Pazham pori / Banana Fritters Kerala Style

A special type of banana - nenthiran, is available here in Kerala and we use it in multiple recipes in it's raw and ripe forms.

Raw unripe nenthiran is called as nenthira-ka.

Ripe nenthiran is known as nenthira-pazham.

With the unripe nenthira-ka, we make the famous banana chips / uperi. We also use it liberally in curries like avial and to make thoran. The peel of the unripe banana becomes an amazing side dish - banana peel thoran.

Ripe banana is an any time meal in itself, but mom's can enhance it's taste and any kid would love it if the banana is caramelized to make pazham choondiyathu or roasted with a dusting of sugar - banana roast.

Here I present another all-time favorite tea snack of Kerala - Banana Fritters. 

Batter fried Ripe Nenthira pazham.

Ingredients:

Ripe Nenthira pazham - 2 

Besan / chick pea flour / kadalamav - 2 tbsp heaped

Rice flour / ari podi - 1 tbsp

Sugar - 1 tsp (optional)

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Til seeds / ellu - 1 tsp (optional)

Oil for deep frying - preferably coconut or vegetable oil

Method:
Mix the besan, sugar, rice flour, til seeds and turmeric powder with enough batter to make a thick dropping-consistency batter.
Peel the banana and cut into 1/2. Cut each 1/2 into 3 long slices.(or)
Cut the banana into slanting long diagonals.
Dip each slice into the batter and deep fry until golden brown.
Remove using a slotted spoon and place on a kitchen roll to remove excess oil.
Enjoy.

Apple Galette

It is so easy to make an Apple Galette and the reviews you get for it's appearance and taste is amazing.

Unlike an apple pie which has a blind baked base, here all the baking is done with the apple on top.

By the time the dough cools, the apple can be cored and kept ready.

Note: The butter to be used in this recipe must be very cold. So take out your butter, cut it into small cubes and freeze before using.

Oven Temperature : 200C

Ingredients:

Plain flour / Maida - 1 1/2 cups

Cold Butter - 3/4 cup

Salt - a pinch

Ice water - 2 tbsp +

Apple - 2 large

Cinnamon powder - 1 tbsp

Juice of 1 lemon

Sugar powder - 5 tbsp

Butter in room temperature - 1 tbsp

Almond flakes - 3 tbsp

Milk - 2 tbsp

Apricot jam /preserve - 3 tbsp

Honey - 1 tbsp (optional)

Method:

For the base:

In a blender, mix together the maida, salt and 1 tbsp sugar.

Add the cold butter and pulse in intervals till the mixture resembles bread crumbs.

Add cold water by the spoon  and pulsing in intervals till a dough begins to form.

Transfer to cling film and slowly pat  to form a dough without exerting too much pressure.

Shape dough into a rectangle and cover with the cling film and chill for 1/2 an hour.

Preparing the apples:

Core and peel the apples.

Then cut into 1/4 inch thick slices.

Place in a bowl and add the lemon juice t prevent discoloring.

Assembling:

Start preheating the oven at 200C.

Line the baking tray with a butter paper and grease.

Take dough out of the frigde and roll in between 2 cling wraps into the size of the tray. The dough must be spread to around 1/4 inch thickness.

Transfer to the lined baking tray,

Heat the apricot jam slightly to loosen it.

Spread this over the base.

Arrange the sliced apples in neat overlapping rows.

Brush the milk on the apple slices.

Then dust the remaining 4 tbsp sugar and cinnamon powder evenly over the apples.

Dot with the room temperature butter.

Bake for 30 minutes and spread the alomonds on top of the gallete.

Bake for a further 15- 20 minutes or till the apple gets slightly brown at the edges. 

Take it out of the oven and spread the honey evenly while still hot.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Sev / Omapodi

Deep fried noodle type snack made with chick-pea flour and various flavorings.

Sev is a crunchy snack which can be eaten as it is or as a topping for various chaats and it is used a lot in the favorite Indian snack - Mixture.

Special Vessel Requirement: You need a press with small holes. 

(Image source: Google)

Here I am giving you the recipe of a plain sev.

I have not used Rice flour in this recipe, but many people add upto 1/4 cup rice flour for every cup of besan.

Add your favorite condiment in paste or powder form to enhance it's flavor.

Various options:

Chilly powder

Jeera powder

Pepper powder

Ajwain / Omam

Garlic paste

Pudina / mint paste

Ingredients:

Besan / Chick pea flour / Kadalamav - 1 cup

Asafoetida powder / kayam - 1/4 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Salt

Hot oil - 2 tbsp

Water to knead a stiff dough

Oil for deep frying

Method:

Mix / sieve the dry ingredients together.

Then add the hot oil and mix till it resembles bread crumbs.

Add just enough water to make a slightly stiff , but smooth dough.

Pass through the press, straight into the hot oil.
It will fall as a continuous string. Keep making concentric circles.
Deep fry till crispy on a medium flame.

Transfer to a tissue paper to absorb excess oil and once cool break it into small pieces.
Store in an airtight container.

Parippu takkali curry / Kerala dal with seasonal vegetables

A mild easy to make Kerala curry! Almost every household in Kerala makes this.

Dal and tomato are cooked with a variety of vegetables including jackfruit seed when in season. 

Drumstick and ash gourd are the most commonly used 'other' vegetables. 

Ingredients:

Tur dal / cow peas - 1/2 cup

Green chilli - 4 to 6 slit

Tomato - 2

Ash gourd - 1 cup

Drum stick - 6 pieces 

Jackfruit seeds / chakka kuru - 1 handful

Salt

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Coconut - 1/2 cup

Garlic - 2 cloves (or) Jeera - 1 tsp

Tempering:

Coconut oil - 1 tbsp

Mustard - 1/2 tsp

Red chilli - 1 broken into pieces

Small onion - 2, cut into thin rings

Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp

Curry leaf - 1 sprig

Method:

Soak the tur dal in water for 10 minutes and keep for boiling or pressure cook till done.

If using Jack-fruit seeds, then skin, chop and add in with the dal before pressure cooking.

Boil the ash gourd, drumstick, green chilli with salt and turmeric powder.

When the gourd is nearly cooked add the tomato and dal.

Grind the coconut with jeera / garlic into a fine paste.

Once the tomato skin starts peeling, add the ground coconut.

Boil for 1 minute and turn of flame.

Heat the coconut oil and splutter the mustard. Then add the broken red chilli and small onion. Once the onion turns brown, add the red chilli powder and turn off flame. After a minute add the curry leaf. Garnish the curry.

Serve hot with rice.

Green chutney for tandoor dishes

Different from the green chutney used in chaats like pani puri and bhel puri.

This chutney is served with tandoor dishes like tandoori gobi, paneer tikka, stuffed vegetables and various kebabs.

I got this recipe years ago from a chef working in a restaurant in Thrissur.

He wrote down the ingredients without the quantity on a piece of tissue paper and sent it through the waiter!!

The below photo is what I had copied down from that tissue paper into my handy (now-torn) blue diary.

Go ahead and experiment. The basic ingredients are these. 

I have found that the below quantity of ingredients suit my family's taste buds. And here I have given the quantity of ingredients I use while making a huge quantity (8 servings) and while making a small quantity (1 serving).

Feel free to increase and reduce the quantity of ingredients. After all, that chef did not give me any idea of the amount he used. And we know our family the best! 

Remember: 

1.Curd MUST NOT BE ADDED until serving time.

2. Do not add ordinary salt to this paste as the green color changes to black. We need to retain the green color.

3. Always add curd, just before serving. Then taste and add salt, more lime juice etc. 

Method:

Grind the ingredients other than curd and salt, with very less / no water.

If the quantity is small - keep refridgerated , otherwise keep frozen individual servings in small containers.

Ingredients for 8 servings:

Mint leaves - 75 gms

Coriander leaf - 100 gms

Green chilly - 80 gms

Ginger - 30 gms

Garlic - 10 gms (or more)

Jeera powder - 1 tbsp

Whole black Pepper - 11/2 tbsp

Aamchoor powder / dry mango powder - 1 tbsp

Lemon juice - from 2 large ones

Chaat masala - 1 1/2 tbsp

Black salt - 1 tbsp

Thick curd / Yoghurt - to be added just before serving

Salt - Taste and add (if necessary) just before serving

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ingredients for 1 serving:

Mint - 2 tbsp

Coriander - 6 tbsp

Green chilli - 6

Ginger - bigger than 1 inch

Garlic - 3 to 4

Chaat masala - 1/2 tbsp

Pepper - 1/2 tbsp

Aamchhor / dry mango powder - 1/2 tbsp

Jeera (dry fry till it pops and then powder) -  1 tsp

Thick curd / Yoghurt - anywhere from 1/2 cup to 1 cup - to be added just before serving

Salt - Taste and add (if necessary) just before serving

Schezwan Sauce

I have been making this sauce using Tarla Dalal's recipe for years.
Originally I followed her recipe, but now I have increased and decreased certain quantity of ingredients to suit my family's taste. I have written down her recipe and the quantity I now use in the Bracket. Play around and find out what best suits your family.

Ingredients:

Dry Red chilli - 12, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes

Salt - 1 tsp

Sugar - 2 tsp

Garlic - 2 tbsp (I use only 1 tbsp)

Vinegar - 4 tbsp

Til oil / Gingelly oil / nallena - 2 tsp (I use 1 and 1/2 tbsp)

Method:

Grind together the soaked chillies, garlic, sugar, salt and vinegar into a fine paste.

Transfer to a heat resistant bowl.

Heat the Gingelly oil to smoking point and add to the ground paste.

Mix well, cool and transfer to an air tight container.

Use as a dip or in curries.

(Broccoli and different coloured capsicum in schezwan sauce)

Mushroom Ularthiyadu / Kerala style spicy Mushroom with coconut shavings

Kerala. The food here is full of masala, very spicy, coconutty and lip smacking.
This Mushroom dish has all the usual flavorings you would find in a typical Kerala dish!
Serve with idiyappam or Appam or simply as a starter and enjoy the authentic taste of Kerala.

Ingredients:
Button Mushrooms - 600 gms
Ginger - 1 and 1/2 tsp , chopped fine
Garlic - 1 and 1/2 tsp, chopped fine
Onion - 2 medium or 1 large, chopped fine
Green Capsicum / bell pepper - 1 large , cut into small cubes (optional)
Dry coconut / copra, cut into thin slices - 1/2 cup
Coconut oil - 3 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Red chilly - 2, broken
Curry leaf - 3 sprigs
Salt
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Chilly powder - 3/4 tbsp
Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
Vinegar - 1 tbsp

Powder the following spices together for the Masala powder:
Perum jeerakam / fennal seeds -1 tsp
Cinnamon stick / patta - 1 inch piece
Clove / grambu - 5 pieces
Star anise / takkolam - 1/2 of a whole
Pepper corn - 10

Method:
Wash and clean the mushrooms and halve them.
Tip it into a thick bottomed vessel with a tight lid.
Add the powdered masala, salt, turmeric powder, chilly powder, coriander powder and vinegar. Mix well and cook covered for 15 minutes on a low flame. (If using Pressure cooker, then give 2 whistles)
The mushroom would be wilted and there would be lots of water in the vessel.
Heat the coconut oil in another vessel.
Fry the dry coconut / copra slivers till golden brown and remove it from the oil using a slotted spoon. Keep aside until required.
In the remaining oil, splutter the mustard. Then add the red chilly, curry leaf, the onion, ginger and garlic.
Once the onion turns transparent, add the capsicum, fried copra and mushroom with all the water.
Fry on a high flame till all the water evaporates and the curry starts to dry.
Continue frying till the mushroom starts to get a golden hue.
Serve at room temperature with a dash of pepper and some fresh curry leaves on top.

Serve with appam.

White Gateau with Berries

Ingredients:
Basic White Sponge cake - 2
Water - 1 1/4 cup
Sugar - 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp
Whipping cream - 1 cup
Vanilla essence - 1 tbsp
Berry (like raspberries, strawberries and cranberries)- some broken, some for decoration

Method:
Bake and cool the sponge cakes.
Boil the water with 1/4 cup sugar until it reduces to 1 cup. Cool.
Whip the cream till soft peaks form. Add the vanilla and 1 tbsp sugar and beat till the peaks are stiff. Do not over-beat. Store in fridge till required.
Soak 1 sponge cake in 1/2 cup of cooled sugar syrup and transfer to a turn table.
Spread 1/3 of the whipped cream on top and add the broken berries on top.
Soak the next sponge cake with the rest of the sugar syrup and place on top of the other cake.
Cover the top and sides with the whipped cream and smoothen.
Decorate with the rest of the berries.
Cool before serving.

Pineapple pachadi

Pachadi is a sweet accompaniment for the spicy sambars served during sadyas.
And since we have an abundance of Pineapple here in Kerala, we use it not just to make rasam , but also in various curries like this pachadi.
Follow the basic pachadi recipe and see the pictorial here.

Boil the pineapple pieces with salt, turmeric, chilly powder and green chilly

Grind the coconut with jeer a and green chilly into a smooth paste

Once all the water evaporates and the pineapple is cooked the paste

Boil for 2 minutes and add the beaten curd and jaggery.

Garnish with spluttered mustard, red chilly and curry leaf.