Daily Archives: January 9, 2016

Italian cheesy rice balls

Preparation time : 30 minutes
Cooking time : 3-4 minutes for deep frying each batch
Serves : 4 members

Description

Some how to me Italian food always relate’s to being romantic. No clue as to why I feel so but that’s what it is to me. May be the ease in which the way Italian food is made not being precise like we Indians cook with a little of this and a little of that and loads of love put into each dish. My trip to Italy was done when I just knew pizza and pasta being Italian dishes. Not aware of the versatility the Italian cuisine has I just missed out my chance to explore the real authentic taste of Italy. But I do make up for all the lost time by exploring all the interesting dishes that I get to know in all means. This recipe’s idea is from Italian Canadian born David rocca from one of his telly shows. I just love the way he uses simple, fresh, seasonal ingredients and cooks up a stir that helps any home chef to do the same any where. The authentic, easy to learn, classic Italian dishes that he shares are peasant cuisine which is at the heart of Italian cooking. I have added a few ingredients that are cupboard friendly to our Indian palate. I had my doubts about the rice crust breaking when deep fried but I was put to shame for sure. I made these rice balls when I had a cousin visit us with out notice and her favourite were these for sure with a “recipe please “following . The minute I told her these were made with left over rice, she was awe struck and looked at me like I was a genius. I had to tell her, it’s David rocca who is the genius and not me .

Ingredients	Quantity
Cooked rice	2 cups
Rice flour	1 teaspoon
Cornflour	2 tablespoons
Red chilly flakes	to taste
Egg	1 + 1
Salt + pepper powder	to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese	1 cup
Mozzarella cheese	3/4 cup cubes
Garlic crushed	1 clove
Dried oregano	1/2 teaspoon
Dried basil	1/2 teaspoon
Bread crumbs	2 cups
Oil	to deep fry

Method

Mash boiled rice well with hands. Add salt, cornflour, red chilly flakes, garlic, one egg, dried basil, dried oregano and Parmesan cheese to the mashed rice. Mix well. Then add rice flour and mix well. set aside for twenty minutes.
Make even lemon size ball’s of the rice mixture, flatten it out in your palm to get a round disc of your palm size with 1/4 inch thickness.
Place a goose burry size of mozzarella cheese cube in the centre. Bring the edges of the rice disc towards the middle and roll to a ball with no cracks making sure the mozzarella cube is sealed well.
Beat one egg with salt and pepper to taste. Roll the filled rice ball over beaten egg. Remove and toss over bread crumbs making sure it’s coated all around well. Do the same to all the balls. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Heat oil to deep fry. Drop the rice balls in batches of four at a time and deep fry to crisp and golden in hot oil. Drain and serve hot with marinara Italian sauce or tomato sauce.

Cucumber Adai Dosa

Preparation time : 20 minutes
Cooking time : 1 and a 1/2 to two minutes for each dosa
Serves : 3 members

Description

Cucumbers are used only for salads or just to munch for time pass at home. I have never ever cooked a dish with cucumbers so far. Came across a recipe that used cucumbers to make rotis. Grabbed the idea and tried this adai dosa version for the true blue South Indian I am. Not knowing what the texture of a cooked cucumber will result in, I eagerly waited for the first adai dosa to be cooked. The adai looked stunning with an eye popping splash of colors. The first tasting was done by my cook and myself together. Both of us had raised eyebrows and wide open eyes as it tasted divine, light and healthy with a crisp exterior, soft interior and the bite of cucumbers and onions were to die for. The perfect harmony of goodness and taste that’s mildly flavoured and quick to stir up. Made sure to high lighten the quick and healthy adai dosa by serving it with three chutneys. my cheats way just to impress my loved ones when in doubt about any new dish, serving it with many accomplishments. solving the mystery with in me of what to do if the dish will be a flop show. Sure this new avatar cucumber adai dosa will do full justice at all your home table’s as it did to mine.

Ingredients	Quantity
Cucumbers grated with skin	3 cups
Rice flour	3 cups
Green chillies	6 chopped
Ginger grated	1 teaspoon
Garlic	1 clove grated
Tomato	1 chopped
Onion	1 big chopped
Salt	to taste
Soda -bi - carbonate	a pinch
White Sesame seeds	1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric powder	1/2 teaspoon
Coriander leaves	1/4 cup chopped
Spinach leaves	1/4 cup chopped ( optional )
Oil	4 tablespoons

Method

Squeeze out the excess water from the grated cucumbers and reserve the water.
Add all the other ingredients together with the reserved cucumber water and water to get a semi thick loose batter ( like dosa batter ). Taste and adjust seasoning.
Heat a gribble. Grease with little oil. Pour a big ladle full of batter and spread a little to get a round disc of 1/4 inch thickness.
Drizzle little oil over the edges and cook for a minute in medium flame.
Flip over and cook further for another 30 to 50 seconds.
Remove from heat and serve hot with choice of chutneys.

Jackfruit Mousse

Preparation time : 35 minutes
Cooking time : 12 minutes + setting time of six hours or overnight in the refrigerator
Serves : five members

Description

Jackfruit is one among my favourite fruits. Anything and everything made with this humble fruit is a sure delight to me. Every time home is over loaded with jackfruits during its season, I make sure to come up with a new dessert. My kids when growing up, spotting a jackfruit dessert in the fridge was cause to exult to them. I have no shame in admitting that I still have a soft spot for the bright sunny yellow, sweet, marvellous textured fruit. So this time it was a mousse made with jackfruits. Jackfruits with coconut milk combination is a no fail deal always. To be on the safer side just went ahead with the known devil killer combo. Did add a bit of custard powder for a smooth velvety effect to the mousse. This dessert was no – brainer to prepare. The final result was ultimate yummy dessert. Served it at a family gathering in the evening. We all did dig into family secrets as we ate our heart outs with these mousses. Well, when food is good, rest around the “gup – shup ” will be even better.

Ingredients	Quantity
Jackfruit	1 cup chopped
Whipped cream	1 packet ( blue bird brand - 50 grams packet )
Honey	1 tablespoon
Powdered Sugar	to taste
Jack fruit purée	1 cup
Custard powder	2 teaspoons
Thick coconut milk	1 cup
Vanilla essence	few drops

Method

Mix custard powder with thick coconut milk. Bring to boil, stirring constantly to get a thick custard with no lumps. Remove from heat and cool completely.
Mix jack fruit puree, cooled custard, powdered sugar and vanilla essence together.
Whip the cream to packet instructions to stiff peaks. Fold the whipped cream with the custard mix.
Pour into pudding cups and place in the refrigerator to set for six hours or overnight.
Mix honey with Jack fruit bits. Garnish over the pudding and serve chilled.

Kerala Christian Fish Curry

Preparation time : 30 minutes
Cooking time : 25 minutes
Serves : five members

Description

Every Friday night , was fish day at our boarding school. The entire mess would stink of fish and we kids would grumble and have dinner. One week it would be fish curry and the following week fish fry. Fish curry weeks were the worst. I remember on one such Friday, we entered the dining hall and I could see deep dark red colour curry over the lump of rice on all our plates. Or else it’s always a pale yellow – brown fish curry. That second, all our faces lit up with smiles before the prayer as the dining hall also didn’t have the fishy smell. As we started our dinner, it was fish curry but made in a different way and yum for sure. The entire dining hall was in a festive mood, rejoicing and enjoying the good fish curry. Out of a sudden we had our head mistress Mrs elsamma Thomas making rounds during dinner. As she neared our table, she asked us how the fish curry was? We all in a chorus shouted out saying its yum. She smiled and told us she had made the fish curry her self as she bought fish from Kerala after a two day holiday there. I was not smart enough to know what went into the curry she had made then but that one Friday’s fish curry till date does spark in my mind every now and then letting me crave for it always. This recipe was shared by a fellow foodie friend shuja Thomas on her blog. I just took note of it and gave a try. My, my, it was the same Friday night fish curry that our head mistress had made for us. My lost craving was put to an end with shuja’s recipe being bang on perfect. My first mouth full of rice and this fish curry sure took me to those cold night Friday dinners of our’s in school.

Ingredients	Quantity
Fish	1/2 kg
Red chilly powder	3 teaspoons
Coriander powder	1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder	1/2 teaspoon
Coconut oil	4 tablespoons
Mustard seeds	1/2 teaspoon
Garlic	2 cloves chopped
Ginger	1/2 inch piece chopped
Small onions	one hand chopped
Ginger and garlic paste	1/2 teaspoon
Fenugreek powder	1/4 teaspoon
Curry leaves	few
Gambooge / kudam puli	4 soak in one cup water with little salt
Salt	to taste

Method

Heat a clay pot with coconut oil .Add Mustard seeds , once they crackle.
Top with chopped Ginger, garlic, small onions and curry leaves. Sauté to translucent.
Add the Ginger and garlic paste. Sauté to crisp.
Mix red chilly powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder with little water to get a paste consistency.
Add this over the crisp Ginger, garlic paste. Cook until oil floats on top.
Add soaked kudam puli, salt and two cups of water, bring to boil.
Drop cleaned fish pieces and sprinkle fenugreek powder.
Cover and cook in low flame for ten to fifteen minutes depending on the variety of fish used for the curry .
Swirl the clay pot in intervals of five minutes each when cooking after the fish is added.
Add a few more curry leaves and drizzle coconut oil all around the edges of the clay pot. Swirl and Simmer further for three to five minutes.
Remove from heat and serve after a few hours ( or best the next day ) as the curry tends to thicken when kept in a clay pot.
Adjust water consistency accordingly and serve with hot boiled rice.

Notes

Avoid small onions and coriander powder and make the same curry in case you want to keep the fish curry for a couple of days at room temperature.