AVIAL

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Avial is a famous and delicious traditional kerala mixed vegetable dish which is a must in sadhya.

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Ingredients : 

  1. VEGETABLES(cut into 1 1/2″ length pieces)
  • potatoes : 1 big
  • carrots : 1 big
  • drumsticks : 2 nos
  • green beans : 8 nos
  • plantain : 1 no
  • yam : 8 pieces

2. green chillis : 3 nos

3. grated coconut : 1 cup

4. cumin seeds : 1 tsp

5. yoghurt : 1 cup

6. turmeric powder : 1/2 tsp

7. coconut oil : 2 tbsp

8. curry leaves : 2 springs

9. salt

Method : 

  1. Pressure cook the vegetables adding  salt and turmeric powder. 
  2. Grind grated coconut , cumin seeds and green chillies.
  3. Add this to cooked vegetables.
  4. cook for 2 mins.
  5. Add beaten yoghurt and mix well.
  6. Switch off the stove and add coconut oil and curry leaves and mix well.
  7. Serve with rice.

Note : 

  1. You can add raw mango pieces. If you are adding raw mango use only 1/2 cup yoghurt.

RAVA UPMA (KERALA STYLE)

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Rava upma is an easy and simple breakfast dish.

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Ingredients : 

  1. Rava/Semolina : 1 cup
  2. Carrot : 1 no , chopped to very small pieces
  3. green peas : 1/2 cup(optional)
  4. onion : 1 no, chopped
  5. ginger : 1 tsp , chopped
  6. green chillies : 3 nos , chopped
  7. curry leaves : 1 spring
  8. mustard seeds : 1tsp
  9. urad dal (uzhunnu): 1 tsp
  10. Dried red chilly : 2 nos, broken to two.
  11. water : 2 cups
  12. salt
  13. ghee/oil (i prefer ghee)
  14. cashews and raisins for garnishing

Method : 

  1. Dry roast the rava in a pan and keep aside.
  2. Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a pan and roast the cashews and raisins. Keep it aside.
  3. Add 1 more tbsp ghee in the same pan  and splutter the mustard seeds.
  4. Add the urad dal, dry red chillies  and curry leaves.
  5. Add the onion, ginger and  green chillies  and saute 2-3 mins.
  6. Add the carrot and green peas and saute for 5 mins.
  7. Add 2 cups water and salt.
  8. Cover the lid and allow the water to boil and vegetables to tender.
  9. Open the lid and reduce the flame.
  10. Add roasted  rava and stir continuously to avoid forming lumps. When all the water is absorbed and upma is dry, switch off the stove.
  11. Add 1 tbsp ghee.
  12. Garnish with roasted cashews and raisins.
  13. Serve hot and enjoy.

MORU KACHIYATHU

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Moru kachiyathu is an easy recipe and can be prepared in less than 15 mins. Whenever i am busy i prepare this curry .

Ingredients : 

  1. yogurt : 2 cupDSCN1412
  2. shallots : 5 nos
  3. ginger : 1 tbsp ,chopped
  4. garlic : 3 cloves , chopped
  5. green chillies : 3 nos
  6. turmeric powder : 1/2 tsp
  7. mustard seeds : 1/2 tsp
  8. jeera seeds : 1/2 tsp
  9. fenugreek seeds : 1/4 tsp
  10. curry leaves : 1 spring
  11. dry red chillies : 2 nos, broken into 2 pieces
  12. salt
  13. water
  14. oil

Method :

  1. Blend yogurt with enough water and keep aside.
  2. Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds.
  3. Add fenugreek seeds and jeera seeds.
  4. Add dry red chilly and saute.
  5. Add shallots, ginger, garlic, curry leaves and saute for 2 mins.
  6. Add turmeric powder and saute for a min.
  7. Reduce the heat and add the blended yogurt and salt.
  8. Stir continuously for 5 mins. When it becomes warm(don’t allow it to boil)  switch off the stove and stir  2mins more.
  9. Serve with rice.

ULLI VADA/ ONION VADA

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Ulli vada is a light evening snack  and are preferably eaten freshly fried, while still hot and crunchy. Both I and my hubby love it.

Ingredients :

  1. Onion : 3 nos, big ,thinly  sliced.
  2. besan / kadala mavu : 1 cup
  3. ginger : 1″ piece, chopped
  4. green chillies : 3 nos, chopped
  5. curry leaves : 2 springs
  6. salt
  7. oil for deep frying.

Method : 

  1. Mix all ingredients except oil  in a bowl with hands.
  2. Make balls out of it and keep it in one hand and press with fingers.
  3. Deep fry this in hot oil at low flame.
  4. Serve hot with ketchup.

SPAGHETTI UPMA/VERMICELLI UPMA

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Spaghetti upma is an easy and tasty  breakfast item. You can use either spaghetti or vermicelli(angel hair pasta) . vermicelli is thinner than spaghetti.

Ingredients : 

  1. spaghetti / vermicelli : 1 cup (broken)DSCN1404
  2. onion : 1 no, medium,sliced
  3. green chillies : 3-4 nos
  4. carrots grated : 1/4 cup (optional)
  5. grean peas : 1/4 cup (optional)
  6. curry leaves : 2 springs
  7. coconut grated 1/4 cup
  8. mustard seeds : 1 tsp
  9. urad dal : 1/2 tsp
  10. sugar according to your taste
  11. salt
  12. water
  13. ghee/ oil
  14. roasted cashews and raisins for garnishing

Method : 

  1. Heat ghee in a pan and add spaghetti/ vermicelli and roast it over medium heat till it turns golden color. 
  2. Boil water add spaghetti and salt and cook. Drain the water and and keep it aside.
  3. Heat ghee/ oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds followed by urad dal. Add curry leaves and onion and saute for 2 mins.
  4. Add green chillis,  grated carrot and green peas(cooked).Saute for 3 mins.
  5. Add the cooked spaghetti and stir well cook for 2 mins.
  6. Add sugar and saute for a min.
  7. Add grated coconut and mix well.
  8. Garnish with roasted cashews and raisins.
  9. Serve hot.

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    upma with rice noodles

 

Note : If you are using vermicelli you can avoid the 2 nd step and on the 5th step you can add the roasted vermicelli , salt and boiled water and cook it.

GINGER CHICKEN

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Whenever i go to my in laws house, my mom in law makes my husband’s favorite ginger chicken. I learned this recipe from her. This is really yummy and very easy to prepare.

Ingredients : 

  1. chicken : 1 kg(cut into small pieces)
  2. shallots : 1 cup (make paste)
  3. ginger paste : from 4″ piece
  4. garlic paste : from 1 whole garlic
  5. soya sauce : 1 tbsp
  6. tomato sauce : 2 tbsp
  7. chilli sauce : 1tbsp
  8. ajinamoto : a pinch(optional)
  9. chilly powder : 11/2 tsp
  10. turmeric powder : 1/4 tsp
  11. salt
  12. oil
  13. coriander leaves & spring onion for garnishing

 

Method : 

  1. Marinate the chicken pieces with chilly powder, turmeric powder ans salt.
  2. Pressure cook the chicken and keep it aside.
  3. Heat oil in a pan and add ginger paste and saute for a min.
  4. Add garlic paste and saute for 1 min.
  5. Add shallot paste and saute till there is a nice aroma .
  6. Add all sauces and ajinamoto(optional) saute well.
  7. Add the cooked chicken pieces and mix well and close the lid and cook for 2 min in low flame.
  8. If you need more gravy add water and cook.
  9. Garnish with coriander leaves and spring onions.
  10. Serve hot.

DAL FRY/ PARIPPU CURRY

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Dal fry is quite simple to prepare. Dal is served with rice. In North India dal fry is also served with rotis.  My favorite dal is moong dal(split green gram dal or  cherupayar parippu in malayalam) fry. You can also use tuvar dal(split red gram or tuvara parippu in malayalam) and chana dal(split bengal gram or kadala parippu in malayalam) .

Ingredients : 

  1. Moong dal : 1 cup
  2. onion : 1 no, sliced
  3. ginger garlic paste : 2 tsp
  4. tomato : 1 no, sliced
  5. green chilly : 2 nos
  6. cumin seeds : 1 tsp
  7. mustard seeds : 1 tsp
  8. red chilly : 2 nos
  9. turmeric powder : 1/4 tsp
  10. red chilly powder : 1/2 tsp
  11. black pepper powder : 1/4 tsp (optional)
  12. oil
  13. salt
  14. Corriander leaves for garnishing
  15. curry leaves.

 

Method : 

  1. Pressure cook dal with requisite amount off salt and water and keep it aside.
  2. Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds and cumin seeds.
  3. Add red chilies and curry leaves saute for a while.
  4. Add onion and saute until it becomes soft.
  5. Add green chilies and ginger garlic paste and saute for 1-2 mins.
  6. Add salt (for tadka only since you have already  put salt in dal), turmeric powder and red chilly powder and let masala heat up in oil for 2 mins. According to your personal taste you may put black pepper powder.
  7. Add sliced tomato and let it cook.
  8. Add cooked dal and water(if required) and let it boil.
  9. Cook for 2 min so that thadka mix well with dal.
  10. Garnish with coriander leaves.
  11. Serve hot with rice.

SWEET BREAD BALLS

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Sweet bread balls are made with bread and milk. It is an evening snack that kids would love to have.

Ingredients:

  1. 8slices bread
  2. 1/2 cup milk
  3. 2tablespoon sugar
  4. ghee for frying

Method:

  1. Dissolve the sugar in milk.
  2. Trim the crust of the bread and discard and tear bread into small pieces.
  3. Put these bread pieces into the milk and mix the bread with your hands. Make small balls of this .
  4. Heat ghee in a frying pan and fry these balls. Keep turning the sides till all the sides become golden brown colour.
  5. Serve it hot as an evening snack.

VENDAKKA MEZHUKKUPURATTI(OKRA/BHINDI/LADIES FINGER STIR FRY)

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It is an easy recipe. This is best with chappathi and rice. It is a very tasty side dish.

Ingredients:

  1. Okra : 300gm
  2. Onion : 1no(finely sliced)
  3. Turmeric powder : 1/2tsp
  4. Red chilli powder :  1tsp
  5. Oil : 3tbsp
  6. Salt

Method:

  1. Clean okra and cut both ends. Cut the remaining part into 1inch sized pieces.
  2. Heat 2tbsp oil in a nonstick pan and add the finely sliced onion and saute well. Saute till onion become transparent.
  3. Add the chilli powder and turmeric powder and stir for 1min.
  4. Add the okra and salt and stir well.
  5. Close the nonstick pan and cook in a low flame for 10min. Do stir in between.
  6. Open the pan and add the remaining 1tbsp oil and stir well till okra shrinks.
  7. Serve hot with chappathi or rice.

PUTTU

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PUTTU/STEAM CAKE(Rice,Wheat,Rava & Oats)

Puttu(steam cake) is a very popular breakfast dish in Kerala.  It consists of firm cylinders of steamed ground rice with layers of coconut. There are many combinations of puttu-puttu & kadala(chickpea) curry, puttu & stew, puttu & chicken curry, puttu, ripe banana& pappadam, puttu,ghee & sugar etc.. Actually these are my favorite combinations. There are many other combinations with puttu.

We can make puttu with rice, wheat, rava, oats, ragi etc. Puttu is usually cooked in puttu maker(in kerala it is called puttu kutti).

Rice Puttu

Ingredients:

  1. Raw rice : 2 cup
  2. Grated coconut : 1 cup
  3. Salt
  4. water

Method:

  1. Soak the rice for 5 hours and drain the water. Grind the rice to a fine powder in a mixer. In a pan, add the rice powder and roast, stir it continuously until a nice aroma of rice comes.  Take care not to burn the powder. Cool the powder. (Nowadays ready made puttu powder is available. In that case we can avoid this step. )
  2. Mix salt in water and sprinkle the water on the rice flour, little at a time and mix it with your hands. Repeat sprinkling water till  the rice flour is wet enough.
  3. Add 1 ½ cup of water in the puttu pot and bring it to boil. Now take the cylindrical vessel and add one handful coconut. There is a round steel with holes placed in the bottom of the cylindrical vessel. This will help the contents put in the shell, not to fall out through the holes in the vessel. Then add 3 handful rice flour. Repeat this until the vessel is filled.
  4. Place the vessel on top of the pot tightly. Cover the vessel with lid. Steam for 5 minutes.Once the puttu is cooked steam will come out from the top of the vessel.
  5. Remove the cylinder, use a spatula to push out the puttu to a plate. Serve hot and enjoy with your favorite combination curry.

Wheat Puttu

Use 2cup wheat flour instead of rice flour and follow the same method.

Rava Puttu

Use 2 cup of roasted rava instead of  rice flour and follow the same method.

Oats Puttu

Use 2 cup Oats instead of rice flour and coconut water instead of water and follow the same method.