Oats Pakoda

INGREDIENTS

Oats  -  1 cup
Onion chopped  -  1 nos
Green chilli chopped  -  2 nos
Ginger finely chopped  -  1 medium piece
Chopped curry leaves  -  few
Chopped coriander leaves  -  few
Salt
Oil


METHOD

Soak the oats with enough water and keep it aside for 30 minutes.
Then after that add chopped onion, green chilli, ginger, curry leaves, coriander leaves and salt and mix well.
Heat oil in a pan, drop spoonfuls of the mixture and deep fry till golden brown and crisp.
Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

Karimeen Shap Roast (Fried Pearlspot Cooked in Spicy Gravy)

INGREDIENTS

Karimeen / Pearl spot  -  3 nos
Onion chopped  -  2 nos
Tomato chopped  -  2 nos
Chilli powder  -  1 tsp
Pepper powder  -  1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder  -  1/4 tsp
Garam masala  -  1 tsp
Green chilli slit  -  2 nos
Ginger chopped  -  1/2 tsp
Garlic chopped  -  1/2 tsp
Curry leaves  -  few
Lemon juice  -  1 tbsp
Salt  -  to taste
Coconut oil


METHOD

Clean the fish well.
Make a paste out of chilli powder, turmeric powder, pepper powder, salt and lemon juice.
Marinate the fish with this paste and keep it for 1 hour.
Then heat oil in a pan and shallow fry the fish on both the sides.
Now heat coconut oil in a pan.
Then add ginger, garlic, green chilli and curry leaves and fry for a minute.
Then add chopped onion and saute well.
Then add chopped tomatoes and saute well.
Then add little chilli powder and turmeric powder and garam masala, saute well till the raw smell goes off.
Add salt to taste.
Then add the fried fish to the above masala. Cover the fried fish with the masala and cook covered for about 5 minutes.
Serve hot with rice.

Lemon Oats Porridge

INGREDIENTS

Oats  -  1 cup
Lemon juice  -  2 tbsp
Turmeric powder  -  1/4 tsp
Channa dal  -  1/2 tsp
Urad dal  -  1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds  -  1/4 tsp
Salt  -  to taste
Oil


METHOD

Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds, urad dal and channa dal. Fry for a minute.
Then add turmeric powder to it and finally add oats and fry for about 3 minutes.
Add little water and cook the oats well.
Then add the lemon juice and required salt.
Serve hot.

Potato Green Peas Pancake

I was thinking what to cook for dinner last night. Then I saw some green peas and potato lying in the kitchen.
And finally I decided to prepare potato and green peas pancake (Inspired by my mother who used to make pancakes with rice flour, jeera and coconut). I used the same technique here by adding some more ingredients.

INGREDIENTS

Potato  -  2 nos
Green peas  -  1/2 cup
Rice flour  -  1/4 cup
Semolina (Rava)  -  2 tbsp
Green chillies chopped  -  2 nos
Pepper powder  -  1/4 tsp
Salt  -  to taste
Oil

METHOD

Boil, peel and mash the potatoes.
Cook the green peas well and mast it.
Combine all the ingredients together in a bowl.
Mix well to from a smooth dough and divide the mixture in to equal portions.
Heat tawa with little oil and place one portion of the mixture on it and pat with fingers to make pancake like thick circle.
Cook well until both the sides turn golden brown.
Serve hot with tomato sauce or any chutney.

Chocolate Sponge Cake in Cooker

It was my sister's wedding anniversary and I had planned to meet her on that day. I wanted to gift her something special.
Thinking and thinking..,finally i decided to make a chocolate sponge cake for her.
I made this cake in cooker and it came out really well.

INGREDIENTS

All purpose flour(Maida)  -  1 cup
Sugar  -  1 cup
Egg  -  2
Cooking oil  -  1/4 cup
Cocoa powder  -  2 tbsp
Vanilla essence  -  1 tsp
Salt  -  1 pinch

METHOD

Break both the eggs in a bowl and beat them well until fluffy.
Then add vanilla essence and mix well.
Add the vegetable oil and mix it once again.
Then slowly add the all purpose flour and mix well.
Then add baking powder and sugar and beat until a smooth mixture is formed.
Then finally add cocoa powder and salt and mix well once again.
Grease the cake tin with cooking oil on all sides
Now dust the inside of cake tin with 1/2 tsp all purpose flour.
Pour the cake mixture into the cake tin.
Now place the cooker onto the stove and cover the surface of the cooker with salt.(This is to avoid cooker from getting damaged).
Then place a idli stand inside the cooker and place the cake tin above it.
Cover the cooker with its lid and cook on high flame for 2 minutes. (Do not put whistle).
After 2 minutes, lower the flame and cook for 25 minutes.
After it is cooked open and check whether the cake is baked completely or not. (Poke the tooth pick in the middle of the cake and if it comes out clean that means cake is ready.Otherwise bake it again for 5 minutes on low flame).
After the cake is cooked, switch off the flame and keep it covered for 10 minutes and allow it to cool down.
Take out the tin from the cooker and use a knife to separate the cake from the tin and place it on a plate.
Cut it into pieces and serve with tea.

Oats Upma

INGREDIENTS

Oats  -  1 cup
Onion chopped  -  1 nos
Carrot chopped  -  1/2 carrot
Cabbage chopped  -  few
Capsicum chopped  -  1/4 capsicum
Green chilli chopped -  1 nos
Channa dal  -  1 tsp
Urad dal  - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds  -  1 tsp
Asafoetida  -  1 pinch
Lemon juice  -  1/2 tsp
Salt  -  to taste
Oil  -  1 tbsp


METHOD

Dry roast the oats till you get a nice aroma.
Heat oil in a pan splutter mustard seeds then add urad dal, channa dal, green chilli, saute well.
Then add chopped onion and saute well, follow by that add all the vegetables and asafoetida.
Saute them well and add salt.
Once everything is cooked add the roasted oats and mix well.
Sprinkle little water, cover and cook for about 2 minutes until the oats is blended well with the veggies and is cooked well.
Then add lemon juice and mix well.
Serve hot with pickle.

True Red

Orange, Lemon and Tomatoes are fruits with high Vitamin C. Tomato and Orange also provide Vitamin A which is good for healthy skin, eye and hair.
So here is a combination of all these.

INGREDIENTS

Tomato  -  2nos
Orange  -  2 nos
Lemon juice  -  from 2 lemons
Sugar  -  2 tbsp


METHOD

Boil the tomatoes and peel off the skin
Peel off the skin from the oranges.
Put the tomatoes, orange and sugar in a blender and blend well.
Strain it.
After that add lemon juice to the strained juice and mix well.
Serve chilled.

Capsicum Chutney Sandwich

I did not know what to make for evening snacks. I was thinking about some sandwich recipes since I had bread at home. When I opened the fridge I saw some capsicum lying inside. So thought I can make chutney with capsicum and used to make sandwich. This is how Capsicum Chutney Sandwich formed.

INGREDIENTS
For Chutney

Capsicum chopped  -  2 nos
Green chilli  -  2 nos
Ginger chopped  -  1" piece
Channa dal  -  1 tsp
Dry red chilli  -  2 nos
Salt  -  to taste
Oil  -  1 tsp

METHOD

Heat oil in a pan and roast the channa dal and dryred chilli. Allow it to cool.
In the same pan add the chopped the capsicum, ginger and green chilli and saute well.
After it gets cooled, add the roasted channa dal and capsicum, ginger, green chilli and salt in a blender and make a fine paste.
Add little water if required.

For the Sandwich

METHOD

Cut the ends of the bread.
Spread the capsicum chutney on one slice of the bread.
Place the cheese slice on top it.
Spread chutney on the other slice of the bread and place it on top of the cheese slice with the chutney side downwards.
Heat a pan with some butter and toast both the sides till brown.
Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

Kovakka Peera Pattichathu (Tindora in Grated Coconut)

Kovakka (Tindora) is one the vegetables I like. I usually make kovakka fry(with onion) which goes well with sambhar.
Me and my sister used to discuss daily what each of us cooked. So one day she told me about Kovakka Peera Pattichathu and gave me the recipe for it.
I usually make peera with anchovies, so when I heard this, thought I should really try this out.
Here is the recipe for you all..

INGREDIENTS

Kovakka (Tindora) cut lenghtwise -  250 gm
Small onion chopped  -  5-6 nos
Grated coconut  -  1 cup
Green chilly slit  -  3 nos
Kudampuli (Gambooge) soaked in water -  2 nos
Garlic chopped  -  3 nos
Ginger chopped  -  1" piece
Mustard seeds  -  1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder  -  1/4 tsp
Curry leaves  -  few
Coconut oil
Salt  -  to taste

METHOD

Cut the kovakka (Tindora) lenghtwise.
And mix small onion, grated coconut, green chilly, garlic, ginger, salt, turmeric powder and curry leaves.Mix it well with hands.
Heat oil in a pan and burst mustard seeds.
Then add the above kovakka mixture.
Add the 2 pieces soaked gambooge and sprinkle little of its water.
Cover and cook on low flame for about 10 minutes or until kovakka is cooked and mixed well with all the other ingredients.
Serve hot with rice.

Bapple Juice

INGREDIENTS

Apple  -  2 nos
Banana  -  2 nos
Sugar  -  1 tbsp
Water  -  1 cup

METHOD

Put all the ingredients into the blender and blend it well until smooth.
Serve chilled.

Veg Kadai

INGREDIENTS

Carrot chopped  -  1/2 cup
Beans chopped  -  1/2 cup
Peas  -  1/2 cup
Broccoli  -  1/4 cup (You can also use cauliflower instead of broccoli)
Paneer cubed  -  1/2 cup
Capsicum cubed  -  1/2 cup
Onion cubed  -  1 nos
Onion finely chopped  -  1 nos
Tomato puree  -  from 2 nos
Ginger garlic paste  -  1 tbsp
Cashews  -  10 nos
Coriander seeds  -  1 tbsp
Cumin seeds  -  1 tsp
Dry red chillies  -  5 nos
Turmeric powder  -  1/4 tsp
Garam masala  -   1 tsp
Oil  -  1 tbsp
Salt  -  to taste


METHOD

Heat a pan and dry roast red chillies, cumin seeds and coriander seeds.
Powder it and keep aside.
Soak the cashews in water for 10 minutes and make a fine paste.Keep it aside.
Heat oil in a pan and fry the cubed capsicum and cubed onion until it becomes little brown. Keep it aside.
In the same pan add 1/2 of the aboved powdered cumin, red chilli, coriander powder and fry for a minute.
Then add ginger garlic paste and saute well.
Then add finely chopped onion and fry till it changes color.
Add tomato puree, garam masala, salt and boil for about 2 minutes.
Then add all the vegetables along with 1 cup water, mix well, cover and cook the vegetables.
Then add cashew paste and mix well.
Then add fried cubed capsicum and onion and mix well.
Boil it for about 5 minutes.
And then finally add the remaining cumin, red chilli, coriander powder and mix well.
Serve hot with Naan/Roti/Rice.

Vellarikka Pulinkari with Chakkakuru (Cucumber Dal curry with Jackfruit Seeds)

Pulinkari is made using cucumber, white pumpkin and yellow pumpkin. Cucumber which is used for Vishu kani is used in making this pulinkari.

I however stick to my mothers version of pulinkari. Along with  vellarikka (cucumber), green mango and drumstick is also used. The speciality with this pulinkari is that, jackfruit seeds is used in this curry.
The recipe is very simple.

INGREDIENTS

Vellarikka  -  1 nos
Green mango  -  1 nos
Drumstick  -  1 nos
Jackfruit seeds  -  4 nos
Toor dal  -  1/2 cup
Chilli powder  -  1 tbsp
Turmeric powder  -  1/2 tsp
Tamarind extract  -  1 lemon size
Grated coconut  -  1 cup
Jeera  -  1 tsp
Mustard seeds  -  1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds  -  1/2 tsp
Curry leaves  -  1 sprig
Coconut oil  -  1 tbsp


METHOD

Remove the skin, deseed cut the vellarikka, mango into cubes.
Cut the drumstick also lengthwise.
Peel the skin and cut the jackfruit seeds into small pieces.
Cook the vellarikka (cucumber), green mango, jackfruit seeds and drumstick along with dal and turmeric powder and chilli powder.Cook upto 3 whistles.
Make a smooth paste out of coconut and jeera by ading some water.
Once the pressure is off, add tamarind pulp.
Then add the coconut paste and add salt.
Let it boil for about 5 minutes.
Heat oil in a kadai and splutter mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and curry leaves, and add this to curry and mix well.
Serve hot with rice.