Butternut Squash with Beans (Ellissary)

Overview
This is yet another typical Kerala dish served for all feasts. Roasted coconut gives this dish its aroma and texture. Usually made with the Indian pumpkin and red beans but butternut squash is very good substitute.
I made this dish along with Green beans thoran, Avial, Kalan and Sambar for Good Friday. These are the typical dishes my mother use to make for us when we were kids.

Ingredients
Butternut squash - 2 pound ( cut into chunks)
Small red beans - 1/2 cup
Fresh grated coconut - 1 cup
Garlic - 4 cloves
Cumin - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric - 1/2 teaspoon
Red chilly powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt to taste
oil - 3 tables spoons

For garnish
Fresh grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoons
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Whole red chillies cut into pieces -  3 - 4

 Steps
1. Soak the beans in water for about 3 - 4 hours or overnight and cook till done
2. Cook the chopped butternut squash with 1/2 teaspoon turmeric salt and red chilly powder till done. Should be able to mash it but do not mash all
3. Mix the cooked beans and squash together
5. Grind the coconut with  garlic, 1 teaspoon cumin and a pinch of turmeric.
6. Mix the grated coconut with the squash and bring it to a boil. Turn off the heat.
7. Heat oil  in a separate pan. When hot add the mustard seeds. After the mustard seeds splutters add the curry leaves, red chillies and cumin to it. The add the Fresh grated coconut to this and stir till the coconut is golden brown. Add this to the cooked dish and serve hot with rice.

Avial ( Mixed Vegetables with Coconut)

Overview

There is no vegetarian feast in Kerala with out Avial. This dish originated from all left over vegetables after a feast. You can add any vegetables you like to this dish the only think to note  is chopping all the vegetables about the same size and cooking vegetables that take longer separately so that no one vegetable gets overcooked.

Ingredients

Green beans - A hand full cut into match stick size pieces

Carrots - A hand full cut into match stick size pieces

Long beans - A hand full cut into match stick size pieces

Flat beans - A hand full cut into match stick size pieces

Snake Gourd - One small one - cut into match stick size pieces

Ridge gourd - One small one - cut into match stick size pieces

Chayote squash - 1 medium size - Cut into thick slices

Ash Gourd - 1/4 pound - Cut into thick slices

Potatoes - One medium - cut into match stick size pieces

Plantain - one medium size - cut into thin slices length wise

Drum sticks - 1/2 pound.

Curd(yogurt plain) one cup

Freshly grated Coconuts - 1 1/2 cups

Cumin - 1 teaspoon

Curry leaves - 3 sprigs

Turmeric - 1 teaspoon

Oil - 2 tablespoons

Green chillies - 4

Salt to taste

Steps 

1. Cook the plantain, potatoes, Chayote squash, drum sticks and ash gourd each separately with a little turmeric and salt till done. Do not over cook.  Keep aside

2. Cook all the rest of the vegetables together with salt and turmeric till done.

3. Mix all cooked vegetables together with curry leaves

5. Grind the coconut with cumin, green chillies, 1/4 teaspoon turmeric and 1 sprig of curry leaves. Just grind for one minute does not have to be a smooth paste. Rough ground is enough for this dish.

6. Mix this coconut mixture to the cooked vegetables and mix well. Bring it to a boil and turn off the heat.

7. When this dish cools a little bit add the  yogurt and oil to this and mix well. Adjust salt as needed.

Serve with Rice

Green Beans Thoran

Overview
A simple and delicious side dish to make with Green beans. Coconut can be omitted. This is a very common dish in Kerala and can be made with other vegetables too like - cabbage, carrots, broccoli(chopped fine) etc

Ingredients
Green beans - 1 pound chopped finely
Red Onion - 1 medium thin sliced length wise
Green chillies - 3 - 4 split in the center length wise
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric - 1/4 teaspoon
Olive oil - 2 tablespoons
Fresh grated coconuts - 1/4 cup
Salt to taste

Steps
1. Heat Oil in the pan. When the oil gets hot add the mustard seeds. When it splutters add the onions green chilly and curry leaves and saute till the onions are light brown.
2. Add the chopped green beans, turmeric and salt and mix well. Cover the dish and cook for about 10 minute.
3. Stir and saute for few more minutes till the beans is cooked and and the liquid has evaporated.
Serve hot with rice or as

Egg Curry ( Mutta Curry)

Overview
This is a very common Egg curry made in Kerala with coconut milk. The coconut milk gives the gravy a nice fragrant aroma and flavor. This curry can be served with - rice noodles(Nool apam,), Pal Apam, Rice and Parathas.

Ingredients
Eggs - 10 hard boiled and peeled
Fresh grated coconut  1 cup
Potatoes - 4 medium sized one chopped into big chunks
Red Onions - 1 medium size thinly sliced
Ginger - 2 inch piece thinly sliced
Garlic - 5 cloves thinly sliced
Green Chilly 4 split in center
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Tomatoes - 4 sliced length wise
Coriander powder - 2 tablespoons
Red Chilly powder - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Olive oil - 4 teaspoons

Whole spices
Cinnamon - 1 inch piece
Clove 3 -4
Cardamom - 2
Fennel seeds - 1 teaspoon
Whole black pepper - 1/2 teaspoon

To Extract Coconut milk
In a blender add the fresh grated coconut and one cup hot water and blend well for 2 -3 minutes. Strain out the white milk with a strainer and keep aside.

Steps
1. In a pan heat the oil. When the oil gets hot add all the whole spices to it and saute for few minutes.
2. Add the sliced Onions, Ginger, Garlic, Green Chilly and Curry leaves and saute well till the onions are slight brown\
3. Add  the Chilly powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder to this and saute for few more minutes.
4. Add tomatoes,  potatoes, salt and 1 - 11/2 cup water and mix well. Cover with a lid and cook till the potatoes are soft.
5. Add the coconut milk to this and mix well and bring it to a boil.
6. Add the hard boiled eggs to this. Simmer for few more minutes and turn off the heat. Serve hot

Sauteed Okra

Overview
Simple and easy way to cook okra. Can be served as a side dish with Rice, chapati or any meat dish. This dish can be prepared with fresh cut okra or frozen chopped okra. Okra is high fiber vegetable and  is a rich source of many nutrients.

Ingredients
1 pound Okra
1 medium size onion sliced length wise
4 green chilly
2 sprigs of curry leaf
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Olive oil - 3 tablespoons
Salt to taste

Steps
1. Wash and clean the okra and chop it to bite size pieces and keep it aside
2. Chop the onions length wise and the green chilly split it half length wise.
3. Heat oil in a pan. When the oil is hot add the mustard seeds.
4. When the mustard seed splutter add the Onions, green chilly and curry leaves and saute till the onions are slightly brown.
4. Add the Chopped Okra to this and mix with salt. Lower the heat and Saute this till the Okra is cooked . It takes about - 20 - 25 minutes. The Okra should be dry and sliminess should go way. Serve hot

Tomato Rasam

Overview
This is a popular South Indian dish. It can be made with Dal ( Split pea)  or with out Dal. Here I have made it with Dal. It has a soupy texture and is hot and sour. The sour taste comes from the tamarind and tomatoes. Any kind of tomatoes can be used but I like to use cherry tomatoes for this. All the spices need for this dish can be got at any Indian Store. We do get ready made Rasam powder to buy but grinding it fresh does make a big difference. Adjust the amount of Whole Red chilly and Black pepper if you don't like it spicy.

Ingredients
Spit pea Dal - 1/2 cup
Cheery tomatoes - 2 cups - chopped
Garlic - 8 cloves - finely chopped
Tamarind - size of a small lime
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Cilantro - one handful
Turmeric - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt to taste

Rasam powder
Red whole Chilly - 4
Whole Black pepper - 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Coriander seeds - 3 tablespoons
Fenugreek seeds - 1 teaspoon
Asafoetida powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Dry roast in pan all these spices one by one except the Asafoetida powder and grind it in a clean coffee grinder.

For Garnish
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Whole red Chilly - 3 or 4 cut into pieces
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves from 2 sprigs
Oil - 3 teaspoons

Steps
1. Soak the tamarind in warm water and squeeze out the pulp and keep aside.
1. Cook the spit pea in one cup water in a pressure cooker or in heavy bottom vessel till the Dal can be mashed up well
2. Mash up the Dal and add chopped tomatoes, chopped garlic, salt and turmeric to it and one more cup of water and cook well for about 10 minutes.
3. Mix the ground spices for Rasam with the asafoetida powder in water and make a paste and add it to the cooked Dal.
4. Add the tamarind to this too and bring it to a boil.
5. Add chopped cleaned cilantro leaves  to this too and turn off the heat.
6. In another pan heat  the oil. When the oil gets hot. Add the mustard seeds and let it splutter. Add the cumin seeds, whole red chilly pieces and curry leaves. stir. Turn off the heat and add this on top of the prepared Rasam

Serve hot with plain rice.

Green Beans & Carrots

Overview
A simple and easy side dish to make. This can be served with rice,chapatis or as a side for any meat dish. Chop the green beans and carrots the same size so that cook evenly at the same time. It is a colorful and healthy dish

Ingredients
Green beans - 1 pound
Carrots - 2 medium size
Red onion - 1/2
Garlic 5 cloves
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Olive oil - 2 tablespoons
Red Pepper flakes - 1/2 - 1 teaspoons
Salt to taste

Steps
 1. Wash and trim the green beans and then finely chop them to small pieces. Peel the carrots make into long strips and chop to small pieces about the same size as the green beans. Keep aside.
2. Finely chop the red onions and garlic to thin long slices.
3. Heat oil in a pan. When the oil is hot add the onions and garlic and saute well. When the onions are slightly brown add the red pepper flakes and curry leaves saute few more minutes.
4. Then add the chopped green beans and carrots to this. Add salt 3 tablespoons of water and mix well. Simmer the heat and cook covered for about 10 minutes. Remove the lid and stir till all the liquid evaporates and the vegetables are cooked. Serve hot.