Instant Mango Pickle

This is my mother’s special pickle. During summers, no meal was complete without this pickle. We use to have it with paraths’s for breakfast, with rice for lunch and dinner and the best, spread it on bread whenever we were hunger and she was at work. It never lasted for more that 3 day. 

Ingredients
Mango – 3
Shallots ( sambar onions ) – 15  (optional)
Salt – 1½ tsp
Red chili powder – 2tsp ( I use Kashmiri mirch)

For Tempering
Oil – 2tbsp (preferably gingerly oil)
Garlic – 4 cut into long strips
Ginger – 1inch cut into long strips
Mustard seed – 1 tsp.
Curry leave – 10
Asafoetida  – ¼ tsp
Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

Method

1.            Clean and cut the mango into small pieces with the skin.

2.            Add salt and combine well.  Keep for minimum ½ hr.  You can keep it for few hrs.
3.            Through away the water that comes out of this mixture.
4.            Cut shallots length wise and add to the mango (can skip this step if you are not using shallot).
5.            Mix red chili powder nicely and keep for 10 min
6.            Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds.
7.            When it crackles add ginger, garlic and curry leave and  sauté till the raw smell disappears.
8.            Switch off the flame and add asafetida and turmeric powder.
9.            Pour this temper over the mango mixture and mix well.
10.        You can use it immediately.  Can be kept in refrigerator for a week or two.

Mutton in Coconut Milk Gravy / Thengai Pal Aattirachi Curry

This is a very rich mutton curry.  It’s completely cooked in coconut milk, so the flavor is very different. 

My husband hardly gets into the kitchen.  Once in a blue moon when he feels like cooking he will come with some exotic recipe. This Sunday was one of such days  and this recipe is one which he saw in some TV show. We hunted for some similar recipe in the net and came out with this version. So, he is the main chef and I just assisted him. The curry goes very well with malabari paratha.

 Ingredients

Mutton – 600gm

Onion – 1 big chopped
Coconut Oil – 3tbsp
Turmeric – ½ tsp
Salt as per taste
Coconut – 1 full grated (to extract milk)
For masala
Coriander seed – 2 ½ tbsp
Red chilly - 3
Garlic – 4 pods.
Ginger – 1inc piece
Black pepper cone - ½ tbsp
Cardamom – 1
Clove – 2
Cinnamon stick – 1 inch  
For Tempering
Ghee/oil – 1tsp
Coconut pieces -
Curry leaves

Method

1.            To start - extract the coconut milk ( 1^st , 2^nd  & 3^rd milk)  :  To the grated coconut mix ¼ cup water and grind in a mixer  for 2 min.  Extract the milk from the grinded coconut by squeezing and then filtering through a fine filter or cloth.  This is the 1^st milk, which is thick and creamy, keep it separate.  Again add ½ to 1 cup water to the extracted coconut fiber for 2 min extract the milk.  This is the 2^nd milk.  You can do these process ones more and the extracted milk will be the 3^rd milk.  You can use the 2^nd and the 3^rd milk together

2.             For the Masala : In a pan take ¼ tsp oil and add all the ingredients for the masala.  Roast for 2 min or till it gives nice aroma. Cool and grind into a masala with little water.

3.            Heat remaining oil in a kadai.

4.            Add onion and fry, till golden brown

5.            Now add ground masala and stir for 2 min.

6.            Add the cleaned mutton, turmeric and salt.

7.            Stir fry for 5min, mutton will start cooking with its own water.

8.            Add the 2^nd and 3^rd milk and stir. 

9.            Cover and cook for 15 min or till the mutton are cooked.

10.        Now add the 1st milk and cook till the gravy become thick or for 5min.

11.        Heat ghee in a pan, add coconut pieces and stir fry till it is golden brown now add the curry leaves. ( if you don’t like coconut pieces, you can avoid it, just use curry leaves)

12.        Pour it over the curry.

 

 

Kerala Onion Salad / Ulli Sarlas

It is a nice tangy salad made with just Onions.  It is a typical Kerela salad.  The blend of vinegar and onion gives a very good taste.  It’s a very good combination with beef cutlet.  

Ingredients

Red Onions (cut into thin long slices) – 3 Medium
Green Chillies (cut into small pieces) – 2 Nos. or as per taste
Salt – to taste
Vinegar – 2 tsp
Curry leaves - 6
Method

1.         Mix salt to the cut onion and leave it for 15 min. The onion will start oozing water.

2.         Squeeze out the water from the onion. It is becomes soft and the onions give a deep pink color.

3.         Mix all the other ingredients to the onion and mix everything well with your hand.

4.         Check for salt  and  serve.

Cup Cake Decoration

Kulfi

It is the traditional Indian ice-cream. Kulfi has similarities to ice cream in appearance and taste, however it is denser and creamier. It comes in various flavours. The more traditional ones are cream (malai), rose, mango, cardamom (elaichi), saffron (kesar) and pistachio. 

I learnt this from Rupali’s cooking class and its quite simple.

Ingredients

Milk – 5 cups (1liter) (I use the Tetrapak milk)

Condensed milk – 1 tin (400gm)
Corn flour – 2tbsp
G.M.S powder – 2tsp
C. M. S Powder – ¼ tsp
Liquid Glucose – ½ tsp
Green Elachi – 4-5 crushed
Almonds – 1 tbsp  chopped
Pista – 1 tbsp coarsely powdered
Rose essence – a few drops

Method

1.         Dissolve corn flour in ¼ cup of milk and keep aside.

2.         Mix rest of the milk with condensed milk.
3.         Keep the milk mixture for boil in a heavy bottom pan of kadai.
4.         After it comes to boil, cook for 5 minutes on low heat
5.         Keep stirring the mixture, while cooking.
6.         Add corn flour paste.
7.         Add GMS powder, CMS powder and liquid glucose to the milk.
8.         Cook for 2-3 minutes more.
9.         Remove from heat. Add crushed elachi
10.     Add almonds & pista.
11.     Cook the mixture and add rose essence.
12.     Add into the molds
13.     Freeze till set.

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.