Parippu Payasam(Onam Special)

Ingredients

Chana dal -2 cups
Jaggery - 1½ cup
Grated coconut - 4 cups
Sugar - 1 tbsp
Ghee - 5 tbsp
Coconut pieces – 3 tbsp
Cashew nuts - 2 tbsp
Sultanas -2 tbsp
Rice flour - 1 tbsp
Crushed cardamom - 1 tbsp

Preparation

Wash and drain chana dal.
Pressure cook chana dal till it is soft.
Mash chana dal.
Some pieces of dal can be left as it is,
so that it can give a bite in the payasam.

On low flame, in a 'uruli'or any heavy-bottom vessel,
pour ghee and fry coconut pieces and
dry fruits into golden brown.
Keep aside these to garnish later.

In the same ghee, sauté rice flour.
See that it does not turn brown.
In this, add mashed chana dal and sauté for a while.
Now add jaggery dissolved in one cup water.
Let it simmer for a while.

Extract first and second milk from the grated coconut .
Reserve the first thick coconut milk.

First, pour in the thin second extract.
As the 'payasam'thickens, pour the first thick coconut milk.
Sprinkle crushed cardamom powder.
Keep stirring for five minutes and then turn off the flame.
Garnish the payasam with golden brown nuts.

Serve hot or cold.
'Thiruonam' is the day when you really get drunk with Payasam.

In the first stage, you drink payasam plain.

Second stage, to your payasam bowl,add banana cut into pieces.
Banana will give a different twist
to the intense sweetness of the payasam.

Third stage, crush two crispy kerala papadam
into the payasam with banana pieces.

Finally, lick a piece of red hot and sour lemon pickle before
each sip of payasam.
That is how you get drunk with payasam.

HAPPY ONAM.

Kuruku Kalan

Ingredients

Raw banana - 3
Shallots -- 20
Half coconut grated
Green chilli - 3
Mustard seeds -1 tsp
Fenugreek - ½ tsp
Jeera - ½ tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Sugar - 1 tsp
Curd - 2 cups
Coconut oil - 2 tbsp
Dry red chilli - 3
Curry leaves
Pepper corns(optional) – 8

Preparation

Remove the skin of the raw banana, shallots and cut into thin slices.
On a low flame in a vessel put the cut banana, shallots, turmeric, salt
and water. Cook till it is soft.
Mean while in a pan dry roast mustard, jeera, fenugreek. Add this to
Coconut, green chilli, curry leaves and grind into a fine paste.
Add this paste to the cooked banana and simmer till you get
a thick consistency.
Beat curd and pour into the curry.
Keep on stirring slowly.
Add sugar and salt for taste.
Season the kalan with mustard,pepper,red chilli,
curry leaves in coconut oil.

As it cools the kalan gets thicker and tastier.

Onam Ada

Banana leaves -2
Rice flour -1 cup
Boiling water -2cups
Salt
Grated coconut -1 ½ cup
Jaggery - ½ cup
Water -4tbsp
Cardamom powder- ½ tsp

In a bowl put rice flour and sprinkle some salt.
Make a well in the middle and pour boiling water
little by little, while mixing with a spoon. Pour
as much water to get a smooth dough.

On a low flame in a wok , pour water and put jaggery.
As the jaggery melts, add grated coconut and cardamom
powder. As it turns thick, yet juicy, turn off the flame.

Wash and wipe the banana leaves.Tear the leaves into
rectangular pieces. Apply a drop of oil in each piece.
Dip your fingers in water, take a lemon sized dough,
keep on the rectangular leaves and lightly press
backward and forward to get a paper - thin look
on the leaves. On the half of the thin dough on the leaves,
put the coconut in jaggery and fold the leaves and press
it on three sides. In a steamer ,keep these
ada and steam for about 3 to 4 minutes.
Paper thin ada is ready. Have it hot,
it almost melts in the mouth.

Tips-
You can also roast the adas on a frying pan.
Which will give the ada a firm texture;
but will have a different flavour of the roasted banana
Leaves.
Youcan make variations in stuffing ,by adding sliced and boiled
ethapazham (Kerala banana) with grated coconut and jaggery.

In different parts of Kerala ada has different adjectives.
Onam ada –made on onam for breakfast, ela- ada as
it is made on Leaves, poovada as it is
soft and beautiful as a flower.

During festivals , from Maharashtra to south, ada is made in
different shapes with stuffings. In Karnataka ,
it is made in jack fruit leaves or turmeric leaves.
During Ganesh festival , it is modak and
in Kerala among Christians ,
it turns kozhukatta during kozhukatta-perunal.
With any shape or stuffing, ada is a healthy snack.

Avial (Onam Special )

Yam - 100 gm
Carrot - 100gm
Ash gourd - 100gm
Pumpkin -100gm
Drumsticks - 2
Raw mango - half of a mango
Small onions - 1 ½ cup
(shallots)
water - ½ glass

grated coconut - ½ of a coconut
green chillies - 3
jeera - 1tsp
mustard - ½ tsp
chilli powder -1 tsp
turmeric powder –1tsp
curry leaves -a bunch
oil for seasoning



On a low flame, keep a vessel with ½ a glass of water.
As yam takes a lot of time to cook,
first cut yam into 2 inch pieces,wash twice and
put into the simmering water and close the lid .
Clean and cut the carrots ,
layer on top of the yam and close the lid.
Now goes in, the cut kumbalanga(gourd),
peeled and cut drumsticks ,Pumpkin,
1 cup small onions and cut - pieces of mango.

Add salt , chilli and turmeric powder .
Stir and check in between whether the
vegetables are evenly cooked.

In a chutney grinder put grated coconut,
green chillies, ½ cup sambar onions, jeera, mustard
and 2 tbsp curry leaves from the bunch.
Grind with- out adding water.

In a cheena chatti (wok) on medium flame, pour 2 tbsp of oil (coconut oil preferred ),
put the remaining curry leaves to let it turn crisp and emerald green.
Now add the Coconut mixture and vegetables,
add salt as needed and stir till it is dry.
Serve hot with rice.

Tips: 1. Can use vegetables of your choice, but try to stick to shallots and coconut oil.
2. For a gravy version , curd is used instead-of raw mango.
3. Try to cut vegetables in same length.
4. Before cutting yam, apply oil on your palm . This will reduce itching.