Wheat Payasam with Fried Banana

An yummy wheat payasam sweetened with jaggery and cooked in coconut milk. Sweet and ripe plantain is fried in ghee and is introduced into the cooked payasam. Fried plantains gives a new dimension to the wheat payasam and makes it irresistible to stop having the payasam.

Ingredients

1 cup - Broken wheat
2.5 cup - Water
1 cup - Thick jaggery syrup Or more as per taste
1 - Cardamom, powdered
1/4 tsp - Dry ginger powder

Coconut milk from one coconut

• 1 cup - First extracted coconut milk


• 1.5 cup - Second extracted coconut milk


• 1.5 cup - Third extracted coconut milk

1 - Big ripe plantain, slit in center, cut to 8 big pieces

Garnishing

1/4 cup - Coconut pieces sliced

Ghee

Method

1 ) Cook broken wheat in pressure cooker with water, till very soft. Pressure cook for 8 to 10 minutes.

2 ) Meanwhile, heat a pan with some ghee. On low heat fry plantain on both side till golden brown in color. Drain and keep aside.

3 ) Add jaggery syrup to the cooked wheat, simmer and keep stirring for a minute. Add 3 rd extracted coconut milk, bring to a boil, then simmer and cook till it thickens.

4 ) Add second extracted coconut milk, bring to a boil. Add cardamom powder, dry ginger powder and simmer. Then add the fried plantain and simmer for 2 minutes. Finally add the first extracted coconut milk. Just bring to a boil, take off the stove.

5) In the pan with ghee add sliced coconut and fry lightly. Garnish the payasam with the sliced coconut.

Serve as a dessert and enjoy the delectable taste of this payasam.
Ripe plantain fried in ghee with some sugar sprinkled on top, is in itself a great sweet treat.

Mandira is hosting this month's Jihva for Ingredients, which was started by Indira of Mahanandi. Banana is the chosen ingredient and this payasam goes in as an entry to this event.

Chemmeen Masala

Prawns masala, with less gravy and a nadan touch. I tried the curry with some appam and it went so well with it. It's spiced up with green chilies and other masala powders.

Ingredients

2 lb - Prawns, de-shell & de-vein
2 tbsp - Coriander powder
1 to 2 tsp - Red chili powder
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
2 to 3 pinches - Hing powder
6 to 8 - Green chilies, slit in center
1 inch piece - Ginger, grated
4 big flakes - Garlic, grated
4 big - Shallots, chopped
1/4 cup - Coconut, cut into small bits
2 sprigs - Curry leaves
2 - Kodampuli, clean
1 cup - Thick coconut milk

Method

1 ) Heat oil in a kadai, add curry leaves and coconut bits. Then add green chili, ginger, garlic and shallots. Stir and fry for a minute. Meanwhile in 1/2 cup water, cook kodampuli for a minute in the microwave.

2 ) Now add all the powder one by one. Stir, fry and cook the masala for minute. Then add the cleaned prawns, stir and mix well with the masala. Pour in the kodampuli with water and cook the prawns till half done.

3 ) Pour in the coconut milk and cook the prawns till the gravy thickens up and the prawns is fully cooked.

Serve with rice, chapati or appam.

Tomato Pachadi

This is an easy and simple tomato pachadi to make. Marta of 'An Italian in the US' is hosting an event based on 'Fresh Produce of the Month' . Tomato is the produce of the month. Now let's get to making this pachadi....

Ingredients

2 - Plum & ripe Tomatoes, chopped
2 - Big shallots, diced
1 tsp - Ginger -garlic paste
1/2 cup - Butter milk
1 cup - Thick creamy yogurt
Salt to taste

Seasoning

1/2 tsp - Mustard seeds
1/4 tsp - Cumin seeds
2 sprigs - Curry leaves

Method

1 ) Heat a saucepan with oil, add mustard and let it pop. Then add curry leaves and cumin seeds. Add shallots, stir and fry then add ginger-garlic paste, fry for a minute.

2 ) Add tomatoes stir and fry. Close with a lid and cook on low heat till tomato is well cooked. Add salt to taste. Turn off the stove .

3 ) Meanwhile, mix & blend buttermilk and yogurt well. Add this mixture to the saucepan , stir and mix well.

Serve with rice as a side dish.

Kanji for the Soul

This rice porridge is so nourishing, wholesome, fulfilling and very much a comfort food. Rosematta rice is used to cook this kanji along with green gram dal and chana dal. Ghee and coconut enhances the flavour and make this kanji so very tasty and delicious.

Mallugirl of Malabar spices is hosting a Summer express cooking event. Sending this dish for this event. This kanji is simple to make and can be prepared within 30 minutes.

Ingredients

1/2 cup - Rosematta rice
1/4 cup- green gram dal
1/4 cup - Chana dal
8 cups - Water
2 tbsp - Ghee
1/2 cup - Freshly Grated coconut
Salt to taste

Method

1 ) Add rice, green gram dal and chana dal into a pressure cooker. Add water, close the lid and bring the pressure cooker to a full cooking pressure. After the first whistle, simmer and cook for 20 to 25 minutes. Take off the stove and cool.

2 ) Open the pressure cooker,add salt to taste, ghee and coconut. Stir in well and serve. The rice and dals should be well cooked, almost like it is over cooked.



Serve hot with pappad.

Check out Kanji & Payar recipe from kitchenmishmash

Paal Payasam

Celebrating this onam with some paal payasam.This payasam ( Indian rice pudding ) is prepared with rosematta rice also known as Palakkadan matta rice or Kerala red rice, milk and sugar. Then garnished with cashew and raisins. Garnishing is optional, if you want the payasam to be similar to the famous Ambalappuzha Paal Payasam. Below in picture is the rosematta rice.


Want to make some Paal payasam the easy way ?? Then follow me....
Ingredients

1/3 cup - Rosematta rice, wash well
1.5 cup - sugar
8 cups - Milk ( read note below )
2 - Cardamom ( optional ), crush and powder

Garnishing

Few cashew nuts
Few white dry raisins
Ghee

Method

1 ) In a pressure cooker boil the milk. Then add washed rice, sugar and close the pressure cooker with the lid. Bring to a full cooking pressure. After the first whistle, low the heat to very low simmer and cook for 45 minutes.

2 ) Open the pressure cooker after it has cooled down to see a paal payasam with a beautiful dark pink shade. Check the sweetness and add more sugar if necessary. You can serve the payasam without garnish at this point.

3 ) Proceed to garnish and flavour with cardamom. Add cardamom powder and stir. In a pan heat some ghee and fry the cashew nuts and raisins. Garnish the payasam.


Serve this paal payasam as dessert after the onasadhya.

A dessert entry for the summer express cooking event, hosted by Mallugirl of Malabar Spices.
Also sending in this for Shri Krishna Janmashtami festival food event, that Latha of ' The yum blog ' is organising.

Note : The measuring cup i have used to measure the milk in is with " Anchor Hocking 2-Cup Glass Measuring Cup". Please note this, as i have come to realise that every measuring cup, does not give the same measurement. This can result in the recipe not turning out as expected. So use same measuring cup to measure rice,milk and sugar.

Fish in coconut milk gravy

This is a coconut milk based fish curry with kodampuli and tomato to give it a tangy taste. I have seasoned the curry with sea salt instead of the normal salt and have used cherry tomatoes, which i felt gave a better taste.

Ingredients

1.5 lb - Fish , clean & cut to medium size pieces
1.5 to 2 tsp - Red chili powder
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
1 tsp - Coriander powder
1 medium size - tomato Or 5 - cherry tomatoes, chopped
4 - Kodampuli , wash
2 to 3 sprigs - Curry leaves

Coarsely crush

1 inch piece - ginger
2 to 3 - Green chili
3 flakes - Garlic

3 - Shallots

Coconut milk from half of a coconut.

• 1/2 cup - Thick 1st extracted coconut milk


• 1 cup - Second extracted coconut milk

Sea salt to taste and coconut oil

Method

1 ) Dilute red chili, turmeric and coriander powder in little water. In microwave safe bowl, cook kodampuli in 1/2 a cup of water for one minute.

2 ) In a manchatti (earthen pot used to cook fish curry in kerala ) or in a kadai heat coconut oil, add crushed ingredients, curry leaves, stir and fry for a minute. Add tomatoes, stir and fry well.

3 ) Add diluted powders, stir and fry till oil comes out. Add kodampuli with the water and the fish pieces. Add little more water, if necessary for the fish to cook. Add salt to taste.

4 ) When the fish is half cooked, add the second extracted milk. Cover with a lid and cook on low flame till the fish is fully cooked and the gravy has thickened.

5 ) Finally pour in the thick coconut milk, bring to a boil and take off the stove. Garnish with some fresh curry leaves.

Serve hot with rice and pappad.

I am all smiles to receive the "Rocking girl blogger award" from three fellow blogger friends. Richa of As dear as salt, Viji of Malabar Ruchi and by Kribha of En Samayal Pakkam .

Viji also passed on "The Power of Schmooze Award" to me. I feel humbled and thank you ladies for considering me.

It looks like most of the foodie blogger friends i know, already have received these awards. None the less i am sure it will always be a pleasure to be nominated once, twice or thrice again. Right :D ??
As per the tradition of passing on these awards, I would like to pass on Rockin' Girl Blogger Award to:

Seema of Recipe Junction
Sukanya of Hot N'Sweet Bowl
Rahin of Lazzat
Viji of Vcuisine
Bhags of Crazy Curry
Jyothsna of Currybazaar
Hima of SnackORama

The Power of Schmooze Award is for bloggers who “effortlessly weave their way in and out of the blogosphere, leaving friendly trails and smiles, happily making new friends along the way. They don’t limit their visits to only the rich and successful, but spend some time to say hello to new blogs as well. They are the ones who engage others in meaningful conversations, refusing to let it end at a mere hello - all the while fostering a sense of closeness and friendship.”

The Power of Schmooze Award to :

Asha of Aroma
Shn of Mishmash
Sia of Spice Corner
Sig of Live to eat
Sharmi of Neivedyam

Murukku - Chakli

Murukku / Chakli is a savoury snack, popular in southern part of India. With a cup of tea, i munched on some of the murukku that my friend prepared and got the see how this snack is prepared.

Ingredients

2 cups - Rice flour
1 cup - Besan flour / Gram flour
1 tbsp - Ajwain / Carom seeds
1 tbsp - White sesame seeds
1 tsp - Red chili powder
1/4 tsp - Hing powder / Asafoedita
1/4 cup - Melted butter or Margarine
About 2 cups - Lukewarm water
Salt to taste
Oil to fry ( Peanut oil )

Method

1 ) Sieve rice and besan flour together to a mixing bowl. Add ajwain, sesame seeds, red chili, hing, salt and mix together. Pour the melted butter and mix.

2 )Add water little at a time and make a chapati like dough. Dough should not be too stiff nor too loose.

3 ) Shown in picture below, is the murukku presser. Take little of the dough and fill into the murukku mold.

4 ) With the murukku presser, press and shape the murukku to a plate with paper napkin.

5 ) Make a bunch and keep ready to fry in oil.


6 ) Heat oil in a wok or kadai. Carefully slide shaped murukku dough into the hot oil. Fry both sides on a medium high heat, till crisp and golden.

Take off the oil and drain on a paper towel.

Serve as a evening snack with tea or coffee.

Sending this recipe to the event "Fun in the sun" hosted by Anupama of "Food-n-more" and also to the event "WYF- Snacks" hosted by hima of "SnackORama"

Update

You can also make with this proportion, that is 2 cups of rice flour and 1/2 cup Besan. Since besan fries faster than rice flour, with this proportion you will get even cooking.

Pulihora - Tamarind Rice

An Andhra preparation of the tamarind rice, that my friend prepares so well and she has so graciously shown me, step by step how she prepares this rice.

Ingredients

3 cups - Raw rice ( Use : Sona Masuri, Basmati or Long grain rice )

Seasoning

2 tbsp - Mustard seeds

1/4 cup - Urad dal

1/4 cup - Chana dal

1/4 cup - Peanuts

6 to 8 - Whole dried red chili

1 tsp - Turmeric powder

1 big yellow lemon size - Tamarind

1/4 to 1/2 tsp - Hing

2 to 3 sprigs - Curry leaves

1 cup - Oil

Salt to taste

Method

1 ) In the first step, cook the rice and then spread out in a big plate to cool a bit.

2 ) Second step is to Season. Heat oil in a pan and fry the whole red chillies. Take it off the oil and set aside. Then add chana dal, peanuts, urad dal and fry on medium low heat. Then add mustard and after mustard pops, add curry leaves, hing and take off the stove.

3 ) Thirdly, pour the seasoning onto the cooked rice.
Then to make the tamarind paste, extract thick tamarind paste from the tamarind by adding little by little water and squeezing out a thick tamarind juice. Now cook the extracted juice till it thickens to a semi-thick concentrated paste. Add salt to taste when cooking the tamarind juice.

4 ) Add the cooked tamarind paste to the cooked rice. Now mix the rice well with the seasoning and the tamarind paste. Mix thoroughly and then serve.


Variations to this recipe

1. If you like mustard flavor, you can add a little mustard paste to the rice and mix well. Take 1 tsp mustard seeds and make a paste with little water. Crush with a mortar and a pestle.
   
2. Sesame seeds can be dry roasted and powdered. Add the powder to the rice and mix well.

Now if you want to make this rice with ready made Puliogare powder -

1) Follow the first step to cook the rice.

2 ) Then follow the second step to season. At the end of the seasoning, add 3 to 4 tbsp of ready made puliogare powder into the oil, before taking off the stove.

3 ) Pour the seasoning onto the cooked rice and mix thoroughly. If you need more sour and tangy taste, add 2 to 3 tbsp of lemon juice to the rice and mix.

JFI for the month of Sept, is hosted by the lovely sharmi of Neivedyam, who has a array of mouth water recipes to feast on. Rice is the chosen ingredient and i am sending in Pulihora as my entry for this event.

Chili Chutney

Chili peppers contain antioxidants and a lot of health benefits. There are different varieties of chili peppers available, which have their own unique factors like the taste, shape, color, the level and degree of pungency.

This is a green chili chutney, in which Serrano peppers are used as a main ingredient. Select fully dark green colored peppers for this chutney. Other chili peppers can also be used to make this chutney. Got this chutney recipe and suggestions, from a good friend of mine. Chutney goes very well with dosa, idli, rice, chapati and bread. Even though a lot of serrano peppers are used to make this chutney, it is not very spicy as one might conclude.

Ingredients

10 - Serrano pepper, slit lengthwise and chopped
2 tbsp - White sesame seeds
small key lime size - Tamarind
1/2 tsp - Jeera /Cumin seeds
2 flakes - Garlic
1/4 cup - Water
Salt to taste

Seasoning

1/2 tsp - Mustard seeds
1 tsp - Urad dal
1 tsp - Chana dal
1 sprig - Curry leaves
1/4 tsp - Hing
1/4 tsp - Turmeric powder
1 - Whole red chili

Method

1) Heat oil in a pan and add the chopped green chili to it. Fry for a minute and then close with a lid and cook on low heat till the chili is cooked and soft. Add salt to taste when cooking.

2 ) Meanwhile, dry roast the sesame seeds in another pan to a light brown color. Take off heat and cool.

3 ) To soften tamarind - Place tamarind in a microwave safe bowl, add little water and cook for less than a minute.

3 ) To a blender, add cooked chili, sesame seeds, jeera, tamarind, garlic and salt to taste. Grind to a smooth paste. Add water little by little as needed.

4 ) To season, heat oil in a pan and add mustard, urad dal, chana dal,curry leaves, whole red chili, hing & turmeric powder.

5 ) Add this seasoning to the prepared chutney and serve.

Serve as a side dish to go with dosa, idli, rice, chapati or bread.

This is my entry for JFI - Chillies. The ingredient chosen is chillies by Nandita of "Saffron trail " fame, who is hosting JFI for the month of August.

A post that hit a century with a homemade cookie !

It's simply delightful to look back on the recipes i blogged and feel nostalgic. I was awe struck seeing very impressive food blogs before i started on my own. Over this period of eight to nine months, i have been able to make and meet some wonderful friends through the blog world. I appreciate all those who visit my blog, try out my recipes and sometimes give me a feed back that keeps me motivated to continue. I was so thrilled when two of my recipes were tried by Pecos Blue of East of the Pecos River fame and posted a post titled "Simply Spicy." Thank you Pecos Blue.
Now in Seattle, I got together with my good friend Lakshmi, who is by her own rights, a great cook. She told me about this simple homemade biscuits / cookies that is quite popular in her hometown. With minimal ingredients and less baking time, this cookie tastes simply awesome. It's something that you can do in a jiffy. This could be something you could bake with kids.

Ingredients

1 cup - Maida / all purpose flour
1/2 cup - Sugar
1/2 cup - Melted ghee ( at room temperature)

Method

1 ) Add maida, sugar and melted ghee into a mixing bowl.



2 ) Combine the ingredients to make a dough.

3 ) Take a small amount of the cookie dough, shape it to a small ball and then flatten it. Then shape with a cookie cutter or you can shape the cookie even with a glass as shown in the pictures below.

4 ) Transfer the shaped cookie dough to a baking tray. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and bake the cookies for 15 minutes. The bottom of the cookies will be lightly golden in colour.

Transfer the cookies from baking tray to a wire rack and cool.

Treat yourself and your kids with this delicious cookie.

Note : Use only melted desi ghee for this recipe. Do not melt butter and use.

Mutton Varutharacha Curry

This is a Varutharacha mutton curry preparation, where the masala ingredients are dry roasted and then ground to a smooth paste. More of a nadan (country) style cooking.

Ingredients

500 gm - Mutton / Aattirachi / Goat meat
2 to 3 - Green chili, slit in center
2 inch piece - Ginger, chopped

2 medium - Potato, quartered

1 medium - Tomato, chopped
1 sprig - Curry leaves

Salt to taste

To dry roast

1 cup - Grated coconut

2 - Cinnamon sticks
4 - Cloves
1 tsp - Fennel seeds / Perumjeerakam

1 - shallot, chopped
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, chopped

2 sprigs - Curry leaves

Method

1 ) Pressure cook mutton along with green chili, ginger, potato, tomato and curry leaves. Add 1.5 cup water to cook and add salt to taste.

2 ) Meanwhile, in a pan dry roast grated coconut along with cinnamon, clove, fennel seeds and shallots on a low heat, till coconut turns to a light brown color. A little coconut oil can be used, but is optional. Add other ingredients listed, and stir till the masala powders turn a deep colour.

3 ) Cool the roasted mixture and then add to a blender and grind to a smooth paste with water.

4) Add the ground paste to the cooked mutton. Add more water if necessary to get a thick gravy. Adjust salt to taste.

5 ) Heat oil in a pan; add shallots and fry to a light brown color. Add coconut bits and curry leaves. Fry coconut bits lightly. Add this seasoning to the curry and take off the stove.

Serve hot with rice and papadam. Goes well with roti or porotta

Potato Ishtoo / Stew

This potato ishtoo is one of my favourites to go along with puttu, appam and idiappam. Cinnamon and cloves gives this ishtoo an aromatic flavour and Coconut milk enriches it.

Ingredients

2 big - Potatoes, quartered
1/2 of a medium size -Onion, chopped
2 - Jalapeno chili pepper Or 4 - green chili, slit in center
1 to 2 inch piece - Ginger, chopped
1 medium size - Tomato, chopped
2 to 3 sprigs - Curry leaves
1 stick - Cinnamon
4 to 6 - Cloves
1 whole - Grated coconut, to extract coconut milk
4 - Hard boiled eggs, cut into two ( Optional )

Garnishing

1/2 cup - Onion chopped, fry in oil to a light brown color
Coconut oil

Method

1 ) Extract coconut milk - In a blender/ grinder, grind grated coconut with little water and then extract the first thick coconut milk. Keep aside for final garnish.

• Make second extraction with same ground coconut. Pour 1.5 cup water and make second extraction.
• Make a third extraction with 1.5 cup water.

With one whole coconut, you will get a very rich gravy. You can use half of one whole coconut too for the above ingredient proportion. Use less water in extraction.

2) Heat little oil in a sauce pan, add cinnamon, cloves and curry leaves to the pan. Add onion, saute till onions become soft. Then add chili and ginger.

3 ) Pour the 3rd extracted coconut milk. Add potato, salt to taste and cook till potato is fully cooked. Don't over cook the potatoes.

4 ) Add tomato and the 2nd extracted milk. Bring to a boil and simmer. Adjust salt to taste. Add boiled eggs and simmer for 2 minutes.

Finally add the thick 1st extracted coconut milk and take off the stove. Garnish with some onions fried to light brown color.

.

Serve with Appam, idiappam, puttu or neipathiri.

Tip

• If the gravy is watery when using half of a coconut, then mix little rice flour in water and add to the gravy. This will thicken the gravy.
• Mixed vegetable ishtoo / stew also can be made in the same manner, cooking other vegetables( peas, carrot, french beans ) along with potato.
• You can use canned coconut milk instead of extracting coconut milk. You will need one can of coconut milk. Dilute half of the coconut milk with water and use as 2nd extract. Use thick coconut milk as 1 st extract.Cook vegetables in water.

Kootu Curry

This kootu kari /curry is made with black chickpeas and vegetables. Yam/suran, unripe plantain are used as the vegetables, but i have made with just yam and black chickpeas. Coconut ground with other ingredients makes a good gravy and adds to the taste of this curry.

Ingredients

2 cups - Black chickpeas / Kadala / kala chana, cooked
1 cup - Yam / Suran, chopped
Salt to taste

Dry roast

1/2 tsp - Red chili powder
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder

Grind to paste

1 cup - Grated Coconut , dry roast to light brown colour
1/2 tsp - Cumin seeds / jeera
2 - Shallots / small onions

Seasoning

1 tsp - Mustard seeds
2 - Dry whole red chili
2 sprigs - Curry leaves

Method

1 ) Cook suran in water with roasted red chili and turmeric powder.The vegetable should very well cooked. Add cooked kadala and salt to taste.

2 ) Add the ground coconut mixture, mix with the cooked vegetable and kadala. Add enough water for gravy and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

3 ) Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and pop it. Then add dry chili and curry leaves. Season the kootu curry with this.



Serve hot with rice. This will make a good addition to Onam sadhya.