Nenju Elumbu Soup or Maarkandam soup ( Lamb Rib bone soup)

When we were young On Sunday’s at 11 in the morning either we will have aattu managai , eeral soup or this nenju elumbu soup. Now all have become calorie conscious and don’t want to go to the mutton shop itself. But the medicinal value of these soups can never be replaced by any other food.
Nenjelumbu soup does not contain much fat and those who access a mutton shop to get this can can surely give this soup a try. The soup is very good when we are suffering from cold or recovering from any illness. The soup alone can be taken in a bowl and be given to kids right from the 18 month old baby.
All at home are suffering from cold due to change of climate. So I thought of making this soup. I always prefer this to chicken soup as I feel that chicken soup if taken in large quantity leads to dry cough . For the bad cold we are having, the soup was really heavenly. After taking the soup there was a great relief. So I immediately thought of sharing the recipe with my readers

Ingredients
Nenju elumbu -200gms (If not available lamb bones can be replaced)
Small onion-10 or big onion (medium size-1 )
Small tomato -1
Rice washed water-2 cups (optional) For grinding
Pepper corns-1 teaspoon
Small jeera -1 teaspoon
Dhania or dry Malli -1 ½ teaspoon
Red chili -1
Procedure
Before cooking the rice for the day, wash it and soak for 5 minutes. Drain the water and keep ready. Put the nenjelumbu, onion ,tomato and very little salt along with a teaspoon of turmeric powder in the cooker. Add the rice washed water also and cook for 10 minutes . Grind the items to be grinded in the small jar. Once the pressure goes open the cooker and add the grinded powder and allow the soup to boil for 5 minutes. There should be 4 cups of soup for this quantity ofnenjuelumbu. Dont add too much or too little water. If soup is less, water can be added and check for the correct hotness and salt. While cooking this checking is very important. If you want the soup to be little more hot, add little more milagu jeeraga powder. I hope all will have this pepper jeera powder stock at home to be used for omelet or rasam. Salt also can be added according to taste. After 5 to 6 minutes switch off the stove. Serve the soup hot. Garnish with coriander leaves while serving.

Poondu Thuvaiyal or Chutney (Side dish with garlic)

In many parts of Tamilnadu this side dish is very popular and which is not so in chettinad.My neighbors used to tell that they have to make few idly’s more if they have poondu chutney. I always had a feel that the chutney will have excess garlic flavor which will make us embarrassing while we go out due to its odd smell. So I never bothered to try it. But one of my neighbors insisted me to try this at least once. She is very dedicated in cooking that she hand grinds it each time. I told her that I can’t do so. She asked me to grind it at least in the mixi and taste. My next doubt was how much garlic I can peel to have a good amount of chutney. Garlic costs Rs 250 a kg now. Though that is not a matter to be bothered for we people, we always use less of a thing when it is off season.
I should really agree that it was delicious and mouth watering . My younger one loved it and asked me why I never used to do that chutney. I told this recipe to my elder daughter in US and she too loved it. She gets peeled big garlic there and finds it very easy to do this chutney when in a hurry. Bachelors there can buy and store the peeled garlic in the fridge and can use the chutney as a side dish for frozen chapatti as well. Little chutney will be enough for 3 or 4 idly’s. The qty of chutney will be less as the ingredients are less.
Ingredients
Whole garlic -2 or 3
Tomato -2 (medium size)
Red chili -3 or 4 (according to taste)
For seasoning
Oil (gingerly if available) – 1 table spoon
Mustard -1 teaspoon
Broken urudh dhal -1 teaspoon
Curry leaf –little
Procedure
The procedure is very simple. Note that no onions are used. Cut the tomatoes into small pieces. Keep the kadai in the stove. In little oil sauté the chilies first and remove it from the oil. Then sauté the garlic and tomatoes nicely till the garlic gets almost cooked. Finally add the salt needed and allow the mix to cool. Once it cools grind it nicely in the small jar. Even after grinding if there are small pieces of garlic inside don’t bother. It will be tasty as a whole. After removing it from the mixi season the chutney and pour it on top of the chutny and mix well till the oil gets mixed nicely into the whole chutney.

Thenkuzhal Mavu Or Murukku Mavu

Deepavali is fast approaching and the thought of what to make at home for deepavali will be running in everybody’s mind now. Whatever snack we buy outside can’t compromise the home made thenkuzhal or murukku. Chettinad snacks are very famous especially thenkuzhal, Kai murukku, Cheeppu cheedai, Mavurundai, Managolam etc.
There is difference between thenkuzhal and Kai murukku and their mavu, but for the readers sake I have mentioned as thenkuzhal or murukku as same since many know thenkuzhal as murukku only. Now days we never make Kai murukku at home and no need to bother about that. The specialty of chettinad thenkuzhal is that it won’t turn red but at the same time will be very crispy. Many are doubtful of the exact proportions and I hope the blog will be useful for those who can manage to find a mill to grind the mavu.

Ingredients
Rice -7 uzhakku or 7 cups
Broken urudh dhal -2 cups (whole urudh dhal won’t get roasted fast)

Procedure
Procedure is more important than proportions. No need to wash the rice and dry it under the sun.
Take 2 soft towels. I use eerizhai thundu or Co-optex towel. Wet the towel nicely and squeeze out the water. Take handful rice and clean it nicely with the towel and put it in a paper under the fan. Likewise clean the entire rice. Use different parts of the towel for each handful. Allow the rice to dry nicely. It will dry fast as you have not washed the rice.
The next important thing is how to roast the urudh dhal
Put the frying pan in the stove. Keep the stove in low fire. Add a handful or two of urudh dhal and roast in low fire for 5 minutes. The urudh dhal should be roasted in such a way that it should never get red at the same time be well roasted. Likewise roast the whole urudh dhal. The two cups has to be divided into 5 portions for roasting. Allow the urudh dhal to cool and mix it with the rice and take it to the mill for grinding.
While going to the mill take with you 2 cups of rice also. The thenkuzhal mavu in the mill should be grinded only after grinding rice flour or somebody else’s murukku mavu. So if you don’t see the person in the line not grinding either of these you grind the rice which you have brought. If the Thenkuzhal mavu is grinded after grinding wheat flour or ragi, it will spoil the murukku you are making.
Once the mavu is ready, things are simple .Just add enough water and salt and mix the flour. Put it in the kuzhal or press and make murukku. In chettinad we don’t add anything else to the mavu. If desired little chili powder can be added for kara murukku. No need omam or jeeragam. Those things will make the murukku burst or crack in the oil and cause danger. Enjoy the crispy murukku with family