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Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Roasted Vanpayar Curry


Roasted vanpayar / red gram curry makes a delicious curry to have along with rice. In conversation with my father, he recollected a vanpayar curry that his mother used to make. Along with my father i cooked this vanpayar curry and we enjoyed a good meal.

Ingredients

1 cup - Brown vanpayar

To grind

1/2 shell - Coconut, grated
6 - Shallots / small onion
1/2 tsp - Jeera / Cumin seeds
5 -  Dry red chilli Or 1 tsp -  Red chilli powder
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder

Seasoning

1 tsp - Mustard seeds
4 - shallots, sliced
4 - Dry red chili
2 tbsp - Grated coconut
2 to 4 sprigs - Curry leaves

Method

1 ) Wash the vanpayar well and drain off the water. In a big pan dry roast the payar, on low flame, till you get the roasted smell. Cool the payar. Then transfer the payar into a blender and pulse, two to three times to crush it. Do not powder it, just have to get it crushed and split.

2 ) In a pressure cooker, add two cups of water and make it warm. When warm, add the crushed payar to it. Close the lid and pressure cook. After the first whistle, simmer and cook for 3 more whistles. Turn off the cooker.

3 ) Grind in a blender the ingredients listed to be ground with enough water. Open the cooker and add ground paste. Add enough water to get a thick gravy. Add salt to taste and bring to a boil. Simmer for two to three minutes and turn off the stove.

4 ) In a pan heat 2 to 3 tbsp coconut oil. Add mustard, then dry chili, then shallots and fry it to light brown color. Then add the grated coconut and fry it to a light brown color. Add curry leaves and pour this seasoning on top of the payar curry. Cover with lid.




Serve along with rice to make a delicious meal.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Kadala Pradhaman


Pradhaman made with brown kadala, with it's skin peeled off,  is a delicious combination of  jaggery and coconut milk. A good add to the onasadhya.

Ingredients

3 cup - Brown kadala / brown chickpea
400 gm - Jaggery
1 big - Coconut, grated
3 - Clove
5 - Cardamom, powdered
5 - Cashewnuts, slit in half
5 - Dry white raisins / Kishmish
1/4 cup - Thinly sliced coconut bits / Thengakothu
2 tsp - Rice powder Or Corn flour
2 to 3 tbsp - Ghee

 Method

1 ) Soak kadala overnight. Then peel off it's skin.




2 ) In a pressure cooker, cook the peeled kadala along with clove and enough water to cook it. After the first whistle, simmer and cook for 1/2 an hour. Cool and open Pressure cooker. Mash the kadala partially.

3 ) Meanwhile, place jaggery in a pan with little water, simmer and boil to dissolve the jaggery. Strain to remove any impurities and set aside. Extract coconut milk from coconut. First extracted thick milk - 1/2 cup, second extracted - 1 cup, third extracted milk -1.5 cup

4 ) Into the pressure cooker, pour the jaggery syrup, a pinch of salt and cook on medium flame till the kadala absorbs the jaggery taste and jaggery thickens. Taste test the kadala in between to check. Pour the third extracted coconut milk and cook till the contents thickens.

5 ) Mix and stir 2 tsp of rice powder or corn flour to the second extracted coconut milk.Add second extracted coconut milk, simmer and cook for five minutes. Add powdered cardamom powder. Then the first extracted thick coconut milk. Before the pradhaman comes to a boil, turn off the stove.

6 ) In another pan heat ghee, add coconut bits and lightly brown it. To this add cashew nuts and lightly brown it. Then add the raisins and fry it till it puffs. Pour this on top of the pradhaman and cover it.




Serve the kadala prahaman hot or cold.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Vishu Katta ~ Vishu ashamsakal


This year i tried my hands on making vishu katta that is very popular in thrissur. Vishu katta is a part of vishu in thrissur. This is served for breakfast  along with tender cashew nut curry  or jaggery syrup. Also can be served along with chicken / mutton curry or stew.

I started off getting unakkalari, which was labelled red raw rice on the packet. Now you have to soak this rice for half an hour or more before you start cooking. It's a rich coconut milk flavored rice preparation with a dash of cumin and dry ginger powder to enhance the taste.

 Now to make this, you need ample amount of coconut milk. So extract coconut milk from two medium size coconut in three extracts.  1 cup - first extract , 2 cups - second extract , 3 cups - third extract. Keep the extract ready before you start.

Ingredients

1 cup - Unakkalari ( red raw rice )
2 medium size - coconut, to extract milk
1/2 tsp - Cumin /jeera, crushed
1/2 tsp - Dry ginger powder
Salt to taste

Method

1 ) Soak the rice in water for half an hour or more. Extract coconut milk, three times. First, second and third extract.

2 ) In a big kadai or uruli, pour 3 cups third extracted coconut milk and bring it to a slight boil. Stir occasionally. Add the washed and soaked rice, close with a lid, simmer and cook till all the coconut milk is used up.

3 ) Now pour in the second extract, stir and cook the rice on simmer. When the rice is half cooked add salt to taste. Now when all the second extract is used up and rice is 3/4 th cooked up add first extract with jeera powder and dry ginger powder. Stir and cook till the rice thickens and oil comes out.


4 ) Transfer and pour on to a plate or banana leave. Spread evenly with a spoon and cool. When fully cooled cut into pieces to serve.



Serve along with tender cashewnut curry / jaggery syrup or chicken/ mutton curry.

Wishing every one a Happy Vishu !

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Hyderabadi Bagara Gosht


Hyderabadi Cuisine could be found in the kitchens of the former Hyderabad State that includes Telangana region, Marathwada region and Hyderabad Karanataka region.The cuisine emphasises the use of ingredients that are carefully chosen and cooked to the right degree and time. Utmost attention is given to picking the right kind of spices, meat, rice, etc. Therefore, an addition of a certain herb, spice, condiment, or combination of all these add a distinct taste and aroma. The key flavours are of coconut, tamarind, peanuts and sesame seeds which are extensively used in many dishes.  - Source, Wikipedia

There is a preparation of meat with a combination of coconut, til, peanut and tamarind that brings out a distinct flavor.

Ingredients

800 grams - Mutton, wash and cut to pieces.
2 tbsp - Coriander powder
1.5 tsp - Red chili powder
1/4 tsp - Turmeric powder
1 tsp - Cumin seeds
5 sprigs - Curry leaves
2 to 4 - Whole dry red chili
1/2 tsp - Garam masala powder
Lemon size - Tamarind
1 medium - Onion, sliced
2 big flakes - Garlic , sliced

To fry

1 medium - Onion, chopped
2'' piece - Ginger
10 big - Garlic flakes

To dry roast

2 tbsp - White Til
2 tbsp - Ground nuts / peanuts
1/4 cup - Grated coconut

Method

1 ) Dry roast ingredients listed for roasting one by one separately, cool and then grind to a smooth paste with little water. Roast coconut to a light brown color. Can used roasted ground nut; if not then roast the groundnut.

2 ) Heat oil in a pan and fry onion, garlic and ginger to a light brown color. Grind this separately and set aside. Extract tamarind pulp / juice from tamarind by soaking it in little water and keep ready.

3 ) Heat oil in a cooker, add whole dry red chili, cumin, sliced garlic and curry leaves. Fry lightly then add sliced onion and fry to a light brown color.

4 ) Now add both the ground masala's ( til -coconut- groundnut, and onion-garlic-ginger ) the powders, coriander, red chili and turmeric powder and salt to taste. Fry all these well till oil separates or is well brown in color.

5 ) Add mutton and enough water, about 1.5 to 2 cups water and pressure cook for 8 to 10 minutes or 2 whistles. Open cooker when the pressure is released, then keep back on stove on low heat. Add tamarind pulp, simmer and cook. Sprinkle garam masala powder, simmer and fry till gravy is thick. Remove from stove transfer to a serving dish and serve.




Serve hot  with roti /naan.

Monday, February 20, 2012

Fish Masala Roast / Kerala Style Fish Roast


It's been a while since i blogged and getting back to it seemed hard. Happy to receive comments from you readers in the meanwhile. Some of you requested me to start blogging again. Here i am and i hope to get more inspired to keep on blogging. Thank you all for visiting and for the wonderful comments.
Coming to the post, this fish roast is a dry preparation, that you can cook fish wrapped in banana leaves /aluminum foil or else in a pan.

Ingredients

3 or 4 fleshy -  Fish (pomfret or king fish)
2 -  Large sliced onions
2 inches - Thinly julienne, ginger
4 large cloves -  Garlic, sliced very thin
2 sprigs - Curry leaves
1 large - Tomato, sliced
3 tsp - Coriander powder
1 tsp  - Kashmiri chili powder
1/2  tsp - Tikka lal mirch (very hot)
2  - Green chillies,  slit
1 tsp - Turmeric powder
1/4 tsp -  Methi powder
Fresh coriander leaves chopped
Coconut oil

Method

1 ) Wash, clean the fish and cut them as required.

2 ) In a heavy bottom pan – add coconut oil, then curry leaves, sliced onion and fry till onion is lightly browned. Then add ginger, garlic and green chilies and fry lightly.

3 ) Mix coriander, turmeric and red chili powder in another container. Sprinkle little water and blend the flavors. Add this masala to the pan and stir on low heat. Add methi powder, saute' for 2 to 3 minutes.

4 )  Add fish slices, coat it with masala and cover and cook till fish is cooked. You can add little water if necessary.

5 ) Add sliced tomato and stir lightly. Coat the fish, cover & cook for 2 min. The tomatoes must not mash and still have some raw taste.

6 ) Sprinkle coriander leaves and decorate with tomato slices and curry leaves. Serve hot with roti or rice.


Alternately, you may sauté all the above masala and coat it on the fish and roast it by making a packet of aluminium foil or with banana leaves. Stuff the aluminium foil envelope with the fish + masala and cover from all sides roast on a tava – covered. You may drizzle some oil on to the fish before closing the packet.

- You can adopt the same recipe to cook paneer instead of the fish. Use 300 gms paneer sliced in cubes.