Beef Kuruma

Beef: 1 cup (cooked in pressure cooker)

Oil: 2 tbsp

Cumin: 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves: a sprig

Onion: 2 sliced

Ginger: 1 inch chopped fine

Garlic: 5 cloves chopped fine

Green Chillies: 3 slit

Tomato: 1 chopped fine

Chilly powder: 1/2 tsp

Coriander Powder: 4 tsp

Garam Masala: 1 tsp

Turmeric Powder: 1/4 tsp.

Mint leaves: 4 tbsp

Coriander leaves: 2 tbsp

To grind:

Coconut grated: 1/2 cup

Fennel/Perumjeerakam: 2 tsp

Cumin: 1/4 tsp

Grind this with half of the sauteed masala to a paste and keep aside.

Heat oil in a kadai, Splutter cumin and curry leaves.

Add onions and saute till brown.

Now add the garlic, ginger, green chillies and saute for a minute

Add the tomato and saute till oil separates

Take half of this and grind with the coconut.

To the rest, add chilly powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and garam masala powder. Saute till raw smell goes.

Add the ground coconut masala, mint leaves and coriander leaves, a little water and saute till oil separates.

Add  enough water, required salt and let it boil

Take off fire and serve with rotis/dosa etc

Kumblanga/Winter Melon/Ash Gourd curry with yoghurt/ Moru curry

Kumblanga/Ash Gourd: 2 cups cut into chunks

Turmeric Powder: 1/4 tsp

Chilly Powder: 1/2 tsp

Green Chillies: 3 slit

Place this in a pressure cooker, Add enough water (about 3/4 cup) and cook for 2 whistles on high

Coconut Grated: 1/2 cup

Shallots: 5 or 6

Garlic: 2 cloves

Cumin: 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder: a pinch

grind these into a smooth paste.

Yoghurt: 500 gms

Take about a tbsp of yoghurt from this and grind with the coconut mix so that you get a smooth paste.

 

Now open the pressure cooker and add the ground mix and cook on a low flame for sometime.
Now beat the remaining curd just for a second in the mixie and add to the curry. You can add a little water to the beaten curd.
Turn off stove.

To Temper:
Mustard: 1/4 tsp
Fenugreek: 1/4 tsp
Shallots: 2 sliced
Curry Leaves: a sprig
Dried Red Chilly: 1
Coconut oil: 1 tbsp
Heat oil in a pan, and splutter mustard, fenugreek, shallots, red chilly and shallots.
Pour over the curry.
Serve with rice.

Andi Unda (Cashew nut and rice laddoo)

This recipe comes from my sister in law, Sophys kitchen. This is somewhat similar to our avalose unda and o yea, really tasty and healthy too!!!!

Red Rice/Kerala matta rice: 2 cups

Coconut grated: of 1 big coconut (around 3-4 cups)

Cashewnut; 100 gms dry roasted

Jaggerry: 400 grams

Wash rice and drain.
Once the water is fully drained, dry roast in a wok on medium heat till it is a darker shade but not too dark either.
Dry roast the cashews
Grate the jaggerry.
Now grind the rice in your mixie.
Take out and mix all other ingredients together and again pulse it in your grinder.
Take the mix out and shape it into balls.
Serve this as an evening snack.

Chicken Curry- Taste of Grandma's Kitchen!!!

We all love the taste of our childhood.... The smell of our grandmothers kitchen.... this taste and smell forms an important part of the emotional narrative of our childhood, our lives!!!

But havent you noticed over time, our recipes alter to accommodate our present lifestyle?
 One such example is using big onions for chicken curry. I remember, my ammachy always used pearl onion for chicken curries but now very few people use it. I too use big onions mostly but when I go home to my mothers, I just love the chicken curry there, it brings back so many memories, triggers emotions sometimes happy, sometimes sad....But mostly, wonderful memories.

This recipe with a generous helping of small onions sure recreates the taste of my childhood.
 And its amazing how I got the exact recipe/taste from someone I met by chance. My sons friends grandmother. This is her recipe and while waiting for my sons school bus, she was telling me about her daughter- in- laws blog. I googled and found the blog and this recipe was there. When I saw the small onions, I knew I had to try this and wow, I was transported back to those days and my kids inhaled this!!!!


Chicken: 1 kg
Fennel Seeds/ Perinjeerakam: 2 tsp
Small Onion/Pearl Onion/Shallots: 2 cups or 300 grams (pls do not use big onions)
Curry leaves: 4 sprigs
Ginger garlic paste: 1 tbsp
Tomato puree: 4 tbsp or of 2 tomatoes pureed
Kashmiri Chilly Powder: 2 tsp
Pepper Powder: 2 tsp
Coriander Powder: 4 tsp
Turmeric Powder: 1/4 tsp
Garam Masala: 1 1/2 tsp
Salt: as required
Oil: 4 tbsp

The peeled pearl onion weight should be 300 grams or 2 cups packed.
Slice each onion to 3. Do not have to make it too small.
Heat oil in a pressure cooker, splutter fennel seeds.
Thrown in the onions and curry leaves and saute till wilted.
Add the ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell is gone
Add the tomato puree, all the masalas and chicken and saute for sometime on low flame.
Add a cup of water and close the lid and cook for a whistle on high, then lower the flame and cook for one more whistle and switch off the flame.
When the pressure releases,open the lid and mix everything once and serve warm with rice or rotis.

Recipe Source: Mithraja's blog

Kerala Coastal Fish Fry

Yummy Yummy Crispy Fish fry !!!!!

King Fish: 1 slice
Or large prawns:6 nos
Kashmiri Chilly Powder: 1 heaped tsp
Turmeric Powder: 1/4 tsp
Salt: as Needed
Lime Juice: 1 tsp
Ginger Garlic Paste: 1/2 tsp
Rice Flour: 1 heaped tsp

Make a paste of all these and apply on the fish and keep aside for atleast half an hour
Shallow fry it in coconut oil.
Serve warm with sliced onions.

Kerala Prawns Fry

This is my Moms Prawns fry recipe. I guess this is the basic fish fry recipe for any malayalee. It tastes yum with prawns!!!!

Prawns: 1/2 kg

Ginger Garlic Paste: 2 tsp

Kasmiri Chilly Powder: 1 level tbsp

Pepper Powder: 2 tsp

Turmeric Powder: 1/4 tsp

Salt: as required

Lime Juice: of 1 small lime

Oil: 1 tsp

Marinate the prawns with all this for atleast 30 minutes....more the better.

Heat Coconut oil and shallow fry the prawns.

Make sure you dont cook it too long.

Serve warm with rice and onion slices

Vazhuthanaga Theeyal/ Brinjal Theeyal

Brinjal: 3 cut in medium sized pieces 

Button onion: a handful

Green Chillies: 3 slit

Turmeric Powder: 1/4 tsp

Chilly powder: 1/2 tsp

Coriander Powder: 1 heaped tsp

Tamarind: lime sized

To Roast and grind

Coconut grated: 3/4 cup

Dried Red chilly: 2

Ginger chopped: 1/2 inch

To temper

Coconut oil: 2 tsp

Mustard: 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves: 1 sprig

Dry roast the grated coconut, dried red chillies and ginger over a low flame till the coconut becomes brown making sure it doesn't burn.

When it cools, grind to a very smooth paste. Oil will ooze out of the coconut, so no need to add water, but if it is absolutely necessary add 1 or 2 tbsp water.

Heat Oil in a kadai and saute the onions and green chillies for 2 minutes on low flame.

Now add the chopped brinjal and saute again for 2 minutes.

Add the chilly powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder and saute till the raw smell is gone.

Pour a cup of water and let the brinjal get cooked.

Now add the tamarind water and let it come to a boil.

Add the coconut paste and when it boils along the edges, take off fire.

Splutter mustard, curry leaves in coconut oil and pour it over the Theeyal.

Naaranga curry

This is another recipe from my favourite vegetarian food ustaad, my Padma teacher whom I fondly call Puthri chechy.

Lime/Cherunaranga: 3 cubed (make sure u take off the seeds, otherwise the curry will turn bitter)
Green Chillies: 5 sliced in rounds
Chilly Powder: 1.5 tbsp
Fenugreek Powder: 1/4 tsp
Salt: as needed
Tamarind: gooseberry sized soaked in water
Sugar or jaggery: 1-2 tsp


To Temper:
Coconut Oil: 1 tsp
Curry Leaves: 2 sprigs
Mustard: 1 tsp
Dried Red Chilly:1
Small Onion: 1 sliced

Soak tamarind in water, atleast 2 cups water.
Mix in the green chillies, cubed small lime, chilly powder, salt.
Let it come to a boil.
let it simmer for sometime.
Add the fenugreek powder
When the gravy thickens, add the sugar or jaggerry and let it boil for a few more minutes.
Take off fire.
Heat oil in a kadai, splutter mustard, dried red chilly, onion and curry leaves and pour over the curry.
Serve with Rice and curries.

Ayala Vevichathu/Fish Curry Kottayam style- step by step pictures

This was my favourite fish curry all my growing up years. I could have this with anything and everything. But once I started cooking myself, I realized this might look easy to prepare but u really need to master the art. Sometimes it takes a failure or two to get the knack. Yes, Ive had my share of disasters with this curry....

So this is dedicated to all those who, like me have had fish curry disasters.......believe me when I say, disasters have their place in our learning experience!!!!!one of the essential parts to being a good cook, is also knowing the ways a recipe can go wrong......

So here goes........

Coconut Oil: 3 spoons (see the size of the spoon in the pic, a ladle)

Mustard seed: 1 tsp

Fenugreek seeds: 1/4 tsp

Small Onions/Pearl Onions: a handful sliced 

Garlic  cloves: 8 minced

Ginger: 1 inch minced

Curry Leaf: a sprig

Heat oil, Splutter mustard, fenugreek, curry leaf.

Saute the garlic and ginger for a minute or two till a distinct aroma comes.

Add the onions and saute till it browns along the edges. see the pic below.

Now take 3 heaped teaspoons (like in the pic, real real heaped Tsp measure) Kasmiri Chilly Powder

if you are a first timer, use the measuring spoon itself......teaspoon....heaped ...thrice!!!!!

Coriander Powder: 1 level tsp

Turmeric Powder: 1/2 tsp

Make a paste with water like in the pic below

Now add it to the sauteed onion mix and in low flame, keep sauteing and sprinkling water till you can see oil droplets here and there. 

Add 2 cups water and required salt and let it come to a boil.

Curry leaves: 2 sprigs

Gambooge/Kodum Puli: 4 washed and soaked in water.

Add this to the boiling curry

Now add the cleaned fish pieces (Ayala/Mackarel- 1 Kg) to it and when it starts boiling, reduce flame, keep lid and let it get cooked and let the gravy get reduced

When the gravy is thick and the fish is cooked, take off fire. Serve warm with Kerala rice

Padavalanga parippu Thoran/kootu

Snake Gourd/Padavalanga: 1

Chana Dal/Kadala Parippu: 100 grms

To Grind:

Coconut grated: 1/4 cup

Garlic: 2 cloves

Cumin: 1/2 tsp

Smal Onion: 4

Green Chillies: 3

Turmeric: 1/4 tsp

Salt: a tsp

To Temper: 

Mustard: 1/2 tsp

Urud Dal: 1/2 tsp

Dried Red Chilly: 2

Curry Leaves: a sprig

Small Onion: 5 thinly sliced

Coconut Oil: 1 tbsp

Cook the chana dal with a cup of water in a pressure cooker for 3 whistles on high flame.

Drain the water.

Add the cleaned, chopped snake gourd and required salt to this dal and without adding water, cook for two whistles on high flame.

Immediately, release the pressure and open the lid.

Grind the "to grind" ingredients without adding water.

Add this to the cooked dal- snakegourd mix and in low flame let it all get mixed and cooked. Sprinkle water at this stage.

Take off fire.

Now heat a tbsp coconut oil and splutter mustard and urud dal.

Throw in the curry leaves, dried red chilly and sliced onion.

Let it brown.

Pour this over the Thoran.

Serve warm with rice.

Vanpayar Ularthu

Vanpayar/  Red Cow Peas - 200 grams

Coconut grated; 2 tbsp

Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp

Salt and Oil: as needed

Curry leaves: a sprig

Mustard: a tsp

To pulse:

Pearl Onion/ Shallots: 12

Garlic: 8 cloves

Dried red Chilly: 4

Pulse these ingredients for 2 to 5 seconds in your mixie. keep aside

Pressure cook the vanpayar  with turmeric powder and salt till done. 5 whistles on high.

In a kadai/wok, heat oil and splutter the curryleaves.

Add the pulsed ingredients and saute till raw smell is gone. Now add the grated coconut and give a toss.

add the cooked vanpayar and let it get sauteed and the masalas get mixed thoroughly.

Serve warm with rice.

Kaada/Quail Fry

This is an easy recipe I got while I was blog hopping one day. From here

Quail: 5
Chilly Powder: 5 tsp
Pepper Powder: 3 tsp
Turmeric Powder: 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala: 3 tsp
Salt: to taste
Curry leaves: lots
Oil: for deep frying.

Make gashes on the Quail.
Make a paste of all the masalas and salt and apply on the Quail and leave it aside for 2 hours or more.
Heat oil in  a kadai. Fry the Quail with lots of curry leaves.
Drain on an absorbant paper and serve warm.

Alleppey Chicken Fry

Another super delicious Chicken roast recipe from Lekha (Ive mentioned her in my dum biriyani recipe page). Yes one of the lovely girls I mentioned in my earlier post.

Chicken : 1/2  kg boneless

To Marinate:
Chilly Powder: 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder: 1/2 tsp
Pepper Powder: 1 tsp
Salt: as needed.

Keep this aside for one hour or more.

Onion: 2 sliced
Tomato: 2 sliced
Pepper Powder: 1 tsp
Salt: as needed
Coriander Leaves and Curry leaves: a few.
Coconut oil: as needed.

To coarsely grind:
Small Onion: 15
Ginger: 1 inch
Garlic: 4
Green Chillies:4

Heat oil and fry the sliced onion till golden brown and keep aside.
Add a little more oil to the same pan and fry the marinated chicken till golden brown and keep aside.
In the same pan, Add a little more oil and saute the ground paste till raw smell is gone. Add curry leaves and tomato and saute till tomatoes turn limp. Add the chicken to it and mix everything properly. Sprinkle pepper and salt. Take off fire andgarnish with coriander leaves.

Koorka/ Chinese Potato stir fry/ mezhukkupuratti

A kerala speciality.

Koorka/ Chinese Potato: 300 gms/ 2 cups

Salt; as needed

Turmeric Powder: 1/2 tsp

Mustard: 1/2 tsp

Pearl Onions: 10

Garlic; 5 minced

Dry Red chilly: 4 minced

Coconut Oil: 2 tbsp

Curry Leaves; 3 sprigs

 Wash the Koorka properly. drain.

Scrape the skin and again immersein water. Wash again and again till you get clean Koorka.

Cut in  Chunks.

Mix it with one cup water, required salt and turmeric powder and pressure cook for two whistles.

Release the pressure by pulling the weight up (yes I do that so that the Koorka doesnt mash up inside)

drain excess water and keep it ready.

In a Wok, heat coconut oil and splutter mustard.

Throw in the onion, garlic and let it saute for a few seconds and then add the curryleaves and dried red chilly.

Add the Koorka to it and Mix everything and let all the flavours merge.

Take off fire and the most important thing is to have it hot from the stove to the plate.

Pumpkin Thoran/ Mathanga Tholi Thoran

This is one of my favourite.... yes, ABSOLUTE favourite thoran. So next time, when u make Pulpkin curry/ Mathanga Erisserry, do not discard the peel. Slice it thin and add onion, coconut to it and there you get the best thoran in the world.

Pumpkin peel/  Mathanga Tholi: 2 cups sliced thin

This is the peel. Slice this thin.

Onion: 1 diced

Coconut grated: 1 cup

Turmeric powder; 1/2 tsp

Salt: as needed

Coconut Oil: 1 tbsp

Mustard; 1/2 tsp

Curry Leaves: 3 sprigs

Dried red chilly: 2

Heat oil in a kadai, splutter mustard, curry leaves and dried red chilly. 

Mix in the sliced peels, onion diced, coconut, turmeric and salt.

Stir till everything is properly mixed

Add 1/4 cup water and let it cook on low flame.

Let it cook and all the water evaporate.

Serve warm with rice.

Dried Prawns and Raw Mango Thoran (Unnakka Chemeen Paccha Maanga Thoran)

Dried Prawns: 100 gms

Dry roast the prawns and take off the head.

Coconut grated: 1 cup

Small Onion: 8

Birds eye Chilli : 10 (U can use green chillies instead, increase the number according to ur tolerance level)

Turmeric Powder: a inch\

Salt as needed

Raw Mango Sliced: 1 medium

Mix everything together, add 1/4 cup water and cook on low flame till done.

Serve warm with rice.

Ada Pradhaman

Ada: 500 gm

Jaggerry: 1 kg

Sago: 200 gm

Thick Coconut Milk: 3 cups

Thin Coconut Milk: 6 cups

Wash the Ada and cook it with lots of water. Make sure it is really soft. Wash it properly again.
Drain completely once done.

Cook the sago in water till done and drain water completely.

Melt the jaggery in a little water and strain.

Saute the cooked Ada in the jaggery mix.

Add the cooked sago to it, saute and mix everything.

Add the thin coconut milk and let it boil

Add cardamom powder and thick coconut milk and let it just boil along the edges.

Take off fire.

Fry the cashewnut, curryleaves, raisins in ghee. Pour this over the Payasam.

Serve hot or cold as dessert