Nugge Soppu(Drumstick Leaves) Tambli

Ingredients:
1/2 bunch of tender Drumstick leaves / Ele Nugge Soppu
3/4 - 1 cup grated Coconut
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds (1/4 tsp for Grinding + 1/4 tsp for Seasoning)
1 Green Chilly
2 cups Buttermilk / Majjige
Salt to taste
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/4 tsp Fenugreek seeds
4 - 5 Curry leaves
2 broken Red Chillies
2 tsp Ghee

Recipe:
Remove the drumstick leaves from its stem, wash them and keep them aside. Cut the green chilly into two pieces.

Put 1 tsp ghee in a thick bottomed vessel and heat. Add 1/4 tsp cumin seeds, green chilly and fry them for few seconds. Add drumstick leaves and fry them for about 4-5 mins in medium flame.

Grind grated coconut, fried drumstick leaves into smooth paste by adding sufficient amount of water. (If it is frozen coconut, use hot water while grinding.) Transfer this ground coconut to a vessel. Add buttermilk, salt, water if required to the same vessel and mix them well. (If it is yogurt/curd, put it in a mixer for few seconds before adding it to Tambli.)

Put mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp of cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, broken red chillies and 1 tsp ghee in a pan. Once it starts spluttering, add curry leaves and then add it to Tambli. Mix well before serving. It goes well with rice.

Akki Payasa (Using Jaggary)

Ingredients:
1 cup White Rice(Preferred: Basmathi / Gandhasale/ Sona Masuri)
2 - 2.5 cups thick fresh Coconut Milk
1.5 cups Jaggary
5 - 6 Cardamoms / Elakki
Pinch of Salt

Recipe:
Wash white rice in water for about 2-3 times and put them in a vessel. Add around 6 cups of water and cook the rice.

Grind fresh/frozen grated coconut into smooth paste by adding little amount of water.(If it is frozen coconut, use warm water while grinding.) Squeeze the ground coconut, by placing it in a clean cotton cloth.

After this process, add 2 cups of water to the squeezed coconut, mix well and squeeze it again. Put this thin coconut milk to the vessel containing cooked rice, add jaggary, pinch of salt and bring it to boil. Keep this in low flame for about 5 mins.

Add the thick coconut milk, stir the Payasa and bring it to boil. Add the mashed cardamom seeds and keep the Payasa in low flame for about 1-2 mins.

Mix well before serving. Serve hot or chilled. This can be used for Naivedyam.