Kaalan ( Yam in thick yoghurt curry)

This is yet another delicacy of Kerala Cuisine and is an important item in Kerala Sadhya.

Yam - 200 gms cut into cubes
Pepper powder -1 tspn
Turmeric powder -1/2 tspn
salt as required

Pressure cook Yam with pepper powder, salt and turmeric powder for 2-3 whistles. (can mash it if the curry need to be more thicker or can use it in cube form itself).

Meantime grind to a smooth paste

grated coconut -1 cup
Jeera-1/2 tspn
Pepper corns -1/2 tspn
turmeric powder -1/2 tspn
Curry leaves -few
Small onion/shallots -2-3
garlic -2-3 (can avoid also)

Make a cup of thick yoghurt (can use the strained yoghurt made at home or the readymade thicker one also). beat it without lumps.

To the cooked yam add the grinded coconut mix and heat in slow fire till bubbles start coming. stir it. the curry shouldnt boil too much but at the same time the raw smell of the ground mix should go off. so you can keep on stirring for few more seconds.

Switch off the burner now and when it is not too hot but still warm add the beaten curd. Mix well and adjust the salt level now.
( pls remember NOT to add the cur while the curry is too hot as this will loosen the consistency)
Now season with mustard, dry chillies, curry leaves and 2-3 shallots deep fried in oil. Please take care not to mix this immediately . Just pour it on top of the curry and mix it only while you serve. this enhances the taste of the curry more.
Serve with rice.

Pachadi (raw mango)

Pachadi is another traditional Kerala Cuisine. I have a craving for all the traditional Kerala dishes and hence how can I avoid making this. But I need to wait till the next mango season to make this once again :((
Generally Pachadi is made using sour curd. but as the taste of raw mango itself is sour there is no need to add curd to this.

This is how I make this. 

Raw mango -1 big
Should be green completely inside also to get the real colour. I have got a half ripened  mango for making this, though sour and hence got a slight yellow colour in the picture I clicked.

Grated coconut -1 cup
Jeera seeds -1/4 tspn
Green chillies -5 nos
one or two small onions -optional
Grind all these into smooth paste
Once it is a paste add 1 tspn of mustard seeds and press once the mixer to break the seeds along with coconut. No need to grind it.

Cook the chopped raw mango with some salt and green chillies. Mash it nicely to a paste. Once it is done add the grinded coconut mix to this . Saute till raw smell is gone. Adjust the level of salt. In a pan heat some oil, crack a few mustard seeds (generally this is not done as its already added along with coconut. but to add a colourful look we can add this too ), also add few curry leaves, dry chillies and pour it on top of pachadi.

Mathanga ( Pumpkin) Erisseri

A traditional Kerala recipe which is an unavoidable dish in sadhyas. Made using Pumpkin and Red beans with ground coconut mixture.


Recipe is as follows

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For pressure cooking:
Pumpkin -1/4 kg
Red beans a handful ( either soaked overnight or even can soak in hot water before 1 hr of cooking)
Turmeric - 1/4 tspn
Red chilli powder-3/4 tspn
salt -as required
curry leaves -4-5 nos
jaggery - 1 inch size piece. (can avoid if the pumpkin is very sweety )
Pressure cook the whole ingredients for 4-5 whistles. The beans has to be cooked thoroughly and also we have to get the pumpkins slightly overcooked and in a mashed state.

for grinding:
Grated coconut -1 cup
shallots -2 nos
garlic- 1 clove
turmeric -a pinch
jeera powder a pinch (or jeera seeds few)

Grind all these together.. No need to make it a smooth paste but at the same time shouldn't be coarsely grinded.(take it in a medium state)
Mix the ground coconut mixture with the pumpkin and beans .cook till the remaining water is evaporated to get a thick consistency.

For seasoning
Oil- as required
mustard, red chillies, curry leaves
shallots 2-3 nos chopped to small peices
pour the seasoned oil on top of the vegetables.. Mix and serve hot with Rice. With roti also this goes well.

Mampazha pulisserry

An yummiest dish that can be made using ripened Mangoes. But only difficulty is you have to wait till the mango season to make this. This is a typical Kerala Dish and I just loveeeeeeee the taste of it. Not alone me but my husband and son too :))))

This curry is made with small mangoes that are fully ripened but at the same time have little sour taste. You can get those mangoes in the market for cheaper prices during the season
Recipe:
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Mangoes -3 nos (small)
Curd -2 cup (sour and well beaten using a fork)
Grated coconut -1 cup
Peel and chop the mango to very thin and small pieces and boil with 1 cup of water, 1/2 tspn turmeric powder and 1 tspn red chilli powder. (I added 2 thinly chopped shallots, 2 chopped garlic and 3-4 curry leaves to get a nice flavour to the curry )
Grind together coconut, 2 shallots, 1 garlic, 1/2 tsp jeera seeds and 1/2 tspn turmeric powder to a smooth fine paste.
Once the mangoes are cooked well mash using the back of a laddle. Add the ground coconut paste to this and cook on medium flame. once the coconut start boiling reduce the flame to sim and then let it remain there for 1 min. after that switch off the flame. and remove the kadai. let the heat of the curry minimize and then add the beaten curd to this curry .. slowly and at the same time mixing thouroughly. As you know the curd has to be added at last and the curry needs to be on medium temperature otherwise the desired consistency will not be attained.
For seasoning
heat some oil , add mustards, chopped shallots (1 or 2), dry chillies and curry leaves. pour it over the curry. mix and serve with rice.
This is surely a yummy dish with the sweetness of mangoes and sourness of curd.

Kootu curry -

This is another important recipe that is an unique item in Kerala sadhya. Generaly kootu curry is made our of Yam ( chena) and Chana dhaal ( kadala parippu) .. But I try making this using Pumpkin and chana dhaal too with the same procedure and ingredients.

Recipe:

Yam -1/4 kg
Chana dhal 1 cup
grated coconut -1 cup
Jaggery - 1 inch piece

Method:
Pressure cook Yam and chana dhal with required amount of water, jaggery, 1/2 tspn turmeric powder, 1 tspn red chilli powder , salt and few curry leaves

Grind together coconut (remember to keep 2 tbspn of grated coconut for seasoning and grind the remaining), 1/4 tspn turmeric powder, a pinch of jeera seeds and 2 shallots.
One the vegetables are done open the cooker evaporated the excess water by cooking again. once the water is evaporated add the grinded coconut mixture to this and mix well allow to cook for few more minutes

Seasoning:
Heat some oil, crakc mustard seeds, add chopped shallots (3 nos) saute nicely, Add 1 0r 2 dry chillies, few curry leaves and 2 tbsp of grated coconut. roast all these in oil and pour it over the curry and mix. this is a dry sabji with flavours of coconut, dhal , jaggery and yam together. In Sadhya this is served as one out of the ten side dishes for rice

Avial - Typical Kerala Dish

 this is yet another Kerala dish which is a main ingredient of sadhyas. Thanks Sajna Basant for the information and recipe ..
As the name says Avial is made using a mix of many vegetables. you can take one each or half of each vegetable of your choice and make Avial . 

There is a nice and interesting story behind the creation of Avial.. it is believed that in Dev Indra's darbar there was 

a feast and the chefs made lot many varieties of dishes using many vegetables. At the end of cooking they found that one or two pieces of each vegetable was left behind with which they aren't able to make any curry. so they decided to put all the vegetables together ,boil and make a curry out of it.. and it came out very nice and became the master of all curries in the sadhya and from then onwards sambhar and Avial are unavoidable parts of the main sadhya..

Not alone this in a survey conducted through out the world on different food styles Kerala sambhar and Avial were selected as the most nutritious foods in the word due to its simplicity, less masalas and high nutrient content.. Hai na Interesting?

this can be made too dry or in a semi-thick consistency (which I generally prefer).

Here goes the recipe:
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Vegetables of ur choice (half or 1 or 2 each if big) .I have taken
Ash gourd- 100 gm
drumstick-3 sticks
carrot- 2 nos
coccinia -3 nos
beans-2-3 nos
raw banana -1/2
snake gourd-1/2
yam -1/2
brinjal -1/2 piece
small onions - 1 cup
2-3 pieces of garlic ( this is not necessary to put but I love the taste and hence added)
green chilli slit-2-3 nos
tamarind - 1/2 lemon size ( depends on the quantity of vegetables you take.. I had only few vegetables so took just half lemon size.)

generally I use tamarind for the sourness.but this is usually made with sour curd which is added towards at the end.the curd has to be very sour and right consistency .So to avoid flops I use tamarind water.

Grind together
grated coconut-1 cup,2 small onions, less than a pinch of jeera and less than a pinch of turmeric powder

Cut all these vegetables into lengthwise and equal sizes. boil with salt ,tamarind juice and 1/2 tspn turmeric powder. cover and cook till the vegetables are done.

Now add the grinded coconut mix to this and mix thoroughly. Keep on low fire with lid on for 1-2 minutes (till the raw taste of coconut is gone) Now add 2 tbspn of oil (can use sunflower oil also) on the top. Mix well and cover . switch off the burner and can serve after 2 minutes.

Puli Inji - Kerala Special

Puli (imli or tamarind) and  Inji ( ginger) as the name indicates is made out of ginger in tamarind gravy. This is a traditional Kerala recipe made on special occasions and is an unavoidable part in Sadhya. This is a sweet dish as grated jaggery is added to this curry and is with semi gravy consistency served in Sadhya just like pickles. This can be served with Biriyani too. 

Recipe :

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ginger -50 gms chopped to fine bits
Tamarind juice of a big Lemon sized ball soaked in hot water
Jaggery - 1 medium sized ball
chilli powder -1 tspn
coriander powder-1/4 tspn
small onion, green chilli and curry leaves for seasoning

In a wok heat some oil and crack mustard seeds, saute chopped small onions, green chillies and curry leaves. now add the chopped ginger pieces.(do not saute) add the tamarind juice and grated jaggery also. Now add the masalas and salt. allow it to boil and come to a semi gravy consistency.
Please note that the sourness of tamarind, sweetness of jaggery and pungentness of ginger have to come in proper blend and in equal measures so to get the taste right.

Meen Vattichadhu - A special Kerala Fish curry recipe that goes well with Boiled Tapioca and also steamed Rice

Want to prepare this drooling fish curry ? Well see the recipe below:

Fish -1 kg
Chilli powder -1&1/2 tspn
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tspn
Pepper -1/2 tspn whole
Garlic - 1 pod
Small onions peeled-1 cup
Tamarind -1 lemon size
salt 
Oil (normally in Kerala we use coconut oil as it gives a nice aroma)
curry leaves- few

Soak the tamarind in hot water for sometime to extract maximum juice out of it. Remove the chunks and in the water mix chilli powder, turmeric powder.
Grind 1/2 cup small onions and 1/2 pod garlic together with pepper and without water. Mix this also to the tamarind water add curry leaves, salt and 2 tbspn of coconut oil. Add the remaining small onions and garlic after chopping it nicely and also add fish pieces to this . Cover and cook in a clay pot on medium heat. Cook undisturbed till the gravy reduces to a thick consistency and also till the fish gets properly cooked. When it is done drizzle some oil over the curry and cover it for some more time.

Remember u need not stir the curry in between continously as this make the tamarind turn sour. But can turn the fish pieces to cook the other side also in between. Serve hot with Rice

Kerala Sambhar

Kerala sambhar is an excellent dish with a mixture of all sort of vegetables. The veggies than can be used are

* Potato
* Plantain (raw banana)
* Yam 
* Carrot
* Drum Sticks
* Okra/Lady’s Finger 
* Beans
* Ash Gourd 
* Tomato
* Pumpkin 
* Brinjal 
* Big Onion

you can add the vegetables that are available with u

Ingredients needed

1. Mixed Vegetables cut into medium sized pieces – the quantity depends on how much sambhar u want to make.as we are adding more veggies take little amt of each so that the gravy wont become too thicker.
(I’ve used 1 potato,1 carrot, 3-4 drumsticks, 1/2 plantain, 2 tomato , 5 beans , a small piece of pumpkin, ash gourd, 3-4 lady’s finger, toor daal – 1/2 cup
2. Sliced Onion – 2 medium
3. Garlic Pods – 4-5
4. Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
5. Tamarind – gooseberry sized ball (depends on ur taste)
6. Chopped coriander leaves – 2 tsp
7. Red Chilly powder – 1 tsp
8. Coriander Powder – 2 tsp
9. Sambar Powder – 4-5 tsp
10. Mustard Seeds – 1/2 tsp
11. Red Chillies – 3
12. Curry Leaves – A sprig
13. Shallots or Pearl Onions (diced) – 1/4 cup
14. Asafoetida (Kayam) powder– 1 tspn pinch
15. Coconut grated -1/2 cup
16. Jeera – 1 tspn
17. Oil – as needed
18. Water – As needed
19. Salt – As needed
Method

1) Soak tamarind in warm water till it is completely dissolved.
2) In a pressure cooker boil toor daal, and few of the vegetables like ashgourd, pumpkin, carrot, beans, raw banana and potato. (Rest of the vegetables can be added later.) add turmeric powder, chilly powder, 1 tspn sambhar powder, ¼ tspn asafoetida, salt and little amt of tamarind juice. water should be enough to cover the vegetables ( u can add required amt of tamarind paste also instead of juice in the pressure cooking. But u also require juice as well)
3) Cook for 1 whistle.

4) Heat 1 tspn oil in a pan & roast the grated coconut in medium to low flame. (Take care not to add too much oil as it will not remove the water content from coconut completely and also not to charr the coconut). Once it is brown add the small onions, garlic cloves, few curry leaves, rest of the asafoetida powder, and jeera.( u will really love the nice aroma coming out now). Once its roasted add coriander powder till the raw smell is gone. Pls remember all these are dry roasting only. Let it cool down and now grind the whole thing to a smooth paste.
5) Now heat oil in a pan. Splutter mustard, Fenugreek, red chillies, curry leaves and sliced onion. No need to roast the onion. Removing the raw smell is enough. Once it is done add lady’s finger , sauté till it is shrunken, pour this on the cooked vegetables. 
6) Sauté tomato in a little amount of oil and add this also to the cooked vegetables
7) Now the remaining vegetable is Drumstick. Add cut raw drumstick also to the cooked vegetables. 
8) Now mix sambhar powder in little amount of water and add to the veggies. I recommend eastern Sambhar powder for making Kerala Sambhar as it tastes very nice.
9) Now add the grinded coconut mixture also along with remaining tamarind juice. 
10) Allow the whole mixture to cook for 10 -15 minute till the sambhar starts boiling and drumstick is cooked properly. 
11) Adjust the salt and tamarind now according to ur taste.

Why I added drumstick at last is if we put it in cooker it will get broken and the sticks will seen dispersed in the sambhar and hence both drumstick and lady’s finger are added at last only.

Dried Shark curry with lady's finger

Dry Shark curry with ladies finger-Kerala Special
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Dry fishes are a boon to me during off season for fish( trawling times) .This is my mom's special and as always mom's cooking is any person's favourite . One such dish is this for me..

Many times I have felt that the same recipe when I cook is no where near her magical touch. I would love to share this with you guys. Can use any dry fish for this .even dried prawns can also be used.

Dry fish -100 gms
Soak the fish in water with some teared paper pieces as it absorbs the salt from the dry fish.

Lady's finger - 3-4 nos cut into 2 pieces
Grated coconut - 1 cup

small onions - 2-3  for grinding and keep some 10 pieces slit into 2 (if big, or can add as such if small) seperate for cooking
Garlic -2-3 cloves
Saunf -less than a pinch
Turmeric powder -1/2 tspn
Chilli powder- 3/4 tspn
Coriander powder- 1 & 1/2 tspn
Curry leaves -3 nos

Grind together coconut and masalas to a smooth paste
Prepare tamarind extract using half a lemon sized tamarind.

In a wok heat some oil, crack mustard, Saute small onion, Ginger (1/2 inch) sliced, curry leaves -4-5 nos. Saute the lady's finger. Add the tamarind juice now. Add the grated masalas. Mix well. Add the required amount of salt. allow it to boil. when the bubble starts coming out add the washed fish pieces. Do not stir continuously as it will break the flesh of the pieces. Serve hot with steamed rice.