Pasta with grilled vegetables and basil

Pasta - 500gms

Zucchini - 1 medium

Mushroom- 200gms

Onion- 1 medium

Garlic - 6 cloves

Tomato - 1 large or 2 medium

Capsicum - 1 medium

Olive oil - 6 tbsp

Salt

Pepper

Basil - 1 handfull, chopped fine

Cheese - 5 tbsp or 1 cup

Grill vegetables individually with some salt, pepper and olive oil. Keep aside.

Boil pasta al dente and drain.

Return to vessel and mix in rest of the ingredients - vegetables, cheese and basil.

Serve hot.

Banana chips

Banana chips or upperi is a staple of Kerala made from a banana indigenous to my state - nendrakaya.

Frying the banana chips is a fairly straight forward process but adding the salt to it is, I think, very unusual. And it takes concentration. I will tell you why.

While the banana is frying in oil, brine or salt water is adding directly into the oil. The next batch of chips requires lesser brine as the oil is already salted. Usually by the last batch, no salting is required!

I have been making chips for many many years and am still learning( thanks to my memory / concentration!).

Of course the easiest option is to sprinkle the salt over the chips as soon as you take them out of the oil. But then it will not be original!

Peel the raw banana and keep them immersed in water (opt-add 1/2 tsp turmeric powder to the water)

Heat coconut oil in a large deep vessel (kadai).

Mix 2 tsp of salt with 1/2 cup water and keep ready. This is your Brine.

Take one banana and wipe dry.

Once the oil gets hot ( add a small piece of banana to it and it will sizzle up immediately), start grating directly into the oil. Be careful!

Now add 2 tsp of brine into the hot oil and see it froth up. Mix well with a slotted spoon.

It will subside soon and you have to fry the chips until they turn golden and no longer sizzle in the oil.

Use a slotted spoon to take them out of the oil. Place on a tissue paper and once cool ( not room temperature) store in an airtight container.

While frying the next batch of banana remember to reduce the amount of brine or you will end up with very salty chips.

Variation:

Traditional round banana chips and new age banana finger chips!

If you cut your raw banana into thin batons, then you end up with a 'not-so-popular' variant of the traditional banana chips.

Recipe is the same , just the shape is different.

Mushroom peas korma

This recipe is little on the sweet side because of the pineapple and raisins. My younger daughter and I loved it, but my husband thought may be I could have avoided the raisins. 

Mushroom - 10 , cut in half

Green peas - 1/2 cup

Onion - 1 large

Tomato -1 large

Green chilli - 1 or 2

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp

Pineapple fresh - 1 /2 cup

Sugar - 1 tsp 

Cashew nut broken - 1 tbsp

Raisins - 1 tbsp (opt)

Ghee - 2 tbsp

Oil - 2 tbsp

Jeera - 1 tsp

Salt

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Garam masala - 1 tsp

Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Milk - 1 cup

Garnish

Coriander leaf - 1 tbsp

Capsicum - 2 tbsp

Boil green peas with salt, 1 /2 tsp chilli powder and 1/2 tsp garam masala. When half cooked add the mushroom. Cook till peas are tender. Keep aside.

Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a kadai . Fry the cashew and raisins and remove using slotted spoon. Keep aside.

Boil the pineapple in water and once cooked, add the sugar. Mix well (add more water if necessary) and cook till all the water evaporates.

Into the kadai, add rest of the ghee and oil. Splutter the jeera.

Fry the onions and ginger garlic paste till onions becomes golden brown.

Add the salt, turmeric powder, rest of the chilli powder and garam masala. Fry for 1/2 a minute.

Add the tomato , green chilli and fry till they soften. Leave to cool.

Once cooled grind to a paste.

Return the paste to the kadai and add the milk.

Add the mushroom and peas. Boil for 2 minutes.

Add the cashew , raisins , pineapple , capsicum and coriander leaf.

Mix well and serve hot.

Zucchini curry

Zucchini - 1 medium

Onion - 1 medium

Cauliflower - 6 florets

Boiled potato - 1 (opt)

Oil - 1 tbsp

Jeera - 1 tsp

Fenugreek seed - 1/2 tsp

Salt

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Coriander seed - 1 tbsp

Chana dal - 1 tbsp

Til seed - 1 tsp

Red chilli - 3 

Coriander leaf for garnish

Fry without oil the coriander seed, til, chana dal and red chilli. Grind into a fine powder and keep aside.
Heat oil and splutter jeera and fenugreek seeds.
Add the chopped onions and fry till golden and turn off flame.
Boil zucchini and cauliflower florets in 1/2 cup water with some salt and turmeric powder.
After 3 minutes of covered cooking

add to the onions. You can add the potatoes , if using, now.
Add the spice powder to the vegetables and mix well. Keep aside till serving time.
At serving time mix again , heat and serve hot garnished with coriander leaves.

Mathan Erissery or Pumpkin curry

Here you will find 2 recipes of Erissery. One is the Tamil Brahmin version, the other is the typical Kerala style with van-payar.
The difference between the two, other than the addition / absence of van-payar, is in the addition / non-addition of ground coconut.
Both the recipes bank heavily on the 'tadka' or the 'varavvu' ; meaning the final garnish.

These 2 recipes are an ode to pumpkin, coconut and pepper - a combination like no other.
One thing is sure, this is a true blue Kerala dish.

Recipe 1: Tamil Brahmin style
Serves : 10

The below quantity is enough to serve at least 10 people as this is mainly a side dish served with sambar. It is a must for any 'sadya' and the sweetness of the pumpkin counters the spiciness of other dishes.

Ingredients:

Pumpkin (yellow / orange)- 1 kg, skinned and cut into big cubes

Salt to taste

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Coconut - 3 cups , heaped

Pepper powder - 2 tbsp,  heaped

Jeera powder - 2 tbsp

Red chilly  powder - 1 tsp

For tadka / garnish:

Coconut oil - 1/4 cup

Mustard - 1 tbsp

Urad dal - 1 tsp

Coconut - 6 tbsp heaped or 1/2 cup 

Red chilly - 6, broken

Curry leaf - 4 sprigs

Cook the pumpkin in 2 cups water with salt and turmeric water till it softens and can be broken.
Add more water as you go along with the cook as you need to dry out the curry.
Once softened, mash some cubes and leave others as whole pieces.
The water must have all but evaporated by now.

Grind the coconut with the pepper, jeera and red chilly powder into a fine paste.

Add to the cooked pumpkin and mix well. 

Stir with the flame on , for 2 minutes.

Heat oil in a kadai and splutter the mustard.

Add the urad dal and red chillies. Fry till the dal turns red.

Now add the coconut and curry leaf.

Lower flame and keep frying till the coconut starts browning.

Add on top of the curry but do not mix until serving time.

Recipe 2: Kerala style
Serves : 4

Ingredients:
Pumpkin - 1/2 kg , skinned and cut into big cubes
Van payar / red cow peas - 1/2 cup, soaked overnight
Green chilly - 2
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Pepper powder -1 tsp
Jeera powder -1 tsp

For tadka / garnish:
Coconut oil - 1/4 cup
Mustard seeds - 1 tbsp

Urad dal - 1 tbsp

Coconut - 6 tbsp or 1/2 cup

Red chilly - 6, broken

Curry leaf - 4 sprigs
Jeera powder - 1 tbsp
Pepper powder - 1 tbsp

Boil / pressure cook the Van payar till it cooks.
Add the pumpkin with some water salt, turmeric water, pepper and jeera powder.
Cook till the pumpkin softens and can be broken. Mash some cubes and leave others as whole pieces. The water must have all but evaporated by now.

Heat oil in a kadai and splutter the mustard.

Add the urad dal and red chillies. Fry till the dal turns red.

Now add the coconut ,curry leaf, pepper and jeera powder.

Lower flame and keep frying till the coconut starts browning.

Add on top of the curry and mix it well.

Aloo Gobi Mutter

A simple curry. Chunky potato and caulflower in a onion tomato gravy. I added some green peas, but feel free to omit it. Tastes great with chappathy.

Potato - 5 medium, peeled and cut into big cubes
Cauliflower - 1/2 medium, cut into induvidual big flowerets
Green peas (optional) - 3/4 cup
Capsicum - 1 small or 1/2 large , diced
Onion - 2 medium, chopped fine
Tomato - 3 large , chopped fine
Salt
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Coriander leaf - 1 tbsp, chopped fine
Oil - 2 tbsp
Jeera - 1 tsp

Boil the cubed potatoes in water with some salt and turmeric powder.
When half cooked add the cauliflower and cook till both get done but do not lose shape.
Heat oil and splutter the jeera.
Add the onion and cook on low flame stirring occasionally till translucent.
Add the salt, turmeric powder, garam masala and chilli powder.
After stir frying for a minute add the tomato and mix well.
Cook covered for 5 minutes stirring occasionally.The tomato must become pulpy.
Add the potatoes, cauliflower, green peas and continue cooking. Add 1/2 - 1 cup water if there is not much gravy. Cook covered after mixing well.
After 3 minutes of simmering , stir in the capsicum and coriander leaf.
Cook covered on low flame for 2 minutes.
Serve hot with chappathy.

Pasta with lemon

There is something about fresh lemon juice which adds a lot of zing to food and somehow on rainy days it 'ups' the spirit! And no olive oil please - as rains mean you need to stock on calories - so BUTTER all the way. Ha ha!!

Spaghetti - 300gms
Butter (NO OLIVE OIL) - 5 tbsp
Garlic - 2 tbsp
Onion - chopped fine - 1 large
Celery - 1 stalk - chopped fine
Capsicum - (all 3 colours) - 1/2 of each- chopped fine
Tomato - 1medium - chopped fine
Green peas - 5 tbsp
Lemon - 1 large
Salt
Chilli flakes - 1tbsp

Boil spaghetti in ample salted water until al dente. Drain and keep aside coated with (1tbsp) olive oil.

Heat the butter on a low flame and add the garlic, onion, celery and chilli flakes till onion gets translucent (cook on a low flame. So this will take about 5-8 minutes)
Add the green peas and sute for 1 minute. Add the capsicum and tomato. Cook on high flame for 1 minute.

Add the spaghetti and mix well. Taste. Add salt and lemon juice. Mix well and serve HOT.