PARUPPU URUNDAI MORKOZAMBU - LENTIL DUMPLINGS IN CURD GRAVY

PARUPPU URUNDAI MORKOZAMBU or LENTIL DUMPLINGS IN CURD GRAVY
Mor means curd in Tamil, and Kozambu means gravy or thick soup. The basic ingredients for Morkozambu are curd and spices. The dish is tastier if a slightly sour curd is used. Watery vegetables like cucumber, chow-chow and ash gourd lend a special taste to Morkuzambu. Vegetables like okra, brinjal, and capsicum can be sautéed and added to the kozambu. Cooked drumsticks can be added for a special flavour. Tubers like colocasia are also used. Vattals or Sun dried vegetables are another option. You can fry them and add to this kozambu.

Morkozambu always brings back memories of an incident during my childhood. My Pati (grandmother) used to prepare excellent ash gourd Morkuzambu. I was about four years old when once when I sat down for lunch with my mouth watering for the dish, she also served roasted potato curry with it. All hell was let loose and I started howling and howling. I loved to eat both the dishes with rice. But as I was very young at that time, I could manage to have only one course per meal. My Pati burst out laughing when she learnt about my predicament. After much persuasion, she finally helped me ‘tic-tac-toe’ and I could decide to have the morkuzambu with great relish!

Paruppu urundai (lentil dumpling) morkozambu is a specialty. Serve it with hot steamed white rice and a dollop of ghee. Here is how we prepare it.

Ingredients for Paruppu Urundai or lentil dumpling
Tur dal (Red gram) – 1 cup
Dry red chillies – 3
Salt - ½ tsp
Asafoetida – 1 pinch

Method
Soak the dal and red chillies for 40 minutes.
Drain all water and grind coarsely with asafoetida and salt.
Take the coarse mixture, and form into small dumplings. .
Steam them in a pressure cooker for 10 minutes without the weight.
Allow it to cool.

Ingredients for the Morkozambu or Curd Gravy
For the gravy
Slightly soured curds – 3 cups
Salt – 1 ½ tsp
Turmeric - 1 pinch
Fresh chopped corriander leaves – 1 tbsp
For the spice paste
Bengal gram dal (chana dal) – 1 tbsp
Coriander seeds – 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds – 1/4tsp
Mustard seeds – 1/4tsp
Green chillies - 3
Freshly grated coconut – 1 tbsp.
Except for coconut and chillies, soak these ingredients in a little water for 20 minutes.
Grind all the ingredients with the chillies and coconut to make a paste.
For the Seasoning
Cooking oil -1 tsp
Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp
Fenugreek seeds -1/4 tsp
Red chillies - 2
Curry leaves – 10

Method
1) Blend the spice paste into the sour curds, along with salt and turmeric powder.
2) Now we have to add the seasoning. Heat oil and add the mustard seeds. When the mustard splutters add fenugreek seeds and red chillies. When the fenugreek turns reddish and aromatic, switch of the flame. Add curry leaves while oil is still hot, and pour this seasoning into the spiced curd.
3) Blend the curd mixture (kozambu) well and place it on a low flame.
4) Next, add the paruppu urundai (steamed lentil balls) into the kozambu without breaking them. Note: Cooked vegetables or sautéed vegetables can be added instead of the urundais for a vegetable morkuzambu.
5) Cook until the kozambu bubbles, gently stirring now and then.
6) Remove from the flame before it boils.
7) Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve, with steamed white rice and a dollop of ghee.

Peas Pulav

Everyone has their own way of making pulav. This is the simplest pulav one can make.

Ingredients:
Basmathi rice - 1 cup
Frozen peas - 1/2 cup
Cinnamon - 2 (1 inch sticks)
cloves - 5
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Bay leaf - 1
Green chillies - 1 or 2
Onions - 1/2 cup chopped
Cilantro - for garnishing
Ghee(clarified butter) - 2 tbsp
Oil - 1 tbsp

Method:

Rinse and soak basmathi rice in water for 15 minutes.
Heat oil + ghee in a pan. Tamper cloves, cinnamon, bay leaf and jeera. When they crackle, add onions and green chillies. Fry till onions turn golden brown. Throw in peas and fry for a minute. Switch off the gas. For 1 cup of rice, add 2 cups of water, fried onions and peas, salt and cook in the rice cooker.

Pandan Coconut Chiffon

This chiffon was made by some left over pandan juice and coconut milk that I used for kaya. I haven't come across pandan chiffon before, so I would like to have a little experiment and hopefully the result will be ok.

It seems ok after cooled down in 2 hours. It sank just about 2cm from the top of the tin. Then I kept it in the fridge for better texture.

I think that I did not add enough pandan juice that's why the sponge didn't have a sharp green color. Somehow the texture as soft as the previous chiffon I made. This is a very refreshing cake.

Recipe for 17cm chiffon tin:

110g egg whites/55g caster sugar/5g corn flour

40g egg yolks/pandan juice50g(sqeeze from the coconut juice with pandan)/vegetable oil 36g/55g plain flour/10g caster sugar/24g shredded coconut

1. Whip egg whites until peak form then slowly add in caster sugar continue whipping until a shiny and smooth consistency.
2. Add in the cornflour and whip until just combine.
3. Mix egg yolks, oil, pandan juice, flour and caster sugar in another mixing bowl until everything combine.
4. Add in 1/3 of the egg white mixture into (2) until combine. Then add half of the left over egg whites mixture continue mixing. Then mix in the remaining egg whites until well combine.
5. Add shredded coconut and mix until just combined. Pour into the baking tin and bake 40 minutes at 160'C.
6. Turn the cake upside down for cooling before unmold it.
7. Chill in a fridge for better refreshing texture.