Potato Curry - Kerala Style

Ingredients

1. Medium sized Potatoes - 3 
2. Tomato - 1 (finely chopped)
3. Onion - 1 (finely sliced)
4. Green chilli - 2 (cut into small pieces)
5. Ginger - 1/4" piece (finely chopped)
6. Butter - 2 table spoons
7. Cumin seed - 1 tea spoon
8. Asafoetida - a pinch
9. Cilantro/Coriander - 4 strands of leaves finely chopped
10. Cumin powder - 1 tea spoon
11. Coriander powder - 1 tea spoon
12. Turmeric - 1/4 tea spoon
13. Red chilli powder - 1/2 tea spoon
14. Salt - 1 tea spoon or as needed
15. Water - 2 1/2 cups
16. Lemon juice - 2 tablespoon

Method :

1. Wash and cut the potatoes into cubes and boil them in 2 cups of water till they get cooked.
2. Peel the skin off the boiled potatoes.
3. In a saucepan, take 2 tablespoons of butter, add asafoetida,cumin seeds and let them splutter.
4. Add onions ginger,green chillies and fry till the onions turn brown
5. Add tomatoes and fry them for 2 minutes.
6. Add boiled potatoes,1/2 cup of water to this mixture and let it boil for a minute with closed lid.
7. Add turmeric, salt, cumin,coriander and red chilli powders, mix and cook with the closed lid for 1 minute.
8. Add cilantro and lemon juice to the cooked mixture, switch off the stove and let it cook with the closed lid.
9. Wait for 10 minutes and then serve with rotis to enjoy the flavors.

Beet root Curry / Beet root Palya / Beet root Koora

Needed

1. Beet root - 3
2. Red chillies - 2
3. Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
4. Turmeric - 1 tea spoon
5. Salt as needed
6. Chana dal - 1/2 tea spoon
7. Urad dal - 1/2 tea spoon
8. Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tea spoon
9. Cumin Seeds  - 1/2 tea spoon
10. Oil - 2 table spoons
11. Red chilli powder - 1/2 tablespoon

Method

1. Cut the beet roots into tiny cubes.
2. Chop red chillies into halves.
3. Heat the 1 table spoon of oil in a sauce pan
4. Add mustard, cumin, chana dal and urad dal.
5. As they splutter, add chopped red chillies..
6. Fry ensuring that red chillies do not turn brown.
7. Add beet root pieces, add another tablespoon of oil and fry them.
8. Keep the lid closed and keep stirring the mixture to avoid the vegetable getting charred.
9. Add 1/4 cup water or 1 table spoon oil to prevent charring.
10. As the beet roots get cooked, add chilli powder, turmeric and salt.
11. Fry for a minute, add coconut, stir the mixture, close the lid and let it cook for two minutes.
12. Coconut adds a fresh flavor to the curry.
13. Serve it with rice/roti.

Carrot Curry / Carrot Palya / Carrot Koora

Needed

1. Carrots - 5
2. Peas - 1/2 cup
3. Onion - 1 
4. Small Green chillies - 4
5. Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
6. Turmeric - 1 tea spoon
7. Salt as needed
8. Chana dal - 1/2 tea spoon
9. Urad dal - 1/2 tea spoon
10. Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tea spoon
11. Cumin Seeds  - 1/2 tea spoon
12. Oil - 2 table spoons

Method

1. Cut the carrots into tiny cubes.
2. Chop green chillies and onions into small pieces.
3. Heat the 1 table spoon of oil in a sauce pan
4. Add mustard, cumin, chana dal and urad dal.
5. As they splutter, add chopped green chillies and onions.
6. Fry till the onions turn brown.
7. Add carrots and peas, add another tablespoon of oil and fry them with onion mixture.
8. Keep the lid closed and keep stirring the mixture to avoid the vegetable getting charred.
9. As the carrots get cooked, add turmeric and salt.
10. Fry for a minute, add coconut, stir the mixture, close the lid and let it cook for two minutes.
11. Coconut adds a fresh flavor to the curry.
12. Serve it with rice/roti.
    

Potato Fry / Alu Fry

(Serves 2)

Ingredients

1. Potato - 2
2. Garlic - 4 to 5 cloves
3. Curry leaves - 6
4. Fenugreek seeds - 1 teaspoon
5. Mustard seeds - 1 tea spoon
6. Turmeric Powder - 1 tablespoon
7. Lemon juice - 1/2 lemon freshly squeezed
8. Salt as required
9. Oil - 2 tablespoons
10. Asofaetida - a pinch
11. Red chilli powder - 1 1/2 tablespoon

Method

• Heat the oil in a saucepan, add mustard seeds,fenugreek seeds,once they start spluttering, add asofaetida and curry leaves.
• As they are frying, add cut garlic pieces and fry till they turn brown.
• Meanwhile cut the potatoes into quarters and soak them in warm water for 10 minutes,add the potatoes to the fried garlic mixture.
• Close the lid and stir the vegetable every five minutes to prevent from being charred.Once the potatoes become soft, add turmeric, red chilli powder, salt, lemon juice and cook in low flame and closed lid for 3 minutes.

Note : I toss a tea spoon of tomato ketchup at the end to give it a tangy taste, but its purely optional.

Beerakaya Koora / Ridgegourd curry

Ingredients

1. Ridge gourd - 2
2. Onion - 1
3. Green chilly - 1
4. Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
5. Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoons
6. Urad dal - 1 teaspoon
7. Asoefatida - a pinch
8. Turmeric - 1 tea spoon
9. Salt as needed
10. Red chilli powder - 1 tea spoon
11. Milk - 1/2 cup
12. Oil - 2 tablespoons
13. Sugar - 1 tablespoon

Method

• Peel the skin of ridge gourd and wash them thouroughly.
• Cut them into pieces and have them aside.
• Chop onions and green chillies.
• Heat the oil in a pan.
• Add mustard, cumin and urad dal.
• Fry them till they splutter.
• Add a pinch of asoefatida and saute the mixture.
• Add onions and greenchillies and fry till the onions turn brown.
• Add the ridge gourd pieces and saute with the mixture.
• Add a spoon of oil if needed.
• Close the lid and cook the vegetable in steam on a medium flame.
• Saute the mixture every 5 minutes to ensure that vegetable doesn't get charred.
• Once the vegetable is half cooked, add milk and cook again with closed lid.
• Keep sauting in between and once the vegetable is totally cooked add turmeric and salt.
• If you need the curry a little spicy, add a teaspoon of red chilly powder at this stage.
• Saute the entire mixture for a minute, add a table spoon of sugar, mix and cook for half a minute with closed lid.
• Switch off the flame, place the pan with the closed lid aside.
• Serve after 10 minutes to enjoy the aroma and taste.

Gawar Beans Curry / Goru Chikkudukaya Koora

(Serves 2)
Ingredients

1. Gawar Beans - 1/2 kg
2. Water - 1 cup
3. Green chilly - 1
4. Coconut - 2 table spoons
5. Mustard Seeds - 1 table spoon
6. Jeera - 1 table spoon
7. Oil - 2 table spoons
8. Salt as needed

Method

• Wash the Gawar beans thoroughly and cut them into small pieces.
• Heat the oil in a pan.
• Add mustard seeds and jeera.
• Once they start spluttering, add cut green chilly.
• Once the chilli is fried, add the cut gawar beans.
• Add 1/2 cup water, stir and cook with a closed lid.
• After 5 minutes, stir again and add another 1/2 cup water.
• Close the lid and let it cook for a while.
• Keep stirring in between to avoid the vegetable from being charred.
• Once cooked, add coconut, salt and stir for a while.
• This curry is easy to cook and highly rich in fiber.

Bottle Gourd Curry / Sorakaya Koora

(Serves 2)
Ingredients

1. Bottle Gourd - 1/2
2. Turmeric - 1 table spoon
3. Red Chilli Powder - 1 table spoon
4. Salt as needed
5. Besan or Gram flour - 3 table spoons
6. Jaggery - 2 tablespoons
7. Oil - 2 tablespoons
8. Mustard seeds - 1 tablespoon
9. Jeera - 1 table spoon
10. Water - 1/2 cup

Method

• Heat the oil in a pan
• Add mustard seeds and jeera seeds
• Once they start spluttering, add the cut bottle gourd pieces
• Boil the vegetable with a closed lid.
• Keep stirring to avoid the pan base from getting charred.
• Once the vegetable is cooked, add turmeric, red chilli powder, jaggery and salt.
• Let it cook for a while with closed lid.
• Mix the besan or gram flour in 1/2 cup of water.
• Add this water to the cooked vegetable and stir till a consistency is achieved.
• This curry is easy to prepare and tastes very good with roti/rice.