VADUKAPULI NARANGA CURRY

This is one of the four pickles  included in the traditional Kerala sadya menu.

INGREDIENTS

1. Vadukapuli naranga (Wild lemon or Karadangai ) - 1
2. Red chilly powder - 1  table spoon (heaped)
3. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tea spoon
4. Nallenna (sesame oil) - 1/4 cup
5. Roasted fenugreek powder - 1/2 tea spoon
6. Asafoetida (kaayam) - 1/2 tea spoon
7. Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
8. Salt
9. Mustard seeds - 1 tea spoon
10 . Water - 1 cup

METHOD

Cut the lemon into small pieces. (Better to discard the middle portion along with seeds.)

Heat oil in a pan. Splutter mustard seeds. Add the curry leavs and fry. Remove from fire and add the chilly powder and turmeric powder. Stir well, add water and boil. Add the lemon pieces and cook for 5-6 minutes. When the curry starts thickening switch off the stove, add fenugreek powder and asafoetida powder and mix well.

VAZHACHUNDU THORAN

Vazzhaippoo, vazhakkoombu, vazhachundu, kudappan all refer to banana flower which is used to make thoran, vada, koottu etc.Eventhough all types of banana flowers are used to make thoran, Palayamkodan vazhachundu is the tastiest.

INGREDIENTS

1. Vaazhachundu - 1
2. shallots (small onion) - 5-6 (optional)
3. Green chilly - 2
4. curry leaves - 2 sprigs
5. Coconut scraped - 1/2 cup
6. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tea spoon
7. Salt
8. Coconut oil - 1 1/2 table spoon
9. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tea spoon
10. Uzhunu parippu (urad daal) or par boiled rice - 1 table spoon

PREPARATION

Discard 3-4 outer petals of the banana flower. Cut the flower into very small pieces directly into a bowl of water. Wash it 3-4 times and add 1 tea spoon of oil. Stir with your index finger in one direction for 15- 20 seconds The black threads along with some pieces will stick to the finger. Discard that. Repeat 3-4 times

Cut the shallots and green chillies

In a pan heat oil. Splutter the mustard seeda and add urad daal/ rice When it turns light brown add the shallots, chilly and curry leaves Saute for 1 minute. Add turmeric powder and salt, srir and add the cut banana flower. Stir well, close and allow to cook on a low flame ( add a little water if needed) When it is almost cooked  add the coconut and cover with the flower pieces. Close with a lid and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes.  remove the lid, stir well and keep on very low flame for some more time.

THATTA

Thatta is a snack item normally made by soaking and grinding par boiled rice. This recipe makes use of readymade rice flour (used for pathiri/idiyappam) thus reducing the time and effort required. (I got this recipe from a cook book by Smt. Aandaal Rangaswamy)

INGREDIENTS

1. Rice flour - 2 cups ( I used Double Horse brand chemba rice flour. Thats why the colour is dark. White flour gives golden brown thattais))
2. Urad daal powder - 1/4 cup (urad daal roasted and powdered)
3. Ghee - 2 table spoon
4. Chilly powder - 1/2 tea spoon
5. salt
6. Asafoetida - 1/4 tea spoon
7. Chana daal - 2 table spoon
8. Oil - for frying

PREPARATION

Soak the chana daal in water for 1 hour.
 In a bowl take 3 table spoon water and add the salt and asafoetida. To this add the rice flour, urad daal powder, chilly powder, ghee and soaked chana daal. Knead well adding more water if necessary. Cover with a lid This dough is to be used immediately.

Heat the oil in a wide pan. (medium flame)

Take  a gooseberry sized ball of dough and place on a plastic bag  kept on a flat surface. Cover it with the same plastic bag by folding it. Press it with a heavy vessel with a flat base. (  the normal rolling pin can not be used to flatten the dough . The thatta will crack ) Take the thatta carefully with your hand and put into the oil  To avoid puffing up the thattai may be pricked with a fork before putting in the oil Repeat til there are 4-5 thatais in the oil Fry till crisp, flipping in between.Keep on a kitchen towel to absorb excess oil. Store in a dry container.

KEERA MOLAGOOTTAL

Keerai (cheera) molagoottal can be made using red or green spinach or palak. The spinach/palak is cooked and ground to a fine paste and mixed with daal and coconut . This goes well with rice.
INGREDIENTS

1. Palak - 15-20 leaves (1 cup when cut)
2. Toor daal - 1/4 cup
3. Scraped coconut - 1/2 cup
4. Urad daal (uzhunnu parippu) - 1 tea spoon
5. Green chilly - 1 or 2
6. Cumin seeds (jeerakam) - 1/2 tea spoon
7. Coconut oil - 1 table spoon
8. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tea spoon
9. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tea spoon
10. Red chilly - 2 (cut into 3 )

METHOD

Clean and cut the palak (big pieces will do) Add 1/4 tea spoon turmeric powder and a little water and cook well. Grind to a fine paste.

Cook (pressure cook for 5-6 minutes) and mash the daal. Add to the palak.
In a pan heat the oil and fry the urad daal till the colour is light brown. Keep the oil and grind the urad daal with coconut, cumin seeds and 1/4 tea spoon turmeric. Add this also to the palak paste. Add salt and enough water and mix well. Heat on medium flame When it starts frothing turn heat to low and allow to cook for 2 minutes.

Heat the oil again and splutter the mustard seeds. Add the red chillies too. When they turn brown pour on to the curry.

SAMBAAR

INGREDIENTS

1. Cucumber (diced) - 1 cup
2. Drum stick (muringakkaa) - 1 (cut into 2 inch pieces)
(Any vegetable like banana, ladies finger, bitter gourd, pumpkin etc. can be used to make sambaar )
3. Toor daal - 1/2 cup
4. Asafoetida - 1/2 tea spoon
5. Tamarind - 1 table spoon
6. Turmeric powder 1 tea spoon
7. Coriander seeds - 1 table spoon
8. Red chilly - 5
9. Chana daal - 1 tea spoon
10. Fenugreek seeds (uluva) - 1/2 tea spoon
11. Scraped coconut 1/4 cup
12. Coconut oil - 1 1/2 table spoon
13. Mustard seeds
14. Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
15. Coriander leaves (cilantro) - 1 Table spoon
16. Tomato - 1 (cut into 2 )

METHOD

Pressure cook the daal with water (1 cup) for 5 minutes

Soak the tamarind in hot water and extract the juice

Cook the vegetables in 2 cups of water, 1/2 tea spoon turmeric powder and 1/4 tea spoon asafoetida. If ladies finger or colocasia (chembu) is there add a little tamarind juice as well.

In a pan heat 1/2 tea spoon oil and fry the daal, fenugreek, coriander, 3 red chillies and coconut (in this order) When the coconut starts changing colour remove from fire and add 1/2 tea spoon turmeric powder and the rest of the asafoetida. Stir well and grind to a paste.

To the cooked veggies add  mashed daal, masala paste, more tamarind juice, curry leaves, tomato and salt. Mix cover with a lid and heat on a low flame. When it starts frothing stir gently for a minute and switch off the stove. Add the coriander leaves (optional)

Heat 1 table spoon oil in a small pan. Splutter the mustard seeds and add 2 red chillies (cut into 3 or 4 ) Stir for 5 seconds and pour on to the sambaar.

PULIKKACHAL

Pulikkachal is used to make puli chatham just by mixing it with cooked rice. This is similar to puloyodarai mix and puli inji but easier to make. It can be used as a combination dish for curries like molagoottal and erisseri too.

INGREDIENTS

1. Green chilly - 7-8 nos (cut into small rounds)
2. Curry leaves (cut into 2 or 3) - 1/2 cup
3. Nallenna (Sesame oil) - 2 table spoon
4. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tea spoon
5. Chana daal (kadala parippu) - 1 tea spoon
6. Asafoetida (kaayam) - 1 pinch
7. Tamarind - lemon sized ball
8. Salt

PREPARATION

Soak the tamarind in 1/2 a cup of hot water and extract the juice (should be thick)

Heat the oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds Add the chana daal . When the colour of daal changes add the chillies and curry leaves and stir till the smell of chilly starts irritating the nose. Add asafoetida, tamarind juice and salt. Heat on low flame till a loose paste like consistency is reached. Allow to cool and store in a dry bottle.

VEGETABLE STEW (KOTTAYAM SPECIAL)

INGREDIENTS

1. Potato - 1 (medium sized)
2. Carrot - 1
3. Cauli flower - 5 or 6 florets
4. Green peas - 1/4 cup
5. Big onion - 1
6. Garlic - 1-2 cloves
7. Tomato - 1
8. Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
9. Green chilly - 3
10. Coconut milk (thin) - 1/2 cup
11. Coconut milk (thick) - 1 cup
12. Maida - 1 table spoon
13. Coconut oil 1 1/2 table spoon
14. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tea spoon
15. Black pepper corns-1 tea spoon, cardamom - 3, cloves - 3, cinnamon small piece, bay leaf - 1

METHOD OF PREPARATION

Dice the potato and carrot. Add a cup of water and cook till half done. Add the cauli flower and peas and cook till the veggies are soft. ( Do not over cook)

Crush the whole masalas (except bay leaf) lightly. Mix with the thin coconut milk and maida

Heat 1/2 table spoon oil in apan and saute the onions (thinly sliced) , garlic and split green chillies. When the onion is translucent add the masala- coconut milk mixture. Sir and heat till the gravy thickens. Add the vegetables and salt and cook for 2-3 minutes. Reduce the heat to minimum and add the thick coconut milk. Stir continuously for 10-15 seconds and remove from fire Keep on stirring for 2-3 minutes.

Heat 1 table spoon oil in an other pan and splutter the mustard seeds. Add curry leaves and tomato (cut into 4 or 6) Stir fry and pour into the stew.

This stew is usually served with paalappam, velleppam and idiyappam

EASY PAALAPPAM

Making paalappams was a laborious process before the mixie and grinder became popular. As the name suggests it is made by mixing coconut milk and batter fermented with toddy or yeast. Its lace like border has earned it names like lace appm and rentha appam.

I usually make  paalappam in the traditional way. At times when there is shortage of time I go for the easy method though. It takes less than 15 minutes to make the batter and if you are using instant yeast it will ferment in 1 hour.

INGREDIENTS

1. Raw  rice - 1 cup
2. Cooked rice - 1/2 cup
3. Coconut milk powder - 2 table spoon
4. Sugar - 1 table spoon
5. Instant yeast - 1 tea spoon
6. Salt - 1/2 tea spoon
7. Nallenna (sesame oil) - 1 tea sp

METHOD OF PREPARATION

Soak the rice for 1 hour Grind the cooked rice adding a little water. To this add salt, sugar and coconut milk powder and grind well. Keep this aside.

Grind the raw rice with minimum water. Add the cooked rice mix and grind again to get a fine paste. Pour into a bowl , add yeast and mix the batter with hand for 3-4 minutes The consistency of the batter should be that of dosa maavu. Keep in a warm place for 1-2 hours.

The old fashioned Cheena chatti or appachatti is used to make paalappam. Smear the appachatti with a little oil using a cloth. Pour 1/2 a cup of batter and turn the chatti so as to get a round shape with more batter in the center. Turn the heat to medium, close with a lid and cook for 1-2 minutes, checking in between. When the upper side is dry with the sides resembling  a lace the appam is ready. Serve it with vegetable stew or kuruma