Thaalu thoran is made out of Colocasia stem.  Have you heard of this one before?  I am asking because my friend from Kottayam (my home town) says she has never had this before. You should, if you haven't.  The thaalu and deep friend rice grains together gives this thoran a nice crunchy texture.  I hope I could explain the taste better.

  Everyone at home know how much I like this one.  Not so easily available in the US my sweetest granny made sure I had enough.  She made up for all the missed times.  Oh! she is quite old now and she spoils me.

  Back to the recipe.  It is quite simple.  Though rare you can buy the stems in Chinese super markets in the US.  Exorbitantly priced when the urge hits I indulge.   This used to happen especially when I was carrying my son.  Now, you will agree those are times when you can just let go. I have to say this in closing you need no  excuses to spend on this one.  Once you taste it I guarantee you will go back for more thaalu.



Ingredients:

Stem of colocasia/Taro/thaalu- 4
Cocnut grated- 1/3 cup
Green Chillies- 2-3
Turmeric powder- a pinch
Salt

For seasoning:

Raw rice- 3 Tbsp
Mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp
Coconut oil/Any cooking oil- 1 Tbsp
Shallots- 2-3,chopped finely
Curry leaves- 1 sprig
Dried red chillies- 2



Method:

1.Chop the stem finely into slender pieces.Sprinkle a few tablespoons of water and salt over it and squeeze out this completely to remove the juices from the stem that cause itching.This also keeps the thoran dry and crisp rather than mushy.(You could apply some cooking oil on both your palms,or wear some disposable gloves so that it will not make you itchy !)
2.Heat the oil in a pan and do the seasoning starting with mustard seeds.Once they splutter add the rice into it and let it brown slightly. Trow in the shallots and red chillies and saute for a couple of minutes or until the shallots turn brown.Now saute the curry leaves too
3.Meanwhile grind the coconut and green chillies coarsely.
4.Throw in the chopped stem and coconut mixture along with turmeric and salt into the seasoning and cover to cook on low heat. Stir every 2-3 minutes until it is cooked. This won't take more than 5-6 minutes.
5.Keep the pan open and let all the moisture get absorbed.Serve warm with pulissery or sambar .



These pictures of Taro is from my father's vegetable garden.As a child (and also now) I love to see the water droplets on a taro leaf :-)

Contributor: Namitha

   This is another special dish made from jackfruit.,also known as "chakkayappam" or "theraliyappam".  The flavors from jackfruit and the leaves blend together to give a fabulous taste to these dumplings.  Some things I quite miss from home. Even before leaving for vacation this summer, every time I spoke to my mom I kept asking her if 'vazhanyila' (the leaf used to wrap the dumpling) was available.  I knew they were cos they always are found in our back yard.  Attribute my anxiety to the desire to have some of this deliciousness. 

  My desire was fulfilled and the crowning glory is I even managed to take some pictures.  See the basket in the picture, a 15 year old boy from my sister's class made it for her. (My sister is a teacher)  It looks great doesn't it?  I simply loved it and decided the best way to have it, if not the real one, was a picture.  Did I tell you I had a great vacation? I know I did, but going down that path again even if only in my mind brings a smile I am sharing that with you too.  :) Have a good one!



Ingredients:

chakka varattiyathu/Jackfruit Halwa aka preserve/Jackfruit mashed- 1/2 kg
Rice flour (mixture of puttu and appam flour)- 1/2 kg
Coconut grated- 2 1/2 cup
Jaggery- 1 cup/ to your taste
Water
Jeera- 1/2 tsp
Cardamom- 1/4 tsp
Vazhanayila



Method:

1.Mix the jackfruit halwa, coconut,jeera,cardamom and jaggery well.
2.Now add the flour and mix well. Slowly add water ,just enough to make a smooth dough.
3.The consistency should be little more watery than the chappathi dough.
4.Make cones using the "vazhanayila".You could use the stem of Coconut leaves (eerkkil) to pin it up.Leave the upper edge to close the cone.
5.Fill up the cones with the dough mixture and cook on steam.This takes at least 30 minutes. If you are using jackfruit instead of halwa steam it even longer. Jackfruit needs more time to get cooked.



Notes:

1.You could also use plantain leaves for making this.
2.I will add the recipe for making jackfruit halwa in the near future :-)

Contributor: Namitha

   Jackfruits are one of the biggest blessing during humid summers in Kerala.  Loved as much as the mangoes we use this summer fruit in manifold ways to turnover scrummy dishes.  Believe me when I say this we really make use of every part.  The fruity flesh is enjoyed as is and turned into cooked sweet delicacies.  When raw we cook them fine adding chilies and coconut and make a savory side dish for rice or eat is with spicy fish curry or pickle.  Coming to the seeds it can be turned into unbelievable variety of dishes as well.  Paired with other vegetables or alone they make great dishes to be enjoyed with rice. 

  It makes me drool just writing about all the delicious stuff.  Without further ado today's recipe is the crispy fries made with the raw flesh of the jackfruit.  They are one of our favorites and while in Kerala I had a chance to make them with family.  It was a wonderful time both making and munching on them over tea and chitchat while the rain splashed away keeping pace with our own relentless chatter.  Simple pleasures of life.

  By the way, I did mean it when I said we use every part of the jackfruit.  The jagged outer husk is fed to the cattle.



Ingredients:

Raw Jackfruit(take only the edible white part)
Salt
Oil

Method:

1.Clean the raw chakkachula (edible white part)and slice it equally.Cut off both the top and bottom edges.
2.Bring the oil to smoking hot.
3.Throw in the pieces and fry till it is done. The time depends on the thickness of the pieces.
4.Add some salt water slowly into the pan ,be careful while doing so, since the oil will splutter around.If you are using a smaller pan you could cover it up, if not stay as far as you can :-)
5.Take out and spread on a paper towel and let cool before storing in an airtight container.



Here is the picture of some jackfruits from our yard ,back in Kerala.In fact when went they were almost over, though we were lucky enough to eat them in all forms.And I got to click the last remaining ones for you all :-)

This is one of the simplest snacks ever, and makes me nostalgic. My granny used to make this as our evening snack. Out of the school bus my sister and I would fly up the stairs to our house, and right on to the dining table laden with snacks. Gee! Do you remember how hungry one is coming back from school? Oh! I would be so famished, I would grab any food in front of me forgetting I had not even washed my hands. Ok.. don’t tell my daughter I told you that.

Aval (beaten rice) used to be catered to my family by Muthu. He was a Tamilian lad, probably a young man now and if you reading it Muthu, thank you. How some food and flavors bring back memories of a different place and some people ceases to surprise me. I have never thought of Muthu until just now when I start to write about Aval.

A lot of brands now sell aval but while I was growing up it was a rarity. Muthu would come in his mundu and shirt just when we needed aval and it never went without a comment from my mom “I wonder how he knows that I have just finished my stock of Aval.”




It is best when you take this with some plantain.



Ingredients:

Aval/Beaten rice- 2 cups
Grated Jaggery- 1 cup
Grated coconut- 1 cup
Jeera/Cumin- 1 tsp
Cardamom powder- 1/4 tsp

Method:

1.Mix the grated coconut and jaggery well using your fist.
2.Throw in the jeera and cardamom and mix again.
3.Mix in the aval using your hands, as if you are kneading the dough, until everything is mixed well.
4.Keep it closed for some time till the aval absorbs all the moisture and becomes soft and puffs up.

Notes:

1.I used brown poha/aval.White one is fine too.
2.If you don't have jaggery, use white/brown sugar.
3.Do not add any water at all.If you are in a hurry just sprinkle a few spoons of milk.
4.Fresh grated coconut works best for this, since the moisture from coconut plays a major role in softening the aval.

How are you all? We have been erratic updating this site - being busy myself, and Sunitha moving to a new city.  Nevertheless, since blogging is a lot of fun for me, I wanted to share something that I made a while ago.  It’s a familiar food for most South Indians, and for me it is yet another food that brings back fond memories.  Nostalgia! 

Desserts after a main course is common but after a breakfast? Well, sure why not! Every breakfast party in Hindu-households in Kerala has one. Story of our culture: Every celebration in a family spans over a week even if there are no religious rituals to perform or ceremonies to conduct. You ask why? It is because we invite family and friends over who will stay over even if space is crammed and the noise can wake up the dead.

So then, if there are so many people then there must be a lot of women too right? Yes, and when women in the days got together what to they do? But of course, cook! Like all mothers, they will hang out in the kitchen and cook for the neighborhood. Cooking itself becomes a celebration.  To add to it being a vacation they treat every meal to become special. How they make all this happen?  On top of a carbohydrate rich idli breakfast they will serve beaten rice mixed with jaggery, spiced with ginger, all of it toggled together with a generous portion of sweet, toasted, aromatic coconut.  This aval varattiyathu smells like the food fit for gods.

  Aval Varattiyathu!  Serve it after a spicy breakfast of idli and sambar and the children who hate idli can skip the main course and relish the second.  For creating such an awesome recipe is why we love our mothers as much. My granny and mom continue to make heaps of this and store away for  weeks.  The family snacks on it with evening tea too.



A bite of nuts in between is awesome !



If you like jaggery and beaten rice, you must try this ;-)




Ingredients:

Jaggery- 200g/ 1cup grated
Aval/Poha/beaten rice- 2 cups
Coconut, grated-2 cups
Cardamom Powdered- 1 tsp
Cumin seeds-2 tsp
ginger powder- 1/4 tsp
Roasted pottukadala/kadalapparippu(optional)-3 Tbsp
Cashews(optional)- 3 Tbsp

Method:

1.Melt the jaggery after adding a couple of spoons of water and boiling it.Sieve out any dirt and continue to boil till it reaches one thread consistency.
2.Add the grated coconut and mix well. Continue to stir till all the water is absorbed from the coconut.(this step is crucial if you are planning to store your "varattiyathu" for a while.
3.Now add the aval and the spices and mix well. Also you could add the casgews and the kadalapparippu at this time(if you are adding any)
4.Switch off the heat and let it cool completely before you store this in an airtight container.
5.Serve with plantain or as it is.

Notes:

1.If the jaggery is more, sprinkle a spoon or two of granulated sugar and mix well. This will make it get dried faster.
2.If you wash the aval before using, let it dry completely before making this.

Contributor: Namitha