Chakka /Jackfruit puzhukku

Jackfruit tree's are found a lot in Kerala and in abundance. The fruit is consumed ripe and unripe.It's seeds are also using in cooking. When ripe it's very sweet and delicious.In kerala,the ripe fruit is used to make sweet treats like, Chakka Pradaman (pudding /payasam), Chakka Varatti(Jackfruit jam)....etc.
Unripe jackfruit is cooked as a vegetable.Chakka puzhukku is one way of preparing unripe jackfruit. Jackfruit is known as Chakka in malayalam.



Ingredients

250 gm - Unripe raw jack fruit pieces
1/4 tsp - Red chilli powder
1/4 tsp - Turmeric powder
salt

Coarsely grind
1/2 cup - Grated coconut
1 - Green chilli
1 - Shallot
1/4 tsp - Jeera / Cumin
Small piece of ginger

Seasoning
1 tsp - Mustard
Curry leaves

Method

1 ) Cook jackfruit pieces in water with red chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt till done. Mash a bit of the cooked jackfruit with spoon.
2 ) Add the coarsely ground ingredients to the cooked jackfruit. Mix well and add some water to loosen up the mixture. Add salt as required.Cook for 2 minutes.
3 ) Season with mustard and curry leaves.

Serve as a side dish with rice.

Vellarikka / Cucumber Pachadi

Ingredients

Vellarikka or Cucumber / English cucumber
To grind to a paste

3- Green chili

small piece - Ginger
1/2 tsp - Mustard
1 cup - Grated Coconut
2 cups - Thick creamy yogurt (medium sour)
Salt to taste

Seasoning

1 tsp - Mustard
Curry leaves
2- whole dry red chili
Oil

Method
1 ) Peel the skin & remove seeds off the cucumber and cut into small pieces.

2 ) Cook cucumber with one to two table spoon of water and salt, covered on a low heat, till cucumber is cooked. Take off the stove. Drain off any excess water.

3 ) Grind coconut, ginger & green chili. Then add mustard and pulse for two to three times. Add little yogurt to grind to a smooth paste. Whip rest of the yogurt and set aside.

4 ) Add the ground mixture to the cooked cucumber, place on stove and just bring to a boil. Take off stove and cool.

5 ) Add whipped yogurt to the cooled cucumber pachadi and mix well. Adjust salt to taste.

6 ) Season with mustard, curry leaves and whole red chili.

Cucumber pachadi is mild in spices and not very spicy. Serve it as a side dish with rice.Yogurt made with whole milk, with all the cream, gives a delicious creamy taste to this dish. This will make a good addition to Onam sadhya.

Nenthra Kaya & Pazham Recipes

Nenthra Kaya as is known in Malayalam, is the raw green plantain. Good source of fibre, potassium, vitamin C, contains no cholesterol and is low in sodium.
The raw plantain is cooked as a vegetable, which is very nutritious. Here is a simple recipe.

Nenthra Kaya Mezhukkupuratti / Upperi - Raw Plantain fry

Ingredients

3 - Raw plantain, cut into 3 parts & chop lengthwise with skin
5 - Green chili, slit in center
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
Curry leaves
3 tbsp - Coconut oil
1 cup - water
Salt

Method

1 ) In a pan pour water,add the chopped plantains,turmeric powder,green chili,curry leaves and salt. Cook till plantains are well cooked and all the water is absorbed.
2 ) Add coconut oil and stir.
Serve as a side dish.

When the plantains becomes ripe, then sweet treats can be made of it. Here is a popular snack recipe.

Pazham Pori - Ripe Plantain Fritters

Ingredients

4 - Ripe plantains
1 cup - maida / all purpose flour
1/4 cup - rice flour
3 tbsp - sugar
a pinch of turmeric powder or saffron if you have some
a pinch of salt
oil to fry

Method

1) Peel the skin off the ripe plantain and cut into two parts. Then cut each part into 3- 4 slices,lengthwise.
2 )Mix maida, rice powder(to make it crispy) sugar, turmeric powder and salt. Make a thick batter.
3) Heat oil in a deep frying pan. Dip the sliced plantains in the batter and deep fry till golden brown in colour.

Serve with evening tea.......Its a very popular snack in kerala.

Murungakai ulli Sambar - Drumstick & Shallot Sambar

Kerala style spicy and delicious Murungakai ulli Sambar - Drumstick and shallot sambar
Ingredients

1 cup - Tuvar dal
2 - Drumstick chopped
10 - shallots ( do not chop- cook as whole)
2 - Tomatoes, cut into 4 pieces
2 - green chilli, slit in center
lime size - Tamarind
one bunch coriander leaves, washed and chopped
Salt

Sambar masala ingredients

1/2 cup - grated coconut
1 tsp - urad dal
1 tsp - channa dal
1 tsp - cumin /jeera
1/2 tsp - fenugreek seeds/ methi
1/2 tsp - asafoetida / hing
4 - pepper corns
2 - garlic flakes chopped
6 - curry leaves
1 tsp - red chilli powder
1/2 tsp - turmeric powder
4 tsp - coriander powder
Sesame oil

Seasoning

1 tsp - mustard seeds
3 whole red chilli
curry leaves

Method

1 ) Cook one cup tuvar dal in enough water. When the dal is half cooked add drumstick,shallots tomatoes,green chilli and salt. Cook till dal and vegetables are well cooked.

2 ) Extract tamarind juice and add to cooked dal and vegetables. Add chopped coriander leaves.

3 ) Meanwhile in a nonstick pan, heat sesame oil, add urad dal,channa dal, jeera, fenugreek,pepper corn,asafoetida , fry for 2 minutes. Cook on low heat.Then add garlic, curry leaves, grated coconut and fry till coconut is light brown in color. Now add chilli powder,turmeric powder and coriander powder. Fry for 2 minutes and take off stove. Cool and grind to a smooth paste.

4 ) Add the ground masala to the cooked dal and vegetables. Add water to get a curry consistency. Add salt as required.

5 ) Season with mustard, red chilli and curry leaves.

Different vegetables can be used to make sambar. The sambar masala ingredients being the same. Coconut gives sambar a delicious taste.There are different ways of making sambar..this is my way. A tasty and nutritious pure vegetarian south Indian dish.

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.

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.

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.

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.