Try these Vishu staples from different parts of Kerala

Traditional sadhana served on a banana leaf

Eng Pulley (Various Sectors)

Serving Size: 2 Cup | Cook Time: Prep Time: 15 mins | Cooking Time: 20 minutes

engine pulley

Component

• Tamarind – 1 lemon size piece

• Ginger – 200 grams

• Green chili – 5

• Jaggery – 100 grams

• Roasted Red Rice – 50 grams

• Chilli powder – 1 tsp

• Turmeric – 1 pinch

• Fenugreek powder – 1 tsp

• Water – 1 cup

• salt to taste

Preparation

1. Make a pulp by soaking tamarind in 1 cup of water, filter it in an earthen pot or pan, add chili powder, turmeric, salt and let it boil.

2. Cut ginger into thin pieces and fry in coconut oil till it becomes crisp.

3. Cut the green chillies into rounds and fry them too.

4. Grind the roasted ginger coarsely and add fried green chillies to the boiled tamarind water and mix it and keep cooking the mixture on the fire.

5. Keep boiling the mixture till the tamarind water evaporates and the mixture becomes thick.

6. Dry roast raw red rice, cool it and grind it in a grinder. Now put it in the mixture on the gas, mix, and cook for five minutes and turn off the heat. Your Puli Engi is ready to be served.

7. You can store it in an airtight clear glass container in the fridge and use it for a few weeks.

Recipe by Chef Tressa Francis, Founder, Papadum & Some, Bengaluru.

Vishu Kanji (Palakkad)

Serving Size: 2 | Cooking Duration: 2 hours

Vishu Kanji and Butter Beans Stir Fry | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Component

• Raw rice – 1/2 cup

• Matta Rice – 1/2 cup

• Moong dal (dry roasted with skin) – 1/2 cup

• Butter – 2 tsp

• water – 1 liter

• Grated Coconut – 1 cup

• salt to taste

Preparation

1. Cook all the ingredients except coconut in a pressure cooker (till six whistles come).

2. Add water to adjust the consistency. Sprinkle with grated coconut and serve hot Papadum And kondattam,

3. The variation in Kozhikode is cooking the rice in water, and adding coconut milk and ground cumin.

Recipe by Manjula Jyotiprakash, Spicy ‘n’ Easy (YouTube)

Vishu Katta (Thrissur)

Serving Size: 4-6 | Cooking Duration: 2 hours

Vishu katta served with jaggery syrup

Component

• Raw rice – 1 cup

• Milk extracted from two medium sized coconuts or 400 ml ready-to-use coconut milk

• Cumin – 1/2 tsp

• Dry ginger powder – 1/4 tsp

• salt to taste

Preparation

1. Soak the rice for one hour.

2. Start by extracting the coconut milk, the first extract should be without water ( onnampal,

3. Add hot water to the remaining part of grated coconut, and blitz in a mixer to extract semi-thin milk ( randaampal,

4. Repeat the process one more time for thinner milk ( Moonampaal) and keep aside. This should give you six cups.

5. cook in soaked rice (boil) moonampaalas it evaporates randaampal,

6. When the rice is three-fourth cooked, add salt and keep stirring it. OnampalCumin and dry ginger powder.

7. Keep one tablespoon of condensed milk aside.

8. Cook till the rice thickens and oil separates.

9. Transfer to a banana leaf or plate, grease with thick coconut milk and flatten.

10. Cut into squares when it cools down and serve with jaggery syrup.

Recipe by www.kothiyavunu.com

Karyappam (Kannur)

Karyappam | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Serving Size: 10-12 | Cooking Duration: 10 hours

Component

• Raw rice – 1 cup (soaked for 4 hours)

• Cooked Rice – 1 cup

• Maida – 1/2 cup

• Sugar – 3/4 cup

• Salt – 1 tsp

• Water – 1/2 cup

• Baking soda – ¼ tsp (before frying the appam)

• Coconut oil or refined oil for deep frying

Method

1. Grind together all the ingredients except baking soda.

2. If the mixture is too thick, add water and let it rest for eight hours or overnight.

3. add baking soda just before frying in a Appam / Paniyaram Cauldron

4. Serve when it cools down.

Recipe by Revathi Biju, Recipe by Revathi (YouTube)