Mathanga Erissery / Pumpkin Erissery

Erissery is an essential part of Kerala Sadya or Onam Sadya. Erissery can be cooked with different ingredients like mathanga, chena, Kaya or it can be cooked with a combination of vanpayar too. The cooking method will be the same in all. Here is how I make Mathanga Erissery....

Mathanga Erissery / Pumpkin Erissery

Ingredients:

Mathanga / Pumpkin - 2 cups, diced

Green chilly - 1, chopped
Salt to taste
Grind Together:

Grated coconut - ½ cup
Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp
Green chillies - 3
Cumin seeds - ½ tsp
Garlic - 1 clove
For Tempering:

Coconut Oil - 1 ½ tbsp
Mustard seeds - ½ tsp
Dried red chillies - 2, torn into 2 pieces 
Curry leaves - 2 strands

Small onion / Chumannulli - 3-4, sliced

Ginger - ½ tsp, chopped

Grated coconut - 1 tablespoon 

Method:

• Cook mathanga / pumpkin with chopped green chilly, salt and enough water. Mash pumpkin well with the back of a spoon.
• Grind coconut and all the other ingredients to a fine paste. Add ground paste to the cooked Pumpkin, Let it cook on low flame for 5-8 mins. Remove from heat.
• Heat oil in another pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add small onion, red chillies, curry leaves, ginger and coconut and fry till brown. 
• Pour this over the erissery, mix well and serve hot with rice. 

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Chicken Butter Masala / Murgh Makhani Masala Recipe

Chicken Butter Masala is a healthier version of Butter Chicken without compromising taste.... I adapted this recipe from the Paneer Butter Masala recipe I posted long back. This doesn’t have much cream or butter in it and we can reduce or completely omit it if you make this on a regular basis. Usually when I make it just for us, I never add cream and always reduce butter to half; trust me it still tastes great :)....

Chicken Butter Masala / Murgh Makhani Masala Recipe

Ingredients:

Chicken  - 500 gms cut into 1” cubes (I used boneless chicken)

Turmeric Powder - ½ tsp

Onion - 2 medium, sliced thin

Chilly powder - 2 tsp

Ginger paste - 1 ½  tsp

Garlic paste - 1 ½  tsp

Tomato - 2 big, pureed to a fine paste in a blender

Fresh Cream - ¼ cup

Cashew nuts - 25gm (soaked in little water & grind to a fine paste)

Garam masala - 1 tsp

Sugar - 1 tsp

Roasted Cumin powder / Jeera powder - ½ tsp

Fenugreek leaves /Kasoori methi leaves - 2 tsp

Salt to taste

Butter - 2tbsp

Oil -1 tbsp

Tomato sauce - 2 tbsp

Water - 1 ½ cups

Coriander leaves - ¼ cup, finely chopped

Red food colour - 2 drops (I didn’t use it)

Method:

• Marinate chicken pieces with turmeric powder and little salt and keep aside for ½ hour. 
• Heat 1 tbsp oil in a non-stick pan and add sliced onion and sauté until translucent and soft (no need to brown the onions). Grind the sautéed onions to a fine paste and keep aside.
• Heat butter in a pan and add onion paste, ginger and garlic paste and sauté for 5 minutes. Lower the heat and add chilly powder and stir well. Add pureed tomato and tomato sauce and sauté well till the mixture becomes thick and oil starts separates from the masala.
• Add marinated chicken pieces and sauté well for 6-8 minutes.
• Add ground cashew nut paste, cumin powder, garam masala and kasoori methi leaves and salt.
• Add 1 ½ cups of hot water and boil the mixture for 3 minutes. Add food colour if using. Reduce the heat and simmer the mixture for 10-15 minutes or until the gravy is little thick and chicken pieces are cooked well.
• Finally add cream and coriander leaves mix well and turn off the heat. 
• Serve hot with Indian flat breads or rice.

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Nadan Parippu Curry / Kerala Dal Curry

Parippu curry is a typical Kerala side dish for rice and also one of the main dish of Kerala Sadya or Onam Sadya. I usually make parippu curry with toor dal, but some people make it with Moong dal (cherupayar parippu / split yellow gram). If using moong dal, you have to dry roast it first to enhance the flavour and then cook in a pressure cooker.  If Parippu curry is served with hot rice, pappad and ghee you don’t need any other curry for rice.

Nadan Parippu Curry / Kerala Dal Curry

Ingredients:

Toor Dal / Thuvara Parippu - 1 cup

A pinch of turmeric powder

Grind Together:

Grated Coconut - ½ cup

Cumin seeds / Jeerakom - ½ tsp

Shallots / Chumannulli - 2

Garlic – 1 clove

Green Chillies - 3-4

For Tempering:

Coconut Oil - 2 tsp

Ghee -2 tsp

Mustard Seeds / Kaduku - ½ tsp

Shallots / Chumannulli - 2, sliced

Curry Leaves - 2 strands

Red Chillies - 2, torn into 2 pieces

Method:

• Grind coconut with the rest of the ingredients adding 3 to 4 table spoons water to a smooth paste and keep aside.
• Pressure cook washed toor dal with 3 cups of water and a pinch of turmeric powder for 8 whistles on medium flame.  Once done, mash well to a smooth paste with the back of a spoon.
• Add ground paste, salt and enough water to the mashed dal. Let it cook on low flame for 5-8 mins. Remove from heat.
• Heat oil and ghee in another pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add small onion, curry leaves and red chillies. Fry till small onion becomes golden brown. Remove from fire and pour everything over cooked dal. Mix well.
• Serve with rice and pappad and a drizzle of some ghee.

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Palak Paneer / Indian Cottage Cheese in Spinach Gravy

Palak Paneer is a popular paneer dish served in road side dhabas and in restaurants. Lightly fried paneer is cooked in a pureed spinach-tomato gravy. Goes well with boiled rice, chapathi or Nan.

Palak Paneer / Indian Cottage Cheese in Spinach Gravy

(Recipe adapted from NitaMehta's Paneer All the way)

Ingredients: 

Paneer (Indian Cottage Cheese) - 200 gms, cut in to 1" cubes

Palak (Spinach) - 1/2kg (1 bunch)

Onions - 2

Ginger - 1" piece

Garlic  - 5 cloves

Tomatoes - 2 medium, chopped

Green chillies - 2, chopped

Red chilly powder -1 tsp

Cardamom powder - ¼  tsp

Ghee - 3 tbsp

Salt to taste

Method:

• Wash and chop palak. Cook with 1/2 cup water for 10 minutes on low flame after the first boil. Cool and grind to a smooth paste.
• Grind onions, garlic and ginger together.
• Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a non-stick pan and slightly fry cubed paneer. Drain and keep aside.
• Heat rest of ghee in the same pan. Add onion paste and cook till onions turns golden and ghee separates.
• Add chopped tomatoes and green chillies. Cook for 5-6 minutes on slow fire, till ghee separates.
• Add ground palak, add a little water if too thick.
• Cook for 6-8 minutes on slow fire. Add salt.
• Add cardamom powder and fried paneer. Mix well and remove from fire.
• At the time of serving, heat 1 tbsp ghee,add 1 tsp red chilly powder. Remove from fire and pour this over the heated palak paneer.
• Mix well and serve at once with Rice,Chapathi, Paratha or Nan

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Kerala Chicken Stew Recipe / Kozhi Stew

Stew or Ishtew is a mildly spicy and creamy Kerala special delicacy which goes very well with appam,bread, puttu, chapathi etc. In most Kerala Christian families, Christmas or Easter breakfast is incomplete without appam and chicken or mutton stew. Stew has to be white in colour and you have to make sure not to brown the onion while sautéing. Cashew nut paste will enhance the flavor and make the gravy thick and creamy.

Kerala Chicken Stew Recipe / Kozhi Stew
Ingredients: 

Chicken - ½ kg (cut in to medium pieces, I used boneless chicken)

Potato - 1 small, cubed

Carrot - 1 small, cubed

Onion - 1, thinly sliced

Green chillies - 4, slit

Ginger - 1 tsp, finely chopped

Garlic - 1 tsp, finely chopped

Cinnamon sticks - 1 inch x2 pieces

Cardamom - 4

Cloves - 4

Black peppercorns - 1 tsp

Medium thick coconut milk - 3 cups

Thick coconut milk - 1 cup

Cashew nuts - 6 - 8 ground to a fine paste

Curry leaves - few

Salt - to taste

Coconut oil - 2 tbsp

Method:

• Heat oil in a pan and add cinnamon sticks, cardamom, cloves, black peppercorns and sauté. Add onion, ginger, garlic and green chillies and curry leaves and stir fry until they becomes soft and translucent. (make sure not to brown the onion).
• Add chicken pieces and stir fry for 2-3 minutes until the meat is lightly seared.
• Add cubed potatoes and carrots, medium think coconut milk and salt, and cook for 15-20 minutes over medium heat until the chicken, carrot and potatoes are fully cooked.
• Add cashew nut paste, thick coconut milk and vinegar, mix well and simmer for 2 minutes or until you get the required thickness.
• Serve hot with palappam, vellayappam, Idiyappam, Puttu, Chapathi or bread.

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Fish Tikka

Tried this recipe after seeing a popular cookery show, Annie’s Kitchen.  It came out really well so thought of sharing it with you. You can either grill or bake tikkas in the oven, use an electric toaster grill or on stove top. It’s a very easy and hassle free recipe. You can marinate the fish pieces and keep it overnight in the fridge before grilling. It is a perfect recipe to serve as a starter or as a main or side dish. A great addition to a party menu :) :) ...

Fish Tikka

Ingredients:

Boneless Fish - 1kg {can use Neymeen (Seer fish),  Motha (King fish) or any thick boneless fish pieces}

Onion -1 cup, cut into 1 ½“pieces

Tomato -1 cup, cut into 1 ½“pieces (remove seeds)

Capscium – 1 cup, cut into 1 ½“pieces

Butter – 3 tbsp

For the marinade:

Ginger paste - 2 tsp

Garlic paste – 2 tsp

Green chilly paste- 4 tsp

Mint leaves paste – 2 tsp

Ajwain powdered / Ayamodakam podi -1 tsp

Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

Dried fenugreek leaves / Kasoori methi- ½ tsp

Lightly roasted Besan/ chickpea flour/ kadala maavu - 2 tsp

Hung Curd (yogurt) - 4 tsp

Vegetable oil – 1 tbsp

Lemon juice -2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Method:

• Cut into 1 ½ inch pieces and rub the fish with little salt and vinegar to remove the fishy odour. Keep aside for 5 minutes. Wash well and pat dry on a kitchen towel.
• Mix all the marinade ingredients in a big bowl and add fish pieces and mix well to coat all the marinade to the fish pieces. Keep aside for half hour. (you can keep this marinated fish overnight in the fridge).
• Just before grilling, add onion, capsicum and tomato pieces to the marinated fish and well.
• Skewer the fish and vegetables alternately on skewers or tooth picks.
• If you are using an oven, place the skewered tikkas on the wire rack. Brush tikkas with melted butter and grill for 10-15 minutes overturning them every few minutes.
• If you are using stove top, melt little butter in a non-stick tava, add skewered fish tikkas and grill on medium flame until all sides are lightly browned and fish is cooked well.
• Serve hot decorated with lemon wedges and pudina chutney or sauce.

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Chemmen Mulaku Curry with Thenga Kothu / Kerala Konju Curry / Kerala Style Prawn Curry with Coconut Pieces

Chemmen Mulaku curry is a very easy to make Kerala delicacy. Prawns are cooked along with coconut pieces, kudam puli and masala. Shallots, coconut pieces and Coconut oil are a must for making this curry to capture the authentic taste. Coconut oil (pacha velichenna) poured on top of the cooked curry enhances the taste. A true Keralite will indulge this spicy prawn curry with rice; it is also one of my favorite prawn dish.

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Chemmen Ularthiyathu with Thenga Kothu / Kerala Style Prawn Roast with Coconut Pieces

This is another version of the Prawn Roast I had posted earlier. Prawn is briefly cooked with coconut pieces and masalas and is then roasted in coconut oil. This is a famous dish of the "Shappu Kada" (Toddy shops) across Kerala. This dried and spicy prawn dish goes very well with rice and moru curry, as a side dish or as a wrap with chapathi and is also a great cocktail snack along with thengin kallu (coconut toddy), or with scotch or beer. Do try this for Christmas or New Year and let me know which way you liked it :) :)

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Chemmen Ularthiyathu / Kerala Style Prawn Roast with Tomatoes

Prawn / Shrimp Roast is a famous Syrian Christian dish which can be prepared very quickly. Prawn is cooked in their own juices along with spices, tomatoes and a small piece of kudampuli (kokum). Prawns absorb all the flavours which give a nice spicy dry dish that goes really well with a bowl of steaming rice and morucurry, Palappam or chapathi

Chemmen Ularthiyathu / Kerala Style Prawn Roast with Tomatoes

Ingredients:

Cleaned Prawns / Shrimps – 250 gm

Onion – 1 medium, sliced (can replace with chumannulli / shallots)

Ginger paste – 2 tsp

Garlic paste – 1 tbsp

Tomatoes – 2 medium, chopped

Chilly powder – ¾ to 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

Coriander powder – 1 tsp

Pepper powder – ¾  tsp

Garam masala – 1 tsp

Coconut oil – 2 tbsp

Kudampuli / Kokum -1 small piece, soaked in ¼ cup of water

Curry leaves - few

Coriander leaves, chopped – 1 tbsp (optional)

Salt to taste

Method:

• Heat oil in a pan, add sliced onion and fry until light golden brown. Add ginger paste and garlic paste and fry again for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add chopped tomatoes and curry leaves and sauté well.
• Add the chilly powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and pepper powder and sauté until oil separates.
• Add kudampuli along with its soaked water, prawns and salt and sauté over medium heat until prawns are cooked and well coated with tomato mixture.
• Sprinkle the garam masala and coriander leaves over the prawns and stir well and remove from heat.

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Nadan Mutta Roast / Kerala Style Egg Roast

Mutta (Motta) Roast is a very popular side dish of Kerala, which can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner!.... A very simple, easy to make side dish usually served with Palappam, Vellayappam, Idiyappam or Puttu for breakfast or as a side dish for chapathi or porotta for dinner or as a quick fix when guests shows up unexpectedly :) :) … Mutta Roast is also a very popular item in “thattukada” or road side eatery ….  Mutta roast can be used as a stuffing to make Mutta Puffs :)…

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Kerala Style Beetroot Pachadi / Beetroot in Yogurt and Coconut Gravy

Wishing you all a Very Happy and Prosperous Onam :) :)

It is Onam today and I was hoping to post some Onam sadhya recipes at least this time around!  But as usual just after summer vacation I was trying hard to settle down here.... School re-opened for my son and they are getting ready for their first semester exams by next week....  So in between all this, I didn’t even get time to update the blog which was idle for the last 2 months.... I tried my best to reply to the comments and queries, but if I have missed any please let me know.... Today I thought of sharing the recipe of Beetroot Pachadi the way I make it. I don’t know if it is the traditional way.... Some people don’t add coconut, but somehow I like pachadi this way.... Here is a list of a very few Onam special recipes I have posted earlier, if in case you are searching for any :)....

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Uppumanga Chalichathu / Salted Mango with Shallots, Chillies and oil

A tongue tickling chutney made with Uppumanga (Salted Mangoes in Brine). It is great when you do not have much side dishes for rice or kanji and also a great substitute for pickle too.... This dish gives a distant taste when sour and salty mangoes mixed with shallots, green chillies and oil..... Heavenly dish for Keralites with kanji....

Uppumanga Chalichathu / Salted Mango with Shallots, Chillies and oil

Recipe Source: Mrs. K. M. Mathew

Ingredients:

Salted Mangoes in brine – 2

Shallots / Chumannulli – 6 to 8, cut into thin slices

Green Chillies – 3, cut into thin rounds

Curry leaves – few, chop the leaves fine

Coconut Oil – 1 tsp

Method:

• Smash the salted mangoes with hand (If not soft enough cut it into fine pieces).
• Add chopped ingredients and oil to the mango.
• Mix well with hand and transfer into a serving bowl.
• Serve with rice or kanji.

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Pork Vindaloo Recipe

Pork Vindaloo, is a hot and spicy dish popular in Goa and also amongst Christians in Kerala. It’s a very spicy dish and is served on special occasions like Christmas, Easter, engagement and baptism ceremonies. Like in any other recipe there are many different versions of this recipe. Some recipes add fried potatoes towards the end of cooking; I did not do so but if you wish you can add cubed and fried potatoes towards the end of cooking.  Vindaloo tastes better when served the following day and it goes well with breads, Palappam, Vellayappam, Sannas and all kinds of Indian breads and rice.  And for those who don’t like pork you can substitute with Beef, Chicken or Lamb....

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Kerala Style Potato Stew / Urulakizhangu Stew

Potato Stew is a very easy and simple dish of Kerala that goes well with Appam, Poori, Chapathi, Puttu, Idiyappam,  or even with plain bread.... I have posted another Vegetable Stew earlier with strong and spicy flavors with darker hues due to the masalas used in it, whereas this one has a more subtle flavor.... Here is how we make Potato stew in our homes.... 

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Uppumanga Curry (Salted Mangoes in Coconut Gravy)

A traditional vegetarian side dish of Kerala made with Uppumanga / salted mangoes in brine..... I made this curry following the same recipe of Chakkakuru Manga curry .... A plate of boiled rice with this curry, a piece of fish fry and some stir fried vegetable is bliss for lunch! 

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Saucy Paneer Recipe

Since it is the Lent Season vegetarian recipes are much in demand.... deciding the daily menu without any non-veg dish is challenging for a Christian family :D.... Since Paneer is loved by almost all I thought of sharing this Saucy Paneer recipe with you today.... with just a couple of sauces you can make this curry very quickly and it goes well with fried rice, noodles or even with chapathi.....  If you don’t have 8 to 8 sauce at home you can easily omit it or substitute with sweet and sour sauce like I do when I run out.... Instead of paneer you can also use Tofu for a vegan version..... Check out the other Paneer recipes I posted earlier too.....

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Kerala Style Pork Fry / Nadan Panniyearchi Ularthiyathu

For special occasions like Easter or Christmas, meat is an inevitable dish in Kerala Christian homes, especially Erachi Ularthiyathu / Meat stir fried! I was surprised that I had not posted a Kerala meat fry recipe even after 5+ years of blogging!! It is because whenever I make meat, it does not last long enough to take pictures and also for such common recipes I have wondered about the need to post as almost everybody knows how to make it :).... But now a days I have been getting many requests for such recipes and hence I will make it a point to post those common Kerala recipes.....If you have any such requests do let me know :).... 

Pork is an absolute favorite of mine… I know a lot of you may be thinking while reading this as to how I could possibly think of eating Pork during Lent ;)....  Sorry guys I made this dish quite some time back and somehow delayed posting it.... Whenever I get hold of Pork, I tend to make Pork Veengali and this time for a change I made it like Kerala Beef fry..... Every home has their own way of making erachi ularthiyathu and this is how we make it at home.... If you are a Pork lover do try this and enjoy it with rice, appam, chapathi, bread or as a short eat with your favorite brand of rum/brandy/whiskey/toddy like a true Achayan (malayali Christian guy) way :D :D

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Kappa Masala / Kerala-Style Tapioca Masala Recipe

Kappa Masala is a new dish for me.... Back home we always used to make Kappa Puzhugiyathu, or Kappa Curry and Kappa Mathi Puzhukku with ground coconut and spices in it... This kappa masala does not have coconut and it’s a dry preparation like mezhukkupuratti....This can be eaten as a snack on it’s own,with tea or as a side dish with boiled rice.... I am part of the Kerala Kitchen group on FB and I made this dish especially for the group.... This recipe was adapted from Edible Garden, who is hosting the Kerala Kitchen cookout this month. So here is how I made this very easy Kappa Masala...

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Pepper Chicken Masala

There are many different Pepper Chicken recipes; some are dry and some with little gravy…. Even I have a couple of different recipes … This recipe I got from my aunt and ever since I have been making this at least once a month… This goes very well with Indian pulavs and flat breads… Addition of coconut milk makes this curry very creamy…

My friend Bharathy of Spicy Chilly is hosting her first giveaway event along with CupoNatin… If you would like to participate in this giveaway and win exciting prizes check out her site and send in a spicy dish;  I am sending this spicy Pepper Chicken Masala to her… I love shopping through Flipkart…

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Nadan Kozhi Mappas / Chicken Mappas / Kerala Chicken Curry in Creamy Coconut Sauce

Kozhi Mappas or Chicken Mappas is a typical Syrian Christian delicacy, which is very common in Kerala Christian homes....Chicken cooked in a spiced creamy coconut milk and served with Palappam or Vellayappam is a regular breakfast in Christian families especially on occasions like Christmas, Easter and is also one of the items in ceremonies like Othukalyanam (Engagements), Weddings, Baptism etc... Back home we used to add potato and carrot along with the chicken and these veggie pieces cooked along with chicken in the gravy tastes delicious! You can make different versions of Mappas by substituting chicken with egg, mutton, beef, fish, duck or with vegetables like Broccoli, cauliflower, ladies finger, bread fruit etc…. Chicken mappas can be served with Palappam, Vellayappam, Chapathi, Idiyappam, Puttu or even with plain boiled rice with spiced yogurt.... 

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