Pesaha Appam (Unleavened Passover bread)

Pesaha Appam - This unleavened passover bread is had with pesaha paalu on Maundy Thursday after the evening mass.The head of the family cuts the appam into pieces, dips in the "paalu" & then gives it to other members of the family.This is a tradition among the Catholics of Kerala.

Ingredients:
For appam:
Urad dal - 1/2cup
Rice flour - 1cup
Coconut powder - 4tbsp
Pearl onions - 3-4nos.
Salt - 1/2tsp or to taste

For paalu:
Jaggery - 200gms
Rice flour - 2-3tbsp
Coconut milk powder - 4-5tbsp
Dry ginger powder - 1tsp
Cardamoms, powdered - 3-4nos.

Method:

Wash & soak dal for 3-4 hrs. Grind dal. To it add rice flour, coconut milk powder, salt and mix well. Add enough water to reach the desired consistency(that of idli batter). Pour the appam mix in a greased pan and place a little cross made from the palm leaf you get on Palm Sunday. Steam for 10-15 min or till done.

For making paalu - Break jaggery into small pieces and place it in a pan with some water. Heat till it melts completely. Strain it. Mix the coconut milk powder in a cup of water. To this add cardamom powder, dry ginger powder & rice flour and mix well. Add this mixture to the jaggery syrup & mix well to avoid lumps. Return to fire & bring to a boil stirring well all the while. Simmer & stir till the desired consistency is reached. Switch off the flame.

Roasted Onion & Bell Pepper Pizza

Roasted Onion & Bell Pepper Pizza
Yields one 8" pizza

Ingredients:
For the crust:
All purpose flour - 3/4cup
Dry Yeast - 3/4tsp.
Sugar - 3/4tsp.
Salt - 1/3tsp.
Warm water - 1/3cup
Olive oil

For the sauce:
Onion, chopped - 1nos.
Tomatos, deseeded & chopped - 2nos.
Garlic cloves - 1big or 3 small
Chilli powder - 1/4tsp.(optional)
Italian Seasoning - 1/2tsp or as required
Olive oil
Salt to taste

For Topping:
Onion, skin on - 1small
Bell Pepper - 1small
Mozarella cheese, shredded - 1/2-3/4cup

Method:

Add yeast & sugar to warm water and keep aside for 10min. Add flour & salt to it and knead to a soft dough adding olive oil. Add more water if required. Place the dough in a well oiled bowl. Brush the the dough with more oil and keep covered in a warm place to rise. After about 30-45min, when the dough has doubled in size, punch it down. Knead it for a min and again keep covered in a warm place to rise. But this time for an hour & a half.

For the sauce, heat a little olive oil and fry the crushed garlic for a min or so. Add the onions & fry till translucent. Add tomatoes and let it simmer uncovered over a low flame till the sauce thickens. Add chilli powder & cook for another 1 min and switch of the flame. Cool and grind it to a finer consistency. Season with Italian herbs & salt.

Both the pizza dough & sauce can be prepared a day earlier and refrigerated( frozen in case of dough). Only thing to remember is to well thaw the dough & warm the sauce before using.

Bell pepper & Onions can be roasted by keeping it directly over burner flame. Roast till the vegetables are charred evenly on all sides. Cool. Remove skin, wash & slice the veggies.

Preheat the oven to 210 degree Celsius.

Knead the dough lightly & place it on a floured surface. Roll out using a rolling pin or spread out using fingers. Prick the dough all over using a fork & brush lightly with olive oil. Now spread the sauce over the base followed by the sliced veggies and finally the cheese.
Next brush the hot tray with oil & gently slide the pizza onto the tray. Bake for 20-25min or till the cheese melts & the crust is well browned. For a more browner & tastier crust you can brush the crust with more oil halfway while baking.

Remove from oven & cool slightly. Slice & serve.

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Spicy Mushroom Curry

Spicy Mushroom Curry

Ingredients:

Mushrooms, sliced - 250gms
Onion(big), sliced - 1nos.
Green chillies, slit - 1nos.
Garlic, chopped - 1tbsp
Ginger, chopped - 1tbsp
Tomatoes, chopped - 1nos.
Yogurt - 2tbsp
Red Chilli powder - 1/2tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4tsp
Coriander powder - 1tbsp
Cumin powder - 1/2tsp
Garam Masala - 1/2tsp
Salt to taste
Oil

Method:

Heat a little oil in a pan. Add sliced mushrooms & salt and saute till the mushrooms are cooked & all the water evaporates. Remove & keep aside.

Heat 2 tbsp of oil, add onions & green chillies and fry till onions turn translucent. Add garlic & ginger and saute for another few minutes. Next add tomatoes & yogurt and fry till oil separates. Add all the powders except for garam masala and saute for few minutes. Now add garam masala and switch off the heat. When the masala cools, grind half of the masala(adding water). Add this masala paste to the rest of the masala and bring to a boil. Now add the mushrooms. Check for salt & consistency. Add water if needed and stir cook for a few minutes & switch off the heat. Serve with rice or chappathi.

Other Related Recipes:

Mathanga Payasam

Mathanga Payasam - Easy & Nutritious.
Yields: 2 servings

Ingredients:

Mathanga/Yellow Pumpkin/Butternut Squash - 250gms
Thick Coconut Milk - 1cup
Sugar - 1/4cup(or as per taste)
Rice powder - 2tbsp
Cardamom powder - 1-2tsp

Method:

Cut the pumpkin into cubes. Pressure cook the pumpkin pieces in a cup of water. With the back of a spoon mash the cooked pumpkin pieces. Now add the coconut milk & sugar. Mix well & bring to a boil. Simmer for a few minutes. Mix the rice powder in a little water(Do not substitute cornflour instead of rice flour, as it is the rice flour which gives the payasam a distinct flavour.) Add this to the pumpkin mixture slowly. Keep stirring while adding to avoid lumps. Stir cook for few more minutes & switch off the flame. Add the cardamom powder. Can be served warm or cold.


Quick Pumpkin Facts:

The bright orange color of pumpkin is a dead giveaway that pumpkin is loaded with an important antioxidant, beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is one of the plant carotenoids converted to vitamin A in the body.Beta-carotene offers protection against Cancer, Heart disease as well as some degenerative aspects of aging.

Pumpkin Nutrition Facts
(1 cup cooked, boiled, drained, without salt)

Calories 49 Protein 2 grams Carbohydrate 12 grams Dietary Fiber 3 grams Calcium 37 mg Iron 1.4 mg Magnesium 22 mg Potassium 564 mg

Zinc 1 mg Selenium .50 mg Vitamin C 12 mg Niacin 1 mg Folate 21 mcg Vitamin A 2650 IU Vitamin E 3 mg

Gobi Manchurian

Gobi Manchurian - Recipe from Blogs
I made it exactly as per Annita's recipe. Made the "dry type" & it came out really good. Thanks Annita for this great recipe!

Jihva For Toor Dal - Toor Dal Salad

Toor Dal/Lentil Salad - A simple cold Salad with French dressing & my fIrSt JFI eNtRy!
Found this recipe here.

Ingredients
Toor Dal - 1cup
Onion, medium size - 1/2
Garlic cloves - 1
Carrot, cut into 4 - 1/2
Celery stalk, cut into 4 - 1/2
Bay leaves - 1
Cloves - 1
Spring Onions, thinly sliced - 2nos.

For Lemon French Dressing
Olive Oil - 2tbsp
Lemon juice - 1tbsp
Garlic, mashed - 1/2clove
Thyme, dried - a pinch
Freshly ground pepper
Salt

For Garnish
Carrot, thinly sliced - 1/2
Parsley, minced - 2tbsp

Method:

In a saucepan, bring to a boil lentils, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, bay leaf & clove(stick it into the onion). Simmer & cook on a very low heat until the lentils are tender but not mushy. Drain the lentils & remove the vegetables.

Combine the ingredients for French dressing and mix well.
Turn the drained lentils into a bowl while still hot. Add spring onions(didn't have spring onions so added 1/2 an onion chopped) & the French dressing to it and mix well. Check for pepper & salt. Cover & refrigerate for 2 hours.

At serving time, drain off any excess dressing. Turn into a flat serving dish, garnish with the sliced carrots and sprinkle with the parsley.

Vatteappam

Vatteappam
This recipe yields one 8" appam(1"thick). Serves-2

You will need:
Rice flour - 1cup
Semolina/Rava/Sooji - 1tbsp
Yeast - 1/4tsp
Sugar - 1/2tsp
Grated Coconut - 1/2-1/3cup
Cardamom powder - 1/4tsp
Sugar - 1/3cup
Salt to taste
Raisins for garnishing

Method:
Cook rava in a cup of water till it becomes soft. Let it cool.
When lukewarm, add yeast & 1/2tsp sugar to it. Allow it to froth.
Next, add rice flour to it and mix well. Set the dough aside to rise for 6 hours.
Grind coconut with sugar to a fine paste and add it to the dough.
Add cardamom powder. Mix well & let it ferment for another 4-6hours.
Add salt & pour the mixture into a greased 8" pan. Place raisins on top & steam for 5-10 minutes in a steamer or in a pressure cooker without keeping the weight. When done a toothpick inserted will come out clean.
Cool, cut into wedges and serve.

Tips: Alternately, for a quick vatteappam, you can mix rava gruel, yeast, rice, coconut & cardamom and keep aside to ferment for 3-4 hours. Add sugar & salt. Mix well and steam till done.

Aviyal

Aviyal

Ingredients:
Raw Banana - 2nos.
Drumstick - 2nos.
Carrot-1
Snake Gourd - 1cup
Raw Mango - 1small
(Potatos, Yam, Beans, Kumbalanga/Ash Gourd can also be used)
Curry leaves - few sprigs
Turmeric - 1/4tsp
Salt
Coconut oil

For Grinding:
Coconut, grated - 1/2
Green Chillies - 3nos.
Shallots/Pearl onions - 3nos.
Curry Leaves - few
Garlic Cloves - 1(big)
Cumin powder - 3/4tsp
Curd as required, depending upon the sourness of the mango.

Method:
Cut the vegetables into thin long pieces. Cook the vegetables with salt & turmeric.
Grind coconut with rest of the ingredients. Once the vegetables are cooked, add the ground coconut.
Stir & cook till the raw smell of garlic goes. Add curry leaves & about 2tbsp of coconut oil , stir & switch off the flame.

Other Related Recipes:
Sambhar
Mathanga Erissery

Parippu Vada - Dal Fritters

Parippu Vada - Dal Fritters

Crunchy Parippu Vada is a favorite accompaniment with a cup of hot tea in Kerala. The following recipe yields 12 medium sized vadas.

Ingredients:
Dal(Bengal Gram) - 1cup
Onion - 1/2nos.
Shallots - 2-3nos.
Green Chillies - 3nos.
Ginger - 1/2"
Curry Leaves - 2sprigs
Salt - 1/2tsp. or to taste

Method:
Wash & soak the dal for 3-4hours. Drain well & grind to a coarse paste. Do not add any water. The moisture retained by dal will be enough. Chop the rest of the ingredients.(I usually grind the chillies with the dal.) Add the chopped ingredients to the ground dal and mix well. Add salt just before frying the fritters. To fry the fritters, take a spoonful of the dal mixture, shape into vadas and fry in oil on a medium flame.
Tips: Save a spoon or two of the soaked dal. Add to dal mixture at end. This will make the vadas more appealing!

Sambhar

Sambhar

Ingredients:

Tuvar Dal - 1/2 cup
Onions - 1 nos.
Green chillies - 1nos.
Vegetables, diced - 3-5 cups of your choice mix
(Potato/Raw banana/Brinjal/Yellow Pumpkin/Yam/Drumsticks/Ladies Finger/Carrots/Tomatoes )
Sambhar Masala - 2tbsp.
Asafoetida - 1/4 - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric - a pinch
Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Tamarind - half the size of a lemon
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Salt to taste

Method:

Pressure cook the dal with turmeric. Mash it & keep aside. Soak tamarind in water.

Heat oil and splutter mustard seeds. Add curry leaves, chopped onion & slit green chillies.
Fry for a while(not till brown!). Add asafoetida followed by the vegetables(except for ladies finger & tomatoes). Fry for a min or two. Add water. Add salt and cook till almost done. Add tomatoes & ladies finger and cook till done. Add tamarind extract & bring to boil. Mix Sambhar in a little water and add it to the vegetables. Cook for a little while and then add the dal. Check for consistency. Add water if required. Let it boil for few minutes and then switch off. Serve hot with rice.

Other Related Recipes:
Avial
Mathanga Erissery

Channa Pulao

Channa Pulao
Yield - 2servings

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice - 1cup
Kabuli Channa/Dried Chick Peas - 1 cup
Onions, thinly sliced - 2+1nos
Garlic cloves - 3nos.
Whole spices for Rice -
Cloves - 2nos.
Cinnamon - 1"
Peppercorns -4nos.
Bay leaves - 1nos.
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander Leaves - 1 bunch
Salt to taste
Ghee/oil

Method:

Soak the chick peas in water overnight. Wash rice & soak for 30min. Drain & keep aside.
Pressure cook chick peas with salt & keep aside. Heat ghee/oil in a pan. Add whole spices. Roast for a minute & add the sliced onions(2nos.). Saute till the onions are translucent and add the drained rice. Saute for a few more minutes. Add salt & 2cups of hot water and cook till done.
Grind to a paste the remaining one onion & garlic cloves.
Heat Ghee/oil. Add the ground paste & cook till the raw smell goes. Add chilli powder & chopped coriander leaves(alternately u can grind coriander along with onion & garlic). Cook for a minute and add rice & channa. Mix well & serve garnished with coriander leaves.

Lemon Rice

Lemon Rice

Ingredients:
Basmati/Long Grain rice - 1cup
Lemon Juice - 2-3tbsp
Onions, chopped finely - 1nos
Ginger, chopped finely - 1tbsp
Green chillies, chopped - 1nos
Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Urad Dal - 1tsp
Channa Dal - 1tsp
Dry Red chilli - 1nos.
Peanuts, roasted - handful
Turmeric powder - 1/4tsp
Curry leaves - few
Oil as needed
Salt to taste

Method:
Wash rice & soak for 30min. Drain & cook in 2 cups water(Add salt to water). The grains should be separate and not sticky.

Heat oil in a pan. Splutter mustard seeds. Add the dals & dry red chilli and fry till they turn light brown. Now add chopped onions, ginger, green chillies & curry leaves. Saute till light brown. Add turmeric powder and switch of flame. Add boiled rice and sprinkle lemon juice over rice. Add peanuts & mix well and turn on the flame. Cook for 2-3 minutes and switch off. Serve with pickle.

Tomato Rice

Tomato Rice

Ingredients:
Long grain rice - 11/2cup
Tomatoes, chopped - 3nos (4 for a tangier taste)
Onions,chopped - 1nos
Green chillies,chopped - 2-3nos
Coriander leaves,chopped - 4-5 sprigs
Coconut milk powder - 3tbsp
Chilli powder - 1/2tsp
Turmeric powder - a pinch

Whole spices
Bay leaves - 1
Cardamom - 2
Cloves - 3
Cinammon stick - 1" piece
Star Anise - 1

Oil as needed
Salt as needed

Method:
Wash rice and soak in water for 30min. Puree the tomatoes. Dissolve the coconut milk powder in a cup of water.

Heat oil in a pan, fry the whole spices for a few minutes. Add chopped onions & green chillies and saute till it turns brown. Add the chilli & turmeric powders. Now add the pureed tomatoes & coconut milk followed by coriander leaves. Add salt to taste. When it starts to boil add the drained rice. Add water as needed & cook till done. Serve hot with onion raita.

Tomato Rice served with onion raita....

Mushroom Pulao

Mushroom Pulao - Recipe from Blogs
I have made a couple of changes...like avoided mint leaves, made it more spicy etc....

Ingredients:
Button Mushrooms(Cleaned&Sliced) - 1 cup
Potato - 1nos.
Basmati Rice - 1cup
Onion - 1nos.
Ginger-Garlic Paste - 1/2-1 tsp
Coriander Leaves
Curd - 1tbsp.
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp.
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/4-1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp
Salt to taste

Whole Spices
Whole Red Chilli - 1
Bay Leaf - 1 small
Cloves -2
Cardamom-1
Cinnamon - 1 small piece
Star Anise - 1 small piece(Not the whole!)
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp.

Method:

Wash rice and soak in water for 1/2 an hour. Peel & chop the potatoes. Slightly fry the potatoes in oil & keep aside.

Heat oil. Add the whole spices one by one and when done(aroma comes), add the chopped coriander leaves. Saute for while and then add chopped onions & ginger-garlic paste. When onions turn brown, add all the powdered masalas & salt.

Cook for a while & then add the potatoes & mushrooms. Cook covered until the mushrooms are half done or when all the moisture has evaporated. Now, add curd & cook for 1-2min. Add the drained rice & saute for a few minutes. Transfer the contents to a pressure cooker & add 2 1/4 cup of boiling water. Pressure cook until done.(2-3min). Serve garnished with coriander leaves with pickle and/or salad.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Ingredients:
Mushrooms - 1cup
Onion - 1nos
Garlic - 1nos.
Butter - 25gms(1/4 stick)
Flour - 1 heaped tbsp
Chicken Broth/water - 3 cups
Heavy Cream/Full cream milk - 1/2 - 1 cup
Ground Nutmeg - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste - optional

Method:
Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Cut half of the mushrooms into slices. Chop the remainder.
Melt half of the butter in a large saucepan and saute sliced mushrooms until golden. Remove and reserve. Add remaining butter to the same pan & saute sliced garlic. When the raw smell goes add the chopped mushrooms and onions. Add salt. Cook, until onion is soft.
Add flour and cook, stirring constantly about 2 minutes, until smooth. Slowly add chicken broth while stirring. Simmer, stirring often, until thickened. Add nutmeg and pepper(optional). Taste and adjust seasoning, if need be.
Switch off the flame. Cool & puree in a blender until smooth. Add the reserved mushrooms & return to fire. Add heavy cream and bring to a simmer(Do not boil). Ladle into soup bowls and serve garnished with cream.

Bittergourd Curry with Yogurt

Bittergourd Curry with Yogurt - Recipe from Blogs

Ingredients:

Bitter gourd sliced thin - 2
Green chillies slit - 5
Tomato sliced into quarters - 1
Onion sliced - 1

Red Chilly powder - 3/4 tsp
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
Coconut milk - 1 cup
Yogurt - 1 cup
Salt - to taste
Oil - as needed

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Method:

Heat a little oil and shallow fry the bittergourd pieces till light brown. Add onions and green chillies into it and saute for 2-3 mintues. Now add chilly powder,coriander powder,turmeric powder and 1 tbsp of water.Stir them for a while and add tomato and salt.Now add coconut milk and necessary water. Bring to a slow boil. Switch off the heat. When cool add the beaten yogurt & mix well.

Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. Let it splutter. Add curry leaves and cumin seeds into it and fry for a while. Pour it over the curry. Serve with rice.

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Kappa Vevichathu

Kappa Vevichathu - Recipe from blogs

Ingredients:
Kappa/Tapioca - 2 nos.( 1 1/4 kilo)
Onion - 1 nos.
Curry leaves
Mustard
Red Chilli Flakes
Salt
Oil

Method:
Cook tapioca with salt. Drain.
Heat oil. Splutter mustard seeds. Add in onions, curry leaves & red chilli flakes. When onions turn brown, add it to the cooked tapioca & mix well.

Cheera & Uralakizhangu Ulathiyathu

Cheera & Uralakizhangu Ulathiyathu/Red Spinach & Potato curry - Another dish that goes very well with rice

Ingredients:
Cheera - 2 medium bunches
Potato - 1 small
Onion - 1 nos.
Green chillies - 1nos.
Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder
Coconut oil
Curry leaves
Salt to taste

Method:
Clean & chop the spinach. Dice the potato into little cubes(for quick cooking). Chop the onions and chillies.
Saute the onions,green chillies & curry leaves. When onions turn translucent add the powders and stir for a while. Add the cubed potatoes, spinach and salt. Sprinkle a little water and cook covered till done.

Mathanga Erissery

Mathanga Erissery

Ingredients:

• Mathanga/Yellow Pumpkin/Butternut Squash - 250 gms
• Vanpayar/Red Moong Beans - 1/2 cup
• Coconut(grated) - 1 cup
• Garlic - 1-2 nos.
• Whole Black Pepper - 6 nos. or 1/2tsp Pepper powder
• Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp
• Red Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Mustard seeds - 1tsp
• Dry red chillies - 1 nos.
• Curry leaves - few
• Coconut oil - as needed

Preparation:

1. Peel & chop pumpkin into 1 inch pieces.
2. Keep aside 1 tbsp of grated coconut. Grind the remaining coconut, whole black peppers, cumin & garlic to a coarse paste.
3. Cook vanpayar with turmeric,chilli powder and salt.
4. When almost done add the pumpkin pieces and cook.
5. When done add the ground mixture. Add water if necessary and cook for some more time and then remove from fire. Check for salt.
6. Fry the reserved grated coconut to a brown color & add to it.
7. Heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds, dry red chilli & curry leaves and add it to the curry.

Other Related Recipes:
Aviyal Recipe
Sambhar Recipe