Malabar Cuisine

2021-11-29T10:32:00.000-08:00

Malabar forming the northern Kerala is a mix of cultures. Malabar cuisine is noted for its variety of pancakes and steamed rice cakes made from pounded rice. Malabar food is generally mildly flavored and gently cooked.
The mutton is cooked tender, the rice flaky and delicately spiced with the right portions of condiments, to leave the taste lingering for long. That is the special brand of Malabari Moppila biriyani. Biriyani - whether mutton, chicken, fish or prawn - is the USP of malabar cuisine.

Popular Dishes and Recipes

2020-12-09T22:55:00.000-08:00

Click on the dishes below to get the recipe (Ingredients and Cooking Instructions)

1. Malabar Fish Curry------------------------11. Pazhampori
2. Masala Lobster----------------------------12. Jeeraka Kanji
3. Milagu Kari--------------------------------13. Vazhaa Halwa (Banana Halwa)
4. Prawn Biryani
5. Appam
6. Fish Pickle
7. Mango Pulisheri
8. Avial
9. Ada Prathaman
10. Coconut Prawn Gravy

Kuzhalappam

2008-09-10T08:49:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

1 kg Rice flour, sifted
½ kg sugar
1 Coconut
1 cup red onion (shallots)
¼ cup Garlic
1 tsp Cumin
10 gms Cardamom
25 gms sesame seeds
Salt to taste

Cooking Instructions :

- Grind together coconut, onions, garlic, cardamom, sugar to a fine paste and add salt to taste.
2. Roast the rice flour.
3. Mix the flour and ground to paste with the coconut paste.
4. Add sesame and cumin seeds.
5. Mix and knead well.
6. Roll into small chapatis and paste the two ends together, looking like a cylinder and then deep fry in oil.
7. Wrap in paper towels.
8. This stays for a long time.

Jeeraka Kanji

2008-01-17T06:09:00.001-08:00

Ingredients:

250 gms - Rice
1/2 Cup - Coconut
2 tsp - Cumin seeds
1/4 tsp - Turmeric powder
1 no - Onion - chopped
Salt to taste.

Cookig Instructions :

- Grind coconut, cumin seed, turmeric, and onion to a smooth paste.
- Wash and cook the rice in sufficient water till well cooked.
- Add the ground mixture, salt and sufficient water.
- Boil again for few minutes and remove from fire, Serve hot.

Banana Halwa

2008-01-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

Ingredients :
4 nos - Ripe bananas
4 tbsp - Sugar
3 tsp - Ghee
1/4 tsp - Elaichi Powder

Cooking Instructions :

- Peel off and chop the bananas into pieces.
- Cook the banana pieces on medium flame and keep stirring.
- Add to it, ghee and elaichi powder.
- Add sugar after 4-5 minutes.
- Keep stirring till the mixture becomes viscous like halwa.
- Banana Halwa is ready.
- Serve it with bread toast.

Pazhampori

2008-01-17T05:49:00.000-08:00

Ingredients :

100 gms - Refined flour
4 nos - Bananas (Ripe)
1/4 tsp - Cumin seeds
100 gms - Sugar
Refined oil to fry
Food colour (yellow) colour

Cooking Instructions :

- Peel bananas and slit them into long pieces.
- Combine together the flour, sugar, cumin seeds and yellow colour.
- Prepare a batter with this mixture.
- Heat the refined oil.
- Dip the banana slices in batter and deep fry in the oil.
- Pazhampori is ready to serve.

Fish Pickle

2007-12-11T21:47:00.002-08:00

Ingredients :

1/4 kg - Fish, cut into cubes
1 No - Onion, sliced
1 Inch - Ginger
1 No - Garlic Flake
1 Tsp - Chilly powder
1/2 tsp - Turmeric
1 tsp - Mustard
1 tsp - Methi
3 Nos - Curry Leaves
1/2 Cup - Oil
1/2 Cup - Vinegar
10 Nos - Cloves
Salt to taste

Cooking Instructions :

- Apply a little chilly powder and salt on fish and dry in the sun for a day.
- Heat oil and fry fish, keep it aside.
- Roast mustard and methi and grind it fine with rest of the ingredients.
- Heat oil in a pan.
- Fry the onions until brown, and then add the ground masala.
- Combine vinegar and mix it properly with the fish.
- The pickle can be stored for a month.

Mango Pulisheri

2007-12-11T21:47:00.001-08:00

Ingredients :

1 No - Ripe Mango
3 tbsp - Onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
2 tsp - Ginger
4 tbsp - Curd
5 Nos - Dry chillies
1 Cup - Coconut, grated
2 tsp - Mustard
3 tsp - Oil
5 Nos - Curry leaves
Salt to taste
Water as required

Cooking Instructions :

- Slice the mangoes into medium size pieces.
- Add onions, ginger, turmeric powder and salt to the mangoes and boil it till the mangoes are completely cooked.
- Grind the grated coconut and curd together.
- Combine it with the cooked mangoes.
- Take a pan and heat oil in it, add mustard, dry chillies and curry leaves to it.
- Add the mango mixture to the pan and simmer for about 30 seconds.
- Mango Pulissery is ready to serve.

Appam

2007-12-11T21:44:00.002-08:00

Ingredients :
1/2 Cup - Cooked rice
1/2 kg - Raw rice
1 No - Grated coconut
3 tsp - Sugar
1/2 tsp - Yeast
Salt to taste

Cooking Instructions :

- Soak raw rice for about 4 hours and drain.
- Blend with cooked rice and grated coconut in a mixie.
- Mix sugar, yeast and salt in boiled water. Leave it for half an hour.
- Add this mixture to the above grinded mixture.
- Leave the mixture for fermentation for 8 hours.
- Spread this fermented mixture in a non-stick pan.
- Put a lid on the pan and heat it for 2 minutes.
- Appam is ready. Serve it with potato curry.

Avial

2007-12-11T21:44:00.001-08:00

Ingredients :

3/4 kg - Vegetables (drumsticks, brinjals, yam, string beans, raw banana, ash gourd, ridge gourd)
2 Nos - Large onions
1 tbsp - Tamarind paste
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp - Red chilli powder
8 Nos - Green chillies
1 Cup - Grated coconut
2 tbsp - Oil
1 Tsp - Mustard Seeds
6 Nos - Curry leaves
Salt to taste
Water as required

Cooking Instructions :

- Wash, peel and cube the vegetables.
- Slightly cook drum sticks with salt.
- Grind the coconut,green chillies, salt, tamarind extract to form a fine paste.
- Boil water in a skillet and add cubed vegetables.
- Mix red chilli and turmeric powder with it.
- Cook the vegetables properly.
- Add coconut paste. Stir it.
- Now cook over low heat for about 15 minutes.
- Take a small pan and heat oil.
- Splutter mustard seeds and add the curry leaves to it.
- Saute until the leaves change colour.
- Now pour over the cooked vegetables.

Ada Prathaman

2007-12-11T21:42:00.000-08:00

Ingredients :

1/2 Cup - Ada
4 Nos - Green cardamoms
1 tbsp - Sugar
1/4 Cup pure ghee
12 Cashewnuts
2 tbsp Kishmish
1-1/2 Cups coconut (scraped)
1 Cup palm jaggery

Cooking Instructions :

- Heat 2 tbsp ghee and fry ada.
- Grind cardamoms and sugar together to a fine powder, and place aside.
- Heat 2 tbsp ghee and saute the cashewnuts and kishmish until light brown.
- Immerse coconut in one cup hot water, grind and extract thick milk.
- Repeat the process, make a second extract and set aside.
- Crush jaggery to a fine powder, keep it aside.
- Bring ada to a boil in one cup water and the second extract of coconut milk.
- Ada should remain smooth but hold its shape.
- Add jaggery with it and continue cooking until it thickens.
- Heat the remaining ghee and add this to the pradhaman.
- Mix the first extract of coconut milk and the fried dry fruits with it, stir well and heat thoroughly.
- Sprinkle with the cardamom powder.

Coconut Prawn Gravy

2007-12-11T21:41:00.001-08:00

Ingredients :

500 gms - Prawns
2 nos - Onions
2 nos - Tomatoes
1/4 tsp - Fennel seeds
1 tsp - Turmeric powder
2 tsp - Chilly powder
3 tsp - Coriander powder
4 nos - Green chillies (chopped)
3 nos - Garlic flakes (crushed)
2 tbsp - Coconut oil
1 Cup - Coconut
2 tbsp - Tamarind paste
2 Cups - Water
5 nos - Curry leaves
Salt to taste

Cooking Instructions :

- Chop the onions and tomatoes.
- Wash and clean the prawns.
- Heat 1 tsp coconut oil.
- Fry grated coconut, fennel seeds and chopped onions till brown.
- Blend it well with water.
- Roast the turmeric powder, chilli powder and coriander powder.
- Mix the roasted powders with chopped tomatoes, garlic, blended coconut, salt and tamarind paste.
- Now add 2 cups water and cook till the mixture turns thick.
- Add prawns and cook till done and mix green chillies.
- Heat the oil, fry curry leaves.
- Adorn with fried curry leaves.
- Coconut prawn gravy is ready.

Malabar Fish Curry

2007-12-09T20:42:00.000-08:00

Ingredients :

200 gms - Fish (preferably seer)
200 gms - Oil
50 gms - ginger, sliced
10 nos - green chilies, halved
10 gms - red chili peppers
1 cup - coriander leaves, chopped
3 nos - curry leaves
25 gms - coriander powder
10 gms - cumin
1 cup - grated coconut
50 gms - coconut oil
2 cups - chopped onions
5 gms - fenugreek seeds
10 gms- mustard seeds
100 gms - tamarind pulp, diluted in 2 tbsp of water
150 gms tomatoes, chopped
10 gms turmeric powder
salt to taste

Cooking Instructions :

- Heat oil in a heavy bottomed vessel.
- Add chopped onions, green chillies, ginger, curry leaves and mustard seeds.
- When the onions are fried, add tamarind water and tomatoes.
- Stir and allow to cook for 2 minutes.
- Add chilli power, turmeric power, coriander powder and salt.
- Cook for a further 2 minutes.
- Add coconut paste and allow to cook for ½ hr.
- Add fish slices, stir gently.
- Cover the heavy bottomed vessel, lower heat, and allow to cook for 5 minutes.
- Check salt.
- Serve hot with boiled rice.

Masala Lobster

2007-11-29T10:41:00.000-08:00

Ingredients :

• 3 Lobsters (boiled)
• 1 Onion (chopped)
• 1 Onion (chinks)
• 6 Garlic flakes (mashed)
• 1 Ginger
• 3 Tomatoes (slices)
• 4 Green chillies (chopped)
• 2 tsp Chilli powder
• 1 tsp Turmeric powder
• Chopped coriander
• Oil for frying
• Salt to taste

Cooking Instructions :

- Clean the boiled lobster and cut into slices.
- Marinate with turmeric powder.
- Heat the oil.
- Fry the sliced lobster over medium heat.
- Keep it aside.
- Heat the oil again.

- Fry ginger, garlic and onions till brown.
- Mix turmeric powder and chilli powder.
- Stir it properly.
- Now add fried lobster slices and onions.
- Fry for few minutes.
- Pour 1 cup water and salt.
- Boil it for 5 minutes.
- Adorn with chopped coriander, green chilies and sliced tomatoes.

Milagu Kari

2007-11-29T10:39:00.000-08:00

Ingredients :

• 1/2 kg Mutton
• 1/2 Inch piece of ginger
• 2 Onions
• 1/2 tsp Pepper
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds
• 1 Cup grated coconut
• 1 tbsp Oil
• 2 Cups water
• Salt to taste

Cooking Instructions :

- Make fine paste of ginger and garlic.
- Heat little oil in a pan and fry ginger-garlic paste in it.
- Add onions and again fry well.
- Now add mutton pieces along with salt and water.
- Allow the mixture to cook.
- Blend coconut, ginger and pepper.
- Add the above coconut masala to the cooked meat and allow it to boil till the mixture turns into thick gravy.
- Milagu Kari is ready. Serve it with rice.

Prawn Biryani

2007-11-29T10:36:00.000-08:00

Ingredients :

• 3 Cups prawns (chopped)
• 3 Cups rice
• 1 tsp Turmeric powder
• 3 tsp Tandoori masala
• 2 Garlic flakes
• 1 Ginger
• 4 Chillies
• 1 Onion
• 4 Cloves
• 4 Peppercorns
• 2 Cardamoms
• 2 tbsp Chopped coriander
• 6 Cups water
• Oil for frying
• Salt to taste

Cooking Instructions :

- Wash and clean the prawns.
- Wash and clean the rice.
- Grind garlic, ginger and chillies to make a paste.
- Chop the onions.
- Add chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt and tandoori masala to the cleaned prawns.
- Mix it well.
- Keep the mixture aside.
- Heat the oil.
- Add cloves, peppercorns and cardamoms.
- Mix garlic ginger chilli paste.
- Fry it and chopped onions.
- Fry the onions till translucent.
- Add washed rice and fry for few minutes.
- Now add prawn mixture and fry for few minutes.
- Pour 6 cups of water and cook till rice is properly cooked.
- Adorn with chopped coriander leaves.