Turmeric is a beautiful plant with lot of medicinal properties. Some best usage of turmeric are as follows:
1. A pinch of turmeric powder and a pinch of crushed pepper to be boiled  along with milk for few minutes. This milk when consumed warm is good for cough and throat infections.
2. Raw turmeric bulbs(Pasum Manjal Kizhangu (Not the dry ones.Raw bulbs)) can be chopped into pieces and cooked along with any vegetables. This has the property to cure ulcers.
3. Turmeric is a good antiseptic. My grandmother always recommends to apply turmeric paste for small wounds.
4. For smooth and glowing skin ,grind few raw turmeric bulbs(Manjal kizhangu) and mix it with butter and apply on the skin. Wash it off with water after few minutes.

Note :People who are allergic to turmeric, please stay away from these tips. 

Avani Avitam

Avani Avitam is the festival for the "sacred thread" that a brahmin male wears.The priest chants the Kamokashipa chant and is recited back by all the male members of the family.A new sacred thread is worn during this ceremony.
Idili,appams along with alangara thaligai and kadalai paruppu poli is presented to the Lord.
The next day is "Gayathiri Jabam".

"Aadi Pandigai" occurs in the aadi month of the tamil calendar,the festival pays tribute to water's life sustaining properties.The day starts with a beautiful "Padi Kolam" laid in the front entrance of the house.
"Alangara Thaligai" consisting of sadham,paruppu, moor kuzhambhu,sathumadhu,kootu ,karimedhu, thayir pachadi,vadai and thirukannamadhu is prepared. The speciality is however the "Thengai Paal" prepared with coconut milk and jaggery.
The "Alangara Thaligai" and "Thengai Paal" along with vethalai paaku,pazham,pushpam is presented to the Lord followed by a "karpoora Aarathi".
If it is the "Thalai Aadi Pandigai" the first Aadi festival for the newly wed,the bride's family invites the bridegroom for a "Maapilai Virunthu". A new dress and silver tumbler set is presented to the bridegroom as "Maapilai Seeru". The "thengai paal" is served in the silver tumbler followed by a special lunch.

Manathakali Keerai

I used to suffer a lot from mouth ulcers.Manathakali keerai is a cure for mouth ulcers. I usually get some manathakali leaves from my garden , wash them and eat them raw. The juice of these leaves helps in curing mouth ulcers. However people may find it difficult to eat the leaves raw. So here is a simple recipe with manathakali leaves.

Finely chop few leaves of manathakali plant. Wash them. In a pan take 2 teaspoons of ghee. Heat the ghee and then pour the chopped leaves. Saute them for few minutes until soft. Add little salt if required. You can eat this keerai with rice.
The above recipe helps to cure mouth ulcers.It really works well for me.

Pulikachal

Pulikachal is the paste used to prepare puliodarai. You can refrigerate it and use them whenever you prepare puliodarai.

Ingredients:

Channa Dal (Kadalai Parupu) - 30gm
Urud dal (Uluntham parupu) - 30gm
Mustard seeds(kadugu) - 5gm
Gingely Oil (Nalennai) - 100ml
Tamarind - 100gm
Raw groundnuts (Pachai Kadalai) - Few.
Curry leaves - Few
Dried Red chilles (Kanja Milagai) - 10
Asafoetida - 1gm
Turmeric - 1 teaspoon.

Method :

1.Soak the tamarind in water for half an hour.
2.Then squeeze the tamarind and make it into a thick paste. Remove the waste tamarind extract from the paste. The paste has to be thick and smooth.
3.In a kadai take two teaspoon oil , first fry the red chilles and then add mustard . After the mustard cracks ,add channa dal and then urud dal. Fry until golden brown.
4.Now add turmeric and curry leaves.
5.Then pour the thick tamarind paste in the kadai. Add enough salt.
6.Add the raw groundnuts.
7. Keeping stiring until the excess oil comes out and it becomes a thick pulp.
8. After the pulikachal cools down , transfer the pulikachal with the oil in a closed container.
9. Pulikachal stays fresh for a month when refrigerated.


 

Aloe vera magic

My grandmother always used to say that it is important to grow Aloe Vera(Kaththazhai) plant in the kitchen garden.I did not pay much of a attention tough,but later realised how handy it was.
There is a saying in Tamil which says "Patti Sollai Thatathe" which means always listen to what grandma says.

Aloe vera gel heals burns quickly , it acts deep within the skin. It so happened that my mom accidently poured hot oil in her hands which cooking , aloe vera gel from our kitchen garden came so handy that she did not even get a boil in her hand. It also prevents scar in the skin later.

Aloe vera is a magical plant, make sure you keep them handy close to your kitchen. Apply the aloe vera gel immediately incase of burns.Aloe vera is easy to grow and does not even require much water.

Ven Pongal and Puli Thogayal

For the Pongal :

Ingredients:
Raw rice - 1 cup.
Fresh water - 4 cups.
Ghee - 1/4 cup.
Moong dal (Payatham Parrupu) - 1/4 cup.
Asfoetida - a pinch.
Peppar - 1/2 tablespoon.
Jeera - 1 tablespoon.
Ginger - a small piece. (optional).
Cashew nuts - 10 - 12.
Salt to taste.

Preparation :
1. Take a thick bottomed vessel and add the raw rice,moong dal,water,salt,asafoetida and a teaspoon of ghee and pressure cook.
2.Coarsely crush peppar and jeera and also finely chop the ginger.
3.Transfer the pongal into a dish and place the peppar,jeera and chopped ginger on the top of it.
4.In a pan , add a some ghee and roast the cashew nuts until golden brown.
5. Pour the hot ghee and cashew nuts on the peppar,jeera and ginger placed on the pongal.
6. Add the rest of the ghee to the pongal and mix it well.

For Puli Thogayal:

Ingredients:
Tamarind - Size of a small lemon.
Asafoetida - a pinch
Green chilles - 2-3
Salt to taste.

Preparation:
1. Put all the ingredients in a mixer .
2. Add very less water and grind it to a smooth paste.
3.Puli thogayal is ready and goes very well with pongal.

Moor Kuzhambhu

Ingredients:

For 1 litre kuzhambhu :
1 cup Toor dal (To be soaked for 1/2 an hour).
2 cups grated coconut.
2 Green chillies
1 teaspoon urud dal
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek
Salt to taste
1/2 litre sour curd
1/4 litre water
2 teaspoon rice flour
1 teaspoon besan flour
Few coriander leaves

For seasoning:
Oil for tempering
Mustard
Asafoetida - a pinch.
Turmeric a pinch.

Method:
1. In a kadai take some oil and roast the urud dal , fenugreek,slit green chilles,grated coconut and soaked toor dal for a minute.
2. With the help of a mixer , grind these into a coarse paste.
3. Take the sour curd in a vessel and add water and churn it into buttermilk(moor).Add turmeric,salt,riceflour and besan flour to the buttermilk and mix well.
4.Now add the ground coarse paste in the butter milk and keep aside.Temper some mustard and asafoetida in oil and add it to the butter milk mixture.
5. Boil some water in a vessel and add some vegetables like ladies finger or pumpkin and cook them until they are soft.Add some salt too.
6.Take a thick bottomed vessel , pour the butter milk mixture and also the boiled vegetable and cook them in a slow flame for 2-3 minutes until froth appears.
7.Garnish the "Moor Kuzhambhu" with freshly chopped coriander leaves.




 

Ulunthu Vadai

Ingredients:
Urad Dal /Muzhu Ulundhu - 1/2 cup
Green chillies - 2
Salt - To taste.
Curry leaves - Few
Asafoetida - Few pinches.

Method:
1.Soak the urad dal for 1 hour and remove the excess water before grinding it.Use very less water and grind the urad dal along with few curry leaves and green chilles into a thick and smooth batter.
2.Add few pinches of asafoetida and salt to the batter and mix well.
3.Heat enough oil in a kadai to deep fry the vadas.Take a banana leaf or a polythene cover .Take the batter a lemon size in the banana leaf. Grease your hands with water,flatten the batter and put a hole in the centre.Transfer the flattened batter gently to the kadai.
4.Cook in a medium flame until both sides are golden brown.Transfer the vadas to a tissue paper to absorb the excess oil.

The Mango Pachadi :

Ingredients:Raw Mango - 1 small
Jaggery - 4 tablespoon
Neem Flower - few strands.
Rice flour - 1 teaspoon

For seasoning:
Oil - 1/2 teaspoon
Mustard - 1/2 teaspoon
Dried Red chilli - 1/2
Salt - a pinch.

Method :
Cut the raw mangoes into small pieces . Boil some water and cook the mangoes in it. After the mangoes are cooked,add some jaggery and wait until they dissolve in the water. Add a pinch of salt to the mixture.
Dissolve rice flour in water and add it to the pachadi and let it boil for few minutes to thicken.
Now for the seasoning add oil in the pan. Add mustard and let it temper. Add the red chilli and the neem flower. Now add the tempered seasoning to the mango mixture.






 

Today is "Tamil Varushapirapu" the start of spring season.Every festival starts with a traditional kolam "padi kolam" laid in the front entrance of the house.The pooja room is cleaned and prepared for the occasion.Manjal and kumkumam is applied on the "pudhu panjankam" or the tamil calendar along with vethala pakku ,pushpam and pazham and is displayed in the pooja room.
A special pachadi with mang...oes and neem flower is prepared which consists of six tastes innipu,kasapu,thuvarpu,uppu,karam and pullipu.
"Alangara Thaligai" consists of sadham,paruppu, moor kuzhambhu, sathumadhu,kootu ,karimedhu,pachadi,vadai and thirukannamadhu along with the mango pachadi has to be presented to the lord followed by a "karpoora aarathi".Reading few lines from the pudhu panjankam is considered auspicious today.