Beetroot Mezhukupuratti / Stirfry

Ingredients

Beetroot - 2 medium
Small onion - 3-4
Green chilly - 2
Garlic - 1 clove
Oil - 1 tbsp
Water - about 1/4 cup
Salt - as per taste
Pepper powder - 1 tsp (as per taste)
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig



Method

1. Cut the beetroot into thin slices (as thin as possible, as cooking time is high for beets).
2. Heat a kadai, add oil. When hot, splutter the mustard seeds. Add the sliced small onions, green chilly and crushed garlic. Saute for a minute. Add the curry leaves.
3. Add the sliced beetroot and mix well.  Let it cook on a medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Now add water, close kadai with a lid and allow the beets to cook thoroughly. Check them in between to check if all water has evaporated. If needed, add more water till whole thing is cooked.
4. Once all water has evaporated and beets are cooked, sprinkle salt and pepper powder. Let them cook in the open pan for about 4-5 minutes so that the moisture dries up a bit.

Potato Mezhukupuratti / Stir Fry

My favourite accompaniment for rice...can be made in no time..

Ingredients

Potatoes - 2 medium
Big Onion - 1 medium
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Chilly powder - 1 tsp, more if needed
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt - as needed



Method

1. Wash, peel and slice the potatoes into thin strips.
2. Heat a kadai or non-stick pan, add oil. When the oil is hot enough, splutter mustard seeds.
3. Add thinly sliced onions and saute for 2 min.
4. Add the potato slices, turmeric powder, curry leaves and salt. Give a good mix. Sprinkle some water. Cover with a lid and cook for approximately 5-6 min.
6. Check in between. If potatoes start sticking to bottom of pan, sprinkle some more water. When the potatoes are cooked, open the lid and sprinkle the chilly powder. Stir gently to combine everything together. Let the whole thing get cooked for another minute for so.

Brinjal Stir Fry / Vazhuthananga Mezhukupuratti

Another side dish, using home-grown brinjals that my MIL sent.

Ingredients

Small brinjals - 4-5 nos
Shallots - 4-5
Garlic - 2 big cloves
Curry leaves - 1 spring
Chilly powder - 1 tsp (as per your tolerance)
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Salt - as per taste
Coconut/any oil - 2 tbsp



Method

1. Wash brinjals thoroughly under running water. Cut them into thin slices, and put them in a bowl of water as soon as you cut them. Add a little salt to this water.
2. Crush the shallots and garlic together
3. Heat oil in a kadai, and add the crushed mixture. Saute till they turn light brown and slightly crispy. Throw in the curry leaves.
4. Add the chilly powder and turmeric powder, and saute till raw smell is gone.
5. Now drain sliced brinjals from the water and add to the kadai. Mix thoroughly. Add salt
6. Close the lid and cook till the brinjal are soft and cooked. You will need to sprinkle some water in between.

Beans - Carrot Stirfry / Mezhukupuratti

A quick, easy side dish for rice..



Ingredients

Chopped beans - 2 cups
Chopped carrot - 1 cup
Sliced onion - 1 small
Green chilly, slit - 2
Garlic, crushed - 1 pod
Curry leaves - 3-4
Salt - as per taste
Oil - 1 tbsp

Method

Heat a pan, and add oil. Once hot, add the sliced beans, carrot, chilly, garlic and curry leaves. Stir well. Do not close the vessel. After couple of minutes sprinkle some salt. Keep stirring to ensure that the veggies donot stick to bottom of the vessel. Once cooked, remove from heat and serve with rice.

Achinga payar mezhukupuratti / Long String Beans stir fry

A great accompaniment for rice along with fish curry and moru kaachiyathu. I have seen the same dish prepared in Kottayam side in a different way - adding sliced coconut and using green chillies instead of chilly powder. But I guess I inherited my taste buds from my grandmom and prefers chilli powder for all my mezhukupuratis...the chilly powder provides an instant kick to your taste buds. I just love that kick especially when other curries are bland or subtle, like thoran, fish curry in coconut gravy, moru kachiyathu etc. So here goes my favourite mezhukupuratti recipe.

Ingredients

Long string beans / achinga payar - 3 cups, washed, cleaned and cut

Shallots - 6-8, crushed

Garlic - 4 big pods, crushed

Chilly powder - 1.5 tsp (as per your tolerance level)

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Salt - as per taste

Coconut oil - 2 tbsp

Method

Boil the chopped string beans in enough water and salt. Once cooked, drain the water and keep it aside. In a kadai, add oil. Once hot, add the crushed onions, garlic and curry leaves. Saute well till its brown and almost crisp. Now add the chilly powder and saute till the raw smell goes. Add the cooked string beans and mix well. Saute till the mezhukupuratti is almost dry and then switch off the stove. Serve with some hot rice.

                      

Kovakka / Ivy gourd quick fry

This is an easy and quick recipe ..and which makes an excellent side dish for rice or even rotis.

Ingredients

Thinly sliced ivy gourd / kovakka - 2 cups
Salt - as per taste
Chilly powder - 2 tsp

Oil -  as needed to fry

Method

Marinate sliced kovakka with salt and chilly powder and let is sit for atleast 10 minutes. Heat a kadai and add atleast 3 tbsp of oil. Once its hot, place 1 tbsp of marinated kovakka and fry them. Keep stirring in between. It should be removed from oil within around 4 minutes. Drain oil completely.

Ethakka / Raw Plantain Mezhukupuratti

A good side dish for our kutahri choru...



Ingredients

Ethakkaya / raw plantains - 2 , washed, cleaned and diced
Small onion - 5-6, crushed
Garlic - 3 cloves, crushed
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Chilly powder - 1 tsp (as per tolerance)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - as per taste
Coconut oil - 2 tbsp



Method

Boil the diced plantain with turmeric powder, salt and enough water. Once its cooked, drain the water and keep it aside. In a kadai, add the oil. Once hot, add the crushed onion and garlic along with the curry leaves. Let it get sauteed well, till almost crisp. Now add chilly powder and saute till the raw smell goes. Now add the cooked plantains and mix well. Let the mixture be on heat for couple of minutes more, stirring in between. Then remove from heat and enjoy with steaming kuthari choru..

Chena /Yam Mezhukupuratti

One of the common mezhupuratis in our house....and we all love it.



Ingredients

Chena / Yam - 2 cups (cleaned and cut into thin slices - the size of french fries)
Small onions - 6-7
Garlic - 4, big cloves
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilly powder - 1 tbsp (as per tolerance)
Salt - as per taste
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Coconut oil - 1 tbsp



Method

Boil the yam slices in enough water with little salt and turmeric powder. Once properly cooked, take it off the stove and drain off enough water. Keep it aside.
Crush small onions and garlic using mortar and pestle.
Heat a kadai and add oil. Once hot, add crushed ingredients along with curry leaves and saute till they are almost crisp. Add chilly powder and saute till raw smell is gone. Now add the cooked yam and gently mix everything together. Let it be on heat for atleast couple of minutes. Once the mixture is dry, take it off the stove.

Koorka Mezhukupuratti / Chinese Potato stir fry

Straight into the recipe of this delicious side dish. The chinese potatoes or koorka tastes the best with beef (Beef um Koorkayum olarthiyathu). I didn't have beef in stock, so had to find comfort in this mezhukupuratti.

Ingredients

Koorka / chinese potato - 2 cups (washed, cleaned and cut)
Small onions - 5-6
Garlic - 3 cloves big
Chilly powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - as per taste
Coconut oil - 2 tbsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Method

Boil the cleaned and cut koorka with enough water, salt and turmeric powder. Cook till its done and then take it off the stove and drain water. Keep it aside.

Crush small onion and garlic using mortar and pestle. Add oil to a kadai. When hot, add the crushed onions and garlic and curry leaves too. Saute well, till they are almost crisp. Now add chilly powder, saute till the raw smell is gone. Now add the cooked koorka into this and mix it well with the masala. Let it be on stove for couple of minutes. Then switch off the stove and serve with steaming kuthari choru...it tastes yum!!

Cauliflower Mezhukupuratti

This is a simple yet delicious cauliflower preparation..and the preparation is just like any other mezhukupuratti. just boil with some salt and turmeric powder and then saute with crushed small onion, garlic and red chilly..Done! Enjoy with steaming rice and some kachiya moru.



Ingredients

Cauliflower florets - 3 cups
Small onion - 3-4
Garlic - 2 cloves
Curry leaves - 5-6
Chilly powder - 1 tsp (as per tolerance)
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - as per taste
Coconut oil - 1 tbsp



Method

Boil the cauliflower florets with some water, salt and turmeric. Once almost cooked, drain the water and keep aside. In a kadai, add 1 tbsp coconut oil. Once hot, add the crushed small onions and garlic. Add curry leaves and saute well, till they are almost crisp. Now add the chilly powder, mix well and then add the cooked cauliflower. Mix well. If required sprinkle some more water. Switch off the stove.

Variations :

You can sprinkle some garam masala towards the end, if you'd like the side dish to be spicy.