As promised here’s a recipe with orange peel. It’s a pachadi. You get a bitter and sour taste of the orange peel,but the end result is super! Complete utilisation of the fruit!

Ingredients
Orange peel of two oranges, cut into small piece.
Tamarind — small lemon size
Turmeric powder — 1/2 teaspoon
Sambar powder — 1 teaspoon
Asafoetida — 1/4 teaspoon
Jaggery —- 2 teaspoon
Rice flour — 2 teaspoon
Mustard seeds — 1/2 teaspoon
Salt — 1 teaspoon
Sesame oil — 2 teaspoon
Few curry leaves.

Method

Soak tamarind in a glass of water and remove the juice.Heat one spoon oil in a pan and saute the orange peel for an minute. Pour in the tamarind juice, add the turmeric powder, asafoetida, sambar powder, jaggery and salt, give it a stir, lower the heat, cover and cook for about 3 minutes. Mix the rice flour to half an glass of water and add it to the orange peel gravy. Allow it to boil for a minute so that you get a thick gravy, put of the heat. Heat the remaining oil, add the mustard seeds, when they crack, add the curry leaves. Add this tempering to the pachadi. Your Orange peel pachadi is ready. A superb combination for molagootal, mulakushyam, dosai, poongal and even as a dip… ENJOY.

Yesterday I saw 2 oranges on the fruit basket,nobody wanted to eat it because had one early and found it sour,but I somehow wanted to use it . So here’s my invention. With a lot of apprehension,made an Orange soup rasam. To my surprise the end result was awesome. Had it with my family and by the end of the dinner the rasam bowl was empty. Drizzle some warm ghee on hot rice and have rasam sadam with papadam.( Don’t throw away the skin of the orange,scrape the white part and store the skin,there is a recipe coming tomorrow with the orange peel)!

Ingredients
Tomatoes — 2 big
Orange — 2
Shredded ginger — 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder — 1/2 teaspoon
Rasam powder —- 1 teaspoon
Sugar — 1 teaspoon
Asafoetida — 1/4 teaspoon
Mustard seeds — 1/2 teaspoon
Cumin seeds — 1/2 teaspoon
Crushed cumin- pepper powder — 1/2 teaspoon
Ghee / butter — 1 1/2 teaspoon.
Fresh coriander leaves.

Method

Wash tomatoes,cut them and blend them to get tomato juice,add 2 glass of water and keep aside.Heat butter in a deep pan,add the mustard seeds when they crack add the cumin seeds,then add the shredded ginger,turmeric powder,asafodita and rasam powder and sauté for half an minute in low heat. Pour in the tomato juice ,add salt,sugar, cumin-pepper powder,give it a stir and allow to boil for 3-4mintes. Put of the heat close the pan. Just before serving add the orange juice and bring the rasam to a boil,when you see froth being formed put of the heat and add the freshly chopped coriander . Sip and enjoy hot Orange Soup Rasam.

Cumin-pepper powder — dry roast 3 teaspoon cumin seeds ,1 teaspoon whole pepper separately. Powder them together coarsely to get cumin-pepper powder,store in air-tight container .

Born and brought up in Bombay,sorry Mumbai never sets in,thought of trying something Maharashtrain. So here’s a Masala rice while has Tendli or kovakkai with peas and potato and Goda masala.Goda masala is a Maharashtrain masala which brings in the distinct flavor for the rice.

Ingredients

Rice —- 1 cup

Kovakkai, peas ,potato— 1cup

Green chili — 2

Ghee — 2 teaspoon

Curd — 1/4 cup

Turmeric pwd — 1/2 teaspoon

Red chili pwd — 1/2 teaspoon

Goda masala — 2 tablespoon

Mustard seeds — 1/2 teaspoon

Cumin seeds — 1/2 teaspoon

Water — 2 1/2 cups

Few curry leaves.

Method

Rinse the rice and keep aside for 15 minutes. Heat ghee in a pan, add mustard seeds, when they crack add the cumin seeds,saute. Add the chili’s and curry leaves, saute. Add the rice and saute them for 2 minutes, add the vegetables and further saute for 2 minutes. Now add the turmeric pwd, red chili pwd, goda masala and salt, pour in water . When the water starts to boil, add the curd, give it a stir, lower the heat, cover and cook till the rice is done. Enjoy spicy Masala Rice.

Goda Masala
Ingredients:
Dry coconut —- 3 tablespoon
Sesame seeds — 3 tablespoon
Dry red chillies —– 15
Coriander seeds— 5 tablespoon
Bay leaves — 4
Cinnamon — 3 sticks
Whole pepper — 6
Cloves —- 6
Javetri — 3
Dry roast the coconut till it changes color, keep aside. Roast the sesame seeds for a minute and keep aside. Dry roast rest of ingredients together till you get a nice aroma. Cool all the ingredients and powder them. You will get a coarse powder. Make this Goda masala and store it.

As today is the auspicious occasion of vishu, wanted to try out a different variety of payasam rather than the common ones. Here is my take on Paruppu Pradhaman, that turned out absolutely delicious, buttery and velvety! A treat to your sweet tooth!

Ingredients

Moong dal— 1cup
Jaggery — 2 1/4 cup
Coconut milk— 3 cups
Ghee —- 3 tablespoon
Coconut pieces, cashews, raisins— teaspoon
Dry ginger powder — 1/4 teaspoon
Cumin powder– 1/4 teaspoon.

Method

Rinse the moong dal and keep aside. Heat ghee in a deep pan and fry the coconut pieces, cashews and raisins. Remove and keep aside. In the same ghee,fry the moong dal till it changes color. Pressure cook the dal. Meanwhile take a deep pan add 2 glass of water, add jaggery. When the jaggery dissolves completely, strain for impurities and pour it back. Let it boil for 3-4 minutes .Once the dal is cooked, mash it well and add it to the boiling jaggery. Mix well and let it boil for 2 minutes. Now add the coconut milk, and keep stirring and let it boil further for 2 minutes in low heat. Put of the heat and add the dry ginger powder and cumin powder. Give it a stir. Finally add the fried coconut, cashews and raisins. Enjoy parippu pardhaman.

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Avial is a must in any Kerala sadhya. The preparation is simple with variety of vegetables and coconut.One person who loves avial soo much that she can have it any day,even daily is my niece. Avial can be of thick consistency which is called Gatti Avail – a side dish or can have more gravy which you can mix with rice and have. You only require papadam to have Avail rice.

Ingredients

White pumpkin, yellow pumpkin, beans, raw banana, yam, carrots, peas, drumstick, raw mango. —–  4 cups
Coconut —- 1 1/2 cup
Green chili—- 4-5
Sour curd—- 1cup
Turmeric—– 1/2 teaspoon
Salt  —–      1 1/2 teaspoon
Coconut oil—-  2 teaspoons
Few Curry leaves.

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Pachadi with fruits! Yes the pachadi has only fruits and i love it. When you have all the varieties of fruit try it and i am sure all of you will like it.

Ingredients

Mixed fruits–grapes, mango, pineapple,nedram pazham —–2 cups

Coconut —- 1/2 cup

Green chili — 1

Tamarind —- small lemon size

Turmeric powder —- 1/4 teaspoon

Red chili powder —- 1/2 teaspoon

Mustard seeds — 1/2 teaspoon

Dry red chili — 1

Oil — 1 teaspoon

Few curry leaves.

Method

Dice the fruits and cook them in tamarind juice with turmeric powder , red chili powder and salt.Grind together coconut and green chili. Once the fruits are cooked add the coconut paste and allow it to cook for further two minutes. Heat oil, add the mustard seeds, when they crack add the red chili and curry leaves, saute and pour them over the fruit pachadi. Enjoy fruits in a different form.

Pachadi with manga / raw mango. This is a dish prepared on Varusha Pirappu – Tamil New year day. My native being Palakkad much preference is not given to this dish on New year.But i have heard it from my friends who are basically from Tamil Nadu that its a must to prepare manga pachadi with veepam poo which is neem flowers. Veepam poo is little bitter in taste. The explanation given for having the manga pachadi,is to start the New Years and continue the year with a mixture of all emotions , like in Manga Pachadi which has a taste of everything sweet,sour,little bitter,but the end result is delicious. There is a choice for people from Palakkad, Pavakkai ellu puli pachadi ,which also has a mixture of all the tastes.

I couldn’t go out and get veepam poo, so haven’t added it. If you get veepam poo, add it after adding red chili, saute and add the tempering to the pachadi.

Ingredients

Raw mango — 1
Jaggery—- 3/4 cup
Turmeric pwd— 1/2 tsp
Red chili pwd —- 1/2 tsp
Dry red chili —- 2
Salt —– 1 tsp
Mustard seed — 1/2 tsp
Sesame oil — 1 tsp.

Arachuvitta means grinding together . Sambar can be either made with sambar powder,without adding coconut or roasting spices and grinding them with coconut. You can substitute mambazha with any other vegetables and prepare arachuvitta sambar the same way.

Ingredients

Ripe Mango 1

Tuvar dal 1/2 cup

Coconut 1/2 cup

Tamarind lemon size

Channa dal 1 tablespoon

Coriander seeds 1 tablespoon

Fenugreek seeds 1/4 tespoon

Dry red chilli 4

Mustard seeds 1teaspoon

Turmeric pwd 1/2 teaspoon

Salt 1 teaspoon

Sesame oil 2 tablespoon

Few curry leaves.

Method

Soak the tamarind in water,pressure cook the tuvar dal. Cut the mango into small pieces. Cook the mango pieces along with its seeds ,in tamarind water,adding turmeric and salt.Heat one spoon oil in a pan,add the channa dal, corriander seeds, fenugreek seeds and red chilli. Fry till the dal changes colour. Grind the fried ingredients with coconut into a fine paste. Once the mango become little massy,add the cooked dal, stir and allow it cook for two minutes. Now add the grounded paste and little water to get a proper consistency. Allow the sambar to cook for 5 minutes. Heat the remaining oil in the pan ,add the mustard seeds,when they cracks add the curry leaves and pour it over the sambar. Enjoy the tangy and sweet Mambazha sambar.

I make Erissery in two ways, one with Mathanga and Karamani, which is a form of kuttan, and Chenai vazhakkai Erissery which is a thick variety, a side dish. The one I have prepared here is a thick side dish. Here i have used the normal vazhakkai, but the traditional method is by using nendram kai/ Kerala banana.

Ingredients
Raw banana, Yam —- 2 cups
Coconut —- 1 cup
Turmeric pwd — 1/2 tsp
Pepper pwd — 3/4 tsp
Mustard seed — 1/2 tsp
Urad dal — 1 tsp
Cumin seeds — 1 tsp
Dry red chili — 1
Coconut oil — 1 tbsp
Few curry leaves.

Kootu Curry is a Kerala dish with vegetables,dal and coconut.In Tamilnadu its called as Kootu, I think the only difference is the addition of fried coconut in the end.

Ingredients

White pumpkin, raw banana, yam —– 1 1/2 cup

Channa dal —- 1/2 cup

Coconut — 3/4 cup

Turmeric pwd —- 1/2 tsp

Red chili pwd — 1/2 tsp

Mustard seeds — 1/2 tsp

Urad dal —- 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds —- 3/4 tsp

Salt —- 1 tsp

Sesame / coconut oil —- 2 tsp

Few curry leaves.

Method

Cut all the vegetables into small cubes. Pressure cook the channa dal, keep aside.Add turmeric pwd, chili pwd and salt and pressure cook for two whistle. Grind together 1/2 cup coconut with cumin seeds to a fine paste. Once the vegetables are cooked, add the cooked dal and the grounded paste, mix everything together and let it cook further for 3 mintues. Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds when they crack add the urad dal, saute them till they change colour, add the remaining coconut fry till dark brown,add the curry leaves. Add this tempering to the dal-vegetable mix, Kootu Curry ready.