Part 1 –
The Thayakkat Tharavadu is my home and it is here that I first sensed the tastes of the cuisine of Kerala. The first four years of my life was spent in Ernakulam and Guruvayur with an occasional trip to Vadakkath in Annakara near Guruvayur and then we moved to Delhi. Wood-fire smoke still takes me back to those carefree days; the same happens with the fragrance of Hamam soap, whole pepper in hot oil, water from the well, boiling in large pancha loham vessels over wood fire and many more.
The Thayakkat kitchen is incomplete without remembering my amumma, who was the lady of the land, the home and the kitchen and even today when I am at our home in Guruvayur I miss her, her presence and her confident manner. I like to think that my sense of perfection, need to be clutter free and keeping a clean and and neat home comes from her. She kept her home in Guruvayur in good repair, painted, pest controlled and the wooden surfaces polished and shining.
All the main meals were had in the unnu thalam between the kitchen and the kalavara (pantry). The kalavara smelled somewhat musty and when amumma opened the petti (storage box) I would get the distinct smell of home made jaggery that came in the shape of triangular cones. I was never one for anything sweet but nevertheless as a ritual if I am around while amumma was opening that petti, I would get a couple of pieces. I would eat one, lick the other and throw it around the courtyard, as I walked around the house.
The way amma cooks is the closest in taste to the dishes that amumma used to make those days and rarely does amma use any short cuts of the modern day. Achan was a connoisseur of good food, of any region in India or outside, and preferred it prepared the way it is meant to be with the original ingredients and no substitutes.
My friends in Guruvayur, Marykutty in particular, often fondly remember that for Onam and my birthday, amumma would feed their families, specially the children. So I have decided to start with the Nallu Curry Sadya that they were given for my birthday. A Nallu Curry Sadya means just that a 4-curry-feast, which means there are 4 main dishes served with the usual rice, pickle and pappadam. These dishes are Sambaar, Kuttu Curry, Kurruku Kalan, Avial and Olan and I am describing below the recipe for these as my mother makes them, who obviously learnt them from amumma. Amma has never ever made me cook or even told me to learn cooking because her focus was on making her girls independent so while I used to see her make these dishes, it is very recently that I started cooking on my own and am providing the recipes below as I make them. Of course I have had chats with my mother and made small corrections in my method of preparation of these dishes
Sambaar – is a very versatile dish in that it has a combination of pulses, vegetable and spices, so when had with rice becomes complete meal in itself. With many versions of sambaar in south India, I prefer the sambaar as made in Kerala
Ingredients :
A vegetable such as ash gourd or pumpkin (200 gms), shallots (3-4), pigeon peas (1 cup), turmeric powder, tamarind paste (1/2 tea spoon), red chilly whole (3-4), mustard seeds, sambaar powder (while there are many makes of this, I prefer to use any brand that is made in Kerala), coconut oil, salt, karuveppila or curry leaves (1 sprig)
Sambaar tastes the best when it is watery and had a lot of gravy so pressure cook pigeon peas with the ash gourd (cut into small pieces) with a good amount of water, add 1/2 a tea spoon of turmeric and salt. Once this is done, add sambar powder (1 1/2 table spoon of sambaar powder, and tamarind paste and allow it to simmer for about 5 minutes. in a small wok, heat a tea spoon of coconut oil and add the mustard seeds, when they sputter add the red chilles and shallots. When the shallots start browning add to the pressure cooked pigeon peas and ash gourd.
Curry 1 : Kuttu Curry – is a slightly sweet dish. It does not have much gravy and is a good side dish with rice.
Ingredients:
Kaaya or Raw banana (1 or 2), Chena or yam (200 gms), chana daal or split chick peas, pepper (ground coarse 1 tea spoon), Coconut scraped (3/4 cup), jeerakam or cumin seeds (1 teaspoon), kadugu or mustard seeds (1 teaspoon), vellam or jaggery (1 small piece), turmeric (1/2 teaspoon), green chilly (3), red chilly (2), coconut oil, salt
Cut the banana and yam into 1/2 inch pieces, add turmeric and ground pepper and cook with a little amount of water and add salt. Grind cumin seeds, green chillies and coconut (1/2 cup) to a coarse paste and add to the cooked yam and banana. In a small wok heat 1/2 teaspoon of coconut oil add the mustard seeds red chilly and the remaining 1/4 cup of scraped coconut till the coconut starts to brown. Add this to the cooked vegetables.
Curry 2 : Avial – is an all vegetable and coconut fare and when had alone with hot rice can be a satisfying experience in itself. The flavour of teach of the vegetables stand out separately even though they are in the same curry
Ingredients:
Payar or cow peas (6-7 strands), chena (1 small piece), carrot (1 small), mattan pumpkin (1 small piece), raw mango (1 small ), scraped coconut (1 cup), jeerakam (1 1/2 tea spoons), green chilly (4-5), karuveppila or curry leaves (1 sprig), turmeric (1/2 teaspoon), salt
Cut all vegetables in similar size and cook them with water with turmeric and salt, along with the raw mango cut into small pieces the same size as the vegetables. Grind the coconut, cumin seeds and the green chillies somewhat fine. Add to the cooked vegetables and then add 1/2 teaspoon of coconut oil and curry leaves and simmer for 2 minutes
Curry 3 – Kurrukku Kalan – is a slightly sour curry made with vegetables, coconut ground with curd. Again, can be had as a dish with rice accompanied with pappadam. I love to have rice and kurrukku kalan with homemade lemon pickle.
Ingredients :
Chena (1 small piece), kaya (1), scraped coconut 1 cup, curd grind the coconut with (1/2 cup), jeerakam ( 1 teaspoon) green chilli (4-5), mustard (1 teaspoon), red chilly (3-4) karuveppila ( 1 sprig), turmeric (1/2 teaspoon), salt, coconut oil (1 teaspoon), fenugreek seeds. (3/4 teaspoon)
Cook the vegetables, cut into small and similar sizes in water, with turmeric and salt. grind the coconut with the curd, cumin seeds and green chillies and add to the vegetables and simmer. Heat coconut oil and add mustard, fenugreek seeds and when they sputter add the red chillies and add this to the vegetables.
Curry 4 – Olan – a smashing curry that tastes as simple and is as delightful as its name. It is a dish that is given to young children because it is mild and has pulses and vegetables but does not have the pungency of the sambaar.
Ingredients – red cow peas (1 cup), ash gourd (200 gms), coconut milk (1/4 cup), karuveppila (1 sprig), green chilly (3-4)
Pressure cook the cow peas, the ash gourd and green chilles (slit). When done, add the curry leaves and simmer and when done add the coconut milk.
Paal Payasam – is a sweet dish that is the grand finale to any spread, anywhere in India. I need to learn the recipe from my mother and will share it soon, maybe with the dishes of a more elaborate sadya (feast), that is served during a wedding and similar occasions
Some of the dishes seem similar with the ingredients and the method but then each one has its own taste. The correct way of eating is to have one dish at a time with rice even though it is served in one banana leaf. The taste and flavour of the hot rice on a banana leaf with a dash of “naiyyu” or ghee (clarified butter) and the various preparations with pickle pappadam and finished off with a “payasam” a sweet porridge, transports one to la la land immediately after the meal and so an afternoon nap becomes mandatory after such a meal. That nap is like a drugged sleep, the food having been a magic potion
Little Drops of Memories 