Vattayappam (Rice cake steamed)

Vattayappam is a typical Kerala sweet dish.  Most of the malayali house would make this for all the festive occasion. It’s sweet, light and above all healthy as it is steamed.

The recipe  was given by my  mother-in-law’s.  So, it is tried and tested for years and it comes out really well. 

 

Ingredient

 

Roasted raw rice flour – 250gm

Coconut grated – 1 cup

Jeera powder  – ½ teaspoon

Sugar – 100gm (powder)

Salt – ½ tsp

Ghee – 1tbsp

Water/coconut milk/milk – ½ cup

Raisins & cashew – for garnishing

Yeast Ferment:

Dry yeast  - 1 tsp

Sugar – 1tsp

Lukewarm water – ¼ cups

 

Method

1.            Mix yeast with sugar. Pour lukewarm water, mix and keep aside to ferment (until froth appears on the surface).

2.            Grind coconut with a little water.

3.            Mix rice flour, grind coconut, jeera and sugar powder  

4.            Now add water/coconut milk/milk and  salt and mix well.

5.            Grease a cake dish or round bottomed aluminium vessel well with ghee.

6.            Pour the batter into it up to the half way mark.

7.            Decorate by placing raisins & cashew’s on top

8.            Keep it in an iddli steamer and cook for 20 minutes.

9.            Take it out from the steamer and cool a little.

10.        Loosen the sides with a knife and cut it into pieces.

Chicken Dum Biryani

Biryani is one of our family picks.   I like my biryani very simple with minimal masala and oil.  After trying lots of options, this is a recipe I got from one of the blogs (don’t remember the blog name).  With some minor changes, it matches my taste bud and qualifies the appearance test.

A  personal confession I want to make is I like the crappie biryani that is served in our office cafeteria courtesy Krimson café.  And the biryani I long to eat is the one we use to get at our hostel (YWCA, Pune) made by Rasak, all my YMCA friends would agree. I don’t know if it is still served, but in our days Monday dinner was heavenly feast at 8.30pm.

Serves : 4

Ingredients

• Chicken (with bone) : 3/4 kg (washed )
• Onions : 2 (cut lengthwise) (fried deeply)
• Oil : 1/4 cup
• Ghee : 2tbsp
• Basmati Rice : 3 cups (½kg) (washed and soaked for about 20 minutes)
• Coriander Leaves : 1/4 cup
• Mint Leaves : 1/4 cup
• Bay leaves : 1
• Cloves : 2
• Big cardamom - 2
• shah jeera or black cumin : 2 tsp
• saffron : 1 tsp
• Salt as per taste
• Milk : ¼ cup 

 

Marinade Mix :

• Green Chilies : 4 (according to your spice level) (finely chopped)
• Ginger & garlic Paste : 2 tbsp
• Turmeric powder : 1/4 tsp
• Coriander Powder : 1 tbsp
• Salt : as per taste
• Yogurt : 1/2 cup
• Shah jeera or Black cumin seeds : 2 tsp
• Red chili powder : 2 tsp
• Lime juice : 2 tbsp 

To Grind :

• Coriander Leaves : 1/4 cup (chopped finely)
• Mint Leaves :1/2 cup (Chopped Finely )
• Whole Black Pepper / Peppercorns : 7-8
• Bay leaves : 2
• Cloves : 3
• Cinnamon Sticks : 1″
• Green cardamom : 3

Method Of Preparation :

1. Wash and soak the basmati rice for 20 minutes.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add the sliced onion and deep fry them till it becomes crisp. A little before it becomes brown. As  it will become crisp and brown when it starts cooling.
3. Wash the cut chicken and drain them and kept it aside.
4. Now fry the bay leaves, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and whole black pepper grind them into fine powder and finely add the mint leaves, coriander leaves into ground mixture and again pulse it for 2 sec to make a coarse paste.
5. Now add the ground mixture with the washed chicken and add the remaining marinade mix and some fried onions into them.
6. Mix it all together and let it sit for 30 minutes.
7. Boil the water in a heavy bottomed wide vessel and when it comes to a full boil, add some oil, ghee, shah jeera, bay leaves (1), cloves (2), cinnamon ( 1/4 ” ) & salt.
8. When the water comes to full boil add the soaked rice and just cook the rice in high heat for 3 -4 minutes and check the rice it should be half cooked (50% cooked).
9. Now carefully drain the rice and keep them aside. ( make sure it’s only half cooked, don’t over cook it )
10. Add the saffron in warm milk and mix it well.
11. Heat a heavy bottomed vessel add some oil, ghee
12. Spread  half the marinated chicken at the bottom.
13. Now add the  half of the cooked (half) rice on top of the chicken, spread some fried onions,some mint leaves, coriander leaves on top of the rice.
14. Pour the saffron water on top of it.
15. Again make the next layer by repeating point 12, 13, 14.
16. You can dum cook the biryani by covering the vessel with wheat flour dough or with a thick kitchen towel.
17. Cook on high heat for 2 – 3 minutes till you see water drops inside the lid.
18. Now completely reduce the heat into medium flame and remove the biryani vessel.
19. Now place a flat heavy bottomed non-stick pan on the heat and allow it to heat. (this will make sure the bottom part doesn’t burn)
20. After that on top of it place the biryani vessel and cook for 30 -35 minutes ( max 45 min) in low flame.
21. You will smell a nice aroma after 30 -35 minutes so that way you will know the biryani is ready now.
22. Now turn it off the heat and remove the vessel.
23. Slowly remove the lid you will see beautifully cooked dum biryani ready for you.

Kal Kal

This is a traditional Christmas sweet made by Anglo-Indians mostly in Goa, Maharastra, Karnataka & Tamil Nadu. Traditionally it is made on a Fork, but I prefer make it on a regular comb, as it gives a defined shape. I have comb specially kept in the kitchen for this purpose. My kids call it mama’s kitchen comb.

This is one of my family favorites. The ingredient is readily available and it is easy to make. Thanks to Andrea, one of my office colleague, who taught me how to make it.

Ingredients
400gm – Maida
100gm – Ravva/Sujji
100gm – Powered Sugar
100gm – Butter ( any pasteurized butter, I prefer Amul)
1cup - Milk ( approximately for kneading) ½ tsp - Baking powder
Comb / Fork
Oil to Fry

To make a Dough

• Mix all the dry ingredients in a knead plate (Maida, sujji, sugar powder & baking powder)
• Take butter which is soft (room temperature) and mix with the above ingredient. Mix it properly.
• Now knead this mixture with milk to a dough. Use milk little at a time.
• Keep the dough in container with a cover. Don’t let it get exposed to air as the dough with get dry.

To make the Shape
• Take a little dough and make a ball with you palm ( it should the half the size of a lemon)
• Flatten/ press the dough on the thick bristle side of the comb
• Roll to a curl as shown in the picture.
 

Tips :

• Milk has to be used according to the requirement. More or less 1cup
• To measure maida & Sujji simple method would be take ½ kg maida remove 10tbsp from this and replace it with 10tbsp of sujji.