Mutton Varutharacha Curry

This is a Varutharacha mutton curry preparation, where the masala ingredients are dry roasted and then ground to a smooth paste. More of a nadan (country) style cooking.

Ingredients

500 gm - Mutton / Aattirachi / Goat meat
2 to 3 - Green chili, slit in center
2 inch piece - Ginger, chopped

2 medium - Potato, quartered

1 medium - Tomato, chopped
1 sprig - Curry leaves

Salt to taste

To dry roast

1 cup - Grated coconut

2 - Cinnamon sticks
4 - Cloves
1 tsp - Fennel seeds / Perumjeerakam

1 - shallot, chopped
3 tbsp - Coriander powder
1 tsp - Red chili powder
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder

Seasoning

1/4 cup - Coconut bits ( Thenga kothu )
5- 6 - Shallots, chopped

2 sprigs - Curry leaves

Method

1 ) Pressure cook mutton along with green chili, ginger, potato, tomato and curry leaves. Add 1.5 cup water to cook and add salt to taste.

2 ) Meanwhile, in a pan dry roast grated coconut along with cinnamon, clove, fennel seeds and shallots on a low heat, till coconut turns to a light brown color. A little coconut oil can be used, but is optional. Add other ingredients listed, and stir till the masala powders turn a deep colour.

3 ) Cool the roasted mixture and then add to a blender and grind to a smooth paste with water.

4) Add the ground paste to the cooked mutton. Add more water if necessary to get a thick gravy. Adjust salt to taste.

5 ) Heat oil in a pan; add shallots and fry to a light brown color. Add coconut bits and curry leaves. Fry coconut bits lightly. Add this seasoning to the curry and take off the stove.

Serve hot with rice and papadam. Goes well with roti or porotta

Potato Ishtoo / Stew

This potato ishtoo is one of my favourites to go along with puttu, appam and idiappam. Cinnamon and cloves gives this ishtoo an aromatic flavour and Coconut milk enriches it.

Ingredients

2 big - Potatoes, quartered
1/2 of a medium size -Onion, chopped
2 - Jalapeno chili pepper Or 4 - green chili, slit in center
1 to 2 inch piece - Ginger, chopped
1 medium size - Tomato, chopped
2 to 3 sprigs - Curry leaves
1 stick - Cinnamon
4 to 6 - Cloves
1 whole - Grated coconut, to extract coconut milk
4 - Hard boiled eggs, cut into two ( Optional )

Garnishing

1/2 cup - Onion chopped, fry in oil to a light brown color
Coconut oil

Method

1 ) Extract coconut milk - In a blender/ grinder, grind grated coconut with little water and then extract the first thick coconut milk. Keep aside for final garnish.

• Make second extraction with same ground coconut. Pour 1.5 cup water and make second extraction.
• Make a third extraction with 1.5 cup water.

With one whole coconut, you will get a very rich gravy. You can use half of one whole coconut too for the above ingredient proportion. Use less water in extraction.

2) Heat little oil in a sauce pan, add cinnamon, cloves and curry leaves to the pan. Add onion, saute till onions become soft. Then add chili and ginger.

3 ) Pour the 3rd extracted coconut milk. Add potato, salt to taste and cook till potato is fully cooked. Don't over cook the potatoes.

4 ) Add tomato and the 2nd extracted milk. Bring to a boil and simmer. Adjust salt to taste. Add boiled eggs and simmer for 2 minutes.

Finally add the thick 1st extracted coconut milk and take off the stove. Garnish with some onions fried to light brown color.

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Serve with Appam, idiappam, puttu or neipathiri.

Tip

• If the gravy is watery when using half of a coconut, then mix little rice flour in water and add to the gravy. This will thicken the gravy.
• Mixed vegetable ishtoo / stew also can be made in the same manner, cooking other vegetables( peas, carrot, french beans ) along with potato.
• You can use canned coconut milk instead of extracting coconut milk. You will need one can of coconut milk. Dilute half of the coconut milk with water and use as 2nd extract. Use thick coconut milk as 1 st extract.Cook vegetables in water.

Kootu Curry

This kootu kari /curry is made with black chickpeas and vegetables. Yam/suran, unripe plantain are used as the vegetables, but i have made with just yam and black chickpeas. Coconut ground with other ingredients makes a good gravy and adds to the taste of this curry.

Ingredients

2 cups - Black chickpeas / Kadala / kala chana, cooked
1 cup - Yam / Suran, chopped
Salt to taste

Dry roast

1/2 tsp - Red chili powder
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder

Grind to paste

1 cup - Grated Coconut , dry roast to light brown colour
1/2 tsp - Cumin seeds / jeera
2 - Shallots / small onions

Seasoning

1 tsp - Mustard seeds
2 - Dry whole red chili
2 sprigs - Curry leaves

Method

1 ) Cook suran in water with roasted red chili and turmeric powder.The vegetable should very well cooked. Add cooked kadala and salt to taste.

2 ) Add the ground coconut mixture, mix with the cooked vegetable and kadala. Add enough water for gravy and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

3 ) Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and pop it. Then add dry chili and curry leaves. Season the kootu curry with this.



Serve hot with rice. This will make a good addition to Onam sadhya.