Microwave fried appalam kozhambu

Appalam kozhambu along with so many other recipes is my mom’s speciality. Everybody in our family loves it so much.The main attraction of the recipe is the deep fried appalams that is put in the kozhambu when it is boiling.The texture and taste of those appalams soaked in kozhambu is absolutely wonderful.

Today when my mother said she is going to make appalam kozhambu, I thought why not fry the appalam in microwave instead of oil…(everybody is becoming health conscious these days and I don’t want to be left out..) I know this would work because off late, I had been frying appalams in microwave to be eaten with rasam rice..The idea of frying appalams in microwave was passed on to me by mother who inturn got the idea from her uncle.The uncle even went to the extent of persuading my mom to buy a microwave oven because we can fry appalams using it.. But, my mother laughed the idea away… So, going to the recipe, here is the list of ingredients and the procedure to make this delicious kozhambu.

Ingredients that serves 4 adults


Appalam/papad: 5 of medium size.(This is not the lijjat pappad.This is the urad dal appalam that we get in south India.The brand I use is ambika.I have not tried this recipe with lijjat pappad.)
Tamarind: small lemon size ball
Refined oil: 3 tbsp
Sambar powder(I use MTR): 2 tsps full
Salt to taste
Jaggery(gud): ½ tsp

For sesoning


Mustard: ¼ tsp
Bengal gram/channa dal: 1 tsp
red chillies : 4
a pinch of asofoetida
A pinch of turmeric
curry leaves

Procedure


1. Fry the appalams in the microwave just for 1 minute. As many appalams as the tray holds can be kept in the oven at a time.
2. Take the juice of tamrind.
3. Heat oil in a kadai/pan and add mustard.
4. Then it splutters add the other seasoning ingredients one by one.
5. Then add tamarind juice, sambar powder and salt.
6. When it starts boiling, break each appalam into one or 2 pieces and put in the kozhambu.
7. Simmer and let it boil for 15 minutes.
8. Finally add the jaggery and put of the stove.

Delicious kozhambu can be eaten with rice and a sabji.