• 360 ml Buttermilk/ Laban
• 1 tbsp, cleaned White Rice/ pachari
• 2-3 Shallots
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut 
• Salt
• Curry leaves

1. In a mixer grinder add in all the ingredients except for salt and curry leaves.
2. Grind to paste and pour the buttermilk mix to an deep earthen pot. 
3. Now keep the earthen pot over medium flame and keep stirring, till the moru/ buttermilk starts thickening from the sides. (Make sure you don’t stop scraping the bottom of the pot and mixing simultaneously, as the moru or buttermilk can easily get burnt) 
4. Finally add in salt as required and curry leaves, mix well and switch off the flame. ( Make sure not to allow the buttermilk to boil, or else it might curdle)
5. Serve moru kachiyathu with rice and your favorite sides like thora manga, varavu, and fish fry. Ahh! Wholesome food ❤️

Meal prep in advance and make Freezer Friendly snacks:

Making an Onion-Green Chilli-Coriander mix (sliced and chopped batches) :

Prepare ginger garlic paste:

 Make a batch of Fried Onions:

Chop veggies ahead of time:

Deep clean your house and Kitchen space:

This is that time of the year when the angels come to our houses, let's give them a warm welcome by tidying up every nook and corner of our houses like washing curtains, cleaning carpets, organizing cupboards (donating good ones and throwing away unnecessary ones) etc.You can bring home the spirit of Ramadan by involving kids in the cleaning process and doing small Ramadan decors, that will get them, excited too and look forward to the Holy Month.

 

Kitchen is the place that we all spend a lot of time yet we don't get that extra time to tidy up. if you haven't started your Ramadan preps , this is your cue to clean your kitchen and house now!

 

• For starters, you can start with the fridge, this will help you decide what to add into your grocery shopping list. And you may throw away expired and give away unused food items that are in good condition. 
• Wipe down the Kitchen cabinets and cupboards (check expiry dates and discard if not in use).
• Clean the cooking range, oven, dishwasher (if any) and fridge. I like to use Smac for tough grease and stains and for cleaning the oven and fridge (I wiped down using lemon - vinegar water solution). Don't forget the stove hob and the kitchen hood, where all grease are accumulated.
• Lastly, make sure to replace old brushes/ sponges/ cloths with new ones and if they aren’t that soiled, soak them in a solution of bubbling hot water with vinegar for around 30 minutes and you will feel so satisfied to see all that dirt that came from the kitchen cloth. Squeeze and rinse well with warm water. Allow to dry in sunlight.

Do not make yourself overwhelmed with all these tasks, do them one day at a time.

Make a small corner for all your Ramadan essentials:

You can make a small corner in your house where you keep your Quran, Translation, Islamic books, Duaa books, Morning and evening adhkaar Duaa cards, Ramadan Planner if any, folding desk,Musalla (prayer mat), Prayer dress, maybe some candles, a bottle of water and maybe a couple of plants for that extra feel of serinity. (This is just my way of creating a calm and quiet atmosphere for better concentration and tranquility).

You can make a similar space for your kids, with their Musalla , prayer dress, Ramadan activity books, craft supplies like sketch pens, Quran (if they know how to recite), Quran reading pen, Prophet stories etc.

Strive to make this a practice/ habit/ lifestyle even after Ramadan in Sha Allah (involve kids in decorating the space too)

Malabar Mini Vella pola

I am finally posting this here, it is the 26th of Ramadan. Vella pola is a dish that immediately brings in childhood memories of Ramadan. Vella pola is an epitome of Malabar food especially during Ramadan. 

This brings in a lot of comfort and warmth when you have it, feels like your ancestors are sitting and smiling at you and giving you a hug while you relish them. These are super soft and spongy fermented rice cakes or buns. Traditionally this requires 2-3 days of preparation of the dish in which the batter is poured to ferment. It is a long process. So I always stopped myself from trying to make these. 

My grandmother and great grandmothers used to prepare the vessel to help the fermentation process by soaking Pappadam (Pappad) in coconut water for 2-3 days (not exactly able to recall the process) . This is the traditional method and if at all someone I know who makes really tasty traditional food is my mom's uncle's wife. I just love her food that whenever I visit my native she always prepares these traditional dishes for me and either brings them home or sends them over. I can't stress enough, the amount of love she puts in her food. I know you might now think is love even an ingredient. My answer - yes! You NEED to put in a lot of love when you prepare something for someone and it surely shows when you taste it. When I have any doubts regarding traditional food, she is my go-to person. The last time I went to visit her she gave me these fluffy polas that I couldn't get enough of! I had to ask her the recipe and as my memory is always super weak I asked her daughter, Rishooty, my mom's cousin, to send me the recipe through Whatsapp. After hearing the process I have been ever so lazy to make these. Of course we have no patience like the women of the previous generations have had 🙈😅

Recently my mom told me to try it with yeast and voila I couldn't believe it, it was exactly the same but so effortless. I couldn't believe the results. It was the same or even better 😍

The person who came up with this idea is a genius! Now we all can make this at home.. Alhamdulilah. This for suhoor is so soothing. I love to have it for suhoor. Vella pola are normally prepared and steamed in steel plates or any mould that you have. My mom made these in Idli moulds a few days back and everyone wanted to know the recipe, and it looked super cute. I love anything in small portion sizes, unlike the normal Vella polas are cut into squares or triangle.

Ingredients:

For the banana curry

Instructions 

• Notes : If you do not have white rice (Pachari) you may use Jeerakashala rice instead. 
• I made 12 small polas with this measurement. 
• If you do not have pappadam (pappad) you may use Urad dal ( I believe this is because pappad is made from Urad dal and this acts as a substitute for Pappadam)