Daily Archives: March 26, 2014

Mampazlam moru charu

Preparation Time : 15 minutes

Cooking Time : 10 minutes

Serving : 4 members

Description

Mampazlam moru charu . A lightly spiced , sour and sweet curry made with ripe mangoes and thick butter milk .A dish very own to Palghat region but have never ever had or heard about it until I got the recipe from my friend fathima’s ( from salem ) mother – in – laws hand written recipe note book . I found the recipe really interesting as it served and brought a challenge to find new ways to use ripe mangoes . I had to wait a whole year to give a try to this recipe for the right mango season to arrive . The wait was worth while as the curry was a mass of velvety hot , sweet and sour all in one simple yet ingenious dish with the right touch of ripe mangoes in it . The burst of flavours they bring … Now it’s a regular at home on every years mango season and a family favourite too. I bet no one can stop with one helping for sure .

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Small country ripe mangoes	6 , peeled and whole with the seed
Red chilli powder	1 teaspoon or more to taste
Salt	to taste

Method

Boil the peeled mangoes with red chilli power , salt and little water for 3 to 4 minutes .
Make sure the mangoes are cooked but don’t get mussy at the same time . Set aside .

Ingredients to Grind

Ingredients	Quantity
Grated Coconut	1/2 a coconut
Cumin seeds	1 teaspoon

Other Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Jaggery	1 tablespoon
Thick butter milk	4 glasses
Salt	to taste

Method to Grind

Mix ground coconut + cumin seed paste to the butter milk . Add jaggery and salt to taste . Mix well , taste and adjust .
Pour this mixture over the cooked mangoes . Place over medium heat . Once the edges start to foam , remove from heat And set aside .
Takes about 3 to 4 minutes . Make sure not to boil the curry as the butter milk tends to curdle when boiled .

Ingredients for Tempering

Ingredients	Quantity
Coconut oil	1 tablespoon
Mustard seeds	1/2 teaspoon
Dried red chillies	2 torn
Curry leaves	few

Method for Tempering

Heat coconut oil , add mustard seeds . Once they splutter top with torn dry red chillies and curry leaves .
Stir until the dry red chillies and curry leaves are crisp .
Remove from heat , cool completely and pour over the mango curry .
Mampazla moru charu is ready . Serve at room temperature with hot cooked white rice .

Baked peanut butter chicken strips

Preparation Time : 10 minutes + 5 hours for marination

Cooking Time : 30 minutes

Serving : 4 members

Description

I go head over heels about peanuts . No matter what form it is served in and peanut butter is my favourite . ( yea .. Anything fattening and high in calorie is liked by my taste buds which is desperate to kill me soon ) the first time i got to know about peanut butter was at the dinning table of my boarding school where my seniors would pass their bottle of peanut butter around to share with every one for our breakfast bread . I still remember, A chunk full of peanut butter fell down on to my bread and me not knowing what it was but could not show it out as well as all around were my seniors and above that what a shame it would be to admit to the fact with an elite English speaking crowd . I did spread the peanut butter with the help of my spoon all around my slice of bread seeing other do the same next to me . With out any one taking note of me , I immediately placed the spoon with little peanut butter sticking onto the spoon here and there in bits and tasted it . The moment my tongue felt the taste of the fatty culprit , I surrendered myself to the peanut butter and from then till date have not been able to get relived from it . I can easily pair peanut butter with any thing and every thing be it sweet or savoury . Then why leave the mighty chicken alone , so paired it up and gave a try to get this spot on dish . I omitted using oil as there is more than enough of peanut butter used to compensate . When served at home I ended up getting just a single piece and the left over crumbs .

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Bone less Chicken	1/2 kg , cut into 1/2 inch thick strips
Garlic paste	1/4 teaspoon
Lemon zest	1/2 a lemon
Light Soya sauce	4 tablespoons
Chilli powder	to taste
Pepper powder	to taste
Sugar	1 / 2 teaspoon
Peanut butter	8 tablespoons
Lime juice	1/2 a lime
Water	1/4 cup
Salt	to taste

Method

Mix garlic paste , soya sauce , lime juice , lemon zest , sugar , chilli powder , pepper , 4 tablespoons of peanut butter and salt together . Taste and adjust .
Marinate chicken strips in the above sauce for 5 hours or over night in the refrigerator . Preheat oven to 180 degree Celsius .
Place the marinated chicken strips 1/4 centimetre away from one another over foil paper in a baking tray and bake for 30 minutes .
Mix the remaining peanut butter with the remaining marinate sauce and water .
While baking the chicken strips keep brushing the sauce over the chicken strips in an interval of every 5 minutes once and turn over and bake after 15 minutes .
Serve warm as it is .

Blueberry mousse

Preparation Time : 15 minutes

Cooking Time : 10 minutes

Serving : 4 to 6 members

Description

Blue burry mousse . I really had a big confusion of not knowing the difference between a mousse and a soufflé . Only recently did I get to learn that mousse are cream based desserts that are set with the help of gelatine and soufflés are egg based and baked . As both mousse and soufflés are light , that’s where my confusion began . Now about this blue burry mousse . I took note of this recipe from the telly on Rachel Allen’s show but she had made it with blackberries and I have used canned blueberries instead as a quick , delicious and fool proof trick . ( the real reason being not getting frozen or fresh blue or any buries at my place ) I made this dessert when I had invited a vegetarian , north indian friend of mine home . She loved this mousse so much that she packed a few for her hubby and asked for the recipe as well :-)) . This master piece will chill your bones and hearts for sure .

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Blue berries	1/2 kg ( I used Oregon brand blue berries In light syrup )
Water	enough to boil the berries about 1/4 cup
Sugar	to taste
Gelatine	4 tablespoons
Whipped cream	3 cups

Method

Add 5 tablespoons of water to the gelatine . Mix well and set aside to bloom .
Boil the blue berries with water and sugar to taste until tender and soft for 10 minutes . Mash the cooked blue berries and strain through a sieve to get the extract alone .mix gelatine with the blue burry pulp and place over low heat , stirring for 5 minutes until the gelatine dissolves .
Remove from heat and cool completely . ( I omitted the above step with blue berries as I used canned ready ones )
Whip cream to stiff peaks . Fold in the blue burry , gelatine mix into the whipped cream and mix well .
Pour into transparent glasses or bowls and place in the refrigerator over night or for 3 hours .
Serve chill topped with some blueberry coolie .

Notes

I added sugar to taste to Oregon blueberry mix and mixed well until the sugar dissolved .
Then added the bloomed gelatine but did not bring to boil . Mixed it with whipped cream . poured into individual short transparent glasses and left to set in the refrigerator .
Topped with a teaspoon of Oregon. Blueberry coolie and served .

Venthaya koolu

Preparation Time : soaking over night + 10 minutes

Cooking Time : 20 minutes

Serving : 4 members

Description

Venthaya koolu . Fenugreek Porridge. A tradition medicinal dish very own to tirunelveli . Only after i was married did i know there were medicinal dishes that Existed . As at moms place anything and everything about medicines are from the medical store except for the jeeraga kashayam given to us for gastric trouble. Here at my hubby’s place their food and menu revoles around health and medicinal facts for the body. This dish is had only for breakfast in an empty stomach to cool the body (as tirunelveli is hot place)and if you have blisters in your mouth or tummy so this dish is a cooling agent to the body.I make this dish atleast once a month.My kids don’t fancy this dish but i comple them and some how get it into their tummy. This dish requires a lot of stirring to be done , that’s a bonus to loose a few calories too.

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
raw rice ( pachai arusi )	1 cup
split black lentil ( urad dal with out skin )	1 cup
fenugreek seeds	1/4 cup
thick coconut milk	1 cup
salt	a pinch
palm sugar ( karupetti )	1/4 kg
water	3 + 2 cups

Method

Soak rice , black lentil and fenugreek seeds in water over night . Drain and grind in a food processor to a smooth paste , adding 3 cups of water to get a running consistency batter .
Add a pinch of salt to the batter . Crush the palm sugar and boil it with 2 cups of water to get a syrup . Strain and set aside .
In a heavy bottomed non stick kadai boil the ground loose batter , stirring continuously in medium heat for over 10 minutes till the rice mixture is cooked through and gets to a thick paste .
Add the palm sugar syrup little by little stirring continuously and mix well . Then finally add the coconut milk as still stirring continuously .
Simmer the flame and let all the flavours infuse together for a minute . The porridge should of thick flowing consistency .
Remove from heat and serve hot or warm .

Aval pazlathappam

Preparation Time : 30 minute

Cooking Time : 10 minutes

Serving : 4 members

Description

The vegetarian version was actually created by my mom for the sake of my vegetarian daughter. When we relish and enjoy and treat ourselves with Such dishes , having no choice she just has to gaze on us . So mom not wanting her grand daughter to just sit ideal made a vegetarian versions as well. (happens with all the dishes at home) have to mention how much our principal Mr. P.C Thomas , headmistress elsama and their children Liju and Julie Pradeesh used to enjoy my moms pallazthappams . Even recently Julie Pradeesh had mentioned about moms palazthappams.

Ingredients for Cover

Ingredients	Quantity
Kerala plantain	500 gm ( ripeness is very important , as too ripe ones will become watery and hard to shape . Not to ripe ones will be hard to shape and not sweet enough )
salt	to taste
Coconut oil or vegetable oil	to deep fry

Method for Cover

Steam the plantains and cook till they slit . Do not over cook . Cool and remove the black pith .
Mash the plantains with out water in a mixer to get a tight dough . Set aside .

Ingredients for stuffing

Ingredients	Quantity
aval ( flattened rice , poha )	2 cups
coconut grated	1 cup
sugar	to taste
salt	a pinch
cardamom powder	1/4 teaspoon
cashewnuts	1 teaspoon chopped
kismis ( dried grapes )	1 teaspoon
water	to rinse the aval ( flattened rice , poha )

Method for Filling

Rinse the aval in water and squeeze out the water . Mix with all the other ingredients and set aside .

How to Proceed

Make lime sized balls with the plantain dough . Flatten each ball into round shaped circles . ( like poories , my mother used the poorie press keeping the plaintain ball inbetween two greased plastic sheets , this was so much easier than doing by hands )
Place 1 1/2 tablespoons of aval mixture in the Center of flattened plantain circle . Close the circle from one side to get a semi circle shaped palazthappam . Fold and press the edges gently to close the palazthappams .
Do the same with the remaining plaintain dough and aval mixture . Heat oil ( coconut oil adds more taste ) to deep fry .
Drop the palazthappams one at a time into hot oil and fry to golden brown colour and a bit crisp . Drain and serve as it is .
Yummy sweet , sour , tangy palazthappams are ready to be eaten .

Pazlathappam

Preparation Time : 30 minutes

Cooking Time : 20 minutes

Serving : 4 members

Description

Palazthappam . An authentic ravuthar dish very own to the Palghat , Coimbatore region people . As we people are from Tamil Nadu , Kerala border Region . Our food , Language , habits , customs and every thing is a mix of both the states. This dish is very similar to the unnakai made in Kerala by the malabar region people. Only difference is the stuffing. We use minced meat stuffing or aval (poha) stuffing and they use dates , nuts and coconut. A few days before my moms cousin sister sabeena Shaikh (jabi Akka) messaged me the recipe with the picture of palazthappam. Only then did i get reminded about this dish. As i was in moms place asked her to make some.So picture and recipe courtesy my mom.(poor thing she was sick and made it just for me) a very tricky dish, even till date i end up making a mess at times.

Ingredients for Cover

Ingredients	Quantity
Kerala plantain	500 gm ( ripeness is very important , as too ripe ones will become watery and hard to shape . Not to ripe ones will be hard to shape and not sweet enough )
salt	to taste
Coconut oil or vegetable oil	to deep fry

Ingredients for Stuffing

Ingredients	Quantity
minced meat ( mutton only )	1/4 kg
onions	8 chopped finely
green chillies	6 chopped finely
coriander leaves	1/2 bunch chopped finely
ginger paste	1/4 teaspoon
garam masala powder	1/4 teaspoon
salt	to taste
coconut oil	2 tablespoons

Method

Steam the plantains and cook till they slit . Do not over cook . Cool and remove the black pith .
Mash the plantains with out water in a mixer to get a tight dough . Set aside . Pressure cook the minced meat with salt to taste , ginger paste and garam masala powder till cooked .
Boil the minced meat till all the moisture has evaporated and set aside . Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a non stick kadai .
Fry the onions to brown . Add green chillies , cooked minced meat , coriander leaves and salt to taste .
Saute for 5 minutes to get a dry minced meat mixture .

How to Proceed

Make lime sized balls with the plantain dough . Flatten each ball into round shaped circles . ( like poories , my mother used the poorie press keeping the plaintain ball inbetween two greased plastic sheets , this was so much easier than doing by hands ) place 1 1/2 tablespoons of minced meat mixture in the Center of flattened plantain circle .
Close the circle from one side to get a semi circle shaped palazthappam . Fold and press the edges gently to close the palazthappams .
Do the same with the remaining plaintain dough and stuffing mixture . Heat oil ( coconut oil adds more taste ) to deep fry .
Drop the palazthappam s one at a time into hot oil and fry to golden brown colour and a bit crisp . Drain and serve as it is .
Yummy sweet , sour , tangy , hot palazthappams are ready to be eaten .