Vepampoo aka Neem Flower Rasam

Rasam is an integral dish in a south indian lunch thali. Its a lighter version as compared to 'sambhar' and can be had with rice or drunk as a soup. A skill of a good cook is to constantly innovate. Our earlier generations initiated this practice and per me were experts in this art.

Of the many varieties known, this is 'Vepampoo alias Neem Flower' Rasam. As is common knowledge, neem is known for its medicinal value.There are two main dishes prepared using Neem Flowers : Mango Pachadi with neem flowers and Neem Rasam.

Dish: Neem Rasam : Preparation Time : 10 - 15 mts

Ingredients:

• Neem Flower : 1-2 Tbspn
• Tamarind        :  small - medium lemon sized
• Red Chillie      : 2-3
• Pepper Seeds : 1-2 tspn (as spicy as u need)
• Cumin Seeds  : 1 tspn
• Tomato          : 1 (small)
• Toor dal (Thuvaram) : 1 tbspn
• Ginger            : 1 small piece (mashed)
• Garlic             : 2-4 pods (mashed)
• Salt                : To taste
• Curry Leaves : Few to season
• Corriander Leaves: Few cut nicely to season
• Mustard seeds : 1/2 tspn
• Aseofotida     : 1 pinch
• Ghee              : 1-2 tspn

Method:

1. Make a powder of cumin, pepper, toor dal, red chillie (or u can add it as is). 
2. Mash Garlic & Ginger (these two are optional)
3. Extract tamarind juice and take it in a cooking vessel. Dilute it by adding 1-2 glass of water. To this mix, add the small tomato and mash it (break it using your hands or add diced pieces).
4. To the same mix, add the powder (Step 1) and ginger/garlic (Step 2)
5. Add a few curry leaves, aseofotida, and salt.
6. Allow the mix to come to a boil (the tomato should be cooked)
7. Add a bit more water and when it foams remove it from fire.
8. In a tava, add Ghee. To this add the neem flower and fry till it turns golden brown or black (the aroma is great). Take it aside. 
9. In the remaining ghee, add some mustard seeds and raw red chillie (if you didn't grind it). As it splutters, remove it from fire and along with the fired neem flower add it to the rasam.
10. Top it with coriander leaves and curry leaves.

Tips:

• Always remember to close the lid when the rasam is removed from fire to retain the aroma.
• Roasting Neem Flower in ghee gives the authentic taste (1 spoon of ghee daily is good for your health, so don't worry).
• You can avoid ginger, garlic, and tomato and follow the rest of the procedure as well. 
• This rasam is typically slightly more tangy than the rest. So you can choose the tamarind level and tomato based on your taste.
• Its a healthy rasam and can be stored easily for 1-2 days.
• If you have a neem tree you can collect the flowers, clean it & dry it. Else, should be available in provision stores.

Grandma's Gadgets

A state-of-the-art kitchen is every woman's dream these days. My wish list is a little different. It does include some of the essential gadgets (?! :) but I do equally love the older manual equipments (if I may say so).

So, I chose to add one such to my kitchen : A type of a grinding stone referred to as "Ammi kal". This is the older 'mixie' - used to make dry powders, chutneys etc.

I also have this smaller version of "Kaloral" another type of grinding stone that is the older "Grinder" - used to grind doughs etc.

These also come in varied sizes. Use of these stones not only assures you an authentic taste, retains the flavor of the spices, but also is an exercise to your hands. Do try using one when & if you can - you will agree with me readily :)

Here is the very first use of the 'ammi kal' by me. I couldn't resist and ended up grinding a spicy & tasty onion/tomato chutney with red chillie (a suitable side dish for idly / dosa).

Onion & Tomato Chutney:

Ingredients: 

• Small onions       - 10 (if very small else little less)
• Tomato              - 1 medium ripe (if not very ripe, you can also add a bit of tamarind)
• Red Chillie         - 4-5 (based on spice you need)
• Gingelly Oil (nallenai / til oil) - 2 tspn
• Asafoetida         - 1 pinch
• Curry Leaves     - 4-5

Method:

• In a pan, add Gingely oil. When warm, first add onion and fry till it turns pinkish. Remove it to a bowl 
• To the same oil, add tomato pieces and allow it to cook a bit. Remove it to the bowl (Fry both onion & tomato till the raw flavor is lost)
• Then add the red chillie and fry it till it turns deep red. Remove it to the bowl
• Allow the fried items to cool for a few seconds
• Place these on the grinding stone, and slowly grind it to a smooth mix
• Add salt and asafoetida to the ground mix
• You can add the curry leaves at the end (Alternatively, you can fry a few leaves lightly and grind it along with the mix)

Next to my antique collection is a 'Man Panai' - A Mud Pot - old age refrigerator for cold water! This is a healthy replacement as it adds to the taste of water and can be had at any time of the year because it doesn't trigger 'Common cold'. Try it! Its easily available in any pottery shop that you might even find on pavements in places like Chennai or if you visit any village.

Poha with Green Chutney : Bfast in a jiffy!

After a good rest for at least 8 hours time, your stomach definitely looks forward for the prime food of the day 'Breakfast'. Rightly so, it is considered as a mandatory diet for an individual and not advisable to be skipped.

Variety is the order of any food to satisfy the taste budz of an individual. So was the case last Sunday when we were wondering what to cook and in a jiffy! We found our savior in 'Rice Flakes', which helped us churn out some yummy "Poha" or "Rice Flakes Upma" with green chutney.

Poha / Rice Flakes Upma / Avil Upma: (Preparation time: 10 mts)

Ingredients:

• Rice Flakes                      - 1 Cup
• Big Onion                        - 1 Big or 2 Small (Chopped)
• Green Chillies                  - 3-4 (depending on how spicy you need it)
• Ginger                             - 1 small piece
• Ground Nuts                   - 1-2 Tbspn (can replace green peas with ground nuts)
• Salt                                 - To taste
• Curry leaves / Coriander leaves  - For garnishing
• Cooking oil                      - 3-4 Tbspn (doesn't need much oil)
• Mustard Seeds                 - 1 tspn

Method:

1. Chop onions, ginger, and green chillie to small pieces
2. Wash the rice flakes and drain the water completely. Leave it aside while you prepare the garnishing.
3. In a pan, add oil. After it warms, add mustard seeds and allow it to splutter.
4. To this, add the Ground Nuts. Allow it to fry for a few mts till they turn a bit reddish.
5. Add the chopped ginger, chillie, and onions.
6. Fry them till onion is cooked and turns pinkish. Add salt.
7. Add the drained rice flakes by mixing it properly. Allow it on fire for 5 mts by when the rice flakes will appear cooked.
8. Remove from fire and garnish it with chopped curry leaves and coriander leaves. [missing in the pic :)]

      Tips:

• Preferably use the Broader and Red Rice Flakes and not the white ones.
• Don't add or even sprinkle water else it will become soggy
• You can replace ground nuts with Green Peas (the frozen variety or the fresh ones; not the dried ones)

Green Chutney: (Preparation time : 5 mts)

A tasty and tangy preparation that you can use with any starters, such as Potato Fry etc, or tiffin items. You can customize it to prepare it as spicy & tangy as you prefer.

Ingredients:

• Mint Leaves (Pudhina Leaves)              - 1 small bunch
• Coriander Leaves (Dhaniya leaves)       -  Same or half the Qty as Mint Leaves
• Green Chillies                                       - 5-6 (depending on the spice you need)
• Ginger                                                  - 1 small piece
• Mango Dry powder (Amchur)              - 1 tbspn 
• Curd (Dahi)                                          - 1-2 tbspn
• Salt                                                       - To taste

Method:

1. Clean and wash the green leaves. 
2. In a mixer, add the leaves, green chillies, ginger, mango powder, curd, and salt. Grind it till a smooth mix. 

Tips:

1. If no mango powder & curd, you can use a small size of tamarind
2. You can add curry leaves as well

Drumstick Leaves Gravy / Sambhar

There are days when I have so much to share and days when I just let the happening be with no announcements :) Good thing is I ensure my 'life is happening' at all times :)

After a long time, I managed to get some 'Drumstick Leaves' fresh from the garden. The tree goes by the botanical name of 'Moringa Oleifera'. Many parts of this tree are edible. The leaves are the most nutritious and richest in 'Iron' amongst all spinach. You can easily cook varieties of dishes using these leaves. I am sharing the gravy that I prepared today.

Drumstick Leaves Gravy / Sambhar:

Ingredients:

1. Drumstick Leaves                  - a bunch
2. Green Chillie                          - 1 or 2
3. Ginger                                   - Small piece
4. Small Onions                         - 10 (you can also use the regular onions)
5. Tomato                                  - 2
6. Tamarind                               - Small lemon size (Optional; Use if the Tomato is not ripe)
7. Coriander Powder (Dhaniya) - 2 tbspn
8. Chillie Powder (Mirchi)         - 1-1.5 tbspn preferably should be less spicy)
9. Turmeric Powder (Haldi)        - 1 tspn
10. Mung beans (yellow, skinned and split) - 1-2 Serving spoons (as you like the % of dhal in your dish)
11. Asafoetida (Hing)                   - a pinch
12. Salt                                        - to taste
13. Refined Oil                             - 2 tspn
14. Mustard Seeds                       - 1 tspn
15. Jeera                                      - 1 tspn

 Method:

1. Boil the dhal separately with turmeric powder
2. In a kadai, add oil. To the warm oil, add mustard seeds. As it splutters, add jeera. Allow it to splutter. 
3. Add diced ginger, slit chillie, and onion. Allow the onions to turn pinkish.
4. Add tomato and allow it to cook.
5. To this mix, add Coriander, chillie powder (alternatively, you can replace it with equivalent Sambhar powder) and salt.
6. Add the leaves & the boiled dhal (alternatively, you can use Thuvar dhal)
7. Add water based on the consistency you need
8. Close and allow it to cook - should take 10 mts max

Final output:

Its an easy to make & a delicious dish soft on your stomach.

அரிசி உப்புமா / Rice Upma

** Moved from my earlier blog **

Upma is a staple food of South Indians and finds it place in a breakfast platter without fail. But as is the human needs, variety is a must in every thing. So is the case for Upmaas too - you can make Upma using Rava(Sooji), Godumai Rava (Broken wheat / Dhaliya), Samea, Avil (Rice flakes - the famous poha), and ofcourse Arisi (Rice).

Off these, Rice upma is rarely prepared at least these days. But I remember this as one of the tastiest of the upmaas prepared by my Athai (Bhuaji - a great cook). Then they used to make it so often... It's a tummy filler and can be made interesting with suitable side dishes.

The measurements & ingredients below are my own - as you know 'customization' is the key to interesting cooking :)

Cooking vessel: Earlier they used Brass Vessel (Uruli or vengala panai). If you have one then do use it for this preparation because it adds a different taste; Else, you can cook it using the non-stick kadai or pressure cooker or pressure pan.

Ingredients (The following measurement can easily serve 2 people)

1. Raw Rice (Pacharisi preferred / Boiled Rice) - 1 Cup
2. Thoor Dhal (Arhar dhal)                                - 2-3 Tbspn
3. Cumin Seeds (Jeera)                                     - 1 Tspn (as you like the taste)
4. Pepper (Milagu)                                            - 1 Tspn (as spicy you want, I add a bit more)
5. Red Chillie                                                    - 4-5 (as spicy you want ; balance bet this & Pepper)
6. Curry Leaves                                                -  Few (Adds a great flavor)
7. Refined Oil                                                    - 2-3 tspn (for tadka & to ensure rice doesn't stick)
8. Asafoetida (Hing / perungayam)                     - 1/2 tspn
9. Mustard Seeds (kadugu)                               - 1/2 tspn
10. Bengal Gram                                                 - 1/2 tspn (for tadka)
11. Salt                                                               - Per taste
12. Water                                              - 2 Cups (as its grounded, a little lesser than you use for full rice)

Preparation Method:

1. Wash the rice and drain it by spreading it on a newspaper or pure & thin white cloth. This will absorb all water and dry the rice quickly.
2. Grind coarsely the dried rice along with Thoor Dhal, Cumin Seeds, Pepper (you can add red chillie here or during tadka). Ensure you don't powder it finely else it will be similar to Sooji-upma.
3. Place the Cooking vessel on fire and add the cooking oil.
4. Once the oil is warm, add Mustard seeds. After it splutters, add Bengal gram, and Red Chillie. Fry till they turn golden brown and then add curry leaves.
5. To this mixture add water and allow it to boil
6. As the water boils, add the grounded mix slowly with constant stirring. 
7. Once you smoothly stir the entire mixture in the water, add salt & asafoetida.
8. After a few minutes, close the container with a lid (if pressure cooker just give one whistle; Alternatively, you can just cook it in steam)
9. Cook it in simmer flame - you can check it once in a while by stirring. (in the brass vessel, we allow it to cook till it forms that 'kaandal' - the deep roasted coating in dark red /brown - if you like it)
10. Cooking time should be around 10 mts.
11. Remove from fire. 
12. Garnish with a few more curry leaves for fresh fragrance. Some might add grated coconut as well.

My first attempt at making Arisi Upma

Tips: You can store the coarsely powdered rice for future use as well. Probably, you can make some & store it for 15 days or a month.


Side Dish:

You can serve this with Coconut chutney, Brinjal gothsu, Sambhar, or any other spicy chutneys. I made a onion/tomato chutney kerala style:

Ingredients:

1. Small onions - 10 - 12 numbers if really small (or 5-6 would suffice)
2. Tomatoes - 2-4 (big - small)
3. Garlic - 4-5 cloves
4. Curry Leaves - a few
5. Red Chillie - 4-5 (depending on how spicy the chillie is)
6. Asafoetida
7. Tamarind (Imli) - just a pinch
8. Salt - to taste
9. Oil - 1 tspn

Method:

1. In a pan, add the oil, and fry garlic, onions for a few mts followed by tomatoe - till the raw smell is lost
2. Grind the fried mix with the remaining ingredients - coarsely or smoothly as you like it.
3. Garnish with curry leaves if you like it. 

Onion/Tomato Spicy chutney