Tamil New Year 2009 Special Meal

I cannot believe that I have reached peek of 200 post in my blog since I started my blog in September 2oo8 and Tamil New Year Special Meal will my 200th post....time really running fast..cannot image that a another year have come.

The Tamil New Year, Varsha Pirappu or Puthandu, is observed on the first day of Tamil month Chithirai, the first month as per traditional Tamil Calendar. Chitirai 1 is an auspicious day for Tamil speaking people in India (Tamil Nadu) and across the world and happens to be my birthday too. A double happiness for me. I wasn’t able to perform any pojas on this day so I thought “Why don’t I prepare some South Indian Vegetarian Meal –like Rice Mela..” Here’s what I prepared for this Tamil New Year.

Puran Poli

Ingredients:

1 cup - all purpose flour

1 cup - bengal gram dal

1 cup - grated jaggery

1/2 cup - grated coconut

1/2 tsp - cardamom powder

pinch of turmeric powder

Preparation Method

Mix flour, turmeric and 1 tbsp of vegetable oil- mix well and add water as needed to make into a soft dough. Pressure cook the dhal and keep aside. Transfer the dhal to a saucepan along with jaggery, coconut and cardamom powder. Mix well until the jaggery melts and pulse into a smooth mixture. Keep aside.

Make a small ball out of the prepared dough and the dhal mixture. Roll out the dough and place the dhah mixture in the middle. Gather all the end to the centre and pinch together. Press and rolled into a ball and roll out as thinly as u can. Heat the tava on medium flame, spread some ghee and cook till golden brown.

Curd Rice

Ingredients:

1 cup curd

1/2 cup cooked rice

Salt to taste

1 green chilly seeds removed and finely minced

1/4 hot milk

For Seasoning:

1/4 tsp mustard seeds

2 dried chillie few

few curry leaves

a pinch of hing

Preparation Methods:

Combine the rice, curd,milk and salt-mix well. Teat the ghee in wok add the minced chillies,dried red chillie,mustard seeds,curry leaves and hing. Pour over the rice and mix well.

Chakarai Pongal

Ingredients

1/2 cup white rice

1/2 cup moong dhal

4 cups water

1/4 cup chopped cashew nuts

1/4 cup raisins

1 tablespoon cardamom powder

1 cup ghee

1 cup Jaggery

1 cup milk

Preparation Methods:

Pressure cooks the rice and dhal with water and mash it. Meanwhile, melt the jaggery with 1 cup of water in a pan.Add the cardamom to the jaggery as it melts,then add the rice dhal mixture-stiring well on low heat and pour the hot milk and ghee slowly until they mix well.Fry the cashew and raisins in 2tbsp of ghee and add to the pongal.Serve hot with an additional dollop of ghee

Ghee Rice

Ingredients

1 cups raw rice

1 medium sized onion, sliced finely

3tbsp ghee

1 cinnamon

1 clove

1/2tsp cumin seeds

1tsp chopped cashew nuts

3 green chillies, minced

1tybsp ginger garlic paste

Salt to taste

1/4 cup sweet peas

2 tsp chopped coriander leaves for garnish

Preparation Methods:

Heat the ghee in a pan and add the cinnamon, cloves, cashew nuts, cumin and cardamom.Fry for 10 seconds and add the ginger-garlic paste. Fry for another 10 seconds and then add the green chillies and onion. Fry till the onions turn light brown.Now add the rice and salt to taste.Let the rice fry for about 5-6 minutes and get coated with the ghee mixture and sweet peas. Now add 2 cups of water and pressure-cook.Serve hot garnished with chopped coriander leaves.

Onion Pakoda

Ingredients

1 cup besen flour

2tbsp rice flour

1 cup chopped onions

1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves

1tsp chillie powder

1tsp grama masala

salt to taste

Preparation Methods

In a vessel mix the onion, chillie powder, coriander and salt. Now add the besan, rice flour, hot oil and mix it well. Now take some water and combine the whole mixture. Its important not to add too much water.Deep fry the pakoda making sure not over crowding the pan.

Lemon rice

Ingredients
1 cup of cooked rice
6tbsp of lemon juice
1tbsp of channa daal
1tbsp of ural daal
2tbsp of roasted peanuts
1tbsp of crushed chillie flask
1 green chillie finely chopped
1tsp of mustard seeds
1tsp of cumin seeds
1/4tsp of hing powder
4 curry leaves
1tbsp of cashew nuts
1tbsp of chopped coriander leaves
Salt to taste

Preparation Methods:

Add salt and lemon juice to the cooked rice. Keep aside.Coat a frying pan with 4tbsp of olive oil, add the mustard seeds. Once the mustard starts to crack,add the remaining ingredient one by one except the coriander leaves. Fry the ingredient till aroma of the spices arise. Remove from flame and mix the ingredients with the rice. Adjust the salt level. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve with pickles.

Murungaikkai/Drumsticks Sambar

Ingredients:

2 medium tomatoes, quartered

3 garlic cloves,

3-4 green chillies slit

1 cup toor dal, washed

1-2 drumsticks, cut into 2-inch long pieces

1 tsp tamarind paste

Salt to taste

2 htsp sambar powder

4 cups water

For tempering:

2tsp mustard seeds

3-4 dried red chillies

1/4tsp hing powder

few curry leaves

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

Preparation Method:

Pressure-cook the toor dal, tomatoes, garlic and green chillies in 2 cups water.Mash the dal and tomatoes well. Dissolve the tamarind paste in 4 cups water, reserving 3 tbsp of the water. Add the drumstick pieces and bring to a boil.Then mix the sambar powder with the 3 tbsp water and add that to the boiling tamarind water. Reduce to a medium simmer and let the drumsticks cook till done.Now add the mashed dal-tomato .Add salt to taste and let the sambar boil for 5 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally. If it is too watery, let it cook down. If too thick, add a little more water. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a small pan, put in the tempering ingredients and cover till the mustard seeds stop popping and pour onto the sambar.

Deep fry some pappadam until crispy.