Maanga Sadam (Mango Rice)

Come mango season, this is one dish that features in our menu regularly. This is ideal for lunch box too. Everyone in our family loves this. You can prepare the base mixture before hand and mix the cooked rice when required.

For preparing the base mix for the rice
Grated raw mango - 1 cup ( Select mangoes which are not very sour)

For grinding
Grated coconut - 2 tblspn
green chilly - 2 nos
Dry grind the coconut and chilly together and keep it aside.

Seasoning
Gingely oil - 2 tblspn
mustard seeds
chana dal - 1 tspn
red chilly - 2 broken
turmeric powder - 1/2 tspn
curry leaves - few

salt

Method

Take a skillet. Heat oil and do the seasonings. Add the grated mango and saute for few minutes,
till it is cooked. Make sure the grated mangoes retain the shape and not get mashed into a paste. The grated pieces gives a crunchiness while eating the rice.

Stir in the grounded coconut-chilly and mix well. Saute for a minute and remove from fire.
The base mix is ready.

Take 3 cups of cooked basmati rice and leave it to cool. Stir in the base mix to the rice and
carefully mix with a spatula with out mashing the rice.
Serve with roasted papad.

If the mangoes are too sour, add a tablespoon of grated jaggery along with the mango to saute. It will offset the sourness.
During my blogging break, Sunshinemom has given me a virtual bear hug and the official friendship tag. Thanks for the warm hug and the official title.

I pass the virtual hug to my fellow bloggers Sagari, Prema,Kalai

Sweet Corn Bread

Sweet corn bread, I thought this bread supposed to be added with some corn puree or corn flour but it isn't and you will hardly get lots of sweet corn at every bite of this bread. But, the texture and flavor is absolutely fantastic! I doubt that the corn had created kind of aroma in the dough through the fermentation and through the baking or may be not. No matter how, it is super soft and tender!

This bread soft from outside to inside, just like my friend advised "the bread supposed to be softer than the white bread!". It is so light and tender that you will like to have the next bite before shallow the first. As for me, I could just have it plain without any spread.


Method:

1. Mix all the dry ingredients then gradually add the wet ingredients by mixing with a flat beater at low speed until everything just combine.
2. Add in butter continue to mix for 1 or 2 minutes.
3. Change to a dough hook continues kneading for about 15 minutes at medium speed.
4. Take out the dough from the mixing bowl, slowly add in some sweet corn by hand then shape it into a smooth round dough (make sure the corn is dry before add into the dough).
5. Cover with cling film and let it proof for 90 minutes.
6. Knead the dough and punch out the gas (be careful not to broken the corn while kneading it, do it gently).
7. Use the hand to shape the dough in long rectangular shape then roll up like a swiss roll.
   Place the rolled dough in greased bread tin.
8. Spray with some water around the tin. Place it in the oven with door close, proof for 60 minutes.
   Take out the tin from the oven and preheat the oven at 190'C.
9. When the oven ready, bake the dough approximately 40 minutes or until golden brown, (I used a piece of aluminum foil to cover the top after 20 minutes of baking to prevent the top burning).
10. Take out the bread to cool down before slicing into pieces.Store leftover bread in airtight container without slicing it into pieces to let it stay fresh for the next serving.

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.