Chapati / Poori Dough

I know this is not  recipe, but believe me there are many people who would like to have atleast a starting point in making a Chapati dough.
My father makes really good chapati's. Everyone likes his chapati and my husband felt that i would also be knowing to make it (kind of hereditary ;-) ). Well to tell the truth i didnt know to make chapati's.
Well after some time, now i can proudly say i have finally found the way to make soft chapati's. Still not the same like my dad does but still its good enough.
Also i am not a fan of adding oil to this dough. And i am able to make good chapati's or Poori's with this dough so i dont feel that you need to add oil for that.

Makes 10 medium sized chapati's

Ingredients
Atta - 2 cups
Salt - 3/4 tsp
Water - 1 cup

Mix the atta and the salt well.
Add the water sowly and keep mixing the atta/water mixture. By the time you add the whole water, it will be a bit hard to mix.
Keep mixing it till you can form a get a  consistency of not too soft nor too hard.
Note: You can add few tbspns of water if you feel its too hard
         You can add few tbspns of flour if you feel its too soft

It takes me from 15-20 mins to get the proper dough.
This is just a starting point, i sometimes end up adding few tbspns of water or flour to get the correct consistency.
Hope this helps you to get started

Happy Kneading!!!!

Potato Masala

Ok so i know we dont need any kind of introduction to this. Its really that one thing that goes with many other dishes. Yes i proudly present to you the One and Only 'Potato Masala'. Yes yeah its the same that you have with Poori, Chapati or even with Dosa :-)
Its mainly famous as the Masala in Poori Masala. I dont think anyone has Poori with anything else. One or the other form, always Potato Masala makes it with Poori. I had it with Chapati today and am still wondering why it isn't paired with Chapati too. They were awesome
So here i go to the recipe

Ingredients (Serves 3)
Potato - 3 medium (around 400 gms)
Onion chopped - 50 gms
Tomato chopped - 1 medium (around 70 gms)
Urad dal - 1 tbsp
Mustard - 1 tbsp
Curry Leaves - few
Turmeric pdr - 1/2 tsp
Green chilly - 3-4 (adjust to your heat level)
Oil - 1 tbsp
Water - 2 cups
Salt - 1/2 tsp (adjust to your taste level)

Pressure cook the potato with 1 cup water and 1/4 tsp salt for 2 whistles
Peel off the skin when it cools down and mash it with a fork. Take care not to mash it like a paste. It should be just semi mashed with little bites of potato.
Heat oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds, add the curry leaves, urad dal and green chilly. Fry till the urad dal turns light brown.
Add the onion and saute till transparent
Add the tomato and saute well. Add the turmeric,salt and saute till the raw smell goes. Now add 1 cup of water and when it boils, add the mashed potato and mix in well with the water. When it starts boiling, its done. You can stop the heat when it reaches your desired consistency.
It will thick a little bit even after stopping the heat, so take care about that

We like to have it with little gravy and not too thick.

Serve hot with Poori, Chapati or even Dosa

Happy Eating!!!

Payar Mathanga Erissery

Often found in Kerala Sadya (Feast), Erissery is a common member in Kerala households. It can be made of various combination of vegetable + lentils. This one is Payar (Lentils) with Mathanga (Pumpkin).
Its not at all spicy and always accompanies with some spicy item like pickle when served with Rice.
Its easy to make and really tasty too. It has a thick gravy consistency.


Ingredients (Serves 4)

For Cooking
Vanpayar - 3/4 cup (soak overnight)
Water - 2 cups
Mathanga (Pumpkin) - 400 gms cubed
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Red Chilly Pdr - 1/4 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp

For Grinding
Grated Coconut - 3/4 cup
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
Green Chilly  - 3-4
Salt - 1/2 tsp

For Seasoning
Mustard - 1 tsp
Curry Leaves - few
Dry Red Chilly - 4
Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup
Oil - 2 1/2 tbsp

Pressure cook soaked payar with water, salt, red chilly pdr and turmeric for just 1 whistle. Now add the mathanga pieces and cook just for 1 whistle. (Do not overcook the payar or it will get mashed completely)

Meanwhile grind all the items mentioned in 'For Grinding' and keep aside.

Add this ground paste to the cooked mixture and let it boil. Do a salt taste test and add more if required.
Once it starts boiling and everything is mixed well, mash the mathanga gently. Dont mash it completely. Remove from heat

Now heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and splutter the mustard, then add the curry leaves and dry red chillies and pour it into the curry.
Now heat the remaining oil in the same pan and add the grated coconut. You will notice that it soaks up almost all the oil. Increase the heat and keep stirring or else it can get burnt.
Once it browns, add the same to the curry and mix well
Let it stand for 10 mins and serve with hot rice.

Note: I always do the seasoning in 2 batches, in that way i dont burn the coconut or the red chilly. So i do the second batch for the coconut alone

You will love this :-)

Happy Cooking!!!

Salmon Fish Curry - Homestyle

Meen Curry is always a favorite and everyday item at our home in Kerala. But when i tried it with the frozen salmon pieces it never came out good and i had to throw it away. Yesterday i got this recipe from Ettan's Amma and thought of trying it.
The Salmon pieces in the curry usually didnt look good, so i shallow fried it first and then used in the curry instead of using the raw pieces.
It uses the basic ingredients that will be available in kitchen at any time.

In our home, fish curry use to be thick and its used very little that you just dip the rice 'Urula' in it and eat rather than mixing it with the rice like other curries. I remember them telling 'Oppi Kazhicha Mathi'   ;-)

Ingredients (Serves 3)

For shallow fry Marinate and keep for 20 mins
Fish - 200 gms
Chilly Pdr - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric - a pinch
Salt - a pinch
Water - 4 tbsp

For Frying
Oil - 3 tbsps

For Curry
Tamarind - a small gooseberry size - 10 gms
Water - 1 1/2 cup
Curry Leaves - few
Coriander pdr - 3 tsp
Chilly pdr - 11/4 tsp (adjust to your heat level)
Green Chilly - 2 small cut lengthwise
Salt - 1 tsp (adjust to your taste level)

For Tempering
Oil - 1 tbsp
Pearl Onion - 3
Ginger minced finely - 5 gms

Soak the tamarind in 1 cup water and strain the water and keep aside.
Mix the coriander, chilly pdr with 2 tbspns of water into a paste and keep aside
Shallow fry the fish pieces and keep aside (around 1 min on each side)

Heat the oil (used to fry the fish) in a 'chatti' (pan) and add the curry leaves, green chilly. Pour the tamarind water and boil it. Once it starts to boil, add the spice paste and let it boil. Now add the fish pieces in it and let it boil till you get the desired consistency (will take around 15-20 mins).
Now heat oil in a pan and fry the onion and ginger till the onion browns a little. Add this to the  curry and let it sit for 5-10 mins and serve with hot rice

Happy Dipping!!!!

Ulli Chammanthi

Ulli Chammanthi

Haaa.... This is the one dish that i don't remember how many times I have cooked.
This is one thing that goes very well with Dosa and Idli. Whenever i make Dosa, this is a regular. It takes some time because you need to saute the onions but still i manage to make it because of the taste it has. It takes only 15 mins but dosa is something that i make when i am Lazyy so 15 mins is a lot for me :-)
Usually 'Chammanthi' will be blended till paste but this one i just give 2-3 pulses because thats how it tastes good. I feel it increases the taste level when you get to bite the onion along with the 'chammanthi'

Ingredients (Serves 2)
Pearl Onion - 15-20 nos
Salt
Chilly Pdr - 1/2 tsp (adjust to your heat level)
Oil - 1-2 tbsp

Heat oil in a pan and saute the onions with salt in medium heat for 8-10 mins.
Add the chilly powder and saute for 4-5 mins more and let it cool for 5 mins.
Now add it into the grinding jar and give 2-3 pulses the max (for the consistency as seen in the photo).
Transfer to a serving bowl
Now pour 1 tsp oil on top of the chammanthi and mix well.

Note: If you like it as a paste, then go ahead and grind it. It will be done in seconds :-)

Have it with Masala Dosa or Spot Dosa

Enjoy dipping!!!

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

I miss the shakes that we get in India. Here i cant find a place where i will get Saudi or Sharjah shake :-( . Its really sad. They are so tasty
So i tried to create my own version for them. Here I have tried a Strawberry Banana Smoothie and must say it came out good. Try this and let me know if you guys found it good or not? Believe me, You wont regret it.

Ingredients
Milk -1.5 cups
Sugar - 3 tsp
Strawberry - 4-5 medium sized ones
Banana - 1/2 of a normal one (take out the seed part)

As the shakes are made of Milk that is allmost frozen,  i tried to recreate it this way.

Mix Milk and sugar and pour them into Ice Tray and freeze them for 8-10 hours
Blend the strawberry along with the banana pieces and the Frozen milk to get a good thick Smoothie.

Enjoy!!!

Ulli Surka

Ulli Surka

Well what better to have with biriyani?
I usually went with Salad but once tried this, i no more make salads ;-)

Ingredients
Onion - 1 medium
Vinegar - 4tbsp (I used Distilled White Vinegar)
Green chilly - 1 medium
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Water - 2 tbsp

Mix the vinegar,water,green chilly and salt.
Add the onions into this and mix well.
Keep aside for 20 mins and serve.

Goes very well with Biriyani - any varities

Happy Eating!!!

Masala Semiya Upma

Semiya is a cool ingredient. You can make dessert or upma with it. Here i use to make upma very often, but Raj is not a fan of it. So i tried adding masala into it so that it will be spicy which will increase the flavours of the dish. I must say it was a success. It was way tastier than the regular Upma that we make with Semiya.

Ingredients (Serves 2)
Semiya - 1 cup
Mixed veg - 1/2 - 3/4 cup ( i used potato, carrots and peas)
Water - 1 1/2cup
Pearl Onion - 4
Tomato - 1 small
Curry Leaves - 4-5
Mustard - 1 tbsp
Turmeric - a pinch
Chilli pdr - 1/4 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp
Grated Coconut - 2 tbsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt

Dry roast the semiya till it becomes light brown in color and keep aside
Heat oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds.
Add curry leaves and pearl onion and saute well.
Add the turmeric pdr and the vegetables and saute for 2-3 mins. Now add the tomato and chilli pdr, salt along with the garam masala and saute till the raw smell goes.
Now add the water and bring it to boil.
Add the vermicelli and cook in medium heat. Close the pan and let it cook for 4-5 mins.
Now add the coconut and mix well. It will soak if there is any water left

Note: The water content that you add may vary depending the size of the vermicelli.

Aval Nanachathu

Aval Nanachathu

4 PM snack back at home. I have not made this for a long time, so thought why not enjoy something that was missing for a long time. So i prepared this.Got it from my mother in law. In my home we usually make it with milk and sugar. In this recipe we will be using Jaggery instead of sugar.
I must say i felt bad for not making this sooner

Ingredients (Serves 2)
Aval - 11/2 cup
Grated Coconut - 1 cup
Water - 1/4 - 1/2 cup
Jaggery - 1 piece around 200 gms
Milk - 4 tbspns
Few Banana Slices

Melt the jaggery along with the water in a pan.
Add the grated coconut and mix the aval into it.
Keep mixing it till everything is mixed well.
Add the banana pieces now and give a small toss.
Now let it stand for 20-30 mins so that the aval soaks everything and becomes soft. If it still is hard, add few tablespoons of milk.
I felt that the milk enhanced the sweetness overall.

Happy munching!!!!

Kadala Curry

Kadala Curry

She is always sad that Puttu is always behind other girls. She has been with us for such a long time, that we cant leave her alone at such a moment. So when she came to me for help, i said dont worry, i will teach you to dress fast, so you can go out with him. Please join me in helping our dear friend Kadala Curry to get back to her hubby Puttu
This is what we will have to do

Ingredients (Serves 4)
Soaked Kadala - 2 cup ( soaked overnight )
Salt - 1 tsp
Water - 2 1/2 cup

For dry roasting
Pearl onion - 4
Garlic - 3-4 pods
Curry leaves - 4
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Chilly powder - 1 tsp
Coriander pdr - 11/2 tsp

For Tempering
Oil
Mustard seeds - 1 tbsp
Pearl onion - 3-4
Dry Red Chilly - 4
Curry Leaves - 5-6

Boil kadala with salt and water for 3-4 whistles

Dry roast the pearl onion, garlic, curry leaves and coconut for some time.
( I use frozen grated coconut because they are almost the same size so they brown evenly)

Once they brown, add chilly pdr and coriander pdr and roast for 5-6 mins and grind it to a paste with little water.
Add this paste to the boiled kadala and cook till you get the desired consistency for the gravy
Do a taste test for salt.
Keep it aside and now go for tempering
Heat oil in a pan and add mustard, pearl onion ( it should brown), dry red chilly and curry leaves one by one and add this to the cooked curry.

See she was ready so fast ryt?
Now enjoy your trip with Puttu ;-)

Serve with Puttu/Roti/Rice

Happy Helping!!!!

Puttu - Chemba

Chemba Puttu

Puttu is an usual breakfast item in Kerala. Even though Puttu is married to Kadala Curry, he is seen with banana, cherupayar curry, sugar and papadam also. But puttu is such a sweet boy, so we adjust with his behavior :-)
Whenever we are hungry and we call him, he reaches within 5 mins, but as you all know his wife takes time to dress, he brings any of his girlfriend for the time being. See didnt i tell you he is very sweet

Ingredients
Puttu Podi - 11/2 cup ( we use Avees puttu podi, they are the best)
Water - 11/4 cup
Salt
Grated coconut - 1 cup

Mix the puttu podi with salt and then mix with water slowly till you get this consistency. It should be between chapathi and powder .

I usually make cheratta puttu, the small one.

Add the coconut and the the
 puttu mixture and steam it
 for sometime





Once the steam starts to come out ( might take 3-4 mins to reach here), reduce the heat to medium - low and keep for 5 more mins
Test whether its cooked and serve once done





Note: please encourage him to be with his wife, you will see the difference :-)
She brings the best out of him

Simple Prawns Fry

Simple Prawns Fry

In my kitchen there should be some non veg item or else i get a gloomy face for my lunch and i hate it. It just erases whatever i have made that day. So this is something that i try when i need to have that item whereas i don't want to spend more time for that.
This is really fast and tasty that suddenly i see a Happy Face :-)
As he doesnt like easy foods, i dont tell him that it was Easy :-)

Ingredients (Serves 2)
Prawns - 10 nos
Chilly Pdr - 1/2 tsp
Pepper pdr - a big pinch
Salt
Turmeric pdr - a small pinch
Oil - 3 tbsp

Marinate the cleaned prawns with Chilly Pdr, Pepper, turmeric and salt for 30 mins
Heat oil in a pan and stir fry the Prawns. Flip over once its done on one side

Oh you didn't realize its this easy? Sorry for that :-)

Note: Cooking Prawns doesn't take much time. It gets cooked in 1-2 mins max for one side.

Serve hot with Rice

Try and let me know how it went for you

Happy Eating!!!

Manga Perukku

Manga Perukku

Haaa... what to say about this
When its mango season, you can literally see that everything in the house will have mango in it. Oh God i miss being home.
Here in US getting the raw mango was little difficult.
However raw it used to be, it will still be sweet so i was really happy to get this perfect raw one.
Mango with fresh grated coconut, its just a heavenly combination and the mustard, it gives the perfect nuttiness to this
Its a must try guys

So the recipe

Ingredients (Serves 2)

Raw Mango - 1/2 a small one
Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup
Curd - 4-5 tbsp
Mustard - 1 + 1 tbsp
Red chilly - 2
Curry Leaves - 4-5
Salt
Oil - 1 tbsp

Note: 
First time you see a note first. Yes its important that the mango, coconut and mustard should not be mashed completely into a paste. It should be mashed very little that you get the small pieces to bite in the dish. 

Mix the Green chilly, salt,coconut,mustard 1 tbsp and curd and give it 2-3 pulses in a mixer. Now add the minced mango pieces and pulse it for 2-3 times. Now you will get a mixture where the coconut, mango and mustard is semi mashed. Keep it aside

Heat oil in a pan and splutter the rest mustard along with red chilly and curry leaves one after another and pour it to the mashed mixture. Mix it well and Manga Perukk  is ready.

Serve it with hot rice and there is no going back :-)

Try and let me know how it went for you

Happy Eating!!!

Bread Omelette

Bread Omelette

Bread Omelette is a common breakfast item in most of the household, still i would like to go with this recipe for those who are new to cooking but dont know much about it (see i never forget my past :-) )
When i was completely new to cooking, there were very minimum things i knew to make and it always left me cooking the same thing again and again. Sounds boring ryt? I know
Then slowly i started to think more and frequent calls to my in laws, my parents, friends and the Cooking Blogs; i am happy to say now i try not to make the same recipe again for quite some time

The bread inside the omelette is so inviting with its soft texture

So now to the recipe

Serves 1
Ingredients
Eggs - 2
Bread slices - 2 small or 1 large
Green chilly minced - 1
Pearl Onion minced - 2
Salt
Pepper pdr - a pinch
Oil - 1/4 tsp

Whisk the eggs with the pearl Onion, green chilly and salt and keep aside
(Its good to have a large pan, so you will get a big  omelette to cover the bread completely)
Heat a non stick pan with the oil and add the whisked eggs mixture and spread it to the maximum. Keep the heat in medium.
Now sprinkle the pepper powder.
Once its half cooked, add the bread slices and carefully fold the omelette and flip it and cook it for 1-2 minute in low flame
Check for the omelette and transfer to a serving plate

Try and let me know how it went for you
Happy Eating Guys!!!!

Eggplant/ Brinjal Stir Fry

First time when i cooked Brinjal was allmost 2 years back, when i was completely new to this. But i was so smart that i knew we cook vegetables with water. So i started my cooking with brinjal and a cup of water and closed it with a lid.
After some time when Raj came to check on me (spying more than checking) he saw that the brinjal pieces were bubbling in the water.
It was the last time he asked me to make brinjal.
After one year, when we moved to US, I felt the options of vegetables were less here than what we were used to which forced me to try Brinjal again
But this time i tried it without water and very less spices and it came it really well.
And now he is again behind me to make this.
Even though i made brinjal in a good way for more than 10 times, he still haunts me with my first time. Whole of our family knows about my Brinjal Chapter.

Ingredients (Serves 2)
Brinjal - 1 large or 4-5 small (300 gms)
Pearl Onion - 6-8
Turmeric pdr - 1/4 tsp
Chilly Pdr - 1/2 tsp
Ginger - a small piece minced fine
Curry leaves - few
Mustard - 1 tbsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt

Cut the onion and brinjal and keep aside
Heat oil in a pan and splutter the mustard. Add curry Leaves, ginger and pearl onion and saute it well.
Saute it well, add the brinjal along with the salt and turmeric and mix well.
Now close the pan with a lid and reduce the heat to medium.
Once its half cooked, add the chilly pdr and mix well
(Its better to add the spices when its half cooked so that it will not mash when we  mix in the spices)
Keep it closed for a while.
When its allmost done, take of the lid and cook for 5 more mins and we are done

Try and let me know how it went for you
Happy Eating !!!!

Simple Fried Rice

Simple Fried Rice

I love Fried Rice. Its easy and tasty and simple to cook. There is nothing that is mandatory and you can almost use anything that is available at your home. Just make those sauces available
Even though i am a fan of Indo-Chinese Food, Raj doesn't seem to like it a lot. So it needs a bit of persuasion to get Chinese food.
Today i had some brown rice left from our Chinese Take Out yesterday and i needed something fast with minimal work for my lunch. I just tossed that rice along with some vegetables and eggs and Sauce and there lies my Fried Rice

Ingredients (Serves 2)
Cooked Brown Rice - 2 cups
Mixed Veggies - 3/4 cup
Eggs - 2
Chilli Sauce - 1 tsp
Tomato Sauce - 2 tsp
Soya Sauce - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tsp
Salt

Heat Oil in a Pan, and stir in the vegetables in medium- high heat for about 2- 3 mins.
Add little salt and mix and keep the veggies to a side of the pan and scramble the egg in the rest side of the pan. Once its scrambled well enough, mix it along with the veggies and turn the heat to low. Add the sauces and mix it well.
Now add the rice and mix well. Do a test taste for salt and let it stand in medium heat for some time and mix it Over.
Hummm i guess, oh yeah its ready!!!

Try and let me know how it went for you
Happy Eating :-)

Masala Dosa - Indian Coffee House Style

Is there someone out there who has been to South India and didn't try Masala Dosa?
If yes, then i assure you that you did miss something special. But still here is the chance to make it at home at your leisure. Do try it and you will know i wasn't joking
By the way, I never Joke ;-)
If you happen to be in Kerala, you must try Masala Dosa from Indian Coffee House. They make a different type of Masala in the Masala Dosa. Its worth to try. You are just gonna love it after that
Whenever we travel within Kerala, we eat from Indian Coffee House.The food is good and the prices are also reasonable.The waiters really look very good the way they dress in their turban.
In the ususal Masala Dosa, the masala will be just a mashed potato masala. But this one has beetroots in them. Thats what makes it different.
It has a sweetness in them.
The below one is sweet, tangy and spicy. Does that sound cool?
Raj has been asking me this for a long time, so I thought why not make it today

Ingredients for Masala

Beetroot - 1 medium sized
Potato - 2 medium
Carrot - 1
Onion - 1/2 medium
Tomato - 1 small
Urad Dal - 1 tsp
Green Chilly - 3-4 (based on your spice level)
Ginger - small piece minced finely
Curry Leaves - 4-5
Hing - a pinch
Lime Juice - 1 tbsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt

Pressure cook the peeled potatoes along with peeled beetroot and carrots with little salt for a max of 2 whistle
Once they cool, mash them gently. Take care not to mash completely as there should be pieces to bite into. Keep aside. There might be some water left in the cooker. Keep it aside, you might need it at a later stage
Take a Pan and heat the oil. Once heated, add the urad dal and let them brown a little.
Then add the ginger, curry leaves and green chilly. Saute for 20-30 secs
Now add the Onion and saute them well. Then add the Tomatoes and saute till they mash well. Add the hing at this point
Now add the salt and the mashed masala mixture and mix it well.
Do a test taste for salt and add the Lime Juice and mix it well. This is to give the extra tangy touch to your masala
Keep it in low heat for 1-2 mins.
At this point if you feel the masala is very thick, then add the water that is left after pressure cooking the vegetables

Making the Masala Dosa

Heat the dosa tawa and once its hot, add a spoonful of dosa batter and spread it in circles .

Once you see it browning and the dosa looks dry, then add the masala mixture in the  centre






After putting the masala, fold a
side of the dosa to the mixture
 as shown in the picture

Now close the other portion as seen in the picture in right side

.

 Masala Dosa - Indian Coffee House Style is ready.

Transfer it into a serving dish and continue with the remaining batter and masala

 Serve it with coconut chutney or sambar or Ulli Chmmanthi.

Try and let me know how it went for you
Happy Eating guys !!!

Egg Burji

Egg Burji

Is there a way not to eat eggs?
Nah... I dont think so
I remember my father making this when i was a kid and i loved them. Its just so different than  the other egg recipes you have
Because of the tanginess, spiciness its just like getting mouth full of flavours in just one bite
And its really fast so there is nothing stopping you from making it
The mixture that we add the eggs to is actually really tasty that you can eat that itself and adding the eggs just increases the taste level.

Ingredients (Serves 2)
Eggs - 2
Onion - 1/2
Tomato - 1/2
Chilly Pdr - 1/2-3/4 tsp based on your tolerance level
Salt
Oil - 1 tbsp

Whisk the eggs and keep aside
Heat oil in a pan and saute the onions well. Once its done, add the tomatoes and saute till the get mashed very easily. At this point add the salt and chilly pdr and saute till the raw smell vanishes. Do a taste test and you should have the salt and chilly pdr a bit on the higher end as we are yet to add the eggs
Lower the heat and add the eggs and mix it well with the onion tomato mixture so that we don't get egg alone anywhere.
Once its mixed well, increase the heat to medium-high and continue scrambling them till its done

Serve with Roti or Rice

Try and let me know how it went for you
Happy Eating !!!

Banana Nuggets for those li'l ones

Pazham Pori

Banana Nuggets - does that sound too much for you? well let me make it simple for you. Its 'Pazham Pori' but not the usual ones. These are just apt for those small ones running around you. Its so perfect sized that you will love cooking and them eating it
Earlier i didn't like Pazham Pori because it was always so much of oil, that i hated it for sure.

1 year back, when we were in Wagamon, it was evening and we all were hungry after a long walk through 3 mountains to just see a Suicide Point. 'Who will walk all these ways to suicide'
But i must say the view over there was really worth those long walks.
Anyone who sees that will want to live more at least to see those views

So story in short, we were hungry and theer was only this shop and they had only Pazham Pori with them. As i didnt like them, i passed it even after the person there asked me twice.
As my stomach disapproved, i had a small bite from my husband's and i just felt so stupid that i missed it. I would have cried on my loss. My pride didnt allow me to ask that man, so i made my husband do it cos i didnt want to miss it. It was that tasty.
After that i started checking on why it was so tasty and i found that its just the banana that counts
taste = ripeness
When my mother in law came to live with me, most of the days when i was returning
from office, i would buy one banana which will be the blackest in that shop leaving the shopkeeper wondering whats wrong with me   :-)
Now to the recipe

Ingredients                                                                  
Ripe Banana - 1
Maida/ All Purpose Four - 3/4 cup
Turmeric pdr - 1/2 tsp
Sugar - 2 tsp (as per your taste level)
Salt - a pinch
Water - 1/2-3/4 cup
Oil

Cut the banana into small rounds and keep aside
Mix the Maida, turmeric pdr, sugar,salt and the water to make the batter
Now heat the oil in a pan
Once the oil is hot, dip the banana pieces into the batter and into the oil it goes.
Once its done , flip over and cook the other side
Serve them hot with your coffee
Am sure you will love it

Note: Its good if you can deep fry them, it will cook fast or else you can cook it in a pan by flipping over. While cooking in a pan
If you still feel its not sweet enough, just sprinkle some sugar on top of them.
You can make shapes with the leftover batter :-)

Try and let me know how it went for you
Happy Eating!!!

Spot Dosa

Spot Dosa

As we are done with the dosa batter, why not get down to dosa
This is a small dosa whereas we use the same amount of batter used for the regular dosa
which means you get a small but soft fluffy dosa which you will eat more and more.
Raj gets hungry only when i tell him that i have closed the kitchen and am done for the day. I don't like cooking when he is around. Its my time of pestering him and i cant loose it for a dosa. But hunger means him pestering me for foooood. So to make him quiet, i have to make dosa, but yeah its fast as i have the batter in fridge Yippeeee!!!

Heat the dosa tawa in medium- high heat. Once its hot, pour the batter in the centre of the tawa and spread it only a little as below.
Take note that the batter shouldn't be spread very thin. It should be thick for that fluffy dosa that you are gonna eat.
Think Fluffy, think more.
Pour the same amount of batter that you would use for a regular batter

After 1 min on high heat, you can see that the top of dosa has dried which means, time to flip up.
You can have a peek on the color to see whether its a golden-brown color.
Then flip over and a min on high flame, you are done

Once you get this color, you are done with cooking. Now is time to dig on guys

You can serve it with coconut/tomato chutney or Ulli Chammanthi
We ususally have it with our special onion chutney which i will be posting in some time.

Try and let me know how it went for you
So happy Eating guys!!!

Idli / Dosa Batter

Idli/Dosa Batter

Well this is something that comes in handy on busy days. You can prepare batter for some 2-3 days and you are well in a meal within 10 mins
I am thankful to my mother in law for giving me this recipe. Yeah she knows its her son's life in risk. No wonder she gave me that recipe
Its not that tough but just that you have to plan it well because you need almost a whole day for soaking and a whole night for fermenting.
So dont come running and hope to get the batter unless you are buying from the store.
So you there... sit, relax and get the batter ready for tomorrow at the earliest :-)
Dont blame me, i didnt make the rules
Ok so down to the batter

Ingredients
Raw Rice - 3 cups (I use either Ponni or Sona Masoori)
Urad Dal - 1 cup
Fenugreek - 2 tsp
Boiled Rice - 1/2 cup
Salt

Soak the raw rice along with urad dal and fenugreek for 6-8 hours.
I usually soak them together. its easy that way and it doesn't seem to affect the taste in any way.
Now grind these with the boiled rice in the water used for soaking the rice.
Using the same water helps in fermenting.
Grind it till the batter becomes smooth.
Now add salt and leave it overnight for fermenting

If you are in US or some place where its cold, it wont ferment, so leave it in your oven with the oven lights on.This will help the batter to ferment well.

Mix it well and keep it in fridge till use.

Happy Eating guys!!!

Spinach Thoran

Spinach is a healthy vegetable and i try to include it in as many dishes as possible, so the guilt part of having something that is tasty but not healthy is gone :-)
Ya ya i know the guilt part is very hard, so just try adding something healthy and ta da the guilt just vanished
R didnt like the way I cooked spinach earlier, he was the one who gave me this recipe. But later i added some more ingredients and now this is my Recipe.
While preparing spinach, the only thing that makes me sad is, it just reduces to so little. So i took some time to realize the before after volume and here is the recipe

Preparation Time - 5-6 mins

Ingredients (Serves 2)
Spinach - 250 gms
Urad Dal - 1 tsp
Mustard - 1 tsp
Green chilly - 1 large or 2 small
Pearl Onion - 3-4
Salt
Oil - 1 tbsp
Grated Coconut - 4-5 tsp

Chop the spinach, green chilly and pearl onion and keep aside
In a pan, when hot add oil, add the mustard seeds followed by urad dal once it splutters.
Add the green chilly and pearl onions and saute till it changes color to light brown
I usually put salt at this stage as it helps the sauteing of onion. Take care to add very little salt as the spinach will reduce a lot, so infact you need very little salt
Now add the spinach and keep it in medium heat. Check after 2-3 mins and you will see that the spinach has reduced to half. Now give it a stir so that the salt mixes well. Again leave it for 1-2 mins when its allmost done completely.
Add the grated coconut and mix it well. Do a taste test and add salt if needed. Mix well and leave for 1-2 mins and its done
Wow..

Serve with hot rice

Try and let me know how it went for you
Happy Eating

Rava Upma

When you want something fast and not sandwich for breakfast, then Upma is your lady
Load it with vegetables and there is a good colorful upma in your plate. The vegetables add so much color that its tempting. Adding this color will make it more exciting to kids and also those grownups like R who doesnt like any sort of Upma
You can make Upma with many varities like Broken Rice, Broken Wheat, Rice Rava, Rava, Semiya. This one is Rava Upma
When i was a kid, i hated Upma, i really dont know why i hated it. But then came a time in my life where me and 5 of my friends were staying together and we used to buy the readymade upma packets. You have to just boil water and add the mixture and breafast was ready.
Well later after a marriage and no ready made packets, i tried cooking it from scratch and realized that its not such a big deal. Its really very easy . So here comes the recipe

Serves - 3
Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients (Serves 2)
Rava - 1 cup
Water - 2 cup
Mixed Vegetables - 150 gms (i used peas,carrot and potato)
Ginger - a small piece minced
Onion - 1/2 onion chopped
Green Chilly - 3-4 small
Tomato - 1 small (about 50-60 gms)
Grated Coconut - 5-6 tsp
Mustard - 2 tsp
Urad Dal - 1 tsp
Curry Leaves - a sprig
Salt
Oil - 2 tbsp

Dry roast the rava for 3-4 mins and keep aside
Heat oil in a pan, splutter the mustard, add curry leaves and then add urad dal and fry till light brown. Lower the heat to medium and add the onion and ginger and green chilly and saute it well.Add the tomatoes and saute them well. Add some salt at this point and add the chopped vegetables and cook till its half cooked.
Add the water and let it boil. Once it starts boiling, do a taste test for salt and add if needed more.Salt should be a littlle bit on the high end because we are yet to put Rava. Make sure that the flame/heat is in medium.
Now add Rava slowly and mix it into the water and leave it for 4-5 mins. It will be almost done now.
Add the grated coconut and mix with the upma and leave it in heat for 1-2 mins more and we are done

You can have Upma with Coconut chutney/papad/sugar
All these three items vary a lot in taste but you would be surprised to see how well each goes with Upma.

Try and let me know how it went for you
Happy Eating

Blueberry Juice

Blueberry Juice

Violet violet violet.... blueberry blueberry blueberry is in air
Have you ever thought how hard it is to wash the blender after making a blueberry juice? But R insists and he is correct, its just so tasty that even washing the blender looks fine for me
Its a bit thick juice and it tends to get even thicker when kept for sometime. So its better when had fresh and my trick is to put ice cubes and swirl the juice before taking that magnificent sip.
Oh!!! It really is tangy, sweet but tasty

Ingredients

Blueberry - 1 cup
Water - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 2 tsp
Ice Cubes - 4
Lemon juice - 1/2 of a small lemon

Blend well the blueberry with water, sugar, lemon juice and 2 ice cubes
Strain the blueberry juice and pour it to your serving glass along with the remaining 2 ice cubes
Worry about washing the blender later

Try and let me know how it went for you
Enjoy

Chapati Roll

Chapati Roll

Well lazy mornings really brings my creativity out. I love to see my coffee and breakfast
on the table when i wake up. Gone are those days when i was a kid and cooking was never in my hands. I envy Raj when he just sits there expecting foods to come to him. Arghhhhh
Anyways, as today i woke up late and felt bad seeing R sitting hungry, I thought of making both of us happy and made this
As you see the spinach there is my ticket of declaring this dish healthy and the cheese is for his smile
So here comes the recipe for those lazy ones like me in the kitchen

Ingredients (Serves 1)
Chapati -1
Egg - 2
Spinach - a handful (10-15 leaves)
Gruyere cheese - 4-5 very small cubes
Muenster Cheese - 1 slice
pepper powder - a big pinch
salt - a small pinch
oil - 1/2 tsp

Whisk the eggs well and keep aside
Take a pan and heat the oil and add the spinach. Once it turns to dark green color add the eggs and top them with Gruyere cheese pieces.
Once its cooked on one side, flip and cook the other side. All together it will take a max of 5 mins
Arranging
Place the chapati in an oven proof dish and place the Muenster Cheese in such a way that you will get it in every bite
Place the omelet on top of it and heat it in a microwave for 1 min (till the cheese melts)
You can even heat the same in a pan till the cheese melts
Sprinkle the top of the omelet with the pepper and salt
Roll and Serve

Note: Try to get the omelet the same shape of that of the chapati.

Try and let me know how it went for you
Happy Eating...

Ela Ada with Jaggery

Steamed Ela Ada

Even if Ela Ada is a common snack in Kerala, its a breakfast item for us.

We really missed it when we moved to US. It was a real surprise when we found banana leaves in a local Chinese Store. And now, this is a weekend breakfast

We can make it with Sugar or Jaggery. This is the Jaggery version of the same

It can be either steamed or cooked in a tawa. Steamed one is my husband's favorite whereas i like the other one (seen below)

Ingredients

For Ada

Plantain Leaves

Rice Powder - 1 cup

Cumin Seeds - a pinch

Salt

Water

For the Filling

Grated Coconut - 1 cup

Jaggery - 125 gms

Melt the Jaggery and strain it. Add the grated coconut to this, mix well and keep aside

Roast the rice powder along with the cumin seeds and salt in a tawa for 2-3 mins

Add water to this slowly and mix till you get a consistency of that of chapati dough

Keep some water aside to use while pressing the dough

Take a plantain leaf, and press the dough with your hands to form a thin layer on it. You can dab your hands with little water so it will not stick in your hands

Add little filling mixture (as per your taste level) in the middle of the layer and spread it to one half of the dough layer.

Now carefully close the other half on top of this (You can see horizontal lines in the leaf, Always close to its opposite direction. Otherwise the leaf will tear off)

Do the same with the remaining leaves and dough mixture

Steaming

 Steam the ada for 15-20 mins

If the leaf comes out cleanly from the ada, then its cooked else steam it for some more time

On Tawa

Place a tawa and keep it in medium heat

Place one Ada and close it, let it cook for 2-3 mins. Then flip it to the other side. Check if the Leaf comes out cleanly. Otherwise cook for some more time

Repeat the same for the remaining Adas

Note:

The steamed one will be very moist whereas the tawa cooked one will be dry

Try both to see which one you like better

Try and let me know how it went for you

Happy Eating....

Easy Tomato Rice

Tomato Rice

This is something that i cook when i just want to have something fast to eat which happens often. Its so easy and simple that we can prepare in 5 mins
This is not the authentic version but just something that i find easy and delicious.

Ingredients (Serves 1 generously)
Rice - 1 cups (I used Sona Masoori)
Water - 1 cups
Tomato - 1 large
Pearl Onion - 3
Chilly Powder - 3/4 tsp
Mustard seed - 1 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Curry Leaves - few
Salt
Oil - 1 tsp

Cook the rice with the water and keep aside. You can also use leftover rice for this
Puree the tomato well in a blender and keep aside
Chop the pearl onion and keep aside
Heat oil in a pan and splutter fennel seeds and mustard seeds one after another. Once it splutters add curry leaves
Add the chopped onions and salt and saute it well
Add the tomato puree and saute for 1-2 mins then add the chilly powder and saute for 1 min
Once the raw smell goes, add the rice and mix it well with the mixture.
Leave in low flame for 2-3 mins 


Try and let me know how it went for you
Happy Eating!!!