Aviyal - mixture of vegetables in exotic coconut sauce..!!

Aviyal is an inevitable part of Kerala cuisine.. One of the essentials in the Kerala Sadya/feast. It is a mixture of many vegetables lightly spiced with a special coconut gravy and flavoured in coconut oil and curry leaves. The vegetables commonly used are carrots, cucumber, raw banana, yam, drum sticks and ivy gourd.

In my recipe of avial here, i have used carrot, cucumber ,raw banana and ivy gourd.

Ingredients You need:

One Cucumber

Carrots - 2nos

Raw banana - 1no

ivy gourd - 8 nos

Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

Chilly powder - 1 tsp

3 sprigs of curry leaves

Finely grated Coconut – 1 cup

Green chillies – 6

Cumin seeds – 1/4 teaspoon

Small onions - 4 nos

Coconut oil – 2 tbsp

Sour Curd or small piece of tamarind ( I normally use tamarind as the curd we get here is not that sour)

Salt - to taste

Preparation

• Put tamarind ball (small size) in some hot water for the juice.
• Cut all the vegetables into 1 inch length pieces.
• Put all the cut vegetables in a pan with the turmeric powder, chilly powder and salt and boil (Add enuf water to cook the veggies)
• To prepare the coconut mixture put grated coconut, chopped small onions, green chillies, a sprig of curry leaves and cumin seeds into a blender and grind it into a crushed form.
• When theveggies are almost cooked, the water will evaporated by then, add the extracted tamarind juice and boil for 2-3 minutes.
• Now add the crushed coconut mixture into the cooked veggies and allow the coconut flavor to blend in with the veggies. Cover it cooked till the water is evaporated and veggies are well cooked. Do a salt test.
• Finally add the coconut oil and the remaining curry leaves to the aviyal which brings in the real flavour of kerala cusine.

I am sending this Aviyal to WYF Side dish event

Cabbage stir fry with coconut...

Whats your favourite color.. When some one ask me this question, i am confused.. I cant pick one color as such.. But definitely yellow is one among them.. Yellow yellow dirty fellow is not at all dirty for me!!! Its the color of freshness and hope.

Today i am gonna post a yellow dish, Cabbage Stir fry with coconut....

Ingredients You need:
Half of one medium size cabbage
Finely grated Coconut - 1/2 cup or as needed
Green chillies - 4 nos
2 Cloves of garlic
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Red chillies - 2nos
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
a spring of curry leaves
Oil - 1 tblspoon
Salt to taste

Preparation:
Finely chop the cabbage, garlic and green chillies.

• Heat oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds
• Add the red chillies and curry leaves and wait for the curry leaves flavor to blend in.
• Next, add the chopped garlic, green chillies and saute. After a minute add the turmeric powder for a cool color.
• Add the cabbage, stir well and let it cook for sometime. Dont add water. Stir in between to make sure it wont stick to the bottom.
• Once the cabbage is almost cooked, add the grated coconut and stir well and cook till the coconut blend in with the cabbage.

Have a great weekend...

Moru Curry..

It is an easy to prepare curry made with buttermilk. Its one of my fav dish which goes well with rice and some non-veg like beef or chicken..

Things You need:

Butter Milk

2 Small onions

1 Small piece of ginger(1 teaspoon)

2 cloves Garlic (1 teaspoon)

A sprig of curry leaves

Fenugreek pwder - 1/4 teaspoon

turmeric powder - a pinch

cumin seeds/jeera - 1/4 teaspoon

mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Salt - to taste

Oil

Preparation:

• Heat a wok. Pour a tblspoon oil into it.
• Once oil is hot, put the mustard seeds, jeera and fenugreek and saute for 2-3 minutes.
• Add the remaining ingredients onions, ginger, garlic and saute well. Add a pinch of turmeric powder as well.
• Now switch off the flame and add the beaten yoghurt/buttermilk to the sauted mixture and blend it.
• The last step is to heat the curry on low flame. Keep on stirring the curry. Dont allow it to boil or the curry may curdle..