Cherupayar Thoran

Ingredients ;

Green gram – 1cup
Onion (finely chopped) – 1 no
Garlic pods (crushed) – 3 no
Grated coconut – 1/2 cup
Chilly powder – 1/4 tbsp
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Green chillies – 4 no
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – a few
Dry red chillies – 2 no
Salt – as required


Method :

1.Pressure cook green gram by adding enough water.

2.Add salt and keep aside.

3.Roughly grind grated coconut, chilly powder, green chillies, garlic and turmeric powder.

4.Add this to the cooked green gram and mix well.

5.Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds.

6.Add curry leaves and dry red chillies and roast.

7.Add green gram to this and stir-  fry  till all the water is evaporated

Cabbage Thoran

Ingredients:

250 gm Cabbage
1 Onion
1 Carrot
2-3 chopped Green Chillies
2 chopped Red chillies
1 tbsp grated Coconut
1/2 tsp grated Ginger
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1 sprig Curry leaves
1 tsp Oil
A pinch Turmeric powder
Salt to taste

Method:

1.Cut the cabbage, onion, carrot and ginger into long thin pieces.
2.Heat oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds and saute until pops up.
3.Add the red chillies, ginger and curry leaves, saute for 30-40 seconds.
4.Add the vegetables, green chillies, turmeric powder and salt, mix well.
5.Cover and cook over low flame for 3-4 minutes.
6.Add the grated coconut and cook for another couple of minutes.
7.Serve hot with rice.

Sambar Recipe

This Sambar recipe is one of the most loved dishes in South Indian cuisine. It accompanies most every meal. In South India, there are variations to this sambar recipe, but this is the one I use.

Ingredients :

1/2 lime sized ball Tamarind
1 cup Toor Dal (or red lentils)
1/2 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
2 teaspoons oil
Salt to taste
5 small dry red chilies (or to taste)
8 Curry Leaves (see note)
1 medium onion (shallots are preferable)
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/4 tsp asafoetida (optional)
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 large tomato
2 tablespoons sambar powder (see note)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves (also known as coriander leaves)
1 cup of a vegetable of your choice like green beans, chopped carrot

Directions :
Soak the tamarind in 1 cup water for 20 minutes. Squeeze it out, adding water little by little to prepare 1 cup of juice.

Choose a heavy cooking pot. Wash and clean the dal. Boil 2 cups of water and add the dal, turmeric powder and 1 teaspoon of oil. As the dal boils, skim off the foam and discard. Boil until the dal is soft and then mash it coarsely. If needed, add more water as it is boiling but do not let it get too watery. If you use a pressure cooker it will take about 5 minutes.

Moru Kachiyathu

Moru Kachiyatahu or Spiced butter milk used to be a regular in my home for lunch.This goes well with ‘Kuthari Choru ‘(rice with Rosematta rice),but if you’ve some beef fry or meen pattichathu to accompany it ….hmmm…just try it out.

Moru Kachiyathu can be kept for a long time and it tastes better with time.After 1 day,you might’ve to keep it in fridge to prevent it from getting too sour.If possible,try using ‘Indian curd’ instead of yogurt while preparing this dish.

Traditionally,Moru Kachiyathu is prepared with coconut paste,but the simpler version without coconut is more popular nowadays.

Here goes my Amma’s recipe of Moru Kachiyathu(with coconut)….

Ingredients :-

Well beaten Curd – 4 cups

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida(Kaayam) – a pinch

Fenugreek powder(Uluva) – a pinch

Salt – to taste

Oil (preferrably Coconut Oil) – as needed

For Grinding :-

Grated coconut – 1/2 cup

Cumin seeds (Jeerakam) – 1/2 tsp

Red Chilly powder – 1/2 tsp

Grind all these ingredients into a fine paste and keep it aside.

For Seasoning :-

Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp

Shallots (kunjulli ) sliced – 1 tbsp

Green chillies slit – 3 or 4

Red chillies – 2

Curry leaves – a sprig

Method :-

Mix together curd,salt and turmeric powder in a bowl and keep it aside.

Heat oil in a pan and allow mustard seeds to splutter.Then add shallots ,fry until it turns brown and then add green chillies ,red chillies and curry leaves.Fry for a while and remove it from oil and keep it aside.

Reduce the heat and add the ground paste into the same oil.Fry for 2-3 mins stirring continuously.Do not let coconut paste change its color.Now add asafoetida and fenugreek powder and stir well.(Instead of adding fenugreek powder at this stage,you can use fenugreek seeds itself while preparing the seasoning.)

Reduce the heat to low and gently add the beaten curd mixture and stir continuosly until it is warm.Never let it boil.Switch off the stove and pour the prepared seasoning over it.Serve with warm rice.

Unakka Kappa Vevichathu(Dry tapioca Cooked)

In Kerala,Kappa/Tapioca/Cassava is also considered to be a staple food just like rice mainly because it is inexpensive and is widely available.We could eatKappa for breakfast,as a evening snack or for dinner.Kappa can be grown very easily,only thing you’ve to taken care is the attack from rats.

Variety of deliccacies can be prepared from fresh Kappa,and the most popular one is Kappa kuzhachathu with meen curry.Unakka Kappa/dry Cassava is not much appreciated when compared to the fresh ones.It is nothing, but tapioca peeled,washed,sliced/diced, boiled and dried in the sun.This can be stored for years and gives out a totally different flavor when cooked.

This dish used to be a regular at my amma’s place in Erumely.Its a very simple preparation and is usually served with Ulli chammanthi or Kanthari Mulaku (a kind of chilly called bird’s eye chilli) Chammanthi.

Ingredients :-

Unakka Kappa/Dry Cassava – 4 cups

Fresh grated coconut – 1- 2 cups(use it according to your taste..I like it with more coconut)

Green chillies chopped- 6-10 (again use it accordingly)

Shallots sliced – 8-10

Salt – to taste

Coconut oil – as needed

Method:-

Wash the kappa pieces well and soak it overnight or for 8 hours.Drain and add around 5-6 cups water to kappa and allow it to boil.Strain the water and add fresh water to it again and cook kappa until it turns soft.If you’re using a pressure cooker ,cook for 1 whistle.Strain the water again and let the kappa cool.

Take a big bowl and add coconut,shallots,green chillies and salt into it.Mix them together with hand.Add kappa pieces into it and combine them well.Add 3-4 tsps of coconut oil into it and mix them together with hand.Serve with chammanthi of your choice.

Note :-You can prepare Kappa Kuzhachathu (with ground coconut-cumin paste) with Unakka Kappa also.After the kappa gets cooked,follow the procedure of Kappa Kuzhachathu recipe.

Also check out Inji’s Kappa Puzhukku with Unakka Kappa