Kerala food recipes

1. Avial (Semi-dry, Mix Vegetable)

vial is an important dish popular in Kerala, the God's own country. Avial is an excellent option for veg lovers. Avial looks fabulous in presentation as it is prepared with many vegetables like carrot, drumsticks, peas, pumpkins, gourds, beans, etc, for flavor and seasoning coconut paste, curry leaves are used. The whole feast presents a multicolored look and taste delectable. Now, you can try this semi dry preparation with us. 

Ingredients:

• 1cup: 
• Yam sliced thinly into 11/2" length pieces
• 1cup: Snake gourd sliced into 11/2" length pieces
• 1cup: Cucumber sliced lengthy into 11/2" thick pieces
• 1/2cup: Long runner-beans sliced into 11/2" length pieces
• 1/4cup: Carrot sliced into into 11/2" length pieces
• 2 : Fresh Drumstick cut into 2" length pieces
• 1 : Raw banana sliced into 11/2" length pieces
• ½ tsp: Turmeric powder
• 1/2 cup : Grated coconut
• 5 : Green chillies
• ½ tsp: Cumin seeds
• 2 sprig: Curry leaves
• 3 tbs: Coconut oil
• Mango pieces for sour
• Salt to taste

How to make:

• Coarsely grind the coconut, green chillies and cumin seeds. Keep it aside.
• Clean the vegetables.
• Heat 2 tbs coconut oil in a thick bottom vessel.
• Add the vegetables and cook in a low flame. Do not add water.
• When it is done, add turmeric powder, salt and mix it well.
• Remove the vegetables from the middle and put sliced bananas and mango pieces and cover it with the other vegetables.
• When steam comes out, add the coconut paste and stir well. Remove from fire.
• Mix the remaining coconut oil and curry leaves in the avial.

2. Kalan

It is a preparation of buttermilk with thick gravy. Sliced plantains known as nenthra-kaya and yams (chena) are boiled in water with salt and chillies. Buttermilk mixed with ground coconut pulp is poured in proper time and the preparation is flavored by the addition of mustard, fried in coconut oil.

Ingredients:

·         100 gm: Yam sliced into small pieces

·         ½ litre: Mashed yogurt (without water)

·         1 small: Raw banana

·         1/2 cup: Grated coconut

·         ½ tsp: Cumin seeds

·         1 tsp: Pepper powder

·         1cup: Water

·         ¼ tsp: Turmeric powder

·         ½ tsp: Fried and powdered fenugreek

·         3-4: Green chillies (slit the edge)

·         3 tsp: Ghee

·         2-3: Dried chilli (split into 2)

·         1 tsp: Mustard

·         1 tsp: Ghee

·         1sprig: Curry leaves

·         Salt to taste

How to make:

1.    Remove the skin of the plantain and slice it into small pieces.

2.    Grind the coconut and cumin to a smooth paste without adding water. Keep it aside.

3.    Dissolve the pepper powder in ½ cup of water and strain it through a clean cloth. Cook the vegetables in this water.

4.    Add the turmeric powder and salt. Stir well.

5.    When the water dries, add 1 tsp ghee. Pour the yogurt and mix well. Lower the flame.

6.    When the curd boils and becomes dry and thick, add the ground coconut mixture and fenugreek powder into it. Stir well.

7.    Brings to a boil and remove from fire. Season with mustard, dried chillies and curry leaves.

3.  Olan

Ingredients:

·         100 gm: Ash gourd

·         100 gm: Pumpkin

·         4-5: Green chillies (split the edge)

·         1 tbs: Red gram dal (soaked in the water for about 6 hours)

·         ½ no: Grated coconut (Squeeze out 1/4cup: of the milk from the coconut without adding water. Take one more cup: of milk from the coconut)

·         1 tbs: Coconut oil

·         1sprig: Curry leaves

·         Salt to taste

How to make:

1.    Remove the covering of the ash gourd and pumpkin and cut it into small pieces.

2.    Cook the vegetables and red gram dal in water. Add enough salt and the green chillies.

3.    When it is done, add 1cup coconut milk and boil.

4.    When it thickens well, add 1/4cup coconut milk. Bring to a boil and remove from fire.

5.    Add 1tbs coconut oil and the curry leaves and mix well.

4.  Thoran

Thoran is a South India Cuisine. It is a favourite recipe for the people in Kerala. It is made with vegetables and coconut along with other ingredients. They are given in details just below. Check them out and also check the cooking method and prepare yourself at home. Invite friends and see what the compliments you get for this yummy recipe from Kerala.

Ingredients:

·         500 gm: Cabbage, long runner-beans /any other vegetable (cut in to small pieces)

·         1 cup: Coconut

·         2 cloves: Garlic

·         2 tsp: Coconut oil

·         ½ tsp: Mustard seeds

·         1 tsp: Black gram

·         4-5: Dried red chilli (cut into 2-3 pieces)

·         ¼ tsp: Turmeric powder

·         ¼ tsp: Red chilly powder

·         ¼ tsp: Cumin Seeds

·         2 sprig: Curry leaves

·         Salt to taste

How to make:

1.    Take the coconut, crush it along with the cumin seeds, curry leaves and garlic. Wash the vegetables and boil it in a pan. Add salt and chillis according to requirement. Next, heat oil in a frying pan and saute ingredients.

2.    Once the ingredients are fried, add to it turmeric and chilly powder along with the boiled vegetables and the crushed ingredients. Mix them properly.

3.    Serve the preparation hot to ten people. It will be the real yummy recipe.

5.  Pineapple Pachhady

Ingredients:

·         2 cup: Ripe pineapple cut into 1/2" square pieces

·         2 dsp: Coconut oil

·         ½ tsp: Turmeric powder

·         1 cup: Grated coconut

·         1-2: Dried red chilli

·         ½ tsp: Mustard seeds

·         3 : Dried red chillies (cut into 6 pieces)

·         1 sprig: Curry leaves

·         1 tsp: Crushed mustard

·         Salt to taste

How to make:

1.    Boil pineapple, with turmeric and salt in ½ cup water.

2.    Grind coconut with dried chilli to a fine paste.

3.    Heat the oil and season with mustard seeds.

4.    Saute the coconut paste and add the curry leaves and dried red chillies.

5.    When it is done, add the boiled pineapple pieces.

6.    The gravy should be thick and the cover the pineapple pieces.

7.    Add the crushed mustard just before removing the pachhady from fire.

6.  Semiya Payasam

Craving for a wonderful sweet dish! We have something for you. Payasam or payesh is a traditional Indian sweet where rice is cooked in milk till it yields a rich and creamy texture. Payasam with a wonderful taste prepared by our Grandma's is still in our memories. Now prepare it by your own with SurfIndia. Chilled Semiyan garnished with saffron is ready to overwhelm any one. 

Ingredients:

·         1 cup: Vermicelli

·         1 cup: Milk

·         1 cup: Sugar

·         A handful: Cashew nuts

·         A handful: Raisins

·         1 pinch: Saffron

·         2-3 pods: Cardamom

·         ¾ cup: Water

How to make:

1.    Heat the ghee and fry the vermicelli till light brown.

2.    In the meanwhile, boil the water.

3.    Add the vermicelli to the boiling water and cover it. Keep stirring occasionally.

4.    Once the vermicelli becomes soft , add the sugar and continue to stir.

5.    Put the saffron in the milk and dissolve it, add this milk to the vermicelli.

6.    Powder the cardamom and add it to the mixture.

7.    Then fry the cashew nuts and almonds in ghee and add these.

8.    Mix well and boil for about two minutes.

9.    Your payasam is ready and can be served hot or cold.

7. Rice Puttu (Steamed Rice Cake)

Rice puttu is the culinary specilaity from South India and Sri Lanka. It is an excellent breakfast recipe, easy to prepare and healthy to eat. Steaming is the only methoIt is totaly free from oil and prepared from steaming the rice, that's why healthy to consume frequently.

Ingredients:

·         1/2 kg: Raw Rice

·         1/2 cup: Coconut, grated

·         Water to sprinkle

·         Salt to taste

How to make:

1.    Soak rice in water for 4 hrs, then drain it and grind it to make fine powder.

2.    Heat the powder for 5 mts. While heating stir it. Keep it for cooling.

3.    Mix salt with water sprinkle this to the powdered rice just to make the powder wet. For making puttu special utensil is used named puttukutty or micro puttu. Put a handful of grated coconut in the puttukutty and then put rice powder till half then add another handful of grated coconut.
This is done till the top. Close the lid steam it for 2 mts in cooker. Serve it with potato curry or ghee.

8.  Appam

Appam is the fermented rice pancake a fermented rice pancake, is a specialty of the South Indian coastal state of Kerala. Not only in India, it is popular in Sri Lanka and other coastal countries. Christian communities make Appam on the special occasions. Often served with coconut flavored vegetable stew, also known as “appa”or “hopper”. Sometimes Appam is complemented with an egg.

Ingredients:

·         3 cup: Rice-soak in water with daal

·         1 cup: Urad daal dhuli-soak for 4 hours

·         1 cup: Coconut-grated

·         1 tbsp: Methi dana

·         Salt to taste

·         An appam maker or a small, shallow kadahi- 6”-8” diameter on top Oil to cook

How to make:

1.    Drain the water out of the daal mixture and grind together with the coconut and salt.

2.    Leave to ferment 6-7 hours, or overnight.

3.    When fermented, add enough water to make it a pouring consistency.

4.    Heat a tablespoon of oil in the kadahi/appam maker, swirl it around and pour off extra oil.

5.    When hot, pour about L cup batter in the kadahi.

6.    Turn the kadahi around swiftly, to let a thin layer rise up to cover the sides of the kadahi also. The center is thicker.

7.    Cover, lower the heat and cook, till the edges start lifting (about a minute).

8.    Uncover, ease out the appam thus formed and transfer on to a serving plate.

9.    Continue thus with the rest of the batter.

10.  You might have to grease again only after 3-4 appams

9. Adaku Pathiri

Ingredients:

·         For the Egg Batter

o    4 : Eggs

o    4 table spoon: Sugar

o    4 table spoon: Coconut milk

o    A pinch: Turmeric powder

o    3 : Cardamom

o    Salt : To Taste

·         For the Rice Batter

o    4 desert spoon: Rice flour

o    350 ml: Coconut milk

o    5 table spoon: Sugar

o    4 : Cardamom

o    Ghee as required

o    Salt : To Taste

How to make:

1.    For egg batter, beat the eggs and sugar and add the rest of the ingredients and keep aside.

2.    For rice batter, mix rice flour, coconut milk, sugar, pinch of salt, cardamom and keep aside.

3.    Now both the batters are ready for steaming.

4.    Take a pressure cooker and pour some water and keep a greased small vessel in it.

5.    Pour 4-table spoon of rice batter into the greased vessel and steam it till it is done.

6.    Spread 1 teaspoon of ghee evenly on the cooked layer.

7.    Now pour 2-table spoons of egg batter and steam till done.

8.    When egg batter is cooked pour again 4-table spoons of rice batter and steam it.

9.    No need to apply ghee on the egg batter. It should be applied only on the rice batter.

10.  Repeat the layers till both the batters are over.

11.  When all batter is over steam it again for 2-3 minutes and switch off the gas.

12.  Cool and remove from cooker and cut it into desired shapes and serve as a snack. When cut you can see the layers of white and yellow.

10. Fish Molee

Ingredients:

·         500 gm: Fish (preferably firm fleshed and single-boned)

·         2 large: Onions

·         3 medium size: Tomatoes

·         4 : Green chillies

·         1 small piece: Ginger

·         4 cloves: Garlic

·         1/4 tsp: Turmeric

·         2 : Red chillies

·         2 cup: Coconut grated

·         1 tbsp: Vinegar

·         5-10 pcs: Cashew nuts

·         Salt to taste

·         Oil

How to make:

1.    Cut fish into thick slices, wash and keep aside.

2.    Cut onions into fairly thick rounds, chop ginger fine and slit green chillies.

3.    Extract 1/2 cup of first milk from coconut and 2-1/2 cups of second milk. Keep aside.

4.    Chop tomatoes small, and keep 1/2 cup separately.

5.    De-seed red chillies and grind till smooth along with garlic and turmeric.

6.    Grind cashew nuts separately till smooth. Heat oil and put in the onion rounds and chopped ginger. Sauté till onions are transparent, but do not let them brown.

7.    Add the green chillies and sauté for a minute more. Then add the tomatoes and the ground ingredients and salt.

8.    Sauté till the tomatoes begin to turn pulpy. Pour in the second coconut milk and mix in the ground cashew nuts and vinegar.

9.    Stir till gravy is well blended, check for salt and gently drop in the fish pieces.

10.  Cover and cook over low flame till fish is done and gravy is thick.

11.  Add a little more water if gravy is too thick.

12.  Drop in the reserved tomato pieces and cook for 2 minutes.

13.  Gradually add the first milk and swirl the dish around till it is well mixed.

14.  Keep for just a minute longer on the fire and remove.

15.  Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with a single sprig of mint.

16.  Serve with plain rice or thickly sliced fresh bread.

11.              Celery Payaru Thoran

Ingredients:

·         6- 8 sticks: Celery chopped

·         1/2 cup: Green moon (cherupayar) cooked to 3/4th

·         3/4 cup: Grated coconut

·         1/4 : Chopped onion

·         2 cloves: Garlic

·         1 small piece: Ginger cut into julian strips

·         6-7: Green chillies chopped (can alter based on taste)

·         2-3: Dried red chillies

·         1 stick: Curry leaves

·         1 tsp: Mustard

·         1/2 tsp: Cumin

·         1 tbsp: Oil

How to make:

1.    Heat oil in a pan

2.    Add mustard to it and let it splutter

3.    Just pound the garlic and cumin together and add it to the oil and fry it for few seconds.

4.    Add ginger, chopped onions, green chillies, curry leaves, red chillies and fry it for a minute.

5.    Add the celery and coconut and cook it till the celery is half cooked.

6.    Add the cooked cherupayar and cook it covered for some more until everything is evenly cooked.

7.    Add salt to taste

 

12.              Kappa (Sweet Dish, rich in proteins and other vitamins)

Ingredients:

·         1 kg: Kappa

·         1/2 tsp: Turmeric Powder

·         4-5: Green chili

·         5 cloves: Garlic

·         1/2 tsp: Cumin seeds

·         1/2 cup: Grated coconut

·         2 tsp: Coconut oil

·         2-3: Dried red chilly (make small pieces)

·         Curry leaves

·         Mustard seeds

·         2 pcs: Small onion

How to make:

1.    Peel the Kappa and boil till soft (around 15 minutes) in sufficient water after it become soft, stain the water.

2.    Make the past of cumin seeds, garlic, grated coconut, green chilly and add the past in boiled Kappa along with the turmeric powder.

3.    Put a pan on stove and pour the coconut oil and boil the oil in medium fire, after 1 minute add the mustard seeds, onion pieces, dried red chilly, curry leaves and fry all the ingredients 1/2 minutes.

4.    Pour this mixture into tapioca and mix well.

5.    Serve with fish curry and rice.

13.              Cheeda

Ingredients:

·         5 cup: Rice flour

·         1 cup: Fried white gram dal

·         20 : Green chillies

·         ¼ tsp: Asafoetida powder

·         1 tbs: White gingelly seeds

·         11/2 tbs: Butter

·         Coconut milk to mix the flour

·         Oil as required

·         Salt to taste

How to make:

1.    Grind green chillies, salt and asafoetida powder to a thick paste and mix it with the sieved flour.

2.    Knead the flour finely with butter, coconut milk and gingelly seeds.

3.    Make several small balls from the dough and spread it on a clean cloth for about 2 hours.

4.    Deep fry in oil.

14.              Achappam

Ingredients:

·         4 cup: Rice

·         1/4 litre: Milk

·         3 Eggs

·         2 cup: Powdered sugar

·         1 teaspoon: Cardamom powder

·         Coconut oil as required

How to make:

1.    Wash and soak the rice for two hours.

2.    Grind the rice with milk to a thick batter.

3.    Beat the eggs thoroughly and add to the batter along with sugar and the cardamom powder. Mix well.

4.    Heat oil in a pan and dip the achchappam mould in it for a minute.

5.    Dip the mould into the batter and then dip it in the hot oil.

6.    Fry along with the mould.

7.    Tap the mould for the appam to separate.

8.    Repeat the same till the batter is over.

15. Karemeen Pollichathu (Fish Fry)

Ingredients:

·         1 kg ( 4 to 5 no): Karemeen

·         1 tbsp: Red chilly powder

·         2 strips: Curry patha

·         1 cup: Coconut oil

·         1 roll: Aluminum foil

·         Salt to taste

·         Grind Together

o    5 pcs: Button onions

o    10-12: Black pepper (crushed, not powdered)

o    8-10: Whole red chilies

o    ½ inch long: Ginger

o    1 cloves: Garlic

o    ½ tsp: Turmeric powder

·         For the Gravy

o    1 cup: Button onions

o    1 tsp: Red chilly powder

o    2 stem: Curry patha

o    Salt to taste

How to make:

1.    To Prepare(Clean) the Pearl Fish

a.    Pearl fish comes with a coating of thick scales which has to be sliced off with a sharp knife, keeping the head and tail intact

b.    Rub the fish on rough surface( on a cutting board) with salt, and clean inside out. wash with clean water and soak them in curd / lemon juice, to get rid of the any bad smell of the fish.

c.    After half an hour take the fish out of the curd/lemon juice and wash in clean water.

d.    Make slits through the fish diagonally.

2.    To Prepare the Masala

a.    Grind coarsely all the ingredients to be ground. Add the red chilly powder, turmeric and salt and little water to make the masala to a paste form.

b.    Rub it allover the fish inside out.

c.    Lastly keep the carry patha’s pasted to the fish too.

d.    Keep inside the fridge covered for about half an hour for the masala to soak into the fish.

e.    Take out and fry in coconut oil both side until it turn dark brown. Serve hot in plangton leaf.

3.    To Make the Gravy

a.    In the same pan, which fried the fish, take out the excess oil and let the remaining masala dust and oil, heat up.

b.    Fry half-cup button onions, with curry patha.

c.    The onions turn light brown, pour the gravy over the fish, which is served in a plangton leaf.

16. Thenga Churuttu (Mango pickle: Kerala style)

Ingredients:

·         2 large: Mangoes, cut into small square pieces

·         4 tsp: Chilli powder

·         3 tsp: Salt

·         1/2 teaspoon: Asafoetida

·         1 teaspoon: Turmeric powder

·         1/2 teaspoon: Mustard seeds

·         1 teaspoon: Oil

How to make:

1.    Heat oil in a pan.

2.    To that add mustard seeds.

3.    When it pops reduce heat to low and add chilli pwd, salt, asafoetida, turmeric and stir for about 3 min. Turn off the heat. Let it cool for a while.

4.    Add this mixture to the cut mangoes and mix thoroughly.

5.    Keep this for 7-8 days for the flavour to seep into mangoes.

6.    You can add a little bit of distilled vinegar if you like. It will help to keep the freshness.

7.    This is the Kerala mango achar.

17. Kuzhalappam (A Kerala Snack)

Ingredients:

·         1 kg: Rice flour, sifted

·         1/2 kg: Sugar

·         1 full: Coconut

·         1 cup: Red onion (shallots)

·         1/4 cup: Garlic

·         1 tsp: Cumin

·         10 gm: Cardamom

·         25 gm: Sesame seeds

·         Salt to taste

How to make:

1.    Grind together very well coconut, onions, garlic, cardamom, sugar to a fine paste and add salt to taste.

2.    Rice flour should be roasted well.

3.    Mix flour and ground paste. Add sesame seeds and cumin seeds also.

4.    Mix and knead well. Roll into small chappathis and paste two ends together, looking like a long cylinder.

5.    Deep fry in oil. Wrap in paper towels.

6.    This stays for a long time.

18. Idli

Ingredients:

·         4 cup: Long grain rice

·         2 cup: Uncle Ben's Converted rice

·         1 cup: Urad dal whole

·         Salt to taste

How to make:

1.    Soak the long grain rice for 6-7 hours and urad dal for an hour.

2.    Dry grind the Converted rice.

3.    Grind the soaked rice to a coarse paste & urad to a fine paste.

4.    Mix all three, add salt and let it ferment at least for a day.

5.    Steam them and serve hot with chutney or sambhar.

19. Masala Dosa

Ingredients:

·         2 cup: Rice - preferably parboiled

·         1/2 cup: Split and husked Black Gram (Dhuli Urad) - soaked with rice for 5-6 hours

·         1/2 tsp: Fenugreek Seeds

·         Oil to smear the pan for cooking the dosas

·         2 tsp: Salt

For Masala

·         500 gm (3 cups): Potatoes - boiled, peeled and cubed

·         1 1/2 cups: Onions - sliced not very thin

·         1/4 tsp: Powdered Turmeric

·         2-3: Green chillies - chopped coarsely (optional)

·         6-7 : Curry leaves or 1/2 tsp dried curry leaves

·         2 tbsp: Oil

·         1 tsp: Mustard seeds

·         2 tsp: Salt

·         1/2 cup: Water

How to make:

1.    Grind daal mixture together to a very smooth consistency. Add salt and enough water to make into a dropping consistency. Leave to ferment for about 5-6 hours, till a little spongy.

2.    If thickened too much, add a little water to thin a bit. Heat tawa, and brush oil over it. When really hot, splash a little water over it, and immediately pour batter onto it, spreading it thin, with a circular motion. This will have to be very swift and will need a bit of practice.

3.    After spreading the batter, lower the heat and dribble a little oil around the edges so that it seeps under the dosa. When edges start browning a bit, pass a flat spoon under it to ease the dosa off the pan.

4.    Put desired filling in the centre and fold the two edges over. Serve accompanied with sambhar and chutney

For the Masala Filling

1.      Heat the oil in a heavy based pan and add the mustard seeds, then onions, curry leaves and green chillies, and sauté over high heat till the onions are a little transparent.

2.    Add the salt and the turmeric and mix well before adding the potatoes. Turn the potatoes around till well mixed and add the water and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes.

20. Medu Vada

Ingredients:

·         1 cup: Urad dal

·         1 big piece: Ginger

·         3-4: Green chilli's

·         1/2 tsp: Pepper corns

·         1 tsp: Hing

·         A few: Curry leaves

·         Oil for deep frying

·         Salt to taste

How to make:

1.    Soak the urad dal in water for an hour.

2.    Grind to a paste all the ingredients except oil with as little oil as possible.

3.    Refrigerate the batter for an hour.

4.    Heat oil in deep pan for deep frying.

5.    Shape into Vadas and deep fry on both sides till brown.

6.    Serve hot.

21. Masala Vada

Ingredients:

·         1/2 cup: span itemprop="name">Toor Dal

·         1/2 cup: span itemprop="name">Channa Dal

·         1 tbsp:span itemprop="name"> Urad Dal

·         1 large: span itemprop="name">Onions (finely chopped)

·         5-6: span itemprop="name">Red Chillies

·         1" inch piece:span itemprop="name"> Ginger

·         A few: span itemprop="name">Curry leaves

·         Oil for deep frying

·         Salt to taste

How to make:

1.    Soak all dals together for an hour.

2.    Grind all ingredients except onions to a coarse paste.

3.    Heat oil for deep frying.

4.    Add onions to the paste.

5.    Shape like Vada and deep fry.

6.    Serve hot with ketchup or chutney.

22. Sambar

Sambar is amongst the most popular items in south India cuisine. Sambar is a spicy and aromatic preparation which has for years been liked by many people in India. Sambar is preferred by many and is taken mostly with idli, dosas and rice. Sambar is prepared using many different spices and vegetables. Presented below are the ingredients required for preparing sambar and method of preparation.

Ingredients:

·         Ingredients 'A'

o    1/2 fresh: Bitter gourd (pavakkai)

o    1 pc: Brinjal (egg plant)

o    1 pc: Drum Stick

o    4 pcs: Ladies finger

o    3-4: Red chillies (split into 2)

·         Ingredients 'B'

o    1 cup: Sambar dal (Red gram dal)

o    1sprig: Curry leaves

o    ½ tsp: Turmeric powder

o    1 cup: Water

·         Ingredients 'C'

o    Size of a golf ball: Tamarind

o    1sprig: Curry leaves

o    ¼ tsp: Asafoetida powder

o    1 tsp: Red chilli powder

o    ¼ tsp: Grated molasses

o    2 tbs: Coconut oil

o    Salt to taste

o    1 cup: Water

·         Ingredients 'D'

o    ¼ tsp: White gram dal

o    2 tbs: Dried coriander seeds

o    ¼ tsp: Fenugreek

o    4 no: Dried chilli

o    ½ tsp: Coconut oil

·         Ingredients 'E'

o    2 tsp: Coconut oil

o    2-3: Dried chillies split into two

o    1 tsp: Mustard

·         Ingredients 'F'

o    A few: Coriander leaves

How to make:

1.    Clean the vegetables and slice into long pieces.

2.    Wash the dal.

3.    Boil 3 cups of water and cook dal in it. Add turmeric powder and curry leaves into the dal. Keep it aside.

4.    Fry the ingredients D in ½ tsp coconut oil. Grind it to a smooth paste and keep aside.

5.    Mash the tamarind in 1 cup water and strain.

6.    Boil the tamarind water with red chilli powder, salt, curry leaves, asafoetida and molasses.

7.    When it boils, add 2tbs of coconut oil. Add the vegetables except the ladies finger into it. Cook till done and add the prepared dal into it.

8.    Bring to a boil and add the ladies finger and the ground masalas. Remove from fire after boiling.

9.    Season with mustard seeds and dried chillies. Sprinkle the Sambar with chopped coriander leaves.

Note: Various vegetables like potato, carrot, radish, tomato etc can also be added to the sambar.

23. Pal Payasam

Popularly known as Kheer, Payasam is a sweet and tasty recipe from south India cuisine. There are several varieties of payasam. Here we are making it with red rice. Typically it is a rice pudding prepared with sugar and boiled milk. Kheer or payasam is believed to be pious food hence prepared on house hold pujas as prasad.

Ingredients:

·         3 litres: Milk

·         700 gm: Sugar

·         180 gm: Dried red rice

How to make:

1.    Boil the milk.

2.    Add sugar and mix well.

3.    When it boils again, add the washed rice in it. Simmer in medium flame.

4.    Cook till the rice is done.

5.    Serve hot.

24. Coconut Chutney

Ingredients:

·         2 tsp: Urad dal

·         1 cup: Coconut Grated

·         2 : Red Chillies(dry)

·         1 tsp: Mustard seeds

·         1 small piece: Tamarind (dry)

·         1 tsp: Sugar

·         1 tsp: Hing

·         1 tbsp: Oil

·         Salt to taste

How to make:

1.    Grate the coconuts.
In a pan heat the oil and add 1 tsp of urad dal and chillies. Fry for a minute.

2.    Let it cool completely.

3.    Add tamarind, sugar, hing and coconut and grind it to a fine paste

4.    Do the seasoning with the other tsp of urad dal , mustard seeds in a tsp of oil.

5.    Enjoy with steaming plain rice.

25. Chettinad Chicken

Ingredients:

·         1 kg: Chicken

·         1 1/2 cup: Onion

·         1 cup: Tomato

·         20 cloves: Garlic

·         1 big piece: Ginger

·         2 tsp: Pepper

·         2 tsp: Cumin seeds

·         2 tsp: Fennel (Jeera)

·         ¼ cup: Coriander Powder

·         ½ small cup: Chilli Powder

·         Cloves (lavangam) as required

·         Tamarind as required

·         Salt to taste

·         5 tsp: Oil

How to make:

1.    Wash the chicken and cut to pieces.

2.    Mince garlic and ginger.

3.    Powder pepper, cumin seeds and fennel together.

4.    Fry the powders lightly and keep aside.

5.    Season cloves in oil in a frying pan, add onion and tomato.

6.    Sauté well adding minced garlic and ginger.

7.    Add chicken with little turmeric powder and cook for 10 minutes.

8.    Add chilli /coriander powders, salt and mix well.

9.    Pour 4 cups of water and boil.

10.  When chicken is half boiled, add the half fried pepper, cumin seed and fennel powder and mix well.

11.  When the gravy thickens to a paste, remove from fire.

12.  Serve hot.

26. Ven Pongal

Ven pongal is spicy version of pongal, the popular dish from South Indian cuisine. Prepared with rice, milk, green gram dal as main ingredients Ven Pongal is an ideal breakfast. Easy to cook and ready to serve, the recipe of Ven pongal is here 

Ingredients:

·         1 cup: Raw rice

·         ½ cup: Milk

·         1/3 cup: Green gram dal

·         11/2 tsp: Black pepper

·         1 tsp: Cumin seeds

·         1 tbs: Broken cashew nuts

·         1 tbs: Finely cut ginger (optional)

·         A few: Curry leaves

·         2 tbs: Ghee

·         5 cup: Water

·         Salt to taste

How to make:

1.    Wash rice and dal and cook them together in five cups of water for 10 minutes.

2.    Add salt, curry leaves and ginger with half a cup of milk. Simmer for a minute and remove from fire.

3.    Fry cashew nuts, pepper and cumin seeds in ghee.

4.    Pour this over the rice-dal mixture.

5.    Mix well and serve steaming hot with ghee on top.

27. Vegetable Uppama

Vegetable Uppama is an ideal snack from South Indian cuisine. It is colorful and tasty recipe with lot of nutrition value. Since different vegetables are used while cooking the veg Uppama its an ideal tiffin option for children. If your child doesn't like vegetables try some of them with vegetable uppama. We are sure he will like it. 

Ingredients:

·         150 gm: Semolina

·         100 ml: Curd

·         250 gm: Diced vegetables

·         2 medium size: Onion, sliced

·         1 large: Tomato (chopped)

·         ½ tsp: Skinned urad dal

·         ¼ tsp: Mustard seeds

·         ¼ tsp: Cumin seeds

·         1-2: Curry leaves

·         3-4 no: Chopped green chillies

·         2 tsp: Garlic paste

·         1 tsp: Ginger paste

·         2 tsp: Ground coconut

·         A pinch: Ground cloves

·         A pinch: Turmeric powder

·         2 tbsp: Chopped coriander

·         1 tsp: Lemon juice

·         4-6 tbsp: Oil

·         250 ml: Hot water

·         Salt to taste

How to make:

1.    Heat oil, fry dal, mustard and cumin seeds for 15 seconds.

2.    Add onions, curry leaves, chopped chillies, ginger, garlic, turmeric, salt and coconut paste. Stir and fry for 5 minutes.

3.    Add vegetables and tomato. Fry for 3-4 minutes. Add semolina.

4.    After 2-3 minute, pour in water and curd. Cook for 5 minutes until dry.

5.    Garnish with coriander and sharpen with lemon juice.

6.    Serve hot with rasam.

28. Mulaga Podi

Ingredients:

·         1 cup: Urad daal

·         7-9: Dry red chilli

·         1/4 tsp: Asafoetida

·         1 stalk: Curry leaves

·         1 tsp: Oil

·         1 tsp: Salt

How to make:

1.    Heat the oil in a pan and roast all the ingredients until golden brown. Take care that it doesn't get burnt. Cool it and powder it in a food processor.

2.    Store in air tight container for future use.

3.    It is an excellent side dish for dosa and idli when taken with ghee, coconut oil or sesame oil.

29. Coconut Burfi

Ingredients:

·         2 cups Scraped Coconut Shreds

·         1 cup Sugar

·         1-1/2 cup Water

·         2 tbsp Milk

·         1 tbsp Ghee

·         1/2 tsp Cardamom Powder

How to make:

1.    Gently fry the coconut shreds at a moderate temperature in a heated pan.

2.    Remove it from heat when the coconut milk moisture is somewhat lessened.

3.    Now boil water over moderate heat in a separate vessel.

4.    When the water boils, add the sugar and keep on stirring till the sugar water boils.

5.    Add milk to the boiling sugar syrup.

6.    Add the fried coconut shreds to it, when the sugar syrup reaches a thick syrupy stage .

7.    Stir constantly till the coconut and sugar syrup are blended thickly and stickily together.

8.    Now add ghee and cardamom seeds powder.

9.    Stir till the mixture looks thick.

10.  Remove from the heat and pour into a ghee-smeared table or plate.

11.  With the help of an oiled flat slice flatten the surface evenly .

12.  When cold, cut into squares or diamond shapes and serve.

30. Coconut Ladoo

 

Coconut ladoos, as the name suggests, are balls made out of coconut, which is combined with suji (semolina) and sugar. The basic recipe remains the same, which makes it easy to learn and try. Moreover, it is a simple recipe that doesn't consume much time. While coconut ladoo is generally made by using generous amounts of ghee (clarified butter), you can also ensure a similar taste, by using condensed milk. Here is a recipe to prepare coconut ladoo. 

Ingredients:

·         300 grams Fresh Grated Coconut

·         1 tin Condensed Milk

·         200 grams Suji (Semolina)

·         200 grams Powdered Sugar

How to make:

1.    Dry-roast the semolina in a kadhai.

2.    Take it out and keep it aside as soon as it starts to get slightly brown.

3.    Add one cup grated coconut in the semolina.

4.    Keep the rest to wrap the ladoos for later on. Let the mixture cool a bit.

5.    Mix the ground sugar after a while and add 3/4 tin milkmaid and mix well.

6.    Now add all the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

7.    Make small balls of the mixture.

8.    Roll the ladoo in the dry coconut powder which was kept aside earlier.

9.    Keep in refrigerator once done.

10.  Serve delicious Coconut Ladoo

31. Beetroot Halwa

Beetroot Halwa is a relishing Indian desert. It can be served as a dessert, snack or as a sweet dish with a main meal. The most comforting aspect of this dessert is that it can be used within a week. So here is an easy recipe to prepare Beetrot Halwa.

Ingredients:

·         1 kg peeled off, washed & finely grated Beetroot

·         8 Cashew Nuts

·         2 tbsp Ghee

·         1/2 liter boiled Milk

·         8 Raisins

·         2-1/2 cups Sugar

·         2 to 3 cups of Water (sufficient to boil the beetroot)

How to make:

1.    Take a shallow pan (kadahi) and pour water into it.

2.    Add grated beetroot to the pan.

3.    Cover the pan with a lid and simmer well until water gets evaporated.

4.    Now add sugar and half of the milk to the pan.

5.    Stir constantly until the mixture achieves a thick consistency.

6.    Add ghee and stir well.

7.    Add the remaining milk and simmer again for just 1-2 minutes on low heat.

8.    Take off the pan from heat.

9.    Transfer the halwa in a plate.

10.  Garnish with cashew nuts and raisins.

11.  Hot and delicious Beetroot Halwa is ready to be served.