Thursday, March 09, 2006
Kalyana Saapadu Podava?
Sodhi is the standard stew of every Tirunelveli Saiva Pillai wedding. Our weddings span over two days. On the second day, the lunch is organised by the Groom's family. Though the cook has been arranged already from the Bride's side, on the morning of the second day, right after breakfast, The Bride(since she is now part of The Other Family) & The Groom and The Groom's family, invite every single person of the Bride's family for "Their lunch"(they normally pay the Bride's father an amount for the lunch as is custom). And the menu hasn't changed in years. Not since I sat at my aunt's wedding as a 7 year old to my very own last year :)
Drumsticks - 2
Potatoes - 1/4kg
Carrots - 200 g
Beans - 200 g
Moong Dal, fried - 1/4 cup
Small onions - 6 or more if u wish
Garlic cloves - 10
Coconut - 1 ( grate it and extract 1 cup thick milk, 2 cups thin milk)
Lemon - 1
Ginger - 2"
Green chillies - 5 **
Turmeric powder
Salt
- Boil the moong dal , green chillies, garlic cloves & small onions till they are soft enough to be squashed.
- Half boil the vegetables earlier and add them to the dal/garlic mixture.
- Once all the vegetables are cooked, add the 2 cups of thin coconut milk. Now this is called so as this milk is extracted the second n third time with the grated coconut using water. (Che! tough translating 'rendam paal, moonam paal' in Englipees ba)
- Add salt and a pinch of turmeric powder
- When the stew begins to boil, extract ginger juice and add it (Most often the juice hardly comes out, so just grate it finely and pop it all inside :p)
- Keep stirring it so that it doesn't "adi-pidichify" [Translation is too much effort. Adjust maadi]
- Once the stew has boiled for 2 mins, add the thick coconut milk. keep on stove for a minute and remove.
- Squeeze the lemon over it. Make sure the stew is off teh stove and it has slightly cooled otherwise the coconut milk will go bad.
This is normally eaten with rice. Side dishes include a spicy Ginger chutney and Potato curry. It is the yummiest dish and anytime i visit my relatives they make this for me. Plus i get an extra glass of Sodhi to drink :) Yes, i am weird but then you haven't tasted Sodhi yet :D
Credits: The women of Nambia Pillai family :D
Posted by The Cookie ::
10:08 PM ::
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