Beetroot Kichadi / Pachadi (Beetroot in Coconut n Yogurt Gravy)

Beetroot is one of the varieties of beet rich in antioxidants and other nutrients. This kichadi is a traditional Kerala side dish served during sadya (feast). Beetroot is cooked in a coconut gravy and yogurt is added towards the end. To my surprise my four year old son also tried the dish as he was excited to change the color of his rice to pink!
 Recipe Courtesy: Suja's Kitchen Corner-Try It

Mathanga Erissery (Pumpkin / Squash in Coconut Gravy)

Finally fall is here and pumpkins are in abundance now. This erissery could be made either with pumpkins or with any other squash varieties. Erissery is a part of traditional Kerala sadya (feast). I added some crushed black peppercorns to reduce the sweetness of the dish.
Recipe courtesy: Sarah's Vazhayila

Paal Payasam (Rice Kheer / Rice Pudding)

It was my husband's birthday and I made paal payasam over the weekend. Actually birthday was just a pretext to make this delicious dessert. Usually, raw rice with bran (red rice or unakkalari) is used for making the payasam, giving the payasam a light pink color. Traditionally, the payasam is made in an uruli (a flat thick bottomed vessel made of bell metal). In modern kitchen, the payasam could be made in a thick bottom pot or in a pressure cooker. I used my pressure cooker as the thick bottom pot and used a fusion of the two methods.
Recipe Courtesy: Collaborative Curry

Kerala Parippu Curry (Moong Dal Curry with Coconut)

Parippu curry is another important side dish for traditional Kerala feast. The feast starts with parippu curry, which is served with rice along with with ghee and pappadam (papad).
Recipe Courtesy: Sree's Recipes

Inji Curry / Puli Inji (Ginger Tamarind Pickle)

Inji curry or ginger tamarind pickle is one of the pickles served in traditional Kerala sadya (feast). Ginger is fried in oil and then cooked with tamarind extract, jaggery and other spices. This tangy, hot, sweet n sour pickle will make you crave for more rice.
Recipe courtesy: Yummy O Yummy

Cherupayar Parippu Payasam (Moong Dal Kheer)

WISH YOU A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS ONAM...

A very happy and prosperous onam to all my friends who celebrate onam. We had our onam sadya (feast) on Sunday as today is a work day for me. Payasam is the most important part of traditional Kerala sadya. Traditionally, coconut milk is used for Kerala style parippu payasam. But this time we made this payasam with cow's milk, like the Tamil Nadu and Andhra style moong dal payasam. My inlaws are with us for this onam and my MIL also makes this version of parippu payasam, which is flavored with powdered cumin, dry ginger and cardamom. The color of the payasam varies from dark brown to golden brown based on the color of the jaggery used.
Recipe courtesy: MIL and Sailu's Kitchen

Cabbage Thoran (Cabbage stir-fry with coconut)

A thoran is a stir-fry of vegetables, onion, spices and coconut. Thoran is served as a side dish in traditional Kerala sadya. Cabbage thoran is one of the delicious members of the thoran family.
Recipe courtesy: Seena's Simple and Delicious

Mathanga Vanpayar Erissery (Pumpkin Red Cowpeas in Coconut gravy)

Erissery is a side dish usually served in traditional Kerala sadyas. There are different varieties of erissery made with different combination of vegetables. Pumpkin - red cowpeas erissery is one of my favorites. Pumpkin or any other squash variety could be used for the dish. I used red chori (red cowpeas / azuki beans) here which is smaller than the vanpayar that we get in Kerala.

Recipe Courtesy: Yummy O Yummy

Vellarikka Kichadi / Pachadi (Cucumber in Coconut n Yogurt Gravy)

Kichadi/Pachadi is one of the side dishes in traditional Kerala sadya (feast). There are different varieties of kichadies made with different vegetables. In our part of the world we call this kichadi. In some other parts of Kerala this curry is called pachadi. Pachadi and kichadi have 'totally' different definitions in some other regional cuisines of India. It's all very confusing and I don't want to go into any details! Traditionally cucumber with yellow-orange skin is used for this curry.
Recipe courtesy: Shn's Mishmash I didn't grind mustards seeds with coconut, so mine should be kichadi as per the definition in the blog.

Kootu Curry (Chickpeas, Raw Banana and Elephant Yam with Coconut)

Kootu curry is one of the dishes that is served during traditional Kerala sadya (feast). It is a mixture (kootu) of 'black' chickpeas, elephant yam (chena or suran) and raw banana (plantain) with ground coconut and spices. One special feature of this curry is the use of ground peppercorn (black pepper). I used black pepper for grinding with coconut as well as for tempering. Another feature of the curry is tempering with fried coconut towards the end.
Recipe courtesy: Adukala Vishesham

Sambharam (Spiced Buttermilk)

Summer is here and what could be more refreshing than a glass of flavored buttermilk! Sambharam is a traditional hydrating drink of Kerala, used as thirst-quencher during the hot and humid summer months. It is buttermilk flavored with ginger and spiced up with green chillies. It is also served with rice in traditional Kerala sadya (feast).
Recipe courtesy: Kairali sisters' Pazham Pappadam Payasam

Kerala Sambar - Medley of Vegetables in Toor Dal

Sambar is a traditional side dish of South India with regional variations in recipe between the states and within each state. Typical Kerala sambar is a medley of vegetables in dal (yes, we don't use coconut!!!), but the vegetable selection differs from region to region. This is one of those Kerala dishes where coconut is not used in any form. Recipe courtesy: Annita's blog My Treasure...My Pleasure

Aviyal - Medley of Vegetables with Coconut

Aviyal is a traditional Kerala side dish, which is a very healthy and delicious medley of vegetables. It is very difficult to define a traditional recipe as each region in Kerala has its own take on it. The vegetables used for aviyal vary from region to region and the souring agent used could be raw mango or tamarind extract or curd. But there is one thing I'm sure about - whichever way you make aviyal, I just love it.

Recipe Courtesy: Bharathi's Spicy Chilly