Cutlet

    This is one of our family's favourite tea time snacks.This can be made with chicken, mutton, fish or vegetables. If you are using non-veg, precook the meat by adding a little bit of salt and turmeric and shred the meat from the bones. Enjoy your cutlets with a hot cup of tea.

Ingredients:

1 cup mixed vegetables or precooked shredded meat (chicken or mutton or fish)

1/2 tsp red chili powder

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/4 tsp garam masala

1 tbsp fennel powder

1 tsp black pepper powder

1/2 cup finely chopped onions

1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves

2 tbsp chopped curry leaves

2 1/2 cups boiled and mashed potatoes

1 cup bread crumbs for coating

3 beaten eggs

salt to taste

oil for deep frying

Method:

Heat 3 tbsp of oil in a pan and add the onion and cook till it is transparent. Then add the ginger-garlic paste and cook for a minute and then add chili powder, turmeric powder, fennel powder, garam masala and black pepper powder and mix well. After a minute, add the finely chopped mixed vegetables (i.e.carrots, beans, cabbage, cauliflower, etc.) or the shredded meat and saute it well until it coated by the masalas. Add the coriander leaves and curry leaves and check for salt. Remove from the fire and once the mixture is cooled down, add the mashed potatoes and mix it well using your hands. Check for salt at this stage as well, so that if you need more salt you can add it. Make sure you mix it evenly.

In the mean time, beat the eggs in a bowl and keep it aside. Pour the bread crumbs in a plate and keep it beside the eggs.

Now take a scoop of this mixture in your hand and roll it into a ball. Flatten the ball lightly and dip it into the beaten eggs (coat well) and then dip into the bread crumbs (coat well). Preapare all the cutlets and keep them aside.

Heat enough oil in a deep pan or kadai. Make sure that the heat  is medium high. Drop the cutlets one by one carefully into the oil. Deep fry the cutlets until they are golden brown. Drain the excess oil on a paper towel. Finally, garnish a plate with sliced onion, slit green chilies, lemon wedges and serve this hot as an appetizer.

Nombu Kanji

      

During the Holy month of Ramadan, we fast from dusk till dawn. After the sunset we break our fast with dates and  a cup of water or juice followed by kanji which is like soup. Every household makes different varieties of kanji each day. This is a meal in itself, so you can make this any time of the year. The recipe I am posting here is from my mom and it is my kids’ favourite too. For vegetarians, you can replace the chicken with one cup of mixed vegetables and add 1 vegetable stock cube.

1st group of ingredients:

1 cup basmati or raw rice

3 green chilies

1/2   tbsp ginger-garlic paste

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped tomatoes

5 cups water

salt to taste

Ingredients for gravy:

3 to 4 chicken pieces with bones

1/2 cup sliced onion

1/2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

1/2 tsp red chili powder

1/2 tsp fennel powder

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

salt to taste

Ingredients for tempering:

1 tbsp sliced shallots or finely chopped onion

 A few sprigs of curry leaves

1 tbsp ghee + 1 tbsp oil

1 cup of coconut milk to add towards the end

1/2 cup finely chopped coriander leaves

Method:

Wash the rice and place the first group of ingredients in a pressure cooker and cook well. Once the pressure is down, churn the rice nicely with the spoon and keep it aside.

Heat oil in a different pot; add cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. Add onion and sauté it well. Once the onion is golden brown, add the ginger-garlic paste and sauté for a couple of minutes and add the chicken. Brown the chicken for a couple of minutes and add chili powder, fennel powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder. Check for salt and cook till the chicken is fully cooked. Remove the meat from the bones and discard the bones. Shred the meat in the blender slightly. Add the chicken along with the gravy to the rice mixture and allow it to boil vigorously stirring regularly.  Now add coconut milk and remove from heat after 5 minutes.

Heat 1 tbsp oil and 1 tbsp ghee in a pan. Add sliced shallots or finely chopped onion and curry leaves. Once the onions are nice and brown, pour it over the rice mixture. The kanji should be of pouring consistency. Enjoy this hot with samosa, cutlet, vadai or any kind of freshly fried snacks.

Srilankan green beans curry

         I had this dish in Srilankan airways, when I was flying to India to attend my cousin's wedding in 2000.They served this curry with white rice and yellow fish curry. I liked the taste of it. So after returning back, I searched the internet and got the recipe, it had the similar taste when I made. So give it a try!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups  fresh or frozen green beans(cut into 1 1/2 inches long)

1/2 cup sliced onion

3 slit green chillies

1 cup thick coconut milk(I prefer Maggi coconut milk powder, so that you can adjust the thickness)

1 tsp chilli powder

1/4 tsp fennel or sounf powder

1 1/2 tsp coriander powder

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

salt to taste

For tempering:

1/2 tsp black mustard seed

1/4 tsp urad dal

few sprigs curry leaves

4 tbsp oil

Method:

Heat the oil. Add mustard, urad dal and curry leaves. After mustard pops, add sliced onion and green chillies and cook till the onion is slightly brown. Add the beans and saute well. Add 1/2 cup of water and salt;cover the pot and cook the beans well. Once the beans are soft, add chilli powder, fennel powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and coconut milk and let it cook on high flame for another 5 minutes with the lid open.Serve this hot with roti or rice.

Easy chicken roast

               This is a very easy to follow recipe. Just throw everything in and you'll get a very tasty gravy in about half an hour. 

Ingredients for marinade:

1 whole chicken cut into desired pieces

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tbsp ginger and garlic paste 

1 tsp lemon juice

salt to taste

Ingredients for gravy:

1 cup sliced onion

1 cup chopped tomatoes

4 slit green chilli

1 tbsp sliced garlic

1 tsp julienned ginger

few sprigs of curry leaves

1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves

2 tsp chilli powder

2 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1 tbsp fennel powder

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1 inch cinnamon , 3 crushed cardamom,3 cloves

1/2 cup yogurt

salt to taste

1/2 cup oil

Method:

Clean the chicken and marinate for 10 to15 minutes.Heat oil, add the chicken and brown this for 10 minutes on high heat.Then add all the remaining ingredients and cook  covered for another 10 minutes and remove the lid and cook on medium heat till the gravy thickens to the desired consistency.Serve this with roti, dosa or ghee rice.

                                                      

Okra Theeyal

This is a typical kerala dish made with roasted coconut.If you have a clay pot(Manchatti), try to use that, because that really enhances the taste of this curry. I'm posting this for all my vegetarian friends, who call this Bindi masala. So friends, here is the Okra Theeyal that you requested.Go ahead and try it.

Ingredients for dry roast:

3/4th cup desicated dry coconut or 1 cup fresh grated coconut

1/2 cup sliced onion

4 or 5 dried red chilli

1 tbsp coriander seed

1 tsp whole cumin

1/2 tsp whole pepper corn

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

few sprigs of curry leaves

Ingredients for tempering:

1 tsp whole cumin

1 tsp mustard seeds

1/2  tsp fenugreek seeds

few sprigs of curry leaves

2  halved dried red chilli

Other Ingredients:

1/2 cup chopped tomatoes

a marble size tamarind or 1/4 cup tamarind extract

1 lb okra (ladies finger)-cut into 1" pieces

1/2 cup sliced onion

1/2 tsp sugar or 1/2 tsp jaggery

Method:

Take a kadai or a heavy bottom pan and add all the ingredients for dry roast. Roast till the coconut turns into a nice golden brown color. Cool this off completely and grind it along with tomatoes and tamarind  to a paste(not very smooth).

In another pan, add 2 tbsp oil and add all the ingredients for tempering. Once the mustard pops, add the onion and okra and fry this for 5 minutes.Then add the ground masalas and salt to taste. Let this cook until the okra is soft. Just before removing from heat, add 1/2 tsp of sugar or jaggery. Enjoy this with white rice or roti.