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Showing posts from April, 2012

Spiced Pineapple Pickle- Kerala Pineapple Achar

Spiced Pineapple Pickle- Kerala Pineapple Achar Pineapple pickle is a delicious pickle, fresh and bursting with tropical flavors. Pineapple pickle has a sweet and savory combination and adds a zesty kick to any meal. Do you like sweet and spicy pickles?. I love pickled, salted, and fermented vegetables and fruits . It is easy-to-make condiments and a must-have in my kitchen. My family favorites are sweet and savory pineapple chutney and spiced pineapple in salted brine. Salted pineapples are good on sandwiches, fish tacos, or roasted meat. The best part of this pickle is that you can use it just like chutney or salted pineapple. The pickle is for those who love to take the spice level a notch higher. Pineapple pickle is a tongue-tingling sweet, tangy, mildly spiced pickle. It is delicious, and the flavor and taste are irresistible. It can be paired practically with everything, but it is best with parathas and naan. This recipe is from my mother-in-law. Sweet and sour pickles a

Muringakka/ Drumstick Curry

Muringakka/ Drumstick Curry Today's recipe is a charu curry and is served over rice. This is a vegetarian favorite a simple and flavorful curry. The curry base is ground coconut and the flavor is from drumstick,curry leaves and fennel. You can also add prawns or small fish like anchovies and smelt and convert this dish into  non-vegetarian. Try this simple dish,you will surely love it. Ingredients Drumsticks- 15-20 pieces Onion- small finely chopped Ginger- 1 inch thick Coconut grated - 1 cup Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp Chilly powder- 3/4 tsp Coriander powder- 1  tsp Fennel seeds- 1/2 tsp Curry leaves- a few Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds- 1/3 tsp Dry red chilly-2 Salt to taste Make a fine paste of coconut and fennel seeds and keep aside. Scrap the skin of drumstick or very  gently peel it off and cut into 2 1/2 to 3 inch pieces. Heat oil in a pan and add chopped ginger and onion and saute till it changes color to golden brown. Add turmeric,

Stuffed Pomfret With Green Masala- A Guest Post at Cooking-Varieties

I am extremely delighted and honored to be a guest at Wan's Cooking Varieties. When she asked me for a guest post I was so excited.She is one of my favorite foodie friends .She is very warm and friendly person and I love her blog. There is always a healthy edge in her cooking which is really inspiring.It has beautiful write-ups about food, health benefits and healthy eating habits.She has always shown genuine appreciation for other culture and culinary traditions. I am honored to be in your esteemed space. Thanks Wan for this opportunity. Recipe is  pomfret stuffed with a green masala and prawns filling...Hop over to Wan's place for the recipe .. Wan sent me this card with beautiful bouquet of roses,this made my day  :) so sweet of you Wan..really appreciate this:) Once again thanks Wan for this opportunity Hope you will all enjoy.. Have a great day! Suja

Aval Payasam and Happy Vishu

Aval Payasam Happy Vishu! Wishing all my friends and readers a very happy and prosperous Vishu! Today's recipe is an irresistible payasam.. sweet and delicious. It is made with aval/poha/beaten rice and milk and sugar.You can use  jaggery instead of sugar. Aval pal payasam and it is quick recipe which can be made in a jiffy. Try to use the thick variety of white aval/poha. There is also the red rice aval. Red rice will impart a rose hue to your payasam.  This recipe will serve 4-5 people. Ingredients Aval/poha/beaten rice- 1 1/2 cup Milk- 3 1/2 cups Condensed milk- 1 cup Sugar- 3 tbs (adjust according to sweetness) Crushed cardamon- 5-6 Raisins and cashew nuts- a few Ghee- 2 tbs In a sauce pan bring milk to a boil. Heat 2 tbs of ghee in a heavy pot vessel and add cashew nut and fry for a minute followed by raisins.Saute till they change color drain and set aside. Now to the same pan add aval and fry in medium flame till it slightly changes color and

Mathanga/Pumpkin Thoran

Mathanga/Pumpkin Thoran Pumpkin stir fried with a spicy coconut mixture  is a delicious side dish for rice. Pumpkin is a very versatile vegetable. It has a special place in Kerala cooking  and we have lots of recipes with it. Every part is used,the flesh,outer skin,leaves and flowers .Thoran with mathanga/pumpkin is very quick and the only thing that you should be careful is that it should be soft but not overcooked. It is a comfort food and you will love it. Ingredients Pumpkin chopped into small cubes-3 cups Grated coconut- 3/4 cup Pearl onions- 5-6 Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp Garlic pods- 2 Chilly flakes- 3/4 tsp Turmeric powder- a pinch Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp Urad Dal- 1 tsp Curry leaves- a few Coconut oil- 1 tbs salt to taste Cut pumpkin into small size cubes and keep aside. Blend coconut, a pinch of turmeric,cumin and garlic into a course mixture. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and when they splutter add a pinch of cumin seeds,urad dal and saute till the u

Beetroot Kesari/ Easy to make Beetroot Semolina Dessert

 Beetroot Kesari Beetroot- the humble root vegetable is gaining popularity as a new  superfood . It is packed with antioxidants, vitamins and essential minerals. I try incorporating beets or beet greens in my cooking at least once a week. Beets have a distinctive earthy flavor. Most people have a love-hate relation with beets and here I am talking about beets in desserts. Don't give up on beets already. If cooked properly beets have a subtle sweetness and the more you cook you will get an aromatic sweet flavor when the beet sugar caramelize. So you might have guessed how much I love this veggie. I adore its color, sweetness and earthy flavor. Add this to any dish it will give it a new look and in desserts a unique taste and aroma.  I love beetroot halwa and rava kesari and this recipe is a blend of the two. Kesari is a popular south India dessert made with semolina(coarse flour made with wheat), sugar and nuts with the tempting flavors of ghee and cardamon. I brough

Chilli Chicken

Chilli Chicken Chilli chicken is the most popular Indo-Chinese recipe and perhaps the easiest.No one needs any introduction to this popular dish. I am in love with spicy chilli chicken dry version, with lots of chilly.Fried rice and chilli chicken is my favorite combo. You might think I am crazy after reading this recipe:) I have added green chilli,dry red chilli, chilli flakes, chilli sauce and chilli oil. It is not fiery hot but it has the intense flavor of chillies which I love. I have added chili oil which is not spicy but has the flavor and the pretty color of dry red chilli. It is optional. It is readily available in market or you can make it at home. Ingredients Boneless chicken- 1 lb Egg- 1(optional) Corn starch- 2 tbs Pepper powder- 1/3 tsp Salt a pinch oil for frying Onion-1 cut into cubes Garlic - finely minced -2 tbs Bell pepper- 1 cut into cubes Dry red chilli-3 Green chilli-4 Chilli flakes- 1/3 tsp (optional) Soya sauce-2 tbs Chilli sauce - 1 1/2