A

Taste of Malabar

A Keralan Cookbook

with Team LandBarge

A Taste of Malabar

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(From left to right) Top row: Coconut Rice, Green Banana Bajji, Kootu Curry Bottom row: Fish Mollee, Fish Pollichathu, Malabar Paratha

A Taste of Malabar

Green Banana Bajji

1. Mix with hands, making paste: - 2 spoons chick pea powder - 3 spoons rice powder - 3 spoons wheat flour - 2 spoons chili powder - 1 tsp turmeric - 2 tsp garam masala - 20 curry leaves, julienned - 1 tsp cumin - 1 tsp cumin seeds - 1 tsp salt - 1 tsp fennel seeds - 1 pinch of fenugreek - 1 tsp chaat masala - 1 tbs ginger - 1 tbs garlic - 1 tsp Asafoetida powder - 1 glass water 2. Add one more glass of water and 20 julienned coriander leaves 3. Bathe long slices of peeled green banana 4. Let sit in bowl with batter for 20 minutes 5. Fry in coconut oil. This batter is the same as is used for pakora.

A Taste of Malabar

Malabar Paratha

1. Mix 200 grams white wheat flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 tbs sugar, glass cow milk and water until doughy 2. Push dough in outward motion, off main dough ball, until it rips. Repeat over and over and over. 3. Roll into ball and drizzle with veg. oil. Let sit for 20-30 minutes 4. Finger into small balls by folding corners into a ball, pushing through index and thumb, pinch of into tennis-sized balls 5. Roll into 2mm think rounds 6. With chameleon-esque hands, grab edges of flattened dough. Right hand has thumb up, left hand has thumb down. 7. In smooth motion, lift, flip, and slam down onto table. Dough will get thinner and thinner. 8. Once it tears, stretch it into half-meter length. 9. Drizzle a little flour on the length of the dough, and rub a few drops of vegetable oil into the length. 10. Roll the length in a croissant or cinnamon-roll fashion. Tuck tail of dough under and into the center of the dough roll. 11. Flatten with rolling pin into paratha shape. 12. Place onto hot griddle with a few drops of vegetable oil. 13. Paratha is finished once both sides are golden brown. 14. Take hot paratha off griddle, and slide hands across table, vigorously crushing paratha, giving it characteristic flakey paratha appearance. 15. Rub butter in between hot parathas before serving, to taste.

A Taste of Malabar

Kootu Curry

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Crack 1 coconut, grate out meat (or just buy 1 coconut worth of meat) Heat wok on range with cup coconut oil and 1 tsp mustard seeds Add 2 tbs ginger, 1 chopped red onion (Indian size), 3 whole dried red chilies, and chosen vegetables (we used potato, green banana, carrots, eggplant, pumpkin, okra, yellow cucumber, and green beans) After stirring for 2 minutes, add 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp red chili powder, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp salt. Blend the grated coconut, big pinch of chopped garlic, and 2 whole green chilies. Add this to the wok with cup of water. Let simmer for 5 minutes Add 20 curry leaves, a dash of coconut oil, and a cup of curd. Continue to simmer and cook.

A Taste of Malabar

Fish Pollichathu

1. Make 2-3 inch long hash-mark incisions on outside of filet of white fish 2. Mix with hands into paste: 2 tbs chopped onion 1 tbs chopped garlic 1 tbs chopped ginger 2 tsp red chili powder 1 tsp turmeric 1 tsp salt 1.5 tsp garam masala 20 coriander leaves, julienned 1 large pinch wheat flour 2 tsp white vinegar 1-2 tbs coconut oil 3. Rub into both sides of fish. Let sit for 5 minutes. 4. Put fish in hot frying pan with rest of rub, fry both sides for 10 minutes 5. Toss fish into wok of spices (see below) for 4 minutes 6. Soften banana leaf directly over fire (aluminum foil can be used instead) 7. Tie fish into banana leaf (or foil) with all sauce and sprig of curry leaves 8. Place onto cast iron flat griddle. Cover and steam for 2.5 minutes each side. 9. Directions for number 8. Cook for 5 minutes, before adding fish. 1 large squirt of coconut oil 1 tsp fennel seeds 1 tsp turmeric 1 tsp chopped garlic and ginger 2 chopped onions 1 cinnamon stick (broken) 2 tsp garam masala 2 chopped, peeled tomatoes 3 tsp coriander seed 2 tsp chili powder 4 masala leaves 1 tsp salt grated coconut 1/3 cup water

A Taste of Malabar

Coconut Rice

1. Mix in pan on range: cup coconut oil, tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp mustard seeds 2. Add: a. 1 chopped onion b. 5 curry leaves c. 5 masala leaves d. 2 dried red chilies e. grated coconut 3. Add precooked (steamed) 50 grams basmati rice with 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar, and 1 tsp garam masala

A Taste of Malabar

Fish Mollee

Add sequentially to hot wok on range: - cup coconut oil - 1 tsp mustard seed - 1 tsp fenugreek seeds - 2 dried red chilies - 20 whole curry leaves - chopped onion - 1 tsp ginger in long, thin slices - 3 cloves sliced garlic - carrot julienned - green pepper julienned - 3 green chilies sliced length-wise - coconut, grated and blended with a little water and then strained (leaving just coconut milk). Could use cup of canned coconut milk instead. - 2/3 glass cow milk - 1/3 glass water - tsp turmeric powder - tsp red chili powder - 1 tsp salt - 1 large fillet of white fish (butterfish) sliced into chunks

A Taste of Malabar

A Kolkata garnish: Bengali Tomato/Date Chutney

Ingredients: 3-4 medium ripe tomatoes 5-6 dates (chopped) 1 dry red chili tsp mustard seeds tsp grated ginger 2/3 tsp cooking oil cup jaggery or so to suit your taste (brown sugar or sugar can also be used) Directions: 1. Heat oil in a pan and temper it with mustard seeds and red chili 2. Add the tomatoes and cook it with closed lid on medium-low heat till the water from the tomatoes disappear 3. Add jaggery, ginger, and dates and cook for another 2-3 minutes. It will become a think mix and everything will blend together. 4. Serve warm or cold.