Non Vegetarian Pickles

One Page Cookbooks Non- Veg Pickle varieties Treat this as a primer. Learning the nuances takes a lifetime!
This table lists 1000 simple Indian Pickles from 000 to 999. The three digits denote the base, flavouring & additives respectively. Master Recipe:: Prepare a base from column 1. Add flavouring from column 2 & additives from column 3. Add the two spoons of tamarind paste or half a cup (100 ml) of vinegar. Mix salt and chili powder to taste. (Optionally mix in a pinch of sodium benzoate or citric acid (preservative). Stir and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes. Let cool and bottle. All recipes copyrighted. No reproduction / commercial use without permission. Siramki@Gmail.com 1 cup = 200 ml
Base	Flavouring	Additives
0.: Fresh Fish Take a handful of fresh , fish cubes. Wipe dry. Mix in with half a handful of salt, three pinches of turmeric powder and the juice of a lemon. Keep covered for 5 hours. Dip each piece in vinegar to remove excess salt.	0.: Mustard Heat a spoon of oil. Add two pinches of mustard. (South Indian flavouring)	0.: None
1.: Crab Heat a spoon of oil. Add two handfuls of crab meat. Stir and cook for 5 minutes.	1.: Curry Leaf Heat a spoon of oil. Add two pinches of mustard and four torn curry leaves. (South Indian flavouring)	1.: Amchoor Take two pinches of mango powder.
2.: Prawns Heat a spoon of oil. Add two handfuls of cleaned prawns. Stir and cook for 5 minutes .	2.: Lentils Heat a spoon of oil. Add two pinches each of mustard, urad dal and chana dal. (South Indian flavouring)	2.: Garlic cloves Take four chopped garlic cloves.
3.: Chicken mince Heat a spoon of oil. Add two handfuls of chicken mince. Stir and cook for 5 minutes on medium heat.	3.: Asafetida Heat a spoon of oil. Add two pinches each of mustard and asafetida. (South Indian flavouring)	3.:Pickling powder Take three pinches of pickling powder ( see below).
4.: Mutton Mince Heat three spoons of oil. Add two handfuls of mutton mince. Stir and cook for 5 - 8 minutes.	4.: Turmeric Take two pinches of turmeric powder.	4.: Lemon Take a spoon of lemon juice.
5.: Eggs Take two handfuls of chopped, hard boiled egg whites.	5.: Ginger – Garlic Heat a spoon of oil. Add two pinches of mustard and half a spoon of ginger garlic paste.	5.: Fenugreek Take three pinches of fenugreek powder
6.: Dried fish / Shrimp Take two handfuls of dried fish / shrimp. Let soak in a cup of vinegar for a day. Drain vinegar.	6.: Cloves Take four whole cloves or four crushed cardamom. (North Indian flavouring).	6.: Mustard Take six pinches of mustard powder.
7.: Chicken Take two handfuls of chopped chicken. Mix in two pinches of salt, four pinches of chicken masala and the juice of a lemon. Rest for an hour. Add to a pressure cooker and cook for two whistles.	7.: Garam Masala Take two pinches of garam masala. (North Indian flavouring)	7.: Black Salt Take two pinches of kala namak ( black salt).
8.: Mutton Take two handfuls of chopped mutton. Mix in two pinches of turmeric, and four pinches of mutton masala. Rest for an hour. Add to a pressure cooker with half a cup of vinegar. Cook for three whistles.	8.: Powders Take two pinches of cumin / fennel / ginger powders. (North Indian flavouring)	8.: Oil Take half a cup of sesame / Mustard oil. The oil can also be heated till it smokes, cooled and then added.
9.: Fusion Take a handful of your favourite chopped, cooked meats or use any combo of the above.	9.: Fusion Use your favourite flavouring or use any combo of the above.	9.: Fusion Use your favourite oil / vinegar / any combo of the above.
Pickling : Look at pickle as a curry, slow cooked by acid over months. The principle behind non – veg or veg pickles is the same – steep foodstuff in a medium which inhibits the growth of micro organisms. Here, the acidic medium, absence of water, the preservatives and spice powders used preserve the foodstuff. The acid gently cooks the foodstuff over time, the flavours come together, making the pickle tastier as it ages. Though not necessary for a well made pickle, refrigerating is an easy way to make pickles last much longer. It is also very forgiving, making even poorly made pickles last long.	South Indian Pickling powder : Take a handful of mustard seeds, half a handful of fenugreek, two handful of red chilies and a handful of sea salt. Dry the mixture in the sun for a day.( Or microwave for a minute). Let cool and grind to a powder. North Indian Pickling powder Take a handful of red chilies. Add two pinches each of onion seeds ( kalonji), fenugreek, cumin, peppercorns, four pinches of mango powder and half a handful of sea salt. Let dry in the sun for a day (or microwave for a minute). Let cool and grind to a coarse powder.

Chettinad Curries - A Primer

One Page Cookbooks Chettinad Curries All recipes copyrighted. No reproduction / commercial use without permission. Siramki@Gmail.com
1.: Mandi Heat a spoon of oil. Add a pinch of mustard, half a handful of chopped onions, 2 garlic cloves, a chopped green chili and a handful of sliced okra. Stir & cook for a minute. Add half a spoon of tamarind paste and two pinches of salt. Add half a cup of water in which rice grains were washed. Simmer for 10 minutes.	Chettinad Cuisine - You don’t usually see a tiny region giving birth to a whole new cuisine. Chettinadu (The land of Chettiars) has this distinction of creating one of the most aromatic cuisines of India. In direct contrast to Brahmin cuisine, Chettinad cuisine uses meat and exotic spices extensively. Contrary to popular belief, Chettinad cuisine is neither spicy nor oily. It is however, bursting with flavour. Chettinad is a small region in southern Tamilnadu consisting of Karaikudi and 74 other villages. It is not a geographic entity and so does not have a clear cut boundary. This is the homeland of the Nattukottai Chettiars (Nagarathar). Being one of the driest areas of Tamilnadu, it is not conducive to agriculture. Unable to farm, its people instead became successful traders, bankers and businessmen, going as far as south-east Asia to trade. Their enormous success and legendary wealth are reflected in their palatial houses and the expensive spices used in their cuisine. The Curry base: Chettinadu curries are built from the same four basic building blocks as all south Indian curries – lentils, yogurt, tamarind and coconut. What makes them unique are the flavouring and certain cooking techniques used. The Chettinad cuisine shows the influence of far eastern ingredients and cooking In spite of their great wealth, Chettiars frown upon wastage of any sort. In their curry, the Mandi, even the water used to wash rice grains (Arisi Mandi) is not wasted. Polished rice always has a thin coating of flour on it. The water used to wash rice grains dissolves this flour. When added to the curry, this water not only adds nutrients, but also acts as a thickener. When the regular tamarind stew (Pulikulambu) is flavoured with fennel, it becomes a uniquely chettinad curry. (Similarly, the regular more kulambu uses a blended mixture of coconut, cumin and chilies. Add fennel and some ginger- garlic paste and this spiced up more kulambu becomes a Chettinad Morekulambu. Chettinadu Kara Kulambu is just a regular kulambu on steroids. Here onions, tomatoes and garlic are stir fried, mashed and mixed with tamarind paste to cook up a rich, thick kulambu. Perattal ( stirred up) is another unique curry where boiled vegetables are stirred and cooked with freshly ground masala paste. (See Pasi Payaru Perattal). The simple Paruppu is spiced up with garlic, onions and chilies, becoming the Paruppu masiyal. Similarly the humble rasam is flavoured by fennel, ginger and garlic morphing into the Chettinad rasam. Even Keerai Masiyal, the quintessential Brahmin curry is jazzed up with garlic to morph into a more flavourful avatar. Flavouring: Chettinadu cuisine shows the south east Asian influence in its use of spices like marathi mokku (dried flower pods), anasipoo (star anise) and kalpasi (dried bark). Other spices like fennel, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf, ginger and garlic are commonly used in everyday cooking. A quick and dirty method of converting a normal Tamil curry into a Chettinad curry is by adding some fried fennel, ginger and garlic. Goodies : Chettinadu cuisine uses all the traditional vegetables, spinach and pulses of Tamilnadu cuisine. It also uses a variety of sun dried vegetables/ meats reflecting the aridity of the region. Some curries pair well with certain vegetables and these combinations are frequently cooked. Thayir pachadis frequently use carrot, cucumber, gooseberry, boiled snake gourd & ash gourd. Mandi is usually cooked with spinach, chilies, okra, mochai, or sun dried vegetables. Keerai Masiyals usually use mulai keerai, arai keerai, manathakkali keerai, ponnanganni keerai or siru keerai. Kootus are made with eggplant, chow-chow or banana stem. Puli kulambu uses okra, bitter gourd, eggplant or bottle gourd. More kulambu usually has eggplant, okra, ash gourd, drumstick, okra or colocasia. .Universal garnish : Heat a spoon of oil. Add two pinches of mustard, a pinch of asafetida and curry leaves. Add to all these curries as a garnish just before serving. Shopping List : 50 gms :Mustard, Fennel, Ginger- Garlic paste, Garlic, Coriander seeds, Cumin, Dry red chili, Pepper, Asafetida, Cilantro, Chana dal 100 gms: Onions, Tomato, Shallots, Green chili, Tamarind paste. 200 gms : Okra, Ash gourd, Coconut, Mung dal, Tuvar dal, Fish Yogurt, Spinach.
2.: Chettinad Pulikulambu (Tamarind stew) Heat a spoon of oil. Add a pinch of mustard, fennel, half a handful of chopped onion, tomato and two garlic cloves. Cook for 2 minutes. Add a handful of chopped bottle gourd flesh. Add a cup of water, a pinch of pepper, a spoons of tamarind paste, a pinch of jaggery, two pinches each of salt and sambar powder. Simmer for 10 minutes.
3.: Chettinad Morekulambu ( Yogurt stew) Take half a handful of chopped coconut, a green chili, half a spoon of ginger garlic paste, two pinches each of coriander seeds, cumin, fennel and salt . Blend to a paste. Mix in half a cup of water, a pinch of turmeric, half a handful of chopped shallots and a handful of chopped and boiled ash gourd. Simmer for 10 minutes. Mix in half a cup of yogurt. Simmer for 2 minutes and serve.
4.: Chettinad Karakulambu (Spicy Sour Stew) Heat a spoon of oil. Add half a handful each of grated coconut, chopped shallots, tomatoes, 2 garlic cloves and 2 pinches of fennel. Cook for 2 mins and blend to a paste with half a spoon of tamarind paste, two pinches each of salt and sambar powder. Mix in half a cup of water. Bring to a boil. Add half a handful of a boiled vegetable and simmer for 5 minutes.
5.: Perattal (Stir fried vegetables) Take a cup of boiled vegetables. Mix in a pinch of fennel powder, pepper powder, chili powder, two pinches of salt, half a spoon of ginger garlic paste and half a handful of grated coconut. Stir and cook for a minute.
6.: Paruppu Masiyal (Mashed lentil curry) Heat a spoon of oil. Add 2 chopped garlic cloves, half a handful of of chopped shallots, a chopped green chili, a handful of boiled tuvar dal, a pinch of turmeric and 2 pinches of salt. Stir and cook for a minute.
7.:. Keerai Masiyal ( Mashed Spinach curry) Take a cup of chopped and boiled spinach. Mash with half a handful of boiled mung dal. Heat a spoon of oil. Add half a handful of chopped small onions, 2 cloves of crushed garlic, half a spoon of salt, a torn dry red chili and two pinches of cumin. Stir and cook for a minute. Mix in spinach and simmer for 5 minutes.
8.:. Chettinad Rasam (Thin lentil stew) Take a cup of water, Mix in half a handful of boiled and mashed tuvar dal, a spoon of tamarind paste, half a spoon of ginger garlic paste, two pinches of salt, a pinch each of fennel powder, black pepper and two pinches of sambar powder. Add four crushed garlic cloves. Simmer for 10 min. Filter out solids. Mix in two pinches of chopped cilantro.
9.: Chettinadu Meen Kulambu (Fish stew) Heat a spoon of sesame oil. Add two pinches of fennel, a pinch of fenugreek seeds, 2 curry leaves, half a handful each of chopped shallots, tomato and a chopped garlic clove. Stir and cook for 3 minutes. Mix in a cup and a half (300 ml) of water, a spoon of tamarind paste, three pinches of salt, chili powder & coriander powder. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 mins. Add a handful of chopped fish and simmer for 5 min. ( Fish can be marinated in a paste of lemon juice, chili & turmeric powders for an hour before being added to the stew)
10.: Kola Urundai Kulambu (Lentil ball sour stew) Soak half a handful of each of tuvar dal, chana dal, two dry red chilies and three pinches of fennel in a cup of water for 30 min. Drain and blend to a coarse paste. Mix in half a handful of chopped shallots, a pinch each of asafetida, cilantro and two pinches of salt. Form into small marble sized balls and steam for 3 minutes (or microwave for 30 seconds). In the gravy above, add these lentil balls to the stew in place of fish and simmer for 10 minutes.

Iyer Curries

One Page Cookbooks Iyer Curries All recipes copyrighted. No reproduction / commercial use without permission. Siramki@Gmail.com
1.: Paruppu (mashed lentils) To a pressure cooker add half a cup of tuvar dal, a pinch of turmeric powder, a cup ( 200 ml) of water & two pinches of salt. Pressure cook for two whistles. Let cool and mash.	Iyers are Tamil Brahmins, who migrated from North India in waves from as early as 3000 years ago. Some were invited by southern kings for performing vedic rituals and some moved after vedic sacrifices were banned under the Buddhist / Jain kings. They settled mostly in Cauvery delta of central Tamilnadu (Tiruchi, Tanjore and Mayavaram). They adopted and influenced the language, cuisine and culture of the south. The different Iyer sects roughly correspond to the migratory waves as in Vadama (northern sect), Vathima ( central sect ), Brahacharanam ( Guru followers), Ashta Sahasram ( eight thousand) etc. Even after 3000 years, their language still retains a smattering of Sanskrit words, most vedic rituals remain intact, many still pay homage to the north Indian river Narmada and all of them trace their ancestry to one of the eight sages of the vedic era. Iyer Cuisine is vegetarian and frowns on the use of of anything apart from basic spices. So spices like fennel, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves are not used. Onions / garlic are believed to be aphrodisiacs and are avoided / replaced by asafetida. But unlike the more orthodox Iyengar cuisine, Iyer cuisine tolerates them and they are increasingly used. Like most south Indian curries, Iyer curries are built on tamarind, lentils, yogurt and coconut. Different combinations of these building blocks give rise to different curry families. . Cooking rituals : A bath is mandatory before cooking / eating. Concepts like madi (avoiding contact with unwashed garments), pathu (avoiding contact with cooked food), echil (avoiding contact with saliva), preferring freshly prepared food and frowning on storing leftovers are still religiously observed in many households. It is interesting to note that all these rules were originally designed for one purpose - to ensure food safety. The concept of echil led to South India’s undying love for the use of banana leaf as plates (The plates get contaminated by saliva and throwing them away was considered preferable to washing and reusing them). The concept of not storing ‘left overs’ has been frustrating quite a few housewives down the ages. In spite of advances in food safety, storage and refrigeration, and in spite of the fact that many curries actually taste better the next day, the weight of tradition still remains strong ! Serving Rituals: The cooked food is first offered to Gods, then to ancestors (who are believed to appear in the guise of crows) and then served, first to males. They chant a hymn worshiping food, sanctifying it, ritualistically offering it to various Gods before being eating. A brief ritual is observed at the end of the meal, thanking the Gods. The women are served next, but do not follow these rituals. The most favourite 'curries' of the Iyers are also the most basic, requiring little or no cooking at all. Iyers are known for their love of Thayir (yogurt) , paruppu ( boiled tuvar dal) and ghee. The meal starts with cooked rice consumed with paruppu and ghee and ends with yogurt eaten mixed with rice. Iyer’s undying love for yogurt- rice combo has earned them the name ‘Thayir Sadam', which is what most lunchboxes of Iyer children still contain ! Iyer migrations to Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra have led to the development of distinct cuisines in these places. At their core, you'll see that these cuisines follow the Tamil Brahmin style of cooking, with some key ingredients replaced with whatever was available easily in the new lands they settled in. For example, replace sesame oil with coconut oil, replace tamarind with yogurt as a souring agent and Tanjore cuisine starts resembling Kerala Brahmin cuisine. Instant Sambar powder : Mix two spoons of coriander powder, a spoon of red chili powder, a pinch of asafetida and turmeric powder Shopping List : 50 gms: Coriander seeds, Dried neem flower, dried turkey berry, pepper, cumin, salt. mustard, curry leaves, turmeric, dry red chili, green chili, asafetida, peanuts, sun dried vegetables, sambar powder. 250 gms: Tuvar dal, chana dal, mung dal, urad dal, yogurt, tamarind paste, eggplant, beans, raw papaya, butter, milk. One each - Coconut, lemon & potato, carrot.
2.: Ghee (Clarified butter) Take a cup of unsalted butter. Add to a pan and heat on medium flame till it melts. Continue heating till the bubbling & frothing stops and the liquid becomes golden and transparent (you should be able to see the bottom of the vessel through the liquid). Switch off flame. Bottle the golden liquid. The bottom layer of sediment is usually removed, but it is perfectly edible. (When you evaporate all water out of butter, it becomes ghee).
3.: Thayir Pachadi (Raw yogurt curry) Take a cup( 200 ml) of yogurt. Mix in two pinches of salt and a handful of chopped / grated carrot / cucumber / tomato / beetroot.
4.: Paruppu Podi (spicy lentil powder) Heat a pan. Add a handful of mixed lentils tuvar dal / mung dal / chana dal. Stir and roast on low heat till lentils brown. Let cool. Blend to a powder with two dry red chilies, a pinch of asafetida and three pinches of salt.
5.: Vatral Kulambu (Sour stew with sun dried vegetables) Heat a spoon of oil. Add two pinches of mustard, a pinch of asafetida, and half a handful of sun dried vegetables (sundakkai / okra etc). Dissolve 3 spoons of tamarind paste, two pinches each of jaggery/ sugar, salt and sambar powder in a cup of water. Add to pan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 min.
6.: Paruppu Thogayal (Lentil paste) Heat a pan. Add a handful of split mung dal. Stir & roast over medium heat till it browns. Let cool. Add to a blender with two dry red chilies, two pinches of salt half a handful of chopped coconut, a bit of tamarind, little water and grind to a thick paste. Omit coconut, tamarind and you have Pathiya Thogayal
7.:. Milagu Kulambu (Pepper sour stew) Heat a spoon of oil. Add two pinches each of peppercorns, coriander seeds, cumin, chana dal, tuvar dal and 2 curry leaves. Stir and cook on gentle heat till lentils start to brown. Let cool and grind to a powder. Heat a spoon of oil. Add two pinches of mustard and pinch of asafetida. Mix a spoon of tamarind paste in a cup of water. Add to pan. Bring to boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the ground powder, two pinches of salt & simmer for a minute.
8.:. Araichu Vitta Sambar (Lentil Tamarind stew) Heat half a spoon of oil. Add a dry red chili, a pinch each of dhania, pepper, tuvar dal and half a handful of grated coconut. Roast and grind together. In a cup of water, mix half a spoon of tamarind paste , three pinches of salt, sambar powder, a pinch of asafetida and a handful of chopped and boiled vegetables ( Ash gourd/okra/eggplant etc ). Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the blended powder, half a handful of boiled and mashed tuvar dal & simmer for two minutes.
9.: Lemon Rasam (Lemon lentil soup) Heat half a spoon of ghee. Add two pinches of cumin. Mix half a handful of boiled and mashed tuvar dal in a cup of water. Filter and strain out solids. Add the filtered liquid to pan. Add two pinches of sambar powder and salt. Simmer for 2 minutes. Take off heat. Mix in the juice of a lemon & a pinch of coriander leaves.
10.: Thayir (Yogurt) Boil a cup of milk. Let cool till lukewarm. Mix in a spoon of yogurt. Cover and rest for 4 -5 hours in a warm place till it sets. Refrigerate.

Iyengar curries

One Page Cookbooks Iyengar Curries All recipes copyrighted. No reproduction / commercial use without permission. Siramki@Gmail.com
1.: Iyngaya Podi (5 dried stuff powder) Heat a pan. Add a spoon of coriander seeds, half a spoon each of dried neem flower, dried turkey berry ( sundaikkai), black pepper corns, cumin and three pinches of salt.. Stir and roast for two minutes. Let cool. Blend to a powder.	Iyengars are a 1000 year old sect of the 4000 year old Tamil Brahmins. Iyengars believe Vishnu to be the supreme lord and the path leading to Him is the one revealed by the teacher (Acharya) Ramanuja. History: During 500- 1000 AD, Hinduism was in decline, partly due to the spread of Buddhism / Jainism and partly due to caste oppression and elaborate ritualism. In response, Bhakti & Vedanta movements arose in the South and spread across India, revitalizing Hinduism. Bhakti movement was spearheaded by common people from all walks of life – the 63 Nayanmars and 12 Alwars. They proposed absolute love for God as the path to salvation. The Vedanta movement was led by the philosophies of Brahmin intellectuals - Adi Sankara’s (788-820) Advaita, Ramanuja’s ( 1077-1157) Vishishtadvaita and Madhwa’s ( 1238 – 1317) Dvaita. Both movements deemphasized the cornerstones of vedic Brahmanism - caste system, Brahmin supremacy, rituals and sacrifices. The Bhakti and Vedanta movements came together under Nathamuni, a vedanta philosopher, who collected the poems of Alwars into the Divya Prabandham. His grandson Yamunacharya became the guru of Ramanuja, whose philosophy led to the emergence of a new class – the Iyengars. Tamil with a liberal sprinkling of words from Alwar poems became their language (Vaishnava paribhashai). Iyengars soon split into Vadakalai (influenced by Vedanta movement) and Thenkalai (influenced by the Bhakti movement). Persecution by the Shaivaite Chola king probably caused Ramanuja to migrate with his followers to Karnataka. Their descendants later became the Hebbar and Mandyam Iyengars. Iyengar Cuisine is rooted in Tamil Brahmin cuisine. Onions, garlic or spices like fennel, cinnamon, cloves, are frowned upon. Iyengars believe the kitchen is sacred and what gets cooked there is ambrosia, suffixing many dishes with amudhu (ambrosia). Entry to Iyengar kitchen is restricted and many Iyengars still do not eat food prepared in other kitchens.The Hebbar / Mandyam Iyengar language, culture and cuisine evolved under the Kannada influence. Many of their recipes are morphed versions of Tamil recipes like Chatumbdh (sattamudhu) , Karimbdh ( Kari amudhu), Kolamb ( Kulambu) etc. . Shopping List : 10 gms : Long pepper root & fruit ( thippili) 50 gms: Coriander seeds, Dried neem flower, dried turkey berry, pepper, cumin, salt Ghee, mustarrd, curry leaves,turmeric, dry red chili, green chili, asafetida, peanuts, chana dal, urad dal, roasted gram, jaggery 250 gms: Tuvar dal, Yogurt, Tamarind paste, Eggplant, beans, raw papaya One each - Coconut, lemon & potato
2.: Kandanthipili Saar Amudhu (Long pepper soup) Heat a pan. Add a finger length stick of Kandan thipili, a pinch each of arisi thippili, black peppercorns & cumin. Stir and roast for a minute. Crush to a powder. Heat a spoon of ghee. Add a pinch of mustard, cumin and two curry leaves. Mix half a spoon of tamarind paste in a cup (200 ml) of water and add to pan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the ground powder, a pinch of turmeric and simmer for a minute. A rare recipes using Long pepper (Piper longum / Pipli: Sanskrit,Hindi/ Thippili : Tamil) Kandan Thipili - Dried long pepper root, Arisi thippili - Dried long pepper fruit.
3.: Kathirikkai Gotsu (Eggplant sour mash) Take a fist sized eggplant. Smear all over with oil, hold by stem and roast over a medium flame till skin blackens and chars all over. Let cool, peel skin & mash flesh. Heat a spoon of oil. Add a pinch of mustard, asafetida, 2 curry leaves and a dry red chili. Mix half a spoon of tamarind paste in half a cup (100 ml) of water. Add to pan. Add a pinch of turmeric powder and two pinches of salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Mix in mashed eggplant and simmer for 2 minutes.(Gotsu is probably the Kannadiga Gojju)
4.: Pacha Kootu (Veggie - lentil stew) Heat a spoon of ghee. Add two pinches of mustard, 2 curry leaves and a pinch of asafetida. Add a handful of boiled mixed native vegetables and half a cup of water. Blend four pinches of coriander seeds, a pinch of mustard, two red chilies and three pinches of salt to a powder. Mix in a handful of boiled tuvar dal. Add to pan. Simmer for 2 minutes. ( Hebbar Iyengar Recipe)
5.: More Kulambu (Yogurt stew) Soak three pinches of of tuvar dal in water for an hour. Drain. Heat a spoon of oil. Add three pinches each of coriander seeds, chana dal, two pinches of fenugreek, a dry red chili and half a handful of grated coconut. Stir and fry for a minute. Blend to a paste with the soaked tuvar dal. Take half a cup of yogurt. Mix with half a cup of water. Add a handful of a chopped and boiled vegetable. Heat half a spoon of oil. Add a pinch of mustard and two curry leaves. Add the yogurt and the blended paste. Cook for 5 minutes on medium flame.
6.: Vepampoo vatral (Fried neemflower) Take two handfuls of neem flower. Mix in the juice of a lemon and two pinches of salt. Let soak overnight. Keep in sun for 3 -5 days till it is completely dry. Fry a few pinches of dried flower in a spoon of ghee and eat mixed with hot cooked rice.
7.:. Puli Kaichal (Thick Tamarind stew) Take half a cup of tamarind, tightly packed. Let soak in one and a half cups of water. Dissolve well and filter out solids. Heat half a cup of oil. Add four pinches of mustard, ½ handful peanuts, chana dal, urad dal, torn dry red chilies and three pinches of asafetida. Stir and fry on medium flame till the dals turn golden. Mix in the tamarind pulp and simmer for around 10 - 15 minutes till pulp is thick.
8.:. Potato Thayir Pachadi (Potato in spiced yogurt) Take half a handful of coconut. Blend to a paste with a green chili, a spoon of water and three pinches of salt. Mix in half a handful of boiled and mashed potato. Heat a spoon of oil. Add a pinch of mustard and asafetida. Mix in and serve. (Can use grilled eggplant, stir fried okra/snake gourd/ boiled and mashed gooseberries, etc)
9.: Paruppu Usili Kariamudhu (Vegetables with mashed, spiced lentils) Heat a spoon of oil. Add a pinch of mustard, asafetida and a handful of chopped and boiled beans. Add two pinches of salt & a pinch of turmeric powder. Soak half a handful each of tuvar dal and chana dal in a cup of water for 2 hours. Drain and blend to a coarse paste with two red chilies, two pinches of salt and a pinch of asafetida. Add to pan. Stir and cook for 5 minutes. ( Can use cluster beans, banana flower, snake gourd, fenugreek leaves etc). A must in Brahmin marriages.
10.: Kadagpuli (Mustard – Tamarind Curry) Take half a handful of chopped coconut, a pinch of turmeric powder, asafetida, three pinches of mustard, 2 dry red chilies and half a handful of roasted gram ( pottu kadalai). Blend to a thick paste with a bit of water. Mix half a spoon of tamarind paste, a pinch of jiggery/ sugar and three pinches of salt in a cup of water. Bring to a boil. Add a handful of chopped and boiled raw papaya. Add the ground paste and simmer for two minutes. ( Can also use boiled eggplant, cabbage, chow chow , cucumber, beetroot etc). (Hebber Recipe)

Spinach Tambli Variations ( Blended spinach - coconut - yogurt curry from the Indian west Coast)

One Page Cookbooks 1001 Soppina Tambli (coconut – spinach sour curry from Konkan Coast) All recipes copyrighted. No reproduction / commercial use without permission. Siramki@Gmail.com
This cookbook lists 1000 Tambli recipes from 000 to 999. The three digits denote the base, flavouring & spinach. Master Recipe:: To a blender/ mixie, add half a handful of chopped coconut, a small chopped green chili (or a dry red chili) and 3 pinches of salt. Blend to a smooth paste, adding a spoon or two of water. Add a base from column 1, greens from column 3 and blend again. Mix in a cup of yogurt. Mix with flavouring from column 2 and serve. (Instead of yogurt you can also use buttermilk or half a spoon of tamarind paste/ kokum syrup dissolved in a cup of water).
Base	Flavouring	Tender leaves ( ½ handful)
0.: None	0.: Mustard Heat half a spoon of oil. Add a pinch of mustard.	0.: Doddapathre ( Tamil : Karpooravalli)
1.: Dhania Take two pinches of coriander seeds.	1.: Cumin Heat a spoon of oil. Add a pinch of cumin	1.: Palak . (Palak Tambli)
2.: Ginger Take a small bit of ginger	2.: Curry leaves Heat a spoon of oil. Add a pinch of mustard and a few curry leaves.	2.: Malabar Spinach ( Tamil : pasalai keerai) (Basale Tambli)
3.: Garlic Take a chopped garlic clove.	3.: Cilantro Take three pinches of chopped cilantro.	3.: Brahmi (Herb of grace / Indian pennywort) (Timare Tambli)
4.: Cumin Take two pinches of cumin.	4.: Asafetida Heat a spoon of oil. Add a pinch of mustard and a pinch of asafetida. .	4.: Fruit Leaves Tender leaves of cashew, mango, lemon/ pomegranate/ guava/
5.: Fenugreek Take a pinch of fenugreek powder.	5.: Lentils Heat a spoon of oil. Add two pinches of mustard and urad dal. Stir for a few seconds till lentil browns.	5.: Pumpkin leaves (Dudde vali Tambli)
6.: Sesame seeds Take three pinches of sesame seeds.	6.: Fenugreek Heat a spoon of oil. Add a pinch each of mustard and fenugreek.	6.:.Fenugreek Leaves (Menthe soppu Tambli)
7.: Poppy Seeds Take three pinches of poppy seeds.	7.: Red Chili Heat a spoon of oil. Add a pinch each of mustard, a few curry leaves and a torn red chili. Stir for a few seconds and remove from fire.	7.: Cauliflower / Radish leaves
8.: Pepper , Take two pinches of pepper powder.	8.: Turmeric Heat a spoon of oil. Add a pinch each of mustard, a few curry leaves and a pinch of turmeric powder. Remove from fire.	8.: Ivygourd leaves (Tendli Tambli)
9.: Fusion Use your fav base or any combo of the above.	9.: Fusion Use your favourite base or use any combination of the above.	9.: Any combination of the above.
Sample Recipes :: Soppina Tambli 001 :: Jeerage Carrot Tambli 400 :: Mente Kande Tambli 520 :: Kodi ere Tambli 014
Soppina Tambli is probably the easiest way to use a huge variety of edible greens. Everything from edible (spinach) to not so edible ( Tender shoots of a wide variety of plants) taste great in a Tambli. If you do not like the raw taste of greens, they can be stir fried / blanched. Some greens might cause minor irritation in the mouth if used uncooked. Blanching spinach: Bring a cup of water to a boil. Add half a handful of spinach. Let cook for 30 seconds and drain water. Stir frying spinach: Heat half a spoon of oil / ghee. Add half a handful of chopped spinach. Stir and cook for a minute.	A Soppina Tambli is always uncooked, served cold, sour, and has coconut and spinach Apart from these basic guidelines, it is so versatile that almost anything can be blended in. Depending on what base ( column 1) is blended in, the name of the Tambli changes as in Jeerage Tambli (Cumin), Mente Tambli (Fenugreek), Kottambari Tambli (Dhania), Shunti Tambli (Ginger), Yellu Tambli (Sesame seeds) and so on. Optionally, a variety of flavouring listed in column 2 can be mixed in the Tambli just before serving Almost any edible leaf can be blended into the Tambli as listed in column 3 to create a never ending variety of Tamblis. These change name of Tambli as in Doddapathre Tambli, Palak Tambli, Basale Tambli, Kodi ere Tambli (Tender leaves of mango, cashew, lemon/ pomegranate), Koodi Tambli (Tender Guava leaves) etc.,. All Tamblis are served cold and eaten mixed with cooked rice, at the very beginning of a meal. The leaves of a wide range of medicinal plants like Brahmi (increases memory and concentration), Cassia Sophora (cures dysentery & tastelessness.), Cassia tora, Maelastoma malabathricum( Cures constipation, diuretic- stimulates kidneys), Bryophyllum calycinum, Brachyramphus sonchifolius, Cephalandra indica ( tendli) ( astringent - heals wounds) are also used in Tambli in accordance with Ayurveda’s ‘Food as medicine’ philosophy.

Non Veg Thokku Varieties ( Tamilnadu's spicy paste)

1001 Non Veg Thokku (Tamilnadu’s Sour, spicy paste )
This table lists 1000 Thokku varieties from 000 to 999. The three digits denote the base, flavouring & additives. Master Recipe :: Heat two spoons of oil. Add flavouring from column 2. Add a base from column 1. Add a spoon of tamarind paste, three pinches each of mustard powder and salt. Mix in additives from column 3. Stir & cook for a minute or two. Let cool and refrigerate.
Base	Flavouring		Additives
0.: Fish Heat a spoon of oil. Add a handful of fish cubes. Stir and cook for three minutes. Flake fish and remove bones..	0.: None		0.: None
1.: Chicken Take two handfuls of chopped chicken. Add to a pressure cooker and cook for two whistles. Let cool, Remove bone and mash flesh.	1.: Mustard Take two pinches of mustard seeds.		1.: Lemon Take a dash of lemon juice.
2.: Dried fish / Shrimp Take a handful of sun dried dried fish / shrimp.. Pound to a coarse powder. Add to a pan and dry roast for a minute.	2.: Ginger Take half a spoon of ginger paste		2.: Vinegar Take a spoon of vinegar.
3.: Crab / Prawns Heat a spoon of oil. Add a handful of cleaned crab/ prawn meat. Stir and cook for two minutes. Mash.	3.: Garlic Take half a spoon of garlic paste		3.: Colouring Take two pinches of Kashmiri chili powder ( for a fiery red colour)
4.: Eggs Take a hardboiled egg and mash to a coarse powder.	4.: Fenugreek Take a pinch of fenugreek.		4.: Lemon zest Take two pinches of lemon zest.
5.: Beef/ Pork/ Mutton Take two handfuls of chopped beef / pork. Add to a pressure cooker with half a cup of water. Pressure cook for 4 whistles. Let cool, remove bone and mash flesh.	5.: Fennel Take a pinch of fennel.		5.: Amchoor Take two pinches of mango powder.
6.: Minced meat Heat a spoon of oil. Add a handful of minced meat. Stir and cook for 5 minutes on medium heat.	6.: Coriander Powder Take two pinches of coriander powder		6.: Oil Take a spoon of sesame / mustard oil.
7.: Dried meat Take a handful of sun dried, boneless meat. Roast over naked flame Pound to a coarse powder.	7.: Cumin Powder Take two pinches of cumin powder		7.: Chili Flakes Take two pinches of chili flakes
8.: Sausage Take a handful of chopped / grated ready to eat meats ( sausage / salami etc)	8.: Asafetida Heat a spoon of oil. Add a pinch of mustard, two curry leaves and a pinch of asafetida.		8.: Preservative Take a tiny bit of sodium benzoate or citric acid..
9.: Fusion Use your favourite cooked and flaked meat or use any combination of the above.	9.: Fusion Use your favourite flavouring or use any combination of the above.		9.: Fusion Use your fav additives or use any combination of the above.
Sample Recipes : Fish Thokku 013 ::Mutton thokku 216:: CrabThokku 332 :: Egg Thokku 434 ::
Non veg Thokku logic : Take cooked and mashed meat. Stir fry with tamarind, salt and chili powders to a thick paste. Thokku is halfway between a thogayal and a pickle. Like a thogayal, goodies are mashed to a paste with tamarind, but like a pickle, no water is added and the water content of ingredients used is reduced by slow cooking. The reduced water content and the acidic environment inhibit spoilage. Most thokku last for a week un refrigerated and a month or more refrigerated. Follow a few simple rules to make your thokku last long. 1. Ensure that the meats are completely cooked. 2. Wash and completely dry bottles and spoons. 3. Never use a wet spoon or your bare hands to touch the thokku. Even a tiny bit of water can spoil it. 4. Aluminum, plastic or brass vessels react with the acid in thokku and should be avoided. Use glass / stainless steel / porcelain jars. 5. Salt always has moisture in it. So dry roast it / dry it in sun before using it. 6. Refrigerate thokku to make them last much longer. 7. Have a layer of oil over thokku to seal the surface		Thokku, like a thogayal can be used as a dip, spread, curry or a pickle. You can eat it with flatbreads, with Idli / dosa /upma, curd rice , spread it over bread or eat it mixed with hot rice and ghee. Almost all edible meats can be turned into Thokkus. Experiment with exotic meats / sea food as long as you remain true to the spirit of the recipe. Chopped up onion / tomato can be stir fried along with the meat, but due to the water content in onion / tomato, the thokku will not keep for long It is the acidic environment and the absence of water that preserves a thokku. The meats get slowly cooked by the acid over days and slowly transforms into delicious thokku. Follow all rules of pickle making and you’ll be turning out delicious, long lasting thokku.

Keerai Thuvaiyal Varieties ( Blended spinach curries of Tamilnadu)

One page Cook books Keerai Thuvaiyal Varieties (Blended Spinach curries)
This table lists Spinach blended curries from 000 to 999. The three digits denote the base, flavouring & additives Master Recipe :: Heat a spoon of oil. Add a base from column 1. Add a small bit of tamarind / tamarind paste. Stir and cook on medium for 5 minutes. Sprinkle some water if it gets too dry.. Add to a blender with additives from column 3. Add two pinches of salt and a dry red chili. Blend to a smooth paste. Mix in flavouring from column 2.
Base (1 handful)	Flavouring		Additives
0.: Vallarai Keerai Take four handfuls of chopped vallarai keerai ( Brahmi / pennywort).	0.: None		0.: None
1.: Thooduvalai Keerai Take four handfuls of chopped Thooduvalai keerai.	1.: Mustard + Red chili Heat half a spoon of oil. Add a pinch of mustard. Wait till it stops popping. Add a dry red chili.		1.: Coconut Take half a handful of grated coconut or a spoon of coconut milk.
2.: Manathakkali Keerai Take four handfuls of chopped Black nightshade leaves.	2.: Green chili + Curry leaves Heat a spoon of oil. Add a pinch of mustard, a slit green chili and a couple of curry leaves.		2.: Dals Take a spoon of roasted urad dal / tuvar dal / chana dal.
3.: Ponnanganni Keerai Take four handfuls of chopped Sessile joyweed. Alternanthera sessilis leaves	3.: Cumin Heat a spoon of oil. Add a pinch each of mustard, cumin, a couple of curry leaves and a red chili.		3.: Sesame Take three pinches of sesame seeds.
4.: Murungai Keerai Take four handfuls of chopped moringa leaves.	4.: Asafetida Heat a spoon of oil. Add a pinch of mustard, two curry leaves, a red chili and a pinch of asafetida. .		4.: Garlic Take a clove of garlic
5.: Paslai Keerai Take four handfuls of chopped pasalai keerai.	5.: Fenugreek Heat a spoon of oil. Add a pinch of mustard, 2 curry leaves and a pinch of fenugreek. Sir for a minute.		5.: Ginger Take a small bit of ginger.
6.: Vendaiya Keerai Take four handfuls of chopped fenugreek leaves.	6.: Lentils Heat a spoon of oil. Add a pinch of mustard, 2 pinches of urad dal, a pinch each of curry leaves & asafetida.		6.: Peanuts Take half a handful of roasted peanuts/ cashewnuts.
7.: Gongura Take four handfuls of chopped (sour spinach/ sorrel/ Pulicha keerai ). No need to add tamarind.	7.: Garlic Heat a spoon of oil. Add a pinch of mustard, a couple of curry leaves and a finely chopped garlic clove. Stir for a minute.		7.: Shallots Heat a spoon of oil. Add 2-3 chopped shallots & stir fry for 2 mins..
8.: Arai Keerai Take four handfuls of chopped Amaranthus tricolor.	8.: Roast & Ground Spices Heat a pan. Add a dry red chili, two pinches each of coriander seeds, tuvar dal, a pinch each of pepper & Bengal gram. Dry roast and grind.		8.: Jaggery Take a pinch of jiggery ( usually added when spinach is bitter).
9.: Fusion Take four handfuls of your favourite chopped edible greens Bok choy / kale / chard etc or use a combo of the above.	9.: Fusion Use your favourite flavouring or use any combination of the above.		9.: Fusion Use your favourite additive or use any combination of the above.
Sample Recipes :: Vallarai Thuvaiyal 018 :: Gongura Thuvaiyal 700 :: Vendaiya Keerai Thuvaiyal 648::
Almost all edible greens can be stir fried and blended with tamarind, red chilies and salt into a Thuvaiyal. Though not looked upon as spinach, Thuvaiyal made from cilantro, curry leaves and mint are popular across the south. These herbs require no cooking and can be blended straight with tamarind, chilies and salt. You can try experimenting with very briefly stir frying the spinach or blanching it or microwaving it before blending it. A combination of spinach is usually not used in a Thuvaiyal, but that is no reason you should not try them. Experiment with various greens found across the world and you’ll see that most of them can be turned into delicious thuvaiyals. An thuvaiyal has a souring agent ( usually tamarind) and red chilies. Replace the souring agent with lemon juice / wine / vinegar, the red chili with black pepper and Indian edible greens with Italian ones and a Thuvaiyal becomes the Pesto.		A Thuvaiyal needs is usually blended to be a thick paste. If you had added too much water, it is no more a thuvaiyal, but a chutney. Unlike thuvaiyals, most Tamil chutneys have some coconut blended in. In the Thuvaiyal recipe, use boiled spinach instead of stir fried spinach, replace tamarind with lemon juice as a souring agent and dry red chilies with fresh green chilies and a Keerai Thuvaiyal becomes a Keerai masiyal. Mix in boiled lentils with a masiyal and you get the popular paruppu keerai. Keerai thuvaiyal / masiyal / chutney can be mixed in with hot cooked rice or as a dip for flatrbreads oe even as a sandwich spread. Mix it in with cooked pasta / noodles for a fusion experience.

10 South Indian Pepper Curries

One Page Cookbooks South Indian Pepper Curries All recipes copyrighted. No reproduction / commercial use without permission. Siramki@Gmail.com
1.: Milagu rasam ( Tamil pepper soup) Mix half a spoon of tamarind paste in a half a cup(100ml) of water. Add a pinch of asafetida,turmeric powder and two pinches of salt. Bring to a boil. Crush two pinches of black peppercorns, a pinch each of cumin, coriander seeds and tuvar dal to a coarse powder. Mix in half a cup of water. Add to tamarind water. Heat on medium flame till it starts to simmer. (This is the ancestor of the mulligatawny soup).	Black pepper -The bead sized, shriveled fruit of a vine has been the world's most popular spice for over 2000 years. Known as black gold, it found use in the ancient world as currency. Even today, Pepper alone accounts for 20% of the global spice trade.Though a native of India, Vietnam is now the world's largest producer followed by India and Brazil. It is a little known fact that India had another pepper variety - the long pepper (Pippali : Sanskrit, Thippili : Tamil). This was what ancient Greeks & Romans sought. Black pepper was considered an inferior substitute (and was sold at one third the price of long pepper). Over time, long pepper virtually disappeared from world cuisine, replaced by black pepper. The western world acquired a taste for pepper as a seasoning and medicine at least 3000 years back. Ancient Greeks relied on the overland silk road for their pepper supply. As early as 30 BC, over a hundred Roman ships, (each carrying over 100 tonnes) sailed to India each year for black pepper, cloves and other spices, leading Pliny the Elder to complain "there is no year in which India does not drain the Roman Empire of fifty million sesterces" (USD 45 Bn in today's money) The aptly named trade winds acted as a giant conveyer belt across the Indian ocean. Summer winds blew south east, taking ships straight from gulf of Eden to the west coast of India in about four months. The traders had 2-3 months to trade and and could leave with the winter winds blowing north west, taking them back home. After the fall of Rome, the huge profits from the pepper trade helped the rise of the Arab and Persian empires, who controlled the most of spice route to Europe.Italy grew rich by monopolising the last leg of the spice route in the Meditteranean. The grandiose towns of Genoa and Venice bear testimony to the huge profits of this monopoly. The Portuguese sought a sea route to get to the Malabar coast, to break the Italian monopoly. Vasco da Gama managed to sail around Africa, reaching India in 1498, ushering in a portuguese monopoly, which lasted a century till the British East India Company and Dutch East India Company ( VOC) ended it. They in turn, came to control much of the spice trade for the next 300 years, becoming the richest and the most powerful corporations the world has ever seen, eventually morphing into huge colonial empires. It was only after all these years that the pepper prices fell in the west, making it affordable for the common man. Not surprisingly, the Malabar coast boasts of a huge variety of Pepper based curries. Even today, long after Chili displaced Pepper, Kerala cuisine ( especially the Namboodiri cuisine) uses pepper extensively. Across India, the native pepper and not the introduced chili is used in food cooked for orthodox religious ceremonies and in many temple cuisines. . Universal garnish : Heat a spoon of oil. Add two pinches of mustard, a pinch of asafetida and curry leaves. Add to all these curries as a garnish just before serving. Shopping List : 50 gms :Tamarind paste, asafetida, turmeric powder,. 100 gms: Pepper, cumin , coriander seeds, tuvar dal,Bengal gram, dry red chili, Salt, coconut oil, coconut milk. 200 gms :Mango ginger, green peppercorns, lemons, coconut 500 ml yogurt.
2.: Kuru Milagu Oorugai (Tamil Peppercorn pickle)Take a handful of sliced mango ginger ( a rhizome like ginger, but much milder) and a handful of green peppercorns. Mix in five pinches of salt and the juice of five lemons. Let soak for a week.
3.: Milagu Kootu ( Tamil Pepper - coconut - cumin stew) Blend half a handful of coconut, three pinches of black pepper powder and two pinches each of cumin , salt and a pinch of turmeric to a smooth paste. Mix in a cup of water. Add half a handful of boiled vegetables. Let simmer for a minute.
4.: Erissery (Kerala Roasted Pepper- coconut stew) Heat a pan. Add a handful of grated coconut and a two pinches of cumin. Stir and roast for 2 minutes. Blend to a powder with four pinches of black pepper powder and two pinches of salt. Mix in a cup of water and a handful of boiled vegetables. Simmer for 2 minutes. Add a dash of coconut oil and serve.
5.: Milagu kulambu ( Tamil pepper tamarind stew) Mix a spoon of tamarind paste in a half a cup of water. Add a pinch each of asafetida, turmeric powder and two pinches of salt. Bring to a boil. Heat a pan. Add two pinches each of black peppercorns, Bengal gram, a pinch of coriander seeds and a dry red chili. Roast for two minutes. Let cool and blend to a powder. Mix in half a cup of water. Add to tamarind water. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 5 minutes.
6.: Olan (Kerala Coconut milk curry) Take half a cup of coconut milk. Mix in half a cup (100 ml) of water and two pinches each of salt and pepper powder. Add half a handful of boiled vegetables (Red pumpkin /Ash gourd).Cook on low heat for five minutes. Add a dash of coconut oil and serve.
7.:. Devasa morekulambu ( Tamil pepper yogurt curry) Take two pinches of cumin. Blend to a paste with three pinches of black pepper and half a handful of grated coconut.Mix in a cup of yogurt. Add half a handful of boiled native vegetables. Serve straight or simmer on a gentle flame for 5 min.
8.:. Molagu Vellam (Kerala pepper - buttermilk curry) Mix two pinches of pepper powder, a pinch of turmeric and two pinches of salt in half a cup (200 ml) of water. Bring to a boil. Mix in half a cup of yogurt and remove from fire. Served towards the end of a meal. (Consistency: Soupy).
9.: Milagu Jeera Podi (Tamil pepper - cumin powder) Heat a pan. Add half a handful of each of pepper and cumin. Stir and roast for a minute. Let cool. Blend to a coarse powder with three pinches of salt. Eat mixed with hot cooked rice, drizzled with ghee.
10.: Kaalan (Kerala Coconut – yogurt curry) Take a handful of grated coconut. Blend to a smooth paste with a pinch each of cumin, turmeric, two pinches of pepper and a little water. Mix in a cup of yogurt. Add half a handful of boiled native vegetables. Simmer on a gentle flame for 5 min.