Avial

Avial is a traditional recipe prepared almost in every household in kerala.  Most popular & important dish in most of the festivals & celebrations. Very nutritious & fulfilling side dish prepared with lotz of vegetables of our own choice.  Some makes it dry or with a little gravy - It's really ur own choice.  Vegetables are cooked in the spicy coconut gravy & coconut oil  taste delicious with variety rice.  

Ingredients :

1. Coconut oil - 2 tbsp
2. Cut vegetables ( yam, raw banana, carrot, beans, potato, drumstick, snake gourd) - 2 cups
3. Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
4. Green chillies - 3 to 4 nos (adjust to ur spice level)
5. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
6. A pinch of hing
7. Curry leaves - 1 tbsp
8. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
9. Sour curd - 1/2 cup
10. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
11. Salt to taste

Method :

1.   Cook the vegetables with salt & enough water till tender.  

2.   Grind the coconut, green chillies & cumin seeds to a fine paste.

3.   Heat 1 tbsp of coconut oil, add mustard seeds, curry leaves & a pinch of hing.  Add the ground paste & cook for 5 more mins on low flame.

4.   Add turmeric powder, cooked vegetables & curd.  Cook for 10 mins on medium flame.  Now add the remaining coconut oil.

5.   Adjust the salt if required & switch off the flame.

Serve warm with rice or appam.

Potato stuffed Bread rolls

Very easy to make & perfect appetizer / snack taste great with green chutney and tomato ketchup.  Any kind of stuffings like chicken masala, meat masala, vegetable mixture can be used for this dish.  I made potato masala for stuffing this time.  Perfect for kids snack box.  Sometimes, I use some leftover masalas for stuffing.  It taste simple superb :)

Ingredients :

1. Bread slices - 5 nos
2. Oil - 1 tbsp
3. Onion - 1 no
4. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
5. Chilly powder - 1 tsp
6. Boiled potato - 2 medium sized
7. Salt to taste
8. Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
9. Corriander leaves - 1 tbsp
10. Lemon juice - 1 tsp

Method :

1.   Heat oil in the pan, add finely chopped onions.  Saute till tender.

2.   Add turmeric powder, chilly powder & smashed potato.  Add salt to taste.

3.   Add garam masala, corriander leaves & lemon juice.  Cool.

4.   Remove the side brown part of bread & dip it in the water.  Squeeze the excess water between the palms gently.

5.   Place a tbsp of potato mixture over the damp bread and roll & seal the edges of the bread in such a way that the filling does not come out.

6.    Repeat the same process for making more rolls.  Heat oil in a kadai and deep fry on a medium flame till golden brown.

Serve it with ketchup.

Sweet Tamarind (Imli) chutney for chaat

Sweet & Sour imli chutney is very essential for many varieties of chaat items like bhel puri, pani puri, papadi chat, dahi puri & samosa.  Easy to make & a dash of chutney makes the dish more delicious and exotic.  Refrigerate & use it for 10 days.  

Ingredients :

1. Tamarind pulp - 100 gms
2. Water - 2 cups
3. Jaggery - 200 gms (depends on how sweet u required)
4. Black salt - 1 tsp
5. Saunf powder - 1/2 tsp
6. Roasted Cumin powder - 1 tsp
7. Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
8. Red chilly powder - 1 tsp
9. Salt to taste

Method :

1.   Dissolve the tamarind pulp in water & bring it to boil.  Cook for 10 mins.

2.   Add jaggery powder, black salt, cumin powder, saunf powder, red chilly powder, garam masala & salt.  Cook on low-medium flame until it becomes thick.

Refrigerate & use when required.

No Bake Biscuit Cake

Simple to make!!   delicious to taste!!   Looks like baked!!   Need few ingredients!!   Less time!!   Perfect dessert !!   Everybody will like this !!!!!!

What more description needed to explain about this no bake biscuit cake, It just taste simply awesome.   Butter biscuits (I used) are dipped in the milk with chocolate sauce in between & almonds sprinkled on top is what this dessert is all about.  Different versions exist across & this what I made it recently.   It tasted just like chocolate torte & unknown guest can't believe it was made with biscuits.  Perfect for kids snack box menu.   

Ingredients :

1. Butter biscuit (or Marie biscuit) - 1 packet
2. Butter  -  6 oz
3. Sugar  -  10 oz
4. Cocoa powder - 4 tbsp
5. Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
6. Eggs - 2 nos
7. Milk - 1/2 cup
8. Almond flakes for garnishing

Method :

1.   Take a pan & boil the water in it.  Mix the butter, sugar, cocoa powder & eggs in a bowl.  Place the bowl over the boiling water & cook.  Keep stirring continuously.  (We will cook the chocolate mixture in the steam of boiling water.)

2.   Cook till it forms a smooth paste & thick consistency.  Remove from heat & add vanilla essence.  Allow it to cool.

3.   Grease the pan with butter & wax paper.  Now dip the biscuits in the milk & arrange them in the pan.  Spread the chocolate sauce as the second layer.  Repeat the steps alternating with biscuit & chocolate sauce till done.

4.   Finally, sprinkle the almond flakes & refrigerate it for atleast 2 hrs preferably overnight.



Cut them in slices & Serve.

Lemon Seed Cake

Every time I visit book shop, I make sure to add a one to my "baking books" collections.  A year before I bought a book on baking cakes and pravin wants me to bake this lemon seed cake.  It's been almost a year I keep on postponing his wish & finally the day arrived to bake this cake and celebrated my birthday last month.  This time pravin surprised me with lotz of gifts the whole day & finally he felt satisfied and worth buying this wonderful book on cake baking.  He enjoyed till his last bite of cake.  It just melted inside & taste awesome !!!

Ingredients :

1. All purpose flour - 1 1/3 cup plus 2 tbsp
2. Cornflour - 1 tbsp
3. Baking powder - 1/4 tsp
4. Butter - 175 gms
5. Castor sugar - 200 gms
6. Lemon zest (grated) - 1/2
7. Eggs (lightly whisked) - 3 eggs
8. Hot water - 1 tbsp
9. Caraway seeds - 2 tsp

Method :

1.   Preheat the oven to 160 C.  Lightly grease and flour a bundt pan.

2.   Sieve flour, cornflour and baking powder.  

3.   Cream butter and sugar, stir in grated lemon zest.  Beat in eggs, adding a little sifted flour mixture to prevent curdling.  Fold in remaining flour.

4.   Meanwhile, pour hot water over caraway seeds & add to cake mixture.

5.   Pour into prepared tin and bake for 50 mins or until well risen and golden.

Serve with tea.

Vangibath Rice (Eggplant rice)

Love for rice never ends !!!!  We make different variety rices & among them vangibath rice is quite simple and easy to make with the pre-made spice powder.  Either we can use store bought stuff or freshly homemade powder.  This time I used MTR vangibath powder & it tasted just home made.  Would be the best lunch box menu for all ages.  It taste divine :) 

Ingredients :

1. Rice - 1 cup
2. Oil - 1 tbsp
3. Channa dal - 1 tsp
4. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
5. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
6. Onion - 1 small sized
7. Green chillies - 2 to 3 nos
8. Curry leaves - 1 tbsp
9. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
10. Eggplant - 2 cups (diced)
11. Grated coconut - 1/4 cup ( dry roast them )
12. Vangibath masala - 3 tsp (to taste)
13. Lemon juice - 1 tsp
14. Cashewnuts (roasted) - 1 tbsp
15. Salt to taste
16. Corriander leaves for garnishing

Method :

1.   Cook the rice & keep aside.

2.   Heat oil in the pan, add the seasonings (cumins seeds, channa dal & mustard seeds), curry leaves, green chillies & finely chopped onions.  Saute till tender.

3.   Add turmeric powder, salt & diced eggplant.  Cover & cook till done.

4.   Add vangibath powder & grated coconut.  Cook for 3 more mins.

5.   Once done, mix the cooked rice, lemon juice & roasted cashewnuts.

6.   Garnish with corriander leaves.

Serve warm.

Sweet Mango Pachadi

My mom's recipe, very quick and simple to make yet taste delicious.  Only raw mangoes should be used for this dish.  Best way is to have this with curd rice.  Even capsicum & ladies finger can be used instead of mango.  I often make this pachadi especially during april & may.  It's awesome !!!

Ingredients :

1. Raw green mango - 1 no
2. Jaggery powder - 1/2 cup (to taste)
3. Water - 1/2 cup

Method :

1.   Peel the skin & cut them to medium pieces.  Add 1/2 cup of water & cook in simmer until the mangoes turns bit tender.

2.   Add the jaggery to the mango pieces and cook until they get well cooked.  Cook until it turns thick.

Serve with rice.