Prawn Balchao

A dish has to come from Goa, the smallest, coolest & most happening state of India. I don't have to give an introduction of Goa as the whole world knows about it. It is the tourists HOT SPOT. So let me just move on to its FOOD. The long period of Portuguese rule has left a major influence on the original style of Goan cooking & this resulted in an exotic variation of tasty and spicy cuisine. I still remember my Goan trip during college days. Enjoying in Baga Beach with friends, relishing some amazing prawn curry and next day morning, had a cup of coffee to remove the hangover of the Cashew Fenny. (Well, That I just added up....I just had two sips and I puked). :)

"Prawn Balchao" is a favourite Goan dish which can be preserved for a couple of days. In fact, its tangy taste is at its best after a day or so. It can be stored as a pickle for longer, if preservatives are added. But in my house, there's no need to add preservatives as it gets over the moment I make it. Tears fall of from my eyes (its that hot) when I relish it & I wait for that moment to happen. Well we actually have this as a side dish rather than as a pickle. People who can handle HOT STUFF (no pun intended), do surely try this one. Its a PERFECTO!! Others, avoid it or else "u will be in a pickle"!! Ha!

Ingredients:

• 500gm prawns (small or large)
• 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
• 8 cardamoms
• 2 sticks cinnamon (1 inch each)
• 10 cloves
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 10-12 curry leaves
• 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/2 cup malt vinegar
• 1 big onion (finely chopped)
• 2 big tomatoes (finely chopped)
• 6-7 whole dry red chillies
• 2 tsp sugar

Method:

1. Shell, devein, wash and pat dry prawns. I use the frozen peeled deveined prawns, making work easier. Thaw the frozen pawns well and remove all water from it.
2. Blend the peppercorns, cardamoms, cinnamon, cloves, cumin & red chillies with the vinegar in a blender. Keep aside.
3. Heat oil in a kadhai, & deep fry the prawns to a golden brown. Keep aside on a kitchen towel to remove excess oil.
4. Add the onions to the same oil in which you fried the prawns. If the oil is too much, remove some. Saute the onions till golden. Add the ginger-garlic paste nd saute well till the raw smell goes.
5. Add the tomatoes and the blended paste to the onions. stir for 2-3 minutes. Add the fried prawns, curry leaves & sugar and cook well till the prawns are tender. Don't overcook the prawns or it will become rubbery.
6. Serve it as a pickle or as a side with rice or rotis.

PS:- IT IS AN "EXTRA HOT" DISH. HAVE IT ONLY IF YOU CAN HANDLE IT!! BUT it tastes AWESOME!! :)

- You can add more vinegar to keep the prawns preserved for few more days.

Kanda Poha (Powa)

This savoury breakfast dish is an origin of Maharashtra, a West Indian State, also the Land of the Great Marathas. The world-known India's metropolitan city "Bombay" is the capital of Maharashtra. Out of all the places I resided, Bombay remains the most loved city still.

"Kanda Poha" a popular savoury snack also known as Avil Upma in other parts of India is super delicious and easy to cook quick nutritious snack. "Kanda" in Marathi means onion and "Poha" is a dehusked rice which is beaten or flattened into dry flakes.

I was first introduced to this dish by my Aunt Asha Ammai(Chachi)when I was in Bombay (I still like to call Mumbai as Bombay) and was about 7 yrs old. She was newly married at that time and she had to show case her culinary skills to my grandma, grandpa and my parents. As she was born and brought up in Bombay, she used to cook all the Maharashtrian dishes. My taste buds for the first time was exposed to new kinds of flavours and I was loving it. Because I was so bored of eating the same old Idlis and Dosas day in and day out. She cooked some amazing stuff in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian and one of it was "Kanda Poha". Last year too, when I paid a flying visit to Mumbai, I stayed with my Uncle and Aunt and she had made Kanda Poha for breakfast and I finished the whole thing. :)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups medium thick poha (beaten/flattened rice flakes)
• 2-3 medium onions (finely chopped)
• 1 medium potato (finely chopped)
• 20-25 raw peanuts
• 4-5 green chillies (finely chopped)
• 8-10 curry leaves
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/4 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1 & 1/2 tbsp oil
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• salt to taste

Method:

1. Rinse the poha in water for 5-6 seconds and drain it immediately. The more you keep in water, the more mushy it will be. Keep aside.
2. Heat a kadai (heavy bottomed vessel), add oil and put the mustard seeds, curry leaves and peanuts. Let the mustards splutter and roast the peanuts. Cover the lid if you want as the mustards may pop outside the vessel.
3. Now add the onions, potato and green chillies together into it. Saute for 5- 8 minutes till the onion gets transparent and potatoes get cooked. Add little salt to it so that they cook quick. Do not add water at any point.
4. Add the turmeric powder at this stage and put in the poha. Mix well with the onions and potato until all the poha is coated with the onions. If you want, can sprinkle water at this stage but I don't usually as the poha already holds some water after the rinse.
5. Add the cumin powder, coriander powder, some more salt if needed. Mix well. Each Poha flake should be seen separately and not sticking to each other.
6. Pour some lime juice into it and serve hot with a nice green chutney. I have my Poha with a double fry Egg and a cup of tea. :)

Chicken Fricassee

First of all let me thank my dear friend Maria Ferreto (Italian by birth), who cooked for us (Arun and myself) a sumptuous dinner two weeks back. I am a great fan of Italian Cuisine and when I got a perfectly home cooked authentic Italian, I was blown away. From starters to the main course, it was just too delicious. And she ended the dinner with a Bang by serving us the most lip - smacking dish (Tiramisu) of the day which will not be forgotten for a long long time. For your Information Maria..I have stopped buying the Frozen Tiramisu from the Tesco. ;) But today, I will be sharing the recipe of Maria's Main Course, "Chicken Fricassee"! Tiramisu will be coming soon to the blog. ;)

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"Fricassee" is a dish mainly prepared with any poultry or mushrooms served in a white sauce or a stew. Mainly Fricassees are prepared at European homes and very rarely seen in the restaurant menus. The meat is first lightly browned and then stewed in a broth for around an hour so that the meat becomes tender and fall of the bone. Fricassees can be served with any boiled greens, pasta, bread or mashed potatoes. Maria...Hope I have done justice to this dish....but must tell you it tasted good. So folks, serving you today "Chicken Fricassee"!! :) :)

Ingredients:-

• 750gm chicken (skinless) (can use with/without bone)
• 1 large onion (finely chopped)
• 1-2 carrots (finely chopped)
• 1 celery (finely chopped, optional)
• 1 bell pepper (capsicum, cut into chunks)
• 1 tomato (optional, cut into chunks)
• 10-15 olives (pitted or with stone)
• pine nuts (a handful, optional but if you put it will add to the flavour)
• 1 glass white wine (any)
• plain flour (maida, to coat the chicken)
• olive oil (for shallow frying)
• 1 cube chicken stock
• salt, pepper and chillies to your taste

Method:

1. Cut the chicken into big chunks (about 2 inches) and dip each piece in plain flour.
2. Heat a shallow pan, and add little olive oil. Now put the flour coated chicken pieces in it and let it cook for 2-3 minutes.
3. Turn the pieces over and fry again for 2-3 min. The purpose is to make the chicken pieces look light golden.
4. Spread the chicken pieces on a kitchen towel to remove excess oil.
5. Heat a heavy bottomed vessel, and drizzle some olive oil. Put in the chopped onion, chopped carrots and chopped celery to it and stir fry for 5 min.
6. Now add the chicken pieces, capsicum and tomatoes to it. Mix well for 2 minutes.
7. Now pour in the wine into it. Cook for another 4-5 minutes.
8. Put in the olives and pine nuts at this stage. Mix well.
9. Now add in some water till it covers the food and put in the chicken stock cube. Stir well.
10. Close the vessel and let the stew cook for 40 minutes to 1 hour in a low heat. Stir in between.
11. When the stew is done, taste it and then decide how much salt, pepper and chillies to be put or should you put them at all.
12. Serve your Chicken Fricassee with any Pasta (seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper and some boiled green beans (just stir the boiled beans for 2-3 min in some butter, salt, pepper and garlic).

Try it and you will Thank me for the recipe....And THANK YOU MARIA!! :)

Linking this recipe to http://www.ekatskitchen.com for the event Friday Potluck!

Ulli Chammanthi (Onion Chutney)

"Ulli Chammanthi" is the very famous chutney of Kerala.Needless to say, my favourite too. One in every 3 houses in Kerala will definitely have Ulli Chammanthi for their breakfast. It usually compliments well with idlis and any type of South Indian Dosas. My mom-in-law makes it super-duper delicious. If you get a good home made Ulli Chammanthi, then don't even think of counting the number of idlis or Dosas which go inside your tummy. :)

"Ulli" in Malayalam means Onion and "Chammanthi" means Chutney. No coconut required unlike other Kerala dishes, but we definitely leave the Malayalee imprints in every Kerala dish, so we drizzle a generous amount of coconut oil. :) Please do try making it at home and you will see people lick off their plate even after the idlis and dosas are long gone. :)

Ingredients:

• 5-6 medium onions (peeled and cut into chunks)
• 1 tomato (cut into chunks)
• 3 whole dry red chillies
• 1 tbsp of cooking oil
• salt to taste
• coconut oil to drizzle

Method:

1. Heat the cooking oil in a Kadai / heavy bottomed pan and saute the onion, tomato and red chillies for 3-4 min or until translucent. Let it cool for 3-4 minutes.
2. In a blender/mixer, make a smooth or coarse paste of the onion, tomato and the chillies. Add little salt while blending. Do not add water at any time.
3. Heat the kadai again and pour the onion paste to it and stir frequently. Let the water in the paste get evaporated in this process. It will take 5-6 minutes for the paste to become water free. The raw smell of the onion too will go off by thi time.
4. Pour some coconut oil at this stage and stir frequently to avoid the paste sticking at the bottom. It will take for about 8-10 minutes to become like the image below. The colour of the chutney will turn into a brownish red colour. That's when you switch off the heat.
5. Tip into a serving bowl, and drizzle a generous amount of coconut oil over it. :) Serve it with idlis or any type of Dosas/crepe.

Pesarattu (Mung Bean / Whole green gram Crepe)

Another tasty dish coming from South India, Andhra Pradesh. It is one of the four South Indian States. Andhra Cuisine is well known for its spiciness and their generous use of chillies in almost all of their authentic dishes. The famous Hyderabadi Biriyani, Gongura pickles, Pappu, Pulusu are some of the creations from Andhra. One of the Andhra delicacy is the famous Breakfast dish, "Pesarattu".

"Pesarattu", is a type of Crepe or the South Indian Dosa made out of Whole/Split Green Gram or the mung beans. This protein rich, delicious dish is so very easy to prepare and also healthy, that you can have it once in a week. 2-3 Pesarattu for Breakfast with yummy ginger or coconut chutney or even Sambar will make your day "Tummy Satisfied". :)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups mung beans (whole/split green gram)
• 3 whole dry red chillies
• 2 tsp chopped ginger
• 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
• 3-4 green chillies (finely chopped)
• 1 tbsp of chopped coriander leaves
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp oil
• pinch of salt

Method:

1. Wash and soak the mung beans in water for a minimum of 4 hours. I soak it overnight to use it for the next day morning.
2. Drain the mung beans and grind it with the dry red chillies in a mixer to a smooth batter.
3. Pour the paste in a bowl and add the chopped green chillies, chopped onion, coriander leaves and salt to it. Mix well. Keep aside.
4. In a small pan, heat the oil and saute the cumin seeds until light brown. Pour the oil and the cumin seeds to the batter. Mix well.
5. Heat a non stick dosa pan/pancake or crepe pan and when it becomes medium hot, pour a laddle full of the batter in the middle of the pan. Spread it from the center to become a nice round like a dosa or crepe. Pour a spoon of oil around the dosa edges to make it crisp and golden brown.
6. Flip over the dosa and let it cook both sides. Remove it and repeat the same with the remaining batter.
7. Serve hot with a nice onion, coconut or ginger chutney. Healthy!!

PS: The recipe of the Onion Chutney is given in the blog's category "Sauces & Chutneys".

Gobi Ke Parathe (Cauliflower stuffed Parathas)

Now before I proceed on to my next dish, I would like to tell you all, that this dish is made by my hubby dear. Last Weekend, out of the blue, he said that he will be making the weekend's Brunch and he chose to make "Gobi ke Paranthe"!! I was shell shocked to hear that coming. I was actually in a fix, whether to sit back and relax or should I worry about my Kitchen. But the outcome was just super-duper delicious so I forgave him about the mess done.

"Gobi ke Paranthe" is yet another North Indian Breakfast dish which is super rich, delicious and very filling. Paranthas can be stuffed with potatoes, radishes, paneer etc. This parantha is stuffed with grated cauliflower. This recipe is a literal representation of the "Love and Calories" put into it. So easy a recipe, that even a Man can do it. :)

For the Dough:

• 3 cups wheat flour (plus some for dusting)
• 1 tbsp ghee (clarified buter)
• pinch of salt
• enough water to make a dough

1. In a mixing bowl, mix together the flour, salt and ghee and rub everything with your hand. Then add enough water to it to make a stiff, smooth dough. Cover and keep aside. If you have a food processor or a dough maker, nothing like it. Mix everything together and the machine will do the job.

For the Stuffing:

• 1 medium cauliflower
• 8-10 green chillies (finely chopped)
• 1 tbsp finely chopped ginger (you can grate the ginger as well)
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tbsp amchur (dry mango powder)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 3 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves
• salt to taste

1. Wash the cauliflower and chop the stem and leaves below. Cut into half or quarter and grate each piece with a grater into small bits. It sounds difficult but it is actually very easy. If you have a processor, put small amount of florets in it and the grating blades will make your work easier.
2. In another mixing bowl, put the grated cauliflower and add all the above ingredients to it mentioned above. Mix well. Keep aside.

Method:

1. Now divide the dough into lemon sized balls roll out each ball into thin round chapathis. Use little flour for dusting.
2. Now spread a layer of the stuffing on top of 1 chapathi.
3. Cover the stuffing with another chapathi and seal the edges with your hand so that it doesn't open while cooking.
4. Pat the stuffed parantha with your fingers to make it more flat.
5. Heat a tawa/flat pan, pour 2 tsp of ghee on the tawa and put the paratha on it. Let it cook on one side. Put some ghee on top of the parantha as well. When the bottom side turns golden brown, flip it over . Cook both sides well.
6. Take out the paranthas from the heat and cut it into 4 equal portions. Save Now
7. Serve hot with a dab of butter, a bowl of yoghurt and some mouth watering North Indian pickle.

PS:- Please do ignore the messiness and appreciate the efforts put in by my Husband. And yeah....get motivated and train your men too. ;)

Mango & Banana Smoothie

I am not a very fruit loving person and rarely buy any fruit. But lately, due to the fear of me becoming obese, I have started buying fruits and started including in my daily diet. Not quiet loving it but I try to make it taste more exciting rather than eating it raw. So today morning, I wanted to have a light breakfast (after the hangover of yesterday's heavy Sadya) and I decided to have the banana and mango which was kept for the Vishu Kanni. They came handy this morning. So I made a fruit Smoothie, had a large glass of it and went for an hour long walk by the canal. :)

A "Smoothie" is a health drink which is made by blending various fresh or frozen fruits or vegetables with some natural ingredients like honey, yoghurt, milk, oats, chocolate, and some crushed ice. It is often mistook as a milk shake and slush but it is not the same. It does not have any syrup or flavours added to it unlike milk shake and slush. So here goes a Healthy Breakfast Smoothie. Just sip away this heavy, energising drink for breakfast and your tum will be full till noon!! :)

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe mango (peeled and chopped)
• 1 banana
• 120 ml natural yoghurt (not sour)
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp honey
• 8-10 ice cubes

Method:

1. Blend everything together in a liquidizer/blender until smooth.
2. Tip it in a glass and serve immediately.

Linking this recipe to the "Mango Recipe Event" hosted by http://myeasytocookrecipes.blogspot.com/2011/06/mango-recipes.html

Avial (Mixed Vegetables in Coconut Gravy)

Today, the Keralites celebrate one of their biggest festivals of the year, Vishu! And I wish all of you a very Happy Vishu. May this year bring you good Health, Wealth and Prosperity. Yesterday evening I went to the supermarket and bought all possible substitutes for the things which you keep for the "Vishu Kanni". Honeydew Melon for Vellarika, Yellow grapefruits instead of jack fruit and so on...Well we managed to keep up our tradition in UK as well. :) Below are the pictures of our Vishu Kanni and the Sadya spread. Well didn't find a Plantain leaf though! :)

Avial is yet another simple but delightful dish served in a Sadya. This is one of my favourite vegetarian dish of Kerala. I call it the Indian "Thai Green curry" as the ingredients and the way of cooking are quite similar in both the dishes. My granny used to tell me a story behind the invention of Avial. It was Bheema (one of the Pandava brothers in Mahabharatha) who first cooked Avial. He along with his brothers were banished from their kingdom for thirteen years and they lived in disguise in the last year where Bheema disguised himself as a cook in the palaces of Virata. He didn't know a thing about cooking so he boiled all the vegetables he found in the royal kitchen and topped it with shredded coconut before serving. Well, I don't know how genuine is the story but is surely very interesting to hear, specially when you hear it from your grandparents. :)

Ingredients :

• 1 big carrot (washed, peeled, cut into thick julienne slices-1&1/2 inch)
• 1 potato (washed, peeled, cut into thick julienne slices-1 & 1/2 inch)
• 1 raw plantain (vazhakkai/kaaya....cut into thick julienne slices-1 & 1/2 inch)
• 10-12 beans (tips and strings removed, cut into thick julienne slices- 1 & 1/2 inch)
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas
• 1 cup fresh yoghurt
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 3 green chillies
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 sprig of curry leaves

Method:

1. Cook all the vegetables in a saucepan with very little water. Add salt & turmeric powder to it. Cook until done.
2. While its cooking, grind together the coconut, cumin seeds and the green chillies to make a wet paste.
3. Add the coconut paste to the vegetables and cook for 10 more minutes or until the raw smell of the coconut goes.
4. The curry will start to thicken, only then you simmer the heat and pour in the yoghurt to it. Mix well and cook for exactly 2-3 minutes. If u cook longer, the curd will start to curdle. Switch off.
5. Tip Avial into your serving dish. Add the coconut oil and put the curry leaves to top it. Do not heat the gravy again.

PS:- Avial can be made thick or little watery. If you want it thick, then put less water while boiling the vegetables. I prefer my avial to be slightly runny, not too much.

- You can use any type of vegetables you like. I use the above veggies cos its easily available for me.

Kaalan (Yam-Plantain in Yoghurt-Coconut based gravy)

A "Sadya" is a Banquet or a feast prepared for a special event such as Birthdays, Weddings, or festivities like Vishu and Onam. It is an authentic vegetarian meal comprising of atleast 12 to 24 dishes served on a plantain/banana leaf (see the below picture) and people eat together sitting cross - legged on the floor. There is a specific place for each dish to be served on the plantain leaf.I will try to share the recipes of some of the main dishes made for a Sadya without which any Sadya is incomplete.

"Kaalan" is a one of the vegetarian delight served at a Sadya. It is a thick yoghurt - coconut based gravy cooked with tuber yam and raw plantain. It is a must have curry in a Sadya and is the only dish which is prepared the day before the Sadya as it tastes even better when served the next day. Almost all the Sadya gravies have yoghurt and coconut as their main ingredients but you need sour yoghurt to make Kaalan. Tomorrow is Vishu and I have prepared my Kaalan and have kept it in the fridge only to take it out tomorrow at the time of my Sadya along with other dishes. Happy Vishu!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup tuber yam cubed (chena/jammikand/karunaikizhangu)
• 1/2 cup raw plantain cubed (vazhakai/kaaya)
• 1 & 1/2 cup sour curd
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 3-4 green chillies
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 10-12 fenugreek seeds
• 2 dry red chillies
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 5-8 curry leaves
• 2 tsp of oil
• pinch of salt

Method:

1. Wash the cubed yam and cubed plantain in a bowl. Heat a saucepan and cook the yam and plantain in it with some water. Add turmeric powder, black pepper and salt in it. Cook till done.
2. While its cooking, grind the coconut and green chillies in a mixer/blender with very little water. Keep aside.
3. Now add the curd into the saucepan with the cooked yam and plantain. Cook in simmer for 8-10 minutes.
4. Now add the coconut paste to it and cook for some more time until the gravy becomes thick. Swith off.
5. In a small pan, fry the fenugreek seeds until brown (without oil). Coarsely pound it with a pestle and mortar and put it in the gravy. Heat oil in the same pan and put the mustard seeds. Let it splutter. Then add in the curry leaves and broken dry red chillies.
6. Add it into the gravy. Kaalan is ready to be served as a side with rice. Best served the next day.