Puli Poha

Another easy to throw together in 20 minutes breakfast recipe from the kitchen of my BFF Preeti... this is my way of making it... 

Ingredients

• 2 cups of Red Rice Thick Poha 
• 2 tablespoons of MTR Puliogare Powder
• 3 tablespoons of Tamarind paste 
• Salt, to taste 
• 10 tablespoons of water 
• 2 tablespoons of oil 
• 1 teaspoon of Mustard seeds 
• 1 teaspoon of Urd Dal 
• 1 teaspoon of Channa Dal 
• a large pinch of Asafoetida 
• 3 dry Red Chilies 
• 3 Green Chilies, slit 
• a few Curry Leaves 
• 1/2 a cup of grated coconut 

Method 

Mix the poha, puliogare powder, tamarind paste, and salt in a bowl. Add water a tablespoon at a time and mix well. Cover and leave it to soak for 15 minutes. 

In a kadai, heat the oil. Sputter mustard. Add the urd and channa dal, fry till they brown lightly. Add the asafoetida, chilies, and curry leaves; stir for 15-30 seconds. 

Add the poha mix and coconut to the kadai, cover and cook till done. 

Kakadi Poha

Yet another Cook-along with my soul sisters. This time we learnt to make Flattened Rice with Cucumber, which is a very popular dish from Maharashtra. This from the kitchen of Preeti. 

Ingredients

• Thick White Poha - 1 1/4 cup 
• Cucumber - 1 medium 
• Oil - 1 tablespoon 
• Mustard - 1/2 teaspoon
• Asafoetida, to taste 
• Chana Dal - 1/2 teaspoon
• Urd Dal - 1/2 teaspoon 
• Green Chilies - 3 or 5, slit 
• Ginger - 1/2 inch, finely chopped 
• Curry Leaves - 10 
• Coriander Leaves 1/4 cup, finely chopped  
• Salt, to taste 

Preparation 

• Grate the cucumber (with the peel) 
• Wash the flattened rice and drain. 
• Mix the flattened rice and cucumber, and leave it for 15-20 minutes.

Method

Heat the oil in a kadai. When the oil is hot, sputter the mustard, and add the asafoetida. Add the chana dal and urd dal, stir for about 15-30 seconds till the dals are a light brown. Add the ginger, green chilies, and curry leaves. Stir for 15-30 seconds. Add the flattened rice and cucumber mix, stir till it is mixed well with the tempering. Add the salt, and coriander leaves. Mix well, and switch off the heat. 

Serving suggestions: 

Serve with cucumber slices, and garnished with sev or bhujia for extra crunch. You may also sprinkle with lime juice for added tang. 

Birakaya Thoku Pachadi

Ridge Gourd Peel Chutney 

Ingredients 

1 tablespoon of Sesame oil 

2 tablespoons of cooking oil

1 tablespoon of Jeera

5 - 10 green chilies (depending on your spice tolerance) 

1 medium onion sliced

1 tablespoon of Garlic pods 

1/2 teaspoon of Turmeric powder

1.5 cups of Ridge Gourd Peel 

1 tablespoon of Tamarind 

Salt, to taste 

Method

Heat the oil in a kadai, and sputter the jeera in it. Add the chilies, onion, garlic, and turmeric. Fry till the onions are translucent. Add the ridge gourd peel and tamarind, and fry for 3 minutes on high heat. Lower the heat, cover the kadai, and cook till done. 

Once the mixture is completely cooled, grind with salt and a little water to achieve the desired consistency. 

Serving suggestion: 

This chutney is usually eaten mixed with rice and a little bit of sesame oil. We also eat it with dosa. 

Parippu Pradhaman

Parippu Pradhaman is made from Split Yellow Gram, Coconut Milk, and Jaggery. This recipe, as with most of my recipes from Kerala, came from the kitchen of my soul sister - Anupa. 

Ingredients 

Split Yellow Gram - 250 g 

Coconut Milk - 1 cup of thick milk (first extract) 

Coconut Milk - 4 cups of medium extract 

Jaggery - 500 g or less (as per taste) 

Ghee - 1 tablespoon 

Cashew nuts - 2 tablespoons (split) 

Raisins - 1 tablespoon (optional) 

Coconut pieces - 2 tablespoons 

Cardamom - 7 pods 

Preparation: 

• Dry fry the split yellow gram in a thick bottomed pan till it is golden brown. Then pressure cook with 1.5 cups of water (2 whistles). 
• If you are using fresh coconut milk, extract the coconut milk from the coconut. Do not mix the first extract with the rest. 
• Dissolve the jaggery in 1/2 a cup of water by boiling, so that it forms a liquid with the consistency of honey. 
• In the ghee, fry the cashew nuts, raisins, and coconut pieces (golden brown). 
• Remove the cardamom seeds and grind it to a fine powder. 

Method 

Mix the split yellow gram and 4 cups of coconut milk in a thick bottomed saucepan and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes or till the gram is soft without turning mushy, Then add the melted jaggery and cook on low till it reduces to a thick porridge-like consistency. Turn off the heat. Add the thick coconut milk, the fried cashew nuts, raisins, and coconut, and the cardamom powder - mix it well.

Serving Suggestion: 

This parippu pradhaman is traditionally eaten with a Yelaki Banana and Kerala Pappadam, which brings out the flavours of the dish. It can be eaten as is too. 

Biryani - Sunder Uncle's Recipe

Sunder Uncle is - my sister from another mother - Hema's Dad. He was one of the sweetest people I knew, and he always treated me like one of his own. He was a total foodie, and an amazing cook. 

From as long as I've known Hema's family, I've celebrated Christmas with them, and Sunder Uncle would usually make the yummiest biryani among other yummy dishes. I'd eat several helpings, and it is to me both comfort food and celebration food all rolled into one. 

This is his recipe, or as close to it as we can remember... when I cooked it today for the first time on a video cook-along with my soul sisters (that includes Hema), it was a load of fun, and an ode to Sunder Uncle and his cooking legacy. I missed him, and also felt so close to him. 

Ingredients 

Oil 1/2 cup or Ghee 1/4 cup + Oil 1/4 cup 

Bay leaves - 3

Star anise - 2

Cinnamon bark - 4 inch sticks

Cloves - 4 

Garlic Ginger paste - 3 tablespoons 

Green chilies - 12 or as per taste 

Onions - 3 sliced 

Basmati / Jeera rice* - 1/2 kg 

Water or Chicken stock - 1 1/2 times volume of rice 

Salt - to taste 

Lime juice - 1/2 

Curds - 2 tablespoons 

Mint leaves - 1/4 cup 

Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup 

Tomatoes - 3 medium sliced 

Chicken/Mutton/Beef* - 1/2 kilo or Vegetables 

*Preparation

• Soak the rice in water for 30 minutes. Drain the rice. Heat some oil in a kadai and 'fry' the rice in the hot oil till there is no water left and the rice is evenly coated with oil.  
• Cook the meat with salt and water. The mutton or beef will need to be cooked in a pressure cooker for 5 whistles. 

Method 

Take a cooker and add oil (and ghee). After heating add cinnamon,cloves, and star anise. Then add the ginger garlic paste and green chilies, stir. Add the sliced onions and fry it until the onions are golden yellow in color. (For the vegetable biryani, add the vegetables at this point and cook till half done.) 

Add the rice, water, bay leaves, and salt to the cooker. Add the lime juice, curds, and coriander and mint leaves; add the tomato. Now add the pre-cooked meat, close the cooker and cook for 2 whistles.