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Showing posts with label Sadhya Recipes - For onam and Vishu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sadhya Recipes - For onam and Vishu. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Kadala Pradhaman


Pradhaman made with brown kadala, with it's skin peeled off,  is a delicious combination of  jaggery and coconut milk. A good add to the onasadhya.

Ingredients

3 cup - Brown kadala / brown chickpea
400 gm - Jaggery
1 big - Coconut, grated
3 - Clove
5 - Cardamom, powdered
5 - Cashewnuts, slit in half
5 - Dry white raisins / Kishmish
1/4 cup - Thinly sliced coconut bits / Thengakothu
2 tsp - Rice powder Or Corn flour
2 to 3 tbsp - Ghee

 Method

1 ) Soak kadala overnight. Then peel off it's skin.




2 ) In a pressure cooker, cook the peeled kadala along with clove and enough water to cook it. After the first whistle, simmer and cook for 1/2 an hour. Cool and open Pressure cooker. Mash the kadala partially.

3 ) Meanwhile, place jaggery in a pan with little water, simmer and boil to dissolve the jaggery. Strain to remove any impurities and set aside. Extract coconut milk from coconut. First extracted thick milk - 1/2 cup, second extracted - 1 cup, third extracted milk -1.5 cup

4 ) Into the pressure cooker, pour the jaggery syrup, a pinch of salt and cook on medium flame till the kadala absorbs the jaggery taste and jaggery thickens. Taste test the kadala in between to check. Pour the third extracted coconut milk and cook till the contents thickens.

5 ) Mix and stir 2 tsp of rice powder or corn flour to the second extracted coconut milk.Add second extracted coconut milk, simmer and cook for five minutes. Add powdered cardamom powder. Then the first extracted thick coconut milk. Before the pradhaman comes to a boil, turn off the stove.

6 ) In another pan heat ghee, add coconut bits and lightly brown it. To this add cashew nuts and lightly brown it. Then add the raisins and fry it till it puffs. Pour this on top of the pradhaman and cover it.




Serve the kadala prahaman hot or cold.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Vishu and a Koottu Curry

The Malayalam new year, Vishu is celebrated on the first day of medam masam (Malayalam month ) It generally falls on 14th or 15th of April. This year it's on April 15th. Very early in the morning, i woke to light the lamp and then woke rest of the family to see the auspicious Vishukkani.
Later in the day starts preparation for a small sadhya. This koottu curry is a combination of vegetables and chana dal, that when seasoned is delicious and will be a good add to the sadhya dishes.

Ingredients

1 cup - Chana dal
1 and 1/4 cup - Chena /suran/yam, cut to small cubes.
1 and 1/4 cup - White pumpkin, cut to small cubes
1 and 1/4 cup - Red pumpkin, cut to small cubes
1 - Raw banana, cut to small cubes
Salt to taste

To roast and grind

1 tbsp - Coriander seeds
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
8 - Whole dry red chili
3 - Pepper corn
1 tsp - Urad dal

Seasoning

1 tsp - Mustard seeds
2 to 4 - Dry red chili, broken into two
8 - Shallots, sliced
3 sprigs - Curry leaves
1/2 cup - Freshly grated coconut
Coconut oil

Method

1 ) Soak chana dal for 2 hours in enough water. Transfer the dal to a pressure cooker, add 2 cups of water and pressure cook for 5 minutes. Now turn off the stove and cool. Then open the cooker and add the vegetables. Add salt to taste and again pressure cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Turn off the stove and cool.

2 ) Meanwhile, roast the ingredients listed to roast in little coconut oil. Then powder and grind to a smooth paste with little water.

3 ) Add this masala paste to the cooked dal and veggies. Simmer and bring to a boil. Adjust salt to taste.

4 ) Now heat a pan with coconut oil to season. Add mustard seeds and let it pop. Then add dry red chili and fry it for a second then add onion and curry leaves. Let the onion light brown in color. Then add the grated coconut and fry the coconut to a light brown color. Add more coconut oil, if necessary. Pour this seasoning on top of the cooked dal and veggies and mix in. Close with a lid immediately to capture the aroma inside the pan.

Serve as a side dish with rice. Wishing every one a Happy Vishu !

Check out the malabar style koottu curry preparation here

Monday, August 23, 2010

Puli Inji / Inji Puli

Inji puli or puli inji as it is called, is part and parcel of onam sadya. A thick sauce that is sweet, spicy and tangy in taste.

Ingredients

Cut very finely

8 - Green chili
2'' to 3'' piece - Ginger
1 cup - Shallot or 2 - Onions

To roast & powder

1 tsp - Raw rice
1 tsp - Jeera /cumin
1/2 tsp - Pepper corns

Masala powders to be roasted

3 tsp - Coriander powder
1.5 tsp - Chili powder
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder

Other ingredients

1 fist full - Tamarind
1 small cube size - Jaggery
Salt to taste

Seasoning

1/2 tsp - Mustard seeds
2 - Dry red chili, split into two
Few curry leaves

Method

1 ) Extract thick tamarind juice, from tamarind, adding about 1.5 to 2 cups of water to the tamarind. Roast the ingredients listed above.

2 ) Heat a kadai /wok with little coconut oil, Add mustard seeds and let it pop. Then add dry red chili, curry leaves and fry for a few seconds. Then add finely chopped, green chili, ginger and onion. Fry on medium heat very well till the raw smell goes and the ingredients get fried to a medium brown color. Add more coconut oil as required.

3 ) Now add the roasted masala powders, mix and stir. Now pour in the tamarind juice, salt to taste, stir and cook till the sauce thicken up. Then add jaggery and let it blend in with the sauce. Now sprinkle the powdered, rice,jeera and pepper. Stir and mix and cook for a minute. Take off the stove and let it cool.

Serve inji puli for a grand onam sadya meal.

Wednesday, July 07, 2010

Cabbage Thoran ~ Stir Fried Cabbage


Cabbage stir fried with coconut, shallot, garlic, ginger and spices gives it a unique taste that is so good with cooked red rice.

Ingredients

3 cups - Cabbage, chopped

Coarsely grind

1/2 cup - Freshly grated coconut
1/4 tsp - Jeera / Cumin
3 to 4 - Green chili
A very small piece - Ginger
2 flakes - Garlic
1 big - Shallot
1 sprig - Curry leaves

Seasoning

1 tsp - Mustard seeds
5 to 6 big - Shallots, chopped
2 sprigs - Curry leaves

Method

1 ) Mix shredded and chopped cabbage with the coarsely ground coconut mixture. With hand mix in very well. Sprinkle salt to taste and mix with hand well.

2 ) Heat a kadai /wok with coconut oil, add mustard and pop it. Then add shallots and curry leaves and fry lightly. Then add the cabbage mixture and stir in. Close with a lid and cook on low heat for 4 to 5 minutes. In between just give a quick stir. Let the cabbage cook in it's steam. Do not over cook the cabbage. Let it have a bit of crunchiness. Take off the heat and serve.


This is my usual side dish with some kerala fish curry and rice.

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Nellikka Achar / Pickled Gooseberries

Indian gooseberry know as nellikka in malayalam, amala in hindi has many health benefits. Sour in taste, this fruit is used fresh and dried for different things.
Have Gooseberries, if you have vitamin C deficiency, like cold, bleeding gum etc for a natural cure, since gooseberry is rich in vitamin C. Also it’s very good for people who have diabetics. Taking gooseberries daily will reduce diabetics. Gooseberries are dried and used as a main ingredient in ayurvedic preparations to make medicines as it provides remedy to many diseases.With all its benefits, it will be a good thing to include gooseberries in our daily diet. Pickling gooseberries works out well. Uppillitta nellikka (gooseberries soaked in salted water for a duration of time) is a popular way of pickling in kerala. These salted gooseberries can then be used to make chammanthi or you can eat these salted gooseberries as is.

Ingredients
15 big size - Nellikka / Amala / Gooseberries
2 tbsp – Red chili powder
¼ tsp – Fenugreek powder / methi / uluva
¼ tsp – Hing powder / Asafetida
1 tsp – Mustard seed
3 to 4 sprigs – Curry leaves, washed and dried well.
4 to 5 tbsp – Sesame oil
3 tsp – Salt or to taste

Method
1 ) Powder the mustard seeds. Wash gooseberries well, then wipe dry off any water. Cut gooseberries to small pieces.

2 ) Heat a kadai or pan with 2 tbsp of oil on medium low heat. Add the cut gooseberry pieces, 1 tsp salt and fry the pieces till pieces turn soft, which will take 2 to 3 minutes. Once the pieces are soft, transfer the pieces to another utensil and set aside.

3 ) Add 2 to 3 tbsp oil into the pan and heat the pan on low flame. Add curry leaves and fry the leaves crisp, then add red chili powder, fenugreek powder, mustard powder, hing powder, one after the other. Fry the powders in the oil, till you get a good aroma of the powders. But take care not to burn it.

4 ) Add fried gooseberry pieces to this masala , 2 tsp of salt or to taste, stir and mix well. Coat the pieces well with the masala. Take off the stove and cool.

Use a sterilized bottle to store this pickle in. Bottle should be wiped well off any water in it. Once the pickle has cooled off, transfer pickle into the sterilized bottle. Can keep the pickle outside for two to three days then refrigerate.Do shake the bottle to coat the pieces with masala and oil each time you take it.

I was so eager to taste this pickle, that i tasted the pickle, after an hour of making it. By then the masala had settled in a bit on the pieces and tasted like an instant pickle.

Monday, April 07, 2008

Ethakka / Ripe Plantain Pachadi

A sweet and sour pachadi with ripe plantain will be a good addition to your sadhya. There is similarities in taste with mambazha pulissery , though this is a pachadi.

Ingredients

2 - Very ripe plantain, chop very finely
1/4 tsp - Turmeric powder
1/4 tsp - Red chili powder
Salt to taste

Grind to a smooth paste

1/2 cup - Grated coconut
1/2 tsp - Mustard seeds
1 to 2 - Green chili
1/2 cup - Medium sour curds/ yogurt

Seasoning

1 tsp - Mustard seeds
2 sprigs - Curry leaves
2 - Whole dry red chili

Method

1 ) Cook plantain in little water with red chili and turmeric powder along with salt to taste. cook till plantain is a bit mashed.

2 ) Add ground ingredients to cooked plantain, add little water just enough for a thick gravy and bring to a boil. Lower heat and cook for 2 minutes. Adjust salt to taste. Add beaten curds, mix in and when about to boil, take off the stove.

3 ) In a pan heat oil, add mustard seeds and pop it. Add curry leaves and dry red chili. Fry for a minute and pour over the pachadi.

Serve with rice.

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Spinach Pachadi

Spinach is cooked frequently at my place in different ways and with all its goodness and health benefits is a power food. Pachadi with spinach is a quick preparation, that a friend thought of, to make in a hurry one day. Tried this out today and it was perfect with rice.

Ingredients

1 bunch - Spinach, washed well
1 to 2 - Green chili, chopped
Salt to taste

Grind to a smooth paste

1/2 cup - Coconut
1/2 tsp - Mustard seeds
1/2 cup - Medium sour creamy yogurt

Seasoning

1/2 tsp - Mustard seeds
2 - Dry whole red chili
2 sprigs - Curry leaves

Method

1 ) In a pan cook spinach in very little water with green chili and salt to taste, covered with a lid. Once cooked, take off the stove and cool. Transfer to a blender / grinder and plus two times to get a coarse texture.

2 ) Transfer spinach to a pan. Grind coconut and mustard to a smooth paste, with little water. Add this coconut- mustard paste to the pan with spinach and mix. Heat the stove, place the pan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, add beaten yogurt and adjust salt to taste. After adding yogurt, don't cook for long. Just before it comes to a boil, take off the stove.

3 ) Heat oil in another pan. Add mustard seeds and pop. Add dry red chili and curry leaves. Fry for a second and pour this seasoning on the pachadi. Stir and mix in.


Serve as a side dish with rice.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Instant Mango Pickle

I was so happy to see some fresh raw mangoes which was labeled pickle mangoes, in the Indian store. I wanted to make instant mango pickle, ever since i saw sig's 'young green mango pickle'. So here is how i made instant mango pickle.

Ingredients

1 big - Fresh green raw mango
5 to 6 flakes- Garlic, sliced
1 tbsp - Red chili powder
1/4 tsp - Hing powder / Asafoetida
1/4 tsp - Fenugreek powder
Salt to taste
Sesame oil

Seasoning

1/2 tsp - Mustard seeds

Method

1 ) Cut mango with skin on, into small pieces.

2 ) Heat 2 tbsp oil. Keep the heat low, once the oil has warmed up. Add garlic and just fry lightly. Don't brown it. Then on low heat, add red chili powder, hing and fenugreek powder. Stir and fry for a second. Take off the stove and pour on the cut mango pieces. Add salt to taste and mix well with mango pieces.

3 ) Heat 1 tbsp more oil and pop mustard seeds. Pour this on pickle and mix in. Cool and transfer to a glass or ceramic jar.You can warm little more oil and pour on top of the jar, if you want to store this for long time. Keep in room temperature for a day, then store in fridge.

Serve pickle with rice, chapati and enjoy this unique taste of raw mango with spices.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Kalan

Kalan, a yogurt based thick gravy preparation with vegetable like plantain and yam is a popular traditional dish in kerala. Yam used here is suran or also known as elephant foot yam.

Ingredients

1 - Plantain, cut with skin to 1/2 '' pieces
1 cup - Yam / Suran, cut to 3/4 '' pieces
1/2 tsp - Red chili powder
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
salt to taste

Grind to a paste

3/4 cup - Grated coconut
3 to 4 - Green chili
1/2 tsp - Jeera / Cumin seeds
1.5 to 2 cups - Medium sour yogurt / Curds

Seasoning

1 tsp - Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp - Fenugreek seeds / Uluva / Methi
2 sprigs - Curry leaves
2 - Whole dry red chili
Coconut oil

Method

1 ) Cook plantain and yam in enough water along with red chili powder, turmeric powder and salt to taste, till vegetables are well cooked. You can pressure cook the veggie for faster cooking.

2 ) Grind to a smooth paste coconut, green chili and jeera with very little water. Beat yogurt well and set aside.

3 ) Add ground coconut paste to cooked vegetable and mix in with the stock in the vegetable. If there is no stock, add little water. Bring to a boil. Adjust salt to taste. Now add the beaten yogurt and just bring to a boil. Take off the stove immediately, so that the yogurt does not curdle.

4 ) Heat a pan with oil. Pop the mustard, then add fenugreek seeds and fry till brown on low heat. Add red chili and curry leaves. Season the cooked kalan with this and mix in.


Serve with rice.

RCI: Regional cuisine of india, is an event based on different regional cuisines. It's the brainchild of LakshmiK. RCI kerala is hosted by Jyothsna of currybazaar and this traditional dish from kerala is send as an entry for this event.


This will make a good addition to Onam sadhya.

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Naranga / Lemon Curry

Naranga curry or Lemon pickle curry is traditionally served as a pickle along with other dishes on a the banana leaf for onasadhya or any sadhya.

Ingredients

4 - Yellow Lemon
6 to 8 - Green chili, cut round
1/2 cup ( 4 oz ) - Water
Salt to taste
Sesame oil

Seasoning powders

4 tsp - Red chili powder
4 pinches - Fenugreek powder
1/4 tsp - Asafoedita / Hing

Method

1 ) Take off the skin from the lemon, cut to small pieces. Marinate cut lemon pieces with green chili and salt. Keep aside for half an hour.
2 ) Keep powders mixed and ready. Warm 4 tsp sesame oil, add the powders and mix. Take care not to burn the powders. Do on low heat. Add water and bring to a good boil for a minute.

3 ) Add marinated lemon pieces and bring to a boil. Turn off stove. When cool store in a glass bottle and keep it refrigerated. Always use a dry spoon to serve. Start using from the next day.

Serve as a pickle with rice.

Thursday, September 06, 2007

Wheat Payasam with Fried Banana

An yummy wheat payasam sweetened with jaggery and cooked in coconut milk. Sweet and ripe plantain is fried in ghee and is introduced into the cooked payasam. Fried plantains gives a new dimension to the wheat payasam and makes it irresistible to stop having the payasam.

Ingredients

1 cup - Broken wheat
2.5 cup - Water
1 cup - Thick jaggery syrup Or more as per taste
1 - Cardamom, powdered
1/4 tsp - Dry ginger powder

Coconut milk from one coconut
  • 1 cup - First extracted coconut milk

  • 1.5 cup - Second extracted coconut milk

  • 1.5 cup - Third extracted coconut milk
1 - Big ripe plantain, slit in center, cut to 8 big pieces
Garnishing

1/4 cup - Coconut pieces sliced
Ghee
Method

1 ) Cook broken wheat in pressure cooker with water, till very soft. Pressure cook for 8 to 10 minutes.

2 ) Meanwhile, heat a pan with some ghee. On low heat fry plantain on both side till golden brown in color. Drain and keep aside.

3 ) Add jaggery syrup to the cooked wheat, simmer and keep stirring for a minute. Add 3 rd extracted coconut milk, bring to a boil, then simmer and cook till it thickens.

4 ) Add second extracted coconut milk, bring to a boil. Add cardamom powder, dry ginger powder and simmer. Then add the fried plantain and simmer for 2 minutes. Finally add the first extracted coconut milk. Just bring to a boil, take off the stove.

5) In the pan with ghee add sliced coconut and fry lightly. Garnish the payasam with the sliced coconut.

Serve as a dessert and enjoy the delectable taste of this payasam.
Ripe plantain fried in ghee with some sugar sprinkled on top, is in itself a great sweet treat.

Mandira is hosting this month's Jihva for Ingredients, which was started by Indira of Mahanandi. Banana is the chosen ingredient and this payasam goes in as an entry to this event.

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Tomato Pachadi

This is an easy and simple tomato pachadi to make. Marta of 'An Italian in the US' is hosting an event based on 'Fresh Produce of the Month' . Tomato is the produce of the month. Now let's get to making this pachadi....

Ingredients

2 - Plum & ripe Tomatoes, chopped
2 - Big shallots, diced
1 tsp - Ginger -garlic paste
1/2 cup - Butter milk
1 cup - Thick creamy yogurt
Salt to taste

Seasoning

1/2 tsp - Mustard seeds
1/4 tsp - Cumin seeds
2 sprigs - Curry leaves

Method

1 ) Heat a saucepan with oil, add mustard and let it pop. Then add curry leaves and cumin seeds. Add shallots, stir and fry then add ginger-garlic paste, fry for a minute.

2 ) Add tomatoes stir and fry. Close with a lid and cook on low heat till tomato is well cooked. Add salt to taste. Turn off the stove .

3 ) Meanwhile, mix & blend buttermilk and yogurt well. Add this mixture to the saucepan , stir and mix well.

Serve with rice as a side dish.

Monday, August 27, 2007

Paal Payasam

Celebrating this onam with some paal payasam.This payasam ( Indian rice pudding ) is prepared with rosematta rice also known as Palakkadan matta rice or Kerala red rice, milk and sugar. Then garnished with cashew and raisins. Garnishing is optional, if you want the payasam to be similar to the famous Ambalappuzha Paal Payasam. Below in picture is the rosematta rice.


Want to make some Paal payasam the easy way ?? Then follow me....
Ingredients

1/3 cup - Rosematta rice, wash well
1.5 cup - sugar
8 cups - Milk ( read note below )
2 - Cardamom ( optional ), crush and powder

Garnishing

Few cashew nuts
Few white dry raisins
Ghee

Method

1 ) In a pressure cooker boil the milk. Then add washed rice, sugar and close the pressure cooker with the lid. Bring to a full cooking pressure. After the first whistle, low the heat to very low simmer and cook for 45 minutes.

2 ) Open the pressure cooker after it has cooled down to see a paal payasam with a beautiful dark pink shade. Check the sweetness and add more sugar if necessary. You can serve the payasam without garnish at this point.

3 ) Proceed to garnish and flavour with cardamom. Add cardamom powder and stir. In a pan heat some ghee and fry the cashew nuts and raisins. Garnish the payasam.


Serve this paal payasam as dessert after the onasadhya.

A dessert entry for the summer express cooking event, hosted by Mallugirl of Malabar Spices.
Also sending in this for Shri Krishna Janmashtami festival food event, that Latha of ' The yum blog ' is organising.

Note : The measuring cup i have used to measure the milk in is with " Anchor Hocking 2-Cup Glass Measuring Cup". Please note this, as i have come to realise that every measuring cup, does not give the same measurement. This can result in the recipe not turning out as expected. So use same measuring cup to measure rice,milk and sugar.

Saturday, June 02, 2007

Kootu Curry

This kootu kari /curry is made with black chickpeas and vegetables. Yam/suran, unripe plantain are used as the vegetables, but i have made with just yam and black chickpeas. Coconut ground with other ingredients makes a good gravy and adds to the taste of this curry.

Ingredients

2 cups - Black chickpeas / Kadala / kala chana, cooked
1 cup - Yam / Suran, chopped
Salt to taste

Dry roast

1/2 tsp - Red chili powder
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder

Grind to paste

1 cup - Grated Coconut , dry roast to light brown colour
1/2 tsp - Cumin seeds / jeera
2 - Shallots / small onions

Seasoning

1 tsp - Mustard seeds
2 - Dry whole red chili
2 sprigs - Curry leaves

Method

1 ) Cook suran in water with roasted red chili and turmeric powder.The vegetable should very well cooked. Add cooked kadala and salt to taste.

2 ) Add the ground coconut mixture, mix with the cooked vegetable and kadala. Add enough water for gravy and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

3 ) Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and pop it. Then add dry chili and curry leaves. Season the kootu curry with this.



Serve hot with rice. This will make a good addition to Onam sadhya.

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Chakka - VanPayar Erissery

Erissery made with a combination of chakka ( Jack fruit ) and vanpayar ( red beans ) is delectable. My usual combination is raw plantain and red beans for the same recipe.
Now i wonder if i have put the right title for this recipe. Since there is 'Elissery and Erissery' what is the difference between them ? Then i read the explanation given in Priya's Kitchen. If there is more to add to this explanation, please let me know.
Ingredients

500 gm - Unripe Jack fruit, cut to small pieces
250 gm - Red beans / vanpayar
1/2 tsp - Red chili powder
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
Salt to taste

Grind to paste

1 cup - freshly grated coconut
2 to 3 - whole dry red chili
1/2 tsp - Jeera / cumin
2 to 3 - Shallots / small onions

Seasoning

1 tsp - Mustard seeds
2 tbsp - Grated coconut
2 - Whole dry red chili
2 sprigs - Curry leaves

Method

1 ) Soak red beans for 2 to 3 hours. This is to lessen the cooking time. You can pressure cook even without soaking.

2 ) Pressure cook red beans and jack fruit with red chili, turmeric powder, salt and 2 cups or more water to cover the ingredients well. Bring to full cooking pressure, simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Cool and open the pressure cooker.

3 ) Grind ingredients listed to grind with water. Add the ground ingredients to the cooked ingredients. Mix in well. Add enough water to make a thick curry. Place on stove and bring to a boil. Simmer.

4 ) Season with mustard,red chili, curry leaves and grated coconut. Fry grated coconut to golden brown color. Add to the erissery. Take off the stove and serve

Serve hot with rice.

Saturday, January 13, 2007

Olan With Zucchini

Usually Olan is made with white pumpkin. Olan with Zucchini, turned out well. Coconut milk gives an enriched flavor to this dish. Olan is the name of this dish, popular in kerala.
Ingredients


3 - Zucchini, chopped
3 to 4 - Green chili, slit in center
2 - Shallots, diced
1/2 cup - Thick Coconut milk
Curry leaves
Coconut oil
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp - Black pepper powder (optional)

Method

1 ) Wash and cut zucchini into thin even slices.

2 ) Cook zucchini in a heavy bottom pan with green chili, shallots and enough water. Add salt as required. Cook till zucchini is cooked.

3) To the cooked Zucchini, add coconut milk and bring to a boil. Meanwhile taste to check if olan is spicy enough. If not add black pepper powder.

4 ) Garnish with some coconut oil and take off the stove.

Serve with rice.

Tags: Zucchini recipes, Indian recipes

Monday, January 01, 2007

Pazham Pradhaman

Welcoming 2007 with this sweet treat from kerala.........Pazham Pradhaman !Pazham Pradhaman is cooked with ripe plantains knows as 'nendra pazham', jaggery and coconut milk. Traditionally it is cooked in a vessel called uruli. Cooking in uruli gives a better taste to the pradhaman.

Ingredients

250 gm - Extra ripe plantains
250 gm - Jaggery
1 big whole - Coconut grated (for extracting milk)

For Garnishing

1/4 cup - Coconut chopped into bits
1/4 cup - Cashew nuts
1/2 cup - Ghee ( clarified butter )

Method

1 ) Extract coconut milk three times with the grated coconut, using a blender. 1st extract - 1 cup, 2nd extract - 1 cup, 3rd extract - 1 1/2 cup. Set aside.

2 ) Chop the ripe plantains into 4 parts and steam cook till well cooked. Cool and then peel the skin off. Cut in the center and remove the seeds. Grind with little water to a smooth paste and set aside.

3 ) In little water melt jaggery and make a thick syrup. Strain to remove any impurities and set aside.

4 ) In a heavy bottom pan, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of ghee. Add the ground plantain paste and the jaggery syrup. Cook till it thickens to a Varattiyathu stage.

5 ) Add 3rd extracted milk. Stir and cook till it thickens up. Then add 2nd extracted milk and cook for 5 minutes. Then add the 1st extracted milk and take off the stove


6 ) In a pan fry coconut bits and cashew nuts in ghee till it's a golden brown in colour. Garnish the pradhaman with this.

Serve hot. Personally i like to refrigerate the payasam and have it cold.