Kadayanalur Kootu

Another vazhakai preparation.

Ingredients
Raw banana peeled and cut into cubes
Chenna dal
Coconut grated
Red chillies
Cumin seeds
Salt
Turmeric powder
Mustard seeds
Urad dal
Curry leaves
Asafoetida

Get Cooking!
1. Boil the chenna dal in some water with salt and turmeric powder.
2. When the chenna dal is half-cooked, add the raw banana.
3. Grind the cumin seeds, red chillies and grated coconut.
4. When the raw banana is cooked, add the ground paste. Mix it in and bring to a boil.
5. Sauté the mustard seeds, urad dal, asafoetida and curry leaves in some oil. Add this.
6. Roast some coconut until it turns golden brown. Add this and mix it in.

Eriseri

Yet another yummy vazhakkai dish. This is from Kerala.

Ingredients
Raw banana
Yam (senai)
Salt
Turmeric Powder
Black pepper seeds
Red chillies
Coconut grated
Mustard seeds
Urad dal
Asafoetida
Curry leaves
Oil

Get Cooking!
1.Peel; cut the raw banana and senai into large cubes (cubes should be of uniform size).
2. In a little water, boil the senai with some turmeric and salt.
3. When the senai is half cooked, add in the raw banana cubes.
4. Roast some pepper seeds,red chillies, asafoetida and curry leaves in a few drops of oil. Grind this with some grated coconut.
5. When the raw banana and senai are cooked, add in the ground paste; mix it in.
6. Sauté some mustard seeds and urad dal in some oil and add it in.
7. Now roast some grated coconut in oil until it is golden brown in colour. Mix this in.
8. Serve hot with rice.

Vazhakkai Podimas

Yet another yummy raw banana curry

Ingredients
Raw banana
Turmeric Powder
Mustard seeds
Urad dal
Chenna dal (optional)
Green chillies chopped well
Asafoetida
Ginger chopped well
Curry leaves
Salt
Oil
Lemon juice (optional)

Get Cooking!
1. Cut the ends of the raw banana, chop it into halves. Boil these pieces in some water with turmeric powder.
2. Cool that down, peel and grate the raw banana.
3. Sauté the mustard seeds, urad dal, chenna dal, green chillies, ginger, asafoetida and curry leaves.
4. Switch the stove off, add the grated banana, salt and mix carefully.
5. Squeeze some lemon juice and mix it in carefully.

Vazhakkai Podi

This is one delicious curry and you don’t use that much of oil

Ingredients

Raw Banana
Red chillies
Urad dal
Asafoetida
Salt
Oil

Get Cooking!

1. Grill the raw banana over a high flame. Peel and grate it.
2. In a few drops of oil, roast the red chillies, urad dal and asafoetida.
3. Grind this to a coarse powder.
4. Add this powder to the grated banana. Add salt and mix well.

Tips

Some people like to steam the raw banana,peel and grate…but I prefer grilling it as the taste according to me is way better than the steamed version. You could add a little chenna dal, black pepper seeds , roast them with chillies, urad dal and make the powder too.

Avial

Ingredients
Any mixed vegetables except lady’s finger, onions – cut long and thin(peel skin as needed) (as in the pic) 4 cups
Coconut 1 half grated
Green chillies 4 or 5
Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Yogurt (slightly sour) 1 cup
Coconut oil
Curry leaves with stem 1
Rice 1/4 tsp (optional)

Suggestions for vegetables
All types of beans (string, flat etc..,)
Drumstick
Chou chou
Brinjal
Raw banana
Carrots
White/ yellow pumpkin
Potatoes
Cucumber
Yam
Squash
Raw mango (reduce amount of yogurt if this is added)
Snake gourd
Peas
Groundnuts
Eddos (steam, peel before adding)

Get Cooking!
1. Grind the grated coconut, cumin seeds, green chillies and rice to a paste and keep aside.
2. In a large saucepan, boil the vegetables by adding them according to decreasing cooking points (say carrots, beans first, then potatoes followed by pumpkins). Add the next set of vegetables when the previous set is almost half boiled. This way all the veggies will maintain shape and not become one big mass of squished veggies. Takes time but worth the effort.
3. Once the veggies are cooked, add the ground paste and salt.
4. Then add the curd. Let boil once and remove.
5. Add the curry leaves with stem.
6. Pour the coconut oil. mix well.

Tips
If you don’t like the raw coconut oil smell, you may slightly heat up the oil with the curry leaves in it and then pour it in. If you don’t have enough curds, you may add some tamarind water while the veggies are cooking.

Urulaikizhangu Podimas

South Indian version of mashed potatoes.

Ingredients
Potatoes
Mustard seeds
Urad dal
Chenna dal
Green chillies finely chopped
Asafoetida
Turmeric Powder
Salt
Lemon juice
Cilantro leaves chopped

Get Cooking!
1. Pressure cook the potatoes. Peel and mash the potatoes well.
2. Sauté the mustard seeds, urad dal, chenna dal, green chillies, Asafoetida.
3. Add the mashed potatoes, salt and turmeric powder.
4. Toss it around to mix this well.
5. Switch heat off and add the lemon juice. mix well.
6. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Masala Kathirikai

Ingredients
Onion paste
tomato puree
ginger-garlic paste
tamarind
peanuts
Poppy seeds 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds ½ tbsp
Fenugreek seeds ½ tsp
Coconut 2 tbsp
Red chillies 2
Coriander seeds ½ tbsp
Sesame seeds 1 tbsp
Oil
Coriander leaves

Get Cooking!
1. Roast the khus khus, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, red chillies, Coriander seeds, sesame seeds and coconut. Grind all to a paste
2. Slit brinjal, fry them.
3. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
4. Add the onion paste, roast for a while.
5. Then add ginger-garlic paste, roast for a while before adding tomato purée.
6. Add the ground masala, salt, chilli powder, some tamarind paste.
7. Mix in the brinjals. Heat this for a couple of minutes with some water so that the brinjals mix in with the masala.
8. Serve with rice/roti garnishing with coriander leaves.

Tips
You could slit the brinjal and roast them in a saucepan with minimal oil till they are cooked or you could bake the vegetable by spraying some oil on them which is what I did.

Sarson Ka Saag

This is a Punjabi side dish enriched with greens.

Ingredients

Sarson Saag (mustard greens) 1 ½ bunch
Spinach 1 bunch
Radish (if possible, with leaves) 1 medium
Onions 2 chopped well
Tomatoes 2 chopped
Ginger finely chopped
Green chilli 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Garlic ½ tbsp
Garam masala 1 tsp
Coriander powder 1 tsp
Jaggery a pinch
Oil / ghee

Get Cooking!

1. Wash and chop all the greens. Grate the radish.
2. Add some oil to a pan, sauté the chopped onions till they are golden brown.
3. Add the tomatoes, sauté for a while.
4. Pressure cook the chopped greens, grated radish with some water. Cool.
5. Add the onions, tomatoes, the cooked greens to a blender and grind to a smooth paste.
6. Heat a little oil in a pan, add grated ginger, chopped & minced garlic, garam masala and coriander powder. Mix this well.
7. Now add the saag paste, cook the saag till it is done.
8. Serve with makki di roti/ roti / paratha.

Tips

I used garlic powder instead and whole spices instead of the garam masala powder the first time I did this. Turned out pretty good
Some recipes I checked out had bathua greens also added along with the saag and palak.

Tomato Kadi

Had only tomatoes at home once, and ended up getting this curry recipe
Cooking Time : 30 mins.
Preparation Time : 10 mins.
Serves 4.

Ingredients
Big tomatoes 4
Mustard seeds ½ tsp
Cumin seeds ½ tsp
Green chilli 1
Curry leaves
Cloves 2
Besan 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder
Chilli powder 2 tsp
Asafoetida
Jaggery 2 tbsp
Oil
Salt to taste
Cilantro

Get Cooking!
1. Roughly chop the tomatoes and cook them with 1/2 cup of water for about 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Cool. Make a smooth puree of the cooked tomatoes. Keep aside.
3. Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the mustard and cumin seeds. When they crackle, add the green chilli (chopped), curry leaves, cloves and besan. Cook for a couple of minutes.
4. Add the turmeric, chilli powder, asafoetida and pureed tomatoes with 2 cups of water and cook on a medium flame, stirring continuously.
5. When the kadi comes to a boil, add the jaggery, salt and simmer for another 5 minutes.
6. Garnish with the coriander and serve hot with rice.

Tips
I added a little bit of cinnamon powder and some curry powder.

Ellu Urulai

Sesame seeds and potatotes make a great combination.

Preparation Time : 10 mins.
Cooking Time : 15 mins.
Serves 4.

Ingredients

Baby potatoes 16
Cumin seeds 1/8 tsp
Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves
Ginger-green chilli paste 2 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Sesame seeds , roasted 2 tbsp
Lemon juice 1 tsp
Oil
Salt to taste
Cilantro chopped
Green chilli 1 chopped

Get Cooking!

1.Parboil the potatoes in salted water. Peel and keep aside.
2.Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and add the cumin seeds, mustard seeds and curry leaves. When the seeds crackle, add the ginger-green chilli paste and stir for some time.
3.Add the potatoes, turmeric powder and salt and saute for 4 to 5 minutes.
4.Add 1/2 cup of water and cook on a slow flame till all the moisture has evaporated and the potatoes are cooked.
5.Remove from the fire, add the sesame seeds and lemon juice and mix well.
6.Garnish with the cilantro and green chilli and serve hot.