KOZHI AVARAI PORIYAL

This kozhi avarai belongs to the avaraikkai family. When we cut it, it resembles like a star. This is a rare vegetable. I have seen it when I was a young girl. Now after a long time, I have purchased this in the local market here. This vegetable can be cooked as poriyal and also used in sambar, mutton kuzhambu etc.

கோழி அவரை பொரியல்

Ingredients:

Kozhi avarai- 250 gms
Finely chopped onion-2
Green gram- 2 tbsp
Black gram- 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
Turmeric powder- half sp
Salt to taste
Chopped coriander- 2 tbsp
Oil- 2 tbsp


Grind the following ingredients coarsely:

Red chillies-3
Asafetida- half sp
Fennel seeds- half sp
Small garlic flakes-3
Shredded coconut- 3 tbsp

Procedure:

Heat a kadai and pour the oil.
Add the mustard seeds and when they splutter add the grams and fry them to golden brown.
Then add the onion and fry them for a few seconds.
Add the chopped kozhi avarai with the turmeric powder and salt.
Cook on medium fire.
After 5 minutes, add the ground paste and mix well.
When the vegetable is cooked well add the coriander.
Mix well and put off the fire.
NB: For viewers, I am publishing the photograph of Kozhi avarai [winged bean] here! This is very famous in Thai cooking!

Raspberry season

Apple vattal kuzhambu - Sun dried apples in tamarind gravy

APPLE VATTAL KUZHAMBU


I was wondering not knowing how to use the sun dried apples which my cousin had brought from Kashmir. My son said that my daughter - in - law used sun dried apples (Apple vattal ) to make a 'trail snack' along with nuts, chocolate chips and other dry fruits. This snack he said restored energy during their trekking expeditions.
As I was just getting ready to mix a trail snack my aunt called up and said that her ' vella pachadi ' and ' vattal kozhumbu' with apple vattals had turned out very good. With a little hesitation I prepared this novel vattal kuzhambu, but my family enjoyed the new dish very much.



INGREDIENTS
Sun dried apples ( cut into small pieces ) - 1 cup
Tamarind - 1 lemon size ball
Jaggery - 1 lemon size piece
Salt - 1 1/2 tsp
Sambar powder ( Unroasted spice mix) - 2 tsp
Rice flour - 2 tsp
Gingelly oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
Bengal gram dal - 2 tsp
Asafoetida - 1 pinch
Broken red chillies - 2
Curry leaves - a few



METHOD
1. Soak tamarind in warm water and extract the juice.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds.
3. When the mustard splutters add fenugreek seeds and then the bengal gram dal.
4. When the dal becomes golden in colour add red chillies, curry leaves and the apple pieces.
5. Lower the flame and quickly add asafoetida, sambar powder and rice flour and stir.(Take care not to burn the sambar powder).
6. Add the tamarind extract, salt and jaggery.
7. Boil the vattal kuzhambu until it reaches a sauce like consistancy, stirring now and then.


Enjoy the pleasant flavour of apple in your delicious vattal kuzhambu. It tastes heavenly with hot rice topped with a dollop of ghee. You can also enjoy it with pongal, upma, dosai, adai or chapati.