Vendakka Kichadi (Pachadi) | Fried ladies finger (okra) in coconut yogurt sauce - Sadhya special

 Kichadi (Pachadi) is an integral part of a festive meal (Sadhya) in Kerala. Kerala style kichadi must not be confused with the North Indian Khichdi which is a rice based main course recipe. 

 Onam and Vishu Sadhya is incomplete without serving a kichadi . Kichadi also known as Pachadi in few regions of Kerala,is a yogurt based side dish often made from various vegetables like Okra/ladies finger ,ginger ,tomato, Cucumbers, ash gourd etc .

Kichadi pairs well with Sambar Rice and a coconut based vegetable stir fry . One can even make it as a part of day to day meal as well. Why wait for a special occasion to savor such a healthy delicacy ? 

Vendakkai Thayir Kichadi/Pachadi   is made from okra/ladies finger . Ladies finger is known as Vendakka or Vendakkai in Malayalam/ Tamil.

Chopped ladies finger is shallow fried in coconut oil and then added to the coconut chilli paste mixed in yogurt. The yogurt must not be spur, else it will ruin the taste of the kichadi /pachadi.

Some recipes call for cooking the coconut chilli paste + yogurt ,but in this recipe I am not cooking the yogurt mixture . I am going to just add the fried Okra to the yogurt mix along with the tempering. 

Some popular kichadi /pachadi served as part of Sadhya 

Inji (Ginger) Thayir  Kichadi 

Thakali (Tomato) Kichadi 

Vellarikai Inji (Cucumber Ginger )Thayir 

Vellarikai (Cucumber) kichadi

This month in our SHHH Secretly Cooking Challenge food group,we are celebrating Sadhya special hosted by me . My fellow bloggers have come up with amazing and authentic Kerala Sadhya recipes . My partner for this month ,Radha Rajagopalan has dished out the traditional Ada Pradhaman ,which is a classic dessert from Kerala. Do check out her recipe for Ada Pradhaman without fail .  

To know more about the dishes served in a typical Sadhya for Onam / Vishu, check out the list soon after the recipe of Vendakkai Kichadi. I am giving you a complete list of authentic recipes.

Preparation Time - 10mins
Cooking Time- 5 mins
Complexity - simple
Serves - 2 to 3 

Ingredients

1/4 cup fresh grated coconut 
2 green chillies
1/2 tsp jeera/cumin
8 to 10 tender ladies finger/okra/vendakkai
200ml  thick yogurt/dahi/thayir
Salt as needed
2 tsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 dry red chilli
Few curry leaves 

Method

• Wash and dry the ladies finger. Cut into medium sized roundels. 
• Whisk the yogurt well and make it lump free and smooth. 
• Grind the green chillies, coconut,jeera with 1tbsp yogurt and some water  into a smooth paste.
• Add this paste to the yogurt and mix it well with adequate salt.
• In a frying pan,heat 1tsp of coconut oil and roast the ladies finger until it crispy  ,add a little salt to the roasted ladies finger in the end .
• Prepare a tempering of mustard seeds,red chilli and curry leaves in the remaining coconut oil .
• Add the roasted ladies finger ,tempering to the yogurt mixture and mix it well .Delicious and tasty vendakkai kichadi is ready to be served .

Sadhya recipes on the blog. Click on the individual items below to get detailed recipe

• Erissery
• Kootu Curry
• Puli inji 
• Avial 
• Kaalan
• Pulissery
• Maanga Curry (cut mango pickle)
• Cabbage thoran (coconut based curry)
• Beans carrot thoran / Beetroot thoran
• Mambazha Pachadi
• Vellarikaai Pachadi
• Inji Thayir
• Sambar 
• Rasam
• Aval payasam
• Paal payasam
• Chakka Pradhaman (Jackfruit kheer)
• Sambaram / Mor (Buttermilk)
• Nendran Chips
• pappadam , pickle,curd etc

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Nei Payasam | Aravana Payasam

 Nei Payasam also known as Aravana Payasam is very popular as prasadam in Kerala Temples especially Bhagavathy (Devi) Temple and Ayyappa Temple . Sharkara Payasam ,Kadu Madhuram or just Aravanai are some other names for Nei Payasam.

Nei means ghee and payasam means kheer. This payasam gets it flavor and taste from just 3 ingredients; rice,ghee and jaggery. The payasam is either garnished with fried coconut bits or ghee fried cashews . A pinch of ginger powder at the end elevates the flavor profile manifold. 

Though we call this as Nei Payasam, the consistency of nei payasam isn't like the usual paysam (kheer). Consistency of nei payasam is gooey and thick similar to sakkarai pongal . 

Originally, Kerala Matta raw rice or red rice is used in the preparation of Nei Payasam,but if that us not available we can use any short grained rice, but a strict No to Basmati rice as it will alter the taste of Nei Payasam, because of the natural flavor that Basmati rice possesses

 In temples, nei payasam is made in huge bronze urulis and slow cooking method is followed. Ghee is poured at intervals until the ghee is completely absorbed into the rice and jaggery mixture.  Normally, dark colored jaggery is used for preparing nei payasam, hence the color will be dark and deep brown. 

Aravana / Nei Paysam shouldn't be confused with sakkarai pongal though they may sound similar. The quantity of ghee used in Nei payasam in more also there is no use of milk or lentils. Because the quantity of ghee is more ,we cannot eat this nei paysam like any other paysam for dessert . Just a small quantity can be savored and that itself will be very satiating and satisfying. 

Even to this day, Bhagavati Seva Pooja always has the offering of nei paysam and the same is distributed to all those partaking in the Pooja . 

I have very fond memories of enjoying piping hot Nei Payasam and crispy fried Medhu Vadai served as prasadam in leaf cups after Bhagavathy Seva Pooja.  The taste still lingers on my tongue and nothing can beat the taste and flavor of prasadam that is blessed with divine vibrations.

Holy month of Aashada or Aadi or Karikatam(July 15 to Aug 15 as per English calender) is known for Bhagavathy Seva ,many Brahmin families hailing from Kerala / Palakkad have the tradition of performing thus pooja at home on either Tuesdays or Fridays in this holy month .

So,whether or not you perform Bhagavthy Seva at home,you can always prepare Nei Payasam and offer as prasadam during auspicious pooja days or even on Tuesdays and Fridays during Aadi Maasam .

Preparation Time - 15 to 20 mins
Cooking Time - 45 mins
Complexity- medium 
Serves - 2 to 3

Ingredients 

3/4 cup raw rice (I have used Sona Masuri )
3/4 cup powdered organic jaggery 
1/2 cup ghee 
Few cashews 
Pinch of dry ginger powder 
Pinch of cardamom powder 

Method 

• Wash the rice well and pressure cook it with 3 cups of water and let the pressure release naturally. 
• The rice must be cooked well and soft but not mushy . With the back of ladle ,lightly mash the rice but don't make it mushy . 
• In a thick bottomed vessel , melt the jaggery with 1/2 cup water . We don't need any string consistency  just the jaggery needs to melt . Incase ,you see any impurities in the jaggery syrup,then filter it out and bring the syrup to a quick rolling boil.
• Slowly add the mashed and cooked rice and mix it well without any lumps .Gradually add the ghee in parts and keep stirring until all the ghee is well absorbed into the nei payasam and the paysam looks glossy and well done .
• If you are using coconut bits ,fry them in ghee until it turns golden brown and crisp ,likewise the same with cashewnuts as well.
• Add this to the nei payasam along with cardamom powder and ginger powder and mix it well .
• Offer it to the lord and distribute it among family and friends. 

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Chakka Pradhaman using Chakkavaratti - Sadhya Special

 Onam is the harvest festival of Kerala and also the day to comomerate and celebrate Vamana and King Mahabali .Whole of Kerala and Malayalees world over celebrate the day with a lot of joy and happiness. Onam is a ten day festival and as per gregorian Calender falls anyday between August - September which coincides with the  Chingam Month as per Malayalam Alamanac on the star of Thiruvonam or Sravanam which is the 22nd star or Nakshatra.

Mahabali was a very generous and powerful king who ruled Kerala and there was abundant prosperity and happiness during his reign. It is believed that on this day King Mahabali or Maaveli visits the land of Kerala and rejoices with the people of the land . To welcome the King ,an elaborate rangoli or kolam using flowers is decorated at every home , a lavish spread known as Sadhya is prepared and the annual boat race is held by the State .

ONAM is the annual state festival of Kerala.

I have already posted almost all recipes prepared for a Sadhya on my blog .I will post the link below which can be used as a ready recokner. 

Today we shall see a very traditional and authentic sweet chakka Pradhaman made using Jackfruit Jam known as Chakka Varatti . I have already posted how to make chakka varatti during jackfruit season .

This paysam is really easy to make if we have the chakka varatti ready on hand . The other  version to make Chakka Pradhaman from scratch can be found here. 

Without further delay,let me get to the recipe quickly .

Preparation Time - 10 mins
Cooking Time - 15 mins
Complexity - simple
Serves - 2 to 3

Ingredients 

1/2 cup chakka varatti / jackfruit jam
3/4 cup grated coconut 
3 tbsp jaggery 
1/2 cup thick coconut milk 
2 tbsp finely chopped coconut bits 
2 tsp ghee 

Method

• Blend the chakka varatti, grated coconut and jaggery with 1/4 cup water to a very fine paste .
• In a heavy pan ,heat the ghee and fry the coconut bits until they turn crisp and brown.
• Pour the blended paste to this fried coconut and bring it to a quick boil .
• Add the thick coconut milk in the end ,mix well and turn off the stove .Donot try to over cook or boil the Pradhaman after adding the coconut milk ..the Pradhaman will curdle .the heat is enough to cook the coconut milk and take away the raw smell.
• Delicious chakka Pradhaman is ready. 

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Sadhya recipes on the blog. Click on the individual items below to get detailed recipe

• Erissery
• Kootu Curry
• Puli inji 
• Avial 
• Kaalan
• Pulissery
• Cabbage thoran (coconut based curry)
• Beans carrot thoran
• Mambazha Pachadi
• Vellarikaai Pachadi
• Inji Thayir
• Sambar 
• Rasam
• Aval payasam
• Paal payasam
• Sambaram / Mor 
• Nendran Chips
• pappadam , pickle,curd etc

Chakkavaratti | Chakkavaratiyadhu - Jackfruit Preserve

 Jackfruits are still available in plenty in most places in India and will surely be available for a few weeks more . If you are done with your quota of eating fresh , ripe and juicy jackfruits then I suggest you must make this delicious jackfruit jam /preserve a delicacy from Kerala known as Chakka Varatti or Chakka Varatiyadhu. 

Chakkai in Malayalam means Jackfruit and Varatiyadhu means reduction /simmering process .So basically we make a tasty relish or jam like preserve from jackfruit pulp and jaggery to relish all year long when fresh jackfruits aren't available. 

You can also use fresh ripe jackfruit to make delicious Chakka Pradhaman (Jackfruit Payasam) and Chakka Unniappams . (Fritters) 

I learnt this recipe from Chandra Muthukrishnan aunty, who is an expert in making traditional and complex dishes in a breeze .She guided me  over whatasapp while I was making this and gave a final approval when I shared the video of the finished product . 

Traditionally in olden times, making chakka varatti was a long drawn process and the ladies of the house had to toil a lot to prepare since modern day gadgets like gas stoves, food processors or pressure cookers were not available. 

The jackfruit pods had to be boiled over wooden or charcoal stoves and then using grinding stone the pulp had to me made and then further cooked in huge bronze vessel called Uruli with jaggery and  ghee for hours together to get the perfect taste and texture . Now making chakka varatti is a lot easier and we can prepare it effortlessly at the comfort of our homes .

Preparation Time -20 mins
Cooking Time - 35 to 45 mins
Complexity - complex 

Ingredients 

14 to 16 ripe jackfruit pods 
jaggery powder  (same measure as jackfruit pulp) 
2tsp of cardamom powder 
ghee as needed 

Method 

• Deseed the jackfruit pods and pressure cook it with 1/4 cup water for 2 whistles on medium flame .
• Let the pressure release naturally, strain the excess water and let the jackfruit cool down .
• Blend the cooked jackfruit into a smooth pulpy puree in your blender.
• Measure the pureed jackfruit and take the same quantity of  jaggery powder ..eg if you get 1 cup of puree, using the same cup measure 1 cup of powdered jaggery and 1/2 cup ghee .

• Melt the jaggery in 1/4 cup water and strain it for impurities. 
• In a heavy bottomed pan ,heat the strained jaggery syrup and let it come to a nice bubbling boil .
• At this stage add the jackfruit pulp and mix it nicely till the jaggery and pulp blend in well.
• Keep stirring on low flame and you can see the mixture begins to cook and starts giving out a good aroma . 
• The key is in stirring without a break as there is a chance of the mixture getting burnt easily . 
• The mixture begins to thicken and reduces in quantity after 10 mins,at this stage add some 3 to 4 tbsp of ghee and mix well . The entire ghee gets absorbed by the mixture and you can see a nice glossy look.
• After some time you can see that the entire jam looks glossy and begins to leave the sides of the pan easily and resembles the texture of a jam .
• Now add the balance ghee ,cardamom powder and continue to cook for sometime. When you drop a blob of the chakka varatti using the ladle, it should slide off and fall down easily . This is the correct texture .turn off the stove at this stage and let it cool . The  jam will slightly thicken more after cooling. Donot worry about that. Once cooled, transfer the chakka varatti to a dry container using a dry spoon and refrigerate it. (Check the video below for the consistency)

Note

To have a prolonged shelf life ,never thaw the entire preserve for a long time.  Take out the desired quantity and put it back into the refrigerator.  This way the chakka varatti stays for almost 1 year .

Chakkapazha Nei appam using rice flour (Unni appam) - Jackfruit Rice Fritters

 As much as mango is crowned as the King of Fruits and relished in summer ,ripe jackfruit is also enjoyed by many in India and world over during summer . Jackfruit is a delicious tropical fruit which can be enjoyed when ripe as well as raw .

Raw Jackfruit (kathal / कटहल) is used widely in North India as a meat substitute in Biryanis,Pulaos and curries while in south India especially in Kerala, raw jackfruit is used in the making of Jackfruit chips , stir fries and papads. Ripe jackfruit is used in various recipes in the Konkani /Manglorean cuisine as well. 

 

Chakka Pradhaman is a very delicious and tasty kheer or paysam prepared in Kerala from ripe jackfruit  and coconut milk.

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Today ,I will be sharing another tasty and traditional recipe from Kerala called as Unniappam or Neiappam with the flavor of ripe jackfruit. 

Unniappam or nei appam is prepared from rice flour and jaggery batter and fried using either ghee , oil or a mix of ghee + oil . To make a vegan version we can skip the ghee and the rest of the recipe remains the same .

The batter is fried in a special cooking apparatus called as Paniyaram pan or Appa kaaral . Aebelskeiwer pan can be used too for this recipe .

For this recipe, we can either soak the rice for few hours in water and grind into a fine paste and use or ready made rice flour also works fine .In today's recipe, I have used ready made rice flour and I was very very happy with the result 

The appams were soft and spongy . Shelf life of these appams in normal room temperature is 2 days while it can stay long under refrigeration. 

Preparation Time - 10 mins
Resting Time - 1 hr
Cooking Time - 5 to 6 mins
Complexity - easy 

Ingredients 
1/2 cup rice flour
1/2 cup grated jaggery
4 to 5 pods of ripe jackfruit 
1/2 tsp cardamom powder 
Ghee and oil for frying  (use only oil for Vegan )

Method 

Preparing the Unniyappam / Nei appam batter 

• Deseed the pods of the ripe jackfruit and remove the seeds . Chop it roughly into small pieces. Makes it easier to grind .
• Dissolve the jaggery in 1/4 cup water and filter it to remove if there are any impurities..I use organic jaggery which is very clean hence I skipped this step .
• Blend the jackfruit and jaggery in a blender to form a nice smooth puree.No need to add water while grinding. 
• Remove this pulp in a wide mixing bowl,add the rice flour and whisk it to form a lump free batter . If you feel the batter is too thick to whisk add a few tsp of water and whisk . 
• Add the cardamom powder and mix it well..rest the batter for an hour in a warm place.  Donot  rest the batter for more than 2 or 3 hrs. In case you are unable to make it within 2 or 3 hours refrigerate the batter immediately. 

How to make the unniyappam / nei appam?

• Heat the paniyaram pan on the stove and fill in each cavity with 1/2 tsp ghee and 1/2 tsp cooking oil or use 1 tsp ghee or 1 tsp cooking oil as per your preference. 
• Once the oil is heated, fill in 3/4th of the cavity with the appam batter and let it cook on slow flame .
• Once the top portion is cooked ,it will appear dry and the appams can be flipped over easily. Carefully flip it over and cook until the other side also turns crispy and golden brown. 
• Remove the appams from the paniyaram pan one by one . Refill the cavity with the oil or ghee and repeat the same steps until all the batter is used up .
• Store it a dry container.  Donot close the lid when the appams are hot ,they will become soggy . Let it cool down completely before closing the lid. 

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Mambazha Pachadi | Sweet Mango Relish - Vegan Sadhya special

 Pon Onam is round the corner and enjoying a lavish spread of Sadhya is just inevitable. Those of you who know me and follow my blog , are definitely aware of my love for Kerala cuisine and how much I love preparing it as a part of my daily cooking.  This  year Onam is on Saturday the 21st August 2021. Being a weekend it is the best time to cook and enjoy the elaborate spread with Family . 

Wishing all my readers a very Happy Onam and a blessed time with family and friends.

Mambazha Pachadi is spicy ,tangy delicacy made using ripe mangoes. You can use any ripe mango that is sweet. Try to avoid mangoes that are still unripe or have a sour taste as it will spoil the taste of the complete recipe.

Mambazha pachadi compliments a simple molagootal or velarikkai kootu very well . You can also mix it with hot rice and savor it with papads or even enjoy with some nice hot chapathis .

This year with Onam falling in August, it is still possible to get hold of some ripe mangoes as the markets are having their last lot of fresh,sweet mangoes. I have preserved one mango from the last batch to make this delicious mambazha Pachadi for Onam .

In case you are unable to have access to fresh ripe mangoes you may replace it with red pumpkin/parangikkai / mathhan . When red pumpkin is used this recipe is called as Mathan Pachadi or Aanai Pachadi. 

 [Sadhya recipes on the blog. Click on the individual items below to get detailed recipe]

• Erissery
• Kootu Curry
• Puli inji 
• Avial 
• Kaalan
• Pulissery
• Cabbage thoran (coconut based curry)
• Beans carrot thoran
• Sambar 
• Rasam
• Aval payasam
• Paal payasam
• Sambaram / Mor 
• Nendran Chips
• pappadam , pickle,curd etc

Preparation Time - 10 mins

Cooking Time - 20 mins

Complexity - simple 

Serves - 2 to 3 

Ingredients 

1-2 medium sized ripe mango 

1/2 cup fresh coconut grated 

1/4 tsp mustard seeds 

2 green chillies 

1/4 tsp jeera 

2 dry red chillies 

1/4 tsp red chilli powder 

1/4 tsp haldi powder

2 tbsp coconut oil

1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds/methi 

Few curry leaves 

Method 

• Grind the fresh coconut, green chilli, mustard seeds and jeera to a fine paste by adding required amount of water .
• Peel the mango and cut them into medium sized chunks and boil it with salt, haldi powder and red chilli powder until it turns soft . Mash it lightly ,it must be pulpy at the same time the chunks must be visible.
• Add in the ground paste , some water and bring it to a rolling boil until the raw flavor of coconut is lost.  Do it on medium flame and stir occasionally to avoid burning .After adding coconut paste there is a tendency for the gravy to stick to the bottom of the vessel and get charred . Adjust salt if needed.
• You may add a spoon of jaggery powder at this stage and get it off the stove.
• Heat the coconut oil ,temper it with mustard seeds,fenugreek ,fresh curry leaves and red chillies . Pour this tempering over the mambazha pachadi and mix well before serving .

Tips 

You may also add a tbsp of thick tamarind paste while simmering the gravy .this gives a nice tangy flavor to the pachadi .

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Vegetable Molagootal - Vegan vegetable curry (Palakkad Cuisine)

 Molagootal is an authentic and traditional recipe from Palakkad cuisine.  There is a slight difference in the kootu  and molagootal  though it might look the same .

In Tamil "Molagu" means "Black pepper " while in Malayalam or Palakkad Lingo "Molaku/Molagu" means " dry red chillies" . So initially I thought Molagootal or Milagutal has pepper ,going by the name but I was mistaken.  I have some lovely friends of Palakkad origin who cleared this air for me .  Today's recipe of mix veg molagootal was shared with me by Chandra aunty who I befriended through a food group on social media .

Palakkad / Palghat - some facts 

• For the uninformed, Palakkad or Palghat is a city in the southern state of Kerala . Like any other city in Kerala , Palakkad also has lot of temples , scenic surroundings , rivers and is a quaint and peaceful town.
• Palakkad has close proximity to the city of Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu , hence Tamil and Malayalam are widely spoken by the natives of Palakkad . 
• Palakkad Junction is the nearest railway station.  Formerly it was known as Olavakkode Junction . This city is well connected by roadways and railways .

Palakkad Iyers / Kerala Iyers - who are they? 

• Generations ago, many Tamil Brahmins migrated to this beautiful place and their traditions and culture reflect a fusion of both Tamil Nadu and Kerala influence. 
•  The Tamil Brahmins who hail from Palakkad are called as Palakkad Iyers or Kerala Iyers and have a distinct dialect of Tamil which is again a mix of Malayalam and Tamil . Colloquialy it is called as Palakkad Tamizh .
• Most often the Brahmins would settle around a particular temple and their daily schedule would involve activities related to temple, special poojas , veda patshalas and various other rituals. This establishment is commonly called as "Agraharam". 
• Each Agraharam would be identified based on a temple around which it is established.  For example the establishment around a Ganapathy temple would be known as Ganapathy Agraharam and over time the families living there would be identified by that Agraharam name.
• Today we can find Palakkad Iyers all over the world and they have marked their presence in almost every field .
• They are very soft spoken and good natured .
• Notable personalities like Shankar Mahadevan - the ace singer , Vidya Balan - the Bollywood Diva have their ancestral roots in Palakkad. 

What is Palakkad Cuisine?

• Traditionally Palakkad cuisine makes use of native vegetables like ashgourd, red pumpkin, raw banana , tubers like yam , taro root , sweet potato etc  . The basic flavor is not very spicy or pungent . It is mild and suitable to all .
• Fresh Coconut, dry red chillies , udad dhall (black gram), pepper , ginger , green chillies , cumin and curry leaves are widely used as part of spices and spice paste/mixes.
• Jackfruit, mangoes , Nendran Banana are the most sought after fruits and used in a variety of sweets and pradhaman (kheer).
• Molagooshyam , Molagootal, Puli Inji , Aviyal,Chakka Pradhaman , Paal Payasam , Mezhukkuveratti , Thoran , Masiyal are some popular items from Palakkad cuisine.

This is the 268th week in our Foodie Monday Bloghop and Narmadha of Nam's Corner suggested we share recipes with Coconut .

As we all know in Kerala and other coastal regions of India , coconut and coconut oil is used in plenty as we can find Coconuts in abundance in and around any coastal region .  I am going to try her simple recipe of "Dal Moth Mixture" this time for Diwali . 

You can never separate a South Indian and coconut as they are both made for each other . We use coconut in almost every single recipe in some way or the other . 

Coconut tree is known as the Kalpavriksha . 

Kalpavriksha means a tree where every single part of the tree is useful in one way or the other.

•  The coconut water from the tender coconut is very healthy and delicious. A very good source of rehydration for our body.
• When tender coconut is let to dry it is becomes  Nariyal / Copra and is used in cooking and also to extract coconut oil
• The coconut husk, called coir, is used for rope making.
• Coconut leaves are used in making fans , make shift roofs , mats etc 
• Midrib of the tree when dried is used for making boats and decorative pieces too.
• Even the dried coconut shells are used as a source of fuel along with wood and logs to fire up traditional stoves in villages.

Now let us head to this very simple but tasty recipe of mix vegetable molagootal.

Preparation Time - 15 mins

Cooking Time - 30 mins

Complexity - Simple

Serves - 3 to 4

Recipe courtesy  - Mrs Chandra Muthukrishnan 

Ingredients 

To grind 

8 to 10 tbsp fresh grated coconut 

3 to 4 dry red chillies 

2 tsp jeera /cumin seeds 

For the molagootal 

2 cups chopped mix vegetables  (beans, carrots, white pumpkin , peas , potato)

1/4 cup thoor dhall/ pigeon peas 

1/4 cup moong dhall/split peas 

Pinch of turmeric

Fresh curry leaves 

2 tsp coconut oil

1 tsp mustard seeds 

1 tsp udad dhall 

Salt as needed

Pinch of asafoetida 

Method 

• Wash both the dhalls and pressure cook with turmeric until soft and mushy. 
• Grind the coconut, red chillies , cumin with water to a fine paste. 
• Boil the chopped vegetables with little salt until they are 3/4th done.
• Add in the ground masala paste and stir well . Cook until the raw flavor of coconut and red chilies is lost . Adjust water so that the mixture doesn't stick to the bottom and burn .
• Stir in the cooked dhall and mix it well until it reaches a rolling boil and then turn it off.
• Prepare a tempering of mustard seeds , udad dhall , curry leaves and asafoetida in hot coconut oil and pour it over the molagootal.
• Serve it hot with rice and puli inji or any raita . 

Some delicious sweets using Coconut that you may want to try for the upcoming Navratri festival 

Traditional Thenga Burfi (coconut barfi)

Coffee Flavored Coconut Barfi

Oats Coconut Ladoo 

Seeyam / Chitthunde/ Boorelu 

Coconut Dryfruit Payasam

Nendran Chips | Kerala Banana Chips | Yellow Banana wafers

When life gives you lemons you make lemonade is a popular verse, likewise when your vegetable vendor gives you fresh tender Nendrankaai /Kerala Banana then you have to make crispy crunchy chips .

Nendran is a variety of banana which is native to Kerala and has a very unique flavor and taste. The raw variety is called as Nendran Kaai and the ripe/fruit variety is known as Nendran Pazham/Ethaka Pazham.

The raw (kaai) variety has a green outer skin and is hard to touch while the ripe (pazham) has a yellow outer skin and it can be peeled easily like a normal ripe banana.

The Pazham (fruit) is an integral part of breakfast in Kerala and is generally steamed and served along with puttu and kadala curry 

.Nendran Pazham is also used to make many types of sweets and kheer .

Apart from making chips using the nendran kaai the peeled skin is also put to use by making a stir fry with it . I haven't tried this stir fry but am planning to try it the next time I lay my hands on this delicious banana variety. 

The speciality of this variety of banana is that it gets a natural yellow color when fried in oil even without the addition of haldi/turmeric powder. 

If we want to have a slightly bright yellow colored chips as we get in the shops we can add some turmeric to salt water mixture which we shall be using to add to the fried chips . 

You will get to savor the exact taste and flavor of these kerala banana chips  only if you fry them in coconut oil , so donot compromise on that step.In case you don't have an access to edible coconut oil, you can fry them in regular cooking oil .

Preparation Time : 10 mins

Frying Time :4 to 5 mins per banana

Complexity  - medium

Ingredients 

4 to 5 nendran bananas

200 ml edible coconut oil / regular cooking oil

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp haldi /turmeric 

Method

Peel the skin of the bananas and soak them in water .This soaking is mandatory as it removes the stickiness from the banana and also prevents it from turning black due to oxidation.  If the bananas as large in size , then cut them into halves and soak it. 

Dissolve the salt and turmeric in some water and keep it ready. We will sprinkle a tsp of this salt water into the oil while frying the chips.By doing this the salt gets absorbed evenly into the slices of chips and we need not add salt separately 

Apply oil to the blades of your slicer and adjust the level of thickness. The slices of this chips are slightly thick. Applying oil makes it easy to slice the bananas . Bananas have natural fibre and stickiness which makes it slightly difficult to slice..when the slicer blades are greased the slices fall easily .Also ensure the slicer has a sharp blade .

Keep the oil for heating and in the meanwhile take the banana and slice them . If you are comfortable you can directly slice them into the hot oil by holding the slicer over the hot oil. Slicing directly into hot oil requires practice , so if you are a beginner , best is to slice them separately and then slip into the hot oil one by one . Slice 1 banana at a time . If you slice all the bananas before hand they will turn black.

Once the oil is heated well, drop the banana slices one by one , give it a quick stir and reduce the flame to medium.  

After about a minute , you will observe that the chips are half done , now reduce the flame to minimum and take a tsp of salt water and spread in the oil . Be careful here as the oil will tend to splutter . You can see a lot of bubbles and hear crackling sound when oil and water come into contact. This sound will start fading away slowly and the sound also will reduce. 

Now turn them flame to medium high and stir the chips occasionally and gradually the bubbles will disappear and so will the hissing sound fade away . This is an indication that the chips are done. If you take a chip and drop it on a plate you can hear a nice crisp sound . This is the test to check if chips are fried well . Frying it more will make it turn brown.

Drain the chips carefully and transfer it to an airtight container and store it away from moisture.  Delicious kerala style banana chips ready .

 Check my Youtube video on how to make chips from regular raw banana and donot forget to like and subscribe to my channel.

Kootu Curry - Sadhya special (Vegan)

 Kootu Curry also known as kootkari , kootu kari is an important recipe on the Sadhya menu for Onam or Vishu . For those who don't know what Sadhya is, it is the Malayalam word for a feast or an elaborate special menu. There are more than 10 items which includes  minimum 2 varieties of paysam along with various other items like  

[ Click on the individual items below to get their recipe . Kerala style rasam & sambar will be updated shortly on the blog ]

• Erissery
• Puli inji 
• Avial 
• Kaalan
• Pulissery
• Cabbage thoran (coconut based curry)
• Beans carrot thoran
• Sambar 
• Rasam
• Aval payasam
• Paal payasam
• Sambaram / Mor 
• Nendran Chips
• pappadam , pickle,curd etc . 

These are all the quintessential items of the sadhya and no sadhya is complete without these .

Coming to kootu curry now, "kootu"  in tamil or malayalam means a mixture or a mix and curry is word used to denote a gravy . So kootu curry means a mix gravy if we have to put it in lay man's terms . 

Traditionally native vegetables like yam(chenai), raw banana(kaaya), ash gourd(elavan) , red pumpkin (mathhan) are used in the preparation of kootu curry along with boiled black channa (chickpeas) or bengal gram dhall (channa dhall/kadala paruppu) . Like any other kerala recipe, this too requires a lot of fresh coconut and coconut oil . So please don't compromise on the quantity of coconut and coconut oil if you want to savor the original flavor of Kerala kootu curry .

In today's recipe, I have used a combination of red pumpkin (mathhan) and raw banana along with channa dhall . The other combinations that can be tried are 

Raw banana + yam 

Raw banana + ash gourd

Ash gourd + red pumpkin + raw banana /yam 

Yam + red pumpkin

**channa dhall or black chickpeas can be added to the above combinations.

Preparation Time - 15 mins 
Soaking Time - 8 hrs ( if using black chickpeas)
Cooking Time - 20 to 30 mins
Serves - 3 to 4 
Complexity - simple

Ingredients 

2 medium sized raw banana
200 gms red pumpkin 

1/3 cup channa dhall/bengal gram 
1/2 a coconut freshly grated 
3 to 4 red chillies
1 tsp jeera
1 tablespoon coconut oil
Fresh curry leaves 
1 tsp mustard seeds 
1 tsp jaggery 
Salt as needed 
1/2 tsp turmeric 

Method

• Peel the skin of the pumpkin and raw banana and chop them into medium sized cubes .
• Soak the channa dhall in water for about 10 to 15 mins .
• Take 2 tbsp of coconut gratings and keep aside and using the rest ,grind coconut, jeera and red chillies with enough water to a semi fine paste .
• In a pressure cooker add the chopped vegetables along with the soaked channa dhall , turmeric , pinch of salt and sprinkle some water and pressure cook for 1 whistle. 
• If using black chickpeas then pressure cook it separately and add it to the curry later on with the coconut paste.
• Once the pressure releases , open it and lightly mash the vegetables.  In a wide ,thick bottomed vessel, add the cooked vegetables, the ground coconut paste , 1/4 cup water and some salt and bring it to a nice boil until the raw flavor of the coconut and red chillies is lost. Add the jaggery at this stage.
• Keep stirring and cook on low flame,else there is every chance of the coconut sticking to the bottom and burning.  This curry has to be thick, so pls donot add too much water. It will take about 2 to 3 mins and your kootu curry will be ready. 
• In a dry pan roast the 2 tablespoon of coconut until it turns crisp and golden brown and keep aside .
• Heat coconut oil in a kadai , splutter mustard seeds and fry the curry leaves and pour this tempering over the kootu curry along with the fried coconut.  Kootu curry is now ready to be served with steaming hot rice and some pappadums.