Kootukari

Koottukari is a combination of different kinds of vegetables ,coconut and bengal gramDal. Onam Sadya is incomplete without a koottukari. Now a days for weddings also this is an item for lunch in Kerala.

Ingredients

White pumpkin,Carrots,Chocho(chayote),long squash – diced- 1/4 cup each
Bengal gram dal(kadal paruppu) – 1 cup
Coconut grated – 1 cup
Turmeric pdr – ½ tsp
Salt to taste
Cumin seed – 1 tsp
Red chillies – 2

Seasoning

Mustard seeds -1 tsp
Curry leaves – 6
Coconut oil – 2 tsp

Method

1. Pressure cook the Dal and vegetables(3-4 whistles) adding turmeric pdr seperately.
2. Fry ½ cup grated coconut to golden brown in a pan with out adding oil.
3. Grind the other ½ of coconut with cumin and red chillies into a fine paste adding little water.
4. Mix the ground paste to the vegetables and dal and cook it.Season it with mustard seeds, red chillies and curry leaves. Sprinkle the fried coconut in the end and cook it in low flame for 3 mnts.

Avacado Paratha

Avacado is Fruit.It ripens only after plucking and keeping it outside along with other fruits. The first time I bought it I did not know that it will be raw inside. So I cut and saw that it was not ripe. I peeled the skin and tried grating it. It occured to me why not make paratha like mooli paratha and turned out to be a hit among friends.



Ingredients

Avacado – 1(green big)
Wheat Flour- 2 cups
Sambar pdr – 1 tsp
Salt-1/2 tsp
Oil/Ghee for frying

Method

To Cut the Avacado: Grip the avocado gently on one side with one hand. With a large, sharp knife in the other hand, cut the avocado lengthwise around the seed. Open the two halves to expose the pit. Holding the avocado half that contains the pit, gently tap the pit with the knife with enough force so that the knife edge wedges into the pit, but not so hard as to cut all the way through it. For safety, you can fold up a kitchen towel and use that to hold the avocado half. Peel the skin with a peeler.If it is ripe you can scoop it up with a spoon.

Grate the avocado if it is raw. Mash it if it is ripe.




In a pan add 2 tsp oil/ghee add sambar pdr and add the avocado. Saute it for a minute.Mix it with wheat flour adding salt and enough water to make a thick dough.
Keep it closed for 1 hr.Make small balls . Spread it with a rolling pin in triangular shape or round.
Put it in a hot tawa.Spread oil/ghee on both the sides and cook each side.

Serve it with kadi or any vegetarian dish.

Ulundu Vadai

Ingredients

Urad dal - 1 cup
Grrenchilli - 2
curry leaves- 3-4
coarse pepper powder- 1tsp
soda - a pinch(optional)
salt to taste
oil for frying

Method

1. Soak 1 cup urud dal in sufficient amt of water for 1 hour
2. Grind into a thick and fine adding very little water .
3. Add a pinch of soda, 2-3 chopped green chillies, 1 tsp coarsely powdered black pepper, a bunch of curry leaves and mix well.
4. Add salt just before preparing the vadai so that it does not become watery.
5. On a plastic paper apply oil place a ball of this and flatten it by hand. Put a hole in the center. Wet your hands lightly each time you do this
6. Deep fry this in oil and turn over until the vada turns golden brown.