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Wednesday, March 25, 2009

True Achi's Kuzhambu Milagai Thool

I always think that much of the taste of chettinad dishes is mainly due to the all in one kuzhambu milagai thool that is used there.At this point I want to bring to your notice that in chettinad cooking they use just this milagai thool for all dishes even for the non-veg.But now-a days as a slight modification we have started using coriander powder and chili powder.When I got married my parents were in Kerala and myself in Tamilnadu.Sometimes I used to run out of stock of the all in one kuzhambu milagai thool.at that time I still remember My mom telling me the measurement easily which I still follow.She used to tell me take 2 qty milagai in a container which can hold 4 cups of rice if you don't have a padi .For that add 1 qty Coriander seeds.1/3 qty pepper,cumin,fennel seeds 1 hand full thoor dhal and fenu greek.For the sake of the new ones to the kitchen I clearly give the measurements here
Coriander seeds-1 kg (3 padi)
Red chillies-1/2 kg(6 padi)
Small jeera(cumin seeds)-200gms (1 tumbler)
Fennel seeds - 200gms (1 tumbler)
Pepper corns(milagu)- 200gms (1 tumbler)
Fenugreek seeds-1/4 tumbler(50 gms)
Thoor dhal-100 gms(1/2 cup) non-vegetarians can avoid this
Usually turmeric powder and raw rice 1/2 cup each is added but I don't use it as I find the powder getting spoiled fast
Dry all the items in bright sun for a day or two and get it grounded to a smooth powder from a grinding mill
Those who don't have a grinding mill near by can take a very small cup and use the above measurement ratio and try grinding in a mixie.Those who cant dry it in the sun can keep in the microwave for a minute.
Many of my readers wanted this recipe since a long time and sorry for the delay

61 comments:

Kayal said...

Great sharing aachi. In my house they have a different proportion and I guess the ingredients are the same. Even for me my mom used to grind it and send it to me every time. I never take that hassle work.

FH said...

Sounds great Solai, I must make some. Thanks for posting, glad to see you back! :)

Cilantro said...

In our household we do not have the single podi and instead use different ones for different dishes with sambar powder ruling over the others. I would try this Milagai thool. Thanks for sharing.

Cham said...

My mon uses the same ingred for Kuzhambu thool except the ratio of millagai is less. We were eating less spicy!
Whenever I come India, They pack me, If i run out only chili pw and coriand will substitute. Good one aunty!

Raji said...

Thanks a lot for sharing Aachi, I had been using only the store bought ones till now, will surely make this at home now.

Indian Khana said...

That's a secret reveal....want to check with you ...is the measurement for coriander seeds and chilli is rite??

Solai Chidambaram said...

Yes priti For 2 measurements of Chilli one measurement of corriander

Sneha said...

Aachi, I dont have a padi.Can you please kindly mail me the propotion for 400 grams Chilli and 200 grams coriander seeds.I want to make a small portion.I will buy exact 400: 200 grams packets of Chilli : coriander seeds from the grocery shop is USA.Please give me the other propotions for this given quantity of Chilli:coriander seeds.

Thanks a lot for your help and pls keep posting.

Solai Chidambaram said...

Dont get mistaken sneha get 400 corriander and 200 red chillies

Solai Chidambaram said...

For 400gms of corriander 200gms of chilli 100gms pepper corns 100gms cumin 100 gm fennel 25 gm fenu greek and 50 gms thoor dhal(optional)
As you are in US keep each item in microwave in a plate without covering for a minute or dry roast one by one in a kadai(for 5 minutes) and grind in a mixie.

Sneha First try with 100gms chilli proportion.That itself will be 5 cups of chilli.for that add 200gms corriander that will be nearly 3 cups.50 gms each of fennel,cumin,pepper and two table spoon fenugreek.Make very small qty first and let me know how it was sneha

maxo said...

Aachi - Thanks for being one shop reference for Chettinad Recipes.

Can you pls share the receipe for Kola Urundai Kozhambu

maxo said...

Also it would be of immense help if you could share the Authentic Mutton Biriyani Recipe

Solai Chidambaram said...

Maxo, I have already given the kola urundai kuzhambu(veg) under vegetable curries.Mutton kola urundai kuzhambu I will blog shortly

Sneha said...

Thank you very much Akka.I'll let you know once it is done.

Anonymous said...

Achi,
I am going to try your recipes this week. Can you please also share our traditional chettinad recipes for side dishes for Idli/Dosai like Vengaya Kosu, Kosumalli etc.,

Solai Chidambaram said...

Meena check the side dish section.All the recipes have been blogged last year itself

nirupa said...

if u dont mind plz post ur milagai thool wieghtage in tsp and tbspoons plz... help

nirupa said...

or weightage atleast in cups

Solai Chidambaram said...

I dont understand what you mean Niru.You want the ingredients weightage?.I have mentioned that you can take any cup.In that 2:1 chilli corriander and 1/3 other items except fenugreek and thoor dhal.Very simple.Dont be afraid .sure it will come out well.Go ahead with any container you have

Unknown said...

Hi, Appreciate your recipes. One question on the chillies. Is it gundu molaga (round red chillies)or neetu molaga (thin long ones). Guess it doent matter. Just curious whats used in Chettinad houses.

Ravi

Solai Chidambaram said...

Ravi,We usually use gundu milagai for the sambar powder but incase you dont get it you can very well use the long one.Gundu milagai is supposed to give more powder

Poornima said...

Achi, usually amma packs me all powders when i come to india.i have noted this recipe for future use.the idly podi got over, can u pls post the recipe for it,i want to try make little, we dont like the store bought idly podi.
Thank you very much!

Raj kondareddy said...

Aachi,

Can you please give me a Rasa Podi recipe?

Thanks,
Raj.

Lalita said...

Hello Aunty,

Its mentioned in comments section as 400 gms coriander and 200 gms chilli........

However in the recipe above , its mentioned coriander 3 padi, red chilli 6 padi ..........

which one is correct ?
Please help.
Please write 500 gms .....for half kgs ....

.....because aunty "1/2 kg" is confusing ......

Lalita said...

Hello Aunty,

Its mentioned in the comments section as 400 gms coriander and 200 gms chilli........

However in the recipe above , its mentioned coriander 3 padi, red chilli 6 padi ..........

which one is correct ?
Please help.
Please write 500 gms .....for half kgs ....

Solai Chidambaram said...

Lalita,both correct only.If you are going to a shop to buy the ingredients,you should know the weight right.That is why I have given both ways.If you have padi use that.It will be perffect measurement.You can use any other padi like thing also.

Unknown said...

hi aachi
u r absolutely fantastic
ur navratna kuruma is simply superb
small doubt
i just want to make fresh podi
then is the following will be fine
let me know thanks
Red chilli 3 in number
Coriander seeds 1 tsp
Small jeera(cumin seeds)-1 tsp
Fennel seeds – 1 tsp
Pepper corns(milagu)- 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds-1/2 tsp
Thoor dhal-1/2 tsp

Solai Chidambaram said...

varsha,Take a small cup and follow the measurements

Unknown said...

hi aachi
well i am in uk
do i have to microwave each item for a minute separately and grind it.
thanks

Solai Chidambaram said...

Varsha,other than corriander seed and chili,you can microwave each item kept seperately in a single big plate and microwave,if the qty is small

Unknown said...

thanks a lot aachi
sorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry
one more doubt
looks like i am going to do phd in this thool
this will be the last one
what about chilli and coriandar seeds
how do u want it to be fried
if i have to fry those two alone in a frying pan
then i can do all in frying pan isnt it

Solai Chidambaram said...

Yes varsha,I think it will be good if you use a frying pan as it wil;l make sure that we fry everything properly

Dan said...

Awesome ..Thx for all your recipes Aachi ...Just a quick note ...In your recipe you have listed ...

Coriander seeds-1 kg (3 padi)
Red chillies-1/2 kg(6 padi)

Should it not be ...

Coriander seeds-1/2 kg (3 padi)
Red chillies- 1 kg(6 padi)

Just wanna bring it to your attention ...God bless you !

Unknown said...

Hi achi,
My patti used to do a side dish called Tanger. Its a kind of kuruma. After patti we all forgot that dish.After seeing your website I thought I can try it out.Can you give us the recipe of Tanger please

Unknown said...

Achi,

Your recipes are really awesome. I am a Malayalee who was born and brought up in Chennai, hence like the cuisine of both states.

With your recipes, I have been able to achieve the traditional lovely taste.

Can you create a separate section for Kerala dishes also. I am sure you must be equally good in Kerala cuisine also.

thank you very much.

Sheela

Solai Chidambaram said...

Thankyou sheela.There are many wonderful blogs dedicated for kerala cookery.They are doing an awsome job.So I thought that I can blog more on Tamilnadu cooking once I am done with chettinad cookery.

surekha said...

Hello achi,

Thanks for ur recepies, i have tried most of ur recepies.Most are awesome.
I have doubt with kulambu milagai thool. The thing is should I dry roast the ingredients before grinding or shall I microwave the ingredients?

Solai Chidambaram said...

Surekha,in India we keep the chilli and corriander seed in the hot sun for a day or two.People who dont get sun can either microwave or put in a kadai and roast for very few minutes.No need of roasting.Other ingredients has to be dry roasted

Dan said...

I know you have answered this a million times ...I am going to make a big batch...I am a little confused with the measurements ..Which should be more in this recipe ...Is it Red chili or Coriander ? If I am using 1/2 kg of coriander I am using 1 kg of Red chiles correct ? or is it otherwise ? Hope ur stay in America is Good :-))

Solai Chidambaram said...

Dan,for 2 cups of chili one cup of corriander.quantity wise chilli will be more.weightwise almost equal

Dan said...

Madam ....I made sambar with this Kulambu Milagai Thool and it did taste out of the world. It was simply spectacular ...Thx for sharing and may the Good Lord bless your family :-))

Solai Chidambaram said...

Thankyou Dan for your prayers.

Solai Chidambaram said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Hi Achi, i have a craving for ponnusamy chicken varuval and ponnusamy chicken kozhambu , will you know how they make it?

Unknown said...

Hi Aunty,we have cooked many of your receipe, it was great in taste and very easy to prepare. thank you very much.
i am not seeing any new receipe been updated, can you add some more receipes and also tell me how to make sambar powder, because i see some of your dish receipe say to add sambar powder, which i don't know how to make.

thanks you again for your receipes.
revathi

Unknown said...

hi aunty,
tq for ur recipe.we r basically from karaikudi.my mom use to send me this powder .as i havn't noticed this time,it ran out of stock.thought of making on my own.but my mom told me in the mixie the powder won't be fine.so i have a hesitation to go ahead or what?.BTW we dont use milagai at all for the above recipe.we jus add chilli powder at the tym of cooking according to the guest taste.and we use this powder more if we use for sambar and less for puli kolambu.

Unknown said...

hi achi,
i think lalita's doubt was not properly cleared.both lalita and dan had a same doubt.as dried chilli is big and weightless it occupies more space .thats bcos in kilogramwise redchilly is more and in weightwise its less.achi,one more thing my mom use to fry everything onebyone and use to grind in mill.she use curry leaves and rice too.even i keep that powder for one year no pests were formed.its just my experience,thought of sharing..thank you.

Solai Chidambaram said...

yamuna,Why this confusion.I have mentioned Half kg chilli.It will come to 6 padi.So quantity wise more and weightwise less.Corriander I have mentioned 1kg and it will be only 3 padi.Dont confuse.Take any measuring cup .For 2 cups of chilli use one cup corriander.Dry roasting is needed only in places where there is no sun.If you add rice there is a chance of getting spoiled fast.If you stay in cold countries nothing gets spoiled.So rice can be added.The purpose of rice is to give thickness to the gravy.
If you add rice,it wont be good for non veg.

Sofi's samayal said...

hai aachi ,

First thing i would really want to appreciate you for the effort you;ve taken to share the recipes . i;m a regular reader of your blog . thank you so much for your sharing aachi . since my husband is from nedungudi he loves the cooking style of chettinad . so thanks a lot and a kind request for paal kozhukattai recipe

Solai Chidambaram said...

sofi,nedungudi is famous for good chettinad food and cooks from nedungidi are famous.Yes The paal kozhukattai and Paal paniyaram recipes are long due.I will post it soon.My husband and my younger one are not big fans of sweets,that is why I dont make and post too many sweet recipes

preethi said...

Thanks a lot for this recipe achi! I have tried your chicken kulambu before and it was awesome.Today i came hoping to find this thool recipe am so happy i found it.

Kasirajan said...

In Kuzhambu Milagai Thool, you are giving wrong measurements. You adding seergam, sombu, milagu, venthayam 200grams and Red chilli 1/2 Kg and malli 1 Kg. But we are making kuzhambu thool adding 1Kg Red Chilli 1Kg, malli 1Kg. dhoor dhal 1 Uzhakku, Boiled rice 3/4 Uzhakku, Seeragam 100 grams. Sombu, Milaku, venthayam each 50 grams and 4 piece of viralai manjal

Solai Chidambaram said...

Kasirajan,I wonder how you can give a comment that my measurements are wrong.This is the measurement used in a kuzhambu milagai thool in almost all chettiar households.If you are a chettiar sometimes in your house it may be different,but you can never pass a comment like that.In each house it is different.Those who like my recipes follow this.If you dont find this correct,please just ignore this blog.

Indian Spicy Garden said...

Madam,
you are amazing. your recipes are working. we are all gifted atleast we are all shared by the people like you through web. In your age it is difficult to get the recipes. only by mouth you need to collect that. thank you very much.

I have a clarification regarding the spice powders. Many a place you mentioned the combo of coriander powder,sambar powder. Is that sambar powder or kulambu chilly powder. Please clarify this. In one recipe you mentioned sambar powder (kulambu chilly powder). so i confused... recipes like Pachai Kondakadalai Pirattal (Fresh Chick Peas Curry), saiva meen kulambu, poondu vengaya kulambu like that.

I tried out your mushroom pulav.. it is awesome. I tried with sambar powder not kulambu chilly powder. is that correct?

Thanks in advance

Solai Chidambaram said...

Indian spicy garden, Where ever I mention sambar powder I mean kuzhambu milagai thool only.I have already mentioned that in Chettinad we use this thool for all gravies.

Skl said...

hello aunty,
we made this before trying out all the recipes,wonderful blend of spices and imparts great flavour to all dishes,thank you,skl

Unknown said...

Dear Madam, We are living in Dublin last 8yrs,Every year we bring the Milagai Thool from India.But this year we finished it very earlier. Last one month we are tried lots of Proportions from our friends, websites, But finally we tried your proportion and grind it in the mixie. I can't believe it,this is the best proportion i never used it before and my 9yrs old son likes very much and praising me very tasty mom. Thank you very much madam. And I recommended the same to my Friends also

kuttygayu said...

Hi aunty...

i have been following your blog for quite some time now. i am a new person in the kitchen and i am struggling to cook. I live in the USA. can you please post the sambhar powder measurements in cup quantities please.. grams and padi are very difficult for me to follow. Would greatly appreciate this help. i hope you will see this message and will do as i asked. Thanks in advance...

Solai Chidambaram said...

Gayu no worries.Take any container you have at home for two quantity of chillies add one quantity of corriander seeds

kuttygayu said...

hi aunty,
thanks for your reply. i know the quantity of coriander seeds and chilli now but what to do about the other items measurements.. i am not able to guess the quantity of jeera and other items. what will i do ? i feel really sad because most of your recipes have the milagai thool and i can't make it. can you tell me how to measure all the other items please.. hoping you will reply..:( Thanks in advance.

Solai Chidambaram said...

Usually one stainless steel tumbler will measure 200 gms.else 1: 5 is the ratio for small jeera,fennel seeds etc.dont confuse go to a store get the things in weight.
Chillies are light so it will be double the quantity of corriander seeds