Month: October 2012

Chemmeen-beans ularthiyathu/prawns stir fried with beans

| Rekha Vengalil

Chemmeen-beans ularthiyathu

You need –

  • Prawns – 500 grams. 
  • Beans – 250 grams (Slit length-wise and chopped 1 inch in length)
  • Shallots – 10 nos
  • Garlic – 3 big cloves
  • Crushed dry chillies – 1 ½ tablespoon
  • Curry leaves – 1 stalk
  • Salt – as per taste
  • Coconut oil – 2 tablespoon

How to –

  • In a pestle and mortar, crush the garlic and shallots. Cook the prawns in boiling water with ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder.
  • Heat oil in a pan, add the crushed garlic, shallots, chilies and curry leaves  Fry till the raw smell is gone and the onions turn golden brown.
  • Add the prawns, beans and cook till the beans in done. Make sure the beans is crunchy and not over cooked.
  • Serve hot with rice and curry. I had it with curd rice..:-)
Chemmeen-beans ularthiyathu

Mutton curry – kerala style

| Rekha Vengalil

Mutton curry – kerala style

You need –
  • Mutton – 500 grams, cut into pieces
  • Onion – 3 medium, thinly sliced
  • Tomato – 1 big
  • Ginger – 1 small piece
  • Garlic – 3 big cloves
  • Shallots – 4
  • Green chillies – 2
  • Coriander – chopped 2 tablespoons
  • Chili powder – 2 teaspoons
  • Coriander powder – 4 teaspoons
  • Fennel powder – ½ teaspoon
  • Turmeric powder – ¼ teaspoon
  • Meat masala – 1 teaspoon
  • Thin coconut milk – ½ cup
  • Thick coconut milk – ½ cup
  • Salt – as per taste
  • Curry leave – 2 stalks
  • Coconut oil – 2 tablespoons or as required.

How to –
  • In a pestle and mortar, crush the ginger, garlic and shallots.
  • Heat oil in a pan, add the onions and fry till golden brown. Add the chilies  coriander, crushed ginger, garlic and shallots. Continue to fry till the raw smell is gone.
  • Add the all the powders, salt and fry till the oil start to separate.
  • Add the tomatoes and cook will soft.
  • Add the mutton; mix well.
  • Add the thin coconut milk and pressure cook till the mutton is done on a medium-low heat.
  • Uncover, add the thick coconut milk and curry leaves, Bring to boil. If the gravy is too thin; continue to cook till thick before adding the thick coconut milk.
  • Turn off the heat and serve hot with rice, appam  or roti
Mutton curry – kerala style


Paneer Pulao

| Rekha Vengalil

Paneer Pulao

You will need –
  • Basmati rice – 1 cup
  • Water – 2 cups
  • Frozen Peas – ½ cup
  • Paneer – 2 cups, deforested and fried in oil till golden brown.
  • Onion – 1 medium thinly sliced
  • Garlic paste – 1 teaspoon
  • Ginger paste – 1 teaspoon
  • Green Chili – 1 slit length wise
  • Fennel seeds – ½ teaspoon
  • Cardamom – 2
  • Cinnamon – 1 small stick
  • Clove – 1
  • Bay leaf – 1
  • Ghee/ clarified butter – 2 tablespoon or as required
  • Coriander leaves – for garnishing
Paneer Pulao
How to –
  • Wash the rice and soak for 15-20 minutes. Defrost the peas.
  • Heat the skillet and add the Ghee. Once the ghee is heated, tip in the spices (Fennel seeds, cardamom, cinnamon, clove and bay leaf) and fry till the raw spell is gone.
  • Add the onions, chili and ginger-garlic paste. Fry till the onion turns pink and the raw smell of ginger-garlic is gone. Please make sure not to burn them as this will change the color of the rice when you cook.
  • Once done add the rice in and fry till the rice doesn’t stick to each other ensuring the rice not turning brown.
  • Turn of the heat and move the rice to the rice cooker. Add 2 cups of water, paneer, peas and salt to taste. Cook till done. If you have fried the rice in the pressure cooker then continue in it adding water and cooking.
  • Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot.

Fish Mappas

| Rekha Vengalil
Fish Mappas
You need –
  • Fish – 500 grams
  • Coconut oil – 2 tablespoons
  • Onion – 1 big, thinly sliced.
  • Green chillies – 5, slit length wise
  • Curry leaves – 2 stalks
  • Shallots – 8-10 no’s
  • Ginger – minced 1 tablespoon
  • Garlic – 4 cloves, minced
  • Tomato – 1, cut into small cubes
  • Meat masala – 2 tablespoon
  • Vinegar – 1 teaspoon
  • Thick coconut milk – ½ cup
  • Thin coconut milk – ½ cup
  • Salt – as per taste
For tempering –
  • Unsalted Butter- 1 teaspoon
  • Shallot – 2 no’s
  • Curry leaves – 5-6 no’s

How to –
  • Clean and wash the fish.
  • Heat the oil in a skillet, add the Onions, green chillies and curry leaves and fry till onions turn golden brown.
  • Add in the shallots, ginger, garlic and continue to fry till the raw smell is gone.
  • Add the tomato, cook till soft. Reduce the heat; add meat masala and vinegar.
  • Add the fish and mix well. Add the thin coconut milk; cover and cook till fish is done and the gravy is thick.
  • Add the thick coconut milk; mix and turn off the heat.
  • In a small frying pan, heat the butter and fry the shallots, curry leaves. Add into the fish and mix well.
  • Serve hot with rice or roti.
Fish Mappas

Spiced walnut and chocolate cookies cake with rosewater-sugar syrup

| Rekha Vengalil

Spiced walnut and chocolate cookies cake
with rosewater-sugar syrup
How to –
  • Eggs – 6, separated
  • Caster sugar – ¾  cups
  • Ground cinnamon – 1 teaspoon
  • Ground cardamom – ½ teaspoon
  • Grated lemon rind – 1 teaspoon
  • Ground walnuts – 1 ½  cups
  • Ground chocolate cookies – ¾ cups
  • Salt – a pinch

For the syrup
  • Sugar – ½ cup
  • Water – ½ cup
  • Rosewater – 1 teaspoon

How to –
  • Pre-heat the oven to 180 c
  • Whisk together the egg yolk and sugar. Stir in the ground cinnamon, cardamom and lemon rind.
  • Add the ground walnut and cookies and mix well.
  • In bowl beat the egg whites and salt until spoke peaks. Gentle fold in the whites to the walnut-cookie mix making sure not to deflate the egg whites 
  • Into a greased cake tin, smooth the top  and bake for 45 minutes or till the toothpick is inserted into the middle of cake comes out clean.
  • In a medium saucepan combine sugar, water and rosewater. Bring to a boil, stirring, until sugar has dissolved. Allow to cool.
  • Pierce the cake with skewer; pour over the syrup and leave it to cool.

Tom Kha kai (Thai coconut chicken soup)

| Rekha Vengalil
                                                              Tom Kha kai
You need –
  • Chicken stock – 2 cups
  • Thick coconut milk – 1 cup
  • Boneless chicken meat – 125 grams
  • Lemon grass stalk – 1, bruised
  • Galangal  – 12 thin slices (if you cannot find this use fresh ginger)
  • Lime leaves – 2
  • Garlic cloves- 1 big, crushed
  • Shiitake Mushrooms (or button mushrooms)– 125 grams , thinly sliced
  • Fish sauce – 1 tablespoon
  • Freshly squeezed lime juice- 1 ½ tablespoons
  • Spring onions – 1, thinly sliced
  • Coriander leaves – 2 tablespoon minced
  • Chilies – 3 sliced.
  • Salt and pepper – as per taste
Tom Kha kai
How to –
  • In a pan, bring the chicken stock, half the coconut milk and chicken slowly to boil.
  • Add the lemongrass, galangal/ginger, chilies, lime leaves, garlic, salt and pepper, Stir well and bring to boil again.
  • Reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes or till the chicken is cooked, stirring occasionally.
  • Add in the mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes. Add in the other half of the coconut milk.
  • Turn off the heat when the soup is about to boil. Add the fish sauce and lime juice. Mix well.
  • Into the serving bowls; season with spring onion and coriander leaves. Serve hot.

                                                                               Tom Kha kai

Pepper chicken – its spicy!!

| Rekha Vengalil

Pepper chicken

You need – 
  • Chicken – 500 grams, small-medium size pieces
  • Whole black pepper – 1 tablespoon
  • Green chili – 3 or add less if you can’t take the heat
  • Ginger- 1 small piece
  • garlic – 3 large cloves
  • Coriander leaves chopped – 1 tablespoon
  • Lemon juice – 2 teaspoon
  • Onion – 2 big, sliced finely
  • Coriander powder – 2 teaspoon
  • Turmeric powder – ¼ teaspoon
  • Garam masala – ½ teaspoon
  • Fennel powder – ½ teaspoon
  • Tomato – 1 small, sliced
  • Curry leaves – as required
  • Coconut oil – as required. (you can use vegetable oil too)
  • Salt – as per taste

How to –
  • Crush together whole black pepper, green chili  ginger, garlic, coriander leaves and lime juice . Add a little water if required; around 2 teaspoon
  • Heat oil in pan and fry the onions till golden brown. Add the crushed pepper mixture and cook till the raw smell is gone.
  • Add all the powders and continue to fry till the oil starts to separate. Add the tomato, curry leave and salt; cook till mushy.
  • Add the chicken; mix well. Cover and cook till done.  Uncover, on a low flame continue to cook for about 5 minutes or till gravy is thick. As this is semi dry gravy, you want to make sure all the water is evaporated.
  • Turn off the heat. Garnish with curry leaves and serve hot with rice or roti.
  
Pepper chicken

Blueberry layered dessert

| Rekha Vengalil
Blueberry layered dessert
You need-
  • Bread – 4-5 slices, cut into small cubes
  • Butter – 2 tablespoon
  • Confectionery/icing sugar – 2 tablespoons
  • Fresh blueberries – 1 cup
  • Blueberry Jam – 1/2 cup
  • Whipping cream – 1 cup
  • Vanilla essence – 1 teaspoon
How to –
  • Melt the butter in a pan and fry the bread cubes, stirring continuously until they turn brown but careful not to burn them.
  • Move the bread cubes to a bowl; sprinkle the bread with the icing sugar and into the fridge until quite cold.
  • Rinse and dry the barriers. Combine the jam and the barriers and set aside.
  • Whisk the cream and vanilla essence till stiff peaks.
  • Layer starting with toasted bread cubes, Blueberries-jam mixture and whipping cream in serving glass or bowl;  finishing off with the cream layer and serve immediately.
Blueberry layered dessert

Dum Aloo

| Rekha Vengalil

Dum Aloo
You need –
  • Baby potatoes – 8
  • Onion – 1, paste
  • Tomato – 1, pureed
  • Garlic paste – 2 teaspoon
  • Ginger paste – 2 teaspoon
  • Cumin seeds – ¼ teaspoon
  • Asafoetida – a pinch
  • Turmeric – ¼ teaspoon
  • Garam masala – 1 teaspoon
  • Chilli powder – 1 tablespoon
  • Greek yogurt – ½ cup  
  • Almond paste – 2 teaspoon
  • Oil/ ghee – 1 tablespoon plus 2 tablespoons for frying the potatoes
  • Salt – to taste
  • chopped coriander leaves – 2 tablespoons

Dum Aloo
How to –
  • Scrape the potatoes, prick all over with a fork and soak in the water with little salt for 2 hours.
  • Dry the potatoes on a cloth and heat the ghee or oil.
  • Fry the potatoes until golden brown. Drain and set aside.
  • In pan heat oil or ghee, crackle the cumin seeds and tip in the asafoetida.
  • Add the onion, ginger and garlic paste and fry till the raw smell is gone.
  • Add the turmeric powder, chili powder and saute for a minute or till oil start to separate.
  • Add the tomato puree,  and around ½ cup water; cover and cook till the gravy is thick.
  • Beat the yogurt till smooth and add into the tomato puree.  Stir well. Add water if needed.
  • Add the baby potatoes and almond paste; cook till the gravy is thick on a low heat..
  • Sprinkle the garam masala and chopped coriander leaves. Cook for a couple of minutes.
  • Turn off the heat and serve hot with rice or roti.