Mulakitta Meen Curry---Easy Kerala Fish Curry

Ingredients
Salmon: 1 lb/ around 8 pieces
Coconut Oil : 2 tbsp
Fenugreek Seeds : a pinch
Mustard Seeds: 1 tsp
Ginger crushed:1 tbsp
Garlic crushed: 1 tbsp
Shallots : 8 nos thinly sliced
Green Chillies : 2 nos
Curry Leaves : 2 sprig
Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp
Red Chilly Powder : 1 tbsp +1 tsp
Coriander Powder: 1 tbsp
Kukum Star/kudampuli : 3 pieces soaked in warm water for 15 minutes
Salt to taste


Method:
1. Clean fish with turmeric and salt and wash them well. Keep Aside.
2. In a bowl mix all the powders: red chilly powder, turmeric and coriander powder in a tsp of water and mix thoroughly and keep aside.
3. In a pan pour in the oil and splutter the mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds.
4. Add crushed ginger and garlic. Saute them till the raw smell goes.
5. Add shallots, curry leaves and green chillies.
6. Once the shallots turns transparent, add the powder mixed in water.
7. Keep stirring until raw taste goes. (take care not to burn them)
8. Now add the kudampuli along with the soaked water.
9. Add water now into the pan enough to keep all the fish pieces just immersed and stir well.
10. Let the gravy boil.
11. Add enough salt and stir well.
12. Add the fish pieces and cook until done.
13. Do not flip or stir occasionally. It will break the fish pieces.
14. Finally sprinkle a tsp of coconut oil and a few curry leaves.
15. Keep closed until served, all the flavors gets locked inside.

Tips:
1. If u add the powders directly it will get burned as we are using very less onion/shallots in the mix and moisture is very less inside the pan, so always better mixing them with small amount of water and adding into the hot pan.

2. Always wash the kukum star/kudampuli well under running water before soaking else it will give a bitter taste to the gravy.

3. Do not add too much water to make gravy.

4. Add salt only after the gravy gets boiled.

5. Best used after 2 hours or the next day. You can keep them overnight and serve with all the flavors locked.

6. The sourness increase in time, so when you feel the sourness is enough you can get rid of one or two kukkum pieces and keep the rest.

7. Do not stir once fish pieces are added just twisting the whole pan would be enough. If required flip the fish pieces just once upside down.

8 Best served with kerala rice or kappa puzhuk.

Pacha Maanga Chammanthi/Raw-Green Mango Chutney

Ingredients:
1. Green Mango slices with skin on- 1/2 cup
2. Fresh grated coconut- 1/2 cup
3. Thinly chopped Green chillies- 2-3 according to the hotness
4. Sliced shallots- 6
5. Salt to taste

Preparation Method:
1. Grind all the ingredients in a blender/mixie for 4-5 minutes to a smooth paste.
2. Serve as a side dish with other curries with rice.

Okra/Bhindi Strir Fry/Vendakka Mezhukkuperatti

Ingredients:
1. Okra/Vendakka- 10-12
2. Oil- 2 tsp
3. Mustard seeds, to splutter
4. Chilly Powder- 1 tsp
5. Salt, to taste

Preparation Method:
1. In a pan, heat oil, splutter mustard seeds and add chilly powder.
2. Add Okra and enough salt. Do not add any trace of water into it. If the okra is wet while cutting after washing them, dry them out with a paper towel and then cut them into equal round.
3. Close and cook for 2-3 minutes and then fry them opening the pan.
4. Stir in regular intervals.
5. Fry into semi-crisp soft okras and serve as a side dish with steamed/boiled rice.

Vendakka kondattum/Batter-Fried Okra

Ingredients:
1. Okra/Bhindi/Vendakka-4-5
2. Rice Powder- 2 tbsp
3. Salt, to taste
4. Chilly Powder- 3/4 tsp
5. Heeng/Asafetida- 1/4 tsp
6. Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Preparation Method:
1. In a bowl mix together all the powders.

2. Cut the okra into small egual rounds. Add the okra and give a mix.
3. Sprinkle some water, may be 2-3 tsps and mix well to coat the okra with the powders.

4. Just a partial or full coating on the okra is enough, that should not be made to a watery batter like we fry the bajjis.Keep aside for 5 minutes.

5. Deep fry them in piping hot oil to crisp-golden fried okras. Served as a side dish with rice the same way we serve pappadams or frioms.

Beans/Green Beans/String Beans Thoran

Nutritional Facts:
Green beans, sometimes known as string beans, offer less protein and more fiber.
Green beans are an ideal vegetable for adding to Asian dishes such as stir fries and green curries. Cooking reduces the amount of vitamin C in green beans but does not affect vitamin A content. The best way to cook green beans is to steam them very quickly so that they retain their vitamin C.
Green beans are an excellent source of manganese, vitamin K and vitamin C. They are very good source of dietary fiber, potassium, iron, folate, and vitamin A. They are a good source of calcium, protein, magnesium, riboflavin, thiamin, niacin, and copper.
Green beans and other green vegetables are a very good source of vitamin K, which plays an important role in bone health and the prevention of osteoporosis. A study in women showed reduced bone loss of the femoral neck after vitamin K supplementation.The pods of the green bean are a medium strength diuretic,flushing of toxins from the body.(Info from 'Healin Food Encyclopedia').

Ingredients:
1. Beans, finely chopped- 1 cup
2. Coconut shred- 1/4 cup
3. Turmeris powcer- 1/4 tsp
4. Green chillies- 2 slit to two.
5. Mustard seeds, to splutter
7. Coconut oil- 2 tsp
9. Salt, to taste


Preparation method:
1. In a wok, add 2 tsp coconut oil, splutter mustard seeds, add green-chillies.

2. Add the chopped beans,salt and 1/4 cup water, cover and cook.

5. In a bowl, mix together the shredded coconut with turmeric powder and add it into the beans once it starts becoming soft.Adjust salt after adding the coconut mixture.
6. Keep the lid and cook them without adding anymore water. Stir in intervals.
7. Serve warm with rice.

Cabbage Thoran

A simple dish at every keralite's kitchen.

A short note on what we eat: The Medicinal properties of cabbage: (from Google)

Cabbage is an excellent source of vitamin C. It has anti-inflammatory properties. Cabbage is a low calorie food. It can boost DNA repair in cells and appears to block the growth of cancer cells.Boiling reduces anti-cancer properties.Fresh cabbage juice has been shown to promote rapid healing of peptic ulcers.

Ingredients:
1. Cabbge- 2 cups, finely shredded
2. Coconut shred- 1/4 cup
3. Turmeris powcer- 1/4 tsp
4. Green chillies- 2 slit to two.
5. Urud dal- 1/2 tsp
6. Mustard seeds, to splutter
7. Shallots-3-4, sliced
8. Coconut oil- 2 tsp
9. Salt, to taste

Preparation method:
1. Finely slice the cabbage, for this you can even use the vegetable-shredder.

2. In a wok, add 2 tsp coconut oil, splutter mustard seeds, add green-chillies and urud dal,fry it to golden color.
3. Add shallots and fry sor a minute.
4. Add the cabbage and salt to taste, cover and cook.
5. In a bowl, mix together the shredded coconut with turmeric powder and add it into the cabbage once it starts becoming soft.Adjust salt after adding the coconut mixture.
6. Keep the lid and cook them without adding water. Stir in intervals.
6. Serve warm with rice.

Okra/Bhindi/Lady's Finger/Vendakka Pachadi/Bende Pochatti

Ingredients
1. Okra/Bhindi- 2-3
2. Yogurt/Curd- 1/2 cup
3. Coconut shred- 1 cup
4. Chilly powder- 1 tsp
5. Salt,to taste
6. Oil, to fry
7. Oil-2 tsp
8. Mustard seeds, to splutter
9. Jeera- 2 tsp
10. Curry leaves- 3-4, chopped

Preparation Method:
1. Cut the okra into small round pieces.

2. Toss them with some salt and keep aside.
3. Grind together Coconut shred, yogurt and chilly powder.
4. In a pan, heat the oil to fry and fry the okras into fine crisp. Drain from oil and keep aside.

5. In a wok, heat 2 tsps of oil, splutter mustard seeds and jeera.
6. Add cuury leaves and the ground mixture into it. Add the fried okras too.
7. Keep the lid and Simmer for 2 minutes, do not over heat to curdle the curd-coconut mixture.
8. Serve as ozhichu curry(gravy) with boiled rice.

Jeera must be a little more in this recipe, it adds to the taste and aroma of this recipe.
This can also be done using fried bitter-gourd/pavakka.
The taste adds when kept for sometime(1 hr) and then served.

Appam/Rice Crepes

A well-known breakfast item which is made in almost all keralite's kitchen.
This is my mother's recipe which she taught me. Usually I used to use the instant Avees(brand name) appam mix which includes a small rava packet which had to reduce in warm water and finally add the rice powder plus coconut milk, salt and sugar. Those appams were really good in my opinion only before trying my mom's own-recipe-appam. The new recipe makes really good crepes with crispy outer surface and a very soft core which melts in the mouth.

Ingredients
1. Rice flour- 2 cups
2. Rice flakes/Aval OR Steamed Rice/Boiled Rice- 1/4 cup
3. Salt,2 tsp
4. Sugar- 2 tbsp
5. Yeast- 1 tsp
6. Luke warm water- 3 cup
7. Coconut Milk- 1/2 cup

Preparation Method:
1. In luke warm water, add sugar and yeast, mix with a spoon and keep aside for a minute.
2. In a blender, add all the ingredients together and blend to a fine batter, a little looser than the dosa batter.

3. In an appam making griddle, pour a ladle ful batter twist and turn the appam griddle till the batter reaches the whole griddle.
4. Close and cook in low-medium flame.
5. Take off the appam from the pan, Serve hot with mutta roast,egg masala or the veggie or non-veggie stews.

Tips and Tricks:
1. Instead of using aval/rice flakes you can use cooked rice in same amount.
2. Instead of coconut milk you can use just milk or a mix of both.

3. Make sure you use luke warm water, it helps the multiplication of fermentation easy.
4. Do not use hot water, it kills the yeast which helps in fermentation.
5. If you are in a country like USA, in which the fermentation is slow due to the cold weather conditions, Preheat the oven to 200 Fahrenheit for 10 minutes and switch off the oven, Keep the batter in a oven-safe dish,close it with a lid and keep it for 2 hours.It will get fermented within two hours.

6. Make sure that there is some extra space. Because once the batter gets fermented it rises about half the size of the total batter. i.e More than the dosa batter, because of the yeast content in this.

Kaya Elissery/ Pachakka Erissery/Raw Banana with Coconut ground paste

Erissery/Elissery is a common dish in kerala served as a side dish with kerala-rice for lunch.
This is an authentic kerala dish which can be made using chena/Elephant foot yam or Kaya/Raw Banana or Mathanga/Pumpkin. I have already posted the chena elisery.

Kaya, cut into small equal cubes- 2 cups
Moong dal/ Cheru payar- 1/4 cup
Shredded Coconut - 1/2 cup
Cumin seeds/Jeerakam- 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilly powder - 3/4 tsp
Raw Mango-2-3 small pieces
Coconut oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds, to splutter
Dry red chillies- 1 split into 3
Curry leaves - A few

1. Cook moong dal in a cooker.
2. Cook the raw banana with some salt in a cooker.
3. Grind together grated coconut,turmeric powder and chilly powder.
4. Mix all the three together and raw mango. Allow to boil and the raw taste of the coconut paste goes.
5. In a pan, add oil, splutter mustard seeds and jeera.

6. Add some curry leaves, fry 3 tbsp of grated coconut and add this mixture into the curry.
7. Close the lid and keep, switching off the flame.
8. Mix well before serving, without mashing the dal or kaaya.

Variations can be made by using van payar/cow peas instead of moong dal.
Those who are concerned about cholesterol the final frying of shredded coconut can be avoided. Since coconut oil and coconut paste is included in the recipe. But this fried coconut adds a lot taste to this dish. Enjoy with Kerala matta rice.

Idichaka Mezhukkuperatti/Idichakka Upperi/Gidgi Ukkeri/Raw Jackfruit Stir Fry

Ingredients
1. Idichakka/Raw Jackfruit, cut into small pieces- 2 cup
2. Coconut Oil- 1 tbsp
3. Curry leaves, a few
4. Red dried chillies- 2 split into 3
5. Mustard to splutter
6. Salt,to taste

Preparation Method:
1. Remove the thick skin, cut the middle thick portion.
2. Apply some oil on the knife and cut the jackfruit into small pieces.
3. In a wok, add oil splutter mustard seeds, curry leaves and dry red chillies.
4. Add the cut jackfruit pieces.
5. Add salt to taste.
6. Cover and cook for 20 minutes till its fully cooked.
7. While done, keep the lid open for a minute, stir-fry and pour 1/2 tsp oil on top.
8. Serve hot with kerala boled rice, pappadam and moru curry.

Kappa Puzhungiyath/Cooked Tapioca/Yuca Root/Cassava Root/Maracheeni Puzhungiyath

Ingredients:
1. Yuca Root/Kappa- 1 kilo
2. Turmeric Powder- 1 tsp
3. Salt- 2 tbsp

Preparation Method:
1. Remove the thick skin of the tapioca. Clean under running water by transferring into another vessel 3-4 times to remove any dust or sand particles on it. Cut them into medium pieces.
2. In a big vessel of water more than enough to dip the tapioca pieces, cook them with the turmeric and salt.
3. Cook keeping the lid open for 40 minutes, otherwise its really poisonous. When the pieces are soft and fully cooked, switch off the flame. You can check it using a fork pressing into the pieces.
4. When done, strain the tapioca pieces into a sieve. Keep open for 15-20 minutes.
5. Serve walm with fish curry and fish fry.

Ulli-Mulak Chathachath

Ingredients
1. Ulli/Shallots/small-onions- 10
2. Chopped Green Chillies-2-3
3. Vegetable Oil- 1/4 tsp
4. Salt,to taste

Preparation Method:
1. In a bowl, Crush together the shallots and green chillies with a pinch of salt to make the crushing easier. Crushing can be done in a bowl with a heavy spatula or the other sid of the knife if the usual crushing stone is not available at your place.
2. Adjust salt and add the oil o top before serving. Best served with kappa puzhingiyath,Cooked Yuca Root.

Cheera-Parippu Thoran

Ingredients
1. Spinach/Pacha Cheera- 1 bunch
2. Thoor Dal/Thuvara Parippu- 3 tbsp
3. Shredded Coconut-1/4 cup
4. Slat to taste
5. Chilly Powder- 1 tsp
6. Turmeric Powder- 1/4 tsp
7. Mustard seeds, to splutter
8. Coconut oil- 1 tbsp

Preparation method:
1. Remove the roots, soak the spinach bunches in water for 15 minutes.
2. Wash and clean them well under running water.
3. Chop the spinach leaves along with the tender soft stems.

4. In 2 cups of water, cook the dal till three-forth is done. (Cook for 30-35 mnts).

5. In a wok,add oil, splutter mustard seeds when oil is hot.
6. Put the spinach into the wok, cover and cook, Do not add any trace of water into it. Water will come out from the leaves and it will be enough to cook the leaves.Add some salt to taste.
7. In a bowl, mix together the shredded coconut, chilly powder, turmeric powder and salt taste.

8. When the leaves are half done, add cooked dal and the coconut mixture.
9. Stir well, cover and cook till the spinach as well as dal is fully cooked.
10. Stir and adjust salt if needed. Serve with kerala rice, pulissery, achar and pappadam.

Chena/Elephant Foot Yam Elissery/Erissery

Elephant Yam/Chena, cut into small equal cubes- 2 cups
Moong dal/ Cheru payar- 1/4 cup
Shredded Coconut - 1/2 cup
Cumin seeds/Jeerakam- 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilly powder - 3/4 tsp
Coconut oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds, to splutter
Dry red chillies- 1 split into 3
Curry leaves - A few

1. Cook moong dal in a cooker.
2. Cook chena with some salt in a cooker.
3. Grind together grated coconut,turmeric powder and chilly powder.
4. Mix all the three together and allow to boil and the raw taste of the coconut paste goes.

5. In a pan, add oil, splutter mustard seeds and jeera.

6. Add some curry leaves, fry 3 tbsp of grated coconut and add this mixture into the chena curry.
7. Close the lid and keep, switching off the flame.
8. Mix well before serving, without mashing the dal or chena.

Variations can be made by using van payar/cow peas instead of moong dal.
Those who are concerned about cholesterol the final frying of shredded coconut can be avoided. Since coconut oil and coconut paste is included in the recipe. But this fried coconut adds a lot taste to this dish. Enjoy with Kerala matta rice and moru curry.

Kappa Puzhuk- Authentic dish from kerala using tapioca/ Yuca Root

Ingredients
1. Oil- 4 tsp
2. Tapioca- 1 kilo
3. Green chillies- 5-6
4. Shredded Coconut- 3 cups/1 coconut
5. Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
6. Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
7. Garlic pods- 5-6
8. Curry leaves- 2 strands
9. Salt,to taste
10. Shallots- 6-7

Preparation Method
1. Grind together green chillies, coconut, cumin seeds, garlic pods,turmeric powder,shallots,curry leaves and salt.
2. Cook tapioca in hot boiling water with salt and turmeric powder.
3. When cooked, sieve the water from the tapioca and keep aside for some time till all the water drizzles and get separated.
4. Donot cook tapioca closed or in a pressure cooker. The fumes coming from tapioca should escape.Otherwise its poisonous.
5. In a heavy bottom pan, add oil and transfer the cooked tapioca into it.
6. Add the ground mixture into it. Stir and mix well.
7. Add lots of curry leaves and some coconut oil on top.

Optional
1. Splutter some mustard seeds, dry red chillies and some curry leaves in a tsp of coconut oil and garnish.
2. Mix well while serving.
3. Serve hot with naadan chicken curry or fish curry.