Cherupayar curry (Without coconut) - Kerala Style

Cherupayar curry or commonly called as cherupayar puzhukku is one of Kerala’s traditional dishes. Lentils are part of almost every regional Indian Cuisine. Onam Sadhya is usually incomplete without dal curry. 

Parippu Curry can be made with or without ground coconut. This recipe doesn’t use coconut. Rice and Parippu Curry along with a pinch of ghee is served as the first course for Onam.

MORE GRAVIES RECIPES ARE LINKED BELOW

Sprouted moth bean curry

Palak mushroom gravy

Soyachunks Aloo kurma

Mushroom kurma

Beerakaya kura

Prep  time	Cooking time	Serves
15  mins	30 mins	4 persons

Recipe Type: Main course

Cuisine:  South Indian

Ingredients Green gram (whole) – 1 cup Water – 3 cups Onions -1 no(big) Garlic cloves – 5 no’s Tomato – 1 no Slit green chillies -4 no’s Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp Red chilli powder -1 tsp Coriander powder – ½ tsp Ghee– 1 tbsp. Mustard seeds – 1 tsp Cumin seeds – 1 tsp Curry leaves –few sprigs

 

Method

1. Soak the green gram for at least 6-8 hours, and cook for 3-4 whistles or until done. Pressure cook the parippu/lentils in 3 cups of water along with salt, and 1/4 tsp turmeric powder.

2. Pressure cook for 2 whistles on medium heat so that the dal is well cooked. Allow the pressure to subside.Open the pressure cooker and mash the dal thoroughly with a spatula. Boil for a few more minutes if there is excess water. The curry should be thick without much water.

3. In a heavy bottom pan, add oil once hot add mustard seeds, once splutters add onions, green chillies and curry leaves.

4. Now add all the spice mix to the onions. 

5. Give a gentle stir  along with little salt.

6. Now add the tomatoes and stir properly so that it blends well.

7. When the mix is fried well, add the cooked gram to kadai and mix well. 

8. Allow them to boil on medium heat. Salt check and switch off.

9. Add hot water to the curry if necessary to adjust the consistency. (When the curry cools down, it tends to get thicker).

10. Remove from heat. After 5-10 minutes, open the lid and mix well. 

11. Serve with 

Serving suggestions

Rice and Pappadam.

Hot puttu or kanji.

Notes

If you forget to soak the grams overnight, soak the in hot water 20 minutes before cooking the dish.

Palak Mushroom Gravy

Mushrooms are fleshy, fat free, gluten free, and cholesterol free, rich in nutrients and low in calories. Thus using Spinach and coriander to make sauce not only makes it rich in nutrients but also a visual treat.

Green gravy/sauce with mushrooms is feast to eyes. Palak mushroom gravy a very delicious recipe and the specialty of this recipe is the freshly ground masalas which gave the authentic taste to the gravy.

Prep  time	Cooking time	Serves
15  mins	20 mins	3 persons

Recipe Course: Gravies

Recipe type:  Indian cuisine

Ingredients For spinach paste Palak – 2 cups Coriander leaves – handful Onions – ½ cup Tomato – ½ cup Ginger garlic paste -2 tsp Green chillies – 1 no Oil – 1 tbsp. Masala powders Turmeric powder -1 tsp Red cilli powder -1 tsp Coriander powder -2 tsp Jeera powder -1 tsp Garam masala powder -1 tsp For palak mushroom Oil -1 tbsp. Cumin seeds  - 1 tsp Mushrooms -3 cups Kasturi methi -  1 tsp (lightly crushed) Fresh cream – ½ cup

Method

1. Chop garlic to fine pieces and keep aside.Cut mushrooms to required size as per your liking. 

2. I prefer my mushrooms to be little thick pieces so if they are of small size then each is cut to 4 pieces, bigger ones are cut to 6 pieces Add little lemon juice to ensure white colour and steam. Cool and cut into quarters.

For the Spinach paste

3. Meanwhile prepare the spinach paste. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan on medium heat. Once hot add onion, green chili, ginger and garlic. Cook till onions are translucent.

4. Then mix in tomatoes. Cook till tomatoes are soft. Add washed spinach leaves. It will get wilted within 2-3 minutes.Switch off the stove and let it cool a bit. Once cooled, grind into smooth paste.Blitz spinach with water and coriander leafs and green chilies-onion mixture in a grinder/ mixer to make a fine paste. The paste will be fragrant green color.

Making palak mushroom

5. Heat another 1 tablespoon of oil in the same pan on medium heat. Once hot add cumin seeds and let them sizzle.

6. Then add onions and  mushrooms. 

7. Add powder masalas and sauté for 2 minutes. As it cooks mushroom leaves water and will continue to cook in its own water. Sauté till cooked and tender.

8. Then add prepared spinach puree. Mix well and let it come to a boil.

9. Adjust the gravy consistency by adding water.Lastly add garam masala and kasoori methi. 

10. Mix well and simmer for 2 minutes.Then add fresh cream, stir well to combine.Enjoy palak mushroom gravy with your favorites.

Health benefits of Palak

Good Source of IronGood for eyesHealthy brain and nervous systemImproves your heart healthLowers insulin level

Health benefits of mushroom

Mushrooms may boost your memoryMushrooms can assist in strengthening your bonesMushrooms will help give you energy.

Serving Suggestions

Simple roti (Indian flat bread), Parathas, Nan and Steamed rice.

Notes

• Stalks should be removed else the fibers from stalks will give unpleasant texture to sauce/gravy.Spinach should not be boiled else the green color will turn of darker shade and the gravy/sauce will not be of the beautiful green color.
• Too long cooking of mushrooms or gravy/sauce will cause mushrooms to lose their water and become rubbery and sauce to become of darker shade than we want in this recipe.Cover water and spinach mixture and allow to cook in its own heat. 
• Spinach should not lose its beautiful green color.You can omit onions. If onions are being omitted then green chilies should be added raw to spinach and coriander for making paste.

Beerakaya Kura - Andhra Style Ridge gourd Curry

It is a delectable Andhra style ridge gourd cooked in a tomato based gravy.The result is a delicious curry that has a slight sweet favour and goes very well with rotis and rice. It is a simple, healthy & quick to make this delicious vegetarian curry. Do not omit the jaggery and saunf (aniseed) because they both give this curry a savory yet sweet flavor. 

Ridge gourd curry goes best with rotis but tastes equally good with rice.  It is spicy and colorful. Ridge gourd is low in saturated fat, cholesterol and calories that aids in weight loss. Ridge gourd juice is used to heal jaundice and to strengthen the immune system against any infection. 

You can try other ridge gourd recipes on my blog like

Ridge gourd Peel Chutney

MORE GRAVY RECIPES ARE LINKED BELOW

Sprouted Moth bean (matki curry)

Soya chunks Aloo kurma

Mushroom kurma

Spicy mushroom

Prep  time	Cooking time	Serves
10 mins	20 mins	4  persons

Recipe Course: Side dish

Recipe type: South Indian cuisine

Ingredients Ridge gourd – 4 no’s Onion -1 no Tomato – 3 no’s Garlic – 5 cloves Red chilli powder -2 tsp Coriander powder -2 tsp Turmeric powder -1 tsp Methi seeds powder – ¼ tsp Jaggery powdered -1 tsp Fennel seeds – 1 tsp Salt – to taste Coriander leaves -5 sprigs Seasonings Cooking oil – 1 tbsp. Mustard seeds – ½ tsp Cumin seeds  -1 tsp Curry leaves -2 sprigs Dry red chilli -2 no’s Hing – pinch

Method

1.Peel ridge gourds using a peeler, wash and chop into small pieces. 

2.Chop onion, coriander and keep other items aside.

3.Heat oil in a pan on medium flame, add mustard seeds and let it crackle.Add the asafetida powder, curry leaves and red chilli and let it splutter. 

4. Now roughly pound the garlic cloves using a pestle and mortar and add it to the pan and sauté until the garlic turns golden.Add the finely chopped onion and sauté until it turns translucent. 

5. Add the chopped tomatoes and sauté well. 

6. Now, add the cubed ridge gourds, mix well and let the ridge gourd cook in its own juices for 5 minutes.

7. Once the ridge gourd is cooked, add the jaggery, fennel seeds and roasted fenugreek seeds powder and mix well.

8. To this add the red chilli, coriander, turmeric, season with salt and sauté until the oil separates out.

9. Adjust consistency of the gravy to suit your needs. I usually like to make it on the thicker side. 

10. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Stir well until well combined, cover with lid and cook again for 2 minutes over medium heat.

11.Let it simmer for another 5 minutes, once the gravy becomes thick switch off the flame. 

Serving suggestions

Pulkas or parathas 

Steamed rice

Notes

• Adjust spice levels to suit your taste.
• If you do not have roasted methi powder, you omit it OR add 1/4 tsp of kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) when sautéing the onions.