Simple South Indian Coconut Curries

This is reposted for Padmajha's Let's go nuts event. Check out her neat blog !

Coconut is one of the four building blocks of  south Indian cooking (The other three are tamarind, tuvar dal and yogurt). A variety of curries are made from blended coconut and coconut milk. Coastal regions ( especially Kerala and the Konkan coast)  use coconut, Coconut oil and coconut milk extensively.  Some of the most popular coconut recipes are listed below :

1.: Kobbari Pachadi (Coconut ? chili blended curry) (Andhra recipe) Coconut blended to a coarse paste with chilies is a much loved curry in Andhra.Variations call for the addition of tamarind, onions or garlic.

2.: Coconut Thogayal ( Blended Coconut- Tamarind curry) (Tamilnadu Recipe)
Coconut blended to a coarse paste with red chili and tamarind  becomes the Thogayal. Variations call for addition of garlic, roasted chana dal ( Pottu Kadalai), roasted tuvar dal or curry leaves.

3.: Thambuli (Raw Coconut- Yogurt blended curry) (Karnataka recipe).
Coconut blended to a paste with chili and yogurt becomes the much loved Thambuli. Various versions of Thambuli can be easily cooked up. Different versions are cooked by adding Mango, fenugreek, onion or ginger. This is served as the first course in a south Karnataka meal.

4.: Thenga Molaga Podi (Blended Coconut powder) (Tamilnadu Brahmin recipe)
This is nothing but Coconut thogayal without water. When roasted coconut is ground up into a powder with chili flakes, we have Thenga Milagai Podi. Sesame seeds, various lentils, garlic etc can be roasted and ground up along with coconut. Called Thenga Chammandi in Kerala and Kobbari podi in Andhra, this is a popular recipe across the south.

5.: Olan (Coconut milk curry) (Kerala Namboodiri recipe)
A simple recipe in which a variety of vegetables are simmered in thin coconut milk, flavoured with coconut oil.

6.: Sodhi (Coconut milk ? lemon curry) (Tamilnadu Brahmin recipe).
A rich, mild south Tamilnadu recipe. A variety of vegetables are simmered in coconut milk and soured by addition of lemon juice. As lemon juice turns bitter on cooking, it is added just before the curry served.

7.: Thoran (Dry vegetable curry with coconut - chili) (Kerala Namboodiri recipe)
A dry coconut curry where roasted coconut ? chili paste is mixed with boiled vegetables.

8.: Erissery (Coconut - cumin curry) (Kerala Namboodiri recipe)
A variety of vegetables are simmered in coconut-cumin- chili paste to make the Erissery.

9.:.Kalan (Coconut ? cumin ? turmeric- yogurt curry) (Kerala Namboodiri recipe)
Another Namboodiri curry where coconut-cumin- pepper paste is mixed with yogurt, in which a variety of vegetables are cooked.

10.: Kootu (Coconut - cumin ?chili curry) (Tamilnadu recipe)
When coconut cumin chili is blended to a paste and used as a base to cook vegetables, we have the Tamil kootu. Variations have boiled tuvar dal / chana dal mixed in.