POTATO STIR FRY ( KERALA STYLE)

Potatoes are not only delicious but also carry enormous health benefits. Eating potatoes can increase brain function, reduce inflammation and can prevent cardiovascular disease, but if you are over weight or diabetic you have to reduce the intake of potatoes.

I like potatoes very much and use in lot of dishes. Potato stir fry is very easy to make and this I learnt from my mom.

INGREDIENTS

Potato 2 nos medium
Onion 1 medium
Red dry chilies 3
Refined oil/coconut oil 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder
Salt to taste

METHOD

Cut the potatoes in 1 inch cube shapes and keep it aside

Grind the onion and red chilies.

Take a deep pan/kadai and heat the coconut oil. Add the ground paste, turmeric and saute for minute.

Add 1/2 cup water and salt. Cover with a lid and cook on low flame. Stir occasionally so that potatoes dont stick to the pan. Cook till the potatoes are done.

Serve as a side dish with hot steamed rice.

LEMON RICE

Lemon rice is a very easy South indian dish and you can make it when you are in a hurry.You can make it with cooked rice or with left over rice. Lemon rice can be made for tiffin box, picnic or when you are travelling. This can be served with pappads or raita.

 Lemon helps to fight infection and promote immunity. It contains calcium, magnesium vitamin C etc,

INGREDIENTS

Rice 2 cup cooked
Grated carrot 1/4 cup
Peas
Onion 1 medium
Ginger 1inch grated
Green chilies 2 or 3 slit
Curry leaves
Lemon 2 no.s
Salt to taste
Turmeric 1 tsp
Asafoetida 1 tsp
Refined oil 1 tbsp
Peanuts roasted 1 tbsp
Mustard 1 tsp
Jeera 1 tsp
Coriander leaves

METHOD

Take a deep pan/ kadai and heat the oil add mustard, jeera. When the mustard splutters add curry leaves, onion, green chilies, ginger and fry till onion changes colour.

Add aesofodia, turmeric and fry for a second. Add peas, carrot , roasted peanuts and little salt . Turn off the fire.

Add the juice of 2 lemon. Add the rice and stir mix well. Keep it covered for 4-5 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Add salt to cooked rice and add to the kadai and stir for 5 minutes,. Garnish with corriander leaves. Serve hot with Pappads.

MURMURA LADDU

This recipe is very  healthy, easy to make and it needs minimum ingredients. Kids would love to eat this laddus.

INGREDIENTS

Puffed rice 6 teacup
Powdered jaggery 2 teacup
Water 1 teacup

METHOD

Heat water and jaggery in a deep bottom pan till jaggery completely dissolves. Strain it to remove the impurities. If your jaggery is of good quality you can skip this process.

Heat a big deep bottom vessel, on medium heat add the strained jaggery. Keep on stirring till it reaches the right consistency.

To see whether the right consistency has reached keep a cup of water close by. While this jaggery syrup is still boiling, add a drop of boiling jaggery into the cup of water with the help of your laddle. If it forms a solid drop the right consistency is reached. Check it with your finger in the cup of  water.

Bring the fire to low and add the puffed rice into the jaggery syrup and mix it well till everything is incorporated well, for a minute or two. Switch off the heat.

Wait for two minutes. Take a tablespoon and scoop some mixture and into your hands. With both your hands press gently and make a ball. Repeat with the rest, make sure you do it fast or the mixture thickens and it will be difficult to make balls.

If the mixture thickens and you are unable to form balls, again reheat the vessel and on low heat stir it, make sure it doesnot burn, the mixture will loosen , stir it , turn off the heat and again you can make balls.

The size of the ball can be as you wish. I made 20-22 balls.

Once the balls cools down, store it in a container.

Note: If you find the mixture too hot , you can grease your hand in water and make balls.

BEETROOT PACHADI (full

Pachadi is a traditional south indian dish which is almost similar to north indian raitas. It is served as a side dish  on occasions such as Onam, Vishu and sadhya. There are different  varieties of Pachadi and here I am going to make with beetroot.

Beetroot pachadi is made with yoghurt  and coconut, it has a bit sweet taste. It is a very simple dish and I prepare it often. Though I have learnt  from my mom to make pachadi with other vegetables but using beetroot  I learnt from my sister.

INGREDIENTS

Beetroot grated 1 cup
Curd 1 cup
Turmeric `1 tsp
Salt to taste

For grinding

Coconut 1/4 cup
Mustard 1 tsp
Green chillies 2


For seasoning

Mustard 1 tsp
Coconut oil  1 tsp
 curry leaves
Red broken dry chillies 2

METHOD

Grate the beetroot (use the grater with bigger holes
Keep it aside

Grind coconut, chilli, mustard to a smooth paste.

Take a deep pan and cook beetroot adding very less water, add turmeric.
Cook till it is soft

Add the coconut paste on low flame and cook for 5 minutes. Add salt to taste.

Add the beaten curd on low flame for a minute (do not boil the curd) and turn off the flame.

Take a pan add oil and when it  heats up add the mustard Season  mustard, red chillies, curry leaves and pour into the pachadi.

Delicious pachadi is ready. Serve it with hot steamed rice.

ADIPOLLI PALAKKAD SAMBAR

Sambar is a South Indian gravy dish. There are lot of varieties of Sambar. As I am from Palakkad I like my mom's way of making sambar. Sambar can be taken with idli, dosa , vada etc. for breakfast or with rice in the afternoon.

INGREDIENTS

toor dal   1/2 cup
tamarind lemon size
salt to taste
turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
refined oil or coconut oil



VEGETABLES USED

drumstick  2
ashgourd  a small piece
broad beans 5
country tomato 2












FOR DRY ROASTING


whole red chilli 5
corriander seeds 1 tbsp
asafoetida a pea size
coconut grated1/2 cup
fenugreek 1/4 tsp
curry leaves few







FOR SEASONING

mustard seeds
 red chilli 1
corriander leaves
curry leaves


METHOD

1. Pressure cook dal nicely and mash it and keep it aside

2. Add 2 tsp oil in a wok, when the oil heats up add the asafoetida and fry both sides till it becomes crisp, add chilli, fenugreek seeds and corriander seeds and stir frequently till the seeds turn colour to brown , then add coconut and curry leaves and keep stirring till the coconut turns golden brown. Turn off the stove and let it cool , then grind it to a paste adding little water.

3. Cut the vegetable and boil in water adding salt and turmeric. When the vegetable is cooked , add the dal and cook for five minutes then add the tamarind pulp. After five minutes add the ground paste and cook for another five minutes. Switch off the stove .Add the corriander leaves and the seasoning.

4. Serve this with rice or idli or dosa...