7 Kari Kootu (7 Vegetable Kootu)
This kootu, also known as thiruvadirai kootu is a medley of a minimum of 7 vegetables, made on the day of Arudra darshan in the month of margazhi/December, in honor of lord Shiva. Traditionally it’s accompanied by a sweet rice dish called Kali. It’s made with the freshest produce of the season, which is the winter season, and includes squashes, gourds, and root vegetables. This recipe is sourced from Meenakshi Ammal’s Samaithu Par book. It is a completely balanced dish, loaded with vegetables, protein (dal), fat (coconut), spices and tamarind for sourness. On to the recipe now!
Kuzhambu (Paruppu Kuzhambu)
Kuzhambu means a thick mix/slurry. True to its name, this kuzhambu is a spicy thick gravy with a tamarind base, with a few vegetables, and dal. The difference between vathal kuzhambu, kara kuzhambu and this is that this has cooked dal added to it. Then why is it not sambar? Good question. We use a pre-made spice powder to season this dish, whereas for sambar, we freshly roast and grind spices to make the masala. Also, this is a bit thicker than sambar.
So, as far as tamarind based gravies go, there are mainly 3 kinds in Tamil (brahmin) cooking:
Vatha kuzhambu/kara kuzhambu: no dal, limited vegetables, more oil and almost like a pickle
Sambar: Tamarind, dal, vegetables, freshly roasted and ground masala
Kuzhambu: Thick tamarind gravy, premade masala/spice powder, dal, limited vegetables.
Lemon Rasam
One of the easiest, healthiest and tastiest rasams. Very little oil/fat, plenty of protein (toor dal) and loaded with vitamin c in the form of cilantro, green chilies, and lime/lemon juice, and packed with the healing digestive ginger. That’s the recipe in a nutshell!
Instant Rasam (No Prepared Rasam Powder)
Sometimes you just have to have rasam. But you don’t have prepared rasam powder. This tangy, spicy rasam is just for those times. Made with simple every day ingredients in every kitchen, this just hits the spot for those rainy cold days when all you want is rasam, and won’t settle for anything else!