Cabbage Thoran ~ Stir Fried Cabbage

Cabbage stir fried with coconut, shallot, garlic, ginger and spices gives it a unique taste that is so good with cooked red rice.

Ingredients

3 cups - Cabbage, chopped

Coarsely grind

1/2 cup - Freshly grated coconut

1/4 tsp - Jeera / Cumin

3 to 4 - Green chili

A very small piece - Ginger

2 flakes - Garlic

1 big - Shallot

1 sprig - Curry leaves

Seasoning

1 tsp - Mustard seeds

5 to 6 big - Shallots, chopped

2 sprigs - Curry leaves

Method

1 ) Mix shredded and chopped cabbage with the coarsely ground coconut mixture. With hand mix in very well. Sprinkle salt to taste and mix with hand well.

2 ) Heat a kadai /wok with coconut oil, add mustard and pop it. Then add shallots and curry leaves and fry lightly. Then add the cabbage mixture and stir in. Close with a lid and cook on low heat for 4 to 5 minutes. In between just give a quick stir. Let the cabbage cook in it's steam. Do not over cook the cabbage. Let it have a bit of crunchiness. Take off the heat and serve.

This is my usual side dish with some kerala fish curry and rice.

Idichakka Thoran - Tender Jackfruit Stir Fry

When such traditional dishes are made, makes me think, if only i had the ammikallu. That would have made the pounding easy. I remember as a kid,my mother's kitchen well equipped with traditional gadgets like ammi kallu and like. But then later those gadget were replaced by modern gadget like mixie / grinder that made life easy in a city life. Though bit laborious in comparison to grinder to make a smooth paste of ingredients with ammi kallu, the taste that is got from ingredients pounded and ground in ammi kallu is not found in the modern grinder.
Coming to the recipe, very young and tender jackfruit is used to make this thoran. Applying oil liberally on hands and knife before cutting helps to prevent your hand and knife getting sticky from the gum inside the jackfruit. De-skin the jackfruit and then chop the jackfruit to small pieces. Once done with chopping, you can clean the knife clean, by placing it on fire and then wiping the knife with a newspaper.

Ingredients

3 cups - Chopped tender jackfruit

1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder

Few curry leaves

Coconut oil

Salt to taste

Grind coarsely

1/2 to 3/4 cup - Freshly grated coconut

1/2 tsp - Cumin / jeera seeds

4 - Green chili

6 big flakes - Garlic

2 - Shallots / small onion

A small piece - Ginger

Few curry leaves

Seasoning

1 tsp - Mustard seeds

1 tsp - Urad dal

2 - Whole dry red chili

1/3 cup - Shallots, chopped

Few curry leaves

Method

1 ) To a pan add 1.5 cup water, turmeric powder, salt to taste and bring to a boil. Add jackfruit pieces, little coconut oil and cook closed with a lid on simmer till jackfruit is cooked well. Once jack fruit pieces are cooked, increase heat and let all the water dry out. Cool and then you can add in little batches jack fruit into a blender/ grinder and pulse one or two times to get it crushed. Or you can use a mortar and a pestle to pound the jack fruit pieces lightly.

2 ) Heat a kadai /wok with coconut oil, add mustard seeds urad dal and let the mustard seeds pop. Then add dry chili and saute, then small onion and fry till lightly browned. Add curry leaves and the coarsely ground coconut mixture. Fry till the raw smell goes, then add jack fruit and mix in well. Stir and fry for a few minutes and take off the stove.

Serve with rice as a side dish.

Carrot Thoran / Upperi

Stir fry with fresh carrots, brings out a touch of sweetness of the carrot and then a spicy taste from the spices combined to make a good side dish to have with rice or roti. I always liked this upperi with rice and meen /fish curry. Easy to make, just leaving the part of cutting the carrots to small bits. It's simple in taste and easy to put together.

Ingredients

5 medium - Carrots, cleaned & cut to small pieces
1 medium - Red onion Or 6 to 7 big , shallots, diced
1/2 to 1 tsp - Red chili flakes
1/4 ts - Turmeric powder
1/4 cup - Freshly grated coconut
Coconut oil

Seasoning

1 to 2 tsp - Mustard seeds
2 to 3 sprigs - Curry leaves

Method

1 ) Heat oil in a kadai or a wok. Add mustard and let it pop. Then add carrot, onion, curry leaves, chili flakes, turmeric powder, salt to taste and stir in well to combine all the ingredients. Then sprinkle some water and close with a lid and cook on a very low heat till the carrot is cooked.

2 ) Add coconut and stir in. Add little coconut oil and fry for a minute to take off any moisture.

Serve hot with rice or roti.

Chana dal Cabbage Upperi

Some simple preparations are so delectable that you feel so satisfied by that simple meal. I found this combination of chana dal and cabbage along with coconut, shallots and seasoning very comforting to have with rice. Apart from being tasty, chana dal has a low glycemic index, which will keep the blood sugar level low.

Ingredients

1 medium size - Cabbage, shredded
1 cup - Chana dal / Kadalaparippu
1 cup - Freshly grated coconut
15 big - Shallots, diced
1 tbsp - Red chili flakes
1/4 tsp - Turmeric powder

Seasoning

1 tsp - Mustard seeds
4 sprigs - Curry leaves
Coconut oil

Method

1 ) Wash chana dal and soak in enough water for one hour. Then in little water cook chana dal till it is fully cooked, but should not get mashed up. Add salt to taste. Check dal while cooking, so that it doesn't get over cooked. Switch off stove and drain off excess water, if any and set aside. ( you can use this stock, when making any curry or use for this upperi itself if it needs any additional water )

2 ) In a big kadai / wok , heat oil, add mustard and let it pop on low heat. Add chili flakes, turmeric powder and stir for few seconds till it's fried. Add shallots and curry leaves. Stir and fry till shallots turn lightly brown in color. Add coconut, stir and fry for few seconds. Add salt to taste, then add cabbage, stir and cook till cabbage is almost fully cooked, but still retaining the crunchiness.

3 ) Add cooked chana dal and stir in well. On low flame cook covered for a few minutes. Add a little coconut oil, stir and fry for a few seconds. Switch off the stove and it's done.


Serve hot with rice or roti.

Wishing everyone a ' Happy Onam ' !

Vazhapoo / Banana Flower Thoran

I had no idea that banana flower could be cooked and is edible until the day i tasted this thoran cooked with it. It tasted so good and i wanted to have more of it. Deep purple in color with shades of pink to it, this flower's outer layers are discarded until you get a inner layer that does not have this deep color. Rather a pale colored inner layer is used for cooking. Discard till you reach that layer, then chop the flower in the center into two parts and then chop into small pieces. Immediately immerse chopped pieces in water, in which a little turmeric powder has been added. Wash well before using for cooking. keep immersed in water till you have to cook.

Ingredients

2 – Banana flower
1 cup – Chana dal
½ cup – Shallots chopped
½ cup – Freshly grated coconut
1.5 tsp to 2 tsp – Crushed chili flakes
½ tsp – Turmeric powder
Salt to taste

Seasoning

2 tsp – Mustard seeds
3 to 4 sprigs – Curry leaves.
Coconut oil

Method

1 ) Wash chana dal and soak in enough water for one hour. Then in little water cook chana dal till it is fully cooked, but should not get mashed up. Add salt to taste. Check dal while cooking, so that it doesn't get over cooked. Switch off stove and drain off excess water, if any.

2 ) Heat a pan with little coconut oil, add mustard seeds and pop it. Then add shallots, curry leaves and fry till shallots are very lightly browned. Now add chili flakes, turmeric powder and fry for a few seconds. Then add coconut and fry for a minute.

3 ) Squeeze out all the water from the banana flower and add to the pan. Stir and mix in well. Cook on low heat till the flower is cooked, stirring in between. Add salt to taste. Once the flower has cooked, add chana dal and mix in. On low heat cook stirring occasionally, till ingredients are mixed well and cooked. Adjust salt to taste. Turn off the stove and serve.

Serve hot with roti or steamed rice.

Koorkka Mezhukkupuratti / Stir Fry

This tuber produce is known as koorkka in Malayalam and if I am not wrong, known as Chinese potato that is available in asian stores. Now a days you get to see bigger sized koorkka, that are grown with fertilizers to make them bigger. Originally they were small in size and small ones tend to me more tasty.

Cleaning koorkka is bit tedious, if you have to clean a whole lot of them. After a long time, being back in India, I get to prepare some fresh koorkka. I had a bag full of koorkka to clean, which was covered with dirt. So I rinse off the dirt and just then get to know from my MIL that, putting these in a gunny bag, tying the bag loosely, then beat or toss the bag on a hard surface gently will help remove the skin off. Which really makes the hard part of cleaning so easy.

You don’t have to rinse the koorkka, if you are going to use gunny bag. Put it in dry. Take tossed koorkka out of the gunny bag and rinse off the dirt well. Scrap off any skin remaining on the koorkka.

Soak the cleaned koorkka in water, since oxidization will turn the koorkka brown. Another thing to keep in mind when cleaning koorkka is to use a gloves to avoid hands getting strained. Now this is a very simple recipe and the end result is a delicious koorkka mezhukkupuratti / stir fry.

Ingredients

4 cups – Koorkka, cleaned ( about 1 kilo )
2 tbsp - Garlic, coarsely crushed ( about 15 big flakes )
½ cup – Shallots, coarsely crushed
1 tbsp - Red chili flakes
¼ tsp – Turmeric powder
2.5 cup – Water
Salt to taste

Seasoning

1.5 to 2 tsp – Mustard seeds
3 to 4 sprigs – Curry leaves
3 tbsp – Coconut oil

Method

1 ) Quarter koorkka to small pieces. Use a mortar and pestle to crush garlic and shallots. Or chop very finely.

2 ) Heat a kadai or wok with 3 tbsp coconut oil, on medium heat. Add mustard seeds and pop it. Then add shallots, curry leaves and fry lightly for a second. Then add garlic and fry lightly just till garlic looses the raw smell. Don’t brown the garlic. Then add turmeric powder and chili flakes. Stir and fry till you get a good aroma of the powders fried on a low flame. Add salt to taste and stir in.

3 ) Add koorkka stir and mix in well. On medium heat, stir and fry for 2 to 3 minutes, so that the spices are infused into the koorkka. Then add 2.5 cups of water and bring to a boil. Lower the flame to the minimum. Cover with a tight lid and cook till koorkka is cooked and soft. Check in between to see if the koorkka is well cooked and soft. Once soft, take off the lid and dry off any excess water on high flame.

Serve as a side dish with rice or roti.

Ridge Gourd Thoran

A simple prepartion with ridge gourd, that is simple and delicious. The young and tender ridge gourd will make a good vegetable to cook with, but when allowed to reach it's maturity, this vegetable can be used during bath as a body scrubber, which will exfoliate the skin well.

To make this natural body scrubber, ridge gourd is allowed to mature and then let to dry in the vine of the plant.Once dry all that is left is the skeleton of the vegetable with seeds inside.To remove the seeds, top portion of the vegetable is cut off and seeds are removed.Then ridge gourd is washed well and soaked in water, which will make it soft.Then it is dried and is used as a scrubber.

Ingredients

2 to 3 medium size - Ridge gourd
1/4 to 1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
1/2 cup - Small onion / Shallots, chopped
3 to 4 - Green chili, slit in center
1/2 cup - Freshly grated coconut

Seasoning

1 tsp - Mustard seeds
2 to 3 sprigs - Curry leaves

Method

1 ) With a knife or a peeler, scrub off the hard ridges and then lightly scrub the skin of the ridge gourd. Then wash well and cut into small pieces.

2 ) Heat little oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and pop it. Then add curry leaves, then shallots, green chili and lightly fry them for a minute. Now add turmeric powder, stir a few seconds, then add coconut and fry for a minute on low heat.

3 ) Add ridge gourd, salt to taste and give a good stir. Mix all the ingredients well.Close with a tight lid and cook on a very low flame till ridge gourd is fully cooked. Ridge gourd will give out some water and will get cooked in that water. Once ridge gourd is cooked, open the lid, increase heat and cook, if there is excess water to be cooked away. Stir and cook till all the water is used up. Take off the stove once you get a dry thoran.

Serve as a side dish with rice.

Potato Upperi

A simple preparation with potato, which is easy to prepare and will be a good side dish with roti or rice.

Ingredients

3 big - Potatoes, cut to small pieces

Salt to taste

Seasoning

1 tsp - Mustard seeds

2 - Dry whole red chili, split into two

2 sprigs - Curry leaves

1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder

4 big - Shallots, chopped

4 - Green chili, chopped

Coconut oil

Method

1 ) Use a non-stick pan. Heat coconut oil, add mustard seeds and pop it. Then add curry leaves, red chili, turmeric powder and fry for few seconds. Then add green chili, onion and fry lightly. Sprinkle some salt ,this will make the onion brown faster. But for this recipe you don't have to fry the onion till it turns brown.

2 ) Add the potato pieces, stir, mix and fry for a few seconds. Now lower the heat to a low setting. Close with a tight lid and cook. Open the lid only to give a quick stir to the pieces so that it does not stick to the pan. If needed sprinkle little water and cook till the potatoes are fully cooked in its steam.

Serve hot as a side dish with roti.

Kadala Fry and "E For Excellent" Blog Award

This is a dry preparation with black chickpeas /kadala. This is a usual side dish, we have with kanji.

Ingredients

3 cups - Cooked kadala / black chickpeas

Seasoning

1 tsp - Mustard seeds

2 sprigs - Curry leaves

6 big flakes - Garlic, crushed

2 tsp - Red chili flakes

1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder

Salt to taste

Sesame oil

Method

1 ) Black chickpeas is soaked over night and then pressure cooked in enough water with little turmeric powder and salt to taste.

2 ) Heat a pan with oil, add mustard and pop. Then add curry leaves, garlic and fry on low heat. Just fry garlic till lightly brown, don't make it dark brown. Add chili flakes, turmeric powder and fry for second in the oil.

3 ) Add the cooked kadala and little gravy from the boiled kadala. Add salt to taste, close with a lid and cook on low heat. Once the kadala is cooked for few minutes in this masala, open the lid and cook till dry.

Serve as a side dish.

Now this is really flattering to get one after another awards and this time its from Kalai of "Samaithu paarkalaam", who has been generous with words and says " Her gorgeous pics would tempt a vegetarian to want to eat non-veg! I get the urge to try all of her recipes as soon as I read them...." these are very complimentary words, kalai. Thank you so much for this award.

This Blog is Rated "E" For Excellent

I admire the work of many fellow bloggers, for the excellent posts, pictures, information and also for their sense of humor. This award is to all the bloggers out there, but since i can select only a few of you, i am passing this award on to five blogger buddies - Asha of " Foodie's Hope", Kribha of " En samayal Pakkam", Richa of " As Dear As Salt", Sia of "Monsoon Spice", Sunita of "Sunita's World".

Vendaka Upperi

Vendaka as okra/lady's finger is known in malayalam is prepared as a mezhukkupuratti / upperi, which is like a stir fry. A simple preparation that makes a tasty side dish.

Ingredients

1/2 lb - Okra / lady's finger
2 to 3 - Green chili, slit in center
2 big - Shallots, diced
1/4 tsp - Turmeric powder
1/4 tsp - Black pepper powder
1 sprig - Curry leaf
Salt to taste
Coconut oil

Method

1 ) Wash and dry okra. Trim off the top and bottom. Cut to small pieces. Partially cook okra in microwave for 3 to 4 minutes. Place cut okra pieces in microwave safe bowl,cook for a minute. Stop and again cook for a minute...likewise for total of 3 to 4 minutes, stopping every minute. Pour little oil around okra and cook for a minute. By this time okra will be cooked.

2 ) In a kadai or wok, heat 1 to 2 tbsp oil on low heat. Add curry leaves, green chili and fry lightly. Then add shallots and fry lightly. Now add turmeric powder, then black pepper powder and salt to taste. Let the powders fry for a second then add okra, stir and mix well. Cook on low heat stirring and fry the okra till done.

Serve hot with rice.

Jackfruit Thoran

Jackfruit thoran made with unripe jackfruit. Got frozen jackfruit from the Indian store to make this thoran. The product came all the way from kerala, was not so fresh. But after cooking, the thoran tasted good. So if you can get some fresh ones, this thoran will be very delicious.

Ingredients

12 oz packet - Unripe jackfruit, shredded
1/4 tsp - Turmeric powder
salt to taste

Grind coarsely or Crush with mortar & pestle

1/4 cup - Fresh grated coconut
2 - Green chili
1 - Shallot ( medium size )
1 flake - Garlic ( optional )

Seasoning

1/2 tsp - Mustard seeds
1 sprig - Curry leaves

Method

1 ) Cook jackfruit with turmeric powder and salt to taste in little water. Cook covered with a lid on low heat.

2 ) Crush the ingredients listed, either grind coarsely in a blender or crush with a mortar & pestle.

3 ) Add crushed ingredients with cooked jackfruit and mix. Cover and cook for a minute or two on low heat. Take off the heat.

4 ) Season with mustard and curry leaves. Heat oil in a pan, pop mustard seeds and then add curry leaves. Pour over the jackfruit and mix.

Serve with rice as a side dish.

Chana Fry

Chana also know as garbanzo beans, chickpeas is full of health benefits. You can read the health benefits of this legume here.

Now this is a simple and mildly spiced chana fry. This can be a very good snack or as a side dish.

Ingredients

2 cups - Cooked chana or 1 tin of cooked Garbanzo beans

Seasoning

1 tsp - Mustard seeds
1 sprig - Curry leaves
1/4 tsp - Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp - Black pepper powder ( add more if you like it spicy and like peppery flavour )
1/4 cup - Freshly grated coconut

Salt to taste

Method

1 ) When using dry chana, soak chana overnight and pressure cook in 3-4 whistles . When using cooked & canned chana, drain all the water and wash well. Set aside.

2 ) Heat oil in a kadai or wok. Add mustard, then curry leaves, turmeric powder and black pepper powder. Fry for minute on low heat.

3 ) Add the cooked chana to the spices, stir and fry on low heat. Add grated coconut, stir and mix. Take off the stove and serve.

This same recipe is followed in making :
kadala (malayalam), kala chana ( Hindi )

In picture : Kadala / kala chana

Beans Thoran / Upperi - Seasoned French Beans

Thoran or Upperi as is called in Kerala is a dry preparation of different vegetables, which is seasoned with spices and garnished with coconut. Non-veg thoran with egg and fish are also prepared.

Ingredients

500 gm - French beans, chopped to a medium size
1 small - Onion, diced
1 to 2 tsp - crushed red chili powder
1/2 tsp -Turmeric powder
1/2 cup - Grated coconut
Salt to taste

Seasoning

1 tsp - Mustard seeds
Few curry leaves
oil

Method

1 ) In a kadai or wok heat oil and add mustard. After mustard pops, add curry leaves.

2 ) Add french beans, onion, crushed red chili powder, turmeric powder and salt to taste. Stir well and mix in the spices.

3 ) Sprinkle some water and close with a lid tightly and cook on a low heat.

4 ) When the beans is cooked, add the grated coconut and mix in well. Cook for 2 more minutes and take off stove.

Serve as a side dish with rice.

Also try making French beans like the Asparagus Thoran recipe.

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.

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.