Onion Chutney ( ഉള്ളി ചമ്മന്തി )

Teena chechi who is one of the fans of ‘aakrantham’ and my Face book friend, once asked me for my recipe of ഉള്ളി ചമ്മന്തി ( Onion Chutney ) just to know if it’s different from what she used to make.

To be frank, it was something which I’ve never tried but tasted. I remembered that special taste of onion chutney with ‘kallu dosa ( കല്ലു ദോശ )’ which Rekha used to bring to college specially wrapped in ‘vazhayila (വാഴയില) / Plantain Leaf ’. The thoughtof that chutney itself was mouthwatering. Rushed to send her an e-mail requesting for that recipe and within minutes she sent a reply with her method of making ഉള്ളി ചമ്മന്തി ( Onion Chutney ).

I forwarded the same e-mail to Teena chechi  and she made it. My special thanks to Teena chechi for these yummy pictures and to Rekha for the delicious recipe.

Ingredients:
Shallots – big sized- 3-4 no’s
Tomato -2 (cut into small pieces)
Curry leaves – 1 stem
Oil – 3 tea sp
Mustard seeds – 1 tea sp
Chilli powder – (optional) – 1 tea sp

How to:
1.       Grind the peeled shallots.
2.       Add oil in pan and while heated, add the mustard seeds and leave it to spatter. Add tomato** to the pan and sauté until it’s half cooked. Add onion paste to this and then curry leaves.

3.       Add salt and chilli powder if needed and stir till cooked.

** Tomatoes can even be grinded with the onion.

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Tender Coconut Pudding

As a continuation to the request which I mentioned in my Vanilla Pudding and Pineapple Custard recipe, here is the next dessert recipe and one of the easiest and most delicious puddings.

Ingredients:
Tender coconut – 1 (with coconut water and inside scrapings)
Sugar – 200 g
China grass – 5 g

How to:
1.       Pour tender coconut water into a vessel and add sugar to it and mix well. Boil china grass in a separate vessel with a ¼ cup of water and mix this well to coconut water mixture.
2.       Cut the inside coconut scrapings into longer pieces avoiding all the non-white parts and put these into the above coconut water mixture and pour these to an open glass bowl and keep to cool down.  On cooling down keep the bowl in refrigerator to cool.

If a colorful coconut pudding is needed, before pouring the coconut mixture into the bowl, another layer of color full mix can be added into the bowl. This can be made with Orange/Mango/Carrot or any other mix as per availability. I’m adding an example with carrot here.

For color (optional):
Carrot – 100 g
Milk – ½ ltr
Sugar – 100 g
Vanilla Essence – ½ tea sp

How to:
1.       Peel of carrot skin and cut it into medium pieces and boil in steam either in puttu kudam or in pressure cooker.
2.       Mix the cooked carrot, milk, vanilla essence and sugar in a blender.
3.       Pour this mixture as first layer in the bowl and on top of it add the coconut mixture and keep for cooling.

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Chicken Noodle Balls

I’ve got an invite from one of my Tamilian friends for Eid (Bakrid) day lunch. But as I’ve already committed to Aneesh that I’ll be at his home for lunch I could not go there. I made it up by going for an evening tea at their home. There were so many delicious snacks made by his wife. Chicken noodle ball was one amongst those, the taste of which still lingers to my tongue. I took the recipe from her and tried it by myself. Here I’m posting for you.

Ingredients:

Boneless chicken – 200g
Noodles – 2 small packets
Ginger garlic paste – 2 teaspoon
Pepper powder – 1 teaspoon
Salt – to taste
Grated cheese – 50 g
Egg white – 3 eggs or Maida - 3 Tb spoon
Bread crumbs – (quantity enough to cover the balls)
Oil – for frying

How to:

1.       Boil chicken with ginger garlic paste, pepper powder and salt in a cup of water until chicken is properly cooked and the taste is fully absorbed by chicken. Mince the chicken pieces to smaller pieces by hand.
2.       Cook the noodles in a separate vessel, but with 2 cups of extra water. Make sure that the noodle does not stick to the bottom of the vessel and cook till all the water contents are evaporated. Mix this Noodle well by pressing it with hand. Make sure that it’s not made to a fine paste.
3.       To the noodle mix in step 2, add the minced chicken as in step 1 and mix both well with hand.
4.       Take small parts of the above mixture in hand and press it. In the centre, put few grains of grated cheese and make it to a ball. Finish off the mixture by making such small balls.
5.       Roll the balls lightly in egg white so that a thin outer layer is made and roll in the bread crumbs so as to cover the roll with it.
(Mix maida with a half cup water to make a thin paste.  This can be used instead of egg white.)
6.       In a non-stick pan, pour enough oil to deep fry the balls.

The fried chicken noodle balls can be served with tomato ketchup or mayonnaise. The cheese at the centre of the ball will be melted on deep frying and will give a delightful taste.

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Pineapple Custard

As a continuation to the request which I mentioned in my Vanilla Pudding recipe, here I dedicate Pineapple Custard too for my Blog fan.

Ingredients:
Milk – 1 litre
Sugar – 300 g
Custard Powder – 4 Tb spoon
Pineapple – 1
Pineapple Essence – 1 tea spoon

How to:
1.       Peel off the Pineapple skin and cut it into small pieces leaving the central portion. Mix a 100 g of sugar well with this cut pineapple and leave for 30 minutes. Put this pineapple-sugar mixture in a non stick pan and stir slowly in medium flame. Once the pineapple is partially cooked, keep this aside.

2.       Boil milk in a vessel and add the remaining sugar to it. In a separate cup, take ¼ cup of plain water and mix the custard powder well with it. Lower the flame into medium and add this custard powder and pineapple essence into the boiled milk and stir continuously so that the custard powder does not stick on to the bottom of the vessel.  Stir till the mix is thickened. Pour the liquid mixture into a bowl and leave to cool down.

3.       Into an open glass bowl, put a layer of pineapple-sugar mix as made in step 1, keeping a part for the mix for the top layer. On top of this bottom layer, pour the Custard mixture as made in step 2 and keep the bowl in refrigerator (not in freezer). On cooling the custard for one hour, take the bowl out and put the pineapple-sugar mixture on the top of the custard. If needed, the same can be decorated lightly with some nuts.

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Mushroom in hot pepper gravy

It’s Thursday night and  I was called up by Anu to prepare something different in his home. Only after reaching there I came to know that Anil Hameed is on strict vegetarian diet as instructed from his Gym trainer. Though we compelled him a lot to have the special chicken curry with Kubboos, he was so particular about his diet...!! Finally I’d to experiment on the mushrooms, which I found in their refrigerator. The Mushroom in spicy gravy came out very well and all of them appreciated me for it. I’m posting it here for you...

Ingredients:
Mushroom – 200 g
Corn flour – 2 Tb spoon
Soya sauce – 1 teaspoon
Pepper powder – 2 tea spoon
Vegetable taste cube – ½
Onion – 1
Tomato – 1
Capsicum – ½
Milk – ½ cup
Salt – to taste
Oil – as needed

How to:
1.       Mix Corn flour, soya sauce, 1 tea spoon pepper powder and salt well with washed and cut mushroom and keep it aside for 15 minutes
2.       Deep fry the mushroom in oil and keep the fried mushrooms separate.
3.       In a pan, add 1 Tb spoon of oil and add onion to it and sauté till softened. Add tomato and capsicum to this and stir softly.
4.       Add 1 tea spoon pepper powder, salt and the vegetable taste cube into this and sauté well.  To this pour milk and leave to boil for around 5 minutes in medium flame.

5.       Add the fried mushroom into the above gravy and mix well. Leave the dish to boil for another 5-10 minutes in low flame.

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Vanilla Pudding

I happened to receive a private message in Face book from a person who is a regular reader of this blog. She told that she has tried Apple mayo salad for a party at her home and got applause from many. She asked for some desserts’ recipe for her to try on a family get together gonna happen at her home next week. As per her request to post, I’m adding some pudding recipes here.






Ingredients:
Milk – 1 litre
Sugar – 250 g
Milkmaid – 1 tin (400g)
Vanilla Essence – 1 tea spoon
China grass – 10 gram

How to:

1.       Heat china grass cut into small pieces in a separate dish with half cup of water. Keep on stirring until boiled and keep it aside.
2.       Boil milk in a vessel (nonstick) and add sugar into it. Once milk is boiled, add Vanilla essence to it and add milkmaid (1 full tin or ½ tin). Depending on the quantity of added milkmaid, sugar should be adjusted as milkmaid is sweet **. To this mixture, add the boiled China grass mix and switch off the flame. Stir well.
3.       Pour the above liquid into an open glass bowl and leave to cool down.
4.       Keep the bowl in refrigerator (not in freezer) and you can consume it after one hour on decorating it with nuts/Chocó bits/cherries according to your imagination.

Note: ** Sugar quantity should be a little more than what is needed, as on freezing the pudding might become a bit less sweeter.

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Fish Curry in Coconut Milk

It was a surprise to see Megha’s message in Facebook after a long time. The summary of the message read like this: ‘I’ve gone through many of your cookery blogs and I feel those to be appealing. Today I’ve bought a kilo of Snapper fish. Do you have any special recipe to suggest for the same? I’m fed up of the usual way of Fish curry making. Awaiting your response...’ I was happy to suggest her new recipe idea on a condition that she should send me photos of the dish after preparing. Here is my reply to her.

Ingredients:
Fish – 1 kg
Coconut milk – 2 cups (non-sweetened)
Tomato -3
Ginger - small piece
Garlic – 1 clove
Curry leaves - 2 twigs
Gambooge (Kudampuli) - ½ pieces
Fennel seeds - 1 pinch
Shallot – 4 cloves
Turmeric powder - ½ tea spoon
Chilli powder - 3 Tb spoon
Green chilli - 3 no. s
Mustard seeds – 2 tea spoon
Oil – as needed
Salt – to taste



How to:
1.       Marinate washed and cut fish with 1 Tb spoon of chilli powder, ¼ tea spoon of turmeric powder and salt.

2.       In 2 cups of coconut milk, add fennel seeds, 2 shallots, one tomato cut into small pieces, garlic, ginger, turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt and mix these well in a blender.

3.       In a cooking vessel, pour the above mixture and add 2 tomatoes which is cut into medium sizes, sliced green chillies, 1 stem of curry leaves and gambooge and boil the same.

4.       Put the marinated fish into the boiling gravy and lower the flame into medium and boil for 5 minutes. Close the dish with a lid and switch off the stove.

5.       In a pan, add 3-4 teaspoon of coconut oil and put mustard seeds to it. While the mustard seeds sputter, add remaining shallots which is cut into small pieces and while it’s fried to light brown color, add a stem of curry leaves into this. Pour the same to the above fish gravy and keep the vessel closed for 10 minutes without stirring.

Within an hour I got next message from Megha and was happy to see that her fish curry came out well. She forwarded me the snaps and with her permission I’m posting this recipe here.

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Mathi Mulakittathu (Sardine in hot chilly Gravy)

Mathi mulakittathum Kappa Puzhungiyathum (Sardine in hot chilly Gravy and Boiled Cassava/Tapioca)..  What to say about this? It’s one of the combinations which give a nostalgic feel and really hard to resist the temptation even by just hearing it’s name. And thanks to our new cook that he chose ‘kappa and mathi’ as  dinner menu. I know to many of my readers, this recipe won’t be a news, but to those minority who doesn’t what this luscious dish is all about, please have a try....
The Best combination of this dish is here - Kappa Puzhungiyathu (Boiled Cassava/Tapioca)


Ingredients:

Sardines – 8-10 no’s

Red chilli powder – 1 Tb spoon

Sliced Onion – 1 no. Big

Green chilli – sliced 2 no.s

Tomato – 1 no. Cut into pieces

Cut green leaves – 1 generous pinch

Mashed ginger and garlic – ½ Tb spoon

Thick tamarind juice – ¼ cup

Salt – to taste

Turmeric powder – ½ teaspoon

Fenugreek – 6-8 seeds

Oil – 2 Tb spoon

How to:

1.       Pour oil in a pan and on heating put fenugreek seeds, on spattering, add onion, green chillies, green leaves, ginger and garlic and sauté till softened. Add tomato to this mixture and fry for 2 minutes. Put chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt and mix well. Add tamarind juice (squeezed in water with hands) to this and add ½ cup of water to this. If more piquant gravy is needed ¼ spoon of ground pepper can also be added. Leave this mixture to boil for 5-10 minutes in medium flame.

2.       Clean and cut the sardines. It’s better to put 3 to 4 horizontal lines on both surfaces of the fish with knife so that the fish fully absorbs the spicy taste of the gravy. Put the sardines gently into the above gravy and leave it to cook for 2 minutes in high flame. Take care to stir the mixture very gently. Lower the flame and leave the gravy to be thickened keeping the vessel closed for 5 minutes.

Now enjoy the supremacy of Kerala’s unique taste – particularly the ‘toddy shop’ special dish. Sluurrrpppp.....!!! I bet, it’s mouth-watering.

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Kappa Puzhungiyathu (Boiled Cassava/Tapioca)

Kappa Puzhungiyathum  Mathi mulakittathum (Boiled Cassava/Tapioca and Sardine in hot chilly Gravy)..  What to say about this? It’s one of the combinations which give a nostalgic feel and really hard to resist the temptation even by just hearing it’s name. And thanks to our new cook that he chose ‘kappa and mathi’ as yesterday’s dinner menu. I know to many of my readers, this recipe won’t be a news, but to those minority who doesn’t what this luscious dish is all about, please have a try....
The Best combination of this dish is here - Mathy Mulakittathu ( Sardine in hot chilly Gravy )

Ingredients:

Tapioca/Casava – 1 kg

Red chilli (dried) – 4-5 no’s

Mustart seed – 2 tea spoons

Curry leaves – 2 twigs

Turmeric powder – ½ teaspoon

Oil – 1 Tb spoon

Salt – to taste


How to:

1.       Peel off the skin of tapioca with a knife and cut it into small pieces. Put the washed tapioca pieces into a pressure cooker and pour water enough to immerse the pieces completely. Add turmeric powder and salt. Close the cooker and pressure cook up to 3-4 whistles. After removing the pressure completely, drain the excess water from the cooked tapioca using a sieve.

2.       To a pan, add oil and to the heated oil add mustard seeds and leave it to spatter. To this put the red chilli and curry leaves and sauté for 1 minute.  Add drained tapioca into this and mix it together.

Now enjoy the supremacy of Kerala’s unique taste – particularly the ‘toddy shop’ special dish. Sluurrrpppp.....!!! I bet, it’s mouth-watering.

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Crab Roast

It was a nice sunny day with clear sky and I felt my Camera is tapping me to get some nice stills captured. And it was right at that moment when I reached Corniche, the fishermen were coming back with their filled boats and it was really hard for me to resist from buying the fresh crabs which were still alive. Next task was to find a lab to experiment my innovations on those crabs. Not sooner, gave a call to a friend to know if their kitchen is free for that night and we all had a fantastic dinner there with spicy Crab Roast.  I just remember the moment I finished cooking and within next few minutes the bowl in which crab was served seemed to be literally empty.  Now you can imagine how scrummy it would have been, right?

Ingredients:
Crab – ½ kg
Green chilli – 2 no’s sliced
Chilli powder – 4 Tb spoon
Turmeric powder – 1 teaspoon
Ginger paste – 1 teaspoon
Garlic paste – ½ teaspoon
Green leaves – (coriander, mint and curry leaves) – cut into small pieces – 1 Tb spoon
Garam masala – 2-3 pinch
Onion – 2 no’s big
Tomato – 2 no’s medium sized cut into medium sized pieces
Coconut oil – For frying
Oil- 2 Tb spoon
Salt – to taste

Optional
Pepper powder – ½ tea spoon
Tomato sauce – 1 tea spoon
Milk – ½ cup

How to:
 1.       Mix 3 Tb spoon of red chilli powder, ½ tea spoon of turmeric powder, a pinch of garam masala and salt with a little water and marinate the cleaned and washed crabs with this mixture and keep it for 15-20 minutes.

2.       Deep fry these marinated crabs in coconut oil, drain the oil using a kitchen tissue and keep it aside.

3.       In a pan, pour 2 Tb spoon of oil and while heated, put onion, green chillies, green leaves, ginger and garlic pastes and fry till softened. To this, add cut tomatoes and sauté for few minutes. Add 2 pinches of garam masala, 1 Tb spoon red chilli powder, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder and salt to taste. Mix these well and fry till it turns light brown colour. (As per the taste needs, you may add a little pepper powder and 1 teaspoon of tomato sauce to this.)

4.       Mix the fried crabs to the above mixture and mix well and keep the vessel closed with a lid, keeping it in low flames for five minutes.
(If a side dish with gravy is intended, add half a cup of milk to this and mix well before keeping the vessel closed in low flames).

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Beef Coconut Fry ( Naadan Beef Fry )

The dinner was simply superb with all traditional dishes, at Shajiyettan’s home. I must admit that Lekshmy has got those blessed hands to cook delicious dishes. One of the beef varieties served by her was tongue tickling. I’d asked her to send me the method of preparation. Just now I received the same from her. Here it is….dedicated to Mrs.Lekshmy Shaji.  Thanking Shajiyettan and family for such a wonderful dinner... and praying to Almighty to bless Shajiyettan to invite me for more and more Yummy Feasts.

You too try this recipe and let me know your comments.

Ingredients: courtesy 

1.    
Beef – 1 kg cut into small pieces
Ginger – 1 tbsp crushed
Garlic- 1 tbsp crushed
Pepper – 1 tbsp crushed
Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
Chilli powder – 1 ½ tsp
Fennel seeds – ½ tsp – crushed
Cinnamon, cloves, cardamom – 2-3 pieces each
Salt – to taste

2.    
Onion – sliced – 1 cup
Coconut – sliced into small pieces – ½ cup
Curry leaves – 1 stem
Oil – for frying

 How to:
1.       Marinate the beef with the first set of ingredients. Pour one cup of water and pressure cook till 2-3 whistles (depending upon the quality of beef). Drain water in the beef, if any keep it aside.

2.       Heat oil in a pan. Add curry leaves, onion & coconut. Sauté for 1-2 mins and add beef. Reduce flame and fry till dry & slightly crispy on the outside. Add more oil if needed in between.

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Brinjal Tamarind Masala

It’s long since I had a ‘nadan Kerala’ style meal some vegetable fries, fish curries and some traditional side dishes. Thinking of trying some ‘mommy’s kitchen’ dishes today for lunch. Searched for the recipe book which my mother had carefully written and used to keep it in my briefcase whenever I pack and get ready for any of my trips abroad. Went through the book and got Brinjal masala hit my eyes. For a moment, I went back to those good old days when I spent leisurely lazy time back home, enjoying mom’s special and variety dishes. I remember, brinjal is something I love out of all other vegetables and she used to make many tasty traditional dishes with it especially for me. Still that taste hangs on on to my taste buds. Here is the recipe for you to try it.

Ingredients:

Brinjal – 1 medium sized or ½ of a big sized one

Chopped onion – 1 small size 

Green chilli (sliced) – 3

Mustard seeds – 2 teaspoons

Crushed garlic – 2-3 cloves

Curry leaves – 1 stem

Roasted coriander powder – 2 Tb spoon

Tamarind – ½ a handful

Salt- to taste

Oil – for frying

How to:

1.       Heat oil in a frying pan and deep fry the whole brinjal in it. If the Brinjal is too big to be fried wholly, cut in into half and fry it. Make sure that all sides are fried equally and well. Drain oil and keep the fried brinjal aside. Once it is slightly cooled, cut the whole brinjal into medium sized slices.

2.       Soak tamarind in half a cup of water.

3.       In a pan, pour 1 or 2 Tb spoon of oil and while heated, leave the mustard seeds to sputter. Once done, put curry leaves and stir mildly. Add the chopped onions, green chilly and garlic into this and fry it for some time till it is softened. Add the roasted coriander powder and mix it well.

4.       Squeeze the soaked tamarind well with hand and take the juice. Pour this to the above fried mixture and leave it to boil for 5 minutes. Add salt to taste. Once a thick enough mixture is made, put the cut brinjal pieces into it. A little water may be added if the dish is too thick and keep it in low flame for 10 minutes.

This is an awesome vegetable side dish for nadan Kerala meals. Have a try..!!

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Chicken Cutlet

I felt extremely happy last week to receive a call from an old blogger friend of mine. She just called into say that she is actively following and referring my ‘Aakrantham’ and trying out dishes from this. With a little hesitation, she asked me whether I can publish few of her recipes too in my blog. Though my joy knew no bounds when I heard this question, with a little show-off, I told her “aah..!! lemme see, anyhow you send me a recipe. After reviewing, I’ll let you know”. Within an hour an e-mail with subject line ‘Chicken cutlet’ popped up in my gmail window, which read as below:

Ingredients:

• Boneless chicken – 250 gm
• Cooking oil – for frying
• Onion - 2
• Garlic (cut into small pieces) - 2        
• Green chilli (finaly diced) - 1        

• Mint, coriander & curry leaves (chopped) – 1 Tbspoon 

• Ginger (cut into small piece) – ½ teaspoon
• Chicken Masala - 2½ Tbspoon
• Chilli powder – ½ teaspoon
• Turmeric Powder – ¾ teaspoon
• Potato – 1 Big
• Bread crumbs – as needed to cover
• Egg – 1 or 2
• Salt - to taste

How to:

 1.       Boil the washed chicken pieces with 1 Tb spoon of chicken masala and salt with a half cup of water till chicken is properly cooked. Drain the water if any, and mince the chicken.

2.       Peeled potato should be cut into small pieces. Pressure-cook this potato along with ½ tea spoon turmeric powder, salt and one cup of water. Mash these cooked potatoes well using a spoon and keep it aside.

3.       Heat 2 Tb spoon oil in a frying pan, add onion, green chilli, mint, coriander and curry leaves, ginger and garlic and fry until soft. Add chicken masala, chilli powder, ¼ tea spoon turmeric powder and salt and mix well. Fry for few minutes.  Add the minced chicken (as in step 1) and mashed potato (as in step2) and stir until mixed well.

4.       Take 2 Tb spoons of bread crumbs in a plate. Break egg and take the white part alone into another plate.  Make small balls out of the mixture made in Step 3. Dip this ball in egg white and then roll it in the plate of bread crumbs till it is fully covered. Shape the ball into a perfect round/heart as needed.

5.       Pour oil into a flat frying pan. To the heating oil, place the cutlets as made in step 4. Carefully fry both sides of the cutlet till it turns brown. Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

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Spicy Squid Masala (Koonthal masala)

The special attraction of today’s fish purchase was squid. Though I went with Aneesh to buy fish for his household, he told Nimmy (his wife) used to cook squid only in continental style and not aware of traditional recipe and thus he discouraged me from buying.  But I assured him that I’ll guide her to make, trying to recollect all lessons learned during my PG studies. To be frank, I was really eager to try it out once. I hoped Nimmy won’t have to kick me out of her kitchen. Straight away from market, I went to help her in kitchen, started cleaning squid and gave the instructions to Nimmy as below to prepare traditional koonthal masala.

Ingredients:

Koonthal – 250 g

Red chilli powder – 2 teaspoon

Kashmiri chilli powder – 1 tea spoon

Turmeric powder – ½ teaspoon

Salt – to taste

Grated coconut – 2 Tb spoon

Chopped onion – 1 big sized

Tomato cut into small pieces– 1 medium sized

Green chilli – 2 no.s

Ginger, garlic (crushed) – 1 teaspoon

Coriander, mint leaves – 1 Tbspoon

Garam masala – 2 pinch

Coconut Oil – to fry

How to:

1.       Clean the squid well and cut it into round pieces. Mix chilli powders, turmeric powder and salt in a pan and cook for around 10 minutes in medium flame without adding water. Once the water in squid is drained completely, add coconut oil into the pan to fry the squid. Squid just need to be shallow-fried. So just 2 Tb spoon of oil will be enough.

Drain oil and keep the fried squid aside, once it is half-fried.

2.       In the same pan and same oil put chopped onion, green chilli, garlic and ginger and fry until softened. Pour extra oil only if it’s needed. Add cut coriander and mint leaves and garam masala. Add salt as needed and if it needs to be spicier, add ½ teaspoon pepper powder.  Add the cut tomato and fry till tomato is softened. Add the grated coconut and fried squid into this mixture and blend well for 2 minutes in medium flame.

3.       Serve hot in a plate, garnish with tomato and green chilli.

Note: It’s an ideal spicy side dish for any rice varieties or pathiris/breads/chapathis.

Nimmy made chappathi and we three had it with koonthal masala. I could figure out a smile on Aneesh’s face with a satisfaction that the money spent for squid didn’t go waste because of me... You too try this and comment about your opinions.

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Unnakkai (Vaazhakkada/kaayada)

After trying out the recipe of ‘paalu vazhakka’, my friend called to thank me and tell that the dish was easy to make and delicious. As I’d given enough build-up about Malabar-snacks to her over the phone, she asked me for the recipe of ‘unnakkai’ J. Oh my God! I thought for a while and told her – “err...hmm...I don’t remember exactly, I mean I’ve a doubt in how do we make the stuffing for it. Is it fine if I recall and post it in blog?” She laughed and told – “Yea. It’s fine. You ask to someone and get the recipe. I’ll take from your blog”. Soon after cutting her call, called my mom and tuned her up with sweetest talks and tactfully got the recipe from her. I’m posting that recipe here for You...

Ingredients:

Plantain (ripe but stiff) – 3

Egg – 2

Sugar – ½ cup

Chopped cashew nuts – 3 Tbspoon

Raisins – 2 Tbspoon

Cardamom – 2

Ghee – 1 Tb spoon

Oil – for deep fry

How to:

1.       Steam or pressure cook the plantains till softened

2.       Peel off the skin from the cooked plantains and mash well with hand or in a mixer without adding water. If the mashed plantain is over-wet or shaky, roll it in a piece of cotton cloth for some time till it gets dried up.

3.       In a bowl mix egg, cashew nuts, raisins with sugar and mashed cardamom, well with continuous beating with a spoon.   

4.       In a pan, heat ghee and add the above mixture and stir well with a thin spoon for few minutes until the small egg pieces are separated from the pan.

5.       Spread some oil in your palm and take small balls from the mashed plantain, flatten the center a little with fingers and fill the egg mixture. Roll the plantain balls into a spindle’s shape.  (if the plantain balls are too sticky, add a little maida/rice flour into it or spread on palm so that it’ll be easy to shape)

6.       Deep fry these in hot oil in a pan till it turns brown.

Serve hot with tea. It’s one of the best choices for evening snacks.

Note: In ‘Paaluvazhakka’, instead of putting cut banana pieces, if unnakkai is added, it’ll be even yummier..!! Have a try?

*Photo courtesy : My Space.. My Taste.. My  World... 

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Chicken Samosa - Malabar Recipe

I bet no cuisine in the whole world can beat the traditional Malabar snacks’ taste. The ‘kozhikodan samosa’ is amongst the executive committee members of these snacks family.  It’s an essential item on any iftar table and the most sought morning and evening tea-time snack for all in Kozhikode. I took the recipe of the same recently from a friend of mine. Are you ready for a try with me?

How To:

For filling:

Boneless chicken – 250 gm

Chicken masala – 1 Tbspoon

 

Boil the washed chicken pieces with chicken masala and salt with a half cup of water till chicken is properly cooked. Drain the water if any, and mince the chicken.

Cooking oil – 2 Tbspoon

Onion - 2

Garlic (cut into small pieces) - 2

Green chilli (finaly diced) - 1

Mint, coriander & curry leaves (chopped) – 1 Tbspoon

Ginger (cut into small piece) – ½ teaspoon

Chicken Masala - 1½ Tbspoon

Chilly powder – ½ teaspoon

Turmeric Powder – ¼ teaspoon

salt - to taste

 

Heat the oil in a frying pan, add onion,green chilli, mint, coriander and curry leaves, ginger and garlic and fry until soft. Add chicken masala, chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt and mix well. Fry for few minutes.  Add the minced chicken and stir until mixed well. Chicken masala filling is ready.

for covering:

 

Maida - 225gm.

Rava – 2 Tb spoon

Salt – to taste

Cooking oil – 2 Tbspoon

Mix flour and salt into a bowl. Make a well into the centre and add the oil and enough warm water to make firm dough. Press the dough on a flat surface until smooth. Divide the dough into small balls and roll out the balls to bigger circles. Cut the circle into four equal pieces with a knife. Wet the longer edge with a little water with fingers and form a cone shape around your fingers, sealing the dampened edge.

Fill the cases with a Tbspn of your chicken masala filling and fold the opened corner to seal the top of the cone so that a triangular shape is made.

Deep fry the samosas in hot oil until crisp and brown take out and drain on a paper towel.

Delicious Malabar Samosa is ready to be served

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Paalu Vazhakka | പാലു വാഴക്ക - Dessert (Malabar Special)

 It’s iftar time at Monty’s home. The table is filled with so many tempting Malabar dishes.  The sweet dish which his sister served into my plate reminded me of my childhood days, having ‘paalu vazhakka’ from my Aunty’s home at Calicut. Its taste still lingers to my taste buds with a sweet nostalgia. I confirmed with her whether this dish is also the same and took the recipe from her. Sharing it here for you. Have a try....

Paalu vazhakka


Ingredients:
Sago rice ( sabudana/ചവ്വരി ) – 1 cup
Sugar – to taste
Cardamom – 2
Banana – big 2
Coconut (grated) - 1
Ghee – 2  teaspoon
Cashew nuts and dried grapes – 10 each
Small onion – 2


 How to:


1.       Put the grated coconut into a mixer jar, pour water just enough to dip the coconut and mix well. Squeeze this mixture to take thick coconut milk. The squeezed coconut milk should again be put in the mixer with more water and squeezed to take thin coconut milk. Keep both thick and thin milk separately in bowls.


2.       Boil the thin coconut milk and add the sago rice (without washing) into the boiling milk. Keep in low flames for 3 minutes. Slice the banana in a semi-diagonal angle into medium sized pieces and put these into the boiling sago rice. Close the vessel after switching off the flame.  Keep it closed for 10 minutes


3.       Open the vessel and add the thick coconut milk, required amount of sugar and mashed cardamom and boil in low flames for 2-3 minutes and switch off. Make sure that the dish came out in a comparatively thick consistency.


4.       Melt ghee in a small pan and roast small onion till getting brown and add cashew nuts and dried grapes. Roast it for few minutes.


5.       Serve ‘paaluvazhakka’ as prepared in step 3 and decorate with the roasted nuts n grapes. It’s a real tasty sweet that the taste will stick on to our tongue for days together.

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