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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