Oct 29, 2012

CHICKEN CHILLY FRY






INGREDIENTS:

Chicken breast - 500 gm (cut into cubes)
Red chilly powder - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Pearl onions - 10-15
Dry red chillies / red chilly flakes - 1-2 tbsp 
Curry leaves - 2 strings
Coconut oil - for frying 
Salt to taste

LET'S COOK :

 Clean chicken and cut into cubes. Marinate the chicken cubes with red chilly powder, turmeric powder, curry leaves and salt. Keep the marinated chicken aside for at least an hour or if possible, keep it overnight.
Heat some oil in a deep pan and fry the chicken cubes until it turns golden brown. Make sure you don't burn them. Keep the fried chicken aside. Now crush the pearl onions and dry red chillies (adjust the quantity of red chilies according to the level of heat that you prefer) together. Heat some coconut oil in a pan and add the crushed mix, salt and some curry leaves. Fry them until it changes color and the raw smell of onion is gone. When oil starts to leave the sides of the pan add the fried chicken and mix well in low flame. If you like curry leaves, at this point add some more curry leaves and mix well. Switch off the flame and serve hot.









Oct 7, 2012

ALOO METHI / POTATO WITH FENUGREEK LEAVES







INGREDIENTS:

1 Small onion chopped
1 Tomato chopped
2 Potato cut into cubes (1 potato if its large)
1 cup Methi / Fenugreek leaves (I used frozen methi leaves)
1-2 Green chillies chopped
1 tsp Red chilly flakes
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp Red chilly powder
3/4 tsp Coriander powder
1 tsp Ginger-garlic paste
2 tbsp Oil
Salt to taste

LET'S COOK:

Heat oil in a pan. Add green chillies, onion, ginger garlic paste and saute until onion turns transparent.
Now add tomato and cook until its soft. Once tomato gets cooked add all the masalas and saute for 1 min.
At this time if you feel its too dry add 2-3 tbsp water. Add potato, salt to taste and mix well. Cook the potato by covering the pan. When the potato is half way done add the methi leaves and mix well. Cook the methi & potato by covering the pan once more. It may take 3-5 mins for this mixture to cook. The color of the methi leaves will change from green to brownish green once its cooked.





Oct 2, 2012

UZHUNNU VADA/MEDU VADA






INGREDIENTS:

Urad dal / Uzhunnu - 2 cups
Green Chillies - 5-6 finely chopped
Ginger - 1 small piece finely chopped
Pearl Onions - 3-4 finely chopped (optional)
Curry Leaves - 1-2 strands finely chopped
Peppercorns - 10-15 nos
Oil - for frying
Salt - to taste
Water

LET'S COOK:


  • Soak the urad dal/uzhunnu for 4 - 5 hours and grind to a thick batter adding only a small amount of water.
  • Add green chillies, ginger, pearl onion, curry leaves, peppercorns and salt to the thick batter and mix well.
  • Keep the batter aside for an hour.
  • Heat oil in a deep dish pan. Drop a pinch of batter in the oil and if it rises as soon as it is dropped that means the oil is hot enough to make the vada.
  • Wet your hand with some cold water and take a medium size serving of batter. Role the batter into a ball and make a hole in the center with your finger and drop it in the oil immediately after. The stove should be on medium flame otherwise the vada will get burned without getting cooked.
  • Fry the vada until it turns golden brown and serve hot with coconut or coriander chutney.







Sep 15, 2012

TAPIOCA MASALA/KAPPA PUZHUKE





INGREDIENTS:

Raw Tapioca/Kappa - 1kg
Coconut - 1.5 cup
Green Chilies - 5-6
Garlic - 1 big piece
Pearl onions - 2
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Mustard - 1tbsp
Dry red chilies - 3
Curry leaves - 1 strand
Coconut oil - 2 tbsp
Water 
Salt to taste

LET'S COOK:


  • Cook tapioca in boiling water with salt. This will take 15-25 min. Once its cooked, drain the water.
  • Grind coconut, garlic, green chilies, pearl onions and turmeric powder with little water into a fine paste.
  • Heat oil in a deep bottomed pan and add mustard. When it sputters, add dry red chilies and curry leaves.
  • Now add the coconut paste and saute them for 2-3 min until the raw smell is gone.
  • Add the cooked tapioca/kappa and mix well. Add some water if you don't want the final product to be dry.
  • Once everything is mixed well switch off the heat and serve hot.
  • The final product should be a festival for your senses!




Sep 6, 2012

PAZHAM PORI / BANANA FRY


INGREDIENTS:


Rice Flour 3-4 tbsp

Ripe Banana(Ethapazham) - 2
Sesame seed - 1 tsp
Cumin seed - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Water - required to make a thick flowing batter
Oil for frying

LET'S COOK:



  • Mix all the above ingredients except oil into a thick flowing batter.
  • Cut the banana into 4 pieces.
  • Heat the oil in a pan.
  • Dip each banana pieces in the batter and fry them until it changes the colour into light brown.
  • Serve them with hot tea.


Sep 5, 2012

UNNIAPPAM (with chakavaratiyathe / jackfruit jam)



INGREDIENTS:

1 cup Maida
1 cup Fine Rava (not roasted)
1 Ball Jaggery 
1 Pack Jackfruit Jam or 1-2 cup homemade jackfruit jam 
1-2 Banana
1 tbsp Sesame seeds
1/2 cup Coconut slices
Oil for frying

LET'S COOK:

1. Melt the jaggery with little water and set aside to cool.
2. Smash the banana into a fine paste.
3. Mix all the ingredients except the oil to a fine batter.You can either mix with your hand or use a blender to avoid any lumps.



4. Adjust the sweetness by adding more jaggery or jackfruit jam.
5. Leave the batter overnight or at least 5 hours before making unniappam. 
6. Heat the oil in an unniappam maker. Pour a small quantity of  batter into each slot and fry them flipping the sides until golden brown.






TIPS:

1. Keeping the batter overnight makes the unniappam very soft.
2. Once the batter is poured into the slot wait for small bubbles to pop above the unniappam before flipping it over. This shows that the unniappam is cooked from inside.
3. Make sure that you add the melted jaggery syrup to the batter only after it is completely cooled down. 

CLICK ON THE BELOW IMAGE(S) FOR MORE DETAILS REGARDING THE PRICE & FROM WHERE TO PURCHASE.




Jul 19, 2012

Zebra Cake



INGREDIENTS:


4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup (8 oz / 250 g) granulated sugar
1 cup (8 fl oz / 250 ml) milk, at room temperature
1 cup (8 fl oz / 250 ml) oil (corn, vegetable or canola is fine)2 cups (10 oz / 300 g) all-purpose flour (maid)
1/3 teaspoon vanilla powder or essence
1 tablespoon (equals 3 teaspoons) baking powder
2 tablespoons dark cocoa powder 


LET'S COOK :


Preheat the oven at 350 F.


1. In a bowl mix egg and sugar until it becomes soft and somewhat creamy.Now add the remaining wet ingredients i.e milk,oil and vanilla essence and mix well.


2. In a separate bowl mix the dry ingredients i.e all purpose flour and baking powder.Add this mix to the wet ingredients in batches and mix well until all the ingredients comes together to form a yellow creamy batter. 


IMPORTANT : Do not over beat the batter.if you do so it will create air pockets and when you bake your cake it will have holes when u cut throught. This is applicable for all cake batter.


3.Divide the mixture into two equal portions.add the cocoa poder to one of the portion and mix well.


4. Now comes the assembling part.Sorry guys i couldn't take any photos.I know it would have been a great help for you if i have taken some pics.Anyway i will try my best to explain it well.Let me know if you want any help.


5.Lightly grease the baking pan with oil or butter.pour 3 tbps of the plain/yellow batter into the middle of the baking pan.Now pour 3 tbps of the cocoa batter above the plain/yellow batter into the center.next add the plain/yellow batter aobe the coco batter into the center.like this pour the batter into the center alternatively.


NOTE: Do not tilt or tap your baking pan to help them spread or dont even wait after pouring each batter to spread.it will spread by its own when you pour the batter alternatively.


6.Keep on pouring the batter until the batter is finished. At this stage you can find alternate colour rings formed.


7.Bake the batter for 40-45 min, until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.







CHAKKA ADA / JACKFRUIT STEAM CAKE





INGREDIENTS:

Rice Flour - 2 cup
Jackfruit preserve/chakka varitiyathe -1 -1 1/2 cup
Coconut slices - 1/2 cup
Cardamon powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder- 1/2 tsp
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Banana leaves

LET'S COOK:

1. Heat the ghee and roast the coconut slices until light brown.
2.Mix all other ingredients except banana leaves to make it a dough (just like chapathi dough).
3. Adjust the sweetness by adding more or less jackfruit preserve/chakka varatiyathe.
4. Take small balls of the dough and wrap the ball in banana leaves and lightly press them to make them little flat.
5. Steam cook the ada for 20-25 min or u can use pressure cooker without the weight knob.






Jul 16, 2012

Vanilla cookies/ Jam cookies



INGREDIENTS :


Unsalted Butter(room temp) - 1/2 cup (113 gms)
White Sugar - 1/4 cup (50 gms)
Egg - 1 (separated)
Vanilla Extract - 1/2 tsp
All Purpose Flour (Maida) - 1 cup (130 gm)
Salt - 1/8 tsp
Jam (of your choice)


LET'S COOK:


  1. In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes). 
  2. Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Add the flour mixture to the batter and beat just until combined.
  4.  If the batter is too soft to roll into balls, refrigerate for about 30-60 minutes.
  5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  6. Take small balls of the batter and place on the prepared baking sheet spacing about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart. 
  7. Using your thumb or end of a wooden spoon, make a indentation into the center of each cookie and fill with about 1/2 teaspoon of jam.
  8. Bake for about 12 -15 minutes, or until cookies are set.Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool. 
  9. If you dont have jam or dont like jam, you can make it in to any shape like i have done(heart) and  bake it.And can drizzle chocolate or maple syrup on top.

YOU CAN USE COOKIE CUTTERS FOR DIFFERENT SHAPES.ITS FUN. TRY IT OUT.