Velarikka Moru Curry

Ingredients Serves 4
Velarikka - 150 gms
Red Chilly Pdr - 1 1/2 tsp
Water - 1 cup
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Salt
Coconut - 1/2 cup
Cumin - 1 tsp
Curd - 1/2 cup
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard - 1 tsp
Red Chilly - 4-5 nos
Curry Leaves - few
Fenugreek - 1/2 tsp

Pressure cook Vellarika pieces with red chilly pdr, turmeric, salt and water for 2 whistles

Meanwhile grind coconut with Cumin into a fine paste by adding few tbsp of water and keep aside
Beat the curd well (add a tbsp of water if needed) and keep aside.

Once the vellarika is cooked, add the ground coconut paste into this and let it boil.
Now add the curd and mix well and take it off heat.
Do a taste test
Heat the oil in a pan and splutter mustard followed by Fenugreek, Red Chilly and Curry Leaves.
Add this to the curry and mix well.

Note:
If the heat is too much, the curd will curdle, so take care (mine did curdle little)
If you dont like to bite the Fenugreek, then sprinkle powdered Fenugreek after adding the curd
You can also make this without adding the coconut paste, just reduce the amount of spices used.

Happy Eating Guys!!!

Bittergourd / Kaypakka Upperi

I dont love Bitter gourd that much, but i really loved this upperi when my father made it. I had it with rice and curd alone and it was always tasty.
To make as my father made you will require lots of oil, but trust me you wont even know that its bitter gourd.
Still for our health sake, i have used only 4-5 tsp oil :-)

Ingredients- Serves 2
Bitter gourd / Kaypakka - 200 gms
Shallots sliced - 2-3 nos
Turmeric - a pinch
Salt
Red Chilly Pdr - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 4-5 tsp
Mustard - 1 tsp
Curry Leaves - few

Heat half the oil in a pan and splutter mustard followed by Curry Leaves
Add the shallots and saute them.
Add the bitter gourd , salt and turmeric and mix it well
Now cook it closed with a lid in medium heat (Stir in between)
Once its cooked, take off the lid, add the chilly powder and the remaining oil and let the bitter gourd pieces brown little.
Keep stirring in between
Do a taste test and take it off heat once it reaches your preferred level

It tastes more better with more oil which helps it to get fried better. But it depends on you :-)

Serve with Hot Rice and curd or Moru Kachiyathu

Happy Eating Guys 

Beetroot Potato Upperi

A colourful yet interesting one. In each bite you will feel softness through potato whereas the hardness comes from Beetroot.

Ingredients (Serves 2)
Beetroot - 350 gms chopped
Potato - 200 gms chopped
Green chilly - 3-4
Oil - 2 tbsp
Mustard - 1 tsp
Urad Dal - 1 tsp
Curry Leaves - few

1. Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard.
2. Add urad dal, curry leaves and green chilly. Let the urad dal brown a little
3. Add beetroot, potato and salt.
4. Reduce the heat and close with a lid and cook for sometime.
5. Keep stirring in between till the beetroot is cooked. Potato will be cooked by that time.
6. Do a taste test and take it off from heat

Serve with Rice.

Enjoy!!!

Drumstick / Muringayila Thoran

Earlier i posted a curry that you can make with these Leaves, but why stop there?
This is a very common dish in our place as Drumstick leaves grow in our backyards and its just very common to make them.
The only downside that i see is the time and manual work needed to take them off from the stem. If you are ready to see ahead of that then you will sure love this

Ingredients (Serves 2)
Leaves - 125 gms
Grated Coconut - 1/4 - 1/2 cup
Salt
Shallots - 2-3
Red Chilly Pdr - 3/4 tsp
Turmeric - a pinch
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard - 1 tsp

Grind the coconut, shallots, red chilly pdr and turmeric pdr and keep aside (Dont use water)

Heat oil in a pan and splutter Mustard seeds
Now add the ground mixture and fry it for 2-3 mins
Add the leaves, salt and mix it with the coconut mixture and cook with closed lid till the leaves wilt
Do a taste test and take it off heat

Serve with Rice

Happy Eating Guys!!!

Kadachakka / Breadfruit Upperi

Something that is available at our place so easily but very rare over here. Finally got hold of one, so here's the recipe.
Its not too spicy, but a bit sweet

Ingredients (Serves 2)
Kadachakka - 300 gms cubed
Green chilly - 2
Shallots - 3- 4
Coconut - 1/3 cup
Cury leaves - few
Oil - 2 tbsp
Turmeric - a big pinch
Mustard - 1 tsp
Dry Red Chilly - 3-4
Water - 1/4 cup
Salt

The whole cooking can be done in Medium - low heat
Heat oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds
Now add the shallots, dry red chilly, green chilly, curry leaves, salt and saute them.
Now add the kadachakka pieces and sprinkle the water and close the pan with a lid
You can add more water later if you feel that the Kadachakka is not cooked.
Keep stirring in between till its almost cooked.
Now add the turmeric and mix it well.
Now add the grated coconut and let it sit for some time
Do a taste test and take it off heat

Serve with Rice and some Spicy Curry

Enjoy Guys!!!

Drumstick Leaves/ Muringayila Curry

Needless to say that we have to try to include leafy vegetables in our diet due to the high nutrient content in them, but did anyone say the truth? I include them in my diet to their high taste content :-)
This one is made with Drumstick Leaves/ Muringayila.
It was almost a daily item back in Kerala, but here we try to include them alteast once in a  week

Ingredients (Serves 4)
Drumstick Leaves - 75 gms
Toor dal - 1/2 cup
Water for cooking dal- 2 1/2 cups
Salt
Turmeric - a pinch
Coconut - 1/2 cup
Cumin - 1 tsp
Red Chilly Pdr - 1 tsp
Water for grinding - 1/2 cup
Oil - 1 tbsp
Small Onion - 2 nos minced
Dry Red Chilly - 3 nos

Pressure cook the Dal with salt and water for 2 whistles.
Meanwhile grind the coconut with cumin and red chilly pdr and keep aside.
Once the pressure releases, add the ground coconut mixture and let it boil.
Once it boils, add the leaves and let it boil for 5 minutes or so.
Do a test taste and take it off heat
Heat oil in a pan and add the small onion pieces and fry them till they turn into light brown color.
Now add the red chilly and add the whole mixture to the curry and mix well.

Enjoy over Hot Rice!!!

Bittergourd / Kaypakka Fry

Bittergourd fry is an easy way to add this into our meals. Even though its bitter, you can adjust the bitterness on the the time you use to fry it. More you fry the less bitter it will be.
Mine was little bitter as i fried it only for a less amount of time

Ingredients (Serves 3)
BitterGourd - 2 medium ones sliced in thin rounds
Shallots - 4-5 nos
Salt
Chilly Pdr - 2-3 tspns
Oil - for frying

Grind and make a paste of Shallots with salt and Chilly Pdr
Marinate the Bittergourd with this paste and let it sit aside for 30 mins
Now heat the oil in a pan and add the slices one at a time in a single layer.
Flip over when one side is done.

Serve hot with Rice, It goes well with Moru Kachiyathu

Happy Eating Guys!!!

Carrot Upperi

Yes, you heard correct. If you guys haven't tried this before, let me guarantee you that they are really very tasty and nutritious as well.
I had this first time from my friends lunch box during my school days :-)
I do love carrots a lot, so i try to include them in our daily food in as many ways as possible. This is one of the way

Ingredients (Serves 2)
Carrots - 300 gms
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard - 1 tsp
Green chilly - 3 nos
Curry Leaves - few
Salt
Ginger - a small piece minced finely
Garlic - 2 small pods minced
Grated Coconut - 2 tbsp

Chop the carrot into small pieces and kep aside. Dont make them too thin. It should have a bite in it
Heat oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds. Now add the green chilly, curry leaves, ginger and garlic and saute them.
Now add the carrot and salt and mix them well. Cook with the lid closed.
Keep stirring in between.
Once its cooked, do a taste test and add the grated coconut.
Mix well and let it heat for 2-3 mins
If using an electric stove / burner, you can switch it off after adding the coconut as it will have heat for some more time which will be enough

Serve hot with rice

Enjoy!!!

Beans Upperi

Beans thoran, though i tried different ways to make them, i now stick to this way. It feels moist and fresh this way.
Earlier i let the beans cook in a pan but this made the beans dry and i didn't like the way. This one remains moist throughout which gives a fresh feel to the dish.
This way you can cook the beans way earlier and store it for use later. This way you can just add the sauteing things and a upperi will be ready in minutes :-)

Ingredients (Serves 2)

Beans - 350 gms
Water - 1/2 cup (to cook the beans)
Shallots sliced - 3 nos
Garlic minced- 2 pods
Green Chilly - 3 nos
Red Chilly pdr - 1/2 tspn
Salt
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard - 1 tspn
Curry Leaves - few

Pressure cook the beans with water and little salt. Stop the heat when the first whistle is about to come.
(You can release the pressure if you don't want to wait)
Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. Add the shallot, green chilly, curry leaves and salt and saute it well
Add the garlic and saute well.
Now add the cooked beans and add the chilly powder and mix it well. (Do not add the water)
Cook it till the rawness of chilly pdr goes.

Serve hot with Rice and enjoy

Happy Eating Guys!!!

Red Chard Thoran

Red For Rainy days...
Usually back in Kerala we use to get Red Spinach which tasted really good and we also loved it a lot. But here we get only the green spinach
So instead of Red Spinach, we tried Red Chard and I must say, it tastes the same. So this is how we made the Spinach Upperi back in Kerala. But here i tried it with Red Chard

Ingredients (Serves 2)

Red Chard - 1 bunch (250 gms)
Shallots - 3 nos (sliced thin)
Green Chilly - 3
Salt
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard - 1 tsp
Urad Dal - 1/2 tsp
Grated Coconut - 2 tbsp

Slice the Red Chard very thinly and keep aside

Heat oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds, add urad dal and fry for half a minute.
Now add the shallots and green chilly and fry for half a minute
Dont wait for them to brown as of now
Now add the red chard and sprinkle with very little salt. Let it cook for a minute
Now mix it well and close the pan with a lid
As we are using the stem also, to cook fast its better to cook with a lid
Once its done, do a test taste and take it off heat.

Happy Eating Guys!!!

Vendakka / Okra Upperi

This is a very nutritious dish. I love to have this with Rice and Chapati. It goes well with both.
Give it a try and let me know how you liked it.

Ingredients (Serves 2)
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tbsp
Curry leaves - few
Salt
Onion chopped - 1 medium
Okra sliced thinly - 200 gms
Turmeric pdr - a pinch
Chilly powder - 1 tsp

Heat oil in a pan and splutter the mustard
Add curry leaves and urad dal and let it brown a little
Now add the chopped onion and salt, saute for around a minute
Now add the chopped okra and sprinkle the turmeric pdr.
Close the pan with a lid and cook for 2-3 mins
Now open the lid and mix it well. Cook it till the stickiness vanishes (it will take some time).
Now add the chilly pdr and mix well. Let it cook for 2-3 mins till the rawness of chilly pdr vanishes.

Serve with hot rice

Enjoy!!!

Ash Gourd / Kumbalanga Olan

Olan is a common dish in Sadya's in Kerala. There are different varieties and this one is made of Ash Gourd / Kumbalanga alone. Its a very simple curry to make and will take maybe 15 mins of your time.
The only trick in this is the way you cut the Vegetable. It should be very thin and due to this it gets cooked in 5-6 mins max.
It is not very spicy, so its best to have with rice and something spicy like Pickles or a spicy Upperi :-)

Ingredients (Serves 3)
Ash Gourd - 400 gms
Green Chilly - 2 nos
Water - 1/2 cup
Salt
Coconut milk - 1/2 cup
Curry leaves - few
Oil - 1 tspn

Chop ashguord in very thin slices
Cook the ashgourd pieces in water with the salt and green chilly. It took me 5 mins for it to get cooked.
Now increase the heat and let the water dry.
Switch off the heat and add the coconut milk and do a taste test
Add the curry leaves and drizzle the oil.

Serve over hot rice :-)

Happy Eating!!!

Chickpeas Sundal

Well to start off, i must say that till today morning i didn't know that this dish is known as Sundal. My mother used to make this for breakfast some days and i loved it. I never asked her what is this known as, neither did she tell me. I used to call it 'Kadala Upperi'
If something tastes good, seriously why do you want to know the name for? ;-)

Today morning when i was checking Facebook, i happened to see a photo posted by my friend with title 'Spicy Sundal'. It intrigued me. I did a Google search and was surprised to see that it is the same thing that i have been eating.

When i was working in Bangalore, me and my friend Anu used to go to a Ganapathy temple every weekend. Yes i did pray but the main intention was to eat the 'Prasadam' that we got there. We use to get this along with many other tasty items.

It serves as a breakfast or a snack.

Ingredients (Serves 3)
Chickpeas - 1 cup
Salt
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Green Chilly - 3 nos
Dry Red Chilly - 3 nos
Grated coconut - 4-5 tbsp

Soak the Chickpeas overnight I soaked it for 5-6 hours and it worked fine
Pressure cook chickpeas with water (just enough to reach a bit more than chickpeas) and salt for 3 -4 whistles
Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard. Now add the curry leaves, dry red chillies and green chilly and saute for 30 secs
Now add the cooked chickpeas and mix it well.
Let it cook for 1-2 mins till the spicy oil coats the chickpeas.
Now add the grated coconut and mix well.

Serve hot with a steaming cup of coffee :-)

Happy Snacking!!!

Bhindi Masala / Okra Masala

Bhindi masala is a North Indian dish made with Okra which is a dish mainly eaten along with Roti or Chapatis. It has tomato in it for the tanginess and its also spicy enough for the second rounds :-)
I made it today and had with Rice and i really don't know why people restrict it to Rotis or Chapatis alone. It tasted good with Rice too
Maybe you can give it a try with Rice and let me know whether you liked it

Ingredients (Serves 2)
Okra chopped- 150 gms
Cumin - 1 tsp
Onion chopped lengthwise - 1/2 onion
Tomato chopped- 1 medium
Turmeric - a pinch
Salt
Chilly Powder - 1 tspn
Curry Leaves - few
Oil - 2 tbsp

Heat oil in a pan and splutter the Cumin seeds.
Now add the onion and salt and saute it. Now add the tomato along with turmeric and saute it till the tomato is cooked.
Now add the chilly powder and saute till the raw smell goes (around 1 min). Do a taste test and add the okra pieces and mix into the prepared spice mixture and cook it closed in medium heat till the okra gets cooked
Keep stirring in between.

Serve with hot rice or with Chapati

Happy Eating!!!

Sambar

I have been thinking about making this type of Sambar for a long time. I always prepare sambar with just sambar powder without using Coconut  It started because I was lazy but as Raj liked that way, i sticked to it for almost 2 years now. So today i just did it and was amazed. I am happy that i tried this as it tasted very good and i was able to taste it with our every time favorite Idli itself.

Ingredients (Serves 4)
Toor Dal - 1/2 cup (Soak in water for minimum 30 mins)
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Salt
Small Onion - 4-5
Potato - 2 medium cubed (300 gms)
Drumstick - 150 gms
Okra - 50 gms
Oil - 1/2 tspn
Tamarind pulp - 25 gms
Water - 4 cups
Tomato - 1 medium

For Dry Roasting
Coconut grated - 1/2 cup
Small Onion - 1
Curry Leaves - few
Sambar Masala - 3 tbsp (I use Brahmins Sambar Powder)

Chilly Powder - 1 tsp
Hing - 1 tsp

For Seasoning
Dry Red Chilly - 4-5
Curry Leaves - few
Mustard - 1 tsp

Oil - 1 tbsp

Pressure cook the Dal, small onion, potato, drumstick with turmeric, salt and  water (should be just a bit above your veggies) for max 2 whistles
Fry Okra in a 1/2 tspn of oil till it changes the color and the stickiness is gone.
Dry roast the coconut, small onion and curry leaves in the same pan till the coconut browns little
Add the Sambar Masala and dry roast again till the raw smell is gone. Grind it with little water and keep aside.

Now add tamarind extracted water into the cooked dal- veggies.
Add the fried Okra and sliced Tomato and let it boil
Now add the ground Masala, Chilly Powder and Hing.  Do a taste test. Take it off from heat when the tomato is cooked and you get the desired consistency.

Heat Oil in a pan and splutter the Mustard, add curry leaves and dried chilly and pour this seasoning into the prepared curry. Mix well

Enjoy Over Hot Rice, Idli or Dosa :-)

Happy Eating!!!

Veg Cutlet

This is the first recipe that i learned to make other than rice. Its from my friend Tahsneem's  home that i first had homemade cutlets.Her mother was a good cook and she knew many recipes to make and i loved eating them. I learned her recipe and even tried them at my home, it was a huge success.But now 10 years later i forgot the exact ingredients. This is how i make it nowadays and it comes out good even thought not good as the ones i had from Thasni's house.

Ingredients Makes 12 Cutlets
Potato - 2 medium ones
Carrot grated - 1 medium (100 gms)
Peas - 50 gms (If fresh, cook them separately)
Onion chopped - a small piece
Green chilly chopped finely - 5 gms
Ginger chopped finely - 5 gms
garlic chopped finely - 5 gms
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Amchur - 1/4 tsp
Rusk powdered- 5-6  (You can use bread crumbs also)
Egg whisked- 1
Salt
Oil - 1 tbsp + for frying

Pressure cook the potatoes - max 2 whistles
Peel and mash the potatoes well
Heat oil in a pan and add green chilly, ginger, garlic and onion one by one.
Add the peas and carrot and let it get cooked (frozen ones get cooked within 5 mins)
Now add the garam masala, salt and amchur and let it get cooked.
Once the veggies are cooked well, add the mashed potato and mix well into the spice and veggies mixture.
Make 12 balls out of this mixture and keep aside.

You can either deep fry or shallow fry the cutlet
Heat oil for frying in the pan.
Dip one ball in the whisked egg and roll it in the rusk powder and fry it till it gets a dark brown color (Take care not to burn it)
Do the same with rest of the mixture
You can add any type of vegetables for this. As i had used potato the most, my cutlets were very soft inside.

Serve hot with ketchup

Happy Eating!!!

Spicy Potato Upperi - As simple as it can get

Potato Upperi is  a frequent one for us because we both love it. The potatoes that you get here in US are really very soft. They cook very fast and its really very smooth considering its Potato.
In Kerala, i found Ooty Potato which was really very good one. It was a little pricey compared to the regular ones but they were very good as they were so soft.o can get Ooty Potato, better give it a try.

Ingredients (Serves 2)

Potato - 2 medium ones chopped
Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves - few
Salt
Chilly Powder - 1/4 tsp (depending on your taste level)

Heat oil in a pan and splutter the mustard and add curry leaves.
Now add the potato along with salt and keep it in medium heat for 5 mins. Close the pan with a lid.
Dont toss them so that they get a nice crispy crust on one layer.
The potatoes will be done allmost now. Sprinkle the chilly pdr and toss them and keep it in low heat for 1 min more and its done.

Happy Eating!!!

Cabbage Thoran

This is one dish that everyone will be familiar as its one main item in Kerala Sadya/Feast.
Cabbage always reminds me of our school days where i first learnt about Fiber and that Cabbage has lots of fiber in it (cool way to remember ryt?)
I was not a big fan of this dish but later i found my way into it through grated coconut :-)
Yes, i added the grated coconut in while cooking and it really increased the taste of the food.
Now i just love it. And its easy to prepare too. So there is nothing stopping you from preparing it

Ingredients (Serves 2)
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard - 1 tsp
Urad Dal - 1 tsp
Green chilly - 1 medium one (around 3 gms)
Curry Leaves - few
Onion chopped - 50 gms
Salt
Cabbage chopped - 200 gms
Turmeric - a big pinch
Grated Coconut - 2tbsp

Heat oil in a pan, and splutter the mustard seeds.
Add the urad dal, curry leaves and green chilly and saute till the urad dal gets a light brown color.
Now add the onion and salt and mix it
Dont saute the onion completely as it will be done while the cabbage gets cooked
Now add the cabbage and turmeric pdr and cook closed with a lid for 2-3 mins
Now mix all well and you can see that the onion is done by this time.
Cook again for 3-4 mins, stirring in between and see is its cooked completely.
The cabbage will change its texture when its cooked.
Do a test taste and stop the heat.
Now add the grated coconut and mix and let it stay for 5 mins and serve.

Serve with Hot rice or Chapati

Try and let me know your thoughts

Happy Eating!!!

Potato Masala

Ok so i know we dont need any kind of introduction to this. Its really that one thing that goes with many other dishes. Yes i proudly present to you the One and Only 'Potato Masala'. Yes yeah its the same that you have with Poori, Chapati or even with Dosa :-)
Its mainly famous as the Masala in Poori Masala. I dont think anyone has Poori with anything else. One or the other form, always Potato Masala makes it with Poori. I had it with Chapati today and am still wondering why it isn't paired with Chapati too. They were awesome
So here i go to the recipe

Ingredients (Serves 3)
Potato - 3 medium (around 400 gms)
Onion chopped - 50 gms
Tomato chopped - 1 medium (around 70 gms)
Urad dal - 1 tbsp
Mustard - 1 tbsp
Curry Leaves - few
Turmeric pdr - 1/2 tsp
Green chilly - 3-4 (adjust to your heat level)
Oil - 1 tbsp
Water - 2 cups
Salt - 1/2 tsp (adjust to your taste level)

Pressure cook the potato with 1 cup water and 1/4 tsp salt for 2 whistles
Peel off the skin when it cools down and mash it with a fork. Take care not to mash it like a paste. It should be just semi mashed with little bites of potato.
Heat oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds, add the curry leaves, urad dal and green chilly. Fry till the urad dal turns light brown.
Add the onion and saute till transparent
Add the tomato and saute well. Add the turmeric,salt and saute till the raw smell goes. Now add 1 cup of water and when it boils, add the mashed potato and mix in well with the water. When it starts boiling, its done. You can stop the heat when it reaches your desired consistency.
It will thick a little bit even after stopping the heat, so take care about that

We like to have it with little gravy and not too thick.

Serve hot with Poori, Chapati or even Dosa

Happy Eating!!!

Manga Perukku

Manga Perukku

Haaa... what to say about this
When its mango season, you can literally see that everything in the house will have mango in it. Oh God i miss being home.
Here in US getting the raw mango was little difficult.
However raw it used to be, it will still be sweet so i was really happy to get this perfect raw one.
Mango with fresh grated coconut, its just a heavenly combination and the mustard, it gives the perfect nuttiness to this
Its a must try guys

So the recipe

Ingredients (Serves 2)

Raw Mango - 1/2 a small one
Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup
Curd - 4-5 tbsp
Mustard - 1 + 1 tbsp
Red chilly - 2
Curry Leaves - 4-5
Salt
Oil - 1 tbsp

Note: 
First time you see a note first. Yes its important that the mango, coconut and mustard should not be mashed completely into a paste. It should be mashed very little that you get the small pieces to bite in the dish. 

Mix the Green chilly, salt,coconut,mustard 1 tbsp and curd and give it 2-3 pulses in a mixer. Now add the minced mango pieces and pulse it for 2-3 times. Now you will get a mixture where the coconut, mango and mustard is semi mashed. Keep it aside

Heat oil in a pan and splutter the rest mustard along with red chilly and curry leaves one after another and pour it to the mashed mixture. Mix it well and Manga Perukk  is ready.

Serve it with hot rice and there is no going back :-)

Try and let me know how it went for you

Happy Eating!!!