Bonda (Kayappam)

Bonda (Kayappam) with banana

Here is  another easy evening snack from Kerala. The main ingredient of this snack in plantain (ഞാലി പൂവൻ പഴം) variety of banana. In some parts of Kerala, this snack is also called kayappam (കായപ്പം).

Ingredients:
Banana             4 no., peeled;
Cardamom       2 no.;
Maida               3 table spoons;
Sugar                as needed;
Salt                   one pinch;
Water                as needed;


Method of preparation
Grind banana with cardamom, sugar and salt,make in to a fine paste using a mixer. Optionally we can smash banana with hand as well, but a mixer would give a fine paste, which helps in preparing very soft bonda. Add wheat flour (maida) to the above paste and mix well with hand. Add sufficient quantity of water, making sure that the mixture is thick.

Heat oil in a pan. When the oil is boiling hot, pour a small quantity of the above mixture with your hands. Deep fry until the color turns brown. Take out once cooked and keep it aside until the oil is drained.Your banana bonda is ready to serve !!

Jack fruit seeds with cabbage (ചക്കക്കുരു - കാബേജ് തോരൻ)

Jackfruit was a part of the healthy diet that many Keralites followed in the past. Unfortunately it is disappearing from the dining table off late. Keralites make many healthy and delicious dishes with different parts of the raw jack fruit as well as the fruit itself. In this recipe, let us make a very common but tasty side dish using the jack fruit seed and cabbage. The jack fruit seed is rich in starch and proteins, and make a delicious dish. Traditionally this is known as “chakkakkuru cabbage thoran” (ചക്കക്കുരു - കാബേജ് തോരൻ) in Kerala.

One common complaint about dishes made out of Jack fruit seeds causes gas trouble. There is an easy and healthy solution for this, remove only the white outer skin of the seeds and retain the brown covering inside.

Another thing that I wanted to mention here is that you can make similar recipes with other vegetables like snake-gourd, if you replace cabbage with snake gourd.

Ingredients (this will serve approximately 8 people):

1) chakkakkuru (jack fruit seed)      250gm

2) cabbage                                      200 gm

2) onion                                          (1) chopped well

    ginger                                          small piece, chopped well

    green chilly                                  (3) chopped into small pieces

    fresh coconut                              1/2 medium-sized, grated

    salt                                              As needed

3) coconut oil                                  1 tbsp

4) mustard seeds                             1 tsp

5) curry leaves                                 1 spring.

Method of preparation:

1) Remove the outer skin of chakkakkuru, (you can choose not to remove brown skin for a healthy preparation). Chop into small pieces and wash well.

2) Chop the cabbage nicely into small pieces (before chopping, it is advised to soak it water with turmeric powder and salt for an hour to remove any poison).

3) Take chakkakkuru in a vessel mixed with 2^nd items, keep it in flame till half cooked. Then add cabbage to this, keep it in low flame till it cooked well.

4) Heat oil in a pan and sprinkle in mustard seeds. When they start sputtering add curry leaves, stir well. Add the above mixture to the curry and stir well.

Your dish is ready to serve !