Kitchen Corner-Try It

Papaya/ Kappalanga Thoran Thoran is Kerala's version of a quick vegetable stir fry with coconut and spices. The heat is from green chilly, and the bright appealing color of thoran is from turmeric powder. Thoran is usually made with any vegetable, and today's vegetable is raw papaya/ papaya/ kappalanga. Papaya is a delicious tropical fruit and has good health benefits. The green raw papaya has equal health benefits as the ripe ones.    If you have tasted dishes with raw unripe papaya, you might have noticed it has a mild taste and is crisp and crunchy. It is widely used in Asian cuisine to make salads, curries, and pickles. The raw papaya has a slight bitterness to it, and the addition of coconut brings a delicious balance in taste and flavor. And to make a thoran, use a generous amount of coconut. Papaya thoran is a delicious and healthy vegan/vegetarian dish . It is heartwarming homey food that you can enjoy with steamed rice.    To make the thoran, papa...

Papaya Mulakushyam Mulakushyam/Moloshyam is a healthy lentil and vegetable curry that is served over rice. Mulakusham is a simple curry, an old fashioned recipe still made and served in many Kerala homes. It is vegan, nutritious and power-packed with flavor. Mom makes this simple curry and it is one of my favorite. One cannot refuse good home-cooked food that is filling and comforting. It is a versatile curry and you can add any number of vegetables. Now you may ask  what is Mulakushyam?  Well, the term itself means spicy and mulaku is spicy chilly. It is a traditional recipe passed down through generations. Many of these simple curries are forgotten or overlooked. This curry invokes the real nostalgia of simple village life-taste that lingers in your memories. Mulakushyam has a mild flavor yet a distinctive taste with the kick of black pepper. Black pepper was the spice of choice for generations in Kerala cooking. So many still prefer adding only black pepper an...