On a recent trip to Kerala, certain dishes from the kitchen tasted a lot better. On enquiry, these little beauties emerged as the taste boosters. They are hot and the heat they offer is unlike any other. It is something that makes a malayalee homesick. This is kaantari mulaku.
How to make kaanthari mulaku sammanthi- Learn from Inji
I have always known upma to be a little fluffy. When I started my hostel life, the upma served at the canteen didn’t look anything like the upma I grew up with. It was cooked into one big mass and you could took a scoop of upma rather than a spoonful of upma. I blamed the cook for not knowing how to cook but little did I know this is how upma is supposed to be for many others.
Even after 4 years of eating canteen upma, I couldn’t get used to it. I love my fluffy upma with a sprinkle of sugar and a banana.
How to make fluffy upma?
Oil/ghee- 1 tablespoon
Rava/sooji/semolina- 1 cup
Minced shallots/onions- 2 tablespoon, Ginger minced- 1 tsp, Chilies- 2 chopped, curry leaves- 1/2 sprig.
Water- 1.5 cups (approx)
Salt- to taste
Coconut shredded- a handful, Ghee- 1/4 tsp (optional)
Heat oil in a pan. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds. When they start to pop, add the onions/shallots, ginger, chillies and curry leaves. When the onions start to turn brown, add the rava to the pan. Keep stirring till the rava is slightly roasted.
Then comes the fluffing part. Sprinkle a handful of water into the rava and keep stirring. Break up big lumps. For one cup rava, you might need about 1.5 cups of water. The important tip is to add water in handfuls and to keep stirring. Towards the end, you can just close it with a lid for a few minutes to cook it through. Stir in shredded coconut and ghee. Serve warm.
This upma goes to RCI-Kerala being hosted by Jyothsna at Currybazaar.
Chembu is used widely in Kerala in a wide variety of recipes.This is a starchy vegetable and is quite delicious steamed, fried or smothered with seasonings. This is found growing in most homes in Kerala and thrive without any attention.
This is a simple recipe that goes well with rice.
Recipe:
Chembu – 1 cup ( Remove the skin and cut into small pieces)
Turmeric powder- 1/3 tsp
Salt- to taste
Coconut grated- 1/2 cup
Green chilies- 4 (Add more if you like it with more heat)
Cumin – 1/3 tsp.
Tamarind- one tablespoon. Mix well with some water to obtain tamarind extract. Discard the seeds.
Method:
Cook the diced chembu with the turmeric powder and salt with about 1 cup water, over medium flame.
While the chembu is cooking, grind the coconut, chilies and cumin to a smooth paste.
Once the chembu is cooked, add the coconut mixture to it and cook on low heat.
When the chembu curry starts to boil, add the tamarind extract and mix well. Turn off and keep covered for a few minutes.
In a seperate small pan, add oil. When the oil is hot, add mustard seeds.
As mustard seeds start to pop, add the shallots and curry leaves and fry till they turn brown.
Pour this over the curry. Mix well. Adjust salt.
Serve warm with rice.
Note: Chembu can get mushy if overcooked.
RP blogged about kale thoran last year. Ever since, it’s been a regular at our household. Coffee’s MBP ( Monthly Blog Patrol) is the perfect event to give thanks for the recipes from fellow bloggers. The theme this month is Going Lite. This was the perfect oppurtunity to thank RP for this wonderful healthy and lite recipe.
The beautiful leaves of the kale plant provide an earthy flavor and more nutritional value for fewer calories than almost any other food around ( Link)
While preparing greens, I have seen that urad dal is added along with mustard. But I used raw rice instead, as my mother would.
Kale Thoran ( original recipe here)
Kale – 1 bunch ( sliced fine)
Shallot- 2
Green chilies – 6
Grated coconut- 1/4 cup
Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
Raw unccoked rice- 1 tsp
Oil – 1 tbsp
Salt to taste.
Add oil to the hot pan. Add mustard seeds and when they start to splutter, add the rice. The rice will start to puff up. Add the kale and give a quick stir.
In a small mortar, mix the shallots, green chilies and coconut. Just a coarse mix is fine. Make a small area in the centre of the pan and add the coconut mixture. Cover it with the kale like this. ( You can add the coconut to the kale and give a mix but my aunt used to make thorans this way. I happened to think of her and followed her method)
Cover and cook for 5 mins on low medium heat. Stir, add salt and cook covered again till the leaves are at your desired texture. Kale leaves take longer than other leafy greens.
Serve with rice.
Fish is indispensable in Kerala. The way it is made varies from place to place, but it always make it to the table for lunch or dinner. This is how fish curry is usually made in the households in Kottayam. When my grandfather was alive, we had fish every single day. That’s right. Every single day!!
When I blogged an okra recipe recently, I got a lot of requests for the fish curry that was shown in the post. The truth of the matter is that until recently my fish curries never tasted as they should. We started writing down the recipe every time we made it, and made changes to adjust the taste. We believe this recipe comes closest to the fish curry back home. Thanks to Manisha whose initial request started this whole post.
We make our fish curry in a chatti. The chatti in our home has a story to tell. The story that ends with, ” Wives know better”. When we were in Kerala last vacation, I mentioned that I would like to take a chatti back with me. Satish had a big problem with that, and was making all kinds of excuses. He was confident that the chatti wouldn’t make it home in one piece. Thanks to my persistence, the chatti made it home with us. Guess what he wants to bring back this time!! Ha-ha..
Now to the fish. Fresh fish is hard to come by, unless you have a Chinese store with fresh fish. We usually buy catfish from the local grocery store. Mallu stores have frozen fish from Kerala, but some of them lose their taste when frozen. This time we used salmon fillets. Back home, we have meenkarans ( fish monger) that brings fish right to your doorsteps. When I was a kid, they used to come on a cycle, with a basket of fish tied to the back of the cycle. They would honk their horns as a signal, and I was often made to run out of the house to flag him down. Then my mother would look and choose the fish, and sometimes neighbors all gather to discuss fish. If you had a cat, it would be close by, sniffing and rubbing against your legs, hoping to get some heads and tails.
Recipe:
Fish – 1lb. We used salmon fillets this time. We added some salt to the fillets to make them firmer, so that they don’t break easily. If you do this, be careful when you add salt to the curry.
Oil- 2 tbsp ( I use coconut oil)
Curry leaves- 1sprig + 2 or 3 f0r layering in the chatti
Mustard seeds, Fenugreek seeds- 1/4 tsp each
Shallots- 4 or 5 , sliced fine
Ginger- 2 tbsp , finely minced
Garlic – 15 cloves( if the cloves are small, leave them whole)
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Red chili powder- 2 tsp
Paprika – 3 tsp
Kudampuli- 2pieces ( clean in running water and soak them in water with some salt added to it)
Water- 1cup or more, as needed
Kudampuli soaking in salt water
Method:
Step 1:
Layer a few sprigs of curry leaves at the bottom of the chatti. Layer the raw fish on top of that.
Step2: Making the gravy
Heat oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the fenugreek seeds. When the fenugreek seeds starts to change into a deeper color, add the shallots, ginger, garlic and curry leaves. Cook on medium heat till the shallots turn dark brown. Then add the chili powder and turmeric powder. Stir to combine with the oil.
Lower the heat and add paprika. Stir quicky. Paprika burns fast, so don’t leave on fire too long. Add water and the kudampuli which was soaked in some salt water. I usually add the salt water also. It looks muddy from the puli but I think it adds to the taste. Add enough water to make a watery gravy. Bring to a rolling boil.
Step 3: Bringing everything together
Pour this into the fish that has been arranged in the chatti. Cook covered on low medium heat till the fish is cooked ( 15-20 mins). Every 5-8min grab the chatti with mitts and give a slight swirl. This is the best way to make sure the flavors blend without breaking the fish pieces. Cook till the fish is cooked and the gravy is lightly thick. ( some people prefer a watery gravy)
Taste for salt . Just before serving, add some coconut oil on the top and fresh curry leaves to garnish.
Notes:
The curry is good right off the stove, but the flavor intensifies after a day.
The curry can be left out in room temperature, especially in winter. Every night it is slightly warmed over the stove. During winter, our fish curry stays outside for atleast 3 days.
Coriander powder is omitted to increase shelf life.
Adding coconut oil over the fish curry after it is cooked can add a wonderful aroma, and I don’t recommend missing this step.
To serve : My favorite way is to eat this with rice and a thoran.
Also goes well with chappathi, puttu and the perpetual favorite, kappa and meen ( here and here).
We recently tried a recipe from this blog and it turned out great. And last week we tried this dish from the same blog. It was spectacular. Thank you Shiny for posting these favorite dishes. Her blog is like a cookbook dream come true for me.
The dish is made of dried shrimp. This is available in Kerala grocery stores in the US. Fish and coconut are integral to Kerala cuisine, and this dish is a happy combo of the two. Dried fish are stinky, but taste great. The prepared dish doesn’t smell of the dried shrimp at all. Dried shrimp is cooked with some water and mango, coconut ground to a silky paste is added to it and finally dressed up with shallots and curry leaves in coconut oil.
Dried shrimp
Although I didn’t have fresh mango, I substituted amchur powder as the recipe suggested. It worked quite well.
Recipe: Here
This recipe is a keeper. It is easy to make and tastes great. Thank you Shynee!!
Rice with chemmeen curry and radish saute.
I received my first Andhra cookbook – Cooking with Pedatha yesterday. It has a green hardcover, pictures in every page, simple instructions – what’s not to like.
In the introduction, the author’s write,
Of course, one thing we never questioned her about was how much time any recipe would take. We already knew her answer tot hat- ” As long as it takes for a good dish to be ready”. ” Don’t look at the time, look at the pan”, she once remarked.
I realized how true it was and how much I had forgotten that concept. Once back home, my grand father’s sister was staying with us for a few days. I remember helping out with sauteing some onions, and I was turning the onions left and right. She came over, took the spoon from me and said,” Not like that, be patient “, and she continued to stir the onions so tenderly and delicately on a low flame. The chicken curry for which the onions were intended turned wonderful, better than the usual. I had forgotten to do that slow stirring for sometime now but this cookbook has reminded me to slow down, and enjoy my cooking.
The recipe is for the lady’s finger roast from the book. Thanks to the many Andhra blogs, some of the terms were already familiar, but there is a list of ingredients in the back page which is a big help for me. The book is a delight!
Ingredients:
Okra 1 pound – wash, dry with paper towel. I cut them lenthwise into quarters. The small ones were halved.
Red chilli powder- 2 tsp ( the original recipe needs 1 tbsp, but that was too hot for me)
Oil 2 tbsp+1tbsp
Salt to taste
Ingredients for tempering:
Split black gram dal/ urad dal 1 tsp
Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida powder, Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp each
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Method:
Heat a pan, add about 2 tbsp oil. Add the urad dal, and when it turns golden, add the mustard seeds. Lower the heat, and add the asafoetida, turmeric and curry leaves.
Then add the veggies, allow to roast on slow flame. Stir occasionaly.
After 8-10mins, when the okra starts to turn brown at some spots, add the salt and chilli powder. Stir to combine. Go easy when stirring so as to not turn it mushy. Add one tbsp or less oil at this point to mix well with the chilli powder. Adding the oil makes a nice chilli coating on the okra. Serve warm.
This dish is super hot. I didn’t imagine Andhra cuisine to be this hot.
I had this with rotis and some Kottayam fish curry.
Very satisfying meal, but my tongue was on fire. Cooled off with some lassi.
Can’t wait to try more recipes. Thanks Indira for introducing me to this wonderful cookbook.
Wishing everyone a happy New Year.
Celebrating New Year with Ada Pradhaman.
Payasams are the major Kerala dessert. Before the bakeries started with the fancy birthday cakes, this is the dish that made birthdays special. This was the dessert course that followed elaborate sadyas that followed wedding ceremonies.
In the days before the instant ada, ada was made from scratch and this is where a lot of work was involved. Then the ada is cooked, and added to a jaggery- coconut milk mixture. The coconut milk making is also elaborate, but I took the aid of canned coconut milk. Worked just fine!
Final toss in some coconut pieces fried in ghee and cardamom powder. Let it cool before serving.
This dish is such a nostalgic one!
I am not alone in this nostalgia. Other memories about ada pradhaman from fellow Malayalis on the net:
And achamma’s ada pradhaman, rich with pure ghee and whole green cardamom. Oh! That taste. ( Read here)
Payasams, mmmmmm, I love that especially ada pradhaman. ( Here)
Theeyal was made at our house only ‘ on demand’. It does take a bit of time and is not suited for those ‘curry in a hurry’ moments. When we think of coconuts and some delicious Kerala dishes to go with it, theeyal definitely is the one for me.
We make this with shallots, bittergourd or brinjal. I am sure there are more variations, but these are all I know. I decided to use whole baby eggplants instead of slicing them, only because I thought the baby eggplants would look very cute dressed up in a dark brown coconut sauce. And it did!!
Recipe source: by Mrs. K.M.Mathew
Method:
Step 1: Making the coconut paste
Coconut – 1 cup
Shallots – 1 small sliced
In a pan, add a bit of oil ( 1 tsp). Add the coconut and shallots and fry till dark brown in color. You might need to stir frequently and keep a close eye on them. Add the browned coconut to the blender.
Dry coriander seeds – 1/2 tsp
Dry red chilis- 3
Fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds – a small pinch of each
In the same pan, dry roast the above ingredients and add them to the blender also. ( You could definitely add these to the coconut as it is turning brown and roast them)
Grind all these to a smooth silky paste. Add water as necessary to help with the grinding.
Step 2: Dressing up the brinjals
Brinjals – 9 baby brinjals.( Substitute with 2 larger slender asian eggplants)
Turmeric – a small pinch (optional)
Tomato- 1 plum tomato, sliced.
Green chilies 5 small slit.
Tamarind water – add a small piece to 1/4 cup water, use your hands to extract the tamarind.
Make slits on the brinjal ( make the slits as if you were stuffing the brinjal, but leave the stem intact).
Add a teaspoon of oil to the hot pan, add turmeric (optional), followed by brinjals. Then add green chillies and tomato and saute for a few minutes.
To this add the ground coconut paste, tamarind water, salt. Add more water if needed to make enough gravy.Cover and cook till the brinjals are cooked.
Final step:
Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves – one sprig
Fenugreek seeds- a small pinch
Sliced shallot- 1
Dry red chilies – one, cut into small pieces.
Take some oil, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, shallots, and dry red chilis. Fry till the shallots are dark in color. Add to the brinjals. Stir well and serve.
Another entry for JFI Coconut hosted by Ashwini.
Related recipes:
Annita’s recipe here
Ulli theeyal from Priya here
Inji’s Bittergourd theeyal here.
Sammanthi or chammanthi – this was a debate that was always going on in my head, but till now it hasn’t surfaced to the open.
Coconut sammanthi (thenga sammanthi ) is how we call it in our house, but I strongly believe the real word is chammanthi. All I can say with 100% surety is that this dish is perfect with idlis and dosas.
I was determined to participate in JFI coconut hosted by Ashwini. I felt like I would let myself down if I didn’t participate in it as coconut is something I absolutely can’t imagine living without. For us Mallus, it is a taste you just can’t resist. Anyone who did their schooling in Kerala must have dealt with this question in school:
Write a short essay on coconut
You start writing….Coconut tree is a kalpavriksham ( a malayalam word indicating that all parts of the plant can be used). And then you go on to describe eloquently all the different uses of coconut that you crammed the night before.
This essay writing, for strange reasons, had left me with the notion that coconut was available only in Kerala. When I found out later that it wasn’t the case, I tried to comfort myself thinking that Kerala coconut was the best. It is:)
Anyways, here is a breakfast known to every mallu- idli with cha(sa)mmanthi.
The sammanthi routine in our home always went like this- do you want red or green sammanthi?
Green meant mother would use green chilis and if the answer was red, she would get dried red chilis. They taste different, but as kids our decisions were based on which color we thought was more cool at the moment.
Recipe for chammanthi
Coconut – 2 cups
Dried red chillies – 6 0r 8 . Roast them over flame. They will develop black spots all over. Sometimes they catch fire while you do this, but just snuff the fire and use the chilis.
Shallots- 2
In a blender, grate till very smooth the coconut, shallots and chilis. Add water in small amounts, just enough to make a thick paste.
For tempering
In a pan, add some coconut oil. Add mustard seeds. While they splutter, add curry leaves and thinly sliced shallots (1 shallot). Fry till dark in color. Lower the fire, and add the coconut mixture. Mix water ( usually we pour the water into the blender and give a nice whirl to get all the coconut remaining in the blender), and add salt.
Do not let it boil. Just warm. If you boil, the sammanthi will look curdled.
Traditionally, the chilis are roasted by adding them to the wood burning stove. And then all the ingredients are ground to a smooth paste in an arakallu ( a grinding stone).
Kid favorite: Add some sugar when you eat the idlis with sammanthi. Use fingers to mix everything. Tastes divine!!!
For idlis I used Priya’s recipe. Great results even in winter. Thanks Priya.
Idli with red sammanthi Dosa with green sammanthi
Kale Thoran
Salt and Pepper 