili,  Spicy potato curry or raw banana roast with some papads is my preferred way of relishing rasam saadham . 

Piping hot rasam rice is my favorite meal when I fighting seasonal flu or severe bout of cold/stuffy nose .

The pepper in the rasam helps treat the sore throat and feels very soothing.

This Rasam Powder can be made in advance and stored in air tight container and used as and when required. Click here for recipe of the rasam powder

Preparation Time : 10 mins
Cooking Time : 15 mins
Serves : 2-3 generously
Complexity : medium

Ingredients

2 medium sized ripe tomatoes
tamarind- size of ^1/2 small lemon
3 teaspoons Rasam powder
Salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon jeera/cumin
a pinch of asafoetida/hing
1 tsp ghee
fresh corriander leaves chopped
5-6 curry leaves chopped

Method

• Cut the eye of the tomato and make a cross type slit at the bottom of the tomato 
• 
• Boil the tomatoes and the tamarind in about 1 cup water until soft .
• (Alternatively you can also pressure cook the tomatoes in a separate vessel while cooking rice or anything else).
• Allow it cool and mash well and extract the juice out of the tomatoes + tamarind. 
• In a vessel,add this extract ,rasam powder,salt and 2 cups of water and bring it to a nice boil.
• Add the curry leaves when the rasam starts to boil. 
• Boil until the raw flavor of tomato is lost and you get a nice aroma .Adjust salt if needed.
• Temper the mustard and jeera in ghee and pour it on the rasam and garnish with corriander.
• Serve hot with steamed rice paired with some roasted papad and Potato Stir fry.

RASAM POWDER



Ingredients
1 cup dhaniya /corriander seeds
15-20 dry red chillies ( Paandi / gunturu variety - medium spiced)
15-20 dry red chillies (Bedgi/Byadgi variety - mild spice ,mainly for color)
3-4 teaspoons jeera
2 teaspoons pepper corns
handful of curry leaves
1/2 teaspoon methi seeds.
1 tsp haldi powder
1/2 teaspoon hing/asafoetida

Method

• In a kadai/wok,heat about 1/2 tsp oil and when the oil is heated well splutter the methi seeds.
• Soon after you get a nice aroma of methi seeds,add the jeera,pepper and curry leaves and roast well till the jeera becomes crisp.
• Add the dhaniya seeds an saute for about a min or so and then add the chillies and roast well for about 2 min or until the chillies become crisp.
• (you can cut the chillies with scissors for ease of roasting and grinding)
• Add the haldi and asafoetida and turn off the stove.
• Let the spices cool down a bit ,put into the grinder and make a fine powder of it.
• Store it in an air tight container and always use a dry spoon for increased shelf life.

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Urulaikizhangu Curry / Batatachi Bhaaji/ Potato Roast Curry

Potato/Aloo /Batata/Urulaikizhangu...the name itself is so special and mouthwatering. A versatile vegetable and everyone's favorite from kids to adults.

Here is a simple yet yummy stir fry to go well with any south indian or north Indian main course .Pairs well with  Maharashtrian delicacy Varan Bhaat , South Indian main course like sambar or kootu or tamarind based gravy like vethakolambu or milagu kuzhambu  and
an awesome side dish for the ever comforting Rasam rice or Curd Rice.

Roti ,Dal and Potato curry is an eternal favorite in our family. 

Batatachi bhaaji and varan bhaat is a staple combination in a Maharashtrian household. 

Preparation Time : 5 mins
Cooking Time : 20 mins
Complexity : simple
Serves : 2-3

 Ingredients

2-3 medium sized potatoes
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp haldi/turmeric powder
1 tsp mustard seeds
Few curry leaves/kadipatha/karvepillai
Pinch of asafoetida
Salt to taste

Method

• Peel and cut the potatoes in small cubes and soak them in water until you are ready to cook 
• .Soaking the potatoes in water prevents it from turning black and also helps in cooking easily.
• In a kadai/ wok heat some oil and splutter the mustard seeds,udad dhall and chana dhall.
• Add in the curry leaves,asafoetida,haldi and the diced potatoes after draining the water and saute well.
• Add in the salt and chilli powder and toss again.
• Sprinkle some water and cook with lid covered. 
• Open the lid and saute  at regular intervals to prevent the potatoes from burning .
• Sprinkle some water if you feel the potatoes are still uncooked .
• If you take a piece of potato and press in between your fingers it should mash easily. This is the test to check if the potatoes are cooked.
• Continue to cook on low flame till the potatoes are evenly roasted and become slightly crunchy and crisp. Keep tossing at intervals to prevent the potatoes from burning.
• Turn off the stove and garnish with fresh corriander and serve it for lunch,

South Indian Filter Coffee

The charm,flavor and taste of freshly brewed Filter Coffee cannot beat any of the instant coffee brands in my opinion. Though the process is slightly lengthy to prepare a cup of coffee,but its worth all the effort.

South Indians  especially Tamilians are filter coffee lovers and the common scene in the early morning in most households would be the men folk reading the Daily newspaper ; HINDU or The Times of India to be precise and the women folk religiously handing over the cup of filter coffee mostly known as KAAPI (south indian phonetic rendering of COFFEE) to their better halves.

Quick Introduction to filter coffee : The art of mixing freshly boiled milk to athick decoction obtained by brewing best quality finely ground coffee powder in a traditional coffee filter or the Percolator .

Semia /Vermicelli Upma - Shavigge Uppit

Upma is one of the staple breakfast menus in most of the households.Its quick and easy to make at the same time , sumptuous and filling when you add vegetables to it.

Rava Upma,Sabudana Upma,Variations of Poha - Tamarind Poha,Aloo Poha,Vegetable poha ,Broken Rice Upma etc etc are some of the varieties of upma you can try.

Semia Upma is made using vermicelli. You can use any variety of vermicelli that you like . Now a days we get millet based vermicelli too which can be used . Today's recipe, I have used the traditional normal non roasted vermicelli. 

The tip to get perfect Semia upma is to roast the vermicelli to perfection and the proportion of water . For 1 cup vermicelli I always use 1.75 cups of water. This ratio gives me the perfect semiya upma.

This version of semia upma has tomatoes and peas ,while you can even make the vegetable version following the same procedure by adding extra veggies of your choice.

I use the non roasted vermicelli of MTR Brand  and do the roasting at the time of preparation.In case you use the roasted vermicelli,the steps remain the same except that you save time on roasting the semia.

These upma varieties can also be packed for lunch box for kids as well as adults.

Preparation Time : 5 mins
Cooking Time : 20 mins
Serves : 2-3
Cooking Complexity : medium
Water ratio : 1 cup vermicelli : 1^3/4th cup water.

Ingredients

1.5 cups unroasted semia/vermicellii
2 medium sized tomatoes finely chopped
handful of frozen/fresh peas
2-3 green chillies chopped
6-7 curry leaves finely chopped
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp udad dhall + channa dal
pinch of asafoetda/hing
pinch of turmeric
3 - 4 teaspoons oil
salt as needed

Method

• 
• In a frying pan ,add about 1/2 tsp oil and add roast the vermicelli until it turns golden
brown.Saute occassionally to prevent the burning of vermicelli.Keep aside.
• If using pre roasted vermicelli,skip the above step
• In a kadai/wok,heat some oil,splutter mustard,the udad dal,channa dal ,the green chillies and curry leaves.Saute once.
• Add the tomatoes,green peas ,haldi,asafoetida,salt and saute and let the tomatoes cook until soft.
•       Tip : Incase of adding vegetables,saute them also at this stage,add about half cup water  and let the vegetables cook.
• Add about 2^1/2 cups of water and bring it to a boil
• Add the roasted vermicelli and quickly stir it to avoid formation of lumps and set the flame to medium.
• Close a lid and cook for about 5-7mins or until the water is absorbed into the vermicelli completely.
• Open the lid and let it cook for another 2 mins.
• Turn off the stove ,close the lid and let it rest for about 5mins . This will make the upma turn fluffy and the vermicelli will remain separate.  
• Vermicelli upma is now ready to be served with any accomapniment of curd ,chutney ,pickle of your choice.

Notes

1. You can a tablespoon of freshly grated coconut in the end for extra flavor and taste.
2. Finely chopped mint can be added at the time of boiling water,this gives a minty flavor to the upma.
3. You can serve it with some mixture or boondi for added crunch .