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