A time to feast

As Keralities across the globe get ready to welcome King Mahabali back into their lives to celebrate the harvest festival of Onam, we bring you a few recipes to try out at home

Aviyal

Ingredients:

• Cucumber: 250 gms
• Snake gourd: 250 gms
• Long runner beans: 50 gms
• Drumstick: 3 pieces
• Elephant yam: 250 gms
• Carrots: 2
• Raw banana: 100 gms
• Turmeric powder: ½ tbsp
• Chilly powder: 1 tbsp
• Salt: As required
• Curry leaves: A few
• Sour curd: ½ cup

Or

• Raw mango: 100 gms
• Coconut: 1 (grated)
• Green chillies: 50 gms
• Cumin seeds: 10 gms
• Small onions: 6 pieces
• Coconut oil: 4 tbsp

Method

Cut all the vegetables in the same length, about an inch per piece.

Place them along with the turmeric powder, chilli powder, salt and sufficient water over medium fire. Do not add too much water as vegetables should not be over cooked.

Grind together grated coconut, cumin seeds, small onions, green chillies and curry leaves into a coarse paste.

When the vegetables are cooked, add the raw mango pieces and cook them with the lid off.

When the mango pieces are cooked and the water starts to evaporate, add the coconut mixture and mix well.

If you are using curd, add it along with the coconut mixture.

When the vegetables are dry, add the coconut oil and curry leaves and mix well.

Remove from flame and serve.

KOOTU CURRY

Ingredients:

• Bengal gram Dhal: ½ cup
• White gram Dhal: 2 tbsp
• Grated Coconut: ½ cup
• Pumpkin, snake gourd, long runner beans, yam and cucumber: ¼ kgs (whole)
• Drumstick: ½ cup
• Turmeric powder: ¼ tbsp
• Green chillies: 3
• Salt: To taste
• Coconut oil: ¼ cup
• Mustard: 1 tbsp
• Dry chillies: 3
• Curry leaves: 2 sprigs
• Ghee: 1 tbsp

Method:

Grind the grated coconut with turmeric powder and green chillies into a fine paste.

Cook bengal gram dhal in pressure cooker for two whistles, along with salt and water.

Cut the vegetables into small pieces and steam them.

Heat oil; season mustard seeds, white gram dal, dried red chillies and curry leaves.

Add the ground coconut mixture. Sauté for some time, till the water dries.

Add the cooked vegetables, salt and bengal gram dhal to it and simmer on low heat.

Fry ¼ cup grated coconut in one tablespoon of ghee till golden brown.

Season the Koottu Curry with it and mix well.

ERISSERI

Ingredients:

• Ripe Pumpkin: 2 cups (sliced)
• Red oriental beans: ½ cup (soaked overnight)
• Coconut milk: 1 cup
• Oil: 2 tbsp
• Dry chillies: 2
• Mustard: 1 tbsp
• Curry leaves: 2 sprigs
• Salt: To taste

Make a paste of the following ingredients.

• Grated Coconut: 1 cup
• Small onion: 1
• Cumin: ½ tbsp
• Turmeric powder: ½ tbsp
• Green chillies: 2-3
• Garlic pods: 2

Method:

Cook the pumpkin with beans in enough water and salt.

Add the ground paste, boil for some time and keep it aside.

Heat some oil in a pan, season mustard seeds, curry leaves and dry chillies and add the thick coconut milk.

Pour the mix into the cooked pumpkin curry and stir well.

KALAN

Ingredients:

• Yam: 100 gms (sliced)
• Raw banana: 1 small
• Green chilies : 3 (slit)
• Yoghurt: ½ ltr
• Grated coconut: ½
• Cumin seeds: ½ tbsp
• Pepper powder: 1 tbsp
• Water: 1 cup
• Turmeric powder: ½ tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Fenugreek: ½ tbsp (fried-powdered)
• Ghee: 3 tbsp
• Red chillies : 2 (split in two)
• Mustard powder: 1 tbsp
• Curry leaves: 2 sprigs

Method:

Boil the sliced banana and yam along with green chillies in salted water.

Grind the coconut and cumin to a smooth paste without adding water. Keep aside.

Mix the pepper powder in half cup of water and strain it through a clean cloth.

Cook the vegetables in the same water. Add the turmeric powder and salt. Stir well.

When all the water has evaporated, add one tablespoon ghee. Pour the yogurt and mix well.

Lower the flame. When the curd boils and becomes thick, add the ground coconut mixture and fenugreek powder into it.

Stir well and bring to a boil

Remove from fire and season with mustard, red chillies and curry leaves.

CUCUMBER PACHADI

Ingredients

• Yellow cucumber: 1 Kg
• Coconut: ½ (paste)
• Cumin: 1 tsp (paste)
• Green chilli: 4 (paste)
• Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
• Urad daal: 1 tsp
• Dry red chilli: 4
• Curry leaves: As required
• Curd: 3 cups
• Coconut oil: 150 gms
• Salt to taste

Preparation

Boil the yellow cucumber; squeeze out the water and keep aside.

Fry the cucumber with the cumin, coconut and chilli paste; add curd and salt to taste (stir it well).

Heat oil in a small pan, crackle mustard seeds, add curry leaves, whole red chillies broken into two and stir for a moment.

Pour this to the yoghurt and cucumber mixture and stir it untill cooked well.

OLAN