• 700 gms King Fish Head/ King Fish chunks or slices
• 2-3 Medium Tomato, chopped roughly
• Curry leaves
• 1 tsp Rock salt
• 2 cloves Gralic, pounded
• 1 small piece Ginger, pounded
• 5 tsps Kashmiri Chilli Powder
• Green Chillies, optional
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1 tsp Coriander leaves
• 1/2 cup water
• Tamarind, smaller than lemon sized ball soaked in hot water

• Coconut oil
• Mustard seeds Curry leaves
• Fenugreek seeds/ Fenugreek powder, optional

1. Roughly chop tomatoes, and add curry leaves, rock salt and squeeze well with clean hands.
2. Add slightly ponded ginger and garlic, and the spice powders, and mix well.
3. Add water as required and allow to come to a boil. 
4. Next add tamarind water, and check and add according to taste. Check for salt.
   
   
   
5. Add cleaned king fish head pieces to the gravy and cover and cook for no more than 10 minutes, this will make the fish meat hard.
   
   
   
6. Temper mustard seeds, Fenugreek seeds (optional),and curry leaves in coconut oil and add to the curry.
7. Enjoy hot with your choice of roti/ rice. Preferably malabari rotis. Tastes best the next day. 

• 1 cup White rice (Basmati and the likes of it also can be used)
• 2 tbsp leftover cooked rice (ponni, kuruva, matta rices) 
• 1/4 cup Shredded Coconut 
• Salt 
• 1 and 1/2 cups approx Water (can be a little less or more)
• 1 tbsp Coconut oil
• Ghee for smearing on the pathal

1. Rinse and soak the rice for half an hour at least or upto 2 hours and in a mixer grinder, add in the soaked rice, leftover cooked rice, shredded coconut, salt and half cup water.
2. Transfer the batter to a bowl and add water to the required consistency (quite loose but not too watery either)
   
   
   
3. Heat a well seasoned cast iron pan on high, and smear with coconut oil, once water sprinkled jumps, you may pour in a deep ladle full of batter into the pan and swirl it to get a nice round rice pancake. Cover it immediately and allow to cook on medium heat for around 2 minutes and transfer the pathal into hotpot or plate, smear ghee and cover it with a lid. 
4. Enjoy with coconut milk and sugar or with spicy malabar fish curry (mulagittadh) or your choice of curry.

1. Make sure you do not add too much of cooked rice, which can turn out to be a messy situation.
2. Make sure the pan is on medium high flame, preferably a well seasoned cast iron pan, may feel like a crispy dosa, but once smeared with ghee and covered in and kept for couple of minutes in a hotpot or a plate, you will see how nice and soft it becomes. 
3. Make sure the batter is quite loose, not very watery either. 
4. The first couple of them might turn out with cracks, if the pan isn’t well heated and at the right temperature and make sure you cover the pathal immediately after pouring and swirling.
5. Make sure to grind the rice with very little water, or else you will end up with a batter than isn’t ground properly. 

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) 

• 1/2 of an Onion, sliced
• 1 Tomato, chopped 
• 3 Green Chillies, slit 
• Curry leaves 
• 1 tsp Ginger Garlic paste
• 1 cup Shredded Coconut 
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1 tsp Kashmiri Chilli powder
• 2 tsp Coriander Powder
• 1/2 tsp Fennel Seeds
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup water 
• 1 small lemon sized Tamarind ball soaked in 1/4 cup warm water 
• Cooked Crab*
• 4 tbsp Coconut oil
• 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
• Curry leaves 
• Salt, as required 

1. In a mud pot / Chatti, pour in Coconut oil and add in your sliced onion, sauté until translucent and add in your curry leaves.
2. Next add the ginger garlic paste and sauté.
3. Add salt as required and your chopped tomatoes and slit green Chillies. 
4. Cover and allow the tomatoes to mash, meanwhile prepare the coconut paste by grinding shredded coconut with the spice powders and fennel seeds with little water and grind well to a thick paste. 
5. Pour the coconut paste to the mashed tomatoes and strain the tamarind water and add to the gravy and mix everything well. 
6. Finally add in your cooked crab or raw crab, and allow to cook for 6-7 minutes if raw, or if cooked around 3-4 minutes. 
7. Check if salt required and finally prepare a tadka with mustard seeds and curry leaves on coconut oil. 
8. Enjoy warm with rice, chappati or paratha. 

• 1/2 medium size Onion, sliced
• 2 sprigs Curry leaves
• 3 tbsp Coconut Oil
• 3 green Chillies, slit
• 1/2 medium size Tomato, chopped
• 3 Eggs
• 1/2 cup Shredded Coconut 
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder 
• 1 tbsp Fennel Seeds
• Salt, as required
• 1 tsp ghee

1. In an earthen pot, pour the coconut oil and Sautee your sliced onion.
2. Add salt for the onions to turn translucent .
3. Next add in your curry leaves, and slit green chilies, Sautee well.
4. Now add in the chopped tomato, mix well and close lid, allow to become mushy.
5. Next make a coconut paste by grinding shredded coconut, turmeric powder, fennel seeds and little water and grind to a smooth paste.*
6. Open the lid, and crack in your eggs and allow to cook for around 2 minutes and add in your ground paste, cook for around 3 minutes on medium low and you are done!
7. Add in a tsp of ghee for that extra richness.
8. Enjoy with mabalar Ari rotti/ Chappathi and some delicious fish fry like this. 

• Make sure to add enough water, as the earthen pot drains the moisture.
• *Do not add too much water, as you will get a smooth fine paste. 
• Do not keep the coconut paste boiling for too long it might come out a little curdle-like. Once the curry starts boiling switch off and place lid as the earthen pot will do the rest of the cooking.

• 11/2 cup fresh milk*
• 1 cup water
• 3 tbsp roasted semolina (leveled)
• 3-5 tbsp sugar, (around 3 tsp for 1 glass)
• A pinch of cardamom powder
• A pinch of salt
• 2 tsp ghee*
• 6-8 cashews and raisins*
• 3 Shallots, sliced thin*

1. In a deep small pan, pour in your milk and water and switch on the flame. 
2. Right away add in your semolina and mix well immediately so that no lumps are formed and add your salt, sugar and cardamom powder. 
3. While keeping an eye on the drink and stirring in between occasionally on Sim while you prepare your temper. 
4. In a small pan, add in your ghee and Sautee your Cashew and/raisins until just about it, not too brown. Transfer to another bowl. 
5. Now to the same ghee add in your shallots, thinely sliced and Sautee well and pour it into the drink that has been prepared and mix. 
6. Check if salt or sugar is required and you are done! 

• For 2 ripe Platains
• 4 Eggs
• 10 leveled tsp Sugar/according to taste
• Pinch of Salt
• 1/4 Cardamom powder
• 8-10 Cashews and Raisins
• Ghee 3 tbsp

1. Chop the ripe plantains into cubes and fry them in the ghee until dark brown.
2. 
3. 
   
4. In the same ghee brown the cashews and Raisins, be careful not to burn
5. 
6. In a bowl Crack 4 eggs and add the sugar, cardamom and pinch of salt to balance the sweetness. And mix using a fork until incorporated.
7. Next in a non stick small pan/vessel pour the ghee used and smear on all sides and pour in the egg mixture and sprinkle the fried plantains and finally garnish with cashew cut into halves. Now keep the pan on med low flame for 5 minutes while heating a flat pan. 
8. After 5 minutes place the vessel with kayi pola on the flat pan and let it get done for another 20-25 minutes on low heat.
9. 
10. Insert a toothpick in the middle and check if it's done.

Kerala Beef Dry Fry

I pressure cooked my beef for about 20 minutes which was timed after my cooker starting giving the screeching sound (might be helpful if you have the same cooker as mine). I will insert a picture of my cooker too. After 20 minutes done, cook on simmer for another 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and wait for the pressure to depart on its own.

• 700 gm beef (small cuts)
• 2 big garlic cloves, paste
• 1-inch ginger, paste
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
• 4 tsp Chilli powder
• 1 tsp meat masala
• 1 1/4 tsp garam masala
• Salt as required
• 1 cup of water
• 1 garlic clove, minced/paste
• 5-6  twigs of curry leaves
• Tomato paste 4-5 tbsp (Optional)
• 4-5 tbsp pure coconut oil

Instructions :

• Mix the beef with all the spices, until salt from the ingredients list. Add 1 cup of water or until the beef is immersed in water.

• Now pressure cook for about 7-8 whistles and let the pressure depart on its own.

• Next, add the cooked beef and fry the beef well until its about dry. Not completely dry.  Your naadan beef dry fry is ready to have with flakey Malabar Porotta! 😍😋

• 1 cup Ari/ pathiri podi * (rice powder)
• Salt, as required
• Water, as required
• 1/4 Cup Split Chana dal (soaked at least for 4-5 hours)
• 2 medium plantains/ Kerala banana, slit and chopped
• 1 cup White granulated Sugar
• Salt,a pinch
• 1 box Shredded coconut
• 1+ 1 1/2 cups warm Water
• 3 Cardamom pods
• 3 tbsp Pachari/ white rice (soaked in water at least for 1/2 hr) 

1. In a bowl, add the ari podi/ rice flour and add in the salt, add enough water and make into a dough (not too loose not too tight)
   
   
   
2. In a clean banana leaf/ aluminum foil, make thin dumplings by applying oil over your hands, and taking a small ball of the dough on one palm and rolling with the help of the other hand's index finger, into a small and thin cylinder shape. Heap them all together and steam the ari pidi/ rice dumplings for 20- 25 minurtes.
3. Meanwhile, in a small pot, cook the soaked split Chana dal in water with little salt and cook until soft and not mushy.
4. Once the ari pidi has steamed, sprinkle water over the steamed dumplings, this step helps the pidi from not sticking to each other.
5. Extract the thick milk from the shredded coconut , by adding the shredded coconut to a mixer grinder, add in the warm water, and cardamom pods. Sieve, squeeze and extract the thick milk and set aside.
   
   
   
6. To the same ground and squeezed coconut add it into the mixer, and pour the 1 1/2 cups warm water and repeat the process of extracting again, this is the thin coconut milk/ second
   
   
   coconut milk.
7. In a large pot, add in your slit and chopped plantains, sugar and the extracted thin coconut milk and a pinch of salt, allow to cook until the plantains are tender.
8. Meanwhile, make a paste by grinding teh soaked white rice with very little water.
9. Into the pot, add the steamed and cooled ari pidi, cooked Chana dal and bring it to a boil. Check if sugar or salt is required. 
10. Next add the ground pachari paste and mix simultaneously and allow to thicken.
    
    
    
11. Finally add in the thick coconut milk and increase flame, one bubbles starts to form at the edges, switch off the flame. Serve warm or cold. Enjoy!
    
    
    

• 2 glass Ponni Rice/ Jeerakashala
• Water (check notes) *
• 15-20 Prawns, cleaned and deveined (marinated in turmeric powder, Kashmiri chili powder, 1 tiny garlic minced and salt)
• 1-2 tbsp ghee
• 4 tbsp Coconut oil 
• 1 medium Onion, sliced
• 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 small tomato, chopped
• 3 green chilies
• 2-3 sprig of curry leaves
• 1/4 Turmeric powder
• 1 1/2 tsp Chilli Powder
• 1 tbsp Coriander powder
• 3/4 tsp Garam Masala
• 1 cup Coconut milk 

Instructions :

1. Pour the coconut oil in a large pot and fry the prawns that have been marinated in Kashmiri chili powder, turmeric powder, salt and 1 small garlic minced.
2. In the same leftover coconut oil, add ghee and sauté the onions until translucent and add in your ginger garlic paste and curry leaves. Saute till the raw smell disappears.
3. Now add the slit green chilies and chopped tomatoes, and cook for a couple of minutes until the tomatoes mash.
4. Now add all the spices and Sautee on low till the spices have no raw smell, about 2 minutes.
5. Add the fried prawns to this and sauté,
6. Next, add the washed and drained rice and add in 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder if needed and sautee. Next, add water as required (refer notes)*.
7. Add the coconut milk to the rice and close the lid and allow to cook. For cooking time for the different types of rice check notes.*
8. Voila, and you are done! Effortless Chemmeen Thenga Chor is done.
9. Garnish with fried curry leaves and a Mango coconut chutney and achar/ pickle on the side.! (recipe below 👇) 

Notes*-

• You may always use freshly squeezed Coconut milk if you have the time or canned coconut milk is definitely much convenient and better!
• For Jeerakashala : water ratio is 1 : 1 1/2 glass (Since you’ll be adding 1 glass of coconut milk, reduce the amount of water accordingly. For example, if you’re using 2 glasses of Jeerakashala rice, the total liquid should be 3 glasses. Instead of adding 3 glasses of water, use 2 glasses of water and 1 glass of coconut milk.)

          Ponni rice : water ratio is 1 : 2 1/4 glass

• For cooking Jeerakashala rice - After 10 minutes give a mix, and close the lid and let it cook on simmer for another 5 minutes and it's done! (If using Jeerakashala I prefer using ghee along with coconut oil)
• For cooking Ponni rice - Cook covered for at least 25 minutes and check it's doneness and cook more if required. 

Mango Coconut Chutney

• 1 cup Puzhungalari/ Par boiled rice, (soaked in steaming hot water for at least 4-5 hours) *
• Ari podi (like amis) / Rice flour, as required **
• 1/4 cup shredded Coconut 
• 1/2 of an Onion, chopped roughly 
• 1/2 tsp Fennel Seeds
• 1/4 tsp Garam Masala powder*
• 1 cup If using ari podi 
• Salt, as required 
• 250 gms Prawns, cleaned and deveined 
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1 tsp Kashmiri Chilli powder
• 1 small Garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp Coconut oil
• Curry leaves 
• 1 medium Onion, sliced finely 

• 3/4 cup shredded coconut 
• 4-5 Shallots 
• 1/2 tsp Fennel seeds 
• 1 tsp Ginger garlic paste 
• 3 Green Chillies
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder 
• 2 tsp Kashmiri Chilli powder
• 1 tsp Coriander powder 
• 1 tsp Garam masala powder

• 2 tbsp Ghee 
• Curry leaves 
• 2-3 Shallots, finely sliced

1. In a mixer grinder, add the washed and soaked par boiled rice, coconut, onion, fennel seeds and garam masala, add a little amount of water to grind to paste.
2. Transfer the content to a bowl and add in rice flour as required to make it tight. (Enough to make balls and make dumplings)
   
   
   
3. Next, grease your hands with oil, take a small portion of the rice dough, as make tiny balls on the palm of your hand, roll it to make a small ball, and press gently in the middle to form a slight dent, similarly do all of the rice dough. ( ask someone to join along, as it’s fun and easier when someone tags along to make the tiny rotis)
   
   
   
   
   
4. You can either drop these little dumplings onto a foil sheet or a banana leaf.
5. Keep a steamer pot with water on the stove, once steam starts coming, place the foil or banana leaf with the dumplings.
6. Allow to steam cook for at least 20-25 minutes. 
7. Once cooked, transfer the dumplings to a heat proof bowl and sprinkle water, this helps the dumplings to separate from each other.
8. For the prawns version, marinate the prawns using minced garlic, turmeric powder, Kashmiri Chilli powder, and coconut oil. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
9. Fry them lightly in coconut oil and set aside.
10. Next sauté sliced onion in coconut oil and add salt as required. 
    
    
    
11. Add ginger garlic paste, once aromatic add in the green Chillies, chopped tomato, cover and allow to cook well until mushy. 
12. Next add in the spice powders , sauté for a couple of seconds.
13. Grind a paste that consists of shredded coconut, shallots and fennel seeds with little water. 
    
    
    
14. Add in the ground coconut paste and a little extra water***
    
    
    
15. Next add in the steamed rice dumplings, mix well. 
    
    
    
    
    
16. Add the fried prawns that was kept aside. 
17. Adjust water and salt as per needs. 
18. Finally garnish with a tadka from ghee, sliced shallots and curry leaves. Enjoy with a nice glass of black tea!

• If preparing beef, chicken or mutton, prepare the curry by pressure cooking onion, tomato, green Chilli, spices powders (for chicken and meat, make the coriander powder 3-4 tsp), salt as required and add little water and pressure cook ( make sure you don’t add too much water)
• Add the ground coconut paste and add in the tadka.
• *You may use whole spices too
• ** If using only ari podi (pathiri podi like Amis brand), 1 cup ari podi will yield quantity for 2 people. Add water as required, to make a soft (not too tight nor too loose) dough, that can be easily made into tiny balls.
• *** Don’t worry if the gravy looks very loose, as the Kakkaroti sits, the rice dumplings act as a gravy mopping agent, making the gravy thicker as it sits.