Kousa Thoran

 

Kousa is zucchini in Arabic.

 

Thoran is a Keralite dish. This popular and common dish is usually prepared to be eaten along with steamed rice. It is usually served as part of the Sadhya along with other dishes.

 

Kousa Thoran (Original recipe by Momachi)

4 kousa - Take white zucchini and cut into half then cut into further small pieces.

4 tblspn coconut milk pwd

6 green chillies - cut into small pieces

1 tsp jeera

1 tsp mustard/rai seeds

1 stalk of curry leaves

Salt to taste

2 dried red chillies broken into 3 pieces

1 onion - chopped finely

1/4 tsp tumeric/haldi pwd

 

Mix the coconut pwd, grn chillies, onions, salt, tumeric pwd and curry leaves in a bowl.

 

Season the kousa with the above mixture.

 

In a frying pan:

Take 2 tsp oil - heat a bit, then add the mustard seeds and let it split, then add the jeera, red chillies, stir a bit.

Add the kousa mixture to the pan. Sprinkle a little water on it, add salt to taste. Cover it with a lid, keep stirring in between. Keep it covered for 10 mins or untill the water dries up.

 

Such an amazing dish! I loved it, had this at Momachi's place, and quickly got the recipe from her. It was such a feast, the dinner at her place, she is an awesome cook, even before I could finish my meal, I was wondering when she is going to invite us again for a meal at her place :) I got 2 more recipes from her. Mentioned it below. Such yummy preperations.. slurrrppp!

 

Mabazham Pachaddi

 

Mabazham means mango in Malayalam, and pachaddi is a traditional South Indian side-dish, similar to the North Indian curd/yogurt based raita. 

 

Take a tin of mango pulp, drain out the water from it.

To the mango pulp add 1/4 tsp tumeric/haldi pwd, 1 tsp red chilli pwd, salt to taste, and give it a mix. Add a little water to this, and boil it until the pulp is cooked for about 3-4 mins. Take it out of the gas stove, and mash the pulp mixture well.

 

Grind the below with a little water:

2 tbl spns desicated fresh coconut, 2 tbl spns curd, 1 tsp jeera/cumin pwd, 1 tsp mustard/rai seeds.

 

Add the blended mixture to the boiled pulp and mix well. Simmer this, stirring continously for 2 mins. Put off the gas stove.

 

In a seperate tempering ladle, placed on a low flame burning gas stove, take 1 tsp oil, when heated up a bit, add few curry leaves, jeera/cumin seeds, 2 dried red chillies broken into 3 parts, when they start spluttering, pour this onto the mango curry.

 

Pound in a mortar and pestle, 2 tsps of mustard/rai seeds, and add it to the above curry, give it a light stir, and serve.

 

Dessert - Marie Biscuit Pudding 

1 big tin of condensed milk

2 packets of fresh cream

 

Lightly mix the two, and add 1 tsp vanila essence to it, and stir lightly.

 

Make a decoction of some instant coffee pwd, with warm water, and pour it into a wide bowl.

 

Take few marie biscuits, one by one dip it into the coffee decoction, remove immediately, and layer the biscuits in your dessert serving dish.

 

On top of the biscuit layer, pour your cream/condensed milk mixture, and spread it evenly. If your dish is deep, then you may add more layers of biscuit and cream.

 

Dry blend 5-6 marie biscuits, and sprinkle it over your final biscuit and cream layer. Refrigerate this for minimum 30 mins. And it is ready to be served.