Banana Pulissery / Pazham Pulissery

This is a nice yummy sweet, sour and spicy curry prepared with riped plantains. This curry / Pulissery is prepared from various vegetables or fruits of choice like ripe mangoes, pineapple, papaya, Winter melon. This recipe is mostly prepared during Onam and Vishu sadhya.

First time I had this pulissery in my friend Sandhya’s house for Vishu sadhya. And I fell in love with this curry at its first taste only. I finished my rice with the help of this curry only. If you like sweet, sour and spicy curry then definitely you will love this recipe.

My hubby keeps saying that Pineapple pulissery is the best, since we haven’t found nice ripe pineapples here, that recipe is on hold. Might try my luck when we visit to India and post its recipe for you all J

Ingredients:

2nos.  Ripe Plantains (Nenthrappazham / Ethappazham)

4 nos. Green Chillies

½ cup freshly grated coconut

1 cup Sour Yoghurt

½ tspn Turmeric powder

1tspn Red Chilli Powder

3/4^th tspn Cummin seeds

Salt to taste

For Seasoning:

4 Tblspn Oil / coconut oil

A pinch of Asafoetida / Hing

½ tspn Fenugreek seeds

½ tspn Mustard seeds

2 /3 Dry Red chillies

Few sprigs of curry leaves

Method:

   1.    Chop plantains into bite size pieces and cook them with water, turmeric powder, red chilly powder and salt.

   2.    While the plantains are getting cooked grind coconut, cumin seeds and green chilies to a fine paste and keep it aside.

   3.    Blend yoghurt along with ½ cup water and salt, keep its aside.

   4.    Once the plantians are cooked and about to dissolve add the coconut paste and cook it further for 4 -5 mins.

   5.    Lower the flame. The curry should not be boiling at this point. It should be simmering slowly while adding the curd. Or curd will start to cuddle and curry will be spoiled.

   6.    Heat oil in a tadka pan add mustard seeds, let them splutter. Now add a pinch of asafoetida, fenugreek seeds, dry red chilies and few sprigs of curry leaves.

   7.    Pour this seasoning over the curry and mix it gently.

   8.    Our curry is ready to serve with steam rice along with pickle and pappad.

NOTE:

• To make sour yoghurt add one full lemon jucie to yoghurt and let it sit for half an hour. Later use as instructed in the recipe.
• While adding the yoghurt, reduce the flame to low. The curry should not be boiling or the curry will start to cuddle. Also do not boil the curry after adding the yohurt.

Banana Fritters / Pazham Pori

This banana fritter is well known in Kerala by the name “Pazham Pori”. Its everyones favourite snack and especially in my house. It gets over within few minitues of its preparation no need to invite anyone to come and have it. All the members will be in the kitchen only during its preparation.

For this recipe we need riped plantians, which are dipped in batter and deep-fried. Lets proceed with our recipe here.

Ingredients:

2 nos. Ripe Banana plantains

½ cup All pourpose flour or Maida

2tspn Sugar

1/3^rd tspn Turmeric powder

1 tspn Cummin seeds or Jeera

Salt as per the taste

1cup to 3/4^th cup Water for making the batter

Oil for deep frying

Method:

 1.   Peel the bananas and slice them lengthwise into half and then slice each half into thin slice.

 2.   In a mixing bowl add all purpose flour, sugar, turmeric powder, cumin seeds, salt and water. Blend it nicely with the help of water nicely to form a semi thick batter like of idli batter.

 3.   Heat the oil in kadai for deep frying.

 4.   Once the oil is hot, dip the slices of banana in the batter to evenly coat them and then put them in hot oil. Fry them until they become golden brown in color.

 5.   Remove them from the oil and keep them on kitchen paper towel to    remove any excess oil.
 6.   Serve them hot at teatime, Iftar or any occasion.

NOTE:

• For this recipe always use Kerala bananas (Nendra pazham).
• If the bananas are too ripe then reduce the quantity of sugar otherwise the plantains will start sticking to each other while frying which becomes very difficult for frying them.
• Slice the bananas depending upon the size of its thickness and length.

KULFI

Kulfi is a popular frozen diary dessert, as understood has similarities to Ice cream in appearance and taste.

Kulfi has various flavours; the traditional ones are Malai kulfi, Mango kulfi, Elaichi (Cardamom) Kulfi, Saffron (Kesar or Zaffran) and Badam pista kulfi.

Ingredients:

1lt Full Cream Milk

200gms of Grated Khoya or 1/4^th cup Dry milk powder (Full fat)

1 cup Sweet condensed milk

3 tblspn Vanilla Custard powder or Corn flour

A pinch of Saffron (Kesar or Zaffran) threads

1tblspn Kewda water

½ tspn green caradamom powder (I didn’t add)

1/4^th cup Badam Pistachio flakes (Opitonal. I didn’t add since my family likes plain creamy texture of kulfi)

Method:

 1.   Soak the saffron threads in 2 tblpsn warm milk.

 2.   Boil the milk in heavy pan. Once the milk is boiled add grated khoya to it and keep stirring till the milk is reduced.

 3.   Now add sweet condensed milk, saffron milk, kewda water and cardamom powder and mix nicely and let it simmer nicely.

 4.   In a small bowl blend vanilla custard powder or corn flour with 4/5 tblspn of cold milk and make a smooth cream of it.

 5.   Add this smooth cream of custard powder to the boiling milk and keep stiring. Add little little cream of custard powder to the milk, as the milk will start thickening. The milk should be still in thick flowing consistency.

 6.   Put off the gas and add badam pistachio flakes and stir it nicely (this step can be avoided). And let it cool down till it comes to room temperature.

 7.   Once the mixture is at room temperatue pour it into kulfi molds or any other normal container.

 8.   Freeze them overnight until they get set and firm.

To serve the Kulfi:

•   Dip the kulfi molds into warm water for 3-4 secs to loosen up the frozen sides of kulfi from the mold. Run a knife along the edges of the mold to help it release from the mold.
•   Serve it immediately.

Here is the picture of my son enjoying Kulfi…..Yummm its kulificious….. Couldn't get any better model then him. Giving his natural pose having his favourite Kulfi.

NOTE:

•  Kulfi can be served with crushed pistachios or passion fruit or mango pulp over them. It gives extra taste.
•  Badam Pista is optional they can be avoided. OR Grind them into a fine paste and add it to the final milk mixture.

Varan

Varan is an important dish made mainly during the festival times and is very much near and dear to Maharastrains and so it is for me….

Varan is a part of naivedhya offered to Lord Ganesha on Ganesh Chaturthi. Naivedhya is offered on banana leaf with Varan-Bhaat, chanyacho ross, modak, puri, some kheer and other food. In todays recipe I have used ghee for tempering the varan, which gives a very unique flavor to it. But you can always use oil instead of ghee for tempering. You can make varan with chana daal or toor dal (Pigeon peas) I have used Chana dal over here to prepare.

Varan tastes best when served with plain cooked rice. But I love to have Varan is by topping a dollop of ghee over it. Ohhh yummmmmm.

Ingredients:

1 cup Chana dal / Toor dal (Pigeon dal)

½ cup freshly grated coconut

½ tspn Turmeric powder

½ tspn Cumin seeds / Jeera

Fresh Corriander leaves for garnishing

Salt to taste

Water as required

For Tempering:

2 tblspn Ghee / Oil

¼ tspn Mustard seeds

2/3 Green Chillies slit

Few Curry leaves

Method:

1.    For Chana dal wash and soak the dal in hot water for 1 hour and keep it covered. For toor dal wash the dal nicely.

2.    Add the washed dal to the pressure cooker pan along with 1 ½ cup water for 3- 4 whistles. And let the pressure cooker cool down naturally to release the pressure.

3.    Grind coconut, turmeric and cumin seeds to a fine paste.

4.    Open the cooled pressure cooker and mash the dal with the help of the back of spoon.

5.    Heat pan with ghee/ oil add mustards seeds when it starts spluttering add slit green chillies and curry leaves.

6.    Pour the mashed dal over the tempering and add finely grounded coconut paste, mix it well.

7.    Add water as per the consistency required of the dal and salt as per the taste. Mix it well, cover and cook for 5- 10 mins more.

8.    Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves and serve with plain rice, ghee and pickle.

NOTE:

• I have used chana dal to prepare varan, but toor daal can be also used to prepare varan and there is no compromise on the taste.