Chembu Thandu Kootan | Chembin Thandu Parippu Curry | Chemin Thandu Puli Curry

Colocassia Stalks cooked in dal, tamarind and coconut

So this is kinda continuation post from the last one. This is the gravy that I was talking about in the last post 'Chembila Upperi'. This gravy is slightly tangy (depends on how you prefer to adjust the tanginess, recipe calls for very little tamarind) and all the more dal flavoured. I paired this up with the chembu ila upperi. You can choose any other spicy or hot or subtle side dish as potato fry or kovakka fry or just plain rice, pickle and pappad. This is very easy to make. Just the soaking of the tamarind and dal is gonna take a while. Rest is breeze.. Do try this out when you get hold of some chembu ila and you are sure gonna thank me later ! 

My other spinach recipes are Cheera Parippu Curry, Chembila Upperi, Sirukeerai Paruppu Masiyal, Vallarai keerai Poriyal, Palak Paneer, Cheera Thalippu & Cheera Thoran

Recipe Source: Amma

Serves: 2-3 persons

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

I Used:

Chembin Thandu/Colocassia Stalks	-	10 stalks
Toor Dal	-	2-3 tbsp
Tamarind	-	A small blueberry sized (1 tsp tightly packed)
Red Chilly powder	-	1 tbsp
Turmeric powder	-	2 tsp
Coriander powder	-	2 tsp
Turmeric powder	-	¼ tsp
Salt	-	As Needed

To Grind:

Grated Coconut - ¼ cup (2 tbsp) Cumin Seeds - ¼ tsp To Temper:

Oil - 2 tbsp Mustard - ½ tsp Fenugreek - ¼ tsp Curry leaves - 1-2 sprigs

The Way:

1. Remove the stalks (thandu) from the colocassia (chembu ila) leaves. Peel off the fibre (naaru)  from the stalks. Just use a knife to pull the fibre. Then chop the stalks and keep aside.



2. Soak tamarind in water (I used close to 1 cup water) for 20-30 minutes. Extract the pulp and keep aside.

3. Grind coconut and cumin seeds with a little water (2-3 tbsp) and keep the paste aside.

4. Soak toor dal in water for around 20-30 minutes. you can also cook directly, but soaking helps to cook faster and also it blends smoothly when mashed after cooking. 

5. Then pressure cook the dal for 4-5 whistles.

6. Once cooked, add the chopped stalks, turmeric powder, red chilly powder and salt and pressure cook again for 1 more whistle. The stalks cook fast. So no need to cook for more than a whistle. 

7.Now add the tamarind pulp and allow it to boil for a minute or two.

8. Then add the ground coconut-paste and give a stir. Allow it to boil for 2-3 minutes and then switch off flame.

9. In another tadka pan/kadai heat oil. Splutter mustard and fenugreek.

10. Add broken red chillies and curry leaves. Add the tempering to the gravy and serve.

Cheers,
Chitz

Chembila Thoran | Chembin Ila Upperi | Colocassia Leaves Stirfry

Hello pals ! If you are wondering where I got hold of some chembu ila here in Pune, it is nowhere else but in Big Basket. I was very excited and bought some immediately. Deeps' aunt prepares upperi out of this and makes a gravy also out of the stalks (thandu). So I too set about to make the same. It is very simple to make this upperi/thoran as it takes very little time. These leaves get cooked really fast and there is no need to add/sprinkle water. This should be cooked in steam. It tastes like a variety of spinach only, more closer to the taste of drumstick leaves. So if you get hold of some of these, do try out this recipe!

My other spinach recipes are Cheera Parippu Curry, Chembin Thandu Parippu Curry, Sirukeerai Paruppu Masiyal, Vallarai keerai Poriyal, Palak Paneer, Cheera Thalippu & Cheera Thoran

Recipe Source: Amma

Serves: 2 persons

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

I Used:

Oil	-	2 tbsp
Colocassia Leaves/Chembin Ila	-	10 nos
Shallots/Cheriya Ulli	-	15-18 nos
Red Chilly	-	2 nos
Salt	-	As Needed

The Way:

1. Rinse the leaves in water and remove the stalks (thandu). Chop the leaves like you chop any spinach (cheera). Peel the shallots (cheriyulli) and slice them round.

2. Heat oil in a pan/kadai. Add the chopped shallots, broken red chillies and salt. Saute well. The shallots should turn slightly brown in colour.

3. Once the shallots change colour, add the chopped chembu leaves. Give a stir. Do not add water. Instead the leaves should cook in the steam. So close the pan and cook. Open the lid and stir occasionally. This leaves get cooked quickly, in about 5-7 minutes. So take care not to burn. 

Serve with rice and a gravy of your choice !

Cheers,

Chitz

Chembu Kumbalanga Moru Curry | Kerala Style Chembu Kumbalanga Moru Kootan | Kerala Style Chembu Kumbalanga Pulissery

Taro & Ash Gourd in a coconut based yogurt gravy

In my last post, I talked so much about keeping up on your resolutions and chasing dreams and pursuing passions and what not (Though I didn't talk that much, that was what I had in mind while I was writing that post) And the foremost on them was to be a regular here and I had all things necessary for that too.. Like draft posts, step-by-step pics of recipes, edited photos... But, but, but.. My laptop went into a hibernation mode and would not connect to the internet.. All my other devices would but not my laptop :( Something or the other to deter you, right?? Sigh !! So you are asking me how it is working now? I don't know, seriously I don't :) As I mentioned before, it went on hibernation on it's own and when it felt the time was right, it again was up and running :D Maybe it's way of detox week ;)

And so what am I back with? It is a very regular kootan that is made at Deeps' place. Kootan is nothing but a gravy based dish that is had along with rice. Some call it curry, some gravy, some kuzhambu, some pulusu, some charu and so on. You must have got me now, right? So all gravy based recipes are called as Kootan at Deeps' place. And generally they have a kootan, kuthari choru (rice), upperi (dry sabzi or stirfry), meen varuthathu (fish fry), pappadam and kondattam molagu (deep fried sun-dried green chillies) for lunch. This is mostly a normal everyday menu there :) 

And this yogurt based moru kootan is made mostly twice a week and is a family favorite too.. We usually play with different combo of veggies here. Here today I have made with Chembu (Colocassia) & Kumbalanga (Ash Gourd). You can also use Vellarikka (Cucumber), Kaya (Raw Plantain), Chena (Elephant Yam), Manga (Mango) etc to make this. This can be made with a single veggie alone or a combo of two as well. Usually we do not use chembu alone as it is of sticky nature and can make the gravy very dense or thick. Hence usually when using chembu pair it up with kumbalanga or vellarikka. So do try out this easy recipe (Only the prep part takes lil time, I assure ;)) which will taste awesome with rice and a chicken varatiyathu (or any non veg dry side dish) and let me know how you liked it !

Other Sadhya recipes:

Beans Thoran

Beetroot Thoran
Cabbage Thoran

Mathanga Erissery

Mathan Erissery | Mathan Vanpayar Erissery

Mampazha Pachadi | Pazhutha Manga Pachadi

Mambazha Pulissery | Mambazha Kaalan

Pulissery | Kachiya Moru | Mor Kuzhambu
Sambar | Kerala Style Varutharacha Sambar with no Coconut

Homemade Ada for Adapradhaman

Recipe Source: Amma

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Serves : 3-4 persons

I Used:

Chembu/Taro/Colocassia/Arbi	-	4-5 nos
Kumbalanga/Ash Gourd/White Gourd/Winter Melon	-	200 gm piece (1 cup after cutting to pieces)
Red Chilly powder	-	1 tbsp
Turmeric powder	-	1 tsp
Salt	-	As Needed
Curd	-	1.5 cups

To Grind:

Coconut	-	½ cup
Green Chilly	-	2-3 nos
Cumin seeds	-	½ tsp

To Temper:

Coconut Oil	-	2 tbsp
Mustard	-	½ tsp
Fenugreek/Uluva	-	½ tsp
Red Chilly	-	2 nos
Curry leaves	-	1-2 sprigs

The Way:

1. Soak the chembu/colocassia in water for 10-15 minutes. After that peel the skin off using a scraper/knife. Cut them into small bite sized pieces.

2. Clean the kumbalanga/ash gourd by peeling/cutting off the skin and then discarding the middle portion (with seeds) as well. Then cut them also into bite sized pieces. 

3. Grind together the items under 'To Grind' by adding a little (about 2 -3 tbsp) water and keep aside.

4. Then whisk the curd nicely using a whisk so that it becomes loose and no lumps are present. Alternately, you can take the curd in a mixer and give a quick pulse also.

5. Now in a pressure cooker, add the chembu/colocassia pieces along with salt, turmeric powder, red chilly powder and water (around 1 - 1.5 cups) and cook them for 2 whistles in medium flame or till they are half - cooked.

6. Once they are cooked, add the ash gourd/kumbalanga pieces and cook till done. This may take about another 2-3 whistles in medium flame.

7. Now heat oil in a kadai. Splutter the mustard seeds and fenugreek. Then add red chilly and curry leaves and saute for a minute.

8. Add the ground coconut paste and stir well for about 3-4 minutes till the raw smell goes off and moisture starts leaving the pan.

9. Add the boiled chembu-kumbalanga pieces along with the water and give a nice stir.

10. Now switch off the stove. Immediately add the whisked/beaten curd and give a nice stir. Take care that the curd does not curdle. You may have to remove it from stove after stirring for this. Serve with rice, upperi or a non-veg dry side dish of your choice :)

Cheers,
Chitz