Mahalaya Lunch Menu Day 7 & 8

Avarakkai poricha Coconut milk kootu :

Avarakkai Poricha kootu with coconut milk .

Ingredients:

2 cups chopped broad beans

Salt

Pinch of turmeric powder

1 cup cooked moong dal

Curry leaves

1/2 to 3/4 cup coconut

1/2 cup coconut milk

2 tbsp Karima podi ( as it is cooked for Mahalaya) or

Oil roast :

1 tsp udad dal

1 tsp pepper

Cool and grind to a paste with 1 tsp cumin seeds.

1 tsp rice flour to thicken the gravy .

Use either Karima podi or the ingredients mentioned above as spice mixture . If you use both the kootu may become spicy .

Method :

Pressure cook 2 cups or as required chopped avarakkai with salt , turmeric powder for one whistle . Remove from cooker .

Add 1 cup cooked moong dal according to qty of avarakkai . Allow to boil gently together .

Add salt , curry leaves , pinch of asafoetida powder .

Add a ground paste using 3/4 cup grated coconut with 1 tbsp rice flour , 1/2 tsp pepper and 1 tsp cumin . Add this to the dal , avarakkai mixture . Just before removing add 1/2 cup coconut milk to the kootu . Consistency as per your preference. We keep it slightly runny as we mix with rice and have it . It also makes an excellent side dish for chapatis . Best side dish For no onion no garlic option .

Pavakkai gojju for Mahalaya lunch menu

Pavakkai gojju ( no coconut)

3-4 small Bittergourds , remove seeds and chop finely .

Take a kadai , add 2-3 tbsp sesame oil , crackle mustard seeds, add split udad dal , sautee till golden , add few curry leaves , add chopped Bittergourds, sautee in oil till they seem to shrivel .

Add 1 cup medium thick Tamrind extract , salt , turmeric powder, asafoetida powder , mix well .

Allow mixture to cook till it seems to reduce . Then add 2-3 tbsp rasam powder ( Mysore rasam powder will be good , but if you are strictly following restrictions on ingredients you need not add rasam podi for this gojju )

Mix well , add 3 tbsp jaggery powder .

Cover and cook till thickened and reducing till glossy . Do not allow to thicken too much .

Serve as side dish or with curd rice . It tastes amazing. ( The dish has strong flavours of podi , tangibles , sweet )

( Bittergourd gojju recipe With coconut, will be posted soon )