Olan

Ingredients
Brown peas or black eyed peas (canned is O.K.) – 1 cup
white pumpkin – cubed – 1 cup
yellow pumpkin – cubed – 1 cup
green chilies – 2 or 3, sliced
coconut milk – 1 can (1 1/2 cups)
curry leaves – a few
salt to taste

Method
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

Pulinkari

Ingredients
pumpkin or squash or zucchini (cut into one inch cubes) – 2 cups
coconut – 2 tablespoon
chili powder – 1 teaspoon
coriander seeds – 1 teaspoon
methi seeds – 1/4 teaspoon
turmeric powder – 1/2 teaspoon
tuar dal – 1 tablespoon
urad dal – 1 tablespoon
tamarind extract – 1 tablespoon
hing powder – 1 teaspoon
curry leaves – a few
dry red chilies – 2
salt to taste
oil – 1 teaspoon

Method
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

Coconut Chutney (curry of excellence)

Ingredients
1 1/2 C fresh shredded coconut (not sweetened)
1 tsp. channa dhal (roast until golden brown)
2-3 green chillies, split and seeded
1 inch fresh, peeled ginger
2-3 tsps cumin powder
1/2 tsp tamarind concentrate (or lemon juice)
salt to taste

Method
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 [email protected]

Varutharachu (breadfruit curry)

Ingredients
1 lb. Potato or kadachakka (bread fruit), cut into small cubes
1/2 tsp. chile powder
1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
2 tsp. coriander powder
1 tsp. garam masala
3 oz. coconut milk (optional)
1/3 onion, cut into small pieces
2 green chile (optional), cut long
oil, salt, mustard seeds
Curry leaves (optional)

Method
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

Potato fry

Ingredients
2 or 3 Potato, cut into round slices, 5mm thick
1 tsp. Chile powder
1/4 tsp. plain flour
oil, salt

Method
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

Katti parippu (mung dal)

Ingredients
1 – 2 c. yellow mung dal or yellow split peas
1 potato (optional), cut into cubes
1/4 onion, cut long
2 or 3 green chile, cut long
1 shallot, cut into small thin pieces
oil
salt
crushed chile or red whole chile
Mustard seeds and curry leaves are optional.

Method
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

Pachadi (mango and yogurt curry)

Ingredients
1 or 2 Raw mango, cucumber, chayote squash, cut into small cubical pieces
1/2 onion, cut into small pieces
2/ or 3 green chile, cut round, 1cm thick
2 tsp. Dessicated or shredded coconut, or 7 oz. coconut milk
1/4 tsp. fenugreek powder
1 shallots, cut into round, thin slices
1 red whole chile, cut into round pieces, 2cm thick (optional)
oil
salt
mustard seeds
Curry leaves (optional)
Yogurt – you need to add only if you are using cucumber or squash; if using
mango, don’t add yogurt.

Method
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

Upperi (Mezhukkupuratti)

Ingredients
3/4 lb. Beans/Carrot/Snow peas/Asparagus/potato/etc
note: Cut them into small pieces (grate carrot/beetroot – optional)
1/3 onion cut into small pieces
3/4 tsp. crushed red chile

oil
salt
mustard seeds
curry leaves (optional)
garlic (if you like; crush them)

Method
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 1/2 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

Thoran (vegetables simmered in coconut milk)

Ingredients
1/2 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.
1/2 tsp. chile powder
1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
1/2 c. dessicated/shredded coconut
1/3 onion cut into small pieces
oil
salt
mustard seeds
curry leaves (optional).

Method
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

Pulisseri (yogurt curry)

Ingredients
1/2 Onion, cut into small pieces
2 or 3 Green chile, cut long
1/4 tsp. Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp. chile powder
1/4 tsp. methi (uluva/fenugreek) powder
1/4 tsp. cumin (jeerakam) powder
oil
salt
mustard seeds
curry leaves
1 or 2 zuchini squash/chayote squash/green apple (grannysmith), cut into pieces
2 c. Yogurt (wholemilk one is better), whipped well.

Method
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