Soaked rice mixed with curds, pearl onions and curd chillies
The ruthlessly hot summer days of Agni nakshatram (The 14 day period in May which is the hottest days of summer) is the time the kids are at home for summer vacation - Like animals fred from the cages, we used to be roaming outside the house, Sun ??? Heat ???? What is that ??? I used to "visit" my home every now and then, as I would be extreeemely busy playing out in the hot sun.
To keep the bodies cool during these hot months, my father used to make Palaya saadam. Literally translated, the word means "old rice", I think the word is no justice for the taste. I dont know what its called in other languages. If so do share it would love to hear about it.
It is so very simple, actually no recipe to this dish, but yet very healthy for its cooling properties. Cooked rice, (usually its left overs, but my amma used to make extra for this) would be soaked in plain water over-night preferably in a clay vessel, then mixed nicely next day morning mix with a dash of buttermilk or curd and salt. Eat(rather drink) it with mor molaga/sundakai vathal/siru vangayam.... The salty and hot crispiness of the "mor molaga" with the cool porridge-like creamy rice - There are no words to decribe the taste of this. The clay vessel imparts a cooling property on this dish. Siruvangayam ( pearl onions ), buttermilk also have the same effect on the body.
Mor molaga is chillies dried in curd, Siru vangayam is pearl onions, Sundakai vathal - I need help!!!. Anyone has pictures or any information about sundakai ?? Its little green colour fruits size of mini marbles that are also dried in curds. I googled and no english equivalent came up, I dont have stock at home too :(
To remember all those fun times and to tackle the heat here in California ( Yes it is hot but I am loving it !!!) , I made this dish this weekend.
A couple of updates: Archana did the research for me and found out about Sundakai. It has good info and details and the medicinal value of sundakai which is essentially a berry. Thanks Archana !!
Vineela has already blogged about this berry. She also has a foto of the sundakai in curd. This is what she has written about the berry :
"Sundakkai"s botanical name is "Solanum torvum" and "Turkey Berry" in English,"Bhankatiya, katai in "Hindi","Usthikaya" in Telugu and "Sundakkai" in Tamil.
Thank you Vineela for the recipe & the info !!
This dish is called pazhankanji / kulutha choru ( Thanks LG & Indianadoc ) and called Paaniwala chawal in hindi. 
1 comments:
I don't know who's the owner of the blog. Still I follow this blog, coz of this recipie...palaiya satham...so it sounds like real tamilan. I love this palaya satham when my mom prepare this and the side dish would be sunda kuzhambu and mambazham. She purposely prepare more kuzhumbu and heat them at night and leave it over night(instead of putting in the fridge) and again heat it in the n=morning for old rice...mmmmmm...its mouth watering..
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