Healthy N Spicy...

Jackfruit with horse gram

2007-05-30T11:31:00.000-04:00

This is a nice jackfruit recipe which I have learned from my mom. Kerala have wide range of jackfruit recipes, mainly because almost every home has a jackfruit tree. My mom usually makes this during harvest season in our paddy fields. We have to serve lunch for the hired workers, mainly women, for the harvest, which normally lasts for three to four days. They really cherish dishes made of jackfruit with kanji(A rice gruel). Since the cleaning of lot of young green jackfruit is difficult, she prepares it with horse gram. As this harvest season is in our school holidays, I am always present in kitchen to help my mom. Its really fulfilling to see them enjoying the food along with some spicy and funny gossips. I have fond memories of those worry free childhood days. After work in the harvest season, along with their wages, which is normally a portion of harvested rice, we also give them some jackfruits and mangoes. Ironically, I am craving here for the fresh jackfruit, but satisfying with canned ones.

Recipe :-

Horse gram - 1/2 cup
Jackfruit can - 1(10 oz)
Shredded coconut - 1 cup(I used frozen)
Shallots - 1/2 cup
Garlic - 3 cloves
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
oil - 2tbsp
curry leaves - 1 sprig
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste

Recipe:-
1)Soak horse gram in enough water at least 8 hours or overnight.Pressure cook with some turmeric powder,salt and water.It may take at least 20 minutes to cook.
2) Open the jackfruit can and wash the jackfruit with lots of water and drain. Chop in a food processor into tiny pieces.
3) Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and allow to splutter. Add curry leaves,Shallots and garlic.Saute in a low flame till it is light brown.
4) Add chilli powder and saute for a minute in low flame. Next add shredded coconut and saute till all the moisture dried up.
5) Add chopped jack fruit pieces and cook till jackfruit is done.
6) Mix well with cooked horse gram and let the mixture heat very well.
7) Remove from heat and serve with rice or kanji.

This is my entry for JFI for this month hosted by jugalbandi.

Mutton Curry

2007-05-17T09:09:00.000-04:00

Here I am presenting today a mutton curry which is a good combination with pathiri (rice rotti). Pathiri and meat curry is a special treat for the guests in our home. My mother-in-law makes very good pathiri and meat curry. This preparation is comparatively easy by the pressure cooker method. You can also serve it with chappathi or rice.

Recipe:-

1) Mutton pieces - 2 pounds
2) Onion - 3 medium
3) Tomato - 3 (chopped)
4) Ginger - garlic paste - 2 tbsp
5) Red chilli powder - 2 tsp(I used kashmiri chilli powder)
6) Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
7) Garam masala - 1 tsp
8) Curry leaves - 2 sprig
9) Oil - as needed
10) Cilantro - 1/4 cup
11) Salt - to taste
12) Vinegar - 2 tbsp

Rub the washed and drained mutton pieces with vinegar and salt and keep aside. This will help the mutton pieces become tender. Mean time, slice the onions thinly and fry in oil till it is dark brown. Don't undercook onions. Add fried onions and items 3 to 8 to the mutton pieces and mix well. Transfer the mixture to the pressure cooker and cook till the mutton is done (almost 20 mts in small flame). I didn't add any water to the mixture to avoid the gravy becoming too watery. When the curry is done, sprinkle cilantro to garnish.

See a nice post of pathiri by shaheen of Malabar spices.

Pathiri and mutton curry

Mushroom Peera

2007-04-27T08:59:00.000-04:00

Peera is a very common dish in kerala, usually prepared with small bony fishes or prawns. Fish, mixed with spicy masala ingredients, coconut and kodampuli and cooked in small flame in earthern pot creates a wonderful side dish. Here I am presenting mushroom peera, which is very good in taste and texture. I was inspired to make this wonderful dish from Vanitha magazine, now it goes into my best mushroom recipes list. I used kodam puli which is a special type of dried tangy fruit here but you can substitute kokum.

kodam puli

Recipe:-

Mushroom - 280 gm(diced into quarters)
Green chilli -4
Shredded coconut - 1/2 cup
Crushed red pepper - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chopped ginger - 1 tsp
Chopped garlic - 1tsp
Chopped shallots - 2 tsp
Kodam puli or kokum - 2 pieces
Curry leaves - 2 prig
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste

Mix everything together nicely with hand and transfer to a pot .Cook in medium flame till all the water evaporated. Mix and Serve.

See Meen peera pattichathu from My treasure...My pleasure and Spicy chemmeen peera from Kerala kitchen

Vishukkatta - A traditional vishu delicacy

2007-04-16T11:44:00.000-04:00

We celebrated vishu yesterday with a typical Vishusadya(Vishu feast). One of the special item for vishusadya was 'vishukkatta' made with coconut milk and rice. Traditionally in kerala, we used to prepare it with freshly harvested rice from the field. It is not possible here in US. But we enjoyed it with same great taste as I used to prepare in our home in kerala.

Recipe:-
Rice - 1 1/2 cup
Coconut - 1 and 1/2
Salt - to taste
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

1) Shred the coconut well.
2) Squeeze the coconut with hand to get 1/4 cup fresh milk. It is called thalappal(first milk). Don't add any water in this step.
3)Add some warm water to coconut and squeeze the coconut milk to get approximately 5-6 cups.
4)Mix coconut milk with rice and salt and keep it in medium flame. If you are using high flame,milk may curdle. I used sona masoori rice in this recipe. Ponni rice also a good choice.Use same kind of rice in this category.
5)Keep stirring the mixture till the rice cooked and mixture leaves the sides of the pan. Pour into a tray and make it flat using a flat spoon. Sprinkle cumin seeds and thalappal and softly press with a spoon.
6)Wait till the mixure cools and cut into pieces.
7)Serve with jaggery syrup.

For jaggery syrup:-

Mix jaggery with some water and let the mixture to boil. Wait till the mixure becomes thin syrup and add little ghee and cardamom powder.Adding ghee is completely optional.Serve it on top of vishukkatta.

Yesterday the climate was gloomy and rainy but we enjoyed vishu. We arranged a beautiful Vishukkani and enjoyed a vishu feast with vishukkatta. Evening we went to Durga temple and prayed for a good year filled with happiness.Shaheen had written an article about vishu and vishu rituals.Read it here

Our vishu feast

Happy Vishu

2007-04-15T11:29:00.000-04:00

Dear all,

Wishing You A Very Happy And Prosperous Vishu....

Best wishes,
Surya

Dry Fruit Milk shake

2007-04-07T15:35:00.000-04:00

There are many types of milk shakes with different types of flavours. Here I am presenting a healthy shake with dry fruits. First I made it for my little one, now it has become a favourite in my home. This drink is really healthy and heavy and can easily repace a meal.

I adapted this recipe is from an old magazine by Ummi Abdullah.

Recipe:-

Ingredients:-
1) Figs - 4
2) Dates -6
3) Apricot - 4
4) Almond - 25 gm(Skinned)
5) Sugar - 25 gm
6) Milk - 500ml
7) Honey - 1/4 cup
8) Light Cream - 1/2 cup
9) Pista - 2tbsp (Chopped)
10) Chocolate bar - 1(optional)

Soak the first 4 ingredients in hot water for 4 hours. Then remove water and grind it nicely in a mixer or blender. Add milk and sugar and blend it again. Add honey and cream finally and blend everything smoothly. Pour into a container and refrigerate till it becomes cold. Just before serving, blend it once again till it becomes frothy. Pour into tall glasses and add chopped pista on top. Garnish with grated chocolate. A great drink to beat the heat!!

Dry Prawns Chutney Powder

2007-03-27T22:06:00.000-04:00

Dry chutney powder is a good accompaniment with idli,dosa or even with rice. To take it to the next level in taste, this chutney powder with dry prawns will do the trick. I have seen many people who do not like dry fishes. This dish is for other group. At my home everybody likes it. Here I am trying my level best to get the same great taste as my grandmother used to prepare it.

Recipe:-
Dry prawns - 1 cup
Dried coconut powder - 1 cup(you can use fresh or frozen shredded coconut)
Garlic - 5 to 6cloves
Curry leaves - 2 sprig
Tamarind- Small Amla sized ball
Chilli powder - 2 tbsp(I used kashmiri chilli powder)
Salt - to taste

Dry roast prawns to a golden brown and keep it aside. Again dry roast coconut with garlic and curry leaves till the coconut turns golden brown in color and curry leaves turn crisp. Do it in low flame othewise coconut will not be crisp and brown. If you are using fresh or frozen coconut, make sure that it is well browned and crisp. At the last minute of browning , add tamarind, salt and chilli powder to coconut and mix well.Allow all the things to heat up.

Switch of stove and mix it with roasted prawns. Let it cool and grind to a powder using a mixer or coffee grinder. Chutney powder is ready. Keep it in an air tight container at room temperature. It can stay fresh at least two months. You can serve it with idli, dosa, rice or even with chappathi.

Fruit Custard with Chocolate

2007-03-14T21:30:00.000-04:00

A common dessert, fruit custard, becomes special with the addition of white chocolate chips. When I saw this recipe on a malayalam channel(surya tv) , I decided to try this one for a change. The dish wonderfully turned out creamy and tasty with the mild chocolate flavor. If you need more chocolate flavour, you can add more chocolate chips. You can also use white chocolate bar instead of white chocolate chips.

Recipe:-

Milk - 1 litre (I used 2%Milk)
White chocolate chips - 1 cup
Custard powder - 4 tbsp
Sugar - 6 heaped tbsp
Various types of fruits cut in small size in a big bowl to cover with custard. I used 2 ripe plantains,2 apples,2 cup grapes,8 oz can pineapple chunks.

Mix 1/2 cup of milk with custard powder and set aside. Bring the remaining milk to boil with sugar. Add the chocolate chips and stir till it melts. Remove from heat and add custard powder(mixed with milk) and cook again for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring continuously to avoid burning. Then pour the hot custard mixture to the bowl filled with fruits and let it cool in the fridge. Delicious custard is ready. If you need,garnish with grated dark chocolate and grapes and enjoy....

Recipe courtesy:-Surya Tv cookery show.

Meen Mulakittathu( Fish in Red Chilli Gravy)

2007-03-08T11:30:00.000-05:00

I am presenting today a simple fish curry which is my family favourite. My hubby prefers this type of fish curry more than with coconut mixed gravy. Fish pieces will be coated with spicy masala and tamarind gravy will not disappoint you, if you served with hot rice. You have to keep this curry at least 2 hours before serving to get the actual taste. Actually I keep this dish overnight to get tht spicy taste for the fish pieces.

Recipe:-

Fish- 250 gm
Red chilli powder- 1 1/2 tsp(I used kashmiri chilli powder)
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Tamarind - small amla sized ball
Fenugreek - 1/4 tsp
Shallots - 5 or 6(chopped)
Ginger- garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Tomato - 1 small(optional)
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Oil - as needed
Water - as needed
Salt - to taste

Mix the spice powders with some water and keep it aside. Heat some oil in a pot(I used earthern pot here). Add fenugreek seeds and let it brown. Then add chopped shallots and curry leaves and saute. Add ginger - garlic paste and tomatoes saute till you see oil separate from tomatoes. Add spice paste and saute for 1 minute in low flame. Don't let it brown. Add tamarind juice mixed with enough water to cover the fish pieces . Let it boil till the raw smell of tamarind has gone. Add fish pieces and let it cook till the fish pieces are done. Pour some oil on top. I prefer to add a pinch of fenugreek powder to the curry at this stage. Shake the pot gently to mix all the things together. Do not use a spoon. Cover and let it rest at least two hours.

Fish Curry with hot rice

Happy Cooking!!

Cooking from Fellow Bloggers

2007-03-05T08:45:00.000-05:00

Dear friends,

I am back to blogging after a short break. During this time, I tried some recipes from other food blogs. I am very happy when I hear that somebody has tried my recipe and liked the recipe. I hope the same is true with my fellow bloggers also. Here I am publishing some recipes that I tried and tasted in my kitchen. I hope you will enjoy the pictures.

I tried many recipes from the 'My workshop',although I am not a regular commentor on her blog. Recipes are so simple and yummy!!
Bluberry muffins:-
I replaced half of the flour with whole wheat flour.My daughter enjoyed each bite.

Lemon squares:-

Garlic Pickle:-
I was searching for a good garlic pickle recipe. So simple and colourful.

I am a regular visitor of 'My treasure..My pleasure' owned by Annita. I have learned many kerala recipes from her posts. I tried recently her Vendakka Paalu Curry and ulli theeyal, but was not able to take photos.
Here I am presenting her Nadan Egg Roast:-

Shaheen of Malabar Spices is a very good cook with the magic of malabar taste. Last time I tried her Pavakka curry/Bittergourd w/yogurt and now it is in my best bittergourd recipes list. This time I am presenting her Meen chaar/Fish Curry w/coconut (using shrimp). The addition of fennel powder is very new to me. The curry tasted good with hearty smell. Thanks Shaheen.

My next presentation is from, Cake girl, Pushpa, very talented in cooking and baking. Her peach butter cake is a favourite one in my home. I bookmarked so many recipes from her blog to try. I hope she will start her blogging again.
Peach butter Cake:-

Acar:-

Next recipe is from Seema of 'Recipe Junction'. I recently found her blog from the remarks about Banana bread dosa. I liked the recipe very much and I am presenting the photo proudly. Thank you very much Seema.

Priya from Sugar & Spice, a very good blogger, attracts me with colorful recipes and presentation. By seeing her pori urundai, I remembered my school days with this lovely snack. I used to enjoy these puffed rice balls from the nearby shop for only 10 paise. Actually I used to get two for 10 paise :-)). I tried the recipe and turned out very good.

Nabeela from Trial and error, finds time for cooking in her heptic schedule. I love her writings and recipes.When I saw her Oven dried tomatoes, I tried it that day itself. This is my second turn of her recipe. No need to buy the costly sundried tomatoes from stores. This recipe shows you the magic.

I also tried Dahi Bhindi from Hooked on heat, by Meenakshi. The dish came out good and tasty, but may be a little dry.

Thank you All!!!
Happy Blogging!!!

Taking a break

2007-01-28T16:54:00.000-05:00

Dear friends,
I am taking a small break from blogging for a month due to personal reasons. Till then happy blogging!!
I will be back soon.
Surya

Stuffed Peppers

2007-01-11T08:05:00.000-05:00

I am presenting here a very simple yet delicious and beautiful dish. The ingredients, when baked gives a wonderful blend of flavour and taste. It will be a very good candidate to be included in a dinner party menu. Above all, it becomes kid's favourite because kids will dig into anything with melted cheese. It is a good way to get veggies into kid's menu. If you are vegetarian, try it with TVP(Textured Vegetable Protein)

The recipe:-
Red Peppers - 4 (halved lengthwise, stems, seeds and ribs removed)
Couscous - 1/2 cup
Ground meat - 1/2 pound
Diced tomatoes - 14.5 oz can
Onion - 1 small (finely chopped)
Garlic - 11/2 tsp(chopped)
Frozen corn - 1/2 cup
Mushroom - 1 cup(chopped)
Paprika - 3/4 tsp
Salt - to taste
Monetery jack cheese - 1 cup( You can use reduced fat)

1) Place peppers cut side up in a large foil covered roasting pan.
2) Mix remaining ingredients except cheese in a bowl.
3)Divide mixture among peppers. Cover pan with foil and bake at 400 degree F for 45 minutes.
4)After that, remove foil, sprinkle tops with cheese and bake 20 minutes more.

I made little variations from the original recipe. I used leftover masala kheema in place of ground meat and used cheddar cheese slices in place of monetery jack cheese.

Masala kheema

Recipe for masala kheema:-

Ground Chicken - 1 pound
Onion - 1,finely chopped
Ginger-garlic paste - 2 tbsp
Garam masala powder - 11/2tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Sweet paprika -1 tsp(optional)
Yogurt - 2 tbsp
Coriander leaves - 1/4cup
Lemon juice - 11/2 tbsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste

Heat oil in a pan. Saute onion and ginger garlic paste till it turns brown. Add masala powders and chicken. Saute till chicken becomes dry and brown. Add yogurt and let the chicken cook on a low flame. After chicken cooked sprinkle lemon juice and coriander leaves and mix well. I used sweet parika for color. You can use it if you would like.
See my another recipe for Kheema.
Recipe courtesy:-Parenting magazine

Varna Puttu - Entry for JFI

2007-01-01T17:13:00.000-05:00

Wishing You All A Very Happy And Propserous New Year.

Today I am presenting a healthier and colourful version of puttu, a traditional breakfast of kerala. Every malayali, living in any part of the world will not forget this wonderful tasty breakfast. Besides all,if you are a rice lover, you would love this dish. You can find nice puttu making recipes from these malayalee bloggers like RP, Priya, Reshma. I love puttu with kadala(chickpeas) curry . Here I am making puttu in a different style. I found this recipe in a magazine from the great cook Ummi Abdulla. She is one of my favourites.

The recipe for puttu is very easy if you have puttu makers pictured below. You can find the recipe for puttu from scratch without a puttu maker here.The next thing you need is good roasted rice flour. I know that all brands 0f rice flour available from Indian stores in US are not very good. I have read somewhere that Swad brand is better. I have not tried it. These flours have to be roasted for a while. Special puttu flours are also available from Indian stores. Here I am using homemade puttu flour. You can use brown rice four if you prefer a more healthier version.

Next you need shredded coconut. An essential ingredient in puttu. I thank Ashwini by selecting this nice ingredient for JFI of this month. It is a commonly used ingredient in indian kitchen. Try puttu with crunchy veggies and spicy masala.

Recipe follows:-

For Puttu:-

Puttu flour - 2 cup
Carrot - 1(medium sized)
Beans - 50 gm
Grean peas - 1/4 cup
Chilli powder - 1 pinch
salt - to taste

For masala:-

Coconut Shredded - 1 cup (fresh or frozen)
Red onion - 2 medium (finely chopped)
Kashmiri chilli powder - 1/2 tsp (I used it for color,You can use any other brand)
Fennel seeds - 1/4 tsp
Garlic - 2 cloves
Curry leaves - 2 or 3(Optional)
Oil - 2tsp
salt - to taste

Grate carrots using a grater. Cut beans into small pieces. Cook beans, carrot and green peas with chilli powder, salt and very little water. Don't overcook, the color will fade.

Add the vegetables and salt to the puttu flour and mix well. Wet the flour by adding water little by little. Add just enough water to keep it in the powdered form wet enough for steaming as shown in the figure. Keep the flour for 1/2 an hour to blend the ingredients. If you add more water, the flour should change to dough.

Grind coconut with chillipowder, garlic, fennel seeds, curry leaves and salt in a mixer without adding water. Don't grind too much. Just allow the ingredients to mix up. Heat oil in a pan and add finely chopped onion. Add the grounded mix when the onion becomes translucent and mix well.

See the puttu makers in the figure below. I used the cylindrical shaped one for making this dish. It has a large hole at the bottom which easily goes into the pressure cooker vent. Place the mesh like disc at the bottom of the cylinder to keep the flour in place. Just mix the puttu flour again with the hand. Put 2 tablespoon of coconut masala in the cylinder and put almost 1/3 cup wet puttu flour and repeat it till you reach the top of the cylinder and close the lid.

Boil some water in the cooker without placing the weight. Wait for steam to come out of the vent tube. Place the cylinder on the vent tube of cooker and steam it 3 to 5 minutes. Once steam comes out from the top of the cylinder, cook for two more minutes. Again cooking time depends on the kind of equipments one use, hence it may vary.

Take the puttu out slowly by inserting and pushing it out with a stick from the bottom of cylinder.

Serve it hot with vegetable kurma or chicken kurma. Happy Cooking!!!

Prawns Masala

2006-12-13T22:08:00.000-05:00

When I came US for the first time, I was surprised by the big selection of the prawns available in the supermarket which are hard to find in the local fish market of India. Personally I feel that indian cooking has more diversity in recipes based on prawns compared to the western world. Here I am presenting a recipe using prawns. I think it came out well.

Recipe:-

Prawns - 250 g
Ginger garic paste - 2 tbsp
Green chilli - 2
Shallots - 1/4 cup
Tomato - 1,cut in lengthwise
Tomato - 1 ,cut into small pieces
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1tsp
Coriander powder -1 tsp
Kokum - a small piece
Coconut milk - 2 tbsp
Oil - 2 tbsp

Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and allow to splutter. Then saute ginger- garlic paste,green chilli,shallots and curry leaves. Add tomato cut in lengthwise and cook till oil separates. Add turmeric powder,coriander powder and red chilli powder and saute. Add prawns and kokum and allow the prawns to be coated with the masala. Add some water and allow to cook the prawns. When it is cooked,add coconut milk and tomato cut into small pieces. Mix well and serve with rice.

Recipe Courtesy:-Lilly Babu Jose.

Baked Pomfret

2006-12-04T18:23:00.000-05:00

During my local farmers market visit, I brouhgt some pomfret for grilling. I don't like pomfret much because I think It is a beautiful fish, but not upto it when it comes to taste. Because of this beauty,I can't resist the feeling to buy this fish. I didn't get time to for grilling,but I easily managed with my broiler.The dish was good in taste to my surprise.

Recipe follows:-

Pomfret - 325 gm
Ginger- garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Red chilli powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Ajwain - 1/2 tsp

Besan - 2 tsp

Lemon juice- 1 tbsp
Mustard oil - 1 tbsp
Salt - As needed

Clean and make deep slits in fish. Mix all the items together and apply on cleaned fish. Allow to marinate it atleast 2 hours in the fridge. Bake at 375 degree for 15 minutes. Then broil each side for 3 minutes. Keep an eye on fish during broiling time. It may get burnt due to high heat. Enjoy with rice!!

Bittergourd-Carrot-Shallot Thoran

2006-11-30T15:56:00.000-05:00

Dear All,
I am glad to be back to the world of blogging after a long break. Thanks for all the wishes.I hope everybody is doing fine.I am really enjoying all the new recipes in your blogs.
I am starting the blogging again with this healthy n spicy thoran.

Ingredients:-
Bittergourd - 1
Carrot - 2
Shallots - one handful
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp or as you needed
Salt - to taste
Coconut - 1/2 cup
Garlic - 2 cloves
Curry leaves - 2 or 3 leaves
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Whole chilli - 2

Method:-
Cut bittergourd,carrot and shallot into small pieces. If u want to reduce the bitter taste of bittergourd, keep the pieces in salt water for 30 minutes and wash well . Cook the vegetable pieces with turmeric,red chilli powder,salt and little water. Actually I used chinese bittergourd in this thoran. Because of the juicy,watery chinese bittergoud, I did not use water in this version. It has less bitter taste compared to indian bitter gourd. See chinese bittergourd fry from Ginger and mango.

Grind coconut with garic and curry leaves without adding water. Avoid smooth grinding. Just allow the things to mix up. Add the ground mixture to the cooked vegetables and mix well and simmer for 2 minutes.

Heat some oil and allow the mustard seeds to splutter. Add curry leaves and pieces of whole chilli. When the chilli become dark brown, pour it on to the curry and mix well. Serve with rice or chappathi.

Travel

2006-09-04T18:19:00.000-04:00

I will be in India for a few months, hence will not be able publish any posts till then.

Happy blogging,
Surya

Kheema Pav

2006-08-08T08:30:00.000-04:00

Pav bhaji, a very famous street food in Mumbai, is one of my favourite. I think one cannot resist that special taste and smell of pav bhaji masala. If you want to try something different with pav, Kheema pav is a good option . The slowly cooked spicy kheema is served with crispy and buttery pav. Kheema can be dry or with some gravy, as per your preference. It can be enjoyed as a starter or snack. One thing you have to make sure that the pav should be toasted with butter(I am being little generous here). The leftover kheema can be used as a samosa filling and puff pastry filling.

Recipe follows:-
Pav- 6
Ground chicken - 16 oz(you can use any type of minced meat)
Chilli powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste - 2tbsp
Garam masla powder - 1 tsp

Cloves -5
cinnaman 1/2 inch stick
cardamom -4 pods
crush these three together.

Onion - 1 large
Green chill - 2
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup
Mint - 1/4 cup
Tomatoes(chopped ) - 2
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
Peas - 1 cup
Oil - as needed
Salt - to taste

Marinate the minced meat with chilli powder,turmeric powder,ginger-garic paste,garam masala powder and salt. Heat oil,add crushed spices and green chilli. When it starts to splutter, add onions and fry till golden brown. Add the mince which has been marinated for 1/2 hour. Stir constantly on high flame for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and keep stiring for 3 more minutes. Add peas and little milk if it is too dry. Cover and simmer till done. Add lemon juice for tangy taste. Add coriander and mint leaves and adjust seasonings. Serve hot with toasted pav(chopped red onions and lemon piece by side)

Special Lemonade

2006-08-03T12:39:00.000-04:00

This week has been extremely hot here in new jersey. I really want something cool!!.So I decided to try this one.It gives me a cool feeling in presenting this variant of lemonade. This milk flavoured lemonade will give a cool and pleasant feeling in this hot hot summer.

Lemon - 1
Sugar - as needed
Condensed milk - 1tsp
Salt - 1/8 tsp
Ginger- 1tsp(crushed)
Brandy - 1 tsp(optional)
pudina leaves - 2 or 3( chopped)
Club soda - As needed

Squeeze out the juice of lemon. Mix up lemon juice with all other items except soda. Let it sit for 10 minutes. Sieve the concentrate into a tall glass. Pour soda on top. Mix with a long spoon. Decorate it with pudina leaves and serve immediately.
So simple and easy!!

This is my entry for Monthly Mingle-Beat The Heat event hosted by Meeta.

Tomatillo Fish Curry

2006-07-30T23:30:00.000-04:00

This fish curry is very special to me because it tasted like my mom's special curry with a special type of tangy fruit,elumbipuli. Sorry guys,I don' t know it's English name. It is green in color, tangy taste, used in kerala to make pickles and in curries. Like mango, elumbipuli in fish curry is so tasty and gives a special flavour to curry. Tomatillo almost tastes like elumbipuli and is so good in fish curry. Sometimes I was in a feeling that I can't make mom's elumbipuli fish curry because that fruit is not available here. But now I am happy I can try her mouthwatering fish curry with tomatillo. I am thankful to Annita who introduced me to this fruit with her tomatillo egg thoran.Thanks Annita.
This tomatillo is of mexican origin and have a papery outer skin. It has a very tart flavour, not at all like a tomato. It is widely used in mexican cooking and it acts as a base of various salsas and sauces. The tomatillo actually used when it is still green. More information here

Tomatilloes(husks removed)

The recipe:
Fish pieces - 225 gm
Tomatillo - 2 medium sized
Kashmiri chilli powder - 1 1/2tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Freshly grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Shallots - 5 or 6
Ginger - garic paste - 1tbsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Water -as needed
Salt-to taste
Oil - as needed

Wash and clean the fish pieces and set aside. Remove husks and wash tomatilloes. Cut it into medium wedges.

Mix the masala powders with a little water in a little bowl. Chop 4 shallots. Grind coconut smoothly with 2 or 3 curry leaves by adding water. Heat some oil in a pan and add shallot pieces and ginger- garlic paste. Saute in low flame. Don't let it brown. This step is to remove the raw smell of shallots and ginger- garlic. Add masala paste and saute half a minute in low flame. After that add fish pieces, tomatllo pieces, ground coconut and salt. Add water to cover the fish pieces. Let it boil and change to low flame. Cook till fish pieces are done.Chop remaining shallots and let it brown in oil with curry leaves. Pour it on the top of the curry and let it rest for one hour. Enjoy with rice!!

This is my entry for Antony's curry mela this week.

Ada - Traditional Breakfast of kerala

2006-07-26T17:00:00.000-04:00

Ada, a simple and delicious breakfast in kerala is traditionally prepared in banana leaves. During my last vacation in india, I was craving for the ada prepared in banana leaves and roasted in manchatti(earthern pot). The smell of ada slowly cooked in manchatti in open flame is wonderful. Alternatively you can prepare it by using a steamer. Ada with sweet coconut fillings and a cup of hot tea, I love it. The fillings can vary as you prefer. If you are using only coconut as the filling, It is called 'Poovada'. I like all these variations, but my hubby prefers coconut -jaggery-banana filling. Banana leaves are not available here, so I used parchment paper instead. First I thought whether it would work out, but it came out good. I tried adas with rice flour and wheat flour with different type of fillings.Here I am presenting you my mom's special adas.

For rice ada, you need
Rice flour - 1 cup
Warm water - As needed
Salt

For filling:-
Sugar or jaggery- As needed
Coconut-1 cup or more
Plantain pieces - 1/2 cup(if desired)

Cut parchment paper into squares(approximately 8 inches sides). Mix rice flour with salt. Knead the flour using warm water to a smooth dough like chappathi dough.

Take a big lemon sized dough ball and put in one end of paper. Pat it out with your fingers held together thinly as shown in the figure. If the dough is sticky, wet your fingers occasionally. For wheat ada, you can use the same measurement of rice ada, only difference in the consistency of dough. It would be slightly looser than the chappathi dough.

You can use different type of fillings for the ada. For wheat ada I think plain coconut would be the best filling. Just put the filling on one side of the pat out dough and fold and press lightly. I made rice ada with coconut-sugar filling and coconut-jafggery-ripe plantain filling.

For filling
Add the desired amount of grated jaggery or sugar to the coconut and mix well. If you want, you can add ripe plantain pieces to it. For little more aroma,you can add some crushed cardamom to the filling and mix well.

Transfer the folded adas into a steamer(I used an idly vessel for steaming purpose) and steam it for 15 to 2o minutes or until well cooked. Take out adas and remove paper. Serve it hot with a cup of tea.

This my entry for JFI#4 hosted by Santhi and WBB #2 hosted by Nandita.

Moong sprouts curry(cherupayar curry)

2006-07-19T15:36:00.000-04:00

Everybody knows the fact that beans or pulses are healthier and a choice of less expensive protein source. Especially for vegetarians,these are meat equivalent. There are endless things to say about the benefits of pulses. These are low in fat, good source of minerals and contains complex carbohydrates. A diet rich in pulses ensures fiber which helps to lower cholestrol. Their nutritive value increases if these are allowed to sprout. These becomes less calorific and far more nutritious than before. No need to say more,I know everybody knows these things.
Here I am presenting you a simple sprouted moong curry with less spice.

here the recipe:-
Whole moong (cherupayar) - 1 cup
Cloves - 6
cinnamon - 1 inch piece
Crushed cardomom - 5
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tbsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Lemon juice - 2 tbsp
Sugar - 1/4 tsp
Onion (chopped) - 1
Coriander leaves (chopped)- 2 tbsp
Oil - as needed
Water - as needed
Salt - as needed

Soak the beans minimum of 8 hours and allow to sprout.I hope everybody knows the technique of sprouting the beans. I have not used any special vessel for this purpose. A cheesecloth and a little patience, I will get good sprouted beans.
Cook sprouted beans along with cloves,cinnamon and cardamom in a vessel. One can use pressure cooker for this step. The beans should be immersed in water.
At the same time soak coriander powder, red chilli powder and turmeric powder with a little water.
Heat some oil in a pan. Allow mustard seeds to splutter. Add chopped onion and saute till little brown. Add masala paste and saute till the oil separates.Then add cooked beans and mix properly. The masala should be very well coated with masala.You can add some water if needed to get the desired consistency.
Finish it off by adding sugar,lemon juice and coriander leaves.
Serve it hot with chappathi, rice or puttu

Try and let me know the result.I am sure you will like it.
Recipe courtesy: Mrs.K.M.Mathew
This is my entry for From My Rasoi #7 hosting Revathi of En ulagam.

Bombay Vegetable Sandwich

2006-07-16T22:35:00.000-04:00

If you ask anybody who has lived in Bombay about the best places to eat in the city, the road-side sandwichwala or panipuriwala or....will be in his list. Although I was born and brought up in kerala, did get married to a bombayite. I realised the above mentioned is true during my short stay in bombay.The first road side food I had in Bombay was a vegetable sandwich. I can still recollect that wonderful taste.
I got this recipe from my sister-in-low who is very fond of this dish. very simple and easy to make.Commonly White bread is preferable for this sandwich but I am using a healthy multigrain bread here.

Recipe:-

Ingredients:-
Bread - 4 slices
Tomato - 1
Cucumber - 1
Potato -1
Red onion - 1
Coiander-mint Chutney - 4 tbsp
Chat masala - 1/2 tsp
Crushed peppercorns - 1/2 tsp
Butter - As needed
Salt - to taste

1) Cut onions,tomato and cucumber into thin roundels.Boil and Peel potato. Sice into roundels.
2) Trim the edges of bread and apply butter on each slice.
3) Apply coriander-mint chutney liberally on each slice.
4) Layer potato,tomato,onion and cucumber on two bread slices.

5) Sprinkle chat masala,peppercorns and salt.
6) Cover with another slice of bread and press it lightly.
7) Cut into four equal portions and serve it with tomato sauce.

Recipe for Coriander-mint chutney

Coriander leaves-1 cup
Mint leaves - 1/2 cup
Green chilli - 2 or 3
Sugar - 1/4 tsp
Lime juice - 1 tsp
Black salt - to taste
Grind altogether by adding some water. Chutney is ready.
Happy Cooking!!

This is my entry for Anthony's curry mela.

Chicken Vindaloo

2006-07-12T18:34:00.000-04:00

This is a goan chicken dish called chicken vindaloo.
If you are fed up with ordinary chicken preparations, it is a very good option to try out. First I thought,the red color of the dish is due to adding by some color,but after the dish was prepared; I was suprised by the color and texture of the curry. It was so good in taste too. Vinegar and spices are the specialities of chicken vindaloo. If u don't like to add vinegar,replace it with lemon juice.This dish will create hot and tangy taste in your taste buds.
Actually this recipe is derived from a few recipes that I came across internet.

The recipe follows:

Cuminseeds - 2 tsp
Peppercorns- 1tsp
Cardomom seeds - 1tsp
Mustard seeds - 11/2tsp
Fenugreek seeds - 1tsp
Cinnamon - 3 in stick
Grind all these together to a fine powder.

The other ingredients are:-
Kashmiri red chillipowder - 1tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2tsp
Brown sugar - 1tsp
Gnger-garlic paste - 2tbsp
White vinegar - 1/4 cup
lime juice - 2tbsp
Tomato sauce- 8oz can
Large yellow onions - 2,thinly sliced
Medium sized potato - 3
Chicken- 2 lb
oil - 1/2cup or more
water - As needed
salt - to taste

1) Heat 1/2 cup oil in a pan and fry the onions till dark brown. Remove onions and grind to a smooth paste with water. Don't undercook the onions. Mix it with the ground spices,vinegar and sugar. Set it aside.
2) Heat remaining oil and add ginger-garlicpaste. Saute until lightly brown. Add powders and stir.Add chicken and brown little.
3) Add onoion paste,tomato sauce ,salt and potatoes. Bring to Boil. Add some water if the mixture is too thick.
4) Cover and simmer about an hour till the chicken and potatoes are cooked.
5) Stir in lime juice(Use less If u like the less tangy taste.)
6) Serve it with roti or rice.

Chicken vindaloo with moghul roti

Cooking from Fellow Bloggers

2006-07-10T17:32:00.000-04:00

Last weekend, I tried annita's 'Tomato in curd gravy'without garlic. The dish turned out very good and my hubby liked it. Thanks Annita.

I don't like tofu much. The post of My Workshop's broiled tofu sounded tempting. I tried the dish with a little difference. I omitted yogurt and added a small quantity of amchur powder and garam masala.The rest of the ingredients are same. It is the best tofu dish I had ever tasted.
Thanks RP.

Spaghetti in Red Pepper-Carrot Sauce

2006-07-08T16:59:00.000-04:00

Yesterday,after two hours of play in park,my little one was very hungry,when we reached our home. I had to make something fast for her.I remembered an italian recipe of khana khazana fame Sanjeev kapoor and decided to try that recipe. The measurements are my approximations because I watched his show long back.The recipe turned out really good and my little one enjoyed her dinner.

The recipe follows:-

Red pepper-1
Carrot -1
Onion -1
Thinly slice these three veggies and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 to 15minutes.
Simultaneously,cook one fistful of spaghetti according to package directions.

vegetables ready for oven

vegetables from the oven

Puree the vegetables along with one tomato in the blender. Heat 2 table spoon of olive oil in a pan and lightly brown garlic. Add the vegetable puree and 1/2tsp of pepper powder and heat 2 minutes.add spaghetti and mix. Finally add 2tbsp sour cream and salt. (I had no fresh cream,so I used sour cream.) Remove pan from heat and top with parmesan cheese.

Spaghetti in red pepper-carrot sauce

Fish curry with raw mango

2006-07-05T17:28:00.002-04:00

This is my mom's special fish curry. The cooked raw mango pieces gives a special texture and taste to the curry. When the mango season arrives, she prepares many dishes with mango.This fish curry is one among them. It takes me to the fond memories of my mom's cooking. She will create different versions in fish curry by using kokum, mango, tamarind and erumban puli(a special type of fruit with tangy taste, I am sorry, I don't know the English name). I am trying to recreate her version here, I hope I can match her hand's own taste.

The recipe follows:

fish - 1lb
raw mango - 1, peeled
turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
red chilli powder - 2 tsp
coriander powder - 1tsp
pepper powder - 1/2tsp
fresh coconut - 1/2 cup packed
red onion- half,chopped
ginger - 2 inch piece
garlic cloves - 2
curry leaves-1 sprig
salt - as per taste

Clean fish and cut into medium sized pieces. Peel ginger and garlic. Grind it using a mortar and pestle. Cut the mango into 2 inch pieces.Grind coconut finely with 2 or 3 curry leaves.Mix all the items together with 2 cups of water in a vessel.The fish pieces and mango pieces should be immersed in water.That's the criteria.Put the vessel on a high flame.When it comes to boil, change the flame to low.Cook covered for another 20 minutes. Switch off the flame and pour some oil on top and put some curry leaves.The curry tastes better after 3 or 4 hours or overnight.

Brown Rice with Gherkin fry and Fish Curry

Welcome to my blog!

2006-07-02T15:03:00.000-04:00

Hi friends,

My goal is to share and enhance my cooking experiences and experinments, with a theme of healthy and spicy cooking.

Happy cooking,
surya.