Pacha Manga Kichadi | Mango Kichadi

Kichadi is a Kerala dish made with one kind of vegetable in a yogurt based gravy. Vegetables that can be used include cucumber, mango, winter melon, okra/lady's finger and even pineapple.

Unlike kichadi, pachadi is made in a coconut-yogurt based gravy.  Some of the pachadi recipes in my blog:
Kumbalanga Pachadi 

Cucumber Pachadi

Vellirikka Pachadi

Kichadi and Pachadi are often served as part of Kerala Sadya.

Ingredients:
1. Raw Mango - 1 medium
2. Yogurt - 1 cup
3. Ginger grated - 1/2 teaspoon
4. Green chillies - 1 or 2
5. Curry leaves - few
6. Fenugreek seeds - 1/8 teaspoon
7. Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
8. Dried red chillies - 2
9. Oil - 1 teaspoon
10. Salt to taste

Method:
1. Wash and cut mango into small pieces.

2. Take a saucepan and add cut mangoes,  grated ginger, slit green chillies, salt to taste and 1 cup of water. Cook until mangoes are soft and well cooked.

3. Once the mango is well done, turn off the stove and allow it to cool. Add a cup of yogurt and mix well.

4. Heat oil in a small pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add dried red  chillies, curry leaves and fenugreek seeds. Add this seasoning to cooked mango mixture and mango kichadi is ready to serve.

Linking this recipe to "Shh Cooking Secretly Challenge", a monthly event started by Priya and now being managed by Mayuri.

The theme for the month of May is Mango along with 2 ingredients. I am paired with Rafeeda of The Big Sweet Tooth  who gave me Yogurt and ginger as secret ingredients and I decided to make this mango kichadi.

Cucumber Pachadi

Ingredients:
1. Cucumber- 1 small sized
2. Coconut grated - 1/2 cup
3. Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
4. Green chilli - 1
5. Dried red chilli - 1
6. Curry leaves - few
7. Yogurt/Curd - 1 cup
8. Oil - 1 teaspoon
9. Salt to taste

Method:
1, Wash the cucumber, remove seeds and cut into small pieces. Transfer cucumber in a mixing bowl.

2. Grind coconut and green chilli into a fine paste. Roughly crush 1/2 teaspoon of mustard seeds. Add this coconut paste, crushed mustard, yogurt and salt to cucumber and mix thoroughly.

3. For seasoning, heat oil in a pan and splutter 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds. Add dried red chilli and curry leaves. Transfer this seasoning to pachadi and serve.

Sharkara Varatti | Sharkara Upperi

Ingredients:
1. Raw plantain - 2 nos.
2. Dry ginger powder - 1 teaspoon
3. Jaggery - 1 cup
4. Cardamom powder - 1 teaspoon
5. Salt - 1 teaspoon
6. Sugar powdered - 1 tablespoon
7. Oil for deep frying

Method:
1. Remove the skin of plantain and cut them lengthwise along the center, then cut them into 1/2 inch thick slices.

2. Take 3 cups of water in a bowl and add cut plantain pieces and a teaspoon of salt. Let it rest for 10 minutes.

3. Drain the water completely and lay them on a paper towel to remove all the water.

4. Heat oil for deep frying. When the oil is hot enough, reduce the flame to low-medium and add the plantain slices. Do not overcrowd the vessel.

5. Fry on low-medium flame until they turn crisp. It takes around 35-45 minutes to turn crisp. To test you need to remove a piece from oil and break it half, if it still soft in the center it is undone and needs more frying.

6. Once done, remove from pan and drain excess oil in a paper towel.

7. Now let's make jaggery syrup. Take jaggery and  2 tablespoon of water in a heavy bottomed pan and bring it to boil. Cook until jaggery syrup forms into 1 string consistency. To check, add a drop of syrup in cold water and it should form a ball rather than dissolving in water.

8. At this stage, reduce the flame to low and add fried plantain, cardamom powder and dry ginger powder and give it a good mix. The jaggery will coat the chips well. Now add powdered sugar and give it a final mix.

Before frying

After frying

Dates Pickle

Ingredients:

1. Dates (pit removed) - 1 cup

2. Green chilli - 2-3 

3. Tamarind pulp(thick) - 1 tablespoon

4. Jaggery(grated) - 1 tablespoon

5. Grated ginger - 1 teaspoon

6. Crushed garlic - 1 tablespoon

7. Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon

8. Curry leaves - few 

9. Asafoetida powder/Hing - 1/8 teaspoon

10. Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon or as per spice level

11. Fenugreek powder - 1 pinch

12. Oil - 2 tablespoon

13. Salt to taste

Method:

1. Soak dates in warm water for 5 minutes. Drain off the water and pat dry on a paper towel. Cut them into small pieces and keep it aside.

2. Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds. 

3. Add asafoetida powder, grated ginger, crushed garlic, finely chopped green chilli and curry leaves. Fry for couple of minutes. 

4. Add chopped dates, chilli powder, salt to taste, grated jaggery and tamarind pulp. Mix well and cook for around 10-12 minutes on medium flame.

5. Just before turning off the flame add a pinch of fenugreek powder. 

Allow it to cool completely before storing in a air tight container. 

Beetroot Thoran

Serving: 2

Ingredients:
1. Beetroot - 2 medium sized
2. Shallots - 2 nos.
3. Coconut grated - 2-3 tablespoon
4. Green chilli - 1
5. Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
6. Curry leaves - few
7. Oil - 1 tablespoon
8. Salt to taste

Method:
1. Grate the beetroot and keep it aside.

2. Coarsely grind shallots, grated coconut and green chilli and keep it aside.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds.

4. Add curry leaves and coarsely ground mixture. Saute for a minute and add grated beetroot and salt to taste.

5. Cook on medium flame for around 5 minutes and turn off the flame.

This can be served as a side dish for rice. Instead of adding grated beetroot, you can add finely chopped ones, in which case you need to pressure cook the beetroot first and then add to the ground mixture.

Lemon Pickle | Naranga Achar

Ingredients:
1. Lemon - 6-7 no.
2. Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
3. Red chilli powder - 1 1/2 tablespoon
4. Fenugreek powder - 1 pinch
5. Asafoetida - 1/8 teaspoon
6. Garlic - 6-7 cloves
7. Vinegar - 1 tablespoon
8. Salt - approx. 5 teaspoon
9. Oil (preferably gingelly/sesame oil) - 2 tablespoon

Method:
1. Wash and cut each of the lemons into small wedges.

2. Put the lemon pieces in boiled and cooled water and add around 4 teaspoon of salt. Transfer into an air tight container and keep in refrigerator for around 5-7 days. This makes the lemon absorb the salt and makes the lemon peel tender.

3. After the resting period, drain and discard the water completely.

4. Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add garlic slices and fry for couple of minutes.

5. Reduce the flame to low and then add asafoetida, fenugreek powder, red chilli powder and salt(around 1/2 teaspoon).

4. Turn off the flame immediately and add the lemon pieces.

5. Add vinegar and allow the pickle to cool completely. Store in a air tight glass container.

Vanpayar Mathan Erissery | Red Cow Peas & Pumpkin Curry

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
1. Vanpayar/ Red Cow Peas - 1/2 cup
2. Pumpkin - 2 cups chopped
3. Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
4. Coconut grated - 1/2 cup
5. Cumin seeds/Jeera - 1/2 teaspoon
6. Dried whole red chillies - 2-3
7. Green chillies - 2
8. Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
9. Oil - 1 teaspoon
10. Salt to taste

Method:
1. Soak vanpayar in water for 5-8 hours.

2. Pressure cook soaked vanpayar, cut pumpkin, turmeric powder, slit green chillies and salt to taste for upto 5 whistles.

3. Grind coconut and cumin seeds into fine paste. Add this to cooked vanpayar.

4. Boil the vanpayar and pumpkin for 10 more minutes. Take off the stove.

5. For tempering, heat a teaspoon of oil in a small pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add dried red chillies and transfer the tempering to curry and mix well.

Varutharacha Sambar | Kerala Style Sambar

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

Vegetable list:

1. Carrot - 1 

2. Pumpkin - small piece

3. Lady's finger - 6-7 nos.

4. Potato - 1 medium 

5. Brinjal - 2 small

6. Onion - 1 

7. Tomato - 1 

8. Drumsticks - 1 

9. Coriander leaves/Cilantro - little for garnishing

For grinding:

1. Coconut - 1/2 cup

2. Coriander powder - 1 teaspoon

3.  Sambar powder (any brand) - 1 tablespoon

4. Garlic - 2 cloves

5. Asafoetida/hing - pinch

6. Pepper - 10-15 corns

7. Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon

8. Cumin seeds/Jeera - 1/2 teaspoon

Seasoning:

1. Oil - 1 tablespoon

2. Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

3. Fenugreek seeds - 10 nos.

4. Curry leaves - few

Other items:

1. Toor dal - 1/2 cup

2. Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon

3. Tamarind - 1 small lemon sized piece

4. Salt to taste

Method:

1. Pressure cook toor dal for 4-5 whistles by adding enough water and turmeric powder and keep it aside.

2. In a large saucepan, add a teaspoon of oil and fry the vegetables for 5 minutes. Then add cooked dal and salt to taste. Cook the vegetables covered on medium flame. 

3. In a large pan, dry roast the coconut until they turn dark brown. Dry roasting on medium flame with continuous stirring. 

4. Reduce the heat to low and add cumin seeds, peppercorns and garlic cloves. Fry for a minute.

5. Add asafoetida, coriander powder, red chilli powder and sambar powder and turn off the heat.

6. Allow the coconut mixture to cool and grind into fine paste by adding little water.

7. Add the coconut paste to boiling vegetables. 

8. Meanwhile extract the tamarind pulp. Add the tamarind pulp to saucepan once the vegetables are well cooked. Boil for 2-3 more minutes and turn off the heat.

9. For tempering, heat 2 teaspoon of oil in a small pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add fenugreek seeds and curry leaves and add the tempering to sambar.

10. Garnish with coriander leaves. 

Enjoy these Kerala Style Sambar with rice/dosa/idli.

Tip: 

1. If you are short of time, you add the vegetables and coconut paste to toor dal and pressure cook for 1 whistles. 

Vellirikka Pachadi

Vellirikka is referred to as golden cucumber in English. Using vellirikka, we can make different kinds of  Kerala dishes like mooru curry, pachadi etc and it can be also added to avial and sambar.

Vellirikka/Golden Cucumber

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
1. Vellirikka/Golden Cucumber- 1 small sized
2. Coconut grated - 1/2 cup
3. Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
4. Green chilli - 1
5. Dried red chilli - 1
6. Curry leaves - few
7. Yogurt/Curd - 1/2 cup
8. Oil - 1 teaspoon
9. Salt to taste

Method:
1, Wash the cucumber, remove skin and seeds and cut into small pieces.

2. Add around 1/4 cup of water to cucumber and cook it along with slit green chilli and salt. Cook until cucumber becomes soft. Turn off the heat, transfer into serving bowl and allow it cool.

3. Grind coconut into a fine paste. Roughly crush 3/4 teaspoon of mustard seeds. Add this coconut paste, crushed mustard and yogurt to cucumber and mix thoroughly.

4. For seasoning, heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add dried red chilli and curry leaves. Transfer this seasoning to cucumber and serve.