sugar baby (chakkarakutty) mampazham sambhar, vazhakkai and chakkakuru thoran

Hello,

How are you friends? I know of late I am not regular - its holiday time. I want to spend quality time with my kids. So don't find much time to blog! Today I will share with you a simple but very delicious sambar. Its a delicacy during summer vacation as this tiny mangoes are available only for a few months during summer. 

Sugar baby (chakkarakutty) mambazha sambar

Ingredients

Sugar baby - 10 (slit  into four pieces)
jaggery - 1 tbsp
turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
salt as required

For the masala

Tuvar dal - 2 tbsp
channa dal - 1 tbsp
coriander seeds - 1 tsp
red chilly - 3
badigye chilly - 3 
curry leaves - a few
hing - a small piece
coconut - 1/4 cup
Tamarind pulp - 2 tbsp(cook and extract pulp)

Tuvar dal - 1/4 cup (wash, soak and cook in pressure cooker till soft) (optional)
ghee - 1 tsp
mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
fenugreek seed - 1/2 tsp
curry leaves a few

Method of Preparation

Dry roast the masala add coconut and roast till golden brown. Grind to a coarse paste by adding little water. 

Wash and soak tuvar dal in water. Pressure cook for two whistles. 

Wash and remove the stalk from the mango. slit  it into four pieces, do not remove from the seed. We are going to cook the whole mango with the seed. Add little hot water in kalchatti and cook the mango till soft, add turmeric, jaggery and salt. Add tamarind pulp. Add coconut paste and cooked tuvar dal, add one or two glasses of water allow the sambar to boil, In a small pan pour oil add mustard, fenugreek seed, allow mustard to splutter, add one red chilly hing and curry leaves. Pour it in the prepared sambar. 



Raw banana and jack fruit seed curry/
Vazhakkai and chakkakuru curry

Ingredients

Raw banana - 1
jack fruit seed - 10 (smash and peel off)
sunflower oil - 1 tbsp
mustard seed - 1 tsp
urad dal - 1/2 tsp
red chilly - 1 (broken)
curry leaves - a few

Method of Preparation

Wash and peel raw banana, cut into small cubes, smash jackfruit seed and remove outer skin. Use a steamer to pressure cook jack fruit seed and raw banana, add turmeric powder and salt. Remove from the cooker. In a heated pour oil add mustard and urad dal, allow mustard to splutter, add red chilly and curry leaves. Gently add cooked jack fruit seed and raw banana. Mix well. serve with sambar. 

Jack fruit adai/chakka adai with jaggery

One more delicious dish with jack fruit.

Jack fruit adai/chakka adai with jaggery

Ingredients

Raw rice - 2 cups
jaggery - 1.2 cup
elachi - 4 crushed
salt - as required
ripe jack fruit - 20 florets (chop into small pieces)
grated coconut - 1/2 cup

Method of Preparation

Wash and soak rice for 4 hours. Drain water and grind rice, add jaggery and coconut. Add sufficient water. Keep for fermenting for about 3 hours. Refrigerate. Next day morning just before making adai add chopped jack fruits.  Add elachi, salt and mix well. Heat dosa tawa spread thick adai. Pour 1 tsp gingelly oil. Cook well, turn and cook the otherside of adai. Serve chakka adai with honey, jack fruits jam. I prefer to eat adai without any side dish as its extremely tasty!

Cabbage and Aloo Gravy

Hello,

Let me share a simple but very tasty cabbage curry. 

Cabbage/Aloo curry for Roti

Ingredients

Cabbage - 1/2
aloo - 2
onion - 1
green chilly - 2
ginger - a small piece
peas - 1 cup
tomato - 1
coriander powder - 1 tsp
jeera powder - 1 tsp
garam masala - 1 tsp
oil/ghee - 2 tsp
jeera - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
salt as required

coriander leaves - 1/2 tsp
curry leaves - a few

Method of Preparation

Wash and peel aloo, cut into small pieces. Chop green chilly, onion, tomato ginger and cabbage into fine pieces. In a heated pan pour oil add jeera allow it to splutter. Add onion, green chilly, ginger and potato. Saute for a while. Add cabbage and peas mix well, add salt and turmeric powder, tomato. mix well add coriander powder, jeera powder, and garam masala mix well, add a cup of water. Allow the curry to cook well. Keep for two whistle. Open the lid and add curry leaves and chopped coriander leaves. Serve as a side dish with roti.

Vendhaya Kanji and Ragi kanji

Hello,

Rainy season. In Kerala the tradition is to make kanji with many herbs in it. Which is popularly known as Karkataka kanji. To protect you from the different kinds of weather related diseases. Like cold, cough, flu, etc.. Let me share with you one of such tasty kanji which is very nutritious and taste really good.  Its very popular in Tamil Nadu. I like to make ragi kanji as its very healthy and easy to digest. 

I will share with you recipe for vendhaya kanji and ragi kanji. I will post the photographs the day I make it at home. 

Vendhaya Kanji

Ingredients

Par boiled rice - 1/2 cup
green gram - 1/4 cup
vendhayam/methi - 2 tbsp
coconut milk - 1 cup
jaggery - 2 tbsp


Method of Preparation

Wash and soak boiled rice in water till you make preparation for rest of the ingredients.

In low flame dry roast green gram and vendhayam till it releases delicious aroma. 

Grate and extract milk from one coconut. 

Crush and keep jaggery ready. (Use a little hot water and melt jaggery)

Elachi crush it and keep it handy. (You can use the outer skin of elachi for tea)

In Pressure cooker cook par boiled rice, green gram and vendhayam together for 3 whistles. Use a hand blender to slightly smash the kanji. Now add melted jaggery, coconut milk and cardamom powder. Serve as lunch or dinner. I am sure your family especially elders will love the mild taste of vendhayam and coconut milk. 

Happy mothers Day to all the wonderful mothers.


Ragi Kanji

Ingredients

Ragi - 1/2 cup
jaggery - 2 tbsp
cardamom - 2
Boiled Milk - 1 glass

Method of Preparation

Wash and soak ragi overnight. Next day morning grind ragi and jaggery to a fine smooth paste adding just enough water. In a thick bottom pan add two glass of water and add ragi paste. Mix very well, allow the kanji to cook and boil in low flame, keep stirring so that the kanji do not stick to the bottom of the pan.Add boiled milk.  Keep one glass of boiled water next to the stove, if necessary add more water to the kanji. Serve room temperature. Its the best breakfast for your growing children. 

Variation : Grind ragi by adding salt and cook with two glasses of water. Off the stove allow the kanji to reach room temperature.  Now add butter milk and a dash of hing powder, one crushed green chill.y Taste great on a hot summer afternoon.

Neeru Dosa

Hello,

Yet another coastal Karnataka(udupi) dish.  Its called neeru dosa. Its somewhat a karnataka version of our verum arsi addai. Except for the batter is very thin and the dosa is simply delicious. The side dish for this delicious dosa is grated coconut and jaggery. 

Neer Dosa

Ingredients

Raw sona masuri rice - 1 cup
avalakki/aval - 1/4 cup
coconut - 1/2 cup
salt as required
gingelly oil for making dosa

Method of Preparation

. The advantage of this simple dosa is it does not require fermantation. You can grind it in the morning and make it for breakfast. 

Wash and soak rice and avalakki together for 3 to 4 hours/overnight.  Drain excess water grind the dosa batter by adding grated coconut to a fine smooth paste by Adding water.  Make sure the batter is thinner than normal dosa batter.  Keep aside for 3 to 4 hours before making dosa. Heat dosa tawa and pour dosa batter from top. do not make dosa like normal dosa. Neeru dosa batter should be poured from top of the cast iron tawa in circular movement. I use two ladleful of batter as the batter is so thin.You will notice a lot of holes are formed in neeru dosa. Cook the dosa well turn the other way pour a little oil and remove dosa from tawa. Keep aside.

Sweet coconut with jaggery

Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
powder jaggery - 2 tbsp
crushed cardamom - 1/4 tsp

Method of Preparation 

Use your hand to mix grated coconut, jaggery and cardamom together, allow jaggery to melt and mix well with coconut.  Leave the dish to release its juice for about 15 - 20 minutes. Serve with prepared neeru dosa. Traditionally neeru dosa is served with sweet coconut/coconut chutney. 

Bonda soup

Hello,

I am a big fan of bonda soup. Its a very lite dish on a rainy day. The mild lentil soup and soft bonda make the dish a complete delicacy especially on a rainy day.  Let me share with you the recipe.  Its a dish available in many restaurants in Karnataka. Its a coastal Karnataka - Udupi speciality. I have dedicated this dish to many of my fb friends who are  interested in learning Karnataka cuisine. 

Bonda Soup

Ingredients

Urad dal - 1 cup
green chilly - 2
ginger - 1 small piece
curry leaves - a few
Sunflower oil - for frying

For the soup

Tuvar dal/moong dal - 1/2 cup
turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
ginger - a small piece
jeera powder - 1/2 tsp
coriander powder - 1/4 tsp
coriander leaves - 1/4 tsp
lemon juice - 1 tsp


Method of Preparation

* Wash and soak urad dal for 2 hours. Drain water add green chillies, ginger, curry leaves and urad dal in a mixer. Grind to a fine smooth paste, if necessary add a little water. In a kadai heat sunflower oil, use a small spoon or use your hand to make small bondas,  deep fry crispy golden brown. Use a fork to make small holes in the bondas, it will help bonda absorb soup better. 

 (A word of caution here, if any of the bondas burst just use a lid to close the kadai and make sure you are safe) 

* Wash and pressure cook tuvar dal/moong dal adding 4 to 5 cups of water. Add turmeric, jeera powder, coriander powder, ginger julienne and cook for 2 whistles. Off the stove use a hand blender to finely blend the dal with other spices. Add lemon juice and garnish with coriander leaves.

To Serve bonda soup

* In a deep bowl place four bondas and pour hot soup on top of it. Serve hot. It can be served as a tiffin on a cold rainy day. 

arbi/chambu/colacasia curry and punjabi khadi - North Indian - South Indian fusion

Hello,

I tried north and south fusion cooking today. What about Punjabi khadi and our nadan chembu curry with plain rice? Ever tried its yummy and each ingredient is carefully selected to give the yummy tangy taste to khadi and chembu/colacasia is roasted in besan with whole spices. 

Chembu/arbi/colacasia curry

Ingredients

arbi/chembu - 1/2 kg
sunflower oil - 2 tbsp
besan - 1 tbsp
raw rice powder - 1 tsp
turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
red chilly powder - 1 tsp
salt as required

For tadka
mustard - 1/2 tsp
urad dal - 1/2 tsp
channa dal - 1/2 tsp
red chilly - 2
jeera - 1/4 tsp
curry leaves - a few

Method of Preparation

Wash and pressure cook arbi.chembu for 2 whistles. remove skin and make cubes out of cooked chembu. Add turmeric, red chilly, salt and leave the chambu for marinating for about 10 minutes. In a heated pan pour oil add mustard,urad dal,channa dal and red chilly allow mustard to splutter now add jeera and allow it to release its aroma. Now add marinated chembu/arbi and cook for a minutes. coat each cubes with the tadka by mixing it gently. Now add raw rice powder and besan powder, mix well allow the chambu to get roasted in low flame till golden brown. Adjust salt.  Garnish with curry leaves. 

chembu mooru kuttan recipe is available in my blog. please refer for the recipe.

Khadi without pakodi

Ingredients
Sour curd - 2 cups
besan - 2 tbsp
amchur powder - 1/2 tsp
salt as required
red chilly powder - 1 tsp
turmeric powder - 1 tsp

For the tadka

ghee - 2 tsp
mustard seed - 1/2 tsp
coriander seeds - 1/2 tsp
methi seeds - 1/2 tsp
saunf - 1/2 tsp
red chilly whole - 2 broken
green chilly - 1 slit into two
ginger - a small piece chopped into tiny pieces
curry leaves - a few

Method of Preparation

In a large pan blend sour curd, amchur powder, red chilly powder, turmeric powder, red chilly powder and salt.  In a heated pan pour the smoothly blended sour curd with other ingredients. Let it cook in slow flame for about 10 minutes till the khadi becomes thick. You can see the lovely yellow colour of turmeric once the khadi  thickened. In a heated pan pour ghee add, mustard, coriander seeds, methi seeds, saunf and red chilly. Allow mustard to splutter now add green chilly and ginger. Garnish with curry leaves. Serve hot with freshly cooked rice, arbi curry, roasted pepper pappad and choice of your pickle. What more to ask for on a rainy summer afternoon.

I have not added fried pakodi for this recipe.  If you wish you can make it with basen , grated ginger, green chili, ajwain leaves  and curry leaves. Add a little salt to the thick batter make soft and crispy pakodi, deep fry in oil.  Add pakodi to prepared khadi and serve hot. 

Black tea/Kattan Chaya with spices

Hello,

Summer holidays I was travelling last week to Sri Lanka. Its a beautiful country with warm and lovely people. I thoroughly enjoyed the delicious Sri Lankan cuisine. There are lots of similarities between south Indian cooking and Sri Lankan cuisine. Like a lot of spices and coconut milk and coconut is lavishly used in Sri Lankan cuisine. I had an opportunity to visit tea garden and 
of course tasted the yummy Sri Lankan tea. 
Its similar to sulaimani/kattan chaya we drink in Kerala. 

Sulaimani is made with simple ingredients available at home. Except for instead of sugar to sweeten the tea you can use dates syrup. But I prefer to make black tea with sugar, I think dates syrup do change the flavour of tea altogether. Its my personal observation. 

I have visited tea factory the process of making tea is very interesting. The pictures speak for all. 

The journey of tea leaf to your delicious tea cup!

Black tea/sulaimani/kattan chaya

Water - 2 cups
tea powder - 1/2 to 1 tea spoon/2 tea bags
cardamom - 1
clove - 1
dry ginger powder - a pinch
sugar - as required
lemon juice - 3 drops

Note : Dates syrup - 1 tsp if you like the taste of dates syrup use it instead of sugar

Method of Preparation

Boil water in a tea sauce pan add tea powder, cardamom,clove and dry ginger powder.Add sugar/dates syrup. slow cook in low flame for 2 minutes. Close the sauce pan for a while, strain the tea in cups. Cut a small lemon and squeeze the lemon directly into your tea, 1 , 2, 3 drops of lime juice. See the colour of your tea turns into golden brown!   Enjoy you cup of mild flavoured yummy tea for breakfast, evening anytime you like!