Thirukannamudhu with Cooked Rice

 
Cooked Rice         200 gm
Ghee                     3 tablespoon
Cashew                 25 grams
Raisins                   1 tablespoon
Milk                       400 ml
Coconut milk          100 ml
Elaichi                   as required
Sugar or Jaggery    150 gm or as per taste.
 
Keep aside the cooked rice.
Boil milk and sugar OR jaggery. After 1 boil add the cooked rice.
Cook till done. Switch off.
Add coconut milk now and stir well.
Fry Cashew and raisin, elaichi in remaining ghee.
Add this to boiling mixture.
 
Tips:
Saffron can be added to this. Dissolve saffron threads in warm milk and soak for 10 min. before
adding to kannamudhu.

Recipes by Mrs. Prabha Iyengar,  Dallas, Texas

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Thirukannamudhu (another method)
Received following recipe from Mr. Radhakrishnan Srinivasan (itiradha2000 dot yahoo dot com):
ThiruKannamudhu for 5 people.
Ingredients: » 65 gms Raw Rice » 35 gms Green Gram Dal (PasiParuppu) » 500 gm Water »
400 gm Jaggery (powdered) » 4 tbsp Ghee » 2 tbsp Cashewnuts » 2 tbsp Raisins » 500 gm Meiji
milk or Amul Milk.
Method: 1. Roast raw rice & green gram dal for a couple of minutes in 2 tbs Ghee. 2. Add Water
and Boil till Rice and Dal get cooked almost well. 3. Add Raw Meiji Milk or Amul milk and boil
well. 4. Add ghee fried Cashewnuts and Raisins. 5. Add "Theertha Parimalam" – two pinches.
Theertha Parimalam: A. Cardamom - 3 nos use seeds only B. Green Camphor - 2 small pieces
C. Nutmeg (Jathikai) powder - ¼ ts or 1 gm D. Mace (Jathipathiri) - ½ gm or 2 dried petals E.
Cloves - 2 nos. Powder all of them in a pestle and add HALF of it or less to payasam.
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Following recipe was sent in by Ms. Priyanka, which she got from  Mrs. Shantha Sriraghavan:

AKKAARAVADISAL
 (Iyengars' favourite sweet dish)

(Note: Quantity mentioned here is serve for 2 persons)

Ingredients:
Rice : 1/4 tumbler
Payattham Paruppu (Green Gram): 1/2 ladle
Milk : 2 ladle
Jaggery: quantity is of the size of 2 lemons
Cashew: required quantity
Saffron (if available)
Cardamom
Dry grapes

Method:
1. Put rice, payatham parupu, milk, water in cooker.

2. Leave it to be cooked in the cooker for more time than the usual time for
making ordinary rice.

3. Powder the jaggery.

4. Mix the powdered jaggery with water, heat it & stir it continuously when
heating. Do this until it turns into syrup-like state. Filter it using some
filter like coffee filter (this is done because usually jaggery contains unwanted
particles that would've settled down in the syrup) .

5. Mix this (filtered) jaggery syrup with the cooked rice mixture.

6. Fry cashew nut & dry grapes, & add it to the rice + jaggery mixture.

7. Add cardamom + saffron to the mixture.

And there you go!...here's your tasty Akkaravadisal!

Note:
Akkaravadisal should be in semi-solid state. If the end preparation is too tight
(i.e. solid), then add milk to make it little loose.

COURTESY: Mrs. Santha Sriraghavan

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Okkarai Recipe 
By - GES Priyanka
Ingredients 
Kadalai Paruppu - Half tumbler (Chana Dal / Bengal gram)
Paasi paruupu -  Half tumbler (Green Gram / Payatham Paruppu)
Jaggery - 2 tumblers (Vellam)

Preparation Steps
Part 1:

1. Soak kadalai paruppu + paasi paruppu in water for an hour. 

2. Grind it so that it becomes a coarse mixture. 
3. Cook it (i.e. using cooker)
4.  if there are any big chunks in the cooked mixture, then make them into small pieces.
 Part 2:
1. Take the jaggery (crushed into powder) in a vessel. 
2. Pour little water in it. 
3. Keep it in stove & heat it. While heating it, keep stirring it till it turns into a semi-solid state. Don't
allow it to become dark brown in color. It should be light brown in color only. 
4. When it becomes semi-solid, just stop heating & transfer it to another vessel & leave the mixture
that is at the bottom (or lower layer) of the vessel, because that would contain small stones, etc which
were in the jaggery (i.e. adulterants).   
Part 3: 
Step 1: Mix the outcome of part 1 & part 2.
 
Step 2: Heat it for a while till they get mixed well.
 
Step 3: After heating it for few minutes, stop heating it. Now add little, elakkai seeds (cardamom),
pachai karpooram.
 
Step 4: Optionally, you can also add cashew nuts (roasted in ghee) & grated coconut
 
The finals! Mix the outcome of part 1 & part 2 together & there you go!! ...the tasty okkarai's ready! :)
 
--------------------------------------------

Thenkai Barfi  (Kopra PAK)

by TRS Iyengar
 
Ingredients:
Coconuts Grated:  3 cups
Sugar: 200 grams
Cardamom (Elaichi - Ealakkai): 5 pieces made into powder
Ghee: 50 ml.
Milk: 1 cup
 
Method:
In a non stick pan put the ghee and heat it. Add the scrapped coconut and stir it . Add sugar and a
cup of milk. (Keep the stove to sim to get minimum heating and to avoid frying stuff become black).
Cook it till the mixture gets till it become brown. Now add the Cardamom powder. (If desired, you can
add colouring agents too). 
Once it becomes semi solid transfer into a plate. (Apply ghee in the plate before transferring). Once
cooled, cut into square or rectangular pieces. Now the south Indian Thengai Parfi is ready to be
served.

Venn Pongal
(Recipe courtesy: Mrs. Santha Sriraghavan) (serving 2 persons) INGREDIENTS 1. Raw rice:
quantity - 1 big tumbler 2. moong dhal (green gram): 1 ladle 3. Pepper: 1/2 spoon 4.
Jeeragam/fenugreek: 1/2 spoon 5. Ginger: 1 piece 6. Cashew nut: 4 nos. 7. Ghee: 1 ladle 8. Salt:
1/2 spoon 9. asafoetida powde (little) PREPARATION METHOD: 1. Mix rice, (necessary amount)
salt & dhal. Add 1 & 1/2 tumbler
(the same tumbler with which you had measured rice) of water to it & keep in
cooker.>
2. Put ghee in frying pan. Add pepper, cashew nut (add cashew nut at the last when
you are frying), asafoetida powder & jeeragam/fenugreek to it & fry it for
sometime.
Add this to the rice mixture that was cooked in cooker. And there you are ready to
gulp the tasty pongal!

_____________________________________________________________

Iyengar Puliyodarai
 
by TRS Iyengar
 
Ingredients: (This serves for 8 persons approx.)
Tamarind 100 gms
Red chills  20 gms
Bengal gram (Chana Del/Kadalai paruppu) 25 gms
Black Gram (uLutham paruppu) 15 grms
Mustard seeds (kadugu) 1 tea spoon
Asafeodita ) Hing, 5 gms 
Salt to your taste
Turmeric Powder (Haldi powder/manjal podi) 1tea spoon
Gingly oil (Til oil - Nallennai)  200gms
Coriander seeds (Dhania) 1 tb spoon
Jeerakam 1/2 tea spoon
Fenugreek seeds (Vendayam) 1/2 tea spoon
Ground nuts & or Cashew - 50 grams (if both used, then 25 grams each)
curry leaves - 2 bunch
 
Preparation Method:
 
Soak Tamarind in small quantity of water for an hour or so. Make out the tamarind into thick pulp
level. Keep aside. Fry the Fenugreek seeds separately into golden color, without oil and make it as
nice powder; keep this too to add in the last.
 
Now, fry the Chilies, Grams,  groundnuts, in pure gingili oil to golden color, then add the turmeric
powder &  mustard seeds at last. Once you got these into golden color, now add the tamarind pulp
and stir well in minimum heating. Now add the curry leaves, Asafeodita (Hing - perungayam) and salt.
once you get it like a paste or creamy shape, (the more it is solid, the less you can use it for mix in
rice),  take it out of stove and let it cool. Add the Fenugreek powder at the last and mix it well. By now,
you got the the aroma of Iyengar Puliyodarai, a mouth watering smell floats around the kitchen/home!
 
Now, you got the best of best Iyengar Puliyodarai (Pulihora) or Puliyodharai that is prepared and
served in most of the Srivaishnavites' Temple and functions.
 
Note: This should be prepared only in gingili oil.  First, pour 1 tablespoon full of gingili oil in the
cooked rice; then mix the above preparation of Puliyadari Mix and spread it evenly; Now, Fried and
powdered Fenugreek may be added after mixing the preparation in rice to get added aroma. Shelf life
for 15 days. (You can even add the powder of fried ground nuts over the rice to get more tastier
smell!)
 
Warning: This cooked Item contain highest cholesterol proposition, hence persons with high
cholesterol level to avoid eating this too much.
 
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Traditional Iyengar Dahiannam Recipe -

(Dodyonam aka Dahi Bath)
How to Prepare Iyengar Dahi annam known as Curd rice?
by TRS Iyengar
 
Rice: 200 gms
Green or Red Chillies: 4 - cut into pieces
Black gram: one Teaspoon heap (Ulutham paruppu in Tamil, Urid Dal in Hindhi)
Bengal gram: two teaspoon heap (Kadalai Paruppu in Tamil, Chana Dal in Hindhi)
Curry Leaves: about 20 leaves (Kariveppilai in Tamil, curry patha in Hindhi)
Mustard seeds: Half teaspoon (Kadugu in Tamil, Rai in Hindhi)
Asafoetida: one pinch (Perungayam in Tamil, Hing in Hindi)
Gingili oil: One table spoon
Salt: to taste
Milk: 100 ml
Curd: 200 gms
 
Ginger: one piece - only if one likes (At times, during seasons, the route of Mango-ginger known as
"Maa-Inji, is available. If this mango taste ginger is cut into smaller pieces and mixed into the cooked
rice then the taste would be very rich with a fine flavour and aroma!)
 
First, fry in gingili oil the black gram & Bengal gram to golden color; now add the chili pieces, mustard
seeds, curry leaves and asafetida.  while hot, immediately pour these fried items to the curd and add
salt. Now you'll get the fine aroma of Iyengar Dodyonam aka Dahi bath! Leave this for few minutes
and then mix into the cooked rice. The rice absorbs it and becomes somewhat tight. Now add the
boiled milk and mix it together. You got the tasty Iyengar Dahi annam (Curd Rice) as prepared in the
Srivaishnava Temples. This menu serves for four persons.
 
---------------------------------
 
Milagu Orai (Peper bath)
Ingredients:
1. Cooked Rice  – 5 Cups
2. Peper (Milagu) – 3 Tea spoon
3. Red Chillie  - 2 Nos
4. Bengal Gram (Channa Dhal - Kadalai Paruppu) – 1 Tea spoon
5. Black Gram (Udid Dhal - Ulutham Paruppu) – ½ Tea spoon
6. Asfoetida powder (Perungaayam) – a pint - just little
7. Musturd  (Kadugu) – ¼ spoon
8. Seasame (gingli) oil – 2 spoon 
Method of cooking:
Pour two teaspoon of seasame oil (Gingili oil - NalleNNai) in a pan and heat with low flame. 
After few minutes of heating, put red chillies, Chanadal, Udid dhal and fry till it gets golden
colour and now add the pepper into the pan and fry it.
Grind these but not so nice powder and it should be some what rough and to the size of Rawa. 
 Mix this powder with cooked rice.  
Fry mustard and asfoetida powder with little oil for 3 seconds and mix this also with that rice.
Now delicious  Milagu Orai is  ready for serving during rainy season.

 
(1) PARUPPU USILI KARIAMUDHU - I

a. Soak bengal gram (3 spoons) & toor dhal (3 spoons) in water for minimum of 1 & 1/2 hours (for hot
weather; soaking time varies according to weather; point is that you should soak till they becomes
bigger & softer).
b. Cut the vegetables.
c. Pour oil in frying pan
d. Add a pinch of asafoetida
e. Put the cut-vegetables
f. Fry for sometime till the vegetables get well cooked.
g. Add salt & turmeric powder.
h. Take the soaked mixture (don't add water; drain all the water out). Add dry chilies, turmeric powder
(little), required salt (according to the amount of pulses), asafoetida to the soaked mixture & then grind
it. Don't grind it very
fine. It should be little coarse.
i. Put little oil in frying pan. Put the mixture from step (h) into the frying
pan, stir & mix it properly;
j. Wait till it becomes well-fried.
k. Add the prepared vegetable (from step (g)) in the pan along with fried
paruppu & fry for 1 or 2 more minutes.

NOTE:
Vegetables with which Paruppu Usili Kariamudhu can be done: kothavarangaai',
vaazha poo (Banana flower), vazhakkaai (Raw Banana, beans, brinjal, papaya.

How to prepare Iyengar Rasam Powder

 
TRS Iyengar
INGREDIENTS

Bengal Gram 100 gms

Tur Gram 100 gms
Fenugreek 50 gms 
Jeera 50 gms 
Black pepper .50 gms 
Dhania 150 gms 
Red chillies 150 gms
Mustard 20 gms 
Turmeric 50 gms
Cooking oil 2 Tablespoon

(Salt to tase is to be added only while preparing the Rasam)

Method:

In the frying pan, first dry roast, Fenugreek, Jeera and Mustard. Roast till Fenugreek 
becomes brown and mustard starts popping. Remove from heating and let it cool. 

Now add oil in the pan first, put Black pepper. Once black pepper starts bursting, 
add chillies and Dhania and Turmeric roots made into small pieces. toast and turn till it equally
fried.

When chillies assume a fine shine on the surface, immediately add curry leaves. 
Turn three four times and remove it from the pan and immediately spread on a paper sheet or
cloth. 
Once the mixture becomes cold, add Hing (Asafoetida) and put into the mixie for grinding it to
powder. Keep it in a air-
tight jar or bottle. Shelf life is for 45 days maximum.

The above is just a ready-made Rasam Powder that can be used for 20 days to one month for a
family of four. One heap 
teaspoon is sufficient to make Rasam for 4 of a family. You can add according to your needs.

Note: Keep the heat to sim or minimum to avoid the ingredients getting blackened. Attend to it
and toast/mix contineously.

Now - to prepare the Rasam with above ready-made powder, please use the following method:

Take either two tomattoes or 20 gms of Tamarind, put it into to 300 ml of water and boil it.
Once in the boiling stage, mix the 
Ready-made Iyengar Rasam Powder. Add a drop or two Asafeotida liquid or if it is powder, the
add only one pint of it. Add salt
to tase (only when the salt is added to required proposition, you'll get the fine aroma.) Allow it
to boil till you get a fine aroma 
of Rasam. Put one spring leaves of Curry leaves, Currinder Leaves of two or three plucks,

Take it out of stove, now take a teaspoon of Gingili Oil, boil it, add the mustard seeds in the oil,
let it pop-up and settle; then add
this oil into the prepared Rasam and cover it with a plate.  
 
Iyengar's Sambar Powder - Other method for Larger usage or longer storage.
 
Tur Dal - 1/2 Kg.
Bengal Gram - 250 gms
Red Chillies - 1/2 Kg
Dhaniya - 1/2 Kg.
Turmeric Roots - 10 pcs
 
You can get the above mixed and ground at any flour mill. Do not powder it too nice but a little more
crushed would suffice. Leave this for a while in the open and then put it in bottle/tin and keep the lid
tightly closed. This Sambar powder can be used for a time over 45 days to two months for a family of
4 members, if used daily. For larger gatherings and get together preparations, this would be handy to
use. While preparing the sambar, please add salt to tase and Asafeodita (Hing known in Tamil as
perungayam).. Add cut egetables in little quantities while boiling the Sambar proposition. This simply
superb Sambar is very tasty with fine odour for your taste.
 
 
 
Paruppu Kozhambu (Sambar)
 What is sambar?
 Sambar is a thick liquid item, which optionally has little amount of cut vegetables added to is.
Sambar can be used as side dish for mixed rice like curd rice
or even for tiffin items like Chappathi, bread etc.

(Recipe Courtesy: Mrs. Santha Sriraghavan)

Preparatory Step: (for serving 2 persons)

Keep toor dhal (Bengal gram) with little turmeric powder mixed, in cooker. Once it gets cooked, add 2
or 3 ladles of the cooked toor dhal to the boiling sambar during step 7.

Steps/To-do:

1. Soak tamarind (of the size of a lemon)

2. If you want to add any vegetables, cut them & keep them ready.
3. In frying pan, pour cooking oil (quantity:little).
4. Put mustard, 1/2 spoon fenugreek, asafoetida (little), cut vegetables (if vegetable is the 'thaan'),
karivepilai (curry leaves), turmeric powder, chilly
powder & sambar powder (see preparatory steps for sambar powder below). Fry for sometime.
 
5. Soak tamarind in water in a bowl & drain the water ('puli jalam') into a vessel.
6. Add salt & fried mixture (from step4) into puli jalam (Tamarind juice).
7. Boil the liquid of step 6.
8. After 5 to 7 mins of boiling, pour a mixture of flour (any flour like rice flour, wheat flour, etc) +
water into the boiling sambar.
9. boil for 2 mins & there, your paruppu sambar is ready to eat! enjoy!

Preparatory steps for Sambar powder:

If sambar powder isn't readily available from shop, the following preparation is to be made:
a. Take the following:
coriander powder (3 spoons)
channa dhal (1 & 1/2 teaspoon)
dry red chillies (5 nos.)
fenugreek (1/4 spoon)
b. Pour oil in frying pan & heat it. Put the above ingredients in pan & fry it till they turn brown.
c. Grind them in mixer. Add coconut pieces if available & grind that too.
d. The above preparation is to be added instead of sambar powder.
 
How to prepare Iyengar Vathal Kuzhambu / Vatha Kuzhambu:

By TRS Iyengar
Ingredients: (Choose only any one from the list : Manathakkali vattal, Sundaikkai, or fried
Pakarkai - Karela)

Dry Manathakkali Vathal - 1 fistful

Tamarind lemon sized ball
Turmeric powder 1/2 spoon
Chili powder 1 spoon
Jaggery about 25 gms
Rice flour 1-2 spoons(its only to make the item into thicken)
Sesame (gingily) oil 1/2 cup.

For Seasoning:
Mustard seeds 4 Spoons
Curry leaves 1 large bowlful
Asafoetida 2 spoons
Chana dal 1 cup (Equal to one table spoon)
Urad dal 1 Half Table spoon
Dry red chilies 6 numbers
Peppercorns 4
Fenugreek 1/4 spoon
Sesame oil few spoons.

To Be Fried Each Separately in Little Oil and Wet-Ground Togather to Thick Paste:(Vatha
Kuzhambu masala):

Coriander seeds 2 spoons

Chana dal 1 spoon
Curry leaves 1 twig
Fenugreek seeds 1 spoon
Dry red chilies 6
Asafoetida 1/2 spoon
Sesmae oil few spoons.
Wet Grind to thick batter like consistency and set aside!
Method:
Fry the 'vatha kuzhambu masala' as listed above ingredients first. Each seperately in little oil, till they
turn to golden to reddish color. Infact very aromatic! Then wet-grind them togather, using very limited
water. Set this masala aside.

In a non-reactive bowl, soak tamarind with 1-2 cups of luke warm water for 1-2 hours. In a blender,
run this along with the same soaked water and extract a thick tamarind milk. Set aside.

In a heavy bottomed non-stick pan,add few spoons of oil. Fry the dry vathal (either one 'manathakkali/
sundaikkai). Fry them till they turn to dark brown to black, Set aside.

In a the same pan, heat remaining oil. Now add thick tamarind milk, salt, turmeric powder, jaggery,
rice flour and chili powder. Cover and cook over medium heat for about 12-15 minutes.

When the tamarind's raw odour leaves the pan and it starts to consolidate; add 'vatha kuzhambu
masala' and 'fried vathal'! Bring this to boil. Again switch to medium heat and cook without lid. Maybe
till the raw odour of wet-ground paste is gone. The gravy should really thicken now. Wait till oil shows
up on sides and top. Then remove from heat.

In a seperate pan, heat oil, add the tempering spices one by one and wait till they pop. Now run this
seasoning over the gravy made above. Always season your gravy at last, like a final touch...it makes it
really aromatic!!!

Now Iyengar speciality Vathal kuzhambu is read to serve warm with plain steamed rice. A spoon full
of gingili oil would go with it. Enjoy the " Iyengar Vathal Kuzhambu" a speciality of Srivaishnavas!