Avial with curd

                                 This is similar to recipe here, the only difference is that I have used curd  instead of mango & have also added potato. We liked this avial compared to the one prepared with mango. There are so many ways to prepare, it differs with  locations trivandrum style, kotayam style etc. & some people(like me) prefer it a bit overcooked.


Ingredients:
A mix of Veggies of your choice(cut in small strips)  -   ½ - ¾ kg. 
(I used yam(chena), snake gourd(padavalam), long beans(achinga), Carrot, Drumstick, potato, Cucumber(vellarika))
Curd, lightly beaten -       ½ cup
Coconut Oil            -        1 tbsp.
Turmeric powder   -         ½ tsp.
Chilly powder        -         1 tsp.
Salt as required
Curry Leaves a few sprigs
Coconut Oil           -          ½ tbsp.

For Grinding:
Grated Coconut     -         of half a coconut
Cumin                   -         1 tsp.
Green Chilies       -           4 or 5 

Method:

1. Cut the yam(chena) in small and long strips, immerse it in water and set aside.
2. Cut the remaining veggies and place it in a separate  bowl of water.
3. Heat a tablespoon of oil in  a hard bottomed vessel and place the drumsticks, achinga, snake gourd, potato, carrot, Yam(chena) and finally vellarika one above the other respectively.(ref. Notes)
4. Add the turmeric, chilly powder and the required amount of salt on top of the vegetables, close the vessel with a lid and cook it on low flame.
5. Coarsely grind the coconut, cumin and the green chilies and set aside.
6. When the vegetables starts to boil combine all the vegetables together. Add the coarsely grounded coconut mixture and the curry leaves and combine well.
7. When all the vegetables has been cooked, add the beaten curd, combine well.
8. Finally drizzle the remaining coconut oil on the prepared avial and remove from flame & serve with rice.

 Notes:

• The reason as to why the veggies are arranged is because no water is added & also to prevent the yam from losing its color.
• The use of curd or mango is for the light sour taste. The dish will become watery if the amount of curd is increased.

Avial (Mived Vegetables With coconut)

Yum

                                This is a traditional dish of Kerala made with a variety of veggies. Before when I tried out this dish it was watery and my SIL used to make fun off me saying "ha you have made mango mappas again".The problem being, I used curd and the the gravy was watery. This time around I used raw mango instead of curd and I nailed the dish. This is how my mom makes it and it's a bit time consuming dish & a bit dry, unless of course you make use of  a pressure cooker. If you prefer using curd instead of mango click here

Ingredients:
A mix of Veggies of your choice(cut in small strips)  -   ½ to ¾ kg. 
(I used yam(chena), snake gourd(padavalam), long beans(achinga), Carrot, Drumstick, Cucumber(vellarika))
Raw Mango            -         a small piece(depends on the sourness)
Coconut Oil            -        1 tbsp.
Turmeric powder   -         ½ tsp.
Chilly powder        -         1 tsp.
Salt as required
Curry Leaves a few sprigs
Coconut Oil           -          ½ tbsp.

For Grinding:
Grated Coconut     -         of half a coconut
Cumin                   -         1 tsp.
Green Chilies       -           4

Method:

1. Cut the yam(chena) in small and long strips, immerse it in water and set aside.
2. Cut the remaining veggies and place it in a separate  bowl of water.
3. Peel and cut the raw mango and place it separately aside until needed.
4. Heat a tablespoon of oil in  a hard bottomed vessel and place the drumsticks, achinga, snake gourd, carrot, Yam(chena) and finally vellarika one above the other respectively.(ref. Notes)
5. Add the turmeric, chilly powder and the required amount of salt on top of the vegetables, close the vessel with a lid and cook it on low flame.
6. Coarsely grind the coconut, cumin and the green chilies and set aside.
7. When it starts to boil combine all the vegetables together.
8. Add the raw mango when the yam is about ¾ done, close and let it cook.
9. Check if all the veggies have been cooked well, if so make a hole in  the middle of the cooked vegetables. Take all the water from the center and pour it over the surrounding vegetables, continue doing this until there is no water left in the center.
10. Now add the coarsely grounded mixture and the curry leaves and combine well.
11. Finally drizzle the remaining coconut oil on the avial and remove from flame & serve with rice.

 Notes:

• The reason as to why the veggies are arranged is because no water is added & also to prevent the yam from losing its color.

Olan(Ash Gourd In Coconut Milk)

Yum

 
  
                   Olan is another one of the items in the Onam(a festival in Kerala) sadhya, which is made with coconut milk. I have used a combination of ash gourd and vanpayar (cow-peas), this can also be made using raw banana, pumpkin etc. This is a simple dish which requires less time, unless you are using fresh coconut.

Ingredients:
Ash Gourd, peeled & chopped in small cubes    -       500 g.
cow-peas(vanpayar)                                            -        ¼ cup (soaked overnight)
Green Chilies, slit                                               -       4  
Thick Coconut Milk                                           -       ½ cup
Curry Leaves                                                      -        a sprig
Coconut oil                                                         -       1 tsp.
salt as required

Method:

1. Cook the cow-peas until just cooked, drain &keep aside.
2. In a deep heavy vessel combine the ash gourd, green chilies and add water just enough to cover the vegetables and cook until the gourd is just soft.
3. Now add the cooked beans and the required amount of salt and let it boil for about 4 mins.
4. Combine the thick coconut milk and turn off flame and add the coconut oil and the curry leaves to the dish and serve.

Notes:

• Do not overcook the veggies.
• The olan will become slightly thick after some time(it's not a bad thing).

Puli Inji (Ginger in sweet & sour sauce)

Yum

                                       This is one of the side dishes of Onam (a Kerala festival),then again you do not need an occasion to make a dish.  I adapted this recipe from a magazine by Pazhayidom, a renowned chef from Kerala. I made this for the first time for Onam. One can have it only in minimal quantities. It can be made ahead and stored in an air tight jar in the refrigerator. The recipe below is the original one, I tripled the recipe because I had so much ginger in stock and did not want to let it go to waste.

Ingredients:

Tamarind                                -           50 g.

Turmeric Powder                   -           1 Tsp.

Red Chilly Powder                -            1 Tbsp.

Asafoetida                             -             20 g.

Jaggery                                  -             75 g.

Curry leaves                          -            few sprigs

Coconut Oil                           -            3 Tsp.

Mustard                                 -             1 Tsp.

Dry Red Chilly, broken         -             3

Ginger, minced                       -          75 g.

Green Chilly, minced             -           10 g.

Fenugreek Powder                 -            ½ Tsp.

Method:

1. Soak the tamarind in 2 ½ liters of boiled hot water in a hard bottomed vessel for about 20 mins, squeeze the pulp and filter the tamarind water and set aside.
2. Add 1 Liter of water, the turmeric powder, chilly powder, jaggery, few sprigs of curry leaves and asafoetida to the prepared tamarind juice and boil it on high flame.
3. The the mixture starts to boil add a teaspoon of coconut oil to it and let it boil until it reduces to half it's amount.
4. Meanwhile in another hard bottomed vessel heat  2 tsp. of oil ans splutter the mustard seeds. To this add the broken dried red chilly and curry leaves.
5. After a minute or two add the minced ginger and chopped green chilies and saute well. Cook the ginger until ¾ done.
6. When the ginger is ¾ done reduce the flame and saute until completely cooked and remove from flame.
7. Add salt and the fried ginger in the now reduced tamarind juice and combine well. The gravy will become at this stage. Combine fenugreek powder and remove from flame and serve with rice. Or when completely cooled store in refrigerator in a airtight jar.