Vethal Kozhambu

Vethal Kozhambu, or simply called Vethakkozhambu is one of my favourite gravy. It is a spicy, sour, tangy gravy with a slight tinge of bitterness. It is best eaten with rice, but what I love to do is to store it over-night in the refrigerator and use it as a side dish with curd rice. It tastes absolutely delicious. So before I make you drool (myself included), here is the recipe

Ingredients

Tamarind - golf ball sized
2 tablespoon gingely oil.
1 spoon urad dal
1 spoon toor dal
3-4 medium sized brinjal or a few tindli
2 spoons vethal kozhambu powder
Salt to taste

Soak the tamarind in a bowl of water. It is good to heat the water slightly as it will soften the tamarind faster.
In a pan, add the gingely oil and fry the vegetable until it is almost turning black. Remove the vegetables and set it aside.
Fry the urad and toor dal in the remaining oil until brown. Add the tamarind water and let it boil till the smell of tamarind fades away completely.
Add the vegetable now.
Add two spoons of the vethal kozhambu powder and stir well to avoid lumps.
Reduce the flame to sim and let it blend and cook well.

Tip: If you do not have the vegetable, you can also add plain papad after it is fried. Fry the papad normally and break it into small pieces. Add the pieces finally after the vethal kozhambu powder is added.

Making Sambar - Tam Bram style!

Being a Tam Bram (a fancy way of calling Tamil Brahmins) I am expected to know how to make sambar. People assume it is passed on through genes, like how a German can drink beer or Irish can make potatoes.. and well perhaps it is! So here is the much in demand sambar recipe for all my friends out there.

Ingredients

1 cup Toor dal
1 large tomato, cut into medium size
2 capsicum, cut medium size
Lemon sized ball of tamarind
1 spoon mustard seeds
1 spoon jeera
2 spoons sambhar powder
1 spoon cooking oil
a pinch of turmeric
a pinch of asafoetida
Salt to taste

Wash the dal, add a pinch of turmeric and boil it with water. You can use a cooker to boil it fast. The dal should be cooked in a way that you can mash it.
In a small bowl, soak the tamarind. Best to heat up the water a little to soften the tamarind.
In a pan, add the oil and once it is heated, add the mustard seeds and jeera. Add the tomatoes and capsicum. You can replace capsicum with any vegetable.
Squash the tamarind until it completely mixes with the water and add the tamarind water. Let it cook well until the smell of raw tamarind fades completely.
Add salt.
Add two spoons of sambhar powder and strir well to remove any lumps.
Drain the dal water into the pan and cook well.
Mash the dal completely and add.
Reduce flame to medium and let the sambhar cook well.
Finally, add just a pinch of asafoetida.

Sambhar ready!

Indianized Tomato Bruschetta

Ingredients

3 Full tomatoes, finely chopped

1 Medium sized onion, finely chopped

1 large green chilli, chopped

1 spring onion

4 cloves minced garlic

2 tablespoons butter or 1/4 cup olive oil

1 French baguette

1 cup mozarella cheese

Salt to taste

1. Melt the butter or add olive oil in a frying pan. 

2. Add the garlic and onions and fry till golden brown. 

3. Add the chopped green chilli and later the tomatoes. 

4. Once partially cooked, you can empty the finely chopped spring onions and mix well. 

5. Add salt to taste. To give it the 'Indian' colour, you can sprinkle some turmeric powder. 

6. Let the mixture simmer to spread the flavour of the tomatoes. 

7. Meanwhile, cut the baguette horizontally, about 3-4 inches wide. 

8. Spread some butter (optional) and toast. 

9. Once the tomato mixture is cooked, divide it equally over the baguette slices. 

10. If you have an oven or microwave, you can add the cheese and broil it till it melts. In the absence of those, just melt the cheese using a ladle only till it is semi-solid and pour it over the tomato mixture. Let it cool down.

Strawberry Dessert

Ingredients

• 1 (10 inch) angel food cake
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 1 quart fresh strawberries, sliced
• 1 (18 ounce) jar strawberry glaze

Directions

1. Crumble the cake into a 9x13 inch dish.
2. Beat the cream cheese and sugar in a medium bowl until light and fluffy. Fold in whipped topping. Mash the cake down with your hands and spread the cream cheese mixture over the cake.
3. In a bowl, combine strawberries and glaze until strawberries are evenly coated. Spread over cream cheese layer. Chill until serving.