Onam – the Harvest Festival of Kerala is right around the corner. And, how are your preparations coming along? All set for the Sadya preps? did you pickle mangoes yet? prepared banana chips…? I was lucky this year to find some fresh green mangoes in the market. They were perfect, right on time, and I have pickled them already. And for the chips, no worries at all as I’m already sitting on my couch, relaxing, and munching on some homemade ones which my Amma sent me all the way from India.

Talking about my recipe today…unlike the usual Sadya dishes of which many I have already posted recipes in the past, I thought of sharing a Special Curry which is enjoyed predominantly in a Sadya. I had tasted this dish initially at marriage Sadya feasts and later my Amma started preparing it too for our Onam Sadya. So, without further ado, let me introduce you to my dish of the day, Madhura Curry…!!

Madhuram means sweetness. As the name implies, it’s a sweet dish made with fruits like pineapple, ripe plantain and grapes. People often mistake this curry to a pachadi, but it is not… the key difference being this recipe uses very little quantities of yogurt. In some versions of this recipe, sugar/jaggery is added to this dish for more sweetness, but not everybody likes that and so we add yogurt in little portions to balance the flavours.

This is a great side dish for a Sadya, perfect to balance your palate along with the other curries. And if you are preparing it for any regular meal, I suggest you have it with alongside a spicy curry, it just blends well.

Enjoy, Happy Cooking…!

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Madhura Curry/Pineapple Grapes Curry

A Kerala style Sweet n Sour Curry made with Pineapple, Banana, Grapes and Yogurt. Not a Pachadi, but this mildly spiced Madhura Curry makes a great side for any Sadya feast…!! 

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Indian

Keyword madhura curry, onam, sadya

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Author Akhila

Ingredients

• 1 cup pineapple (finely chopped)
• ½ of a ripe plantain / ethapazham (finely chopped)
• 10-12 red / black grapes
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• ½ tsp red chili powder
• ½ cup + 2 tbsp water
• ½ cup grated coconut
• 2 green chilies
• A pinch of mustard seeds
• 2 tsp sugar / jaggery
• 3 tbsp yogurt
• 2-3 dry red chilies
• Curry leaves
• Oil (as required)
• Salt (as required

Instructions

• In a pan on medium heat, cook pineapple and plantain by adding turmeric powder, red chili powder and a little salt with ½ cup water. Close the lid and cook well until it turns mushy.
• In the meantime, grind coconut, mustard seeds, and green chilies with 2 tbsp of water, into a smooth paste. Keep aside.
• Once the pan ingredients are cooked, mash with the back of a wooden spoon or a masher for a thicker consistency.
• Add the grinded paste to the pan, mix well and allow it to cook for 2-3 mins until the raw smell of the paste subsides.
• Add sugar / jaggery to the curry for more sweetness per your choice and check for the seasoning.
• Finally, add grapes and toss well within the curry. Do not let the grapes to cook as it should maintain its crunchiness.
• Turn off the flame and allow it to cool for some time. Once slightly cooled, add yogurt and mix well.
• In a separate pan, prepare the tempering by heating a little oil and adding mustard seeds. Once it splutters, add curry leaves and dry red chilies. Top it over the curry and Enjoy...!!

Notes

1. Coconut oil is ideal for all traditional Kerala recipes. However, you many use any other regular cooking oil except for olive oil.

The post Madhura Curry / Pineapple Grapes Curry appeared first on Pepper Delight.

So Josna, on your request…!

Mathanga (Pumpkin) Pachadi is a very common dish made with coconut and yogurt, here Pachadi is a common reference to any side dish made with yogurt and usually on a sweeter note. I had earlier uploaded a Beetroot Pachadi recipe, and yes you guessed it right; I love recipes with yogurt. The one big difference with this recipe when compared to any other Pachadi recipes is the use of mustard seeds. Normally we use mustard seeds to temper by spluttering it in oil, but here we also crush it and add to the dish. That’s my mom’s secret tip, and it tastes good too.

I love the thick squishy pumpkin yogurt combo, this little sweet and sour curry will make a delicious accompaniment with rice and any spicy curry, I would recommend a fish curry to go along with.

Prep time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4 – 5 servings

INGREDIENTS

• ½ cup Pumpkin (chopped)
• 2 green chilies
•  1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• ½ cup Grated coconut
• ¼ tbsp Cumin seeds
• 2 sprigs Curry leaves
• Small pinch of Mustard seeds
• ½ cup yogurt
• Dry red chilies (garnish)
• Oil (as required)
• Salt (as required)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut the pumpkin into half, and clean and remove seeds from the inside. Peel of its skin.
2. Slice pumpkin into small pieces.
3. In a pan cook the pumpkin with a little water and salt, till it turns mushy.
4. Meanwhile make a coconut paste by grinding grated coconut, green chilies, turmeric powder, and cumin seeds.
5. Mash the cooked pumpkin properly with a wooden spoon or a masher. Add the coconut paste with 2 tbsp of water and mix well. Cook the mix for another 3 minutes. Turn off the flame and allow it to cool.
6. Beat yogurt and add it to the pan and mix well, taste and add salt as needed.
7. Take another small pan for tempering a little oil, curry leaves and dry red chilies, on a low flame. Add the tempering to the pumpkin curry and mix well.
8. Pound mustard seeds in mortar and pestle until crushed, and add that to the curry.

Serve with rice.

The post Pumpkin with Yogurt (Mathanga Pachadi) appeared first on Pepper Delight.

I still remember the very first day I tried Salmon. It was around the time we moved to the US and were eagerly exploring the various restaurants out here, my husband always used to tease me for my sea food cravings and he wanted me to definitely try it, so I thought why not give it a shot. But for some reason I did not like it at all and struggled to finish my plate. I finally had to order a dessert to clear the taste from my mouth.

One of the big differences I noticed in the way Salmon was cooked in comparison to how we prepare an Indian Fish curry was the cooking time; I just couldn’t comprehend such a quick Fish Dish..!
Still confused as to how everybody loves Salmon, I thought it just might have been my first experience and decided to give it a try cooking at home with a new combination. And Yes, it was a success! We both loved it!!

Healthy, fast and its delicious

The quick preparation with only a drizzle of lemon juice, thyme and pepper, is the highlight of this recipe. And of course the supporting sauce along with it, made our day.

Prep time        : 9 minutes
Serves              : 2 servings

Salmon preparation :

 INGREDIENTS

Salmon steaks  : 4 (6 ounce)
Ground thyme  : 1 ½ tbsp
Lemon juice      : 2 tbsp
Lemon slice       : to garnish
Pepper                : as required
Salt                       : as required
Cooking spray

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Season Salmon steaks with salt, pepper and ground thyme. Drizzle lemon juice on top.
3. Arrange a baking tray with sheet. Spray some cooking oil on it.
4. Place the salmon steaks on baking tray and cook for about 3 – 4 minutes. Carefully flip opposite side and cook for about 3 more minutes until it become flaky.

Cilantro Yogurt Sauce :

INGREDIENTS

Lemon juice           : 2 tbsp
Coriander leaves   : 1 sprigs (finely chopped)
Mayonnaise           : 2 tbsp
Pepper                     : as required
Salt                            : as required
Greek Yogurt (2% reduced fat): 2 tbsp

INSTRUCTIONS

• In a small bowl, combine yogurt (reduced fat Greek yogurt), cilantro leaves chopped, mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Mix properly.

Green Salad Vinaigrette :

• Mix green salad leaves with salt and lime juice. Drizzle balsamic vinaigrette on it.

Serve Baked salmon on the bed of green salad and drizzle sauce and lemon juice on top.

The post Salmon with Cilantro Yogurt Sauce appeared first on Pepper Delight.