Spring Onion and Carrot Thoran

Thoran is a dry dish with grated coconut as an ingredient.Thoran can be made using various vegetables like cabbage,carrot,ivy gourd etc ,also we can make thoran with combination of vegetables.This is my entry for JFI-Green Leafy Vegetables.

Ingredients

Spring onion 2 bunches finely chopped
carrot 1 medium sized grated
onion 1 finely chopped
green chilies 3-4 finely chopped
curry leaf 1 sprig
mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
oil 1tbsp
turmeric a 1/4 tsp
salt to taste
coconut grated 1/2 cup

Method

Heat oil in a pan, and splutter mustard seeds then add the coconut and curry leaves,saute for a while.Mix well spring onion,carrot ,onion,green chilies ,turmeric and salt,Put that into the pan and cook well in a low fire ,No need to add water.
It goes well with Boiled Rice and Fishcurry.

Prawns Moilee

You want some thing scrumptious in Jiffy??
You have a hand full of fresh prawns and a cup of coconut milk??
If answer is yes,Come with me, I will explain one simplest way of making delicious Prawns moilee.

We tasted this curry with appam first from one restaurant in Dubai.Wow!!Our tastebuds hooked into that dish.Thereafter we started going to that restaurant for having same dish on all weekends ,Weeks passed like that ,Once we went there with same desire ,but that time they were serving only buffet ..Taking buffet that time was really waste for us..So I decided to try that moliee at home .Luckily I got that same taste and same colour but the prawns they used to make were tiger prawns and they kept the tail part attached to the body for good look ..
:) As per RP prawns are not photogenic,Now I agree with you..Mine also in that category



Ingredients

250 gms prawns cleaned
1 small onion sliced
1 clove sliced garlic(optional)
1 inch sliced ginger
1 sprig curry leaves
1 large tomato sliced
2-3 green chillies,slit lengthwise
¼ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder
½ tsp chili powder
1tbsp vinegar
1 cup thick coconut milk
salt to taste

Method

Heat oil in a pan and saute onion,garlic,ginger,green chillies and curry leaves until brown.
Add all the powders and saute for a minute.
Add prawns and cook for few minutes in slow fire then add tomatoes ,keep that in fire for few more minutes.
Add coconut milk ,Remain in fire until it starts making bubbles.
Drizzle vinegar and serve.

Kappa Puzhukkum Meenum(Boiled Tapioca with Fish Curry)

In my childhood I have fond memories of the time, I spent at my mother’s place.Adimali, which is a small agricultural town in the foothills before Munnar.I loved to spend the vacation with my cousins and Grandmother, whom I lovingly called Amma.I remember that, she was always kind and gentle with her grandchildren but she was very strong willed with her children.

People in that area considered puzhukku as one form of staple food. Kappa (Tapioca) or chakka (Jack fruit) is used to make that. In the harvest season all most all the people there used to preserve it in the dried forms and use that in the rainy season.

So Amma also not different , used to cook puzhukku frequently.She cuts a big banana leaf and serve the puzhukku with Fish or Meat Curry.We grandchildren,ten of us ,all girls used to sit around the big leaf and we really enjoyed the meal.My Grandmother used to feel very satisfied and contented.

All of us are now settled in different parts of world and my Amma is no more..She died of cancer on March 2000.I was there in India but unfortunately I couldn't go to see her as I was carrying my elder son and their place is in a high range area.

Years passed by ,Still her picture is clear there in my mind and I will always cherish her love and caring in my heart,I keep a picture of her in my Bible too…

I am going to share the recipe of that Kappa Puzhukku along with my husband’s favourite fish curry.


Kappa Puzhukke

Ingredients

Tapioca 1kg
salt to taste
grated coconut 1 cup
shallots 5 nos
cumin seed 1/2 tsp
green chilies 4 nos
curry leaf 2 sprigs
turmeric powder 1/4 tsp

Method

Peel both thin brown and thick pink skin and cut tapioca into small piece(discard fibre in the middle ).Double boil tapioca with more water and salt.Drain it completely and mash nicely .Grind coarsely all other ingredients and mix well into mashed tapioca ,Cook in a slow flame for few more minutes.
Serve hot with fishcurry or Meat curry.

Fish Curry

Ingredients

1 kg King fish
1 medium sized onion chopped
1 garlic finely chopped
1 inch ginger finely chopped
3 green chilies chopped
1 tomato chopped
2 sprigs curry leaves
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
3 pieces Kokum(kudampuli)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp red chili powder
1 cup coconut milk
2tbsp oil

Method

Heat little oil in a small pan ,add 1 sprig curry leaves and red chilli powder and turmeric powder.Saute for few minutes and keep aside.Soak kokum in little warm water.
Heat oil ,add fenugreek seeds,saute a while.Add onion,ginger,garlic , chili and curry leaves.Stir fry to soften the onion.Add tomatoes and fried powders and saute till oil seperates from masala.Add coconut milk,fish,kokum and salt .Remove from heat when the fish is cooked.

Khubz with Olive and Cheese Topping served with Tabouleh Salad

Khubz or Pitta bread and cheese topping served with Tabouleh Salad is a wonderfully light meal.It can be served individually or as a part of Arabic mezze.Mezze are small hot or cold plates, first courses, or appetizers . This is my entry to Monthly Mingle Event by Meeta.



Tabouleh Salad

Ingredients

50 gms burgul or cracked wheat
1 cup chopped parsley
1 large onion chopped
2tbsp chopped mint
1 tbsp olive oil
½ tbsp lemon juice
1 large tomato chopped
1 tsp pepper

Method

Place burgul in a sieve and wash it several times under cold running water the previous night.Now drain and press with the back of a spoon to squeeze out any excess water..Combine it with parsley,onion ,tomatoes and chopped mint.Mix olive oil and lemon juice,pepper.

Khubz with Olive and Cheese Topping

Ingredients

4 small khubz or Arabic bread
1 tsp dried mint crushed with the fingers
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt to taste
2tbsp chopped green olives
2tbsp chopped black olives
2tbsp chopped tomatoes
4 tbsp cheese grated
1 tbsp extra oil for brushing the pan.

Method

Blend the dried mint with olive oil.mix olives,tomatoes,cheese with salt.Spread the olive oil mixture on one side of all 4 khubz.Brush the pan with a little oil and place the khubz on it.The non-oiled side should be placed on the pan.Cover the pan and heat the khubz on low heat.Sprinkle the olive and cheese mixture over the olive oil.On the top spread the cheese mixture evenly on the khubz.Cover and Cook on gentle heat until the cheese melts.Serve hot .

Appam and Duck Roast

Appams(a kind of rice pancake) are a keralite specialty made from fermented rice flour. Soft and fluffy, melt-in-the mouth appams with duck roast or Fish moli or Stew is not only a healthy breakfast option, they also make for great lunch or dinner items.
Method of preparing appam is quite simple, with rice flour as the main ingredient, the technique may vary from person to person and from place to place. This simple recipe I learned from my mother, She is really good in making appams.
In my home, duck is a main item for special occasions like Easter and Christmas.
Duck Roast with Appam makes this a finger-licking meal .Its a great recipe for duck lovers. My dear duck haters, please substitute duck with mutton.

Appam

Ingredients

3 cups basmati rice
1 cup grated coconut
½ cup cooked matta rice
1 tsp yeast
3 tsp sugar
Salt to taste

Method

Wash and soak rice for 2 hours and grind rice ,coconut ,cooked rice with water to and smooth paste (I used blender for that).Add yeast and sugar in the final stage of grinding, after adding yeast blend only a few seconds. Mix well and keep aside overnight. It takes around 6 to 8 hours to get fermented. Next morning add salt and sugar(if needed),mix well and set aside for some time.
Heat non stick Appachatti, Pour a ladleful of the batter in the center and spread it by rotating the wok in a circular fashion, so that it is thick in the center and thin on the edges. Cover the wok and let the appam cook for few minutes. When the edges become crisp and begin to curl, gently lift it off the wok, Repeat the same procedure for the remaining batter. serve hot with curry

Note:-

The batter should be neither too thick nor too watery.
It should be fermented well to get the typical fluffy center.
Always pour the batter on a very hot surface and cook the appams on medium heat to ensure even cooking.
Don’t flip the appam,It should cook thoroughly on one side.
Refrigerate the remaining batter and can use next day.

Duck Roast

Ingredients

11/2kg fresh duck (I used frozen duck)
4 onions, finely chopped
3 medium sized tomatoes, chopped
2tbsp ginger garlic paste
1tsp whole pepper
1tsp aniseed (perimgeerakam)
1/4tsp chilli powder
1tsp turmeric powder
1tsp coriander powder
4-5 tsp oil
salt to taste

Method

In a pressure cooker, cook till half done the duck with 1tbsp ginger garlic paste ,1/2 tsp of turmeric powder.
In a heavy based pan, dry roast the pepper and aniseed till they turn aromatic. Cool and grind to powder.
In a pan, Heat the oil and add 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste and fry for few minutes.
Add onions, fry till golden brown, Add the pepper-aniseed powder and other powders. Stir fry well, Add the tomatoes and fry till soft and oil starts to leave the mixture.
Add the meat and then the salt. Fry till the duck is well coated with masala.
Cook duck uncovered over a medium heat, stirring, regularly till it is well cooked .

Nut-and -chocolate Brownies

Ahhh,Easter Memories! For me that is not a single day celebration,the whole Holy Week,the week between Palm Sunday and Easter
Maundy thursday brings back memories of my cousins ,Aunt and Uncle,We all got together first in my house and celebrate the pesaha by cutting the Appam ,I remember my dad (elder person)used to cut that after prayer and dips that in Pesaha Paal(Jaggery Sauce) and gives to other members in the order of age.After that ,we all will go to Aunt's house and the same thing will repeat there.
Its the time of year again for Easter!My warm Easter wishes to all of you with a sweet choco treat !


Ingredients

300 gms dark chocolate
150 gms butter
3 eggs
250 gms Castor sugar
250 gms cashew nuts ,chopped
75gms flour
2tsp vanilla essence
25 gms cocoa powder

Method

Melt chocolate and butter in a pan.In a bowl ,beat sugar and eggs till sugar melts and combine with the chocolate butter mixture.Stir in chocolate and butter mix.Sift in flour and cocoa and add gradually to the mixture.Add cashew nuts and Vanilla essence.Bake in the oven at 150degree C for 35 minutes or until crisp on top.Leave to cool in the cake pan before cutting into blocks.These cookies can be frozen up to three months.
Note:-
Melt chocolate slowly , as overheating will ruin the flavour and the texture of the chocolate.
Avoid overheating:dark chocolate must never be heated at more than 49 degree C.
Never allow the water or steam to come in contact with melted chocolate,as it will stiffen the chocolate mixture.
Do not cover chocolate after it's been melted and while it's still warm,since the condensation will stiffen the chocolate.