Lauki curry (churakka)

Bottle gourd –1/2kg (churakka1/2kg)
Raw mango –1/2 of a mango
Grated coconut –1/2
Green Chillies –2
Onion -1/2
garlic –4 pods
Jeera –1/2tsp
Water - 1glass
Oil -2tbsp
Small onions -4 (sambar onions)
Red chillies -2
Curry leaves 2
Turmeric ,chilli powder -(just to add colour)
Peal the gourd and mango.Cut mango into small pieces and cut gourd
into one inch pieces.Combine grated coconut ,chillies ,onion, garlic ,jeera
with quater glass of water in a mixer bowl ,and blend it into a fine paste.
Mix the coconut paste,half glass water, mango pieces and churakka with
Some turmeric and salt in a pressure cooker.Keep on fire till a whistle is heard.Take a frying pan pour 2 tbsp of oil ,add mustard seeds, let it splutter.Now add curry leaves as it become crisp add thinly cut small onions.Stir till crisp,fry red chillies and turn off the fire.Now add a pinch of turmeric and chilli powder.Pour this on the curry and can serve with
Rice and fish fry.

Cochin fish curry

Fish-1/2kg
Grated coconut-1
Onions-1 large
Ginger- 1tsp
Garlic –4cloves
Green chillies –3
green mango –half(optional)
curry leaves –5
red chilli powder –2tsp
turmeric powder -1tsp
tomato -2 small
kokum (kudampuli) –2pieces

Cut the fish ,clean it with some salt and keep aside.

Grate one coconut, from it take half a cup and grind it into a fine paste.
From rest of the coconut make coconut milk and keep aside.
Cut onion ,ginger,garlic, and slit chillies.
Saute for some time,add salt,
which will help it ,to sweat.
Now put turmeric and chilli powder,stir till you get a good aroma.
Add half of a mango, sliced.Pour three table spoons
of water,close the lid and cook for 5 minutes.Add coconut paste, bring to a boil, and add the sliced and washed kokum(add one more piece of kokum if no mango).
Pour the second coconut milk ,fish pieces, salt to taste and curry leaves .
Cover the lid half ,keep on low flame for 10 minutes.
Pour the first coconut milk and let it simmer for 3 more minutes,keeping the lid open..
Turn off the flame and let it cool fo a while .
Special cochin meen curry is ready.

Tips –
To make coconut milk –add
grated coconut and water in a blender

Strain,for the first milk.
Keep the first milk aside.

Blend again the same coconut to get the second milk.
You get kokum in south Indian stores.It is a dried fruit ,black in colour, sour to taste.

Earthen ware (chatti)

When we buy earthen ware from a potter,we cannot use it
immediately for cooking.We have to groom it.First apply
Oil and salt on it .After cooking rice, pour the rice water in
this earthen bowl add salt then keep on slow fire. Repeat
this for four days.
(New earthen wares, absorb the taste of the curry while cooking)

Fish fry

Fish -1/2 kg
Chilli powder -1tbsp
Turmeric powder -1tsp
Pepper –1tbsp
Salt
Oil

Cut the fish and clean it with some salt.
Make slits on the
Fish so that the masala can get in.
Pepper should be coarsly ground.
Mix the four ingredients without water and apply it on the wet fish.
Shallow fry it and serve hot with fresh salad.

Beans mezhukupurati

Tender beans - 1/4kg
Grated coconut - 2tbsp
Onion - 1
Garlic - 5cloves
Turmeric powder - 1/2tsp
Chilli powder - 1/2tsp
Curry leaves
Butter - 1/2tsp

Slit the beans lengthwise,
and then cut into pieces.
Add little water and salt,cook for two minutes with the lid on.
Remove the lid and cook till
it is soft.
See that the beans does not loose its colour.
Crush garlic,cut onions.
Take a frying pan,pour a table spoon of oil
put the crushed garlic,onions,
Curry leaves and stir for two minutes.
Now add turmeric and chilli powder,
then add grated coconut stir for some time.
Finally put the cooked beans and butter.
serve hot.

Boiled Rice (red rice)

Many times I have encountered
this question from young ladies,
how do you cook

red rice in cooker?
This recipe is for them.

Rice -2cups

Water –10cups

Place cooker with water on fire.
Wash rice twice and add to the warm water.
Close the lid
and keep on high flame till the first whistle.
Lower the flame and let the cooker whistle twice.

Turn off the flame and let the cooker cool its pressure.
Pour it into a strainer.Serve hot steaming rice
With fish curry.


Tips-


Can take the strained water(rice soup) into a bowl ,add salt and drink it hot.
It is not only an energizer,
but also soothes your stomach when it is upset.

Mango Jam (without preservatives)

Mango pieces –5cup

Sugar _2cups

Cloves -3

Mix mango pieces and sugar in a vessel.
Keep it in low flame.As it starts to boil,
Smash it with a ladel.
Stir it continuously till it gets thicker.
Add crushed cloves
And turn off the fire.
Can keep in air tight container in the fridge for two weeks.

Tips-


For getting a deeper colour add five dark plums.
Remember to remove the seeds.

Spread on your morning toast or with chapatti, this jam is great…

Kadala Curry (chana masala kerala style)

Ingredients

Kadala - 2cups
Grated Coconut - 1cup
Coriander powder - 1tbsp
Meat masala - 1tbsp
Peper corns - 1tsp
Onion - 1 large, sliced
Green chillies - 2,slit
Ginger - 1 tsp,thinly sliced
Oil - 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Small onions - 1tbsp,thinly sliced.
Dry red chillies - 2
Curry leaves

Preparation

Soak kadala previous night in water.
Fry coconut in a kadai till golden brown ,add
coriander powder,meat masala
and pepper,grind this mixture to a fine paste.
Mix coconut paste, onions, green chillies,
ginger with kadala in pressure cooker.
Pour enough water to soak this mixture.
keep on high flame for one whistle
and on sim for another two whistle.
keep a kadai on fire, pour oil add
mustard seeds, sliced onions,dry chillies and curry leaves.
Fry till golden brown.
Add a pinch of turmeric and chilli powder for colour.
Mix it with your kadala curry add enough salt and serve hot.

Tips-

Buy small brown kadala(chana), which goes well for this curry.
Puttu and kadala curry can be a good Sunday brunch.
Feeling lazy, can make the masala paste in
advance and store in the fridge.
Sure your hubby will help you Sunday morning.

Puttu

Rice flour-1 cup
Wheat flour-1/4cup
Milk -1/4cup
Warm water-1/4cup
Salt
Grated coconut-1cup

In a bowl mix rice and wheat flour,sprinkle a pinch of salt.
Now slowly add milk and rub with your fingers like breadcrumbs.
pour warm water as you rub and see that the flour dosen’t get sticky,
but have a wet look.
Tips
If gets very sticky,sprinkle some rice flour and give it a stir in your
Mixie.Just buy ordinary rice flour(not instant puttu podi).
Keep puttu kudam(pot) on the fire with 2 glasses of water.
Take puttu kutti,put 2tbsp of grated coconut and little sugar.
Now add wet flour till half of the puttukutti,layer it with
Coconut and sugur,again fill it with wet flour top it with
Coconut and sugar,keep the lid and place on top of the pot.
wait for the steam to come keep for 3more minutes on fire.
Release it to a plate and have it with hot kadala curry and
Papadam,banana and honey.

There is variety of cereals you can use to make puttu.
Chamba  rice, puttu podi which is reddish you get
 ready-made mainly from the Kuttanad Kerala.

White rice flour,wheat flour, and tapioca flour puttu
Stuff with vegetable thoran or beef ularthu or
serve it with any curry.
Serve it straight hot.

As Puttu is cooked in steam, it is considered a healthy dish.
Available in mostly all restaurants these days.

black coffee (kattan cappi)

palm jaggery - 2tbsp

coffee powder - 1 1/2tsp

water - 1 glass


Add jaggery to a glass of water and bring to a boil; add coffee powder. Strain it into a tumbler and drink it hot... a great day begins... :)

Tips-

-Palm jaggery is more dark in colour; available in super markets.

-Rich in iron and good for health.

-Use fresh coffee powder (not the instant one).