South India: Green Palm Homes Part II

Green Palm Homes

I mentioned to Thomas that I was interested in learning some Keralan recipes. By the first day, we were seriously into their home cooked food. Keralan cooking is heavy on coconut and warm, earthy curries. Each meal we had always had three or more dishes, always freshly made--- curried chicken, squid or potatoes, Keralan rice (with a fat, nutty and starchy grain), onions salads, buttermilk sauce, fried river fish, pickled green mango, chapattis/papadums.

Thomas' mother first gave me a tour of their backyard, where they grow five different kinds of bananas (!!!), mango, ginger, turmeric, allspice, cinnamon, curry leaf, mace, tamarind and guava. She explained that when the rains arrive, they start planting their vegetable crops.

Their pantry was chock-full of spices: mustard seeds, fenugreek, cloves, chili powder, turmeric powder, asafoetida (for pickling), coriander, anise, cardamom and black pepper.

She showed me how to prepare two dishes. I just observed and did not take notes, hence the lack of measurements in the following recipes:

Curried chinese potato
(Chinese potato is a local tuber, about 1 inch long and looks like a miniature yautia. It tastes remarkably like a regular potato.)

Ing: coconut oil, mustard seeds, curry leaves, turmeric, chili powder, coriander, chopped onions, chopped chinese potato, chopped coconut meat.

1. Heat coconut oil till smoking. Add mustard seeds and fry till they release their flavor. Add curry leaves and continue stir-frying for approximately 5 minutes, until the leaves release their flavor.

2. Ad turmeric, chili powder and coriander. Mix the now curry-paste frequently so it does not stick.

3. After about three minutes, add the chopped onions, chopped coconut meat and chopped chinese potato. Stir for a bit. Add some water, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally. Dish is done when the potatoes are tender and the sauce is reduced to a very thick, almost dry, consistency.

Keralan Curried Fish
Ing: coconut oil, mustard seeds, curry leaf, turmeric, chili powder, paste (made of onions, ginger and garlic), Malabar tamarind (can use regular tamarind), chunks of firm-fleshed fish.

1. Heat coconut oil till smoking. Add mustard seeds and fry about five minutes, or until they release their flavor. Add curry leaves and stir-fry for another three minutes.

2. Add turmeric and chili powder, continue stirring so it does not stick to the pan.

3. Add onion-ginger-garlic paste and continue to fry until fragrant.

4. Thin the curry paste with some water. Add malabar tamarind and some water, cover and simmer for about five minutes. Add fish chunks, cover and simmer for about fifteen to twenty more minutes, or until fish is cooked through.