Some forgotten Kerala Iyer recipes

Old but forgotten Kerala Iyer Recipes


P.R.Ramachander

Over the years some of the very special dishes have gone out of fashion from the Kerala Iyer family. It is not because they are not good nor because they are difficult to prepare but because of the migration of families to different areas and their adopting to the recipes of the new area, that these are not prepared. Some of these are given here.

1.Arachu Kalakki

Normally these are prepared using mangoes or Nellikais preserved in salt in Kerala Iyer homes and used to be prepared in off seasons for vegetables. The only exception is Chenai. The method of preparation is given below: -

1.Take sufficient quantity of Kanni Mangai or Nellikkai preserved in salt or Chenai (Thoroughly washed tender mango pickles can be used instead of Kanni Mangai)

2.Grind it in Mixie with coconut and green chillies

3.Pour the ground mixture in sour buttermilk and mix thoroughly.

4.Season it with mustard, red chillies and fenugreek (Menthiyam) and garnish with curry leaf.

5.Add small amount of salt in case of salt preserved pickles and sufficient quantity in case of Chenai.

2.Manga Kadi

This can be prepared only in the mango season. The method is extremely simple: -

1.Boil cut pieces of green mango (with skin removed) in water.

2.Add salt and small amount of chilly powder and boil till mamgo pieces are cooked well.

3.Season it with mustard, red chillies and fenugreek.

3.Mezhukku Peratti

This is another very simple side dish, which was extremely popular in Kerala Iyer homes. The method of preparation is: -

1.Cut into small pieces Plantains (cooking type banana) and chenai. (In places where Chenai is not available we have found that carrot can be used) Jack fruit seeds if available or Koorkan Kizhangu during seasons are also added

2.If available at cut pieces of jack fruit seed and/or Koorkan Kizhangu

3.Boil with salt and turmeric powder in pressure cooker.

4.Take coconut oil and heat it. When sufficiently hot, put the boiled vegetables and mix well.

The kari tastes good even if other oils are used

4.Puliyitta Keerai

This is another very simple dish prepared using either amaranth leaves or tender non-itchy type of colacasia (Chembu) leaves. The method of preparation is as follows:-

1.Cut the leaf into very small pieces.

2.Boil the leaves in tamarind water, turmeric and salt , till the leaves are cooked well. Add also green chillies while boiling.

3.Take out the green chillies and grind them and mix with the boiled leaves

4.Season with mustard, red chillies and fenugreek.

5.Puliya Kuthi Upperi

This is a peculiar dish prepared only in Kerala iyer homes. In some homes , it is directly mixed with rice and in some others it is used as a side dish for Mulagootal.The method of preparation is as follows:-

1.Cut plantains, brinjal . ash gourd (Or Chowchow) and red pumpkin into thin long pieces similar to aviyal.Traditionally bundled non-itchy colacasia leaves used to be added in Kerala.

2.Boil in tamarind with turmeric and salt. Till well cooked. The tamarind water should be just sufficient to soak the cut pieces. And after boiling, very little watery portion should be there.

4.Fry without oil, rice, red chilies and fenugreek and powder.

5.Take some oil . splutter mustard and Uzhuttan Parippu..Put mixture of the boiled vegetables and the powder and stir till it becomes semi solid.

6.Mulagooshyam

This is possibly one of the very simple Kerala recipes. It is also called Karingalan by some Here is the method:-

1.Choose either plantains and Chenai(Where Chenai is not available choose carrot instead).Cut into small pieces.

2.Boil till coked with turmeric powder, pepper powder and salt with medium water.

3.Season it either with raw coconut oil or mustard and uzhuttam parippu

7.Mulagu Vellam

This needs very sour buttermilk to prepare. Here is the method

1 Cook pepper powder in water for some time.

2,Add sour butter milk , salt and turmeric powder and boil till it is reduced to half the quantity,

3.Season it with mustard, red chillies and fenugreek.

8.Moru Charu

This is an instant recipe when you don’t have time and nothing else except sour buttermilk. Here is the recipe.

1.Heat Oil , splutter mustard , red chillies, uzhuttam parippu and fenugreek

2.Pour buttermilk and add salt.

3.Remove from the stow before buttermilk comes to boil.

9.Podi Podicha Pulungari

This is possibly the Kerala substitute for Tamil Nadu Sambhar.Here is the recipe:-

1.Cut into long thin pieces, Brinjal, red Pumpkin, ash gourd or Chow Chow.

2.Cook in pressure cooker in tamarind water.

3.Fry in a dry pan rice and red chillies.The colour of the rice should turn ivory.

4.Powder the rice , chillie mixture.

5.Add to the vegetables and boil.

6.Season with mustard and garnish with curry leaf.

a. The interesting variant is prepared by using only Jack fruit instead of all the above vegetables.

b. A super variant is the Puducode Pulungari prepared only on all days of Navarathri in the temple at Palakkad. The recipe of this is given below: -

Needs:

Pumpkin 150 g, Yam 150 g, Ash gourd 150 g, Plantains 50 g,

Raw rice 10 g, tur dhal 25 g, dried chillies 3, Fenugreek (Mentha) 5 g, Tamarind 50 g, Coconut (shredded) 25 g, Mustard 2 g, green chillies 5 g, Jaggery 20 g, curry leaves, Coconut oil 25 g and some quantity of curry leaves and salt to taste.

Method:

1.Cut and cook Ah gourd and yam together in a cooker

2.Also cook Tur dal in the cooker

3. Cut and boil pumpkin and plantains

4. fry rice till they pop and powder it

5.fry fenugreek (Mentha) to golden brown and powder it

6.Grind coconut and green chillies together

7 Extract Tamarind juice and boil it for 5 minutes

8. Add all vegetables, jaggery, and cooked dhal for 10 minutes

9.Add rice powder and boil for 5 minutes

10. Take out from stove and immediately add coconut paste, mentha powder, coconut oil and curry leaves and stir.

11. Season it with mustard and dry chilies in coconut oil.

10.Murunga ilai Adai

This was a popular Tiffin item of yester years. Here is the method:-

1.Soak parboiled rice for more than 6 hours

2.Grind in to smooth paste adding sufficient salt

3.Add cut drumstick leaves to this mixture

4.Prepare thick adais from this batter

11.Chakkai Adai

This used to be prepared in jack fruit season in yester years.Here is the recipe

1.Soak parboiled rice for more than 6 hours

2.Grind in to smooth paste adding sufficient salt

3.Add also cut pieces of jackfruit and small quantity of jaggery half way while grinding.

4.Prepare Adais with this batter

12.Koozhu.

This is normally prepared only when batter prepared for Verumarisi adai becomes sour. Being very tasty many families used to prepare the batter and allow it to become sour to make Koozhu.The method is as follows:-

1.Soak and grind par boiled rice and allow the batter to become very sour.

2. Mix the sour batter in more water and make it of thinner consistency.

3.Heat gingelly oil (sufficiently more) , splutter mustard, uzhtham Parippu, Milagai Vettal. Perungayam, and thairu milagai in the oil.

4.Pour the semi liquid batter in to this and keep on stirring till , the colour changes and the batter does not stick to the vessel

5.Keep ready an oil-coated plate(Olden times oil smeared banana leaves were used)

6.Pour the hot Koozhu in to this and allow it to cool.

7,Cut in to small pieces and serve

13.Koozhu dosai

For dosai normally par boiled rice is being used. In the olden times for Vritha days, it was felt that it was Vetthu. So it was necessary to eat some thing prepared of wheat or Pachaarisi(ordinary rice).But tiffins prepared by Pacharisi were not tastey.The following is the recipe for making tasty dosas out of Pacharisi.

1.Soak Pacharaisi and grind into smooth paste,Add salt

2.Take out a small portion and mix it with water

3,Put little oil and heat it. In this pour the liquefied batter and keep on stirring, till the colour changes and it does not stick.

4.Remove from the stove and mix thoroughly with the main batter,

5.Prepare very soft dosas now.

14. Aracha Kozhakattai

Normally on Amavasya days , at night Kozhakattai used to be prepared in olden days.The method is as follows:-

1.Soak Parboiled rice and grind it to coarse consistency.When the grinding is about to be over add shredded coconut (about quarter of the dough) and grind for a few minutes further.

2.Heat oil splutter mustard, Uzhutham Parippu , Milagai Vettal and Perungayam

3.Add the batter in to this and keep on stirring till it becomes solid

4.Make small balls using this batter

5.Put it in boiling water gently and cook for more than 15 minutes (Other alternative is steam cooking)

6,Remove and serve with Sambhar or Chutney.

15,Mooda Kozhakkattai

This can be prepared only in jack fruit season.Method is as follows:-

1.Heat water and bring it to boil

2.Add jaggery and jackfruit pieces and boil till jackfruit is cooked

3.Add the rice powder gently and keep on stirring till it becomes solid

4.Make it in to small balls, roll these balls in banana leaves and tie them

5.Steam cook these balls.

There are possibly many other very special dishes of a Kerala Iyer household which , I may not even know. If you know any please contribute .So that we keep living the culture of tasty food of Kerala Iyer households.

I am adding the recipe for Kalan’

1.Prepare sour butter milk

2.Take little water , add pepper powder and turmeric powder and boil for some time

3.Gently add the churned butter milk to this mixture

4.When it comes to boil add well cooked plantain pieces also(normally Chenai is used.)

5.Allow to boil.after adding salt

6.Unless the vessel is a deep one , it will boil and spill out.To avoid this keep on removing the froth

7.Reduce to half the quantity

8.Grind coconut and green chillies without adding much water

9.Add it to the boiled buttermilk

10 Heat for some time

11.Remove from tava and add curry leaves

12.Season it with mustard red chillies and mentha

(If buttermilk is not sour enogh , the boiled mixture will curdle. Put the entire mixture without vegetables and blend)