Mor Kuzhambu

Morkuzhambu also known as Morkoottan is a south indian gravy dish made of  sour yogurt and coconut. The spices added to it vary from place to place.  Usually vegetables like pumpkin(white/yellow), raw banana(vazhakkai), yam(chenai) or okra(vendakkai) are used in this dish. When using okra cut them into 1inch rounds and shallow fry them to take away the mushiness. Also use it seperately without mixing with any other vegetable. This dish can be also related to punjabi kadi which uses sour yogurt. Pulissery is another version but usually made during the mango season. Also in kerala kalan is a thick version of morukootan with slight changes in ingredients. 


Ingredients

White pumpkin  - 1/4 cup (peeled and cut into cubes)
Green raw banana(vazhakkai) - 1 (peeled and cut to cubes)
sour curd - 2 cups(Keep the curd in room temperature for 12hrs for it to turn sour)
sour cream - 2 tsp(optional; gives richness to the gravy)
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
green chili -2-3 nos
cumin seeds - 2 tsp
turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
salt to taste

Seasoning
mustard seeds - 1 tsp
methi seeds - 1 tsp
red chili - 2 nos
curry leaves
oil - 1 tsp

Method
Cook the white pumpkin and raw banana in 1 1/2 cup water adding salt and turmeric pdr.
Grind the coconut, green chili and cumin seeds into a fine paste adding sour cream.
Add the paste to the cooked vegetables(do not drain the water) . Lightly beat the sour curd and mix well to the cooked vegetables and ground paste. Cook the mixture in low flame so that it doesn't curdle. Taste it for salt. Add if necessary since the vegetables have been cooked in salt water. When bubbles start appearing on top give it a stir. Do this couple of times and off the flame. Keep it closed. Just before serving season the mor kuttan. For seasoning add oil in a pan. Add mustard seed and when it pops add methi seeds, redchili and curry leaves.
It is served with rice and mezhukkuvaratti or poduthuval.

Eggplant-Bell Pepper Curry

This eggplant curry is simple and easy. Potato is a good contrast for eggplant. Here I have tried bell peppers. This curry goes well with white rice and cucumber raita. 

Ingredients
Eggplant(small) - 4-5nos
Bell peppers -  2 (Your choice)
Shallots - 1
Tomato - 1
Tamarind - small ball(soak it in water and keep it aside)
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Red gram dal - 2 tsp
Coriander seeds - 1tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves for grinding and garnish
Red Chillies - 4 nos
mustard seeds - 1tsp
oil for seasoning(2 tbsp)
Salt to taste

Method
Wash the vegetables well. Cut the egg plant into long thick pieces and soak in water for 20 mts.
Cut the bell peppers also into pieces.
Heat the pan and add 1 tsp oil. Add red gram dal, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, 2 red chillies, curry leaves and shallots and fry them till golden brown. Then add the grated coconut and tomatoes and fry another 5mts. Grind it into a nice paste.
Drain the soaked eggplant.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in the pan. Add mustard seeds and remaining red chillies. When it pops add the cut vegetables and shallow fry them till they are half cooked. Add turmeric powder, salt and tamarind water and cook in medium flame.
When it comes to a boil add the ground paste and cook till the oil oozes out on the sides of the pan.
Garnish with curry leaves.

Snake Gourd Molakoottal with Thayir Pachadi

Snakegourd also known as Padavalanga is a common vegetable seen in Kerala. It is a long fruit and a climber so the name snake gourd. We usually diccard the inner seeds and other flesh and use the outer ski for curries. Last weekend I made Molakoottal and Thayir Pachadi which is a very good combination. This molakoottal is a little different since we fry the masala before grinding. Also the moongdal is lightly fried before cooking.



Molakoottal

Ingredients

Snake gourd – 1
Moongdal -1/2 cup
Coconut (grated) – ½ cup
Urad dal – 1 tsp
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Redchilli -2
Turmeric pdr –a pinch
Salt to taste
Oil -1 tsp

Seasoning

Oil – 1tsp
Mustard seeds -1 tsp
Curry leaves – 4-5 nos

Method

Cut the snake gourd to small pieces. Cook it adding salt and tuemeric pdr.
Fry the moongdal for 2 mnts.Pressure cook the moong dal adding little turmeric pdr.
In a pan add 1 tsp oil. When it is hot add the urad dal, cumin seeds and red chilli. When the urad dal starts to turn light brown turn the heat off.
Grind the above with coconut.
Mix the ground coconut to the dal and vegetables. Let it cook till bubbles starts to come.
Season it with mustard and curry leaves

Thayir Pachadi

Ingredients

cucumber - 1/2 cup finely diced
Tomato – ½ cup finely diced
Yogurt – 1 cup
Sour cream – 1 tbsp
Green chillies -2
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Coconut(grated) – ¼ cup
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves

Season

Oil -1 tsp, Mustard seeds – ½ tsp , Asafetida – pinch

Method

Grind coconut, green chillis and mustard seeds in to a fine paste adding sourcream and very little water. Gently beat the yogurt. Add the cucumbers, tomatos and ground mixture to the lightly beaten yogurt. Add salt to taste. Add ½ tsp oil in a pan.When the mustard seeds pop add a pinch of asafoetida and Season the pachadi. Garnish it with coriander leaves.

Ulli Theeyal

Theeyal is a kerala dish eaten with choru(red boiled rice). This can be made with different kind of vegetables like baby onions, bittergourd,normal onions,carrots, choocho(chayote). The main ingredient is fried coconut.

Ingredients

Pearl(baby) onions - 1 Cup
tamarind – 1 lemon sized
Grated coconut – 1 cup
Coriander seeds – 2 tsp
Cumin seed -1 tsp
Pepper corns – 1 tsp
Red chilli – 2
Turmeric pdr – ½ tsp
Asafoetida - 1 pinch
coconut Oil – 3 tbsp

Seasoning

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
redchiilie -1
Curry leaves
Salt

Method:

1. Make juice from the tamarind.
2. Peel the onions and fry it in 2 tbsp oil till it becomes light brown add the tamarind juice,turmeric pdr and asafetida and cook it.
3. Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a pan and fry coconut till it is golden brown. The aroma of the coconut is very important in making theeyal.See that it does not burn at all.
4. Addred chillies, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, black peppercorn.
5. When it cools grind into paste adding little water.
6. Heat 2 tbsp. oil and add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and remaining red chillies. When the seeds start spluttering, add ground paste and cook for a few seconds. Add this to the onions and tamarind. Add salt to taste. Simmer for 5-7 minutes.

Serve hot with rice.

Mysore Rasam

Rasam is a south Indian soup. It has spices which has medicinal values. Hot rasam is eaten with rice or can be drunk as it is especially when a person is suffering from cold symptoms. It sooths the throat. There are varieties of rasam with the base being tomato and tamarind. Mysore Rasam is different from all others since it has coconut in it. Rasam is made in different ways in each household. Potato roast/Carrot/Beans Poduthuval with Chutta Aplaam is the usual combination.

Mysore Rasam

Ingredients

Tamarind – a small ball size
Tomato – 1
Toordal – ¼ cup
Bengal gram dal – 1 tsp
Coriander seeds – 1 tsp
Coconut gratings – 3 tsp
Turmeric pdr – ½ tsp
Pepper pdr – 1 tsp
Rasam pdr – 1 tsp
Asafoetida – a pinch
Salt to taste

Seasoning

Ghee – 1tsp
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Curry lraves and coriander leaves

Method

Make juice from the tamarind.
Pressure cook the toor dal .
Add 1 tsp oil and fry coriander seeds,bengalgramdal and coconut till light brown. Grind it along with ½ tomato.
Boil the tamarind juice adding turmeric pdr,rasam pdr,pepper pdr, asafetida and salt. Cut the other ½ tomato and add to the tamarind juice. Keep it lightly closed .
Add the daal and ground mixture to the boiled tamarind. Add some water and boil it .When you see layer of froth off the heat.
Season the rasam and garnish it with coriander and curry leaves.

Tomato Vetralkuzhambu

Vetral kuzhambu other wise Vethakuzhambu has dried marthangalikka and Chundakka in it. It can also be made with small onions,drumstiksbrinjal etc. This is usually considered to be a bachelor's recipe. This can be made thick and stored in air tight container in the freezer. Whenever necessary take it out and heat it. It stays for a month. I remember,
when we were small my grandmother would make us all sit in a round at 2pm in the afternoon ,give us thayir sadam in our hand with a small drizzle of vethakuzhambu on top of it. It used to be heaven after playing in the scorching sun of april/may.

Ingredients

Tomato – 2 (ripe)
Tamarind – small ball
Sambar pdr – 2 tsp
Rice flour – 1 tsp
asafoetida - a pinch

Seasoning

Oil – 2 tsp
Mustard seed – 1tsp
Channa dal – 1tsp
Urad dal – 1 tsp
Chundakka(dried) – 1 tsp/Marthangalikka (dried)- 1 tsp
Red Chillies – 1
Curry leaves – 5

Method

1. Make tamarind juice in 1 glass water. Grind the tomatoes adding tamarind juice.
2. In a pan add 2 tsp oil. Add all the seasoning items when it starts to splutter add sambar pdr and asafoetida.
3. Then add ground tomato. Boil it till the raw smell of tomatoes are gone.
4. Add 1 tsp rice flour in 1/2 glass water and pour to the mixture.
5. Boil it for another 3 mnts. Add 1 tsp of oil.

Eat it with hot rice.

Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu

This is usually seen in Tamilnadu cuisine. I got the recepie from Meenakshiammal's book Samaithupar. I made some small changes like instead of grinding soaked raw rice and Bengal gram dal for the gravy I put 1tsp of rice flour and besan. There was not much of a difference in taste.


To make Urundai

Red gram dal - 1 cup
Red chilli – 2
Asafoetida – a pinch
Green chilli – 1
Riceflour – 1tsp
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Oil- 2 tsp
Salt to taste

Method

1. Soak the dal in water for 1 hr. Drain it.
2. Grind the dal adding red chilli, asafeotida and salt into a firm paste.
3. Heat 2 tsp of oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. When it splutters add cut green chillies. Add the paste to it and stir continuously. It will become very thick. As it is getting thick add 1 tsp of rice flour. Off the heat and cool it. Make it into small round balls.

To make Gravy

Sour butter milk -2 cups
Green chillies – 2
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Besan -1 tsp
Rice flour 1- tsp
Grated coconut – 1/ cup
Turmeric pdr – ½ tsp
Curry leaves - 6
Salt to taste.

Seasoning

Musturd seed -1 tsp
Coriander seeds – 1tsp
Red chilli - 1
Coconut oil – 2 tsp
Coriander leaves

Method

1. Grind the coconut,green chillis,cumin seeds,besan,rice flour adding butter milk.
2. In 2 tsp oil splutter mustard seed,coriander seeds and curry leaves. Add the ground mixture,turmeric pdr and salt to taste. Boil it . If necessary add water so that it is liquid.
3. When it is boiling add the prepared urundai to it and cook it for 7-10 mnts in medium flame. Give a light stir in between.
4. Garnish it with coriander leaves.

"Arachuvitta "Sambar

Ingredients

Toor dal – 1 cup
White pumpkin(diced)- ½ cup
Carrots(diced) – ½ cup
Okra(cut a small long pices)-2
Onion(finely cut)-1 cup
Sambar pdr – 1 tsp
Turmeric pdr – 1/4tsp
Asafeotida – 2 pinches
Tamarind- 1 small ball
Bengal gram dal – 1 tsp
Coriander seeds – 2 tsp
Methi seeds – ½ tsp
Red chilli – 1
Grated couconut – 1 cup
Curry leaves- 3

Seasoning

Mustard seed – 1tsp
Curry leves -4 Coriander leaves
Coconut oil – 2 tsp

Method

1. Wash the toordal and pressure cook it adding little turmeric pdr.
2. Make tamarind juice. Add the vegetables,turmeric pdr,asafeotida,salt. Cook it in medium flame keeping it half closed.
3. Add 1 tsp oil add the cut onins and sambar pdr and fry it. Add this to the boiling vegetable and tamarind juice.
4. Add 1 tsp of oil . Put channa dal, coriander seeds,methi seeds , 3 curry leaves and redchilli. Fry it till golden brown. Grind it into a paste adding coconut and make a fine paste.
5. When the vegetables are cooked add the ground mixture and cooked dal to it.
6. Add salt to taste and boil it again.When bubbles starts to come season with mustard seeds and curry leaves. Garnish it with coriander leaves.

Eat sambar with hot rice.

Molakoottal

Molakoottal is usually prepared in kerala iyer houses. It is called Poricha kozhambu in Tamilnadu. Molakoottal can be made with different vegetables like white pumpkin, long squash, chayote, cauliflower, carrots, spinach, zucchini etc. The masala mixture is the same for all of them(coconut, cumin seeds and red chili). Here I will upload different varieties.

Ingredients

Vegetable - 1 cup (Vegetables used are white pumpkin, long squash, chayote, cauliflower, carrots, spinach, zucchini. You can use one or more vegetables in the gravy.)

Moongdal-1/2 cup

Coconut(grated)-1/4 cup

Turmeric pdr-1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds-2tsp

Redchilli-2

Salt to taste

Seasoning

Curry leaves-4-5

Musturd seeds-1 tsp

geera - 1/2 tsp(optional)

red chili - 1

Oil-1tsp

Method

1. Cut the vegetables into cubes.Wash it well under water. Add some salt and water.Pressure cook moongdal adding turmeric powder. Boil water in a pan and cook the vegetables adding salt.
2. Grind cumin seeds, red chillies and grated coconut adding little water.
3. Mix the masala mixture and daal to the cooked vegetables. Add little water to make it into gravy consistency and salt if necessary.
4. Heat oil. Add mustard seeds and red chili flake. When it splutters add the curry leaves. Season the molakoottal.
5. Eat it with hot rice.

Note: If using cauliflower cut it into small flowerets.
If using spinach cook the leaves and pulse it with the masala mixture.

Rasam

Ingredients

Tamarind- lemon sized
Turmeric pdr-1/2 tsp
Asafoetida-2 pinches
Tomato-1 medium
Salt to taste
Rasam pdr(MTR is a good brand)-1 tsp
Red gram dal(thuvaram paruppu)-1 tbsp
Coriander leaves

Seasoning

Ghee-2tsp
Mustard seed-1 tsp
Cumin seeds-1 tsp
Curry leaves-3-4

Method

1. Make juice from the tamarind. Grind half tomato adding the tamarind juice in a mixie. Pour it in a vessel.Cut the remaining tomato and put it in the mixture.Add turmeric pdr,asafoetida,rasam pdr and salt . Boil it half covering the vessel with a lid. Put a laddle so that it it is not fully covered.
2. Cook the dal in the cooker adding turmeric pdr.
3. When the mixture boils well(10-12mts) add some water and the cooked dal. And keep it in medium flame.Add salt if necessary. When the mixture starts to boil off the heat.
4. Season in ghee with mustard seeds,cumin seeds and curry leaves.Spinkle coriander leaves in the end.

This is very tasty with hot rice.

Avial

Avial is a Kerala Cuisine. It is a mixture of different vegetables. It is made in the liquid form which can be mixed in hot rice and eaten.Also it is made thick to go as a side dish.

Ingredients

White pumpkin(pooshnikka/elavan)-1 small piece
Drumsticks - 1 no.
Beans - 4 no.
Plantain (raw banana) - 1 no.
Potato - 1 no.
Yam - small piece
Carrots -1 or 2 no.
Curd - 1 cup (prefered sour)
Sour cream-1/2 cup
Curry Leaves - little bit
Coconut Oil - 2 tsp
Coconut grated - 1 cup (fresh)
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Green Chillies - 3 or 4 nos.
Salt as per taste

Method

Thick Avial

1. Cook all the vegetables adding salt and turmeric pdr. Donot over cook it. Pour the cooked vegetables in a strainer so that the remaining water also goes.
2. Grind Coconut,Greenchillies and Cumin sedds adding 1tbsp of curd and 1 tbsp of sour cream.It need not be grinded very fine.
3. In a hot pan add 2tsp of coconut oil,curry leaves,vegetables and ground mixture and cook it for 3-4 mnt in medium low flame.Take it out and add 1tsp of coconut oil.

This side dish goes well with Sambar Rice or Rasam.

Liquid Avial

1. Cut all the vegetables mentioned above in long piecesand cook it in the cooker with little bit of salt,water and turmeric powder. Don't over cook it, one whistle is enough. Keep the drained water from the vegetables.
   
2. Grind the grated coconut with jeera & green chillies in the mixie finely.Beat the curd and sour cream and keep it aside
3. Mix the cooked vegetables and the ground mixture of coconut. Add the drained vegetable water as necessary.While it is getting boiled add few curry leaves and boil for 3 or 5 min.
   
4. Add the beaten curd and mix it together .Once the curd is added cook it in medium low flame until it starts boiling.This take 3-4 mnts.
5. Once it is taken out drizzle 1 tsp coconut oil and mix well. And keep it closed.

You can have avial with hot rice.