Fresh Turmeric Root Kuzhambu / Manjal Kizhangu Kuzhambu | Fresh Turmeric Root Recipes

We all buy fresh turmeric / manjal koththu as a part of Pongal or Sankaranthi items. But we mostly don’t use it for anything. Why not try my village side recipe which uses fresh turmeric just like ginger? Try this without fail and give me your feedback. My family loved it very much.

Recipe Cuisine : South Indian | Recipe Category: Kuzhambu

Preparation Time: 5 mins  | Cooking Time: 15-20 mins | Yields: 1 cup

Ingredients:

Fresh Turmeric Root / Fresh Manjal Kizhangu	3 – (2 inch pieces )
Tamarind	Gooseberry size
Oil ( sesame / ground nut oil)	2 tbsp
Mustard Seeds	¼ tsp
Fenugreek Seeds	½ tsp
Cumin Seeds	1 tsp
Curry Leaves	1 spring
Garlic Pods	5
Sambar Onion	10
Sambar Powder	2 tbsp
Salt	As Required
Jaggery	Small Gooseberry size

Procedure:

1. Soak the tamarind the water and extract the juice from it.

2. Remove the skin of the turmeric root and wash them thoroughly. Then cut them into thin slices and keep it aside.

3. Remove the skin of the garlic pods and cut them into ¼ inch slices.

4. Remove the skin of the onion and cut them into small pieces.

5. Heat the oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and wait for popping.

6. Add fenugreek seeds and fry for 10 seconds.

7. Add cumin seeds and wait for spluttering.

8. Add curry leaves and sauté them till they become crisp.

9. Add garlic pods (from 3) and fry for a min.

10. Add onion (from 4) and fry for a min.

11. Add turmeric root (from 2) and fry till the onions become translucent.

12. Add tamarind water (from 1), sambar powder, required water and salt. Mix them well. Close the lid of the pan and cook till the turmeric root becomes tender.

13. Finally, add the jaggery and mix them well till the jaggery melts completely.

    Healthy and aromatic turmeric root kuzhambu / fresh manjal kuzhambu is ready to serve with hot rice.

Note:

1. Instead of sambar powder you can use red chilli and coriander powders.

2. Add big onion instead of small onion. But small onion gives more taste than big one.

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Pachai Mochai Kuzhambu and Kitchen Cleaning tips with LAL HIT

The year-end months (November - December) have become Fever Season. Last week, My cousin who is a doctor himself got dengue and had to be treated for week. It is not only due to climate but also due insects and mosquitoes. Cleanliness is the best defense and hence deep cleaning is the best cleaning method. Let us start the new year and pongal season with deep cleaning of our houses. What is deep cleaning? Mothers put in their best efforts to clean the kitchen every month. But cockroaches escape regular and monthly cleaning by hiding in hard to reach corners like under the cylinder, sink, cracks, and crevices. They carry germs and bacteria, come behind the back, crawl on food and utensils, contaminate food and spread Food Poisoning. While family members and guests suffer, kids are the first ones to get this infection. Hence, it’s very important to eliminate hidden cockroaches from the kitchen. The simple, handy and reliable solution is to apply LAL HIT each time when you clean the kitchen. This thorough cleaning of the nooks-and-corners of our houses with LALHIT should be aptly called deep-cleaning.

LAL HIT is the only solution that can eliminate the hidden cockroaches. It comes with a Deep Reach Nozzle that can get onside deep corners, cracks, and crevices. This simple habit can avoid food poisoning at home. Moreover, LALHIT now comes with a freshfragrance. I infact deep-clean my house almost every month with LAL-HIT.

After deep cleaning it is a time of a healthy and unique pongal recipe.

#SayNoToFoodPoisoning

Pachai Mochai Puli Kuzhambu / Fresh Field Beans Kuzhambu

Pachai mochai grows only in this season (winter). In villages pachai mochai kuzhambu along with raw rice (pacharisi satham) is a important pongal dish. The Pachai Mochai is also famous in Katrnataka. I have found out many such winter season special recipes of South India. Stay tuned for more.

Recipe Cuisine : South India            | Recipe Category: Kuzhambu

Preparation Time: 15 mins  | Cooking Time: 30 mins | Serves: 4

Pachai Mochai	1 cup
Brinjal	2
Tamarind	Gooseberry size
Turmeric Powder	½ tsp
Red Chilli Powder	1 tsp
Coriander Powder	2 tbsp
Sambar Powder	2 tsp
Coconut Milk	½ cup
Hing/ Asafoedita	½ tsp
Salt	To Taste
To Fry and paste:
Oil	2 tbsp
Cumin Seeds	1 tsp
Sambar Onion	1 cup
Tomato	1
To Temper:
Oil	1 tbsp
Mustard Seeds	½ tsp
Cumin Seeds	1 tsp
Fenugreek Seeds	½ tsp
Curry Leaves	1 spring
Roughly Chopped Onion	¼ cup
Chopped Garlic	2 tbsp
To Garnish:
Chopped Coriander Leaves	2 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan; add onion and cumin seeds. Fry till the onion becomes translucent.

2. Allow it to cool down completely. Add chopped tomato and grind them into a fine paste using little water. Keep it aside.

4. Soak the tamarind in warm water for 10 mins. Then extract the juice from it using required water.

5. Boil mochai payaru with little bit salt and ¼ of water in a pressure cooker for 1 whistle or cook in a vessel till it becomes tender.

6. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds wait for popping.

7. Then add the fenugreek seeds and curry leaves. Fry for few seconds.

8. Then add the chopped onion and garlic pods. Fry till they become translucent.

9. Add chopped brinjal and fry for 2 mins.

10.  Now add tamarind juice (from 4), ground paste (from 2), turmeric powder, Red Chilli powder, coriander powder, sambar powder and salt.

11.  Boil this mixture till the raw smell goes off. Then add boiled mochai (from 5). Cook for 2 more mins.

8. Now add the coconut milk and hing powder; cook them till they become little bit thick like kuzhambu consistency.

9. Finally add the chopped coriander leaves and switch off the flame.

     Pachai Mochai Katharikkai kuzhambu is ready to serve with white rice for this Pongal Celebration.

Note:

1. Adjust the spice level according to your taste.

2. You can use big onion instead of sambar onion.

3. You can use coconut paste instead of coconut milk.

This new year, begin with a healthy habit of monthly kitchen cleaning with LAL HIT and stay worry free from the cockroaches attack on your delicacies.

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Karuveppilai Kuzhambu / Curry Leaves Kuzhambu

There are a few recipes using Curry Leaves posted by me earlier. In that Series, Curry Leaves Kuzhambu is a very tasty and also unique recipe. It can be used for two-three days especially as a sidedish for curd rice.

Related Links:
Curry Leaves Chutney
Curry Leaves Idli Podi
Curry Leaves Rice

Recipe Cuisine : South Indian | Recipe Category: Kuzhambu

Preparation Time: 10 mins  | Cooking Time: 20 mins | Yields: 1 cup

Ingredients:

Curry Leaves	1 cup (tightly packed)
Tamarind	Gooseberry size
Sambar Powder	1 tbsp
Turmeric Powder	½ tsp
Salt	As required
To Temper:
Sesame Oil	1 tbsp
Mustard Seeds	¼ tsp
Cumin Seeds	1 tsp
Fenugreek Seeds	½ tsp
Roughly Chopped Onion	¼ cup
Roughly Chopped Garlic	2 tbsp
Finely Chopped Tomato	1
To Fry the Curry Leaves:
Sesame Oil	1 tsp

 Procedure:

1. Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan, add curry leaves and fry till the color of the curry leaves become changed. Allow it to cool down completely.

2. Then grind them into a fine paste with little water using the mixie jar.

3. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in the same pan, add mustard seeds and wait for popping.

4. Add cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds, wait for splutter.

5. Then add onion and garlic pods. Fry them till they become translucent.

6. Add chopped tomato and fry till they become mushy.

7. Now add sambar powder, turmeric powder and salt. Fry for few seconds.

8. Extract the juice from the tamarind using ½ cup of water.

9. Now pour this tamarind juice with above mixture ( from 7) and mix them well. Close the lid of the pan.

10. Allow it to cook till the raw smell of the tamarind goes off.

11. Now add the ground curry leaves paste (from 2) and mix them well. Cook till the kuzhambu becomes thick.

          Healthy and tasty curry leaves / karuveppilai kuzhambu is ready.

Note:

1. Increase or decrease the curry leaves quantity according to your taste.

2. Adjust the sambar powder level according to your spice level.

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Cowpeas Bottle Gourd Curry without Tamarind / Thattai payaru suraikkai kuzhambu

This is time for a good rural recipe. This is a variant of Cowpeas bottle gourd kuzhambu without tamarind. This goes well with both rice and chapathis.

Click here for more Kuzhambu Recipes.

 

Recipe Cuisine : South Indian | Recipe Category: Kuzhambu

Preparation Time: 15 mins  | Cooking Time: 30 mins | Serves : 4

Ingredients:

Cowpeas / Thattai Payaru / Karamani	½ cup
Chopped Bottle Gourd	½ cup
Sambar Powder	1 ½ tsp
Salt	To taste
To Temper:
Oil	1 tbsp
Mustard Seeds	½ tsp
Cumin Seeds	2 tsp
Curry Leaves	1 spring
Chopped Sambar Onion	¼ cup
Garlic Pods	3
Tomato	2
To Grind:
Grated Coconut	¼ cup
To Garnish:
Chopped Coriander Leaves	1 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Remove the skin and seeds of the bottle gourd. Then chop it into small cubes and keep it aside.

2. Wash and pressure cook the cowpeas with 1 cup of water for 4 whistles in high flame or till it becomes tender.

3. Heat the oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and wait for popping.

4. Add cumin seeds and wait for splutter. Add curry leaves and sauté for few seconds.

5. Now add chopped onion and chopped garlic pods. Sauté them till they become translucent.

6. Then add the chopped tomatoes and cook till they become mushy.

7. Add chopped bottle gourd pieces (from 1), ¼ cup water, sambar powder and salt. Mix them well and cook till the bottle gourd becomes soft.

8. Now add the cooked cowpeas (from 2) with cooked water and cook for 2 mins.

9. Meanwhile, grind the coconut with little water into a find paste.

10. Finally add the coconut paste or extract the coconut milk and mix them well. Cook them for 2 more mins.

11. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

   Mouthwatering Curry / Kuzhambu is ready!

Note:

1. Use big onion instead of sambar onion.

2. Ensure that the cowpeas do not become mushy.

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