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Friday, November 10, 2006
Eggplant & Capsicum with Paneer
500 gm - Eggplant, cut into cubes
2 - Green Capsicum, chopped
3 - Tomatoes, quartered
50 gm - Paneer,cubed
1 medium size - Onion, chopped
1 tbsp - Garlic - ginger paste
1 tsp - Red chilli powder
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
1 tsp - Garam masala powder
salt to taste
Corn oil
Garnish
1 cup - Corinader leaves, chopped
Method
1 ) In a non-stick pan, fry paneer cubes, till golden in colour. Drain and set aside.
2 ) In the same oil, add onions and saute until lightly brown. Add garlic - ginger, chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder and saute for 2 minutes.
3 ) Add eggplant, capsicum, tomatoes, cover and cook over low heat for 10 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle little water, if too dry. Add salt to taste.
4 ) Add paneer and cook for 2 minutes more. Garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve with roti.
About Paneer
Paneer is high in protein.It's a type of soft cheese,used in Indian cooking. Food prepared with paneer is very delicious. Paneer is made out of fresh whole milk,which is boiled and curdled with a little of lemon juice or vinegar. Then the content is drained into a muslin cloth, excess liquid is squeezed out and is placed under a heavy pan or any heavy flat material. After one hours or so after the paneer is formed,it is ready to be used. Whatever remaining unused paneer can be stored in a refrigerator.
Ready made paneer is available in Indian stores.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Glossary Of Ingredients
- Almond
Hindi - Badam , Bengali - Badam, Assamese - Badam, Oriya - Badaam, Marathi - Badam, Gujarati - Badam, Tamil - ( Badaam, Vadhumai), Malayalam - Badam, Telugu - Badam, Kannada - Badami
- Aniseed
Hindi - Saunf, Bengali - Mowri, Assamese - Guwamori, Oriya - Panamahuri, Marathi - Badishep, Gujarati - Variyali, Tamil - ( Sombu, Perumjeerakam ), Malayalam -Perumjeerakam, Telugu - Sopuginja, Kannada - Sopubeeja
- Asafoetida
Hindi - Hing , Bengali - Hing , Assamese - Hing, Oriya - Hengu, Marathi - Hing, Gujarati - Hing, Tamil - Perungaayam , Malayalam - Kaayam, Telugu - Inguva, Kannada - Hingu
- Amaranth
Hindi - Chaulai
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Nenthra Kaya & Pazham Recipes
The raw plantain is cooked as a vegetable, which is very nutritious. Here is a simple recipe.
Nenthra Kaya Mezhukkupuratti / Upperi - Raw Plantain fry
Ingredients
3 - Raw plantain, cut into 3 parts & chop lengthwise with skin
5 - Green chili, slit in center
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
Curry leaves
3 tbsp - Coconut oil
1 cup - water
Salt
Method
1 ) In a pan pour water,add the chopped plantains,turmeric powder,green chili,curry leaves and salt. Cook till plantains are well cooked and all the water is absorbed.
2 ) Add coconut oil and stir.
Serve as a side dish.
When the plantains becomes ripe, then sweet treats can be made of it. Here is a popular snack recipe.
Pazham Pori - Ripe Plantain Fritters
Ingredients
4 - Ripe plantains
1 cup - maida / all purpose flour
1/4 cup - rice flour
3 tbsp - sugar
a pinch of turmeric powder or saffron if you have some
a pinch of salt
oil to fry
Method
1) Peel the skin off the ripe plantain and cut into two parts. Then cut each part into 3- 4 slices,lengthwise.
2 )Mix maida, rice powder(to make it crispy) sugar, turmeric powder and salt. Make a thick batter.
3) Heat oil in a deep frying pan. Dip the sliced plantains in the batter and deep fry till golden brown in colour.
Serve with evening tea.......Its a very popular snack in kerala.
Monday, November 06, 2006
Nadan Mutta Masala Curry - Egg Masala Curry kerala style
4 - eggs
4 - green chili, slit in center
1 inch - ginger, chopped
4 - shallots, diced
1 - tomato, chopped to 4 pieces
1.5 cup - thick coconut milk
2 - cinnamon sticks
4 - cloves
1/2 tsp - turmeric powder
1/2 tsp - red chili powder
1 tsp - coriander powder
1 tsp - mustard seeds
Curry leaves
Sesame oil
Method
1) Boil eggs and take off the shell. Set aside.
2 ) In a wok or kadai, heat oil and add mustard. After mustard pops, add cinnamon and cloves.
3 ) Now add green chili, ginger, shallots and curry leaves and fry till light brown in colour.
4 ) Add turmeric powder, red chili powder and coriander powder. Fry and mix well, then add tomato and fry till tomato is well cooked. Add salt as required.
5 ) Add the thick coconut milk and simmer to a boil. Add the boiled eggs and cook for 2 minutes.
Take off the stove and serve. Serve with Idi appam, Vellayappam or chapathi.
TipInstead of coconut milk, whole milk with cream can be used. But then there is a difference in taste.But it does taste good too.Coconut milk is the best for this recipe. One boiled potato can be included.
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Idi Appam
1 cup - Rice flour
1.5 cup - Water
1 tbsp - oil
1 cup - Grated coconut
1 ) In a pan dry roast the rice flour till light brown in colour. Take off stove and set aside to cool.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Idli, Sambar & Chutney
Idli is steam cooked. Steaming the batter made from urad dal (black lentil) and rice to a smooth paste and fermented over night. Its often served with chutney, sambar or the idli podi. This is a great breakfast to start off the day. Very filling and satisfying meal.
Ingredients
1.5 cup - Long grain rice
1 cups - Urad dal
1/4 cup - cooked rice
Salt to taste
Method
1) Soak separately rice and urad dal in enough water for atleast 6 hours.
Serve idli with sambar and chutney.
Ingredients
Chutney for idli or dosa
Ingredients1/2 cup - grated coconut
2 tbsp - channa dal
3 - green chilli, slit in center5 - curry leaves
3 tbsp - curds
For Seasoning
1 tsp - Mustard
4 - curry leaves
3- whole red chilli
sesame oil
Method
1 ) Heat oil in a pan and fry green chilli's. Then add curry leaves and channa dal and fry channa dal till crisp. Take off stove and cool.
2 ) In a grinder, add grated coconut and the fried ingredients. Grind adding curd to it and a little water to a smooth paste. Pour to a serving dish.
3 ) Heat oil and add mustard, curry leaves and whole red chilli. Pour the seasoning over the chutney and serve with idli.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Murungakai ulli Sambar - Drumstick & Shallot Sambar
Ingredients
1 cup - Tuvar dal
2 - Drumstick chopped
10 - shallots ( do not chop- cook as whole)
2 - Tomatoes, cut into 4 pieces
2 - green chilli, slit in center
lime size - Tamarind
one bunch coriander leaves, washed and chopped
Salt
Sambar masala ingredients
1/2 cup - grated coconut
1 tsp - urad dal
1 tsp - channa dal
1 tsp - cumin /jeera
1/2 tsp - fenugreek seeds/ methi
1/2 tsp - asafoetida / hing
4 - pepper corns
2 - garlic flakes chopped
6 - curry leaves
1 tsp - red chilli powder
1/2 tsp - turmeric powder
4 tsp - coriander powder
Sesame oil
Seasoning
1 tsp - mustard seeds
3 whole red chilli
curry leaves
Method
1 ) Cook one cup tuvar dal in enough water. When the dal is half cooked add drumstick,shallots tomatoes,green chilli and salt. Cook till dal and vegetables are well cooked.
2 ) Extract tamarind juice and add to cooked dal and vegetables. Add chopped coriander leaves.
3 ) Meanwhile in a nonstick pan, heat sesame oil, add urad dal,channa dal, jeera, fenugreek,pepper corn,asafoetida , fry for 2 minutes. Cook on low heat.Then add garlic, curry leaves, grated coconut and fry till coconut is light brown in color. Now add chilli powder,turmeric powder and coriander powder. Fry for 2 minutes and take off stove. Cool and grind to a smooth paste.
4 ) Add the ground masala to the cooked dal and vegetables. Add water to get a curry consistency. Add salt as required.
5 ) Season with mustard, red chilli and curry leaves.
Different vegetables can be used to make sambar. The sambar masala ingredients being the same. Coconut gives sambar a delicious taste.There are different ways of making sambar..this is my way. A tasty and nutritious pure vegetarian south Indian dish.
Monday, October 30, 2006
Mullangi Paruppu curry - Radish with Toor dal curry
But then it turned out good. Use white radish when cooking this curry. I am not sure how the red skinned radish will taste.Mullangi is the Malayalam name for radish. I used Coconut oil....that gave out a good aroma and flavor of the coconut.
1 cup - Tuvar dal/toor dal or Masoor dal
2 cups - Chopped Mullangi/white radish
3 - Green chilli slit in center
1 inch - ginger chopped
1 - Tomato chopped
1 tsp - Crushed red chilli powder
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
Salt to taste
Seasoning
1tsp - Mustard seeds
2 - Shallots chopped
Curry leaves
Coconut oil
Method
1 ) Cook tuvar dal in enough water with turmeric powder, crushed red chilli powder, green chilli, ginger , tomato and salt.
2 ) When tuvar dal is half cooked add the chopped radish and cook till radish is well cooked with tuvar dal. When cooking with masoor dal, cook radish along with dal, since masoor dal cooks fast.
3 ) Now season with mustard, shallots and curry leaves in coconut oil
Serve with rice or chapathi.
This is a simple curry....... tastes really good. Give it a try.
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Fish cutlets
Ingredients
4 - Fresh mackerel ( or use Canned Tuna - 2 cans or Salmon - 1 can
or Canned mackerel - 1 can )
3 medium size - Potato baked or boiled
1 - Onion finely chopped
4 - Green Chilly finely chopped
1 inch - Ginger finely chopped
5 to 6 - Curry leaves finely chopped
1/2 tsp -Turmeric powder
2 - beaten Egg with a pinch of salt
1 cup - Bread Crumbs
Salt to taste
1 ) When using fresh fish,cook fish with little turmeric powder and salt.Then debone and shred the meat well for cutlet.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Pavakka - Bitter gourd recipes
Bitter gourd is a nutritious vegetable.
Rich in vitamins and minerals, especially
vitamins A, B1, B2, C , beta-carotene, potassium and iron. It's got medicinal value and helps in reducing blood sugar.
Pavakka is the malayalam name for bitter gourd.
Here are some recipes to try out with bitter gourd.
Pavakka Pachadi - Bitter gourd in yogurt
Ingredients
250 gm -Pavakka
Grind to a paste
3 - Green chilli
Coconut - 1 cup
Mustard -1/2 teaspoon
Curd/ yogurt (medium sour)-2cup
Seasoning
1 tsp - Mustard
Curry leaves
Oil
Salt
Method
1 ) Wash and chop pavakka into small pieces.Deep fry pavakka in oil till light brown in colour or in a non-stick pan you can fry pavakka with little oil till it is light brown in colour.
2 ) Grind coconut, mustard and green chilli first. Then add curds, salt and grind to a smooth paste.
3 ) Add to the pavakka and warm in a very low heat.(don't boil it). Take off stove before it boils. Now season with mustard ,curry leaves and dry red chilli.
Serve with rice. The bitterness is reduced when pavakka is fried.
Pavakka Pulli Curry -Bitter gourd tamarind curry
Ingredients
250 gm - Pavakka
1- Onion cut into small pieces
lime size - Tamarind
1 cup - Coconut
1 inch piece - ginger
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
1.5 tsp - Coriander powder
1/2 tsp - chilli powder salt
Seasoning
1 tsp - Mustard seeds
Curry leaves
Oil
Salt
Method
1 ) Wash & cut pavakka into small pieces. Cook pavakka in tamarind water with onion and chopped ginger.
2 ) Fry or dry roast coconut to light brown, then add turmeric,coriander & chilli powder and fry for one minute.
3 ) Grind the coconut and powders with water to a smooth paste. Add this mixture to cooked pavakka.
When the gravy thickens, season with mustard & curry leaves and pour into the curry.
Serve this with rice.This curry is tangy from the tamarind and a dash of bitterness from the pavakka.
Pavakka Thoran - Bitter gourd fry
Ingredients
250 gm - Pavakka ( cut into small pieces)
10 flakes - garlic ( crush garlic)
5 - shallots (diced)
1.5 tsp - crushed chilli powder
1/2 tsp - turmeric powder
Curry leaves
Salt
Oil
Method
1 ) In a non-stick pan heat oil and add curry leaves. Then add the diced shallots and fry till light brown.
2 ) Add the crushed garlic and stir till the raw smell goes. Add crushed red chilli powder, Turmeric and salt. Stir and add pavakka. Stir and mix in the masala well.
3 ) Reduce heat to a very low simmer and cook the pavakka on low heat. Cover with a tight lid. Check in between to see if pavakka is cooked, give a stir. Add a little more oil and fry the pavakka. Serve with rice or chapathi as side dish.
Tip : Use moderate salt in pavakka recipes.....with the bitterness of the pavakka,too much of salt can mess up the dish.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Cherupayar kaya Erissery - Green gram dal with plantain curry
Ingredients
One raw plantain cut into small pieces
2 cups -Green gram dal
1 tsp - Red chili powder
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
Salt to taste
Grind to a paste
1/2 cup - Grated coconut
1 tsp - Jeera
1 - Shallot /small onion
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
1 tsp - Red chili powder
Seasoning
1 tbsp - Mustard seeds
3 - Shallots, diced
2 sprigs - Curry leaves
3 - Whole red chili
Method
1 ) In a pot cook green gram dal and plantain in enough water with red chili powder, turmeric powder and salt. Otherwise you can pressure cook these ingredients. In 4 cups water pressure cook. After the first whistle, lower heat and cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Open cooker after cooling down.
2 ) Grind the ingredients listed to be ground to a smooth paste and add to the cooked green gram dal. Add more water to get a curry consistency. Check salt and adjust as required. Bring the curry to a boil and turn off the stove.
3 ) Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and pop it. Then add shallot, curry leaves and whole red chilli. Season the curry with this seasoning.
Serve with rice or puttu.
Monday, October 23, 2006
Meen Porichathu - Fish Fry (Kerala style)
4 tsp - red chili powder
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
Salt as per taste
Oil
These are fish dried in sun with lots of salt as a preservative.
So you have to wash the fish well to take off the excess salt. Clean and wash the fish well 2 times. There is no need to add salt while cooking this type of fish.
Ingredients
Unakka meen (sun dried fish)
2 tsp- red chili powder
1/2 tsp - turmeric powder
Oil
Method
1 ) Make a paste of red chili powder and turmeric powder with little water. Apply on the fish.
2 ) Heat oil in a pan and fry the fish pieces on both sides, till crisp.
Goes well with kanji ( Rice porridge)
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Naadan Crab Fry
Ingredients
6- Fresh crab
2 tsp - Chilly powder
1/4 tsp - Turmeric powder
5 - Sliced Shallots
2 - Sliced green Chili
1" piece - Crushed Ginger
Curry leaves
Salt to taste
Coconut oil is the best....or Sesame oil
Method
1) Heat oil in a pan, add green chili, ginger, sliced shallots and curry leaves. Fry lightly and then add red chili powder, turmeric powder. Stir for a minute.
2 )Add cleaned crab and mix in with the masala. Add salt to taste. Cover the pan with a tight lid and cook on a low heat for 5 minutes. Crab will cook in its juice.Check on the crab, to see if it's cooked. Add more oil and fry the crab.
Serve with rice or chapathi.
This is a simple recipe. The crab i prefer to cook with, has a blue coloration on its legs...Mostly available in asian markets. These crabs taste the best.