Mathan molagootal

As I mentioned earlier, molagootal is a traditional dish from the Palakkad Brahmin's cuisine.Please see my molagootal recipe for more description. Here is another variation of it with pumpkin and peas with better pics:)

Ingredients:


Yellow Pumpkin - 300 gm
Green peas - a Handful
Shredded Coconut- 3 tbsp

Red chilli- 3
Jeera/cumin seeds- 1 1/2 tsp
Toor or yellow moong dhal- 1/4 tea cup.
Mustard-1/2 tsp
urad dhal- 1/4 tsp
Oil- 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Curry leaves- few

Method:
1. Wash the Pumpkin and cut into small cubes.

2. Cook the Pumpkin and the peas with turmeric and Salt.

3. Pressure cook the dhal.

4. Add the dhal to the cooked pumpkin.
5. Grind the Coconut,Red Chillies,and Cumin(jeera) together with little water.

6. Add the Grounded mixture to the pumpkin and dhal.
7. Boil it for 5 mins.
8. Temper with mustard seeds,urad dhal and curry leaves in a tsp of oil.

This is a very simple dish that tastes very good with rice. Kanimanga arachukalaki(tender mango chutney) is the best side dish for this molagootal. Please refer to the chutney's recipe here.

Chakkai kottai molagootal

Method:

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1. Peel off the skin of the jack fruit seed and chop it into two pieces.
2. You can also use koorka (chinese potato in English)and ash gourd along with the jack fruit seeds.

To be ground into fine paste with little water

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Shredded coconut - 1 tbsp

Jeera - 1 tsp

Red chillies - 2

• Pressure cook 1/4 cup of tuar dal ,mash it and set aside.To cook koorka see below.
• Pressure cook a handful of jackfruit seeds and ash gourd with a pinch of turmeric powder.(2 t o 3 whistles).
• Add cooked tuar dal,koorka ,salt to the cooked veggies.
• Mix well and cook till it boils.
• When it starts boiling add the ground paste.
• Cook for another 2 min.
• Temper mustard seeds,curry leaves and split urad dal in coconut oil and pour over the molagootal.

Cleaning the koorka

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• Wash the koorka well to remove the mud.
• Pressure cook for 3 whistles.
• Set aside too cool and peel off the skin .
• Chop into small pieces.

Serve hot with rice.

Kerala Aviyal

This recipe serves 4.

Ingredients:

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Vegetables are the main ingredients in Aviyal.You can use any number of vegetables.I am listing down the veggies I used with their measurement.

• Drumstick - 2
• Carrots - 2 medium sized
• Beans - 10
• Snake gourd - 1/4 of a lengthy one
• Ash gourd - 200 grams
• yam - 200 grams
• Raw banana - 1 medium sized
• Brinjal - 2
• Raw mango or Amchur powder- 1 medium sized / 2 tsp

Cut all the veggies into 1 or 2 inch slices as shown.Wash the chopped veggies well in running water.Cut Yam and Raw banana at the end to prevent discoloration.

To Grind:

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• Shredded coconut - 1 cup (from half of a big sized coconut)
• Green chillies - 4 to 6
• Pearl/Madras onions - 7
• Cumin seeds - 2 tsp

Grind the above ingredients in a mixer with 3 tsp of curd and little water.The consistency should be very thick like a chutney.Do not grind it smoothly.Make it a coarse paste.

If you have a pestle and mortar,use it to pound the above ingredients in it.This tastes very nice than doing it in a mixer.

Preparation of Aviyal:

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• Add all the washed veggies except raw mango in a kadai.Add a pinch of turmeric powder and just 2 tumblers of water.
• Cook covered with a lid.

• Keep checking in between and stir it,till all the veggies become tender.Sprinkle little water if required.Do not add more water.

• When the veggies are 90 percent cooked,Add salt ,mango slices and cook covered again.
• When all the veggies become tender,add the ground paste to it.Mix well and cook covered for 5 min.
• Then remove the lid .Stir well and cook open for another 2 min.
• 
  
• Add 1 laddle full of thick curd and amchur powder(only if you are not using mango slices).Mix well and cook till all the water gets evaporated.Keep stirring continuously or it may stick to the kadai.
• When the water gets evaporated,switch off the flame.
• Add 3 sprigs of curry leaves and top it with 3 to 4 tsp of coconut oil.Mix well .At this stage you must be able to smell the nice aroma of Yummy aviyal.

Enjoy with rice and papad/ rice and sambar or Adai.

Morekootan

Ingredients:

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• Elavan/Ash gourd - 250 grams,peel off skin and chop into cubes
• Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
• fenugreek powder - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - to taste
• Turmeric powder - a pinch
• Sour butter milk - 1 cup
• Oil - 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Coconut,shredded - from half of a medium sized coconut
• Green chillies - 3 to 4

If the buttermilk is not sour,use a pinch(say a 1/2 inch piece) of tamarind.

Method:

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• Grind together coconut,green chillies into a fine paste in a mixer.Use buttermilk instead of water in grinding.
• If the buttermilk is not sour,grind tamarind along with coconut and green chillies
• Add the chopped pieces along with turmeric powder in a vessel.Add water just enough to immerse the vegetable.
• Cook covered till the vegetable gets tender.
• Add salt and add the ground paste.Mix well and cook for 5 min on a medium flame.
• On a low flame,gently pour the buttermilk while stirring continuously.
• Add fenugreek powder and mix well.
• Stop stirring.When you observe one or two bubbles ,switch off .
• Temper with mustard seeds and curry leaves.

Serve with rice and papad/porial.

Note:

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• Dot not allow it to boil , as the buttermilk will get separated.
• If you are not using fenugreek powder,using 1/4 tsp of whole fenugreek seeds along with mustard seeds in tempering.
• Ladies finger,tomato,lauki,yam are some of the other veggies that can be used to make morekootan.
• when using yam,add 1/2 tsp of pepper powder and 1/2 tsp of red chilli powder along with veggies while you cook them.
• And when use ladies finger,chop them into 2 inch pieces and saute them in a tsp of oil till it gets semi roasted.Add little water to the sauted pieces and cook them.Then repeat the above process.

Rasavangi

I have heard this dish through elders of my family.It is no different from arachu vitaa sambar except that we do not add vendhayam/fenugreek seeds.Also the masala is ground as a caorse powder instead of a paste.We normally make rasavangi only with pumpkin or brinjal.

This recipe serves two.

Ingredients:

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Brinjal/pumpkin ,chopped into 1 inch cubes - 1 cup

tamarind juice - extracted from a ball of dia,3cm

Jaggery - a pinch

Hing - a pinch

curry leaves - 2 sprigs

turmeric powder - a pinch

tuar dal,pressure cooked - 100 grams

Salt to taste

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For Grinding:

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Coriander seeds - 2 teaspoon

Chana dal/kadalaparuppu - 1 teaspoon

Red chilli - 5

Coconut,shredded - 4 teaspoon

Roast all the ingredients with a teaspoon of oil ,till golden brown and grind to a coarse powder.

For Tempering:

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Coconut oil - 1 teaspoon

Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon

Urad dal,split - 1 teaspoon

Method:

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• If using brinjal,saute them in a tsp of oil till it becomes tender /If using pumpkin,cook covered in little water initially.
• Add tamarind juice with turmeric powder,hing,jaggery,salt,curry leaves to the vegetable.
• Cook till raw smell goes off.
• Add cooked and mashed tuar dal to it.
• Mix well and cook for 2 min.
• Add the ground masala and allow to boil.
• Temper with mustard seeds and Urad dal.

Serve hot with rice and any porial.

Mullangi/Radish Podi potta sambar

This recipe serves two.

Ingredients:

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• Radish - 2
• curry leaves - 2 sprigs
• Tamarind juice - extracted from tamarind ball of dia,3 cm
• hing - a pinch
• jaggery - a pinch
• turmeric powder - a pinch
• Tuar dal - 100 grams
• Sambar powder - 2 heaped teaspoon(Refer to the podi section)
• Oil - 1 teaspoon
• Mustard seeds - 1 teasppon
• Urad dal,split - 1 teaspoon
• Red chilli - 1
• Tomato,chopped - 1
• Coriander leaves - 1 tablespoon,finely chopped
• Salt - to taste

Method:

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• Wash and pressure cook the tuar dal.
• Peel off the skin of radish and cut into thin round slices.
• Add water just to immerse the radish slices and cook covered with a pinch of turmeric powder.
• When is cooked,add the tamarind juice,hing,salt,sambar powder,jaggery,curry leaves and cook till the raw smell goes off.
• Add the cooked tuar dal and mix well.Allow it to boil.
• When it starts to boil,chop a tomato roughly and add to the sambar.
• When it boils,switch off .Add coriander leaves and temper with mustard seeds,urad dal and red chilli.

Serve with rice and any porial/kootu.

Mambazha morekootan

Ingredients:

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• Ripe mangoes - 3 big
• Red chillies - 6
• Coconut,shredded - from half side of a big coconut(say,100 gms)
• Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tablespoon
• Salt - to taste
• Sour curd/buttermilk - 300 ml
• Turmeric powder - a pinch
• jaggery - 1 tablespoon(can vary depending on the sweetness of mango)
• Curry leaves - 3 sprigs
• Oil - 1 tablespoon
• Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon

If you wish you can add veggies ,either ashgourd / pumpkin.Simply the mangoes will also do.If mangoes are not available,we can replace them with tinned mango pulps/mango sweet bar.

When you use mango sweet bar,do not add jaggery.Take 3 to 4 slices and soak in little hot water for 5 min and grind to a pulp in a mixer.

Method:

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• Fry the red chillies and fenugreek seeds with a teaspoon of oil and make a fine paste of them with coconut.
• Take pulp from 11/2 mangoes and add to a thick bottomed vessel along with turmeric powder,jaggery,salt,curry leaves and very little water.
• Slice rest of the mangoes with skin and add to it.If using veggies,cook the chopped veggies first and then add the pulp with other ingredients.
• Cook for 5 min.Add the ground paste to it and allow to boil.
• Add sour curd(churned like a thick buttermilk) and stir well.
• When it starts to bubble ,switch off and temper with mustard seeds and one red chilli.

Serve hot with rice and pappadam.

Kathirkai Ennai kozhambu

This recipe serves 2.

Ingredients:

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• Small purple brinjals - 6
• Onion - 1 large
• turmeric powder - a pinch
• jaggery - 1 tablespoon
• Salt - to taste
• curry leaves - 2 sprigs
• Oil - 5 tablespoon
• Tamarind juice - extracted from a ball of diameter,4 cm

To grind:

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• Coriander seeds - 2 tablespoon
• Urad dal - 11/2 tablespoon
• Jeera - 1 teaspoon
• Peppercorns - 5
• Red chillies - 4
• Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tablespoon
• Pottu kadalai/Roasted gram - 1 tablespoon

Heat a teaspoon of oil in a kadai and roast the above ingredients till they turn brown.Saute half of chopped onions also till it turns pink.Set aside to cool.

Grind the above roasted contents to a coarse powder in a mixer.(as shown below).

Method:

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• Wash brinjals well and slit open them into four pieces retaining the stem .
• Stuff in the powdered masala.(Keep some masala aside for gravy)
• Heat rest of oil in a kadai,add mustard seeds and curry leaves and other half onion.
• When it splutters,add stuffed brinjals and cook covered till they become tender.

• Add tamarind juice,turmeric powder,jaggery,salt and cook covered till brinjals are cooked.(Take care not to break the brinjals)
• Add the remaining powdered masala and allow to boil.

Yummy Ennai kathirikai kozhambu is ready.Seve hot with rice and potato fry/ papad with a drop of ghee.

Poricha kozhambu

This kozhambu can be made with many veggies like brinjal,pumpkin,ladies finger and also with kabuli chana.A mix of veggies and chana tastes great.

Ingredients:

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• Brinjal - 5 medium
• Small chana,pressure cooked - 1 hand ful
• Tuar dal,pressure cooked - 100 grams
• coconut,shredded - 3 tablespoon
• Urad dal - 2 tablespoon
• Red chillies - 5 to 6
• salt to taste
• Tamarind juice - extracted from a lemon sized tamarind
• turmeric powder,jaggery - a pinch,each
• asafoetida - a pinch
• Oil,curry leaves and mustard seeds - for tempering

Method:

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• Add a teaspoon of oil in a tadka pan.Roast urad dal till it turns brown.Add red chillies and coconut, and roast them.Set aside to cool.
• Grind the roasted contents to a fine paste.
• Saute the chopped brinjals with a teaspoon of oil and little salt in a tava till it gets cooked.
• Add the brinjals and cooked chana to the tamarind juice with turmeric powder,jaggery and asafoetida in a hard bottomed vessel and cook till raw smell goes off.
• Add the cooked tuar dal ,salt and allow to boil.(Mash the cooked tuar dal and then add)
• Add the ground paste and allow to boil.
• Temper with mustard seeds and curry leaves.

Vendaikai vathakozhambu

Ingredients:

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• Tamarind - tightly packed lemon size ball
• Ladies finger - 250 grams
• curry leaves - few
• gingelly oil - 4 tablespoon
• Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Chana dal - 1 tablespoon
• Red chilli - 2
• Sambar powder - 2 tablespoon
• salt to taste
• turmeric powder - a pinch
• jaggery - a pinch
• asfoetida - a pinch

Method:

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• Soak tamarind in hot water and extract a thick juice out of it.
• Chop ladies finger into small pieces and saute them well with a teaspoon of oil in a kadai.
• Set aside.It has to be roasted.
• Add 3 tablespoon of oil to the kadai.When its hot ,add mustard seeds.
• When it splutters add chana dal and saute till its golden brown
• Add red chillies,asfoetida,curry leaves and sambar powder and saute for only 2 sec.Do not saute for a long time as it may get burnt.
• Add the tamarind juice extract,salt,turmeric powder,jaggery and cook well till raw smell goes off.
• Now add 1 to 1 1/2 cups of water and cook till it becomes slightly thick.
• You can have it watery or thick as per your wish.Some people prefer to have it watery ,but it is normally made thicker.You can store it in refrigerator for 4 to 5 days.

• Note :To get a thicker consistency,dissolve a teaspoon of rice powder in little water, add it to the kozhambu afer adding water and then boil it.

You can make vathakozhambu with brinjal or any vathals like manathakali,sundaikai .When you use vathals,the recipe is slightly different.Add a teaspoon of ghee in a kadai,add vathals and fry them till it becomes crisp but do not burn them.After the kozhambu is prepared add the fried vathals to it just before serving so that it does not become soggy.

Serve with rice and pappad or paruppu thogayal.

Milagu vellam

Ingredients:

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• Buttermilk - 1 1/2 cups
• pepper - 1 tablespoon
• Red Chilli - 1
• Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
• curry leaves - few
• salt to taste
• turmeric powder - a pinch
• vendhayam - 1/4 teaspoon
• Hing powder - a pinch

Method:

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• Add 1/2 cup of water in a thick bottomed vessel along with salt,turmeric powder,pepper and cook covered for 2 min.
• When it boils,add butter milk and keep stirring it for a min and switch off.(Do not let it to boil)
• Temper with mustard seeds,vendhayam,red chilli,curry leaves and asfoetida.

This is a very mild and simple recipe .Can be served with rice.Its also good to have it when you have fever or cold.

Pavakai Pitla

Pitla is another gravy that can be made out of pavakkai/bitter gourd or brinjal.Adding kabuli chana is optional but it enhances the taste.

This recipe serves 2.

Ingredients:

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• Pavakkai - 1 large or Brinjal - 4 medium sized
• Kabuli chana - 1 cup
• tamarind juice - 1 cup
• Jaggery - lemon sized
• salt - to taste
• turmeric powder - a pinch
• tuar dhal - 3/4 cup

For grinding:

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• Coconut(shredded) - 6 tsp
• Pepper corns - 8 to 10
• Broken urad dal - 2 tsp
• Red chillies - 3 to 4
• Curry leaves - few

For tempering:

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• oil - 1 tsp
• mustard seeds - 1

Method:

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• Chop pavakai/brinjal finely and saute in a tsp oil till it becomes slightly roasted.
• Add tamarind juice,salt,jaggery,turmeric powder and cook till raw smell goes off.
• Add the cooked tuar dhal and mix well.
• In a tava,add 1 tsp of oil and pepper corns.When it splutters,add urad dal,red chillies,curry leaves,shredded coconut and roast well till it turns golden brown .
• Set aside to cool and grind to a fine paste.
• Add the ground masala to the gravy and allow it to boil.
• Temper with mustard seeds.
• Roast 2 tsp of shredded coconut in a tsp of coconut oil and add to the pitla.(This is optional)

Rasa Kalan

This recipe serves two.The difference between rasa kalan and mambazha morekootan is that Rasa kalan will be more sour in taste when compared to mambazha morekootan.

Ingredients:

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• sour Ripe mango - 1 medium sized( Depending on the sweetness alter the quantity of jaggery added)
• turmeic powder - a pinch
• Salt - to taste
• Jaggery - 1 achu
• Sour buttermilk - 1 to 1 1/2 cups(slightly thicker consistency than usual buttermilk)

For grinding:

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• Coconut(shredded)- 6 tsp
• Green chilli - 2
• Red Chilli - 4
• Fenugreek seed - 1/4 tsp
  
  

For Tempering:

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Oil - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Red chilli - 1

curry leaves - few

Method:

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• Peel off the skin of mango and take out the pulp completely in a thick bottomed vessel (except for the seed).
• Add turmeric powder,salt,jaggery and cook well.
• Grind the ingredients with water into a fine paste and add to the mango pulp.
• Mix well and allow it cook till the raw smell goes off.
• Now add the buttermilk and stir constantly.(Do not stop stirring )
• At a point when you can see that its about to boil(one / two bubbles),switch off the flame.
• Temper it with mustard,red chilli and curry leaves.

Rasa kalan is ready.Serve with rice and pappadam or kozhakattai .

Molagootal

Molagootal is again a simple gravy that can be had with rice.It is not at all spicy.So we normally have some chutney or pachadi or pickle along with it.

This can be made of many vegetables like cabbage, ash gourd(Elavan),Spinach(Arai keerai or Palak) or a mix of veggies like ash gourd,carrot,beans,peas.When you use vegetables like ash gourd,bottle gourd,chow chow(Vegetable pear/chayote) you can add one/two potato along with it to have a better consistency of gravy.

This recipe serves two.

Ingredients:

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• Vegetables of your choice - 2 cups
• If spinach - 3 medium sized bunches
• Coconut - 4 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Red Chiliies - 2 or 3
• Urad dhal - 1 1/2 tsp
• Oil - for tempering
• Tuar Dhal - 1 cup(as shown in pic)
• Salt - to taste
• Mustard seeds - 3/4 tsp
• Curry leaves - few

Method:

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• Pressure cook tuar dal and keep it aside.
• Chop the vegetables into small cubes.Pressure cook the vegetables.(Cabbage gets cooked easily,so just 2 whistles will be sufficient)

In case of spinach, separate the leaves and wash them well. Chop the leaves and saute it well till the raw smell goes off.Then grind it in a mixie(Just a turn would do..Do not make a fine paste)

• In a Tava, add a tsp of oil and fry 1 tsp of urad dal till it turns brown .Add red chillies to it and saute for 2 sec.Do not let the red chillies get burnt.
• To the above fried ingredients,add coconut,cumin seeds and little water to make a very fine paste.
• In a thick bottomed vessel,add the cooked tuar dal,vegetables/spinach,salt and the ground paste and mix well.
• Keep it on medium flame and turn off when it boils.
• Temper it with mustard seeds,curry leaves and 1/2 tsp of urad dal.

Molagootal is ready .Serve with rice and any chutney/pachadi and pickle.

Molagooshyam

Molagooshyam is a mild gravy which can be had along with rice.Normally its made of yam and raw banana.Other vegetables like carrot,beans,peas are optional.But without Yam and raw banana its totally incomplete.

This recipe serves two

Ingredients:

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• Raw Banana/Vazhakai - 1 medium size
• Yam/Chenai - 500 grams
• Moong dal,split - 75 grams
• turmeric powder - a pinch
• Pepper powder -2 or 3 tsp
• Salt - to taste
• Curry leaves - a sprig
• Coconut oil - 2 tsp

Method:

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• Dry Roast the moong dal till brown and wash well.

• Chop the vegetables into cubes and pressure cook with salt ,turmeric powder,pepper powder ,moong dal and sufficient water.

• After the steam is released.Open the lid and mix well.Add water if the consistency is very thick.
• On a medium flame ,allow it to boil.
• Switch off and pour coconut oil and add curry leaves.

Serve with rice and any pickle..Kadugumanga will go well with it.You can also have cucumber or any thayir pachadi along with it.