Capsicum Thoran (Capsicum Poriyal)

INGREDIENTS


Capsicum  -  4 nos
Shallots  -  5 nos
Mustard seeds  -  1 tsp
Curry leaves  -  few
Turmeric powder  -  1 tsp
Grated coconut  -  1/4 cup
Garlic  -  4 nos
Ginger  -  1/2" piece
Green chilli  -  3 nos


METHOD

Grind coconut coarsely by adding ginger, garlic and green chilli and keep it aside.
Wash and remove the seeds of capsicum and chop into small pieces.
Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds and add chopped shallots, curry leaves and saute well.
When shallots turn translucent add turmeric powder, chopped capsicum and salt.
Close the pan with a lid and cook in a very slow flame.
When capsicum is 3/4 cooked add the grinded coconut paste, stir well and switch off the flame.
Serve hot with rice and sambhar.

Vendakka Puli Kootu (Okra Tamarind Curry)

INGREDIENTS

Okra  -  20 nos (cut in 1 inch long pieces)
Onion chopped  -  1 nos
Garlic sliced  -  4 nos
Tomato chopped  -  1 nos
Thick tamarind extract  -  1/4 cup
Mustard  -  1/2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds  -  1/2 tsp
Dry red chillies  -  3 nos
Turmeric powder  -  1/2 tsp
Chilli powder  -  1 tsp
Curry laves
Salt to taste
Oil


METHOD

Heat oil in a pan over medium heat and splutter mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds.
Add broken dry red chillies  and curry leaves.
Add the chopped onion and sliced garlic and turmeric powder and saute until the onions becomes transparent.
Add the tomatoes and salt and saute until the tomatoes turn pulpy.
Add the sliced okra and saute until the stickiness leaves.
Then add chilli powder and tamarind extract.
Cover the pan and cook until it thickens and the okra is cooked.
Serve hot with rice and dal tadka.

Chilli Fish

INGREDIENTS

Fish fillets
Corn flour  -  3-4 tbsp
Pepper powder  -  1 tsp
Chilli powder  - 1 tsp
Ginger garlic paste  -  1 tsp
Dried red chilli flakes  -  2 nos
Garlic minced  -  2 large
Onion diced  -  1 nos
Green chillies  -  5 nos slit
Capsicum diced  -  1/2 cup
Spring onion sliced  -  2 stalks
Chilli sauce  -  1 tsp
Tomato sauce  -  1 tsp
Soy sauce  -  1 tsp


METHOD

Clean the fish fillets thoroughly and cut them into small cubes.
Marinate the fish fillets using corn flour, pepper powder, red chilli powder, ginger garlic paste and salt.
Marinate the fish fillets for about 30 minutes.
Heat oil in a pan and fry the marinated fish fillets.
Heat another pan, use the same oil and add dried chilli flakes.
Saute for few seconds and add chopped garlic and diced onions.
Cook for some time until the onions are transparent.
Add diced capsicum and spring onion and saute for few minutes.
Then add the sauces mixed well with little water.
Add the fried fish fillets and slit green chillies and mix well until the fish is coated well with the sauces.
Cook on low flame until all the flavour is infused into the fried fish fillets.
Mix corn flour with water  and pour it in the chilli fish and cook for a while the gravy thickens.
Serve hot with fried rice.

Jelly Custard

INGREDIENTS

Packet of Strawberry jelly crystals
Crushed biscuits
Custard powder  -  2-3 tbsp
Sugar  -  as needed
Milk  -  1 cup



METHOD
For Custard

Take little of milk in a bowl and dissolve the custard powder in it.
Boil the remaining milk.
When it starts boiling add sugar and the dissolved custard powder in milk and stir continuously for few minutes till the mixture is thick.
Keep it aside to cool.

For Jelly Custard

Prepare the jelly according to the packet instructions.
Pour the jelly in a bowl and allow it to set in fridge for about 2-3 hours.
After it is set, add the crushed biscuit on top of the jelly.
Then add the custard mixture on top of the jelly and again allow it to set in the fridge for 2-3 hours.
Serve cold.

Idli Manchurian

INGREDIENTS

Left over idli  -  5-7 chopped into pieces
Maida  -  1 cup
Cornflour  -  1/2 cup
Salt  -  to taste
Pepper  -  1/2 tsp
Oil  -  to fry
Onion chopped  -  1 nos
Green chilly chopped  -  1 nos
Ginger garlic paste  -  1 tsp
Capsicum chopped  -  1/2 nos
Tomato sauce  -  1tbsp
Soya sauce  -  1 tbsp
Sugar  -  1 tsp
Red chilly powder  -  1/4 tsp
Salt to taste


METHOD

Make a batter using maida, cornflour, salt, pepper and water.
Heat oil in a kadai, dip the chopped idli in the batter and deep fry till golden brown and keep aside.
In another pan add oil and saute onions and green chilly till golden brown.
Then add ginger garlic paste and saute well till the raw smell leaves.
Add the chopped capsicum, tomato sauce, soya sauce, sugar, chilly powder, salt and stir well.
Mix 1tsp of cornflour in water and add it to the above mixture to make a thick manchurian sauce.
Then mix in the fried idlis and stir well till idli gets coated with the sauce.
Switch off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve hot.

Chocolate Jamun

INGREDIENTS

Maida  -  1/2 cup
Milk powder  -  1 cup
Baking soda  -  1/2 tsp
Coco powder  -  2 tsp
Milk -  enough to make dough soft
Sugar  -  2 cup
Water  -  1 cup
Cardamom pods  -  4-5 nos
Oil  -  for frying


METHOD

Make the dough by combining milk powder, maida, baking powder, coco powder.
Add enough milk to make the dough soft.
Divide the dough into small balls.
Make the sugar syrup by mixing 2 cups of sugar and 1 cup of water.
Add cardamom pods to it.
Mix it well so that the sugar dissolves in the water.
Heat oil in a kadai and fry the balls.
Make sure that the ball become brown on both the sides.
Add the fried jamun's into the warm sugar syrup.



Note: You can also add chocolate chips instead of coco powder, so that will make Chocolate Chip Jamun.

Potato Halwa

INGREDIENTS

Potatoes  -  3 large
Sugar  -  1 cup
Ghee  -  1/4 cup
Dry nuts for garnishing


METHOD

Boil potatoes, peel the skin and mash them.
Heat ghee in a non stick pan and add mashed potatoes gradually.
Continue stirring at medium heat.
When the potatoes start changing color to golden brown, add sugar and mix.
Allow sugar to completely mix with the potatoes.
Remove from heat and add dry nuts.
Serve warm.

Chettinad fish curry

INGREDIENTS

Fish  -  5-6 pieces
Tamarind extract  -  1 lemon size
Turmeric powder  -  1 tsp
Coriander powder  -  1/2 tsp
Small onion chopped  -  10 nos
Tomato chopped  -  1 nos
Garlic  -  5 nos
Mustard seeds  -  1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds  -  1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves
Curry leaves
Oil  -   tsp
Salt  -  as needed

TO GRIND

Coconut grated -  1/4 cup
Fennel seeds  -  1 tsp
Chilli powder  -  1 tsp
Coriander powder  -  1 tsp
Tomato chopped  -  1 nos
Onion chopped  -  1 nos

Put coconut, fennel seeds, chilli powder, coriander powder and onion in a mixer.
Heat 1/2 tsp oil in a pan and saute the onion and tomato and then add this to the mixer and blend it to a fine paste.


METHOD

Heat the oil in a kadai and splutter mustard seeds.
Then add fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, chopped small onion and garlic and saute them well.
Then add the chopped tomatoes and saute until the raw smell leaves.
Then add the grind paste, turmeric powder tamarind extract, salt and add 1/4 cup of water and boil well for about 15-20 minutes.
When oil seperates, add the cleaned fish pieces and allow it to ccok well.
Since fish pieces will get cooked faster, be careful not to break them.
Once the fish turns soft and the gravy is cooked well, oil will start collecting at the edges. At this stage garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve with rice.

NOTE: Fish curry tastes best the next day even the day after.

Varutharacha Thakkali Curry (Tomato Curry in Roasted Coconut Gravy)

INGREDIENTS

Tomatoes  -  3-4 nos
Shallots chopped  -  1/2 cup
Green chillies  -  2 nos
Turmeric powder  -  1/2 tsp
Cumin powder  -  1/2 tsp
Curry leaves  -  1 sprig
Mustard seeds  -  1/4 tsp
Oil  - 2 tbsp
Salt  -  as needed

TO ROAST AND GRIND

Grated coconut  -  1 cup
Garlic  -  2 cloves
Red chilly powder  - 1 tsp
Garam masala powder  -  1 tsp
Fennel seeds  -  1/2 tsp

Dry roast all the above ingredients and grind it to a smooth paste.


METHOD

Cook the tomatoes in a little water along with slit green chillies, turmeric powder and salt until the tomatoes are mashed.
Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds.
Add the chopped shallots and curry leaves and saute them till golden brown.
Then add the cooked tomatoes to this and add cumin powder.
Allow it to cook for 2-3 minutes.
Pour the coconut paste along with 1-2 cups of water  and salt to taste.
Bring it to a boil in medium flame for about 5-10 minutes until the gravy thickens.
Serve hot with rice.

Wheat Gulab Jamun

INGREDIENTS

Wheat Flour  -  1 cup
Milk powder  -  1/4 cup
Maida  -  1/4 cup
Baking powder  -  2 pinch
Sugar  -  1 cup
Milk  -  5tbsp
Cardamom powder  -  1/2 tsp
Water  -  3 cup
Oil  -  2 cup


METHOD

Take a large bowl and mix wheat flour and maida, milk powder, baking soda and mix it well.
Now add milk and make a dough out of it.
Roll the dough into small balls.
For making sugar syrup, mix in 1 cup sugar with 3 cups of water and heat it in a pan for half an hour in medium flame.
Heat oil in a another pan and fry the balls until they turn brown in color.
Add cardamom powder to the sugar syrup and mix well.
Heat the syrup once again and add the fried balls in it and simmer for 10-12 minutes.
Turn off the heat once all the balls absorb the sugar syrup.
Remove the balls from the syrup.
Serve it hot or cold.

Cauliflower Green Peas Curry

INGREDIENTS

Cauliflower  -  1 cup
Green peas  -  1/4 cup
Tomato puree  -  1 cup
Onion chopped  -  1 nos
Ginger garlic paste  -  1 tsp
Turmeric powder  -  1 tsp
Chilli powder  -  1 tsp
Coriander powder  -  1 tsp
Garam masala  -  1 tsp
Salt  -  as needed
Sugar  - 1 pinch
Cloves  - 2-3 nos
Cinnamon  -  1/2 inch piece
Fennel seeds  -  1 tsp
Oil  -  as required


METHOD

Cook the cauliflower florets in a bowl with water and little salt for 5-8 minutes.
Strain the water and keep it aside.
Cook the green peas well.
Heat oil in a pan add cinnamon, cloves and  fennel seeds one at a time.
Then add the chopped onions and turmeric powder and saute till transparent and then add ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell goes off.
Add the tomato puree to this and cook till the raw smell of tomatoes disappears.
At this point add all the powders and mix well, add a little water and cook for about 2-3 minutes.
Now add the cooked cauliflower and green peas and mix well, till the masala gets coated well.
Cook for about 5 minutes.
Serve hot with roti or rice.

Chicken Dry Fry Kerala Style

INGREDIENTS

Chicken  -  1kg
Onion  -  3 nos
Green chillies  -  4-5 nos
Ginger garlic paste  -  2 tsp
Ginger chopped  -  2 tsp
Chilli powder  -  2-3 tsp
Turmeric powder  -  1tsp
Salt -  as needed
Coconut oil  -  as needed
Curry leaves  -  few

TO ROAST AND GRIND
Coriander seeds
Dry red chillies
Pepper
Fennel seeds
Cumin seeds
Cinnamon sticks
Cloves

Dry roast all the above ingredients without oil and powder it well and keep aside.


METHOD

Clean the chicken well and marinate it with turmeric powder, chilli powder, salt and chopped ginger and keep aside for 30 minutes.
In a cooker, add the marinated chicken and cook for about 3 whistles or till the chicken is cooked well. Do not as water while cooking in the cooker.
Take another pan and saute the chopped onion, green chillies and curry leaves in coconut oil.
Add ginger garlic paste when the onion turns transparent and cook well till the raw smell goes off.
Then add the cooked chicken without water and saute it well.
Then add the powdered masala and salt(if not sufficient) and mix well.
Add little oil in between so that the chicken can get fried and cooked again well.
Keep in medium flame and cook for about 30 minutes till all the masala is coated well on the chicken.
Serve hot with rice.