Go nuts about coconuts

Many food lovers celebrated World Coconut Day on September 2

Many South Indian dishes are incomplete without the humble coconut. Everything from chutney to chicken stew become the dishes that they are because of the magic shredded and ground coconuts bring to it.

On September 2, several regions dedicated the day to all the coconut-growing countries in the world, especially in Asia-Pacific.

In honour of the day, here are some of the popular dishes made with coconut.

Coconut Chutney

Ingredients

Grated coconut, w1/2 cup

Coriander leaves, 1/4 cup

Urad dal, 1/2 tbsp

Ginger, 1/4 inch

Green chilli, 2

Cumin seeds, 1/2 tsp

Salt as per taste

For tempering

Oil, 1 tsp

Dry red chilli, 1

Curry leaves, 1 sprig

Mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp

Cumin seeds, 1/4 tsp

Hing, a pinch

Method

In a blender jar, add the coconut, dal, cumin seeds, salt, green chillis, ginger and coriander leaves. Blend it well.

Add water in between till you get a smooth paste. Remember to scrape the sides and add more water if needed.

Transfer to a bowl and set aside. For tempering, heat the tadka pan.

Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds, red chilli, curry leaves, cumin seeds and whing.

Pour the tempering oil over the chutney and serve with hot idli or dosa.

Ela Ada

Ingredients

For stuffing

Ghee, 1 tsp

Jaggery, 3/4 cup

Grated Coconut, 1 cup

Cardamom powder, 1/4 tsp

For dough

Rice flour, 1 cup

Water, 1 1/2 cup

Ghee, 1 tsp

Salt, 1/2 tsp

Method

To make the stuffing, in a pan, heat ghee, jaggery and coconut.

Saute it till the jaggery melts and combines with the coconut. Note that the stuffing should be sticky inconsistency.

Add cardamom powder and mix well.
To make the dough, roast the rice flour on low flame for about five minutes.

Transfer it to a bowl and cool completely. In a saucepan, add water, ghee and salt. Let it boil for a couple of minutes.

Pour in the hot water to the cooled rice flour and mix well using a spoon.

Continue kneading it with your hand and make it smooth till it’s not sticky anymore. Adding a little ghee to your hand will help smoothen the process.

To assemble, warm the banana leaves and grease it with ghee.

Take a ball-sized dough and flatten over the banana leaf. Fold it in half and press the ends gently.

Place it in a steamer for 15 minutes. You can either have it as a breakfast item or just a snack.

Chicken Xacuti

Ingredients

For marination

Chicken, 1 kg

Turmeric powder, 1/4 tsp

Salt, 1 tsp

First paste for marination

Ginger, 2 inches

Garlic, 10

Coriander, 1/4 cup

Green chillies, 5

Second Paste for Xacuti Masala

Groundnut oil, 1 tsp

Onions, 2

Green chillies, 2

Ginger, 1 inch

Garlic, 5

Grated coconut, 1

Coriander, a bunch

Third Paste for Xacuti Masala

Cinnamon, 2 inches

Cardamoms, 3

Aniseeds, 1 tsp

Black pepper corn, 1 tsp

Poppy seeds, 1 tbsp

Coriander seeds, 1 tbsp

Kashmiri red chillies, 8-10

Star anise, 1

Maize flower, 1

Nutmeg, 1/4 piece

Turmeric, 1/2 inch

For finish touches

Groundnut oil 2 tsp

Sliced onions, 2

Green chillies, 2

Water, 1/4 cup

Method

Mix salt and turmeric powder in the chicken and set aside.

To make the first paste, add paste of ginger, garlic, coriander and chillies. Marinate for half an hour. For paste two, heat oil in a pan, saute sliced onions, green chillies, ginger and garlic for a couple of minutes.
Add grated coconut and saute for five minutes. Keep aside once you feel the onions are crispy.

For pate three, roast cinnamon, cardamom, aniseeds, black peppercorn, poppy seeds, coriander seeds, Kashmiri red chillies, star anise, maize flour, nutmeg, and turmeric.

Make the Xacuti masala by grinding paste two and three together. To bring it all together, heat oil in a pan, add onions and green chillies.Add the marinated chicken pieces to it. Cook it for a couple of minutes. Finally, add the Xacuti masala and water. Cook for 10 minutes.

Serve the curry with bread or rice.