Chatti Choru (Traditional Kerala style Meal served in a Clay Pot)

 

             This is my first try at preparing a traditional Kerala style meal served in a clay pot called Chatti choru. Chatti means clay pot and choru is cooked rice. It is a balanced diet of rice, four veg. curry, coconut chutney, dal and papad. Kerala Matta rice is generally used in this recipe, however, I used basmati rice. 

            All the dishes are first prepared and arranged inside a clay pot. It is then relished directly from the pot for a nice comfort meal. This unique lunch is ideal as a party recipe apt for special occasions and festivals. For a non-veg. version, fish fry, mutton / chicken curry and omelet are served. Do give it a try and enjoy this unique meal in a clay pot. 

1.   Elephant Foot Yam Erissery - 

               Erissery is a traditional Kerala Cuisine, where elephant yam is cooked with coconut and tempered with some aromatic spices. It is one of the items in an Onam Sadya meal. Very easy and a simple vegetarian dish which can be prepared in no time.

         Other veggies like Red pumpkin and raw banana are also used in this preparation. It is a dry recipe and also goes well as a side dish with curd rice, rasam rice or with Kerala Parotta. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare this regional dish.

• 300 gms. elephant yam, cut into small cubes
• 3/4 cup fresh coconut, grated
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. red chili powder
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 2 tbsp. coconut oil
• 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1 dry red chili

          Boil the Elephant food yam in 1 & 1/2 cups water, turmeric powder, salt and red chili powder till tender. 

          Grind 1/4 cup coconut and cumin seeds to a paste. Add to the cooked veggies and boil for 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish. 

          Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a pan and temper with mustard seeds, dry red chili and curry leaves. After it stops spluttering, add the remaining coconut and fry till light brown. 

           Pour it over the cooked veggie. Give it a mix and serve with steamed rice as a part of a Sadya meal.

2.   Beans Thoran - 

           Thoran is a Kerala delicacy that is not only nutritious, but very delicious and easy to prepare. It is a common item in a Sadya meal. It is a quick recipe, mildly spiced and has a lot of fresh coconut in it. Don't forget to cook in coconut oil for an authentic touch. 

          Thoran can be made with veggies like carrot, cabbage, beetroot, raw banana, okra, etc. But today I would like to share my version of a Beans Thoran. It is almost similar to beans poriyal from Tamil Nadu and can be relished as a side dish with curd-rice, sambar rice, dal-chawal or chapatti. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it.

• 250-300 gms. beans, chopped
• 2 tbsp. oil
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 tsp. urad dal
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 2-3 green chilies
• 1 dry red chili
• 1 onion, chopped
• salt to taste
• pinch of turmeric powder
• 1/2 cup fresh grated coconut
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp. coriander leaves (opt)

         Grind the coconut along with the garlic and keep aside. Heat oil in a pan and temper with mustard seeds and dry red chili. 

          After it stops spluttering, add the chana dal and urad dal. Sauté for a few seconds. Then add the curry leaves, green chilies and onion. Fry till the onion turns translucent.

          Now add the beans, salt and turmeric powder. Mix well and cook, covered on a low flame till done. Sprinkle water at intervals if required.

          When the beans turns soft, switch off the flame. Add the ground coconut and coriander leaves. 

          Toss well and serve as a side dish with hot steamed rice, curd-rice, sambar-rice or parotta.

3.   Parippu Curry - 

           Parippu Curry is a traditional and an authentic Kerala style lentil curry. It is an integral part of a Sadya meal, a vegetarian feast, served during Onam, a harvest festival. Split moong dal (green gram) is used in this recipe and is cooked with a mix of fresh coconut-cumin seeds-green chilies paste. 

          A tempering of dry red chilies, mustard seeds, curry leaves and onion in ghee is poured over the end product. It is very easy to prepare and yummy in taste. This classic dish goes very well with hot steamed rice, accompanied with papad and a drizzle of some ghee for a great comfort meal.  

• 1/2 cup split moong dal 
• salt to taste 
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 4-5 tbsp. fresh grated coconut 
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
• 2 green chilies
• 2 tbsp. ghee
• 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1-2 dry red chilies
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tsp. coriander leaves, chopped

           Dry roast the lentil for 1-2 minutes. Soak in sufficient water 30 minutes. Wash and drain well. 

          Add 1 cup water and pressure cook along with salt to taste and turmeric powder for 3-4 whistles.

          Blend the coconut, green chilies and cumin seeds by adding some water. Add it to the cooked dal along with 1 cup water.

          Let it come to a boil and simmer for a minute. Switch off the flame. 

          Heat oil in a pan and temper with red chilies, mustard seeds and curry leaves. After it stops spluttering, add the onion and sauté till light brown. 

          Switch off the flame and pour this tempering over the prepared dal. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with rice. 

4.   Raw Banana Stir Fry - 

        This is a very easy and a simple Kerala style stir fry recipe of raw Banana. It also goes by the name of Kaya Mezhukkupuratti. Enjoy it alongside curd rice, rasam rice or sambar rice. One can also pair it with Malabar parotta or plain chapatti.  

          In this recipe, I have not used any onion, garlic, ginger or tomatoes. Yet it turned out so yummy. You may add so if you wish. So with very few ingredients, you can prepare this amazingly flavorful dish in no time. Coconut oil is used for an authentic touch and flavor.

• 2-3 raw bananas, boiled, peeled and chopped into small pieces
• 1 tsp. coconut oil
• 1 tsp. urad dal 
• 2 dry red chilies
• 1 tsp. coriander seeds
• 1 tsp. fennel seeds
• 1/2 cup fresh grated coconut

Tempering - 

• 1 tbsp. coconut oil
• 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 dry red chili
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1 onion, chopped
• salt to taste

         Heat 1 tsp. oil in a pan. Sauté the urad dal, red chilies, coriander seeds and fennel seeds for a minute. Then add the coconut and continue to fry till it turns golden in color. Set aside to cool. Then grind into a slightly coarse powder. Keep aside. 

          Tempering - Heat oil in a pan and temper with mustard seeds, cumin seeds and dry red chilies. After it stops spluttering, add the onion and curry leaves. Sauté till light brown. 

          Now add the boiled and chopped banana pieces and salt. Mix everything well and sauté for 2-3 minutes.

          Add the ground spice powder and give it a mix. Let the banana be nicely coated with all the masala. 

          Sauté for a minute and switch off the flame. Serve as a side dish or as a part of a Sadya Meal. 

5.  Thenga Chamanthi - 

           Thenga Chamanthi is a very flavorful Kerala style coconut chutney. Thenga refers to coconut and chamanthi means chutney. It is made using fresh coconut, shallot, ginger, dry red chilies, curry leaves, tamarind, salt and coconut oil. 

          This chutney is very popular in Kerala cuisine and is served as a part of a Sadya meal. Traditionally it is served with Kerala red rice called Matta rice. However, it also pairs well with any variety of steamed rice for a soul satisfying meal. So to sum up this is a mind blowing chutney that is both spicy and tangy.  

• 1 cup fresh grated coconut
• 3-4 dry red chilies 
• 4-5 sambar onions
• 1" ginger
• 1/2 tsp. Kashmiri chili powder
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1/2 tsp. tamarind paste
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp. coconut oil

          Transfer all the ingredients into a mixer jar and grind it coarsely. 

          Sprinkle some water if necessary and grind again into a coarse paste. 

          Your spicy and tangy Tenga Chamanthi is ready.

6.  Kadala Curry -  

              Kadala Curry is a traditional Kerala style side dish served as breakfast with Puttu. Hence, this recipe is also known as Puttu Kadala Curry. Kadala means kabuli chana or chickpeas and is a popular Kerala cuisine. 

               They can also be relished with Appam, Idiyappam, Chapatti, poori, Dosa or Paratha with some sliced onion, green chilies and lime wedges as an accompaniment if desired. 

• 1 cup black chickpeas, soaked overnight
• 1/3 cup fresh grated coconut
• 2 onion, sliced
• 1" ginger. chopped
• 3-4 cloves, chopped
• 1-2 green chilies
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1 tsp. red chili powder
• 1 tsp. fennel powder
• 1 tbsp. coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp. pepper powder
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp. garam masala powder
• 3-4 tbsp. coconut oil
• 2 dry red chilies
• 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1 tbsp. coriander leaves, chopped

          Pressure cook the soaked chickpeas and salt to taste in 2 cups water for 5-6 whistles or till soft. 

          Heat 1 tsp. oil in a pan and dry roast the coconut till light brown. Keep aside to cool. 

          Heat 1 tbsp. oil and sauté one onion, ginger, garlic and green chilies till light brown.

          Add all the dry spices mixed with 1/2 cup water. Sauté for a minute. 

          Now add the tomatoes and sauté till it is mashed. Keep aside to cool. Then blend along with the fried coconut into a smooth paste.

          Into the pan add 1/3 cup boiled chickpeas and mash it with a potato masher.

           Then add the ground paste and the boiled chickpeas along with the water. Adjust the consistency. 

           Add some hot water if you want a thin gravy. Mix well and simmer for 4-5 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish.

          Heat remaining oil in a pan and temper with dry red chilies and mustard seeds. After it stops spluttering, add the curry leaves and remaining onion. Sauté till light brown.

          Now pour this tempering over the kadala curry and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

          Serve with puttu, appam or idiyappam for a comfort Kerala meal. You may also relish with steamed rice or any flat Indian bread. 

Pothichoru (Traditional Kerala style Packed Meal)

 

          This is my first try at preparing a traditional Kerala style packed meal recipe in a Banana leaf called as Pothichoru. Pothi means packet and choru means cooked rice. It is a balanced diet of rice, one or two veg. curry, coconut chutney, fish fry and omelet. Kerala Matta rice is generally used in this recipe, however, I used a small grain rice called jeerakasala. This unique lunch is ideal while travelling or as a lunch box meal.

          All the dishes are first prepared and arranged on a banana leaf. It is then folded like a packet. However, before folding, the leaf is first wilted on an open flame to make it pliable and soft.

          It is then relished directly from the banana leaf for a nice comfort meal. Do give it a try and enjoy this unique and non-messy packet meal.

1.  Cabbage Thoran - 

• 1/2 of a medium cabbage, sliced finely
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 green chilies, slit
• salt to taste
• 2 tbsp. coconut oil 
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 dry red chili, broken 
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1/4 tsp. turmeric powder 
• 1/2 cup fresh grated coconut

          Heat oil in a pan and temper with mustard seeds, red chili and cumin seeds. After it stops spluttering, add the onion and curry leaves and sauté till translucent.

          Now add the chopped cabbage, salt, turmeric powder and green chilies. Cover and cook on medium flame till soft. Do not add any water.

          When the cabbage turns soft, add the coconut and switch off the flame. Stir well to combine and serve as a side dish with rice.

                     All the dishes are arranged before folding the banana leaf into a packet.

2.  Avial (Mixed Vegetable Curry) - 

• 1/2 cup each of mixed veggies (Raw banana, bottle gourd, green papaya, sweet potato, yam), chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh grated coconut
• 2-3 green chilies
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1/2 cup yoghurt
• salt to taste 
• 1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp. coconut oil
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 sprig curry leaves

          In a pan cook, covered, all the veggies in 1 cup water and turmeric powder till they turns soft, but not mushy. 

          Meanwhile grind the coconut, cumin seeds and green chilies to a coarse paste. Keep aside.

          Once the veggie are cooked, add the yoghurt and the coconut paste. Mix well and simmer on a medium flame for 2-3 minutes. Adjust salt and switch off the flame.  Transfer to a serving dish.

          Heat oil in a pan and temper with mustard seeds. After it stops spluttering, add the curry leaves and switch off the flame. 

          Pour this tempering over the prepared avial and serve with steamed rice (preferably Kerala Matta rice).

3.  Parippu (Lentil Curry) - 

• 1/2 cup split moong dal 
• salt to taste 
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 4-5 tbsp. fresh grated coconut 
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
• 2 green chilies
• 2 tbsp. ghee
• 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1-2 dry red chilies
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tsp. coriander leaves, chopped

          Dry roast the lentil for 1-2 minutes. Soak in sufficient quantity of water for 30 minutes. Wash and drain well. 

          Add 1 cup water and pressure cook along with salt to taste and turmeric powder for 3-4 whistles.

          Blend the coconut, green chilies and cumin seeds by adding some water. Add it to the cooked dal along with 1 cup water.

          Let it come to a boil and simmer for a minute. Switch off the flame. 

          Heat oil in a pan and temper with red chilies, mustard seeds and curry leaves. After it stops spluttering, add the onion and sauté till light brown. 

          Switch off the flame and pour this tempering over the prepared dal. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with rice. 

4.  Fish Fry - 

• 2 king fish steaks, cleaned 
• salt to taste
• 1 tbsp. red chili powder
• 1 tsp. coriander powder
• pinch of turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tbsp. coconut oil to marinate
• 1 tsp. lime juice
• 2 tbsp. oil to fry

          Make a paste of all the ingredients with little water (except the fish and oil to fry). Rub this paste on the fish steaks and marinate for an hour. 

          Heat oil in a pan and fry the marinated fish on both sides till well browned. Add more oil if required. When done, keep it aside to be assembled with rice and rest of the dishes.

5.  Omelette - 

• 2 eggs, well beaten
• pinch of salt
• pinch of turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp. fresh grated coconut
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 small tomato, chopped
• 1-2 green chilies, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp. grated ginger
• 1 sprig curry leaves, chopped
• 1-2 tbsp. oil

          In a bowl, mix all the ingredients (except oil).

          Heat oil in a pan / tawa and add the egg mix. Cook on both sides till it is well done. 

          Keep it aside to be arranged in the banana leaf along with rice and other prepared dishes. 

6.  Tenga Chamanthi (Coconut Chutney) - 

• 1 cup fresh grated coconut
• 7-8 dry red chilies 
• 4-5 sambar onions
• 1" ginger, roughly chopped
• 1/2 tsp. Kashmiri chili powder
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1/2 tsp. tamarind paste
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp. coconut oil

          Transfer all the ingredients to a mixer jar and grind it coarsely. 

          Sprinkle some water if necessary and grind again into a coarse paste. 

          Your spicy and tangy Tenga Chamanthi is ready.

Parippu Curry (Kerala Lentil Curry)

 

          Parippu Curry is a traditional and an authentic Kerala style lentil curry. It is an integral part of a Sadya meal, a vegetarian feast, served during Onam, a harvest festival. Split moong dal (green gram) is used in this recipe and is cooked with a mix of fresh coconut-cumin seeds-green chilies paste. 

          A tempering of dry red chilies, mustard seeds, curry leaves and onion in ghee is poured over the end product. It is very easy to prepare and yummy in taste. This classic dish goes very well with hot steamed rice, accompanied with papad and a drizzle of some ghee for a great comfort meal.  

• 1/2 cup split moong dal 
• salt to taste 
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 4-5 tbsp. fresh grated coconut 
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
• 2 green chilies
• 2 tbsp. ghee
• 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1-2 dry red chilies
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tsp. coriander leaves, chopped

          Dry roast the lentil for 1-2 minutes. Soak in sufficient water 30 minutes. Wash and drain well. 

          Add 1 cup water and pressure cook along with salt to taste and turmeric powder for 3-4 whistles.

          Blend the coconut, green chilies and cumin seeds by adding some water. Add it to the cooked dal along with 1 cup water.

          Let it come to a boil and simmer for a minute. Switch off the flame. 

          Heat oil in a pan and temper with red chilies, mustard seeds and curry leaves. After it stops spluttering, add the onion and sauté till light brown. 

          Switch off the flame and pour this tempering over the prepared dal. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with rice.