When Mom rang me and told that she made carrot jam I was not expecting it to be that awesome.. I simply loved it and so did the kids. The taste of lemon and sweetness of sugar dominated the carrot and so the flavor of carrot was not there. If you won't tell your kids, they won't be able to recognize the hidden vegetable in the preserve!!
Ingredients:
Carrots 500g, peeled
Water
Sugar 400 g/ 2 cups
Lemon zest of 1
Juice of 2 Lemons
Almonds,roughly chopped 10
Method:
Slice the carrots and put them in a saucepan covered with water. Boil until very soft, then run through a food mill to puree. Stir the sugar into the puree in a saucepan. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice, bring to a boil, and cook until glassy and jammy. Remove the pan from the heat and stir through the chopped almonds . Cool. Enjoy on bread with slabs of cold butter.
It didn't take a minute for me to decide , when I saw Rafeeda's mail asking me to do a guest post for her. Being a mother of 3, I don't really get a chance to chat with friends or build online relations. I've a very few blogger friends and she is one among them. an upcoming blogger and a very soft person at heart!! I always missed mails, messages and FB feeds these days that I didn't know she owned a blog until recently. I was surprised to see many posts within such a limited time. Keep going Rafeeda! Her recipes are so easy to follow and simple to try out! Check out her blog here- THE BIG SWEET TOOTH.
When I was confused and asked her before deciding on the post, she mailed me saying it would be nice if it's anything from Malabar side. The only and much awaited post with me was muttamaala and pinjaanthappam . The most famous Malabar delicacy. Garlands made out of egg yolk and an egg-white pudding,served together. The name itself brings curiosity among outsiders. Hats off to Kannur ladies who invented this dish sometime in the history. I always wondered watching the garlands as a kid , but never ever tried to make one on my own. Thanks to my blog baby, that I'm learning and have learnt many a things , which I had never thought I would ever do. But, believe me girls, making muttamaala is not a rocket science, it is as easy as any other dish. There are small tips to take care of, and thats it. I shall try to explain it as simple as possible.
Egg yolk is cooked in sugar syrup into garlands while egg whites are steamed into pudding.
Check for the detailed recipe here Linking this recipe to my own event Mummy Ka Magic & Don't forget to take part for the giveaway!
This delicious dessert is associated with my childhood memories. It was an Eid day ,when my Mom made this for the first time. It was so delicious that the guests were blown away by the flavor. The texture was awesome too. She don't remember the source of the recipe now,whether a magazine or a tv show, but we never forget to bake this once a while for our kids.
Ingredients Note: * Nuts can be either almonds, pistachios, walnuts,hazlenuts or anything, but not roasted or salted. I used a combination of almonds and pistachios -both 1/4 cups each.
Eggs 4 Milk 3 cups Nuts crushed to bread crumbs consistency...1/2 cup* Condensed Milk 1 tin Sugar 5 tbsp or more (according to your taste) Bread crumbs 1/2 cup
Method 1.Boil milk , condensed milk & sugar. Turn off the flame. 2.Beat eggs nicely in a separate bowl with a spring spatula or fork(no need of electric beater). 3.Add eggs in the milk SLOWLY. You should keep on stirring the milk while pouring the egg in it. Otherwise the eggs will get scrambled. 4.Mix Nut crumbs in it. I crumbed almonds and pistachios using my grinder.
5.Now, mix in the breadcrumbs.
6.You can either steam it or bake it . ---When steaming, pour this into a deep dish and steam it just as you do while steaming creme caramel.
---If baking, pour these into ramekins or any baking dish and then keep these in another pan filled half-way with boiling water. Preheat your oven and bake at 150C.
8.Bake or steam for about 20-25 minutes or until your toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Do not overbake,otherwise it may turn hard and won't taste good at all. Make sure that no bubbles are appearing at the edges.
You can serve it as it is or top it with chocolate swiss rolls. Serve chilled. Linking this to my own event Mummy ka Magic
Talking about the traditional foods, North Malabar had established its own place; especially Kannur & Kozhikode districts; Thalassery being their leader. There's a wide variety of pathiris, snacks, curries ,etc. associated with this region. Some of them are vanished from the modern kitchen while some others are modified to adjust to the changed lifestyles. Musuman means Whole(colloquially).This recipe is given as it was in the past. This was my Grandma's recipe and just came to my mom's mind recently & gave it a try . It was delicious & since then, Chicken Musuman found its place in our kitchen. In this recipe, chicken is stuffed with Chana Dal Masala & boiled eggs. Before it was prepared using big chicken which weighs about 1 1/2 kg or more; so that it was easy to stuff. But now-a-days we prefer small chickens & so we can't use much stuffing. I've given the recipe of 800gm chicken and I'm sure that u guys would luv it...
It's spicy as well as a bit sweet cos of the sugar we use ..The sugar is well blended with all the spices that it has a nice spicy -sweet combined flavor.
Ingredients:
Chicken 800-900 gm
Onion 2 medium
Tomato 1
Ginger 1 tbsp
Garlic 2 pods
Green Chilli 3
Red Chilli powder 1 1/2 tsp (spicy one)
Coriander powder 1 tsp
Sugar 1 1/2 tsp
Chana Dal 1/4 cup (for both the gravy & stuffing)
Egg 1 boiled (optional)
For Coconut Paste: Coconut 1 cup (3/4 + 1/4)
Fennel (Saunf) 1 tsp
Onion,sliced- half of a small onion
Clove 1
Cardamom 1
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
For stuffing:
Onion 1/2
Ginger -Garlic paste 1 tsp
Green chilli 1
Red Chilli powder 1/4 tsp
Coriander leaves 1 tbsp
Garam masala 1/4 tsp
Chana Dal
Method:
1.Soak Chana Dal overnight or for a minimum of 6 hrs.
2. Coconut paste:
Now we have to roast coconut for the gravy as we do for our Varutharacha curry. The method is simple and goes like this:
a. Take a pan, add 2 tbsp of coconut oil. When hot, add 1 tbsp of parboiled rice ;let it roast a bit till it changes its color. Add 3/4 of the coconut ;saute well in medium-low flame;
b. add fennel seeds
c. & half onion in between. Keep on stirring to roast the coconut evenly.
d. Saute till it turns to brown. Don't make it too brown ;else a bitter taste may come. Add turmeric powder.Switch off the flame & let it cool. Throw in remaining fresh coconut ,cardamom & clove and make a paste of it.
3.Mix the Onion, Tomato, Green Chilli, Ginger Garlic paste, Red Chilli powder, Coriander powder , enough water and salt with chicken & cook till the chicken is done.
4.Meanwhile prepare Chana Dal Stuffing:
Cook Chana Dal. Take 1/4 cup of the cooked dal & keep aside for the gravy.
Take a pan, pour 1 tbsp of oil. When hot, add onion;saute well till it turns brown ; then add ginger-garlic paste, chilli, red chilli powder & the remaining cooked chana dal. Saute well. Finish it off with garam masala & coriander leaves.
5.When chicken is done, take it off & stuff with this masala & boiled egg. If the chicken is small, you can stuff it with only a few or1 tbsp of the chana dal masala.You can pin the chicken with tootpick so that the stuffing remains safe.(optional)I couldn't do it as my chicken was a bit delicate when done. Keep the chicken aside; no need to put it back to the gravy now.
6.Now add the coconut paste & chana dal (which was kept aside ) in the gravy & let it boil.
7. You can now put chicken in the gravy & let it boil for 3-5minutes. No need to boil it for so long and take care while serving, otherwise the chicken may break & it won't remain Chicken Musuman (musuman means whole);the stuffing may also come out.
8.Temper it with Ghee and onion.(add 1 or 2 tbsp of ghee in a hot pan & put a tbsp of sliced onion & add it to the gravy when brown).
9.Garnish with coriander & curry leaves & serve with Pathiris which complements well with this gravy.
Chicken Chukka is a spicy 'dry-gravy' chicken dish which is very popular all over India. Don't know about the origin or nativity of the dish; but its found equally enjoyed by all Indians. Now, this recipe is my mom's and we love as it is. You can play with your own ingredients to please your tongue and hey,, you are the boss of your kitchen; who's gonna ask? ;)
Ingredients:
Chicken 1 (I used of 800gm)
Red Chilli powder 2 tsp + 1/2 tsp
Vinegar 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Onion 500gm (3 cups)
Tomato 1 3/4 cups
Ginger garlic paste 1 + 1 tsp,
Green chilli 3 or more to taste
Garam masala 1/2 tsp,
Pepper powder 1+1/2 tsp
Curry leaves 1 sprig &
Coriander leaves 1/4 cup Oil 1/4 cup
Method:
Marinate chicken in red chilli powder(2tsp),salt,pepper(1/2tsp) ,ginger garlic paste(1tsp)and 1 tbsp of vinegar for atleast half an hour.
Fry those marinated chicken pieces in oil.
Take out the chicken. Now in the same oil, saute onions . Add ginger garlic paste and saute till onion turns slightly brown
Throw in tomatoes & green chilli .. Saute for a few more minutes till the tomato is cooked.
Now add the spices; ie; red chilli powder (1/2 tsp) and turmeric.Saute for a few seconds so that the raw smell disappears.
Add chicken to it alongwith 1/4 a cup of water. simmer till the water dries up.Check the seasoning and make variations according to ur taste.. You can add 1 or 2 tsp of lemon juice if needed. Throw in curry leaves (i sprig) and coriander leaves to garnish.
Mathia is a spicy purioriginally hails from Punjab ( I think so :) or Gujarat?? Actually this is how my Mom makes it ,but she doesn't know which part of India it belongs to. I tried to google it and ended up in confusion. Some have it as a snack; some others with sabji (vegetable side dish); But we have it for breakfast or dinner just like we do eat puris alonwith any curries,bajis etc. A slightly flavored puri with an appealing shape and so is loved by the kids.
Ingredients:
Maida/White flour 3 cup Yoghurt 1/4 cup Cumin/jeera powder 3/4 tsp Pepper 1/2 tsp Salt
Method:
Make dough with the ingredients mentioned above.
Make equal balls out of it and roll it into circle like puris.
Then fold it into semi circle; Fold again into a triangle shape. Roll again in such a way that the shape remain intact.
Deep fry in oil just like you do for puris. Some don't like to puff it up like puris. In such a case, you can prick the puris with fork once it is flattened and before frying.
Battura-- and malabar?? yes , you read it right... Malabar cuisine is so broadminded that it embraces the best of any other cuisine and blends it in its own food culture. This reminds me of Amir Khan's ad 'Athithi Devo Bhava'. :) Jokes apart, Battura, deep fried bread, originally hails from North India; but we make it in slightly different way which make it look more puffy and 'bread like' inside. Have a look at Pic 2.
This dish was new to us when we saw this during my uncle's reception in the bride's house and was quite fascinated by the story behind its introduction to their house. My aunt's (the then bride) brother was getting married to his first cousin. There was no much excitement on the function as they knew both the families and the guests to attend the function were common. So they thought of conducting the function at one place and would make it grand. They hired catering from Calicut which was about 90 kms away from the place; and that too 25 years back. Those people came a day before and said that they would make battura and they need some 40-50 litres of milk for that. Aunt's mom was saying they ran here and there for collecting milk as then it was not available in markets also. They ran to their neighbors' and relatives' house; milked the cows and somehow arranged the milk at night. But the hard-work paid and this dish was loved by all the guests that since then, there was no single party left without Batturas in their house.
Ingredients:
Maida/ White flour 2 cups
Egg 1
Instant Yeast (pizza yeast)1/2 tsp
Baking powder 1/4 tsp
Salt
Sugar 1 tbsp
Yogurt 2 tbsp
Garam Masala 1/4 tsp
Milk- enough to knead the dough
Oil for frying
Method:
Mix Flour, Salt, Yeast , Sugar, Garam masala and Baking Powder together. Make a well in between and beat the egg in it. Add yogurt to it and mix the flour nicely in it. Knead into a dough using warm milk.
Keep this dough aside in a warm place for an hour or more till it is doubled its size... OR .. Heat your oven at high for 5-10 mts, switch off the oven and then keep your dough in it. It eases the fermentation. If you have a fan attached to your oven, heating may not help. So what you can do is keep the dough in your oven, take some boiling water in a cup and place it in the oven along with the dough and close the oven. The steam coming out of the water helps the dough rise fast.
Heat oil enough for deep frying in a deep pan or kadai.
Knead the dough again and make small balls using the dough. Size depends upon the size of your frying pan or kadai.
Flatten it to a size thicker than puris; atleast twice the size. Make it round or oval. You can cut it using zigzag cutter or knife to give it an appealing shape.
Deep fry these just like puris till batturas puffs up and turn brown.
Serve hot with any stews, butter chicken or chana masala..
Indian cooking is generally considered to be unhealthy. But, how far is it true? Indian dishes, apart from grandma's additional spoon of pure homemade ghee on top of pathiris and parathas , could be a part of any type of healthy cuisine when planned it right, as it includes a wide variety of fresh vegetables, lentils and pulses in their daily meals. I think these days, more people are aware of reducing fat content in their diet and so are they trying to count the calories and make conscious efforts to increase their fiber intakes. Lowering the fat content of traditional recipes can reduce the calorie content in any dish.
This dish is a healthy alternative with minimal spices and oil. The spices can completely turn your dish to delicious while a combination of several will effect its colour and texture. Its true that you can play with the spices to adjust to your taste and to please your tongue; but take care of the true flavor. Never allow the spices to cover up the real flavor of the dish.
Basmati Rice 1 1/2 cups
Fish 4-5 pieces, King fish or any other used normally for biriyanis
Onion 1 large
Tomato 2 medium
Red chilli powder 1 tbsp or more
Garlic 3 cloves
Green chilly 3
Cinnamon stick 1small piece
Cloves 2
Oil enough to fry fish
Curry leaves (3-4 only)
Method:
Boil rice alongwith salt,cloves and cinnamon till it is half done and then drain it. Keep aside.
Marinate fish with red chilli powder , salt and pepper powder
Take a deep bottomed vessel and shallow fry fish in that. Take out fish onto a plate.
Add sliced onion into the same oil. You can add more oil if needed. Saute in garlic once the onion start browning , for a minute.
Add tomatoes to it. When tomatoes are completely done, add fish and curry leaves (if using) into it. Let it simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Now, add the rice to this masala and mix it nicely. Keep in dum for 10-15 minutes or till the rice is done.
A Salute to the ladies in our family !! Happy Woman's Day !!
My Grandmom (Ummama ) & my mom are the two auspicious ladies in our family and in my life who have been inspiring me all my life. The former is an excellent cook . Her pickles and curries are just the best. The first curry I've ever made is under her supervision;ie; Mathi (sardines) curry. That was so yummy &tasty that even kids who hate sardines couldn't resist them from eating. Lime pickle ,dates pickle & her Meat Aanam( coconut gravy) are some of her special delicacies. I admire her courage to run the whole family single handedly. Grandpa left all us at an early age. Only a slight memory of him remains in our minds; like coming home with a packet of goodies mostly peanut cakes (kadala mittayi) and we kids racing to the nearby bus-stop to grab them from him.
Now, coming to ma mom. All knows that ma blog is named after her- Khadeeja ; Kachuss is her petname. I celebrate her as a woman; a mother who could bring up their kids to what they are now; a house manager who could bind the whole family together till now and a wonderful grandma to the new generation of our family. This post is dedicated to these two wonderful ladies.
As I said, this is an easy and yummy recipe of my Grandma ,Aysha. She knew it well that I love dates a lot and so never forgets to send me a bottle more often. It has been more than 2 years that I've not met her.:( I guess I could do some justice to the recipe other than the fact that I chopped my onions a bit thick ( Noora found out in her first bite)..
Ingredients:
Dates 250 gm (with seeds) & 2 cups when deseeded & chopped
Red Chilli Powder 1 tbsp Green Chilli 4
Garlic 1 tbsp
Ginger chopped 1 tbsp
Vinegar 1 1/2cup*
Onion 1 medium
Fenugreek powder 1/2 tsp
Coconut oil 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Curry leaves few
Method:
1. Deseed the dates and chop them.
2. Cut the onions in half and then cut again into 3 pieces lengthwise and then chop into thin slices.
3. Mix dates, red chilli powder, salt, onion,ginger and fenugreek powder together.
4. Pour vinegar to it.
5. Splutter mustard seeds in oil and then add curry leaves. Switch off the flame, let it cool and then add it to the pickle. Cooling it is important here; otherwise it won't stay long.
To be taken care of:
Clean the bottle carefully in which you are about to store the pickle/achar. First boil them in water for a while, dry it and clean it with a tissue. Again show it on top of a burning fire for a while holding the bottle safely with a cloth. Clean it with a dry cloth or tissue again. Let it cool.
The onions and other ingredients used should be dry and without any moisture content.
You can add beetroot to this recipe too. Boil it, drain and make sure that it is left with no moisture and then add it. You can add it without boiling too if you need a crispy beet.
Use the dates which is locally available in India; slightly hard ones. The good quality dates will melt easily in pickles and won't taste so good.
*I've used white vinegar here. If you are using more intensive flavored ones, then u can add water to mild the flavor. Boil and cool the water nicely before adding to this.
Madakkupathal is a malabar layered parantha/pathiri soaked in sugar syrup. This is an easy one compared to muttamaala (egg garlands) and many other malabar desserts. It is often served as a starter during functions like marriages, receptions and all.
Ingredients:
(Makes 5)
White Flour/Maida 1 cup
Egg 1 +4
Sugar 1/2 cup
Water 1/4 cup
Cardamom powder 1/2 tsp
Method:
1.Make a dough using maida,egg ,salt and enough water. The dough should be same as we do for rotis.
2.Make 5 equal balls out of this. Roll out them into rotis one at a time. Brush ghee over it and fold it just the same way as we do for Madakku Chappathi .ie; into a square box.
3.Roll them again in such a way that four corners are stretched a bit.
4.Then again fold those stretched ends to the centrepoint.
5.Stick them there and turn them upside down.
6.Now roll them again into thick squares.
Second Folding
7.Deepfry these squares just like puris until it turns brown.
8.Now beat the remaining 4eggs using a fork with a pinch of cardamom.
9.Heat a tbsp of ghee in a non-stick pan. Dip these pathiris/paranthas; one at a time; in beaten egg so nicely that these are well soaked in egg.
10.Pan fry these pathiris dipped in egg. Turn and fry the other side too. Take this out from the pan onto a plate and pour sugar syrup over it.
11.Let the pathiris soak well in syrup. Serve warm
For Sugar Syrup:
Boil sugar and water together till it reaches one string consistency. Add 1/2 a tsp of cardamom powder to it.
It was so much fun this holiday with lots of guests, family outings & busy schedule. When ma home was already stuffed in with my sis-in-law & her family, uncle arrived here with rest of his family. Hadi , his cute little boy was here for his pancakes & nutella sauce , his fav. recipe made by his aunt; that's ma mom. He love this special sauce and fluffy little pancakes-simple ones; yet delicious breakfast for kids.
Ingredients:
White flour(maida) 2 cups
Milk 1 1/2 cups
Baking soda 1 tsp
Baking powder 2 tsp
Sugar 3 tbsp
Butter 2 tbsp & more
Vanilla essence 1 tsp
Eggs 2
Method:
1.Sift the flour,baking powder and baking soda into a bowl.
2.Make a well in the middle and crack the eggs into the well.
3.Add some of the milk and whisk with the eggs, gradually incorporating some of the flour from around the edge. Continue adding the milk and whisking until all the flour is incorporated and you have a smooth batter.
4.Whisk in the melted butter, essence and sugar- this will help develop the flavour. If you have time, cover and let it rest in the fridge for atleast 30 minutes before use; otherwise it's fine if you don't want to let it rest.
5.Whisk the batter ,then grease a non-stick pancake pan with a smear of butter. Set it over medium heat. Pour a ladleful of batter into the pan, pushing it into a circle.
6.Flip the pancake over and leave for a minute or two. Serve warm with nutella or any other sauce or caramelised bananas or apples.
my nephews (Saher & Mishal) with their cousin Hadi..
Put all the 3 ingredients in a small saucepan over very low heat. Work the mix with a spoon until shiny and smooth. Don't let it boil otherwise it will crumble and split (it should feel just warm to your finger). Reserve in a warm place while you make the pancakes.
When Mom rang me and told that she made carrot jam I was not expecting it to be that awesome.. I simply loved it and so did the kids. The taste of lemon and sweetness of sugar dominated the carrot and so the flavor of carrot was not there. If you won't tell your kids, they won't be able to recognize the hidden vegetable in the preserve!!
Ingredients:
Carrots 500g, peeled
Water
Sugar 400 g/ 2 cups
Lemon zest of 1
Juice of 2 Lemons
Almonds,roughly chopped 10
Method:
Slice the carrots and put them in a saucepan covered with water. Boil until very soft, then run through a food mill to puree. Stir the sugar into the puree in a saucepan. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice, bring to a boil, and cook until glassy and jammy. Remove the pan from the heat and stir through the chopped almonds . Cool. Enjoy on bread with slabs of cold butter.
It didn't take a minute for me to decide , when I saw Rafeeda's mail asking me to do a guest post for her. Being a mother of 3, I don't really get a chance to chat with friends or build online relations. I've a very few blogger friends and she is one among them. an upcoming blogger and a very soft person at heart!! I always missed mails, messages and FB feeds these days that I didn't know she owned a blog until recently. I was surprised to see many posts within such a limited time. Keep going Rafeeda! Her recipes are so easy to follow and simple to try out! Check out her blog here- THE BIG SWEET TOOTH.
When I was confused and asked her before deciding on the post, she mailed me saying it would be nice if it's anything from Malabar side. The only and much awaited post with me was muttamaala and pinjaanthappam . The most famous Malabar delicacy. Garlands made out of egg yolk and an egg-white pudding,served together. The name itself brings curiosity among outsiders. Hats off to Kannur ladies who invented this dish sometime in the history. I always wondered watching the garlands as a kid , but never ever tried to make one on my own. Thanks to my blog baby, that I'm learning and have learnt many a things , which I had never thought I would ever do. But, believe me girls, making muttamaala is not a rocket science, it is as easy as any other dish. There are small tips to take care of, and thats it. I shall try to explain it as simple as possible.
Egg yolk is cooked in sugar syrup into garlands while egg whites are steamed into pudding.
Check for the detailed recipe here Linking this recipe to my own event Mummy Ka Magic & Don't forget to take part for the giveaway!
This delicious dessert is associated with my childhood memories. It was an Eid day ,when my Mom made this for the first time. It was so delicious that the guests were blown away by the flavor. The texture was awesome too. She don't remember the source of the recipe now,whether a magazine or a tv show, but we never forget to bake this once a while for our kids.
Ingredients Note: * Nuts can be either almonds, pistachios, walnuts,hazlenuts or anything, but not roasted or salted. I used a combination of almonds and pistachios -both 1/4 cups each.
Eggs 4 Milk 3 cups Nuts crushed to bread crumbs consistency...1/2 cup* Condensed Milk 1 tin Sugar 5 tbsp or more (according to your taste) Bread crumbs 1/2 cup
Method 1.Boil milk , condensed milk & sugar. Turn off the flame. 2.Beat eggs nicely in a separate bowl with a spring spatula or fork(no need of electric beater). 3.Add eggs in the milk SLOWLY. You should keep on stirring the milk while pouring the egg in it. Otherwise the eggs will get scrambled. 4.Mix Nut crumbs in it. I crumbed almonds and pistachios using my grinder.
5.Now, mix in the breadcrumbs.
6.You can either steam it or bake it . ---When steaming, pour this into a deep dish and steam it just as you do while steaming creme caramel.
---If baking, pour these into ramekins or any baking dish and then keep these in another pan filled half-way with boiling water. Preheat your oven and bake at 150C.
8.Bake or steam for about 20-25 minutes or until your toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Do not overbake,otherwise it may turn hard and won't taste good at all. Make sure that no bubbles are appearing at the edges.
You can serve it as it is or top it with chocolate swiss rolls. Serve chilled. Linking this to my own event Mummy ka Magic
Talking about the traditional foods, North Malabar had established its own place; especially Kannur & Kozhikode districts; Thalassery being their leader. There's a wide variety of pathiris, snacks, curries ,etc. associated with this region. Some of them are vanished from the modern kitchen while some others are modified to adjust to the changed lifestyles. Musuman means Whole(colloquially).This recipe is given as it was in the past. This was my Grandma's recipe and just came to my mom's mind recently & gave it a try . It was delicious & since then, Chicken Musuman found its place in our kitchen. In this recipe, chicken is stuffed with Chana Dal Masala & boiled eggs. Before it was prepared using big chicken which weighs about 1 1/2 kg or more; so that it was easy to stuff. But now-a-days we prefer small chickens & so we can't use much stuffing. I've given the recipe of 800gm chicken and I'm sure that u guys would luv it...
It's spicy as well as a bit sweet cos of the sugar we use ..The sugar is well blended with all the spices that it has a nice spicy -sweet combined flavor.
Ingredients:
Chicken 800-900 gm
Onion 2 medium
Tomato 1
Ginger 1 tbsp
Garlic 2 pods
Green Chilli 3
Red Chilli powder 1 1/2 tsp (spicy one)
Coriander powder 1 tsp
Sugar 1 1/2 tsp
Chana Dal 1/4 cup (for both the gravy & stuffing)
Egg 1 boiled (optional)
For Coconut Paste: Coconut 1 cup (3/4 + 1/4)
Fennel (Saunf) 1 tsp
Onion,sliced- half of a small onion
Clove 1
Cardamom 1
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
For stuffing:
Onion 1/2
Ginger -Garlic paste 1 tsp
Green chilli 1
Red Chilli powder 1/4 tsp
Coriander leaves 1 tbsp
Garam masala 1/4 tsp
Chana Dal
Method:
1.Soak Chana Dal overnight or for a minimum of 6 hrs.
2. Coconut paste:
Now we have to roast coconut for the gravy as we do for our Varutharacha curry. The method is simple and goes like this:
a. Take a pan, add 2 tbsp of coconut oil. When hot, add 1 tbsp of parboiled rice ;let it roast a bit till it changes its color. Add 3/4 of the coconut ;saute well in medium-low flame;
b. add fennel seeds
c. & half onion in between. Keep on stirring to roast the coconut evenly.
d. Saute till it turns to brown. Don't make it too brown ;else a bitter taste may come. Add turmeric powder.Switch off the flame & let it cool. Throw in remaining fresh coconut ,cardamom & clove and make a paste of it.
3.Mix the Onion, Tomato, Green Chilli, Ginger Garlic paste, Red Chilli powder, Coriander powder , enough water and salt with chicken & cook till the chicken is done.
4.Meanwhile prepare Chana Dal Stuffing:
Cook Chana Dal. Take 1/4 cup of the cooked dal & keep aside for the gravy.
Take a pan, pour 1 tbsp of oil. When hot, add onion;saute well till it turns brown ; then add ginger-garlic paste, chilli, red chilli powder & the remaining cooked chana dal. Saute well. Finish it off with garam masala & coriander leaves.
5.When chicken is done, take it off & stuff with this masala & boiled egg. If the chicken is small, you can stuff it with only a few or1 tbsp of the chana dal masala.You can pin the chicken with tootpick so that the stuffing remains safe.(optional)I couldn't do it as my chicken was a bit delicate when done. Keep the chicken aside; no need to put it back to the gravy now.
6.Now add the coconut paste & chana dal (which was kept aside ) in the gravy & let it boil.
7. You can now put chicken in the gravy & let it boil for 3-5minutes. No need to boil it for so long and take care while serving, otherwise the chicken may break & it won't remain Chicken Musuman (musuman means whole);the stuffing may also come out.
8.Temper it with Ghee and onion.(add 1 or 2 tbsp of ghee in a hot pan & put a tbsp of sliced onion & add it to the gravy when brown).
9.Garnish with coriander & curry leaves & serve with Pathiris which complements well with this gravy.
Chicken Chukka is a spicy 'dry-gravy' chicken dish which is very popular all over India. Don't know about the origin or nativity of the dish; but its found equally enjoyed by all Indians. Now, this recipe is my mom's and we love as it is. You can play with your own ingredients to please your tongue and hey,, you are the boss of your kitchen; who's gonna ask? ;)
Ingredients:
Chicken 1 (I used of 800gm)
Red Chilli powder 2 tsp + 1/2 tsp
Vinegar 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Onion 500gm (3 cups)
Tomato 1 3/4 cups
Ginger garlic paste 1 + 1 tsp,
Green chilli 3 or more to taste
Garam masala 1/2 tsp,
Pepper powder 1+1/2 tsp
Curry leaves 1 sprig &
Coriander leaves 1/4 cup Oil 1/4 cup
Method:
Marinate chicken in red chilli powder(2tsp),salt,pepper(1/2tsp) ,ginger garlic paste(1tsp)and 1 tbsp of vinegar for atleast half an hour.
Fry those marinated chicken pieces in oil.
Take out the chicken. Now in the same oil, saute onions . Add ginger garlic paste and saute till onion turns slightly brown
Throw in tomatoes & green chilli .. Saute for a few more minutes till the tomato is cooked.
Now add the spices; ie; red chilli powder (1/2 tsp) and turmeric.Saute for a few seconds so that the raw smell disappears.
Add chicken to it alongwith 1/4 a cup of water. simmer till the water dries up.Check the seasoning and make variations according to ur taste.. You can add 1 or 2 tsp of lemon juice if needed. Throw in curry leaves (i sprig) and coriander leaves to garnish.
Mathia is a spicy purioriginally hails from Punjab ( I think so :) or Gujarat?? Actually this is how my Mom makes it ,but she doesn't know which part of India it belongs to. I tried to google it and ended up in confusion. Some have it as a snack; some others with sabji (vegetable side dish); But we have it for breakfast or dinner just like we do eat puris alonwith any curries,bajis etc. A slightly flavored puri with an appealing shape and so is loved by the kids.
Ingredients:
Maida/White flour 3 cup Yoghurt 1/4 cup Cumin/jeera powder 3/4 tsp Pepper 1/2 tsp Salt
Method:
Make dough with the ingredients mentioned above.
Make equal balls out of it and roll it into circle like puris.
Then fold it into semi circle; Fold again into a triangle shape. Roll again in such a way that the shape remain intact.
Deep fry in oil just like you do for puris. Some don't like to puff it up like puris. In such a case, you can prick the puris with fork once it is flattened and before frying.
Battura-- and malabar?? yes , you read it right... Malabar cuisine is so broadminded that it embraces the best of any other cuisine and blends it in its own food culture. This reminds me of Amir Khan's ad 'Athithi Devo Bhava'. :) Jokes apart, Battura, deep fried bread, originally hails from North India; but we make it in slightly different way which make it look more puffy and 'bread like' inside. Have a look at Pic 2.
This dish was new to us when we saw this during my uncle's reception in the bride's house and was quite fascinated by the story behind its introduction to their house. My aunt's (the then bride) brother was getting married to his first cousin. There was no much excitement on the function as they knew both the families and the guests to attend the function were common. So they thought of conducting the function at one place and would make it grand. They hired catering from Calicut which was about 90 kms away from the place; and that too 25 years back. Those people came a day before and said that they would make battura and they need some 40-50 litres of milk for that. Aunt's mom was saying they ran here and there for collecting milk as then it was not available in markets also. They ran to their neighbors' and relatives' house; milked the cows and somehow arranged the milk at night. But the hard-work paid and this dish was loved by all the guests that since then, there was no single party left without Batturas in their house.
Ingredients:
Maida/ White flour 2 cups
Egg 1
Instant Yeast (pizza yeast)1/2 tsp
Baking powder 1/4 tsp
Salt
Sugar 1 tbsp
Yogurt 2 tbsp
Garam Masala 1/4 tsp
Milk- enough to knead the dough
Oil for frying
Method:
Mix Flour, Salt, Yeast , Sugar, Garam masala and Baking Powder together. Make a well in between and beat the egg in it. Add yogurt to it and mix the flour nicely in it. Knead into a dough using warm milk.
Keep this dough aside in a warm place for an hour or more till it is doubled its size... OR .. Heat your oven at high for 5-10 mts, switch off the oven and then keep your dough in it. It eases the fermentation. If you have a fan attached to your oven, heating may not help. So what you can do is keep the dough in your oven, take some boiling water in a cup and place it in the oven along with the dough and close the oven. The steam coming out of the water helps the dough rise fast.
Heat oil enough for deep frying in a deep pan or kadai.
Knead the dough again and make small balls using the dough. Size depends upon the size of your frying pan or kadai.
Flatten it to a size thicker than puris; atleast twice the size. Make it round or oval. You can cut it using zigzag cutter or knife to give it an appealing shape.
Deep fry these just like puris till batturas puffs up and turn brown.
Serve hot with any stews, butter chicken or chana masala..
Indian cooking is generally considered to be unhealthy. But, how far is it true? Indian dishes, apart from grandma's additional spoon of pure homemade ghee on top of pathiris and parathas , could be a part of any type of healthy cuisine when planned it right, as it includes a wide variety of fresh vegetables, lentils and pulses in their daily meals. I think these days, more people are aware of reducing fat content in their diet and so are they trying to count the calories and make conscious efforts to increase their fiber intakes. Lowering the fat content of traditional recipes can reduce the calorie content in any dish.
This dish is a healthy alternative with minimal spices and oil. The spices can completely turn your dish to delicious while a combination of several will effect its colour and texture. Its true that you can play with the spices to adjust to your taste and to please your tongue; but take care of the true flavor. Never allow the spices to cover up the real flavor of the dish.
Basmati Rice 1 1/2 cups
Fish 4-5 pieces, King fish or any other used normally for biriyanis
Onion 1 large
Tomato 2 medium
Red chilli powder 1 tbsp or more
Garlic 3 cloves
Green chilly 3
Cinnamon stick 1small piece
Cloves 2
Oil enough to fry fish
Curry leaves (3-4 only)
Method:
Boil rice alongwith salt,cloves and cinnamon till it is half done and then drain it. Keep aside.
Marinate fish with red chilli powder , salt and pepper powder
Take a deep bottomed vessel and shallow fry fish in that. Take out fish onto a plate.
Add sliced onion into the same oil. You can add more oil if needed. Saute in garlic once the onion start browning , for a minute.
Add tomatoes to it. When tomatoes are completely done, add fish and curry leaves (if using) into it. Let it simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Now, add the rice to this masala and mix it nicely. Keep in dum for 10-15 minutes or till the rice is done.
A Salute to the ladies in our family !! Happy Woman's Day !!
My Grandmom (Ummama ) & my mom are the two auspicious ladies in our family and in my life who have been inspiring me all my life. The former is an excellent cook . Her pickles and curries are just the best. The first curry I've ever made is under her supervision;ie; Mathi (sardines) curry. That was so yummy &tasty that even kids who hate sardines couldn't resist them from eating. Lime pickle ,dates pickle & her Meat Aanam( coconut gravy) are some of her special delicacies. I admire her courage to run the whole family single handedly. Grandpa left all us at an early age. Only a slight memory of him remains in our minds; like coming home with a packet of goodies mostly peanut cakes (kadala mittayi) and we kids racing to the nearby bus-stop to grab them from him.
Now, coming to ma mom. All knows that ma blog is named after her- Khadeeja ; Kachuss is her petname. I celebrate her as a woman; a mother who could bring up their kids to what they are now; a house manager who could bind the whole family together till now and a wonderful grandma to the new generation of our family. This post is dedicated to these two wonderful ladies.
As I said, this is an easy and yummy recipe of my Grandma ,Aysha. She knew it well that I love dates a lot and so never forgets to send me a bottle more often. It has been more than 2 years that I've not met her.:( I guess I could do some justice to the recipe other than the fact that I chopped my onions a bit thick ( Noora found out in her first bite)..
Ingredients:
Dates 250 gm (with seeds) & 2 cups when deseeded & chopped
Red Chilli Powder 1 tbsp Green Chilli 4
Garlic 1 tbsp
Ginger chopped 1 tbsp
Vinegar 1 1/2cup*
Onion 1 medium
Fenugreek powder 1/2 tsp
Coconut oil 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Curry leaves few
Method:
1. Deseed the dates and chop them.
2. Cut the onions in half and then cut again into 3 pieces lengthwise and then chop into thin slices.
3. Mix dates, red chilli powder, salt, onion,ginger and fenugreek powder together.
4. Pour vinegar to it.
5. Splutter mustard seeds in oil and then add curry leaves. Switch off the flame, let it cool and then add it to the pickle. Cooling it is important here; otherwise it won't stay long.
To be taken care of:
Clean the bottle carefully in which you are about to store the pickle/achar. First boil them in water for a while, dry it and clean it with a tissue. Again show it on top of a burning fire for a while holding the bottle safely with a cloth. Clean it with a dry cloth or tissue again. Let it cool.
The onions and other ingredients used should be dry and without any moisture content.
You can add beetroot to this recipe too. Boil it, drain and make sure that it is left with no moisture and then add it. You can add it without boiling too if you need a crispy beet.
Use the dates which is locally available in India; slightly hard ones. The good quality dates will melt easily in pickles and won't taste so good.
*I've used white vinegar here. If you are using more intensive flavored ones, then u can add water to mild the flavor. Boil and cool the water nicely before adding to this.
Madakkupathal is a malabar layered parantha/pathiri soaked in sugar syrup. This is an easy one compared to muttamaala (egg garlands) and many other malabar desserts. It is often served as a starter during functions like marriages, receptions and all.
Ingredients:
(Makes 5)
White Flour/Maida 1 cup
Egg 1 +4
Sugar 1/2 cup
Water 1/4 cup
Cardamom powder 1/2 tsp
Method:
1.Make a dough using maida,egg ,salt and enough water. The dough should be same as we do for rotis.
2.Make 5 equal balls out of this. Roll out them into rotis one at a time. Brush ghee over it and fold it just the same way as we do for Madakku Chappathi .ie; into a square box.
3.Roll them again in such a way that four corners are stretched a bit.
4.Then again fold those stretched ends to the centrepoint.
5.Stick them there and turn them upside down.
6.Now roll them again into thick squares.
Second Folding
7.Deepfry these squares just like puris until it turns brown.
8.Now beat the remaining 4eggs using a fork with a pinch of cardamom.
9.Heat a tbsp of ghee in a non-stick pan. Dip these pathiris/paranthas; one at a time; in beaten egg so nicely that these are well soaked in egg.
10.Pan fry these pathiris dipped in egg. Turn and fry the other side too. Take this out from the pan onto a plate and pour sugar syrup over it.
11.Let the pathiris soak well in syrup. Serve warm
For Sugar Syrup:
Boil sugar and water together till it reaches one string consistency. Add 1/2 a tsp of cardamom powder to it.
It was so much fun this holiday with lots of guests, family outings & busy schedule. When ma home was already stuffed in with my sis-in-law & her family, uncle arrived here with rest of his family. Hadi , his cute little boy was here for his pancakes & nutella sauce , his fav. recipe made by his aunt; that's ma mom. He love this special sauce and fluffy little pancakes-simple ones; yet delicious breakfast for kids.
Ingredients:
White flour(maida) 2 cups
Milk 1 1/2 cups
Baking soda 1 tsp
Baking powder 2 tsp
Sugar 3 tbsp
Butter 2 tbsp & more
Vanilla essence 1 tsp
Eggs 2
Method:
1.Sift the flour,baking powder and baking soda into a bowl.
2.Make a well in the middle and crack the eggs into the well.
3.Add some of the milk and whisk with the eggs, gradually incorporating some of the flour from around the edge. Continue adding the milk and whisking until all the flour is incorporated and you have a smooth batter.
4.Whisk in the melted butter, essence and sugar- this will help develop the flavour. If you have time, cover and let it rest in the fridge for atleast 30 minutes before use; otherwise it's fine if you don't want to let it rest.
5.Whisk the batter ,then grease a non-stick pancake pan with a smear of butter. Set it over medium heat. Pour a ladleful of batter into the pan, pushing it into a circle.
6.Flip the pancake over and leave for a minute or two. Serve warm with nutella or any other sauce or caramelised bananas or apples.
my nephews (Saher & Mishal) with their cousin Hadi..
Put all the 3 ingredients in a small saucepan over very low heat. Work the mix with a spoon until shiny and smooth. Don't let it boil otherwise it will crumble and split (it should feel just warm to your finger). Reserve in a warm place while you make the pancakes.
