Kitchen Corner-Try It

Happy Vishu to all my friends and Readers! How is the Vishu Sadhya planning coming along for everyone? For all my Malayalee friends who are planning to celebrate this joyous festival, I am sharing a guide to preparing an easy  and tasty Sadhya. Vishu celebrations are real nostalgia, the fully blossomed Kani Konna trees (Cassia fistula), Vishu Kani, new clothes, and Sadhya. Vishu Kani is beautifully arranged the night before, and the sight you see on the morning of the New year brings luck throughout the year. Vishu celebration is not complete without the traditional vegetarian feast- Sadhya. It is served on a banana leaf, and there is a colorful array of vegetarian curries, rice, and desserts. Vishu Kanji, vishu katta or ada is served for breakfast. Sometimes non-vegetarian food is also part of the feast in some regions. In Southern Kerala, Vishu Sadhya is not so elaborate as the Onam sadhya. It is cooked with simple ingredients and seasonal vegetables. Mango, golden cucumber, ja...

Uppumanga Kovakka Curry Uppumanga curry is a simple coconut based curry that is served with rice. It is made with salted mangoes and you can add vegetables or dried prawns to the gravy. Uppumanga is a traditional recipe. Raw tender mango  are selected and preserved in salted water. It can be used later to make pickles,curries and  chamanthy/chutney. Ingredients Kovakka/Ivy gourd sliced- 2 cup Uppumanga/brine mango - medium-2 chopped Pearl onion- 4-5 Green chilly- 4 Ginger- 1 inch thick garlic - 2 pods Coconut grated - 1 cup Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp Chilly powder- 1/3 tsp Cumin - 1/2 tsp Curry leaves- a few Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds- 1/3 tsp Dry red chilly-2 Salt to taste Make a fine paste of coconut, chilly powder, and cumin. Add shallots and ginger and garlic in the end and give one quick pulse. Cook chopped kovakka/Ivy gourd and uppumanga/salted mangoes along with  turmeric,  green chilly and half cup of water....