Padavalanga Thoran/Snake Gourd Thoran

Many of you may know the recipe, here sharing my mother's recipe. Padavalanga will cook easily and thoran goes good with rice..

Ingredients:

Padavalanga/Snake Gourd	1
Toor dal	2 tspoon
Salt	to taste

For grinding:

Grated coconut	1/4 cup
Garlic	2 cloves
Cumin seeds	1/2 tspoon
Red chilly powder	1/2 tspoon
Turmeric powder	1/4 tspoon

For seasoning:

Oil	1 tbl spoon
Shallots/small onion	3(cut to tiny pieces)
Mustard	1/2 tspoon
Curry leaves	1 sprig

Preparation:

(1) Chop the skin of padavalanga using the sharp side of a knife or use a peeler. Cut it into pieces. Now chop each pieces into tiny cubes. Meanwhile boil toor dal in water for 1 to 2 minute. Make it half cook which is shown in last picture. Drain the water and keep the toor dal aside.

(2) Heat oil in a pan and season with the ingredients shown under heading "for seasoning". Now add half cooked toor dal. Saute once and add chopped padavalanga. Add salt to it. Mix well. Let it cook for some 10 to 15 minutes. Saute in between (If you want to avoid oil, pour 1/4 cup of water to it. Mix once and allow to boil till water dries up and is cooked).

(3) Mean while grind the ingredients shown under for "grinding heading"without adding water and make a course mixture. Once padavalanga is cooked well add ground mixture to it and mix well. 

(4) Switch off the flame. Your padavalanga thoran is ready.

Have it with your rice..

Tips:

• Chop padavalanga into tiny pieces so that it will cook easily while stirring.
• Addition of toor dal is optional. It will enhance the taste.

Potato Masala/Subji

Potato masala will be our regular side dish with poori. It is easy to prepare and goes well with poori/chapathi…..

Ingredients:

Potato	3
Ginger	2 inch piece
Garlic	5 to 7 cloves
Onion	1
Green chilly	5(medium)
Oil	2 tspoon
Dry red chilly	2
Mustard	1/2 tspoon
Curry leaves	1 pinch
Salt	to taste
Turmeric powder	1/2 tspoon
Garam masala(optional)	1 tspoon
Water	1/4 cup

Preparation:

(1) Peel the skin of potato. Boil it in pressure cooker by adding water for about 3 whistles. Once it is boiled, mash it and keep aside.

(2) Meanwhile chop onion, garlic, ginger and green chilly. Keep it aside. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard. Once it splutters add dry red chilly and curry leaves. Now add ginger and garlic. Saute till the raw smell goes off.

(3) To this add chopped onion and little salt. Saute well. Now add green chilly and saute till the color of onion changes brownish.

(4) Reduce the flame to low. Add turmeric powder and mix once. Add mashed potato with it and mix well.

(5) Now add water, garam masala and salt. Mix well. Make a salt test. Close the vessel with a lid and allow to cook for 10 minutes in low flame. Your potato masala is ready.

Have it with your chapathi/poori..

Tips:

• Don't add too much of water.
• You can replace water with thin coconut milk which enhance the taste.

Cabbage Thoran

Thoran is easy to cook,cabbage thoran too. This is cooked without adding water and also tastes too good.

Ingredients:

Cabbage	1(small)
Oil	2 to 3 tspoon
Urad dal	1/2 tspoon
Mustard	1/4 tspoon
Dry red chilly	2
Curry leaves	1 pinch
Salt	to taste

For grinding:

Grated coconut	1/2 tspoon
Garlic	3 cloves
Cumin seeds	1/2 tspoon
Turmeric powder	1/2 tspoon
Chilly powder	3/4 tspoon

Preparation:

(1) Remove the outer leaves of cabbage and finely chop it. Keep it aside.

(2) Grind all the ingredients shown under "for grinding" heading in a mixer without adding water. Make a coarse mixture. Keep it aside.

(3) Heat oil in a pan. Add urad dal and saute for some  seconds. To this add cumin seeds and mustards. Once mustard crackles add dry red chilly and curry leaves. To this add chopped cabbage and salt. Mix well.

(3) In low flame saute it till it is completely cooked(If you find it too dry, sprinkle water over it or add oil). Once cabbage is cooked well add the ground mixture to it and mix well. Switch off the flame. Close the vessel with a pan. Your cabbage thoran is ready.

Have it with your rice

Tips:

• Cabbage should be chopped finely, which helps in easy boiling.
• Since we don't use water to cook, stir the cabbage contents in between to avoid burning.

Vazhakka Upperi/Banana Stir Fry

It it is an easy to make recipe.Normally you can find this upperi in kerala sadya which will be in one end of banana leaf:)

Ingredients:

• Raw banana/vazhakka-1
• Green chilly(chopped)-3
• Salt to taste

For tempering:

• Oil-2 tspoon
• Urad dal-1 tspoon
• Dry red chilly-3
• Mustard-1/2 tspoon
• Curry leaves-1 pinch

Preparation:

(1) Peel the skin of banana.Cut vertically into two pieces. Then make horizontal cut on each piece for about 1 inch thickness.

(2) In a vessel add banana slices with one cup of water. Add salt,chopped green chilies and close the lid. Allow the banana slices to boil. Drain the excess water and keep it aside.

(3) Heat oil in a pan. Add urad dal and saute it for some seconds. Once color changes add dry red chilly and mustard. Once it crackles add curry leaves. Then add the cooked banana slices. Saute it till all ingredients mix with banana slices. Switch off the flame.

Your vazhakka upperi is ready. Have it with rice.....

Cheera Thoran/Spinach Thoran

Ingredients:

Cheera/Spinach-5 cup(finely chopped)
Oil to fry
Salt to taste

for grinding

Grated coconut-1/2 cup

Chilly powder-1 tspoon

Turmeric powder-1/2 tspoon
Cumin seeds-1 tspoon

for tempering

Mustard-1 pinch
Dry red chillies-2
Curry leaves

Preparation:

1.Clean the spinach leaves and chop it well.

2.Grind coconut,chilly powder,turmeric powder,cumin seeds in a mixer and make a rough mixture.

(Do not add water while grinding)

3.Heat oil in a pan and add mustard.Once it crackles add red chillies  and curry leaves.Add chopped spinach into it.

4.Stir it for 1-2 minute(this helps in easy boiling of spinach)

5.Add little amount of water into the spinach mixture. Add salt. Mix well. Allow it to boil in a medium flame by closing the lid.

6.Once spinach is done(cooked well and no water should be present in it) add the grinded coconut mixture into it and mix well.

7.Heat it for another 1 minute.

Serve it with ur rice which is so nutritious.

Vazhakka Mezhukkupuratti/Banana Fry

Its an easy to cook side dish.

Ingredients:

Banana/Vazhakka(raw)-2

Chilly powder-1 tspoon

Turmeric powder-1/2 tspoon

Black pepper powder-1/2 tspoon

Small onion-3

Black gram dal/Uzhunnu-1 pinch

Dry red chillies-2 or 3(halved)

Oil-1 tbl spoon

Mustard-2 pinch

Curry leaves-1 pinch

Salt to taste

Preparation:

1.:Peel banana and cut horizontally into 2-3 pieces.Make thin slices on each piece.

2.Grind onion,chilly powder,tumeric powder and black pepper powder in a mixer.Make a fine paste.

3.Mix banana slices into this paste,add salt and boil in very little amount of water(It will be cooked in 3-4 mints.Boil till all water gets dried so that the ingredients wiil be stick to banana slices)

4.Heat oil in a pan and add black gram dal.Once it turns light brown add mustard.When mustard crackles add halved red chilly,curry leaves and cooked banana.

5.Stir in cooked banana until all items mix well.

6.Keep stirring until it is dried

Serve it hot with rice or roti of your choice.

Vendakka Mezhukkupuratti/lady's finger fry

Ingredients:

Lady's finger-20

Mustard

Dry red chillies-3

Green chilly-3

Curry leaves

Oil to fry

Salt to taste

Preparation:

1.Cut lady's finger and green chillies into small round pieces.

2.Mix salt with lady's finger,green chillies and keep it for 10 mints.

2.Heat oil in a pan.

3.Add mustard into it.Once it bursts add red chilly and curry leaves.

4.Add chopped ladys finger and green chillies into the above content.

5.Stir all the contents till lady's finger turns bit crispy and dry.

Serve it:)

Carrot Beans Thoran/Carrot Beans Poriyal

Vegetables:

Carrot-3

Beans-20

Ingredients:

Grated coconut-1/4cup

Chilly powder-1/2 spoon

turmeric powder-1/4 spoon

Small onion-1 chopped

Dried red chilly-2

Curry leaves-1 sprig

Mustard-1/2 tspoon

Salt to taste

Grinding method:

Grind grated coconut, chilly powder, turmeric powder and make into a rough mixture without adding water.

Preparation:

1. Cut carrot and beans into small pieces.

2. Boil the pieces in water with salt.

3. Once vegetables are cooked well add the ground mixture into it. Mix once. 

4. Mean while temper(kaduvaruklkal) with the normal ingredients(chopped onion,dry red chilly,mustard,curry leaves).

5. Add it to the thoran. Mix once and switch off the flame. 

Serve it:)

Kerala Aviyal

Our own aviyal...

Vegetables:

Carrot	3
Raw banana	2
Brinjal	1
Beans	15
Cucumber	1/2
Snake guard	1/2
Yam	1/4
Drum stick	1/4
Green chilly	4
Oil	1 tspoon

Wash and cut all the vegetables lengthwise that is around 2 inch. You can also add other vegetables.

Ingredients:

Turmeric powder	1/2
Chilly powder	1 tspoon
Salt	to taste
Tamarind	1 gooseberry size(soak in water and extract the juice)

For grinding:

Grated coconut	1/2 cup
Garlic	2 cloves
Cumin seeds	1/2 tspoon
Turmeric powder	1/2 tspoon
Green chilly	1

Preparation:

(1) Heat a pan and add all vegetables. To this add salt, turmeric powder and chilly powder with water(don't add too much of water). Mix well. Close the vessel with a lid. When it starts boiling,add tamarind water to the veggies. Boil it till veggies are cooked well.

(2) Mean while grind all the ingredients shown under  "for grinding" heading without adding water. Make a coarse mixture.

(3) When veggies are cooked well add the grinded mixture into it. Mix well. Make a test here. Add more tamarind water  and salt if you want. Switch off the flame and sprinkle 1 tspoon of oil over it. Mix well. Your aviyal is now ready.

Serve it with rice:)

Tips:

• You can use sour curd instead of tamarind water.
• While mixing the avial be careful not to break the pieces.