Thursday 29 June 2017

Cabbage Thoran | Kerala Style Cabbage Stir fry with coconut | Cabbage Thoran with coconut for Onam Sadhya

Cabbage cooked in coconut and shallots



Today's recipe is a simple thoran with cabbage. It is very easy to make this dish. Only the chopping/shredding of the ingredients will take some time. But if you have some gadgets to take care of that then the rest of the recipe is a breeze.. I love thoran but the hubby likes to keep the coconut in thoran to a minimal.. But what is a thoran without coconut right? If you are not a great fan of much coconut reduce the ratio of cabbage and coconut. This one is the most easiest of the thorans that I prepare. No grinding or no sauteeing separately ! And that makes it even more tempting to make it for the Onam Sadhya !


Serves: 3-4 persons


I Took: 

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes


I Used:



Shredded Cabbage - 3 cups (250 gm or ½ of a medium sized one)
Grated Coconut - ½ cup
Shallots  - 6-8 nos (sliced)
Green Chilly - 2 nos 
Curry leaves - A sprig
Cumin seeds - ½ tsp
Turmeric powder - ½ tsp
Salt - As Needed

The Way:



1. Clean and chop the cabbage into small fine pieces. You can use a blender/chopper for the same

2. Grate the coconut. And slice the shallots and the green chillies

3. In a large bowl, take all the ingredients viz. chopped cabbage, grated coconut, sliced shallots, sliced green chilly, cumin seeds, curry leaves, turmeric powder and salt. Mix them together nicely. Keep aside for 15-20 minutes. The cabbage will let out some water













4. Now in a kadai/pan heat the coconut oil. Add mustard and let it splutter

5. Now add the cabbage-coconut mix and give a nice stir. No need to add water. Allow it to cook in low flame. In around 15 minutes it should be ready. Check in between and give a stir so that the cabbage doesn't stick to the bottom of the kadai or doesn't get burnt. If you feel it's too dry, you can sprinkle some water. But basically as the cabbage lets out water, you can allow it to cook in the steam without adding water.

6. Once cooked, remove from flame and serve with steamed rice and a hot or tangy gravy !













Cheers,
Chitz

Wednesday 28 June 2017

Mambazha Pulissery | Mambazha Kaalan | Onam Sadhya Recipe Mambazha Kalan

Ripe Mangoes in Coconut sauce and Curd



I know that summer is gone and that the stock of mangoes is also gone along with that but what to do.. My laptop got some problems and I was not able to post the recipes in my draft. Now also the issue is not completely resolved, it's not connecting to the Wi-fi. But somehow got hold of a LAN cable and am working with that ! So what's the recipe today? It's a favorite of Deeps and is also a Sadhya recipe 'Kaalan' or Mambazha Pulisseri. 

It tastes THE best when made with the authentic naatu/naadan maanga (native variety of mango) with the juicy sweet pulp of the over ripe mangoes providing just the needed sweetness to the dish and the curd working on the sourness part. If you get hold of those variety of mangoes, then there should be nothing else holding you back from making this dish ! If you cannot find such mangoes but are so tempted to have this dish, then also don't fret.. try them with the normal ripe mangoes but if they are not sweet enough compensate with some jaggery or sugar. The taste will change but still you can enjoy them when you are very tempted :) 


Other recipes with Mango:



Other Sadhya recipes:

Recipe Source: Amma

Serves: 3-4 persons


I Took: 

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes


I Used:


Naadan Maanga/Ripe Mango  - 2 nos
Red Chilly powder - ½ tsp
Turmeric Powder - ¼ tsp
Salt - As needed
Jaggery - 1 tbsp (acc to the sweetness)
Curd - 1 cup

To Grind:
Coconut - ¼ cup
Green Chilly - 2 nos
Cumin seed - ½ tsp

To Temper:

Coconut Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - ¼ tsp
Red Chilly - 2 nos - broken
Curry leaves - A sprig


The Way:



1. Use ripe mangoes, preferably the nadan (native) ones which are smaller in size. These kind bring out the best pulissery. If you cannot find hold of some you can use the normal ripe ones. If they are bigger in size, rather than using the whole mango, cut into small bite sized pieces and go about with the dish

2. Peel the skin of the mangoes. In a pan or kadai, take the mangoes and add the turmeric powder, red chilly powder, salt and jaggery. Use jaggery only if the mango is not sweet enough. Adjust the quantity of the jaggery according to the sweetness of the mango

3. Add little water (around 1 - 1.5 cups, enough for the mangoes to boil) and cook the mangoes over low-medium flame with the pan covered. If the mangoes are very ripe and juicy then add less water as the pulp of the mangoes will be sufficient














4. In the meantime, grind together coconut, cumin seeds and green chilly (do not use water. If it 
is difficult to grind, use very little water) into a smooth paste

5. Keep an eye on the mangoes to make sure that they don't get burnt. Once the mangoes are cooked and the gravy reaches your desired consistency (the gravy tends to thicken upon cooling, so decide the consistency accordingly), add the ground coconut paste and stir. Allow it to boil for another 2 minutes and not more














6. Now add the whisked curd (can use the mixie to beat the curd) and give a nice stir. Switch off the flame immediately after














7. In a tadka pan, heat the coconut oil. Splutter mustard. The add fenugreek seeds, red chilly and curry leaves. Add the tadka to the gravy and give a quick clean stir














Serve it with rice and a hot and spicy side dish of your choice !

Cheers,
Chitz

Friday 16 June 2017

Boiled Egg Fry | Masala Egg Fry | Muttai Fry | Simple Mutta Roast


This is a very very simple preparation of egg which is very flavourful and steals the mind of any egg lover. Deeps never have had this before I introduced to him and let me tell you, he was bowled over by this simple mutta roast.. My amma used to make this often and it tastes really good when you pair it up with sambar rice or rasam rice. Don't worry if you do not have a fish fry or chicken roast for your sambar sadam, this egg roast will do all justice as good as them ! This is so simple that you may think that this need not even count as a recipe, but trust me, some egg loving souls are going to thank me later !






Other Egg Recipes:
Egg Rice | Muttai Sadam
Udaitha Muttai Curry | Egg Drop Gravy

Recipe Source: Ma

Serves: 3 persons


I Took: 

Cooking Time: 20 minutes


I Used:


Eggs - 3 nos
Red Chilly powder - ½ tsp
Coriander powder - ½ tsp
Turmeric Powder - ¼ tsp
Salt - As needed


The Way:



1. Take the eggs in a saucepan and add water to it such that the eggs are immersed in the water. And then boil the eggs along with a tsp of salt added to the water 

2. Once the eggs are done, remove them from flame and keep them immersed in cold water for about 3-5 minutes. Then peel the eggs off the shell. Make small cuts (around 4-5 on each egg) on the eggs so that the masala is absorbed inside the eggs while you fry them




3. Heat oil in a pan or kadai. Keep flame on low. Else the masala will get burnt. When it is midly hot add turmeric powder, red chilly powder, coriander powder and salt and mix well

4. Add the boiled eggs to it and give a quick stir. Switch off the flame 














Serve the eggs along with rice and a gravy !

Notes:

  • You can use sambar powder instead of red chilly powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder
  • Also you can make a paste of all the powders and salt together and then add it to the oil instead of adding each one by one. This way you can ensure that the masala doesn't get burnt

Cheers,
Chitz

Monday 12 June 2017

Kovakya Aviyal | Kovakka Avial | Tindora Aviyal | Ivy Gourd Avial

Ivy Gourd cooked in coconut paste and curd



Do you get bored cooking the same veggie or gravy the same way every week or every alternate week. I do.. When we run short of time, we resort to a quick stir fry of the veggies with some onions and minimal spices, right ! But on those other days, I keep searching for new ways to prepare the same veggies. That is how I stumbled upon this recipe of an aviyal with Ivy gourd here. Aviyal is a very popular side dish of Kerala made with a plethora of vegetables and the veggies are boiled and cooked in coconut sauce and curd. 

I have never heard of an avial with kovakka before, so when I saw the name I was intrigued. And then when I read through the recipe, it was very close to the normal avial that's made at home and that too with one veggie. God save me the chore of cutting and slicing all those veggies to make an elaborate avial ;) And when I made this I was very happy, coz with very less effort I can make and relish an avial. So this is what I make when I have a craving for avial and I do not have the time or all the veggies required to make a normal avial. Do try out, I'm sure you too will fall prey for this easy recipe like me !


Serves: 3-4 persons


I Took: 

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes


I Used:


Kovakka/Tindora/Ivy Gourd-125 gm (around 20 nos)
Turmeric Powder-¼ tsp
Salt-As needed
Curry leaves-A sprig
Curd-½ cup
Coconut Oil-1 tbsp

To Grind:

Coconut-¼ cup
Green Chilly-2 nos
Cumin seed-½ tsp



The Way:


1. Grind together the ingredients under 'To Grind' by adding 2-3 tbsp water to a smooth paste. Keep aside

2. Clean and cut the tindora/kovakkai vertically into 4 slices

3. In a pan, add the sliced kovakkai along with turmeric powder and salt. Mix and sprinkle little water. Cover the pan and cook over low/medium flame till the kovakka is three-fourth cooked

4. Meanwhile grind together the ingredients under 'To Grind' using 2-3 tbsp water to a smooth paste

5. Once the kovakka is three-fourth cooked, add the ground coconut paste to it and mix well. Cook for another 3-4 minutes till it becomes dry and the raw smell of the coconut goes 













6. In the meantime, take the curd in the mixie jar in which you ground the coconut. Give a quick pulse or two. This is done so that there are no lumps while the curd is added to the kovakka and it blends smoothly to the dish













7. Now add the curry leaves and the whisked curd. Mix well and leave it on low flame till it becomes dry. Finally add the coconut oil and give a quick stir and leave for a minute and then switch off the flame













Serve with samabar and steamed rice and pappadam :)

Cheers,
Chitz

Friday 9 June 2017

Pacha Manga Sadam | Mangaai Sadam | Raw Mango Rice | Variety Rice Recipes


Come summer, it's the time of mangoes and water melons right? Ok, many more, but that's what comes to my mind instantly when I hear summer :) Actually speaking, many of the good fruits make their very short appearance in the summer time, don't you think? I feel that they come and leave in a jiffy ! Anyways, I'm making most use of them. Banganapallis are gorged on by me and my son as if there is some competition going on as to who can eat the most ;) And he does that with water melons with Deeps ;) But he will touch them only if they pass the sweetness levels of his taste buds :D

Coming to today's recipe, it's not one with fruits but a variety rice made with raw mangoes. Raw mango is grated and added to a crunchy nutty tadka and then is mixed with cooked rice. Pretty simple and takes very less time to make. And the taste actually depends on the souness of the mango that you use. If it is very sour, the rice will taste very similar to lemon rice. Deeps likes this rice as he is also a fan of lemon rice but to tell you the truth I'm not a great fan. So I always add little extra helpings of the peanuts and channa dal and urd dal for that crunchy nutty flavour in every bite ;) Let's say it's my way of masking the taste and compensating it with something I like better :D 






Serves: 1-2 persons


I Took: 

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes


I Used:



Raw Mango - ½ a medium sized mango - grated
Rice (uncooked) - ½ cup

To Temper:


Oil - 3 tbsp
Mustard - ½ tsp
Peanut - 2 tbsp
Urd Dal - 1 tbsp
Channa Dal - 1 tbsp
Red Chilly - 2 nos - broken
Curry leaves - A sprig
Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp
Salt - As needed



The Way:


1. Peel off the skin of the raw mango using a scraper. Then grate the mango finely using a grater (My Tupperware grater grates the veggies really fine and hence it looks like a mass. You can also grate them using a bigger blade to get long fine mango shavings) Set aside the grated mango

2. Cook rice using the normal method that you use. Use a bit less water so that the grains are separate. Once cooked spread them on a plate and allow them to cool













3. In a wide pan or kadai heat oil. Temper mustard. Then add the peanuts and roast them for 2-3 minutes. Take care not to burn them. If the peanuts are roasted ones then you can add the other dals also along with peanuts

4. Now add urd dal, channa dal, red chilly and give a nice stir. When the dal slowly starts to turn colour add curry leaves, turmeric powder and salt













5. Then add the grated mango and stir. leave on medium flame for a couple of minutes and then switch off

6. Add the cooked rice to the tadka and mix gently and evenly. Serve with pappad and/or a spicy poriyal 














Cheers,
Chitz