Macaroni N Cheese

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

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

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

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

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

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

Related Links:
RP's Mac n Cheese

Tabbouleh/ Bulger And Herb Salad

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

Spring Series-II

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

Caramel Custard

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

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

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

Preparation:

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

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

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

Chicken Curry In A Hurry..

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

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

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

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

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

Malabar Fish Biryani

For 8 people.
To Marinate the fish:
King Fish- 3 lb (5 big slices)or 1 1/4 kg
Red chili powder- 3 tsp
Turmeric-2 tsp
Lemon Juice-2 tsp
Salt to taste
Canola/Vegetable Oil -3/4 cup or as needed for frying the fish.

For the Masala:
Onion –6 medium ones(including one for garnish onions)
Tomato - 2 1/2 medium sized ones cut into chunks.
Green chilies –15 in number
Ginger - 4” piece
Garlic pods –10 cloves (big)
Pepper powder – 1 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Plain Yoghurt- 1 cup (thick)
Fennel Seeds(Perinjeerakam/Saunf) - 1 1/2 tsp
Cashew nuts-4
Poppy seeds (Khus khus) – 1 1/2 tsp
Mint leaves (Pudhina) - 1 cup chopped
Cilantro leaves (Dhania) - 1 cup chopped
Curry leaves- a handful chopped
Biryani Masala- 1 tbsp
Lemon juice- 1/2 tsp or juice of 1 lemon.
Salt-2 tsp Or as per taste

For the rice:
Basmati rice - 4 cups
Cinnamon (Karuvapatta) - 1 big stick
Cloves (Carambu) -6
Cardamom (Elakkai) - 4
One bay leaf, salt -1tsp.
Lemon juice- 2 tsp or juice of 1 lemon
Garnish: Cashew nuts – A handful, Raisins- A handful
Clarified butter (Ghee) – 5 tbsp or 3 tbsp mixed with 3 tbsp oil( For frying garnish onions)

Biryani Masala:
Cinnamon 2 inch piece
Cardamom 8
Cloves 8-10
Nutmeg (Jathika)-1
Bay leaves- 1
Fennel seed- 1tsp
Mace( Javithri/Jathipathri) 5-6
Caraway seeds/Shah Jeera- 1 tbsp
Star Anise-1
Dry roast all together and grind to a fine powder. Store in a tight lidded bottle and use only 1-2 tbsp for this biryani.

1.Basic Preparation: Soak the fennel(Perunjeerakam) seeds, cashew nuts and poppy seeds in a bowl with water for an hour at least. Wet grind the soaked nuts and seeds with the green chilies, ginger, garlic and very little water to a fine paste. Keep aside. Alternately, you could first powder the poppy seeds and fennel seeds and then soak and grind to make it smoother. Chop the tomatoes into cubes and slice the onions. One onion should be sliced extra fine. This one is for the fried onion garnish.
2. Marinating and Frying fish: Cut the fish into medium size pieces,wash with 1 tbsp lemon juice and drain. Marinate the fish with the chili powder, turmeric, lemon juice and salt. Keep aside for half hour to one hour. Heat up the 3/4 cup oil in a wide shallow pan and pan fry the fish fillets on medium high heat till cooked on both sides. This should take about 7-10 minutes depending on the quantity of the fish. Spread as many fish fillets as possible in the pan. The fish should NOT get crisp as in a fish fry. It should just get slightly browned. Drain onto paper towels and remove any pieces left in the oil. Drain all the oil into a bowl.
3. Rice Preparation: Clean and soak rice for 10 minutes. Drain and keep aside.Boil 7 cups of water with the whole spices and 3/4 tsp salt. When it boils, add the rice and let it cook uncovered for about 10 minutes. When the rice is still hard, with a bit of cooking left, drain the rice and let it cool.It will cook further in the baking.
4. Frying the Garnish: Heat the ghee/oil in a heavy bottom pan. Add the garnish portion of the sliced onions and fry, till golden brown and crisp. Sprinkle some sugar over the onions to speed up the crisping. This should take about 10 minutes. Remove the onions and fry the cashew nuts on medium heat till it turns brown on all sides. Drain and remove. Add the raisins now and stir till they plump up. Remove onto paper towels. Drain the ghee/oil into a small bowl and keep aside for flavoring the rice.
5.Cooking the biryani masala/gravy: Use 2 tbsp of the reserved fish oil and add the rest of the sliced onions to the sauté pan and sauté on medium heat it till it starts getting brown on the edges(about 8 minutes). Add the poppy seed – ginger garlic mixture, tomatoes, curd, lemon juice, pepper, salt, turmeric, biryani masala and the coriander, mint and curry leaves and mix thoroughly. Cook on medium heat for another 5 minutes till the tomatoes get cooked and everything comes together. Check the taste and add salt or lemon juice if needed. There should be some semi-thick gravy left. Take it off the stove.
6. Layering the Biryani: Lay the fried fish fillets gently on the gravy, taking care not to break them. Spread a bit of the gravy around it. DO not stir as it would break up the fish. Spread the cooked rice over the fish and garnish with the onions, raisins and cashews. Now pour the ghee saved from the garnish frying and the oil remaining after the fish frying over the rice in a circle. Pour 2 tsp lemon juice over it. Now cover with a lid and set it back on the stove over high heat for 6 minutes and then on very low heat for 10 minutes. Turn off the flame and let it remain covered for another half hour.
Alternately, you could layer the fish and gravy and rice and garnish as described above in a oven proof dish and bake at 250 degrees for half hour. Mix the rice with the fish masala gently and serve.
Serve with coconut chutney (biryani chammandi), Onion relish (Ulli surka), Yogurt and Papadam.
This is how the rice looks after being mixed together with masala.
Related Links: RP's Fish Biryani

Comedy guy makes bollywood funny

Check out how this guy makes the bollywood songs we take for granted look absolutely corny!

Spring Is Almost Here.....and So Is A New Tamil Portal

Photos of the tree in my yard which heralds the onset of spring. The pink blooms erupt first from the buds in the branches and then slowly fall off making way for the leaves. The whole display lasts only for a couple of weeks but we eagerly anticipate it every year! See how the flowers are almost out of their buds..

On another note, sometime back we had started an Essence of Kerala Cuisine site for referencing all the various Kerala recipes blogged so far. Revathi and Prema have similarly indexed the Tamil recipes from the bloggers into a Tamil Cuisine Site making it easier for someone searching through the familar and unfamiliar recipes in different sites. (No more trying to remember whether the recipe I liked was a kuzhambu or poriyal and then going through all the sites I know.)
Any blogger posting authentic Tamil recipes can send the links to them at the new site.

Hmm.. Now who is going to make the other portals?

Bhindi Ki Subji/Stir -Fried Okra

Okra is one of the highly misunderstood vegetables. Tossed aside as a slimy gooey vegetable, best known for thickening Gumbos and soups here, you have to eat it in its crispy form to appreciate it. The only problem is getting the okra at the right level of ripeness. They are best at the 2-3 inch size , not too thick and not hard to touch. My mom used to snap off the ends of the okra to check the freshness. If they cut off easily, they are and if they bend without snapping off, better look for another vegetable for dinner.
I can't do the snap and bend routine here so its just eyeballing that works. At the Indian Grocery here, it is a common sight to see 2-3 women or men hovering around the okra counter, sifting through, trying to find the smallest and youngest. They dig deep, they dig far into the pile, hoping to find more. There is a slight edge to their glance as one more person joins in the treasure hunt and the pace quickens. If you steady your gaze and continue searching, the best ones will be in your bag.:)

Okra with raita is summer for me, spicy, crunchy and cooling. That was my favorite lunch coming home from school. I love it with hot rotis and cold cucumber raita. And now since summer is still dancing just around the corner, an okra- roti meal may work to hasten the approach.
Try to use tender thin okras which do not have thick seeds as they don't cook easily and tend to get hard. Traditionally, this should be made in an open pan in as much oil as you like.:)There are oven methods to make it with less oil, but for this taste of summer, do it the proper way.

You Will Need:
Okra-1 pound(1/2 kg)
Dried Mango powder (Substitute with 2 tsp lemon juice)-1/2 tsp
Ground Roasted Cumin -1/2 tsp.
Turmeric-1/4 tsp
Coriander Powder-1/2 tsp
Red Chili Powder-1 tsp (more or less as you like it)
Salt to taste.
Oil for frying-3-4 tbsp
Garam Masala: 1/4 tsp
Cilantro leaves- 1/4 cup chopped
lemon Juice-1/2 tsp

Preparation:
1. Wash the okra well and dry each one with a paper towel or kitchen towel till its is absolutely dry. Cut them into small circles and keep aside. Mix all the powders (except the garam masala) with 1 tablespoon water.
2. Heat half the oil in a non-sticky pan and stir fry the spice powders on low heat till it smells good. Add the cut okra and stir well for about 2-3 minutes on high heat till the lacy threads of the okra leaves it. It is important to do this on high heat. ONlY after that, add salt and cover and cook on medium heat for 4-6 minutes. Open and taste. If it is cooked, now increase the heat, add the rest of the oil and saute it on medium high heat to dry it out and make it crispy.
3. At this point , if it is sticking to the pan, add some more oil. When it looks sufficiently brown, remove from flame and sprinkle garam masala and cut coriander leaves.
If you have the patience to hover around the stove top with constant monitoring and stirring, you can reduce the oil.
This serves 2-3 people depending on how much they like bhindi.

Happy Vishu!

Vishu Ashamsakal to all my readers and fellow bloggers. Vishu denotes the first day of the Malayalam month, Medam (Aries) and is celebrated with much fanfare throughout the state. Keralites place much importance to the Vishukkani, the first sight that strikes the eyes upon waking up on this day, believing it to influence the shaping up of the entire year.

According to the Kerala websites and wikepedia, the entire ritual has some unique facets; on the eve of Vishu, uncooked rice, a bolt of new cloth, a ripe cucumber, green mangoes, betel leaves, arecanut, jack fruit, a metal mirror, the yellow Konna (Cassia fistula) flowers etc. are arranged artistically in a shallow bell-metal vessel called an uruli which is placed in the prayer room. A lighted nilavilakku or traditional lamp is placed besides the uruli; each of the family members are roused from sleep by an elder and led with closed eyes to the prayer room, to open and view the auspicious uruli which symbolises prosperity throughout the year.

Vishu, is the Keralites’ way of wishing for prosperity that sticks throughout the year. The Keralites have an English(roman) as well as a parallel malayalam calender in each home, which mark out the months and star signs for each day.



Though I don't celebrate Vishu, I am too much of a Keralite to ignore it completely.
Traditonalists celebrate it with a sadya reminiscent of the Onam heavy duty sadya and payasams.

And today is a wet, gloomy Sunday with nothing much to look forward to. :(
Spring is still elusive and the we still can't get rid of our jackets.
So today after a hectic week long marathon in the office, it is time to celebrate the new year with a naadan lunch and a malayalam movie. So long to the frenzied slapdash dinners of the week. My spread is a rice meal with avial, olan, fish curry, fish fry and rice. The malayalam movie(or any other movie) is the equivalent of digestive tablet after a heavy meal on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Nothing like laughing to the slapstick comedy and double edged puns in the (mallu) movies to help digest the lunch. (I am not a die hard fan of the mallu movies, but I can appreciate some of them.;))
Mostly its lunch and a family movie on the holidays as one by one everybody drops off into blissful sleep.
So here we are with the whole deal. Most of you are already familiar with avial and olan and I hear groans.."not that recipe, it's what we make regularly"... but I am posting it anyway for anybody unfamiliar with it.

Avial/ Mixed vegetables in Yogurt.


Avial is a semi-dry preparation with mixed vegetables, held together in a yogurt-coconut base. Avial in my house is made with curd(yogurt) for sourness but there are versions (South-kerala)with mango or tamarind added instead of yogurt. The mix of vegetables is a combination of vegetables such as potato,yam, raw bananas and ashgourd, snake gourd etc.
Yam(Chena)-1 cup
Ash gourd(Kumbalanga)-1 cup
Raw Plantians/Bananas-2 nos
Drumsticks(Muringya)-2 nos
Potato-1 no
String or Yard long Beans- 1 cup
Carrot- 1cup
Green Chilies-4-5
Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
Curry leaves -one srig
Coconut oil-2tbsp
Sour curds-1 cup
Salt to taste

Grind to a paste : Coconut-1 cup
Green chillies-2 nos.
Cumin (Jeera) seeds-1 tsp.

Preparation:
1. Grind together the coconut, green chillies and cumin seeds to make a fine paste, adding very little water. Keep aside. Whip the curds into a smooth blend.
2. Peel and chop all the vegetables into similar sized 2-inch lengths.
3. Cook the vegetables separately with little water in a heavy-bottomed vessel.
You can cook the beans and carrots together, the soft gourds together and the potato and yam together. Keep an eye on the vegetables as they may need more water as they cook. Add the salt, green chilies and turmeric powder while cooking.
4. Mix all the cooked vegetables gently , taking care not to break up the softer vegetables.
5. Add the coconut paste and heat through, taking care to prevent curdling. Turn off the flame and add the curds/yogurt.
6. Add the coconut oil and curry leaves while the avial is still hot and mix well. Do not heat again. It stays well in the fridge for 2-3 days but does not take well to freezing.


Olan/ Black-Eyed Beans in Coconut Milk



Black-eyed beans-1 cup
Ash Gourd(Kumbalanga)-1 cup
Green chillies-3-4 nos vertically slit
Coconut milk-1 1/2 cups
Curry leaves-5-6 nos.
Coconut Oil-1 tablespoon
Salt to taste

Preparation
Cut the ash gourd into cubes after removing the skin.
Soak the beans overnight. Pressure cook the next day for 2-3 minutes after the whistle. The cooking time will vary based on how long they have been soaked. SO adjust accordingly.
Add chopped ash gourd, salt and slit green chillies. Cook with a little water. When the pumpkin and the beans are completely cooked, pour hot oil tempered with curry leaves into it. Add the coconut milk and simmer(not boil) for 3–4 minutes. Serve with rice.

Collard Green Thoran/ Stir Fry

You will need:
I bunch of Collard Greens
Shallots- 2 sliced
Whole Red chilies- 2
Red Chili Powder-1/4 tsp (optional)
Turmeric- 1/4 tsp
Garlic- 2 cloves
Coconut- 1/4 cup.
Mustard- 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste (use sea salt preferably)
Oil- 1 tbsp

Preparation:
1. Soak the greens in lots of water for 5-10 minutes to get rid of the sand. Wash it well under running water. Let it drain thoroughly. Optional, mop up excess water with paper towels. Remove the central thick stem and chop the leaves finely in ribbons.
2. Pulse the coconut, shallots and garlic together without water in a dry grinder till it looks scrambled.
3. Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard and then the whole red chilies. Fry till it turns translucent and then add the collard greens and turmeric. Add 2-3 tablespoons of water and keep the pan covered for over 5 minutes on low heat to wilt the leaves. They take longer to cook than regular greens so check the pan after 5 minutes and add water by spoonfuls if needed.
4. Make a well in the middle of the greens and add the coconut mix and cover it with the leaves. Let it cook uncovered on medium flame for another 5-10 minutes till all the water evaporates. Add salt and mix the coconut and leaves. Serve with rice.

Rich Chocolate Cake

I collect chocolate cake recipes like some one collecting coins or stamps. Both my mother and my mother-in-law have made an indelible impression on my son and he believes they make the best cakes. Can't dispute that, and I mostly make it their way. But I do try out every recipe that comes my way to see if it is any better.
This is my friend Asha's recipe for her favorite chocolate cake and of course I had to try it. Initially, the ingredients list daunted me and I held it thinking if I should cut down the butter or the sugar or both. The age of low fat cakes!!!An oxymoron!
Then I remembered an old Doordarshan (yes, I grew up in pre-cable TV era in India)serial where a couple made a dessert from grated carrot (Gajar Ka Halwa) from a cookery show, but substituted the Ghee(clarified butter) with oil, omitted the sugar as they were old and diabetic, and cooked the carrots in water instead of milk. Needless to say it tasted nowhere near a Halwa and they blamed the cooking show!
So this time, I made it with no substitutions, in its full fat form, resolving to eat less instead. You have to try it once. It has a melt in the mouth rich and moist quality,that I normally associate with only high end bakeries and patisseries.
I made it in the morning just before we left for Longwood Botanical Gardens in PA and could only take photos of it placed on the hood of my car on the garden's site map, so bear with the photos.The photos don't do justice to it and when I make it next, will certainly change it for a better shot. Thanks a lot, Asha, loved the cake.

You Will Need:
Sugar - 1 1/2 cup
Egg - 2
Butter - 1/2 cup (melted)or 8 tbsp
Cocoa Powder- 3 heaped tbsp.
Yogurt - 1 1/4 cup (in India, Nandini's or Nestle's 'set curd' works very well)
Soda Bicarbonate - 1 1/2 level. tsp
Sunflower/Canola Oil - 1/4 cup
Vanilla Essence - 1 tsp
Salt - a pinch (Don't add salt if the butter is salted)
Maida and/ or Whole Wheat flour- 1 1/2 cup(Mix half and half)
Walnuts/Almonds -1/2 cup ground to a powder

Preparation:
Sift the flour with the soda and salt (if using) and keep aside. Beat the eggs slightly and keep aside. Preheat the oven to 350 F or 175 C.
Powder the sugar and beat with the melted butter till the sugar dissolves. Touch it to see if there is any granular texture left. Add the eggs and mix well. Add the canola oil, cocoa powder,vanilla essence and yogurt one by one till well mixed. Use a whisk or a fork while blending. Add the flour slowly, blending it in as you go. Do not add at one go as it makes lumps which would be difficult to mix. The mix should be smooth textured and then add the ground walnuts. Adding it earlier makes it difficult to figure out if the batter is well mixed in or not.Do not over mix after the flour is added.
Prepare a baking pan (8x8 inch or cicular pan) with a coating of oil and then sprinkle a dusting of flour on it evenly. I use the disposable aluminium baking trays easily available at supermarkets.
Bake in the middle rack for about 35-45 minutes. It is cooked when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean and the whole house smells of cocoa and butter. Cool and cut into squares.

PHOTOS FROM THE LONGWOOD GARDENS, PA.

Spicy Fish Cutlet

One of my earliest food memory is of a 5-6 yr old(me) sitting on the kitchen counter, waiting for my mom to finish frying cutlets anxiously. I ate and sometimes fought with my brother for the first one. The first greedy bite almost always lead to a game of hot potato.. too hot to swallow and too good to spit it out. When I finally managed to taste it, I was making A-one signs with my hand to show appreciation. (A-one Sign: Hold your thumb ad forefinger together to form an "o" and raise the other three fingers up.)
Since then, cutlets are a comfort food, fried and spicy, but I need it really straight off the frying pan. Now my son and better half have taken over the baton of loving cutlets, whether its meat or vegetable or fish. And now I like making them than eating them, though I love them if someone else has made them and I am at the receiving end.

The fish cutlets are an oxymoron..fish is good for you, fried is bad for you..:)..but they are so easy to make here, as all the ingredients are straight from the pantry..canned tuna, potatoes, eggs, bread crumbs.. so they get made on a regular basis. My mom doesnt't use the canned tuna for the cutlets as there is a plethora of large fish around her in Calicut. The luxury! This recipe originated with my ma-in-law and now I have adopted it as my own. It is also a good dinner item..Slap it between two slices of bread with some dressing, salad leaves and you have a fish sandwich.
You will need: (Makes 14-16 cutlets)
Light Tuna Cans(in water or oil)- 2
White Potato-2 (Approx. 3 /4 lb)
Onions- 2 medium sized ones
Green chilies- 8 (use less or more as per taste)
Garlic- 2 cloves
Black pepper- 2 tsp
Biryani Masala/Garam masala- ½ tsp (optional)
Lemon juice- 2 tsp.
Salt to taste
Coriander/Cilantro leaves- 1 cup washed, dried and chopped finely
Canola Oil- 2-3 tbsp
Egg or 1 Egg white–1
Bread crumbs- 1 cup

Preparation:
1. Chop the onions, garlic and chilies finely into tiny dices. Open the can lid completely and press into the can and drain all the liquid away. If you are using the tuna packed in oil, drain the oil seperately and use half of that for frying the onions. Else use the canola oil.

If you are using fresh fish, use a larger fish such as Salmon, King Fish or Swordfish as they hold up well. Marinate them with a bit of salt and pepper, and place them in a pan with 1 tbsp of oil, covering the pan to steam cook them. Remove the skin and bones, flake the flesh and keep it ready.

2. Heat the oil in a shallow non-stick pan and add all the onions, green chilies and garlic. After a couple of minutes, add the tuna too. Keep stirring and slightly fry the ingredients till the tuna's can smell goes away and the onions reduce in size. Add the garam masala and salt. This should take about 6-8 minutes. Take care not to let the mix stick to the pan and not to add too much oil in the beginning itself. You can always add a bit more if it starts sticking.
3. After 15mins, take the mixture off the flame and add the lemon juice, and pepper. Adjust the seasoning.
4. Meanwhile, wash each of the potatoes, wipe them dry and cover with plastic wrap. Place them in the microwave and adjust the setting for the baked potatoes. All the potatoes can be cooked at the same time. Alternatively, the washed potatoes can be pressure cooked with ½ cup water for a single whistle.
5. Peel the potatoes and mash them with your hands/potato masher or the back of a spoon. There should be no lumps. Add the fish mixture to the potato, and add the chopped coriander leaves and salt. Mix and taste and add more salt or lemon juice if needed.
6. Make lemon sized balls of the mixture and shape it into an oval or round shape.
Beat the egg (You can use just egg whites too) with a pinch of salt. Keep a plate with bread crumbs also ready.
7. Dip each oval ball into the egg and then into the bread crumbs. Give it a final shaping. Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry the cutlets till brown on either side.

This is a slightly time consuming snack and works best in large batches, so I make them and freeze them for the days when we get home from work famished and raid the freezer for anything resembling food or for impromptu guests.

Freezing Tip: After shaping them with the bread crumbs, place them wide apart on a plate or tray and freeze them for at least 12 hrs. They will turn rock solid and will not stick to each other anymore. Then, you can seperate them from the plate and collect all of them in a ziplock freezer safe bag and store in the freezer for upto 2 months. When you need to use them, remove as many as you need, thaw them outside for an hour or microwave them for 20-30 seconds(more or less as per microwave)and then fry as usual.

JFI-Bruschetta With Tomatoes.

When the April JFI was announced by RP of My Workshop as tomatoes, my first reaction was a tangy sweet and spicy chutney but that I had blogged about last summer.I sat and day dreamed of my garden with big boy tomatoes, plum tomatoes, cherry tomatoes...and then looked outside at the swinging door to my forlorn and cold garden.
As I watched each of my fellow bloggers comes up interesting combinations with tomato, my mind was still stuck..Maybe a tomato tart that shows up in all the magazines in the peak of summer, or maybe rasam or maybe pasta sauce....But the days flew by and I was too lazy to cook up any of that. This despite using tomato almost every day! So today while I made my mid-noon snack of Bruschetta with a tomato salad and pondered, it struck me. What better way to highlight a tomato? All the freshness and the sourness of a tomato tempered with garlic and olive oil and allowed to soak into crusty bread!
For those who are unfamiliar with the term, Bruschetta is grilled slices of bread rubbed with garlic and topped with extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. The toppings can be spicy red pepper, fresh tomato, vegetables and/or cheese. Bruschetta is usually served as a snack or appetizer.
So without much ado, here is a simple recipe for the tomato topping for the tru tomato lover.
You will need:
2 ripe plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/4 tbsp finely minced garlic
2 tbsp cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 small loaf of bread(baguettes), cut in 1/2-inch-thick slices
2 cloves garlic, cut in half
salt to taste.

Preparation:
In a bowl, mix all ingredients except bread and garlic cloves. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside, unrefrigerated for at least 15-20 minutes. Heat oven to 350°F. Toast bread on a baking sheet till slightly crisp. Rub cut side of garlic on each slice; top with tomato mixture. Serve as appetisers or have as a snack.

Vegetable Kurma/Stew

Vegetable stew or kurma is an easy way to use up all the loose veggies languishing in your crisper and surreptitiously makes up the vegetable requirement in my family's meals. There are two kinds of vegetable stew. One that we make without any spice powders, getting its flavor from just green chilies, pepper and whole spices. That is off white in color and delicate in flavor best eaten straight off the flame with a spongy appam or puttu. Traditionally this is made with just potatoes and onions.

The other stew or ishtoo is a spicier version of the same, with an assortment of vegetables using coriander, turmeric and chili powders to give a depth of flavor and spice. My mother, being a purist would make the potato ishtoo over the vegetable stew, preferring the blend of coconut milk and potatoes to the myriad flavors of the vegetables. I prefer the spiciness to compliment the blandness of the puttu and to get vegetables in at one go. The choice of vegetables are usually potatoes, carrots, peas and beans, but you can also try with cauliflower, kovakka, ash gourd etc.

Now kurma is a similar in recipe to the stew except that I understand it uses ground coconut and not coconut milk. Being partial to the silken texture of the coconut milk and the vegetables suspended in it, this is my version of the kurma. Call it a veg stew or kurma, it goes well with any kind of flat bread.


You will need: For 4 servings
Onions- 1 small one
Green chilies – 4-6
White/Idaho Potato-1
Beans- 8-10
Peas- 1/2 cup
Cauliflower-1/2 cup of florets
Carrots-1 whole one
Tomatoes-1 small plum one
Garlic – 2 cloves (1 tsp)
Ginger- 1/2 inch piece (1 tbsp)
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder- 1 1/2 tsp
Black Pepper Powder- 1/2 tsp
Whole spices: 1”long Cinnamon stick, 3 cloves, 2 cardamom
Coconut milk- 1 1/2 cup
Curry leaves- a small sprig
Salt to taste
Oil-2 tbsp

Preparation
1. Wash and cut the vegetables into even sized strips or cubes. Slice the onions and green chilies. Grind the ginger and garlic into a fine paste. Grind the coconut and extract the second and first milk or use the coconut milk powder and prepare 1 ½ cup of coconut milk.
2. 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 and chilies.
3. Fry onions till just slightly transparent and immediately add the ground paste and fry it well. Keep stirring and add the spice powders and a tablespoon of water to avoid the spices from getting burnt. Cook this for a couple of minutes or so. The coriander has to be really cooked at this stage or gives a raw taste in the curry. Then add the potatoes, tomatoes and continue stirring. Add 1 cup of water (or the second milk of the coconut) and the rest of the vegetables and salt. Cover and cook till the vegetables are done. (10-12 minutes) Keep checking and add 1/2 cup more water if all the water has evaporated.
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.
Serve hot with pathiri, appam, puttu or just paratha.

Related Links: Kerala Kitchen's Korma is the traditional version with ground coconut. Vegetable Korma


Shown here are Kallappams, which I started making following Annita's recipe and I am in love with them. Appams are what I grew up with but now kallappams are a hot favorite in my house.
Just follow Annita's recipe for Kallappam. It is too good and easy to make in larger quantities than appams.

Show Me your Hot Plate Lunch

So what goes in each person's lunch box everyday? How many of you prefer to take lunch from home and how many of you prefer eating out? What do you take for lunch?Would you mind leaving a comment for lunch box ideas?
Meeta at the Daily Tiffin had made an event out of it "Show us your lunchbox" and it would be great if we can make it a full blown event.
So let me know if you guys still want to participate.
These are a series of simple lunch boxes that was made for my cafeteria phobic first grader. He threatens to pack a peanut butter and jam sandwich by himself if I don't give him a lunch box.:) I am enjoying this till the day he turns around and says he doesn't want my food anymore. I am sure middle school will soon lure him away from home food.
So today its just a bagel, a kind of thick bread with flavored cream cheese and some strawberries and grapes.
Read More Here..
Update 3/24/07
As some of the ladies who finely lunch at home (making me envious) we can change the contributions to show me your hot plate lunch. Will I get any contributers?

Paneer Bhurji/ Scrambled Eggs with Paneer

This is one of my favorite recipes with paneer. Paneer is a kind of homemade cottage cheese made from cow's milk. It is made by boiling milk and then adding vinegar or lemon juice to the simmering milk which seperates the cheese in the milk from the whey. Then the cheese is drained and weighed down to remove as much of the water as possible. This cheese was made at home all the time, but I usually just buy it from the Indian store. It doesn't taste as good as the homemade one but making it at home needs constant attention. So for those who want to try it at home, here is an excellent recipe.

So about this recipe. No, it does not have a rich and creamy sauce such as Paneer Makhani or Shahi Paneer that paneer is more commonly reputed for. It's just a simple stirfry of scrambled paneer and eggs in such a way that you wouldn't be able to distinguish where one ends and the other starts.

Now since paneer is an acknowledged warehouse of cholesterol, it is no longer is welcome in my house(except on special occasions). So we modified and switched to Tofu (paneer made out of Soybean Milk)and instead of whole eggs, you could even use one egg and then egg whites. If you are not a fan of tofu, you won't appreciate the substituted taste and will miss the richness of the paneer. But it is a good way to get your family to eat tofu.

So try it with paneer first and then do your substitutions. Do try it with roti for a simple side dish for dinner and add any peppers/capsicum you like to add more veggies into it.

You will need:
Paneer or Tofu- 100 gm
Onions – 1
Green Onions (Scallions)- 3 stalks
Eggs- 2
Green chilies-5-6
Ginger Paste-1/2 tsp
Garlic Paste-1/2 tsp
Tomatoes-2 medium ones
Red Chili Powder-3/4 tsp (less as per taste)
Turmeric- 1/2 tsp
Cumin Powder- 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder-1/2 tsp
Garam Masala- 1/4 tsp
Cilantro Leaves- ½ cup washed and chopped.
Salt to taste or ½ tsp
Oil- 3 tbsp
Preparation:
1. Crumble the paneer into small pieces by hand and keep aside. Finely chop all the ingredients. Mix the eggs and keep aside.
2. Heat the oil in a non stick sauté pan and stir and fry the onions, green chilies and the chopped white part of the scallions on medium heat for about 5 minutes till it turns lightly golden. If you are using the cumin seeds instead of the powder, that should be sizzled in the oil before adding the onions. Add the ginger garlic paste, turmeric, red chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and sauté till the raw smell disappears. Add 1 tbsp of water if it is sticking to the pan. This should take about 2 minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes and let it cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat till the tomatoes start breaking down. Cover the pan to speed up the cooking but then reduce the heat. Open and adjust seasoning. Add 1 cup water if it is too dry. Cover and cook until the oil separates in the pan.
4. Add the salt and crumbled paneer pieces, and sauté for a minute or two till everything blends well. Adjust the seasoning at this point.
5. Now add the egg mixture with one hand, stirring all the while with the other hand to avoid setting in a piece. The egg will evenly coat the paneer or tofu pieces. Keep stirring for just one minute more and then turn off the flame. Add the chopped green part of the scallions, sprinkle garam masala powder and add fresh chopped cilantro. Serve hot with Rotis.

A Portal For Kerala Recipes

How do you keep track of a recipe that you saw and liked? Long time after the recipe was posted, how do you locate it if you wanted to refer to it? I use Delicious but when I am in mallu cooking mode, I lose patience digging through all the recipes.

So, some time ago, RP of My Workshop and I started a time pass project of collecting all the Traditional Kerala recipes posted in all the blogs and then cataloging them. Kind of a one stop portal to all the different categories in Kerala cuisine.
We called it the Essence of Kerala Cuisine as it only deals with traditional recipes that are indigenous and essentially what Kerala food is all about. It would be great if we could do it for all the different regions but we just started with what we were familiar with.

It is just an index blog with links so you would not be able to leave comments or feedback on it. You could leave a message in our blogs or our email id if needed.
We made a simple logo (shown above) linking back to the site and it is available to all the bloggers who would like to add it to their blogs. Let us know if you need the code for it.

Additionally it would be so..oo..oo helpful if the mallu bloggers would send us a permalink of their post each time they post something belonging to tradional Kerala Cuisine, so that we can update the link list.
So let us know what you think of this index.... Essence of Kerala Cuisine.Is it Helpful or not?

Cream of Asparagus Soup

You will need:: 2 servings
1 lb green asparagus
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 tbsp unsalted butter or olive oil
2 1/2 cups chicken broth or vegetable stock or 1 1/2 cup water.
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice.
Salt to taste

1. Cut the thick stalk tips from the asparagus and chop the rest of the stalk into 1 inch pieces. Cut and reserve a couple of the tips for garnish. Cook the tips in boiling water till tender and keep aside.

2. Cook onion in butter in a heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Add asparagus pieces and salt and pepper to taste, then cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Add the broth and simmer, covered, until asparagus is very tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Alternately, just use a pressure cooker and cook for one whistle.

3. Puree the soup in batches in a blender until smooth, transferring to a bowl and return to the pan. Use caution when blending hot liquids as they tend to splash. Stir in the milk, then add the cream and more broth to thin soup to desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Add lemon juice after the soup is removed from the flame and has slightly cooled. Alternately, you could add a spoon of plain yogurt for the sourness. Garnish with asparagus tips.
This tastes the best when fresh and doesn't hold up well in the refrigerator.

Flavored Cream Cheese

What's not to like about Cream Cheese on toasted bagels or bread?
My workplace has a tradition of one of us bringing in bagels and cream cheese for breakfast for everyone. We get it from a nearby bakery where the bread and bagels are made fresh on its premises daily. As you walk in, the aroma of freshly baked bread wafts all around you tantalisingly luring you to buy some even if you just went in for a cup of coffee.
They have a display counter (similar to ice cream tubs under a glass case)with endless varieties of cream cheese to choose from. Some very interesting flavors such as strawberry, scallion, maple pecan, olive and some very peculiar (unless you are inclined towards that)such as smoked salmon, anchovies. So each time, we linger over the choices finally settling for one trusted and one adventurous flavor.
After trying out some of those on a regular basis, it just didn't feel right to settle for plain cream cheese at home and that's how the blending started at home.
So here are four different flavors that I like but this is just the tip of the iceberg. So if you have your favorite recipe for a flavored cheese that you have blended, write in and I will add that here.
Preparation: All of them start the same way. Leave a tub of cream cheese outside the refrigerator for about 10-15 minutes to help mixing in. All the ingredients have to be chopped into even and extremely tiny pieces so that the cheese coats it evenly. These blended cheeses will stay fresh for a 3-4 days(except the ones with onions) but I prefer it fresh so I don't keep it for so long. How much you make is based on how much gets used up at a sitting. The proportions are just indicative and feel free to change as per taste.

1. Spicy Jalapeno-Olive:
For the days when you need to kickstart your day..
Cream Cheese: 3 tbsp
Pickled Jalapeno Slices( or fresh green chilies)-3-4
Green Olives-3-4
Finely chop the olives and chilies and use a fork to mix it with the cheese. Add a couple of drops of lemon juice if it looks too thick. The pickled chilies have their liquid so you may not need any more.

2. Walnut-Raisin:
Hmm.. my favorite when I have a sweet tooth..
Cream Cheese-3 tbsp
Walnuts- 1 1/2 tbsp
Raisins/Cranberries/Dried Cherries- 1 1/2 tbsp
Maple Syrup/Honey- 1 tsp
Chop everything finely and blend. The Honey helps in making it a spreadable mix.
This stays well in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

3. Vegetable Spread:
A healthy serving of veggies in the morning..
Cream Cheese-3 tbsp
Carrots finely diced-1 tsp
Cucumbers- 2 tsp finely chopped without the seeds.
Chopped Onions- 1 tsp or substitute with scallions(spring onions)
Chopped Cilantro/Parsley- 1/2 tsp
Green Chilies(optional)- 1
Lemon Juice- 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste.
Mix everything together. Take care to scoop out the seeds of the cucumber before dicing as it adds too much water.

4. Sundried Tomatoes:
This is for a true Italian food lover. The flavor of the sundried tomatoes is very strong in this so try it if you like that pungency.
Cream Cheese-3 tbsp
SunDried Tomatoes- 2 tbsp
Dried Basil- 1tsp
Red Chili Flakes(optional)- A pinch
Salt
Blend the sundried tomatoes to a paste in a chopper. Add the rest of the ingredients and adjust taste. Use vinegar if it is too bland to add moisture and sourness.

5.Herbed Cheese:
Sorry, no photos on this one.
Cream Cheese-3 tbsp
Chopped Cilantro or Fresh Parsley- 2 tbsp
Chopped Mint-1/4 tsp
Lemon Juice- 1/2 tsp
Black Pepper-1/4 tsp
Salt to taste.
Blend the ingredients by hand and adjust taste.

Related Links: Some time back, Akshayapatra had blogged about flavored butters here.

And while you are all thinking of summer vacations and planning trips to India, I just wanted to bring to your attention a wonderful resort, Over the Hill, in Kerala designed and managed by my friend and her husband. It is located in Poovar, 30 kms from Trivandrum airport in Southern Kerala. Do check it out.

Pecan Pie and An Anniversary

It has been one year since I started blogging and I just can't believe it! What seemed so much effort in the beginning is becoming second nature now.. presentation, photos and writing. It is definitely the fact that all of you read and respond that makes a difference to my day.

I started blogging to get over some personal issues which now thankfully are in the past. But in the journey, I am so glad to have made so many new friends, both fellow bloggers and readers who leave a comment. I also renewed some friendships from my college days which had got covered with dust over time as we all got busy in our lives.
So to thank you all, I present an easy celebratory dish.. The Pecan Pie. It is a foolproof dish (especially if you can buy frozen pie crust), filled with nuts stuck in a gooey caramel like base. It is decadent enough to make you crave for it long past the taste is gone. I first had it during Thanksgiving from my better half's office bakery and then had to try it. It is so easy to make that if you like nuts, you will love it as a dessert or as a mid day unhealthy snack.:)

The recipe I used to use came from the back of a corn syrup jar, but recently I found this recipe at Simply Recipes,(A great site for all kinds of recipes) which called for less sugar and turned out really good. So here is the recipe reproduced.
You will need:
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup light corn syrup( substitute recipe here)
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp molasses or maple syrup
2 Tbsp melted butter
2 Tbsp flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups pecans, coarsely chopped (substitute with walnuts)

1 9-inch pie shell, chilled for an hour if freshly made, defrosted for 10 minutes if frozen. (See pie crust recipes.)
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Spread pecans along the bottom of the pie shell. Mix the remaining ingredients and pour over pecans. The pecans will rise to the surface of the pie.
2. Bake at 375°F for 45-50 minutes until the filling has set. About 20 minutes into the cooking you may want to use a pie crust protector, or tent the edges of the pie crust with aluminum foil to prevent the pie crust edges from burning.
3. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

Serves 8.Serve with ice cream or by itself.

Yahoo Apologises!

In their words..."Yahoo respects the blogging community and the etiquette followed by bloggers. We regret any inconvenience caused by the inadvertent posting of the recipe without attribution."
Yoohoo! Read the article here!

A New Template?

I have been thinking of changing my template for some time..You know how it feels when your hair gets too long and you badly want to chop off the extra locks..But having had the old one for so long, am not sure which way to change. My family was saying the blue is too dark a background and not easy to print the recipes and so forth..
But this new template feels like too much hair has been cut off.
So please give me feedback on which one was more appealing to you as a reader. Those of u who already voted for the old one,I have ur comments in mind..
C'mon , take a minute and leave a comment.

Update 3/8/07
Phew! I felt bombarded by the comments requesting my old template back. It was great to make all my lurking non commenting readers leave a comment. :)Thanks!!Alright, I give in. Till I figure the correct color combination, I will keep the layout the same. One of the comments(Mathy) asked me to go with the "KISS" philosophy, which I was unaware of and my better half explained it to me as "keeping it sweet and simple". So though I still want to change the background color, for now, let me get back to posting instead of tinkering with the template.

Remove Plagiarism -- March 5th

Artists are always being maligned, copied and heartlessly made fun of, their artistic skills taken for granted and not duly appreciated till the world decides to take notice. Now we may not be world class artists but I believe anyone who writes on their own, pulling a thread of imagination from their endless experiences, looks at things differently and presents a new view to the world is an artist. Food Bloggers may be ridiculed but till you can do the same, don't take them for granted.

To present food as a piece of art, to painfully test and write down long lost recipes till now only handed down from mother to daughter and allow future generations to have a chronicle, a handbook is an act of selflessness. We don't have to do what we do,we do not make any money out of this and other than a creative staisfaction, we get nothing.

To put up a website for commercial success, to blatantly copy from a blogger's site or to post material provided by vendors, without verifying their sources and then to hide behind a veil of corporate jargon is an act of selfishness. This is what Yahoo! India has done and you can read about it more here.

It is not the first time, as it has happened before to other bloggers as described here and here. I won't be surprised if my recipes also get copied in the future.

But to see Yahoo! do it is akin to supporting plagiarism and not promoting creativism. With all respect, it is undermining the good faith Yahoo! has developed over the years and it hurts. The next time we accuse a plagiariser, they are sure to retailate using "If Yahoo can do it, so can I". Lead by example and we would look up to you.

In the long held tradition of a co-ordinated March, I too have decided to join the protest coordinated by Inji Pennu or Ginger and Mango and a few others. An apology is the least we expect to redeem our faith in the leaders of the internet movement.

Grapefruit In Two Ways

Grapefruit With Honey.
From later winter to early spring, grapefruits are in season. Grapefruit is an excellent source of vitamin C,vitamin A, folate, potassium and fiber. The rich pink and red colors of grapefruit are due to lycopene, a tumor fighting chemical. It is also helpful in lowering cholesterol and clearing the liver and has endless other benefits.

Till recently I wasn't a great fan of grapefruit, associating it with a lingering bitterness. But a friend suggested honey with it and it worked. A drizzle of honey takes away the bitterness while adding a pleasing sweetness. I got hooked on its extreme juiceiness and now my better half got me a huge(!!) bag of grapefruits from our friendly neighbourhood retailer!

Cut the grapefruit into halves vertically. With a very sharp knife and concentration, carefully cut each half into 3-4 slices and cut away the skin. Cut further into pieces. When they are all ready, drizzle honey and let it rest for 10 minutes or so. Enjoy!


Fruit Salad/ Fruit Chaat
A whole bunch of fruit cut up into equal sized dices. The combination can vary as per the mood. I used 2 bananas, 1 grapefruit, 1 apple, some mango cubes and plums. You could use kiwis, strawberries, guava etc too.
The whole flavor is brought together by chaat masala, a pungent blend of spices such as dried mango powder, black salt, cumin, ginger etc. Since my better half is averse to dried mango powder( he can sense it a mile away and scrunches up his face), I just add my spices.

The juices from the grapefruit is sour enough to replace lemon juice. So sprinkle some red chili powder, cumin powder(roasted), sea salt, ginger powder(very little) and drizzle some honey. Adjust the spices as per your taste..more sour, more spicy.. Alternately you could use any store bought chaat masala or make one of your own and keep as per this recipe.

Just salt, sugar and red chili powder also tastes good. I used to mix semi ripe papaya (or mangoes) with tamarind extract, chili powder, sugar and salt and eat till my stomach gave in.:) Now I limit myself to this light dressing. The fruit chaat tastes best after it is just dressed with the spices so don't let it sit. Add the spices just before serving.