Instant Mango Pickle

This is an instant mango pickle recipe that is a must have in all feasts. This is another addition to the Kerala Sadhya menu.

Ingredients

1. 1 Raw Mango 
2. Salt (As per taste)
3. Red Chilly powder (As per taste)
4. 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
5. 1/4 cup Sesame Oil
6. 1/4 tsp Asafoetida
7. 1/4 tsp Methi Powder (Optional)
8. 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

Method

1. Cut the Raw Mango into small pieces. Add the turmeric, red chilly powder and salt to the cut mango pieces and mix well. 
2. Heat the oil in a small pan and add the mustard seeds, asafoetida and methi powder. When the mustard starts to crackle, switch off and add this to the mango mixture and mix well. Adjust the salt and spice to your taste.
3. Pickle is ready to be served and stays good for a week if refrigerated.

Milagu Vada / Anjaneyar Vada

This Milagu Vada is generally made for Hanuman Jayanthi or whenever you want to offer a vada malai for Hanuman. Hence it is popularly known as Hanuman Vada or Anjaneyar Vada. The following recipe makes around 12 vadas.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Urad dal
• 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
• 3 tsp Ghee
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• Water (Use as required)

Method

1. Dry grind the Urad dal and black pepper into a coarse powder.
2. Add the ghee and salt to the ground mixture and form a soft but firm dough by adding water little by little as required.
3. Heat oil in a wok and make small balls of the dough.
4. Flatten each on your palm (or a greased plastic sheet on your palm) and make a small hole at the center and fry them in oil. If the dough is too firm and breaks when you try to flatten it, add little more water and try again.
5. The Vadas are ready to be offered to Lord Hanuman.

Sharkara Upperi / Sharkara Varatti

This is a sweet snack famous in Kerala and another inevitable part of a Kerala Sadya.

Ingredients

• 5 raw green plaintains (Nenthran kaai)
• 1 1/2 cups jaggery
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric
• 1/2 tsp Dry Ginger powder
• 1/4 tsp Cardamom powder
• Oil to Deep fry
• 1 tbsp roasted Rice flour 
• 1 tbsp Sugar (Optional)

Method

1. Peel the Raw Bananas and soak them in water mixed with turmeric for around 10 min and then pat them dry.
2. Cut each of banana into half lengthwise and then into small pieces of 1/4" thickness.
3. Heat oil in a wok and carefully drop the pieces into the oil. Fry the pieces in batches till they are crisp and remove them with a slotted spoon and place them on a paper towel to drain the excess oil.
4. Take a big pan and add the jaggery with 1/2 cup water and allow the mixture to boil. To check if it has reached the desired consistency, add a drop of the jaggery mixture in a bowl of cold water. You should be able to make a small ball from it without it melting into the water.
5. Add the cardamom and ginger powder and stir well. Then simmer the stove and add the fried banana pieces into it with continuous stirring. Once the chips are covered with jaggery, switch off and add the rice flour and sugar and mix well.
6. Transfer the mixture into a wide plate and allow it to cool completely. Once cooled, transfer it to an air tight container and enjoy!!

Sri Rama Navami

Sri Rama Navami is a festival to celebrate the birth of Lord Rama. As an offering to Sri Rama, the prasad made on this day are Panagam, Neer moru, Vadaparippu.

Panagam

Ingredients

• 3 cups cold Water 
• 1/2 cup Powdered Jaggery (Adjust to taste)
• A pinch of Cardamom powder 
• 1/4 tsp Dry ginger powder (Adjust to taste)

Method

1. Dissolve the jaggery in water and strain it.
2. Add the other ingredients and stir well and offer it to the Lord.

Neer Moru / Buttermilk

Ingredients

• 1 cup Yogurt/ Curd
• 1 cup cold Water (Add more or less to your liking)
• A pinch of Asafoetida
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp chopped Coriander leaves

Method

1. Mix the yogurt and the water with a hand blender or stirrer. 
2. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well and offer it to the Lord

Vada Parippu

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Split Moong Dal 
• 1 tbsp grated Coconut 
• Salt - to taste
• Raw mango / Cucumber - 1 tbsp grated (optional)
• 1 tbsp chopped Coriander leaves

Method

1. Soak moong dal in water for 30mins.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well and serve to the Lord.

Batura

This is a deep fried Indian bread that tastes good with Channa Masala and the combination is so popularly called Channa Batura or Chole Puri.

Ingredients

• 2 cups All Purpose Flour (Maida)
• 1 cup Yogurt (Adjust as required)
• 1/2 tsp Sugar
• 1 tsp Salt (Adjust to taste)
• 1 tsp ghee for the dough
• Oil for deep frying

Method

1. Mix the flour, sugar, salt, ghee and add the yogurt little by little and mix well to form a soft pliable dough.
2. Cover the dough with a wet cloth and keep aside for 1 hour.
3. Gently punch the dough and divide it into small lemon size balls.
4. Roll out each ball into circles 1/4 " thick.
5. Heat oil in a wok and start to fry the rolled out baturas one by one.
6. Serve the batura hot with Channa as side dish.

Channa Masala

Protein rich chickpeas (channa) in tomato gravy makes a yummy side dish for chappatis / poori or batura.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Kabuli Channa (Chickpeas) 
• 1 Tomato
• 2 Cardamom
• 5 Cloves
• 1" piece Cinnamon
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
• 1 Tea bag
• 1 tsp Sambar powder
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric
• 1/2 tsp grated Ginger
• 2 green chillies (Adjust to taste)
• 1 tsp Oil
• 1 tsp Kasuri methi
• 1 tsp Salt (Adjust to taste)
• 1/2 tsp Fennel seeds (Saunf)
• 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds (Jeera)
• 1 Bay leaf
• 1 tsp Lemon juice (Optional and Adjust to taste)

Method

1. Wash and soak the channa for 6-8 hrs and then pressure cook it for 6 whistles along with the tea bag and salt and keep aside.
2. Grind the tomato, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, fennel seeds, ginger and green chillies and keep aside
3. Heat the pan and add the oil, bay leaf and cumin seeds. When the cumin seeds crackle, add the ground mixture and cook it for a few minutes. Then add the cooked channa after squeezing and removing the tea bag. Add the Kasuri methi, turmeric, sambar powder and salt and allow it to cook for a few more minutes so that all the flavors blend in.
4. Remove the chole from fire and add the lemon juice and mix well. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot with roti/ poori/ batura/ rice.