Saturday, October 29, 2016

Carrot Kheer




Wishing everyone a Happy Diwali...


Ingredients
250 gms carrots
2-3 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp ghee
2 cups milk
4-5 Tbsp condensed milk
2 cardomoms, crushed to a powder
few raisins
few cashewnuts

Method
  • Peel and chop the carrots into big chunks.
  • Add the chopped carrots to a pressure cooker, add a little water (approx.1/4 cup). Close and cook on a medium flame until the cooker gives off one whistle. Allow the pressure to subside , then open the cooker and transfer the carrots to a blender.
  • Blend the cooked carrots into a puree.
  • Heat 2 Tbsp ghee in a non stick kadai. Pour the blended carrot into the hot ghee and keep stirring until the water is absorbed from the carrots and the ghee starts to leave from the sides.
  • Now pour the milk, sugar and condensed milk. Keep stirring until  the mix starts to turn thick.
  • Switch off the flame.
  • Fry the raisins(until they puff up) and the cashenuts(until they turn golden brown) in the remaining ghee. Add to the prepared carrot payasam.
  • Sprinkle the cardamon powder. Mix and serve hot or cold.

*Adjust the amount of sugar and condensed milk as per your taste. You can even skip adding sugar and add only the condensed milk too for a more creamy flavour.

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Chembu/Taro root mulakittathu


If you are fond of fish curries that use gambooge i.e kudampuli in Malayalam then this curry is also something you are sure to fall prey to. I should say a vegetarian version of a fish curry with kudampuli. Cook it in an earthern pot(manchatti) just as you would do for a typical Kerala fish curry and enjoy with hot steamed matta rice.




Ingredients
1/2 kg taro root/chembu, peeled and cut into small pieces(keep it soaked in water)
1 Tbsp garlic chopped
1 Tbsp ginger chopped
2 green chillies slit
5-6 shallots, sliced thin
2-3 small pieces of kudampuli/gambooge
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
few curry leaves
2 cup water
3Tbsp coconut oil
salt to taste


Method

  • Soak the gambooge/kudampuli in a little water and keep aside.
  • Heat the oil in  a pan or earthern pot(manchatti).
  • Splutter mustard seeds followed by the fenugreek seeds. Saute for a few seconds, then add the chopped garlic, ginger, green chillies and shallots. Saute well for 4-5 minutes or until the shallots start turning golden brown.
  • Reduce to low flame and add the turmeric powder and chilli powder . Saute for 2-3 minutes on low flame itself.
  • Add 2 cups of water and soaked kudampuli. Bring this to a boil. Let it boil for a few minutes. Now add the chembu, salt and curry leaves. Cover and cook for 5-6 minutes or until the chembu is cooked well and the gravy thickens slightly.
  • Serve this fish curry tasting chembu mulakittathu with steamed rice.


Tuesday, October 04, 2016

Vendakka/ Ladiesfinger curry

Have you found yourself wondering as to what  curry to make for dinner tonight that goes well with chapatti ! I am sure many of you out there must have. Well here comes a dish to your rescue. An aromatic ladiesfinger curry that goes very well with most of the Indian breads.


Ingredients
10-15 ladiesfinger
1 onion sliced thin
1" ginger chopped
few curry leaves
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chilli powder(reduce if you don't prefer a very spicy version)
1 1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp pepper powder
1/4 tsp fennel/perumjeerakam powder
1 small piece cinnamon stick
1 cardamom
2 cloves
1 1/2 cup thin coconut milk
1/2 cup thick coconut milk
1/2 tsp crushed black pepper
salt to taste
3-4 Tbsp oil(preferably coconut oil)
Method
  • Grind together the cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, pepper powder and fennel powder into a smooth paste by adding little water.
  • Wash the ladiesfinger well and then pat dry them. Cut them into 1 inch pieces and keep aside.
  • Heat oil in a pan. Fry the ladiesfinger pieces on a medium flame until it shrinks slightly and changes colour. 
  • Using a slotted spoon remove the fried ladiesfinger from the pan  and keep aside.
  • In the same pan add the sliced onions, curry leaves and ginger.
  • Saute  until onion turns light brown in colour.
  • Add the ground paste and fry well until the water is absorbed and oil starts to show up from the sides.
  • Now add the fried ladies finger and mix well.
  • Pour the thin coconut milk and add enough salt.
  • Allow this to simmer for 8-10 minutes.
  • Finally add the thick coconut milk and just as it begins to boil remove from flame.
  • Sprinkle the crushed pepper on top and cover and keep aside for 10 minutes before serving.


Sunday, October 02, 2016

Onion Rava Dosa


Ingredients
1 1/2 cup rice flour
1/2 cup rava/semolina
2 Tbsp all purpose flour/maida
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp whole black pepper corns
1 very finely chopped green chillies
1/4 cup thick buttermilk
1 onion, very finely chopped
2 3/4 cups of water
oil
salt


Method
  • Mix rava with the buttermilk and leave it for 15 minutes.
  • In a bowl mix the rice flour,maida, cumin, pepper, chopped green chilli and salt.
  • Add the rava mixed with the buttermilk. Add water little at a time mixing well so that there are no lumps. The batter should be very thin(so add water accordingly). Check salt.
  • Heat a non-stick tawa. Sprinkle little chopped onions on the tawa(Don't add too much onions as it will be difficult to make the dosa and remove it from the tawa).
  • Mix the batter well(remember to mix the batter well before making each dosa so that the rava does not settle at the bottom). After mixing take a laddle full of the batter and start filling the outer corners of the tawa with the batter and come towards the middle, pouring the batter. Fill in the gaps if any with the batter.
  • Once the dosa gets cooked slightly, drizzle oil on the dosa.
  • Flip the dosa when golden brown on one side. Cook the other side also for few seconds and then remove the dosa onto a serving plate.
  • Serve hot and crispy with coconut chutney and sambar.
Rava dosa takes more time to get cooked than the normal dosa. It tastes best when its hot and crisp.
Remeber the batter should be of very thin consistency in order to get thin and crisp dosas.
You can substitute rice flour with dosa batter . The dosa will be more tasty.
You can omit adding the onions to make normal rava dosa.

Recipe adapted from here