Paal Paayasam

Wishing a Happy Onam to all...

Onashamsakal.... 

No festival is incomplete without a grand feast which ends with a sweet, So today being Onam, i prepared a simple paayasam, Paal Paaaysam.Whereever malayalees are there , they will definitely celebrate it with a grand Kerala Sadya. So wishing you a Happy Onam to all...
I have prepared a simple Onam Sadya also we made pookalam at home.

 Pookkalam

Kerala Sadya

Recipe for Paal Paayasam
Ingredients

1. Kaima rice/Jeerakashala rice/Basmathi Rice - 2 cups
2. Water - 4 cups
3. Milk - 1 1/2 Litre
4. Sugar - 2 cups (the sweetness of my sugar was less)
5. Cardamom powder - 1/4 Tsp
6. Ghee - 1 Tbsp
7. Cashew Nuts - 10 to 15 slit
8. Raisins - 2 Tbsp

Preparation

• Wash and drain water from rice. In a pressure cooker, add rice and water. Cook for 4 whistles on medium flame. Once done off the flame and allow the pressure to release.Transfer this to a bowl.
• In the same cooker boil milk and cook on low flame.Let it reduce to 1 liter.
• Add sugar and mix well until sugar dissolves.Add the cooked rice and mix well. If lumps are there just mash it using a spoon.
• Now add cardamom powder. Switch off the flame and remove from fire.
• Heat ghee in a pan , fry cashew nuts and raisins till golden brown. Pour this on to paayasam and mix well.
• Serve it hot or cold.

Note

• The payasam thickens with time so switch it off accordingly.
• Addition of cardamom powder is optional.
• Also tempering cashew nuts and raisins in ghee is optional. You can directly add it.

Puli Inji

Puli Inji, a sweet and sour pickle or sauce in an essential finger-licking side dish served as part of Kerala Sadya.This is a sweet and sour ginger pickle from Kerala where ginger is cooked in a sweet and tangy tamarind sauce.Though there are many side dishes prepared for sadya like avialy, Kootu Curry, Kaalan, Olan, Saambhar,pickle,etc... no sadya is served without puliy inji.This is the first dish which i will prepare a week before Onam comes....The first lick on this tangy sauce makes your taste buds stand up and enjoy your meal.This is awesome.Each home it is prepared in differently fried ginger , tamarind and jaggery being the stars of this dish. This comes in the category of 'thodu curry's. So do prepare this to have a complete authentic meal from Kerala.

Ingredients

1. Ginger skin removed and sliced - 3/4 cup
2. Tamarind - 2 lime size balls soaked in 1 cup warm water
3. Green Chilli - 3 chopped
4. Curr Leaves - 2 Sprigs
5. Mustard Seeds - 1 Tsp
6. Dry Red Chilli - 3
7. Jaggery / Sharkara grated - 3/4 cup
8. Water - 1 cup
9. Turmeric powder - 1 Tsp
10. Red chilli powder - 1 Tbsp
11. Asafoetida/ Kaayam - 1/4 Tsp 
12. Fenugreek/ Uluva/Methi seeds - 1 Tsp
13. Salt - as needed
14. Coconut Oil - as required

Preparation

• Heat an earthen pot / non- stick sauce pan (not iron pan),  add coconut oil,splutter mustard seeds, then add dry red chilli and 1 sprig of curry leaves .
• Add green chilli and sliced ginger and fry nicely to golden brown. Keep aside.

• Squeeze the soaked tamarind,extract the juice and keep aside.
• In the same pot/pan add grated jaggery, tamarind extract, water, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, asafoetida,1 sprig of curry leaves and salt. Mix well.
• Let it boil and cook on low flame,till the gravy thickens and reduce to pulpy texture.

• Now add the fried ginger mix, kept aside and mix well and remove from heat.
• Heat a pan, add fenugreek seeds and dry roast it. Immediately powder it using a mortar. Add this to the prepared tangy sauce. Mix well.

• Let it cool and reach room temperature before store it in air tight container. You can serve it after one hour of preparation. If stored properly will last for 3 weeks.

Cucumber (Kakkarikka) Pachadi | A Special Side Dish for Onam Sadya

  

Cucumber(Kakkarikka) Pachadi is an authentic Kerala festive recipe, made during the festive seasons of Onam,Vishu and even served for wedding sadya's in Kerala.
I love and like to make this pachadi as it has a very good flavour and very easy to make.Hope you too try this for Onam...

 

Ingredients

1. Cucumber(Kakkarikka) - 1 Big
2. Grated coconut - 3/4 Cup
3. Mustard Seeds - 1/4 Tsp
4. Ginger chopped - 1/2 Tsp
5. Green chilli - 2
6. Yogurt -1/2 Cup
7. Jeera powder  / cumin powder - 1/4 Tsp
8. Curry Leaves - 4 to 5 leaves
9. Salt - as needed

To Temper

1. Coconut Oil - 1 Tbsp
2. Mustard seeds - 1 Tsp
3. Curry Leaves - 1 Sprig
4. Dry red chilli - 3

Preparation

• Wash  and peel the skin of cucumber.Grate it to fine shreds as shown in figure. Add some salt and mix well. Keep for 5 minutes.

• In a mixer grind to a smooth paste of coconut, green chilli, ginger,mustard seeds. Add in yogurt and mix well.

• Drain the salt water from shredded cucumber and add the coconut - yogurt paste. Mix well. Sprinkle jeera powder and curry leaves , mix properly. The pachadi should be quite thick and not watery. 

• Heat oil to temper, add in mustard seeds, let it crackle and dry red chillies, curry leaves. Pour this onto the pachadi.
• Serve as a side dish for rice at lunch.

Beetroot Pachadi | A Kerala Sadya Recipe | Kerala Onam Special Recipe

Pachadi is one of the special traditional side dishes that is served during festivals , especially )Onam ,Vishu and also during Hindu marriages.The use of vegetables and even fruits vary so much and also in their taste. The main ingredient being freshly grated coconut ground to smooth paste along with ginger, green chillies, and mustard seeds and yogurt and is mixed with variety of raw or cooked vegetables.  

Today i made Beetroot Pachadi , which is a bit sweet in taste. This was on my list from quite sometime.The final verdict from my family was "Delicious", i loved the rich colour that Pachadi had was truly amazing to have with rice.

Ingredients

1. Finely chopped or grated beetroot - 1 cup
2. Water - 1 cup
3. Grated coconut (grind o smooth paste) - 3/4 cup (I had previously made coconut paste was 1/2 cup)
4. Green Chilly - 2
5. Chopped ginger - 1/4 Tsp
6. Mustard Seeds - 1/4 Tsp 
7. Yogurt - 1/2 cup
8. Salt - as needed

To Temper

1. Coconut Oil/ Oil - 1 Tbsp
2. Mustard Seeds - 1/2 Tsp
3. Dry Red Chilli - 2
4. Curry Leaves - 1 Sprig

Preparation

• Cook grated beetroots in 1 cup of water till it turns soft. It takes just around 4-5 minutes to cook the beetroot. Cook until all the water get absorbed. Cook on medium flame. (Be careful not to get burnt beetroot.)

• Meanwhile grind the grated coconut, green chilli, mustard seeds and ginger to a smooth paste. 
• Add in yogurt and grind just once.
• Add this grind paste to the cooked beetroot, also add salt and cook for a couple of minutes.(i cooked for 1 minute on sim flame).Remove from flame.

• Heat oil for tempering, add curry leaves and mustard seeds. When mustard seeds starts to sizzle and pop add the dry red chilli halves into it.
• Pour this on to the pachadi and mix well.

 

Do check out my Special Pineapple Pachadi - Kerala Style  
and Pineapple Pachadi - Kerala Sadya Style

Thakkali Rasam ~ Tomato Rasam~South Indian Tangy Tomatao Soup

Tomato or Thakkali Rasam is one of the soothing and comforting dish that anybody can have during this rainy and chilling weather with some hot rice. This is one of the simple rasam recipe that one can make.There are different varieties of rasam, like pepper rasam, parippu rasam, puli rasam , etc. It is usually made with tomato and tamarind. The sour and a bit spicy taste of spices should be prominent in this dish.I don't like making rasam with instant rasam powder, though it taste's good, but not as we prepare with crushing and tempering.. It has a very unique tastes of its own.

This time tomatoes came to my house in different shapes and sizes, all we looking so cute, so i thought of clicking a photo of those cute little ones...

I love having tomato rasam with hot rice and daal curry with pappad. In this recipe i don't even mash the potatoes, as they well cooked and while adding the spices, i simply crush them with my mortar...Oh.. i cant explain the aroma that comes, when i crush them... the smell of the coriander seeds...wow!!!  

Serves (4-5)
Ingredients

1. Tomato   - 3 Large
2. Shallots big  - 5
3. Cumin Seeds      - 1/4 Tsp
4. Coriander seeds - 1/4 Tsp
5. Garlic      - 5 
6. Peppercorns  - 1/2 Tsp
7. Turmeric powder  - 1/4 Tsp
8. Tamarind / tamarind paste - 1 1/4 Tsp
9. Water - 2 1/2 cups (appx.)
10. Salt - as per taste
11. Coriander Leaves  - 1 Tbsp

Tempering :

1. Coconut Oil/ Ghee - 1 Tbsp
2. Shallots/ onion - 1/2 Tsp
3. Mustard Seeds - 1/2 Tsp
4. Dry Red Chilly  - 2
5. Curry Leaves - 2 twigs
6. Asafoetida (Kaayam)- 2-3 pinches 

Preparation

• Coarsely grind/ or just one twist in a mixer shallots, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, garlic and peppercorns.
• In a bowl add the cut tomatoes, water and tamarind paste. Bring it to a nice boil(tomatoes should be a bit mushy).
• Once it starts boiling,add the coarsely ground ingredients and powders and salt.
• When it boils stir well for 2 minutes till the taste of all ingredients fuse together completely. Off the flame and add coriander leaves.
• In a separate small pan, heat oil. When the oil is hot enough, crackle mustard seeds, red chilly ,curry leaves and onion/shallots. Sauté for few seconds till it leaves the aroma. Off the flame and add asafoetida. Pour it to the prepared rasam. Serve hot.
• Enjoy hot Rasam with rice...

Special Pineapple Pachadi - Kerala Style

Hi friends.... i think it is now almost two months that i have not been blogging. After i was back from Kerala.. i was feeling really lazy to type , post and even cook special for m blog.Did i really ignore my blog??? i feel yes.I wanted to cook some dishes and post for Vishu, but unfortunately at home here was no internet connection for a month. I have prepared this special pineapple pachadi for Vishu,(luckily i took these beautiful clicks) which i had written it down in my cook book long back. It is really a special one...the sweet and sour blend of pineapple and plantain just lifts your taste buds, also it has the richness of the added dry nuts in it.

This can also be served a dip too..

Ingredients

1. Ripe Pineapple - 1 Big
2. Ripe Plantain(Kerala Banana) - 1/2 of 1 Big One
3. Turmeric powder - 1/4 Tsp
4. Red Chilli powder - 1 1/2 Tsp
5. Salt - as needed
6. Water - as needed
7. Sugar - 1/2 cup
8. Cashew Nuts - 25 gms
9. Grapes - 1/4 cup
10. Mustard - 1/2 Tsp
11. Grated Coconut - 1/4 cup
12. Crushed Mustard Seeds- 1/4 Tsp

To Temper

1. Coconut Oil (Must) - 1 Tbsp
2. Mustard Seeds - 1/4 Tsp
3. Dry Red Chilly - 3
4. Curry Leaves - 2 to 3 Sprigs
5. Raisins - 1 Tbsp

Preparation

• Cut pineapple into very fine pieces.Cut the plantain into two from the middle lengthwise and then cut into small pieces.
• In a sauce pan, put both pineapple and plantain. Then to it add turmeric powder , red chilly powder and salt. Add a cup of water to it. Mix well.Then cook it closed. In between give a stir.
• Add water if not enough to cook to soft.
• When it is cooked and water is absorbed, add sugar and cashew nuts to it.
• Stir it continuously on medium flame.You can see that the sugar is getting caramelized and colour changes(let it be light brown in colour).When it is dried remove from heat and let it cool.
• In the meanwhile, in a mixer just crushed grated coconut and mustard seeds.
• Wash the grapes and wipe with a cloth.
• Now when the pineapple-plantain mix is cooled add the coconut mix and grapes to it and mix gently and combine.
• To temper heat a kadai, add coconut oil,when hot, add mustard seeds,let it crackle
• Add dry red chilly , curry leaves and raisins. When raisins puff up , off the flame and pour this over to the curry.Mix well.
• Finally add the crushed mustard seeds.
• Serve with rice , or even as a spread.. You can even call it as a Chutney.....

Check out other dish with Pineapple

 

Linking this to Lets cook for father's day

Pineapple Pachadi - Kerala Sadya Style

Pachadi is an essential side dish at any Kerala Sadhya function, be it a wedding or any Kerala traditional event.
This is a tangy dish made with  vegetables and fruits like cucumber, ash gourd , Kerala cucumber,beetroot pineaaple , grapes etc. Today i have made Pineapple Pachadi, which is one of my favourite sadhya dishes, which has a sweet and tangy taste. I love to have pachadi...so here he recipe... it is best served with rice and sambar.
Ingredients

1. Pineapple chopped cubes - 1/2 cup (I took half of a pineapple)
2. Turmeric powder -  a pinch
3. Red chill powder - 1/4 Tsp
4. Grated Jaggery - 1 Tbsp
5. Grated coconut -1/2 cup
6. Mustard seeds - 1 Tsp
7. Green chilly - 3
8. Cumin seeds - 1/4 Tsp
9. Curd / Yoghurt - 1/4 cup - 1/2 cup
10. Salt -to taste 
11. Curry Leaves - 1 Sprig
12. Mustard seeds - 1/2 Tsp
13. Dry red chilly - 2
14. Coconut Oil - 2 Tbsp

Preparation

• Cook the cubed pineapple pieces with 1/4 cup of water , turmeric powder , red chill powder and a pinch of salt. Let it cook.
• In the meanwhile, grind grated coconut, green chilly , mustard seeds and cumin seeds to a smooth paste. Mix curd in it
• Now add the grated jaggery to the cooked pineapple. Cook on low fire, till all the water is absorbed. Let it cool completely.
• Add the coconut-curd grind paste to it. Heat it on low flame, do not boil. Off the flame and add curry leaves and remove from fire.
• Heat coconut oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds , let it crackle. Add dry red chilly and curry leaves.Pour this on to the pineapple pachadi. Close the lid.
• Serve with rice.

Sending this to cook-with-comfort event by Sapana

Sending this to  Healthy side dishes and New “U” 2014 and Priya's versaile recipes , Cook N Share What You Like Event & Giveaway, South Indian cooking hosted ny nandoo an event by Anu