Thayir Semiya / Curd Semiya

This is nothing but curd semiya and is a substitute for curd rice..

Ingredients:

1. Roasted Vermicelli : ½ Azhakku (1/2 cup)
2. Boiled – warm milk: 300 ml
3. A pinch of salt
4. Carrot (1 Medium sized): Grated
5. Red Chillies: 4 (Medium Sized)
6. Manga Inji / Inji (Ginger): Cut as small pieces – 1 tsp
7. Pomegranate fruit pearls: 1 tbsp (Optional)
8. Green Seedless Grapes (Optional) – 10 numbers
9. Kismis / Dry Grapes: 1 tbsp (Optional)
10. Broken Cashews: 1 tsp (Optional)
11. Curry Leaves
12. Coriander Leaves
13. Curd
14. Oil: 2 tsp
15. Ghee: 1 tsp
16. Mustard: 1 tsp
17. Asafoedita: a pinch

Preparation Procedure:

1. Pressure cook the semiya in less water by allowing 2 whistles.
2. In a big kadai, add 2 tsps oil and add mustard and while it starts spluttering, add asafoedita, red chillies, ginger pieces and carrot one by one in order allowing few seconds in between each ingredient addition.
3. Add curry leaves and a pinch of salt. Keep the stove in low flame.
4. Immediately add the cooked semiya after draining the water (if any) to the kadai and keep mixing along with the seasoned ingredients of the kadai.
5. In a small kadai, using a tsp of ghee, sauté the cashews and dry grapes till they change colour and add this to the semiya kadai.
6. Add finely cut coriander leaves.
7. Slowly add milk and keep mashing well. Do not add all the milk at one go. Keep adding and mashing.  Switch off the stove now.
8. If you are going to consume this only after 4 or 5 hours from the preparation like for lunch recipe, etc then add lot of milk (300 ml) and 1 tbsp of curd alone. If you are going to consume it immediately, then add 200 ml milk and 5 tbsps of curd and mash well.
9. You can further increase or decrease the milk quantity depending on the consistency you would require.
10. Add pomegranate and Green seedless grapes at the end and decorate it.

Bahala Bhath / Bagala Bath / Thayir Sadham

Popularity: Thayir Sadham is almost popular among every house hold. You can add more taste and flavour to Thayir Sadham by mixing some spices and vegetables..this is very common dish served in marriages, parties and buffets. Often referred to as Bahala Bhath / Bagala Bath. Iyers refer to this as Thayir Sadham and Iyengars refer to this as Dhadhionnam / Dahi Annam.

Ingredients:

1. Rice: ½ Azhakku (1/2 cup)
2. Boiled – warm milk: 300 ml
3. A pinch of salt
4. Carrot (2 Medium sized): Grated
5. Green Chilly (Big): 1 – Cut as small pieces
6. Manga Inji / Inji (Ginger): Cut as small pieces – 1 tsp
7. Pomegranate fruit pearls: 1 tbsp (Optional)
8. Green Seedless Grapes (Optional) – 10 numbers
9. Kismis / Dry Grapes: 1 tbsp (Optional)
10. Broken Cashews: 1 tsp (Optional)
11. Curry Leaves
12. Coriander Leaves
13. Curd
14. Oil: 2 tsp
15. Ghee: 1 tsp
16. Mustard: 1 tsp
17. Asafoedita: a pinch

Preparation Procedure:

1. Cook the rice in a pressure cooker by allowing more whistles than you would do for normal rice so that the rice is mash cooked.
2. In a big kadai, add 2 tsps oil and add mustard and while it starts spluttering, add asafoedita, green chillies, ginger pieces and carrot one by one in order allowing few seconds in between each ingredient addition..switch off the stove immediately as soon as you add carrot.
3. Add curry leaves and a pinch of salt.
4. Immediately add the mashed rice to the kadai and keep mixing and mashing the rice along with the seasoned ingredients of the kadai.
5. In a small kadai, using a tsp of ghee, sauté the cashews and dry grapes till they change colour and add this to the rice kadai.
6. Add finely cut coriander leaves to the mashed rice now.
7. Slowly add milk and keep mashing well. Do not add all the milk at one go. Keep adding and mashing.
8. If you are going to use the Bagala Bath only after 4 or 5 hours from the preparation like for lunch recipe, etc then add lot of milk (300 ml) and 1 tbsp of curd alone. If you are going to consume it immediately, then add 200 ml milk and 5 tbsps of curd and mash well.
9. You can further increase or decrease the milk quantity depending on the consistency you would require.
10. Add pomegranate and Green seedless grapes at the end and decorate it.

Pudalangai Thayir Pachadi / Snake Gourd Raitha

Ingredients:

1.       Pudalangai: Cut like that for preparing curry : 100 gms

2.       Salt

3.       Coriander leaves: few

4.       Mustard: 1 tsp

5.       Orid dal: ½ tsp

6.       Red Chillies: 3

7.       Oil: 2 tsp

Preparation Procedure:

1.       In a small kadai, add 1 tsp of oil.

2.       Season mustard and while it starts spluttering, add orid dal, Red Chillies and fry, when the orid dal turns golden yellow colour, add Pudalangai and sauté it on low flame till pudalangai shrinks to some extent.

3.       Keep the curd in the serving bowl along with salt and add the kadai ingredients to the serving bowl just before serving to retain the fresh taste.

4.       Garnish with very few coriander leaves.

Mangai Pachadi / Mango Raitha

Popularity:

Manga Pachadi / Mangai Vella Pachadi is the Tamizh name for Mango Raitha. Also frequently referred to as Mambazha Pachadi, this is an essential menu for Tamizh Varusha Pirappu / Tamil New Year. Also this is included as a part of the Srardham Samayal.

There is a variation when preparing this Pachadi for the New Year. Madurai based Iyers usually prepare Manga Pachadi and Veppampoo Pachadi separately for the New Year while Tanjavur based Iyers prepare Manga Veppampoo pachadi together. Iyengars also prepare this together / separately based on their family practices...

Ingredients:

1.       Raw Mango: Cut in to medium sized pieces (little smaller than Kuzhambu thaan) : 250 gms

2.       Crushed Jaggery: 300 gms

3.       Salt

4.       Red Chilly: 3

5.       Mustard: 1 tsp

6.       Oil: 1 tsp

Preparation Procedure:

1.       In a vessel, add the cut raw mangoes and a little pinch of salt and water (say 100 ml) and cook the mangoes on low flame such that it does not burn

2.       Add jaggery and little water in a vessel/kadai and make jaggery paste

3.       Add the jaggery paste to the cooked mangoes and season it with mustard and red chilly..

Yummy Manga Pachadi ready J

Vendaikkai Thayir Pachadi / Lady's Finger Raitha

Ingredients:

1.       Lady’s finger: Cut little broadly like kozhambu thaan (100 gms)

2.       Salt

3.       Coriander leaves: few

4.       Mustard: 1 tsp

5.       Orid dal: ½ tsp

6.       Red Chillies: 3

7.       Oil: 2 tsp

Preparation Procedure:

1.       In a small kadai, add 1 tsp of oil.

2.       Season mustard and while it starts spluttering, add orid dal, red chillies and fry, when the orid dal turns golden yellow colour, add ladys finger and sauté them for 2 minutes on low flame till they shrink and change colour.

3.       Keep the curd in the serving bowl along with salt and add the kadai ingredients to the serving bowl just before serving to retain the crisp taste of Ladys finger

4.       Garnish with very few coriander leaves.

Onion Raitha

Ingredients:

1.       Onion: 1 (Big)

2.       Curd: 2 Ladles

3.       Salt

4.       Coriander leaves: few

Preparation Procedure:

1.       Cut the onion in to very small pieces

2.       Add salt and allow for few minutes

3.       Add the curd just before serving and garnish with coriander leaves

Kothamalli Thayir Pachadi / Coriander Pachadi

Ingredients:

1.       Coriander Leaves: 2 Handful

2.       Coconut: 1/4 cup (grated)

3.       Green Chilly: 1/2

4.       Mustard: 1 tsp

5.       Red chilly: Small one -1

6.       Oil: 1 tsp

7.       Curd: 2 ladles

8.       Salt

Preparation Procedure:

1.       Grind the coriander, coconut and green chilly in the form of a paste.

2.       Add salt to this paste.

3.       Season the same with mustard and red chilli.

4.        Add curd to this mix and serve

Thaengai Pachadi / Coconut Pachadi

This is nothing but coconut curd pachadi / coconut raitha.

Ingredients:

1.       Coconut: 1 cup (grated)

2.       Green Chilly: 1 (Medium sized)

3.       Mustard: 1 tsp

4.       Red chilly: Small one -1

5.       Curry leaves and coriander leaves: few

6.       Oil: 1 tsp

7.       Curd: 2 ladles

8.       Salt

Preparation Procedure:

1.       Grind the coconut and green chilly in a mixer very well in the form of a paste and transfer it to a vessel.

2.       Add salt to this paste.

3.       Season the same with mustard and red chilli.

4.       Add curd and garnish with curry and coriander leaves.

Velrikkai Thayir Pachadi

Ingredients:

1.       Cucumber : 2 (cut in to very small pieces)

2.       Red chillies: 4

3.       Mustard: 1 tsp

4.       Oil: 1 tsp

5.       Salt

6.       Coriander leaves: few

7.       Curd: 2 ladles

Preparation Procedure:

1.       Take the cut cucumber in a vessel and add salt to the same and leave this aside for 15 minutes. The cucumber tends to become watery when salt is added. Filter out the water from the vessel.

2.       In a kadai, season mustard and Red chillies and add this to the salted cucumber.

3.       Add coriander leaves cut in to very fine pieces

4.       Add Curd at the end. Otherwise, the raitha / pachadi will tend to become watery.

5.       Best would be to add curd before serving.. Usually, it is a good idea to prepare the raitha / pachadi at the end of the menu just before serving so that it remains as fresh as possible and tastes good.

Carrot Thayir Pachadi

This is a very famous Pandigai Samayal recipe and is prepared for most of the nombu / poojai.

Ingredients:

1.       Carrot: 2 (Grated)

2.       Green chillies: 1 Big / 2 small (chopped in to small pieces)

3.       Mustard: 1 tsp

4.       Oil: 1 tsp

5.       Salt

6.       Coriander leaves: few

7.       Curd: 2 ladles

Preparation Procedure:

1.       Take the grated carrot in a vessel and add salt to the same.

2.       In a kadai, season mustard and green chillies and add this to the grated carrot with salt.

3.       Add coriander leaves cut in to very fine pieces

4.       Add Curd at the end. Otherwise, the raitha / pachadi will tend to become watery.

Best would be to add curd before serving..