Non-vegetarian recipes

Mutton green kurma

| Rekha Vengalil

You need –
  • Boneless mutton – ½ kilo, Cut into cubes
  • To grind into a fine paste
    • Green chilies – 4-5 nos
    • Ginger – 2 inch
    • Garlic – 4 pods
    • Whole pepper – 1 teaspoon            
    • Turmeric powder – ½ teaspoon
    • Onion – 1 large
    • Cashew nuts – ½ cup
    • Mint leaves – ½ cup
    • Coriander leaves – ½ cup
  • Yogurt – ¼ cup
  • Coconut milk – 2 tablespoons
  • Water – ¼ cup
  • Sunflower oil – 2 tablespoons
  • Salt to taste

How to –
  • Heat oil in a pan, add the  masala paste and cook till the raw smells gone.
  • Add the yogurt to the masala paste. Beat the yogurt well before adding. Cook for 2-3 mins
  • Add the mutton pieces, salt and stir to coat well.
  • Add  water and pressure cook till done.
  • Uncover, add the coconut milk. Mix well and turn of the heat.

Serve hot with Rice or Roti.

Chicken with lemon and garlic

| Rekha Vengalil

You need –
  • Boneless chicken thigh fillet or breast – 500 grams
  • Olive Oil – 2 tablespoon
  • Spanish Onion – 1, finely chopped
  • Garlic – 4 large cloves, crushed
  • Paprika – 1 ½ tablespoons
  • Chili powder – ½ teaspoon ( add more if you want to, as per your taste)
  • Parsley –  finely chopped , 3 tablespoon
  • Lemon Juice – 2 tablespoon
  • Chicken stock – ¼ cup
  • Red wine – 1 ½ tablespoon
  • Salt and pepper – as per taste

How to- 
  • In large pan heat the oil. Add the chicken in batches and brown well on all sides. Set aside
  • Into the same pan add the onions, cook till soft.
  • Add the garlic and continue to cook for another 2 mins. Stir in the paprika.
  • Add the chicken, lemon juice, parsley, stock, salt and pepper.
  • Lid on and cook over low heat until chicken is done. This is a semi-dry gravy so you may want to add water as per your need.
  • Uncover, add the wine and stir well. Turn of the heat.

Serve hot with flavored rice.

Irachi Peralan

| Rekha Vengalil

A traditional dish from the Nasrani (Kerala Syrian Christians) kitchen. You can cook this with beef or chicken.
Irachi Peralan

You need –
  • Mutton, cut into medium pieces– ½ kg
  • Onion, thinly sliced – 1¼ cups
  • Ginger, thinly sliced – 1 tablespoon
  • Gralic, crushed – 1 tablespoon
  • Curry leaves – 3 sprigs
  • Coriander powder – 3 tablespoons
  • Chilly powder – 1½  teaspoons
  • Garam Masala powder – ¼ teaspoon
  • Turmenric powder – ¼ teaspoon
  • Water – ½ cup
  • Coconut Oil – 3 tablespoons
  • Salt to taste

How to –
Irachi Peralan
  • Mix all the powders with a enough water to make a paste and set aside.
  • Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in pan. Add the crushed garlic and sauté for a minute or till the raw smell is gone.
  • Add the ginger, onions and curry leaves, sauté till the onions turn light brown. Set aside
  • In a pressure cooker, add the remaining oil and sauté the coriander, chilly, Garam masala and turmeric paste till the raw smell is gone.
  • Add the sautéed onions, ginger, garlic and curry leaves to the paste.
  • Add the mutton, salt, water and mix well. Pressure cook till done.
  • Uncover and cook on a low flame till the gravy is thick.

Serve hot with rice or roti.

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


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

Roasted chicken with spices

| Rekha Vengalil
Roasted chicken with spices
You need –
  • Chicken – 1, small and cleaned
For the marinade
  • Saffron strands – a pinch
  • Ground black paper – 1 teaspoon
  • Ground cumin – 1 teaspoon
  • Turmeric powder – ¼ teaspoon
  • Kashmiri chilli powder – 3 tablespoons
  • Ground cardamom – ¼ teaspoon
  • Ground cinnamon – ¼ teaspoon
  • Ginger and garlic paste – 1 tablespoon each
  • Lime juice – 1 tablespoon
  • Yogurt – 2 tablespoons
  • Vegetable oil – 2 tablespoon s
  • Salt to taste
How to –
  • Clean and wash the chicken. Dry the chicken inside and out.
  • Soak the saffron strands in 2 teaspoon warm water.
  • Mix all the ingredients under marinade (including the soaked saffron). Rub the chicken with the mixture inside and out. Leave in the fridge overnight or atleast 6 hours.
  • Pre-heat the oven to 170 C .
  • Place the chicken in the baking tray and roast for 1 ½ hours turning the chicken halfway through so that it cooks evenly on all sides. 
    • Roasted chicken with spices

Naadan Ayala curry (Kerala Mackerel curry)

| Rekha Vengalil
IMG_6145-002
Update with new pictures.
IMG_6220You need
  • Mackerel – 500 grams
  • Small onion – chopped ½ cup
  • Ginger – sliced 1 teaspoon
  • Green chilies – 2 slit lengthwise
  • Curry leaves – 2 twigs
  • Kudampuli/Gambooge – 4-5
  • Coriander powder – 4 tablespoon
  • Kashmir chili powder – 2 tablespoon
  • Turmeric – ¼ teaspoon
  • Crushed pepper – ½ teaspoon
  • Thin coconut milk – 2 cups
  • Thick coconut milk – 1/2 cup
  • Oil – 2 tablespoon
  • Fenugreek – ½ teaspoon

IMG_6251

How to –
  • Heat oil in a pan. Add the fenugreek and let it start to splutter.
  • Add the ginger, garlic, curry leaves and green chilies. Sauté till the raw smell is gone.
  • Add the onion and cook till the onions turn golden brown
  • Add all the dry masala powder, Kudampuli/Gambooge, salt and fry till oil start to separate.
  • Add the thin coconut milk and bring to boil.
  • Add the fish,cook till done and the gravy is thick.
  • Add the thick coconut milk. Swirl the pan lightlyand bring to boil.
  • Turn off the heat. Serve with rice.
IMG_6226

 

Kerala chicken stew

| Rekha Vengalil
A comfort food.This is a mild stew where chicken is cooked in coconut milk and whole dried spices. This is my mother’s version, and to me she makes the best appam and stew..

 
You can cook this with lamb or beef. For Vegetarians, omit the meat and add more veggies. The stew is best with appam.

Kerala chicken stew
You need –
  • Chicken – 500 grams
  • Onion – finely chopped 1 cup
  • Potatoes – 1 large. Cut into cubes
  • Carrot – 2. Cut into cubes
  • Ginger – chopped 2 teaspoon
  • Garlic – chopped 2 teaspoon
  • Green chillies – 2 slit length wise
  • Curry leaves – 10-15
  • Dried spices
    • Cinnamon – 1 small stick
    • Clove – 2
    • Cardamom – 2
    • Star anise – 1 small
    • Fennel seeds – ½ teaspoon
    • Crushed pepper – ½ teaspoon
    • Bay leaf – 1/2
  • Thin coconut milk – 2 cups
  • Thick coconut milk – 1 cup
  • Coconut oil – 2 tablespoon
  • Salt – to taste
How to –
  • Heat oil in a pan. Add all the dried spices and fry until the raw smell is gone.
  • Add the onions, Ginger, garlic, chilies, curry leaves and continue to fry until onions turn soft.
  • Add the chicken piece, potatoes and continue to fry for 2-3 minutes.
  • Add the thin coconut milk, salt, cover and cook.
  • When the chicken is half done, add the carrots and continue to cook till the chicken is fully done.
  • Add the thick coconut milk and bring to boil.
  • Turn off the heat and serve with appam.
Kerala chicken stew
 

Chicken Korma

| Rekha Vengalil

This curry is mild and aromatic. Goes well with roti or rice.

Chicken Korma

You need –

  • Flaked almonds – 25 grams
  • Ginger grated – 1 teaspoon
  • Garlic grated – 1 teaspoon
  • Cumin seeds – 1 teaspoon
  • Coriander powder – 1 teaspoon
  • Chili powder – 1/2 teaspoon
  • Paprika – 1 teaspoon
  • Greek Yogurt – 4 tablespoons
  • Chicken breast – 2
  • Chicken thigh – 2
  • Onion – 1 cup
  • Lemon juice – 1 tablespoon
  • Water – ½ – 1 cup
  • Double cream – 150 ml
  • Coconut milk – 2 tablespoon
  • Coriander chopped – 3 tablespoons
  • Garam masala – 1 tablespoon
  • Oil – 2 – 3 tablespoon
  • Salt to taste

How to – 

  • Roast the almonds on a baking tray in a hot oven for a few minutes till the almonds turn light golden brown or dry roast in a pan.
  • Combine ginger, garlic, cumin seeds, ground coriander, paprika, chili powder, almonds and the yogurt and marinate the chicken for 30 minutes.
  • Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the onion and cook until golden brown.
  • Add the marinated chicken, salt and lemon juice and combine well. Cook for 5- 7 minutes.
  • Add the required water, cover and simmer until the chicken is done and stirring occasionally.
  • Add cream and simmer for another 5 minutes then add coconut milk, chopped fresh coriander, garam masala and cook for a further 3 -4 minutes. Stir occasionally. 
                                                                  Chicken Korma
Turn off the heat and garnish with flaked almonds.