Pineapple Pachadi

Pineapples are rich in vitamins, proteins and essential minerals. At the same time, they are extremely low in terms of fat content. That makes this fruit an ideal low-calorie, yet filling food. It is a perfect choice for a midday snack for weight watchers and the calorie conscious community. Pineapple is very good for overall dental health. Since it has a high content of Vitamin C, it can reduce the chances of gum inflammation and other gum diseases.

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 Sadya.

The cleaning and cutting part of the pineapple is quite difficult and time consuming. This is a tedious job, which I always hate to do. In this recipe instead of fresh pineapple I used tinned pineapples.

Here’s my version of Pineapple Pachadi…

Ingredients:

Pineapple                                1 tin

Turmeric Powder                      a pinch

Mustard seeds crushed             1 teaspoon.

Water                                      1/4 cup

Salt                                         To taste

Well beaten Yogurt                    2 cups

For grinding:-

Jeera/cumin seeds                    1/2 teaspoon.

Grated coconut                         1/2 cup

Green chillies                            3 Nos.

For Seasoning:

Mustard Seeds                           1/2 teaspoon.

Dried Whole Red Chilies              3 no.

Curry leaves                               a sprig

Coconut Oil                                 2 Tablespoon

Method:

• Chop the pineapple into small pieces. Mix together chopped pineapple, turmeric powder , crushed mustard seeds, salt and water in a pan and cook till pineapple are soft and well  cooked.
• Grind coconut with Jeera and green chillies. Add the ground mixture into the cooked pineapple.
• Lower the heat and be cook for 10 minutes till it becomes thick.
• Remove from the fire and add the yogurt and mix well. Not to boil it after adding yogurt.
• Heat coconut oil in a pan, add mustard seeds when its starts to pop, add dry red chilli, and curry leaves and sauté it for few minutes.
• Pour this into the cooked pineapple mixture.
• Serve with hot rice.

Pineapple Pachadi

Olan

Olan is a  Kerala cuisine of South India. It is prepared from pumpkin, coconut milk and ginger seasoned with coconut oil. Olan is usually served as part of a Sadya(Feast), along with Kaalan.

Ingredients:

Chopped White Pumpkin          – 1 cup

Chopped Red pumpkin             – ¼ cup

Black eyed beans                    – ½ cup

Low fat coconut milk                – 1 tin

Green chillies                          – 3 -4 nos

Grated ginger                           - 1 tsp

Curry leaves                             – 2 stem

Coconut oil                               – 1 tbsp

Salt                                         – to taste

Method:

• Soak the beans overnight.
• Pressure cook the next day till 3/4th done.
• Add chopped pumpkins,ginger, salt and slit green chillies. Cook with a little water.
• When the pumpkin and the beans are completely cooked, pour hot oil tempered with curry leaves into it.
• Add the coconut milk and reduce the heat and cook for three more minutes.
• Serve hot with rice and Sambhar.

OLAN

Kalan

This is one of the traditional Kerala dish.  Kalan is a main dish in all Kerala Sadya. There is lot of regional difference to make this dish. Here I am showing you Thirusur based Kalan dish. Here I used raw banana and yam to make this recipe. You can make this with white pumpkin, Snakegourd.

Ingredients:

Yam –                                                   1 cup (Sliced into small pieces)

Raw banana (prefer Nendran)                 1 no.

Thick slightly sour yogurt                        2 cups

Green chillies                                        5 no (slit)
Pepper powder                                      1 tsp

Turmeric powder                                  1/3 tsp

Water                                                    1cup

Fried and powdered Fenugreek               ½ tsp
Salt                                                         to taste
To Be Grind:
Grated Coconut                                       ½ cup

Cumin seed                                              ½ tsp

Seasoning:
Coconut oil                                         – 2 tbsp

Mustard seed                                      – 1 tsp

Jeera                                                – ¼ tsp

Curry leaves                                        – 2 stem

Whole red chillies                            – (broken into 2 pieces)

Method

•  Remove the skin of the plantain and slice into small pieces.
• Heat the water in a pan, add pepper powder and cook the vegetables in this water.
• Add turmeric powder and salt .Stir well.
• Grind the coconut and cumin to a smooth paste without adding water. Keep aside.
• When water dries add silted green chillies in it. Add 1 tbsp of coconut oil in it. Simmer the stove heat.
• Pour the yogurt and mix well. Lower the flame.
• When the curd boils and become dry and thick, add the grounded coconut mixture and fenugreek pour into it. Stir well.
• Bring to boil for three to four minutes and remove from the fire.
• Season with mustard seed, chillies, curry leaves.

Zucchini Theeyal

Theeyal means “burnt dish” (Burnt coconut).  It is one of the traditional dishes from Kerala. It gets its color from browning of coconut and tamarind. You can make this dish with baby shallots, drumstick, sankegourd, suran, Brinjal and zucchini.. You can make this recipe with one vegetable or mix match with other vegetable. But the procedure remains same for all. Most preferred theeyal is suran.

Here I am showing the zucchini Theeyal

Ingredients

Zucchini                              – 2 nos (chopped big pieces)

Tamarind                            – 1 small lemon size

Red chili                             – 2 tsp

Green chillies                      – 4 nos

Coriander powder                   2 tsp

Grated coconut                    – 2 cups

Turmeric powder                  – ½ tsp

Curry leaves                       – 3 stems (chopped)

Red chillies                         – 2 no (broke into pieces)

Fenugreek seeds                 – ¼ tsp ( dry fry and powdered it)

Hing                                  – 2 pinch

 Coconut Oil                        as needed

Salt                                       to taste

Method

• Wash and clean the zucchini. Cut into big pieces. Do not remove the skin.
• Soak the tamarind in hot water for ½ hour. Extract the pulp from tamarind. Keep aside.
• Heat the pan add ½ tsp of oil; fry the coconut till golden brown. Simmer and add all masalas powders and stir and fry till it gives you a good aroma.  Keep aside for cooling
• Now dry grind the masalas to a very smooth paste.
• Heat the oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, curry leaves, whole red chillies and allow to splutter. Add zucchini, fenugreek powder, Hing and fry for one minute .Now add tamarind pulp , salt in it. Cook  it for 2  more minutes.
• Now add grind coconut paste in it. Simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
• Serve hot with rice.

Aviyal

Aviyal is a dish that has a unique place in a typical Kerala Cuisine. It is also one of the traditional dishes in Kerala Sadya, a vegetarian feast presented on banana leaves at family celebrations. It is a thick mixture of a lot vegetables, and coconut, and seasoned with coconut oil and curry leaves. Normally, Avial is a choice when I see I have a lot of leftover vegetables at the end of the week. The traditional Aviyal generally uses common vegetables in Kerala like Plantain (Ethakka), Elephant Yam (Chena), Long string beans, Snake gourd, Cucumber, Raw Mango, Drumstick and Carrots. When Avial is made in our house, it is a signal that one of us need to go to store to get fresh supplies.

Ingredients:

Vegetables:

Elephant yam (Chena)                    ½ cup

Chopped Zucchini                            1 no

Chopped Carrot                               ½ cup

Raw banana                                      1no

Nendran Banana                               1 no

Chopped White Pumpkin                   1 cup

Chopped Red Pumpkin                     1 cup

Potato                                              4 no

Capsicum                                         1 no

Chopped raw mango                        ½ cup

Curry leaves                                     3 stems

Salt                                                  As required

Coconut oil                                        3 tablespoon

 To be Grind:

Coconut                                            3/4 cup

Green chilly                                       6 no

Turmeric powder                               ½ teaspoon

Cumin seed                                       ¼ teaspoon

 Method:

• Wash all the vegetables and cut into 2 inch long pieces. 
• Put all vegetables in a microwave bowl and cook for four minutes.
• Heat the heavy bottom pan, add 1 tbsp of coconut oil and curry leaves. When curry leaves start spluttering add all vegetables and mix it well. Add required water, turmeric powder and salt and cook till vegetables are soften.(Do not add too much water)
• Grind the coconut, Jeera, and chillies coarsely. Add this to the cooked vegetables. Gently mix them and cook it for few more minutes at low heat.
• When cooked properly add curry leaves and coconut oil and mix well.  And remove from the stove.

Aval Thirukannaamuthu (Aval Payasam)

This is a traditional dish from Kerala state,India. This is one of the Neivedya prasadam for Unni Kannan. Usually I make this payasam on Krishna Jeyanthy day.  For Unni Kannan he loves Aval and Milk. This dish gives both. This payasam does not require nuts for decoration.

Ingredients:

Chemba Aval (Brown Aval)                    – ¼ cup

2% milk                                                – 1 cup

Evaporated milk                                    – 1 tin

Cardamoms                                          – 6 no

Ghee                                                     – 2 tbsp

Sugar                                                    – ¾ cup to 1 cup

Saffron                                                   - a pinch

Method: 

• Wash and clean the Aval. Fry the Aval in  1 tbsp  ghee.
• Add milk and saffron into the Aval. Cook it in the pressure cooker for 2 whistles
• Take out the Aval from cooker and transfer into the sauce pan.
•  Mash the Aval slightly. Add sugar, 1 tbsp of ghee, evaporated milk and crushed cardamoms. Stir well until Sugar dissolve into milk. Reduce the heat and cook it for 20 minutes until it thickens to the consistency of payasam.

Nendran Banana Chips (Kerala Banana Chips)

Nendran Chips is one of the popular snacks of Kerala. They are called “Upperi” or “kaai Varthathu” These are different from other banana chips and are yellow in color. The color is natural. They are fried in coconut oil and sprinkled with salt water. Banana chips are very important item in any formal dinner, especially Onam Sadya. My in-laws were very orthodox and they always eat only home –made food. This enabled me to learn chip making from my mother-in-law . In this recipe in place of coconut oil I used cooking oil.

Ingredients:

Raw Nendran banana                   - 4no

Salt                                             - 2 tsp

Turmeric powder                          – ½ tsp

Water                                          - 1/4 cup

Oil                                                 for deep frying

Method:

• Dissolve 1 tsp salt in 1/4 cup of water. Add Turmeric powder in it. Mix well.
• Peel the Nendran bananas. Do not throw away the peels. It can be used to make thoran Slice the bananas into thin rounds.
• Heat oil in a kadai (The stove heat should be in medium). Deep fry the banana pieces in batches.
• When they turn yellow, sprinkle 2 tsp turmeric salt water into the oil.
• Fry till the water evaporates fully.  Drain on a paper towel and store in an air tight container.

Unniappam

This is one of the traditional & delicious sweet dishes from Kerala. In all Krishna temples in Kerala, they make this Neivedyam prasadam for Lord Unni Kuttan. And these prasadam are so yummy like Krishna Himself.

Ingredients

Raw rice                                           1cup

Jaggery                                             1 cup

Ripe Banana                                      1 no

chopped Coconut pieces                      1/4 cup (fried in ghee)

Green cardamon powder                    ½ tsp

Dry ginger powder                             ¼ tsp
Black sesame seed                             - 1/2tsp.

Ghee                                                  2 tbsp

Oil                                                      frying 

Method:

• Soak the raw rice for 4 hours. Drain it.
• Melt the jaggery with little water and strain.
• Smash the banana very well.
• Grind together with rice, melted Jaggery  banana, elachi & dry ginger powder with just enough water to form a smooth batter.
• fry the coconut pieces & till seeds in ghee.
• Mix ghee and coconut pieces with it and mix well. Keep aside it for 2 hours.
• Heat the Unniappam mould, fill it ¾ of ghee (or oil), pour the batter into mould.
• When one side is cooked, using sharp ladle flip it.
• Once appam is cooked, drain the ghee (or oil) and set aside. Sometimes sugar is sprinkled on top to give that awesome black/brown and white contrast and add sweetness. Also it tastes far better if you take it after couple of days, instead of fresh.

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Puli Inji/ Tamarind Ginger Curry

In Kerala this is one of the traditional dish in Onam Sadya (feast). The kick of ginger, chili, and tamarind along with sweetness of jaggery is so yummy. This dish can be prepared in so many different ways. Also it can be stored for more than a month.When I was in Cochin, one of my friend Namboothiri (Kerala Brahmin) aunty gave me this recipe.

Ingredients:

Ginger                                         1 big size

Tamarind                                     1 big lemon size

Grated Coconut                             ½ cup

Red chili powder                           1 tbsp

Coriander powder                        1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder                          1/4tsp

Asafetida powder                          1/4tsp

Jaggery (grated)                          ½ cup

Salt                                             – to taste
Seasonings:
Finely chopped Curry leaves       - 2 tbsp

Mustard seed                            – 2 pinches

Red chillies                                 – 2 nos

Coconut Oil                                 – 2tbsp

Method:

• Wash and peel the skin of ginger. Grate the ginger.
• Fry the grated ginger in 1 tsp of oil till brown .
• Soak the tamarind in ½ cup of hot water for few minutes. Dissolve it and keep aside. Make like thick pulp.
• Heat the oil, fry the shredded coconut till brown color. Then add all powders and fry for one minute. Grind them very smoothly.
• Heat the oil, add mustard seeds, when it is spluttering add curry leaves and red chillies.
• Add tamarind pulp, coconut masala paste, grated ginger and salt in it. Boil for 5 minutes. Finally add jaggery in it.
• Simmer for 5-7 minutes and remove from fire. Pulli Inji is ready. Store it in glass bottle.
• Serve with Dosa, Idli, Rice .

Mambazha Pulissery

Description:   This is a Kerala dish. Yogurt/Curd based mango curry
Ingredients

Mango pulp                              - 3/ 4 tin
Yogurt                                       1 cup
Turmeric powder                     – ¼ tsp.
 Green chilies                           - 4 no
Salt                                        – as required
 Chili Powder                        -  ¼ tsp.
For Grinding:
 Grated Coconut                       - 1 cup
  Jeera                                     – ¼ tsp.
Seasonings:
 Coconut Oil                              - 2 tbsp
Curry Leaves                            – 1 stem
 Mustard seed                           - 1 tsp
Fenugreek                                 -  ¼ tsp.
 Red chillies                                – 2 no

 Method:

•   Pour the mango pulp in water along with turmeric, green chillies, chili powder and salt. Boil it.
• Grind the coconut with the cumin seeds to a fine paste and add this to the boiling mango.
•  Bring this to a boil and take off the flame.
•  Blend the yoghurt to make it smooth and add this to the mixture. See to it that the yoghurt does not split.   
•   Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and when they crackle, add red chillies and curry leaves and Fenugreek.
•     Add the above seasoning to the above mango curry and mix well.
•    Serve with Rice.

Mathan Errisseri/Red Pumpkin Errisseri 2

Ingredients:
Red Pumpkin                                     2 cups( cut into pieces) 
 Red Oriental Beans                          1/2 cup
Grated coconut                                  1/2  cup
Red chillies                                       4 nos
Curry leaves                                     2 stem
Mustard seed                                    1 tsp
Coconut oil                                      3 tbsp
Turmeric powder                              1/2 tsp
Salt                                                to taste
To be Ground:
Coconut                                         - 1cup
Red chillies                                    - 2 nos
Jeera                                             - 1/4 tsp

Method:

1. Pressure cook the beans with salt with enough water till 2 to 3 whistle.
2. Cook the pumpkin with turmeric powder. When pumpkin is cooked add the beans  in  it  and mash the pumpkin.
3. Grind the coconut , jeera, red chillie  to fine paste.
4. Add the coconut paste to the pumpkin gravy and   simmer the heat.
5. Fry the coconut till red color and add to the gravy
6.  Season with spluttered mustard seeds,dried red chillies,and curry leaves in coconut oil
7. Serve Hot.

Erissery 1

Ingredients:

Frozen Suran or Yam                        1 pocket
Kerala raw banana                           1/2 lb
Grated Coconut                              1 1/2 cup
Turmeric Powder                              1/2 tsp
Black Pepper                                    1 tbsp
cumin seed                                     1 1/2 tsp
Red chillies                                      4 nos
Mustard seeds                                    1 tsp
Coconut oil                                       2 tbsp
Salt                                                - to taste

Method:

• Peel the banana skin and cut like small cubes. keep aside
• Cut the yam .
• Grind black pepper and 1/2 tsp jeera coarsely
• Take a frying pan add suran , water, black pepper, jeera, Turmeric powder. Boil it.
• When suran has cooked add raw banana pieces and salt and cook it.
• Grind 1 cup of coconut with jeera , red chillies coarsely
• When vegetables is cooked add the grinded coconut masala. cook it in low flame
• Heat the oil add mustard seeds, curry leaves, 1 red chili , 1/2 cup grated coconut
• Fry them till coconut colour is changed in red.
• Switch off the stove add the fried coconut to the gravy.
• Serve with Rice.

Paruppu

Ingredients:

Toovar dal                           1 cup
Turmeric powder -                1/4 tsp.
Green chilies                          2 no.
Curry leaves                         1 stem

Grated coconut                     1tsp
Chopped Coriander leaves    1 tsp
Mustard seeds                     - 1/4 tsp
Cummin seeds                       a pinch

coconut Oil                             1 tsp
lemon juice                             1/4tsp.
Salt                                       - to taste

Method:

• Add turmeric powder in dhal.
• Cook dhal in a pressure cooker.
• Fry mustard seeds, green chillies, curry leaves in oil.
• Pour over to cooked dhal.
• Add Coriander leaves,coconut salt  and lemon juice. Mix it well
• Serve hot with rice and ghee.