Food From Kerala

1. KARIKKU PAYASAM

Ingredients:

1.Tender kernels- from 3 coconuts
2. condensed milk-1 cup
3. coconut water- 1cup
4. coconut milk- 1cup
5. cardamom pwd- a pinch
6. cashews - 15
7. kishmish- 10
8. Ghee- 3tsp
Method:
Soak kernels in warm water for 1 hour.
Heat ghee in a pan add cashews and kishmish and fry. Keep it aside.
Reduce heat to sim and add coconut water, coconut milk and condensed milk in a bowl.
Stir in the kernels.Sprinkle cardamom powder, fried cashews and kishmish.
Give it a stir. Serve chill

2. KAPPAYUM MEENUM

Preparation of Kappa

Kappa – 500 g

Mustard – 1 teaspoon

Jeera Cumin seeds – ½ teaspoon

Green chillies – 4 , cut lengthwise

Curry leaves – 2 spring

Small onion – 5, cut into thin slices

Salt – to taste

Cooking oil – 2 teaspoon

Ingredient for coconut masala

Grated coconut -1 cup

Turmeric powder- ½ teaspoon

Red chilly powder- ½ teaspoon

Garlic – 5 cloves, crushed

Mix all the ingredients nicely. Keep aside.

Preparation Method

Cut fresh Kappa to required size after skinning and removing the vein at the centre. Wash and clean well.

Take diced Kappa in a vessel. Add water- so that all the pieces are fully immersed. Add little salt. Boil till done. Alternately pressure cook for 10- 15 minutes.

Drain off this water.

In a kadai / frying pan, heat oil on a medium heat. Add mustard seeds. When they splutter , add jeera, curry leaves, small onion slices and green chillies. Saute well for 2 minutes. Add cooked Kappa. Mix it well. Add coconut masala and salt. Mix all the ingredients again. Cook on a slow flame for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Recipe of Meen Curry

Fish pieces - 500 g (Seer fish / Nemmen / Pomfret )

Small onion - 10, thinly sliced

Ginger - garlic paste - 1 tablespoon

Red chilly powder- 2 teaspoon

Kudampuli / ( Tamarind juice )- 3 ( 3 chula soaked in salt water )

Tomato - 2 , roughly chopped

Curry leaves - 2 springs

Cooking oil- 2 teaspoon

Salt - to taste

Water- 1/2 cup

Coconut milk - 1 cup thick milk

Preparation Method

Wash and cleaned the fish. Marinate the fish pieces with salt and turmeric powder and keep aside for half an hour.

Heat oil in a meen chutty. DONT Use any pans,you can’t get exact taste from those pans. Add small onion and fry till golden color. Add curry leaves , red chilly powder , tomato, and ginger - garlic paste. Saute well for 5 minutes. Add kudampuli pieces and fish pieces. Add salt to taste and half cup water. Cover with the lid and cook for 15 -20 minutes or till done. Switch off the gas flame. Add 1 cup thick coconut milk and stir well.

Serve with Kappa

3. NADAN KOZHI CURRY

Ingredients:-

1. Chicken- 1 kg

2. Onion - 400 g

3. Green Chilli -20 g

4. Ginger - 20 g

5. Chilli powder- 2 sp

6. Coriander powder -3 sp

7. Chicken masala powder - 2 sp

8. Curry leaves - 2 g

9. Coconut oil - 150 ml

10. Coconut milk - 1.5 ltr

11. Salt - to taste

12. Turmeric Powder- 1 pinch

Preparation Method:-

· Cut the chicken into medium pieces and marinate it with a little chilli powder and salt for a while.

· Make the first and second extract of coconut milk.

· Heat kadai (pan), add coconut oil and sauté sliced onions, green chilli, ginger, garlic and curry leaves.

· Then add chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and chicken masala powder. Put the chicken pieces in the kadai till it is half done.

· Add the second extract of coconut milk and get it cooked gently in slow fire.

· Finally add the first extract of coconut milk and serve hot.

4. VARUTHARACHA KOZHI CURRY

Ingredients :

1. Chicken-1 ½ lb, (700gm) cleaned and cut into small pieces.
2. Onions-2 medium sized ones sliced finely
3. Tomatoes-2 plum tomatoes
4. Hot Green chilies - 4-6 as per taste
5.Ginger- 1 inch ginger, grind or grate.
6. Garlic 6-7 cloves.. grind or crush to a paste.
7. Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
8. Red hot chili powder- 2 tsp (more or less as per taste)
9. Coriander, curry leaves- each a small handful, chopped
10. Salt - to taste
11.Oil-4 tbsp
12.Whole spices- 1 small piece of cinnamon, 1 bay leaf, 2 cloves
To Roast:
Grated Coconut-3 tbsp
Coriander seeds-2 tsp
Black Pepper-1/2 tsp
To Garnish:
Shallots-2
Curry leaves-7-8

Preparation:
Wash the chicken and lightly toss it with lemon juice and rinse again. Drain well onto a slotted drainer. Marinate with the turmeric, the red chili powder, ginger -garlic paste, salt and keep aside for about 1 hour or so. Roast the ingredients for roasting in 1 tsp oil in a skillet till nicely browned and then grind to a paste. If you are using powders, remember not to roast for too long as it will get burnt fast and you could even use coconut milk instead of grated coconut.

Heat the 2tbsp oil in a large pan and add the chicken and shallow fry them on all sides. Remove and keep aside. Add a bit more oil to the pan..add the whole spices. Then add the onions and green chilies. When the onions start turning brown, add the tomatoes. Let them cook till they break down and then add the previously sauted chicken, the ground paste and saute well till the spices are mixed well and the chicken is coated with the spices. Add 1 cup water. Cover and cook on medium heat for about 10-15 minutes till the chicken is cooked. Smaller pieces cook faster so depending on the size of the pieces, cooking time will vary. Open, adjust the taste and add more water or coconut milk if it looks too dry.To garnish:- Slice the shallots finely and fry in coconut oil till brown and then throw in some curry leaves and pour over the curry. Let it rest covered for five minutes to let the flavors blend.

5. KALLU SHAPPU MEEN CURRY

Fish of choice – 750 gm (I used King fish)
Kashmiri Chili Powder – 2 Tbsp
Turmeric Powder – 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek /Uluva Powder – 1/2 tsp
Shallots – 6
Garlic – 6 large or 9 small ones
Ginger – a small piece
Green Chili – 1
Kokum – 3 or 4 depending on level of sourness
Water – 3 cups
Curry Leaves – handful
Coconut Oil – 1 Tbsp + 1/2 Tbsp to drizzle
Salt as needed

METHOD

Wash the kokum pieces in running water. Place these pieces in a bowl and pour 1 cup of boiling water over it. Keep aside.

Take a mann chatti, an earthern cookware. Combine the chili powder, turmeric powder and the fenugreek powder with little water to make a paste.

Slit the green chili. Add this to the vessel along with 3/4 of the curry leaves.
Now add the kokum pieces along with the water, required amount of salt and the remaining water to the mann chatti and mix well to combine.
Add the fish to this gravy along with 1 Tbsp of coconut oil and stir once by gently turning the chatti around in circles.

Keep this chatti on a medium flame and let it cook a while. The water will reduce by 1/2 and become the gravy will become thicker. How much gravy is needed is a matter of personal choice. We like a nice thick gravy coating the fish slices. So I let it bubble away happily.
Check for salt. add more if needed.
Once the curry is cooked, take the chatti off the flame. Crush the remaining curry leaves with your hand and add it to the chatti along with the 1/2 Tbsp coconut oil.
Keep this dish aside for a while before using it. Ideally this dish is best eaten the next day as the flavors will all meld together