Beet Leaves/ Red / Swiss Chard Aviyal

Hello everyone! We were really excited when Nithubala of Nithus Kitchen invited us to do a guest post for her. Thanks a lot Nithu and thank you all for encouraging newcomers like us. Nithu posted it today, here is the link http://www.nithubala.com/2010/05/guest-post-11-todays-guests-maya.html  Check it out!!

Today we have an aviyal recipe with beet leaves / swiss / red chard to share with you all. I know that nothing can replace the taste of the cheera aviyal back home but this is a great alternative and is really delicious with rice.

Ingredients

1. Beet leaves / red chard - 1 bunch
2. Green chillies - 3 slit
3. Green mango - 2 slices or to taste (You can also use yoghurt instead of mango)
4. Grated coconut - 1/2 - 3/4 cup
5. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
6. Turmeric powder - A pinch
7. Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp (Optional)
8. Shallots - 2 (Optional)
9. Curry leaves - 1 sprig
10. Coconut oil - 2 tsp
11. Salt - To taste

Method

1. Grind the grated coconut with cumin seeds and shallots (optional) to a coarse paste.

2. Wash the beet leaves well. Slice the stems to about 1.5 - 2 inch pieces, you can slice the thick stems. Cover and cook the beet stems in a vessel adding a pinch of turmeric powder, chilli powder (opt), curry leaves, 1/2 cup water and slit green chillies.

3. When they are half-done, add the chopped beet leaves and chopped mango pieces.

4. When the beet stems and leaves are cooked well, bring down the heat and add the crushed coconut mixture in the middle and cover it up with the cooked vegetables. Again cover up with the lid and let it cook for a few minutes. Now open and mix the coconut mixture well. Cook for 2-3 minutes and add 2 tsp coconut oil. Mix well and switch off. Close with the lid and let it remain at least for 15 mts. Serve hot with rice.

 

 

 

Tips:

 

1. You can also add jackfruit seeds and drumsticks to this aviyal. Cook them along with the beet/chard stems.

 

Here is a red swiss chard aviyal:

 

Sukhiyan

 

 

 

Sukhiyan is a very delicious tea time snack in Kerala. It is really easy to prepare, here is the recipe:

Ingredients

1. Green gram /Moong Dal/ Cherrupayar - 1 cup
2. Grated coconut - 3/4 cup
3. Jaggery - 1/2 - 3/4 cup
4. Cardamom powder - 1 - 1.5 tsp
5. Turmeric powder - 1-2 pinches
6. All purpose flour / Maida - 1/2 - 1 cup
7. Coconut milk/Milk/Water - As required for making the batter
8. Rice flour - 1 - 2 tbsp (for making the sukhiyans a little crispy)
9. Salt - A pinch

 

Method

 

1) Cook the green gram in a pressure cooker(do not overcook it) and keep aside. Melt the jaggery in 1/4 cup water, sieve and boil it. Add the grated coconut and mix well. Now add the cooked green gram. Stir until it becomes somewhat dry ( for around 15 - 20 mts). Now add cardamom powder and mix well. Switch off.  2) Mix maida, turmeric powder, rice flour and a pinch of salt in water or coconut milk/milk (for an extra taste) to make a somewhat thick batter. When the green gram-jaggery- coconut mixture is cold enough for touch, make small balls out of it. Dip them in the maida batter and deep fry. Enjoy!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kottayam Style Fish Curry

  

 

This is my mother’s recipe for the spicy and extremely tasty Kottayam style fish curry. This fish curry can be left outside for 1-2 days and tastes better the next day. My fish curries were always a flop until I tried this recipe. Those of you who have never had success with a fish curry will find this recipe really useful. Do try it out sometime and tell me how you like it. It goes extremely well with rice/ kappa puzhukku/idli/dosa.

Ingredients

1. Fish - 3/4 kg (I used salmon fillets. Clean and cut the fish fillets to medium sized pieces)
2. Ginger - 3 tbsp thinly sliced
3. Garlic - 3 tbsp, slice if the garlic flakes are large
4. Shallots - 5-6 sliced(Optional)
5. Kudam puli - 3-4 or to taste (Wash and soak them in 1/2 cup warm water for at least 15 mts)
6. Curry leaves - 2 - 3 sprigs
7. Chilly powder - 2 - 2.5 tbsp (Adjust according to your spice tolerance. You can use kashmiri chilly powder to make it less spicy.)
8. Fenugreek powder/uluva podi - 1/2 tsp
9. Turmeric powder - 1/4 - 1/2 tsp
10. Mustard - 1/2 tsp
11. Coconut oil - 1 tbsp or as required
12. Salt - To taste
13. Water -  2 cups or as needed

 

Method

 

1. Make a paste of the chilly powder, turmeric powder and fenugreek powder in little water(around 1 - 1.5 tbsp) and keep aside.

 

2. Heat oil in a claypot/meen chatti or a deep pan and splutter the mustards. Now add the ginger, garlic, pearl onions and saute until they turn golden brown. Now add the curry leaves and the chilli-turmeric-fenugreek paste. Saute for a minute at medium heat(take care not to burn it) or until the oil starts appearing on the surface. Now add about 1.5 - 2 cups water, salt and the kudam puli pieces along with the water in which they were soaked. Bring it to a boil, check for salt and add the fish pieces. 

3. After adding the fish pieces swirl the clay pot to mix everything well.  Bring to a boil and cover with a lid. Cook at medium flame. Remember to rotate the meen chatti or pan every 6-8 mts. It generally takes less than 20 - 25 mts to cook the fish.

4. Cook until the fish gets done and adjust the gravy according to your consistency.  Taste-check the gravy, if it tastes very sour, remove one or two kudampuli pieces. Add some curry leaves and switch off. You can add a tsp of oil for an extra taste and aroma. If there is a lot of gravy, cook for a few more minutes at medium flame without covering it.

Tips:

1) You can also add shallots along with ginger and garlic but remember to brown them if you want to keep it for long.

2) You could also arrange the fish pieces on lots of curry leaves in a meen chatti and make the gravy in a separate pan. Once the gravy is prepared pour it over the fish pieces and cook.

3) We do not use coriander powder in fish curry in order to increase its shelf life. If you want to use it, you can add around 2 tsp coriander powder for this curry. You can add it along with turmeric, chilly powder and fenugreek powder while making paste with water.

4) You can try this fish curry with any fish you prefer. Here is a tilapia curry.

 

Peanut Butter Cookies

 

Here is the recipe for the super-delicious peanut butter cookies. I tried it from Simply Recipes. They are really easy to make, hope you would give it a try.

 

Ingredients  (Yield - 27 cookies)

1. All purpose flour - 1 1/4 cup
2. Peanut Butter - 1/2 cup
3. Butter - 1/2 cup, room temperature
4. Brown sugar - 1/2 cup
5. Sugar - 1/2 cup
6. Baking soda - 3/4 tsp
7. Baking powder - 1/2 tsp
8. Egg - 1
9. Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
10. Salt - 1/4 tsp

Method

1. Sift together the all purpose flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. In a separate bowl combine peanut butter, brown sugar, sugar and butter. Cream together for 1-2 mts or until fluffy. Now beat in the egg and vanilla extract. Stir in the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture and beat until everything is mixed well. Refrigerate it for 2-3 hrs.

2. Now roll the dough into 1 - 1 1/4 inch balls and arrange them on a greased baking sheet 2-3 inches apart. Flatten the balls with a fork and make any pattern your wish. Bake at 375 F for 9 - 11 mts. Cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 mts(otherwise they will crumble) and transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!!

 

 

Fish Pickle/Meen Achar

Here is a spicy and extremely tasty fish pickle recipe for all the pickle lovers out there..

Ingredients

1. Fish - 2.5 kg (I used tuna/choora)
2. Garlic - Around 60 - 70 small pods 
3. Ginger - 6-7 inch piece thinly sliced
4. Fresh ginger-garlic paste - 5-6 tsp
5. Curry leaves - 10 - 15 sprigs
6. Chilly powder- 6 - 7 tbsp (Adjust it according to your spice preference.  Use Kashmiri chilly powder if you prefer a less spicy pickle)
7. Turmeric powder- 1 tsp

8. Green chillies - 7-8 slit (optional)
9. Pepper powder or chilli powder - 4 - 5 tsp ( I used pepper powder for the fish marinade)
10. Fenugreek powder - 1 tsp
11. Vinegar - 1/2 - 3/4  cup

12. Mustard seeds - 3 tsp
13. Salt -  to taste
14. Sesame oil - For deep frying

15. Salt - To taste

Method

1. Clean and cut the fish into small cubes(remove the excess water with a tissue). Marinate them with salt, turmeric powder and 4 - 5 tsp pepper/chilli powder for at least 30 mts. Fry them in oil. Keep aside.

2. In another pan pour some oil (you can use the oil which was used for frying the fish) and shallow fry the  ginger, garlic and curry leaves(You can also add ginger, garlic and curry leaves after spluttering the mustard seeds but I always shallow fry them separately first).

 

 

3. Now splutter the mustard seeds in the remaining oil(after shallow frying ginger and garlic). Add the ginger-garlic paste, green chillies ( if you are adding them) and cook until their raw taste is gone. Now remove from heat, add chilli powder and fenugreek powder. Mix well, add the fried ginger, garlic, curry leaves,fried fish and again mix well. Check for salt, add vinegar and mix well. Bring to a boil and switch off. If you would like to have more gravy you can add around 1/2 cup hot water and heat it. Store in an airtight container when it cools down completely. Use it after at least 2 weeks for the flavors to set in. Refrigerate if you want to keep it for long.

 

 

Chakkayappam

     Here I am sharing the recipe for chakkayappam which is a popular snack in Kerala when jackfruits are in season.This is usually made in a cone shape (known as kumbilappam) but to make it easy I tried pressing them on the vazhanayila. You can also steam them after flattening them on banana leaves.

Ingredients

1. Ripe jackfruit paste  - 2 cup, Chop the jackfruit pieces and grind to a fine paste in a mixer
2. Rice flour - 1 1/4 cup
3. Jaggery - Around 75 gm, grated
4. Fresh grated coconut - 1 cup
5. Cardamom - 3-4 powdered
6. Cumin seeds - 1.5 tsp
7. Dry ginger(chukku) - 2 inch powdered
8. Vazhanayila - 12 - 15

Method

1. Mix all the ingredients except vazhanayila with your hands. If the dough is watery add more rice flour. Make small balls out of it and flatten them on one end of the vazhanayila with your fingers. Fold it and again flatten some dough in the second fold. Close it and steam cook them for around 20 - 25 mts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baked Vendakka/Okra Kichadi

 

Here is yet another kichadi recipe which is a favourite of ours. Vendakka kichadi is usually made by deep frying or sauteing okra in oil but here I have tried baking okra for kichadi. It tasted exactly like the usual kichadi and was delicious. I added only yoghurt to kichadi, but you can also add ground coconut-cumin mixture to fried or baked vendakka for a better taste and flavor.

 

Ingredients

1. Vendakka/ okra - 23 - 25 small

2. Green chillies - 5-6 chopped fine

3. Yoghurt - 1/4 - 1/2 cup

4. Curry leaves - 1 sprig

5. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

6. Oil - 2-3 tsp

7. Salt - To taste

 

Method

1. Chop the okra to round slices. Try to chop them uniformly. Combine the sliced okra with salt and around 2 tsp oil. Arrange them in a baking sheet.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Bake the okra for around 15 - 20 mts or until they are cooked. Now add the chopped green chillies and then change to broil mode. Broil for 5-6 mts or until they turn slightly brown and crispy.  Take care not to burn them. When it cools down, add yoghurt and mix well. Check for salt. Temper with mustard seeds, dry red chillies and curry leaves. Serve along with rice.

 

 

Tips:

 

1. Substitute okra with bitter gourd/pavakka for pavakka kichadi.

2. You could also add ground coconut-cumin mixture to this kichadi. Grind about 1/4 - 1/2 cup grated coconut with 1/4 - 1/2 tsp cumin seeds. Add this ground paste to the spluttered mustards. Saute for a minute until the raw taste of coconut is gone and then add the fried or baked okra. Mix well and add the yoghurt.  Again mix well and switch off.

 

We are really excited to receive some awards from Suhaina of My Singapore Kitchen and Jo of Panchpakwan.  Thanks a looot gals!!  We are really honored.

 

 

 

Whoever receives these awards should list 5  favorite recipes from their blogs. Here are our favorite recipes: Gulab Jamun, Roasted pepper hummus, Mixed Noodles, Chicken Roast and Stuffed Buns.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We would love to share it with Kairali Sisters of pazhampappadampayasam, Namitha and Sunitha of Collaborative Curry, Vinolia of Akal’s Saappadu, Sathya of Samayal Corner, Meena of Dakshin, Pavithra Sreehari of Binge on Veg, Rumana of Spice Ur Senses, Nithu of Nithus Kitchen, Priya of Priya’s easy and tasty recipes, Priya Mitharwal of Mharo Rajasthan’s Recipes, Subhie of Subhie’s Kitchen, Beena Shylesh of My Kitchen, Sushma Malya of Authentic Food Delights, Prani of Pranis Kitchen, Kamalika of Silence Sings, Gita of  Gita’s Kitchen, An Open Book of Look Who’s Cooking Too, Aruna of Veggie Paradise, Nisha of Nisha’s Kitchen, Shabitha of My Home Kitchen,  Shama of Easy2Cook Recipes, Superchef of Mirch Masala, Shabs of Shab’s Cuisine, Ann of Happy and Healthy Cooking, Soma of Our Recipe Diary, Sayantani of A Homemaker’s Diary, Jyoti of Panch Pakwan and Shahana of Me n My Apron.