Murungaikai Molakootal Recipe (Drumstick Molakootal Recipe)

     Here is yet another traditional molakootal recipe from "God's own country" - Kerala. This time the key ingredient is drumstick - the iron rich vegetable. This dish is quicker and simpler than the other molakootals, with the absence of mashed toor dal in it.
     This is one other vegetable that is not so frequently available in the food markets in USA. Hence it is cooked with so much reverence on the same day or next day of purchase, without letting it decay in the fridge - mainly due to its price and its once-in-a-blue-moon appearance at the supermarkets :P

Ingredients:
1. Drumstick - 2
2. Turmeric powder - 2 tsp
3. Grated coconut - 3 tbsp
4. Red chillies - 2
5. Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp
6. Hing - 2 tsp
7. Salt - as required
8. Coconut oil - 1 tbsp
9. Curry leaves - a sprig
10. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Prep Time: 5 mins || Cook Time: 35 mins || Serves: 4 || Category: Rice Accompaniment  Molakootal

Method:
1. Wash and cut the drumstick to about 1 inch long pieces. Add a cup of water and mix turmeric powder in it. Transfer the drumstick pieces into turmeric water and boil it until the drumstick pieces are well cooked.

2. Meanwhile in a mixie jar, take grated coconut, cumin seeds, dry red chillies, hing and salt. Add little water and grind the contents to a smooth paste.

 3. To the cooked drumstick, add the ground paste and mix well.

 4. Let the ground paste and drumstick get cooked together for 3-5 mins. Lastly temper with mustard seeds and curry leaves in coconut oil and switch off the flame.

Suggestions:

• Drumstick can also be cooked in pressure cooker for 1 or 2 whistles instead of parboiling in an open pan.
• Using coconut oil for tempering gives an authentic taste to the recipe.

Hotel Sambar recipe

    

 Just the uttering of the word "Hotel Sambar" fills my senses with that magical aroma which accompanies the sambar. I have often longed for replicating a hotel sambar at home. One of my relatives always says, the aroma comes due to the simple trick of frying sambar powder in oil & adding it to the concoction, as against the normal homely cooking by adding the raw sambar powder in the boiling tamarind extract and dal mixture. I got reminded of these, when I was watching Samayal Samayal show, where the chef was demonstrating hotel sambar. As a result of the temptation, I jumped in to try this sambar for lunch, with the pre-plan of having the idlies dipped in it for the evening tiffin. :P

Prep Time: 10 mins || Cook Time: 40 mins || Serves: 4 || Category: Sambar / Rice Accompaniment

Ingredients:
1. Toor dal - 100 gm
2. Moong dal - 25 gm
3. Tomato - 2 (small)
4. Shallots - 10
5. Curry leaves - 1 sprig
6. Green chilly - 1
7. Tamarind extract - 100 ml
8. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
9. Kashmiri chilly powder - 2 tsp
10. Salt - as required
11. Sambar powder - 3 tbsp
12. Oil - 3 tbsp
13. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
14. Hing - 2 tsp
15. Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp finely chopped

Method:
1. Wash toor dal and moong dal together. Add required quantity of water and pressure cook for about 6 whistles.

2. Chop the tomatoes, slit the green chilly & peel the outer skin of shallots. 

3. After 6 whistles, rest the cooked dal for about 20 mins and then mash it well. To the mashed dal, add tomatoes, shallots, curry leaves, green chilly and mix well. Cook for about 5 mins.

4. Add turmeric powder and kashmiri chilly powder.Cook for 5-7 mins allowing the sambar to boil. 

5. Parallely in a kadai, heat oil & splutter mustard seeds in that. Add sambar powder and stir well for a few seconds. Then add hing to the oil and mix well. Switch off the flame and transfer the contents to the sambar. Stir well, bring it to a boil and switch off the flame. Add the chopped coriander leaves and keep it covered.

Suggestions:

• Adding kashmiri chilly powder is optional. It is added for the purpose of giving a bright color to the sambar. 
• The combination of vegetables can be altered as desired. Brinjal, shallots, drumstick and tomato combo gives a perfect taste.
• Adding moong dal gives thickness to the sambar. 

Tastes great with Rice, Idli, Dosa etc.

Morkootan (Morkuzhambu)

     Called as Morkootan in Kerala & Morkuzhambu in Tamil Nadu, this is such a delicious dish that can be made easily and consumed without guilt, if you are not too health conscious in using coconut once in a while.     
    As this dish stands good easily for 2-3 days, I usually get this gravy a standard place in my backpack on Monday mornings whenever I start to Chennai. This packed morkootan comes in handy for about 2 days whenever I need a home-cooked meal without much effort or a side dish for dosa or idly.
     I had been so much hesitant to try this out thinking that it is a very complex dish :P Every time when i tell my mom, she says this is so very simple. Which I realized after trying out though :P This is a very yummy dish for a rice accompaniment, deviating from the usual sambar or rasam based with tamarind water & cooked dal. It involves neither. The main ingredient is sour thick curd. More the sourness, more the taste. As it is difficult to make the curd sour here, I usually keep the curd out of refrigerator overnight and adjust with its just-turning-sour taste. I will get a proper tasting morkootan only when I goto India :) 

Prep Time: 5 mins || Cook Time: 30 mins || Serves: 3 || Category: Kootan/Rice Accompaniment

Ingredients:
1. Potato - 1 Big
2. Turmeric Powder - 3tsp
3. Grated coconut - 3-4 tbsp
4. Green Chillies - 2 medium
5. Sour Curd - 150-200 gm
6. Curry Leaves - a sprig
7. Salt - as required
8. Fenugreek seeds (Vendhayam) - 1tsp
9. Dry red chillies (round) - 2 or 3
10. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
11. Coconut oil - 1tbsp

Method:
1. Peel the skin from potato and cut it into bite sized cubes. Transfer them to boiling water. Add turmeric powder & cook them for about 5-7 minutes or untill they are cooked. Grind coconut and green chillies with little water, to a paste. Add the paste onto the potatoes and mix well.

2. Cook the coconut paste for 3-5 mins for its raw smell to subside and the potatoes to finely blend with the gravy. Beat the sour curd to a flowing consistency and add to the dish. Add required amount of salt and stir well. Cook for about 2-3 mins in medium flame, until it gets slightly frothy and switch off the flame. Temper with mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, red chillies & asafoetida powder in coconut oil.

Suggestions:

• Other vegetables like raw banana or yam can be used in the place of potato.
• Also some use lady's finger sauteed in oil, which I do not prefer as it makes the morkootan little gluey and liquidy.
• Coconut oil gives an authentic Kerala touch to the dish for tempering. 
• Any oil other than coconut oil can also be used for the tempering.
• Attention is needed at the stage from adding sour curd. If it is cooked on high flame or for long time in medium flame or brought to a boil, the gravy tends to become curdled and it looses its consistency. It is always better to watchful and cook in medium or low flame after adding buttermilk. 

Tastes more delicious from the next day. It can be refrigerated and had for about 2-3 days.

Also acts as a perfect side-dish for dosa, idly etc.

Araichu Vitta Sambar

     This is one of the richest and the most aromatic sambars that is made often at home. Soon after the mixie jar is opened after grinding the paste for this sambar, its fine aroma gives a feel that the sambar is already made :P We make this at home whenever guests come or for festivals in addition to making it in the normal days. The combo of this sambar vs Idly or dosa, topped with a drizzle of gingelly oil tastes so heavenly.. :) 
     Though the procedure looks so tedius, its just because of the many pics at different stages. The effort is worth the end product... So trust me and give it a try !!!

Prep Time: 10 mins || Cook Time: 35 mins || Serves: 4 ||  Category: Sambar/Rice Accompaniment

Ingredients:
1. Carrot - 1 Medium
2. Tomato - 1 Medium
3. Corriander seeds - 3 tsp
4. Dry red chillies - 2
5. Kadalai Paruppu (Bengal Gram) - 2tsp
6. Tamarind water - 200ml
7. Turmeric Powder - 1tsp
8. Hing (Asafoetida) - 2tsp
9. Grated coconut - 2-3 tbsp
10. Salt - as required
11. Toor Dal - 100gm cooked
12. Oil - 1tbsp
13. Mustard seeds - 2tsp
14. Corriander leaves - 1tbsp finely chopped

Method:
1. In about a tsp of oil, add corriander seeds and fry them till they are light brown. Similarly fry the red chillies and bengal gram. Cool them down for a while. Add turmeric powder to the tamarind water and bring to a boil.

2. Add sliced carrots to the boiling tamarind water and cook for about 5-7 mins or until they are three-fourth cooked. Then add the chopped tomatoes and cook for about 5 mins or until they turn mushy.

3. Grind the roasted and cooled corriander seeds, bengal gram, red chillies with coconut gratings and little water to a coarse paste. Add hing & required amount of salt to the boiling tamarind water.

4. Mash the cooked toor dal. Add the ground coconut paste to boiling tamarind water and mix well. Cook for about 2-3 mins.

5. Now add the mashed toor dal and mix well. cook for about 2-3 mins or until the sambar turns frothy at the top. Add chopped corriander leaves and switch off the flame. Temper with mustard seeds. 

Suggestions:

• Number of red chillies can be altered according to one's spice level.
• Aside carrot, other sturdy vegetables can also be substituted - potato, drumstick etc.
• Adding tomato is optional.

Enjoy the sambar piping hot with rice & potato fry or with any tiffin item like idly or dosa with a drizzle of gingelly oil :) 

Vaazhaithandu Molakootal (Banana Stem Molakootal)

     This is yet another traditional dish from Kerala, one of the many variations that can be tried in Molakootal, by altering the vegetables. The key ingredient in this dish is Banana Stem (Vaazhaithandu). This makes a different meal from the routine chain of sambar, rasam and is very filling too. The inviting part of making molakootals is that there is no need to make a specific side-dish for this, as any pickle or thogayal will go well along with this :P
Obviously this combo makes cooking simplified for the day !!! 

Prep Time: 15 mins || Cook Time:  30 mins || Serves: 4 ||  Category: Rice Accompaniment

Ingredients:
1. Banana Stem - 1 medium sized
2. Grated coconut - 3tbsp
3. Cumin Seeds (jeera) - 3tsp
4. Dry red chillies - 2
5. Urad Dal - 1tsp
6. Salt - as required
7. Turmeric Powder
8. Toor Dal - 75 gms (cooked and mashed)
9. Asafoetida - 1tsp
10. Oil - 1tbsp
11. Mustard seeds - 2tsp
12. Curry Leaves - a sprig
13. Buttermilk - 1 cup (diluted)

Method:
1. Cut the banana stem into thin slices, make them into strips and finely chop them. Keep the chopped banana stem immersed in diluted buttermilk, until all the slices are done with chopping. Wash the chops and pressure cook in a pan for about 3 - 4 whistles, adding turmeric powder.

2. Grind coconut, jeera, urad dal & red chillies into a paste. Open the pressure pan once the steam resides and add the ground paste and mix well.

3. Let the ground paste and cooked banana stem boil for about 5 mins. Then add the mashed toor dal, hing, salt and mix well. Let it boil for 3-5 mins until everything blends to form a thick mass.

4. Switch off the flame and temper with mustard seeds and curry leaves.

Suggestions:

• Soaking the banana stem in buttermilk, helps to avoid browning.
• Urad dal has been added while grinding, in order to give a thick consistency & better binding. Adding urad dal is optional.
• Can have this as a side-dish for rasam too.

    A wholesome meal is ready. Serve with any tangy thogayal or pickle :) 

Keerai Molakootal

     Molakootal is an authentic healthy recipe from Kerala. There can be many variants tried with the base idea of this recipe. This extremely easy to make gravy finds its way into our kitchen atleast once in every week.  Any tangy thogayal or pickle serves as a best accompaniment for this dish. 
     Whenever this dish is made, we also make a rasam for the next course :P (after having this molakootal with rice). As molakootal is a bit thicker in consistency, our taste buds long for an immediate course with something little spicy & in more of a liquid form. For rasam, we have molakootal as the side-dish. With this two course meal itself, one would feel tummy full.. 

Prep Time: 10 mins || Cook Time: 35 mins || Serves: 4 ||  Category: Sambar/Gravy   

Ingredients:
1. Spinach - 250 gms
2. Turmeric Powder - 2 tsp
3. Cumin Seeds - 3tsp
4. Dry red chillies - 3 or 4
5. Grated coconut - 3 tbsp 
6. Boiled toor dal - 1 cup
7. Salt - as required
8. Oil - 1 tbsp
9. Mustard seeds - 2tsp
10. Asafoetida - a pinch

Method:
1. Wash and dry the spinach leaves & chop them finely. In a pan, heat about 2 cups of water and add turmeric powder to it.

2. When the water boils, add the chopped spinach.

3. Grind red chillies, cumin seeds & grated coconut with little water, to a paste.

4. Mash the boiled toor dal. cook spinach for about 5 mins until it reduces in volume.

5. At this point, add the ground paste, mix well and cook in medium flame for about 3-4 mins.

6. Lastly add the mashed toor dal, hing & salt and mix well. Switch off the flame after 2 mins. Temper with mustard.

Suggestions:

• Number of red chillies can be adjusted as required.
• Tastes too good with arikeerai/mulaikeerai or any suitable green in the place of spinach. (I tried with spinach as other variety of greens are not available here).
• This can also be done with either Banana Stem (Vaazhaithandu) or with a mix of country vegetables (yam, broad bean - avaraikkai, raw banana, brinjal, chayote-chow chow) or english vegetables (carrot/beans/potato).
• 2 tsp of urad dal can be included when grinding coconut, cumin seeds, red chillies. This would give a thicker consistency and better binding to the gravy.

This mild lentil + green gravy will go well with rice/rotis.
Serve keerai molakootal for rice with any tangy thogayal or with any spicy pickle.