Cabbage Curry

Ingredients:

Cabbage 200 Gms
Onion 1 medium
Dry chillies 3
Turmeric powder ½ teaspoon
Mustard Seeds ½ Teaspoon
Milk 1 cup
Salt

Method:

Wash and cut cabbage into thin slices leaving the centre stalk.

In a cooking pot with little oil, fry diced onion, mustard seeds and chopped dry chillies until onion turns golden.

Now add the cabbage pieces and add the turmeric powder, milk and salt.

Heat in low heat until cabbage is cooked. Keep stirring to avoid sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Once cooked remove from fire.

Muzhai Keerai Masial - Amaranath leaves

This is a very simple and common dish in Yarlpanam.

Ingredients:

Muzhai Keerai bundle 2
Green chillies 4
Onion medium 1
Salt to taste
Milk ½ cup
Lime juice 2 tablespoons

Method:

Remove the good leaves from the Keerai bundle, leaving the old and damaged leaves, stalk and flowers.

Wash all the leaves thus collected in water well.

Roughly chop the leaves into large portions.

Dice onion into small pieces.

Cut green chillies lengthwise into two.

In a pot place the cut eaves, chopped onion and green chillies, salt to taste and add little water and bring to boil.

When water is boiling, reduce heat and gently simmer and make sure the leaves are cooked and water has evaporated.

With a potato masher, gently mash the leaves into a paste.

Now add the milk and simmer until all the liquid has been absorbed.

Remove from fire.

Add lime juice and stir, Lime juice contains vitamin C which helps absorption of the iron which these leaves are rich in.

Cabbage Varai 

Ingredients:

Cabbage 200 Gms
Onion 1 medium
Dry chillies 3
Oil 2 tablespoon
Coconut scrapped ½ cup

Method:

Wash and cut cabbage into thin slices leaving the centre stalk.

In a large frying pan in some oil, fry diced onion and cut dry chillies until onion softens.

Add the cabbage slices, salt and cover and cook in low heat.

Occasionally check if this sticks to the pan.

When the cabbage is cooked, add 2 tablespoon of scraped coconut and stir until well dry.

Ponnangkani Keerai Varai

This is a creeper with small leaves and flowers. People cook this as a varai and eat with rice and are very delicious.
This ponnangkani Keerai can be bought in Sri Lankan shops in the West and select a fairly fresh bundle.

Ingredients:

Ponnangkani Keerai 1 bundle or 200 Gms just leaves only
Onion small 1
Dry chillies 3
Coconut scarped 3 tablespoons
Oil 1 tablespoon
Salt to taste

Method:

Separate all the good leaves and collect them in a dish. This is a test for your patience!

From one bundle you will collect a small amount of leaves and perhaps you will need two or more bundle of Keerai to start with.

Wash the leaves thoroughly in water.

Chop the leaves roughly into pieces; it is not necessary to cut them small.

In a hot pan add oil and when hot fry onions until soft.

Add the chopped dry chillies and fry further.

When ready add the leaves and stir well until the leaves are cooked; may need a little water.

Add salt and mix.

Now add the coconut scrapings and stir until the coconut is dry and well mixed with the leaves.

Do not overcook the leaves.