VELLARIKKA / CUCUMBER PACHADI

Pachadi is a typical Kerala cuisine side dish made from a variety vegetables like Cucumber, Ash Gourd, Bitter Gourd, Ginger or even Lady's finger. And surely it is a main dish of Sadhya. The combination of coconut and mustard along with chilly gives a nice aroma and taste to the pachadi. And so many are confused of difference between pachadi and kichadi. I too was in that list till my grandma cleared it. Adding the grounded mustard is the main difference between pachadi and kichadi. In kichadi mustard is used only for seasoning. Check out my Pineapple Kichadi Recipe. This is recipe for Vellarikka Pachadi.

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BACHELOR's ONASADHYA

Ingredients:-

1. Cucumber (Vellarikka) – 250 g

2. Curd – 1 cup

3. Salt – to taste

To Grind:

4. Grated coconut – ½ cup

5. Shallots – 2-3 nos.

6. Green chili – 1 nos.

7. Cumin seeds – ½ tsp.

8. Mustard seeds – 1 tsp.

For Seasoning:

9. Dry red chili – 2 nos.

10. Curry leaves – 1 sprig

11. Mustard seeds – ½ tsp.

12. Shallots – 2 nos., sliced

13. Oil – 2 tsp.

Method:-

1. Peel and cut cucumber into small thin pieces. Cook it with sliced green chilly along with enough water and salt.

2. Grind together grated coconut, shallots, green chili & cumin and mustard seeds along with a little water into a smooth paste.

3. Once the pieces are cooked, add the grounded coconut paste and continue cooking in low flame for another 3 minutes.

4. Then add the curd and stir well. Remove it from the flame.

5. Heat oil in another pan, splutter mustard seeds and saute dry red chilies and curry leaves for a few minutes.

6. Pour the seasoning over the vellarikka pachadi. Mix well before serving.

PINEAPPLE KICHADI

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BACHELOR's ONASADHYA

Ingredients:-

1. Pineapple – half of a medium sized pineapple, finely chopped

2. Green chili – 2 nos., split lengthwise

3. Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp.

4. Salt – to taste

5. Sugar – ¼ tsp.

6. Curd – 1 cup

To Grind:

7. Coconut grated – ½ cup

8. Cumin seeds – ½ tsp.

For seasoning:

9. Coconut oil – 1 tsp.

10. Dry Red chili – 2 nos.

11. Mustard seeds – ½ tsp.

12. Curry leaves – 1 sprig

Method:-

1. Grind coconut and cumin seeds into fine paste.

2. Cook pineapple along with green chili, turmeric powder, sugar and little of salt in 2-3 cups of water. Cook till whole water get absorbed.

3. Then add the grinded paste. Cook it for another 2 minutes and remove from fire.

4. Then add curd and mix well.

5. Heat oil in another pan and sputter mustard. Then add dry red chili and curry leaves and saute it for a minute. Add the seasoning to the curry.

6. Delicious Pineapple Kichadi is ready to serve with boiled rice and other dishes.

Notes:-

- Add sugar according to pineapple’s sweetness.

VELLARIKKA PULISSERY / MORU CURRY

As I’ve told in the previous post, Puliserry is an authentic side dish of kerala, especially in Sadhya. And it is prepared with a variety of vegetables as the main ingredient like Cucumber (Vellarika), Mango, Pineapple, Banana etc. Today I’m coming up with the recipe for Vellarika Pulissery. I hope everyone will enjoy it.

Check BACHELOR'S ONASADHYA for More Simple & Easy-to-Cook Onasadhya Recipes. 

Ingredients:-

1. Sambar cucumber – 1 no., medium size

2. Curd – 3 cups, beaten

3. Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp.

4. Salt – to taste

To Grind:

5. Coconut – 1 cup, grated

6. Cumin seeds – 1 tsp.

7. Shallots – 4 nos.

8. Green chilies – 3-4 nos.

For Tempering:

9. Oil – 1 tbsp.

10. Shallots – 3 nos., sliced

11. Dry Red chili - 2

12. Mustard seeds – 1 tsp.

13. Fenugreek seeds – ½ tsp.

14. Curry leaves - a sprig

Method:-

1.  Peel and cut the cucumber into small 1 inch cubes. Boil it covered in a pan with enough water and salt till it gets cooked.

2. When it is get cooked, grind grated coconut, cumin seeds, shallots and green chilies in a mixer grinder into a smooth paste.

3. Add this paste into the cooked cucumber along with the turmeric powder and cook it for few minutes. Keep stirring in between.

4. Switch off the flame and add the beaten curd to it. Adjust the salt. Continue stirring for few more minutes.

5. Then in a separate pan, heat oil and sputter mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds. Then add the sliced shallots, curry leaves and dry red chilies and saute them for a minute till shallots turns brown. (N.B: don’t get it burnt)

6. Add the tempering on to the top of Puliserry and the Vellarika Puliserry is ready to be served!!!

NAADAN PARIPPU CURRY (KERALA STYLE)

This Parippu curry is typically a Kerala dish, since it used coconut which is a typical ingredient of Kerala dishes. It’s one of the main and the first dish served to have with rice in Onasadhya, and when accompanied with a spoon of ghee, it is absolutely a different experience of taste. If there is pappad along with Parippu Curry and ghee, then I don’t want anything else to have some extra rice for the lunch. More Simple & Easy-to-Cook Onasadhya Recipes @ BACHELOR'S ONASADHYA

Ingredients:-

1. Cheruparippu (moong dal) – 1 cup

2. Grated coconut – half of a coconut

3. Cumin seeds – ½ tsp.

4. Green chilies – 5-6 nos.

5. Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp.

6. Coconut oil – 2-3 tsp.

7. Shallots – 3-4 nos., chopped

8. Mustard seeds – ½ tsp.

9. Red chili – 2-3 nos.

10. Curry leaves – 1 sprig

11. Salt – to taste

12. Ghee – 1 tsp. (optional)

Method:-

1. Cook dal by along with 2 cup of water and salt till it is soft and mushy. Mash it well. (If cooking in a pressure cooker, cook for 3-4 whistles)

2. By the time dal get cooked, grind grated coconut, green chilies and cumin seeds along with turmeric powder.

3. When dal is ready, add ground paste and adjust salt. Add 1 more cup of water. Let it boil and remove from flame.

4. Now heat oil in another pan and splutter mustard seeds, and add shallots, curry leaves and red chilies. Saute till the onion becomes golden brown. Pour over cooked dal and mix well.

5. Drizzle some ghee over the curry before serving and enjoy with rice and pappad.

Done!!!

RAJASTHANI LAAL MAAS CHICKEN CURRY

Laal Maas Curry, traditionally made out of mutton (but also been prepared with chicken), is an authentic Rajasthani dish pretty much hot and spicy in nature as the name suggest (Laal Maas means Red Hot) and is served along with roti or rice varieties. Since I’m not a big fan of mutton, I decided to try it with the chicken and the same ingredients and the processes.

Ingredients:-

1. Chicken – ½ Kg, Medium size pieces

2. Onion – 2 nos., thinly sliced & grinded to paste

3. Ginger-garlic paste – 4-5 tsp.

4. Garlic – 5-6 pods, chopped

5. Red chili powder – 2-3 tsp. (adjust according to your spice level)

6. Turmeric powder – 1 tsp.

7. Coriander powder – 2-3 tsp.

8. Bay leaf – 1 no.

9. Green cardamom – 2 nos.

10. Black / Bengal cardamom -1 no.

11. Cinnamon stick – 2” long

12. Cloves – 3-4nos.

13. Curd – ½ cup

14. Lemon juice – 1 tsp.

15. Oil – 6-8 tbsp.

16. Salt – to taste

17. Coriander Leaves – a handful, Chopped

Method:-

1. Wash and pat dry the chicken pieces. Marinate it with 1 tsp. ginger-garlic paste, red chili powder, salt, 1 tsp. yogurt, and lemon juice. Mix well and keep it for 1 hour.

2. Heat oil in a deep thick bottom pan. Add onion paste and cook until it becomes slight brown in colour. (N.B: continuously saute to prevent it from sticking to bottom of pan and get burned)

3. Then add bay leaf, black & green cardamom, cinnamon and cloves, and saute it for 1-2 min.

4. Now add marinated chicken pieces (save the extra marinade mix) and stir cook the chicken pieces on high flame for 2-3 minutes.

5. Make a paste by mixing ginger- garlic paste, red chili powder, turmeric powder, and coriander powder in a bowl and add it to the pan along with extra marinade mix and needed salt. Cook till the oil separates.

6. Add 1 cup of water and cover with a lid and cook for 15-20 minutes on medium flame until the chicken is done and flesh almost coming off the bones. Then boil it uncovered to get the desired consistency of gravy.

7. Now add garam masala powder, whisked curd, and chopped garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Switch off the flame and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

8. Your Rajasthani Laal Maas Chicken Curry is ready to serve hot with Roti, Naan or Rice.

Notes:-
- Use Kashmiri red chili powder if you are of low spice tolerance. I used Kashmiri Chili powder.

KERALA STYLE THENGA CHAMMANTHI (COCONUT CHUTNEY)

Thenga Chammanthi is a perfect dish when we think of homely food. If I can get a plate of pazhankanji & a spoon of thenga chammanthi, it will be like I got heaven, happier than eating a burger or a pizza. Before going to boarding school, mom will be waiting for me with rice and chammanthi along with some other dishes every evening for my return from school. But I use to have more of chammanthi than any other side-dish. And if it is there with some PachaMoru, I’ll be the happiest one. In Kerala, chammanthi is prepared on ammikallu (which is rare one now, but my grandma is having one which I used to prepare chammanthi this time) before the wide use of mixer grinders, which tastes heavenly and no mixer grinder can give you that taste. It is an excellent accompaniment for dosa & idli, apart from rice.

Ingredients:-

1. Grated Coconut – of one full coconut

2. Dried red chilies – 2 nos. (Can add more according to your spice level)

3. Shallots – 6 nos., sliced

4. Ginger – 1 inch length, chopped

5. Tamarind – size of a small lemon

6. Salt – to taste

7. Curry leaves – 1-2 sprig

8. Oil – 1 tbsp.

Method:-

1. Heat the oil in a pan, into which add shallots, chopped ginger, curry leaves and dried red chilies. Saute it for 2-3 minutes till it releases a roasted smell.

2. Then add coconut and mix well, and saute it for a minute or two. (N.B: do not brown coconut)

3. Remove it from fire & allow it cool.

4. Now mix tamarind & salt to this mixture.

5. Ground it in the smallest jar of the mixer grinder, ideally with no water. (If needed sprinkle a little of water to aid it in grinding)

6. Serve it along rice, dosa or idli.

Done!!!

Notes:-

- If you don’t have dried red chilies, you can use around 2tsp. chili powder instead.

- You can use green chilies instead of dried red chilies, which gives you a white chammanthi.