Pork Fry

As the season to be jolly passes by, the whole of Dec is spent waiting for this wonderful day where spirits are high , people all around are decking up their homes and trees, gifts being bought and given, good deeds are done without a second thought , so was my Christmas this year.

The best part was we had a group of our friends who were carolling visited us it was great, as for me growing up Christmas always started with the carol practise spending evening hours after school reciting all of Jim Reeves famous songs, and getting ready for the big day.

We would go around for almost a week carolling visiting family and friends , singing all our favourites and special requests too, as in Dec would get cold towards evening by the end of the night all of us would had dry throats and pockets stuffed with homemade cakes and sweets too, but that was fun, miss those days so much.
I was kind of surprised to know abt a group that did go out carolling , in our neighbourhood and they did a fantastic job, and from now on they are going to regular at our place for every Christmas !!:)

Now coming to the dish , this Christmas I thought of trying this one as it had been my hubby's long time favourite , and we just had the kallu shaap version of pork olatheyathe on our recent visit to Kerala ,India of which the snaps I will be updating hopefully soon :) , since then I always wanted to try this dish , had to dig into the succulent fatty part of the pork marinated with spices and cooked on low flame till all the heat is blended into the yummy goodness !! It is a perfect Christmas delicacy.


But as it is not so goody good for ur health, cannot make it often or else it leaves Ur cholesterol levels shooting thru the roof ,it is going to be a once in a blue moon recipe or better said once in year Christmas recipe.

What u need:

Pork shoulder- 2 lbs cub size
( with the fat usually u get it in the asian stores)
onion (shallots ) - 1 cup chopped length wise
garlic -1 tablespoon chopped fine
ginger- 1 tablespoon chopped fine
curry leaves- 7-8
turmeric- 1 teaspoon
chilli pwd -1 teaspoon (add spice as needed)
paprika - 1 teaspoon
black pepper ground- 1 teaspoon
garam masala - 1 teaspoon
vinegar- 1 tablespoon
EVOO- 1 tablespoon
(extra virgin olive oil)
salt - to taste.

Marinate the pork with turmeric, vinegar , chilli pwd for 30 mins and set aside.

Meanwhile heat up a thick bottom pan, add 1 tablespoon EVOO add the chopped shallots and curry leaves cook till translucent.

Add the chopped ginger- garlic till raw smell is gone.

Add the paprika, garam masala , black pepper, cook for few mins , then add the marinated pork.

As pork is going to take some time to cook so cover the pan and let it cook on low flame, be sure to be mixing it once in a while so that it does not get burnt .

After about 20-25 mins the pork starts to sweat out the oil , let it cook in that oil so u can leave the lid open .

Add salt towards the end as per taste, and serve with hot rice or chapathi.

ENJOY !! HAPPY NEW YEAR 2008!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.

~Burton Hillis
Christmas has always been a time when you feel to be around the warmth of family and friends the most. It is the season for giving &, sharing happiness.
As the day comes close by and as all of you are getting ready the the magic of Christmas ,

Wish each of you

love , happiness & great times with your family and friends

wish u all of you a merry Christmas!!!

Happy holidays!!

Panna Cotta

I was on a look out for a light and tasty dessert , which at the end doesn't make u feel all stuffed up, after dinner and I came across one in Betty Crocker's recipe book Panna Cotta .

This is an Italian dessert for cooked cream , an unbaked egg free custard with a silky texture .This is super easy recipe made with few ingredients, and the best part tastes great!!!

I just made a little addition as mango is fruit of choice in my family , and accepted in any shape or form I added mango pulp to the Panna cotta , it blends well with the vanilla flavor.

What u need:

• 1 cup half and half
• 1 teaspoon full unflavoured gelatin (usually found in the cake aisle)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon full vanilla
• 2 tablespoon Kesar mango pulp
• dash of salt


• Pour half and half in a pan , sprinkle the gelatin evenly over cold half and half , let it stand for 10 mins. Heat half and half mixture for 5-7 mins, stirringly constantly until the gelatin is dissolved and just before it begins to simmer.


• Stir in sugar, vanilla , mango pulp and salt .



• Pour this mixture into custard cups , cover with plastic wraps and refrigerate for 4 hours or until set.when ready run a knife around the edge , and dip the bottom of the cup in very hot water for few secs , immediately placing it up side down onto a dish & enjoy!!

Show me your cook books

Cookbooks have always been my weakness most often I don't make a whole lot of recipes from them , but love to read the stories related to the recipes as to why the author chose or wrote about a particular recipe. Not to mention the wonderful pictures that are a huge selling point for any cook book.

My favorite cookbook cuts down all these barriers and is a straight down and simple Indian cookbook with the most mouthwatering recipes. Malabar Muslim Cookery book has been a great find for me, among all the other treasured book collection I have so far, I love the non-vegetarian dishes mainly.

Growing up in a catholic family never got hold of these delicious recipes luckily I came across this book. This book is one of a kind as most of these recipes in the book are the ones which are made at home on a daily basis or on special occasions too ,but are usually passed thru generations from family to family.

The author of this cook book Ummi Abdulla introduces the readers to gourmet Muslim cooking with the subtle flavours of pathiri, egg roast, Malabar Biriyani , Meen Biriyani etc. Although it misses out on pictures as a strong element but then your imagination can fill in the void.

This is my entry for the upcoming event "Show me your Cookbooks" hosted by Nags of
For the cook in me .

Stuffed meat Stromboli

I am a regular viewer of Food network especially on my free days, I am always on a look out for new recipes ,ideas, and above all for the joy of cooking. It feels so good to see a well designed cooking event where everything goes as planned no mishaps ,and at the end the dish turns out a success um um um umm ummhh!!!

Few months back I came across a Pizza dough recipe by celebrity chef Tyler Florence ,it is a pretty simple recipe , but instead of making a pizza thought of adding a twist to the recipe why not stuff it with meat...like a Stromboli.


So I decided to give this idea a try and voila !!!

It turned out great!!!!

Here's the recipe:
Flour (maida): 1 cup
yeast : 1 teaspoon full
salt : 1 teaspoon full
Olive Oil : 1-2 teaspoon full
water as needed.

Mix the above ingredients to make a dough , remember to soak the yeast in little warm water before mixing it with the dough so that it gets activated . After the dough is mixed to the right consistency add oil to make it soft .Leave this for 1/2 hour with a lid, after that the dough will almost become double it's size , mix it up again and set aside for another 1/2 hour.

Stuffing:
Meat (chicken , pork or beef) :1 lbs
onion : 1 finely chopped
green chillies : 2 finely chopped
ginger & garlic : 1 teaspoon full finely chopped
Cilantro: 1 tablespoon chopped.
turmeric; 1/2 teaspoon full
garam masala : 1/2 teaspoon full
Black pepper : 1/2 teaspoon full
Olive oil : 1 -2 teaspoon full
salt to taste.

Boil the meat with salt and turmeric for 15-20 mins if in cooker till 3 whistles blow or else till well done. After it cools down mince it in a food processor , or u can use ground meat too for this dish I prefer minced meat gives a different texture .

Heat up a pan add the oil , then add the chopped onions , ginger, garlic and chillies cook for few minutes till translucent, add turmeric, garam masala black pepper, cook for few mins more,then add the meat .This has to be of a dry consistency so no need to add water, lastly add the salt and sprinkle the chopped cilantro leaves, let this cool down.

Next step is to roll out the dough on to a base , remember to oil the base or else the dough will stick, arrange the meat mixture on to the dough and fold it over to seal the ends. Cut in desired shape or size and bake at 375 C FOR 20 Mins . Serve with tomato sauce or mint chutney!!

Shrikand

Growing up I always thought shrikand was a difficult delicacy to make,lil' did I know it is so effortless, tastes good and healthy too. I usually make this as breakfast dish along with puffy puris made of wheat flour, this also tastes good with plain chapathi, or even bread. My lil' one loves to just eat this by it self in a bowl.

It is one of the main desserts in Gujarati cuisine and a common side dish in Maharashtrian cuisine, this can be made with different variations like adding saffron, or mango, or even strawberry.

How to make:

yogurt : 1 cup u can use store bought plain yogurt or home made

sugar : 1/2 cup

saffron : few strands

warm milk : 1 tablespoon

cardamon crushed : 1/2 tsp

pistachios : 1 tsb

u can also add almonds if needed

Hang the curds in a muslin cloth in a cool place for approximately 4-6 hours until all the liquid has drained off.In a small bowl mix saffron into the warm milk until it dissolves. Mix together the hung curds, sugar, saffron mixture and cardamom in a bowl and churn using a hand blender. Place in the refrigerator, garnish with pistachios . Serve with puffy puris or rotis.

Recipes from fellow foodies

First few months before I started to blog I tried a lot of recipes that were posted by fellow bloggers and still do, most of it I always wanted to make but didn't have the right recipe , this is just a small collection of recipes that I have tried thank u all for regularly posting recipes .





BiriyaniBiriyani is always a dish made for celebrations usually I would make it for Christmas or Easter or if it is a loved one's birthday,so had to be good during last few years I have tried so many variations of it, tried a lot of store bought masala too, but shiney's recipe absolutely stood out, thanks to her it is now a regular at my home.


Chicken biriyani





I made two variations one with chicken and the other with prawns both are good and easy .



Prawn biriyani




U can check shiney's blog Indain potpourri for these authentic recipes .
Shiney's Recipe


Puranpoli





Growing up in Maharashtra , I was a big fan of puranpoli which is like a stuffed sweet paratha kind made with lentils and jaggery, I remember for every holi after we were done with drenching each other in all possible colors , my friends grandmother would make puranpoli in the traditional way , and it tasted heavenly so soft that just melts into your mouth, it is usually accompanied with aamthi which is a sweet sour liquid, and also kheer .







Now in this Internet day and age I found a good recipe for puranpoli from Vaishali's blog Happy burp. Do check the recipe details here
Vaishali's Recipe




Sabudana VadaAnother all time favourite is the sabudana vada, made of sago mixed with boiled potatoes great snack to accompany a hot cup of tea on a rainy day, me and my friends on our way back from college would usually stop by this small tapri (shop) where they were known for making the best sabudana vada in town, served it piping hot with coconut chutney.






I got this recipe from Samayal blog, do check out the recipe here
Sudha's Recipe

Vegetable Puffs

My dad on his way back from work would usually stop by this old bakery store near our house where they made the best puffs , flaky stuffed with vegetables or non-veg. They would also sell samosas ,cakes, pastries etc, but I loved the puffs. Even this time when I visited home with my son I was lucky enough to have more puffs from the same place, and my son too loved it.

After coming to the US I was told about the ready made Pastry sheets that are easily available to make puffs. After a lil' bit of hunting I got what I was looking for; Pepperidge farm pastry sheets.

You can find this usually in the frozen section along with the pancakes and waffles.

What u need:

• pepperidge pastry sheets-1 sheet (to thaw follow instructions on the box)
• boiled potatoes-2
• boiled peas-1/2 cup
• ginger -minced 1/2 teaspoon
• turmeric-1/4 teaspoon
• chilli pwd -1/3 teaspoon
• garam masala or chat masala-1/2 teaspoon
• cilantro-1 teaspoon chopped fine

Mix all the above ingredients in a bowl. You may add more veges like carrot of ur choice,

You can also replace the veges with cooked chicken or meat, add salt to taste. cut the sheets as the size u need for puffs, and put a tablespoon of the potato mix seal the puff by pressing the edges, if needed use a bit of water.

One sheet can make 6 puffs easily, arrange them in the tray and bake as directed.

Serve with tomato ketchup.

Enjoy!!

Meethi paratha

Meethi parathas always reminds me of my school days when each of us would get tiffins filled with variety of dishes, mine was always dominated with south Indian dishes like idli or dosa, mostly others would get the staple chapati with vegetable sabzi, and my best friend would get usually stuffed parathas, like aloo, gobi, muli, meethi,egg etc. she being a big fan of idlis and dosas and me of parathas so we would swap! and the parathas tasted so good with home made lemon pickle yumm!! even now we talk about our good old days and yummy tiffins.

This recipe is pretty simple and healthy, I usually make this in stock and keep it in then freezer
and whenever needed just take out a few and pop it in the microwave, it is good as new.
what u need :-

wheat flour (atta)-2 cups
meethi leaves-1cup chopped
I use the frozen meethi cubes-2
turmeric-1/2 teaspoon
chilli pwd- 1/2 teaspoon
jeera pwd-1/2 teaspoon
ajwain-1/2 teaspoon
garlic-green chilli paste-1 teaspoon
salt to taste

mix all the above ingredients together by adding hot water this makes the parathas soft.cover the dough and keep aside for 20 minutes, than make a flat griddle hot and make small balls of the dough, roll out rotis if needed add oil when

rolling .

put the paratha on the pan, that is when one side is done on the pan, apply oil on it and then later on the other side as well and cook it till it has brown spots on it.

Serve hot with curd and your choice of pickle.

Kappa with fish curry

Kappa is very traditional keralite dish usually served in almost every nook and corner of kerala . Growing up I was not a big fan of kappa and always wondered what was it about this root that my parents would enjoy so much usually to have it at least once a month.
Now when I am miles and miles away from my home land I know the feeling which is same when I have a typical traditional Indian dish that reminds me so much of home.

Food has a way of getting you closer to the memories , the stories that we have heard growing up, the experiences .
Now kappa has cast it's spell on me too and surprisingly now I do like kappa.

what u need:
kappa (yucca )- 1 lb bite size
coconut- 1/3 cup
ginger-1 inch
green chillies-2-3
curry leaves-3-4
mustard seeds-1/2 teaspoon
oil-1 teaspoon
salt to taste

Wash the kappa pieces well then in a pan add enough water with turmeric and salt boil
till the kappa is soft to touch must be easily able to Peirce with a fork.
drain the water and set aside.
grind the coconut, chillies, ginger to paste form.
heat a pan with oil add mustard seeds after they pop add the curry leaves then coconut paste mix for 2 mins add the boiled kappa mix well.
add salt if needed let it simmer for 5- 10 mins.
then serve with fish curry .

Fish curry with mango

Our back yard had a lot of mango trees , and each of a different kind, the biggest tree had really sour mangoes and my mom would make fish curry with these mangoes that tasted so good. The tangy sour taste of the mango in the fish curry yum!!

Fish curry is a must in any mallu home, I too grew up with the taste of fish and koodam pulli.
Almost every other day, fish either as a curry or fried was usual and it complemented any side dish too, sometimes just fish curry ,rice and curd is all u need, reminds me so much of home uummhh! absolute comfort food.

We never had a fish monger,but had a fish market where people would come rushing in after work every Tuesday or Friday.
My neighbour was also from Kerala , and an excellent cook, she used to make the fish curry in a typical Thiruvalla style that means the curry was dark red in color, and tasted so good.
growing up I never bothered to learn the recipe ,then after getting married to my surprise , my mom in law too made fish curry same Thiruvalla style as my in laws belong to the same place. So this time I didn't let the opportunity pass decided to learn from my mom in law. I always thought the red color was by adding a lot of chilli pwd, but that just makes the curry really hot,
better use paprika gives the desired color without adding on the heat of the dish.

This recipe is combination of my mom and mom in law's recipe,was made with frozen fish.

now to the recipe,
what u need:

fish -cut in cube size
raw mango-cube size without the skin
ginger- 1 inch chopped
garlic-5-6 chopped
onion - 1 chopped
curry leaves-5-6
turmeric-1/2 teaspoon
chilli pwd (paprika)- 2-3 teaspoon full
methi pwd (uluva podi)-1/2 teaspoon
salt to taste
oil- 1 tablespoon
kodumpoli- 2-3 (keep in water for 5- 10 mins)
mustard seeds- 1/2 teaspoon

Place wide set pan on gas/stove, add oil and mustard seeds, once they start to pop
add the chopped onions, ginger, garlic, curry leaves, let it saute for 5 mins.
then add turmeric, paprika , methi pwd and mix.
The trick to get the dark red color fish curry is to add paprika instead of chilli pwd,
because paprika adds a lot of color to the dish and not the spice unlike chilli pwd,
or if want a bit spicier add a teaspoon of chilli pwd too.
add the puli along with the water add 1/2 cup water also let it boil ,
then add salt and the fish and the mango.
Simmer on low heat for 15-20 mins, be careful while mixing or else the fish starts to crumble
check salt and let cool . Fish curry usually tastes a lot better the next day when all the flavours have blended in.
Serve with rice or kappa. Enjoy!

Sambar

Sambar is a traditional south Indian recipe which includes a combination of dal and vegetables . In kerala itself there are variations to this recipe like typical sambar with tamarind in it, my sister in law makes the sambar with roasted coconut paste which gives a very nice and different taste.There are also variations where one vegetable stands out like tomato sambar, or vendakya (okra) sambar.
My recipe is the one my mom would make,

what u need:
toor dal -1/3rd cup
masoor dal -1/3 rd cup
potatoes- 2
onion-1
tomato-2
beans-5-6
carrots-1
ash gourd-1/2 cup
drumsticks-3-4 pieces
white pumpkin-1/2 cup
snake gourd-1/2 cup
curry leaves-5-6
turmeric pwd-1/2 teaspoon
chilli pwd-1/2 teaspoon
sambar pwd- 1-2 teaspoon
LG's asafoetida-1/2 teaspoon
mustard seeds-1/2 teaspoon
tamarind paste-1/2 teaspoon
salt to taste .

Cut all the veges in cube size, wash the dal and add salt ,turmeric , chilly pwd mix and
boil , I would usually cook it in a cooker till 1whistle is done.





Let it cool down , in a deep pan add 1 tablespoon of salt add mustard seeds ,after they start to pop add curry leaves keep the flame low add Sambar masala , asafoetida this gives an authentic sambar taste to the dish and add the cooked veggies and dal mix well. Add tamarind and if needed some water
let it boil for 5 mins. Now put off the flame, Sambar is ready !!
Serve it with rice or idols . NJoy !

Idli

Idlis are a staple breakfast at any south Indian home, and very rightly said by a fellow blogger an excellent baby food too and a healthy breakfast for all ages . I was expecting and when in my 2nd trimester we were travelling for my husband's work related trip, and being new to this country (US) I was just getting used to the spice less options of food.
One Saturday early morning I guess it was about 6am in the morning, and I woke up hungry and with a strong craving for Idlis and hot piping sambar, with all the hormone surge during my pregnancy I badly missed home food, so to satisfy my craving I woke my sleepy hubby and started demanding for Idli and sambar, and wasn't ready to settle for anything less, blame it all on my pregnancy,my sweet hubby who was half asleep, tried after a long day at work dazed, and then promised me to get it as soon as the close by Indian restaurant opens in the morning, and he sure did !!
They tasted good ,nothing like mom's idli's but enough to satisfy my craving.

Now it is a routine at my home every Sunday morning for breakfast it is Idli for sure, and my hubby prefers that too as he does not have to run to Indian restaurants any more:), my 3 yrs son too loves them and he has named them "the white ones".

To make idlis what u need:

Idli rice : 1 cup
Urad dal : 1/2 cup
Salt : to taste
yeast: 1 pinch
Soak the rice and urad for 6-8 hours, then grind it in a mixer (I use the Indian one I got from back home). Over the last few years, I went through several trial and errors to make soft dosas and idlis in this cold country. Quite a few attempts were disasters with idlis as hard as rock, but at other times it turned out to be great.
I tried a little trick , after the batter is mixed into a paste , take a pinch of yeast in warm water
and add to the batter just like u would do for making appams but only the quantity is less as compared . Try this and it will result in soft Idilis.
Cover this batter and leave it over night, next morning add salt, if the batter is to make dosas
make it thin and for idlis keep the consistency thick.
pour into the idli vessel spray with a pam or dab a little oil before pouring the batter prevents from sticking. Cover the Idli vessel and after 10-15 mins hot steaming idlis ready.
Serve with hot piping Sambar and Mint Chutney.

Avial

My dad is an excellent storyteller who is good at making up stories at the very instance, and growing up I was a picky eater so to get me to eat he would make up a story around each dish which made it interesting.
There is this story that he would tell me about how avial was born, long time ago a set of cooks were preparing food for a wedding as the wedding was of a brahmin family there had all the vegetarian recipes ready, but towards the end the head cook ended up with a little of every vegetable left , so he decided to try a new recipe asked his fellow cooks to cut up all the leftover vegetables lengthwise and boil them, then made a mixture of coconut , ginger, jeera pwd and mixed with the boiled vegetables, to end it up gave a garnish of sputtering mustards in hot oil with curry leaves.
After the dish was done he asked it to be served along with the remaining dishes and to every one's surprise that was the dish that sold like hot cakes!
Hence AVIAL was born, true or not I sure enjoyed eating avial and reminds of this story every time I make Avial.
It is like a medley of vegetables which includes most of the vegetables like tomato, potato, drumstick, onions, beans , yellow pumpkin, carrots, ash gourd etc. I have seen the Americanised avial too with a little addition of bell peppers and celery too.

My recipe is more towards the tradition version. for this recipe
what u need:

potatoes- 2
onion-1
tomato-2
beans-5-6
carrots-1
ash gourd-1/2 cup
drumsticks-3-4 peices
white pumpkin-1/2 cup
snake gourd-1/2 cup
green chillies-2-3
turmeric owd-1/2 teaspoon
salt to taste
yogurt- 1 tablespoon
u can add or delete vegetables as Per your likes & dislikes
I sometimes add payar (the long strings), tindora (kovakaya), arvi ( kirala), also raw mango if available.

for the paste:
coconut-1/4 cup
ginger-1 tablespoon
jeera pwd-1 teaspoon
green chilles- 3-4
garlic-2-3

for tempering:
oil- 1 tablespoon
curry leaves-4-5
red dried chillies-2-3





Cut all the vegetables length wise, put in a large pot add salt , turmeric pwd, and 1/2 cup water
cover the pot and let it cook till the veges are boiled and cooked do not over cook it or the avial gets too mushy.


Meanwhile grind all the paste ingredients, add the the cooked veges, and mix simmer for 5-7 mins.
temper the dish with sputtering mustard's seeds with curry leaves and red dried chillies.
once the avial cools down add the yogurt and mix, this gives a thick consistency and a sour tinge this is optional.
Serve with rotis or rice.

Beans thoran

Thoran is a dish made of finely chopped veges blended with coconut , usually the most common thorans are cabbage, carrot, payar,beans,ulli,potato...the list is endless.

My mom would make this pretty often as it goes well with any other side dish veg or non veg.

for beans thoran u need

beans fine chopped(i use the french cut frozen beans)

makes the job a lot easier.

onion: 1/2 chopped

coconut: 1/4 th cup

ginger: 1 teaspoon finely chopped

green chillies: 2-3 chopped

curry leaves: 4-5

jeera pwd: 1 teaspoon

turmeric: 1/2 teaspoon

oil: 1 teaspoon

mustard seeds: 1 teaspoon

salt to taste

heat up a pan with oil, add mustard seeds after they pop add the chopped onions, chillies,ginger and curry leaves.

Cook for 3-4 mins then add the chopped beans ,turmeric, jeera pwd and salt mix well.

Cover the pan and let it cook for 5-7 mins on medium heat.

then add grated coconut to the pan and cook for other 5-10 mins.

U don't need to add any water as this cooks in its own moisture.

Serve with rotis or steaming rice.

Ulli Pacchadi

Pachadi is usual recipe on the long list of onam sandya dishes.It can be made with any variety of veges cucumbers, mango, lime, squash and also beet root.
This is a simple recipe from my mom in law's recipe collection,
this dish is very easy and quick to make.
all u need is

small red shallots kunj ulli: 4-5 chopped fine
ginger: 1 teaspoon chopped
green chillies: 1-2 chopped
curry leaves: 4-5
mustard seeds:little pwded
curd: 1/2 cup

oil: 1 teaspoon
salt to taste


Heat a pan add oil, and put mustard seeds when they start to pop add the chopped onions, ginger, green chillies and curry leaves.

saute till the onion is soft and cooked about 5-7 mins.

also add some crushed mustard seeds they give a different flavour to the pachadi.

Put off the heat and after it is cooled off add to the yogurt and salt to taste.

serve hot with steaming rice and sambar.

Karemeen fry

Although we would visit kerala once in 2 years, each visit reminded me of great food we would have. It usually would be 2 month summer vacation visiting grandparents , uncles , aunts and a lot of cousins, and our routine was of visiting some relative every other day.

Mallus are very hospitable people and love to make a table full of recipes to welcome guests, so did my relatives.

Along with all the other delicacies karemeen fry was a must, growing up we didn't have chance to have a lot of karemeen so whenever we were in kerala Karemeen was always on top of the list.

Now settling here in US, although being so far from home , by the advance in overseas export karemeen is so easily accessible :) best part all cleaned ready to go.

I still remember when my hubby had come to see me for the first time, bride-hunting and was asked if I know to cook, my mom smartly replied she sure does only doesn't like to clean fish!!

In response my father in law replied 'oh don't worry in US u will get fish all cleaned up' :)

so here is my recipe.

what u need:

karemeen ; 4-6

turmeric: 1 teaspoon

chilly pwd: 1 teaspoonb

black pepper pwd: 1 teaspoon

lemon juice: 1 tablespoon

oil: 2 tablespoons

salt to taste

mix all the pwd elements to a thick paste , make cuts on the fish and apply the paste to the fish.

marinate for 1 hr.

Heat a pan with 2 tablespoons of oil, fry the fish well each side ,till crispy and done.

Serve with hot rice.

Paneer masala

This is one of my favourites among North Indian cuisine, and a usual order at any Indian restaurant. Paneer is a protein rich food, and can be made at home,
but most of the time I end up buying it from the Indian store although not home made but equally good.

here goes my recipe

what u need:

paneer : 250 gms
onion : 1 chopped grind into paste
ginger: 1 teaspoon
garlic : 1 teaspoon
tomato: 1 chopped or tomato paste: 1 tablespoon
garam masala: 1 teaspoon
turmeric: 1/2 teaspoon
chilly pwd:1/2 teaspoon
jeera : 1 teaspoon


half and half: 1/3rd cup or cream also can be used.
salt and oil as needed
cilantro to garnish

In a pan add oil u can use butter also , if needed
add jeera after 1-2 mins add the onion paste if u r using red onions the dish will a little to the sweeter side, once the onion is almost translucent add the ginger garlic in paste form.
cook f0r 5-7 mind till oil separates out.

To this add turmeric , chilly pwd, garam masala and mix well.


Again a little trick if u need the fiery red color and not the spice,


add tomato paste instead of raw tomato, it gives a good red color without increasing the heat of the dish,


or else u can just puree tomatoes in a blender and add to the pan.
cook for 5-7 mins till the tomatoes are totally cooked, meanwhile make a flat griddle hot add some oil again u can use butter if needed, cut paneer into cubes size and shallow fry them on the griddle, turning each side every few mins.




add the paneer cubes in to the pan and mix carefully.

cook for another 2-3 mins till the spices blend into the paneer cubes.
Add the half and half , usually I would just use whole milk also .
cover the dish and let it simmer few mins then put it off.
Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve hot with rotis or naan

Entering this interactive world of blogging.

For the last few weeks I have been an anonymous reader of most blogs; amusing and teaching me a lot about cooking and cultures that ripple through India as a heartbeat.
At this point I don't know what new I have to offer , I do have one thing in common with all the foodies..LOVE TO COOK and try out new dishes too, but the cuisine that I just can't get enough of is "namade naadan kerala cuisine".

My cooking has always been inspired by two very strong ladies, my mom and my mom in law both of who were working ladies and excellent cooks, to finish it up a little of this and that of my own tricks!!

Let me start with our patent weekend breakfast; idli, dosa , or appam

When growing up I always remember my mom being a working lady who was busy all week but come Sunday morning, we would be waking up to the aroma of piping hot dosas with chamanthi and a smiling face which made every day seem like a special day.

DOSA

What you need

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Idli rice : 1 cup

Urad dal : 1/2 cup

Salt : to taste

yeast: 1 pinch

Soak the rice and urad for 6-8 hours, then grind it in a mixer (I use the Indian one I got from back home). Over the last few years, I went through several trial and errors to make soft dosas and idlis in this cold country. Quite a few attempts were disasters with idlis as hard as rock, but at other times it turned out to be great.

I tried a little trick , after the batter is mixed into a paste , take a pinch of yeast in warm water

and add to the batter just like u would do for making appams but only the quantity is less as compared .

Cover this batter and leave it over night, next morning add salt, if the batter is to make dosas

make it thin and for idlis keep the consistency thick.

Make a griddle hot and pour the batter to make fresh piping hot delicious dosas.

Coconut is the most widely used element in kerala cuisine, needless to say that it is usually a prominent member in each dish, but the best part is that it adds a different flavour to each

be it an avial , or theeyal, or chamanthi.

Now there are a lot of ways of making the coconut chutney that goes so well with idlis or dosas, here is my version.

what u need:

grated coconut : 1/2 cup

ginger: 1 inch

red dried chillies: 2-3 add more if u like it hot!

curry leaves : 4-5

shallots: one chopped

mustard seeds: 1/2 teaspoon

salt to taste

grind the coconut with ginger and red chillies to a fine paste add water if needed.make a kadai hot add oil, and mustard seeds when they start to pop add the curry leaves and chopped shallots.

cook for few minutes till translucent,add the coconut mix, and mix keep the flame low or else the chutney with curdle.

cook for 1-2 mins then add salt.

serve with hot dosas or idilis.