Pazham Pori / Banana Fritters

Ingredients

1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tbsp sugar (add more or less based on the sweetness of plantain)
a pinch of salt
1 or 2 pinches of turmeric powder for coloring
water as required

2 ripe plantains (with black skin taste better)
Coconut oil for frying

Preparation

1. Mix all the ingredients except the  bananas and oil to get a semi thick batter.

2. Peel the bananas. Cut them in halves. Slice each half lengthwise to get 3 or 4 thin slices.

3. Heat oil in a deep bottom pan.

4. Dip the slices in batter (it should be evenly coated) and fry them until they are golden brown and drain the excess oil with kitchen towel.

Palak Moru Curry / Spinach Curd Curry

Ingredients

1 cup spinach, roughly chopped
8 tbsp curd
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 or  3 green chillies, chopped
1 tsp coconut oil
water as required
salt as required
a pinch of turmeric powder

1 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 dry red chillies
2 garlic cloves, chopped
a small piece of ginger, chopped
a twig of curry leaves

Preparation

1. Heat 1tsp coconut oil in a kadai. Add 1/2 tsp cumin seeds to it. Once cumin seeds splutter, add the roughly chopped spinach along with green chillies and turmeric powder and cook for 2 minutes. Allow it to cool.

2. Now blend the spinach in a blender to get a smooth paste. Now add the curd and salt to this and blend again. You can add water if needed to get the curry to the right consistency.

3. In the kadai, heat 1 tbsp coconut oil . Add the mustard seed. Once it splutter add the cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, dry red chillies, chopped ginger, chopped garlic and curry leaves and saute for 45 seconds.

4. Keep the flame low and add the the spinch curd mix to this and cook for a minute. Spinach curd curry is ready!!

Kerala Style Kadala Curry / Black Chickpea Curry

Ingredients

1 cup Black chickpeas
2 large onions, thinly sliced
2 tsp red chilli powder
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
1/2 cup thick coconut milk
1 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 dry red chillies
a twig of curry leaves
21/2 cups of water or as required for pressure cooking the chickpeas
salt as required

Preparation

1. Soak chickpeas in water over night.

2. Pressure cook the chickpeas in a cooker with enough salt and water in medium heat for 9 or 10 whistles. turn off the heat and keep aside.

3. In a kadai, heat coconut oil. Add the mustard seeds. Once it splutters add the dry red chillies and curry leaved. Then add the sliced onions and saute until they are transparent.

4. Now add the cooked chickpeas along with the water remaining in the pressure cooker to the kadai. Add the red chilli powder, coriander powder and garam masala to this. Mix well and allow it to boil.

5. Now add coconut milk to this. mix well and adjust the salt. In low flame, cook for 10 minutes and turn off the heat.

Nothing to beat the puttu kadala curry combination!!