Pineapple Pulissery

Ingredients:
1/2 pineapple, cleaned and cut into 1/2" pieces
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chili powder
2 sprig curry leaves
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup water
2-3 cups yogurt

For Grinding:
1 cup grated coconut
3-4 green chilies
2 pods of garlic (optional)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds

For Seasoning:

1 tsp coconut oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 spring curry leaves 

2 whole red chilli, broken in half
1/4 tsp red chili powder

1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds

Method:
Cook the pineapple pieces with turmeric powder, red chili powder, 1 sprig of curry leaves, salt and water in a saucepan until soft and tender.

Whip the yogurt, water and salt into a smooth mix and keep aside.

Grind coconut, green chillies, garlic and cumin to a fine paste and add it to the cooked pineapple. Add the yogurt mix and simmer on a low heat. Stir often, making sure that the yogurt does not curdle. Cook until the raw taste is gone.

Heat coconut oil, add mustard seeds and let it splutter. Add the remaining seasoning ingredients, sauté once and  pour this seasoned oil over the pineapple-yogurt pulissery.

Serve with hot rice along with your favorite Onam delicacies.

Pumpkin Red Bean Erissery

We made some beautiful memories this weekend at Coconut Lagoon in Kumarakom. Topmost among them was the mouth watering, traditional Kerala food served in their Ettukettu resturant. Their Kappa Perlan, Neimeen Mulagaittathu, Pineapple Pulissery, Pavakka Ulli Theeyal, Payaar Kumbu Thoran, Gothambu Payasam, etc. had us all in a food coma :)

The chefs were generous in sharing their tips and secrets with us. In a cooking demo, Chef Naveen MC (cheflagoon@cghearth.com) cooked Matanga (Pumpkin) Payaar (Red Bean) Erissery for us. The flavor booster lay in roasting the shredded coconut with spices to a dark brown color, for the final tempering. It elevated the humble pumpkin to a whole new level of distinctive taste.

Lest I forget, I made this Errisery for lunch today and savoured it with steamed white rice, lime pickle and pappadums.

Ingredients:

Yellow pumpkin (Matanga), 1/2 kg (1 lb)
Grated ginger, 1 tbsp
Black pepper powder, 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder, 1/4 tsp
Red chilly powder, 1/2 tsp
Water, 1 cup plus 1/2 cup
Dry Red beans (Van Payaar), 1/2 cup
Grated coconut, 1/2 cup plus 1/2 cup, total 1 cup
Green chillies, 2 to 3, as per spicy level
Cumin seeds, 1 tsp
Curry leaves, 2 sprigs
Mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp
Whole red chilli, 2 to 3, as per spicy level
Sliced shallots, 1/2 cup
Coconut oil, 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method:

Wash the dry red beans and cook in the pressure cooker with 1 cup of water, for 2 whistles. When cooked, drain excess water and keep aside.

Remove the pumpkin peel and cut into cubes. Mix these cubes with salt, pepper, turmeric and red chilli powders, in a cooking pot. Add 1/2 cup water and 1 sprig of curry leaves. Boil on medium fire until pumpkin cubes are half cooked.

Grind 1/2 cup grated coconut with green chillies and cumin into a fine paste. Add this coconut mixture and the red beans to the half cooked pumpkin. Cook on a low fire until the pumpkin is completely cooked.

Prepare the tempering by heating the coconut oil in a shallow fry pan. Add the musturd seeds. Once they splutter, add whole red chilli, sliced shallots, a sprig of curry leaves and the remaining grated coconut. On a medium fire, saute this mix, until the shallots are roasted and the coconut turns dark brown. Add this tempering to the simmering pumpkin-bean errissery and mix well.

Adjust salt to taste. Serve with steamed rice.

Inji (Ginger) Curry

Besides the main delicacies of an Onam sadya, there are the small side dishes that make the meal complete and memorable. For me, Inji Curry is one of them. The sharp taste of ginger is mellowed down by the sourness of the tamarind and the sweetness of the jaggery. The taste improves as it ages. So, on other days, I eat it like a chutney with parathas, plain dal-rice and even dosas.

Ingredients:
 6 whole red chillies
1/2 tsp fenugreek (methi) seeds
1 tsp cumin (jeera) seeds
250 gms ginger
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp tamarind paste
2 cubes jaggery
2 tsp vegetable oil

Method:
Roast whole red chillies, fenugreek seeds and cumin seeds one by one on a hot tawa. Let it cool and poweder them together.

Clean and grate the ginger finely. Fry the grated ginger in a 1 1/2 tbsp oil to remove the raw taste. Once cool, grind it into a paste.

Heat the remaining oil and add the mustard seeds. When the seeds splutter, add the powdered masala. Add the ground ginger, tamarind paste, jaggery and salt to taste. Cook until all the jaggery melts and all the ingredients blend well into a thick consistency.

Once cool, store in a air-tight container. It keeps well in the refrigerator for one month.

NOTE: Amma read this post and told me that the consistency should be like a thick curry. Since I used tamarind paste instead of tamarind water, the above recipe turns out to be like a chutney. So, to get a curry like consistency, mix the tamarind paste with 1 cup water and follow the rest of the recipe.

Onam Sadya

Image Credit - ezhuthukari

Every year I ask Amma what she is making for Onam. I ask my sister the same and then I start planning my own sadya. This year I've decided to list out some of the traditional Onam dishes and add the recipes slowly over time. This festive lunch is eaten on a banana leaf (instead of a plate) in company of family and friends. Onashamsakal to all!

Inji (Ginger) Curry
Naranga (Lemon) Curry
Beetroot Pachadi
Kathirikka (Eggplant) Pachadi

Paarupu (Arhar Dal, Yellow Lentil) Curry
Ulli Theeyal (or Pavakka Theeyal)
Sambaar
Aviyal
Ethakka (Plantain) Kaalan
Erissery (Red Beans and Pumpkin)
Vellarikka (Cucumber) Pullissery
(or Pineapple Pullissery)
Ulli Theeyal
Achinga Payar Thoran

White Rice
Sides - Uperi, Pappadam, Sharkara Varatti, Maanga Pickle
Dessert - Paruppu (or Cherupayar) Payasam, Ada Payasam, Seviyan Payasam

Idicha Chammanthi Podi (or Roasted Coconut chutney)

Most Indian cusines have a whole range of pickles and chutneys that are an essential part of the full-course meal. Chammanthi Podi (meaning chutney powder) is one that you will find in most of the Keralite kitchens. It is a traditonal accompaniment to rice preparations, esp. curd rice. Since it is basically dry roasted coconut with spices, it stays fresh for even upto 3 months. I noted this recipe from my sister-in-law, Rani, during her stay with us in Bangalore. She says that cutting the shallots (or chomnaulli) in half, adds an extra punch to the flavor of the roasted Podi. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
Coconut - 4 medium size, grated
Dry red chillies - 15
Shallots (chomnaulli) - 1 cup, cut in halves
Peppercorns (whole) - 2 tsp
Ginger - 1" piece
Curry leaves - a handful
Tamarind - size that of a small lemon
Salt to taste

Method:

In a hot pan, roast all ingredients except tamarind and salt. Fry them on a medium flame till the coconut is brown in colour. Keep aside until it is cool.  Dry grind these ingredients in a mixie/food processor. When coarsely ground, add the tamarind and salt. Grind until well-mixed. Store in an air-tight container, in a cool, dry place.

Good Ole Aviyal

This one is for all my North Indian friends who have had this at our home and loved it. It is quite commonly made in most South Indian homes. Other than cutting a large number of vegetables, the cooking process itself is very easy. Although traditionally eaten with rice and paruppu (dal) kari, I have always loved it with chappatti or plain paratha too. Enjoy!

Ingredients :
Veggies - 1 opo squash (lauki), 1 small cucumber, 1 potato/yam, 1 medium sized Carrot, 200 gms white pumpkin, 1 medium sized raw banana, 6-8 string beans, 1 drumstick, 1 small brinjal, 1 small raw green mango (optional).
Curry leaves - 10 to 12 or 1 long sprig
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Green Chilli - 1
Salt to taste
Water - 1 1/2 cups
Yoghurt - 1 1/2 cups
Coconut oil - 2 tbsps
For paste
Coconut (scraped) - 1/2 cup
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Garlic - 1 pod
Green Chilli - 1

Method:
Cut veggies into 2" batons/cubes. Put cut raw banana in salted water for sometime. Grind the coconut with 1 green chilli, cumin seeds and garlic to a slightly fine paste. Whisk yogurt and keep aside. If using yam, boil yam separately in salted water. Drain and reserve.

Boil all veggies (except raw banana) with curry leaves, turmeric and the second green chilli in salted water. When veggies are half done add raw banana and raw mango. When vegetables are almost done, add boiled yam and the yoghurt mixture, stir thoroughly. Bring it to a simmer remove from heat. Do not cook too long with the coconut/yoghurt mixture. Lace with coconut oil and serve.

Note: If the yoghurt is quite sour, eliminate the raw mango. When using raw mango, the yoghurt can altogether be eliminated too.

Red-Adi or Beetroot pachadi

Now that’s what my husband calls the pachadi that I make with beetroot. The purple color of the beet seeps into the yoghurt giving it the most wonderful pink color. So ‘pache’adi became ‘red’ adi . Got it? Now that what I call a sense of humor… :)

Ingredients:
Beetroot -1 small
Mustard seeds -1 tsp
Red chillies –3
Grated ginger root- 1 tbsp
Sliced Shallots - 2
Curry leaves - a few
Yogurt - 1 cup
Salt - to taste
Oil - as needed

Method:
Beetroot is hard to cut and time-consuming (Believe me; I learnt it the hard way). Cook the whole beetroot in a pressure cooker with some water and salt. Once cooked, the thin peel can be easily removed with a kitchen towel. Now chop the beetroot into small cubes and set aside.

Heat oil in a pan and pop the mustard seeds. Add in red chilies, curry leaves, ginger and shallots and fry them. Once the rawness goes away add in the beetroot pieces and saute well.

Nallaite vayaanu kaiumbam take it off the fire. Once it cools, mix in the yogurt. Serve with any type of rice and if you like, even Chicken Biryani.

Beta vulgaris, commonly known as beet or beetroot, is a flowering plant species in the family Chenopodiaceae. An average size cup of beetroot would contain approximately 31 food calories; 8.5g of carbohydrate, 1.5g of dietary fiber, phosphorous, potassium and 1.5g of protein. Cooked beetroot is a great source of folate that can protect you against high blood pressure, Alzheimer¢s and dementia. The colour of red beetroot is due to a variety of betalain pigments, unlike most other red plants, such as red cabbage, which contain anthocyanin pigments.Beetroot is good for the health of the heart as it contains soluble fibre with can help to reduce high blood cholesterol levels. It also contains the phytochemicals carotenoids and flavonoids which help prevent LDL ¡ bad cholesterol from being oxidised and deposited in the arteries. Beetroot is virtually fat free and low in calories. It has an extremely low GL which means it is converted into sugars very slowly which helps to keep blood sugar levels stable. Beetroot has for many years been used as a treatment for cancer in Europe. Specific anti-carcinogens are bound to the red coloring matter which supposedly helps fight against cancer and beetroot also increases the uptake of oxygen by as much as 400 percent. Beetroot purifies the blood in general. Cooked beetroot is a great source of folate which is required during pregnancy.
Source: http://www.organicfood.com.au/Content_Common/pg-beetroot-information.seo