Koorka Mezhukkupuratti (Chinese Potato Stir Fry)

Koorka Mezhukkupuratti (Chinese Potato Stir Fry)

Koorka/ Chinese potato stir fry is a delicious and healthy side dish for rice. I clicked this picture when I visited Kerala in July. This is a seasonal yet popular vegetable in Kerala. The recipe source is my mother-in - law. Thanks Ammachi. This is a perfect combo with rice and mooru curry.

Ingredients
Koorka- 250 grams
Pearl onions- 10-12
Garlic-1 pod
Turmeric powder- 1/3 tsp
Chilly powder-1/2 tsp
( or crushed chilly flakes- 1/2 tsp)
Pepper powder-1/3 tsp
Thinly sliced coconut- a few
Curry leaves- 2 springs
Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
Coconut oil and salt to taste

To clean the koorka/Chinese potato-Put them in a cloth bag or a sack and gently hit a few times on hard surface or on the floor. The skin will get separated in this process. If there is any excess left, scrape off with a knife. Wash thoroughly and then cut into small pieces.
Cook koorka along with turmeric and salt,till it is soft.
Crush shallots, two curry leaves and garlic using a kitchen chopper or mortar and pestle.
Heat 2 tbs of coconut oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When it splutters add sliced coconut(tenga kottu) and curry leaves. When the coconut slices turn golden brown add the crushed shallots and saute till the raw smell disappears and it turns golden brown, Add chilly powder and pepper powder and saute for a minute. Finally add the cooked koorka and continue to saute for to minutes. Serve with rice.

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Hope you will all enjoy!

Aval Sharkara Payasam

Aval Sharkara Payasam

Aval Sharkara payasam is quick and simple payasam/pudding. It is made with rice flakes/beaten rice and jaggery and coconut milk. Earlier I posted aval milk payasam.This is yet another yummy version. Give this recipe a try,you will surely love it.

Ingredients
Aval (Beaten red rice)- 1 1/2cup
Jaggery ( powdered)-250 grams
(Adjust according to sweetness you prefer)
Coconut milk thick- 1 1/2 cup
Coconut milk thin- 2 cup
Cardamon crushed- 5-6
Raisins and cashew nuts- a few
Ghee- 3 tsp

Place aval in a strainer and rinse under running water, strain and keep aside.
Add jaggery in a heavy bottom pan, add 1 1/2 cup of water  and bring to a boil.Strain the impurities and bring it back to boil. Allow this to reduce and become a thick syrup.
In a separate pan heat ghee in a pan and roast the aval/rice flakes till it becomes crisp. Add thin coconut milk and cook  till aval become soft.Pour the jaggery and crushed cardamom allow the payasam to simmer and thicken, stirring in between for five to six minutes.Finally pour the thick coconut milk and simmer in low flame for one minute. Do not allow to boil.
Heat ghee in a separate pan and fry cashew nuts and when it changes color add raisins and fry for a few seconds. Add this to the payasam and mix.Allow to cool and serve.

 Try this
Hope you will all enjoy!

Caribbean Mango Chicken

Caribbean Mango Chicken

A Caribbean inspired marinade for chicken..it is moderately spicy, sweet and tart.  This marinade can be prepared well ahead of time and can be stored in the fridge for over a week. Marinate the chicken with this marinade and bake for grill the chicken . It goes well with fresh mango salsa and rice. Try this tasty chicken, you will surely love it.

Recipe is inspired from here and here

Ingredients 
Chicken pieces-6
(I used thighs and drumsticks)

For the marinade
Mango pulp- 1 1/2 cup
Lemon juice- 1 lemon
Ginger garlic paste- 1 tbs
Pimiento pepper crushed-2
(Or you can used red bell pepper)
Brown sugar- 1 tsp
Molasses- 1 1/2 tbs
Yellow Mustard-2 tbs
Apple cider vinegar- 2 tbs
Smoked paprika- 1 tsp
Dry red chilly crushed - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Black pepper-1/4 tsp
Ground cumin-a pinch
Cinnamon powder- 1/4 tsp
Clove powder- a pinch
Nutmeg- a pinch
Salt to taste

 Mix all ingredients listed under marinade ( except cumin, cinnamon, clove and nutmeg) in a heavy bottom non stick pan. Mix well and simmer in low flame for 6-8 minutes,  or till it thicken to a thick sauce like consistency. Mix in the spice powders and switch off the flame. Check sweetness and salt at this stage and adjust accordingly.Allow this to cool down completely.
Clean and cut chicken pieces. Cut small gashes on the chicken. Pour the marinade over the chicken and spread. Cover with a cling wrap and marinate in refrigerator for 3-4 hours or preferably over night.
Line baking sheet with foil, grease with cooking spray and line the chicken in a single layer.  Bake at 350 degree F for 15 minutes and then raise the oven temperature to 400 degree F for another 10 to 15 minutes.With a knife poke  the thickest part of the chicken, if the juices run clear, the chicken is done. Serve with salsa or fresh salad.

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Hope you will all enjoy!

Coconut Shrimp Rice

Coconut Shrimp Rice

Coconut shrimp rice is simple and flavorful one pot dish. This rice cooked in coconut milk. It  is aromatic with coconut, spices, shrimp. Toasted shredded coconut used for garnish gives it a unique flavor and taste. This can be paired with spicy curries or with raita and papad. Try this simple rice dish,you will surely love it.

Ingredients 
1)For the rice

Basmathi rice -1 1/2 cup
Cloves- 3
Cinnamon stick- 2 peices
Cardamon- 2
Coconut milk thick- 1/2 cup
water- 2 1/2 cup
salt to taste

2)For the masala
Shrimp- 1/2 pound
Shredded carrot- 1/2 cup
Grated coconut- 1/2 cup
Onion- 1 medium
Ginger chopped- 1 tbs
Garlic- 3 cloves
Green chilly- 3 slit
Curry leaves- a few
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
Garam masala- 1/ 2 tsp
Lemon juice- 1 medium
(or you can use one tomato instead)
Ghee - 1 tsp
 oil and salt to taste

Wash rice nicely and add all ingredients listed under( 1) rice and cook in a low medium flame. Once cooked fluff with a fork and allow to cool down.
Heat ghee and a little oil in a pan. Add the coconut and toast till it is golden brown. Keep aside two tsp of coconut for final garnish. Into the remaining add onions, ginger, garlic, green chilly and curry leaves,salt and saute till golden brown. Saute by adding turmeric powder, garam masala and the shrimp.After two minutes add shredded carrots and continue stir frying for 3-4 minutes till the shrimp gets cooked.Mix in the rice and lemon juice. Garnish with toasted coconut, pomegranates or raisins.

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Hope you will all enjoy!

Cornmeal Scallion pancakes

Cornmeal Scallion pancakes

Cornmeal pancakes are crispy and savory pancakes and can be served with sour cream or with maple syrup.This recipe is inspired from Williams Sonoma book  Essentials of Breakfast and Brunch. This is a quick and healthy breakfast recipe. You can add fresh corn kernels to get an interesting sweet crunch.Give this recipe a try,you will surely love it.

Ingredients
White or yellow corn meal-1 1/2 cups
Egg-2
Baking powder-3/4 tsp
Sugar- 1 1/2 tsp
Salt-1/4 tsp
Tomato- 1 medium
Water- 1 1/2 cup of boiling water
Spring onions- 3/4 cup
Butter milk- 1/2 cup
Freshly ground pepper
 Butter- 2-3 tbs

In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal,salt and sugar. Slowly and carefully stir in boiling water,whisk until smooth and quite stiff. Let the batter stand for10 minutes .Make sure it is completely cooled down and then add chopped onions,butter milk,baking powder, eggs, chopped tomatoes and seasoning. Place a griddle pan and heat till medium hot. Brush with  butter take 1/4 cup of the mixture in a ladle. Flatten  and spread the batter into small circles and cook  low medium flame till crisp. Using a spatula, carefully turn the pancakes and crisp the other side.Serve warm.

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Hope you will all enjoy!

Karimeen Molly (Pearl Spot Fish Stew)

Karimeen Molly

Karimeen/Pearl spot fish molly is very popular dish in Kerala which is usually served with appam or bread. It is a mild spiced curry with coconut milk as the key ingredient. Earlier I posted a version of fish molly with  fried King fish. This recipe has less oil and is quick and easy to make. This recipe was shared by ammachi during our recent visit to India. We did a lot of cooking experiments together and this is one of my favorites.My family loved this curry.Give this recipe a try ..you will surely love it.

Ingredients
Karimeen/Pearl spot fish- 4 medium
Sliced onion- 1 medium
Ginger- 1 inch thick piece thinly sliced
Garlic- 3 cloves
Green chilly- 3 slit lengthwise
Curry leaves- a few
Turmeric powder- 1/3 tsp
Pepper powder- 1/2 tsp
Vinegar- 1 tsp
Tomato-1
Thin coconut milk- 1 cup
Thick coconut milk- 1 cup
Coconut oil and salt to taste

Heat oil in a pan and saute sliced onions, ginger,garlic, curry leaves and green chilly till onions turn soft and slightly golden. Add salt, pepper powder and one cup of water. When it comes to a boil, slide in the cleaned fish, cover and cook for two minutes. Add the thin coconut milk and continue to cook till the fish is almost done and the gravy reduces. Add sliced tomato and cook till the tomatoes get soft. Pour the thick coconut milk  and after a minute switch off the flame. Pour one tsp of vinegar on top. Serve with appam or bread.

Try this..
Hope you will all enjoy!

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

 Baking partners challenge recipe for November is Whoopie pies-a delicious treat loved by both young and old. Since this is the month of pumpkins, Swathi suggested making something with pumpkin as the key ingredient. This recipe was suggested by Anitha of Anitha's Kitchen Diary. Whoopie Pies is a traditional Amish recipe. It consists of sandwiched cake like cookies with a sweet cream filling and you can make a variety of flavors and fillings. Here I used cream cheese filling, you can also try vanilla butter cream or marshmallow fluff cream. Pumpkin whoopie pies is moist and  delicious and a great holiday treat. Thanks Anitha for this wonderful recipe.

Ingredients
All purpose flour- 1 1/2 cup
Brown Sugar- 1/2 cup
Sugar- 3 tbs
Butter - 1/2 stick (4 tbs)
Egg-2
Pumpkin puree- 1 cup
Baking soda- 1/2 tsp
Baking powder- 1/2 tsp
Salt- 1/2 tsp
Ground ginger- 1/2 tsp
Ground cinnamon- 1/2 tsp
Clove powder- a pinch
Nutmeg- a pinch
Vanilla extract- 1/2 tsp

Cream cheese filling 
I used Martha Stewart' s recipe from here
Cream cheese- 4 ounce (half package)
Butter- 1/2 stick
Confectionery sugar- 1 1/2 cup
Vanilla extract- 1/2 tsp

 

 To make the pumpkin cookies
To make pumpkin puree at home check the recipe here. I used store brought one for this recipe

Preheat oven to 350 degree F and grease and prepare baking sheet.
In a bowl mix together, flour, spices, salt, baking powder and baking soda and set aside.
Using a hand mixer, beat butter and sugar till it is fluffy and creamy. Add eggs one at a time and beat till light and fluffy. Mix in vanilla extract,pumpkin puree and gently beat till combined. Using a spatula, fold in the dry ingredients till well combined. Drop one to one and half tbs of batter  on the baking sheet, spacing each about two inches apart. You can keep the dough as small mounds or slightly flatten with the back of a moist spoon. Bake for about 10 minutes, remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.

To make the cream cheese filling

In a large bowl cream butter and cream cheese till smooth . Add confectionery sugar little by little and beat till it is creamy and fluffy. Mix in vanilla extract. This filling can be made in advance. Cover and refrigerate till ready to use. If these is excess you can store it in fridge for up to two weeks.

To assemble
Allow cookies to cool down completely. Transfer the cream cheese filling into a pasty bag. Pipe a large dollop on the flat side of one cookie. Take another cookies and place on top of the filling, pressing down slightly, so that the filling spreads evenly towards the edge of the cookies. Transfer into containers and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for two to three hours before serving.

Try this
Hope you will all enjoy!

Vettu Cake

Vettu Cake

Vettu cake is a tea time snack popular in Kerala. It is deep fried sweet dough made of eggs, flour and sugar and flavored with cardamon. The eggs used here is duck eggs, which is widely used to make vettu cake,but you can also use regular eggs,if duck eggs is not available.Vettu cake has a slightly crispy outside with a fluffy texture inside. This  is a popular snack found in tea stalls and canteens all around Kerala. Try this,you will surely love it.

Ingredients
All purpose flour- 2 1/2 cup
Baking soda- 1/2 tsp
Salt- 1/2 tsp
Duck eggs- 3
Powdered sugar-  1 1/2 cup
( adjust according to sweet preference)
Cardamom powder- 1/2 tsp
Yellow food color- 2 -3 drops (optional)
Oil for frying.

In a food processor, powder sugar along with cardamom powder ( if whole cardamom use 5-6) and keep aside.
Mix salt, flour and baking soda and keep aside.
 Beat eggs lightly and then add the powdered sugar. Mix and beat nicely till the mixture turns light and fluffy.
Add the food color and the flour and mix to form a stiff dough ( like chapathi dough). Allow this to rest for half a hour.
Divide into three equal balls. Take each ball and roll on a floured work surface to make a cylinder. Flatten the top and cut this log into one and half inch thick pieces.You can cut into triangles or into a square. With the knife give a small cut half way through each triangle or square.Do the same with the rest of the dough portions.
Heat oil in a pan and fry these in low medium flame till both sides turn golden brown. This will take 3-4 minutes. Do not over crowd and fry in batches. Allow this to completely cool down before serving.

Try this
Hope you will all enjoy!

Semolina Vegetable Puttu

Semolina Vegetable Puttu

 Puttu is steamed rice cake and is Malayali's favorite breakfast. Puttu can be made with rice flour or wheat flour. This recipe uses semolina and is made even healthier by adding vegetables. I clicked this picture when my mother-in law made this for breakfast. Thanks Ammachi for sharing this recipe.

Ingredients 
Semolina-2 cup
Grated vegetables- 1 cup
(a combination of shredded carrot, beetroot, chopped beans and green peas)
Coconut - 3/4 cup
Sugar-1 tsp
salt- 1/3 tsp
water- 1/2 cup

Chop vegetables and  keep aside. Take semolina in a bowl and add grated coconut.Rub in coconut using your palm.Mix sugar and salt in 1/2 cup of water and sprinkle it little by little into the semolina mixture. Mix to form a course damp mixture without lumps, resembling wet sand. To check  moisture  press handful of mixture in form of balls. It should hold together and also easily break off when crumbled. Mix in the vegetable and let it sit for five minutes.
Take the puttu maker and fill the bottom layer with one tsp grated coconut. Fill the puttu mixture finally top with grated coconut. Bring three cups of water to boil in the pressure cooker(or puttu maker) and place this carefully in the nozzle and allow it  to cook. Let it steam for around three to four minutes till you see steam escaping from all sides on the top.

Try this
Hope you will all enjoy....

Tharavu Mutta Roast/Duck Egg Roast

Tharavu Mutta Roast

Tharavu mutta roast/Duck egg curry is a common breakfast recipe. This is spicy curry with caramelized onions and eggs. It is a perfect accompaniment for appam

Ingredients

Eggs- 4
Onions medium-3
Tomato- 1 small (optional)
Curry leaves- a few
Ginger thinly sliced- 2 tsp
Kashmir chilly powder-2 tsp
Fennel powder- 1/2 tsp
Salt as needed
Coconut oil

 Boil eggs and keep aside. Heat oil in a pan and add sliced onion, ginger and curry leaves and salt . Saute till onion turns soft and caramelized. Add the tomato and stir fry for another 2 minutes. Add chilly powder and fennel powder and saute. Pour one cup of water, cover and cook till the gravy thickens. Add the egg and fennel powder simmer for another two minutes. Serve with appam or chapatis.

Try this
Hope you will all enjoy...

Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin pie is perfect holiday recipe. It has a flaky and tender crust and a smooth custard filling. The filling is sweet and mildly spiced and easy to make. In order to  make tender and flaky crust, make sure that the ingredients are cold and work quickly to avoid the butter from melting. This recipe is adapted Joy of Baking and William- Somona

Ingredients
For the crust
All purpose flour- 1 1/2 cup
Cold unsalted butter- 1 1/2 stick
Sugar- 1 tbs
Salt- 1/2 tsp
Ice water- 5 tbs

Filling
Pumpkin puree- 2 cup
Egg- 3
Heavy cream- 1 cup
Sugar- 3/4 cup
Brown sugar- 1/2 cup
Salt- 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon- 1 tsp
Ginger- 1/2 tsp
Clove- 1/8 tsp
Nutmeg- 1 pinch

 To make the pie crust, put all the ingredients in food processor ( except ice water) and process for a few seconds till the butter gets incorporated with the flour and resembles course sand.
Add ice water little by little, till the mixture combines and will hold together when pinched. If it  is still crumbly add one more tbs of water.
Transfer the the course mixture on to a plastic wrap and with the help of the wrap press together till it gathers to form a ball. Do not over work at this stage. Wrap tightly and allow it to chill in refrigerator for about a hour.
Dust work surface with flour. Using a rolling pin flatten this dough into a 13 inch circle and 1/8 inch thick. Place this on a 9 inch pie crust. Gently press down to the bottom of the pan trim the edges.Press the edge with a fork or make desired pattern. Cover with cling wrap and chill in refrigerator.

Pre heat oven to 375 degree F.

To make the filling, lightly beat egg and mix in all the ingredients to form a smooth batter.
Pour over the prepared pie crust and bake for 45 minutes.Do not over bake or it will develop cracks. The filling will be set and the center will looks wet and wobbly. Insert a took pick 2 inch apart from the crust and it will come out clean. Allow it to cool  on wire rack and then let it sit for 3-4 hours before slicing. Serve with whipped cream.

Try this
Hope you will all enjoy!