Onam Special

Onam is the ‘Harvest Festival’ of the state of Kerala in South India. Celebrated over a period of 10 days, it marks the return of King Mahabali. People decorate their front yards with elaborate flower patterns to welcome the king. To learn more about Onam check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onam.

Onam also provides an exquisite culinary experience, especially on the 10^th day, when everyone makes a sumptuous feast, a sadhya. Though not too big, we also made a sadhya and invited one of our friends for dinner. Here are a few of the dishes that we enjoyed yesterday.  I have left out the usual sambar and cabbage ‘upperi’ (sabzi). 

Kootu Curry

Ingredients

Yam (cut into medium pieces) – 1 cup

Raw plantain (cut into medium pieces) – 1 cup

Cooked black channa – 1-1 ½ cups

Tamarind extract – 2 tbsps

Grated Coconut – ¼ cup + 1-1 ½ tsp (for garnish)

Red chillies – 2-3 (more or less according to your taste)

Cumin seeds – 1 tbsp

Turmeric – 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Method

Kootu curry is part of the traditional Kerala sadhya. 

Soak the black channa overnight and boil in the cooker for at least 3 whistles. Once the pressure has released in the cooker, remove the channa. Use the excess water to cook the yam and plantain. Add a little turmeric powder and salt while cooking the vegetables. Once the vegetables are tender, add the channa and boil for a few more minutes. Add the tamarind extract. Meanwhile, grind the grated coconut, red chillies and cumin seeds to make a smooth paste. Add this to the cooked mixture and let it simmer for a few minutes. In a small pan, take the grated coconut for garnish and roast till dark brown. Add this to the dish and serve with rice. Works well with chapathis too.

Manga (mango) Pachadi

Pachadi can be made with various vegetables/fruits like okra, bitter gourd, pineapple, ripe mangoes etc with ground coconut and mustard. This recipe is made with raw mangoes.

Ingredients

Grated raw mango – ½ cup

Grated coconut – 2 tbsps

Green chillies – 2 (more or less according to your taste)

Mustard seeds – 1 tbsp (you can reduce it a bit if you do not like the strong taste of ground mustard)

Curd – 3-4 tbsps

Red chillies - 2

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Curry leaves

Salt to taste

Method

Add curd to the grated mango and keep aside. Grind the coconut, mustard and green chillies to make a smooth paste. Add to the mango mixture and add salt. Season with red chillies, mustard and curry leaves.

Kaalan

This is one of my favourites among the various dishes from Kerala. 

Ingredients

Yam (cut into small pieces) – 1 cup

Curd (preferably sour) – 1 cup

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp

Grated coconut – 3/4th cup (more if the curd is very sour)

Green chillies – 2-3 (more or less according to your taste)

Pepper powder – 2 tsps

Mustard seeds – 2 tsps

Red chillies – 2-3

Curry leaves

Asafoetida powder – a pinch

Oil

Method

Cook the yam with a little water, turmeric powder and pepper powder in a cooker. Once it is nicely cooked, add the curd and salt and let the mixture simmer till the entire extra liquid is gone. Meanwhile grind the coconut and green chillies into a paste and keep aside. Add this to the cooked yam along with the asafoetida powder and mix well. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they start spluttering, add the red chillies and curry leaves and season the yam mixture. Your kaalan is ready.

Pacha Manga Curry (Simple Mango Pickle)

Ingredients

Raw mango (cut finely) – 1

Asafoetida powder – 1 tsp

Chilli powder to taste

Mustard seeds – 2 tsps

Curry leaves

Salt to taste

Oil

Method

Add chilli powder and salt to the cut mangoes. In a pan heat oil and add the mustard seeds. As they splutter add the curry leaves. Turn off the heat and add the asafoetida. Pour this seasoning over the mangoes and mix well. This pickle will not last long, so please refrigerate and consume within 2-3 days. 

Aval/Rice flakes Payasam

No ‘sadhya’ is complete without a payasam (sweet dish). So here is what we had.

Ingredients

Aval – 1 cup

Milk – 2 litres (approx)

Sugar – 2 cups

Cardamom powder – 2 tsps

Ghee (clarified butter) – 1 tsp

Method

Add ghee to a pan and toast the aval till it is crispy (shouldn't change colour). Keep tossing to make sure it doesn’t burn. Keep aside. Heat the milk in a thick bottomed vessel, I used a cooker. Add the toasted aval and keep stirring. Once the aval has cooked well (it will become soft) add the sugar and continue stirring. Do keep an eye on the milk, else it will boil over/burn. Keep simmering till the milk thickens and reduces. The whole process will take some time, at least 30 minutes, so please be patient. Remove from the heat and let it cool. Keep stirring or else the milk will form a layer on top. Once it has cooled a bit, add the cardamom powder and savour!

Make your own Kerala sadhya and enjoy. Bon Appétit!