Kerala Style Kaalan / Raw Banana Yam Kootu

Yet another Kerala Delicacy - a perfect blend of Raw Banana / Kaya and Yam / Karunaikizhangu with ground coconut jeera chilly paste topped with yogurt

Ingredients
Part 1 - Pressure Cooker

• Raw Banana - 2 nos
• Yam / Karunaikizhangu - 200g
• Water - to immerse
• Turmeric - 1/2 teaspoon
• Chilly Powder - 1 teaspoon

Part 2 - Grinding

• Grated Coconut - 3 tablespoons
• Green Chilly - 5 nos
• Cumin seeds - 1/teaspoon

Part 3 - Seasoning

• Coconut oil - 1 teaspoon
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Red chilly - 2 nos
• Curry leaves - few
• Methi seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Part 4 - Others

• Salt - 2 teaspoon
• Pepper Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Thick Beaten Curd - 1/2 cup

Part 5 - Garnish

• Coconut Oil - 1 teaspoon
• Curry leaves - little

Method

Step 1 - Pressure Cooker

• Peel raw banana and yam.Chop them into small pieces
• Put inside cooker.Pour water, add chilly powder and salt
• Pressure cook for 2 whistles

Step 2 -  Seasoning

• Heat coconut oil and season with mustard seeds, chillies, methi seeds and curry leaves
• Add cooked vegetables and mix it well
• Add pepper powder and salt

Step 3 - Coconut Paste

• Put grated coconut, green chillies and cumin seeds (jeera) in a mixer jar
• Add little water to it and grind it to a smooth paste
• Allow it to boil
• Add beaten curds and mix well
• Just boil it once and switch off the stove

Step 4 - Garnish

• Garnish with coconut oil and curry leaves

Serve with hot rice

Mathanga Erissery / Yellow Pumpkin Erissery

Its another delicacy from Kerala Cuisine which is a part of Onam Sadhya.It is also served during weddings and other occasions
The recipe is very simple.It is garnished using roasted coconut which adds an extra flavour to the dish

Ingredients
Part 1 - Boil

• Yellow Pumpkin - 2 cups (chopped into cubs)
• Water - 1/4 cup
• Turmeric - 1/4 teaspoon
• Red Chilly Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Salt - 1 teaspoon

Part 2 - Grinding

• Small coconut pieces - around 6 or 7
• Green Chilly - 4 nos
• Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon

Part 3 - Seasoning

• Coconut oil - 1 teaspoon
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Red chilly - 2 nos
• Curry leaves - few

Part 4 - Garnish

• Oil - 1 teaspoon
• Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup
• Curry leaves - few

Method

Step 1 - Cooking Yellow Pumpkin

• Boil water and add yellow pumpkin cubes
• Put salt and chilly powder
• Cook for about 10 minutes till the pumpkins are done

Step 2 - Coconut Paste

• Take coconut pieces, green chillies and cumin seeds (jeera) in a mixer jar
• Add little water to it and grind it to a smooth paste

Step 3 - Erissery

• Add the coconut paste to the boiled pumkin
• Cook for 2 minutes and switch off the stove

Step 4 - Seasoning

• In a small kadai or ladle heat coconut oil and season with mustard, red chilly and curry leaves
• Pour it over the erissery

Step 5 - Garnish

• Heat coconut oil and roast coconut in it
• Add it to the erissery
• Garnish it curry leaves

Serve it with hot rice

Karunai Kizhangu Kootu / Senai Kootu / Yam Kootu

You can also call it as "Yam Dhal",Very simple recipe which goes well with plain hot rice

Ingredients
Part 1 - Pressure Cooker

• Yam - 350 g (chopped into small cubes)
• Channa dal - 3/4 cup
• Tomato - 1

Part 2 - Seasoning

• Oil - 2 teaspoons
• Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Green Chilly - 4 no:(slit it)
• Cumin seeds / jeera - 1/2 teaspoon
• Curry leaves - few

Part 3 - Powders

• Turmeric - 1/2 teaspoon
• Sambar Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Salt - 1 1/2 teaspoons

Part 4 - Garnishing and Topping

• Coriander leaves - little
• Grated coconut - 1 tablespoon
• Lemon Juice - 2 teaspoons

Method

Step 1 - Pressure Cooking

• Pressure cook the ingredients given under "Part 1" for 3 whistles
• Once the pressure is released mash the contents

Step 2 - Seasoning and kootu

• In a kadai heat oil and season with mustard, jeera, chillies and curry leaves
• Add the mashed yam and channa dal,Mix well
• Add little water if needed put turmeric, sambar powder and salt.Boil for few minutes
• Garnish with coriander leaves and switch off the stove
• Add grated coconut and mix well
• Add lemon juice and mix well

Surakkai Paal Kootu /Surakai Pal kootu / Bottlegourd Milk Stew

This is another version of Surakkai Kootu using milk and coconut.This goes well with Hot Rice
You can click Lauki Dhal to find another method of cooking the same

Ingredients
Part 1 - Pressure Cooker

• Surakkai / Lauki / Bottlegourd - 1 medium sized (roughly about 400g)
• Moong dhal - 1/4 cup
• Turmeric - a pinch
• Sambar powder - 2 teaspoons

Part 2 - Kootu

• Milk - 1 cup
• Salt - 1 teaspoon
• Coconut - 2 tablespoons
• Roasted bengal gram / Potukadalai - 2 tablespoons
• Green chilly - 3 nos

Part 3 - Seasoning / Tadka

• Oil - 1 teaspoon
• Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Cumin seeds / jeera - 1/2 teaspoon
• Red chilly - 1
• Curry leaves - 2 or 3

Method
Step 1 - Preparation

• Wash and soak moong dhal for about 10 minutes
• Meanwhile wash the veggie and peel it using a scraper
• Cut lauki into two halves
• Take the centre flesh part and chop the veggie into small cubes

Also grind coconut, potukadalai and green chillies.Keep it aside

Step 2 - Pressure Cooking

• Take the chopped veggies in a pressure pan
• Add soaked dhal to it.
• Put sambar powder and turmeric.Pour water to immerse the contents
• Pressure cook for 3 whistles

Step 3 - Paal Kootu

• Transfer the pressure cooked kootu to a kadai
• Pour milk and salt.Let it boil
• Add the ground coconut paste and mix well.Switch off the stove
• In a separate kadai.Pour little oil, splutter mustard seeds, jeera, red chilly and curry leaves
• Pour it over cooked kootu

Surakkai Paal Kootu is ready.Serve it Hot Rice

Peerkangai Kootu / Ridge Gourd Dhal / Beerakaya Pappu / Thurai ka Dhal

This is infact easy gravy and it goes well with plain rice

Ingredients

• Ridge gourd / Peerkangai - 1 long one (chop into cubes)
• Tomato - 2 nos (chop into small pieces)
• Toor dhal - 1/2 cup (boiled and mashed)
• Salt - 1 teaspoon
• Turmeric - little
• Oil - 2 teaspoons
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Urad dhal and Channa dhal - 1/2 teaspoon each
• Curry leaves - little
• Dried red chillies - 3 or 4
• Coriander leaves - to garnish
• Lemon - 1/2 teaspooon (optional)

Method

• Boil toor dhal in a pressure cooker for 4 whistles.Mash it and keep it ready (add turmric and little oil while doing so)
• In a kadai heat oil and splutter mustard seeds, fry channa and urad dhals, season curry leaves and red chillies so also turmeric

• Put tomatoes and saute it with a pinch of salt

• Add ridge gourd pieces and saute it till it is becomes semi soft ie half cooked

• Add mashed toor dhal and salt

• Pour around 1/2 cup of water and cook it closed for 5 minutes / till the ridge gourd is done

• Now switch off the stove and garnish with coriander leaves.Squeeze lemon if needed

Hot Peerkangai Kootu / Beerakaya Pappu is ready. Enjoy with hot rice

Capsicum Dhal / Capsicum Kootu

This is a simple kootu recipe with no garlic and no onions in it.That's the reason I tagged under festival.This kootu goes well with phulkas and jeera rice so also plain rice

Ingredients

• Oil - 1 tablespoon
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Cumin seeds / jeera - 3/4 teaspoon
• Dried red chillies - 5 or 6
• Tomato - 2 or 3 (cubed)
• Capsicum - 3 nos (diced)
• Moong dhal - 1/2 cup
• Turmeric - a pinch
• Water - to immerse the contents
• Salt - 1 teaspoon
• Coriander leaves - garnish
• Lemon - 1/2 (optional)

Method

• Heat oil in a pan / kadai.Season with mustard, jeera and red chillies

• Add tomatoes and saute it with a pinch of salt

• Add capsicum pieces and saute it slightly

• Add moong dhal, salt, turmeric and water.Mix well.Pressure cook for 3 whistles
• Transfer the cooked contents in a kadai and slightly simmer it.Mix well
• Garnish with coriander leaves and switch off the stove

• Squeeze lemon and mix well

Goes well with Plain Rotis

Lauki ka Dhal / Sorakai Kootu

Lauki (aka) Bottle Gourd (aka) Sorakai helps in weight management. Cooked lauki is a good antidote to urinary disorders. The juice of the fruit is prescribed for stomach acidity, indigestion and ulcer

 I cook Lauki atleast twice a week owing to its beneficial values

Ingredients

Cooker

• Lauki / Bottlegourd / Sorakai - 2 long ones
• Moong dhal - 1/4 cup
• Turmeric - 1/2 teaspoon
• Water - To immerse the contents

Tadka

• Oil - 2 teaspoons
• Mustard and jeera seeds - 1/2 teaspoon each
• Red chillies - 3 (cut opened vertically)
• Curry leaves - little
• Onion - 1
• Tomato - 1

Salt - little more than 1 teaspoon

Garnishing

• Coriander leaves - little

Method

Step 1

• Chop Lauki into small cubes
• Slightly dry roast moong dhal in a pan
• Take the chopped lauki and moong dhal together in a pressure pan
• Add turmeric and pour water.Mix well and pressure cook for 3 whistles

Step 2

• Heat oil in a kadai.Splutter mustard and jeera seeds
• Add red chillies and curry leaves
• Fry finely chopped onions with little salt till it becomes golden brown
• Saute diced tomatoes with a pinch of salt

Step 3

• Pour in the pressure cooked lauki and dhal
• Add little more water to adjust the consistency
• Put salt and mix well.Cook it for 2 minutes to blend the contents
• Switch off the stove and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves

This subji / Kootu can be mixed with plain rice, jeera rice or as a side dish for phulkas

Drumstick Sabji aka Kootu

This is a very tasty kootu.I saw this recipe in Jaya TV but modified according to my taste and Iam happy to share it with u all

Ingredients

Cooker:

Drumstick - 2 (cut it into small pieces)

Toor Dhal - 1/2 cup

Moong Dhal - 1/2 cup

Sambar Powder - 2 Teaspoons

Chilly Powder - 1 Teaspoon

Mixie

Onion - 1 or 2 (chop it well)

Tomato - 3 Nos (chop it well)

Kadai:

Oil - 3 Tablespoons

Jeera- 1 Teaspoon

Methi Seeds - 1 Teaspoon

Turmeric Powder - 1/2 Teaspoon

Coriander and Currry Leaves - Little

Salt - 1 1/2 Teaspoons

Tamrind Water extract - 1/2 cup

Method:

1. Grind onion and tomatoes into a thick paste in the mixer.Add water if necessary.Keep it aside
2. In a pressure cooker add Toor Dhal,Moong Dhal,Drumstick.Mix well with Sambhar Powder and Chilly Powder.Leave it for 3 whistles
3. In a Kadai, heat oil and Jeera.After it splutters add Methi seeds.Now add Turmeric Powder.
4. Add the Onion Tomato paste and heat till raw smell diffuses
5. Add the cooker item (step 2) and mix well
6. Add Tamrind water and salt.Allow it to boil
7. Garnish it with Coriander and Curry leaves
8. If necessary add a spoon of ghee

This kootu can be served as a side dish with Poori,Dosa and it can be mixed with rice also

Pudalangai (Snake Gourd) Kootu

This is a modified version of my friend's recipe.It is totally oil free.Very easy and tasty too.This Kootu can be used as a sidedish for Rotis and can be mixed with rice also

Ingredients

• Pudalangai - 2 cups
• Moong Dhal - 1/2 - 3/4 cup
• Milk - 1 cup
• Salt - 1 Teaspoon
• Idly Chilly Powder - 1 or 2 Teaspoons (depending upon the spice required)

Method

1. Take Pudlanagai and Moong Dhal in a Pressure Pan.Add little water just to immerse the contents.
2. Add a pinch of Turmeric and mix well
3. Close the lid of the cooker and leave it for 4 whistles
4. Now add Milk and Idly Chilly Powder and mix well.Allow the contents to boil
5. Add Salt and mix well
6. Kootu is ready