Easy Moru Kachiyathu | Kerala Style Kachiyamoru | Moru Curry without Coconut | Seasoned Buttermilk

This is a simple, ready in a jiffy and yet a yummy gravy with yogurt that can please your palate as well as your time :) I make it mostly once a week, especially when I have non vegetarian side dishes like chukka or roast or some grilled chicken. My folks are happy and that makes me too happy :) It is basically nothing but tempered curd or yogurt. So I don't want to ramble much.. Just one more thing before we head on to the recipe. It tastes great with potato fry or koorka upperi as well ;) Here in this pic I have served it with Unnipindi upperi, simple chicken kebab, beef roast & beetroot pachadi :)

Serves: 2 persons

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

I Used:

Coconut Oil	-	1 tbsp
Mustard/Kaduku	-	½ tsp
Fenugreek/Uluva	-	¼ tsp
Ginger	-	1 tsp - finely chopped
Garlic	-	1 tsp - finely chopped
Red Chilly	-	2 nos - chopped/broken
Green Chilly	-	2 nos - chopped/broken
Curry Leaves	-	2 sprigs
Turmeric powder	-	½ tsp
Salt	-	As Needed
Curd Water	- -	1 cup - beaten/whisked As Needed - If required

The Way:

1. Beat the curd nicely and keep aside. You can use a mixie or whisk for this. If using a mixie, add the curd in the jar along with water and salt and pulse them once or twice and you will get smooth curd. If using whisk, add water to the curd along with salt and whisk well till no lumps are there and the curd is smooth

2. Heat coconut oil in a pan/kadai. When it's hot, splutter the mustard. When it splutters,add the fenugreek seeds 

3. Then the chopped ginger and garlic and saute for 30 seconds 

4. Then add the chopped green chillies, red chillies and curry leaves and give a quick saute

5. Finally add turmeric powder (with the flame at low, else the powder will get burnt easily) and asafoetida if using and saute for another 30 seconds

6. Now add the whisked curd and give a quick stir and switch off the flame. Else it will start to split

Serve warm with matta rice and a spicy non veg side dish of your choice!

Cheers,

Chitz

Chow Chow Kootu | Chayote Squash Kootu | South Indian Kootu with Bangalore Kathirikkai

Kootu is one of my favourite side dishes. It is a wholesome meal in itself and requires really less effort and time. And luckily my little one also loves it, so I find making them often. Usually I make kootu with any veggies similar to this Pudalangai kootu (Snake Gourd) or this Yellow Pumpkin Kootu (Poosanikai) without coconut. At times I use coconut but do not grind them like in this Vazhaithandu Kootu (Banana stem). For me those recipes are very light on the tummy and the one like this Chow Chow kootu recipe today is a little heavy with coconut and rice flour ground and mixed in. But I like this one too. It also tastes yum and is like the one in restaurants or the ones that they serve in weddings :) 

Recipe Source: Ma

 

I Took: 30 minutes

 

Serves : 2 persons

I Used:

Chow Chow (Chayote) - 1 medium sized one Channa Dal/Moong Dal - ¼ cup Ginger - An inch piece Garlic - 2-3 cloves Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp Salt - As needed

To Grind:

Grated Coconut	-	3-4 tbsp
Red Chilly	-	1 no
Cumin Seeds/Jeerakam	-	½ tsp
Rice Flour	-	1 tsp

To Temper:

Oil	-	1 tbsp
Mustard	-	½ tsp
Urad Dal	-	1 tsp
Red Chilly	-	3 nos
Curry leaves	-	A sprig
Asafoetida	-	2 pinch

The Way:

1. Rinse channa (or moong) dal thoroughly in water. Then soak the dal in water (I took 1.5 cups) for 20-30 minutes. Channa dal pairs well with chow chow but at times I use moong dal too

2. Remove the skin of chow chow (and also the seed in the middle) and dice it and keep aside

3. Add salt & turmeric powder to the soaked dal, diced chow chow, crushed ginger (optional) & crushed garlic (optional) in a pressure cooker. Pressure cook it for 3-4 whistles or until it is done 

4. Alternately you can cook them in a pot as well. If using a pot, make sure you add sufficient water and cook the dal & chow chow. Also take care to see that the water doesn't dry up and leave you with a burnt vessel. However chow chow takes longer to cook. So it's better to use a pressure cooker for faster cooking

5. While the chow chow is getting cooked, take the grated coconut, cumin seeds, red chilly & rice flour in a mixer along with 2-3 tbsps of water and grind it to a smooth paste 

6. Once the chow chow is cooked and the the pressure is released, open the cooker. Add the ground paste to it and give a nice stir

7. If water is less, add enough for your desired consistency. Allow the kootu to boil in low flame

8. Now for the tadka/tempering, heat oil in a tadka pan/kadai

9. Add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the urd dal. As it slightly turns colour add the remaining ingredients (red chilly is optional - add to adjust the heat of the kootu) and give a nice stir

10. Add the tadka to the kootu and mix and serve

Tastes awesome with Plain Rice / Rasam Sadam / Kathirikai Kara Kuzhambu / Pavakkai Puli Kuzhambu

Notes:

Instead of boiling the moong dal, you can pressure cook as well. Just about 2 whistles should suffice. 

Cheers,

Chitz

Chammanthi Podi | Nadan Chammanthi Podi | Nalikera Podi | Kerala Style Roasted Coconut Powder for Rice

Chammanthi Podi needs no intro for a Malayalee ;) It is a staple at many Mallu homes and almost every other mallu going abroad would have taken this condiment, packed & sealed tightly and buried deep inside the suitcase :D If they do not take it during their first visit, they will definitely remember to pack some when they come & go back after the vacation :)

It is really yummy, easy to make, can be stored for quite some time if handled properly and can be had with just rice and curd. It is the most yummax combo if you ask me :) And we eat a pot full of rice when we eat them with matta rice & curd combo. Of course, we make a fluffy omelette loaded with onions also to go with it ! So now without much talk, let's see how this is made.. 

P.S: This one is made by my mil & I took only the pics :D And these are one of the first set of food pics taken with iPhone XR. Am going to ditch my SLR for a while now...

Recipe Source: Amma

Serves: 3-4 persons

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

I Used:

Coconut	-	2 medium sized coconuts - Around 4 cups - grated
Tamarind	-	3 tbsp - A big lemon sized
Shallots	-	15-20 nos - medium sized
Curry Leaves	-	4-5 sprigs
Red Chilly	-	20-22 nos

The Way:

1. Grate the coconut finely without bigger scrapes. If you get big scrapes while grating, then you can add them in a mixie jar and give a quick pulse so that the scrapes are even. This will ensure that the colour of the powder/podi is even and dark without white specks

2. Take the grated (& pulsed) coconut in a wide and thick bottomed pan/uruli. Roast them on a low/medium flame. Keep roasting them as often as possible to ensure that they do not get burnt or get stuck at the bottom of the vessel

3. Once the coconut starts to brown slightly, add the tamarind pieces (If you wish, can wash them and add) and keep roasting

4. After 2-3 minutes add the curry leaves and shallots. If shallots are bigger, slice them and add

5. Keep roasting them till they turn deep brown in colour. Keep caution to not to burn them else the taste of the podi will not be up to the mark

6. In a separate kadai/vessel roast the dry red chillies for 2-3 minutes till they swell up and give out a good glaze. Do not roast for long as it will get burnt 

7. Now allow them to cool till they reach room temperature

8. Then add all the contents including the red chilly to a large mixie jar and grind them coarsely. Ideally it should be a little coarse. You can grind them as fine or coarse as you wish though :)

Serve with matta rice, curd & pickle :)

Cheers,

Chitz

Ponnanganni Keerai Poriyal | Ponnangani Greens Stir Fry | Dwarf Copper Leaf Stir Fry

Here I go with yet another greens stir fry recipe. This time it is none other than the iron & calcium rich Ponnangani leaves. They come in two shades - green and red. Here I have prepared the stir fry using green leaves today. You can follow the same recipe for the red leaves as well. Ponnangani leaves has many medicinal benefits. To mention a few, it is recommended as a very good medicine for all your eye problems and for also maintaining a healthy and glowing skin. It is said to reduce body heat and is a good remedy for piles problems. And it is very effective against stomach ulcers, gut problems and also to improve your overall health. And so I guess by now you must have very well understood how great these greens are for your health, so let's go check out how to make a simple and tasty stir fry with them :)

This is how it looks :)

Serves: 4-5 persons

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 15 mins

Cooking Time: 25 mins

I Used:

Ponnangani Keerai	-	2 cups
Sesame oil	-	1 tbsp
Mustard	-	¼ tsp
Urad Dal	-	1 tbsp
Red Chilly	-	4 nos (slit)
Onion (chopped) Asafoetida Turmeric Powder	- - -	½ cup - 1 medium sized 2 fat pinch ¼ tsp
Mung Dal	-	2 tbsp (boiled) (Take 1 tbsp raw and soak)
Grated Coconut	-	2 tbsp

The Way:

1. Take the moong dal in a bowl. Rinse well in water. Then soak the dal in ¼ cup of water for 15-20 minutes

2. Once soaked, add a little salt (not much coz we will be adding in the poriyal as well) and cook them till done. First keep the flame in high till the water boils and then simmer and cook covered till done. The dal should not turn mushy. They should be cooked and retain their shape. It should take around 8-10 minutes for them to get cooked

3. Meanwhile clean and keep the greens (keerai). Remove old or wilted or yellow coloured leaves. I use only the leaves and discard the stem

4. Rinse the greens (keerai) in water 2-3 times to remove the dirt and mud particles. Then drain the water and chop them roughly and keep aside

5. Chop the onions and keep aside

6. In a pan, heat sesame oil. Use sesame oil for this stir fry. It is highly recommended. If you do not have it replace with sunflower or coconut oil

7. Splutter mustard. Then reduce the flame and add the urad dal and broken red chillies. Saute them. Take care not to burn the red chilly or dal

8. Add the chopped onions and saute. The onions should turn translucent and slightly start to turn colour

9. Then add asafoetida and turmeric powder. Give a quick saute

10. Add the chopped greens and give a nice stir. Add 2-3 tbsp of water and give a quick stir. Cover and cook for 5-6 minute till the leaves wilt and get cooked. Check in between to see that they do not get stuck at the bottom and saute to avoid that

11. Once the greens are cooked, add the cooked moong dal and give a gentle stir and leave it for a minute

12. Then add the grated coconut and give a quick and gentle stir

13. Switch off flame and serve with rice and a gravy of choice

Cheers,

Chitz

Chiranga Olan | Bottle Gourd Olan | Churakka Olan | Surakka Olan | Lauki Olan

When the family loves Olan, I try to sneak in as many kind of veggies as I can into it :) Cheranga as such is not liked by us, but Olan with it is an exception. We love it when the bottle gourd is paired with the mild coconut milk and the soft crunch from the boiled red eyed beans.. I have already made olan with Zucchini and Pumpkin & Ash Gourd and this one is no different from them. It is simple to make and healthy and yummy too :) So let's see how to make this easy Olan with bottle gourd..

Serves: 2-3 persons

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Soaking Time: 8 hours

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

I Used:

Cheranga/Bottle Gourd Red Eyed Beans/Vanpayar	- -	1 cup - cubed ¼ cup heaped (after boiling)
Green Chilly	-	2 nos - slited
Salt	-	As Needed
Coconut Milk	-	½ cup
Curry leaves	-	2 sprigs
Coconut Oil	-	1 tbsp

The Way:

1. Rinse and soak the vanpayar (red beans - I used 1/8 cup of the beans to soak) overnight for around 8 hours. In the morning, discard the water. Take the beans in a pressure cooker. Add enough water (around 2 cups) and salt and pressure cook till done. It took me 2 whistles in high and 2 in low. Keep aside

2. While they get cooked, extract the coconut milk and keep ready. I used around ½ cup of grated coconut and ¼ cup of water and ground it in a mixie till the coconut was smoothly ground. Then using a muslin cloth, extracted the milk from the ground coconut

3. Cut and discard the skin of the bottle gourd. Discard the thick pith if it's too ripe. Then cut them into thin cubes as shown in the picture. The thickness should not be more than ¼ inch along both width and length

4. Now take the cut pieces in a saucepan and add required salt and green chilly along with little water (¼ cup) (Instead of water you can also use 2nd coconut milk and boil the bottle gourd) and cook it till done. It will take around 15-20 minutes to get cooked

5. If there is excess water after cooking the bottle gourd, I remove them. Else the coconut milk becomes very thin

6. Add the cooked beans (a heaped ¼ cup) without water to the veggies. Give a gentle stir

7. Then add in the coconut milk and curry leaves and again give a gentle stir. Check the salt now. Add if required. Once the coconut milk is added, it should not boil. It should only get warm. And it would take about a minute or so. Switch off the flame. Add coconut oil and just swirl the pan

Transfer to the serving dish and serve along with rasam and pickle or as a dish in your Onam Sadhya leaf !

Cheers,
Chitz

Yam Fry | Elephant Yam Fry Recipe | Senaikizhangu Varuval | Masala Coated Yam Fry | Chena Fry Recipe - 2 Methods

This yam fry is one of my most favourite and go-to side dish during Saturdays as a non-veg equivalent :) Coz I do not eat non veg during Saturdays.. As most of my recipes are, this too is very easy to make and tastes as good as a non-vegetarian roast or dry fry would do :) So this is a family favourite as well. Here I have detailed 2 methods of making this fry. First one is the one I follow when I do not have much time in hand. It is just mix the masalas and marinate the yam with it and just shallow/pan fry them. 

The second method is slightly elaborate with the peeling of the shallots and grinding a paste to make the marinade. It is the same masala that I use for my fish fry. So if I have that masala handy or if I have time to make them from scratch I go for this method. This is obviously more tastier coz of that extra work involved ;) So let's see how to go about to make this yummilicious fry :)

Serves: 2-3 persons

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 20 mins

Cooking Time: 30 mins

I Used:

Elephant Yam/Chena	-	150 gm (1¼ cup after cutting)
Chilly powder	-	1 tsp
Coriander powder	-	1 tsp
Turmeric powder	-	¼ tsp
Garam Masala	-	½ tsp
Ginger Garlic Paste	-	1 tsp
Asafoetida	-	2 pinch
Oil	-	2-3 tbsp
Salt	-	As Needed

The Way:

1. Scrape the skin of the yam. Rinse them in water. Then cut them into slightly (not very) thick slices

2. In a plate take the red chilly powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, asafoetida, ginger-garlic paste and salt and mix well. You can add 1-2 tsp of water and make a paste or you can mix it without water

3. Then coat the yam slices on both sides with the masala paste and place them in a bowl

4. In a pressure cooker take about 1-2 glass of water. Place the plate used for double boiling in the cooker. Then place the bowl with the yam pieces on the plate. Close the cooker and put on the weight. Pressure cook it for 1 whistle. Don't cook for more else the yam will get very soft or mashed and cannot be used for the fry

5. Heat oil for shallow frying in a frying pan. When the oil is hot, reduce the flame to simmer and arrange the yam slices

6. After 1-2 minutes, flip the yam slices gently using a spatula

7. After another 1-2 minutes flip one more time. Slightly increase the flame and allow the slices to get roasted and get a nice deep red colour. It may take about a minute or two. Be cautious not to get the slices burnt

8. Now flip over and get the other side also a deep red colour. Switch off the flame. If you have another batch to fry, then proceed with the next batch

Serve with rice and a mild gravy 

Method 2:

I Used:

Elephant Yam/Chena	-	150 gm (1¼ cup after cutting)
Shallots	-	5-6 nos
Garlic	-	3-4 nos
Pepper	-	½ tsp
Red Chilly powder	-	1 tsp
Coriander powder	-	1 tsp
Turmeric powder	-	¼ tsp
Salt	-	As Needed

The Way:

1. Scrape the skin of the yam. Rinse them in water. Then cut them into slightly (not very) thick slices

2. Take the yam slices in a pressure cooker. Add the coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt. Add about ¼ cup of water and give a gentle mix

3. Pressure cook for 1 whistle. Don't cook for more else the yam will get very soft or mashed and cannot be used for the fry

4. Meanwhile in a mixer jar add the shallots (or onions, preferably shallots),peppercorns and garlic. Grind it to a smooth paste with little water

5. Now take the paste in a plate. Add red chilly powder and salt to it and mix well. Coat the yam pieces with the paste and keep aside

6. Heat oil for shallow frying in a frying pan. When the oil is hot, reduce the flame to simmer and arrange the yam slices

7. After 1-2 minutes, flip the yam slices gently using a spatula

8. After another 1-2 minutes flip one more time. Slightly increase the flame and allow the slices to get roasted and get a nice deep red colour. It may take about a minute or two. Be cautious not to get the slices burnt

9. Now flip over and get the other side also a deep red colour. Switch off the flame. If you have another batch to fry, then proceed with the next batch

Serve with rice and a mild gravy 

Notes:

• If you may like, add a 1 tsp of tamarind paste also while marinating the yam pieces. Some add it as the yam can make the tongue itchy sometimes

• If you like your yam fry more crispier, add 1 tbsp of rice flour & besan flour also to the marination. But I like the fry without them itself. So I never add them

Cheers,
Chitz