Parippu Pradhaman or Kheer made out of Lentil and Jaggery

The first thing I get reminded when I see parippu pradhaman is Onam!! The onam during my childhood days where the best!! I still remember how we used to get up in the morning and pluck flowers to make a pookalam(floral carpet) in the front of the house. Once thats done, help mumma in making the whole sadya.. My duty was generally to cut the veges and grate 1 coconut. My brother being elder to me and ofcourse stronger took the responsibility to grate 2-3 coconuts in one go and then extracted the coconut milk.. Probably that was the toughest job I must say. But it was fun that way. Lots of things have changed now but the memories remain fresh!! Thats the photo of parippu pradhaman on the backdrop of a Kerala Saree!! What a delightful sight!! Waiting for Onam to come. Countdown starts!! 41 days to go!!

Ingredients:

• ½ cup - Moong dal / Cherupayar Parippu
• 1 cup - Water
• 1 cup - Sharkara Pav / Jaggery melted in water and thickened
• ½ cup - Thick coconut milk (Onnampaal)
• 2 cups - Thin coconut milk (Randampaal+moonampaal)
• 1/2 tsp - Cardamom powder
• 1/2 tsp - Dry ginger powder / chukku podi
• 2 tbsp - Ghee
• 10-12 - Cashewnuts and Raisins
• Handful of Thengakottu/chopped Coconut slices

Method:

• Traditionally this dish is to be made in a uruli(huge, flat vessel made of bronze) but coz of the unavailability have to go for a pressure cooker. :( So heat the pressure cooker and dry roast the Moong dal, till the flavor of the dal comes out. Empty it on to a plate and let it cool completely. Add the water and pressure cook it till soft.
• Once the cooker is opened, add the melted jaggery into the dal and keep stirring on low flame, till it becomes nice and thick.
• Add the thin milk into the misture. Keep stirring and bring it to boil. When the bubbles come, simmer the heat and add the thick milk and again bring it to boil on low flame. Keep stirring continuously.
• Add the cardamom powder and dry ginger powder and mix well. Garnish with cashewnuts, raisins and coconut pieces roasted in ghee.
• Serve with papadam and pazham!!

This recipe is going to participate in the "Lentils Mela"

Fish Molee or a Fish in mild coconut milk gravy

Another delicacy from Gods own country!! Last week when i made this recipe I was wondering how this name originated.. Probably, ages ago, it was some Molly chechi in Malabar Kerala who first made this recipe and named it fish molee (Some people even refer it as moilee as well). Thats when I realised that Molly chechi would not be the reason for this dish. :)

Trying to research on the origin of Fish Molee I came across people(elderly people) who said that it probably might have originated centuries ago when the French, Spanish and Portuguese people sailed to the coastal belt of Kerala. In the barter system, they took all our spices to their country and in return left one of their delicacies. I had also read somewhere that mole in spanish actually means stew. So guess there ended the hunt for the origin.. And as the famous Malayalam saying goes, "Kuzhi ennanda, appam thinna porey?"

What makes this dish special?? Firstly the freshness of the fish. Molee/stew has a very mild flavor thus if you use a bad fish, the mild gravy would not be able to cover it up. You can use any fish like prompret, seer fish or pearlspot to make molee. Secondly, the fresh coconut milk. Coconut is one thing which is in abundance in Kerala. But getting the milk would be the most tough part in this recipe. If that part is resolved rest everything is done. I use only freshly grated coconuts milk. Do not prefer canned or milk powder. And finally the way it is prepared. The fish is marinated and slightly fried before stewing it. Frying the fish has two advantages. Handling it becomes easier and it makes the dish different.
Now, lets plunge into the recipe!!

Ingredients:

• 2 medium sized - Karimeen or pearlspot, cleaned and scored
• 1 tsp - Turmeric powder
• Salt to taste
• 2 Tbsp - Coconut oil
• 1/2 tsp - msutard seeds
• 1 large - Onion, thinly sliced
• 1" piece - Ginger, julienned
• 2 large - Garlic cloves, julienned
• 2-3 - Green chillies, slit
• 2 sprigs - Curry leaves
• 1 tsp - Pepper powder
• 1 - Tomato, sliced
• 1/2 cup - Thick coconut milk (Onnampaal)
• 1/2 cup - Slightly thin milk (Randampaal)
• 1 cup - Very Thin milk (Moonampaal)
• Lime juice / Vinegar(chorka) to taste
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Smear the fish with turmeric and salt and keep it aside for 15 minutes.
• Slightly fry the fish in a flat pan.
• Heat a meen chatty(earthen pot used for cooking fish) and pour the coconut oil. Crackle the mustard seeds.
• Add the ginger and garlic and saute for half a minute.
• Add the Onion, curry leaves, green chillies and saute till it becomes transparent. Add the tomatoes and saute for a minute more. Donot mash the tomatoes. Add the pepper powder.
• Simmer the heat and add the thinnest coconut milk/Moonampaal and place the fish carefully. Season with salt and cover the pot and cook the fish. As the fish is half done while frying you just need to cook for another 2 minutes.
• Now pour the 2nd milk / Randampaal and stir slowly. Let it cook slowly for sometime till the fish completly absorbs it.
• Now remove the pot from the fire and pour the thick milk/Onnampaal. Place it on low fire again for a minute and lift the pot and gently shake so that it gets mixed . Do not stir as the fish might break.
• Take it off the stove and add some lime juice or Chorka(it is a vinegar made out of toddy - again a by product of coconut). Top it up with some coconut oil in the end.
• Serve with appam, pathiri, idiappam or even boiled rice.

This recipe is participating in the curry mela held by Cook4allseasons by Srivalli http://cooking4allseasons.blogspot.com/2008/07/announcing-curry-mela-event-to.html

Karimeen Varuthathu or Fried Pearlspot

This weekend was a very very happy weekend because this is was the first time we got naadan fish, karimeen(pearl spot) here. Otherwise we always get the local fish, which i do not adore much. I always use to browse through the other blogs which wrote about karimeen, aila and mathi and used to feel jealous that why in the whole world am I not able to eat those fishes!!
Karimeen is one of my fav fishes.. Nothing can beat it for its earthy flavor, for the very Kerala flavor. And the taste of our very own fresh ginger, green peppercorns and coconut oil makes it just perfect!! There was a time when I used to hate the smell of coconut oil. I could not stand the taste of it. But as I grew up I started enjoying its flavor. Now most of my naadan cooking is next to impossible without coconut oil.
Ingredients:

• 3 Medium sized - Pearl spot / Karimeen
• Coconut Oil to fry

For the marinade:

• 1 - medium sized Onion
• 2 sprigs - Curry leaves
• 1" piece - Ginger
• 2 tsp - Green / Black peppercorns
• 1 tbsp - Red Chilly powder
• 1 tsp - Turmeric powder
• salt to taste

Method:

• Roughly grind all the ingredient to make a paste. Need not be a smooth paste.
• Clean and score the fish and smear the masala on to the fish and refrigerate for atleast an hour
• Heat a pan with coconut oil in it and fry the fish till both the sides are golden brown in color. Because the masala is a little coarse there are all chances that the masala can get burnt. But you can avoid that if you fry the fish on low flame and carefully wait and watch!!
• Serve hot. I feel it can be a full meal on its own for me.. I do not need anything to ruin the divinely flavour :)

Hot and spicy Prawn Roast

Prawns!! and the only word that I can recollect is "YUMMY"!! Its one non veg which needs only 2 minutes of cooking.. And you can find prawns in various sizes and colors. I somehow always enjoy eating the tiny ones. Ya, tiger prawns are good if they are barbecued!!
This recipe comes right from Kerala but its my mothers way!! I have had variations of Prawn Roast or chemmeen ularthiyathu but I always loved my mummas prawns roast!!
Ingredients:

• 250 gms - Prawns, cleaned and de-vained
• 1 tbsp each - Ginger and Garlic, roughly pounded
• 1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
• 1 - Large Onion, Chopped
• 2 - sprigs of Curry leaf
• 1 - Green chilly, slit
• 1 - Tomato, Chopped
• 1 tsbp - Red chilly powder
• 1 tsp - Pepper Powder
• 2 tsp - Garam masala powder
• 2 tbsp - Coconut Oil or Refined oil
• Salt to taste

Method:

• In a pan, put the cleaned prawns, ginger, garlic, turmeric powder and salt. Add some water and cover and cook for 2 minutes. If the water is not completely evaporated but the prawns is cooked, let the water vaporise.
• Add some coconut oil(and if you do not like the taste of coconut oil use refined oil) and add the onions, slit green chilly and 1 sprig of curry leaf and saute till the onions turns golden brown
• Add the tomato and saute well for another 2 minutes.
• Add all the dry masalas and saute till the masala gets coated onto the prawns.
• Garnish with the sprig of curry leaf and ginger juliennes and serve with Kerala Boiled rice and mooru curry

Vegetable balls in Manchurian Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 cup - Cabbage, Cauliflower, Carrot, all very finely grated
• Maida or Flour
• 2 tsp - Cornflour
• Salt & Pepper according to taste
• Oil to fry
• 1 - Large Onion, diced
• 1 tsp - Garlic, chopped
• 1 - Capsicum, diced
• 2 tsp - Soy sauce
• 1 tsp - Chilly sauce
• 1 cup - Vegetable or chicken stock

Method:

• Mix the grated vegetables with salt and pepper and fold in maida and cornflour. Cornflour brings the crunch to it. I have not mentioned the quantity of maida because I keep putting it slowly until the veges bind. The consistency is very important. Too much of maida will ruin it too.
• Make small balls out of this mixture and deep fry it.
• Heat oil in a deep pan and saute the Onions and garlic for 2 minutes. Saute the Capsicum for a minute.
• Add both the sauces and stock and bring it to boil. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add the fried balls and let it simmer till the gravy starts becoming thick. Now add a mixture of cornflour and water into it to quicken the thickening process.
• Serve hot with steamed rice or fried rice

Uthappam

It was the best morning of the week - Sunday Morning!!
I had prepared dosa batter the previous night like almost all saturday nights!! Yesterday when I saw that the batter had not risen, I was shaken!! It had never happened..my dosa batters were always perfect.. It was probably the damp and cold monsoon morning which hindered the rising of the batter!! It rained all through the night.. Like how I was lazy to rise up, probably my batter was also lazy to rise!! I was all worried..what now?? And then enters my hubby as an Angel to solve the problem...This is the story of that Sunday dosa!!
Ingredients:

• Dosa Batter - Quantity depends on how many yummy dosas you can eat!!
• Salt to taste
• Oil or ghee
• Chutney podi

For Egg Topping :

• 2 - Eggs, Beaten with chopped onions, green chillies and salt

For Veges topping:

• Tomatoes, Onions, green Chillies, Curry leaves - Chopped very finely

Method:
For the veges Uthappam:

• Heat a flat non stick pan. Smear it with very little oil and when hot pour a laddle full of batter and spread it on to the pan in a circular motion to make a little thick dosa.
• Put the topping lavishly on to the dosa and pour some oil on to the sides and top. Sprinkle some salt and sprinkle the chutney podi lavishly on top of it. When the other side is cooked / golden brown turn the dosa carefully and cook the side with the topping for just a minute. Serve hot

For the egg uthappam

• Pour a laddle full of batter on to the hot tawa and spread it on to the pan in a circular motion to make a thin dosa. Turn the dosa and let it cook on both sides.
• Pour the beaten egg with seasoning on to the dosa and pour some oil on to the sides and let it cook. Turn again and let it cook for half a minute and serve hot

Egg & Green Veges Fried Rice

Chinese or Oriental food is what I have an unqunechable greed for!! Iam never tired of eating it. And I can say that finally my husband and I have something in common. So even if I suddenly pop up with an idea to eat out at a Chinese outlet I have no oppositions to face!! And with in no time we can be spotted in the nearest Noodle bar or Mainland China or Wangs..

I have heard from various people including my husband who has travelled to Far eastern countries that Oriental food is very weird in taste in their country. Probably we have been accustomed to an Indianised chinese food!! That reminds me of a program which was aired on Discovery Travel & Living about the person who first invented the (once upon a time) most prefered chinese dish in India which you would apparently never find in China, the Gobi Manchurian and the (red in color, maida coated) chilly chicken. But thank God, far eastern cuisines has evolved drastically over a period of time in India that we get to eat a better looking and healthier versions of Oriental food these days!! It is no longer ajinomoto that lets out the flavor to food!!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup - Small grained rice
• 1 shoot - Spring Onions, Chopped
• 1/2 - Capsicum, chopped
• 6-8 - French Beans, chopped
• 2 - Eggs, beaten
• Salt to taste
• 1 Tsp - White Pepper Powder
• 2 tbsp - Sesame Oil

Method:

• Cook and strain the rice and cool it for atleast an hour. Cold rice when sauted on high flame remain separate and do not tend to stick. Whereas if you use steaming hot rice to make fried rice it sticks to the wok when on flame.
• Heat a flat pan with some vegetable oil. Put some salt and pepper into the eggs and make an omelete. Once done cut it into square pieces 1"x1" dimension.
• Heat the sesame oil in a wok or large kadhai. Chinese use sesame oil predominantly which gives a very distinct flavor. Some people dont like the strong earthy smell of sesame, in that case you may mix vegetable oil with sesame oil in equal quantity and use.
• Put the beans and saute for a minute on high flame. Saute the spring onions and capsicum and the eggs. Spirnkle salt and pepper according to taste. Once done empty the rice into the wok and saute till the rice is coated with the oil and the flavoring.
• Serve with any chinese side dish

Aloo ka Bhujia

Ingredients:

• 2 - Potatoes, sliced into long pieces(similar to those for french fries)
• 1 tsp - Zeera
• 2 nos - Whole dry red chillies
• 1 tsp - turmeric powder
• 2 tbsp - Oil or mustard oil
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Heat some oil in a kadhai and splutter zeera. Add the red chillies and saute.
• Add the cut potatoes and sprinkle turmeric powder and salt and mix well.
• Add some water and cover it up and cook till the potatoes are done.
• Now let the potatoes to fry for sometime in the kadhai. Serve hot with rotis or paranthas

Sattu Parantha

Yet another bihari dish. Courtesy my bihari neighbour!!
This is probably one of the easiest stuffed paranthas I have had coz it requires no boiling, grating or mashing for the prepartion of the stuffing!! You just need to powder some roasted chana dal and store. When required mix all the masala and its ready. Roasted chana dal is very easily available in Indian supermarkets. Please do not confuse sattu with besan as both are different. Now please do not ask me how are they different, as I just know it is different.

Sattu mixed with water, lime, and salt or sugar is had to cool your body during summers in Bihar, says my neighbour. So obviously one can understand how good it would do to your body. Apart from that it is full of fibre and is extremely nutritious. Sattu is popularly used to make stuffed pooris, paranthas and yet another Bihari delicacy called Litti.

Ingredients:

For dough:

• 3 cups - Wheat flour
• salt to taste
• water to kneed

For stuffing:

• 2 cups - Sattu
• 3cloves - Garlic,
• 1 - Onion, finely
• 1 - Green Chili, finely
• 2 tsp - Coriander leaves, chopped
• 1 tbsp - Lime
• 1/4th tsp - Ajwain or carom seeds
• 1 pcs - Green or Red ChillyPickle
• Salt To taste
• 1 tbsp - Mustard Oil

Method:

• Kneed the wheat flour to make a little hard dough.
• Mix all the ingredients and make the stuffing.
• Divide the dough into small portion and roll it into round shape. Apply some oil on to the inner side for the roti so that its puffs up when cooked.
• Place a portion of the sattu mixture (approx 2tsp) in the middle, enfold the filling and pinch off the excess dough.Then roll out into parantha.
• Cook on hot tawa, applying oil/ghee(prefer ghee) till both sides are cooked and golden brown in colour.
• Serve with aloo bhujia or baigan bharta or choley masala along with beaten curd.
  
  
  

Pathiri or Rice Roti

This is one of my most favorite kerala delicacies. I just love it. I have had really good ones from lot of restaurants in Kerala but I equally love the pathiri my mom makes. And I proudly present the yummy soft pathiris made by my mom as I still have not been able to master the skill to make these lovely rice rotis.
Making pathiri is actually a skill, which comes out of practice and perfection. There are 3 stages in it and all the 3 stages are very important. Making the perfect dough, rolling it into nice perfect rounds and cooking it... ha ha ha...in short its a pretty difficult task. But all the hardwork is worth it!!
Ingredients:

• 2 cup - Rice Flour
• Water
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Heat water and salt in a vessel.
• When it boils well, put the rice flour into it and mix well with a spoon till it kind of binds. This should be done on low flame.Remove the vessel from fire and allow the content to cool. Knead it to a fine dough using hand without adding water. Ensure that the dough should not stick to the walls of the vessel. (Note:-This kneading part has to be done before the flour is completely cooled.)
• Make it into small lemon sized balls.
• Roll the ball on some rice flour and roll it into rotis. Make it as thin as possible. Dont worry about the shape as you may cut it into perfect round shape using a round and sharp edged steel plate.
• Heat a flat heavy bottom tawa and cook both sides till done. Make sure that its cooked on medium flame and try pressing the rotis gently with a cloth so that it puffs up.Serve hot with chicken curry.
  

Chicken Curry

I very well remember that I made chicken curry for the first time in my life when I was around 12-13 year old. It was during one of those summer holidays which I spent at my uncles place when my cousin sister and I for a change ventured into the kitchen. She, I must say, knew a lot of cooking when compared to me those days!! Come on, now how can u expect somebody in their early teens to be interested in cooking when there are so many other exciting things in the world to venture!! ;)
So yeah, this chicken curry is the simplest one and very yummy too!!
Ingredients:

• 1/2 kg - Curry cut chicken pieces
• Oil (Quantity depends upon you, more oil-more tasty, less oil-more healthy)
• Cloves(4 nos), Cardomom(2 nos), Cinamon(1" stick), Bay leaf(1 No), Fennel/saunf(1/2 tsp)
• 2 - large onions, chopped
• Coriander powder(3 tsp), Chilly powder(2 tsp), Turmeric powder(1 tsp) - make a paste of all these by mixing some water
• 1 - Tomato
• 2 tsp - Ginger garlic paste
• Water
• Salt
• 2 sprigs - Curry leaves
• Handful of coriander leaves

For marination:

• 1 tbsp - Ginger garlic paste
• 1 tsp - pepper powder
• 2 tsp - Red chilly powder
• 1 tsp - turmeric powder
• 1 tsp - Lime juice

Method:

• Marinate the chicken for 1 hour with all the masala.
• Heat oil in pressure cooker. Saute in all the spices.
• Add the onion and saute. When golden brown add the ginger garlic paste and the wet masala paste and saute. Add the tomato and saute till oil separates. Add the fresh curry leaves too.
• Empty the marinated chicken and pressure cook till done. I generally allow 2-3 whistle to come.
• Garnish with coriander and serve hot with pathiri, appam or roti.

Mattar Parantha

Ingredients:

For the stuffing:

• 1 cup - Fresh Green peas
• 1 tsp - Oil
• 1 tsp - Zeera
• 1 - Onion, chopped
• Handful of coriander leaves, chopped
• 2 - Green chillies, chopped
• 1/2 tsp - Lemon juice
• 2 tsp - Gravy of Mirchi(green/Red) pickle
• 3-4 drops - Mustard oil (optional)
• Salt

For dough:

• 2 cup - Wheat flour
• Water to kneed
• Salt to taste
• Ghee

Method:

• Heat some oil in a pan and splutter some zeera. Add the green peas and salt and cook till soft
• Chop the cooked peas coarsely. Mix all the ingredients with the peas and keep aside.
• Kneed the flour into a soft dough
• Like any other normal paranthas fill the stuffing and cook on a tawa. Apply some ghee on both the sides and cook till done.
• Serve hot with a dollop of butter on it

Soya Bean - Snake gourd Curry

Recently the intake of soyabeans in any form available has been recommended by health conscious people across the globe. I somehow never had any particular liking towards it. But eversince I started reading about these small wonder beans I began developing some kind of respect towards them. Now soya milk taste funny to me so consuming it is out of question. Tofu can never replace our good old paneer. So the best thing is to eat the beans in this wonderful and easy recipe. Another good part of this dish is that I can camouflage another vegetable which is rather very bland and is found in south India in abundance.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup - Soya bean, soaked for 3 hours
• 1/2 cup - Snake gourd, diced
• 1/2 tsp - Zeera
• 1 tbsp - Oil
• 1 - Onion, chopped
• 1 - Tomato, Chopped
• 1 tsp each - Ginger & garlic paste
• 1 tsbp - Coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
• 1 tsp - Chilly Powder
• 2 tsp - Garam masala powder
• 1 cube - Maagi tastemaker(Optional)
• Water
• Salt to taste
• Coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

• Heat oil in a pressure cooker, splutter the zeera
• Saute in onions till golden brown. Add all the masala powders leaving garam masala and maagi tastemaker. Saute till oil separates. Saute in the tomato well.
• Add the beans and snake gourd and fry a little. Add the garam masala and required water and mix well. Pressure cook till the soyabean is done. It generally takes 9-10 minutes after simmering the gas post the first whistle.
• When done sprinkle the maagi taste maker and mix well. Garnish with fresh chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with roti

This recipe is participating in the curry mela held by Cook4allseasons by Srivalli http://cooking4allseasons.blogspot.com/2008/07/announcing-curry-mela-event-to.html