Happy Onam

Happy Onam!!

Thiruonam pookalam we put this morning

Morning pooja

A simple and yummlicious lunch!!

Ela Ada for the moring pooja (breakfast)

Godham payasam :)

Minty Masala Dosa/Crepe

Fed up of having a normal masala dosa, here is a twist to the dosa/ crepe. Here is my recipe for the minty  masala dosa. Please note I do not make idli and dosa batter separately, the below proportion I use for one week to make my idli and dosas. The first 3 times I make idli and then you can make nice crispy dosas or uthappams or whatever  you feel like having.

Ingredients:

For the dosa:
Idli rice  – 3 ¼  cups
De-husked black gram dal / Urad dal – 1 cup
Fenugreek seeds / Methi dana – ½  tsp.

Rice Rotis of Malabar or Pathiri

Pathiri the soft and fluffy rotis one of the  speciality of Malabar cooking,  During my childhood days my neighbor aunty would make these very often at their place and I have seen her make these in huge piles as their family was big.  I wondered what was so great in this. Believe me once I made at my place  I  loved it so much that I  make this often at my place, this  goes well with any nadan curries.  Not going to chat more and getting on the recipe.

Method

Rice Flour – 1 cup (I used double horse pathiri podi)
Water-12 cup
Salt-to taste
Thick Coconut Milk- ¼ cup

Thani Nadan Chicken Curry

This chicken curry is very simple and yummy curry. Not much of ingredients and as  you cook the flavor of the coconut oil and the shallots is too good and enhances good aroma and you will love it. Increase or decrease of the spice level is upto your taste. Goes very well with pathiri. You can keep it thick or little watery its upto you J

 

Masala Dosa/Crepe

All time favorites of many, a very simple and yummy  masala dosa. Here is my recipe for the  masala dosa.

Ingredients:

For the dosa

Idli rice  – 3 ¼  cups
De-husked black gram dal / Urad dal – 1 cup
Fenugreek seeds / Methi dana – ½  tsp.

For the filling:

Boiled and peeled Potatoes - 3 large
Sliced  – 1 medium
Mustard seeds  ½  tsp.
Chana dal –  ½  tsp.
Curry leaves  – 2 sprigs
Coriander leaves – 4 sprigs
Green chillies slited – 5  nos
Asafoetida powder  – a pinch
Turmeric powder  - ¼  tsp.
Oil – 2 tsp.

Celebration with Black Forest Cake

Today is the 4th day of Atham and I ensure that I put ‘Athhapoov’ at my home all the 10 days, it’s a kind of thrill that Onam is on the way. This is the ‘Atthapoov’ I put today.

This is the cake I baked last evening to celebrate 20^th wedding anniversary.

Pineapple Cake for my Leo

August is a month of celebrations in my family, as its my hubby’s B'day and then  comes our wedding anniversary. So its perfect  time for me to do some good  baking for these occasions. My hubby did not want chocolate  in the cake for his birthday, then was contemplating to make a fruit cake or a pineapple however I felt  I would bake a  pineapple cake as I had not shared the recipe here.  

Well  the flavor of the pineapple with the combination of soft spongy vanilla and whipping cream and with some chunky pineapples in between is really amazing.  Infact I love baking these layer cakes wonder why  I like that so much.

For the vanilla sponge:

Eggs – 6

Sugar – 1 cup

Cake flour – 1 cup all purpose flour minus 2 tbsp + 2tbsp cornstarch/ flour

Vanilla extract - 1tsp

Mix the  below ingredients and make the soaking liquid

Pineapple can : 1 tin *

Water – 1  cup or the pineapple juice from the can **

Sugar –  6 tbsp

Pineapple essence - 2 tbsp

* Cut some pieces of the pineapple and  keep some rings for garnishing on the top of the cake

** If the canned pineapple is not sweet then you may have to add more sugar to your taste as we need the syrup to be sweet and not sour. Be generous and  make the cake moist with the pineapple soaking liquid. The cake will taste amazing.

Additional

Whipping cream – 400ml 

Powdered Sugar - 4 tbsp 

For the Butter cream for yellow flowers:

Butter : 4 tbsp

Food Colour : I used yellow  or  your choice of the colour

Powdered Sugar  : 1.5 tbsp

Beat this well to a creamy form and let it sit in the refrigerator for 10 minutes and put this into a piping bag and decorate as you wish.

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180 C.

Grease and line  the tin with a bit of butter and put ½ spoon of the flour and dust the pan and keep it aside.

Sift the  dry ingredients together and keep aside.

Beat the eggs and sugar on a high speed using an electric beater for about 10 to 15 minutes. This step is highly important because we are not using any oil or margarine. The beating of the mixture will cause air to be incorporated and later give volume to the cake.

Now fold the dry ingredients into the batter carefully so that you do not lose the air incorporated. The mixture will deflate a little but that is ok and go ahead making it.

Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remember Oven temperatures do vary, keep an eye on the cake after 20 minutes so that it is not burnt.

Cool the cake completely.

Now cut the cake into 2 or 3 rings and keep aside.

Keep one ring on the flat surface and pour the soaking liquid little to make it moist and spread  some whipped cream and chopped pineapples on this layer. Place the  2^nd ring and do the same as the 1^st  ring and if you have third keep that on the 2 layers and then spread the whipped cream all over the cake and garnish with chocolate flakes  and pineapple slices and decorate using your imagination.

Let it chill in the fridge for few hours, the more chill the cake is so tastier and yummy. Believe me we both loved the cake so much.

Latha

My verison of the Idli

Idlis, is a savory  of South Indian origin popular throughout  India and is served for breakfast, usually served in pairs with chutney, sambar, or other accompaniments.

For me idli batter is a must in my kitchen, as its my life saver for breakfast. So I make it a point to grind this over my weekend and store for the rest of my working days.  I just make some different chutney each day so that don’t get bored of having idli.  More than anything it saves my time in the morning during my rush hours to work.

Over the weekends I make it a point to make nice dosas (crepes) or uthappams with the same batter they turn out great.  Infact I use a wet grinder to make the  batter and use  the same idli batter for my dosas. Grinding in a wet grinder and in a mixie varies a lot and in volume and in taste.

Nendhrapazam Pazham Pori/ Ethakkappam/Banana Fritters

If you happen to be in Kerala don’t miss to have this lovely Ripe banana fritters, this is one delicious Kerala snack you can find in any of the tea shops in Kerala as tea time snack.

I prefer to have nice riped ethakka to this snack. Adding yellow colour gives a nice look to the snack.

Ingredients

Ethakka / Nendhrapazam (ripe plantains)  3 nos 

All purpose flour  - 1 ¼  cups

Rice flour  -  1 tbsp

Sugar -  1 tbsp (upto your taste level u can reduce or increase)

Turmeric powder – ½  tsp

Salt – ½  tsp

Water – ½ - ¾ cup (add more if needed)

Oil – for deep frying

Meen Vevichathu (Molaketta meen Curry)

I am in  a mood to have some nice spicy and tangy dish and  here I go with  one of my favorite fish curry and we all love at home.

My lovely neighbor Rekha Susan Mathew when she returned back after her summer holidays,  got me this beautiful urli sparkling like silver. My sincere thanks to Rekha for this wonderful gift.  I wanted to inaugurate this urli by  making this fish curry J.  Remember to get the authentic  fish curry it is always better to prepare in manchatti.

Kodampuli or cambogia or Kokum also known as Gambooge is an essential ingredient in all the seafood loving kitchens in Central Kerala, the coastal South Indian state. As the name suggests (Puli = sour in Malayalam), the dried fruit is used as a souring agent in Kerala’s famous fish curries and other seafood preparations.

Kodampuli is known for its medicinal values in Ayurveda. It helps to promote digestion, and a decoction (kashayam) made out of it is used against Arthritis and some uterine deceases. It is also known to cure ulcers.

Stuffed Mushrooms

I love this stuffed mushrooms as its so  yummy and so delicious,  I am sure you all will love this too.

Ingredients

Fresh White button mushrooms  -  10 – 15nos
Finely chopped onion  1 big size
Very finely chopped green chillies – 1
Ginger  squeezed – 1 inch
Grated garlic  – 2 pods
dried or fresh rosemary – ¼ tsp  OR mixed Italian herbs is fine
Salt and chilli powder to  your level of taste
Bread crumbs – About ¼  cup
Chees (optional)                                                                                                                                           Cashew cream ( grounded) – 2 tsp.
Oil – 1 tsp.

Dum Aloo – Banarasi Style

Have  not been posting any vegetarian dish for sometime. Infact I have made some small changes to the original recipe as  per my taste, anyways  here another delicious dish which goes very well with  aany Indian bread or even jeera rice.

Adapted from   Tarla Dalal 

Ingredients:

15 baby potatoes
oil for deep-frying                                                                                                                                       8 pods of powdered cardamom                                                                                                                 1 tbsp kasturi methi                                                                                                                                   1 tbsp honey (the dish will turn out little sweetish)                                                                                       3 tbsp cream                                                                                                                                            A small bunch chopped coriander leaves for garnish                                                                                   2 tsp butter or oil                                                                                                                                   Salt to taste

For the gravy:

2 large ripe tomatoes  roughly chopped
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
4 dry red chillies (use dry Kashmiri red chillies)
2 tbsp broken cashew nuts *
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
2 ½  cups water

·         Don’t add more cashew as the curry will be too thick

Independence Day Special Tricolour Rawa Kesari

Happy Independence day!

     

 

Oats & Mango Smoothie

Personally  I am not a big fan of Oats, somehow  just don’t like to have it in any form either me or none from my family. Looking at the health benefits of having Oats,  I thought having oats in this form. Truly you will never know there is oats in this  at all. I need not say more on the red finger millet as to how good its for our good health.

You may add up different fruits of your choice and enjoy this drink. You can even keep it watery  so that the kids can just gulp it in the morning before they leave to school. Please ensure to keep the drink smooth if they plan to gulp it straithgt. Alternatively you can  keep it thick so that they can scoop and enjoy this then may be you should garnish with nuts or dates syrup or chocolate flavour or saffron, keep changing the flavours the kids will love it.  Its really a filling drink. These days this is my new breakfast J

 Ingredients:

½ cup red finger millet powder (Ragi/Nachini)  

½ cup oats powder (powder the regular oats)  

1cup of boiled cold milk (if you need more  you may add)  

1 tbsp of curd 

1 tbsp honey (your level of sugar or you may avoid if you like) 

Mint leaves  2pc chopped forgarnish  (Optional) 
Mango Puree – ½ cup            

Mango chunks for garnishing        

Focaccia

Focaccia is a very popular flat oven-baked Italian bread in Italy . Don’t get scared with the name thinking its gonna be a big task in baking this. I tell you it’s a very simple and lovely bread, especially for the kids snack box. Ofcourse don’t need any special gadgets to make this.

I have given a small twist by adding  little bit of spices according to my taste buds. No worry on the butter or egg as  just few ingredients  like flour, yeast, salt,  olive oil and ofcourse the main ingredient is the  Italian herbs is just enough to make this. 

As I baked the aroma of the Italian herbs was completely  in the nook and corner of the house. You can top this with onion, cheese and meat or flavored with  your choice of vegetable. I just loved it to be just with the onions as the taste with onion was too good.

This rustic Italian bread is perfect as an appetizer served with a dipping oil  with garlic and herbs into the oil or a side to your favorite pasta dish.

I loved to have it with tea and indeed  good for breakfast too.

Adapated this recipe from showmethecurry.com

Ingredients:

All Purpose Flour – 2.5 cups

Warm Water –  ½ + 1/3 cup

Active Dry Yeast – 1 tsp

Sugar – 1 tsp

Salt – 1 tsp

Olive Oil – 3 tbsp + 1 Tbsp for coating the bottom of the pan +2 tbsp for coating the dough

Red chilli flakes – I have used this  its optional

Rosemary but I  have used dried mixed Italian herbs – 1 tsp

Onion – 1/4 small, sliced finely

Tawa Pulao

I have heard lots and lots about the street foods and chats  that is basically sold on the push cart in Mumbai and the other parts of North. I never had an opportunity to try them until recently. 

During my recent visit to Pune several times I had the opportunity to enjoy the chats and the delicious food   vada pav, tawa pulao, pani puri and what not. Lists are never ending as they have such fancy and eye catching names J

Its not that I have not had earlier such chats but the real taste of having it from the originated place is something different and unique.  Amazing it tasted and I had the urge of having more but truly I was a bit worried with my tummy and hence  relished  every bite of it on a limit .

Since its monsoon, it rains on and off most of the times and truly amazing to have these chats.  By evening  the shops are absolutely crowded to enjoy these chats.

I have seen  on TV once Sanjeev Kapoor  talking about the Tawa pulao as he was making this on that show, I brushed it aside and did not give much importance as it looked for me like a simple puloa and nothing more than that.

The day my tongue had a taste of the tawa pulao, I ensured that I would make this at home and grabbed the recipe to make this. Thanks to Mr Kapoor. 

Vada Pav

One of the best Indian version of the burger. Try this out, you all will love it.

Ingredients for the vada:

4-5 boiled potatoes
1  Onion finely chopped
5-6 green chillies (upto your level of spice)
2 cloves garlic
1 inch ginger
5-6 curry leaves
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
A pinch of asafetida
1 tsp turmeric
1 ½  cups besan flour
2 tsp red chilli powder
½ tsp sodium bicarb
Water as required for the batter
Salt
Oil for Frying

Aappam or Vellappam

Aappam or hoppers is  a type of food from  South India especially a delicious dish that is very popular all over Kerala. This is served with stew, mutton or chicken curry or even with coconut milk.

Infact  the original appam is made with the mail ingredient  with "kall" (in Malayalam) means  toddy, which is used for fermentation. Since fresh toddy is difficult to get in many places, it has been substituted with  yeast.
Here is the way I make my Aappam at my place:

 

Nannari or Sarsaparilla Sherbet

The moment I say Nannari it takes me back to my wonderful  childhood  days and  my visit with my dad to all our relatives home (I lost him 11 years back, such a wonderful person, today whatever I am in this life I owe it to my lovely parents, miss him every moment of my life and love you dad).

Chicken 65 – Chicken Kebab

Have you been to Bangalore Empire, they have so many outlets in Bangalore. If you visited then  you must have for sure tried this chicken kebab, this is one of their specialty  and they are well know for this kebab. Being a Bangalorean I never had an opportunity to try their food in Bangalore due to my own personal reasons. The time  they opened the restaurant in Dubai my hubby insisted that I should try this chicken kebab as he said  he  had for many years this kebab from Bangalore and they were outstanding.

 

The first time I had  this in their outlet in Dubai. As the kebabs came they had served it so hot that you are irresistible to wait for the kebabs to cool down and then try your luck on that. The first bite of the kebab  gave me a feel that it was so juicy and the outer layer that’s the batter was so crispy. It looks like I am writing a restaurant review, sure that is not the intention at this point of time.