To season
Bay leaf-a small piece
Fennel seeds-1 teaspoon
Pepper corns-1 teaspoon
Cinnamon-2 small pieces
Cardamom-2
Clove-2
Curry leaf-little
Ghee-1 teaspoon
Procedure
Cut the onions and tomatoes into small pieces. Split the chilies. If you use a small pressure cooker for making the soup it is just a 5 minutes work in the kitchen. Keep the cooker in the stove. Season the soup in a teaspoon of ghee with the items given in ‘to season’. The little ghee used will give a wonderful flavor for the soup. I am always calorie conscious and rarely use ghee. But for the soup, I always prefer ghee. After seasoning, add the onions, chilies and tomatoes item by item and sauté nicely. After 5 minutes add the dhal and mix nicely. Now pour 2 cups of water into the cooker. Add a pinch of turmeric powder and the salt required. Close the cooker and put the weight. Now reduce the flame to very low and switch off the stove after 10 minutes. When the pressure is gone open the cooker and smash the tomato and onion pieces nicely with a ladle. Now add enough water (to the consistency in which you want the soup).At least 3 cups of water can be added. Check for the salt and boil the soup for 5 more minutes without closing the cooker. If the children at home do not want to have the tomato pieces in the soup, Pour the soup into a strainer and squeeze off the tomato and onion pieces. To the clear soup obtained add chopped coriander leaves and serve.

This item, I hope will be a well known recipe in all communities in South India .I also found many blogs on this gravy. As usual the chettinad recipe is little bit different from them. This kuzhambu will be there during all chettiar marriage lunch. I usually find this recipe very handy as it does not demand too many ingredients. Tomatoes will always be there in every home. Garlic and onion also will be there. So we can make a tasty gravy out of this which will go excellent with rice as well as idly or dosa. For packed lunch also this gravy will be good. My children don’t like the taste of packed sambar rice as it will get thicker after some time. So I always prefer this gravy for packing lunch.


Ingredients to grind
Cocunut-2 to 3 table spoons
Cumin seeds-1 teaspoon
Fennel seeds-1 teaspoon
Kaskas-1 teaspoon
Cashew nut or pottukadalai-5
Cardamom-1
Clove-1
Cinnamon-small piece
Garlic-3 pods
Small onion-5Ingredients for the gravy
Tomatoes-3 to 4
Small onion-20
Garlic-10 pod
Coriander powder-1 table spoon
Sambar powder-1 table spoon
Tamarind-little (qty used for sambar)

Procedure
Pour 1 teaspoon oil in a kadai and roast all the items given in to grind. Grind them to a smooth paste.
Remove the skin of tomatoes by boiling it for 2 minutes or put the tomatoes in hot water for 5 minutes and take off the skin. Those who have microwave can microwave it for a minute. Peel of the skin and smash it using a spoon.
Mince the onion and garlic
For the gravy, pour two tablespoon oil in the kadai. Season the gravy with a small piece of cinnamon, a cardamom, a teaspoon of fennel seeds and little curry leaves. Now add the minced onion and garlic pieces and sauté for few minutes, add the smashed tomatoes also. Soak the tamarind and the salt required in two cups of water. After some time squeeze off the tamarind and add 1 table spoon coriander powder and 1 table spoon sambar powder into that water and pour into the kadai. Allow the gravy to boil for 5 minutes. Now mix the grinded paste in half a cup of water and add that also into the gravy. Half close the kadai and allow the gravy to cook for 8 to 10 minutes in low fire. The gravy should become semisolid. Before switching off the stove a tablespoon of gingili oil if added will give good flavor to the gravy.If desired the gravy can be garnished with coriander leaves while serving

I doubt whether any other community is specialized in making this podimas like chettiars. Unlike all the other non vegetarian dishes made in chettinad this dish is totally non spicy. Children just love this. As people became calorie conscious, they started realizing the high cholesterol content in this dish and as a result now a days this podimas has almost vanished from chettinad homes. But those who have tasted the dish will really crave for it. In our home also we very rarely have mutton. I really wanted to make the world know about this mouth watering chettinad special. So after a very long time I prepared this at home. All at home are making fun of me telling that just because of cookery blogs they get a chance to taste these dishes. This will taste excellent with Rasam Ingredients
Minced mutton-1/4 kg
Minced onion-1/2 cup
Green chillies-2
Ginger garlic paste-1 teaspoon
Egg-1
Grated coconut-2 table spoon
Bengal gram (Kadalai paruppu) boiled-2 table spoons
Method
Pressure cooks the minced mutton along with 1 teaspoon red chili powder, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon salt and ginger garlic paste. Add 1 ½ cups of water also. Cook for 12 minutes in medium flame. Once the pressure is released open the cooker. Using a strainer drain the excess water out of the mutton.Place a kadai in the stove. Pour 1 tablespoon oil. Put 2 small pieces of cinnamon, little curry leaf and the splinted green chilly. Sauté for a minute. Now add the minced onion. Sauté till the onions turn transparent. Now add 1/2 teaspoon chili powder and the salt needed. Remember that you added salt while cooking meat also. Add little strained water. Cook till the water content is gone. Now break the egg and add to the minced meat and stir with a spatula fast such that the egg gets scrambled nicely. Now add the boiled kadailai paruppu and grated coconut. Sauté for two more minutes. Switch off the stove. If desired the dish can be garnished with coriander leaves while serving