Ulli Thakkali Varatharacha Curry / Onion & Tomato in Roasted Coconut Gravy

Since coming to my mother's place, cooking has been on a low. Mom is completely in charge here, so I decided to feature some of her recipes which are mostly traditional Keralite recipes. And like most mothers, she also does not usually have exact measurements. But she caught on quick and suggested tips to add in the write-up especially for non-Mallu cooks. Today's recipe is one such curry recipe that you will see in Malayali households - Ulli Thakkali Varatharacha curry or translated - Onion and Tomato in a roasted-coconut-paste gravy. Typically in Kerala, coconut is either ground fresh or is roasted and then ground for the curry base. This one here - Ulli Thakkali Varatharacha curry has coconut and coriander seeds, roasted to a medium golden color and then ground for the curry. On to the rest of the recipe....

Ingredients
Onion / Ulli- 1.5 cup
Tomato / Thakkali - 1 cup
Coconut, grated - 1 cup
Coriander seeds - 2 tbsp or Coriander powder - 3 tbsp
Tamarind pulp - 2 tsp
Turmeric pwd - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli pwd - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 to 2
Dry red chilli - 2
Oil - 1.5 tbsp
Salt as per taste

The measures given here for the onion and tomato is post cleaning and is sliced in case of onion and diced into pieces. Measure for both coriander seeds and powder is given in case one or the other is not available. Traditionally, coriander seeds is used.

Heat a shallow pan on low flame and add the the grated coconut. Keep stirring the coconut to evenly roast it till golden in color. Do not let it brown. Traditionally, the grated coconut was grated with a few drops of oil so it does not catch the bottom of the pan and burn. But today, with non-sticks and well tempered iron pans, you don't need to add oil. Add red chilli powder to the roasted coconut after taking the pan off the heat and stir altogether for a minute. If using coriander powder add it along with the red chilli powder to the roasted coconut and stir. Keep it in a bowl to cool.

If using the coriander seeds add it to the same pan and roast on low heat till the seeds change color and its aroma is released. Add it into the bowl with the coconut. Once cooled, grind it in a blender.

 

Heat a saucepan and add 1 tbsp oil and once it is hot add the onion and saute on medium heat till translucent. Then add the tomato and stir for a minute and add the tamarind paste, salt and turmeric powder. Follow it up with the ground paste and a cup of water and give it one boil. Check the salt and if more water is needed in the curry and adjust as needed. Add a few curry leaves in the curry and take it off the heat and keep covered. Heat a separate pan for tadka / tempering and add the 0.5 tbsp into it. Once hot add the mustard seeds and let it splutter then add broken red chilli pieces and the sprigs of curry leaves and stir it. Take it off the heat once the chillies change to a darker color and pour this whole mix into the curry and keep covered till ready to serve.

We have this Ulli Tomato Varatharacha curry with rice and a thoran or mezhuperatty.

My mother's recipe for Ulli Thakkali Varatharacha Curry goes to
Walk through Memory Lane originally by Gayatri's Cookspot

 

 

Chemmeen / Prawn / Kolambi Masala Fry

On those days, when you want your prawns / chemmeen and don't have much  time on hand, try this dish. It is easy and quick to make but very flavorful dish. It is a shorter version of the chemmeen olarthiyathu.

Ingredients
Chemmeen / Prawn / Kolambi - 500gms
Savaalla Ulli / Onion - 2 medium
Thakaalli / Tomato - 1 medium
Ginger - 2 inch pc
Green chilli - 3
Curry Leaves - 8 to 10
Red Chilli pwd - 2tsp
Turmeric pwd - 1tsp
Coconut milk - 3 tbsp (optional)
Coconut oil - 2tsp
Salt as per taste

Clean and devein the prawns. Finely chop the onions, ginger and tomatoes. Chop the green chillies.

Heat 1tbsp oil, add finely chopped onions, turmeric pwd, and chopped green chillies and sauté till brown. Add chilli powder stir and add the prawns and the ginger and sauté for a minutes. Add 1 cup water, salt to taste and tomato, close the lid and let cook for 5 minutes till the tomatoes are blended. Add the coconut milk and curry leaves and cook for the water to dry up. When the water is almost gone add coconut oil and on high fry for a couple of minutes. Take it off the heat and transfer to a serving bowl.  

 

Lunch: Rice, Prawn Masala Fry, Achinga - Chenna mezhukkupuratti and sambhar

Coconut Onion Chutney / Thengya Ulli Chutney

This is another chutney we make at home to go with idli / dosa / appam. Like I wrote in my previous posts, a small variation gives a totally different taste to chutneys. As the name reveals, it is a coconut / thengya (thenga)  chutney (recipe given here) with the addition of raw onion in it. I used the savaalla ulli in this coconut / thengya (thenga) onion chutney but for a more authentic taste use the cheriya ulli. This coconut chutney can be made with another addition as well - ginger. My mother adds ginger to make a coconut ginger chutney or a thengya inji chutney. Adding ginger gives a slightly curdled taste to this chammanthi / chutney so we don't make it at home because of my husband's aversion to any curdled / yogurty taste. In case, substituting the onion with ginger, add half an inch piece of ginger to this chutney to make a coconut ginger chutney.

Ingredients
Coconut, grated - 1 cup heaped
Onion - 1/2 small sized (if using cheriya ulli - 2 to 3)
Green chilli - 2
Salt as per taste
for varuthiddal / tadka
Oil - 1tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2tsp
Curry leaves - 4-5
Dry red chilli - 1
Green chilli - 1
Grind the coconut, onion, green chillies to a fine paste with water and add salt as per taste. Pour it into a serving bowl.
Cut the red chilli in two and slit the green chilli and keep ready. Heat a small pan, add the oil, when hot add the mustard seeds. When it splutters add the dry red chilli, green chilli and the curry leaves stir it well and pour it on the chutney. After a minute, mix well and it is ready to be served.

Coconut and Fried Onion Chutney

A Variations to the coconut chutney
This is just one of the chutneys we make at home to go with either dosa or idli. The bland idli tastes best when paired off with something hot and spicy. We usually make a batch of the ulli chammanthi or onion chutney (recipe given here) and store it in the refrigerator. This chutney here is a variation to the ulli chammanthi and the usually coconut chutney. This is a coconut chutney with a little twist.

Ingredients

Coconut - 1 cup

Onion - 1/4th

Dried red chillies - 2 to 3

Curry leaves - 3-4

Salt to taste

Oil - 1tsp

for seasoning

Mustard seeds - 1/2tsp

Curry leaves - 5-6

Oil - 1 tsp

Chop the onions. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onions in it till light brown. When done, add the dried red chillies give it a stir and take it off the gas. Grind the grated coconut, the fried onion, dried red chillies curry leaves and salt with little water to a fine paste. Add water to get a thickish consistency. Pour it  out into a bowl, check for salt and add if necessary.

 

Heat a pan for the tadka, add the oil and when hot add the mustard seeds. When it splutters, add the curry leaves and take it off the gas and pour it over the chutney.

 

If Sambhar onions or cheriya ulli is added to this recipe, the chutney's taste is elevated to a completely different lever. I did not have the cheriya ulli so used savaalla ulli or the usual onions in this recipe.

 



Baingan Bharta

 

I loved the colors I got in these pictures and wanted to put them up first. Will add the recipe in shortly :)

 

 

Once you have roasted the eggplant / aubergine, use the wrong end of the knife to remove the charred skin. Use a fork to roughly mash the roasted eggplant / aubergine, let there be chunks and pieces. At this stage, the aubergine can be used as a topping on a pizza or on an open sandwich. It can also be made into a salad with bell peppers, onions and mozzarella cheese. And not to forget Baba ganoush made with yogurt and tahini!

Mixed Vegetable Upma / Upumaav / Upama

Upma is one of those foods that is either really loved or absolutely detested by people, leaving hardly any fence-sitters. I do not like the upma on most days unless it is made with vegetables. For my husband it is the most comforting food that he falls back on for breakfast or lunch or dinner. But he likes it made simply, without tomatoes and vegetables which I do not eat. So at our home, if my husband is eating upma you can be sure I am eating something else! When growing up, whenever mom made upma, she cooked something else for me or made sure there was bread and cheese in the frig for me. I can live on sandwiches so her fall back plan for me was always bread with something for the stuffing!

I learnt to make an upma after marriage knowing that this was the go to dish for my husband. Its not easy to get the consistency right especially when you are starting off. Here in this post also, the measures I have given is more approximate than exact. Most of my cooking is done by the look, feel, taste and smell and I am giving you how to do it here. I prefer to add only little of what I like to call taste ingredients like salt, sugar, tamarind, chili powder, etc. initially. You can always add some later though the reverse, i.e., lessening of a taste ingredient is difficult. So be miserly at the start and add little by little as needed.

Broadly, follow these steps for making upma -

In a pan dry roast rawa on low heat till they look crisp which will take about 10 minutes, then keep aside. Heat oil in a kadai / deep pan for phodni / vagaar / tadka / tempering, add the mustard seeds and a few udad dal / split black gram. Tip, take a little more oil than required, it helps in fluffing the rawa when cooked. Once the seeds have spluttered add chopped onions, chopped green chilies and curry leaves, stir fry till the onions are soft and light golden. Add water into this and a little salt. Once it boils, lower heat and check for salt and add more if necessary. Tip, the water should taste a little saltier than you usually take in food. This is because rawa like potato absorbs salt making the upma tasteless if the water had exact salt to start with. Continuing with the upma, Raise the heat and once you have the water boiling again, slowly add the rawa into the boiling water. Add the rawa by tilting the container slightly to create a continuous flow without dumping a lot at one time. Stir the spoon in circles in one direction, mixing all the time. Do not stop stirring, lumps will form and your upma will good only for the trash can. Now, add as much rawa till the time, the mix has come together and it becomes difficult to stir the spoon. Stop adding the rawa, lower the heat and keep stirring to bring the whole mixture together. Tip, keep some boiling water handy incase you added too much rawa by mistake and incase you need to use this extra water the rule is to add little - stir well, then add more if required. If the water is all absorbed then pile all the upma into a mound then take the pan off the heat and keep covered for about 5 to 10 minutes. Then, uncover and stir the upma to fluff it up.

Mixed Vegetable Upma
Ingredients
Rawa / Sooji / Cream of wheat - approx. 1 cup
Pyaaz / Kaanda / Onion - 1 medium, finely chopped
Tamatar / Tomato - 1 small, finely chopped
Gaajar / Carrot - 2 tbsp. finely chopped
Farasbee / Beans / French Beans - 2 tbsp. finely chopped
Vatana / Matar / Green peas - 2 tbsp.
Mirchi / Hari Mirchi / Green Chili - 1 finely chopped
Rai / Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Kadipatha / Curry leaves - 2 - 3 torn into pieces (optional)
Coriander leaves - 1tsp. chopped
Water - 1.5 cups
Oil - 3 tbsp.
Salt to taste

In a pan dry roast rawa on low heat and keep aside. Heat oil tempering, add the mustard seeds and once it splutters add chopped onions, chopped green chilies. Stir fry till the onions till soft and translucent. Add the finely chopped tomatoes and fry it for a minute. Add turmeric powder, stir, then add water into this and a little salt. Add the chopped carrot, green peas and french beans and let it cook for about 5 minutes till still crunchy. Raise the heat till boiling and add the rawa slowly stirring all the while. When the mixture has come together switch off the heat and keep covered. Add the chopped coriander leaves and fluff the upma up. You can also add 1 or 2 tsp. grated coconut to this.

Spoon some into a bowl and get some piping hot tea to go with it! Enjoy!!!

Ulli Chammanthi / Onion Chutney

The chutney or chammanthi elevates the taste of food, just like that spicy achaar with a bowl of dal chawal. In Kerala, we have a variety of chammanthis made to complement different dishes. I remember as children when we vacationed with my grandparents in Kerala, the day would start with two items for breakfast. My grandparents needed their fix of kanji (rice gruel) and the rest of the family wanted some palaharam that was either idli or dosa or rawa / godambu upma or godambu or aree podi puttu or appam. We children were encouraged to eat both by our grandparents. They would offer all the accompaniments as enticement - the regular fixture - chammanthi, next papadam, add to that thoren and not to miss the kadumaangaa or any uppilittathu. Actually, I did not need much coaxing - I loved it, but it was nice to have muthachan and ammumma encouraging us. For me, the best combination was hot kanji with a bit of ghee and salt and lots of chammanthi in the side plate. The chammanthi was especially yum if made by my P ammayi. It was a simple coconut-green chilli-curry leaves ground on the ammikalu (grinding stone) with mango when in season. The slightly ripe mango elevated the chammanthi to ambrosial heights. Just thinking of that chammanthi makes my mouth water.

 

Today, I bring you a simple Ulli chammanthi that goes very well with idli and complements the coconut chutney. Ulli chammanthi is made in a lot of ways in Kerala, one version uses the cheriya ulli / sambhar onions / shallots simply crushed with green chillies to go with boiled kappa (tapioca). The one I am making today has savaalla ulli (onions / pyaz) and dry red chillies as the main ingredients. Without much ado, lets go to the recipe.

 

Ingredients

Onions - 2 medium

Kashmiri dry red chillies - 7-8 or Red chilli powder - 1 tbsp.

Coconut Oil - 1 tbsp

Curry leaves - about 8-10 crushed and torn to pieces by hand

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Salt

Chop the onions roughly. Grind the red chillies and the onions to a fine paste with a little salt and keep aside. Heat a kadai, add the coconut oil and when it is hot add the mustard seeds. Once the mustard has spluttered add the curry leaves and stir with spoon. Add the ground onion - red chilli paste and mix it well. Keep the heat on low to medium and stir it on and off so that it doesn't stick to the bottom. Taste it for salt at this stage and add some if required. When the oil starts leaving the sides and the mix starts coming together take it off the gas and serve it!

Pair this chammanthi with idli, it really complements the blandness of idli. Enjoy!

Aloo Pyaaz Pakoda / Kaanda Batata Bhajia / Potato n Onion Fritters

Who doesn't love a plate of pakoda / bhajia / bhajji (a rose by any name would smell .....) with piping hot tea. Yesterday afternoon the clouds started gathering and helped to set the mood for the rains to come. It rained for no more than 20 minutes in all but that was more than enough to set the ball rolling in the kitchen for some pakodas and tea. I decided to try a mixed pakoda we ate once at a small railway station in Rajasthan early in the morning. It was actually quite simple - potato and onion pieces in besan (gram flour) with a few spices/ herbs. So tried to recreate that magic today!  

You can try this pakoda with different vegetable combinations like: onion-potato-capsicum, onion-capsicum-cabbage, onion-spinach, onion-potato-cauliflower, etc. Go ahead create more pairings, use carrots, beans, peas, spinach / palak, methi / fenugreek leaves, zucchini, colorful bell peppers, water chestnuts for crunch.... The combinations are endless, let your taste and imagination lead you on this trip. Chop the veges real fine and the children will also happily gobble them up.

 

For us, this pakoda made its mark on one of our trips in Rajasthan when we travelled by train in the sleeper class. I mention sleeper class because it was a night journey in the winter and you are exposed to whatever temperature goes outside or maybe colder. Now, we had not realized how cold it gets in a train and had not carried blankets and stuff that we saw with other passengers. So once inside, we piled on as many layers (read 2 t-shirts and a sweater, a jeans and a sweat pant and 2 socks on me!) and lay down to catch a few winks. After tossing and turning the whole night we woke up at 6am hoping to get some hot tea and biscuits to alleviate a little of the teeth chattering cold. We passed through many small sleepy stations but not much stirred that early. At about 7am we stopped at this small station where one sole vendor had started selling pakodas and tea so we quickly got off and bought some. It was a beautiful sight, the sun was not out completely, there was a light fog, the platform was empty other than this vendor with a handful of people hovering around him. Now, fried stuff is not something we have ever had for breakfast but that cold morning it seemed like maana from heaven.

Aloo Pyaaz Pakoda / Kaanda Batata Bhajia / Potato n Onion Fritters

Ingredients

Besan/ Gram flour - 1.5cups

Alu/ Potato - 1 small finely chopped

Pyaaz/ Onion - 2 medium finely chopped

Haldi/ Turmeric pwd - 1/4 tsp

Mirchi/ Red Chili pwd - 1/2 tsp

Dhania/ Coriander seeds crushed/ pwdr - 1/4 tsp

Coriander leaves chopped - 1/2tsp

Green chilli - 1 deseeded and chopped

Soda - 1 pinch (optional)

Salt to taste

Water - little to make batter

Oil for frying

Start by taking a mixing bowl and put in the chopped onions, chopped potatoes, turmeric, chili powder, crushed coriander seeds and salt. Mix this well, slightly crushing the potato and onions with the back of the spoon. This will release some water from them.

 

I prefer adding very little water because the onion releases water and our mix could become watery. Aim to get a batter that is of dropping consistency with a little coaxing. Add 1tbsp at a time and mix well to form a thick batter of dropping consistency. Now add the chopped coriander leaves and the green chili. I deseeded the chili because it is added more for flavor than heat. You can add a pinch of soda to make the bhajia light and crispy. Heat some oil in a kadai / pan for deep frying the pakodas. Once the oil is hot take a teaspoon of this hot oil and add to the batter and mix well. I have been told that it makes the pakoda crisp and it does not absorb much oil.

You can test if the oil is of right temperature by dropping a bit of the batter into the oil, if it rises to the top then we are ready to start our frying. Now drop spoonful's of the mix into the hot oil. Don't crowd the pakodas in the oil let them be submerged and have space around them. Once you have dropped all the pakodas you can, lower the gas heat to let the pakodas cook, else you will have crisp outside and wet and uncooked inside.

Turn the pakodas / bhajias to cook evenly on all sides. Cook until the pakodas / bhajias are golden in color. Then scoop them with a slotted spoon and hold the spoon above the kadai till as much oil is drained. Drop them onto a tissue lined platter and they are ready to be served.

Serve them with tomato ketchup and tomato chili sauce and a mug of hot chai / chaa / tea.

Most of us have a story around pakodas and chai so go ahead reminisce and have a nice time. Enjoy!!!

My Aloo Pyaaz Pakoda goes to
- C'mon chefs cook up some hosted by cookclickndevour
 

Mutton Rara .... my way....

At home, we usually cook mutton the Kerala style - with coriander, peppercorns and coconut. For a change we decided to try something different and I started checking recipes on the internet. From what I read, I liked the recipes of Hyderabad Mutton Korma and Mutton Rara. I then started checking if I had all the ingredients for these recipes. The Hyderabadi Mutton Korma needed grated coconut which I was too lazy to do and thought I could use coconut milk instead. But then realized I did not have cashew nuts and poppy seeds as well. So I narrowed down to Mutton Rara and for that also I did not have black elaichi, javithri and mutton mince. I am not particularly a fan of mince so I did not mind that missing element. As for the black elaichi and javithri, I replaced with green elaichi, star anise and an additional bay leaf. And after all these changes this is how my Mutton Rara looked :

Ingredients:
Mutton cut in curry pieces - 750gms
Onion medium sized sliced - 3
Tomato medium sized chopped - 2
Ginger julienned - 1.5 inches
Garlic julienned - 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1tsp
Turmeric powder
Red Chilli powder
Oil - 3tbsp
Ghee - 1tbsp
Salt as per taste
Sugar - a couple of pinches
Coriander leaves for garnishing
Masala powder:
Cloves (lavang) - 6
Cinnamon (dalchinni) - 1 inch piece
Bay leaf (tej patha) - 2
Coriander seeds (dhaniya) - 1tsp
Black cumin (shahi jeera) - 1tsp
Green cardamom (elaichi) - 1
Star anise (chakri phool) - 1
Nutmeg (jaiphal) pieces - 1/4 tsp

Method:
Dry roast all the ingredients listed under masala powder. When it cools, powder it and keep aside.

Heat the pressure cooker, add oil and when the oil heats up add the cumin seeds. When the cumin seeds splutter add the sliced onions and saute for a few minutes till the onions turn pink. Add the ginger and garlic juliennes to the sauteed onions and fry till done. Add the turmeric and red chilli powders and stir well then add chopped tomatoes and saute. When the tomato has softened add salt and sugar and stir well. Add the mutton pieces and stir to coat the meat well. Add the spoon of ghee and cover and cook. Open the cooker and add half the masala powder, mix well. And I then proceeded to add 2 potatoes halved (this is my love for potatoes that made me do this), although no recipe asks for this. Cover the cooker and cook under pressure for 2 whistles but this depends on the toughness of the meat. Open the lide and garnish with coriander leaves.
Tadaaaa! my mutton was done.

Chicken Biryani with Shan Biryani Masala

After ages, I made biryani at home. Actually, its long since I cooked, after all mom's there to take care of everything. Biryani has always been my weakness. It can be biryani time anytime for me. I am partial to chicken biryani and go if for it if the restaurant is remotely known for its biryani. In Bombay, I enjoy biryani from - Lucky, Blossoms-Hotel Sun City & Jaffer Bhai Delhi Darbar to name a few.  And for the days I can't get my fix I make it at home and this is one such recipe:

For preparing meat:
Chicken 500gms, cut in medium sized pieces
Onion 4, medium to large sized, chopped/sliced
Garlic 10 cloves, medium sized, juliennes
Ginger 4 inch piece, juliennes
Shan Memoni Mutton Biryani Masala powder
Yogurt (dahi) 2 tbsp
Green chillies 2, big sized, slit
Tomato 1, medium sized, chopped
Potato 4, small sized, peeled to be used whole
Butter/ Ghee 3 tbsp
Little salt
For preparing the rice:
Basmati Rice 2 cups, soaked in water for 15 minutes
Cloves (lavang) 2
Cinnamon (dalchini) 1 inch piece
Green Cardamom (elaichi) 2
Black Cardamom (kaali elaichi) 1
Little salt
For assembling:
Coriander Leaves 1 cup, rough chopped
Mint Leaves, about 15 to 20 leaves, rough chopped
Onions sliced, fried in ghee or oil 1/2 cup
Butter/ Ghee 2 tbsp

Rice:

Take 4 cups water in a saucepan add the whole spices (khada masala) cloves, cinnamon, cardamoms and salt put it to boil. When the water boils lower the heat and add the soaked rice, cook for 5 minutes stirring in between. Check the rice, it should have a bite, about three-fourth cooked. Take it off the heat and drain off the excess water using a colander. At this time, you can remove the whole spices. In case you want to avoid removing it individually, you can make a bouquet garni and drop into the water when boiling.

Meat:

Mix the chicken and the ginger and garlic in a bowl and keep aside. In a heavy bottomed deep vessel (I use my big pressure cooker), add the ghee, once hot, add the chopped onions and saute it. When the onions are nearly brown add the meat mixed with the ginger and garlic. Saute it for a few minutes then add the yogurt and the Shan biryani masala powder. Saute for a few minutes and add potatoes, mix well and cover and let cook on low heat for 10 minutes. Check for salt, you may need to add very little salt since the masala powder has salt in it. Add the tomatoes and green chillies and cover and cook it done.

Now for the assembling for dum, you can do this on the stove or in the oven. I did it on the stove and to lessen the work used the cooker again. In case you are using the oven butter the insides of a deep glass baking dish and follow the steps below.

I took the chicken preparation out into a bowl. Add 1 tbsp spoon ghee in the empty cooker and let it spread the bottom of the vessel. Now to layer the chicken mix and rice.

Add half the prepared chicken mix to cover the bottom of the vessel. Layer half the rice on top of the chicken. Now top the rice with half of - the coriander leaves, mint leaves and fried onions. Repeat the layers - Layer the balance of the chicken and top it with the balance of the rice layer, Top these layers with the rest of the coriander and mint leaves and the fried onions. Sprinkle them to cover the rice. Sprinkle the remaining ghee on the top and the sides. Now cover and keep on very low heat for 15 to 20 minutes. If using the oven, cover the dish with foil, pierce the foil with fork a couple of times and put into a warm oven. When serving try to scoop out with the layers intact, its yummy with all the different tastes.

You can use oil instead of butter or ghee. Personally I love ghee and salivate when the aroma wafts through the entire home.