Any dry vegetable side dish is referred as Upperi/thoran in Kerala cuisine. Pulikuthi upperi is a signature dish of Palakkad iyer cuisine. Its a medley of veggies cooked in tamarind and curry powder. And the most relished combination for this side is a simple Tomato rasam. This combo is often made during the monsoon season during when, piping hot rasam is preferred. In Kerala, during the rainy season, we get monsoon variety of Ladies finger and Brinjal. Those special varieties give an extra kick to the already delicious dish. I don't have the pictures of those monsoon veggies. Shall update it later. This is a dish which uses only traditional/naadan veggies. In most homes, the veggies will be often handpicked from their backyard.
You need
Brinjal - 3 nos
Raw plantain - 2 nos
Lady's finger - 8 nos
Arbi/Taro root/Chembu leaves - 4 nos
Green chilli - 3 nos, slit.
Turmeric - a big pinch
Tamarind - marble sized
Salt
To dry roast and powder
Raw rice - a fistful
Red chillies - 3 nos
Methi seeds - 1/2 tspn
Seasoning
Coconut oil - 1 tblspn
Few curry leaves
Dry roast rice and red chillies together till rice turns slightly brown.Add the methi seeds just few seconds before you switch off the fire, since it gets roasted fast. Cool and powder it. Keep it aside.
Wash and cut the vegetables in to 1 inch long pieces. Cut the arbi leaves into strips of 2 inch width. Roll and tie into a knot. Cook the vegetables in enough water with turmeric, salt and tamarind extract and green chillies. Vegetables can be cooked well or fork tender. Both ways it tastes good. Its up to each one's preference.
Wash and cut the vegetables in to 1 inch long pieces. Cut the arbi leaves into strips of 2 inch width. Roll and tie into a knot. Cook the vegetables in enough water with turmeric, salt and tamarind extract and green chillies. Vegetables can be cooked well or fork tender. Both ways it tastes good. Its up to each one's preference.
Once the vegetables are cooked, stir in the ground powder and cook till all the moisture dries up. If you like it mushy, you can stop cooking before it turns dry. Sprinkle a tablespoon of coconut oil and few curry leaves. The dish is mildly spiced with little tanginess from the tamarind. Serve with rice and bowl of tomato rasam.
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This dish really brought me back to Nemmara. Thanks for the same. And ur instant manga kari is a hit in my home too :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. Take Care !
Vidya, Thanks for the quick comment.
ReplyDeleteThis Palakkad special is new to me..I was wondering seeing what this pulikuthi is..looks healthy.
ReplyDeletegood one..easy to make and sounds so delicious too..would go so well with sambar rice..
ReplyDeleteTangy yummay delicious curry looks so mouthwatering and very new to me.
ReplyDeleteNew to me..nice recipe
ReplyDeleteJaya, this post has made me long for a good bout of rain.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy puliyakuthi upperi as is with rice and some papadam on the side.
Sounds delicious.
ReplyDeleteSOunds really nice,i usually make different,thanks for this wonderful recipe:)
ReplyDeleteTotally new. I have never seen combination of brinjal and raw plantain before.
ReplyDeleteMmmmmm Looks really delicious..
ReplyDeleteMoreover nice combo of veggies.
VERY NICE..WILL TRY THIS FOR SURE..HAVE BOOKMARKED IT:)
ReplyDeletepulikuthi recipe sounds tasty...something new to me!
ReplyDeleteyou have a nice space!
Nice one, actually very new to me. I have to try it sometime
ReplyDeleteSounds so yummy - completely new to me as well.
ReplyDeletehealthful medley of vegetables,looks tasty :D
ReplyDeletewow a palkad special curry ! Hand picked veggies from backyard.... makes me nostalgic:) BTW the upperi looks so delicious dear.
ReplyDeleteThis is so new for me...very interesting..
ReplyDeletethis is new to me and sounds yum! the combination of veggies sound good :)
ReplyDeleteSounds like a yummy recipe, Jayasree!
ReplyDeleteThis recipe is so interesting. Never heard of it.
ReplyDeleteAww... one of my favorites, thanks for sharing. Pulikuthi veggies are a nice change to the usual poduthuval and koottaan my mom used to make... your recipe brought back memories... I haven't had this dish in over a decade!
ReplyDeletehi, the recipe i had is different, but think this will be better and sounds really yummy..cud u explain how to tie tht knot with arbi leaves..i didnt understand tht part..
ReplyDeleteShankar, thanks for dropping by. If the arbi leaves are small, you start rolling from either of the broader side. And it will resemble like a rope. bring the ends together and put a knot. If the leaves are broader, cut into two and proceed. If you find this difficult, u can as well cut them into strips and add. I shall try to update the post with those pics soon, which will give a clear idea.
ReplyDelete