My B&W picture for Black & White Wednesday #79
Thank you Priya (http://thehumptydumptykitchen.blogspot.sg/) for letting me know of it… 🙂
Sharkara Payasam with risotto rice
Happy Vishu to all malayees…!
Every year for Vishu and Onam I cook up the Sadya promptly but this Vishu, down with fever, was contemplating to cook or not… Finally decided to cook just a curry and payasam for lunch. So made mambazha pulissery and sharkara payasam, both of which are favorites at home . It was a simple and yet delicious festive meal.
I let go of the Vishu shopping, and did off with everything I could find in the fridge… Instead of konnapoo it was tulasi kadhir ( holly basil) from my little garden.
Over to the payasam… I didn’t have the rice what we traditionally use for Sharkara payasam… I was left with 2 choice, one was basmati and the other being risotto rice and it was my husband who said try risotto rice. I say it was the right choice… It was delicious. I urge you to try it… Call it sharkara risotto?!! 😉
You need –
- Risotto rice – 1 cup
- Sharkara/Jaggery/uncentrifuged whole cane sugar – Grated, 1 ½ cups
- Ghee – ¼ cup, melted
- Cardamom powder – ¼ teaspoon
- Roasted cashew nuts – 10-15 nos
- Raisins – 2 tablespoons, fried in ghee/clarified butter
- Water – 2 cups
How to –
Dry roast the rice and pressure cook with 2 cups of water till done. The rice should not be mushy. Set aside.
In a pan, add the grated jaggery/sharkara with ½ cup water. Cook till the sharkara has melted and comes to a thick consistency.
Over a low heat, add the melted sharkara, Ghee and cardamom powder into the rice and mix well till rice is well coated.
Garish with cashew nuts, raisin and serve.
Linking this post to the event FoodabulousFest Event organised by Simply TADKA and hosted by Pramitha love cooking
Mango lemonade
I am also working on designing my web page. A dear friend is helping me on the technical front. A big shout… Yes I am designing my page!!! It’s looking good so far. But not in a hurry to go live anytime soon as I have it planned for the second half of the year… It’s a date thingy 😉
Over to the recipe, with some mango juice in the fridge I decided to make Mango Lemonade. This is easy and a real thirst cruncher.
You Need –
- Mango juice – 2 cups
- Lemon juice – ¼ cup
- Water – ½ cup
- Sugar – as required
- Ice cubes – 5-6
How to –
In a microwavable dish, put the sugar and water and microwave till the sugar has completely dissolved.
In a jar, stir in the Mango, lemon juice, sugar water. Mix well.
Pour into serving glasses with ice cubes and serve chilled.
Simple sweet corn soup
Nothing like sitting up with a cup of tea in the afternoon and browsing though cookbooks and ideating a recipe your way… And the joy on the birth of a recipe is blissful…!
But then to alter every recipe to get “my stamp” on is not my way. I always follow a new recipe the way it is written down and I decide on altering/make changes to it the second time I cook it up. Also I do strongly believe that not all recipes require alteration/changes; some are best in its original way. Like this soup I made; I loved it this way, with no changes. It’s simple, filling and tasty!! Hence I call it simple sweet corn soup! I am sure you will love it too.
You need –
- Sweet corn kernels – 1 cup
- Chicken broth – 1½ cup
- Egg – 1, beaten
- Corn flour – 2 teaspoons
- Water – ½ cup
- Salt and pepper – to taste
How to –
In a heavy bottom sauce pan, combine the corn kernels and broth. Bring to boil. In a bowl, mix the water and corn flour. Slowly add in to the boiling soup stirring continuously.
Add the beaten egg gradually, and stir till the soup thickens. Season with salt n pepper and serve.
Chicken and mushroom stir fry with thyme
I have always been a fan of Mushrooms! and Kerala Koonu (mushroom) fry is something to die for… Trust me, if you have tasted it you’ll agree on this… But then Kerala cuisine is something to die for any day 🙂
Nothing fancy about this dish.. It’s easy and i have used some simple ingredients. And the little twist is the thyme… I have long been tinkering about how i could bring in
some fresh herbs that is not used normally or traditionally in Kerala kitchen. It was worth the effort. The lemony edge to the dish was sure a welcome. We loved it this way too.
You need –
- Chicken breast – 500 grams, cut into thin strips
- Mushrooms – 200 grams, thinly sliced
- Thyme – 2 sprigs + 2 sprigs for garnishing
- Whole coriander – 1 tablespoon
- Dry chilies – 4-5 or as per your taste
- Onion – 1 medium, thinly sliced
- Grated ginger – 2 teaspoons
- Grated garlic – 2 teaspoons
- Garam masala – ½ teaspoon
- Turmeric powder – ¼ teaspoon
- Crushed pepper – 1 teaspoon
- Mustard seeds – ½ teaspoon
- Curry leaves – 1 sprig
- Coconut oil – 1 tablespoon
- Salt to taste
How to –
Dry roast the coriander seeds and dry chilies and process to make a fine powder. Set aside.
Heat oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds and allow it to crackle. Add the onions and curry leaves. Saute till the onions are translucent. Add in the ginger and garlic. Fry till the raw smell is gone.
Tip in all the powders except the crushed pepper and cook till the oil start to separate. Season with salt. Tip in the chicken and thyme mix well cover and cook till chicken is half done.
Uncover; add in the mushrooms and fry till done. Add the crushed pepper and make sure all the water has evaporated and the gravy is well coated.
Turn off the heat. Garnish with thyme leaves and serve with rice.
Blueberry-Oreo blast
Ah! another beautiful day and I am happy I have been able to get some nice shots… Playing with colors was fun. Fresh flowers are a delight indeed. They don’t just add a character to your home but every time you look at them, they bring a smile on your face. #Life is beautiful.
On the food photography front its a happy me again. Shobha who is a vegetarian left a lovely comment for my shrimp pickle post. She said she loved the pictures. I am glad I have tried to make my food look appetizing.:)
Over to the recipe. I had promised my daughter that I will make her a drink with ice cream. Decided I will make a milk shake for her with her favorites; blueberries, Oreo and vanilla ice cream and called it blueberry-Oreo blast :), it was indeed a blast! We loved it…
You need –
- Fresh blueberries – 125 grams
- Oreo biscuits – 6 (I used blueberry flavour) + 2 for garnishing
- Milk – 1 ½ cups
- Vanilla ice-cream – 2 scoops
- Ice cubes – 4-5
How to –
Blend all the ingredients in a blender till smooth..
Pour into a serving glass and garnish with Oreo biscuits.
Serve chilled
MANGO PICKLE
It’s hot I know but yet there is something about the summer I love… And one big reason is that the mango season is in. It’s such a sight to walk down the road where we stay at this time round the year with the mango trees on either sides of the road. I have decided to make the most of this season, so warning you that more mango recipes coming up 🙂
To my delight the other day my neighbor called out to me as I was walking home and asked me to come over. A bit puzzled and not knowing why, I walked over to her beautiful landed house and she asked me if I wanted some raw mangoes. Didn’t had to think twice I said “YES”. She was trimming her wildly grown mango tree. In the process she had to cut down a few branches with raw mangoes… Thank you Mrs. Ong.
On my way back home decided I was going to make pickles out of them and didn’t had to look for recipes; all I had to do was to call my mom. Well by coincidence she was also preparing pickles as my sister is visiting her end of this month and she loves them.
You need –
- Mangoes – 2 big, chopped into small pieces
- Chili powder – 2 ½ tablespoons
- Turmeric powder – ¼ teaspoon
- Mustard seeds – ½ teaspoon
- Fenugreek seeds – ½ teaspoon
- Asafoetida – a big pinch
- Green chilies – 2, finely chopped
- Garlic – finely chopped, 2 tablespoons
- Ginger – finely chopped, 2 teaspoons
- Curry leaves – 3 twigs
- Vinegar – 1 tablespoon
- Salt to taste
- Sesame oil – 3-tablespoons + 2 teaspoons
How to –
In a bowl put the mango pieces and ½ teaspoon of salt and mix well. Cover and leave this overnight or at least for 8 hours. Now drain the water completely. Set aside. Mix the chili and turmeric powder with ¼ cup of water to make paste. Set aside.
In a pan heat the 2 tablespoon of was oil. Tip in the mustard seeds. Once its start to crackle, add the Fenugreek seeds allow to crackle too. Add the curry leave and fry briefly. Add the ginger, garlic and chilies and fry till the raw smell is gone.
Add the chili paste and cook for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the chopped mangoes and Asafoetida; mix well. Add the vinegar and mix to coat well. At this point check for the salt, if need be add in as per paste.
Allow the pickle to cool completely at room temperature before you bottle it up. Add the 2 teaspoon of oil mix well and leave the bottled pickle on the counter top for a day or over night before you refrigerate.
Beef cutlets – Kerala style
You need –
- Minced beef – 225 grams
- Potatoes – 2 medium, Boiled and mashed
- Onions – 1, finely chopped
- Garlic – minced 2 teaspoons
- Ginger – minced 2 teaspoons
- Green chili – 1, finely chopped
- Curry leaves – 8-10, finely chopped
- Garam masala – ½ teaspoon
- Turmeric powder – ¼ teaspoon
- Ground pepper – 1 teaspoon
- Egg – 1,
- Bread crumbs – 1 cup
- Oil – 2 teaspoons + for deep frying
- Salt to taste
How to –
Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in pan. Add the onions and saute till translucent. Add the ginger, garlic, curry leaves, chili salt and fry till the raw smell is gone. Add the garam masala, pepper , turmeric and cook briefly.
Add the minced beef and cook till done. Tip in the mashed potatoes and mix well till everything comes together. Check for the seasoning at this point. Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool.
In a bowl, beat the eggs and spread the bread crumbs on a plate. Now roll 2 tablespoons of the beef mixture into a ball and flatten to round shape or any shape of your choice. Dip into the egg and then coat with the crumbs and set aside. Repeat this for the rest of the beef mixture.
Heat oil in frying pan and deep fry the cutlets till brown; remove and set on a paper towel. Serve hot with ketchup or chili sauce.
Shrimp pickle
Recipe adapted from vazhayila.com…
You need –
- De-shelled Shrimps – 500 grams. Cleaned and washed.
For Marinade:
- Chili powder – 1 ½ teaspoons
- Turmeric powder – ¼ teaspoon
- Vinegar – 2 tablespoon
- Salt to taste
- Oil for deep frying
For seasoning:
- Chili powder – 2 teaspoons
- Turmeric powder – ¼ teaspoon
- Mustard seeds – 1 teaspoon
- Fenugreek seeds – ½ teaspoon
- Garlic – 5-6 cloves, Minced
- Ginger – Minced 2 teaspoons
- Green chilli – 1, chopped
- Curry leaves – 3 twigs
- Vinegar – 2 tablespoons
- Asafoetida – a big pinch
- Gingelly oil – 3 tablespoon
- Salt to taste
How to –
Marinate the shrimps with the ingredients under “For marinade” and refrigerate for an hour.
For seasoning, make a paste of chili powder, turmeric powder and 2 tablespoon vinegar. Set aside.
Heat oil and fry the shrimps till golden brown and set aside.
In another pan, heat 2 tablespoons gingelly oil, add the mustard seeds and allow to splatter. Add the Fenugreek seeds. Add the minced garlic, ginger, chili curry leaves, salt and fry till the raw smell is gone.
Add the chili turmeric and vinegar paste. Mix well. Add ¼ cup water and bring to boil. Tip in the fried shrimps; mix well and saute for 3-4 minutes.
Turn off the heat and allow to cool. Once cooled completely add the asafoetida and vinegar and stir well to coat thoroughly.
Add 1 tablespoon of gingelly oil and store in a airtight container. Leave it on the counter top for a day before you refrigerate.
