Notes about Recipes in this book

• Brinjal dal curry (Kathrikkai kadala paruppu kozhambu)

  • Ganga108 on February 10, 2024

    (Dec 28th, '23) Deeply delicious curry made on the spur of the moment after being gifted some home grown eggplants. I used the substitutions for vadagram. A lovely poppy seed-coconut paste adds to the deliciousness. THIS IS A REAL FAVOURITE NOW. A different spicing that I am used to with Tamil vegetarian food. So pleased it has chana dal for protein in this dish.

• Stuffed brinjal (Kathrikkai varuval)

  • Ganga108 on February 10, 2024

    On the menu for today (Feb 4th)..... Turned out excellent, but far too much oil for sauteeing the eggplants. Next time i will use half the quantity and add more if required. Nevertheless it is a favourite, and even better the next day.

• Black eyed bean curry with brinjals

  • Ganga108 on June 12, 2024

    NOTE: It is not clear in the recipe whether fresh or dried black eyed beans are used - possibly fresh? Also, beyond a quick saute/roast, the recipe omits to indicate where to add them. I presume they are added in step 5 before pressure cooking. If using dried beans, I guess they would need to be soaked and pre-cooked.

• Brinjal curry (Yennai kathrikkai kozhambu)

  • Ganga108 on February 10, 2024

    (Jan 21) Reasonably easy and quite delicious.

• Horse gram curry (Kollu kozhambu)

  • Ganga108 on February 10, 2024

    (Jan 28th) A very interesting dish that takes A LOT of horse gram, cooked, and the cooking liquid is used with only a little of the lentils. It makes sense as horse gram always makes a rich broth when making dals or rasams with it, and Sth Indian rasam and kuzhambu style dishes will often use "lentil water" as a base ie the cooking water from lentils used for different dishes. I made 1/3 the recipe as I don't want to use 1kg of disposable horse gram. I'll use left over lentils for a dal or salads. The broth from cooking the lentils is flavoured with roasted onions and garlic, tamarind, and spices. V interesting. Googling, the recipe has different variations, mostly using more moderate amounts of lentils, which are retained in the final dish. Alternative spicings too. UPDATE: I was intrigued but sceptical about the recipe but it is actually close to other gravy kuzhambus, and was delicious! Yum! It takes a while to make. A fab winter dish bcos horse gram's deep flavours. Very gassy tho.

• Dill potatoes (Urulakizhangu soyikeerai varuvul)

  • jenburkholder on October 25, 2024

    Yum! Great use of dill.

• Horse gram rasam (Kollu rasam)

  • Ganga108 on June 06, 2024

    I doubted the 1 hour cooking time in the Instant Pot, so cooked the horse gram for 30 mins (most internet recipes say 10 - 15 mins). After NR, it was not soft enough for how I like the lentils for rasam. So I put it back on for another 30 mins. It is easy enough to make if you are familiar with rasam, and helpful if you do the prep work (grinding, chopping). Lovely over rice or as a short "shot" drink. Horse gram has an earthy taste, or "healthy" taste. And so it is. But this is probably the most delicious recipe using horse gram that I have made so far. Lip-smackingly spicy and tangy.

• Crumbly eggs (Muttai poriyal)

  • Ganga108 on December 13, 2024

    Delicious! Made with and without drumstick leaves (recipe on the next page).

• Egg crumble with drumstick leaves

  • Ganga108 on December 13, 2024

    Oh my! Another fiery, wonderful scrambled egg dish from India/Tamil Nadu. I picked up a huge bunch of moringa leaves (drumstick leaves) yesterday at the Asian grocery. I dehydrated maybe 3/4 or so and used the rest in this recipe. Really really good.

• Tamarind-cumin curry (Seeraga kozhambu)

  • Ganga108 on February 10, 2024

    (Dec 24 '23)As a first dish from this book, I made this curry - a necessary comforting and nourishing dish. I took a moment out of my day to stop the whirlwind of this season and refortify myself. It is such a favourite recipe now. Deeply flavoured. Delicious.

• Plantain stem curry with dal (Vazhathandu kootu)

  • jenburkholder on October 25, 2024

    Very nice. Subbed hearts of palm for plantain stem, per some suggestions from the internet. Quite flavorful, definitely a “centerpiece” dal.

• Savoury garnished pancakes (Oothappam)

  • Ganga108 on February 11, 2024

    A slightly different recipe to those Uttapam that I have cooked lately in that a tadka is stirred into the batter - traditional Sth Indian style, probably. Delish of course :)

• Tomato-coconut chutney (Thakkali thengai chutney)

  • Ganga108 on March 18, 2024

    A quick and delicious fresh chutney/sauce for both Indian and non-Indian dishes. I made it initially to go with khichdi, and used the remainder with char-grilled eggplant to go with dinner.