Apricot Ginger Lemon Juice

Ingredients

5 or 6 apricots, seeded
1 squeezed lemon
1/2 inch ginger grated
sugar to taste
2 cups of water
3 or 4 ice cubes

Preparation

1. In a blender put all the above mentioned ingredients and blend  it well .

2. Strain the juice using a fruit strainer and serve chill.

Dum Aloo / Baby Potatoes in Spicy Yogurt Gravy

Ingredients

6 or 7 baby potatoes
2 medium onions
1 inch ginger
4 garlic cloves
5 green chillies
2 medium tomatoes
3/4 tsp cumin seeds
3/4 tsp fennel seeds
1 bay leaf
1 small cinnamon stick
3 cloves
1/4 tsp asafoetida
11/2 tsp red chilli powder
11/2 tsp kashmiri chilly powder
11/4 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp + 1 pinch turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala
5 tbsp yogurt
1/2 tsp sugar
salt to taste
Oil as required
3/4 cup water
3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves




Preparation

1. Wash the potatoes and boil the potatoes in water until they are partially cooked. Peel the skin off and keep aside.
(Do not over cook the potatoes. But they have to be soft enough let a fork half way through)

2. Grind the onions,ginger, garlic and green chillies to a smooth paste and keep aside. Also, grind the tomatoes to a smooth paste separately and keep aside.

3. Heat oil in a non-stick pan. Add a pinch of turmeric powder and salt to it. Shallow fry the baby potatoes until they turn golden brown in color. Drain the potatoes and keep aside.
(Prick the potatoes all over with a fork before shallow frying which will help the potatoes to absorb the spices)

4. In the same pan, add some more oil if needed and heat. Add cumin seeds, fennel seeds, asafoetida , cinnamon stick, coves and bay leaf. Saute for 2 minute in low heat.

5. Now add the onion paste to this and saute in medium heat until it turns golden brown.

6. To this add the red chilli powder, kashmiri chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder,garam masala and salt. Mix well and saute for 5 minutes.

7. To this add the tomato paste and mix well. Saute for another 7-8 minutes or until the raw taste of tomato goes off.

8. To this, add the fried baby potatoes and mix well. (Be careful not to break the potatoes while mixing)

9. Now add the yogurt,water and sugar to this and mix well. Add salt if needed.Cook in medium flame until the gravy becomes thicker.

10. Add chopped coriander leaves to this and turn off the heat.

The spicy dum aloo is ready to serve. It goes well with rice or any indian bread.

Kerala Style Fish Curry with Raw Mangoes / Manga Itta Meen Curry

Ingredients

1 lb fish ,cleaned and cut into small pieces (preferably king fish or pomfret)
1 cup grated coconut
2 tbsp red chilli powder
1 3/4 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
1 tomato, sliced
1/2 portion of a big mango, sliced into medium pieces (You can add more if you like sourness)
2 or 3 green chillies, cut lengthwise
1 cup water
salt to taste
2 tbsp coconut oil

For tempering

3 tbsp coconut oil
6 or 7 small onions, thinly sliced
a twig of curry leaves

Preparation

1. In a blender add the grated coconut, red chili powder and coriander powder. Blend well to get a smooth paste and keep aside.

2. Heat coconut oil in a earthen pot and asd the fenugreek seeds and fennel seeds to this. Once it splutters, reduce the flame to low and pour the ground coconut paste to the pot.

3. Add water and salt to this and mix well.

4. Now add the sliced raw mango,tomato and green chillies to it and cook in medium heat.

5. Once the curry starts to boil and mangoes are cooked enough, add the fish pieces and cook in low heat until the fish is cooked well and the gravy thickens up. Turn off the heat.

6. For tempering , heat coconut oil in a pan and add pearl onions and curry leaves. Saute until they turn light brown in color. Add this to the curry.

7. Cover the fish curry with a lid and keep aside for 30 minutes to enable the flavors to seep inside the fish.

Unnakkaya - An Authentic Malabar Snack

Ingredients

3 riped plantains / Nenthrappazham (It should not be over riped)
1/2 cup grated coconut
2 tbsp chopped cashew nuts
2 tbsp raisins
4 or 5  cardamom, powdered
5 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp ghee or butter
coconut oil to deep fry

Preparation

1. Steam the plantains until they are well cooked and turn soft. Instead of steaming, you can  cook the plantains with water also.

2. Peel the plantains and remove the black seeds inside.

3. Grind it into a smooth paste without adding water and keep aside(Consistency should be same as that of chappathi dough. If the paste is a little loose refrigerate for a while or add some rice powder to it and mix well).

4. To make the stuffing, heat the ghee or butter in a pan. Fry the cashews and raisins until they turn brown.

5. To this add the grated coconut, sugar and cardamom powder and saute for another 3 to 4 minutes in medium flame. Turn off the heat and let it cool.

6. To prepare the unnakkaya, grease your hands with some ghee and make lemon size ball with the banana dough.Flatten it in on ur palm and put 1 tbsp of filling in the center.  Close all the ends carefully with two hands and roll it to make the shape as shown in the picture.

7. Heat oil in kadai in medium flame. Fry the prepared unnakkaya until they turn golden brown in color and drain them on a kitchen towel( While frying, turn them occasionally so that all the sides are uniformly fried).

Serve warm with tea!!

Dry Chilli Paneer

Ingredients

400 gms of paneer, diced into cubes
2 tbsp chopped spring onion
Oil to fry

For the batter

31/2 tbsp all purpose flour
31/2 tbsp corn flour
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder
salt to taste
water as required

For the sauce

2 large onions, diced into cubes
1 capsicum, diced into cubes
8 green chillies, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tbsp tomato sauce
3 tbsp tomato chilli sauce
2 tbsp soya sauce
salt to taste
3 tbsp oil (You can re-use the oil that was used for frying the paneer)

Preparation

1. Make a smooth and thick paste using all the ingredients mentioned in the "for the batter" section.

2. To this batter add the paneer cubes and mix well so that all of them are well coated with the batter. Keep aside for 10 minutes.

3. Heat oil in a kadai. Put the battered paneer cubes in it and fry till golden brown. Drain on paper towel and keep aside.

4. Heat oil in wide pan and add onions to it. Saute in high flame for 1 minute.

5. Add the diced capsicum, chopped garlic and green chilly along with salt to this and saute for another 3 to 4 minutes in medium flame.

6. Now add the tomato  sauce, tomato chilli sauce and soy sauce and mix well. Adjust the salt at this stage and cook for 2 minute in low heat. Stir in between.

7. To this add the fried paneer cubes and mix well. Make sure all the cubes are well coated with the sauce. Turn off the heat after 2-3 minutes.

8. Now add the chopped spring onion to this and mix well. Chilli paneer is ready to serve.

Serve hot!!

Raw Date Pickle

Ingredients

1 pound raw date, seeded and chopped

2 tbsp finely chopped ginger
4 or 5 green chillies, finely chopped
21/2 tsp fenugreek seeds, dry roasted and powdered
2 tsp red chilly powder
2 tsp kashmiri chilly powder
1/2 tsp asafoetida powder
salt to taste
4 tbsp sesame oil
5 tbsp + 1 tsp vinegar

Preparation

1. Heat the sesame oil in a kadai. Add the fenugreek powder along with the chopped ginger and green chillies and saute in low heat until the raw smell goes.

2. At this stage, add the red chilly powder, kashmiri chilly powder and mix well. Saute until the oil separates.

3. To this add vinegar and salt.Stir well and allow it to boil in medium heat.

4. Once gravy has thickened up, turn the heat low and add the chopped dates to it along with asafoetida powder. Mix well and turn off the heat.

5. Once the pickle is cool, add 1 tsp of vinegar to it and mix well. Store it in a clean and dry bottle.

You can start using the pickle from the next day!!

Gobi Manchurian

Ingredients

1 medium size cauliflower,cut into florets and washed  thoroughly
3 cups of water
salt to taste
Oil to fry
3 tbsp finely chopped spring onion

For the batter

21/2 tbsp all purpose flour
21/2 tbsp corn flour
1 tsp chilli powder
2 pinches of baking powder
3 drops of red food color
salt to taste
1 egg (vegans can use water instead of egg)

For the sauce

1 medium red onion, chopped
1/2 tbsp finely chopped ginger
1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
6 green chillies, finely chopped
4 tbsp tomato sauce
11/2 tbsp tomato chilli sauce
1 tbsp soya sauce
2 tsp corn flour
1/4 cup water
2 drops of red food color
oil 2 tbsp (You can re-use the oil that is used for frying the cauliflower)
salt to taste

Preparation

1. Boil 3 cups of water in a vessel. Once the water starts boiling, add the cauliflower florets along with some salt. Cook for 4-5 minutes. Drain the water and keep aside.

2. To make the batter, mix all the ingredients except egg to a bowl and mix well. Now add the egg to this and mix well to get a thick smooth paste (Vegans can use water instead of egg).

3. To the batter, add the half cooked cauliflower florets and mix well so that all of them are well coated with the batter.

4. Heat oil in a kadai. Put the cauliflower florets to this and deep fry until they are golden brown in color. Drain on paper towel and keep aside.

5. To prepare the sauce, heat oil in a pan. Add the chopped onions,ginger,garlic,green chillies and salt to this and saute until onion is translucent.

6. To this add the tomato sauce and tomato chilli sauce. Cook in low flame until the oil separates.

7. Now add the soya sauce to this. mix well and cook for another 2 minutes.

8. While this is in progress, mix the corn flour with 1/4 cup of water without leaving any lumps. Add this to the sauce mix along with the food color and cook in medium heat. Check for salt at this stage and add if needed.

9. Once the sauce thickens up, put the fried cauliflower florets to it and mix well carefully without breaking the florets in low heat. Make sure all the florets are well coated with the sauce. Turn off the heat after 2-3 minutes.

10. To this add the finely chopped spring onion and toss well.

Gobi  Manchurian is ready to serve.

Stuffed Mushroom

Ingredients

15-20 medium sized white button mushrooms,cleaned and stemmed
Mushroom stems, finely chopped
1/2 white onion, finely chopped
3 tbsp yellow bell pepper, chopped
3 tbsp spinach, chopped
3 tbsp spring onion, chopped
1 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped (optional)
3 or 4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp grated mozzarella cheese
2 tbsp grated  Parmesan  cheese
2 tbsp grated cheddar cheese
1 tsp pepper powder
oil as required
salt to taste
dried  parsley leaves to sprinkle on top

Preparation


1. To prepare the stuffing, heat oil in a pan. Add the chopped mushroom stems and onion along with salt and saute until the stem is cooked well.

2. To this, add the minced garlic and saute for another 2 minutes or until the raw smell is gone. Turn off heat and allow it to cool.

3. To this mixture add chopped spinach,spring onion, yellow bell pepper, grated cheese and pepper and mix  thoroughly. Add salt if required.

4. Fill each mushroom generously with this stuffing. Sprinkle dried parsley leaves over and keep aside.

5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Oil the baking tray and arrange the mushroom on it and bake more about 20 to 25 minutes and that is it.

Serve hot.

Nadan Mutton Roast

Ingredients

For the gravy

1 lb mutton, cut into small pieces
2 large onions, thinly sliced
3 green chillies, sliced
2 tsp ginger paste
2 tsp garlic paste
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
31/2 tsp coriander powder
11/2 tsp garam masala
a twig of curry leaves
2 tbsp coconut oil
salt to taste

For cooking the mutton

11/2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
21/2  tsp coriander powder
1 tsp pepper powder
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp coconut oil
salt to taste
water as required to make a smooth paste

Preparation

1. Wash the mutton pieces well and pat them dry using a paper towel.

2. Mix all the ingredients mentioned in  the "for cooking the mutton" section and make a smooth paste.

3. Marinate the mutton pieces with this and keep aside for 10 minutes.

4. Pressure cook the mutton until it is cooked well. (Do not add water. I had cooked the mutton in low heat for 6-7 whistles). Keep aside.

5. Heat oil in a kadai and add the sliced onions along with curry leaves and salt.

6. Saute until  the onions are golden brown in color.

7. Now add ginger paste, garlic paste and the sliced green chillies and saute for another 5 minutes.

8. To this, add the chilli powder, kashmiri chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and garam masala and mix well. Saute for 2 minutes in low heat.

9. Add the mutton pieces and the water remaining in the cooker to this and mix well.

10. Cook in medium flame until the the gravy is in the right consistency. Stir in between to avoid burning. (You can make this a dry preparation or semi-gravy one).

Jallab -A Date Juice

Ingredients

10 seedless dates
5 tbsp raisins
11/2 cups of chilled water
1 tsp rose water
2 ice cubes, broken
5 almonds, sliced

Preparation

1. In a blender, add dates and raisins along with chilled water and blend until smooth.

2. Add rose water to this and blend once again. Then remove and strain.

3. Pour in a serving glass. Add the broken ice cubes and sliced almonds as topping.

Serve chilled.

Bilimbi Prawns Masala/ Irumban puli Chemmeen Masala

Ingredients

7 or 8 large prawns, shelled and cleaned
2 tbsp coconut oil to shallow fry the prawns

For marination

5 or 6 bilimbi
10 shallots
3 green chillies
1 inch ginger
5 garlic cloves
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp pepper powder
salt to taste
a twig of curry leaves

Preparation

1. Grind all the ingredients mentioned in the "for marination" section except curry leaves to a smooth paste.

2. Crush the curry leaves with hand and add that to the smooth paste.

3. Marinate the prawns with the marinade and keep aside for 10 to 20 minutes.

4. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add oil and swirl it around the pan.

5. Arrange the marinated prawns in a single layer without overlapping and cook for 2 minutes.

6. Flip the prawns and cook for another 2 minutes.

7. Cover the pan with a lid ,cook for another 5 minutes in low heat.

8. Remove the prawn masala from heat.

The bilimbi prawns masala is ready.

Blueberry Milk Shake

Ingredients

a handful of blueberries
1 cup chilled 2% milk
2 tbsp honey (Sugar can also be used)
2  cardamom pods

Preparation

1. In a blender add the blueberries, milk, honey and cardamom  and blend it well.

2. Strain the milkshake using a fruit strainer if needed.

Serve it chill !!

Indo Chinese Egg Fried Rice

Ingredients

2 cups of basmati rice
4 cups of water

4 eggs
1 medium size white onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 inch ginger, finely chopped
1 green chilli, finely chopped
1/2 cup of chopped carrots
1/2 cup of chopped french beans
1/4 cup of fresh green peas
a bunch of spring onions, chopped
11/2 tsp soya sauce
1 tsp  tomato chilli sauce
1 tsp vinegar
1/4 tsp pepper powder
salt to taste
2 tbsp water
5 tbsp sesame oil

Preparation

1. Cooking the rice
   a. Soak the rice for 10 minutes and drain in a colander .
   b. Heat 2 tbsp sesame oil in a large vessel.
   c. Add the rice and stir fry for 5 minutes.
   d. Add 4 cups of water and salt as required to this and cook the rice in medium heat. (Stir once in a while)

2. Preparing the egg scramble
   a. Beat the eggs with 1/4 tsp of pepper powder and 2 pinches of salt.
   b. Heat 1 tbsp of sesame oil in a pan.
   c. Add the beaten egg to this and scramble until it is cooked and keep aside.

3. Heat 2 tbsp of sesame oil in a large pan and add the sliced onion with chopped ginger,garlic and green chilli for a minute.

4. Now add the chopped carrots, french beans and green peas to this and saute for another  2 to 4 minutes.

5. Sprinkle 1 or 2 tbsp of water to this and cover the pan with a lid and cook the vegetables in medium heat.

6. Add vinegar, soy sauce and chilli tomato sauce to this and mix well.

7. Turn the heat to low. Add the cooked rice to this and combine well. Add salt if needed.

8. Now add the scrambled egg and chopped spring onion to this and again mix thoroughly. Turn off the heat

Kozhi Nirachath /Spicy Egg Stuffed Roast Chicken

Ingredients

1 medium size whole chicken, cleaned and skinned

For marinating the chicken

2 tbs red chilli powder
1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
3 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp oil
salt to taste
water as required

For stuffing

2 boiled eggs
1 medium size onion, thinly sliced
3 green chillies, finely chopped
2 large garlic pods, skinned
1/2 inch ginger, finely chopped
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp kashmiri chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
a twig of curry leaves
a handful of coriander leaves, chopped
salt to taste
1 tbsp coconut oil

For shallow frying the chicken

1/4 cup coconut oil


For Baking the chicken

1 medium onion, sliced

For the gravy

1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 tomato, sliced
4 green chillies, chopped
1 tsp fennel seed
1 tsp ginger , chopped
1 tsp garlic , chopped
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala
salt to taste
a twig of curry leaves
1 tbsp coconut oil remaining after frying the chicken

Preparation

For marinating the chicken

1. Clean the whole chicken  thoroughly with water and lemon juice and pat dry.

2. Make a smooth paste with all the ingredients specified in the "for marinating the chicken" section.

3. Apply this paste all over the chicken both inside and outside and refrigerate it overnight or at least 4 hrs.


For Stuffing

1. Boil the eggs and keep aside.

2. Heat oil in a pan or kadai. Add the sliced onion along with the chopped green chillies, garlic cloves ,chopped ginger and curry leaves. Saute until the onions are light brown in color.

3. Now add chilli powder, kashmiri chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder , garam masala and salt. Mix everything together and fry for 3 to 4 minutes.

4. Add the boiled eggs to this masala and fry for another 2 minutes.

5. Finally add the chopped coriander leaves to this, mix well and turn off the heat. Allow the masala to cool down.

6. Stuff this masala inside the chicken.
First put the eggs inside, then the masala.Using kitchen twine tie the chicken legs first and then the wings. (Do not stuff heavily ).

For shallow frying the chicken

1. Heat oil in a large pan. Place the stuffed chicken carefully in the pan and fry until all the four sides are light brown in color. (You need to turn the chicken carefully as needed and no need to fry fully).

2. Drain the chicken and keep it aside.

For baking the chicken (Initial Stage)

1. Preheat the oven in 350 F.

2. Make a bed using sliced onion in the baking dish and place the chicken on that facing the breast side down.

3. Drizzle some oil (used for frying the chicken) on the chicken

4. Cover the baking dish with an aluminium foil and bake it for 40 minutes.

Meantime you need to prepare the gravy, which has to be poured on the half baked chicken.

For the gravy

1. Heat oil in a pan . Add the sliced onion to this and saute for a minutes.

2. Add chopped ginger, garlic ,green chillies  and curry leaves to this and saute for another 2 minutes.

3. Then add the sliced tomato.

4. Once the tomato is soft, add chilli powder, kashmiri chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and garam masala along with salt and fry for 3 minutes in medium flame.

5. Grind the fennel seeds to fine powder and add it to this gravy and mix well. Fry for another 2 minutes and turn off the heat.

For baking the chicken (Final Stage)

1. Once the initial baking is done, take the chicken out carefully and pour the prepared gravy all over the chicken.

2. Bake the chicken uncovered for another 40 minutes in 400F 

and that is it. The egg stuffed chicken is ready. (Take off the kitchen twine before serving)

Chicken Pasta Soup

Ingredients

1/2 white onion, sliced
2 or 3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 or 3 celery, diced medium
1 carrot, diced medium
2 or 3 french beans, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
green peas, 1 handful
a small piece of cabbage, thinly sliced
pasta , 1 handful (Butterflies or shells will be the best. I used butterfly pasta)
2 cans of chicken stock (440 ml each)
salt as required
pepper powder as required
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp corn flour (optional)
water as required

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a vessel. Add the sliced onions, chopped garlic and the remaining vegetables along with 1 tsp of  pepper powder and enough salt. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes. (Add a little salt as the stock will have salt)

2. Now add the chicken stock along with pasta. You can add water if you feel it is required. Cover the vessel with a lid and allow to boil in medium heat.

3. If you want a thick consistency , mix the cornflour in water to get a smooth paste and add this to this boiling soup and cook for a minute.

4. Check for salt and pepper and add if needed.

The simple and yummy chicken soup is ready!!
Special thanks to my friend P for this awesome recipe.