Thirunelveli Puttarisi Halwa (Black Rice Dessert)

In Thirunelveli, a glutinous rice is powdered and used in the preparation of halwa. It is black in colour and when cooked in water it develops a gel-like consistency. My mother used to make this halwa, grumbling all the time that it took her forever. It was a thick black mass that could be spooned out onto a plate, but it had a delectable taste that strongly resembled the legendary Thirunelveli Halwa. When I wanted to make this halwa, I couldn’t buy the rice in the stores because no one in Chennai knew what puttarisi was. A Facebook friend mentioned that I should look for black Kavuni rice in Chennai. I was finally able to obtain this rice, ironically not in Chennai but from a seller from some small town in Tamil Nadu who had listed it on Amazon. This Puttarisi Halwa is also made by Sri Lankan Tamils and they call this Dhodhal. This recipe is my mother’s version, standardised by me. Unlike kavuni arisi dishes made by other Tamil folk, Thirunelveli people do not use any flavouring agent which retains the original flavour of the ingredients and use white sugar instead of jaggery.

Thirunelveli Puttarisi Halwa (Black Rice Dessert

Raw Puttarisi (Kavuni Arisi/Black Rice)

Kala’s Yellow Corn and Carrot Pulav

January-March is the season for luscious yellow corn. It has a bland sweetish flavour and a crunchy texture which adds character to a dish. I have always loved sweet corn and chicken soup and wondered if I could get the same flavour with rice – and I could! I added coconut milk to give the rice rich flavour. It is a favourite in my house, and it goes very well with both vegetarian (Sweet and Sour Brinjal Masala, Dry Peas Curry) and non-vegetarian (Kala’s Chicken and Capsicum Curry, Kovilpatti Chicken Curry) side dishes. It is also a very attractive dish which can be served at festivals and to guests.

Kala’s Yellow Corn and Carrot Pulav

Kala’s Baby Corn Manchurian

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.

Kala’s Baby Corn Manchurian

Low Spice Low Oil Aama Vadai

Happy Pongal everyone! I used to enjoy Aama Vadai as a child in both Thirunelveli and Madurai. I was surprised to find that very few people knew about Aama Vadai in Chennai. The characteristic feature of the Aama Vadai is the use of 3 dhals, unlike the Ulundhu Vadai or Masala Vadai which only uses one dhal. This vadai has a very mild flavour, and, therefore, is typically served with or as an accompaniment.

Aama Vadai

Kala’s Easy To Make Aloo Paratha (Potato Stuffed Indian Wheat Bread)

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

Colocasia Mash

Colocasia can be bought and stored longer than many other vegetables. Therefore it has become one of the favoured vegetables during the coronavirus lockdown. I have already posted recipes for Colocasia Bajji, Colocasia Bonda, and Colocasia Fry. I came across this recipe in Aachi Samayal Saivam, a Chettinad recipe book. I had to do quite a bit of guesswork to figure out the recipe and I then standardised it. I was delighted with the outcome – this dish tastes very different from any other colocasia dish in a good way 🙂 It can be served with rice or chappati.

Colocasia Mash – Kalas Kalai

Kala’s Birinji Rice

I first had Birinji Rice when my family moved to Chennai in 1957. It was a vegetarian delicacy served at weddings instead of mutton biriyani. Though my family felt disappointed at the lack of meat, I loved its taste, and I used to pester my mother to make it but she didn’t know how – which is not surprising as the key ingredient, kalpasi, was not known in Thirunelveli at that time. Fast forward 63 years, and I finally made my own version which matches the flavour of the birinji rice I used to enjoy so much at Christian weddings. This also makes part of a nice feast at any occasion where meat side dishes are served. It can also be used for a purely vegan/vegetarian feast along with Vegetable Kuruma and Sweet and Sour Brinjal Masala.

Kala’s Birinji Rice

Kala’s Senai Kolla (Yam Deep Fried Balls)

During the coronavirus lockdown, people rush around buying vegetables which would keep for more than a week unrefrigerated. Yam and colocasia are in great demand (but not as much as potatoes). Yam is known as senai in Tamil Nadu and kolla means globe. Fried yam balls are made by a few families. Though my mother hadn’t bothered to write down the recipe for me, my husband’s aunt used to make these. I never liked it, perhaps because she wasn’t a great cook 🙂 During this lockdown I bought a lot of yam and then created my own version of Senai Kolla. My son usually doesn’t eat vegetables, but even he didn’t mind this 😀

Kala’s Senai Kolla (Yam Deep Fried Balls)

Kala’s Thenga Manga Madras Beach Sundal

When we moved to Chennai née Madras in 1957, the first thing we did was to visit the beach. An integral part of the beach experience is sundal (dried peas snack), which is usually sold by mobile snack sellers who offer it along with many other traditional Tamil snacks. The speciality of the Madras beach sundal is that it is flavoured with coconut and unripe mango and served in a newspaper cone. As a child, the flavour was absolutely divine even with the inevitable sand from the beach. The green chillies made it so spicy that I used to cry into the sundal but still loved it 😀 I have now recreated the beach sundal but made the flavour a lot milder so that you can enjoy it in your living room minus the tears and the sand 🙂

 

Kala’s Thenga Manga Madras Beach Sundal

Kala’s Colocasia Bajji (Fritter)

During the lockdown, we are forced to stock up on vegetables that can be stored for some time, such as colocasia. That doesn’t mean we have to make only the typical colocasia preparations. I’d previously given recipes for Colocasia Fry and Bonda. I have now come up with this Colocasia Bajji recipe as people are longing for the fried delicacies they used to enjoy before the lockdown. Since the colocasia has a slight sweetish taste, I have used coriander and cumin powder in the batter to complement the flavour. The crisp coating and the soft interior make it a very interesting and scrumptious snack.

Kala’s Colocasia Bajji (Fritter)