Potato Murukku~Potato Crunchy Twisters!

I know it has been a while since I blogged, and I have no excuses for yet...except that I have been super lazy :) And yes, I have been pretty busy as well with work, so do excuse me if I felt the need to just crawl into bed and not think of anything else except relax these past couple of days.

And then I realised, the festival of lights is coming up.....Happy Deepawali in advance peeps!! The festival of lights and great clothes and awesome jewelry...not to mention, all that fantastic food! One of the most traditional snacks served during Deepawali is the murukku...Now, just for the benfit of my non Indian friends, I took the liberty of looking up what this meant, and it means "Crispy Twisters". See, the things I do for u guys....lol!!

Murukku is normally made from rice flower and urad dal, but as always, I had to come up with something different from the usual, and that's when I stumbled upon this fantastic recipe from Sharmi's Passions which totally made my day, so a big shout out to Sharmi!! The only thing you need is the "idiyappam achu". But do not worry if you do not have this, I realized that if you have a piping bag that you use to put icing on cakes, you can still make this, so there, it's that simple!

So obviously, the main ingredient in this is potato, but you will not believe how incredibly easy this is, because there's only a few ingredients and the only thing that can seem a bit tricky is to get the concentric circles, but then again, clumsy that I am, I just made them into pretty much any shape that I could manage! So shall we find out how to do this :)

INGREDIENTS (10-12)

• Rice flour- 1 cup
• Potato- 1 medium sized
• Jeera (Cumin Seeds)- 1 tablespoon
• Pepper powder- 1 teaspoon (depending on the spice level required)
• Red chilly powder (1/2 teaspoon- optional)
• Asafoetida (Hing)- A pinch
• Salt to taste
• Boiling water- Approx a cup or as required
• Oil for deep frying. Coconut oil is preferred, any type of refined oil will do.

METHOD

• Boil the potato with the skin using a pressure cooker up to 5 whistles till it gets properly soft and mashable. If using the stove, boil the potato for about 30-40 minutes.
• Once it cools down, cut the potato into smaller pieces and grind it using a grinder till it takes on the consistency of wet dough.
• In a bowl, mix the dough, with rice flour, chilly powder, jeera, hing, salt and pepper. Add boiling water as required till the dough reaches the right consistency.
• Split the dough and add this bit by bit to the "idiyappam achu" or the "icing bag" and squeeze out the dough into a shape of your choice. Concentric circles are what is preferred, but to each his own :)
• Drop this into the hot oil and fry for about a minute till the murukku gets a golden brown color and the right crunchiness.

And voila, yummy murukku is ready!!

Watch this space for more Diwali recipes! May the season of light bring joy, happiness and prosperity to all of you! God bless you all!! Till next time, adios my friends!!

Vendakka Mezhukkuparatti~Ladies finger stir fry!

This recipe is actually long overdue..something my brother was asking for quite some time now. So, this one's for you, R! In fact, I actually made this for Onam. Normally, cabbage stir fry is the general stir fry but variety is the spice of life, don't you  agree?? :)

INGREDIENTS (Serves 2)

• 1/4 kilo ladies finger, cut into quarter inch pieces
• 1 medium sized onion
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons red chilly powder
• 2 teaspoons coriander powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala (all spice) powder
• Salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons oil (Any type refined oil or coconut oil)
• Curry leaves to garnish

RECIPE

• Heat oil in a frying pan. To this add the onion along with salt and saute.
• Once onion turns translucent, add the ladies finger and fry for about 5-6 minutes or till the stickiness disappears.
• Now add all the powders except for the garam masala.
• Close the pan for about 5 minutes and stir in between to ensure that the ladies finger dont stick to the bottom.
• Finally add the garam masala and garnish with curry leaves.

Easy right? In fact, you dont even need to add onions if you dont want to. So here's the pic...

Till next time, adios amigos!

Naranga Curry ~ Lemon Curry!

O--Ormayude
N--Nanmayude
A--Aghoshangalude
M--Malayaliyude

Onam Varavayi !!!

In simple words, Happy Onam guys!!! . So, I'm sure you are probably busy preparing the sadya, or in my case, eating one..he he!!

My all time must have accompaniment with practically anything has to be pickle. This infact is a pickle too, but not with all the preservatives involved. Nevertheless, it's a must have for an onam sadya. So here we go...
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INGREDIENTS (Serves 6-10 people)

• 1 big lime (vadagapuli naranga) or 2 small lemons, cut into small pieces and remove the seeds
• 2 garlic pods, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 2 teaspoons red chilly powder
• 1 teaspoon hing/kayam/asafoeteda
• 2 green chillies finely chopped
• 1 lime sized tamarind ball soaked in 1/2 cup hot water
• 1 teaspoon jaggery (optional)
• Coconut oil/Gingelly oil- 1 tablespoon
• Salt to taste

For garnish

• Mustard seeds- 1 teaspoon
• Dry red chilies- 2
• Curry leaves- 1 or 2 sprigs
• Coconut oil- 1 tablespoon

METHOD

• Heat a tablespoon of oil. To this add the green chilies and lime pieces on a low flame till the juices ooze out from the lime.
• Now add the turmeric, chilly and hing powders and fry for a few seconds.
• Add the tamarind water and salt. Let this boil for a minute.
• Now add the jaggery. This is purely optional, but highly recommended. Boil for another minute and switch off the flame.
• For the garnish, heat a tablespoon of oil and splutter mustard seeds.
• Add the dry red chillies and curry leaves and fry for a minute.
• Switch off the flame, pour this over the lime curry and cover immediately.

Notes

• Always prepare the lime curry a day in advance so that all the flavors set in. 
• This does not need to be kept in the fridge, however, if you do so, ensure that you do not heat  it before serving, else it will get spoilt.
• Normally, people prepare lime curry using gingelly or sesame oil (nalla enna). I did not coz mom told me that it was not necessary. The curry tasted good even after using coconut oil.
• Do not cook the lemon for long, else the curry will turn bitter.

Time for the pics...

And a top view

How does it look? Do let me know your thoughts and feed back. Once again, here's wishing you all the happiness, joy and prosperity this harvest festival brings you!

Onashamsakal!

Ulli sambar!

I know this is going to sound really weird, but this is the sambar that I made for Onam...and it actually turned out good! In fact, this is the very first time I made sambar..ever!!! And I didnt hear too many complaints, in fact I can proudly say that it finished pretty quickly :). The only tough part would be peeling each of the shallots individually, but if they are big enough, it should'nt take too long. I was intending to make the sambar the day before, but mom told me to do it on the day we were serving the sadya because sambar tends to get thick as time flies. So, here we are! This recipe is courtesy Easy Cooking which is now officially one of my all time fave blogs! I have made a few changes though, not too many. Do check out her semiya kheer and pal ada payasam recipes..they are simply the best! For now, please don't ignore poor old me...On to the recipe!

INGREDIENTS (Serves 6-9)

• Shallots/Pearl Onions/Kochu ulli- 1 cup (approximately 25- 30), peeled and slit into 2 or 3 slices through the middle
• Toor dal- 1/2 cup
• Green chillies- 3, slit through the middle
• Tomato- 1 medium sized, chopped roughly into cubes
• Tamarind/Valan puli- 1 lime sized ball soaked in a half cup of hot water for 15 minutes
• Sambar powder- 3 teaspoons
• Turmeric powder- 1/4 teaspoon
• Asafoeteda/Hing//Kayam- A pinch
• Jaggery- 1 teaspoon (optional)- I did not use this
• Salt to taste
• Coriander leaves- For garnish

For tempering

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil/1 tablespoon ghee
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• A pinch of fenugreek seeds/uluva
• 2 dry red chillies
• Curry leaves- A sprig or 2

METHOD

• Add the toor dal along with the tomato, green chilies, a few curry leaves, a few coriander leaves, turmeric powder, salt to taste and a cup of water to a pressure cooker. Pressure cook this for up to 4 whistles.
• Ina  saucepan, heat 2 teaspoons of coconut oil and a teaspoon of ghee. Alternatively, you can use just the oil.
• Saute the shallots for about 5-7 minutes till they start to change color and the raw smell disappears.
• Add the sambar powder, hing and salt and saute fora  few seconds.
• Add the tamarind water and the cooked dal mixture.
• Bring this to a boil and then simmer for 5 minutes or till you reach the consistency of your choice.
• If adding jaggery, add at this stage.
• In a separate pan, heat the oil/ghee, splutter mustard seeds followed by the fenugreek seeds, chillies and curry leaves.
• Pour this over the sambar, garnish with coriander leaves and cover immediately. 

Sambar tends to thicken as time passes. Prior to serving the sambar, in case you feel it's too thick, pour some water from the kettle to loosen it a bit. Remember to use only hot water, else the taste changes.

Delicious onion sambar is ready!! Ready for the pics? Here we go...

And another...

So, what do you think? This is an easy breezy sambar with absolutely no veggies, but that is still scrumptious. So do try it out and let me know it turns out.

Onashamsakal!

Kalan~ Raw banana in a yogurt based gravy!

So, my very first Onam recipe for you guys. Kalan is normally made using raw banana and elephant yam, however, here, I have used only raw banana. You can use also use a medium ripe banana to get a  sweeter taste. Incidentally, I made this the night before and did not even keep it in the fridge, coz mom told me not to, and the curry tasted just as good. Am very happy to say that there were no leftovers :P. Not so bad for a first timer, he he..!! It is Onam, I am allowed to blow my own horn. By the way, this was the first dish I made for Onam.

Enough with the chit chat, on to the recipe...

INGREDIENTS (Serves6-9)

• Raw banana (pachha kaya) or medium ripe banana- 1
• Freshly grated coconut- 6 tablespoons
• Curd- 6 tablespoons
• Green chilies- 3, slit through the middle
• Pepper powder- 1 teaspoon
• Turmeric powder- 1/2 teaspoon
• Cumin Seeds- 1 teaspoon
• Salt to taste
• Ghee- 1 teaspoon
• Hot water- 1/2 cup

For tempering

• Mustard seeds- 1 teaspoon
• Dry red chilies- 2
• Curry leaves- 1 or 2 sprigs
• Shallots- 2 (optional)
• Coconut oil- 1 tablespoon

METHOD

• Cut the raw banana through the middle and then chop into cubes. In order to preserve their color, put them in water to which a pinch of turmeric has been added. If you are going to cook this immediately, avoid this step.
• Cook this with water, turmeric powder and pepper powder. Do not add salt else the vegetable will not get cooked. This should take 15-20 minutes on a low flame.
• In the mean time, grind the coconut, green chilies and cumin with the curd. Do not add any water.
• After the banana is cooked, add the salt and ghee. Ensure that all the water is evaporated.
• Now add the coconut-curd mixture. Ensure this does not boil, just heat it through for a couple of minutes, else the curd will curdle. Switch off the flame once done.
• In a separate pan, heat the oil and splutter mustard seeds, followed by the dry red chilies and curry leaves. 
• Pour this over the kalan and cover it instantly so that it does not lose it's smell or flavor.

Tada, the kalan is ready!! On to\the pictures...

And another one...

Thank you so much Naveen for the lovely clicks..!! So what do you guys think? Do try it out and let me know how it turns out!

Onashamsakal!

Chilly beef fry!

Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la la.....Yayyyyy! It's the month of December, Christmas time, woohoo! Time for Santa Claus to come to town, which means, time for all of us to pull up our socks and be good, at least pretend to be, if we need to get into his good books, he he!

We had a mini get together at our place on Thursday night, just my cousins, but oh what a blast we had. I actually wanted to cook a 3 course meal, but unfortunately, had time to cook only 2 mains. One was my Prawns Roast, and then I thought I'd make some beef. This particular beef recipe has been adapted from Dr. Lakshmi Nair, who happens to be one of my all time fav chefs, as I have mentioned before, simply because she makes cooking seem so effortless. This particular recipe uses soy sauce as well, but trust me, at the end of it all, it is a nice, spicy dish with a very "naadan" (traditional) touch to it. In fact, did you know, that at the "kallu shaaps" (toddy shops!) in Kerala, they use soy sauce to make the beef look really dark. See, the toddy shops are not so "naadan" (traditional) after all, he he! I would like to dedicate this dish to Ranjith cheta, Ravin and Sheetal, who helped us have a memorable weekend. We should do it more often! Special mention to Sheetal for taking some lovely pics! Thanks darlin!

INGREDIENTS

• Beef- 1 kilo
• Ginger Garlic paste- 2 tablespoons
• Soy sauce- 4 tablespoons
• Black pepper powder- 1 tablespoon
• Vinegar- 1 teaspoon
• Turmeric powder- 1/2 teaspoon
• Red chilly powder- 1 teaspoon
• Onions- 2 or 3 medium, finely sliced
• Green chilies- 2
• Coconut oil/Refined Oil - 2 tablespoons
• Curry leaves- plenty
• Salt to taste

METHOD

• Clean beef thoroughly and drain all the water. Place in a pressure cooker.
• To this add ginger garlic paste, soy sauce, pepper powder, salt and vinegar.
• Mix thoroughly, close the cooker and pressure cook for 2 whistles on a high flame. After 2 whistles, lower the flame slightly and cook for another 7 minutes. Switch off the flame and wait for all the pressure to release before opening the vessel.
• Do not add any water, as the beef releases water while cooking. After opening the vessel, switch on the flame once again so as to evaporate all the water. Keep stirring so that the beef does not stick to the bottom. 
• Ina  separate sauce pan, heat oil and add the onions. Do not add any salt at this stage since salt was added to the beef. 
• Add the green chilies.
• After a few seconds, add the turmeric and chilly powders. 
• Finally add the cooked beef, and lower the flame. Cook for about 10 minutes till the beef gets coated with the masala and turns darker in color. 
• Garnish with curry leaves and serve.

I did not roast the beef for 2 long, since I wanted it to be a bit moist, which makes it better to have with bread, parathas, naan and even rice. So, the final result...

So, what do you think? Do try this dish out and let me know your thoughts. Take care and God bless!

Boatman's Fish Curry!

Hello my dear friends!!! I am so glad to be blogging again..well, you guessed it..am back from vacation! Time just flew by..and I'll have to wait another 7 weeks before seeing A again. So, in the mean time, I'll just have to continue being occupied with my blog, and talking to all you lovely people out there!

It's time for my all time fave food again, fish! And this time, I prepared it in the way they make it on houseboats. The recipe is courtesy Amrita TV from one of my favorite programs, Taste of Kerala! I have to warn you though, this is an extremely spicy fish curry, so it's best you have it with some rice and moru kachiyathu. The best way to prepare this would be in an earthern pot or as we mallus call it, a mann chatti. I had to make do with the normal saucepan, but the taste was incredible. You can find the recipe of moru in my blog. I decided to experiment with a new fish this time, haddock. This is an extremely tender and incredibly tasty fish and i was glad I took a chance, it was totally worth it! So, enough blabbing, onwards with the recipe..

INGREDIENTS

• 600 gms haddock fillets (you can use king fish, black pomfret, salmon, sardines)
• 1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• 12 shallots, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon ginger, finely sliced
• 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons red chilly powder
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 5-6 pieces kudampuli (camboge or fish tamarind)- In case you don't have this, you can use vaalan puli or the normal tamarind. You have to soak it for at least 15 minutes in warm water and squeeze out the pulp. If using this, you will require at least 4 tablespoons of the pulp.
• 1 cup water
• Salt to taste
• Coconut oil, for cooking
• Curry leaves, garnish

METHOD

• In an earthern pot or saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil and add fenugreek seeds. Ensure the seeds do not get burnt, else it gives the curry a bitter taste.
• Once the seeds have turned slightly brown, add the ginger and garlic. Saute for 30 seconds till the raw smell goes.
• Add the chopped shallots and saute till the raw smell goes. Add a little salt at this stage.
• Make a paste of the chilly and turmeric powders and add this to the pan. Pour in some hot water to the bowl containing the paste, and add this, so as not to waste any of the paste. Saute this and reduce the flame while doing so to ensure that the powders don't get burnt. Wait till the oil starts appearing on top. 
• Add the camboge pieces or tamarind pulp at this stage along with some salt. 
• At this stage, if you feel the gravy is not enough, you can add 1 cup of water. You can add more water depending on the amount of gravy you require. I added only 1.
• Once the gravy starts boiling, check salt levels.
• Add the fish pieces gently, and rotate the pan. Avoid using the spoon so as to not break the fish pieces.
• After it boils initially, reduce the flame to low and cook uncovered for about 10-12 minutes. Ensure that you do not cover the dish as the taste reduces.
• The gravy will begin to thicken after 10 minutes, and the fish would have sufficiently cooked.
• Switch off the flame and garnish with curry leaves and a tablespoon of oil.

Tada, scrumptious fish curry is ready! Notice that I asked to cook the curry uncovered. That's the beauty of this dish, and it lasts longer too, even if you don't refrigerate it. What's that? Pics, you say? Your wish is my command :)

And one with my rice..

So, what do you think? You can reduce the spiciness if you want by adding just 2 tablespoons of red chilly powder. Then again, what's life without a little spice? :) Do try this out and let me know what you think, k? So till next time, adios amigos, take care and God bless!

"Almost" Oil Free Fish Curry!

Ok...I know, I know..the post title looks weird, but I promise you, I have a really good reason for that. This particular fish curry was born in "Malabar", a district in Kerala, specifically in a place called "Ponnani". Th reason I call this almost oil free is because, the making involves absolutely no oil. However, the final tempering process does involve a bit of oil as you will see in the Method below. Whatever the case, it's a really simple curry to make, and tastes awesome too, especially the next day, since it contains tamarind. However, I would recommend not keeping it for more than 2 days since it does contain coconut milk. Then again, I don't think the curry will last 2 days..he he! I got this recipe from "Mazhavil manorama" and the aunty who prepared it was Sushama aunty. So aunty, if at all you are reading this, this one's for you!

INGREDIENTS 

• 1 kilo fish- I used Salmon, but you can also use Black Pomfret, Kingfish, Trout or any other fleshy fish
• 1 teaspoon ginger, chopped finely
• 5 garlic pods, chopped finely
• 12 shallots, chopped finely
• 2 tablespoons red chilly powder
• 1 tablespoon coriander powder
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• Tamarind, the size of a small lemon, soaked in 1/2 a cup of warm water (Valan puli)
• 1 cup thick coconut milk
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds (perinjeerakam)- optional
• Few curry leaves
• Salt to taste

Tempering

• 2 tablespoons oil
• Few curry leaves
• 5-6 shallots chopped finely

METHOD

• Make a paste of the chilly, coriander and turmeric powders and set aside.
• Before placing the saucepan on the stove, add the ginger, garlic, the curry paste, few curry leaves, the tamarind pulp, the fish fillets and the salt to taste.
• Pour a little water in the bowl containing the curry paste and add this to the pan so as not to waste any of the paste.
• Place this on the stove, and wait for it to boil properly, before reducing the flame and cooking it for 10-12 minutes on a low flame.
• Grind the shallots with a few curry leaves coarsely using a mortar and pestle or a grinder. It need not be a fine paste.
• Mix the above mixture with the coconut milk and add to the curry. Once coconut milk, the curry should not boil, it should just become warm.
• Check for salt levels.
• Meanwhile, in a frying pan, add the ingredients under "Tempering" and fry till shallots turn brown.
• Add this to the curry as a garnish. You can also mix this in slightly as it gives more flavour to the curry.

Tada, fish curry is ready! So now do you know why I said it's almost oil free? I had this with rice and pickle as you can see below. You can also have this with chappathys, appam or bread. Whatever, it tastes delicious!

So, what do you think? Try it out and let me know, okay? God bless!

Potato - Carrot Stir fry [Potato Carrot Mezhukkaparatti]!

It's time for my "once in a blue moon" vegetarian recipe..he he! I have always been very poor with veggies, as I have mentioned in the past. A's just the opposite..always needs atleast one veggie side dish. This is yet another dish I adapted from sarah's blog, vazhayilla.com. So, I'm dedicating this dish to both Sarah and A. This is a really simple, no nonsense dish where you cannot go wrong. I have made a few minor changes, but the recipe is still the same. Here we go...

INGREDIENTS

• 4 potatoes, chopped into cubes
• 1 large carrot or 2 small carrots, grated finely
• 1 medium sized onion or 2 small onions, finely sliced
• Garlic- 3 small cloves, chopped
• 2 green chillies, chopped finely
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1/2 teaspoon chilly powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala (All spice powder)
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
• Salt to taste
• Curry leaves, garnish
• 2 tablespoons oil

METHOD

• Heat the oil and splutter mustard seeds.
• Add the garlic, green chillies and curry leaves and fry for a minute.
• Add the onions and sautee till tehy turn semi transparent and the raw smell goes. Add a little salt at this stage.
• Now add the turmeric, chilly and garam masala powders. Fry for a few seonds.
• Add some water at this stage.
• Now add the grated carrot and toss for a few swconds.
• Add the potatoes and more salt.
• Cover for about 10 minutes on a low flame.
• Check for salt levels.
• Garnish with curry leaves and a teaspoon of oil.

Tada, potato carrot stir fry is ready! Here are the pics.

So, what do you think? Try it out and let me know, okay?? Take care and God bless!

Fish cooked in aluminium foil [Meen pollichathu]!

Good morning everybody...Hope all my dear people out there had a great weekend and I hope u guys have an even greater week ahead! I woke up with a smile on my face today...any guesses??? Well, next week, I shall finally be seeing A after 2 whole months..woohoo!!! I cannot wait to get back to Dubai and see A and everyone else, but most importantly, A of course! Enough of that already..the title of my post must look funny to some of you, if not all, but once u make this, I'm sure u'll be drooling as much as I did. This is a very traditional Kerala dish and is cooked with very minimum oil, so it's healthy too! The recipe is adapted from Sarah Naveen's www.vazhayilla.com site. So Sarah dear, because you were the first ever member of this blog, this one's for you! So, don't you want to know how to make this? Read on...

INGREDIENTS

• 2 medium sized fish fillets, cleaned thoroughly with salt, vinegar and lime juice. I used salmon fillets, but you can also use king fish, tilapia, pomfret and even sardines.
• 10 shallots, finely chopped
• 1/4 inch piece of ginger, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 green chillies, slit through the middle
• Turmeric powder- 1/4 teaspoon
• Chilly powder- 1/2 teaspoon
• Coriander powder- 1 teaspoon
• Tomato- 1 medium sized, chopped into small cubes
• 1/2 cup thick coconut milk
• Salt to taste
• Loads of curry leaves

For Marination

• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1/2 teaspoon chilly powder
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder
• Salt to taste

METHOD

• Marinate the fillets with the ingredients under "For Marination" and set aside for at least 15-20 minutes. Lightly fry this in a teaspoon of oil and set aside.
• In a separate pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil and saute the garlic cloves, green chillies and ginger.
• After a minute, add the shallots and saute till there's a nice aroma, and the onions turn semi transparent. Add a little salt at this stage.
• Now add, the turmeric, coriander and chilly powders and cook till the raw smell goes and oil starts to separate from the powders.
• Add the tomato at this stage. Saute till everything gets mashed together.
• Finally, add the coconut milk and lower the flame. Let it stand for 2 minutes and then switch off the flame. Check salt levels.
• Now place the fish fillet at the centre of the aluminium foil and coat both sides of the fish with the masala mixture. Each fillet should have it's own aluminium foil. Cover it completely to ensure that no gravy can slip out.
• Now fry this in the frying pan without any oil for at least 20 minutes on each side on an extremely low flame.

Meen pollichathu is ready! I still had a bit of gravy left on my fish, but I enjoyed it coz the gravy was amazing, trust me. You can also use a banana leaf which would have even more flavour. Now for the photos..

And another one..

As you can see, there was a little gravy still, but it still tasted very good. So, do try this out n let me know how it turns out! God bless!

Grandma's chicken curry!

Seeing the title of my post, you must be probably thinking that this is how my grandma cooks chicken curry. She probably did, I'm not sure. I actually got this recipe from "Kiran TV", and thought it looked pretty interesting. Probably a bit time consuming but definitely worth it. And of course, being the lazy bugger that I am, I did resort to a few short cut methods. Trust me though, it was scrumptious. I normally use onions only for my chicken curry, but here I have used a combination of both shallots and onions. Perhaps, the biggest surprise I had was the fact that there were no tomatoes used for this curry. In fact, nothing tangy whatsoever. And since I always like my curries tangy, I improvised and added some lemon juice. So, curious about the dish? Read on then...

INGREDIENTS- For Marination

•  500 gms chicken
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 2 teaspoons red chilly powder
• 2 teaspoons coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
• Pinch of fennel seeds (optional)
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Salt to taste

INGREDIENTS- For Cooking

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 10 shallots-finely chopped
• 1 medium sized onion-finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons ginger garlic paste
• 3 green chillies finely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon red chilly powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder
• 1 teaspoon garam masala powder
• 1 cup thin coconut milk
• 1 cup thick coconut milk
• 1/4 cup water
• Salt to taste

INGREDIENTS- For Garnish

• 5 tablespoons coconut grated
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 2 dried red chillies (optional- I did not use this)
• 2 tablespoons oil

METHOD

• Clean the chicken thoroughly. The final wash should be with vinegar, salt and lemon juice to get rid of the smell and to have a nice glaze.
• Marinate the chicken with the ingredients under "For Marination" and set aside. Set this aside before you start chopping the shallots,ginger,garlic and green chillies. It should be marinated for at least 20 minutes.
• Heat oil and splutter mustard seeds.
• Add chopped shallots and onion followed by the ginger garlic paste and green chillies. Saute till the raw smell disappears and the onions start to turn brown. Add salt and curry leaves at this stage.
• Once the onions have turned brown, reduce the flame and add the turmeric, coriander,black pepper and garam masala powders.
• After a minute add the red chilly powder.
• Once they cook, add water and saute till the oil separates from the spices.
• Now add the thin coconut milk. For this, mix 2 1/2 tablespoons coconut milk powder with 1 cup hot water.
• Cover and cook on a medium flame for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Once the chicken is cooked, check salt levels.
• Now add the thick coconut milk and wait for it to just boil once. Switch off the flame.
• In a frying pan, heat oil, splutter mustard seeds and fry curry leaves and coconut till it turns brown.
• Add this to the chicken curry and mix in.

  Tada, grandma's chicken curry is ready. I have taken just one. I feel that the curry covers the whole chicken. Sorry about that. Next pics will be more clear, promise!

You can have this with appam, chapathys, bread or even rice. Try it out and let me know how it turns out! BTW, in case you haven't noticed, The stats have crossed 1200 and we're still going. So on that note, I would like to dedicate this recipe to all you lovely people out there. Love u guys!! God bless!

Green Chilly Rasam!

Of late I believe there has been a fish overdose in my blog. In fact, I believe there has been a non veg overdose in my blog..he he! So in the interest of my herbivores friends, and to prove to everyone that I am not a cannibal and that I can be an animal lover when I want to, I decided to make a very popular south Indian spicy soup.

There are so many different varieties of rasam- lemon rasam, garlic rasam, tomato rasam, pepper rasam...the list is endless. I saw this particular recipe on a popular Malayalam channel, "Asianet Plus" and thought it was something different because I have not heard of this particular variety before. I'm glad I tried it out, coz the result was something spicy and tangy and just purrrfect! Rice, rasam and pickle....aah, another combination that comes under the "comfort food" category. So, before I bore you any more, here's the recipe...

INGREDIENTS

• 4 green chillies- cut into small round pieces
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped finely
• 1/4 inch piece of ginger, chopped finely
• A small piece of tamarind, the size of a small lemon, immersed in half a cup of hot water. If using tamarind paste, 1 tablespoon.
• 1 cup hot water
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder
• 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida powder (optional- I did not use this)
• 1 tablespoon oil
• Salt to taste
• Curry leaves- loads!

METHOD

• Heat a tablespoon of oil. To this add green chillies, followed by garlic and ginger. Saute this until the raw smell disappears.
• Add a few curry leaves and some salt at this stage.
• Now add the tamarind water to this and continue stirring till it starts boiling profusely.
• Add the water and check salt levels.
• Leave this for 2 minutes, allowing the tamarind pulp and salt to be absorbed in this mixture.
• At this stage, add the pepper powder and the asafoetida and stir.
• After about 2 minutes, switch of the stove and garnish with curry leaves.

Tada, rasam is ready! Normally coriander leaves are used to give that extra smell to the rasam. I have omitted that though and used curry leaves instead. Do try this out and let me know your thoughts! oh, almost forgot..the pics!

God bless!

Meen tilapichathu- Cochin style fish curry!

Hello all! Hope everyone had a great weekend! On Sunday, I thought of making a fish curry in dedication to someone who has become a very good friend of mine, thanks to my blog :). Her name is Suja Manoj and she has an awesome blog called Kitchen Corner. In fact, this particular recipe is from her blog. I actually got introduced to this recipe through my mother in law since my husband is from Cochin. So I'm dedicating this recipe to Mumma and Suja. Enjoi!

INGREDIENTS

• 500 gms tilapia fillets (You can also use pomfret and red snapper).
• 11 shallots
• 1/4 inch piece ginger, chopped finely
• 4 pods of garlic, chopped finely
• 2 green chillies, slit through the centre
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 2 teaspoons red chilly powder
• 1 cup water
• 3 teaspoons vinegar
• Salt to taste
• Curry leaves-generous amount
• Oil-2 tablespoons

METHOD

• Heat 2 tablespoons of oil.
• Once oil is sufficiently heated, add the garlic, ginger, green chillies and saute till the raw smell disappears.
• Now add shallots and a few curry leaves. Saute till the shallots begin to change colour and they give out a nice aroma. Add some salt at this stage.
• Reduce the flame and add the turmeric powder followed by the red chilly powder. Fry for a few seconds.
• Now add the water and vinegar. Check salt levels at this stage.
• Once the water starts boiling, add the fish.
• After it boils for a minute, reduce the flame to medium and cover. Cook for about 10-12 minutes or till the fish is done.
• Garnish with fresh curry leaves and a teaspoon of oil.

Tada, fish curry is ready!! This curry is perfect with rice, appams, chapathys and bread. So, here's the final result, straight from the pan.

Straight from the pan!

And a closeup!

This is a really simple and healthy curry, as is evident from the recipe. So do try it out. Am sure you will enjoy tis! Till next time, God bless!

Fish Fry Kerala style!

I don't know if I have ever mentioned this before, but my all time favorite comfort food (apart from icecream) is rice, moru and fish fry. So today I was in the mood to indulge and went and bought myself some fresh tilapia fillets. I fried 2 of them and have reserved the rest for a nice fish curry. Different people make fish fry differently, so if you feel that there are ways to improve this fry, please do let me know. Enough with the speech already, let's get frying!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 medium sized fish fillets, thoroughly cleaned with vinegar, salt and lime. Any fish can be used.
• 2 teaspoons ginger garlic paste. If using fresh ginger and garlic, grind a quarter inch piece of ginger and 3 cloves of garlic. I used the ready made paste.
• 2 teaspoons red chilly powder
• 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• Juice of 1 small lemon
• Salt to taste
• Curry leaves-frying and garnish
• 4 tablespoons oil

METHOD

Marinate the fish with all the above ingredients except curry leaves and set aside for at least 30 minutes. In a saucepan, heat 4 tablespoons of oil. Once hot, add curry leaves and fry for 20 seconds. Add the marinated fish and fry each side for at least 3 minutes till light brown and crispy. Garnish with more curry leaves and serve hot with rice.

So, here's my lunch...

And a close up...

Do try it out and let me know how it turned out. Happy weekend and God bless!

Prawns roast!

Yaaay...my first prawns recipe!!! Ok, for those of you who are not used to my exclamation marks and these kinds of remarks from me, I get excited very easily..he he! Hence the unbridled enthusiasm! This is my first prawns recipe, and I have adapted it from one of my favorite blogs, Edible Garden. So Nags, this one's for you! By the way, this was in turn adapted from Varsha, who runs the Will o the Wisp. So Nags and Varsha, this one's for you guys! BTW, in case you want to have the authentic recipe from where I originally adapted it, you can find it right here Kerala-Style Chemmeen / Prawn Roast - A Spicy Treat.

INGREDIENTS

• 500 gms prawns- cleaned, deshelled and deveined
• 2 garlic pods, finely chopped
• 1/4"piece ginger, finely chopped
• 3 green chillies, finely chopped
• 10 shallots (small onions-kunjulli)- finely chopped or 2 medium sized onions, finely sliced
• 1 medium sized tomato finely chopped or 2 small tomatoes
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon red chilly powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala (All spice powder)
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 3 tablespoons hot water
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon fennel/cumin seeds (perinjeerakam)
• 1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• 3-4 cloves
• 1-2 tablespoons oil (coconut oil is the best, however, I used Sunflower oil)
• Curry leaves- loads!
• Salt to taste

METHOD

• Clean the prawns thoroughly using vinegar, lemon juice and salt. De shell and devein them.
• In a sauce pan, heat the oil and add cloves.
• After about 10 seconds, add the mustard seeds, fennel seeds and fenugreek seeds.
• Once they pop, add the ginger, garlic and green chillies. Saute till they give out a nice aroma.
• Now add the onions and some salt. Fry till the onions turn light brown.
• Mix the turmeric, chilly,coriander and pepper powders with the vinegar and water and add this paste to the pan. Lower the flame at this stage and saute till the oil separates from the mixture.
• Add the tomatoes and saute till mashed completely.
• Add a little salt at this stage.
• Finally add the prawns. Cover and cook for 10 minutes on a low flame. Don't overcook the prawns otherwise they will become hard.
• After 10 minutes, check salt levels, and garnish with curry leaves and a tablespoon of oil.

Tada, scrumptious prawn roast is ready! Here's the final picture.

So, what do you think? Do let me know, okay? So, have a great weekend guys. Take care and God bless!

Vegetable Stew [Kerala Style] !

Boy oh boy!! Canada is truly a funny place, I tell you. I don't know whether I told you this but I am currently in Canada at a place called Halifax. Heard of it? It houses the world's second largest harbour, and when the Titanic sank, many of the people were buried here. Hmmm..all that is good..but this weather is not. It's supposed to be spring here, but i see no signs of flowers blooming or birds chirping...:(. The sad part of it all is that I come from Dubai, where it's hot most of the year and where I'm used to the scorching heat. But anyways, let's look at the positive side of things. At least I have all my senses in tact to feel the wind through my hair or feel the snow at my fingertips. I guess I'm in the mood to contemplate today.. he he! But before you guys run away, here's my latest recipe. It has been a while since I posted anything vegetarian, and my cousin brother had very kindly requested for a veg recipe. So I decided to give him a medley of veggies in the form of a nice mild flavoured stew. This recipe has been adapted from Rak's kitchen, www.rakskitchen.net, but with a few changes of my own.  Raks, thank you! And Rajesh cheta, this one's for you.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 potatoes, chopped into cubes
• 2 carrots, chopped into small pieces
• 1/2 kilo beans - chopped into quarter size pieces
• 1 onion- finely sliced
• 1/4" piece ginger, finely chopped
• 2 green chillies- slit through the centre
• 1 cup thin coconut milk
• 1/2 cup thick coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon oil (refined oil or coconut oil. I used refined Sunflower oil)
• Salt to taste

METHOD

• In a saucepan, heat a tablespoon of oil and add ginger and green chilies.
• After a few seconds, add the finely sliced onion and saute till the raw smell goes and it becomes semi transparent. You can add a little salt at this stage to speed up the onion cooking process.
• Add the green beans, potatoes and carrots along with the thin coconut milk and some more salt.
• Cover and cook on a medium flam for about 10 minutes.
• Now add the thick coconut milk and lower the flame. Cook for another 5 minutes.
• Check salt levels.
• Switch off the flame and garnish with curry leaves and a teaspoon of oil.

Tada, vegetable ishtu (that's how we call it in Kerala) is ready!!! This curry is relatively simple, right? Anyone can do it. And the best part is, you will love it even if you are not a veggie lover. I can't stand veggies, but i can take this stew any day. You could have this with bread, chapathys or appams. So, don't you want to see the final product?

And another one..

So, what do you think? Do let me know your thoughts. The perfect recipe for a rainy day, according to me...