Paneer Chilli

Ingredients

1. Paneer cubes- 2 cups

2. Chilly powder- 1/2 tsp

3. Salt,to taste

4. Cornflour- 1 tbsp

5. Soy sauce- 1 tsp,1 tbsp

6. Egg- 1

7. Pepper powder- 1 tsp

8. Ginger-garlic paste- 2 tsp

9. Vegetable oil- 2 tbsp

10. Diced Onion- 1/2 an onion

11. Capsicum/Bell pepper- 1/2 diced

12. Celery, chopped- 3 tbsp

13. Spring Onion, finely chopped- 2 tbsp

14. Green chilles- 2, chopped

15. Chilly sauce- 1 tsp, 2 tbsp

16. Onion-2 chopped

1. Coat paneer with chilly powder, salt, cornflour,1 tsp soy sauce, egg, pepper powder and ginger-garlic paste. Keep aside for half an hour.

2. Heat oil in a pan. Add ginger-garlic paste,chilly powder,onion chopped and celery. Saute well.

3. In another pan, heat oil to deep fry paneer. Fry paneer till the coated cover gets cooked and crispy.

4. Add the fried paneer into the sauting pan and mix well, add the sauces, diced onin, bell peppers and mix well.

5. Add 1/2 cup water and boil. When the water starts reducing, add the cornflour mixed with 2 tsp water and stir continuously.

5. When it thickens well, switch off the flame and sprinkle spring onion. Serve hot with fried rice or parotta.

Moru curry- The easiest quickest dish best served with Kerala rice

Ingredients

1. Thick Curd- 1 cup

2. Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp

3. Pepper powder- 1/2 tsp

4. salt, to taste

5. Ginger grated- 1/4 tsp

6. Coconut oil- 1 tsp

7. Curry leaves, a few

8. Dry red chillies-2

9. Mustard, to splutter

1. Blend curd and turmeric together and add 2 tbsp of water to loosen it.

2. Transfer this into a pan on the stove and keep stirring for 3 minutes till the raw taste of turmeric goes.

3. Now add ginger, pepper and salt and stir for some more time after switching off the flame and keeping it aside.

4. In a small pan, splutter mustard, red chillies and curry leaves.

5. Serve with kerala rice, best combination while serving dry chicken/ meat with rice.

Do not heat while serving, it can be served cool. It can be kept in fridge for almost one week and served. Before serving keep it outside from the refrigerator for an hour. Do not boil again.

Vellarikka-Parippu Curry

Ingredients

1. Dal/parippu/Yellow split peas-1/4 cup

2. Vellarikka/Cucumber- 1 cup, cubed

3. Curry leaves, a few

4. Drumstick/Muringakka- 5-6 split into two

5. Fenugreek/Methi/Uluva-a pinch

6. Coconut Oil- 2 tsp

7. Mustard seeds, to splutter

8. Coconut grated- 1/2 cup

9. Chilly Powder- 2 tsp

10. Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

1. Cook dal and keep aside.

2. Cook cucumber and drumstick together with some salt. Once its cooked add dal into it. Boil for 2 minutes.

3. Grind together coconut, red chilly powder and turmeric powder.

4. Add this ground mixture into the cooked vegetables and dal. Simmer and boil till the raw taste of coconut and chilly goes. add some salt.

5. In another pan, heat oil splutter mustard, curry leaves and methi.

6. Add this into the the curry and close the lid for a few seconds. Switch off the flame and give a stir while serving so that the spluttered items will get mixed with the curry. Adjust salt if required. Can be served with kerala rice as a side dish.

Vaazha Koombu Thoran/Bondi Sukke/ Plantain Seed dish

Ingredients

1. Dal (parippu)/ Moong dal(cherupayar) or Red dal(vanpayar)- 3 tbsp

2. Vaazha Koomb-1/2

3. Shallots/ small onions- 4, chopped

4. Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

5. Red chilly powder- 1 tsp

6. Grated coconut- 1/4 cup

7. Oil- 1 tbsp

8. Mustard seeds, to splutter

9. Curry leaves- 3-4 chopped

10. Black-gram/Uzhunnu- 1/4 tsp

1. Finely chop the plantain-seed into a vessel with some water so that it does not stick to each other. Brush your hands with oil and then start cutting to avoid sticking on to your hand.

2. Cook dal to half.

3. In a pan, heat oil, splutter mustard seeds.

4. Saute chopped shallots. Add the chopped plantain-seed.

5. Add some water and cook. After sometime, add the grated coconut which is mixed with turmeric powder and chilly powder.

6. When it is fully cooked and the water has dried out, add curry leaves. Serve as a side dish for rice.

Vendiye Geshi/ Yam stem dish

Ingredients
1. Yam Stem- a bunch (mostly collected after taking its leaves for pathrodo, a recipe posted under the same category)
2. Green chillies slit- 2-3
3. Tamarind paste- 1/4 tsp
4. Shredded coconut- 1/2 a cup
5. oil- 1/4 tsp
6. Heeng/ Asafoetida- a pinch

1. Cut and remove the yam stem from the leaf. Then remove all the fiber running through its two vertical sides.
2. Cook them with slit green chillies and tamarind paste.
3. Water will ooze out and when it gets cooked add shredded coconut, oil and heeng.
4. Cover and keep for a minute. stir well and switch off the flame.
5. Serve as a side dish with boiled kerala rice and other vegetable side dishes.

Pitto/Dosa podi

Ingredients

1. Chana Dal/ Kadala parippu- 1/4 cup

2. Black gram/Uzhunnu parippu- 1 cup

3. Coriander/Malli- 3 tbsp

4. Dried red chillies- 2 tbsp

5. Salt, to taste

6. Asafoiteda/Heeng- 1 1/2 tsp

7. Oil- 1/4 tsp

1. Fry together chana dal, black gram and coriander in very low flame for 10 minutes in 1/4 tsp oil.

2. Do not burn, fry till the raw taste goes and the smell starts coming.

3. Add red chillies and fry for a minute. Switch off the flame.

4. When it cools down, grind them into fine powder without adding any water.

5. Add salt and heeng. Keep in air-tight container and can be stored for months.

6. This is served by mixing with oil and making it to a paste. This is served with idlis and dosa.

Courtesy to my mom.

Rice-flakes/Aval Mixture

Ingredients

1. Rice-flakes/Aval- 1 cup

2. Peanut/Kappalandi fried in oil-1/4 cup

3. Pappad/Pappadam cut into very small pieces, fried in oil- 2

4. Oil- 1/4 tsp

5. Mustard, 1/2 tsp

6. Jeera/Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp

7. Curry leaves, a few

8. Green chillies, chopped- 3

9. Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

1. Fry rice-flakes/aval with turmeric powder till it becomes crispy and the raw taste goes. Do not burn the flakes, fry in very low flame .

2. Heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds, cumin seeds,curry leaves and green chillies. Fry till brown.

3. Switch off the flame and add the fried flakes, peanuts and pappad. Mix well

4. When cooled, store in an air-tight container for months and have with hot tea.

Badam Halwa

Ingredients
1. Badam/ Almond- 2 cups
2. Sugar 3/4 cup
3. Milk- 3 cup
4. Cardamom Powder- 1/4 tsp
5. Badam sliced- 3-4 to garnish
6. Ghee- 1 tbsp

Preparation Method:
1. Grind together the almond and milk in a blender.
2. In a heavy bottom pan, add ghee and transfer the mixture into it. Keep stirring and reduce the mixture to half.
3. When the raw taste of almond goes, add sugar and mix well.
4.Reduce the mixture to a very thick consistency. Keep stirring, there is a very high chance of getting burned.
5. Add ghee if required.
6. Switch off the flame and add cardamom powder.
7. Grease a flat plate with ghee and transfer the thick mixture into it.
8. Spread the mixture evenly on the plate and garnish with dried sliced almond.
9. Keep for an hour, when its fully cooled. Cut and serve into required slices.
10. This can also be served as a dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream as side.

Egg Drop Soup

Ingredients
1. Vegetables as per your wish
Green Beans, cabbage, Carrot, Celery, Spinach etc will be good.
2. Milk- 3 tbsp
3. Cornflour- 2 tsp
4. Salt, to taste
5. Pepper powder- 1/2 tsp

6. Egg beaten- 1/2

1. In a deep vessel, pour 3 cups of water and add all the vegetables finely chopped, add some salt and cook till the vegetables starts becoming soft.(Boil for 20 mnts)

2. Mix the milk and cornflour together and add this into the boiling soup and keep stirring in low flame.

3. Once it attains a thick consistency, add the beaten egg drop-by-drop.

4. Switch off the flame. Sprinkle some pepper powder.

5. Serve hot with chili or green chillies-vinegar sauce and some fried bread cubes.

Vegetable Stew/ Ishttu

Ingredients

1. Potato- 1 diced

2. Carrot-1 diced

3. Green peas- 1/4 cup

4. Onion-1/2 chopped

5. Green chillies-3 chopped

6. Curry leaves, a few

7. Oil- 2 tbsp

8. Mustard, to splutter

9. Garam masala-1/4 tsp

10. Cloves, Cinnamon, Bay leaves,Cloves- 3 each

11. Thick Coconut Milk- 1 1/2 cups

12. Salt,to taste

13. Pepper powder- 1 1/2 tsp

14. Ginger-garlic paste-1/2 tsp

15. Coriander leaves, a few

16. Coriander powder- 1 1/2 tsp

1. Heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds.

2. Add cloves, cinnamon, cardamom,bay leaves and garam masala. Saute for a minute and the nice flavor of garam masla starts coming.

3. Add onion and saute till translucent. Add green chillies, curry leaves, ginger-garlic paste. Saute well.

4. Add coriander powder and saute till the raw taste goes.

5. Add the vegetables: diced potato, carrot and green peas. Saute for a minute mixing well with all the other ingredients in the pan. Sprinkle half tsp pepper powder.

6. Add one cup of coconut milk mixed with one cup of water. Add salt to taste.

7. When it starts boiling, keep the lid closed and flame to low. Let the vegetables cook.

8. Add half cup thick coconut milk, stir for a minute. Sprinkle 1 tsp of pepper powder.

9. Switch off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves or curry leaves. Serve with appam or idiyappam.

Raita-Indian Salad

Ingredients

1. Onion finely chopped-1/2

2.Carrot shredded-1/2

3. Green chillies, finely chopped-2

4. Lemon Juice/Vinegar- 1 tsp

5. Salt, to taste

6. Thick Yogurt-1 cup

1. Press and mix together ingredients from 1-5 so that the acid(lime/vinegar) and salt is mixed well with the other ingredients.

2. Add yogurt mixed with 2 tbsps of water into it. Mix well.

3. Adjust salt according to your taste. Serve with rice,biriyani etc:

Malabar Chicken Biriyani- Kaayikka Style

Hot and spicy Chicken Dhum biriyani made at home in a tricky way, with no charcoal on top or maida sealing.
This can be made in a closed pressure cooker without loosing the quality sealing all the spices inside the cooker. This is a homely version of the exact recipe of the famous kayikka chicken biriyani from Kochin. This is very famous in our place. Very very yummy among all the biriyanis I ever tasted..

Ingredients
1. Chicken- 1/2 kg
2. Rice- 2 cups
3. Spices like cinnamon,cloves,bay leaf and cardamom- 4-5 each
4. Ghee-3 tbsp
5. Salt, to taste
6. Tomato-1
7. Onion, thinly sliced- 3
8. Slit green chillies-4-5
9. Garlic pods-6
10. Coconut milk- 1/2 cup (optional)
11. Badam/ Almond-10 (optional)
12. Chilli powder- 1 tbsp
13. Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
14. Paprika- 1 tsp
15. Coriander powder- 2 tsp
16. Garam masala- 1 tsp
17. Cashew nuts and Raisins- 10-12.
18. Ginger-gralic paste- 2 tsp
19. Cardomom powder- 1/4 tsp
20. Curry leaves- 2 strands
21. Coriander leaves, to garnish.

Preparation Method
1. Clean and cut the chicken pieces. Mix all the ingredients 12,13,14,5,15,16,18 and 19. Keep aside for 1 and a half hours.
2. At the same time, wash the rice and soak in water for half an hour.
3. In a deep vessel add all the spices, half tsp ghee and enough salt.
4. Pour four cups water for 2 cup rice. Let the water boil.
5. To the boiling water with spices, add the washed rice removing the soaked water. Let the rice cook to its three-forth.
6. In a pan, prepare chicken masala by sautéing 2 tbsp ghee, ginger-garlic paste,green chillies, curry leaves and onion.
7. Add tomatoes when onion becomes translucent.
8. Add the marinated chicken and mix well. Cook till the chicken is cooked well and a semi-thickened gravy is obtained.
9. In another pan, add some ghee and fry some 1/4 cup onion to deep brown but soft and then the cashews and raisins, the same way we do for payasam.

Making dham for biriyani

9. In a deep pressure cooker, add some ghee, then add a layer of half-done rice, then a layer of chicken curry with pieces,then again a layer of rice,then chicken curry. Continue layering till all the curry and rice is transferred to the cooker.
Make sure you add enough gravy for the first layer , otherwise there are chances of the whole thing getting burned.
10. On top, add some ghee and add the fried onion, cahews and raisins.
11. Grind the peeled almond with coconut milk in a blender and pour on top of this. Garnish with some coriander leaves.
12. Cover the cooker and cook for 30 mnts in very low flame so that the bottom does not get burned. Do not put the weight for the cooker. After sometime, fumes will start coming from the cooker knob.
13. After 30 mnts, switch off the flame and let it rest for 20 minutes.
14. Open the cooker, mix the rice and curry evenly without breaking the tender chicken pieces. Donot mash the rice applying too much pressure while mixing.
15. Serve the hot and spicy malabari chicken biriyani with a splash of lime juice on top and a bowl of raita.

Courtesy: TasteofKerala@AmritaTv

Alle- Ginger Chutney

This is a kind of ginger chutney made by konkanis and served with rice like we serve pickle. This ver good for digestion since a lot of ginger is used and very good with rice, idli, dosa etc

Ingredients

1. Grated Coconut- 1/4 cup

2. Shredded ginger- 2 tsp

3. Green chillies- 1

4. Mustard seeds, to splutter

5. Salt, to taste

6. Curd- 2 tbsp

1. Grind together ingredients from 1-3.

2. Splutter mustard seeds and pour the ground mixture. Switch off the flame.

3. Pour the curd and mix. Done.

Curd can be repalced with 1/2 tsp tamarind paste mixed in 2 tbsps of water.

This is a kind of chutney which is served along with rice as side dish like pickle. Ginger taste must dominate and it gives a kick while just a bit of it is licked.

Velvel

Ingredients

1. Pumpkin (Mathanga)-1/4 cup

2. White Gourd (Kumbaalanga)-1/4 cup

3. Colocasia (Chemb)- 1/4 cup

4. Green chillies- 3

5. Coconut Milk- 2 cup

6. Heeng/Asafoiteda- 1/4 tsp

7. Salt, to taste

8. Curry leaves, a few

1. Cook the vegetables with the slit green chillies, salt, some curry leaves and 1 1/2 cup cocnut milk mixed in 3/4 cup water.

2. When the vegetables are cooked, pour in the rest of the coconut milk, curry leaves and 1/4 tsp heeng. Mix well without mashing the vegetables. Do not allow to boil. Switch off the flame and serve as a side dish for rice.

Aviyal

Ingredients

1. Vegetables as per your wish like: Carrot, Yam(Chena), Snake guard(padavalanga), Potato,Drumsticks(Muringakka), Long beans(payar), Raw Banana.

2. Grated cocnut-1/2 cup

3. Green chilly, chopped-3

4. Green Mango sliced-2 small pieces.

5. Turmeric Powder- 1/2 tsp

6. Jeera/Cumin seeds-1/4 tsp

7. Curry leaves, a few

8. Salt,to taste

1. Cook all the vegetables in boiling water with some salt, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, two slit green chillies and the mango.

2. Grind together one green chilly, 1/4tsp turmeric powder, cumin seeds, 3-4 curry leaves and some salt.

3. Once the vegetables are almost done, add the ground paste into it when the water has almost dried out. Mix well all the ingredients together.

4. Cook till the raw taste of the vegetables go, that is may be for 5-6 minutes. Add a lot of curry leaves into it.

5. Switch off the flame and pour 1 tbsp full coconut oil on top and close the lid. Give a stir while serving. Goes best with kerala rice. This is an inevitable dish for kerala sadhya or an onam sadhya.

Note:

Tips & Tricks
The vegetables must be cut evenly into long thin pieces;so that all the pieces cook evenly at the same time.You can take vegetables you like and the amount of each vegetable can be adjusted according to your taste, all together the amount can be upto 2 cups of vegetables for 1/2 a cup of grated coconut.

Water must be just enough to cook the veggies, its not a good practice to drain the rest of the water and then cook. It spoils the taste of the whole dish. So you will have to wait till the whole water reduce to add the coconut paste. So make sure you add only enough water to the veggies.

Do not stir the cooked vegetables too much, it will mash them into paste.

The more you add the curry leaves its more healthier and tastier. If served for children, you can add more carrots and can even add green peas to make them more colorful and can avoid yam and potato to make them eat their favorite veggies.

Uzhunnu Vada/ Black-gram Do-nuts/Medhu Vada

Ingredients

1. Black Gram/Uzhunnu/Urud dal- 1 cup

2. Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp

3. Green chillies- 3-4 chopped

4. Crushed pepper- 1/2 tsp

5. Pepper powder- 1/4 tsp

6. Salt, to taste

7. Curry leaves chopped, a few

8. Onion chopped- 1/2 the onion

1. Soak urud dal for 6-7 hours with enough water to cover them.

2. Grind it properly till it starts kind of frothing. Do not add so much water while grinding. Add maximum of 5-6 tbsp of water. Make it to a very thick paste. Otherwise it will be difficult to shape them and it will tend to absorb a lot of oil.

3. When ground with a grinder, it will be properly aerated and can be used directly. But while ground in a mixie, it will not be properly aerated. So after grinding in a mixie, pour it into a vessel and mix well with a spatula atleast 30times it must be mixed, so that the dough gets evenly aerated and the color changes from pale-white to pure-white. This makes the vada very soft and airy inside and crispy outside.

4. Add the rest of the ingredients from 2-8. Mix well.

5. Brush both the hands with some water, take 2 tbsp full of dough into your hand and pat well to a little thick round from and make a small hole in the middle.

6. Slide it int o the hot oil right away from you hand. Dont even try to transfer it to a plate and fry later after finishing all of them. Do i one-by one and fry it right away.

7. Deep fry them in hot oil till its golden brown in color.

8. Serve hot with Coconut chutney and a hot cup of coffee.

Chicken Cutlet

Ingredients

1. Chicken breast-4 pieces

2. Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

3. Salt, to taste

4. Potatoes-2

5. Onion-1 chopped

6. Ginger- 1/2 tsp chopped

7. Green chillies-2 chopped

8. Chicken masala-1/2 tsp

9. Garam masala- 1/2 tsp

10. Ani seeds/perinjeerakam-1/2 tsp

11. Bread crumbs/Rusk powder-1/2 cup

12.Oil, to deep fry

13. Egg white-1

1. Cook the cubed chicken breasts with salt and turmeric powder in boiling water.

2. When its cooked and cooled down, mash the chicken with a spatula or can easily be shredded using a blender/mixie.

3. Boil the potatoes with salt. When its cooked and cooled, mash well with a spatula or hands and mix well with the chicken.

4. In a pan, add some oil, add aniseeds and saute the onion, ginger and green chillies.

5. Add chicken masala, garam masala and saute for a minute.

6. Add the potato-chicken mix into this and mix well. Cook for 5 minutes by stirring well without allowing it to stick to the bottom. Do not add water into this.

7. When its done, switch off the flame. When it gets cooled, take 2 spoon full of the mixture into your hand and make a ball out of it. Slowly, press with the other hand to make it into patties or a flat shape. Brush some oil onto the hands to avoid sticking.

8. Roll the sides of the cutlet onto the hand and make it thicker. Follow the same for the rest of the mixture.

9. Into a plate pour the egg white, no need of beating them. In another plate, take the bread crumbs. Deeply toasted unsweetened bread or store-bought unsweetened rusk can be powdered to bread crumb with a mixie or you can use store-bought bread crumbs.

10. Now place the patties into the egg white, turn the other side and make sure that the whole patties is brushed with the egg white. Now, keep them into the second plate with bread crumbs. Coat all the sides with the bread crumbs. Do this the same for all the patties.

11. Heat the oil. Make sure that the oil is well heated. Fry the patties 4-5 at a time.

Keep in mind that all the ingredients are already cooked, all we need to do is to make the outer cover crispy. So keep the flame in medium-high, so that the patties never turns oily and the crispiness is attained very fast which doesnt need any cooking. Remove from oil when it is dark-brown on the outside.

12. Chicken Cutlets are ready and can be served with tomato ketchup/sauce and some thinly sliced onion crushed with vinegar.

Pongal

Ingredients
1. White Rice- 1 cup
2. Moong dal- 1/4 cup
3. Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
4. Ghee- 3 tbsp
5. Urud dal- 1/2 tsp
6. Mustard, to splutter
7. Jeera- 1 tsp
8. Pepper- 1/2 tsp
9. Green chillies- 2
10. Grated ginger- 1tsp
11. Cashew nuts- 6 to 10
12. Curry leaves, a few
13. Asafoeiteda/ heeng/kayam- a pinch
14. Jeera powder, a pinch
15. Salt, to taste

1. Cook moong dal till half done with some turmeric powder.

2. Cook rice till half done with salt and turmeric powder.

3. In a pan, add ghee. Add urud dal, splutter mustard seeds.

4. Add jeera,green chillies, grated ginger, split cashews and curry leaves. Saute for some seconds.

5. Add heeng, a pinch of turmeric powder, jeera powder. Saute.

6. Into this, add rice and moong . Mix well with all the ingredients in the pan.

7. Add 1/4 cup water and cook by mashing the rice and moong well with the ingredients.

8. Sprinkle pepper powder and give a stir. Serve with some pickle or curd and boondhi mixture and a cube of butter on top.

French Pudding

Ingredients
1. Milk- 2 1/2 cups

2. Cornflour- 4 tbsp

3. Sugar- 4tbsp

4. Vanilla Essence- 1/2 tsp

5. Grated choclate/ Cooking choclate chips- 3/4 cup

For Vanilla Sauce

6. Milk- 1 cup

7. Milk maid- 1/2 tin

8. Butter- 1 tbsp

9. Sugar-1 1/2 tbsp

10. Cornflour- 4 tsp

11. Vanilla Essence- 1/2 tsp

1. For the pudding, first keep 1/2 a cup milk aside. Boil the rest 2 cup milk.

2. Add cornflour mixed with the 1/2 cup milk and pour this into the boiled milk. Keep stirring till it starts thickening and the raw taste of cornflour goes.

3. Switch off the stove, add sugar and the grated choclate or the cooking choclate chips.

4. Add vanilla essence and stir well. Keep aside for some minutes. Do not allow it cool it fully, it will thicken by then.

5. Pour it into a mould/ a dish after greesing it with butter. Keep in the refrigerator for 6-7 hours.

This can be eaten as such or can be served with vanilla ice-cream or whipping cream. Vanilla sauce made at home, can also be poured on top and served to make it the best.

Vanilla Sauce

1. Into a pan, add 1 cup milk, milk-maid and sugar. Stir well.

2. In 1 tbsp water, mix 4tsp cornflour and add this into the pan littleby little, when the milk in it boils.

3. It will star thickening, switch off the flame and let it cool for 10 minutes.

4. Add vanilla essence. Add a tbsp of butter into it for adding a glazing for the sauce. Sauce is ready.

This can be served without cooling by pouring on top of the chilled pudding or can be chilled and poured on the pudding, to get an al-together chilled puddiing. If so, keep this in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Sauce should be like normal sauces and the pudding should be thick enough so that we can cut into required size and serve. So adjust the corn-flour amount accordingly if you take more milk.