Meen Peerapattichathu (Traditional Fare, Sea food)

This is a very traditional, simple preparation using raw mango, bilimbi or kodampuli, according to the season. And generally, small fish or big fish cubed very small goes into this dish.

INGREDIENTS:

Anchovies, sardines or prawns: 500 g

Coconut: 1 cup

Green chillies: 10

Shallots: 8

Turmeric powder: 1/2tsp

Raw mango: 1, sliced or kodampuli: 3 pieces soaked in water

Ginger juliennes: 1 tbsp

Curry leaves: 2 sprigs

Coconut oil: 2 tbsps

Salt to taste

METHOD:

Coarsely crush coconut, green chillies, shallots, turmeric powder & a few curry leaves.

In an earthen “curry chatty”, put in the ground paste, ginger, raw mango, fish, curry leaves & salt.

Mix well & add half a cup of water.

Cover & cook on slow fire till done & all the water has evaporated.

Pour coconut oil before taking off the fire.

I used raw star fruit for this preparation.

Pachadi (Traditional Fare)

With Onam round the corner, its occasion for two Pachadi recipes. No Sadya is complete without this. This is also known as Kichadi in some parts of Kerala.

Beet root Pachadi:

INGREDIENTS:

Beet root: 1

Curd: 1 cup (200 ml)

Onion: 1 chopped fine

Green chilli: 3 chopped

Coriander leaves: 1 tbsp chopped

Salt to taste

METHOD:

Pressure cook the beet root whole. Cool, skin it & grate fine.

In a large bowl, mix the grated beet root with chopped onion, green chilli, coriander leaves & salt.

Before serving pour the curd.

It tastes better if served chilled.

Ash gourd Pachadi (Kumbalangha Pachadi)

INGREDIENTS:

Ash gourd: 250 g chopped fine

Curd: 1 cup

Coconut: 1 cup grated

Green chilli: 4

Mustard seeds: ½ tsp

Salt to taste

For tempering:

Mustard seeds: ½ tsp

Fenugreek: 1/8 tsp

Dry red chilli: 2

Curry leaves: a few

Coconut oil: 1 tbsp

  METHOD:

Cook the ash gourd with half a cup of water & salt till done.

Meanwhile, grind coconut with green chilli & curd to a fine paste.

Add half a teaspoon mustard & crush it coarsely with the coconut paste.

Pour the paste into the cooked ash gourd, stir well till it heats through.

Add salt.

In a kadai, heat oil, splutter mustard seeds & fenugreek.

Add dry red chilli & curry leaves.

Pour into prepared pachadi.

Madras cucumber/vellari, fried ladies finger or bitter gourd are also used to make yummy pachadi.  

Duck Vindaloo

Duck is usually prepared with pepper & coconut milk in Kerala. A clear departure from the traditional is this recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

Duck: 1 (about 1.2 kg)

Onion: 3 sliced

Tomato: 3 chopped fine

Garlic: 1 tbsp

Ginger: 1 big piece

Red chilli powder: 2 tbsps

Turmeric powder: 1 tsp

Mustard seeds: 1 tsp

Cumin seeds: 1 tsp

Fenugreek: ½ tsp

Cinnamon: 1” piece

Cloves: 4

Vinegar: 100ml

Curry leaves: a few

Oil: 2 tbsps

Salt to taste

METHOD:

Clean duck, cut into bite-sized pieces, rub in a little turmeric powder, salt, 2 tbsps vinegar & leave to marinate for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the masala paste.

Grind ginger, garlic, red chilli powder, cumin, fenugreek, cinnamon, cloves with the remaining vinegar to a smooth paste.

In a pressure cooker, heat oil, add sliced onions & sauté till golden brown. (the colour of the dish depends on how you brown the onions.)

After this, add the masala paste, curry leaves & fry till raw smell goes.

Now, add the marinated duck & stir till they change colour.

Pour a cup of hot water (200 ml) & pressure cook for 10 minutes after the first whistle.

Open cooker after the steam goes, check if meat is done & evaporate excess gravy.

Adjust salt now.

Serve hot with any rice or roti preparation.

Leave more gravy if you plan to serve with appam or idiappam.  

Chicken Cutlet (Traditional Fare)

INGREDIENTS:

Chicken mince: 500 g

Potato: 150 g

Onion: 2 chopped fine

Green chilli: 2 chopped fine

Ginger: 1 tsp chopped fine

Garlic: 1 tsp chopped fine

Coriander leaves: 2 tbsps chopped fine

Mint leaves: 1 tbsp chopped fine

Pepper powder: 1 tsp

Bread crumbs: 1 cup

Eggs: 2

Garam masala powder: 1 tsp (optional)

Oil: 1 tbsp + for frying

Salt to taste

METHOD:

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan, add the chopped ingredients one by one.

Sauté till onions are transparent.

Now, add the chicken mince, &stir till well combined.

Cover & cook for a while.

Remove lid & dry out the mince well, sprinkle pepper powder & take off fire.

Cool & add mashed potatoes.

Shape into medium sized cutlets, dip in beaten egg, roll in bread crumbs & deep fry.

Serve with tomato sauce.

Broccoli Bake (Party Menu)

A complete meal, which can also be the star at a party! 

INGREDIENTS

Broccoli florets: 2 cups

Sausages: 250 g

Macaroni: 100 g

Cheese: 100 g

Butter: 3 tbsps

Plain flour: 3 tbsps

Milk: 500 ml

Pepper powder: 1 tsp

Spring onion: 3 stalks

Garlic: 1 tsp finely chopped

Oil: 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

METHOD:

 

Cook macaroni as per instruction on pack & keep aside.

Blanch the broccoli florets, drain & keep aside.Preheat oven to 180⁰C.

Heat 1 tbsp oil, fry garlic till brown & add spring onion, sauté for 3 minutes.

Now, add the chopped sausages, stir  till well coated with oil.

Put in the broccoli & macaroni. Sprinkle pepper & salt. Mix well.

Grease a pie dish & layer this on it.

To make the white sauce, heat butter, add the flour stir well till it roasts.

Take pan off fire & pour in the milk stirring continuously till all the lumps are broken.

Return to heat & stir till sauce thickens.

Add salt & pepper to taste (go slow on the salt, cheese has salt too).

Stir in half of the grated cheese into the sauce.

Pour this over the sausage- macaroni evenly.

Top with remaining grated cheese & bake at 180⁰C for 30 to 40 minutes.

Serve with a cucumber salad.

ERISSERY (Maami's Corner)

Another dish that is a must at a KERALA SADYA!

Combinations can vary, though, the most common one is the pumpkin & red beans (vanpayar). Raw jackfruit can be used when in season.Yam, raw papaya & banana too can be used in this preparation.

INGREDIENTS:

Pumpkin: 250 g

Red beans: ½ cup

Coconut grating: 1cup

Green chilli: 3

Cumin seeds: ½ tsp

Turmeric powder: ¼ tsp

Red chilli powder: ½ tsp

Shallots: 6 sliced

Curry leaves

Mustard seeds: ¼ tsp

Dry red chilli: 2

Coconut oil: 2 tsps

Salt to taste

METHOD:

Soak beans for 6 to 8 hours, or overnight.

Pressure cook with 1 cup water for 10 minutes.

In another vessel, cook cubed pumpkin with turmeric, chilli powder & ½ a cup of water.

When half done, add the cooked beans & salt.

Grind half the coconut with cumin, green chilli & a few curry leaves to a coarse paste.

Add the paste to beans-pumpkin & boil for 3 minutes.

Check for salt & take off.

Heat oil in a kadai, crackle mustard seeds, add shallots, red chilli cut in two, curry leaves & remaining coconut. Fry till they brown.

Pour into the prepared ERISSERY & serve. 

Olathirachi/Erachi Olarthiyathu (Traditional Fare)

Beef is prepared in many different ways in Kerala, as fries, curries, cutlets, pickles & biryani.

But the traditional “Olathirachi” is the winner.

This can be kept for a few days even without refrigeration, only remember to warm it up every day.

I have used whole red chillies & coriander seeds in this recipe, but you can use the powders instead.

 

INGREDIENTS:

Beef: 1 kg

Shallots: 200 g sliced

Garlic: 2 tbsps sliced

Ginger: 1 tbsp julliened

Green chilli: 3 slit

Curry leaves: a few

Turmeric powder: 1/2tsp

Coconut slivers: half a cup

Coconut oil: 2 tbsps

Vinegar: 2 tbsps

Salt to taste

For the masala

Dry red chilli: 12

Coriander seeds: 2 tsps

Black pepper: 1 tsp

Cardamom: 2

Cloves: 6

Cinnamon: 1 piece

Aniseed/fennel: 2 tsps

Cumin seeds: 1 tsp

Fenugreek/methi: 1/2tsp

Curry leaves: a few

METHOD:

Cut beef into small pieces.

Dry roast all ingredients under MASALA & powder.

In a pressure cooker, put in the meat, masala powder, turmeric powder, ginger slices, green chillies, half the garlic slices, coconut slivers, salt & vinegar. Mix well.

Cover cooker & cook for 10 minutes (time will depend on the beef, for veal meat cook for 10 minutes, regular beef- about15 to 20 minutes.)

In the meantime, heat oil in a frying pan, fry the shallots brown, remove half & add the garlic, curry leaves.

Put in cooked beef with the gravy & simmer till all the gravy dries up.

Brown the meat well & put the remaining fried shallots.

Beef “ olathiyathu” is ready for the table.

Chicken Pulao (Party Menu)

This is a North Indian style pulao, very mildy flavoured, white in colour unlike the Malabar counterpart.

 

INGREDIENTS:

Chicken: 1 cut into 8 pieces (about 800 g)

Rice: 3 cups (basmati or jeera rice)

Onion: 3 sliced fine

Green chilli: 6 crushed

Cumin seeds: 1 tsp

Cinnamon: 1” piece

Cardamom: 2

Cloves: 2

Whole black pepper: ½ tsp

Ginger-garlic paste: 2 tsps

Mint leaves: 1 small cup

Coriander leaves: half a cup

Garam masala powder: 1 tsp

Hot water: 6 cups

Ghee: 2 tbsps

Salt to taste

METHOD:

Wash rice, soak for 10 minutes & drain.

 Chop mint & coriander leaves fine & set aside.

Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed pan/handi with lid & fry the cumin, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom & black pepper.

Now, add onions & sauté till golden brown. (Remove some for garnishing, if you need.)

Put in crushed green chilli, ginger-garlic paste, mint & coriander leaves.

When a very tempting aroma of the fried masala fills the air, add the chicken.

Stir it around in the masala till it changes colour, (about 10 minutes).

Add rice now, also, a little salt.

Sprinkle garam masala powder & give a quick stir.

Pour 6 cups of hot water, cover & cook till rice is done.

Check for salt, in between, because it will be difficult to stir in after the rice is fully cooked.

Rest the pulao for half an hour before serving.

Serve with a pickle & raita.

Fish Curry Trichur Style (Traditional Fare)

Fish curry down south in Kerala uses coconut paste for the gravy while up north in Kerala, its coconut milk that is largely used.

Here’s such a preparation.

INGREDIENTS:

Fish: 500g as per your choice

Coconut milk: 1 cup thick

Red chilli powder: 2 tbsps (Kashmiri)

Coriander powder: 1 tbsp

Turmeric powder: ¼ tsp

Fenugreek powder: ¼ tsp

Mustard: ½ tsp

Whole fenugreek: ¼ tsp

Shallots: ½ cup sliced

Ginger: 1 tsp sliced

Garlic: 1 tsp optional

Slit green chilli: 2

Curry leaves: a few

Coconut oil: 2 tbsps

Tamarind paste: 1 tsp or 1 small mango sliced

Salt to taste

METHOD:

Heat oil, add mustard & fenugreek, after they crackle, add shallots, ginger, green chilli & garlic.

Sauté till brown & add the powders soaked in a little water. Fry till raw smell leaves.

Pour a cup of water & tamarind, (or mango).

When it boils, add fish & salt to taste.

Cover & cook till fish is done.

Sprinkle curry leaves & pour the coconut milk.

Let it simmer on a low flame for a few minutes.

Done! Fish curry is ready to be served with rice/puttu/tapioca.

Dry Prawns with Mango (Traditional Fare)

 Known as "Konjum Maangayum" in Malayalam.
A very traditional preparation of the high ranges of kerala, where fresh fish was not available so freely as it is now.

INGREDIENTS:

Dry prawns: half a cup

Raw mango: 1 sliced

Coconut: 1 cup grated

Green chilli: 6 crushed

Ginger: 1 tsp grated

Shallots: 1 cup sliced

Turmeric powder: ¼ tsp

Red chilli powder: ½ tsp

Curry leaves: a few

Coconut oil: 2 tbsps

Salt to taste

METHOD:

Dry roast the prawns after removing the head. Wash & keep aside.

In an eathern vessel, add the other ingredients, except oil, one by one.

Last, add the prawns. Mix well with your hands.

Now, pour coconut oil.

Keep on stove to cook, on a slow flame. Stir occasionally.

Add more curry leaves & take off fire.

Good with rice, kanji & boiled tapioca.

Poori Bhaji (Maami's Corner)

Nowadays everyone is conscious of what they eat, so much so pooris & other fried delicacies have disappeared from their daily menu.

Keeping the oil at the right temperature & ensuring that there’s minimum moisture in the material to be fried, you can successfully deep fry anything without making it soggy.

INGREDIENTS:

Whole wheat flour/atta: 1 cup (measured in a 200 ml cup)

Refined flour/maida: 1 cup

Semolina/rava: 1/2cup

Oil: to deep fry

Salt to taste

Water to knead

METHOD:

Mix atta, maida & rava together in a bowl.

Dissolve salt in water & knead the dough.

The dough has to be stiff.

Rest it for a while before rolling into small pooris.

Heat oil, fry pooris one at a time. Press the centre of the poori with a spoon, it will puff up, turn over & brown the other side too.

Drain on absorbent paper & serve with potato bhaji.

This quantity gives about 25 pooris.

 

 For the bhaji:

Potato: 200 g

Onion: 2 chopped

Green chilli: 2 chopped

Ginger: 1 tsp grated

Curry leaves: a few

Turmeric powder: 1/4tsp

Mustard seeds: ½ tsp

Black gram dal/urad dal: 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Oil: 1 tbsp

Wash potatoes well & pressure cook whole with skin for 7 minutes.

Cool, skin & mash them.

Heat oil in a pan, crackle mustard seeds, then add urad dal, when brown, add chopped onions, green chilli, ginger, curry leaves & turmeric powder.

Sauté well & add mashed potatoes & a cup of water.

Bring it to boil, add salt.

Serve with hot pooris.

If you like the consistency thick, do not pour water.