Mulakushyam

Mulakushyam

Palakkad style mulakushyam (a delicious main curry (ozhichu curry) in Kerala cuisine, made of yellow cucumber (vellarikka / mogge), tur dal, coconut paste and seasoning. Recipe from Vanitha Pachakam 2009 !!

Serves: 3

Ingredients

For parippu (dal):

Leftover 1 cup boiled turdal

or

1/3 cup / 80 g (Indian standard measuring cup of 80 ml / 6 oz capacity) tur dal / arhar dal

1 cup / 200 ml water

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon oil

Wash and clean dal. Soak in a pressure cooker for half an hour with turmeric powder, oil and 1 cup / 200 ml water and cook for 15 minutes or till done ( reduce the heat to medium after 3 rd whistle (3 quick whistles) and cook for 10 minutes until done / soft. Allow the cooker to cool naturally. Reserve dal stock (cooked dal water).

For coconut paste:

5 tablespoon (60 g) grated coconut

1 teaspoon jeera (cumin seeds)

2 tablespoon water

Make a smooth paste of above ingredients in a small mixer bowl with 2 tablespoon water. Keep aside.

Other curry ingredients

1 medium piece cucumber (vellarikka / mogge) or 200 g, gently peel off the outer skin and remove seeds, Cut into ½ - inch cubes ( or any other vegetable like papaya / drumstick / raw banana / chena ...)

1 onion (small size), cubed

1 green chilli (1 big size or 2 small size), slit lengthwise

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon red chilli powder

¾ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

Method

In a bowl, mix boiled dal (along with stock / cooked dal water) and curry ingredients (cucumber, onion, spice powders, green chilli and salt). Mix all the ingredients well. Do not add extra water. Cover with a tight lid and cook on a medium to low heat for 10 – 12 minutes until cucumber 3/4^th cooked / almost done.

At this stage, add coconut paste and cook on a low heat for 5 – 7 minutes until well combined with dal and other ingredients. Switch off the heat.

For seasoning:

2 teaspoon oil

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

6 curry leaves

1 red chilli, halved

Method

Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. When they crackle, add curry leaves and halved red chilli and fry till crisp. Pour the seasoning over curry. Serve with rice and other accompaniments.

How to prepare Melted and Sieved Jaggery?

How to prepare melted and sieved jaggery?

Jaggery is one of the main ingredients in Indian cuisine. We can make a variety of sweet dishes with jaggery. Most popular dishes are Paayasam (kheer), Laddu, Peanut Chikkis … Jaggery is rich in iron too !!

The jaggery which is available in shops contains lots of impurities and sand. Featured here is how to make melted and sieved jaggery. I’m not very sure about Organic Jaggery.

Ingredients

500 g jaggery

¼ cup water (50 ml or 3 – 4 tablespoon)

A wide non stick pan or any other bowl

A big bowl

A strong iron sieve

A steel storage box / a good quality plastic container to keep jaggery in refrigerator for later use

Method

Heat a wide non stick pan on medium heat. Add jaggery balls / cubes and ¼ cup water. Stir it gently with a thick spatula. After 15 – 18 minutes jaggery melts / fully dissolves / without any jaggery lumps and become a smooth solution. One can observe lots of bubbles appearing on top of the jaggery.

Maintain medium to low heat and stir it slowly and carefully. Place the iron sieve over a big bowl and keep it ready near your workplace / kitchen platform.The Big bowl should hold the iron sieve easily and bottom of the iron sieve should not touch the base of the steel bowl. Please see the photo below.

Pour the hot melted jaggery carefully into the iron sieve. After 5 – 7 minutes we can see impurities on the iron sieve and clear jaggery in big bowl. Remove the iron sieve and pour the melted and sieved jaggery into a steel box when it is at medium heat (If you are using a plastic storage box, please wait until room temperature and later store it  in refrigerator). Keep it aside until normal temperature and later store it in a refrigerator.

Netholi / Kozhuva Curry (with coconut paste)

Netholi / Kozhuva Curry

A delicious fish curry in Kerala Cuisine. Best with plain rice.

Serves: 3 - 4

Ingredients

For the coconut masala / paste:

5 – 6 tablespoon grated coconut (75 - 90 g)

8 whole red chillies (soak whole red chillies in 1/4 cup water for 1 hour. Remove chillies and reserve water to grind the coconut paste)

1/4 teaspoon methi seeds ( uluva / fenugreek ) or ¼ teaspoon uluva podi / powder

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

Make a smooth paste of above ingredients in a small mixer bowl with reserved water in which red chilli soaked. Keep aside.

For the fish:

350 g Netholi / Kozhuva / Anchovies (net weight after cleaning)

Wash and clean fish pieces. Drain out water completely. In a bowl, marinate fish pieces with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder. Cover and keep aside for 1 hour.

Other ingredients

1 tablespoon oil

5 - 8 small onions ( chuvannulli / sambar onion / shallots ) thinly sliced or 2 tablespoon normal onion, thinly sliced

1 - inch piece ginger, finely chopped

8 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 green chillies, slit lengthwise

1 spring curry leaves or 6 nos

3 kudampuli ( kokum ) ( soak kudampuli in 1/2 cup water with 1 teaspoon salt for 1 hour , remove kudampuli , strain out water and reserve for cooking purpose)

1/2 teaspoon salt ( or to taste )

150 ml water (Please measure in Indian standard cup of 200 ml / 8 oz capacity)

Marinated fish

Coconut paste

Method

Heat oil in a pan / meen chatty ( earthen pot ). Fry sliced onions (shallots or normal onion) and fry until golden color.

Add chopped garlic, ginger, green chillies and curry leaves and fry till golden color.

Add soaked kudampuli, reserved water in which kudampuli soaked (it may be 2 tablespoon), salt to taste and 150 ml water (less than 1 cup / 200 ml).

Cover with a tight lid and cook on a medium heat for 10 – 12 minutes until slightly thickens.

Add marinated fish, cover again and cook for 5 – 7 minutes until half done.

At this stage, add coconut paste, also adjust the salt if you required. Do not add extra water now. Gently mix all the ingredients. Cover again and cook on a low heat for another 5 - 7 minutes or until done. Consume this curry after minimum one hour. Then the gravy and fish will absorb all the flavours. Serve with rice.

Onam Ada / Poovada

Onam Ada / Poovada

Ela Ada is traditionally a popular snack in all communities and regions across Kerala. Its taste at the same time simplicity makes it the best choice for all occasions when one think of a traditional snack. Ela ada can be made with a variety of fillings - like coconut and jaggery, flattened rice ( aval or poha) etc - each with minimum ingredients. It is known as Patheli in Konkani cuisine.

A simple variety of Ela Ada / patheli is featured here. All one need is rice flour, jaggery (also without coconut) and a banana leaf. It makes a dish which is very delicious in taste. Basic recipe from Vanitha Magazine. Vanitha is recommending 1/4 cup grated coconut and sugar instead of jaggery.

Makes : 5

Serves : 3 - 5

Ingredients

1 cup / 200 ml (Indian standard measuring cup of 200 ml / 8 oz capacity) raw rice flour - preferably fresh

3 well ripe bananas (335 g), mash well and keep aside

5 – 6 tablespoon melted and sieved jaggery (or sugar)

1/4 cup (4 tablespoon ) grated coconut (optional)

¼ teaspoon cardamom powder

1 teaspoon oil

1 banana leaf ( washed and cleaned ) ( Cut banana leaves into 15 cm x 15 cm square pieces). One can make approximately 8 pieces from a banana leaf of normal size.

Method

In a wide bowl, mix mashed well ripe bananas, rice flour, oil and melted and sieve jaggery or finely grated organic jaggery. Mix all the ingredients finely with thick tablespoon and make soft mixture. It should not be like atta dough. It is very soft in consistency. Sprinkle cardamom powder and keep aside.

Clean banana leaf. Smoke this leaf on flame for a few seconds so that it becomes flexible and easy to fold.

Cut banana leaf into 7 - inch square pieces. We required 5 pieces for 5 onam adas.

Take a piece of banana leaf. Keep a lemon sized rice - jaggery portion over it. Gently spread the rice - jaggery mixture (with the help of thick tablespoon or a flat spatula) to form a thin circle of approximately 10 - 12 cm diameter. Now one will see a thin circle of rice – jaggery mixture. Fold into semi circle and seal the edges tightly (see the above photo).

Repeat this process for the remaining dough / filling.

Arrange these raw Onam ads / Patheli in a flat steel bowl and steam in a pressure cooker ( without weight) for 15 - 20 minutes on a low to medium heat or till done / well cooked. One can notice a color change in banana leaf.

Serve hot. Once the banana leaf is peeled, one will get a nice aroma of melted jaggery.