Tomato Soup for Rice | Thakkali Soup Kuzhambu | Tomato Masala Dhal

Tomato Soup for Rice | Thakkali Soup Kuzhambu | Tomato Masala Dhal  is a specialty from Chettinad cuisine | Karaikudi region. Don’t mistake this recipe for a soup. It is like a soup to be run down with rice. This is prepared using moong dhal with lots of tomatoes & green chillies needed to spice up. The consistency of this dish resembles soup but little spicier than soup and hence called as “soup kuzhambu”. It tastes divine when had with hot, mashed, steamed rice & some spicy fry as side. So you need to follow the below steps to enjoy this soup kuzhambu to the core.

• Cook rice until soft, that is little bit mushy.
• Take a deep plate or bowl, add the hot steamed rice, mash it a bit, add some generous amount of this soup, combine everything and have it hot with urulaikizhangu fry &
• Slurppp...:)

Though the preparation is quite simple, this meal combo gives a great satisfaction like a festive meal.

Going to the recipe...

Ingredients:

• Moong dhal | Green gram dhal | Paasi paruppu – ½ cup
• Onion (finely chopped) – 1 No.
• Green chillies (slit into 2) – 2 Nos.
• Tomatoes medium (chopped) – 1 Nos
• Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
• Salt – to taste

For Seasoning:

• Oil – 1 tbsp
• Bay leaf | Brinji ilai – 1 No.
• Cinnamon – 1” piece
• Kal Paasi – 1 piece
• Fennel seeds – 1 tsp
• Curry leaves – few
• Onion (finely chopped) – 1 No.
• Green chillies (slit into 2) – 3 Nos.
• Tomatoes medium (chopped) – 2 Nos

Method:

1. Wash moong dhal and cook with a cup of water & turmeric powder in a broad vessel.
2. When dhal is 3/4^th done, add the finely chopped onion,  green chillies & chopped tomato as given in the “ingredients” list . Add one more cup of water, mix everything well and allow to boil for 5 minutes.
3. In a kadai, heat oil and season the items given "for seasoning".
4. To this add the slit green chillies, sauté for a while. Then add the chopped onions, sauté till it becomes glossy and releases a nice aroma. Finally add the chopped tomatoes and cook till mushy.
5. Transfer the above seasoning to the dhal+ tomato mixture. Add salt, adjust consistency by adding required water & give a good stir. Allow everything to boil together for 5 minutes and switch off.

Flavourful, tasty thakkali soup is ready to enjoy with hot steamed rice...I always like to enjoy this tomato soup with Chettinad potato fry...

Note:

• This recipe strictly needs the moong dhal to be cooked in a open vessel. Don’t pressure cook.
• You may increase the quantity of dhal but it will give a thick soup. Adjust accordingly.
• You need to split up onions, green chillies & tomatoes to cook with dhal as well as for seasoning.

Tags: Thakkali soup recipe, Tomato soup for rice, Thakkali soup kuzhambu for rice, Thakkali soup Kuzhambu recipe, Karaikudi special thakkali soup recipe, Chettinad special thakkali soup recipe, Thakkali masala dhal, Thakkali soup with moong dhal, How to make thakkali soup for rice?, How to eat thakkali soup with rice?, How to prepare simple soup for rice with tomatoes?, Chettinad recipes, Karaikudi special recipes

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Viral Meen Kuzhambu | Madurai Meen Kuzhambu | Manga Meen Kuzhambu | Raw Mango Fish Curry

Viral Meen Kuzhambu | Madurai Meen Kuzhambu | Manga Meen Kuzhambu | Raw Mango Fish Curry is a tangy, spicy gravy and a specialty of South Indian cuisine. It’s my childhood favourite which brings back so many memorable events. We all would stand around my grandma to see the live fish. It was fun seeing the fish jumping here and there in the backyard. My Grandma was an expert in making this curry as it was my grandpa’s favorite. She used to take extra care while preparing this fish curry.

The specialty of this fish curry lies with the “viral meen” which is known as Butter Fish |  Murrel in English. This fish is a fresh water fish and will impart special aroma and flavour to this curry. Making of viral meen kuzhambu happens to be a long project due to the cleaning process of this fish. This fish is available live in the fish markets and the fish vendors will simply cut the fish into pieces, as he does for other fishes. But there’s still more work to do! This fish has to be rubbed on a hard stone so that the coating on the fish’s skin can be removed. Otherwise it becomes gel-like. Nowadays online fish stores are  delivering cleaned murrel which makes our cooking very easy.

Basically I like fish fry rather than fish pieces in gravy but this viral meen is an exception. Try this and you’ll realize what I’m saying is 100% true.

I’ve already posted the recipe for meen kuzhambu in Chettinad Style – Manchatti Meen Kuzhambu. So, today, I’ve prepared this gravy in Madurai style.

Here we go with the recipe!

Ingredients:

• Murrel (Viral Meen) - 1/2 kg
• Shallots (small onion) - 10 Nos
• Garlic – 5 pods
• Green chillies - 2 Nos
• Tomato - 1 No.
• Raw mango – 2 pieces
• Tamarind - lemon size
• Chilli powder - 2 tsp.
• Coriander powder - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Chopped coriander leaves - 1 tbs
• Salt to taste

To grind:

• Shallots – 5 Nos
• Garlic – 5 pods
• Grated coconut - 2 tbs
• Fennel – ½ tsp
• Peppercorns – ½ tsp

For seasoning:

• Gingelly oil - 2 tbs
• Mustard - 1 tsp
• Fenugreek - ½ teaspoon
• Fennel seeds – ½ tsp
• Curry leaves - few

Method:

1. Wash and thoroughly clean the fish, using salt and turmeric powder.
2. Soak the tamarind in a cup of water.
3. Chop onion and tomato finely.
4. Heat oil in a manchatti (clay pot) on the stove, add mustard, fenugreek and fennel seeds  one by one. After it splutters, add the shallots, garlic, slit green chillies.
5. Add a tomato and sauté well till the tomato gets mashed.
6. Add the tamarind pulp and continue adding chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and crystalline salt.
7. Stir well and cover  with a lid. Let it boil for about 5 minutes till the raw smell of masala is gone.
8. In the mean time, fry shallots and garlic in little oil and grind with other ingredients given "for grinding" by adding little water into a fine paste.
9. When the gravy thickens, add mango pieces and allow it to cook for about 2 minutes.
10. Then add the fish pieces and cover the manchatti again till the fish pieces get cooked.
11. After the fish pieces get cooked, add the ground paste and chopped coriander. Let it boil for 5 minutes. Simmer for 2 minutes.
12. Take the manchatti off the stove and leave the kuzhambu in manchatti atleast for half an hour before serving, as it will add a unique flavor to the meen kuzhambu.

Your tasty, tangy, flavourful Viral Meen Kuzhambu in Madurai Meen Kuzhambu style is ready to enjoy with hot, steamed rice. I have served this fish curry with Viral meen fry and it tasted yummm..

Note:

• You can increase or decrease the quantity of tamarind depending on the sourness of raw mango.
• The above fish curry can be made with other fish varieties too.

Tags: Viral meen kuzhambu, Madurai Viral meen Kuzhambu recipe, Fish Curry recipe, Manga meen kuzhambu recipe, Raw mango fish curry recipe, Mammidikaya chepadu pulusu, Murrel fish curry recipe, Butter fish curry, Manga meen kuzhambu in Madurai style, Seafood recipes, Fish curry varieties, South Indian Fish Curry recipe, Tangy viran meen kuzhambu recipe.

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