Thrissur Pooram is a unique and colorful festival celebrated in Thrissur, Kerala. It is one of the biggest temple festivals in South India. During the festival, there is a grand elephant procession with decked-up elephants. The traditional percussion music called “Melam” is played and it is really captivating. Local communities participate passionately, making it a genuinely vibrant celebration. Below are some traditional foods for Kerala’s Thrissur Pooram.
1.Idiyappam And Stew
Take 2 cups of idiyappam rice flour. Add a pinch of salt and gradually mix in boiling water to get a soft dough. Use an idiyappam press to squeeze out the dough into thin, noodle-like strands onto idiyappam steamers. Steam them for 8-10 minutes until cooked through. Heat some oil in a pan and add a tsp of mustard seeds. Once they splutter, add sliced onions, green chilies, and curry leaves. Saute until the onions turn translucent. Add cubed potatoes, carrots, and green beans, and saute for a few minutes. Pour in coconut milk and add salt to taste. Let it simmer until the vegetables are cooked.
2.Appam And Egg Curry
Soak a cup of raw rice and a cup of white poha for about 4 hours. Then, grind them into a fine paste with a bit of water. Add grated coconut and a tea-spoon of yeast, mix it well, and leave it to ferment for about 8 hours or overnight. After that, add some salt and a pinch of sugar. Heat a pan. Drop batter in the center, and twirl the pan to spread it. Cook it on low heat till the edges are crispy and the center is soft and spongy. Heat some oil in a pan and add chopped onions. Saute, then add ginger-garlic paste and cook till the raw smell is gone. Now add chopped tomatoes, and cook till they turn mushy. Add turmeric, chili powder, coriander powder, and cumin powder, and cook. Add water and bring it to a boil, then simmer for a few minutes. Add boiled eggs, slit them a little so the spices get in. Simmer for a few more minutes.
3.Uzhunnu Vada
Soak 1 cup of urad dal. Grind it to a paste without adding too much water. Add finely chopped onions, green chilies, curry leaves, ginger, and salt to the paste and mix well. Heat oil in a deep-frying pan. Wet your hands, take a small portion of the batter, make a hole in the center, and carefully slide it into the hot oil. Then fry them.
4.Pazhampori
Start by slicing ripened plantains into medium-length pieces. Combine all-purpose flour, sugar, a pinch of salt, and a bit of turmeric powder. Gradually add water to this mixture to make batter. Dip each plantain slice into the batter, ensuring they are evenly coated. Heat oil in a deep-frying pan on medium heat. Fry the battered plantain slices.
5.Kuzhalappam
First take some rice flour and roast it on a low flame until it becomes slightly brown. Then, in a bowl, add the roasted rice flour and mix it with grated coconut, sesame seeds, cumin seeds, and a pinch of salt. Heat some water and add it to the mixture gradually to form a dough. Knead the dough well until it becomes smooth. Take small portions of the dough and roll them out into thin cylindrical shapes. Heat oil. Fry the rolled dough until they are golden brown and crisp.
6.Avial
To prepare, first cut all the veggies into long strips. Boil them in a pan with little water and salt until they are partially cooked. Then, in a separate pan, grind fresh coconut with curd and green chillies to a smooth paste. Add this paste to the partially cooked veggies and mix well. Allow it to simmer. In a small pan, heat some ghee and splutter it with mustard seeds, curry leaves, and red chillies. Pour this tempering over the avial.
7.Thoran
Start by heating oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. Then, put in some chopped onion, ginger, and green chillis, and fry them till they smell good. Next, add grated coconut and fry till it’s a bit brown. Now, put in some chopped vegetables like carrots, cabbage, or beans, and stir fry for a few minutes. Add salt to taste and a pinch of turmeric powder. Cook it till the vegetables are tender but still a bit crispy.
8.Kootu Curry
Take channa dal and cook it till it is tender with salt in a pressure cooker. In another pan, fry some coconut slices with a little bit of ghee till they turn brown and crispy. Heat oil and add some mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, and red chilies. Once they splutter, add chopped onions, green chilies, and turmeric powder. Fry till the onions are translucent. Add cubed ash gourd and cook till they are tender. Then, add cooked channa dal, salt, and a pinch of sugar. Mix well. Add the fried coconut and let it simmer for a few minutes.
9.Erissery
Soak 1/2 cup of pumpkin pieces in water for about 15 minutes. In a pan, heat some oil and splutter some mustard seeds, curry leaves, and red chilies. Add the soaked pumpkin with some salt and a pinch of turmeric. Cook till the pumpkin is tender. In another pan, fry some coconut slices till they turn golden brown. Grind the fried coconut with 1/2 cup of coconut grate, 2 green chili peppers, and a little cumin seeds till smooth. Add this mixture to the cooked pumpkin and simmer for 5 minutes.
10.Pathiri And Chicken Curry
Make a dough with rice flour, water, and a pinch of salt. Roll out small balls of dough into circles, then cook them on a hot griddle till they’re slightly brown on both sides. Set them aside. Heat oil. Add chopped onions, garlic, and ginger. Sautè till golden brown. Add curry leaves, turmeric, coriander, cumin powder and chilli powder. Stir and cook till the spices are fragrant. Add chopped tomatoes, salt, and chicken pieces, and cook.
11.Pidi And Kozhi Curry
Take rice flour, water, and a pinch of salt. Mix the rice flour with boiling water to get a soft dough. Roll small balls and press them lightly with thumb to make small dumplings. Heat oil. Add chopped onions, green chillies, and curry leaves. Saute them till they turn golden brown. Add ginger garlic paste and saute. Then, add turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, and chilli powder. Mix well and add chopped tomatoes. Cook till the tomatoes turn mushy. Now, add the prepared pidi dumplings to the curry. Add water to cover the dumplings and season with salt. Cover and cook on low flame till the pidi is cooked and the curry thickens.
12.Malabar Biryani
Soak the rice for about 30 minutes. Then, fry the chicken with masalas like tumeric, chili, and coriander. In a separate pan, fry the onions till they are golden. Add the tomatoes and cook till soft. Now, mix the chicken with the onion-tomato mixture. In another pot, layer the rice and chicken mixture, sprinkling with mint and coriander leaves between each layer. Cover and cook on low heat till the rice is done.
13.Unniyappam
Take rice flour, jaggery, cardamom, ripe nanas, and a little bit of salt. Heat the ghee and fry the cardamoms. Mix the jaggery in water until it melts, then pour it into the rice flour and mixture. Add the ghee and cardamom and mix everything well into a thick batter. Heat oil in a kadai and pour small amounts of the batter into the oil. Fry until golden brown.
14.Ela Ada
Mix the rice flour with a bit of salt and water to make a thick dough. Then, take small balls of the dough and roll them out into thin circles. Now, take grated jaggery, coconut, and crushed cardamom and put them in the middle of each circle. Fold the circle in half and seal the edges properly. Finally, steam the ada in a steamer for about 10-15 minutes until they are cooked and the flavor is nicely set in.
15.Tapioca Pudding
Rinse one cup of tapioca pearls in cold water. In a medium sized pan, add four cups of milk and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Stir in the rinsed tapioca pearls and cook it, stirring occasionally, until the tapioca is translucent and the mixture thickens, about 15-20 minutes. Beat two egg yolks with half cup of sugar until it is light and fluffy. Gradually temper the egg mixture by adding a spoonful of the hot tapioca mixture into the eggs while whisking constantly. Then pour the egg mixture back into the pan with the remaining tapioca, and continue cooking for an additional 2-3 minutes until it thickens more. Remove from heat and stir in one teaspoon of vanilla extract.
16.Theeyal
Take some coconut, small onions, turmeric, tamarind, coriander powder, red chillies, and curry leaves. Grind the coconut with coriander powder and red chillies to make a paste. Heat oil. Add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, and curry leaves until it splutter. Add the small onions and sauté them till they turn golden brown. Then, add the coconut paste, turmeric, and tamarind juice. Let it simmer on low heat till the oil separates and the curry thickens.
17.Mulakushyam
Take tuwar dal and roast it till it gets a bit brown. Then put it in water and cook it until it gets soft. In a separate pan, heat some oil and add curry leaves, mustard seeds, and dried red chilli. After it splutters, add chopped vegetables like ash gourd, drumstick, and potato, and fry them for a few minutes. Then, add water and let the vegetables cook till they are tender. Next, add cooked tuwar dal, tamarind juice, salt, and a little bit of turmeric powder. Simmer it all together till the flavors mix well.
18.Chena Mezhukkupuratti
Start by boiling yam cubes till they are fork-tender. Heat oil. Add mustard seeds, curry leaves, and red chili. Add coconut slices and fry till they turn golden brown. Add yam cubes and stir-fry with turmeric, chili powder, and salt to taste. Cook till yam gets a nice coating of spices.
19.Pulissery
Take some yellow pumpkin or ash-gourd, then cut them into small pieces and boil it till it becomes soft. In a separate pan, mix yogurt, green chilies, and a bit of tumeric powder. Add some curry leaves and fenugreek seeds in hot oil. Pour this mixture over the cooked pumpkin and stir well.
20.Kozhikodan Halwa
Take 1 cup of raw rice and soak it in water for 4 hours. Then drain the water and grind the rice into a fine paste. Pour water and mix. Add 3 cups of sugar and 4 cups of water. Heat it till the sugar dissolves completely and it come to a boil. Keep stirring it constantly. Add the rice paste and stir rapidly to mix it well. Cook it on low heat, stirring continuously. When done, add 1 cup of ghee and stir well. Add cardamom powder and a cup of cashew nuts. Pour the halwa into a greased tray and let it set for 2 hours. Once it has set, cut into squares and serve.
