Tradition comes calling!

Onam sadya season is on. Photo: The Hindu Special Arrangement

Source:The Hindu:Parvathy Menon:Sep 2:2011

The Onasadya is a big spread of traditional curries.

 Here are some must and most popular ones

Hardly a week more for Onam and preparations are in full swing. Time to forget all other cuisines and concentrate on the Malayali style of cooking. But even in Kerala, every area has its own set of recipes. So, you may disagree on some points but generally, the recipes have very few differences, areawise. This is the Kochi style. Sambar, avial and thoran are everyday curries and so that can be skipped. Look at these recipes that are part of Onam sadya and make sure you make them this Onam!

Kootu curry

Yam, cubed-1 cup

Brown chickpeas - Soaked overnight

Raw banana - cubed

Coconut for grinding

Coconut scrapings, a handful

Cumin

Red chillies

Pepper powder

Mustard seasoning- coconut oil, mustard seeds, dried red chillies, curry leaves

Method

Boil the yam and chickpeas and raw banana cubes in pressure cooker for 15 minutes. After grinding the coconut paste, mix in to the cooked vegetables. Make mustard seasoning and roast the coconut in coconut oil. Add salt. Mix all the ingredients and serve hot.

Kurukku Kaalan

Beat 7 to 8 glasses of sour buttermilk and mash all lumps. Put this in a vessel on the fire. Add turmeric, red chilli powder, curry leaves and pepper powder. Let this cook, stirring every now and then till it has reduced to half .(Do not add salt as it will turn the mixture watery.)Add jaggery syrup and stir well.

Pressure cook moderately big sized chunks of two raw bananas and half kg yam adding salt, turmeric, red chilli powder and pepper powder for 2 whistles. Add the vegetables to the reduced gravy and stir. Let this simmer.

Grind half a coconut, grated, 1 to one and a half tbsp jeera and 3 to 4 green chillies with boiled water to a smooth paste. Add the ground mixture to the gravy on boil and stir well.

In a wok, heat a little coconut oil. Add mustard seeds. When these splutter, add fenugreek seeds and red chillies. Finally add curry leaves and stir fry. Add the tempering to the the gravy and stir well.

Tip: The buttermilk used must be sour for best results.

This curry keeps for long, and tastes even better, aged. Keep refrigerated.

Pineapple pachady

Pineapple slices - cubed

Turmeric and red chilli powder

Coconut, cumin, green chillies

Coconut oil, mustard seeds, red chillies,

curry leaves

Salt

Red grapes

Jaggery syrup - 1 tsp

Method

Boil the pineapple pieces with the syrup in a little water with turmeric, salt and red chilli powder, a pinch each. Grind the coconut, green chillies and cumin and do the mustard seasoning. Boil the coconut paste with the pineapple pieces and add the mustard seasoning. Stir in a little jaggery syrup, if the pineapple is not too sweet and toss in the red grapes before transferring to a serving dish. Serve hot!

Erishery

Pumpkin, slightly sweet - 1 small, cubed

Red gram – three-fourth cup, soaked overnight

Coconut scrapings- 1 cup

Green chillies - 1 or 2

Cumin seeds – half tsp

Coconut scrapings - to roast - 2 -3 tbsp

For mustard tempering:

Mustard seeds, red chillies, curry leaves, coconut oil

Salt - to taste

Method

Boil the pumpkin and red gram for 10 minutes in a pressure cooker or in a pan till cooked with turmeric, red chilli powder and salt. Grind coconut, cumin seeds, green chillies to make a smooth paste. Add the coconut mix to the boiled vegetables and stir. In a wok, roast the coconut in 1 tsp coconut oil. Reserve, crackle mustard seeds in 1 tbsp heated coconut oil, toss in dried red chillies and curry leaves. Stir in the mustard tempering to the curry and sprinkle the golden brown coconut on top.

Lady's finger Kitchady

Ladies finger - 8, cut into half inch cubes

2 tbsp coconut/ refined oil to fry the lady's

finger

Green chillies - 3 medium sized, chopped

Yoghurt – Two and a half cups, slightly sour

Coconut, grated – One and a half cups

Mustard seeds – Half tsp

Salt - To taste

For seasoning, coconut oil- One and a half tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tbsp

Dried red chillies - 2

Curry leaves - 2 sprigs

Method

Clean and wash the lady's finger. Chop into half inch pieces. Heat 2 tbsp oil. Sauté the lady's finger, green chillies and curry leaves till it turns crisp and brown. Keep aside. Grind the grated coconut and mustard seeds in quarter cup water into a fine paste.Add salt and yoghurt to it and stir well.

In a wok heat oil. Add mustard seeds. When these crackle, add curry leaves and dried red chillies. Add the ground paste. Warm it nicely. Finally add the fried lady's finger.

Keywords: traditional recipes, Onam cuisine