Brussels Paruppu Usli

Ingredients:

Brussels                        – 12 nos

Toovar Dal                      – ½ cup

Chenna Dal                      – ½ cup

Urdh dhal                        – 1 tbsp

Moong dhal                     – 2 tbsp

Red chillies                      – 6 no

Curry leaves                    – 2 stem

Hing                                – ½ tsp

Salt                              – to taste

 For Seasoning

Oil                                  – 4 tbsp

Mustard seeds                – ½ tsp

Urdh dal                          – 1 tsp

Method:

• Wash and cut the Brussels and keep aside.
• Soak all dals in hot water for 3 hours. Drain it and grind with curry leaves, Hing, red chillies, and salt. Grind them coarsely.  Put it in the Microwave bowl and cook it for 2 minutes. Keep aside.
• Take a sauce pan add oil, two pinches of turmeric powder, Brussels and salt.  Cover and cook till soften.  Keep aside.
• Heat oil in a frying pan add seasonings, when mustard seeds crackled add the dal mixture and fry it for five minutes. Then add Brussels in it and mix well.  Lower the heat, and stir it for few more minutes. The delicious Brussels Paruppu Usli is ready.

Bisi Bela Bath

Karnataka is known for its great hospitality, filter coffee and Bisi bele bath. BBB aka Bisibelebaath (Bisi=Hot, Bele=dal/lentil, baath=rice), is a traditional food in Karnataka.  You can use homemade or MTR BBB powder. Here I used homemade Bisi Bela bath powder.

 Ingredients

Rice                                         3/4 cup

Toovar dal                                1/2 cup

Chenna dal                               ¼ cups

Turmeric Powder                        ¼ tsp

Tamarind                                  a small lemon size

Bisi Bela Anna powder -         3 tbsp OR MTR BBB powder

Jaggery                                    1 tsp

Ghee                                        2 tbsp

Salt                                          to taste

Vegetables:

 Chopped French beans             ¼ c up

 Chopped Carrot-                      ¼ cup

Chopped Potato                        ½ cup (cubes)

Chopped Capsicum                    ¼ cup

Curry leaves                             2 stems

Green chillies                            2 no

Seasoning:

Oil/ghee                                  1 tsp

Mustard seeds                         1/4 Tsp.

Hing                                        ¼ Tsp

Cashew nuts                              few

Curry leaves                             1 stem

Method

•  Peel and cut vegetables into 1"  pieces.
• Soak tamarind in water and extract juice.
• Wash rice and dal together and put it in the pressure cooker. Add 6 cups of water and 1 tsp of ghee. Pressure cook them till 4 whistles.  Take out from the cooker and transfer into heavy bottom pan. Gently mash them.
• While the rice and dal are cooking, in another kadai, heat a tablespoon ghee or oil. Add the seasoning ingredients and roast the tadka them.
• Now add the cut vegetables and saute. When they start to get tender, add the tamarind pulp, Jaggery, turmeric, BBB powder and salt.  Boil for few minutes. Now add the cooked and mashed rice- dal mixture. Stir in the masala along with two cups of water. Combine well. Adjust the spices to your liking. Cover the pot and simmer for about ten to fifteen minutes on medium-low heat.
• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and add some ghee just before serving.
• Serve hot with a teaspoon of ghee drizzled.

Bisi Bela Bath with Pappad and Zucchini 

Pachadi

Bisi Bela Bath Powder

Ingredients

Channa dal (Bengal Gram)                   – ½ cup

Urad dal                                             -1/2 cup

Coriander Seeds                                 – 4 tsp

Jeera                                                    – 2 tsp

Fenugreek seed                                   – 1tsp

Red chillies                                           – 15 no

Cinnamon –                                      3’’ (broken into pieces)

Elachi                                                -2

Cloves                                              – 2

Turmeric Powder                               – ¼ tsp

Peppercorn                                      – ½ tsp

Grated coconut                                  – 1 cup

Oil                                                   – for frying

Method: 

• Roast all the above ingredients and grind to a coarse powder in a coffee grinder. Store in a airtight container.

Zucchini Pachadi

Zucchini, a small summer squash, is botanically a fruit. However, in gastronomic terms, it is considered to be a vegetable. Though you can avail zucchini throughout the year, the best ones appear during late spring.  Zucchini have lot of health benefits. You want to know about health benefit please see this link

http://www.naturalfoodbenefits.com/display.asp?CAT=2&ID=81

Ingredients: 

Zucchini                                  – 1 (grated and sprinkled with a pinch of salt)

Plain low-fat yogurt                   – 2 cups

Fresh hot chili peppers               - 3 no

Chopped fresh coriander leaves,    1 tablespoon

Fresh lemon zest                          1/2 teaspoon (optional)

For the Seasoning:

Vegetable oil                           1 teaspoon

Black mustard seeds                   1 teaspoon

Fresh curry leaves                      – 10 nos

Asafetida                                - 2 pinch

Salt                                          as needed

Method:

• Squeeze the excess water from the zucchini.
• Mix the yogurt in a bowl with the grated zucchini, chopped chili pepper, coriander, lemon zest and
• Set aside.
• Heat the oil in a small skillet, add mustard seeds, curry leaves and Asafetida.
• Fry, for 1 minute. Pour the seasoned oil over the yogurt mixture and stir in the salt. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Mango Curry (Mango Pickle)

Mango pickle can be considered to be the queen of pickles. Mango curry or Mango pickle is a very spicy condiment in Kerala Sadya.  Any Sadya (feast) without pickle are unimaginable. This pickle is very easy to make.

Ingredients:

Unripe mango/pacha manga                2 nos (cut to small cubes)

Red chili powder                                4 TBSP

Turmeric powder                                ¼ tsp

Asafetida powder                                ¼ tsp

Fenugreek powder                                ¼ tsp

Gingelly oil                                         3 tbsp

Salt                                                  as needed

Water                                                ¼ cup

Curry leaves                                      2-3 sprigs

Method:

•  In a mixing bowl, add the cubed mango pieces along with turmeric powder and salt. Mix these together well and set aside for at least 2 hours. 
• Add red chili powder, Asafetida and fenugreek powder. Mix all well to combine. 
• Heat oil in a frying pan and Switch off flame, and immediately add mustard seeds, and curry leaves. Add this over the mango pieces and mix well. Continue mixing until the froth from oil is completely disappeared and the raw smell from the chili powder is gone.
•  Transfer this to another bowl and set aside.
• Warm a ¼ cup of water in a pan and add to the prepared mango pickle. Mix well to combine and spicy, tasty mango pickle is ready to serve.

Mango Pickle

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