The late ‘90s saw Cauliflower Manchurian become wildly popular in Tamil Nadu. I do not know why it is called Manchurian because it has no link to that region, but its popularity drove me to try it out. I then make the Manchurian with Baby Corn, as my son refuses to eat cauliflower. The spice mix used here for making the masala paste is entirely my creation.
Coming from Thirunelveli where we didn’t use much wheat back in the day, my introduction to Aloo Paratha was in Delhi where I attended a Summer Institute in Lady Irwin College in 1969. When we went on a tour, the North Indian cooks prepared very light parathas for us with a pickle as side dish. It was really delicious with good satiety value. When I got married I tried this out, but it took a very long time to cook this, and the parathas were very heavy. Now with my daughter’s help I have created my own recipe which has very few ingredients, and is easy to make. I also serve it with Fresh Mango Pickle and Boiled Lime Pickle.
Kala’s Easy To Make Aloo Paratha
When people think of combining vegetables and dhal in Tamil cooking, they primarily think of Aviyal. There is another dish, Saalna that is a complete contrast to aviyal both in the type of vegetables and spices used. Saalna does not use strong flavoured vegetables like drumsticks and cluster beans. It also uses cloves and cinnamon, instead of cumin and garlic like aviyal. It may not be as famous as aviyal, but is no less delicious. It is an ideal dish to celebrate the harvest and can be served with Venn Pongal.
Thirunelveli Vegetable Saalna
The coolest month of the year for Tamilians is January, and we are very happy to get the freshest of vegetables during this period. This concept of combining prawns with vegetables is new to my family because we made only two prawn dishes – Fry and Moli. My friend Jacintha, who is a Burmese repatriate, gave me this recipe though she said it isn’t a Burmese recipe but just a family favourite. I have used the same ingredients and quantities she gave, but have made the procedure simpler and easier. I serve it with Naan, Peas Pulav, and Mushroom and Capsicum Pulav.
Prawn and Vegetable Stew
As my ancestors were originally vegetarians, our meat dishes were very limited – we only had 2 chicken recipes! This is a version of a chicken fry made by my grandmother that I heavily modified. Her masala powder was milder, and only few curry leaves were used in the powder. Being a nutritionist, I saw the potential of using a large amount of curry leaves to increase the nutritive value of the dish, and thus escalated the curry leaf content to half a cup, and to my delight this easy to make product was a very big hit with my family.
Kala’s Curry Leaves Chicken Curry
We usually cook our greens in India – we do not make salads with them. The south has a variety of greens: Amaranth, Drumstick, Agathi, Ponnanganni, and of course the Palak, which we call Pasalai Keerai. We use all these greens in Tamil Nadu to make poriyal (fry). I have chosen greens from the Amaranth family because they are easily available in all the stores or brought to your doorstep by street vendors. I used to be woken up at 5.30 in the morning by the clarion call ‘Keeraiiiii!’ from an enthusiastic vendor.
Keerai Poriyal
Keerai Chaarru means greens extract, but it is a misnomer as the juice of the greens is not extracted. It is a simple soup-like curry using very few ingredients – for an Indian recipe 🙂 This is an authentic Thirunelveli preparation. My students, friends, and acquaintances have not heard of this dish at all. Though it is a very simple recipe, one can go wrong in the consistency and sourness as I did when I made it first. I had watched my mother make it but somehow hadn’t registered the proportion of the ingredients. I have now standardised the recipe and get it right every time with this method.
Thirunelveli Keerai Chaarru
Pakodas are favourite teatime snacks all over India. There are a variety of pakodas made in different states, but in Thirunelveli, especially in my family, whole wheat flour pakodas were made and served as a breakfast item. It is unique because it combines black gram dhal along with wheat flour to give a softer texture and improve the nutritive value.
Wheat Pakodas
The Tamil New Year falls on the first day of the Tamil Month of Chithirai (April 14). Most people celebrate with a full vegetarian meal, typically with a neem flower rasam. In our family we have never made neem flower rasam; instead, we make a special vegetarian dish to celebrate the new year. This Vegetable Biriyani and Black Gram Dhal Pakoda Kuruma is a long and involved preparation for the home chef who appreciates the art of cooking. If it is any consolation, you don’t need a wet grinder 🙂
Vegetable Biriyani and Black Gram Dhal Pakoda Kuruma
This is March, and it is the beginning of summery spring in Tamil Nadu. The supply of all those lovely winter vegetables is dwindling. It is time to make this peas and cauliflower fry and say goodbye to the luscious fresh vegetables. This vegetable fry is a very common dish that appears on the menu in most Tamilian households. The vegetables are easy to clean, and there is no elaborate pre-preparation of spicy masalas. I have made only one change in the recipe. In Tamil cooking, black gram dhal and Bengal gram dhal are used in small amounts along with mustard for tempering. I personally feel that these dhals take away or mask the flavour of the vegetables, especially peas and cauliflower. So I do not use them. If you do not have cauliflower, you can use cabbage instead.
This is a very mild flavoured dish, and it can be served along with spicy gravies, such as Urundai Kari (Meatball Curry and Fry) and Urundaikkari Vellai Kuzhambu (Meatballs in White Gravy). It is also suitable for little children and the elderly as it is very bland. Continue reading
Kala's Kalai 