Ada Pradhaman

Ada: 500 gm

Jaggerry: 1 kg

Sago: 200 gm

Thick Coconut Milk: 3 cups

Thin Coconut Milk: 6 cups

Wash the Ada and cook it with lots of water. Make sure it is really soft. Wash it properly again.
Drain completely once done.

Cook the sago in water till done and drain water completely.

Melt the jaggery in a little water and strain.

Saute the cooked Ada in the jaggery mix.

Add the cooked sago to it, saute and mix everything.

Add the thin coconut milk and let it boil

Add cardamom powder and thick coconut milk and let it just boil along the edges.

Take off fire.

Fry the cashewnut, curryleaves, raisins in ghee. Pour this over the Payasam.

Serve hot or cold as dessert

Pavakka Achar (Bitter Gourd Pickle)

Bitter Gourd: 3 kg

Ginger Garlic Paste: 100 gms

Ginger: 1.5 inch sliced

Garlic: 2 pods sliced

Mustard: 1 tbsp

Curry leaves: a few sprigs

Chilly Powder: 10 level tbsp

Turmeric Powder: 1 tsp

Fenugreek Powder: 1 tsp

Asafoetida: 1 tsp

Vinegar: 1 cup

Salt and oil: as needed.

Wash the bittergourd properly and cut in chunks and immerse in salt water.

Slice it into thin strips.

Keep all the other ingredients ready

Fry the bittergourd in oil till brown and slightly crisp

In the same oil, splutter mustard, curry leaves and fry the garlic and ginger.

Add the ginger garlic paste to this and let the raw smell go.

Add the chilly Powder, turmeric Powder, Asafoetida and fenugreek powder and give everything a toss.

Add the fried bitter gourd, salt and the vinegar.

Take off fire

Store it in sterilized bottles

Chembu Asthram (Kalloppara Ammachy's speciality)

I don't know how to explain what this dish is to me. Its not me alone I know. Many who have spent their childhood with their grandparents are familiar with this dish and just the memory itself  is sure to spark your taste buds with the flavour and taste of this simple dish of yesteryear. 

For me, its my paternal Grand mom or Kalloppara ammachy who comes to my mind. Appachan and Ammachy had cocoa plantation.  After Appachan passed away, Ammachy used to take care of everything and she had good, faithful people to help her out too. Our local farmers market in Mallapally operates two days a week- Tuesdays and Fridays. So these days, her helpers come early in the morning by around 4:30 and start plucking the cocoa pods. Once everything is plucked, Ammachy also sits with them to break the pods and remove the beans. By 8am, these beans were taken to the market and sold. By 9 am, the person will be back with the money. So these two days, there was no time for cooking elaborate breakfast. And it was always Kanji/Rice Gruel and Chembasthram for breakfast. 

This is her recipe.

Chembu/Colocasia: 500 gms

Green Chillies: 10 slit

Trmeric Powder: 1/4 tsp

Salt: as needed

KudamPuli/Gambooge: 1

To Grind to a fine paste

Coconut: 1 cup

Cumin: 1/2 tsp

Garlic: 4 cloves

To Temper:

Oil: 1 tbsp

Mustard: 1/2 tsp

Dried Redy chily:2

Curry Leaves: 1 sprig

Small Onion;2

Cook the Colocasia with greenchillies, turmeric powder, salt and Gambooge with a little water.

Once the colocasia is cooked, add the ground paste and let it boil.

Take off fire.

Heat oil in a kadai and splutter mustard, onion, redchilly, curryleaves.

Pour over the curry and serve with Kanji.

Potato and onion mix Bajji

Onion: 1 medium chopped fine

Potato: 1 large chopped fine

Green Chillies: 4 minced

Salt : as needed

Bengal Gram Flour: 1 cup

Oil: for deep frying

Mix all the ingredients except oil.
Add enough water to make a thick batter
Heat the oil in a kadai.
Drop the batter in spoonfuls and fry till done.
Serve hot with tomato sauce.

Sheema Chakka Theeyal

Ingredients 1

Sheema Chakka/Bread Fruit: 1 cup chopped in chunks

Small Onion: 10

Green Chillies: 4 slit

Turmeric Powder: 1/2 tsp

Salt: as needed

Ingredients 2

Coconut grated: 1 cup

Small Onion: 3

Chilly Powder: 2 tsp

Coriander Powder: 1 1/2 tsp

Tamarind: a small piece

To Temper:

Mustard: 1 tsp

Oil: 1 tbsp

Small Onion: 2 

Dried Red Chilly:2

Curry Leaves: 2 sprigs

Cook the first ingredients with 1 cup water (or maybe a little more)

Meanwhile, fry the coconut grated in medium flame without adding oil. Make sure the flame is low.

When it is properly browned, add the chilly powder, coriander powder and again saute for a few seconds in low flame.

Take off fire, add tamarind to it and grind to a very fine paste by adding little water.

Add the coconut paste to the cooked breadfruit and let it boil. Take off fire.

In a small kadai, heat oil and splutter mustard, curry leaves, dried redchillies and onion. 

Pour over the theeyal and serve with rice.