Kerala Cuisine

 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

Pacha Manga Chammandi a typical Kerala recipe

 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 to the chammandi. 
Serve it with hot rice and ghee or with rice kanji

Keerai Molakoottal

 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 ground paste to it and simmer it once the paste blends and cooks well add the mashed dal and mix well. Let it cook in the slow flame for about 5 mins. 

In a tadka pan add oil, mustard seeds and let it splutter. Once done add the split urad dal and red chilly and saute till the dal turns golden brown. Add it to the keerai. Mix well. Yummy molakoottal is ready. 

This can be mixed with rice and or had it as a side dish to vathakuzhambu or rasam. But the best combo according to me is the molakootal with curd rice. 

Aviyal - recipe with a lot of vegetables

 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 and how the need arises. It is definitely a whole some side dish as it has all the vegetables and all the benefits of all the vegetables can be had at one shot. 

Aviyal calls for a generous usage of coconut, but now a days, we all have become highly health consious, and so the quantity of the coconut could be reduced, but doing so will also reduce the authentic taste. 

Come on friends, once in a while indulgence is not going to do any harm. Try out this lip smacking aviyal recipe and enjoy your day. It is better to avoid brinjals as many get some kind of irritation. And if you really want to enjoy your aviyal, avoid drumsticks too, though the authentic Tambrahm version calls for drumstick. Oh its a pain to get struck eating drumsticks when relishing the taste of aviyal and the other veggies. 

Ingredients:

Potato - 1/2 kg

Carrot - 1/4 kg

Raw banana - 2 nos

White pumpkin - 1/4 kg

Yam (Chenai) - 1/4 kg

Beans - 200 gms

Cluster beans - 100 gms

Broad beans - 200 gmsAviyal before adding curd

Colocosia (seppankizhangu) - 1/4 kg

Coconut grated - 1 cup

Curry leaves - 1/2 cup

Coriander leaves - 1 bunch

Green Chillies - 8 nos (increase or decrease depending upon its spiciness)

Unsour curd - 1/2 litre

Salt - as per requirement

For Tempering:

Oil (cooking oil or coconut oil) - 2 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves - 2 to 3 twigs

Method:

Chop all the vegetables except potato and colocasia to 1 inch length pieces. Grind coconut, green chillies, half bunch of coriander leaves and half of the curry leaves to a fine paste. Take the curd in a vessel and beat it well. 

Pressure cook potato and colacasia, peel the skin and dice big pieces of them. 

Boil all the vegetables along with the remaining curry leaves and when half cooked add the required salt for the vegetables and cook them in reduced flame. It is necessary to cover the vessel after you add the salt. 

When all the vegetables are cooked add the ground paste and add water and bring it to a boil in medium flame. Keep stirring so that it doesnot settle at the bottom. Once the raw smell of the ground paste is gone, remove from flame and add the beaten curd. 

The essence of the aviyal lies in tempering. Temper with just mustard seeds in cooking oil (Kerala aviyal calls for coconut oil for tempering). Place the curry leaves with its stick on top of the cooked aviyal and pour the tempering on the leaves which will give a better aroma and taste. Close the vessel immediatly after tempering. 

Mix well before serving it. Serve it with rice or adai or pesarettu. 

Note : It is always better to add curd just before serving to avoid aviyal becoming sour. I normally add it just before serving. 

Before adding curd

Kerala Appam and Chutney by Meena Shankar

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 oil,put mustardseeds,small onions chopped &curryleaves & pour over the chutney. this will match with appam & tastes good.

Lemon Pickle Kerala Style

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 about an year.

Ginger Pachidi - Inji Thayir

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.

Parippu Curry Kerala Style

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 leaves finely and add it to the cooked dal.

Cochin Masala Powder

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.

Drumstick Soup - Kerala style

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.

Puliyitta Keerai

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.

Stuffed tender mango pickle

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

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.

Erriserry

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 consistency of sambar. Sprinkle the curry leaves on top.

Heat a seasoning laddle add the remaining oil and when hot add the mustard seeds. When it splutters add the urad dal. When the urad dal turns golden brown pour it on top of the erriserry. (The seasoning if poured on top of the curry leaves gives a great smell to any dish).

Salted Tender Mango - Uppu Manga

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 laddle. This will ensure that all the mangoes are evenly soaked and shrinked.

Note: After transferring it to pickle jar ensure the water level is above the level of mangoes.

          The mangoes chosen for this should be very tiny and small.

Spicy Mango Pickle without oil

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.

Appam

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.

Recipe for Chammandi

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.

Potato Curry - A Kerala Recipe

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 5 mins. Add the thick milk and salt. Bring it to boil and cook for 2 to 3 mins (do not cook more than that). Cut the curry leaves and coriander leaves and sprinkle on top of the curry.

This can be served with hot rice or roti.

Recipe for Mambazha Morekuzhambu - A kerala special

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 it boil again, when it frosts, remove from fire.

In a pan, add the coconut oil add mustard seeds and when the seeds splutter add fenu greek, asafodeita powder and curry leaves. Add it to the cooked mixture.