tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231224192024-03-16T03:38:03.583-04:00Malabar Spices...Musings from a transplanted Malabar Kitchen..Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger279125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23122419.post-91174132626134888362022-11-09T09:43:00.000-05:002022-11-09T09:43:01.591-05:00<h2 style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> Tindora with Patra/ Stir fried Ivy Gourd.</span></div></h2><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div class="wprm-recipe-ingredients-container wprm-recipe-ingredients-no-images wprm-recipe-21557-ingredients-container wprm-block-text-normal wprm-ingredient-style-regular wprm-recipe-images-before" data-recipe="21557" data-servings="4" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; counter-reset: wprm-advanced-list-counter 0; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-group" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2vVZoUwYN8T59xsG5c8cCvdLojZDFEKiGg511egcFHelsaVObxl0VI1ZL1j-f_BoF7n9J2OM4Bc4Ukd6jKkq0JxKkDmSAH1XKOiSQZShIOxlqeignq5xa-JKl_n4iUfNgAaVYbasoq3VJdNXYhDwqxVaiw0eErHm0l-pptkMqH34nz_sIrIM/s1800/IMG_2191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1726" data-original-width="1800" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2vVZoUwYN8T59xsG5c8cCvdLojZDFEKiGg511egcFHelsaVObxl0VI1ZL1j-f_BoF7n9J2OM4Bc4Ukd6jKkq0JxKkDmSAH1XKOiSQZShIOxlqeignq5xa-JKl_n4iUfNgAaVYbasoq3VJdNXYhDwqxVaiw0eErHm0l-pptkMqH34nz_sIrIM/w400-h384/IMG_2191.JPG" width="400" /></a></div></div></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Tindora, also known as Ivy Gourd in English, Kovakka in Malayalam </span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-family: inherit;">is a member of the cucumber family </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">grows on vines in Tropical regions. O</span>utside my grandfather's house, it grew wild <span style="font-family: inherit;">on the </span>high<span style="font-family: inherit;"> laterite walls surrounding the press building and we kids looked at at as wild berries. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Now this is a vegetable that I did not eat while growing up, so the taste was a mystery to me till I lived in Mumbai. There it is common and relished. A Manglorean friend taught me to make it with garlic and coconut and I was hooked. When I moved to NJ, the Indian grocery store had all regional vegetables and this became a staple in my house. Chop, cover and steam cook and then </span>stirfry with spices. Not even worth making into a recipe. But after a long time, I tasted a new version of it at my friend's house as she combined the usual tindora recipe with frozen patra pieces imparting a new flavor to the ordinary. Trying to remember how a new recipe was done requires some mental gyrations now, so chronicling it for myself more than anyone else. Spicy but slightly sweet.</p><p><b> <span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">Ingredients:</span></b></p><div class="wprm-recipe-ingredients-container wprm-recipe-ingredients-no-images wprm-recipe-21557-ingredients-container wprm-block-text-normal wprm-ingredient-style-regular wprm-recipe-images-before" data-recipe="21557" data-servings="4" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; counter-reset: wprm-advanced-list-counter 0; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-group" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><ul class="wprm-recipe-ingredients" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin-block: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-inline-start: 0px; padding: 0px !important;"><li class="wprm-recipe-ingredient" data-uid="0" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.9em; list-style-position: outside; list-style-type: disc; margin: 0px 0px 0px 18px !important; padding: 0px !important; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 lb/500 <span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-unit" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">gm</span> <span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-name" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Tindora</span></span></li></ul><ul class="wprm-recipe-ingredients" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin-block: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-inline-start: 0px; padding: 0px !important;"><li class="wprm-recipe-ingredient" data-uid="1" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.9em; list-style-position: outside; list-style-type: disc; margin: 0px 0px 0px 18px !important; padding: 0px !important; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-amount" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">1</span> <span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-unit" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Teaspoon</span> <span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-name" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Cumin Seeds</span></span></li></ul><ul class="wprm-recipe-ingredients" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin-block: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-inline-start: 0px; padding: 0px !important;"><li class="wprm-recipe-ingredient" data-uid="2" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.9em; list-style-position: outside; list-style-type: disc; margin: 0px 0px 0px 18px !important; padding: 0px !important; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-amount" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">2</span> <span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-name" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Dried Red Chilli</span></span></li></ul><ul class="wprm-recipe-ingredients" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin-block: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-inline-start: 0px; padding: 0px !important;"><li class="wprm-recipe-ingredient" data-uid="3" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.9em; list-style-position: outside; list-style-type: disc; margin: 0px 0px 0px 18px !important; padding: 0px !important; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-amount" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">6-7</span> <span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-name" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Curry Leaves</span></span></li></ul><ul class="wprm-recipe-ingredients" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin-block: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-inline-start: 0px; padding: 0px !important;"><li class="wprm-recipe-ingredient" data-uid="5" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.9em; list-style-position: outside; list-style-type: disc; margin: 0px 0px 0px 18px !important; padding: 0px !important; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-amount" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">a pinch</span> <span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-name" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Heeng (Asafoetida)</span></span></li></ul><ul class="wprm-recipe-ingredients" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin-block: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-inline-start: 0px; padding: 0px !important;"><li class="wprm-recipe-ingredient" data-uid="6" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.9em; list-style-position: outside; list-style-type: disc; margin: 0px 0px 0px 18px !important; padding: 0px !important; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-amount" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">1/2</span> <span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-unit" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Teaspoon</span> <span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-name" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Turmeric Powder</span></span></li></ul><ul class="wprm-recipe-ingredients" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin-block: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-inline-start: 0px; padding: 0px !important;"><li class="wprm-recipe-ingredient" data-uid="7" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.9em; list-style-position: outside; list-style-type: disc; margin: 0px 0px 0px 18px !important; padding: 0px !important; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-amount" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">1/2 or 3/4</span> <span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-unit" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Teaspoon</span> <span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-name" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Red Chilli Powder</span></span></li></ul><ul class="wprm-recipe-ingredients" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin-block: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-inline-start: 0px; padding: 0px !important;"><li class="wprm-recipe-ingredient" data-uid="9" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.9em; list-style-position: outside; list-style-type: disc; margin: 0px 0px 0px 18px !important; padding: 0px !important; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-amount" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">1/2</span> <span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-unit" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Teaspoon</span> <span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-name" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Coriander Powder</span></span></li></ul><ul class="wprm-recipe-ingredients" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin-block: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-inline-start: 0px; padding: 0px !important;"><li class="wprm-recipe-ingredient" data-uid="10" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.9em; list-style-position: outside; list-style-type: disc; margin: 0px 0px 0px 18px !important; padding: 0px !important; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-amount" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">3/4</span> <span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-unit" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Teaspoon</span> <span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-name" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Salt</span></span></li></ul><ul class="wprm-recipe-ingredients" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin-block: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-inline-start: 0px; padding: 0px !important;"><li class="wprm-recipe-ingredient" data-uid="11" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.9em; list-style-position: outside; list-style-type: disc; margin: 0px 0px 0px 18px !important; padding: 0px !important; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-amount" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">1</span> <span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-unit" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Teaspoon</span> <span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-name" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Lemon Juice</span></span></li></ul><ul class="wprm-recipe-ingredients" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin-block: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-inline-start: 0px; padding: 0px !important;"><li class="wprm-recipe-ingredient" data-uid="12" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.9em; list-style-position: outside; list-style-type: disc; margin: 0px 0px 0px 18px !important; padding: 0px !important; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-amount" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">1</span> <span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-unit" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Tablespoon</span> <span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-name" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Oil</span></span></li></ul><ul class="wprm-recipe-ingredients" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin-block: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-inline-start: 0px; padding: 0px !important;"><li class="wprm-recipe-ingredient" data-uid="12" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.9em; list-style-position: outside; list-style-type: disc; margin: 0px 0px 0px 18px !important; padding: 0px !important; position: relative;"><span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-name" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.apnabazaarpdx.com/product/indian-frozen-patra-deep" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">3 pieces frozen patra cut up.</span></a></span></li></ul><ul class="wprm-recipe-ingredients" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin-block: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-inline-start: 0px; padding: 0px !important;"><li class="wprm-recipe-ingredient" data-uid="12" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.9em; list-style-position: outside; list-style-type: disc; margin: 0px 0px 0px 18px !important; padding: 0px !important; position: relative;"><span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-name" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 tablespoon grated coconut</span></span></li></ul><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Instructions:</b></span></div><div class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-group" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Wash and dry the tindora. Cut off the bit at the stem end and slice them into circles. This is a mindless activity that has to be done mindfully, to avoid cutting your hand. I usually make a long over due call to a friend or listen to songs while cutting a large batch. Heat oil, splutter the mustard, cumin, red chilies, curry leaves and add a dash of asafoetida (heeng). Take care to lower the heat and use a splatter guard. Add the vegetables, red chili powder, turmeric, coriander powder and salt. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes on medium heat or till the vegetable is cooked. Add the cut up patra and coconut and stir fry everything for 3-4 minutes. Serve with rice or rot<span>i.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23122419.post-2853158299397941382013-03-20T07:30:00.000-04:002013-03-20T07:30:09.040-04:00Cauliflower Thoran<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23122419.post-4865249815453527922013-02-02T19:24:00.002-05:002013-02-03T08:13:28.857-05:00Roasted Cauliflower..Indian Style.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I was in hibernation as the wind turned cold and the days got short, making each day a mad dash from one warm place to another. Packed, moved, unpacked yet again and in between all this my poor blog lay neglected, without a kind glance..<br />
Today is Ground Hog Day, so I definitely had to post.. a day made memorable for me by the classic movie of the same name wherein the Bill Murray gets stuck in Punxsutawney, PA and relives the same day over and over over again till he... Well..watch the movie if you can. This is the day when a poor ground hog in Punxsutawney, PA comes out of its hibernation and see a mass of people waiting to see his reaction..<br />
" According to folklore, if it is cloudy when a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day, then spring will come early; if it is sunny, the groundhog will supposedly see its shadow and retreat back into its burrow, and the winter weather will continue for six more weeks."<br />
Apparently, spring is coming early.. the days are already getting longer..<br />
So why am I so excited..?<br />
Well, for one.. this signifies the beginning of the end of the frosty day!! Yahoo!!This has been a relatively mild winter with intermittent spates of freezing cold.. to think positively, if there was no winter, where would I wear all those sweaters and scarfs?<br />
And also for me the last one year has been like reliving the same day over and over again..Get up, pack lunch, drive, work, cook, clean, eat... all verbs, with no fun adjectives to sprinkle around it. Like a scene from the movie when the hero finally knows the day and road so well that he automatically dodges a pothole and avoid getting splashed on, have fine tuned the day activities to a semi-automatic form.<br />
So have to pay homage to the movie and day that I use as a analogy for what our routine sometime becomes!! Is it like that for everyone?<br />
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And what's better in this weather than to turn on the oven and roast something with the pretense of cooking while in actuality you just want to heat up the house further. The warmth and the aroma both make this a quick reach for in our house.<br />
I grew up three recipes for cauliflower.. Alu Gobi (Potatoes and cauliflower curried together), Gobi Parantha( Flatbread stuffed with cauliflower) or Cauliflower thoran (Shredded cauliflower steam cooked with coconut). Spouse refused to espouse the Alu Gobi and over time I forgot how to make it, much as it is a favorite for most. But this roasted cauliflower was adopted with open arms and since it doesn't involve cooking, gets made more often.<br />
It is a healthy vegetable , a cousin of the broccoli family.. its known to lower your risk of cancer, and it is full of antioxidants, has anti-inflammatory properties and is loaded with fiber.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhij8PUzq_0MUlJgKDg5RMfxU-HQBp-hGWxxcATmNnx7HFqG68-qu8gXFBlS-KX3PIinAljlREkPfo7wNec6XLiMYE2xcrQXNR8_vcyTlJqN4P36o3QuFYr0_P6iBlDCBeV4UWpPw/s1600/cauli.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhij8PUzq_0MUlJgKDg5RMfxU-HQBp-hGWxxcATmNnx7HFqG68-qu8gXFBlS-KX3PIinAljlREkPfo7wNec6XLiMYE2xcrQXNR8_vcyTlJqN4P36o3QuFYr0_P6iBlDCBeV4UWpPw/s400/cauli.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>You will need:</b><br />
1 medium cauliflower torn into florets<br />
1 Onion cut into dices<br />
2-3 tablespoons olive oil<br />
5-6 whole cloves of garlic (optionally with skin on)<br />
1 teaspoon sesame seeds<br />
1 teaspoon salt<br />
1/2 teaspoon roasted cumin powder<br />
1/4 teaspoon Turmeric<br />
1/2 teaspoon red chlli powder( or paprika)<br />
2-3 tablespoon chopped cilantro<br />
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<b>How to do it:</b><br />
Cut the cauliflower into florets and wash the florets and drain well.<br />
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.<br />
Line a large roasting pan or tray pan with foil. Place the cauliflower florets and onion dices in it. Pour the olive oil all over the cauliflower, and sprinkle the salt, turmeric, sesame seeds, chili powder, cumin powder and cilantro and mix well with your hand. Add the garlic cloves too. Place the saute/roasting pan in the oven and cook for 20-30 minutes, checking and stirring to ensure even roasting. Garnish with more chopped cilantro and serve immediately while still warm.<br />
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<b>Variations:</b><br />
Sprinkle a pinch of garam masala if you like.<br />
Use only salt , pepper and finish off with parmesan cheese.<br />
Use only sambar masala and salt.<br />
Tell me your variation.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23122419.post-19933006839080110752012-09-25T22:49:00.000-04:002012-09-26T23:25:44.975-04:00Palak Paneer/ Cottage Cheese in Spinach Sauce<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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There is no fun in blogging anymore. Once upon a time, there were few blogs and there were few bloggers and being food crazy was frowned upon. Hence there was this thrill in writing lustily about a particular recipe, as if you just stumbled upon its virtues,as if it changes your life (it may have!!), as if you were the only one in the world who could make it well and photograph it like never seen before, tempting lots and lots of readers who still haven't discovered the secret.<br />
What secret, you ask? Well the secret is that dear readers, anybody can cook and just like any other skill, the more u cook, the better you become....But now there are sooooooooooo many blogs.. that there is no need for me to blog anymore.<br />
<br />
I can spend my days surfing on others blogs and see and enjoy the thrill in the younger blogs while I secretly miss the old hats whose blogs lie still and dead, gathering dust like the empty tharavadus in Kerala. I wish all these bloggers would wake up and blog once more, just to see some new words from them..just for a new line of conversation... not for the recipes which abound everywhere.<br />
Between the frozen aisle which imports everything u miss, to the multitude of new bloggers, there is no recipe left to cover now. Its just versions and versions...which is really what a recipe is... a version of a food played out in your family, customized to your family's tastes.<br />
<br />
Rant apart, an old standby which is the best way to get spinach into my kids, though my better half refuses to touch it..:) Palak Paneer, which is fried cubes of cottage cheese in a spiced up spinach gravy. Some fry the paneer, some toss it with tandoori spices and grill it, some put in bland... it works any way..just don't add cream to the final gravy , Ala restaurant style.<br />
<br />
<br />
Paneer cubes - 15-20 .<br />
Onion - 1 small onion<br />
Garlic Clove-3<br />
Coriander Powder-1 Tsp.<br />
Cumin Seeds -1/2 tsp Tsp.<br />
Turmeric- 1/8 tsp<br />
Asafoetida- A pinch<br />
Red Chili Powder-1/4 tsp<br />
Garam Masala- A pinch.<br />
Oil -2-3 Tbsp.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">For Gravy Base :</span><br />
Spinach- 1 bunch.<br />
Ginger small-1/2 inch<br />
Onion- 2 tbsp chopped<br />
Green Chilies(Small) 2-3 Nos<br />
Salt to taste<br />
Cream (Optional) 1 Tbsp<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Preparation:</span></span><br />
1. You could use fresh or good quality frozen spinach. Since this is one leaf that soaks up all the insecticides and stuff sprayed on it, use organic as much as possible. Spinach if bought as fresh bunches from the farmer’s market or the Asian stores has a lot of sand on it. Soak the spinach in a large vessel with water for 10 minutes and rinse each leaf well under running water. Do not stint on washing it well. The sand can destroy all your hard work! If you are using pre-washed spinach, you could cook it as it is. Wash & drain the water from Spinach. Chop them coarsely.<br />
<br />
2. Heat 1 1/2 tbsp of oil in a non stick pan and sauté the paneer pieces till light golden on all sides. Take care not to leave the pan unattended as it gets burnt quickly. This should take about 2-3 minutes. Drain onto paper towels and keep aside.<br />
<br />
3. Cook the spinach with the ginger, green chilies, ½ cup water and one clove of garlic in a pan till soft. If using a pressure cooker, cook for one whistle only.<br />
When it cools down, blend the cooked spinach to a coarse paste using a hand blender or food processor. Use quick pulses to avoid blending it to a paste.<br />
<br />
4. In the same wide pan heat the remaining oil, fry the chopped onions till translucent. Add the remaining garlic and sauté. Add the spice powders, 1 tablespoon of water and sauté for a minute. Take care not to burn the spices. Add the yogurt and when the liquid in it dries up add the blended spinach paste and salt.<br />
<br />
5. Cover and let it simmer on medium heat for about 10 minutes and add the paneer cubes. Let it cook for another 5-6 minutes to combine the flavors, check seasoning and add the tablespoon of cream. It should be slightly tangy and spicy. Add a pinch of garam masala before serving.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Tips to Note:</span></span><br />
Do not add any additional water for blending. The spinach should be coarse but should not be fibrous.<br />
Do not add any water while cooking the gravy. The gravy has to get thickened on medium heat so the more the water, the more time it will take and it will dilute the flavor of the spinach.<br />
Add tomato instead of yogurt in the first cooking of the spinach for the tanginess.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23122419.post-73295555304482004682012-07-29T09:23:00.002-04:002012-07-29T09:25:41.085-04:00Plantains Sauteed in Butter/Ghee..<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The dog days of summer.. long hot days, humid days, a handful of thundershowers.. well.. any day a better summer than last year's wet, unseasonably cold summer.<br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Someone left a comment saying, " its summer outside my window" and I just realized my bog is still showing fall!!! Well, long hours of work and managing the house doesn't leave time for blogging anymore but I had to change the fall picture!!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Now its Ramzan season and all thoughts of food are centered around the traditional for me at least. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Ramzan's fast is a loooong day here this time and barely any time left to do the 2-3 courses of food after breaking fast. Guess we have to wait a long time before wee get winter fasts here!</span><br />
<br />
Ramzan, Iftars..and Plantains..go hand in hand for me..<br />
How many ways can you eat the humble plantains? Ask a Keralite/Mallu..<br />
Pazham Narachathu/Plantains stuffed with coconut and sugar, or scrambled sweet egg.<br />
Pazham Porichathu/ Plantains dipped in batter and fried.<br />
Pazham Vattiyathu/ Plantains cut and sauteed in ghee.<br />
Pazham Ulathiyathu/ Scrambled Plantains with coconut and sugar.<br />
Unnakayi/ Mashed Plantains stuffed with coconut.<br />
<br />
This one above is the simplest way to satisfy a dessert craving.. Slice Plantains into slices horizontally or vertically. Heat 2 tsp of Butter/Ghee and saute the plantains for 2-3 minutes on each side on medium heat. When they look golden halfway through the thickness, flip them and cook the other side. Sprinkle sugar and let it melt and as it starts crusting, remove and serve. Traditionally , the sugar is sprinkled after the plantains are removed onto a plate, but the slightly crusted sugar also tastes yum.<br />
Try it on its own.. or in the Americano way.. with vanilla ice cream..:)<br />
Don't ask if you can saute this in olive oil or vegetable oil to make it healthy...its not really meant to be.. it's meant to be enjoyed in moderation.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23122419.post-50917731417803858832011-11-10T11:39:00.003-05:002011-11-11T08:39:03.534-05:00Grilled/Baked Chicken Legs..<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC6lusRgM3MbeHxYDvhukO8azPn9CKWA7t0dn4Sh33hNnkeTFLGhPOuT5Fn6OhmUHmG_gFFShUeBIYmHHMxVjoy0isGWud2xo7lPLvD7tVOOuouUwARUlIIfp9ORa9JCohaMOYpQ/s1600/IMG_3198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC6lusRgM3MbeHxYDvhukO8azPn9CKWA7t0dn4Sh33hNnkeTFLGhPOuT5Fn6OhmUHmG_gFFShUeBIYmHHMxVjoy0isGWud2xo7lPLvD7tVOOuouUwARUlIIfp9ORa9JCohaMOYpQ/s400/IMG_3198.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It's Fall outside my window, yellowed leaves falling constantly, spreading a golden carpet in the woods behind, denuding the trees one leaf at a time. A burst of color everywhere, but this time the hues tempered down by the unseasonable onset of snow. So the brilliance is low and slowly the grey is pervading everywhere. The malls are fighting back with their slew of bright colored winter sweaters and jackets, as if that will ward off the quietness and stillness already around. There is a playground outside my house, which lights up when it sees kids but that's only when the sun is shining bright on it.. the rest of the time, it looks so forlorn and empty... as if the kids vaporized instantly. <i style="text-align: left;">Maybe I should do a chicken sacrifice to appease the Fall gods into extending the glorious Fall season.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha5anNvDbwnOSvfQL8mIGFUgibQ-vfsElNFWpa4ldvqW91xipgbo1l5aYrXtQ7oMN1fgwAAQpwn7SVNoS7dZXqUrF9OgZGB0R4IMtvT3a1XghXybT37SsMzN5RmU-W9bam5r9VbQ/s1600/IMG_3200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha5anNvDbwnOSvfQL8mIGFUgibQ-vfsElNFWpa4ldvqW91xipgbo1l5aYrXtQ7oMN1fgwAAQpwn7SVNoS7dZXqUrF9OgZGB0R4IMtvT3a1XghXybT37SsMzN5RmU-W9bam5r9VbQ/s400/IMG_3200.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1-3Sq8aAPDiyfGYlXjNWv26qIznnO9eGQn1RlV1bhwifbfJc569qDskRYQ6QJlt5NmL9ExA0NKPIhXsSkz3KtF4XTHrXQQ-BTs2werMN1obxXrPfHP0J4mVGdqmV7J4ZhiNDbRQ/s1600/IMG_3203.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1-3Sq8aAPDiyfGYlXjNWv26qIznnO9eGQn1RlV1bhwifbfJc569qDskRYQ6QJlt5NmL9ExA0NKPIhXsSkz3KtF4XTHrXQQ-BTs2werMN1obxXrPfHP0J4mVGdqmV7J4ZhiNDbRQ/s400/IMG_3203.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Chicken Legs were a favorite growing up, with a fight ensuing for them over the dinner table with my siblings, since the chicken in those days had only two legs.:) Nowadays the chicken (<i>at least here</i>) can have as many legs as they want, since its just a matter of ordering more of them at the Halal shop. You can buy just the thighs, just leg quarters, just the white meat, just wings.. if u pause to think of it, (which the kids don't,) they would wonder why the chicken has so many legs! It used to be that meat was a luxury, with every part of the whole chicken being used fully to ensure that it was worthwhile. The good meaty parts went into frying and the bony parts went into a curry or stock. And indeed, a curry tastes way better if its made with a mix of dark and light meat, bony part et all than just white meat or dark meat. So for curries, I still get the whole chiken cut up, but for grilling and baking , this is better with even sized pieces which evens out the cooking time. Now it's a convenience, with chicken being cheaper than vegetables, with us buying whatever suits our needs more. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDCpCMcwwHjbpT5TaJ1eRPzLbOBXhAK_I8AsNxs0g2HcJz_rmowfKdhccSBflmIjaBtY2G1ORIBcQeDlrTPSOKsqEFs-dM4Ih-5Fca-TqWlv-8ejDlnoSvxbt5t4PyCmhFqP0tZw/s1600/j-chicken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDCpCMcwwHjbpT5TaJ1eRPzLbOBXhAK_I8AsNxs0g2HcJz_rmowfKdhccSBflmIjaBtY2G1ORIBcQeDlrTPSOKsqEFs-dM4Ih-5Fca-TqWlv-8ejDlnoSvxbt5t4PyCmhFqP0tZw/s400/j-chicken.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>You Will Need:<br />
Chicken Drumsticks-5<br />
Garlic Powder-1tbsp<br />
Onion Powder-1tsp<br />
Salt-1 tsp<br />
Thyme- 1tbsp<br />
Paprika-2 tbsp<br />
Black pepper-1/2 tsp<br />
All Spice Powder-1tsp<br />
Optionally, Biryani Masala-1tsp<br />
<br />
Mix all the dry rub ingredients together and keep aside. Wash and dry the chicken pieces, with or without the skin on. I grilled it with the skin on and the skin just crisps to a crisp crunchy layer, which you can discard later if you want. The chicken should be dry and then score it twice and rub the dry rub generously all over the chicken. Let it marinate in the dry rub for an hour or so and then grill.<br />
Place a thin layer of oil on the foil lined tray before placing the chicken on it and place it in a preheated 400 F oven for 20 minutes. Then cover the chicken with the foil and let it bake for another 10 minutes to let the inside get cooked. Increase the heat to broil setting and open the foil and let the chicken crisp up to the broiler for about 5 minutes and you are done.<br />
Some chicken may take less time if they are smaller.. check for doneness after 20-25 minutes.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Serve with flat breads and humus. <br />
<br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23122419.post-33707575769226007962011-11-04T12:13:00.001-04:002011-11-04T12:18:36.028-04:00A Bowl of Noodles...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEfOC1GIOk1zYlQz9mIzGaxXTJFscb5NmujHw31YIR6p6vCZgKnTh190YIzxS8vmxvxEedSvylUMZ_b5yRTJaQ6kcK44BfRyg8ImQYZCa46ewn0X0PS401dXALVcfkOlehkOSw9A/s1600/noodles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEfOC1GIOk1zYlQz9mIzGaxXTJFscb5NmujHw31YIR6p6vCZgKnTh190YIzxS8vmxvxEedSvylUMZ_b5yRTJaQ6kcK44BfRyg8ImQYZCa46ewn0X0PS401dXALVcfkOlehkOSw9A/s400/noodles.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Left to myself, I would never have learnt cooking beyond variations of Ramen noodles or as it is called in India..Maggi. A scrambled egg, some spinach, some kimchi, a lot of veggies...customize it any way you like and its is a quick meal. Like it or hate it, it is a comfort food for many and noodles in any form is an easy meal to get to the table.. of course.. ramen is the easiest and if I thought selecting from the flavors of maggi was getting complicated, you just have to walk down the instant noodle aisle in the Asian food stores.. it ranges from the cheapest 4 for a dollar packets to the "pricier" gourmet packets of even two dollars. Plus recently I got introduced to the Nongshim varieties of ramen...more junk food for me. Since the rest of the family did not (and still does not) share this passion for over spiced, salty noodles, I had to learn cooking and could not take the easy way out.<br />
So on other days, there is the stir fried noodles made with the endless varieties of noodles that you get here.. dried or fresh cooked ones too..a quick meal with veggies and chicken and egg all thrown as desired!! Spice up the noodles as you like but we like to have the spice on the side.<br />
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Boil noodles as per instructions on the package and drain. Heat 2-3 tbsp oil in a wok and saute the 1 tsp each of minced ginger garlic lightly. For 4 cup noodles, add about 1/4 cup each of mushrooms, Snow peas, sliced peppers, cabbage, julienne carrots, white parts of the scallions, thinly sliced beans, etc and saute for 3-4 minutes. Then add 2-4 tsp of soy sauce , 2-3 tbsp chicken stock if you have it, 2 tsp sesame oil and 1/2 tsp pepper. Add the noodles, toss well on high heat, add 1 tsp white vinegar and taste for salt. Finally add the green parts of the scallions. Toss with some sesame seeds, crushed peanuts, chili oil, optionally add sriracha sauce, green chili sauce, black pepper sauce etc for an added spice level. I really don't have a recipe.. I start with this and taste and modify as I go along depending on the taste.sometimes heavy on spices and sometimes its light with a side of the ubiquitous chili chicken. You are welcome to leave you modifications in the comments.<br />
<br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23122419.post-77238420588679687432011-09-23T11:01:00.020-04:002011-09-24T08:27:17.074-04:00Varutharacha Kozhi Curry/ Chicken with Roasted Spices..<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><b>Some curries are traditional</b>... plenty of coriander, plenty of coconut milk, a whiff of spices, an amalgamation of masalas...They taste the best with the salty coastal air, the rush and the sound of rain...<br />
But if its raining outside, making them at home and a taste of it with<i> pathiri</i> or <i>puttu</i>.... can transport you in a second to somewhere else, melding with the pumpkins, the September rush and the fall weather and the nip in the air....<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Back home, where spices are plenty...... for some curries, coriander, pepper, cinnamon, cloves, cardamon, (<i>all the stuff our spice coast is famous for</i>), are roasted tossing and turning in a cast iron skillet over a wood burning flame till the spices get fragrant and turn into varying shades of brown. Most of the time, (<i>since it's a Kerala curry</i>), some coconut is also roasted, the shade acquired varying from light brown in Northern parts of Kerala to a dark brown in the Southern recipes.... then the spices and the coconut are hand ground to a fine paste (or blend in a blender now) to create what is called a "<i>varutha</i>"(roasted)" <i>aracha</i>"(ground) curry. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Anyone nostalgic? As one friend sitting in Calicut said, it's the taste you can't beat... <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #edeff4; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 12px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #edeff4; color: #333333; line-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">freshly ground chilli powder, fragrant coconut oil fresh from the mills...etc makes a substantial difference, not to </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #edeff4; color: #333333; line-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">mention little cooking secrets that our mums and aunts are reluctant to part with.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #edeff4; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 12px;">.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">or are you heading to get some pre-roasted imported coriander powder, some coconut milk , some chicken to try and simulate the curry here in a fraction of the time?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Anyway, this curry can be made as dry as you like or as "<i>neetiyathu</i>"( stretched )as you like.. meaning with lots of gravy. By doubling the quantity of the spices and onions etc, but keeping the same chicken, you can make it a curry with lots of gravy for appam or puttu. Or keep it on the flame to make it a dry curry. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My mom used to relate incidents of the old days in the "<i>tharavadu</i>" where the curry starts out with lots of chicken pieces but if there are unexpected guests, it keeps getting stretched till its more of a chicken flavored curry with barely any pieces. Contrast that with our plentiful eating habits now!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Anyway, thought I would just update the blog just to keep it alive and kicking for anyone who is interested in following my recipes.:) This is not a full version or an authentic varutha aracha curry, but this is one of the ways how I make it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi92j9TWqTJFPyeoXdYC2GEV2_RIyxA1sAxxytV3lOKrLpqJOAVpJgIsTiN9lkhXA5zoZUcnOvKnPkemrnvkGNOD7oK-2pn5r9JATjOK5iUaxL6rVUzK6pp1meWmWp45xRfr7dUlw/s1600/varutha-curry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi92j9TWqTJFPyeoXdYC2GEV2_RIyxA1sAxxytV3lOKrLpqJOAVpJgIsTiN9lkhXA5zoZUcnOvKnPkemrnvkGNOD7oK-2pn5r9JATjOK5iUaxL6rVUzK6pp1meWmWp45xRfr7dUlw/s400/varutha-curry.jpg" width="295" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span style="font-weight: bold;">You will need:</span><br />
Chicken-1 ½ lb, (700gm) cleaned and cut into small pieces.<br />
Onions-2 medium sized ones sliced finely<br />
Tomatoes-2 plum tomatoes<br />
Hot Green chilies - 4-6 as per taste<br />
Ginger- 1 inch ginger, grind or grate.<br />
Garlic 6-7 cloves.. grind or crush to a paste.<br />
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp<br />
Red hot chili powder- 2 tsp (more or less as per taste)<br />
<br />
Coriander, curry leaves- each a small handful, chopped<br />
Salt - to taste<br />
Oil-4 tbsp<br />
<br />
Whole spices- 1 small piece of cinnamon, 1 bay leaf, 2 cloves<br />
<br />
To Roast:<br />
Grated Coconut-3 tbsp<br />
Coriander seeds-2 tsp<br />
Black Pepper-1/2 tsp<br />
<br />
To Garnish:<br />
Shallots-2<br />
Curry leaves-7-8<br />
<br />
<b>Preparation:</b><br />
Wash the chicken and lightly toss it with lemon juice and rinse again. Drain well onto a slotted drainer. Marinate with the turmeric, the red chili powder, ginger -garlic paste, salt and keep aside for about 1 hour or so. Roast the ingredients for roasting in 1 tsp oil in a skillet till nicely browned and then grind to a paste. If you are using powders, remember not to roast for too long as it will get burnt fast and you could even use coconut milk instead of grated coconut.<br />
<br />
Heat the 2tbsp oil in a large pan and add the chicken and shallow fry them on all sides. Remove and keep aside. Add a bit more oil to the pan..add the whole spices. Then add the onions and green chilies. When the onions start turning brown, add the tomatoes. Let them cook till they break down and then add the previously sauted chicken, the ground paste and saute well till the spices are mixed well and the chicken is coated with the spices. Add 1 cup water. Cover and cook on medium heat for about 10-15 minutes till the chicken is cooked. Smaller pieces cook faster so depending on the size of the pieces, cooking time will vary. Open, adjust the taste and add more water or coconut milk if it looks too dry.<br />
<br />
To garnish.. Slice the shallots finely and fry in coconut oil till brown and then throw in some curry leaves and pour over the curry.<br />
Let it rest covered for five minutes to let the flavors blend. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23122419.post-82697216544831828952011-08-07T08:45:00.004-04:002011-08-07T08:51:28.304-04:00Iftar Recipes..<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Ramazan has already started ... It's a time to focus, to exercise self-discipline, fast, along with being religious and praying and contemplate. Ramazan is not about the food.. lets not make it about the food but as a food blogger, the mind wanders to the traditional Malabar fare more often than the usual. There is a community feeling in the fasting back home with the routines all turned upside down, the usual weddings, occasions and activities suspended and time is measured as fasting days. <br />
<br />
So while I haven't had time to cook and blog new iftar recipes, here is a collection of iftar recipes in blogs that I refer to when I run out of ideas.<br />
<a href="http://ayshadileen.blogspot.com/search/label/Ramadan%20Special">Life Today</a><br />
<a href="http://www.sugrnspice.com/tag/malabar-recipes">Sugar n Spice</a><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDlO0j6AXmQ">You tube videos</a><br />
<a href="http://homemade-recipes.blogspot.com/2010/08/ramadan-recipes-ramadan-food-recipes.html">Lebanese Recipes</a><br />
<a href="http://zaiqa.net/?p=2600">Zaiqa's Ramadan Round up</a><br />
<a href="http://shabscuisine.blogspot.com/search/label/Iftar%20Specials">Shabs Cuisine</a><br />
<a href="http://www.salkkaaram.com/2008/03/kunjippathiri-kozhi-pidi-steamed-rice.html?showComment=1311769561492">Salkaram</a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVzJuZrAj4RholJZVMRtcgh477Qr3YmUrPZrJ7hPDvCTNUYH1xigqOvfNlgfZEXjNlpXrzCHzO7Em4e01G4aekI-0uFr37WI2JvHXR0jIFi4wsvSkYcY_rcfG8s_PE4LTsRCFjyQ/s1600/IMG_7263.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVzJuZrAj4RholJZVMRtcgh477Qr3YmUrPZrJ7hPDvCTNUYH1xigqOvfNlgfZEXjNlpXrzCHzO7Em4e01G4aekI-0uFr37WI2JvHXR0jIFi4wsvSkYcY_rcfG8s_PE4LTsRCFjyQ/s400/IMG_7263.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
If there are other good sites, do leave a comment with a link and I will add it here.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23122419.post-81039226200152638732011-06-26T16:51:00.006-04:002011-06-27T07:27:36.393-04:00Ishtoo/ Mushroom and Potato White Stew...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Idiappam or rice noodles with a potato stew is the perfect light breakfast for a summer weekend, especially if the idiappam is already made. This white stew or ishtoo as we call it, is made with potatoes cooked in coconut milk, flavored with just whole spices, onions and green chilies...no heavy hand with the colored spices. Here I added some sauted mushrooms, and there was no adverse change in taste... the mushroom blended in well.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Another version of this curry is the Kurma where all the spices are added generously and there too mushrooms can be added, though it has to sauteed first separately. A lot of curries can be made with mushrooms, but simple is best.. sometimes, a bit of butter and garlic is all it needs. If you are making a mix veg dish, It needs to be sauteed separately before mixing with other veggies as it gives out its liquid and makes everything else soggy.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtIRsY9YRdnaf8Dkb8N-zpQjB6TTe8fKybNPd2uEsSrEy6XTBPt5RJsYhSgnjsNE1X1akW351YfrYIM-krCYQakv3cztxvWmjJw4yN9EasYxmDU3ayvB9n7kdwikbK2r3oR4ou7w/s1600/mushroom1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtIRsY9YRdnaf8Dkb8N-zpQjB6TTe8fKybNPd2uEsSrEy6XTBPt5RJsYhSgnjsNE1X1akW351YfrYIM-krCYQakv3cztxvWmjJw4yN9EasYxmDU3ayvB9n7kdwikbK2r3oR4ou7w/s400/mushroom1.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWPKkNNSOdLuS0NatVwe91ULCCXIKBiLJZ3h9geLpE2mfevrTVIaYRBsp8ugkxVluWGg6p7tsTuyVSHy9N0Pc-q_2FJsczzh_Y6hfJnCGsGMvpeKSQT6SxiwzOHjL5jror1h-FsA/s1600/ulli1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWPKkNNSOdLuS0NatVwe91ULCCXIKBiLJZ3h9geLpE2mfevrTVIaYRBsp8ugkxVluWGg6p7tsTuyVSHy9N0Pc-q_2FJsczzh_Y6hfJnCGsGMvpeKSQT6SxiwzOHjL5jror1h-FsA/s320/ulli1.jpg" width="235" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">You will need: For 4 servings</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Onions- 1 small one</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Green chilies – 4-6 (use with discretion)</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Mushrooms(White)- 2 cups</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">White/Idaho Potato-2 cups </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Whole Black Pepper (or Powder)- 1/2 tsp</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Whole spices: 1 inch long Cinnamon stick, 3 cloves, 2 cardamom</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Thick Coconut milk- 1 cup</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Thin Coconut milk - 2 cups</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Curry leaves- a small sprig</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Salt to taste</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Oil-2 tbsp</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
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</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Preparation</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">1. Wash and cut the potatoes and mushrooms into slices. Slice the onions and green chilies.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> Grind the coconut and extract the second and first milk or use the coconut milk powder and prepare 1 ½ cup of coconut milk.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">2. Boil the potatoes in a salted water till they are half cooked. Drain and keep aside. Heat the oil in a large shallow pan, add the whole spices and curry leaves. Saute till the fragrance fills the air and then add onions, whole peppercorns and chilies.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">3. Saute till onions turn slightly transparent and the add the mushrooms. Saute till it gives out all the water. It should start browning at the edges. Add the half boiled potatoes and 2 cups of second milk of coconut( or a diluted coconut milk) and salt. Simmer covered for about 5-8 minutes till the potato is fully cooked. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">4. Add the thick coconut milk. Allow it to simmer (but not boil) just for a couple more minutes and then switch of the flame. Adjust salt and seasoning. </div> The curry changes in taste the next day for the worse as the mushroom ages.. Better to make this in small quantities.<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Serve hot with<i> pathiri, idiappam, appam, puttu</i> or just paratha.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVgmF_iFjkFXXW70jbfwaa1XZ-gtTc0e_m_Ej-yzz1mlMbzBilvduKKvOkrWio88PZEK_8Jr9NRkzqxCbII7MBcrcU5dZm1EsINR6kgyB9miYh7zKt2TWgD6VAqtg6WwG01t2RVg/s1600/mushroom2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVgmF_iFjkFXXW70jbfwaa1XZ-gtTc0e_m_Ej-yzz1mlMbzBilvduKKvOkrWio88PZEK_8Jr9NRkzqxCbII7MBcrcU5dZm1EsINR6kgyB9miYh7zKt2TWgD6VAqtg6WwG01t2RVg/s400/mushroom2.jpg" width="295" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">A quick ode to mushrooms</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">In a damp room it looms,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">Ew!! my son says, its gross to eat fungi!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">But it may very well be everyone's "fun guy"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">Takes well to all soups and stews</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">On its own, its a perfect muse.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">Absorbing all flavors and spices amply</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">Blending in as a meat in a meatless curry.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">Grill it stuff it , top with cheese</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">If u like it, say more please.:)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><br />
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Broccoli is a vegetable I started enjoying after coming here..but now have it in the fridge almost always. It doesn't take well to being over cooked or being smothered in spices and gravy so most of the Indian veg recipes make it limp and tasteless.<br />
But stir fry it or steam it with nothing more than some garlic and red chili flakes and it tastes crunchy and juicy at the same time.<br />
There is no recipe for this... just heat a wok/cheenachatti/ or pan with some olive oil(or sesame oil) and add 2-3 cloves of garlic sliced finely. When the garlic starts to brown, add the chili flakes, broccoli florets, 2-3 tbsp of water and some salt. Cover and cook for 3-5 minutes on medium high heat. It cooks further after you remove it from the flame, so under cook it for crunch. Do not leave it covered, else it gets brownish and loses its glorious green.<br />
<br />
<b>Variations: </b><br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Add some butter in the end.</li>
<li>Add a squeeze of lemon juice and pepper.</li>
<li>Steam it plain and toss with creamy salad dressing.</li>
<li>Steam it and along with cucumbers, carrots, red peppers,toss with olive oil, lemon juice, salt,pepper and sumac.</li>
</ul><br />
<br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23122419.post-5104554776194481762011-06-15T15:05:00.014-04:002011-07-27T17:17:47.637-04:00Kozhi Ada.../ Savory Meat pockets.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Posting here after a while since I couldn't think anything to write about and didn't feel like cooking too. My stories of our culture and home food fueled this blog and when my mind was preoccupied with other things, thinking about food seemed a luxury. Rhapsodizing about it and posting glory photos of food that is so elaborate that cooking it in itself is a vacation now, seemed even worse!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">So I was job hunting instead. All my creativity went to creating cover letters and my photo skills into creating portfolios and resumes...blog hopping shifted to job site hopping...Instead of luscious food posted by friends, all I could see was insipid requirements and disheartening emails. All part of the striving force that we call life.:) That still goes on along with the myriad other demands in a day..:)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">But yesterday I had a dream.(yeah,..in the middle of all this.. ) of these crisp delicacies and even the words that I should use to describe them..so here I am, taking a break from my full time occupation to blog. Before you make a beeline for my house, no, I didn't make these.. just remnants of the last visit home.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCzkP9z5iDiaFYMpDeUcgn63mVnqq-qYdhv4eUxzxc_aP0w2G0vAeUWkLEKLXZf7ZO3w9TETOUZr7zD9EgBVNcMkUuz77nUFwKKhqp1MJzc0D0oNMJvKVh9byjCjnRNPc_xOEqSw/s1600/ada.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCzkP9z5iDiaFYMpDeUcgn63mVnqq-qYdhv4eUxzxc_aP0w2G0vAeUWkLEKLXZf7ZO3w9TETOUZr7zD9EgBVNcMkUuz77nUFwKKhqp1MJzc0D0oNMJvKVh9byjCjnRNPc_xOEqSw/s400/ada.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Kozhi Ada <i>means a savory crisp pocket filled with spiced chicken..but its not an ada filled with Kozhi/chicken</i>....the only ones I have eaten are filled with Beef. I guess its made with chicken too nowadays. </span>The name is a misnomer like the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_fried_steak">American Chicken Fried Steak</a> , which is not chicken either..<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Ada is the Kerala Dumpling.. steamed or fried crescent shaped dough filled with sweet or savory filling.</span></div>The sweet filling is mostly coconut and sugar flavored with cardamom powder. And the savory ones range from fish filling to chicken to egg.<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">They look like samosas but are super crunchy versions of it.. the wrapper is similar to chips or tortilla chips.. and the filling also is very dry and crunchy. They are made so small that you can pop a whole ada in your mouth at one go... bite into one and the dry spicy fillings just spills out..</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Now these.. my mom never made .. too much effort , she says...but my mother in law is an expert and so are all members of her family, who are from North of Calicut in Kerala. So if you know anybody from that part of Kerala, ask them for a taste of the best Kozhi adas ever. We are always lucky to have my MIL or her sister getting us a a big batch of these adas waiting for us when we reach home, which we all fight over. And trying to get it back here without turning into a powdery mess is an adventure in packing.. discovered a new use for Bubble wrap.:)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
So if anyone wants to bring some over for me from home, I will give you my address.:)))<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Anyway, do try this and try it with patience, as getting the wrappers crispy is the key to a good Kozhi Ada.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">You Will Need:</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">3/4 cup all-purpose flour</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Salt to taste</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Water sparingly</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">2 Tbsp Dalda/Ghee/ Veg Shortening.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">For the Filling:</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1 cup Cooked chicken or beef (or raw meat)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1 cup Onions chopped finely</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">4-5 Green spicy chilies chopped</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1 tsp red chili powder (use less for less spicy)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1/2 tsp turmeric</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1 tsp coriander powder</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Fennel seeds- 1/2 tsp</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1 tsp Garam Masala</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Salt to taste.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Preparation:</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Mix the ghee(clarified butter) or veg shortening into the flour along with salt and work it in to resemble crumbles. Add just enough cold water little by little to make a hard dough . Keep aside. </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Cook the meat or chicken with the turmeric, red chili powder, coriander and salt. Shred the cooked meat or chicken with your fingers into strands. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Heat oil in a pan and add the chopped onions, curry leaves, fennel seeds and green chilies. When the onions start getting golden brown, add the meat/chicken and saute on low heat till the meat mixture is full dry and powdery, It is not the like the samosa filling which is a semi-wet onion mix. Add garam masala and adjust salt.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">To Assemble:</span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Roll out small discs of the dough..about 3 inch in diameter. The dough should be thin but not too thin. Add 2 tsp of filling on one side, cover with the other side of dough and pinch the edges together in a pattern to make a crescent shape. Keep aside and continue making till all the filling is exhausted.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> Heat oil in a cast iron skillet, and when it is hot, add the adas one by one (not more than 4-5 at a time depending on the size of your pan.. do not over crowd) and fry on medium low heat till golden brown.. It takes patience, as if the heat is too high, the outside will get cooked but not the inside, and if its too low heat, the whole ada will be a soggy oily mess. You need it to get crispy and super crunchy all the way through. </span>If fried well, it stays outside for days.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23122419.post-37827115501503336682011-04-30T06:57:00.001-04:002011-05-16T14:13:19.781-04:00Malabar Porotta... A Pictorial<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy3Ca-byewH77iOR9S2BcAMghXttTV8C2sOZX9wqQWVof_i47stGkDKHnGk_GWmN_WcL2tgMr4nRSm_WwhG2mkUJzrNwhjLeddS6TWS6NyuZ-XlcOg27fzYtIzzNZhWOtPZLIIDw/s1600/aaportta4a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy3Ca-byewH77iOR9S2BcAMghXttTV8C2sOZX9wqQWVof_i47stGkDKHnGk_GWmN_WcL2tgMr4nRSm_WwhG2mkUJzrNwhjLeddS6TWS6NyuZ-XlcOg27fzYtIzzNZhWOtPZLIIDw/s400/aaportta4a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimHDaH54tc60Cpt9Qz_5HWeTffCAvfe2GX83cYCbcbB2BkKgbBJtRmlLDuqTMqUnQ2lZA0F1OY6pY9HOGdi58j0Xz9uoDh4yVFNQxMdy1FV_mhAHIHe05pMd-QrmW4eiMmXit7oQ/s1600/aparotta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimHDaH54tc60Cpt9Qz_5HWeTffCAvfe2GX83cYCbcbB2BkKgbBJtRmlLDuqTMqUnQ2lZA0F1OY6pY9HOGdi58j0Xz9uoDh4yVFNQxMdy1FV_mhAHIHe05pMd-QrmW4eiMmXit7oQ/s400/aparotta.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dough has to soak in the oil for at least 3-4 hours to loosen the dough.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgACQWU5Wga6enKwMSWY8vQner6Omu20iukc-amCIzmWpr4nfnzEm2v9qXU9J_Y23_cCdopXD-hlHASARsPmEmU9N_3LAJUe8TvU9S5NrXNRvMNAW2CK3RLewIG99qzhJZmGNfmHg/s1600/aporotta1a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgACQWU5Wga6enKwMSWY8vQner6Omu20iukc-amCIzmWpr4nfnzEm2v9qXU9J_Y23_cCdopXD-hlHASARsPmEmU9N_3LAJUe8TvU9S5NrXNRvMNAW2CK3RLewIG99qzhJZmGNfmHg/s400/aporotta1a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The dough is stretched to become paper thin ..</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">should be almost see thru like a tissue.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPCfas5ABcIGcWA7iSsPuDqgzBrVeCAxkqz7MEWumWuV7lWvi5p3pT1LZdvvTREhhnZ_UEI3gFHQIXyuN9vyNNLVt9r0z4HiYUheyiRWzHvzWl2gFhMWzmNK7ebms2LnAMuLxNvQ/s1600/aporotta1c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPCfas5ABcIGcWA7iSsPuDqgzBrVeCAxkqz7MEWumWuV7lWvi5p3pT1LZdvvTREhhnZ_UEI3gFHQIXyuN9vyNNLVt9r0z4HiYUheyiRWzHvzWl2gFhMWzmNK7ebms2LnAMuLxNvQ/s400/aporotta1c.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Gather up the sheet, length wise, </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">folding it like a paper fan and then roll it up. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_viVRle1e0SHKtp7b3ZPzNCfVn8HOiC8i7n-0mH98u48uM2ferDaLGgKpqQ6rcSGdvFsyp7gQrxfx9Dc5ks_z_8lH8vqacxcWao1ICvAVXfly0ieqfaVCAiNvrKs8tenin1Thyphenhyphenw/s1600/aporotta1d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_viVRle1e0SHKtp7b3ZPzNCfVn8HOiC8i7n-0mH98u48uM2ferDaLGgKpqQ6rcSGdvFsyp7gQrxfx9Dc5ks_z_8lH8vqacxcWao1ICvAVXfly0ieqfaVCAiNvrKs8tenin1Thyphenhyphenw/s400/aporotta1d.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_viVRle1e0SHKtp7b3ZPzNCfVn8HOiC8i7n-0mH98u48uM2ferDaLGgKpqQ6rcSGdvFsyp7gQrxfx9Dc5ks_z_8lH8vqacxcWao1ICvAVXfly0ieqfaVCAiNvrKs8tenin1Thyphenhyphenw/s1600/aporotta1d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsc0AUApcu1lEqctik3KD1iqxzphsgvDX6JQ7eXRlJ6FHksIb3eaTUYCrmQz1RHIVJgWE0dhcZOy7lg92C4xDvvNk8yCHjE4KHMgoFzjfEWCs2WkjfAXgbBWgQGBhttwGirzczrw/s1600/aparotta2A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsc0AUApcu1lEqctik3KD1iqxzphsgvDX6JQ7eXRlJ6FHksIb3eaTUYCrmQz1RHIVJgWE0dhcZOy7lg92C4xDvvNk8yCHjE4KHMgoFzjfEWCs2WkjfAXgbBWgQGBhttwGirzczrw/s400/aparotta2A.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Some may get bubbles with air trapped inside..its fine.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsc0AUApcu1lEqctik3KD1iqxzphsgvDX6JQ7eXRlJ6FHksIb3eaTUYCrmQz1RHIVJgWE0dhcZOy7lg92C4xDvvNk8yCHjE4KHMgoFzjfEWCs2WkjfAXgbBWgQGBhttwGirzczrw/s1600/aparotta2A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUHfZrZyMCjmBr1kjshXkDNY68bxvLcgKvlkiCYKD0SxooefGcdo_PMigbL7NdtvFt7avrLrIWY4604l7gv5uTYNKb8yQr8tWeobeVB184DI3eNkQ9cVhGi_FLEmvrSBLtwVc0ww/s1600/aparotta21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUHfZrZyMCjmBr1kjshXkDNY68bxvLcgKvlkiCYKD0SxooefGcdo_PMigbL7NdtvFt7avrLrIWY4604l7gv5uTYNKb8yQr8tWeobeVB184DI3eNkQ9cVhGi_FLEmvrSBLtwVc0ww/s400/aparotta21.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqcYQMlDruVeYGKJx3XHM-VYsfE6iiogxGOx68WzbiB5T0TR4XLVMjYoNAerExDElr37rGYnLQSj5VqFKcCr-brbwK8ol2UbkR3qUqt8AwXBQ8GA8GEHrN3spSwQhX-x8aDeyCAQ/s1600/aporotta1e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqcYQMlDruVeYGKJx3XHM-VYsfE6iiogxGOx68WzbiB5T0TR4XLVMjYoNAerExDElr37rGYnLQSj5VqFKcCr-brbwK8ol2UbkR3qUqt8AwXBQ8GA8GEHrN3spSwQhX-x8aDeyCAQ/s400/aporotta1e.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Flatten the roll with hand or with a pastry roller, </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">allowing the porotta to rest for a few minutes in between if it offers resistance.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqcYQMlDruVeYGKJx3XHM-VYsfE6iiogxGOx68WzbiB5T0TR4XLVMjYoNAerExDElr37rGYnLQSj5VqFKcCr-brbwK8ol2UbkR3qUqt8AwXBQ8GA8GEHrN3spSwQhX-x8aDeyCAQ/s1600/aporotta1e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCQ7y0Z9iQlBDXtd91f207Qdu21i_02J2NOKCVKNhEExzxiEY7IrOt8wntGe3Q_m0dgSCdhS7ELjE5XFjDQC4hzsaOxhCtzFXRWk2wxhtz0iGVGPpagBrhbOs6B-iYh_FCM-lPlg/s1600/aparotta3a1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCQ7y0Z9iQlBDXtd91f207Qdu21i_02J2NOKCVKNhEExzxiEY7IrOt8wntGe3Q_m0dgSCdhS7ELjE5XFjDQC4hzsaOxhCtzFXRWk2wxhtz0iGVGPpagBrhbOs6B-iYh_FCM-lPlg/s400/aparotta3a1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Cook on medium high heat on a griddle with very little oil. When one side turns opaque, flip and cook the other side. Apply a little oil so it stays soft longer. As soon as its removed from the griddle, fluff it up with both hands to loosen the layers. It's like hitting the sides of the porotta to dislodge the layers.<br />
<br />
<i><b><u>The Dough Recipe:</u></b></i><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">King Arthur Bread Flour or Maida – 2 cups<br />
Water – 1 cup or a bit more.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1 Beaten egg (optional.. it just makes it softer)<br />
Oil – 1 tbsp<br />
Salt to taste</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Make a smooth though loose dough with the ingredients.. use water to your judgement. Keep it aside covered in an oiled bowl for about 1 hour. Take it out and make small 2 inch size rolls and place on a wide oiled plate. Pour 2-4 tbsp oil or even more, so that the balls soak in the oil. Cover with a thin cloth or plastic wrap and keep in a warm space for 3-4 hours. Then stretch each ball to paper tissue thickness and then gather it and roll it up. Flatten with the palm of your hand or roller and cook on a griddle on both sides till golden brown.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23122419.post-86085831185331938862011-03-27T22:32:00.001-04:002011-03-27T22:33:51.420-04:00Kerala Mela....<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Do you have those days when you suddenly crave an ada or a pacha aracha sambhar or a kallumakai nirachathu, a particular payasam..... you haven't made it in a while and you can't remember exactly how to make it, or whether there is coriander in it or not.. if you are like me, it's probably tough remembering too many things and you keep a note or two around, post-its with recipes, a stash of printouts, a ton of bookmarks in the computer and still wonder!! If you are memory genius then you don't need any bookmarks..lucky you!! You can blog hop to the next blog then..<br />
<br />
How many of you know about the site, <a href="http://keralamela.blogspot.com/">Kerala Mela</a> initiated some time ago? There were not so many blogs and bookmarking a fav blog recipe was the only to remember all the recipes going through the blogosphere. Then when I wanted to search for a particular Kerala recipe, if it was not bookmarked, it was almost impossible to find it. So this site was meant to be a portal for all the varied Kerala based recipes blogged in detail by our very own bloggers..mostly for traditional style, since that is the basis for all cooking and then each person varies it to her tastes..hence fusion happens. But here I wanted to just capture the essence of Kerala Cuisine, which is the varied collection of recipes from every region.<br />
<br />
I haven't been able to update the site too many times as I can barely keep track of all the Kerala recipes posted now...so I was thinking..<br />
If this site is not used by anyone, I would like to shut it down. If you do think its useful, leave a comment. And bloggers, if you think its useful and would like to update your latest recipes there, the best way might be to make it open to all of you who can join it as co-admin and then update as needed. If you blog something traditional or something special, which you think is not a common recipe, then add that to the list on the site, <a href="http://keralamela.blogspot.com/">Kerala Mela</a>.<br />
So if there is no feedback, I would probably close that site soon, so do respond.<br />
<br />
<br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23122419.post-19729504978810406772011-03-18T08:56:00.024-04:002011-03-18T09:38:01.451-04:00Egg less Whole Wheat Almond Cookies..<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFBAnRIFi9VWN3zImifJZ33V-GQMhf2p-ZagMkbVtA4xFGrHGd4urec7bv7usJClqNsamvIgjwX5L41b9Zb0e8mxbTOpzoQftXoETok5gnbhGaSokdNT0okywx5au-nSpaMNctqw/s1600/photo+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFBAnRIFi9VWN3zImifJZ33V-GQMhf2p-ZagMkbVtA4xFGrHGd4urec7bv7usJClqNsamvIgjwX5L41b9Zb0e8mxbTOpzoQftXoETok5gnbhGaSokdNT0okywx5au-nSpaMNctqw/s400/photo+%25283%2529.JPG" width="400" /></span></b></a></div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #15222b; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px;"><u><br />
</u></span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #15222b; line-height: 18px;">How do you like your cup of tea or coffee.. with sugar or without?....and what do you like with it? something sweet or something spicy? Do you have it watching TV or with a book ? Or in the balcony looking at the clouds or in the verandah, listening to the rain. Do you like it alone, catching a moment of peace or with everyone talking at once? Which is one time you can't do without it..morning , mid morning or evening? Any way you prefer it, we need something with the tea or coffee. When we were new here, we used to wonder how the stickily sweet donut pairs with coffee. I figure the sweetness of the donut cuts the bitterness of the coffee and viceversa!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #15222b; line-height: 18px;">Then we liked our tea sweet and our snack spicy.. now its the reverse.. our tea is mostly unsweetened but then we need a sweet to go with it.. also similar to the Turkish who drink <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_tea">tea</a> unsweetened but then place a sugar cube in the mouth to sweeten it!!</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #15222b; line-height: 18px;">Whole wheat cookies filled with almond and flavored with cardamom...sounds too healthy for you? Well, these don't have eggs but do have some butter to enhance the nutty flavor of the whole wheat. No, they don't taste like digestive biscuits...They don't taste like rusk or whole wheat crackers....</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #15222b;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;">The taste is best described as the taste of Whole wheat <i>laddoos</i> or <i>atta laddoos</i> for those familiar with it. Those laddoos are made by toasting the whole wheat flour and then binding them with nuts, sugar and ghee while they are hot. For these cookies, the flour , butter instead of ghee and sugar and nuts are all bound together in raw form and then toasted/baked in the oven.. the taste is almost the same.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #15222b;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;">So if you like whole wheat and like cookies, give this a try. It's very easy and this link to <a href="http://www.manjulaskitchen.com/2010/03/03/whole-wheat-almond-eggless-cookies/">Manjula's kitchen</a> has a video too which definitely makes it self explanatory.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #15222b;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCjq05nM78ZetWK7b4hkNDWbvqsW-kq6S4YeFcrd_f991pljVfEr4F_dqll0pfzvsDJENcmjybWrikbugTdG_kuUUT1jmxAw-G9LIEKhyPNsp0zLHt1tUYqg1nR1Y28FRzv33hQA/s1600/cookie2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCjq05nM78ZetWK7b4hkNDWbvqsW-kq6S4YeFcrd_f991pljVfEr4F_dqll0pfzvsDJENcmjybWrikbugTdG_kuUUT1jmxAw-G9LIEKhyPNsp0zLHt1tUYqg1nR1Y28FRzv33hQA/s400/cookie2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">This month’s <a href="http://riascollection.blogspot.com/2010/03/join-us-sweet-punchone-at-time.html">Sweet Punch challenge</a> was to make Whole Wheat Almond Eggless Cookies from Manjula's Kitchen.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #15222b; line-height: 20px;"><u>EGGLESS WHOLEWHEAT ALMOND COOKIES</u><br />
Recipe source: <a href="http://www.manjulaskitchen.com/2010/03/03/whole-wheat-almond-eggless-cookies/" style="color: #9d1961; text-decoration: none;">Manjula's Kitchen</a><br />
<i><u><b> You Will Need:</b></u></i><br />
Wholewheat flour- 1cup<br />
Granulated sugar - a little less than 1/2 cup sugar<br />
Salt-1/4 tsp<br />
Cardamom powder-1/2 tsp<br />
Almonds- 1/4 c chopped</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #15222b; line-height: 18px;"> finely or cut into slivers.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #15222b; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px;">Butter- 1/2 c (1 stick) unsalted, at room temperature.<br />
Milk- 2 tbsp or less.<br />
<br />
<b><i><u> Preparation:</u></i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #15222b; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px;">Pre-heat the oven to 360F .<br />
Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Make sure the butter is soft and melted and then work it into the dry mix with your finger. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #15222b; line-height: 19px;">Knead well as you would mix a dough. If the butter is really soft, then without adding any milk, you should get a pliable dough. Don't add the milk in that case.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #15222b; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;">Add the milk teaspoon by teaspoon only if the dough feel hard. Knead well and divide the dough into equal sized balls.. you should get about 22- 26. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #15222b; line-height: 19px;">Roll each one in your palm till they get a smooth texture and then flatten them to the final size you want them to be. They don't spread much while baking.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #15222b; line-height: 19px;">Line a Cookie tray/baking tray with parchment paper and place the cookies an inch apart. Bake them in the middle of the oven for anywhere between 15 to 18 minutes, depending on your oven's heat. They should be soft and be slightly golden color when you remove them. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #15222b; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px;">They may look undone but they harden after cooling on a wire rack. Store in airtight containers.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #15222b; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23122419.post-1691113210997485192011-03-14T09:39:00.007-04:002011-03-15T22:58:42.548-04:00Pan Fried Shrimps..<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">A whole lot of prayers and wishes going towards Japan and its catastrophe. As heartrending the earthquake's visuals are, the radiation's aftermath will be worse. Hope they control the reactors from releasing radiation and creating unspeakable tragedies. Brought back memories of the Bhopal Gas tragedy an era ago. Makes you wonder why they do have nuclear power plants in the first place. Let's hope everything gets resolved soon.<br />
<br />
On a more positive note, slowly, the snow has melted away and the chill around me has also thawed. I have also started coming out of my hibernation and started smelling the spring in the air. There is less of the ice in the air and more of a cool nip.. even the birds have decided to stop by and say hello on their way to warmer weather.. swooping down in hordes, settling on the trees and grass, searching the ground for some leftover seeds and leaving en-masse in a flash.. the original flash mob.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLMD0bXjTY67qbX0Jm92MWWjmZcZ5h0aPSN8wCgtxJxD3o_D0FzKX-pDYTR5xyVNAp_vAkyVrFaT7IH8-Ei7mTdUODWstEOvSlhsrj5XQcCTcRx1wKHT1UZXVhl9O9oew5S-4t3g/s1600/photo+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLMD0bXjTY67qbX0Jm92MWWjmZcZ5h0aPSN8wCgtxJxD3o_D0FzKX-pDYTR5xyVNAp_vAkyVrFaT7IH8-Ei7mTdUODWstEOvSlhsrj5XQcCTcRx1wKHT1UZXVhl9O9oew5S-4t3g/s400/photo+%25281%2529.JPG" width="295" /></a></div>Shrimps are something ready to cook in a flash, defrost and cook in under 10 minutes. BUT.. maybe its the masala gene in me, I prefer it marinated and spiced up well enough to compliment the sweetness of the shrimps. Usually, the shrimps back home <i>(best ones in my opinion, though they are miniscule</i>) are made into <i>moliyar/molaku chaar</i>, (a super spicy red shrimp curry) or deep fried into extinction. Or shrimp varatiyathu, or shrimp biryani... i could go on but then I would have to book tickets to go home.<br />
<br />
But over here, that deep frying just ends up smelling up the winter insulated sealed house and is not "<i>supposed</i>" to be "good for you" so now we have started pan frying the shrimps with very little oil, just enough to cook the spice paste and leave the shrimp juicy inside. Grilling works well too but in that case 1 tsp of oil has to added to the marinade.<br />
This is usually made without any chili powder( or only paprika) for the kids and with the whole spice cartel for the grown ups. Adjust the spice and salt to taste.<br />
The ready to buy chili paste, <a href="http://www.huyfong.com/no_frames/oelek.htm">sambal olek</a> works wonders with getting flavor into the shrimp so you can marinate the shrimps in just that for as much time as you like and pan fry too. Fry only when everybody is at the table and you are ready to serve.:)<br />
<br />
<b>You Will Need:</b><br />
Shrimps-about 25 (1/2 pound) medium sized ones<br />
Red chili powder- 1 tsp<br />
Paprika/Kashmiri Chili powder- 1 tsp<br />
Turmeric-1/2 tsp<br />
Vinegar- 1 tbsp<br />
Salt- about 1 tsp.<br />
Ginger Garlic Paste-1 tbsp.<br />
<br />
<b>Preparation:</b><br />
Shell, devein and wash the shrimps well and drain excess water. Marinate with all the ingredients for about 1 hour (at room temperature ) or upto overnight in the refrigerator.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
Heat a cast iron skillet or a frying pan with 1-2 tbsp oil. Coconut oil tastes good but use any oil preferred. Add the shrimps in one layer around the pan (don't crowd them) and cook on medium high heat for 2 minutes on each side. Cover the pan and cook on medium heat for another 3 minutes and then raise the heat and let the shrimps sear on each side on a minute. Toss in couple of curry leaves and saute. Serve hot with rice or chapathi.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrYMSBGgRd3tMySrZg2eBgmh3b1AD8r7VdF-ff2lZHPpZWdt8ffwxOpQgJVYWKLwd3ApSwiq3xPkqmN_78mo6H7oKaspGd_05yj4zeae1Tl0UR4FCUUjzbJ-9xJtoPisnsceN5Tw/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrYMSBGgRd3tMySrZg2eBgmh3b1AD8r7VdF-ff2lZHPpZWdt8ffwxOpQgJVYWKLwd3ApSwiq3xPkqmN_78mo6H7oKaspGd_05yj4zeae1Tl0UR4FCUUjzbJ-9xJtoPisnsceN5Tw/s400/photo.JPG" width="400" /></a></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23122419.post-14834245749831299422011-03-02T17:12:00.003-05:002011-03-02T17:36:51.761-05:00Butter Chicken/ Chicken Makhani ...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrL9n3KSEE01GEOSA_a3xRdIbduP8ux5BHn2WsbNrsvoM9EAbuKU0N4cBGXv_LevoHwKpOqn_6sAqHkwBAW8jDXzYi46S0K9vF34z8Owvcg2hpylkrHY1NZT81QwFYCb7tDjx2OQ/s1600/bc21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrL9n3KSEE01GEOSA_a3xRdIbduP8ux5BHn2WsbNrsvoM9EAbuKU0N4cBGXv_LevoHwKpOqn_6sAqHkwBAW8jDXzYi46S0K9vF34z8Owvcg2hpylkrHY1NZT81QwFYCb7tDjx2OQ/s400/bc21.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">It's funny how our family dinners now are getting dictated by my kids more and more. Growing up here, they are more attuned to the western recipes and prefer that to most of the recipes I long for. They can't handle the spice and the mouth tingling masala combinations. So most days the recipes are simplified and lightened up to handle their spice level, resulting in my spouse and I reaching for the spicy pickles.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I bet my folks are sitting and laughing now remembering how picky I was and how my mom used to ask "enthu kazhikannulla vishappanu?" meaning "what are you hungry for?' instead of just telling me what is there to eat.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Our food is spicy and our traditional curries are rich with onions and chilies, all pieces to be fished out and kept aside. Not many of our gravy recipes are pureed into a silken ubiquitous green / yellow/ rainbow hued sauces used as a drizzle all around a white plate. It's rough textured and it's meant to be mixed into rice, mopped up with a naan or roti and dipped into with a puri. When I tell my not so little ones about some of the recipes I showcase here in this blog, they look at me as if I am from another country.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">And one week of the kids being home (mid winter recess) meant a lot of kid friendly food... Now that I feel is the toughest thing to write about in a blog. What works once for the kids may or may not work the next time so I really wing it each day and hope that some of what they eat stays in their memory and one day they will ask for it by name. (Or maybe all that will remain will be relegated to "butter chicken, erachi curry, dal, beans, naan and biryani.)</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Anyway, growing up , I can't remember eating butter chicken at all. Its such a restaurant item that its only now its become mainstream in households. Wonder why? Its so easy to make!! Or maybe its a dish more popular outside India!! Butter chicken or Chicken Makhani is grilled pieces of chicken in a tomatoey creamy sauce. It can made with boneless chicken or with bone in chicken, marinated in a tandoori spice and lightly fried or grilled.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Well, amongst our friends's families and our house too, it is a popular item with the kids, so gets made at every get together, ensuring the kids will eat naan and butter chicken without any fuss! What's not to like.. it has a smooth velvety sauce with simple flavors, not too spicy(though I can't resist spicing it up!!) and the grilled chicken adds a smoky twang to it. The main flavors are the garam masala and the kasoori methi, which is the dried fenugreek leaves, without which it just won't taste the same. I add Amul butter if I have it.. does it taste better? I believe so but any butter is fine. I use more milk than cream for the family but guests get the richer creamier experience. The grilling is avoidable and instead just dry cook it on a hot cast iron skillet with very little oil..not frying though.<br />
<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj20VIbvL3XTF0e6wK8rMChQUjQ92XU__1khRj-FSyPbNOWqg9QCdNXd8y_jHPCrwQogZv_dGEzHynE4lrn5xH72gzcbiH6UxVzTLRIV8yzJswMjdjyw7xoLmkc1bmOLE8o46nR2A/s1600/b-chi1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj20VIbvL3XTF0e6wK8rMChQUjQ92XU__1khRj-FSyPbNOWqg9QCdNXd8y_jHPCrwQogZv_dGEzHynE4lrn5xH72gzcbiH6UxVzTLRIV8yzJswMjdjyw7xoLmkc1bmOLE8o46nR2A/s400/b-chi1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
<b>You will need: Serves 4</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Chicken-1 lb cut up into pieces (without bone or bone in)</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i>Marinade: </i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">1/2 pack tandoori masala(National or shaan)</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">1 tbsp ginger garlic paste(fresh)</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">1 cup regular unflavored yogurt</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">1 tbsp oil</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><i>Sauce:</i></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">1 can (425 gm) tomato puree without any added flavors</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Onion-1</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Garam masala- 1 1/2 tsp</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Red chili powder- 1 tsp (add more as needed)</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Turmeric-1/2 tsp</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Kasoori methi- 1 tsp </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Amul butter-1 tbsp</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Cream+Milk -2-3 cup altogether, any amount of each</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">1/2 cup water</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Preparation:</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Marinate the chicken(washed and drained) with all the ingredients of the marinade and keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 hrs or overnight. Preheat the oven to 450 f and then place the chicken on a foil line tray and grill for 8-10 minutes. Raise heat to broil and broil the pieces for 2-3 minutes till the outside just starts to crisp. Remove(it will be undercooked, but will finish cooking in the gravy) and keep aside.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Heat a pan with 1 tbsp of oil and saute the onions. The onions have to be chopped really fine so it melts away. After a 2-3 minutes, add the ginger garlic paste and saute well for a minute. Add the tomato puree and the red chili powder, turmeric and saute on medium heat till the tomato comes together and moves as a mass. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Add the salt, butter, the water, the milk and cream combination(if you add just milk, it will curdle, so add a bit of cream or butter and then add the milk.)and let it simmer. Add the grilled chicken pieces and cover and cook for about 10-15 minutes on very low heat..barely a simmer. Add the kasoori methi and the garam masala and adjust taste. You may need a bit more of salt or even some butter or sugar or cream to cut the tartness. Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve with hot butter naan.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
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</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23122419.post-45327975342330872712011-02-01T14:06:00.020-05:002011-02-01T19:15:35.256-05:00Chocolate Chip Cookies..<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Another snow day, another winter storm warning for travelers... snow, freezing rain, sleet,</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">ice, in any combination you like.. its a winter chaat buffet. The snow days are great, beautiful in their pristine whiteness, the calm, and the bright sunshine that follows, snow forts, snowballs, frolicking in the snow,.. but sleet ..snow that melts as it falls is a damper. Not advised to be on the roads, so a perfect day to curl up at home. The equivalent of a rainy monsoon day back home.</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">And since its cold, hunger pangs abound... after all what's better than a warm oven wafting the aroma of a </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">chocolate</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"> chip cookies? Cookies are what are called the biscuits back in India, but biscuits here are a entirely different thing.. a kind of bread.:)) Biscuits with tea..somehow cookies can't be dunked in tea, only in milk. So I am not a fan of the store bought cookies that kids consume instead of lunch and dinner if given a chance. But a home made cookie is a little bit </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">irresistible</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">, more so if u truly like chocolate chip cookies. So once in a while, I try my hand at cookies with varied success. I am definitely not a pro at it, but its fun to try on a otherwise dull day.</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">What is it about flour, butter and sugar that creates such a varied collection of goodies that are no good for you? These cookies are crunchy at the edges and turn gooey and soft in the middle. They have to taken out when they turn creamy and just a bit golden at the edges as they really turn crisp at the cooling. Try these if you have kids at home.</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">As for the chocolate chip cookie..No great personal recipe..I just follow </span></span><a href="http://www.bakeaholic.ca/tag/dorie-greenspan/" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;">Dorie Greenspan's recipe for chocolate chip cookies</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"> and it turns out kid pleasing any day. Just follow the link and there is a word for word description of the recipe. I make it with the half the quantity to start out.</span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxqFUQvbZkwiQ2lfsFpe13hQRf97PhD4MAo-UsYf2GoDR1rgYfC-rsdC4ZcQoWnJry7H41LTywQQyWZlH8YjLvJ5-hH9QsbMsgCrdttIZCFQ8Jqv_tNMxB-qS3cU0ci6rdZ2J8Ow/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxqFUQvbZkwiQ2lfsFpe13hQRf97PhD4MAo-UsYf2GoDR1rgYfC-rsdC4ZcQoWnJry7H41LTywQQyWZlH8YjLvJ5-hH9QsbMsgCrdttIZCFQ8Jqv_tNMxB-qS3cU0ci6rdZ2J8Ow/s400/photo.JPG" width="400" /></a>====</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">My cookies became a little too thin and spread out as my little one switched off the oven thinking its the light switch, to peep inside so the dough got melted before it got cooked. But no change in taste. I also omitted the nuts as the kids don't like it. </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">So grab a cookie, a hot cup of tea, and watch a movie.:)</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; line-height: 20px;"></span></span><br />
<h4><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><br />
</span></h4></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23122419.post-87722618090566805872011-01-13T07:40:00.004-05:002011-01-14T09:45:59.812-05:00Coconut Macaroons...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">My coconut macaroons fetish is set in all things coconut.. coconut burfi, ada filled with coconut, plantains filled with coconut, flattened rice or aval mixed with coconut, ari undas, coconut based chocolates, upma crunchied up with a dash of coconut....or just fresh coconut (harvest fresh)with a piece of jaggery is soooo good. How can you not like coconut? Especially if you have a tropical gene in you? No offense, but you must be a mutant if you are from the coast and don't like coconut. But seriously, I know a lot of people who prefer chocolate everything to coconut. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> I used to volunteer to grate coconut for my mom (<i>now my cherava/ grater is gathering dust while I rely on the frozen grated coconut.:)</i>) only to stop after the first few seconds of grating to scoop up the first soft bits of moist shredded coconut and chew on it. Sadly, you can't do that with the frozen coconut.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Along with the hazaar coconut based curries that only a malayalee can dream of, Mom makes yummy coconut burfi, a kind of chewy candy with fresh coconut which I don't even bother trying to make. I just wait to go home and then ask her to make a big batch.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">But these macaroons are much easier and fill the need for a coconut candy. The internet abounds in macaroon recipes so why add another of mine? Only for my own reference, as after two months when I decide to make it again, I won't remember how I did it!!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>So what is a macaroon?</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">As per the wiki, the original macaroon was a "<i>small sweet cake consisting largely of ground almonds</i>" similar to Italian or Moroccan <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaretti" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Amaretti">amaretti</a>. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Most recipes call for egg whites (usually whipped to stiff peaks), with ground or powdered nuts, generally almond or coconut. </span>There was an abundance of macaroon fever going around the blogosphere some time back with macaroons of every color and flavor being made. Those gorgeous looking ones in pastel colors with fillings are the French macaroons. The Italian ones are th<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">e <a href="http://simplyspicy.blogspot.com/2007/12/almond-macaroons-amaretti-cookies.html">almond macaroons</a> which are a chewy crunchy cookies, pretty easy to make for a non baker like me,( <i>though the first time I made it, I soaked almonds and peeled it one by one instead of blanching it</i>.)</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">But when I decided to go in for coconut macaroons, it got ugly..</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">It is so confusing to sift through the recipes..should i add whole egg or flour or just egg whites..?some overkill it by adding condensed milk, almonds and egg whites..and then dipping the whole thing in chocolate!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5TI67ThV0TbOGjBp1EDCs7ONw7QW1MLvTeOcMP6vxXhS5_3XoaGIwdgdfKWxIztDr3Lm2J2AyKJ5vzm1LZOZ0DRR7L1yk8EWC1bmdZhCKx_ZNM4N8PeMTg5FBBMEsOe1ZLs-72Q/s1600/macroon-eg1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5TI67ThV0TbOGjBp1EDCs7ONw7QW1MLvTeOcMP6vxXhS5_3XoaGIwdgdfKWxIztDr3Lm2J2AyKJ5vzm1LZOZ0DRR7L1yk8EWC1bmdZhCKx_ZNM4N8PeMTg5FBBMEsOe1ZLs-72Q/s400/macroon-eg1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>This recipe originated in Nigella Lawson's book but I didn't add the cream of tartar. The cream of tartar helps stabilize the egg whites, but its not super important. I followed the instructions as is, but added a teaspoon of flour to make it hold its shape. The more the almond meal in the recipe, or less the coconut, the better is the shape.<br />
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Here is the<a href="http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/coconut-macaroons-145"> link</a> for those who want to try it and here is a wonderful <a href="http://nat-kin.blogspot.com/2010/05/coconut-macaroons.html">site </a>to see the step by step directions. The other recipe I trust is the one from the Joy of Baking site.<br />
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It came out really crunchy on the outside and gooey on the inside but after a day, it turned soft.. any body knows why? or is it supposed to do that?<br />
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Then my sis suggested making the macaroons with condensed milk to be egg free and the next batch of the cookies, I tried out <a href="http://www.egglesscooking.com/2008/07/21/eggless-coconut-macaroons/">this recipe</a>, but again had to omit something. So I omitted the semolina and nuts but added the cardamom. This recipe had the really chewy burfi like taste to it so I tended to like this better. The condensed milk and the cardamom added a depth and maybe Indianised it to an extend. I used store bought sweetened shredded coconut that is so easily available here, but I am sure this can be tried with fresh coconut too. So here is my version of the recipe:<br />
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<b>Eggless Coconut Macaroons </b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">Sweetened condensed milk – 7 ounce or 1/2 can</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">All purpose flour – 1/4 cup</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">Sweetened shredded coconut – 2.5 cups( 7 ounce package)</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">Cardamom powder – 1 teaspoo</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">n</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXQqBthKrj-w__7AQh0BBNzFitu1fDV0XPCswOkR1qtqDs0q3R6KSLZimFgxUNuI-6QC-ia6M8GgiP1l1kIhyfxiXcz6hZuGEVTjjivQvCFlutoeM6gxViaGgFGwSnCePIpQBYeg/s1600/macroon-cm-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXQqBthKrj-w__7AQh0BBNzFitu1fDV0XPCswOkR1qtqDs0q3R6KSLZimFgxUNuI-6QC-ia6M8GgiP1l1kIhyfxiXcz6hZuGEVTjjivQvCFlutoeM6gxViaGgFGwSnCePIpQBYeg/s400/macroon-cm-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Preparation:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">Preheat oven 325 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"> In a </span> large bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk, flour, coconut and cardamom powder and stir well to combine. If the mix is too hard, add 1 tbsp of milk. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;">Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets in slight mounds, 2 inches apart. You will get about 20- 24 mounds depending on size.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;">B</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;">ake 15 to 17 minutes or until lightly browned around edges. Let the macaroons cool on a wire rack as they will turn slightly moist if allowed to cool down on the parchment. Only after it has completely cooled down, store loosely covered at room temperature.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;">I like mine really crisp outside so I baked it for a minute or two more to get this extra brown look.</span><br />
<div class="recipe-details-lg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; float: left; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: relative;"></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23122419.post-51546183617350703352011-01-06T10:54:00.002-05:002011-01-14T09:45:53.759-05:00Palada Payasam...and a Happy Rest of the Year.Ah! A new year is already here.. where did the year go?<br />
In the Malayalam new year, which begins with Vishu, the big deal is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishu">Vishu kani</a>... the auspicious first thing that you see when you wake up which sets the tone for the rest of the year... a prosperous year, a healthy year, a happy year.. all the usual trappings we yearn for. For those who want to know more, there is a link above to the vishu custom. The concept creates quite a treasury of material for jokes in the layman's language and the malayalam movie industry. Anybody remember Meesha Madhavan? If your day doesn't go well, the common question is, " Who did you see as kani in the morning?"<br />
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Alas, for the New years day, there is no such symbolism.. just a late awakening, still recovering from whatever late night party you happened to be at...legs aching if u were at a dance, head abuzz with a medley of sounds and voices, a hangover for many.... quite a somber beginning to a new year!!<br />
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For me the first post of the year is always a dilemma. I want it to be short, sweet, crisp.. it should be inspiring, joyful and poetic, like one of the verses on New Year's cards. (<i>Does anybody send cards to anyone now? Does anyone collect them still?</i>)<br />
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But the search for the perfect words will instead mean that I won't write at all for the month of January and that propelled me to just get started! Here's to wishing a very productive and prosperous year to all my readers and friends. May this be the year of change.:)) May this be the year where we resolve to be resolute to our resolutions.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp6HokOXKzQez_FwwkvG4vny9CSRK4CIs1UIn6nsiSugdhs2ZSvu6GCx_HhuNZ2iRi6idsh9w34Dw6T9ZRQC3wfO4Yeg6PEUGKJ7XtQDRn4kWefQj-oXromzjyR8BM5hpZKW2xRg/s1600/pal+payasam1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp6HokOXKzQez_FwwkvG4vny9CSRK4CIs1UIn6nsiSugdhs2ZSvu6GCx_HhuNZ2iRi6idsh9w34Dw6T9ZRQC3wfO4Yeg6PEUGKJ7XtQDRn4kWefQj-oXromzjyR8BM5hpZKW2xRg/s400/pal+payasam1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIS8zX0JkW2CEchBWtaoLS_HhUQdicGLTYcpTakDMpcGMOmaiV67jYl3uJNbX6vxo1tl3swZAdNthE-y8bRM0qeMsr_EuE9-4nw8rwuXtsZfdouYOgcYKzNWACDdP_FL3ZixTx1w/s1600/palpayasam2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIS8zX0JkW2CEchBWtaoLS_HhUQdicGLTYcpTakDMpcGMOmaiV67jYl3uJNbX6vxo1tl3swZAdNthE-y8bRM0qeMsr_EuE9-4nw8rwuXtsZfdouYOgcYKzNWACDdP_FL3ZixTx1w/s400/palpayasam2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
As for me, I decided to start my blog year with a sweet recipe. All those on a diet can move on to the next blogs where you will find yummy healthy food....just not here today. Well, we all need sugar after a gruelling workout, don't we?:))<br />
The last few weeks were great with a air of festivities all around and a lot of visiting families to complete the festive feeling. The expectations for the holidays start half a year early and just keeps building up but the holidays itself go so fast!! Even a blizzard, two feet of snow and multiple bouts of flu and cold couldn't keep the spirits down.<br />
Cleaning the house, refrigerator and pantry after all my guests left, I got stuck with a quart of milk nearing expiration date, a sweet craving, some unused sweetened coconut la languishing in my freezer , a bit of palada, (<i>not enough for a party</i>)and one too many cans of condensed milk. My better half recently asked if I really know the contents of my pantry and I bravely said yes, despite finding endless packs of the same stuff. <br />
So, half the can of the evidence or a bit less went for the payasam and the remaining contributed to the sticky consistency of coconut macaroons. I have two recipes for the macaroons.. one with just coconut flakes and egg whites and almonds which is what is common. But my sis-in-law put me onto the eggless version which has just coconut flakes and condensed milk which is much better in taste, reminding of coconut burfi back home, with a fraction of the work!! Flavoring it with cardamom instead of vanilla and aniseed, Indianized it instantly.<br />
For the payasam, the only ingredient you need is a thick bottom pan, as milk burns instantly and doesn't withstand long cooking. I use an<a href="http://myinjimanga.blogspot.com/2006/08/uruli.html"> uruli,</a> a <a href="http://luvgoodfood.blogspot.com/2008/01/traditional-kerala-duo-uruli-and.html">traditional thick bottom pan</a> made usually of bronze but now available in aluminium too, which is fool proof for making payasams. It's great for doing any kind of milk based cooking as it never burns!! Get one if you are a fan of payasams. A copper bottom pan available locally may suffice but I am not sure.<br />
By the way, see this <a href="http://www.keralaclubca.org/payasamcookoffrecipes.htm">link</a> for a multitude of payasam cook off in California. Did any of you attend it?<br />
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There is no recipe.. just follow the instructions at the back of the packet!But for those who need it, here it is..<br />
Palada Payasam<br />
A really thick bottom wide pan or an uruli.<br />
Double Horse Palada-1/3 pack<br />
Milk- about 1/3 gallon (which is 4-5 cups)<br />
Condensed Milk-1/2 tin or a little less.<br />
Salt- a tiny pinch<br />
Cardamom powder- crush 5 cardamom into powder.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Preparation:</i></b><br />
Boil 2 cups water and steep/soak the palada in the hot water( off the flame) for 15 minutes. Drain the water and then add the palada to the milk and cook for 15 minutes or till the palada is soft and cooked. Then add the condensed milk, cardamom powder and salt and cook further for 10 minutes. If it looks too thick, add 1/2 cup milk. The consistency and sweetness is to each one's taste so use your judgement. I like my payasams not too thick and a bit less sweet than headache inducing sweet. These proportions may end up too loose and not too sweet for you so change as you need.<br />
Garnish with ready bought roasted cashews(or you could fry a handful of cashews and raisins in ghee) and raisins. Serve hot or lukewarm or cold.<br />
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The rest of the can of the condensed milk went into the Eggless coconut macaroons which I will post next.:)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23122419.post-74756227958522416852010-12-15T11:11:00.001-05:002011-01-14T09:46:04.528-05:00Chicken Curry with Green Peppers..The weather outside is frightful, but i feel so delightful....:))<br />
Ah... one of the comforts of the winter is the warm kitchen.. the same kitchen that used to swelter me in the summer is now a warm hearth, making me find reasons to be there and cook even if there is food in the fridge. <i>(Its 23F outside.. a scant -5 Celsius and I am so glad to be at home and not working outside.)</i> <br />
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</i><br />
As Nigella Lawson said in her book, "How to be a Domestic Goddess"(A must flip through for all you aspiring goddesses)" <i>I've always thought that bad weather has its compensations, most of them culinary."</i> The book has pretty simple recipes for a starting off baker and more than that it is jolly wonderful to read her take on each recipe. <br />
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So I don't need another cookie or another cake, but that's what I feel like making.. if they don't have bread, let them eat cake.. but to stay practical, I opt for a chicken item instead...curry today..with peppers..and lots of onions..though not a gravy based curry..more a cry.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3yiZ8xkP_UtTvKFxdOBFhxVQN8_Srr2kXblZSjW6suJ27ux8d46dxNyhaPa8DhQIVy6VR2tX7WGkxpuR297k6wf93XSmYoeQy_jTWLZVVwt_csnFzaI779louHcQYrGOjZ759Dg/s1600/chicekn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3yiZ8xkP_UtTvKFxdOBFhxVQN8_Srr2kXblZSjW6suJ27ux8d46dxNyhaPa8DhQIVy6VR2tX7WGkxpuR297k6wf93XSmYoeQy_jTWLZVVwt_csnFzaI779louHcQYrGOjZ759Dg/s400/chicekn.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Yet another spicy chicken curry. It's your regular chicken curry but with bell peppers added to it to change the taste. Green peppers have the best taste, but yellow and red peppers are good too, they add a sweetness to the dish if you like that.<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />
You will need:</span><br />
Chicken-1 ½ lb, (700gm) cleaned and cut into small pieces.<br />
Onions-2 or 3 medium sized ones sliced finely<br />
Bell Peppers-2 green ones sliced thinly in strips( or use a mix of red, green and yellow) <br />
Tomatoes-1 chopped into dices.<br />
Hot Green chilies - 6 slit<br />
Ginger–Garlic coarsely ground – 2-3 tsp<br />
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp<br />
Lemon juice-1 tsp<br />
Red hot chili powder- 1 1/2 tsp (more or less as per taste)<br />
Coriander powder-2 tsp<br />
Garam Masala-1/2 tsp<br />
Black Pepper powder- 1/4 tsp <br />
Coriander, curry leaves- each a small handful, chopped<br />
Salt - to taste<br />
Oil-4 tbsp<br />
<br />
<b>Preparation:</b><br />
Wash the chicken and lightly toss it with lemon juice and rinse again. Drain well onto a slotted drainer. Marinate with the turmeric,half the red chili powder, salt and lemon juice.<br />
Heat the 2tbsp oil in a large shallow pan and add onions. When they are slightly transparent, add the peppers and continue sauteing. Add the slit chilies and curry leaves and stir. When the peppers wilt, remove most of the onions, all the peppers and keep aside. <br />
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Add ginger and garlic to the remaining onions, and saute. Add more oil if the mix looks dry. When the raw smell goes, add the tomatoes, remaining chili powder, coriander and saute till the tomatoes soften. Then add the chicken and cook uncovered on medium heat for 3-4 minutes till water comes out. Do not add any water: it will prevent the spice powders from getting cooked. Then cover and cook 10-15 minutes. The amount of time depends on the size of the chicken pieces. Smaller pieces cook faster. <br />
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Add more salt if needed and then add the pepper and garam masala. Check to see if the chicken is cooked. Now add back the onions and peppers sauteed earlier to the chicken and stir well. If there is no water, add 1/4 cup water and cook it covered for five minutes to let the flavors blend. Add the coriander leaves last, after switching off the flame. Let it rest covered for a while before serving.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23122419.post-23289470474478256962010-11-30T14:31:00.005-05:002011-01-14T09:44:54.133-05:00Kerala Njandu Fry/ Crab Stir Fried with spices..<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5X8dQ9GVrNN8cGLS-7FWIdccTJT2YDWS28nuHl703-BIIBikEDRna71hvxSCfNBpBgXyQhWoMdoNuk_hsNJU62kfqijOtiYVsuDxLovmX32FJ__1528oECP-ahPFPBzLBI9LHZg/s1600/crab2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5X8dQ9GVrNN8cGLS-7FWIdccTJT2YDWS28nuHl703-BIIBikEDRna71hvxSCfNBpBgXyQhWoMdoNuk_hsNJU62kfqijOtiYVsuDxLovmX32FJ__1528oECP-ahPFPBzLBI9LHZg/s400/crab2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Calicut Crabs washed and ready to go.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYk0Cz9pSc236dX1xa68mTiLn6HDJXbpj5GstTK1ETdOspJHMeiG7zmv04etVPov_9ZYL0ZlCY7Jc9Yz78w1bZ0PWcuN3SCAcZY601yq9PuBDHqlHvec9hWe_H29HBYOkqNNJP1Q/s1600/crab3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYk0Cz9pSc236dX1xa68mTiLn6HDJXbpj5GstTK1ETdOspJHMeiG7zmv04etVPov_9ZYL0ZlCY7Jc9Yz78w1bZ0PWcuN3SCAcZY601yq9PuBDHqlHvec9hWe_H29HBYOkqNNJP1Q/s400/crab3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Crabs simmering in the spices.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeGfoolJIN0iC6cbP78XWtxUQWPDQIOHmP0XNA_K-P0VV1YDTG6zxd_j0DJ2-WUboG2RMtIUwzNlrEaig9_93kNB3Me2Q9aGjPnI4NMIyWBjdSFAoWymQUoJ_Lt5mmzOlr0cBcPg/s1600/crab.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeGfoolJIN0iC6cbP78XWtxUQWPDQIOHmP0XNA_K-P0VV1YDTG6zxd_j0DJ2-WUboG2RMtIUwzNlrEaig9_93kNB3Me2Q9aGjPnI4NMIyWBjdSFAoWymQUoJ_Lt5mmzOlr0cBcPg/s400/crab.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The Final Product..A mass of legs and hands..<br />
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Back after a hiatus, and as usual there is a writer's block, staring into a empty post, wondering where to start. Where did I go? Well, took on a job and then went for a roller coaster ride for 3 months juggling home, family and work. I just couldn't surf all the wonderful blogs after getting home and now I have tons to catch up on..<br />
Now the job is over, the weather has turned gloomy, the sun slinks away at 4.30 itself and you don't see your neighbors for days at end and there seems a general feeling of crabbiness. But its the festive season here(read shopping season) and though you would think who shops in this weather.. every body escapes to the mall where its brightly lit, filled with people and colors and sounds and whether you shop or not, the mood gets festive. <br />
<br />
And furthermore, its the crab season on the West coast, so we will at least get some good crabs once in a while. If you like crabs, this is the season to try it.<br />
The recipe and the fotos below are of the Calicut Crabs, from my last holiday, recipe courtesy of my Aunt. She makes the best nadan dishes..:) Calicut crabs are a medium sized ones so you don't have to cut it up. But I have been making this with the Dungeness Crabs and it is good! Just one crab is enough to feed two people lavishly. As to how to clean crabs, just google it and you will get tons of websites and even videos on it. If you buy the crabs live from the docks, like my siblings do, bring them in a tight bag, put a pot of water for boiling at home and dump them into that and cover and steam cook for 5 minutes. Then drain and cut up and clean.<br />
I usually get the crabs from Costco when they have the seafood stand and its previously cooked (blanched) and so I just cut into smaller pieces and clean it before preparing it.<br />
The cooking with spices gets the spicy flavor into the crabs instead of just being on the surface of the shell and then stir frying just caramelizes the shallots and spices. So the result is lickable spicy shells and then a sweet slightly flavorful meat inside. <br />
<br />
You will need:<br />
For the cooking:<br />
10 medium sized crabs. <br />
Red hot chili powder- 1 1/2 tsp<br />
Turmeric- 1/2 tsp<br />
Ginger- 1 inch piece<br />
Garlic -4-5 cloves<br />
Salt & pepper, to taste. <br />
<br />
To fry:<br />
10-15 small shallots, sliced well.(about 2 cups)<br />
Curry leaves- 2 sprigs<br />
Coconut oil- 1/4 to 1/2 cup<br />
Green chilies-2 slit vertically.<br />
<br />
Preparation:<br />
Mix the spices, ginger garlic paste, add salt and 1/2 cup water in a clay pot.Add the cleaned crab and mix. Cover the pot and let it cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Open and increase the heat and let the liquid evaporate. There should be no liquid remaining. Keep aside.<br />
Heat oil in a wok/cheenachatti or pan and add the curry leaves and shallots. When the shallots wilt and start browing, add the green chilies and the cooked crab and all the thick gravy around it. Stir fry on medium high heat for about 6-10 minutes till all the shallots and the gravy darken and stick to the crab pieces.<br />
Serve hot with rice or roti. (just crab is fine too.)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
----------------------------------------------- <br />
Cooking Method: <br />
Clean crabs and divide each into 4 pieces. Place <br />
into large pan, add all ingredients except coconut <br />
milk, mustard powder, lime juice and salt. <br />
<br />
Bring to a boil, add coconut milk and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Add lime <br />
juice, mustard powder and salt. Stir for a few minutes until flavours are married. Remove from heat and serve hot.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23122419.post-45209156475853932182010-09-10T07:36:00.002-04:002010-12-02T10:39:54.963-05:00Eid Mubarak!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXyoCJVtF8fXT8dKERfLys-pCyFlJooJFu37B1UpmShE1kHwkBM8pkXzBHu0WRDX3dSwyAAVVBSSL262FpW2t8njex3YzghGoL5mULDsbOxntNQetNqPlggKs3lPbJrTpc7MSy7w/s1600/card.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXyoCJVtF8fXT8dKERfLys-pCyFlJooJFu37B1UpmShE1kHwkBM8pkXzBHu0WRDX3dSwyAAVVBSSL262FpW2t8njex3YzghGoL5mULDsbOxntNQetNqPlggKs3lPbJrTpc7MSy7w/s400/card.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23122419.post-44382632250662104002010-08-18T11:10:00.002-04:002011-07-27T17:17:47.638-04:00The Story of Aleesa and Haleem..<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzGf87oSabv_BnvwRVZ1wyGUaeKttGph7rxqZVjhoGbQn-Bbx7-uo4SAqKwQTnBmZyicftFKqyJCP-chYb3xMPa6lDFJsycS0QLRWeoBJERLj0JbQQUJKwIKd1YCfb9ROj5FiDnQ/s1600/haleem2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzGf87oSabv_BnvwRVZ1wyGUaeKttGph7rxqZVjhoGbQn-Bbx7-uo4SAqKwQTnBmZyicftFKqyJCP-chYb3xMPa6lDFJsycS0QLRWeoBJERLj0JbQQUJKwIKd1YCfb9ROj5FiDnQ/s400/haleem2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
This is a story I have angling to tell for a long time. The main characters are Aleesa and Haleem..kind of like Heer Ranjha, right? It could also be delusions brought on by the heightened state of the mind when it wanders while fasting.The one on the right is Aleesa and the one on the left is Haleem.<br />
<br />
Aleesa is a winner in looks and has good taste. She has a gentle sweet personality evident in her creamy complexion and mild nature. Happy to take a shy side seating in a crowd, you notice her only when you take the first step in the conversation. Sugary, buttery, creamy..that's the first set of words that pop into your vocabulary. Then the mid tones of spice..cinnamon, cloves, cardamon hit the back of your throat and you take a second look at the unassuming Aleesa. She is not a fool, you decide, she's different..is she an appetizer or a dessert... and as she walks away, there is a lingering memory that you just can't place.(<i>Not my place to tell you what that is.:)</i>)<br />
<br />
Haleem, on the other hand, is a commanding presence. Happy to be in the center of attraction, he is popular with outstanding people skills. Though he is a bright yellow in complexion, with an assortment of colorful accessories, he manages to win over anybody willing to talk to him for a second. Spicy, tangy and hot run the chit chat initially till you get into the meaty part of the conversation and then everything gets serious. Frivolities aside, this is a serious person and needs to treated with respect.<br />
They both come from the same ancestors and maybe centuries earlier, there was a love story between them which was forcibly broken apart by warring families and send to different parts of the world.<br />
Now they no longer recognize their common traits and have forgotten their similarities. If they were to meet their Pakistani cousin, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haleem">Hareesa</a>( <i>not the condiment</i>), Mumbai cousin Kichra, or Turkish cousin <a href="http://www.superluminal.com/cookbook/substantial_keshkek.html">keshkek</a>,they would both know they once belonged to the same royal family in the Arab states. See this<a href="http://www.giverecipe.com/keskek.html"> wonderful post</a> on Turkish weddings if you still doubt the similarities.<br />
<br />
If you wondering what am I blabbering about, its about two dishes, Aleesa and Haleem popular in the Muslim Communities in North India and Malabar. Haleem is found only in Hyderabad and Lucknow and Aleesa is a North Kerala dish popular in Muslim salkarams.<br />
<br />
According to this <a href="http://hubpages.com/hub/Haleem-Ramzaan-Special">site</a>, <i>Haleem is a soup-like Indian and Pakistani dish, brought to India from Persia. In Anatolia, Iran, the Caucasus region and northern Iraq, it is known by the names Keshkek or Harisa. Although the dish varies in other regions, it always includes wheat and meat. It is a tasty soup that is made from wheat ,barley and oats. Meat or Chicken can be added for different variations. It is generally made during Ramadan and in cold weather and can be eaten with naan(indian bread) and a dash of lemon juice. </i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis-0R-uW1l3CvpaEaLmbrrQ50ZzhtegInJPWftWaRN9sOPXtR3YvkPOejsGHNcW0PWVTQB7jwz_QnNN2kPoab4SLHXRLgJ-T-_BJnx61-0R0cA0g7lqM9cidazVVBjLCAXBb4rLg/s1600/haleem.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a></div>Well, its definitely not soup like (<i>though I don't mind it like a soup too</i>) and a measure of its quality is the thickness. The density( <i>yeah, getting technical.. this was told to me by my butcher</i>)should be such that a spoon placed vertically in it should stand as is without any support. It's eaten as a thick porridge(<i>worst word to describe a delicious recipe</i>)and it has a stick to your bones kind of richness that is good in cold weather and also after a hard long fast. So its popular as an Iftar food everywhere. Both are very thick goopy food only as good as the flavorings and the ghee in it, so most people either love it or detest it. <br />
<br />
Now Aleesa on the other hand, however the recipe reached Northern Kerala's Malabar region, is a sweet version of this Haleem. I wouldn't have thought it was till I cam across the <a href="http://www.persian-recipes.com/persianrecipes/2009/10/11/haleem-halim/">a post on sweet wheat porridge</a>(<i>that word again</i>.) called Haleem. Again there was this <a href="http://turmericsaffron.blogspot.com/2010/01/haleem-wheat-and-meat-persian-breakfast.html">wheat and meat Persian breakfast</a> also adding ghee and sugar instead of spices. No lentils in aleesa though but still I am assuming there is a connection between these recipes..one sweet and one savory version of the same meat and wheat stew.<br />
As for the recipe , see below.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOS9NWiOD14KzYw51EBZ6eQ6O9hu6phCqv8-PgFtCzbo2LXThcARFUzuoXi0_1RJ63X-Aqd0ab_nVBkyNrG3-UFtV57c9wJEMIdMwxbSD9RD41hji_UXPjO5Yr3esS2CRFbugnRQ/s1600/aleesa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOS9NWiOD14KzYw51EBZ6eQ6O9hu6phCqv8-PgFtCzbo2LXThcARFUzuoXi0_1RJ63X-Aqd0ab_nVBkyNrG3-UFtV57c9wJEMIdMwxbSD9RD41hji_UXPjO5Yr3esS2CRFbugnRQ/s400/aleesa.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i><b>Aleesa Recipe</b></i><br />
You will need<br />
Skinned whole wheat(Haleem Wheat)-1/2 cup<br />
Cloves-2<br />
Cinnamon-1 small half inch long thin piece<br />
Onion- 1 small one quartered<br />
Cardamom-1 whole pieces<br />
Chicken or Mutton- 1/2 cup cubes<br />
<br />
Preparation:<br />
Soak the wheat in warm water for 15-20 minutes. Add all the ingredients in a pressure cooker or thick bottom stock pot. Add 3 cups of water and pressure cook ( <i>or slow cook with lots of water on medium low heat</i>) till the first whistle comes and then cook on very low heat for 10-15 minutes. After the cooker cools, open, and blend to a coarse consistency. Not fully smooth and not fully granular. You could mash it by hand too using a potato masher. Add 1/2 tsp of salt and mix well. If its too thick, add some water and cook well. If its too thin, let it thicken over low heat. Transfer to a serving shallow bowl.<br />
Now season it by frying 3 shallots sliced in 3-4 tablespoon( <i>use more if u like it</i>) of ghee till it browns well. Add some cashews and raisins and fry that too. Pour the seasoned ghee over the whole cooked aleesa. Serve with lots of sugar sprinkled on top or on the side.<br />
<br />
Traditionally, the haleem is made over 7-8 hours in a slow cooking method that ensures the flavors meld together and there are traditionalists who only prefer that. With pressure cookers and food mills, it has a faster cooking time now. If I had a slow cooker, I would use that, but I make it in a pressure cooker for ease. There are videos on you tube which show how the real deal is made in Hyderabad. From the look of it, they don't use turmeric and their haleem looks different. Any feedback on that will be welcome.<br />
<br />
As for the Haleem recipe, since that's something I have tasted only after coming here, and hence my recipe for that may not be accurate. There are lots of Haleem recipes blogged by able bloggers now, namely <a href="http://zaiqa.net/?p=165">Zaiqa</a> and <a href="http://yasmeen-healthnut.blogspot.com/2008/06/meat-wheat-porridgehaleem.html">health nut</a>, but the one below is what I usually use and here it as it was blogged by Nabeela, whose blog I can't find now. Shaan masalas also has a haleem mix which comes out pretty good too, except that I feel the garam masala and salt in that is overpowering. Try it either way or follow the directions on the back of the Shaan masala.<br />
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<div style="color: #351c75;"><i><b>Haleem Recipe</b></i></div><div style="color: #351c75; font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">You will Need:</div><div style="color: #351c75; font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">2 BIG onions, sliced thin and deep fried to golden brown, then crushed<br />
Bulghur wheat(about 2/3 cup), Masoor dal(1 handful) & Chana Dal(1 handful) - together 8 ounce<br />
3 cups water<br />
1 tbsp oil<br />
1.5 lbs chicken/beef/goat, boneless<br />
1 cup water<br />
1.5 cups yogurt<br />
1.5 tsp salt<br />
4-5 green chilies<br />
1/2 tsp turmeric powder<br />
3 tbsp minced fresh ginger<br />
2 tbsp minced fresh garlic<br />
8 cloves + 1/2 tsp cumin - ground<br />
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon<br />
1 tsp ground pepper<br />
1 1/3 cup water<br />
Juice from 2 limes<br />
1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves<br />
1/2 cup chopped mint leaves<br />
Lime wedges to serve</div><div style="color: #351c75; font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><b>Procedure:</b><br />
Cook bulghur wheat with masoor and chana dal in 3 cups water in a pressure cooker for 15 minutes. Set aisde and clean pressure cooker. Marinate chicken, water, yogurt, red chili, turmeric, garlic, ginger and salt for some time and then add them along with oil in same pressure cooker and cook for 30 minutes till the meat has fallen apart totally. Using a food mill or a food processor, puree the wheat mixture and meat mixture into a 5 quart pot. Add 1/2 of the crushed deep fried onions, ground cloves and cumin, 3/4 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ground pepper, water and lime juice. Cook it on medium heat, stirring constantly. Taste and see if it needs more cinnamon and pepper. Adjust to your taste. Cook for 10-15 minutes till its thick and goopy. Add chopped cilantro and mint. Cook for a minute further. Serve hot with lime wedges, fresh cilantro and the rest of the fried onions sprinkled on top.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23122419.post-49936225768889339662010-08-12T18:01:00.006-04:002011-01-14T09:46:25.027-05:00Ramazan Mubarak and Tire Pathiri/ Thick Rice Pan Cooked Bread...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEVMhfj024LnwF5w4wPBOLZynyS-bFh4_5uI8RNx8pPUMJryXmQahCGad7WX-jWUSQ0mLDigslh4LkCPBxvjXKo9QNQkwRgQdyyvZGtSvsusnmW6rUfxS546p42kXsPBGM8X3vkw/s1600/wp5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEVMhfj024LnwF5w4wPBOLZynyS-bFh4_5uI8RNx8pPUMJryXmQahCGad7WX-jWUSQ0mLDigslh4LkCPBxvjXKo9QNQkwRgQdyyvZGtSvsusnmW6rUfxS546p42kXsPBGM8X3vkw/s400/wp5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Back from a trip to my hometown, a short and hectic but immensely memorable trip. Got stuffed with a lot of good food, all home made and yummy, just in time to make the Ramazan fast a necessary ritual to get back into my old clothes. The trip had a lot of highlights, so much so that a stray idle day seemed to be lacking something, as I couldn't unwind and just go with it. <br />
Meeting friends, old and new, meeting family has all left a series of pleasant thoughts to dwell on, on slow days. Initially I was photographing everything trying to capture the moments but then gave up and now all that remains is the distilled essence of the days there. There was just too much to take in at once and the photos don't do justice to the vibrancy and pace there. <br />
<br />
Seeing the change in my hometown is always eye opening. Each time I blink, there seems to be a new apartment building sprouting amongst the old tharavadus there. The skyline there, once a lush green of just coconut trees, is now more concrete than green. There is even a 4 storied apartment coming next door to my parent's house. Easy for me to visit infrequently and feel a pang but looks like the residents there just need more housing and land is expensive so maximizing the use seems to be the norm.<br />
<br />
<br />
There is so much to blog about the food there, but laziness prevails.. Well, its summer here so anyway, I am not in a blogging frame of mind now but thought of posting this before I forget how its made. This post is about <i><b>tire pathiri</b></i>, a term you would have read only here. Pathiri , as I have explained earlier is a generic term for "rotis" or flatbreads. This is a thick flatbread made with ground rice paste and it called "tire or tyre" as it is very thick, almost an inch thick, reminding you of the truck tyres.<br />
It is called <i><b>Katti Pathiri </b></i>elsewhere, meaning "thick flat bread" as opposed to the more common, "neriya pathiri"/ thin flatbreads. This heavy duty bread is a meal in itself. If you get taken in by the cute looks and make the mistake of plopping one on your plate, early on,at a salkaram/party, good luck..... you will be stuck between having to finish it and hence not being able to eat another bite of rice or end up wasting good food.<br />
<br />
It is made by soaking rice in warm water and then grinding it to a thick paste and then cooking it on a slow flame. Traditionally cooked in an clay pan over a wood burning stove, it is not so easy, ( not too difficult either) to make on a gas stove. This one chronicled below was made on a gas stove by my MIL's patient hands.. will I make it here to the same quality is yet to be seen. (<i>I will update you all on it.</i>) <br />
<b>You will Need:</b><br />
1cup rice(ponni parboiled) soaked in hot water (boiling hot initially) for 5-6 hours. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDjDh1yD_caXTl2FRE21Vf1QmtDyqnhQlX62g-C_jBOgjR4Ta-uCatRye2hSG0eD4xBC1xrC0gbobjXIfRaoxawcvaBxe-823Zsp2K1tx_lWLMeXkETSwwVFlLI-FfGxEBVTWAXg/s1600/wp1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDjDh1yD_caXTl2FRE21Vf1QmtDyqnhQlX62g-C_jBOgjR4Ta-uCatRye2hSG0eD4xBC1xrC0gbobjXIfRaoxawcvaBxe-823Zsp2K1tx_lWLMeXkETSwwVFlLI-FfGxEBVTWAXg/s400/wp1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Grind this to a smooth paste (some add shallots and fennel seeds to this grinding, we don't) with very little water. Traditionally done on a stone grinder by hand, it can done in a dosa grinder or in a powerful Indian style food processor with very little water.<br />
<br />
Place it in a refrigerator, covered with a muslin (thin cotton) cloth overnight. This allows the excess water to evaporate and what remains is the perfect consistency to make the pathiri.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGDo_KEH13FNiI5x3xXINwJv2ytqYd3M8QcAF33NM71Pq-TU5y8vX-XtP-nxINzjKTd809sJpnko2F9TKLjSlNnxPyUSNa3K0oYZ1q5Eby6Qo8ihAxMNdqKGgG3LntPQrNukxQ-A/s1600/wp2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGDo_KEH13FNiI5x3xXINwJv2ytqYd3M8QcAF33NM71Pq-TU5y8vX-XtP-nxINzjKTd809sJpnko2F9TKLjSlNnxPyUSNa3K0oYZ1q5Eby6Qo8ihAxMNdqKGgG3LntPQrNukxQ-A/s400/wp2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Take a lump of the dough, flatten it between two plantain leaves or parchment paper or oiled foil to the size of your palm. It should be about 1/4 inch thick.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjadtB9MtM1dsiALZvQx8WP2s3rD3y8Esn3f8-5JBEJgUNTFtuJ1IGOFQubq0yZYAdBu5sP-jyOeRxzWk8Gsb6j7fXZde5V0cfK5kce6bJ_-dyYgDBHrdFDYt_P_PitDhYoroOSig/s1600/wp3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjadtB9MtM1dsiALZvQx8WP2s3rD3y8Esn3f8-5JBEJgUNTFtuJ1IGOFQubq0yZYAdBu5sP-jyOeRxzWk8Gsb6j7fXZde5V0cfK5kce6bJ_-dyYgDBHrdFDYt_P_PitDhYoroOSig/s400/wp3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Heat a cast iron skillet and place the plantain leaf or foil with the flattened dough in it on the skillet.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmRVy3pMVDPRlKWIL-AHs9R9WDlJOJFWWXOYBzaMPo82YiynvVZZR_icpZLzDl-9WWqhLbMVhwRVoJO_lcU_XFnJaNiOu-jLLMYiTNU9PQBqfTbSNq5EESCeUaSu2iPV5WlWCE9Q/s1600/wp4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmRVy3pMVDPRlKWIL-AHs9R9WDlJOJFWWXOYBzaMPo82YiynvVZZR_icpZLzDl-9WWqhLbMVhwRVoJO_lcU_XFnJaNiOu-jLLMYiTNU9PQBqfTbSNq5EESCeUaSu2iPV5WlWCE9Q/s400/wp4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Cover and cook on medium low heat for about 5-6 minutes on each side, undisturbed.<br />
Open, remove the pathiri and place it directly on the skillet. As it crisps up on each side, flip it over.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-kEqcronEMVkEP9HbPL_rZ-qn5tMTEG6pZD8JlTcDKmrI1fDcfnR1jfjxFptz8FpDx_a2t37nsPLjWa2laJg4dkdqb8qp0cTDQcLXZnmwG9-hC1XsMr3U8z97zyHeehED2rTOQ/s1600/wp5a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-kEqcronEMVkEP9HbPL_rZ-qn5tMTEG6pZD8JlTcDKmrI1fDcfnR1jfjxFptz8FpDx_a2t37nsPLjWa2laJg4dkdqb8qp0cTDQcLXZnmwG9-hC1XsMr3U8z97zyHeehED2rTOQ/s400/wp5a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Then place the bread on its side, (balance with a wooden spoon) and roll and cook along the edge, pressing it gently as you cook. This allows the pathiri to puff up like a ball. That's when you know its cooked fully.<br />
Serve with any meat curry with lots of gravy or with <a href="http://malluspice.blogspot.com/2008/09/muringya-ela-curry-drumstick-leaf-curry.html">muringa ela curry.</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com14