Moru Kachiyathu

Moru Kachiyatahu or Spiced butter milk used to be a regular in my home for lunch.This goes well with ‘Kuthari Choru ‘(rice with Rosematta rice),but if you’ve some beef fry or meen pattichathu to accompany it ….hmmm…just try it out.

Moru Kachiyathu can be kept for a long time and it tastes better with time.After 1 day,you might’ve to keep it in fridge to prevent it from getting too sour.If possible,try using ‘Indian curd’ instead of yogurt while preparing this dish.

Traditionally,Moru Kachiyathu is prepared with coconut paste,but the simpler version without coconut is more popular nowadays.

Here goes my Amma’s recipe of Moru Kachiyathu(with coconut)….

Ingredients :-

Well beaten Curd – 4 cups
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida(Kaayam) – a pinch
Fenugreek powder(Uluva) – a pinch
Salt – to taste
Oil (preferrably Coconut Oil) – as needed

For Grinding :-
Grated coconut – 1/2 cup
Cumin seeds (Jeerakam) – 1/2 tsp
Red Chilly powder – 1/2 tsp

Grind all these ingredients into a fine paste and keep it aside.

For Seasoning :-
Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp
Shallots (kunjulli ) sliced – 1 tbsp
Green chillies slit – 3 or 4
Red chillies – 2
Curry leaves – a sprig

Method :-

Mix together curd,salt and turmeric powder in a bowl and keep it aside.

Heat oil in a pan and allow mustard seeds to splutter.Then add shallots ,fry until it turns brown and then add green chillies ,red chillies and curry leaves.Fry for a while and remove it from oil and keep it aside.

Reduce the heat and add the ground paste into the same oil.Fry for 2-3 mins stirring continuously.Do not let coconut paste change its color.Now add asafoetida and fenugreek powder and stir well.(Instead of adding fenugreek powder at this stage,you can use fenugreek seeds itself while preparing the seasoning.)

Reduce the heat to low and gently add the beaten curd mixture and stir continuosly until it is warm.Never let it boil.Switch off the stove and pour the prepared seasoning over it.Serve with warm rice.

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Koorkka Olathiyathu/Chinese Potato Stir Fry

Koorkka or Chinese Potato is yet another favorite of most Keralites.I don’t think it is popular outside Kerala.It is almost similar to potato but very much smaller in size and much better taste.The cleaning is a tedius process ,it is time consuming and can stain the hands,too. Malayalee’s  love for this tiny tubers is well taken by Sathyan Anthikkad in his movie ‘Achuvinte Amma’.I still remember the heroine(Meera Jasmine) asking her mother (Urvashi) : “Ammakku aarenkilum koorkkayil kaivisham thannittundo?Eppol nokkiyalum oru koorkka….” (Why its always koorkka here?…..Did someone give you a voodoo in koorkka?)

Read more about Koorkka here.Koorkka can be prepared in various ways,out of which my favorite is this simple stir fry.

Recipe follows:

Ingredients :-

Chinese Potato(Koorkka) cleaned and cut into bite sized pieces – 2 cups
Shallots -5 big
Red Chilly Flakes – 1 tsp or Red chillies broken – 4 or 5
Garlic – 1 big clove
Curry leaves – 1/2 sprig
Green chillies slit – 2
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Coconut pieces(Thengakothu) – 1/4 cup
Salt- to taste
Oil – as needed

Method:-

After washing properly,scrape the skin of each koorkka and immediately immerse it in water to prevent them from changing into a dark brown color.Wash them again and cut them into bite size pieces and put them back into the water.Drain the water and immediately add the koorkka into the cooking pan (or pressure cooker) along with salt,turmeric powder and green chillies.Add around 1/4 cup of water ,cover it and cook until it is well done.You can add more water as and when needed.If using a pressure cooker cook it till one whistle.Drain any left over water and keep the koorkka aside.

Crush the shallots,red chillies and garlic together using a mortar and pestle or chop them finely.Keep them aside.

Now heat oil in a pan,add the crushed ingredients,curry leaves and coconut pieces.Fry them for a while and add cooked koorkka into it.Stir fry it for 10 mts in a medium heat or until it turns dry and slightly brown.Serve hot with rice.

Traditional Vegetable Stew /Ishtu

Vegetable stew aka Ishtu,a traditional Keralite preparation can be served along with appams or Idiappams.It has a mild tantalizing taste and heavenly aroma , what to say more…you’re gonna love it…

Vegetable Stew

The recipe follows…

Ingredients :-

Potatoes – 3 big sized
Carrot – 1

Big Onions sliced thinly – 3
Ginger sliced thinly – 2 tsp
Garlic sliced thinly – 2 cloves
Green chillies slit – 5-6 (or use according to your spice level)
Curry leaves – 2 sprigs

Cinnamon sticks(Karuvapatta)- 2
Cardamoms (Elakaka)-4
Star Anise (Nakshatrapoo or Thakkolam)-2
Bayleaves (Karuva Ila)-2
Cloves(Grambu) – 4

Thin coconut milk (Randaam pal)- 2 cups
Thick coconut milk (Onnam pal) – 1/2 cup

Coconut Oil – as needed
Salt – to taste

Method :-

Cut the potatoes and carrots into half and pressure cook it for 2 whistles.When its warm enough,peel off the skin and carefully crumble it with your hands to medium size pieces.Keep it aside.

Heat oil in a pan on medium heat ,when it is hot add all the spices into it.Fry it for a while and add the onions,green chillies, ginger, garlic and 1 sprig of curry leaves and saute until onion turn transparent.Then add the crumbled potato and carrot pieces into it.Mix well and add thin coconut milk and salt into it.Cover the lid and cook in a low heat for 10- 20 minutes stirring occasionally.Now pour thick coconut milk into it,mix again and let it come to a slow boil.Simmer it for 2-3 minutes,add the rest of the curry leaves and turn off the heat.Close the lid and let it stand for 5- 10 minutes.Serve hot with Appam,Idiappam,Puttu,Iddli or plain bread.

(Note :- You can add other vegeatables like cauliflower,french beans or green beans as needed.Just cook them and add along with crumbled potato and carrot pieces.

What if you don’t want to use coconut milk in your stew ?

Substitute coconut milk with :

• 1 and 1/2 cups plain whole milk + 1 cup water
• 2 tsp cornflour mix in 2 -3 cups of warm water

Checkout these too :

• Lady Birds Chicken Stew
• Simi’s Chicken Stew
• Mallugirl’s Chicken Stew
• Maria’s Mutton Stew
• Grihini’s Mixed Vegetable Stew
• Saffron Trail’s Mixed Vegetable Stew
• My Vegetable Stew

Cherupayar Stew

Finally … here i’m with my posts after a long break..thank you guys again for not losing the patience.

I’m almost settled in my new place,but haven’t started much cooking.Anyways I’ve found some recipes in my draft which i dont want to miss.These are the recipes which i’ve tried from my dear fellow bloggers.

This cherupayar stew is adapted from RP’s workshop and i must say it tasted great with puttu.Thanks RP.

Ingredients :-

Whole Moong Dal(Cherupayar) – 1/2 cup
Grated coconut -3/4 cup (You can use unsweetened coconut powder available in Indian stores)
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds (Jeerakam) – 1/2 tsp
Green chillies – 4 (Use it according to your spice level)
Shallots(Ulli) – 2 or 3
Oil – as needed
Salt – to taste

For popping :
Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Red Chillies – 2 or 3

Method:-

Cook moong dal in a pressure cooker adding salt and just enough water, until it turns soft.Now grind together coconut,cumin seeds,green chillies and shallotsto a smooth paste.Add one cup of water and grind it again.Now extract the coconut milk using a sieve.Add this extracted coconut milk into the cooked moong dal and let it boil in a medium flame.Simmer for 2 more minutes and switch off the stove.

Now heat oil in another pan and pop mustard seeds,curry leaves and red chillies.Pour the seasonings into the curry.Mix and serve hot.

Achaari Baingan

This one is for my love of  eggplants, and it is taken from Ashwini’s Food For Thought.Try out this and i must say you’ll fall in love with this.Thank you dear Ashwini.

Ingredients :-

Eggplant diced – 1 large
Cumin seeds (Jeerakam)– 1/2 tsp
Fennel seeds (Perumjeerakam) – 1 tsp
Nigella/Kalonji – 1/2 tsp
Tomatoes chopped – 3 medium sized
Ginger-Garlic paste – 1 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Red Chilly Powder – 1 tsp
Coriander Powder – 1 tbsp
Salt – to taste
Oil – as needed

Method :-

Put the eggplant in a bowl of cold water,wash them and drain the water.Then pat dry them with a towel.
Heat oil in a pan and fry them in medium heat until they turn reddish brown.(Ashwini says that pan frying eggplants doesn’t make much difference in taste,even though the original recipe calls for deep frying method.And I too did pan frying here, following Ashwini.)You can fry them in bataches if the pan cannot hold them together.Drain them into a a tissue paper.

Heat another pan and add little oil into it.When hot,add cumin seeds and allow it to splutter.Now add nigella seeds and fennel seeds and fry for a while.Then add chopped tomato and ginger-garlic paste and saute for a minute.Add coriander powder,turmeric powder,chilly powder and salt and stir well.Cook it for 3-4 minutes
or until gravy thickens.Add the fried eggplant into the gravy and mix gently.Simmer for 1 more minute, garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rotis.