Naadan Ulli Stew

Phew!!! Finally, back to the blogsphere after an incredibly looooooooong break. Never expected to be such a long one, though. Anyways, my special thanks to each and everyone who had been checking on my blog for new posts…. Truly appreciate it…. :-)

Well, to talk about the new dish that I’m back with, it’s an absolutely innovative one…infact, delineated to me a couple of years ago by my all-time kitchen guru; Amma-in-law. A dish that was undoubtedly christened “Ulli Stew” by the creator herself. A dish that was never even heard of or seen until then…not atleast by me, frankly speaking. And then, as instantaneously as it could be, my brain started to pencil in the probable image of the new dish. Ulli stew, huh??? Maybe it’s a stew with only onions or maybe onions are an addition to something else but given more importance than the other? Well, maybe that would explain the name…. So, how does it look like? Forget it, how does it taste like? Does it bear any resemblance to our potato stew? Do we put in onions instead of potatoes? If so, wudn’t it taste too sweet and bland? Maybe I heard it wrong. Conventional ideologist I am, I believe…. :)

But no…. I was all wrong!!! Sigh!!! Wrong as always…. ;-p And so even while a whole lot of events were reverberating inside my small brain, I could hear Amma-in-law somehow trying to talk me into the fact that you can infact make a good-looking and tasty with Onions alone. But, me as usual, wasn’t totally convinced and wasn’t up with it. Being querulous ever since known, I even countered her (of course, in a very mild way) by finding all the possible theories to contradict the authenticity of such a dish. But little did I know that a few unlearnt lessons are always kept in store for you in the days to come to learn….:-) That’s Him…. And then you are left to learn the hard way!!! Like I did!!! :-(

So, one day, due to certain unanticipated circumstances (nothing but ran out of potatoes just before I was planning to make a Potato Stew), I was left with no choice other than to depend on a few staring onions and a derelict page (recipe for Ulli stew) in my recipe note book given to me by my Guru to be used under such emergency conditions. Not to mention a few long distance calls as well to the connoisseur herself to explicate certain obvious doubts…. And then the rest, of course, is sure a part of food history!!! Needless to say, at the moment, the regular potato/vegetable stew is out and the Naadan n spicy Ulli Stew is in…. ;-p

Talking about this rather recherché dish of Kerala cuisine, Ulli stew is truly another one of its kind in the all-famous stew category made all around the world. Unlike the first impression that you get of that of a bland and sweet stew (obviously expected for onions), the final upshot is something that is totally in contrast to what was expected, as quite evident in the picture above.

To put it in simple words, Ulli stew, can be defined as a spicy treat where both red and small onions are cooked in mild coconut milk along with ground whole spices and dry masala powders; finally, topped with fresh coconut milk and flavoured curry leaves to add that extra aroma to the whole dish. Something extremely mind-blowing when served with its perfect companion - hot, hot Appams. However, it has also been found in excellent rapport with other Indian breads like Rotis, Pooris, Plain bread and like. It goes extremely well with even our naadan Puttu too.

So, here’s how the recipe for an Ulli Stew goes….

You’d require,
2 – 3 Onions (thinly sliced)
1 cup of Small onions
A small Ginger knob
3 – 4 Garlic pods
4 – 5 Green chillies
½ a Coconut
Salt – As required

Spices:-
A big piece of Cinnamon (Karuvapatta)
4 – 5 Cloves (Karayamboo)
2 – 3 Cardamom pods (Elakka)
A tsp of Black Peppercorns (Kurumulaku)
½ tsp of Fennel seeds (Perumjeerakam)

Dry masala powders:-
4 – 5 tsp of Coriander powder
2 tsp of Kashmiri Chilly powder
1 tsp of Turmeric powder
1 tsp of Garam masala powder (optional)

For seasoning:-
Coconut oil – As required
A tsp of Mustard seeds
A couple of broken Dry red chillies
Lots of Curry leavesA tbsp of Coconut slivers (Thenga Kothu)

Method:-
1) Take out 1 cup of thick milk and 2 cups of thin coconut milk from the grated coconut.
2) Heat a tsp of oil in a pan.
3) Add all the spices followed by whole garlic pods and sauté for a while.
4) Switch off the flame; add all the masala powders and heat it through to get rid of the raw smell.
5) Allow it to cool and then, grind it to a smooth fine paste.
6) Heat a couple of tbsp of oil in the pan.
7) Splutter mustard seeds and sauté curry leaves in it.
8) Add the coconut pieces and sauté evenly.
9) Add the thinly sliced small onions, onion and ginger.
10) Add the slit green chillies followed by the curry leaves and sauté again on a low flame.
11) When the onions turn brown, add the masala paste and sauté further.
12) When done, add the thin coconut milk (Randam pal).
13) Add salt and cover it with a lid.
14) Cook, until it starts to boil and gets thickened.
15) Reduce the flame and add the thick coconut milk (Onnam pal) and mix well. Pls do not boil after u add the thick coconut milk. Simply heat it through.
16) Remove from fire and garnish with curry leaves.

Pointers:- You can also add a few coriander leaves for garnishing, if desired. Pls adjust the quantity of whole spices and masala powders accdgly.

So, there you are. Appam - Ulli Stew…another perfect duo for a perfect Sunday morning. A must try on all accounts…. :) A spicy delight ready within minutes for your breakfast to spice up your whole day…. No fuss required as it’s extremely easy to follow and light on the ingredients too.

Off record – An ingenuous opinion for my “Ulli stew” caught quoted from my bro, after a couple of futile diggings into the bowl (probably searching for something). “Ithentha, Mutta illatha mutta curry yo?????”. Looks of exhilaration on our faces gave way to baffled ones, from one to another. :( No prizes for guessing the snag I faced to convince him about the authenticity in the name and make of the dish. Little did I know that he was infact pulling my leg. Or maybe he was simply pointing out the truth. ;-p It infact did look like a Mutta curry without Mutta (eggs) in it. So, I guess if we toss in a couple of boiled eggs in it, we’d really have a yummy Egg curry in hand. Just need to change the name.... Would try it next time for sure…. :) Anyways, coming back to the point, before any sort of further paroxysm broke out in the room; he conferred me with a favorable verdict and asked me to make it often with Appams and Chappathis. :) Bhagyam…. Attempt kolamayilla…. Another sigh of relief!!! ;-p

Lesson learnt - Before venturing into my next experiment and serving the same to my white rats, I’d make it damn sure that there’s a small placard with the name written, held onto the serving bowl so as to clarify all doubts that are likely to arise on the dining table. And to ward off all the consequent commotions to pursue too. ;-p

So, on that note, happy cooking!!!