Happy Tamil New year Friends !!
I was thinking to do something sweet on the Tamil New year day but wasn’t sure what to do. Suddenly got reminded of the rock sugar which I recently brought from Indian groceries and got this recipe from my MIL. She was telling me that this would taste like halwa as we add more milk and ghee. Trust me, they tasted really like halwa !!! I added more milk than water, also the ghee improved it’s taste.

I don’t remember a special occasion on when this is prepared at our houses, but these days Kalkandu pongal is served in marriages at my palce for dinner.


Some people don’t add milk and prepare just with water, it depends on how you like and milk can be skipped. Of course cooking rice in milk enhances the taste. Some add orange food color or saffron to enhance the look, but I made it plain with no extras. Whatsoever, we really enjoyed this on this new year occasion !!

• Instead of pressure cooked rice, rice can be cooked in a vessel and the rock sugar can be added at the end nd mixed well with the other ingredients.
• Saffron can also be added to get a slight golden color.
• Pinch of orange food color can be added to get nice color.

(*) Recipe from my Mother-in-law.

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But note a point, they are crispy and taste very good when eaten as soon as they are out of griddle. So normally, when ever I prepare this, there will a plate ready with chutnies to be eaten instantaneously.
I really liked it when I ate it at Adayar Anandha bhavan, since then I never stopped trying it at home. Am sure everyone would love this recipe !!

• The mix can be increased by the quantity and made in advance. But use them before a month from the mixing date, else it spoils the freshness of the dosa
• Add some potato masala in the middle of the dosa after it’s done to make it as Masala Rava dosai..
• Add some finely chopped onions on the top side while cooking dosa to prepare it as Onion Rawa dosa.

(*) Recipe from my Mother-in-law. Serve with Coconut/ Tomato Chutnies or Hotel Sambar.

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• Marinate chicken overnight for best juicy taste.
• Don’t re-use the fried oil for any other cooking.

(*) Serve with Onion rings and Lemon wedges.

This is one of the kongunadu specialty recipes. Bitter gourds also known as bitter melons have lot of health benefits. Many won’t eat bitter gourd coz of it’s bitter taste, but if not for the taste it should be consumed once in a while for it’s health benefit. They are used in purifying blood tissues and helps in digestion and have lot more other health benefits. In Indian ayurvedic treatments, they are used to treat diabetics since they have insulin. I love bitter gourd fry which my mom makes as they are cooked in ghee and reduces the bitter taste a little. I also like this bitter gourd gravy which we often make at our houses. I added little sugar to the gravy recipe to slightly balance the bitter taste. Adjust the sugar or skip it if you don’t want it.

• Tamarind juice also can be added to make variations and also to reduce the bitter taste little.

(*) This goes good with Rice. Recipe from my mom.

I have been having this in my drafts for a while. Not much to say about it, it’s our day today life cooking of a simple beetroot fry. It’s the the way we do at our house from kongunadu. Probably, every one does it in the similar way I guess.

• Chopped beetroot can also be cooked in the same procedure.
• I like beetroot to be little sweet, if it’s not add little sugar. But this is optiinal.
• Add grated coconut at the end to enhance the taste.

(*) Serve with curd rice, white rice, Sambar rice and Chapathi.

A simple fry which is commonly taken with white rice, Curd rice and Sambar. This recipe is a version without coconut, normally we add fresh grated coconut.

• Add grated coconut at the end to enhance the taste and leave it cooked for 2-3 times.
• I don’t add water while cooking cabbage fry.

(*) Serve with curd rice, white rice, Sambar rice and Chapathi.

One of the authentic ways of cooking Obbutu at Kongunadu. Opputu is how we call it at my house, first time hearing is it ? During local festivals at temples, when we all get together we used to make this at my granny’s place. I am not sure how this name came about, but I will surely enquire. We often make it with channa dhal filling, but sometimes we do replace them with coconut sugar fillings. Both tastes good, but I am an avid fan for coconut stuffing than channa dhal.
I used to bug my mom to prepare this very often at home, since it required some process my mom used to buy me from a famous shop near my house. I am crazy about it. At least 4 times a month I bug my mom to get it for me. Sometimes I finish it all without leaving the traces.. he he he…. Later on they closed that shop.I was very much disappointed, after all it was a great loss for me. Never had the coconut stuffing after that. Should ask my mom to start the quest to find the best shop, when I go home next time, I would bug her to get me every day. he he he ….

• Don’t use extra flour while rolling, use oil instead.
• The filling can also be replaced by coconut, sugar and cardamom mix.

(*) Recipe from my Mom’s Kitchen.

One of the Kongunadu recipes. These days there are very few marriages at my place without curd semiya, quite famous among kids too. Some people add rice to it and some cook semiya in the normal procedure and add curd to it. We use home made curd which we freshly prepared from the milk we get from our farms. It would be thick, creamy and with slight natural sweetness. Curd with white rice would be our last meal in our lunch for sure. I miss the fresh homemade ones here .. We add pomegranate to curd rices and semiya. In this procedure, tempering can be skipped. It can be severed as it is or cold. You can see the tips to make home made curd in US here.

• Tempering can be skipped, yet tastes good.
• Pomegranate adds extra taste, since I didnt have it, I didn’t add.

(*) This goes well in parties.

This is a simplified version of bisibelabath. Hang on, I didn’t mean the authentic one, it’s my version. When you feel lazy to cook, this would be an easier recipe with a quick cook time. Of course, dhal with ghee tastes heavenly and you can add any vegetables of your taste. Though it is sort of an instance recipe, it vanishes from the plate pretty fast.

• Adding more water makes the rice get mashed up and tastes good.
• Adding ghee is optional, but it enhances the taste.
• This is similar to Arisi Paruppu Sadam with Vegetables.
• If the rice is not mashed up, add 1 cup of hot water and mix it well.

(*) Recipe from my Mom’s Kitchen.

Say Kongunadu style Mutton biryani. Well, not exactly but this is how all type of biriyani’s are cooked at my home since I remember. But the marination part has never been done, since I get tough meat here I started marinating. Meat tenderizer can also be added while marinating, but I skipped that step.
Hmm… Sunday with biriyani cooked at home for lunch, who would say no. I normally skip breakfast on Sundays and I start counting the minutes as soon as my mom starts preparing. The aroma spreads the house makes u to feel more hungry. When my mom says it’s done, yes that’s the moment I have been waiting for and I eat more than usual. I should say biryani with some non-veg gravy and raitha is the great combo I have ever had.

• Over night marination of mutton in refrigerator makes it more juicy and flavorful.
• I normally drain the excess fat in the mutton by boiling it in hot water for about 10-15. After this marination can be done. I never felt the difference in taste, but if you are looking for the original taste, skip this step.
• Grind coriander and mint leaves, it enhances the taste.
• Dum process cooks the rice well and makes it fluffy. But this step can be skipped.

(*) Serve with Raitha.