Vegetable Upma Recipe

Am getting carried away seeing the happiness and smiles on familiar around,
 "Joy" which comes with December.....though I have a big task in front of me, probably this month  :/
Anyways its time to forget all worries/anxieties, thanking Almighty for another year in our life that we complete this month and hope to have a wonderful New-year.
We should go in pace with the celebration and enjoy :) no matter what as "December" comes again only after a year :D

"Upma" is a very popular, easy to make South Indian Breakfast,
Recipe here has a creamy twist which will make your Upma extra rich and flavorful,
Do give it a try and you'll never be disappointed :)

Ingredients 

Rava/Semolina - 1 cup
Onion - 1/2 of One medium sized, finely chopped
Green Chili's - 3 No's
Tomato - 1/2 of one medium sized, finely chopped
Carrot - 1 medium sized - finely chopped
Beans - 4-6 no's chopped (Optional)
Ginger - 1/2 inch size Piece - finely chopped
Garlic - 2 No's finely chopped
Ghee/ Vegetable Oil - 3 Tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Split Urad Dal - 1/2 tsp (Optional)
Split Gram Dal - 1 tsp (Optional)
Cashew nuts or Peanuts -  1 tbsp (Optional)
Cilantro/Coriander leaves - 1tbsp chopped (Optional) -avaoid if you dislike its taste.
Ghee - 1 tsp (Optional)
Salt to taste.


And the secret ingredient -
Cooking cream or Whole fat boiled - Milk - 1 cup 

Method 

* Dry roast  Rava in a heated Kadai/Pan for 5 minutes in medium heat, transfer roasted rava to an other plate.

* Heat Ghee/Oil in the kadai, add mustard seeds and allow to splutter, then add cumin seeds and the grams - Urad dal & Gram dal (if using), saute for a minute and add Ginger, garlic and chilies, followed by onion, carrots and Beans (If using) saute in medium heat for 5-10 minutes till the vegetables looks almost cooked.

* Then add Cashew-nuts/Peanuts (If using) , cilantro (If using) and tomato, cook for another 2- 3 minutes stirring vigorously

* Pour 2 cups of water to this and add salt , then pour 1 cup Heavy cream or  whole fat Milk, allow to boil.

* Add 1 tsp of Ghee (optional) to the boiling water + milk and slowly add in the roasted Rava, keep heat to medium-low and stir it while it gets slowly thickened.

*When the Rava looks soaked with the water and it starts to thicken a bit, switch off the heat and allow to get cooked and thicken with the heat within it for 2-3 minutes.

* Serve this creamy, delicious Upma immediately while its still hot, with ghee and Sugar.

Notes :

I like my Upma to be soggy, so I added 3 cups of liquid for 1 cup of Rava, In Kerala Upma is made dry with less water and its enjoyed with Banana/Plantain and sugar.
If you need it dry add just 1 cup water and 1/2 cup Milk or cream (if adding) , and cook the same in low heat stirring vigorously till the Upma looks dry.

*Do try adding milk as it gives a very creamy texture and flavor to the Upma, but do add boiled milk only if using.

Cheers
TN 

Achappam (Kerala Rosette Cookies)

My pregnancy this time reminded me of many things that I loved to eat while I grew up. Fried Sardine-eggs , Jackfruit & many snacks made with the it & Indian Coffee House special "Masala Dosa"
I am grateful to all my dear friends who brought special food for me all these 8 months, I didn't miss my home much because of you guys  & am so glad that I have you all :)
Since Achappom is my all time favorite snack decided to try making it , I haven't made it before. 

Glad it came out really good for me, though It didn't come out well the first batch was wasted. Correct temperature of Oil and Achu/ mold is the key. 

To make "Achappam" you'll need this special "Achu" specially designed mold, I brought it from Kerala,  but it came out really well, these are available in Amazon, there's variations of these and Non stick varieties too which would be great especially if its your first try 

Yes , again it tested my patience initially while frying'em, but was determined to make it alright until I mastered some tricks while making the same,

Temperature of the oil while frying, getting  used to some "not so good" properties of Iron mold "Achu" , the consistency of batter etc are important, we learn with experience, may be I found it difficult because I haven't seen the way its made.
But I must write it tasted better than any Achappam that I had anytime in my life :)

Please note the lines given in "Bold" in the description given below, if planning to make these. 

Ingredients 

Rice flour - 2 cups
Maida / All purpose flour - 1 tbsp (Optional)
Thick Coconut Milk - 3/4 cup (Approx, adjust as per need)
    (may use full fat Cow's milk too though its not used traditionally)
Egg - 1 small beaten
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Black Sesame seeds - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
A pinch of Salt

Oil for frying

Method 

* Mix all ingredients listed above for the batter, in a bowl , adjust the quantity of coconut milk to make batter thin in consistency, thinner than Dosa batter (or pan cake batter). Keep this for 20 to 30 minutes.

* Heat oil in a deep wok or saucepan, dip and keep the "Achu" Iron mold in the oil while its gets heated (at least for 5 minutes) until the oil and the "Achu" is really hot, bring down the heat to medium high.

* Transfer a small amount of the batter to another steel or aluminium bowl, so that each time you dip the hot "Achu"in to the batter, it doesn't make any changes to the whole batter, also its good to make these in batches especially if making these for the first time. You may make any changes to the next batch if its not coming out well with the first attempt.

* Check if the oil is really heated by frying few drops of batter in to the oil and it should bubble up fast. Once the oil is ready, take out the "Achu"/Iron Mold from the oil, shake off excess oil from the "Achu" and dip it to the prepared batter, immediately drop this "Achu" to the oil.
Do not dip the whole Achu/iron mold into the batter , then the batter wouldn't come out of it while frying. 

* Once the Achu/iron mold is in the oil, wait for few seconds and then shake it lightly so that the Achappam comes out of it and gets fried, turn to the other side after few more seconds. Should be light brown in color on both sides.
If the Achappam doesn't get separated from the mold, use a fork to help separate it slowly,

* Ensure that the Mold/Achu is really hot every time you dip it to the batter or else the batter wouldn't get stick to it, also shake off excess oil from it before dipping the same in to the batter each time, its good to keep the Achu/Mold dipped in the heated oil after each Achappom is made, so that its temperature is maintained.Fry the rest of the Achappam's similarly.

* These Achappam's would be soft just after frying , place the fried Achappam's on to a tissue-paper and allow to cool and get crispy. Once cooled, transfer'em to an air tight container or Ziploc bag, it stays for a few weeks.

 Enjoying Crispy Achappoms
:D

Notes : Please note the lines given in "Bold" in the description above if planning to make "Achappom"

Cheers
TN

Happy Onam , Cherupayar Payasam Recipe

When I was a kid,the most exciting thing during Onam was to collect flowers to make Pookalam (Flower Carpet), now that I am grown up, it has been replaced by the preparation of Sadhya (Feast), there was a time in between when I was in my teens that I used to wait for Onam only because I could wear Kerala Set-Saree - which is slightly different from the normal Saree, dress like a "Malayalee" (Keralite)

Onam is a festival beyond any religious boundaries ,though the believes related to the same and the traditions are typically followed by the Hindus in our place, but most of our homes would have a Sadhya (Feast) prepared on that day & also would have a "Pookalam" (Flower Carpet) in front of our house.
I wish I was in Kerala,I could  help my NA make a "Pookalam" &  make Sadhya, sit with my family and enjoy the same after which we would lie down watching TV as all you can do after this grand  feast is to just rest :D

Here's a video I made :)

Photo Courtesy - Sadhya Pic www.hungryforever.com
                          - Pulikali Pic http://www.flickriver.com
                          - Pookalam Pic http://webneel.com

Following are links to some of the recipe's of Side dishes posted in this blog , which are usually prepared for Sadhya - yet to post all the side dishes for a Kerala Sadhya :( 

Parippu Curry / Kerala Style Dal
Kerala Sambar

Inji Curry / Ginger curry with Tamarind 

Mathanga Erissery
Olan  (Central Kerala Style)
Kalan

Vellarikka Pacha

Beetroot Pachadi

Thoran with Cabbage or Cauliflower 

Mezhukkupurattiathu With Achinga Payar /Long Beans 

Paalpayasam - Rice Payasam

Sharing  a very special Kerala Dessert recipe , made during all festive occasions
"Cherupayar Payasam"
To be honest I haven't made it much,as someone in my family doesn't appreciate it :(

I miss that Dark Brown color in my payasam here, which is possible only with the extra brown Jaggery/Brown Sugar or Palm sugar that we get in our place.

Ingredients 

Cherupayar/ Green Gram - 3/4 cup 

I made it with whole gram instead of split gram & used a pressure cooker to make it easier.

Jaggery/Raw Brown sugar/Sharkkara - 1 and 1/2 cups ( used about 7 pieces) 

Thick Coconut Milk (Onnampaal) - 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup 

Thin Coconut Milk (Randampaal)  - 2 - 3 cups (I made it with store bought coconut milk, diluted the same  with some water) 

Dry ginger powder/ Chukku podi - 1/4 tsp

Cumin powder - a pinch 

Coconut pieces - 2 tbsp 

Cashew-nuts & Raisins - 2 tbsp (more or less) 

Cardamom -  4-6 no's crushed. 

Ghee/ Clarified Butter - 1 to 2 tbsp

Method 

* In a pressure cooker, heat some ghee(2-3 tsp), saute Green gram's in this for 4-6 minutes in medium heat, let cool for sometime (10 -15 minutes) and give this a pulse in the blender. (Do not powder the same, it just needs to get broken lightly) 

* Pour Thin coconut milk (Randampaal) to this shallow fried Green gram & cover with the lid, wait for 2 whistles and switch off the heat. Allow to cool for some time.

* In the mean time, melt Jaggery with some water (1/4 to 1/2 cup) water , strain and keep aside.

I use the microwave to melt the same,it is much easy to melt it this way. 

* Once the pressure is gone, add the melted Jaggery and bring to boil, add crushed cardamom, Dry ginger powder(Chukku podi) & a pinch of cumin powder. 

* When the payasam reaches the required consistency, add the thick Coconut milk and switch off the heat.(It is better to make it thin as this tends to become thick when allowed to sit for a while) 

* In another pan, heat the rest of the ghee, fry Coconut bits, then add cashewnuts and,raisins,fry till everything looks brown.Add this to the prepared Payasam and Serve.  

Enjoy :) 

Notes :

I made this payasam initially by mixing jaggery/sugar & pulses together but payar/Green gram didn't get cooked even after pressure cooking the same for 3-5 whistles, that is the science I haven't learned ;)  Addition of sugar delays the cooking process. 

  Hence while preparing Payar Payasam, add sugar/Jaggery only after its cooked in Milk, that's how its done :) 

Now that Sadhya is the main attraction, sharing with you few tips that I learned from my mistakes, am sure I have much to learn while preparing a grand Sadhya :)

•  Different vegetables have varied cooking time, while cooking recipes with the combination of root vegetables and other vegetable's (with less cooking time) like Kalan, Avial, Sambar  etc , care should be taken when you cut the vegetable's, let the root vegetable's be little bigger in size than the other vegetable's.

•  I made an Alleppey style Errishery last week and was very disappointed with its taste, as this is one dish I will ask my Mom to make when I am at home and it never tasted this bad :(  After researching I realized that the vegetable's weren't cooked properly. Flavors of vegetable's get released only if it is cooked nicely for certain dishes (Errisheri, Kalan etc) the vegetable's need to be nicely cooked and mashed, then alone would it contribute to the authentic taste.

• Salt shouldn't be added initially to those dishes which need legumes (Pulses, like sambar, Errisery, Parippu Curry etc) as the addition of salt to the legumes/Pulses would delay its cooking process. Hence add salt only after cooking pulses well, also some starchy vegetable's (Chena / suran , Kaya /Raw banana etc) also tend to have the same property. 

While all other Vegetable's like Onion, tomato's, cucumber - those vegetable's which has more water content in it tend to cook faster when salt is added to'em.

•  Cook and keep dishes like Rasam , Inji puli etc , a day before the Sadhya as it taste best when its allowed to sit for some time. Also if you are inviting people for sadhya, its better to cook and keep the legumes/pulses/Parippu for parippu curry, sambar etc a day before, this would make cooking easier.

•  Do not cook vegetable's for more time after the addition of ground coconut and curd. This is the first thing everyone learns while preparing any dish with coconut, as high temperature tends to curdle and would contribute a "not-very pleasing texture"  :)  

•  Make dishes with Coconut Oil for all Kerala Sadhya dishes as everything tastes authentic only with Coconut oil in it :). 

Also addition of Coconut pieces for Mezhukkupurati (Payar, beans etc which doesn't need grated coconut) would make it extra rich and flavorful.

•  Do not forget to store Dry red chili's, curry leaves, coconut pieces while planning to prepare Sadhya, as it plays a major role in seasoning  the dishes. these not only contributes to the look of the curry, also gives extra flavor's and makes the dish complete. 

•  While preparing white payasams, take correct measurements of Semiya, rice etc as the addition of more would make the Payasam thick and ruin the dessert. Hence take accurate measurements while make the same.

•  While preparing Payar Payasam, Rice Payasam etc, add sugar/Jaggery only after the rice, Payar etc is cooked in Milk (at last) as the addition of sugar  initially delays the cooking process. Add less sugar initially and the rest after everything is nicely cooked. 

Wishing you all a very Blessed and Happy Onam :) 

Cheers

TN 

Chicken Roll

Happy Independence day weekend.
Hope you'are all having fun....waiting for the fire works.
I am super happy today as its the 200th post in this blog.
Thanks to all who visits this blog frequently :)

Have a very filling snack to share, this was my childhood favorite, used to enjoy these after school when my brother buy these from the bakery nearby our house,
here in the US I haven't seen much local bakeries like what we had in India,other than the fast-food chains, other local bakeries here are really expensive :(
These bakery store's in every nook and corner in our place used to be our "Hunger 911" a relief for the working mother's.

Its little tricky & time consuming, to make the pan cake to wrap the filling then coating and frying'em, but worth doing I must write.
Its also calorie rich, once in a while its fine ;)
You may buy the Spring roll wrap's that we get in the grocery store's here instead of making everything from scratch, in that case you need not have to coat'em in egg or bread crumbs.
I did this the traditional way of making'em in my place, wanted to spend some time cooking today because I made this for my Blog...Well...usually its for my family ;)

Here's is the recipe

Ingredients 

For the Filling 

Chicken Breast - 1 pound (Approx) slice'em to big chunks.
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Vinegar - 1 tbsp
Ginger and Garlic - Minced 1 Tbsp each
Green Chili's - 2 no's (Adjust as per your preference)
Black Pepper corns - 1/2 tbsp (Whole)
Cinnamon stick - 1 small
Cloves - 3-5 no's
Cardamom - 4-6 no's
Salt to taste

For roasting the Filling 

Onion - 1 Medium (finely chopped)
Cabbage - 1/4th of 1 medium head (finely chopped) - Optional
Celery - 1/4 cup (finely chopped) -Optional
Vegetable Oil - 2 tbsp

For the Wrap 

All purpose flour - 1 to 2 cup's (Approx)
Soy sauce - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Water - to make the batter (need a free flowing batter, lighter as possible)

For Coating & Frying 

Egg's - 2 no's (Lightly beaten)
Bread crumbs - as required (I used store bought Bread crumbs seasoned with Italian seasoning)
Oil- for frying

Method 

Make the Filling 

* Mix well all the ingredients given under filling, rub them nicely to the chicken breast pieces and cook'em in low heat, till the water in the chicken is all dried and the chicken pieces are well cooked.
(May add little water to the marinade to prevent the pieces stick to the bottom of the pan, do not add more water)

* Grind or use the shred option in your blender to shred the cooked chicken pieces, shred'em along with the spices and all the other ingredients it was cooked with.

* Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan, saute onion , celery and cabbage (finely chopped), cook these in high heat stirring continuously till the onion's looks golden brown, mix in the shredded chicken mixture, stir and cook again for another 5- 7 minutes in high heat. Switch off the heat and allow to cool.

Make Wraps 

* Mix All purpose flour, salt,soy sauce and water to make a thin batter(Make it thin as possible)
  (Adjust the flour and water accordingly)

*Heat a pan cake pan (or a Dosa pan) keep the temperature in Low to medium only

* Pour a ladle full of the batter to the heated pan(pan shouldn't be too hot), make these pan cakes as thin as possible (Heat should be low otherwise its not possible to make thin pan cakes)

*Flip to the other side and cook till the pan cake's looks done on both sides.

* Place these pan cakes on a plate, add 1 tbsp (or less ) of the filling on the middle of the pan cakes.

* Roll'em as shown in the pic, may use little batter at the ends to make it thick and keep the wraps tight.

Coating & Frying 

* Heat Oil in a shallow pan,(Usually its deep fried, I tried to shallow fry'em and it came out good)

* Dip each Roll's in lightly beaten eggs first then coat them with bread crumbs.

Keep the heat medium to low, as the breadcrumbs tend to brown faster, I was little impatient here (As usual)

* Fry each Roll's in medium heat till all sides look brown & Crispy in the outside.

Enjoy a very filling and delicious evening snack.

Thanks to all my friends and readers, for the support and inspiration,
this keep me going :)

Happy 200 rt post :)

Cheer's
TN

Potato and Mushroom Curry (For rice or Roti)

I never wished for a summer this hot to burn you when you are out even for a minute :(
temperature here reached as high as 105 Degree F last week and more expected in the coming months.
Though I like to have Non vegetarian dishes always, this time of the year is when we'll need to avoid rich, spicy, non vegetarian foods and concentrate on making food cooling and simple as much possible, especially for those who are out in the sun during day time.
Drinking lot of water, fruit juices, coconut water, including yogurt once in a day, having at least 1 fruit daily (Watermelon, Grapes and other fruits with lots of fluids in it)  and including herbs like mint  and other cooling vegetables like Cucumber regularly are ways to keep our body cool.

I felt guilty when I had chicken continuously for 2-3 days last week so decided to go vegetarian at least for few days, though its not an easy task to keep my family happy with the same.

This is a simple and tasty potato curry, recipe is typical way of making potato curry for rice in Kerala, I just included mushroom to make it extra nutritious,if you dislike mushrooms may avoid the same and make it even simpler :)
Used Button mushrooms here, as these are good source of Vitamins and Minerals, benefited only if they aren't overcooked, hence care should be taken while cleaning and cooking the same, a quick rinse under running water then patting'em dry using kitchen towel or tissue is the best way to clean them, as the more it gets exposed to water, more nutrients (B vitamins) gets drained away, also slicing the same just before cooking them keeps its nutrients intact.

Ingredients 

Potatoes - 3 no's cut in to small size pieces.
Button mushrooms - 5-8 numbers ( cleaned and sliced as written above)
Onion - 1 small , sliced
Tomato - 1/2 of 1 whole tomatoes thinly sliced
Ginger & Garlic - 1 tsp finely chopped
Green Chili's - 2 no's slit
Fennel Seeds/Perumjeerakam - 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1 tbsp
Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Coconut Milk -(Thick) 1/2 cup
Oil - (Coconut oil or any Vegetable Oil) 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Curry leaves - 1 or 2 springs (Optional, I didn't use)

Method 

* Boil and cook potato pieces until cooked nicely, keep aside.

*Heat oil in a pan(Cheena chatti) , add first fennel seeds first , followed by ginger,garlic, onion and tomato pieces & Curry leaves (if using). Saute till the oils starts to separate.

* Add the powders (Coriander powder, Turmeric powder and Red chili powder) , cook for a minute and add sliced mushrooms(slice them just before adding it for cooking)

* Saute for 2 minutes in medium heat, until the mushrooms starts to sweat and release water.

* Add the cooked potato pieces along with the water in which it was cooked, add salt , stir and cook for another 5 minutes until the curry starts to boil and reduce.

* When the curry reaches the needed consistency (Thick or thin as you want it to be) add Coconut milk, stir and switch off the heat.

Enjoy potato and mushroom curry with plain rice,  Roti or any Bread.

Notes :
            Make this curry thick or thin, how ever you want it to be, if you like it thick boil the curry until very less water left before adding coconut milk.
            Coconut Milk is optional too, though it makes this dish rich and extra flavorful.
            This curry thickens a bit when it sits because of the potatoes in it.
            May omit Mushrooms and make these with potatoes alone 

Chutney Powder for Idli / Idli Podi (Kerala Style) Recipe

"Idli" with Sambar is said to be India's most healthiest Breakfast dish as per many surveys including one conducted by the Times of India - a leading News paper there.

 though there are many controversies regarding the use of white rice in making Idli-batter, 

I believe that its super healthy, as Sambar is a perfect combination of proteins from Dal/ Pulses and all essential vitamins and minerals with the variety of mixed vegetables that we add in it.

This with Idli - a steamed , no oil Break fast with rice and Dal(Pulses) again contributes the perfect amount of Carbohydrates and protein to jump start the day. 

what ever the controversies may be, Its my most preferred  Breakfast, not just because its tasty but also because its easy to make if we have the batter prepared, it stays in fridge for a couple of days, making morning's stress free.

Idli Powder / Chutney Powder is a great accompaniment to Idli / Dosa or any variety of Dosa dishes that we can make. For me its an asset to keep in the pantry, in case if I don't have time to make Coconut chutney or Sambar every-time you make Idli / Dosa's. 

Its NA's favorite too, I think its liked by most kids, give it a try if you haven't,
 as it will make your life better if your kids like it :) 

There are different varieties of the same, I usually make it less spicy as NA is the one who likes it the most here, use more chili's or peppercorns to make it spicy also it alters the color of the same making it little dark.

Ingredients 

Urad Dal /Uzhunnu (I use split,may use whole Urad dal) - 1 cup 

Channa Dal / Kadala Parippu - 1/4 cup

Dry Red chilies - 7 no's or more  (adjust as per your preference) 

Black Peppercorns - 1 tsp (may add more) 

Asafoetida /Hing/Kayam - 1 tsp

Curry Leaves - few springs (Add more if you have) 

Raw Brown Rice/Kerala rice  - 2 Tbsp (Optional)

Garlic - 3 to 5 No's (Optional) 

Salt to taste

Method 

* In a kadai/Pan add Urad dal(Uzhunnu) , Channa Dal(Kadala Parippu) & Raw Brown Rice (if using) Roast these ingredients in medium heat, stirring constantly until everything starts to turn lightly brown.

* Add then Dry red chili's , Curry leaves, Garlic(if using) and Peppercorns and continue to roast'em in medium heat for another 5 to 7 minutes, until raw taste of everything leaves and turns light brown.

* Switch off the heat, and add Asafoetida(Kayam) & salt to taste. Allow to cool a bit. 

*Grind these to fine powder and store them in any air tight container, stays out for several months.

*Mix this with Gingely Oil(Nallenna) or Ghee or any oil & enjoy with Idli or any Dosa.

Cheers
TN