asafoetida · chilis · coconut oil · cooking oil · curry leaves · dairy free · ginger · Indian · legume · lentil · medium · onion · ovo vegetarian · pepper · pulses · red onion · salt · Snack · Uncategorized · Vegan · Vegetarian

Parippu Vada – Lentil Fritters, A Savory Snack from Kerala Yum

Have you ever wondered about the kind of relationship you will share with your spouse a few years down the line, when you are old? After many years of togetherness, will there be anything left to talk about, or will a perpetual silence prevail to be occasionally broken by visiting children and grand children? Will outings be as much fun as they are now, or will you be too tired and grumpy to move out of your reclining chairs? In my family, uncles and aunts seem to be enjoying retired life in luxurious homes with their pets and gardens, large flat screen plasma TVs for the latest movies and all the “mega” serials, comfortable cars to take them to marriages and engagement ceremonies, exhibitions and sales. I just can’t wait to get retired! A part of my maternal uncle’s daily routine is a game of cards in the evening at the “Elder’s Club”. Though the name suggests a unisex club, women are a big no-no here (they surely don’t want anyone telling them off when their gossip goes over the limi

asafoetida · beetroot · chili powder · chilli · citrus · coconut · coconut oil · cooking oil · curd · curry leaves · fenugreek · garlic · ginger · green chilli · jaggery · kerala · Kerala Cuisine · lime · medium · mustard seed · Onam Recipe · onion · pepper · salt · Side Dish · sugar · tamarind · turmeric · Uncategorized · water

Puli Inji and Beetroot Pachadi

You may have noticed that all the onam vibhavangal I shared with you till now have mild flavours and taste, and are soothing to the stomach. But the malayali (especially the non vegetarian) has been brought up on some seriously fiery stuff, and he is of the opinion that any food cooler than a forest fire is bland. In the traditional Onam Sadhya, the Puli Inji and achar (pickles) come to the rescue. Served in small quantities on the upper left half of the banana leaf, they provide a nice kick to the meal. A touch of these will suffice with each ball of rice you eat; as such they are called thottu kootan. Another kind of thottu kootan is the Pachadi. It is not hot (in my opinion), but it is a heady mix of sour and sweet flavours – sourness from curd, and sweetness from the fruit or vegetable you use and ground coconut. Pachadi is mostly made of vegetables or fruits such as bitter gourd, mango, pineapple, beetroot which are boiled or sauted in coconut oil with green chilies and onion and