Kuzhambu (Paruppu Kuzhambu)

SrilathaMain Dish, South Indian Leave a Comment

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.

Milagu Kuzhambu (Black Pepper and Tamarind Gravy)

SrilathaIndian, Main Dish, Sides, South Indian Leave a Comment

This is a thick jam-like gravy with a tamarind base, spiced with a mix of roasted powdered pepper and lentils. Perfect over a bed of hot steaming rice, with an accompaniment of vegetables (kootu) or curry.

Instant Pot Bisi-Bela-Huli-Anna (Spiced Tamarind Lentil Rice)

SrilathaMain Dish, South Indian Leave a Comment

Bisi-bela-huli-anna is a signature dish of Karnataka cuisine. I have split the name to explain what it means.
In Kannada (language spoken in the state of Karnataka), bisi means hot, bela means lentil (paruppu/dal), huli means tamarind/puli, and anna means cooked rice. The name pretty much gives you the recipe in a nutshell! It’s a wholesome dish that has starch, protein, fat, and vitamins in the form of vegetables. Since I started using the Instant Pot, this has become a much simpler dish as it involves just one, at the most 2 (to fry the spices and toast), pots to wash.
This is an involved recipe and the list of ingredients could be intimidating at first, but if you plan and get organized, it really is a simple dish to make and enjoy for a couple of days! On to the recipe now!

Apple Galette

SrilathaBreakfast, Dessert, French Leave a Comment

A galette is a form of French pastry that is free form, and much less complicated than a traditional pie or a fruit tart. Basically a layer of a single fruit, spiced with aromatic herbs and spices, and layered over a flaky, buttery crust, with the edges folded over, and baked, it’s simplicity itself! Comes together fairly quickly – I made this, my first attempt at a galette, after lunch on Thanksgiving day, and it was ready for the evening tea, warm and fragrant! Heavenly with a cup of freshly brewed coffee! Try it, it’s absolutely worth every buttery flake! Work out a bit extra to melt the calories – you won’t regret it!
I followed the recipe from this site: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/salted-caramel-apple-galette/

Paal Poli (Fried Pooris in Sweet Condensed Milk)

SrilathaDessert, South Indian 2 Comments

I always got intimidated by this dessert, but found that it was a simple recipe, if somewhat time consuming (boiling and reducing the milk). Made a very small batch of 6 pooris for deepavali, and it was gone in seconds! The traditional pooris are made with rava/sooji/cream of wheat, but I made it with maida/AP flour. Regular whole wheat pooris would also work, if you really want to reduce the guilt quotient!