Kerala recipes

Chemmeen-beans ularthiyathu/prawns stir fried with beans

| Rekha Vengalil

Chemmeen-beans ularthiyathu

You need –

  • Prawns – 500 grams. 
  • Beans – 250 grams (Slit length-wise and chopped 1 inch in length)
  • Shallots – 10 nos
  • Garlic – 3 big cloves
  • Crushed dry chillies – 1 ½ tablespoon
  • Curry leaves – 1 stalk
  • Salt – as per taste
  • Coconut oil – 2 tablespoon

How to –

  • In a pestle and mortar, crush the garlic and shallots. Cook the prawns in boiling water with ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder.
  • Heat oil in a pan, add the crushed garlic, shallots, chilies and curry leaves  Fry till the raw smell is gone and the onions turn golden brown.
  • Add the prawns, beans and cook till the beans in done. Make sure the beans is crunchy and not over cooked.
  • Serve hot with rice and curry. I had it with curd rice..:-)
Chemmeen-beans ularthiyathu

Mutton curry – kerala style

| Rekha Vengalil

Mutton curry – kerala style

You need –
  • Mutton – 500 grams, cut into pieces
  • Onion – 3 medium, thinly sliced
  • Tomato – 1 big
  • Ginger – 1 small piece
  • Garlic – 3 big cloves
  • Shallots – 4
  • Green chillies – 2
  • Coriander – chopped 2 tablespoons
  • Chili powder – 2 teaspoons
  • Coriander powder – 4 teaspoons
  • Fennel powder – ½ teaspoon
  • Turmeric powder – ¼ teaspoon
  • Meat masala – 1 teaspoon
  • Thin coconut milk – ½ cup
  • Thick coconut milk – ½ cup
  • Salt – as per taste
  • Curry leave – 2 stalks
  • Coconut oil – 2 tablespoons or as required.

How to –
  • In a pestle and mortar, crush the ginger, garlic and shallots.
  • Heat oil in a pan, add the onions and fry till golden brown. Add the chilies  coriander, crushed ginger, garlic and shallots. Continue to fry till the raw smell is gone.
  • Add the all the powders, salt and fry till the oil start to separate.
  • Add the tomatoes and cook will soft.
  • Add the mutton; mix well.
  • Add the thin coconut milk and pressure cook till the mutton is done on a medium-low heat.
  • Uncover, add the thick coconut milk and curry leaves, Bring to boil. If the gravy is too thin; continue to cook till thick before adding the thick coconut milk.
  • Turn off the heat and serve hot with rice, appam  or roti
Mutton curry – kerala style


Fish Mappas

| Rekha Vengalil
Fish Mappas
You need –
  • Fish – 500 grams
  • Coconut oil – 2 tablespoons
  • Onion – 1 big, thinly sliced.
  • Green chillies – 5, slit length wise
  • Curry leaves – 2 stalks
  • Shallots – 8-10 no’s
  • Ginger – minced 1 tablespoon
  • Garlic – 4 cloves, minced
  • Tomato – 1, cut into small cubes
  • Meat masala – 2 tablespoon
  • Vinegar – 1 teaspoon
  • Thick coconut milk – ½ cup
  • Thin coconut milk – ½ cup
  • Salt – as per taste
For tempering –
  • Unsalted Butter- 1 teaspoon
  • Shallot – 2 no’s
  • Curry leaves – 5-6 no’s

How to –
  • Clean and wash the fish.
  • Heat the oil in a skillet, add the Onions, green chillies and curry leaves and fry till onions turn golden brown.
  • Add in the shallots, ginger, garlic and continue to fry till the raw smell is gone.
  • Add the tomato, cook till soft. Reduce the heat; add meat masala and vinegar.
  • Add the fish and mix well. Add the thin coconut milk; cover and cook till fish is done and the gravy is thick.
  • Add the thick coconut milk; mix and turn off the heat.
  • In a small frying pan, heat the butter and fry the shallots, curry leaves. Add into the fish and mix well.
  • Serve hot with rice or roti.
Fish Mappas

Pepper chicken – its spicy!!

| Rekha Vengalil

Pepper chicken

You need – 
  • Chicken – 500 grams, small-medium size pieces
  • Whole black pepper – 1 tablespoon
  • Green chili – 3 or add less if you can’t take the heat
  • Ginger- 1 small piece
  • garlic – 3 large cloves
  • Coriander leaves chopped – 1 tablespoon
  • Lemon juice – 2 teaspoon
  • Onion – 2 big, sliced finely
  • Coriander powder – 2 teaspoon
  • Turmeric powder – ¼ teaspoon
  • Garam masala – ½ teaspoon
  • Fennel powder – ½ teaspoon
  • Tomato – 1 small, sliced
  • Curry leaves – as required
  • Coconut oil – as required. (you can use vegetable oil too)
  • Salt – as per taste

How to –
  • Crush together whole black pepper, green chili  ginger, garlic, coriander leaves and lime juice . Add a little water if required; around 2 teaspoon
  • Heat oil in pan and fry the onions till golden brown. Add the crushed pepper mixture and cook till the raw smell is gone.
  • Add all the powders and continue to fry till the oil starts to separate. Add the tomato, curry leave and salt; cook till mushy.
  • Add the chicken; mix well. Cover and cook till done.  Uncover, on a low flame continue to cook for about 5 minutes or till gravy is thick. As this is semi dry gravy, you want to make sure all the water is evaporated.
  • Turn off the heat. Garnish with curry leaves and serve hot with rice or roti.
  
Pepper chicken

Naadan Ayala curry (Kerala Mackerel curry)

| Rekha Vengalil
IMG_6145-002
Update with new pictures.
IMG_6220You need
  • Mackerel – 500 grams
  • Small onion – chopped ½ cup
  • Ginger – sliced 1 teaspoon
  • Green chilies – 2 slit lengthwise
  • Curry leaves – 2 twigs
  • Kudampuli/Gambooge – 4-5
  • Coriander powder – 4 tablespoon
  • Kashmir chili powder – 2 tablespoon
  • Turmeric – ¼ teaspoon
  • Crushed pepper – ½ teaspoon
  • Thin coconut milk – 2 cups
  • Thick coconut milk – 1/2 cup
  • Oil – 2 tablespoon
  • Fenugreek – ½ teaspoon

IMG_6251

How to –
  • Heat oil in a pan. Add the fenugreek and let it start to splutter.
  • Add the ginger, garlic, curry leaves and green chilies. Sauté till the raw smell is gone.
  • Add the onion and cook till the onions turn golden brown
  • Add all the dry masala powder, Kudampuli/Gambooge, salt and fry till oil start to separate.
  • Add the thin coconut milk and bring to boil.
  • Add the fish,cook till done and the gravy is thick.
  • Add the thick coconut milk. Swirl the pan lightlyand bring to boil.
  • Turn off the heat. Serve with rice.
IMG_6226

 

Kerala chicken stew

| Rekha Vengalil
A comfort food.This is a mild stew where chicken is cooked in coconut milk and whole dried spices. This is my mother’s version, and to me she makes the best appam and stew..

 
You can cook this with lamb or beef. For Vegetarians, omit the meat and add more veggies. The stew is best with appam.

Kerala chicken stew
You need –
  • Chicken – 500 grams
  • Onion – finely chopped 1 cup
  • Potatoes – 1 large. Cut into cubes
  • Carrot – 2. Cut into cubes
  • Ginger – chopped 2 teaspoon
  • Garlic – chopped 2 teaspoon
  • Green chillies – 2 slit length wise
  • Curry leaves – 10-15
  • Dried spices
    • Cinnamon – 1 small stick
    • Clove – 2
    • Cardamom – 2
    • Star anise – 1 small
    • Fennel seeds – ½ teaspoon
    • Crushed pepper – ½ teaspoon
    • Bay leaf – 1/2
  • Thin coconut milk – 2 cups
  • Thick coconut milk – 1 cup
  • Coconut oil – 2 tablespoon
  • Salt – to taste
How to –
  • Heat oil in a pan. Add all the dried spices and fry until the raw smell is gone.
  • Add the onions, Ginger, garlic, chilies, curry leaves and continue to fry until onions turn soft.
  • Add the chicken piece, potatoes and continue to fry for 2-3 minutes.
  • Add the thin coconut milk, salt, cover and cook.
  • When the chicken is half done, add the carrots and continue to cook till the chicken is fully done.
  • Add the thick coconut milk and bring to boil.
  • Turn off the heat and serve with appam.
Kerala chicken stew