Hehe…Ok jokes apart, Moru curry is a very popular Keralite dish. A buttermilk curry seasoned with cumin seeds, curry leaves (Vepilla), turmeric powder and mustard seeds. It is easy to prepare and hardly takes 10 minutes for preparation and is extremely pleasant-tasting and is generally relished with plain hot steam rice. So, if you are a curry lover yet would like to have less spicy curry which is slightly sour in taste then you are gonna love this recipe. Moru Curry is almost similar to what we call “Kadhi” in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Punjab.

Ingredients:

Curd – 2 Cups
Turmeric powder – 2 pinch
Red chili powder – 1/2 tbs
Coriander + Cumin powder – 1 tbs
Mustard seeds for seasoning – 1 tbs
Dry Red Chillies – 2 Nos
Cumin Seeds – 1 pinch
Curry Leaves – 1 whole strand
Fenugreek Seeds – 3 pinch
Edible Oil – 3 tbs
Salt – As per the taste
Water – 2 cups

How to prepare Moru Curry:

- Blend the curd along with 1 cups of water and keep it aside
- Take a pan and heat 3 tbs oil in it.
- Add Mustard seeds and allow it to splutter.
- Once the Mustard seeds start spluttering, add curry leaves, dry Red chillies, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds.
- Then pour the blended curd into the pan and add 1 more cup water into it and stirr.
- Now, add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander + cumin powder and salt while you keep on stirring the content.
- Turn the heat to low key and cook for 5 minutes. Yipee! It’s done. Serve with plain hot steam rice

Egg curry prepared in an authentic kerala style. Addition of coconut milk in the recipe differentiates Malabari Egg curry from the rest of the world’s egg curry. Also, Malabari egg curry is devoid of  ingredients like garlic and coriander leaves. Yes, you might be wondering seeing the photo why then I added coriander leaves for garnishing. Well, I prepared this dish per my taste – and I love coriander leaves garnishing in egg curries and hence this. You may refrain from adding coriander leaves if you wish – that’s totally upto you

I love eggs like anything – boiled, half-boiled, kheema, bhurji, curries, half-fry..any types…anytime.. I love to have it and I hope most of you too..

Ingredients:

Boiled eggs: 2 Nos
Onion: 3 Medium sized nicely chopped
Green Chillies: 2 nos nicely chopped
Ginger: 1 small piece nicely chopped
coconut milk: 1 cup
Turmeric Powder: 1/2 tbs
Red Chilli powder: 1 tbs
Coriander Powder: 1 tbs
Garam Masala: 1 tbs
Curry Leaves: 1 whole strand
Coconut oil: 4 tbs

How to prepare Malabari Egg curry (Mutta Curry):
- Heat oil in a pan and add chopped Onion, Green Chillies, Ginger and Curry leaves.
- Sauté till the onion turns golden colour.
- Now, add Turmeric powder, Chilli powder, coriander powder and Garam Masala and again sauté the whole for around 15 seconds.
- Add 1 cup coconut milk in the pan. Keep on stirring on medium flame till the gravy thickens and turns from whitish to brownish colour.
- Add half cup water and stir for another 2 mins and finally add the sliced boiled egg.
- Garnish with Corainder leaves (if you wish) before serving.

Goes really well with Roti, parantha, rice, iddiappam, vellappam. etc

Today I’m going to blog about the Chinese influence on the Kerala delicacies…

Checkout the small food courts, stalls and restos in Kerala and you will find only a few handful Kerala delicacies names nowadays in the menu like “Malabari Biryani, Chicken curry, Egg curry, fish curry..” and then there would be a sudden change in the names of the varieties which you would be reading..A sudden diversion towards East Asia from South India..lol

“Chicken fried rice, Manchurian rice, Chicken chilli, Hakka noodles, chowmein..etc”…in utter disbelief..you will step out of the resto or food court just to check and confirm the nameboard. Yes, you are in Kerala and you have stepped into any ordinary food court or restos which serves Kerala delicacies and since last few years…Chinese items too but the Kerala/Chinese delicacy ratio in the menu would clearly show you that the Chinese item has now outnumbered Kerala dishes big time! hmmm

I have tasted few “so called” Chinese dishes when I have been to Kerala recently and found out that it’s actually a fusion of Chinese and nadan style…somewhere in between Chinese and Kerala delicacies. Neither fully traditional Kerala style nor fully Chinese. I haven’t been to china so can’t say whether the noodle, rice, chicken chinese delicacies which we relish over here in India tagged with the “Chinese” label is really a Chinese item or what…only a Chinese citizen can only confirm this..but I’m least bothered about the authenticity! Also, the Indian made ”Chinese” delicacy taste differs from state-to-state in India..I guess..lol. because the chinese item which I have had in Gujarat differs to what I have tasted in Kerala!!

The recipe which I’m talking about..i.e Ginger chicken has its roots in China and trunk from Kerala lol..you prepare any traditional non-veg Kerala style dish..put some vinegar, soya sauce, ajinomotto and the resultant compound you get is Chinese -Kerala blend non veg curry!! I mean..it would be actually a typical nadan Kerala non-veg curry with supreme influence of Chinese taste

Well, but on serious note, I liked the taste of the Ginger Chicken and that’s why it has made a place in this blog…

Don’t run your wild imagination of having a chicken leg piece in one hand and handful of ginger pieces in the other hand..and naming it “Ginger Chicken” lol…nope..the recipe is different..let me show you:

Ingredients:

Chicken: 1 Kg
Onion: 3 nos nicely sliced

Potato: 1 Nos cut into medium size pieces
Capsicum: 2 nos nicely sliced
Ginger: 150 gms thinly sliced
Garlic paste: 1 1/2 tbs
Chilly powder: 1 tbs
Turmeric powder: 1/2 tbs
Vinegar: 1 tbs
Soya Sauce: 1 tbs
Chilli Sauce: 1/2 tbs
Ajinomoto: 1/2 tbs
Black pepper powder: 1/2 tbs
Curry leaves: 1 whole strand
Coriander leaves: 5 tbs
Salt as per taste
oil: 7 tbs

How to prepare Ginger Chicken:
- First of all, marinate chicken and potato pieces with chilly powder, turmeric powder, black pepper powder, salt and 2 tbs oil and keep it for 1 hour.
- Now, take a pan and add 5 tbs oil in it and heat it up.
- Add sliced onions, ginger, garlic and curry leaves and sauté it till the onions turns light brown in colour
- Now, add capsicum pieces and sauté it for few seconds.
- Now, add marinated chicken pieces and potato and stir the whole mixture properly. Then add 2 cup water and cook till the chicken is done.
- Add Vinegar, chilly, Soya sauce and Ajinomoto and cook for 1 minute.
- Finally, add coriander leaves, cover the lid and cook for another 1 minute.

That’s it..Njoi! Ginger chicken..

Kareena’s Gujarati delicacies dialogue in the movie “3 idiots” has almost made the items even more popular and the dishes have successfully made their way in the mind and in the “wish-to-eat” list of those people who are curious to know what these items tastes or looks like. Did she miss out on any other famous Gujarati dish?? There are few others too but I was primarily disheartened when I realized that my favourite Undhiyu was not mentioned in the dialogue ( though it’s a very famous ubiquitous Gujarati dish and also sounds Khatarnak types??? Unnnnndhiyyuuuuuuuu…doesn’t it sound like a weapon of mass destruction, guys?? Well it won’t sound that dangerous now on this blog..maybe it would have sounded that destructive if she would have mentioned it while delivering that dialogue in that particular drunken tone…aahh..my sympathies with undhiyu..Hugs to undhiyu…aal izz well undhiyu..aal izz well..don’t worry..I have rated the movie only 4 on a scale of 5 to avenge on deliberately ignoring Undhiyu otherwise I would have rated it 4.5 Also, I have decided to dedicate a full page blog article on Undhiyu.

Jokes apart, those who are not aware, Undhiyu has got the name after the Gujarati word “Undhu” and is traditionally prepared in an earthern pot with 7-8 main seasonal vegetables in it namely small potatoes, small brinjals (ravaiya), Surti papadi, purple yam, raw banana, tuvar lilva (Pigeon Peas) and carrot.  Also, gram flour/wheat flour dumplings called Muthiya is one of the primary ingredient of the dish. The earthern pot is then put upside down under a fire and the ingredients are then cooked. Upside down in gujarati is “Undhu” and hence the name of this delicacy “Undhiyu“. But I guess hardly this method of preparing Undhiyu now prevails in Gujarat.

Enough of blabbering let me show you on how to make Undhiyu

Ingredients:

200 gms kg small potatoes (no need to peel but make sure that you clean it properly )
200 gms small brinjals (Ravaiya – small eggplant)
200 gms Surti papdi (Hyacinth Beans)
200 gms kand (purple yam)
300 gms Green tuvar dal (pigeon peas)
100 gms Carrot
200 gms raw banana
1 tbs ginger (chopped)
1 tbs garlic (chopped)
3 nos green chillies
1/2 cup finely chopped coriander leaves
1 cup grated coconut
1 tbs wheat flour
2 tbs Jaggery
2 tbs coriander powder
2 tbs Jeera powder (cumin powder)
1 tbs ajwain
1/2 tbs asafoetida (hing)
1/2 tbs turmeric powder
Salt (as per requirement)
Oil – 200 ml (Yup..it’s too much but this dish requires it to be loaded with oil)

For Muthiya (Flour dumplings)

Half bunch finely chopped methi leaves (Fenugreek leaves)
1 cup coarse wheat flour (would be excellent if you put some bajra and gram flour in it)
1 teaspoons of ginger garlic paste
1 tbs sugar
A pinch of coriander powder
A pinch of turmeric powder
A pinch of Red chilli powder
A pinch of Asafoetida (hing)
A pinch of Ajwain
A pinch of soda powder
Salt (as per requirement)
Two tablespoons oil for making dough

How to prepare Muthiya (flour Dumplings):

- Mix all the above muthiya ingredients in a bowl and make dough.
- Form round sized dumplings.
- Take a pan , add some oil in it and deep fry the dumplings.
- Muthiyas are done. Keep it aside

How to prepare Undhiyu:

- Form a paste of chopped ginger, garlic, green chillies and coriander leaves.
- Cut slit potato, brinjals, carrot, purple yam and raw banana in a way that you can stuff the above paste in it.
- Now, as said above, you need to stuff the paste in it. Once done, keep all the stuffed vegetables aside.
- Take a pan and heat 200 ml oil in it and add all the stuffed vegetables in the pan. Cook for around 15 minutes.
- Add jeera powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, ajwain, grated coconut, wheat flour, hing and salt in the above mixture. Saute it for around 1 min.
- Now, add green tuvar (pigeon peas), Surti papdi and jaggery in the pan, sprinkle some water in the pan and cook for around 10 minutes more.
- Finally, add the Muthiyas in the pan and cook till all the vegetables are cooked properly.

Yip..yip..yip..yipee the spicy.. Tasty..Undhiyu is ready to be served. I usually have it with Puri but it goes very well with roti and paranthas too.

Wish you all a very happy and safe Uttarayan

Ingredients:

Ripe bananas – 2 Nos – chopped into pieces

Ghee – 3 tbs

Fenugreek seeds (Methi dana) – 1/2 tbs

Turmeric powder – 1 pinch

Red chilli powder – 1/2 tbs

Coriander powder – 1/2 tbs

Mustard seeds – 1/2 tbs

Curry leaves – 1 whole strand

How to prepare Kela nu shak:

- Take a pan and add 3 tbs ghee in it.

- Add mustard seeds and allow it to splutter.

- Now add fenugreek seeds (methi ) and curry leaves in the pan.

- Add red chilli powder, coriander and turmeric powder in it and then immediately add the chopped bananas. Stir all the contents well on low flame for around 3 minutes.

Kela nu shak is ready to be served.

My best pal is a Khoja who is basically from Vapi, Gujarat but he has been brought up in Ahmedabad. We are chaddi-buddies and his Mom is no less than my own biological mom and she considers me no less than her own son. I have relished and learnt quite a few common Gujarati Ismaili dishes from Jebun Aunty. Not only recipes, but I have tried to imbibe many good qualities which she possesses. She is a gem of a person in true sense!

I’m dedicating my first Khoja (Ismaili) recipe to Jebun Aunty… it’s Sing, batata ane Vatananu shak (drumsticks, potato and green peas curry)

First of all, let me show you how to prepare Hara Masala which you can preserve in refrigerator. This hara masala is a common ingredient used in most of the Khoja recipes…so here it goes:

How to prepare Hara Masala:

Garlic – 10 medium sized pods
Ginger – One small piece (which can give you a paste of around 3 spoons)
Green chillies – 2 Nos finely chopped
Cilantro leaves (Coriander leaves) chopped - 5 tbs
Cooking oil – 2 tbs
Make a fine paste of all the above ingredients in a mixture grinder.

Ingredients:

Sing (Drumsticks) – 2 drumsticks cut at a finger length size – around 10~13 pcs
Batata (Potato) – 2 large or 3 medium sized cut into quarter size (4 part)
Vatana (fresh green peas) – half bowl
Tomato – 1 Nos
Coconut – 1/4th part (chopped)
Hara Masala – 1 tbs
Chilly powder – 1/2 tbs
Coriander powder – 1/2 tbs
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tbs
Cumin powder – 1 tbs
Mustard for spluttering
Curry leaves – 1 whole strand

How to prepare Sing, batata ane Vatananu shak (drumsticks, potato and green peas curry):

- First of all, grind chopped coconut, tomato, hara masala paste, chilly, coriander, turmeric, cumin powder and salt and prepare a fine paste. Keep this mixture aside.

- Now take a pan and add 4 tbs oil in it. Add mustard seeds and allow it to splutter and then add curry leaves.

- Now add the above mixture and simmer it for around 3-4 minutes.

- Now add a glass full of water in it and then add drumstick pcs, potato pcs and green peas in the pan.

- Keep it on medium flame and cook till the vegetables are fully cooked.

Yipee!  it’s done Relish it with roti or hot steamed rice.

Muringyappo thoran – Drumstick Flowers

Ingredients:

Plucked, cleaned and drained Muringyappo – 5 cups (plucked drumstick flowers)
Grated Coconut – 1 cup
Garlic – 6 pods
Turmeric powder – ½ tbs
Dry red chillies – 3 nos
Cumin seeds – ½ tbs (Jeera)
Udad dal – ½ tbs (skinless split black gram)
Cooking Oil – 4 tbs (You may use coconut oil if you wish to go by the Nadan ishtyle  )
Mustard seeds for spluttering – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – half strand
Salt – per your requirement

How to prepare Muringyappo thoran – Drumstick flowers:

- Take a mixture grinder and grind grated coconut, cumin seeds, garlic pods and turmeric powder. Once done, keep this grinded mixture aside.

- Take a pan and heat some oil in it.

- Add mustard seeds and allow it to splutter.

- Now add udad dal, dry red chillies and curry leaves. Saute it for few seconds.

- Add the grinded mixture along with the plucked Muringyappo (drumstick flowers) in the pan and mix well.

- Cover it with a lid and cook for around 4 minutes. Also, make sure that you keep on stirring at regular interval so that no lumps are formed. Yipee! It’s done

It’s said that drumstick leaves are good for eyes…yaaaa..but honestly it has been no good for my eyes so far …on the contrary, I was wondering whether this drumstick leaves thoran is the real culprit for me having spectacles?? hehehe

Just kidding ok…Green leaves are good for eyes. And it’s also good for diabetic patients..

Muringya Ela thoran – Drumstick leaves

Ingredients:

Plucked, cleaned and drained Muringya ela – 4 cups (plucked drumstick leaves)
Grated Coconut – 1 cup
Garlic – 6 pods
Turmeric powder – ½ tbs
Dry red chillies – 3 nos
Cumin seeds – ½ tbs (Jeera)
Cooking Oil – 4 tbs (You may use coconut oil if you wish to go by the Nadan ishtyle )
Mustard seeds for spluttering – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – half strand
Salt – per your requirement

How to prepare Muringya Ela thoran – Drumstick leaves:
- Take a mixture grinder and grind grated coconut, cumin seeds, garlic pods and turmeric powder. Once done, keep this grinded mixture aside.

- Take a pan and heat some oil in it.

- Add mustard seeds and allow it to splutter.

- Now add dry red chillies and curry leaves. Saute it for few seconds.

- Add the grinded mixture along with the plucked Muringya ela (drumstick leaves) in the pan and mix well.

- Cover it and cook for around 5 minutes. Also, make sure that you keep on stirring at regular interval so that no lumps are formed. Yipee! It’s done.

It was when their ship was somewhere XX°XX’N, XX°XX’E (longitude and latitude)..around 10 metres far from the Calicut coastal region. Suddenly, Vasco da gama smelled an enthralling aroma of some food..May be some kozhikodans (Calicut locals) living near the sea coast were preparing Appam and Potato Stew that evening for some feast…(I was wondering..Did they know that the *Star cruise members * were going to come??). However, Vasco da Gama couldn’t resist and said to the helmsmen:

Hey helmsmen.. Você dirigiria o navio ao leste? Eu cheiro algo exótico. .head para lá ( Translation: Hey helmsmen. Would you steer the ship to the east? I smell something exotic. .head for there)

The helmsmen, who co-incidentally turned out to be a true blue mallu said “Saar, do not saiyy **head para lá** It’s Kera lá..we are in kerala…”

Well, they then reached the Calicut coastal region and relished Appam and Potato Stew with the locals. The sad part is that few of the poor locals had to sleep empty stomach that night because of these unexpected guests from Europe.

So now Vasco da Gama and his party, during their after-meal talks, thought that “What would the coming generation say when they will learn the history lessons in the classes.. that we halted over here to have Appam and Potato Stew!!!??? No way..burp! burp! . That would be sheer shame for us..burp! . To this concern, Vasco da gama replied “No, we won’t disclose this…we would say that “We explored this route so that we can trade spices from here..burp!” And all of their colleagues agreed to this..burp! opsss..why am I burping?? hehe.

Well, rest is history…

Thanks for reading this story, guys. Just for your information, the above story is totally fake..fabricated one…fictitious..don’t believe this.. Just meant for fun…hehehehehehe A cooked up story for all of you who loves cooking!

Actually, I wanted to post this recipe since long but for some or the other reason I was not able to and kept postponing it. Finally, I thought to post it with an eye catcher story. So this is it. A fabricated story relating Vasco da Gama with Potato Stew! hahahaa..:mrgreen:

Anyways, jokes apart, let me show you how to prepare Potato Stew! (Hey.. how would this sound…Potato Phew! hehehehe…funny huh! )

Ingredients:

Potatoes – 2 Nos
Carrots – 1 (sliced) *optional
Capsicum- 1 (sliced) *optional
Onion – 1 (Big size) or 2 medium sized – sliced
Garlic cloves – 2 cloves finely chopped
Ginger – 1 tbs ginger finely chopped
Cinnamon – 2 medium sized piece
Bay leaves – 2 nos
Cardamom – 3 nos
Cloves – 5 nos
Green chillies – 2 nos split
Curry leaves – 2 whole strands
Coconut milk – 2.5 cup
Ground pepper – 1/2 tbs(or more)
Coconut oil – 5-6 tbs (Per your need..take your judgement call on this)
Salt to taste

How to prepare Potato Stew – Eshtu/Ishtu

- Cut potato into small cubes after peeling off the skin. Pressure cook the potato cubes with water and salt. Keep it aside.

- Now, grind Cinnamon, Cardamom and Cloves in a mixture grinder. Keep this mixture aside.

- Now, take a pan and add some coconut oil in it. Add the above grinded masala (Cinnamon, Cardamom and Cloves mixture) in the pan along with the bay leaves. Sauté it for few seconds.

- Add finely chopped ginger and garlic in the pan. Sauté it for few seconds then add sliced onions, finely chopped carrots and capsicum in the pan and sauté it till the onions turns transparent coloured.

- Now, add the pressure cooked potatoes along with some water. Cook for few minutes and bring to a boil.

- Reduce the flame and now add the coconut milk. Cook for few more minutes till it slightly thickens.

- Add curry leaves and 1 tbs coconut oil, mix well and remove from flame.

Yipee! Potota Stew is ready to be served. You can have it with Vellayappam, Noolappam/Idiyappam, dosha (I guess so..). Also, with Roti/Rotli and Puri too! Happy cooking.

Honestly, I hated this dish like anything when I was kid. Though it tasted good, I always used to offend (don’t know why..) and would make up faces when served to me. Mom soon figured out that by all means it would be in the best interest to stop making this dish better than dumping it in the dustbin at the end of the day after seeing my firm demur. But honestly, this dish kozhukatta tastes really good Try out and let me know your feedback.

Ingredients:

1 cup rice flour 

1 cup grated coconut

1 tbs roasted and crushed jeera 

10 shallots (small onions) finely chopped or 1 big sized onion finely chopped

2 tbs oil (You may use coconut oil if you wish to prepare it in the traditional way – Nadan style)

2 pinches Asafoetida powder (kayam/Hing powder)

1 tbs mustard seeds

1 tbs white sesame seeds (til) – This is an exception. You may add if you want to.

3 nos dry red chilli

1 whole curry leaves strand

Salt to taste 

How to prepare kozhukatta – Rice balls.

- Take a bowl and mix rice flour, jeera and grated coconut. Keep it aside.

- Boil 1 cup water with salt and asafoetida powder (Kayam/hing powder). Now add this boiled water in the above mixture slowly…keep on stirring this mixture with a spoon while you are pouring the hot water into the mixture in order to make sure no lumps are formed. Keep on stirring till it thickens. 

- Now, allow the whole mixture to cool. 

- Apply a bit of oil on both your palms. Roll the above mixture into small balls. Now take a “vernier caliper” instrument to measure whether all the small balls are of same diameter or not ..hehehehe.. just kidding.. you don’t have to.

- Now steam these balls for 5-10 minutes. Take your judgment call on this.. 

- Heat oil in a pan.

- Add mustard seeds and allow it to splutter.

- Now add the finely chopped onions and stir till it turns light brown 

- Add curry leaves, dry red chillies and sesame seeds in the pan.

- Finally, add the rice balls and stir it for 2-3 minutes.

 That’s it! Serve hot