Neichoru & Pappu Saadam – Ghee-fully yours...

Apr 3

If only I could bottle the smells emanating from Ayah’s Kitchen this week – it could possibly be worth millions! As a child, one of the most comforting smells of any special occasion was that of nei urukkurathu – melting butter to make Ghee (clarified butter). That aroma signifies the beginning of any festive meal in a Chettiar home, or for that matter in any Tamil home. The first course, in the sense of celebratory meals in any Tamil home, is steaming hot white rice heaped on a banana leaf with Paruppu Masial (mashed dal) and Ghee. It was also pretty much the only thing that Aiyah would eat at a celebratory Chettiar lunch – yes, for all his claims of being a gourmet, he was notoriously selective about what he ate at weddings, or maybe it was just that the westernized man that he was, eating rice and curry off a banana leaf defeated him.

Paruppu Masial, mashed with rice and a dash of ghee – Paruppu Saadam (Pappu Saadam from the mouth of babes who have not yet learnt to roll their r’s) – was also the first meal that most Chettiar babies of yesteryear, the darling daughters included, were fed. This, of course, was before pediatric specialists came in with theories denying the wee ones of seasoning and fat before they turned one, theories that you can imagine Ayah scoffed at. The apprentice, the oldest grandchild and one she absolutely adored, was fed all sorts of delicacies from the time he was deemed to be old enough to eat – is it any wonder that he is an integral part of this blog, a novelty for most boys his age? In complete contrast, when my oldest was born, many a battle ensued between her and the overseas-born and bred better half, a staunch believer in science over traditions. For the first year of her life, much to Ayah and Aiyah’s dismay, the poor child was fed a diet of packaged oats, ricemeal and flavourless blended vegetables. After that diet, I don’t blame her for still being the fussiest of my three in terms of food habits. Is it too much to hope that my proofreader-in-chief glosses over my admission of guilt?

Pappu Saadam is incomplete without homemade ghee, that is if you’re not vegan or lactose intolerant. Making ghee from butter has often been touted as rather simple, so simple that I pondered about the necessity for this recipe. However, since I believe the young apprentices out there will benefit from this, just as I did. So, here goes... Ghee making was a lesson I bypassed as a young adult learning to cook, possibly because that was when it was the fad to replace natural fats like butter and ghee with processed substitutes like margarine. After many years of being a dietary villain, similar to many other foods we grew up with, ghee has only just made it back on nutritionists’ lists of acceptable fats, in moderation, of course. Anyway, it was as a young bride, celebrating my first Diwali, that a familiar aroma from my mother-in-law’s kitchen reignited childhood memories of Ayah making ghee. And so, it was from my mother-in-law and not Ayah that I learnt the art (or is it the science?) of making ghee. Tantalising aromas apart, the best part of ghee day was Neichoru or Nei saadam (ghee rice). The golden remnants of the milk solids from the ghee tossed with a handful of steaming hot rice and seasoned with crushed cumin seeds (jeera / jeeragam) and black pepper and a dollop of freshly melted ghee – ah, the ultimate in comfort food! How we vied to grab another spoonful of the limited-edition rice – but no, it wasn’t meant to be as the meagre remnants could take no more than a handful of rice, leaving barely a spoonful per person. A note for the Malayali readers out there, the name may be the same but this simple dish is different from the hugely popular Kerala favourite.

With that we bring to you the simple yet comforting recipes for the Chettiya Veettu Neichoru and Pappu Saadam along with step by step instructions on the making of Ghee.

Neichoru / Nei Saadam Recipe

Print Recipe

Notes:

1. Ayah only used Amul salted butter to make ghee, but you can use your choice of butter. Salted butter is the better option, but unsalted works as well, particularly if you are using ghee for baking. However, if you use unsalted butter, remember to increase the amount of salt used for the neichoru.

2. The curry leaves and cumin seeds impart a lovely flavour and aroma to the ghee - however, these can be omitted to have a neutral flavoured ghee, which you may prefer, especially if you're looking to use it for western preparations (I have a friend who uses ghee to grill his steaks) or baking.

3. The cumin / black pepper spice mix used for neichoru is one I make and store in bulk because it is also used for other recipes, notably rasam and vadai. I use a blender to make the mix, but you could just as easily crush using a mortar and pestle or in a minimalist kitchen, between newspapers and a rolling pin.

4. The typical first course in a celebratory lunch served in a South Indian home is steaming hot rice served with ghee and paruppu (dal). Dal the Chettiar way is called Paruppu Masial - click here to see how to make it.

Ingredients:

For the ghee:

1 stick / 200gm cold butter, preferably salted
½ teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera / jeeragam)
1 sprig (5-6) curry leaves

For the rice:

1 cup cooked white rice
½ tablespoon crushed cumin seeds (jeera / jeeragam)
½ tablespoon crushed black pepper (reduce if you’d like it less spicy)
Salt to taste (~1/2 tsp)
1-2 tablespoons fresh homemade ghee

Method:

1. Making the ghee:

(i) Put the cold butter in a thick bottomed saucepan and heat on a low flame.

1 stick / 200gm cold butter, preferably salted

(ii) At about 3 minutes, the butter would have melted completely and at about 5 minutes the milk solids will start rising up.

(iii) At about 5-6 minutes, the milk solids will start sinking down and the melted butter will start frothing and bubbling over. At this stage, rub the cumin seeds between your palms or fingers to release the aroma and drop into the pan along with the washed curry leaves. Continue to simmer for a few more seconds until the milk solids turn golden brown. Be careful as this will only take a few seconds - if left for too long, the milk solids will burn.

½ teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera / jeeragam)
1 sprig (5-6) curry leaves

(iv) Remove the pan from the heat and set aside for the ghee to cool and the sediments to settle down.

These times are estimated and may vary depending on the temperature of the stove, quantity of butter etc.

(v) When the ghee is cool and settled, gently strain using a fine strainer and pour into a container. Take care not to tip over the sediments into the container. You will have a lovely golden / amber coloured ghee that can be stored in a closed container for at least a month. Once it cools, the ghee may coagulate into a thick, grainy substance - this is normal and reheating it will bring it back to a more liquid consistency.

(vi) Do not wash the pan as we will use the same pan to make the neichoru.

2. Making Neichoru / Nei Saadam

(i) Add a cup of steaming hot white rice to the pan used to make the ghee and turn on the stove to low.

1 cup cooked white rice

(ii) Add the crushed cumin seeds, cracked pepper, salt and extra ghee to the pan and stir in until well mixed.

½ tablespoon crushed cumin seeds (jeera / jeeragam)
½ tablespoon crushed black pepper (reduce if you’d like it less spicy)
Salt to taste (~1/2 tsp)
1-2 tablespoons fresh homemade ghee

(iii) Remove from heat and serve immediately.