VENDAKKAI PULI KUZHAMBU

 VENDAKKAI PULI KUZHAMBU 

Today's dish is from Tamilnadu and gets its name from the principal ingredients: Lady's Fingers/Okra or Vendakkai in Tamil, and Tamarind or Puli in Tamil. 

Lady's fingers has to be one of the most common vegetables in India. Called Bhindi in Hindi, Bhenda in my mother tongue, Konkani and Bendekai in Kannada, this vegetable has numerous health benefits. It is strong in Vitamins and has good quantity of proteins as well. 

Elsewhere in this blog, you will find recipes for dishes made with lady's fingers/okra such as:- 

• Lahsuni Bhindi
• Bendekayi Gojju 
• Bhenda Puddi Sagle
• Bharwan Bhindi

Today's recipe is for a side dish called Vendakkai Puli Kuzhambu and has been adapted from Kannamma Cooks. 

We enjoyed this for lunch served with hot steamed rice. 

Ingredients:-

• Vendakkai, (Lady's Fingers/ Okra), 250 grams
• Puli ( Tamarind), lemon sized
• Mustard Seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Urad Dal, 1/2 tsp
• Fenugreek Seeds, 1/4 tsp
• Byadgi Dried Red Chillies, 2
• Curry Leaves, 1 sprig
• Turmeric Powder , 1/2 tsp
• Chilli Powder, 1 tsp
• Coriander Powder, 1 and 1/2 tsp
• Sambar Powder, 1 tsp
• Jaggery, 1 tsp
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, 3 tbsp (1+1+1) 

For the Masala:-

• Cumin Seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Curry Leaves, a sprig
• Garlic Cloves, 4-5 
• Onions, 2
• Tomatoes, 2
• Coconut Gratings, 4 tbsp
• Oil, 1 tbsp

Method:-

Wash the lady's fingers and pat them dry, snip off the two ends and cut them into 1" pieces 

Wash and chop the tomatoes and onions, and peel the garlic

Soak the tamarind in 2 cups of warm water for about 10-15 minutes and extract the juice. 

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a thick bottomed kadhai and sauté the cut lady's fingers, adding a little salt, for about 6-8 minutes. Keep aside

In the same kadhai, add 1 tbsp of oil and on medium heat add the cumin seeds, curry leaves and garlic cloves. Saute for a few seconds, then add the chopped onions and fry till they become soft

Now add the chopped tomatoes and the coconut gratings and sauté for a few minutes

Remove from the flame and allow this to cool 

Transfer to a small mixer jar and grind to a smooth paste adding water as required

Remove and keep aside

Heat 1 tbsp oil in the kadhai and on medium heat add the mustard seeds and when they splutter add the urad dal and fenugreek seeds and sauté till it changes colour

To this add the dried red chillies and curry leaves and sauté for a few seconds

Now add the freshly ground masala and the tamarind juice and mix well

Add the coriander powder, turmeric powder, chilli powder, sambar powder, salt and jaggery along with one cup of water and bring to a boil

Lower the flame, cover the dish and let it simmer for 15 minutes

Now add the sauteed lady's fingers, mix well and let it cook for another 5 minutes till the oil appears on the surface

Switch off the flame and transfer to serving bowl

Serve Vendakkai Puli Kuzhambu with hot streamed rice 

GREEN CHUTNEY & SWEET CHUTNEY

GREEN CHUTNEY & SWEET CHUTNEY

Many of our Indian snacks commonly served as street food such as Chaats, Bhel Puri, Ragda Patties etc owe much of their taste to the chutneys that are served with them.

We often use a Mint & Coriander Chutney ( commonly known as " Green Chutney") to give it the spice and a Khajur Imli ki Chutney ( made of Khajur or Dates, and Imli which is tamarind) to give it a perfect balance between the spicy and the sweet.

You may be aware that Mint Leaves or Pudina in Hindi have many health benefits.

While you can make a straight forward Imli (Tamarind) Chutney, the addition of dates not only adds to the taste quotient but makes it more healthy too as dates have immense health benefits.

These recipes have been adapted from a cookery book by the legendary Tarlaji Dalal.

You can also serve these chutneys with samosas, kachories etc.

Tips:

• For best results use fresh mint and coriander leaves
• The consistency of the chutney is important. It should not be too thick or too runn

GREEN CHUTNEY ( MINT & CORIANDER) CHUTNEY
Yields: 1 cup

Ingredients:

• Mint Leaves (Pudina), 2 cups
• Coriander Leaves ( Dhania), 1 cup
• Onion, large-sized, 1
• Green Chillies, 4-5  or to taste
• Ginger, 1/2 " piece, 
• Lemon Juice, 1 and 1/2 tbsp
• Sugar, 1 tbsp
• Salt, to taste

Method:

Wash and chop the mint leaves and coriander leaves
Roughly chop the onion, green chillies and ginger
In a mixer, grind together the mint and coriander leaves along with the chopped onion, green chillies, ginger, lemon juice, sugar and salt, adding just the required amount of water to a smooth paste of the desired consistency.
Store the green chutney in a refrigerator and use as required

SWEET CHUTNEY:
KHAJUR IMLI KI CHUTNEY ( DATES & TAMARIND CHUTNEY)
Yields: 2 and 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

• Deseeded Dates ( Khajur), 1 cup
• Tamarind ( Imli), 2 tbsp
• Jaggery, grated, 1/2 cup
• Chilli Powder, 1/2 tsp
• Cumin Seeds Powder, 1 tsp
• Salt, to taste

Method:

Break the deseeded dates and the tamarind into small pieces
In a vessel, mix the dates with the tamarind 

Add the grated jaggery and 1 cup of water
Place this vessel in a pressure cooker and cook for 2 whistles
Once the cooker cools remove the vessel and allow the contents to cool
Transfer to a mixer and blend the contents to form a smooth paste without adding any water
Using a sieve, strain the mixture and discard the residue
To the strained mixture, add 1 cup of water, chilli powder, cumin seeds powder and salt to get the desired consistency
Mix well and store the sweet chutney in the refrigerator