Family Recipes

[bhargavi.raj]

This thread is for all those people who cherish and love their family recipes,those recipes that has been there for generations and still will be carried forward to the upcoming generation.

I always try to remember my grandmothers food ,even though its a very meek memory now,but somewhere I still can sense the taste and feel the essence of love and purity whenever I remember those days. The food used to be simple and use of vegetables and basic ingredients and ofcourse with the magical touch made it out of the world.

Please join this thread and contribute the recipes from your family. It will be a great start and a good medium to learn and cherish those people behind these recipes . Thus Bringing us together to lot of traditions and regional specialities that have disappeared for a long time in this busy schedule of our life.

Any recipe is welcome and there is no bar in the numbers either.

On behalf of all my forum friends and wellwishers

Bhargavi.Raj

[bhargavi.raj]

Let Me start with My grandmom's recipe


I don't know the english name for this.
1)Pudi khozakattai

You need
Rice 2cups
grated coconut 1cup
coarsely powdered pepper 2tsp
cashews 1tsp
urad dal 1tsp
red chillies 2/3
salt
Til Oil 2tbsp
mustard seeds 1tsp
curry leaves 5-7
hing a pinch



Method

boil 5cups of water .
Dry roast the rice in a kadai just to get it nutty around 4-5mins
coarse grind it in a mixie.
Heat a kadai,add oil next add hing,mustard seeds,cahsews,urad dal,red chillies and fry it splutters.
add the ground coarse rice and mix well to coat.now add salt req and then boiled water.
keep mixing the whole thing till it starts to leave the sides (almost like a halwa).
put of the flame and keep it to cool for 10mins.
mix the fresh grated coconut and pepper.
now form it like a khozukattai or golf ball .
form all of it and keep aside.
arrange all of this in a bowl and steam in the cooker (no whistle) for abt 10mins.
serve hot with sambhar or chutney.

Bhargavi.Raj

[R]

Atlast, we are here discussing our grandmother's famous and tasty recipes..

Here it is my contribution..My grandmother is from Tirunelveli and they have the habit of making ukkarai & maalaadu for every Diwali and now, my mother use to make without breaking that habit!!

Ukkarai:

Channa dal 3/4 cup
vellam 1 cup

Dry fry dal till it is red without getting burnt. Soak them for an hr. Grind it nicely sprinkling some water. Now, pat like a small small vada and steam them for 10 mts(shd not get stick if you touch it). Now, keep aside and with yr hands, crumble them well.

Now, comes to the syrup part-add jaggery in a pan, and add water till the vellam dips completely and let it boil. When you can make it like a round ball, then, it is ready to switch off the fire.

Now, add the crumbled mixture to the syrup, stir well. Meanwhile, fry 2 tbsp of cashew & grated coconut in ghee and add it to the ukkarai sweet. Add cardamom powder too and for extra taste, add 2 tsp more of ghee. Mix well.

Instead of cashew, can add peanut too. Ready to eat.

[bhargavi.raj]

Hi R,
I never knew about this recipe. This seems to be simple and tasty. Will try and let u know.
Goodness of gradmom's recipes
Bhargavi.Raj

[R]

Maalaadu:

Roasted gram(pottukadalai) 2 cups
sugar 1 cup depending on the sweet, can adjust..
cardamom powder 1 tsp

fry in a tsp of ghee:

cashew & raisins 1 tbsp each

Grind gram nicely and sugar separately. When comes to sugar, dont have it to be very nicely. If it is little coarse, that is ok. Becoz, in India, we have machine to grind.

Now, mix both of them with cardamom powder and add the nuts. Heat 1/4 cup of ghee till the smoke has started coming slightly(like mysore pak) and add to the flour mixture, mix well at the back of the laddle.

Adjust the ghee qty so that you can make balls from the mixture. For functions, the caterer makes this urundai more or less like an idly!!

[R]

Sure Bhargavi, pls try whenever find time.

And one more request-our grandmother & mother makes this healthy or homemade things like kashayam or anything related to the same? Can we include it here?

thanks for understanding..

[Seethab]

Hi R:

When you said kashayam , I remmeber the simplest and its a gas reliever from kids to grandold people and also any stomach related pain (specially menstrual pain).

Take a tablespoon of jeera and dry roast it till its dark in color(shdnt get burnt), Then add about 1.5 cups of water and boil it. Let it rest for about 5 mins. Decant the liquid and add a spoon of ghee and drink it.

Thanks

Seetha

[R]

Thanks for reminding, Seetha..I totally forgot this..

My mother use to add butter instead of ghee and also she would say that one can use when she is pregnant from 6th month onwards so that it will subsidize the other pains except for the delivery pain!! But, did not know that it is good for menstrual time too.

thank you so much.

[bhargavi.raj]

Any recipes,tips,medicines,legiyums,kashayams are most welcome..
Bhargavi.Raj

[bhargavi.raj]

2) Kashaya Rasam
This Rasam is usually made when someone is suffering from cold or fever.
This works for me 98 % of times.

You will need

Tamrind a very small amt soaked in hot water for 10mins
Tomatoes (optional) 2-3 chopped
Dal water 2cups
Lemon Juice 1/2tsp
Crushed green chillies 1-2

grind into a powder
Jeera 1tbsp
Ginger 1"
Pepper 1tsp
channa dal 1/2tsp
Neem flowers(vepampoo)1tsp
Methi 1tsp
Sundaikai 1/2tsp
Hing
curry leaves 10

Method
Heat the tamrind water along with tomatoes,crushed chillies ,salt and tumeric and bring it to a boil.
once the tamrind's raw smell has gone,add dal water and make it very thin like a soup.
Meanwhile,heat ghee in a kadai,add the ground powder. fry for a min (without browning or burning it).pour this on the rasam and allow it to foam just for 2mins (don't boil,or it may become bitter).
remove from flame and add lemon juice.
drink it directly or with rice.
You see that the body becomes free from aches.also cures stomach aches and gastric troubles
I like to make it once a month atleast.

Enjoy
Bhargavi.Raj

[R]

This rasam ingredients are making me so healthy and getting extra energy, Bhargavi.

tomorrow, the first job is to try the rasam.

thank you..

[bhargavi.raj]

Hello R,
I have heard the Iyers are famous for their Adhirasam & Khozukatai recipes.If u know,can u post some from ur family recipes?
Bhargavi.Raj

[Seethab]

Hi guys:

Yet another simple remedy. Its good to do this once a while.

Squeeze the juice of a lemon and then dilute it very little. To the juice add a pinch of sugar and salt and powdered cardamom. Mix it well and drink it.

This wud clear the stomach of any worms and also arrest any vomitting problem (specially kids).

Seetha

[R]

Hello Bhargavi,

My mother & grand mothers' makes adhirasam very well since they have to do every year for srartham and other occasions.

I do have the procedure and full method, but yet to give a try. Athirasam is a one challenging recipe and have to try some day leisurely. If I do and succeed, will let you know for sure.

..............................

Abt kozhukattai, this is a mixture of my mother & MIL's...I am reposting it from SUN TV thread..Not sure whether you know the pooranam recipe or not. If you want, can post them too. The below said pooranams we make for vinayaka chathurthi, FYI.

Ellu pooranam, thengai pooranam, kadala paruppu poornam and urad pooranam But, for ganapathi homam, we make a different kozhukattai which is a oil fried version.

Dough for kozhukattai:

Sieved rice flour 1 cup
boiled water 1 cup
sesame oil 1/2 sp.
salt 2 pinches

If you are comfortable, can use vanali itself. Otherwise, use mild greased non stick vessel so that it will not stick at the bottom and easy to stir.

Boil the water in the vessel. The boiled bubbles should be all over the water and also at the center which is very important.

Once the water starts boiling, add the oil, salt and 2 pinches of flour, stir and add the entire flour; switch off and start mixing well. Once it comes like a ball, you can notice the slight color change of the dough(cooked rice dough). Make sure that there are no lumps.

Cover it with wet tissue towel and close it with a lid in case, if you are making pooranam so that it will not get dry.

Keep quarter or half cup of boiled water ready just in case, if you need more.

The steaming time for kozhukattai is 5 to 10 mts. Only way to check is it will look shiny and it will not stick to yr hands.

________________________

Some points:

People those who are experienced will keep the stove sim and start stirring without sticking at the bottom. Either way, it is upto you to choose. Using non-stick vessel makes the job easily.

If you are preparing kozhukattai from the rice, then, you might be needing more water.



Urad poornam(salt kozhukattai):

Take half a cup of urad dal and soak for an hr. in water. Drain the water and grind with 1 no. of green and red chillies, salt and hing coarsely. Steam them on the idly plates for 5 mts. Once cold, crumble them like rava; season in oil with mustard, grated coconut and curry leaves. Mix well and squeeze lemon juice. Do the stuffing and steam..

[dsankaran]

This is my grandmom's recipe. My grandparents are from Palghat. However I am not sure if this belongs to Palghat Iyer cuisine as I have never seen this made in any other household.

Mudurai Kootaan:
-------------------

Mudurai (I don't know another name for this. When I asked my grandmom she said that she doesn't know the Tamil name for this as she always bought it from a Keralite store. However from the looks and taste, horsegram seems to be the closest choice) - 1 cup
Fresh Coconut - 1.5 cups grated
Cumin seeds - 1.25 tsp
Dried red chillies - 2 (or can substitute 1 tsp of whole black pepper)
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Jaggery - about 1/2 tsp powdered (optional)
Coconut oil - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste

Method:
Soak the Mudurai overnight (Clean it off stones and dust first)
Drain the soaked water and pressure cook this with fresh water and a pinch of turmeric.
Cool the cooked Mudurai and mash it with the back of a heavy ladle. (I use the hand blender for about 30 secs)

Dry roast the Jeera, Urad dal, chillies or black pepper slightly until the flavors come out. Cool and grind with fresh coconut and curry leaves. You can increase the quantity of black pepper if you like.. but we always have it mild at home.

Mix the mudurai with the ground mixture and add water to get a pourable consistency. Add salt and let the mixture boil for about 5 minutes until the raw smell of chillies disappears.

Add the jaggery powder and let it simmer for a couple of minutes. (This is optional and can be ignored if you don't like the sweetness)

Switch off the stove, pour warm coconut oil and leave the vessel closed for about 1/2 hour.

Can be eaten with rice and paruppu thogaiyal.

- D

[R]

Bhargavi, prepared the rasam today and my hub said that it was very healthy and other than mixing with rice, also drank the same. As I fast every friday, could not taste it.

I actually reduced the ginger qty and had the remaining powder(ground ingredients) with rice; it was very yummy with salt and nallennai.

I forgot to cook thoor dal; so substituted with mashed channa. And instead of frying the ground ingredients, just put in the tamarind water and allowed them to boil for 10 to 15 mts; still , no bitterness.

thanks for the recipe.

[Sowmya]

Hi
Can somebody please post the recipe for authentic "Akaravadisal"?

Regards
Sowmya :D

[Sowmya]

Hi
This kanji is frequently prepared in my house on days when people stick on to "palaharam" during nights on ocassions like "Amavasai" etc.It's my grandmom's recipe and she learnt it from her mom.
It's a filling,tasty drink and has tremendous cooling effect on the body.. + healthy.

payatham kanji
ingredients
moong dhal -1 cup
godumai ravai(cracked wheat)-1/4 cup
powdered jaggery-1/4 cup-more or less acc to taste
milk-as reqd
proc:
Dry fry moong dhal till a nice aroma comes and colour changes mildly.Pressure cook moong dhal and godumai rava with min water.In a kadai add the cooked mixture and jaggery,allow it to boil till the contents blend well.Add milk and mix well.Cool and serve.

note:
1.The quantity of milk determines the thickness of the kanji.Add acc to your choice
2.The jaggery is a substitute for sugar.. it's just to give a mild flavour
3.Can add some cardomom powder too.It's optional.

[Anoushka]

I got this recipe of my chitti...

I call it Dal Paalak!

Soak (optional) and boil a handfull of all types of paruppu vareity together with ginger-garlic paste and tomato. I tend to use tuvaram paruppu, kadalai paruppu, paasi paruppu, pachai paruppu, etc.

Once cooked well, let it cool and make a paste out of it.

Boil Spinach (or any keerai variety) wtih minimal water and cool it and make a paste out of it.

Now mix the two, add salt, and sambar powder and let it boil till the raw smell of sambar powder disappears.

Season it with mustard, jeera seeds and sliced onion fried in tiny bit of oil.

Very healthy, high protien and iron content food. Depending on the amount of people I tend to change the amount of lentils to suit my needs.

Add this to hot rice and a spoon of ghee and any child will love this dish (even children that refuse to eat keerai eat this) :)

And because this is in paste form, it is easy for children to digest!

[tomato]

Hi Sowmya,
I made the 'payatham kanji' yesterday. Coz on monday nights I don't have dinner. And as u said it was quite tasty, refreshing and filling, not to forget it just took me 15 mins to prepare it. Thanx for sharing this wonderful recipe. :)

[Sowmya]

Hi Tomato
Thanks for the feedback

Regards
Sowmya :D

[chamy]

Hello everybody !
I want to share a simple recipe which is liked by all in our family.Its my mom's recipe.
ENNAI KATHRIKKAI (BRINJAL DISH )
--------------------------------------
Ingredients
------------
Brinjals -4 ( small )
Tomato - Indian tomatoes 2 or If ur in USA 1 is enough since tomatoes here r large.
onion -10 small onions or 1/2 large onion.
mustard seeds -1/2 spoon
oil-2 tbsp

powders
--------
chilli powder -1/2 spoon
turmeric powder -a pinch
asafoetida - a pinch

to grind to a paste
-------------------
Ginger-a small piece
garlic - 6 small cloves
cumin -1/2 spoon
fennel -1/2 spoon
peppercorns -4

PROCEDURE
-------------
Cut brinjal into small pieces and put them in water so that they don't change in color.Heat 2 tbsp oil in a kadai and when it is heated add mustard seeds and asafoetida.when it splutters add onion and fry till it becomes slightly brown.now add brinjal pieces and the ground paste and mix and fry.Now add the tomato pieces and mix well and fry.add salt chilli and turmeric powder.Keep the stove in just above low setting and cover the kadai with lid.if u think the oil is not enough for cooking the brinjal sprinkle some water.every 10 minutes open the lid and mix well the ingredients till the brinjal get cooked.

[Pooh]

I made the ennai kathirikai today. It came out good!!

[chamy]

Dear Pooh !
Thank u for the feedback.
Regards foodlover.

[MysoreHudugi]

Sowmya,
Tried your paitham kanji. I made modification so as to make soup out of it. (Health food)

I chopped some tomatoes, cilanthro, green chillies and boiled it after taking it out of the pressure cooker with salt and tiny bit of sambar powder just enough for the flavor.

Taste was great, filling and nutritious food. (No oil was used)

Thanks for the recipe.

Next time I am going to try putting some sauted finely chopped onions with grated carrots to make a different variety. Will let you know how it turns out.

CI.

[Sowmya]

Hi CI
Good to see your variation of the recipe..I have a question.. did you use jaggery too?

Regards
Sowmya

[MysoreHudugi]

Sowmya,
No. I just used the recipe's moong dal and broken wheat base and boiled it with the other ingredients. I did not want a sweet taste, so made this variation.

CI.

[Sowmya]

Hi CI
Thanks for the clarification..

Regds
Sowmya :D

[dev]

Hi Chamy,

Tried brinjal dish today...It was very yummy...Thanks a lot for the recipe...:)

[gvb]

Hi chamy,
Made "enna kathrikai" today and it was delicious.Thanks.

GVB

[chamy]

Dear Dev and Gvb !
Thank u very much for the feedback.
Regards Foodlover.

[R]

Hi foodlover,

Tried brinjal curry yesterday and it was good. Have a doubt-the gravy came out thin, is that how it will be?

Rgds.

[chamy]

Dear R !
Thanks for the feedback.Actually the gravy should be thick.The brinjals should be cooked nicely and it will become very soft so that with a karandi if u smash it will mash and it becomes a thick gravy.
Regards foodlover.

[chamy]

Hello everybody !
i want to share a rasam recipe which is my favorite.
Ingredients :

Tamarind - Lemon size (small lemon size that is indian lemon size ) (soak in water and extract the thick juice )
salt -2 teaspoon
water -31/2 - 4 cups (800 ml )
sambhar or
rasam powder -1/4 tsp (optional )
oil -1 teaspoon
asafoetida -1/4 tsp
mustard -1/2 tsp
tomato -1 tbsp (optional )
coriander leaves -few

Grind the following to a paste :

Garlic -4 small or 2 big cloves.
Curryleaves -4 or 5
sambhar onion -1 or 2
cumin seeds -3/4 th teaspoon
peppercorns - 1/2 teaspoon
dried red chillies-1 or 2

Procedure :
Add water to the thick tamarind juice and add salt.add the sambhar or rasam powder (optional ).Add the ground paste and mix well .Now heat the rasam.Heat oil add asafoetida ,mustard and after it crackles add the tomato (optional )fry for 2 seconds and add to the rasam.If u add tomatoes allow the rasam to boil for few minutes otherwise switch off the rasam when it is about to boil.Garnish with coriander leaves.

[RC]

Nice thread... keep posting more recipes

[Anoushka]

Thanks for reviving the thread RC :)

[Alan]

Looks yum! Thanks for reviving this thread, R!