Adukala Vishesham

White Chocolate Mousse Cake

2012-02-15T19:35:00.000-08:00

Continuing with the valentine's day spirit, we decided to make something that will make you fall in love with desserts again. This rich, creamy and absolutely divine chocolate mousse cake will take your senses away with every bite. So next time when you want to impress that someone special, give this a try.

Prep Time: 1 hr + setting time (5-6hrs)
Ingredients

*White Vanilla cake: 1 box
Vanilla Jello pudding mix: 1/2 box
Heavy whipping Cream: 1 pint
White Chocolate chips: 1 Packet /2 bars
Hershey Cookies n Creme chocolate bar: 2
Milk: 1 cup (for pudding mix + strawberry spread)
Sugar: 2 tablespoons

*Strawberry spread: 4 tablespoons

Some fruits to decorate
Strawberries :7-8
Blueberries: 10
Banana

*We used the instant cake mix to save on time.

*Blend a few strawberries with some sugar and little milk (1 tablespoon) to make the strawberry spread.

Bake the cake according to the instructions on the box. Let it cool and keep aside. Cut off the top and the crust which might be golden brown. Slice the white inside and set it as the base in the dish you want to make the dessert. Brush the strawberry spread all over .

Mix 1/2 the contents of the pudding box and set according to the instructions. Leave it in the refrigerator for about 10-15 mins.

Meanwhile melt the white chocolate chips in a double boiler. Beat the heavy whipping cream with about 2 tablespoons of sugar until it forms firm peaks. Now slowly fold the melted chocolate and pudding mix into the whipped cream. The mousse is set. Now spread it all over the cake base (like half the dish is cake and the remaining half is the mousse). Grate the cookies n creme bar generously over the top. Decorate with the berries and banana slices. Let it set in the refrigerator for at least 5-6 hours. Serve chilled.

Egg Masala Curry

2012-02-10T17:45:00.000-08:00

Whether you are an egg lover or not, here's one of those curries which surely tastes awesome inspite the minimal effort. This is a simple coconut based gravy with a slight touch of mint.

Prep Time: 20 mins
Ingredients

Eggs (Hard boiled): 3
Onions (sliced): 1 big
Tomatoes (sliced): 2-3
Green chillies (slit): 3-4
Ginger (finely chopped): 1 teaspoon
Garlic (finely chopped): 2 pods
Curry leaves: 5-7
Mint leaves: 1 sprig
Coconut milk: 1/4 cup
Turmeric powder: 1 teaspoon
Chilli powder: 1 1/2 teaspoons
Coriander powder: 2 teaspoons
Garam Masala/Chicken masala: 1 1/2 teaspoons
Water: 1 cup
salt and pepper to taste
Oil: 3 tablespoons

Hard boil the eggs and cut them in halves or slice them and keep aside. Heat some oil in a deep dish. Saute the ginger garlic and green chillies. Add the curry leaves and the sliced onions. Add a pinch of salt and saute until slightly done. Add all the spice powders. Add the tomato slices and mix well. Add the chopped mint leaves and 1 cup of water and let it all simmer into a fine gravy. Adjust the salt and spice to your liking. Pour the coconut milk and leave on low heat. Add the sliced eggs. Cover and let it cook on low heat for another five minutes. The delicious egg curry is ready. Serve it with hot rotis.

Hot n Spicy Chicken Wings

2012-02-02T12:58:00.000-08:00

With the football (NFL) mood peaking up for the Super bowl, we decided to make the traditional American favorite appetizer Buffalo style Chicken Wings. Originating from the region of Buffalo, the classic wings are deep fried and then coated with the hot sauce. We have been little less generous on the oil, hence the baked version. But have no doubt, they are still finger smacking good !

Prep Time: 30 mins
Ingredients

Chicken Wings: 10 Pieces

Marinade

Chili Powder: 3 teaspoons
Turmeric Powder: 1 /2 teaspoon
Vinegar: 2 teaspoons or Lemon Juice: 1-2 tablespoons
All purpose flour: 1/4 cup
Olive Oil: 3-4 tablespoons
Pepper: 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste

Final Dressing

Chili Garlic Sauce: 2 teaspoons
Frank's Original Red Hot Sauce: 5 tablespoons
Butter(optional): 1 tablespoon

* We have removed the complete skin on the wings to suite our preference, however some people will like to keep the skin on and no harm doing so.
* Its better if you can marinate the wings a day or two earlier.
* Any brand of hot sauce is okay, we have used Frank's red hot sauce in this recipe

Mix all the marinade ingredients and rub generously over the wings. Coat the bottom of a deep dish (oven safe) with little oil. Put the marinated chicken wings to bake. Pre-heat the oven to 475° F and bake for about 15 mins. Toss it over to other side and bake for another 15 minutes until its fully cooked and becomes crispy. Take it out of oven, drizzle the coating sauce and toss. Enjoy it hot.

Some chilled beer, celery sticks and ranch dip.You are all set for the big game.

Nadan style Egg roast

2012-01-26T11:00:00.000-08:00

As we believe, born in some traditional mallu christian home this dish has traveled around Kerala to be a favorite for most mallus. This egg roast brings out a great balance of flavors in spices when paired with appam or porotta.

Prep Time: 30 mins
Ingredients

Eggs: 3
Onions (sliced): 2 medium size
Ginger (finely crushed): 1 teaspoon
Garlic (finely crushed): 1 teaspoon
Green chillies: 2-3
Curry leaves: 1 bunch
Tomatoes (pureed): 1 cup
Turmeric powder: 1 teaspoon
Chilli powder: 2 teaspoons
Coriander powder: 2 teaspoons
Garam Masala: 1 1/2 teaspoons
Salt & pepper to taste

Hard boil the eggs and keep aside. Pull out the shell and make slits all around the egg.In a deep pan, heat some oil. Add the crushed ginger, garlic, chillies and saute. Add the sliced onions and saute well until the rawness of all the onions have gone. Add the curry leaves and saute. Add all the spice powders. Add salt and pepper to taste. Now fry for about 5 mins, then add the pureed tomatoes and continue to stir until the tomatoes puree dries up in the mix.

Toss the eggs in another pan with little oil on medium heat until golden brown. Turn off the heat and add these eggs to the above mix. Serve hot, its an excellent side to appam or roti.

Kaya Vattan (Plantain Semi dry)

2012-01-21T10:00:00.000-08:00

Plantain has been a staple vegetable due to its abundant growth in Kerala soils. Out of its many creations here is one dish which is very local to Kannur. And if you are wondering whats with the name, it gets the name from the cut of the vegetable Kaya = plantain and vattan = round.

Prep Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

Raw Plantain (Cut in rounds): 1
Garlic (crushed): 1 pod
Green Chilli (Slit): 2
Turmeric Powder: 1/2 teaspoon
Grated Coconut: 1/4 cup
Cumin seeds: 1 1/2 teaspoon
Coconut oil: 1 tablespoon
Water: 1/4 cup
Curry Leaves: Handful
Salt to taste

Plantain can leave lots of stain so before you cut put some oil on your hand and knife and soak the cut plantain in some turmeric and salt water.

In a deep pan saute the crushed garlic in 1/2 tablespoon of coconut oil. Add the cut plantain, slit green chili, turmeric powder and water. Cover and cook until its soft. Add salt. Meanwhile coarsely grind the coconut and cumin seeds. Add this to the cooked plantain and let it all simmer for other 5-10 mins. Mix well and add the remaining coconut oil and curry leaves.

Cranberry Orange Loaf

2012-01-16T12:57:00.000-08:00

Inspired by a recent Facebook post of a dear cousin with a picture of some delicious cranberry orange loaf, we decided to give it a try. The results were truly a bakers delight. A slice of this loaf which is fused with the tartness of cranberries paired with citrusy oranges is great for your next tea party.

Prep Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

All purpose flour: 2 cups

Baking powder: 2 1/2 teaspoons

Eggs: 2

Butter: 1/4 cup or 4 tablespoons

Sugar: 1 cup

*Orange juice: 1 cup

*Cranberries/Craisins: 3/4 cup

Chopped walnut/pecans: 1/4 cup

Orange zest: 3/4 tablespoon

* Fresh squeezed orange juice tastes better over store bought orange juice.

* You can use fresh or frozen cranberries. But we used the dried cranberries (craisins).

Beat the sugar and butter until smooth. Add eggs and beat until ivory. Meanwhile sieve the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt and keep it aside. Add the orange zest and orange juice to batter. Slowly fold in the flour and mix well until its all smooth. Coat the nuts and craisins with 2 tablespoons of flour before you add them, else they will completely sink in. Mix thoroughly and note the batter should be a little thick and not very runny.

Grease a loaf pan with butter and pour in the batter.

Preheat the oven to 375 F . Bake for about 30 mins or until the center comes clean when poked. Once done take it out and let it cool.

Optional: Mix 4 tablespoons of powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons of orange juice to make a glaze and brush liberally all over the loaf.

Slice and serve warm with tea. Bon Appetite

Soy Kheema Mattar

2011-11-16T10:58:00.000-08:00

Just like you would make the meat kheema mattar, we tried a version with soy granules which makes a healthier option and another new recipe for vegetarians. Soy granules are a great way to add tons of protein to your daily diet. So definitely give this one a try.

Prep Time: 25 mins
Ingredients

Soy Granules: 1 cup
* We used the Nutrela soy granules we found at the Indian grocery store
Onions (finely chopped): 1/2 cup
Tomato (pureed): 2 med sized
Green peas (mattar): 1/3 cup
Ginger-garlic paste: 1 teaspoon
Green chillies: 2-3
Cumin seeds/Jeera: 1 1/2 teaspoons
Turmeric powder: 1 teaspoon
Chilli powder: 2 teaspoons
Coriander powder : 2 teaspoons
Garam masala: 1 teaspoon
Chicken masala: 1 teaspoon (optional)
Whole spices: 2 Bay leaves, 4cloves, 1 star anise and 1 cardamom
Coriander leaves to garnish
Oil
Water to cook the soy granules

Boil 3 cups of water with some salt, turmeric powder and chilli powder. Add the granules and let it cook. It will expand a bit and soften up. Cover and leave it on low gas for about 5-10 mins. Turn off the gas and keep aside. Heat oil in a deep kadai or dish. Add the cumin seeds. Add the green chillies and ginger garlic paste and saute. Now add all the whole spices, saute. Put the chopped onions and fry. Add some salt and all the spice powders and saute well. When the onions have cooked, add the tomato puree and 1/4 cup of water and cover cook. Now strain the soy granules and add to this mixture. Add the green peas and let it all simmer in the gravy on low heat. Adjust the spices accordingly. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves. Serve hot with rotis.

Chocolate Chip Cookie

2011-11-09T15:16:00.000-08:00

Here is our try at America's Favorite, the yummylicious chocolate chip cookie. Have them plain or dunk them in your milk coz they'll bring a smile with every little bite.

Prep Time: 20 - 25 mins
Ingredients

Whole Purpose flour: 1 cup
Sugar: 3/4 - 1 cup
Baking powder: 2 teaspoons
Egg: 1
Butter: 1 stick or 1/2 cup
Vanilla Essence: 1 teaspoon
Walnut (chopped): 1/3 cup
chocolate chips: 1/3 cup

Beat the sugar and butter until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla essence and beat well. Meanwhile sieve the flour, baking powder with a pinch of salt and keep aside. Slowly fold the flour into the beaten mixture. Finally add the nuts and the chocolate chips. Mix everything into a smooth dough.

Preheat the oven for 375° F. Scoop out the dough and put it on to the ungreased cookie sheet. The trick to get round cookies is to use a mini ice cream scoop. Do not flatten them out before you bake.

Bake for about 10 minutes or until the sides of the cookies are golden brown. Though the center might look uncooked, take it out and cool it down for another 15 minutes. Serve warm.
If you leave them inside the oven for longer they might turn into crispy cookies.

Mooli Paratha (Radish Paratha)

2011-10-21T11:59:00.000-07:00

Another great delight in the paratha category is often neglected because its competition is always the mighty aloo paratha. But beyond the the tedious effort that goes into grating these strong tasting root veggie, the final result is sure to impress those taste buds. This is a great healthy wholemeal by itself, so try out it for your next lunch/dinner.

Prep Time: 30 mins
Ingredients

Dough
Whole wheat flour/Atta : 3 cups or as per your requirement
Radish water* +Water : 1/2 cup(little or more) enough to make a smooth dough
a pinch of salt

Filling
Radish/Mooli (grated): 1 cup
Green chilies (chopped): 1-2
Turmeric powder: 1/2 teaspoon
Chilli powder: 1/2 teaspoon
Jeera powder: 1/2 teaspoon
Garam masala: 1 teaspoon
Fresh coriander leaves (chopped): 1 tablespoon
salt to taste
Oil

*First squeeze out the liquid from the grated radish and keep aside. You can use this water while kneading the chappati dough.

Knead a smooth dough by mixing enough water and a pinch of salt to the whole wheat flour and keep aside. Finally apply 1 tablespoon of oil to firm up the dough. In a deep nonstick pan/kadai dry roast the grated radish with all the masala until dry and slightly toasty. This process not only eliminates all the water for a dry filling, but also takes away the pungent flavor from the radish.

Make round balls of the dough. Flatten them a little so you can make a pocket in your palms. Put the filling and seal it back. Roll it out into flat circles. Dust as much as flour you need to roll them out. Fry these on the tava with oil/ ghee.

Serve hot with the pickle of your choice. We personally prefer the Punjabi mixed vegetable. Don't forget a bowl of curd too.

Tiramisu

2011-10-14T12:05:00.000-07:00

Tiramisu is a classic Italian desert which literally means "Pick me up" since it could never be left behind because of its irresistible taste. Every bite you take mesmerizes your palettes with a fusion of coffee and chocolate in a smooth cream. Though it might seem like a big deal to put it together, its rather very simple to make. Here's our take on the recipe which is definitely worth a try.

Prep Time: 1 hr + setting time
Ingredients

Egg yolks: 3

Mascarpone cheese (80z): 1pack

Sugar: 1 cup

Heavy whipping cream: 1 pint

Lady fingers/ Savoiardi*: 2 packs( about 40 fingers)

Ghiradelli dark chocolate bars: 4-5

Milk chocolate: 1 small bar

Expresso*: Double shot

Water: 1/2 cup

Marsala wine: 4-5 tablespoons

Kahlua (coffee liquor): 3 tablespoons

Cocoa powder: 1 teaspoon for dusting

*We just got a double shot of regular expresso from one of the local coffee shops.

*The lady fingers are easily available in most of the local grocers (Safeway/ Fredmeyers)

Beat the egg yolks + 1/4 cup of sugar until ivory and smooth. In a double boiler beat the egg yolk mixture. Add the marsala wine and keep beating until it starts to thicken. This takes about 5 mins. Move it aside. When this cools, add the entire package of mascarpone cheese and fold it until smooth. If you over do the mascarpone cheese it can become a little crumbly. Beat the whipping cream slowly adding the 1/2 cup sugar with a hand blender until it has stiff peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the yolk+cheese mixture. This makes the main creamy layer in this desert.

Now for the coffee-choco concoction. In the double boiler melt 2 bar of the dark choc + 1 bar of the milk chocolate. Turn off the gas and and add the kahlua and the expresso with the water. Add 1/4 cup of sugar to this and mix well. This is what we will dip the lady fingers into.

Take a glass flat dish preferably to set the Tiramisu. Dip the ladyfingers one by one into the coffee concoction and lay it down. Dont dip for too long as they will immediately break down. Layer it with whipped mixture. Repeat until its over ending with the whipped mixture on the top. Typically cocoa dust is spread on the very top, but we like to use a mix of grated dark chocolate and cocoa dust.

Cover it with cling wrap and leave it in the refrigrator for about 6-8 hours.

Cut and serve and defenitely enjoy every bite of this fabulous desert.

Sooji Toast

2011-05-09T15:26:00.000-07:00

This recipe was taught to us by a dear friend who impressed our palettes on a lazy Sunday morning with this yummy Sooji Toast. Its a very quick and easy option for snack time or breakfast made with ingredients you would find everyday in our Indian homes.

Prep time: 10 mins

Ingredients

Bread Slices: 4

Topping

Rava/Sooji/Semolina: 1/4 cup

Yogurt : 4 tablespoons

Onions (finely chopped): 2 tablespoons

Green bell peppers (finely chopped): 2 tablespoons

Carrot (grated): 1 tablespoon

Green chillies (chopped): 1-2

Cilantro (chopped): 1 tablespoon

Ginger (finely chopped): 1/2 teaspoon

Garam Masala: 1 teaspoon

Chat masala: 1 teaspoon

Cumin seeds: 1 teaspoon

Salt and pepper to taste

Butter: 1 tablespoon

Combine all the ingredients of the topping in a bowl and keep aside. It should be of a pasty consistency (not very thick or not very runny), easy enough to spread on the bread slices.

Butter both sides of a bread slice and press down on a hot tava. Don't let it get crispy, just slightly toasty. On one side spread the topping and turn it down on the tava. Let it get cooked on medium heat until golden brown. The sooji will stick on to the bread firm creating a nice crust. Once fully cooked, cut in triangles and serve hot with Maggi Hot and sweet ketchup. Repeat with all the bread slices until your topping is finished.

*We suggest the hot and sweet ketchup, because it tastes best with that compared to the regular tomato ketchup.

Oats Soup

2011-04-26T12:59:00.000-07:00

Oats are great for all ages and mostly consumed for health reasons. This fibrous cereal is also known to improve cholesterol numbers. And with the addition of spinach leaves and no oil, this is an all in all super healthy soup. So definitely give it a try.

Prep Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

Oat meal: 1/2 cup

Baby spinach leaves: 1/4 cup

Tomato (chopped): 3-4 tablespoons

Garlic pods (crushed): 2-3 pods

Milk: 1/2 cup

Water: 1 1/2 cups

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Boil the water in a pot. Add the oats, spinach, tomatoes and crushed garlic pods. Let everything come to a good boil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Finally add the milk and give a final boil. Pour into soup bowls and enjoy it hot.

Aval (Rice flakes) Upma

2011-04-11T22:47:00.000-07:00

Here's one quick recipe for a very naadan tasting snack which is also a popular option for breakfast in our homes. These flattened rice flakes are very filling and can be made in so many delicious variations.

Prep Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

Aval/ Rice flakes/ Poha: 2 cups

* We used thick rice flakes. Another tip is that if you make this with the Kerala special red rice flakes, it tastes even better.

Red onions (chopped): 1/3 cup

Dried red chillies: 2-3

Curry leaves: handful

Grated coconut: 1/2 cup

Mustard seeds: 1 teaspoon

Urad dal: 1 teaspoon

Oil for seasoning

Heat oil in a deep pan/kadai. Splutter the mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves. Add the chopped onions and saute. Just wash the rice flakes and immediately squeeze out the water. Add the squeezed rice flakes into the pan and saute well. Add the salt. Finally add the grated coconut and mix well. Turn off the heat in 5 mins.

Aval upma is ready to be served.

Palak Paneer

2011-03-22T18:35:00.000-07:00

Heres our version of the delicious Palak Paneer aka cottage cheese in spinach curry sauce. This dish is a sure find in every Indian menu card and is rich in iron with the all the goodness coming from the spinach leaves and calcium from the cottage cheese. We have used homemade paneer for this recipe, so from start to end its a complete homemade meal.

Prep Time: 20 mins
Ingredients

Spinach leaves (washed, blanched & pureed): 1 cup

Tomato (pureed): 1

Onion s(chopped): 1/4 cup

Green chillies: 2

Ginger-garlic paste: 1 teaspoon

Cumin seeds: 1 1/2 teaspoons

Coarinder powder: 1 teaspoon

Chilli powder: 1/2 teaspoon

Turmeric powder: 1/2 teaspoon

Kasoori Methi / Dried fenugreek leaves: 2 teaspoons

Milk/Cream: 1/3 cup

Paneer (cubed): 8-10 pcs

Oil to fry

Bay leaves: 1

Cradamom seed: 1

Cinnamon stick: 1

* You could fry the paneer cubes slightly before adding to the gravy to avoid it crumbling up. Or you could skip the frying bit and add the plain paneer cubes. If you are sauteeing the paneer, just rub the paneer in little salt, turmeric and chilli powder and saute in little oil. Another thing is if you leave these fried paneer for a long time in room temperature, it will become hard and rubbery. So immediately after frying, let it sit in 1/4 cup warm water. You could add this water with the paneer back into gravy.

Wash the spinach leaves. Immerse in 1/2 cup boiling water for 2 mins. Drain and puree the spinach leaves into a smooth paste.

In a deep pan, heat some oil. Add the bay leaves, cardamom seeds, cinnamon stick and cumin seeds. Add the ginger garlic paste. Add the chopped onions and saute until slightly golden. Add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder. Add the tomato puree and mix well. Now add the spinach puree and let everything simmer on low heat. Adjust the salt and spices. When the spinach is fully cooked, add the crushed kasoori methi. Finally add the paneer cubes. Add milk/cream and mix well.

Palak paneer is ready to be served.

Dates Tamarind Chutney

2011-01-31T11:52:00.000-08:00

A simple khatta-meeta(tangy yet sweet) chutney that is best used while making all the different kinds of chaat. Adding the dates instead of plain sugar or jaggery adds the best detail in the chutney.

Prep Time: 5 mins
Ingredients

Dates: 8-10
Tamarind Paste: 2 teaspoons
Chili Powder / Dried chilli powder : 1 teaspoon/ 1-2
Sugar: a pinch
Salt: a pinch
Water : 2 tablespoons

De-seed the dates and put them in a bowl with the water. Microwave it for 1 and half mins. Mix in the tamarind pulp and rest of the ingredients. Mix and grind it all into a fine smooth paste. You could add a little more water to slightly dilute if you think the consistency is little thick. Adjust the salt.

Tamarind chutney is ready.

Upilitta Nelikka Chamanthi (Salted Gooseberry Chutney)

2011-01-13T06:54:00.000-08:00

Here's one of our favortite chamanthis that takes us back to eating simple meals in those olden kerala tharvadu (ancestoral home) kitchens and this one doesn't even take the time to count from one to a hundred.

Prep Time: 5 mins

Ingredients

Gooseberrys in salt water/brine: 3-4

Garlic: 2 pods

Green chillies:3-4

Grated Coconut: 1/4 cup

Curry Leaves: few

*Since we didn't find the fresh gooseberrys to start pickling, we made this from the store bought "Grandma's Uppilitta Nellika"

Deseed the gooseberries and chop them into small pieces.Combine rest of the ingredients and grind in the mixer. Mix together and shape them into balls and serve them with steaming rice.

Happy New Year 2011!

2011-01-01T10:00:00.000-08:00

Here's wishing all our dear friends and readers a glorious start to a brand new year filled with abundance of love and happiness. Ring in the new year celebrations with your loved ones with ton loads of fun, food and festivities.

With a hope to unfold many more recipes and fun ideas to cook, we send our heartfelt wishes to each and every one out there!!

Photo Courtesy: Kiran & Ashwin

Crab curry (Roasted coconut gravy)

2010-12-28T16:53:00.000-08:00

We decided to wrap up the year 2010 with our post of this delicious crab curry. Very popular in North Kerala, this is a must try for any seafood lover.

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

Crab Pieces: 10

Onions (sliced): 1

Garlic (chopped): 2 teaspoon

Ginger (chopped): 2 teaspoon

Green Chili (chopped): 2-3

Tomatoes (chopped): 2

Chili Powder: 1 1/2 tablespoons

Turmeric Powder: 1 teaspoon

Coriander Powder: 2 tablespoons

Dried Red Chili: 2-3

Grated Coconut: 1/2 cup

Mustard Seeds: 1 teaspoon

Curry Leaves: handful

Oil

Salt to taste

* We used the cut crab pieces we got from Asian store

To make Roasted coconut, in a pan dry roast the grated coconut for 6-7 minutes. Add 1/2 tablespoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder and 1 tablespoon coriander powder, 1 dried red chili and saute well. sprinkle some salt and saute until the coconut is golden brown (check the ingredient pic)

Heat some oil in a pan, add ginger, garlic, green chilies and onions. Sprinkle some salt and saute well for 6-8 minutes. Meanwhile grind the roasted coconut to a smooth paste. Add chopped tomatoes, crab pieces, chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and saute. Once tomatoes are cooked add the ground paste and mix well. Add enough water and let crab simmer in this gravy on medium heat. Crab meat cooks very fast and can be recognized when it turns into a whitish color. Adjust salt and spice level according to you liking.

For final seasoning, heat some oil in a pan. Splutter mustard seeds, dried red chilies, curry leaves and pour it to the curry.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

2010-12-22T00:34:00.000-08:00

A very popular side in any thanksgiving dinner brussels sprout which resembles a mini cabbage is known for its nutritional value. Here is a a simple yet delicious way of serving brussels sprout.

Prep Time: 10 mins
Ingredients

Brussels sprouts: 1 cup

* You could cut them in halves for it to get a little more crispier on the inside.

Olive oil: about 3-4 tablespoons

Garlic powder: a tiny pinch
Dried red chillies flakes: 1 teaspoon

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 F. In a baking tray, roll these brussel sprouts in olive oil. Rub the salt, garlic powder, red chili flakes and salt. Bake until the edges start to a crispy golden brown. Keep tossing them once a while.

These dont taste half as good if eaten cold. So make sure you enjoy them while they are hot.

Naadan Chicken Masala

2010-12-14T02:19:00.000-08:00

Holiday season means having more reasons for family n friends to come together and enjoy some delicious food. We'll introduce you to one of our favorites on the dinner plate for such ocassions Nadan chicken masala. Its again a very easy recipe that uses everyday ingredients. So dont forget to add this one to your party menu coz its gonna be one big hit!

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients

Chicken (cubed): 2 cups
Onions (sliced): 2
Tomatoes (chopped): 1
Green Chilies (slit): 3-4
Garlic (chopped): 1 tablespoon
Ginger (chopped): 1 tablespoon
Turmeric Powder: 1-2 teaspoons
Chili Powder: 2-3 teaspoons
Coriander Powder: 4 teaspoons
Chicken Masala: 2-3 teaspoons
Curry Leaves: handful
Coconut cuts (optional): handful
Oil
Salt to taste

* Marinate the chicken pieces with little bit of turmeric powder, chili powder, coriander powder, lemon juice and salt for 10 to 15 minutes.

Heat some oil in a deep pan. Saute the chopped ginger, garlic, green chillies and curry leaves. Add the sliced red onions and saute until it is pinkish. Now add the rest of the turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, chicken masala, chopped tomatoes and saute well until all the spices blend in. Add the marinated chicken pieces and mix well. Cover and let it cook on a slow fire for 6-7 minutes. Once the chicken is cooked, keep sautéing until the water/gravy dries up. Spray/add some oil and fry for few more minutes. Add the coconut cuts and mix well.

Serve it hot with rice or roti.

Chicken Hakka Noodles

2010-12-09T09:02:00.000-08:00

Another Indo-Chinese favorite among many of us is the Hakka Noodles. Lots of veggies and sauces stirred up together makes this a colorful complete meal for any day of the week.

Prep Time: 20 mins
Ingredients

Hakka Noodles: 1 packet

Soy Sauce: 2-3 teaspoons

Vinegar: 2-3 teaspoons

Green Chili Sauce: 1 teaspoon

Chili Garlic Sauce: 1 teaspoon

Vegetables : 1/2 cup (we used a mix of the following)

Beans (Cut lengthwise)

Carrots (Cut lengthwise)

Green & Red bell peppers(Cut lengthwise)

Cabbage (shredded)

Onions (sliced)

Green Chilies (slit): 2-3:

Ginger(sliced): 1 tablespoon

Garlic (sliced): 1/2 tablespoon

Spring Onion (Chopped): handful

Salt & Pepper to taste

Oil to fry (You could regular cooking oil or some sesame oil)

Egg: 1

Chicken (Shredded): 1 can

* For convenience we used store bought can of chicken breast in water.

* You could also add cooked shrimp to this if you like.

Boil water in a deep pan. Sprinkle some salt and a few drops of oil. Add the hakka noodles and let it cook. This should take about 5-7 mins. Turn off the heat and drain off the water in a colander and rinse the cooked noodles under cold water.

Meanwhile chop all the veggies and keep aside. In a wok, heat some oil. On medium to high flame, stir fry the cut ginger, garlic and green chillies, Add all the veggies and stir. Add the soy sauce, green chilli sauce, chilli garlic sauce and vinegar. Now add the shredded chicken.When the veggies are half done, add the noodles and stir well. Adjust the salt. Sprinkle some pepper too. In a another small frying pan, heat some oil and add beaten egg and scramble it. Add this also to the noodles. Give a final stir and the noodles are read. Garnish with freshly chopped spring onions.

Enjoy!!

Beetroot Raita

2010-12-06T10:05:00.000-08:00

Here's an easy raita enriched with beetroot's deep color and flavor that can made a great side for Biryanis, Pulav etc. So definitely put this one the must try list !

Prep Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

Grated beetroot: 1/3 cup

Yogurt: 1/2 cup or more

Green chillies (chopped): 2

Ginger (chopped): 1/2 teaspoon

Garlic (chopped): 1 small pod- optional

Curryleaves: few

Mustard seeds: 1 teaspoon

Salt to taste

Oil for seasoning

Heat some oil in pan. Splutter the mustard seeds. Add curry leaves, chopped ginger, green chillies, garlic and saute. You could also add dried red chillies if you like. Add the grated beetroot. Add salt and saute till the beetroot is almost cooked. Turn off the heat and let it cool. Once is fully cooled add the yogurt and mix well. Adjust the salt.

The raita is ready to be served.

Home made Paneer

2010-12-01T12:43:00.000-08:00

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

Milk: 1/2 gallon

Lemon juice: 2 tablespoons

* We used the regular 2% organic milk.

Bring the milk to boil in a pot. Squeeze in the lemon juice and allow it to fully curdle. Turn off the heat. You can see the light water separate form the milk fat. Strain this out and save the fat. Squeeze out all the water and set in a flat plate. Cover it with cling wrap and place some thing heavy (like another plate) over it and let it set in the refrigerator for about 3-4 hours. Cut into cubes and use as necessary.

Sundal/ Spiced Black Chana

2010-11-30T15:28:00.000-08:00

Sundal is a very festive snack that originates from the Tamilnadu cuisine. However it has gained popularity all over, south India these days and is made from different beans like pattani (dried green peas), red beans, garbanzo and even peanuts. It is mainly made as an offering to the gods on religious days and served as part of prasadam.

Prep time: 10-15 mins excluding cooking time of the chana
Ingredients

Black chana: 1/2 cup (soaked and cooked in turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt)
* We usually keep aside some black chana for this while making Kadala curry.
Grated coconut: 1/4 cup
Dried red chillies: 3-4
Hing/Asofoetida: a pinch
Curry leaves: one sprig
Urad dal: 2 teaspoons
Mustard seeds: 1 teaspoon
Oil : 1 tablespoon

Heat the oil in a pan. Splutter the mustard seeds, add dried red chillies, urad dal, and curry leaves. Sprinkle some hing. Add the grated coconut and stir for 2 mins. Now add the boiled chana. You could adjust the salt and spice. Saute for about 10 mins. Turn off the heat. Sundal is ready to be served.

Veggies n Pasta Bake

2010-11-25T04:28:00.000-08:00

With the very first snow showers of the year, Seattle looks gorgeous all over covered up in a white blanket. And such cozy weather only adds to the thanksgiving festivity. Well for this holiday we decided to make one simple dish which offers comfort and warmth in every bite. So here's wishing a very Happy and Wonderful Thanksgiving to all our dear friends out there.

Prep time: 45 mins

Ingredients

Pasta: 1 cup

Veggies (your choice): 3/4 cup
* We used the following vegetables

Carrots (cubed)

Green beans (cut)

Cauliflower (florets)

Broccoli (florets)

Green and red peppers (cubed)

Onions (cubed)

Corn niblets

Snow peas

Garlic: 1 pod

Marinara sauce: 1/3 cup
* We used the tomato,garlic and basil marinara sauce.

Tomato ketchup: 2 teaspoons

White sauce

Butter/Olive oil : 2 tablespoons

All purpose flour: 1 1/2 tablespoons

Milk: 1/3 cup

Grated Parmesan cheese: 1 tablespoon

Grated Mozzarella cheese: 3 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons

Salt & Pepper to taste

* You could also include boiled and cubed chicken pieces to this for all those who cant be all vegetarian.

Heat some oil in pan. Saute the chopped garlic and cubed onions. Add all the veggies and saute well. Add a little bit of salt and pepper. When the veggies are almost cooked, turn off the heat. Add the marinara sauce and toss all the veggies. Add the tomato ketchup and mix.

Meanwhile, boil the pasta with a little salt in a large pot of water. Drizzle some oil into the pasta while boiling so that it doesn't stick to each other. Once cooked, drain it off it and rinse in cold water and keep aside.

To make the white sauce, heat the butter/olive oil in pan. Add the all purpose flour and stir well. When the raw smells goes, add milk and continuously stir. It will start to thicken. Turn off the heat. Add the grated Parmesan cheese and 3 tablespoons of the mozzarella cheese and mix well. Check for salt and pepper.

Now in a glass dish, spread out the veggies in the marinara sauce. Pour the white sauce you just made over it. Give a gentle mix. Add the remaining grated mozzarella on the top and bake in the oven for 10- 15 mins at 350 F till the top cheese melts.

Serve warm. Garlic bread can be added on as a great side.

Kozhi / Chicken Thoran

2010-11-19T13:46:00.000-08:00

We eventually turned to this recipe shared by a friend long time ago when we had no time left for elaborate cooking and were still in a mood to eat some non veg. We knew this recipe had to taste good. Its really simplicity at its best. And thoran of any form not only adds comfort but makes any meal more enjoyable to a true Mallu.

Prep Time: 10 mins
Ingredients

Chicken (boiled and shredded): 3/4 cup

Grate coconut : 1/4 cup

Green chillies: 2-3

Ginger (crushed): 1 teaspoon

Garlic (crushed): 1 teaspoon

Curry leaves: few

Mustard seeds: 1 teaspoon

Dried red chillies: 2-3

Turmeric powder: 1/2 teaspoon

Chilli powder: 1-2 teaspoons

Coriander powder: 1 teaspoon

Salt to taste

Oil to fry

* For convenience sake, we used the precooked chicken breast in water available in cans in most supermarkets. You could otherwise just cook the chicken meat with some salt and pepper and shred it.

Heat some oil in a pan. Splutter the mustard seeds. Add the dried red chillies, curry leaves. Roughly crush the green chillies, ginger and garlic together. Add this and saute for a few mins. Now add the shredded chicken. Add the turmeric, chilli and coriander powder and stir well. Cover with a lid and leave it on medium heat for a few mins before you add the grated coconut. Saute for another 5 mins and the thoran is ready to be served.

Makes a great side for rice or roti.

Dal Palak Kerala Style

2010-11-14T22:43:00.000-08:00

We have come up with a mallu twist to the regular dal palak (spinach dal). Mallu means having something to do with coconut and here it is. This curry takes the least amount of time to make and goes great with anything on the side. So defenitely give this nutrients packed yummy dal a try.

Prep Time: 25 mins
Ingredients

Toor Dal: 1/2 Cup
Spinach(chopped): 1/3 cup
Garlic pods: 1-2
Green chillies: 2-3
Grated Coconut: 1/4 cup
Cumin seeds: 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder: 1 teaspoon
Chilli Powder: 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste

Seasoning
Mustard seeds: 1 teaspoon
Dried red chillies: 2-3
Curry leaves: few

Pressure cook the toor dal with salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder, garlic pods and the chopped spinach in about 1 1/4 cups of water.

Meanwhile grind the grated coconut, cumin seeds and green chillies to a fine paste. When you take off the pressure whistle from the cooker, stir everything and keep on low heat. Add the ground coconut mixture to this and let evrything come to a good boil. Adjust the salt and spices. Finally heat some oil for the seasoning. Splutter the mustard seeds, red chillies and curry leaves. Add to curry and the nadaan dal palak is ready. Serve hot with rice or rotis.

Karela Shaped Namkeen

2010-11-10T14:45:00.000-08:00

With the Diwali hangover, we decided to make one more easy snack great for teatime. This one gets its name because of the resemblance to the karela/ bittergaurd. If you don't want to spend a lot of time in shaping them, these can be made in simple rounds to make a papdis which can be later used for any chaat.

Prep Time: 20 mins
Ingredients

All purpose flour: 1 cup

Chilli powder: 1-2 teaspoons

Cumin /Jeera seeds: 1/2 teaspoons

Oil : 2 tablespoons

Salt to taste

Water: 1/4 cup more or less

Mix all the ingredients except the oil and water in a bowl. Add warm water and oil to make a smooth dough as you would for rotis. Keep aside for 10 mins. Make small balls of the dough and flatten it with a rolling pin like the size of a big puri. Cut into semicircles. With a knife, make long cuts in the centre without touching the ends. Then slowly roll over and twist the ends to lock it. You will get this karela shape.

Heat some oil in a kadai for deep frying these. Fry until golden brown. Drain off the excess oil and serve these warm or after completely cooled off.

Happy Diwali - Besan Ladoo

2010-11-05T12:28:00.000-07:00

May the lights of this Diwali bless your family with success, happiness and prosperity. We Wish all our readers Happy Diwali.

Prep Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

Besan Flour/Gram Flour: 1 cup

Semolina(Rava): 1 tablespoon optional

Sugar: 1/2 cup or more (to your taste)

Ghee: 1/3 cup + lil more on your palms while making the ladoos

Cardamom powder: 1 teaspoon

Nuts(Slivered almonds): optional

In a flat pan on slow -medium heat, dry roast the besan/gram flour for about 30 to 40 mins. The best indication is when you start to get a nice fragrance of the besan and it starts to slightly change colour. Then add the ghee and keep roasting for some more time making sure there are no lumps formed. Add the rava and roast. Meanwhile powder the cardamom seeds and sugar to a fine powder. Turn off the gas. While continuously stirring add the powdered sugar mix to the besan.

When this mix is of bearable warmth, apply little ghee onto your palms and roll them into small/medium sized balls. Besan ladoos are ready.

Store them in an airtight container and they will last for a few weeks. Once again we wish you all a safe Diwali.

Diamond Cuts

2010-11-03T15:06:00.000-07:00

We are again in the festive mood, getting geared up for the festival of lights "Diwali". Like all Indian festivals offer, Diwali also treats all our palettes with an array of sweets and savories. It brings back memories of our moms starting to make different sweets and snacks before a week or two in preparation for the festival. And the best part its just not what you make at home, you exchange it with friends and neighbors to taste their share too. So apart from the fireworks, lighting up the place its time to go overboard on fun food delicacies.

Heres one such common sweet made at our homes. If you havent ever tried these, this is the perfect time to make some.

Prep Time: 20 mins
Ingredients

All purpose flour: 1 cup

Water: 1/4 cup (more or less)

Oil: 2 tablespoons

Salt: a pinch

Oil to deep fry

Coating (Sugar Syrup)

Sugar: 1/2 cup

Water: little less than 1/4 cup

* To get the exact color on the coating, you would have to use the white sugar, rather than organic raw sugar or brown sugar.

Heat the water in the microwave for 30 secs. Add salt to the all purpose flour. Pour the lukewarm water and make a medium soft dough. Pour the oil and smoothen as you work a little more on the dough. Make medium sized balls and flatten it out like you would for a roti. Then make strips and run the knife along to make diamond cuts all over (just like shown in the picture).

Heat some oil to deep fry these cuts. Turn each one over until puffed and lightly brown. Drain the excess oil onto a paper towel and keep aside to cool.

Now heat the sugar and water in a pot to make the syrup. Once the sugar has fully melted. Turn off the heat and toss the cooled diamond cuts in this sugar syrup. Let it just coat and move it onto a tray or a plate and let it cool. As it cools the sugar turns white.

* If you put the fried cuts into the sugar syrup before it fully cools, it will become soft and can lose the crunch.

The diamond cuts are ready to eat. Store them in a airtight container and can last upto a few weeks.

Pickled Vegetable - Carrot/Beetroot

2010-10-27T22:15:00.000-07:00

Heres a super easy pickle you could make without much investment of time or effort. This instant pickle is a great side to make any of meals a little more peppy and colorful. It tastes great even if you decide to have it on the same day or wait for a week.

Prep Time: 15 mins
Ingredients

Grated Carrots: 1/2 cup

Ginger (finely cut): 1 tablespoon

Green Chili (sliced): 4-5

Garlic (finely cut): 1 tablespoon

White Vinegar: 1/4 cup

Chili Powder: 1 1/2 teaspoons

Mustard seeds: 1 teaspoon

Curry Leaves: few

Dried Red Chili: 2-3

Sesame oil: 1 tablespoon

Salt to taste and little more.

* This pickle is not meant to last for a long time time. So its best when consumed within a month.

Heat the oil in a pan. Splutter the mustard seeds.Add the dried red chillies and curry leaves. Add the chilli powder. Stir. Turn off the gas. Immediately add in the grated carrots , sliced ginger, garlic and green chillies. Stir well. Add salt. Its okay if you add little more salt because, it will balance out in a few days as in gets fully absorbed into the pickle. Pour the vinegar over it. Mix well. Store this in a clean jar. You can have this instantly or leave it in the refrigerator for a few days.

Enjoy.

Beetroot Pickle

You can follow the exact same procedure as above while replacing the carrots for grated beetroot.

Vendakka (Okra) Theeyal

2010-10-25T16:26:00.000-07:00

Theeyal literally means burnt dish and gets the name because the primary ingredient in it is the ground mixture of roasted (close to being burnt) coconut with some great spices. The gravy is typically dark brown and has a dominant tangy taste with a hint of sweetness. This dish is very popular in Kerala and is made either with Ladies finger or Pearl Onions. We also hear that there is another popular version of this gravy with Prawns and drumsticks which we shall soon try and give verdict to.

Prep Time: 15 - 20 mins

Ingredients

Ladies Finger: 8- 10 (cut )

Grated Coconut: 1/4 cup

Green chillies: 2

Chilli powder: 1-2 teaspoons

Turmeric powder: 1/2 teaspoon

Coriander powder: 1 1/2 teaspoons

Jeera powder: 1/2 teaspoon

Tamarind pulp: 1 tablespoon

Water: 1/3 cup or less

Jaggery (optional): 1 teaspoon

Fenugreek powder: a pinch

Seasoning

Mustard seeds: 1 teaspoon

Dried Red chillies: 2

Onions(finely chopped): 1 tablespoon

Curry leaves: few

* You could also replace the Ladies Finger with pearl onions to make the Ulli Theeyal.

In a pan, dry roast the grated coconut, turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder and jeera powder until brown and aromatic. Turn off the gas and keep aside.

Dissolve the tamarind pulp in 1/4 cup water and keep aside. Grind this roasted coconut with some of the tamarind water to make a smooth paste.

Chop the ladies finger. Heat little oil in a pan. Saute the ladies finger with a little salt. When 1/2 done, pour the ground paste and the remaining tamarind pulp and water. Cover and cook. Let everything come to good boil. Add the optional jaggery and fenugreek powder. Check for the salt and spice.

In a small pan, heat little more oil for the seasoning. Splutter the mustard seeds. Add dried red chillies, curry leaves and the finely chopped onions. Fry until the onions turn golden brown and pour this seasoning over the gravy.

Give a final mix and its ready to serve with hot steaming rice. This gravy goes great even with chappathis.

Sabudana Vada

2010-10-15T13:03:00.000-07:00

Wishing all our dear readers a very happy and prosperous NAVRATRI. While everyone is busy celebrating the festivities of these auspicious nine days, we decided to make the Vrat(fast) special snack - Sabudana Vada. It is traditionally a Maharastrian snack which has now gained popularity all over India. These crunchy vadas are not only mouthwatering, they are very filling and can subsitute for a meal by itself.

Prep Time: 1/2 hour (excluding soaking time)

Ingredients

Sabudana/Tapioca pearls: 1/2 cup

Potato: 2 medium sized

Roasted peanuts (coarsely powdered): 3 tablespoons

Jeera/Cumin seeds: 1 teaspoon

Green Chillies: 2-3

Ginger(chopped): 1 teaspoon

Coriander/Cilantro leaves (finely chopped) : 4-5 stems

Lemon juice: 1/2 teaspoon (optional)

Turmeric powder : a pinch

Salt to taste

Oil to fry

Soak the Sabudana overnight or for a min of 4-5 hours with lil water. For 1/2 cup sabudana, you could use 1/4 cup water.

Boil the potatoes, peel off the skin and mash them. Coarsely powder the peanuts and add it to the soaked sabudana.Add the mashed potatoes and rest of the ingredients (ginger, green chillies, cilantro, cumin seeds, turmeric and salt). Mix well. Make small balls from this mixture and flatten them.

Fry them in hot oil. Turn them over and fry them until golden brown on both sides.Take them out and serve with Green chutney.

Enjoy!!

Carrot Cake

2010-10-13T12:36:00.000-07:00

Carrot Cake doesn't call for any special occasion to be made. Whether you like it plain or want to fancy it some more with a delicious cream cheese frosting, this dense moist treat gets a warm welcome everywhere and is a great way to get a good portion of carrots in your diet.

Prep Time: 1 hour
Ingredients

All purpose flour: 1 1/2 cups

Sugar: 1 cup (1/2 for caramelizing, 1/2 for batter)

Grated Carrot: 1/2 cup

Butter: 1 stick /8 tablespoons

Eggs: 2

Vanilla essence: 1 teaspoon

Baking powder: 1 1/2 teaspoons

Walnuts/ Almonds: handful

* Spice powder (powder the following with a teaspoon of sugar in your coffee bean grinder)

4 cloves +1 cardamom + 1/2 spoon cinnamon powder + 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg grated

Beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs one at a time and beat well until ivory. Add the vanilla essence. Sieve the all purpose flour, baking powder and the spice powder. Fold this into the batter. Meanwhile caramelize the sugar until golden brown. Pour this into the batter and beat well. Finally add the grated carrot and give a thorough mix using a spatula.

Butter a baking dish and pour the batter into it.Add walnuts/ almonds and give a gentle mix. Meanwhile preheat the oven at 350 F. Bake for about 40 mins or until the centre comes out clean when poked with a knife. Cool and cut into slices.

* For those who like some frosting, heres the recipe

Cream Cheese(softened at room temperature) : 1/4 cup

Vanilla essence/extarct : 2 drops

Sugar: 2-3 tablespoons

Butter: 1 tablespoon

First combine the butter and cream cheese with a spoon or a hand mixer. Slowly add the vanilla essence and the sugar and beat until smooth.

Spread on the cake evenly after the cake has completely cooled.

Bon Apetit!!

Mixed Veg Masala

2010-10-08T20:42:00.000-07:00

Here is a colorful nutrients enriched simple vegetable sabzi that can be added to your daily- cooking menu. This medley is a great idea for you to include all the vegetables you fuss about otherwise. Enjoy this with hot rotis.

Prep Time: 20 mins
Ingredients

Potato (cubed): 1/3 cup
Tomato (chopped): 1
Peas: 2-3 tablespoons
Corn nibblets: 2-3 tablespoons
Carrot (chopped): 1/4 cup
Cauliflower (chopped): 1/3 cup
Onion (cubedd): 1/4 cup
Chili Powder: 2 teaspoons
Turmeric Powder: 1 teaspoon
Jeera/Cumin: 1 teaspoon
Garam Masala Powder: 1 1/2 teaspoons
Curd: 1/3 cup

To Grind
Green Chili: 2
Ginger(chopped): 1 teaspoon
Garlic: 1medium pod
Coriander Leaves: handful

* You can alternate the vegetables to your choice/availability.

Heat some oil in a kadai. Splutter some jeera seeds, add onions and saute. Add potatoes, carrots and cauliflower and stir. Add chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, salt and mix well. Grind green chili, garlic, ginger and coriander leaves and add this paste to the vegetables and stir well. Add the chopped tomatoes and mix well. Add the corn and green peas. Cover and cook till the potatoes and cauliflower are soft. Meanwhile, just beat the curd in the same container you used to grind the green mixture (coriander leaves, ginger, garlic) for optimum utilization and pour this into the vegetable mix. Let it simmer for about 10 mins. Adjust the salt and spice. Garnish with freshly cut coriander leaves.

Serve hot with phulkas/parathas.

Kadala Curry

2010-09-23T14:00:00.000-07:00

Kadala Curry which is chickpeas in a roasted coconut gravy makes a great side for puttu, chappatis etc. Its the flavors of the roasted coconut and shallots with some more Indian spices that make this curry an irresistible and unique one from the usual chickpea preparations.

Prep Time: 20 mins excluding the soaking + cooking time for the chickpeas.
Ingredients

Black Chickpeas/Kadala: 1 cup (soaked overnight)
Grated coconut: 1/3 cup
Shallots/Pearl Onions: 4-5
Garlic: 1/2 a pod (optional)
Dried Red chillies: 5-6
Coriander powder: 1 1/2 teaspoons
Chilli powder: 1/2 teaspoon
Pepper powder: 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric powder: 1/2 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Curry leaves: 2 sprigs
Coconut cuts: 1 tablespoon

* Those who would like to save time and skip the part of making the roasted coconut gravy can use Saras Coconut Varutha Curry Masala (shown in the pic) which is available in most Indian Grocers as an alternative.

* For 1 cup of chickpeas use 2 cups of water

Pressure cook the soaked chickpeas adding enough water, salt, garlic (optional) and turmeric powder for about 10-15 mins. Meanwhile roast the grated coconut, shallots (keep some for seasoning), dried red chilies, curry leaves till brown. Add chili powder, coriander powder, pepper powder and fry for few mins. Remove it from heat and grind this to a fine paste. Add the paste to cooked chickpeas and mix well. If the gravy is too thick add some water. Adjust the salt and spiciness and let it boil.

For seasoning heat some oil, fry chopped shallots, coconut cuts until golden brown. Then splutter the mustard seeds, dried red chilies and curry leaves. Serve hot.

Puttu

2010-09-20T14:36:00.000-07:00

Puttu is an all time favorite breakfast item among most Malayalees. It is basically soft steamed rice cylinders with layers of fresh grated coconut. Its best complimented with either Kadala (black chickpea) curry or Banana and sugar.

Prep Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

Rice Flour: 1 cup

Warm Water: 1/4 cup

Grated Coconut: 1/4 cup

Salt to taste

* Puttu gets it unique cylindrical shape because of the mould its steamed in. There are 2 parts to the basic puttu kutti (puttu mould). One pot which is used to boil the water and the other cylinder which rests on top of the pot.

* Typically in Kerala, to make the rice powder for Puttu, we soak raw rice for an hour. Completely drain off the water and spread it on a dry towel to dry. Then powder it fine. Then dry roast the rice flour for 10 -15 minutes on a low flame.

However for convenience sake, we opted to buy the packeted rice flour. In most Indian Grocery stores, you would also find specific puttu powders that is packed from Kerala under the common brand names Nirapara, Avees, Eastern etc.

Take the rice flour in a bowl. Add some salt. Sprinkle the warm water lil by lil and keep running your fingers through the mixture until you get a crumby texture. The basic test to know if you have the texture right is, if you hold a fistful it should stay like a pack and when you break it down with your fingers it should easily crumble.

Keep the water to boil in the pot. Now start to fill the cylinder.Begin the base with a spoon of grated coconut. Fill 1/3 with rice flour and then again some grated coconut. Repeat until you reach the top. Finish up with some grated coconut. Close it with the lid and let it steam for about 10 mins. When the steam starts coming out continuously through the holes in the lid you can take it off from the heat and push out the puttu with a stick onto your plate.

Enjoy it hot either with Kadala Curry or Pappadam, Pazham (Banana) and Sugar.

Ela Ada

2010-09-14T11:04:00.000-07:00

Ela Ada is a popular evening snack in most Kerala homes. The specialty here is that the ada (rice crepe) is steamed in the banana leaves because of which it carries a very distinct earthy flavor. The filling can be varied from aval-pazham (rice flakes-banana), chakka varatiyathu (jackfruit -jaggery) to the most simple one of jaggery and coconut.

Prep Time: 15- 20 mins
Ingredients

Dough

Rice Flour: 1 cup

Hot Water: 1/3 cup

Salt: a pinch

Filling

* You can make a filling of jaggery -coconut or sugar-coconut.

Jaggery (grated): 1/3 cup or Sugar :1/4 cup

Cardamom: 2 pods (powdered with little sugar)

Ghee: 1/2 teaspoon

Grated Coconut: 1/2 cup

Begin by mixing the rice flour, salt and hot water to make a soft dough as you would for making chappathis. Roll out smaller balls and keep aside. Meanwhile mix the grated coconut, grated jaggery, ghee and powdered cardamom to make the filling.Keep the banana leaves washed and ready in medium sized strips.

Slightly oil the banana leaves, press each ball individually on a leaf and flatten it evenly. Spread the filling on half the side and fold the entire banana leaf over as shown in the picture.

The easiest way to steam these are in the Idli steam cooker. It is usually ready in 15-20 mins or until the whistle keeps blowing. Once slightly cooled down, serve them.

Coconut Rice

2010-09-07T11:56:00.000-07:00

Here's another flavorsome rice that can be made with some leftovers in a jiffy. With the taste of fresh coconut in every bite, it is truly south Indian by nature.

Prep Time: 10 mins
Ingredients

Cooked rice: 1 cup
Grated coconut: 1/3 cup
Ginger (chopped): 1 teaspoon
Green chillies (chopped): 2-3
Pearl onions (chopped): 2
Curry leaves: one sprig
Dried red chillies: 2-3
Mustard seeds: 1 teaspoon
Urad Dal: 1 teaspoon
Chana dal: 1/2 teaspoon
Oil for seasoning
Salt & pepper to taste

Heat some oil in a deep pan. Splutter the mustard seeds, dried red chillies, chana dal, curry leaves. Add the finely chopped pearl onions, ginger, green chillies and saute. Add the grated coconut and saute for 2-3 mins. Immediately add the cooked rice. Mix well and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Saute for another 5-10 mins on medium heat.

Delcious coconut rice is ready to be served.

Lemon Rice

2010-09-03T12:05:00.000-07:00

Lemon rice is a quick n easy meal you can put together when you don't have too much time to invest in an elaborate meal. Variety rice(Rice with different seasonings) is very popular in south India and Lemon rice is one of the popular ones. This colorful and flavorsome meal is a great option for a lunch pack.

Prep Time: 10 mins (excluding the time to cook rice)

Ingredients

Rice: 1 cup

Turmeric powder: 2 teaspoons

Lemon Juice: 2-3 tablespoons

Green Chilies (chopped): 3-4

Ginger (chopped): 1 -2 teaspoons

Peanuts: 1/4 cup

Asofoetida: 1/2 teaspoon

Mustard seeds: 1 teaspoon

Split Urad Dal: 1 1/2 teaspoons

Dried Red Chili: 3-4

Curry Leaves: one sprig

Sesame/Til Oil : 1-2 teaspoons

Oil for seasoning.

* We used Sona masoori rice.

* There are two ways to make the lemon rice. Either add the seasoning to the left over cooked white rice or cook it fresh. If you cook rice with the intention to make Lemon rice, a tip given to us is that add turmeric powder and salt while cooking the rice to get an even yellow color.

* Some people do the complete seasoning in sesame oil. However we made the seasoning in regular cooking oil and drizzled some sesame oil in the end.

Heat some oil in a pan, Splutter the mustard seeds, urad dal, dried red chillies and asofoetida. Add the turmeric powder, if you have not already added it while cooking the rice. Also add the roasted peanuts, curry leaves, green chillies and chopped ginger. Saute well. Add the rice. Adjust the salt levels. Pour the lemon juice. Stir well ensuring the rice doesn't get burnt at the bottom of the pan. Drizzle the sesame oil .

Serve hot with Pappad and pickle.

Nei Payasam - Thiruvonam Special

2010-08-21T10:30:00.000-07:00

Onamashamsakal from Adukalavishesham to all our dear readers. Wishing each one of you a very splendid and colorful Onam 2010. For our Onam special recipes, take a peek into our Kerala Sadya collection.

This time we decided to go a little different with the Nei Payasam, though our wishes for this joyous occasion are as sweet as each spoonful would be. Nei payasam also called the Ambala payasam is the traditional sweet offering made in most Kerala devi (goddess) temples which is later served to the devotees as prasadam.

Prep Time: 1 - 1 1/2 hrs
Ingredients

*Rice: 1 cup

Jaggery (melted): 2 cups

Ghee: 3/4 cup

Cashew Nuts: Handful

Raisins: Handful

Cardamom powder: 1 teaspoon (optional)

* We have used sona masoori rice for the payasam.

Wash the rice well. Cook either in a pressure cooker or a rice cooker. Melt the jaggery cubes with a little water until liquified. Strain this for any tiny partciles and slowly pour into the cooked rice and throughly mix. Keep mixing on low flame. Make sure it doesn't get burnt on the bottom. Add most of the ghee, saving 2 tablespoons to fry the raisins and cashew. Keep stirring the rice, jaggery and ghee mix for about 1/2 hour on low heat until everything comes together nicely. Check for the sweetness. Usually this payasam leans more on the sweeter side, so adjust accordingly.

Sprinkle a teaspoon of cardamom powder if you want. Fry the raisins and cashew in the ghee and pour over the payasam. Serve warm.

Naranga Curry

2010-08-20T21:13:00.000-07:00

A perfect mix of spice and tang , this pickle is a must have for most sadyas (usually the feasts that celebrate Kerala Hindu weddings).

So when we had lots of fresh limes in the kitchen today we decided to post this one to kick start the Onam spirit.

Prep Time: 30 mins
Ingredients

Lime (cubed like in the pic): 1 cup
Green Chili (chopped): 1 tablespoon
Ginger (chopped): 2 teaspoons
Tamarind: Lemon size
Jaggery: 1 piece
Chili powder: 2 teaspoons
Turmeric powder: 1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds: 1 teaspoon
Dried red chili: 2-3
Asofoetida: 1/2 teaspoon
Curry Leaves: handful
Salt to taste

In 1/2 cup warm water soak the tamarind for few minutes and squeeze it with your hands. Take out the seeds and strain it. Boil this tamarind pulp water with one piece of jaggery. Add chili powder, turmeric and salt. When jaggery and tamarind starts to come together and get little thick add the chopped ginger and green chilies. Let it simmer on low heat for 5-10 minutes. Turn off the heat. Now add the chopped lime and keep it covered for 10 mins.

For final seasoning, heat some oil in a pan. Splutter mustard seeds, dried red chilies, asofoetida, fenugreek seeds and curry leaves. Add some chili powder to it, stir and pour it to the curry. Stir well,adjust the salt and spice level and let it sit for 1/2 - 1 hr before serving.

Rava Idli

2010-08-15T11:18:00.000-07:00

Rava Idli is a specialty breakfast item from the southern state of India "Karnataka", which is a nice variation to the regular Idlis. When served hot with a drop of ghee drizzled ,there is nothing to beat this.

Prep Time: 45 mins
Ingredients

Rava/Semolina: 2 cups

Yogurt: 1 1/2 cups

Eno Fruit salt: 1 tablespoon

Ginger (chopped): 1 teaspoon

Green chillies (chopped): 3-4

Grated carrots: 1/4 cup

Hing/Asofoetida: a pinch

Mustard seeds: 1 teaspoon

Urad dal: 1 teaspoon

Dried red chillies: 2-3

Curry leaves: few

Cilantro (optional): 2 sprigs

Salt to taste

* The basic tempering can be changed to your liking. Some people also like to add a teaspoon of chana dal and even few chopped tomatoes.

Mix the rava with the yogurt nicely and keep aside for 15-20 mins. Meanwhile, heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a pan, add hing, splutter the mustard seeds, urad dal, dried red chillies, curry leaves. Add the chopped chillies, ginger and grated carrot. Stir for 2-3 mins. Turn off the heat and mix well. Add salt and the pan mixture into the rava-yogurt batter. Mix well. Add the eno fruit salt in the end. It will fizz up. Give a thorough mix before the batter settles down. Scoop into the Idli moulds. Steam in the idli cooker for about 15 mins.

Take them out once slightly cooled. Enjoy it plain or with any chutney on the side.

Aloo Paratha

2010-08-09T15:23:00.000-07:00

Parathas are basically unleavened flat bread made on tavas (flat pan), which is a significant element of our Indian cuisine. Aloo paratha only gets better because its nothing but a delicious paratha with a generous stuffing of spiced potatoes. A specialty food that is truly Punjabi by nature.

Prep Time: 30 - 45 mins

Ingredients

Dough

Wheat flour/Atta: 1 cup

Hot Water: 1/4 cup (more or less)

Salt to taste

Filling

Medium sized Potatoes (boiled & mashed): 2-3

Green chillies (finely cut): 2-3

Cilantro leaves (chopped): handful

Red Onions (finely chopped): 4-5 tablespoons

Jeera/Cumin powder: 1 teaspoon

Salt to taste

Oil to drizzle

Lil more wheat flour for rolling the parathas.

Begin by making the dough for the paratha. Pour the hot water into the wheat flour with some salt and knead into a soft dough. Make medium sized balls and keep aside.

Boil the potatoes until soft. Peel the skin and mash the potatoes until smooth making it lump free. Add in the chopped onions, cilantro , green chillies and cumin powder. Mix well. Check for the salt. Make small balls of these and keep aside.

Now flatten the dough balls slightly in your palms making a lil cup. Place one ball of the filling and close it from all ends. Press it in some wheat flour and roll it out into circles with a rolling pin. Heat tava/ pan and fry these rolled parathas until cooked on both sides. Make sure to drizzle oil or ghee while making these.

Serve hot with pickle and a bowl of yogurt.

Carrot Peas Pulav

2010-08-05T13:34:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick recipe for an enticing pulav that is packed with carrots, peas, whole spices and the aromatic basmati rice. Have it plain or serve with any curry of your choice.

Prep Time: 25 mins

Ingredients

Basmati Rice: 2 cups

Baby carrots (cut): 1/3 cup

Peas: 1/4 cup

Butter/ Ghee: 1/4 stick or 2 tablespoons

Bay leaves: 2-3

Cinnamon stick : 2

Cardamom pods: 2-3

Salt to taste

Wash the basmati rice and drain it well. In a deep pan, heat the ghee/butter. Add the cardamom pods, bay leaves, cinnamon stick and saute. Add the drained rice and saute for another 5 -10 mins. Add the peas and cut carrots and mix well. Turn off the gas. Cook the rice in the rice cooker in a ratio of rice to water (1: 1.5 cups)

Serve hot with pickle, pappad and Raita.

Ari Vada

2010-07-28T11:09:00.000-07:00

Another quick n easy snack made from rice flour which is perfect to add spice to your tea time. The best thing about this recipe is that the ingredients are commonly available at most times in our homes. So think no more, and just give this a try right away.

Prep Time: 10 mins
Ingredients

Rice Flour: 1 cup
Grated Coconut: 1/3 cup
Onions (finely chopped): 1/3 cup
Green Chillies (finely chopped): 2-3
Ginger (finely chopped): 2 teaspoons
Curry leaves: 6-7
Water: 1/4 cup
Salt to taste
Oil to fry

If you have a food chopper, then its a life saver making all these snacks coz all you need to do run the chopper through the onions, green chillies and ginger to get it all minced in a minute.

Dry roast the rice flour in a pan for about 10 mins. Add the finely chopped onions, green chillies, ginger, curry leaves and grated coconut. Dry mix it well with some salt. Then slowly add little water and mix it into a semi wet dough.

Heat oil to deep fry. Take a spoon of the batter, flatten between your fingers and slide it into the hot oil. Fry until they are slightly brown. Let them cool for a bit before you serve them. Enjoy!!!

Naadan Ariyunda / Rice Ladoo

2010-07-22T12:41:00.000-07:00

Ariyunda is a classic snack originating from kitchens of Kerala. Most of us would probably tie the memories of eating ariyunda when visiting Grandmas home. Not only would she make these yummy snacks for tea time, she would also pack a generous batch for you to take back after the vacation. These simple treats are often seen packed in glass jars displayed in from of the Chai Kaddas(Local Tea shops) too. Cherishing all those wonderful memories, here's our attempt to recreate the Nadan Ariyundas/ Rice Ladoos.

Prep Time: 1 hour
Ingredients

Boiled Rice: 2 cups
Jaggery: 1/2 -3/4 cup
Shredded Coconut: 1 cup
Cardamom Pods: 4-5

Roast the boiled rice on medium fire in a pan until it pops and changes to golden brown color. The texture of the roasted rice should be very crunchy. Spread it on a paper and powder in a dry mixer.

Meanwhile grate /shred the jaggery. Grind the shredded jaggery with the grated coconut to form a thick mixture. Add in the cardamom powder. Now knead this mixture with the roasted rice powder. Transfer the final mixture which is a fine crumble into a bowl. Take small fistfuls of this mixture and shape it into balls. If you overwork these balls, they tend to crack up.

The mixture yields easily about 25 medium sized balls. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature and they will last easily for a week.

Batura

2010-07-16T20:00:00.000-07:00

A favorite for many of us, Batura is a deep fried flat bread made of flour. Chole/Chana masala is the most common side dish, Baturas are typically served with. This is a very popular choice among the street food joints in India. So, you might find very few indians who'd say no to a plate of chole-Bature with a few exceptions for health reasons.

Prep Time: 2 hours (kneading +fermenting) + frying time
Ingredients

All Purpose Flour / Maida: 3 cups
Eggs: 2
Oil: 1/4 cup
Dry Yeast / Eno Salt: 1 1/2 teaspoons
Sugar: a pinch
Curd: 1/2 cup
Salt: to taste

Heat a little water (about 1/4 cup), add in the sugar and mix the yeast well until completely dissolved. Meanwhile just roughly beat the eggs. Now take the flour in a large mixing/kneading bowl. Make a centre. Pour the curd, oil, beaten egg, yeast and salt. Keep kneading until it becomes a soft dough. Cover it with a thin wet cloth and keep aside for about 2-3 hours. The dough will rise almost in double.

Heat oil in a for deep frying in a pan. Take the dough, knead it one last time and then make it into balls and flatten using a rolling pin. Slip each of these rolled baturas into hot oil and they will fluff up like a balloon. Turn over both sides and take it off when it starts to turn a little brown. Drain off the excess oil on a tissue paper. Serve hot.

Dates and Walnut Cake

2010-07-12T12:50:00.000-07:00

Inspired from a dear friend's recipe of a Dates cake, we decided to try out a similar version that doesn't call for any eggs or butter. Whats even better; the main ingredient, dates are loaded with iron. So pretty much, its a guilt free, healthy indulgence. Without anymore thinking, just go ahead and try this delicious cake.

Prep Time: 45 mins
Ingredients

All Purpose flour/Maida: 1 cup
Dates (pitted): 16
Walnut (chopped): Handful
Oil: 1/3 cup or Butter: 1/2 stick
Sugar: 1/3 cup
Milk:1/2 cup
Baking soda: 1 teaspoon
Water: 3 tablespoons

* Though we didn't use butter in the recipe, we have shown it because many of them prefer to use butter instead of oil. We have used Canola oil in the recipe.

* Please check the final batter before baking for the sugar level. We have used very little sugar because the dates brings in its own sweetness.

In the mixer, beat the oil and half of the sugar well. Add in the milk and beat once again. Add the flour to this mixture and run the mixer once again.

Now take a deep pan and boil water and add half of the sugar. Once its dissolved add the dates and stir for some time. When the dates are almost cooked, add the baking soda. Turn off the gas. The baking soda will fuzz up and rise. Pour this into the flour mixture and give a through run until the batter is all smooth.

Add walnuts and pour into a greased baking tray or a loaf pan and bake at 375° F for about 35-40 mins or until the centre comes out clean when poked with a knife.

Let it cool for a while before you slice it. Enjoy this with your evening cup of tea.

Dahi Vada /Thayir Vada

2010-07-07T12:05:00.000-07:00

Things have been little slow in our kitchen since the long awaited summer sunshine is finally here and we Seattlites are making best use of it. Every weekend is a fun filled getaway with friends and family.

Just as we talk about the hot weather, here is one very cooling Indian delicacy, a snack or a meal by itself that is absolutely refreshing.

Prep Time: 40 mins + soaking time
Ingredients

Curd:1 1/2 cups
Urad Dal/Uzhunnu Parippu: 1 cup (yields about 15 small vadas)
Ginger(chopped): 1 1/2 teaspoons
Green Chilies: 2-3
Curry Leaves: 4-5
Hing/Asofoetida: 1 teaspoon
Chili Powder: 1 teaspoon
Roasted Cumin /Jeera Powder: 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Oil to deep fry

* As we have heard, Dahi vada is the north Indian version, whereas thayir vada is the south Indian version where every thing remains the same except for the final garnish is done by a seasoning of mustard seeds, dried red chillies and lots of curry leaves.

*A tip given to us is that if you over soak the urad dal, it drinks up more oil while frying.

Soak urad dal in about half cup water for about 1 1/2 hours. Once its fluffed and well soaked, drain all the water and grind it into a smooth paste. While grinding add the green chillies and ginger. Take out the batter, add salt and asofoetida and mix well. Tear up the curry leaves finely and mix in. You could also add a pinch of pepper powder to this batter.

Heat oil in deep pan. Drop medium sized balls of this batter using a spoon into the hot oil and fry until golden brown. We didnt create the doughnut shape only for convenience sake. However its your personal choice to have the lil hole in the vada or not.

Once all of these are fried, drain the excess oil on a paper towel. Bring a bowl with some lukewarm water. Dip these vadas into the water and squeeze out the water between your palms and keep aside. Whisk the yogurt with salt, sugar and a pinch of roasted jeera powder. Take half of this yogurt mixture in a bowl. Dip the squeezed vadas once again into the yogurt mixture and without squeezing out, arrange them in a serving dish. You could do this procedure much earlier and let it refrigerate. You need to finish with the final arrangement only about 1/2 hour before serving.

To wrap up, pour the remaining yogurt. Sprinkle roasted jeera powder and red chilli powder in whatever pattern you like. Garnish with some meethi (sweet tamarind) chutney and fresh coriander leaves. You could refrigerate it for some more time before serving it.

Chocolate Biscuit Pudding

2010-06-29T06:49:00.000-07:00

Well there's nothing much to say about this simple desert, except that it will bowl over your friends and family. The key ingredient is Marie Biscuits which is a common find in the pantry at most of our homes. So, just go ahead and try this delicious chocolaty biscuit pudding which has an awakening scent of coffee in each bite.

Prep Time:20 mins + Refrigeration
Ingredients

Marie Biscuits: 1 big packet (20 nos)
Custard Powder: 4 heaped tablespoons
Coffee Powder: 2 teaspoons
Cocoa Powder: 3 tablespoons
Milk: 1 1/2 cups
Sugar: 1/2 cup
Heavy Whipped cream/Cool Whip: half the box, about 2/3 cups
Almonds + Walnuts: 1/4 cup
Chocolate bar: to grate

* You could even add cashews if you like them

Heat the milk in a deep pot, stir in the sugar. When the milk starts to boil, take some milk out in a cup, dissolve the custard powder and cocoa powder until there no lumps in it. Pour this mix back into the hot milk and keep stirring until it starts to thicken. Once the custard is made, take it off from the heat and let it cool.

Meanwhile make some coffee concoction in water and sugar. Now crush half of the biscuits into a crunchy powder. Dip rest of the biscuits one by one and form a base in the setting dish. After the custard has fully cooled and become thick, pour this custard over it. Add one layer of the whipped cream. Top with half of the crushed marie biscuits and half of the nuts. Repeat with the layer of custard, whipped cream, crushed biscuits and nuts. Finally top it with lots of chocolate shavings. Let it set in the fridge for about 5 hours.

Serve cold. Another thing to note is that this a pudding consistency, so it wouldn't exactly cut up like a firm slices. This has to be served in bowls.

Soy Nugget Manchurian

2010-06-23T07:35:00.000-07:00

Nutri-nuggets or soy nuggets are popularly used an an alternative for meat. Back home in India, our mothers would make a masala curry tricking us into eating this as chicken curry. High in protein, they are a great choice for vegetarians and can be made in varied preparations. We tried something different on the lines of indo chinese and is a big hit in our homes..

Prep Time: 20 mins + soaking time
Ingredients

Soy Nuggets (soaked in hot water with salt): 1 cup
Onions (cubed): 1/4 cup
Bell pepper (cubed): 1/4 cup
Ginger (finely sliced): 1 tablepsoon
Garlic (finely sliced): 1 tablespoon
Green chillies (slit): 4-5
Spring Onions (chopped): one bunch
Corn starch: 5 tablespoons
Chili Garlic sauce: 2 -3 tablespoons
Soy Sauce: 3 tablespoons
Vinegar: 2 tablespoons
Tomato Ketchup: 2 tablespoons
Sugar (optional): 1 teaspoon
Dried red chillies: 2-3
Salt to taste
Oil to fry

Soak the soy nuggets in hot water and salt for about 20 mins. They will drink it up immediately and fluff up. Dissolve the corn starch with some ketchup in little water to make a thickish paste. Keep aside. Put the fluffed up nuggets into the corn starch mix n let it sit for a while you chop rest of the veggies.

Afters thats done, heat some oil on a deep wok. Shallow fry these soy nuggets until the coated corn starch gets all cooked. Take them out. In the remaining oil, fry the dried red chillies, chopped ginger, garlic, green chillies. Toss in the onions, bell peppers. Add back the fried soy nuggets. Add in all the chill garlic sauce, soy sauce, vinegar and sugar. Adjust the salt and spice. Keep tossing till everything gets well coated. Finely garnish with chopped spring onions.

The manchurian is ready to serve to make complete your indo chinese dinner night either with some fried rice or noodles.

Nankatai

2010-06-17T14:51:00.000-07:00

Nankatais are sweet flaky biscuits that are made mostly around festival time in India. With just a handful ingredients, you don't need to wait for a festival to enjoy these delicacies. We have done two variations on the basic recipe. Hope you like them as much as we did munching on them.

Grandma's style old fashioned Nankatais

Prep Time: 20 - 25mins

Ingredients

All purpose flour: 3 cups

Rava / Semolina: 1 cup

Sugar: 1 1/2 cup

Cardamom pods(powdered): 4

Butter: 5 tablespoons

Oil: 3 tablespoons

Mix the all purpose flour/maida, semolina, cardamom powder and sugar. Melt butter and mix with the oil and pour this into the dry flour mix. Keep mixing till it resembles a pie crust mixture which is very crumbly. Then shape them into small balls and bake in a greased tray at 375° F for about 15-20 mins. When they turn into a lightish color and get cracks, they are done. Make sure they don't burn. Cool them and enjoy these snacks at anytime.

Nankatais with a choco twist

All purpose flour: 3 cups

Rava / Semolina: 1 cup

Sugar: 1 1/2 cup

Cardamom pods (powdered) : 4

Butter: 4 tablespoons

Oil: 2 tablespoons

Milk: 1 tablespoon

Coco Powder: 1/2 teaspoon

With the same base dough, you could make it a little more fancy by altering the ingredients a little. So to the previously mixed dough (maida, semolina, sugar, cardamom powder, butter, oil) add a little milk and baking powder and make a smooth dough. Take out 1 teaspoon of this new dough, mix in the cocoa powder. Make tiny balls of these brown dough and keep aside. With the remaining white dough, shape them into balls and slightly flatten then in your palms and press the centre with your index finger. Now press the lil choc balls in this centre to get a nice pattern.

Bake them in a greased tray at 375° F for about 15- 20 mins.

Enjoy once they are cooled.

Italian Chocolate Salami

2010-06-13T11:33:00.000-07:00

Well like the name suggests this is nothing like a regular salami. Salami is actually cured, feremented and air-dried meat shaped like a cylinder. Originating from Italy, its now very popular with different varieties across Europe.

Now coming to this elegant creation, its super easy to make with just a handful of ingredients. And due to the similarity in its look to the original salami, we borrowed the name. Well another interesting fact is that this creation is in the family for almost 20 years and has won many prizes in many cooking competitions.

So waste no time and definitely give this a try!!!

Prep Time: 10 mins +Refrigeration time
Ingredients

Marie Biscuits: 1 big pack (about 15-20)
Cocoa Powder: 2 1/2 tablespoons
Sugar: 3/4 cup
Butter: 1 stick
Spiced Rum: 1/4 cup or lil more if you like the kick
Almonds/Walnuts (Finely chopped): 15-20

Powder the marie biscuits and sugar. Add the cocoa powder and chopped almonds. Pour in the melted butter and rum.

Knead well into a smooth dough and make it into a cylinder. Wrap it in cling foil and refrigerate for about 3-4 hours.

When completely firm, slice it into circles and serve cold, either with ice cream or even as an after dessert with a hot cup of coffee..

We are sending this recipe to Spicy Tasty's Sizzing Summer contest - Summer themed Dessert.

Broccoli Asparagus Stir Fry

2010-06-10T18:11:00.000-07:00

Here is one easy stir fry recipe which can be ready in a jiffy. Absolutely delicious and super healthy these two vegetables are great by itself or together.

Prep Time: 5 mins

Ingredients

Broccoli Florets: 1/2 cup

Asparagus (cut into halves): 10 - 12

Garlic (sliced): 2 pods

Chili Flakes: 1-2 teaspoon

Pepper Powder (optional): 1 teaspoon

Salt to taste

Oil to fry

Heat some oil in a pan, add the chopped garlic pods and flakes. Add the broccoli florets and asparagus and saute. Sprinkle salt. Saute well. Its completely your choice when you decide to take it off the gas because some people like it fully cooked while some like with a little crunch.

This makes a perfect side for any meal.

Vendakka Malsyam / Okra in Coconut gravy

2010-06-08T15:05:00.000-07:00

If you are also wondering whats with the peculiar name of this dish which literally mean okra fish in malayalam; there is no great story behind it. As far we understand this simple creation is very local to Kannur, a region in the North Malabar and gets its name because of its similarity to the fish curry. Just that the fish is substituted with okra . A great recipe for everyone.

Prep Time: 15 mins
Ingredients

Okra/Vendakka (cut): 10 - 12
Red Onions (sliced): 1/4 cup
Tomatoes (sliced): 1
Ginger (chopped): 1 teaspoon
Garlic (finely chopped): 1 teaspoon
Green Chili (chopped): 2-3
Curd: 1/4 cup
Grated Coconut: 1/3 cup
Cumin seeds/ Jeera: 1 teaspoon
Coriander Powder: 1 1/2 teaspoons
Dried Red Chilies: 3-4
Turmeric Powder: 1-2 teaspoons
Water: 1/2 cup

Seasoning
Pearl Onions/ Shallots (finely chopped): 2-3
Garlic (finely chopped): 1 teaspoon
Curry Leaves: 1 sprig
Mustard Seeds: 1 teaspoon
Dried Red Chilies: 1-2
Oil to fry

* You can cut the okra into 2 -3 pieces same as for sambar.

Heat some oil (1-2 tablespoon) in a pan. Add the cut okra, ginger, onions and saute for about 10 minutes till the okra is medium cooked. Put some turmeric powder. Add the sliced tomatoes. Add water and cover. Let it come to a boil. Make sure the okra doesnt get over cooked and thus mushy.

Meanwhile, grind the grated coconut, a pinch of turmeric powder, coriander powder, dried red chillies, jeera, garlic and curd into a fine paste. Add this ground mixture to the okra. Let it simmer on low heat until everything incorporates well. For seasoning; add oil, fry the garlic and chopped shallots until golden brown, then splutter mustard seeds, dried red chillies and curry leaves. Adjust the salt.

Serve hot with rice.

Pachakkaya Payar Thoran / Raw plaintain long yard beans stir fry

2010-05-31T10:31:00.000-07:00

The other day while watching a Malayalam Movie "Neelathamara" which is set in olden Kerala, reminded us of our ancestral homes with big backyards of vegetable gardens.The interesting bit was when we heard of a recipe in the movie. Funny isnt it.. Thanks to blogging, our ears automatically tune to hear anything about food..

Its just a casual scene where the mother tells the maid to make a little stir fry using Raw Plantains and Long yard beans she plucked from the garden with little this n that..We had never tried this combination, but tweaked the original recipe a little bit to get this thoran and verdict; we love it now..

Ingredients

Raw plantain (cubed): 1
Long yard beans/Pacha Payar (chopped): 1/2 cup
Garlic: 1-2 pods
Shallots/Pearl Onions: 4-5
Ginger (chopped): 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves: handful
Grated Coconut: 1/4 cup
Dried Red chillies: 2-3
Green chillies (slit): 1-2
Turmeric powder: 1 teaspoon + lil more for washing the plantains
Chilli powder: 1 teaspoon

Cube the raw plaintain and keep in turmeric water for about 10 mins. It helps in washing off the strechy stains. Meanwhile chop the long yard beans and keep aside. Roughly crush the garlic, pearl onions and the red chillies. Heat some oil, splutter the mustard seeds, add curry leaves and the crushed garlic and onions. Add the chopped ginger and green chillies. Add a little turmeric powder and saute. Now add the rinsed plantain pieces and cover and let it cook for a bit. When it starts to get a little soft, add the long yard beans and keep stirring. Cover for some more time. When the water from the steam starts to come in, take off the lid and keep stirring. Add the grated coconut. Adjust the salt.Once both the veggies are cooked, take it off from the heat.

Enjoy this great side.

We are sending this recipe to Green Gourmet event hosted by Preeti of Write food.

Tomato Fish Curry

2010-05-26T12:02:00.000-07:00

We are regular customers at this small cozy mallu restaurant in U-district named "Chillies" and each time we make sure we don't miss out ordering their yummy red color Trout curry. Apart from the delicious food, its the warm hospitality of the owner, whom we fondly call Chechi (which means sister in Malayalam) that draws us there almost every other weekend. One such weekend while we were drowned enjoying the fish curry with the hot dosas, we asked her for the recipe and she readily shared it.The tweak in this recipe is that it doesn't use any puli/tamarind but uses lots of red tangy tomatoes. So just go out and try this deadly fish curry which is one of our favorites.

Ingredients

Medium sized Tomatoes (chopped): 2-3
Shallots/Pearl onions (chopped): 4-5
Garlic (finely chopped): 1 teaspoon
Ginger (finely chopped): 1 teaspoon
Green chillies (slit): 2-3
Curry leaves: handful
Mustard seeds:1 teaspoon
Fenugreek seeds: 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder: 1 teaspoon
Chilli Powder: 2-3 teaspoons
Coriander powder: 1 teaspoon
Coconut mlik: 1/4 cup
Water: 1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Rainbow trout (cubed and marinated): 6-7 pieces

* We usually marinate the fish as soon we bring it home in salt, turmeric powder and chilli powder.

* With the experience of buying fish for the last few years here in Seattle, we recommend Rainbow trout is best for making our Indian style fish curies because it doesn't break up easily and holds in the masalas well.

* You can either use coconut oil or regular cooking oil. But the former yields a better taste.

Heat some oil in an earthen pot (chatti) or deep pan. Splutter the mustard seeds. Add the fenugreek seeds, chopped ginger, garlic, pearl onions, green chilies and curry leaves. Sprinkle some salt. When the onion start to get cooked add turmeric powder, chili powder and coriander powder and saute well. Let the rawness of the spices go. Add the chopped tomatoes with some water; cover and cook. When the tomatoes starts to get cooked, add the marinated fish and let everything come to a good boil. Add the coconut milk. Let it simmer while you adjust the salt and spice levels. Once the fish is cooked, turn off the heat. Add a few more curry leaves and keep it covered. Serve it with hot steaming rice.

And just to get you guys drooling here is the picture of our lunch today...

Eggplant/Baingan fry

2010-05-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

Another super easy recipe with Eggplant which hardly takes less than 5 mins to prepare. For all those on the run and have hardly any time in the kitchen, this will surely impress you...

Prep Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

Eggplant (cut in circles) : 1

Marinade

Turmeric powder: 1 teaspoon

Chilli flakes/Chilli powder: 2-3 teaspoons

Jeera/Cumin powder: 1 1/2 teaspoon

Coriander powder: 1 teaspoon

Chaat Masala/Aamchur: 1 Teaspoon

Garam Masala: 1/2 teaspoon

Besan/Gram Flour: 1 tablespoon

Water: 1 table spoon or more

Salt to taste

Oil to fry

Mix all the ingredients in the marinade with a spoon to a smooth paste. Adjust the salt and spice. Rub it on both sides of cut slices of Eggplant. Drizzle some oil in a pan. You don't even need to shallow fry. Just keep turning these marinated eggplants until they get crispy. Great side for rice or roti.

Veggie Quesadilla

2010-05-19T13:28:00.000-07:00

This is nothing like a Mexican Quesadilla, except we borrowed the name. Its the easiest version we make here at home and you could alternate the filling to your choice and availability of things. Try out this perfectly scrumptious snack that will please anybody in the family.

Prep Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

Tortillas: 1-2

Garlic (chopped): 2 teaspoons

Red Onions (finely cubed): 1/4 cup

Colored bell peppers (finely cubed): 1/4 cup

Eggplant (finely cubed): 1/4 cup

Red Chilli Flakes: 1 tablespoon or more

Any tomato sauce: 2 tablespoons

Mozzarella cheese: 2 slices

Oil to fry

Salt to taste

*You could also chicken cubes or even cubed paneer to make it more interesting. We used eggplant instead since we didn't have the former.

Heat some oil in a pan, saute the chopped garlic, red onions. Add the cubed egg plant and saute. Add the chilli flakes and now add the cubed bell peppers. Sprinkle some salt and toss nicely. Add pepper if you want.

Take it off from the heat and keep aside. In a flat pan , pour a drop of oil and place the tortilla. Spread the tomato sauce evenly around. Place the sauteed veggies on one half. Tear up the mozzarella cheese slices and turn over the other half of the tortilla to get a semicircle. Let the cheese melt and the tortilla get a little toasty on both sides. Serve hot. We personally like it with a little hot sauce.

Mango Lassi

2010-05-18T16:38:00.000-07:00

Sweet ripe yellow mangoes have officially welcomed summer and with our lucky find of some yummy mangoes at Costco, we made this easy drink which is a specialty from Punjab. Back home in India yogurt is said to be the best remedy to beat the scorching heat, so lassi gets very popular around this time be it plain, mango or any other flavor.

Prep Time: 5 mins

Ingredients

Mango: 1

Sugar: 1 tablespoon or more to your preference

Curd/Yogurt: 1/2 cup

Milk: 1/4 cup

Cardamom powder (optional): a pinch

* We suggest Alphonso for the best result as it is pulpy and sweet, but you can substitute it with any other kind.

Peel the mango skin and cut up the fruit. beat it in the mixer with sugar and cardamom until smooth. Pour in cold yogurt and milk and beat once more. Adjust it to a pourable consistency by adding more milk if needed. Serve chill.

We are sending this to 'Show me your Smoothie' event at Dil Se by Divya (http://divya-dilse.blogspot.com/2010/05/show-me-your-smoothie.html)

Chana Masala

2010-05-10T15:58:00.000-07:00

Chana which is a staple legume in North India also plays an eminent part of its cuisine. Another reason why this dish is something you are sure to see in the menu card in any Indian restaurant across the globe. Rich in proteins these beans are widely cooked and consumed in a completely different form in the Mediterranean cuisine too.

Prep Time: 20 mins
Ingredients

Chana/Garbanzo beans: 1 cup/1 can
Onions (finely chopped): 1/3 cup
Tomatoes (pureed): 2
Green Chilies: 2-3
Ginger: 1 teaspoon
Garlic: 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds: 2 teaspoons
Bay leaves: 1-2
Cardamom pods: 1
Nutmeg: a pinch
Turmeric powder: 1 teaspoon
Chili Powder: 2 teaspoons
Coriander Powder: 1 1/2 teaspoons
Jeera Powder: 1/2 teaspoon
Amchur (dry mango powder)/Chaat Masala: 1 teaspoon
Garam Masala: 1/2 teaspoon
Coriander/Cilantro leaves: handful

* For convenience sake we used the canned garbanzo beans which are already precooked. However you could soak the uncooked garbanzo beans overnight and pressure cook them until soft.

Grind the ginger, garlic and green chilies to a paste. Heat Oil in a deep pan. Add cumin seeds, bay leaves, nutmeg and cardamom pods. Add the ginger-garlic-chili paste and saute until the rawness fades. Add the chopped onions, sprinkle a pinch of salt and keep sauteing till the onions turn translucent. Add all the masala powders (turmeric, chili, coriander, cumin, chaat, garam) and mix well. Add the tomato puree and keep sauteing until all the masala mix well in the gravy and the tomatoes are fully cooked. Now add the drained garbanzo beans and little water and mix well. Let it boil for about 10-15 minutes. Garnish it with chopped coriander leaves and onions. Squeeze a tiny bit of fresh lemon juice just before serving. Pooris or batura are the best things on the earth you can have this chana masala with.

Choco Banana Berry Twist

2010-05-08T18:50:00.000-07:00

Here's one easy smoothie you can just create in a jiffy and with these three distinct yummy flavors this drink is sure to impress your lil ones and may be even the whole family.

Prep time: 5 mins
Ingredients

Banana: 1
Strawberries: 5-6
Cocoa powder: 1 teaspoon
Milk: 1 1/2 cups
Sugar: 2 teaspoons + more if you need

First beat the banana in half cup milk until smooth. Pour into the glass Beat another cup of milk with the strawberries. Add a lil sugar if these berries are lil sour. Pour it into the glass. Beat the remaining milk with cocoa and sugar. Pour this into the glass. Give a gentle stir and serve cold.

sending this to 'Show me your Smoothie' event at Dil Se by Divya (http://divya-dilse.blogspot.com/2010/05/show-me-your-smoothie.html)

Phirni

2010-05-06T11:24:00.000-07:00

Continuing on a sweet note, here's one more yummylicious desert which is more like a pudding made with rice and milk. This pudding when served cold in the earthen pots, has its own defining taste. Quite a popular road side desert in North India, it is very simple to make. Just go ahead and give it a try coz we promise every spoonful is worth it.

Prep time: 45 mins
Ingredients

Basmati Rice (soaked): 1/4 cup
Sugar: 1/2 cup or more
Half and Half / Whole Milk: 1 cup
Cardamom Powder: 1 teaspoon
Pistachios (chopped): 2 tablespoon
Slivered almonds: 1 tablespoon
Saffron: a pinch

Soak the rice for about 2 hours. Grind it into a fine paste. Its doesn't have to extremely smooth. A little bit of the rice morsels will add a nice touch. Meanwhile heat the milk with the sugar continuously stirring to ensure it doesn't burn or stick to the bottom. Add the rose water and cardamom powder. When the milk starts to get hot, add the ground rice paste and keeping stirring until the rice is fully cooked in the milk-sugar mixture. It will start to thicken.Turn off the heat after the rice is cooked and the milk is like a thickish custard consistency. Stir in the chopped nuts. Mix the saffron in little milk and add to the pudding. Set it in individual bowls and let it chill. Serve cold.

Our 100th post -Strawberry Short cake

2010-05-04T14:20:00.000-07:00

Oh my god.. we cant believe we have finally hit this milestone.. Its been such a fun journey for both of us who started this blog space somewhere a year ago only because of our deep love connection with "Food". A big thank you to our dear families, friends and readers for their continuous encouragement that has brought this blog to where it is now. The best thing after the blog kicked off is that our amazing friendship has gotten endlessly deep along with all the exploring and expanding of our knowledge bank on so many new foods, cuisines and cooking techniques..

To celebrate all these joys, here's a big slice of the sweet n simple Strawberry Short Cake with lots of love from our kitchen to yours. This recipe brings out a really nice texture in the shortcake, not very biscuity nor very spongy, but a perfect balance between the two and when served with loads of strawberries and whipped cream, it makes it's way to the top of the desert charts.

With a hope to continue our efforts in creating n sharing more fun recipes, we send our heartfelt thanks to all our dear readers once again.

Prep Time: 30 mins
Ingredients

All purpose Flour: 1 1/3 cup
Sugar: 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons
Baking powder: 2 teaspoons
Shortening : 1/2 cup
Egg: 1bs
Vanilla Essence: 1 teaspoon
Milk: 1 cup
Strawberries: 10-15
Whipping cream /Cool whip: lots
Chocolate Sauce enough to drizzle

Slice the strawberries, sprinkle about 2 tablespoons sugar and keep aside. Sieve flour, add the baking powder and sugar to it and keep aside. Using a hand mixer, cut the shortening into the flour mix until it resembles coarse crumbles.

Now add the egg and the milk and beat until smooth. The batter will be little thickish. Grease a baking dish and scrape all of the batter into the greased dish. Bake at 375° F for about 30 mins or more until the center come out clean when poked with a knife.

When slightly cooled. Slice the shortcake. Layer it with the cool whip and strawberries and drizzle the remaining strawberry juice over the top. Make it more fancy with some chocolate too.

Bon Apetit!!

Watermelon Slush

2010-04-30T18:37:00.000-07:00

With so many watermelons fresh from the farms around, here's a perfect summer special slush to kill the heat that will be ready in minutes.

Prep Time: 5 mins
Ingredients

Watermelon pieces: 1 cup
Mint leaves: 2-3
Lemon juice: 1 teaspoon
Sugar (optional)

Slightly crush the watermelon in the grinder. Add the sugar if the melons aren't very sweet. Add the mint leaves and lemon juice and give a final run. To add a little fancy to your serving glass. Wet the rim and dip it in sugar. Serve the slush cold with or without ice.

Muringa ella/Drumstick leaves Thoran

2010-04-20T09:40:00.000-07:00

Drumsticks must be quite a favorite for many of us and we have a hundred new ways of making those tender green pods. But to our surprise when we were picking these dark greeny drumstick leaves which is a rare find in our Indian grocers, lots of them asked us about what we'd do with them and how we'd cook them. That's when we realized its popular only down south, specially in Kerala where most homes have plenty of drumstick trees growing in the backyards and the pods, the flowers and the leaves have a culinary usage.

These drumstick leaves are full of all the good vitamins and iron and can be made this way or can be added into any dal for an interesting change. Also remember that these leaves are slightly bitter, pretty close to the taste of methi leaves.

Prep Time: 1o mins (excluding all the time for plucking out these lil leaves)
Ingredients

Drumstick leaves: a bowl full
Red pearl onions/Shallots: 5-6
Garlic: 1/2 pod
Ginger(chopped): 1 teaspoon
Coconut: 5-6 tablespoons
Mustard seeds: 1 teaspoon
Raw rice: 1 teaspoon
Urad dal: 1 teaspoon
Curryleaves: one sprig
Dried red chillies: 2-3
Oil to saute

Heat some oil in a pan. Splutter the mustard seeds, urad dal and the dried red chillies. Add the raw rice and curry leaves. Roughly crush the garlic pod, ginger and pearl onions using a mortar and pestle. Add this to the pan and nicely saute. Add a pinch of turmeric powder. Now add the drum stick leaves and saute well. Toss everything until it gets mixed well. Cover the pan for about 5 mins . The drumstick leaves turn color to a dark green. Add coconut and toss once again. Adjust the salt. The thoran is ready to be served with hot rice.

Happy Vishu

2010-04-15T10:00:00.000-07:00

The festival of Vishu is celebrated on the first day of the Malayalam month "Medam" which marks the beginning of a new year.

On Vishu eve, the lady of the house with all the care decorates and arranges the things in the pooja room for the Kani. Kani items include golden lamps, fresh linen (kasavu), a measure of rice or paddy, gold ornaments, silver, money, coconuts, jack fruit, mangoes, yellow cucumbers, flowers of the Konna tree (Cussia fistula), mirror and a garlanded deity of Lord Krishna. The dominance of yellow and gold in the kani signifies prosperity.

At early dawn, the eldest member of the family lights all the lamps and takes each of the family members blindfolded to the pooja room to see the auspicious "Vishukani" which literally means the first sight. Vishukani is a splendid treats to your eyes and mind, a tradition that is kept with a belief that seeing good things will bring happiness through each day of the year.

Being the new year everyone wears new clothes and gets ready for the next ritual "Kaineetam". Kaineetam is a symbolic act of sharing prosperity where the elders of the family give money to all the younger ones.

And no Kerala festival is complete without the elaborate delicious sadhya which is a grand array of sweet, tangy and spicy dishes eaten traditionally on the banana leaf.

So here's wishing all our dear readers a very blessed ,happy and prosperous Vishu. May each day ahead bring you a thousand more reasons for happiness.