Ada Pradhaman - Happy Onam !

Tweet

Wish you all a very happy Onam ! Hope you are celebrating the festival of togetherness wherever you are, with a grand sadya.

Happy Onam and a visual treat of God's own country- Kerala

Tweet

Kerala, better known as "God's own country", is my native place. Onam is the biggest festival in Kerala, celebrated by one and all, with no religious barriers. It falls during the month of "Chingam" ( August - September ). Various festivities include intricate flower carptes ( pookkalam ), banquet lunch ( sadya) boat races etc. See our previous post about Onam here. As we celebrate Onam, I thought is fun to share some pictures with you all from our recent visit to Kerala.

Chakkakkuru Manga Aviyal- A Guest Post By Honey

Tweet

Honey doesn't need an introduction from me. Most of you know her as Sarah Naveen. She is the author and all in all of "Vazhayila.com", the wonderful blog dedicated to Kerala recipes. Honey has an amazing collection of recipes from Kuttanadu,the backwater region in central Kerala. Kuttanadu has its own cuisine, which is quite popular among the foodies around the world.She has a collection of Kerala Syrian Christian specials as well. Check out her scrumptious Chicken olarthiyathu and lip-smacking Kuttanadan Fish Curry.

Honey is like a sister to me. When we started talking I told her that Sunitha and I think that she is one of our juniors from our degree college, where we had so many great juniors as friends.She is a wonderful person ,an amazing photographer and a great cook. I am so happy to have her here to share her grandma's recipe with the readers of Collaborative Curry.This is one of my favorite recipes. Welcome to Collaborative Curry, dear Honey. Thanks so much for doing this post, in spite of your busy schedule and a fever.I am so grateful to have great friends like you.



Rarely do I come across such people who leaves a profound impact on me ; who is so much fun to talk to ; who spreads joy and comfort around, and at times who acts like a sister . Namitha is one such person.
I don't know exactly when I started talking to her, creating a new bond, an "unseen" friendship from miles away. Unseen - I am yet to see her in person; Unseen - I never saw myself crafting a friendship with a person, I have known only through blogging.
We don't talk everyday or every week,but never less than an hour :)

Shrimp Masala -Kerala Style (Konchu Ulathiyathu)

Tweet

Finally Colorado got some much-wanted rain showers. As I have mentioned before this year March and April was so dry. Colorado is such a dry place and if it doesn't snow and rain much,the possibility of wild fires are high and there could be drought in some parts of the state. Hope we will get more rains and we get a wet Summer this year !

When it is almost the end of school year, I start to get extremely busy and this year is no exception. And add to that we will be going to India in June . So many things to be done before that ! It has been going so hectic for all of us and we needed a break so badly in between our activity-crammed schedules. If you know my family well, you might have already guessed what we would have done to relax ourselves. Yes, we went hiking !

Chakkayada (Jackfruit preseve Dumplings made on banana leaves) and Happy Vishu !

Tweet

Wish you all a very happy Vishu/New Year ! May this year be filled with fun, love,hope and happiness !Below is a picture of "vishukkani", the first view one should have on a Vishu morning. We believe that it brings us luck and prosperity.Elders cover the eyes of kids, and lead them to the room where this is kept. I will tell you about the traditional way of keeping all this ready some other time.

Vishu makes me nostalgic, just like any other big festival we celebrate in Kerala.I have told you a lot about Vishu and my stories here and here. But I can tell you even more stories ! A fresh morning after a rain the day before, or the anticipation of 'vishukkaineettam" ,or the big family get together and the 'sadya' and so on. As a child I used to relate Vishu to Summer vacation and also to mango/jackfruit season .Wonderful memories, down the lane !

Kerala Fish Curry- Meen Curry,Central Kerala Style

Tweet

To teach a Malayalee, how to cook fish curry, is like teaching a monkey, how to climb the trees ! It is such a basic recipe in any household, in the place where I come from. But it took a long time for me to post this here, even after so many repeated requests from the readers. If you blog, you know, the most common dishes you make might take the longest to get in your blog !

Tender Coconut (Ilaneer/Karikku) Pudding

Tweet

This is a post I have been postponing for a while,just because I wasn't satisfied with my pictures. This is my friend,Bindu's recipe. I told her ,when I made this for the first time,that I will post it in a week or so.Since she is one of the nicest persons I know, she never asked why I didn't post.Even now, I am not quite happy with the pictures, I thought I will post this, as this is the zillion-th time I made this and it is high time that I must tell my friend how much my little family loves it and I would recommend this to anyone I know.

Spinach and Egg Stir Fry (Cheera-mutta thoran )

Tweet

How are you all? Those who are in US might be getting ready for super bowl Sunday. What are you planning to cook for watching the exciting game? For us, it will be mostly Indian.

After reading my Facebook status last week,about the chance of an early Spring, mother nature decided that Colorado needs more snow. Today we are having a big big snow day.While I sit here,there is an accumulation of 18 inches of snow and it is still snowing. This might be one of those days which will be in the history forever, if the predictions are right.We will have more than 2 feet of snow by tomorrow, which is not usual for a day of February in Colorado.

Tapioca Chips

Tweet

I wasn't quite sure about posting this while I was frying these chips. There is nothing much to be explained about this dish. Then I thought about the people who may not be familiar or comftorble with frying the chips and decided to post it here to teach all ! So the experts out there, please bear with me !

Dry-roasted Coconut Chutney (Thenga chuttaracha chammanthi)

Tweet

This is a recipe that has nostalgia as a main ingredient ! As a Malayalee, I love anything coconut and a chutney like this, is a part of everyday diet, back in Kerala.We have this with our breakfast, as a side for puzhukku (mashed yuca or jackfruit mostly),with our lunch (rice, thoran etc) and also with our dinner (if it is kanji aka rice porridge). I guess you got how much we, Keralaites, love these semi-dry chutneys,because they match with almost everything we eat.

Chutney Powder for Dosa/Idli

Tweet

How was Thanksgiving break and the Black Friday shopping ? All set for welcoming the biggest festival of the season? We had a wonderful week with sumptuous food and good friends.The weather seems to be nice, well maybe only till today.It is going to snow tomorrow,better it be, since this is almost December and it is Colorado !

This post has been in the my draft for a long long time. I didn't post it since I didn't like the pictures I took that day except the pictures of the chillies. Even now I'm not satisfied with the pictures.Dull colors are always a challenge, would love to hear your experiences.

This is a must in my house and I don't know why it took me so long to blog about it ! My kids like this too and they prefer this over the coconut chutney I make.If you haven't tried this yet,I tell you, it's so easy and simple.There are hundreds of versions available on the net, this is how we make it in our home, back in Kerala.I am so happy to share with you, one more recipe, handed over by my mom-in-law.Hope you will try out this version and enjoy it !

Ingredients:

Dried Red chillies- 8-10
Black Pepper corns- ~20
Urad Dal/Black Gram- 1 cup

Method:

1.Heat a pan on medium flame/heat.Dry roast the red chilies and the black pepper.This is the only hard part especially if you are sensitive to spicy things.The heated red chilies may make you sneeze, so if you have a mask in handy ,use that.
2.Take the chilies and pepper out and roast the urad dal.Keep the heat on medium and stir continuously.Do not burn the dal.Turn off the heat when the dal chnages to a slight brown color and you start getting the roasted dal smell.
3.Let this cool down a bit.
4.Throw everything in the blender/dry grinder when the dal is still warm enough to hold in your hand.Grind it till you get a slightly coarse powder.
5.Serve a Tbsp or two with some oil (coconut,vegetable, canola or olive0 of your preference as a side for Idli/Dosa.
6.You can store this in an airtight container for several weeks.

Notes:

1.You can change the number of chilies and pepper corn according to your spice level. The measurements I gave will give you a medium spicy chutney powder.
2.Coconut oil is the best with this powder, but it is a personal preference.

Beef Cutlets

Tweet

This is a recipe that Sunitha had mentioned in her chicken cutlet post about a month ago. Which means today’s recipe has been in the drafts for quite a long time. I haven’t been cooking anything time consuming of late mainly because of laziness. But I continue to blame the weather for my lethargy !

Meat cutlets are a hot selling snack in Kerala bakeries. We have a couple of bakeries, near my parents ‘ home, where they sell the most delicious cutlets. Some days, the demand was so high the bakeries would run out of cutlets way before tea time, which is when we would have stopped by to buy some. Oh! the disappointment!
Another place and time from when cutlets got registered in my mind as a fantastic food was the hostel. Especially the one I stayed in while doing my pre-degree course. This hostel is in fact one of the best hostels where I stayed which served good food. I can say this with certainty because I have stayed in quite a few hostels during my college days. And beef cutlets in this place served was tremendous. Hm… I can almost taste it, writing about it.

Thursday lunch is when they served cutlets and Thursdays were always when the hostelites felt the hunger pangs the most. Well, hunger and a dying desire to eat the marvelous cutlets, of course. The hostel is about 5 minutes from the college campus but on Thursdays we would reach it in a minute. One cutlet per person, a dry dish with moru kachiyathu was the menu. Now, you will agree one cutlet for a person is never enough. For the first year, most of us savored every bite of this one piece we were doled out and remained sated. But the second year, we were bolder and demanding. With more friends, gangs had been formed and the human pack behavior was at it’s best. Some of us meat eaters had vegetarian friends and we plotted a plan. On Thursdays, we managed to get these poor souls to lunch at our table. I remember one girl a vegetarian by choice who sometimes enjoyed chicken but otherwise remained a vegetarian. We connived and pleaded with her to lunch at our table. She was a sweet heart and foregoing her special vegetarian food agreed to lunch with us. The lady who serve us, unaware of our antics would serve everyone at our table a cutlet each and as (The vegetarians and non vegetarians are encouraged to sit at their preferred place so that food can be served accordingly on each table). The unsuspecting served would serve this vegetarian friend a cutlet and the rest of us would hide our smile and wait for her to move on. As soon as the server was out of sight we would grab the cutlet from our friend’s plate. The ensuing fight for this one lone beef cutlet is too gory to let you in on the details. We never persuaded this friend to taste the cutlets ever , fearing she might turn over and be a fan herself. We were wicked!

But I have to tell you, the time in college and the hostels were the best times. I am still in touch with friends from that time but have lost contact with the sweet friend who let us rob her of the beef cutlet. I wonder how she is fairing without cutlets but as for me and most of my other friends we all still love cutlets! Whenever I make beef cutlets memories pour in from those days. Oh jeez! I am all nostalgic now, and I want some beef cutlets !




Ingredients:


Onions finely chopped- 1/2 cup
Ginger grated- 3 Tbsp
Garlic grated- 1 Tbsp
Garam masala- 2 tsp
Green chilies finely chopped- 4-5
Black pepper powder- 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves, chopped- 5-6leaves
Ground Beef- 1 lb
Boiled potatoes- 2
Oil- 2 Tbsp + for deep frying
Bread crumbs from 2-3 slices
Slightly beaten egg- 1

Method:

1.Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wide frying pan. Saute the onions till translucent.
2.Add the chopped green chillies, ginger and garlic and saute for a few minutes.
3.Also add the garam masala and chopped curry leaves and saute.
4.Add the ground beef and mix everything well. Add a little bit (maybe 1/4 cup) water, cover and cook till the meat is done and all the water is absorbed.
5.Mash the boiled potatoes and mix with the beef mixture.
6.Heat the oil for frying the cutlets. When it is almost ready start shaping the cutlets.
7.Make small lemon size balls out of the mixture and press between the palms and make your preferred shapes, like oval, round,heart etc.
8.Dip them in the egg and roll in the bread crumbs and deep fry till both the sides are brown.
9.Serve warm with ketchup.

Notes:

1. You could use any meat of your choice.
2.If you don't have curry leaves, add some chopped coriander leaves instead.
3.Do not keep the shaped cutlets after dipping in egg for a long time. Fry them as soon as you can.
4.If you want to shape them and store for frying after a while, do not dip them in egg or roll in crumbs, do this step just before you fry them in oil.
5.The amount and flavor of ginger gives it the authentic taste. If you are using great quality ginger, use lesser than I mentioned in the recipe.(I never get ginger that has a flavor anywhere close to the ones we get in Kerala :(

I am sending these cutlets to this month's Kerala Kitchen hosted at Spoonful of Delight

Contributor: Namitha

Drumstick in thick coconut gravy

Tweet

The name drumstick owes to the triangular, long seed-pods of Genus Moringa. Huh?!? I am not convinced with this etymology, but who am I to say! What I am proud of is we call it muringakay which is definitely closer to the scientific name Moringa. Full points to the Indian name of this vegetable!

Did you know that the drumstick tree is said to be one of the most useful trees on earth? Surprised? Me too! Wikipedia says “It is considered one of the world’s most useful trees, as almost every part of the Moringa tree can be used for food or has some other beneficial property.” This is phenomenal. So, let’s not waste any more time, but jump straight in- to learning how to cook this vegetable.

This curry is generally made with drumsticks and mango, where mango gives the tartness.  I did not have any handy, so decided to make it without, and what do you know – not bad!   Obviously the tartness is missing, but the addition of jeera, and a generous amount of cloves, packs the curry with enough flavor. A mango pickle to go with it will be perfect. 

Ingredients:
Drumsticks – 14, 2-inch pieces
Thai Green Chilies – 4
Turmeric – 1/2 tspn
Chili Powder - 1/2 tspn

For Grinding
Coconut – 1 cup
Jeera – 1 tspn
Garlic Cloves - 4

Tempering
Coconut oil – 2 Tbspn
Shallots – 3
Curry Leaves – 1 sprig
Dry red chilies – 2 broken into 4 pieces

Method:
1. Cook drumsticks in 1 cup or enough water to immerse them together with turmeric, ¼ tspn salt and green chilies. Cooked to done but not falling apart. That will be about 10 minutes. Note that I have used frozen drumsticks.
2. Grind coconut, jeera and garlic cloves to a fine paste, and add to the cooked drumsticks. Use water to make a thin or thick gravy to your preference. Take the pan off the heat as soon as the curry heats through. Check for salt and add to taste.
3. Heat coconut oil in a small pan splutter the mustard. Follow it with shallots, red chilies, and curry leaves, and pour over the curry.

Serves: 4
Serve with rice.

Unnakai - Ripe plantain filled with dates and nuts

Tweet

I had given up dreams of wearing flip flops. Then Saturday happened. Glorious sunlight and suddenly everything seemed possible. We found out state parks and walkways near by and marauded them. Breathed fresh air and drank in the verdant beauty all around. Hm...! Nice. Am I glad or am I glad! I wore my flip flops too.

The fruity treat today called unnakai is a Malabar specialty. I have seen it in many blogs and had to try it myself. We are huge fans of plantains at home so decided it won't go waste. Making a sweet treat is quite a hefty decision these days. It's no good for me but my husband loves them. The only balance I can strike is to make only for him and resist it myself but that is asking a lot. But with plantains I decided its going to be okay. And it sure is. I have stayed away from the coconut filling which traditionally is the filling and instead used dates and cashews.

They are delectable

They are irresistible. If I say so myself!

Ingredients:

Plantain – 2, cut into four pieces, skin on.
Dates – 15
Water – ¼ cup
Cashews – 10 – 15
Brown sugar – ¼ cup
Butter – 1 tspn
Oil – to shallow fry

Method:
1. Make slits over the plantain peel randomly making sure the gashes are ‘skin deep’
2. Steam it to soften
3. Cool, peel and cut each piece lengthwise and seed them.
4. Mash to a pulp
5. Stew the dates for about 5 minutes. Remove from the liquid and chop into fine pieces.
6. Chop the cashew and sauté in 1 tspn butter and add the dates and brown sugar and switch off the heat. Set it aside
7. Make 8 equal parts of the mashed plantain.
8. Grease your hands with oil, take one part plantain into your hand, flatten it, and fill with enough date and cover over the plantain to make cylindrical shapes. Follow with the rest of the plantain and set aside
9. Heat a pan for shallow frying, add about 4 tbspn of oil, and slide in the shaped plantain. Turning carefully brown on all sides. Serve as a dessert.

Veal Stew

Tweet

Mummy, did you know Easter falls on a Sunday this year?

Huh! My dear didn’t you really know it always does?!

This was one of the jokes my brother and his friends would pull on me. I might not have said anything like this, but they would improvise a story around the above joke and tell anybody listening for a laugh. I wonder if he or any of his friends knew Easter was a ‘moveable feast' and that is why it always falls on Sunday

      Happy Easter to you! I am sure you always knew it falls on Sunday. 

Resurrection of Jesus on the 3rd day from his crucifixion. This is the most significant festival for Christians, in fact, bigger than Christmas. Thankfully, it is not as commercialized as Christmas and the gravity and seriousness is honored.

  You must be familiar with Easter eggs as a common feature in the celebrations here in the U.S. But growing up, I do not remember it to be important. Over the summer holidays, which fall now in India, we would color egg shells and place it on plants but that was not to celebrate Easter.  We don't even consider cooking eggs on this day in a special way.  

  Then what do we do? The most important thing to do was to eat a lot of meat and fish.  It starts off with breakfast with appam and stew. Today, I will share veal stew with you which goes well with appam or white bread. Hope you enjoy it. 

   Stewing as a cooking term means to cook meat and vegetables by simmering and thickening by reducing the juices or thickening the gravy with flour or any other thickening agent.  In Kerala, most cooking is slow and on stove stop, and what we call stew is slow cooked, no doubt, but generally to mean a mildly spiced meat or vegetable in coconut milk.

Stew

Ingredients:

Veal – 1.5 Lb

Garam Masala – ½ tspn

Vinegar – ½ tsp optional

Potato – 1 cubed

Pepper corns – 10

Cloves – 10

Cinnamon stick – ½ inch piece

Elachi – 3

Onions – ½

Ginger – 1 Tbspn

Garlic – 3 pods

Green Chili – 6 or as per taste

Coriander Powder – 1 tspn

Coconut Milk – 1 Can

Tomato – 4 or 5 round pieces for garnish

Oil – 2 Tbspn

Salt  - to taste

Method:

1.       1. Make bite size pieces of veal.  Take it with 1/4 tspn salt, vinegar, garam masala and ½ cup water in a pressure cooker and cook for one whistle. 

2.       2. Heat oil in a pan, add pepper corn, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon stick and fry

3.       3. Add onions and sauté for a couple of minutes. (the onions should not be browed in this curry and hence you should not sauté it for too long before you add the following. )

4.       4. Add ginger and garlic followed by green chilies and saute.

5.       5. Slide in cooked meat with all its juices, potatoes and 1 cup of thin coconut milk.  (1/2 C coconut milk + ½ C Water) and cook on low-medium heat till the potato is cooked.

6.       6. Pour the remaining coconut milk and heat through.  Top the gravy with  4 or 5 slices of tomatoes and switch off the fire

Notes:

1.       1. I thin the coconut milk further ever before I add at the final stage because I like the gravy thin.  However, traditionally the cream of coconut milk is added at the end to keep the flavor rich and gravy thick. 

2.       2. Play with the consistency to your liking.  If you feel you should not add too much water fearing the curry will spoil.  It will be a good practice to boil about 2 cups of water and how much you need to thin the coconut milk to your liking.  

3.       3. Stew is served with appam or white bread

Contributor: Sunitha

Chocolate Vanilla Marble cake

Tweet

Cakes are cosmopolitan. Some of the earliest references of cakes are found in ancient Roman history, making it obvious that cakes have been around for a long while. Therefore, it should not have surprised me when I saw marble cake, a regular feature from Kerala bakeries, doing the rounds in blogosphere. Where this cake originated is probably like the age old dispute of ‘What came first, the egg or the chick.’ If Someone asked where did marble cake originate, we will all probably have a different answer. But if one of you have a genuine answer I will be interested to hear from you.

The universality of cakes, and how far and wide it has reached, continues to fascinate me. I mean, I can’t get over that I grew up seeing marble cakes in bakeries in Kottayam, Kerala? In fact, this fancy looking cake is the most commonly available one in bakeries back home. I remember how the marble pattern caught my attention first, and it continues to get my heart go skippy. Actually, the cakes from the bakeries are overly sweet and over-powered with vanilla flavor,but the pattern was eye-catching and I still remember them because of it. I can’t tell you how happy I am to finally be able to bake a perfect marble cake which tastes as good as it looks. Below you will find the recipe to make this cake with a blend of sugar and vanilla which is proportionate to keeping your tongue swirling around more than what your body needs.

I tried different recipes from the internet before reaching the recipe I like most. One of the greatest inspirations and the best recipe I found was from Archana's blog

A little, but significant something else that I have to say about marble cake is it is quite fancy even without frosting. This is especially a blessing for a busy mom like me. For example, if I want to bake a cake for a special occasion birthday, anniversary or festival and have not enough time, I can whip up a marble cake which will hold its own to any decorated fancy- pansy cake.

With Easter around the corner, you will agree it’s most appropriate to share something special with you! Have it with tea or as a dessert, but remember to say ‘gosh this pattern is so pretty!’ Well, at least for my sake.

Ingredients:

Butter- 1/2 cup(110-115grams )

Cake flour(not self rising)- 1 3/4 cup

Baking powder- 1 1/2 tsp

Salt- 1/4 tsp

Sugar- 1 cup

Eggs- 3

Pure vanilla extract- 2 tsp

Buttermilk/Milk- 3/4 cup

Boiling water- 4 Tbsp

Dark (dutch processed) cocoa powder-1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp

Method:

1. Preheat the oven t0 350 degree F. Grease a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan.

2. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.

3. Beat butter and sugar well, until it turns light and fluffy.

4. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

5. Add vanilla extract and mix again. Scrape down the sides as needed.

6. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with milk, starting and ending with flour, and mix well after each addition.

7. Mix boiling water and cocoa powder to blend without lumps.

8. Take out 1/4 th of the batter mixture into another bowl. Mix cocoa into it.

9. Spoon both the batters alternatively making a checkerboard. Pour them in 2 layers. (Just like Archana suggested use a big spoon for the white batter and small spoon for the chocolate batter)

10. When you are done tap the pan a couple of times on the counter to get rid of the air bubbles trapped inside and to remove the space between the batters.

11. For making the marbling effect make a couple of swirls from the top of the pan to the other end.

12. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a tester inserted comes out clean.

13. Take out the cake and cool it while still in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring it to cool on a wire rack.

14. This cake can be stored in an air tight container for up to 3 days at room temperature.

Contributor: Namitha

Recipe adapted from : Archana's blog and here

Kurukku Kalan/Boiled and Thickened Yogurt gravy & Happy Vishu

Tweet

I have shared many stories about Vishu on this site and you can read about it here. For me, the best thing about Vishu, as a grown up, is the fresh morning after a rain because it always rains in Kerala during this time. The smell of fresh earth, the lush green scenery outside, and to wake up looking at a beautifully decorated room with pictures of my favorite gods, light from an oil lamp and oodles of yellow flowers. Tell you what - it’s a fantastic way to kick start a day!

  My experience here in US this year will be kind of similar because it's been raining here. The rain is setting the stage for me to experience all of the above. There may be less green, but overall I am feeling very good about it this year, and in some ways I will experience my hometown here in the US too. The daffodils, dandelions and tulips have already started showing off their vibrant colors. I will miss konnapoo, but these flowers in my yard are a great stand by. I will decorate a 'vishukkani" with some of these flowers and the "Krishnan" I got from Guruvayur. Here is a picture from last year, and the first look I will have tomorrow will be the same.

The recipe for today in celebration of this festival is Kurukku Kalan - a part of the ‘sadya.’ I promised to post it here long back, but couldn't do it until now. Kalan is often confused with "pulissery", because the basic ingredients are the same. However, kalan is made after boiling and thickening the yogurt, which is more delicate and time consuming when compared to pulissery. But I must tell you, all the efforts are worth it, if you like this dish. Here is a recipe from both my families, mine and my in-laws. The variations will be clear to you from my notes at the end.

Collaborative Curry wishes it's readers a very Happy Vishu/ Tamil New year to all.

Ingredients:

Coconut oil- 2 tsp
Mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp
Green Chillies,slit in the middle- 3-4
Raw Banana(Nendran)/Elephant foot yam(chena),cubed- 1/3 cup
Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
Red chili powder- a pinch
Salt- to taste
Sour Curd/yogurt- Half liter/~500g
Coconut grated- 3 Tbsp
Cumin seeds/Jeera- 1/4 tsp
Dry roasted and powdered Methi/Fenugreek seeds- a big pinch

For Seasoning:

Coconut oil- 2 tsp
Mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp
Dried red chilies, broken into halves- 2
Curry leaves- 1 sprig

Method:

1. Peel off the banana skin and chop into 1/4 inch pieces.
2. Grind the coconut with the cumin seeds to a fine paste, without adding any or very little water and transfer it into a small pan/plate. (Keep this close at hand while cooking the vegetable in the following step.)
3. Beat the yogurt/curd well and do not add any water.
4. Heat 2tsp of coconut oil in a deep, thick bottom pan. Add the slit green chilies and sauté till it changes color, at medium-low-heat.
5. Reduce the heat or take out the pan from the stove and add the turmeric powder and chili powder and mix well. Care should be taken not to burn.
6. Bring the pan back over the stove or increase the heat and add a cup of water (enough water to cook the vegetable). Slide in the chopped banana/yam and mix well. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and continue to cook. This took about 20 minutes for me.
7. When the vegetables are cooked and yield to a fork add salt and mix slowly without mashing the vegetables. Boil all the water dry.
8. Add beaten curd/yogurt and stir well. Bring the mixture to a boil while stirring continuously.
9. Once it starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium and continue to stir.
10. Foam starts forming at this point. Spoon it out and pour over the ground-coconut mixture you should have handy at the side. This process helps the coconut to be lightly cooked. Set the coconut mixture aside and continue to stir the yogurt.
11. In about 20 – 30 minutes the yogurt will start to thicken. Now, add the coconut mixture with the foam you collected and mix well and heat through.
13. Switch off the heat. Be careful not to heat the mixture after adding the coconut mixture or else it will curdle.
14. Remove the pan from the stove, sprinkle the methi powder and mix well.
15. For seasoning; take a small pan and heat the oil. Splutter the mustard seeds and add the red chilies. Switch off the heat and add the curry leaves. Pour this over the kalan.

Notes:

1. You can use yam or raw banana (nendran) for making this. If you don't have any of the vegetables it is fine. Avoid the cooking step for vegetables and start with cooking the yogurt.
2. My sis-in-law (fantastic cook) uses slightly ripened banana (nendran) for making kalan, especially if the curd is sour. The sour-sweet combo is good.
3. When the yogurt mixture starts thickening, you have to decide about the consistency of the end product. If you like a pouring consistency you can stop a little earlier than I have mentioned. Remember, adding the coconut mixture will thicken the curry and once it cools down it thickens further. Therefore decide on the consistency early on in the cooking. I like to make kalan thick and that is how I have timed and measured my recipe.
4. You may avoid adding coconut mixture for this curry. If so, the curry can be kept at room temperature for longer. For weeks! Alternatively, the coconut mixture can be added in small portions on the days you serve this. However, you may add coconut like I have given in the method and the curry will keep for several days in the refrigerator.
5. If you are not adding coconut mixture you can add cumin powder and mix into the beaten yogurt. This method is mostly preferred by cooks while making large quantities for sadya. Like I have already mentioned, the adding and deleting of coconut mixture is for more than the taste, is to prolong the shelf life of this curry.
6. If you think that your curd/yogurt is not sour enough (especially when you have store-bought yogurt) leave it on the counter top overnight. This will definitely make the yogurt sour. Obviously!


Contributor: Namitha

Naadan Pork Vattichathu / Kerala-Style Pork Curry - Dry

Tweet

So what do you do when you have a considerable amount of fat deposited around your waist, and find yourself dancing to lady Ga Ga’s tune in a pub/club passé?  I would work on that waist again!  No, not to lose it but to get it all rounded up like a ‘muffin top’ as Elizabeth Gilbert says in her book ‘Eat Pray Love.’ And the best way to do it is enjoy your friend’s home cooked pork.  Deliciously pungent and nicely fatty, it is most appropriate for a Friday evening.  Let’s kick start this party with food, food and more food.

 

 It’s rare for me to look at weekends so happily in advance.  Most often, I feel the weekend only by Saturday afternoon.  And then I am whining“OMG! Weekend is over!" Once the words are out, that's it! It get’s all melancholy!  The remaining 1 ½ days are wasted.

Does this happen to you?  You have something in hand; don’t realize its worth until it is too late.  Of course! Everybody knows such things, it’s a cliché.   But then remember what I told you earlier, take this weekend head on and enjoy.  Don’t listen to me whatever age we are, we can still swing to the beats of Lady Ga Ga or Justin Timberlake.  Let’s get this thing rolling!



By the way, don’t cook this recipe by yourself.  Print it out on a nice card and gift it to your friend.  Remember what I said, it tastes best when another makes it for you. Have fun!

Pork shoulders - 2 lb
Coriander Powder - 5 Tbspn
Turmeric Powder - 1 Tspn
Chili Powder - 2 Tbspn
Garam Masala - 1/2 tspn
Onions - 3 medium size
Ginger paste - 1 Tbspn
Garlic - 1 Tbspn
Coconut milk- 1 Tbspn
Green chilies - 5 nos
Curry Leaves
Oil
Salt

Method:
1. Chop pork shoulders into small cubes and set aside
2. Take coriander, turmeric, chili and garam masala in a small wok or skillet and heat it stirring to make sure it does not get burned but until the mixture give off its aroma.  Switch off stove transfer the mixture instantly onto any dish to avoid further cooking of the powder.
3. Chop onions and saute followed with slit green chilies
4. Follow up with ginger, garlic, curry leaves and once this express the cooked aroma add the toasted powder.  Once oil expresses add the coconut milk which will help to soothe the pungent masala and then add the tomatoes and cook until they are soft. 
5. Take your time with the above step, it's best when the masala is slowly cooked and oil clears the pan.
6. Slide in the pork and stir to coat the masala.  Cook on a low heat, the pork will cook in it's own water but if you find it difficult add some water about 1/2 cup and cook on low heat until pork is soft. 
7. After about 15 minutes make sure you stir the mixture well to avoid burning the masala.
8. Garnish with Curry leaves and serve.

Note:
1. The dish is pungent and have a concentrated flavor of coriander powder.  It pairs well with idiyappams, sannas, appam etc which have a sweet flavor.
2. This recipe is also my friend Jaya's.  Thank you!

Contributor: Sunitha
Recipe Courtesy: Jaya

Kappa/Tapioca Biryani-Ellu Kappa,Kanjirappally Style

Tweet

Can I say snow is falling like cats and dogs? Well, maybe it’s not the right usage of the phrase but you get the ideal. Therefore, am I wrong to be feeling lethargic? I think not, and I know you agree ;) It has been snowing and the mercury levels continue to drop.

I made this biryani a couple of weeks back, and was lucky enough to save a bowl full to take photographs. Once you taste this dish you will know why photographing it before the bowl is emptied is a challenge, believe me! It's so yum! My mouth is watering and running over just thinking about it. All this is if you like Tapioca. If you do, you will definitely fall in love.. This is a hot selling dish in "thattukada"/roadside dhabas these days. If you have seen the "No reservations"(featuring Kerala) by Anthony Bourdain, then you probably got to see this dish.



It is just wonderful even without any side dishes:-)





For Kappa/Tapioca:

Tapioca/kappa- 1 kg or 2 lbs
Turmeric- 1/4 tsp
Salt- to Tatste
Grated coconut-1/2 cup
Green Chillies- 2-3
Shallots- 2
Curry Leaves- 1 sprig

For Chicken/Meat Gravy:

Chicken/Meat of your choice,with bones- 1/2 kg / 1 lbs
Onion chopped finely- ~3 cups
Ginger paste- 1 Tbsp
Garlic paste - 1 1/2 tbsp
Salt- to taste
Turmeric- a big pinch
Red chilli powder- 2 tsp
Coriander powder- 1 Tbsp
Meat Masala- 2 tsp(a mixture of 5-6 black pepper corns, a small cinnamon stick, 2-3 cloves and one cardamom)
Curry Leaves- 1 sprig

Method:
For Tapioca/Kappa:

1.Peel off the skin from Tapioca and clean and cut it coarsely to get medium sized pieces.
2.Boil water, enough to cover the tapioca in a deep pan.Once it starts boil add the chopped tapioca pieces and cook with salt and a pinch of turmeric until it is done. The time varies from 5 minutes to 20 minutes once it starts boiling,depending on the variety of tapioca you use.So keep checking in between.
3.Meanwhile grind the coconut, chillies,turmeric and shallots coarsely.
4.Drain all the water once tapioca is cooked.
5.Throw in the ground ingredients and salt and mix well.Mash the tapioca pieces well while mixing.
6.Cover and cook on medium low heat for 3-4 minutes or until steam starts coming.

For Chicken/Meat:

1.Heat oil in a pan and saute the onions till they start to turn brown.
2.Throw in the ginger garlic and saute till the raw smell leaves.
3.Add the spice powders and saute for a couple of minutes.
4.Add the curry leaves and the chicken/meat pieces and mix well till the meat is coated with the masala.
5.Cook on low heat till the chicken/meat is done.The time depends on the meat you use.If you are using any meat other than chicken, you could do this process in a cooker and let 3 whistles come before you switch off the heat.

6.Mix this chicken/meat masala with the tapioca and serve warm.




Notes:

1.Traditionally we use the beef that is near to the bones for making this and the dish is called "Ellu kappa", which is literally translated to "bones n Tapioca".
2.To get that authentic taste, use the meat with bones and use coconut oil while cooking the meat.
3.You could add more chillies.I used less for the kids at home ;-)
4.You could serve a raita or mulaku chammanthi, if you need more spice.
5.You may want to start with cooking your meat first, since that takes longer time than tapioca.
6.Serves 3-4

Contributor: Namitha

Aval Varattiyathu/ Beaten rice cooked with coconut and jaggery

Tweet

How are you all? We have been erratic updating this site - being busy myself, and Sunitha moving to a new city.  Nevertheless, since blogging is a lot of fun for me, I wanted to share something that I made a while ago.  It’s a familiar food for most South Indians, and for me it is yet another food that brings back fond memories.  Nostalgia! 

Desserts after a main course is common but after a breakfast? Well, sure why not! Every breakfast party in Hindu-households in Kerala has one. Story of our culture: Every celebration in a family spans over a week even if there are no religious rituals to perform or ceremonies to conduct. You ask why? It is because we invite family and friends over who will stay over even if space is crammed and the noise can wake up the dead.

So then, if there are so many people then there must be a lot of women too right? Yes, and when women in the days got together what to they do? But of course, cook! Like all mothers, they will hang out in the kitchen and cook for the neighborhood. Cooking itself becomes a celebration.  To add to it being a vacation they treat every meal to become special. How they make all this happen?  On top of a carbohydrate rich idli breakfast they will serve beaten rice mixed with jaggery, spiced with ginger, all of it toggled together with a generous portion of sweet, toasted, aromatic coconut.  This aval varattiyathu smells like the food fit for gods.

  Aval Varattiyathu!  Serve it after a spicy breakfast of idli and sambar and the children who hate idli can skip the main course and relish the second.  For creating such an awesome recipe is why we love our mothers as much. My granny and mom continue to make heaps of this and store away for  weeks.  The family snacks on it with evening tea too.



A bite of nuts in between is awesome !



If you like jaggery and beaten rice, you must try this ;-)




Ingredients:

Jaggery- 200g/ 1cup grated
Aval/Poha/beaten rice- 2 cups
Coconut, grated-2 cups
Cardamom Powdered- 1 tsp
Cumin seeds-2 tsp
ginger powder- 1/4 tsp
Roasted pottukadala/kadalapparippu(optional)-3 Tbsp
Cashews(optional)- 3 Tbsp

Method:

1.Melt the jaggery after adding a couple of spoons of water and boiling it.Sieve out any dirt and continue to boil till it reaches one thread consistency.
2.Add the grated coconut and mix well. Continue to stir till all the water is absorbed from the coconut.(this step is crucial if you are planning to store your "varattiyathu" for a while.
3.Now add the aval and the spices and mix well. Also you could add the casgews and the kadalapparippu at this time(if you are adding any)
4.Switch off the heat and let it cool completely before you store this in an airtight container.
5.Serve with plantain or as it is.

Notes:

1.If the jaggery is more, sprinkle a spoon or two of granulated sugar and mix well. This will make it get dried faster.
2.If you wash the aval before using, let it dry completely before making this.

Contributor: Namitha