Peerkangai Thogayal \ Beerakaya Pachadi\ Ridgegourd Thogayal

In this version, the thogayal is made with the inner flesh of the vegetable not with its skin. Mostly we make this Thogayal when we really bored of the regular Sambar, Rasam varieties. With a side of some papads, this thogayal rice is very tasty.

Ingredients

Fresh Ridge Gourd -  1 Big

Urad Dal \ Mina Pappu -  21\2 tsp

Tamarind -- 1 small pinch

Dry Red Chilli --- 4

Cumin Seeds --- 1 tsp

Hing \ Asafoetida -- 1 Dash

Salt - To Taste

Oil -- 1 tbsp

Mustard Seeds - 2 tsp

Curry Leaves -- 3

Method

• Peel the skin of the Ridge Gourd and cut the flesh of the vegetable into smaller pieces and keep them ready.
• In a kadai, add half a tbsp of oil and add Hing, 2 tsp of Urad Dal, tamarind, dry red chillies and fry them well first. When it turns into golden brown, transfer them to a mixer grinder.
• In the same kadai, fry the Ridge Gourd pieces for few minutes and transfer them to the mixer grinder.
• When the Ridge Gourd pieces reduce in size and becomes little soggy, its mostly well fried and cooked.
• Grind the contents in the mixer grinder with required amount of salt. When its done, transfer the Thogayal into a small bowl.
• In the same kadai, add little bit of oil. When it gets heated, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, half tsp of Urad Dal and 3 or 4 curry leaves and finish the tempering process.
• Pour them over the Thogayal and mix it well. Now the Peerkangai Thogayal is ready to eat.

Tips

Try to taste a small pinch of  raw Ridge Gourd before actually making the Thogayal. If its bitter, then it will totally spoil the Thogayal taste. So, don't proceed in this case.

Karadaiyan Nombu Adai / Karadayan Nombu Adai

Karadaiyan Nombu Adai / Karadayan Nombu Adai

Karadaiyan Nombu Adais are made in two different tastes. One variety is the sweet adai made with jaggery and the other variety is the salty one. Both tastes very good with a side of some fresh butter.

For both the Adais, soak the red karamani / red moth for 30 minutes and cook them separately and keep ready.

Sweet Adai Preparation :

Ingredients :

Rice Flour -  1 Cup

Rice Rava - 1 Cup

Crushed Jaggery - 1.5 Cups

Cardamom Powder - 1 tsp

Cooked karamani / Red moth - 1/2 cup

Fresh Coconut Flakes - 2 tbsp

Method

• In a big cooking pan, dry roast the rice rava and rice flour till you get a nice aroma. Add some water and allow the rice mix to get cooked to three fourth. Keep it ready.
• In a separate vessel, make the jaggery syrup. The Syrup need not be thick and its enough if the jaggery is completely dissolved. Add the cardamom powder, coconut flakes, cooked karamani seeds into the jaggery syrup and pour them over the rice mix.
• Mix them well without lumps and allow the sweet adai dough to cool for few minutes.
• Then, rub the hands with some ghee and make round adais using the cooled dough. Put a small round in the middle and complete making adais using the same process.
• Steam cook all these adais in a pressure cooker or in any other cooking pan.
• While steam cooking the adais, switch off the flame when the adais start sweating slightly which indicates that they are steam cooked perfectly.
• Transfer them into a flat plate or flat container. Continue the same process for the rest of the dough too...

Salt Adai Preparation :

Ingredients

Rice Flour - 1 Cup

Rice Rava - 1 Cup

Salt - To Taste

Mustard Seeds - 2 tsp

Hing / Asafoetida - 1 Dash

Cooked Karamani - 1/2 Cup

Fresh Coconut Flakes - 2 tbsp

Grated Ginger - 1 tsp

Green chillies - 2 Medium ( cut into small squares )

Curry Leaves - 5 or 6

Oil - 2 tsp ( Just for tempering )

Method

• In a big cooking pan, dry roast the rice rava and rice flour together till you get a nice aroma and keep them separately.
• In the same pan, add oil first. When its heated, add Hing, mustard seeds, green chillies, grated ginger, curry leaves. When tempering is done, add the cooked karamani seeds along with fresh coconut flakes to the cooking pan. Add the dry roasted rice flour mix too into the kadai.
• Add 3.5 cups of water and required amount of salt. Close the lid and allow them cooked to three fourth.
• When its done, switch off the flame and let the dough cools down.
• When its cool enough to make adais, make salt adais following the same method we do and steam cook the salt adais too. 

Tips / Variations

Its always better to follow the old method of making rice flour while making these Karadaiyan Nombu Adais. Soak the raw rice in water for few minutes and dry the soaked rice in a thin muslin cloth. When its dried, make a coarse rice powder using a mixer grinder. If we make use of this special rice powder while making the adais, it would be softer and more tastier than using regular rice flour / rice rava.

For my convenience, I used the mix of Rice Flour and Rice Rava that are readily available. Somehow I like coarse adais than thick, pasty adais. So I combined Rice Rava with Rice Flour in my process. But you can alter this according to your taste buds.