SuvaiArusuvai - Veg Recipes of India

 Kerala - God's own county has its own delicacies I have tasted, tried and tested a few and have shared them here.  Pacha Manga chammandhi Keerai Molagootal Aviyal Kerala Appam with Chutney Lemon Pickle Kerala Style Inji Thayir Parippu Curry Cochin Masala Powder Drumstick Soup - Kerala Style Puliyitta Keerai Stuffed Tender Mango Pickle Venthiya Manga Erissery Uppu Manga Spicy Mango Pickle without oil Appam Recipe for Chammandi Kerala Style Potato Curry Mango Morkozhambu

 In Kerala Chutney is called as Chammandi and one of the native dishes is this Mango Chutney or Manga Chammandi, the tangy and spicy chutney goes well with idly, dosa, chappati or even rice.  I prefer using Kili mookku manga for this recipe though any vareity of mango can be used.  Ingredients: Raw Mango - Medium sized 1 Grated coconut - 1/2 cup Ginger - 1/2 inch piece Red chilly - 1 no Green chilly - 2 nos Oil - 1 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Salt to taste Method: The chutney needs to be thick like that of the thogayals of Tamilnadu. Wash and chop the mangoes to small pieces (Can be made after peeling the skin too). Grind it to a coarse consistency along with grated coconut, ginger and green chilly. Add the salt finally and add the salt and adjust it. Do not add water. The water in the mango is sufficient enough for the chammandi.  Heat tadka pan and add oil and mustard seeds. Once it splutters add it to the chammandi.  Though tadka is optional we love to add it as it gives a flavour

 A typical Palakad recipe this Keerai Molagoottal is one mouth watering dish from Kerala Tamilnadu border. One of the major Keerai used is Molai Keerai though this can be made using Arai Keerai or Paruppu Keerai or Thandu Keerai or even Palak. This is not the typical Keerai kootu but a slight variation.  Ingredients: 2 bunches of spinach - cleaned and chopped (which comes upto 4 to 6 cups) Thuvar dal - 1/2 cup Salt - 1 tbsp Turmeric Powder - 1.2 tsp Oil - 2 tbsp Urad dal (whole) - 2 tbsp Red chilly - 4 nos Grated coconut - 1/4 cup Cumin seeds - 1 tsp Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Hing - 1/2 tsp Urad dal split - 1 tbsp Method: Pressure cook dal with turmeric powder for 6 whistles and mash it well.  In a pan add 1 spoon of oil and saute the urad dal, red chilly and cumin seeds. Once the dal turns golden brown transfer it to a dry plate and let it cool. Once cool add the coconut to it and grind it to a fine paste.  Pressure cook the spinach along with 1/2 tbsp of salt and mash well. Add the groun

 A dish that is common to Tamil, Kerala and Udupi cuisine, it does have variations according to the cuisine. A mixture of vegetables enriched with ground coconut and seasoned with coconut oil, this dish is quite similar to the mixed veg kootu. Aviyal is a very essential part of Kerala vegetarian Sadaya.  Many think that it is a very tough dish to make, thinking of the different vegetables that you have to add to the dish, but in reality it is quite easy to make. Aviyal can be made in semi solid or super solid or liquid form. Every house hold has its own taste and vareity in making this aviyal. In marriages mostly it is made is super solid form so that it becomes a side dish. The semi solid or the liquid form can be mixed with rice or can be had with adai or pesarattu.  Raw Banana, Potato and Carrot, if added in a bit excess quantity than the other veggies definitely give an enhanced taste. My mom makes it in liquid form and mil makes it in semi solid form and I make it in both ways as

Ingredients; raw rice 2cups doppi rice 2cups  sugar 1teasp yeast 1teasp,salt Method: For the next day breakfast, soak the rice previous day afternoon & grind it nicely.in the night take half up of lukewarm water &add the yeast & sugar &mix thouroghly,close it & keep this for 1/2 hour so that this will ferment. after that mix this with the batter and stir it well. add the salt also.keep this over the night at room temp.the next day it will get ready. if u want to add little water add .take an appachatty ( nonstick is nice ) pour one spoon of batter & rotate it .cover with lid & in 2 min it will be ready. very healthy & tasty. CHUTNEY Grated coconut,tamarind,garlic,redchillies,salt. Take a steelrod, prick the chillies in it,heat directly in the flame (just tilt it) for some seconds so that it gives smell.overheat will burn it. with this,add garlic & other ingredients & grind . add some water for loose consistancy. heat some

Ingredients: Lemon - 100 nos Pickle Powder - 1/2 kg (2 Cups) Garlic - 200 gms Ginger - 100 gms Mustard seeds - 2 tbsp Mustard Powder - 1/4 cup Turmeric powder - 1/4 cup Gingely oil - 1 ltre Curry leaves - a few Salt - 1/4 cup Method: Peel the garlic. Peel the skin and dice the ginger into very small pieces. In a hard bottom pan heat 1 cup of oil. Fry the lemon in oil till the outer peel becomes slightly brown in colour. Remove from the oil, Drain and cut the lemon pieces into 4. Ensure that the juice is not lost. Heat another 2 cups of oil in a hard bottom pan. Add mustard seeds and when they splutter add the garlic and ginger. Fry till they turn brown in colour. Add the curry leaves and fry them and remove them from the oil. Add turmeric powder and pickle powder to the hot oil. Add salt and mix thoroughly. Add the lime pieces and mix well. Remove from flame and let it cool. Heat the remaining oil and pour it on top of the pickle. This pickle will stand good for abo

Ingredients: Ginger - 100 gms Grated coconut - 1/2 cup Green chillies - 2 nos Curry leaves - a few Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Red Chillies - 2 Butter milk - 1 cup Asafodeita - 1 pinch Oil - 1 tsp Salt to taste Method: Grind ginger, grated coconut, curry leaves to a fine paste. Add buttermilk to it and mix well. In a seasoning pan heat oil and add mustard seeds, when they splutter add red chillies and asafodeita. Add the seasoning to the buttermilk mixture. Makes a great side dish for idly, dosa and also ghee rice.

Ingredients: Thuvar Dal - 1/2 cup Moong Dal - 1/4 cup Turmeric powder - 2 pinches Grated coconut - 1/2 cup Cumin seeds - 1 tsp Fennel seeds - 1/4 tsp Green Chillies - 2 nos Red Chillies - 2 nos Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Ghee - 2 tbsp Shallots - 4 nos Curry Leaves - few Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup Salt to taste Method: Grind coconut along with 1/2 tsp of cumin seeds, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder and 1 green chilly. Wash and pressure cook both the dals with 1 pinch of turmeric powder and 1 green chilly. When cold mash well. Transfer the cooked dal to a hard bottom pan and keep it on a low flame. Add the ground coconut paste to it and mix well. Add another 1/2 cup of water to avoid the dal from settling at the bottom. In a seasoning pan add ghee and mustard seeds. When they splutter add cumin seeds, fennel seeds, red chillies and chopped shallots. Chop curry leaves finely and sprinkle on top of the cooked dal. Pour the seasoning on top of the curry leaves.  Chop coriander lea

Ingredients: Coconut - 1 ful Red Chillies - 16 to 20 Black gram dal - 2 tbsp Coriander seeds - 2 tbsp Turmeric powder - a pinch Method: Grate coconut finely. In a pan add all the ingredients and fry till they become golden brown in colour. Transfer to a plate and let it cool. Grind it to a fine powder. Store it in an air tight container. Can be stored for about a month. Used to prepare different type of Kerala dishes.

Ingredients: Drumstick - 6 nos Green chillies - 2 nos Ginger - 1 inch piece Small Onions (shallots) - 6 nos Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Grated coconut - 1/4 cup Curry leaves - a few cocout oil - 1 tbsp (this will give the typical Kerala taste) Method : Cut drumsticks into small pieces. Pressure cook it along with green chillies, ginger, small onions and cook it for about 3 to 4 whistles. When cold, remove all the solid particles and drain the liquid using a strainer. In a seasoning pan, heat coconut oil, add mustard seeds and when they splutter add curry leaves and grated coconut and add it to the soup. This will taste yummy and is also rich in iron . Can be given for pregnant women.

Ingredients : Greens - 1 bunch Green Chilli - 3 nos Tamarind paste - 3 tbsp Jaggery - small piece (optional) Turmeric Powder - 1 pinch Oil - 1 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Broken Urad dal - 1/2 tsp Red Chilli - 3 nos Curry leaves - 1 sprig Salt to taste. Method : Cut greens into small pieces. Wash and clean them thoroughly. Slit the green chillies into 2. In a hard bottom pan add one cup of water and add turmeric powder, green chillies and greens. Boil and cook the greens well. Add tamarind juice, jaggery and salt and mix well and mash well. Cover and cook till the raw smell and taste of the tamarind juice goes off. In a seasoning laddle heat oil and mustard seeds. When it splutters add the urad dal, red chilli and curry leaves. Serve it with hot rice.

Ingredients: Tender Mangoes - 2 kg Mustard Powder - 1/2 cup Fenu greek powder - 1/4 cup Red chilly powder - 1/4 cup Asafodeita powder - 1 tsp Turmeric powder - 1 tsp Salt - 1/4 cup Crystal salt - 1/4 cup Method: Wash and clean the mangoes. Let them dry. Make 4 slits in each mango not cutting them fully. Remove the seeds. Rub the mango with salt both inside and outside and leave it on a plate for about 12 to 18 hours. Mix all the spice powders together. Heat oil and pour it on top of the powder and make it to a fine paste. Fill in the mangoes with the paste. Transfer the mangoes to a pickle jar or a glass bottle which is air tight. Sprinkle the remaining masala and the left over oil on top. Keep the jar in sun for about 4 days and in a cool and dry place for 4 days. Every day turn the mangoes from up to down for about 15 days. Can start consuming after 15 days.

Venthaya manga or manga curry is one of the freshly made mango pickle that need to be finished within a day or two. Cannot preserve it for longer period of time. The best vareity that can be used is the Banglore vareity or Kili mooku mango. Ingredients: Mango - 1 Fenugreek powder - 1/4 tsp Red Chilly Powder - 2 tsp Asafodeita - 1/4 tsp Salt to taste Gingely Oil - 2 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Method: Cut the mangoes to thin slices. Add salt, asafodeita, fenugreek powder and red chilly powder and mix throughly. Ensure that all the pieces are coated well. Heat oil in a pan and when hot add mustard seeds. Add it to the above mixture. Makes a great dish for curd rice, puliya dosai and Milakootal.

Erissery can be made using yam, plantain, red pumpkin and raw jackfruit. This is a special Kerala dish. Many in Tamilnadu dont like raw jack fruit errisery and you can see it be done using the other vegetables. Recipe using Yam Ingredients: Yam - 1/2 kg Turmeric powder - 1 tsp Grated coconut - 1/4 cup Jeera - 1/2 tsp Bengal gram dal - 1 tbsp Black Pepper - 1/2 tsp Red chilly - 2 nos Coconut oil - 2 tbsp (if the smell is not prefferred normal cooking oil can be used) Mustard - 1/2 tsp Urad dal - 1 tsp Curry leaves - 1/4 cup Method: In 1 tbsp of oil fry jeera, bengal gram, black pepper and red chillies till it turns golden brown in colour. Pressure cook yam for 2 whistles with a pinch of salt and turmeric powder. Transfer it to a hard bottom pan. Mix the ground paste and bring it to a boil adding the required quantity of water. If the errisery is to be used as a side dish it can be less watery. If it is to be used as a rice mix then it could be watery in the consisten

Tender mangoes soaked in brine water is the best ways to preserve it. These mangoes can either be used as it is or can be used to make Kadugu Mango (Kerala Style Pickle) Ingredients: Raw Mangoes small - 1/2 kg (Vadumangais round vareity) Rock Salt - 1/2 kg Water - 3 cups Method: Segregate the mangoes. Discard all the decayed ones and the ones with cut. Leave a small stub of stalk on top and remove the rest of it. Wash and dry the good mangoes. Boil the water and add salt to it. Let the salt dissolve in the water. When done filter using a cloth to remove off the impurities and let it cool. In a shallow vessel put the mangoes and pour the salt water to it. The water should be above the level of mangoes say 2 to 3 inches. Cover the vessel with a thin cloth. Tie the rim of the vessel with a string. Keep the vessel in mild sun for 2 days just for not more than an hour. Transfer to a pickle jar after 2 days. Keep tossing it upside down every other day for 2 weeks with a dry

Ingredients: Raw Mango - 2 nos Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp Salt - 3 tbsp Red Chilli powder - 1 tbsp Mustard Seeds - 1 tbsp Asafodeita - 2 pinches Method Cut the mangoes into 1 inch big pieces. Spread the cut pieces in a plate. Sprinkle salt and 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder on top and ensure all the pieces are coated with it. Set aside for 3 to 4 hours. Spread the pieces in a drainer (colander)  and place it in sun for 2 to 3 hours to remove the excess water. Spread the pieces in a clean cloth.  Transfer the pieces to a large bowl and sprinkle the rest of the ingredients together and toss well to mix all the ingredients thoroughly. Put the pieces in a clean jar and keep aside. Keep the jar in a dry place. Keep the jar in hot sun for 2 hours daily for a week and store again in cool dry place. Shake the jar regularly.  After a week refreigerate the pickle jar.

This is one of the method I make and it turns out really good. Ingredients: Wheat flour - 1 cup Maida flour - 1/2  cup Rice flour - 1 cup Jaggery - 2 cups Coconut grated - 1 cups Cardamom powder - from 7 to 8 nos Ghee - 1 1/2 cups Method: In a vessel add warm water and jaggery. Keep stirring untill all the jaggery dissolves. Add all the flour one by one to the jaggery water and keep stirring continuously without forming any lumps.  Add the grated coconut and cardamom powder. Make a batter thicker than idly batter and it should be free flowing too. It is always better to use Kuzhipaniyara maker to make appam so that it comes in full round shape and intakes less oil/ghee. If it is fried in oil use very less oil in a shallow and small pan. Use a small round laddle to pour the batter into the oil. Fry both the sides untill golden brown.

Ingredients: Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup Small Onions - 4 nos Red Chillies - 3 Curry Leaves - 6 nos Ginger - 1/2 inch piece Tamrind - gooseberry sized. Salt to taste Method: Roast the coconut in a pan. Remove and spread it to cool. Add red chillies, ginger, curry leaves and small onions and fry them in oil till they become golden in colour. Grind all the ingredients along with salt and tamrind. The powder have to be fine. This can be served with idly, dosa and even rice.

Many households cook potato as Diwali special. This recipe is made using coconut milk. Ingredients:     Potatoes - 1/2 kg     Coconut milk - 1/2 cup thick and 1/2 cup thin milk     Red Chillies - 2 to 4     Onion (preferably small ones, if not 2 big ones) - finely chopped 1/2 cup     Cumin or Jeera - 1/2 tsp     Dhaniya (coriander seeds) - 1 tsp     Black pepper corns - 4     Curry leaves - 1/4 cup     Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup     Bengal gram - 2 tbsp     Oil - 2 tbsp Method:        In a pan dry roast coriander seeds, cumin, black pepper, bengal gram and Red Chiilies one by one and spread them on a plate and let it cool. Boil potatoes (it should be cooked 3/4th, better peel the skin before cooking) and cut them into cubes. In the same pan, add oil and when hot add chopped onions and saute it till it becomes transparent. Add the cubed potatoes and stir for a min. Add the thin coconut milk and cook for 5 mins. Add the ground powder to the potatoes and cook for another

Its Mango Season and soon ripe mangoes will start coming in and this is one recipe I tasted last year in one of my friends house, I have made a few changes according to my taste. Ingredients: Ripe Mango - 1 Turmeric powder- ½ tsp Grated coconut- 1/2 cup Cumin seeds- 1 tsp Green chillies- 4 to 6 Coconut oil- 2 tbsp (which gives more of Kerala taste) Mustard seeds- 1 tsp Fenugreek seeds- 1/2 tsp Curry leaves a bunch Curd Unsour - 1 Cup Curd Sour - 1 Cup Water- 4 cups Salt to taste Dhaniya - 1/4 cup Gram Dhall - 4 tbsp Asafodeita Powder - 2 pinches Method: Cut the mango pieces and cook in water along with turmeric powder, green chilly (slit in the middle vertically) and salt. Soak Dhaniya, GramDhall, Cumin Seeds in water for 30 mins. Grind it (dont drain the water, that water can be used while grinding) along with coconut and remaining chillies. The paste should be very fine one. Add the paste to the cooked mango and when it boils, simmer and add the curds and let i