Kale thoran/ Kale stir fry with coconut (Serves 4)

Hello friends, Hope everyone is back to routine after the celebrations and resolutions that’s been made for this year. We had planned a whole lot of things but this year started really bad with all of us returning back to US sick after our short visit to India. But things are getting back to normal and I have resumed the cooking . This is an easy peasy thoran/stir fry recipe and here I have used kale instead of spinach. The result was amazing and I have also tried other greens like swiss card and mustard green using the same recipe and were really happy with the results. Hope you all enjoy too.

Ingredients

1. Kale 1 bunch, washed, cleaned and finely chopped
2. Grated coconut ½ cup
    Garlic 1 clove
    Shallots 2-3 nos
    Cumin seeds 1/8 tsp
    Dry red chilly 2 nos
3. Turmeric powder ¼ tsp
4. Curry leaves a few
5. Mustard seeds ¼ tsp
6. Salt as needed
7. Oil 2 tsp

Directions

• In a blender cup, crush together grated coconut, garlic, shallots, cumin seeds and dry red chilly.
• Next heat oil in a deep pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add the chopped kale leaves and stir-fry for few minutes or until they start to wilt. Add the crushed mixture and mix everything to combine well. Sprinkle little water (about 2-3 TBSPs) and cook covered for about 10 minutes at medium-low heat. Open lid and stir occasionally. Lastly keep the pan uncovered and stir fry on high for couple of minutes and remove from fire. Serve hot with rice..

Cheers!!!
Suji

Cluster beans stir fry with coconut/Kothamarakka thoran (Serves 4)

Hey, how are y’ll doing? Life is been busy lately with trips, guests and getting some rest. The following recipe is different from the usual Kerala thorans as I have used black pepper instead of green chilly. This is a wonderful side dish for rice and as Onam is in 2 weeks you can try this simple yet different thoran for your sadya…..

Ingredients

1. Kothamarakka/Cluster beans ½ kg, chopped finely
2. Grated coconut ¼ cup
3. Cumin seeds 2 pinches
4. Black pepper powder ½ tsp
5. Mustard seeds ¼ tsp
6. Salt as needed
7. Oil 2 tsp

Preparation

• Wash and pat dry the cluster beans/kothamarakka and finely chop them.
• Crush together grated coconut and cumin seeds. Keep aside.
• Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds. Once they crackle add the chopped kothamarakka/cluster beans and mix well. Add salt and keep covered at medium heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring in between for once or twice to avoid burning.
• Open lid and add the pepper powder, mix well and saute for 5 more minutes.
• Next add the crushed coconut mixture and incorporate well. Cook for another 2 minutes and remove from flame.
• Serve with rice.

Cheers!!!
Suji

Aval/poha payasam with mango (Serves 4)

Happy Vishu 2014 everyone!!!

Happy Vishu everyone. I had been super busy and to add to my craziness going on my laptop died two weeks back and hence the silence here. I wanted to keep this space going and hence today i decided to steal M’s laptop and put up a new recipe. As Vishu is almost at our doorsteps thought to make a easy and yummy dessert. Vishu is definetly season of mangoes and aval is Lord Krishna favorite, so i combined these two and came up with a super easy payasam that can be made in no time. Hope you all enjoy!!!

Ingredients

1. Mango puree 1 cup
2. Aval/poha 1/3 cup, I used thin aval/poha
3. Milk 2 cups
4. Sugar 2 TBSP (use more if you like sweet taste)
5. Cardamom 2 pods
6. Saffron strands 2-3 nos
7. Cashew nuts 5 nos
8. Raisins 10 nos, I used golden raisins
9. Ghee 1 TBSP, divided

Preparation

• Heat ½ TBSP ghee in a pan and roast the cashew nuts and raisins for a minute, remove and set is aside.
• Now add the aval/poha to the ghee and roast for 2 minutes at medium flame. Remove and set aside.
• Add rest of the ghee to the pan and add the mango puree along with crushed cardamom pods. Cook this at medium high flame for 5 minutes.
• Add sugar, saffron and milk. Mix well and then add the roasted aval or poha.
• Reduce flame to medium and cook till boiling.
• Switch off flame and add the roasted cashew nuts and raisins and let it sit for 10 minutes before serving.
• Serve warm or chilled. 

Cheers!!!
Suji

Pineapple Paayasam/Pineapple Kheer (Serves 4)

Happy New Year to all my friends and well wishers!!!

Better late than never, right!!!I had a great start to new year with my family. To welcome this fresh year, I am sharing a great dessert for you to try yours hands at. This is very easy to put together and is definitely a crowd pleaser..Hope you all will enjoy this paaysam too….

Ingredients

1. Pineapple 1 cup, cut to small pieces
2. 2% milk 1 cup
   Condensed milk ¾ cup
   Water ½ cup
3. Coconut milk ½ cup
4. Pineapple essence ¼ tsp
5. Sabudana/chowari ½ cup, roast this in a low flame for 10 minutes
    Water 3 cups
6. Cashew nuts 1 TBSP
    Raisins (golden) 1 TBSP
    Ghee 1 TBSP

Preparation

• Boil 3 cups of water in a wide sauce pan and add the slightly roasted sabudana/chowari. Cook this for around 30 minutes or until the sabudana turns completely transparent. Switch off flame and immediately wash this under cold running water and allow to drain excess water in a colander.
• Next in a deep heavy bottomed pan, combine ingredients numbered 2 and cook for about 15 minutes at medium high heat, stirring in between.
• Add the cooked sabudana and pineapple pieces and mix well.
• Next add the coconut milk and cook for another 10 minutes at slow flame.
• Add the pineapple essence and stir well. Cook this for 15 more minutes or until thickens.
• Remove from flame.
• Lastly, heat ghee in another small pan and fry cashew nuts and raisins, pour this over the pineapple paayasam and enjoy!!!

Cheers!!!
Suji

Kumquats Pickle

Ingredients

1. Kumquats 1 kg, thinly sliced into rounds
2. Ginger 2 TBSP, finely chopped
    Garlic 2 TBSP, finely chopped
    Green chilly 8 small, finely chopped
    Curry leaves 3 sprigs, chopped
3. Kashmiri chilly powder 5 teaspoon
    Turmeric powder 1 tsp
    Jaggery/brown sugar 3 TBSP
4. Asafetida ½ tsp
    Fenugreek seeds ¼ tsp
    Mustard seeds 1 tsp
5. Vinegar 2 TBSP
6. Oil 4 TBSP
7. Salt as required

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preparation

• Heat oil in a deep bottomed pan and splutter mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds. Add the asafetida and mix.
• Now add ingredients numbered 2 and sauté till aromatic.
• Reduce flame and add ingredients numbered 3, salt and stir well.
• Next add the sliced kumquats and mix well. Increase flame to medium and cook this for about 15 minutes.
• Lastly add the vinegar and mix well. Remove from flame and allow to cool.
• Once cooled store in an air tight container and enjoy!!!

Cheers!!!
Suji

Semiya Paayasam (Serves 4)

One of the simplest paayasams to prepare with everyday ingredients in your pantry. This year’s onam was celebrated in our house with this easy and delicious semiya paayasam. We didn’t have much time for an elaborate preparation as we were busy packing for our relocation to Indianapolis. We moved and is settling down at the new place and is liking every bit of it and hence the silence for a week. I am back in kitchen with full fledged cooking and has listed an array of awesome recipes to blog . Happy cooking and hope you all will enjoy making this yummy semiya paayasam…

Ingredients

2% milk 4 cups
Roasted semiya/Vermicelli ½ cup
Cardamom powder 4 pinches
Sugar 1 cup
Cashew nuts 15 nos, broken
Golden raisins 2 tsp
Ghee 2 TBSP

Preparation

• Boil milk in a sauce pan until bubbling.
• Add the roasted semiya/Vermicelli ( stir continuously to avoid semiya from sticking to each other) and cook for 20-30 minutes at medium flame until soft.
• Add the sugar, cardamom powder and mix well.
• Turn off flame and set aside.
• In another small pan, melt ghee and roast raisins and cashew nuts and pour over the payasam. Enjoy!

Cheers!!!
Suji

Kaya varuthathu/ kayupperi/ Banana chips

Ingredients

1. Unripe plantains 4 nos
2. Turmeric powder ½ tsp
3. Oil for deep frying
4. Salt as needed
5. Water 2 cups +  ½ cup

Preparation

• Wash the plantains well and pat dry. Peel off the skin. In a bowl, add 2 cups water and turmeric powder. Soak the plantains in this for at least 30 minutes. Drain and dry the plantains using a paper towel. Now slice the plantains into thin rounds. Make sure that they are thinly sliced into even pieces.
• Add salt into half cup water with a pinch of turmeric powder. Mix well and set aside.
• Heat oil in a deep pan and add the sliced pieces in batches. Using a slotted spoon, stir frequently to avoid clumping. When they bubble up to the surface ( a sign they are half ready), add 1-2 tsp of salt water to the oil and continue frying until crisp (This may cause little splashing of oil, so please stay away from the burner or be very careful while doing this.). Drain excess oil onto a paper towel or newspaper and make sure the chips are completely cooled before storage in an air tight container.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers!!!
Suji

Sweet potato paayasam/Madhura kizhangu paayasam (Serves 4)

 

ONAM, the much awaited grand festival of Kerala is fast approaching and households in the villages of Kerala are busy preparing for the grand family unions and sumptuous feasts. Here I am with a unique, easy and delicious paayasam you can add onto your onam recipe list this year to make it a grand feast. This sweet potato paayasam tastes very similar to the parippu paayasam and is best served warm..Hope you all will like it and wish you all a Happy and eventful Onam 2013! Please click on the pookalam/Floral design picture to view all other ona sadhya recipes featured on Pazham Pappadam Paaysam..

Ingredients

1. Sweet potato 2 cups, boiled and mashed
2. Jaggery 1 ½ cup, grated
3. Cashew nuts ¼ cup
4. Roasted vermicelli 2 tablespoon
5. Ghee 1 tablespoon
6. 2% milk 1 cup
7. Heavy whipping cream ¼ cup
8. Water 1 cup

Preparation

• Boil 1 cup water in a pan and add the grated jaggery. Bring to a boil and cook until the volume reduces to half.
• Add the boiled and mashed sweet potato to this and cook till boiling.
• Now add the cashew nuts and milk. Mix well to combine and cook again till boiling.
• Switch off flame and add ghee and heavy whipping cream. Mix well and transfer to a serving bowl.
• Decorate with roasted vermicelli and enjoy!

This recipe was featured in the first edition of Malayali magazine.

Cheers!!!
Suji

Sharkaravaratty–Sadhya special

Ingredients

1. Raw Bananas (plantain) 4 nos
2. Jaggery (Sharkara) ¼ kg
3. Coconut oil/Refined oil for frying
4. Powdered sugar ¼ cup
    Cardamom powder ½ tsp
    Dry ginger powder/Chukku podi ½ tsp
    Rice flour 1 TBSP
5. Ghee 2 tsp

Preparation

• Peel skin off from bananas and immerse in water. Remove the bananas one by one from the water and wash them properly. Cut them first longitudinally into equal halves and then slice into thick (about ¼ to ½ inch) pieces.
• Heat oil in a pan or uruli for deep frying and deep fry the banana pieces until crisp. Drain using a slotted spatula and spread onto paper towels.
• Dissolve the jaggery in ¼ cup of water and sieve to remove solid impurities. Boil this in a shallow vessel till it reaches one-thread consistency (ie. It is thick enough to draw out as one thread when tried with thumb and forefinger).
• Lower fire and add ghee. Switch off the fire, and immediately add fried banana pieces and ingredients numbered 4 (this helps in getting the syrup onto banana pieces coated well and not fell apart once cooled) and mix thoroughly taking care not to break the crisp banana pieces. Cool and keep in airtight container. Serve in Sadhya or enjoy anytime as a snack.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers!!!
Suji

Black bengal gram/ karutha uzhunnu thoran (Serves 2)

Ingredients
1. Black Bengal gram/ karutha uzhunnu 1 cup (I used split variety)
2. Grated coconut ½ cup
    Cumin seeds ½ tsp
    Green chilly 2 nos, roughly chopped
    Garlic 1 pod
3. Turmeric powder ½ tsp
4. White pepper power ¼ tsp
5. Salt as needed
6. Curry leaves a few
7. Water 2-2 ½ cups (to cook the Bengal gram)
8. Oil 2 tsp

Preparation

• Bring 2- 2 ½ cups water to boil in a wide mouth sauce pan. Add required salt and the washed black Bengal gram/ karutha uzhunnu). Cook at medium flame till soft and dry. Set aside.
• Pulse together ingredients numbered 2 in a blender for 3-4 pulses. Set aside.
• Heat oil in a pan and add the cooked Bengal gram and sauté for 2 minutes at medium flame. Add the turmeric and black pepper powder and give a good mix.
• Follow up with curry leaves and the ground coconut mixture. Mix well and cook covered on low flame for another 5 minutes. If its too dry, sprinkle little water in between. Switch off flame and serve hot with rice.

Cheers!!!
Suji

Padavalanga/bottle gourd parippu thoran

Padavalanga/bottle gourd/snake gourd 2 cups, chopped to cubes
Cherupayar parippu/split moong dal ½ cup
Grated coconut ½ cup
Turmeric powder ¼ tsp
Cumin seeds ¼ tsp
Green chilly 2 nos
Garlic 2 pods
Salt as needed
Water 1-1 ½ cups

Preparation

Wash and pressure cook the cherupayar parippu/split moong dal till 2 whistles. Allow pressure to release and drain excess water. Set this aside.

Meanwhile add water to a pan and cook the padavalanga/bottle gourd with salt and turmeric powder until soft. Also using a blender, coarsely grind grated coconut, cumin seeds, green chilly and garlic. Set this aside.

Once the vegetable is cooked well and is soft to touch add the cooked cherupayar parippu/split moong dal along with the ground coconut mixture. Mix well to combine and cook covered on simmer for 10 minutes. Adjust salt if necessary and remove from fire. Serve with rice.

Cheers!!!
Suji

Mambazha pulissery (Serves 3-4)

My Achamma (paternal grand mom) used to make the best mambazha (ripe mango) pulissery ever. She was a strict traditionalist who took time to to grind her on spices using traditional equipment. She  was also strict about making the pulissery in her favorite 'kalachatty' (heat treated stone pan) that is instrumental in enhancing and maintaining the authentic flavor of many of the curries from Kerala. We lost her 4 years back, coincidentally, on a Vishu day.  The fond memory of her and her masterpiece dish kept bubbling up in my mind as I was preparing pulissery on this Vishu day. Miss you a lot Achamme!

Ripe mangoes/Pazhutha manga 3-4 nos
Curd/yogurt/thaiyr 1 cup, beaten
Grated coconut ½ cup
Green chilly 1, chopped
Cumin seeds ¼ tsp
Red chilly powder ½ tsp
Turmeric powder ¼ tsp
Curry leaves 1-2 sprigs
Mustard seeds ½ tsp
Dry red chilly 2 nos
Coconut oil 2 tsp
Salt as needed

Preparation

Wash and peel the skin from the mangoes. Cut the flesh from all four sides and chop to pieces. Add ½ cup water and add red chilly powder, turmeric powder and salt. Cook on medium flame for 10 minutes or until the mangoes are tender. Meanwhile grind the grated coconut, green chilly and cumin seeds to a fine paste. Now using a potato masher or fork, mash the mango pieces. Add the ground coconut paste and mix well. Now reduce flame to low and add the beaten curd/yogurt. Mix well and cook for 3-4 minutes. Switch off flame.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In another pan, heat the coconut oil and splutter mustard seeds, dry red chilly and curry leaves. Add this over the pulissery and enjoy with rice.

Cheers!!!
Suji

Kerala Sadya recipes and Happy Vishu 2013!!!

Wishing all our dear readers a Happy and prosperous Vishu.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers!!!
Suji