MAIDA DOSA

It is easy to make and tasty too. Maida dosa goes well with any chutney, pickle, molagai podi or even butter and sugar. Like any other dosa, maida dosa also tastes best when it is hot.

INGREDIENTS

1. Maida - 1 cup

2. Water

3. Salt

4. Vegetable oil

5. Mustard seeds - 1/4 tea spoon

6. Green chilli - 1 (optional - chop finely)

7. Corriander leaves  chopped - 1 table spoon

METHOD

1. Make a loose batter with maida, salt and water.

2. Heat 1 tea spoon oil and splutter mutard seeds. Add chopped green chilli and stir fry for 10 seconds. Pour this into the batter along with coriander leaves. Mix well.

3. Heat a "dosakkallu" (tava) and smear oil using a cloth. Reduce heat, sprinkle some water (this is to adjust the heat) and spread 1/2 cup batter using a ladle. Increase heat and sprinkle 1/2 tea spoon oil on the dosa. Flip after 15-20 seconds. When the other side is also done flip again and fold.

2. Reduce heat and sprinkle water before making another dosa.

SOYA CHUNKS ULARTHIYATHU

INGREDIENTS

1. Soya chunks - 2 cups

2. Salt

3. Onion - 1 medium size

4. Garlic - 1 clove

5. Curry leaves - 1 sprig

6. Coconut oil - 1 1/2 table spoon

7. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tea spoon

8. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tea spoon

9. Chilli powder - 1/2 tea spoon

10. Corriander powder - 2 tea spoon

11. Garam masala powder - 1/2 tea spoon (optional)

METHOD

1. Wash and soak soya chunks in hot water for 5 minutes or till soft. Squeeze to drain excess water and cut into small pieces ( 4 or 6 ) Mix with salt and keep aside.

2. Finely chop onion and garlic.

3. Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add onion, saute for a minute and add garlic and curry leaves. Saute well till the onion turns brown.

4. Reduce heat and add all powders. Stir well  and sprinkle some water if needed.

5. Add soya chunks and mix well. Cook on low heat , stirring in between.

CHAKKA VARUTHATHU (JACKFRUIT CHIPS)

Like banana chips, "chakka varuthathu" also is an all time favorite of all Keralites. It is usually made and stored during Feb- May, the jackfruit season.

INGREDIENTS

1. Raw jackfruit

2. Coconut oil

3. Salt water or powdered salt

METHOD

The difficult part in making jackfruit fry is pulling out the arils. The jackfruit is first cut horizontally into two and each portion is cut vertically into four pieces. The thick middle stem is removed using a knife and both ends of each piece are bent downwards using both hands. Now it is easy to pull out the jackfruit arils.

The arils have seeds inside. They are removed and kept aside for making curries. Even the seed cover (paada) and middle stem can be used to make thorans ("koonji thoran" and "paada thoran")

Both ends of the arils are thick and they are cut and fried seperately or kept aside to make curries.The middle portion is cut into thin strips and fried , sprinkling salt water/powdered salt when half done.

MURINGA POOVU THORAN

I was in kerala last month and it was flowering season for muringa. ( drum stick) Muringappoovu thoran is one of my favorite dishes and I dint waste the opportunity to make it whenever I could collect enough flowers.

Muringappoovu is collected by spreading old mats or newspapers on the ground below the tree in the evening. By morning the mats/newspapers will be covered with flowers.

INGREDIENTS

1. Muringappoovu - 1 cup

2. Grated coconut - 3/4 cup

3. Green chillis - 2

4. Small onions - 3-4

4. Garlic - 2 cloves

5. Salt

6. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tea spoon

7. Curry leaves - 1 sprig

8. Coconut oil - 1 1/2 table spoon

9. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tea spoon

10. Uzhunnu parippu (urad dal) - 1 tea spoon

METHOD

1. Clean and wash the flowers. Keep it in water for 10 minutes and drain well.

2.  Make a coarse paste of 2 - 6 using a grinding stone or mixie (run the mixie for  2 seconds only )

3. Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add urad dal and fry. Add curry leaves and stir for  5-10 seconds. Add the flowers and saute for 2-3 minutes.

4. Add coconut mixture and cover with flowers. Cover the pan with a lid and cook on low flame for 3-4 minutes.

5. Open the pan, mix well and cook again for 2 more minutes, stirring occassionally.

PAVAKKA (BITTER GOURD) FRY

This is a special pavakka fry made after marinating pavakka pieces in a paste of onion, ginger, garlic, chilli, turmeric,pepper, salt and tamarind.

INGREDIENTS

1. Bitter gourd - 1

2. Small onion - 4-5

3. Garlic - 1 clove

4. Ginger - 1 small piece

5. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tea spoon

6. Chilli powder - 1 tea spoon (or 2 whole red chillis)

7. Pepper powder - 1 pinch (or 4-5 black pepper corns)

8. Salt - 1/2 tea spoon

9. Tamarind - 1/4 tea spoon

METHOD

1. Clean and cut bitter gourd into thin pieces. Remove seeds.

2. Make a fine paste of items 2 - 9 in a mixie

3. Mix the bitter gourd pieces with the paste and keep aside for 20-30 minutes

(the marinated bitter gourd can be refrigerated and fried when needed)

4. Deep fry in coconut oil.