Murungaikkai Thokku / Drumstick Thokku

Thokku refers to very thick gravy in Tamil. This one is for those who love drumsticks.. I've seen people who avoid drumsticks just because they are lazy to eat it. I usually prepare this whenever i get very fresh drumsticks here. This thokku goes with everything; rice , idli or dosa. I like this with Idli. :-)

Ingredients:

Drumsticks long 3
Tomatoes 3
Garlic 3
Onion - 1 or pearl onions few
Tamarind a small gooseberry size
Sambar Powder 2 tbsp
Pepper Powder 1/4 tsp
Turmeric Powder 1/4 tsp
Hing a generous pinch
Salt
Water


To temper:

Mustard Seeds
Urad Dhal
Fenugreek seeds
Curry leaves
Oil

Method:

Chop one tomato into very fine pieces. Puree the other two tomatoes. Chop onions and garlic into fine pieces. Cut drumsticks.

Extract tamarind pulp using 1 1/2 - 2 cups of water.

Heat oil in a pan. When hot, add mustard seeds. When they start popping up, add urad dhal, curry leaves, hing, turmeric powder and chopped garlic. When it turns slightly brown, add the fenugreek seeds and chopped onions. Fry till the onions turn translucent. Add chopped and pureed tomatoes. Fry till the oil leaves to the sides of the gravy. 

Now add chopped drumsticks, sambar powder and salt. Mix well. Allow cooking on a low flame for 8-10 minutes with stirring now and then. 

When it is about half cooked, add the tamarind extract and allow boiling until it reaches the desired consistency and done.

Serves: 2

Serve with Rice, Idli or Dosa.

Notes:  You can add brinjal to this thokku. If you like slightly sweet taste in the gravy, add little jaggery. If you wish to avoid sambar powder, you can use a combination of chilly powder, coriander powder and cumin powder. 

This goes to Vegan Thursdays.

Rajma Kuzhambu / Red Kidney Beans Curry

Once in  a week, I prepare kuzhambu (or curry) with whole Moong Dhal or Channa or Cow peas (Thattai Payir). This week I just wanted to prepare something different and tried the same curry with Rajma.  Mostly I run out of Drumstick while preparing these curries, fortunately I had them and with no further thoughts, I added it. This came out excellent and we had a feeling of eating something new though the preparation is the same.

Ingredients:

Rajma / Red Kidney Beans 1/2 cup
Tomato 2
Drumstick 2
Brinjal - small -2
Sambar Powder 2 1/2 tbsp
Grated Coconut 2 tbsp
Turmeric Powder 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida a pinch
Tamarind a small gooseberry size
Salt
Water and Oil


To temper:

Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
Urad Dhal 1/4 tsp
Pearl Onions few
Curry leaves few

Preparation:

Soak Rajma overnight. Chop Pearl Onions. Chop Tomato and make puree.. Chop Drumstick and Brinjal into small pieces. Grind grated coconut along with little water to a fine paste.

Method:

Pressure cook Rajma for 5-6 whistles or until done.

Heat oil in a Pan. When hot, add Mustard seeds. When they start popping up, add Urad Dhal, Pearl Onions, Curry leaves, Turmeric Powder and Asafoetida. Fry till the onions turn translucent.

Now add the tomato puree and fry till the oil separates. Now add chopped brinjal, Drumstick and Sambar Powder.

Mix well and fry for a while. Now add water and salt. Allow boiling. When the veggies is almost cooked, add coconut paste. Mix well and allow further boiling.

When the curry thickens to the desired consistency and the coconut paste gets combined well, add the tamarind paste. Boil for few more minutes until done.

Serves: 2-3
Serve with steamed rice and any vegetable stir fry.

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Drumstick (Murungaikkai) Rasam and Soup

Today, I was scrolling my WordPad to find out what to do with the Drumsticks lying in my Refrigerator for a long time. I found this Rasam noted down asking my Mom. This is my Grandma’s Recipe and my Mom’s Favorite. I gave it a try today as it was easy. It came out good and tasted very different.

Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

Drumsticks 3

Ripe Tomatoes (Medium) 3

Pearl Onions 4

Garlic 4

Cumin ½ + ¼ tsp

Mustard Seeds ¾ tsp

Water

Salt

Oil

Preparation:

Cut Pearl Onions and Garlic into two equal pieces. Cut Tomatoes into four or six equal pieces. Cut Drumstick into medium pieces.

Method:

Combine Pearl Onions, Garlic, Tomatoes, Drumstick and ½ tsp Cumin, Water and Salt in a Cooker. Cook for 3-4 whistles.

In a Pan, heat Oil. When hot, add Mustard Seeds. When they completely stop popping up, add ¼ tsp Cumin. When they crackle, add Curry Leaves. Switch off the flame when they turn slightly brown. Pour this seasoning into the Drumstick Rasam in Cooker.

Serves: 3

Serve with steamed Rice.

Soup:

If you want to prepare this as Soup, remove the Drumstick pieces (after cooking) from the Rasam. Scoop out its flesh with the Spoon. Add it to the Rasam and stir. Now Soup is ready.