Palakkad recipes

[Sowmya]

Mrs.Chitra's recipes..
Green Gram(mung dal)Payasam.
Ingredients:
21/2 cups mung dal, dry roasted
2 lb jaggery, made into a thick syrup
3/4 tbsp ghee
6 cups grated coconut(extract 2 cups thick milk & 6 cups thin milk)
1/4 cup sago
3/4 tsp dried ginger powder
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
1/4 tsp cumin powder
Raisins and cashewnuts, fried in a little ghee.
Salt to taste

Method:
Wash and soak sago. Cook it in a little water and set aside. Set water in a large pot to boil, then add dal. When it is well cooked and most of the water is absorbed, add jaggery syrup. When mixture begins to thicken add ghee and keep stirring till it is reduced to half the quantity. Next add the thin coconut milk and salt. Continue stirring till it simmers then add sago, powdered spices, raisins, nuts and thick coconut milk. When payasam begins to simmer, remove from fire.

Sago rice payasam
Ingredients:
Whole milk 4 cups
Whole milk 4 tablespoons (to make a paste with sugar and custard powder.)
Sago rice 2/3 cup
Custard powder 3 heaped tablespoons
Sugar 4 tablespoons (if you like it sweeter you may add as desired)
Vanilla essence 2 drops
Ghee 2 teaspoons
Raisins 1 tablespoon
Cashew nuts sliced into pieces 1 tablespoon

Method:
Add sugar and the custard powder to the 4 tablespoon milk and mix well. Keep this aside.
Boil 4 cups of milk in a saucepan, stirring occasionally so that it won’t get burned. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the sago rice to the milk and cook it until the sago rice become translucent. Remove the saucepan from the stove, and add the sugar-custard-milk paste and mix very well. Bring this back on the stove and in low heat cook this for a few minutes. Turn off the stove and add Vanilla extract. Occasionally stir the payasam so that it won’t form a cream layer on the top.
Heat up a small pan, add the ghee and fry the raisins and the cashew nut. Fry the nuts to a golden color. Add this to the payasam.

[Ramanan]

Dear Sowmya

Is sago rice the same as sago or is it sago and rice or something quite different? Ramanan

[Sowmya]

Hello ramanan
My understanding is Sago rice is the same as sago .

Regards
Sowmya

[Sowmya]

Mrs.Chitra's recipes
Madhuraseva
Ingredients:
Gram flour 2 cups
Egg 1
Coconut milk enough to make the dough
Salt to taste
Oil for frying
Sugar 2 cups for syrup
Water 1 ½ cup
Method:
Pour enough coconut milk to the flour. Add salt and 1 egg and make dough. Let it rest for 30 minutes.
Heat up the oil in a pan to fry the seva. You need a Murukku mould to make the seva. Use the disc with three big plain holes. (There is one with very small holes to make idiyappam or noolputtu) Fill the mould with dough and press it directly into the hot oil. Fry this to a crisp consistency. Remove the seva, and place them on a piece of brown paper to drain the oil. Repeat the process, until all the dough is used up.
Sugar syrup: This recipe requires syrup of 2 ½ thread consistency. Cook a little bit more, when it reaches 2 thread consistency.
This site gives the method to make the syrup.
http://www.bawarchi.com/cookbook/sweet.html

When the sugar syrup reaches the consistency where it attains the shape of a pearl, when dropped into cold water, add all the crisp seva into the syrup and mix well to coat each piece with the sugar syrup. When it is well coated, remove it from the pan, and let it cool. When cool, store this in an air tight glass bottle.

[Sowmya]

Mrs.Chitra's recipes..
Here are 2 versions of katala curry. The first one is an easy recipe, where the browned onion gives body to the curry, along with coconut milk.The second one is a vaRutharacha curry. You saute grated coconut to a golden brown color, and add to it the coriander, chili powder and curry leaves. Blend this, and add the masala paste to the cooked katala. The katala is cooked with onion, garlic, ginger, green chili, turmeric and salt. The coconut-masala paste is added to the cooked katala. This is then seasoned with mustard seeds, red chili pieces and curry leaves.

Katala curry (Bengal Gram curry)

Ingredients:
Whole Bengal gram 1 cup
one large onion Diced thinly
Garlic cloves 4 thinly sliced
Green chili pepper 2 (round thin slices)
Ginger ¾ inch long piece sliced thinly
Turmeric powder ½ teaspoon
Coriander powder 2 teaspoon
Red chili powder ½ -1 teaspoon according to tolerance
Salt to taste
Coconut milk ¼ cup or grated coconut 1/3 cup

Seasoning:
Mustard seeds 2 teaspoon
Red chili pepper broken to pieces 2
Curry leaves 4 sprigs
Oil 1 tablespoon

Method:
Soak the Bengal gram over night in warm water. Wash the Bengal gram and transfer it to a big pot or pressure cooker. Pour enough water to the pot, and add 1/3 cup onion slices, and 2 teaspoon garlic slices, ginger and green chili peppers. Add turmeric and salt and heat up the pot. Cook the Katala until it is soft. Using pressure cooker will hasten the process.
Now heat up a sauce pan big enough to hold the curry, and add the oil. Splutter the mustard seeds in oil, while closing the pan with a lid. Add red chili pepper pieces, onion slices and sauté until they are translucent. Now add garlic and sauté for a minute or two. Add the curry leaves and continue sautéing until the onion become dark brown in color. Now add the coriander powder, chili powder and mix well. To this add the cooked katala and heat up to a boil. Now reduce the heat to a medium and simmer the curry until it thickens. At this stage you can add the coconut milk and let it simmer for a few minutes, and remove the pan from the stove top. Keep this closed for at least 30 minutes, before serving. This is one quick method of making the curry using coconut milk.

Another variation: No need to sauté the onion, garlic slices to a golden color. Add the required amount of onion ½ cup, and garlic 1 tablespoon along with ginger ¾ inch long piece sliced thinly, and green chili peppers 2 sliced , turmeric and salt to the katala, when you cook it the first time.
Instead of adding coconut milk, you use grated coconut. Pour 1-2 teaspoon oil in a pan and add the grated coconut (1/3 cup). Sauté it to a golden brown color. Add coriander, chili powder and curry leaves 2 sprigs to this and sauté for a minute or two. Blend this coconut –masala mix to a fine paste, adding just enough water.
Add the coconut-masala paste to the cooked Katala and heat it to a boil. Now simmer it to the desired consistency. You may adjust the thickness of the curry by adding boiled water to the pot.
Once it is done, season it. Heat up a small pan and add 1 tablespoon oil. Add mustard seeds and cover the pan with a lid and let them pop. Now add the broken red chili pieces and curry leaves. Remove the pan and pour the seasoned oil to the cooked curry and cover it with a lid. Serve this after about 30 minutes.

[Shoba]

Sowmya,

Here's how I make kadala kari:

1 1/2 cup kadala-soaked overnight and pressure cooked. Do not throw away the pressure cooked kadala-water

2 medium sized onions- chopped

4-6 green chilles-chopped

3cm ginger-chopped

2 table spoon copra (dried coconut) cut into fine slivers

Mustard seeds, oil, salt

Make a paste of:

1 table spoon chilli powder

1/2 table spoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon black pepper powder

1/4 teaspoon powdered cloves

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Note: I powder and stock up small bottles of spices, and they taste way better than ready made powders.

Grind to a fine paste 1 cup coconut with not much water

Method:

Heat oil and burst mustard seeds. Add onions and fry till fragrant and pink.

Add green chilles, ginger and copra and fry till fragrant.

Add spice paste and continue frying till fragrant.

Add cooked kadala along with the water. Stir well and continue cooking.

Add ground coconut, bring to boil, stir well, cook further for about a minute or so. If it's too dry add sufficient water.

Add curry leaves, and one last stir, and remove from fire.

Let the kari sit for a while before serving.

Consistency should be thick-gravy.

Super knock out (I mean the zzzzzzzzz) accompaniment for puttu & pappadam!

Tips:

Low-medium flame at all times.

While frying onions and spices, ensure that you can smell the fragrance before throwing in other ingredients.

Store powdered spices in airtight containers in the fridge.

Regards,
Shoba

[Braandan]

hello shobha,

it was nice reading your informative account on paysam and pradhaman.does that mean both "paladda and paruppu pradhaman" that is served in marriages have only coconut milk and jaggery in them ?and can the paladda be also made like paysam (with milk) and still be called pradhaman?

hope i am not bothering u much.but i was a little curious.i love the pradhaman esp.paladda served for marriages and in guruvayoor and the bit about the python's slumber is sooo true.

thanks and regards,
rain

The word "Prathaman" in Malayalam means "that which comes first". Traditionally in wedding feasts there would be two payasams. (When I was a kid I used to refer to them as "white" and the "black"). The payasam which is generally served first is called "prathaman". This is the origin of the word. By usage all payasams used to be called prathaman. Traditionally the correct way of having the first serving of payasam is, after the "kaalan" with rice and before the rasam/butter milk with rice eating. The second payasam is served and had after the rasam/buttermilk rice serving. Nowadays the present generation (including me) do not know how to eat in a "sadya", neither can we eat the quantity of rice which our ancestors had! The correct way used to be first kalan with rice, then ishttu or sambar with rice, then first payasam (clean the banana leaf before this), then rasam with rice or butter milk with rice, followed by second payasam. (This time you can add banana and pappadam along the payasam!). Usually the "white" payasams like paalada is given the "prathaman" place and the paruppu paayasams (black when compared to the other) are given the second place.

[rain]

hello sowmya,
tried the okra side dish.simple and tasty.saved a lazy sunday too.
thot of sharing a similar okra dish without onions and garlic.put 3-4 tsp of poppy seeds in hot oil on low-med flame.sizzle for 1/2 min or less.(seeds shud not burn).put the cut okra.toss so that the poppy seeds are stuck to the okra.put a little bit of turmeric,chily powder(opt.)and salt.toss again.then the rest just like ur okra dish quote"Cover the pan for a minute or two, and let it steam. Remove the lid and cook the contents for about 5 more minutes without covering. Make sure that the slimy juice is completely absorbed."

regards,
rain


hello braandan,

(When I was a kid I used to refer to them as "white" and the "black").

that's how as kids we referred to them too

[Sowmya]

Mrs.Chitra's recipes

Pavakka Theeyal: (Bitter Gourd Masala-PuLi curry) Ingredients:
Pavakka sliced into 1 inch long and ¼ inch thick slices. 2 cups
Turmeric powder ¼ teaspoon
Salt to taste
Tamarind paste 1-2 teaspoon

Masala:
Grated coconut ¾ cup
Red chili powder 2 teaspoon (according to tolerance you may adjust the amount)
Coriander powder 2 teaspoon
Onion thinly sliced 1 tablespoon
Cumin seeds ½ teaspoon
Curry leaves 1 sprig
Heat up a pan and pour 1 tablespoon oil in it. Add the onion and sauté it for a minute or two. Add the grated coconut and fry it to a golden brown color. You have to add a few black pepper cones to the coconut along with cumin seeds. ,chili powder, and coriander powder and curry leaves and fry until a nice aroma comes out. Remove the pan from the stove top. Let it cool down, and then blend it well to a fine paste.

Seasoning:
Oil 2 tablespoon
Mustard seeds 1 teaspoon
Fenugreek seeds ½ teaspoon
Red dried chilies 3 broken to pieces
Curry leaves 4 sprigs


Method:
Heat up a heavy bottomed pan and pour 1 tablespoon oil. Add the Bitter Melon slices in it and fry them to a deep brown color. Add turmeric powder, salt and water and let it come to a boil. Now add the Tamarind paste and let it cook well. To this add the blended coconut paste and enough water and let the curry come to a boil. Taste and adjust the Tamarind. Now lower the flame and let it simmer for another 5 minutes. Check the salt and adjust if needed.
Seasoning:
Heat up oil in a small pan and add the mustard seeds and close the pan with a lid. When the seeds start to splutter, add the Fenugreek seeds, red chili pieces and curry leaves and pour this into the Theeyal. Keep the vessel covered for a while. You can prepare this a day earlier, for the taste improves the next day. Heat it up before serving with rice.

[Sowmya]

Mambazha (Puliseri) mor Kozhambu:
Pulp of one ripe mango
1/2 coconut, grated
1/2 tsp methi seeds (vendhayam)
3-4 dry red chillies
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Salt, to taste

Tempering:
1 tsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
Few curry leaves
1 red chilly, optional

Dry roast methi and red chillies and grind along with coconut to a paste.
Boil the mango pulp with turmeric and salt. Add the ground coconut paste, buttermilk and boil again.
Heat oil, add mustard seeds. Once it splutters, add the curry leaves and red chilly. Add this to the kozhambu.