Apple Pachadi

Apple Pachadi – A delicious side dish with rice  / pulao / biryani  / rotis in Kerala Cuisine. Basic recipe from Asianet cookery show !!

Serves: 3 – 4

Ingredients

1 tablespoon oil

1 onion, very finely chopped

¼ - inch ginger piece, finely chopped

1 green chilli, finely chopped

1 apple, cut into ¼ - inch thin slices

¼ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

200 ml thick curd, beat well

Method

Heat oil in a pan on a medium heat. Add finely chopped onion and fry until golden brown.

Add  chopped ginger and green chilli. Fry for 2 – 3 minutes until crisp.

Add thinly sliced apple and salt to taste. Gently stir well for 3 – 4 minutes until tender (do not overcook). 

Switch off the heat and keep aside to cool for half an hour. Once it reached normal temperature, add beaten curd and mix well until all the ingredients well combined (creamy and smooth in consistency).

For the seasoning:

1 teaspoon oil

½ teaspoon mustard seeds

4 curry leaves

Method

Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. When they crackle, add curry leaves and fry until crisp. Pour this seasoning over pachadi. Serve a side dish  with rice and other accompaniments.

Banana Halwa

Banana Halwa / Kele Halwa / Kele Halwo -  A delicious sweet in Indian cuisine !!

Makes: 1 small steel thali of 4 – inches in  diameter

Serves: 3 - 4

Ingredients

2 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon water

2 ripe Kerala Nenthrampazham (Ripe plantain), chopped into ¼ - inch cubes

1 teaspoon ghee

2  pinches cardamom powder

Extra 1 teaspoon ghee / butter (to grease steel thali / small tray / baking dish and for the  final stage)

Method

Grease a  steel thali  (a small steel thali of 4 – inches in diameter) with  ½ teaspoon ghee / butter. Keep it ready.

Heat a non stick pan on medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and add sugar and water. Gently stir well until it melts / smooth solution / there won’t be any sugar crystals.

Add chopped bananas and 1 teaspoon ghee. Stir continuously for 10 minutes until well combined . Switch off the heat and remove pan from the gas stove. Gently mash  banana mixture with the help of a masher (potato masher / pav bhaji masher) until it’s smooth and no lumps. Return to heat now and stir well for another 5 – 7  minutes until it  forms  a soft ball / leaves from the sides of the pan. Switch off the heat and sprinkle cardamom powder.

Pour this hawa into a greased steel thali and sprinkle remaining ½ teaspoon ghee on top the halwa. Gently  spread  the top portion of the halwa  evenly with a flat spatula. Cut it into desired shape and size and keep aside for half an hour.  Remove halwa from  the steel thali once it cools down completely. Serve as a sweet.

 

Carrot, Beetroot & Apple Juice

Carrot, Beetroot & Apple Juice – Real juice for health. No added sugar !!

Serves: 2 (approximately 150 - 175 ml each)

Ingredients

1 carrot, trim the edges and  finely chopped

½ piece beetroot, gently peel off the skin and finely chopped

1 apple, finely chopped

200 ml  / 1 cup / 8 oz water

2 teaspoon lemon juice

Method

Wash all the vegetables  and fruit well (carrot, beetroot and apple).

In a mixer bowl or blender, transfer chopped carrot, beetroot, apple and 1 cup water and blend until smooth. Sieve through a fine clean sieve. Finally mix with 2 teaspoon lemon juice and serve.

Punjabi Chicken Curry

Punjabi Chicken Curry – A delicious chicken curry. Best with Chapati, Naan, Phulkas, Pulao …

Serves: 3

Ingredients

For the cashew nut paste:

Soak 8 cashew nuts in 2 tablespoon water for 2 hours and make a smooth paste in a small mixer bowl. Keep aside.

For the Spice paste:

2 teaspoon ginger – garlic paste

¾ teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

½ teaspoon jeera powder (cumin seed powder)

¼ teaspoon clove powder

¼ teaspoon nut meg powder

¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder

2 tablespoon water

In a small bow, mix all the ingredients together and make a smooth paste. Keep aside.

Other ingredients

1 tablespoon oil

1 onion, thinly sliced (separate each layer)

1 green chilli, slit lengthwise

Spice paste

1 tomato, cubed

500 g chicken pieces (wash and cleaned. Drain out water thoroughly)

1 cup / 200 ml / 8 oz hot water

¼ cup / 3 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves (adding chopped coriander leaves gives a unique flavour to this curry. Please do not miss this step)

¾ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

Cashew nut paste

1 teaspoon chopped coriander leaves

Method

In a karahi / pan, heat oil on medium heat. Add thinly sliced onion and fry until golden brown color. Add slit green chilli and fry for 1 – 2 minutes.

Add spice paste and stir well on a low heat for 3 – 4 minutes until the raw smell goes and thickens.

Add tomato cubes and stir well for 2 minutes.

Add chicken pieces and stir well for 2 minutes.

Now add 1 cup hot water, ¼ cup chopped coriander leaves and salt to taste. Mix well. Please check the water level. It should be up to the level of chicken pieces. If it’s less, then adjust with ¼ cup  water. Do not add water 1 – inch above the level of chicken. Then the gravy will be too thin and it won’t be tasty. Cover with a tight lid and cook on a medium to low heat for 30 – 35 minutes or until done / chicken well cooked / gravy thickens / fragrant.

At this stage, add cashew nut paste and cook on a low heat again for 2 minutes. Switch off the heat. 

Consume this curry after half an hour. Then it’ll absorb all the flavors. Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves when serving.