Thai Amavasai Lunch Menu - Traditional South Indian Feast

Step 1: Prepare Paruppusili Dal Paste

Drain 1/2 cup of soaked Thuvar Dal and 3 Dry Red Chillies. Add them to a mixer grinder along with 1/4 tsp Hing. Grind into a thick paste without adding any water. Set aside.

Step 2: Pressure Cook Rice, Dal, Channa, and Paruppusili Mix

In a pressure cooker, add water to the base. Place a container with 1 cup raw Sona Masoori Rice and 2 cups of water. In another container, add 1/2 cup Thuvar Dal and 1/4 cup Moong Dal with water. Place a small bowl of 1/4 cup soaked White Channa/Kabuli Channa inside this dal container. Add a pinch of Haldi/Turmeric Powder to the dal. In a third container, combine the coarsely ground Thuvar Dal paste (from Step 1) with 1 cup chopped Kothavarankai/Cluster Beans. Mix well. Stack the containers in the pressure cooker (Dal & Channa at the bottom, Rice next, Paruppusili mix on top). Cook for 3 whistles.

Step 3: Prepare Poha / Aval Payasam

Heat 1 Tbsp Ghee in a pan. Add 1/4 cup chopped mixed nuts (cashews, almonds, raisins) and fry until golden. Drain the nuts and set aside. In the same pan, add 1/2 cup washed thick Poha/Aval and roast it in the remaining ghee until slightly fragrant. Add 3 cups of milk and cook until the poha is soft. In a separate small pan, combine 1/2 cup jaggery with 1/4 cup water and heat until the jaggery dissolves to form a syrup. Let the jaggery syrup cool completely. Once cooled, add the jaggery syrup to the cooked poha and milk mixture. Add 1/2 tsp cardamom powder and the fried nuts. Mix well. Adjust consistency with more boiled and cooled milk if desired.

Step 4: Prepare Raw Banana / Vazhakkai Stir Fry

Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a pan. Add 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp urad dal, a pinch of hing, and a few curry leaves. Once spluttering, add 2 chopped raw bananas. Fry for a few minutes. Add 1/4 tsp Haldi/Turmeric Powder, salt to taste, and 1 tsp homemade sambar powder. Mix everything well. Continue frying on low flame, stirring occasionally, until the bananas are slightly crispy and cooked through. Remove to a serving bowl.

Step 5: Prepare Poozhanikai / Ashgourd Rasavangi

In a stone pot, add 1 cup water, 1 cup chopped ashgourd/white pumpkin, a pinch of Haldi/Turmeric Powder, and salt to taste. Cook until the pumpkin is tender. Add 1/4 cup soaked white channa/kabuli channa and tamarind extract (from a small lemon-sized piece of tamarind). Boil for 5 minutes until the raw smell of tamarind disappears. Add 1/2 cup cooked dal (from pressure cooker) and mix. For the masala paste, heat 1 tsp oil in a pan. Add 1 Tbsp coriander seeds/dania, 1 Tbsp channa dal, 4 dry red chillies, 1 cube hing, and 1/3 cup grated coconut. Roast until fragrant. Let it cool and then grind to a paste. Add the ground masala paste to the pot. Add a little water to the mixer jar to rinse out remaining paste and add to the pot. Boil for another 2-3 minutes. Add a few curry leaves and switch off the flame. For tempering, heat 1/2 tsp oil. Add 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp methi/fenugreek seeds, 2 dry red chillies, and a pinch of hing powder. Pour the tempering over the rasavangi.

Step 6: Prepare Kothavarangai / Clusterbeans Paruppusili

Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a pan. Add 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp urad dal, 2 dry red chillies, a pinch of hing, and a few curry leaves. Once spluttering, add the cooked dal and cluster beans mixture (from pressure cooker). Keep the flame low and gently crumble any large dal pieces. Add salt to taste. Fry for about 5 minutes until the mixture is perfectly done and slightly crispy. Remove to a serving bowl.

Step 7: Prepare Morkuzhambu (Okra)

In a mixer jar, combine 1 1/2 cups homemade curd/yogurt with a pinch of Haldi/Turmeric Powder. Whisk well. For the masala paste, soak 1 Tbsp coriander seeds/dania, 1 Tbsp thuvar dal, 1 dry red chilli, 1 green chilli, and a small piece of ginger for 15 minutes. Add 2 Tbsp grated coconut and grind to a fine paste. Add this ground paste to the whisked curd and mix. Heat 1 Tbsp coconut oil in a pan. Add 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 1 dry red chilli, and a few curry leaves. Once spluttering, add 4-5 small chopped bhindi/lady's finger. Fry until the bhindi is cooked and slightly crispy. Add the curd and masala mixture to the fried bhindi. Add water to the blender jar to rinse out remaining paste and add to the pot. Cook on a low to medium flame, stirring continuously, until it starts frothing up. Add salt to taste. Switch off the flame immediately once it starts frothing to prevent curdling. Transfer to a serving bowl.

Step 8: Prepare Rasam

In a pot, combine tamarind extract (from a small amla-sized piece of tamarind), a pinch of Haldi/Turmeric Powder, salt to taste, 1 cube of hing, and 1 lightly crushed ripe tomato. Add water as needed. Place the pot on a low flame and let it come to a boil. Add 1 green chilli. Add 1 ladle of cooked dal along with its water. Add a few coriander leaves and curry leaves. Once it starts frothing and bubbling up, switch off the flame. For tempering, heat 1 tsp ghee. Add 1/2 tsp mustard seeds and 1/2 tsp jeera/cumin seeds. Once spluttering, pour the tempering over the rasam. Cover immediately to retain the flavor.

Step 9: Prepare Kalathu Paruppu (Plain Dal)

Take the remaining cooked dal (Thuvar Dal & Moong Dal) from the pressure cooker. Add salt to taste and a pinch of Hing/Asafoetida Powder. Mix well. This plain dal is mixed with rice.

Step 10: Prepare Vadai

Drain 1 cup of soaked urad dal (soaked for 2 hours) completely. Grind it into a thick, soft batter in a mixer grinder using the pulse mode for about 2 minutes, adding only 2 Tbsp of water in total. Transfer the batter to a bowl. Beat the batter very well with a whisk or by hand until it becomes soft and fluffy. Add a pinch of hing/asafoetida powder, 1 tsp black pepper powder, a few curry leaves, 1 chopped green chilli, 1 tsp grated ginger, and salt to taste. Mix all ingredients well. Heat oil for deep frying in a kadai. Take a small portion of the batter, flatten it slightly on a banana leaf (or baking sheet), and make a hole in the center. Gently slide the shaped vadai into the hot oil. Fry in batches, flipping carefully, until both sides are a lovely reddish-golden color. Drain excess oil and remove.

Step 11: Prepare Thayir Pachadi (Raita)

In a mixer grinder, combine 4 Tbsp grated coconut, 1 green chilli, and a small piece of ginger. Grind to a paste. In a bowl, take 1 cup homemade curd/yogurt and whisk it well. Add salt to taste. Add the ground coconut paste to the whisked curd and mix. Add some finely chopped coriander leaves and curry leaves. For tempering, heat 1/2 tsp oil. Add 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp urad dal, 1 dry red chilli, and a few curry leaves. Once spluttering, pour the tempering over the thayir pachadi.

Step 12: Serve the Thai Amavasai Lunch

Serve the steaming hot rice on a banana leaf. Add a dollop of ghee. Arrange all the prepared dishes: Payasam, Thayir Pachadi, Raw Banana Stir Fry, Kothavarangai Paruppusili, Kalathu Paruppu, Poozhanikai Rasavangi, Morkuzhambu, Rasam, and Vadai. Enjoy your traditional Thai Amavasai lunch!

• When adding moong dal with thuvar dal, the dal cooks softer.

• To prevent milk from curdling in payasam, allow the jaggery syrup to cool completely before mixing with the cooked poha and milk.

• For vadai, drain soaked urad dal completely and grind to a thick, soft batter using minimal water in pulse mode. Beat the batter well until soft and fluffy.

• For rasam, if you want a clearer consistency, add one green chili.

• For morkuzhambu, do not cook for a long time like North Indian kadhi; switch off once it starts frothing up.

• Use any nuts of your choice for the payasam.

• For vadai, if you don't have banana leaves, you can use a baking sheet to shape them.