Tirunelveli Sodhi Kuzhambu

Tirunelveli Sodhi Kuzhambu(Coconut Milk Vegetable Stew)

In Tirunelveli and the down south districts of Tamil Nadu Sodhi is a vegetable Stew which is so popular. . The recipe is very simple to make and is filled with the goodness of vegetables. Not only it is colorful, it’s quite tasty, Mixed veggies are cooked in cooconut milk .greenchili-ginger paste along with thin coconut milk and then enriched with cooked moong dal along with thick coconut milk make this recipe quite flavorful.It goes well with Idiyappam&Rice.

Ingredients:

  Carrots, beans, potatoes – cut into rectangular pieces – 1 cup

  Green peas – 1/4 cup

  Cauliflower – cut into small florets – 1/2 cup

  Turmeric powder -1/4 tsp

  Salt as needed

  Garlic - 2 cloves

  Onion -1 medium size

  Thin coconut milk -1 cup

  Thick coconut milk – 1 cup

Moongdal-2 tbsp (Cooked)

Green chilli-1

Ginger -small piece 

  For grinding raw:

   Grated Coconut -1/3 cup or 4 tbsp

   Fried gram /Pottukadalai -1 tbsp

   Green chilli -3

   For the seasoning

   Oil -1 tsp

   Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

   Curry leaves - a sprig

Method:

1.Wash and cook the moong dal in a pressure cooker, mash and keep aside.

2.Chop onion and garlic and keep it aside.Cut all the other vegetables into medium sized pieces.

3.Extract thin and thick coconut milk and keep it ready. Make a paste with water,Coconut,fried gram  ginger and green chillies. Set aside.

4.In a pan add oil and add int the slit green chilies. Add the sliced onions. Saute till the onion turns pink. Be careful not to burnt it and the colour should not change.

5.Add all the chopped vegetables and saute for 2 minutes. Then add turmeric powder,salt and Add the thin coconut milk. Let the vegetables cook  in the thin coconut milk until the vegetables become tender.

6.Then Add cooked moong dal to this and add little water to get a kulambu consistency.

7.At this stage add the coconut  chilli paste, t and the 2nd extract of coconut milk. Reduce the heat and let the sodhi simmer for some time until all the vegetables are nicely cooked.

8.Finally add the thick 3rd extract of the coconut milk and the lemon juice. Switch off the gas.

9.Heat oil, add mustard seeds, when it splutters, add curry leaves and pour it over the sodhi.

Serve with appam or idiyappam. It goes well with rice too!