Ingi Puli- Onam Recipes

Here is another Yummy Onam recipe "Inji Puli" This is one of my favorites & I love anything that has a good balance of flavor. A very easy & simple recipe. It can be made in big quantity & stored for many weeks. This goes best with steamed rice & eaten in small quantity like pickle. This is how I made it...

Ingredients:

• Ginger - 3/4 cup skin peeled and finely chopped
• 7 Green Chillies  chopped
• 1/2 tspn Fenugreek seeds
• 1/4 tspn Asafoetida
• 1/4 tsn turmeric powder
• 1 tspn chili powder
• Tamarind - gooseberry sized ball or 2 tbsp tamarind paste (1/2 cup water)
• Crushed Jaggery 1.5 tbsp
• 
  
• Salt - to taste

To temper:

• Oil - 4 tbsp coconut oil
• Mustard Seeds - 3/4 tsp
• Curry leaves - 1/4 cup
• Red Chillies - 2 broken

Method:

1. Soak tamarind in 3/4 cup of warm water,set aside.Wash ginger, peel off the skin and chop it finely. Then trim the edges of green chillies and chop it finely too.
2. In a pan heat oil - add the items listed under 'to temper' let it splutter.
3. Then add ginger and green chilies and fry till nicely browned along with fenugreek seeds. Then filter and add tamarind water , turmeric powder, chili powder &  salt as per taste.
4. Allow it to boil for few mins until raw smell leaves. After it starts to boil simmer and allow it to thicken more like a thokku.
5. Once it starts to thicken add jaggery and let it boil until oil separates.
6. Allow it to cool down then store in a clean bottle. This will last for 1 week outside in an airtight bottle. Mine however got over in a days time. 

Pineapple Pachadi - Onam Sadhya Recipes

Here is the 4th recipe I am sharing for Onam sadhya. Looking at the pachadi picture my mouth is watering. I love Pineapple Pachadi & I sometimes make it when I make Biriyani. This pachadi has a proper balance of sweet, spice, savory. I also liek to eat it just like that. I have always used canned Pineapple to make this Pachadi. If you dont get canned ones, use the fresh ones. Make sure you clean & cut them well. If you are using canned ones, then make sure you drain the liquid off .  This is how I made it...

Serves: 8 people

Making time: 20 - 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups canned Pineapple chopped into cubes
• Small onion/shallots - 2, sliced
• Green chilli - 1-2, slit lengthwise
• Chopped ginger - 1 tsp
• Grated coconut - ½ cup
• Chopped garlic - ¼ tsp
• Jeera/Cumin - a pinch
• 1 cup Yogurt beaten
• 1/4 tspn turmeric powder
• Salt
• 1 Tbspn Coconut oil
• Curry leaves

For tempering

• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tspn mustard seeds
• 1/2 tspn fenugreek seeds
• 2 - 3 red dried chili
• handful of curry leaves

Method:

1. Grind together coconut, chopped garlic and jeera with 2-3 tbsp water to a smooth paste. Whisk the yogurt and keep aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add sliced small onion,green chilli, ginger, curry leaves and salt. Stir it for 2 mins. Now add in the Pineapple cubes, turmeric powder,  Add ½ - ¾ cup water. Cook for about 1 minute. 
3. Add coconut paste, cook for 2 - 3 mins till the raw taste of coconut changes. Remove from fire and add whisked yogurt. Combine well.
4. Bring back to fire and keep stirring for 3-5 mins on low flame. Do not let it boil.
5.  Heat oil in a tempering kadai and splutter the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, dry red chillies and curry leaves. Now pour this tempering on top of the Pachadi. 
6. The dish has a medium thick consistency.

Olan - Onam Sadhya Recipe

The 3rd Onam recipe is Olan. Olan is prepared by adding coconut milk into the ash gourd & beans cooked soup. I used canned beans as it was easy to use & easily available in the supermarket. I used the small kidney beans, you can use any variety from pigeon, black eyes or pinto. This is how I made Olan. 

Serves: 8 people

Making time: 30 - 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• Black-eyed beans  (vanpayar) - ½ cup (I used 1 tin Canned beans)
• 2 cups Ash gourd  cut into cubes
• 4 Green Chili slit lengthwise
• Water - 2 cups
• 1 tin Thick coconut milk around 1 cup
• Salt
• Curry leaves
• 2 tbspn Coconut oil
• 1 tspn Mustard seeds & 3 red dried chili for tempering

• 
  

Method:

1. If you are using raw beans, then you will have to soak them for atleast 4 hours & pressure cook them until its soft. 
2. Cook together ash gourd, green chilli, salt and 2 cups water, till ash gourd becomes tender. Again, ash gourd also should not be overcooked and it should retain its shape.
3. Add the cooked beans/ washed canned beans to the ash gourd and mix well. Add coconut milk and curry leaves. Cook on low flame for 5-7 mins. 
4. In a small tempering pan, add 1 tbspn coconut oil , once its hot add mustard seeds, red chilis allow it to splutter. Turn off flame, Now add curry leaves into it & pour the tempering on the cooked Olan. 

Avial- Onam Sadhya Recipes

Last Onam I made a grand Sadya Lunch & invited my friends & some of the girls I know here in Austin. It was so much fun to cook for almost 10 people. 

Sadya is a variety of pure vegetarian dishes traditionally served on a banana leaf in Kerala, India. Sadhya means banquet in Malayalam. It is a feast prepared mainly by men, especially when needed in large quantities, for weddings and other special events. During a traditional Sadhya celebration people are seated cross-legged on mats. Food is eaten with the right hand, without cutlery. The fingers are cupped to form a ladle. A normal Sadhya can have about 24-28 dishes served as a single course. In cases where it is a much larger one it can over 64 items in a in a Sadya like the Sadya for Aranmula Boatrace (Valla Sadhya).

The main dish is plain boiled rice, served along with other dishes collectively called Kootan (കൂട്ടാന്‍) which include curries likeParippu, Sambar, Rasam, Pulisseri and others like Kaalan, Avial, Thoran, Olan, Pachadi, Mango pickle, Naranga curry, as well asPapadum, Banana, plain Yogurt or Buttermilk, and plantain chips. The traditional dessert called Payasam served at the end of the meal is of many kinds and usually three or more are served. The 'Kootan' are made with different vegetables and have different flavours; some say the reason for including so many dishes in the Sadhya is to ensure that the diners will like at least two or three dishes. (Source Wikipedia) To know more about Sadya click on this link

Most of the Onam Sadya dishes have similar ingredients & same method of cooking. Once you chop & keep all the ingredients ready, making sadya is very easy. You will need lots of grated coconut, curry leaves & coconut oil .

Here is the first Onam dish I am sharing "Aviyal " It is a dish that originated in the kerala cuisine. As the name indicates, aviyal is a 'mixture' of vegetables cooked with coconut. Aviyal has its own variations in different parts of kerala and tamil nadu. It is usually had with rice and is one of the main side-dishes for any traditional special occasions. This is one of my Fav Kerala recipes. I make this dish atleast twice a month. For best results always make Keralal recipes with Coconut Oil. For Aviyal coconut oil is the must. 


Serves: 8 people for Sadya
Making time: 30 - 40  minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups carrots chopped like french fries Potatoes
• 2 cups Potatoes chopped like french fries Potatoes
• 2 cups Green Bean chopped 4 inches long
• 2 large drum sticks chopped 4 inches long
• 1 cup small cubed chopped Yam
• 1 cup chopped sweet potatoes small cubes
• 1 cup raw banana chopped into small cubes
• 1/4 cup Curry leaves 
• Coconut oil - 2 tbsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Salt - to taste

To grind

• Coconut - 1 cup (grated)
• Green chilly - 4- 6
• Small Onion - 1
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Method

1. Saute hard vegetables together with 1 tbsp of oil in a kadai for few minutes. Yam, potatoes, sweet potatoes,raw banana, Drum sticks. Add 1/4 cup of oil, Cover and cook all the vegetables for 5 minutes with salt until its 90% cooked.
2. Now remove the cooked vegetables aside & in the same kadai cook the rest of the soft vegetables carrots & beans. These just required sauteing & very little drizzle of water. Dont over cook the vegetables. Once all the vegetables are cooked 90% remove from kadai &  keep them aside.
3. In the meantime grind coconut, green chilly, small onion & cumin seeds 
4. Now Add all the pre cooked vegetables to the kadai, add salt turmeric & ground coconut paste, 1/4 - 1/2 cup of water. Close lid & cook this on low flame for about 5 to 10 minutes until all the vegetables are cooked to perfection & are tender.
5.  Mix everything occasionally to avoid the veggies from sticking to the bottom of the kadai.
6. The vegetables should be tender but still hold its shape. At this stage turn off the stove.
7. Drizzle some fresh coconut oil and some curry leaves on top and keep covered till you are ready to serve. (Alternatively, you can make a tempering of mustard seeds and curry leaves in some coconut oil and add to the aviyal.)