Puttu And Cherupayar Curry - Green Gram Curry

Puttu  & Cherupayar is the most common breakfast/lunch/dinner menu of Keralites.

Like Kadala curry, Cherupayar curry also goes very well with puttu.

This Cherupayar Curry can be prepared in a jiffy & tastes great with puttu.

This curry also goes well with Chapathis/rotis & rice as well. Enjoy!!!

Here is the recipe for Cherupayar curry -

Cherupayar Curry

(Green Gram Curry)

Ingredients

1 Cup Whole Green Gram

3 Green Chilles Slit 

1/2  Inch Ginger Grated or Finely chopped

1/2 Tsp Turmeric

1/2 Tsp Red Chiili Powder

1/2 Cup Grated Coconut - Ground to paste.

Seasoning

2-3 Tsp Oil 

1/2 Tsp Mustard Seeds

2-3 Dry Red Chilles Broken

Curry Leaves

Method

Soak the whole green gram in water for about 15-30 mins.

In a pressure pan, add the soaked & drained green gram. Add 3 Cups Or enough water to cover the green gram.

Add few curry leaves, grated ginger, slit green chilles & turmeric. Stir.

Pressure cook for 2 whistles and simmer for about 5 minutes & turn off the flame.

After the cooker has cooled & released the pressure open it & put it back on flame.

If there is very little or no water, just add little water, but not too much.

(This curry is supposed to be a bit thick & not watery.)

Add the chilli powder & salt. Stir well & simmer for 7-8 minutes.

Add the ground coconut. (Instead of grinding, grated coconut can be added, both tastes equally good.)

In a separate pan heat 2-3 tsp of oil for seasoning.

When the oil is hot, add mustard seeds. When they pop add the broken red chilles.

Stir for a second & add the curry leaves.

Add the seasoning to the green gram curry, simmer for 2-3 minutes before switching the flame off.

Serve along with Puttu.

Weekend Lunch Plate - 1

 

Our weekend lunch today was Rice, Tomato Mango Pappu, Vankaya perugu pachadi & Bitter gourd Theeyal.

Last week when DH went for grocery shopping, I had asked him to get bittergourd, and he got not 2 nor 3 but whole 6!!! what was I thinking sending him grocery shopping!! whew !! So I had to find ideas to get rid of the bittergourd before they went bad. 

I like eating bittergourd for health reasons, but many bitter gourd recipes calls for deep frying, which is a big no no for me. So when I saw Sig’s post on Bitter gourd theeyal, I was more than interested to try it as there was no deep frying involved. Usually I slice them in rounds & marinate in turmeric, salt, garam masala, chilli powder & aamchur powder  and oil for like an hour & microwave them. They turn out very crispy & crunchy.

I modified Sig’s recipe to my tastes and the outcome was super good. The spicy thick gravy with tamarind  and bittergourd was lipsmacking.  I know this is a keeper. Here is my version of the recipe.

BitterGourd Theeyal 

Ingredients

2 Med Bitter Gourds

7-8 Shallots (small onions)

1/2 tsp Ginger sliced

4 tsps Fresh Coconut grated

2-3 Red Chilles

1 tsp Dhania

7-8 Methi seeds

1/4 tsp Jeera / Cumin seeds 

2 green chilles

1/2 tsp Tamarind paste (store bought)

Curry leaves.

For Seasoning -

Oil, Mustard seeds

Method -

Dry Roast  Grated coconut untill slightly reddish. Remove. 

Dry Roast Red chilles, Dhania, Jeera, Methi for 2-3 minutes. Remove.

Heat a tsp of oil and ad the shallots halved & sliced ginger. Saute for a few minutes, until reddish. Remove.

Grind all the above together to a smooth paste with water.

I usually slice the bittergourds & add salt & keep it for an hour or so to remove the bitterness. 

Wash the bittergourds 2 -3 times to remove excess salt.

Microwave the sliced bittergourds with little water and turmeric, for 3 minutes.

Heat 3-4 tsps of oil add the MW’d bittergourd slices & slit green chilles. Saute until the edges turn brown ,

like 7-8 mins. Add the grounded masala along with little water, curry leaves, tamarind paste and salt.

Cook for a few minutes untill gravy thicks.

In another pan add 3-4 tsps of oil, (adding a little more oil adds to the taste) add mustard, when it pops add the gravy & saute for few more minutes.

Serve Hot.