Padavalangha Thoran

This is made as any other thoran. Make sure you scrape the padavalangha lightly slit and remove the seeds and keep in salted water for sometime. Wash well inside and out. This is a vegetable on which farmers spray too much pesticides.

How to make

Cut the Padavalangha into small squares. Cut one gig onion the same way.
Heat a pan, add oil, and seasonings. Then add the vegetables, one slit green chilli, curry leaves, salt and turmeric. Cover and cook on low flame. When cooked and all water absorbed, add a cup of coconut scrapings. Stir well and remove from fire.

Tomato Chutney.

We need
Tomatoes -3 cut into big pieces
Onion -1 large sliced big
Green chillies -2
Coconut scrapings -1/2 cup
Chilli powder
Turmeric powder
Salt

How to make

Add half tsp oil in a heated pan and fry all ingredients for a few minutes. Remove from fire and grind to a coarse paste in the mixie. Heat a non stick pan, add a tsp of oil, and put the seasonings in it. When mustard seeds splutter, add the ground paste and stir for five minutes. Chutney is ready.

Egg Masala Curry.

Eggs boiled and shelled - 6
Onion 2 big -sliced to thin pieces
Green chillies 2, sliced
Ginger garlic paste 1 tsp
Chicken masala -3 tbs
Tomato - ground to fine paste -2
You can also use ready made tomato puree

How to make
Heat a pan, add the seasonings, and then the onions and green chillies. When it turns brown, add ginger garlic paste and stir for a minute. Now add the chicken masala, stir for a another minute and add the ground tomatoes. It will take some time on low flame to get the tomato cooked and blend well with other ingredients. Stir continuously. When the oil separates, add enough water and salt. Add the eggs and simmer for some time. Garnish with corriander leaves.
Serve with Chappathi.

Kovakkai Mezhukkupuratti

We need
Kovakkai
small onions
Chilli powder
Turmeric
Salt
Oil
How to make
Cut the kovakkai into thin round slices. Cook them in as little water as possible. When it is cooked and all water absorbed, add oil and all other ingredients and fry till crisp. It is delicious and healthy.

Kozhukkatta

The humble kozhukkatta is a simple Kerala Breakfast dish. Very easy to make.
We need
Rice flour 2 cups
You can use any ready made puttupodi that comes in packets.
Coconut scrapings of 1 coconut.
Salt
A pinch of jeera
Boiling water.
How to make
Take the flour in a wide vessal, add all ingredients and mix well. Add the boiling water slowly and keep on mixing with a spoon. When it forms to a lump, stop adding water. Mix the dough well and when it cools a little, make small balls of the dough with your hand.
Keep it in iddli cooker or a steamer and steam cook for 20 to 25 minutes.
Serve hot with coconut chutney.

Chena/yam Thoran.

Chena/yam - 1 cup cut into small squares
Cook the yam and keep aside. Add salt while cooking.
Heat a pan, add a tbs oil, a pinch of jeera, mustard seeds and a whole red chilli. [seasoning]. Add half cup coconut scrapings, a few small onions, cut, a split green chilli and fry for a few minutes. Then add a pinch of turmeric and red chilli powder. Mix the cooked yam to this and fry for some time. Serve with rice.

Alu Paratha

We need...
Boiled and mashed potatoes
Wheat flour

Make a dough with wheat flour, adding little oil. Keep aside. Mash the potatoes without lumps. Add chilli powder, turmeric powder and a little garam masala. Also mix Chopped corriander leaves, salt and the juice of a lemon.
The filling Alu can be mixed with the masala of your choice...ginger garlic paste, onions, chat masala, anything can be added.
Roll the dough into a small puri, fill with a spoonful of mashed potato, cover from all sides and roll into a paratha.
Keep on a hot tawa and let it cook on both sides. Pour ghee or butter lavishly on the hot Paratha and serve with curds and pickle.

Semia Payasam

We need
Semia / vermicelli- 1 cup
Sugar - 1 cup
Milk -1/2 litre
Water 1 cup
Ghee
Cardamom Powder
Cashew nuts & kismis - fried in ghee.

How to make
Fry the semia in 1 tbs ghee. When it turns pink in color, add the water and cook on a low flame. When the semia is cooked and water absorbed, add sugar and stir constantly until it gets thick. Then add the milk. Stir well and when the milk boils, simmer and keep till the payasam is ready. Remove from fire and add the cardamoms, cashew nuts & kismis. Serve hot.

Peas Pulav and Raita

Peas - 200 gms frozen or fresh
Basmati rice - 1 cup
Capsicum - 1 cut into big pieces. Onion - 2 large, cut thin
Corriander leaves
Vegetable masala 2 tbs
Wash and drain the rice and keep aside. In the pressure cooker pour 2 tbs ghee and add some whole masala. [pepper, cardamoms, cloves and bay leaves.] Then add the onions and capsicum and fry till golden brown. Add the peas, rice, salt and masala. Mix well and add water double the quantity of rice. Close the lid and remove from fire after one whistle. Let the cooker cool and open on its own. Garnish with corriander and fried kismis and cashew nuts.
Serve with Raita.

Raita

Beat curds with a spoon to a smooth consistency. Add finely chopped onions, green chillies, salt and boondi.

Beans Mezhukkupuratti

Beans Mezhukkupuratti can be made very easily in Microwave.
Beans 100gm
Onion 1
Green chillies 2
Slit the beans lengthwise and cut into small pieces. Cut the onions and slit the green chillies. Take a Microwave safe dish, pour a tsp of oil, add the vegetable. Mix salt, turmeric and red chilli powder. Mix well and cover with a lid. Microwave for 3 minutes. Take off the lid, stir and microwave again for 3 minutes without the lid. Serve with rice.

Dum alu in Microwave

Small variety/ baby potatoes....10
Capsicum 1 medium
Tomato 1
Masala
chilli powder
corriander powder
turmeric powder
garam masala
ginger garlic paste
Marinate the potatoes with the masala and salt.
Cut the capsicum and tomatoes. Add them to the potatoes and Microwave on high for 15 minutes. If not done, mix and keep again for a few minutes.

Parippu Padavalangha koottu curry

Tuvar dhal 1 cup
Padavalanga 1/4kg
Coconut 1/2
Jeera
Green chillies 5

How to make
Cut the Padavalanga into small square pieces. Cook in pressure cooker along with the dhal. Grind the coconut, green chillies and jeera. Add turmeric powder and salt to the cooked dhal and then the ground coconut paste. Simmer for a few minutes. Add a tsp coconut oil and curry leaves.
Can be served with rice or chappathi.

Bread Pudding in Microwave

Don't throw away the left over bread slices. You can make a dessert with it.

Bread slices
Egg 1
Milk 1 cup
Sugar 3 tbs
vanilla essence

Beat the egg and sugar throughly and add the milk. Add the vanilla essence and mix and pour into a Microwave safe dish. Add the bread slices and mix. Cashew nuts and kismis can also be added.
Microwave for 6 to 8 minutes.

A Quick Lunch.

Kichdi

Basmati rice - 1 cup
Moong Dhal / cherupayar parippu - 1/2 cup
Wash the rice and dhal and add salt, a pinch of jeera, asefotide and turmeric to it. Mix well and add double the quantity of water. Keep in pressure cooker and cook well. Pour a tsp ghee and serve hot with Salads, pappad, curds and pickle .

PALAK PAROTTA

Palak is not easily available in South India. So this is a North Indian recipe.
Clean and remove the stem of a bunch of Palak leaves. Boil water in a pan and immerse the Palak leaves for 2 minutes. Strain all the water.
Grind the leaves and 3 green chillies together into a fine paste.
Add this to the wheat flour to make parottas. Add little water if needed. Add a tbs of ghee while kneading. Keep the dough covered for half an hour.
Roll and make the parottas on a hot tava. Pour ghee or butter and serve hot.

Palak Paneer

We need....
Palak - a bunch
Wash the palak leaves in lots of water after removing the stem. Immerse the leaves in boiling water for 2 minutes. Strain the water and keep aside.
Paneer - 200gms
Cut the paneer into small cubes and fry in oil till there is a slight color change. Don't let them become crisp.
Grind together the palak leaves and 3 green chillies.
Heat a tbs of oil, add a pinch of cumin seeds,[jeera] one sliced garlic, an onion cut into small pieces. When the onion turns brown, add a pinch of turmeric powder, red chilli powder and garam masala powder.
Add the ground palak paste and the fried paneer and salt. Simmer till the gravy gets thick. Add water to palak paste only if necessary.
Serve with chappathi.

Bajji

Besan /[Kadala mavu] /Gram flour - 1/2 cup
Onion- 2
Green chillies - big variety- 2
Corriander leaves - 1 bunch
Salt
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp

How to make....
Cut the green chillies and onion into long pieces. Add all ingredients to the gram flour and make into a thick paste adding water. Heat oil in a pan and deep fry spoonfuls of the mixture.
Serve hot with tomato sauce. Good as an evening snack.

Appam

Appam is a breakfast dish which belongs to Kerala. It is made in different ways in different regions of Kerala. This method I use is very easy.
Soak 3 cups of raw rice for 4 hours.
Grind it to a fine paste adding little water. Add a cup of cooked rice while grinding. Soak a tsp of dry yeast in warm water and a tbs of sugar and add to the ground paste. Add salt. Mix well and keep over night to ferment. Soft Appams can be made with this batter in the morning.

Appam and Green peas curry

Peas Curry

You need...

Frozen peas...200 gms
Potato..1 medium size
Boil and cook the peas and potato..

Small onion or shallots....1/2 cup
Green chillies...3
Curry leaves
Ginger garlic paste...1/2 tsp
Chilli powder...1 tbs
Turmeric...1/4 tsp
Corriander powder...1 tbs
Garam masala powder...1/2 tsp
Salt
Oil
Seasoning
Coconut milk powder....25 gm packet

How to prepare
Heat the pan, add oil and seasonings. Add finely cut onions and green chillies. When they turn brown add all masalas. Stir for a few minutes and then add the cooked peas and potatoes. Simmer for a few minutes. Mix the coconut milk powder in a cup of warm water and add to the curry. Simmer and remove from fire.

Cherupayar Erusseri

Cheru payar – or Whole Moong —1 cup. Cook well in pressure cooker.

Grind together----

Coconut- 1--grated

Green chillies-3

Garlic – 2 small

Shallot- 1

Jeera- a pinch

Red chilli powder- 1 tbs

Turmeric – 1/4tsp

Heat a pan, pour oil & add seasonings. Then add the cooked cherupayar and ground coconut paste. Simmer for a few minutes. Serve hot.

Cauliflower Thoran

How to make

Clean the cauliflower by immersing in salt water for some time. Cut into very small pieces. Cut one onion and 2 green chillies into small pieces.

Keep oil in a pan add the seasonings, then the onions. Stir for some time and then add the cauliflower. Mix salt and turmeric powder, cover with a lid and cook. Just sprinkle a little water, as cauliflower doesn’t need much water to cook.

When done, add coconut scrapings, 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp coriander powder and ¼ tsp garam masala powder. Mix well and keep on low fire till all water is absorbed and the dish turns brown in color.

Serve with rice or chappathi.

Cabbage Thoran

Cabbage- ¼ kg

Carrot -1

Onion -1

Green chillies -3

Coconut scrapings

Curry leaves

Oil

Seasoning

Salt

How to make

Cut the cabbage carrot and onion very thin.

Heat pan, add oil and seasoning. [jeera, mustard seeds and a dry chilli]

Add the vegetables, and all other ingredients. Cover and keep on low fire for some time. No need to add water. So mix occasionally. When it is cooked, remove lid and heat for a few more minutes. Serve with rice.