Sambhar Podi - Tamil Style

Hi everyone ..

This post is special as this is the first time I am grinding sambhar podi at home. All this time it used to come from my MIL's place or a small store in Salem. I am more used to making "Arachu vitta Sambhar", a recipe which asks for fresh ground masala paste everytime.

I have not bothered with grinding the podi at home until now. I don't have any special reason for not trying to grind sambhar podi at home except  that it was conveniently available at hand in packets.

So the search started for a simple recipe [google leads the way ..]. I was stunned to see so many recipes for sambhar podi with so many variations right from Chettinad variety to Iyengar style. One recipe was intriguing from "Kannammacooks" blog which was "Tamil Style". Just like the name the ingredient list was also intriguing.

I decided to give it a  try. Thankfully I had done the monthly shopping for the cupboard ingredients already, so making the sambhar podi was done an dusted in an hour's time. For the below given ingredient content you will get around 200 to 220 gms of sambhar podi.

I added 2 sprigs of curry leaves along with the other ingredients. This is purely optional but I felt it adds a nice aroma to the podi.

For the Sambhar podi : Recipe  source kannammacooks
Red chillies: 20 [long ones]
Coriander seeds: 1/2 cup
Thuvar dal: 1/4 cup
Rice: 2tbsp
Cumin : 3 tbsp
Fennel seeds: 1 tsp
Black pepper: 2tbsp
Fenugreek seeds: 2 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Poppy seeds: 2 tsp
Curry leaves: 2 sprigs [washed and dried]
Tumeric [whole]: 2
Asafoetida powder: 2 tsp
Gingelly oil : 1 tsp

 
1.Heat a heavy bottomed pan and add 1 tsp of gingelly oil. Add the red chillies and saute on low flame. Once the red chillies start swelling a bit, take the pan off the flame and transfer the chillies onto a plate.

2.Keep the same pan [the one used to roast the red chillies] on low flame. Roast the coriander seeds first until they become fragrant which will take a minute or two. Transfer the coriander seeds onto a plate.

3.Roast the thuvar dal,rice and curry leaves together for a minute followed by the rest of the ingredients [except if you are using tumeric powder instead of whole tumeric]. Transfer all the roasted ingredients onto the plate that has the roasted coriander seeds

4.Cool all the roasted ingredients. Grind everything together to a powder. Transfer the ground powder onto a plate and let it cool. Store in an air-tight container.

How to use: Add 2 tbsp of sambhar podi to simmering tamarind onion base and simmer for 5 minutes before adding the cooked thuvar dal and vegetables. Not sure how that is done, "Pumpkin Sambhar" to follow..

Notes:
 If you don't have whole dried tumeric,add 1 tsp of tumeric powder to the sambhar podi in the end and mix.
 
For the best results [taste wise] make sure all the ingredients are as fresh and clean as possible. Take care when roasting the ingredients especially the red chillies and the coriander seeds. If you let these two ingredients roast a bit longer than needed where they turn dark brown, it will spoil the taste of the podi completely.

It is always a good idea to make the podi in small batches as this helps in retaining the freshness and flavour of the product.

Enjoy ...

Homemade Tomato Ketchup

What is in your cupboard, all the time especially if you have kids or for that matter adults who gorge fried snacks and generally love to munch on home made snacks ... yes, it is ketchup. I still remember the "Kissan Ketchcup" during my school days and it was such a treat to have samosas and bajjis with gulgs of the red sauce. I often used to wonder how lovely it tasted..:))

I love it , love it , love it .... but after all the talk about MSG / excess sugar / salt / artificial flavourings and colourings etc , I became wary of having bottled preserved sides for snacks. Kids don't understand this, so we have to give way sometimes.

Hey...!!! wait, don't give up so fast... Whatever is available in the markets can be reproduced at home, if not 100% atleast the homemade ones come very close to the industrial production.

I can guarantee the satisfaction and joy that accompanies when something so simple and delicious is prepared at home is immeasurable, no matter what brand you buy in the stores. The satisfaction doubles when your little one gives you the thumbs up with your experiment.

You have to believe me when I say that I have stopped buying ketchup or for that matter chocolate spread from the shops... I make my own. After all you are feeding your little one who deserves the best and when it is homemade, you know what goes into the making of the sauce.

The internet is a blessing in disguise as when you enter some title something or the other related to the title pops open. So my search for tomato ketchup recipe led me here. It sounds very simple and easy. There are few other recipes but the amount of vinegar and sugar was not appealing to me.

I was skeptical at first but you have to try it to know wether it works or not. I did try and it was good, so I kept the recipe as it is except for adding a few and reducing the amount of vinegar. The spices gives an special flavour and my Indian palette demands flavour in everything I eat.

All the ingredients are fresh and easily available everywhere. It makes wonderful edible gift that would definitely amaze your friends. When everyone else are gifting cakes / cookies/ flowers etc I can guarantee that you can make your stand when you hand them a bottle of homemade ketchup.  This comes very handy when you hold festive parties or just to accompany your evening snacks..:)

For the recipe:
Ripe plum tomatoes :2 kgs.
Red onions: 2 medium.
Whole garlic pods: 3.
Fresh ginger: 1 inch piece [optional]
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp [optional]
Cloves: 2-3.
Mace: a small piece.
Chilli flakes: 1 1/2 tsp.
Bay leaves: 2.
Crushed pepper corns: 1 tsp.
Red wine vinegar: 100mls.
Water: 100 mls.
Light brown sugar: 3 tbsp.

1.Roughly chop the onions, tomatoes and garlic pods. Put them in a heavy bottomed deep pan with the water and chilli flakes. Place the pan on medium slim flame.
2.Cover and cook for atleast 45 minutes stirring occasionally until the veggies have turned into a pulp.
3.After 45-50 minutes remove the pan from flame and let the contents cool for 10-15 minutes.
4.Whiz the contents using a hand blender or a mixie. Pass the blended contents through a nylon sieve.
5.Rub the pulp until you have extracted all the pulp leaving behind the skin and seeds of the tomatoes.   
6.Meanwhile put all the other ingredients except the sugar in another sauce pan and place the pan on slim flame for 10minutes.
7.After 10minutes remove the pan from the flame and set it aside for the flavours to infuse.
8.Place a clean pan on medium slim flame. Add the extracted pulp and sugar. Filter the vinegar and add it to the pulp.
9.Mix well and let the contents thicken to ketchup consistency which will take around 15-20 minutes.
10. Remove from flame and transfer to sterilised bottles. Close the lids and let the contents cool completely.

Tie some labels around the lids with "Festive Wishes" and make this season even more festive....

Notes:
The ketchup keeps well in the refrigerator for a couple of months. Make sure that the bottles are well sterilised and clean.

You can add more sugar if you want more sweetness to the ketchup. The given amount imparts a very mild sweetness.

All the ingredients can be altered according to your taste.

You can try the same recipe with green /yellow or orange tomatoes.

Sending this to Lets Cook Edible Gifts for Christmas by Nayna, Know Your Sweetness - Brown Sugar by Kirthi and Jagruti, Merry Christmas Celebrations by Sheelu.

Enjoy ...

Scribbled by Reva.  

Idli/Dosa Batter

Idli/Dosai Batter - Method 1

Idli rice/ puzhungal arisi: 5 cups.
Whole urad dhal [skin removed]: 1 cup.
Fenugreek seeds: 1tsp.
Soda bicarb : 2 pinches for 1 cup of batter [250ml]
Salt: to taste.

1.Wash and soak the rice for 4-6 hrs.
2.Wash the dhal along with the fenugreek seeds and soak for 4-6 hrs.
3.Grind the dhal first to consistency and feel of butter. Remove and keep aside.
4.Grind the rice to a slightly grainy consistency. Remove and mix well with the dhal paste.
5.Keep in a warm place overnight to ferment.
6.The next day, make sure that the batter has risen well - u will  see small bubbles as u mix the batter. Keep the batter refrigerated.

Note the tiny little bubbles-batter has fermented in spite of the freezing temperature

7.When u want to make idli or dosa, it is necessary to keep the required amount of batter at room temperature for atleast 1/2 hr.
8.Add 2 pinches of soda bicarb for every cup of batter [250ml] and salt to taste, a little water for the required consistency [thicker for idli and a little thinner for dosa] and mix well.
9.Make delicious idli or dosai and enjoy.

Dosai Batter -Method 2.

Idli rice : 100 gms.
Pacharisi [ raw rice]: 100 gms.
Urad dhal: 50 gms.
Fenugreek seeds: 1tsp.
Soda bicarb : 2 pinches for 1 cup of batter.
Salt: to taste.
Water: as required.

1.Wash and soak the two types of rice together for 6 hrs.
2.Wash the dhal along with the fenugreek seeds and soak for 4-6 hrs.
3.Grind the dhal first and then the rice and mix well. Ferment overnight in a warm place.
4.Add 2 pinches of soda bicarb, salt and water and make crispy dosas.The consistency should be a little thinner.

Note: Add a 1/2 tsp of sugar when making dosa for real crisp and brown coloured dosas. I have not made idlis using the batter prepared by the second method but the dosas are real good. For fermenting, I keep the batter very close to the radiator for the whole night. Otherwise the batter will be "flat as a plate" in this sub-zero winter temperatures....

Do check out my blogging buddies in this marathon: Jayshree , Priya Srinivasan  , Srivalli , Monika , Azeema , Priya Suresh , PJ


Enjoy....


Scribbled by Reva.

Chapati

           When I started making chapati, it was a complete comedy show. The dough was either too sticky or hard and I will add more flour or water depending on the consistency to make it the opposite : sticky dough will become hard and hard dough will become sticky...
           The rolling out of chapatis was another comedy show...Believe me, I have rolled out all the country and continent shapes of the world and many unknown shapes. It takes practice to get perfectly rolled out chapati and I am still working on it.

Let us begin with the flour:
            Do not use very old flour. Store it in an air tight container. If there is a chance of insect infestation, put a couple of red chillies into a piece of cloth and put it in the flour container. Basically if you are going to make chapatis once a week ,there is no point in getting a 10 kg bag, is there??


Chapati dough:
           Put the required amount of flour in a bowl and add salt. I would say for 100gms of flour add 10gms of salt which is roughly about 1 tsp. Mix well

          Add warm water [a little] and mix the flour with your fingers. Add water little by little and bring the flour together. The consistency should pliable, that is when you press the dough with your fingers it should be soft but not be sticky.

Cover with a damp cloth and keep it in a warm pace for 1/2 hour. Make equal size round balls .

Take one ball and place it on a rolling board. Press it to flatten it .Sprinkle some flour and roll it with a rolling pin. Turn it over and aprinkle with some flour. Roll it out again.
Continue this process until you have a thin sheet. Dont bother about too much about the shape of the chapati, you will get it by practice.

Roll out all the chapatis. Dont let them dry out. Heat a nonstick tawa[flat one] on medium flame. Cook the chapatis one at a time. When the chapati is on the tawa, drizzle few drops of oil on the side facing you. Flip it over and drizzle a few more drops. When you see brown spots on the chapati, it means it is cooked.

Serve hot or keep warm until serving time. If you want to be really indulgent put a dollop of butter on top of each chapati when serving.


Enjoy.....

Scribbled by Reva.