GREEN GRAM PALYA

Ingredients:

1. Green gram – 1 cup (around 150 gm)
2. Water – 2.5 cups
3. Grated coconut – ½ cup to ¾ cup
4. Onion – 1 big
5. Garlic – 5 to 6 cloves
6. Green chili – 1 (optional)
7. Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
8. Dry chili flakes - 2 tsp (or chili powder – 2tsp)
9. Curry leaves – 3 to 4 sprigs
10. Oil – 2 to 3 tsp
11. Salt – for taste

Method:

1. Transfer green gram, water, sliced green chili, turmeric powder and sufficient salt to a cooker, close the lid and cook in medium flame. (Approx 4 to 5 whistles)
2. Ensure that green gram is cooked well. (It should not be smashed)
3. Keep a china dish (deep flat pan) on flame and add oil into it.
4. When oil gets heated up add finely chopped onions, finely chopped garlic and curry leaves and saute until it turns golden brown.
5. Now add chili flakes, and little salt and mix.
6. Immediately add cooked green gram and grated coconut and mix well.

Fish Coconut Masala (Meen Peera)

Meen Peera is yet another traditional Keralite dish.This is usually made with small fish like Anchovies or smelt .But we can also prepare it with small Sardine or sole fish etc. This dish goes very well with steamed rice. All especially south Indians will love this dish.

Ingredients:

1. Fish – ½ kg (smelt, small Sardine, Anchovies, sole fish or any fish which is small in size can be used)
2. Grated coconut – ½ of a small coconut
3. Green chili – 6
4. Ginger – 1 inch piece
5. shallots – 6 (or 1 small onion)
6. Garlic – 4 cloves
7. Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
8. Chili powder – ¼ tsp
9. Mustard – 1 tsp
10. fish tamarind – 1 piece (or normal tamarind – 1 small gooseberry size)
11. Coconut oil – little
12. Salt – for taste

Method:

1. Cut ginger and onion into long slices. Soak fish tamarind or the normal tamarind in a small cup of water.
2. Crush grated coconut, garlic, cumin seeds and green chili together. (Put all these ingredients into a mixer and give two or three swirls)
3. Take a pan and add sliced onion, ginger, turmeric powder, salt, chili powder, tamarind with water, fish and another cup of water. Mix well and in medium flame cook for 8 mins. Add some more water if the added water is evaporated.
4. Then add the crushed coconut masala into it. Cook until the all the water is evaporated and the fish gets cooked completely.
5. Now in another pan heat some coconut oil and splutter mustard seeds and curry leaves.
6. Add this seasoning over the dish and serve with rice. 

CHICKEN BROWN KURUMA

Ingredients:

1. Chicken – 1 kg (cut into medium size pieces)
2. Onion – 2 medium + 1 small
3. Ginger – 1 inch piece
4. Garlic – 10 cloves
5. Green chili – 2
6. Tomato – 2 medium
7. Coconut – 1/2 medium size coconut (Grated)
8. Red dry chili – 10
9. Coriander seeds – 4 table spoon
10. Garam masala powder – 1tsp
11. Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
12. Curry leaves – few
13. Coriander leaves – ½ bunch
14. Oil – 2 to 3 tblsp
15. Salt – for taste

Method:

1. Slice 2 medium size onion, green chili and tomato. Crush ginger and garlic together. Chop coriander leaves. Keep these things aside.
2. Take a pan and add ½ tsp oil into it. When oil gets heated add dry red chili and coriander seeds to it. Sauté until it’s roasted well. Transfer it to a plate.
3. In the same pan add another 1 tsp of oil and roast grated coconut until brown. Off the flame and add 1tsp garam masala powder to it and mix well. 
4. Allow these 2 roasted ingredients to cool then grind it together into fine paste adding sufficient water.
5. Now in a pan add 2 tblsp oil and sauté onion, ginger garlic, green chili and tomato one by one.
6. Add turmeric powder, salt and chicken pieces to it and mix well.
7. Now add the above coconut chili coriander paste into it. Add coriander leaves and sufficient water. Close the lid and cook well.
8. Now take another small pan and add little oil into it. Add 1 small onion chopped and curry leaves. Sauté well and add this seasoning over the curry and serve.

SPECIAL EGG OMLET

The omelette is commonly thought to have originated in the Ancient Near East. This dish is thought to have travelled to Western Europe via the Middle East and North Africa.
According to the founding legend of the annual giant Easter omelette of Bessières, Haute-Garonne, when Napoleon Bonaparte and his army were traveling through southern France, they decided to rest for the night near the town of Bessières. Napoleon feasted on an omelette prepared by a local innkeeper that was such a culinary delight that he ordered the townspeople to gather all the eggs in the village and to prepare a huge omelette for his army the next day.


On March 19, 1994, the largest omelette (128.5 m²; 1,383 ft²) in the world at the time was made with 160,000 eggs in Yokohama, Japan, but it was subsequently overtaken by an omelette made by the Lung Association in Brockville Memorial Centre, Ontario, Canada on May 11, 2002 — it weighed 2.95 tonnes (2,950 kg).

Ingredients:

1. Egg – 4 or 5 nos
2. Onion – 1 big
3. Tomato – 1 big
4. Green Chili – 1
5. Ginger – 1/2 inch piece
6. Curry Leaves – 2 trig
7. Chili Powder – 1 tsp
8. Turmeric Powder – ½ tsp
9. Red chili flakes – ½ tsp (optional)
10. Garam masala powder – ¼ tsp
11. Oil – 2 tblsp
12. Salt – for taste

Preparation:

1. Finely chop onion, ginger, tomato, green chili and curry leaves.
2. Take a nonstick pan and add little oil into it. Add all the above chopped ingredients and sauté well until the raw taste goes.
3. Add chili powder, garam masala powder, turmeric powder and little salt to it.
4. Sauté for some time and off the flame.
5. Now break the eggs and transfer it to a bowl. Add sufficient salt and beat well.
6. Now add the above prepared masala to it and mix well.
7. Now prepare omelets out of it and serve hot.

SOYA KABAB

This is a very easy vegetarian dish which can be used as a snack/starter/side dish. It is prepared out of soya chunks. Soya beans are considered as a source of complete protein. Consumption of soya may also reduce the risk of colon cancer.
While preparing this dish ensure that you fry the soya just before having it. Else we will loose its crispiness and it may turn soft.


Ingredients :

1. Soya chunks – 100gm
2. Ginger Garlic Paste – 3 tsp
3. Pepper Crushed – 1 tsp
4. Chili Powder – 2 to 3 tsp
5. Curds – 2 tablespoon
6. Corn flour – 2 tablespoon (or maida)
7. Oil – for frying
8. Salt – for taste

Method:

1. Soak Soya chunks in hot water for about 10mins. It will turn double of its original size.
2. Now wash it with water at room temperature.
3. Squeeze the water fully out of it.
4. Take a bowl and add chili powder, pepper powder, ginger garlic paste, curds, salt and corn flour to it. Taste the masala and add more chili powder or salt if needed.
5. Now add the soya chunks to it and mix well. The masala should spread evenly over all the pieces.
6. Keep the marinated soya chunks aside for atleast 15mins
7. Heat oil in a flat non-stick pan.
8. Spread the soya chunks in the pan and ensure that all the pieces touch the base of the pan.
9. Keep in medium flame and when one side is cooked turn it upside down. Cook all the sides evenly until its crispy
10. Same way fry the rest of the marinated soya chunks. Serve hot.

CHILI CHICKEN

Today I want to share the recipe of Chili Chicken which is a favorite dish of Indians as well as Chinese.

Indian Chinese cuisine is the adaptation of Chinese seasoning and cooking techniques to Indian tastes. It is said to have been developed by the small Chinese community that has lived in Kolkata for over a century. It is also enjoyed by Indian and Chinese communities in Malaysia, Singapore, Alford and North America.

Ingredients :

1. Chicken – 1 kg (Cut into small pieces)
2. Capsicum - 1 big
3. Onion – 2 big
4. Tomato – 2 big
5. Spring onion – 1 bunch
6. Green chili – 1
7. Ginger Garlic Paste – 2 tsp + 2 tsp
8. Pepper Crushed – 1 tsp + ½ tsp
9. Chili Powder – 1 tsp + 1 tblsp
10. Corn flour –1 tblsp + 1 tblsp  (Maida is a substitute for corn flour)
11. Tomato Sauce – 2-3 tblsp
12. Soya Sauce – 1 tblsp
13. Red Chili Sauce – 1 tblsp (Optional)
14. Oil – 2 table spoon + for frying
15. Sugar – ½ tsp
16. Salt – for taste

Method:

1. Marinate chicken pieces with 1 tblsp red chili powder, ½ tsp pepper powder, 2 tsp ginger garlic paste and sufficient salt.
2. There are 2 options now. Either you can fry it in any refined oil or if you can cook it adding little water.
3. Then to make the gravy place a nonstick pan on the flame and pour little oil into it.
4. When oil gets heated up, add the Onions diced (Cut into big square shape), Capsicums diced.
5. Add ginger garlic paste into it and sauté for about 3mins.
6. Now add the diced tomatoes and half of the chopped spring onions
7. Immediately add chili powder, salt, all the 3 sauces and sauté for few mins.
8. Now add the chicken pieces to it. i.e; either fried or just cooked.
9. If you want the dish to be dry then you can serve at this stage by decorating it with the remaining chopped spring onions.
10. Else if you need gravy then add 1cup of boiling water into it and allow it to boil.
11. Mean while take 1tblsp of corn flour (Maida is another option) and mix it well with 1/4th cup of water (ensure that there are no lumps formed). Add it to the curry and mix well. This is to thicken the gravy.
12. Add ½ tsp of sugar and ½ tsp pepper powder into it.
13. When the gravy is thick enough remove it from the flame and decorate it with chopped spring onions. (Though Coriander leaves gives slightly a Indian flavor we can use it if we do not have spring onions)

SIMPLE GRILLED CHICKEN

Friends... :) Am back after a break with a new recipe "Grilled Chicken".Its very simple to prepare and easy on your taste buds. Do not miss it :)

Ingredients:

1. Chicken – 10 to 12 medium sized pieces
2. Ginger Garlic Paste – 1 to 1.5 tsp
3. Lime Juice – 2 tsp
4. Red Chili powder – 3/4th tsp
5. Turmeric powder – 1 pinch
6. Pepper powder –1/2  tsp
7. Red food colour - half of a pinch (only if required)
8. Oil – 1 tblsp
9. Salt – for taste

Method:

1. Prick all over the chicken pieces with the help of a fork
2. Mix all the above ingredients well and marinate the chicken pieces. Keep it aside for a minimum of 30mins.
3. Set the oven in grill mode and cook for about 20 to 30 mins. Turn the chicken pieces upside down after 10 to 15 mins of grilling. (Grilling time may vary based on the oven)
4. Garnish with onion rings mixed with lime juice and salt.

SPICY PRAWNS MASALA

Ingredients:

Spicy Prawns Masala

1. Prawns – ¼ kg
2. Onion – 1 big
3. Ginger – 1 small piece
4. Garlic – 6 cloves
5. Tomato – 1 big
6. Tomato sauce – 1 tblsp
7. Red Chili powder – 1.5 to 2 tsp
8. Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
9. Pepper powder – ¼ tsp
10. Oil – 2 tblsp
11. Chopped Coriander leaves – 2 tbsp
12. Salt – for taste

Preparation:

1. Chop onion, tomato and green chili into small pieces.
2. Crush ginger and garlic.
3. Keep a Kadai on the flame and 2 tblsp oil into it
4. Now add ginger, garlic, onions and sauté well
5. Add chili powder, turmeric powder and mix well and add chopped tomato and sauté well for about 5mins.
6. Now add prawns and sufficient salt into it.
7. Close the lid and cook for about 8 to 10mins until prawns gets cooked.
8. Now add tomato sauce.
9. Add pepper powder to it, mix well and cook for another 2 or 3 mins.
10. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot. 

CHILI FLAKES SAUCY CHICKEN

This is another new tasty dish which I cooked up. 

Ingredients:

1. Chicken – 1 kg
2. Onion – 2 Medium
3. Sambar Onion (Tiny purple onions) – 10nos (If its not available then 1 small onion can be used)
4. Dry Red Chili – 6 to 8 nos
5. Garlic – 8 cloves
6. Tomato Sauce – 3 tblsp
7. Chili Powder – 1 tsp
8. Turmeric Powder – ½ tsp
9. Coriander Leaves chopped – ½ cup
10. Oil –3 tblsp
11. Salt – for taste

Preparation:

1. Crush 6 to 8 dry chilies and 10 sambar onions in a mixer and keep aside.
2. Cut chicken into medium sized pieces, add chili powder, turmeric powder, salt and little water to it.
3. Cook until chicken is 3/4th cooked and remove it from the stove with little gravy remaining in it. (Do not allow water to get absorbed fully)
4. Keep a pan on the flame. Add oil into it. 
5. Add chopped garlic, chopped onion, little salt and sauté well.
6. Then add crushed red chilies and sambar onions to it. Sauté well until the raw taste goes.
7. Now add tomato sauce and mix well. 
8. Immediately add cooked chicken with the gravy and mix well. 
9. Close the lid and allow the chicken to get cooked completely
10. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.

MORU KAACHIYADH

This is yet another cuisine from Kerala. If I translate the name of this dish to English it would sound like Seasoned Curds. It is a curry made out of Curds. The below recipe is the basic form of the curry. You can add vegetables like 'Ash Gourd' or 'Elephants Foot' or 'Raw Banana' and make different varieties. 

Ingredients 

1. Curds – ½ liter (ensure its not very sour)
2. Grated coconut – 1/2 cup
3. Green chili – 5nos
4. Chili powder – 1/2 tsp
5. Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
6. Onion – 1 small
7. Ginger – 1 small piece
8. Garlic – 3 cloves
9. Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
10. Fenugreek seeds – ¼ tsp
11. Curry leaves – few
12. Mustard - little
13. Red chili – 2 nos
14. Oil – 2 table spoon
15. Salt – for taste

Method:

1. Cut Onion, green chili and ginger into thin long slices.
2. Grind coconut, cumin seeds and garlic together into a very fine paste.
3. Keep a Kadai on the flame and 1 tblsp oil into it.
4. Add mustard and fenugreek seeds into it. After it splatters add red chili and curry leaves into it.
5. Also add onion, green chili and ginger and sauté well until its light brown in colour.
6. Add chili powder and turmeric powder to it and mix well.
7. Immediately add coconut paste into it and mix well and then add ½ glass of water & sufficient salt to it.
8. Note: At this stage you can add any 1 vegetable specified above and allow it to get cooked fully. Add sufficient water for the vegetable to get cooked. 
9. Beat curds well in a mixer with ½ glass of water and keep aside.
10. When the curry boils reduce the flame and add the beaten curds to it and mix well.
11. When it gets heated and off the flame. (Do not allow it to boil)
12. Check the salt at this stage.
13. Now heat little oil and splutter mustard seeds. Then add curry leaves and red chilies to it.
14. Pour this seasoning over the curry and serve. 

CHICKEN SIXER

This is a very simple yet very tasty chicken dish which needs minimum number of ingredients. The main taste of this dish comes from the green chilies and curry leaves you add. Its very easy to prepare this when there are less ingredients at home and less time to cook.

Chicken Sixer

Ingredients:

1. Chicken – 1 kg
2. Green chili – 5 to 7
3. Chili Powder – ½ tsp
4. Turmeric Powder – ½ tsp
5. Curry leaves – half bunch or more than that
6. Coconut Oil – 2 table spoon
7. Salt – for taste

Preparation:

1. Cut chicken into medium sized pieces and add chili powder, turmeric powder, salt and very little water to it.
2. Cook until chicken is 3/4^th cooked and all the water content gets evaporated.
3. Take a nonstick pan and add oil into it. Add curry leaves and green chilies and sauté well.
4. Now add the cooked chicken and roast until it turns golden brown.

CHICKEN PIRALAN

This is another yummy dish from Kerala. This dish is very simple to prepare because there is no much steps to follow, we mix all the ingredients together at the beginning and then just cook well.

Chicken Piralan

Ingredients:

1.      Chicken – 1.5 kg

2.      Onion finely sliced – 3 big

3.      Green Chili sliced– 4

4.      Garlic (crushed) – 15cloves

5.      Ginger (crushed) – 1 inch piece

6.      Curry Leaves – 2 trig

7.      Chili Powder – 1.5 tsp

8.      Coriander Powder – 3 tsp

9.      Turmeric Powder – ½ tsp

10.  Garam Masala Powder – 1tsp

11.  Coconut Oil – 2 to 3 tblsp

12.  Salt – for taste

Preparation:

1. Transfer onions, chili, ginger, garlic and curry leaves to a Kadai. 
2. Add chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, salt and oil into it.
3. Mix all the ingredients very well. (Its better to mix with hand)
4. Then add chicken into it and mix very well.
5. Keep it aside for at least 15 mins.
6. Now keep the Kadai on the stove and cook the chicken in medium flame.

Note: (No need to add water while cooking. Close the Kadai with a lid while cooking. Open the lid and stir the chicken once in a while. At the end chicken should get completely cooked and masala should cover the chicken pieces.)

Capsicum Chinese chili

This Dish was an experiment by my mom. And trust me its delicious :)

Ingredients :

1. Capsicum - 3 big
2. Onion – 3 big
3. Tomato – 2 big
4. Spring onion – 1 bunch
5. Green chili – 1
6. Ginger Garlic Paste – 3 tsp
7. Pepper Crushed – 1 tsp
8. Chili Powder – ½ tsp
9. Tomato Sauce – 2-3 table spoons
10. Soya Sauce – 1 table spoon
11. Chili Sauce – 1 table spoon (Optional)
12. Red food colour – 1 small pinch (Optional)
13. Oil – 2 table spoon
14. Salt – for taste

Preparation:

1. Place a Kadai on the flame and pour oil into it.
2. When oil gets heated up, add the Onions diced (Cut into big square shape), Capsicums diced and chopped green chili.
3. Add ginger garlic paste into it and sauté for about 3mins.
4. Now add the diced tomatoes and half of the chopped spring onions
5. Immediately add chili powder, pepper powder, salt, all the 3 sauces and food colour and saute for few mins.
6. If you want the dish to be dry then you can serve at this stage by decorating it with the remaining chopped spring onions.
7. Else if you need gravy then add 1/2 cup of water into it and allow it to boil.
8. Mean while take 1-2 tsp of corn flour (Maida is another option) and mix it well with 1/4th cup of water (ensure that there are no lumps formed). Add it to the Kadai and mix well.
9. This is to thicken the gravy. When the gravy is thick enough remove it from the flame and decorate it with chopped spring onions. (If spring onions are not available then Coriander leaves can be used)

Pineapple Pachadi (Pineapple Curry)

Pineapple Pachadi

Ingredients:
1.  Ripe Pineapple – 1 medium size.
2.  Grated coconut – 1 cup
3.  Mustard – ½ tsp
4.  Curds – ½ liter or 1 cup (ensure its not very sour)
5.  Salt – for taste
6.  Sugar – 1 to 2 tsp if necessary
7.  Chili powder – 1 tsp
8.  Green Chillies – 3 small ones
9.  Finely Chopped Ginger – 1 tsp
10. Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

For Seasoning:
1.  Oil – 1 tbsp
2.  Mustard Seeds – 1/4 tsp
3.  Dry Red Chillies – 4
4.  Curry Leaves – A sprig

Method:

1. Remove the skin and pines of the Pineapple. Chop the yellow pineapple flesh finely.
2. Transfer it to a vessel and add chili powder, salt, turmeric powder, chopped green chilies, ginger, sufficient water and cook well.
3. Grind coconut and mustard seeds together into a very fine paste.  (Be careful with the amount of mustard seeds you grind. If you grind a more then the taste may get ruined.)
4. When the pineapple is cooked add the coconut paste into it. (You can adjust the consistency of the dish by increasing or decreasing the water content in the coconut paste.)
5. Again cook for another 5 mins till the raw taste of coconut goes.
6. Reduce the flame and add beaten curds to it, mix well and off the flame.
7. Check the taste at this stage. Add little sugar if required. (If the Pineapple is very sweet then no need of adding extra sugar)
8. Heat oil in a pan. Splutter mustard seeds, cumin seeds and sauté dry red chilies and curry leaves for a few minutes.
9. Pour seasoning over the Pineapple Pachadi.
10. Serve with rice.