Drum Stick Stir Fry / Muringakka upperi

Drumstick is a commonly used vegetable in South Indian cooking. It is inevitable in Kerala& Tamil  Nadu Sambar recipe. Here is a quick drum stick recipe which goes well with rice.

Ingredients:

1. Drumsticks 4 cut small to finger length
2. Shallots 10 -12
3. Crushed chillies 1 tsp
4. Curry leaves few
5. Oil
6. Salt

Method:

1. Cook drumsticks in pressure cooker.
2. Saute shallots in oil.
3. Add crushed chillies and curry leaves.
4. Add cooked drumsticks and saute well till no more water remains.

Thakkali Curry / Easy Tomato Curry

The Tomato curry is the easiest of easy curries in Kerala Cuisine. This is a great tasting dish that comes first comes to our mind when we are in a hurry. Also, it is a regular at our home when we are short of vegetables.
All you need are some fresh tomatoes, onion, curry leaves and green chillies. Adding few coriander leaves will get you a herby flavour. But this is truly optional

Ingredients:

1. Tomato 3 medium sized
2. Onion   1 medium sized sliced
3. Green Chillies 4
4. Curry leaves 1 strand
5. Salt
6. Oil

Method:

1. Cut tomatoes into pieces each.
2, Heat oil in a pan and add sliced onions. Saute well.
3, When the onions are transparent, add green chilies, curry leaves and salt.
4. After 2 mins, add tomatoes, saute well.
5. When tomatoes start mashing down, cook them covered in low flame for 4 - 5 mins.
6. Saute it well and get the tomatoes mashed down completely.
7. You can add little water, if you prefer it in loose consistency.
8. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Paneer Pepper Masala

This was the first time I ever tried a paneer dish. It was great ! I wanted to make a simple dish when I came across this recipe original recipe @ cooking and me . It really goes well with rotis or rice.

Ingredients:

Paneer cubes 250 gm/ 1 cup
3 onions, sliced thin
1.5 tsp of ginger-garlic paste 
2 green chillies, slit lengthwise 
1 1/4 tsp of whole black pepper, crushed 
1/2 tsp of garam masala 
1/4 tsp of fennel (perum jeerakam) powder 
1/4 tsp of turmeric powder 
1 tsp of soya sauce 
2 tsp of tomato ketchup or sauce (I dint use both the sauces as they werent available, but still the Masala was tasty)
A few curry leaves 
1 tbsp of oil 
Salt to taste 
Coriander leaves for garnish, chopped 

How to Make Paneer Pepper Masala:

1. Soak frozen paneer cubes in lukewarm water for 30 minutes. Cut into smaller cubes / halves.

2. In a pan, heat the oil and add sliced onions. Fry till golden brown. Add green chilli and sauté for a minute.

3. Add the ginger-garlic paste. Let it cook till the raw smell leaves the paste (about 2-3 mins).

4. Add turmeric powder, garam masala, fennel powder, and crushed pepper. Saute for 1-2 mins.

5. Add soya sauce and tomato ketchup. Mix well.

6. Add 1/4 cup water and salt and mix well. 

7. Add paneer cubes and mix well till the masala coats the paneer. Bring to boil. 

8. Add curry leaves, cover the pan and cook on low flame for about 5 minutes. You should cook till the masala turns darker ( a deep dark brown/black) and dry with the masala coating the paneer pieces 

9. Add some finely chopped coriander leaves and mix well.

Serve hot with rice or rotis. 

Tadka Dal

This is a very simple dal curry that goes well with chappatys and parathas. I came across the recipe @ vegrecipesofindia while I was searching for some curries for Aaloo paratha. This is super easy, tasty and very healthy and it will be a definite hit with kids.

Ingredients:


Dal 1 cup
Onion 1 chopped
Tomato 1 chopped
Green chillies 1 or 2 chopped
Ginger 1 small piece chopped
Coriander leaves 1 tbso chopped
Astofeida a pinch
Turmeric Powder 1 tsp
Garam Masala Powder a pinch
Water 2 cups
Salt as required

Tadka tempering

2 tbsp Ghee
1tsp cumin
2 redchillies cut small
Garlic cloves 5 - 6

Method

Cook dal along with onion, tomato , green chillies, ginger, astofeida and the powders except garam masala, adding 2 cups of water.
Do atleast 5 6 whistles
Smash the dal using a wooden spatula.
Now add garam masala powder, kasuri methi and chopped coriander leaves.
Cook for 2 mins covered with a lid

Tempering the tadka

Heat 2 tbsp Ghee and fry the cumins. Add red chillies followed by garlic. Fry till the garlic cloves are brown in colour.
Now pour this over the dal

Garnish with coriander leaves.

Carrot Ularthu / Carrot Stir Fry

Ingredients:

1. Carrot 6 No
2. Onion 1
3. Crushed red chillies - 2 dsp
4. Curry leaves - 1 strand
5. Oil
6. Salt


Method:

Cut the carrot into small cubes.
Cook them in pressure cooker (1 whistle), adding enough salt
Cut onions into small pieces
Fry the onions in a pan till golden brown.
Add the crushed red chillies and curry leaves.
After 1 min, add cooked carrot.
Cook until all water is evaporated.
Enjoy with rice or chapathy,

Mixed Vegetable Dosa

.Ingredients:

1. Dosa Batter 1 cup
2. Mixed vegetables 1/2 cup - I used carrot, cabbage, shallots, coriander leaves (Tomato, capsicum are good options)
3. Ghee/Oil

Method:

Chop the vegetables coarsely. Now grind them well to form a smooth mixture. Add to dosa batter and mix well. Add enough salt. Heat tawa, spread oil and spread the dosa mixture and sim for a minute. Flip and let it cook for a minute. Enjoy with chutneys or tomato sauce.

Original Recipe

Vegetable Stew / Vegetable Ishtu

 Vegetable Stew is a great combo for traditional palappam. It goes well with vellappam, idiyappam, etc. It is made in Coconut Milk with the vegetables, mainly carrot, beans, green peas and potato. You can add other vegetables according to your taste

INGREDIENTS:

Carrot 1/2 cubed

Potato 1/2 cubed

Green peas 1/2 cup

Onion 1/2

Beans 5 chopped

Ginger 1 small piece

Green chillies 2 to 3

Garam masala a pinch

Pepper powder 1 tbsp

Coconut Milk 3/4 cup

Salt

METHOD

Heat oil in a pan , add chopped onion , ginger and green chillies.

Saute and keep aside

Cook the vegetables and add to the pan.

Now add pepper powder and garam masala.

Add coconut milk, and stir for a minute.

Serve hot.

Cheera Thoran / Spinach Thoran

Ingredients:

1. Cheera - 1/2 Kg
2. Coconut scraped -  1 cup
3. Green Chillies - 4 Big
4. Cumin seeds / Jeerakam - 1/2 tsp
5. Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
6. Garlic - 3 cloves
7. Curry leaves - 1/2 spring
8. Mustard seeds / Kaduku - few
9. Dry Red Chillies - 4
10. Salt
11. Oil

Method:
Coarsely grind coconut, green chilies, cumin, turmeric powder, garlic, curry leaves, adding required salt
Wash spinach and chop to very fine pieces
 Heat oil in a pan and crackle mustard seeds, add red chillies. Saute and add the ground coconut mixture when raw smell goes add spinach and mix well.
Cook covered.
Serve hot with Rice.

Pavakka/Kaipakka Varuthathu (Bitter Guard Fry)

Ingredients:

Bitter guard - 1 Big
Chilly powder - 1 -2 tsp
Turmeric powder 1 tsp
Salt as required
Curd (optional) 2 tbsp
Coconut Oil

Method:

Cut Bitter guard into thin pieces. You can cut them as rings or you can cut it into 4 pieces lengthwise and cut into thin pieces.
Mix all powders together with salt and curd and marinate the bitter guard pieces well.
Dry them well in sunlight.
Fry them well until they are crispy brown.
Serve hot with rice or eat them as a snack.

Jackfruit Stir Fry/ Chakka mezhukkupuratty

Ingredients:

Jackfruit 1/2 a medium sized(cleaned & cut into smaller pieces)
Shallots 1.5 cup
Curry leaves 1.5 spring
Oil
Salt
Turmeric powder 3/4 tsp
Mustard seeds few(optional)
Crushed red chillies 2 tsp

Method:

Cook the jackfruit pieces in pressure cooker with salt & turmeric powder,until well cooked.
You can add sliced green chillies optionally while cooking. But take care to adjust the spiciness.
In a pan, season mustard seeds.
Saute shallots until they are browned.
Throw in curry leaves.
Add crushed red chillies, saute until raw smell is gone.
Now add the cooked jackkfruit pieces and stir well.
Serve hot with rice. 

Cabbage thoran

 Ingredients

1. Cabbage 1/2kg
2. Coconut 3/4 cup
3. Shallots 5-6
4. Green Chillies 4-5
5. Red Chillies 4
6. Mustard Seeds 1dsp
7. Cumin seeds a pinch
8. Curry leaves 1spring
9. Oil
10. Salt

Method 

Grate cabbage using grater or chop it very finely .
Mash shallots, green chillies, curry leaves in an ammi kallu coarsely.
Mix them well with grated cabbage and salt.
In a pan add oil, and splutter mustard seeds. 
Cut red chillies into 2 and add it to the pan.
Add the cabbage mixture to this , mix and cool covered for 5 mins on medium flame.
Check for salt and add if required.
After 5mins add coconut and saute well.
Cook covered for 10 mins on low flame or until cabbage is cooked well.
Server hot with rice.

Nadan Kerala Parippu Curry

Ingredients:
Peas parippu - 1-1.5 cup
Coconut - 1/3 cup
Jeera - 2
Green chillies - 2
Shallots -4-5
Curry leaves- 1strand
Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
Dry red chillies -2
Turmeric powder 1/2 dsp
Salt - as required


Method:
Cook dal along with turmeric powder, green chillies and required salt.
Grind coconut, shallots, Jeera and little salt to a fine paste.
Add it to the cooked dal in another pan.
Stir well to mix them well in a low flame.
When mixed well, season with mustard seeds, red chillies & curry leaves

Kerala Sambar

Ingredients:
Thuvara parippu(Toor Dal) 1/2 cup
Mixed vegetables cut into small pieces
(I’ve added 1 potato,1 carrot,1 drumstick,,1 small brinjal,4 okra,1 tomato ,Ash gourd,snake gourd ,and a few pumpkin pieces)
Green chillies slit -2
Tamarind - 1 gooseberry sized
Astofeida(kayam) - I use the solid astofeida. (Cut a small piece and fry for some time in coconut oil. Grind it and add it as last step. Optionally you can use small pinch of powdered version. But the former gives more taste)
Sambar powder - 3tbsp
Coconut Oil
Coriander leaves
Mustard Seeds 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves 1 spring
Red Chillies 3
Onion finely chopped 1/2 small


Method
Cook the dal in pressure cooker .
Soak tamarind in warm water for some time and squeeze out the extract and keep aside.
Cook all vegetables together except okra and tomato .
In a pan saute the above 2 using a little oil as they need very less cooking time.
When vegetables are cooked, add them into the cooked dal, also add okra and tomatoes.
Add salt and tamarind
Now add sambar powder and check for salt and taste.
Add some coriander leaves.
Let it boil until your desired consistency. Add astofeida at this point. This will melt away into the sambar.
Switch off after 2 minutes.

For Seasoning
Saute finely chopped onion and keep aside
Season mustard and fenugreek seeds, curry leaves and red chillies
Add sauted onion and seasoning slowly over the sambar. Garnish with some coriander leaves.
Serve hot with rice/dosas