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Beans Usili

Ingredients:

  • Toor dal 1 cup
  • Channa dal 1 cup
  • Red chilies 8
  • Cumin 1 tsp
  • Green beans 250 grams (½ lb) finely chopped
  • Grated coconut 1 cup
  • Mustard seeds 1 tsp
  • Urad dal 2 tsp
  • Curry leaves

Procedure:

  1. Soak both the dal’s in water for 2 hours and drain the water
  2. Grind the red chilies, cumin, salt, and the soaked dal’s into a coarse mix
  3. Shape the mix into thick pancake shapes and steam cook them
  4. When it’s cooled down knead it lightly to make it powdery again
  5. Cook the green beans with a little salt and keep aside
  6. Heat 4 tsp oil in a pan and fry mustard seeds and ural dal. When the splutter add the cooked dal mix and cook for a minutes
  7. Add the cooked beans and curry leaves and cook for a minutes
  8. Add the grated coconut and mix well and remove from heat

Vegetable Avial

Ingredients:

  • Vegetables: Drumstick 1, Plantain 1, Potato 1, Pumpkin 500 grams (1 lb), Poosanikai (White Pumpkin) 500 grams (1 lb), Sakkarai valli kilangu (Sweet potatoes)
  • Coconut 100 grams (¼ lb)
  • Cumin 1 tsp
  • Green chilies 4
  • Coconut oil 2 tsp
  • Yogurt 2 cups
  • Mustard seeds 1 tsp
  • Curry leaves

Procedure:

  1. Cut the vegetables and cook with salt, turmeric powder, and some water
  2. Grind the coconut, cumin, and green chilies into fine paste and mix with the cooked vegetables
  3. Add the coconut oil, yogurt, and salt
  4. Head 2 tsp oil in a pan and fry the mustard seeds. When they start spluttering add the curry leaves and the vegetables and cook for a minute

Vegetable Usili

Ingredients:

  • Vegetables: Green Beans, Kothavarakai (Cluster beans), Vazhaipoo (Plaintain flower) – 0.25 Kg (0.5 pound) finely chopped
  • Channa dal 1 cup
  • Toor dal ¾ cup
  • Cumin 2 tsp
  • Red chilies 10
  • Mustard seeds 1 tsp
  • Turmeric powder 1 pinch
  • Curry leaves

Procedure:

  1. Prep:
    • Add a pinch of turmeric powder to the finely chopped vegetables and cook with enough water and cook the vegetables until the water is gone
  2. Soak the channa dal and toor dal in water for 2 hours and drain the water
  3. Add the red chilies, cumin, and salt and grind coarsely without adding water
  4. Steam cook the mix for 7 minutes and allow it to cool
  5. Grind the mix again for around 30 seconds to make a coarse mix
  6. In a pan head 6 tsp oil and fry the mustard seeds and when they start to splutter add the coarse ground mix and fry for a minutes
  7. Add the cooked vegetables and fry for a minute
  8. Add the curry leaves and turn off the stove

Kolukkattai 1

Ingredients:

  • Raw rice flour 4 cups
  • Salt

Procedure:

  1. Add 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp oil to the rice flour
  2. Add adequate water to the rice flour and mix till it reaches the consistency of idli batter or pancake mix
  3. Pour the batter into a pan and heat in medium fire while consistently stirring till it hardens into a thick paste suitable for making into flat thin sheets
  4. Make the batter into small round balls and press them into flat round sheet the thickness of a roti/tortilla
  5. Take the pooranam (stuffing) and stuff it like a dumpling and steam it

Pooranam (stuffing) recipes:

Kolukkattai Pooranam:

Kolukkattai Channa Dal Pooranam

Kolukkattai Coconut Chutney Pooranam

Brinjal Chutney

Ingredients:

  • Eggplant 500 grams (1 lb)
  • Onions 2; diced
  • Garlic 10 cloves
  • Ginger 1 inch piece – grated
  • Cinnamon 1 inch piece
  • Green chillies 2 – split lengthwise
  • Red chili powder 1/2 tsp
  • Coriander powder 3/4 tsp
  • Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
  • Mustard seeds
  • Urad dal 1 tsp
  • Curry leaves
  • Cilantro

Procedure:

  1. Coat the eggplants in oil and saute them over direct flame. Remove the charred areas, if any, and wash the eggplant with water. Grind the eggplant coarsely
  2. Heat oil in a pan and fry mustard seeds, cinnamon stick, urad dal till they start to splutter
  3. Add the green chilies and onions and fry for a few minutes
  4. Add 1 cup of water, red chili powder, corriander powder, turmeric powder, and cook for 5 minutes
  5. Add the eggplant paste, salt, curry leaves, cilantro, and cook for 5 minutes or till the consistency is right