Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from 2010

Pepper Chicken

Pepper chicken is extremely flavorful chicken with a spicy peppery taste. It is a simple dish with little ingredients which can be put together quickly. The only spice used here is pepper but you can also add garam masala. What I love in this chicken is its simplicity but at the same time it has a wonderful taste and enticing flavors of pepper,ginger,garlic and curry leaves. Ingredients Chicken - 1 lb ( Here I have used boneless chicken) Onion chopped- 1large Ginger- 2 inch thick piece Garlic- 8-10 cloves Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp Pepper powder- 1 1/3 tsp ( adjust according to taste) Whole pepper- 1/2 tsp Clove- 3 Curry leaves oil salt to taste lemon juice- 1 1/2 tsp Coriander leaves Heat oil in a pan and add cloves and whole pepper and slightly roast. Now add ginger, garlic and curry leaves and fry till there is a nice aroma. Add onions and when slightly brown add turmeric powder and chicken. Stir fry in medium flame for two minutes. Add pepper powder and

Beetroot Sambar

The color and flavor of beets is unique and I love the ruby red color which it imparts to this dish. Beetroot sambar was very common in my grandmothers kitchen and we children used to go crazy with its color when we dip it with idlis.This is a quick and easy sambar and is literally a one pot cooking. It can be served as a side dish for idlis, dosa or rice. Ingredients Toor Dal/sambar parippu- 1/2 cup Onion sliced-1 medium Beet root- 1 large Potato- 1 medium Carrot- 1 Tomato- 1 Drum sticks- 3 or 4 pieces (you can add any veggies of your choice) Tamarind one lemon sized Chilly powder- 1 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp Coriander powder- 3 tsp Fenugreek powder- 1/3 tsp Asafoetida- 1/3 tsp Mustard seeds Dry red chilly- 2 Curry leaves Coriander leaves Salt to taste Oil Wash Toor dal/sambar parippu and cook with enough water in pressure cooker. After 3-4 whistles remove the lid and mash the dal. Add in the veggies and sliced onion and salt. Add one more

Fish Fried Rice

This is a delicious and easy  fried rice made with fish. It is a healthy and quick lunch box fix. This is inspired by a Thai fish rice which I read in a magazine. The original recipe makes use of salted fish and chicken to make fried rice. But here I have used only fish (unsalted).The first time I tried this recipe I used stir fry method to cook fish and the result was somewhat scrambled fish. So to avoid it I  marinated the fish and fried it before combining with rice. You can also add carrots, cabbage,bok choy or any veggies of your choice. Ingredients Fish Boneless- 3/4 lb (I used King Fish) Cooked Rice- 3 cups Onion - 1 medium Spring onions - a little Capsicum - 1 cup Celery- 1/2 cup Soya sauce- 2 tsp Fish sauce- a few drops(optional) Chilly sauce- 1 tsp Oyster sauce- 1/2 tsp ( optional) Carrot- 1 small Ginger- 1inch thick Garlic- 3-4  pepper powder- 1/2  tsp corn starch- 1 tsp oil Cut fish into small pieces. Marinate it for 10 minutes with soya sauce and h

Pazham Pori-Crispy Fried Sweet Plantain

Pazham Pori-Ethapazham pori Pazham Pori or Ethapazham pori is a popular tea time snack of Kerala. It can be easily found in thattukadas/chayakadas in Kerala. Have you ever been to a chayakada before? They are tea stalls found in the nook and corner of Kerala. In the olden days these stalls were the hub of the village or small communities and people used to gather morning and evening for tea, newspaper or radio news discussions. My grandmother always used to complain that my grandfather never used to drink morning tea at home. He always used to walk to the corner tea stall to drink tea, listen to the news and chat with friends..mostly discuss politics :) Chayakadas serve tea, morning breakfast, and fitters. Pazham pori made with ripe sweet plantain is a favorite among the visitors or customers. Gone are the days of glory for these humble tea stalls but not the delicious and colorful fitters that adored their glass shelf containers. They still look mouth-watering. It is so yum

Chemmeen Masala Varattiyathu/ Pan roasted Prawns

Chemmeen Varattiyathu is a popular sea food delicacy of Kerala. It is not fried prawns but gravy with is almost semi-dry. It is a great side dish for rice. It has the enticing flavors of garam masala and coconut oil and curry leaves. It is spicy, peppery and a bit tangy due to the use of  Malabar tamarind or kudampuli. You can substitute kudampuli with  tomatoes or lemon juice. You can also add coconut pieces in the recipes  which adds to a sweet crunch along with the prawns. Try this easy recipe and let me know how it turned out for you :) Happy Cooking! Cooking time- 20 minutes Recipe Type-Side dish Cuisine: Kerala/Indian Ingredients Prawns- 1 lb Shallots chopped- 1 cup Ginger and garlic paste- 2 tsp Chilly powder - 1 1/2 tsp Pepper powder-1/2 tsp Coriander powder- 2 tsp Turmeric powder- 1/3 tsp Garam masala- 3/4 tsp fenugreek powder- 1/3 tsp Malabar Tamarind/kudampuli- 2-3 pieces  Fennel powder- 1/2 tsp (optional) curry leaves Coconut pieces( Optional) C

Pecan Tarts

Pecan Tarts is a perfect bite sized dessert with a flaky crust, sweet center  and an inviting aroma. Seems it is a small fancy version of the original pecan pie. It will be a perfect dessert for Christmas. This is made in two stages. First the crust and then the filling. Ingredients for the crust Flour- 1 cup Cream cheese- 1/3 cup Butter- 1/2 cup salt- a pinch Ingredients for filling Pecan - 1 cup Egg-1 flour- 2 tsp Sugar- 3/4cup Dark brown corn syrup- 3-4tsp Vanilla extract- 1 tsp salt- 1/3 tsp In a mixing ball beat butter and cream cheese till smooth.Mix in flour to form a dough. Do not knead too much. Just bring it into one mass and chill it in fridge for an hour. Spread the dough  with a rolling pin and cut out small circles. Press this down with your fingers into a greased muffin tin and keep ready. For the filling beat egg in a small bowl and mix in all the ingredients listed for filling. Carefully spoon in this mixture into the shells( about 3/4 of th

Capsicum Chicken/ Bell Pepper Chicken with Roasted Coconut Gravy

Capsicum Chicken/ Bell Pepper Chicken with Roasted Coconut Gravy Capsicum/ Bell pepper chicken is a spicy and delicious chicken curry with bell pepper and roasted coconut gravy. This colorful chicken curry is an old comfort food recipe. It has a delicious aroma and a peppery flavor, and it happens to please everyone at home. This is my mom's recipe, and I love recreating some of her recipes- yeah almost all of her recipes! She keeps things interesting, and some curries are a feast to the eye. Don't you think this curry looks impressive and colorful? I highly recommend different colored bell peppers- red, orange, yellow, and green, but you can choose the one you like. The addition of capsicum gives this chicken curry a wonderful flavor and goes well with naans, chapatis, ghee rice, fried rice, or with freshly baked bread. Bell pepper is crisp and tender, and are delightful bites. The dry roasting of coconut and spices will bring out the essential oil and makes it more a

Pineapple Coconut Cake

Pineapple coconut cake is now my top favorite cake:) This is an easy and fragrant cake,sweet a little tangy,flavorful and buttery.If you like the combined flavor of pineapples and coconut you will surely love this. I have used sweetened pineapple in this recipe. You can use fresh pineapple with its juice which will make it even more flavorful. I did not add sugar as I have used sweetened pineapple, coconut and sweet condensed milk. You can add sugar as per your taste.It would be great with butter icing .  I used  whipped cream and pineapple rings and dusted with a little of confectionery sugar. Ingredients Flour- 1 1/4 cup Baking powder- 1 1/2 tsp Salt- 1/3 tsp Sweetened Coconut- 1/2 cup Sweetened Pineapple- 8 oz container Eggs- 3 Butter- 1/2 cup Vanilla essence- 1 tsp Condensed milk- 1/2 cup nutmeg powder- a pinch Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Prepare cake pan by greasing with butter and dusting with flour and set aside. Mix well the dry ingredients like flour,ba

Okra Stir fry

This masala okra stir fry is inspired by the masala stuffed okra with I have been seeing around made by my fellow blogger's. But I was not patient enough to silt and fill in the stuffing and some got slitted  all the way through :(.I ended with this recipe which tasted equally nice:) Okra- 20-25 Onion- 1 medium Green chilly slit- 2 Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp Curry leaves oil hing - a pinch Masala Roasted peanut powder-2tsp Roasted Sesame seeds- 1 tsp Chilly powder- 1/2tsp Coriander powder- 1/2tsp Garam Masala- 1/2 tsp Salt a pinch Cut okra into desired shape. Heat one tsp of oil and add in the ingredients listed under masala and lightly roast it in low flame till the raw flavor disappears and set aside. Heat another two tsp of oil and add mustard seeds. Allow to splutter and add in green chilly, curry leaves and hing. Add onions and fry till golden brown and finally add okra and stir fry for two minutes. You can close with a lid for a few seconds and then conti

Tandoori Chicken

When it comes to my favorite North Indian recipes there is a long list but topping it would be the spicy roasted tandoori chicken.This is definitely the most loved recipe by all chicken lovers in India.This tandoori chicken  is  not cooked the traditional way but in the oven and to my happy surprise it came out well imparting some of the rich the flavors and taste of traditional Indian cooking. The original recipe I have taken from Sanjeev Kapoor show and have brought a little changes according to taste and to get it roasted in the oven. It tasted delicious but I was a bit sad that the beautiful gashes are not visible:( Ingredients Chicken legs 3 or 6 chicken drumsticks First marinade Kashmiri chili powder- 3/4 tsp Ginger- garlic paste- 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice-a few drops salt to taste Second marinade Kashmiri Chilly powder - 2 tsp Coriander powder- 1/2 tsp Gram flour- 3 tsp Ginger garlic paste- 1 tsp Clove- 3-4 Cinnamon- 1 stick cardamon-  3 nutmeg- a pi

Award Time!!!

I am so happy and thrilled to receive " The One Lovely Blog Award " from my dear friends in blog world. I feel honored and I  accept their love and appreciation with wholehearted delight. Thanks Santosh , Kurinji , Shobha , Soumya , Love and Priya Sreeram for the One Lovely Blog Award. Thanks Kavitha for sharing with me " The Sunshine Award" and also for the tagged award.There is no need of any special introduction of these talented bloggers. Through their enthusiasm and devotion they have created beautiful spaces where most of us including me are frequent visitors. If you have not yet, do visit and you will be amazed at their collection of unique mouthwatering  recipes. . Thanks Santosh and Love Thanks Kurinji and Priya   Thanks Shobha,and Soumya Thanks Kavitha Kavitha has also tagged me along with seven other bloggers, which also includes eight questions to be answered. Thank you so much dear..will post that soon. With great pleasure I wo

Sweet Potato Ishtu

Sweet potato Ishtu ( Kerala Stew) is an ideal side dish for appam, idiyappam and chapathi.Ishtu is a mild and delicious potato preparation in a rich  coconut gravy. I replaced potatoes with sweet potatoes and the result was a delicious and slightly sweet gravy with a beautiful refreshing color. Try this recipe, you will surely love this. Sweet potatoes- 2 medium size Coconut milk thin- 1 cup Coconut milk thick- 3/4 cup Onion- 1 Green chilly-   3-4 Ginger- 1 inch thick Cinnamon- 1 inch thick Cloves- 3 Cardamon- 2 Curry leaves salt to taste oil Peel and cut cooked sweet potatoes into small cubes and onions into thin slices. Heat oil in a pan and add the whole spices and saute for a few seconds and add onions curry leaves and silted green chillies. Saute for a minute till the onions gets sweated and not brown. Add the cooked sweet potatoes salt and the thin coconut milk. Cook the sweet potatoes in medium flame for two to three minutes till it can be mashed up a bit and th

Meen Achar/Fish Pickle

Meen achar is spicy  and delicious fish pickle which is easy to make and can be preserved in refrigerator for more than a month. This recipe is for all those spicy pickle fans like me and this truly is my favorite pickle. You can also use the same recipe to make prawns pickle. This is my mothers treasured recipe. You can use any fish without bones, but king fish is the best for this recipe Ingredients Boneless fish - 1 1/2 lb Ginger- 3-4 inch thick Garlic- 2 whole( 25-30 pods) Green chilly- 10-15 Chilly powder- 3- 4 tsp( adjust as per taste) Turmeric powder-3/4 tsp Mustard powder- 1 1/2 Mustard seeds- 1 tsp Fenu greek powder- 1 tsp Clove- 5-6 Vinegar- 1/2cup Curry leaves Salt to taste Oil Cut fish into small cubes and drain out all excess moister( use paper towel if necessary). Marinate for 10 minutes with turmeric powder, one tsp of chilly powder and salt. Fry this in oil till cooked evenly.Drain and set aside. Using a mixer crush ginger, garlic, c

Ethakka /Plantain and Vanpayar/Red beans Thoran

Ethakka and  vanpayar or red beans together forms a delicious combination for thoran. Thoran is a Kerala style stir fry of veggies with coconut and forms a quick side dish for rice. Ethakka is one of mallu's favorite veggie  and is commonly grown in the backyards of almost every home. There are variety of dishes and this recipe is simple, quick and healthy. Ingredients Raw Plantain- 2 Cooked red beans- 1 cup Coconut - 1/2 cup Turmeric- 1/3 tsp Cumin powder- 1/3tsp Onion- 1 small Green chilly3-4 Garlic -2 pods mustard seeds- 1/3 tsp Dry red chilly-2 Oil Salt to taste Curry leaves Cook red beans and ethakka separately. Soak beans for two hours and then cook adding water a little above the soaked beans. This can be done in advance a day before or you can make this thoran with left over beans Peel and chop ethakka/plantain into small  peices.Cook it by adding 3/4 cup of water, salt, one tsp of oil ( to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan) an

Mutton Stew

Mutton Stew is a traditional breakfast recipe of Kerala and is a great accompaniment with appam, palappam and idiyappam. It is mutton and potatoes stewed in coconut milk and flavored with whole spices. This light stew may not look very appetizing but its mild flavor and taste is a delight to the palate. I have just used potatoes and mutton, but you can also add in other veggies like carrots. You can also add Vinegar,but it is optional. Ingredients Mutton- 1  lb Potato- 2 small Onion thinly sliced- 2 medium Ginger- 1 inch thick Garlic- 3-4 pods Green chilly- 7-8 Thick coconut milk- 1 cup Thin coconut milk- 2 cup Cinnamon- 1 stick Clove- 4-5 Cardamon-2 Whole pepper- 8-10 Fennel seeds- 1/2 tsp nutmeg- a pinch Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp Curry leaves salt to taste Ghee- 1 tsp oil In a pan or a pressure cooker heat oil and add in whole garam masala ( Cinnamon, Cardamon, clove, pepper and fennel seeds) Once there is a nice aroma add in thinly sliced onions and s

Apple Crumble

Apple Crumble is a delicious dessert. It is simple, tasty and easy to put together and is a sure winner. It will never let you down especially if you serve in parties topped with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream or custard sauce. You can also use a wide range of fillings to make crumbles. My son especially loves apple crumbles- a  little tart and a little sweet. Ingredients Apples- 4 Light Brown sugar- 3 tsps Butter- 1 tsp lemon zest- a pinch Cinnamon powder- a pinch Flour- 1 tsp Topping All purpose flour- 1 cup Rolled oats- 3/4 cup Butter- 6 tsp Sugar or light brown sugar- 1/2 cup Cinnamon or nutmeg-1/2 tsp Chopped pecans- 1/2cup Peel and core apple and dice into thin slices.Heat a pan and add in butter and sugar and allow to melt and lightly caramelize. Add in apples and allow it to get well coated and fry for a few minutes. Add in cinnamon and switch off the fire before it becomes marshy Sprinkle the flour and toss the mixture. Spread this mixture on a prepared

Paneer Rice

Paneer rice is a quick and easy rice especially if you have sudden guests or a potluck party. It is a delicious milky flavored rice with soft melt in mouth cubes of fried paneer and would be loved by both vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike. You can also add in carrots, capsicum, peas or any other veggies to make it extra special and look even more appetizing. Ingredients Rice- 2 cups Water - 4 cup Cloves- 2 Cardamon- 2 Cinnamon-  1 stick Salt to taste Paneer- 250 grams Tomato Puree- 1 cup ( optional) Green peas- 1/2 cup Onion- 1 medium Ginger - garlic paste- 1 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder- 1/3 tsp Green chilly- 4 Garam masala- 1/2 tsp Coriander leaves to garnish Sock rice for half an hour. Bring four cups of water to a boil and add the whole garam masala , salt and rice and cook till it all water is evaporated and the rice is fluffy. Cut paneer into cubes and fry them lightly and keep aside. In the same pan saute onions till golden brown and add ginger- g

Chemmeen Vada/Prawns Cakes

Chemmeen Vada is a quick and easy appetizer. It is spicy and delicious. Both my mother and mother-in -law make these patties and I love both versions. It is made  by grinding cooked prawns into a coarse paste  and then shaped into the form  of vada or patties and then fried. Ingredients Prawns - 1 lb Shallots- 5-8 Ginger- 2 inch thick Green chilly- 5-6 Chilly powder- 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp Garam Masala- 1/2 tsp Bread slices-2 Egg white-1 Oil- 3-4 tsp salt to taste Clean prawns and rub in turmeric powder and salt and cook  covered in a low flame and get it half cooked. Do not add water as the prawns will get cooked in its own water. ( you can also do the uncooked version. Follow the same method with raw prawns but make thinner patties instead) Now in a mixer add all ingredients,  except oil and make a coarse paste. Soak bread in water for a minute,squeeze off the excess water and mix with the prawns along with egg white. Take small balls and flatt

Kozhi thoran/ Trivandrum Style Chicken Thoran

Chicken Thoran (updated pic) Today's recipe is a traditional naadan recipe, an old-fashioned chicken cooked with a generous amount of coconut. Thoran is Kerala's version of a quick stir fry with coconut and spices. It is heartwarming homey food that you can enjoy during the weekends. Chicken Thoran is a delicious and aromatic side dish for steamed rice, but you can always be creative and use it as fillings for wraps and bread. This dish is simple, and you can make thoran with almost any vegetable, meat, or seafood. I assure you that you are not in for a complicated curry but a simple and easy to make stir fry. The dish is mildly spiced, and the chicken is coated with coconut. Earthy spices make the chicken flavorful, and there is the sweet crunch of freshly grated coconut.  All the flavor of this stir fry comes from coconut, and for a more authentic regional flavor use coconut oil. Chicken thoran is a quite popular dish in the southern part of Kerala, the regions adjo