( Tanjore ) Thanjavur Marathi recipes

Phonnicha kadhi - thalicha Mor kulambu without coconut

This recipe is prepared particularly during festivals like Ugadi, Varamahalakshmi Habba when mor kulambu is invariably part of the menu. Since already many items are there , a simple recipe is preferred

The ground paste for ambode is used for this and fried like small bondas

Take thick curd without adding water and add salt

Add the fried small bondas to the curd

Saute using mustard cumin seeds asafoetida, turmeric powder , curry leaves and few red chillies

Add to the bonda curd mixture and stir well

A simple and easy mor kuzhambu is ready for the festival menu.

Also read

Thanjavur Marathi lullabies

Chinch bath or tamarind rice or puliodharai

Traditional chinch bath or tamarind rice prepared by Tanjore Maharastrians. This recipe can be prepared in many ways, this method is one of them.

Let us see How to prepare tamarind rice mix or puliyodharai paste

There is a video in Tamil in my YouTube Channel Rangolisansdots on how to prepare this type of tamarind rice paste. All the ingredients in the anjana petti as we say in Tamil, From the anjana petti

Take one table spoon dhania

urad dhal or ulatham paruppu

gram dhall or kadalai paruppu

pepper or milagu

mustard or kadugu

cumin seeds or jeerakam

fenugreek or vendhayam

Add 5 to 10 red chillies depending upon how hot you need the recipe to be.
A lemon size tamarind , fibres removed and cleaned well.
The main ingredient now added is half a shell of grated coconut ( Usually it is prepared without coconut )
Wet grind all these ingredients in a mixer.
Now, take four table spoons oil ( preferably gingelly oil ) in a vessel ( called vanali or kadai )
Once the oil is hot , saute with mustard , urad dhal and little gram dhal ( since we are going to add peanuts , little gram dhall will suffice ) and asafoetida and half a teaspoon turmeric powder
Then add raw peanuts or ground nuts, curry leaves.
Add the ground mixture of dhania, urad dhall, coconut etc.
Let is fry well in oil after which we can add salt

Since we use coconut the tamarind rice paste should be stored in a refrigerator.

Optional for puliyogare paste

Add a little jaggery for different taste

Add kashmiri chilly powder for getting an attractive colour.

Koshimbir

Moong dhall is soaked in a vessel for 30 to 45 minutes. Drain the water. Add the following to this, finely chopped mango and / or cucumber. ( Organic cucumber is better ).

We can also add finely chopped green chilles if we like it hot. To a tea spoon of heated oil in a tawa add mustard seeds, asafoetida powder and one small red chilli broken into small pieces. We can also add finely chopped coriander leaves. This is optional, traditional kosimbhir is without coriander leaves. If mango is not available we can squeeze a small lemon after cutting into two pieces for the taste. This is one method of making kosimbhir. There may be other methods too.

Pitla or Pithla side dish for rice

The main ingredients that are special to this side dish for rice particularly prepared on Fridays, festivals like Varalakshmi Vratham and Navratri are pepper and grated coconut

The ingredients are

Two tea spoons urad dhal

One tea spoon gram dhall

One or two tea spoons pepper

Asafoetida, curry leaves and red chillies

For this dish the flavour from pepper should be more than that from red chillies.

Method

Add a little oil in a kadai or vanali as the vessel is called
Add all the ingredients except curry leaves and roast till they turn golden brown
Then add curry leaves and roast them too
Add two to three table spoons of grated coconut to the roasted ingredients
Wet grind them in a mixer

Take a little oil in a kadai
Saute with mustard , urad dhal and curry leaves
Then add tamarind extract and water
Then add carrot , beans and ground nuts to the boiling tamarind extract / water /
We can also use the following vegetables- yam , potato, chick peas
Boil till the tamarind gets cooked
Add previously cooked toor dhal
When the pitla starts boilding at this stage add the ground coconut and spices mixture
Add salt according to your taste
This dish has a fine flavour due to the presence of pepper which dominates the taste.

Pitla for Fridays , functions and festivals ( Varalakshmi Vratham , Ugadi , Navratri ) is ready

Ras kulambu with radish - side dish for rice and rice pongal

This is different type of kulambu prepared with little jaggery and so that kids may love it ( We all know how difficult it is to cook dishes that our children will like ). This is a side dish suitable for rice and rice pongal.

Take one teaspoon fenugreek and little rice and dry roast in a vanali

Take one tea spoon dhania, one tea spoon urad dhal , one tea spoon gram dhal , one teaspoon toor dhal and a few red chillies and roast them in a little oil

Allow them to cool and dry grind all these ingredients in a mixer to get a fine powder.
In the mean while soak a lemon sized tamarind in water after removing the seeds and fibre.

Now , add one teaspoon oil to a kadai , saute with mustard, urad dhal, fenugreek and one teaspoon gram dhal ( the more the gram dhal we use the better for this dish ) and curry leaves

Squeeze the tamarind and add the extract and water at this stage and allow it to boil.
Add previously sliced and cooked radish
We can also use ladies finger or okra, pumpkin, carrot for this recipe instead of radish
Dissolve the ground powder in water else it may remain as solid pieces in the kulambu.
Add this to the radish kulambu and allow it to boil for a few minutes .
Add salt as required
Add jaggery as required at this stage
When the viscosity increases and the recipe becomes thick remove from the stove
Saute again with mustard, urad dhal, fenugreek , curry leaves and pieces of red chillies
It has a sweet sour taste due to the presence of jaggery .