Ara puli kozhambu - Typically Tambrahm

There was some yam left over from yesterday's fry and mom is over-enthu now to make ara puli kozhambu. Now, I have no clue why this is named such - it doesn't have half the amount of tamarind. In fact, this is half sambar and half vethakozhambu (hence perhaps - ara - puli kozhambu - wonder why they didn't term is as ara-sambar :-P)

Recipe:

Ingredients:

Tamarind - 1 lemon size (Soaked and pureed)
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Tur dal - 2 tsp (soaked and boiled)
Vegetables - typically yam (senakizhangu), bitter gourd (pagarkai) or sundakkai.
Salt - to taste
Asafoetida - to sprinkle
Curry leaves
Sambar powder - your usual quantity
Red Chilli - 2 -3 (optional)
Coconut - 3 tsp (most important in ara puli kozhambu)
Gingelly oil - 1tbsp
mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Method:

1: Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan; temper mustard seeds, asafoetida and curry leaves.
2: Add urad dal, red chilli and saute until golden brown. 
3: Add the coconut and yam; Saute for a few minutes.
4. Add the sambar powder and roast until a rich dark brown. (Ensure it doesn't become black)
5. Pour the tamarind puree and add salt.
6. Add the boiled tur dal.
7. Let boil until thick. (I'd prefer to keep the stove in simmer, so I don't have to stand next to it all day)
8. If it's thin, add some rice flour mixed with water, to thicken the gravy!

Serve hot with rice and sutta appalam.

The why and how...

There are so many food blogs around. Lots of recipes, lovely photographs - then why one more? No particular reason actually. So many thoughts were flowing through my mind and I thought I had to write it all down ! This will not just be a food blog, but the experiences that go with it, and some emotions that blend with the food.

The recipes will not just be mine; there are recipes from mom, friends, recipes customized to suit tastes, recipes that happened by chance, recipes adapted from other recipes, so on and so forth.

The blog will not only talk about recipes, but also about other food, kitchen and health related topics.

I have spent most of my time in the kitchen, in the last one month. I cooked for someone I loved to cook for. I didn't mind the sweltering heat, even after a hard day at work. Cooking was a pleasure, when you had someone special to share the food with. And no, I didn't make anything that special. It was routine cooking, a typical day in a tambrahm household. Yet, I loved every moment in the kitchen.

The kitchen was always my stress buster. If I was pissed or bugged or mad, I would go into the kitchen and try to whip up something. The slicing, dicing, chopping removes all the stress (and some blood - I'm known for cutting my fingers when I chop vegetables - especially beetroot and then the cutting board would be so red, that we wouldn't know if it was the blood or the beetroot)

I love appliances and and have a small kitchen well equipped with a food processor, microwave oven, electric cooker, a 4 burner stove and chimney. I also have an induction stove, on which I sustained for 1 year before I got a gas connection.

This blog may not have photographs initially, but will try and add as I go on.

With some time on my hands now, I'll try and pen down the recipes that I have made in the last one month and beyond.

Cheers !!