Brownie

This is a nice typical  Brownie recipe which is dense yet moist with a cracked crust.

The quality of chocolate used determines and taste of this.

Semi sweet chocolate or chips - 1 cup

butter - 1/2 cup or 1 stick

sugar - 1 cup

cocoa powder unsweetened - 2 tbsp

vanilla extract - 1 tsp

Eggs - 3

All purpose flour - 3/4 cup

salt - a pinch

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Butter an 8 or 9 inch square or rectangle pan.

First we need to melt chocolate and butter together.

Take a bowl and melt in over a pot with simmering water(double boiling)

Then, add sugar and cocoa powder to it and mix well.

Just use a wire whisk to mix everything. 

Now add vanilla extract.

Add eggs one at a time and mix well.

Add a pinch of salt and fold in the flour.

[optionally you can add nuts or more chocolate chips at this time]

Pour into the pan and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes.

For the brownie, when we check for doneness it should come out with a few crumbs, not a clean one as in a cake.

Let it cool and cut into pieces and enjoy..

Meat Ball Curry

This is a nice side dish for Chapathi, Appam etc. Kids might also like it.

For the meat balls:

Any ground meat - 1 lb
onion - 1 small
ginger - 1/4 inch piece
garlic - 1 cloves
garam masala - 1/2 tsp
salt to taste

For the sauce:

onion - 1 large
tomato -2
ginger - 1/2 inch piece
garlic - 2 cloves
fenugreek seeds/saunf - 1/2 tsp
turmeric powder -1/2 tsp
chilli powder - 1 tsp
coriander - 2 tsp
garam masala - 1 tsp
salt to taste

First make the meat balls.
For that take the ingredients listed for the meat balls in a bowl, mix them together with gentle hands.
Make small balls out of it.
Heat a pan with 2 or 3 tsp of oil in medium low flame.
Slowly drop in all the meat balls.
Let it cook through, turn the meats balls in between.
Take them out and keep when they are done.[It should be ready in in 5 to 8 minutes]

Then in the same pan add a tsp of oil,add some fenugreek seeds.

Saute ginger, garlic, onion well.

Add turmeric, chilli,coriander, garam masala powders and salt.

Saute well and add tomatoes. 

Let that also become nice and mushy.

[At this point you can grind them together if you want a smoother consistency for the gravy]

Add enough water as your wish , not to make the gravy too watery.

Let it heat up.

Add the meat balls and let it simmer for 10 minutes.

Done.

Blueberry Cake

This is a kind of pound cake with blueberries in it. Can be called blueberry bread too.

Ingredients:

Blueberry - 1 cup

All purpose flour - 1 &1/2 cup

Eggs - 2

Butter - 1 stick (1/2 cup)

Sugar - 1/2 cup

Baking powder - 1tsp

Milk - 1/2 cup

Vanilla extract - 1 tsp

salt a pinch

Preheat oven to 350F.

Butter a loaf pan or a 8 or 9 inch baking pan.

Beat butter and sugar until fluffy.

Add eggs and beat nicely.

Mix in vanilla extract.

Mix together flour,baking powder and salt in a seperate bowl.

Blend this flour mix and milk  into the other batter in two or three additions.

Slowly fold in the blueberries.(smaller blueberries will be good ;as it wont sink much to the bottom of the cake)

Pour into pan and bake for about 50 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean.

Done.

You can enjoy as it is or with a scoop of ice cream.

Pepper Chicken Masala

Chicken - 2 lbs
onion - 3
tomato - 1
ginger and garlic paste(or crushed) - 2 tbsp
garam masala - 1 tsp
pepper powder - 2 to 3 tsp
soya sauce - 2 tsp
coriander leaves - about quarter cup chopped.
oil
mustard
salt

Heat oil in a pan. Splutter mustard.
Add crushed ginger and garlic and saute.
Now add chopped onion , saute very well, then add tomatoes, saute that also well.
Add garam masala , saute for a couple of minutes.
Now add chicken and saute in high flame for 2 minutes.
Add pepper powder and soya sauce and salt , mix well.
Pour half a cup of water ,mix and let it cook in medium low flame for about 15 minutes.
Uncover the pan and  add chopped coriander leaves and let it cook for a couple of minutes until its nice and thick, mixing in between a few times.
Done.

Crispy Fried Okra (Ladies Finger)

Ladies Finger or Okra is a vegetable rich in vitamins and minerals which has a lot of health benefits.
But many wont like to eat it because of its slimy texture. This deep fried recipe will definitely make you like it.

Okra - 1/2 lb or 250 gms
turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
chilli powder - 1 tsp
garam masala - a pinch
curd - 1 tbsp ( if you have amchur powder add a tsp of that instead)
salt to taste

gram flour or besan flour - 1/4 cup
rice flour - 1/4 cup

oil for frying.

Slice okras lengthwise. (after washing dry them well)
To that add turmeric,chilli,garam masala powders, salt and curd.
Mix well by hand and leave it for 10 minutes.
Now add the gram flour and rice flour and mix it well.
Shake of excess flour and deep fry them.
Done.

Nadan Konju/Chemmen curry [Kerala Style Prawns curry]

Prawns - 1lb or 1/2 kg
small onion or shallots- a handful
tomato - 1
ginger and garlic - 1 tbsp crushed
kudam puli(kerala fish tamarind) - 2 pieces

fenugreek powder - 1/2 tsp
turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
kashmiri chilli powder - 2 to 3 tsp
coriander powder - 1 to 2 tsp

curry leaves -  1 sprig
oil -  1 tbsp
mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Clean prawns and keep.
Heat oil. Splutter mustard. Add curry leaves.
Add small onions, followed by crushed ginger and garlic and saute for a minute.
Now add all powders and saute well until you get a roasted masala smell.
Add chopped tomatoes and saute for a minute.
Add the soaked kudam puli and 1 and a half cups of water and boil nicely.
Add the prawns and cook for 3 to 5 minutes.
To keep the prawns soft itself try not to overcook them.
Done.

Pan Cake

Another basic  from scratch recipe. Pan cakes are one of the kids favourite breakfast. As the name says its all the same ingredients as you make a cake , but different measures made in a pan.

All purpose flour - 1 cup
sugar - 2 tbsp
baking powder - 2 tsp
a small pinch of salt.

egg -1
butter - 2 tbsp
milk - 1 cup
vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp


Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt (all dry ingredients) in a bowl.
In another cup or bowl mix milk,egg and melted butter and vanilla essence(all wet ingredients).
Pour the wet into the dry ingredients and mix.
Do not over mix them, only until every thing is just mixed in, small lumpy mix is good.
Heat a pan in medium heat. Pour a ladle of batter. Flip when you see lot of bubbles. A few more seconds on the other side and done.
Serve with maple syrup, breakfast syrup or honey,fruits  and/or whipped cream as you wish.

This is the basic pancake. You can add blue berries or chocolate chips to the batter.

note: some flours absorb more water. If you feel its too thick and is hard to pour add a little more milk. But not more than 1/4 more cup for this quantity.

Variations :

Butter milk pancake :
Above one is a typical pancake, if you like to have a fluffier one, go for the butter milk pancakes, In that we will use butter milk and baking soda, instead of milk and baking powder. [ For the above quantity replace by 1 cup of butter milk and 1 tsp baking soda]

Healthier:
You can make it more healthy by adding half all purpose flour and half whole wheat flour.

Add chocolate chips or bananas or blueberries to the batter to make the respective pancakes.

Mac and Cheese

Mac and cheese is very easy to make from scratch. You don't need the box any more. Almost all kids love it. Below is the recipe for it.

Macaroni pasta(elbow pasta) - 1/2 lb ( you can actually use any small pasta)
butter - 2 tbsp.
all purpose flour - 2 tbsp
milk - 2 cups
cheddar cheese -  1 to 1 1/2 cups grated
salt and pepper

Boil water in a large pan with a little salt. Add the dry pasta and boil for about 10 minutes or until cooked. Drain and keep.

In a heavy bottom pan add 2 tbsp. of butter. Keep the flame low. When its melted add the flour and keep stirring until it slightly changes colour.

Keep stirring and slowly add milk and mix until nice and smooth. A whisk will do a better job.

Now bring the flame to medium and let it boil, stirring occasionally. After it boils, add grated cheese, salt and pepper,(cheese has salt so add very less). Once its nicely blended add the cooked pasta.
Mix it in and let it heat through for 2 minutes. Done.

You can add cooked chopped vegetables or chicken into it if desired.




 

Turkey Burgers

Ground Turkey - 1 lb
onion - 1 chopped
garlic and ginger - 1 tbsp finely chopped or paste
cheese - 1/2 cup grated (any of your choice, I used cheddar here)
bread crumbs- 1/2 cup
egg -1
garam masala -1/2 tsp
pepper powder -1/4tsp
salt to taste

Mix all the ingredients well.
Divide and shape them into patties. This quantity makes about 6.
Leave it to set for 1/2 an hour in the refrigerator.
Heat a pan. Drizzle a couple of teaspoons of oil.
Place the patties and cook for 5 to 7 minutes in medium low heat.
Flip and cook for another 5 minutes.
Serve it with your favourite bun and toppings.
Enjoy.

 

Cheese Mushroom

button mushrooms - 10 to 12
cheese of your choice - 1 cup grated ( I used mozzarella and parmesan mixed)
chilli powder -1/4 tsp
pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
garam masala -1/4 tsp
salt to taste

Clean the mushroom. Remove the stems and keep the mushroom upside down.
Mix the cheese with the spices.
If you wish, you can chop up the removed stems; saute it in a little oil along with a chopped garlic and add along with the cheese.
Fill in the mushroom cup with the cheese mix.
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Line them in a greased  baking tray.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Done



 

Chicken Thengapalil Vattichathu / Chicken reduced in coconut milk

Its a chicken semi gravy made with coconut milk. I made it in the earth earthen pot to make it taste more good. It will be nice if you make it  in a batch which will finish in one time. Re heating and serving may be avoided as it has coconut milk reduced and will alter the taste.


chicken - 1/2 kg
onion - 1 or small onion - 10 to 15
ginger - 1 inch
garlic - 4 or 5

coconut milk - 1st milk - 1/2 cup, 2nd milk - 2 cups

turmeric powder -1/2 tsp
chilli powder - 1 tsp
coriander powder - 2 tsp
garam masala - 1/2 tsp
cumin powder -1/2 t
oil
mustard
curry leaves
coriander leaves

Heat oil in a pan. Splutter mustard. Add curry leaves.
Add chopped onion, finely chopped ginger and garlic and saute well.
Now add turmeric, chilli, coriander, garam masala and cumin powders and saute for a few minutes.
Add chicken and mix nicely for 3 to 4 minutes.
Pour the 2nd coconut milk and cook the chicken in medium low flame.
When the chicken is cooked and very less gravy is remaining add the 1st coconut milk.Mix well and heat in low flame for 2 minutes. Switch it off and garnish with coriander leaves. Leave it closed for a couple more minutes before you serve. Done.

Muringa Ila curry, Drumstick leaves curry

As many know drumsticks and its leaves has a lot of nutrients in it. It is especially
good for the nutritional  requirements of kids and nursing mothers. It contains proteins, vitamins and minerals.
It has lot of medicinal qualities. It helps to reduce swelling and pain of arthritis and rheumatism and boost immune system.
Below is a mild coconut based curry recipe from Kerala which goes well with rice.



Muringa Ila/drumstick leaves - 1 cup
coconut -1/2 cup
green chilli - 1or 2
cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
garlic - 1 or 2

oil
mustard
dry red chilli - 2

Wash and clean the leaves nicely.We don't need the stem, only leaves.
Grind together coconut,cumin,green chilli and garlic.
Heat a tbsp of oil, splutter mustard, add dry red chilli.
Add drumstick leaves and saute for a couple of minutes.
Add ground paste, salt and some water.
Boil for a few minutes and switch it off.
Done.

Rasgulla

When I was small I remember eating rasgulla's from a can.
I think that's how south Indians first had a taste of this sweet from Bengal or Odisha.
There are different variations in making them. This is relatively an easy way to make it.




Ingredients

milk - 1 ltr
lime juice - 1 to 2 tbp
sugar- 2 cups
water - 4 cups

Boil milk.
Add lime juice little by little and keep mixing it gently.
The milk will curdle and greenish water can be seen separating.
Stop adding lime juice at this point.
Strain it into a kitchen towel or cheese cloth with a sieve below it.
Wash it under cool running water.
Now squeeze it together and tie it and hang it for an hour.




After that take it and knead it.
Make small balls out of it. You should not see any cracks on the balls.

Boil water with sugar and add the balls into it. They will expand, so keep a wide pan.
Let it cook for 10 to 15 minutes until it becomes fluffy.
Or you can keep in pressure pan and cook it for a whistle.




Cool then and keep it in refrigerator for a couple of hours and enjoy.

For the Picky Eaters Out there.

Moms will have a tough time feeding the picky eaters.. Kids love variety , colours, shapes etc.. So at my home these are some tricks to put in the vegetables without any fight. Dont panic seeing the colours.. Its all from the vegetables..
You can puree the vegetables and add them to dosas,chapathis and rice. A few of them I will add below. You can try out any combination coming into your imagination.


Green Dosa

Dosa batter &
Green leaves of any kind.

Clean and rough chop the greens. Saute in a pan for a couple of minutes with a pinch of salt and turmeric. You dont have to add any oil.
Grind it well and mix into the dosa batter. Make dosas and serve!!!

Beetroot Chapathi

Atta
Beetroot

Clean and cut beetroot into cubes. Cook it by adding water and a pinch of salt and turmeric.
Grind them and add it to atta. Knead chapathi dough as usual; adding more water if required.
Roll out and make chapathis as usual. Enjoy with your favourite curry.

Beetroot rice

Rice - 1 cup
Beetroot - 1 medium size
curry powder - 1 tsp
garam masala - 1/2 tsp
curry leaves
coriander leaves
mustard
salt
oil


Clean and cut the beetroot into cubes and cook them with a little water.
In a pressure cooker, add a little oil, splutter mustard and curry leaves.
Add the beetroot puree, curry powder and garam masala and saute for a couple of minutes.
Add washed and soaked rice. Add about 2 1/2 to 3 cups of water and salt.
Pressure cook till rice is done. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Ready!!!

Fish Molee

Fish Molee is another favourite dish from Kerala made in a coconut milk sauce.



It is the same as stew preparation, except that fish is the main ingredient.
Chicken stew recipe is already in the blog.
Just substitute chicken with fish and reduce the cooking time as fish cooks faster.

Delicious fish molee will be ready.

Red rice

Red rice is high in fiber. As the bran is in tact it has a more nutty flavour.
It would be good if you can include this in your diet at times.


The cooked one looks like this.


You can use it like any other rice.
It has a chewy texture. It goes good in salads also.

Netholli Thoran

Small fishes are good for making thoran which is an easy dry preparation with fish and coconut.



Ingredients :
Netholli - 1/2 kg
small onion - a handful
ginger - 1 inch piece
garlic - 6 or 7
kudampuli - 2 or 3 pieces soaked in water
coconut - 1/2 to 1 cup
turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
green chilli - 2 or 3 (add more or less according to spice level)
salt to taste
coconut oil - 2 tsp
curry leaves - 1 sprig.

Method:

Clean the fish and keep them in a pan which you are going to cook it.
Add chopped ginger, garlic, small onions, green chilli, turmeric powder,kudampuli, salt and curry leaves and mix it well preferably with hand.
Add half a cup of water and cook it in medium low flame for about 10 minutes.
Finish by adding 2 tsp of coconut oil over it.
Done.

[ You can add more coconut if you wish, I use a little less indeed.]

Karaikudi Style Crab masala

If you like crabs, I would say this is a must try recipe.. Its really yummy....

Crab - 1 kg
onion - 1 chopped fine
tomato - 1 chopped fine
ginger and garlic - finely chopped - 1 tsp each

whole garam masala - 2 pieces of each
turmeric powder - 1 tsp
chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
coriander powder - 2 tsp
curry leaves - a sprig
tamarind - pulp from a small gooseberry size
oil
salt to taste


To grind:
coconut - 1/2 cup
cumin - 1 tsp
fennel seeds - 1 tsp
pepper corns - 2 tsp
kas kas - 1 tsp

Clean and cut the crabs.
Heat oil, add whole garam masala, curry leaves, ginger, garlic and onion.
Saute well. Add tomato and saute nicely.
Add turmeric,chilli and coriander powder and saute very well.
Now add the crab pieces and saute for a couple of minutes.
Add 1 cup of water and let it cook for 5 to 8 minutes.
Add tamarind pulp and cook for a couple of minutes.
Now add the ground coconut paste and simmer for 10 minutes.
Done.enjoy!!!

Chicken Stew

Chicken - 1/2 kg
potato - 2 nos medium size

coconut milk - 1st and 2nd milk extracted from 1/2 of a coconut grated

green chilli - 3 or 4
ginger - a small piece
garlic- 3 or 4[according to your spice level]
onion - 1
whole garam masala - 2 or 3 pieces of each
curry leaves - a sprig
oil
salt to taste

Heat a couple of tablespoon of oil in a pan.
Add whole garam masala followed by curry leaves.
Add sliced ginger,garlic, green chilli and onion and saute nicely.
Now add the cubed potato pieces and saute for a minute.
Now add the chicken pieces and saute for a couple of minutes.
Add the 2nd coconut milk and salt. Add more water if required.
Let it cook for 15 minutes or pressure cook for 2 whistles.
Now open the pan add 1st coconut milk and simmer for 2 minutes.
Done. Serve hot with palappam,vallappam or idiappam.

Chicken Kurma

 Chicken kurma is a coconut based gravy dish which will go well with ghee rice,appam,idiyappam etc.

Chicken - 1 lb or 1/2 kg
whole garam masala - 2 or 3 pieces of each
onion - 2 chopped
ginger and garlic - 1 tbsp (crushed or paste)
green chilly - 2 or 3 (add according to your spice level)
curry leaves - 2 sprigs
coconut grated - 1 cup
cashew nuts - about 15
coriander powder - 1 tsp
pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
curd - 1/4 cup
oil - 2 tbsp
mustard seeds
salt to taste

Grind coconut and cashew nuts into a fine paste.
Heat oil, add the whole garam masala followed by mustard seeds.
When it splutters, add curry leaves, onion, green chillies,  ginger and garlic. Saute until slightly browned.
Add cut up chicken and saute for a couple of minutes.
Add coconut paste, followed by coriander powder, pepper powder and curd. Mix well.
Now add salt to taste. Add a cup or so of  water also.
Cook for about 20 minutes until chicken is cooked and gravy thickens.
Done.