My Mom used to make this simple yet yummy ‘Tomato Curry’ as a side dish for rice.  Since we all like it so much, I make it very often.  It can be served as a ‘charu’ or ‘kulambu’ with other dry items for a satisfying meal!

Ingredients

Tomatoes – 5 sliced

Onion – 1 sliced

Water – 3 cups

Salt – to taste

Grated coconut – 1 cup

Green chillies – 4

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp

Chilly powder – 1/4 tsp

Jeera/ Cumin seeds – 1/4 tsp

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Dry red chillies – 3 broken, seeds removed

Curry leaves – 2 sprigs

Oil – 1 tbsp

Method

Cook sliced tomatoes and onions along with salt and water, till they are soft and tender.  Grind grated coconut, green chillies, turmeric powder, chilly powder and cumin seeds to a fine paste, adding enough water.  Add this paste to the cooked tomatoes and onions.  Mix well and allow it to simmer for 3 minutes.  Heat oil in a small pan and splutter mustard seeds.  Add red chillies and curry leaves.  Pour this over the curry and mix well.  Serve tasty ‘Tomato Curry’ with steamed rice.  Enjoy!!!

I am sending ‘Tomato Curry’ to PJ for the event “Healing Foods – Tomato” which was started by Siri.

Ingredients

Ripe Kerala Banana – 4

All purpose flour/ Maida – 1 cup

Fine rice flour – 2 tbsp

Turmeric powder – a pinch

Water – as required

Baking soda – 1/8 tsp

Sugar – 1 tsp

Salt – 1/4 tsp

Oil – for frying

Method

Remove the skin of the bananas and cut them lengthwise and cut each piece into two.  Make a batter using maida, rice flour, turmeric powder, baking soda, sugar and salt by adding enough water.  The batter should not be too thin.  Add more maida if it is too thin and add more water if it is too thick.  Heat oil in a kadai and dip each banana piece in the batter and very carefully put them into the oil.  Reduce the heat to medium.  When once side is light golden brown in color, turn it and fry the other side too.  If the heat is too much the banana will not be cooked properly.  Drain and transfer to a kitchen tissue.  Now super tasty ‘Pazham Pori’ is ready to serve.  ‘Pazham Pori/ Ethakka Appam/ Banana Fry’ is a snack anyone would love to have!  Serve it along with hot tea and enjoy with your kids and family members!!!

Ingredients

Black Channa – 1/2 cup

Yam/ Chena – 1/2 kg peeled and diced

Raw Banana – 2 peeled and diced

Water – 1 1/2 cup

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp

Chilly powder – 1/2 tsp

Pepper powder – 1/2 tsp

Jaggery – 4 tsp (optional)

Salt – to taste

For Grinding

Grated coconut – 1 1/2 cups

Cumin seeds/ Jeera – 1/2 tsp

Peppercorns – 1/2 tsp

Green chillies – 2

For Seasoning

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Split Urad dal – 2 tsp

Dry red chillies – 4 broken, seeds removed

Curry leaves – 3 sprigs

Grated coconut – 4 tbsp

Coconut oil – 1 + 1 tbsp

Method

Soak the channa in water overnight.  Wash and pressure cook for 12 minutes on low flame after the first whistle.  Add yam and banana pieces to the cooked channa.  Add turmeric, chilly and pepper powders.  Mix well and pressure cook for 5 minutes on low flame after the first whistle.  Grind the above mentioned ingredients to a coarse mixture, adding a little water.  Add this to the cooked vegetables and channa.  Also add jaggery and salt to taste.  Mix well and just heat the curry once more.  Switch off the flame.  Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a small non-stick pan and splutter mustard seeds.  Add urad dal and then red chillies and curry leaves.  Fry for a few seconds and pour it over the curry.  Heat 1 tbsp more of oil and roast the grated coconut till it turns golden brown in color. Add this to the curry and mix well.  Delicious ‘Malabar Kootu Curry’ is ready to be served!

‘Kootu Curry’ is an important curry served for ‘Onasadhya’.  This is the Malabar version of ‘Kootu Curry’.  Adding jaggery makes the curry yummier, but is optional.  Cheers!!!

Ingredients

Ginger – 200 gm

Tamarind – a lemon size

Water – 1 1/2 cup

Jaggery – 5 tsp

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Fenugreek seeds/ Uluva – 1/8 tsp

Dry red chillies – 2 broken, seeds removed

Green chillies – 10 chopped

Curry leaves – 2 sprigs

Coriander powder – 2 tsp

Chilly powder – 2 tsp

Fenugreek powder/ Uluva podi – 1/8 tsp

Salt – to taste

Coconut oil – 6 tbsp

Method

Scrape the skin of ginger, wash and slice them.  Soak tamarind in water.  Heat oil in a non-stick pan and fry sliced ginger pieces till golden brown.  Drain and allow it to cool.  Grind the fried pieces to a coarse powder.  Heat the remaining oil in the pan and splutter mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds.  Add red chillies, green chillies and curry leaves.  Saute till the green chillies are well fried.  Add coriander, chilly and fenugreek powders.  Saute for a few seconds on low flame.  Drain and add the tamarind water.  Also add the ginger powder, jaggery and salt to taste.  Mix well and allow the mixture to boil.  Lower the flame and allow it to simmer till the gravy is thick.  Lip-smacking ‘Puli Inji’ is ready to b served!

Cool and transfer ‘Puli Inji’ into a glass bottle.  It can be kept in the fridge for two weeks.

One cannot think of ‘Onasadhya’ without ‘Puli Inji’!

Ingredients

Ash gourd/ Kumbalanga – 1/2 kg

Red beans/ Vanpayar – 1/2 cup

Green chillies – 4 slit

Salt – to taste

Curry leaves – 2 sprigs

Thick Coconut milk – 1/2 cup

Coconut oil – 1 tbsp

Method

Soak red beans in water overnight or for 6 hrs.  Wash and pressure cook with 1 1/4 cups of water, on low flame for 8 minutes after the first whistle.  Allow it to cool.  Discard the left over water and put it into a pan.  Peel, wash and cut the ash gourd into cubes.  Cook it along with the beans by adding 1 1/2 cups of water, green chillies and salt.  Keep covered and stir in between.  When almost done, add curry leaves.  Cook till the pieces are soft and tender.  Add the thick coconut milk, mix well and put off the flame.  Pour 1 tbsp of coconut oil over ‘Olan’ and mix well.  Keep covered for a few minutes before serving.

‘Olan’ is an essential part of ‘Onasadhya’.  It is very different from the spicy curries.  Yummy ‘Olan’ makes a very good accompaniment for steamed rice.

Ingredients

Yellow Pumpkin – 1/2 kg

Red Beans/ Van Payar – 1/2 cup

Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp

Chilly powder – 1/4 tsp

Salt – to taste

For Grinding

Grated coconut – 1 cup

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Green chillies – 4

Cumin seeds/ Jeera – 1/4 tsp

For Seasoning

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Dry red chillies – 3 broken, seeds removed

Curry leaves – 2 sprigs

Grated coconut – 2 tbsp

Coconut oil – 1 + 1/2 tbsp

Method

Soak red beans in water overnight.  Wash and add 2 cups of water and pressure cook for 8 minutes on a low flame after the first whistle.  Let it cool.  Meanwhile, peel and cut the pumpkin into cubes.  Cook it with 1 cup of water, salt, chilly and turmeric powders.  Mash the cooked beans a bit and add to the pumpkin.  Cook till it is well cooked.  Mash till 3/4th of the mixture becomes a paste.  Grind the above mentioned ingredients to a fine paste and add to the curry.  Mix well and switch off the flame.  Heat 1 tbsp oil in a small pan and splutter mustard seeds.  Add red chillies and curry leaves.  Pour this over the ‘Erissery’.  Now heat 1/2 tbsp oil in the same pan and fry grated coconut till golden brown.  Add this to the ‘Erissery’ and mix well.  Serve with steamed rice.

‘Erissery’ is an essential part of ‘Onasadhya’.  Hope you will make yummy ‘Erissery’ this ‘Onam’…!

Award

My dear friends Sarah and Shifa has shared this beautiful award with me.  Thanks a lot dearies!!!

I am sharing this award with my friends Satya, Pravs, Priya, Sangeetha, Hari Chandana, Prajusha and Raks.

Ingredients

Black Channa – 1 cup

Water – 2 cups

Onion – 1 medium sliced

Garlic- 4 small crushed

Ginger – 1 tsp chopped

Green chillies – 2 slit

Curry leaves – 2 sprigs

Red chilly flakes – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Salt – to taste

Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp

Oil – 1 tbsp

Method

Soak the Channa in water for 8 hrs or overnight.  Wash and put it into a pressure cooker.  Add water and cook for 12 minutes on low flame after the first whistle.  Allow it to cool.  Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds.  Add garlic and saute till aroma comes out.  Add onions, ginger, green chillies and curry leaves.  Saute till the onions turn light brown.  Add chilly flakes and turmeric powder.  Stir and add cooked Channa along with left over water.  Add salt and mix well.  Allow the excess water to evaporate.  Stir-fry for a minute and put off the flame.  ‘Stir-fried Black Channa/ Kadala Ularthiyathu’ is an excellent side dish for ‘kanji’ or rice porridge.  It can also be served with rice.

Ingredients

Ridge gourd/ Peechinga – 2 big

Onion – 1 medium chopped

Garlic – 2 small crushed

Green chillies – 2 slit

Curry leaves – 2 sprigs

Red chilly flakes – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp

Thick coconut milk – 1/2 cup

Salt – to taste

Oil – 1 tbsp

Method

Remove the ridges of the gourd, scrape off the excess hard green skin.  Wash the gourd, slit them into four pieces lengthwise and then slice them.  Heat oil in a pan and add crushed garlic.  Fry till the aroma comes out.  Add onions, green chillies and curry leaves.  Fry till the onions turn light brown.  Add chilly flakes and turmeric powder.  Stir and add the sliced ridge gourd.  Add salt and mix well.  Cover and cook on a medium flame till done.  Do not add any water.  Water will ooze out from the gourd.  Evaporate excess water and add the thick coconut milk.  Mix well and switch off the flame immediately.  Delicious ‘Ridge Gourd Curry with Coconut Milk’ goes well with rice.  Cheers!!!

Ingredients

Pumpkin – 1/2 kg cut into big pieces

Toor dal – 3/4 cup

Water – 2 cup

Salt  – to taste

Grated coconut – 3/4 cup

Green chillies – 4

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp

Chilly powder – 1/4 tsp

Jeera/ Cumin seeds – 1/4 tsp

For Tempering

Small onions/ Shallots – 5 sliced

Curry leaves – 2 sprigs

Dry red chillies – 4 broken, seeds removed

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Coconut oil – 1 tbsp

Method

Wash and soak the dal in water for half an hour.  Drain and put it into a pressure cooker.  Add the pumpkin pieces and pour 2 cups of water over it.  Close the lid and cook for 4 minutes on a low flame after the first whistle.  Grind together coconut, green chillies, turmeric powder, chilly powder and cumin seeds to a fine paste.  Add this paste to the cooked dal and pumpkin.  Add salt and mix well.  Simmer it for 2 minutes.  Heat oil in a small pan and splutter mustard seeds.  Add small onions, curry leaves and dry red chillies.  Fry till the onions turn light brown.  Pour this over the curry and mix well.  Serve delicious ‘Pumpkin Dal Curry/ Mathanga Parippu Curry’ with rice, pickle and pappads.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

Toor dal – 1/2 cup

Mixed Vegetables – 2 cups

Tomatoes – 2 diced

Onion – 1 medium sliced

Green chillies – slit

Curry leaves – 2 sprigs

Dry red chillies – 4 broken

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Sambar powder – 3 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder – 1 tsp

Chilly powder – 1 tsp

Methi/Fenugreek powder – 1/8 tsp

Perumkayam/Asafoetida powder – a small pinch

Tamarind – a lime size

Water – 2 + 1 cup

Salt – to taste

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Oil – 1 1/2 tbsp

Coriander leaves – 1 tbsp chopped

Method

Soak the tamarind in 1 cup of water and keep aside.  Wash the toor dal and put it into a pressure cooker.  Add onions, green chillies and turmeric powder.  Pour 2 cups of water and cook for 10 minutes.  Let it cool.  Meanwhile, heat oil in a non-stick pan and splutter mustard seeds.  Add curry leaves and dry red chillies.  Then add the diced vegetables and tomatoes.  Stir-fry for about 5 minutes.  Then add sambar powder, coriander powder, chilly powder, fenugreek and asafoetida powders.  Fry till the aroma comes out.  Switch off the flame and add the vegetables to the cooked dal in the pressure cooker.  Pour the tamarind water and add salt.  Mix well and close the lid and pressure cook for 5 minutes.  Once cooled, add the chopped coriander leaves and stir.  Serve lip-smacking ‘Sambar’ with hot rice, idli or dosa.  Cheers!!!

I used radish, carrot, pumpkin, broad beans and brinjal for making this ‘Sambar’.  You can also use vegetables like drumsticks, lady’s finger, beans and potatoes.

Yummy ‘Sambar’ is off to Ruchika for the event “My Legume Love Affair #22″ which is the brainchild of Susan.

Award

My friend Food Lovers has passed on this Sunshine Award.  Thank you so much, dear!