Bok Choy Bhaji

Bok Choy Bhaji

• Bok Choy....................2
• Red Pepper................ 1
• Scallion.......................2
• Chili Flakes.................1tsp
• Olive Oil......................2tsp
• Salt to Taste

Bok Choy Curry

Method

• Wash the bok choy, scallion and red pepper nicely and slice them. 
• Heat pan with oil add bok choy, scallion and red pepper, salt and chili flakes. 
• Fry them till they become tender. 
• Add the leaves and cover the pan. Cook 2 minutes more. 
• Serve with rice chapathi. It is very tasty and good for health..

Kozhakattai (Ganesh Chaturthi), Ellu Kozhakattai and Ulundu Kozhakattai

Ganesh Chaturthi

We prepare Kozhakattai, Appam and Vadai on this day for Naivedyam. Kozhakattai is a sweet prepared with coconut, jaggery and rice dumpling prepared on special occasions and for Lord Ganesh on Chaturthi festival.

Ganesh Puja

Kozakattai

• Grated Coconut...........1cup
• Powdered Jaggery.......1/2 cup
• Cardamom Powder.....1 pinch
• Rice Powder.................2cups
• Salt .............................1/4 tsp
• Coconut Oil...................2tsp

Method

• Grate the coconut.Heat a pan with coconut and jaggery. 
• Stir it till the jaggery incorporated with coconut. 
• When you can able to make small balls remove from flame. 
• Make small balls and keep.
• Boil one and half cup water with a pinch of salt and 1tsp oil. 
• Add the rice powder slowly with out lumps and make thick soft dough. 
• Knead the dough well. Apply oil in your hands take a little dough and shape it like a cup and keep the sweet coconut balls in the centre and cover all the sides with the fingers. 
• Steam all the kozhakattais. When they are cooked cool them and remove them to a bowl

.  
Ellu  Kozhakattai(sesame/Till seeds Kozhakattai)

• Ellu or Sesame seeds....... 1cup
• Powdered Jaggery...........1cup
• Oil................................ 1tsp
• Rice Powder..................1 cup
• Salt ..............................1/4 tsp

Method

• Dry roast the ellu/sesame seeds till they puffs up. 
• Powder the jaggery and sesame seeds with a pinch of salt.
• Boil the water with 1tsp oil add the rice flour and make a thick dough. 
• Take a little rice dough, apply oil and shape like a cup and keep 
• 1tsp ellu podi in the middle and seal all the sides. Steam them.

Ulundu Kozhakattai

Ingredients

• Urad Dhal…………….. 1 cup
• Green Chilies………….3
• Grated Coconut………. half cup
• Ginger………………. 1 piece
• Curry Leaves…………. few
• Mustard Seeds……… 1tsp
• Rice Flour………… ..1 cup
• Water………………..1/2 cup
• Oil ………………… 1 tsp
• Salt ………………….1 tsp
• Asafoetida……………half tsp

Ulundhu Kozhakattai

Method

• Soak the dhal for an hour and grind coarsely with chili and salt.
• Steam this mixture for 10 minutes.
• Heat a pan with oil add mustard seeds curry leaves,chopped ginger asafoetida and when mustard crackle add the steamed mixture and stir well.. 
• Add coconut and make small balls and keep. 
• Boil the water in a pan and add oil, salt and rice flour,maida. 
• Stir well with out forming lumps. 
• When it becomes thick dough,cover and keep.
• Knead the dough with little oil till it becomes smooth. 
• Make cups and place this dhal pournam and cover them. 
• Steam all the kozhakattais for ten minutes.

Red Beans, Pepper Salad

Red Beans Pepper Salad

Ingredients

• Cooked Red Beans.......... 1cup
• Yellow Pepper...................1
• Red Pepper.......................1
• Onion................................1
• Black Olive........................1/4 cup
• Scallion..............................1
• Salt and Pepper..................to Taste
• Olive Oil...........................1tsp
• Lemon Juice.....................1tbsp

Method

• Chop the onion, red pepper, yellow pepper onion and scallion. 
• Mix all including red beans, olives, salt and pepper.
•  Mix all nicely add olive oil and lemon juice.

Green Apple, Pumpkin Soup

Green Apple, Pumpkin Soup

Green Apple , Pumpkin Soup












Ingredients

• Chopped Green Apple.................1cup
• Chopped Onion............................1/2 cup
• Chopped Pumpkin.........................1 cup
• Chopped Celery.............................1/2 cup
• Olive Oil........................................2tsp
• Vegetable Stock.............................3cups
• Coriander Leaves...........................few
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Method

• Combine every thing in a pan with oil . Saute them for 5 minutes. 
• Add vegetable stock salt and pepper. 
• Cook till the apple and pumpkin become soft. 
• Puree them. Remove to a serving bowl sprinkle chopped coriander.

Making Vegetable stock

• Vegetable stock is a good substitute for chicken stock.
• To make 2 cups of vegetable stock use 2 onions, 2 ribs of celery, 1 carrot, small piece ginger (optional) 3 garlic pearls, 1/2 tsp pepper powder. chop all the vegetable add 4 cups of water.Let it boil .
• Cook them in low flame for 1 hour.Strain the water and keep it in fridge. 
• Whenever you need you can use it.

Avial

Avial

Avial

Ingredients

• Cut Beans.................1 packet
• Carrot.......................2
• Green Pepper...........1
• Potato.......................2
• Raw Banana.............1
• Tamarind Juice.........1tsp
• Coconut Oil..............2tsp
• Turmeric Powder.......1/2tsp
• Curry Leaves.............few
• Salt to taste

To grind

• Grated Coconut........1 cup
• Green Chili...............6
• CurryLleaves.............few
  Method

• Wash and cut the vegetable 1" long. 
• Heat a pan with 2cups of water and add vegetables, tamarind paste, turmeric powder and boil it.
• Grind the coconut, chili and curry leaves coarsely with little water.
• When the vegetables are cooked. add the coconut paste, salt and curry leaves.
• If there is excess water , remove it. It should thick. 
• Add the coconut oil and mix it. Eat with rice chapathi or poori. (Instead of tamarind paste you can also use yogurt).
• Onam festival Avial curry must be there in the sadya ( feast).

Peerkankai Thogayal

Peerkan kai Thogayal(ridge gourd chutney) 

• Peerkankai……………………….2
• Urad Dhal………………………  2tsp
• Red Chilli…………………………6
• Asafoetida………………………  1/2 tsp
• Tamarind…………………………1tsp
• Mustard Seeds……………………1tsp
• Oil……………………………….3tsp
• Salt to Taste

Method

• Peel the skin of the peerkankai and cut into pieces.
• Heat pan and fry the red chili, urad dhal asafoetida. 
• When the dhal becomes red remove and keep aside.
• Fry the the peerkankai pieces little.  
• Grind the dhal chilli tamarind with little water. 
• Add the fried peerkankai ,salti and asafoetida and grind into coarse paste.
• Heat a pan with little oil add mustard seeds. 
• When it splutters add to the thogayal. 
• It is very tasty and goes with rice, chapathi, idli and dosa. 
• I love to eat with rice and fried vadaam/applam….

Sambar

Sambar

Sambar

Ingredients

• Tur Dhal......................2cups
• Okra (Vendakai).........5
• Pumpkin.....................100gms
• Green Pepper.............1
• Drumstick..................1
• Tamarind....................lemon size
• Mustard Seeds......,,,,,1tsp
• Salt to Taste

To fry

• Red chili............6
• Coriander seeds....3 tsp
• Chana Dhal..........3 tsp
• Asafoetida............small piece
• Coconut...............2tsp
• Turmeric Powder...1/2 tsp
• Curry Leaves........few
• Coriander Leaves....few

Method

• Cook the dhal in pressure cooker.
• Fry the chili, coriander seeds, chana dhal and Asafoetida with little oil and grind with coconut. 
• Extract tamarind juice. Wash and cut the vegetables into pieces. 
• Boil them in water and turmeric powder. 
• When the vegetables are cooked add the tamarind water , curry leaves and salt. 
• Let it boil for some time. Add the dhal and ground paste. 
• Stir nicely. When it is boiled remove to a bowl. 
• Heat a pan with oil add mustard seeds and when it splutters add to the sambar. 
• Sprinkle the chopped coriander.
• You can use powder asafoetida but the other solid LG perungayam smell very good.
• Instead of grinding the masala you can use sambar powder. .

Pazha Nurukku/Nendra Pazham Nurukku (Ripe plantain Dessert)

Pazha nurukkuu/Nedra Pazham Nurukku (Ripe Plantain dessert)

Pazham puzhugiyathu in Malayalam I make this in USA, because you can get the ripe plantain plenty here but the taste is different here. I just keep in the pazhams in microwave after chopping both sides. It is very healthy breakfast and very filling too.The sweet dessert is very tasty and we prepare on Onam day.

Ingredients

• Nendran pazham(Ripe Plantain)…….2
• Powdered Jaggery…………………1cup
• Ghee……………………………….1tsp

Method

• Cut the banana into 2” pieces with the skin .
• Heat a pan with little water add the jaggery powder and banana pieces.
• Keep the flame in low. Cover the pan. 
• Stir from time to time. The jaggery becomes thick and banana pieces are cooked and incorporated with jaggery well.
• Remove and serve. Remove the skin and eat it
• In Kerala we prepare this recipe very often and especially children love this pazham nurukku.
• This is one of the dish for Onam Sadya.

Athirasam (Sweet Athirasam)

Athirasam

 
Ingredients

• Raw rice………………….2 cups
• Jaggery...............................2 cup
• Cardamom Powder………1/2 tsp
• Dry Ginger Powder……….1 pinch

Method

• Soak the rice for two hours. Remove the water and spread in a towel.
• When it dries grind in a blender
• Sieve it to get fine powder. 
• The powder should be slightly wet.
• Heat a pan with little water add the jaggery and make a syrup.
• Filter this syrup to remove the stone.
• Boil again till it forms one thread consistency Kambi padam(Put a drop jaggery in cold water then it should be like soft gel). 
• Add this syrup, cardamom powder to the rice flour to a soft dough.
• Heat a pan with oil to fry. 
• Apply oil in plantain leaf of plastic, take small amount dough and spread like small discs. 
• Deep fry them and keep them in paper towel.

Cucumber Raitha

Cucumber Raitha

 
This raitha is very soothing dish.

Ingredients

• Cucumber..............1
• Yogurt....................1cup
• Mustard Seeds.......1/2 tsp
• Red Chili.................1
• Curry Leaves.............few
• Salt to taste

Method

• Peel the skin of the cucumber and grate it. 
• Add yogurt and salt.Heat a pan with oil,mustard seeds, chili and curry leaves.
• When the mustard splutters add to the raitha.
• This dish goes with vegetable pulav.
• Make dhuthi raitha with grated dhuthi. 
• You can make okra raitha , karela  raitha, spinach raitha the same way.
• But fry chopped spinach/chopped okra/ chopped bitter gourd and add to the yogurt.