Guess what, today is in fact the first day of Onam, the Atham. Sighhh!! Dad, maa called me and I was taken aback when they said today is Atham , we are damn busy with cleaning and other preparation etc.. Well, I was like I thought it was two days back ...and that would be ten days exactly to the main Onam day and I was literally celebrating it virtually since two days :P..looks like I became over nostalgicc this time,quite proactive :P but yeah it is not as it's all some astrological stuff in Malayalam calendar, star related which tends to change their positions something and so do the dates of celebration I heard and it confuses me every time until someone would reconfirm it to me. Now I know why my parents asked me to have a Malayalam calendar to make sure but unfortunately this time I could not get one. Anyways, we usually are not that bothered with each day of Onam that much as the finale itself. Those 10 days do have their own significance but are mostly all about day by day preparations for the finale and matters the most especially when you are in your home town in Kerala. So, needless to say Thiruonam counts the most,should not be confused and missed. The rest is just for the records.
Do you know I celebrate my birthday twice a year - one as per English calendar (my DOB) and the other by Malayalam calendar . ...I believe in the English one and my mom prefer the Malayalam one .Since it's birthday I don't mind celebrating twice or thrice as I love wishes and gifts and who doesn't :P . Thanks to the astrology stuff here otherwise it's confusing at times.
Anyways,today I am gonna post another unavoidable Onam sadya curry, Pulissery .Puli means Tangy.So basically it's a combination of sour and sweet curry. Hardly any spice ,a simple yet flavorful curry that goes well with rice .Usually made with yogurt,coconut,and vegetables like Ash Gourd,Pumpkin,Yam,ripe Mango,Pineapple,ripe Plantain or raw Banana especially, though nowadays there are many varieties apart from these typical ones. I made a Vazhakka/Raw Banana and pineapple combo pulissery.Raw Banana ( no ripe ones) for bites and Pineapple for a sweet flavor.It's not must to use them both ,any one of them will be enough as well.
Here is how I made my Vazhakka Pineapple Pulissery :
Ingredients :
Diced Vazhakka/Raw Banana - 1 cup
Diced Pineapple - 1/2 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Red Chili powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Yogurt/Curd - 1/2 cup
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Green Chili - 1-2 nos.
Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt - To taste
For Tempering -
Coconut oil - 1 tablespoon
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
Minced small onion - 1 no.
Dry Red chili - 2 no.
Curry leaves - one sprig
Preparation method :
- Boil the diced Vazhakka , pineapple, turmeric and red chili powders in a pan until they are soft and tender and not mushy.
- Grind the coconut,cumin,green chili into a smooth paste with a tablespoon or more water.
- Heat a pan with preferably coconut oil (for Kerala taste) and splutter mustard seeds,fenugreek (don't burn it),minced small onion (till it browns lightly),red chili and a few curry leaves.
- Now put the boiled tender vazhakka,pineapple (Step 1) into this .
- Give a stir and add the ground paste (Step 2).
- Now finally add the yogurt and boil it .
- When the curry comes to the boiling point,immediately lower the flame to avoid curdling and let it simmer for a minute or two.
- That's it the sweet and sour Raw Banana pineapple pulissery is ready to be served.
- Enjoy it with rice.
Happy Onam preparation,
