Category: Kerala / Palakkad Recipes.

Kerala / Palakkad Recipes. · Side Dishes for Rotis/Dosas/ Naan.

InjiPuli (Tamarind Chutney spiced with ginger and spices)

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Ginger root  is a very very tricky spice for me. It is a warm spice, that adds a lot of warmth to many dishes, but one that cannot stand up by itself as its way too over powering. Another such spice is the nutmeg. I love love adding ginger to hot tea, or in piping ginger rasam. Its an important ingredient in indo chinese cooking, specially the Indo CHinese Fried Rice, which is a favourite of mine or the GInger Capsicum Fried Rice.  I hate ginger in cakes or icing or even in a warm pumpkin bread. I cannot eat even a pinch of the candied ginger that is supposed to aid in digestion. No thank you. I can have the tums or digene any day!!! The only only dish where ginger is a star ingredient which I love to have is the Inji Puli.

I remember hostel days when my friend Rose, used to bring jars of Inji Puli  from her home town of Trichur when she would return from her vacation. After that we would have Inji Puli over bread, along with Maggi, as a side for chappathis, idlis or even dosas. Dinners would be awesome with all of us sitting together, discussing college gossips, eating piping hot dosas with sweet and spicy Inji Puli. At that time, I remember asking Rose how to make this and vaguely remembered the procedure. She kept telling me it was important to fry the ginger for that authentic taste. This was almost 13 years ago but then I decided to try it out from memory and with help from online sources, I perfected the recipe for Inji Puli.

INGREDIENTS:

2 Cups Tamarind Water.

4-5  Tsp Brown Sugar.

1 Tsp Red Chilli Powder.

1/4 Cup Finely chopped ginger.

salt to taste.

i Tbsp Coconut oil.

Seasoning:

1 Tsp mustard Seeds.

Curry Leaves.

Pinch of  Hing

4-5 Fenugreek Seeds.

PREPARATION:

  • Chop the ginger after peeling it and set aside.
  • In  a wok add 2 tsp of coconut oil and when its hot, add the chopped ginger. Shallow fry on low flame for abour 2-3 mins  until the ginger is light brown. Set aside.
  • In the tamarind water, add brown sugar, turmeric powder. salt,  and red chilli powder, and mix them all in.
  • Set over medium flame until the raw smell is gone add the fried ginger and allow to simmer.
  • Place a kadai on the stove and add a spoon of coconut oil. Season with curry leaves, mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds and hing. When they splutter add it to the tamarind gravy.
  • Set the flame to medium low and allow the gravy to simmer down until its slightly thick. If needed that this point you could add 1 tsp of rice flour dissolved in 2 tbsp of water and add this to the inji puli, as this helps in instantly thickening the gravy.
  • Remove and store airtight  in a glass jar, which will preserve for weeks.

HINTS:

Coconut Oil is a very important and essential ingredient to achieve the authentic taste of the Inji Puli. Please do not substitute with gingely or canola oil.

Frying the ginger on medium low flame until the ginger brown imparts the dish with a unique flavour of the ginger without the sense of overpowering the entire dish. It pllays along nicely with the tamarind and the brown sugar/jaggery.

Using brown sugar was option for me. You could also use about 3 tbsp of jaggery. Please use a little less and depending on the strength of the ginger. tartness of the tamarind, play with the quantoties of the jaggery. There should be a sweetness that is not too sweet nor too less.

 

Kerala / Palakkad Recipes. · Naivedhyams/ Festival Offerings. · Poriyals / Kootu Varieties.

Thiruvadharai Upperi – Vegetables steamed and spiced with coconut chilli paste.

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The complimenting Neivedhyam for Thiruvadharai Kali would be the Upperi or rather a version of select steamed vegetables, spiced generously with ground coconut and green chillies.  The Upperi as I remember is a combination of various tubers and roots that are combined and cooked to get the most delicious preparation. I remember as a child, when Thiruvadharai was around the corner, I knew a trip to the local crowded vegetable market at Ranganathan Street would happen pretty soon. Since the monsoons would have just finished, it would be a herculean task, just to walk in that crowded street. My friend would quip light heartedly that all one needs to do, was to stand at the beginning of Ranganathan street…the crowd would pull you to the very end!!! That said, one would hardly look forward to a weekend trip here, coming back with bagfulls of tubers and vegetables. Nevertheless, it had to be done…every year unfailingly, until, one day Madurai amma was convinced about buying it from  the vegetable man, pulling his own cart, quoting his own fancy price.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup chopped Raw Banana.

1/2 cup chopped Potatoes.

1/2 cup chopped Kavathu Kazhangu.

1/2 cup Flat Bean/Avaraikka slit in to 1 inch square pieces.

1/2 cup Koorkai / Chinese Potatoes

1/2 cup Mochai / Valor Lilva.

1/2 cup Sweet Potatoes.

1/2 cup fresh coconut.

4-5 green chillies.

2 spoons of coconut oil.

Turmeric.

Seasoning:

Mustard, Curry Leaves, Hing.

PREPARATION:

  • Remove the skins from  the potatoes, raw banana, sweet potatoe, Koorkai, Kavathu , wash and chop them in to slightly big one inch pieces.
  • Arrange them in the base of a cooker vessel.
  • Next arrange the valor lilva/mochai over the root tubers.
  • Now chop the Avaraikka / flat bean over the valor lilva and add enough water for the vegetables to cook.
  • We keep the root tubers at the base as they would need to cook more.
  • Add salt and turmeric and steam in the pressure cooker for 1 whistle.
  • Remove from cooker and allow to cool.
  • Grind the coconut and green chillies to a rough paste and set aside.
  • In a kadai, add coconut oil, mustard, curry leaves and hing and slowly add all the cooked vegetables without breaking them with the spatula.
  • Mix well for a couple of minutes and then add the ground coconut paste.
  • Allow a couple minutes for the coconut mix to spread on to the vegetables.
  • Offer Thiriuvadharai Upperi to the Lord as Neivethyam.
Festivals & Significance · Kerala / Palakkad Recipes. · Naivedhyams/ Festival Offerings.

Thiruvadharai – Significance & Learnings – Naivethyams.

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Every year, the month of “Marghazi” is of very special significance as it heralds new beginnings, the new year, the music season in Tamil Nadu made redolent with the myraid  performances of senior music stalwarts in the various halls, Vaikunta Ekadasi, and of course Thiruvadharai.  When I actually embarked on the significance of this day I found so many different versions, all of them confluencing on the cosmic dance of Lord Shiva.

This festival occurs on the day of the Arudra star in the tamil month of Marghazi, and is of course of special significance to Lord Shiva. This day also marks the auspicious time for Arudra Darisanam – of Lord Nataraja in the Saivite temples all over Tamilnadu.  This celebration is marked by abhishekams to Nataraja and his consort Sivakami during the full moon night, and worship services such as the Deepa Aradhanai to Natarajar amidst the chanting of sanskrit and tamil hymns and the waving of lamps, in the pre-dawn hours, when the moon still shines bright, an enactment of the dance of Shiva, and a grand procession through the processional streets.

Although there is a shrine to Natarajar, in virtually all of the Saivite temples in Tamilnadu, five of these are considered to be the Pancha Sabhais or the five cosmic dance halls of Shiva. The five dance halls are:

The Hall of Gold – Kanakasabha at Chidambaram,

The Hall of Silver Velli Sabhai at Madurai,

The Hall of Rubies – Ratnasabha at Tiruvalankadu,

The Hall of Copper – Tamrasabha at Tirunelveli and

The Hall of Pictures – Chitrasabha at Kutralam.

The usual Neivethyams that are offered to Lord Shiva are Thirivadharai Upperi & Thiruvadharai Kali. The postings will follow in the later blogs.

Brisk Breakfast · Kerala / Palakkad Recipes. · Snacks & Tiffin Items

Easy & Wholesome Coconut Sevai using Instant Rice Noodles.

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Delicious & Wholesome Coconut Sevai
Delicious & Wholesome Coconut Sevai

Coconut is an integral part of my cooking but I have particularly brought down the levels of coconut on account of health concerns. My gradmother on the other had is of the opinion that anything had in small quantities can never be too much. Its only when you consume too much of anything, does it become bad for the health. I remember Madurai amma lavishing fresh coconut in Avail and Sevai and Elissery etc. This instant version of Coconut Sevai is a personal favourite on account of its ease of preparation, nevertheless yielding tasty and wholesome results everytime.This version is slightly different as I have also incorporated Thayir Molagaa as a seasoning ingredient….for additional flavour and taste.

Mor Molaga
Mor Molaga

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 pack of Rice Noodles or Instant Sevai cooked as per instructions and sprinkled with a spoon of Coconut Oil.

1 Tsp Ginger Chopped fine.

Curry Leaves.

3-4 Fried Thayir Molagaa or Mor Molagaa.

Mustard.

3/4 cup of Fresh Coconut.

2 Tsp of Broken Urad Dhal soaked in some water for ten minutes.

3 Green Chillies chopped fine.

Hing.

5-7 cashew halves.

Salt to taste.

PREPARATION:

  • Prepare the Rice Sevai/Rice Sticks using the instructions provided in the packaging. While allowing it to boil, add 2 drops of coconut oil in the water for added flavour and aroma. Drain in a collander.
  • In a small cup soak the broken urad dhal in water and set aside  for ten minutes., This adds volume and flavour in terms of seasoning to the dish.
  • Take a non stick kadai and place on the stove. Add 3 spoons of coconut oil (optionally Canola/Refined Oil) and when its beginning to get hot, add the “mor molaga” so it fries in the oil. (This ingredient is completely optional)
  • Now add chopped ginger, cashews, curry leaves, hing , mustard and when it splutters, add the soaked urad dhal after draining off all the water.
  • Saute for a couple of seconds and then add the grated coconut to the kadai.
  • Bring the flame to sim and now saute the coconut along with the spices, for 4-5 minutes.
  • The white fluffy coconut, after sauteing in the oil for a few minutes turns to a dull brown colour and also emits a wonderful aroma. Be very careful to keep the flame only on low as if the heat is more it would burn the delicate grated coconut .
  • At this point, add the rice noodles/sevai/rice sticks and mix well adding sufficient salt for the sevai.
  • Serve HOT with chips.

Passing on this cup to Lets Go Nuts – Coconut event, the brainchild of Aqua, hosted by Padmajha Suresh of Seduce your Tastebuds.

Kerala / Palakkad Recipes. · No Need of Onions!!! · Poriyals / Kootu Varieties.

Vazhakkai Podimas (Raw Banana half cooked,grated, and spiced with powders)

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Vazhakkai Podimas.
Vazhakkai Podimas.

Vazhakkai as in Raw Bananas already mentioned are a favourite in my family. They are readily available and when properly preserved in the refrigerator, almost stays fresh for a week or more. I never make raw bananas the day I buy them,  unless I am tempted to slice them to topple in hot oil to make fresh fresh chips spiced with salt and red chilli powder.  This time I was having a very good friend visiting and I made this for dinner. It`s a very healthy preparation as it basically cooks the raw bananas in water until they are half done, grates them and completes spicing it up on the kadai. Easy, healthy and of course quick.

INGREDIENTS:

2 Raw Bananas.

5 cups of water.

Salt.

Hing.

Turmeric,

3 spoons of boiled rice.

1  spoons of toor dhal.

1 spoon of bengal gram.

1 spoon of Dhania.

Curry Leaves.

5 Red Chillies.

PREPARATION:

  • Splice the raw banana in to two halves. without peeling the skin off. In other words, keep the skin and stalk on intact.
  • Put a container with 5-6 cups of water on the stove and allow to heat.
  • Now drop the raw banana halves in to the water and close with a lid. Allow approximately 6-7 minutes of cooking time.
  • Switch off the heat and allow a few minutes to cool.  Drain off all the water and now you will be able to easily peel the skin off.
  • The bananas should be half cooked and firm and not mushy as this will render them impossible to be grated.
  • Grate the half cooked banans and spread them on a plate. Sprinkle salt and hing and allow to settle.
  • Roast the boiled rice, toor dhal, bengal gram, red chilies and the curry leaves and grind to a coarse powder in the mixer.
  • In a kadai, add 2 spoons of oil, mustard seeds, urad dhal, curry leaves and hing and then the grated raw banana.
  • Mix well and then add the roasted ground powder. Add another 2 spoons of oil and switch off when done.
  • Serve HOT with Onion Sambar and Garlic Rasam.


Kerala / Palakkad Recipes. · No Need of Onions!!! · Sambar / Rasam / Kuzhambu Varieties.

Pumpkin & Cucumber Molagootal. (Ash Gourd & Cucumber cooked with coconut and spices)

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Pumpkin Molagootal

Many days the staple diet at home, when I was growing up, used to be Pumpkin Molagootal. I guess it was cooked so often as it was pretty easy to make, uses less ingredients, and since the main vegetble is Pumpkin, its a very healthy preparation. On a day when you would want to eat healthy and finish cooking without a fuss, Molagootal would be an easy option. Goes very well with some thing tangy like Inji Pulikachal, Brinjal Puli Pachadi, Vendekkai Thayir Pachadi, Maavadu, Maanga Curry or any kind of pickles too specially lemon. Since it can be had with so many sides, every side dish, almost makes you feel like you have made a completly different menu combination.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups of cubed pieces of pumpkin and cucumbers.

A pinch of Turmeric.

1/2 spoon of Red Chilli Powder.

Salt.

1/2 spoon of Fresh/Dessicated Coconut.

1 spoon of Jeera.

1/2 cup of cooked toor dhal.

Seasoning:

Coconut Oil, Mustard Seeds and Curry Leaves.

PREPARATION:

  • Place the chopped vegetables in a wide vessel. Add 1/2 cup of water, turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt and cook it in the pressure cooker for just one whistle.
  • Drain out the water and save in a container. Put the cooked veggies on to a kadai and place on the stove.
  • Grind fresh coconut with jeera using  this water saved from cooking the vegetables , and make a smooth paste. Set aside.
  • Add ground paste, cooked and mashed toor dhal, a little more salt, hing, curry leaves and allow to boil. Adjust the water a little bit if you feel that the consistency is way too thick.
  • In a seasoning ladle, add 2 spoons of coconut oil, mustard, curry leaves, broken urad dhal and pour over the Molagootal.
  • Mix with rice and use any of the following sides: Inji Pulikachal, Brinjal Puli Pachadi, Vendekkai Thayir Pachadi, Maavadu, Maanga Curry, Lemon Pickle, Nelikkai Oorgai etc.
  • Each combination would be different and delicious!!!!

HINT:

Various other vegetable combinations could be used to make:

Cabbage and Peas Molagootal.

Pumpkin & Chayote Molagootal etc.

Easy LunchBox Series. · Kerala / Palakkad Recipes. · No Need of Onions!!! · Snacks & Tiffin Items

Tamarind Sevai (Real Rice Sevai flavoured with tamarind and spices)

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Tamarind Sevai.
Tamarind Sevai.

I had already posted Tamarind Sevai or Puli Sevai in my previous post using rice sticks. But having actually made the fresh Sevai, I decided to go all the way and flavour it with tamarind just like I normally do. There are days, when you really go through the pantry, wondering what to cook, and to get it done with. On those days I simply flavour rice sticks with some home made “pulikachal” or even the store bought 777 variety. It does taste great with the baked vegetable chips from Trader Joes my favourite store!!! Today was one of those days when I really enjoyed my cooking and dedicated myself to it. I do really love to cook and put my heart in to making it for my loved ones…Those days there are no shortcuts and mishaps – It`s traditional cooking and the taste is pretty delectable.

INGREDIENTS:

Prepared Sevai.

A small gooseberry shaped tamarind ball soaked in 3 spoons of water and warmed.

3-4 red chillies.

Curry Leaves.

A pinch of salt.

Hing.

Oil & Mustard for seasoning.

PREPARATION:

  • In the mixer, grind soaked tamarind, red chillies, salt and hing to a fine paste.
  • In a kadai, add a spoon of oil and when hot, add mustard, curry leaves and this ground paste.
  • Saute the paste in the oil until its well cooked. As the tamarind is used raw this helps in cooking the ground paste.
  • When well done, switch off the stove and add the sevai.
  • Moderation on the salt is required as the Sevai already has the salt in it.
  • Alternatively, if you have store bought pulikachal mix simply mix it in to the cooked sevai and add some seasoning with mustard and curry leaves for added flavour and moisture.
  • Enjoy hot Puli Sevai with Appalam or Chips or just like that!!!

DSC01087

Kerala / Palakkad Recipes. · No Need of Onions!!! · Snacks & Tiffin Items

Sevai – (Steamed Rice Noodles made from scratch)

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Delicious Home Made Sevai.
Delicious Home Made Sevai.

Just the name conjures up so many memories of my childhood and of my grandmother and mother toiling in the kitchen, on saturday afternoons to make delicous sevai for all of us for the evening as well as for the night.  Sevai was always thought as “labourious” as we were in a lovely joint family of 8 and cooking anything for all of us would mean laborious. But on the other side, it would be a joyous moment for me to sit and help my grandmother in the preparation and more particularly, in the partaking, which we would do all together.

My daughter had never seen me making fresh sevai as I would never attempt it when she was smaller. On  one such vacation in Madras, amma had asked me what I wanted for dinner and I promptly told her “Sevai” and we thought , “well why not? ” As we were extruding the steamed balls in the “Sevai Nazhi” or “Sevai Press”, my daughter S, who was sitting near me, doodling on a piece of paper stopped short in complete awe. She couldnt believe that some thing so beautiful could come out of the Sevai Press. She immediatly wanted to taste the freshly pressed Sevai. My mom gave her a bit, and from then on she was hooked!!!

I had tried making Sevai at home last week, sans the Sevai Press. I used the traditional ones that we normally use for making Ribbon Pakoda etc and it looks like this:

Regular Press for making Ribbon Pakoda, Mixture etc.
Regular Press for making Ribbon Pakoda, Mixture etc.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups of Boiled Rice.

Salt

Pinch of Hing

A spoon of Coconut Oil.

Sevai Press or Regular Nazhi or Press.

PREPARATION:

  • Soak the boiled rice for 3 hours ahead. You could soak it even at 8 Am in the morning if you plan to make it for lunch. With the help of a grinder, grind it to a smooth paste adding enough salt . Use only as much water as is necessary.
  • Since this involves extrusion etc, it is important that the rice is ground to a smooth paste.
  • From here there are actually two methods – one which my mom in law uses and one that we have been traditionally using in my grandmother`s home. One option is to simply transfer this ground batter in to greased idli plates and steam then for 15 mins just as you would do for idlis.

(OR)

  • Transfer the contents of the grinder in to a kadai, add a pinch of hing and a spoon of coconut oil and switch on the stove on medium low flame. Keep stirring it until the water is used to cook the batter and it comes together as one. It should look like this:
Batter cooked to make soft dough.
Batter cooked to make soft dough.
  • Immediately shape this dough in to rough balls and place them on  greased idli plates. Steam these balls for about ten minutes just like you would steam the idlis. This double cooking where we cook it once over the stove and once in the cooker,makes it much more easily digestible for old people and for kids alike. If you are out of time simply follow the earlier method of directly steaming the raw batter in the idli plates.
  • Once you have steamed the batter/prepared dough balls you have to start the process of sevai extrusion.
  • Briskly add the balls in to the sevai maker and press to get steaming hot noodles of rice sevai. Keep the unused balls tightly closed inside the pressure cooker as the heat is what helps in the easy pressing. Once they get cold, it would become very difficult to press.
  • As the prepared sevai is pressed on to a plate, allow to cool before adding it to a wide mouthed bowl.
  • Delicious home made Sevai is ready to be eaten plain or after seasoning as  Pulikachal Sevai. Lemon Sevai or Coconut Sevai.
Sevai.
Sevai.

TIP:

When using the regular press, to extrude the sevai, the body of the press would be very hot and so I use a kitchen mitt to hold it with my left hand and then rotate the lever with my right.

Steaming hot oodles of noodles being sent to Monthly Mingle Ravishing Rice started by Meetha.

Kerala / Palakkad Recipes. · No Need of Onions!!! · Sambar / Rasam / Kuzhambu Varieties.

Kerala Style Ten Minute Mango Morkuzhambu.

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Morkuzhambu.
Morkuzhambu.

Morkuzhambu, better known to the others as “Kadi”, is a typical kerala gravy thats very fabulously easy to make as well as bursting with flavours. It can be made with any vegetable in it, typically with ash gourd or plantain, and definitely seasoned with “manathangalikka vethal” or “sundakkai vethal” but I vary the vegetables  with mango, spinach etc. I don’t for the life of me understand whats with me and mangoes….I love to add it to any dish for a kick of flavour and fun.

In those days, when I was in school, Madaurai amma would make Morkuzhambu and that day typically the best side would be Ulundhu Appalam or better still Ambika Appalam Depot`s Marachini Appalam. We would take the appalam and crush it in the rice completely and mix  it in to find little specks of appalam soaked in the gravy……Still YUM!!! These days on account of health, I have saved Appalam days to probably 5-6 times a year like Avani Avittam, Vishu and the likes. This is still Madurai amma`s method of making it and it never fails to remind me of her healthy wholesome cooking when I was a student….Without further delay,here goes the recipe…

INGREDIENTS:

Half a Mango cut in to big pieces say in to 8 -10 pieces.

3 spoons of bengal gram soaked in water for 20 minutes.

1/3 cup of dessicated /fresh coconut.

4 -6 green chillies.

Salt

Curry Leaves.

Manathangalikka Vethal.(Optional)

A pinch of Hing.

2/3 cup of thick buttermilk or slightly diluted curd.

PREPERATION:

  • In a copper bottomed vessel, place the mango pieces and add a little water and boil with some salt and turmeric. Switch off for a few seconds.
  • Grind the coconut, green chillies and  soaked bengal gram to a smooth paste.
  • Add this groound paste to the cooked mango. Add salt, hing, curry leaves, buttermilk and switch on the stove on medium low.
  • Be very careful as the buttermilk might curdle.
  • At the first boil, switch off the stove. In a kadai, add 2 spoons on coconut oil and when hot add mustard, manathangalikkai vethal and curry leaves and pour it on the morkozhambu.
  • Serve with rice and appalam. It`s also an excellent side for Coconut Sevai.

HINT:

Manathangalikka Vethal is a completely optional seasoning. If not available, you can also use “Mor Molaga” or “Thayir Molaga” or even any spicy vethal.

Kerala / Palakkad Recipes. · Sambar / Rasam / Kuzhambu Varieties.

Manga Kuzhambu (Raw mango simmered in a coconut-yoghurt gravy with seasonings)

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Delicious Mango Kuzhambu
Delicious Mango Kuzhambu

Mango Kuzhambu (Manga Kootan) is one of those typical kerala gravies that I love to make. This is one dish that’s simple, bursting with flavours and can be made in a jiffy. All you need is a nice tangy raw mango and a few minutes and ou have this amazing kuzhambu ready. Without any further delay, let me share with you the recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

1 half of a raw mango chopped n to big pieces.

1 spoon of Methi seeds (Venthayam)

4-5 red chillies.

1/3 cup of coconut.

A pinch of jaggery.

1-2 ladles of thicd curd.

Seasoning:

Mustard & Curry Leaves.

PREPARATION:

  • Drop the cut mango pieces in the copper bottom vessel, and pour water adequate to cover the mangoes, add a pinch of turmeric and allow to cook for 7-8 mins. Switch off the stove.
  • Now roast  the methi seeds and red chillies in oil and grind with the coconut to a smooth paste.
  • Add this paste to the cooked mango, add salt, and a little water(around 1/2 cup)   to get it in to a kuzhambu consistency.
  • Switch on the stove till it boils and turn off the heat. Add 1-2 ladles of curd and mix it in well.
  • Season in coconut oil with mustard and curry leaves.

Sending this amazingly delicious Mango Kuzhambu to Srivalli`s Mango Mela….