A Simple Breakfast Platter from Kerala

Are you feeling overfed with the dishes from Karnataka that was served yesterday? If so, here is a simple porridge for breakfast from Kerala.

Popularly publicized as ' God's own country', Kerala is the land of Malayalam speaking people who live in the South west region along the Malabar coast.This state was formed on November 1st 1956.

This land is known for tis rubber, spice, cashew,tea, coffee,, coconut.Kerala is also known or its backwaters, beaches and Ayurvedic retreats / resorts, The famous kalari art, etc.

The ancient scriptures say that this place was recovered by Parashuram, the 6th avatar of Lord Vishnu. Archaeological findings dates this state back to the Neolithic period. You can read more about Kerala here...

The cuisine of Kerala is both Vegetarian and non vegetarian in nature.Rice is the staple food here and the uses of spices in the cooking is not uncommon.Since coconut is grown in abundance, the use of coconut in the cuisine can be seen in a large scale.

Since this place has been in touch with people coming in from foreign countries, some of the international flavors have been adapted to the local tastes.

A large part of this cuisine is said to have been influenced by the Muslim and Syrian Christian cultures.Since it borders Tamil nadu, this cuisine too is reflected in the Kerala dishes.The European influence can be seen in the form of a lot of Anglo Indian recipes and a large number of bakeries serving Western Styled pastries and savories.

The Thalassery Briyani of the Malabar cuisine is very popular and so is the Sadya meal that is served in a traditional manner with a lot of dishes on festivals and special occasions.

For today's post, I have prepared a simple porridge with a few side to go along with it....

Behind the scene:

This was the first recipe that I cooked for the Indian Food Odyssey . The choice for Kerala was to choose something from Shn's Mishmash blog. We did a Vatteppam and Kuzhalappam a few years ago from her blog for the Indian Cooking Challenge and ever since I have bookmarked some recipe there. And it was time to get those done.
Then when I went through her blog, like almost spent a day there, I changed my mind and did these recipes instead. Yes, all the recipes here are from her blog! So, my bookmarks remain to be done....

This kanji / porridge was something very new to me.Since I love other kinds of porridge, I decided to make it and see how it tastes.

No one came near this dish except MIL to taste it. Since we are not used to this rice, I found it very different in taste. Also it was quite filling.I made just a small portion yet, it was enough for 2 meals for me!

Usually the porridge is served with a single side dish - the green gram curry.But this is Mega BM and that too posting for a state near my home town,so I went ahead and made 3 side dishes for the porridge with complimented the porridge very well.

Though no one was keen on the porridge,the side dishes however were accepted by all.We had the remaining green gram curry with our evening coffee and the kids liked the lightly spiced pappad curry. The chutney went along with the night dinner menu of Dosa.It was also good with steamed rice!

So,the moment I decided on the recipe, I got a pack of this red rice / rose matta rice or matta ari as it is called here.

This grain is very popular in Kerala and it is freely available in my place. Matta rice is a nutrient rich grain and also rich in fiber as it retains the bran.It requires more water to cook and also takes a long time to get done.

Now let us make the porridge

I used:
Source - Mishmash

Rose matta rice- 2 handfuls
Salt to taste

Wash the rice well and pressure cook it with 2 or more cups of water till it is fully cooked. I pressure cooked it for half an hour. Once the pressure releases, check to see of you need to add more water,else add salt and mix. Porridge is ready to be served.

The first side dish that we are going to prepare is the Cherupayaru Mezhukkupuratti or a simple dish of stir fried green gram....

I used:
Adapted from - Mishmash

Green gram 1/2 cup
Green chilies- 2,slit
Pearl onions - 5
Garlic -2 pods
Red chili-2
Curry leaves - a few
Mustard seeds- 1 teaspoon
Salt - to taste
Oil-1 teaspoon

Dry roast the green gram in a pan. In a pressure cooker, boil 2 cups of water and add the roasted green gram , green chili and salt and pressure cook till just done. It should not become mushy.

In a motor and pestle, mince the pearl onion and garlic. Keep aside. Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard, red chili, curry leaves.

Once the mustard crackles, add the minced onion -garlic and saute for a couple of minutes. Then add the cooked green gram and salt.Mix well and remove from heat.

Serve with Kanji.....

For the Pappadam Thalichadhu

This is a simple stir fry of pappads tempered with mustard seeds, onions and some spice.

I used:
Source -Mishmash

Pappadam[kerala style] -3
Coconut oil-3 teaspoons + to deep fry the pappadam
Mustard seeds- 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves- a few
Red chili powder- 1 teaspoon
Pearl onions- 6, finely chopped

Cut the pappadam into small pieces and deep fry in oil.Keep aside. Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard and curry leaves.

When the mustard crackles, add the onion and chili powder. Saute till the onion turns brown. Put in the fried pappadam and toss gently so that the spices coat the pappadam. Remove from heat.

Serve as a side dish or store in an air tight container after it is completely cooled. Stays good for more than a week.

Note :

Use kerala style pappadam for this. If it is not available use the plain pappads.
Coconut oil is a must for this recipe to get the authentic taste. If you don't like deep frying in coconut oil, use any other vegetable oil but be sure to use coconut oil for the tempering.
Use pearl onions for the best taste.

Next let us go on to the Chutney - Chutta Pappada Chamandhi - Pappadam with ground coconut. This too is made from roasted pappad and has a lovely taste. A little spice, yet a bit side for the porridge.

I used:
Source - Mishmash

Kerala style pappadam-2
Red chili-1
Coconut- 1/2 cup
Curry leaves a few
Salt to taste
Oil-1 teaspoon

Heat oil in a pan and put in the red chili.Switch off the flame after a few seconds and continue to toss it around till it turns orangish in color. Keep aside

Roast the pappadam on an open flame and crush it.

Take the crushed papadam, red chili, coconut, curry leaves,salt[pappadam already has salt,so add carefully] and blend with a little water to get a somewhat coarse paste.

Serve with porridge...

Let us chill off with a cool drink of Sambaram.It is nothing but spiced buttermilk...

Whisk 1 cup curd well and add 2 cups of water.Using a motor and pestle mince green chili, ginger and add to the whisked buttermilk. Add few torn curry leaves and coriander leaves. Let the flavors blend for a few minutes. The cooling spiced kerala style buttermilk is ready to be served....

So, here is the platter again...