Magic Masial

Pidi Karunai Masial

When my vegetable vendor got this vegetable 10 days ago, I was so tempted to make and post this recipe for my blog. This is a signature dish of my mother-in-law. She makes a very unique podi (powder) for this masial. Masial is usually a little mashed curry. To store the pidi karunai  leave it on the plain floor for a week. This way, it will shrink little, and it will not itch or irritate the throat. You can also cook it with a couple of guava leaves (leaves of the guava fruit tree). Pidi Karunai is very good for curing bleeding piles and ulcer.

Ingredients

Pidi Karunai – 5 nos (soak in water for 5 minutes, and wash well, till clean). Pressure cook for 4 whistles  and keep in sim flame for 5 minutes and switch off. Cool, peel and mash very slightly. See to it  that the pieces are really chunky.

Picture of Pidi Karunai 

Boiled toovar dhal (boil the dhal with little turmeric powder) – 3/4 cup

Sambar powder – 1 tablespoon

Salt to taste

Jaggery – 1 teaspoon

Thick tamarind extract – 1 cup

Masial podi

Dry roast and powder finely

Raw rice – 1 teaspoon

Toovar dhal – 1 teaspoon

Dry red chillies- 4

white sesame seeds (til)  – 1 teaspoon

Urad dhal – 1 teaspoon

Jeera –  1/2 teaspoon

Dry roast till golden, cool and powder finely.

To Season

Gingelly oil (sesame oil) –  2 tablespoons

Mustard seeds – 1 teaspoon

Slit green chillies – 2

Finely chopped  ginger  – 1 tablespoon   (heaped)

Finely chopped Curry leaves –  1 tablespoon

Grated coconut – 4 tablespoons

Asafoetida powder –  1/2 teaspoon

Method

Heat a pan, add the tamarind water. Boil for two minutes on high flame. Add salt, jaggery and sambar powder. Boil for another two minutes. Then add the boiled toovar dhal, slightly mashed pieces of Pidi Karunai. Cook for 2 minutes. Mix the powdered spices with 1 cup of water and add it to the mixture. Boil in sim flame for 5 minutes.

Heat a pan. Add gingelly oil, once the oil is heated add the mustard seeds. When the seeds crackle, then fry green chillies, ginger, asafoetida powder, curry leaves and lastly, add the grated coconut and fry the coconut till golden. Remove the pan from the stove. Add the seasoning to the masial and mix well. Serve hot with plain steamed rice, ghee and fried pappad.

Chef’s Tips

1. Do not over mash the boiled pidi karunai as it will become like chutney.
2. Do not cook the pidikarunai as soon as you buy it, leave it to sit for at least a week or ten days.
3. Goes well with phulkas and plain rice.
4. lf the  masial becomes thick, dilute it with little hot water.