Aapam or rice pancakes with coconut milk is my favorite. Mostly I have it with chicken or vegetable stew… but in the month of September I will be sharing various other non vegetarian recipes that can be served with these rice pancakes or aapam.

Soak in enough water the following 3 ingredients for 3-4 hours
Raw rice – 3 cups
Husked black beans (urad dal) – ¼ cup
Fenugreek seeds (methi dana) – ¼ tsp

Now grind the above along with ¾ of grated coconut and coconut water to a fine paste
Remove the paste into a container

Whatever remains of paste than remains in the mixer add a little water and heat in water in a pan till it forms a thick paste. Cool it and add it to the main paste, add 1 tsp sugar, salt and leave over night – This is your rice pancake / aapam batter.

Next morning add 3 pinch baking soda dissolved in 1 tsp of water and add it to the batter.

Heat aapam vessel or a small skillet (kadhai)…brush little oil and put one ladle of batter and swirl the skillet around so that the batter spreads in a circle. Close lid and let it cook in its own steam.

Rice pancakes are thinner on the outer edges and thick and soft towards centre.

Serve hot!

Till next time …happy cooking!

One beautiful thing about Kerala food is that basic ingredients like oil, spices etc can be used in moderation and hence make not only healthy options but tasty too…

Pumpkin – 250 gms
Small onions – 7-8 (or 1 small regular onion)
Grated coconut- 2 Tbsp
Turmeric – a pinch
Red chili powder – ½ tsp
Salt to taste
Coconut oil – 2 tsp

1. Wash and cube the pumpkins while retaining the skin
2. Roughly crush the onion and grated coconut
3. In a wok add pumpkin, chili powder, turmeric powder, salt along with few tsp of oil and cook till the pumpkin are half done
4. Add crushed onion and coconut and cook till the pumpkin is fully done
5. Add coconut oil and stir
6. Serve with rice or chapatti as a side dish

Till next time …happy cooking!

Gooseberry chutney

photo credit: drumecho

Make delicious chutney in no time!…

Gooseberry (amla) – 3 nos (deseeded and chopped)
Green chili – 1-2 nos
Cumin (jeera) – ½ tsp
Grated coconut – 1 tbsp
Sour curd – 2-3 tbsp

1. Grind all ingredients except curd to a smooth paste
2. Add the paste to curd, season and serve

Till next time …happy cooking!

This one is made without any coconut milk. Quick to make one will find many Keralites preparing this for their general afternoon meal. However, the one made especially for Onam festival is more elaborate and made with coconut milk recipe for which I have already shared with you…

1. White pumpkin – 2 cups – chopped (the outer skin should be light green and soft)
2. Green chili – 1 tbsp (chopped)
3. Garlic – 2-3 flakes (crushed)
4. Coconut Oil – 1-2 tsps
5. In a pan take pumpkin , salt and green chili and few tsp of water. Pumpkin has water content so take care not to put lot of water. Let it cook
6. Fry the crushed garlic in coconut oil and add it to the cooked pumpkin
7. Serve with boiled rice

*since its made without any coconut milk this dish stays longer

Till next time …happy cooking!

photo credit: Kieon

Tomorrow is Onam and I have shared with you few of the recipes for food made especially for the festival like

Avial , Kalan, Thoran, Sambar, Olan, Kootukari,Pachadi, Erissery, Pulinji, mango curry and payasam.

Serve all of this on a washed and wiped plantain leaf along with steaming boiled rice, papddams, banana chips and fried banana chips in molasses (sarakaraupperi). You can either serve it on a table or go the traditional way of sitting on the floor!

Hope you have fun making it all!

Wishing you all a happy Onam

Pumpkin -  2 cups (cubed along with the skin)
Tuar / Arhar dal (pigeon peas) – 1 cup
Turmeric – ½ tsp
Chili powder / pepper powder – ½ tsp
Grated Coconut – 3/4 cup (keep 2-3 tsp aside)
Cumin (jeera) – 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Coconut Oil – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Salt to taste

1. Cook Tuar dal and keep aside
2. In a vessel take ½ cup water and cook pumpkin along with turmeric and chili powder
3. Grind to a paste grated coconut and cumin
4. To the cooked dal add cooked pumpkin and coconut paste and cook over medium heat
5. Meanwhile in a small pan heat coconut oil and add mustard seeds. Once it sputters add curry leaves and 2 tsp of grated coconut. Fry till nice and brown. Add it to the dal.
6. Season and serve

Onam Asamsakkal…

photo credit: timbrauhn

It’s actually a pickle and just like pulinji is served in moderation during Onam sadya.

Raw mango – 1 (should be sour)
Turmeric powder – a pinch
Chili powder – 1 tsp
Fenugreek – a pinch
Asafoetida – a pinch
Gingelly Oil – 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

1. Chop the raw mango into fine pieces
2. Add turmeric powder, salt and mix. Keep aside for atleast an hour
3. Dry fry asafoetida. (if you using chink fry and powder)
4. In a pan heat gingelly oil and add chili powder, fenugreek powder and asafetida
5. Tip it into the mango pieces and mix well

Onam Asamsakkal

Another accompaniment made with curd and coconut served for sadya

Bittergourd (karela) – 150 gms (washed and seeded)
Oil – 2 tbsp
Plain yogurt / curd – 1 cup (not sour)
Salt – 1 tsp
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp

For paste
Grated fresh coconut – ½ quantity
Green chili – 6 nos
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Water – ¾ cup

1. Chop in to small pieces washed and seeded bitter guard
2. In a pan heat 1 tbsp oil and sauté the chopped bitter guard till brown on medium heat and keep aside
3. Grind to a fine paste all contents mentioned above (for paste)
4. Beat the curd and add to it the paste and mix well
5. In a small pan heat remaining oil and add mustard seeds. Allow it to sputter and then tip it into the coconut-curd mixture
6. Add salt and cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat
7. Add the cooked bitter guard, mix well and remove from heat
8. Allow it to cool (to room temperature) and serve

*Pachadi is thick in consistency
*You can also use ladies finger (Okra), cucumber, ripe pineapple in place of bitter guard

Onam Asamsakkal..

It is a mandatory dish whenever a sadya or feast is concerned. Hence, it is one of the many important dishes that go with Onam

Yam – 100 gms (cut in 1 cm small pieces)
Raw plantain – 1 no (cut in 1 cm small pieces)
Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Chili powder – ¾ tsp
Grated coconut – ½ quantity (keep aside 2 tsp)
Green chili – 1-2 nos
Cumin (jeera) – ½ tsp
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Coconut oil – 2 tsp
Dry red chili – 1 no
Husked black beans (urad dal) – 1 tsp
Mustard – ½ tsp
Salt to taste

1. In a vessel add a little water to yam. Add turmeric, chili powder and cook
2. When the yam is half cooked add raw plantain, salt and cook. Sprinkle water if required
3. Coarsely grind coconut along with cumin and green chili. Sprinkle water if required. Add 3-4 curry leaves in the blender in the last round so that the leaves are broken coarsely
4. Add the coconut mixture to the cooked yam and plantain
5. In a pan heat coconut oil. Add mustard seeds and allow it to sputter, add dry red chili, urad dal, 2 tsp of grated coconut and fry it till red. (do not burn)
6. Add it to the cooked veggies and close the vessel immediately to seal the aroma
7. The consistency of Kootukari is thick.

*boiled black chickpeas can be added to this preparation. Pre cook the chickpeas in salt and add along with coconut mixture.

Onam Asamsakkal!

I will also share with you a quick Olan recipe towards the later half of this month which you can make any day. This one is made for Onam using coconut milk…

Ashgourd (petha) – 100 gms (deskinned and chopped into small pieces)
Pumpkin – 100 gms (deskinned and chopped into small pieces)
Green chili – 4 nos (split edged)
Red gram dal – 1 tbsp (soak in water for 5-6 hrs)
Coconut milk – 1 and ½ cups
Coconut oil – 1 tbsp
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Salt to taste

1. Cook the cut vegetables along with red gram dal in water
2. Add salt and green chillies
3. When the vegetables are done add 1 cup coconut milk and bring it to a boil
4. When thick add remaining coconut milk and bring it to boil and take off the flame
5. Add coconut oil, curry leaves and mix well. Close lid till time to serve.

Onam Asamsakkal!