Whole wheat Banana Cake

Whole wheat Banana Cake (Microwave method)

Ingredients

Please use same measuring cup to measure flour and sugar.

4 well ripe bananas (130 g) mash well

1 ½ cup whole wheat flour (Aashirvaad atta) Please measure in Indian standard measuring cup of 100 ml / ½ cup / 4 oz capacity)

1 cup powdered sugar

1 egg, beat well

2 tablespoon butter @ normal temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

½ teaspoon baking soda (cooking soda)

3 – 4 tablespoon milk

½ teaspoon oil to grease microwave safe dish

1 tablespoon cashew nuts or raisins (to decorate cake)

Method

In a bowl, mix well mashed bananas with flour, sugar, egg, butter, vanilla essence and baking soda until a smooth mixture and without any lumps. Add 3 – 4 tablespoon milk and make a soft batter (normal cake batter of medium thick pouring consistency).

Grease a microwave safe bowl with ½ teaspoon oil. Pour this cake batter into it, spread it evenly with  flat spatula. Decorate with cashew nut splits  or raisins and microwave on high powder (750w) for 5 minutes. Keep aside to cool for half an hour and later cut it into desired shape and size).

Pumpkin Pachadi

Pumpkin Pachadi / Mathanga  Pachadi  - An easy and tasty side dish with rice in Kerala cuisine. No added coconut paste !!

Serves: 2

Ingredients

150 g pumpkin (mathanga / dudhi), gently peel off the outer skin and cut into ½ - inch thin slices

2 green chillies, slit lengthwise

¾ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

¾ cup water (Indian standard measuring cup of 1 cup / 200 ml / 8 oz capacity)

1 cup / 200 ml curd, beat well

Method

In a bowl, boil pumpkin pieces with slit green chillies, salt and water (water level should be ½ - inch above pumpkin. Once it fully cooked, level of water decreased to 3/4^th or ½ - depending upon the cooking time of the pumpkin). Cover with a lid and cook on a medium to low heat for 10 – 12 minutes until pumpkin well cooked. Please do not allow to overcook pumpkin). Switch off the heat and keep aside to cool for half an hour. Once it reaches normal temperature, add 1 cup curd and mix well.

For seasoning:

2 teaspoon oil

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

½ teaspoon jeera (cumin seeds)

4 curry leaves

1 red chilli, halved

Method

Heat oil in a small pan (tadka pan). Add mustard seeds. When they crackle, add jeera, curry leaves and halved red chilli. Stir on a low heat 1 – 2 minutes until  it crisp and fragrant. Pour this seasoning over pumpkin pachadi and serve  as a side dish with rice and other accompaniments.

Biscuit Ambado

Biscuit Ambado – A delicious deep fried snack in Konkan  cuisine (Mangalore region)  !!

Soaking time: 2 hours

Makes: 16 - 20

Ingredients

200 ml /  1 cup  urad dal (Indian standard measuring cup of 1 cup / 200 ml / 8 oz capacity

2 1/2 cup water ( for soaking )

2 green chillies. finely chopped

1 - inch piece ginger, finely chopped

1 tablespoon thin coconut bits (katli)

6 nos curry leaves , roughly chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt ( or to taste )

250 ml oil for frying

Method

Wash and soak urad dal for 2 hours. Drain out water completely.

Grind urad dal into a thick and smooth paste in a mixer in  2 batches. Add / sprinkle 2 tablespoons water during grinding. It should be a thick batter.

Transfer the vada batter into another flat bowl and mix it with chopped green chilli, ginger, curry leaves, coconut bits  and salt to taste (Finally add salt). Mix all the ingredients well with thick tablespoon until all the ingredients well combined  evenly with urad dal batter 

Heat oil in a kadai / frying pan. Reduce heat to medium  and wait for 1 minute. Do not fry on high heat. It will brown immediately.  Drop  teaspoons ( use  teaspoons which shape like ice cream scoop to get evenly round shape) of the ambado batter (8 ambados at a time ) and fry till puff /  golden color  on both the sides.

Drain and place on kitchen towel / paper towel to absorb excess oil. Please use 3 – 4 paper towel to absorb extra oil. Serve as an evening snack or with breakfast or serve with coconut chutney.

Chena Mezhukkupuratti

Chena Mezhukkupuratti (Pressure cooker method. No added onion and garlic) – A less spicy tasty side dish with rice in Kerala cuisine !!

Serves: 2

Ingredients

For chena / yam:

150 g chena  (yam), gently peel off the outer skin, wash thoroughly and cut it into ¼ - inch cubes

3/4 cup water (Indian standard measuring cup of  1cup / 200 ml / 8 oz capacity)

½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

In a pressure boil chena cubes with water (just to cover chena) and salt to taste. Bring to pressure cooker on high heat for 2 quick whistles. Allow the cooker to cool naturally. Open the cooker and check the texture of chena. If it’s cooked well, that’s fine. Or cook again for another 2 quick whistles (adjust water too).

For seasoning:

Ingredients

1 tablespoon oil

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

¾ teaspoon red chilli powder

Method

In a pan or karahi, heat oil. Add mustard seeds. When they crackle, add boiled chena cubes and adjust salt to taste. Cover with a lid and cook on a medium to low heat for 10 – 12 minutes until spices well coated on chena. Serve as a side dish with rice and other accompaniments.

Muringakka Mulakushyam

Muringakka  Mulakushyam – A  delicious main curry with rice in Kerala cuisine. Recipe from  Manorama online !!

Serves: 3 - 4

Ingredients

For parippu (dal):

Leftover 1 cup boiled turdal

or

1/3 cup / 80 g (Indian standard measuring cup of 80 ml / 6 oz capacity) tur dal / arhar dal

1 cup / 200 ml water

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon oil

Wash and clean dal. Soak in a pressure cooker for half an hour with turmeric powder, oil and 1 cup / 200 ml water and cook for 15 minutes or till done ( reduce the heat to medium after 3 rd whistle (3 quick whistles) and cook for 10 minutes until done / soft. Allow the cooker to cool naturally. Reserve dal stock (cooked dal water).

For coconut paste:

5 tablespoon (60 g) grated coconut

1 teaspoon jeera (cumin seeds)

2 green chillies

2 tablespoon water

Make a smooth paste of above ingredients in a small mixer bowl with 2 tablespoon water. Keep aside.

Other curry ingredients

3 drumsticks, gently peel off the outer skin and cut into 2 – inch slices

1 green chilli, slit lengthwise

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

¾ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

Method

In a bowl, boil drumstick pieces with slit green chilli, turmeric powder and salt. Cover with a lid and cook on a medium to low heat 10 – 12 minutes until drumstick pieces half cooked. Add boiled dal (along with  stock). Mix well and cook on a low heat another 5 – 8 minutes. Stir occasionally.

At this stage, add coconut paste and cook on a low heat for 5 minutes until well combined with dal and other ingredients. Switch off the heat.

For seasoning:

2 teaspoon oil

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1/2 teaspoon jeera (optional)

6 curry leaves

1 red chilli, halved

Method

Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. When they crackle, add jeera (optional), curry leaves and halved red chilli and fry till crisp. Pour the seasoning over curry. Serve with rice and other accompaniments.

Spicy Boiled Egg Fry

Spicy Boiled Egg Fry – A spicy side dish with rice or rotis !!

Serves: 2

Ingredients

For the paste:

10 shallots (chuvannulli / small onion / sambar onion)

1 level teaspoon red chilli powder

Method

Make a smooth paste of  shallots and red chilli powder in a small mixer bowl. Dilute this paste with 1 tablespoon water and keep aside.

Other ingredients

1 tablespoon oil

Onion – red chilli paste

4 curry leaves

½ level  teaspoon salt (or to taste)

2 boiled eggs, cut into very small cubes

Method

Heat oil in a pan. Add diluted shallot – red chilli powder paste. Fry on a low heat for 2 - 3 minutes until the raw smell goes and water dries up.

Add curry leaves and stir well.

Now add boiled egg pieces and salt to taste. Mix all the ingredients well. Cover with a lid and cook on a low heat for 10 minutes until the boiled egg well combined with spice paste. Serve as a side dish with rotis / rice ..

Kele Mulik / Banana Fritters

Kele Mulik / Banana Fritters -  A delicious deep fried snack in Konkan cuisine, made of well ripe bananas, rice flour, sooji, coconut paste and cardamom powder !!

Makes: 12 – 16

Ingredients

4 well ripe / 130 g  small size bananas

4 tablespoon rice flour

2 tablespoon sooji (rawa)

4 tablespoon grated coconut, make a smooth paste with 1 tablespoon water

2 tablespoon melted and sieved jaggery (or to taste or sugar)

2 pinches cardamom powder

200 ml oil (to fry mulik)

Method

In a small bowl, mash well  ripe bananas. Then mix it with rice flour, sooji, jaggery, coconut paste and cardamom powder. Mix it with a thick tablespoon. Batter should be thicker than idli batter / bajji batter. Do not add water. Cover and keep aside for 15 minutes. 

Heat oil in a kadai / frying pan. Reduce heat to medium  and wait for 1 minute. Do not fry on high heat. It will brown immediately.  Drop tablespoons / teaspoons ( use tablespoons / teaspoons which shape like ice cream scoop to get evenly round shape. 16 muliks if using teaspoon and 12 muliks if using tablespoon) ) of the mulik batter (6 - 8 mulik at a time ) and fry till puff /  golden color  on both the sides.

Drain and place on kitchen towel / paper towel to absorb excess oil. Please use 3 – 4 paper towel to absorb extra oil. Serve as an evening snack or with breakfast.

Photos of Homemade Dishes

Breas upma

Bread Pakoda

Swiss egg roll

Sprouted chawli (red beans) gashi

Paruppu Thogayal

Paruppu Thogayal – A tasty side dish with Idli / Dosa in Tamil cuisine !!

Serves: 3 - 4

Ingredients

½  cup tur dal (Indian standard measuring cup of ½ cup / 100 ml / 4 oz capacity)

3  medium size dried red chillies

½ cup / 4 tablespoons grated  coconut

½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

3 tablespoon water

Method

Heat an iron karahi on a medium heat. Dry roast tur dal and dried red chillies until golden color and fragrant (approximately 12 – 15 minutes). Switch off the heat. Keep aside to cool for 15  - 20 minutes.

Transfer dry roasted turdal – red chillies, grated coconut, salt and 3 tablespoons water into a small mixer bowl and make a smooth paste. Serve with idli / dosa …

Homemade Fresh Grape Juice

Homemade Fresh Grape Juice - Easy method !!

Serves: 1

Ingredients

1 ¼ cup grapes (Indian standard measuring cup of 1cup / 200 ml / 8 oz capacity)

¼ cup water

2 teaspoon sugar (optional)

A clean sieve and a thick ladle or a thick tablespoon

Method

Wash grapes and soak in 2 cups of water for half hour. Wash thoroughly until you get a clear water and without impurities.

Transfer cleaned grapes, extra ¼ cup water and 2 teaspoon sugar (optional) into a medium mixer bowl and blend until smooth.

Strain this juice though a clean sieve and press gently with back of a thick ladle or a thick tablespoon. This method will helps to extract the juice fully. Grape juice is ready now. Serve in tall glass.

Chena Thoran / Yam Thoran

Chena Thoran – A tasty side dish with rice in Kerala cuisine !!

Serves: 2

Ingredients

For the coconut (thenga thirummiyathu):

5 tablespoons grated coconut

½ teaspoon red chilli powder

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

Mix all the ingredients with finger tips. Do not add water. Keep aside.

For chena / yam:

150 g chena / yam

Gently remove outer layer, wash and cut into ¼ inch cubes. In a pressure cooker boil chena cubes with ½ cup water (just to cover chena cubes) and ½ teaspoon salt. Close the cooker and pressure cook on a high heat for 2 quick whistles. Allow the cooker to cool naturally. Open the cooker and check the texture of chena. If it’s well cooked, that’s fine. If it’s not cooked properly, then pressure cook again (adjust water) for 2 more quick whistles.

Other ingredients

1 tablespoon oil     

     

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

½ teaspoon jeera (cumin) seeds

Boiled chena / yam

Coconut mixture

Method

Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. When they crackle, add jeera and fry for 30 seconds.

Now add boiled chena and coconut mixture. Adjust salt if required. Cover with a lid and cook on a medium to low heat for 10 minutes until  done / coconut mixture well combined with chena. Serve as a side dish with rice and other accompaniments.

Udupi Sambar (2nd recipe)

Udupi Sambar – A fantastic  sweet & sour sambar in Upupi cuisine. This sambar is totally different from normal  South Indian sambar !!

Serves: 3 - 4

Ingredients

For dal :

1/2 cup ( 100 g ) tur dal (Indian standard measuring cup of 100 ml / 4 oz capacity)

300 ml water

1 teaspoon oil

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

Method

For Dal:

Wash and clean tur dal. Soak dal for half an hour.

 Pressure cook tur dal along with water, turmeric powder and  oil for 20 minutes. Water level should be 1 - inch above dal  ( reduce heat after 2nd whistle and  cook on a low heat for 15 minutes). Allow the pressure cooker to cool naturally.

Open the lid. Gently mash cooked da mixture.

Other ingredients for sambar:

200 g pumpkin, gently peel off the outer skin and cut into ½ - inch cubes (or any other vegetables)

½ cup to ¾ cup  water

 3 tablespoons  tamarind juice Small lemon sized tamarind (soak in ¼ cup water for half an hour and then strain it through a fine sieve) or ¾ teaspoon thick tamarind paste

1 teaspoon jaggery

¾ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

2 teaspoon sambar powder (Everest, MTR, Aashirvaad, udupi sambar powder or homemade sambar powder) Dilute sambar powder in 4 teaspoon water. Then it will blend easily with other ingredients

6 tablespoon grated coconut, make a fine paste of coconut in a small mixer bowl with 2 tablespoon water

Method

In a bowl, mix boiled tur dal (along with dal stock), water (1/2 to ¾ cup), pumpkin, tamarind juice or thick paste, jaggery,  salt to taste and diluted sambar  powder. Mix all the ingredients well. Cover with a lid and cook on a medium to low heat for 8 – 10 minutes until pumpkin almost cooked.

At this stage, add coconut paste. Mix well. Cover with lid again and cook on a low heat for  another 8 minutes. Sambar is ready now.

For seasoning :

2 teaspoon cooking oil

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 spring curry leaves (6 nos)

1 red chilli, halved

For seasoning :

Heat oil in a pan . Add mustard seeds. When they start crackle, add curry leaves and halved red chilli. Saute for 1 - 2 minutes until fragrant and crisp. Pour this seasoning over sambar. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves (optional). Serve with Idli / Dosa / Vada / Rice ....

Varutharacha Egg Curry (Mutta curry)

Thenga Varutharacha  Egg Curry (Mutta Curry) -  A fantastic main curry with rotis / parotta / appam / idiyappam / pulao .., made of  dry roasted coconut paste !!

Serves: 4

Ingredients

For dry roasted coconut paste:

 2 cups (Indian standard measuring cup of 200 ml / 8 oz capacity)  / or  1/2 coconut, grated (Please use mature coconut (mootha thenga))

8 dried red chillies (medium size) or 6 big size

1 1/2 tablespoon / 6 teaspoon  coriander seeds (kothamalli)

3 cloves

3 cardamoms

1 cinnamon stick (1 – inch size)

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder (optional)

Method

Heat an iron kadai. Dry roast grated coconut for 10 - 12 minutes on a low to medium heat or until the moisture completely dries up from the grated coconut and also started getting light brown color.

At this point, add dried red chillies,  coriander seeds, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon. Dry roast on a low to medium heat for another 12 - 15 minutes or till golden color and fragrant.  One can notice a color change in red chillies, grated coconut and also a nice aroma. Transfer the coconut mixture into a small  mixer bowl and make a smooth paste. Sprinkle 1 – 2 tablespoon water when making paste. (also oil from the roasted coconut may leaves from the sides of the mixer bowl, if the coconut is mature).

For the curry:

1 tablespoon oil

2 onion, thinly sliced

6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/2 - inch piece ginger, thinly sliced

6 curry leaves

4 boiled eggs

1 cup / 200 ml / 8 oz water

¾ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

2 teaspoon chopped coriander leaves (optional)

Method

Heat oil in a pan or karahi. Add thinly sliced onion and fry till golden color on a medium to low heat.

Add thinly sliced ginger and garlic. Fry on a low heat for 3 - 4 minutes until light golden color.

Add curry leaves and gently stir well.

Add dry roasted coconut paste and stir on a low heat for 1 – 2 minute.

Add 1 cup / 200 ml water and salt to taste. Mix all the ingredients well. Cover with a lid and cook on a medium to low heat for 10 – 12 minutes until the gravy slightly thickens.

Now add boiled eggs carefully, cover with a lid again and cook on a low heat another 5 – 7 minutes. Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves (optional) when serving.