You say Khichdi, I say Pongal

The idea that there are some foods you can always go back to, a meal that while not necessarily being uber healthy, still nourishes mind, body and spirit, a food that is at once comforting and replenishing....was quite alien to me when I first came to the US. I mean, all foods are replenishing, aren't they? One is supposed to enjoy all that's offered on your plate. If not enjoy, then at least respect and consume. That's what we were taught growing up in our middle class tambram homes.

Yes, there were dishes that we looked forward to, dishes that wouldn't be on offer everyday. Dishes that Amma would make when she was running out of options owing to a sudden deficit in the pantry or a sudden pesky illness or uninvited guests. So then, what would Amma make? Thakaali Vengayam, Uruali kizhangu roast, or some good ol' Upma!

So, yes, one could argue that while not called as such, we did indeed have comfort foods.

Having grown up and older now, and having experimented with many a recipe that Google spat up, I realize that there are some dishes that I make that even I can call comforting.

Pongal is one of those comfort foods. Ask any respecting tambram, and she would vehemently agree. Why is it comforting you ask? How can it not be, with oodles of freshly made ghee, cashews, fresh whole pepper, finely roasted cumin seeds, fresh curry leaves, rice and lentils?

And when accompanied by the tamarind infused Gotsu...bliss!

The recipe below is adapted of course, and not quite the traditional Ven Pongal recipe. Some might even call it Khichdi. But I tried this many a time, and its mighty close to the Pongal me mom makes, so Pongal it is!


Pongal:

Half cup rice, fourth of a cup moong dal, fourth of a cup masoor dal. Total of one cup.

Wash and let to sit.

Meanwhile heat ghee/butter, season with jeera, ginger, whole or powdered pepper, turmeric, asafoetida.

Add 3.5 cups water and let boil. Add the rice, dal, saute for a bit.

Stir in salt, cover and allow to simmer for 10-12 mts.

Can also add sauteed cashewnuts to the mixture, either with the rice and dal or after the Pongal is cooked.

Gotsu:

Season mustard, asafoetida, channa dal, toor dal, turmeric, fenugreek seeds, then add 3 green chillies, one red chilly,some ginger, add one onion, saute, add 2 tomatoes (I added one fresh and 2-3 tbsps of canned tomato),saute, add tamarind water as is necessary, let it simmer and thicken.

Tamarind water: About 2 cups water, with one tea spoon tamarind paste.


Update:

Aug 27. The dal seems a little kadak.Flavorful though.

Oct 15. Made it with 2 cups- 1 cup rice and 1 cup of mixed daal. Also added maybe 6.5 cups of water. Turned out to be perfect Pongal consistency. Allowed to cook for probably 20 mts. Made it in the cooker.

Had also allowed the rice and daal to rest for atleast 3-4 hours.


Note: I looked high and low for this recipe's inspiration. Have not found the link yet.
The gotsu is adapted from Gemini Mahadevan's "Samaikalaame"

parupu urundai kuzhambu

So, the only cookbook my mom ever gave me was the "Samaikalaame" by Gemini Mahadevan.
I know for a fact that my grandma has a copy, and that my mom too has a copy. Am sure she gave me sister one. So, is this the ultimate tambram cookbook? How come nobody knows about this. How come there ain't no glowing references to this book on any blog.

May be Gemini was merely related to my family and tried in vain to peddle some copies to his relatives. Or, may be, I am in possession of a true gem in cook bookery. An original Julia Child or James Beard.

Anyways, as soon as I realized Blogger had a Tamil transliteration tool, I knew I had to play with it.

So, here's an homage to the cook book that's helped my grandmom and mom weather storms in the kitchen.

The following a recipe for a type of kuzhambu-parruppu urundai kuzhambu. Briefly, you make the kuzhambu/sambar the usual way, but add some semi-cooked lentil balls to it.
Not a very visually appealing dish, but tastes great. Well, let me qualify that. I would argue that it tastes great because I'm familiar with its specific flavor. Am not so sure if it would appeal to a spaghetti chomping sicilian or a kimchi crunching korean.



"பருப்பு உருண்டைக் குழம்பு:

150 மில்லி துவரம்பர்ருபை ஒரு மணி நேரம் உறப்போட்டு வடிகட்டி நான்கு மிளகாய் வற்றல், முக்கால் டீஸ்பூன் உப்புப்போட்டு கெட்டியாக அரைத்து உரூட்டி வைத்துக்கொளவும்.

புளி கரைத்துவிட்டு, உப்பு, மஞ்சள் பொடி, 2 டீஸ்பூன் சாம்பார் பொடி சேர்த்துக் கொதிக்க வைக்கவும். நன்றாகக் கொதித்துப் புரண்டு வந்ததும் ஒவ்வோர் உருண்டையாகப் போடவும். கோதி அடங்குமுன் எல்லா உருண்டைகளையும் போடவும். அடுப்பை நன்றாக எரியவிடவும். இடையில் கிளர வேண்டியதில்லை. சிறிது நேரம் கொதி வந்ததும் உருண்டைகள் வெந்து மிதப்பாக வரும்போது, கீழே இறக்கிக் கடுகு, கறிவேப்பிலை தாளித்து காயம் கரைத்து விடவும்.

கூறிப்பு: இந்த முறைப்படி செய்தால் உருண்டைகள் கரையா. பருப்பை அதிக நேரம் ஊரவைககூடாது. தவிர, உருண்டைகள் நெகிழ்ந்து இருக்காமல் கெட்டியாக அரைக்கவும். ஒரு டீஸ்பூன் அரிசிமாவை அரைத்த பருப்பில் கலந்து உருட்டிகொண்டால் கரையாது. இந்தக் குழம்பிற்கு மாவு விட வேண்டியதில்லை."


This is the recipe as it appears in the cookbook.

Wait, so Kosher salt is not as salty as table salt? salt (I mean s#!t)

I found this out the hard way when I was trying out this goan-style curry recipe.
So, every thing's going fine.The curry looks great, the aromas are just right. But wait, when did I miss the class on salts?
Apparently, it turns out that when one substitutes regular salt for kosher, one has to adjust the measures:approximately by half, that is 1 tsp regular for every 2 tsps kosher.
This was a rude awakening for a person that always thought kosher meant good, clean, pure, like pure salt,or clean salt, or good salt. Ok, I figured, so the Times had high standards for food ingredients.

Now, I know.

P.S.: The curry was great, despite the overabundance of salt.

Red Lentil Soup

* About a cup of red lentils or masoor.
* 1 tsp ground jeera (cumin), pinch each of dhania (coriander) powder, pepper flakes,regular pepper, sea-salt, turmeric.
* 2-3 cloves chopped garlic, 1 tsp chopped ginger.
* 3/4-1 cup chopped onion.
* 3-4 baby carrots, chopped.
* 4 cups water.
* 2.5 tbsps olive oil.
* 1 tbsp tomato sauce/paste.
* 1cup coconut milk.


Heat oil, saute garlic, onions, ginger. Add carrots. Then add the tomato sauce. Later add all the spices, including salt.

Saute, then add 3 cups water and let boil. Add the washed lentils. Bring water to boil then cook on low-medium heat.

Cooks in about 20 minutes or even less. I added about a cup of water again, as the consistency was too thick. Then I pureed all of it. Tasted great, but could have cut back a bit on the heat. May be fewer ginger pieces or pepper flakes.

Then heat again, adding coconut milk. Bring to rolling boil, simmer and turn it off in a couple minutes.

turns out a tad coconutty. Don't know if its because the milk was added when hot. But not overpowering. Transferred to bowl, garnished with cilantro and few drops of lemon juice.

Tastes really good!

Ought to be healthy too. Hopefully the lentils are good enough to compensate for the coconut milk and olive oil. Ala the Amateur Gourmet's food negation theory.

Note: Pardon the tenses. Result of experimenting with live spoon by spoon blogging.
Also, recipe adapted from here and here.