Poricha Kozhambu / Mixed Vegetables and Lentils

 This recipe has been in Hubs' family for a while and is his favourite. Throw in some vegetables, some lentils, and a bit of coconut paste, and a lovely, aromatic kozhambu is ready. This gravy dish will go well with both rice and chappatis (rotis).

This is a common recipe in a typical Tam-Brahm household.


Ingredients

4 cups of Mixed vegetables ( I used carrots, chow-chow (chayote squash), beans, and broad beans)
1/3 cup of Tuvaram parippu (Tuvar Dal)
2 cups of water to boil vegetables
Salt to taste
1 tbsp rice flour, if necessary

For Grinding to a Paste
1/2 tbsp of Ulutham Parippu (Split Black Gram Dal)
1 tsp Milagu (Black Peppercorns)
3 dry Red Chillies
A handful of Karuvepillai (Curry Leaves)
2 tsp Oil
2 tsp Jeera (cumin seeds)
2 tbsp Coconut

For Tempering
1 tsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds


Method

1. Wash vegetables and chop them into bite sized pieces.
2. Wash the dal and add to vegetables.
3. Add 2 cups of water and pressure cook until the vegetables and dal are cooked, but not mushy. Keep aside.
4. In a pan, add 2 tsp oil and add ulutham parippu, milagu ,karuveppillai, and red chillies and roast until the parippu turns red. Turn off the flame. Dont let it burn!
5. Add jeera, coconut and the roasted mixture and grind to a smooth paste. 
6. Simmer the cooked vegetables and dal on medium flame.
7. Add salt and the prepared paste and let it all cook together.
8. If the mixture looks a bit watery, add some rice flour to water to make a paste, and add the paste to the simmering mixture.
9. Temper some mustard seeds in hot oil and add to the simmering mixture.
10. Serve hot.

Pictorial

Take your veggies

Chop them into small pieces

Wash tuvar dal and pressure cook along with the chopped veggies

Roast ulutham parippu, karuveppilai, red chillies, and milagu in a little oil

Add coconut and jeera to the roasted mixture and.....

....... grind to a smooth paste

Add to the cooked veggies-dal mixture, add some salt, and simmer for a while. Temper some mustard seeds in hot oil and add to the gravy.

Yummy Poricha Kozhambu ready.

Tips

1. You can use any firm vegetables in this recipe like brinjals, raw plantains, yam etc. You can also use watery vegetables like pumpkin, but ensure to adjust the water proportion accordingly.
2. Be careful when you roast the karuveppilai/cuury leaves. They tend to splutter in contact with oil.
   
   
   
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