Wednesday, December 7, 2011

CHICKEN STIR FRY


Chicken is an ingredient  that i love to cook with. Most of the time i try to make something new with it. I have prepared many variations of chicken stir fry over the yrs,  peppery chicken ,a herb chicken fry among the popular ones in the family.This one is the simplest of them all with salt ,pepper and a dash of chilli pdr being the only spices added.I also coated the chicken with some all purpose flour for some crispiness and a change of texture. They are quick to prepare and tastes absolutely delicious. Great as appetizers.


INGREDIENTS

Chicken tenders - 4 strips, cut to bite size pieces
Salt and pepper
Chilli pdr - 1/2 tsp
All purpose flour -enough to coat the chicken
Onions - a medium size,sliced
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Oil - 1 1/2 tbsp


METHOD

Marinate the chicken with salt,pepper and chilli pdr.Coat it well with some flour.Leave it aside.Heat oil in a wide cast iron skillet.Slowly add the coated chicken.Shallow fry the chicken pieces  until brown on both sides.Transfer it to  plate.In the same skillet add the sliced onions and curry leaves.Add salt and pepper.When it becomes slightly brown add the chicken pieces.Stir fry for a minute or two.Serve warm as appetizers.

ENJOY!!!

Thursday, November 3, 2011

FISH PICKLE




My quest to make Fish Pickle goes back to my college days where I had the oppurtunity to eat the best fish pickle i ever had. Unfortunately that was the only time.I have lived in kerala my whole life and Fish Pickle being one of the most popular items there, its surprising to me that i havent had it even ones.

Also in this cold weather when you are looking for things to keep yourself warm pickles definitely helps.The fish pickle i made is quite different from the one i had.Its equally good nevertheless.Its fairly simple and quick to make.It took me just about less than 30 mins to make it from start to finish.I made a small batch.Now that i am done i wish i had made more.Its finger licking,lip smacking delicious.Its that good.Very very addictive.


INGREDIENTS

Fish fillet - 1, any white fish, I used tilapia,Sliced
Shallots - 5-6 nos, sliced thin
Ginger - 1 1/2 tbsp , julienned
Garlic - 4-5 cloves, slliced thin
Kashmiri red chilli pdr - 2 tbsp + 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 2-3 sprigs
Asafoetida - a big pinch
Salt  and pepper to taste
Oil - 1 1/2 tbsp + 1 tbsp


METHOD

First Marinate the sliced fish with 2 tbsp of chilli pdr,sat and pepper.Keep aside for 15-20 mins.
Heat some oil in a wide pan.Shallow fry the fish pieces. Sprinkle some asafoetida on top and transfer it to a bowl.In the same pan pour the rest of the oil and when its hot add mustard seeds.When it starts to pop add curry leaves,ginger,garlic and shallots.Add salt.When it starts to become light brown add the rest of the chilli pdr.Dont add any water..Lower the flame and stir for a minute until fully incorporated.Add the fried fish to this and mix well.Serve immediately ,warm or cold with some rice.


ENJOY!!!

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

CHEWY PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES


I love to snack on peanut butter sandwich (without the jelly) anytime, especially if its chunky peanut butter. Its very filling and so nutritious that i sometimes replace my meal with a peanut butter and banana sandwich.It's really delicious.So absolutely no surprise that i made these cookies.These cookies are chewy with a perfect crunch to it.All you need is a glass of milk to dunk it in :).


INGREDIENTS

Chunky peanut  butter -- 1 cup( can also use smooth one too, add nuts in the end for the crunchiness)
Sugar - 1/3 cup
Brown sugar - 1/3 cup, tightly packed
Egg  - 1
Milk - 2 tbsp
Vanilla extract - 2 tsp
All purpose flour - 2 tbsp
Baking powder - 1 tsp
baking soda - 1/4 tsp


METHOD

Preheat oven to 350 deg F.Mix together flour,baking powder and soda in a bowl.Keep aside.In another bowl,using a beater ,cream together peanut butter,sugar and brown sugar until well combined. Add the egg and beat again.Now add the milk and vanilla extract. Beat it until its all mixed together.Do not over beat.Stir in the flour mixture.Line a cookie sheet with aluminium foil.Grease your palm with some oil.Make lemon size balls of the dough and put it on the sheet.Press it  a little.Leave enough space between each balls for the cookies to spreaad. Bake for 10-12 mins until golden brown. Let it cool for 10-15 mins before eating.


ENJOY!!!

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

HERB - CRUSTED FISH


I love fish, can have it every single day.Most of the time i try making the kerala type fish dishes like fish molay or meen pollichathu or fish fry. For me making those dishes are really tough because even though they are edible they dont come close to perfection.But this one is as perfect as it can be.Credit goes to my brother who taught me to cook this. I never thought such simple ingredients could make a fish so tasty. He served it on top of some caramelized onions and pepper. YUMMY!!!Its melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Its great as an appetiser.My l'il one  loves it too. This is just one of the many tasty dishes i got out of my brother, hoping for more :).


 INGREDIENTS

Fish fillet - 1-2 nos(i used tilapia. You can use any white fish like catfish or flounder)
Dry oregano
Dry thyme
Dill weed
Salt and pepper
Oil
No particular measurements just spread as much or as less as you want.
(You can use any combination of dry herbs that you have in your pantry)


METHOD

First clean the fish and wipe it dry.Apply some oil on both sides of the fish to help the herbs and salt stick to it.Put salt,pepper,and herbs all over the fish on both sides.Press it gently so tht they stick well to the fish.


Heat a tbsp each of butter and oil in a wide cast-iron skillet.When its smoking hot put the fish in the skillet and let it cook for couple of minutes on both sides.This fish cooks pretty fast.Transfer it to a paper towel to absorb the extra oil. Serve warm on the side of white rice  or as an appetizer.


Thursday, September 8, 2011

THIKSANI BAJJI/ MULAGA BAJJI/ CHILLI FRITTERS


Weatherwise its been so dull the last couple of days, continuous rains and still going on.Days like this i crave to have something spicy. Most of the time i would settle for a bowl of hot soup or some spicy curry on the side. But this time when there were some ready-to-be-picked banana peppers in my garden, i just couldnt resist making these spicy Chilli Fritters to go with my hot cup of coffee.No doubt they were absolutely perfect.
Chilli Fritters also brings back fond memories of my childhood tirupati trips with my family.After getting a good darshan dad used to buy us these freshly made fritters from the small food stalls there.They fry these whole without removing the seeds which makes them extremely spicy.To add to the heat we had some delicious hot badam milk to go with it.A Deadly combo indeed.


INGREDIENTS

Banana peppers - 9-10 nos
Oil for deep frying

For the batter:-

Besan - 1 cup
Chilli pdr - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - A big pinch
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp (optional)
Salt to taste
Water


METHOD

Clean the banana peppers well. I leave the top stalk as it is to help me hold and i think the final product looks good with the stalk on it. Now using a knife slit the pepper from top to bottom to help remove some of the seeds. Apply some salt and leave it aside.


Mix all the dry ingredients of the batter in a wide bowl.Add water just enough to make a medium thick batter. The consistency of the batter should be such that it holds onto the pepper when dipped.Not too thick though ,that will take way the taste of the pepper.Check salt.


Heat oil for frying.When its ready.Dip the pepper in the batter and slowly drop it in the oil. Fry 2-3 at a time depending or how big your frying pan is.Do not over crowd the pan. Let it cook until brown on all sides. Transfer it to a paper towel inorder to soak the extra oil. Serve warm with a hot cup of tea or coffee.

ENJOY!!!

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

CABBAGE UNDI / STEAMED CABBAGE CAKE


Cabbage undi/Steamed cabbage cake is one of the many ways to make any cabbage hater to eat cabbage.The vegetable is mixed in this spicy and tangy pathrodo batter and steamed to perfection. You can also make it in a appam mould and make small cabbage appams with it.Another option is to make cabbage dosa which i have already posted.


INGREDIENTS

Pathrodo batter
Cabbage - 5-6 cups, finely chopped
Idli steamer

                                                                    BEFORE
                                             
                                                                        AFTER

METHOD

Put the finely chopped cabbage in a big mixing bowl.Add some salt.dont add a lot since the batter already has some salt in it.Now add  enough batter so that it holds the cabbage together.Adding little at a time helps.Pour some water in the steamer and let it boil.Using an ice cream scoop put some batter in each idli mould.Place the idli rack in the steamer and let it steam for 15-20 mins.Serve warm with some coconut oil or some spicy pickle.
We had with some light olive oil which i received as part of the foodbuzz tastemaker program.



ENJOY!!!

Monday, August 22, 2011

CHICKEN VINDALOO

Vindaloo is a sweet and sour dish introduced by the Portugese in Goa.Its traditionally made with pork but derived variations with it using chicken or potato as main ingredients.Its a dry sauce based dish with a lot of spices and vinegar.It tastes better as it ages.A great combo with rice or roti.

INGREDIENTS

Boneless chicken breasts - 1 large ,cut into bite size pieces
onion - 1 medium size,chopped really fine(if u can also use 1 finely chopped tomato )
Tomato paste - 3 tbsp
water - 1/2 cup
curry leaves - of 1 sprig
coriander leaves - a bunch,chopped
salt

For Marination:-

Tomato paste - 2 tbsp
Fried onions - 1/2 cup
cardamam - 3-4 nos
cinnamon - 1 whole stick
cloves - 5-6 nos
black peppercorn - 5-6 nos
turmeric pdr - 1/2 tsp
red chillies - 3-4
Kashmiri chilli pdr - 1 tbsp
coriander pdr - 2 tsp
ginger - 1 1/2 tsp, chopped
garlic - 3 cloves, chopped
white vinegar - 1/4 cup
salt

METHOD

In a blender/mixer mix the ingredients for the marination and blend it to a smooth paste.Marinate the chicke pieces with this paste for about 2-3 hrs.

In a wide pan heat some oil.Add the curry leaves and onions and cook it till golden brown.Add the tomato paste and stir it for 3-4 mins.Add the marinated chicken and cook it until its cooked halfway through.Now add the water and salt.Let it simmer for about another 5 mins .Garnish with coriander leaves.Serve hot with rice or roti.


ENJOY!!!

Monday, August 1, 2011

PATHRODO & PHANNA PATHRODO



The lack or no availability of taro or colocasia leaves in US is one of the flaws of staying here. Being an avid Pathrodo fan i have to grow these in our backyard inorder to fulfill my cravings for it. I planted 6 taro roots in order to get as much leaves as possible.Waited 2 whole months and the result was well worth it.I got around 25 leaves and more waiting YIPPEE!!!I also used some of the zucchini leaves to make PHANNA PATHRODO.This one unlike the regular version which is steamed, is prepared directly in a pan with some seasoning.It tastes absolutely delicious.You can also make this with Taro leaves.I had already posted pathrodo step by step process long back thanks to my mom :).This batter recipe is slightly different than the earlier post. I added some shallots in the batter for extra flavor.

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INGREDIENTS

Taro/coloccasia  leaves - Atleast 7-8(makes 1 small roll)
Batter  (recipe follows)

For BATTER :

Idli rice - 3 cups
Shredded coconut - 2 cups
Poha - A handful
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric pdr - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - a big pinch
Red chillies - 7-8 nos (more if u like it spicy)
Shallots - 4-5 nos(optional)
Tamarind concentrate - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

METHOD

Clean and devein the Taro leaves and keep aside.


To prepare the batter first soak it for 3-4 hrs.Then grind it to a coarse texture similar to rava/semolina.Transfr it to a bowl.Now grind the rest of the ingredients and mix it into the rice.Add salt.Now pick the biggest leaf of the lot and place it on a flat surfae.Take handful of batter and spread it on the leaf.


Now place a slightly small leaf over this and spread the batter again.Repeat this for a total of 8-9 leaves.This is good enough to make 1 small roll of pathrodo.In order to make the roll follow the instructions shown in the pic.





Spread batter all over the roll.


Heat some water in a steamer.Ones it starts to boil plae the rolls in the steamer and let it cook for 1 1/2 -2 hrs.You should let it cook fully otherwise it will irritate ur throat.

 PHANNA PATHRODO


For that Clean and devein the Zucchini leaves. Spread batter and make rolls in the same way.Only preparation method is different.In a flat bottom vessel prepare the tadka/seasoning by adding 1 tbsp oil,mustard seeds,cumin seeds,fenugreek seeds,urad dal and curry leaves.Place the rolls in the vessel,add some water and cover it.Let it simmer for 40-45 mins or until fully cooked.Turn it halfway through cooking. Zucchini leaves dont itch and cook faster than taro leaves.




ENJOY!!!
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Thursday, July 28, 2011

CUCUMBER DOSA


This year i took some interest in vegetable gardening. I planted zuchini,tomato,eggplant,cucumber etc.To my surprise the zuchini and cucumber plant yielded quite a bit.Zuchini gets over quickly since my son simply loves it.Cucumber just stays there.Well i can make a salad out of it but am simply bored just thinking about it. That got me thinking "What can one make with cucumber apart from boring salad?" and all of a sudden i remembered eating cucumber dosa when i was little. Not very often though but i remember it very well because the sheer taste of cucumber in an ordinary coconut dosa was very refreshing and it tasted really really good.


INGREDIENTS

Idli rice - 2 cups
Shredded coconut - 3/4 cup
Thin poha - a handful
Cucumber - 2 medium size, peeled and grated
Cumin seed - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Water


METHOD

Soak rice for 4-5 hrs.Grind it to a smooth paste.Transfer it to a bowl.Now grind together coconut,poha and cumin seeds by adding some water.Mix this along with thr grounded rice.Add water.The batter should have the buttermilk consistency. Now add the grated cucumber.Check salt. Let it rest for atleast 1/2 an hr.

Heat a tawa or griddle.Rub it with some oil.Pour a ladleful of batter on it and lightly spread it.Its not very easy to spread this batter have to do it slowly or just rotate the griddle so that the batter will spread on its own.Cover and let it cook for a minute or until it turns brown on the bottom.Serve warm with some chutney or any spicy curry or just haave it on its own.


ENJOY!!!