MAC & CHEESE WITH VEGETABLES and PEPPER

MAC & CHEESE WITH VEGETABLES and PEPPER: Mac and cheese is one of the most popular pasta foods especially in western countries. They call it as THE COMFORT FOOD. This is a true heaven for the cheese lovers. It is normally not a very healthy option on a daily basis especially for people above the age of 30 because of the high fat content. If you are a big fan of this food you may try out the lean version that is the one with low fat cheese and enriched with vegetables.

I have not used the low fat version cheese, in fact I have used cream cheese (I eat this once in a blue moon....I swear!) You may choose the array of vegetables you love. You may even add cooked shredded chicken.

Macroni is the almost C shaped pasta. You may even try it with other pasta shapes. Pasta is an authentic Italian dish.

INGREDIENTS:

Macroni – 1 to 1 ½ cup

Water

Salt to taste

Carrot – 1

Potato -1

Any other vegetable you like ( broccoli, cauliflower, capsicum, etc)

Cream cheese or cheese spread – 1 heaped tablespoon

Shredded chicken – ¼ cup

Butter – 1 tablespoon

Pepper powder to season

Herbs and leaves of your choice for garnishing

METHOD:

Cook the pasta in hot boiling water along with salt till the pasta becomes tender but firm. Clean and cut the vegetables into small pieces.

Take a heavy bottomed pan and add butter. You may use half butter and replace the other half with any vegetable oil. Add and sauté the vegetables and with shredded chicken. Cook well.

Add cream cheese or cheese spread and mixes well. Add pepper powder and cooked pasta. Ensure that the pasta and veggies gets a generous coating of cheese. You may garnish with coriander leaves or any other herb. Serve hot!

CHICKEN THORAN or KOZHI THORAN

CHICKEN THORAN or KOZHI THORAN: The first time I had this dish was the last time we went for vacation to India. I had never heard of it before. In fact my at my husband’s place everyone is a big fan of this dish. He even showed me a whole street in Trivandrum where they would have stalls that sell exclusively chicken and this being the most important one. This happens mostly on Sundays.

This was the second time I am making it. It tastes good. It is quite a different take as compared to the other normal chicken recipes.  It is called chicken thoran, as it looks like any other normal vegetable thoran, with lots of scraped coconut. Scraped coconut, curry leaves and coconut oil are the prime ingredients apart from chicken which gives it the taste and aroma. This is a dry side dish and goes perfectly well with rice.

INGREDIENTS

Chicken – 500gm

Onions – 5

Chilli powder – ½ tablespoon

Scraped coconut – 1 ½ cup

Turmeric powder – ½ teaspoon

Garam masala powder – 1 tablespoon

Curry leaves – 2 to 3 sprigs

Mustard seeds – 1 tablespoon

Fennel seeds – ½ tablespoon

Ginger – ½ “piece

Coconut oil – 3 tablespoon

Salt to taste

METHOD:

Clean and cut the chicken into small size cubes. Usually the chicken used is with bone, even though you may use boneless too. Chop 3 onions and slice the other two. Keep them separate. Chop the ginger.

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed vessel and splutter the mustard seeds. Add fennel seeds and brown them. Add chopped onions and sweat them well. Add ginger and sauté. 

Just when the onions start turning brown, add chicken along with the sliced onions. Add salt, cover with a lid and cook.

 In the meantime, combine the scraped coconut, curry leaves, half turmeric powder and chilli powder and mix well. Either mix it with hand well or give a quick grind. Do not make into a paste. If you are mixing with hand, ensure you give rub the mixture well. This ensures that the flavour gets enhanced.

When the chicken is almost done, add the remaining turmeric powder and garam masala to the chicken and cook till done. Add the scraped coconut mixture and mix well. Saute till the dish becomes nice and dry. Do not overcook as the chicken might become dry.

NB: Do not add water at all to the dish. Shallots enhance the taste of the dish. So you may replace two onions with around 10 shallots.

POTATO MASALA FRY WITH LIME

POTATO MASALA FRY WITH LIME: Potatoes has always been one of my favourite vegetables. I just love its taste especially when you season it with salt and chilli. Just these two ingredients and it taste so great. This masala fry has been a result of my love for potatoes, masala and of course the taste and smell of fennel seeds. The smell and taste of the fennel seeds is so kind of addictive. The secret actually is that it has the smell and taste of meat masala. This is the prime ingredient in it. And each time you get the smell, you actually think of the spicy meat curries....yum!

The potato masala fry is a simple and easy thing to make. You may use it as a side dish or use as a salad (when we went to a restaurant they had potato salad and it was made with masala). But that was too hot. The thing that would give a twist to this fry is the use of lime juice. So here is the recipe.

INGREDIENTS

Potato – 1 large

Red Onion – 1 small

Fennel seeds – ½ teaspoon

Red chilli to season

Turmeric powder – a pinch

Garam Masala Powder – 2 pinches

Salt to taste

Lime juice – 5 to 6 drops or the juice of 1 small lime

Oil – 1 to 2 tablespoon

Coriander leaf to garnish

METHOD:

Clean and dice the potato. Thin slice the red onion. 

Take a pan and heat some oil. Add the diced potatoes and salt and cook till almost done. 

Add fennel seeds. Cook till potatoes are done.Add the onions and sauté.

 Add turmeric powder and sauté. Add chilli powder and sauté. Add garam masala and sauté. 

Turn off the stove and garnish with coriander leaves. Drizzle or squeeze the lemon on top. 

  Serve hot!

NB: The chilli powder, garam masala powder and turmeric have to be put and sauté separately so that it gets uniformly spread. Make sure no lime seeds fall into the fry. 

LEMON RASAM or LEMON SOUP

LEMON RASAM or LEMON SOUP: This rasam has entertained our taste buds for generations. This has always been one of my favourites. The moment when you crave for a hot, salty and tangy food....this is the perfect one. It is very easy. It takes just few minutes. It is also the easiest dish you could make when all the side dish for your rice is dry and you need something to make it wet. My father’s mother used to make it and my mom also makes it. Obviously my mom learned it from her. And I learned it from my mom.

If you are wondering what rasam is.....rasam is a south Indian soup or juice made with spices and vegetables. It normally is very hot and tangy and watery. So let’s cut short the talk and move on to the recipe.

INGREDIENTS

Lemon – 1 medium size

Oil - ½ tablespoon

Mustard seeds – ¼ tablespoon

Curry leaves – a sprig

Shallots or small onions – 1 sliced into thin pieces (optional)

Water

Salt to taste

METHOD:

Cut and squeeze the lemon. Remove all the seeds from the lemon juice. Add water and salt to it. 

Take a small vessel and heat oil in it. Splutter the mustard seeds and add shallots and curry leaves. Sauté till the shallots turn brown. 

Add chilli powder and lemon juice immediately. Reduce the heat. When the rasam becomes warm, turn off the stove and Serve!

NB: Add approximately 150 to 200 ml of water. Just ensure that tanginess of the lemon should be felt. Do not boil the rasam. Prepare this on low heat or else the chilli powder may get burnt.

BROCCOLI EGG SCRAMBLE WITH GARLIC

BROCCOLI EGG SCRAMBLE WITH GARLIC: I was thinking about trying out the broccoli garlic combination for some time now. Started making having that in mind and I ended up with the broccoli egg scramble with garlic. I had no idea how it would taste. But after cooking it, it actually tastes good and it is so simple. Since, I cooked it for the first time, the quantity measurements are for one small serving. So adjust accordingly. You can have it for breakfast or as a side dish.

INGREDIENTS:

Broccoli florets– ½ cup

Garlic clove minced – 2

Egg – 1

Chilli powder or pepper – ½ teaspoon

Oil – ½ tablespoon

Salt to taste

METHOD:

Clean and separate the broccoli florets. I do not usually take the stalk. Mince the garlic.

Heat oil in a pan and add the minced garlic and salt. Saute till garlic turns brown. Add broccoli and chilli powder. Sauté till the water starts oozing out of the broccoli. Add egg. Scramble till the egg is cooked. Serve!

MATHAGA CHERUPAYAR ERISSERY or PUMPKIN or BUTTERNUT SQUASH MASH WITH GREEN GRAM or MOONG DAL

MATHAGA CHERUPAYAR ERISSERY or PUMPKIN or BUTTERNUT SQUASH MASH WITH GREEN GRAM or MOONG DAL: I have tried the pumpkin erissery number of times and I never got the taste correct. My parents had flown in to be with us for a few days and my mother made it for me. Yum!!!!!!!! It tasted so great and yes I also learnt it....so today was the trial day and it was a huge success.

Unlike most curries, this is not at all hot and spicy. This has a sweet and salty taste. Even my baby had few spoons of it. The pumpkin erissery can also be made with the red beans. I tried making it with sambar dal and it tasted terrible. Instead of pumpkin you may also use butter nut squash. 

The best part of this dish is that it is a combination of pumpkin and green gram, both of which are power packed with nutrients. Pumpkins are rich in antioxidants, fiber, vitamins and minerals. It is even used in dieting programs as it has very low calories. It has very high vitamin A. Green gram on the other hand is a rich source of low fat protein. It is also high in fiber. Green gram is also considered as a great food for weaning babies.

It tastes best with hot rice and papad. It is a simple and delicious vegetarian feast.  You may also have it with rotis.

INGREDIENTS:

Pumpkin or butter nut squash cubed – about 2 cups

Green gram – ¼ cup

Scraped coconut – 7 tablespoons

Garlic – 1 to 2 cloves

Cumin seeds – ¼ tablespoon

Turmeric powder – a pinch

Chilli powder – ¼ to ½ tablespoon

Curry leaves – 2 sprigs

Mustard seeds – 1 tablespoon

Dry red chilli – 1

Oil – 1 tablespoon

Salt to taste

Water

METHOD:

Clean and cube the pumpkins. Soak the green grams for about an hour or so. Pressure cook the green gram with a bit of salt (approximately 2 whistles on low heat).

In the meantime, grind roughly the following:

Scraped coconut – 3 tablespoons, curry leaf – a sprig, garlic clove, cumin seeds, turmeric powder, chilli powder and very little water.

Pour this mixture to the cooked green gram and add the pumpkin pieces. Cook till the pumpkins are well cooked (approximately one whistle).  Mash the pumpkins and mix it well. Check for the salt. If the mixture is too thick, add little water, preferably hot water.

In another pan, heat some oil and splutter the mustard seeds. Add the rest of the scraped coconut and sauté till light golden brown. Add the rest curry leaves and dry red chilli and sauté. Pour this to the cooked pumpkin green gram mixture. Serve!

NB: The sweetness will depend on the sweetness of the pumpkin. 

         

CHICKEN CURRY (my mother in law’s style)

CHICKEN CURRY (my mother in law’s style): This curry was a result of one of my husband’s wish. He wanted the chicken curry to be made exactly the way his mother makes it. It was a tough wish though as I did not attempt making it before nor have I seen her making it.

 But I have had it and I love it even though it is really hot.  It has a lot of gravy too. It is made the traditional way. The smell of the curry will make you go hungry even though your stomach is full. 

Each time my mother in law makes it she still consults her mother in law regarding the ingredients. It is fun to see that. 

This goes with rice or chapatti or even khuboos. So here goes the recipe....

INGREDIENTS

Chicken – 1 kg approx

Shallots or Small onion – 200 gm

Red Onions – 2

Potato – 1

Ginger – 1” piece

Garlic – 4 to 5 cloves

Fennel Seeds – 2 tablespoon

Turmeric Powder – ¼ tablespoon

Chilli Powder – 2 tablespoon

Coriander powder – 3 tablespoon

Garam masala powder – 1 ½ tablespoon

Pepper powder – 1 tablespoon

Curry leaves -3 sprigs

Salt to taste

Oil – 3 tablespoon

METHOD

Clean and cut the chicken into small pieces. Clean and chop the potato and onions. Make a paste of the garlic and ginger. Pressure cook the chicken and potato with some salt and water. (One whistle would be enough on medium heat).

Take a heavy bottomed vessel. Heat the oil and add fennel seeds. Once they start turning colour add onions with salt and sauté till light brown. Add turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder and garam masala powder. Sauté till the raw smell goes. Add curry leaves and water. Add ginger and garlic paste. 

When the mixture starts to boil add the pressure cooked chicken and potato pieces. Let it boil for around five minutes and it is done.

NB: If you do not like the raw taste of the ginger garlic paste, you may add and sauté it as soon as the onions turns brown.

If you have a big pressure cooker, you may make the gravy and then add the potatoes and chicken and give it a whistle. In that case there is no need to pressure cook the chicken and potato before. This will save time too. 

you may make it without potato too, but potato helps in thickening the gravy.

KAYA THORAN or UNRIPE BANANA THORAN

KAYA THORAN or UNRIPE BANANA THORAN: This is an authentic Kerala dish. It is spicy as well as dry. You may use it as a side dish along with rice. This one reminds me of the tapioca smash which is very famous in Kerala. Just like any other thoran the spice mix is the same but the chilli would be bit on the higher side. 

INGREDIENTS:

Unripe Banana – 2

Garlic cloves – 2 to 3

Scraped Coconut – 4 to 5 tablespoons

Green chillies – 4 to 5

Cumin seeds – ½ tablespoon

Turmeric – a pinch

Curry leaves – a sprig

Salt to taste

Oil to drizzle

Water

METHOD:

Clean and cut the unripe bananas into slightly thin pieces. I have sliced the banana into half and then again cut them horizontally. Then cut each slice into smaller dice.

 Take a pan and pour little water. Add the cut bananas and salt. Cover the pan and cook till the bananas are well cooked.

 In the meantime grind scraped coconut, garlic cloves, cumin seeds, turmeric, green chillies and curry leaves with no or little water. Just get these ingredients mixed, do not form a paste.

 Once the bananas are cooked, add this mixture and mix well. Wait till all the water is absorbed or cook for a minute on low heat.

 Drizzle oil and serve. 

PEANUT CHUTNEY or SPICY PEANUT BUTTER or PEANUT HUMMUS or PEANUT DIP

PEANUT CHUTNEY or SPICY PEANUT BUTTER or PEANUT HUMMUS or PEANUT DIP:The memory of this chutney dates back to my school days. I have had it only very few times. My mom used to make it at home. The taste is so heavenly that I still remember it to this day. This memory has made me to try it. And it turned to be great! Yup! It was a successful attempt.

If you like hummus, you must definitely try this!

If you like peanut, you should definitely try this!

If you like peanut butter, this should give you a variety. So try it!

If you hate peanut butter like me, this is definitely for you. So try it!

In short try it!!! You will never regret.

I just cannot stand the taste of peanut butter. There would be so many folks around who would want to kick me for that...but I am sorry, I just cannot handle it. There is in fact a restaurant in US, by the name of Peanut butter &Co. You see people love peanut butter so much. I just do not understand why. Even my sister loves it...when my mom used to make peanut butter sandwiches, she had to make sure she made something else for me....it is that bad. I have had it just once, and that was the end.

So, I am dedicating this recipe for such folks.  And yeah one more thing...Peanut is something you should have especially kids. This is because it is high in energy and hence makes it apt for breakfast. It has oleic acid which keeps your cholesterol in check by increasing the good cholesterol and lowering the bad cholesterol. It has good amino acids which promotes growth. It even has vitamin E, which is good for your skin. It also has vitamin B complex and promotes blood flow to brain and improves brain health.  It is a rich source of minerals. Studies have shown that peanuts reduce the risk of cancer, heart diseases and viral or fungal infections.

ALL THIS MAKES IT A MUST HAVE!!!!!!!!!

You can have it between bread, or with dosa or simply apply it to your Arabic bread. You can even replace this with hummus in that chicken grill kit. Here in UAE, you get hummus in the grilled chicken kit. You should take a piece of Arabic bread or khuboos and dip in hummus and have a piece of grilled chicken and a potato fry or salad piece which is optional and have it. I love the grilled chicken from shatter Hassen in abu dhabi. It is a Lebanese restaurant, I believe(they even have keralites working for them....I guess it is the part of....where ever you go on earth you meet a  malayali kind of thing). One should definitely try it.

So let us move on to the recipe. Definitely an easy one.

INGREDIENTS:

Roasted Peanuts – 15 to 20 (I have used big ones)

Green chilli – 4 small

Red Onion – 1 small

Salt to taste

Water

METHOD:

Remove the peanut skin. Take a grinder and add the roasted peanuts and chopped onion and green chilli. Add little water and salt. Grind it and serve!

 It is as simple as that.

NB: Do not worry, if your chutney turned out to be watery, add more peanuts and adjust your spices.  It should have the hummus or mayonnaise consistency.

If you need more spice, increase the number of chillies. The chutney that I made did not turn out to be too spicy even with 4 chillies.

Remember, you are using roasted peanuts, so have a check on salt levels.

 If you are allergic to peanuts, please do not try this.

REPOSTING AGAIN, AS I DELETED IT BY MISTAKE!

RED CHILLI CHUTNEY or RED CHILLI DIP or MULAGU CHAMMANTHEY

RED CHILLI CHUTNEY or RED CHILLI DIP or MULAGU CHAMMANTHEY: This is one of my hot favourite chutneys of all time. It is very easy to make and very hot. If you like the hotness of chilli, you should try this.

My mother’s father was a great fan of this chutney. Whenever we had idli for breakfast, this chutney was a must. He used to dip the idli into that and feed me too when I was about 7 or 8 years....it was yum!

My father’s father used to have a variation. He used to have round green colour (Habanero I guess) squashed with hand in coconut oil and salt for lunch with rice. If we used to sit down together for lunch, the moment he squashes the chilli into the coconut oil and salt, I would have tears in my eyes.  Miss both of them L.

It is very easy to make. It goes well with boiled tapioca, dosa, idli or other boiled tubers like yam, elephant yam, etc. You can also use this dip to mix it with your sandwich dips to make them spicier.

INGREDIENTS:

Whole dry red chillies – 4 to 5

Red Onion - 1 small

or

Shallots (kochu ulli) – 3 to 4

Oil – 1 to 2 teaspoons

Salt to taste

METHOD:

Take a pan and sauté the red chillies for a minute or so. Do not burn them. Just warm them to enhance their flavours. You can see the chilli turning into darker colour. Slice the onions. Put the chillies along with the onion, salt and oil into the grinder. Serve!

If the chutney is a bit too spicy for you, you may mix it with buttermilk or yogurt. This also tastes good. My sister has it that way.

NB: I have used coconut oil; it gives the authentic taste. Shallots give it a better taste.

       If you do not have whole red chillies, you may even use red chilli powder. It taste better with whole red        chillies.

KOZHUKATTA or SWEET RICE DUMPLING

KOZHUKATTA or SWEET RICE DUMPLING: This is one dish which can be eaten as breakfast, snack and even as a desert. I am sure every keralite would have had a number of times. Well, there are variations to kozhukatta. The one that I am presenting here is the sweet one. At my husband’s place they call it thuru vecha kozhukatta (no idea why they call it that way....hopefully some Trivandrum person will be kind enough to explain that).

 I also remember my mother making the non sweet version (even my elder sister in law makes it. She loves it that way). But both the versions are different.

 My grand mom used to make it in the traditional way. She used to soak the rice and cumin and grind them and scraped coconut is also used. But I am not sure of the traditional way of making it. My mom used to make it the easy way. So, I am following her footsteps. J

This sweet rice dumpling can be made of sugar or palm jaggery (chakkara) or jaggery (sharkara). I have used palm jaggery here. I will try to post the non sweet version soon.

INGREDIENTS:

Rice powder – 1.5 cup

Hot boiling water - 2 cups

Jaggery – around ¼ cup

Scrapped coconut – around ¼ cup

(The following ingredients are optional.)

Cumin seeds or jeerakam– ¼ teaspoon

Cardamom seeds or Elachi or elekka– 2 to 3

Dry ginger or chukku – a pinch

Salt – a pinch

METHOD:

Mix the scraped coconut and Jaggery along with the spices (which are optional). Take the rice powder in a bowl. Sprinkle with salt. Add hot boiling water little by little and mix at the same time. This will ensure you do not have any lumps and the water gets absorbed evenly. Close the bowl with a lid. Leave for few minutes.

Knead the dough with the hand. Be careful as the dough is hot. The dough will have the consistency of a bit loose chapatti or slightly loose pastry mix. It should not be watery.

Once kneaded, make balls out of it. Once you make a ball, immediately flatten it on the palm of your hand (dip your fingers in water before flattening if the mixture is sticky). Add the coconut mixture to the centre and bring back the flattened dough ends to form a ball.

Once all the dumpling balls are made, place it in a steamer and steam for about 5 to 7 minutes and serve. You may serve it hot or cold.

NB: Once you roll the dumpling ball, you may roll it between your palms to ensure they get a proper round shape.

When you flatten the dough, do not make it too thin as the ball may break and leak the sugar or jaggery juice into your steamer.

Avoid putting cumin and dry ginger together; I personally do not like the taste. You may do it, if you like the combination.

Depending on your sweetness level adjust the jaggery or sugar.  

TENDLI STIR FRY or KOVEKA MEZHUKUVARATY or KOVEKA UPPERI and KOVEKA THORAN

 TENDLI: My memory with this vegetable goes back to my childhood. We had this plant at my father’s house. We used to pluck it and eat it raw. It tastes good when it is ripe. Tendli is referred to as kovekka in kerala.

Tendli or koveka has a wide range of minerals and vitamins like A, C, iron, phosphorous, etc. It also seems to have blood sugar lowering capacity.

I have made two dishes with it. Both the recipes are being penned down here. This is a side dish and can be used along with rice.this will provide a variety to your everyday veggie list.


TENDLI STIR FRY or KOVEKA MEZHUKUVARATY or KOVEKA UPPERI

INGREDIENTS:

Tendli – 150 gms

Red onion – 1 small (optional)

Chilli powder – ½ teaspoon

Turmeric powder – a pinch

Salt to taste

Oil – 1 tablespoon

METHOD:

Clean and cut the tendli and onions. Heat oil in a pan and add the tendli and onions. Add salt and mix. Add turmeric powder and chilli powder and mix. Place a lid over the pan and cook on low flame. Once, the tendli is cooked, the colour changes to dull green.  Serve!

TENDLI THORAN

INGREDIENTS:

TENDLI – 150gm

Mustard seeds – ½ tablespoon

Cumin seeds – ½ tablespoon

Scraped coconut – 4 to 5 tablespoons

Turmeric powder – a pinch

Chilli powder – ¼ tablespoon

Curry leaves – a sprig

Salt to taste

Oil -1 tablespoon

METHOD:

Clean and cut tendli. Heat oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds. Add cumin seeds, scraped coconut, tendli , curry leaves and salt. Mix well. Add turmeric powder and chilli powder. Cover the pan with a lid and cook over low heat. Serve!

SPRING ONION THORAN OR UPPERI

SPRING ONION THORAN OR UPPERI: This is a very simple thoran. This recipe does not use the traditional thoran mix. It can be had with rice and can substitute for any other thoran.

For those who do not know what thoran is – “it is a keralite dish made with vegetables mainly and coconut mix. The mixture is cooked on low heat for a small amount of time. Hence a very healthy option”.

Spring onion has 45% vitamin C and has potassium also. It also has vitamin A and K. It helps in digestion and improves blood flow. It should take less than 5 minutes to prepare it.

INGREDIENTS:

Spring onions – a small bunch (around 5 or 6)

Mustard seeds – a pinch

Fennel seeds – a pinch

Coconut scraped – 2 to 3 table spoons

Turmeric powder – a pinch

Chilli powder - ½ teaspoon

Garam masala powder – a pinch

Salt to taste

Oil - ¼ tablespoon

METHOD:

Clean and chop the spring onions. Heat oil in a pan. Splutter the mustard seeds and add fennel seeds. Add the chopped spring onions. Sauté and immediately add salt, scraped coconut, turmeric powder, chilli powder, garam masala powder. Sauté for about one minutes and serve!!!!!

NB: Do not overcook the spring onions.

POMFRET FISH or AVOLI WITH MANGO IN COCONUT MILK GRAVY

POMFRET FISH or AVOLI WITH MANGO IN COCONUT MILK GRAVY: I find it much easier and tastier to make fish with coconut milk than the traditional scrapped coconut paste. It is more convenient also. This is a less spicy, sour and creamy recipe. 

You can make it spicier with the addition of more green chillies to the curry. This may be served with rice or chappatis.

You may replace mango with both normal tamarind and Malabar tamrind or gambooge or kudampuli to give the sour taste. With mango it is certainly a different feast.

Compared to the fish made with Kudam puli, this will get spoiled fast as it uses coconut milk. So, refrigerate the same within few hours (depending on the room temperature).

INGREDIENTS:

Pomfret – 6  to 8 slices

Red Onion – 1 small

Green Chillies – 2 small

Garlic cloves – 2

Ginger – 1/2” piece

Raw Mango – ½ to 1 mango

Curry leaves – a sprig

Chilli powder – 3/4 tablespoon

Turmeric powder – ½ teaspoon

Coriander powder – ¾ tablespoon

Fenugreek powder – a pinch

Thick Coconut Milk – 1/2 cup

Salt to taste

Oil – 1 tablespoon

METHOD:

Clean and cut fish. Slice onions and cut garlic and ginger into small pieces. Slit the green chillies lengthwise. Slice the mangoes.

Heat oil in a pan and add fenugreek seeds. Once brown, add the onions and sweat them. Add ginger, green chillies and garlic and sauté for about 2 to 3 minutes. Do not brown the onions.

Add turmeric powder, chilli powder and coriander powder. Sauté till the raw smell goes.

Add water, salt and mango pieces. Add water enough to cover the mixture and mango slices. Boil the mixture well.

Once the whole mixture bubbles, add the fish. Do not sauté or mix as you might break the fish pieces and add curry leaves. Cover the pan with a lid and cook. Once, the fish is cooked add the thick coconut milk and cook for about a minute or two. Serve

.

NB: Check on the sourness of the mango and use accordingly. You may use other small fishes also.

CHENDAMURI or RIPE BANANA DESERT or ETHAKKA VAZATTIYATHU

CHENDAMURI or RIPE BANANA DESERT or ETHAKKA VAZATTIYATHU: This is one desert that my husband can’t get over with. The first time I heard about chendamuri was after marriage. My mother in law makes it. I guess this dish reminds my husband about his childhood.

This dish is made with jaggery or palm jaggery, ripe bananas and ghee. It is a very simple dish. My 9 month old also seems to be a great fan of it. I have used palm jaggery.

INGREDIENTS:

Ripe Bananas – 2

Ghee or clarified butter -1 to 2 tablespoon

Palm Jaggery - to taste

Elachi or cardamom – 2 to 3 powdered

METHOD:

Cut the bananas into small pieces. Melt the jaggery with little hot water and sieve it to get rid of any particles or sand in it.

Take a heavy bottomed pan and add ghee to it. Add bananas and sauté for sometime till the bananas are tender.

Add jaggery and sauté till the whole liquid is absorbed. Season with cardamom and serve hot. You may garnish with cashew nuts.

 NB: You can also season with dry ginger if you like the taste.

ELEPHANT YAM STIR FRY or CHENA MEZHUKUVARATTY:

ELEPHANT YAM STIR FRY or CHENA MEZHUKUVARATTY: This is a very healthy option, I would say. This can be used as a side dish for your plain rice. It is easy too!

The reason I thought of doing this is that we always have left over fresh yam after making sambar or aviyal. I should say both won’t go together in a week (sambar and aviyal). I have strict instructions...either one please!!!!!!!!  So I had no other go than to make yam stir fry. I hate wasting food.

Yam is a very important vegetable in terms of health especially for ladies. It is known to help with increasing the female hormone estrogen.  It also has vitamin B and is high in fiber content. So ladies gear up...here is the recipe, especially you are having PMS or hormonal issues (I bet you are already taking medicines with yam in that case).

INGREDIENTS:

Elephant Yam – 1 cup diced

Oil – 1 tablespoon

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Curry leaves – a sprig

METHOD:

Clean and dice the yam. Heat oil in a pan and transfer the yam to it. Add salt and curry leaves. Cook on low flame. 

When almost done, add pepper and cook for another minute or so. 

Serve!

NB: It cooks fast, so be careful. It just takes few minutes. If your hands are itching after cleaning and cutting yam, do not panic. It will go after sometime. You may even apply some coconut oil on that part after washing your hand.

My grandmother used to say, the itching will disappear as soon as the yam gets cooked. And it has worked out so far for me.

Some Yams may even itch after cooking, so have a taste test. In that case realise that the yam you bought is a bad one.

POMFRET WITH KUDAM PULI or MALABAR TAMRIND

POMFRET WITH KUDAM PULI or MALABAR TAMRIND: This is a spicy and sour fish curry. It tastes better when made day before. Or at the least make it 3 to 4 hours before having it. It can be had as a side dish with rice or chapattis.

Kudam puli is also known as gambooge or Malabar tamarind or fish tamarind. It has various health medicines. In fact it is even used in ayurvedic medicine. It promotes digestion and there have been studies stating that it aids in weight loss. I am not quite sure about that. But it is definitely a healthier option when compared to the normal tamarind.

Pomfret has good proteins and omega 3 fatty acids. Eating 2 servings of fish every week improves your health and increases your life line.

INGREDIENTS:

Pomfret – 6 slices

Red Onion – 1 small

Garlic cloves – 2

Ginger – 1/2” piece

Kudam Puli – 1 to 2 pieces

Curry leaves – a sprig

Chilli powder – 1 tablespoon

Turmeric powder – ½ teaspoon

Coriander powder – ¾ tablespoon

Fenugreek powder – a pinch

Salt to taste

Oil – 1 tablespoon

METHOD:

Clean and cut fish. I have used only 6 slices of medium size. Slice onions and cut garlic and ginger into small pieces.

Heat oil in a pan and add fenugreek seeds. Once brown, add the onions and sweat them. Add ginger and garlic and sauté for about 2 to 3 minutes. Do not brown the onions.

Add turmeric powder, chilli powder and coriander powder. Sauté till the raw smell goes.

Add salt and Kudam puli and mix. Immediately add water, just enough so that the fish would not burn while cooking. Do not add too much water. Less than a quarter cup would be fine. Boil the mixture well.

Once the whole mixture bubbles, add the fish. Do not sauté or mix as you might break the fish pieces and curry leaves. So gently toss the pieces to cover them in the curry. Cover the pan with a lid and cook.

Once the fish is cooked, gently toss the fish to the other side and turn off the stove. Serve after 3 to 4 hours so that the slices absorb the spice and sourness of the curry.

NB: If the curry turns out to be more spicy, you may add a small amount of coconut milk to this.

UNRIPE BANANA SMASH WITH PEPPER or KAYA PUZHUKKU

UNRIPE BANANA SMASH WITH PEPPER / KAYA PUZHUKKU:  I wanted to reduce the oil I use for cooking the unripe banana stir fry and I ended up with this. It is a tasty one and has a puzhukku or almost smashed texture.  It is a salty spicy one!

Unripe banana helps your intestinal colon healthy. It also increases the body’s ability to absorb calcium. It also has vitamin B6, potassium and vitamin C.

Unripe bananas have resistant starch. If you notice, the term resistant starch has been the “it” word recently among the weight watchers. They say resistant starch allows you to aid weight loss as it moves through your intestine undigested and thereby giving you the fullness feel.

Now, I really love unripe bananas. So here goes the recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

Unripe Bananas – 2

Red Onion – 1

Pepper Powder -1/4 to ½ tablespoon

Curry leaves – a sprig

Turmeric powder – a pinch

Salt to taste

Oil

METHOD:

Clean and dice the unripe bananas. The smaller the piece the easier it gets cooked.  Slice the onions.

Transfer the banana pieces to a pan and pour little water (just enough to cook. Remember water will also ooze out from the bananas during cooking). Add salt and turmeric powder. Check in between so that you won’t burn the bananas. Close the pan with a lid.

Place the pan on low flame and cook until bananas are really tender. Add the curry leaves and pepper and onions and drizzle oil once the water has totally dried out. Mix well and serve.

NB: I have used coconut oil as the mix of coconut oil with bananas is irresistible.

CHICKEN FILLET SANDWICH

CHICKEN FILLET SANDWICH: This is a wholesome sandwich which can be used as tiffin for kids or adults alike. It can even be used as a snack.  This serves 4 people.

INGREDIENTS:

Chicken Fillets – 2 to 3

Bread slices – 8

Red Onion -1

Tomato – 1 small

Coriander leaves - 2 to 3 sprigs

Pepper powder – ¼ to ½ tablespoon

Garam masala powder – 2 to 3 pinches

Oil – 1 tablespoon

Salt to taste

METHOD:

Slice the onions and dice the tomatoes. Chop the coriander leaves. Dice the fillets too.

Heat oil in a pan. Add the onions and fillets together and sauté till the fillets are cooked.  Do not brown, just cook.

Add salt, Garam masala powder and pepper powder at this stage. This would help it to cook fast and get the flavour. Some ready to cook fillets would have salt already, so check the levels.

Add tomatoes and coriander leaves and sauté for less than a minute. The filling is ready.

Now, take the bread slices. You may brush it with a bit of mayonnaise or cheese. Otherwise also it is fine, as the filling is not completely dry. Add the filling between the slices and serve. You may even microwave the whole sandwich to get the bread also hot.

DRUMSTICK CURRY or MURINGIKA CURRY

DRUMSTICK CURRY:  It is an easy to make dish and has a creamy taste. It is not at all spicy. The curry gets its richness from the thick coconut milk.

It is high in vitamin C and dietary fibre. It also has vitamin B, magnesium, potassium.

It can be had with rice, although you can try them with rotis also.

INGREDIENTS:

Drumstick – 2 to 3

Red Onion – 1

Mustard Seeds – ½ tablespoon

Fennel seeds – ½ tablespoon

Green Chilli – 2

Chilli powder – ¼ tablespoon

Turmeric powder – ½ teaspoon

Garam Masala – 1 tablespoon

Curry leaves – a sprig

Tomato – 1 small to medium

OR

Tamarind Pulp – approximately a size of gooseburry

Water

Oil – 1 tablespoon

Coconut milk – ¼ cup thick

Salt to taste

METHOD:

Clean and cut the drumstick (approximately around the length of your longest finger). Slice the onions. Dice the tomatoes. If you are using tamarind, make a pulp of it using warm water.  Prepare the coconut milk. If you are using the coconut milk powder, mix 4 tablespoons with ¼ cup of warm water.

Heat oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds. Add fennel seeds and brown them. Add green chillies and sauté.

Add the sliced onions and sweat them. Add tomatoes along with curry leaves and cook for a minute.

Add salt and drumstick pieces along with water. Cook till the drumsticks become tender.

If using tamarind instead of tomatoes, add the pulp at this stage.

 Add turmeric powder, chilli powder and garam masala powder. Cook for about 2 to3 minutes.

Add the thick coconut milk and cook for about a minute. Turn off the gas and it is ready to serve.

NB: To make it creamier, add thicker coconut milk.