JFI-JackFruit....Chakka Mezhukuparatti/Jackfruit Side dish

Jugalbandi got the oppurtunity to host the JFI for this month and what do they pick as the theme-Jackfruit!!! As if trying to meet deadlines was not hard enough, I had to prod the imagination to find Jackfruit here. Along with mangoes, jackfruit with all their pungent smell and gooey taste is what I miss about Kerala.
All this month, Jugal bandi have been showcasing Jackfruit (since they found a fresh one at their local Thai grocery), with unfairly drool worthy pictures of the plump fruit before they cut it, after they cut it, after they roasted the seeds,, after they cooked it...Thank God there was no pictures of the aftermath.:)
Then Inji chimed in, showing off the jackfruit sent to her.a..ar..gh...

So anyway, I realy wanted to participate in the JFI this time, except that I have no jackfruit/chakka in sight in the East Coast.
I resorted to my standby- frozen jackfruit but the local Indian groceries didn't carry it. Finally found one in Oak Tree Road (Is there anything Indian you can't find there?)and made a mezhukuparatti or veg side dish, if you want to call it that.

The recipe is my friend's and I first had this yummy dish at her house. It tends to be on the sweeter side depending on the ripeness of the jackfruit but goes well as a foil to any spicy curry. This is one of the vegetables or fruits, I don't mind using frozen. No cleaning, and I don't have to deal with any of the messy glue which surrounds the fleshy fruit and the mezhkuparatti gets cooked in a jiffy.

You Will Need:
Green Jackfruit(Pachcha chakka)
(finely chopped) –450 gms or 1 lb
Cumin seeds(Jeerakam) – 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Hot Green Chilies – 4 nos slit vertically.
Garlic pods – 1 or 2
Shallots-2
Curry leaves – one sprig
Dry Red Chilies – 2 nos
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Oil – 2 tbsp or as needed
Salt to taste

Preparation:
1. Defrost the jackfruit pieces by soaking it in water for 10-15 minutes. Drain well and cut into strips using a kitchen scissor.
2. Heat oil in a pan or a kadai. Lower the heat, add mustard seeds and cover till it stops spluttering. Now add the red chillies broken into 2-3 pieces, green chilies and curry leaves.
3.Add the jackfruit slivers, turmeric and salt. Lower the heat, add 2 tablespoon water, cover and cook for about 5 minutes. Open, stir to mix well and check to see if it is done. Add more oil if needed to avoid sticking to the pan.
4. Crush the shallots and garlic coarsely with a mortar and pestle and add to the pan. Mix well and it may take a couple of minutes of sauteing more with continuous stirring. The shallot-garlic mix can be omitted if prefered. Make sure the jackfruit doesn't get overcooked else it will stick to each other. Serve with rice.

Nadan Erachi Porichathu /Country Beef Fry

Beef fry is made famous and infamous by the various thattukadas and restaurants in Kerala. Every restaurant along the highway from Kannur to Trivandrum has their local derivative of the Beef fry ranging from dry to semi-dry served with porotta or borotta. More of a bachelor's favorite it is easy to make and crowd pleasing.

My name for it as "country fried beef" is a pun and comes from "Nadan", the malayalam word for "anything relating to the homeland (nadu)" which we translate quite roughly as "country"....:)So it is no way related to the American country fried steaks, smothered with gravy.

In my house, beef fry is little more than a sauteed extension of Beef Varatiyathu, where the meat is cooked with spices and herbs and then further sauteed with curry leaves, mustard seeds etc. The simple fried version is reserved for tiffins for long trips and for pickles taken to US for the beloved kids starved of nadan grass fed beef.

With US being the largest consumer of beef, you would think the meat here would be out of the world. Well, it is good for steaks and grills, with all the marbling and fat content, but when it comes to a dry meat fry (nadan erachi porichathu),nothing compares to the meat back home. Organic beef here is the closest that tastes similar to that.
After my wedding, at one of the earliest salkarams at my better half's relatives house, I wsa introduced to another side of the meat fry. Decadent, deep fried, fiery spicy and "can't stop eating it" yummy. One version was tiny pieces fried and mixed with chukkappam, button shaped chips made of rice flour. The other version was bigger pieces as a side dish for rice or porotta.
Also saw a hitherto before unknown side of my better half who couldn't put the plate down. As a newly married, it made a indelible impression..so the way to a person's heart is through their stomach.....of course, I had to get the recipe from his aunt which she happily gave as it is not so much of a recipe as a state of mind.
And since then, I keep trying the recipe with varying degrees of frying to replicate the taste. The proper way is to deep fry it but I still can't get myself to do it that all the time, being squeamish of the oil, (as RP makes fun of me), but love the clean spicy taste. This is my current final recipe for the nadan beef fry. For the best taste, dunk it in a deep fryer, but otherwise try it my way.

You Will need:
Beef: 1 lb
Hot Red Chili Powder- 3 tsp, more or less as per taste.
Turmeric-1 1/2 tsp
Shallots-4-5
Salt to taste

Preparation:
Clean and cut the beef into small or very small pieces. Mix the red chili powder, turmeric and salt with the beef, adding 1 tsp vinegar. Keep aside for at least 15 minutes. Pressure cook the marinated beef for 1 whistle or 2(Depends on the quality of beef)till the beef is tender but not crumbly. US beef is soft so doesn't need a lot of cooking so vary the times according to your experience.
When the pressure cooker cools, open it and let the gravy be absorbed into the meat on slow heat. Taste and adjust the salt. Add no oil at this point. Heat oil in a nonstick preferably or a cast iron skillet or cheenachatti, add curry leaves and shallots sliced and then add the meat. Saute till the beef becomes dry and slightly crispy on the outside. Add more oil if it starts sticking to the bottom. If you like it hard and crunchy, keep frying and adding more oil. Serve hot.

WBB-Strawberries

Summer fruits as an idea for the Weekend Breakfast Blogging intrigued me and seemed so apt for capturing the sunniness of summer. Then I started thinking of which fruit I wanted to choose for my breakfast and the possibilities boggled the mind. Favorite fruit for breakfast is dried fruits or bananas, but they are there all year round.
When I opened the refrigerator, Strawberries glared at me saying "We are not just for desserts and snacks; We are good for you in the mornings too.We are chockful of vitamin C."
Its true. Straberries get bought by the boxes from price club and make their way into all kinds of desserts. The simplest preparation of all is strawberries cut up and sugar (very litle) sprinkled over it. Let it rest for 10 minutes and watch the metamorphosis. The tart and sometimes sour strawberries suddenly turn all coy and sweet.. and luscious. A no cook sauce.

What does it go with?
Top up your oatmeal or cereal with them.
Make a parfait with cream, granola and nuts.
Mix it in with greek creamy yogurt and honey if you want to be healthy.
For dessert, mix it with ice cream and caramelised nuts.
But as my little one remarked, the strawberries tasted best by itself.

But for now crepes crept into the mind and I whipped some up (minus the cream topping) and folded the strawberries in. A light breakfast crepe which you can easily make decadent by adding a strawberry sauce and whipped cream.



Strawberry sauce-
Wash and cut strawberries into quarters. Sprinkle a spoon of sugar for every two cups of strawberries or even less if the strawberries are sweet. Use after 10 minutes.

So how to make crepes?
I have no recipe of my own.. just follow the link.. super duper crepes and another recipe.
Another yummy topping for crepes is Nutella and bananas. Just spread some warm nutella on the crepes and top with sliced bananas and fold over. Additional whipped cream is great if avaialble on hand.



I might be late but this is my entry for the weekend breakfast blogging held at Spicy Andhra.

Macaroni N Cheese

This is a very common item at dinners around here. Bland, cheesy, spicy, creamy; any way you make it, it is sure to find some young and some not so young takers. It is one of the foolproof kid friendly recipes, made horribly commercialised and made synonymous with kid's meals. Check out the school and preschool menus here.

I used to buy the ready to make mac n cheese packets (powdered, microwaveable etc) and add milk and sliced cheese to it to mitigate its nutritional uselessness. Then I graduated to making it from scratch with elbow macaroni but my little one still hankered for the goopy stuff at restaurants. "Let's go to Bear Rock Cafe just to eat Mac n cheese..your pasta is not cheesy enough".
So when RP blogged about creamy mac n cheese and we tried it, it became a surefire hit. As lunch and as dinner once in a while, it is creamy and satisfying. I have tried it on a couple of friend's kids too with matching success.
I never stuck to one kind of cheese for the sauce and using different melting cheeses varies the flavor. But try the differing flavors only at your own risk.:)

A word about cheeses: Cheeses that range in texture from semi-soft to firm include Swiss-style cheeses like Emmental and Gruyère, Cheddar, Jarslberg are ideal for melting and are used on toast for grilled cheese sandwiches too. Fontina and Monterey Jack are cheeses we prefer as alternatives to the saltiness of cheddar. Fontina has a mild nuttiness which goes well in most pasta recipes. Pecorino -Romano is good for a grown up pastas. Cheese is an acquired taste and the preferences varies widely. So have fun and let me know which is your favorite cheese.

You Will Need:
Butter-2 tablespoons
All Purpose Flour(maida)-2 tbsp
1 teaspoon salt
Pepper- optional
Milk -1 1/2 cups
Shredded or cubed Cheddar cheese/Monterey Jack Cheese/Fontina Cheese-1 cup
Parmesan/ Pecorino Cheese-2 tbsp
Elbow macaroni- 6 ounces(1 cup) cooked and drained
Green Peas-1/2 cup

PREPARATION:
1.Cook up the dried elbow macaroni, following directions on box. Add the frozen peas in the last 4 minutes of cooking. Be sure the texture is al dente, or to your preference. Drain the pasta in strainer.
2. In saucepan over medium low heat melt the butter; blend in flour, stirring well to distribute the heat. This is called the roux (pronounced “roo”), and it serves as a thickening paste.
3. Slowly, stir in the 1 1/2 cups of milk. It’s crucial not to add the milk too fast, or the roux will clump up and harden. Use a whisk to mix until well blended. Keep the heat at medium or low. Add milk only as needed to make it smooth.
4. Gradually add in the shredded or cubed cheddar cheese. Continue whisking until the cheese is melted and starts to bubble.If you feel it is too thick, add a bit more milk and whisk.
5. Add salt (only after tasting) and pepper, for a bit of flavor. A dash of nutmeg or dried mustard also can enhance the flavor. Turn off the flame.
6. Add the macaroni to the cheese sauce and gently mix to blend. Serve hot.

Variations: Add some crushed red peppers, or cayenne, onions in the beginning for additional flavor. Add cooked chicken, mashed cauliflower, bell peppers, broccoli florets or scallions for more variety.

Related Links:
RP's Mac n Cheese

Tabbouleh/ Bulger And Herb Salad

Salad days are here again. As the weekends start to get crowded with the hectic summer schedules and the temperatures slowly start rising, its time to unwind in the patio with someone else doing most of the work. (:)heh! heh! there is no someone else).
The masala based curries are too heat producing in this weather with all their roasting and grinding and slow cooking. So salads seem so refreshing with all the colorful produce cooling the eyes and the palate.

Now is the time when the backyard starts echoing with the intermittent sounds of squeals, laughs and splashes (from our neighbour's pools). The fresh grass has a lush green tone and is soft on the feet. The patio is freshly washed and clean and the flower beds are now sprouting the newly planted flowers and veggies. hmm...Time to take out the grill and whip up a salad. And you can enlist everybody's help for chopping.:) No excuses there!

Tabbouleh is a middle easten salad made with bulgur, scallions and a host of other stuff. It is readily available in the supermarkets but it is too dense with parsley and olive oil. It is also so easy to make that we never end up buying it but make it on a regular basis with rotis and pitas and breads. The olive oil and lemon juice compliment each other without it being too sour. Don't omit the parsley and scallions, the distinctive taste comes from that. The bulgur is also essential but sometimes I substitute it with finely chopped Romaine lettuce.

For the uninitiated, bulgur is a kind of whole wheat grain which is parboiled, dried (usually by spreading in the sun) and then de-branned. Bulgur is often confused with cracked wheat, which is made from crushed wheat grains which have not been parboiled. I do use the Indian cracked wheat (dalia)when I am out of bulgur. The cracked wheat has to be cooked more though.

The first time you make it, go slow with the dressing so that you can add more later as per taste. One festive menu is noted below with the tabbouleh, pita, hummus, kababs and olives. Chicken tikka, any kind of grilled vegetables, paneer, kababs are a natural pairing with this salad.

You Will Need:
Fine Bulgur-2/3 cup
Fresh Parsley- 1 cup
Mint(fresh or dried)-2 tbsp
Tomatoes-2,
Scallions-2-3 stalks
Onion-1/2 small one, grated
Green Bell Pepper/Red Bell Pepper-1 seeded


Dressing:
Olive oil-3 tbsp
Lemons-2 or 3 tbsp juice
Salt to taste,black pepper to taste.

Preparation:
Place the bulgur in a microwave safe bowl with double water and cook for 3-4 minutes, till it softens. If the bulgur is fine enough and you like it crunchy,just soak it in cold water for 5-10 minutes and squeeze out the excess water. Drain well and keep aside.
Finely chop the scallions, bell pepper and parsley into tiny pieces of similar size. The white part of the scallions has to be minced or chopped finely.
Place all the ingredients including the bulgur in a large bowl and toss with the dressing. Add the lemon juice as needed based on its sourness. Taste and adjust the salt. Refrigerate and serve cold or at room temperature.

Related links:
Chicken Kababs
Griiled Gyro
Stuffed Eggplant
Spicy Hummus
White Bean Hummus

Spring Series-II

Now that my tree has bloomed and almost gone, here are the photos before I forget to post them. The green leaves have started covering the blooms and the delicate petals are falling and forming a carpet on the ground. The show continues..

Caramel Custard

After 18 years, The first legal shipment of Indian mangoes to the United States landed at Kennedy Airport last week and would soon be available everywhere in the supermarkets. AH!Finally, somebody heard the collective prayers of homesick desis. Every summer we buy mangoes from wherever (as long as it looks like mangoes) and close our eyes and try to simulate the taste of the mangoes back home. Every weekend phone call to my folks was filled with them regaling me with how many mangoes they had to give away as the supply was more than what they could consume! Then my friend Sra tempted me more with her photo and write up on mangoes some weeks back!
Friday started the weekend with the hot news that the local Indian groceries had the coveted Alphonso Mangoes and my friend rushed to get it for us. They are $35 for a dozen!!!!
Needless to say, after a minute of heart searching, the yearning to eat a mango ripened in the hot Indian sun won over the pragmatics of the money. But it all fell flat when my friend reached there with happy anticipation, only to be told curtly,"Sab Khatam, Monday ko aao."(It's all finished, come on Monday):(
So the quest continues. Maybe this week will be better. I am waiting to see which of our happy bloggers got to eat the Alphonsos first! Meanwhile, I decided to make a comfort dessert to fill the heart.
Caramel custard was a staple in my house growing up. Some like the custard less sweet with the caramel syrup adding the bitter-sweetness and some like it sweet.
It is supposed to be easily digested and full of protein so good for kids and adults alike.(Unless they have egg allergies or cholesterol.)As a kid, I remember my mom making this on a daily basis once when my sibling was recovering from Typhoid and for a long time, I associated it with illness.
But it is a creamy easy dessert with minimal preparation so here goes..

You will need:
Eggs-3
Sugar-1/2 cup (use a little more if you like it sweet)
Milk- 2 cups
Vanilla essence-1 tbsp
(Use the same measuring cup for everything.)
For the caramel:
Brown sugar(preferable) or plain white sugar-3 tbsp

Baking Ramekins-4-5 moulds or one deep baking dish.
You will also need a large shallow metal or oven proof bake ware to set the moulds in and bake.

Preparation:

Caramel Base:
Heat the brown sugar mixed with 1 tsp water in a nonstick pan on medium heat till the sugar starts melting. Do not use anything to stir and just shake the pan to spread the heat. When the sugar starts turning into golden brown liquid, let it simmer and then pour it equally in all the ramekins. Tilt the dish all around to coat the bottom evenly and a little up the edges. The syrup will harden quickly so pour and spread into one mould at a time.
Take care not to let the syrup bubble too much and burn. It will taste too bitter. Of course, if you like the bitter taste as a contrast, go right ahead. If you are using one baking dish, pour the whole syrup into it and tilt around.

The Custard:
Preheat the oven to 375 F.(190 C)
Blend together the eggs and the sugar using a whisk. Add the vanilla and milk and whisk well to get a very smooth liquid. The milk should not be boiling as it will curdle the eggs. But if it is warm it dissolves the sugar faster and speeds up the baking. Pour this liquid carefully into each of the moulds till three fourth full. Leave a little space at the top.
Bake in a pre-heated oven to 375 deg for about 35-50 minutes till a toothpick inserted through it comes out clean. Do not take it out of the moulds. Cover and let it cool in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours.

How To Serve: Just before serving, using a thin knife, loosen the edges of the custard. Place a serving plate (big or small based on the size of the moulds) top side down so as to cover the custard mould. Invert the mould along with the plate and carefully lift up the mould.
Viola!..The cooked custard is now perched regally on the plate luxuriating in a caramel bath.

Chicken Curry In A Hurry..

Invoking the summer gods with the Okra has worked (:)) as it is warm and sunny here finally. What a difference in last week's rainy and gloomy days and this week's sunny days!!

But the days suddenly have become hectic and cooking has taken a back seat for a moment. After a long time, studies are back on the horizon (for a test) and all the yummy recipes seem so time consuming and labour intensive. Focusing on remembering what you read is not so easy with a rusty brain, and stressing it further with a complicated meal planning is just not right.

Nevertheless food has to be cooked unless you want to brave the greasy restaurant staples on a daily basis. Blogging too has thus been quite on the slow track. So today, I am stealing some time to rescue my readers from the corny hindi video.:)

Rummaging through my cookbook, I came across a handwritten malayalam recipe tucked in my recipe drawer, called Chicken Shahi Kurma. Though daunted by the name, the recipe looked easy and It turned out to be a creamy chicken curry which fools you into thinking that it is rich and took ages to cook. No cream, no coconut milk, just good ole ground cashews to thicken it. Prep time is minimal if you use a 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts and the cooking time is 15 minutes. Curry in a hurry indeed!

You will need:
Chicken-1 ½ lb, (700gm) boneless, cleaned and cut into small pieces.
Onions- 1 1/2 medium sized ones
Green Hot Chilies-6-8
Garlic cloves-3
Ginger-1/2 inch piece
Carrot-1 large one
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Red Chili Powder- 1 tsp
Fennel Powder-1/4 tsp
Black Pepper Powder- 1/4 tsp
Cashew nuts-7
Whole spices: 3 cloves, 2 cardamom
Lemon juice-1tbsp
Plain Thick Curd (Yogurt)- ½ cup beaten
Curry leaves- 1 sprig
Cilantro(Coriander)- 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Oil-2 tbsp
Preparation:
1. Cut the chicken into 1-2 inch even sized pieces. Wash the chicken and lightly toss it with lemon juice and rinse again. Drain well onto a slotted drainer. Slice the onions finely and dice the carrots. Soak the cashew nuts in ½ cup warm water for 10 minutes. Cook it in the microwave for 1 minute to speed up the soaking. Then wet grind it with the cleaned ginger, garlic and green chilies to a very fine paste. Add water only as you need to grind.
3. Heat the oil on a medium flame in a large shallow pan, add the whole spices and the onions. Saute the onions till they are light brown. Keep stirring and add oil if the onions are sticking to the pan or browning too fast.
4. Add the ground paste, spice powders and saute well for at least a minute, or till the red chili powder gets cooked. Then add the chicken and carrots and stir well till all the excess moisture dries up. It would be good if the chicken gets sauted on all sides before getting cooked. Then lower the heat, add 1/2 cup water, salt and cook covered for about 10 minutes or till the chicken gets cooked. Keep checking and add a little bit water if it starts sticking to the pan.
5. Check to see if the chicken is cooked. Add the chopped leaves and then lower the flame to a minimum. Add the beaten yogurt and adjust salt seasoning. If the yogurt is not sour, add a tsp of lemon juice to balance the flavors.
Serve hot with pathiri, appam, bread, puttu or just paratha.