Balekayi(Raw Banana / Plantain) Raitha

Ingredients:
2 Raw Banana(Plantain) / Balekayi (Preferred: Amunda/ Manga Balekayi)
2 - 3 Green Chillies
3 - 4 strands of Coriander leaves
2 cups Yogurt / Curd / Mosaru
2 - 3 tsp grated Coconut
Salt to taste
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
Pinch of Asafoetida powder
5 - 6 Curry leaves
1 - 2 broken Red Chillies
1 tsp Oil

Recipe:

Cook the raw banana in a pressure cooker by adding sufficient amount of water and salt. (2-3 whistles)

Once the pressure goes off, remove the outer cover of the cooker banana, mash them as shown in the picture below. Grind the grated coconut in a mixer for about 1 min by adding little amount of water and add it to the vessel containing mashed banana. Mash the green chillies and chop the coriander leaves into small pieces as shown in the picture below.

Add yogurt, salt and mix them well. (If yogurt is sour, add required amount of milk and mix them well.)

Put mustard seeds, cumin seeds, broken red chillies, oil in a pan and heat. Once it starts spluttering, add asafoetida powder and keep it for few seconds. Add curry leaves and then add it to Raitha. Mix well before serving. It goes well with Rice/Pulao/Biriyani.

Heerekayi(Ridge Gourd) Payasa

Ingredients:
4 medium sized Tender Ridge Gourd / Heerekayi
3.5 - 4 cups fresh Coconut Milk
2.5 - 3 cups Jaggary
1.5 tsp Rice flour / Ground Rice Batter
3 - 4 Cardamoms / Elakki
Pinch of Salt

Recipe:

Peel the ridge gourd and chop them into medium sized thin pieces as shown in the picture below.

Grind around 4 cups of fresh/frozen grated coconut into smooth paste by adding little amount of water. (If it is frozen coconut use hot water while grinding.) Squeeze the ground coconut, by placing it in a clean cotton cloth.

After this process, add around 3 cups of water to the squeezed coconut, mix well and squeeze it again. Cook the chopped ridge gourd in a vessel by adding around 2.5 cups of thin coconut milk. Once its cooked, add jaggary, pinch of salt and bring them to boil.

Keep this in low/medium flame for about 5 mins.

Take around 1/2 cup of thin coconut milk in a bowl, add rice flour / batter and mix them well. Add this to the vessel containing cooked ridge gourd and bring them to boil.

Add thick coconut milk and bring them to boil. Add mashed cardamom seeds and keep the Payasa in low flame for about 1-2 mins.

Serve it hot or chilled. The above mentioned ingredients will serve 7-8 cups of Payasa.