Pazham Pulissery (Banana in coconut & curd gravy)

Onam is round the corner and the pazham pulissery once had a prominent role in Onasadya. Yep, before the Sambar and Avial invaded the onasadya, it was the erissery and pulissery that was served as the main curries alongwith thodu curries like achar, puli inchi and the like.

Pazham pulissery is an easy recipe using ripe bananas aka ethapazham / nendrapazham (seen in the picture) that are specific to Kerala. This curry is a mix of the fruit, coconut and curd that will make you eat a lot of rice…indeed…

the recipe

banana - 2

water – 1 cup

turmeric – ½ tsp

green chilly – 3 or 4

cumin seeds – ¾ tsp

garlic – 3 cloves (optional)

shallots – 4 (optional

mustard seeds – ¾ tsp

grated coconut – ½ cup

water – ¼ cup

curd (beaten) – ½ cup

salt to taste

for the tempering

oil – 2 tsp

fenugreek seeds – ¼ tsp

whole red chillies (broken) – 3

curry leaves – 2 or 3 sprigs

the method

the recipe tastes good if cooked in a clay pot.

Cut the banana into two lengthwise and then chop them into small pieces. Boil 1 cup water in a clay pot and add the banana and turmeric powder. Meanwhile, grind the green chillies, cumin seeds, garlic, shallots and mustard seeds into a fine paste. Add it into the banana mix. Add salt and let the banana cook till it is soft and slightly mushy. Grind the coconut with about ¼ cup or less water into a fine paste. Add it into the cooked banana. Check the taste. If you feel it is less pungent you may add ½ tsp chilly powder (ingredient not included in the recipe). When the raw taste of coconut is gone, turn to low heat add the beaten curd and mix well. When the curry is hot enough but not boiled turn off heat.

In another pan, heat oil in medium fire and add the curry leaves, broken whole red chillies and fenugreek seeds. Stir well till the fenugreek starts to change its color. Pour it over the banana mix and close it immediately. Let it sit for sometime and then mix the pulissery and serve with rice.

The pulissery can be prepared in advance for the Onasadya. Preparing it previous day would be the best and refrigerate the same.

Beet Root & Potato Pepper Saute

Some might have a feeling that beet root is watery in taste. The addition of potatoes gives a creamy texture to this dish which goes well with rice. I usually prepare this in a pressure cooker so that the potatoes turn slightly mushy though they retain their shape. It can be prepared in a pan also.

the recipe

Beet root, cut into cubes of preferred size - 3 large
Potato, cut in similar size as the beetroot - 1 large

Onion, roughly chopped - 1

Chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 or 2 tbsp
Curry leaves

the method

Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Add the onion and stir till it is light brown. Turn to low heat and add the turmeric, pepper, chilly powder, salt and curry leaves. Stir till it is lightly sauteed and then add the cubed beet root and potato. Continue stirring in low heat for about a minute. Add 5 -8 tbsp water and put the lid and weight on. Pressure cook for 3 whistles and then turn off heat. You may find a little more water when the veggies have cooked. Place the pressure cooker on high heat and stir well till the water is fully evaporated. Serve with rice and rasam.

Prawn ball curry

This prawn ball curry is inspired by the meat ball curry recipe is famous in Anglo-India homes. I gave a slight Thai twist to the recipe by adding chilly flakes and soya sauce. The curry had a fabulous taste.

the ingredients

Prawns – 500 gms

Chilly flakes – 1 tsp
Garlic – 6 cloves

Salt to taste

Soya Sauce – 1 ½ tbsp
Lemon Juice – 1 tsp
Corn flour / Flour – 1 tbsp
Oil to deep fry
Onion – 1
Ginger Garlic paste – 2 tbsp
Turmeric – ¼ tsp
Chilly powder – ½ tsp
Pepper Powder – ½ tsp
Garam Masala – 3 tiny pinch
Tomato – 1 small or half (I used half)
Vinegar – 1 tbsp
Thin Coconut milk – ½ cup
Thick Coconut milk – ½ cup
Cooked green peas – ¼ cup

Salt to taste

Oil – 2 tbsp

the method

Clean the prawns and grind it with chopped garlic, salt and chilly flakes. Place the ground prawns in a bowl. Add the soya sauce and lemon juice to the prawns and mix well. Sprinkle the flour over the prawn and mix well. Grease your palm with flour and take a teaspoon full of the prawn mix and shape it into a ball. Ground prawn is very sticky. To prevent your hands from turning messy, use a cling film on your palm to shape the prawn. Repeat the process until the prawn mix is fully used up.

Deep fry the prawn balls one by one. It takes just about 25 – 30 seconds for the prawn ball / kofta to cook. Over frying will make the prawns hard and rubbery.

Heat a flat pan and add 2 tbsp of oil. Add the chopped onions and sauté till it is light brown. Add the ginger garlic paste. Add the turmeric, chilly and pepper powder. Add chopped tomatoes and vinegar. Sauté till the tomatoes are soft. Add thin coconut milk and the prawn balls and let it boil for few minutes in medium heat. Add the cooked green peas. Check salt and pepper. Add garam masala. Turn to low heat and add thick coconut milk. Turn off heat just as the curry starts boiling.

We had the prawn ball curry with chilly fried rice with peanuts & veggies. The curry tastes very good with bread also.


Pumpkin & Raisin Bread

Pumpkin, grated – ¾ cup

Wheat flour – 1 cup

Flour – ½ cup

Yeast -1 ½ tbsp

Hot water – ¼ cup + ½ cup

Sugar – 1 heaped tbsp

Salt – ½ tsp

Olive oil / Veg oil – 2 – 3 tbsp + 1 tsp

Butter – 1 tsp

Milk – 1 tbsp

Ingredients to sauté the pumpkin

Veg Oil / Butter / Olive Oil – 1 ½ tbsp

Salt – ¼ tsp

Chilly flakes – 1 tsp

Garlic, grated – 4 cloves

Mixed Italian spices – 1 ½ tsp

Raisins, finely chopped – 10

To sauté the pumpkin

Heat oil in a non-stick pan . Add the grated pumpkin, chilly flakes, salt, garlic and oil and saute for a minute and a half. The pumpkin would have reduced to 3/4th its quantity. Add the chopped raisins, stir for few seconds and turn off heat. Add the mixed Italian spices immediately and stir well. Let it cool.

before baking

In a bowl mix the wheat flour and flour. Add the sautéed pumpkin and mix it with the flour to make crumbs. Make a well in the middle of the flour mix. Add the sugar, salt and yeast. Pour ¼ cup hot water. Stir it gently and cover it. Leave it for 5 – 7 minutes. The yeast would have come on top. Start kneading the flour with the yeast mix and then gradually add the oil and the ½ cup water until a dough is formed. Add 1 or 2 tbsp flour if the dough is sticky. Knead the dough for 7 – 10 minutes. Pour 1 tsp oil over the dough and spread it thoroughly. Cover the dough with a wet cloth and leave it aside for 1 ½ hours. The dough would have doubled. Press down the dough.

Grease a baking tray. Place the dough in the middle of the tray. Flatten it gently. Use a dough cutter or knife to draw lines over the dough. Leave it aside for half an hour. Apply milk on top of the dough and bake it at 170 C for 22* minutes. Apply butter as soon as the bread is taken out of the oven. Serve hot or cold with butter or tomato sauce.

* Baking time may differ depending on the oven used. Check the bread with a skewer or tap the bottom of the tray to get a hollow sound to check whether the bread is baked..

Chilly Fried Rice with Peanuts & Veggies

I prepared this chilly fried rice with inspirations from Chinese, Thai and Schezwan cuisine. Though the title boasts of many ingredients, this is a simple preparation.....hope you will try and enjoy this!

the recipe

Long grain cooked rice – to serve 8

Chopped or julienned vegetables

Cabbage – ½ cup

Carrot – 1 or 2

Celery – 3 stalks

Spring onion bulb – 4

Capsicum – 1

Onion – 1

Ginger paste – 1 tbsp

Garlic paste – 1 tbsp

Chilly flakes – 2 tsp

Soya sauce – 3 tbsp

Tomato sauce – 1, 2 or 3 tbsp

Sugar – 2 tsp

Salt – to taste

Veg Oil – 3 – 4 tbsp

Vegetable stock or water – ½ cup

Peanuts, roasted & slightly crushed – 5 tbsp

Spring onion shoot chopped – 4 shoots

the method

Heat oil in a wok or wide pan. Add the vegetables and onion and stir well in high heat. The vegetables should remain crispy and partially cooked. Add the crushed peanuts (Put the peanuts in a grinder jar and grind the roasted peanuts for 2-3 seconds). Stir for a while and add the ginger garlic paste. Stir till the raw smell is gone. Add the chilly flakes. Add soya sauce and sugar and stir briskly for 10 seconds. Add adequate salt for the vegetables & rice. Make space in the middle of the pan and pour the vegetable stock. Add the cooked rice in one shot. Mix all the ingredients. Add the tomato sauce. Toss the rice well. Sprinkle the spring onion shoot. Serve hot with tomato sauce or a side dish. We had this with Prawn Ball Curry (recipe to be posted soon).