Sadya Special : Cheru naranga Kichadi - Steamed Lemons with Yogurt

Steamed Lemons + Yogurt?? Sounds Weirdo ?? Thats what exactly i thought seeing this recipe on the very first page of Lekshmi Nair's Cook book. I love Pachadi - Kichadi and can never imagine a Sadya without it too. I never even thought of giving this recipe a try until my aunt said she happened to have this at her friends place and she liked it. She is one with good damn taste buds and we have similar tastes in food . 

I love Lekshmi Nair's recipes , its so easy to make with what is already available in your pantry and can  whip up so quickly too. So trusting her cooking skills , as some of you trust mine ;), and my aunts taste buds , i decided to give it a go...Thus cheru naranga kichadi, finding a permanent place in my Sadya Special recipes. 

Oh yeah , I am certainly gonna have this for my vishu sadya next week . Have you planned on the sadya vibhavangal yet?

Luckily for me , i had some steamed lemons , which i have been keeping in salt and sugar for 3 days , for my next batch of Kerala lemon Pickle. On the cooking side , if you have happen to have some lemons just like me,  you don't have nothing much to do other than mixing some yogurt and coconut milk and making a tempering to pour over it . So within 3-5 minutes you will be out of the kitchen with a delicious side with rice.

But I tell you , I was a bit too much apprehensive about how this combination of two sour things would turn out to be. In a tad , this cheru naranga Kichadi was a lot more yummy than i imagined , making myself addicted to it like my affair with pickles , for the time being .....

Recipe for Cheru naranga Kichadi ( Adapted from Pachaka Ruchi by Lekshmi Nair)

Ingredients:-

Cheru naranga / Lemon - 5 

Green chilli chopped - 2

Ginger chopped - 1 tea spoon

Thick yogurt - 3/4 cup

Thick coconut milk - 1/2 cup

Sugar - a large pinch ( I did not add it )

Salt to taste

Tempering :-

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tea spoon

Dried red chilli - 3

Curry leaves - a handful

Coconut oil or any cooking oil - 2 tea spoon

Directions:-

Steam the lemons in a steamer / Appa chembu for 5-8 minutes or till it is soft. ( The original recipe says you can also boil the lemons in water till it soft , but i prefer steaming )

Let it cool and  cut into small pieces. Rub it with some salt and keep it for a day.( I used lemons that i was keeping for 3 days)

So when you are ready to make the kichadi , in a bowl mix lemons, green chili and finely chopped ginger . Add Thick coconut milk , yogurt and a pinch of sugar if you are using and combine well.

Tempering :- Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds . when they pop up add dried red chiles and curry leaves and fry for 30 seconds. Pour it over Kichadi and serve.

Cheers

Sarah