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.

Cauliflower & Egg Scramble

Cauliflower is a nutritious vegetable with lots of disease preventing components like antioxidants  and VitaminC. (More details about the healthy benefits of cauliflower)

Cauliflower is good for a stand alone recipe or as an additive in soups, rice, curries or fries. Cauliflower and egg scramble can be served with toast, rice or tomato rice.

Caramel Toast for kids

This is a crispy, crunchy and sweet toast which kids and grown up kids would love to eat. Not my own recipe, though I named it for the sake of blogging. The first time I came across a toast with ghee and sugar on it was at one of our acquaintance place when I was in the second standard (at school). My mother also witnessed the same and ….

Onion pakoda / pakora

the recipe

Gram flour / besan / kadala mavu – 8 tbsp or more

Asafoetida – ¼ - ½ tsp
Coriander leaves, chopped – 1 sprig
Chilly powder – ½ tsp
Water – as required
Salt – to taste
Onion, cut into slightly thick julians (lengthwise) – 2
Oil – to deep fry

the method
Prepare a thick batter with gram flour, asafoetida, chilly powder, salt and water. Add coriander leaves, onion and mix well. Heat oil in a pan. Spoon half a tablespoon of the onion mixture and fry it in hot oil.

Thai Prawn Curry

Prawns (big) – 20 – 25

Onion – 1

Capsicum, diced – ¼ cup

Tomato , diced (only the flesh part) – 1

Green chilly or fresh red chilly – 1

Chilly flakes – ½ tsp

Pepper powder – ¼ tsp

Soya sauce – 2 tbsp

Coconut milk, first extract – ¾ - 1 cup

Salt to taste

Sugar – 1 pinch

Oil – 2 tbsp

Heat oil in a pan and stir in the onion, capsicum, tomato and chilly and sauté for a minute or two. Add chilly flakes, pepper powder and salt. Stir for few second and then add soya sauce. Add a pinch of sugar. Stir in the cleaned prawns. Saute for two minutes and pour the coconut milk. Check salt, bring it to a boil. Serve hot with rice.

Potato Wedges

the recipe

Potato – 250 gms

Pepper powder – ½ - ¾ tsp

Salt – to taste

Oil – 2 tbsp

the method

Cut the potato into wedges. Boil water in a pan. Place the wedges in the water with a little salt and parboil. This takes about 5 minutes. Drain the water.

Heat oil in a pan (preferably a flat pan) and add the parboiled potato wedges. Add salt. Stir till all the sides have become light golden brown. Season with pepper powder and mix well. Can be snacked or served as starters with mayonnaise.

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.

Shrimp Tempura

Tempura is a cuisine of Portuguese origin with much popularity in Japan. Thin strips of vegetables or sea foods like shrimp or squid are fried in the tempura batter.

Meat & Rice Steam Cake (Puttu)

Rice steam cake or puttu is a staple breakfast of Kerala. Puttu is served with black garbanzo beans or plantain on normal days and it is served with stew or spicy curries - veg or non-veg on special occasions. Puttu is prepared with coconut for the steam to pass through the flour mix and also gives a nice aroma especially when the steam escapes through the lid. Variants of puttu are prepared with wheat, ragi or corn flour. Fruit puttu is prepared by mixing chopped bananas (specific to Kerala) in the flour mix.

Meat puttu or irachi puttu is a delicacy of its own kind. The meat strands and the rice flour makes a good combination. A puttu mould, available in Kerala either as a vertical pipe or in the shape of a coconut shell is normally used to steam the flour mix. There is a hearsay that puttu was traditionally steamed in bamboo shoots.

If the mould is not available, place a wet muslin cloth on the steamer and then place the flour mix on it and steam till brisk steam escapes through the lid.

ingredients for the steam cake

Rice flour – 1 cup

Coconut, grated – ¾ cup

Water  - ½ cup or less

Salt – ½ tsp

ingredients for the meat mixture

Meat (boiled & minced) *– 250 gms

Onion, finely chopped – 1

Green chilly, finely chopped – 1

Garlic finely chopped – 1tsp

Garlic finely chopped – ½ tsp

Garam Masala – ½ tsp

Chilly powder – ½ tsp

Pepper powder – ½ tsp

Coriander leaves, finely chopped (optional) – 1 tbsp

Salt – to taste

Oil – 2 tbsp

* Boil the meat and mince it in a mixer grinder – place the meat pieces in a mixer jar and run the mixie for just 1 second. The meat will become strands as seen in the picture.

Heat oil in a pan and stir in the onion, green chilly, garlic and ginger. Stir till the onion start to brown. Add salt, garam masala, chilly and pepper powder. Stir for a few seconds and place the minced meat. Stir till the meat is crisp. Add the coriander and stir for few more seconds.

rice mixture

Place the rice flour and coconut in a bowl. Make a salt solution and sprinkle it on the rice mix while simultaneously mixing the rice flour to form crumbs. When the rice mix is completely moist stop adding water.

Place 1 tbsp meat mix in the puttu mould and then place 3 tbsp rice mixture and then place 1 tbsp meat mix, continue filling the mould until it is full. Cover and place the puttu mould on a steamer until brisk steam escapes through the lid. Let it steam for 2 minutes to let the meat mince turn soft. Irachi puttu is ready. Serve hot.

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.