Spicy Chilly

Karakkuzhambu -The Chettinad way.

2008-06-30T22:54:00.003+05:30

Who can say a ‘no’ to this spicy, tangy Chettinad Kara Kuzhambu or Vathal Kuzhambu?
With the medley of garlic, onions, vatral, the aromatic Kuzhambu proves to be a feast by itself and is also known as Poondu Vengaya Kuzhambu.The yummy gravy goes well with steamed rice, dosa, idly or with any main food.

This is for Sig, who hosts JFI-Tamarind for the month :).

Ingredients:
Gingelly seed Oil-A tbsp
Garlic- peeled- ½ cup(slice length wise into halves if the pods are large)
Shallots/small onions-sliced into halves1/2 cup
Dhania powder/malli thool-1 tbsp
Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
Kuzhambu milagai thool-I use Aachi brand to get that distinct Chettinad flavour- 1 tbsp
Tamarind- a small lime sized ball
Salt-to taste

To Season:
Gingelly seed Oil-1 tbsp
Mustard seeds
Urad dal or Bengal gram dal-a tsp
Methi seeds-1/2 tsp
Dried Sundakkai or Manathakkali Vatral(optional)- A tbsp
Curry leaves-a sprig

Method:
1. Soak tamarind in half a cup of warm water and extract juice as thick as possible.Keep aside.Generally I use a little aged tamarind, blackish brown in colour.This enhances the taste of any Kuzhambu and gives that blackish brown colour too.

2. Heat oil in a thick bottomed deep vessel. Sauté garlic and onions till they turn golden brown, say for abt half a minute. Add tamarind extract followed by the 3 powders.(you can also use sambhar powder or just chilly powder instead of Kuzhambu milagai thool.)Mix well to avoid any lumps. Add salt. Bring this to a boil and reduce flame to simmer till it reduces to a semi-thick paste.Refer picture for consistency.If you prefer a little watery, take off from fire a little earlier, accordingly.

3. In a separate kadai, heat oil, season with mustard seeds, urad or bengal gram dal & Methi seeds. Sauté Vatral of your choice for 3-5 seconds and throw in curry leaves. Pour over to the Kuzhambu, bring to another boil, mix well and remove from fire.

Note- Keep the pan open till it cools down.(If the pan is closed the kuzhambu turns more watery by the evaporated water dripping in from the inside of the lid).This has a good shelf life and stays well for even a month if refrigerated. Dilute with warm water to make instant kuzhambu or mix with hot rice to make the Kuzhambu sadam, a yummy and simple pack away lunch.If you need to place this as a preserve, definitely add liberal amounts of oil while seasoning, as seen in the picture.

Back, after the Summer Break!..

2008-06-22T13:28:00.010+05:30

After being almost out of blogging for about 3 months, it required much effort, to shake away the so called 'laziness' and pull myself back in :)....I know I'd not been doing justice with my posts, but for sure had been doing my best, responding to each and every comment dropped any where here and to those ‘concerned’ mails I’d been receiving from my lovely friends..each of them making me feel proud and special; the way one would feel, when you induce someone with that feeling, that you're ‘missed’!!.. Thanks a ton, friends…

After the round up of Arusuvai, in the month of April, I'd been away to my native, for my sister’s wedding. Should admit the fact, that I enjoyed each and every moment, taking up the responsibilities, even though turning green every now and then when 'the bride at home' was found busy shooting around dishes and blogging in a cool and easy way..;)..but believe me, she proved to be smarter by treating the family, by cooking up all those wonderful dishes from the blogs which I had book marked and would have never tried otherwise!!!...:)

Month of May proved to be pretty eventful as we had the great “Chennai Bloggers Meet” on the very first day. Since I was the last one to turn up for the meet, I'm the last one spared to mention about it too ;)…I have an excuse for that too coz I was away holidaying with my family to Scotland till the month end..

June?..well, children back to school, weddings, lots of travelling, had been keeping me occupied….
Did all the above explain my reasons for not blogging so far, ?? :D..

I'm grateful to my wonderful pals for having considered me, even during my 'hibernation period', to gift me with these cute awards..

From the talented, smart n efficient blogger, Srivalli..

From the cute, loving n affectionate blogger, Nanditha..

From the sweet, affectionate n caring, Suma..

Hugs to you, girls!! :)..

So, where’s the recipe now???
Err.. hmm…may I postpone it to my next post, pls???
.. coz I’m still not away from a few important commitments that might slow down blogging for a while, again..

The Birth of Arusuvai - an inside story and the participants in India!...

2008-04-05T09:36:00.025+05:30

Arusuvai, the friendship chain is known to most of us by now, spreading its wings reaching each and every eagerly waiting blogger with pleasant surprises and budding new friendships.

I would like to share a few facts about Arusuvai.

The Birth of the Chain

The Amish friendship chain started by Mandira of Ahaar was in its peak in the US in mid 2007.Unfortunately the bloggers residing outside the country could not be a part of this great chain.This made us think, why not we start a chain like this in India as well??..

The idea sparked in the month of Oct when Bhags sent a packet of yeast to Nags quite casually as a mark of friendship, where I noted Lakshmi’s comment mentioning her need to start a friendship chain.The very next moment I found out the mom n daughter’s profound interest to put a start of the same, in India. Mails sped to and fro. Lakshmi was up with the logo and Lathamma,who beautifully named the chain 'arusuvai', was all set to send her surprise packets to Renuka and me!. Soon the first packages were on its way in the very first week of Nov’07!..which reached us on the Diwali eve…

As anyone would have easily noticed, most of the active Indian food bloggers reside outside India.We hoped this chain would bring out the bloggers in India to identify one another and develop a network of friendship and fun.For this reason the chain was restricted to the mother land, initially.
To our surprise we met with many interested bloggers from different parts of India, eager to join with amazing co-operation!..

Co-ordination of Arusuvai

This had been the most important, difficult, time consuming yet interesting part of the whole episode.
Lakshmi and Lathamma were on a break. However, initially the chain went well with the predominant bloggers who knew one another. One more month to go and there was scarcity of recipients as many of the bloggers confronted with the same problem- who to send next??..

Srivalli, held out both her arms now and needless to mention, she did an amazing job of searching and fishing out interested bloggers, co-ordinating the donors on one side and the recipients on the other.This was indeed the most hectic job which both of us did willingly and sincerely to our extend.We merged perfectly, every where!.

Five months have passed since the start and Srivalli and myself have exchanged at least 500 mails pertaining Arusuvai co-ordination!!(no exaggeration here:))

We feel proud to have identified about 50 food bloggers residing in different parts of Hindustan and successfully bringing them together with the help of Arusuvai.

The Arusuvai Participants in India

By stating so I really do not mean to segregate the bloggers residing in India and abroad.The truth is that I was unable to keep a track of the donors and the recipients in the US, as you girls proved to be ‘ultra fast’ and ‘extra smart’ :D.

The Arusuvai Team is grateful to all the participants contributing their parts, supporting the chain in India and abroad.Your deep interest and gorgeous support are undoubtedly the simple reasons of this great success..making each link of the chain, strong and rigid!!

Below is the list of participants in India..

Lathamma- Renuka & Bharathy

Renuka - Srivalli & Arundati Rao

Bharathy - Lissie & Lakshmi

Srivalli - Anita & Kamini

Lissie- Rachel & Lathamma(back)

Lakshmi - Raaga & Nags

Nags - Bhags

Raaga - Nanditha Iyer

Rachel- Shella

Bhags - Kajal & Sukanya

Anita- Reeta & Deepshika

Shella- Priyadarshini & Aparna

Kamini- Nirmala & Perspective

Kajal- Priya Mahesh

Nirmala - Jayashree M

Arundati Rao - Deeba & Gaurav

Deeba - Miri

Aparna-Bindiya Singh

Deepshika-Gayathri H & Nanditha

Sukanya -SMN

SMN - Manidipa

Gaurav - Jayasree

Jayashree - Kamalika

Jayasree- Sunshinemom

Miri - Ramki (transit)

Perspective- Simran(transit)

Kamalika - DG(transit)

Priya Mahesh-Archana(transit)

Archana- Swati(plan)

Ramki- Divya(plan)

Sunshinemom - Arundathi (plan)

While all of the 'women' came out with one great post each, this wonderful ‘Man’ rocked with three!!!

Click here, here and here for his 3 different creations with the same ingredient.

Three cheers to you Gaurav!..:)

And now, pls check here for Srivalli's version of round up! :)..

No words to thank Latha of Masala Magic for having initiated arusuvai in US…we are again much amazed to see how fast it keeps spreading there!!..

* A few bloggers are yet to come up with their arusuvai posts. I have linked their corresponding blogs instead.

A Year of Blogging and a Summer Break

By the way, it has been a year since I started blogging, today marking the first birthday.
Have not hosted any event so far.Not a hit of lakh , not even 100 posts!..
…Still I feel extremely happy, contended and proud to be in the team, initiating and co-ordinating Arusuvai!!..

Let me extend my very sincere gratitude to each n every visitor in this place and also to my dear readers dropping by with so much of encouraging words filling the comment boxes, backing me throughout, without which my days would never be complete...

Thank you ALL :)

And to quote last,

I will be on a summer break for a couple of months.
Miss you all !!

Happy Blogging!!

Love,
Bharathy :)

Mango Yogurt Smoothie

2008-03-26T18:05:00.008+05:30

We did have unexpected 'summer showers', quite comforting past week but the sun is back with all its vigour from today..

The Cocktail Lady hosting the 'Mixed Drinks' theme for MBP wants to blog the same, adapted from a fellow bloggers recipe:).....Sig, by hosting this particular event, you played wise here with lazy bugs like me who would preferably dig out something from the drafts to contribute to any event ;)..
I am extremely happy that I could step in the last moment since you’d liberally extended the deadline..:)

Well, I did have Ashaji’s Masala Chai on my mind for quite some time and discussed this with my sis and alas!.. she sent me pics mentioning she was all set to blog the same Chai as her second entry!..Now, all I was left with, were a few over-ripe mangoes in my fridge which made her point out a wonderful link the very next moment….

Thus, this Smoothie is adapted from Sailu’s recipe-Aam ki Lassi.

Surprisingly the mangoes with me seemed to be the same ‘Suvarnarekha’ variety she’d used for hers!..

Again, her combination of the drink proved to be just perfect and I followed blindly that yielded a soothing creamy drink for my children, esp for my daughter who helped me with the topmost picture here, and myself soon after the photography sessions :).

Karikku Dosa/ Tender-Coconut Pan cakes.

2008-03-23T19:44:00.015+05:30

Summer is just round the corner for us, residing in India.
The season of hot n fiery Sun…the season for holidays…the season for jack fruits, mangoes, water melons ...the season for chilled drinks…

The street vendor with his heap of tender coconuts, busy chopping the head off the fresh green coconut, a dent on top with a straw inserted and the thirsty pedestrian enjoying nature’s very own drink with that natural fizz, is a common sight, so enjoyable, here.Generally the vendor scoopes out the tender coconut with much expertise using that natural spoon; the earlier chopped green piece from the coconut, passes over to be eaten as a post-drink option :)...

At the comfort of the home, the soothing 'tender coconut water' gets consumed leaving behind the tender white flesh unconsumed. I mostly use them up for making these light and healthy Karikku Dosas for breakfast which take up comparatively amount of oil while cooking.

Srivalli, this is specially posted for your Dosa Mela :) .Hearty Congrats on your 1 Lakh mark!!.

Mansi - so sweet of you to approve this for WBB - Balanced Breakfast, you are hosting for the month..Thank you :)

Ingredients:

Raw rice- 3 cups
The white tender part, scraped out- from 4-5 tender coconuts
Cooking Soda- 1tsp
Sugar-15 tsps or 1/2 cup
Salt-to taste

Method:

Wash and soak raw rice for a couple of hours.Drain and grind the rice in a mixie along with the tender coconut with required amount of water to a batter (just as you prepare regular Dosa/Idly batter).

The next day morning add cooking soda, sugar and salt to the fermented batter. Add more water if necessary so as to make Dosas.Keep aside for 2 hours.

Heat griddle, grease all over and pour round the batter on it, not too thin. Close it with a lid.Let the flame be steady and medium.

Wait for a few seconds.Open the lid and ensure the top is cooked and soft.Do not turn over.Remove the dosa from the griddle.Repeat the steps for the following dosas. Serve hot with chutney of your choice.

Note: The process of fermentation works perfect with Indian climatic conditions ( just as for the batters of regular Idly/ Dosa) which require natural fermentation.Please proceed the same way to ferment the batter for Karikku Dosas as well, if you reside outside India, provided the temp conditions are different from that of India.

Recipe Courtesy-Mrs Beena Kannan, MD, Seematti Textiles, one of my relatives :).

Coconut-Red Chilly Chutney

You need:
Grated coconut- 1 cup
Tamarind paste- ½ tsp (or a one inch piece of fresh tamarind)
Dried Red chillies-4-5
Shallots-2
Ginger-half inch piece
Salt-to taste

To season
Oil-a tsp
Mustard seeds-1/4 tsp
Shallots-chopped very fine-a tsp
Hing-a fat pinch
Curry leaves-a few

Method:
Grind the Coconut, red chillies, shallots, ginger and tamarind together with enough water to make the chutney.
To season, heat oil in a small pan, splutter mustard seeds, fry till brown the shallot bits, add the hing and throw in the curry leaves.Pour this over the ground chutney and combine.Check salt and bring the the desired consistency by adding water if needed.Serve this with any Dosa or Idly.

Note:

While this dosa itself contains 'coconut' as one of its main ingredients, mostly a dip or a chutney that accompanies should be devoid of the same coconut. Anyway for a lady grown up in a land of coconut trees it's hard to resist coconuts here in the dip as well.This is a basic recipe of chammanthi in Kerala Cuisine.
But I would strongly suggest you to carry on with a dip of your choice.

This Fiery-red 'chilly-tomato-garlic' dip went very well with the Karikku Dosa.
As you see, this was shot in a careless way, casually while trying the irresistible combo and pls accept my apologies for not typing down the recipe, in this post ;) ..

Spicy Baby Potatoes

2008-03-13T13:40:00.007+05:30

In T.N baby potatoes are available almost year round while I still wonder to have never stumbled upon these cuties in my native place.

The magic of these spiced up potaoes is that, this goes well with almost all main dishes; be them Chappathis, Plain rice with Sambhar, Dhal, Theiyal or any kuzhambu or even with plain Curd rice..

The “hit-dish” in my family is named as Kutty Urulai Kara Curry , somewhere between a dry and a semi dry one.

Today I served this as an added dry side dish for peas pulao and cauliflower gravy.

Sia, here’s my Ode to Potato. It's already raining pototoes in the blogosphere for you and this is just a droplet!!!..

And before I get in to the recipe, I would like to sincerely thank Chithra for honouring me with the Excellent Award for this blog...very sweet of you, dear :)...

... now, back to the recipe..

You need:
Baby potatoes –1/4 kg
Oil-2 tbsps
Mustard seeds and urad dal-to temper
Big onions-diced to small pieces-1/2-3/4 cup
Garlic- minced fine-1/2 tsp(optional)
Sambhar powder-a spoonful and a half
Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
Water-2 tbsps
Salt-to taste
Curry leaves –A sprig

Method:
1. Wash the potatoes.Pressure cook till 2-3 whistles.Peel when cooled down and trasfer to a broad bowl.Let the potatoes be rightly cooked not too hard, not too soft.

2. Add the powders(sambhar, turmeric and salt) sprinkle water.Mix well to get the powders coated to the potatoes.Marinate for at least half an hour.

3. Heat oil in a wide non-stick Kadai.Splutter mustards,brown the urad dal,fry the onions and garlic till transparent.

4. Throw in the curry leaves and add the marinated potatoes.Mix well.Keep the flame to medium.Spinkle more water if necessary.When the curry gets really hot, lower the flame.

5. Cook open without a lid.When the water gets absorbed mix well.Check salt and let it get toasted for about 15-20 minutes.

6. Remove from fire when the spices are all coated well the potatoes acquire a deep brown colour with that toasted spicy finish. Serve hot.

The same dish with diced 'regular' potatoes and less onions. Served with steamed white rice, sambhar and rasam..

Substitutions:
1. Regular potatoes can also be used to make this dish. Pressure cook them with skin sliced to big chunks, peel off the skin once cooked and cooled and dice them to bite sized pieces and follow the above methods of preparation.

2. Instead of Sambhar powder you can use a mixture of ¾ tsp coriander powder + ¼ tsp jeera powder + 1/2 tsp chilly power. But sambhar powder gives the best balanced taste.

3. Play along with powders like curry masala, garam masala or a combo to get a varied taste preferably for Chapathis, Rotis, Pulao etc.

Sanjeevji Visits and Cooks for us!

2008-03-07T19:17:00.012+05:30

Yes!..this did happen very recently in the place I reside.
Was the whole town and its residents honoured, instead? As celebrities reach here not always and very rarely does the place entertain any classic programmes.

The all women’s forum into which I am in, made this possible.
We were fortunate enough to have spent 5 long hours with this celebrity who in turn did a few rocking demonstrations with his recipes and finally interacted with us.

All the time while cooking, one could see the never fading smile on the gourmet king’s face, explaining things in a casual and humorous way.Now and then he sought help from one or two ladies from the audience to create an added spirit and made them smile while helping with cooking too :). Anupa Das, who assists him with his preparations during culinary shows was present as well. She is associated with Khana Khazana catering unit of Sanjeevji for three years!..

The Demo cooking were with the recipes,

Kesari Phirni
Mango Cheese Cake
Prawn Balchao Golgappa
Royal Hara Bhara Kebabs
and
Spinach and Mozarella Lasagna

A cute recipe booklet was handed over to us which helped us more to concentrate the show rather than busy jotting the recipes down.

Three of the cooked dishes were passed over to the audience garam garam and the remaining were reachable on the buffet table for lunch.Shall I mention, how they tasted ? ;)

The Connoisseur so cheerful!..

Getting ready with the Mango pulp for the Cheese cake.The Lasagna is getting baked in the Oven!..

Pose ‘Royal’ for the ‘Royal Hara Bhara Kebabs’..

Filling 'Phirni' in 'Matkas', carefully!..

The Interactive Session after the cookery show

To our surprise, the gourmet king was a warm and friendly person patiently listening and answering to each of our silliest queries with a smiling face together with that look.. “Great! that was indeed a real good question!.”

The quotes of the celebrity during the show, that lingers:-

1. Mom’s food is the best with the amount of love and affection that is poured in while cooking.

2. People try to bring the taste of a home made food to that of a restaurant or a hotel, while the great chefs in hotels try theirs, the best, to taste as home made!..

3. It is pathetic to note that in India, the uses of toxic chemicals as pesticides in fruits and vegetables is mostly left unchecked or banned.Thank the recent 'organic' farming methods. Only when you patronise organic vegetables will the cost of their production come down.More you buy them, cheaper they become!.

More about Sanjeevji here .
His official website is here.

'Kuzhi Paniyarams' for Breakfast…fortified!..

2008-02-28T22:49:00.007+05:30

“What shall I make you for breakfast?”, asks the young bride..

“Hmm... Kuzhippaniyaram and Varamilagai Chutney”, replies her beloved after a pause, pleasantly!..

The girl is perplexed. She confronts with these alien names for the very first time in her life time. Yet, tactfully hides her ignorance, repeatedly mumbles the names, not letting ‘em slip off her brain till she reaches her Ma in law, in the kitchen, downstairs.

The moment Ma hears the names,reaches out for a ‘specialised’ cast-iron griddle(now the girl is pleased-at least the griddle is familiar to her, which resembles the famous unniyappa-chatti of her place), mixes some rice flour to a bowl of Idly batter, seasons and carries on making the ‘alien’ main dish, with much expertise and ease, simultaneously instructing the girl, step by step, how to make the ‘ alien’ side dish!..

Fast forward a few years!..

The girl gets metamorphosed to a good cook(at least to her husband and in laws)…….

And here, she has modified the same main dish to a more healthy and appetising one, not compromising the authentic taste and quality, by adding a medley of minced veggies, preparing them in a non stick griddle which means less oil; gingelly or sesame seed oil.

Vegetable Kuzhi paniyarams

You need:

Idly/Dosa batter-a large cup
Finely minced vegetables of your choice(carrot, cabbage, peas,beans, shallots etc)-1/4 cup
Rice flour- to make the batter, thicker-1-2 tbsp
Sesame seed oil-to drop in the holes of the griddle
Salt-to taste

Method:

Mix rice flour,salt and minced vegetables to the batter.Let it be slightly thicker than the cake batter. Runny batter tends to absorb more oil.

Heat the griddle and drop(4-5 drops) oil into each hole. Fill 3/4th of each one with the batter. Keep the flame steady to low-medium.

Wait till the bottom turns golden brown(will take 2-3 minutes).Turn each upside down, carefully.Trickle a few drops of oil if necessary.Cook for another 2-3 minutes to get them cooked and turn over again if you like them more crispy. Remove and repeat the same with the next batch. Serve warm with chutney of your choice.

Kothamalli Chutney

The dip here is not with varamilagai(dried red chilles) as in the story, but a healthier susbstitute.

You need:

Grated Coconut-1/2 cup
Roasted gram/Pottukkadalai-1/4 cup
Coriander leaves/cilantro-1/2 cup
Green chillies-2-3
Salt-to taste
Water-3/4 cup or as needed

Temper the ground chutney with:

A tsp of refined oil, 1/4 tsp of mustard seeds and urad dal each, 2 pinches of hing powder and a few curry leaves. Do not boil or heat the chutney.Tempering should be done separately and poured over the chutney.

For Suganya who hosts WBB-Healthy Eats :)

Lemon Pudding

2008-02-23T20:03:00.005+05:30

The approaching hot summer, JFI-Lemon, non stop cravings for chilled tangy drinks and comforting desserts, a simple n cool recipe, all made me try out this easy breezy lemon pudding from here.

The recipe reproduced,(Serves 4)

3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 1/2 cups milk
3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
Pinch salt
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

Whisk the sugar and the cornstarch together in a medium saucepan. Add the milk and whisk until smooth. Add the egg yolks, zest, and salt and cook, stirring frequently at first and constantly towards the end, over medium heat until thickened enough to thickly coat the back of a spoon. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and butter. Pour through a strainer into a large serving bowl or 4 individual serving dishes. Let cool to room temperature. Chill, loosely covered, for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days, or until set and thoroughly chilled. Serve chilled.

The differences made with the actual recipe:-
When I boiled to cook the milk, cornflour and egg yolks, the whole liquid turned out to be a soft mass rather than a semi thick liquid as mentioned. So, I cooled down the mass, diluted with half a cup of cold milk and smoothened with a hand beater before chilling. Addition of lemon zest can be optional as it might contribute a bitter taste. Fresh lemon juice gives enough and more flavour and that citrus-lemony-tanginess to the dessert.

Goes to lovely n lively Coffee girl for JFI-Lime/Lemon.
Barbara, this is for you too, for the wonderful event of LiveSTRONG With A Taste Of Yellow :)

Prayers, Blessings and an Award…

2008-02-12T19:50:00.001+05:30

My Sweet friend, Nanditha passed me this very special wave of love, prayers and blessings, along with her thoughtful story about opening the gates of heaven, by unselfishness..

Neither like any tags out here, nor a meme, the rules are..
It’s a game of tag with a difference, rather than looking inwardly, we look outside ourselves and bless, praise and pray for one blog friend. By participating in this endeavor we not only make the recipient of the blessing feel valued and appreciated, but we are having some fun too. We’re going to see how far the bloggin’ blessings can travel around the world and how many people can be blessed! Recipients of a bloggin’ blessing may upload the above image to their sidebar if they choose to. If you receive a bloggin’ blessin’ please leave a comment on this thread here so that we can rejoice in just how many blessings have been sent around the world!

I am grateful to Nanditha for her waves of true love.I accept them whole heartedly.. and pass on to ,

Renuka-I pray for you, my friend..

Nags-who has to take up spl responsibilities, commitments and decisions very soon.May God bless you and lead you the right path..

Suma Rajesh-one of my sweetest blogger friends.Nandukka is passing her waves of love to you through me :)..

I am supposed to send to just 3!, even the tag is to one..

But I sincerely want to pass the prayers and blessings to each and every one of my dear blogger friends, who had been so loving and supportive so far..

I was surprised and overjoyed when dear Happy Cook passed over the Nice Matters Award..
Still not sure whether I deserve this cute award or not!..Thank you HC :)

I would like to pass the Award to:-

Asha-I have no explanations here!She is simply the 'Blogger Queen!':).
Asha, you might have received the same, still I need to pass along to you!..

Jugalbandi-Certain blogs are too good to just comment, pressing the key board buttons.Certain cooks are too good to be just appreciated by words…Pls accept my humble gift here, even if you have received earlier..

Srivalli-Most of us are great cooks.When a girl is up with regular food blog updations, hosts events, draws and blogs cartoon stories, co-ordinates arusuvai effectively while manging her 3 kiddos, the youngest being twin boys, taking care of her inlaws, working, …phew!!..don't you guys feel this is great?!!!.. and nice??..

Sig-My hometown gal who makes me drool and short circuits my key board:) in every lovely recipe of her’s( and yours too Siv:))

Lathamma-A Rocking Woman who blogs her homely, divine shots incessantly!.

Swapna-A sweet girl and a great cook, I discovered during my college days!..Her patience and flair for cooking had astonished me while working together in the homescience lab!..:)
A new blogger,who started right away after a few gentle pushes :)..

All of my friends here are nice and fabulous!..Since I had to restrict to a few, I’d done the same..so, no hard feelings pls :)..

Fish Curry with Coconut

2008-02-07T18:55:00.000+05:30

Here’s a simple curry any fish lover would vouch for.This very common dish was prepared during one of my recent visits to Kerala.The curry is as a result of the combined efforts of my mom who cleaned the fish, my sister who assembled the ingredients and helped me prepare the favourite and me who proceeded according to mom’s instructions.
Since my sis had blogged the recipe in hers, I don’t have to squeeze my brains to recollect the same and type again!.:)

Her recipe reproduced,(done with consent :))

We got ready with:

Kanambu Fish/Mullet (we used this) or any other medium sized fish - 1/2 kg

Coconut - 2 cups

Chilly powder - 1 tbsp

Coriander powder/malli podi- 2 tsps

Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp

Jeera powder - 1/2 tsp

Garlic - 4 cloves

Shallots/small onions - 4(to grind)+2(to temper)

Tamarind paste - 2 tbsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tspCurry leaves - 1 strand

Mustard and fenugreek seeds- for tempering

Oil - 2 tbsp

Salt - to taste

How we made it:

1. Grind coconut,chilly, coriander and pepper powders, garlic, shallots, turmeric and jeera to a paste with some added water.

2. Heat oil and crackle mustard seeds. Fry fenugreek for a while and add a couple of chopped shallots. Then add curry leaves.

3. Add the gound paste, tamarind salt. Half a cup water may be added at this stage if gravy is too thick. Boil for 2 mins.

4. Add the cleaned and cut fish pieces, close and simmer cook for 10 mins.

5. Serve hot with rice.

Vengaya Thokku / Ground and Spiced Onion Preserve

2008-01-30T21:11:00.000+05:30

Thokku is a version of semi-thickened preserve where the vegetable invoved is ground to a coarse or fine paste, sautéd in oil, spiced up and seasoned accordingly.Vegetables with relatively more water content is considered ideal for making thokku.The vegetable when ground brings out the water, the sautéing part reduces the water content and the oil for seasoning enhances the shelf life of the preserve.

Get ready with:

Shallots/Chinna vengayam/Small red onions-1/4 kg or 2 levelled 250ml cups
Tamarind-a medium lime sized ball
Red chilly powder-1/3 cup
Fenugreek or methi seeds/venthayam-1 tsp
Jaggery-1 tsp(optional)
Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp
Hing/Perungayam-1/4 tsp
Sesame seed oil/nallennai-1/2 +1/4 cup
Salt-A tbsp-more or less

To carry on:

1. Soak tamarind in just enough warm water for half an hour.Extract pulp as thick as possible.Keep this aside.

2. Heat a non-stick wok and dry fry the fenugreek/methi seeds till brown and aroma spreads, without adding oil.Powder and keep aside.

3. Peel the small onions.Grind to a coarse paste without adding water.

4. Heat ½ cup oil in the above non stick wok.Splutter the mustard seeds.Add hing and the onion paste, sauté till the water content is absorbed, the colour changes to darker brown and the oil separates.Add the chilly powder and mix well.Pour in the tamarind pulp, mix in jaggery, turmeric powder and salt.

5. Sauté again till the water content evaporates slowly, the gravy thickens and the oil separates again.Never close the wok or the pan during the preparation so as to facilitate the evaporation of the water content of the thokku as far as possible.

6. Sprinkle the methi powder and mix well.Remove from fire when the semi thick consistency is reached and add the extra ¼ cup if you need more oil to float.

7. Cool and transfer thokku in clean and dry bottles.The oil, should float at least a centimeter length, as the upper layer. Store in a cool and dry place. Refrigerate for a longer shelf life.

This goes to Radhika of Radhis Kitchen who hosts JFI-Onions for the month.

Small onions are highly suggested to make this preserve. Big onions may also be substituted, so as to avoid the hazzles of peeling and poor availability, but the taste does alter, and may have comparitively a lesser shelf life.

This is an excellent dip for Dosas and Idlies.A good accompaniment for plain rice too.

Tofu Sandwich

2008-01-25T21:04:00.000+05:30

How do you feel when you eventually succeed in trying out a special recipe which you had been nurturing and at the same time, postponing for simple reasons?..

Well, I was literally 'overjoyed' and at the same time, much 'self satisfied' the moment I tried out the classic recipe of Tofu Sandwich by Suganya. (Nowadays I am able to get myself relieved from her stunning pictorials and concentrate on her recipes, equally!..:))

I am not so good at taking efforts for trying out recipes from the blogosphere, but badly needed to give a shot at this one, mainly because of that simple selection and blend of the healthy n vegan raw materials, requiring no stove top hassles.

Suganya claims to have inspired from Tassajara, about this particular pick, and for this reason I disliked substitution of ingredients as much as possible.Neverthelessly,Dijon Mustard in the actual recipe was avoided due to unavailability and lemon extract was substituted for Red Wine Vinegar.

Sure to mention, the medley of minced vegetables; the crunchy onions, gingery, peppery bites in between and the crumbled Tofu soaked in Soy sauce contributed an irresistible burst of flavours while melting away in my mouth!.

Thank you, Suganya for clearing all my doubts which made this post, possible!.

Secondly I am grateful to Rajitha who hosts WBB-Soy for gently giving me that final push and opportunity to try out the same .:)

As per this Sweet gal's order, this should go to Pooja's Theme of the Week - Orange, White, Green event as well!..

"India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend and the great grand mother of tradition. Our most valuable and most structive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only."- Mark Twain.

Happy Republic Day to All Indians, World wide!..

Jai Hind!

Kappa Puzhukku / Mashed Tapioca with Coconut and Spices.

2008-01-22T18:46:00.001+05:30

Kappa or Tapioca is a staple food, any Keralite would reach for.Grown easily in his soil, a Keralite never feels tired of trying out the various authentic dishes.
Kappa puzhukku is one among them, where coconut and other spices blend along with the cooked tuber in a balanced way.

Wiki says, “Tapioca is a word derived from the Tupi language of Brazil (from tipi'óka).Cassava is native to South America.Cassava, often referred to as tapioca in English, and kappa or kolly or maracheeni in Malayalam, is a staple food. In Tamil, the roots of tapioca is called Maravallikezhangu.
In other parts of the world, the bitter-cassava plant may be called "mandioca", "aipim", "macaxeira", "manioca", "boba", or "yuca".

Kappa puzhukku goes well with Spiced up Meen curry without coconut.Vegetarians may have a variety of mulagu chammanthis, preferably coconut-less of their choice.The puzhukku as such has all the necessary flavours in it and can be had, as such too.

Cleaning and Cooking the Tuber.

Chop the tuber across to 2 or 3 chunks.Discard the outer brown skin.Remove the adjacent pinkish layer as well.Wash well.Boil in a large pot with excess water and drain away now and then.(Tapioca is said to contain a toxin which might be harmful and this process of draining becomes necessary for the safer side)Refresh with more water until it cooks soft.(I usually avoid the pressure cooker method which is simpler and resort to the direct cooking and draining method to avoid the presence of toxins as mentined above.)

Cooked Tapoica(after the above steps)-mashed to large lumps-2 large cups

To grind coarsely,

Coconut gratings-1/3 cup
Green chillies-4
Shallots/Ulli-3 nos
Garlic-1 clove
Cumin seeds/Jeerakam-1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp

To season,

Coconut oil-A tbsp
Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp
Red chillies-2 nos, broken to 3 pieces each
Curry leaves-A stalk

Preparation of Puzhukku.

Transfer the Tapioca lumps to a large pot.Add about 3/4 cup of water.Now add the coarsely ground ingredients to the pot along with.Stir well and bring to a boil.Keep the flame medium and then simmer till the semi thick consistency is reached.This will take not more than 20 minutes on the whole.(Add more or less water to adjust to the consistency of the dish.)When the dish cools down it tends to become thicker.

Heat coconut oil in a small pan,splutter mustard seeds and turn off the fire.The heat will be enough to lightly toast the red chiily pieces and wilt the curry leaves.Pour this over immediately to the Puzhukku and serve hot.If you are looking out for the recipe of the Meen Curry in the picture it is here. :)

Note:
In some parts of Kerala, Kappa Puzhukku is served “un seasoned”.The tempering part is skipped and a tbsp or two of Coconut oil or pacha velichenna is directly added to the hot puzhukku and combined before serving.

The Backwater here is located just 2 kms away from Kottayam, Kerala.
The River is roughly a five minute walk, away from my parents' house.

This post, is again for Jyothsna who hosts RCI-Kerala for the month.

Kapplanga Thoran/Stir fried Green Papaya with Coconut.

2008-01-18T13:44:00.000+05:30

Papaya is one among the vegetable/fruit category known in different names all throughout the state of Kerala; Kapplanga or Papparakka in Central Kerala, Koppakka in and around Thrissur and Karamoos in Northern Kerala.

Papaya is rich in Vit A,Vit C, calcium,iron and protective antioxidant carotenoids.Rich in Fibre and low in sodium, papaya contains papain, a natural and unique enzyme.

The Papain in the mature green papaya works to break down various protein, in the foods we consume.The proteolytic action of the papain break downs the protein into carbohydrates and fats thus reducing the lymphatic congestion.

This post goes to Nags,(who nagged me a little :) to send over the recipes,without delay :) for AFAM-Papaya, she hosts.(Yes, the papaya tree is from our front yard, of our house in Kerala, as you can see).

Also, my third entry to RCI-Kerala hosted by dear Jyothsna.:)

Coming back to the recipe,Thoran is a dry side dish of Kerala, prepared with thinly sliced, grated or cubed vegetables mixed with grated coconut and spices, tempered with that touch of coconut oil.

You need:

Green/Raw papaya, peeled,de seeded and cut to small cubes- 2 cups
Turmeric powder-2 pinches
Salt-to taste

To grind coarse;

Grated coconut-1/2 cup
Cumin seeds-1/4 tsp
Garlic cloves-1 or 2 nos
Red chillies-2-3 nos
Shallots/ulli-4 nos
Turmeric powder-1 pinch

To season;

Coconut oil-A tbsp
Mustard seeds-1/4 tsp
Urad dal-1/4 tsp
Curry leaves-A sprig

Method:

I. Cook the papaya pieces in just enough water(say,in ½ or ¾ cup) in a closed pan till they are just half cooked and firm,adding salt and turmeric powder along with.Toss the pieces now and then while cooking to ensure even doneness.

II. Heat coconut oil in a thick bottomed kadai, splutter mustard seeds and brown the urad dal.Throw in the curry leaves.
Add the coarsely ground paste,which had been pulsed using minimum water, next, keeping the flame low.
Sauté for half a minute so as to get rid of any raw smell.
Dump in the half cooked papaya pieces and blend in carefully with the seasonings in the kadai.
Sprinkle water is necessary and keep the pan closed, with the flame; minimum.

III. Open the lid once in every 2 minutes to ensure the pieces are cooked soft and blended well enough, giving the wonderful aroma and the consistency of the Thoran!.
This whole slot should take not more than 7-10 minutes, in all.
If you feel any sticking or charring in the bottom sprinkle more water and keep the flame low again,very low, till done.
Enjoy with hot boiled rice and any curry!.

Other 'Papaya' recipes, posted..

A Simple Kerala Lunch with Fish Fry.

2008-01-13T17:10:00.000+05:30

A Simple meal a Keralite, who loves fish, would prefer.Rice with pulisseri, a couple or fried fish pieces and a pappadam to compliment.Mostly this would be his comfort food too.

Pulisseri, a yogurt based curry with ground coconut and spices prepared in a milder way contains fruits like a Kerala ripe banana, mango or pine apple or veggies like ash gourd etc.

Aethapazham /Ripe Banana Pulisseri

Ingredients:

Ripe Bananas -1
Green Chillies-2, slit lengthwise once and cut cross to make 4 pieces each
Turmeric powder -1\2 tsp
Thick sour curd-whipped -1 cup
Salt - to taste

To Grind to a fine paste:

Grated coconut -1\2 cup
Green chillies -2
Cumin seeds -1\4 tsp

To season:

Coconut Oil-1 tbsp
Mustard seeds -1/2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds/uluva-1/4 tsp
Shallots/Ulli-5-6-sliced to thin rounds
Curry leaves -1 sprig
Dry red chillies -2, each broken to 3 bits

Method:

Peel and Slice round the bananas to a thickness of 2 cms each.Cook them till just soft adding about 1 -11/2 cups of water adding the slit green chilly bits,turmeric and salt.Grind coconut,chillies and cumin to a smooth paste.Add this to the cooking banana pieces.Simmer for a few minutes.Add whipped curd next and mix along adding salt.Remove from fire when it ‘just” boils to avoid any curdling.

Heat oil in a small pan, splutter mustard seeds, lightly brown the fenugreek seeds and shallots,throw in the red chilly bits and the curry leaves.Pour over the hot curry, making sure the consistency as semi-thick.If the curry is too thick do not add water directly and boil again as it might curdle up due to the presence of curd in it; instead, boil water separately and add to the curry.

Fish Fry /Meen Varuthathu.

Fish slices-1/2 kg(the fish used here is Kanambu or Mullet)
Red Chilly Powder-2 tbsp-more or less as you prefer
Ginger-1” piece
Turmeric powder-3/4 tsp
Pepper powder-1 tsp
Curry leaves-A small sprig-(optional)
Salt-to taste
Oil-1/2 cup more or less-for deep frying

Clean the fish,wash and slice.Keep aside.
Grind ginger, red chilly powder, turmeric powder and salt altogether, with just enough water to a smooth paste.Pulse the curry leaves last.This is the marinade which is applied on the slices(let the pieces be not wet after cleaning).Apply marinade on the slices making sure it is coated all over the surface liberally.Arrange flat on a plate and let it stay for at least 30 minutes.

Heat oil in a shallow pan with high edges,Slide in the pieces,2-3 at a time, carefully.Close it with a lid to avoid any spluttering out due to the moisture content on the fish and the marinade.Check after 3-5 minutes whether done, esp the under side of the pieces which is in contact with the pan.Turn over carefully so as to let the other side to get fried as well.Keep the flame medium to facilitate a balanced sort of frying and avoid the marinade seeping into the oil or the slices getting burnt on surface and uncooked, inside.

While the just brown pieces are cooked and soft, a little more time makes the pieces crisper. The deepness of frying is purely according to ones own preference.A tsp of vinegar or lime-juice added to the marinade is to contribute a touch of tanginess and is optional.

This is my second entry to RCI-Kerala hosted by Jyothsna.

This post, again, had been quite coincidental after my sibling's awesome post-A simple Kerala Meal with Fish Curry!.

Papaya-Cashew Muffins

2008-01-09T12:37:00.000+05:30

Little Mister-busy with his usual online multiplayer game.

Mom approaches and informs-"Hey, chithi is hosting Papaya for AFAM!."(chithi=mom’s younger sister).

Little Mister-without taking off his eyes from the monitor,"ahem, she knows I am not a fan of that fruit".

Mom-"She doesn’t have to consider you. All she has is to think of a fruit which is not yet announced for the event and this is one among them.Next, she has to consider her readers and the availablility of the fruit."

Little Mister-Sighs deeply, seeming disappointed.

Mom-"Now tell me what I can make with the fruit and contribute to her."

Little Mister -"Like what?", in a low voice, still reluctant to take his eyes off from the screen.

Mom-"… hmm… sort of salad or a salsa?…smoothie? milk shake?..may me muffins?…or..

Little Mister-“that sounds better…muffins..bake them, ma.”

Little Mister gets over with his game, mom googles for a long while and book marks the following recipe, from here!.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cups diced peeled papaya
1-1/4 cups lightly salted roasted cashew nuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 190 deg C.

Prepare muffin pans.

In a bowl beat oil and sugar for 2 minutes then add eggs and vanilla and beat 1 minute.

In another bowl stir together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger.

Add dry mix to wet mix then stir to just combine.

Stir in papaya and cashews then spoon batter into pans.

Bake for 25 minutes.

Cool 5 minutes before removing.

Mom has halved the original recipe above, which yielded about a dozen medium sized muffins.The combination of the fruit and the nuts and the bursting aroma of the cinnamon and ginger were of course sinfully delicious as mentioned in the site!.

Little Mister returns from school in the evening, carefully pinches out the fruit pieces and the nuts, nibbles the cake along with the proclamation,"ma, this is not bad, but next time when you make this, you do the job what I am doing right now, yourself, before baking…ok??"

“Chithi, hope you are happy to receive what amma had made specially for the AFAM-Papaya event. Amma, daddy and akka did enjoy them”. :)

Bindiya, this is also for your cute event of My favourite things-Cakes and Muffins.:)