Kumbalanga Cherupayar parippu Curry / Ash gourd & Moong dal Curry

Here's another signature dish from God's own country!

As the name says this is a curry made with Kumbalanga/ash gourd and cherupayar parippu / moong dal in Kerala, a mildly spiced comfort dish I make often with phulkas or plain rice that serves fine at any time of the day!

The simple intro part is over ;)

errr..

...and can I proceed to the recipe directly? ;)

(whew !! it relieves me quite a lot when I do this coz I get much hooked with words and nothing flows in lately)

Get ready with:

Ash gourd- diced- 1 large cup

Moong dal - dry roasted - 1/4 cup

Small onions- finely chopped- 1 tsp

To Grind:

Freshly grated coconut- 1 1/2 tbsps

Garlic- 1 clove

Jeera powder-1/4 tsp

Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp scant

To season:

Coconut oil- 2 tsps

Mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp

Small onions- minced- 2 tsps

Green chilly-1- sliced lengthwise

Red chilly-1- broken into 3 pcs(optional)

Curry leaves- a sprig

A 3 ltr pressure cooker- ;)

How to make :

Transfer the lightly dry roasted moong dal to the cooker, give it a quick rinse, add 1/2 cup of water and bring to a boil. Lower the flame to simmer and cook in open without the lid on) for 2-3 minutes keeping an eye not to let it boil over.

In the meanwhile grind coconut, garlic, jeera and turmeric powders to a smooth paste adding a little water.Stir in to the cooking dal along with the ash gourd pieces and the sliced green chilly and 1 tsp of finely cut onions. Add salt and mix well. The liquid part should NOT be more than 1/2- 3/4 cup at this stage as ash gourd lets out water while cooking. Close the lid and cook till 2-3 whistles.

Open, after the steam vents off. If the curry seems to be a little watery, add a tsp of rice powder or corn starch and bring to a gentle boil. Even otherwise the curry tends to thicken after cooling down a bit!

For the seasoning, heat oil in a kadai, splutter the mustard seeds and next the minced onions. Let the onions get fried to a brown hue and impart the aroma. Throw in the red chilly bits followed by the curry leaves. Pour the seasoning over the curry.

Serve warm with phulkas or steamed rice.

If you find it difficult to get the ash gourd, substitute it with lemon cucumber or vellarikka (malayalam) for a closest taste.This recipe is off to The Kerala Kitchen.

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Aviyal ~ The Coconut based Mixed Vegetable Curry of God's own Country!..

Onappattin thalam thullum thumba poove
Ninne thazhukanai kulirkattin kunyikaikal..

Onavillil oonjaladum vannathikkiliye
Ninne pulkanay kothiyoorum marikkarum...

Onam is just round the corner, another year of festivity, pomp and delight for the people of God's own country, the dear subjects of Mahabali...

Yet another year of Ona Pattu, Puthu kkodi, Ona Pookalam, and Ona Sadya..


Aviyal, as you all might know, is a thick coconut based curry of the down South of our country and can be regarded as a speciality in Kerala cuisine.
The mildly spiced vegetable stew goes well with rice and a must serve for the Sadhya related to Onam.The very own nadan vegetables(vegetables that grow locally) of the state goes into it which is said to impart the exact authentic taste to the same.

The Mythology of this "Mixed Vegetable Curry", according to wiki, goes…

"It is supposed to have been invented by Bheema (one of the Pandava brothers) during his agnaatha vaasa. According to the legend, Ballav (Bheema's name during this time) when he assumed his duties as the cook in the kitchen of Virata, did not know how to cook. One of the first things he did was to chop up many different vegetables, boil them together and top the dish with grated coconut".




Now, let's get ready with the ingredients, that goes to the stove in order :

The Vegetables:

Drumstick-1 (cut into 3 inch pcs)
Cucumber/vellarikka-cut-a cup
Jackfruit seeds/chakka kuru- 5-6
Yam/chena-a small piece-which yields a cup when cut
Gherkins/ivy gourd/kovakka-5-6
Brinjal-2
Raw banana/vazhakka-1
Snake gourd-small-1/2
Long string beans/Achinga payar - 4(optional)
Raw green mango-sour variety-1/2 (use a whole small mango if less sour)

To Pulse:
Green chillies - 2
Cumin seeds/jeerakam -1/2 tsp-jeera powder can also be substituted
Shallots/kunjulli-5-6

Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
Salt- to taste

Freshly grated coconut- 1 ½ cups
Coconut oil/pacha velichenna- 2 tbsp
Curry leaves-2 sprigs

• Cut the vegetables lengthwise, a little chunky, to one inch pieces.

• Transfer them to a broad and wide pan,except the raw mango(as the acidity in it interferes with the cooking of the other vegetables) with just enough water.Close with a lid and ensure even cooking by turning them now and then for a few minutes or till 1/4th done.

• Crush/pulse green chillies, jeera and shallots coarsely.Add this to the vegetables along with turmeric powder and salt.
  

• Grind coconut, not too smooth, adding a little water.Keep aside.
  
  
• Now, rinse the pulser/mixer with ½ cup of water.Add this to the vegetables on the stove and stir carefully not to break the pieces as would have almost cooked or half done, at this stage.Ensure the ‘hard to cook’ vegetables like yam has turned soft.
  

• Add the ground coconut and raw mango pieces.Let it simmer for 5 mins.Check salt and *sourness.Make sure the Aviyal has reached the right semi solid consistency.
  
  
• Turn off fire.Coconut oil and curry leaves are to be added last.
  
  
• Press the Aviyal gently and close with the lid of the pan, so that the aroma of the coconut oil and curry leaves seeps in, to give the very own flavour to the authentic dish. :)

*-.If you fail to grab the raw mango, feel free to use curd/tamarind extract for sourness.

Note:

• The traditional aviyal doesn’t call for veggies like carrots and beans. Yet I compromise on carrots as they always improve the taste of the final curry.

• Since Vellarikka or that fat yellow cucumber we get in Kerala is not common in Tamil Nadu, ash-gourd/poosanikkai can be used instead.

• According to Archana, "Zucchini act as substitute snake gourd in an avial". :)

Vaninnevam asuya valarthi
Vazka maveli mangalamoorthy.."

'Long live Maveli, provider of peace and prosperity, inciting jealousy in the heavenly beings!'.


Wishing you all a Very Happy, Peaceful and a Prosperous Onam!!..


Other Recipes for the Onam Feast..

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Olan

"Olan"- An authentic recipe from 'God’s Own Country'.
A fine medley of Kumbalanga(ash gourd) with Vanpayar(cowpeas) and Thengapal(coconut milk) mildly spiced with green chillies, tempered again in a lighter way this makes a perfect ‘Stew’ for hot rice. As you all know Olan is a must served item for Ona Sadya.

You need,

Ashgourd cut into one inch long thin cubical pieces- 2 cups
Cow peas/ red gram-2 tbsps
Green chillies-cut lengthwise-2 nos
Jeera powder-1/2 tsp
Curry leaves-2 sprigs
Salt- to taste


To Season,

Coconut oil-2 tsps
Mustard seeds-1/4 tsp
Shallots-finely minced-2 nos
One red chilly-broken to 3-4 pieces

Preparation of coconut milk for Olan

Coconut-1 small-grated.
Extract ¾ cup of thick and creamy first milk and ½ cup of second milk.

*You can also substitute canned coconut milk or the coconut milk powder(use according to the package instructions to prepare the thick and thin milk).But I always prefer and opt for the traditional methods for the same, not compromising the authentic taste.. :)..

Method:

1. Soak cow peas in luke warm water for about 5-6 hrs and pressure cook till soft.
Add the ash gourd pieces,slit green chillies, jeera power, salt, curry leaves and cook till one whistle.(take care not to over cook and add very little water as the ash gourd pieces give away water while cooking).

2. Open the cooker lid. Add the secondly extracted coconut milk and bring to a simmer for 3-5 minutes in low flame.Add the first milk now and bring to a simmer again.
Put off fire immediately.

3. Season the Olan with spluttered mustard seeds in hot coconut oil, fried shallots and red chilly bits. Check salt and serve warm with rice and curry.

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