Karikku(Tender Coconut) Pudding

Coconuts are something we Keralites are deeply in love with,infact we cannot imagine a life without coconuts in Kerala.Coconut trees plays a major role in a traditional Malayalee’s lifestyle and economy.Even the name Kerala is derived from the word ‘Kera‘ which means coconut tree.Every part of the coconut tree is used in some way or other. Coconuts are used extensively in the delicious Kerala cuisine in different forms.

And what to say about tender coconuts?Fresh Karikku vellam(juice of tender coconuts) along with its flesh is the most delicious and healthy thing i’ve ever tasted in my life.Back home,this is served as a welcome drink for special occasions and celebrations and is considered very royal.

Last week, I’ve found tender coconuts in an International grocery store and couldn’t resist myself from buying it.Again,those were not as sweet as the fresh ones,but no complaints,atleast I got it.And I decided to prepare my all time favorite pudding with those,adding some extra sugar to make it sweeter.

So here goes my second entry for JFI-Coconut,from Kerala aka ‘The Land of Coconut trees’.

Ingredients:-

China grass/agar agar – 10 gms
Water – 1 cup
Tender coconut water -1 cup
Condensed milk – 1 tin
Milk – 2 tins(I used the same condensed milk tin)
Sugar – 1/2 cup(Use more or less according to your taste) + 2 tsp( for garnishing)
Thin scrapings of tender coconut – 1 cup
Finely grated Coconut – 1/4 cup(optional)
Cashews/Almonds – 1/4 cup(optional)

Ingredients needed for the pudding 

Method :-

Soak China grass in 1 cup water and dissolve over low flame.

Melting China grass in low flame

Remove from heat and add tender coconut water.Keep it aside.Take another pan, dissolve the sugar in milk and condensed milk over low heat, stirring all the time.When the sugar has completely dissolved, add melted China grass,mix well and remove from heat.Do not boil it.Strain into a flat glass dish.

Mix the tender coconut scrapings into the pudding ,allow it to cool to room temperature and then refrigerate.

Decorate with cherries,raisins etc and serve.Here I’ve used coarsly grounded praline and roasted coconut to decorate my pudding.You can prepare praline in advance and store it in an air tight container.Just before serving,roast grated coconut and 2 tsp sugar over low flame.Do not brown it.Sprinkle these over the pudding and serve cold.

Recipe Source : Mrs.K.M Mathew

Unniyappam

I’ve been preparing unniyappams quite often nowadays,as my lil’ one loves to have it.Whenever I’ve some extra ripe bananas,I go for this delicious snack.But this time I made it with a purpose.Can u guess what’s it?Yes…these are going to Kay’s JFI-Jaggery .I couldn’t participate in many of the previous JFI’s,so really wanted to do something this time.Happy hosting,Kay..

Here’s the recipe..

Ingredients:-

Rice Flour – 2 cups
Jaggery(Sharkkara) broken into small pieces – 1/2 cup or Brown Sugar – 1 cup
Mashed bananas/jackfruits – 1 cup
Cardamom(Elakka) powder – 1/4 tsp
Dry roast Coconut pieces(Thengakothu) – 2-3 tsp (Optional)
Roasted black sesame seeds(Ellu) – 1/2 tsp (Optional)
Baking soda – 1/8 tsp (Optional)
Salt – 1/4 tsp

Method:-

Heat jaggery pieces adding little water,allow it to melt,strain it and keep aside.In a mixing bowl,mix together all the ingredients except coconut pieces and sesame seeds,adding extra water if needed to make it to a thick batter consistency.Use a hand mixer if you have one,otherwise use your hand,but be sure to mix it thoroughly .Finally add in coconut pieces and sesame seeds,stir and allow it to stand for 45 mts- 1 hr .

Heat the Unniyappam pan,and fill oil in each impression upto 3/4 full.When the oil is very hot,reduce the heat to medium and fill the impressions with the batter upto a little more than 3/4th full.Allow it to cook slowly until done.Do not cover the pan.

When one side is done,flip over to the other side and cook.It’ll come out easily without sticking,if its cooked well.

Cook until both sides are golden brown in color.Remove and drain it to a tissue paper.Serve hot.

P.S:- Unniyappams prepared with fruits won’t last for more than 4-5 days.

Check variety Unniyappams from fellow bloggers :Inji’s (with sooji),Priya’s (with both wheat rava & rice flour),RP’s ( batter prepared by grinding long grain rice),and Vizmaya’s(with all purpose flour and sooji)

Chakka Varatti(Jack fruit jam)

Chakka Varatti -A Jackfruit delicacy which is solely associated with God’s own country.Keralites always prefer locally and seasonally available ingredients like plantains,mangoes, jackfruits,coconut,tapioca etc in their regular diet.Variety of delicious dishes can be made using these simple and commonly available ingredients.

My last visit to home was during monsoon,when Jackfruits are seen in abundance.Jackfruits when tender,can be used to make variety of savory dishes and when ripe,can be eaten as a fruit or for preparing a kind of jam called Chakka Varatti.Fully ripe jackfruit pulps along with jaggery and ghee, are boiled for a long time and stirred to remove the water content, to make a thick black paste which can be preserved for over a year.Again this Chakkavaratti is used as a key ingredient in authentic dishes like Chakka Pradhaman, Kumbilappam and Ela Adai .

Eventhough it’s a day long process that demands much patience ,the end product is simply worth it.Believe me,you wont have to regret about the efforts.Chakka varatti is usually made in a traditional “Uruli”.(preferrably copper or bronze ,but people uses aluminium “Uruli” nowadays as it is quite cheap and popular).See more about Uruli in LG’s blog.

Chakkavaratti without adding coocnut

This is my Amma’s recipe and here it goes..

Ingredients:-

Chopped Jackfruit pulps

Ripe jackfruit pulps chopped fine – 5 cups
Jaggery – 3 cups
Ghee – 1 and 1/2 cup
Grated coconut – 1 and 1/2 cup(Optional)
Water – as needed

Method:-

Pressure cook jackfruit pulps till soft by adding 1/4 cup of water,and smash it well using a spatula.Then grind it to a smooth paste in a blender,but it is again optional.If you like small pieces in your’varatti’,you dont have to do the grinding part.My amma never does this,but some kind of jackfruits with hard pulps,cannot be smashed easily,then you’ll be forced to do the grinding.

Take jaggery in another pan and melt it by adding little water.Filter and remove any stones from the jaggery liquid.Mix in the jaggery into the smashed jackfruit and turn on the stove.Allow the mixture to cook on medium-low heat till the water is reduced.Add one tsp of ghee and grated coconut ,and stir it again.

Cooking Jackfruit & Jaggery mixture

Remember to stir continuosly and not to increase the heat,to prevent it from sticking to the vessel.Add 1 tsp of ghee,whenever it starts to stick,probably in every 15 mts.Continue the process,until you get a dark brown colored,thick and tight jam.Allow it to cool naturally and keep it in a dry air-tight container. This can be stored for 2 weeks in refrigerator.

For longer shelf life,omit grated coconut from the recipe and make the jam real thick,so that all the water content is removed.If properly kept in an air tight container(with no water) in the refrigerator,this stays for atleast 6 months.You can add grated coconut as and when you consume it.

P.S:-You guessed right,I dont get good jackfruits here and photos are taken in my home.My amma prepared Chakka Varatti for me to carry along after my vacation.She hoped it’ll stay for a year,and its all over within 2 months.

Cherries

I am very much fond of these processed cherries,which i’ve brought from Kerala .Those bright red colored cherries are indeed a treat to your eyes as well as your taste buds,they are sweet,juicy and very delicious.But I am not sure if this is available in U.S,I haven’t seen it anywhere not even in Indian grocery stores.If anyone knows,pls help me with it.

Processed Cherries

In Kerala,these are mostly used for decorating cakes and puddings.But I love to have it just like that.Here goes a quick fruit snack with cherries,and its definitely a party pleaser too.

Ingredients:-

Pineapple ,Cherries and Cheese Slices

Diced pineapple – 20 pieces
Cheese slices(preferrably American) cut into small 1/2 inch squares- 5 slices
Cherries – 20
Jalapenos /Green Chillies sliced thin – 2(Optional)

Method:-

Skewer it up with a pineapple dice,2 layer of cheese slices(You can add more cheese slices ,if you wish),a thin slice of jalapeno and a cherry.

A simple fruit snack

(P.S I didn’t use jalapenos/green chillies here as I prepared this for lil’ Milan)

Pineapple Pachadi

Pineapple is one of the world’s favorite tropical fruit,and when you taste this delicious fruit once,you’ll know why it is called so.Pineapples are available fresh and canned.I always go for the fresh ones,as I don’t like the heavy syrup in which it is dipped.Also I have heard that ,during canning process it lose most of its Vitamin C.Pineapple is high in fiber and contains modest amounts of vitamin C, potassium and a unique digestive enzyme called bromelain.

Eventhough pineapple as a whole is handsome ,the cleaning part is quite difficult and time consuming.When the tough exterior is removed,there will be small black seed like things all over which has to be pierced out.This is a tedious job,which i always hate to do.But those sweet, juicy, healthy and delicious pineapples always pays off for the entitre hardwork.

Kerala Cuisine is blessed with many Pineapple dishes,and this Pineapple Pachadi is one of my favorite.And in southern Kerala,this sweet dish is used as an accompaniment for Sadyas.

Here’s my version of Pinepple Pachadi…

Ingredients:-

Well ripened Pineapple chopped fine – 1 cup
Turmeric Powder – a pinch
Mustard seeds crushed- 1 tsp
Water – 1/4 cup
Salt – to taste
Well beaten Yogurt – 2 cupsFor grinding:-
Shallots – 5
Jeera – 1/2 tsp
Grated coconut -1/2 cup
Green chillies – 3For popping:-
Mustard Seeds – 1/2 tsp
Dried Whole Red Chillies cut into two – 2
Curry leaves – a sprig
Oil -as needed

Method:-

Mix together chopped pineapple,turmeric powder,crushed mustard seeds,salt and water in a pan and cook till pinepple are soft and well done.Grind together shallots,jeera seeds,coconut and green chillies.Now add the ground mixture into the cooked pineapple and simmer for a few minutes.As I like my pachadi to be very thick,I always cook it till dry.So it is upto you ,water can be added accordingly.

Ground mixture added to cooked pinepple

Stir in yogurt and switch off the stove.Be careful,not to boil it after adding yogurt.
Heat oil in another pan and pop the mustard seeds.Add red chillies and curry leaves and fry well.Pour this into the cooked pineapple mixture.

Pineapple Pachadi

Serve hot with rice.