Kadala Curry

Kadala curry is one of the tastiest curry used as Side dish for Breakfast. Its a best combination with Puttu and Appam...

Ingredients

1. Black Chickpeas/Chana/Kadala – 1 cup
2. Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
3. Sliced coconut pieces (thenga kothu ) – 3 tbsp
4. Onion – 1 large sliced and chopped
5. Pearl onions – 4 sliced
6. Green chillies – 3 slit
7. Curry leaves – A sprig
8. Red chilly powder – 1 tsp
9. Turmeric powder – 1/8 tsp
10. Mustard seeds – 1/4 – 1/2 tsp
11. Dry red chillies-2
12. Coconut oil – As required
13. Salt – To taste

To roast and grind to a paste

1. Grated coconut – 3/4 – 1 cup
2. Pearl onion – 2 sliced
3. Coriander seeds – 1 1/2 tbsp (You can use coriander powder instead, add it while making the gravy)
4. Whole spices – (Fennel seeds – 1/4 tsp, cardamom – 2, cloves – 3, Cinnamon stick – 1, Whole pepper corns – 1/2 tsp, star anise (thakolam) – 1 petal)

HOW TO PREPARE...?

• Soak the kadala overnight and cook in a pressure cooker till soft adding 1/4 tsp turmeric powder and salt. After the first whistle, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 4 more whistles. Keep it closed for 20 mins. Drain the water and save it for making gravy.
• Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan and add the coriander seeds & whole spices.
• Saute for a few seconds and add the sliced pearl onions. Saute for a minute and add the grated coconut. Roast until it turns reddish brown. Switch off and leave aside.
• Grind it to a paste when it cools down.
• In a deep pan heat some coconut oil and splutter mustard and brown the dry red chillies.
• Now add the sliced coconut pieces. Saute until they turn brown,add the sliced onion, pearl onions, green chillies and curry leaves.
• Saute until they turn light brown. Now add turmeric powder, chilli powder, saute for a few seconds and add the reserved water from the cooked kadala.
• Bring to a boil and add the ground coconut paste and cooked kadala. Mix well and cook until the gravy achieves your desired consistency. 
• Switch off and serve hot with Puttu.

Puttu (Steamed Rice Cake)

PUTTU

Ingredients:

• Rice flour - 2 cups
• Grated coconut - 1 cup
• Water - 1/2 cup
• Salt to taste

Method :

• Add salt and approximately 3 table spoons of grated coconut into the flour and mix well.
• Add water little by little to the rice flour and mix it.
• The flour should be wet enough for steaming, but we have to be careful when you add water to the flour.
• The consistency has got to be right. It should not become too watery.
• Puttu has to be made in a Puttu maker.
• Layer the Puttu maker with some grated coconut first, then the rice mixture and then the grated coconut again. Steam for 2-3 minutes, take out and serve hot.

You can have Puttu with either Kadala Curry  or bananas.

Koottu Curry

In Kootu curry, a miscellaneous variety of vegetables and some Bengal gram are used. The difference between this and 'Aviyal' is that no tamarind is added.

  

Ingredients :  

1. Bengal gram dal - 1/2 cup
2. Pumpkin, snake gourd, Long runner beans, yam, Cucumber - 1/4 kg (all together)
3. Inner flesh of drum stick - 1/2 cup
4. Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
5. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
6. Green chillies - 3 (split into 2)
7. Salt - to taste
8. Coconut oil - 1/4 cup
9. Mustard - 1tsp
10. White gram dal - 2dsp
11. Dried red chillies - 3 (each sliced into 3)
12. Curry leaves - 2sprigs
13. Ghee- 1dsp
14. Grated coconut - 1/4 cup

Method of Preparation :

• Cook the bengal gram dal with salt and water to a thick gravy.
• Clean and cut the vegetables into small pieces. Par boil the vegetables by steaming.
• Grind 1/2cup grated coconut and mix it with turmeric powder and green chillies.
• Heat oil and season mustard, white gram dal, dried red chillies and curry leaves.
• Add the ground coconut mixture. Saute for sometime, till the water dries.
• Add the cooked vegetables, salt and bengal gram dal. Saute well.
• Heat 1dsp ghee and fry the 1/4 cup grated coconut in it till golden brown.
• Add this to the koottucurry and mix well.

PULIYINCHI

Puliyinchi

• Green chilly (chopped fine) : 1/2 cup
• Ginger (chopped fine) : 1/2 cup
• Mustard seeds : 2 tspn
• Cooking oil : 1 tbsn
• Red chilly : 2
• Curry leaves : 1 sprig
• Tamarind paste : 1 tspn
• Water : 1-2 cups
• Fenugreek seeds : 1 tbsn
• Turmeric dal : ½ tspn
• Salt : As per taste

HOE TO PREPARE ?

1. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and when they crackle add red chilly and curry leaves and fry for a while.
2. Add the green chilly and ginger and fry till browned. Now add tamarind paste turmeric powder and salt and bring to boil. Now reduce the heat and cook on low flame.
3. Meanwhile, heat a pan and roast fenugreek seeds till browned and grind to get a fine powder. Add this to curry. Continue cooking on low flame till gravy is thickened. Remove from flame.

PAYAR THORAN

• Payar (Long beans) : 2 cups (chopped fine)
• Salt : As per taste
• Turmeric : ¼ tspn
• Green chilly : 3-4
• Garlic : 3-4 cloves
• Coconut oil : 1 tbsn
• Mustard seeds : 1 tspn
• Urid dal : 1 tspn
• Curry leaves : 1 sprig
• Coconut : 1/2 cup shredded

HOW TO PREPARE ?

1. Chop long beans very fine. Mince garlic and Green chilly together.Shred coconut and mix with minced garlic, green chilly and turmeric.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and urid dal. When mustard seeds crackle, add curry leaves and fry for a few seconds.
3. Add long beans to pan along with 1 cup of water and cook on medium heat.
4. When almost done, add salt, and coconut-mix and mix well and cook till beans is done and water is fully evapourated.

ERISSERY

Erissery

• Pumpkin(Mathanga) : 1/2 cup cubed
• Yam (Chena)           : 1/2 cup cubed
• Coconut                   : 1 1/2 cup grated
• Cumin seeds             : 1 tspn
• Green chilly              : 2-3
• Salt                          : as per taste
• Cooking oil              : 1 tbsn
• Urid Dal                   : 1 tspn
• Mustard                   : 1 tspn
• Curry leaves             : 1 sprig
• Red Chilly                : 2-3
• Pepper As per taste

HOW TO PREPARE ?

1. Grind coconut, cumin seeds and green chilly together to get a fine paste. (don’t add water)
2. Boil yam with 1 cup of water, turmeric and pepper. Then reduce heat and cook covered on medium heat. When Yam is 3/4th cooked add pumpkin and continue cooking.
3. Meanwhile heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and when they crackle add urid dal and red chilly and fry till browned. Now add ground coconut and curry leaves and fry till coconut is golden brown. Add this to Yam and pumpkin along with salt when they are almost done.
5. Cook on low heat till gravy is thick (almost dry)

Paal Payasam (Milk Kheer)

Ingredients:

1. Milk 1 Litre
2. Sugar 1 Cup
3. Cardamoms 6 Crushed
4. Raisins 15
5. Cashew nuts 10
6. Rice 1 Cup
7. Condensed Milk ½ Cup

How to Prepare ?

• Cook rice in pressure cooker till one whistle comes up.
• Open the lid and add milk to it and stir till it becomes thick.
• Add condensed milk, cashew nuts, raisins and cardamom powder.
• Serve hot or cold.

Banana and Dates Milkshake

What better way to start your day, especially during the first trimester of pregnancy! It gives you a triple bonus- (1) No cooking required (2) can be prepared in a jiffy and (3) it contains vital nutrients like proteins, calcium and iron.
                                                                                                            Courtesy- manoramaonline.com
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Ingredients

01. Dates (deseeded) - ¼ th  cup 02. Banana - one half 03. Milk - 1 cup

Cauliflower Thoran/Poriyal

Ingredients

1. Cauliflower - 1 medium-sized cut into small florets
2. Pearl onion - 10 sliced
3. Green chillies - 2-3 chopped fine
4. Curry leaves - 1 sprig
5. Crushed whole pepper corns - 8 - 10
6. Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
7. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
8. Pepper powder - 1/2 - 1 tsp
9. Salt - To taste

Method

1. Heat oil in a deep pan.  Splutter mustard seeds and brown the dry red chillies.  Add the pearl onions and chopped green chillies.  Stir in the crushed pepper corns and saute for a minute. 

2. Add the cauliflower florets, turmeric powder, grated coconut and salt.  Cover and cook at low heat till the cauliflower is done. Finally add the pepper powder, mix well and cook for a few more minutes. Switch off. Serve hot with rice. It tastes best while hot. Its really delicious, do try it.

Ripe Mango Curry / Nadan Mambazha Curry

Its a very common curry made in Kerala during Mango Season. I got this brecipe from my
Mother.

Ingredients

1. Mangoes -  3 - 4
2. Water - 1.5 cup
3. Green chillies - 4, slit
4. Curry leaves - 1 sprig
5. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
6. Chilly powder - 1 tsp
7. Grated coconut - 3/4 cup
8. Cumin seeds - 1/4 - 1/2 tsp

For the seasoning

• Oil - 2 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1/4 - 1/2 tsp
• Dry red chillies - 2, halved

How to Prepare ?

• Grind the grated coconut with cumin seeds to a very fine paste.
• Remove the skin of the mangoes. Cook them adding 1 cup water, green chillies, turmeric powder, chilly powder, curry leaves and enough salt.
•  When they are done, lower the flame and add the ground coconut mixture. Cook for a few minutes. Switch off.
•  Heat oil in a pan, splutter the mustards and fry dry red chillies. Pour into the curry. Serve hot with rice.