Okra / Lady's Finger Aviyal

Okra is a popular vegetable rich in dietary fiber. It contains Vitamin A, C, K and antioxidants. It is a good source of folates. It is low in calories. Helps in controlling cholesterol. 

Okra fry / Bhindi fry is a popular side dish. Bhindi raita is also  popular in Kerala. But an Avial made of okra was new to me. It was my friend Mrs. Latha Nair, who introduced me to this dish. As she promised the dish turned out to be very tasty. 

Preparation: 

• Wash and pat dry the okra. Cut off both ends. Cut into one and a half inch pieces. Slice each piece into four, lengthwise. Slice the onion lengthwise and slit the green chilly. 
• Grind coarsely, the grated coconut, garlic, turmeric powder, chilly powder.
• Heat coconut oil. Add the okra and sauté for a minute, then add onion, green chilly and curry leaves. Sauté. Stir continuously on medium flame until the gooeyness of the okra disappears. Do not brown. 
• Add the coconut mix , lower the flame. Add salt . Mix. Cover and cook till the water content disappears. 
• Serve hot with rice. 

Ingredients:

Okra / Lady's finger - 12 - 15 nos. 

Onion - 1/2 of a medium sized one 

Green Chilly - 3 nos. 

Curry leaves - a few 

Coconut oil - 1 - 2 tablespoons 

Coconut grated - 1/2 cup 

Garlic - 2 nos 

Cumin - 1 pinch 

Turmeric powder  -1/4 teaspoon 

Red chilly Powder - 1 teaspoon 

Salt 

Capsicum Egg Curry

Bell pepper or Capsicum is one of the healthiest food in the world, other being tomato. It contains more than 30 carotenoid nutrients. Loads of Vitamin C, which increases as the pepper ripens. Like broccoli, onions and garlic, capsicum contains lots of sulphur- compounds. Capsicum can fight certain cancers.

Overcooking Capsicum leads to the destruction of an important flavonoid - luteolin. This is a very important anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory flavonoid. 

Method:

• Hard boil the eggs. Keep aside
• Heat the oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds and broken dry red chilli. When the mustard starts spluttering , add finely chopped onions.Saute the onions on medium flame. When well sauteed, add the ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell disappears.  
• Now add the chopped garlic and split green chillies. Keep stirring. Add the meat masala, coriander powder, turmeric powder and black pepper powder. Stir for a minute. Add half cup of water, stir, cover and cook till most of the water is absorbed. Remove the lid. Lower the flame.
• Add salt to taste. Add the capsicum pieces, Stir well. Add a cup of water. When it starts boiling ,add the coconut cream. Stir well. Do not boil again. Remove from fire. 
• Remove the shell of the eggs, make vertical slit on the eggs and add to the gravy. 
• Serve hot with Rice/ Chappati /Dosa /Breads etc.  

Ingredients:

Eggs  - 4

Capsicum -1 small (cut into one inch square pieces)

Onions - 2 large 

green chilli - 3 - 4 

garlic - 2 

ginger - garlic paste - 1/2 tablespoon 

Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon 

Black pepper powder - 1/4 teaspoon 

Meat masala - 1 1/2  - 2 table spoons 

Coriander Powder - 1 1/2 tablespoon 

Coconut cream - 1/4 cup 

Oil - 3 - 4 tablespoons 

Water - 1 1/2 - 2 cups 

Salt 

Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon 

Dry whole red chilli - 1 (broken into 2 or 3 pieces )

Coconut Dosa

Coconut is a wonder food. Coconut ,though high in calories does not support weight gain. It activates metabolism and has low glycemic index. It contains dietary fiber and is gluten free. Good for heart. Consumption of coconut improves digestion, as it aids in the absorption of nutrients by the body. It enhances the immune system of the body. 

Method:

Soak the rice for 4 hours. Wash and grind finely the rice and cooked rice with enough water. Transfer to a bowl. Now grind the coconut into a very fine paste with little water. Transfer to the same bowl. Add sugar and salt, mix well and allow to ferment overnight or 6 -7 hours. 

I used my mixer for the above process. If you are using the grinder, you can grind the rice and coconut together. For small quantities , i always depend on my mixer. 

Once the batter is fermented, add the coconut cream. Mix well. Add more sugar if you want it sweeter. The consistency of the batter - thicker than the regular dosa batter. If the batter is very thick add a little water to loosen it. 

Heat a flat pan or tawa, grease it lightly with oil. Pour a spoonful of batter and spread it out lightly. Do not make it very thin. Cook on medium low flame. When one side is cooked well , flip and cook on the other side. After making the required number of coconut dosas, the remaining batter can be stored in the refrigerator. When we refrigerate the batter, it will thicken, so loosen the batter with little water before use. 

Serve hot with dry coconut chutney. Click link for recipe.
http://ashasnairrajesh.blogspot.com/2015/02/appam-and-fried-coconut-chutney.html


Ingredients:   for coconut dosa

Raw rice - 1cup 
Cooked rice - 1/4 cup
Fresh grated coconut - 11/2 cups
Sugar- 2 tablespoons
Salt -1/2 teaspoon
Coconut cream - 2 table spoons 
Water as required
Oil for greasing the pan

Mushroom Kerala

Mushrooms are a storehouse of essential nutrients. They increase the level of Vitamin D in our body. Mushrooms are low-sodium, low -calorie, cholesterol-free, fat-free and gluten free. They are a good source of protein and dietary fibre. Also provides Vitamin C, folate, iron, zinc etc etc. Contains  potassium. List doesn't end.

Always take care to buy organically grown mushrooms.

This dish is prepared like an anchovy dish, which is very popular in Kerala. So the name, Mushroom Kerala


Method:

Wash the button mushrooms and cut them into half inch pieces. Keep aside, Wash the tomato, green chilly and ginger. Cube the tomato. Slit 2 green chilly. Skin and cut half of the ginger into juliennes.

Wash and set aside a small piece of gamboge (kudam puli). Wash the curry leaves. Scrape coconut.

Grind coarsely the coconut, green chilly, ginger, garlic, shallots and turmeric powder.

In a pan add the mushroom pieces, ground coconut mix, slit green chilly, ginger juliennes, tomato pieces, gamboge, curry leaves, one fourth cup water and salt to taste. Stir, cover and cook on low flame.Stir in between. If water dries up before everything is properly cooked just add a few spoonfuls. Do not add too much water. In almost 10 minutes the cooking will be over.

Ingredients:

Button mushroom - 200 grams 
Grated coconut - 1 cup  
Shallots  - 5 - 6  
Turmeric powder 1/4 teaspoon  
Green chilly - 4 ( 2 for grinding and 2 to be slit)
Ginger - 1 inch piece (half to be ground and half to be cut into juliennes)
Garlic - 2   
Gamboge - 1 small piece 
Tomato - 1 large (local variety) 
Curry leaves - a few  
Water - 1/3 cup 
Salt  

Cluster beans and coconut Fry / Amarekka Thoran

Cluster beans/ Guar has great health benefits. It contains no cholesterol and no fat. Low in calories, it is a storehouse of nutrients, proteins, vitamins and minerals.It contains soluble fiber which is extremely good for the health of our digestive tract and can prevent diseases associated with it, especially Crohn's disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Colitis. Contains Vitamin K, C, A and also provides phosphorus, calcium, potassium etc. Because of its low glycemic index, it is very good for diabetics. Cluster beans are good for our heart. It improves blood circulation. Good for pregnant women.

Method:
Wash the cluster beans thoroughly. If the beans are not tender, you may have to string it , that is you have to remove the hardened string on either side of it. Drain and chop the beans using a knife, handfuls at a time. Keep aside.

Chop a few shallots finely. If shallots are not available use onion.

Cut pieces from a fresh coconut and chop it into smaller pieces. Keep aside. Now scrape /grate fresh coconut, add garlic, cumin, red chilly powder, turmeric powder. Grind coarsely. If the scraped coconut is fine enough, do not grind again. Just crush the garlic and cumin.

Now place a pan over the flame, add split black gram, mustard seeds, finely sliced shallots,broken whole red chilly and oil. Add curry leaves. When the mustard seeds starts spluttering, add the chopped onions and cluster beans. Saute on medium flame for a few minutes, till the onion softens. Now add a little water, cover and cook, Stir in between. When cooked add salt,the ground coconut mix and the coconut bits,lower the flame to simmer, mix well. Press down lightly and continue cooking on low flame, after a minute stir.Repeat the process until all the water is evaporated.
Serve with rice.

Ingredients:
Cluster beans chopped - 11/2 cups
Shallots/onion chopped- 1/3 cup
Fresh coconut bits - 3 table spoons
Grated fresh coconut - 1/2 cup
red chilly powder - 1/2 teaspoon  
turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
garlic - 2 pieces
cumin - a pinch
Salt
Water - 1/3 cup

For seasoning:
Mustard seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
Split black gram(urad dal) - 1 tablespoon
Oil - 1 tablespoon  
shallots(thinly sliced) - 1 teaspoon
Whole red chilly (each broken into 2 or 3 pieces) - 2
Curry leaves - 1 sprig