Mushroom and paneer masala

So that day when I had gone for grocery shopping had picked a packet of fresh mushrooms and fresh paneer ( cottage cheese) from the nearby store. Whenever these  two ingredients are at home I try to cook it the same day. So was thinking of coming up with a side dish for rotis for that evening. Since I was craving for something with spicy flavours yet tangy and sweet , started thinking of a curry base with onion tomato and coconuts.

Hence the recipe

Ingredients

Mushrooms – 200 gms

Paneer – 100 gms

Onion – one large

Tomato – 2 large

Ginger  - an inch

Garlic – 3- 4 cloves

Green chilli – 1 or 2

Grated coconut – ¼ cup

Oil

salt

Spices

Coriander powder  - 2 tspn

Chilli powder  - ½ tspn

Turmeric powder – ¼ tspn

Whole pepper corns – ½ tspn

Fennel seeds – ½ tspn

Method

• Keep a kadai on the stove, once its heated add a spoon or two of oil and add the grated coconut to it. Add the chopped onion, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, green chillies, saute well until the coconut turns brown and the onions and tomatoes turns its colour. 
• Switch off the flame and add the rest of the spices and mix well and let the whole mixture cool.
• Once cooled grind it well using little water to a fine paste.
• Now keep the kadai on the stove, add a little oil and add the chopped mushrooms, stir well until its cooked.
• Add the ground masala paste and add sufficient water and salt to the curry.
• Add the paneer cubes and bring it to boil.
• Mean while add some curry leaves and let it get cooked in the curry.

Serve hot with some warm phulkas/rotis.

Note: Change the spice level to you preferences.

Thanks and regards

Chaithanya

Recipe for quail eggs in roasted coconut gravy

Quail eggs and duck eggs contain good cholesterol than chicken eggs.. so they say and after sometime they will say the reverse. I dint research much but would be happy to know anything about these. Me and my family loves quail eggs for its size, taste and convenience in eating. It can be consumed in many forms and is actually healthy, this I say based on what I have heard from folks in my native place. 

Anyway I was planning to cook ghee rice and thought of making this dish as an accompaniment.

Unlike baking this dish does consume some of our time in the kitchen, saute, saute, saute is the formula for this curry ( warning :)  )

Let me get into the recipe

Ingredients

Quail eggs- 8-10
Med sized onion - 3
Med sized tomato - 2 
Garlic - 3-4 cloves
Ginger - 1 inch 
Green chilli - 2-3 
Coconut ( grated) - 1 cup
Coriander powder - 3 tspn
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tspn
Chilli powder - 1 tspn
Pepper corns - 5- 10 ( depending on the spice level)
Garam masala - a pinch
Cooking oil - 4 tspn
Curry leaves- one sprig

Method

• Boil the eggs, peel and keep aside ( I pressure cook eggs for one whistle).
• Take the kadai add 2 spoons of oil and add the grated coconut, roast, roast, roast until the coconut turns golden brown in colour, add the coriander powder and the pepper corns and roast again.
• Remove the coconut mixture and put in a mixer jar and let it cool.
• Place the kadai again back to the stove and add 2 spoons of oil and add the finely sliced onions, saute, saute, saute until it becomes golden brown, add the green chillis, ginger, garlic, and saute again.
• Add the tomatoes and saute again, 
• Once the tomatoes are soft and oil separates from the sides add the turmeric powder, chilli powder and saute well.
• Meanwhile grind the coconut mixture into a soft paste and add it to the onion tomato gravy.
• Add more water if required and let the mixture comes to boil.
• Add in the garam masala and curry leaves and also throw in the eggs.
• Stir well and remove from flame.
• Serve hot with rotis or rice.

Note : This gravy can be made using any other eggs and veg, also sea food.

Thanks
Chaithanya

Easy aval kuzhachathu recipe ( sweet poha)

Easy aval kuzhachathu recipe ( sweet poha)

It was one of those days when I was confused as to what to make for kids snacks, I had a packet of organic beaten rice so thought of making something quick with it. There is a typical Kerala snack of beaten rice cooked in jaggery and coconut and flavoured with cardamom powder. I took a shortcut since I already had melted jaggery. 

Hence this recipe :)

My kids were new to this so I was not sure how they would take it. But convinced the younger one saying about Sudama- aval- krishna story which she is familiar with since she is an avid reader of mythological stories and yes she gave a thumbs up for the dish ..happy meee :)

Ingredients

Brown beaten rice - 2 cups
Jaggery syrup - 1/2 cup
Grated coconut - 3/4 cup
Cardamom powder - a pinch
Milk - few spoons
Cashew bits
Ghee

Method
Pick the beaten rice for any foreign particles and spread out in a large bowl.
Sprinkle the milk and gently mix the poha with the milk.
Grind the coconut and jaggery syrup together coarsely.
Mix the coconut jaggery mixture into the beaten rice 
Sprinkle the cardamom powder and mix well.
Heat the ghee and fry the cashews and garnish the poha.

Serve with some tea or warm milk.
No cook and enjoy.. yes its a no cooking recipe :)
Thanks
Chaithanya

Ariunda - A popular Kerala three ingredient sweet

Ariunda has been my childhood favorite sweet and I am sure its just not mine but there will be hardly any Keralite who would not like this sweet. This sweet was most seen when the sweets are gifted to the bridegroom's family by the bride's family and then again during the delivery of the baby(s).

Also, those days it was pounded in a traditional grinding machine called ' ulakka and ural' where they pound the three ingredients until it comes together and forms a ball. And to those who have eaten would remember how hard it used to be but very very tasty too. It was the worth the effort breaking one open and devouring it :) And not to forget to mention it used to be really huge size ball. 

My recipe is very different from the traditional way, its easy, sweet and of course extremely soft.Me and my family like it that way ..so here goes the recipe

Ingredients

Rice - 1 cup

Coconut - one med size

Jaggery syrup - one cup

Cardomom powder - a big pinch

Method

Wash and dry the rice and then dry roast it well. Let it cool for sometime and then powder it well in the mixer.

Grate the coconut and grind it well in the mixer.

I usually melt one kg of jaggery in one cup of water . Out of this I  removed one cup of syrup. If you are not intending to melt one kg jaggery you could probably take some 300 gms of jaggery  and melt in 1/4 up of water, strain and use one cup of the liquid.

Once these three ingredients are ready mix the powdered rice and coconut well and add cardomom powder too. Slowly add the jaggery syrup ad bring the mixture together. Leave it for 15 minutes so that the syrup is absorbed a bit. Make soft balls of the mixture and your ariunda is ready.

My family loved it a lot as it came out very soft, and my dear husband commented that it just melts in the mouth :) 

cook and enjoy!
Thanks! :)

Pumpkin Erissery - Kerala cuisine

I know its been ages since I have blogged, some how not been updating either. Hence I thought I will blog about the food I eat and enjoy on daily basis. Pumpkin errisery ( mathan erissery ) is my family favorite. The mild sweetness of the pumpkin, the coconut flavour of the gravy and finally the crisp fried thinly sliced shallot add to the aroma and the yumminess of the whole dish. So here goes my way of making pumpkin erriserry  

Ingredients 

Pumpkin cut into cubes- 1 cup 

Moong dal ( roasted) - 1/2 cup

Grated coconut - 1/3 cup

Jeera (cumin)  - 1 tspn

Chilli powder - a pinch

Green chilli - 1 or 2 

For seasoning

Oil - 1 tbspn

Finely sliced shallots - 2 tbspns

Mustard

Dried red chillies

Curry leaves 

Method 

Wash the dal well and add the pumpkin pieces and pressure cook just until the dal gets cooked. 

Make a paste of the grated coconut, jeera, green chillies and keep aside.

Once the dal and pumpkin is cooked, add the coconut paste to it, turmeric powder, chilli powder, salt and  pour enough water just to be it in a gravy form, then keep on the stove and bring it to boil.

In a pan pour few spoons of oil, splutter mustard,  fry the shallots, curry leaves, red chillies and season the erissery.

Done :)

Serve with warm rice and enjoy! !

Instant barley- coconut dosa

By now you all would have noticed that I am experimenting on dosas  and I am loving it. I like few things about dosas, first of all any ingredients can be used, second you just have to take care of the measurement and have a picture of the taste of the dosa in mind, yes it is possible. Third point is dosas are very versatile and can be combined with any side dish and above all my kids just love dosas. So this morning it was barley and coconut dosas.

Ingredients
Barley - 1 cup
Dosa rice ( I used organic) - 1 cup
Grated coconut- 1/2 cup

Method
Soak the barley rice  and dosa rice over night.
Grind the rices together to a smooth batter.
Then grind the fresh coconut and add it to the rice batter.
Add enough water and salt and spread thin dosas.
You don't need to keep the batter for fermentation.
You may not be able to spread this dosa with the ladle so instead add more water, make the batter thin and just pour the ladle full of batter in the tawa and let it spread on its own and cook.
Serve it hot with your choice of accompaniment.
Enjoy!

Rice- coconut and oats dosa

Rice- coconut and oats dosa

Before getting into the post I confess that I have been not updating my experiments lately and also in this post you will not find any picture. I may click a pic next time when I do this recipe. I made this dosa  this morning and my family loved it, so thought of archiving it before I forget it and promise that I will upload a pic soon.

Following is the recipe

Ingredients 

Dosa rice( I use organic)- 1.5 cups

Grated coconut - 1/2 - 3/4 cup

Oats - 3/4 cup

This is an instant dosa which means you can make the batter and carry on making it too , there is not need of any fermentation.

Method

Soak the rice for couple for hours.

Grind the rice, coconut and oats separately to a fine paste.

Mix everything and add sufficient water to make the batter thin. If you are good at making neer dosa or love it, you may add more water.

Add salt to the batter and keep it ready.

Turn on the tava and spread dosas as usual.

Its healthy, slightly sweet and yum and can be accompanied with any spicy curries, chutnies or even with jam or honey and even ghee and sugar :)

Enjoy!

Chewy avocado almond cookies

Chewy avocado almond cookies

One of the days that I wanted to experiment making cookies with avocados :) The result has been not bad either.

Following is the recipe

Ingredients 
Mashed avocado - 1 cup
Whole wheat flour- 1/2 cup ( I use organic wheat flour)
Ground almonds- 1/2 cup ( I use mamra variety almonds)
Sugar - 1/3 cup
Butter - 1 tbsp
Baking powder - a pinch
Desiccated coconut 

Method
Take a big bowl and throw in all the ingredients except desiccated coconut, mix well with a fork initially and then with the hands to a smooth dough.
Preheat the oven at 180 degrees.
Slightly butter a baking tray, make small balls of the dough, place it in the baking tray, press it with a fork and then sprinkle some desiccated coconut over it.
Bake the cookies for about 10-15 mins and grill for around 5 mins.
Remove the cookies and let it cool in a wire rack.

Note: these cookies are chewy and not crunchy.

Anzac biscuits

Anzac biscuits

Ingredients

1 cup plain whole wheat flour
1 cup oats
1 cup dry coconut (copra)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 tbsp dates syrup
1/2 tspn baking powder
2 tbspn milk
Method
>preheat oven 180C / 350F. mix together flour, oats, coconut, baking powder and brown sugar
>melt butter and mix with date syrup.
> Mix the melted butter to the flour mixture and add upro 2 tbspn of water to bind the dough.
>roll spoonful by spoonful of mixture, about the size of a walnut shell and place onto an oven try lined with baking paper. leaving space again between dollops to allow for spreading.
>press dollops down with a fork to flaten and proceed to bake for 15-20 minutes, Cool on a wire rack and seal in airtight containers.

Original recipe http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/11144/anzac-biscuits-