Carrot Pachadi

Here is another recipe that I always make when I make a sadya. Pachadi is one of  Aishwarya's favorite  sadya dishes. It is also very easy to make, which is another reason I love it.
Ingredients:
Carrots – 2
Yogurt – 3/4 cup
Oil – 1 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Shallots- 1 to 2
Ginger- 1/4 tsp chopped
Green chilies – 2
Curry leaves – few
Method :
Clean the carrots and shred them. Add salt, ginger, and finely sliced shallots, mix well with your hands.
Whisk yogurt and add the shredded carrot mix. Mix well and check for salt. If it’s thick, add some more yogurt. In a pan, heat oil and add mustard seeds, add green chilies and curry leaves, and give it a stir and remove from heat. Add it to the carrot yogurt mixture and mix well.

Olan

Vishu is almost here and I thought of sharing an Olan recipe. Olan is one of the easiest sadya dishes. I have made this the way  we make it in Thrissur. Do try and let me know
Ingredients:
Kumbalanga(Ash Gourd)-2 cups(small pieces)
Thick Coconut Milk-1 cup
Thin coconut milk-1 cup
Green chilli-2
Ginger sliced-1tbs
Curry leaves-2 sprig
Salt – to taste
Coconut Oil -1 tbsp
Method:
Cook Ash gourd in half a cup of water and half a cup coconut milk(thin coconut milk) along with green chilli,ginger,a few curry leaves and a salt. By 10 minutes it would be done cooking,add the thick milk and when the milk is heated through add coconut oil and remaining curry leaves.

Unniyappam

It is Vishu in Kerala tomorrow. It is the celebration of New Year and it marks the Sun entering the Aries in the Zodiac.  There are a lot of regional variations of how it is celebrated in different parts of Kerala. Thrissur area where I come from, we typically have Vishukatta for breakfast, a sadya including payasam for lunch. The other highlights of the day, especially for kids is the Vishukani  and kayneettam in the morning. In my place we typically have the elders giving the younger ones money as kayneettam, wishing for a prosperous year. But what I  have heard from some of my friends from Southern Kerala is that along with the kayneettam, the kids are also given unniappam, which is also part of their Vishukkani. Hence an unniyappam recipe form me for this Vishu.

I had previously blogged another recipe for Unniyappam, but the ingredients of this are slightly different and the preparation time is a bit longer.
May this Vishu bring happiness your way.
Have a great Vishu.

Ingredients:
Sona masoori rice-1 cup
All purpose flour-1/2 cup
Jaggery/Brown sugar -1/2 to 3/4 cup
Banana-1 ripe or 2 if its small in size
Coconut-1/2 cup grated
Sesame-1 tsp
Baking soda- 1/2tsp
Salt-a pinch
Ghee- for frying
Cardamom and dried ginger powder-1/2 to 3/4 tsp
Method:
Soak rice for 3 hours,grind to a fine paste with as little water, powdered jaggery(use good quality jaggery or brown sugar) and banana.Mix in the all purpose flour, the batter should be thick as an Idlli batter or cake batter.Keep this overnight or 6 to 8 hours for fermenting. After the fermenting add rest of the ingredients except ghee and mix well. Heat an unniyappam pan and add ghee to the indention  ( you can add a few drops of sesame oil first and top it with ghee if using a nonstick pan this will prevent sticking) fill it  with ghee only half way.Now pour the batter and cook at medium heat, at about 2 minutes turn the appam and cook the for another 2 minutes till unniyappam  turns golden brown all over. Remove them and have them to your hearts content.

Aviyal

Of  all the Kerala sadya dishes if you ask me to pick my favorite dish I need not think twice. It had been, it would be and it is Aviyal. This is the Thrissur version of the Aviyal recipe.  If you haven't tried this version try this for this Vishu and I am sure you will love it.
Ingredients:
Carrot-1
Green plantain-1
Beans-4
Drumstick-8 pieces
Long Beans-4
Cucumber( Vellarikka)-1/2 cup
Yam(chena)-1/2 cup
Snake gourd( Padavalanga)-1/4 cup
Turmeric Powder-1/2tsp
Chilli powder-1/2 tsp
Green chilly -4
Ginger-1"
Shallot-2 crushed
Curry Leaves-3 sprigs
Coconut Oil-4 tbsp
Curd/ GreekYogurt (sour)-1/4 cup
Salt-to taste
Cumin seeds(jeera)-1/2tsp (optional)
Grated Coconut -1 and 1/2 cups
Method:
Take a thick bottom kadai and add 2 tsp of coconut oil,curry leaves and all the vegetables along with salt,turmeric,crushed ginger, shallots and chilli powder.Mix every thing well ( or you can mix all the veggies along with salt chilli ,ginger,shallots and turmeric before adding to the kadai) ,now cook this closed till half done.In a food processor add grated coconut  and cumin seeds,pulse this 2 to 3 times so that you get the coconut crushed , add green chilli and yogurt and pulse one more time ( See that coconut mix is not fine we need it to be coarse. Add this to the half done vegetables you should cook without covering the kadai from this point on wards. Once vegetables  are 3/4th done  and dry  add more coconut oil and curry leaves.Give a quick stir and transfer to serving bowl.

Potato Stew/ Ishtu

Today we had some friends home for  brunch. So I thought of treating them to a traditional appam and stew as this is something though typical Indian/ Kerala dish can be made not too spicy also to suit the non-Indian palate.  This stew goes well with chapathi, puri, puttu, idiyappam and even with bread. What I have shared here is the standard recipe with the normal spice levels; but if you want a milder version just reduce the number of green chillies in the recipe.
Ingredients:
Potato-3
Ginger sliced/diced -1 tbs
Onion -2 sliced
Green chilly-5
Curry Leaves-2 Sprigs
Thick Coconut milk-1 cup
Thin Coconut Milk-1 cup( If using canned coconut milk add 1/2 cup water to 1/2 cup coconut milk to make thin coconut milk)
Water-1/2 cup
Salt -to taste
Coconut oil-1 tbsp
Garlic- one finely chopped (optional)
Method
Pressure cook diced potatoes with enough salt , thin coconut milk and water for  2 whistle or 2 minutes after putting the weight, set this aside.
Heat one tbsp of oil  and  add onion,ginger,green chilli,garlic and 1 sprig of curry leaves and sauté till the onion turns translucent. To this add  cooked potato and mix well let it simmer for about 5 minutes
Add  thick milk , when the curry comes to a boil  switch off the stove and add  the remaining  curry leaves and close the pan for few minutes . Check the salt and if the curry is too thick  dilute it with some hot water.

Pavakka/Kaipakka/Bitter gourd Kondattam Easy'N Healthy

Today I thought of sharing an easy, healthy and quick recipe for Pavakka/Kaipakka Kondattam. Typically making  kondattam  is a long process; the veggies  used  are marinated and sun dried and the process needs to be repeated for a few days. The veggies preserved as kondattam are later fried in oil before they are used. In this quick version there is no frying and no waiting for days before it is dry enough to fry. So if you are longing for some quick and healthy version without compromising the taste, I would recommend trying this. I am sure you will surely fall in love with this. 

Ingredients
1 medium size - Bitter gourd
1/2 tsp - Red chili powder
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
2 to 3 tbsp - Greek Yogurt / Sour cream
1/8 tsp -Hing Asafoetida
2 tsp -Oil
salt to taste

Method
Cut bitter gourd to thin round rings. Mix all the ingredients together. Grease a microwave-safe plate. Arrange bitter gourd on the plate in a single layer. You will need to microwave for 9 to 11 minutes. depending on the power of your microwave. Don't cook for 9 minutes at one go. Cook for 2 minutes, stop, stir the rings and repeat for 2 minutes  for four times (8 minutes in total). Now microwave for 1 minute   then check if bitter gourd is crisp. If not microwave for 30 seconds and check if needed repeat another 30 seconds. My bitter gourds were crisp at 9 minutes.

Pazha Pradhaman

It is the Onam season again! Onasamsakal to all my friends who are celebrating Onam!
If you are in Kerala during this time of the year, you would be seeing bananas (or plantains as they are called in the US) in every shop and in every house. This is the season for nenthrappzham - it is used for making banana chips, paysam, pazham varattiyathu, sharkara varatti, pazham nurukku and in many other forms.
Here is a delicious payasam recipe using bananas to sweeten your Onam this year.

Ingredients :
Ripe banana/Nenthrappazham- 3
Jaggery -  300gm
Ghee : 5tbsp
Dried Coconut Slices -1/4 Cup, cut into thin slices
Cashews - 1tbsp
Raisins - 1tbsp
Roasted cumin Powder / Dry ginger and cardamom powder- 1/2tsp
Thick Coconut milk - 3/4 Cup
Thin coconut milk -3 Cups

Method:
Make a syrup of jaggery  by adding water and filter the syrup and set aside.
Pressure cook the skinned bananas and keep aside to cool. Mash the cooked banana, there should not be any lumps.
In a heavy bottom vessel, heat 3tbsp of ghee and golden fry the dry coconut slices, cashews and raisins ,set this aside. Add the mashed banana along with the remaining ghee along cook till it starts to thicken. Now add the jaggery syrup. Keep stirring when it becomes the consistency of fruit jelly add 2 cups of  thin coconut milk. When it start to boil add cumin powder( if you prefer the aroma of cardamom and dry ginger add it instead but at the end.) mixed in the remaining 1 cup of thin coconut milk. When the pradhaman stats to get thick remove from the stove and add the thick coconut  milk . Finally garnish it with the fried coconut slices, cashews and raisins. Pazha Pradhaman tastes best when cold.

Palpayasam

Wishing you all a very Happy Vishu!
Here is an easy recipe for making a delicious payasam to sweeten your Vishu celebration.
Ingredients:
Whole Milk - 3& 1/2 cups
Water-1/2 cup
Basmati rice - 2 tbsp
Sugar - 1/4 cup - 1/2 cup according to your preference
Butter-1tsp
Cardamom powder - generous pinch
Method:
Boil the milk,water and sugar in the pressure cooker. Wash the rice. When the milk starts boiling, reduce the heat to the lowest gas mark and add the rice.  Place a small spoon or a small shallow plate inside the cooker so that it will do the stirring action when the cooker is shut. Stir the contents well and close the cooker. Place the weight on the valve when steam escapes and allow the payasam to cook on a low heat. Switch off the stove after 20 minutes. Open the cooker when possible and add the butter and cardamom stir for a few minutes your delicious, creamy payasam is ready. 

Kurukku Kalan

Kalan is the second dish I always make in advance for a Kerala feast.This dish too stays well for a few days. Kalan is made with yogurt,coconut and a few veggies.
Ingredients:
Yam-1 cup
Raw plantain-1/2 cups
Pepper-2tbs dissolved in 1/2 cup water and strained(We are using the water)
Turmeric-1/4 tsp
Salt as required
Green chilli-2
Ghee-1tsp
Greek Yogurt-1 cup
Coconut-1 cup
Fenugreek powder-1/2 tsp
Cumin - 1/2 tsp
Coconut oil-3 tsp
Dried red chilli-2
Mustard-1tsp
Curry leaves-few
Method:
Add cut vegetables to strained pepper water along with turmeric powder ,green chilli and salt and cook until water dries up.Add ghee and yogurt and mix well,now cook this at low flame till it thickens.
Mean while make a fine paste of coconut ,cumin seeds add this along with the fenugreek powder. Bring this to a boil and remove from fire.Finally splutter mustard seeds ,dry red chilli and curry leaves and mix this to kalan.

Inji Puli / Puli Inji

With Vishu around the corner I thought I would post some Kerala sadya recipes.Vishu is celebrated with much pomp and festivities in central and north Kerala with full course Sadya . In all Kerala feasts there are some dishes that are prepared a few days in advance;  main reason being these stay good for few days or even a few weeks without any refrigeration. Here is one such dish:  Inji Puli or Puli Inji. As the name suggests the two main ingredients are Inji or ginger and Puli or Tamarind.This dish is spicy, sweet and tangy with pleasant flavor notes of ginger. Watch out for more sadya dishes in the run up for Vishu.
Ingredients
Fresh Ginger-1/4kg(finely chopped)
Tamarind-3 lemon sized
Coconut Oil-5tbs
Turmeric Powder-1/2tsp
Salt -to taste
Chilly Powder-1  tsp
Mustard seeds-1/2tsp
Curry Leaves-2sprigs
Small onion-3(chopped)
Dry Red Chilly-3
Green Chilly-4(finely chopped)
Jaggery/brown sugar-according to  taste

Method
Peel the ginger and cut into fine pieces,heat coconut oil in a kadai and add the ginger and fry it. Fry till it ginger turns  light  golden.Drain them and set aside.
Soak tamarind in one cup of hot water for 15 minutes  or you can microwave for 30 seconds and extract the juice .Sieve it and add to a deep bottomed kadai  along with salt,chilly powder and turmeric powder.
Mix well .Bring to boil . Once it starts to boil reduce the heat and simmer and cook for 30 minutes or until the raw taste of the tamarind is no longer there. By that time the gravy will be almost thick.If you like your
 inji puli to be sweet or purified  jaggery now.Now add the crushed ginger and ,lower the flame and allow it to come to a boil. Add hot water if it became too thick,Inji puli gets thicker when it cools down..
Now heat remaining oil in a separate pan and add mustard seeds.When it splutters add chopped onion,chopped dry red chilly,chopped green chilly and curry leaves and saute till it turns brown. Add this to Inji puli

Aval Payasam

Hope all my Malayalee friends had a great Onam!
I tried making this new payasam for this Onam. What I liked best about this recipe is that it is so easy to put together. So even when you are in the middle of making a full course "sadya" you can pay little attention to this and still end up with a delicious payasam.  You don't have to wait for the next Onam to try this, you can try making it the very next time the urge to have something sweet strikes you!

Ingredients:
Medium thick white Aval (Flattened rice)  – ¼ cup
Milk – 3 cups
Cardamom powder – 1/4 tsp
Ghee  – 2 tbsp
Sugar – ¾ cup to 1 cup
Cashew and raisins -1/4 cup

Method:
Fry the Aval in  1 tbsp  ghee  in a pressure cooker when aval turns crisp add the sugar. Once all the sugar melts (At this point you can take half the aval and crush it lightly) add milk into the Aval .Stir and let it come to a boil. Place the lid of the cooker and the whistle, and turn the heat to low flame. Let it cook for 25 - 30 minutes . Cook it for some more time until it thickens to the consistency of payasam. Meanwhile fry the cashew and raisins in ghee and add this along with cardamom to the payasam.

Semiya'N Dal Payasam with Jaggery & Coconut milk

In Kerala, where I am from, we do not typically celebrate Ganesh Chathurthi with the same pomp and festivities as in the rest of India. But in our house we always have a little celebration on this day as Jai's birthday as per the Hindu calendar falls on this auspicious day and Aishwarya's the very next day. So as to mark this special occasion I made this simple yet delicious payasam. The payasam is a combination of vermicelli milk payasam(semiya payasam) and dal payasam made with coconut milk. I was again in a mood to experiment and ended up with this delight. So if you are in a mood to try something different from the traditional payasam this would be a good option.
Ingredients:
Vermicelli – 1/2 cup
Moong dal split - ¼ cup
Thick Coconut milk – 1 glass
Thin Coconut milk – 1 ¼ glass
Milk – 1 glass
Broken Cashews – ¼ cup
Raisins – ¼ cup
Ghee – 3 tbsp
Jaggery – 3/4cup (or to taste)
Water – 1 glass
Cardamom powder- 1/2 tsp
a pinch of salt
Method:
Dry roast  moong dal  until you get a nice aroma of roasted dal. Immediately add water to the dal. Wash and pressure cook till well cooked. Make a syrup of jaggery using one cup water. Strain it to remove any impurities.Dry roast vermicelli and cook this in jaggery syrup, add more water if needed. Once vermicelli is cooked well add the cooked dal to it along with 2 tablespoons of ghee. Cook this over for about a minute.
Add thin coconut milk and combine well. When it starts to boil, Add the thick coconut milk and cook this for another 2-3 minutes  stirring continuously. Remove from the stove add the milk  and cardamom powder salt along with ghee roasted raisins and cashew.
If the payasam is too thick for your liking you may dilute it using more milk. Check the sweetness when adding more milk, add more jaggery syrup as needed.

Gothambu Payasam /Broken Wheat Payasam

Vishu is here and I am sure that any Indian celebration is incomplete without a payasam or kheer. So here is a delicious gothambu(broken wheat) payasam from my kitchen to yours. With all the best wishes for an auspicious Vishu and a bright and happy year ahead!
Ingredients:
Broken wheat - 1 cup
Jaggery - 1and1/2 cup or to taste
Thick coconut milk -1  cup
Thin coconut milk-1 cup
Milk -1 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Cashew nuts - 10 - 15
Coconut slices-2 - 3 tbsp
Raisins - 10-12
Ghee - 1 tbsp +2 Tbs
Method:
Pressure cook broken wheat with 3 cups of  water for 2-3 whistles. It should be cooked well.Open the pressure cooker when the pressure releases.Stain the excess water completly.
Meanwhile make a jaggery syrup using  1/2 cup water and jaggery. Strain it to remove any  impurities. Pour this is to the cooked wheat and along with 2tbs of  ghee.  Cook this while stirring for about 2 minutes or till jaggery is almost dries up. Add thin coconut milk and stir continuously and when this starts to boil add the thick coconut milk along with milk . Keep stirring and simmer till the payasam becomes thick. Now add powdered cardamom.You can add a pinch of salt to bring out the taste.
Heat 1 tbs ghee and fry cashews, coconut slices and raisins. Add this to the prepared payasam. If you find the payasam thick  once it cools , you may add some milk to get the desired consistency.

Palada Pradhaman

  എല്ലാ മലയാളി സുഹൃത്തുക്കള്‍ക്കും  എന്‍റെ  ഓണാശംസകള്‍ !!

Of all the various items in a typical Kerala sadya (feast), the one that most people I know look forward to having is the Palada Pradhaman. The conventional way of making this is a long and difficult one, but this method of making it using a pressure cooker makes the whole process much easier. Thanks to my SIL who introduced me to  this method of cooking.
Ingredients:
 1/4 cup Ada
 5 cups  Milk
 1/2 cup  Sugar
 1/2 tbs Butter
 1/4 tsp Cardamom powder
Method:
Boil milk and sugar together in the pressure cooker.  When milk starts to boil, reduce the heat to low. Put the weight on the valve when steam starts to come out of the vent. Allow the milk to cook on a low heat for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn the heat off and wait till the cooker cools down to open it. Meanwhile, boil water in a vessel and add the ada. Cook till the ada become very soft to touch. Drain the ada and keep aside. Heat a thick bottom vessel and add the ada along with butter and saute for about 3 minutes. Add the milk from the pressure cooker and keep stirring till the milk thickens to your liking. Finally add  some cardamom powder and remove from the stove. Keep stirring till pradhaman cools off completely.

Here are some of the other paysams you can try out for this Onam.
Kadala Parippu Pradhaman         


Carrots and vermicelli kheer/payasam
 
Parippu Pradhaman

Semiya/Vermicelli payasam

Neypayasam (Ghee Payasam)

Ripe Mangoes in Sweet and Spicy Curry (Mampazhappulisserri)

Summertime is the mango season in Kerala. One of the traditional Kerala curries that used to be common in any household is the Mampazhappulisserri. during this season. This used to be one of my childhood favorites too. During the mango season, making mampazhappulisseri is a must for me, at least one time. Otherwise, I feel like I am not doing justice to myself and my roots.
For the classical recipe of this, the particular variety of mango used is the Chandrakaran, which is a local grown small mango. But these days, I substitute them with whatever variety of sweet mangoes that are available.
This is combination of different tastes - sweet, sour and savory - creates a unique experience and goes well with rice.

Ingredients
6 small ripe mangoes (Chandrakaran); or you can substitute with 3 medium sized ones, any sweet variety would do
½ tsp turmeric powder
1tsp red chilli powder
salt to taste
1 cup water
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup curd (yogurt)
1 tbsp sugar(optional, in case the mangoes are not sweet enough)

For seasoning:
2 tbs coconut oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2tsp fenugreek seeds
2 sprigs of curry leaves
3 whole dried red chillies

Method:
Remove the skin of the mangoes and use the mango as a whole. In case you are using bigger mangoes, you can make it into smaller slices. Add salt, turmeric powder and red chilli powder to the mangoes along with a cup of water and cook this in a sauce pan till the mangoes are cooked and the curry looks like a thick sauce. Add coconut milk to this and in case your mangoes are not that sweet enough 1 tbs of sugar. Turn off the heat when this starts to boil and add wisked yogurt and mix it all well.
Heat another pan and add coconut oil. When it is hot enough, add all the ingredients listed under seasoning.  Turn off the heat and when the mustard seeds stops spluttering, add this to the curry.

Kadala Parippu Pradhaman

Wishing all my friends a blessed, peaceful and prosperous Vishu. Here is a delicious payasam which you can make in a short time to sweeten your Vishu celebration.


Ingredients:
Chana dal - 3/4 cup
Jaggery - 1 & 1/2 cup or to taste
Thick coconut milk -1  cup
Thin coconut milk-1 cup
Milk -1 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Cashew nuts - 10 - 15
Coconut slices-2 - 3 tbsp
Raisins - 10-12
Ghee - 1 tbsp +2 Tbs

Method:
Pressure cook dal for 8 minutes or till done. Meanwhile melt the jaggery in 1/2 cup water, at medium heat.  Seive this syrup to remove any impurites. Open the pressure cooker when the pressure releases. Add the jaggery syrup along with 2 tablespoons of ghee. Cook this while stirring for about 3 minutes. Add the thin coconut milk to the dal and stir continuosly and when this starts to boil add the thick coconut milk while continuing stirring for about 8 minutes. When the pradhaman is thick, remove from fire, add the milk and set this aside. Now add cardamom powder. You can add a pinch of salt to bring out the taste.
Heat 1 tbs ghee and fry cashews, coconut slices and raisins. Add this to the prepared pradhaman. If you find the pradhaman too thick to your taste, you may add some milk to get the desired consistency.


Here are some other payasams you can try:
Carrots and vermicelli kheer/payasam

Semiya/Vermicelli payasam


Parippu Pradhaman


Vishukkatta

Kerala Boli

Boli is a sweet delicacy which always brings sweet memories of my childhood; that of me and my brothers having packet-fulls of this. I could never stop at one or two; my minimum always is 5. And still whenever I am at my parent's place, my mom sees to it that there is enough of boli on the table to satisfy my craving. Though I like this so much, I had never tried making this myself since we always could get good quality ones in Kerala; even though I make a good Obattu/Pooranpoli,a close relative of boli. As the last time I had boli was about 6 months back during my last trip to India, I was really craving for some nice,soft and yummy boli. So I decided to give this a try and here is the result for all to see.

One mistake I made was that I made the balls a little too big; and as my skillet was not that big, I couldn't really go for the thinnest boli possible, even though the dough turned out to be so stretchable that I could have made these bolies much more thinner than it turned out to be. Yet it was so soft and yummy not just the same day, but even after a day.

Ingredients:
Chana Dal (split black-chickpeas) - 2 cups
Sugar - 1 1/2 cup (or to individual taste)
All purpose flour - 2 cups
Ghee - 1 cup
Gingilly oil - 1/2 cup
Cardamom (powdered) - 3/4 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp

Method:

In a mixing bowl add all purpose flour, ghee, salt and oil; add water slowly while mixing and kneading to make a soft dough.  The dough should be soft and almost like slipping through your fingers. Cover and set dough aside for at least ten minutes.

Cook the dal in 3 cups of water till about 3/4 th done. Drain the water and puree this. Put this in a thick bottom vessel and add  the sugar and cook till it becomes dry. Now add cardomom to this and once it has cooled down, make small balls the size of a small lime with this paste.
Make the dough into small balls (equal in number as above).  Take the dough ball in your hand and spread it with your fingers to form a disc. Now put the dal ball in the middle and seal the edges by wrapping the dough around to form a ball. Now roll this ball to a circle (the thinnest you can), using a rolling pin, and sprinkling enough of all purpose flour so that the dough doesn't stick. Cook this on a skillet, heated to medium heat, on either side, just like you make roti or chapatti.
Serve a such or along with payasam.
Sending this to Kerala Kitchen hosted by Kaveri 

and to Kid's Delight :Something Sweet an event by Srivalli hosted by Kavi

Carrot 'N Vermecilli Kheer/Payasam

Wishing all my Malayalee friends around the globe a Very Very Happy ONAM!!!
This is a healthier version of the traditional semiya payasam that lets you indulge in your sweet delicacy and yet have your share of veggies. Aishwarya, my little bunny, loves anything made with carrots. One of her favorites is the carrot cream. But this is the Onam season I thought of mixing the carrot cream and the traditional Semiya (vermicelli) payasam recipes and came up with this one. As per my tasters, this is the best of both!

Ingredients:
Carrot diced-1cups
Carrot grated-1/4 cup
Semiya /Vermecilli -1/2 cup
Whole Milk-41/2cups
Sugar-3/4 cup or as required
Condensed milk-1/2 cup
Ghee -1tbs
Cardamom- 2tsp
Cashew-2 tbs

Method:
Roast the semiya with 1/2tbs of ghee in a heavy bottom vessel till they turn golden.Add 4 cups of milk and sugar to this and cook the semiya till done.Meanwhile pressure cook carrots with half a cup of milk  till well done. Now Puree the carrots in a blender and add this to the cooked semiya along with the condensed milk. Remove when the payasam  consistency  is  that of a smoothie .Add cardamom powder.Roast the nuts and grated carrots using the remaining ghee . Garnish the payasam with this and serve.

Unniyappam

Unniyappam or Kuzhiyappam as these are called are little, sweet,deep-fried dumplings. You need special pans to make these.  As these are very similar to aebleskivers, the popular Dutch pancakes, you can use the aebleskiver pan also to make unniyappams. By investing a little for these pans you can make unniyappams, aebleskivers and spicy paniyarams etc. I shall be posting recipes of those goodies soon.
Ingredients:
Rice flour - 1 cup
All purpose flour- 1/8 cup
Jaggery - 1/2 cup
Small banana - 4 nos
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Cardamom - 5, finely powdered
Salt - 1/8 tsp
Ghee - 1 tsp
Baking soda (optional) - a pinch
Black sesame seeds - 1 tsp

Method:
Make a syrup of the jaggery using 1/4 cup of water and strain it to remove any impurities. (if jaggery is not available, you may substitute it with brown sugar). Mash the banana and add the rest of the ingredients to this. Add enough water and mix it well to get pancake batter consistency. Set aside for 1/2 hr. Take an unniappam chatti (or an aebleskiver pan) and fill all the indentations half way with vegetable oil (or coconut oil). Once the oil is hot, pour the batter into each of the indentations and reduce the heat to medium.  Once the appams bottom starts to turn golden turn it around. Once it is evenly cooked all over, take it out of the pan with a skewer and let it drain on a paper towel. You may sprinkle some sugar over the appams once it cools, for added taste.
Sending this over to Kerala Kitchen at magpiesrecipes

Parippu Pradhaman (Split-Moong Dal Payasam)

I am now on a vaccation but posting will continue as usual though at a slightly decreased frequency.  I worked in advance and have lots of great recipes to share with you throughout the coming weeks.   I’ll still be here reading your comments  and also hope to sneak in your places as time permits.
Today is the 40th wedding anniversary of my parents. To celebrate this special day, I thought of making a sweet delicacy, which I knew everyone would enjoy.
Ingredients:
Split mung dal - 3/4 cup
Jaggery - 1 & 1/2 cup or to taste
Thick coconut milk -1  cup
Thin coconut milk-1 cup
Milk -1 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Cashew nuts - 10 - 15
Coconut slices-2 - 3 tbsp
Raisins - 10-12
Ghee - 1 tbsp +2 Tbs
Method:
Dry roast the Mung dal till the dal starts to brown add water about 2 1/2 cups and cook till done in a pressure cooker (for one whistle). Heat  ghee in a pressure cooker. Meanwhile melt the jaggery in 1/2 cup water, at medium heat. Stir until it reaches a light syrupy consistency. Seive this syrup to remove any impurites. Open the pressure cooker when the pressure releases. Add the jaggery syrup along with 2 tablespoons of ghee. Cook this while stirring for about 2 minutes. Add the thin coconut milk to the dal and stir continuosly and when this starts to boil add the thick coconut milk while continuing stirring. When this starts to boil, remove from fire, add the milk and set this aside. Now add cardamom powder. You can add a pinch of salt to bring out the taste.
Heat 1 tbs ghee and fry cashews, coconut slices and raisins. Add this to the prepared payasam. If you find the payasam thick to your taste, you may add some milk to get the desired consistency.