Pizza

Home made pizza with foccacia base.
I topped it with parmeesan and mozarella cheese,
onion,tomato,rose mary ,olive oil and beef roast.
Tomato sauce was added while serving.
Foccacia recipe is already featured in my earlier post.

Shahi Mushroom Curry

Ingredients

Mushroom - 200gm
Oil - 2tbsp
Butter - 2tsp
Onion - 2
Ginger - 2 inch
Garlic - 3
Green chillies - 2
Pepper - 6
Black cardamom - 1 small
Green cardamom - 3
Cinnamon - 3 inch
Mace - ¼ tsp
Nutmeg - ¼ tsp
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
Red cashmere chilli - 1
Dry ginger - ½ tsp
Turmeric - ½ tsp
Cashew nuts - 12
Milk - ½ cup
Water - ½ cup
Coriander leaves
Sea Salt

Preparation

Sauté mushroom in oil and butter
and keep aside.
Soak cashew in warm water.

Make a fine paste of ginger,garlic, onion
and green chillies.
Dry roast pepper, both cardamoms, dry ginger,
mace, nutmeg, red chilli,fennel seeds and cinnamon.
In a passel and mortar crush these into a fine powder.
Make a fine paste of cashew nuts in milk.

In the wok add some more oil, butter and sauté
onion, ginger, garlic, chilli paste .
As the paste gets dry, add
the crushed garam masala powder reserving
half a teaspoon of the garam masala to
add later.
Sauté till oil separates.
Now add cashew paste keep stirring.
Add water,salt, sauté mushroom,half teaspoon
garam masala powder and chopped coriander leaves.
Keep stirring on low flame, to get the right consistency
Garnish with juliann ginger and cream if you prefer.

Serve hot with chappati, puri or any Indian bread.

Black cardamom is bigger in size and
has a smoky taste.
Green cardamom has a sweet taste.
As black cardamom has a stronger flavour,
try to use it less.
Green cardamom is grown in Kerala,
so it is widely available in south of India.
Black cardamom is mostly used in North Indian cooking.

Meen Pollichathu (hariyali)

Ingredients

Fish - 1 medium sized
Coriander leaves - a bunch
Green chillies - 3
Ginger - 3 inch
Garlic pods - 2
Black pepper - 6
(fresh green pepper-optional)
Vinegar - 1 tbsp
Sea salt

Preparation

Karimeen (pearl spot) or white pomfret fish
preferred for this recipe.
Cut clean and make slits on the fish.

Make a fine paste of coriander leaves,
Pepper, ginger, garlic and green chillies,
Vineger and salt.

Marinate the fish and wrap it in a banana leaf
And keep aside for 30 minutes.
Just before serving
grill it for 20 to 25 minutes on a tawa (iron pan).
turn up side down after 10 minutes
to grill evenly.
Serve hot.

If green pepper (not capsicum)
is available add the whole string.

Meen pollichathu (grilled) is the most healthiest
and the oldest way of cooking.
Traditionally grilled on red hot coal
or wooden stove.

To wrap any thing in banana leaves,
lightly heat the banana leaf on the flame
or else the leaf may tear while wrapping.

Happy New Year

Ginger flower and yellow roses
in our balcony welcoming the new year.

Santa came Home

On 22 nd evening I heard a flap on my window.
To my surprise,I saw a parrot sitting on our window sill.
A green parrot with a red feathers on his wings.
Looked a older bird with a serious look.
I slowly opened the window, it flew and sat on the chair.
For a second I was stunned! Then I went to the kitchen
to get him some nuts, tomato and cooked rice.
It flew to the kitchen and ate everything and drank water.
I felt he was hungry and tired after a long flight.
It might have been a pet released by somebody.
I showed him a basket on which he perched.
I kept him in the balcony and he was happy,
watched the squirrels, and bulbuls visiting.

We named him Santa!
He liked the guvava
and pistachios I gave him.
On 24 th morning he had his heavy break fast,
enjoyed a bath, ate something from the mud in the pots,
and suddenly flew away.

I and my husband really enjoyed his company.
Even our daughters were excited when they heard
of Santa.They rang up every now and then to enquire
about him.

I am happy Santa flew to his freedom;
I Pray to God for his safety.
He was a real Christmas gift to us.

Meat Kebabs

Ingredients

Ground meat - ¼ kg
Spring onion - 3
Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp
Green chilli - 2
Pepper powder - 1 tsp
Nutmeg powder - 1/4 tsp
Cinnamon powder - ½ tsp
Cardamom powder - ½ tsp
Chilli powder - ½ tsp
Dry ginger powder - ½ tsp
Salt
Bread crumbs of - 2
Egg - 1
Oil to fry

Preparation

Wash meat thrice and dry well with a
Kitchen towel .Ground it into a fine paste.
Finely cut coriander leaves, green chillies and spring onions.
Mix all ingredients and pour beaten egg only as much needed.
Store in the fridge for a day.
Next day make small balls and deep fry it on
Medium flame.
Serve with tangy mint chutney.

Sweet Papaya Preserve

Ingredients

Sweet papaya mashed - 3 cups
Jaggery - 1 ½ cup
Cardamom - ½ tsp

Preparation

Remove the skin and mash papaya.
Use very ripe papaya to make a preserve.
In heavy bottomed vessel combine
mashed papaya and jaggery.
Keep it on medium flame and
Sauté till the water from the papaya
is fully evaporated.
Now it starts to stick to the sides of the vessel.
Add cardamom powder and mix well.
Turn off the flame.
This radiant natural red colour preserve is
a healthy preparation.

Adding sugar instead of jaggery will
give a different deep orange colour.
Papaya preserve should be refrigerated
for a longer shelf life.

Fresh sweet papaya is very nutritious
as all fruits are. But it is not so popular
among children.
Habit of eating all types of fruits should
be developed among children.