Banana Halwa

Nenthra Pazham halwa is prepared used extra ripe plantain. Nenthra Pazham is the malayalam name for ripe plantain. My hometown calicut, is very famous for it's halwas and banana chips. Banana halwa is one of the best halwas to try, when in Calicut...also known as Kozhikode. This is my version of making banana halwa.

Ingredients

3 - Extra ripe plantain
1 cup - Whole milk
1 cup - Sugar or Jaggery syrup
1 - cardamom, powdered
1/2 cup - Ghee ( Clarified butter )
Few cashew nuts to decorate.

Method

1 ) Place the ripe plantains to steam in a steamer.


2 ) Steam till banana is well cooked. You will see, like in the picture below, the skin split from steaming and banana is cooked. Or you can microwave the banana. Cut to 3-4 pieces and place in microwave safe plate and cook till cooked.


3 ) Remove the skin and cut the banana in the center. You will be able to see, black seeds in the center. Remove the seeds and mash the banana well.


4 ) In a heavy bottom pan add milk. When using sugar, add sugar to milk and boil, to melt the sugar. Then add mashed banana, cook till all the milk is used up.Add cardamom powder and mix in. Then add ghee and cook till halwa is leaving the sides of the pan and has browned in color.

5 ) When using jaggery, mix mashed banana and milk and cook till the banana is well mashed up and all the milk is used up. Add Jaggery syrup and cardamom powder. Stir and cook till all the liquid is used up. Add ghee and keep stirring till the banana paste is leaving the sides of the pan and the colour of the paste has turned to a deep brown.

6 ) Grease a plate with ghee and spread the banana halwa on the plate. Apply some ghee on the back of a spoon ( this will help to shape the halwa ) and smooth down the top of the halwa and shape it.

Cut into squares and decorate with roasted cashewnut. Serve when cool.

Pazham Pradhaman

Welcoming 2007 with this sweet treat from kerala.........Pazham Pradhaman !Pazham Pradhaman is cooked with ripe plantains knows as 'nendra pazham', jaggery and coconut milk. Traditionally it is cooked in a vessel called uruli. Cooking in uruli gives a better taste to the pradhaman.

Ingredients

250 gm - Extra ripe plantains
250 gm - Jaggery
1 big whole - Coconut grated (for extracting milk)

For Garnishing

1/4 cup - Coconut chopped into bits
1/4 cup - Cashew nuts
1/2 cup - Ghee ( clarified butter )

Method

1 ) Extract coconut milk three times with the grated coconut, using a blender. 1st extract - 1 cup, 2nd extract - 1 cup, 3rd extract - 1 1/2 cup. Set aside.

2 ) Chop the ripe plantains into 4 parts and steam cook till well cooked. Cool and then peel the skin off. Cut in the center and remove the seeds. Grind with little water to a smooth paste and set aside.

3 ) In little water melt jaggery and make a thick syrup. Strain to remove any impurities and set aside.

4 ) In a heavy bottom pan, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of ghee. Add the ground plantain paste and the jaggery syrup. Cook till it thickens to a Varattiyathu stage.

5 ) Add 3rd extracted milk. Stir and cook till it thickens up. Then add 2nd extracted milk and cook for 5 minutes. Then add the 1st extracted milk and take off the stove


6 ) In a pan fry coconut bits and cashew nuts in ghee till it's a golden brown in colour. Garnish the pradhaman with this.

Serve hot. Personally i like to refrigerate the payasam and have it cold.

Chana Masala

Garbanzo beans or chickpeas is known as Kabuli chana in Hindi. Reading about this beans from different sources on the net, i gather this is a versatile legume, full of good nutrients and a lot of health benefits. It's a good source of protein, zinc, folate, vitamin E, potassium, dietary fiber and iron. Contains soluble fiber which helps in lowering cholesterol and helps in stabilizing Blood Sugar. It's low in fat.
Chana masala or chole is popular dish among the Punjabi's in India.

Ingredients

500 gms - Kabuli Chana or 2 tins of cooked Garbanzo beans
1 - Onion chopped
3 - Tomatoes chopped
1 tsp - Garlic paste
1 tsp - Ginger paste
1/4 tsp - Turmeric
1/2 tsp - Red chili powder
1/2 tsp - Garam masala powder
2 - Bay leaves
1 tsp - Amchur powder / Mango Powder or 1 tsp - Lime juice
3 tbsp - Oil

Roast and grind to powder

2 tsp - Coriander powder
1 tsp - Jeera / Cumin
1/2 tsp - Pepper corns
1 - Cinnamon stick , 2 - Cloves

Garnish

Coriander leaves chopped

Method

1 )When using dry chana, soak chana overnight and pressure cook in 3-4 whistles . When using cooked & canned chana, drain all the water and wash well. Set aside.

2 ) Roast and grind to a powder,cinnamon,cloves, peppercorns, jeera and coriander powder.

3 )Heat a heavy bottomed pan. Pour oil, add bay leaves. Stir for a minute. Add onion and saute till golden brown in colour. Then add garlic and ginger paste and fry for 2 - 3 minutes.

4 ) Add chili powder, turmeric powder, roasted & powdered ingredients and fry for a minute. Add tomatoes and saute till oil separates.

5 ) Add the cooked chana, salt and cook covered for 5-10 min on low flame.Add water as required, if you need more gravy. Add salt to taste.

6 ) Add the amchur and garam masala powder. Stir and mix well. (if amchur is not available, add 1 tsp lime juice after taking off the stove and when still warm )

Garnish with corinader leaves. Yummy and delicious chana masala to serve with roti or batura

Arikadukka - Stuffed Mussels

Kadukka or Kallumakai as mussels is known in Malayalam is a popular seafood in Malabar regions of kerala. Mussels are fried, stuffed, curried, pickled and are used in rice dishes for making biriyani or pulao. Ari kadukka, as the name suggests in Malayalam is mussels stuffed in rice paste and steamed within its shell, which is then fried.

Ingredients

25 - 30 - Medium size mussels

For Stuffing dough

3 cups - Rice flour

1.5 cups - Grated coconut

3 - Shallots / small onion

1 tsp - Aniseed

1/2 tsp - Jeera / cumin seeds

Salt to taste

Masala batter

2 tsp - Red chili powder

1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder

1 tbsp - Rice flour

2 - Garlic flakes, finely grated

Salt to taste

Method

1 ) Wash the mussel shells well. Boil the shells in enough water, till the shells open. Drain all the water. Do not use shells that have not opened. Those are not good ones.

2 ) Scoop out the mussel meat from the shell. Clean the inside part of the mussels to remove any dirt there. Cut and remove the black part in the bottom of the mussel. Clean well and set aside.

3 ) Grind the ingredients for the dough, except the rice flour, to a smooth paste with little water. Add to the rice flour and make a dough.

Stuff this dough into the mussel ( inside part of the mussel and the outer part. Cover well with the dough. Place this stuffed mussels in a well cleaned mussel shell to steam.

4 ) Steam the stuffed mussels in a steamer or use a pressure cooker in which a utensil for steaming is placed and steam mussels in it, covered with a lid.

Steam for 10 minutes. When fully cooked. Take off the steamer and place to cool. Then scoop out the stuffed mussels from the shells.

5 ) Mix all the ingredients for masala batter together with little water and make a batter. Dip or lightly coat the steamed mussels in this batter.

6 ) In a wok or kadai, add enough oil to deep fry. Add mussels to the oil and fry till crisp and golden brown in colour.

Serve this Arikadukka as a snack with your evening tea.

Erachi Varattiyathu - Meat Fry

Now that the Christmas is around the corner, a meat recipe for the family gathering. Kerala Christians are so good at cooking the meat as Ularthiyathu or Varathiyathu. Here is a recipe to try with a meat of your choice. (Use the meat of your preference, pork or beef for this recipe) Merry Christmas to my christian friends !!

Ingredients

1 kilo - Erachi /Meat

To dry roast, powder & marinate

5 tbsp - Coriander powder
1 tbsp - Red chili powder
1 tsp - Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp - Black pepper powder
2 - Cinnamon sticks
4 - Cloves
1 - Black cardamom / Badi Elaichi ( click for pic )
1 - Star Anise / Takkolam
1 to 2 tsp - Fennel seeds/ Perumjeerakam 

Grind Coarsely

5 flakes - Garlic
1 inch piece - Ginger
Few curry leaves

Seasoning

1 big - Onion , thinly sliced
1/2 cut - Coconut, cut to small bits
Curry leaves

Method

1 ) Dry roast the spices( Cinnamon, clove, black cardamom, star anise, fennel ) till the aroma comes out and add that to a blender. Then dry roast the powders on low heat, till the color changes to a deep color. Add to the blender and make a powder with the spices.

2 ) Grind coarsely garlic and ginger. Add few curry leaves and just crush.

3 ) Add the ground powder and coarsely ground to the meat. Add salt to taste and marinate for half an hour.

4 ) Place the meat in utensil to cook or pressure cook. (The meat you get in USA cooks very fast. So you don't have to pressure cook.)

5 ) Cook the meat on a low heat, covered with a lid. When the meat starts cooking, some water will come out and it will cook in that water. If not add very little water and cook covered. Cook till the meat is well cooked and all the water is used up.

6 ) In a pan fry the coconut pieces to a light golden color. Take off the pan and set aside. Add sliced onion to the pan and fry to a golden brown. Add curry leaves.

7 ) Add this to the cooked meat, stir and fry the meat adding more oil. (If you have not trimmed off the fat from the meat, you can fry in it's oil. If you have trimmed off all the fat then add more oil to fry)

Serve as a starter or as a side dish. Garnish with lemon wedges and onion rings.
Note
This is a spicy dish. Reduce the spicy level by reducing the quantity of red chili and black pepper.

Mambazha Pulissery - Ripe Mango Curry

This curry is made with ripe mangoes. It's sweet and sour in taste.Really a tasty curry to try out. Use a extra ripe mango to make this pulissery.

Ingredients

2 - Ripe mango, cut into small pieces
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp - Red chili powder
1 cups - Water
2 cups - Thick yogurt / curds
salt to taste

Grind to paste

1 cup - Grated coconut ( fresh )
1/2 tsp - Jeera / cumin seeds
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
2 - green chili

Seasoning

1 tsp - Mustard seeds
1/4 tsp - Fenugreek seeds / Uluva
4 - Dry whole red chili
Curry leaves
Oil

Method

1 ) Cook cut ripe mangoes in one cup water with red chili powder, turmeric powder and salt. Cook till mango pieces are well cooked and can be mashed. Mash a bit of the pieces.

2 ) Meanwhile grind to a paste the ingredients listed to be ground with half the yogurt. Add 2 to 3 leaves of curry leaves also while grinding in the end.

3 ) Add to the cooked mango, whip the remaining yogurt and add to the pulissery. Mix well. Adjust salt as per taste. Bring to a boil and cook for a minute. Don't allow the yogurt to curdle.Take off the stove.
4 ) Heat oil for seasoning in a pan. Add mustard and after it pops add fenugreek seeds, dry red chili and curry leaves. Add this seasoning to the pulissery.

Serve as a side dish with rice. Enjoy this delicious pulissery. This will make a good addition to Onam Sadhya.

Dal / Lentil & Broccoli Fry

Broccoli is a vegetable, with dark green florets and looks similar to the cauliflower.It belongs to the cabbage family. Broccoli is a highly nutritious vegetable. It's a good source of soluble fiber and folate. Also has Vitamin K, C and A.

Broccoli needs very little cooking time. This is a very simple recipe with lentil and broccoli.


Ingredients

2 florets - Broccoli, cut the florets into small pieces
2 cups - Toor dal / Lentil
1/2 tsp -Turmeric powder
1 tsp - Red chili powder
2 cups - Water
Salt to taste

Seasoning

1 tsp - Mustard seeds
3 - Shallots, diced
Curry leaves
Coconut oil



Method

1 ) Cover and cook dal with turmeric and red chili powder in two cups of water. Add some coconut oil, when cooking the dal. This gives out good flavour. Add salt when dal is almost cooked. Take off the stove. Dal should not be over cooked.

2 ) In a pan heat oil and add mustard. After mustard pops, add shallots and fry to a golden brown colour. Add curry leaves.

3 ) Add broccoli to the pan and stir fry. Cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes on low heat. Add to the cooked dal and mix well. Fry adding little oil. Take off the stove.

Serve with roti or rice.

Kappa Vevichathu

This tuberous root is known in different names, such as Tapioca, yucca, cassava......kappa in Malayalam and for sure is cooked in different methods by different cultures.
In this recipe, kappa is spiced up to cater to the malayali taste buds.

Ingredients

500 gm - Tapioca / Kappa

To grind coarsely

1/2 cup - Grated coconut (fresh)
2 - Whole red chili
2 to 4 - Green chili
2 flakes - Garlic
1 tsp - Turmeric powder

Seasoning

1 tsp - Mustard seeds
1 tsp - Urad dal
2 - Shallots, diced
Curry leaves
Coconut oil

Method

1 ) Peel the skin off the tapioca, cut to small pieces and wash well.

2 ) Grind coarsely ingredients to be ground. Set aside.

3 ) In a pressure cooker, pressure cook kappa in two cups of water. Reduce heat after reaching full pressure and cook for five minutes. Take off stove and cool.
Or Cook the kappa in a open pot with enough water to cover the kappa and cook till kappa is cooked well and soft.

4 ) Drain out excess water, if there is excess. But not completely. Retain a little water. If there is no water left after kappa is cooked, add one cup warm water.

5 ) Add salt and reheat. Add the ground ingredients and mix well.

6 ) In a pan heat oil for Seasoning. Add mustard, after it pops, add urad dal, then shallots and curry leaves. Fry shallots to golden brown.

7 ) Add to the kappa. Simmer for 2 - 3 minutes. Take off stove.

Serve hot with fish curry.

Tip

If you need to add additional water to cook tapioca, add warm water. Don't add cold water, as it will harden the kappa and it will not cook well.

Padavalanga Unakka Chemmeen Curry - Snake gourd Dry Shrimp Curry

This is a nice combination of dry shrimps with snake gourd. Padavalanga as is known in Malayalam is quite bland in taste.You can spice it up by combining unakka chemmeen and other spices with padavalanga.Unakka chemmeen is small dry shrimps, sun dried.

Ingredients

1 - Snake gourd /Padavalanga, chopped to small pieces
1 cup - Dry Shrimp / Unakka chemmeen, washed well
Salt to taste

To grind to paste

1 to 1.5 cup - Grated fresh coconut
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
1 tsp - Red chili powder
1/4 tsp - Jeera / Cumin
2 big- Shallot , chopped

Sesoning

1 tsp - Mustard Seeds
5 big - Shallots, chopped
3 sprigs - Curry leaves
Coconut Oil

Method

1 ) Place a pot on stove with one cup water. Add snake gourd, dry shrimps and salt to taste. Cook to a boil, then simmer till cooked well.

2 ) Add the ground thick coconut paste. Add enough water to make a curry consistency. Don't make it too watery. Bring to a boil and take off the stove.

3 ) Season with mustard, shallots and curry leaves. Add to the curry.

Serve with rice. This is a yummy curry.....goes well with rice.

Beetroot Pachadi

Beetroot has a vegetable has notable amount of sweetness to it.
Both the root and leaves have good nutritional value. It's low in calories and fat. It's a good source of fiber.
In Indian cooking beetroot is seasoned and flavored with different spices.

Here is a recipe making use of both the root and the leaves.

Ingredients

1 - Beetroot with leaves
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
Salt to taste

To grind to a paste

1 cup - Grated coconut
2 - Green chili
1/2 tsp - Mustard
1/4 tsp - jeera1/2 tsp - Ginger or very small piece of ginger
2 cup - Curd/ yogurt ( medium sour )


Seasoning1 tsp - Mustard4- Red chili ( whole )
Curry leaves
Oil



Method

1 ) Chop and dice beetroot and the leaves into small pieces. In a pot add one cup water,turmeric, salt and the chopped beetroot and leaves. Cook till the beetroot is fully cooked.
2 ) Grind the ingredients listed to be ground (except the yogurt) to a paste with water.
3) Add the ground paste to the cooked beetroot and cook for 2 minutes. Take off the stove and cool.
4 ) Whip the yogurt well and mix in with the cooked beetroot.
5 ) Season with mustard, red chili and curry leaves. Add to the beetroot.

Serve with rice.

NoteUse freshly grated coconut.

A variations to this recipe is Dhanya's Beetroot kichadi

Aattirachi Recipes - Mutton Recipes

I found a halal shop, selling fresh cut goat meat yesterday.There was also goat brain available. Goat meat being red meat, we have it once in a way. This is a spicy meat dish, which is flavoured with coconut milk.

Mutton Masala Curry - Aattirachi Curry

Ingredients

500 gm - Mutton / Aattirachi

2 - Green chili, slit in center

1 inch piece - Ginger, chopped

1 sprig - Curry leaves

Roast Ingredients

2 - Cinnamon sticks

4 - Cloves

1 tsp - Fennel seeds / Perumjeerakam

1/2 tsp - Black pepper powder

3 tbsp - Coriander powder

1 tsp - Red chili powder

1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder

1 - shallot, diced

To exact Coconut milk

1.5 cup - Grated coconut

Seasoning

1/4 cup - Coconut bits ( Thenga kothu )

5- 6 - Shallots, diced

Salt to taste

Preparation

1 ) Cut and wash mutton pieces. Extract thick coconut milk, by grinding grated coconut in half cup water. Set aside for final garnish. Extract milk second time with 1 cup water. Set aside in another bowel. Take a third extract with 1.5 cup water.

2 ) In little oil, roast shallots then add coriander, red chili, turmeric, pepper, aniseed, cloves, cinnamon. Grind to a fine paste with little water.

Method

1 ) Place mutton in a pressure cooker. Add green chili, ginger, curry leaves and the ground paste. Add the third extract coconut milk, mix well. Add salt to taste.

2 ) Pressure cook the meat for 10-15 minutes on medium heat. Allow the cooker to cool and open.

3 ) In a pan, heat oil and fry the ingredients for seasoning. Add the coconut bits and fry lightly, take off pan and set aside. Then add shallots and fry till light brown.

4 ) Place the cooker back on medium heat after opening. Add the second extract and cook till gravy is thick. Add the seasonings. Adjust the salt as per taste. Add the final thick coconut milk and take off the stove.

Serve hot with kerala porotta's or rice dishes.

Dry Mutton Masala - Aattirachi Varathiyathu

With a slight variation, is another mutton recipe. Here in this recipe coconut milk is not used. This is a dry and spicy dish.

Ingredients

500 gm - Mutton / Aattirachi
2 - Green chili, slit in center
1 inch piece - Ginger, chopped
1 - Tomato, diced

2 sprig - Curry leaves

Salt to taste

Dry Roast & Powder

2 - Cinnamon sticks
4 - Cloves
1 tsp - Aniseed / Perumjeerakam
1/2 tsp - Black pepper powder
3 tbsp - Coriander powder
1 tsp - Red chili powder
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder

Seasoning

1/4 cup - Coconut bits ( Thenga kothu )
5- 6 - Shallots, diced

Method

1) Dry roast all the ingredients listed to roast and powder it.

2 ) Place mutton in a pressure cooker or a heavy bottom pan. Add green chili, ginger, Tomato, curry leaves, roasted powder and salt. Stir and mix well. Add one and half cup water.

3 ) Pressure cook the meat for 10-15 minutes on medium heat. Allow the cooker to cool and open. Or cook in heavy bottom pan, closed with a lid till the mutton is cooked well.

4 ) Heat oil in a pan, add the coconut bits and fry lightly.Take off the pan and set aside. Then add shallots and fry till light brown.

5 ) Place the cooker back on medium heat after opening. Cook till gravy is thick and all the water is used up. Add the seasonings, stir and mix well. Take off the stove.

Serve hot with kerala porotta's or rice dishes.

Brain Fry

This is a delicacy.Very simple recipe to follow and tasty dish to have.

Ingredients

500 gm - Goat Brain
1/2 to 1 tsp - Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp - Black pepper powder
Salt to taste

To fry

1 cup - Shallots, chopped
2 to 4 - Green chili, chopped and minced
1'' piece - Ginger, minced
1 sprig - Curry leaves, chopped

Method

1 ) Heat a pan, add 1/2 th cup water. Add turmeric powder, pepper powder, salt and brain to it. Cover and cook the brain on a low heat.When half cooked,with a spoon cut brain to big pieces, so that the pepper and salt can reach in. Cook till all the water is used up and brain is fully cooked. Take off stove.

2 ) Meanwhile, in a pan fry, green chili, ginger, shallots and curry leaves. Fry till light brown.

3 ) Add the cooked brain to the fried ingredients. Fry on low heat and let the ingredients blend in. Adjust salt as per taste.

Serve hot with chapati or rice.

Homemade Face Masks For Different Skin Types

Raid your pantry for natural ingredients to concoct soothing effective potions, that add new glow and sparkle to your skin. Any mask will leave your skin feeling softer, fresher and smoother. But if the mask feels tight and dry, then it is obvious that particular mask is drying for your skin. Masks which are drying should not be left on for too long, if you have dry skin. Drying effect can be removed by adding vegetable oil, egg yolk, honey, cream, banana and powdered whole milk.

Mayonnaise mask base - This is a starter for any mask. It contains basic good things that any skin will respond to. You can use it on its own or add things to it.

1- egg yolk
1 tsp - Vinegar

Here are some possible additions; honey and grated apple, oatmeal, mashed banana, mashed strawberries and pineapple.


Monsoon Face mask

1 tsp - Moong dal powder
1 tsp - Channa dal powder
1 tsp - Methi / fenugreek powder

Mix with rose water and make a paste. Wash your face with water first and dry it then apply this mask in a upward stroke. Leave it on for 20 minutes and then wash and clean with cold water.

To lighten your complexion -

1 tsp - Lime juice
1 tsp - Cucumber juice
1 tsp - Carrot juice

Mix and apply on the skin. Leave it on for 15 minutes and then wash it off with water.

Egg yolk mask

1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp oatmeal
1 tsp - Vegetable oil
1/2 tsp - Powdered starch
1/4 tsp - Honey
1/2 tsp - Powdered milk

Mix all the ingredients to a smooth paste and apply on the face. Leave it on for 20 minutes and then wash the face with luke warm water, followed by a through splash with cold water.

Exfoliating toning mask - This mask is very good for neglected skin over- exposed to the sun. It has slight bleaching properties and egg white tightens the skin.

1 slice - Pineapple
1 raw egg white

Add a few drops of lemon juice. Blend these ingredients to a paste. If necessary thicken paste with powdered oat meal. Leave on for 20 minutes.

Dairy Mask - Yogurt and fresh or sour cream has valuable cosmetic properties, these can be mixed with honey, peach, banana, pear or grated apple to make excellent masks for drying skin.

Milk Powder Mask - Ideal for improving skin texture. Mix 2 tsp milk powder with little water to a paste and apply. For oily skin - Skim milk is best. For dry skin, use full cream milk, also 1 tsp vegetable oil can be added, if necessary.

Simple dry skin mask

1 egg yolk
2 tsp - Kaolin powder
1 tsp - Vegetable oil

Mix to paste and apply.

Anti- Wrinkle Mask - Egg white beaten to a froth is a very good temporary wrinkle lightener. More so if you add a pinch of alum to it.

For oily face - Scrap / grate one medium size carrot, mix with milk and egg white. Apply on the face.
Boil some neem leaves in water - steam your face. Then cool the neem water and use that to wash your face.

To remove black spots

1 ) Make a paste with white radish and buttermilk. Apply on the face.

For Wrinkles

1 ) Mix sandal wood powder, rose water, glycerin and apply on the face. Wash with cold water when done.

For all skins

Juice of one apple and one tablespoon milk, 1 tbsp fullers earth ( multani mithi ) - Mix and apply on the face.

Toner that can be used after steaming

Use half of a large cucumber, 4 tbs of chopped fresh mint leaves, 1 tbsp of camphor oil - Liquidise cucumber, add the other ingredients and apply on the face.