kerala recipes

Semiya Payasam / vermicelli kheer

| Rekha Vengalil
Wishing all  Malayalis a very happy Onam! And for those who are new to this term, here is something to read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onam 
 
And this Onam it’s semiya payasam for us. An all time favorite of mine; though hubby and daughter is more for parippu payasam. The recipe I share  is with Condensed milk, that’s made the payasam so creamy and rich and so fitting for the celebration. Please adjust the sugar to suit your taste.  I have used store brought roasted cashews for garnishing instead of fried cashew. You may opt for this or do the traditional way of frying the cashews and raisins in the ghee as mentioned in the recipe below.


You need –

  • Vermicelli/semiya – 1 cup
  • Milk – 1 litre
  • Condensed milk – 1 tin
  • Sugar – 2 tablespoon or as per taste
  • Cashew nuts & raisins – 1/4 cup each
  • Cardamom powder – 1/4 teaspoon
  • Ghee/clarified butter – 1 tablespoon + extra for frying cashews and raisins

 

 
How to –
 
Heat 1 tablespoon ghee in a heavy bottom pan and roast the semiya till golden brown.
 
Add milk and cook over low flame till semiya is cooked through and milk has reduced and bit thick. Stirring frequently. Add condensed milk and sugar. Mix till well combined.  
 
Add cardamom powder and turn off the heat.
 
In a pan, heat the ghee and fry the cashew nuts till golden brown. Add the raisins and fry till they puff up.  Add this to the payasam and serve hot or chilled.
 

Sending this recipe to the event – ” Favorite Food Event – Payasams/ Kheers” hosted by The Big Sweet Tooth

Aviyal

| Rekha Vengalil
 
Aviyal / Avial is yet another integral part of the sadhya. A delicious mix of different veggies cooked in a coconut-yogurt sauce. Like most dishes this too have many variations though out Kerala. One of them is the consistency of the gravy.  Some like it with more gravy and while others like it dry/semi – dry. I like the semi-dry version and that’s what I am sharing with you today.  
 
You need –
  • Raw banana – 1
  • Yam – 100 grams
  • Carrot – 1
  • Drumstick – 1
  • Beans – 10
  • Potato – 1 small
  • Yoghurt – ½ cup (Sour)
  • Grated coconut – 1 1/4 cups
  • Cumin seeds – 1/4 teaspoon
  • Fresh green chili – 1
  • Turmeric Powder – a pinch
  • Salt to taste
  • Coconut oil – 1 tablespoon
  • Curry Leaves – 1 sprig 
 
How to –
 
Wash, clean and cut all the veggies into lengthwise (about 2’ inch pieces).
In heavy bottom pan, put the cut veggies along with 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook till just about done. (Do not over cook. Keep the veggies crisp). Uncover and continue to cook for a couple of minutes till the water is almost reduced to 1/4 (or if you want more gravy then don’t let the water evaporate). 
 
In a blender, coarsely blend together grated coconut, chili, and cumin seeds without adding any water. Add this mixture to the veggies along with yogurt, curry leaves and mix gently till well combined.
 
Turn off the heat and drizzle the coconut oil and mix well cover and let it sit for a couple of minutes before you serve.
 
 
 

Puli Inji

| Rekha Vengalil
 
Cooking up and preparing for Onam is fun but missing home terribly and so is the case at home too. Said that, can’t wait to be home soon in a couple of months and really looking forward to that now.  
 
And today’s recipe is a very essential part of the sadhya. Call it a sweet and sour ginger pickle of Kerala where ginger is cooked in a tangy-sweet sauce.  Just recently did I know that inji puli and puli inji are two different recipes (of course a slight difference not huge).  One has little more chili while the other has more Puli.  
 
There are many variation of this in different part of Kerala and here’s how my Mom makes it. You may alter the addition of chili or Jaggery to suit your taste. 
You need –
  • Fresh ginger – finely chopped, 1 cup
  • Tamarind – a lemon size ball, soaked in 3/4 cup of hot water.
  • Jaggery – grated, 2 tablespoons
  • chili powder – 1/2 teaspoon or as per taste
  • Green chili – 2, finely chopped
  • Asafetida – a pinch
  • Mustard seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
  • Curry leaves – 1 sprig
  • Coconut oil – as required
  • Salt to taste
 
How to –
 
Squeeze the soaked tamarind; extract the juice and set aside.
 
Heat oil and fry the ginger till golden brown. remove and set aside. In the same pan add oil if required; once heated add the mustard seeds and allow to splatter. Tip the green chili, curry leaves and fry briefly for a couple of seconds.
 
Add the chili powder, asafetida and saute for 2 minutes over medium heat. Add the fried ginger and mix well.
 
Add the tamarind water, jaggery, salt to taste and mix well and cook till mixture is thick and pulpy.
 
Turn off the heat and let it rest for an hour before you serve. cool completely before you jar it.
 
 

Ishtu / Kerala potato stew

| Rekha Vengalil
 
Kerala’s potato stew is a creamy and mildly spiced, which is pretty easy to make.  It is served with Appam and is also a must during festivals and special occasions.  
 
Appam and Ishtu/stew is yet another favorite at home. This makes to our dinner table at least once in a week.  We like our ishtu a bit thick (not too runny). So please adjust the consistency of the gravy to your choice. 
 
 

You need –

  • Potatoes – 2, large boiled, peeled and roughly mashed
  • Thick coconut milk – 3/4 cup
  • Onion – 1 medium, thinly sliced
  • Green Chilies – 1 or as per taste
  • Ginger – I small piece, finely sliced
  • Salt – to taste
  • Curry Leaves – 1 sprig
  • Coconut Oil – 2 teaspoons
  • Water – 3/4 cup

How to –

In a pan add the water, sliced onion, green chili, curry leaves, ginger and bring to a rolling boil.

Add the potatoes and mix well. Continue to cook for 2 minutes.


Add the coconut milk, salt and bring to a gentle simmer but do not boil.

Drizzle the coconut oil and cover and let it sit for a few minutes before you serve.

 

 

Kadala parippu pradhaman / Chana dal Kheer

| Rekha Vengalil


Onam is here again! and I have planned to post onam sadya recipes this week. Unsure if I will be able to do all of it by 16th; yet promise to fit in as much as possible. I already have a few that you might want to check out

And today I have this delicious payasam/pradhaman made of coconut milk and chana dhal. Traditionally fried coconut pieces are also added in but I forgot to buy them and realised only when I started making the payasam. 


You need –

  • Chana dal – 250 grams, cleaned & washed
  • Palm sugar/ Jaggery – 400 grams, grated
  • Coconut milk
    • Think Coconut milk – 3/4 cup
    • Medium thick coconut milk – 1.5 cups
    • Thin coconut milk – 3 cups
  • Ghee – 2 tablespoon + 1 tablespoon of frying cashewnuts
  • Cardamom powder – 1/4 teaspoon
  • Cashewnut and coconut pieces – 40 grams each

How to –

In pressure cooker, cook the dal with enough water (around 3 cups). Once done mash roughly and set aside.


In pan melt the palm sugar/jaggery with 1/4 tablespoon water and aside. Now heat a heavy bottom pan and add 2 tablespoons of ghee. Add the cooked dal and melted jaggery and mix well. Be careful as the ghee will start to splatter so take care.

Stir till everything is well combined. Now add the thin coconut milk and bring to a rolling boil. Add the medium thick coconut milk and cook till the payasam thickens and reduces to half. Stir frequently. Add the Thick coconut milk and bring to a gently simmer.
Turn off the heat add the cardamom powder and mix well.


In a small frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of ghee and fry the cashew and coconut pieces (if using) till golden brown. Add this to the payasam and mix well. Serve hot.

 

 

Cherupayar curry

| Rekha Vengalil
Kerala’s mung dal/ green gram curry  is preferred with Puttu (steamed ground rice breakfast dish of Kerala , a combo made in heaven according to my hubby. Well for me the two are sure my favorites but not the combo. I like my puttu with banana and sugar and the later with rice. But being true to my roots, I do like to savor puttu with the curry once in a while.
 

You need –

  • Mung bean – 1/3 cups
  • grated coconut – 1/3 cup
  • Coconut milk – 1/4 cup
  • cumin seed – 1/4 teaspoon
  • Turmeric powder – 1/4 teaspoon
  • green chilies – 1-2, slit length-wise
  • Shallots – 3-4, finely sliced
  • Mustard seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
  • dried chili – 1
  • curry leaves – 1 stwig
  • coconut oil – 1 tablespoon
  • salt to taste
 

How to –

In a blender, put the grated coconut, cumin seeds and whiz to a fine paste; adding just enough water. Set aside.


In pressure cooker, cook the payar/mung been with green chili, turmeric powder and add water a required. Once done, uncover and keep the heat over medium heat.Stir the coconut paste, salt and cook for 4-5 minutes. Add the coconut milk, (add water to adjust the consistency of the curry if need be) few curry leaves; bring to a gentle simmer and turn off the heat. 

In a small pan, heat the oil. add the mustards seed and once they start to pop add the curry leaves and dried chili. Sauté briefly. Add the chopped shallots and cook till golden brown. Turn off the heat and add this to the curry and mix well.

Serve hot with Puttu , rice or roti.

 

 

My 200th post and Beef Ularthiyathu

| Rekha Vengalil
This is my 200th post and here’s thanking each one of you for making this journey so wonderful with all your lovely comments and feedback. Truly overwhelmed and feel so blessed. The journey that I started a year back has sure got me some wonderful friends whom I have not met but the bond seems to be growing stronger. Also taking this very moment to thank my family and friends for being a wonderful support. Though at times my daughter says Foodolicious is boring because every time I make her favorite food and I photograph it first before serving her  but still she is all ready to help me when I need her either for a photo or just for clean ups. Love you Molu 🙂 Life is beautiful 🙂
 
Before marriage I was quite reserved when it came to food and especially meat. The only thing I ate was chicken and once in a while lamb. Things have changed and thanks to my hubby who has very tactfully got me eating beef and pork.
 
And yes I had not tasted beef until I had this dish and the only way I like it. So flavorful and tender and yes biting into those coconut slices makes it one delicious dish. If you don’t eat beef  then you can cook this with Lamb but the cooking time will be little longer but taste equally good. Feel free to add more fresh green chilies if you want to make it hotter.  
 
This is truly Kerala’s best.


You need –

  • Beef – 500 grams, cubes into bite size pieces
  • Coconut meat – 1/2 cup finely sliced
  • Chili powder – 1/2 teaspoon
  • turmeric powder – 1/4 teaspoon
  • Ginger & garlic paste – 1 teaspoon
  • Shallots – finely sliced, 1/2 cup
  • Garlic cloves – Minced, 1 tablespoon
  • Ginger – julienned, 1 tablespoon
  • Green chili – 2 or as per taste, slit
  • Corriander powder – 1 tablespoon
  • Black pepper powder – 1 teaspoon
  • Garam Masala – 1 teaspoon
  • Curry leaves – 2 twigs
  • Salt to taste
  • Coconut oil – 2 tablespoon

How to –

In pressure cooker, put the meat, turmeric powder, chili powder, ginger garlic paste and salt. Mix well and cook till done with 2 tablespoons of water. Once done, uncover and drain the meat from the stock reserving 1 tablespoon of the stock and set aside.

In skillet/kadai/wok, heat oil and add the sliced coconut pieces, ginger and garlic and fry till fragrant . Add the shallots, green chilies, curry leaves and continue to fry till the onions turn golden brown.

Add the Coriander powder, garam masala powder and saute for 2 minutes or till oil starts to separate. Now add 1 tablespoon of reserved stock and loosen up the spice mix (this helps the spices to coat the meat well). Add the meat and mix well to coat.

Add the black pepper powder and over medium heat cook for 10-12 mins or until the mixtures is very dry; stirring continuously.

Serve hot with Rice and curry.

 

Varutharacha kozhi curry / kerala style chicken curry

| Rekha Vengalil
Oh how could I ??!! yeah I forgot to post this which I made couple of weeks back. Never the less, better late than never. 

This is a traditional Kerala chicken curry. Cooked in roasted coconut paste with spices.  But I am a bit hesitant to make this curry every often for the very reason that no matter how much you reduce the oil yet the roasted coconut somehow oozes out oil as the curry cooks up. But then that’s the beauty of the curry I know and don’t you agree? 



This is recipes is from my mom and somehow it doesn’t taste as much as hers does but I guess that’s how it is when every mom cooks. There is something special always. With mother’s day coming up I dedicate this post to my mom and MIL, the 2 wonderful women in my life.

Mom & Saana
MIL & Saana

Happy mother’s day to all my dear blogger friends and to your mommies 🙂

To make you need –

  • Chicken – 500 grams, cut into medium- small pieces
  • Grated coconut – ½ cup
  • Whole coriander seeds – 1 ½ tablespoons
  • Whole dried chilies – 4-5 or as per your palate.
  • Whole black pepper – 1 teaspoon
  • Curry leaves – 3 twigs
  • Garam masala powder – ½ teaspoon
  • Onion – 1 medium, thinly sliced
  • Minced ginger and garlic – 1 teaspoon each
  • Tomato – 1, sliced
  • Potatoes – 2 medium, cut into cubes
  • Coconut oil – 1 teaspoon
  • Salt to taste

How to –
In frying pan, dry roast the grated coconut, coriander seeds, dried chilies  black pepper, garam masala and 2 twig of curry leaves.  Make sure the coconut turns to dark brown but do not burn. You need to make sure you are frequently stirring. Once done, put the mixture into a blender and blend till a smooth paste with water as required. Set aside.



 


In heavy bottom pan heat the oil and onions, ginger, garlic, remaining curry leaves and fry till translucent. Add the tomato and cook till mushy. Add the coconut paste and cook briefly for a couple of minutes.


Add the chicken pieces, potatoes, ¼ cup water, and mix well to coat. Cover and cook till done.  The gravy should be thick and not runny so add water if need be or if to runny continue to cook till its thick. 





Turn off the heat. Serve hot with rice or roti.

Sending this recipe to – Cook Like Mom’ & an International Giveaway by Foodelicious

 

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Click here for more chicken recipes

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