Tasty Pineapple Rasam

Pineapple rasam is a delicious variation of the Kerala tomato rasam. The sweetness of the pineapple adds a nice twist to this soup like curry. After the meal, use your hand and drink a handful of rasam. Just the thought of it has me drooling.

You can try my pepper rasam post if you wish to make without rasam powder, just add the chopped pineapple along with the tomatoes.

Ingredients:

1.       Coconut oil/ ghee – 1 tbsp

2.       Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

3.       Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

4.       Asafoetida –  ¼ tsp

5.       Curry leaves – a few

6.       Dry red chilly -1

7.       Rasam powder – 2-3 tsp

8.        

Heat the coconut oil, add mustard. When it splutters, add remaining ingredients. Add the rasam powder last. Cook for a minute.

9.       Tomatoes -2

Blanch the tomatoes in hot water. Peel the skin and mash up the tomatoes.

1.       Chopped pineapple – 1 cup

2.       Whole black Peppercorns – 1 tsp

3.       Tamarind paste – 1 tsp

4.       Salt – to taste

5.       Water – 2 cups

Add these ingredients and the mashed tomatoes, bring to boil. Lower the fire and allow simmering. Adjust consistency of the rasam by adding more water if necessary.  When the pineapple is well cooked, add a generous amount of chopped coriander leaves. Cook for two more minutes.

Grandma’s secret tips:

• Cook ¼ cup dal with 1 cup water. Strain the water and use it for tastier rasam. Mash up the dal and add if you wish to make the rasam thicker.
• 2-3 cloves of crushed garlic can be added along with rasam powder if you like the taste

Tomato/ Pepper Rasam with Homemade Rasam Powder

Rasam is a frequently made dish in south India, especially Kerala  It is very easy to prepare and can be had like a soup or with rice. It is great drink that provides relief, when you are having cough or cold. Pepper by itself is an ayurvedic cure for cold. Add dal water to make it thicker and tastier. I have another even easier recipe for tomato rasam that uses readymade rasam powder. Rasam is served at onam sadyas and at kerala style wedding feasts. see my onam menu for other Kerala onam recipes.

Ingredients:

1.       Coconut oil – 2 tbsp

2.       Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

3.       Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

4.       Curry leaves – a few

5.       Dry red chilly -2

6.       Crushed Ginger – ½ inch piece

7.       Garlic – 3 cloves

Heat the coconut oil, add mustard. When it splutters, add remaining ingredients. Sauté for a minute.

8.       Chilli powder – 2 tsp

9.       Black Pepper – 1 tsp

10.   Red chilli powder

11.   Coriander powder – ½ tsp [optional]

12.   Fenugreek powder – ¼ tsp

13.   Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

14.   Asafoetida – ¼ tsp

Add these powders and cook for a minute. Be careful not to burn the powders.

15.   Tomatoes -2, finely chopped

16.   Green chillies- 1, chopped

17.   Tamarind paste – 1 tsp

18.   Salt – to taste

19.   Water – 2 cups

Add these ingredients and bring to boil. Lower the fire and allow simmering. Cook for about 15 minutes. Add a generous amount of chopped coriander leaves and cook for two more minutes.

Grandma’s Secret Tips:

• Add dal water instead of plain water, for thicker and tastier rasam.
• Adjust water content to your preferred consistency.
• Use black pepper corns or freshly powdered black pepper.

Kerala Onam recipe: Tomato Rasam

Rasam is one of the four main ozhichu kootans of the onam sadya. The others are parippu curry, sambar and moru kachiyathu. Onam sadya also has plenty other gravy dishes like errissery, pullissery, pachadi, etc.

You can try the tomato pepper rasam post for making rasam without readymade rasam powder. the pineapple rasam recipe is a nice twist to the traditional rasam recipes.

Ingredients:

1.       Tomato -2

Blanch the tomatoes in hot water. Peel the skin and mash up the tomatoes.

2.       Rasam powder – 2-3 tsp

3.       Whole black Peppercorns – 1 tsp

4.       Tamarind paste – 1 tsp

5.       Salt – to taste

6.       Water – 2 cups

Add these ingredients to the mashed tomatoes and bring to boil. Lower the fire and allow simmering.

7.       Toor dal/ thuvara parippu- ¼ cup

8.       Water – ¾ cup

Cook this in water and add ½ cup dal water to the tomato rasam. Adjust consistency of the rasam by adding more water if necessary. Take off the flame when it starts to froth.

9.       Coconut oil/ ghee – 1 tbsp

10.   Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

11.   Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

12.   Asafoetida –  ¼ tsp

13.   Curry leaves – a few

14.   Dry red chilly -1

Heat the coconut oil, add mustard. When it splutters, add remaining ingredients. Cook for a minute and pour this over the curry. Garnish generously with chopped coriander leaves.

Grandma’s secret tips:

• The dal water is optional,you can use normal water instead. The dal water adds a nice flavour to the rasam.
• 2-3 cloves of crushed garlic can be added along with rasam powder if you like the taste
• You can make your own rasam powder using this recipe.

Bitter gourd Kichadi

Bitter gourd Kichadi

Bitter gourd kichadi is a variation of the Onam sadya’s, ladies finger kichadi. You can cut the bitter gourd into thin pieces and fry them, as in the vendakka khichdi recipe. Kichadi in North India refers to a preparation of rice and dal, but in Kerala, kichadi is something totally different. It is a vegetable and curd preparation.

Ingredients:

1.     Bittergourd – 250 gms

2.     Green chillies -2

3.     Curry leaves – 1 sprig

4.     Coconut Oil –for frying

Chop the bitter gourd finely. Mix with salt and keep for an hour. Squeeze them well to remove some bitterness. Saute them in oil with green chillies and curry leaves till browned.

5.     Grated coconut – ½ cup

6.     Cumin seeds – ¼ tsp

Grind the coconut coarsely with cumin seeds.

7.     Coconut oil – 1 tbsp

8.     Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

9.     Curry leaves – 1 sprig

10.  Dry red chilly - 1

Heat the coconut oil, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add curry leaves and dry red chilly cut into two pieces. Add ground coconut, sauté for a minute. Add the bittergourd and mix.

11.  Thick Curd – ½ -1 cup

12.  Salt – to taste

Amount of curd depends on how thick you want the gravy to be. Add beaten curd and salt, cook on low flame for a minute. Remove from flame when it starts to simmer.

Secret Grandma Tips:

• Do not boil the curd, it will curdle.
• Saute the bitter gourd till crisp, but be careful not to burn them.
• No turmeric is added, the dish is white in color.

Kerala Onam Special: Ladies finger Kichadi

Vendakka Khichdi is the common onam sadya dish, though kichdi can be made with bitter gourd or beetroot. It is a mildly spiced, pleasant tasting dish. The recipes for classic onam dishes like pachadi, kichadi, olan, kalan, pullissery, errisery….are all there for you in my onam sadya menu. Doesn’t the onam menu have a nice rhythmic sound to it? Quoting the list sounds like a Malayalam nursery rhyme.

Ingredients:

1.     Ladies finger – 250 gms

2.     Coconut Oil –for frying

Cut ladies finger into thin round pieces. Deep fry in hot oil till crisp.

3.     Grated coconut – ½ cup

4.     Green chillies -2

5.     Cumin seeds – ¼ tsp

Grind the coconut coarsely with green chillies and cumin seeds.

6.     Coconut oil – 1 tbsp

7.     Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

8.     Curry leaves – 1 sprig

9.     Dry red chilly - 1

Heat the coconut oil, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add curry leaves and dry red chilly cut into two pieces. Add ground coconut, sauté for a minute. Add the fried ladies finger and mix.

10.  Thick Curd – ½ -1 cup

11.  Salt – to taste

Amount of curd depends on how thick you want the gravy to be. Add beaten curd and salt, cook on low flame for a minute. Remove from flame when it starts to simmer.

Secret Grandma Tips:

• Do not boil the curd, it will curdle.
• Fry the ladies finger till crisp, but be careful not to burn them.
• No turmeric is added, the dish is white in color.

Kerala Onam Special Recipe: Inji curry/ Puli inji

Don’t forget to make this recipe at least a day before the sadya. Inji curry is a must in the Onam sadya menu. The sweet, sour and spicy flavor of inji curry tantalizes the tongue and enhances the taste of all other Onam dishes. Jaggery provides the sweet taste; tamarind is for sourness while chilli powder makes it really spicy. Ginger is good for digestion and is believed to help in digesting the big Onam feast. Try out my other tried and tested onam recipes, like olan, kalan, erissery, pullissery, pachadi, etc in onam sadya menu.

Ingredients:

1.       Ginger – 1 cup

2.       Coconut oil

Cut the ginger into short juliennes. Deep fry them in coconut oil. Crush the crisp ginger into powdery bits. [one pulse in the blender]

3.       Tamarind/ vaalan puli – 1 tbsp

4.       Chilli powder – 2 tsp

5.       Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

6.       Asafoetida / kayam – ¼ tsp

7.       Coriander powder – 3 tsp

8.       Jaggery – 2-3 tbsp

9.       Salt – to taste

10.   Water – ½ cup

Mix the tamarind in a tbsp of water. Mix with all the other ingredients, adding the crushed fried ginger.

11.   Coconut oil

12.   Mustard seeds

13.   Curry leaves

Heat coconut oil; add mustard seeds, when it splutters, add the curry leaves. Add the ginger mixture and cook till thick.

14.   Roasted Fenugreek powder – 1 tsp

Add fenugreek powder and mix well. Keep in an airtight container when cool. Serve with hot rice and other delicious Kerala curries.

Secret Grandma tips:

• The quantity of jaggery, tamarind and chilli powder can be varied according to preference.
• Inji curry tastes better when made a day or two earlier.
• This keeps for a week in the fridge, without spoiling.
• Roast fenugreek seeds in hot pan with little or no oil. Powder them when cool. Keep in an airtight container. This is used in many Kerala dishes like sambar, fish curry, pickles, inji curry, etc.
• Inji curry is a thottu-kootan, like a pickle and is intended to be served in small quantities.
• Try making this recipe with mango-ginger [manga-inji], tastes awesome.

Kerala Onam Special Recipe: Olan

Authentic onam sadya olan is made from ash gourd [kumbalanga] and black eyes beans. It is a mildly spiced dish made with coconut milk, cumin seeds and coconut milk. Like the kalan, olan is a standard on the onam menu. No sadya is complete without the olan, whether it is onam, vishu or any kerala wedding feast.

Olan can also be made with pumpkin and cowpeas. Check my Onam sadya recipes section for other tried and tested Onam recipes like pulliserry, erissery, cabbage thoran, pachadi, etc.

Ingredients:

1.       Black eyed beans – ½ cup

Soak the beans for 3-4 hours. Cook the beans with enough water and salt.

1.       Ash gourd – 2 cups

2.       Green chillies – 3

3.       Thin coconut milk- 1 cup

4.       Cumin powder – ½ tsp

5.       Salt – to taste

Slice the ash gourd into half inch cubes. Add cooked beans, green chillies, cumin powder, salt and thin coconut milk. Cook on low fire till the vegetables are well cooked.

6.       Thick coconut milk – ½ cup

7.       Curry leaves- 1 sprig

Add the thick coconut milk and curry leaves. Simmer for few minutes. Do not boil.

8.       Coconut oil – 1 tbsp

Pour the fresh coconut oil over the curry and mix lightly. Tasty olan is ready.

Grandma’s Secret Tips:

• The dish is tastier when the vegetables are cooked in thin coconut milk rather than water.
• You can make the same recipe adding ½ cup pumpkin pieces to 1½ cups of ash gourd. It is tastier and prettier.
• Do not overcook the ash gourd or the beans; should not get mashed.
• Do not boil after the thick coconut milk is added, the gravy will curdle.
• Cumin is the only spice added to olan. even the green chillies are optional.

Authentic Kerala Onam Recipe: Kalan

You should definitely try out this Kalan recipe, if you are preparing for an Onam feast. An onam sadya has more than 25 dishes. Nowadays, only 10-15 dishes are made in most homes.  Kalan, is one dish that is never omitted from an onam sadya. It is made of plantains and yams, cooked in yoghurt based gravy with coconut paste.

For normal everyday cooking, I skip the yam part. It’s a delicious dish, when made with just the plantains. I make the same recipe using raw bananas or slightly ripe ones for an even yummier taste. I sauté the chopped bananas in ghee, before cooking it, rather than add it after the cooking. That’s just personal preference. The recipe given below is the authentic version of Kalan.

Ingredients:

1.       Raw plantain -1, diced

2.       Yam/ chena – 1 cup, diced

3.       Pepper powder – 1 tsp

4.       Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

5.       Salt – to taste

6.       Water – to cook

7.       Ghee – 1 tbsp

Cook the diced yam and plantain with pepper and salt, in adequate water. When the water dries up, add the ghee and cook for a few minutes.

8.       Sour Curd – 2-3 cups

9.       Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

10.   Salt – to taste

Beat the curd lightly adding turmeric and salt. Keep aside.

11.   Grated coconut – 1 cup

12.   Cumin seeds – ½ tsp

13.   Green chillies – 3

14.   Turmeric – ¼ tsp

Grind the coconut with other ingredients to a very smooth paste, adding very little water. Add this to the cooked vegetables and continue cooking till the gravy is thick.

15.   Roasted Fenugreek powder – ½ tsp

Add fenugreek powder and cook. Stir occasionally and make sure it is not allowed to boil.

16.   Coconut Oil – 1 tbsp

17.   Mustard seeds – 1tsp

18.   Curry leaves – 1 sprig

19.   Dry red chilly -1

Heat oil, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add remaining ingredients. Cook for a minute and pour this over the prepared curry.

Grandmas Secret Tips:

• Kalan tastes better the next day, so make it a day before the sadya.
• In step 1, cook the plantains and yam in buttermilk for an added taste.
• Fenugreek is roasted dry or in a tsp of oil. It is cooled and then powdered to make the roasted fenugreek powder.
• ¼ to ½ tsp of roasted fenugreek is added to kalan, either after adding the coconut paste or along with the tempering oil at the end.
• Boiling the gravy will cause curdling.
• Pressure cook the yam for one whistle and then add the chopped plantain, for easier and quicker cooking

Kerala Style Pappaya Erissery

Kaplanga erissery or raw papaya erissery is a variation of the traditional banana and yam erissery of the onam sadya. I usually make pumpkin erissery for regular lunch meals.  Love the taste of raw papaya thoran, you can make it easily by substituting raw papaya for the cabbage in my cabbage thoran recipe. The papaya erissery is also an easy and delicious curry accompaniment for rice. You can make it with various combinations like, with tuvara parippu [toor dal] or vanpayar [cow peas]. I usually make it with the dal as my children love most parippu curry preparations. I mash up the papaya to hide it in the curry. They love the flavor, but they will spit out the entire mouthful of rice, if they bite on any lumps. Kids! Personally, I like biting into the small bits of papaya in the erissery.

Ingredients:

1.       Raw pappaya –  2 cups, chopped

2.       Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

3.       Salt – to taste

4.       Water- for cooking

Chop the raw pappaya into ½ inch cubes. Cook the pappaya with turmeric, and salt adding adequate water. Mash it up lightly.

5.       Grated coconut – ¾ cup

6.       Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

7.       Cumin seeds – ½ tsp

8.       Green chillies – 2

Grind coconut with other ingredients, adding a little water, till fine and smooth. Add this to the cooked vegetables.  Cook for five minutes. Add a little water, if desired, to adjust the consistency.

9.       Coconut oil – 1 tbsp

10.   Mustard seeds – ½ tsp

11.   Shallots – 3, sliced

12.   Dry red chillies -2

13.   Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Heat the oil in a small kadai. Add the mustard seeds, when they splutter, add remaining ingredients and sauté till the onion are golden brown. Pour this over the curry.

14.   Grated coconut – 2 tbsp

Roast the grated coconut in the same kadai till light brown. Toss this over the erissery. Pappaya is ready to be served with hot rice.

Secret Grandma Tips:

• The signature of the erissery is the roasted coconut garnishing, so never skip that.
• Prepare the erissery using coconut oil, if you want the authentic Kerala taste.
• The consistency of the dish should be reasonably thick. [Not flowing]
• Be careful not to burn the mustard seeds or shallots in the tempering oil.
• You can prepare the papaya erissery with dal to make it more healthy and tasty.
• Red chilly powder may be substituted for green chillies and this will give the dish a more orangish color for those who prefer it that way. 

Banana and Yam Erissery : Kerala Onam Special Recipe

This is an authentic Kerala Onam recipe for banana and chena erissery. I usually don’t make this as everyone in the family prefers pumpkin erissery. But, for onam sadya, this is a more commonly used recipe. I try to add maximum variations of kerala recipes in my blog, so that it becomes a one stop recipe directory for anyone looking for authentic malayalee recipes.

You can try making erissery with pumpkin and cow peas or pumpkin with yam. Pappaya erissery is also quite tasty. 

Ingredients:

1.       Raw banana – 1

2.       Yam/ Chena – 250 gms

3.       Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

4.       Pepper powder -1 ½ tsp

5.       Salt – to taste

6.       Water- for cooking

Chop the banana and yam into ½ inch cubes. Soak the chopped banana in warm water for five minutes, to remove its stains. Cook the vegetables with turmeric, pepper and salt adding adequate water. Mash it up well.

7.       Grated coconut – ½ cup

8.       Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

9.       Cumin seeds – ½ tsp

10.   Green chillies – 1

Grind coconut with other ingredients, adding a little water, till fine and smooth. Add this to the cooked vegetables.  Cook for five minutes. Add a little water, if desired, to adjust the consistency.

11.   Grated jaggery – 2 tsp

Add the jaggery shavings and cook for a couple of minutes.

12.   Coconut oil – 1 tbsp

13.   Mustard seeds – ½ tsp

14.   Shallots – 3, sliced

15.   Urad dal – 1 tsp

16.   Dry red chillies -2

17.   Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Heat the oil in a small kadai. Add the mustard seeds, when they splutter, add remaining ingredients and sauté till the onion are golden brown. Pour this over the curry.

18.   Grated coconut – 2 tbsp

Roast the grated coconut in the same kadai till light brown. Toss this over the erissery. Yam and banana erissery is ready to be served with hot rice.

Secret Grandma Tips:

• The signature of the erissery is the roasted coconut garnishing, so never skip that.
• For yam and banana erissery, freshly ground pepper powder is a must.
• The jaggery shavings are optional in the recipe. Some people do not add it.
• Prepare the erissery using coconut oil, if you want the authentic Kerala taste.
• The consistency of the dish should be reasonably thick. [Not flowing]
• Be careful not to burn the mustard seeds or shallots in the tempering oil.

Yummy Pumpkin Erissery : Kerala Onam Special Recipe

Try out this delicious recipe for pumpkin and cowpeas erissery. Pumpkin is one vegetable my children eat happily. Most days, I don't bother adding the cow peas, I just make simple pumpkin erissery. I sometimes add cooked dal to make it more healthy and tasty. One of the healthy lunches for my children is rice with pumpkin and parippu curry, butter or ghee, fried fish and beetroot thoran.  They eat happily without any fuss.  I have to sneak in the thoran though. They will eat any thoran, provided I’ve chopped it as tiny as possible.

You can try out my other erissery recipes too. My family really like pappaya erissery while banana and yam erissery is the standard onam erissery.

Ingredients:

1.       Red Cow Peas/ Vanpayar – 1 cup

Soak the vanpayar in water for 3-4 hours. Pressure cook it with some salt and water. Keep aside.

2.       Pumpkin, - 1 cup, chopped

3.       Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

4.       Salt – to taste

5.       Water- for cooking

Cook the pumpkin with turmeric and salt adding adequate water. Mash it up well.

6.       Grated coconut – 1 cup

7.       Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

8.       Cumin seeds – ½ tsp

9.       Green chillies – 2-3

Grind coconut with other ingredients, adding a little water, till fine and smooth. Add this to the cooked pumpkin along with the well cooked cow peas. Cook for five minutes. Add a little water, if desired, to adjust the consistency.

10.   Coconut oil – 1 tbsp

11.   Mustard seeds – ½  tsp

12.   Shallots – 3, sliced

13.   Dry red chillies -2

14.   Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Heat the oil in a small kadai. Add the mustard seeds, when they splutter, add remaining ingredients and sauté till the onion are golden brown. Pour this over the curry.

15.   Grated coconut – 2 tbsp

Roast the grated coconut in the same kadai till light brown. Toss this over the pumpkin erissery. Tasty and delicious pumpkin erissery is ready to be served with hot rice.

Secret Grandma Tips:

• The signature of the erissery is the roasted coconut garnishing, so never skip that.
• Prepare the erissery using coconut oil, if you want the authentic Kerala taste.
• The consistency of the dish should be reasonably thick. [Not flowing]
• Be careful not to burn the mustard seeds or shallots in the tempering oil.
• Red chilly powder may be substituted for green chillies and this will give the dish a more orangish color for those who prefer it that way.
  
  
  
  

Delicious Kerala Parippu curry

This is a delicious everyday, comfort food for a malayalee. Parippu curry or Kerala yellow dal curry is a very healthy dish that is high in protein. Hot steaming rice drizzled with ghee, red mango pickle, crisp pappadam, yellow parippu curry……aren’t you drooling already…

The ghee part always brings back fond childhood memories. Parippu curry for Kerala Sadya is slightly different from this as it is made from roasted moong dal.

Ingredients:

1.       Toor dal/  tuvara parippu – ½ cup

2.       Green chillies - 2

3.       Salt – to taste

4.       Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp

5.       Shallots, sliced -4

6.       Water – 2 cups

Cook the toor dal adding slit green chillies, turmeric, salt and adequate water in a pressure cooker for two whistles. Mash the dal.

7.       Grated Coconut – ½ cup

8.       Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

9.       Cumin seeds – ½ tsp

10.   Shallots – 2

11.   Curry leaves - 2

Grind the coconut, adding the other ingredients and a little water, to a fine and smooth paste. Add this to the cooked dal and cook for another 5 minutes on medium flame. Add more water, if needed, to adjust the gravy to required consistency.

12.   Coconut oil – 1 tbsp

13.   Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

14.   Curry leaves- 1 sprig

15.   Dry red chillies -2

16.   Shallots – 2, sliced

Heat coconut oil in a small kadai, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add remaining ingredients and sauté till the shallots are browned. Pour this over the parippu curry.

Serve hot with rice, ghee, pickle and pappadam.

Grandma’s Secret Tips

• For sadya parippu curry, fresh coconut oil is added rather than tempered hot coconut oil. Shallots are not used in that recipe.
• Once the dal is mashed, stir frequently to prevent burning.
• The final consistency of the gravy should be thick, but easily pourable. 

Kerala Onam Recipe: Parippu curry

Try this delicious parippu curry recipe that will liven up any sadya. Parippu curry is the first curry served along with rice, as part of the onam meal. Parippu curry is a standard accompaniment of all kerala wedding sadyas as well as the vishu sadya.

Traditionally sadya parippu is made from cherupayar parippu [moong dal, split], spiced coconut paste and fresh coconut oil. Nowadays, parippu curry for sadya is also made from toor dal and tempered with hot, flavored coconut oil. That recipe is a slightly different one. It is more of an everyday Parippu curry that is served in most Kerala homes. I will give it in another post.

Parippu curry or Kerala yellow dal curry is a very healthy dish. It is a standard rice or chapathi accompaniment when feeding small children as it is only mildly spiced. It’s a high protein dish.

Ingredients:

1.       Split moong dal/ cherupayar parippu – ½ cup

2.       Salt – to taste

3.       Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp

4.       Water – 2 cups

Dry roast the dal in heavy bottom vessel, do not let it change color. Cook the dal adding turmeric, salt and adequate water in a pressure cooker for two whistles. Mash the dal well.

5.       Grated Coconut – ½ cup

6.       Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

7.       Cumin seeds – ½ tsp

8.       Green chillies - 2

9.       Garlic – 1 clove

10.   Curry leaves -2

Grind the coconut, adding other ingredients and a little water, to a fine and smooth paste. Add this to the cooked dal and cook for another 5 minutes on medium flame. Add more water, if needed, to adjust the gravy to required consistency.

11.   Fresh Coconut oil – 1 tbsp

12.   Curry leaves- 1 sprig

13.   Freshly grated coconut – 1 tbsp

Pour fresh coconut oil over the parippu curry. Add curry leaves and mix well. Garnish with freshly grated coconut. Serve hot with rice, ghee, pickle and pappadam.

Grandma’s Secret Tips: 

• Fry the moong dal in a tbsp of ghee, before cooking it.
• Crush couple of curry leaves and mix in fresh coconut oil and pour this over the curry at the end.
• The clove is added to aid digestion and is optional in the recipe.
• Once the dal is mashed, stir frequently to prevent burning.
• The final consistency of the gravy should be thick, but easily pourable.