Olan

Olan - one of the items in my daughter’s small list of favorites. Olan is a very simple side dish made of Ash gourd, Pumpkin, a handful of black eyed beans, one or two chilies, simmered in coconut milk with a dash of coconut oil. It forms an important part of any Sadya. Though this curry does not make use of any spices the right proportion of all the ingredients makes it very delicious.
Commonly, Olan is prepared using the Ash gourd/winter melon and cowpeas. But my mother and MIL both prepare using a combination of both Winter melon and Pumpkin. My mother also a prepares a version with only wintermelon and few yard long beans instead of cowpeas. I guess, every part of Kerala has its own version. My SIL who is from Trivandrum, tells me that her mom, adds, even carrots and potatoes and uses Moong beans instead of cowpeas. 

Serves - 4

Ingredients

1. Ash gourd – 3 Cup, chopped
2. Pumpkin – 3 Cup, chopped
3. Cowpeas/Karamani – 1/4 cup
4. Green Chilly – 1 or 2
5. Thin Coconut Milk – 1 cup
6. Thick Coconut Milk - 1/2 cup
7. Coconut Oil – 1 tbsp
8. Jaggery a little
9. Salt to taste

Method

1. Pressure cook the Black eyed beans and keep aside. (Soaking the beans for a few hours helps in cooking faster).  
2. Remove skin and cut ash gourd and pumpkin into 1 ½ inch thin square pieces. Slit the green chilly.
3. Now in a wide pan, put the ash gourd pieces at the bottom and then put the pumpkin pieces. Add the green chilly. Add the think coconut milk and cook on medium flame till the vegetables are almost cooked.
4. Drain the water from the cooked cowpeas, add it to the gourds, with little jaggery and salt to taste. Allow this to boil, uncovered till olan becomes a little thick.
5. Remove from heat and add coconut milk and coconut oil. Mix well. (Take care not to mash the vegetables too much while stirring, though usually the pumpkin does get mashed)

Yummy olan is ready to be savored with hot white rice and sambar. 

Poricha Kuzhambu

Poricha Kuzhambu better known as Porichozhambu in the Palakkad circles is a tangy tamarind and vegetables based dish served with steamed white rice. It is another variation of the Pitlai. Naadan vegetables like brinjals, raw bananas, yam, ash gourd broad beans (Avarakkai) are generally used. You can also used carrots, potatoes and peas in addition to the above mentioned vegetables. So if you are bored of having Sambar every other day for lunch, try is variation.

Ingredients

1. Mixed Vegetables like Raw Banana, Yam, Brinjal, Ash Gourd, Pumpkin etc - 2 Cups
2. Tamarind – gooseberry sized ball
3.  Karamani – a fistful
4. Turmeric Powder – 1 pinch
5. Salt – to taste

For the spice paste

1. Urad Dal – 1/2 tsp
2. Channa dal – 1 tsp
3. Black Pepper – a few
4.  Dried Red Chillies – 4
5.  Asfoetida – a small piece
6. Fresh Grated Coconut – 1/4 to 1/2 cup
7. Coconut oil – 1 tsp

For the seasoning

1. Coconut oil – 1 tsp
2. Mustard Seeds – ½ tsp
3. Curry leaves a few

Method

1. Cut all the vegetables into small cubes. Soak tamarind in hot water for 10 mins. Squeeze and extract tamarind juice in a vessel. 
2. Pressure cook the vegetables with turmeric and salt and 1 cup of water. 
3. Also pressure cook the Karamani.
4. Heat a tsp of oil in a Kadai, add a piece of asafoetida, after its bloats, add the dals and fry finally add the peppercorns and red chillies. Once all these are fried, grind them with the coconut into a smooth paste adding a little water.
5. Take the tamarind extract in a vessel, add turmeric powder and salt and boil it for 5 to 8 minutes.
6. Add the cooked vegetables, and karamani to the tamarind water.
7. Bring to boil and simmer for about 2 -3 mins. Finally add the ground paste. Check for salt and consistency. If the curry is too thick add a little water and adjust the consistency. Simmer for a 3 – 4 mins.
8. Heat a tsp of oil in a pan; add mustard seeds, once they crackle pour over the kuzhambu. Garnish with curry leaves.

Tasty Porichozhambu is ready to serve.

A good accompaniment for this would be the not so spicy Paruppu Thogayal.

My First Awards

Today I feel at the top of the world as I have got my first awards. The reason for my happiness is manifold because it’s not been very long since I started blogging, and to get noticed so early in this big blogging world; I really felt very happy. It feels great to be appreciated so what if it is a virtual award. I am happy that somebody thought of me and my blog. This award was given to me by Shilpi of It is tasty ma!. Thank You Shilpi – the awards mean a lot to me.

Rules:
1. Accept the award. Post it in your blog with the name of the blogger who has given u this award with a link to his/her blog.

2. Pass it on to 15 other blogger friends.... to keep the ball rolling.

3. Let the nominated blogger know about their award [leave a comment in their most recent post].

Some of them might have already received it, yet I would like to mention them here...

1.       Reva – Kaarasaaram

2.       EC – Simpleindianfood

3.       Jayasree - Experiments in Kailas Kitchen

4.     Srivalli - Spice your Life

5.       Nupur - One Hot Stove

6.       Priya - Priya's Easy n Tasty Recipes

7.       Srivandya - Vegetarian Zest

8.       Radhika - Tickling Palates

9.       Shanthi - Shanti Krishnakumar's Cook Book

10.   Rajeswari Vijayanand - Rak's Kitchen

11.   Satya - My Innovative Kitchen

12.   Priya - Now Serving..

13.   Sandhya - Sandhyas Kitchen

14.   Siri - Cooking with Siri

15.   Sharmi - Neivedyam

Pav Bhaji

I am very excited today, as this is my first post for a blog event. Though, I am sharing some of the traditional Palakkad Iyer recipes through my blog, I would like to contribute other recipes also which I have learnt from here and there. So here comes my first post on something which is not native to Palakkad – Pav Bhaji.

This Indian street food widely popular in West India has gained appreciation all over India. It is one of my favorite too. Whenever we visit a chaat bhandar, my daughter's pick would be Pav Bhaji. She loves the buttered pavs very much. The bhaji is usually a little spicy and so I decided to try my hand at making this at home, customized to my daughter's taste buds. She really adores them. Pav means bread and Bhaji translates to vegetables. This combination of mashed veggies with pav is quite filling and can be consumed as a light evening meal. Here is the recipe for the not so spicy Pav Bhaji:

Ingredients                         (Serves: 2-3)

For the Bhaji

1.        Potatoes – 2 Medium sized

2.       Carrots – 2

3.       Green Peas – ½ Cup

4.       Onions – 2 Big

5.       Tomatoes – 2 Big

6.       Capsicum - 1

7.       Garlic – 2 or 3 pods

8.       Turmeric Powder – a pinch

9.       Red Chilly Powder – 1 tsp

10.   Pav Bhaji Masala – 1 tsp

11.   Butter – 2 tbsp

12.   Coriander for garnishing

For the Pav

1.       Pav Bun – as required

2.       Butter for toasting

Method

Cook potatoes, carrots and peas in a pressure cooker (You can add cauliflower also).  Finely chop onions, garlic, capsicum and tomatoes.

Heat a Kadai, add a tbsp of butter. Saute chopped onions, when the onions turn translucent, add garlic and saute for 2 mins. Next add the capsicum and sauté for another 2 mins. After that add the chopped tomatoes and fry. Now add a pinch of turmeric powder, Chilly powder, and Pav Bhaji Masala. Fry till tomatoes turn mushy and oil leaves the sides of the Kadai. Now, mash the cooked vegetables and add it to the onion tomato masala. Add salt to taste. Add some water and adjust consistency. The bhaji should be of semi solid consistency. Simmer for a few minutes. Serve garnished with chopped onions, coriander lemon wedges and a blob of butter.

To serve the pav

Heat a tava, slice the pav lengthwise almost till the end and toast it with butter on both sides.

Yummy  Pav Bhaji is ready. I also submit this Srivalli's Kids Delight - Indian Street Food

Rasakalan

Rasakalan – the lesser known cousin of Moru kootan. This dish is very similar to moru kootan but distinct in its own way. A simple recipe, and tastes wonderful with plain rice and mezhukuperatti. Though I have given a long list of veggies, you can make do with whatever is there. Let’s get straight to the recipe

Ingredients:                  ( Serves: 2 - 3)

1.       Pumpkin – 100 gms

2.       Ash Gourd – 100 gms

3.       Raw Banana – 1

4.       Yam – 100 gms

5.       Drumstick – 1

6.       Sour curds – 2 cups

7.       Grated Coconut – 1 cup

8.       Methi Seeds – ½ tsp

9.       Red Chilies – 3 – 4

10.   Turmeric Powder – a pinch

11.   Jaggery – a little

12.   Mustard Seeds – ½ tsp

13.   Coconut Oil – 2 tsps

14.   Curry leaves – a few

Method

Wash and cut all the vegetables into cubes. Cook the vegetables with a pinch of turmeric, salt and a little jaggery. (You can boil the vegetables in water or use the pressure cooker and cook for 1 whistle.)

Heat a small pan, fry the methi seeds and red chilies in about ½ tsp of coconut oil. Grind the fried methi seeds and red chilies with coconut adding little sour curds into a smooth paste.

Once the vegetables are cooked, add the ground paste allow to boil for 2 mins. Then add the beaten sour curds. Mix well. Simmer for 2 mins. Do not let the kalan boil after adding the curds. Add a sprig of curry leaves.

Heat a tsp of oil in a pan, add mustard seeds. Once they splutter, add it to the rasakalan.

Delicious Rasakalan is ready to be served with hot white rice.