Puli Inji

The Puli Inji is basically a kerala dish coming under the pickle category. No Sadya can be complete without Puli Inji. I always feel that Puli Inji is to balances the flavors in the sadya. It has a bit of tartness, spiciness and the sweetness also, a mixed flavor. The recipe differs from region to region.  Here is my mother’s version.

Ingredients: 

Ginger- 1 cup of finely chopped 

Green chillies - 3-4 chopped 

Mustard seeds- ¼ tsp 

Curry leaves

Turmeric powder- ¼  tsp 

Asafoetida 

Tamarind – lemon sized 

Jaggery- 1 inch cube

Coconut oil

Salt to taste

Method

Soak the tamarind in 1 ½ cup of water for 15 minutes.  Extract the juice and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, once it crackles, add the curry leaves,  add the chopped ginger, and green chillies, and fry it on medium flame. Keep frying till the ginger turns golden brown, add turmeric powder, asafoetida, and salt to taste.

In a separate kadai, add the tamarind juice and bring to boil. Add the jaggery, once its completely melted, add the fried ginger and mix well.  Allow to boil till it reaches a thick consistency, remove from heat. 

Puli Inji is  ready. 

Coconut Ladoo

Navratri wishes to all celebrating this festival. The festival is celebrated with different rituals and names all over India. In Kerala the last three days of the Navaratri festival is celebrated as Saraswati Puja. The celebrations start with the Puja Vypu. It consists of placing the books for puja. The books will be taken out for reading, after worship, only on the morning of the third day. Children are happy, since they are not expected to study on these days. :)..

The best part of any festivals is the sweets that comes along with it.  

This year I made a very simple, quick and easy sweet Coconut Ladoo. You don’t need any expertise to try this recipe. There are different methods to make this ladoos. Sharing the most simple version with condensed milk and desiccated coconut, flavored with some cardamom (elachi). 

Coconut Ladoo

Ingredients:-

Desiccated coconut - 2cups + 1/4cup for rolling 

Sweetened condensed milk-1cup

Cardamom powder-1tbsp

Mixed Nuts crushed – ¼ cup

Dates pieces – ¼ cup (finely chopped)

Directions

Dry roast the desiccated coconut to about 3-4 mins or till the color starts changing. 

Add condensed milk to the roasted coconut mix well. Add the mixed nuts and dates pieces also. Add cardamom powder and mix well. Allow to cool a bit. When the mixture is still warm, Start making small balls of the mixture.

In a plate or bowl take some desiccated coconut for coating. immediately roll the ladoos in desiccated coconut. 

Your coconut ladoo is ready. 

Chocolate and Coconut Ladoo

For my chocolate lovers at home, I prepared the chocolate version also, with some modifications to blend chocolate into it.

Ingredients

Desiccated coconut - 2cups +1/4cup desiccated coconut for rolling 

Sweetened condensed milk-1cup

chocolate pieces- grated ½ cup

Cardamom powder-1tbsp

Crushed cashews – 2 tbl spn

Directions

Dry roast the desiccated coconut in a pan for 2 mins, now add the melted chocolate, cardamom powder, cashews and sweetened condensed milk. Stir continuously until this mixture turns as a dough and get off from the bottom of the vessel. When the mixture is still warm, Start making small balls of mixture.

In a plate or bowl take some desiccated coconut for coating. immediately roll the ladoos in desiccated coconut. 

Oven Baked Fish

We are great fans of fish, especially my husband and daughter. They love the way I cook fish for them, whether its fry or curry or any kind of preparation, That is my inspiration to try varieties in cooking. 

Oven Baked fish is an excellent way to prepare fish in a healthy way. It's a simple dish with simple ingredients. This dish is prepared with a lot of vegetables. So you are getting the goodness of both fish and vegetables in a single dish.  I followed the recipe on the cookery show ‘Khana khazana’ by Sanjeev kapoor, with some variations according to our taste buds, but the basics is the same. It turns out perfect in taste, texture and flavor. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

The fish I used is pomfret pieces. You can use any fleshy fish of your choice.

Ingredients
Fish (pomfret fish) - 400 gms
Carrot-1
Capsicum- yellow/green/red – ½ each
Onion-1
Beans -10 Nos  
Lemon-1
Garlic -6 pods 
Red chilli - 4 (soaked in water)
Coriander seeds- 1 tbl spn. 
Cumin seeds -1 tspn
Salt
Water- ¼ cup
Olive oil- 2 tsp

Directions

Preheat oven to 200°C.

Combine soaked red chilies, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, ½ chopped onion, 3 pods of Garlic and  salt, add little water and grind it to make a thick paste.
Marinate the fish for 10 min with the 3/4th of the masala paste.
Cut the vegetables into small cubes. Spread the vegetables on the baking tray.  Cut the lemon into thick slices and place above the vegetables. Add 2-3 pods of Garlic.
Spread the remaining masala on the vegetables. Sprinkle olive oil also on top of the vegetables.
Place the marinated fish on top of the vegetables. Squeeze lemon juice on top. Brush the fish pieces with olive oil. Aluminum foil can be used to keep food moist and cook it evenly. Cover with Aluminum foil.
Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven.

Bhindi Masala

Bhindi Masala is a very popular Indian dish, It is a most commonly ordered dish during our eat outs. This is mainly served as side dish with chapathis and rotis. Easy to prepare and delicious also. 

It is essential to dry the okra by wiping it with kitchen towel before chopping , this helps in reducing the sliminess. Sliminess is the problem we usually face while cooking bhindi. Do not add water to the dish while cooking as this will increase the sliminess of the dish and Do not close the lid while cooking. Few things here and there, u can avoid it... and make your dish perfect.. :)

Enjoy Cooking!

Ingredients:-
Bhindi / Lady Finger - 400 grams

Onion-1  (chopped)
Tomato -1 (chopped)
Ginger – small piece

Green Chillies-2
cumin seeds-1 tsp
Coriander Powder-1 tsp
Red chilli powder-1/2 tsp
Garam Masala powder-1/4 tsp
Amchur / Dry Mango powder-1/4 tsp
Salt
Coriander leaves
Oil

Method

Heat oil in a pan and add chopped bhindi and saute for 2-3 minutes on medium heat or you can shallow fry the bhindi also,  keep aside.

Now add oil in the pan and add cumin seeds, then add finely chopped ginger, chopped green chilis and stir. Add onions and sauté till slightly golden brown, add chopped tomatoes and salt then cover and cook. When tomato become soft, add redchilli powder, coriander powder and garam masala. Stir for a minute then add bhindi and mix well. Cook for 2-3 min. Now add amchur ( dry mango powder) and mix well. Cook for another one or two min and then switch off the flame.

Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

Serve hot with roti or chappathi.

Masala Oats Paratha

Paratha is a stuffed Indian bread. There are Different types of parathas , aloo paratha, pudina paratha, gobi paratha, methi paratha  and so on , it differs with the stuffing inside.  I decided to make a healthier parathas by adding oats. Its prepared with spicy mixture of oats along with wheat flour. Traditionally parathas are made  as a breakfast dish. But I do make this as a dinner. This is very healthy and easy to make. With Pickle, pudina chutney or plain Yogurt, they are absolutely delicious.

Ingredients

Whole wheat flour -2 cup 

Oats - 1 cup

Onion - 1/2 cup finely chopped

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder- ¼ tsp

Garam masala powder- ¼ tsp 

Curry leaves

Coriander leaves- ½ cup 

Salt - to taste 

Oil 

Directions

In a bowl take wheat flour, salt, mix with water and kneed  into soft dough let it rest for 15 mins. 

In another bowl add Oats (You can roast the oats , that gives a spl taste, its fine otherwise also), finely chopped onions, chopped curry leaves and coriander leaves, mix well. Add chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala and salt, mix well by adding little by little water . Oats masala stuffing is ready.

Take a portion of a dough , roll it and make a small circle, take required amount of stuffing,  Now place the stuffing mixture in between of the dough, seal it and roll into flat roti. 

Heat a pan/tawa and cook the paratha. You can use oil, ghee or butter as you like. Flip the paratha and cook it on both the sides till golden brown in color

Idiyappam Biriyani with Prawns

Idiyappam Biriyani is a complete dish, but definitely not a simple one. If you are looking for a variety in both cooking and in taste, You can try this. and I assure you the satisfaction. It’s worth all the efforts. I don’t usually like to spend hours on the kitchen, I always make something that’s easy, simple and tasty. But once in a while its fun to try some variety food, try something that’s completely new.   This was something different from my everyday cooking. I am a huge fan of Idiyappam, Idiyappam is a Kerala food mainly served for breakfast, made of rice flour,  or as my kids call it ‘Kerala noodles’, due to its appearance. It is steamed to cook. And I love Biryani also. So the combination of both… complete pleasure..:))

As I always do, I break the whole process into small small tasks and then assemble it together to get the dish done, Easy to explain..  :)

First step is to prepare the idiyappam. Then the Biryani masala. Mixing it together to get your Idiyappam Biriyani with ‘Prawns’.  Prawns add a special flavor to the dish. You can try the same with chicken also.

Let’s start with Idiyappam..

Ingredients:

Roasted rice flour - 2 cups

Water -3 cups

Salt -  to taste

Oil/ ghee - 1 tsp (optional)

Method

In a cooking bowl, add water, salt and a tsp of ghee or oil and allow to boil

Once it starts boiling, turn off flame and add the rice flour little by little with continuous stirring.  Add flour, until the mixture turns to smooth soft dough. 

Allow the dough to cool a bit, Knead the dough while its warm, with your hands to make it smooth.

Put some dough into the idiyappam press, squeeze the dough in a circular motion , Transfer it into a steamer and steam cook it until done. 

Allow it to cool and remove the idiyappams gently from the plate . Keep aside. 

Next step is to prepare the masala for the biriyani. 

Ingredients:

Onion-4, sliced

Ginger garlic paste - 2 tbspn 

Tomato-2 medium, chopped

Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp

Garam-masala powder- 1 tsp

Black pepper powder- 1 tsp

Chilli powder- 1 tsp

crushed chilli-2

Coriander leaves (chopped) ½ cup

Mint Leaves (Chopped) – ¼ cup

Lime- 1/2

Ghee- 2 tsp

Coconut milk- thin- 1/2 cup

Salt 

Method

Marinate the prawns with ¼ tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder,1 tb spn ginger garlic paste and salt for around 15-20 mins. 

Heat oil in a pan. And shallow fry the marinated prawns, Keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan, add whole spices. When it splutters, add onion, crushed chilli, ginger garlic paste and sauté well.

Once onion turns brown add tomatoes, mash them. Add mint leaves and coriander leaves and mix well.

While oil starts appearing, add turmeric powder and garam-masala powder. Black pepper powder; allow to cook for another 2-3 mins. Add the fried prawns and mix well.  Squeeze lime and turn off the flame.

Now the assembling part.

Divide the idiyappam into two portions.

In a deep bottomed pan, heat ghee on low flame. lay the Idiyappams. Sprinkle a little coconut milk over the Idiyappams to soak lightly, Add the prawn masala over the Idiyappams , add the remaining portion of idiappam on top of the masala , Pour 1 table spoon of ghee on top. Now cover the pan with a lid and let it sit for 3 more minutes on low heat. Turn off heat and let the biriyani sit for another 5-10 minutes, covered.

 Heat the ghee or vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the raisins and cashews and cook, stirring, until the raisins are plump and the cashews are toasted. garnish your biriyani and serve hot. 

Pakkavada/ Ribbon Pakoda

Ribon pakoda , (commonly known as Pakkavada in Kerala) is a very simple snack. It is easy to prepare, crisp and delicious.  Perfect for tea time. I am sure you will also enjoy it the way I did.

Ingredients

Chickpea flour (Besan)- 1/2 cup

White Rice flour - 1 1/2 cups

Red Chillie Powder - 2 tsp

Asafoetida / Hing - 1/4 tsp

Sesame seeds (white)- 2 tsp( optional)

Salt - 1 tsp

Oil - 2 tsp

Water

Curry leaves

Oil - enough for frying

Directions

In a mixing bowl combine together Besan flour, rice flour , Chilli powder, Asafoetida, Sesame seeds  and salt, add water slowly and mix well. Knead to form a  soft dough. Adding sesame seeds is completely optional; here I added it as I like the look that it gives to pakoda.

Place the dough in an idiappam maker /string hopper maker and press it into the hot oil in a circular motion. Fry till the color changes to golden brown.

Drain the excess oil and cool completely.

Finally fry the curry leaves and add on to the top for a nice aroma.

Oatmeal Banana Muffins

Oatmeal muffins are rich in fiber, high in minerals and it’s an absolute healthy snack. These muffins use lots of healthy ingredients like oatmeal, wheat, bananas, raisins, nuts so you can feel good about eating them. The combination is also really delicious.These muffins are moist, with a little crunch from the nuts. I used sugar; you can substitute sugar with honey for a healthier version, This can be eaten for breakfast, an evening snack, packed in for kids lunchbox.

Muffins are simple to make. It will only take few minutes to get the muffins into the oven. Prepare the wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately mix them together and you batter is ready.  

Enjoy Baking..:)

Ingredients

1.5 cups oats 

1/2 cup wheat flour

3/4 cup sugar

1.5 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

½ cup Raisins and Mixed Nuts

2 eggs

1 cup plain yogurt

2 ripe bananas

¼ cup vegetable oil.

chocolate chips, Chocolate flakes {optional}

Directions

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

In a bowl ,whisk together the eggs, yogurt, vanilla extract and mashed bananas

In another mixing bowl, stir together  the Oats, wheat flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt .

Stir in the chocolate chips 

Fold the egg-banana mixture, along with the oil, into the dry ingredients and stir slowly until the ingredients are moistened and combined. The important thing is not to over mix the batter or you will end up with muffins that are a little tough.

Fill muffin cups about ⅔ of the way full. Sprinkle a little topping( Here I used Chocolate chips and little amount chocolate flakes) on each muffin. 

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until a tester comes out clean.

Remove to a wire rack to cool completely