Puliyinji (Ginger & Tamarind Chutney)

Most of us love this wonderful dish for its perfectly balanced sweetness and sourness. This recipe for Puliyinji doesn’t use fried coconut. Puliyinji can be refrigerated and stored for a long time.

Ingredients

1. Finely Minced Ginger – 1/2 cup (You can use a Food Chopper)
2. Finely Sliced Small Green Chillies – 3 or 4
3. Jaggery/ Sharkara (small chunks) – 3 to 5 pieces
4. Tamarind – Lemon sized ball
5. Turmeric Powder – 1/4 tsp
6. Red Chilly Powder – 1/2 tsp
7. Fenugreek Powder (Uluva) – 1/4 tsp
8. Oil – 1 tbsp
9. Salt – to taste
10. Water – as needed

For Seasoning

1. Oil – 1 tbsp
2. Mustard Seeds – 1/4 tsp
3. Dry Red Chillies – 4 or 5
4. Curry Laves – A sprig

Preparation Method

1. Dissolve the tamarind in 1 cup of warm water and extract the juice.
2. Heat 1 cup of water  in a deep pan and add the jaggery pieces. Stir continuously till it melts and forms a syrup.
3. Filter the jaggery syrup for any particles and keep aside.
4. Add the tamarind juice to the filtered jaggery syrup and bring to a slow  boil. Adjust the sweetness and sourness of the sauce by adding more jaggery or tamarind juice as required. Continue to simmer the sauce, stirring occasionally.
5. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp of oil in a non stick pan and fry the minced ginger for a few minutes until the raw smell disappears. Add the green chillies and continue frying till the ginger gets a golden brown color.
6. Reduce heat and add turmeric powder and red chilly powder. Saute for a minute and pour everything to the simmering jaggery and tamarind sauce. Sprinkle fenugreek powder. Stir the sauce and allow it to come to a boil.
7. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp oil in the same pan and splutter mustard seeds. Throw in the dried red chillies and curry leaves. Saute for a minute.
8. Pour the seasoning over the sauce and mix well. Let the sauce simmer on medium-low heat until desired consistency is attained.

Mulaka Pachadi

I was planning to make Puliyinji for Onam 2009 but my friend Lisha offered to make Mulaka Pachadi. Here is Lisha’s recipe for Malabar style Mulaka Pachadi. You will definitely like this sweet and sour chutney. So give it a try. Thank you Lisha for this yummy recipe.

Ingredients

1. Small Green Chillies (sliced into thin pieces) – about 50 nos.
2. Minced Ginger – 3 or 4  tbsp
3. Jaggery – 5 or 6 small chunks
4. Ghee – 2 tbsp
5. Mustard Seeds – 1/4 tsp
6. Curry Laves – A sprig
7. Tamarind – Lemon sized ball
8. Salt – to taste
9. Water – as needed

Preparation Method

1. Dissolve the tamarind in 1 cup of warm water and extract the juice.
2. Heat 1 cup of water  in a pan and add the jaggery pieces. Stir continuously till it melts and forms a syrup.
3. Filter the syrup for any particles and keep aside.
4. Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a non stick pan and fry the green chillies for 2 minutes.
5. Add the grated ginger pieces and continue frying for a few more minutes till the ginger gets a light brown color.
6. Drain the ginger and green chillies and keep aside.
7. To the same pan, splutter mustard seeds and add curry leaves.
8. Add the fried ginger and green chillies.
9. Add tamarind juice along with salt and bring to a slow boil.
10. Next, add the jaggery syrup and continue boiling for 10-15 minutes till desired consistency is attained.
11. Do a taste test, and add more jaggery or tamarind juice as needed.
12. If you like your Mulaka Pachadi to be thick, then you will have to boil it for around 20-30 minutes.

Kaalan

Here is my friend Lisha’s Kaalan recipe. This is how they make it in the northern regions of Kerala. Thank you Lisha for this wonderful recipe !

The main vegetables used for making Kaalan are Ash Gourd, Raw Plantain and Yam. You can also add Pumpkin and Cucumber. The main difference between Kaalan and Pulisshery is that Kalan is very thick in consistency with very little gravy. You need to stir Kaalan for a long time till the gravy thickens. If Kaalan is prepared properly, it doesn’t require refrigeration and will stay fresh upto one week. Whereas, for pullishery, you add curd and remove it from heat immediately and it is has lot of gravy. You can check out my Pulisshery recipe here.

Ingredients

1. Diced Chena (Yam) – 2 cups
2. Kaya/Vazhakka (Raw Plantain) – 1 medium sized plantain
3. Kumbalanga (Ash Gourd) – 1/4 of a medium sized ash gourd
4. Vella Mathanga (White Pumpkin) – 2 cups (optional)
5. Vellarikka (Sambar Cucumber/Yellow Cucumber) – 1/2 of a small Cucumber (optional)
6. Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
7. Pepper Powder – 2 tsp
8. Salt – to taste
9. Yogurt – 3 cups

For Grinding

1. Grated Coconut – 1 cup
2. Green Chillies – 4 or 5
3. Jeera (Cumin) – 1/4 tsp
4. Curry Leaves – A few (optional)
5. Water – 1/2 cup

For Seasoning

1. Oil – 1 tbsp
   
2. Mustard Seeds – 1/4 tsp
3. Dry Red Chillies – 4
4. Curry Leaves – A sprig

Preparation Method

1. Peel skin and dice all the vegetables into bite sized pieces.
2. Soak the plantain in turmeric water for 5 minutes.
3. Cook all the vegetables with salt and turmeric until half cooked. Be careful not to over cook the veggies.
4. Meanwhile, grind coconut, green chillies and jeera along with little water to form a fine paste.
5. Add the ground coconut paste to the cooked vegetables and simmer for 5-7 minutes.
6. Blend the yogurt lightly along with salt and add it to the above pan.
7. Reduce flame and stir for around 30 minutes so that the kaalan thickens and there is very little gravy left.
8. Just before removing from stove top, add 2 tsp pepper and mix well.
9. Finally, season with mustard, red chillies and curry leaves.

Mixed Vegetable Theeyal

The most common varieties of Theeyal are:-

• Pavakka (Bitter Gourd) Theeyal
• Padavalanga (Snake Gourd) Theeyal
• Chemmeen (Prawns) Theeyal
• Ulli (Shallots) Theeyal

Here is my recipe for Mixed Vegetable Theeyal.

Ingredients

1. Mixed Vegetables (cut into bite sized vegetables) – 3 Cups (I used 1 carrot, 1/2 of a small beetroot, 6 beans, 1 small potato, 6 ladies finger/okra )
2. Turmeric Powder – 1/4 tsp
3. Tamarind – gooseberry sized ball / Tamarind Paste – 2 tbsp
4. Oil – 1 tbsp
5. Salt – to taste
6. Water – as needed

For dry roasting and grinding

1. Grated Coconut – 1 cup
2. Coriander Powder- 2 tbsp
3. Red Chilly Powder – 1 tbsp
4. Fenugreek (Uluva) powder – 1/4 tsp

For Seasoning

1. Oil – 1 tbsp
2. Mustard Seeds – 1/4 tsp
3. Finely sliced shallots – 4 or 5
4. Dry Red Chillies – 4
5. Curry Leaves – A  few

Preparation Method

1. Cook all the vegetables (except okra) in little water along with salt and turmeric until soft but not mushy.
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a non stick pan and fry the okra pieces until lightly browned.
3. Soak tamarind in 1/2 cup warm water for some time and extract the juice and keep aside.
4. Meanwhile dry roast coconut on medium-low flame until it turns into a dark brown color. The coconut should be thoroughly roasted till it’s almost burnt.
5. Remove from heat, add coriander, chilly and fenugreek powders and continue roasting for 2 more minutes.
6. Grind everything to a smooth paste along with 1 cup water.
7. Take a big pan and add the ground paste, cooked vegetables and fried okra along with more water and salt. Simmer on medium flame for 5 -7 minutes.
8. Add tamarind juice and bring everything to a slow boil. Reduce flame and allow the gravy to thicken.
9. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds. Saute shallots, dry red chillies and curry leaves.
10. Pour the seasoning over the theeyal and mix gently.

Note

• You can alter the consistency of the gravy by increasing or decreasing water content.
• If using tamarind paste, adjust the sourness accordingly.
• The color of Theeyal depends on how well you roast the coconut and spices.

Aviyal

The vegetables mostly added to Aviyal are the following :-

• Potato
• Raw Plantain (Vazhakka)
• Yam (Chenna)
• Carrot
• Drum Sticks (Muringakka)
• Beans
• Ivy Gourd (Kovakka)
• Raw Mango
• Brinjal (Vazhuthananga)
• Ash Gourd (Kumbalanga)
• Runner Beans (Achinga Payaru)
• Pumpkin (Mathanga)

Vegetables like Okra (Ladies Finger), Cabbage etc. which become mushy are not added. Some people prefer their Aviyal to be completely dry while others like Aviyal with a nice little thick gravy. Here is my recipe for Aviyal. I usually make Aviyal with a little gravy.

Ingredients

1. Mixed Vegetables cut into 1 or 2 inch long sized pieces – Around 4-5 Cups
   (I’ve used 1 potato, 1 Mango, 2 carrots, 2 drumsticks, 1/2 plantain, 6 beans and a few pieces of brinjal)
2. Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
3. Curd – 2 tbsp (optional)
4. Curry Leaves – A sprig
5. Coconut Oil – 1 tbsp
6. Water – As needed
7. Salt – to taste

For Grinding

1. Coconut – 1 cup
2. Cumin (Jeera) – 1/4 tsp
3. Green Chillies – 4
4. Shallots or Pearl Onions (diced) – 2
5. Garlic Cloves – 3
6. Curry Leaves – A few
7. Turmeric Powder – 1/4 tsp

Preparation Method

1. Cover and cook the vegetables in very little water along with salt and 1/4 tsp turmeric powder until half done. Add the vegetables according to their cooking time and be careful not to fully cook the vegetables.
2. Open the lid and allow any excess water to evaporate from the veggies.
3. Meanwhile, grind coconut and other ingredients with little water to form a coarse paste.
4. Add the coconut paste to the cooked vegetables and mix gently. Add more salt if needed. Continue to simmer for another 5-7 minutes until thick.
5. If you like you aviyal to have a slight sour taste, remove from stove top and add 2 tbsp curd. Mix gently.
6. Finally add fresh coconut oil and another sprig of curry leaves for garnishing.

Mixed Vegetables for Aviyal

Aviyal Vegetables being cooked