Koon Vella Kuruma (Mushroom white colour Korma) !

If you are in search of a thick and creamy kuruma/korma with mushroom,just check this one.Very easy to prepare,this can get along well with chapathi and appam...

Ingredients

400 gm button mushroom,cleaned & chopped
3/4 cup cooked green peas
3 onions,chopped finely
1/2 cup thick coconut milk
1.5 cup water
3 tbsp oil
1/4 cup chopped coriander
salt

For the paste

3 tbsp Khus khus/kasakasa (boil in hot water for 5 minutes and soak in the same water)
4 green chillies (increase/decrease according to your tolerance level)
4 big cloves of garlic

Method

Make a paste by grinding the ingredients in particular section.Heat oil in a medium skillet and roast chopped onion till light brown.To this,add the ground paste and continue roasting till the raw smell goes and oil clears on top.Add mushroom pieces and sauté well for another five minutes.Now add water and salt and cook closed in law heat.When the mushroom pieces get cooked and gravy start thickening add the green peas and boil for a while.Finally add the thick coconut milk and when it start to boil,switch off the stove.Add chopped coriander and serve with roti/chapathi/appam !

Pepper Chicken Masala !

I don't know why,but at times I have this perfect craving for pepper.The kind of sharp and real flavour this black spice brings out can't be resisted..My spice cabinet have 3 types of containers for pepper.The original black seeds,the ones I personally crush and then the powdered version.I respect the spice so much that I never depend on the ready made powders available in the market..You may wonder how few tea spoons of crushed pepper can convert a spicy beef roast to a special & royal Varattiyathu ! The sharp authentic flavour brings out best of any meat.Then what about a spicy Pepper Chicken Masala ? My all time favourite..Enjoy !

Ingredients

750 gm chicken,cut into small pieces
2 medium tomatoes,ground
1 tbsp crushed black pepper
1 small piece of cinnamon
5 cloves
2 sprig curry leaves
handful of chopped coriander leaves
3 tbsp oil
salt,water

For the spice paste

1 large onion,peeled and chopped
1 piece of ginger (2 inch)
6 cloves of big garlic
1 tsp chilly kashmiri chilly powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp black pepper seeds

Method

Prepare the spice paste by grinding the ingredients mentioned to a smooth paste.Marinate chicken pieces with this masala and salt for one hour.Pressure cook or cook the marinated chicken adding little water till 3/4 done.In a pressure cooker 2 whistles will do.If chicken still have gravy left,you have to cook and make it dry.Keep it aside.Now heat oil in a kadai and splutter cinnamon,cloves and curry leaves.Add 1 tbsp crushed pepper to this and sauté till the roasted masala smell begin to hit you.Add ground tomato to this and roast till the water evaporates and oil clears on top.Add the masala wrapped chicken to this and slow roast till cooked and the colour turn dark.Garnish with coriander leaves.Serve with Chapathi/roti/rice/appam..!

Vegetable Kuruma / Korma - without cashew nuts !

Making gravies/curries for dinner is a complicated affair at least a few occasions.We all love to have varied tastes and flavours.I think curry for chapathis & rotis does matter since we all look forward to the yummy, thick and delicious gravy to dip the hot rotis.Here comes a Vegetable Kuruma belonging  to this category.Simple and tasty.Check it out !

Ingredients

1 carrot,cut into medium pieces
1 medium potato,cut into four pieces
5 beans strings cut into 3 each
1 onion,cut into four pieces
1 tomato,cut into four pieces
few florets of cauliflower (optional)
2 green chillies,slitted lengthwise
1 small piece of ginger crushed
2 garlic cloves,crushed
1 tsp chilly powder
1 tsp coriander powder
few chopped coriander leaves
1/2 to 1 cup water
1 tbsp oil
salt

For the coconut paste

1/2 cup grated coconut (loose)
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1 small piece cinnamon
1 clove
1 cardamom
water

Method

 Pressure cook the vegetables along with green chillies,chilly & coriander powder,salt and enough water.3 whistles will do.Meanwhile grind the coconut with the spices mentioned adding little water to make a thick, smooth paste.Heat oil in a medium skillet and roast the crushed ginger and garlic till the raw smell disappears.Add the coconut paste to this and sauté till it leaves a nice aroma.Into this,add the cooked vegetables along with the water if any and mix well.Bring this to a boil and simmer till thick.Mash gently with a spoon so that the vegetables will be crushed to join the kuruma and make it thick.Cook till oil clears on top.Garnish with coriander leaves.Serve with rotis/chappathis..

*Sending this Korma to Let's Cook-Subzis event hosted by Radhika of Tickling Palates.

Meen Pappas ! (Fish cooked in spices and coconut milk)

It's been long since I posted a fish recipe.To keep the balance, here I am with Meen Pappas / fish pappas ! Fish pappas is a medium spicy gravy simmered in coconut milk.Served with Kerala rice and thoran,this will be a memorable meal for you !

Ingredients
1/2 kg fish,cut into thick pieces
handful of shallots,sliced
1 inch ginger piece,chopped
4 garlic cloves,chopped
1 green chilly,slitted lengthwise
2 pieces of coccum soaked in water (according to the sourness you need)
1tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 cup thin coconut milk
3/4 cup thick coconut milk
2 sprig curry leaves
Coconut oil,salt as needed

For the spice mix

2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp kashmiri chilly powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp pepper powder
2 tbsp water

Method

In a medium pot,preferably clay pot,heat oil and splutter mustard and fenugreek seeds.Take care not to burn them.Add green chillies and curry leaves,followed by ginger and garlic.Fry them till the raw smell vanishes.Meanwhile prepare a spice paste adding the spices mentioned in the section and water.Add this to the curry pot with a little more water washing the spice bowl.This will prevent it from burning while roasting. Sauté this till oil clears over the top and a nice aroma start wafting.Pour the thin coconut milk at this stage,followed by soaked coccum along with water and salt.Bring it to a boil and add the fish pieces.Cook this in medium heat till the gravy thickens and fish get cooked.Finally pour thick coconut milk and shake the pot with both your hands.Check the consistency.Simmer till the gravy turns thick and creamy.Throw the curry leaves and switch off the stove.Let the curry sit like that with a closed lid at least for one hour.This process can convert it to a tasty curry since the spices will be properly blended.Enjoy with Rice !

Punjabi Mango Pickle !! - For Indian Cooking Challenge..

This month's Indian Cooking Challenge is a pickle.It was an extremely curious session for me.Starting from the hunt of a ceramic bowl till tasting the unique flavour..Punjabi Mango Pickle ! My God,it's an amazing one,with distinct flavour of spices and the magic of mustard oil ! The recipe came from Simran and I had to simply follow the same.Thank you Simran..

Ingredients

1/2 kg raw mangoes,washed,wiped and chopped into one inch peices
50 ml mustard oil

For the pickle spice mix

10 gm fenugreek seeds
10 gm fennel seeds
10 gm turmeric powder
5 gm kalonji/nigella seeds
5 gm whole black pepper
1/2 tsp sugar
salt

Method

Spread the chopped mango pieces on a sheet/plate and  allow it to get dried in direct sun.

Meanwhile mix all ingredients given in the spice mix section and drop the dried mango pieces into this.

Mix well with a spoon till the spices are well coated over mangoes.

Now shift this into a ceramic jar.The jar should be clean and dry so that the pickle will not be spoiled.Keep this pickled jar in sun for one whole day.

Now pour enough mustard oil over the pickle to cover it completely.Keep it closed for 15-20 days or till the spice flavours are mixed well with mango pieces.After these mentioned 15 days,remember to shake the jar once in a while.This pickle can be stored  up to two years !

Vegetable Ishtoo / Vegetable Stew !

Vegetable stew or ishtoo is a mildly spiced mixed vegetable preparation simmered in coconut milk.This subtle flavoured curry is usually served with Appam or bread.Recipe follows..

Ingredients

1 cup diced vegetables (carrot,beans,cauliflower and green peas)
1 potato,boiled,peeled and mashed roughly
half tomato,chopped
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 green chillies, sliced
1 small piece of ginger,chopped
1 big garlic,chopped
1 inch piece of cinnamon
2 cardamoms
2 cloves
small piece of bay leaf
1.5 cup thin coconut milk
3/4 cup thick coconut milk
salt,oil
few cilantro,star anise to decorate

Method

Heat oil in a medium skillet and splutter cloves,cinnamon,cardamom and bay leaf.Throw chopped ginger and garlic,followed by chopped onion and green chillies.Roast it in law heat till light brown.Then add the chopped tomato. Sauté well till mushy.Now add all the veggies except potato.Roast for two minutes in high heat and pour thin coconut milk.Add curry leaves and salt.Bring to a boil.Reduce the heat then and cook with lid.Check in between and cook till the vegetables are cooked well and the gravy reduce to the minimum.Add the roughly mashed potatoes and mix well.Check salt.Finally pour the thick coconut milk and switch off when it start boiling.Let the curry rest for ten minutes.Shift to a bowl and decorate with star anise and cilantro.Serve with appam/bread.

Appam / Vellayappam !! (Plain Hoppers from Kerala)

It's been a hectic week for me.I couldn't visit this space or update with something in the draft.Now that I don't want to keep this idleness on,decided to post a beautiful breakfast / dinner from Kerala ! Appam or Vellayappam as we call it,this splendid white beauties are said to have come with Portugeese during the colonial period.The areas where they ruled,like Ceylon or Goa,all have the hoppers as a main dish in their daily cuisine.The super awesome Appam and stew or ishtoo as we might have translated to Malayalam, is a perfect breakfast to kickstart the day..And if you are into assembling a dinner,just prepare few of these and see how the guests are going to be pleased with you !

Before heading on to the recipe,I would love to share some tips while making appam.A perfect appam is both an art and technique.You may master in appam making if you are careful in the followings:

a)The variety of rice you choose-We use short grain rice/pachari to make appam.Usually the shortgrains with a thick round texture will give best result.

b)The yeast you add-While preparing the batter we are going to use yeast.There are many varieties of yeast available in the market.Depending on the quality,the time taken to rise will be different.

c)The fermentation process-The batter we keep usually overnight should be double or more in the morning.Most people fail in this step .You need to place the batter at a place where constant light heat is available.Especially in a cold climate.The best options are to keep in an oven with lights on.If you don't have a light option in the oven,you may keep the door ajar so that the light will be on.Like this you can keep it over the fridge.Another idea is to keep it over a bowl of boiled water.

d)Don't overbeat the batter while making appam.With more air,the texture of appam may change.

e)The heat while making appam-The appachatty or the utensil we use to make appam, should be placed in a medium law heat.Any change in the heat can completely spoil the shape of appam while rotating.

Reading all these,don't you think it's a complex thing to make ? Not at all.These are just tips.Most of which you learn after several sessions of appam making.Then why I take the trouble to write all these ? Just because it's a worth task..Recipe follows :


Ingredients

2 cups short grain rice, washed,soaked in water for 5 hours
1 cup freshly grated coconut
Handful of cooked rice (preferably of parboiled rice/puzhungalari choru)
1/2 tsp yeast
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
salt
water
1 tsp more sugar to be added in the morning

Method

Grind the soaked rice,coconut and cooked rice in a grinder/food processor by adding enough water.The final batter should be of medium consistency.You may add the water little by little while grinding.

Meanwhile in a small bowl of lukewarm water,mix both sugar and yeast and keep it closed for 10-15 minutes.This will completely depend on the kind of yeast you use.The mixture should rise with bubbles like this.

Now shift the batter to a bowl you are going to ferment.It should be a bigger one since the batter need space to rise.Add the yeast mixture and mix well.

Keep it closed in a warm place of your choice.It may take 8-12 hours to rise.Now in the morning this would be doubled like this.

Add the bicarbonate of soda,salt and 1 tsp sugar to this batter and mix well.Keep it closed again and place it in the same warm place.I usually use this time to make my stew.The batter will again rise like this after half to one hour.

Now place the appam maker in law medium heat.Spray some oil and pour spoonful of batter.Rotate the pan fast and close with the lid.

Wait for 1-2 minutes and you may take out appam.Serve hot with Stew /Egg curry/meat curry of your choice !

Enjoy !!

Cholia Pulao !! (Horse gram rice from Delhi)

Another rice delicacy from Delhi ! Served with raita,this rice is nutritious packed and always a winner . If you are in search of something special and easy for the lunch box ,try this .

Ingredients

1 cup Basmati Rice

3/4 cup cholia/horse gram

2 cups hot water

1 tbsp oil (preferably veg oil)

1 piece ginger, julienned

3 cloves 

2 inch length cinnamon

2 black cardamoms/badi ilaichi

1 bay leaf 

Method

Soak horse gram overnight in water and pressure cook.Heat oil in a thick bottomed skillet and add ginger juliennes,cloves,cinnamon stick,black cardamoms and bay leaf.Fry for 2-3 minutes.Add the cooked horse gram,roast for 3-5 minutes till the water evaporates and then add the rice.Roast this for another 4 minutes.Pour in the hot water,salt and bring to a boil.Cover the skillet with a heavy lid and cook on law heat for 15-20 minutes.This completely depends on the variety of rice you use.Check in between.You make keep the rice closed for at least half an hour.This can bring out the spice flavour on to rice.Serve with raita or curry..!

Pindi Vanpayar Thoran ! (Banana Stem & Cow peas cooked dry with coconut)

High in fibre,banana stem is healthy and tasty when converted to a dish.Here is a dry preparation from Kerala,popularly known as thoran.Addition of cow peas enhances the taste of thoran.Roasted with subtle spices and coconut,it's a true pleasure having even as a snack ! Recipe follows :

Ingredients

1.5 cup chopped banana stem/vazhapindi
1/2 cup cow peas,soaked overnight and cooked (not mushy.don't overcook)
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 cloves of garlic chopped
handful of shallots sliced
2 tbsp crushed chilly
2 sprig curry leaves
1/4 cup grated coconut
oil,salt

Method

Heat oil in a kadai/medium skillet and splutter mustard seeds,cumin seeds and curry leaves.Add chopped garlic and sauté for 2 minutes.Throw the sliced shallots and crushed chilly (chilly flakes).Roast till the shallots turn light brown and brings out an aroma.Add chopped banana stem and sauté well.Bring it to centre and keep closed.Cook in law flame for about 5-7 minutes.The stem pieces will release the water to cook.Now add the cooked cow peas and salt.Mix well and again cook closed for 4-5 minutes.Finally mix in the grated coconut. Sauté and cook with out lid for 2 minutes.Check salt and serve with rice /dosa/chapathi.

Paal Paniyaram ! - Guest Post for Friendship Chain..

For all those folks who is not aware or forgotten about Friendship chain event,lemme remind you something.Since it's a fortnight event and melange was hosting it for the last fifteen days,today, July 1st is the day I am supposed to reveal you about the mystery blogger I had chosen and the wonderful guest post she is going to showcase here..As you all may be knowing this is an event started by Anamika Arun of Taste Junction,handed over to me by my friend Revathi of Kaarasaram ,to be hosted for the last fortnight.

Coming back to the mystery blogger,she needs no introduction in the entire blogsphere.With almost 2000 wonderful recipes in her blog,she is synonymous of enthusiasm and dedication. None other than Priya of Priya's Easy and Tasty Recipes dear friends..I thank Priya for accepting my invitation and for coming up spontaneously with such a sweet recipe.

Here I am presenting you a wonderful recipe,a nice post from Priya, Paal Paniyaram,a Chettinad delicacy..On to Priya's words:

Been born and brought up in seashore city Pondicherry well known as French Rivera of the East, our cuisine goes for an ultimate combination of french,Chettinad,telugu, tamil and sometimes even malayalam..Obviously my cooking style goes for this wonderful combo, I have been brought up by mostly with chettinad sytle of dishes..I can definitely say that my dishes can reflect very well this fabulous combination of various cuisines..my favourite sweets which my mom never failed to make for me and my sister for our snacks is this Paal Paniyaram..It tastes super marvellous when served warm or chilled..

A traditional chettinad dish prepared with a batter with rice and urad dal which later deep fried and soaked in coconut milk with sugar and cardamom powder....A delectable dessert to be relished at anytime of day..

Paal Paniyaram:

Ingredients 

1cup Raw rice

1cup Urad dal

3cups Thick coconut milk

1cup Thin coconut milk

1cup Sugar

5nos Cardamoms (powdered)

Few silvered almonds (for garnishing)

Method

Soak the raw rice and urad dal for 3 hours, grind as fine paste in grinder with enough water but as thick batter..Heat oil for deep-frying, once the oil is hot, drop gently the grounded batter as small balls, fry them until they turns golden brown, finish frying the whole batter as small balls and keep aside..

Meanwhile bring boil both coconut milk, sugar and powdered cardamom powder, keep simmer until the milk gets mildly thicken..put off the stove and soak the deep fried balls in the coconut milk,keep aside everything at least for an hour and serve warm or chilled topped with few almond flakes....

Thanks

Priya

*So,as usual check Priya's Space on 15th to see who is her mystery blogger !