Sundakkai Oorugai, Turkey Berry Pickle

          Sundakkai/Turkey Berries, we had missed this when we were in the US, then one year in Chennai, we got this, but now again in Bangalore, I am not able to find them. So whenever we go to Chennai, if we can find them, we usually bring some back. This time I had so much of these ( freshly plucked ), even after giving some to my friend and doing the Kuzhambu with it, I had some left. I wanted to do a pickle with it, something similar to the pickle made with kovakkai/tindora. This is a simple recipe, once done, we can have it after 5 to 6 hours, but I felt, that it tasted even better after I left it in the refrigerator for at least 2 to 3 days, it gives some time for the sundakkai to soak in the spice powders..

Need To Have

• Sundakkai/Turkey Berries - 2 cups
• Red Chilly Powder - 4 teaspoons
• Salt - 2 teaspoons
• Lemon Juice - 5 teaspoons
• Mustard Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon 
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
• Dried Red Chillies - 2, broken into pieces

Method

          Remove the short stems from the sundakkai/turkey berries, wash it well, smash it slightly, keep it immersed in water, till your done with the entire amount, otherwise it would change color.

          Dry roast 1/2 teaspoon of mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds, powder and keep. Heat some oil, add the turkey berries and saute for about 5 to 7 minutes, remove and keep.

          Add the chilly powder, salt, mustard and fenugreek powders and the lemon juice, mix and keep.

          Heat enough oil, add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds, when it starts spluttering, add the red chillies and asafoetida and switch off. Let it cool for 3 to 5 minutes, then add it to the sundakkai, mix and leave it at least for 5 to 6 hours, then serve.

Note
Sundakkai doesn't have any sourness, so only after sometime, it gets soaked in the juice and spices and tastes good.
Add enough oil and salt.

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Narthangai ( Citron ) Pachadi

          Narthangai/Citron Pachadi, this is my mother-in-law's recipe, the first time I tasted it, I simply loved it, and I wanted to try it out myself. Couple of months back, I got half a dozen of these citrons and I couldn't wait to make this pachadi. The recipe is very simple, but peeling and taking the inner part of the narthangai is the time consuming part. I peeled and made everything ready the previous night and made the pachadi the next morning. This pachadi can be had, mixed with some white rice or as a side with some curd rice, do try this, the next time you get narthangai..

Need To Have

• Narthangai - 6
• Red Chilly Powder - 11/2 teaspoon
• Jaggery - 2 teaspoons
• Asafoetida - 1/8 teaspoon
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Curry Leaves - 10
• Salt to taste

Method

           Peel and remove the inner pulp of the narthangai, as shown in the picture, I got about a cup of it.

          Heat some gingelly oil, add the mustard seeds, when it starts spluttering, add the fenugreek seeds followed by the asafoetida and curry leaves. Reduce the heat and add the chilly powder and mix.

          Add the narthangai pulp, salt and about 1/8 cup of water, salt and jaggery, mix and cook on reduced heat for 5 to 7 minutes and remove.

Note
Depending on the sourness and bitterness of the narthangai, add more or less chilly powder and jaggery, the final dish should have a hint of sweet, sour and bitter taste.

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Tomato Thokku ( Pickle ) - 3

          My family loves tomatoes, tomato chutney, tomato rice, tomato pickle/thokku, tomato dosa everything is a favorite at home. So, when I come across a new recipe with tomatoes, I always try it out. I have already posted two varieties of tomato thokku/pickle, today's recipe was given to me by a friend. I have used a little tamarind along with the tomatoes in this thokku, this one goes very well with idlis, dosas, adais, or even mixed with some rice..

Need To Have

• Chopped Tomatoes - 4 cups
• Dried Red Chillies - 6 to 8
• Tamarind - small lime size
• Sesame Oil - 3 tablespoons
• Mustard Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
• Salt to taste

Method

          Grind together the tomatoes, tamarind and red chillies, take it in a thick bottomed pan, just add a little water to the blender, add that water to the ground tomato.

          Add the salt and cook it on medium heat till it's reduced to a thick jam consistency, as shown in the picture. Keep stirring at intervals as the tomato mixture will stick to the pan. Once you get the thick jam consistency, switch off and transfer it to a bowl.

         Heat the sesame oil, add the mustard seeds, once it starts spluttering, add the asafoetida, and when the spluttering stops ( almost ), switch off. Let it cool a little, then add it to the cooked tomato, mix and store.

Note
Choose ripe and tangy tomatoes.
You can add more or less chillies according to your spice level, the key is, the spiciness from the chillies should balance the sourness from the tomatoes and the tamarind.

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Tomato Pickle, Thakkali Oorugai

          Happy Halloween ! this time of the year always makes me nostalgic, I had landed in the US (New York ), years ago, during this time, in the month of October. Driving from New York, after gaping at the multi-laned highways and reaching Philadelphia, the next thing to catch my eye was these skeletons and other scary stuff, outside people's homes. Well, at that time I didn't know anything about Halloween, and I couldn't understand, why people would want to decorate their homes with these scary and sometimes gory things. But then now, after so many years, after all those Halloween costumes my daughter had worn, starting from pre-school, now she's 14, she's going to celebrate Halloween with a couple of friends here in India, I think back about the time in the US ( missing it ), and those memories make my eyes water. Well, now, wiping those tears and coming back to today' dish, Tomato Pickle, the recipe has nothing to do with Halloween, I made this to go with the Paneer Parathas that I have already posted. I didn't want to have the regular pickle with it, made this thokku or pickle with tomatoes and I tweaked the seasoning a little so that it had a more North Indian flavor in it. The pickle came out very good and tasted excellent along with parathas, next time you make parathas, do try this simple and flavorful Tomato Pickle..

Need To Have

• Tomatoes - 3 cups, chopped
• Red Chilly Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Amchur Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Sugar - 1 teaspoon
• Fenugreek Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Roasted Cumin Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Mustard Seed - 1/3 teaspoon
• Cumin Seeds - 1/3 teaspoon
• Fennel Seeds - 1/3 teaspoon
• Fenugreek Seeds - 1/3 teaspoon
• Nigella Seeds - 1/3 teaspoon
• Salt to taste

Method

          Heat some oil, add the mustard,cumin,fennel,fenugreek and nigella seeds. When they start spluttering, add the chopped tomatoes, followed by the turmeric powder, chilly powder, amchur powder, salt and sugar, Mix and cook it covered till the tomatoes breakdown and turn mushy. Then remove the lid , add the fenugreek and cumin powder, keep mixing for another 5 minutes and remove.

Note
A mixture of mustard, cumin, fennel, fenugreek and nigella seeds is called panch phoran, you get them in Indian stores, use about 1 and a 1/2 teaspoon of it instead of adding them individually like I did.
I made a small quantity, hardly lasted for 2 days, so I didn't use much oil, but if you are making a bigger batch, add more oil and saute till the floats up, then store it, it'll last longer.

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Naranga Curry, Kadarangai Oorugai, Wild Lemon Pickle

          Last weekend was Onam, though I couldn't prepare Onam Sadya, I wanted to make, at least a couple of dishes that are traditionally made on that day, next time I have promised myself that I'll make the complete meal with the 25 dishes. This year, I just made Parippu Pradhaman and then this Naranga Curry. Actually, while buying vegetables, my friend and I found this Kadarangai/Wild Lemon and we both sere getting it, when, another person in the shop mentioned to us that this curry is made as one of the Sadya dishes. So then, after coming home and going through a couple of recipes, I made it, Naranga Curry is nothing but an instant pickle made with wild lemon. It hardly takes 30 minutes to make, it has a nice sour and sweet taste and as all pickles goes very well thayir saadam/ curd rice, do try this if you can find this wild lemon..

Need To Have

• Naranga/Kadarangai/Wild Lemon - 1
• Chopped Ginger - 1/2 cup
• Green Chillies - 6, chopped
• Turmeric Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Red Chilly Powder - 2 teaspoons
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
• Fenugrrek Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Jaggery - 2 tablespoons
• Mustard Seeds - 1 teaspoons
• Dried Red Chillies - 2, broken into halves
• Curry Leaves - 15 
• Salt to taste

Method

          Wash the lemon, remove the seeds and the core and chop it into small pieces, came to about 3 cups.

          Heat some oil ( preferably sesame oil ), add the chopped ginger and green chillies and saute for a minute. Then add the kadarangai pieces and saute till they turn soft and the moisture is all gone.

          Now add the turmeric powder, chilly powder and salt and keep sauteing for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the asafoetida, jaggery and the fenugreek powder, keep mixing for another 1 or 2 minutes and remove.

          Heat some more sesame oil, add the mustard seeds, when it starts spluttering, add the dried red chillies and the curry leaves, mix for a few seconds, let it cool for a minute, then add this to the naranga curry.

Note
If you don't find kadarangai, make it with big lemons with thick skin.
Sesame oil is the best for making pickles, also use it liberally when making pickles.
If refrigerated, this pickle should stay good for more than a week.

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Spicy And Tangy Methi / Fenugreek Leaves - Vendiya Keerai Thokku

          I am a big fan of Fenugreek Leaves/Methi/Vendiya Keerai, love its slight bitter taste and awesome flavor. Whenever I get them, even if I don't use them up immediately, I clean, wash, chop and store them in the freezer, it keeps well for at least 2 weeks. It tastes great in sambars, dals, curries and especially pairs very well with potatoes and paneer. I also make this Thokku with it, the bitterness of the leaves is balanced with the tangy tomatoes and the spicy chilly powder. Can have this as a side dish for rotis, mix it with rice or even as a sandwich spread, tastes simply divine..

Need To Have

• Chopped Methi - 1 1/2 cups
• Onions - 2 medium chopped
• Tomatoes - 2 medium chopped
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Red Chilly Powder - 3/4 teaspoon
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
• Jaggery - 1 teaspoon
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Urad Dal/Black Gram - 1 teaspoon

Method

          Heat some oil, add the mustard seeds and the urad dal. Once it starts spluttering add the asfoetida and the chopped onions and saute it for 2 or 3 minutes. Now add the chopped tomatoes along with salt, turmeric and chilly powders.

          Keep sauteing it until the tomatoes turn mushy, then add the washed, cleaned and chopped fenugreek leaves and mix. Add the jaggery, reduce the heat and cook it ( mixing it at intervals) till it is completely cooked and oil leaves the side. The final consistency should be that of of a spread or jam consistency.

Note
Be a little liberal with the oil, this stores well in the fridge for at least a week.
You'll find fresh fenugreek leaves in Indian grocery stores, can also use the frozen ones available.
Use nice ripe and tangy tomatoes for this dish, and also add chilly powder according to your spice level, the final dish will be balanced with a sweet, sour, bitter and spicy taste.
If you don't find fenugreek leaves, can do this with any kind of leafy vegetable that has a slight bitter taste, or do with chopped spinach and add a teaspoon of powdered dry fenugreek seeds or crushed kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) at the end.

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Thakkali Thokku/Tomato Pickle/Spread

          I always have some kind of thokku/pickle at home which comes in handy, when you don't have time to make chutneys or other side dishes. Of all the thokkus, the house favorite is the Thakkali Thokku, we use it as a spread on bread, mix it with rice or as a side dish for our idlis, dosas and rotis. Though you get a lot of ready made ones, I always prefer home made, the main reason being you can make it less oily and less salty.   Everybody has their own version, this is the way I make it..

Need To Have

• Tomatoes - 7 medium
• Red Chilly Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
• Jaggery - 1/2 teaspoon
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Curry Leaves - 10
• Salt - to taste

Roast And Grind

• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon

Method

          Boil about 3 or 4 cups of water, when it starts boiling add the tomatoes. After 5 minutes or so you can see the outer skin of the tomatoes start splitting. At this stage, remove the tomatoes from the water, cool, peel the skin and blend them.

Dry roast the ingredients given under 'roast and grind', cool and powder them. Heat some oil, add the mustard seeds, when it starts spluttering, add the blended tomatoes, along with the asafoetida, salt, turmeric and red chilly powders.

          Mix and cook it till it thickens to a jam consistency. Add the jaggery and ground powder, mix for a minute and switch off. Heat some oil in another pan, add the curry leaves, saute for a minute. Add this to the tomatoes, cool to room temperature and serve.

Note
A short cut for the tomatoes, you can use the canned crushed tomatoes or the peeled whole tomatoes (I have used them to make thokku when I was in the US).
Don't let the fenugreek seeds turn dark, they'll taste bitter.
If your chilly powder is a less spicy one, use more.
Use ripe tomatoes, the skin splits faster for them than for the less ripe ones.
While blending or mashing the tomatoes, it need not be really smooth.
If you add a lot of oil for making the thokku, and the oil floats on top, then you can store it outside for a week or so, the store bought ones has so much oil and salt ( used as preservatives). But I prefer reducing the oil and storing the thokku in the refrigerator.
Cover and cook once you have added the blended tomatoes, prevents splattering and less cleaning later.

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