Ladies Special Adukkala

Pathiri

2011-01-17T22:19:00.000+08:00

Ingredients:
Roasted Rice Powder (Puttu Podi) - 2 cups
Grated Coconut - 1 cup
Water - 2 cups
Oil - 1 table spoon
Cumin seeds - 1 tspoon
Fennel seeds - 1/4 t spoon
Shallots - 5 to 6 no.s

Preparation:

Boil water in a vessel and add salt and oil.
Once boiled slowly add rice powder and combine the mixture well. Keep it aside and allow it to cool.
When it is cooled, knead well with your hands. (Make sure you don't add water).
Crush grated coconut along with shallots, fennel seeds and cumin seeds.
Add this crushed mixture to the dough and mix well.
Make small balls and flatten it using chappathi roller.
Heat a frying pan and rub oil if needed and then heat one side of the pathiri until its cooked and then repeat the same with other side.
Serve hot with fish curry, chicken curry or any sort of non veg of your choice.

I thank Sangeetha chechi of Kothiyavunnu whose blog really taught me how to make this. This is her recipe.
Thanks a lot!!!

Varutharacha Mutta Curry (Egg Curry)

2010-09-26T22:26:00.000+08:00

Another varutharacha curry to my list. This different version of varutharacha curry recipe was shared by one of my friend. I really luv this with Puttu and Ghee Rice. In fact it takes just half an hour to cook this. Once the curry is cooked, the smell will really make any one hungry!!. "It's easy to capture pics of this curry but how can I capture this wonderful smell?" my hubby was commenting... :)

Ingredients:
Egg - 4 no.s
Grated Coconut - 3/4 cup
Onion - 1 medium (Sliced half length wise)
Shallots - 10 nos. (Sliced into half)
Garlic - 3 cloves (Chopped into fine pieces)
Ginger - 1/2 inch (Chopped into fine pieces)
Tomato - 1 medium (Sliced into big 6 pieces)
Curry Leaves - few
Coriander Powder - 1 1/2 t spoon
Red Chilly Powder - 2 t spoon
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 t spoon
Chicken Masala Powder - 1/4 t spoon
Salt - to taste
Mustard Seeds - 1 t spoon
Cooking Oil - 3 table spoon

Preparation:

Heat a pan and roast the grated coconut. (If needed you can add oil for roasting but I normally don't prefer it.)
Once it turns light brown add coriander powder, roast it well.
Once roasted, transfer to a bowl and allow it to cool. Grind this into a paste using a mixer/grinder.
Boil the eggs, remove the shell and keep it aside after slicing in to half.
Heat 2 table spoon of oil in an earthen pot and add ginger, garlic and shallots and saute well.
Add sliced onions and saute again.
Add salt, turmeric, chilly powder, chicken masala and mix well.
Add sliced tomato and mix. Pour 1/4 cup water.
Add the sliced egg pieces and mix with the masala softly without breaking the eggs.
Then add the grinded paste with 1/2 cup of water.
Cook for about 5 to 7 minutes. Once ready transfer it to a bowl.
Heat a pan and add 1 table spoon of oil.
Add mustard seeds & curry leaves.
Transfer it over the cooked curry.

Ready to serve with Ghee rice, Puttu, Chappathi, White Rice etc. It taste well if you garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Koondhal Fry (Squid Fry)

2010-09-19T16:47:00.000+08:00

Its quite a long time I posted something in my blog. If any one ask "Is it b'cos you are lazy or anything else?", I would definitely say partially lazy, but the main reason is in fact I am not finding enough time to spend in my blog once I started working. Yesterday I bought some squids and thought of trying something new today, but ended up with my favorite squid fry. Hope this will be a good start and will continue blogging as earlier!!!

Ingredients:
Koondhal (Squid) - 3no.s (Big, Cleaned and cut into small pieces)
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 t spoon
Salt - to taste
Red Chilly powder - 1 1/2 t spoon (Less spicy)
Onion - 2 small (Sliced half length wise)
Green Chilly - 2 Nos (Split into half)
Ginger - 1/2 inch (Chopped)
Garlic - 2 cloves (Chopped into fine pieces)
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Cooking Oil - 3 table spoon
Water - 1/2 cup for cooking squid

Preparation:

Cook the cleaned and chopped squids in an earthen pot (or any vessel) with water, turmeric powder and salt. It will take around 10 minutes for the squids to be cooked.
Once cooked, drain the water and transfer the squids to a bowl.
Heat oil in a pan, add ginger and garlic and saute well.
Add sliced onions and green chillies and saute till turns tender.
Add red chilly powder and salt to taste and mix well.
Transfer the cooked squid to the pan, mix well and cooked for around 5-7 minutes with lids closed.
In between open the lid and stir well to make sure that it does not stick to the bottom.
Garnish with curry leaves and the delicious squid fry is ready to serve.

Diced Chicken With Cashew Nuts

2010-06-20T19:25:00.002+08:00

Ever since we had this dish from Lerk Thai we became a fan of this. Till this time we only had it in restaurants. Then I thought it is high time we try it at home. Mmmm and my hubby took charge of this. And wow... it came really wonderful!!!

Ingredients:
Chicken Breast - 500 gm (Cut in to 1.5 cm cubes)
Button Mushrooms - 5 (Discard stem and cut in to 4)
Carrot - 1 (Cut in to 1 cm cubes)
Onion - 1 (Cut in to 1 cm cubes)
Ginger - 1 inch piece (Slice in to thin long pieces)
Baby Corn - 2-3 (Chop in to 1 cm pieces)
Capsicum - 1 (Chop in to 1.5 cm cubes)
Spring Onion - 5 (Chop in to 1 inch length)
Cashew Nuts - 10-15 Roasted
Light Soy Sauce - 1.5 t spoon
Oyster Sauce - 2 t spoon
Corn Flour - 1 t spoon
Salt - 1.5 t spoon
Coriander Leaves - 1-2 sprig for garnishing
Oil - 3 table spoon

Preparation:

Put chicken cubes, corn flour and 1 t spoon salt in a bowl, mix well & set aside for around 30 mins
Heat 1 table spoon oil in a wok. Stir-fry mushrooms & carrots for 1 min & dish out
To heated wok, add seasoned chicken & stir-fry until cooked. Dish out and wash wok
Heat 2 table spoon oil in the wok & fry onion pcs until transparent
Return fried chicken, mushrooms & carrots to the wok, then add young corn, ginger, remaining salt & stir-fry for 1 – 2 mins
Add green capsicums, spring onions, roasted cashew nuts, soy & oyster sauce and stir well

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot (I ran out of coriander, so used capsicum for garnishing ;))

Thanks Beena for remembering and sharing it with me. Sorry for publishing it too late..

I would like to share these awards with my blogger friends

Friends please accept these awards and share it with your friends!!

Cherry Smoothie

2010-06-14T22:49:00.002+08:00

Cherries are my childhood favorite. I still remember picking cherries whenever my dad gets home cakes before anyone could even touch it. There are lots of instances where I literally fought with my elder sis. Recently I went to a supermarket and saw people grabbing some very fresh cherries and I too picked some. Thought of eating it fresh but my hubby was not interested and requested for something different and I came up with this.

Ingredients:
Cherries - 12 nos
Yoghurt - 300 ml
Ice cubes - few

Preparation:

Wash the cherries and remove the seeds.
Grind the cherries first in a blender.
Once ready add yoghurt, ice cubes and blend well again.

Serve chilled. It is so refreshing...

Chemmeen Fry (Prawns Coconut Fry)

2010-06-07T17:53:00.000+08:00

Prawns (Chemmeen) is one of our favorite sea food in any form. But nowadays I am reducing it fearing of cholesterol. So I buy in numbers!!! Last to last weekend I made a simple dish with prawns and thought of sharing with you all.
Last few weeks I tried some of yours recipes and all turned out very very well. Thank you girls for posting such wonderful recipes.

Ingredients:
Prawns (Chemmeen) - 15no.s
Onion - 1 medium (Sliced finely)
Coconut - 1/2 cup
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 t spoon
Non Spicy Red Chilly Powder - 1/2 table spoon
Salt - to taste
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Oil - 3 table spoon

Preparation:

Marinate prawns with turmeric, chilly powder, salt to taste and keep aside for 15mins.
Heat oil in a pan and add sliced onions, saute till it turns tender.
Add coconut and mix well, saute till its raw smell goes off.
Add marinated prawns and mix well.
Cover the pan with a lid and cook till the prawns ar cooked well.
Garnish with curry leaves.

Peas Masala Curry

2010-05-26T20:12:00.002+08:00

Ingredients:
Peas - 1 1/2 cup
Potatoes - 2no.s
Onion - 1medium
Tomato - 1medium
Cashew nuts - 10no.s (Grind to a fine paste)
Water - 1 cup
Coriander powder - 1 1/2 t spoon
Red chilly powder - 1 t spoon
Turmeric powder - 1/4 t spoon
Ginger - 1" inch
Garlic - 3 cloves
Oil - 3 table spoon
Kasoori methi - 2 t spoon
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs

Preparation:

Soak peas in water for about 3-4 hrs.
Heat oil in a pressure cooker and saute sliced onions till turns tender.
Add chopped ginger and garlic and saute well.
Add salt, turmeric powder, chilly powder, corriander powder and mix well.
Add the peas and mix well for 1 minute and add chopped potatoes.
Add the water, close the lid and pressure cook for 2 whistles.
Once pressure is released, open the lid and cook over a very low flame.
Add sliced tomatoes and cashew nut paste and mix well and cook for 2 minutes.
Add kasoori methi and curry leaves.

Now it is ready to serve. It is a great combination with chappati.

Fruity Delight

2010-05-23T18:52:00.001+08:00

This is one of my favorite fruity dessert especially to have this with ice cream. Its really easy and doesn't take too much time except the fact of cutting lots of fruits. This is a good fruit diet for kids who normally say no to fruits. Usually when I prepare this my hubby says its my trick to eat lots of ice cream. In fact thats the truth!!!

Ingredients:
Holy Farm Mango dessert powder - 1 packet
Banana(Small) - 2 no.s
Kiwi - 2 no.s
Orange - 1 no.
Plums - 2 no.s
Green grapes - 3/4 cup
Black seedless grapes - 3/4 cup
Vanilla Ice cream - 1 scoop for each serve
Water - 2cups

Preparation:

Cut all the fruits into small pieces and keep it aside.
Boil 2cups of water in a vessel and add the holy farm dessert powder and stir continuously till it dissolves completely and starts to thicken slightly.
Allow it to cool for few minutes.
Take a bowl, layer some fruit pieces.
Then add the dessert mix before it gets too thick.
Then add the remaining fruit pieces.
Its ready to serve. While serving add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or any ice cream of your choice.

Kids gonna love this!!!!

Meen Molishan with Smelt Fish

2010-05-17T22:25:00.001+08:00

Friends i am back here again!!!! I just became lazy after my holidays and then some personal reasons too...
Hope all my blogger buddies are doing great. Thanks to all for visiting my blog and following too.
At last I decided to post this which was lying in my draft for some time.

Ingredients:
Smelt fish - 6 no.s
Tomato - 1 no. big
Onion - 2 no.s small
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1/2 t spoon
Green chilly - 1 no. (Optional)
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Red chilly powder - 1/2 t spoon
Salt - to taste
Water - 1/2 cup
Cooking oil - 1 1/2 table spoon
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Tamarind water - 1 cup
(Soak tamarind in half cup water, squeeze it and later filter the water and use it)

Marinating:
Red chilly powder - 1 t spoon
Turmeric powder - 1/4 t spoon
Salt - to taste
Mix these ingredients adding few drops of water and apply the mixture uniquely on the cleaned fish and keep aside for 15-30 minutes.

Preparation:

Clean the fish and marinate it with the above mentioned ingredients and keep aside for 15 minutes.
Heat an earthern pot (Chatti) and add oil.
Saute sliced onions till it becomes translucent.
Add red chilly powder, turmeric, ginger garlic paste, salt, green chilly and mix well.
Add sliced tomatoes and saute well till becomes tender.
Add 1/2 cup water, tamarind water and bring it to boil.
Add marinated fish pieces and cook for about 5 minutes.
Garnish with curry leaves.

Note: Once fish is cooked never use the spoon to mix as it will cause the fish pieces to break. Instead you can swirl the chatti.

Varutharacha Koondhal Curry (Squid Curry)

2010-03-23T06:57:00.000+08:00

It is been few weeks I've made this curry, but was not able to post. Varutharacha curries are one of my favorite except the fact that it requires some roasting and grinding. But its taste compensate for all the efforts involved. Whenever I make it I always cook some extra rice. It is also a great combination with puttu.

Ingredients:
Koondhal (Squid) - 300 gm
Grated Coconut - 1 cup
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 t spoon
Coriander Powder - 2 t spoon
Chilly Powder - 1 t spoon
Dried Chilly - 2 nos
Potato - 2 small chopped into small cubes
Tomato - 1 medium sliced
Onion - 1 small sliced length wise
Green Chilly - 1 split into half
Cooking Oil - 2 1/2 table spoon
Salt - To taste
Curry Leaves - 1 sprig
Coconut Slices - chopped into fine pieces
Mustard Seeds - 1 t spoon

Preparation:

Clean and chop the squids into small square pieces.
Heat a pan and add one table spoon oil and roast the grated coconut.
Once it turns light brown add chilly powder, coriander powder, dried red chillies and roast it well.
Once roasted, transfer to a bowl and allow it to cool. Grind this into a paste using a mixer/grinder.
Take an earthern pot (chatti) and add the chopped squid pieces and cook it with 1 cup of water, chopped potatoes, turmeric powder, sliced onions, green chillies, tomato and salt.
Once cooked, add the grinded paste and cook for about 7 minutes and keep aside.
Heat a pan and add the remaining oil.
Splutter mustard seeds and add the coconut pieces.
Once fried add the curry leaves and transfer these contents to the curry.

Your delicious varutharacha koondhal curry is ready to serve with hot white rice or puttu.

Parippum Kaayayum Curry (Dal Plantain Curry) & Awards

2010-03-16T15:06:00.064+08:00

Nowadays we are quite busy as we have to move to another house. Need to pack up all our items. So I was not in a mood to update the blog. I had a left over plaintain, and I was thinking what to prepare with 1 plaintain and idea sparked from my hubby. Without any thoughts, prepared this and thought of updating my blog.

Ingredients:
Plantain - 1 (Chopped into medium pieces)
Toor dal - 1/2 cup
Shallots - 5 no.s (chopped into half)
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Cumin seeds - 1/4 t spoon
Turmeric powder - 1/4 t spoon
Red chilly powder - 1/4 t spoon
Dried Red chillies - 4 no.s
Garlic - 2no.s ( chopped into fine pieces)
Curry Leaves - few
Salt - to taste
Mustard seeds - 1/2 t spoon
Cooking oil - 1 table spoon

Preparation:

Soak dal for 30mins.
Cook dal & plaintain pieces in a pressure cooker with 1 cup of water,turmeric powder, chilly powder, salt & cook for 1 to 2 whistle.
Grind coconut with cumin seeds and make a paste.
Add the coconut paste to the cooked dal,3/4 cup water & then cook over low flame for about 3 minutes.
Heat a pan and add oil. Splutter Mustard seeds, dried red chillies, garlic, shallots, curry leaves. Transfer these contents to the curry.
A good combo with white rice & fish fry.

Here comes the Awards. I apologise to all my blogger friends as i couldn't comment to their recent posts and couldn't publish the awards too. Sorry for the delay friends.
Awards from Beena & Jagruthi

Thank you so much dearies.

Now, it's not enough just to grab this award, there are conditions and obligations in receiving it:
Requirements:-
I must thank the person who gave me the award and list their blog and link it
I must list 10 honest things about myself
I must put a copy of Honest Scrap logo on my blog
I must select atleast 7 other worthy bloggers and list their links
I must notify the bloggers of the award and hopefully they will follow the above three requirements also.

Here comes the award from Ruchi bedhangal & Deepa

Thank you so much dear. To know more about me please visit here.

I would like to share these 2 awards with
Cicily
Tina
Fathima
Vineetha
Sangi
Rekha
Sushma

Njoy!!!!!!!

Mathanga Thoran (Pumpkin Fry)

2010-03-09T22:19:00.000+08:00

Pumpkin is one of my favorite veggie. But the hard thing is that, I never can cook it without my hubby's help. I always find it difficult to peel off its skin. Might be I need to join gym!!! :)

Ingredients:
Pumpkin - 1 1/2 cup chopped in square shape
Small Onion - 10 nos
Dried Red Chilly - 3-4 nos
Cooking Oil - 1 table spoon
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 t spoon
Turmeric Powder - A pinch
Salt - To taste
Curry Leaves - Few

Preparation:

Grind onions and red chillies without adding any water and keep aside.
Heat a pan with oil and splutter mustard seeds.
Add the grinded mixture and saute well.
Add pumpkins, turmeric and salt and mix well.
Add 3/4 cup of water, cover the pan and cook over medium flame till pumpkin is cooked. It takes almost 5-7 minutes.
Garnish with curry leaves.

Serve hot with white rice.

Mushroom Vegetable Rice

2010-03-07T14:23:00.001+08:00

This weekend I found lots of leftover vegetables and mushrooms in my fridge and decided to cook something healthy and non-spicy with that. The first thing that came to my mind was vegetable fried rice. But my hubby suggested mushroom vegetable rice, since he is very much fond of crispy vegetables cooked in olive oil. He always prefer coarse black pepper powder, than green chillies and red chilly powder which normally makes the food spicy. I think he got influenced by his Filipino friends who always 'sweat and cry' when they eat dish cooked with red chilly powder or green chillies. But they never have issues with black pepper.

Ingredients:
Jeera Rice - 1 1/2 cup (Basmati rice is a better option)
Mushroom - 1 1/2 cup chopped
Red Cabbage - 1 cup grated
Broccoli Florets - 1 cup
Onion - 2 small chopped
Carrot - 1 no chopped
Turmeric Powder - 1 pinch
Black Pepper Powder - 1 t spoon
Light Soy Sauce - 1 t spoon
Slat - To taste
Olive Oil - 2 table spoon

Preparation:

Cook the rice with enough water, salt and few drops of oil. Once cooked drain the water using a colander. Make sure that the rice is not over cooked and sticky.
Heat a sauce pan and add olive oil.
Add onions and saute well. Add a pinch of turmeric and salt and continue to stir.
Add carrots and stir for around 2 minutes.
Add chopped mushrooms and stir well.
Add pepper powder and mix well.
Add broccoli florets and cover the sauce pan with a lid cook over low flame for about 3 minutes.
Then add chopped red cabbage mix well and cook for about 1 minute.
Add the soy sauce and mix well.
Mix the cooked rice with the cooked vegetables.

Delicious mushroom vegetable rice is ready to serve with any kind of salads. It is a very healthy choice.

Black Pepper Chicken Varattiyathu

2010-03-05T11:26:00.000+08:00

Few days back, one of my friend just rang me during her lunch break and was having a casual talk. In b/w she asked me "Do you make chicken fry in Thalassery (Kannur district, Kerala state) style"? Even though being from kannur, I never made such chicken fry. I have to say I never knew such sort of fry. The reason she asked me is because she was having the same for lunch. I was curious & just asked her the ingredients & preparation method. Got a quick summary & here comes the dish in my style. The most peculiar thing of this dish is that its absolutely non spicy & comes with crispy coconut slices.

Ingredients:
Chicken - 1/2 kg (Chopped to medium sized pieces)
Black Pepper - 2 1/2 t spoon (Coarsely powdered) (1 1/2 t spoon for marination)
Turmeric Powder - 1 t spoon
Salt - To taste
Coconut Slices - 1/4 cup
Cinnamon Stick - 1/2 inch
Clove - 5 nos
Bay Leaf - 2 nos
Garlic - 5 cloves (Chopped into fine pieces)
Ginger - 1 1/2 inch (Chopped into medium sized pieces)
Onion - 3 nos (Sliced half length wise)
Curry Leaves - 2 sprig
Coriander Leaves - 2 sprig
Oil - 2 1/2 table spoon

Marination:
Marinate the chicken pieces with turmeric powder, 1 1/2 t spoon of black pepper powder and salt and keep aside for 20 minutes.

Preparation:

Heat a sause pan with oil.
Add cinnamon stick, cloves, bay leaf and saute till fragrant.
Add coconut slices and saute till it becomes firm.
Add ginger and garlic and saute well.
Add the sliced onions and saute well till onions become translucent.
Then add the marinated chicken, mix well. Cover the sauce pan with the lid and cook over medium flame till the chicken is almost cooked.
Add the remaining pepper powder, curry leaves and mix well and cook it completely.
Transfer it to a bowl and garnish with coriander leaves.

Red Cabbage Thoran

2010-03-02T21:39:00.001+08:00

Hi friends, I reached a mile stone today. It is my 50th post!!! Thanks to all for the encouragement.
I have seen this very colorful cabbage so many times while shopping, but never had the courage to pick it up and try. Once tried we really started liking it. Unlike the green one, this is quite thick and is very crispy. It is quite easy to cook and is very healthy.

Ingredients:
Red Cabbage - 250 gm grated
Grated Coconut - 2 1/2 table spoon
Dried Red Chilly - 4 nos
Turmeric Powder - A pinch
Mustard Seeds - 1 t spoon
Cooking Oil - 2 table spoon
Salt - To taste
Curry Leaves - 1 sprig

Preparation:

Heat a pan with oil. I used olive oil.
Splutter mustard seeds and dried red chilly.
Add the grated cabbage and stir well.
Add salt, turmeric powder, grated coconut and mix well.
Cover the pan and cook over low flame for about 3-4 minutes. In between stir to make sure that it doesn't stick to the bottom.
Garnish with curry leaves and it is ready to serve.

Watermelon Juice (Thanneer Mathan Juice)

2010-02-27T22:10:00.000+08:00

Ohhh it is so hot here these days. I have been trying various juices to kill the heat. It is so common in our hometown to see people selling watermelons on road side in summer. So I thought of making a simple juice out of it. So refreshing!!!

Ingredients:
Watermelon : 1/2 small
Ice cubes : 10 nos
Sugar : To taste
Water : 1/2 cup

Preparation:

Take out the inner red juicy portion using a spoon and transfer it to a blender/juicer.
Add water, sugar and ice cubes and turn on the blender/juicer till juice is ready.
Transfer it to glasses.

Tips:
Add more ice cubes or refrigerate the juice, if you want it to be extra chilled.

Friends, please share how you gonna beat this summer???

Sweet Potato

2010-02-25T22:37:00.000+08:00

Sweet Potato is one of my childhood favorite. Recently I saw Japanese sweet potato while shopping and decided to pick it up. I had a wonderful weekend with my fond childhood memories of sweet potatoes. It is a wonderful option for breakfast or evening snacks. Simple & easy to cook.

Ingredients:
Sweet Potato : 6 nos medium size
Salt : To taste

Preparation:

Wash and clean the sweet potatoes well.
Boil sweet potatoes in a pressure cooker with enough water and salt to taste.
Wait for one whistle and turn off the flame and wait till the pressure is relieved.
Take out the sweet potatoes, peel off the skin and cut into round pieces.

Alternatively you can use a wide opened vessel to boil the sweet potatoes. Turn off the flame when the sweet potatoes are cooked well.

Ney Meen Mutta Thoran (King Fish Egg Fry)

2010-02-24T13:43:00.000+08:00

My Ammamma (granny - mother's mom) was very fond of fish eggs, especially sardine eggs and i do remember my mother preparing it specially for her. Those days my ammamma usually says "Buy Sardine, will get lots of eggs". Now my ammamma is no more. She passed away last May. Making these eggs just made me remember her words.

Ingredients:
Neymeen Mutta - 150 gm
Grated Coconut - 2 table spoon
Non Spicy Red Chilly - 1 no (Chop into thin round pieces)
Onion - 1 small (Chopped into fine pieces)
Curry Leaves - 1 sprig
Turmeric Powder - A pinch
Chilly Powder - 1/2 t spoon
Pepper Powder - 1/2 t spoon
Salt - To taste
Oil - 1 1/2 table spoon

Preparation:

Clean and slice the king fish eggs.
Heat a pan and add oil.
Add onions, chopped red chillies and saute well.
Add salt, turmeric powder, chilly powder and mix well.
Add sliced king fish eggs and mix well.
Add grated coconut, mix well and cover the pan with a lid and allow to cook (For around 2-3 minutes).
Sprinkle black pepper powder and garnish with curry leaves.

Coconut Rice

2010-02-22T22:22:00.000+08:00

There are different ways of making coconut rice and this is one of the easiest version of making it. My friend Nidhu introduced this wonderful recipe to me. I heard at least 20-30 times, over phone, "Aparna, I feel lazy today. So I will prepare coconut rice for dinner". I should say that it is really contagious and I too got addicted to the same habit - when lazy, just go for coconut rice. It is easy and tasty!!! But, I should really thank her, because now me and my hubby really loves it.

Ingredients:
Jeera Rice or White Rice : 1 1/2 cup
Coconut Milk : 1/2 cup
Water : 2 1/2 cup
Coconut Oil : 1 1/2 table spoon
Green Chilly : 2 nos
Ginger : 1 inch
Curry Leaves : 1 sprig
Coriander Leaves : 2 sprigs
Salt : To taste

Preparation:

Wash, clean and dry the rice using a colander.
Grind green chilly, ginger, curry leaves and coriander leaves and make a paste and keep aside.
Turn on the rice cooker and add the oil.
Once oil is heated, add the grinded paste and stir well for 5-10 seconds.
Add the dried rice and stir well for around 1 minute.
Add the water, coconut milk and salt.
Close the cooker and start cooking till the rice is cooked.
It will take only 10-12 minutes for the rice to be ready.
This will be enough to serve 2-3 people.

You can have it with fried items, dry masalas, any varutharacha curry or salads.

Varutharacha Kozhi Curry (Chicken Curry)

2010-02-20T16:54:00.000+08:00

I rarely cook varutharacha kozhi curry, mostly because I am lazy to roast and grind the ingredients. So I mostly make chicken masala, stew or fries, which is much easier to make. But last weekend I decided to go for it as my hubby was home and was ready to help me :). I really love this with traditional kerala rice.

Ingredients:
Chicken - 800 gm (Chopped into medium cubes)
Coconut - 1 1/2 cup
Potato - 2 nos small (Chopped into cubes)
Onion - 2 medium (Sliced into half length wise)
Green Chilly - 2 nos (Split into half)
Tomato - 1 medium (Chopped into square shape)
Ginger - 1 inch (chopped into fine pieces)
Garlic - 3 cloves
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 t spoon
Red Chilly Powder - 1 1/2 t spoon (1/2 t spoon for roasting & 1 t spoon for marinating)
Coriander Powder - 1 t spoon
Chicken Masala - 1 t spoon
Dried Red Chilly - 2 nos
Curry Leaves - 1 sprig
Coriander Leaves - 2-3 sprigs
Salt - To taste
Cinnamon stick - 1 inch broken into pieces
Clove - 4nos.
Cardamom - 3 nos
Oil - 2 table spoon

Preparation:

Heat a pan and roast the coconut till light brown. Then add the dried red chillies, coriander powder, chicken masala and 1/2 t spoon of red chilly powder and fry for 5 mins. Keep it aside and let it cool.
Grind the roasted mix by adding a little water and make a smooth paste.
Marinate chicken with 1/2 t spoon of turmeric, salt, 1 t spoon of chilly powder and keep aside for 20 mins.
Heat a Chatti (Earthen Pot) & add oil. Add onion, green chillies and saute well.
Add ginger and garlic and saute for 5-10 seconds.
Add salt, turmeric and mix well.
Add potatoes and stir continuously.
Then add marinated chicken pieces together with the chopped tomatoes and mix well.
Cover the chatti with a lid and allow the chicken to cook over medium flame for about 10 minutes. In between open the lid and stir well.
Once the chicken is cooked, add the grinded paste, 3/4 cup of water and mix well and allow to cook for another 5 minutes with the lid open.
Add spices (Cinnamon stick, cloves and cardamom), curry leaves and switch off the flame.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Delicious varutharacha kozhi curry is ready. It is a great combination with rice, chappathi or porotta. This will be enough to serve 6 persons.

There are two ingredients missing here as I ran out of stock. Shallots and coconut slices.
Usually shallots will be sauted along with the onions and for tempering we use coconut slices.

Parippu Vada And Awards

2010-02-18T11:22:00.004+08:00

Parippu vada is one of the common snack served with evening tea & is popular across kerala in thattukadas. My mom is an expert in making this & is my favorite snack.

Ingredients:
Toor Dal - 1 cup
Onion - 2 nos small (Chopped into fine pieces)
Green Chilly - 2 nos (Chopped into fine pieces)
Curry Leaves - 1 sprig (Chopped into fine pieces)
Turmeric Powder - 1/8 t spoon (a pinch)
Chilly Powder - 1/4 t spoon
Salt - To taste
Oil - 200 ml

Preparation:

Soak toor dal for about half an hour. Then grind it using a blender without any water. Don't make it a smooth paste. 5-8 seconds will do.
Then add turmeric powder, chilly powder, salt, chopped onions, green chillies and curry leaves and mix well.
Heat a pan with oil.
Make small balls out of the mix, flatten it, and fry it in oil.
Delicious parippu vada is ready. It is a great evening snack.

Tips:
I normally prefer shallow frying. In case of shallow frying, you need to fry both sides of the vada.

Awards

I am so happy that my blogger friends Nithu, Renu, Beena & Devi has shown their love and shared some awards with me. They all shared me the below 2 awards.

Renu & Devi has also shared Smart Food Blogger, Kreativ Blogger and Thank You awards. Thanks a ton Renu, Nithu, Devi and Beena. Very much excited these days with lots of lovely awards and wishes.

I would luv to share all these awards to all my blogger friends. Please feel free to collect it and post it in your blogs..

Chemmeen Biriyani (Prawns Biriyani)

2010-02-16T23:27:00.000+08:00

Chemmeen (prawns) biriyani is one of our favorites and it used to be a common item on the table when we have guests. A draft was lying in my blog for quite long time. Recently my hubby's friend had been complaining that he never got a chance to taste my chemmeen biriyani, while most of the other friends had a lot to say about it. Last weekend, being chinese new year, my hubby stuffed the fridge with some vegetables, chicken, fish and prawns as most of the shops are closed for 2-3 days. What a coincidence, the same friend gave a casual call on chinese new year and my hubby invited him for a lunch the next day and made it possible to publish this post!!!

Ingredients:
For Marinating Prawns:
Red Chilly Powder - 1 1/2 t spoon
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 t spoon
Salt - To taste

For Prawns Masala:
Prawns(Chemmeen) - 18 no.s
Onions - 1 1/2 medium (Slice to half length wise)
Tomato - 1 1/2 medium (Chop to fine pieces)
Green Chilly - 2 nos (Split into half)
Ginger - 1 inch (Chop to fine pieces)
Garlic - 3 cloves (Chop to fine pieces)
Red Chilly Powder - 1/2 t spoon
Coriander Powder - 1 t spoon
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 t spoon
Salt - To taste
Fennel Seeds - 1/8 t spoon
Curry Leaves - 2 sprigs
Oil - 3 table spoon

For Rice:
Jeera rice - 3 cups (Basmati rice is the best option)
Ghee - 1 table spoon
Water - 6 cups
Salt - To taste

For Garnishing
Cashew - 8 nos
Raisin - 8 nos
Cinnamon stick - 1 1/2 inch (Break it into small pieces)
Onion - 1 small (Chopped half lengthwise)
Flower spice - 3
Bay leaf - 3 (Cut into pieces)
Oil - 1 table spoon
Ghee - 1 1/2 table spoon
Cardamom - 3 nos
Coriander Leaves - 3 sprigs

Marination:
Mix salt, turmeric and red chilly powder with very little water. Mix it evenly on the cleaned prawns and keep aside for 15-20 minutes

Preparation:
For Prawns:

Heat oil in a deep sauce pan.
Add chopped garlic and ginger and saute it.
Add sliced onions and green chillies and saute until onions becomes soft.
Add salt, turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chilly powder, fennel seeds and stir for 15-20 seconds.
Add chopped tomatoes and stir for another 20-30 seconds till the tomatoes turn tender.
Add the marinated prawns and mix well and cover the pan with the lid. Cook over medium flame until prawns are cooked.
Once prawns are almost cooked add curry leaves.
Prawn masala is now ready. Keep it aside for mixing it later with rice.

For Garnishing:
We will first prepare the garnishing item as we can use the same oil and ghee for frying the rice.

Heat cooking oil and ghee in a wok.
Add sliced onion and saute it till deep golden brown.
Then transfer it to a plate.
Add rest of the spices (except coriander leaves) and heat it till fragrant.
Transfer these to a plate.

For Rice:
Wash and drain the rice using a colander.
Heat 6 cups of water in a separate bowl and boil it.

Add one more table spoon of ghee to the wok after transferring the garnishing items out of the wok.
Once heated add the dried rice and fry it till rice becomes firm and starts breaking.
Add boiled water, salt and close the lid and cook over low flame.
When water is almost over, turn off the flame. But don't open the lid and keep it aside for 15 minutes, until the rice is completely cooked.

Layering:
For layering we need a vessel big enough to hold rice and prawns. Or you can use the wok itself.

Put rice and prawns in alternate layers starting with rice.
Add chopped coriander leaves while adding prawns.
Garnish with initially prepared spices.
Cover the vessel with a well fitting lid (air tight) and heat over low flame for around 1 minute.
Keep the lid closed for another 10 minutes.

Prawns biriyani (Chemmeen Biriyani) is now ready to serve. I love it with yogurt & Coriander Chutney.

Carrot Halwa (Gajar ka Halwa) - Valentine's Day Special

2010-02-14T14:00:00.000+08:00

Happy Valentine's Day to all!!!

Ingredients:
Grated Carrot : 2 cups
Milk : 2 cups
Sugar : 1/4 cup
Cashew Nut : 8 nos
Almond : 8 nos
Cardamom Powder : 1/4 t spoon
Ghee : 1 1/2 table spoon

Preparation:

Clean the carrot and peel off the outer layer and then grate it.
Crush the grated carrot using a blender. Make sure that it doesn't form a paste. Mostly 3-5 seconds will be sufficient.
Boil the milk in a sauce pan. Keep stirring and make sure that it doesn't stick to the bottom.
In b/w, heat a pan, add ghee and roast the cashew nuts and almonds and keep it aside.
Add the blended carrot to the same pan and stir fry for around 6-7 minutes.
Add the boiled milk and sugar.
Keep stirring until the milk completely evaporates.
Then add the cardamom powder and mix it.
Transfer to a bowl and garnish with roasted cashew nuts and almonds.

Carrot halwa is ready. You can serve it either hot or cold.

Tips:
You may add food color to get nice reddish color.
You may add raisins too.

I am sending this to Priya for Hearts for St Valentine's Day Event. mmmm so excited!!!

Ginger Chicken And Awards

2010-02-13T23:44:00.000+08:00

Ingredients:
Chicken : 250 gm boneless, chopped into small pieces.
Light Soy Sauce : 1 1/2 t spoon
Vinegar : 1 t spoon
Corn Flour : 1 t spoon
Cooking Oil : 1 1/2 table spoon
Onion : 1 medium
Green Chilly : 2 nos
Coriander Leaves : 4 sprigs (Cut off the stem portion)
Curry Leaves : 1 sprig
Ginger Garlic Paste : 1 t spoon
Ginger : 1 1/2 inch (Finely sliced length wise (3/4 inch))
Black Pepper Powder : 1 t spoon
Salt : To taste

Preparation:

Marinate the chopped chicken pieces with vinegar, soy sauce, corn flour and a little salt and keep it for 20 minutes.
Grind chopped onions, coriander leaves, curry leaves and green chillies and make a paste and keep it aside.
Heat a pan with oil and shallow fry both sides of the marinated chicken pieces till it becomes firm and dry.
Add the ginger garlic paste and mix it.
Add the chopped ginger and stir well.
Add the grinded paste and mix well and heat for around 8 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Sprinkle salt if required.
Sprinkle the black pepper powder and mix well.

Delicious ginger chicken is ready to serve for 2 person. You can garnish it with coriander leaves.
Courtesy: Sanjay Thumma

Awards
Last week had been so exciting because lots of my friends remembered me!!!

Thanks a lot to Jisha, Sarah and Devi for sharing me the below award.

Thanks a lot to Sarah for sharing me the below award.

Thanks a lot to Devi and Sara's Corner for sharing me the below award.
Wow... 200 posts. What a great achievement. Congrats Sara.

I would like to share the above 3 awards with Sara's Corner, Nithya, Faiza Ali, Priya, Remya, Cicily, Fathima, LadyChef, Priya and Neetz. Please collect it and post it in your blog. Keep blogging. Njoy!!!

Thanks a lot to Neetz for sharing the below 3 awards with me.

I would like to share the above 3 awards with all my blogger friends. Please feel free to accept this and post it in your blogs. Keep rocking!!!!!!!

Idli & Chutney

2010-02-11T12:00:00.001+08:00

Idli was one of the breakfast item i luv the most to have, even more than dosa. I remember my mother's words, while packing me first time to Singapore. "I have bought Chakson Idli Cooker for you. Do make Idlis for breakfast." What is that so much special for her to specify about 'Chakson'. I had seen Ads for Rice cooker & when she came the day before we were leaving I was surprised to see she has brought "Chakson Rice & Idli Cooker". I asked her "After all How do i make idlis??". "Dnt worry, you know you will get instant idli & dosa mix". At that time I got a relief as in Idea Ads "What an idea Sirji". Soon aftr reaching here we unpacked all the stuff and found the idli cooker in a crooked shape. Funny, it got flattend bcos of some crap's heavy loads on our trolley. As all ideal housewives, the only way to impress husband is cook gud foods. While shopping got this Instant Idli Mix & prepared for the first time in my life the "Idli", but it turned out to be an 'Idli stone'. Oh my god!!!, all impressions gone out in a sec. I still remember my hubby's weird facial expressions while eating & a phrase "No more idlis & mix". May be the mix or the time I cooked is more, I wasn't sure. My mum, she was giggling when heard about this. She is lucky that she is too far. Later got the recipe from her, and one of my friend also helped me out in making real soft idlis. After that Idlis came out always well and was able to change my hubby's impressions about my Idli making. "First Impression is the best impression" is very true statement as still when I start making idlis he will smile and say "Will it be idli stone again??", even after it came out well so many times..

Ingredients:
Raw Rice : 2 Cups
Urad Dal : 1 Cup
Fenugreek : 1 table spoon
Cooked Rice : 2 handful

Preparation:

Soak raw rice and urad dal in water for 4-6 hours and then grind it adding enough water. Make sure that you are adding water only to the extent that batter is thick.
While grinding add fenugreek and the cooked rice.
Keep this batter for around 8 hours (usually over night) in a warm place for fermentation.
Add salt and mix it well till it is dissolved.
Grease the idli holder with oil and pour the batter up to 3/4th.
Steam it for around 6-8 minutes.
Remove the idlies from the holder once it is cooled a little.

Serve it with sambar or chutney (given below).

Chutney

Ingredients:
Tomato : 1 small
Grated Coconut : 1 Cup
Red Dried Chilly : 2 nos
Ginger : 1/2 inch
Mustard Seeds : 1 t spoon
Curry Leaves : 1 sprig
Salt : To taste
Oil : 1 1/2 t spoon

Preparation:

Grind tomato, grated coconut, red chilly, ginger and salt to a paste.
Heat a pan and add oil, splutter mustard seeds and curry leaves.
Add the paste and 1/4 cup of water, mix well for around 2 minutes.

This participates in the Cooking Basics Event an event by Mahima

Kudampuliyitta Ney Meen Curry (Seer Fish Curry With Gambooge/Fish Tamarind) And Awards

2010-02-09T07:10:00.003+08:00

Fish is one of the most consumed food in Kerala. If you ask most of the Keralites about their favorite fish dishes, I am sure a good % will include Kudampuliyitta Ney Meen Curry in their list and I am not an exception. I love this with kuthari choru (Kerala red rice/Paalakkadan matta rice). mmmm!!!!

Ingredients:
Seer Fish (Ney Meen) : 8 pieces (Cut one round piece into 4 equal sized pieces)
Shallots : 5-6 nos (Chopped finely)
Ginger : 1 inch (Chopped finely)
Garlic : 2 cloves (Chopped finely)
Green Chilly : 2 nos (Splitted length wise)
Tomato : 1 medium (Sliced length wise)
Fish Tamarind/Gambooge (Kudampuli) : 3 pieces
Red Chilly Powder : 2 1/2 t spoon
Coriander Powder : 1 tspoon
Black Pepper Powder : 1/2 t spoon
Turmeric Powder : 1/2 t spoon
Salt : To taste
Cooking Oil (Preferably coconut oil) : 2 1/2 t spoon
Curry Leaves : 1 sprig

Preparation:

Make a thick paste with turmeric powder and a little salt mixing it with very little water.
Apply it on fish pieces and keep it aside.
Wash the fish tamarinds and dip it in a bowl with water.
Boil 1 1/2 table spoon oil in a man chatti (Earthen pot)
Saute the chopped shallots till it is brownish and soft.
Add curry leaves, ginger, garlic and green chillies and saute well.
Add the red chilly powder, coriander powder, black pepper powder and mix well for 2-3 minutes.
Add chopped tomatoes and mix for 10-20 seconds and then add 1 1/4 cup water and bring to boil.
Add the soaked fish tamarind and fish pieces, lower the flame and heat it with lids open till fish is cooked.
Don't stir using spoon after adding the fish because it may cause the pieces to break. For stirring, instead the chatti should be swirled.
Spread 1 table spoon oil over the curry and swirl the chatti to make it spread on top of the gravy.

Delicious meen curry is ready. It is a great combination with kuthari choru.

Tips:
The curry taste great after 7-8 hrs. I normally keep a portion for the next day. :)
The fish tamarind keeps on add sour taste when it stands. If you find the curry too sour remove the fish tamarind from it.

Awards
Thanks a lot to Fathima of Thattukada for sharing with me the below 3 awards. I am so excited to get 3 in a bundle!!!

I would like to share it with my following friends.
Sarah
Tina
Sangeetha
Nithu
Faiza
Beena
Jisha

Thanks a lot to Beena of My Kitchen for sharing with me the below award.

To know more about me please click here. I love to share with all my blogger friends. Please feel free to accept it and post it in your blogs.

Ghee Rice with Grilled Chicken Legs (Ney Chor & Kozhikkalu Porichathu) And Awards

2010-02-06T17:53:00.000+08:00

Ghee Rice (Ney Chor)

Last week I was in great mood to make something special. Suddenly thought of Ghee Rice and Egg Masala. And my hubby volunteered to make some nice Grilled Chicken Legs which he is always so fond of. He was insisting "Not too much ghee in ghee rice and egg masala should not be too spicy.". He really don't like too much oily and spicy. So I made the ghee rice less oily and the egg masala a bit spciy!!! But my hubby made the grilled chicken super spicy!!! :)

Ingredients:
Basmati Rice - 2 cups (Washed and drained)
Ghee (Ney) - 3 1/2 table spoon
Onion - 1 medium (sliced lengthwise)

Fennel Seeds - 1/4 t spoon

Cashew Nuts - 5 nos
Raisins - 5 nos
Cardamom - 3 nos
Cloves - 5 nos
Cinnamon Stick - 1 inch (Break into pieces)
Aniseed (Flower) - 1 no
Water - 3 cups (boiled)
Salt - To taste

Preparation:

Heat a deep sauce pan and add 1 1/2 table spoon of ghee. Add cloves, cinnamon, cashew nuts, raisins aniseed and fennel seeds and heat till fragrant. Transfer to a bowl and keep it aside.
Add sliced onions to the same pan and saute well till golden brown. Transfer this also to the bowl.
Add remaining 2 table spoon ghee to the pan and add the drained rice and fry it till it becomes firm and start breaking.
Add 3 cups boiled water and salt to taste and cover it with the lid and cook over low flame.
When water is almost over you will see bubbles and holes appearing in rice. At that moment turn off the flame, but don't open the lid and keep it aside for 15 minutes, until the rice is completely cooked.
Transfer it to a serving bowl and garnish with the fried onion and spices.
Delicious neychor is ready to serve with Chicken, mutton, egg or any other varutharacha curries and also with fried items.

My combination with ghee rice was Egg masala and Grilled chicken legs (Given below).

Grilled Chicken Legs

Ingredients:
Chicken Legs : 4 nos
Chilli Powder : 2 t spoon
Turmeric Powder : 1/4 t spoon
Black Pepper Powder : 1 t spoon
Salt - To taste

Preparation:

Slit the chicken legs with knife so that it will absorb the masala well.
Mix all the above ingredients with very little water and apply uniquely over the chicken legs and keep it aside for 10-15 minutes.
Preheat the oven in fan assisted mode for about 5 minutes at 220 C.
Keep the oven rack in 3rd level from below and place the chicken at the center and grill for 35-40 minutes in fan assisted grill mode.

Awards

Many thanks to Cicily Antony, Nithu Bala and Sowmya for presenting me these awards. I feel so excited.

I would like to share these with my following friends.
Priya (Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes)
Rachana (Veggi Fare)
Supriya (My Kook Book)
Nithya (Fourth Sense Samayal!)
Sushma (Authentic Food Delights)
Siddhi (Cooked Dil Se...!!!)
Viki (Viki's Kitchen)

Egg Masala (Mutta Masala)

2010-02-04T11:01:00.000+08:00

My very first attempt at cooking was with eggs. "Omlette" ," Bulls eye or Sun, Egg curry".It was my dad who taught me "Cooking with eggs". Thanks to my dad. Those times I used to tell my friends U know my dad cooks well. But luckily they never asked me what all does your dad cook? Now if i ask my dad Can you cook sambar? He will deifintely smile. Later I realized Eggs are Men's Favorite since my hubby also started the same with eggs.Very easy recipe for Bachelor's & Beginners to cook.

Ingredients:
Eggs (Mutta) - 4 no.s (Boil and keep it aside.)
Onions - 2 small (Chopped finely)
Tomato - 1 1/2 (Chopped Finely)
Ginger - 1/2 inch
Garlic - 3 cloves
Green Chilly - 2 no.s (Split into half)
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 t spoon
Chilly Powder - 1 t spoon
Chicken Masala Powder - 1 t spoon
Salt - to taste
Curry Leaves - 1 sprig
Coriander Leaves - few chopped
Cooking Oil - 1 1/2 table spoon

Preparation

Heat a pan & add cooking oil. Add chopped onions & green chillies. Saute it well till it turns tender.
Add ginger, garlic and saute well. Add salt to taste, turmeric powder, chilly powder, chicken masala powder and mix well.
Add chopped tomatoes and stir till the tomatoes are soft.
Add a cup of water & cook over medium flame for about 5minutes.
Add the boiled eggs & spread the curry masalas over it. Add curry leaves & garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Ready to serve. Simple & Good combination with chappathi.

Tips:
Remove the egg shell of the boiled eggs only once its cooled.
Instead of Chilly powder you can use black pepper powder.
Instead of eggs you can use boiled potatoes also & make it potato curry.

Njoy!!!!!!!!

Kozhukkatta

2010-02-02T22:41:00.000+08:00

It is quite a long time I had kozhukkattas. In fact I have not even seen it for at least 2 years. Yesterday I was talking to my mom and she told she had kozhukkatas for breakfast. Mmmmm.... I decided I gonna make it. Just figured all the steps from mom and started straight to kitchen. Rest you know... :)

Ingredients:
Roasted Rice Powder - 1 cup
Grated Coconut - 3/4 cup
Green Chillies - 2 nos
Shallots - 10 nos
Cumin Seeds - 1 t spoon
Water - 2 cups
Salt - To taste
Dried Red Chillies - 3-4 nos
Curry Leaves - 1 sprig
Mustard Seeds - 1 t spoon

Preparation:

Grind grated coconut, cumin seeds, green chillies and shallots.
Add salt to the roasted rice powder and add boiling water in a progressive manner. Stir with a wooden spatula and make sure the rice powder paste doesn't form pellets. Ensure that it is not too watery.
Add the grinded paste and mix well and let it cool for 5-10 minutes.
Make small balls out of the dough and steam it for around 5-8 minutes (The time depends on the size of the balls).
Heat a pan and splutter mustard seeds, red dried chillies and curry leaves.
Transfer these contents over the kozhukkatta.
The delicious kozhukkatta can be used as breakfast or starters. It is very healthy as it is steamed.

Tips:
While grinding, don't add any extra water as the water from shallots will be enough.
Allow kozhukkatta to cool before having.

Chemmeen Varutharachathu (Prawns Curry)

2010-02-01T19:41:00.001+08:00

Chemmmeeen... This is my most favorite sea food. I have a craze for medium sized prawns, whether it is fried, curry or any thing. When I make varutharacha chemmeen curry, I always run short of rice that day. :)

Ingredients:
Chemmeen (Prawns) - 15 nos
Shallots - 10 nos (Chopped into fine pieces)
Onion - 1 medium (Chopped into fine pieces)
Tomato - 1 medium (Sliced into 4 parts)
Green Chillies - 3 (Split in half)
Ginger - 1 inch (Chop finely)
Garlic - 3 cloves (Chop finely)
Grated Coconut - 1 cup
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 t spoon
Chilly Powder - 1 1/2 t spoon
Coriander Powder - 1 1/2 t spoon
Curry Leaves - 1 sprig
Salt - To taste
Cooking Oil - 2 1/2 table spoon

Preparation:

Heat a pan and roast the grated coconut for around 6-8 minutes.
When turns slightly brown add chilly powder (1 t spoon), coriander powder (1 t spoon) and stir well till coconut is completely roasted (Around 6-8 minutes). Keep it aside and allow it to cool. Then grind it in mixer and transfer to a bowl.
Heat the man chatti (earthern pot) and add 1 1/2 table spoon cooking oil.
Once heated add shallots, onion, green chillies and saute it well till onions and shallots are tender.
Add salt, turmeric powder and mix well.
Add ginger and garlic and saute well.
Add remaining (1/2 t spoon) red chilly powder and coriander powder and saute well.
Add the cleaned prawns, sliced tomatoes and mix well.
Add 1 cup of water and cover the chatti with lid and allow to cook over medium flame.
Once prawns are cooked, add the prepared coconut paste and cook for another 5 minutes.
Heat a pan and add 1 table spoon of oil. Splutter mustard seeds and add curry leaves.
Transfer these contents to the chemmeen curry.
Delicious varutharacha chemmeen curry is ready to serve.
It is a great combination with steamed rice or puttu.

Pacha Kaaya Thoran (Raw Plantain Fry) And Award

2010-01-30T10:03:00.001+08:00

Ingredients:
Pacha Kaaya (Raw Plantain) - 2 nos medium (Chop it into small pieces)
Shallots - 5 nos
Onion - 1 medium (Chopped finely)
Green Chilly - 3 nos (Split into half)
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 t spoon
Coarse Pepper Powder - 1 t spoon
Mustard Seeds - 1 t spoon
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 t spoon
Grated Coconut - 1/4 cup
Curry Leaves - 1 sprig
Salt - To taste
Oil - 1 1/2 table spoon

Preparation:

Grind shallots and coconut either using mortar and pestle or using mixer. If you are using mixer make sure that it doesn't form a paste. Add cumin seeds to it and mix well with a spoon. Then keep it aside.
Heat a pan and add cooking oil.
Splutter mustard seeds and add curry leaves.
Add sliced onions, green chillies and saute well.
Add salt, turmeric powder and mix well.
Add the prepared paste in step 1 and saute it for 1 minute.
Add chopped plantains and mix it.
Add 1/4 cup of water and cover the pan with a lid and allow it to boil.
In between open the lid and stir it to make sure that it doesn't stick to the bottom.
Once cooked well (around 5-8 minutes) transfer to a bowl.

It is a delicious combination with rice.

Award
It is award time again. Thank you so much Jagruthi for this wonderful encouragement.

To know more about me please click here.

I would like to share this award with my following friends. Please collect this award and post it in your blog.
Preethi
Ganga
Gita
Deepa
Gulmohar
Renuka
Devi

Technorati blog claim token
I just registered my blog to technorati. So happy... My token for claim is WS5J2THUU9TG.

Kushari (Egyptian Special)

2010-01-28T08:00:00.002+08:00

Last weekend I thought of preparing a variety dish. Suddenly my Dubai days and Kushari came to my mind. Kushari was introduced to me by my friend Dina, who is from Egypt. A popular tradional dish of Egypt which is simple, healthy, tasty & also rich in protein. Sometimes we used to have this for lunch at office in Dubai. She made me craze for this. I really want my husband to try this too. Dina also gave me tips for cooking Kushari. I would like to thank her a lot for helping me to prepare this & sharing with you all my friends.

Ingredients:
Rice (White rice)- 1 cup
Macaroni (Elbow Shaped)- 3/4 cup
Green lentils - 1/2 cup
Tomato Paste - 4 full table spoon
Garlic - 2 to 3 cloves
Onion - 2 medium (1 chopped finely, other sliced lengthwise for frying)
Red Pepper Flakes - 1 t spoon
Black Pepper - 1 t spoon (each serve)
Salt - to taste (each serve)
Olive Oil - 2 table spoon for frying onions
Olive oil - 1 table spoon

Preparation:

Wash & clean rice well. Cook the rice with 2cups of water. Cook the macaroni with enough water and 1 t spoon of oil & 1/2 t spoon of salt until it becomes soft & tender. Cook the lentils with enough water until it becomes soft. Cook all the three items separately in wide opened vessels. Once cooked, drain the water from each of them and keep it aside.
Heat a pan and add 2 table spoon of olive oil. Add sliced onions and fry it well until it turns brown & crispy. Keep it aside in a tissue paper & drain the excess oil from it.
Again in the same pan add 1 table spoon of olive oil & add finely chopped garlic, onions and saute well till it becomes tender.
Add tomato paste to it and keep stirring with a wooden spatula. Add red pepper flakes & salt to it. Mix well. Keep it aside. (If you prefer non spicy, don't add the pepper flakes)
Take a bowl & add small portion of cooked lentils, cooked rice & cooked pasta.
Layer a spoon full of cooked tomato paste, fried onions, Salt & pepper & serve individually.
You can mix it well with a fork & spoon (rice, lentils, pasta , tomato paste,fried onions salt & pepper) & enjoy the kushari.

Tips:
Instead of macaroni, you can add spaghetti or you can use combo of macaroni & spaghetti. But you have to cook separately.
Instead of tomato paste you can blend tomatoes with little water. You can add vinegar too.

Mashed Kappa (Tapioca)

2010-01-26T19:56:00.000+08:00

Ingredients:
Kappa (Tapioca) - 1 kilo
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 t spoon
Chilly Powder - 1/2 t spoon
Salt - to taste
Dried Red Chilly - 3 no.s
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 t spoon
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Cooking oil - 1 table spoon

Preparation:

Boil kappa(Tapioca) in wide opened vessel with enough water, salt, turmeric, chilly powder and cover it with a lid.
Once cooked lower the flame and mash the kappas well.
Heat a pan and add oil. Splutter mustard seeds. Then add dried red chilly & curry leaves.
Transfer these contents to the cooked kappas..
Ready to serve with chutney.

Mushroom Cutlet

2010-01-25T07:21:00.000+08:00

Mushroom is my favorite, also for my hubby too. This weekend I thought of trying something different with it and came up with this cutlet. I am so happy that it turned out sooooooooo well. It was really yummy :)

Ingredients:
Button Mushroom - 12 nos small (Chop to fine pieces)
Potato - 3 small (Boil and mash)
Onion - 2 medium (Chop to fine pieces)
Shelled Green Peas - 1/4 cup (Boil and cook)
Green Chilly - 3 nos (Chop to fine pieces)
Ginger - 1 inch (Chop to fine pieces)
Garlic - 1 clove (Chop to fine pieces)
Curry Leaves - 1 sprig (Chop)
Coriander Leaves - 2 sprig (Chop)
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 t spoon
Chilly Powder - 1 t spoon
Garam Masala - 1/2 t spoon
Salt - To taste
Cooking Oil - 2 table spoon (For masala) &150 ml (For shallow frying)
Egg - 2 nos
Bread Crumbs - 1 1/2 cup

Preparing Masala:

Heat oil in a pan and saute the sliced onions till golden brown.
Add chopped green chilly, ginger, garlic and saute well.
Add salt to taste, turmeric, red chilly and garam masala powder and mix well for around 20-30 seconds.
Add chopped mushrooms, green peas and curry leaves and stir well.
Take a bowl and transfer the mashed potatoes to it.
Transfer the prepared masala to the bowl and mix it well.
Add the chopped coriander leaves to the mix.

Preparing Cutlet:

Beat the eggs in a bowl and keep it aside.
Take the bread crumbs in a flat plate and keep it aside.
Make small balls out of the masala, flat it, dip in the beaten eggs and immerse in bread crumbs to get a thin layer of it.

Make sure that you are getting fine bread crumbs. We got slightly thick one which is in fact used for making nuggets.

Cooking:
Heat a tava with oil for shallow fry
Once heated fry the cutlets on both sides in medium flame.
Cutlets are now ready to serve.
Serve it with ketchup.

Tips:
If you don't prefer egg, you can use all purpose flour (maida) for making the dipping mixture. Just take all purpose flour in a bowl and mix it with some water. Your dipping mixture is ready.
Don't dip your cutlet for more than 2 seconds in your dipping mixture. Also make sure that you are immersing it in bread crumbs immediately.

Sausage Fry (Sausage Fingers) And Awards

2010-01-23T19:48:00.001+08:00

Ingredients:
Sausage : 4 no.s
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 t spoon
Turmeric Powder (optional) - 1/4 t spoon
Pepper Powder - 1 t spoon
Salt - to taste
Coarse Pepper - 1/2 t spoon
Curry Leaves - 1 sprig
Spring Onion - to garnish
Red Chilly - 1 no.(non-spicy) Split into half and sliced lengthwise
Cooking Oil - 4 table spoon

Preparation:

Split the sausage into half lengthwise.
Marinate with ginger garlic paste, turmeric, pepper powder, salt and sprinkle coarse pepper powder on the sausage and leave aside for 10 minutes.
Heat a pan & add 4 table spoon oil. Add marinated sausage and shallow fry it (both sides).
Add sliced chilly & curry leaves.
Garnish with spring onion.
Easy & simple fry is ready.

More Awards

Comes again the Kreative Blogger Award from Jisha Dil.(I luv to cal her Jish) (http://jishaskitchen.blogspot.com)
Thank you so much Jish for the luvly encouragement..
I luv to pass this award to all my blogger friends. Friends i request you all to feel free to accept this award & post it in your blog.

Here come again Beautiful blogger Award from Sarah (http://www.vazhayila.com/) & from Nithu
(http://nithubala-recipes.blogspot.com/).
Thank you so much Sarah & Nithu. These awards are an encouragement to me..

Would luv to pass this to
Lady Chef http://yummychef.blogspot.com
Jisha http://jishaskitchen.blogspot.com/
Rekha http://indianreceipes-rekha.blogspot.com/
Priya http://recipes-priya.blogspot.com/
Beena http://mykitchen-been.blogspot.com/
Reshmi,http://reshmisfoodyworld.blogspot.com/
Sowmya http://gururaghav-gururaghav.blogspot.com/

Friends collect the awards and post it in your blog. Keep rocking!!!

My First Award

2010-01-22T13:24:00.006+08:00

I am really excited to receive this first award from Lady Chef of Naadan recipes (http://yummychef.blogspot.com/).Thank you so much.

Rules for Accepting this Award

1) Thank the person giving the award
2) Copy the award to your blog
3) Place a link to their blog
4) Name 7 things people don't know about you
5) Nominate 7 bloggers
6) Place a link to those bloggers
7) Leave a comment letting those bloggers know about the award

I Me Myself:
I am an easy going gal & always wish to think positively. I luv smiling :) :). very soft spoken at the same time very sensitive.

I do............Talk bla bla ,in b/w i say quite often "Atheyyo , hmmm para, ishh ennado, etta..." (Malayalam words)means yes, tell what yaar,hubby, Think which dress i will wear next time going out, dream of my cooper, rav4,& too many..
Read newspaper (Main news headings Home,india,world)and chinnu minnu things Entertainment "when is aishwarya bachan getting pregnant??? Shahid kapoor getting married?? in detail...:)..
Watch Asianet,Sony, Sun channels.(keep changing channels)
Cook,eat yummy delicious foods
Google,gmail,yahoo,orkut,facebook,blogs,raaga etc etc
I wanna do ........start yoga again.start reading books again.Shower morning.Stop day time sleep.Go for a walk
I don't ........ Sing,Smoke,Drink whiskey & vodka,Dance club,Swim

Friends i wish to pass this award
Sangeetha http://kothiyavunu.blogspot.com/
Sarah http://www.vazhayila.com/
Faiza http://faizaali.blogspot.com/
Tina http://kaipunyam.blogspot.com/
Fathima http://thattukada-myblog.blogspot.com/
Shabs http://shabscuisine.blogspot.com/
Nithu bala http://nithubala-recipes.blogspot.com/

Friends collect the awards and post it in your blog. Keep blogging!!!!!!!!!!

Semiya Payasam (Vermicelli Payasam)

2010-01-21T19:40:00.000+08:00

Any sadhya(feast) is incomplete without a payasam. One of the most simple payasam is made out of semiya. Day before yesterday, when it started raining, I rushed to my kitchen and searched for some thing to fill my stomach. By chance happened to see the vermicelli in my shelf, aaahh, should i make uppma or payasam?? confused.. nah i will make payasam. mmmm :). Within 20 minutes done, woww "Payasam Ready". My hubby, back from work, saw this on dining table and his eyes wide open 'Oh u didnt give me a sign of this....hmmm.. give me some..i am too hungry!!!!!!'

Ingredients:
Semiya (Vermicelli) - 1/2 cup
Ghee - 3 t spoon (vermicelli) + 1 t spoon (frying garnishing items)
Milk - 2 1/2 cup
Water - 1 cup
Sugar - 3 table spoon
Condensed Milk - 2 table spoon
Cardamom - 6 nos
Almond - 7 nos
Cashew Nuts - 6 nos
Kishmish (Raisins) - 5 nos

Preparation:

Heat a deep wide opened vessel and add ghee and allow to melt.
Add semiya and fry till golden brown and transfer to a plate and keep it aside.
Add milk and water to the vessel and bring to boil.
Lower the flame and add the fried semiya and keep stirring until semiya becomes soft.
Add sugar and mix well.
Add condensed milk and stir it for 5 minutes.
Now transfer it to a bowl.
Heat a small pan and add 1 t spoon ghee.
Add raisins, almonds and cashew nuts and fry it until turns golden brown.
Garnish the payasam with the fried raisins, almonds, cashews and splitted cardamom.
Your delicious payasam is ready to serve.

Carrot And Apple Pickle

2010-01-19T19:45:00.000+08:00

I have come across this wonderful recipe in Rice, Spice and all Things Nice by Reza Mahammad. I tried it and found it so nice.

Ingredients:
Carrot : 1 medium (Cut into pieces of 2 cm size)
Granny Smith Apple : 2 small (Cut into pieces of 2 cm size)
Green Chilly : 3 nos (split into half)
Mustard Seeds : 1 t spoon
Whole Cummin Seeds : 1/2 t spoon
Garlic : 1 clove (Chopped)
Curry Leaves : 1 sprig
Oil : 4 table spoon

For Marination:
Red Chilly Powder : 2 t spoon
Sugar : 2 oz
Ground Cummin : 1 t spoon
Oil : 2 table spoon

Preparation:

Take all ingredients for marination in a bowl and add the chopped apple pieces to it. Add the apple immediately after chopping so that it wont be discolored. Marinate for 15 minutes.
Heat a pan and add oil.
Splutter mustard seeds, cummin seeds.
Once ready add chopped garlic, curry leaves and saute it.
Add chopped carrots and green chilly and cook for 5 minutes till carrots becomes soft.
Add the marinated apples and continue cooking for 5 minutes.

The pickle is now ready. Allow it to cool and then put it into airtight container. It will last around 10 days.

Mushroom Pepper Masala

2010-01-18T17:55:00.000+08:00

Ingredients:
White Beech Mushroom - 150 gm
Onion - 1 medium sliced lengthwise
Tomato - 1 medium sliced thin and lengthwise
Curry Leaves - 1 sprig
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1/2 t spoon
Green Chilly - 1 (slice it lengthwise)
Cooking Oil - 1 1/2 table spoon
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 t spoon
Red Chilly Powder - 1/2 t spoon
Black Pepper Powder - 1 1/2 t spoon (Coarsely powdered)
Coriander Leaves - 1 sprig (Chopped small)
Water - 1/2 cup
Salt - To taste

Preparation:

Heat oil in a sauce pan
Saute onion till golden brown
Add tomato, green chilly, curry leaves and ginger garlic paste and mix well for around 15-30 seconds
Add turmeric, black pepper and red chilly powder and mix well.
Add mushroom, salt and water, mix well, close the lid and heat in low flame till mushroom is cooked.
Your tasty mushroom pepper masala is ready.

Black Pepper Crab

2010-01-15T10:16:00.010+08:00

Singapore is rich in sea foods, mainly lobsters & crabs. Black Pepper crab is our personal favorite. Usually when we go out for dinner, we try chilli or black pepper crab with eggs. I became fond of crabs after coming to singapore. We prepared this with live crab which I am totally afraid off. Its my dear who handed this live crab and I was watching him from 1 km away. So all credits to him only.

Ingredients:
Mud Crab - 1 no.
Ginger - 1" piece (Chop it lengthwise)
Garlic - 5 no.s (Chop into fine pieces)
Red chilly - 1 no (Non spicy. Chop into fine pieces)
Butter - 2 table spoon
Oil - 300ml for deep frying
Black Pepper - 2 table spoon (coarsely powdered)
Spring Onion - 1 no (Chop into fine pieces)
Soy Sauce - 2 table spoon (Don't add any salt as saltness of sauce will be enough for cooking)
Oyster Sauce - 2 table spoon
Sugar - 1/2 t spoon

Preparation:
Clean the crab well. Separate the outer shell and remove the spongy part. Wash it again well.
Separate the two claws and smash it with a cleaver to create cracks.
Cut off the tip of the remaining smaller claws.
Cut the remaining body into 2 or 4 pieces without removing the smaller claws.

Deep fry the crab until half-cooked, drain and keep aside.
Heat a wok and melt butter.
Put in garlic, black pepper, curry leaves, spring onion and chilies. Saute till fragrant.
Add crab, soy sauce, oyster sauce and sugar and mix well.
Cook for 5-10 minutes until the crab is done.
It is an awesome combination with white rice.

Ambala Payasam (Ney Payasam)

2010-01-14T11:06:00.002+08:00

Ingredients:
Raw Rice - 1/2 cup
Water - 1 1/2 cup
Jaggery - 1 cup (Melt jaggery with 1/2 cup of water)
Cardamom - 4 - 5
Ghee - 1/4 cup
Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup
Raisins - 5 to 6
Cashew nut - 5 to 6

Preparation:

Wash & clean the rice.
Take a pressure cooker and add rice with water and bring to boil.(Wait for 1 whistle)
Add melted jaggery to the cooked rice and stir it well. Cook over low flame.
Add ghee progressively to it.
Add grated coconut and mix it and cook for about 5minutes.
Heat a pan & add 1 t spoon ghee. Add raisins & cashew nuts and fry till it turns golden brown.
Garnish with roasted cashews & raisins.

Ney payasam reminds me my childhood days. On Saturday evenings we go to temple and just wait for this payasam & at that time I always think how they make it. Time arrived for me that I could make this.

I saw this ney payasam in Sangeetha's site & thought of trying it in a simple way. Thanks to Sangeetha for posting ney payasam.

Onion Bhaji

2010-01-13T11:16:00.002+08:00

Ingredients:
Onion - 2 medium (Sliced into fine pieces)
Gram flour (Kadalamavu) - 1 1/2 cup
Plain Flour (Maida) - 2 table spoon
Salt - to taste
Coriander leaves - 4 sprigs (Chopped into fine pieces)
Green chillies - 4 no.s (Sliced into fine pieces)
Ghee - 3 tspoon
Cooking Oil - 300ml for frying
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Garlic - 3 cloves (Finely chopped)
Cumin seed - 1/2 t spoon

Preparation:

Take a bowl and add gram flour, plain flour, salt, ghee and mix well.
Add sliced onions, green chilly, chopped coriander, garlic cumin seeds, curry leaves.
Sprinkle some water and mix all together well. The dough should not be too watery.
Heat a pan and add 300 ml for frying.
Take small dough and fry it in oil.
Ready to serve with sauce if required, combination with tea.
A good evening snack.

Mathanga Erissery (Pumpkin Curry)

2010-01-12T12:33:00.001+08:00

Ingredients:
Pumpkin - 420 gm
Grated Coconut - 1 cup
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 t spoon
Cumin Seed - 1/4 t spoon
Mustard Seed - 1/2 t spoon
Dried Red Chilly - 4 no.s
Urad Dal - 1 t spoon
Cooking oil / Coconut oil - 1 1/2 table spoon
Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Preparation:

Chop pumpkin into cube pieces.
Boil pumpkin in a manchatti (Deep Earthern pot) with enough water (300 ml), salt, turmeric powder.
Grind 1/2 cup of grated coconut with cumin seeds into fine paste.
Once the pumpkin is cooked, reduce the flame, add the coconut paste to it. Mix it well
Heat a pan and add cooking oil. Splutter mustard seeds, urad dal, dried red chillies.
Transfer this to cooked pumpkin. Turn off the flame and keep aside the cooked pumpkin.
Heat the same pan, add 4 table spoon of grated coconut and curry leaves and fry it till it turns brown.
Add these to the cooked pumpkin.
Ready to serve. A part of Kerala Sadhya.

Malabar Kozhi Biriyani (Chicken Biriyani)

2010-01-10T22:59:00.006+08:00

Ingredients:
For Marinating Chicken:
Turmeric -1 t spoon
Red chilly - 1/2 t spoon
Salt - To taste

For Chicken Masala:
Chicken - 6-7 big pieces (Preferably leg, thighs or breast)
Onions - 4 medium (Sliced lengthwise)
Tomato - 3 medium (Chopped lengthwise)
Cooking oil - 2 table spoon
Chicken Masala - 2 t spoon
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Yoghurt - 1 table spoon
Fennel seed - 1/2 t spoon
Garlic - 5 clove
Ginger - 1 1/2 inch
Green Chilly - 3 nos
Cardamom - 3
Mint leaf - 10
Coriander leaf - 1

For Rice:
Rice - 3 cups
Ghee - 1 table spoon
Water - 6 cups

For Garnishing
Cashew - 15
Raisin - 15
Cinnamon stick - 2 inch (Break it into small pieces)
Onion - 1 small (Chop it lengthwise)
Flower spice -3
Bay leaf - 3 (Cut into pieces)
Oil - 1 table spoon
Ghee - 2 table spoon

Marination:
Mix salt, turmeric and red chilly powder with very little water. Apply it evenly on the chicken pieces and keep aside for 15-20 minutes

Preparation:
For Chicken:

Grind fennel seed, garlic and ginger in mixer.
Heat oil in a deep sauce pan.
Add onion and saute until it becomes soft.
Add chicken masala and stir well for 15-20 seconds.
Add tomato and one t spoon of the paste prepared in step 1 and stir for another 20-30 seconds.
Add the marinated chicken and rest of the paste and mix well.
Add yoghurt (Or lime juice), mix well and close the lid. Cook over medium flame
Once chicken is almost cooked add cardamom, mint leaf, curry leaf and coriander leaf
Chicken masala is now ready. Keep it aside for mixing it later with rice.

For Garnishing:
We will first prepare the garnishing item as we can use the same oil and ghee for frying the rice.

Heat cooking oil and ghee in a wok
Add sliced onion and saute it till deep golden brown
Then transfer it to a plate.
Add rest of the spices and heat it till fragrant
Transfer these to a plate.

For Rice:
Wash and drain the rice using a colander.
Heat 6 cups of water in a separate bowl and boil it.

Add one more table spoon of ghee to the wok after transferring the garnishing items out of the wok.
Once heated add the dried rice and fry it till rice becomes firm and rigid.
Add boiled water, salt and close the lid and cook over low flame.
When water is almost over, turn off the flame. But don't open the lid and keep it aside for 15 minutes, until the rice is completely cooked.

Layering:
For layering we need a vessel big enough to hold rice and chicken. Or you can use the wok itself.

Put rice and chicken in alternate layers starting with rice.
Add chopped coriander leaves while adding chicken
Garnish with initially prepared spices.
Cover the vessel with a well fitting lid (air tight) and heat over low flame for around 1 minute.
Keep the lid closed for another 10 minutes

Chicken biriyani is now ready to serve. I have just copied out my amma's way of cooking kozhi biriyani except that i didn't any colors. Last weekend i tried this & turned awesome.

Cauliflower Thoran

2010-01-08T14:05:00.003+08:00

Ingredients:
Cauliflower - 2 cups florets(Chopped into very fine pieces)
Onion - 1 medium
Red dried chilly - 3no.s (Just make coarse powder with a mixer)
Cumin seeds - 1/2 t spoon
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 t spoon
Salt - to taste
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Cooking oil - 1 table spoon

Preparation:

Heat a pan, add cooking oil. Add cumin seeds, sliced onions and saute it well until it turns tender.
Add salt to taste, coarse red chilly powder, turmeric powder and saute it too.
Add chopped cauliflower and mix it well.
Cover with lid and cook for about 5minutes on low flame.
Add curry leaves to it.
Ready to serve with rice.

Egg Mushroom Pasta

2010-01-06T09:43:00.003+08:00

Ingredients:
Pasta - 11/2 cup (I have taken spiral shape pasta.Each ones choice and availability)
Eggs - 2no.s
Sliced Button Mushroom - 6no.s
Onion - 1medium
Pepper Powder - 11/2 t spoon
Salt - to taste
Cheese - 2 table spoon Grated Mozzarella /Cheddar ( I have taken cheddar cheese)
Cooking oil / olive oil - 1 1/2 table spoon

Preparation:

Take a deep pot and add enough water. Heat over medium flame.When the water starts boiling, add 1 t spoon of oil, add pasta, salt to taste and cook for 8 to 10 mins until it turns soft.
When the pasta is cooked, drain the excess water from pasta and allow it to cool.
Meanwhile heat a pan. Beat the eggs on hot pan and stir frequently to make scrambled eggs. Keep it aside.
Heat the same pan and add oil, then add onions, saute it well till it turns tender. Add mushrooms, pepper powder, salt. Cook over medium flame. Once cooked add cheese to it and reduce the flame
Add the cooked pastas & eggs. Mix it well.
Ready to serve for 4 to 6 people.
Healthy Protein Rich breakfast.

Chicken Stew

2010-01-05T11:54:00.005+08:00

Ingredients:
Chicken - 500gm (Half chicken cut into medium pieces)
Onion - 1 big (Sliced lengthwise)
Potato - 1 big (Chopped into square shape)
Coconut milk - 1/2 cup thick milk (100 ml)
Coconut milk - 1 cup thin milk (200 ml)
Green chillies - 2 nos. split into half
Ginger - 1" piece (Chopped into fine pieces & crushed)
Garlic - 3 big cloves (Chopped into fine pieces)
Pepper - 1 table spoon (Whole black pepper crushed into coarse powders)
Pepper powder - 1 1/2 t spoon
Cardamom - 3 no.s
Clove - 4 to 5 no.s
Cinnamon stick - 1" stick
Salt - to taste
Cooking oil - 1 1/2 table spoon
Curry leaves - 1 strip
Coriander leaves - 2 sprigs chopped

Preparation:

Marinate chicken pieces with salt & pepper and keep it aside for 15 minutes.
Heat a deep sauce-pan and add cooking oil.
Add cardamom, cinnamon, clove and saute until its fragrant.
Add sliced onions, ginger, garlic, green chillies and saute well until the raw smell goes off.
Add marinated chicken pieces and fry it well till the chicken pieces become firm.
Add chopped potatoes ,salt to taste and thin coconut milk, mix it well & cook over medium flame with lids closed.
Cook for about 5 to 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked.
Lower the flame and add thick coconut milk.
Keep it for 2 mins. Add curry leaves.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
It's now ready to serve with bread, vellappam or pallappam.

Banana Fry

2010-01-02T21:54:00.000+08:00

Ingredients:
Banana - 1no. (I have taken 1 banana only. You can take as per your choice.)
Ghee - 1 1/2 table spoon
Cashew nuts - 5no.s
Cardamom - 2 to 3no.s
Coconut grated - 1 1/2 table spoon
Sugar - 1 table spoon

Preparation:

Peel the banana and slice into circle pieces.
Heat a pan and add ghee. Add cashew nuts and sliced banana pieces, fry one side of it until it turns slightly brown. Turn the other side and do the same.
Add grated coconut and cardamom. Mix well with banana and stir for 2mins.
Add sugar and mix well.
Ready to eat. A Starter item and Kids Special.

Cheera Thoran (Palak Fry)

2009-12-30T11:42:00.002+08:00

Ingredients
Green cheera - 1 bunch
Shallots - 5 - 6no.s
Garlic - 2 - 3 cloves (if its big one)
Green chilly - 2 - 3no.s
Cooking Oil - 1 table spoon
Salt - 1 t spoon
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 t spoon
Coconut grated - 3 tablespoon
Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Preparation :

Chop the green cheeras. Slice shallots, garlic lengthwise, split green chilly lengthwise.
Heat a pan and add cooking oil.
Add sliced shallots, garlic, green chilly and saute it well. (If needed you can splutter mustard seeds also)
Add chopped cheera, turmeric powder, salt & grated coconut and mix it well.
Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 2 to 3 mins.
Its now ready to serve with rice. Good combination with rice & dal.

Fish Fry (Sting Ray)

2009-12-29T16:43:00.003+08:00

Ingredients:
Sting Ray - 1no.(I have taken 8'' length chopped sting ray piece from market)
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 t spoon
Chilly Powder - 1 1/2 t spoon
Salt - 1 t spoon (to taste)
Cooking oil / Coconut oil - 5 - 6 table spoon

Marination:
Marinate the cleaned chopped sting ray pieces with turmeric, chilly powder, salt and keep it aside for 10 - 15 mins.

Preparation:

Heat a pan and add cooking oil to it.Wait for oil to get hot and bubbles to appear.
Add the marinated fish pieces to it , cover it with a lid so that oil wont spread outside, cook over medium flame one side of fish for 3 to 5 min.(Depends on what kinda fish) Repeat the same the other side too.
Off the flame and add curry leaves.
Transfer to a bowl & garnish with sliced onions.

Tips:
Coconut oil is best for frying fish since it add flavor to it..
Remove the excess oil from fish by keeping it on a tissue paper.
A very simple way of frying fish and saves time.

Unakka Chemmeen Chammandi

2009-12-29T10:36:00.002+08:00

Ingredients:
Unakka chemmeen(Dried Prawns) - 20 - 30gms
Coconut - 1cup
Shallots - 5no.s
Curry leaves - 1 strip
Dried Red Chilly - 3 big
Salt - to taste (1 t spoon)

Preparation:

Heat a pan and add unakka chemeen(Dried Prawns) and pat it well for 3 to 5mins (without any oil) and keep it aside and when its cooled add it in a mixer and make it in a powder form.
Mix it with coconut, dried red chilly, shallots, salt, curry leaves.Blend it well for just 30 sec.
Its ready and a very good combination for Rice, Porridge.

Mushroom Coconut Stir Fry

2009-12-28T21:47:00.002+08:00

Ingredients:
Button Mushrooms - 10 to 12 nos (Cut 1 into 6 pieces)
Onion - 1 medium size (Slice lengthwise)
Grated Coconut - 1/7 th of mushroom
Green Chilly - 2 nos (Splitted)
Curry Leaves - 1 strip
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 t spoon
Coriander Powder - 1 t spoon
Pepper Powder - 1 1/2 t spoon
Cooking Oil - 1 1/2 table spoon
Salt - To taste

Marination:
Marinate chopped mushrooms with turmeric powder, coriander powder, pepper powder, salt and grated coconut and keep for 15 minutes.

Preparation:

Heat a pan with cooking oil.
Add onion, green chilly and curry leaves, and saute it well until becomes golden brown.
Transfer the marinated mushrooms to the pan, mix it well. Cover with a lid and cook over low flame for about 5-7 minutes.
Now it is ready to serve for 4 people.

Aavoli Pollichathu (Pomphret Fry in Banana Leaf)

2009-12-27T12:18:00.002+08:00

Ingredients:
Pomphret - 1 medium
Banana Leaf - 1 leaf
Turmeric Powder - 1 t spoon
Red Chilly Powder - 2 table spoon
Garlic - 2 cloves (Slice it thin and long)
Ginger - 1 small (1" in length) (Slice it thin and long)
Onion - 1 medium (Slice it length wise)
Salt - To taste

Marination:
Take turmeric powder, red chilly powder and salt in a bowl. Sprinkle some water and mix it well. Make sure that the mixture is not too solid.
Make thin slits width wise on the fish on both sides and apply the above mixture evenly on the fish and keep it for around 20-30 minutes.

Preparation:

Heat 1 banana leaf directly on the flames till it becomes soft.
Apply 1 tspoon oil evenly on the banana leaf.
Keep the marinated fish on the banana leaf.
Add the sliced ginger, garlic and onions along the side of the fish.
Pour one table spoon of oil on and around the fish.
Fold the banana leaf.
Heat a pan and place the folded banana leaf with fish and keep it over medium/low flame.
Cover the pan with the lid.
After around 5-7 minutes turn the fish, and keep the other side for frying around 5-7 minutes.
Now it is ready to serve. Garnish it with roundly sliced onions and curry leaves.

Tips:

If banana leaf is too long, don't fold it too many times over the fish. Just fold it on the sides and use a tooth pick to stick it.

Tomato Rice

2009-12-26T00:18:00.001+08:00

Ingredients:
Basmati rice / Jeera rice - 2 cups
Tomato - 2 medium sliced lengthwise
Onion - 1 medium sliced as for omlette
Green chilly - 2 split length wise
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 t spoon
Chilly Powder - 1/2 t spoon
Salt - to taste
Coriander leaves - 1 strip chopped
Cooking oil - 1 1/2 table spoon

Preparation:

Wash rice and allow water to drain. Keep it aside for 20 mins.
Heat a deep sauce-pan and add cooking oil.
Add sliced onions,green chilly. Add salt & turmeric. Saute it well for 2 minutes.
Add tomatoes and saute well till it becomes tender.
Add chilly powder and mix well.
Add rice and stir it well for 2 to 3 mins. Then add 4 cups of water and bring to boil. When it starts boiling, cover the pan with a well fitting lid and cook for 15 to 20 mins.
Uncover the lid and transfer to a bowl and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Now its ready to serve for 2 to 4 people.

Chicken Masala

2009-12-25T23:26:00.005+08:00

Ingredients:
Chicken - 1 Kg (Sliced in medium pieces)
Onion - 3 medium (Sliced length wise)
Tomato - 3 medium (Sliced length wise)
Green chilly - 3 (Split lengthwise)
Ginger - 1 small (2" in length)(Sliced thin and long)
Garlic - 5 cloves (Sliced length wise)
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tspoon
Chilly powder - 1 1/2 table spoon for medium spicy. (If you want more spicy take more)
Coriander powder - 1 table spoon
Pepper powder - 1 table spoon
Chicken masala - 1/2 table spoon
Lime juice - 1 small lime
Cooking oil - 4 table spoon
Curry leaves - 2 strips
Fennel seeds - 1/2 tspoon

Clove - 5

Cardamom - 4
Cinnamon stick - 1 small (Split into pieces)

Marination:
Apply lime juice on the chopped chicken pieces & marinate with salt, turmeric, half the chilly powder, coriander powder & pepper powder specified above. Keep it aside for 20 to 30 mins.

Preparation:

Heat the cooking vessel and add the oil.
Once heated add the onions and cook it till it becomes tender.Add salt to taste.
Add the remaining chilly powder, coriander powder, pepper powder & chicken masala and stir well.
Add tomatoes, green chilly, ginger, garlic and fennel seeds and stir for around 20-30 secs.
Add the marinated chicken, close the lid and cook it over low flame. (There will be enough water coming from chicken and tomato. So don't add any water at all)
Check in between and stir to make sure that it doesn't stick to bottom.
Once chicken is cooked add curry leaves, clove, cardamom, cinnamon stick and close the lid for 2-3 minutes.
Now it is ready and transfer to a bowl and garnish with sliced carrots, sliced tomatoes and coriander leaves.

Koondal Molishan (Squid Molly)

2009-12-25T20:13:00.004+08:00

Ingredients:
Koondhal(Squid) - 2 medium
Onion - 1 medium (Sliced length wise)
Tomato - 2 medium (Slice it in small square shape)
Green chilly - 2 (Split length wise)
Turmeric powder - 1/2 t spoon
Chilly powder - 1 t spoon
Salt - To taste
Cooking oil - 1 1/2 table spoon
Curry leaves - 1 strip

Preparation:

Clean and slice squid into square shapes.
Add sliced squids, salt, turmeric powder and water(500 ml) in a pressure cooker and cook till three whistles.
Heat a pan and cooking oil.
Add sliced onions and green chillies and saute it well until turns golden brown.
Add tomatoes, salt, turmeric, chilly, and saute till tomatoes turns tender.Mash the tomatoes.
Add cooked squid pieces and mix it well.
Add a cup of water and cook for 3 to 5mins.
Garnish with curry leaves.
Ready to serve for 2 to 4 people.

Spicy Chemmeen

2009-12-25T18:38:00.004+08:00

Ingredients:
Chemmen / Prawns - 1/4 kilo / 15no.s
Onion - 1 big
Tomato - 2 medium
Green chilly - 2no.s
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 t spoon
Chilly Powder - 1/2 t spoon
Coriander powder - 1 t spoon
Salt - to taste
Water - 1 cup
Curry leaves - 1 strip
Cooking oil - 1 1/2 table spoon

For Marinating:
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 t spoon
Chilly Powder - 1 t spoon
Salt - 1/2 t spoon

Marination:
Remove the shell of chemeen(Prawns) & Clean it well. Then marinate with turmeric, chilly, salt (kept aside for marinating) and keep it aside for 10mins.

Preparation:

Slice onions lengthwise, tomatoes in square shape and split green chilly into half.
Heat a pan and add cooking oil. Add the sliced onions & green chilly and saute it well.
Add salt, turmeric, chilly & coriander powder.Stir well.
Add sliced tomatoes. Saute it well till the tomatoes become tender.
Add 1 cup water. Bring to boil.
Once boiled, add chemmeen (Prawns) and cover the pan with well fitting lid and allow to cook for 10 mins.
Add curry leaves.
Ready to serve for 2 to 3 people.

Peas - Carrot Pulav

2009-12-24T17:34:00.014+08:00

Ingredients:
Basmati rice / Jeera rice / White rice - 2 cups
Shelled Green Peas - 3/4 cup
Diced Carrot - 3/4 cup
Whole cloves - 4No.s
Cinnamon stick -1small
Cardamom pods - 3 or 4 bruised
Cumin Seeds - 1 t spoon
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 t spoon
Ghee - 2 table spoon
Coriander leaves - 1strip

Preparation:

Wash the rice and allow to dry. (30 - 40 min)
Heat a heavy sauce-pan and melt ghee. Saute cloves, cardamom, cinnamon. Add cumn seeds.and saute it for a minute
Add turmeric & rice and stir it well on medium heat for about 2 to 3minutes.
Add salt to taste, peas, carrots & 4 cups hot water and bring to boil.
Then cover the sauce-pan with a tight lid. Cook on low flame for about 15 - 20minutes.
Once cooked, uncover the lid for steam to escape.
Garnish with coriander leaves.
Its now ready to serve for 4 to 5 people.

Potato Pepper Masala

2009-12-15T16:50:00.002+08:00

Ingredients:
Potato - 2 medium size
Onion - 1 medium
Ghee - 1 1/2 table spoon
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 t spoon
Red chilly Powder - 1 t spoon (If you prefer)
Pepper Powder - 1 full t spoon
Salt - to taste
Water - 1 cup
Curry Leaves - 1 strip
Coriander leaves - 2 strips

Preparation:

Peel the potato outer layer.Clean the potatoes well..
Slice the potatoes into small pieces.Slice the onions too into fine pieces.
Take a bowl. Add sliced potatoes, turmeric,red chilly powder,salt to taste and mix it well.Keep it aside for 5 minutes.
Heat a kadai and add ghee.Add the sliced onions and saute it well until it turns golden brown.
Add the mixed potatoes and add pepper to it.Taste the salt and if needed,add accordingly.
Add 1 cup of water.
Cover the kadai . Wait for 5 minutes.
Open the cover and stir the potatoes well.Keep in medium flame.
Add curry leaves.
Ready to serve.
Garnish with coriander leaves..
A great combination with chapatis and rotis.

Achinga Thoran (Yard Long Beans Fry)

2009-12-15T15:00:00.003+08:00

Ingredients:
Achinga/yard long beans - 250gm/10 - 15 no.s
Onion - 1no.
Green chilly - 3no.s
Mustard seeds - 1/4 t spoon
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 t spoon
Curry leaves - 1 strip
Grated coconut - 3 table spoon
Cooking oil - 2 table spoon
Salt - to taste

Preparation:

Wash & clean achinga / long beans and chop into fine pieces.
Slice onions as we slice for omlette. ( very fine pieces )
Tear in the middle of green chilly.Chop Curry leaves.
Heat a pan and add cooking oil.
Splutter mustard seeds. Then add sliced onions. Saute it well till it turns translucent.You can add 1/2 t spoon of salt while sauting .It allows onions to cook soon.
Add green chilly & turmeric powder
Add chopped beans and 3 table spoon of grated coconut and salt to taste & mix it well.
Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 5 to 10min on medium flame. In between open the lid and stir the contents.
Add chopped curry leaves / garnish with curry leaves.
Its ready to serve.

Tips

Always cook veggie on low or medium flame.
Its better to put chopped curry leaves while making thoran, so that we never keep it out while eating.

Dal Tomato Curry

2009-12-15T11:56:00.003+08:00

Ingredients:
Toor Dal - 1cup
Tomato - 2no.s/3no.s
Onion - 1no.(medium)
Ginger - 1small cut.
Garlic - 2 no.s from 1 pod.
Green chilly - 2no.s
Curry leaves - 1 strip
Turmeric powder - 1/4 t spoon
Red chilly Powder - 1 t spoon
Salt - to taste
Ghee - 1 t spoon
Cooking oil - 1 1/2 table spoon.

Preparation:

Soak toor dal for about 1/2 hour.
Slice Onion lengthwise, green chilly into half, slice tomatoes into small pieces.Chop garlic and ginger into minute pieces.Keep it aside.
Add the soaked toor dal in a pressure cooker. Into it Pour 3 cups of water,1/4 t spoon of turmeric,1 tspoon of red chilly powder, salt to taste, half of sliced onions, sliced green chilly.Cook toor dal for 3 whistles. Remove the lid only when the steam is gone completely.
Meanwhile heat a pan with 1 cooking oil and add ginger, garlic, saute it for a minute.Add sliced Tomatoes, Saute it very well until the tomatoes becomes soft.
Once the tomatoes are ready add these contents to the cooked dal on very low flame.Stir it well.
Heat a pan add 1 t spoon of ghee, Add the other half of onions and saute it till it turns brown.
Transfer the cooked dal to a serving dish and garnish with sauted onions & curry leaves.
Now its ready to serve .A very good combination with white rice, chappathi, Rotis.

Sambar With Left Over Veggies

2009-12-12T20:21:00.008+08:00

Ingredients:
Ladies Finger - 4no.s (left over)
Brinjal - 1no. medium (left over)
Potato - 1no.medium (left over)
Cauliflower - 4 - 5 florets (left over)
Onion - 1 small
Tomato - 1 small
Garlic - 2 big no.s from a garlic pod
Green chilly - 2no.s
Tamarind - 1 gooseberry size (Soak in 1 cup of water for 10 -15min)
Turmeric powder - 1 t spoon
Red chilly powder - 1 t spoon
Sambar powder - 1 table spoon (which i got from market)
Coriander powder - 1 t spoon
Asafoetida - 1/4 t spoon
Mustard seeds - 1/2 t spoon
Red Dried chilly - 3 no.s
Curry leaves - 1 strip
Coriander leaves - 3 strips chopped .
Coconut grated - 1 cup
Toor dal - 1/2 cup (Soak it for 1/2hour)
Cooking oil
Salt - to taste

Preparation:

Heat a pan and roast coconut,When coconut changes it color to slight brown add red chilly powder, coriander powder, sambar powder & roast it till it become brownish.Keep it aside.
Chop all the left over veggies ,slice onions & tomato lengthwise,green chilly,chop garlic into fine pieces.
Grind the roasted coconut and make it a coarse paste.
Take a vessel with a lid. Add dal with enough water.Boil the dal with pinch of turmeric and 1/2 t spoon of salt.
When dal is half cooked,add the potato pieces,Continue cooking, Add sliced onions,chopped veggies. & green chilly. Add enough water for veggies to cook.Close the vessel with the lid.
Once veggies starts cooking up,add sliced tomatoes & 1 cup of tamarind water.
Add the coconut paste to the cooked veggies.Cook for 5 mins.
Heat a frying pan. Add cooking oil , splutter mustard seeds, then add chopped garlic,red dried chilly,curry leaves & a 1/4 t spoon of asafoetida.
Transfer these contents on to sambar and mix it well.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Pavakka Thoran (Bittergourd Fry)

2009-12-12T17:17:00.008+08:00

Ingredients:
Pavakka (Bitter gourd) - 300 gm/2 no.s
Onion - 1 medium
Green chilly - 1 no.
Curry leaves - 1 strip
Mustard seeds - 1/2 t spoon
Turmeric powder - 1/4 t spoon
Salt - to taste
Cooking oil - 1 table spoon

Preparation:

Chop the cleaned pavakka (bitter gourd) into small pieces and transfer to a bowl.
Add 1/2 t spoon salt and knead it for 10 - 15 sec.
Slice onion into small pieces (as for omlette).
Chop green chilly & curry leaves to very fine pieces.
Heat oil in a pan. Splutter mustard seeds.
Add finely sliced onions & saute it till golden brown.
Add pavakka, green chilly & curry leaves to the pan.
Add turmeric, remaining salt & stir well.
Cook for around 3 - 5 mins with the lids closed.
Pavakka thoran is ready to serve.

Kappa (Tapioca)

2009-12-12T16:13:00.005+08:00

Ingredients:
Kappa (Tapioca) - 1kg
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 t spoon
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 t spoon
Red Dried Chilly (full) - 2 to 3
Curry Leaves - 1 strip
Cooking oil - 1 tablespoon
Salt - To taste

Preparation:

Cut the cleaned Kappa into small pieces (2cm cubes).
Boil kappa in a vessel with enough water.
Once boiling add turmeric and salt. Cook till kappa becomes soft.
Drain the water from kappa and transfer to a bowl.
Heat a pan and add cooking oil. Splutter mustard. Then add red chilly and curry leaves.
Transfer these contents on to kappa and mix it.
Ready to serve for 4 people.