January 09, 2008

KERALA CUISINE

These two Thalis are my contribution to Regional Cuisine of India, which is started by Lakshmi from "veggie cuisine" and Jyotsna from "Curry Bazaar" is hosting this event this month showcasing the beautiful state of Kerala. Thanks for hosting J!:)
(Yes I know! I broke the "limit to 2-3 dishes" rule but this is RCI and just two meals from Kerala state you see!! I am absolutely keeping all my the other resolutions intact and execute strictly!)

Kerala:
Kerala, often referred as "God's own country" for its green, lush soothing scenery and "Amsterdam of India" because of it's intricate rivers and back waters run throughout the state, is situated Malabar Coast of southwestern India. The economy is being mostly agricultural, some of the key crops of Kerala are tea, coffee, rubber, cashew, cardamom, pepper, Coconut and cinnamon. Kerala is also a very popular tourist destination for Ayurvedic therapeutic treatments.
Kerala is the melting pot of many cultures and civilizations, consisting various cuisines of Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Bene Israelis of Cochin and with the influence of Dutch, Portuguese and British. Popular Vegetarian feast called Sadya and non-vegetarian cuisine including Beef which is rarely cooked in other Indian states are the norm depending on the religion/sect they belong to. Appams, Puttu and Pathiri are typically Keralite.
The people of Kerala are called Malayalees as the language spoken in Kerala is Malayalam. Kerala's legacy in art and culture dates back to centuries, being known for Koodiyattam, Kathakali and folk songs.

Onam:
One of most recognizable images of Kerala is the procession of beautifully decorated Temple Elephants during Onam festival which Kerala celebrates with great aplomb around Aug/Sept and boat race which is popular.Here is the story behind Onam festival.

Now the cuisine:
Kerala cuisine is so simple yet so delicious. Except Kadala curry, a similar dish we do make in Karnataka, every other dish you see here was new to me and tried for the first time and boy, was I in for a treat!!
All these recipes came from "The Essential Kerala Cookbook" authored by Vijayan Kannampally. All the dishes came out fabulously, I will cook more from this book for sure.You can see the book in the collage shown below.

Rice, Ragi and Coconut Puttu, Kozhi Mappas(Chicken in Coconut milk), Kadala Kari (Brown Chickpeas curry) and Papad:
I bought Puttukutti specially for this event. I had never cooked Puttu before and it will be on my menu often after tasting this! We make Thari or Coorgi Paputtu in a similar way but steamed in the plates. You can steam this mixture in like Idlis too if you don't have Puttukutti. Click on highlighted links to buy both Aapam chatti and Puttukutti.

For making Puttu:
If you don't have the Puttu maker, you can put the rice mix in the Idli stand or in Ramekins and steam them as usual in the pressure cooker.

1. Take 1 cup Rice flour (making the easy way than soaking and grinding the rice), 1/4 cup Ragi (red millet) flour, 1/4 cup grated coconut mixed with pinch of turmeric for color in separate bowls.
2. Take about 3/4 water, mix 1/4 tsp salt. Sprinkle this on rice flour just until they slightly wet but not soaked. Do the same with Ragi flour.
3. Fill the bottom part of Puttu maker with water halfway, heat it medium high. Meanwhile, add in layers, 1/3rd of coconut to the bottom of the tube, 1/2 the rice flour, 1/2 the ragi flour,1/3rd Coconut, rest of the Ragi flour, rest of the rice flour and top with coconut,cover and place this on the boiling water.
4. Making sure steam is coming thru' the top of the tube holes, steam for 8 mins. Take off the tube and push the bottom plate to release the Puttu.
Note: If you don't want layers, mix Rice flour and coconut together, wet it slightly and steam. Look in the collage for photo of plain Puttu. Coconut itself doesn't have gluten to stick.I prefer Puttu made this way than in layers.



Kadala Curry:
One of the most popular and delicious Chana curry, almost all the bloggers from Kerala have this dish posted in their blogs! Now it's in mine too, although I am not a Keralite!:D
You need:
Soak 2 cups of kala chana (brown chickpeas) overnight,drain the water, cook in the pressure cooker until soft with 2 cups or more fresh water.Mix in 1 tsp Tamarind paste,set aside.
Grind all these to a smooth paste:
1/4 cup grated fresh coconut, 1 tbsp Coriander seeds, 1/2 tbsp Cumin seeds, 1/2 tsp chilli powder, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, 8-10 pepper corns, 4 cloves, 1" cinnamon stick.
For seasoning:
2 tbsp oil and ghee mix, 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds, few curry leaves, 1 onion chopped, 1" ginger and 2 garlic ground to paste, 1 sliced green chilly.
To make it:
1. Heat oil, add mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add in onion and green chilly, fry for 2 mins until soft,add ginger-garlic paste,fry for a minute.
2. Add the cooked brown Chana to this with enough salt, let it boil for 2 minutes or so. Turn down the heat and add coconut paste and let it simmer for 5 mins on low heat.
3. When you see the little oil on top, it's done.Garnish with Cilantro.

Chicken Mappas:
A popular Chicken dish in Kerala gently simmered in coconut milk, it's delicious to eat with plain cooked rice. As any Indian gravy dish, it tastes much better the next day.You can any meat to this recipe like Lamb, Mutton or Beef.
You need;
Wash, cut 2 lbs Chicken into bite size pieces and set aside. Keep 1 can or 2 cups of Coconut milk ready and minced Cilantro for garnish.
Grind these to smooth paste:
2 garlic, 1" fresh ginger, 1/2 tsp chilli pd, 1 tbsp coriander seeds, 1 tsp Peppercorns, 1" cinnamon, 3 cloves, a pinch of Nutmeg, 1 tsp Fennel seeds, few curry leaves,1-2 green chillies, 1/4 onion chopped, 1/8 tsp turmeric with 1 tsp of vinegar and enough water.
Seasoning:
2 tbsp oil+ghee mixed, 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, few curry leaves, 1 large onion finely chopped.
To make it:
1. Season with oil, mustard, curry leaves and onion, fry until soft but reddish. Add ground masala, stir-fry for a minute or two until raw smell goes. Add chicken and mix well until they are white.
2. Add 1 cup of water, mix, cover and cook until the chicken is almost cooked. Turn down the heat, add coconut milk and simmer for 5 mins until you see the sauce thickening and smells great.
3. Garnish with minced cilantro.

Aapams, Nenthrapazham Kootukari,Varutha Thenga Chammanthi and Idichakka Thoran:
I know they are all mouthful to say but here are what they are. Aapams are yeast fermented rice batter pancakes cooked in Aapam Chatti or pan (I bought that too!), Plantain-Carrot-Chana-Greenpeas Kootu Curry, Roasted coconut-red chillies chutney and a tender Jackfruit stir-fry called Thoran! YUM!!

Aapams:
This is the modern day non-stick Aapam Chatti with sloped edges to make Aapams in place of traditional cast iron Chatti. You can use small Chinese Wok too if Chatti is not available.

1. Soak 1 1/4 rice for 3 hrs, drain and add to a blender. Soak 1 tsp quick acting Yeast, 1/2 tsp sugar and 2 tbsp warm water, let it foam for 5 mins.
2. . Add yeast mixture to blender with raw soaked, drained rice, 1/2 cup of cooked rice and 1 tsp Cumin seeds along with 3/4 cup of water. Grind these to a very smooth paste.
3. Take out in a big bowl, add 1 1/2 cups coconut milk, 1 tsp salt. Mix well, cover and let it ferment for 6 hrs.
3. Heat Aapam chatti, add a ladleful of batter, lift the pan, tilt and swirl the batter around to make a circle, put it back on the heat, cover and cook until done but still remain white. No flipping necessary to cook the other side for this yummy pancake!!

Immediately after the cooking the Aapam, it should look like this! They do collapse after sometime.
I like these Aapams better than Puttu with side dishes. Puttus needs little getting used to like it. But these Aapams smell and taste so delicious!:)



Plantain Kootukari:
2 Plantains, cut into 1" cubes, cooked, 1/4 cup frozen Greenpeas, 1/4 cup black chickpeas(Kala chana), cooked, 2 Carrots cut into 1" cubes, all cooked with enough water. Cilantro to garnish.
Grind these to smooth paste:
1/2 cup coconut, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1/2 tsp chilli powder, 4-6 peppercorns, few curry leaves, 1/4 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp tamarind paste.
For seasoning:
2 tbsp oil+ ghee, 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp Cumin seeds, 1 tbsp Urad dal, 2 broken dry red chillies, few curry leaves.
To make Kootukari:
1. Season with oil etc as shown above. When they splutter, add cooked vegetables with it's water and heat it.Add more water if you need it for few minutes.
2. Lower the heat, add the coconut paste and simmer for 5 mins until thick and smells good.Garnish with cilantro.

Roasted Coconut chammanthi:
This is most delicious chutney I have ever eaten,never used the roasted coconut before! I think traditionally they just pound these together to make thick chutney without adding any water like my grandmother does sometimes, which I know tastes lot better than grinding with water in a blender!
1. Heat a pan, fry 1 cup fresh grated coconut in 1 tsp oil until it is reddish, put in a blender. Add and fry 3-4 dry red chillies, 4 Pearl onions or 2 shallots, 1" fresh ginger, 12 curry leaves in 1 tsp oil for 2 minutes.
2. Add this to the blender along with 1/2 tsp tamarind paste, 1/8 cup or less water and salt.
3. Grind to a coarse or smooth thick paste whichever way you like it and serve.

Raw Jackfruit Thoran:
My personal favorite,simple to make and very delicious to eat with Aapam. I used a 15oz can of raw Jackfruit to make this. We loved it!:)
1. Open the can, drain and chop raw tender Jackfruit into small 1" pieces, or cut and cook 2 cups of fresh raw Jack fruit with some water, drain. It should be dry since it's a stir-fry. Set aside.
2. Grind 1/4 cup coconut, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, turmeric,2 red chillies, 1 tbsp onion to a coarse paste. Set aside.
2. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan, add 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp dry red chili flakes, few curry leaves, 1/2 onion minced. When golden, add cooked dry Jackfruit, salt and ground paste and stir fry for few minutes until shiny. That's it. Delicious Thoran is ready!

Click to enlarge to see all the above dishes along with the book I referred and my improvised Rice-Coconut Puttu:

These are the most satisfying authentic dishes from Kerala I have ever cooked, I will make more dishes from the book in future posts. Enjoy and have a great weekend. From next time, I will try and keep the post limited to 2-3 dishes except for RCI posts!:D

115 comments:

Purnima said...

Ashakka..lovely Keralite spread ...as usual...your puttu looks neat and adding ragi makes it a visual appeal!Loved all the other dishes too! Have a great week!

Padma said...

Lovely post on Kerala Cuisine with Asha-twist to it ;) I am always amazed by the amt of time n energy you have for the food events, I guess u never miss any one of those!

Great Work, Asha!

Finla said...

Asha I am flying to your place to have all the dishes. And if you don't have any thing left you can start making for me.
Every dish is delicious.
I love puttu. But Hans don't he calls it Bomb. When ever my mother makes it that is what he calls them.
And tha amonut of info you have given about kerala is so wonderful.

Finla said...

Hey I just clicked the picture to enlarge and that makes me more hungry ;-)

Meeta K. Wolff said...

Lovely feast and a great post Asha! Hope you had a great start to your new year and wishing you and your gang a grand 2008!

indosungod said...

Asha, what is not to like in Kerla cuisine, puttu looks gorgeous with the chicken curry and kadala curry delicious and so are the lovely lacy appams.

Resolutions are to be broken just like rules are. I had a wise lady advise me, she essentially said "babies will be fine as long as they are in a safe environment, fed and kept clean but they need a lot more attention when they are teenagers and if you are thinking of staying home do it then" I see the wisdom in her words. And Asha there leads to your path of spending more time with your grownup kids. Oh they are still babies anyway.

Beccy said...

Thank you for giving us the information about Kerala, it's really interesting and the dishes look lovely.

TBC said...

Well done, Asha! I love the spread.:-) Puttu-kadala is something I love having for BF but don't make often enough.

Mishmash ! said...

Look who's cooking puttu and appam ....!!! I am so happy to see all this in ur blog and yeah I remember u saying once that u have an eye on the puttu kutti and here u get a bonus of appa-chatti too :))) really happy to see this grand kerala feast....btw, Ihavent had my breakfast yet and u re making me read all this !! :)

Shn

Pooja said...

wow, wonderful kerala treats....
its just morning, i just had breakfast, and you are making me feel hungry all over again, thats not good Asha :P .
Well, I love the way you described details of kerala, I remember the story of Onam , I learned it , as a child from enlish book lesson :)).
Raagi is tempting me to try it out ,seems little easy too . what do you say ? BTW, I am planning to start Vegetable of the Week & Theme of the week again , check the post sometime later today. And yeah, as per your wish , I have made beautiful logo too, just suitable to all different weeks.... Any suggestion from you is always welcome dear... have fun with cooking and stick to your resolutions, Have a great new year ahead...
-Pooja

Anonymous said...

Hi Asha,
puttu is looking delicious.mine dosen't come out so well.

shalini

J said...

My, what a spread!! This event is making me very, very homesick!! All the info was very good! Thanks for participating! :)

Seema said...

Lovely Kerela spread Asha!! Each dish is so mouthwatering & Delicious....Can i stop by for some puttu & Kadalai curry - Its BF time for me here! Awesome collection of kerela recipes & great info on the place too.. Great job as always!!

FH said...

Thanks Purnima, I loved each and every dish. I usually make Avial but these were a revelation to me!:)

Thank you Padma. I am very proud to showcase each state of India in a majestic way!:)

HeHe! Puttu looks like shell bomb, isn't it? Coconut between rice made it fall apart but when I mixed it with rice flour,it came out very well.
I enjoyed Kerala cuisine so much. You have a beautiful state with great history, should make you very proud! We should visit one day!:)
I will make it for you again anytime but I am sure you can make them better than me!:D

Thank you Meeta. Yes, we had fun on the first of Jan. and enjoyed a yummy cake too.
Wish you and your's a great 2008 too, enjoy!:))

Pooja said...

Ooops........! I meant to say appam where i wrote raagi. Hope you can understand that a non south indian can be easily mistaken with those terms :( .

Finla said...

Well Asha I have to tell you a secret. I have never made puttu in my whole life. I always wait till i get to my moms place or my sisters place to have them :-) I know i know bad keralite. MY excuse is I don't have a puttu kutti ....

FH said...

Indo, I LOVED LOVED reading about Kerala, such a history and no wonder Keralites are such proud people.It is very impressive!:)
Teenagers: Ah yes! Son is giving me trouble right now and it continues until he is atleast 16!! I am the task master for him, dad is too soft on the kids! That's why the resolution to make time for us, less surfing the blogs!:D
Raising the daughter was really a breeze, even at 12!! Hopefully, I can make it with the sunny boy!!;P

Beccy, even though we are all from India, our each state in India is so diverse in every way, it's a education for me too!:)

tbc, we had it for dinner, it was really good. Coconut made it break, but came out well for a first timer! You do come from a great state!:)

Haha!! Shn, you lucky girl! You grew up eating all these, for me many were the first time try. I LOVED them shn, will be making more.I always liked Avial but didn't except others to taste so great too.Love my appam Chatti and puttu kutti, such a nice ring to say the names too!!:D

Bharathy said...

Owwoah! :)..perfect puttus!I always flop with them..Nice too see the idichakkas,chammanthis and appams :)..
Wonderful spread..can smell home here..:)

Sig said...

Asha, I have been waiting for this post... You bought a puttukutti, and an appam pan... WOW! The spread looks delicious, the chicken mappas goes great with appams too... Glad you liked the Kerala cuisine...

Puttu looks perfect.. And Happy Cook's secret is my secret too... I have never made puttu myself, my mom made the one on my blog, otherwise I just get the frozen ones from the Indian store. I have the puttukutti at home, but no patience... :) Your perfect puttu is making me feel all guilty now :p

FH said...

Pooja, the minute you see those Onam Elephants, you know it's about Kerala, isn't it? I wish I could see them for real during Onam, may be one day.
Ragi is just like rice or wheat flour, just reddish color which makes the dish very attractive, try it.
Great to hear that you are starting your event again, I will participate whenever I can. Make it monthly event like all others, there are so many events we have now, weekly would be hard to get in many dishes. Looking forward to it!:))

Shalini, I was apprehensive too to make Puttu because I had never tried it before in that gadget but it came out well. I was so happy. Sometimes steam escapes from the sides, press it down and see that steam comes out only on top holes. Cook for 8 mins after you see the steam coming out of the top or you can steam in bowls in the pressure cooker!:)

J, thank you for hosting. I learned a lot and enjoyed it too. What a diverse history!! Glad I got the chance to read about it, I wouldn't have searched for all these without this RCI event!:)
I will e mail them to you later, busy morning today.

I will make them again for you Seema!:D
Thanks, Kerala has so many traditional recipes, made with so many gadgets too. They use the coconut shell to steam Puttu, wish I had one!:)

FH said...

Pooja, that's okay, no worries. I made yeast Appams for the first time ever too and I am from the south, a pucca southie! :D
I like Appams better, try it. It smells so good too with coconut milk added to it!:)

WHAT?! F, blasphemy!!! A pure Kannadiga like me cooking Puttus and here you are! VERY BAD!!;D
I understand, I have never tried many traditional dishes my ajji makes either.
Besides, Hans don't care for Puttu, so you don't have the motivation!!:P
You could steam like Idlis in a bowl too or you can wait for YEARS to go home and taste it!Hahaha!!

Thanks Bharathy, so glad you approved!:)
I was little scared of Kerala girls and what they are going to say!!:D
I loved the cuisine. Puttu making is little tricky, mainly because of that Kutti.Steam comes out on the sides, got to keep pressing it down but doable in the end!:)

Hi Sig, so glad to hear that! I loved reading about the history of Kerala, so many cultures coming together in such great way, enjoying and respecting each other's way of life! Beautiful I think, like you are!:))
I didn't know you get frozen Puttus. We have a Gujju store here, I don't think they keep them.
I remember your mom's puttu. Yeah, many dishes which are so easy for our elders are not easy for us at all. They did work hard at everything!:)
Have a great day, see you later.

Richa said...

wow! lovely spread! the puttu & kootu curry are too tempting.
i will try puttu in my idli stand, how long should i steam it? do u recommend mixing all 3 and then steaming or layering for the idli stand method? tx

Swati said...

Beautiful spread Asha...Everything looks so perfect n mouthwatering!!

Shilpa said...

Love that puttu picture. Its on my to-do list for a long time now. But puttu maker is quite expensive I think, will buy when I go to India. Have already piled up too many things here :(.

I love Kerala cuisine too...I wish someone makes a onam sadya and invites me ;)..Too much to ask, isn't it?

Priya said...

I just got an Appam Chatti and here u r with the recipes. Lovely Asha. Puttu is my favorite and when we don't have those proper tools, we just steam in idli plates or pressure cooker too.

vimmi said...

Hi Asha,
U made not one but two thalis. What a lovely sight. loved the chciken recipe. And will try jackfruit thoran soon. I am just starting to cook food from the beautiful and lush southern states and love love love them. Previouslly it was only limited to sambhar, rasam, chutney and idli dosas. But there is a wealth of recipes to try.

Sreelu said...

Asha, lovely feast. Has a chance to appams/puttu from a Keratile freind absoutely loved it. Pics look great too

FH said...

Richa, glad you liked them!:)
Don't make the flours too wet, just moist. Steam about 8-10 mins after the steam comes out of the top in the pressure cooker, just like for Idlis or put them in the bowls to make bigger Puttus than idli mould.
You can layer, it looks pretty with Ragi and rice but coconut layer doesn't stick, so they break apart. Mix coconut with rice and Ragi separately and layer with both or mix all to make it easier. Hope it works!:)

Hi Swati, thanks girl!:)
Kerala cuisine is really delicious, hope you try.

Shilpa, it costs $20 but if you don't make it often, not worth buying here.You can always steam it in pressure cooker in wide mouthed bowls just to try!:))
Haha! Me too! Sadya spread looks mouthwatering!!

Seena said...

It is very interesting to read about Kerala, though I know everything..:)
Everything looks perfect, like others me too home sick seeing all these together..:)
I haven't heard of this book author yet, Hope the recipes might be great..

FH said...

Priya, appams are really tasty, very different from our regular dosas. I thought yeast might smell odd in it but it didn't ,was great. So white and spongy too! Try it. I will try cooking Puttus in pressure cooker too just to experiment!:)

Vimmi, it is true! We all think southern food ends in Idli, Sambhar but there is so much more to South than that. Try the Mappas, tastes great with plain rice too or Appams. Enjoy!:)

Sreelu, you are so lucky! I have never eaten authentic Appams etc at all, so don't know what to compare with. I loved these, may be one day we will visit Kerala just to taste the real thing!:)

Seena, I am happy that all the Kerala bloggers so far liked these. They are al new to me but only Keralites know whether they are authentic!:)
That book is not that popular like some other Kerala books, but when I tried the dishes, I loved them. Very simple and tasty, see if you can get it there.

Anonymous said...

asha you're really inspiring! you bought appam chatti n puttukutti just for the event and has given such a fab spread. i'm still drooling at the aappam. my mom used to make it often... they taste yummy with just about anything. i think that's one of the few dishes me n brother both would eat without any complaints and disagreements:) but anyway she lost her appa chatti (in cast iron) couple of years back and since then she's lost all interest in making them (no she's not convinced with non-sticks yet!). i'd sure try it in my wok:)

Rina said...

Wow!!!! Ashaji...this is is awsome. Absolutely loved the pittu & Appams.. Bookmarked to try this Kerala Cuisine. Wonderful job...Beautiful pics...

bha said...

Puttus look interesting, have never tried it..Thats a wonderful spread Asha and it seems really delicious

ChrisB said...

Asha I never fail to learn something about different festivals and foods when I visit you each week. The links were great.

As always your dishes look so delicious and I love today's music.

USHA said...

Hi Ashaji,

Kerela traditional recipes are superb....hmmmm you got puttu maker too here...gr8.Wonderful combination of recipes.Thanks.

Laavanya said...

I love how you have layered the puttus. My kadala curry recipe is similar too. Yummy combo. Truly a lovely kerala feast Asha. My mouth is watering... I love aapams too.

Anonymous said...

Kerala Cuisine is really looking nice. our family should have enjoyed it. And WISH YOU A HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Margie said...

Hi Asha
It's so wonderful to be back here again!
I've missed being here!
As always you have given us another wonderful post!
Everthing looks so yummy!

I love the music too...so soothing!
Happy New Year to you and your family dear Asha!

Margie

Margie said...

Oh, that coconut cake in your previous post is.... To Die For!
I have to make it!
Thanks for the recipe Asha!
And have a wonderful day!

Margie

FH said...

Latha, those cast iron ones so cute, I don't we get it here. Well seasoned cast iron pans are the best. Non-stick is great too, little expensive to buy but we don't have any choice here!:)
I will be making more Appams from now on, love it.

Thanks dear Rina. Whenever I saw Appams in Kerala blogs, I wanted to make them but didn't have that Chatti. Hope you try!:)

Bha, they are all delicious.Puttus are little work to make but great with gravy dishes!:)

Chris, if you ever visit India, Taj Mahal and Kerala state should be on the list. Kerala has package tours which include Ayurvedic massages etc, you would love it. Many from here go there to enjoy it and the food too!:)

FH said...

You are welcome Usha. It was little hard to find the puttu maker but found it at last! Hope you are taking care of yourself!:))

Laavanya, that little book is so authentic. I buy lot of fancy, hard bound books but most of the time they are not that good at all. I followed the recipe exactly like the book for Puttu and Kadala Curry said except I added some Ragi for color in the Puttu, really loved it!:)

Ramya, kids like brown chana dishes, so they did like Kadala curry. Try some of them, you will love it too, specially Appams with coconut milk!:)

Margie, so great to see you after a long break. Hope you enjoyed every minute of it!:)
Cake was great, we loved it and it was all gone within 3 days!:D
Happy new year to you, have a great day today. Yeah, we love classical music too!:)

Anonymous said...

hey sis
beautiful entries
i always wanted to buy the puttu machine.....but never found it.
try the idly stand when i get time
luv the ragi flour layer in puttu
abs. beautiful pics
granma makes the chana curry in a similar fashion...
appam is mouth watering
plantain kootukari is good. i never added that many veggies in one dish.
coconut chutney sounds tempting too
am never up for canned jackfruit though the masala is tempting.
have a great day sis

Jayashree said...

Lovely post, Asha.
That appam looks real good.....so does everything else, but I like the appam best. Goes well with kadala curry.
I too am planning to do a post on idichakka thoran....and it's simple only when u used canned idichakka...otherwise scraping the skin off and cutting it into pieces is a really time consuming task.....but the end result is absolutely worth it!!!

bee said...

what gorgeous dishes. are you sure you don't have a mallu gene hidden somewhere?

Padmaja said...

Asha u just posted now and already i am digging myself to the end of the comment list, u r one hot favourite girl. What an amazing post and like bee said i think the same too. I had all these dishes at my friends( many keralite friends~)but tried just appam couple of time at home. Gorgeous dishes!!I actually made cabbage thoran for this event today, will post in a day or two

FH said...

Anusha, glad you liked them. Try appam with Kootukari, very tasty. Let me know how did Puttu came out in the pressure cooker, haven't tried it yet!:))

You are right Jaya, nothing tastes like fresh raw Jackfruit.I used to cook with thoat in India. I have never seen one here though, atleast I get canned in Asian stores, works well too!:)

LOL! I am VEWWY VEWWY sure I got nothin' but Karnataka blood in me Bee!! But I wish I had some kind of connection to Kerala after eating these though! Really down to earth, traditional dishes, LOVED them all!:)

Padmaja, I post early in the morning before I start on my daily chores, so people get some time to comment. Take your time though, don't hurry!:)
Most of these are my first tries,loved it. Other state's cuisine didn't make me this happy, including my own Karnataka!:D
Cabbage Thoran sounds delicious, can't wait!:)

DK said...

You jus took away my Vella appam idea for RCI! Guess u take away almost many ppl's idea thanks to your 100,100 dishes in one post! Dunno whether to stand back with my jaws open and kiddishly fight with u for making everything!

If i were at ur place, am sure I wud pile on 100 Kgs ( not lbs) in a matter of 3 months!

TheCooker said...

Such a wonderful spread. As usual you went all out.

Mansi said...

OMG Asha!! this is such a lovely spread! I wish I could cook half as good as you:D, esp these authentic cuisines!! I'm still trying to follow the names, ingredients and elaborate steps:)

btw, I'm hosting new event this month..could you add it to your event list please? thx:D

Shivapriya said...

Awesome Asha, Aapam looks fabulous. My non-stick aapam make is out of service i'm going to buy new one soon:).

FH said...

LOL! D, I didn't make Vella Appam though, you can post that but I did see that dish in other blog!
Oh, come on! Put on some weight, not a problem with me at all. I made one Thali for Sunday and the other last week's dinner, not bad! But last week's cake will surely bloat you up in 3 days, believe me!!:D

Hi TC, good to see you. Thank you. I loved them too. Tasty and not that calorific!:))

Mansi, I just visited you and added it already! I will see what I can send you!:)
Traditional cuisine are always elaborate and gives you a great satisfaction to cook them. I specially loved Kerala dishes. Let's see what's next! Try some, most of them are veggie, stir fry was really great and easy too.

SP, you can follow the link there to buy if it's not available in the stores near you. Non-stick is really helpful, appams just slide out easily!:)
Enjoy, see you later.

DEEPA said...

Wow!!! Ashaji ....Perfect kerala cuisine and excellent spread ....the puttu is perfect ..I have never tried making it at home ......awesome

Latha said...

What a spread Asha! Looks awesome.. veyr authentic even! I've never tried to make kerala food at home, except for appam, but we make it slightly differently...
You guys must have had a feast! enjoy...

Susan said...

Asha, I have not been visiting here long enough to get over the shock at how prolific a cook you are. You just amaze me. I would be so happy to have these taste sensations set before me.

Pravs said...

Hey you cooked so many kerala dishes !! Liked the mixed puttu pic.With all those dishes..has a onam effect :) But where is the payasam to finish it off ?? :D

Rajitha said...

now will i not sacrifice to have idichakkai thoran..it is defintely up there on my fav. list..all the dishes are looking great asha...

Smita said...

oh yum!! I have eaten the kootukari at my friend's place several times for onam as a kid....i will definitely try it out..i do not have that pootu instrument but I can buy it ready made in story and try it out...Thanks:)

Ramya's Mane Adige said...

the puttu looks so damn good, Ashakka!!! lovely spread. and a lovely write up too

Meera said...

What a wonderful post, Asha!! I am going to try each and every recipe. Thanks for sharing such a nice information about delicious food from God's own country!

Kalai said...

Hello, Ashakka. I am totally impressed with the spread of food you've managed to post! Appam is one of my favorites, especially with different types of chicken curry!

Happy New Year!

Anonymous said...

Hi Asha, I should know better than to visit you at suppertime! Everything looks fantastic, so tasty and colorful! I just love those appams and I did make an attempt at those for RCI too, but mine came out disastrous. I'll have to give them another go. Good job keeping your resolutions -- well -- most of them anyway! :):)

MR said...

lovely spread Asha !!
those are the options for the breakfast on a usual sunday at my place!!!
very nice!!!

EC said...

Superb spread...your family is very lucky to have tasted all of them and enjoy..

KonkaniBlogger said...

Thats a lovely spread Asha. A keralite friend of mine used to make all these and I used to relish on them. Miss it now..Its great you made all these. Looking at the spread, it looks like a professional malayali has made it..Hats off ..

Pooja V said...

I am completely drooling over the entire spread. I am completely bowled over by the chickpeas curry.

Lakshmi said...

Lovely Spread Ashakka. I have decided to make those appams and chutney. Just came from Namrathas blog (she left me drooling over those appams too), here I have no words for this fantastic spread. Trust you and your family enjoyed those lovely dishes.

musical said...

Yummy! Puttu-kadla is one of the ever favorite things and so are appams :). I feel like hogging some right away and Ashakka, the puttu platter is looking sooooooooooo pretty!

Hmm, we know that you lovingly borke one resolution and are pardoned for treating us with such yummy stuff! But please, please don't break the other resolutions. You totally should get some time for yourself too :).

hugs,
musical.

amna said...

oh my god, asha! this is such a feast. Ur first puttu came out so well! and idichakka? where did u manage to get one of those? really really lovely and i feel flattered (strangely) that you put so much effort into this :)

i am also planning to post a simple kerala fish curry meal!

Rachel said...

Wow that is a neat array fo kerala food there! Interesting read there1

Red Chillies said...

Wow Asha. What a spread of dishes. Hats off to you as you adapt to so many cusinies and preapre authentic dishes from Kerala to Orissa that is difficult for me to believe you are from Karnataka.

Rajesh &Shankari said...

oh my my my..how do you do this. I love your enthusiasm. I seriously wish we were neighbors

sra said...

Your puttu looks beautiful. If you don't mind, what are the two reddish things in the first photo, between the chicken and the kadala curry? I even clicked on the pic but couldn't make out.

Srivalli said...

Everything looks so lovely Asha...kerala dishes are something that grows on you. When you have them the second time you will get hooked!...for appam maybe be considering your cold weather, it may not ferment properly. But the recipe we have, gets you perfect appams which stand out like that for quite a long time...heheh...Good to see that you have prepared so many...my favorite all time dishes are appam & puttu!...great to see all of them in one place

Raaga said...

I made it again :-) yummy veggie spread... despite having a good breakfast, I'm hungry all over again!!

Mona said...

So that is what a puttu cooker utensil looks like! I have often wondered...

& I LOVE aapams, with sweet coconut milk :) :)

Thanks for you well wishes My Friend!

(((HUGS)))

KayKat said...

Wow! Asha, how do you do this?? You really do add a new dimension to RCI with your fabulous spreads. Next time, just invite me over, please?

Aparna Balasubramanian said...

What a spread. RCI Kerala really has everyone cooking up a frenzy.

Raks said...

Wow,puttu and kadalai is a great combo and a fab looking spread Asha!U always Rock!!!

Shella said...

Asha ji, the spread makes me miss everything about home, mom (though she's near) n kerala. Really makes me wanna cry.

sunita said...

I'm late...thought I had already commented :-(...anyway, you make all types of cuisine with such ease, it's really admirable...this is just another one of those.

Daily Meals said...

Hi ASha! Great post. I love appams. Tasted them in a friend's house but never made at home.

Santhi said...

I am always so awestruck at the ease with which you manage to cook up a feast..and that too things which you are cooking for the first time...amazing :)

lakshmi said...

that ragi, rice flour puttu looks very interesting - will try that sometime.

i have one important question though - do you ever cook the same thing more than once?

FH said...

Thanks Deepa. Kerala cuisine made me happy too, very tasty and traditional!:)

Latha, appams are so tasty, I thought yeast would smell but it was great. I followed that to the T, came out well!:))

Haha!! Susan even Indians get shocked to see these, I don't blame you!:)
I make something special every Sunday for the family, one day we all get to sit and eat together,that's when I cook like this! Everyday food at home here is quite boring really!:D

Pravs, I purposely skipped the dessert because I have been baking cakes and cookies since Thanksgiving.Can't handle another sweet for a month or so from now!:D
Glad you liked them!:)

FH said...

Rajitha, I LOVED Idichakka Thoran, so simple to make and so yummy. I ate almost all with Appams!:D

Smita, Kootukari was great side dish for Appams too, try it. You can add any one veggie or mixed veggies as well. Enjoy!:)

Thank you Ramya!:)
Recipe said use just rice flour and Coconut but I thought Ragi would make it look attractive and it did!:)

Thank you mr, you are one lucky person!! We have the awfully bland cereals for breakfast!:D
We had these for dinner, loved them!:)

EC, thank you. Yeah, we did enjoyed new dishes and loved them. I would never have made these unless I was cooking for RCI!:))

FH said...

Meera, hope you do girl, they are really tasty. Appam is the one recommend, I loved it and I am planning to make again when I have some leftover cooked rice!:)

Hi Kali, thank you sweetie.I am going to make other non-veg recipes from that book too. They all look very interesting to me!:)

Linda, eat your supper first always before visiting me!;D
TRy this recipe for Appams, you need to have little cooked rice handy,other than that it's easy. You can use any non-stick pan too, doesn't have to be Chatti shape. Resolutions serving me well so far although some are not happy I don't come to them everyday!!:D

Maya, good to hear that girl. I haver tasted these before although I have been looking at them in Keralite blogs. I am glad I tried these too!:)

FH said...

Thank you Pooja. I love any dish with brown chana. They are absolutely delicious in whatever way we cook!:)

Lakshmi, I think most of the bloggers are trying Appams for RCI this month!:)
More the better. Do try, chutney tastes very very good with Appams, fry coconut until reddish and cool before grinding!:)

Musie, Kadalekalu is my fave too, can have it any time!:))
For RCI, I get one chance to showcase a state, so I make many which is okay I think!:)
I intend to keep others for sure, thanks for supporting me. I am getting some time to do my own thing.I just finished reading "Kite Runner" too! YAY!:D

Nags, we get Idichakka in cans here at Chinese stores, never seen a fresh Jackfruit though. I loved that Thoran and you should be very proud to be a Keralite!:))
Fish curry sounds great, can't wait. There are some Fish dishes in that book, I have to try few of those later.

FH said...

Thank you Rachel. I personally enoyed not only cooking new dishes but to taste them as well!:))

RC, we have always stick to what we know most of the time but when you explore other cuisines and cultures, you will be amazed to know how much we don't know and have been missing! Hope you try some of these!:)

Haha!! Shankari, I am flattered, thank you! Loved cooking these, I got a sense of achievement!!:)

sra, thanks girl!:)
Oh, they are porcelain salt and pepper shakers with Fall leaves design! They are so pretty, I had to fill the gap with those to show off!:D

Sri, that is true! It is very cold here for it to ferment sitting on the counter, I had to put it in the warm oven!:D
But if I cook Appams little longer until slightly reddish on the bottom, they do stay stiff but I liked the soft ones better! I heard Toddy makes it even more tasty but that is impossible to get here!:)

FH said...

Hi Raaga sweetie, take your time, no need to hurry since I post just once a week here, you have plenty of time. Glad you liked them, do try a few. See you later!:))

Hi Mona, so good to see you buddy. Hope you are doing well there and keeping yourself very busy!:))
Yeah, Puttu maker is new to me too, took quite a while to get used to it but works well.It's great to learn new things!
Good luck to you in whatever you are doing, hugs!:)

HeHe! Okay Kaykat!! Hop in on a flight and come over!:)
Thank you friend.

Thank you Raks, glad you like them.I loved making then too!:))

Oh Shella, don't feel sad. Atleast you can visit your mom. For most of us here, it's literally takes flying over seven Seas!!
Hugs to you. Lucky girl, you get to eat mom's cooking there!:))

FH said...

Sunita, you are not late at all, I just posted this yesterday, take your time!:)
Yes, for me it's an adventure and a great satisfaction when they come out great!

Vijaya, hope you make it at ome. You can use baking powder too, there are so many variation for the same Appmam recipes!:))

Santhi, sometimes I shock myself too! Haha! I get so enthused for RCI, I keep cooking many dishes and get embarrassed that I have so many!:)

Lakshmi, Ragi after it's cooked in the Puttu became so colorful I really liked it. Recipe didn't ask me add that, I just thought it would give some interesting color!:))
I cook the same Carrot Saaru often because kids like those baby carrots which makes Saaru a bit sweet and colorful!:D
I will post that sometimes next month. Have a great day!:)

Kamini said...

as usual a full spread. You go the whole hog don't you? Very dedicated.. Looks delicious particularly the apams. REally lacy and light..

lakshmi said...

baby carrots? oh, going by the average size of veggies you get in the US (about the size of a baby's head), i am assuming baby carrots are normal sizes carrots :D

post the carrot saaru sometime - only the saaru ntohing else. talk about how you keep making it over and over again :). if its a recipe you cook often it deserves that limelight.

and btw, me no posted veggie parathas. me posted tawa bread - quite quite different :D

Mrs. K said...

Wow!! I can't leave without saying a word even though I have very limited time for blogging/blog hopping right now. You bought a new puttukutti for the event!! Loved all what you have tried from the book. Now that you have the puttu maker, hope you will try different varieties of puttu. Try serving the puttu with spicy fish or meat curries. You are going to love it. You can even layer puttu mix with dry meat masala(irachi puttu) and steam it. All the best.

Nanditha Prabhu said...

Asha, first of all let me thank you for dropping by!
and your post here is making me crave for home! oh my ! what a spread!.....

FH said...

Kamini, I feel so proud to showcase each state of India, it's a education for me too!:))

LOL! Lakshmi, okay okay, I agree! Yeast makes it bread and not cooking in the oven makes it Tawa Bread indeed!
Baby carrots are really babies,expensive, thin about 2-3" long and very sweet.If you use for Halwa,need lot less sugar. Sometimes they cut the big carrots to look like baby carrots to add to salads which are not cheap. In Saaru, they taste sweet and spicy.
Just one dish at FH, that's blasphemy!:P Also, are you prepared tp make my ajji's saaru pd which 15 ingredients?:D

rp, thank you so much for your comment,I know how busy you are!:)
Yes, I saw Seena's meat stuffed Puttu, looks delicious and will try sweet ones too.I will take your suggestions as well. I have to use that Kutti often now, right?:)
Thanks again, have a great day. Hugs.

Nandhitha, you are a Keralite too, great to know that!:)
Glad to see you here too and glad all the Kerala bloggers liked this post.I was a little scared at first!:D
Thanks girl. enjoy the day.

RML said...

Hello Asha,
That was a lovely spread of Kerala cuisine.I remember having Appams and stew in blore.You are an awesome cook Asha ,Master of all cuisines.Great work!
Madhoo

Cynthia said...

Breaking all the rules :) I like that I get to see more of your food (lol)

One of these good days, I really would like to visit Kerala.

FH said...

Hi Madhoo, thanks girl. I try and I don't think I am the greatest cook because I do make mistakes sometimes!:D
Bangalore must have restaurants for every kind of cuisine now, didn't have that many when I was there. Must visit soon!

Cynthia, just one rule friend, that too only for RCI event!I will limit to 3 next time!;D
Most people visit Delhi and surroundings like Taj Mahal, Palaces etc, they should also know about Kerala and other states too.It's so beautiful, specially South Indian Temples. Hope you will visit soon!:))

Amanda at Little Foodies said...

I love the pictures of the elephants and the one below had my mouth watering. Sounds like you had a lot of fun cooking these different foods and I might just check out the Kerala cookbook too.

I'd love to go to Kerala, especially for some ayurveda therapy, of course I'd stuff myself silly with the wonderful food too!

FH said...

Hi Amanda, I love that Elephant photo, so beautiful and majestic, a great representation for that state. Hope you do make a trip to Kerala. There are lot of Ayurveda tourism going on these days there, sounds great to me too!:))

Manju said...

WOW!!!!! i was sooooo waiting for this girl!!! cud u be a dear n send some of those to me!! :D:D

Dalicia said...

thank you for sharing the kerala dishes and also about onam. i haven't had puttu for the longest time since i was in singapore.

i do remember they sell the frozen ones in the indian store.
do you think it's any good?

i hope you're having a wonderful year :)

Namratha said...

I saw the puttu cooker at my friend's place. Everything looks awesome Asha, as always :) Love the aapam pic, before I could click of mine like that it had already flattened! :-D

Keshi said...

u know Asha some ppl ask me if Im from Kerala :)

btw I love Appams..its very popular in Sri Lanka too. YUM!

hv a good weekend hun HUGGGGGGGZ!

Keshi.

Suganya said...

Asha, I have my eye on you. Next time you are sticking to your resolutions. Not that I complain about this beautiful spread :)

Mythreyee said...

Appam is mouth watering. Asha!! lovely dishes. Its 10:30 pm and I am hungry now. I remember, when I lived in San Diego, there used to be one kerala restaurant(I don't know if it is there now). Everytime I go to that restaurant, the two dishes I always order is Malabar Parotta and Appam. Most fav. kerala food for me. Your entry is great.

FH said...

Any time for you darling SC!!:)))
Thanks friend.

Hi Dalicia, I have never seen any frozen puttus in the store so far but one of the kerala blogger said she buys it, must be good!:)
It's very new to me too, loved it.
Yes, we had a great day on the 1st!:))

Same happened to me Nammu, you can see on the plate, flat Appams!:D
Then I cooked it a little longer, it came out well!:)

FH said...

Ah...!!! I am scared now!;D
Suganya, I am making few major changes to my blogs from today. No more visiting blogs for me but I will be posting. You will see in my post,I will be entring few events too. I will explain!:)
Thanks for your support and love. Hugs to you.

Myth, I have never been to a Kerala restaurant before. I would love to taste the REAL Kerala food.Lucky you. I love the Kerala parotta too, I have seen in some blogs, looks little complicated to make. Glad you liked mine too, thank you!:))

Hi Keshi, at first I thought you were Kearalite too until I read that you are from Sri Lanka!:)
Appams are delish, I loved it. Have a great weekend, see you on Monday!:)

Siri said...

Ashaji, I second every plan of urs.. but its a request to not to close the comment section, as that I only outlet for us to express our joy and ask any queries if any.. Please do consider my thought Ashaji..

Hugs,

~ Siri

FH said...

Siri, I just talked to Viji about it too and instead of making my blogs private, I will be closing the comment section and I will keep my e mail open for all the food related queries.
You already have my e mail, talk to me anytime you want. There is a reason why I am doing this, I will post later. Hugs to you. Take care and don't worry. Keep in touch sweetheart!:))

Anonymous said...

have bookmarked your chicken mappas & jackfruit thoran asha!:) both your appam & puttu look so mouthwateringly delicious, ahh!want to have some appam now with that delicious looking chicken gravy:)
paati

FH said...

Paati, hope you try. Jackfruit Thoran was really really tasty, enjoy!:)

Anonymous said...

Hi Ashaji,

Puttu is very appealing. Color combination is very attractive.

BTW, if you use grated coconut it comes intact. I tried it, came out very neat.

Anon

FH said...

Thanks Anon. I did use the dry dessicated coconut and wet it a little before using it in this puttu, still was a bit dry afterwards. I think fresh grated coconut will work better. Thanks for your tip! :))

Kerala Ayurvedic said...

Wow!! delicious kerala Cusines.