Semiya Payasam

Ingredients

Vermicelli/semiya – 200gm

Milk – 2 ltrs

Condensed milk – 1 tin

Sugar – 5tbsp

Cashew nuts & raisins – 1/2 cup each

Cardamom – 2 big, crushed

Ghee/clarified butter – 2 1/2 tbsp

Method of preparation

Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a bottom heavy pan and roast the semiya till golden brown. Add milk to it and cook on low flame till semiya is fully done. Keep stirring in between. Add condensed milk and sugar and stir, till it is well combined with milk. Add crushed cardamom and remove from fire.

Heat 1/2 tbsp ghee in a pan and fry the cashew nuts, when it becomes golden brown, add raisins. Add the fried cashews and raisins to payasam. Serve hot or chilled.

Note: Since one tin condensed milk is used, this payasam is rich and has a creamy texture.If you prefer less creamier payasam substitute condensed milk with 2 cups sugar.

Adjust the quantity of sugar and condensed milk to suit your taste. The quantity prescribed above gives a medium-high sweetened payasam.

Parippu Payasam

The favourite desert of the keralites. You cant stop with just 1 serving.
Ingredents

Cherupayar Parippu – 200gm

Jaggery -400gm

Thick coconut milk – 1 1/2 cups

Medium thick coconut milk – 4 cups

Light coconut milk – 4 cups

Ghee – 3 tablespoon

Cashenut & Coconut pieces – 50 gm each

Method of preparation

Fry the parippu without oil for 5-6 minutes. Wash it well & cook with boiled water. Melt the jaggery by adding 1 cup water. Add the melted jaggery to well cooked parippu & stir well. Add 2 tablespoon ghee to this & mix well. Add light coconut milk & when it starts boiling add medium thick coconut milk. When this mix evaporates and becomes half add the thick coconut milk. Stir well for 5 minutes & remove from gas.

Fry the cashewnuts & coconut pieces in rest of the ghee & add to payasam. Serve hot.

Sambar -Onam special

Ingredients

Toor dal-1 cup(washed and soaked for 30 minutes)

Tamarind-size of a golf ball or Tamcon paste-1 tsp

Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp

Mustard seeds pinch

Salt-as required

Oil-2 tsp

Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp

Dry grated coconut-3 tsp

Cilantro/coriander leaves- (optional)

Curry leaves(a few)

Jaggery or sugar- 1 tsp

Fenugreek seeds -1/2 tsp

Green chillies- 3

Red chillies-5

Cilantro seeds -3 tsp

Bengal gram -2 tsp

Cumin seeds -1/2 tsp

Onion -1

Vegetable-Tomatoes, Drumstick, Okra, Capsicum, Radish, Carrots, Onions

Method of preparation

Cook the toor daal in the pressure cooker with double quantity of water, turmeric and salt. Keep aside to cool. Now, heat oil in a separate pan for about a minute and roast together whole chillies, bengal gram, coconut, curryleaves, coriander, cumin and fenugreek seeds till coconut turns golden brown. Then, grind all of these into a smooth paste , adding a little water from time to time. Put the tamarind with salt and water into a pan. Bring it to a boil. Add this to the toor dal and let it boil for sometime.

Add the vegetables and cook till done. Finally, mash the pressure cooked toor daal, Mix everything and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Season with mustard seeds.

Ulli Theeyal (Button onion Curry) - Onam special Recipe

 Incredients

Button onion 100 gm
Coconut Grated ½
Tamarind Paste 25 gm
Ginger Chopped 2 gm
Coconut oil 25 ml
Curry leaves 5-6
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Coriander powder 1tsp
Chilli powder 1tsp
Pieces of red chillies 3-4
A pinch of turmeric powder
Salt to taste
Preparation

 

Peel and wash onions. Roast grated coconut and grind in to paste. Heat the coconut oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, curry leaves, red chillies and chopped ginger. Add spices and coconut paste. Add onions to boiling curry and cook until tender. Add tamarind paste. Serve hot.

 

Mango Pickle

Ingredients12 medium size raw mangoes 300 gms mustard powder 250 gms red chili powder 250 gms salt (not more than 150 to 200 gms if using iodised salt) 50 gms fenugreek seeds 1 1/2 kgs sesame seed oil optional - peeled garlic flakes or Bengal gram whole/chic. peas) picked and cleaned
MethodLeave the raw mangoes in water for 15 minutes and dry them with a clean cloth. Cut them into pieces of 1 1/2 to 2 inches. Discard the seed / stone and the onion type layer on the pieces. Clean the cut pieces with dry cloth.
Mix the mustard powder, red chili powder, salt and fenugreek seeds together in a big basin. Add one cup of oil and mix to a consistency that can be held in a fist. Sprinkle the mango pieces also with a little oil. Take a few mango pieces at a time and mix them well with mustard, chili, salt mix and put them in a ceramic jar or a big plastic container. Repeat the process till the mix and the mango pieces are over. Towards the end if a little mix remains it can be added on top. Pour 1 inch oil above it and cover it with a lid. Tie a neat thick cloth over it and store it. Mix it well on the third day. Taste it and if need salt may be added at this stage. Those who want to add garlic or chickpeas can do so now. Take some Avakaya separately and mix a handful of chickpeas in some and garlic in some. Since chickpeas and garlic take oil add extra oil.
TipsFor those who have never tried making this delicacy at home a few tips may come in handy.
1. Make sure to keep ready a reasonably big ceramic jar or a plastic container, clean and dry and with a proper lid.
2. Mangoes must be cleaned and dried properly. Wash and dry hands. No dampness should be allowed to creep in at any stage.
3. Remember that the quantity is more on the day it is made. On the third day the level comes down. Mix it thoroughly. Many make it in a big container, since it is more convenient to mix well. Later it can be transferred to smaller bottles or jars

Onam Recipe - Pachady

• 
  
  Cucumber 1 (or 1/4th small white pumkin)



• 
  
  Salt As per taste



• 
  
  Yogurt 1 cup



• 
  
  Mustard seeds 2 tspn



• 
  
  Green chilly 1-2



• 
  
  Coconut 1 cup



• 
  
  cooking oil / coconut oil 1 tbsn



• 
  
  Red Chilly 2



• 
  
  Curry leaves 1 sprig
  


• 
  
  1. Peel and chop cucumber very fine mix a little salt and keep aside.(If u r using white pumpkin, cook with just enough water and salt) 2. Grind the coconut 1 tspn mustard seeds and green chilly together to get a fine paste. 3. Mix the cucumber yogurt and coconute paste together and adjust taste. 4. Heat oil in a pan and add the remaining mustard seeds and when they crackle add red chilly and fry for a while. Add this to pachady. 5. Garnish with curry leaves and serve.

Onam Recipes - Payar Thoran

• Payar (Long beans) 2 cups (chopped fine)



• Salt As per taste



• Turmeric ¼ tspn



• Green chilly 3-4



• Garlic 3-4 cloves



• Coconut oil 1 tbsn



• Mustard seeds 1 tspn



• Urid dal 1 tspn



• Curry leaves 1 sprig



• 
  
  
  Coconut 1/2 cup shredded
  1. Chop long beans very fine. Mince garlic and Green chilly together.Shred coconut and mix with minced garlic, green chilly and turmeric. 2. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and urid dal. When mustard seeds crackle, add curry leaves and fry for a few seconds. 3. Add long beans to pan along with 1 cup of water and cook on medium heat. 4. When almost done, add salt, and coconut-mix and mix well and cook till beans is done and water is fully evapourated.

Onam Recipe Avial

This is a semi-dry preparation which is a mixture of all sorts of vegetables.
Serves 10

Ingredients:
Yam sliced thinly into 11/2" length pieces - 1cup
Cucumber sliced lengthy into 1 1/2" thick pieces - 1cup
Snake gourd sliced into 1 1/2" length pieces - 1cup
Carrot sliced into into 1 1/2" length pieces - 1/4cup
Long runner-beans sliced into 1 1/2" length pieces - 1/2cup
Drumstick cut into 2" length pieces - 2nos
Raw bananas sliced into 1 1/2" length pieces - 1no
Turmeric powder
Curd - two table spoon
Small onion - 5 nos
Salt - to taste
Grated coconut - I full coconut
Green chillies - - 5nos
Cumin seeds - 1/2tsp
Curry leaves - - 2sprigs
Coconut oil - 3tbs
Method of Preparation :
Coarsely grind the coconut, green chillies , cumin seeds and onion. Keep it aside.Clean the vegetables. Heat 2tbs coconut oil in a thick bottom vessel. Add the vegetables and cook in a low flame. Do not add water. When it is done, add turmeric powder, salt and mix it well. Remove the vegetables from the middle and put sliced bananas and cover it with the other vegetables. When steam comes out, add the coconut paste and curd and stir well. Remove from fire. Mix the remaining coconut oil and curry leaves in the avial.

Semiya Payasam Onam special

Sago 1 cup
Water 2 cup
Vermicelli 1/2 cup (broken into small pieces)
Milk 2 1/2 cup
Sugar 1 cup
Ghee 3 tablespoon
3 Cardamom pods
Cashew nuts
Raisins

Soak the sago in water for an hour. Boil it with water. Stir constantly to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan, until it becomes translucent. Lower the heat and leave it for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Heat the ghee in a pan. Fry the cashew nuts & cardamom pods in it. Add vermicelli and fry until golden brown.

Add this to the Boiling sago. Then add sugar, milk & raisins. Stir for few minutes until the sugar dissolves. Serve hot.

Vegetable Cutlet Onam special

Potatoes- 3 (boiled & mashed)
Carrots- 1 (grated)
Fresh Green Peas- 1/4 Cup
Onions- 1big (chopped)
Red Chili Powder- 1 tsp
Salt
Maida- 2 tablespoon
Oil
Garam Masala Powder- 1 tsp
Rusk Powder- 1/2 Cup
Steam the grated carrot & peas in a pressure cooker.

Heat oil in a pan and fry the chopped onions until golden brown. Then add mashed potatoes, steamed carrots and peas. Fry for 10 minutes & add garam masala, chili powder & salt and saute well. Remove from heat and let it cool down. Make lemon sized balls out of this veg mixture.

Add some water to maida and make it as a paste. Dip the vegetable balls in the maida paste and coat with rusk powder. Flatten this into thin patties.

Heat 2 tbs of oil in a shallow frying pan and fry few cutlets at a time until both sides becomes brown (turn it once). Repeat this until all the cutlets are fried (Pour some oil every time you replace the cutlet). Serve hot. Green Chutney (Mint) & Tomato Ketchup makes a good accompaniment.