Bhindi Masala / Okra Masala

Bhindi masala is a North Indian dish made with Okra which is a dish mainly eaten along with Roti or Chapatis. It has tomato in it for the tanginess and its also spicy enough for the second rounds :-)
I made it today and had with Rice and i really don't know why people restrict it to Rotis or Chapatis alone. It tasted good with Rice too
Maybe you can give it a try with Rice and let me know whether you liked it

Ingredients (Serves 2)
Okra chopped- 150 gms
Cumin - 1 tsp
Onion chopped lengthwise - 1/2 onion
Tomato chopped- 1 medium
Turmeric - a pinch
Salt
Chilly Powder - 1 tspn
Curry Leaves - few
Oil - 2 tbsp

Heat oil in a pan and splutter the Cumin seeds.
Now add the onion and salt and saute it. Now add the tomato along with turmeric and saute it till the tomato is cooked.
Now add the chilly powder and saute till the raw smell goes (around 1 min). Do a taste test and add the okra pieces and mix into the prepared spice mixture and cook it closed in medium heat till the okra gets cooked
Keep stirring in between.

Serve with hot rice or with Chapati

Happy Eating!!!

Salmon Fry / Fish Fry

This is somehing that i have been doing for a long time now. Even though i get bored of cooking it, he doesnt get bored of eating it :-)
We get Salmon fillets here individually packed, so there is no worries of fish going bad. As they are already cleaned am One Happy woman :-)
This fish fry is taste with minimal ingredients

Ingredients (Serves 2)
Fish - 200 gms
Small Onion - 2 nos
Turmeric - a small pinch
Chilly Powder - 1 tsp
Salt
Oil - For frying
Curry Leaves - few

Grind the onion along with turmeric, chilly powder and salt and keep aside. Add 2 tbspn of water if the mixture is too thick
Now marinate the fish in this mixture and keep aside for 30 mins
Heat the oil in a pan and add the curry leaves and fry the fish pieces till its well done on both the sides
Don't keep on moving the fish pieces as we want a nice layer of the Masala on both sides.

Serve with Hot Rice

Happy Eating guys!!!

Onion Tomato Chutney

Well bored of having Sambar or Coconut Chutney again and again? Try this then
Its a simple one using Onion and Tomato

Ingredients (Serves 2)
Big Onion chopped - 1
Tomato chopped- 1
Salt
Chilly Powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Curry Leaves

Heat oil in a Pan and add the curry leaves.
Add the onion and saute them well. Once its done add the tomato pieces and salt and saute it
Once its almost done, add the chilly powder and saute till the raw smell goes.
Take it off heat and once cooled a bit, grind it till you get a smooth paste.
Do not add water

Serve it with Dosa or Idli

Happy Dipping!!!

Sambar

I have been thinking about making this type of Sambar for a long time. I always prepare sambar with just sambar powder without using Coconut  It started because I was lazy but as Raj liked that way, i sticked to it for almost 2 years now. So today i just did it and was amazed. I am happy that i tried this as it tasted very good and i was able to taste it with our every time favorite Idli itself.

Ingredients (Serves 4)
Toor Dal - 1/2 cup (Soak in water for minimum 30 mins)
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Salt
Small Onion - 4-5
Potato - 2 medium cubed (300 gms)
Drumstick - 150 gms
Okra - 50 gms
Oil - 1/2 tspn
Tamarind pulp - 25 gms
Water - 4 cups
Tomato - 1 medium

For Dry Roasting
Coconut grated - 1/2 cup
Small Onion - 1
Curry Leaves - few
Sambar Masala - 3 tbsp (I use Brahmins Sambar Powder)

Chilly Powder - 1 tsp
Hing - 1 tsp

For Seasoning
Dry Red Chilly - 4-5
Curry Leaves - few
Mustard - 1 tsp

Oil - 1 tbsp

Pressure cook the Dal, small onion, potato, drumstick with turmeric, salt and  water (should be just a bit above your veggies) for max 2 whistles
Fry Okra in a 1/2 tspn of oil till it changes the color and the stickiness is gone.
Dry roast the coconut, small onion and curry leaves in the same pan till the coconut browns little
Add the Sambar Masala and dry roast again till the raw smell is gone. Grind it with little water and keep aside.

Now add tamarind extracted water into the cooked dal- veggies.
Add the fried Okra and sliced Tomato and let it boil
Now add the ground Masala, Chilly Powder and Hing.  Do a taste test. Take it off from heat when the tomato is cooked and you get the desired consistency.

Heat Oil in a pan and splutter the Mustard, add curry leaves and dried chilly and pour this seasoning into the prepared curry. Mix well

Enjoy Over Hot Rice, Idli or Dosa :-)

Happy Eating!!!

RibeyeSteak - A perfect weekend Night

What a perfect way to start your weekend :-)
Here Friday nights are always special. Its the start of weekend. On Friday nights we can hear music and laughter from most of the homes. Its party time Woooooo
And what best to have on weekends :-)
Usually we grill steaks but as its still cold enough to stand out at night, we searched and found this perfect easy way to cook your steak in Oven. Its really very easy and fast enough. 10 minutes and everything is done. By the time you start to enjoy your wine, your steak will be ready.
You will require an Iron Skillet heavy bottomed one which you can use both in your stove as well as in your Oven.

Ingredients (Serves 2)
Steak Piece - 1 pound
Canola Oil - 1 tsp
Salt  - a generous amount
Pepper - a generous amount
Steak spice - 1 tsp (I use McCormick Spicy Montreal Steak) Its Optional

Keep your oven in Broil along with your Iron Skillet in it for 20 minutes
Pat some oil using a brush on one side of the steak and sprinkle a generous amount of salt, pepper and Steak Spice.
Do the same on the other side
Use an Oven Mitt while doing it. Take care as the Iron Skillet will be heavy
Once its about 20 minute on the oven, switch on your stove with high heat and place the Iron skillet on top of it.
Now place the steak (It should sizzle) for 30 secs on each side (Total 1 minute)
Switch of the stove
Now again place the iron skillet along with the steak into the oven for the below mentioned time for each side.
Take care to use your oven mitt as it will be real hot. Please take care
Medium Rare - 2 minutes on each side
Medium - Well Done - 3 -4 minutes on each side
Once its done on one side, carefully using tongs flip the steak piece and let it cook the other side for the same time and you are done
Switch off your Oven

Happy Weekend Guys!!!

Chocolate Chip Cashew Cookies

My first ever cookie :-)
I have been watching the Food Network channel for a long time now. Been craving to make cookies and cakes from the time i started watching these chanels.
Sitting here now that is my new entertainment, watch watch watch cooking shows. It just makes you get up and make things happen in your kitchen. Been waiting for getting a mixer, so that i can go ahead with them
So now i got an electric mixer and this is the first recipe that i made from it. Its a simple chocolate chip cookie with cashew in it. I have added cashew in it to increase the richness and also i love cashew in my cookies.
You can substitute the chocolate chips and nuts to your wish. You can use dark or milk chocolate. Also you can add or change the nuts to your wish.

Ingredients (Makes 12 cookies)

All Purpose Flour - 1 cup
Baking powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Unsalted Butter - 8 tbsp (1/2 cup)  it should be at Room Temperature
Brown Sugar - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1/4 cup
Egg - 1
Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp
Chocolate Chips - 1/2 cup
Cashew chopped - 1/4 cup

Mix the flour, salt and baking powder together and keep aside (Dry Ingredients)
Beat the butter, brown sugar and the sugar using an electric mixer till its blended well.
Now add in the egg and vanilla extract and blend it till everything is mixed well.
Now add half of the dry ingredients and blend it till it is mixed. Now add the remaining of the dry ingredients and blend them well.

Preheat the oven at 350 degree F.
Line the baking tray with a parchment paper and drop the dough 1 inch apart (The cookies will expand when it cooks) and cook for 13 - 14 minutes.

Once its cooked, its edges will be crisp and the middle portion will be soft to touch (Don't worry, its cooked)

Let it cool for 5 minutes in the tray and then move it to a cooling rack and let it sit for 10 mins

Note: Store it in an air tight container once its cooled

Happy Munching!!!

Chembu Moru Curry

Chembu / Taro is a root which is widely used in Kerala. Even the stem and leaves of Taro are used for making various types of curries. They are very nutritious and tasty too.
This is a Moru /Curd curry along with coconut.
As usual i got this recipe from my Mother in Law whom we all call "Pappa". I was amazed to see even small kids to the oldest person she knows call her the same. Its a short for her name "Padmavathy" :-)

Ok so to the recipe

Ingredients (Serves 4)
Chembu/ Taro Root - 400 gms (peeled and cut into cubes)
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Chilly powder - 1 tsp
Water - 1 1/2 cups
Salt
Curd - 1/2 cup (whisk the curd well)
Coconut grated - 1/2 cup
Cumin - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard  - 1 tsp
Dry Red Chilly - 3 nos
Fenugreek / Uluva - 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves - few

Pressure cook the taro root along with the water, turmeric, chilly pdr and salt for max 2 whistles. Take care not to mash the taro pieces while cooking ahead
Meanwhile grind the coconut along with cumin seeds adding little water to a smooth paste and keep aside.
Add the whisked curd to the cooked taro and let it boil in medium heat for 1-2 minutes.
Now add the coconut-cumin paste to this and let it get cooked for 4-5 mins more.
Do a taste test and take it off from heat
Heat oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds. Add the fenugreek and let it brown a little.
Now add the dry red chillies and curry leaves.
Add the seasoning to the curry and mix well.

Serve with Hot rice

Happy Eating!!!

Cilantro Chutney / Dip

This post links to the memories about my school days especially the Lunch Time. Most of us use to bring Rice and some sort of curry for Lunch whereas our friend Anu will everyday bring something different. She will bring sandwich, cutlets, various types of rice. Every time she brings this sandwich with Cilantro chutney and a slice of cheese, one share goes to my friend Jinny and myself. Jinny was more interested in the cheese whereas i was more interested in the Cilantro chutney part :-)
My love towards her mother's foods were so serious that i even thought of marrying her brother. As her brother was younger to me, i was ready to marry her cousin (whom i have never seen) who was of course elder ;-)
Its better to be family to get all those goodies from her mother. That was my intention :-D
She used to pull my leg telling that she will talk to her aunt for me. Oh God it was just so funny when i think about it today.
Today about 9-10 years later, she might have forgotten about it but whenever i see Cilantro, Anu and her sandwiches comes to my mind. Jinny has been asking me to put this recipe for quite some time.
So i would like to dedicate this post to my friends Jinny, Anu and all those memories.
I don't know what all Anu's mother use to add, this is just what i came up with and it tastes the same.

Ingredients (Serves 2)
Cilantro - 1/2 cup
Coconut grated - 2 tbsp
Green chilly - 1 small
Salt
Water - 2 tbsp

Grind all the ingredients together. You can add more water, if you like it more thinner.
You can add any spices that you like the flavour of. This is just the basic version.

Use it as a spread for your bread or you can use it as a dip also.

Happy Eating!!!

Dry Prawns Curry / Unakka Chemeen Curry

I didnt know that we can make it till i made it today.
2 days back when in called my mother in law, she gave me this quick recipe telling that "He will like it". I was a bit hesitant to make it because i didnt get any measurements for the ingredients. It was just what all to use. And she starts laughing when i ask her something twice. And to boost her, from here Raj will start telling "Tell it properly, she doesnt know anything" :-)
Jokes apart, most of my recipes did come from her :-)

As it doesnt have any heavy pieces of fish in it, its better to have the gravy thick.

Ingredients (Serves 3)
Dry Prawns - 15 gms
Dry Red Chilly - 2
Curry Leaves - few
Tamarind - 10 gms
Water - 1 1/2 cups
Turmeric - a pinch
Chilly powder - 1 tsp
Coconut grated - 1/2 cup
Pearl Onion - 2
Salt

Dry roast the prawns, red chilly and curry leaves for 5 minutes in medium heat
Now give it a quick pulse in a grinder  Do not grind it
Soak the tamarind in water and extract it.
Boil the tamarind water, add salt, turmeric and chilly powder. Add the dry prawns mixture and let it boil for 5-6 minutes
Meanwhile grind the coconut and crush the onions.
Now add this mixture into the curry and let it get cooked for another 5 minutes.
Do a test taste and take it off from heat

Serve with Hot rice or Dosa

Happy Eating!!!

Carrot Halwa - Gajar Ka Halwa

Carrot Halwa is a famous North Indian Dessert. Its made up with the fewest ingredients possible. It just has carrot, milk , sugar and ghee in it. Even with this less ingredients, it comes out very tasty. I tried it and i felt the stirring part to be a bit more but as far as the outcome is good am  fine with stirring or working a lot.

It took me all together 40 -50 mins to cook this including the preparation part

Ingredients (Serves 4)
Grated Carrot - 450 gms
Milk - 2 cups
Ghee - 3 tbsp
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder - a pinch
Cashew - few (for garnishing)

Boil the milk and let it boil for some time and get thickened. I let it boil for 10 mins. Keep stirring so that it doesn't get burnt.
Now heat the ghee in a pan and add the grated carrot and let it cook for some time. It will change color and texture once its cooked well. It took 8 mins for me.
Now add the milk along with sugar and cardamom powder and let it cook in the milk. Keep stirring till all the milk is absorbed.No need to keep on stirring continuously. Stir occasionally. It took 20 mins for me.
Do a test taste and let it cook till it starts leaving the edge of your pan.

Roast the cashews and add into this as garnishing.
Serve warm or chilled

Try and let me know how it went for you.

Happy Eating!!!

Rasam

Rasam is a main item in Sadya in Kerala. Its really tasty and has many health benefits. Its also said that it helps in digestion. Maybe that is the reason its given nearing the end of any feast. Oh Yeah, after a feast we will really need it :-)
Even though you can have it with Rice, in our family and my place, i have seen that more people are interested in drinking it.
Here we like to drink it, so i take out the tomato at the end

Ingredients
Tamarind - 25 gms
Water - 3 1/2 cup
Hing powder - 1 tsp
Pepper powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
Garlic crushed - 4 pods
Tomato - 1 medium (150 gms)
Coriander leaves - 1/2 bunch
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves - few
Dry Red Chilly - 3 nos


Extract the tamarind to the 3.5 cups of water and boil it along with hing,turmeric,coriander and pepper powder.
Crush the garlic pods and add into the tamarind and spices mixture and let it boil for sometime.
Now add the tomato into this and let it get cooked completely.
(I cut the tomato lengthwise because i dont like tomato pieces in Rasam, so lengthwise cut helps me to take them out when its done)
When its cooked and starts smelling good, add the corriander leaves chopped and let it simmer for 5 more minutes and stop.

Heat oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds. Add curry leaves and dry red chillies and pour the tempering to the rasam and mix well.

Happy Eating!!!

Ariyunda turns Mittayi - Ari Mittayi

Ariyunda goes long way in our marriage. When Raj was working in Trivandrum, he will bring Ariyunda whenever he comes home. I was working in Bangalore, so once he came there along with my mother and some 'ariyundas' for a small trip. By the time he brought breakfast from a shop, my mother was so hungry that she kept eating those Ariyundas. When he was back, he saw the plight of a single Ariyunda waiting for him.
From that day onwards he named and calls (behind her) my mother 'Ariyunda' and she is  aware of it :-)
Even to this day 3 years later, he keeps nagging me about that.

Well i started off with Ari Unda but by the time i finished, it turned out something like this. It resembled 'Kadala Mittayi', so i thought i will name it 'Ari Mittayi'.

It was a mistake from my side but it resulted in something tasty. I really liked it a lot, so thought of sharing this.
Its a bit difficult in making the balls out of it, but believe me its worth that. Even though Raj complained about it at first, he ended up having them.


Ingredients
Matta Rice - 1/2 cup
Grated Coconut -  1/2 cup
Jaggery - 150 gms
Cashew - 5-6 nos
Water - 1/4 cup

Wash and drain the rice and dry roast it in a pan till it changes color a bit and starts giving a spluttering kind of sound. You can try by chewing a grain. It should be very crisp
Dry roast the cashews and powder it with the roasted rice till you get fine powder.
Melt the Jaggery along with the water and strain to remove any impurities
Now heat the melted jaggery till it reduces a bit.
Now add the coconut and the rice cashew powder and mix it well with the jaggery.
By the time i stopped, this converted to a bit sticky. Hence it turned like this.
Now let it cool till you can make balls out of it with your hands.
It will be sticky, so you will have to scrape your hands before each balls

Happy Crunching!!!

Cooking Tips

Some tips that i got from my in laws and friends which has helped me a lot while cooking

• Add salt to the onion, it will quicken the sauteing process 

• While frying the onions (like the garnish in Biriyani), add a teaspoon of rice flour to the onions first and then fry. It will quicken the process and the onions will be crispy

• Add a tsp of ghee or oil while cooking rice, so that they wont stick to each other

• Clean cauliflower florets in hot water along with salt.

• For removing the stickiness 'Kara' from Raw banana, keep it in water and turmeric powder for some time.

Unakka Chemmen Chammanthi

Unakka Chemmen Chammanthi doesnt need any introduction ryt? We missed it when we reached here because we didn't find dry prawns any where here. When our friends returned from Kerala after a vacation, luckily they were able to bring some for us.
The Chammanthi is really very tasty that you can eat a plate full of rice just with that.

Ingredients (Serves 2)
Dry Prawns - 1/2 cup
Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup
Dry Red Chilly - 4-5 nos
Tamarind - a small piece
Ginger - a small piece
Pearl Onion - 1-2
Water - 3-4 tbsp
Curry Leaves
Salt

Dry roast the Dry Prawns along with curry leaves, ginger, pearl onion for 4-5 mins in medium flame
Add grated coconut along with the red chilly and dry roast them for 5-6 mins more.
Now grind this mixture along with salt and tamarind. You can add the water in between which will help in the grinding process.

Serve with hot rice and enjoy

Enjo Eating!!!

Veg Cutlet

This is the first recipe that i learned to make other than rice. Its from my friend Tahsneem's  home that i first had homemade cutlets.Her mother was a good cook and she knew many recipes to make and i loved eating them. I learned her recipe and even tried them at my home, it was a huge success.But now 10 years later i forgot the exact ingredients. This is how i make it nowadays and it comes out good even thought not good as the ones i had from Thasni's house.

Ingredients Makes 12 Cutlets
Potato - 2 medium ones
Carrot grated - 1 medium (100 gms)
Peas - 50 gms (If fresh, cook them separately)
Onion chopped - a small piece
Green chilly chopped finely - 5 gms
Ginger chopped finely - 5 gms
garlic chopped finely - 5 gms
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Amchur - 1/4 tsp
Rusk powdered- 5-6  (You can use bread crumbs also)
Egg whisked- 1
Salt
Oil - 1 tbsp + for frying

Pressure cook the potatoes - max 2 whistles
Peel and mash the potatoes well
Heat oil in a pan and add green chilly, ginger, garlic and onion one by one.
Add the peas and carrot and let it get cooked (frozen ones get cooked within 5 mins)
Now add the garam masala, salt and amchur and let it get cooked.
Once the veggies are cooked well, add the mashed potato and mix well into the spice and veggies mixture.
Make 12 balls out of this mixture and keep aside.

You can either deep fry or shallow fry the cutlet
Heat oil for frying in the pan.
Dip one ball in the whisked egg and roll it in the rusk powder and fry it till it gets a dark brown color (Take care not to burn it)
Do the same with rest of the mixture
You can add any type of vegetables for this. As i had used potato the most, my cutlets were very soft inside.

Serve hot with ketchup

Happy Eating!!!

Semiya / Vermicelli Payasam

Its Vishu and am really missing being at home. The get together of whole family and cooking and finally the eating part. That's what am missing the most. All the fire crackers in the night and the 'Vishu Kanni' and 'Kainettam' in th early morning. Its something we used to wait for the whole year. Even a 10 rupee was so precious.
Making a whole sadya and that too just for 2 persons, no way. But something sweet ought to be there.
My first sweet recipe in the blog: Semiya Payasam along with my Vishu wishes to all.

Ingredients (Serves 4)
Semiya/ Vermicelli - 1 cup                      
Milk - 4 cups (I used whole milk)
Sugar - 1- 1 1/4 cups (This was too sweet so adjust to your sweet level)
Cardamom powder - a big pinch
Cashews - 10 nos
Raisins - 10 nos
Ghee - 1 tbsp

Dry roast the 3/4 cup of vermicelli till light brown and keep aside
Dry roast the remaining 1/4 cup till it turns bright white and keep aside
its good to have 2 colors of vermicelli. It gives a good texture.
Boil milk in low-medium heat and add the vermicelli and the cardamom powder. Let it get cooked in the milk
Do keep stirring in between so that it doesnt get burnt
Once the vermicelli gets cooked, add the sugar and stir it well so that it dissolves in the milk.
Once the semiya gets cooked completely (soft), take it off from the heat

Now heat the ghee in a pan and fry the raisins till it gets plump and add the raising alone to the payasam
Fry the cashews in the same pan and add it to the payasam.
Stir it well and serve it

Happy Eating!!!

Curd Rice

We were in Mumbai when i was a kid. It was a 2 day journey in train to Kerala and my mother used to make Curd Rice and Lemon Rice for us. They remain fresh for a long time and that was what made them very special always. But i must say i never liked them back then. Looking back now i know the reason why i didnt like them. I missed those delicious foods that they sell in trains because of the curd rice and lemon rice. Ufff...
12 years later, i met Curd Rice when i got a job and moved to Bangalore. Slowly i realized that they were really good.
And now they are fast to cook, and they are my Favourite.
From Hatred to Favourite took almost 15 years for me :-)

Ingredients (Serves 2)
Uncooked Rice - 1.5 cups (I used Sona Masoori)
Curd - 1 1/4 cup (it shouldn't be too sour)
Grated Carrot - 3-4 tbspn
Green Chilly chopped finely - 3-4 medium ones
Ginger chopped finely - a small piece
Salt

Seasoning
Oil - 1 tbsp
Urad Dal - 1 tsp
Mustard - 1 tsp
Curry Leaves - few
Dry Red Chilly - 4 nos

Cook the rice with 3 cups of water and keep aside. Let it cool (You can use leftover rice also)
Mix the curd, grated carrot,green chilly,ginger and salt and let it sit for 5-10 mins.
Now mix in the rice along with the curd mixture and mix it well. Mash little rice when mixing them and keep aside (I blended little rice along with the curd mixture to get the mashed consistency)
Heat oil in a pan and splutter the mustard. Add the urad dal, curry leaves and dry red chillies and fry till the urad dal is little brown in color. Mix in the seasoning along with the Rice and Curd mixture. Let it stay for 10 mins and serve.

I usually serve it with something that is spicy like Spicy Potato and Pickle

Happy Eating!!!

Spicy Potato Upperi - As simple as it can get

Potato Upperi is  a frequent one for us because we both love it. The potatoes that you get here in US are really very soft. They cook very fast and its really very smooth considering its Potato.
In Kerala, i found Ooty Potato which was really very good one. It was a little pricey compared to the regular ones but they were very good as they were so soft.o can get Ooty Potato, better give it a try.

Ingredients (Serves 2)

Potato - 2 medium ones chopped
Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves - few
Salt
Chilly Powder - 1/4 tsp (depending on your taste level)

Heat oil in a pan and splutter the mustard and add curry leaves.
Now add the potato along with salt and keep it in medium heat for 5 mins. Close the pan with a lid.
Dont toss them so that they get a nice crispy crust on one layer.
The potatoes will be done allmost now. Sprinkle the chilly pdr and toss them and keep it in low heat for 1 min more and its done.

Happy Eating!!!

Kozhukatta Spicy

Its a 4 PM snack item in most of the Kerala households. This is not a sweet Kozhukatta but a spicy one which makes it a good choice for Breakfast too.
When i looked, i didnt find a recipe for this type of Kozhukatta available, so thought of posting it. Who doesnt like a twist, ryt?
We usually add lots of small onions and mustard, eating each 'kozhukatta' with a little bit of onion and mustard is the perfect way to have them :-)

Ingredients (Serves 3)
Rice powder - 1 1/2 cup
Grated coconut - 1/2 - 3/4 cup (the more the merrier)
Cumin seed - 1 tsp
Salt
Water - 1 1/4 cups

For Temepering
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard Seed- 1 tbsp
Curry Leaves - few
Dry Red Chilly - 5-6
Small Onion chopped - 15 nos

Dry roast the rice powder with cumin seeds for 10 mins in medium heat. Keep stirring.
Add the salt and mix it into this powder. Take care not to add more salt as you will get the salt taste only after adding water
 Add the grated coconut and now add the water slowly and start mixing it till you get a consistency of that of a chapati dough.
Now make small balls of the dough and steam them till its cooked well.
The smaller, the tastier they are
Mine took about 20 mins in medium heat
Once the steam starts coming out, i reduce the heat to low- medium and allow it to cook.

Once the kozhukatta is cooled enough to handle, start with the tempering
Heat oil in pan and splutter the mustard seeds. Then add the curry leaves and dry red chillies.
Now add the onion and saute them till it gets a brown color. Take care not to burn them
Toss the Kozhukatta along with the tempering and let it stay in low heat for 5 mins.
Yay...Its done

Eat Kozhukatta along with the mustard and onion. It tastes better that way :-)

Happy Eating

Cabbage Thoran

This is one dish that everyone will be familiar as its one main item in Kerala Sadya/Feast.
Cabbage always reminds me of our school days where i first learnt about Fiber and that Cabbage has lots of fiber in it (cool way to remember ryt?)
I was not a big fan of this dish but later i found my way into it through grated coconut :-)
Yes, i added the grated coconut in while cooking and it really increased the taste of the food.
Now i just love it. And its easy to prepare too. So there is nothing stopping you from preparing it

Ingredients (Serves 2)
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard - 1 tsp
Urad Dal - 1 tsp
Green chilly - 1 medium one (around 3 gms)
Curry Leaves - few
Onion chopped - 50 gms
Salt
Cabbage chopped - 200 gms
Turmeric - a big pinch
Grated Coconut - 2tbsp

Heat oil in a pan, and splutter the mustard seeds.
Add the urad dal, curry leaves and green chilly and saute till the urad dal gets a light brown color.
Now add the onion and salt and mix it
Dont saute the onion completely as it will be done while the cabbage gets cooked
Now add the cabbage and turmeric pdr and cook closed with a lid for 2-3 mins
Now mix all well and you can see that the onion is done by this time.
Cook again for 3-4 mins, stirring in between and see is its cooked completely.
The cabbage will change its texture when its cooked.
Do a test taste and stop the heat.
Now add the grated coconut and mix and let it stay for 5 mins and serve.

Serve with Hot rice or Chapati

Try and let me know your thoughts

Happy Eating!!!

Dal Palak

Dal Palak

Even though its a North Indian dish, its welcome in most of the Indian homes :-)
I am from South India and i love allmost all varieties of Dal. I have been trying to recreate a dal that i have had in my childhood. I have still not reached to that recipe but in the way, i stumbled across this and thought to stick with it till i get the other one
As i was trying to increase the spinach content in our food, i added it in this Dal and Vola, there came my 'Dal Palak' to this wonderful world

Ingredients (Serves 4)

Toor Dal - 1/2 cup (soak for at least 1 hour)
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Water - 2 1/2 cups
Oil - 1 tbsp
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
Garlic Minced - 3 pods (3 gms)
Onion chopped - 100 gms
Green chilly - 2 medium ones (3 gms)
Salt
Tomato chopped - 150 gms
Red Chilly Pdr - 1/4 tsp

Spinach - 100 gm chopped

Pressure cook the Toor dal in the water and a pinch salt for max 2 whistles and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan and splutter the cumin seeds, add the minced garlic and fry for a minute.
Now add the onions and salt and saute them well.
Add the tomatoes. Once the tomatoes are done, add the red chilly pdr and mix till the raw smell vanishes.
Now add the chopped spinach and let it get cooked.
Add the cooked dal including the water in it. Let it boil
Do a taste test and stop the heat once it reaches your desired consistency.

Serve hot with Rice or Chapati

Try and let me know :-)

Happy Eating!!!