Ulliyyum mulagaum aracha koon curry.( Mushroom curry authentic style)

Mushroom

Ingredients

1. Mushroom 1/2 kg

2. Shallots 1 cup

3. Whole red chillies 4

4. Curry leaves a few

5. Cocunut oil a tablespoon

6. Salt to taste

7. Turmeric powder

8. Water for cooking 1 glass

Method

Wash and clean the mushrooms nicely. Cut or pinch the mushrooms to small pieces. Grind together shallots and whole red chillies to a paste in a mixer grinder or stone grinder.

Remove and keep aside. In clay pot or a steel pan cook the mushrooms  with turmeric powder, salt and a glass of water. When cooked add the grinded shallots chilli paste and cook for another five minutes. Add the curry leaves and coconut oil. Serve hot with boiled red rice.

Pic courtesy : Google images.

Vandakya Puli/ Okhra in tamrind gravy

Lady Finger

Okhra/Bindi/Vendakai is a wonderful vegetable full of health benefits. It is rich in vitamins and fiber and consumption on a regular basis helps improve immunity. It is a brain booster and good for cholesterol control and diabetes.

Ingredients

1. Okhra- 250 gm

2. Tamarind- a lemon size

3. Coriander seeds- 2 tbs

4. Whole Red chilies- 4

5. Turmeric powder-1 tsp

6. Salt to taste

7. Oil for frying

8. Fresh grated coconut

9. Garlic cloves- 5

10. Mustard seeds-1 tsp

11. Fenugreek seeds 1/2 tsp

12 curry leaves a few

13. Water- 2 glass

14. Coconut oil for tempering.

 
Method

 Cut the Okhra into long small pieces. (see the image)

 Heat the pan and dry roast coriander seeds and whole red chilies. Keep aside for cooling

Heat oil in a Kadai/ wok. When hot put the Okhra and fry until brown and crisp. Remove from oil and keep aside. Grind together grated fresh coconut 🥥 roasted coriander seeds whole red chillies and garlic to a fine paste. Keep aside.

 Soak the tamarind in one glass of water. Extract the juice by squeezing. keep aside. (see the pic)

 Heat a thick bottomed pan pour the tamarind juice add the fried Okhra, tumeric powder and salt. Simmer for about ten minutes. When cooked add the grounded masala (corainder whole red chillies garlic, and coconut) paste boil for another two minutes. Switch off the flame.

Heat coconut oil in a tempering pan when hot add the mustard seeds, methi seeds and curry leaves. Let the tempering splutter.

Switch off the flame. Pour the tempering on to the curry in the pan. Cover to retain the aroma.

Vendakai Puli is ready to be served with steamed rice.

 Pic courtesy : Google images and self clicked.

Paccha tiyal without the roasted masala. All greens tiyal

A combination dish

Green tomatoes

Raw Banana

Green pumkin

Cluster beans

Raw papaya

Cluster beans, raw banana, raw papaya, green pumkin,green tomatoes. You can make your own green vegetable combination.

Cluster beans, raw banana,raw papaya and green pumkin are a good source of Vitamins and fibre.

Ingredients

1. Cluster beans- 100 gms

2. Raw papaya- 100 gms

3. Raw banana- one

4. Green pumkin,- 100 gms

5. Green tomatoes- 2

6. Green chillies-5

7. Grated fresh coconut-a cup

8. Coriander seeds- 2 tbs

9. Tamarind pulp - 2 tbs

10. Curry leaves a few

11. Coconut oil -2 tbs

12. Turmeric powder- 1 tsp

13. Fenugreek seeds- 1 tsp

14. Salt to taste

15. Water- 3 glass

Method

Cut the vegetables into small pieces including tomatoes. Keep aside. In a pan (earthern pot would be better) boil the vegetables adding tumeric powder, salt and two glassess of water, excluding tomatoes. Once half cooked add the tomotoes and cook well until soft and cooked.Grind together grated fresh coconut,green chillies,and corainder seeds to a fine paste. Keep aside.

Dry roast the meethi seeds and grind it to a powder. Keep aside. Soak the tamrind in a glass of water. Extract the pulp.

Keep aside. Place the pan with the boiled vegetable on gas stove on medium flame. Pour the tamrind extract, let it boil for five minutes. Add the grounded paste and boil further for two minutes. Switch off the flame add the powdered meethi seed powder,

curry leaves and two table spoon coconut oil. Paccha tiyal is ready to be served with rice.

Pic courtesy Google and self click.

Kulthi/Horsegrain/(Muthira and raw papaya puli)curry.

Horsegrain/Kulthi dal is a staple food mostly consumed in Southern parts of India. This miracle food is a rich source of vitamins and fibre. It is a very good food to keep your Kidneys healthy. One should include this health booster in one's menu. In Malayalam it is known as Muthira.

Ingredients

1. Kulthi dal- 100gm

2.Rawpapaya-50gm(half papaya)

3. Green chillies-2

4. Whole red chillies-2

5. Grated fresh coconut- a cup

6. Tamarind pulp- 2 tbs

7. Cummin seeds- 1 tsp

8. Tumeric powder-1tsp

9. Salt to taste

10.Shallots(Madras onion)-6

11. Coconut oil-2 tbs

12. Water - 4 glass

Method

Clean dal dry in a sieve (chalni) and remove any impurities present in it. Heat a wok/kadai and dry roast the dal on low flame for few minutes until you hear crackling sound. The dal breaks open while roasting.

Transfer it into a bowl, let it cool. Take a lemon size tamarind and soak it in lukewarm water for 10minutes. Extract the pulp and keep aside. 

Cut the raw papaya into small pieces

Grind together grated fresh coconut, green chillies, whole red chillies and cummin seeds  in a mixie. Keep aside.

 

Wash the roasted Kulthi dal nicely. In a cooker cook the Kulthi dal alongwith the raw papaya pieces, adding tumeric powder,salt and two glasses of water, six whistle. Transfer the papaya  kulthi dal mixture into a pan. Dilute the tamarind pulp with the remaining two glasses of water. Pour the tamarind water into the pan of papaya dal mixture, mix well. Place the pan on stove and let it boil for ten minutes. Add the grounded masala(gratedfreshcoconut,red chillies,greenchillies,and cummin paste) to the pan and boil further for 5 minutes. Switch of the flame.  

For the tempering chopp the shallots finely into small pieces.

Take a tempering pan, pour two tbs coconut oil, when hot add the chopped shallots and fry until brown. Pour this tempering over the curry and mix well.

Kulthi dal raw papaya puli is ready to be served.

(Pic courtesy Google images)

Kadachakka/Breadfruit Masala curry

 

Breadfruit

Breadfruit/ Kadachakka in Malayalam is mostly found in the tropical area of the globe.This belongs to the family of mulberry and can be eaten as raw vegetable or as fruit when ripened. This veggie is a good source of Phosphorus,maganesium,

Zinc,iron, maganese and calcium. It is a complete meal in itself and boosts immunity. Being ethnic the availability in the local market is difficult. One can buy this veggie from online sites.

Ingredients

1. Kadachakka/ Breadfruit- 1

2. Corainder seeds -4 tbs

3. Whole Red chillies- 4

4. Pepper corns- 1/2 tbs

5. The three C Powder- 1 tsp

6. Grated fresh coconut1cup

7. Shallots- 5nos

8. Ginger- an inch

9. Curry leaves a few

10. Turmeric powder-1tsp

11. Mustard seeds-1tsp

12. Salt to taste

13. Coconut oil -2 tbs

14. Water- 3 cups

Methods

Cut the breadfruit into small pieces

boil it with two cups of water in a cooker adding tumeric powder and salt, two whistle. For the masala, dry roast the coriander seeds, whole red chillies, pepper corns and the (cinnamon,cardamom, clove,) the three 'C'.

and dry grind it in a mixie to a powdered form. Keep it aside. Wet grind together grated freshcoconut,shallots and ginger to a fine paste.

Open the cooker, transfer the cooked Kadachakka to a large pan, add the powdered masala, stir and let it boil for two minutes on a low flame.  When the masala is blended nicely add the wet paste (grounded coconut shallots and ginger) add a glass of water and cook for another two minutes. Remove from flame. Take a tempering kadai. Put two tbs of coconut oil. When hot add the mustard seeds one whole red chilli and curry leaves. Let the mustard splutter, pour this tempering on to the curry stir nicely.

Your Kadachakka masala curry is ready to be served. You can serve it with steamed rice or rotis.

👇

These trees are in plenty in Kerala and South Konkan areas of India. It is known as Bakri-chajar in Hindi.

Pic courtesy Google images

Broad beans in curd gravy/ Charu Kootaan.

Broad beans belong to the family of beans with lots of nutritional value. It's full of fibre, veg protein and is a good source of folate, phosphorus,manganese,maganesium, iron, calcium vitamin B-6 and B-12. It's a complete immune booster. Include this wonder veggie into one's meal. 

Ingredients

1. Broad beans- 250 gm

2. Green chillies- 5

3. Grated fresh coconut- a cup

4. Cummin seeds-1 tsp

5. Sour curd- 2 cups

6. Raw rice- 2 tbs

7. Salt to taste

8. Pepper powder -1/2 tsp

9. Hing Powder- 1/2 tsp

10. Tumeric powder-1 tsp

11. Coconut oil- 1 tbs

12. Water- 2 cups

13. Curry leaves a few

Method

Clean and cut the broad beans into two.

In a pan boil the broad beans  adding two glass of water,salt and turmeric powder. Cook till soft. Keep aside. Soak two tablespoon of raw rice in water for half an hour. Grind together grated fresh coconut, green chillies,cummin seeds and soaked raw rice to a fine paste.

Beat the two cups of sour curd nicely. Mix the grounded masala into  the beaten curd, keep aside. Place the pan of cooked broad beans on stove pour the masala curd mixture boil for two minutes add hing and pepper powder. Switch off the flame add curry leaves and coconut oil. 

The Charu kootan is ready to be served. Serve it with steamed rice.

Pic courtesy Google images

KARINKALAN ( A curry with papad tempering)

(A combined dish made from ash gourd,greenpumkin and cow pea beans)

Ash gourd is high in fibre and water content and lowers one's calories thus promoting a good weight control. Green Pumpkin is a good source of  Vitamin A, and, cow pea beans are rich sources of micronutrients including folate,iron,copper and thiamine. A blend of these veggies together gives a packed punch of energy and is a light dinner supplement in most of the household of Kerela.

A quick and an easy recipe.

Ingredients

1. Ash gourd- 250 gm

2. Green pumkin- 250gm

3. Cow pea beans -100gms

4. Green chillies-  4

5. Mustard seeds-1 tsp

6. Par Boiled Raw rice -1tsp

7. Curry leaves- a few

8. Whole red chillies-2

9.Coconut oil for tempering

10. Kerela papad or plain urad  papad -  2 nos

11.Salt to taste

12. Water - two glasses

Method

Cut the green pumkin and ash gourd into thin and small slices, and the cow pea beans into long strips as shown in pic below.

Now boil all the three vegetables together in a pan, (if it's a clay one it will give more aroma and taste) adding two glasses of water, salt and slit green chillies cook until soft and cooked completely. Do not mash. Keep aside. Heat a tempering pan. When hot pour the coconut oil. Put the mustard seeds, raw rice,whole red chillies spilt into two and curry leaves,when the mustard seeds splutter add the magic ingredient papad cut into small pieces. Fry for few minutes, pour this tempering on to the curry and serve with steamed rice. Your simple and healthy dish is ready to be served with crispy papadam as toppings.

Kerela papad.⏫

Pic courtesy Google images

Zimikand/Sooran/Oal/Chena fry

A brief discrption of this wonderful vegetable

Zimikand or Elephant foot yam is considered to be a staple food, rich in carbohydrates proteins and vitamin B6, a great food for diabetic patients since it helps in maintaining the sugar levels. It's also help in increasing the bowel movements, thus a relief to  the one suffering from constipation.

Ingredients

1. Zimikand 1/2 kg

2. Onion - 2 large

3. Whole red chillies - 4

4. Pepper corns -1 tsp

5. Garlic - 5 cloves

6. Turmeric powder - 1tsp

7. Salt to taste

8. Oil for frying

Method

Cut the Zimikand

into pieces (just as shown in the pic above)remove the skin and boil adding salt and turmeric powder in a cooker, one whistle. This prior cooking will help to fry it quickly and soft too. Mostly Zimikand takes longer time to cook if raw. Remove when cool and cut it into thin slices

Grind the onion,peppercorn, whole red chillies and garlic to a fine paste in a mixie. Apply/ coat the paste nicely on the Zimikand slices. Keep it covered for ten minutes. Heat a tava pour oil and place the Zimikand slices, fry on slow flame, turning the sides when the lower sides completely turns brown and crips.

Fry both sides until brown and crispy.  Remove, your

Zimikand/Sooran/Oal/Chena fry is ready to be served. You can have it like a snack or as accompaniments.

(Pic courtesy Google images)

Snake gourd,raw mango and jackfruit seeds curry.

Snake gourds are one of the rich source of fibre and roughage. The addition of jackfruit seeds in this recipe, instead of any (dal) lentils, brings additional benefits of minerals, alongwith thiamin and riboflavin, the raw mango acts as a coolant to the body during the summer months when mangoes are in plenty aspecially raw mangoes again an another source of fibre and vitamins. It contains 36.4 % Vitamin C.

Ingredients

1. Snake gourd -1 large

2. Raw mango - 1 smal

3. Jackfruit seeds - a few

4. Grated fresh coconut- 1 cup

5. Green chillies - 5

6. Cummin seeds - 1 tsp

7. Curd - half cup

8. Turmeric powder- 1 tsp

9. Salt to taste

10. Curry leaves a few

11. Mustard seeds-1tsp

12. Fenugreek seeds-1 tsp

13. Whole red chillies,-1

14.Coconut oil - 1 tsp

15. Water - 2 glass.

Method

Clean and cut the snake gourd into small pieces.

Remove the skin of the jackfruit seeds.

Cut the raw mango into small pieces discard the seed.

In a cooker cook the jackfruit seeds five to six whistle. When cooked transfer it into a large pan add the chopped snake gourd, raw mango, two cups of water, turmeric powder and salt, cook till done. Grind together grated fresh coconut, green chillies and cummin seeds to a fine paste in a mixie.

Mix this paste with half cup beaten curd pour this paste into the  pan of boiled snake gourd jackfruit seeds and raw mango. Cook for another two minutes on low flame add the curry leaves and remove. Heat a tadka pan,

add coconut oil when hot add the mustard seeds, Fenugreek seeds, whole red chillies broken into two and curry leaves let it splutter now pour this tadka on the curry, mix well and cover to retain the aroma.

Your curry is ready to be served with steamed rice.

(Pic courtesy Google images)

Steamed fish in banana leaves

Ingredients

1. Hilsa fish (for the lover of fish with bones) or betki fish (which is fleshy and have less bones) it also called as Asian sea bass or Narimeen in Malayalam. A kilo or as per one's individual requirements.

2.Grated fresh coconut - one whole coconut

3.Green chillies - 6

4. Yellow mustard  a teaspoon

5. Oil for dusting - coconut oil or mustard oil

6. Banana leaves cut into rectangles. Take the count as per the pieces of fish. (For getting the authentic taste it is recommended, can use foil if not available)

7. Salt to taste

8. Turmeric powder

9. Steamer or idli cooker

( Do increase the ingredients of masala as per one's requirements)

Method

Clean and cut the fish into pieces. Apply salt and tumeric powder. Keep aside. Grind together fresh coconut green chillies and yellow mustard seeds in a mixie to a fine thick paste. Dust the banana leaf cut outs with oil and blanch( see the pic)blancing helps the banana leaves to hold the things without tear.

place the fish piece in the centre coat the fish nicely with the coconut masala paste and make it into a packet. You  can even tie it with threads to seal it tightly ( see pics)

Boil water in a steamer when boiled place the fish packets carefully without tearing. Steam it for ten minutes. Open and remove from the steamer. Let it cool. Your steamed fish is ready to be served

(Pic courtesy Google images)