Cuisines of northern and southern parts of Kerala differ in flavour, ingredients, and even the way a particular dish is cooked. Malabar takes incredible pride in its vivid and amazing dishes that are prepared to make the Onam sadya an absolute winner. Check out the recipes of six delicious dishes that could make your Onam platter Malabari and colourful.
Unakkalari (brown rice) payasam
Ingredients
¾ glass (small steel glass) brown rice
2 litres milk
1 tsp cardamom powder
1-2 tbsp chopped cashews
1 tbsp butter
½ tsp rose water
Saffron
A pinch of salt
Preparation
Into a pressure cooker add 4 small steel glasses of water and a glass of milk and the brown rice
Pressure cook the rice until 1 whistle comes off
After that, reduce the flame and cook for some more time
Meanwhile, boil the rest of the milk in a thick bottomed vessel
When the milk is boiled well and begins to get reduced, add the cooked brown rice. Mix well
Add sugar and continue stirring. When this mixture turns cream in colour, add the cardamom powder
Mix well and take it off the flame
Now add the butter, rose water and sprinkle some saffron as well
Garnish the unakkalari payasam with chopped cashews.
Pineapple kichadi
Ingredients
1 small pineapple (Skin, core and the eyes removed; diced into small pieces)
3-4 green chillies (roughly chopped)
Salt as required
½ coconut (grated)
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp mustard seeds
¾ tbsp crushed jaggery
1 cup yogurt
2 tbsp coconut oil
¼ tsp mustard seeds
Fenugreek seeds
2-3 dried chillies (chopped)
Curry leaves
Preparation
Into an earthen vessel, add the pineapple, green chilies and salt. Cook it by pouring water as required
Grind grated coconut and cumin into smooth paste
Crush the mustard seeds. Stir the yogurt to remove any lumps
Add the crushed mustard seeds and crushed jaggery into the cooked pineapple. Mix well
Taste for seasoning
Add the yogurt when the kichadi begins to boil on moderate flame
When the kichadi begins to bubble up, take it off the flame
For the tempering heat coconut oil and splutter mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds
Roast the dried chillies and curry leaves
Pour this tempering over the pineapple kichadi and mix well.
Bottle gourd pachadi
Ingredients
300 gm bottle gourd (peeled and deseeded; chopped)
2 green chillies (halved)
1 ½ cups grated coconut
2 green chillies
½ tsp mustard seeds
1 cup curd (slightly sour)
Salt as required
1 ½ tbsp coconut oil
¼ tsp mustard seeds
¼ tsp fenugreek seeds
2 dried chillies (chopped)
Curry leaves
Preparation
Cook the bottle gourd pieces and green chillies with just enough water, in an earthen vessel
Grind the grated coconut into fine paste
Crush the mustard seeds and green chillies and mix it with the coconut paste
Add this paste into the cooked bottle gourd
Add salt as required and mix well
When this mixture begins to boil, add in the curd and give it a good mix
When the kichadi begins to bubble up, take it off the heat
Make sure that the dish does not boil rapidly after the curd is added
Prepare a tempering by spluttering mustard and fenugreek seeds
Roast the dried chillies and curry leaves
Pour this spiced tempering into the kichadi and mix well.
Koottu curry
Ingredients
¾ cup brown chick peas (soaked for 7 -8 hours)
1 tsp chilli powder
1 plantain (neither raw nor ripe; peeled and cut into small cubes)
250 gm yam (peeled and cut into small cubes)
2 green chillies (halved)
¾ tbsp crushed jaggery
Salt as required
1 coconut (grated)
½ tsp cumin
¼ tsp turmeric powder
2 ½ tbsp coconut oil
½ tsp mustard seeds
3 dried chillies (chopped)
Some curry leaves
1 ½ tsp black pepper powder
¼ tsp cumin powder
Preparation
Pressure cook the soaked brown chick peas with some water, up to 5-6 whistles
Turn off the flame and allow the pressure cooker to cool down a bit
Now open it and add the yam, green chillies, salt and jaggery
Cook until the pressure cooker gives off one more whistle
Lightly grind the grated coconut with some cumin, turmeric powder and some water as well
Add the coconut mixture and curry leaves into the ingredients in the pressure cooker. Mix well
Take it off the heat after the curry has boiled well
Heat coconut oil in a pan and add the rest of the grated coconut, dried chillies and some curry leaves
Roast until the coconut turns light golden in colour
Add this into the koottu curry
Sprinkle the cumin powder and black pepper powder
Mix everything well together and close the vessel with a lid to retain the fragrance of the dish
The koottu curry has the right consistency is when the brown chick peas are well covered in the gravy.
Puli inji
Ingredients
1 ½ tbsp ginger (finely chopped)
1 ½ tbsp garlic (finely chopped)
1 ½ tbsp green chillies (finely chopped)
Coconut oil as required
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chilli powder
2 cups tamarind water (lemon sized ball of tamarind soaked in water)
Salt as required
2 tbsp crushed jaggery
½ tsp sesame seeds
½ tsp fenugreek seeds
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp raw rice
¼ tsp mustard seeds
¼ tsp fenugreek seeds
2 dried chillies (chopped)
Curry leaves
Preparation
Dry roast the sesame seeds, fenugreek, cumin and raw rice separately. Grind them into fine powder and keep it aside
Heat coconut oil in an earthen vessel and sauté ginger, garlic and green chillies on low flame
Into it add the turmeric and chilli powders. Mix well
Now pour the tamarind water. It must be noted that the mixture must not be stirred using a spoon until the tamarind water boils rapidly. Or else the tamarind may taste as if it has gone stale
Add salt and jaggery. Rotate the earthen vessel to mix the ingredients together
Add the previously powdered ingredients when the mixture boils and begin to reduce
Now add the curry leaves and mix well
Heat coconut oil and splutter mustard and fenugreek seeds
Roast the dried chillies and curry leaves
Pour this tempering over the dish and mix.
Pumpkin-red cow peas eriserry
Ingredients
200 gm red cow peas (preferably soaked for 1-2 hours)
300 gm ripe pumpkin (cut into large chunks)
1 tsp chilli powder
2-3 green chillies (split)
Salt as required
1 coconut (grated)
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp turmeric powder
Coconut oil as required
½ tsp mustard seeds
2 dried chillies (chopped)
Preparation
Pressure cook the soaked red cow peas up to 5-6 whistles
Turn off the flame and allow the cooker to cool down a bit
Now open the pressure cooker and add the pumpkin pieces, salt, green chillies and chilli powder
Close the lid and cook until one more whistle
Meanwhile, grind half of the grated coconut along with cumin and turmeric powder into smooth paste
Now add this coconut paste and some curry leaves into the pumpkin mixture in the cooker
Boil it for a while before taking the dish off the flame
Heat coconut oil and splutter mustard seeds
Add the rest of the grated coconut, dried chillies and curry leaves
Roast until the coconut turns light golden in colour
Add this tempering into the pumpkin-red cow peas eriserry and mix.
