Puzhukku

Puzhukku is an authentic dish of Kerala/south.It is a mixture of various roots like taro,tapioca...It can either be eaten alone or as a dish for flatbread like chappati.It is very nutritious and personally I just love it.

 Tapioca-1 medium sized(cut to medium sized pieces)
 Green gram-1/4 cup(soaked overnight and cooked/pressure cook it till soft)
 Raw Plantain-1 Cut to medium sized pieces.
 Taro-2 no Cut roughly
 Green chillies- 3 to 4(according to your spice level.Don't add too much)
 Shredded Coconut- 2 cups(grated)
 Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
 Turmeric powder- 1/4tsp+1/4tsp to cook tapioca.
 Garlic pods- 3 to 4
 Curry leaves- 2 strands
 Salt,to taste
 Shallots- 6-7(cut finely)
 Oil- 4 tsp

Method Of Preparation:

1. Cook tapioca in hot boiling water with turmeric powder.
2. When cooked, drain the water from the tapioca and keep aside.
3.Cook the taro,plantain,turmeric powder,salt and green gram together till they become tender.Add the water that is just needed to cook them, not too much.If cooking like this see that the green gram was soaked earlier.
4. Grind together green chillies, coconut, cumin seeds and garlic pods.
5.Once everything is cooked, add oil in a heavy bottom pan sputter Splutter some mustard seeds, dry red chillies ,shallots and transfer the cooked stuff(tapioca,gram,plantain,taro) into it.
6. Add the ground mixture into it. Stir and mix well.And finally add curry leaves.
7. Serve warm.

Tips:
1. When cooking don't add too much of water.Add water just to cook it.
2. While grinding add very little water.Grind it to medium paste.Not too smooth.
3. To accelerate the cooking,cook tapioca in pressure cooker,wait for two whistle on high flame and then drain water.(Don't use the cooked water of tapioca).Same way cook the green gram and other things for one whistle .Then continue the other process.
4. The seasoning part can be omitted.In that case add 2 tsp of coconut oil and curry leaves and mix well.
5. Its not at all compulsory that you need to have all the vegetables and gram.You can make tapioca puzhukku also in the same way.

First Award!!! :)

Thanks Reva for sharing me this award and your lovely words :)

Passing this to some of my blogger friends who I feel do a great job in kitchen.
1. Jisha's kitchen
2. ! SIMPLY DELICIOUS !
3.Sarah Naveen
4.SOUJANYA MUPPA 
5.satrupa
6.satya
7.aipi
8.Jay
9.Yummy O Yummy
10.Kavya's Kitchen
11.Kothiyavunu
12.Pavithra
13.Priya sreeram
14.Kurinji
15.Shilpi Bose
Rules:1.Accept the award. Post it in your blog with the name of the blogger who has given u this award with a link to his/her blog.
2.Pass it on to 15 other blogger friends.... to keep the ball rolling.
3.Let the nominated blogger know about their award [leave a comment in their most recent post].

Aviyal

Aviyal is a dish that is made in southern part of India. It is a mixture of many vegetables in a paste of coconut and medium sour curd/yogurt.In Kerala it is prepared for any function...let it be marriage,festivals,birth ceremony and also just as a dish on a normal day.

1. Vegetables like: (cut lengthwise to medium size)-2cup

                         Carrot

                         Yam/elephant foot yam/Chena

                         White pumpkin/ellavan

                         French Beans

                         Drumsticks

                         Long beans/payar

                         Raw Banana.

                         Bitter gourd

2. Grated coconut-1/2 cup

3. Green chilly -2 no(roughly chopped)

4. Turmeric Powder- 1/2 tsp

5. Curry leaves, a few

6. Salt to taste

7. Curd/yogurt-1/2cup(medium sour)
8. Coconut oil-2tsp

Method Of Preparation:
1. Cook all the vegetables with little water till they become tender.See that they don't lose their shape and don't get overcooked.
2. Meanwhile grind together green chilly and grated coconut using little curd.The mixture should not be too smooth or watery.
3. Once the vegetables are cooked,see that there is little water only, add the ground paste into it. Mix well.
4. Let it boil once on low flame.Then add curry leaves to it and switch off the flame.After that add 2 tsp of coconut oil .
5. Serve with steamed rice.

Tips:

1.The vegetables must be cut evenly into long thin pieces;so that all the pieces cook evenly at the same time..

2.Water must be just enough to cook the veggies.If you feel that you need little gravy add little curd along with the ground mixture.Too much of water spoils the taste.
3.Do not overcook vegetables.

4.Some vegetables take longer time to cook compared to others...in that case cook them first and when half cooked add the remaining vegetables.

5.After adding the paste don't boil it long as the taste will change once curd gets boiled for long time.

Jalebi

All Purpose flour-1/2 cup
Gram flour/besan-1 tsp
Corn flour-1 tbsp
Yeast-1/2 tsp
Oil-1/2 tsp
Yogurt-2 tbsp
Lukewarm water- 1/2 cup-2 tbsp (as needed)
Yellow/orange color-1 to 2 drops
Oil to fry

For syrup:
sugar-1 cup
water-1 cup
cardamom powder-pinch
lemon juice-1 tsp
Few strands of saffron.

Method Of Preparation:

1. Dissolve the yeast in warm water and let it sit for about five minutes.
2. Mix the all purpose flour, gram flour (besan), corn flour,yogurt, oil(1/2 tsp), and color together.
3. Add the yeast solution to flour and mix well,along with yogurt and water making sure that there are no lumps
4. Set the batter aside in a warm place for one hour.By then the batter gets fermented.
5. In a pan boil  sugar and water for 15 to 18 mins to form sticky syrup. Add the lemon juice,cardamom powder and saffron and keep on low heat.
6. After one to 1 and 1/2 hour the batter will get fermented,so now we can make the jalebi's. For that heat the oil in a wok.The heat should be medium hot and once at that point reduce it to medium low.
7. Fill the Jalebi batter into a piping bag/ketchup bottle .
8. Squeeze the Jalebi batter out in the hot oil in spiral shape
9. Fry the Jalebi's crispy for few minutes on both sides.
10. Transfer into the syrup.
11. Let jalebi soak in the warm syrup for a few seconds and take out.

 Notes:
1.After fermenting batter will be smooth.The batter should have medium thickness,else jalebi's would become too thin and crispy.
2.Don't soak the jalebi's for more time.That makes them too soft by absorbing too much of syrup.

Lady's finger fry/okra fry

Lady's finger-10
Onion-1(small)(cut to small pieces)
Cumin seeds-1/2tsp
Mustard seeds-1/2tsp
Curry leaves-3 to 4 no
Turmeric-1/4tsp
Chilly powder-1tsp(as needed)
Oil-2 tbsp
Salt to taste

 

Method Of Preparation:

1. Cut the Lady's finger/okra into medium thick rounds.
2. In a wok heat oil,add mustard,cumin let them sputter.
3. Add onion to that and fry till translucent.To that add turmeric,curry leaves,salt and chilly powder.Fry for some time.
4. Add the lady's finger into that and cook on low flame without water.Keep the lid closed initially after mixing for 2 to 3 min and then open the lid and fry it.
5. Serve with steamed rice.

Mampayar Erisheri/Black Beans Curry

Black Beans/Mampayar-1/2cup
Pumpkin-1/2 cup(cut to medium sized pieces)
Chilly powder-1/2tsp
Turmeric powder-1/4tsp
Salt to taste
Water to cook

To Grind:
Coconut-1/2 cup(grated)
Cumin seeds/jeera-1/4 tsp

For seasoning:
Mustard seeds-1/4 tsp
Grated coconut-1 tsp
Curry leaves-1 stalk

Method Of Preparation:

1. Cook black beans/mampayar in a pressure cooker/vessel with medium water till tender.
2. Once black beans get semi cooked add chopped pumpkins and water(if needed), along with salt,chilly powder and turmeric, until tender.
3. Meanwhile, in a grinder/ food processor, grind grated coconut, and cumin seeds into  paste.
4. When the pumpkin is cooked, add the coconut paste to it and bring to boil. Take from heat.
5. In a wok, heat oil over medium-high flame and add mustard and curry leaves. When mustard sputters, add grated coconut and fry until it turns brown (See that it doesn't burn). 
6. Add this to the gravy and mix well.
7. Serve  with steamed rice.

Tips:

1. If in a hurry,use canned coconut milk.In that case add the cumin with the beans and pumpkin while boiling.Also see that you don't use too much of water while boiling.

 Note: While using coconut milk you will have to compromise with taste(a bit). 

 

  

Apple Pickle

Apples-1 large(little tart apples would be good/cooking apples)
Lemon juice-1/2 tsp(optional)
Mustard seeds-1/4 tsp
Fenugreek powder-1/8 tsp
Asafoetida/hing-1/4 tsp
Green chillies-1no
chili powder-1/2 tsp
Dry Red chilly-2 no
salt to taste
vegetable oil-2 tbsp

Method Of Preparation:
1. Wash,dry then core the apples and dice them into tiny cubes.
2. Toss with lemon juice and set aside.
3. Heat the oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they crackle, add dry red chilly, fenugreek powder, asafoetida, green chilies. Stir on medium high heat for about 1 minute. Add chili powder, and salt  and heat the mixture for a seccond.
4. Take from heat wait for some time and mix it with the apple.
5. Once cool, store the pickle in an air-tight container in the fridge. Pickle will last about a week.

Tips:
1. Pickles taste good when apples are crisp.So when you add the hot mixture wait for sometime so that it cools.
2. If the apple is not tart use lemon to reduce the sweetness, else it can be omitted.