Kadambam Rice - Simple one pot South Indian dish with vegetables galore!

Some dishes never fail to remind you of home, of the warmth of mom's touch - in short that luxurious comfort which we never thought we will leave. But life moves on, and so do we. The ache slowly is replaced by new responsibilities and in accommodating new changes in our lives - but BAM! a spoonful of that special dish, one fine day, teleports your memory cells back to the days bygone. And this is exactly what happened when I made Kadambam(mixture in Tamil) Sadam(rice)




Usually on the last day of Pongal - for Mattu pongal, we have a custom of making flavored rice like coconut rice, lemon rice etc. Few households also make this rice. It is an excellent option esp. if you like me get this sudden urge to throw everything you have in the fridge into a pot! If you like Sambar Rice and if you like Bisi Bela Bath, then this is another likable option for you, since I think this dish is between those two dishes. This is my mom's version which was given to her by her elder sister who is an excellent cook herself.

Ingredients


• 1 cup rice
  
  
• 1/2 cup Bengal gram (channa dal)
  
  
• 1 cup pigeon peas (toor dal)
  
  
• 1 tbsp tamarind paste
  
  
• approx 3 cups of mixed vegetables chopped (ex. ladies finger, taro root, potatoes, sweet potatoes, eggplants, capsicum, peas, green pumpkin, drumsticks etc)
  
  
• 1/2 - 1 tbsp Sambar powder
  
  
• salt to taste
  
  
• few sprigs of curry leaves, cilantro and 1 tsp of sesame oil/ghee for garnish
  
  

Method

1. Cook rice with 3 cups of water. Meanwhile cook both the lentils together until cooked. Set aside. Par boil the vegetables for approx 10min.



2. Mix the tamarind paste in 3 cups of water and bring to a boil in a pan. Add salt, sambar powder, curry leaves along with vegetables and let it cook for 5 min. The vegetables are par boiled since they are further cooked again here.



3. Add the lentils mixture and stir for another 2-3 min.



4.Finally add rice



and gently mix making sure not to mash the vegetables.


5.Garnish with cilantro and sesame oil/ghee and serve hot with papad.



This is my entry to Harvest : the festival of Rice event. ( Thank you siri for letting me know :) )

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Some foods are our best friends, may be not so much for our taste buds ;-) but surely deeply loved by our body. Among such is Oats. Want to know more about Oats - the types available, how to cook the different varieties etc? Check my article about the same at Daily Tiffin

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Puran Poli - Unique and only one of its kind!

It looks like a flatbread but the similarity stops right there. Known by various names like Poli(Tamil), Obbattu(Kannada) and Bobbattu (Telugu), this traditional sweet dish is made for festive occasions. But festive or not, we enjoy Poli even on an ordinary day - that much is its love in our home. Until about a year back, I was not aware of another variation to poli where the stuffing is made using powdered sugar instead of the Jaggery which is what I grew up with. Variation nevertheless, it is one dish which will blow your mind however you make it.



This is made for quite a bunch of occasions like Pongal,Avani Avittam etc. I made it on the day of Boghi which is the first day of Pongal. Dont even think of cutting out the ghee! Forget your diets when having a bite of this - you can always starve yourselves the next day! ;-)

Ingredients


• 1 cup all purpose flour/Maida (sifted)
  
  
• 1 cup bengal Gram Dal
  
  
• 1 cup grated jaggery (remove stones/dust etc)
  
  
• 1/2 cut grated coconut, fresh preferred ( but incase of non availibility, forzen can be used too. Thaw it first)
  
  
• 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
  
  
• pinch of turmeric
  
  
• approx 1-2 tbsp broken cashews
  

Method

1.Mix flour, turmeric and 1 tbsp of vegetable oil(optional), mix well and add water as needed to make into a soft pliable dough.



2.Set aside covered with a cloth.



3.Meanwhile in a saucepan, boil bengal gram in 2 cups of water until soft.



4.Drain the lentil well and then drop it back into the saucepan along with jaggery, coconut and cardamom powder. Mix well until the jaggery melts and all the ingredients come together into one harmonious mass.



5.Cool it lightly and then grind this mixture in food processor without adding any water. Toast the cashews (dry roast/in ghee) and then add it to the lentil-jaggery mixture.



6.Now take a small lime sized ball from the dough.Roll it out into a small circle.



7.Similarly make a small ball from the lentil mixture and place it in the middle of the dough.



8.Bring the end of the dough to the center on top of the lentil mixture,pinch them together and then press it down into a flatbread.



9.Now lightly roll it out into a flatbread. It does not matter if a circle is not perfect. You can roll it as thinly or as thick you desire.



10.PLace it a griddle, spoon some ghee all around it and cook until golden brown.

11.Turn it around and similarly cook until golden brown/reddish.



12.It is good on its own although a little ghee on top makes it irresistable.