Avial

Avial is a beautiful blend of colorful nutritious veggies cooked to perfection in a coconut and yogurt based gravy and the true beauty of this dish lies in the uniformly cut vegetables.

Ingredients
Raw Plantain (cut in strips): 1/4 cup
Yam (cut in strips): 1/4 cup
Long Beans (cut in strips): 1/4 cup
Carrots (cut in strips): 1/4 cup
Drumsticks (cut long): 1/4 cup
Tindora/Kovaikkai (cut in strips): 1/4 cup
Vellarikka/Dosakai (cut in strips): 1/4 cup
White Melon/Kumbalanga (cut in strips): 1/4 cup
Turmeric powder: a pinch
Water: 1/4 cup

Grated Coconut: 3/4 cup
Yogurt: 1 cup
Green Chilli: 3-4
Cumin seeds/Jeera: 2 teaspoons
Garlic (optional):1 pod
Curry Leaves:handful
Coconut Oil:

Salt to taste

Take all the cut vegetables and boil it in water with some salt and turmeric. Do not let it get overcooked. Some people like it very tender while some like it with a crunch. Turn off the heat and let it cool. Coarsely grind the grated coconut, green chillies, cumin seeds, garlic. Add the yogurt to this mixture to make a paste. Pour it into the boiled vegetables slowly. If you pour it while the vegetables are hot, the curd might split. Mix everything well. Turn on the stove again on very low heat. Add a dash of coconut oil and a handful of curry leaves and it is as perfect as it can be.

Cabbage Thoran

Thoran is a graceful side that brings out the naadan essence with shredded coconut which is also the key ingredient in the the Kerala cuisine. This thoran recipe can be varied with other vegetables like green beans, shredded beetroot or carrot.

Ingredients
Cabbage (finely cut / grated ): 1 cup
Red onions (chopped): 1/4 cup
Green Chilies (slit): 3-4
Garlic (chopped): 1 teaspoons
Ginger (chopped): 1 1/2 teaspoons
Grated Coconut: 1/3 cup
Turmeric powder: 1 teaspoon
Chili Powder: 1/2 teaspoon
Mustard Seeds: 1 teaspoon
Urad dal: 1 teaspoon
Curry Leaves: a handful

Heat some oil in a pan. Splutter the mustard seeds and urad dal. Add curry leaves, green chillies, chopped ginger, chopped garlic, chopped red onions, turmeric powder, chilli powder and saute. Add the grated cabbage and some salt and saute well on medium heat. Cover and let it cook for about 5-10 mins. Once the cabbage is almost cooked, add the grated coconut and mix well. Cabbage thoran is ready to be served.

Erisserri

Ingredients
Yellow Pumpkin (cubed): 1 Cup
Red beans/Vanpayaru: 1/2 Cup
Green Chili (Slit): 2-3
Ginger (chopped): 1 teaspoon
Turmeric: 1/2 teaspoon
Chilli powder :1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds/Jeera: 1 teaspoon
Grated Coconut: 1/4 cup
Water: 1 cup

Seasoning
Dried red chili: 2-3
Curry leaves: handful
Mustard seeds: 2 teaspoon
Coconut oil: 1 tablespoon

Soak the red beans in warm water for about 2 hours. Pressure cook the beans in water with some salt, turmeric and chilli powder. Once the beans are soft, add the chopped pumpkin, green chilies, ginger and cook on medium heat for about 15 mins. Meanwhile coarsely grind the grated coconut and cumin seeds. Add this paste to the cooked beans and pumpkin. Stir well and the adjust your salt and spice levels. Give a final seasoning of spluttered mustard seeds, dried red chillies and curry leaves in coconut oil. Fry the grated coconut until golden and garnish. Make sure the grated coconut doesn't get burned. Delicious Erisserri is ready to be served.

Kootu Curry

Ingredients
Black Channa/Kadala: 1 cup
Yam (cubed): 1/3 cup
Raw Plaintain (cubed): 1/3 cup
Turmeric powder: 1 1/2 teaspoon
Chili Powder: 2 teaspoons
Shallots/Small Onions: 5-6
Garlic (Optional): 1 pod
Grated Coconut: 3/4 cup
Cumin Seeds/Jeera: 1 tablespoon

Seasoning
Dried Red chilies: 2-3
Mustard Seeds: 1 teaspoon
Curry Leaves: handful
Coconut Cuts: 2 tablespoon
Pepper powder: a pinch
Coconut oil

* Cubed yam and plaintain can be washed in some turmeric powder and water or some curd to take off stains.

Soak the black channa in warm water for about 2-3 hours. Pressure cook the black channa in water with turmeric, chilli powder and salt. Once the channa is cooked, add the cubed yam and plaintain and cook on medium heat for about 20 mins. Mix well. Coarsely grind the pearl onions, garlic, grated coconut and cumin seeds. Add this paste into the cooked channa and vegetables. Mix well and cook for some more time. Give a seasoning of spluttered mustard seeds, curry leaves, dried red chillies and a touch of pepper powder in coconut oil. Fry the coconut cuts until golden and garnish.

Vendakka/Okra Kitchadi

Kitchadi is a soothing yogurt based gravy that can be varied with vegetables like ladies finger or bitter guard and is almost like a sibling to the pachadi because of the similarity in the base. The frying of the vegetables intially gives a new crunch to this beauty.

Ingredients
Publish PostOkra/Vendakkai/Ladies finger(Cut in discs): 10-15
Curd/Yogurt: 1 cup
Grated Coconut: 1/2 cup
Green chilies: 2-3
Curry leaves: handful
Cumin seeds: 1/ teaspoon
Mustard seeds: 2 teaspoon(Keep 1 teaspoon aside for grinding)
Dried red chillies: 2-3
Oil

Heat oil in a pan. Splutter some mustard seeds, dried red chillies and curry leaves. Add the cut okra and fry until cooked and slightly crispy. Turn off the heat. Grind the grated coconut, green chillies and cumin seeds into paste. Now add mustard seeds to this and do a single run on the mixer. Fine grinding of mustard seeds can make it bitter. Add curd to this paste and mix well. While the fried okra is still lightly warm, add this ground curd mixture and stir well. Kitchadi is ready to go onto your leaves.

Kaalan

Ingredients
Ripe Plantain (Cubed): 1
Green Chili (slit): 3-4
Ginger (finely sliced): 2 teaspoon
Grated Coconut: 1/2 cup
Yogurt: 1 cup
Turmeric: 1-2 teaspoon
Pepper: 1-2 teaspoon
water
salt to taste

Seasoning
Ghee: 1-2 teaspoon
Dried Red Chili: 2-3
Mustard seeds: 1 1/2 teaspoon
Curry Leaves: handful
Cumin/Jeera and Fenugreek/Uluva mix: 1/2 teaspoon
*Dry roast equal portions of cumin and fenugreek seeds and powder to make the mix.

Cook the cubed plantain, green chilli, ginger with salt, turmeric powder in very little water. Meanwhile grind the coconut and turmeric with little water to a fine paste. Once plantain is cooked add the coconut paste and let it simmer for few minutes. Remove it from heat and keep it aside. Once cooled add yogurt to it and mix well. Add few curry leaves and keep it on very low heat. Heat ghee in a pan, add mustard seeds, curry leaves and dried red chilli. Add this to the kalan. Sprinkle cumin-fenugreek powder on the top and it is ready to serve.

Mampazha Pulisseri

Ingredients
Ripe Mango (cubed): 1/2 cup
Curd/Yogurt: 1/3 cup
Green Chilli (Slit): 3-4
Garlic (Chopped): 1 pod
Grated Coconut: 1/4 cup
Fenugreek/Methi/Uluva: 1/2 teaspoon
Cumin Seeds/Jeera: 1 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric Powder: 1 teaspoon

Seasoning
Mustard Seeds: 1 teaspoon
Curry Leaves: handful
Dried Red Chilli: 1-2

Boil the cubed mango pieces with salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder, slit green chillies and ginger till the mango is soft. Grind grated coconut, garlic, cumin seeds and little turmeric powder to a smooth paste. Add this paste to the cooked mango pieces and boil it on low heat for few minute. Take it off from heat and keep it aside. Once cooled, add yogurt to it and mix well. Season it with spluttered mustard seeds, curry leaves and dried red chilli. Mampazha pulissery is ready to be served.

*The taste of Mampazha pulissery gets better if kept overnight.

Manga Curry/Achaar

Manga curry is the fastest version of a pickle that does not need hours of hardwork in the kitchen. It paints the banana leaf with its bright red color while awakening your tatsebuds that are lost with the various flavors of the sadhya.

Ingredients
Raw Green Mango (chopped): 1 cup
Chili Powder: 3 tablespoons
Turmeric Powder: 2 teaspoons
Fenugreek/Methi/Uluva:1/2 teaspoon
Hing Powder: a pinch
Mustard Seeds: 1 teaspoon
Curry Leaves: a sprig
Dried Red Chillies: 2-3
Oil

Marinate the cubed raw mango pieces in turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt and keep aside for about half hour. Heat some oil in a pan. Splutter mustard seeds and then add fenugreek seeds, dried red chillies, hing and curry leaves. Add the mango pieces and saute till the mango is soft. Adjust your salt and spice levels accordingly. You could also pour 1/4 cup water to get a little gravy. The manga curry is perfect to add the kick and color to your sadhya.

* Similar to pickles, manga curry tastes best if made ahead of time as the mango locks in all the spices with time.

Nendrakai and Muringha Parippu Curry

A simple curry that not only adds some elegance to the banana leaf with its color, but a delicious one that can be made any day any time to perfectly pair with rotis or rice.

Ingredients
Raw Plantain (cut): 1/4 cup
Drumsticks (cut): 1-2
Toor Dal: 1/2 cup
Grated Coconut: 1/4 cup
Turmeric Powder: 1 teaspoon
Cumin Seeds/Jeera: 2 teaspoons
Garlic pod: 1
Green chillies: 2-3
Salt to taste

Seasoning
Curry Leaves: 1 sprig
Dried Red chilies: 2-3
Mustard Seeds: 1 teaspoon
Grated coconut: 1 teaspoon

Cook the cut raw plantain and drumsticks with turmeric powder in little water until tender. Meanwhile pressure cook the toor dal with some salt. Once the dal is cooked, add the cooked vegetables. Grind the grated coconut, green chillies, garlic, cumin seeds with little water to make a fine paste. Add this to the dal and vegetables and let it simmer. Once everything has come to boil, add the seasoning of curry leaves, dried red leaves, mustard seeds and grated coconut.

Olan

Ingredients
White Melon/Kumbalanga (cut): 1/2 cup
Red Beans: 1/4 cup
Long beans (cut): 3-4
Green chillies (slit): 2-3
Ginger (chopped): 1/2 teaspoon
Coconut Milk: 1/2 cup
Curry Leaves: handful
Coconut oil: 2 teaspoons

Pressure cook the red beans with little salt and water. Once the dal is cooked add the cut beans, white melon, green chillies and ginger and cook until soft. Pour in the coconut milk and let it cook in very low heat. Drizzle the coconut oil and tear in the curry leaves. Olan is ready.

Parippu

Parippu, nei (ghee) and pappadam go hand in hand and is officially marked as the starting course of a grand sadhya.

Ingredients
Split Moong Dal: 1/4 cup
Green Chili (slit): 1-2
Garlic (Chopped): 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder: 1/2 teaspoon
Grated Coconut: 1 tablespoon
Jeera/Cumin seeds: 1 teaspoon
Curry Leaves: just a few
Ghee: 1-2 teaspoons

Pressure cook the split moon dal with turmeric powder, green chillies, garlic and salt. Meanwhile grind the grated coconut and cumin seeds with little water to make a paste. When the dal has cooked, add the ground paste and keep it on low heat for few minutes and mix well. Finally add a dollop of ghee and some curry leaves.

Pachadi

Ingredients
Vellarikka/Dosakai (chopped lengthwise): 1/2 cup
White Melon/Kumbalanga (chopped lengthwise): 1/2 cup
Green Chili (slit): 3-4
Ginger (chopped): 1 teaspoon
Curd/Yogurt: 1 cup
Grated Coconut: 1/3 cup
Mustard seeds: 1 1/2 teaspoon

Seasoning
Mustard Seeds: 1 teaspoon
Curry Leaves: handful
Dried Red chili: 2-3

* You can do a combination of both vegetables or just vellarikka alone.

Boil the chopped vellarikka and kumbalanga with green chillies and salt in little water. Once the vegetables are cooked, take off from heat and let it rest. Meanwhile grind the grated coconut, mustard seeds and chopped ginger into a paste. Add the yogurt into this ground mixture and mix well. Combine this paste into the boiled vegetables and mix slightly on very low heat. Give a seasoning with mustard seeds, curry leaves and dried red chillies.

Puli Inji

Puli Inji is an impressive entry on the sadhya menu which is made out of three striking flavors. The spice from the ginger, the sweetness from the jaggery and the sourness from the tamarind collide to make this unique Kerala special pickle.

Ingredients
Ginger (finely chopped): 1/2 Cup
Green Chillies (chopped): 1 tablespoon
Curry Leaves: Handful
Tamarind Pulp/Puli: 1/4 cup
Jaggery/Sarkkara (melted): 1/4 cup
Mustard Seeds: 1 teaspoon
Dried Red Chilli: 2-3
Chilli Powder: 2 teaspoon
Water: 1/4 cup
Salt to taste
Oil
Cumin/Jeera and Fenugreek/Uluva mix: 1/2 teaspoon

*Dry roast equal portions of cumin and fenugreek seeds and powder to make the mix.
*Finely chopping the ginger can be too time consuming, thus to reduce the time and effort we have grated the ginger and ran the knife through it.

Heat some oil in a deep pan. Fry the chopped ginger until crisp and keep aside. In the same oil splutter the mustard seeds, add dried red chillies, curry leaves, green chillies and saute. Add the chilli powder and the fried ginger to it and saute. Meanwhile melt the jaggery in a sauce pan and add it to the ginger mix. Dilute the tamarind pulp in water and add it to the mix. Let everything simmer on low heat for about 10-15 minutes. Sprinkle the cumin seed - fenugreek powder and stir well. This puli inji can stay fresh for an easy 6 month period if stored in a cool place in an air tight container and tastes better with time.

Parippu Pradhaman

Another payasam that tastes exceptionally good is the Parippu pradaman. Though the procedure is time consuming and slightly tedious, each spoonful knocks out all your senses with its richness.

Ingredients

Split Moong dal: 1 cup
Jaggery (melted): 3 cups
Ghee: 4-5 tablespoon
Coconut milk: 1 can
Water: 2 cups
Cardamom pods (powdered): 1 - 1 1/2 teaspoon
Raisins: 1 1/2 tablespoon
Cashew nuts: 1 1/2 tablespoons
Coconut slices (chopped): 1 1/2 tablespoon

Slightly dry roast the moong dal until the color of the dal changes from yellow to deep red. Add water, a pinch of salt and pressure cook until the dal is soft. Add ghee and stir in well for about 5-10 mins. Meanwhile melt the jaggery cubes and pour this melted syrup into the cooked dal. Continuously stir on low-medium heat until everything combines well. Then add the can of coconut milk and stir well. Adjust sugar levels by adding more jaggery if needed. Add the powdered cardamom and keep stirring for about 15-20 mins. Payasam is ready. Fry the raisins, cashews and coconut slices in ghee till lightly golden. Add these into the payasam and garnish with a few slices of banana.

Palada Payasam

Payasam is the south Indian name for kheer and is the most traditional desert. There can be several variations in payasams and Palada is one of the classic milk based payasams that wins over taste buds by its simplicity.

Ingredients
Milk: 3 cups
Sugar: 2-3 cup (if condensed milk is not used)
Condensed milk: 1 can
Water: 1 cup
Ada: 1 cup
Ghee: 1-2 teaspoon
Raisins: 1 tablespoon
Cashew nuts: 1 tablespoon
Cardamom pods (powdered): 1 teaspoon

*These days there are variety of Adas available in the market made of either rice flour or maida. We have used a mix of both.
* To makethe ada finer which is easy to cook , you can just dry run in the mixie to crush the ada a lil bit before you boil it.
Boil milk and keep stirring it continuously. If you are using condensed milk, add it to boiled milk and keep stirring it. Meanwhile boil the water and add Ada to it. Once the Ada gets soft, take it off from heat and run cold water through it. Drain it and add it to the boiling milk. Adjust the sugar to your liking. Sprinkle the cardamom powder. Fry the raisins and cashew nuts until golden in the ghee and add to the milk. The payasam is ready and it tastes better the next day when served chilled.

Rasam

Ingredients
Tomatoes (chopped): 2
Tamarind pulp/Puli: 1 tablespoon
Garlic pods: 1 big
Pepper corns: 1 tablespoon
Coriander seeds: 1 tablespoon
Cumin Seeds (Jeera):1/2 tablespoon
Coriander Leaves/Dhaniya (chopped): handful
Chilli Powder: 2 teaspoon
Asafoetida/Hing: a pinch
Water: 1 cup
Salt to taste
Oil

Using a mortar and pestle (ammi kallu) roughly crush the garlic, pepper corns, coriander seeds and cumin seeds. Heat some oil in a pan, add chili powder and the crushed mix and saute. Add hing and tomatoes to it. Mix tamarind pulp in water and pour it into the pan. As it comes to a boil add the chopped coriander leaves and let it simmer. Serve hot.

Sambhar

Ingredients
Toor Dal: 1/2 cup
Tomatoes (chopped): 2
Potatoes (cubed): 1
Okra/Vendakkai/Ladies Finger(cut): 2-3
Drumstick (cut): 1
Green Chili (slit): 2-3
Garlic (chopped): 1 pod
Ginger (chopped): 1 teaspoon
Shallots/Pearl Onions (whole): 6-7
Tamarind pulp : 1 tablespoon
Turmeric Powder: 2 teaspoons
Chili Powder: 3-4 teaspoons
Fenugreek seeds: 1/2 teaspoon
Coriander Powder/seeds: 3-4 teaspoons
Sambhar masala: 2 teaspoons (optional)
Grated Coconut:1 teaspoon
Coriander leaves: handful
Salt to taste
Water

Seasoning
Mustard seeds: 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves: handful
Dried Red Chili: 3-4
Asafoetida/Hing Powder

Pressure cook the toor dal, potatoes, tomatoes, garlic, ginger, green chillies with little salt, turmeric powder and water. Meanwhile boil the drumsticks with a little salt until tender. Heat some oil in pan, saute the okra and shallots until soft. Once the dal and the vegetables are cooked, add the drum sticks, shallots and okra to it and let it simmer. Meanwhile dry roast coconut, chili powder, coriander powder/seeds, fenugreek and sambhar masala and grind it with tamarind pulp to make a fine paste. Add this paste to the simmering mixture. Let it all come to a boil, adjust the salt and water consistency. Add the chopped coriander leaves while boiling. Season it with mustard seeds, curry leaves, dried red chilli and hing. By now the aroma of the spices will seep allover into your kitchen telling you that the delicious sambhar is ready.