Murungakaai Oorppu / Paal Kuzhambu

I was not regular here, as me and my son fell ill one after another. It was Very Difficult Part of life, to take care of  my son, dropping and picking up trips to school all alone, when i was ill. I would not have suffered this much, if my husband was here. Thank God, time passed very fast, and my hubby will be with us in 3 hrs. i just dont want to sleep, till i receive him. so you know, why iam relaxing here. Also one more reason, why i did'nt frequent here is, i did not cook much other than idli's for break-fast, and Rasam with some Poriyal / Vegetable for Lunch and Chapathi's or Dosa's for Dinner. But now i assure you, you will see me back in Power, as iam longing to cook lots and lots for my hubby, who cooked and ate all alone for the past 3 months.

Let me Come to today's recipe. We call this Curry as Oorppu. this is basic kuzhambu recipe, but has milk in it. i think this curry may be called different in other housholds. This curry is always prepared with these specific vegetables - Murungakaai, Palakottai and Kathrikaai. Potato would also make a nice combo. So if you want to try this curry, stick with same vegetables for good taste. This is one of Grandmom's special. my mom also prepares it equally good.

Ingredients: (Recipe for 2)

Murungakaai / Drumstick - 1
Palakottai / Jackfruit seeds - 8
Kathrikaai / Brinjal - 2
Onion - 1
Tomato - 1
Milk - 1 cup (Boiled and Cooled)
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilli Powder / Kuzhabu Milagaai Thool - 2 tsp's

For Tempering / Thalippu:

Oil - 2 tbsp
Mustard / Kadugu - 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek / Vendhayam - 1/4 tsp
Dry Red chilli - 2
Curry Leaves - 1 sprig

Method:

Heat 2 tbsp's of oil in an iron skillet, add mustard and let it splutter. add fenugreek seeds, dry red chilli's and curry leaves. roast them all for 1/2 a minute.

Pressure Cook the Jackfruit seeds and Drumstick for upto 5 whistles. remove the outer skin of the Jackfruit seed and keep aside. chop the Brinjals into pieces and set aside.

Add finely chopped Onion and fry them till they turn translucent. add finely chopped tomatoes and fry along with the onions. add little bit of salt, to speed the frying process. add turmeric powder and chilly powder and mix along with the onions.

Add the Brinjal pieces to the Skillet and mix them with the masala's. let the brinjal get shrinked for a minute and add Jackfruit seeds and Drumsticks. also add salt to taste and a cup of water.

Close the Skillet with a lid and reduce the flame to low and let brinjals get cooked for 5 minutes atleast.

Once the Brinjals are Cooked, remove the skillet from flame. Now add the Boiled and cooled milk to the skillet and give a mix and transfer to a serving bowl.

Serve it Hot with Steaming Hot Rice.

* The Milk reduces the Spicyness of the Curry and gives a nice taste.
* If you have excess milk, go for this curry.
* Also Stick to Vegetables Drumstick and Brinjal.