CHETTINAD PAKODA KUZHAMBU - SNC CHALLENGE # 9

South vs North Challenge is a concept and brain-child of our lovely friend Divya Pramil of You too can cook. Most of our blogger friends are definitely known about this event. If you are really interested to join SNC, just mail to: divya.pramil@gmail.com. There are two groups in SNC, which are regionally divided into South and North. Every month a member of each group challenged each other with their authentic regional dishes. 

This month Priya Suresh, (who does not require any introduction in this food blogging world) from Priya's Versatile Recipes challenged North team a very authentic Tamil Nadu dish, Chettinad Pakoda Kuzhambu, a savoury curry made in Chettinad style. Where as Chandrani Banerjee Challenged South team a traditional mouthwatering Bengali dessert, Chanar / Paneer Jalebi.

'Chettinad cuisine' is the cuisine of the Chettinad region, which is located Southern part of Tamil Nadu state in South India. Chettinad cuisine is very famous for its unique flavour and use of variety of spices in cooking, specially hot, pungent with pound fresh masalas and coconut. Most of the dishes eaten with rice and rice based accompaniments such as idlis, dosais, appam, idiyappams and adais. This was my first attempt to make a chettinad veg curry and it came out a truly delish and tasty curry. We can have pakoda itself as a perfect crispy and yummy tea-time snack. Thanks a lot Priya akka for this wonderful and lipsmacking good kuzhambu recipe. Me and my whole family relished this Chettinad delicacy. Truely, we are in love with this amazing veg dish!

INGREDIENTS FOR MAKING PAKODAS:
1/2 Cup Chana Dal / Bengal Gram (kadala paruppu)
2-3 nos. Dried Red Chillies
1 tsp Fennel Seeds
A Sprig of Curry Leaves
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

HOW TO MAKE PAKODAS:
Wash and soak Bengal gram for 2 hours. Put soaked dal, dried red chillies, fennel seeds, curry leaves and salt together. Grind with very little waterand make a coarse paste. Set it aside.

Heat oil in a wok for frying. Once hot, take a golf sized ball of pounded mixture and pinch gently a small quantity of this mixture as shapeless pakodas and drop into the hot oil and fry. Fry pakodas until they turns golden brown. Drain the excess oil with a paper towel and set aside.

INGREDIENTS FOR MAKING GRAVY:
2 Onions (finely chopped)
2 Tomatoes (finely chopped)
2 Green Chillies, cut into slits
6 Pods of Garlic (minced)
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1 tbsp Coriander Powder
1/3 tsp Turmeric Powder
Few Sprigs of Coriander Leaves (chopped finely)
3-4 tbsps Oil
Salt to taste

FOR SEASONING:
2 nos. Cloves
2 nos. Green Cardamoms
1" Cinnamon
1 tsp Fennel Seeds
2 Bay Leaves
A Sprig of Curry Leaves

TO GRIND:
1 tsp Poppy Seeds
4 tbsps Grated Coconut
6 nos Cashewnuts
1 tbsp Toasted Chanadal / Dalia (Pottu Kadalai)

HOW TO MAKE GRAVY:
Grind all the ingredients which are given under the list 'to grind' as fine paste by adding 2 tbsps of water. Keep it aside.

Heat oil in wok/kadai, add the whole spices given under 'for seasoning' and fry until they turns brown.

Add chopped onions, green chillies, tomatoes, garlic and salt. Saute till the veggies gets well cooked.

Now the pounded paste to the cooking veggies, fold well and cook in simmer for 2 minutes.

Add 5 cups of water, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder in it. Give a nice stir and cook in medium flame. Close the lid, cook for 5 more minutes. Keep the gravy watery. (Add the water if needed, once you add pakodas, they tend to absorb the gravy and finally no gravy will be left when the pakodas get well cooked in gravy. So keep the gravy enough watery.) Once the oil gets seperates slightly from the gravy, add the pakodas immediately to it. Don't stir the gravy after adding the pakodas, bring boil the gravy once and switch off the stove now. Finally add chopped coriander leaves to the gravy. Give a nice stir now. Switch off the heat.

Serve hot with steamed rice and enjoy this chettinad delicacy!

Sending to Priya akka.