Wash and soak the rice for 15mintues. Dry roast cloves, cinnamon and cardamom. Grind garlic, ginger and the dry roasted spices. Heat oil in pan add the star anise , bay leaf, onion and green chills and fry till the onion turns translucent. Add this to the rice. Now add the coconut milk, salt and sufficient water to cook the rice in a cooker. Open the lid and gently mix the rice, so that the top coconut milk layer gets mixed evenly. Brinji rice is ready.
(note :-remember to reduce the proportion of water ,since we are adding one cup of coconut milk.)
Kappa puzukku is a simple and easy dish to make . It’s the most favourite dish of any Keralite family.
Ingredients
Kappa / Tapioca — 500 gms
Coconut. scrapped — 1/2 cup
Turmeric powder — 1/2 tsp
Salt — 1 tsp
Shallot —- 7-8
Green chili — 2
Cumin seeds — 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds — 1/2 tsp
Coconut oil — 2 tbsp
Method
Peel the skin of the kappa . cut it lengthwise you will find a string in the center remove it, Further cut the kappa into cubes and immerse in water and drain it. Cook the kappa with turmeric powder, salt, two glass of water in pressure cooker for two whistles . Open the pressure cooker and drain the excess water. Grind together coconut , shallot ,green chili and cumin seeds. Heat coconut oil in a pan,add the mustard seeds when the crackle add the curry leaves and the cooked kappa , put off the heat. Now add the coconut mixture, mix everything together. Your Kappa puzukku is ready. Enjoy kappa puzukku with hot Kanji, pulissery, pappadam and chips.
The most healthy snack which can be had anytime of the day. Simply steam the nedrapazham with the skin for 5 mnts peel the skin drizzle some honey and have it or just the cut the nedrapazham into thick slice heat 2 tbsp ghee in a pan and roast till slightly brown on both the side have it with or without honey. If you have a sweet tooth, add some jaggery to the pan along the ghee, roast and have nedrapazham nurukku.
2.Aval cereal
Corn flakes is the most popular cereal had by most of us. Try something different and sure its healthy too and available easily. You will require aval / poha / flattened rice (thick varitey) one small cup, one banana, one glass milk, one teaspoon honey and one tablespoon scrapped coconut. Rinse the aval and soak in a glass of water for two mnts, drain it. Take a bowl add the aval, cut banana, honey, pour in the milk,sprinkle coconut and have a healthy cereal totally Indian style.
3. A smoothie
The last recipe is a breakfast drink. Cook 1 tablespoon of oats with 1 ½ glass of water, allow it to cool. Take 2 cups of cubed melon , one small banana, cooked oats and 2 teaspoon of honey, blend it all together and enjoy this healthy fruit drink.
A typical Kerala dish. The most favorite side dish for any Kerala tiffin in the likes of Aappam, Idiyappam or Puttu. I have made ishtu with only potatoes but it can also be prepared with other vegetables like carrot, beans or onion.
Ingredients
Potatoes — 2 big ones
Green chili —- 1
Ginger —- 1/2 inch pc
Coconut milk — 1 1/2 cup
Salt —- 3/4 tsp
Coconut oil —- 1 tbsp
Few curry leaves.
Method
Peel the skin of the potatoes and cut them into small cubes. Slit the chili and cut the ginger into juliennes. Add 2 cups of water in a deep pan add the green chili and ginger to it and allow to boil for 2 minutes. Add the cut potatoes ,salt and cook the potatoes. Once the potatoes are half cooked add the coconut milk ,lower the flame and cook further till the potatoes are fully cooked and you get a creamy texture. Put of the heat drizzle the coconut oil and add the pinched curry leaves. Enjoy Ishtu.
( I have used the readymade coconut milk powder for the coconut milk.)
A very simple side dish, a glossy cauliflower curry. A curry you could have with chapati or jeera rice and dal.
Ingredients
Cauliflower — 1 medium size
Onion —- 2 medium size
Tomatoes —- 2 medium size
Green chili — 2
Ginger — 1 inch
Garlic pods — 3
Turmeric powder — 1/4 tsp
Red chili powder— 1/2 tsp
Salt —- 1 tsp
Corn flour —- 1 tbsp
Oil —- 2 tbsp
Fresh coriander leaves .
Method
Break and cut the cauliflower into medium florets. Now add 1 tsp of salt to 2-3 cup and add the florets to get rid of worms if any. After 10 minutes drain the florets. Heat 2 cups of water add the turmeric powder ,cauliflower florets and cook. Once the florets are cooked drain and keep aside. Grind together green chili, ginger and garlic together . Heat oil in a pan add the chopped onion and saute till the onions are translucent , now add the chili-ginger -garlic paste and saute for a minute add the cut tomatoes and further saute for two minutes. Add the florets , salt and red chili powder saute cover and cook. Mix half an cup of water to the corn flour, once the vegetables are cooked, lower the flame and add the cornflour mixture, mix well cook for an minute and put of the heat. Just before serving add chopped coriander leaves. Cauliflower 19 ready.
A very simple dish. Foodies who like kathirikai / brinjal/ eggplant / aubergine are sure to like it.
Ingredients
Small kathrikai —- 250gms
Curry powder —- 1 cup
Salt — 3/4 teaspoon
Oil —- 3-4 tablespoon.
Method
Wash and pat dry the kathrikai. Add salt to the curry powder and mix well. Remove the stem and slit the kathrikai in + – shape partially. Immediately stuff the kathrikai with the curry powder. Heat a flat pan add oil and place the suffed kathrikai lower the flame, cover and cook. After 2 minutes turn the kathrikai close and cook again. Cook till kathrikai becomes soft. Enjoy kathrikai fry with mor kootaan or with a simple lemon rasam.
Curry Powder –
Roast 2 cups of channa dal along with 1/4 cup of dhaniya and 1/4 cup dry red chilli. Powder it a coarsely. You can store this Curry powder Add a spoon of curry powder to give an extra flavor to any vegetable fry or Sundal preparation.
What do you do when you have too much idli mav / batter and your family is not interested in having idli again since they had it the previous day🤔? I will tell you what I did…I converted it into Adai mav. After making adai I still had a bowl of adai mav left. Hence, the next day I converted it into a snack item, handvo my style😉.
Method
Idli—-
Idli rice—3 cup, raw rice — 1 cup, urad dal — 1 cup, methi seeds—1 tsp, salt. Rinse and soak idli rice and raw rice and soak them together for at least 6 hours. Rinse and soak urad dal for 3 hours with methi seeds. Grind the urad dal in a grinder or mixi till you get a fluffy batter, remove and keep aside. Grind the rice little coarsely. Mix both the batter, add salt mix well and leave it to ferment which might take about 6-8 hours depending on climate. It takes longer time to ferment when the climate is cool.
Adai—
4 cups of idli mav, 3/4 cup channa dal–3/4 cup ,tuvar dal —3/4 cup, dry red chili–2. Soak the dal with chili for half an hour, grind it into a coarse paste . Add this to the idli mav, add 1/2 spoon salt and 1/4 spoon asafoetida mix well and make Adai.
Handvo—-
Adai mav —- 1 bowl, carrot — 1, green chili -ginger paste– 1 teaspoon, coriander leaves & oil. Add shredded carrot, chili-ginger paste,chopped coriander to the adai mav and half an glass of water. Apply oil in a deep vessel, pour the batter and stem it a cooker for 10-12 minutes in low flame. Cool it and cut into square pieces. Heat a pan add oil ,place the cut pieces, after a minute turn the pieces and roast the other side. My style☺ Handvo ready. Serve it with green chutney .
Banana or any plantains tree’s has a unique feature ,every part of the tree is used in some way. The stem, vazaithandu can be used to make molagootal, pachadi, plantains or raw banana for mezhukkupurathi, poriyal,chips, and leaves….
When one hears the name Nendra kai immediately the picture that comes to our mind is the most famous chips. When you make chips don’t throw away the skin of the plantains .Here’s a recipe that is made with the skin of the plantians.
Peel and remove the skin of the kai.(please ref to above link). Cut the skin into small pieces and immediately put it into a vessel with water, this will prevent the discolourization of the skin. Pressure cook the karamani. Remove the cut kai skin from water and rinse it once again. Add 3/4 glass of water, with turmeric powder and salt and cook the kai skin for 10 minutes. Now add the cooked karamani ,dry red chili ,give a stir,lower the heat , cover and cook further 5 minutes. Add the coconut , mix everything together and put of the heat. Drizzle the coconut oil,add the curry leaves and enjoy Kai puzukku with red rice kanji.
A simple, easy, flavored rice that can be prepared quickly. An ideal dish for a lazy weekend!
Ingredients
Basmati rice —- 2 cups
Sweet corn —- 1 cup
Capsicum —- 1
Carrot —- 1
Onion —- 1
Soya sauce— 2 tablespoons
Vinegar — 2 tablespoons
Chilli sauce —- 1 teaspoon
Pepper powder — 1/2 teaspoon
Salt —- 1 1/2 teaspoons
Oil —- 2 tablespoons .
Method
Chop the onion ,capsicum ,carrot into small pieces . Cook the rice and spread it in a plate to cool it . Heat oil in a pan add the onion and fry them till they become translucent, now add the sweet corn and rest of the vegetables and sauté for 2 minutes. Now add soya sauce, vinegar, chilli sauce ,pepper powder ,salt and further sauté for 2 minutes put of the heat. Add the sautéed vegetables to the cooled rice and mix well. Enjoy Corn fried rice with potatoes wafers.
Chammanthi is a Malayalam word and its simply means chutney . Here’s a recipe for a spicy chutney / chammanthi which can be had with any tiffin or any meals.
Ingredients
Raw mango — 1
Shallot — 10-12 nos
Garlic — 6-7 pods
Coconut — 1/2 cup
Dry red chili — 5
Tamarind — small marble size
Mustard seeds — 1/2 tsp
Salt — 3/4 teaspoon
Coconut oil— 2 taps.
Method
Peel the shallots and garlic , cut the mango. Heat a pan add 1 1/2 tsp of oil add the garlic and fry for an minute ,add the shallots fry for further two minutes . Now add the dry red chili and fry till the chili becomes crisp. Put of the heat, add rest of the ingredients and sauté them . Cool it and grind it adding little water. Heat the remaining oil add the mustard seeds when they crackle add this to the chammanthi.
Celebrating Baba’s 95th birthday offered Aval paysam for neivedyam.
Ingredients :-
Aval — 1 cup ( 4 tablespoons)
Jaggery — 1 1/4 cup ( 6 tablespoons)
Milk —- 1/2 liter
Ghee — 2 tsp
Cashews & pistachios — 2 tsp
Method
Heat ghee in a pan, add the dry-fruits and fry them till they change color . Now add the aval and fry for a minute or till they turn little crisp. Lower the flame and slowly add the milk, stir and allow the aval to cook. Meanwhile add 3/4 glass of water to the jaggery and heat and allow it to boil for 4-5 minutes ,put of the heat. Once the aval is cooked use a strainer and add the the jaggery, stir and immediately put off the heat. ( don’t boil ,there are chances of curdling of milk.) Payasam ready.
