If you love eating, you can surely be a good cook, but to be an excellent one, you should have good critics at home. For that I owe to my husband and my children.

I dedicate this blog to the young ladies - "the starters".

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Meat Ball Curry



Ingredients

Minced meat - ¼ kg
Boiled potato – 1 big
Onion - 2 big
Green chillies – 3 to 4
Ginger - 3 inch
Egg - 1
Bread crumbs from 3 slices
Oil
Onion - ½
Corriander powder - 1 ½ tbsp
Chilli powder - ½ tbsp
Garam masala powder - ½ tbsp
Grated coconut - ½ cup
Pepper powder - 1 tsp
Dry red chilli - 4
Curry leaves
Thick and thin milk of one coconut
Vinegar
Salt

Preparation

Wash thoroughly and mince the meat.
Boil, skin and mash the potato.
Chop onion, ginger and green chillies.
Mix all the items together.
Add chilli and crushed pepper.
Make small balls and keep aside.

Keep a wok with oil on medium flame .
Beat an egg in a bowl.
Dip the meat balls one by one in this beaten egg;
roll in bread-crumbs and deep fry golden brown.

Take half a cup of grated coconut, half onion,
corriander, chilli and garam masala powder.
Blend it to a fine paste.

Slice half of the remaining onion, 2 green chillies,
ginger, garlic and set aside.
Extract thick and thin milk from one coconut and keep aside.

Keep a wok on low flame. Pour oil put mustard seeds,
chopped garlic, red chilli, curry leaves
and as it gets bright colour,
add sliced onion, chillies and ginger.
Sauté till it turns light brown.
Add half teaspoon each of turmeric
and chilli powder sauté for a minute.
Add the coconut paste and salt.
Sauté till oil comes out of it.
Now pour in 2 cups of thin coconut milk .
As it boils, gently place each meat ball.
Keep on low flame for five minutes.

Pour the thick coconut milk.
Still on low flame, as the steam arises add
one table spoon of natural vinegar and
sprinkle pepper powder.

Turn off the flame and serve with any Indian bread.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Coconut Prawns Fry


Large prawns -10
Egg -1
Bread - ½
Coconut - ¼
Dry red chilly -3
Curry leaves
Garlic - 2 cloves
Oil to fry

De-shell and de-vein the prawns but retain the tail.
Split open the prawns lengthwise up to the tail.
This will give you a double sized prawns for presentation.
Take care not to split apart.

In a coffee grinder add bread pieces, coconut slices, dry red chilly,
Garlic and grind it coarsely.

Beat an egg adding salt. Dip the prawns in beaten egg and then coat it
Well with the coconut mixture. Deep fry the prawns in medium flame.

Serve it hot with chilly dip.

Do not marinate the prawns , this will give you fresh sea taste.
Use sea salt and natural vinegar to make the dip.

Mukkuti Poov (Gods Own)


Let our children aim high
and glance down as well.
Find happiness in small things,
and let them be more sensitive.
Watch birds and the small flowers
that bloom,not only in our
garden, but also on the wayside.

Never thought a Malayali child
would ever ask-‘which is mukkuti”
Ask him to pluck a mukkuti.
It will be a learning process,
to pluck it with a soft touch,
without hurting the petals.
His heart will just mellow down,
and will have the lightest fingers-
by the time he plucks some kaka poov.

It hurts to see mukkuti, thumba,
Kaka poov and other small Gods own flowers
disappearing from our landscape.

Let our children watch birds,out in nature
rather than in cages.
Keep a bowl of food and water
for the bulbuls and squirrels.
Up in the terrace or in the balcony .
Sit far and just watch them calmly.
They do recognize the person
who feeds them.

Isn’t it heartening to think that
there is somebody up there
watching you from the tree top,
and waiting for you
Back home.
HAPPY ONAM