Mango Coconut Payasam

Ingredients:

1. Mango puree - 1.5 cups
2. Coconut thin milk - 2 cups
3. Sweet condensed milk - 2 tbs
4. Thick coconut milk - 1/3 cup
5. Saffron - 1/2 tsp
6. Brown/white sugar - 2-3 tbs (optional)
7. Pistachio - 2-3 for garnish

Note:

• In the first step you can thicken mango puree more to enhance the caramelized taste

Method:

1. In a thick bottomed pan, heat the mango puree till it thickens and caramelizes.
2. Bring it to a very low temperature and add thin milk and mix well.
3. Add saffron and mix well
4. Stir in low flame till it reduces to about half or 2/3
5. Add sweetened condensed milk, thick coconut milk and sugar and mix well
6. Stir for some more time in low flame till it is all mixed well and thick enough and switch off the flame

Cool the payasam and top it with pistachios for garnish!

Theeyal / Roasted coconut and tamarind curry

 

Theeyal can be made with shallots, ladies finger, bitter gourd or fish. It has the roasted coconut flavour with tanginess from tamarind. It is usually served as side dish for Kerala sadya.

Ingredients:

1. Ladies finger, cut into 1 cm thick rings - 2 cups
2. Shallots, peeled - 1 cup
3. Dried red chilli - 4
4. Coconut, shredded - 1 cup
5. Coconut oil - 2 tbs + 1 tbs
6. Salt to taste
7. Curry leaves -  10-12
8. Black pepper corns  - 6
9. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
10. Tamarind  - 2 tbs, soaked in half cup water
11. Ginger, chopped - 1tsp
12. Garlic, chopped - 1 tsp

Method:

1. Heat 1 tbs oil in a hot pan, fry coconut in it
2. Once coconut starts to brown, add turmeric powder, ginger and garlic
3. Add red chilli once the coconut is fully brown and take the pan from flame as it will burn coconut, if kept on hot stove after browning.(Remember to keep stirring in between.)
4. Make a smooth paste of coconut once it cools down
5. Heat 2 tbs oil in a pan
6. Add curry leaves, shallots and ladies finger and sauté till ladies finger is cooked. (need not brown ladies fingers, but it shouldn't be sticky either)
7. Add tamarind juice, salt and coconut paste and cook for 5 more minutes.

Avial / Mixed Vegetable curry

Avial is a mixed vegetable dish with coconut-yogurt base and scented with wonderful coconut oil!

Ingredients:

1. Mixed vegetables, cut into strips - 3-4 cups (unripe plantain, carrot, beans, drumsticks etc)
2. Water - 1-2 cups
3. Salt to taste
4. Turmeric powder -  1/2tsp
5. Green chilli - 2
6. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
7. Coconut oil - 2 tbs
8. Coconut shredded - 3 tbs
9. Tamarind pulp soaked water - 1/4 cup(optional)
10. Yogurt - 1/2  - 1cup

Method:

1. Cook all vegetables in minimum water with salt and turmeric powder
2. Coarsely grind coconut with cumin seeds, green chilli and yogurt
3. Once the veggies are almost cooked, add tamarind water
4. When the curry is almost dry and vegetables are cooked, add coconut mixture to it and mix well
5. Cook for 2 more minutes and switch off the flame
6. Add curry leaves and coconut oil on the curry and mix it. 

Note: it is ok to replace tamarind water with green unripe mango pieces.  Add mango with other veggies for cooking. 

If your yogurt very sour, then no need to add tamarind water

Increase the coconut mixture and grind it smoother to make avial with gravy

Koottu curry / Mixed Vegetable curry

Are you getting roasted coconut and pepper smell??? 

 

 

Ingredients:

1. Kadala / Black chickpeas - 1/4 cups
2. Unripe plantain, cut into small cubes - 1 cup
3. Carrot, cut into small cubes - 1/2 cup
4. turmeric powder - 1/2tsp
5. Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
6. Black pepper - 10
7. Coconut shredded - 3tbs + 1tbs
8. Dried red chilli - 2-3
9. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
10. Curry leaves - few
11. Coconut oil - 2 tbs
12. Salt to taste

Note:
You can add other vegetables like chembu/colocasia, Chena/yam  etc in koottu curry

Method:

1. Soak black chickpeas overnight and cook them till soft in pressure cooker ( around 10 min)
2. Cook all vegetables in a pan along with cooked chickpeas and 1-1.5 cups of water from cooker
3. Add turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt to taste
4. In a blender coarsely grind 3 tbs coconut along with pepper corns
5. Once the vegetables are cooked, and most of the water is dried, add the coconut mixture to it
6. Mix well and cook for 2 more minutes and switch off the flame
7. In a tempering pan, heat coconut oil, splutter mustard seeds in it
8. Add red chilli, curry leaves and 1 tbs coconut in the tempering pan and stir till coconut is browned. (not burned :) )
9. Add the  tempering on to the koottu curry and keep it closed for 5 minutes before mixing it

Koottu curry is ready to be served!