Kerala style Kale and Mushroom Thoran / Kale and Mushroom stir fry with coconut(Kerala style)

Kale is a popular vegetable, a member of the cabbage family It is related to cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and brussels sprouts. Kale, like other leafy greens, is very high in antioxidants. This includes beta-carotene, vitamin C, as well as various flavonoids and polyphenols. Kale is much higher in vitamin C than most other vegetables, containing about 4.5 times much as spinach. Kale Can Help Lower Cholesterol, Which May Reduce The Risk of Heart Disease. Kale is one of the world’s best sources of vitamin K, with a single raw cup containing almost 7 times the recommended daily amount. Kale is actually loaded with compounds that are believed to have protective effects against cancer. Kale is very high in beta carotene, an antioxidant that the body can turn into vitamin A.

I had heard from my aunt in US that she makes thoran with kale and it turns out quite delicious. The other day went I went for grocery shopping I picked up some fresh kale. I decided to make kale thoran with some mushrooms. This is a very simple recipe that can be made up in few minutes and will be definitely a winner in your dining table.

Here you go…. Kale thoran with mushrooms. Do try it and share your comments….

Ingredients:

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds, crushed slightly to bring out the flavor

1 small clove of garlic, chopped fine (optional)

About 4 cups finely shredded Kale

1 cup mushrooms, chopped into small cubes

1/4 tsp pepper powder

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp salt or per taste

1/2 cup freshly grated coconut

Method:

Take a medium size wok or a large skillet and heat the coconut oil in it. When hot lower heat to medium and add the mustard seeds. When they start spluttering, add the crushed cumin seeds and the garlic. Sauté for about 30 seconds and chopped mushrooms. Cook in in medium flame till the water evaporates completely. Now add the greens, stir fry for a minute and add turmeric powder, pepper powder and the salt. Cover and steam for about 1 minute. Open the lid and add the grated coconut and stir well for another minute or until completely dry. Turn the heat off.

Serve hot with rice/roti.

Carrot Thoran Kerala Style - Carrot Stir Fry

On our today’s menu we have a very basic and simple recipe that goes well with steamed rice. Thoran is a coconut based vegetable Keralite dish. Thoran is a predominant menu item for a sadhya along with other dishes. The chopped vegetable is mixed together with grated coconut, mustard seeds, curry leaves and turmeric powder and briefly stirred on a pan over a very hot fire.

Today we will be making a thoran out of carrot, a favorite vegetable of many. This vegetable is highly packed with all the essential nutrients.

Here you go….Do try it and share your comments….

Ingredients:

Carrot, grated - 2 cup

Coconut oil / any cooking oil – 2 tbsp

Mustard seeds  -  1/4 tsp

Onion chopped- ½ cup

Green chilies chopped- 2 nos

Garlic chopped – 1 tsp

Curry leaves- few

Cumin powder  -  1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder  - 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

Grated coconut  -   ¾ cup

Method:

Wash the Carrot and peel and grated it. Combine together grated carrot, cumin powder, turmeric powder and salt to taste in a mixing bowl. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, let it splutter. Now add onion, green chilies, garlic, curry leaves and fry for 2 minutes. Then add the prepared carrot and sauté for 2 minutes. Reduce the heat and cook with lid on for few minutes or until it is almost done. Remove the lid and add grated coconut and mix well. Cook for 2 minutes.  This thoran can be served with rice.

Karamani mezhukkupuratti or Long Beans Stir Fry

Karamani or Yard long beans are a good source of protein, vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, iron, phosphorus, and potassium, and an excellent source for vitamin C, folate, magnesium and manganese. They are also rich in fiber.

Our today recipe is a simple stir fry and can be served with rice, Dhal/ Sambhar and also goes well with roti.

Ingredients:

Karamani or Long Beans - 1 cup(cut into 1½  inch pieces)

Fresh Coconut thin pieces – 2 tbspn

Onions – 1 medium ( sliced)

Red chillies flakes – ¼ tspn

Mustard seeds – ½ tsp

Curry leaves – 7 to 8 nos

Turmeric powder – ¼  tsp

Green chillies –  1 to 2 nos

Oil - 3 tsp

Salt - As reqd

Method:

Boil water with ½ tspn salt and add cut beans to it and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Have an ice bath ready and plunge the beans into it to stop cooking.

Heat oil in a pan. Crackle mustard seeds, add sliced onions, when it starts tp become brown add curry leaves, chilli flakes and green chilly.

To this mixture, add cooked long beans and mix well, Sauté well, close the lid and allow it to cook in a low to medium heat. Check and adjust salt accordingly. No need to add water. Stir occasionally. This should take 2 to 3 minutes.

Karamani or Long beans mezhukkupuratti is ready to be served. Serve hot with steamed rice and sambar/rasam or any rice variety.

Kerala Style Vellarikka Pachadi / Cucumber Pachadi / Kerala Sadya Special

Vellarikka / Cucumber pachadi is a very simple dish prepared with cucumber, coconut and yogurt. It is one of the many important dishes in the Onam Sadya. It is usually served as an accompaniment for rice.

Ingredients:

Cucumber (vellarikka) -  2 cup.(finely chopped)

Curd/Yogurt –  1/2 cup.

Mustard seeds - - 1/2 to 1 tsp

Whole red chilly – 2 nos.

Coconut oil -2 tsp.

Curry leaves

For grinding

Grated coconut -1/2 cup.

Mustard seeds-1 tsp.

Green chillies – 2 nos

Cumin seeds- ½ tsp.

Salt to taste

Water as per required

Method:

Remove the skin from the cucumber (vellarikka) and cut into small pieces. Cook the cucumber with little water along with salt.

Grind together coconut, cumin seeds mustard seeds and green chilies. Once the cucumber pieces are cooked, add the ground coconut paste. Continue cooking in low flame for another 3 -5 minutes. Remove from the flame, allow it cool. Now add the curd, stir well and keep it aside.

Heat oil in a small frying pan, splutter mustard seeds, sauté dry red chillies and curry leaves for a few minutes. Pour this over the vellarikka pachadi.

Serve with rice.

Carrot & Green Beans Thoran / Carrot & Green Beans Poriyal / Carrot & Green Beans Stir Fry

Carrots are rich in vitamin A, vitamin C and Iron. The anti-oxidant beta carotene present in carrots gives carrot the bright orange color. This powerful natural anti-oxidant that helps protect human body from harmful oxygen-free radical injury.

Green beans are an excellent source of vitamin K. They are a very good source of manganese, vitamin C, dietary fiber, folate, and vitamin B12. Some of the health benefits of green beans include the reduced risk of heart disease and colon cancer, as well as an improved regulation of diabetes. Green beans provide a big boost to your immune system and contributes to the elimination of harmful free radicals.

Our today’s recipe is a very simple low fat, stir fry recipe which is very healthy, simple and also colorful. The beans are spiced with mustard seeds, dried red chillies and garnished with freshly gradated coconut & curry leaves. Let’s learn how to make south Indian style beans & carrot stir fry following this easy recipe.

Ingredients:

Carrots & French Beans – 2 cups (cleaned and chopped)

Onions – ¾ cup chopped

Coconut – ½ cup grated

Green chilli – 2 long ones slit into half

Salt to taste

Turmeric - ½ tsp

Garlic – 2 to 3 cloves

Oil – 2 tbsp

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Cumin seeds – ½ tsp

Curry leaves 7 to 8 leaves

Method:

Clean and cut carrots & beans into small cubes and set aside.

Chop onions into small cubes, slice garlic and slit the green chillies. 

Now in a pan add oil, then add mustard seeds, cumin seeds; when it crackles add curry leaves, green chillies, chopped carrot & beans, garlic onions, turmeric and salt.

Cover and cook in low- medium flame. Stir 2-3 times in between for even cooking. You can sprinkle water 2-3 times in between, if required while stirring.

Once it is cooked and all the water evaporated add grated coconut stir well and turn off the flame.  

This stir fry/ thoran goes well with boiled rice and curry.

Nadan Pottichozhicha Mutta Curry/ Poached Egg Curry

                   Nadan Pottichozhicha mutta curry/ Poached Egg Curry– an easy South Indian style curry of poached eggs in a coconut & Tomato based gravy. This egg curry has eggs dropped in a flavorful gravy instead of the usual boiled eggs being added to a curry. The eggs get cooked in the gravy absorbing all the flavors of the curry.

    As we all know eggs are the most nutritious food. Eggs have lots of vitamins, calcium, minerals, in fact it contains a little bit of almost every nutrient we need. Eggs are high in cholesterol, but eating eggs does not make any ill effects on cholesterol in the blood for the majority of people. Including egg at least once in your diet especially for kids makes your diet very healthy.

  This recipe was handed over to me from my Mom, who learned it from one of family friend. During our childhood days my sister and I used to go crazy on this curry. We loved it, especially the way our mom made this curry.

   This simple gravy makes for a complete meal when served with rice as you don’t require any side dish, just some papadum’s are enough. While adding boiled eggs to gravy is more common, I love this version of egg curry where the eggs absorb all the flavors of the curry and taste delicious. Hope you all try this tasty egg curry.

Here's the recipe of Poached Egg curry, something you can whip up in a jiffy. This curry goes very well with Roti, bread, Appam etc

Ingredients:

Eggs- 4nos

Onion – 2 chopped

Tomato – 1 big sized, chopped

Ginger – 1 tsp, finely chopped

Garlic – 1 tsp, finely chopped

Chilli powder – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Coriander powder – 2 tsp

Garam masala powder – ½ tsp

Mustard seeds – ½ tsp

Curry leaves - 1 sprig   

Coconut milk – ½ thick(I used store bought one)

Salt – to taste

Coriander leaves – to garnish

        

Method:

Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. When they start to splutter, add the sliced onion along with curry leaves. Saute the onions till they turn translucent.

Add the ginger & garlic pieces and stir till raw smell goes. Add the coriander powder, chilli powder and turmeric powder and stir for a minute.

Add the chopped tomato and salt, cook till oil separates then add water. When the mixtures starts to boil carefully crack the egg and pour into the boiling mixture.

Do Not stir cover and cook for a minute. Using a spoon carefully take some gravy from the sides and pour on top of the eggs.

When the mixture again starts to boil, pour the coconut milk and shake the pan so that it blends into the mixture. It is better to avoid stirring or else the egg may break.

Switch off the heat as soon as you spot bubbles along the sides of the pan. Sprinkle the garam masala powder on top.  Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve hot with Rice, Appams, Roti’s, etc.

Keral Style Aviyal / Kerala Sadya / Mixed Vegetables in coconut and Yogurt

Aviyal is one of the signature dish of Kerala cuisine and no kerala sadya/ feast is complete without aviyal. It is famous for its special flavors and it is a thick mixture of different vegetables, curd and coconut, seasoned with coconut oil and curry leaves. This was not a require dish at home, but my mom would make it atleat once a month.

Here is the recipe for aviyal:

Ingredients:

Ash gourd -3/4 cup
Carrot -1
Drumstick -1
Beans -6-7
Potato -1
Raw plantain -1
Raw Mango - 5-6 medium size pieces
Elephant foot yam -100 grams
Curd -1/2 cup

For grinding
Grated coconut - 1 cup
Cumin seeds /Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Green chilli -3

For seasoning
Coconut oil - 2-3 tsp
Curry leaves – few

Method:

Peel the skin and cut all the vegetables into 2 inch long piece. Since each vegetable needs different time for cooking, I cooked plantain and ash gourd together in a pan separately adding salt needed for that alone. When it is half cooked, add chopped raw mangoes.

Pressure cook the rest of the vegetables adding salt and turmeric powder for 2 whistles. You could also cook in pan. The vegetables should be soft but not mushy(use very less water and cook)

Coarsely grind grated coconut, green chillies and cumin seeds. Keep it aside. When the veggies are ¾th cooked, add the ground paste. Mix well. Cover and cook till the veggies are done and the raw taste of coconut paste is gone.

Add yogurt and mix well. Cook for 1-2 minutes more and just before removing from the gas, add the coconut oil and curry leaves. Serve hot with rice.

Mambazha Pulissery - Kerala Sadhya Recipe / Ripe Mango in a Yogurt Gravy

One of the traditional curry dishes in Kerala is mambazha pulissery, where ripe mangoes are cooked with tangy curd (yogurt) and coconut gravy. This sweet and sour curry is also called 'Pazhamanga curry or Pazhamanga Pulissery' in certain places in Kerala.  It’s an easy to prepare side dish with minimum requirements. The yummy tangy flavor simply makes you yearn for more and more.

Mambazha Pulissery is also a common dish in Kerala sadhya. Traditionally small full mangoes are added to the curry removing the skin, but I prefer adding chunky pieces so that its easy to serve and eat.

Usually this recipe made using ripe nattu manga(Kerala Mangoes), a special variety of mango having a unique smell and small in size. Without much ado let’s look into the ingredients required and how it’s made.

Ingredients:

Mangoes: 2 nos

Sliced green chillies : 3 nos

Chilli powder : 1 tsp

Yogurt/Curd : 8 cups

Coconut(grated) : 2 cups

Cumin seeds : 2 pinch

Coconut oil : 4 tbsp

Mustard : 2 tsp

Dry red chilli : 6 nos

Curry leaves : as needed

Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp

Water : as needed

Salt : as needed

Method:

1. Cut the mango into pieces and boil in water along with turmeric, green chillies, chilli powder and salt.
2. Grind the coconut with the cumin seeds to a fine paste and add this to the boiling mango. Bring this to a boil and take off the flame.
3. Blend the yogurt to make it smooth and add this to the mixture. See to it that the yogurt does not split.
4. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and when they crackle, add dry red chilli and curry leaves. Add the above seasoning to the above mango curry and mix well.
5. Serve with rice.

Nadan Beef Curry / Kerala Style Beef Curry

Kerala cuisine is incomplete without a beef curry. This was an all-time favourite dish during our childhood days. Couple of days back I was speaking to my sister through skype and I don’t know from where the thought came about our Mom’s beef curry. She makes wonderful beef curry. It tastes delicious with appam/ghee rice/Parotta. Actually Beef curry could be called as an all-rounder, as you could have ii in breakfast, lunch & dinner. We both decided to make beef curry at our respective kitchens.

Today I am going to share with you my Mom’s beef curry recipe. I am sure you will like it.

Ingredients:

Beef - ½ kg, cleaned and cut into small pieces

Potato - 1 medium, cut & boiled in big cubes

Onion - 2 medium

Ginger & garlic - crushed, 1 tbsp each

Dry red chilli – 2 broken into halves

Chilli powder - ½ tbsp.

Turmeric powder - ½ tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tbsp

Meat masala - 1 tsp

Thick coconut milk - ½ - 1 cup

Shallots – 4 to 5 chopped

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Fennel seeds - a pinch

Curry leaves – 7 to 8 leaves

Coconut oil - 3 tbsp

Method:

1. Heat a wide pan, add chilli powder and coriander powder, slightly warm up the powders in medium flame for 1 to 2 minutes (be careful not to burn the masala powder, otherwise the gravy will taste bitter).
2. Now add this to the washed beef pieces. Add salt, turmeric powder and mix well, such that all the pieces are coated with the masala. Leave this aside for 20 to 30 minutes.
3. After which transfer the beef pieces to a pressure cooker and add 1 cup water. Close the cooker with lid and cook in a medium heat for 15-2 minutes or till 5-6 whistles are given out.
4. Meanwhile when the beef is getting cooked, heat 3 tbsp of coconut oil in a shallow pan, add mustard seeds. When they splutter add fennel seeds, shallots, ginger & garlic, red chilli and salute it.
5. When it changes into golden brown, reduce the heat and add 1 tbsp of meat masala. Mix it well and now add the cooked beef along with the gravy. Increase the heat and allow it to boil.
6. When it starts to boil you could add the boiled potatoes & curry leaves. At this stage check for seasoning, adjust the salt as per requirement. You could add water as per the gravy thickness you desire.
7. Finally add the thick coconut milk and turn off the flame.
8. Our nadan beef curry is ready to be served. You could serve this with Rice, Roti, Naan, Parotta.

Chakkakkuru & Pavakka Mezhukkupuratti / Jack fruit seed& Bitter gourd stir fry – Kerala Style

Ckakkakkuru & pavakka mezhukkupuratti is one of the nostalgic dish. It is a popular Kerala special side dish that goes well with plain boiled rice and curry. Chakkakkuru (Jackfruit seeds) contain a good amount of protein. It contains vitamins which are good for healthy skin and hair. Jack fruit seeds are also rich in fibre, which in turn helps to prevent constipation.

Bitter Gourd(Pavakka) is a low calorie vegetable but dense with precious nutrients. It is an excellent source of vitamins B1, B2, and B3, C, magnesium, folate, zinc, phosphorus, manganese, and has high dietary fiber. It is rich in iron, contains twice the beta-carotene of broccoli, twice the calcium of spinach, and twice the potassium of a banana.

Soaking the Gourd in salt water before cooking helps to lighten the bitter taste of Pavakka/Bitter Gourd. Try this Simple Bitter Gourd & Jackfruit seed stir fry recipe and enjoy.

Ingredients: 

Pavakka(Bittergourd) - 1 cup

Chakkakkuru(Jackfruit seeds) - 1 cup(10 -15 nos)

Shallots(Small onions) - 5 nos

Dry red chillies  - 3 nos

Mustard seeds – ½ tsp

Curry leaves – 7 to 8 nos

Turmeric powder – ¼  + ½ tsp

Green chillies – 2 to 3 nos

Coconut oil - 3 tsp

Salt - As reqd

Method:

1. Peel, slice and clean jack fruit seeds. Cook jackfruit with salt & Turmeric and keep aside.
2. Cut bitter gourd in thin slices.
3. Heat oil in a pan. Crackle mustard seeds, add shallot, when it become brown color add curry leaves, whole red chilly and green chilly.
4. To this mixture, transfer bitter gourd, cooked jackfruit seeds and enough amount of salt. Sauté well, close the lid and allow it to cook. No need to add water. Stir occasionally. This should take 5 to 10 mintues.
5. Once the bitter gourd is cooked, open the lid and fry it in medium flame till all the water is dried out and the vegetable is fried well.
6. Chakkakkuru & pavakka mezhukkupuratti is ready to be served. Serve hot with rice.

Karimeen Fry Kerala Style - Pearl Spot Fry

The pearlspot is found throughout Kerala, especially in Kerala backwaters around Alleppey (Alappuzha), Kottayam, Quilon (Kollam). This fish is fairly expensive and is available throughout the year. It feeds on algae, plant material and insects.The fish is known locally in Kerala as karimeen. Some of the prominent dishes are the Karimeen Fry, Karimeen Molly and Karimeen Pollichathu(marinated with masala, wrapped in banana leaves and steam cooked).

Pearl Spot / Karimeen fry is a sought after delicacy in Kerala. The Karimeen is marinated in a mixture of lemon juice, red chillies, other ingredients and shallow fried until golden brown. This Karimeen fry recipe is an exotic dish cooked in Kerala style.

Ingredients

Karimeen - 2 Nos ( Large sized )

Chilly powder - 1 ½ tbsp

Black pepper powder – 2 ½ tsp

Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

Ginger – 1-inch piece

Garlic – 4 to 5 nos

Lemon extract - 1 ½ tbsp

Coconut oil – 4 to 5 tbsp

Curry leaves  - 5 to 6 stems

Salt

Method:

1. Wash and clean the fish, make incisions on both sides of the fish and set aside.
2. For the masala, in a mortar crush ginger and garlic. Then add salt, pepper, vinegar, lemon extract turmeric and chilli powder and curry leaves. Roughly grind and mix it all together.
3. Marinade the fish with the above masala and keep it aside for 30 minutes.
4. Heat 4 tbsp of coconut oil/ sunflower oil in a pan. On a low flame cook the fish for 3-4 minutes on each side.
5. Finally Serve the fried Karimeen fish with a wedge of lime and fresh onions rings.

Kerala Style Padavalanga Thoran / Snakegourd Stir Fry

Snake gourd may not be a type of vegetable that is well-known around the world, but certain cultures have been utilizing this unique food variety for hundreds, and perhaps thousands, of years. They are native to Southeast Asia, including Myanmar, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and other neighboring countries, as well as some parts of Australia and Africa. It is a vine plant that climbs up a tree and then unfurls its flowers and fruits to hang down to the ground.

Snake Gourd contains a rich variety of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that are essential for human health, including significant levels of dietary fiber, a small number of calories, and high levels of protein. In terms of vitamins, snake gourd possess vitamin A, B, C, as well as manganese, magnesium, calcium, iron, potassium, and iodine. 

Our today’s recipe is Snakegourd stir fry with coconut / Padavalanga Thoran, a Kerala based recipe commonly used in most of the houses of South India. Snakegourd/ Padavalanga help our body to maintain its normal function and create a cooking effect in human body. It is very much useful in treating Type II diabetics to reduce weight and helps in constipation as this vegetable is rich in Fiber.

Ingredients:

 Snake gourd – 2 cups (cleaned and chopped)

Onions – ¾ cup chopped

Coconut – ½ cup grated

Green chilli – 2 long ones slited into half

Salt to taste

Turmeric - ½ tsp

Garlic – 2 to 3 cloves

Oil – 2 tbsp

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Cumin seeds – ½ tsp

Curry leaves 7 to 8 leaves

Method:

Clean and cut snake gourd in small cubes and set aside.

Chop onions into small cubes, slice garlic and slit the green chillies. 

Now in a pan add oil, then add mustard seeds, cumin seeds; when it crackles add curry leaves, green chillies, snake gourd, garlic onions, turmeric and salt.

Cover and cook in low- medium flame (no need to add any water since snake gourd has enough water in it).

Once it is cooked and all the water evaporated add grated coconut stir well and turn off the flame.  

This stir fry/ thoran goes well with boiled rice and curry.