The system cleanser and the kootan that drives a cold away, Molagushiyam is a simple preparation of pepper, moong daal and staple vegetables. As advised by the elders, the paatis and the maamis, Molagushiym must be consumed post delivery, by the new mother. It heals the system from within and takes all of 15 minutes to prepare.

Ingredients

Whole moong dal—                                 ¼ cup

Chopped Raw banana and yam—           1 cup

Turmeric powder—                                     ½ tsp

Pepper powder—                                         ¾ tsp

Salt—                                                              ¾ tsp

Coconut oil—                                                1 tbsp

Few curry leaves.

Method

Wash and pressure cook whole moong dal for 4 whistles. Add the cut vegetables, turmeric powder, pepper powder and salt to the cooked moong dal. add one cup of water and pressure cook again for two whistles. Open the cooker, adjust the consistency by adding water if necessary and cook for two minutes. Put of the heat. Add the curry leaves and drizzle the coconut oil. Simple and healthy molagushiyam is ready.

An age old accompaniment for any of our Indian dishes is the classic Potato fry. Potatoes can be prepared in many ways which we are accustomed to. Why not experiment with something new? This recipe is a true lip smacker that can be used as a tastier substitute to potatoes. This is a textural delicacy as well as a accompaniment that can go with both South and North Indian dishes.

Ingredients

Raw banana—              2

Turmeric powder—     ½ tsp

Curry powder—           2 tbsp

Salt ¾ tsp

Oil—                            3-4 tbsp

Few curry leaves.

Method

Peel the skin of the banana, cut it lengthwise and then cut into thick slices. Wash it well. Sprinkle turmeric powder, salt, curry powder and 1 spoon of oil to the banana slices and mix it well. Leave it aside for 15 minutes. Heat the remaining oil in a pan, add the cut curry leaves. Now add the marinated banana, give it a stir, lower the heat and cover and cook for 2-3 minutes or till the banana are a little soft. Remove the cover, increase the heat to medium and fry the bananas for 5 minutes, stirring it occasionally. Banana fry is ready.

Curry Powder–  Roast 4 tbsp Channa dal, 3 tbsp coriander seeds and 5 dry red chilies and powder them coarsely.

Green peas curry is a simple dish prepared in most of the Kerala household.  Its goes well with appam, idiyappam or Kerala paratha. My personal favorite is appam. Whenever this dish is prepared at home, I make sure there is extra batter of appam to fulfill everyone’s craving.

Ingredients

Dry green peas—              1 cup

Onion—                              2

Tomato—                          2

Green chili—                    2

Garlic ponds—                 5

Ginger—                         ½ inch

Cumin seeds—            1 tsp

Chili powder—             1 tsp

Garam masala—         1 tsp

Turmeric powder—    ½ tsp

Salt—                            1 ¼ tsp

Oil—                              2 tbsp

Chopped coriander leaves.

Method

Wash and soak the green peas in 2 cups of water, for six hours. Pressure cook the peas with turmeric and ¾ tsp of salt for 4 whistles. Chop the onion and tomato into small cubes. Grind green chilies, garlic and ginger into a paste. Heat oil in a pan, add the cumin seeds, when they start to crackle add the chopped onion and saute it for two minutes. Add the grounded paste and saute again for a minute. Now add the chopped tomato and give it a stir. Add the red chili powder, garam masala and remaining salt. Mix well and cook for two minutes. Add this gravy to the cooked peas, mix well. Add extra water to get the correct consistency. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Put of the heat, Green peas curry is ready. Sprinkle coriander leaves before serving.

If you want to give it a typical Kerala flavor, add 4tbsp of coconut milk to the gravy and boil.and in the end give a  tempering of mustard seeds and curry leaves in a spoon of coconut oil.

A few weeks back I came across a situation that put me in a state of dilemma. My grandson had a bad throat coupled with hunger that added on to his crankiness. I wanted to feed him something nutritious as well as something that will soothe his throat. This hearty soup is stacked up with some beautiful soothing flavours that is inherently healthy for you.

One of the key ingredients of this sumptuous soup is Kalpooravalli aka Indian Borage. Any South Indian household with a child will have this herb. It is a natural medicine that helps alleviate cold, cough, congestion and sore throat. It also aids in digestion. There are multiple uses for this beneficial leaf. Go ahead and use this herb in your dishes.

Tomato— 4

Moong dal— 2 tbsp

Whole pepper— ¼ tsp

Cumin seeds— ¼ tsp

Karpooravalli— 2

Coriander leaves—

Salt— ½ tsp.

Method

Wash the tomatoes. Make a slit in the tomatoes. Boil water in a deep pan , when it stars boiling, slide in the tomatoes and boil it further for two minutes. Remove the tomato from water, cool it and peel the skin. Pressure cook the moong dal. Grind together tomato, pepper, cumin seed, karpooravalli and coriander leaves. Strain the grounded paste. Take a deep pan add the mashed moong dal and the grounded paste. Add salt and a glass of water. Boil it for 2-3 minutes. Herbal Tomato soup is ready.

A real crowd pleaser, this one! How much ever you devour this, you’re going to ask for more, especially on a rainy day. The crispiness of the corn is going to make everyone drool. Check this one out!

Ingredients

Boiled corn—                 1 cup

Corn flour—                   4-5 tbsp

Chaat masala—             1 tsp

Freshly chopped coriander leaves

Oil for frying.

Method

Take the boiled corn and dust the corn flour over it. Spread it evenly. Heat oil in a deep pan. When the oil is hot fry the corn in small batches. Drain the corn in a paper towel. Add chaat masala and give it a toss. Just before serving sprinkle freshly chopped coriander.

A dish that my family always looks out for in a Gujarati thali is the Kadhi. They especially love it even more when it tastes extra tangy. Check out this recipe to prepare a sumptuous and flavorful Khadi to warm the cockles of everyone’s heart!

Ingredients

Curd—                       1 ½ cup

Gram flour—            ½ cup

Grated ginger—       1 tsp

Green chili—            2

Pepper powder—    ½ tsp

Mustard seeds—     ½ tsp

Cumin seeds—         ½ tsp

Cinnamon—              2 small pcs

Cloves—                   3

Turmeric powder—   ½ tsp

Sugar—                       1 tsp

Salt—                           1 ¼ tsp

Ghee—                        2 tbsp

Chopped coriander—   2 tbsp

Method

Wisk together curd and gram flour, till there are no lumps. Add pepper, turmeric, sugar, salt and three glass of water and mix well, keep aside. Heat ghee in  a deep pan , add the mustard seeds, when they crackle, add the cumin seeds, cinnamon and cloves and saute till you get a good aroma. Lower the flame add the curd and gram flour mixture. Add the ginger and slit green chilies. Increase the heat and bring the mixture to boil for two minutes, stirring continuously. Reduce the flame and simmer for ten minutes. Put of the heat and garnish with coriander leaves. Enjoy hot Gujarati Kadhi.

KADALAI  PARUPPU  /  CHANNA DAL /  SPLIT BENGAL GRAM

Here is a wacky dish that is a fusion between South Indian flavors and the rustic charm of chaat. Check out this recipe for a quick evening time snack that makes you crave for more!

Ingredients

Kadalai paruppu —               1 cup

Fresh Coconut —                    2 tbsp

Green chili—                             1

Raw mango cubes—                3 tbsp

Mustard seeds—                     ½ tsp

Asafetida—                              ½ tsp

Chaat powder—                      ½ tsp

Lemon juice—                        1 tbsp

Salt—                                       ¾ tsp

Oil—                                        1 tbsp

Chopped coriander leaves—   2 tbsp

Few curry leaves.

Method

Wash and cook the kadalai paruppu in a pressure cooker. Heat oil in a pan ,add the mustard seeds, when they splutter add the green chilli and stir. Add the curry leaves and coconut and sauté for a minute. Now add the cooked kadalai paruppu, to this add asafetida, chaat powder and salt .Mix everything together well and sauté for two minutes. Put off the heat. Add the raw mango, lemon juice and coriander leaves, mix well, your sundal is ready.

Sprinkle a little tamarind sweet chutney, green chutney, boodhi and sev and turn this simple sundal into a kadalai paruppu chaat.

Check out this recipe to prepare a tasty subzi that can perfectly go along as an accompaniment with many dishes such as chapathis, assorted rice and khichdi as well!

Ingredients

Capsicum cubes—                  1 ½ cups

Cauliflower florets—               1 ½ cups

Tomato cubes—                       ½ cup

Onion cubes—                         ½ cup

Turmeric—                               ½ tsp

Curry powder—                      1 tsp

Cumin seeds—                         1tsp

Kasuri methi—                      2 tbsp ( dried fenugreek leaves )

Coriander chopped—           2 tbsp

Salt—                                      1 ¼ tsp

Oil—                                        4 tbsp

Method

Heat water in a deep pan, add cauliflower florets, turmeric powder and ½ tsp salt. Cook it for about 5 minutes till they are parboiled. Drain it and keep it aside.

Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan add the capsicum, sauté for a minute, now add the cauliflower and cook on medium flame for 3-4 minutes stirring occasionally. The vegetables should be crispy and cooked. ( you can sprinkle little water while cooking ). Keep it aside.

Heat the remaining oil, add the cumin seeds, when they crackle add the onion and sauté them till turn translucent, next add the tomatoes and stir for a minute. Next add the cauliflower and capsicum, sauté, now add the curry powder, salt and kasuri methi, stir. Cook the vegetables on a slow flame for 3-4 minutes, put of the flame. Sprinkle coriander leaves, your Capsicum Cauliflower fry is ready.

This recipe is a wonderful method of blending end of the season mangoes with rose and hints of mint to concoct a refreshing drink to soothe your palate.

Ingredients

Mango pulp—              6 tbsp

Rose syrup—                 4 tbsp

Lemon—                        1

Few fresh mint leaves

Ice cubes

Soda.

Method

Blend together rose syrup, lemon juice, mint leaves and ice cubes. Pour this mixture in a glass, add the mango pulp, give a stir and top it up with soda. Add some sugar syrup to enhance the sweetness.

What are the synonyms that aptly describe my family’s yearly vacations to Ernakulam? A wonderful stay with my in laws, long rides for family visits, temple ulsavam and the varied experiences with freshly made Banana chips! Its true! A regular item that we purchase back to Dubai and also something that I distribute as gifts to my family friends.

The freshness that is achieved by preparing this dish by one self is something that cannot be explained. This is an absolute family favorite. It hardly takes 2 days for the chips to get exhausted in my household! Such is the taste. The freshness of the taste and the beautiful warmth that coats your mouth is second to none! A dish that can consumed at any time of the day, can be stored easily and something that will put a huge smile in your family’s face. Check out the recipe and make sure to try this out during the evening with a freshly brewed cup of filter coffee!

Ingredients

Nendrankai

Salt

Oil to fry.

and the most important tool the slicer.

Method

Remove the top and bottom of the banana. Make a slit using a butter knife and peel the skin. Immerse the peeled banana in water. Heat oil in a deep pan. Add a teaspoon of salt to ¾ cup of water.  Remove the peeled banana from the water and dab a tissue over the banana to remove water. When the oil is hot use the slicer and slice the banana directly into the oil. Fry the bananas. when the banana is cooked almost and they turn out little hard add one spoon of salt water into the oil, be very careful. You will hear a bubbling noise, when the sound starts subsiding remove the banana from the oil. Enjoy hot and tasty nendrankai chips.