Muringakka , parippu thoran (Drumstick n dal)

Our mom used to make a lot of dishes with drumstick fairly often since we had a drumstick tree in our home. This was a favourite with all of us. Mom also used to make a exquisitely tasty things with the flowers from drumstick tree as well as the leaves.

Drumsticks - 2 (choose fleshy ones)

Thur dal - 1 cup

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Cook the thur dal with water over 1/2 an inch over it's level. when the dal is half-cooked, add the drum sticks till everything is cooked through , add salt to taste and make sure the water is nearly gone.

Coarsely grind

Grated coconut - 1/2 cup

Garlic cloves - 2 nos

green chillies - 2 nos

Add the ground coconut to the cooked drumstick and dal.

In a deep pan, heat 2 tsp oil , temper with

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp (I prefer a bit less)

Raw rice grains - 1 tsp

Dried red chillies - 2

Curry leaves - 2 stems

mix well and serve hot.

Thoran - Cabbage and String beans

This is the traditional malayali preparation of thoran. Usually, we use vegetables like beans, cabbage etc individually, or combine carrots, cabbage , beetroot etc together.

I got some very tender string beans which could have been used in another preparation, but since I had some grated coconut handy, I made the thoran. And just to put a different twist on it, added some cabbage too..

String bean is achinga in malayalam, and karamani in tamil. To avoid any more confusion, I am adding a picture I got from the web..there are many varieties of string beans, but what i made looked exactly like those in the picture.

String beans - 1/4 kilo
Cabbage - 1/4 kilo

chop both vegetables into the tiniest pieces.

Coconut - grated (1/4 to 1/2 cup)
Green chillies - 2
Small onions- 3 to 5 (peeled)
Jeera/ cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
lightly grind the coconut and the rest of the ingredients. 2 to 3 pulses in a dry grinder should be sufficient.

Turmeric - 1/ 4 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Add the above ingredients, the ground coconut, to the chopped vegetables and mix well.

In a kadai, add
oil - 2 tbsp

temper with
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Raw rice - 1 tsp
Dry red chillies - 2 (broken)
Curry leaves - 3 stalks, leaves separated.

Put the chopped vegetables, close the lid and steam for about 5 to 10 minutes. Mix well and take off the stove.

Inji curry (Pickled ginger) - my shortcut!

Vishu has come and gone, but I cannot get over the nostalgia that day invoked...especially since I did not have much time to prepare one of my favourite things ...Inji curry.

There are many people who call this Puli Inji. Puli is tamarind and Inji is ginger. This is one dish that gets mentioned even in the `Aithihyamala' as being equivalent to 108 dishes.

Anyway, I had bought some ginger with the intention of making a Vishu Sadya, but I am finally getting round to it today. So I guess this can be mentioned as my Tuesday Toot too!!!!



Inji/ ginger - 250 gms (finely chopped)
Green chillies - 6-7 (chopped)
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 3-4 stems
Red chilli powder - 1 and 1/2 tsp
turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Hing/Asafoetida powder - a dash
Tamarind pulp - extracted from 3 lemon-sized balls
Jaggery - according to preference
Salt - to taste


Soak the finely chopped ginger in water and drain well...In a deep-bottom pan add 1 tbsp oil, when hot, add the mustard seeds. when they splutter, add the curry leaves and the ginger . Keep stirring to fry the ginger evenly till golden brown.... now add the chopped green chillies..make a paste of the red chilli powder and the turmeric powder and fry till the oil comes on top..now add the tamarind pulp and boil..add the salt, jaggery and asafoetida and take off the stove. When cool, store in an air-tight jar and keep in the fridge to last a few weeks....not that mine will last even 1 week...

I cut the pieces a bit bigger b'coz I love to bite the ginger.

Mutton Curry - Our Family Recipe

I guess every family has a recipe that is a favourite with all their friends. When we invite our friend home, they always want to know if mutton is on the menu!!!!

So to keep up the tradition, my brother and I have also learned to make it the same way..usually, whenever I get a recipe, I would put my twist on things, but this is one recipe that I do exactly the same everytime...

So here goes...

Mutton - 1 kg (cut, cleaned)
Marinate the mutton in 1/2 a cup of curd and salt to taste. Keep for 1 hour or more

Bay leaves - 2 nos (whole)
Onions - 3 large (slice)
Green chillies - 5 (slit)
Garlic - 1 full pod (slice)
Ginger - 1 and 1/2 inch (slice matchstick size)
Curry leaves - 1 handfull and more
Coriander leaves (chopped for garnish)
Tomatoes - 3 medium (sliced)

Dry roast on a low flame and grind coarsely,
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp (perum jeerakam)
Pepper corns - 1 tsp
Cinnamom - 1 inch pieces - 2 nos
Cardamom - 4 nos
Cloves -4 nos
Jathipathri (mace) - 1 small piece
Star Anise - 1/2

Mix together and add water to make a paste of
Coriander powder 2 tbsp
Red chilli powder 1and 1/2 tsp
turmeric powder 1/2 tsp



Heat 1 tbsp of cooking oil in a deep bottom pan, add the sliced onions and half of the curry leaves. Then add the bay leaves (optional). Once the onions are golden, add the sliced chillies, garlic and ginger, saute until the raw smell goes and by this time, the onions should start to brown.

Add the paste made out of the powders and saute on a medium flame till the oil starts to surface. Add tomatoes to this till they soften.

Now,add the marinated pieces of the mutton, hold the marinade. Once the meat is mixed well with the other ingredients, add the powdered garam masala, then the marinade. If you wish for more gravy, 1 cup of boiled water maybe added.I prefer not to add water. We sometimes add potatoes at this stage.

Wait till the gravy starts to boil, then lower the flame, cover well, and let it cook. When the meat is really tender, the oil floats on top. Check the salt at this stage and add more if needed.

Garnish with the rest of the curry leaves and coriander leaves. Put off the fire, leave the lid on half covered, and wait for 10 minutes..this is to let the flavour of the leaves steep.

Serve while still hot with parathas, Kuboos, chappatis, fried rice, etc etc..

Maambazha koottan (Ripe mango curry)

This is the a very easy curry to make in the traditional way and the results are delicious.....!!!
Cut
2 -3 ripe mangoes
4-5 green chillies
200 gm ash pumpkin (kumbalanga)

Grind less than half a coconut with 1/2 tsp of jeera.

Keep aside 1 cup of beaten curd.

season
kaduku- 1/2 tsp
uluva - 1 pinch
2-3 dried red chillies
curry leaves


Peel the mangoes, cut the flesh and put the mango seeds along with the pieces into a thick bottomed pan. Slice the chillies , cube the ash pumpkin. Add water till the pieces are immersed...add 1/2 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of red chilli powder and cook till the pieces are cooked.
Add the ground coconut and simmer for a few minutes...by this time, the liquid should have reduced to more than half the initial measure.

Lower the flame and add the beaten curd...add more salt to taste. Switch off the stove before the curd heats up. Now add the seasonings.

Absolutely great with Rice, Inji curry (or tender mango pickles)and Pappadoms...

You can substitute the mangoes with semi-ripe bananas ..only ethappazham..no other variety will do.

Aval Vilayichathu - my version

Remembering mattemma led to my trying my hand at one of her numerous masterpieces...since I have only tasted the food , and had no part whatsoever in the preparation, I had to make it without a recipe and with whatever was at hand..

1 tbsp ghee
1 tsp black sesame seeds
1/4 tsp powdered cardamom
2 cups aval (beaten rice)
250 gms Jaggery
1/4 coconut grated

heat ghee, add the sesame seeds, add a spoon of water and dissolve the jaggery completely. add the powdered cardamom and stir.Slightly sprinkle water over aval till it loses the rigidness. Do not soak Aval too much. Add the Aval into the jaggery and stir till evenly coated....before taking off the fire, add the grated coconut...

Extra jaggery maybe added according to your sweet tooth....

Garnish with Slices of bananas and enjoy.