Delicious vegan dishes from Kerala

Delicious vegan dishes from Kerala

(sambar)

Kerala is the southernmost state in India. It is unique in many ways. It has the highest literacy rate in the country. The population is generally very hard working. A good number of the nurses are from Kerala and people do not hesitate to educate the girls unlike in some other parts of the country.

The majority of the people in Kerala consume meat, dairy and seafood products. However, many of the dishes, especially the traditional foods are vegan and have been so for centuries. People do not generally consume meat and fish in the morning.

(raw mango curry)

The health conscious are increasing in number and many are switching over to a vegan diet. Steemit has a lot of members who are vegans and spread the message too through their posts based on delicious vegan recipes. I recently read a post by @chetanpadliya and he mentioned that most of the hotels in his area do not cater to the vegan. I had remarked that many dishes in Kerala were indeed vegan and he agreed.

If you are not familiar with the Kerala cuisine, please do read about the dishes I mention below which is authentic to our state.

• Kadala curry

(puttu and kadala curry)

Kadala or Bengal gram is soaked overnight and then cooked with salt and water. Onions are stir fried in coconut oil and then added to the cooked kadala. Green chilies and spice powder (cinnamon powder or just any spice mix you prefer) is also added to increase the taste. Coconut milk can also be added if you like.

This is just the basic method but one can improvise accordingly.

The kadala curry is served as an accompaniment to Puttu which is a rice cake. Rice powder is mixed with shredded coconut and sprinkled with a little water and salt and stuffed inside a bamboo mould or a coconut shell and then steamed. We also get a metal mould.
The puttu – kadala curry is the unique breakfast dish of Kerala.

• The Appam and vegetable stew

(appam)

(vegetable curry)

Appam is a type of rice pancake. Raw rice is soaked and then ground along with coconut water and sometimes toddy is added for the batter to rise quickly. The appam is prepared on a special tawa or wok. It has a lid so that one side of the appam is steam cooked.
The appam can be had with any side dish but the most favourite is vegetable stew.

Vegetables like potato, carrot, green peas and beans are cooked in dilute coconut milk.
Spices like cinnamon and black pepper are added along with a pinch of cardamom powder. Those who like it hot can add green chilies and masala accordingly. Concentrated coconut milk is added just before switching off the stove.

Appam is also a common breakfast dish and can be got in any restaurant throughout the state. The appam is very soft and easy to digest. It can be given to sick people, toddlers too.

• Rice-green gram payasam
  
  (payasam) source

Raw rice is cooked along with split green gram. After it is cooked, crushed jaggery and coconut milk are added and mixed well. Concentrated coconut milk is added to the payasam to give a rich taste. Powdered cardamom and fried cashew nuts are then added to garnish the sweet dish. This sweet dish is prepared during festivals like Onam and Vishu and irrespective of religion; all people prepare this dish in houses. It is also available in restaurants and marriage feasts.

As you may have noticed, coconut milk is a staple ingredient in many curries. This is so because Kerala is the land of coconuts. People include the coconut in most curries.
Speaking of coconut, it is popular throughout the country and the rest of the world too. Sweets such as coconut laddoo and coconut burfi is very much loved y those with a sweet tooth.

• Tapioca curry (kappa)
  
  (tapioca curry)

Tapioca is known as the poor man’s food. It is easy to plant and maintain. The roots are harvested within six months. The root is cleaned and cut and cooked well. Plain cooked tapioca root is eaten by many people along with red/green chily chutney. Tapioca is also used in curries. Fried onions are added to tapioca and shredded coconut is used to garnish the curry. Sometimes, coconut is ground along with green chillies and added to the cooked tapioca root and this is known as the kappa puzhukku.

• Jackfruit
  
  (peeled ripe jackfruit)

Jackfruit is seasonal and therefore very valued by all people of the state. Raw jackfruit is used to make curries and papads. The ripe ones are used to make jams and payasams(sweet dish) too. It is now believed that jackfruit is very good for diabetics and therefore various jackfruit based products meant for diabetics are now available in the market.

The jackfruit jam is prepared by adding jaggery to cooked ripe jackfruit. So, it is healthy because white sugar is avoided. It can be stored for about a year, if refrigerated.

• Iddli/dosa
  
  (dosa)

Iddli/dosa is a common breakfast dish of south India. Raw rice is soaked along with urad dal and ground. The batter is left overnight to rise. Iddli mould is used to prepare iddlies/rice cakes which can be had along with chutney/mulaka podi/sambar. Chutney is ground coconut-chilly. Sambar is a vegetable soup dish and mulaka pod is a ground spice mix of red chilli-urad dal-asafoetida-fenugreek seeds and curry leaves. Mulaka podi or chilli powder when translated is mixed with a spoon of coconut oil and then had with iddli or dosa.
Dosa is a pancake like dish and very popular throughout the world.

Other dishes include curries like Aviyal, Puli inchi, Olan and so on. The raw mango and coconut milk curry is also a wide favourite. Snacks include banana fritters, bonda and sukhiyan and all of these are vegan.

(ela ada - a snack made by steaming rice pancake with coconut and jaggery filling)

Traditional methods of preparing coffee or tea use pine sugar and not white sugar. It is very healthy and milk is not added.

Dinner is usually broken rice porridge along with a vegan curry. Cottage cheese is never used in any traditional Kerala cuisine and will be available in north Indian restaurants or Punjabi dhabas.

The above post was written as a homework post for #thealliance

All images except one belong to sayee.