Olan - Veggies in coconut milk

Ingredients:-

1. Plantain Banana/Pachakkaya - 1
2. Vanpayar/Red Chori beans ~ ½ cup
3. Yard Long Beans/Achinga Payar ~ 1 Cup(2 or 3 no's)
4. Winter Melon/Elavan Kumbalam Chopped lengthwise ~ 1 Cup
5. Green Chilly slit into halves - 5
6. Coconut Oil ~ 2 tsp
7. Curry leaves a sprig
8. Salt to taste
9. Grated Coconut - 1 ½ Cups
10. Water ~ 2 + ½ Cups

Preparation Method:-

• Cut the veggies from 1 to 5 lengthwise, wash it well and set aside in a bowl.
• Pour  ½ cup of lukewarm water to the grated coconut, blend/pulse them in a mixer/blender. Strain them through a muslin cloth or filter. Grab the edges of muslin cloth, lift it up, press and squeeze out all the all the coconut milk(onnam paal). Set them aside.
• Add 1 more cup of water to the coconut and press well with your hands and squeeze out remaining coconut milk(2nd extract or randaam paal).
• Wash and soak Red Chori beans/Vanpayar in water for couple of hours. I normally soak it for 4 hours, try to soak them at-least for an hour.
• Add them to a cooking pan with a cup of water and let it cook for a while. When they are half cooked, add the veggies, salt, green chilies. 
• Cover and boil them in medium heat till the veggies are cooked.(Don't add a lot of water as the addition of coconut milk will provide little bit of gravy)
• Add the second extract of coconut milk(randaam paal) to veggies and let it boil for few minutes say 3-4 minutes.
• Simmer the heat and add the first extract of coconut milk(onnam paal) and stir gently with a spoon to mix everything. When it start to boil slightly ie. when you see bubbles  forming from the edges take it off the stove.
• Garnish with a generous amount of curry leaves and coconut oil

Notes:- 

1. If you forgot to soak Vanpayar/Red Moong Dal don't worry, pressure cook them and dd it to the cooked Veggies.

2. When you make Coconut milk, put on the mixer for once or twice just to pulse the coconut, don't overdo the grind which will result to a messy coarse ground/fine coconut paste).

3. You can use other veggies like padavalanga, cucumber etc or use a combination of veggies available.
4. If you are using store bought milk, to make second extract milk add 1/4 cups of water to 2 tsp of coconut milk and mix. Use ¼ to ½ cup of coconut milk as first extract.
5. Normally Olan is served as a side dish with thick gravy, if you want to make it with gravy for regular day servings you can add more water.

Sending this to Kerala Kitchen at Ramya's Recipe

Sarkkara Upperi

Sarkkara Upperi is made with Plantain Banana fried and sauteed in Jaggery Syrup. Sarkkara upperi is one of the important side dish of Kerala Sadya and kids and adults love to munch it anytime. My son loves this a lot and whenever I go to India I used to get few packets of this 'Upperi'. For this Onam I didnn't have any Sarkkara Upperi left and so I made it at home. A few phone calls to Kerala helped me make this dish. So friends Enjoy making Sarkkara Upperi :)

Ingredients:-

1. Plantain Banana/Pachakkaya - 3 Big
2. Powdered Jaggery - 1/2 cup
3. Sugar - 1/2 cup
4. Oil for deep frying
5. Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
6. Cumin(Jeera) Powder - 1/2 tsp
7. Dry Ginger Powder - 1 tsp
8. salt a pinch
9. Rice flour - 4tbsp(I used Nirapara putti podi)
10. Water - 1/2 cup

Preparation Method:-

• Cut the edges of the Plantain banana. Cut into into halves horizontally and vertically.
• Put it in Luke warm water for sometime maybe five mins(this helps you remove the skin easily). Remove the skin completely.

                                           

• Cut the plantain into small slices and soak in the water for 10 mins to remove the stain as much as possible. Wash thoroughly and drain off the water. Set aside.

                                            

• Heat up oil in a frying pan or Kadai in medium-high flame and deep fry the plantain till they are slightly crisp( you don't have to frying it till deep brown, just need to cook till they loose the raw flavor).
• Take out in an absorbent paper towel, pat dry and remove oil. Set aside.

                                              

• Now in another pan melt the jaggery by adding half cup water and strain off the impurities if any to another non-stick pan.(Strain this into the pan  in which you are going to make 'sarkkara upperi', this will help the process easy)
• Heat this Jaggery again and add Sugar and stir continuously in medium heat to melt the sugar and form a nice jaggery syrup.
• Add the cardamom powder, dry ginger powder, jeera powder,salt to the syrup and stir to mix.
• Add the chopped plantain and keep stirring till jaggery syrup starts to thicken. 
• Add rice flour little by little and keep stirring everytime you add rice flour.

                                             

• Keep stirring till all the jaggery syrup and rice mixture is well coated on the plantain pieces and it turns crisp with not more liquid in the pan.
• Switch off the flame, stir well so that no plantain pieces stick together and move to platter to let it cool.
• Once cool you can put it in air tight container and store for a very long period. Enjoy!!!!!!



 Sending this to Ramyasrecipe's ABC Series : B for Banana 

        

Also sending this to The Kerala Kitchen Event hosted by Khusi's A Girl's Diary

     

Avial

Ingredients:-

1. Plantain(Pachakkaya) - 1 big
2. Carrot - 1
3. Winter Melon - a small piece
4. Snake guard(Padavalanga) - 1 small
5. Drumstick - 1
6. Bitter guard(Kayppakka/Karela) - 1 small(optional)
7. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
8. Salt
9. water - 1 cup
10. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
11. Grated coconut - 2cup
12. Curry leaves
13. Coconut oil - 2tbsp
14. Thick Yogurt - 1 cup

Preparation Method:-

• Wash and clean all the vegetables, cut lengthwise and set aside.
• In a vessel add all the veggies, salt, turmeric powder and water. Cook till vegetables are soft and tender
• Grind coconut and cumin to a coarse paste and add it to the veggies and cook till raw smell of the coconut goes. Switch off the flame
• With a spoon or fork beat the yogurt just to remove the lumps if any. Add it to the avial and mix everyting gently(don't need to cook the avial after adding the yogurt, if you feel the avial is watery you can cook it in medium flame till water is fully absorbed by the veggies)
• Drizzle coconut oil and curry leaves. Stir gently to mix everything.
• Moving to a serving dish. Pour a tsp of cococnut oil on top before you are ready to eat. Enjoyyyy!!!

Beetroot Pachadi

Beetroot Pachadi is so simple and ezee to make and it goes well with any kind of rice or biriyani's. My husband sometimes eats it as it is, he cannot resist and wait for the main food to be served. This recipe came my way from my brother who is a chef by profession and passion. Oh yea, he is an awesome cook and my husband prefers to go to India for vacation only when my brother is home on vacation as he can enjoy some of those awesome authentic restaurant type of food being cooked by my bro. After I came to US we used stay with my hubby's friend and family for a while where I saw Seema chechi also making it with a very slight variation. Thanks to my dear brother and Seema Chechi for adding this healthy dish to my daily menu list.

Ingredients:-

1. Beetroot - 2 grated
2. Green chilly- 5 (slit into halves)
3. salt to taste
4. Grated coconut - 1 cup
5. mustard seeds - 1 tsp + 1 tsp
6. yogurt - 1 cup
7. Coconut oil - 2 tbsp
8. urad daal - 1 tsp(optional)
9. curry leaves few
10. dry red chilly broken few
11. Okra - 3 chopped into small round shapes(optional)

Preparation Method:-

• Cook the grated beetroot by adding green chilly and salt in medium flame. Don't need to add any water as beetroot oozes out moisture by its own.
• When it is cooked switch off the flame
• Grind the coconut and 1 tsp mustard into a smooth paste and add it to the cooked beetroot.
• Now using a whisk beat the yogurt slowly just to remove the lumps if any. Add it to the beetroot and mix everything gently. Set aside.
• For seasoning:- Heat a pan, add coconut oil, crackle the mustard seeds. Add urad daal, okra and stir till light brown and crispy.Add the curry leaves and split red chilly, give it a stir. Pour it over the Pachadi
• Your pachadi is ready to serve. It tastes better after 3-4 hrs when the beetroot absorbs the sourness of the yogurt.

The slight variation I mentioned is nothing but opting out the okra while you do the seasoning.

Cucumber Pachadi-No cooking needed

In Kerala 'Pachadi' means a side dish similar to Raita made with vegetable or fruit(not all the fruits) in ground  coconut and yogurt to make a thick consistency. Cucumber(Kakkiri/Kaakdi) Pachadi is such an ezee dish that can be served with Rice or Biriyani or instead of Raita and can be made in less than 15 mins. This recipe had been travelling with me from the time I was in Plus two(actually pre-degree). Thanks a ton to my friend Mridu's mom, she is an excellent cook and so is Mridu. Mridu used to stay close to our college and I remember having this first time at her home when myself and few friends(Pritz, Nikhi, Ras...) went to her home for lunch.  I really do not know if this is the exact way Mridu's mom made this but alI I knew is, it was made with uncooked cucumber and I started making it from then by following the normal rules of Pachadi. So Friend's I would again say this is my version of cucumber pachadi which is so ezee to make and I'm sure you guys are gonna love it :)

Ingredients:-

1. Cucumber/Kakkiri/Kakdi - 2 med size(peeled and chopped into small cubes)
2. Green chilly - 4(slit into halves)
3. Ginger - a small piece(chopped finely)
4. salt to taste
5. Yogurt - 1 cup

To Grind:-

1. Grated Coconut - 1 cup
2. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

For seasoning:-

1. Coconut oil - 2 tbsp
2. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
3. Whole dry red chilly - 3
4. urad daal- 1 tsp
5. curry leaes few

Preparation Method:-

• In a bowl add Cucumber, green chilly, ginger and salt. With clean hands mix everything together by mashing the veggies slightly.
• Make a thick paste of coconut and mustard seeds without adding much water(add water little by little just to get it grind, maybe a tbsp at a time). Add it to the cucumber, stir to mix.
• In another bowl whisk the yogurt with a spoon gently just to remove any lumps and add it to the cuucmber-coconut mix and stir well with a spoon. Adjust the salt to taste
• Now the only part where you have to switch on your stove - Seasoning the dish and this is purely optional.
• Heat a pan and pour coconut oil. Add mustard seeds, when the mustard seeds crackle add urad dal and give it a stir. Add curry leaves and red chillies and stir till dal turns becomes golden brown. Pour this over the pachadi.
• Your Cucumber pachadi is ready to serve with Rice/Biriyani/Pulav or anything of your choice. Enjoy!!!!

Parippu Pradaman

Ingredients: -

Moong Dal/Cherupayar Parippu – 2 cups
Jaggery syrup- 2 cup(Boiled with 2tbsp of water and strained of impurities)
Thick coconut milk -1 cup
Thin coconut milk -2 cups
Cardamom pods -3(crush with pestle in a mortar)
Salt – a pinch
Water 4 cups
Ghee - 2tsp
Coconut pieces - 2tsp
Raisins and cashews – a handful
Preparation Method:-

• Wash the moong and drain of the water completely.
• Dry roast the moong till crisp and press cook with enough water for 6-7 whistles(keep the flame to medium after the first whistle)
• One the cooker looses the pressure and becomes cool, open the cookr and stir well to mash the moong.
• Add the jaggery and stir continuosly for 4-5 minutes in medium flame so that moong absorbs sweetness from the jaggery. 
• Add the thin coconut milk and stir continuously for 5-10 mins till it start thickening.
• Add the thick coconut milk and keep stiring for few more minutes.
• Add in cardamom powder, salt and mix well. Remove from the flame
• Heat up a smaal pan, pour ghee into it add raisins, cashews and coconut pieces fry for a minute till everything turns light brown.
• Add this to the pradaman along with the ghee.
• Move to a serving dish. Serve warm.  

Note:- I love it being served after being refrigerated for sometime.

Pineapple Pachadi

I was unaware of pineapple pachadi till the time I came to US. It was from Seema Chechi our friend in New Jersey I learned that even pineapple can be used to make pachadi. I'm sure it is not a Malabar item, because I never had it for any marriage sadya's in Kannur. Seema Chechi is from Ernakulam and Palghat and her recipes are different from mine, but must say she is a master in veggie food. The day I landed in US for the first time we stayed at Seema chechi's home and  I remember having this pachadi from there. She also added some chopped grapes I guess and it tasted really awesome. I have added raisins instead of grapes since I did not have any grapes at home.

I just love Seema chechi's food and we used to drive from Maryland to New Jersery on many weekends during my first pregnancy when I used to feel sick of my own food  Those were good old days, thanks a lot Seema Chechi for this wonderful recipe. Enjoy!!!!!!
















Ingredients:-

1. Fresh pineapple - 2 cups(cut into small cubes)
2. Green chilly - 4(slit into halves)
3. Salt - to taste
4. Grated coconut - 1 cup
5. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
6. Yogurt - 3/4 cup

For seasoning:-

1. Oil -2 tsp
2. Mustard seeds -1 tsp
3. Raisins - 2tbsp
4. Whole dried red chillies - 2
5. Curry leaves - few
6. Urad daal - 1 tsp
7. Water -1/2 cup

Cooking Instructions:-

1. Cook pineapple with green chilli, salt and water. Set aside
2. Grind coconut and mustard seed to a fine paste and add to the cooked pineapple.
3. With a spoon beat the yogurt just to remove the lumps if any and add to the pineapple. Stir everything gently and check for the salt and sourness.
4. Heat the oil in another pan, crackle the mustard seeds, add raisins, curry leaves, urad daal, dried red chillies and saute for a min. Add this to the pachadi.

Hint:- while cooking the pineapple make sure to add very little water. Pachadi should be thick, not watery.
This tastes better after 3-4 hours.