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Kerala
produces some of the best-tasting vegetarian food on the planet. The land
and the food abounds with coconut, though it's hard to imagine Kerala food
without chilies, curry leaf, mustard seed, tamarind, and asafoetida. If
you can't find these ingredients, check the spice ordering links, or plan
a trip to South Asia. In a pinch you can substitute tomatoes for tamarind,
but there is no real substitute for curry leaf. You can find out
more about curry leaf, including sources for your own plant, by
clicking here . My personal curry plant came from the nursery in New
York, and it's grown from four inches to four feet in a year and a half.
Many of these recipes were provided by Mareena Yesudas, and are published here with permission. Others are from sources noted, and some are my own.
The picture of the Cochin canal above comes from Lonely Planet , the travel guide people. Cochin, on the Malabar coast, was one of the original centers for trade with the Middle East and Rome during the pre-Christian era. Cochin remains a thriving seaport today.
To see recipes from all regions in blog format, go to World-Wide Curries.
| Indian/English Name | Malayalam name |
| tuar dal | thuaran parippu |
| urad dal | uzhunnu parippu |
| masoor dal | parippu |
| chana dal (bengal gram) | kadala parippu |
| moong dal | parippu |
| hing (asafoetida) | kayam |
| tamarind | puli |
| coriander | malli |
| cayenne pepper | mulaku podi |
| methi (fenugreek) | uluva |
| cilantro leaves | malli ila |
| cumin (jeera) | jeerkam |
| mustard | kaduku |
| okra | vendakka |
| pumpkin | mathanga |
| cucumber | kumbalanga |
| like, Totally! | Ayyo! |
| saunf | perumjeerakam |
Notes by: Maya Nair Some of these
recipes may be too hot or spicy for you. Reduce the chili powder/green
chilies to suit your taste. To make methi, coriander or jeera powder, dry
roast the spices (without oil) in a saucepan for a few minutes and then
grind to a powder. To chop onions or other vegetables, the Sunbeam Oscar
mini food processor does a great job! If using dried curry leaves, soak
them in water for a few minutes before use. Most of these curries freeze
well. Freeze in small plastic containers with tight lids (1 to 2 servings)
and heat in a MW covered for 4-5 minutes. Add some more spices and salt
and garnish with fresh coriander leaves. Thanks to Aunty Menon for the
expert advice and assistance in compiling these recipes.
If using plantain or raw banana, cut into long strips ( 2 inches x half inch x .25 inches approx.) and mix with some yogurt (2 tablespoons) and keep aside for 10 minutes. Rinse well before boiling. If using canned drumsticks, add only at the very end. Also reduce the salt you add.
Boil the veggies with water (say ½ cup), salt and turmeric powder. When boiling add very little water if the veggies you add are rich in water (cucumber, cumbalanga etc.) Add the sliced green chilies to the boiling vegetables if you don't like it too hot. Else blend it with the coconut. Add the veggies that take longer to cook like plantain first, then beans etc. Meanwhile, blend the coconut to a smooth or semi-smooth paste with the green chilies or half the green chilies, and cumin. When the veggies are almost cooked, add this blended paste and curry leaves cook for a few minutes. Finally add the yogurt/lime juice/raw mango and mix it in. You can season with mustard seeds if you wish but I prefer not to add any more oil (the coconut has enough of it). Maya :) Enjoy....... Serve the above with rice, pappadums and plantain chips.
Source: Maya Nair
Cut all veggies into long pieces, 1 inch long, and 0.5 cm thick.
Note: You can avoid either or both squash if you like to; also banana if it is too gluggy. But you need all the others. You can add chena, padavalam, muringakkaya, etc. if you can get them. Cut them all in the same way (except muringakkaya, cut it into 1.5" long pieces and split into half), same length and thickness as others.
Put them in a pot in layers, beans and carrot at the bottom, then chokko, then banana, then potato, then zuchini, then add the onion slices, cut green chilees and curry leaves, then put the coconut, turmeric and chile powder (spread it on the top, all three), then put tomato slices, and then cucumber on the top.
Then pour water, cover with a lid and cook in low-medium flame. When it is cooked, add salt, and then stir well, careful not to break the vegetable pieces. If there is plenty water, keep it for a while to be dried up. Heat the oil, add mustard seeds, and curry leaves, add it to the above mix. Then add the yogurt and stir well, adding enough salt of your taste. Serve and enjoy!
Note: After adding the yogurt, don't heat it up, as it will get watery then. So if you want to put some in the refrigerator for the next day, take it first and add yogurt to the rest. You can add yogurt to the other when you are going to have it, after warming it up first. Hope you enjoy.
Source: Mareena Yesudas
Grind above in a blender. Season with asafoetida, fried mustard seeds, and curry leaves.
Chutney variant #1.. grind 2 bunches coriander leaves for lip-smacking 'coriander chutney'
NOTES: Experiment with the proportions. Me thinks that's the best way to learn. corrections welcome...
source: Prabhu Balaraman balarama@cae.wisc.edu
Wash thur dal thoroughly. Boil 1 liter of water. Drop dal in boiling
water. Cook until soft. Take a little oil in a frying pan on another flame.
Roast mustard, coriander, fenugreek, cumin, pepper, turmeric, red chilies,
asafoetida, bengal gram dal, coconut gratings and 1 sprig of curry leaves
- all in the same sequence, until brown. Grind all the roasted ingredients
with tamarind to a fairly smooth paste. To the cooked thur dal, add vegetable
pieces and a few coriander leaves. Cook until tender. Then add salt along
with ground masala (paste made above) and some water. Boil well. When done,
remove from flame. Garnish with bits of coriander leaves. This is usually
served with idli.
Cook the dal with chopped onions, turmeric powder, chili powder and sufficient water. Cut the okra in two inch pieces and saute them in a frying pan with one teaspoon oil till dry and slightly browned. Mash the cooked dal with a wooden spoon and add the salt, coriander powder, methi powder, hing and the tamarind extract. Simmer for a few minutes and add the tomatoes and okra and half of the coriander leaves. When the vegetables are cooked, heat oil in a fry pan with a splatter screen or a lid and pop the mustard seeds. Remove pan from the fire, add the curry leaves and methi seeds. Add this seasoning to the sambar and garnish with the rest of the coriander leaves. Hint: Other vegetables that can be added to sambar are potatoes (which do not freeze well), shallots, pearl onions (available frozen), cucumber, Indian or oriental eggplant (baingan), beans, carrots, lima beans or squash.
Source: Maya Nair, enhanced.
Lightly wash urad, and cover with water. Grind methi and mix with urad, along with salt, and allow to soak uncovered for 3 to 4 hours. Wash the rice, cover with water, and allow to soak 3 to 4 hours as well. Grind rice to to consistency of cream of rice in blender (or better, in Ultra Grinder ). Grind urad to a fine paste, and then and grind together until mixed well. Place in ceramic bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in a warm place until double in bulk. The amount of time this will take depends on the temperature. A good place is an oven heated with a 40 watt light bulb in an automotive trouble light . The batter will double in 8 hours if the temperature is over 85 degrees, and at lower temperatures it can take as long as 30 hours. If the batter doesn't rise, don't despair, just find a warmer place.
Many silly people substitute rava (sooji, cream of wheat) for rice, especially in colder climates like the Frisco Bay Area, because their batter doesn't rise. This is an unnecessary compromise, and people so inclined may just has well go to Pasand and eat their idli bricks. The fermentation process depends on the presence of wild yeast, which appears to stick well to the urad and to the methi. Soaking the dal uncovered allows you to "catch" additional yeast from the air. Don't use baking soda, baking powder, yeast, or yogurt to "help" fermentation. I've conducted controlled experiments on these agents, and methi outperforms them. Baking soda, baking powder, and yogurt retard fermentation, but a little baking powder added just before cooking makes for a fluffier idli.
After your batter has gone nuts, you are ready to make idlis. Stir (don't beat) the batter slightly, just enough to evenly distribute the bubbles and not enough to make it subside. Grease idli cups (you can use egg poachers if you want) with spray-on oil or butter, and fill them (almost full) with the idli batter and steam in an idli vessel (a pressure cooker with the weight removed is ideal) for about 15-20 minutes.
The same idli batter can be use to make Sannan. Pour the batter in the container of a pressure cooker (previously greased with oil) about 3/4 full and steam for 15-20 minutes as above. Take out and cut into pieces with a spatula.
Fancy equipment for idli can be ordered from Inno Concepts .
plates
Source: Richard Bennett
Cook the dal well with sufficient water. Add the tomatoes,salt, chili powder, turmeric powder and tamarind extract. Crush the cumin and garlic and add to the rasam with the black pepper. Simmer for a few minutes and add the hing powder. Heat a little oil in a fry pan and pop the mustard seeds. Add the methi seeds saunf and curry leaves after removing the heat source and add to the rasam. Garnish with coriander leaves.
Source: Maya Nair
Dry roast the moong dal on medium heat for ten minutes. Cook it with sufficient water and turmeric. Grind the coconut with a little water and cumin seeds. Add to the boiling dal along with the curry leaves and salt.
Source: Maya Nair
Peel and chop the large onions fine. Heat one teaspoon of the oil in a frying pan and add ½ cup of the chopped onions. saute well and when browned, add the curry leaves, coriander seeds and methi seeds. Stir for a few more minutes and remove and keep aside. Wipe the pan and add the coconut. On a low heat, dry roast the coconut till brown (not burned). When it is cool, blend the coconut with the onion mixture adding a half cup of water. Heat the remaining oil in a saucepan and add the mustard seeds. When they pop, add the curry leaves and remaining onions and shallots and stir till browned. Add the tamarind extract and ½ cup water and salt. When it starts to simmer, add the blended paste and cook on a low fire for 20 - 30 minutes.
Source: Maya Nair
In a frying pan, roast the coconut with the coriander, methi, urad dal and tuar dal until brown (use low heat). Grind the mixture into a paste when cool. Cook the pumpkin with the chili powder and turmeric powder and salt. Add the tamarind extract and simmer for a few minutes. Add the coconut paste, hing powder and the curry leaves. Heat the oil in a frying pan and pop mustard seeds and dry red chilies and add to the mixture.
Source: Maya Nair
Cook the peas (if using dry variety). Add the pumpkins to the peas with some water and salt and simmer on a low fire. Add the green chilies. Finally add the coconut milk and curry leaves, heat for a minute and remove from fire.
Source: Maya Nair
Soak the cut plantains in warm water mixed with half teaspoon turmeric for ten minutes. Drain and cook the plantains with the remaining turmeric and salt. Grind the coconut well with cumin and add to the cooked plantains. Let it simmer. Meanwhile, heat the oil and pop the mustard seeds. Add the urad dal and the coconut reserved for garnish and stir till browned. Add this mixture to the eriserry and mix in the curry leaves.
Source: Maya Nair
Chop the onion. Heat the oil on medium heat and add the mustard seeds. When they pop, add the urad dal and curry leaves. Then add the onions and saute till browned. Now add the cabbage, turmeric powder and salt. Stir for a while, lower the heat and cook covered for five minutes. Crush the garlic and cumin seeds and add to the cabbage along with the green chilies and the coconut. Stir for a few more minutes and remove from heat.
Source: Maya Nair
Soak the plantains in warm water and turmeric. Drain well and cook with salt. Cook the beans separately in a little water. ( Zap it to save time - add a half cup of water and salt, cover and mwave it at high for 4 to 6 minutes). Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the beans (drain off any water left), Stir for a minute and then add the plantains. Stir till nice and browned. hint: This curry may be made with any cooked vegetable.
Source: Maya Nair
About 1 ¼ tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground turmeric
1 lb (450g) fish steaks or fillets, cut into 2 inch cubes
4 Tbs. coconut oil or vegetable oil
1 medium large red onion finely sliced
6 fresh hot green chilies finely sliced
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely shredded
About 30 fresh curry leaves, if available
7 fl oz (1 cup) coconut milk, well stirred from a can or fresh
2 Tbs. lime juice
Mix ¼ teaspoon of the salt and ¼ teaspoon of the turmeric together. Rub over the fish. Set aside. Heat the oil in a large wide, non-stick pan or wok over a medium heat. When hot add the onion, chilies and ginger. Stir once or twice. Add the curry leaves. Stir and fry for three to four minutes until the onion is soft. Add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder and 5 fl oz (3/4 cup) water. Mix well. When the mixture boils add the fish. Spoon the sauce over the fish. Add 3/4 teaspoon salt. Turn the heat down. Cover and simmer for four to five minutes, spooning the sauce over the fish and shaking the pan gently to prevent sticking. Add the coconut milk, shake pan and add more salt if needed. Cover and simmer for a further three to four minutes, shaking the pan occasionally. Add the lime juice. Shake again and remove from the heat, then serve.
10 fresh red New Mexico chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded & stemmed
10-12 almonds or cashews
1 lump tamarind pulp about the size of a small lime
1 ½ Tbs. raisins
1 tsp salt
1 small onion, minced
Grind the first five ingredients together, preferably to a fine paste, and store in a jar for a week. When about to use, add the minced onion and mix well. Yield: 1-2 cups. Delicious with rice dishes.
Cut the mango into small pieces. In a pan, add the oil and pop the mustard seeds. Add the mangoes and saute for a few minutes. Roast the methi seeds and grind to a powder (this acts as a preservative). Add this to the manga and also add the the rest of the stuff. hint: Mix the chopped mango with salt and store it in a glass jar for a couple of days before this curry is made.
Source: Maya Nair
Heat oil in a pan. To that add mustard seeds. When it pops reduce heat to low and add chili pwd, salt, asafoetida, turmeric and stir fry about 3 min. Turn off the heat. Let it cool for a while. Add this mixture to the cut mangoes and mix thoroughly. Keep this for 7-8 days for the flavour to seep into mangoes. You can add a little bit of distilled vinegar if you like. It will help to keep the freshness.
Source: Hem Ramachandran
4 Tbs. shredded unsweetened coconut
1 Tbs. sugar or jaggery (brown sugar)
½ tsp. whole cumin seeds
½ tsp. water
In separate bowl, mix:
1 c. rice flour
Enough water to form a dough (about 3/4 c.)
Form a dough from the rice flour and water. When formed, coat your hand with extra flour to prevent sticking, and take a ping-pong sized ball of dough and flatten. Place about a marble-sized amount of the coconut mixture in the middle of the dough. Close the dough around the coconut to form a ball. Roll in hand until well formed. Repeat the above until all of the rice flour dough is used. Steam the dumplings for 10 minutes. Delicious for breakfast or with afternoon tea. It is a specialty of Kerala, and in Malayalam it is called "kazhikutta."
Heat oil, fry mustard seeds, then add onion, green chile and stir for a while. Then add curry leaves (optional), and then all the powders and salt. Stir for a few seconds, then add the veg. pieces, and a cup of water. Cover it and cook. When cooked, take it off the stove, and after a while (when cooled down a bit) add the yogurt to it, stir well. And it is ready! Note: (You can use ripe mango instead of squash/apple if you like. Also, you can add coriander leaves if you like.)
Source: Mareena Yesudas
½ lb. Beans/Carrot/Yellow or Mexican Squash/Beetroot
note: If using Carrot or Beetroot, grate them. If others, cut them
into small pieces (cubes). You can also use carrot and beans together;
then cut carrots too into small cubes.
½ tsp. chile powder
¼ tsp. turmeric powder
½ c. dessicated/shredded coconut
1/3 onion cut into small pieces
oil
salt
mustard seeds
curry leaves (optional).
Heat oil, fry mustard seeds, then add onion, and stir until it turns light brown. Then add salt, then chile and turmeric, and stir well. Add coconut, stir well for while, and then add the veg. Cover it and cook on a low flame. Give a stir once a while between a couple of minutes, until it is cooked. Thoran ready! (You can add cumin powder [a pinch] too if you like.)
Source: Mareena Yesudas
This is a stir-fry. Heat oil, add mustard seeds (if you are using it), then add onion (and garlic if you are using it), stir until it turns light brown, add salt, and then crushed chile; stir well for a while until the chile is well fried (mookkunnathuvare). Then add veg., stir well, cover it and cook in a low flame, and it is ready! (You can cook parippu, cherupayar, vanpayar, kadala, etc. too the same way. First you have to cook (boil) them, and add salt to it when cooked. Also to the split peas and cherupayar, you can add ½ cup of shredded coconut, after frying crushed chile, if you like. When cooking kadala, you can add a teaspoon of garam masala too if you like, after adding crushed chile.)
Source: Mareena Yesudas
Put veg., onion, green chile, coconut, coconut milk, fenugreek powder, and salt in a vessel, add a cup of water, stir well, cover it and cook in a medium flame, until it is well cooked. Heat oil in a pan, fry mustard seeds, then add shallots and red whole chile & curry leaves, and add to the above mixture when shallots turn brown and chile is well fried. Whip the yogurt well and add that too. Stir well, and pachadi is ready!
Source: Mareena Yesudas
Cook parippu with onion, green chile, potato, and a few drops of oil. When cooked, add salt, stir well. Smash the potato pieces well. Heat oil, fry mustard seeds, add shallots, then red chile and curry leaves, add it to the parippu when the shallots turn brown. Stir well, and it is ready!
Source: Mareena Yesudas
Mix the potato slices with chile powder, plain flour, and salt. And then heat the oil and fry them (like you fry fish) in low flame. That is it! It is so yummy!!
Source: Mareena Yesudas
Heat oil, fry mustard seeds, add onion, green chile & curry leaves, stir until it turns light brown. Then add salt, all the powders and masala, stir until it turns brown, then add coconut milk and veg., stir well, cover it and cook until well cooked. (If not adding coconut milk, add a cup of water instead). It is ready to serve! (In fact, it should be made by roasting coconut and all the spices, and blending them very nicely, but it is not easy to do it here. So I made up this version.) (You can cook kadala too the same way. For kadala, you can use just the garam masala and chile powder only. Either way, it tastes good.)
Source: Mareena Yesudas