Aviyal

Typical Kerala dish that has a variety of vegetables included in it and a very small amount of oil. Simple and healthy.

What I Used (to serve 2):

Carrots: 2 small
Beans: 10
Raw banana (vazhakka): 1 small
Drumstick: 1
Brinjal: 2
Tomato: 1 big
Cucumber: 1 small
Ivy Gourd (kovakka): 6
Raw mango: 1
Green chillies: 6
Freshly grated coconut: 1/2 cup
Jeera powder: 1.5 teaspoon
Curry leaves: 2 strands
Onions: 1/2 finely chopped
Coconut oil: 3 tablespoons
Curd: 3 tablespoons
Salt: to taste

How I Made It:

1.Put the hard-to-cook vegetables together (carrots, beans, drumsticks, green chillies, mango, ivy gourd) with water just to cover them and 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder. Cook till the vegetables begin to turn soft. This will take 10-12 minutes.

2. Add the rest of the vegetables (cucumber, tomatoes, brinjal) and cook for another 5 minutes.

3. Uncover and keep on fire till the excess water has evaporated.

4. Grind coconut with jeera and some curry leaves.

5. Add to the cooked vegetables, with salt, and mix well, making sure the the vegetables are not mashed together.

6. After 2 minutes, remove from fire, add the coconut oil, curry leaves and mix again.

7. Finally, add the curd, mix well and keep aside.

Goes well with rice and sambhar.

Malliyila Chammandi/Kothamalli Chutney/Coriander Chutney

Coriander, also known as cilantro, is a welcome addition into any kitchen. Technically, the leaves are the cilantro and the seeds are the coriander, but this seems to mean one and the same these days. Moderately priced, this delightful herb can easily be found in tiny markets as well as monolithic superchains. When I saw that this month's Jihva for Ingredients (JFI) hosted by Mahanandi is on fresh leafy green vegetables, I had no second thoughts about which one to use. Also, my recipes here are meant to be simple (suitable for bachelors) and remind me of mom. This was a usual snack packed for school :)



My entry for this month's JFI (Also trying to get better at photography!)

Coriander Chutney

What I used:

Freshly grated coconut : 1 cup
Chopped coriander leaves : 1 cup
Green chillies : 3
Lemon juice : 1 teaspoon
Sugar : 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds or powder : 1/2 teaspoon
Salt : to taste

How I made it:

Put all ingredients in a small blender. Blend till smooth adding very little water as required. Use on buttered or non-buttered bread for sandwiches. It also goes with rice and curd though bread is definitely the more popular and favourite accompaniment.

Nadan Mutta Roast/Kerala Style Egg Roast

For my roomy and me, egg curry is a staple side dish every weekend. Its easy, goes with most of the main dishes and reminds us of home. This is the recipe that I always follow. Please excuse the not-so-great pic, I am yet to get better with my photography skills :)

What I Used:

Eggs : 2
Onions : 3 medium
Tomato : 1 medium
Green chillies : 3 sliced
Chilly powder : 1 teaspoon
Jeera powder (jeeraka podi) : 1/2 teaspoon
Dhania powder (malli podi) : 3 teaspoons
Ginger-garlic paste : 2 teaspoons
Oil : 3 tablespoons
Mustard seeds : 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves : one strand
Salt : to taste

How I Made It:

1. Boil the eggs, shell, slice and keep aside.

2. Heat oil, put the mustard seeds in to crackle. Saute the onions till they turn golden brown. Adding a little salt to it makes it wilt quicker (tip from my Grandmom).

3. Add ginger-garlic paste to the golden brown onions and fry for a minute. Then add the masala - chilly powder, jeera, dhania - green chillies, curry leaves, and fry well till the raw smell leaves the paste, which should take a good 3 minutes.

4. Once the masala is well cooked, add the finely chopped tomatoes and saute till it blends with the curry.

5. Add one cup water (or more if you like the curry thin) and bring to boil. Add the boiled egg and remove from fire after 2 minutes.

Note: I use coconut oil to make this curry sometimes and this gives it a more 'Kerala' taste. This curry goes well with almost anything - chappathi, parotta, rice, dosa, puttu.

Hope you all enjoy it!