Ribbon Pakkoda/Pakkavada/Ola Pakkoda

I'm very much drawn towards snacks during tea time and my hubby as well, so there will be a box of snacks always at home. I want to add this long time back but couldn't due to unknown reasons :P Today made some clicks and finally here comes another crispy tea time snack-Ribbon pakkoda/Pakkavada which is my mom's recipe.

Ingredients :

Raw rice flour	1 cup
Besan flour	1 cup
Chilly Powder	2 tspoon
Pepper Powder	2 tspoon
Asafoetida Powder	1/2 tspoon
Salt	to taste
Oil	to deep fry
Water	as needed

Preparation:

(1) This step is to prepare raw rice flour. If you have store bought flour, use it directly and proceed to step:3 else :

Soak around 1/2 cup of raw rice in water for about 2 hours( i soaked 2 cups of raw rice as in below picture). Drain the water completely (I used to drain the excess water in rice by spreading it over a newspaper/cloth as my mom used to do).

(2) Grind it in a mixer and make a fine powder. Rice flour is now ready.

(3) Take ground raw rice flour in a vessel. Add besan flour and needed salt to it. Mix well. To this add chilly powder, pepper powder and asafoetida powder. Sprinkle water little by little and make a smooth,stiff and non sticky dough.

(4) You need a ladle to make pakkoda. Select the appropriate disc as shown in below picture.

(5) Mean while heat oil in a bottomed pan. Fill the pakkoda maker with a handful of dough. Rotate the handle of the maker using hand by holding it above the oil. Rotate in clockwise direction and make circles without overlapping. Deep fry in oil. Flip it over once the air bubbles on top of oil reduces. Pakkoda will be ready once the shhhhhh sound reduces completely. 

(5) Drain it in tissue paper and store in an airtight container.

Enjoy with your hot tea/coffee...

Tips:

• Raw rice flour should be equal to besan flour.
• If you want karasev more crispy and red in color increase the amount of besan than raw rice. If you like it to be whitish add more raw rice. 
• The dough should be smooth. Add water little by little while mixing.
• If you find the dough little watery add more besan flour.
• While frying, air bubbles on top of oil reduces which indicates pakkoda is done.

Pavakka Theeyal/Kayppakka Theeyal/Bitter Gourd Gravy

Bitter Gourd is well known for its rich nutrients, also low in calories. Since bittergourd is sans favorite, I used to cook this vegetable very often. It varies like Pavakka Fry(long term use) or Pavakka PuliKuzhambu. But pavakka theeyal is my personal favorite as it is more close to Ulli Theeyal. So try this tasty recipe to include pavakka in your dish.

Ingredients:

Bitter Gourd/Pavakka	1
Shallots	10 to 15
Green chilly	2
Grated coconut	1/2 cup
Oil	1 tspoon+1 tbl spoon
Dry red chilly	6
Tamarind	1 big gooseberry size(soak in hot water and extract the juice)
Coriander Powder	1&1/2 tspoon
Salt	to taste

To temper:

Oil	1 tspoon
Dry red chilly	2
Mustard	1/2 tspoon
Curry leaves	2 sprig

Preparation:

(1)Wash and clean pavakka. Remove the seeds and chop it into tiny pieces. Soak in salt water for around 10 to 15 minutes. Drain the water and keep the slices aside. Also peel the skin of shallots and chop green chilly to round pieces. Keep everything aside.

(2) Heat oil in a pan. Add chopped pavakka, half of  shallots and green chilly. Saute till pavakka and onion gets cooked by adding little salt (You can also cook them by closing the pan with  a lid in low flame or even boil it in water if you want to avoid oil). Keep the cooked pieces aside.

(3) Again heat oil in a pan. Add grated coconut, dry red chilly, half of peeled onion to it. Saute well so that the color of onion turns brownish(Take care not to burn coconut). Finally add coriander powder in the last minute. Mix well and switch off the flame. Remove the pan from stove. Let it cool down(don't confuse with the amount of coconut in the below picture. It is from my another post Varutharacha mutton curry. Bit lazy to click while cooking :)).

(4) Grind the cooled ingredients in a mixer and make a fine paste.

(5) Take the ground paste in a cooking bowl. Add tamarind juice and salt to your desired taste. Mix well and allow to boil.

(6) Once it starts boiling add the cooked pavakka pieces to it.and mix once. Let everything boil for another 5 minutes. Make it to your desired consistency level.

(7) Mean while temper with the ingredients shown under "to temper" heading. Pour it to the gravy. Mix once and switch off the flame. Close the vessel for another 5 minutes before serving. Pavakka theeyal is now ready.

Enjoy it with steamed rice..

Tips and variations:

• To reduce the bitterness select bitter gourd which are less green in color and with less thornes.
• Soaking the pieces in salt water will reduce the bitterness.
• Always saute the pieces in oil till it is cooked before boiling in water. This helps to reduce the bitter taste.
• Add tamarind juice as needed.
• Gravy tends to thickens once cooled down. Adjust consistency accordingly.

Onion Pakkoda/Ulli Pakkoda/Crispy Onion Fritters

Onion pakkoda is a tasty tea time snack. I already added Onion Vada/Ulli Vada here. This too follows the almost same recipe with slight variations.

Ingredients:

Onion(big in size)	2
Green chilly	3
Besan/Kadalamavu	1/2 cup
Turmeric Powder	2 pinch
Chilly Powder	1/2 tspoon
Asafoetida powder	2 pinch
Curry leaves	2 sprig
Salt	to taste
Oil	to deep fry
Hot Oil(optional)	2 tspoon
Ginger(optional)	1 inch piece
Rice powder	1 tbl spoon

Preparation:

(1) Slice onion roughly and make lengthwise pieces. Chop ginger and green chillies finely. Ginger is not added here.

(2) Now add onion slices, green chilly, ginger, turmeric powder, chilly powder, rice powder, curry leaves(not added here due to shortage), salt and hot oil. Mix well. After that add besan. Mix again. The mixture will be moisturized due to the presence of its water(you can even wait for 5 minutes to see how moisturized it will be). Now sprinkle little water say 2 tspoons and mix well. Make a rough/hard mixture. Don't add more water which makes pakkoda less crispy.

(3) Meanwhile heat oil in a bottomed pan. Sprinkle the mixture in oil using hand or spoon. Cook in low to medium flame. Let it deep fry till the color changes brownish and crispy. 

Onion pakkodas will be now ready. Drain in kitchen tissue.

Enjoy hot pakkodas with tea/coffee….

Tips:

• Adding hot oil while mixing helps to turn pakkoda crispy.
• Be careful while adding water to the mixture. Less water will give crispy pakkodas.

Spicy Tomato Garlic Chutney/Thakkali Kara Chutney-No Onion No Coconut

Another spicy chutney recipe with no coconut and onion. It's a simple tomato chutney with garlic flavor. Goes well with dosa, idly or chapathi. It stays longer even for some  4 to 5 days if refrigerated.

Ingredients:

Tomato	2
Garlic	8 cloves
Dry Red Chilly	7
Oil	1 tspoon
Salt	to taste

To Temper:

Oil	1 tspoon
Dry Red Chilly	1
Urad Dal	1 tspoon
Mustard	1/2 tspoon
Curry leaves	1 sprig

Preparation:

(1) Peel the skin of garlic cloves. Chop tomato into cubes.

(2) Heat oil in a pan. Add dry red chilly and garlic cloves. In low flame saute till color of garlic changes to light brown. Switch off the flame and allow to cool.

(3) Grind the cooled ingredients in a mixer with needed salt and make a fine paste without adding water. Make a salt test.

(4) Now heat oil in the same pan. Temper with the ingredients one by one shown under heading "to temper". Pour the ground paste into it. Heat it for another 2 minutes so that the raw smell of tomato  leaves off. Switch off the flame. Your chutney is now ready.

Have it with idly/dosa/chapathi..

Tips:

• The above recipe is too spicy. Adjust the amount of dry red chilly according to your tolerance level. 

Netholi-Nethli Meen Fry/Anchovy Fry-Kerala Style

Hi all, it's been a long time i posted here something. I have been going through various things in life and now it was because of your likes and queries to my previous posts i thought of a reentry.Thanks everyone:). Finally i'm here with another easy recipe.

Netholi Porichathu is my all time favorite. Already i posted a recipe with anchovy. The below recipe comes with slighter variations.

Ingredients:

Anchovy fish/Smelt fish/Natholi	1 lb
Red chilly powder	5 tspoon
Turmeric Powder	1/4 tspoon
Pepper Powder	1 tspoon
Ginger	1 inch piece
Garlic	4 cloves
Small Onion/Shallots	8
Lemon juice	2 tspoon
Coconut Oil/Cooking Oil	to fry
Salt	to taste
Curry leaves(optional)	1 sprig

Preparation:

(1) Wash and clean the fish. I removed the head and tail part using hand. Remove the guts from its belly using hand. Scale the body from tail to head in some sharp surface or using a butter knife. (Knife is not necessary for cleaning anchovies or smelt fish )Handle as per your convenience. Take the cleaned fish in a bowl. Add lemon juice and little salt to it. Mix once. Keep it aside for 5 minutes. This helps to get rid of the fishy smell.

(2) Take onion, ginger and garlic in a mixer and grind it. To this add chilly powder, turmeric powder,pepper powder,curry leaves and salt. Grind it again and make a fine paste by sprinkling 1 tspoon of water to it.

(3) Add the ground paste to  fish and mix well so that it coats well. Let it marinate for another 20 minutes. You can also cook without marination.

(4) Heat oil in a pan and add fish to it. Allow to fry by turning the fish once. Let it turns crispy. Cooking time depends on the vessel and heat used. Once cooked drain on kitchen tissue.

Your yummy and crispy fish fry is now ready.Enjoy…

Tips:

• The whole fish is edible. You can eat its bone too.
• Since anchovy is a small fish,  it tends to break easily while cleaning and cooking. Handle with care.
• Adding lemon juice helps to reduce the fishy smell.
• Cooking with coconut oil gives an authentic flavor.
• Adjust spiciness according to your tolerance level.

Kadala Parippu Pradhaman/Kadala Parippu Payasam

Payasam is an usual sweet dish served along with kerala sadhya. Today is my wedding anniversary. We had sadhya with this payasam. Sharing my mom's recipe here...

Ingredients:

Split Bengal Gram/Kadala Parippu	250 gm/1&1/2 cup
Jaggery	500 gm
Thick coconut milk	1&1/2 cup
Medium Thick coconut milk	1 cup
Thin Coconut Milk	2 cup
Ghee	2 tbl spoon
Crushed Cardamom	7
Dry ginger powder/chukku podi	1/4 tspn

To saute in ghee

Cashew nuts	10
Raisins/Unakkamundhiri	10
Coconut pieces(cut into small bits)	8pieces

Preparation:

(1) Wash and clean Kadala Parippu. Heat 1 tspn of ghee in a pressure cooker and add the dal to it. Saute it for another 5 minutes in low to medium flame till a flavor emanates and it turns soft. To this add 3 cups of water and pressure cook it for 6 to 7 whistles in medium flame. Let pressure release by itself and after that mash dal with the help of a wooden spatula. If you prefer small bite don't mash it too much or if you want a smooth texture mash it well. Keep it aside.

(2) Mean while make coconut milk in grated coconut. This recipe needs some 200 gm of coconut. Initially add 1 cup of water to the grated coconut and grind it in a mixer and make a fine paste. Sqeeze the extract (thick coconut milk) using a strainer/muslin cloth. Again add around 1 cup of water to the same coconut and grind it once again. Repeat the step and extract medium thick coconut milk.  Now add 2 cups of water to the same coconut. Grind and extract thin coconut milk. Keep it aside. Also grate needed jaggery and keep aside.

(3) Now heat ghee in a pan/uruli. Add cashew nuts and saute it till golden brown. Remove it and add raisins. Saute till it plump and drain. Remove it. In the same pan add grated jaggery. Mix the grated jaggery with ghee and pour 1/2 cup of water to it. Saute well so that jaggery melts completely. Allow to boil.

(4) When jaggery is half done add mashed dal to it, mix well and saute in between so that it won't stick to the bottom. Saute till it gets thicken.

(5) Now add thin coconut milk to it. Mix well and continue stirring till the water level reduces to half.

(6) Gradually add medium thick coconut milk to it. Continue stirring until it reaches a very thick consistency(like jam :))

(7) Now reduce the flame to low and pour thick coconut milk. Mix once and add cardamom, ginger powder, raisins, cashewnuts, coconut pieces(i didn't used). Stir once and heat it. Don't allow the payasam to boil.switch off the flame.

(6) Close the vessel with a lid for 10 minutes before serving so that the flavor sets well.

Enjoy parippu pradhaman with your sadhya…..

Tips:

• Payasam tends to thicken once cooled down. Add thick coconut milk accordingly.
• Don't boil thick coconut milk.
•  Reduce jaggery if you like to reduce the sweetness.

Potato Egg Curry with Coconut Milk

This is a non-veg curry which goes well with chapathi/appam. Check the appam recipes here->Appam Traditional Recipe and Appam easy recipe

Ingredients:

Potato	2(small)
Egg	3 or 4
Onion	1(big)
Tomato	1(medium)
Green Chilly	3(small)
Ginger	1 inch piece
Garlic	5 cloves
Thick Coconut Milk(Onnam Pal)	3/4 cup
Thin Coconut Milk(Rendam Pal)	3/4 cup
Salt	to taste
Chilly Powder	1 tspoon
Coriander Powder	2 tspoon

To temper:

Oil	1 tbl spoon
Mustard	1/2 tspoon
Dry Red Chilly	3
Curry Leaves	1 Sprig
Whole Garam Masala	Cloves(2),cinnamon(1 inch),cardamom(2),bayleaves(1)

Preparation:

(1) Peel the skin of onion and chop it to small thin slices. Also chop tomato, green chilly, ginger and garlic. Also add eggs in hot water and allow to boil. After that cut boiled eggs into two halves. Keep everything aside.

(2) Also make needed coconut milk. For that take around 1/4 cup of grated coconut and add 1/2 cup of water to it. Grind it in a mixer/blender and make a fine paste. Extract around 3/4 cup of thick coconut milk by squeezing the ground paste using a strainer. This is called as onnam pal. Again add the same coconut to the mixer and add around 1/2 cup of water to it. Grind once again. Extract the remaining coconut milk from ground paste and make around 3/4 cup of thin coconut milk. This will be watery and called as rendam pal. Keep it aside (You can also use store bought coconut milk).

(3) Mean while heat oil in a pan and add the whole garam masalas one by one. After that temper with the rest of ingredients shown under table "to temper" heading. Now add ginger and garlic. Saute till the raw smell leaves. Now add onion slices with little salt. Saute till color of onion turns brownish. 

(4) To this add chopped tomato. Saute once and pour thin coconut milk. Close the vessel with a lid and allow to boil till onion slices are cooked well and coconut milk is completely dried off. 

(5) To this add chilly powder, coriander powder and mix well till the raw smell leaves. Immediately add 1 cup of water and allow to boil. Once water starts boiling add potato pieces and egg pieces upside down. Allow to boil for another 5 minutes in medium flame. 

(6) Now pour the thick coconut milk to it. Heat it for some seconds in low flame. Switch off the flame. Your potato egg curry is now ready. Close the vessel with a lid for 10 minutes before serving.

Have it with appam/chapathi. I had it with appam..

Tips:

• Don't boil thick coconut milk as it  will curdle. 
• Adjust spiciness(green chilly/chilly powder) according to your taste.