When one is down with flu, the one common solution that our mothers and grandmothers have, is to down a cup…sorry bowl of Milagu rasam. Here is a recipe, that is thicker and has more flavor. Milagu kozhambu is a regular in Tam Bram households, where the women would prepare it, to take a break from otherwise heavy food. This recipe is also the another part of the Curry Leaves series.

When mixed with hot rice and ghee, this kozhambu is sure to get the taste buds working apart from being the in house doctor for the sick ones. Time for some random wordplay… Crush that flu, by crush ‘in’ pepper.

Ingredients

Fresh curry leaves—                1 cup

Channa dal—                            1 tbsp

Urad dal—                                 1 tbsp

Raw boiled rice / raw rice—   1 tbsp

Whole pepper—                       ½ tbsp

Dry red chili—                          3

Mustard seeds—                    1 tsp

Asefoetiada—                           ½ tsp

Jaggery—                                1 tbsp

Tamarind—                            1 small lemon size

Turmeric pwd—                    ½ tsp

Salt—                                     1 tsp

Sesame oil—                         2 tbsp

Method

Take a pan ,heat one spoon oil and fry channa dal, urad dal, raw boiled rice, pepper, dry red chili. Once the color of the dal changes, add the curry leaves and saute for a minute. Cool it, grind all the fried items along with asefoetida, tamarind, turmeric, jaggery and salt. Now add enough water add grind to get a paste. Heat the remaining oil in the pan, add mustard seed. Once they splutter, add the grounded paste and enough water to get a gravy like that of a kuzhambu. Allow the kuzhambu to boil for 5 minutes and put off the heat. Milagu Kuzhambu is ready.