Kadala Curry

This curry made of Black chana is famous in Kerala. It is simple to make if u have the ingredients ready as major part of the cooking is done in pressure cooker.

It is actually served with puttu, appam or idiyappam but it goes well with Idly/Dosa also.



Ingredients:

Black chana - 1 cup (soak overnight)
coarsely Onion - 1
finely chopped onion - 1/2
Tomato - 1/2
curry powder - 1.5 tsp (or use red chilly powder - 1 tsp & coriander powder - 1 tsp)
garlic - 2 pods
coconut powder - 1/2 cup or coconut milk - 1/2 cup
coriander leaves - 1/4 cup
mustard seeds - 1 tsp
oil - 1 tbsp
salt


How to make the curry:

I'll split the procedure in 3 parts. Pressure cooking, grinding and cooking

Pressure cooking:
1. Add little oil in a pan and saute the onions (coarsely chopped), tomatoes, crushed garlic for 1 min.

2. To this add the soaked and washed black chana and the curry powder

3. Add salt to this and pressure cook. cook for 5 whistles so that the black chana gets cooked well


Grinding:
1. In another pan dry fry the coconut powder till dry and it turns light brown (desiccated coconut)

2. Grind the desiccated coconut, a tbsp of cooked black chana and coriander leaves to a smooth paste. (u can also use coconut milk instead of desiccated coconut and grind
it the same way)

Making of the final Curry:
1. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds to splutter. After that add the finely chopped onions and saute till it turns transparent. This dish needs onions to be blended. so saute well.

2. Add the cooked chana mix. check salt

3. Once it boils add the grinded coconut mix and let it boil for 2 mins. Garnish with some coriander leaves.


Serve with Puttu, Appam, Idiyappam or Dosa.

Prawn(Shrimp) thokku

This is one of my favorites as my family loves prawns and a simple one to prepare (I din't accounted the cleaning part). We had stopped buying prawns for a long time after I failed for the first time when We got the cooked prawns and overcooked them which made them rubbery. But now we buy only fresh prawns either with or without skin. Now I've learned to peel the skin and devein them too. If you need help on the cleaning part please click here.

This dish goes very well with Rice, Idly, Dosa and Chapatti.


Ingredients:

Prawn - 1 lb (around 1/2 kg)
Big Onions - 2 chopped
Big Tomato - 1 chopped
Oil - 3 tbsp
Curry powder - 4 tsp (mix of chilly and coriander powder in ratio 1:2)
salt


Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan

2. Saute onions and tomatoes one by one and fry well

3. Add salt and curry powder. Add some water and cook covered on medium flame.

4. After 5 mins add the cleaned prawns. If needed add some more water and cook covered. Keep stirring frequently as it may stick to the bottom

5. Cook for 10 mins. check if the prawns are cooked well and keep on high flame till the gravy thickens

6. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Rava Dhokla

Ingredients:

•1 cup Rava
•1 cup yogurt
•1/4 cup water as needed
•1/4 teaspoon salt
•2 teaspoon lemon juice
•Pinch of turmeric (haldi)
•1 green chili finely chopped
•2 tablespoon fine chopped cilantro (hara dhania)
•1 teaspoon Eno’s fruit salt (Sodium Bicarbonate and Citric Acid)

For seasoning:

•2 tablespoons of oil
•1/2 teaspoon black mustard seed
•2 green peppers chopped into about 1/4 inch pieces


Method:

1.Mix the rava, yogurt, salt, lemon juice, green chili, and cilantro together in a bowl and make a smooth batter; add more water if needed.
2.Mix well so that no lumps are formed and the batter is of pouring consistency.
3.Allow batter to rest for an hour.
4.Grease the pan for steaming and set aside.
5.Add fruit salt (Eno) to the batter, and mix well. The batter will foam up.
6.Quickly pour batter into a greased pan for steam.
7.Steam for about 10 minutes on medium heat.
8.Check Dhokla with a knife. If the knife comes out clean, dhokla is ready.
9.Turn of the heat and let it cool to room temperature, then cut into triangle or square shapes.

Prepare the seasoning:

1.Heat the oil in a small pan on medium heat.
2.Add mustard seeds after seeds cracke add green chili stir for few seconds.
3.Pour seasoning over the Dhokla. Serve with green chutney.

Ginger Rice

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice - 1 cup
Onion - 1
Fresh Ginger - 1 long pieces
Butter - 1 tbsp
Whole cardamom - 1 (crush little)
Cashew Nuts - 10 Nos
Raisins - 10
Saffron colour - little (mix in little milk)
salt


Procedure:

1. Boil chopped ginger and crushed cardamom in a pot with 2 cups of water. Allow it to reduce to half of its quantity. Strain it and keep the water.

2. Heat butter in a pan and fry cashews and raisins

3. To this add sliced onions till they turn golden brown.

4. Add the washed rice and mix well.

5. To this add salt, saffron colored milk and ginger juice (1 cup). Add 3/4th cup of water (Rice: water -- 1: 1 3/4)

6.Cook in rice cooker or pressure cooker (2-3 whistles).

7. Mix well and serve hot with raita or any gravy.

Capsicum rice

A simple form of fried rice having simple ingrediens that can be made even with leftover rice. Roast and grind the masala ahead and u can make this rice in notime.

Ingredients:
Rice - 1 cup (cook ahead and cool down)
Capsicum - 1 (cut as thin long slices)
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Chana Dal - 2 tsp
Roasted Peanuts - 2 tsp
Cahews - 2 tsp
Salt
Oil - 2 tbsp
Coriander leaves

To roast and grind:
cumin - 2 tsp
coriander seeds - 2 tsp
red chillies - 2
orid dal - 1 tsp
chana dal - 1 tsp

Method:
1. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, chana dal, peanuts and cashewnuts one after another
2. Add sliced capsicum and sautee for 2 mins until cooked. Add salt to this
3. Now add cooked rice and grounded masala powder and mix well on low flame
4. Turn off the stove and garnish with coriander leaves
5. Serve hot with Potato curry

Medhu Vadai

Ingredients:

Urid Dal - 1 cup
Green chillies - 3
Ginger - 1 inch size
Curry leaves
coriander leaves
Salt
Oil - for deep frying

Procedure:

1. Soak the Urid dal for 2 hrs and grind it well with green chillies and ginger. Don't add much water while grinding as water will make vadas to absorb lots of oil. Add just VERY VERY little water. The batter should be very thick for getting proper vadas

2. Mix chopped curry leaves, coriander leaves and salt just before frying. Mix really well(ur hands should go in circular motions to aerate the batter). You can grind the batter 5 hrs ahead and store it in the refrigerator without adding salt. If you add salt then the batter will become watery bcos of the salt

3. Have a plastic sheet for patting the vadas. Have some water in a small bowl for wetting your hands as you may need this on the process

4. Heat enough oil for deep frying in a wide pan

5. Wet ur hands and the wipe the plastic sheet with water.( u need to do this for every vada so that it can slip easily from the sheet to the oil)

6. Take some batter, make a ball of it and put it on the plastic sheet. Press it little and make a small hole in the center.

7. Carefully take this and drop on the hot oil

8. Flip over and cook on the other side. Remove from oil after it turns golden brown on both sides. Place them on a tissue to remove excess oil.

9. Crispy tasty medhu vadas are ready..

10. You may also add onions to this for onion vadas.

Anada Viratham /அனந்த விரதம்

Ananda Viratham or Ananda Padmanaba Viratham so called "Nonbu" in our family is a pooja which is observed every year in my in-laws family . We do this pooja every year on the date as told by my Mother-in-law and I didn't even know about the exact name of this Viratam except for how it is called "Nonbu". This year when she told about this Pooja day I just wanted to search on the web to know more details. And luckily I came across some interesting facts which I was not aware.

This pooja occurs on the Full-Moon day(Pournami) that comes after "Vinyagar Chathurthi". The Pooja is dedicated to Lord Vishnu (to my surprise it was not Lord Shiva..) who is in Anada sayanam - sleeping posture on the Anatha Nagam (snake). The purpose of this pooja is to pray the Almighty to relieve from sorrow and give happiness (aanandam).

The main ritual on the day is to wear the sacred thread (nonbu kayir) kept on pooja after finishing the pooja rituals. This sacred thread is actually a band of 14 threads but we do get readymade red threads called as "Rettai Nonbu Kayir" which is different for men and women. We'll make a Kalasam by keeping a coconut on top of a silver pot which is tied with thread all around. Also we have to offer the god with Manjal(whole turmeric), Kumkum, Flowers, Banana, green leaves (vetrilai) everyhitng to be on a count of 14 (I make it on a count of 5 a custom changed by my great husband).




Offerings other than flowers and fruits, include Puttu, Kesari and Medhu vadai. After doing the aarti, we have to pray the god with akshata (made of rice and flower mixed with turmeric) 14 times and then tie the Nonbu kayir.

For more details on this Viratham click here.