RCI - KERALA

I was looking forward towards this RCI event for long, luckily Jyothsna of Curry Bazzar came up with the event just in time, as we have just returned from our India trip almost a month back the memories are so fresh, we had a great time back home, also went on a boat ride through the ever famous kumarkom back waters, it is BEAUTIFUL!!!

a traditional house boat !!

on the way to the back waters!!

Kumarkom has now become a hub for tourism, very scenic ,also loaded with tourists from all around the world luckily we managed to get a houseboat for about 5 hours , there are also options for the night stay which looked too tempting but due to time constrains had to settle down for a few hrs, may be next time.

The whole trip is like an adventure u get to see nature at it's best, although there are plenty of 5 star hotels on the way but if u want to have authentic food then small food joints are the place to go ,we decided to try out a thaat kaada ( small shop) for lunch, which is just beside the backwaters, my brother and T went to see if it was good enough for all of us and the kids too, when they came back with the dishes I cud say this was going to be one lunch we will cherish for life!!!! see for urself :)

Lovely food just right amount of spices , fresh fish and to mention accompanied with toddy too good!! Kappa and meen (fish) chaar was the starter, along with karimeen fry , small fish fried, also something I never had before turtoise fry tastes like pork fry, and kakka erachi yummy!!!, then was the last course Rice with sambar ,& Payar (beans) thoran, which sealed the deal :)

one closer look at the thaat kada food!!!

It definitely was a great trip and we all were happy that we tried the food at the thaath kada ,which reminds of my entry for the RCI- KERALA.

Kappa and fish curry all time favourite for keralities anywhere and everywhere on the face of the earth :)

here is the link for the recipe

http://spiceandrice.blogspot.com/2007/05/kappa-with-fish-curry.html

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 .