Nadan Parippu Curry / Kerala Dal Curry

Parippu curry is a typical Kerala side dish for rice and also one of the main dish of Kerala Sadya or Onam Sadya. I usually make parippu curry with toor dal, but some people make it with Moong dal (cherupayar parippu / split yellow gram). If using moong dal, you have to dry roast it first to enhance the flavour and then cook in a pressure cooker.  If Parippu curry is served with hot rice, pappad and ghee you don’t need any other curry for rice.

Nadan Parippu Curry / Kerala Dal Curry

Ingredients:

Toor Dal / Thuvara Parippu - 1 cup

A pinch of turmeric powder

Grind Together:

Grated Coconut - ½ cup

Cumin seeds / Jeerakom - ½ tsp

Shallots / Chumannulli - 2

Garlic – 1 clove

Green Chillies - 3-4

For Tempering:

Coconut Oil - 2 tsp

Ghee -2 tsp

Mustard Seeds / Kaduku - ½ tsp

Shallots / Chumannulli - 2, sliced

Curry Leaves - 2 strands

Red Chillies - 2, torn into 2 pieces

Method:

• Grind coconut with the rest of the ingredients adding 3 to 4 table spoons water to a smooth paste and keep aside.
• Pressure cook washed toor dal with 3 cups of water and a pinch of turmeric powder for 8 whistles on medium flame.  Once done, mash well to a smooth paste with the back of a spoon.
• Add ground paste, salt and enough water to the mashed dal. Let it cook on low flame for 5-8 mins. Remove from heat.
• Heat oil and ghee in another pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add small onion, curry leaves and red chillies. Fry till small onion becomes golden brown. Remove from fire and pour everything over cooked dal. Mix well.
• Serve with rice and pappad and a drizzle of some ghee.

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Melting Moments

May every day of the New Year glow with good cheer & happiness for you & your family.

Happy New Year!

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Playing with Fondant

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Spicy Barbecue Sauce Recipe

I always keep a bottle of barbecue sauce in my kitchen and I add a little when I make chicken for pizza topping or in sandwiches or while grilling chicken, fish etc.  I used to make homemade Tomato Sauce when tomatoes are in season … When I saw this Barbecue recipe in a burger book, I tried it and it came out really good. It is easy to make but a little time consuming and definitely healthier than the store bought ones as it does not contain any preservatives … Here is how I made Spicy Barbecue Sauce…

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Uppumanga / Salted Tender Mangoes in Brine

I think Uppumanga (Raw mangoes in brine) with kanji along with a kanthari mulaku (bird’s eye chilly) is the Malayali’s favorite comfort food... right?? I know my husband will not agree with it :D...  Almost a year ago when Sarah of Vazhayila posted this recipe it triggered my childhood memories...  But I never got tender mangoes (kannimanga) here...  so this year when I saw some green mangoes I decided to make it with that... so I selected the smallest thin skin mangoes available and made Uppumanga and now I am a happy girl having it with kanji and making uppumanga curry and chutney! Traditionally uppumanga is preserved in a big bharani (earthen pot).... In one of my old recipe books it’s written that to prevent it from fungal attack, in the old days people make a pouch with clean sand in a cloth and tie the bharani with this sand pouch and the Uppumanga preserved this way lasts yearlong! If you don’t have a bharani use clean glass bottles, make sure to add enough salt water to cover the mangoes.... My aunt told me to add little coriander powder tied in a clean cloth in the brine to givethe mangoes and the brine a lovely smell.... Always use clean sterilized bharani / jar to preserve mangoes and use a dry spoon, else you will see fungus attack....

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Pacha Manga Chammanthi / Raw Mango Chutney

Pacha Manga Chammanthi, every Malayalis’ favorite with a bowl of kanji and pappadom.... This simple tongue tickling dish is best when prepared on an Arakallu but in modern kitchens we have to make do with the small wet grinding jar of our mixer grinder.... This is best when made with Kanthari mulaku/ bird’s eye chillies and if that’s not available you can use green chillies or dry red chillies.... Make sure not to add any water while grinding.... usually manga chammanthi is serverd with rice but it can be eaten as a quick snack by spreading between bread slices....

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Marshmallow Fondant Icing Recipe / MM Fondant Icing Recipe

Every year I decorate one of my Christmas cakes with fondant icing and this time I made Marshmallow Fondant.... I got the recipe from Spicyana girl Archana sometime back.... I adore her cake decorating skills and the beautiful cakes she makes.... so once when she mentioned on FB that she uses homemade MM fondant, I asked her for the recipe and she immediately sent it to me with the links and a lot of tips.... I got a chance to try it at Christmas.... it is so smooth and pliable and tastes great too.... Only thing is you have to knead it really well... In Archana words “knead for some 10 minutes, in a stand mixer using the dough hook and then knead for a good ten minutes or more by hand. Be sure to liberally smear the hands and the hook with shortening. The longer you knead the better and hand- kneading is the most important part. Make the fondant the day before, and keep it in a ziploc bag at room temperature. This "resting" part is also important. Also, when you roll out the fondant, thinly smear the surface and rolling pin with shortening”. I followed all these instructions and I got a perfect fondant!!!....  Thank you so much dear for the recipe and the tips.... I know my cake won’t come anywhere near as beautiful as your cakes, but I hope one day I will able to :):) .....I made half amount of the fondant for one cake....

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Erachi Podi Recipe / Homemade Meat Masala Powder/ Homemade Curry Powder

This is the same curry powder recipe I have mentioned in a lot of my previous posts.... If you have this Erachi podi / curry powder in stock you can whip up some veg or non-veg curries quickly.... We usually use this to make Beef Ularthiyathu (recipe coming soon), meat/ egg roasts or in veg or non veg mappas.... to make all these curries you only need to add a couple of spoons of this curry powder and you don’t need to add any other masala powders.... back home we make a big batch of this curry powder and if you store it well in air tight containers,  it will last for months without any problems.... I never use store bought curry powder/meat masala in any of my dishes.... I always have enough stock of this with me and I get my share of this curry powder from my mom’s sister.... Since she makes large quantities, she gives the cleaned and roasted spices to a mill to have it powdered..... You can make this in small quantities and powder it in your mixer grinder at home.... so here is how we make the curry powder at home.....

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Classic South Indian Breakfast ~ Dosa, Sambar & Chutney / Fermented Rice and Lentil Crepes with side dishes

It’s been unusually cold here for the past one week and the temperature had dropped down to -1C for a couple of days and I was simply sitting without doing much:).... I had planned to post this a couple of days ago when my blog turned 4 years but was too lazy to type all the recipes :D.... Let me take this opportunity to thank each and every one of my dear readers and friends who have visited this humble place of mine and for giving me all the support & encouragement to carry on.... During these 4 years I have gained a lot of friends with whom Ihave become very close though I have never met them in person.... A lot of you come back to me after trying a recipe from my blog and I am extremely glad when I hear you and your family liked those dishes.... Hope I will be able to keep up to your expectations and continue to post many good recipes in future..... Instead of posting a sweet dish to celebrate as usual, I thought of posting the Classic South Indian breakfast Dosa & Sambar for a change.... I know all of my Indian readers know how to make dosa and sambar..... but this is for those who don’t.....Long ago I had promised my brother that I will post sambar and chutney recipe on my blog but that never happened and now according to him he makes the perfect sambar ;).... Also a lot of newly married girls have asked me to post recipes like this..... So this post is for those readers of mine who are rookies in the kitchen and for my Non- Indian readers :)

Dosa is a fermented crepe or pancake made from rice and lentil batter. It is a staple dish in South Indian Cuisine, eaten for breakfast or dinner. There are many types ranging from plain to Stuffed Dosas with vegetarian or non vegetarian filling and are usually served with side dishes like Sambar or a selection of chutneys like Coconut Chutney, Green Chutney, Onion Chutney, Milagai Podi (Spiced powders mixed with oil) and pickles etc.

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Paneer Tomato Curry Recipe / Cottage Cheese in Tomato Gravy

Long back soon after our wedding we were settled in a place called Gomia, in Bihar. I am sure many of you may be hearing of this place Gomia for the first time :D... There we had an amazing cook named Alku from whom I learned many basic North Indian recipes for the first time... he taught me how to make perfect paneer at home and severalpaneer recipes too... His main paneer delicacy was this simple paneer tomato curry or chilly paneer as he named this curry.... This spicy basic onion and tomato gravy is a very versatile recipe that goes well not only with paneer, but also with potatoes, cauliflower, chicken, peas, mushrooms etc etc.... Addition of cinnamon powder towards the end of cooking enhances the flavor of this curry.... This curry goes very well with Indian Breads or rice… do check out some of the variations of the same curry towards the end of the post :)....

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Fondant Icing Recipe (Eggless)

"May the spirit of Christmas bring you peace,

The gladness of Christmas give you hope,

The warmth of Christmas grant you love."

Merry Christmas to all.....

As a tradition every year, I make Christmas Fruit Cake and decorate it with icing. Earlier I have posted another fondant icing recipe and in the last couple of years I was using the same icing for my Christmas cake. But a lot of my readers expressed concern about using raw egg white and so this year I thought of using another recipe I found in Vanitha magazine, which has no egg in it. It came out very well …. Also please note that I am not a trained cake decorator and have not taken any cake decorating courses ….. So my cake decorations are not perfect … :D

Fondant Icing Recipe (Eggless)

Ingredients:
Gelatin-1 tsp
Water- 1 oz
Liquid Glucose- 1 tbsp
Glycerin- ¼ tsp
Icing sugar- 300-400 gms

Method:

• In a saucepan mix liquid glucose and water. Add gelatin and keep the pan over a big pan of boiling water and melt this mixture.
• Remove and add glycerin and icing sugar and make a smooth, soft and pliable dough.
• Add desired colour according to the design you want to make.
• Always keep the fondant dough in an airtight container.

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Tips for making Homemade Kerala Wine

Since I get a lot of messages and e-mails expressing doubts and seeking clarifications on wine making, I thought of sharing these tips that should help while making wine at home. I am not a trained wine maker or chemist...... These are tips learned from books and several years of wine making......

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Kanjiyum Payarum / Rice Gruel and Lentils Stir Fried with Coconut ~ Good Friday Special

In Kerala, among the Jacobite community, Kanji is served after the long service at church on Good Friday. We spend almost 6 to 7 hours in church, fasting, and when the service is over, piping hot Kanji is served in manchatti /earthen bowl along with Vanpayar Thoran, Kadumanga Pickle and Pappad. It is bliss to have Kanji at church especially when you are super hungry!  I follow this tradition every year and this year I made both Vanpayaer and Chrupayar thoran because I like Vanpayar thoran and hubby likes Chrupayar thoran with Kanji…. Also we had Lime pickle, Sweet Mango Pickle, Pappad and yogurt!

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Homemade Pizza with Beef

I usually make pizza at home at least once a month, and I have tried several recipes for my pizza base. I was never fully satisfied with the results until I tried out this recipe from Annie’s Eats…. Never tried any other base after this one… it worked very well for me and please do check out her step by step instructions… I don’t have a stand mixer, so I knead the dough in my food processer… you can even knead with your hands too J…  also I don’t have a pizza stone with me… I use my pizza pan pre heated in the oven….. use any topping of your choice as desired…

Basic Pizza Dough
Recipe Source~ Annie’s Eats

Yield: enough dough for 2 medium pizzas or 4 calzones

Ingredients:
½ cup warm water
2¼ tsp. instant yeast
4 cups (22 oz.) bread flour, plus more for dusting
1½ tsp. salt
1¼ cup water, at room temperature
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Method:

• Measure the warm water into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Sprinkle the yeast over the top.In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the bread flour and salt, mixing briefly to blend. Measure the room temperature water into the measuring cup with the yeast-water mixture. With the mixer on low speed, pour in the yeast-water mixture as well as the olive oil. Mix until a cohesive dough is formed. Switch to the dough hook. Knead on low speed until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, 1½-2 hours.
• Press down the dough to deflate it. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Form each piece of dough into a smooth, round ball. (If freezing the dough, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze at this point.) Cover with a damp cloth. Let the dough relax for at least 10 minutes but no longer than 30 minutes.
• To bake, preheat the oven and pizza stone to 500˚ F / 260˚C   for at least 30 minutes. Transfer the dough to your shaping surface, lightly sprinkled with cornmeal. Shape the dough with lightly floured hands. Brush the outer edge lightly with olive oil. Top as desired. Bake until the crust is golden brown, and cheese is bubbling, 8-12 minutes.

Beef Topping
Yield~ enough topping for 2 medium pizza bases

Ingredients:
2 medium Pizza Bases
1 tin (400gm) peeled tomatoes (I used fresh tomatoes)
350gm lean, mined beef
1 medium onion finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
25gm butter
¾ tsp mild paprika (can use Kashmeri red chilly powder)
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
Freshly ground pepper
200 gm grated cheese ( I used low fat Mozzarella cheese)
3/4 tsp mild paprika to sprinkle on top
¼ each of dried Oregano, basil and thyme to sprinkle on top

Method:

• Cut the tomatoes in small pieces and drain them.
• Fry the chopped onion and garlic in butter until golden and add minced beef and fry until it crumbles and the meat has changed colour.
• Fold in tomato pieces, paprika, sugar, salt and pepper.
• Spread the mince on the two bases and top with cheese.
• Sprinkle with paprika, oregano, basil and thyme.
• Bake until the crust is golden brown, and cheese is bubbling,

• This Pizza is YeastSpotted

 

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White Sauce

Ingredients:

Butter -2 tbsp
All purpose flour/ Maida -2 tbsp
Milk -1 cup
Pepper powder -1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste

Method:

Melt butter in a saucepan, stir in flour and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Whisk in milk and cook, stirring, over a medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until mixture thickens. Turn off flame and add salt and pepper to taste.

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