Vattayappam / Rice Cake

Vattayappam or Rice Cake is a main item in Kerala.
Rice - Coconut batter cooked in steam to prepare this item.

INGREDIENTS:

• Raw rice flour -1 cups
• Grated Coconut - 1 ½ cup
• Cumin Seed - pinch
• Cream of Rice (thari)/Rava- 1 tbsp
• Ghee- ½ tsp
• Yeast -½ tsp
• Sugar- 5 tbsp
• Salt - ¼ tsp 
• Water

PREPARATION METHOD:

• Lightly roast rice flour about 3 minutes.
• Mix yeast with sugar in 5 Tbsp warm water and keep aside.
• Grind Coconut and cumin seed to a fine paste.
• Cook the cream of rice in little water by stirring continuously.
• Mix rice flour, cooked cream of rice and yeast and knead into a soft dough. 
• Add the coconut paste mix to the dough with little water and mix well. 
• Add Salt and mix well to make a thick batter.
• Grease ghee in a pan (steel plate) and pour the batter into it.
• Steam it well in an idli steamer for 15 minutes.
• Remove it from the steamer. 
• Let it cool for sometime and remove from the pan.

Recommended Combination: Vattayappam / Rice Cake can be served hot with Chicken Curry / Chicken Stew / vegetable Kurma / Chicken Kurma / Kadala Curry

Pavakka Curry / Bittergourd Curry

Pavakka Curry / Bittergourd Curry is prepared in grinded coconut paste to reduce its bitterness.
This is a thick gravy curry served with Rice.

INGREDIENTS:

• Pavakka / Bittergourd -2 big size
• Sliced Onion - 1 no
• Sliced Green Chilly -3 nos
• Sliced Tomato - 1 no
• Grated Coconut - 1 cup
• Corriander powder – ½ tsp
• Chilli powder – 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
• Salt to taste
• Coconut Oil – 1 tbsp
• Curry Leaves 

PREPARATION METHOD:

• Remove seed from Pavakka and cut it into small pieces.
• Grind the Grated coconut, Chilly Powder,Corriander Powder to a fine paste.
• Cook Pavakka, Onion and Green Chilly along with Turmeric powder and Salt.
• When Pavakka is cooked, add Coconut paste and Tomato.
• Let it boil.
• When it starts boil,turn off the stove and add Coconut Oil and Curry leaves.

Recommended Combination:Pavakka Curry / Bittergourd Curry can be serve hot with Rice / Chappathi

Muringaila Mutta Thoran / Drumstick leaves Egg Thoran

Muringaila or Drumstick Leaves can be used in combination with Egg for preparing Thoran. It is a dry dish and goes in combination with Rice as a side dish.

INGREDIENTS:

• Egg - 3 nos
• Finely chopped onion - 1 nos
• Finely chopped drumstick leaves- one handfull
• Green chilly(chopped) - 3 nos 
• Grated coconut -  2 tbsp
• Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp
• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
• Red chilly-2 nos
• Curry leaves - few
• Salt to taste

PREPARATION METHOD:

• Beat the eggs and keep aside. 
• Heat oil in a pan.
• Add mustard seeds and Red chilly and allow to splutter.
• Add the chopped onion, green chilly, drumstick leaves and saute well till the onion turns transparent.
• Add turmeric powder and salt.
• Add the grated coconut and mix well.
• Add the beaten egg and scrambled it well.
• Stir continuously till the egg is well cooked and dried up.
• Add curry leaves and mix it.

Recommended Combination: Muringa ila Mutta Thoran can be serve hot with Rice / Chappathi

Kinnanappam / Rice Cake

Kinnanappam is a sort of Rice cake cooked in steam.
The main ingredients are grinded boiled rice, coconut and jaggery.

INGREDIENTS:

• Parboiled Rice- 1 cup
• Grated coconut – 1½ cup 
• Cumin seed - pinch
• Jaggery - ½ cup
• Ghee - 1tbsp
• Salt - As reqd

PREPARATION METHOD:

• Soak rice for atleast 4 hrs.
• Grind Rice, Coconut and cumin seed to a batter(idli batter consistency).
• Add Salt, Jaggery and ghee to the batter and mix well.
• Grease some ghee in a pan (steel plate) and pour the batter into it.
• Steam it well in an idli steamer for 15 minutes.
• Remove it from the steamer.
• Let it cool for sometime and remove from the pan.

Recommended Combination:Kinnanappam can be served with tea or coffee.

Beetroot Mezhukkupuratti / Beetroot Stir Fry

Beetroot Mezhukkupuratti / Stir Fry is a tasty side dish which goes together with Rice.
Beetroot is rich in dietary fiber and has no cholestrol.

INGREDIENTS:

• Chopped Beetrot -2 medium size
• Chopped Onion - 1 small
• Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp. 
• Red chili powder - ½ tsp.
• Salt to taste
• Oil -1 tbsp
• Curry leaves -a few

PREPARATION METHOD:

• Cook beetroot in little water along with turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt.
• Heat oil in a pan.
• Put onion into it and saute till it turns translucent.
• Add the cooked Beetroot and curry leaves into it and fry it.

Recommended Combination:Beetroot Mezhukkupuratti can be served with Rice.

Adapradhaman

Pradhaman stands first amoungst all dishes in a traditional Kerala Sadya.
Rice Ada can be used to prepare a very delicius Payasam, otherwise known as Ada Pradhaman or Rice Ada Poridge.

INGREDIENTS:

• Rice Ada -200gm
• Gaggery -500 gm/ 1 lb
• Ghee - 4 tbsp
• Cashew nut - 10 nos
• Coconut cuts - 2 tbsp
• Thick Coconut Milk - 2 cup
• Sesame seed - 1 tsp
• Cumin seed - 1 tsp
• Raisin -2 tbsp

PREPARATION METHOD:

• Add Ada to 3 cup of boiling water.
• Cover the vessel and allow to remain for 15 minutes.
• Wash Ada in cold water and drain it.
• Put 2 tbsp ghee in a pan.
• Add AdA in it and saute for 3 minutes.
• Mix Jaggery in water till dilute it.
• Filter jaggery and add the jaggery to Ada and saute it. 
• Once the Ada cooks in jaggery, add coconut milk.
• Turn off the stove.
• Heat the remaing Ghee in a pan.
• Fry Coconut cut in brown colour.
• Fry Cashew nut, Raisin, cumin seed, sesame.
• Add this seasoning to the payasam.

Recommended Combination:usually in Sadya Ada Pradhaman is served with Pappadam and Pazham.

Nellikka Achar / Gooseberry Pickle

Gooseberry or Nellikka Pickle is yet another popular variety of pickle across India. This pickle can be made very easily as described below.

INGREDIENTS:

• Nellikka/ Gooseberry - 20 nos
• Chopped Ginger - 1 tbsp
• Garlic(sliced)- 10 nos
• Chilli powder - 4 tbsp
• Fenugreek powder - ¼ tsp
• Asafoetida Powder - ¼ tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Gingely oil - ½ Cup
• Salt to taste

PREPARATION METHOD:

• Cook Nellikka / Gooseberry in steam(using steamer).
• Heat Oil in a pan.
• Put Mustard seed into the Oil and let it splutter.
• Add Ginger and Garlic and saute well.
• Add cooked Nellikka and saute well for 5 minutes.
• Add Chilly powder and Salt to it and mix well.
• Sprinkle water and cook in low flame.
• Saute Nellikka till oil oozes out from it.
• Add Fenugreek powder and Asafoetida Powder and mix well.
• Remove from fire and allow to cool.

Recommended Combination: Gooseberry pickle / nellikka achar can be served with Rice and Curd / Curd Rice / Kanji

Muringaila Thoran / Drumstick leaves Thoran

Drumstick Leaves or Muraingaila thoran is a dry dish which is very nutritious. It is a good side dish for rice.

INGREDIENTS:

• Drumstick leaves - 2cups
• Grated coconut - 1 Cup
• Chilly Powder - ½ tsp
• Red Chilly -2 nos
• Rice - 1 tsp
• Garlic - 2 nos
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Salt - to taste
• Oil - as needed

PREPARATION METHOD:

• Detach the leaves from the stem and chop it very nicely.
• Heat oil in a pan.
• Add mustard seeds and red chilli and let it splutter.
• Add rice fry it.
• Once rice becomes crispy add drumstick leaves, salt, turmeric powder.
• Sprinkle water and cover the pan and cook for 10 mins.
• Crush Coconut, garlic and chilly powder together and add to it.
• Mix finely and slow down the flame and cook it for 2 mins.

Recommended Combination: Muraingaila thoran can be served hot with Rice.

Gothambu Puttu / Wheat Puttu

Gothambu Puttu / Wheat Steam Cake is a different variety of Puttu.
Use Roasted Wheat flour instead of Rice Flour which is used to prepare regular Rice puttu.

INGREDIENTS:

• Roasted wheat flour -1 cup 
• Grated Coconut -¼ cup
• Salt - to taste
• Water- as required to make the powder wet .
• Puttu kudam (puttu maker)

PREPARATION METHOD:

• Add salt to the roasted flour gently to make a mixture.
• Sprinkle water in to flour little at a time and mix the flour. 
• Repeat sprinkling water till the flour is wet.
• Place a pot shapped utensil on the stove. 
• Fill half the utensil with water and boil the water.
• Place a puttu maker on the top of the utensil .
• Put some grated coconut in it, and fill puttu maker with the mixture and put some grated coconut on the top .
• Steam in a vessel for 10 minutes and serve hot

Recommended Combination: Gothambu Puttu can be served hot with Kadala curry / Payar Curry / Pazham / Pappadam

Pavakka Thoran / Bitter Gourd Thoran.

Pavakka / Bitter Gourd is a stomachic medicine, which serves to tone the stomach, improving its function and increasing appetite. It is also used as a medicine for diabetics. This bitter fruit can be used to prepare a variety of dishes including Thoran. The grated coconut in Thoran reduces the bitterness of the dish.

INGREDIENTS:

• Bittergourd/ Pavakka (finely Chopped) - 1 big
• Grated coconut - ½ Cup
• Finely Chopped Onion - 1 nos
• Finely sliced coconut - ¼ cup
• Green Chilly(Chopped) - 4 nos 
• Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp
• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
• Red Chilly-2 nos
• Rice - 1tbsp
• Curry leaves - few
• Salt to taste

PREPARATION METHOD:

• Heat oil in a pan.
• Add mustard seeds and Red chilly and allow to splutter.
• Add rice and fry it.
• Once rice becomes crispy, add the chopped onion,green chilly and saute well till the Onion turns transparent.
• Add chopped Bitter gourd, sliced coconut,turmeric powder and Salt .
• Sprinkle water, cover the pan and let it cook.
• Add the grated coconut and mix well.
• Stir continuously till the water dries up.
• Add curry leaves and mix it.

Recommended Combination: Pavakka Thoran / Bitter Gourd Thoran can be served hot with Rice.