PARUPPU URUNDAIKKUZHAMBU

பருப்பு உருண்டைக்குழம்பு

This is a very famous dish in Tamilnadu. With hot rice, the paruppu urundai kuzhambu makes the meals very delicious. I have combined my mother’s and my mother in law’s recipes with a few innovative tips of mine to get a mouth watering paruppu urundai kuzhambu! This suits well with idli, curd rice and dosas also. Drumstick pieces are added to enhance the flavour of the kuzhambu. Some people fear to drop the fresh balls straightly in boiling kuzhambu. For that, one can go to a safer method. The balls can be steamed for 10 minutes before adding in the kuzhambu. But the taste of the balls will be little hard.

Ingredients:
For urundai:
Tuar dal- 1 cup
Bengal gram- half cup
Fennel seeds- 1 tsp
Chilli powder- half tsp
Turmeric powder- half sp
Salt to taste
Curry leaves- a handful
Chopped coriander- 2 tbsp
Finely chopped garlic flakes- 2 tbsp
Finely sliced onion-2
For kuzhambu:
Tamarind- a small orange size
Chilli powder- 2 tbsp
Coriander powder- 3 tbsp
Turmeric powder- half sp
Salt to taste
Drumstick-2
Finely chopped small onions-1 cup
Finely crushed tomato- 1 cup
Fenugreek powder-1 tsp
Curry leaves- 1 arc
Gingelly oil- 1/4 cup
Turmeric powder- half sp
Procedure:
For urundai:
Soak the dals in enough water for 1 hour, then drain the water and grind them to a coarse thick paste with the fennel seeds and salt.
Add onion, garlic, powders and the greens and mix well.
Make lemon sized balls and keep them away in a fridge.
For kuzhambu:
Soak the tamarind in enough water for an hour and then extract its juice.
Heat a pan and pour the oil. Add the onions and fry them to golden brown.
Then add the tomatoes with the turmeric powder and fry them until the tomatoes are mashed finely and the oil floats on top.
Add the fenugreek powder and fry it for a few seconds.
Add the powders with the tamarind juice and salt.
The kuzhambu must be watery.
Add the drumstick pieces and let it boil for some minutes.
When the drumstick pieces are half-cooked, drop the balls 5 at a time.
After 5 minutes of interval, again drop 5 balls in different places so that the balls will not stick with each other.
Thus finish all the balls and allow the kuzhambu to boil on medium fire for some minutes until the kuzhambu and the balls are cooked well.
pour 2 tsp of gingelly oil around the corners.
Keep the kuzhambu on very slow fire a few minutes and put off the fire.
Options:
Along with the balls, paruppu vadais and pieces of paruppu adai can also be added.
Paruppu vadai:

Flatten the balls in to a vadai shap and deep fry them in moderate oil to golden brown.
This can be eaten as a side dish also.
 For paruppu urundai kuzhambu, this vadai, appalam, and papads are suitable side dishes.
Paruppu adai:
Flatten thinly the balls on hot tawa and cook them as adai. Pour gingelly oil around the corners.
When cooled to golden brown, cut each adai in to 2 inches cubes and drop them when the kuzhambu is boiling.

Home Water System Basics

When it comes to your home's plumbing and water system, you're probably pretty familiar with those items which are in plain view, such as your your pipes, drains and fixtures (sinks, toilets, tubs, showers, faucets etc.). But what about those components that are down in your basement or working quietly in the background or out of sight? They're just as important. Here is a quick overview of some of the other major components and equipment that make up your home's water system.

Tank Water Heater
This is the most common type of hot water heater found in homes today. Operating on either electricity or gas, tank heaters are made from copper, stone, glass, aluminum or galvanized steel. The tank’s material affects function, cost of operation, and energy efficiency. Metal tanks can rust over time, so it’s wise to invest in a magnesium coated rod, which hangs down into the tank and prevents corrosion. To maintain a tank heater, water should be drained at least once a year so sediment can be cleared out and the interior of the tank can be inspected for damage.

Tankless Water Heater
An emerging trend in water heating is the tankless heater. Rather than storing hot water in a tank, these units attach directly to your home’s plumbing and heat water on demand. As water moves through the pipes the tankless heater warms it so you get hot water only when you need it. Tankless heaters are run by either gas or electricity and are generally more energy-efficient and cheaper to operate than tank heaters. However, tankless heaters cost more up front. Large units are installed where water comes into the house, while smaller units are installed where water is used.

Sump Pump
Sump pumps are used to get rid of ground water that may collect around a home’s foundation or in basements that sit below the water line. There are two main types of sump pump -- submersible or pedestal. Submersible sump pumps have a motor and pump encased as a single unit that rests in a pit or shallow well below the ground. Pedestal pumps have a motor that sits above the water line. Regardless of the type of pump you have in your home, your basement should have drain tiles that direct water into the sump.

All-Purpose Pumps
These lightweight pumps are most commonly used by boaters, campers and homeowners to drain water from flooded basements or low spots after heavy rain. Battery-operated pumps can be hooked up to a car or other vehicle, while other types of pumps run on standard household electricity.

Septic Tank
Made of any one of a number of materials, septic tanks collect and hold sewage as it decomposes. Septic tanks should be matched to the size of your home to ensure adequate space and prevent back-up or malfunction. Tanks must be pumped and cleaned out regularly, once every two years or so, but should be inspected more frequently, about every 18 months. A certified professional can take a look at your septic tank to make sure the sludge level is not excessive and will notify you of any cracks or leaks in the tank that could cause problems. Most experts recommend using some kind of enzymatic additive or septic cleaner once a month to boost bacteria levels and speed decomposition of waste inside the tank. These cleaners will help keep waste levels manageable so that sludge doesn’t back up into pipes or block drainage lines.


More Plumbing and Water System Resources from Horizon Services...

• Plumbing Services from Horizon Services
• Drain Cleaning Services from Horizon Services
• Sewer & Water Line Replacement Services from Horizon Services

Baby Corn Potatoes Stir Fry - Celebrating Bloggers

Weekend Lunch Menu is always bit loaded than the normal days menu. Usually i ask my hubby dear to decide the menu, Potato curry was a must in yday menu card. Got this recipe from Srivalli, the Super blogger and the brain behind the MEC Event. The dish was a super hit. Thanks Srivalli for a wonderful recipe. I have modified it a bit, srivalli has used garam masala, i substituted it with some ginger-garlic paste. The rest i followed what she has given.

Ingredients

5 Medium-Sized Potatoes
4 nos Baby Corn
1 large Onion
1 tsp Ginger-garlic Paste
2 tsp red chilli powder
Curry leaves a fist
Hing a pinch
turmeric powder a pinch
Oil , mustard seeds, cumin seeds for the seasoning

Method

Wash and Peel the Potatoes and cut them into small cubes. Take them in a Microwave Safe bowl, add enough water and Cook @ high for 10 minutes. The Potatoes will be half-cooked, this is great for getting roasted potatoes :), mm yum, yum.(somebody is on a diet :))

Take another Microwave safe dish, add 1 tsp of oil and MW high for a minute, add mustard seeds, cumin,hing and curry leaves and MW high for another minute. When they crackle, Add onions and MW high for 2-3minutes, take out and stir in between to avoid burned onions.

When the onions are sauted well, add Ginger-garlic paste and corn and MW high for 3 minutes then add Potatoes add Chilli powder, turmeric and salt and another teaspoon of oil and MW high for 5 minutes, take out and stir in between. Check if the rawness of the chilli powder has escaped, else MW high for another

2-3 minutes.

The taste was excellent, first time trying Baby Corn with Potatoes, i think i will make this often.
Sending this to MEC-Celebrating Bloggers hosted by Jayashree, Event started by Srivalli.

You can also find this @ LYRO#Potato happening @ Sindhi Rasoi