Introduction
Tamilnadu has rich and varied cuisines. I grew up on the Tirunelveli cuisine and got introduced to the Sivakasi cuisine after my wedding. A computer engineer by profession, cooking became mainstream for me only after kids. I became conscious of the food we cook and eat. I started to learn nutrition-rich dishes from family/relatives/friends and routinely started cooking them at home. However, the traditional method of cooking is complex and time consuming. Thats when OPOS happened like a breath of fresh air! The simple, scientific approach to food and recipes piqued my interest and there has been no looking back.
This cookbook, is my humble attempt to bring back the spotlight on our cuisine. The dishes which were perfected by our great grandmothers and their mothers; which required them to toil for hours in the kitchen; can now be made in minutes, with all their goodness, requiring very less manual labour. Thanks to OPOS!
OPOS (One Pot, One Shot) is the cleanest, greenest, healthiest, tastiest and fastest way to cook just about anything. OPOS works for anyone, anywhere, anytime! This is the OPOS promise.
We will show you how to make Maapillai Sodhi, Milagai Kuzhambu, Ulundhang Kali, Ulundhu Paal/Kheer called fondly as the protein power house by many, Thiribagam termed as the king of sweets down south, and lots of other simple and complex dishes, all in minutes.
I have covered the crme de la crme of dishes from the mentioned regions of South Tamilnadu, using OPOS techniques. I hope we cherish and enjoy all the goodness of our cuisine, for a long and healthy life!
Dedicated
To my grandparents
aachi..
thatha..
&
maamai..
Thanks to
My family for their constant encouragement and support.
My friends who gave me immense strength and help.
The members of OPOS School for their wonderful support in validating all the recipes.
Mr.B.Ramakrishnan, for his faith in me.
Abbreviations and Acronyms
OPOS | One Pot One Shot |
Tsp | Teaspoon |
Tbsp | Tablespoon |
C | Cup |
G | Gram |
PIP | Pot-in-pot |
Coconut-Cumin paste | CC paste |
Staples for this Cookbook
- Tamarind Paste
Tamarind pulp covered with water, cooked, filtered and bottled.
- Sesame Oil Bottled tadka
1/3C mustard seeds, 1/4C split urad dal, 20 dry red chillies, 3/4C curry leaves fried in 1C Sesame oil,and bottled.
- Coconut Oil bottled tadka
1/4C mustard seeds, 2tbsp split urad dal, 1/2C curry leaves fried in 1/2C coconut oil and bottled.
- Grated coconuts
- Coconut-Cumin paste
Blend together 1/2C grated coconut with 1tsp cumin seeds. Refrigerate/freeze.
- Roasted gram flour (dry roasted kadala maavu/besan)
- Roasted black gram flour (dry roasted Karupulundhu maavu)
- Roasted fenugreek powder
- Cooked mung dal
- Cooked tuvar dal
About the cuisine
South Tamilnadu, specifically Tirunelveli, Madurai and Sivakasi the regional scope of this book, is very rich, be it rivers, food, culture or business.
The food consumed by people of these regions is well balanced with carbohydrates, proteins and micronutrients. Proteins were given equal importance like carbohydrates, and unique high-protein dishes are very common.
Many of these dishes require lot of manual efforts and time. Ulundhang Kali is a fine example. With the help of OPOS techniques, all these dishes can be cooked so well, with minimal efforts, in minutes.
We will use either sesame oil or coconut oil for all the dishes. Oil, by default, means sesame oil in this cookbook.
Some pointers to remember while OPOSing the dishes in this cookbook:
- Follow the number of whistles/timing whichever is earlier as specified in the recipe.
- If the vegetables are undercooked, keep them for one more whistle or chop them smaller.
- If, for any reason the coconut paste becomes watery, keep it in a pip (pot-in-pot) as a layer above vegetables and follow the recipe.
- Make sure the black gram flour (urad flour) is roasted and ground fine in a mill. If grinding in a mixie jar, then the smooth texture of flour is not possible and due to this cooking timings may vary.
- All the poriyal/kootu/aviyal/kuzhambu recipes in this cookbook are based on a combination of Pressure Baking, Layering, Pot in Pot and Emulsification techniques.
- Urulai vengaya poriyal (onions potatoes stir-fry) and Urundai kuzhambu (lentil dumplings in sour stew) both rely on the Controlled caramelisation technique. So, a lot will depend on water quantities in the buffer layer (onions, tomatoes). If you want lesser caramelisation in these recipes, increase water in base additionally by 1tbsp.
Below is a list of classic meal combos:
- Maapillai sodhi, urulai vengaya poriyal and inji pachadi served with rice.
- Ulundhu saadam and ellu thuvayal
- Puli thanni, any poriyal/kootu/aviyal and pottukadalai thuvayal served with rice.
- Plain salna with any starch (Idli, dosa, rice, parotta).
- Tirunelveli sambar, any poriyal/kootu/aviyal/kadanja keerai, and pachadi served with rice.
- Tirunelveli kootanchoru is a complete meal by itself, served with fries.
- Pachai sundakkai puli kuzhambu, with any poriyal/kootu/aviyal/kandanja keerai and served with rice.
- Vendakkai more kuzhambu with any poriyal/puli aviyal and served with rice.
- Vengaya chutney, chinna vengaya kara chutney and thudhuvalai thuvayal are served with dosa / karuppulundhu dosa / millet dosa.
- Puli milagai and Bajji milagai kuzhambu as accompaniment to starch
- Karuppu ulundhu kanji and ragi puttu are power packed breakfast/snack options.
- Ulundhang Kali is considered very nutritious and is essential for bone and muscle strength.
- Ulundhu paal, Jigardhanda, Paasiparuppu payasam, Semiya javvarisi payasam and Thiribagam are all desserts.
Table of Contents
Thank you
OPOS Primer
1. The OPOS Magic:
15 years, 780 blog posts, 26097 volunteers, 52 children, tonnes of provisions, 1208 files, 10411 Facebook posts, 5601 photos, 320 videos, millions of arguments, 1 dictator, 15 comedians, 1 world record, 4 restaurants, 16 chefs, 14 events and 22 corporate demos have gone into creating the OPOS magic. You now hold the key to this magical world!
2. What is OPOS?
OPOS (One Pot, One Shot) is a set of scientific cooking techniques designed to unchain you from the kitchen, cut drudgery and empower anyone to cook confidently. All OPOS recipes use One Pot and all cooking is done at One Shot. No steps. No supervision. From Pastas to Paneer Makhni, Malai Kofta to Mysorepak, OPOS recipes are easier and faster than cooking instant noodles!
3. The OPOS Promise:
OPOS is the cleanest, greenest, healthiest, tastiest and fastest way to cook just about anything.
OPOS works for anyone, anywhere, anytime.
4. Why OPOS?
OPOS is Green. One pot to wash.
OPOS is Clean. Hygienic. Less mess.
OPOS is Fast. Fresh food in minutes.
OPOS is Liberating. No supervision.
OPOS is Healthy. Maximises nutrition.