01
General Curry
Quick
Poriyal - Tamil for a dry vegetable stir-fry.
An everyday dry vegetable curry with mustard, urad dal and coconut — goes with any meal.
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AMMAMMA'S NOTES.
Vegetable (any)
2 cups chopped
Turmeric
1/4 spoon
Salt
to taste
Oil
4 spoon
Mustard
1 spoon
Urad dal
2 spoon
Coconut (grated)
4 spoon
01
Cut any vegetable you like into small pieces.
02
Place a pan on the stove and pour in the oil; when hot, add mustard seeds.
03
When the mustard flutters, add urad dal, and when it turns red, add the cut vegetable, turmeric, and salt.
04
Sprinkle a little water and close the pan with a lid; keep the stove on sim.
05
Open the lid occasionally and check if the vegetable is cooked; when done, switch off the stove.
06
To garnish, add grated coconut. For extra flavor, grind coconut with 1 green chilli coarsely and add it in.
Parappu Usily
Boiled vegetables mixed with a steamed, coarsely ground dal masala, finished with mustard seasoning and coconut.
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Ladies Finger Fry
Vendakkai Varuval - Tamil for spiced ladies finger fry.
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Curries she'd more or less have to nudge me into eating — I wasn't much of a vegetable gal and was fine without them, but she wouldn't have it. With her charming smile, her line was always, “Taste one bite, if you don't like it, I won't force you” — and I came to love her poriyals and usilys.
YAMINI VENKATESAN
WHAT'S FOR LUNCH, 2026