onion-thokku-vengaya-thokku-recipe - 1

This is an OPOS – One Pot One Shot recipe. # This recipe works well ONLY in a 2 or 3 liter Indian style pressure cooker. Do not use a big cooker without adjusting the quantity. It wont work. Do not scale the recipe up or down. Use exact measurements and equipment. Generally, making of thokku / thick chutney can be very laborious which includes sauteing the veggies in oil for not less than 30-40 minutes. Thokku made using OPOS just takes 5 minutes on the stove. You might think that pressure cooking might just steam the onion. “A paste of steamed onions with spices is the last thing you wanna eat. Its aghast.” But you are in for a surprise. There is a catch. We will not be adding any water while cooking. The onions are going to caramelize in its own juices in high heat for a short time. Believe me, this recipe is one of the best things that has happened to me in cooking.

I tried this recipe 3-4 times so far and the flavor has been phenomenal. If you are worried about burning the bottom of your pressure cooker, don’t be. Hope you enjoy the video!

Enjoy your thokku with rice, idli, dosa etc…

onion-thokku - 2
  • 6 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 250 grams sliced onions ( 3 medium sized onions ).
  • 5 - 10 dry red chillies.
  • 1 ″ coin size.tamarind
  • 1 teaspoon of jaggery.
  • 1 teaspoon of home made / store bought sambar powder.
  • 1 teaspoon of salt.
  1. Take a pressure cooker (2 or 3 litres capacity only) and add 6 teaspoon of Indian sesame oil /gingely oil (nallennai).
  2. Add in 250 grams sliced onions ( 3 medium sized onions ).
  3. Add in 5-10 dry red chillies. (Add 5 chillies if you want a moderately spiced thokku / chutney. Increase the chillies if you want a spicy chutney.)
  4. Add a small piece of tamarind. About a 1″ coin size. Add in a teaspoon of jaggery. and a teaspoon of home made / store bought sambar powder. Add in a teaspoon of salt.
  5. Set your stove to medium high heat on a gas stove or your induction stove to 1200W. We are going to cook for exactly 5 minutes. Set up a timer in your mobile. Just 5 minutes irrespective of the number of whistles. You might end up getting 5-7 whistles.
  6. Wait for the pressure to release. Open the cooker. If there is a lot of liquid remaining in the cooker, just briefly simmer on high heat for a couple of minutes until the mixture is thick. Ignore this step if the mixture does not have liquid.
  7. Wait for the mixture to cool.
  8. Blend to a paste.
  9. Enjoy your thokku with rice, idli, dosa etc…

Notes

The term OPOS and One Pot One Shot are registered trademarks owned by Mr.Ramakrishnan. The recipes have been adapted from his OPOS Cookbook. They are used in Kannamma Cooks with prior permission. The recipes are an adaptation from the cookbook.

  • Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: 5 mins
  • Category: Chutney / Pickle
  • Cuisine: Tamilnadu
onion-thokku - 3 onion-thokku - 4
  • 6 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 250 grams sliced onions ( 3 medium sized onions ).
  • 5 - 10 dry red chillies.
  • 1 ″ coin size.tamarind
  • 1 teaspoon of jaggery.
  • 1 teaspoon of home made / store bought sambar powder.
  • 1 teaspoon of salt.
  1. Take a pressure cooker (2 or 3 litres capacity only) and add 6 teaspoon of Indian sesame oil /gingely oil (nallennai).
  2. Add in 250 grams sliced onions ( 3 medium sized onions ).
  3. Add in 5-10 dry red chillies. (Add 5 chillies if you want a moderately spiced thokku / chutney. Increase the chillies if you want a spicy chutney.)
  4. Add a small piece of tamarind. About a 1″ coin size. Add in a teaspoon of jaggery. and a teaspoon of home made / store bought sambar powder. Add in a teaspoon of salt.
  5. Set your stove to medium high heat on a gas stove or your induction stove to 1200W. We are going to cook for exactly 5 minutes. Set up a timer in your mobile. Just 5 minutes irrespective of the number of whistles. You might end up getting 5-7 whistles.
  6. Wait for the pressure to release. Open the cooker. If there is a lot of liquid remaining in the cooker, just briefly simmer on high heat for a couple of minutes until the mixture is thick. Ignore this step if the mixture does not have liquid.
  7. Wait for the mixture to cool.
  8. Blend to a paste.
  9. Enjoy your thokku with rice, idli, dosa etc…

Notes

The term OPOS and One Pot One Shot are registered trademarks owned by Mr.Ramakrishnan. The recipes have been adapted from his OPOS Cookbook. They are used in Kannamma Cooks with prior permission. The recipes are an adaptation from the cookbook.

  • Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: 5 mins
  • Category: Chutney / Pickle
  • Cuisine: Tamilnadu

Find it online : https://www.kannammacooks.com/onion-thokku-vengaya-thokku-recipe/

morkali - 5

I am a great fan of fermented foods. When the legendary Chithra Viswanathan had posted a picture of this morkali in a forum, I was instantly hooked. The unique thing about this recipe is that the batter for this recipe is naturally fermented. These days, the morkali we know is the “instant” morkali made with a batter of rice flour and sour curd.

CV was very generous to share her family recipe and this is the story behind this amazing recipe. Whenever amma ground rice for sevai (string hoppers) with puzhungarisi (par boiled rice), amma used to reserve some of the batter for making morkali. The batter was usually fermented for 24-48 hours. One can even ferment it upto 36 hours. The batter stays good and does not rot. When amma was bedridden in her final years, my sister used to have this batter in the fridge at all times, so she could make it at moments notice. However small an amount, the recipe can be made with just enough batter. If made the right way, it just glides down the throat. Its easily digestible too because of the fermentation.

Recipes like these are hard to find. We are slowly losing the art of fermentation in this busy world. Just a little bit of planning and you will have a wonderful and heathy dish that you can make for your loved ones. Here is the recipe for naturally fermented morkali. Its the wonderful soulfood as they say!

Wash and soak the par boiled rice (I used Idly rice) in water for 24 hours. Drain the soaked rice and grind the rice along with coconut and a cup of water. Grind the ingredients in a mixie to a fine paste. Do not grind it to a watery mixture. Grind it to a thick paste. Mix in the salt and set aside to ferment in a draft free place. I allowed it to ferment for 24 hours.

fermented morkali-ground - 6

After the time, the batter would smell sour and little foamy. The batter did not foam a lot for me like idli batter does. It foamed very little. Add in about a cup of water to dilute. It should be a thin batter (consistency of a light sauce, thinner than the dosa batter).

fermented morkali-fermented-batter - 7

Now the tempering! Its a simple traditional tempering that goes in for making the Kali. Traditionally curd chillies (mor milagai) is used. I did not have mor milagai. So used dried red chillies.

fermented morkali-tempering - 8

Heat oil in a pan and add in the mustard seeds. Let it splutter. Add in the split urad dal and split chana dal. Let it slightly brown. Add in the curry leaves, red chillies and asafoetida. Fry briefly for a couple of seconds. Add in the batter. Stir on a medium flame.

fermented morkali-cook - 9

Keep stirring the batter. It will keep thickening. Keep stirring until it has thickened well and does not stick to the pan anymore.

fermented morkali-not-stick-to-pan - 10

Switch off the flame and remove it to a plate. Let it cool. Cut into cubes and serve.

fermented morkali-recipe - 11 fermented morkali-recipe - 12

For the batter

  • 1 cup parboiled rice ( I used idli rice)
  • 1/4 cup coconut
  • 1 teaspoon salt

For tempering

  • 2 tablespoon peanut oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1 teaspoon split white urad dal
  • 1 teaspoon split chana dal
  • 2 - 3 dried curd chillies (mor milagai)
  • 2 sprig curry leaves, chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida (hing), perungayam
  1. Wash and soak the par boiled rice in water for 24 hours. Drain the soaked rice and grind the rice along with coconut and a cup of water. Mix in the salt and set aside to ferment in a draft free place for 24 hours.
  2. After the time, the batter would smell sour and little foamy. Add in about a cup of water to dilute. It should be a thin batter (consistency of a light sauce).
  3. Heat oil in a pan and add in the mustard seeds. Let it splutter. Add in the split urad dal and split chana dal. Let it slightly brown. Add in the curry leaves, red chillies and asafoetida. Fry briefly for a couple of seconds. Add in the batter. Stir on a medium flame.
  4. Keep stirring the batter. It will keep thickening. Keep stirring until it has thickened well and does not stick to the pan anymore.
  5. Switch off the flame and remove it to a plate. Let it cool. Cut into cubes and serve.

Notes

Optional: For garnish, I have used sliced green chillies, red chillies, curry leaves and coriander leaves.

  • Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
  • Prep Time: 48 hours
  • Cook Time: 10 mins
  • Category: Main dish
  • Cuisine: Tamilnadu
fermented-morkali - 13