Njavara Rice Pal Payasam

Njavara is a medicinal rice consumed as a porridge by adding specific spices and eaten during their month of Karkkidagam / Aadi masam. ....If you don't like the porridge form. ....you can have sweet diet version .....


Step 1
Njavara Rice - 1 cup
Water - 4 cup
Milk - 1 cup

Step 2

Milk - 2 cup
Sugar - 5 to 6 tbsp
Cardamom - 6  (seed and skin)

Method

Cook the ingredients in step 1 in a pressure cooker for 5 whistle. When the pressure is gone, open the cooker and add milk and sugar and keep stirring until you get a consistency as seen in the second picture. Add powdered cardamom and serve hot, warm or cold. By the time i had finished taking the picture, the payasam was cold and jelly like and could be had in one go. Get back to me if you have any doubt.

For other payasam recipes the links are

Ambalapuzha Pal Payasam | Rice Pudding - Pressure Cooker Method

 

Parippu Payasam without Coconut Milk- Easy Sadya Recipe

 

Simple Flavourful Semiya Payasam (without condensed milk)

 

Saffron Sago Badami Kheer

 

Dates & Vermicelli Payasam

 

 

 

 

Mampazha Pulissery

The season of Mangoes is coming to an end and Mampazha Pulissery is a kind of seasonal recipes which makes it a must in the Vishu Sadya.

The recipe is pretty much simple, and if you can prepare it without adding water, it would make it very tasty. It is said that it tastes better with 'Naattu Manga' , tiny mangoes packed with flavour. I prepared using regular store bought ones.

Ingredients

To boil the mango

3 medium sized ripe mangoes, cubed
Water separated from curd - 1/2 cup
Salt
1/2 tsp turmeric powder 

To grind

Half of a medium sized coconut, grated
3 green chillies
1/2 tsp cumin seeds

......300 ml hung curd (the water from this can be used to boil the mango)

To Season

1 tbsp oil (Coconut oil would be best)
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1 or 2 sprigs curry leaves
3 whole red chillies, split
1/6 tsp fenugreek seeds, dry roasted and powdered

Method

In Kerala, mampazha pulissery or any other curry made of curd is cooked in a clay pot. If you do not have one, you can use a thick bottomed steel vessel and make sure it is cooked in low flame or else the curry will stick to the pan.

In a clay pot, place all the ingredients to boil and cook it on low flame for about 7 minutes. Meanwhile make a thick paste using all the ingredients under 'to grind', if required add leftover water from curd. Once the mangoes are cooked, add the ground mixture and when it is hot enough, add curd and check for salt. Turn off heat. The curd will cook in the residual heat of the pot.

Heat another pan and add oil. When the oil is hot add mustard seeds, and when the spluttering is over, add the curry leaves and chilies and saute till nicely fried. Add this to the mango mix. Stir and then add the fenugreek powder, stir again. Close with a lid immediately to prevent the aroma from escaping. Serve it with rice and a vegetable stir fry or use it for a Sadya.

Kerala Banana Chips - Onam Special Recipe

I don't know whether a Malayali really requires a recipe for Banana Chips. It is like drinking milk or eating biscuit at a very young age and it is an inseparable part of the Onasadya. By the time the infinite number of curries are served to everyone, if you can munch on these chips and the sharkaravaratti as an appetizer.  Though we lived in Tamilnadu when we were young there were specific bakeries that sell banana chips. Now that i live in Kerala, it may sound crazy to make these chips at home. Because you can see these chips being made in every other corner shop in bulk quantities...and all you have to do is just go grab few packets....yeah...one pack is never enough.....

Since the season is also on, the quality conscious Malayali is a bit concerned about the oil being used and the health issues that can come with it....we cannot even buy coconut oil because many brands were banned a few weeks ago...so i took the safe bet and fried this in vegetable oil....

ingredients

Raw Banana (Kerala variety called Ethakka)  - as much as you want (I used 1 kg organic raw banana- 10 numbers - it was smaller than the usual ones available in the market)

Salt solution - Mix 10 tsp water with 2 tsp salt (Check the first batch of chips and adjust salt)

Vegetable Oil or Coconut Oil to fry



method

Place a wide pan with water enough to immerse the peeled fruit. Add salt and turmeric to it to removed the starch.

It is tricky to peel a raw banana. Run a knife on the banana lengthwise without touching the fruit. Repeat the same on the other side of the banana. Gently start peeling with your hands or knife. Place the peeled banana in the pan filled with salted water. Let the peeled banana stand in water for an hours. Then rinse it in running water and pat dry with a tea towel...it will not blacken.

Heat oil it a pan. What you see in this frying pan is 2 sliced bananas.

Use a slicer or a heavy knife and chop 2 bananas at a time. Add to the hot oil and keep stirring with a bamboo skewer or a knife to ensure the chips doesn't stick together. When the aggressive bubbling of the oil stops, turn to medium flame and add 2 tsp salt solution and keep stirring. At this stage stay a little away from the frying pan. When you hear a rustling sound or a hollow sound while gently tapping the chips, it is done. Use a slotted spoon and drain from oil. You can either place it in a paper towel or any other pan. Once cooled store it in an air tight container and don't forget to hide it....otherwise it will be gone in no time... :-)

Parippu Payasam without Coconut Milk | Easy Payasam Recipe for Vishu | Easy Sadya Recipes

I just started to write about this 'without coconut milk' recipe and remembered a viral post going around in Facebook about Mallus... today. There is a little bit of coconut story in that too; ......but i hate to use coconut because of all the process that includes scraping it , grinding it, and milking it :). So here is an easy parippu payasam recipe especially after you have done a lot of cooking to put a good sadya and don't wish to involve in another long process. The second best part of this coconutless recipe is that you can make it ahead and refrigerate it. This tastes good in a chilled form too. If you want to serve it warm, defrost it and reheat the payasam just before serving. No one can recognize that this is made of plain milk instead of coconut milk. 

As an experiment i made this using a small quantity. I tried this twice to make sure it really works. You can multiply the measures given below to make a large quantity.

the following recipes serves 6, when served in tea cups

yellow moong dal or payasa parippu or paasi paruppu - 125 gms

jaggery / vellam / sharkara - 250 gms

regular milk (boiled) - 500 ml

powdered cardamom - 6 nos (skin removed)

ghee - 1 tbsp

cashew nuts and raisins - as much as you need.

the method

Wash the dal / parippu 3 times and soak it in 300 ml hot water for about 20 minutes. Place the soaked dal in a pressure cooker and cook it for 4 whistle in medium flame. The dal is cooked in medium flame to make sure it softens completed and does not remain grainy. The number whistle differs with each pressure cooker. I used a Prestige pressure pan. You can cook the dal you do the normal but just follow the two steps of soaking it and cooking it in medium flame. 

While the dal is cooking, place the jaggery in a pan with 3 to 4 tbsp water in low flame. If the jaggery is one whole lump don't worry. As the jaggery gets heated you can use a sharp knife and poke it. It will break into pieces. While the melting is going on, heat ghee in a pan and fry the cashew nuts and raisins. Drain it and reserve the remaining ghee. Meanwhile, strain the melted jaggery to remove any impurities.

Once the dal is cooked, use the back of a large spoon to mash it almost thoroughly. Place the pressure cooker in low flame and add the reserved ghee to the dal and stir it for about 2 minutes. Now add the melted jaggery and stir it till the dal and jaggery has combined thoroughly. Now check whether the dal has given way to a sweet  concoction. It takes about 5 minutes. 

Now add the milk and increase the heat to medium while stirring to make sure the dal mixture does not stick to the bottom of the pan and does not form any lump. When the milk is thoroughly infused into the parippu payasam mix, add cardamom powder and the fried cashew nuts and raisins. Serve after 15 minutes. By this time the payasam will slightly thicken and the heat will reduce to a palatable temperature. 

If you wish to serve the next day, follow the method given in the beginning of the post.

Here are some of the other easy to make payasam recipes in this blog

Ambalapuzha Pal Payasam | Rice Pudding - Pressure Cooker Method

Simple Flavourful Semiya Payasam (without condensed milk)

Dates & Vermicelli Payasam

Saffron Sago Badami Kheer

You might also like to make some Neyyappam for this Vishu

Neyyappam

Click here for Vishu Sadya Recipes like Mixed Veg Theeyal, Pacha Manga Pachadi, Idichakka Thoran, Pavakka Pachadi, Olan, Pazham Pulissery, Erissery, Beetroot Pachadi, Pavakka Pachadi, Puli Inji, etc.

Have a nice time!

Ambalapuzha Pal Payasam | Rice Pudding - Pressure Cooker Method

This is one of the easiest payasam recipes; easier than semiya payasam too.. For this payasam aka kheer you can just use the ingredients that are always available in a Kerala pantry. I had seen this recipe first on Asianet during my schooldays and i had tried to memorize the recipe by creating a proportion for the ingredients. It was 1:2:3:4. It should have been 1 cup rice, 2 cup sugar, 3 pods of cardamom and 4 cup milk....but now i am not sure whether the proportion is correct, so there is no proportion measure in this recipe. It was long time ago and there is no online videos of that recipe / cookery show which used to be hosted by two ladies. So, i have arrived at the following recipe and i think the photograph stands testimony that it came out well. As i mentioned, this was an experiment and so the following recipe serves just 4. Multiply it for more...bcoz you wouldn't feel fulfilled with just one dessert bowl full of this.

ingredients

Raw Rice - 75 gms
Milk - 1/2 litre (500 ml )
Sugar -150 - 200 gms
Cardamom - 6 pods
Boiling hot water - 1 cup (this is a part of my experimentation)

method

Soak the rice in hot water for 15 minutes. Meanwhile bring the milk to a boil in a deep pressure cooker. Add the soaked rice with water, sugar and powdered cardamom (you can powder the sugar and cardamom in a mixie - small jar). Stir and let it come to a boil. Place the lid of the cooker and the whistle, and turn the heat to low flame. Let it cook for 25 - 30 minutes. Choose the smallest burner in your stove top so that the payasam cooks slowly. It is better to turn off the cooker after 25 minutes. Serve warm. I like to serve this payasam plain without any fruits and nuts. It is still delicious. 

Rice pudding is not just specific to Kerala or India... There is an Egyptian version of rice pudding too.

Pacha Manga Pachadi | Raw Mango in Curd and Mustard gravy

Mango Pachadi is similar to other pachadis in Kerala cuisine. One difference in this recipe is the addition of chilly powder and turmeric. This is inspired by a hotel en route to Alleppey. We stopped at this restaurant and took away our lunch and in it i found this Mango Pachadi. The one i have tasted at other places are usually white and the mango remains partially raw. I am totally against raw mangoes 'coz my teeth cant stand the sourness...hope atleast some of you would have had that experience while biting into raw mangoes. I have wondered whether it is just psychology or if it really causes that feeling. 

After tasting the fully cooked mango recipe, i tried this and it tasted as good as the restaurant one. I usually prepare all curd based curries in clay pot. Some of the other curd based curries in this blog are ethapazham pulissery, beet root pachadi and pavakka pachadi

ingredients

2 medium sized raw mangoes

1/2 to 3/4 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/3 of a medium coconut

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp chilly powder

1 green chilly (optional)

250 ml thick curd

salt to taste

method

Peel the mangoes and cut it into bite size cubes. Place it in a clay pot. Add salt, turmeric, chilly powder and just adequate water to cover the mangoes. Cook it in low flame till almost done. Grind the mustard seeds, cumin, coconut and green chilly to fine paste. Add it to the mangoes and stir well. Beat the curd till soft and add it to the mangoes. Check salt and turn off heat. The curd will cook well with heat from the gravy. Serve with rice and pappadam. This makes a simple and filling meal.

Simple Flavourful Semiya Payasam (without condensed milk)

All the luxuries in life need not be reaally luxurious. I just wanted to say that you can enjoy gourmet food without the oomph ingredient which in this recipe is the condensed milk. 

We were not at home this Onam and i just couldn't manage myself without preparing a payasam, though i had few varieties of payasam during the Onam celebrations at my office. Coming to condensed milk, it is not an ingredient which i usually store. Because it cannot be stored for more than a day especially if the can  has been opened once. There is one thing you need to be careful with the tin. In our violent urge to lick the last bit of condensed milk left in the tin it is usual that we try to wipe it with our finger. But if the rim / seal of the tin extents out even a little bit, it is very likely that we get injured. Well, i have got injured that way and got a deep wound in my pointing finger. 

This was a quickfix Vermicelli payasam which i prepared after returning from office (bcoz) i couldnt wait till the next weekend. The sun was setting and i tried to get the last bit of sunlight and there you can see the shadow of our window in the photograph.

The recipe is simple. Preparation & Cooking time - 20 minutes. Serves four sumptuously.

ingredients

Use the same cup to measure the ingredients - the right proportion yields best results

Vermicelli / Semiya - 1 cup

Sugar - 1 cup

Milk - 3 cup (2 1/2 + 1/2)

Water - 1/3 cup

Cashewnutes - a handful

Raisins - 3-4 tbsp

Cardamom - 6-8 medium sized, peeled

Ghee - 1 1/2 tbsp

the method

Heat a sauce pan in medium heat and add ghee. Fry the cashewnuts and raisins and keep it aside. To the remaining ghee add the vermicelli and stir till the vermicelli starts to turn golden brown.

Add water and half cup milk and let the semiya cook (about 7 minutes). Stir continuously to avoid the mixture from forming a layer on top. Cook in medium heat continuously.

Semiya / Vermicelli is a kind of pasta. The normal cooking time for all types of pasta is 9 minutes. Vermicelli is stirred in ghee to make it non stick and to prevent it from turning mushy.

When the vermicelli has been cooking for seven minutes add the remaining milk. Continue stirring. You can keep your eye off to grab other ingredient. That much time the payasam can hold without you :-)

I like to powder the cardamom with sugar bcoz i dont store cardamom in powder form. Put the sugar and cardamom in a mixie jar. I mentioned flavorful in the name for a reason. When you powder the sugar and cardamom you can add few fried nuts also to bring in that added flavour. Put it in the mixie for, say, 5 - 8 seconds. Add the sugar to the semiya mixture. Stir well and let it boil for 1 or 2 minutes. Add the friend cashew nuts and raisins. Serve at room temperature.

The Semiya Payasam has a not so thick not so runny consistency.

Belated Onam Wishes!

Idichakka Thoran (Tender JackFruit stir fried with Coconut & Spices)

I had been waiting for years (patiently) to prepare this Idichakka Thoran, because the tender jackfruit available in shops is usually over-aged and the thoran would not have the right consistency. So where are the jackfruit trees gone???? We do not have one either in my house or my hubby's house. We live in an apartment and so there is no question of having a Jack tree though i would say we are lucky to have a Curry leaf tree, lots of Jasmine, a Moringa Tree (the tree which yields Drumsticks), a Jampaka (dont know the English name), a custard apple tree and a tree which yields a leaf which was used to pack meat (Irachi pothiyunaa ela)...i dont know the actual Malayalam word for it...and no patience to search for it anyway...

So the story of sourcing this tender jackfruit is like this: My friend went to meet her Mother-in-Law which is in a rustic setting and the way to the place is through Kuttanad. She asked me whether i need a Kuttanad Duck or a Kuttanad Karimeen or anything which is not available in Kochi. The first thing that came to me was a Tender Jackfruit. The reason why this came to my mind is: there are two jackfruit trees in our neighbourhood  and i have been eyeing on the tender ones for sometime this season and asked my husband whether i can ask for a tender jackfruit from them. My husband says NO whenever i nag about this - just this season okay. Even in Kerala now the culture has turned out that you dont socialize with your neighbors, ....... hmmm.  

The recipe is from my mother. We used to have this Tender Jackfruit Thoran every summer season when we were in Valparai. There is a lot to be written about this ..... I'll better write the recipe now.

the ingredients

Tender Jackfruit - 1

Oil to grease your hand and knife

Adequate paper to save your kitchen counter top from the Jack glue

method to clean the Jackfruit

Spread a newspaper or parchment paper in your counter top and place the Jackfruit. Grease your hands and knife with oil. Cut the Jackfruit into rounds with the greased knife (wipe away the glue).Quarter the rounds and cut off the middle part. Now the glue will start oozing out of the fruit. Use coconut fibre or tissue paper to clean it off. Cut/peel the thorny skin (only the green coloured part) of the jackfruit using a sharp knife. Once peeled cut it again into the size of medium sized potato cubes. Place this in water mixed with a tablespoon of salt and a teaspoon of turmeric. This is to get rid of any glue like stuff in the pieces.

ingredients to boil the tender jackfruit

salt to taste

green chillies - 2 or 3

turmeric - 1/2 tsp

Place the cleaned jackfruit in a pressure cooker with 3/4 level water (of the fruit). Add salt, turmeric and green chillies and  pressure cook for 2 whistle. When the steam goes off drain the water. Take each piece and lightly smash it with the back of a spoon.

ingredients for seasoning

oil - 3 - 4 tbsp

mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

urad dal - 1/2 tsp

l large onion - chopped

gently crush 1 cardamom, 2 cloves and 1/2 inch cinnamon

grated coconut - 5 tbsp or 1/3 of a coconut

salt to taste

turmeric - if need be

chilly powder - 1/2 tsp

pepper powder - 1/2 tsp

curry leaves - 2 sprigs

method

Heat a wide pan / uruli chatti and add oil. Add the mustard seeds and urad dal and saute for few seconds. Add the onion and curry leaves. When translucent, add turmeric, chilly powder, pepper powder, spices and salt. Add the grated coconut, stir for few second and add the smashed tender jackfruit. Stir well. Check taste and serve with rice and curry

Note: The stage of the Tender Jackfruit is important for this recipe otherwise it will turn out to be fibrous in texture.

Dates & Vermicelli Payasam

A very easy Payasam recipe for  festive or normal days


the recipe

Dates – 15
Water – 200 ml
Vermicelli – ½ cup
Water – 100 ml
Milk – 100 + 300 ml
Sugar – 4 tbsp
Ghee – 1 tbsp
Almonds & Cashewnuts – ½ cup
ingredients to be powdered

Cardamom – 5
Cumin – 2 pinch
Dry Ginger Powder – ½ tsp or 1/3rd inch piece

The combination of cardamom, cumin and dry ginger powder is used to balance the sweetness from the dates.
the method

Deseed and chop the dates and cook it in water till mushy. Once the dates are cooked, stir it well to form the consistency of a pulp. Keep it aside.

Heat ghee in a saucepan and fry the cashewnuts and almonds. Drain the nuts and keep it aside. Saute the vermicelli in the remaining ghee and add 100 ml water and 100 ml milk and let the vermicelli cook. Once done add the remaining milk, cooked dates, sugar and fried nuts. Powder the cardamom, cumin and dry ginger with about 1 tsp sugar and add it to the payasam. Stir well and serve hot.

Saffron Sago Badami Kheer

I wanted to start this New Year on a sweet note and found the Vermicelli Badam Kheer at Sreevalli’s Ammaji Recipes

She had given an option of substituting the vermicelli with sago. Since vermicelli kheer / payasam is an usual version I have prepared the kheer using sago.

the recipe

Sago / Jowari – 4 tbsp, soaked for 1 – 1 ½ hours

Sugar – to taste

Cardamom - seeds from 5 cardamom, powdered

Milk – 300 ml

Almonds / Badam – 20 nos soaked in hot water, peeled and ground to paste

Saffron – 1 generous pinch

Few almonds to garnish

the method

Wash the soaked sago / jowary thrice. Cook the sago with 100 ml water. When it is almost done add the milk and almond paste and cook in medium flame. When the milk starts bubbling add the saffron strands and sugar and keep stirring for about 5 minutes. The kheer will begin to thicken slowly. Add the powdered cardamom and check sweetness. Add more sugar if need be. Turn off heat.

Serve after 5 – 10 minutes garnished with few almond slivers and saffron strands.

Pazham Nurukku (Traditional Onam Breakfast)

I stumbled upon the name 'Pazham Nurukku' while I was preparing an Onam related article for the publication I was working for. It would have been the year 2005 or 2006 and an immediate search for recipe did not yield any result. Every year then on I would remember about the Pazham Nurukku during Onam season. Finally, one day there was a recipe in the The Hindu - Metro with a title, 'Pazham Nurukku in Chocolate cups'. Well I knew the chocolate cup part is slightly weird for a traditional Onam breakfast. Recently i made another search in the web and got to read various Pazham Nurukku recipes  and here we go i tried it and i knew why people gave so many nostalgic account of eating the Pazham Nurukku on an Onam day morning with lots of papad. 

I have prepared a very simple and easy to prepare recipe and have avoided the use of coconut milk and cardamom powder which i read but which i thought could be ignored. This tasted really good. Try it!!

the recipe

Banana / ethapazham  - 4
Jaggery, grated - 4 tbsp
Ghee - 1 tsp

the method

Cut the banana into 1 inch pieces with the skin on. Steam it till it is half done. Peel the skin.

In a sauce pan, add the jaggery and melt it. Strain it to get rid off any dust particles. Place the jaggery syrup in a heavy bottom pan. Place the pan in medium heat and add the banana pieces.Cover the banana pieces with the jaggery syrup till the fruit is fully coated. Turn to medium heat. The jaggery will start sizzling at this point and thicken. Gently tilt the sauce pan so that the banana is well coated and there is no more melted jaggery. Pour the ghee on top of the banana and shake well and then gently give a stir so that all the pieces are coated with the ghee. Serve warm with papad or serve as it is.

Pazham Pulissery (Banana in coconut & curd gravy)

Onam is round the corner and the pazham pulissery once had a prominent role in Onasadya. Yep, before the Sambar and Avial invaded the onasadya, it was the erissery and pulissery that was served as the main curries alongwith thodu curries like achar, puli inchi and the like.

Pazham pulissery is an easy recipe using ripe bananas aka ethapazham / nendrapazham (seen in the picture) that are specific to Kerala. This curry is a mix of the fruit, coconut and curd that will make you eat a lot of rice…indeed…

the recipe

banana - 2

water – 1 cup

turmeric – ½ tsp

green chilly – 3 or 4

cumin seeds – ¾ tsp

garlic – 3 cloves (optional)

shallots – 4 (optional

mustard seeds – ¾ tsp

grated coconut – ½ cup

water – ¼ cup

curd (beaten) – ½ cup

salt to taste

for the tempering

oil – 2 tsp

fenugreek seeds – ¼ tsp

whole red chillies (broken) – 3

curry leaves – 2 or 3 sprigs

the method

the recipe tastes good if cooked in a clay pot.

Cut the banana into two lengthwise and then chop them into small pieces. Boil 1 cup water in a clay pot and add the banana and turmeric powder. Meanwhile, grind the green chillies, cumin seeds, garlic, shallots and mustard seeds into a fine paste. Add it into the banana mix. Add salt and let the banana cook till it is soft and slightly mushy. Grind the coconut with about ¼ cup or less water into a fine paste. Add it into the cooked banana. Check the taste. If you feel it is less pungent you may add ½ tsp chilly powder (ingredient not included in the recipe). When the raw taste of coconut is gone, turn to low heat add the beaten curd and mix well. When the curry is hot enough but not boiled turn off heat.

In another pan, heat oil in medium fire and add the curry leaves, broken whole red chillies and fenugreek seeds. Stir well till the fenugreek starts to change its color. Pour it over the banana mix and close it immediately. Let it sit for sometime and then mix the pulissery and serve with rice.

The pulissery can be prepared in advance for the Onasadya. Preparing it previous day would be the best and refrigerate the same.

Inji Puli (kinda Ginger Relish)

Inji puli or puli inji has a prominent or rather a permanent space in the onasadya alongwith the pickles. I have had this in massive amount when I was a kid, when my mother’s friend used to make it for Onam and send a pack of it for further season’s relish.

The making of Inji puli has however remained a quest with me since I did not have the confidence that I can come out with the same taste. Once I bought a readymade version which didn’t taste as good as the aunt made one.

Last Onam, I just set out on a trial of Inji Puli beginning with a recipe search on the web and I was astonished to find about 10 – 12 variants. So I had to pick the ingredients to bring out the same old taste and the result was almost the same but not exactly the same…. : - ) …….

…ingredients that went into the making…

Ginger, cubed into tiny pieces – 5 tbsp

Tamarind  – 2 tbsp (mix with water and make a pulp)

Jaggery, grated – 2-3 tbsp (adjust according to preferred sweetness, you can keep adding and tasting)

Oil – 2 – 3 tbsp ( I used veg oil)

Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp

Green chillies – 2

Curry leaves – 5 leaves

Chilly powder – ½ tsp

Turmeric powder – 1 or 2 pinch

Salt – to taste

Rice flour – ¼ - ½ tsp

Yields 1 cup inji puli (as seen in the picture)

the method

Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. Add the ginger and let it fry. When three fourths done, add green chillies and curry leaves. Sauté for few seconds and add chilly and turmeric powder. Add the tamarind pulp and let it boil. Stir in the grated jaggery and salt and mix well. Let it boil. Mix the rice flour in 2-3 tbsp water to make a rice solution. Pour it into the ginger mixture. Boil it again until the mixture turns to a lightly semi- liquid/solid state. Taste it. Adjust taste and turn off heat. The inji puli will further solidify due to the addition of rice flour which also balances the sharp flavour of tamarind. Use it as a pickle with rice or serve as you please. 

Erissery

Erissery can be prepared with red oriental beans or green gram and there are a number of options while choosing the vegetables. Raw banana, yam and pumpkin are the usual veggies and I learnt recently that erissery is prepred with raw jackfruit too. This is almost like my version of erissery b’coz I have added coriander powder and the end result is actually tasty.

 

the ingredients

green gram – ½ cup

pumpkin, cubed – 500 gms

chilly powder – 1 – 1 ½ tsp

turmeric powder – 1 tsp

coriander powder – 1 tsp

salt – to taste

ingredients to be coarsely ground

coconut – ¼ part

cumin – ¾ tsp

small onion – 5

garlic(optional) – 5

for the tempering

oil – 1 tbsp

mustard – ½ tsp

small onion – 3-5

curry leaves – 2 sprig

coconut, grated – ¼ part

the method

The consistency of erissery is similar to a mash so the preferred utensil to prepare it is a pressure cooker.

Pressure cook the green gram to an almost done consistency (two whistle – I dint soak the green gram) with just adequate water. Stir in the pumpkin pieces, turmeric, chilly powder, coriander powder, salt and coarsely ground coconut mixture. Pour water if need be. Pressure cook for one whistle. Now the pumpkin and green gram would have completely cooked. Stir with a spoon to make it into a mash consistency and cook it in high heat if there is excess water. 

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When it crackles stir in the onion and curry leaves. Add a pinch of salt and turmeric and stir for few seconds. Add the grated coconut and fry till golden brown. Pour it over the pumpkin mix and stir well.

Masala Curry

Masala curry is one of the dishes in an Onasadya. Though the name is masala, it is mildly spiced that goes well with the other vegetable curries. The masala curry also tastes good with puttu, idiyappam / string hoppers / sevai and hoppers / appam.

the recipe

Black Garbanzo beans / kadala – ¼ cup

Green chilly – 1

Garlic – 5 -7

Boiled Potato – 2 small

Oil – 1 tbsp

Onion – 1

Ginger, chopped – 1 tbsp

Curry leaves – 1 sprig

Turmeric – ¼ tsp

Chilly powder – ½ - ¾ tsp

Garam Masala – ¼ - ½ tsp

Coconut – ¼ part

Salt to taste

the method

Soak the garbanzo beans overnight and cook it with garlic and green chilly.

Heat oil in a pan and stir in the onion. Add ginger and curry leaves and sauté for a minute. Add the turmeric, chilly powder and garam masala and stir for a minute. Then Add the cooked beans and diced potatoes. Add salt. Stir in the ground coconut paste and let it boil till the curry thickens.

Sambar - traditional method

Preparing a sambar from the scratch is not an interesting idea these days. The number of sambar powder brands stands testimony to it. However I like to have the traditional recipe once in a while especially with idlis. The recipe follows…..

Ingredients

Dal – ¼ cup

Green chilly – 1

Condiments to be fried, powdered and ground to a paste

Oil – 1 tbsp

Fenugreek seeds – ¼ tsp

Curry leaves – 1 sprig

Coriander seeds – 2 tbsp

Red chilly, dried – 7 – 9

Coconut, grated – 1/4 parts

Vegetables, cubed (whatever is available or as per need)

Drumstick – 2

Potato – 1

Carrot – 1

Pumpkin – 6 – 8 pieces

Ladies Finger / Okra – 5

Beans – 5

Tomato – 2

For the tempering

Oil – 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds – ½ tsp

Small onion – 6-8 or Onion – 1

Other ingredients

Tamarind – 2 tbsp soaked in water

Turmeric – ½ tsp

Salt to taste

Coriander leaves, chopped (optional) – 1 sprig

Cumin – ½ tsp

Asafoetida – ¼ tsp

the method

Cook the dal with green chilly.

Fry the condiments one by one. Fry the coconut till it is brown in colour. Powder all the condiments together with the fried coconut and cumin. Then, grind the powdered condiments to a smooth paste.

Par boil the vegetables and then add the cooked dal, ground paste, turmeric powder and salt. When the vegetables have completely cooked add tamarind pulp and asafoetida.

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. Add onion and fry till it is brown in colour. Pour the tempering over the vegetables and dal mixture. Sprinkle coriander leaves. Aromatic sambar is ready!

Beetroot pachadi

the recipe

Beet root, grated – 2

Mustard – ½ tsp

Cumin – ½ tsp

Green chilly – 2 -3

Coconut – ½ cup

Curd – 1 cup

Salt – to taste

the method

Cook the beetroot till done. Grind together the mustard, cumin, green chilly and coconut. Add to the beetroot. Add salt to taste. Whisk the curd and pour to the beetroot mixture.

Olan

Onam is round the corner and it is time to delve into some traditional dishes. Olan is a mild preparation served in a Onasadya. It also tastes good if served with papad or a tangy curry like theeyal.


the recipe

Ashgourd / white pumpkin - 250 gms
Pumpkin - 250 gms
Red Oriental bean (Cowpea bean) - 100 gms
Coconut milk :
First Extract - 1/2 cup
Second Extract - 3/4 cup
Green Chillies - 5 - 7
salt - to tast

for the tempering

oil, preferably coconut oil - 1 tbsp
curry leaves - 1 sprig

Soak the beans overnight and cook it. Cut the ashgourd and pumpkin into flat cubes. Cook the ashgourd in the second coconut milk extract for 5 minutes. Then add pumpkin, green chillies  and salt. When cooked add the cooked beans and first extract of coconut milk.

Heat oil in a pan and fry the curry leaves. Pour it on the ashgourd and pumpkin mixture. Olan is ready.

Bittergourd Pachadi

The bitterness of bittergourd seems to have resulted in a variety of recipes. Pavakka pachadi is a curd based dish with mustard paste and fried bittergourd. A tasty dish to go with rice.

the recipe

Bittergourd - 500 gms

Coconut & Mustard paste

Coconut - 1/4 cup

Mustard - 3/4 tsp

Cumin - 3/4 tsp

Greenchilly - 3

Small onion - 3-4 or Onion - 1 medium

Salt - to taste

Frying & Tempering

Oil - to fry

Onion - 1 medium

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Turmeric - 1/4 tsp

Curd, lightly whipped - 3/4 cup

the method

Cut the bittergourd into thin pieces, sprinkle salt and mix well. Heat oil in a pan and fry the bittergourd till light brown.

Make a smooth paste with the ingredients for Coconut & Mustard paste.

Heat oil in a pan and saute the onion till light brown. Add curry leaves and turmeric. Stir in the fried bitter gourd. Add the coconut and mustard paste. Let it boil. Add salt. Turn to low flame and add the whipped curd. Serve with rice, papad.....and sambar.

Mixed Veg Theeyal

Theeyal is a 'vegetable in fried coconut paste curry' with a tangy taste. Sea food and meat are also cooked in this curry base though not very popular. At home, theeyal is usually prepared with shallots (small onion), bitter gourd, yam or ladies finger. 

  

The bitter gourd version is not much liked due to the bitter taste even though a dash of jaggery/ sharkara / vellam is added to reduce the bitterness. Experimentation with a variety of vegetables seems to have solved the bitterness to a good extent.

the mix of vegetables

Potato – 1

Carrot – 1

Tomato – 2

Onion – 1

Bitter gourd – 1

fried coconut masala

Coconut, grated – ½ part

Chilly powder – 1 ½ - 2 tsp

Coriander powder – 2 tsp

Cumin – ¼ tsp

other ingredients

Oil – 3 – 5 tbsp

Mustard – ¼ tsp

Curry leaves – 1 sprig

Turmeric – ¾ tsp

Onion – 1

Tamarind pulp – from 2 tsp tamarind ( if allergic to tamarind 2 pieces of cocum may be used)

Jaggery, grated - 2 tsp

Ginger (optional) – 1 cm piece

Green chilly – 1

Salt – to taste

the method

Chop the vegetables as preferred.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan and stir in the chopped bitter gourd, green chilly and 1 onion. Sauté till the colour of the bitter gourd has turned pale and slightly brown.

In another pan fry the grated coconut in 1 tbsp oil till brown. Turn off heat. Add chilly powder and coriander powder and stir. Place the coconut mixture in a mixer with the cumin. Grind it to a smooth paste. (Fry the coconut in medium flame to avoid burning / blackening of the coconut. Add more oil if needed).

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and place the mustard seeds. When it crackles stir in one chopped onion and saute till light brown. Add curry leaves, ginger and turmeric. When lightly fried add chopped tomatoes. Pour the ground fried coconut paste, salt, sautéed bitter gourd, chopped potato and carrot. Add half cup water and let the curry boil. When half done, add tamarind pulp. Stir in the jaggery when the vegetables are completely done. Boil and turn off heat.