Porichu Kootu

This a authentic iyengar dish where the vegetable is cooked with moong dhal along with some spices.
Vegetables which can be used in Poricha kootu are cabbage, chow chow, brinjal, pumpkin, carrot, and beans.
Serves - 2

Ingredients Required:

Moong Dhal - 1/2 Cup
Cut Vegetable - 1 Cup
Urad Dhal - 2 tsp
Red Chilly - 3
Grated Coconut - 1/4 Cup
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt as required
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp

How to make?
Pressure cook the veg and moong dhal along with salt and turmeric powder.
Heat oil in a pan and fry the urad dhal along with the red chillies until the urad dhal turn golden in color.
Grind it with grated coconut to a paste.
Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and when it starts spluttering add the cooked dhal and vegetable.
Cook for a minute and add the ground paste.
Cook for a minute.
Serve hot with white rice.

Parupu Urandai Kozhambu

Parupu Urandai Kuzhambu literally means dhal balls in a gravy. This is an authentic tamil iyengar recipe.
Serves 2

Ingredients Required:
For the Dhal balls:
Toor Dhal - 3/4 Cup
Red Chilly - 4
Salt as required
Hing - pinch
Curry leaves - 1 twig

For the Sambhar:
Sambhar Powder - 2 spoons
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
Red Chilly - 3
Chana Dhal - 1 tbl.spn
Fenugreek Seeds - 1 tsp
Tamrind - Lemon sized
Salt as required


How to make?
Soak the toor dhal in water for 1 hour.
Grind with salt, hing, red chillies.
Mix the paste with curry leaves and set aside.

Boil the tamrind in water.
Heat oil in a pan and fry the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, hing, red chillies, chana dhal, and fenugreek seeds.
Add the diluted tamrind water to the pan. Let it be a little watery as it wil get thick as we add the dhal balls.
Add salt and sambhar powder and boil for 5 minutes.

Make balls from the paste and roll it over little rice flour so it does not break as we drop it in the sambhar.
Drop the balls in the sambhar one at a time.
Do not mix the sambhar after the balls are inside.
Cover the pan, and let it cook for 10 minutes on low heat.
The balls would have hardened and be floating on top.

Serve with white rice.

Ennai Kathirikai Karamadhu

This a traditional south indian dish where the brinjal is stuffed with spices and fried.

Serves - 4

Ingredients Required:

Small sized brinjals - 20
Red chillies - 8
Coriander seeds - 2 tbl.sp
Pepper - 2 tbl.sp
Channa dhal - 3 tbl.sp
Coconut - 2 tbl.sp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil as required

How to make?
Wash the brinjals and pat them dry.
Make 4 slits on the top of the brinjal but make sure not to cut the brinjal fully.
Soak them in salt water.
Heat oil in a pan and channa dhal, coriander seeds, pepper, red chillies and fry for few minutes till the channa dhal turn golden in color.
Add coconut and fry for a minute.
Grind coarsely and add salt as required.
Stuff this spice in the brinjal. Make sure not to break the brinjal.
Heat oil in the pan and add mustard seeds.
Add the stuffed brinjal and fry for 10 minutes till it is cooked.