Mullangi Paruppu curry - Radish with Toor dal curry

I wanted to experiment today with white radish and tuvar dal. Was not sure how it will turn out.
But then it turned out good. Use white radish when cooking this curry. I am not sure how the red skinned radish will taste.Mullangi is the Malayalam name for radish. I used Coconut oil....that gave out a good aroma and flavor of the coconut.

Ingredients

1 cup - Tuvar dal/toor dal or Masoor dal
2 cups - Chopped Mullangi/white radish
3 - Green chilli slit in center
1 inch - ginger chopped
1 - Tomato chopped
1 tsp - Crushed red chilli powder
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
Salt to taste

Seasoning

1tsp - Mustard seeds
2 - Shallots chopped
Curry leaves
Coconut oil

Method

1 ) Cook tuvar dal in enough water with turmeric powder, crushed red chilli powder, green chilli, ginger , tomato and salt.
2 ) When tuvar dal is half cooked add the chopped radish and cook till radish is well cooked with tuvar dal. When cooking with masoor dal, cook radish along with dal, since masoor dal cooks fast.
3 ) Now season with mustard, shallots and curry leaves in coconut oil
Serve with rice or chapathi.

This is a simple curry....... tastes really good. Give it a try.

Fish cutlets

Fresh mackerel is the best.When using fresh fish, cook fish with little turmeric powder and salt.Then debone and shred the meat well for cutlet. Other fish to try with are Tuna and Salmon.

Ingredients

4 - Fresh mackerel ( or use Canned Tuna - 2 cans or Salmon - 1 can
or Canned mackerel - 1 can )
3 medium size - Potato baked or boiled
1 - Onion finely chopped
4 - Green Chilly finely chopped
1 inch - Ginger finely chopped
5 to 6 - Curry leaves finely chopped
1/2 tsp -Turmeric powder
2 - beaten Egg with a pinch of salt
1 cup - Bread Crumbs
Salt to taste

Oil for deep frying

Method

1 ) When using fresh fish,cook fish with little turmeric powder and salt.Then debone and shred the meat well for cutlet.

2) In a nonstick pan fry Onion, Green Chillies, Ginger and curry leaves until light brown. Take off stove and set aside to cool. Mash the baked or boiled potatoes.

3 ) Now take the fish, which is deboned and shredded and mix with the mashed potato.

Add the fried onion,chilli,ginger and curry leaves and mix well. Add salt to taste.

4 ) Take small portions and shape into oval cutlets. Dip them in beaten egg and then roll them in bread crumbs. Deep fry in oil until golden brown or cook on both sides in nonstick pan with less oil.

Serve with Tomato Ketchup. This is a good snack for evening tea or can make a sandwich with toasted bread or as a fish burger using the cutlets between the buns.

To make bread crumbs

In a oven, broil bread slices till crisp and golden brown. Then powder it in a blender.

Pavakka - Bitter gourd recipes

Bitter gourd is a nutritious vegetable.
Rich in vitamins and minerals, especially
vitamins A, B1, B2, C , beta-carotene, potassium and iron. It's got medicinal value and helps in reducing blood sugar.
Pavakka is the malayalam name for bitter gourd.

Here are some recipes to try out with bitter gourd.

Pavakka Pachadi - Bitter gourd in yogurt

Ingredients

250 gm -Pavakka

Grind to a paste
3 - Green chilli
Coconut - 1 cup
Mustard -1/2 teaspoon
Curd/ yogurt (medium sour)-2cup

Seasoning
1 tsp - Mustard
Curry leaves
Oil
Salt

Method

1 ) Wash and chop pavakka into small pieces.Deep fry pavakka in oil till light brown in colour or in a non-stick pan you can fry pavakka with little oil till it is light brown in colour.

2 ) Grind coconut, mustard and green chilli first. Then add curds, salt and grind to a smooth paste.

3 ) Add to the pavakka and warm in a very low heat.(don't boil it). Take off stove before it boils. Now season with mustard ,curry leaves and dry red chilli.

Serve with rice. The bitterness is reduced when pavakka is fried.

Pavakka Pulli Curry -Bitter gourd tamarind curry

Ingredients

250 gm - Pavakka
1- Onion cut into small pieces
lime size - Tamarind
1 cup - Coconut
1 inch piece - ginger
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
1.5 tsp - Coriander powder
1/2 tsp - chilli powder salt

Seasoning

1 tsp - Mustard seeds
Curry leaves
Oil
Salt

Method

1 ) Wash & cut pavakka into small pieces. Cook pavakka in tamarind water with onion and chopped ginger.

2 ) Fry or dry roast coconut to light brown, then add turmeric,coriander & chilli powder and fry for one minute.

3 ) Grind the coconut and powders with water to a smooth paste. Add this mixture to cooked pavakka.
When the gravy thickens, season with mustard & curry leaves and pour into the curry.
Serve this with rice.This curry is tangy from the tamarind and a dash of bitterness from the pavakka.

Pavakka Thoran - Bitter gourd fry


Ingredients

250 gm - Pavakka ( cut into small pieces)
10 flakes - garlic ( crush garlic)
5 - shallots (diced)
1.5 tsp - crushed chilli powder
1/2 tsp - turmeric powder
Curry leaves
Salt
Oil

Method
1 ) In a non-stick pan heat oil and add curry leaves. Then add the diced shallots and fry till light brown.

2 ) Add the crushed garlic and stir till the raw smell goes. Add crushed red chilli powder, Turmeric and salt. Stir and add pavakka. Stir and mix in the masala well.

3 ) Reduce heat to a very low simmer and cook the pavakka on low heat. Cover with a tight lid. Check in between to see if pavakka is cooked, give a stir. Add a little more oil and fry the pavakka. Serve with rice or chapathi as side dish.

Tip : Use moderate salt in pavakka recipes.....with the bitterness of the pavakka,too much of salt can mess up the dish.

Cherupayar kaya Erissery - Green gram dal with plantain curry

Green gram dal is a good source of protein and a healthy nutritious food.On the other hand plantain contains energy-giving fructose (low on the glycemic index), and good source of dietary fiber. Here is a delicious recipe made with whole green gram dal and plantain.


Ingredients

One raw plantain cut into small pieces
2 cups -Green gram dal
1 tsp - Red chili powder
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
Salt to taste

Grind to a paste

1/2 cup - Grated coconut
1 tsp - Jeera
1 - Shallot /small onion
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
1 tsp - Red chili powder

Seasoning

1 tbsp - Mustard seeds
3 - Shallots, diced
2 sprigs - Curry leaves
3 - Whole red chili

Method

1 ) In a pot cook green gram dal and plantain in enough water with red chili powder, turmeric powder and salt. Otherwise you can pressure cook these ingredients. In 4 cups water pressure cook. After the first whistle, lower heat and cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Open cooker after cooling down.

2 ) Grind the ingredients listed to be ground to a smooth paste and add to the cooked green gram dal. Add more water to get a curry consistency. Check salt and adjust as required. Bring the curry to a boil and turn off the stove.

3 ) Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and pop it. Then add shallot, curry leaves and whole red chilli. Season the curry with this seasoning.
Serve with rice or puttu.

Meen Porichathu - Fish Fry (Kerala style)

Simple basic Fish fry recipe

Ingredients

2 - Fish (Any fresh fish cut into desired size pieces)
4 tsp - red chili powder
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
Salt as per taste
Oil

Method

Make a thin paste of red chili powder,turmeric powder and salt with little water. Apply to the fish pieces and marinate for 15 minutes.

Heat oil in a pan.....add the fish pieces and fry on both sides till done.

Variation to the marinating paste

To the given above basic ingredients....

1) add 1-tsp pepper powder.This has a peppery flavour.

2) add garlic salt or garlic - ginger paste

3) add garlic,ginger,green chili and curry leave paste

4) add lemon or vinegar

5) roll the pieces on some rawa and fry

6) roll in some rice flour and fry

Unakka Meen fry (Sun dried fish)

These are fish dried in sun with lots of salt as a preservative.
So you have to wash the fish well to take off the excess salt. Clean and wash the fish well 2 times. There is no need to add salt while cooking this type of fish.

Ingredients

Unakka meen (sun dried fish)
2 tsp- red chili powder
1/2 tsp - turmeric powder
Oil

Method

1 ) Make a paste of red chili powder and turmeric powder with little water. Apply on the fish.

2 ) Heat oil in a pan and fry the fish pieces on both sides, till crisp.

Goes well with kanji ( Rice porridge)

Naadan Crab Fry

With a naadan taste, this crab fry is delicious and succulent.

Ingredients

6- Fresh crab
2 tsp - Chilly powder
1/4 tsp - Turmeric powder
5 - Sliced Shallots
2 - Sliced green Chili
1" piece - Crushed Ginger
Curry leaves
Salt to taste
Coconut oil is the best....or Sesame oil

Method

1) Heat oil in a pan, add green chili, ginger, sliced shallots and curry leaves. Fry lightly and then add red chili powder, turmeric powder. Stir for a minute.

2 )Add cleaned crab and mix in with the masala. Add salt to taste. Cover the pan with a tight lid and cook on a low heat for 5 minutes. Crab will cook in its juice.Check on the crab, to see if it's cooked. Add more oil and fry the crab.

Serve with rice or chapathi.

This is a simple recipe. The crab i prefer to cook with, has a blue coloration on its legs...Mostly available in asian markets. These crabs taste the best.

Erachi Ishtu - Mutton Stew

Ingredients

500 gm - Mutton cubes with bones
8 - Green chili, slit in center
1 inch piece - Ginger ( chopped)
2 - Cinnamon stick
4 - Cloves
1 - Potatoes, cubed
1 tsp - whole pepper corns
1 - medium size onion sliced
2 to 3 sprigs - Curry leaves
One full coconut freshly grated or one can of coconut milk
salt to taste
oil

Method

1) Extract Coconut milk from the grated Coconut 3 times. First extract coconut milk with 1/2 a cup of water. Keep the first extracted thick milk for final garnish. Extract 2nd milk with 1.5 cup of water and keep aside. Extract third time with 1 cup water. Use third extract to cook the mutton in.

2)Pressure cook mutton in 3 rd extracted coconut milk, along with Potato, green chili, ginger, cinnamon, clove and salt to taste.

3)Now add the 2nd extracted coconut milk to the mutton and cook to a boil.

4) In another pan heat oil and saute onion, curry leaves, peppercorns. Fry onion till brown. Add this garnish to the mutton. Check the salt and adjust seasoning as required. Finally add the 1st extracted coconut milk and take off the stove.

Serve with Appam or puttu or ghee rice.

When using coconut milk in a can - Instead of extracted coconut milk, follow the same method. But add one cup of water instead of 3rd extract of coconut milk to cook the mutton. Then add one can of coconut milk and cook to boil. Garnish with onion, curry leaves and peppercorns.

Parval Sabzi

Parval - Pointed gourd,a Small cucumber like vegetable.
This vegetable is new to me.... i had no idea what it was.
I came up with this recipe and it turned out well. Now i am hooked on to it.

Ingredients

350 gm - Parval, cut length wise
6 big flakes - Garlic, crushed and minced
1 tsp - Crushed red chili powder
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
1 sprig - Curry leaves
Sesame oil
Salt to taste

Method

1 ) Heat oil in a nonstick pan, add garlic and curry leaves. Fry garlic for a minute, then add chili powder and turmeric powder.
2) Add cut parval, salt to taste and little water. Close with a tight lid and cook on low heat. Sprinkle more water if necessary. Cook till parval is cooked.

Serve with chapati.

Kovakka Thoran

Talking about kovakka it's got a low glycemic index and is low in calories.
Also called tindora, kundri, kundru, kowai, kovai, tindla, gentleman's toes (compare lady's fingers), thainli or ivy gourd, is a tropical vine grown for its small edible fruits. May be eaten immature and green, or mature and deep red. (source: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Kovakka Thoran

Kovakka- Cut lengthwise into strips.

5 to 6 big - Shallots, diced

Coarsely grind

1/2 Cup - Grated coconut
1/2 tsp - Crushed red chili flakes
1/4 tsp - Turmeric powder
3 medium size - Shallots, diced

1/2 tsp - Jeera seeds / Cumin seeds

Seasoning

1 tsp - Mustard seeds
1 sprig - Curry leaves
Sesame oil as required
Salt to taste

Method

1 ) In a nonstick pan heat oil, add mustard. After the mustard pops, add curry leaves and shallots. Fry shallots lightly. Then add cut kovakka, salt to taste, stir and mix. Sprinkle some water on the kovakka. Put a tight lid on the pan and cook on a very slow heat for 2 to 3 mintues, till kovakka is cooked.

2 ) Add coarsely ground ingredients and mix in. Close with lid and cook for a minute. Then open the lid, stir and fry for a minute.

Serve with rice or chapathi.

Green Papaya Curry

Green, unripe papaya is used in Indian cooking to make stir fries or curries. In Kerala itself , this fruit has many names, like karamoosa, kappalanga, ommaka, kappanga, koppakka and so. This is how my mom cooked papaya curry and goes so well with rice.

Ingredients

1 - Medium size unripe papaya

1/2 tsp - Red chilly powder

1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
1.5 cup - Water

salt to taste

Make a paste of the following ingredients

1 cup - Grated coconut

3 big flakes - Garlic

1/4 tsp - Jeera

1/2 tsp - Red chili powder

1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder

Seasoning

1 tsp - mustard

3 - Shallots, diced

2 sprigs - Curry leaves

Coconut oil or sesame oil

Method:

1 ) Peel the skin and cut the papaya into small cubes.

In a vessel add the diced papaya, chili powder, turmeric powder, salt to taste, water and cook till the papaya is well cooked. Mash a little of the cooked papaya.

2 ) Now add the ground paste and mix in with the papaya. Add more water and making it a curry consistency. Adjust salt to taste. Bring to a boil and take off the stove.

3 ) Season with mustard, shallots and curry leaves.

Goes very well with rice.

Collard greens with Channa dal

Ingredients

Collard green - 1 bunch (cut into small stripes)
Channa dal - 1 cup
Turmeric powder -1/2 tsp spoon
Green chilli - 4
Salt

Seasoning

Mustard - 1 tbsp
Shallots -3 diced
curry leaves
jeera -1 tsp
hing /Asafoetida- 2 pinches
whole red chili-3
Sesame oil -2 tbs

Method

1 ) Cook Channa dal with turmeric, green chilly and salt till semi cooked. Add collard greens and cook till well cooked.
2 ) Now season with mustard,jeera, asafoetida,whole red chilly and the diced shallots(fry shallots till brown). Add to the cooked Channa dal and collard green.
Serve with rice or chapati.


Collard greens with Masoor dal

Follow the same procedure as above. Instead of channa dal, use one cup masoor dal. Cook masoor dal and collard green together. Since cooking time for masoor dal is less.


More recipes on collard greens

Collard greens thoran

Pineapple Pulissery

Ingredients
2 cups - Pineapple cut into pieces
2 - Green chili
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
1 cup - Yogurt / Curds
Salt to taste
Grind to Paste

1 cup - Grated coconut ( fresh )
1/2 tsp - Jeera / cumin seeds
2 - Green chili

For seasoning

1 tsp - Mustard
4 - whole red chili
1/4 tsp - Fenugreek seeds / methi
Curry leaves
Coconut oil

Method:
1 ) Boil pineapple with 2 green chili, turmeric powder and salt.

2 ) Grind and make a paste of coconut, jeera, 2 green chili, 2 - 3 curry leaves with little water.
3 ) Add to the cooked pineapple. Also add whipped yogurt, mix well and bring to a boil. Cook for a minute. Take off stove.

4 ) For seasoning - heat oil in a pan, add mustard. When it pops, add fenugreek seeds, whole red chili and curry leaves. Add to the pulissery.

Serve as a side dish with rice.

Avial

Ingredients Vegetables likes Raw banana, white pumpkin,drumstick,carrots,beans,chena(yam) string beans.
2 -green chili
1/2 tsp - red chili powder
1/4 tsp - turmeric powder
Grind Coarsely
1 cup - freshly grated coconut
1/2 tsp - Jeera / cumin
1 - shallot / small onion
2 - green chili
Small piece - ginger
5 tsp - yogurt / curds
2 sprigs - curry leaves
2 tsp - coconut oil
salt to taste
Method
1 ) Cut vegetables to small pieces in equal proportion. Cook vegetables with turmeric powder, red chili powder, 2 green chili, salt and little water.

2 ) Grind coarsely coconut, jeera, small onion, ginger, 2 green chili and curry leaves. Grind lightly(don't make a paste) Add this mixture to the cooked vegetables and mix in well.

3 ) Add curds and little coconut oil. Adjust salt as to taste and take off the stove

This is a dry Avial...not much gravy in it. This will make a good addition to Onam sadhya.

Asparagus Thoran

Ingredients

One bunch of asparagus

To grind coarsely

3- whole red chilli
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp - jeera
1- shallots/small onion
4 tbsp - of grated coconut

Seasoning

1 tsp - mustard seeds
curry leaves
salt

Method:
1 ) Cut asparagus into small pieces.
2 ) In a blender grind coarsely grated coconut,jeera,shallots, red chilli and turmeric powder.
3 ) Heat a nonstick pan, add oil and season with mustard and curry leaves. Add cut asparagus and stir and cook for 2 minutes covered tightly on low heat.
4 ) Then add the Coarsely ground coconut mixture and salt. Sprinkle some water. Cover and cook till asparagus is tender.

This is a delicious recipe which i love to make often.

Prawns fry

Ingredients

1 lb -Prawns
1.5 tsp - chili powder
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
1 big - Kodumpuli, soaked in water
2 to 3 sprig - Curry leaves
1/4 cup - Coconut, chopped to small pieces
Coconut oil
Salt to taste

To chop finely

2 - Green chili
5 - Shallots

To crush

1 '' piece - Ginger
6 big flakes - Garlic

Method

1 ) Marinate prawns with red chili powder, turmeric and salt to taste for 5 to 10 minutes.

2 ) Heat oil in a pan, add coconut pieces, curry leaves and fry lightly. Then add chopped ingredients and fry till shallot is light brown in color. Add crushed garlic and ginger and fry lightly.

3 ) Add marinated prawns and kudampuli , stir and cook prawns covered with a lid till the prawns is cooked on a low heat for 5 minutes. Prawns will get cooked in its juices. Now open the lid and dry off the excess water. Add little more coconut oil and fry the prawns till dry.

Serve this hot and spicy prawns with chapati / roti.

Warm Welcome

The art and magic of a perfect mouth-watering recipe, lies in it's blend of different spices used in correct proportion and combination. I have a passion for spicy food and here in this blog you will see some of my favourite recipes. Some of them are traditional kerala recipes on which i grew up.