KUVALA SASAM/ ASH GOURD CURRY

Ash Gourd (Elavan)                             --   ½ kg

Coconut grated                                    --    1 medium size

Red chilly                                               --    10 to 12

Tamarind                                               --    marble size

Turmeric                                                --    1 pinch

Mustard seeds                                      --    ½ tsp

Curry leaves                                          --    few

Coconut oil                                            --   2 tsp

Salt to taste

 

Method

 

Peel the skin of ash gourd, cut into medium size pieces, add water, pinch of turmeric and salt and cook for   10 to 15 minutes.   Fry  red chillies in little oil.  Grind this with grated coconut and tamarind into coarse  paste then add mustard seeds and grind it for 1 or 2 seconds.   Then add this paste to cooked ash gourd.   Boil for 5 to 10 minutes.

In a seasoning pan heat oil add mustard seeds, when it splutter add  curry leaves fry for 1 minute, pour this into boiling curry.  Close the lid keep aside for 5 minutes and serve with hot steaming rice.

(don’t throw away skin of ash gourd, we can prepare stir fry with this).

BRINJAL DRUM STICK STIR FRY

Ingredients

Brinjal                                           --  ½ kg

Drum stick                                   --  ¼ kg

Coconut oil                                  --  2 tsp

Mustard seeds                            --  1 tsp

Red chilly                                     --  5 to 6

Salt to taste

 

Method

 Wash Brinjal, cut into small cubes.  Cut the drum stick in to 2 inch pieces.  Heat oil in kadai, add mustard seeds, when it  splutter add red chilly pieces,  roast for a while, then add brinjal and drumstick pieces and salt and add little water and cook in  low flame till done.

                     

Thingalavre Upkari (white beans stir fry)

This is a protein rich and healthy breakfast.    I was in great confusion as to what should be prepared for breakfast, suddenly I remembered about this healthy “thingalavre upkari and povva chutney which my Grand mother used to prepare.

 

 

 

Ingredients                                                                                     

 

White beans                               --   1 cup

Red chilly                                    --    5 to 6   

Hing powder                              --    ½ tsp

Mustard seeds                           --  1 tsp

Curry leaves                               --   few

Oil                                                --   2 tsp

Grated coconut                         --   2 to 3 tbsp

Salt to taste

 

Method

·       Soak white beans for 5 to 6  hours or overnight. 

·       Pressure cook with 3 cups of water  for 3 to 4 whistles.

·       Strain the water and keep aside.

·       Heat oil in kadai, add mustard seeds, hing powder, curry leaves and broken red chillies and fry for a while.

·       Then add cooked beans, salt add little cooked  water mix well let it boil for 5 to 10 minutes then add grated coconut mix well and cook for 5 minutes.

·       Serve this as a break fast either with povva chutney or alone. 

 

 

 

 

Pineapple kichadi

Pineapple kichadi is one of the main dishes of kerala sadya.  I learnt to prepare this from my neighbour ammoomma in Trivandrum. She used to prepare this extremely good.

 

 

 

Ingredients

 

Pineapple cubes                   1 cup

Grated coconut                     ½ cup

Curd                                         ¼ cup

Mustard seeds                       ¼ tsp

Jeera                                        ½ tsp

Green chilly                            3

Red chilly powder                 ½ tsp

Turmeric powder                  ¼ tsp

Jaggery                                    1 or 2 tbsp

For seasoning

Mustard seed                         ¼ tsp

Methi  seeds                           ¼ tsp         

Curry leaves few

Coconut oil                              ½ tsp

Salt to taste.

 

Method

Cook pineapple pieces with salt, chilly powder, jaggery and little water cook till done.

Grind grated coconut, green chilly, mustard seeds, turmeric powder and jeera/cumin seeds into fine paste. Do not add too much water while grinding.

Add this masala to cooked pineapple pieces mix well boil it for 5 min.

Let it cool for some time. Then add thick curd and mix well.

Heat oil in pan add mustard seeds and methi seeds when it splutter add curry leaves fry for a min. Then pour this on pineapple kichadi.

Serve this as side dish for lunch.

 

 

 

Ragi chakkuli (Finger Millet Murukku)

When it rains cats and dogs outside its very pleasant to eat crispy crunchy snacks  with a hot  cup of coffee.  I got this recipe from cookery show. I noted it long back but  thought to prepare it now only.

 

 

 

Ingredients

Ragi flour                               1  cup

Rice flour                               ½ cup

Besan/gram  flour                ¼ cup

Red chilli powder                 2 tsp

Hing                                        ¼ tsp

Salt to taste

Oil                                           2 tbsp

Oil for deep frying.

 

Method

Take one bowl  add ragi flour, rice flour, gram flour, chilli powder, hing and salt mix well and keep aside.

Heat 2 tbsp oil and pour this on flour mix and mix it well.

Add little water and prepare smooth dough.

Grease chakkuli mould add dough  and press it and prepare chakkulis on butter paper.

Then deep fry them in medium flame.

Let it cool for sometime. Then  store it in air tight container.

 

 

 

Masala dosa

This is my mom in law’s recipe.  She used to prepare this regularly on Sundays for our Break Fast.

 

 

 

Ingredients

Raw rice                                  2 cups

Urad dal                                  ½ cup

Methi seeds                           ½ tsp

Thuvar dal                              1 tbsp

Salt to taste

 

Method

 

Soak rice and urad dal in bowl and keep aside for 3 to 4 hour.

Soak thuvar dal and methi seeds in another bowl.

Wash soaked rice and Urad dal then grind this with soaked thuvar dal and methi seeds into fine paste.

 Add salt  and keep  for fermentation for 5 to 6 hours.

 Mix the batter nicely  and prepare thin dosa pour little oil over it fry till crisp.

Then add potato bhaji and fold the dosa. Serve this with chutney.

For chutney recipe please refer earlier chutney posts already posted under chutney label.

 

 

 

 

 

Egg Fry

Eggs                                                             6

Chilly powder                                            2 tsp

Garam masala powder                            ½ tsp

Rice flour/corn flour                                1 tsp

Salt to taste

Oil for shallow fry

 

 Method

 

Grease idly mould with little oil then break the eggs in each mould then steam them for 10 to 15 min.

Then let it cool for 5 min. Then de mould and keep aside.

In a bowl add chilly powder, salt, rice flour, garam masala and little water prepare thick paste. Apply this paste to de moulded steamed eggs evenly and coat this paste and leave it for 2 min.  Then shallow  fry them both sides.

Egg fry ready to serve as snacks or side dish.

Squid Spicy Roast

Ingredients

Squid                                     ½ kg

Onion                                    2 sliced

Garlic                                    6 to 8 cloves

Ginger                                  1” piece

Green chilly                         2 to 3

Tomato chopped                1

Red chilly powder              1 tbsp( adjust according to your taste)

Coriander powder             2 tsp

Pepper powder                  ½ tsp

Garam masala powder      ½ tsp

Curry leaves

Oil

Salt to taste.

 

Method

 

Clean the squid and cut into rings.

Chop the onions, ginger, garlic and green chillies.

Add half cup of water to squid, add little salt and ½ tsp chilli powder and boil it for 5 to 10 min.

Heat oil in pan add sliced onion fry till light pink then add chopped ginger, garlic and green chillies fry till  onion turns in to light brown.

Add red chilly powder, turmeric powder, garam masala and pepper powder and fry till raw smell goes, then add chopped tomato fry for 2 min then add cooked squid to it and  mix well. Add curry leaves.

Cook in low flame till it becomes dry.

CHENA(YAM) ERISSERY

Erissery is one of the traditional recipe of kerala. It is prepared  with a combination of vegetables and pulses  and tempered with roasted coconut  which gives nice aroma to the dish.

First time I had this dish at my Trivandrum neighbour  Ammumma’s home.  She used to prepare all traditional kerala dishes. I liked it very much and   erissery became  one of my favourite dishes since then. Today I  tried her recipe using yam(chenna).

Erissery is very  good combination with hot steaming boiled rice.

Try it once sure you  will  love it.

 

Ingredients

 

Yam                                                    1 cup (small cubes)

Turmeric powder                             ¼ tsp

Pepper powder                                1 tsp

Salt to taste

 

Ingredients to make paste

Grated coconut                               ½ cup

Red chilly                                          3 to 4

Cumin seeds/jeera                          ½ tsp

Curry leaves few

 

For seasoning

Dry red chillies                                 2

Grated coconut                               2 to 3 tbsp

Mustard seeds                                 1 tsp

Small onion chopped                      1 tbsp

 

Method

 

Pressure cook yam pieces with turmeric powder, pepper powder, salt and little water for 2 to 3 whistles.

After cooling  slightly mash yam pieces and keep aside.

Grind coconut, red chillies, curry leaves and turmeric with little water and grind this into coarse paste. Paste should be thick.

Add this paste to cooked yam pieces and boil it for 5 to 10 min.

Heat seasoning pan add 2 tsp of oil add mustard seeds when it splutter add red chillies fry for a min then add chopped onion fry till light brown then add grated coconut again fry till golden brown. Pour this on yam curry mix well.

Serve Yam Errissery with hot steaming rice in banana leaves.   Its  really very tasty. 

Methi Murgh

Ingredients

  

Chicken                               ½ kg (medium sized pieces)

Thick curd                           ½ cup

Garlic paste                        1½ tbsp

Ginger paste                      1½ tbsp

Salt to taste

For the masala

Onions                                 1 cup( finely chopped)

Tomatoes                            ½ cup (finely chopped)

Coriander powder              ½ tsp

Turmeric powder               ½ tsp

Green chillies                      3–4 no’s ( finely chopped)

Chilli powder                       2 to 3 tsp

Garam masala                     1 tsp

Kasuri methi                 

(dried fenugreek leaves )  2 tbsp

Coriander leaves            2 tbsp

Oil for cooking

 

Method

Cut and clean chicken pieces and keep aside. In a large bowl add curd, salt, ginger garlic paste and chicken and marinate at least for 1hour.  Heat oil in kadai add chopped onion and fry till golden brown. Add chopped tomatoes fry for 2 min. Then add green chillies ‘ turmeric powder, chilli powder , coriander powder and garam masala. Fry on low flame till oil separates. Then add marinated chicken and kasuri methi. Add half cup of water. Cook till done on medium flame. Add coriander leaves and mix well. Switch off the gas. Serve with roti, naan etc.

Chicken Ghee Roast

I learnt this recipe from my blogger friend Mavy Pereira.  I saw this recipe on her page long back.  Chicken ghee roast is the favourite dish  of hubby and son sanju. This time I thought to prepare Mavy’s recipe.  On my hubby’s B’day.  Thanks a lot for  yummy  and spicy recipe.

 

Ingredients

Chicken                                         1 kg (medium size pieces)

Lemon juice                                 ½ lemon

Curd                                              ½ cup

Turmeric powder                        ½ tsp

Ghee                                              ¼ cup

Curry leaves few

Coriander leaves                          2 tbsp       

Salt to taste

Ingredients need to be paste

Kashmiri red chillies                     10 to 15

Pepper corns                                 1 tsp

Coriander seeds                            1 tbsp

Jeera                                                ½ tsp

Methi seeds                                   ¼ tsp

Garlic                                              10 to 12 cloves

Tamarind                                        marble size

 

Method

Marinate  cut and cleaned chicken with lemon juice, curd, turmeric powder and salt for 3 to 4 hours.

Mean while, dry roast coriander seeds, cumin seeds, methi seeds, pepper corns till nice aroma comes and becomes light brown.   Then add  red chillies fry for 1 or 2 min in low flame. Grind this with tamarind and garlic with little water to a thick fine paste.

Heat non stick pan add half ghee,  when it becomes hot add marinated chicken pieces and cook till almost done.

Remove chicken pieces and keep aside. To same pan add remaining ghee  and the masala paste, fry till raw smell goes and ghee separates from masala. Then  add cooked chicken pieces, curry leaves, salt and coriander leaves. Cook till the chicken coat all masala  and gravy thickens. Mix well and turn off the gas.

Note:  this is very spicy ...u can use oil also for this recipe. If you prepare it  from ghee u get the real taste of Mangalorean  chicken ghee roast.