Saturday 30 July 2011

Garden Fresh Salad


Salads are always very refreshing and light and works really well during hot summers. Salads have always been a regular on my menu back home where we used to eat salad even with rice! My dad is a big fan of fresh salads and so I grew up eating them. But, Reju is a hard core meat lover and so salads were not a very important part of the menu until recently both of us became conscious of gaining weight and are now trying our best to lose a few pounds! Hope that works! So salads have become a very integral part of our menu now, and this particular salad is quite popular. Both of us love it. It is very healthy and is also a treat to our taste buds.

This dish is extremely refreshing since the dressing is made of yoghurt. For a change, you can make something healthy and not compromise on the taste.

So here is the recipe for Garden Fresh Salad

Ingredients

Vegetables - 2 cups
Yoghurt - 1/4 to 1/2 cup
Olive Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard powder/Mustard paste - 1 to 2 tsp
Sugar - 1 tsp
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste

Method

Beat the yoghurt well and add olive oil, mustard powder/paste, sugar, pepper powder and salt. Combine well. Now add the veggies and mix well so that the veggies are coated with the yoghurt dressing. Refrigerate for 2 hours or more and serve chilled.

Notes: You can use no/low fat yoghurt for the healthier version.

You can use any veggies you like in this salad, though I strongly recommend celery, capsicum and spring onions because it gives a very special flavour. I have used cucumber, carrot, capsicum, purple cabbage, celery and lettuce.

Friday 29 July 2011

Moru Kachiyathu/Kachimoru


At our home, Moru Kachiyathu/Kachimor is an indispensable side dish with rice. It's subtle flavour makes it a very elegant dish. Though it is an extremely simple dish, it took me sometime to actually master this dish. (Initially, it curdled almost everytime I used to make it) But after so many futile attempts, my mom helped me and there has been no looking back ever since!

Enjoy.

Ingredients

Buttermilk/Sour Curd - 1/2 ltr/500 ml
Small onion (Chopped) - 4 to 5
Ginger (Chopped) - 2 tsp
Garlic (Chopped) - 2 cloves
Green chilli (Slit fine) - 3 to 4
Red chilli (Vattal Mulaku) - 2
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Jeera/Cumin seeds - a pinch
Fenugreek powder - a pinch
Curry leaves - a few
Salt - to taste
Oil

Method

Add a few curry leaves into the buttermilk/Sour curd and keep aside for 1/2 an hour. Heat oil in a wok and splutter mustard seeds. Add ginger, garlic, green chillies, small onions, curry leaves, red chillies and cumin seeds. Fry for about 2 to 3 minutes. Add turmeric powder and fry for 1/2 a minute. Switch off the flame and add Fenugreek powder and combine well with other ingredients. (Switching off the flame avoids burning of Fenugreek powder which can get bitter if burnt) Leave this mixture to cool. Once it has cooled, add the buttermilk/Sour curd and switch on the flame again. Add required salt and stir continuously till steam comes through the spatula. (Keep alternating the flames between high and low) Do not let it boil. This will take around 5 to 6 minutes. After removing from gas,  stir for a few more minutes and immediately transfer to another vessel to stop the cooking process.

Serve with Rice.

Notes: Make sure the buttermilk/curd is at room temperature, otherwise it may curdle.

Kerala Fish Fry (Meen Varuthathu)


Fish fry is one of my favourite dishes!! But I don't make it that often because Reju is not a very great fan of fish. Normally during those 'rare' times I buy fish, I usually make Kerala Fish Curry (Meen Vevichathu). But the other day, when I was out shopping for groceries, I couldn't help but notice fresh Seer fish (Neymeen) at the fish stall and was so tempted to buy it. I didn't think twice, just bought it and had the fish stall fellow segregate the pieces for Fish curry and Fish fry. How could I resist something that looked so appealing!

This recipe is a very basic Fish fry recipe I got from my mother (Yes, my mama again, I trouble her almost everyday with frequent phone calls for her yummy recipes) You can play with the recipe as you like.

Here is the recipe.

Ingredients

Seer Fish steaks - 1/2 kg (6 to 8 medium size pcs)
Tamarind (Kodampuli) - 1 piece soaked in 1 or 2 tbsp of water
Garlic (Crushed) - 10 cloves
Ginger (Crushed) 1/2 inch pc
OR
Ginger & Garlic paste - 3/4 tbsp
Pepper (Crushed coarsely) - 3/4 tsp
Kashmiri chilli powder - 1 & 1/2 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Vinegar/Lime juice - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves (Chopped fine) - few
Salt - to taste
Water - enough to make a paste (1 to 2 tsp approx)

Method

Wash and clean the fish and immerse it in tamarind water along with the tamarind piece and keep aside for 5 minutes. Then throw away the tamarind piece and wash the fish steaks well with water.

Mix together ginger & garlic paste, crushed pepper, kashmiri chilli powder, turmeric powder, vinegar/lime juice, curry leaves, salt and enough water to make a thick paste. Marinate the fish steaks with this paste and keep for half an hour. Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry the fish steaks.

Notes: I normally fry the fish on medium-low flame. Make sure the marinade is not too watery.

Serve with Rice.

Source: My Mama

Madakasan (Coconut Pancakes)


To tell you the truth I'm not much of a morning person and so I don't like getting up early in the morning and doing anything. And Bangalore weather has spoilt me even more, makes me want to snuggle up under my blankets and just sleep!!

Because of my love to sleep in the mornings and get up late, cooking breakfast was always a big big task for me! I normally ended up giving my hubby dearest yummy, crunchy Kellogg's wheat flakes (Oh, now it's Kellogg's Special-K) everyday. But now, I have slowly started making attempts to make breakfast because my husband, Reju loves this meal of the day the most.

This dish was a regular back home where my mom would make them and we would just gobble them all up because it was so tasty and light. The crushed cardamom adds that extra zing to this simple dish.

I was suddenly reminded of this recipe when I happened to bump on it when I was scrolling through recipes on mariasmenu.com the other day. I must tell you that Maria's site mariasmenu.com is a really good site, she has done a fabulous job and made cooking so easy and interesting. Thanks Maria...!

We at these delicious pancakes today for breakfast and completely loved it! Enjoy.

Ingredients

For Pancake

All purpose flour (Maida) - 1 & 1/2 cups
Milk - 1 & 1/2 cups
Eggs (Beaten) - 1
Salt - to taste
Sugar - 2 tbsp
Water - as required

For Filling

Coconut (grated) - 2 cups
Cardamom (crushed) - 3
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Sugar - 6 tbsp

Method

Mix together all purpose flour, eggs, salt, sugar and water and make a thin batter. Heat a non-stick pan/thava and pour the batter and spread it. Cook for a few minutes on one side and then flip over. Prepare pancakes like this with the remaining batter.

For Filling

Heat ghee in a pan and add coconut, crushed cardamom and sugar and mix well. Cook till the mixture becomes soft and juicy. Place the filling in the pancakes and roll it.

Serve hot with honey.

Source : mariasmenu.com

Mulaku Bajji (Chilli Bajji)


Yesterday was a nice rainy day and Bangalore weather was at it's best. And I thought the best way to celebrate this beautiful day was with piping hot chilli bajjis and a cup of warm tea.

I normally am not much of a snack person, so I don't have too many quick snack recipes in my goody bag. But my husband who is a complete foodie, had asked me whether I could make him some munchies in the evening when he got back from work. At that time, I said "No Reju, don't you remember we are on a diet"! And poor thing, I actually sent him 3 arrowroot biscuits as a snack! But yesterday was just perfect and it definitely called for a tasty snack. Making this snack is just a piece of cake and a total crowd pleaser. I hope you'll enjoy it too. I'm sorry I couldn't get  a good picture of this, I'm not too much of a creative person. But will try to do better next time! This recipe is from a cookery show I watched recently.

This bajji is almost like an instant dish and it tastes awesome!

Here is the recipe.

Ingredients

Bajji Mulaku (Long green chillies) – 10
Lime - juice of 1 lime
Gram flour (Kadalamaavu) - 1 cup
Red chilly powder - a pinch
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Baking Soda - a pinch
Asofetida Powder (Hing/Kaayam podi) - a pinch
Salt - as required
Oil - for deep frying

Method

Clean the chillies, take out the seeds and cut them into halves/quarters. Immerse them in a mixture of lime juice, little water and salt. Marinate it for 10 to 15 minutes.

Mix together gram flour, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, baking soda, asofetida powder, salt and enough water to make a batter that has the consistency of a Idli batter.

Heat oil in a wok. Take the chillies out from the marinade and dip them in the besan batter and deep fry.

Serve with tomato sauce.

Thursday 28 July 2011

Beans Olathu


Beans are always a staple in my everyday cooking. We have it at least 2 times a week, of course, cooked in different forms.

This particular dish is a popular one from Kerala, God’s own country, my hometown. It’s very simple and tastes heavenly and goes great great with rice and sambhar or dal.

My husband and I absolutely love this dish and hope you will also like this simple yet exotic veggie dish.

Ingredients

Beans - 12 to 15
Turmeric - 1 or 2 pinches
Salt - to taste
Shallots - 10 to 12 (Pounded)
Garlic - 3 to 4 cloves (Pounded)
Curry Leaves - 2 sprigs
Coconut Oil - 2 tbsp
Crushed Red Chilli flakes - ½ tbsp (add as per spice tolerance)

Method

Cut the beans into long slanting strips and cook with salt and turmeric by sprinkling water 2 to 3 times. Cook till water evaporates completely.

Now take a wok and heat oil. When oil is hot, add garlic, shallots and curry leaves and sauté till shallots turn golden brown. Now, add the cooked beans and sauté till everything is combined well. Then add the crushed chilli flakes and sauté well. (Sauté on both high and low flames alternately) Once done, remove from stove.

Serve with Rice.

Source: My Mom

Naadan Beef Curry


Beef has always been a big favourite among the Syrian Christian community in Kerala. No occasion is complete without a beef dish. Some of the best beef dishes hail from Kottayam, Tiruvalla and other parts of Central Kerala.

Today, I am sharing a beef curry which is extremely easy and yummy!

Enjoy!!!

Ingredients

Beef - 1kg
Turmeric - ½ tsp
Salt - to taste
Shallots chopped - 5 to 6
Big Onions chopped - 1  cup
Ginger Paste - 1 tbsp
Garlic paste - 1 to 1 ½ tbsp
Curry Leaves - 2 to 3 sprigs
Coconut Oil - 2 tbsp (I used Olive oil)
Meat Masala - 1 tbsp
Garam Masala - ½ tsp
Red Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Kashmiri Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Pepper powder - 1 tsp
Coconut pcs (Thengakothu) - ¼ cup
Tomato – 1

Method

Clean the beef and cut into small pieces. Marinate the beef with turmeric and salt and keep aside.

Pour oil in a pressure cooker and sauté the onions till they turn golden brown. Add ginger & garlic paste and sauté till raw smell is gone. Now, throw in all the spice powders and sauté for a few minutes. Now, add the tomatoes and sauté till oil separates. Then, add marinated beef along with the coconut pieces (thengakothu) into this and combine everything well. Add curry leaves and about 3/4th cup of water and cook upto 3 whistles on a high flame and keep on a low flame for about 15 to 20 minutes. (Depending on cooking time of meat)Open the pressure cooker when the steam is completely released. If there is excess water, reduce it by keeping it on a medium flame till you get the right consistency.

Serve with Rice/Roti/Kerala Porotta.

Source: My Mama
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