Parippu Pradhaman Payasam

Ingredients:

Cherupayar parippu/Moong Dal - 1 cup

Water - 1.5 cups + 3/4 cup

Jaggery - 1and half cups

Cardamom powder - 1 tsp

Ghee - 2 tbsp

Cashew - 10 no

Small Coconut slices - 2tbsp

Thin Coconut milk - 1.5 cups

Thick Coconut milk - 1 cup

Method:

1. Dry roast moong dal in medium flame for 4-5 minutes or till the color turns golden .

2.  Allow it to cool down. Then wash it and add it to pressure cooker along with 1.5 cups of water and 1.5 think coconut milk. Pressure cook for 1 whistle on high flame and then 2 whistles on medium -low flame.

3.  Meanwhile make jaggery syrup. Add the jaggery and 3/4 cup water to a pan. Bring it to boil till all the jaggery pieces are dissolves. Strain it and keep it aside.

4. Once the moong dal is fully cooked, add the jaggery syrup to the it and mix well and bring to boil.

5. Boil it for 2 minutes. Then, turn off the stove and add thick coconut milk and cardamom powder and mix well. 

6. Take a small kadai and heat 2 tbsp of ghee. Fry the coconut slices till golden brown and keep it aside. Then fry cashews in the same ghee till golden brown.

7. Add the coconut slices, cashews and the remaining ghee to the payasam and mix well.

Serve hot.

Cheema chakka/kadachakka/breadfruit thoran

Ingredients:

1. Cheema chakka/kadachakka/breadfruit - 1 

2. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

3. Garam masala - 1 tsp

4. Salt to taste

5. water - 1.5 cups

To temper

1. Coconut oil  - 1 tbsp

2. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

3. Dry red chilly - 1

4. Urad dal - 1 tsp

5. Curry leaves - 1 sprig

To grind

1. Grated coconut - 1/3 cup

2. Red chilly - 2

Method:

1.  Remove the green outer skin and the middle part of breadfruit. Then cut it to small pieces. 

2. Take a pan and add the small breadfruit pieces along with turmeric powder, salt and water. Don't add too much water as the breadfruit will become very mushy. Cover and cook till the breadfruit has become soft , for about 15 minutes, and all the water is fully absorbed.

3.  Meanwhile, coarse grind the coconut and red chilly in a mixie/blender without adding any water.

4. Then take another pan and add coconut oil to it. Once hot add the mustard seeds, urad dal and red chilly cut into pieces. When the mustard seeds splutter, add the curry leaves. Then add the ground coconut-chilly mixture to this and fry for 2 - 3 minutes.

4. Once the breadfruit pieces are cooked completely, add the tempered coconut and garam masala to it and mix well. Cook it for another one minute and switch of the flame.

Serve it as a side dish for rice!

Pazhutha Manga Pachadi

 

Ingredients

Ripe Mangoes - 10-12 (small/ nattu manga) or 3-4 (big)
Jaggery - 1.5 cups
Water - 1 cup
Turmeric powder - 2 tsp
Salt


To grind

Mustard seeds- 2 tsp
Grated Coconut  - 1.5 cup
Red Chilly - 6 or 7
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

To temper

Oil - 1.5 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Red chilly - 2

Grated Coconut - 3-4 tbsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Method:

1. Cut the ripe mangoes into small pieces. Put these mango pieces along with the seed into a big vessel. Add one cup of water, turmeric powder and salt to it . Boil this in medium to low flame till the mangoes are soft and cooked.

 

2. Now add the jaggery to it and cook till the jaggery is fully dissolved. Cook till the water is almost fully absorbed.

3. Meanwhile grind the coconut,red chilly and cumin seeds under 'To grind' to a paste without adding too much water. Finally add the mustard seeds to this and give 2-3 pulses.

4. Next add the ground mixture to the mango and mix well. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the stove.

6. Heat a small kadai and add coconut oil to it. Once hot add mustard seeds and red chilly. When the mustard seeds splutter, add the curry leaves and grated coconut. Fry this till the grated coconut turns slightly brown. Switch off the stove and add this to the pachadi and mix well.

Serve it along with rice!

Unniappam

Ingredients:

1. Rice flour - 2 cups
2. Grated jaggery - 1 cup
3. Banana - 2 small (Palayan kudan pazham preferred)
4. Coconut pieces - 1/4 cup
5. Water as required
6. Ghee - 1 tbsp
7. Black sesame - 1/2 tsp (optional)
8. Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp (optional)
9. Baking soda - 1/4 tsp
10. Oil for deep frying

Method:

1. Melt grated jaggery in about 1 cup water. Allow it to cool completely. Strain for any impurities.
2. Grind the  banana and keep aside.
3. In a mixing bowl, take rice flour. Add the melted and cooled jaggery and the pureed banana to it. Mix it gently. Add water little by little if required to make an idli batter consistency.
4. Fry the coconut pieces in ghee till it is golden brown . Then add this to the above batter and mix well.
5. Finally add the baking soda, black sesame seeds and cardamom powder, if you are using, to the mixture and mix well.
6. Keep this aside in a warm place for around 5-6 hours.
7. After the batter is kept for 5-6 hours, check for the consistency.If it is too thick, add a little water.
8. Now heat oil to the unniappam chatti . When the oil is hot , reduce it to medium and add about a tbsp of batter to each of its hole. The batter should fill up only till 3/4th of each hole. Deep fry for about 2-3 minutes and flip it with a fork and fry till both sides are golden brown. Remove it into a paper towel.

Thiruvathira puzhukku

Ingredients:

1.  Suran/Chena - 1 cup
2. Ratalu/Kaachil - 1 cup / 1 medium sized
3. Taro root/ Chembu - 1 cup / 1 medium sized
4. Chinese potato/ Koorka - 1 cup
5. Raw Plantain/ Kaya - 1
6. Sweet potato - 1 small/ 1 cup
7. Van payar/ Red cow peas - 1/2 cup
8. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
9. Red chilly powder - 1/2 tsp(optional)
10. Curry leaves - 1 or 2 sprigs
11. Coconut oil - 1 tbsp
12. Salt to taste

To grind

1. Grated Coconut - 1 cup
2. Jeera - 1 tsp
3. Dry red chilly - 5-6

Method:

1. Soak vanpayar overnight and pressure cook it with very little water (just enough to cover it) for 3-4 whistles.
2. Peel and cut chena, kaachil, chembu, koorka, sweet potato and kaya into cubes. Pressure cook all these with just enough water(about 2 cups), salt and turmeric powder for about 2-3 whistles.
3. Meanwhile grind the ingredients under 'To grind' to a coarse paste. Add very little or no water at all.
4. Once the vegetables are cooked, add the cooked vanpayar  and ground coconut to it.
5. Bring the pressure cooker back to medium heat and mix well. Add the coconut oil and curry leaves and give a quick stir. Switch off the stove.

Serve warm!!

Koova Payasam - Thiruvathira special

                              Koova payasam is a traditional Kerala recipe.It is mainly prepared on the day of Thiruvathira, in the malayalam month of Dhanu along with Thiruvathira puzhukku and broken wheat upma..

Ingredients:

Koova Podi/Arrowroot powder - 1/4 cup
Water -  1 cup
Jaggery - 1/2 cup grated (I used the dark
Coconut - 3-4 tbsp
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Ripe Plantain / Ethapazham - 1/4 cup , cut into small pieces
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp (Optional)

Method:

1. Take a heavy bottom pan, Add all the ingredients except cardamom powder.Mix well.
2. Boil the mixture in medium heat, stirring continuously. After about 10 minutes, the mixture starts becoming thick. When the mixture has turned dark brown and the consistency is semi thick, remove it from fire .
3. Garnish it with cardamom powder. This is optional.