STIR FRIED YARD LONG BEANS/ PAYAR MEZHUKKUPURATTI

This is a kottayam style stir fry recipe so called 'mezhukkupurati".  We can make mezhukupuraties with varieties of vegetables I think, almost all vegetables that are available in Kerala.  It doesn't matter which vegetable is used, its a really delicious side dish for rice.  Among them payar mezhukkupurati is the most popular one.  These mezhukupuraties are made regularly in almost all malayalees houses.  It is a very common preparation, but the taste varies in different areas; that is the difference.

Ingredients

Yard long beans - 2 cups

(cut in to 1-1and 1/2 inch pieces) 

Onion - 1 small size

Green chilly - 1 no

Crushed dried chili - 2 nos

Curry leaves - 1 stalk

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Salt - to taste

Oil - 1 and 1/2 tbsp

Coconut pieces - 3 or 4 tbsp

Method

Wash and cut yard long beans in to 1 inch pieces.  Slice onion.  Slit green chilly and cut into halves.  Heat a kadai and add oil.  saute onion and green chilly till its colour changes and add crushed red chili, chopped coconut pieces and curry leaves.  Stir well and add turmeric and saute well again.  Then add beans and salt,  stir well and cook covered for 10 to 15 minutes in a slow fire.  Every now and then open the lid and stir it well.  When it is cooked well leave it open for some time to become dry and roasted.

FISH (MACKEREL) PEPPER FRY

Ingredients

Medium sized mackerel - 5 nos

Pepper powder - 2 tsp

Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Lemon juice - 1 tbsp

salt - to taste

corn flour - 2 tsp

Oil - to fry.

How to prepare

First make a marinade with all the powder ingredients and lemon juice.   Apply it to the cleaned and washed mackerels.  Keep aside this marinated fishes for half an hour.   

Heat a pan and pour oil.  Fry the marinated fishes in the oil.  First keep the pan covered for few minutes in a medium flame and turn the mackerels and then fry open till it becomes light brown.   

COOL CUCUMBER FIZZ

Cool cucumber fizz is a 2-in-one mocktail; a beverage and a snack that can be used both as a juice, that can quench our thirst in this hooooooooooot summer, and a snack, that can satisfy our hunger tooooo.

Ingredients

Salad cucumber - quarter of  a medium sized one

Fresh mint leaves - leaves of 5 stalks

Lime juice - 2 tbsp

Sugar - 4 or 5 tbsp

Chilled soda - 1/2 - 3/4 cup

Water - 1/4 cup

Method

Chop mint leaves.  In a small pan add sugar, mint leaves and water.  Boil and make a fine syrup.  Cover the pan and keep aside to cool.  Meanwhile peel the cucumber and grate it.  When the sugar mint syrup is cooled strain it and pour in to a juice tumbler.  Add the grated cucumber and two fresh mint leaves chopped in to the tumbler.  Finally add the required amount of soda.  The fizz is ready.  Have it at once.

TOMATO VEG RICE

This is a variety of rice dish that can be prepared very easily.  If we use microwave it becomes more easy.  The main ingredient is tomato as its name suggests.  Here I'm sharing how to prepare this recipe using microwave oven.

Ingredients

Tomato medium sized - 2 nos

Onion big - 1 no

Basmati rice - 2 cups

Ginger garlic paste - one and half tbsp

Carrot (cut in to small dices)- half cup

Beans chopped - quarter cup

Green Chilli crushed - 3 nos

Cinnamon - 3 or 4 small pieces

Cloves - 6 nos

Cardamom -  4 nos

Coriander leaves chopped - 2 tbsp

Mint leaves - 1 tbsp

Oil/ghee - 2- 3 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Water - 4 cups

Preparation

Wash and soak the rice for 15 minutes.  Meanwhile chop the vegetables.  Take a large microwave safe bowl   and add ghee onion, ginger-garlic paste, crushed green chili and whole cinnamon, cardamom (remove the skin of the cardamoms), and cloves.Mix well and microwave this for 3 minutes on high power.  Then add chopped tomatoes and stir well and microwave for 2 more minutes.  Then add the chopped carrots, beans, coriander leaves, mint leaves, and rice and again microwave for 3 minutes.  After that add 4 cups of water (no need to boil) and salt to taste and microwave covered for 16 minutes.  When it beeps allow for the standing time.  Mix the rice well and serve hot with some side dishes.  

MANGO PICKLE

Ingredients

Raw mango - 1/2 kg 

Chilly powder - 1/4 cup

Garlic cut in to halves - 1 to 2 bulb

Asafoetida powder - 1/4 - 1/2 tsp

Fenugreek powder - 1/4 - 1/2 tsp

Mustard powder - 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Gingelly oil - 25 to 30 ml

Curry leaves - 2 stalks

Water - 1/4 to 1/2 cup

Mustard - 1 tsp

Dried red chillies - 4 nos ( cut in to pieces)

Salt - 3 tbsp or as needed

Vinegar - 30 to 40 ml or as required

Method

Wash the mangoes and rub it with a clean cotton cloth to remove water and cut in to small cubes or dices.  Add salt and mix well.  Keep it aside for 2 or 3 days in a air tight vessel.  Stir one or two times per a day.  Make sure that you are using moisture free spoons to stir the brined mangoes.  

Boil vinegar and keep it aside for cooling.

Heat a thick bottomed vessel and pour gingelly oil.  Sputter mustard and add curry leaves and red chillies to the oil.  Stir well for 3 or 5 seconds and slow down the flame.  Then add garlic slices, red chilly powder and turmeric powder and stir well.  When it is done add water and allow it to boil.  Then add mango dices and stir well and off the stove.  

To the mixture add cooled vinegar, mustard powder, asafoetida powder, and feenugreek powder and mix well.  The pickle is ready.  When it is cooled store in a air tight container.

 

ORANGE COOL

Orange cool is a mock-tail, in which orange juice is blended with white grapes and lime.

Ingredients 

Fresh orange juice - 3/4 cup

Seedless white grapes - 1/2 cup

Lime juice - 2 tsp

Sugar - 1 1/2 tbsp (as per your taste)

Cold water - 1/4 cup

Crushed ice cubes - 2 cubes

Method

In a juicer mix white grapes and orange juice well and strain it.  Then add lime juice, sugar, and cold water.  Again blend well.  Pour the juice in to a glass and serve with the crushed ice cubes.

BEETROOT PICKLE

beetroot pickle 

INGREDIENTS

Beetroot - 500 grm

Chilly powder - 1 tbsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Gingelly oil - 50 ml

Mustard - 1 tsp

Green chilly sliced - 2 - 3 nos

Garlic sliced - one bulb

Ginger chopped - 1 1/2 tbsp

Vinegar - 75 ml

boiled water - 1/2 cup

Salt - to taste

HOW TO PREPARE

Wash the beetroots and dry up all the water.  Peel and slice the beetroots in to fine long strips.
Boil half cup water and allow to cool.

Heat a thick bottomed vessel and add oil and crackle mustard.  

Then add curry leaves ,chopped ginger, sliced garlic, and sliced green chilly to it and saute very well for 2 minutes.

Then add chilly powder and turmeric powder and mix well till it is done.

After that add beetroot strips and salt as per your need and saute very well till beet root is half cooked.  

Switch off the stove and add vinegar and boiled water and mix well.  Allow to cool.