Whenever I am in Kerala, preparing avials (a concoction of veggies in a coconut gravy and sour curd) is bliss! I love these raw bananas which is sliced and widely used in the Kerala avials and seen most often here hanging on coir ropes in shops. I love to slice them in my avials, it gives the avial a wonderful taste. I don't get them where I live, I get a smaller version of this from which I have made thorans/poriyals in my earlier posts
In this recipe, I wanted to accentuate its beauty and taste. I decided to make a Moru kootan. This is a very simple recipe like most of the dishes made with whisked buttermilk and ground coconut with spices.
(The wooden Pallanghuzi was obtained from
https://www.facebook.com/AntiqueHomeDecor?fref=ts. It joins some of my prized possessions! I got so many beautiful stuff related to my kitchen from Colonel Sadasivan. I cannot forget that day)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pallanguzhi
The skin is neatly peeled off with the knife and sliced into quarters or halves!
You may be wondering what that red thingie is...well I call it finger stall or finger condom :) It kinda prevents my finger from getting bruised as the knife slices the veggies against my finger. I am trained by my mother to chop my veggies like so. Occasionally I do use the chopping board. But most of my veggies that I sauté are sliced or chopped in the palm of my left hand and against the index finger which wears the condom (kitchen condom)
Ok they do not come in unimaginable flavours or textures but are indeed colourful and have a rubbery coat that lasts for long! It is a pleasurable experience for those who are used to this. This almost sounds like sex and seduction in the kitchen. Oh Blime Me!
Every six months, I do buy new ones as the older ones get dirty with kitchen grime or they get worn off with use! Hmmm...
The sliced veggies go into a vessel filled with a quarter cup of water, sliced onions, a slit green chilly and a bit of turmeric. Turn on the heat!
Close it with a lid and let it get cooked. While it is semi cooked throw in the ground coconut paste. The ingredients of the paste include grated coconut, sliced shallots, cumin seeds, garlic, a bit of ginger and pepper corns.
Bubbling away!
Once the paste is poured in, allow everything to merge well. Add adequate salt keeping in mind that you are going to dilute it further with fresh beaten sour curd. Curd is also whisked in but not kept for long over the heat as then the curry like any moru kootan will curdle.
For the tempering. Once the curd is whisked in and the flame switched off, temper with the usual suspects-in a tbsp. of coconut oil, splutter mustard seeds, dry red chilly, curry leaves, sliced shallots, a tsp. of jeera/cumin and a dash of hing/asafoetida.
The mellowed down yellow curry awaits this tempering eagerly. At this point you can also add a tsp. of Kashmiri chilly powder to add colour. That is optional.
Once all the tadka/tempering goes in, scoop out some curry with the ladle and throw it slowly back into the sauce pan which had the tadka going and swirl in any remnants and throw it back into the main vessel. It is a habit especially done in many South Indian homes.
It is as if not a single drop of oil or tempering should feel left out!
Now here is my teaser shot for you with the curry all jazzed up and the cooked varakka/nenthrakka/long Kerala varakka in all its splendour ready for hungry tummies!
The lid is back on and ready for lunch time.
I love such moru kootans with either a fruit or a veggie. The fruit can be pineapple or mango; the veggies can be colocasia /arbi/taro , raw banana, chaembu/yam...I think the list in endless!
We love this curry with a small bowl of red rice.
My sons love it just plain without any veggies or fruits. They always want to see this moru kootan at home.
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