Port Wine / Homemade Grape wine in Kerala

The history of Port Wine in Kerala/India : A story of Portuguese influence in Kerala. These are sweet Red wine. It is usually made during Christmas season and often enjoyed with the Plum Cake. 

Wine in Kerala are traditionally made in a "Baranni " A unique  earthen ware which is air tight and  dark in the inside and doesn't allow light to pass through however this can be made in a glass container as well, we'll just need to cover it with a thick cloth and keep in a nice dark place. 

Recipe here is how my  Amma makes it and her wine have had good reviews so do give it a try :) 

Ingredients 

Red Grapes (Preferred) -  3 kg 

Sugar - 1 kg(May add more if you want your wine to taste more sweet) 

Water - 3  liters 

Yeast - 3 Tsp (I used active dry yeast)  

Wheat Kernels/ Godambu - a hand full or more (Optional)  

Cinnamon and cloves - few (Optional) 

Method 

* Boil water and cool completely. 

* Wash the grapes and steam it just for 5 minutes in a steamer , steaming is optional. 

    Do not cook the grapes as then Grapes will not ferment. 

    Steaming is just to eliminate any bugs also to open it a little bit. 

*May blend half quantity of the grapes just for a second to extract the juice from it but this step is optional. 

* Wash and dry glass container or a Baranni. Layer first the grapes (if you decide to blend little of the grapes add first this crushed grapes for layering) and then the whole grapes then add the sugar on top. 

*Pour the boiled and cooled water to the container.

* Add wheat kernels , spices (if adding) and yeast and close the container tight. Keep it in a comparatively warmer and dark place.

* Stir this mixture daily with a dry wooden spoon

*On the 21st day (You may keep it for longer time period)  strain it using a cheese cloth , transfer to store in a  clean and dry wine bottles. 

Tips for color : To add color I used a Beetroot to the wine mixture while fermenting, just cut and put that in.  May  add caramelized sugar syrup too gives it a different brownish tint (make sure the Caramel is cooled to room temperature) 

Adding color is completely optional. Wine will turn transparent overtime. Let it sit for a month untouched and sediments settles down to give it a great natural wine color. 

Note : Wine can be made with pretty much any fruit and my family back in Kerala are exploring possibilities with Banana, Nutmeg, Orange , Pineapples and I tried making wine with Prunes, Peaches and Apples.  

And our Christmas tree 2020 

Merry Christmas! 

Cheers,

Tara 

Trivandrum Style Chicken Fry

Life has changed so much within the past few months for us.People have been so busy until  Virus came in to action, busy with the many things in life - work, family, activities, socializing and  it is alarming to see this change now. Like many others I have been under some stress with work, the ability to manage work pressure in this modified lifestyle has been challenging  at times. But on a positive note we will withstand it experiences now will make us wiser  :)

Refreshing our hobbies or starting a new one would be a great idea and may be after few years we can look back to 2020 and see some colors as right now everything looks faded to me am sure it looks the same for many of you reading.
I am inspired by a quote my daughter wrote on her Journal.

No  matter the situation you are in there is always hope, focusing on all good things in life

Since this dish is not actually fried I think it should be called Thatti Pothi Chicken , if you are not a Malayali you might find it difficult to read anyways it taste really great you should definitely give it a try.
This recipe is inspired by the Trivandrum style Chicken fry my good friend  had made for us. She shared the recipe from - Foodie Suz Recipes

Marination

Chicken - 2 Pounds (Approx)
Red chili flakes  - 1 tbsp
Kashmiri chili powder - 2 tbsp
Black pepper powder - 2 tsp (Adjust as per taste)
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Ginger- Garlic paste - 2 tbsp
Juice form one Lemon
Salt to taste
Meat Masala - preferably chicken masala powder - 2 tsp
Coconut oil - 1 tsp

For Frying / Sauteing 

Coconut oil - 1/4 cup (May use less per preference)
Curry Leaves - few springs
Green chilies - few Slit
2- 3 medium size Onion sliced
Ginger and Garlic - 1 tbsp each thinly sliced
Kashmiri Red chili Powder - 1 tbsp

Method 

• Cut chicken to medium size pieces , clean and marinate it with the ingredients listed under marination.Keep aside for sometime (10 to 20 minutes) 

• Heat coconut oil in a thick bottom pan / use a wider pan or wok  so chicken gets cooked evenly. Saute half portion of the sliced onion , curry leaves, green chilies , ginger and garlic until it starts to turn golden brown.Place marinated chicken pieces on it. 

• Turn heat to medium -low , allow chicken pieces to get cooked (10 to 15 minutes on each side).Close the pan with a lid to thoroughly cook the pieces , do stir in between. This is why I want to call it  thatti pothi , you'll need to slightly turn the chicken pieces to get it cooked, also lightly fry the outside of the chicken piece along with the fried onions which has been frying along with the chicken. 

• When chicken pieces are almost cooked.Add in the rest of the sliced onion and 1 Tbsp Kashmiri Red chili Powder, let fry in high heat for another 5-10 minutes stirring as needed until everything is cooked and combined well. 

And your Thatti Pothi chicken fry  is now ready. Perfect for a Friday night Dinner  ;)

Stay safe !

Cheers,
Tara

Pesaha Appom / Indri appom

Beautiful it is to see the trees in white flower gowns, buds of colorful flowers everywhere a sight spreading good hope, happiness and laughter, however the World is right now in a standstill ironically this is caused by something a human eye cannot even see. Nature is fighting back and it is alarming to see how this has stumbled powerful leaders and Nations. 



All we can do to save the world is to be at home. 
I am spending time with my kids, I feel they are enjoying too everything is good while staying home but anxiety peaks at times when I read the news and different articles. We have nothing much to do other than to wait and see how this goes if Man will ultimately conquer his unseen enemy.
I have some time for everything now, I cook, clean , play with my kids, read and do all household chores without stress and I felt i should update my blog too after a long break. 


Today being Maundy Thursday, Pesaha Appom and Pesaha Paal are the stars.

Pesaha Appom is a traditionally made unleavened bread made only once in a year on this day in Christian houses in Kerala. 



Ingredients 

1 cup White rice ( I used Sona Masoori rice)
2 -3 tbsp Urad Daal
Coconut grated - 1 cup (may use more)
5 to 7 No's Small Onion
Cumin seeds / Jeeragam - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

Method 

• Clean and Soak Urad dal and Rice separate in water for at least an hour 
• Grind Urad dal first, pour this to a bowl.Use less water to bring this to a paste. 
• Grind Rice with little water ( to get consistency of Appom batter)   Pour this to the ground Urad dal.Use 3/4 cup to 1 cup of water to grind) 
• Coarsely grind Coconut, Small onion and cumin seeds together -  do not grind coconut to a smooth past. Mix this to the above mixture.Add enough salt and keep aside for an hour. 

• Pour the batter to a greased plate and steam until done (20 - 30 minutes in medium to low heat) 

Waking up to see this beauty is a blessing I am thankful for :) 
though the flowers wouldn't stay for long and may shred soon , the crisis now will also pass. 

Let this time bring a lovely change to the Human kind when each of us would think about  other living beings here and make our Earth even more beautiful for the generations to come.
Happy Easter in advance 

Cheers,
Tara