Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut Butter Cookies

Makes: 12

You will need

1 cup (100 g) peanut butter
1 cup (100 g) sugar
1 egg, beat well

Method

In a bowl, mix all the ingredients with a tablespoon. Make a soft dough.

Preheat oven (OTG) at 170 *C or 325 * F.

Drop about 1 teaspoon of dough onto the prepared baking sheets / baking tray and leave 1 - inch gap between each cookie dough.

Bake at 170 * C or 375 * F for 15 - 20 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges. Cool completely on wire rack and then remove carefully.

Padavilanga (Snake gourd / Poddele) Rings Fry

Padavilanga Rings Fry (Snake gourd / Poddele Fry)

A tasty side dish with Rice !!!

Serves: 2

You will need

200 g padavilanga (1 medium size piece)

½ teaspoon salt

1/2 water (100 ml)

Method

Wash and clean padavilanga. Gently remove the outer layer. Use chopstick or big needle to remove seeds from inside. Cut into circles (1/8 – inch ).

In a bowl, boil padavilanga / poddele pieces with 1/2 cup water and salt for 10 minutes or until tender and drain out water. Keep aside.

For seasoning:

1 tablespoon oil

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

½ teaspoon jeera (cumin seeds)

½ teaspoon urad dal

1 green chilli, slit lengthwise

1 dried red chilli , broken

6 cloves garlic, chopped

6 shallots / chuvannulli / small onion, chopped

Final preparation:

In a pan, heat oil. Add mustard seeds. When they crackle, add jeera and urad dal. Saute for 1 minute.

Add slit green chilli and red chilli. Stir well for 2 minutes.

Add chopped garlic and shallots. Stir fry on a low to medium heat until crisp and golden color.

Add separately boiled padavilanga rings and adjust salt to taste. Gently stir well for 5 minutes or until all the seasoning ingredients well mixed with padavilanga / poddale rings. Serve as a side dish with Rice.

Kerala style Naadan Egg (Mutta) Roast

A very popular egg dish in Kerala restaurants, Housebats and Thattukada ... (Thaaraav mutta (Duck egg) will give best result)

You will need

2 boiled eggs (Duck egg (Thaaraav mutta) will give best result)

¾ teaspoon red chilli powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon oil

Method

Marinate boiled eggs with red chilli powder and salt for 1 hour.

Heat oil in a frying pan. Reduce the heat to low and shallow fry marinated eggs till golden brown. Approximate frying time 12 minutes on a low to medium heat. Serve hot.

Cheese Balls & Creamy Cheese Balls Curry

Cheese Balls

A very tasty deep fried snack. Rich in taste & High in calories !!!!

Makes: 17 cheese balls

You will need

1 cup (200 ml) milk, boiled
50 g butter
1 cup (200 g) all purpose flour (maida)
2 cheese cubes, grated
1 egg, beat well
1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder or 1/2 teaspoon pepper powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
250 ml oil (to deep fry)
Tomato sauce for serving

Method

In a bowl, heat boiled milk and butter together.

Add all purpose flour immediately. Switch off the heat and remove bowl from the gas stove.

Add beaten egg and mix well.

Add grated cheese, red chilli powder or pepper powder and salt to taste. Mix thoroughly with a tablespoon until it forms a soft ball.

Divide the cheese mixture into 17 parts and make round balls (each ball weighs 20 g). Avoid keeping cheese balls without frying for too long. Deep fry within 5 minutes.

Heat oil in a pan. Reduce heat to low and deep fry cheese balls until golden color on both the sides (8 - 9 cheese balls at a time). Maintain low to medium heat.

Drain out from the oil and place on kitchen towel to absorb extra oil. Serve hot with tomato sauce.

For the creamy cheese balls curry:

Tip: Allow the curry to stand for at least one hour before serving so that the gravy and cheese balls absorbs all the flavors.

You will need

10 cheese balls
Serves: 3

Main ingredient

24 cashew nuts
50 ml (1/4 cup) water

Soak cashew nuts in 1/4 cup (50 ml) water for 1 hour and make a smooth paste in a mixer (along with water). Keep aside.

Other ingredients:

1 tablespoon oil
1 onion, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 - inch piece ginger, very finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1/4 teaspoon garam masala powder
3/4 teaspoon salt ( or to taste )
Extra 100 ml ( 1/2 cup) water
2 teaspoons chopped coriander leaves

For the curry:

Dilute red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and garam masala powder with 2 tablespoon water and keep aside ( spice mix).

Heat oil in a pan. Add finely sliced onion and fry till pink color.

Add finely chopped garlic, ginger and fry on a low to medium heat until golden color and crisp.

Add diluted spice mix. Mix it well and fry for 2 minutes or till the raw smell goes and water dries up.

Add cashew nut paste and mix it well. Add extra 100 ml ( 1/2 cup) water and salt to taste.

Cover with a lid and cook on a low heat for 10 - 12 minutes until the cashew nut mixture slightly thickens.

Gently arrange fried cheese balls into the gravy and cook again on a low heat for 5 minutes.

Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves.

Serve with any Indian breads or Pulao varieties of your choice.

Thalassery Chicken Dum Biryani

Thalassery is a small town on the Malabar coast of Kerala and district head quarter is Kannur. Thalassery is famous for Malabar Muslim cuisine. Popular dishes are Thalassery chicken / mutton dum biryani, Arikadukka, Nei pathiri, Thanneeramrit, Kalathappam, Kinnathappam, Kozhiyada, Pazham vaattiyathu, Varutharacha Sambar, Varutharacha meen curry, Elanchi pollichathu, Chemmen Ethal Orotti, Orotti, Mutta Pathiri, Chemmeenunda, Alisa, Banana halwa & Cakes.

Thalasseri Chicken Dum Biryani

Serves: 5 - 6

Ingredients

For the Rice:

Tip - Please use same measuring cup to measure rice and water. Jeerakasala rice is a popular variety of aromatic rice used in Tamilnadu and Kerala. As the name suggests the grains are smaller in size like jeera ( cumin seeds ). It is very tasty and fragrant when cooked. Available at whole sale rice merchants in Chennai ( Rs60 - 65/ kg ), More, Nilgiris and other leading supermarkets. Ratio of rice and water is 1: 1 1/2

4 1/2 cups water

2 bay leaves

6 cloves

6 cardamoms

3 cinnamon stick (1 - inch in size)

2 star anise

2 teaspoons ghee

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3 cups (600 g) jeerakasala rice

Method

For the rice:

Wash and clean rice. Do not soak in water.

Heat 4 1/2 cups water in a heavy bottomed vessel or non stick pan. Add bay leaves, cloves, cardamoms, cinnamon, star anise, ghee and salt. When the water boils completely, add cleaned rice. Cover with a tight lid and cook on a low heat for 15 - 18 minutes or until the water completely dries up and each rice grains should be separated. Keep aside.

For fried onion - cashew nuts and raisins:

45 ml oil / ghee (3 tablespoons)

2 onions, finely sliced

1 tablespoons cashew nut splits

1 tablespoons raisins

Method

Heat oil in a pan. Add finely sliced onions and fry on a low to medium heat until golden color and crisp. Do not fry on high heat. Approximate frying time is 15 - 18 minutes. Drain out oil and keep aside.

Add cashew nut splits and fry on a low heat until golden color.

Add raisins and fry on a low heat until golden color. Keep aside. Do not use remaining oil.

For the chicken masala:

2 tablespoons oil

3 onions, finely sliced

6 green chillies, slit lengthwise

2 - inch piece ginger

24 cloves garlic (2 big pods)

1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves

1 tablespoons chopped mint leaves

2 tomatoes, chopped

900 g (net weight after cleaning) chicken pieces, cut into medium size

3/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon garam masala powder

Method

Finely crush slit green chillies, garlic and ginger. No need to make fine paste in a mixer / blender (or you can use mortar and pestle). Keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan. Add finely sliced onions and fry medium golden color.

Add crushed ginger - garlic and green chilli mixture. Stir well on a low to medium eat until light brown.

Add chopped tomato and chopped coriander - mint leaves. Stir well for 5 - 8 minutes.

Add chicken pieces and salt to taste. Mix well.

Add lemon juice. Stir well continuously on a low heat for 2 - 3 minutes.

Add garam msala powder. Cover with a tight lid and cook on a low heat for 25 - 35 minutes or until done and soft / gravy thickens. Do not add water when cooking.

For the dum:

Extra 1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves

Extra 1 tablespoon chopped mint leaves

1 cup (125 g) maida (to make seal - Mix maida with 1/2 cup water and make a dough (like chapati dough)

Extra 1 tablespoon ghee

Clean wet towel or a clean & wet Kerala thorth

Final preparation:

Dum method:

In a heavy - bottomed vessel or biryani pot, spread a layer of chicken masala (along with thick gravy) and half portion of cooked rice. Make 2 layers with cooked rice and chicken masala. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon ghee, chopped mint and coriander leaves, fried onions, cashew nuts and raisins (1 teaspoon diluted saffron & 1 teaspoon rose water, optional). Carefully place a wet towel over it. It'll retain the flavor of the biryani.

Cover with a tight lid. Seal with maida dough on the edges of the lid. Heat a heavy - bottomed iron kadai. Keep biryani pot over it. Cook on a low heat for 25 - 30 minutes. You can find a color change on the maida seal. Open the seal carefully. Serve with raita / pickle / boiled egg / pappadam.

Cabbage Soup

Cabbage Soup

A low calorie healthy soup !!!!

Serves: 2

You will need

1 teaspoon butter
1 cup (200 g) finely shredded cabbage
1 onion or 2 tablespoons chopped onion
4 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups of water ( 400 ml)
2 teaspoon chopped celery or 2 teaspoon chopped coriander leaves
Pepper powder to taste

Method

In a pan, heat butter on a low heat. Add finely shredded cabbage, chopped onion, garlic and salt. Stir well for 2 minutes.

Add 2 cups of water (400 ml). Cover with a lid and cook on a low to medium heat for 15 minutes.

Keep aside to cool for 15 minutes.

Transfer the cabbage mixture into a mixer bowl and make a smooth paste / blend well.

Heat again blended cabbage mixture for 3 minutes on a low heat.

Serve hot with chopped celery or coriander leaves and pepper powder to taste.

Masala Vadai Kuzhambu

Masala Vadai Kuzhambu

Deep fried lentil fritters in spicy tamarind gravy. A delicious main curry in Tamil cuisine.

Tip - Allow the kuzhambu to stand for at least one hour before serving so that gravy and vadais absorb all the flavors.

Serves: 4 - 5
Makes: 16 vadais

You will need

For vadai:

1 cup (100 g) channa dal (Bengal gram dal)
1 cup (100 g) urad dal
1 tablespoon raw rice
2 green chillies, finely chopped
10 shallots / sambar onion / small onion, finely sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 curry leaves, finely chopped
200 ml oil (to fry vadais)

Method

For vadai:

Wash and soak channa dal, urad dal and rice for 3 hours in 3 cups of water. Drain out water and make a thick paste in a mixer. Sprinkle very little water (1 - 2 tablespoons) when making batter.

Transfer the vadai batter to another bowl and mix with chopped green chillies, shallots, salt and curry leaves. Stir well continuously for 2 - 3 minutes or until well blended.

Heat oil in a kadai. Reduce heat to medium and drop teaspoons (use small spoons which shape like ice cream scoop to get evenly round shape) of the vadai batter (8 vadais at a time ) and fry till golden color on both the sides.

Drain and place on kitchen towel to absorb excess oil. Keep aside.

For kuzhambu (spicy tamarind gravy):

Soak small lemon size dry tamarind in 1 1/4 cup water for half an hour and extract 1 cup tamarind juice or mix 2 teaspoons thick tamarind paste with 1 cup water. Stir well and make a smooth tamarind juice. Keep aside.

Other ingredinets

1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (venthayam / methi)
1 onion, finely chopped
10 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tomato (1 big or 2 small size, pick well ripe), finely chopped or 2 tablespoons tomato puree
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
1 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
2 pinches turmeric powder
1/4 teaspoon hing (asafoetida)
Extra 1/2 cup water (75 - 100 ml)
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1 teaspoon chopped coriander leaves (optional)

Method

Dilute red chilli powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder in 3 tablespoons water (spice mix) and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. When they crackle, add methi seeds and stir well.

Add finely chopped onion and fry on a low to medium heat till pink color.

Add chopped garlic and fry for 3 - 4 minutes / until fragrant.

Add chopped tomato / tomato puree and stir well for 2 - 3 minutes.

Add diluted spice mix and hing. Stir continuously for 2 - 3 minutes.

Add tamarind extract / juice, extra 1/2 cup water and salt to taste. Mix all the ingredients well.

Cover with a tight lid and cook on a low to medium heat for 15 minutes or until the gravy thickens.

Add vadais gently and cook again for 3 minutes on a low heat.

Serve with rice. Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves (optional).

Aloo Capsicum

Aloo Capsicum

A popular North Indian dish. Best combo with Rotis / Rice !!!!

Serves: 3

You will need

2 teaspoons oil
1/2 teaspoon jeera (cumin seeds)
1 capsicum, remove seeds and cut into cubes
1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder (1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder or 3/4 teaspoon normal red chilli powder)
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon amchur powder (dried mango powder)
2 tablespoons water
3 potatoes, cut into cubes and boil separately
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chopped coriander leaves

Method

Dilute red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and amchur powder in 2 tablespoons water (spice mix). Keep aside.

Separately boil potato cubes (or pressure cooker method - Pressure cook with 100 ml (1/2 cup) water, 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook for 3 whistles on high heat. Switch off the heat. Allow the cooker to cool naturally. Reserve stock ( 1/4 cup /50 ml).

In a wide pan, heat oil. Add jeera and fry on a low heat for 1 minutes or until fragrant.

Add capsicum pieces and stir well for 3 - 4 minutes on a low to medium eat.

Add diluted spice mix and stir well for 2 - 3 minutes or until the water dries up.

Add boiled potato cubes, reserved 1/4 cup stock and adjust salt to taste. Mix all the ingredients well.

Cover with a tight lid and cook on a low to medium heat for 10 minutes or until the gravy thickens and potatoes and capsicum well combined with all the spices.

Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with Rotis / Rice.

Mixed Fruits Rawa Kesari

Mixed Fruits Rawa Kesari / Sheera (with mixed fruit juice)

A popular Indian Sweet !!!

Makes: 1 steel thali (7 - inches in diameter)
Serves: 6 - 8

Ratio of rawa, fruit juice and sugar is 1:2:1

Ingredients

1 tablespoon ghee

1/2 cup (Indian standard measuring cup of 100 ml / 4 oz capacity) rawa / sooji / semolina

1 teaspoon raisins

1 teaspoon chopped cashew nuts

200 ml mixed fruit juice (Tropicana / Real / homemade - without sugar)

1/2 cup (Indian standard measuring cup of 1/2 cup / 100 ml / 4 oz capacity) sugar

2 pinches cardamom powder

Extra 1 teaspoon ghee (to grease thali)

Method

Grease a steel thali with 1/2 teaspoon ghee and keep aside.

Heat ghee in a frying pan. Reduce the heat to medium and add sooji. Stir well continuously on a low to medium heat for 15 minutes or until fragrant and color changes. Maintain low to medium heat.

Add chopped cashew nuts and raisins. Stir well for 5 - 8 minutes.

Add mixed fruit juice. Mix all the ingredients well. Cover with a lid and cook on a low heat for 8 - 10 minutes or until the mixture dries up / leaves from the sides of the pan / form a soft ball.

At this point, add sugar. Mix well. Cover with a lid and cook again for 5 - 8 minutes. Open the lid and stir well continuously for 5 more minutes or until the mixture leaves from the sides of the pan / thickens/ water from the sugar disappears. Sprinkle cardamom powder.

Pour the rawa mixture on a greased thali and sprinkle remaining 1/2 teaspoon ghee over it and spread it evenly with a flat spatula. Keep aside to cool for half an hour and later cut it into desired shape and sizes or serve in small dessert cups.