Kollu Paruppu (horse gram) Chutney and Rasam

Kollu Paruppu Chutney and Rasam is another recipe that is very unique to Kongu Naadu area of Tamilnadu. It is very unlikely for people outside of Kongu Naadu to have heard about Kollu Paruppu chutney or rasam, then again I may be wrong. You might not see it in the menu if you are visiting friends or attending a wedding in the area, just that it is not a "special" dish just an everyday kind of homely dish.




uncooked and cooked horsegram dal


I have a funny incident to narrate just to reiterate how uncommon it really is. While I was in college some of my friends dropped in for lunch unexpectedly at our house. Unexpectedly is key here because if my mom had known that my friends were coming home for lunch the menu would have looked different. One of them B, was a pure vegetarian so he wanted to make sure that he did not eat any Non.Veg items just in case, my mom mentioned there was nothing to worry about since it was just Kollu chutney but to his ears it sounded like Kozhi(chicken) chutney, so when they started serving he did not want to eat the chutney and my mom was puzzled. We burst out laughing when he heard him say "I cannot eat Kozhi chutney". Mom had to explain how it was Kollu and not Kozhi, the main reason for the confusion, he had never heard of kollu chutney. Then again his query was isn't it what they feed to horses. It is but it is also nutritious and tasty and perfectly OK for humans to eat too. It is not one of those pretty looking chutneys, which on just looking you want to taste right away, it is down to earth and plain looking, but don't let looks decieve you. To this day I remember the Kozhi Chutney incident whenever I cook Kollu chutney. As luck would have it B married a girl from the Kongu Naadu area, that reminds me I should check with him to see if his wife is treating him to "Kozhi chutney".

It also has this amazing healing quality, if you having cold and if you eat kollu paruppu the next day you are defintely going to see relief.

Kollu Chutney



Ingredients
1. 1 Cup of kollu paruppu cooked for 3 whistles. Add some extra water, so you have enough of the paruppu water for the rasam. Drain the water out into a separate
container and save. Leave a little bit of the water maybe 2-3 tbsp so the chutney is not too solidy.

2. 1/4 onion chopped roughly
3. 4 pods garlic
4. 2 red chillies
5. 1 tsp corriander seeds
6. 1/4 tsp cumin
7. 1/4" piece tamarind

Method
1. Saute 2 thru 7 in a little bit of oil, and pour it over the paruppu with salt.
2. Let it cool and blend roughly in a food processor or blender.

It should not be made into a smooth paste.

Kollu Rasam



Ingredients
1. 1 1/2 cups of tamarind pulp
2. 1 1/2 cups of the Kollu paruppu cooked water and chutney water. (Do not clean out the blender when you are done with the chutney, wash out the sticking bits of chutney with a little bit of water)
3. 2 Red chillies split and seeds removed
4. 1 tbsp of mashed onion (substitute with cut onions)
"mom: thatti pota nalla irukkum"
5. 2 pods of garlic mashed
6. 1 tomato roughly chopped (optional)
7. seasoning, mustard cumin,curry leaves

To Powder
1. 2tsp corriander seeds
2. 1tsp cumin
3. 1/4 tsp pepper (or per taste)
4. 1/4 tsp methi seeds
dry roast the above and make it into a powder. Use a coffee grinder.

Method:
1. Heat about a tsp oil/ghee in a pan and season with mustard, cumin and curry leaves
2. Add the onions and saute followed by the garlic and red chillies.
4. Tomatoes should be added now and sauted till soft.
3. Reserve about a tsp of the powder and add the rest.
4. Now add the tamarind and paruppu water.
5. Let it boil till you see white forth and switch off heat immediately. At this stage add the tsp of reserved powder for a great aroma.

Now enjoy the chutney and rasam with white rice.

Kollu Paruppu (horse gram) Chutney and Rasam