Tirunelveli Sodhi / திருநெல்வேலி சொதி - A traditional Tirunelveli curry- Step by step

 This is one of the dishes,which I enjoyed during my vacation at Tirunelveli. We have a cook ,who's name is "Murugan Anna". He is very talented and passionate cook. He was taking care of us very well. Rohith and Ashwath will always run around him and pesture him to prepare juice,food etc. He will always treat us royally.Whatever it is, he will always do the job religiously and do it professionally. He taught me this traditional dish of  "Tirunelveli". It is also called " Mapillai Sodhi", as it is served for marriage occasions. Sodhi goes very well with ginger thuvayal and potato curry (Urulai kaara kari) . I would also like to thank "Vanraj " anna for helping me to take pictures . Lovely peopleto be  around.

  

 



 



Ingredients:

For the curry :

1. Moong dal                -      1/4 cup

2.Carrot                        -       1

3.Potato                        -        1(big)

4.Drumstick                 -        1

5.Beans                        -       5

5.a.Tomato                   -         1 (chopped)

6.First Coconut milk    -     1 cup

7.Second coconut milk - 1 1/2 cup

8.Salt                             -    to taste

 

For grinding:

1.Green chillies         -       3

2.Cumin seeds           -       1 tsp

 

For tempering:

1.Oil                         -        2 tsp

2.Mustard seeds       -        1/2 tsp

3.Cumin seeds         -         1/2 tsp

4.Curry leaves         -         a hand full

 

Method:

Wash and cut the veges as in the picture.Take coconut milk and keep in separate bowls. Take a pan, add washed moon dal and second coconut milk . Let the moong dal cook in medium flame, till it is mushy. Always use less moong dal ,as its just used to thicken the curry. Now add the veges in the pan and let it cook well.



After 5 - 10 minutes, all the veges would have cooked. Now add cubed tomato.Let the tomatoes get cooked.Meamwhile , take green chilly and cumin seeds in a blender and grind it well.



After the veges are cooked,dump in the grinded masala into the curry. Let the raw smell of the green chillies get eliminated. Adjust salt to taste.Now turn off the stove . Pour the first coconut milk into the curry .

 

 

Finally, take another pan,add oil and temper with mustard seeds,cumin seeds and curry leaves. Pour the tempering into the curry. Have it with steamed hot rice.

 

Notes:

The curry will be bit runny only.But it is so flavourfull.Don't add first coconut milk, when the stove is on, if not the coconut milk will curdle. Moong dal ,has to be added very little.We can add veges of our choice, but traditionally, these are veges, which are used in the curry. We can alter the amount of green chillies according to our taste.

 

Kronuts - A combination of doughnuts and croissants - Baking Partner's Challenge

      When Swathi of "Zesty South Indian Kitchen" announced this month's challenge, I was so impressed with the recipe. Actually these kronuts was first introduced by "Cronut 101 " bakery in NY. People used to stand in big queue to have a bite.This is a cross over product of croissants and doughnuts. The use of pastry sheet and yeast is the result of these beautiful kronuts. These kronuts are prepared in 3 days. The first day , the dough is prepared.T he second day butter is incorporated in the dough. And the final day it is punched out and fried. The kronuts are then tossed in cinnamon sugar blend ,frosted with chocolate glaze and then filled with pastry cream. The process is bit lengthy ,but the outcome is so yumm.

 Recipe source  : Bootleg `cronut

Yield : 16 kronuts

Ingredients:

For the dough:

1.All purpose flour - 510g / 3.75 cups ( more for dusting the work table)

2.salt                      -7g / 1teaspoon

3.sugar                   - 100g / 1/2cup

4.milk                      -150g /1/2 cup+2 tablespoon

5.Rapid rise yeast   - 1 packet / active dry yeast/ instant yeast/ 2 ¼ teaspoon

6.jumbo eggs          -  2 (If you are using large eggs use 3)

7.Unsalted butter     -  50g / 3.5 tablespoon

For butter layer :

1.unsalted butter 295g/1 1/4cup+1/2 tablespoon (2 sticks and little more than a ½ stick) (if you can find European style butter like plugra that will be good)

For frying :

1.Canola oil  -  2-4 cup

2.Water         - 200 g for brushing on the top

3.Cinnamon sugar - (400g sugar and 100 g cinnamon)

 

For the Pastry cream

1. Whole milk       - 3 cups
2. Sugar              -  1/2 cup
3. Salt                   -   1/4 teaspoon
4. vanilla extract   -   2 teaspoons or Vanilla Crush; or 1/2 vanilla bean, slit lengthwise
5. Cornstarch      -   1/4 cup
6. King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour  - 1 tablespoon 
7.  Egg yolks       -  4 large
8.  Butter               -  1/4 cup (1/2 stick)
9.  Heavy cream   -   1 cup  whipped to soft peaks
   
   

For chocolate glaze:
 1.semisweet chocolate chips - 1/2 cup
 2. butter                                   -  2 tablespoons

 3. light corn syrup                    - 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon

 4.vanilla extract                        - 1/4 teaspoon

Method:

The process is carried out over three days. irst day,we are preparing the dough, second day ,we incorporate the butter and third day the kronuts are fried.First day,start the process in the evening.Bring the eggs and  butter to room temperature. Take a microwave safe bowl, add milk and heat it for 30 seconds.Now add the butter to the milk.This way the butter is melted in the milk.Take a mixing bowl ,add flour,salt,rapid rise yeast and sugar.Mix them well.Now add the eggs( it shold be whisked)  to the mixing bowl.Now slowly add the milk- butter mixture to the mixing bowl.Start kneading the dough.At first,the dough will be sticky ( don't try to add anything like flour or oil now).Knead for atleast 15 minutes, by now the butter will be incorporated in the the dough and it will not be sticky now.It will be shiny. 

Now transfer the dough to a greased bowl and cover it with a cling wrap.Slit the cling wrap in the middle for the dough to breath.Let it rise for an hour in a warm place. Now it would have doubled in size. Refrigerate the dough covered overnight.

Second day :

 Now its time to prepare the pastry cream. In a pan, add 2 1/2 cups of  milk,sugar and salt.Bring it to simmer over medium heat untill the sugar is dissolved.In a separate bowl,add remaining 1/2 cup milk,cornstorch,flour and egg yolks.Whisk them to get a smooth batter.Now add some hot milk mixture to the bowl and mix it well.This prevents the egg from scraambling.Pour the egg mixture back to the simmering milk.Constantly stir ,untill it thickens like custard.Add vanilla extract to the mix.

Now grase a cling wrap with butter and cover the surface of the custard .This way ,the skin is not formed.Cool it completely.Now whisk the heavy cream to soft peak and whisk it to the cooled custard mixture.Now our pastry cream is ready for filling.We can keep it refrigerated,untill needed.

 

Preparing the butter layer:

The next day, cut the cold butter 295g lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick slabs. Arrange the pieces on a piece of parchment or waxed paper to form a 5- to 6-inch square, cutting the butter crosswise as necessary to fit. Top with another piece of parchment or waxed paper. With a rolling pin, pound the butter with light, even strokes. As the pieces begin to adhere, use more force. Pound the butter until it’s about 4 x 6 inches square and then trim the edges of the butter. Put the trimmings on top of the square and pound them in lightly with the rolling pin. Place in refrigerator to cool for at least 2 hours.

 

Unwrap and lay the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Roll into a 10-1/2-inch square. Brush excess flour off the dough. Remove the butter from the refrigerator. If not, refrigerate a bit longer.

 Unwrap and place the butter on the dough so that the points of the butter square are centered along the sides of the dough. Fold one flap of dough over the butter toward you, stretching it slightly so that the point just reaches the center of the butter. Repeat with the other flaps. Then press the edges together to completely seal the butter inside the dough. (A complete seal ensures butter won’t escape.).

Now fold the dough from left to right till the centre. Again fold it like a book.Now similarly, fold the dough again for 4 turns ,for every turn, refigerate the dough for atleast for 1 hour. This way the butter is incorporated in the butter very well. While doing your turns, if the dough becomes sticky, then immediately refrigerate .Use lot of flour for dusting .The fourth or final turn will be difficult,as the dough will become too big.But don't skip it,because this is essential in getting flaky layers. When we are done with the 4 turns,wrap the dough on a clear wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Third day :

On the third day , Unwrap the dough and roll it into a rectangle of 1/2 inch thickness . If the dough starts to stick ,then refigerate it . Now take cookie cutter or a bottle cap and punch out a big circle of 3 1/2 inch thickness and punch a innercircle using a smaller cookie cutter of 1 1/2 inch and punch out the inner circle. I used  a pepper shaker's cap.

Now place the punched out doughnuts and doughnuts's holes on a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Always punch the doughnuts ,when the dough is cold ,if not the kronuts will not fry straight.Brush the top of the kronuts with water.At this point, the original recipe calls for pasting 2 kronuts together ,one above the other.But I didn't do that.The kronuts should be thick,if not it will become too crisp while frying. The ultimate goal is to make thick kronuts. Now place the cookie sheet in a warm place for proofing for 30 minutes.Once the kronuts are proofed,pop it in the refrigerator for 1 hour or in freezer for 15 minutes.

Now take a pan and oil upto 3 inch.Bring the oil to high heat and now turn it to medium low.We can test the oil ,by throwing a pinch of dough ,it should foam now. Now slowly drop the kronuts 1 or 2 at a time. Cook slowly ,by truning around to get a evenly coloured kronut.Strain it on a hand towel ,untill it shreds all the excess oil. Let the kronuts cool completely. In a mixing bowl,add cinnamon powder and sugar and shake it. Once the kronuts are cooled completely, toss them in .

Preparing chocolate glaze:
Mean while,we can preapre the choclate glaze.Take a microwave safe bowl,add chocolate chip,butter and corn syrup.Pop it in the microwave and heat it for 30 seconds.Mix it well, to get a shiny glaze.If the chocolate is not melted, then we can heat it for another 10 seconds.

Now take the prepared pastry cream out of the fridge to attain room temperature.Arrange the fried kronuts on a tray.Dip the kronuts in the chocolate glaze and sprinkle coloured sprinklers.Now take a piping bag with round tip (wilton tip number 3), fill the pastry cream ,by poking holes around the kronuts.

Initially, the kronuts will be bit crisp after frying.But when we inject pastry cream,it will become soft.The inner will be chewy and the outer layer will be bit crispy.On the whole its worth the effort ,we put for preparing the kronuts.Rohith completely enjoyed the kronuts.

 

Check other partner's kronuts

Whole Wheat Bread using Tangzhong method - Fluffy and moist.- step by step

Wheat bread is my family's favourite now. Initially, H was not comfortable, but as he started tasting it , he nodded his head ,as a signal to go ahead. We don't feel guilty ,as it with white bread. When Swathi of "Zesty south Indian kitchen" gave us a challenge using tangzong method. Prepared dil pasand with it.Had half the tangzhong paste with me.So didn't want to waste it,used it to prepare wheat bread ,which she gave us. It was perfect and moist.

 

 

 

(Adapted from Christine's Recipes)

Prep time: 10 mins 

 Cook time: 170 mins 

Yield: 1 loaf（one loaf tin sized 20.5cmx10.5cmx9.5cm）

 

Ingredients:
* 110 gm milk 
* 45 gm whisked egg 
* 100 gm Tangzhong 
* 40 gm sugar 
* 5 gm salt 
* 200 gm bread flour 
* 150 gm whole wheat flour 
* 6 gm instant dry yeast 
* 40 gm unsalted butter, softened at room temperature 

Method: 
 Whisk the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer (if you are using a bread maker, add the ingredients according to the instructions of your bread maker. Note: use your bread maker only for the mixing/kneading stage/first rise).  

 Add the milk, egg, and the tangzhong into the dry ingredients. 



Mix until the ingredients come together, and then knead until it forms dough. Add the butter and continue to knead and medium/high speed until the dough becomes smooth and elastic and no longer sticky. 
                                       
To test the dough, pull it until it forms sort of a thin membrane.  This could take up to 20 minutes.

                                       

4. Place the dough into an oiled bowl or dough rising bucket, cover with plastic wrap or a wet cloth , and let it rise until doubled. The original recipe said 40 minutes, but my first rise took 2 hours.  

    

 On a floured surface, deflate the dough . Cover with plastic wrap and allow it rest for 15 minutes
. 
                                       
Take a piece and, using a rolling pin, roll out into an long oval shape. 
                                       

         Fold the dough from left to right 

                                       

Fold it again from the other side

  

Again fold it from the sides, so that ,we are folding all the edges.

 

Now the edges are completely covered.Now tuck the folded edges down.Let it rise again in a oiled bread pan for another 30 - 40 minutes.Now the dough would have rised to 3/4 of the tin's height.

Place the dough in a pan and brush it with some milk or egg.Keep the proofed dough in a pre heated oven at 350 defrees farenhiet.

Bake for 30 - 35 minutes , or until tooth pick comes out clean.Cool the bread completely on a wire rack and slice it.

Enjoy this wheat bread for your break fast,so nutritious and yummy.



 

Chettinadu Chinna urulai roast / Chettinadu baby potatoes fry / செட்டிநாடு சின்ன உருளை ரோஸ்ட்

Chettinadu region is well known for its dishes. Baby potatoes  are marinated with masala and roasted .Here comes a simple yet scrumptious dish. I saw this recipe here. Though I book marked it , couldn't do it asap. Prepared this recently and hence the post. When I saw baby potatoes at walmart , couldn't refrain myself  from getting it.The only thing has to be noted is, masala should get into the potatoes very well.So prick the holes ,in a way that the masala will get in the potatoes. This fry goes very well with sambar rice,curd rice or just with rasam saadham.

 Ingredients:

1.  Baby potatoes - 1/2 Kg
2. Curry Leaves   - handfull
3. Oil - 3 tsp
4. Ghee - 1 Tbsp

For grinding:

1. Onion - 1/2
2. Ginger - 1/2"
3. Garlic - 1 clove
4. Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
5. Coriander  Powder - 1 tsp
6. Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp
7. Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
8. Lemon Juice - 1 tsp (or) Curd - 2 Tbsp
9. Salt to taste

Method: 

 

* Wash the potatoes very well. Prick with a fork all over them.
* Grind the masala ingredients together without water .Add very little water if needed.
* Mix the masala, 1 tsp oil and potatoes. Marinate for a couple of hours (or overnight in the fridge).
* Heat a pressure pan and add marinated potatoes to it.
* Add a little water (1/4 cup) and pressure cook for 1 whistle.
* Meanwhile, fry the curry leaves in ghee and keep it aside.

 

* Take another pan, add oil and transfer the cooked potatoes with the masala to it.
* Cook on medium heat ,till the potatoes are roasted well.It should be fried evenly.
* Serve  with curd rice.

 

Paal Kozhukattai with coconut milk / பால் கொழுக்கட்டை - Vinayagar Chathurthi special / with stepwise pictures

 Paal kozhukattai is a sweet prepared using rice flour. Rice flour is made into small balls and cooked in coconut milk. there are so many types of  kozhukattais like ,pidi kozhukattai,poorna kozhukattai,paal kozhukattai, modhagam,ammini kozhukattai. Out of all,this is my fav kozhukattai. Adding coconut milk gives very good flavor to the sweet.

 

 

Ingredients:

1. Idiyappam flour      -      3/4 cup

2.Sugar                      -       3/4 cup + 1 tsp

3.First coconut milk  -       1/2 cup

4.Second coconut milk-     1 cup

5.Whole milk              -      1 cup

6.Water                       -       1 cup

7.Salt                           -       a pinch

8.Oil                            -       few drops

9.Cardamom powder   -       1/4 tsp

 

 Method:

We can either use store bought idiyappam flour or home made. Just soak rice for half an hour and dry it under shade. When the rice is 80% dry , grind it into fine powder. Sieve the flour well. Dry roast the flour in a pan. Now the flour is ready to use. Take a pan, add idiyappam flour,salt ,1 tsp sugar,1/2 cup of whole milk and 1 cup of water .Whisk everything together well. There should not be any lumps.Reason for adding sugar here, is the kozhukattais will have the sweetness inside.

 

On a medium flame, cook the mixture ,until it gathers like a ball. When we touch the batter with our wet hands,it should be able to make balls. Then this is the right consistency.By now, the idiyappam flour should be cooked almost.

Now grease our hands and make small balls out of the cooked mixture.Let the kozhukattais are small in shape.This way, it will allow the coconut milk to enter into the kozhukattai easily. One of my friend ,gave a good tip.While rolling,we can just insert one sugar candy (Kalkandu ) in each ball. So when the ball is cooked in coconut milk, the sugar candies will melt and infuse the sweetness into the kozhukattais. Since I didn't have them handy ,skipped that step.But in future,will try to make it.

Firat coconut milk  can be prepared by,grinding the coconut pieces in a blender adding warm water .Now strain the coconut milk using a strainer. This is first milk. Now add some more water to the strained coconut and grind it again. Now strain the second milk .Now ,in a pan, add the remaining whole milk and second coconut milk. Bring it to boil .Don't add the first coconut milk, now. It may curdle during boiling.

 

Bring the milk and coconut milk mixture to a boil on medium heat. Now add the kozhukattais .Using a spoon, slowly mix them, so that they will not touch each other.

Dump in the sugar and mix it well. Sugar has to melt in the mixture well.We can increase or decrease the amount of sugar according to our taste.

Now ,when the kozhukattais are cooked well, we can see that they have a glossy texture .Turn off the stove .

At last add the first coconut milk and crushed cardamom powder to the paal kozhukattai. Serve it warm .Sure everyone in the family will like this kozhukattai.

 

                                                         Happy Vinayagar Chathurthi !!!