Sweet Corn Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

Chicken Stock/Vegetable Stock/Water  --   6 cups
Boneless Skinless chicken breast               --   250gm, finely chopped
Sweet corn kernels                                          --   half of a medium sized corn
Corn flour                                                            --   2 tbsp
Salt                                                                         --   to taste
White pepper powder                                    --   ½ tsp
Egg                                                                         --   1

Preparation of the soup:

In a deep vessel, combine the stock,corn kernels,salt and pepper powder. Let it boil.Add the finely chopped chicken pieces and let it cook well. Stir well so that the chicken pieces are broken into small pieces.

Make a paste with the corn flour and ½ a cup of water. Add this into the boiling soup and let it boil for a minute. Meanwhile beat the egg well. Simmer the flame and slowly add the egg in a thin stream. Keep stirring in one direction.

Serve hot.

Optional: Garnish with finely chopped spring onions. Serve with a dash of vinegar and soya sauce.

Recipe Courtesy: Partially from Pachakam.com 

Palada Pradhaman–Pressure Cooker version

Ingredients (Serves 10 – 15):

Rice Ada   --   1 cup (I prefer the brands Priya or Ambika – the smaller and sharper, the better taste)
Milk            --   6 - 7 cups
Sugar         --   1 ½ cups
Cashews   --   a handful
Ghee          --    1 tbsp
Butter        --   1 tbsp, preferably unsalted

Preparation of Pradhaman / Payasam:

Wash and drain the ada and keep it in a heat proof bowl. Boil 2 – 3 cups of water and pour it over the washed ada. Let it rest for 20 mins.

In a pressure cooker (5 ltr capacity), add the milk and sugar and let it start to boil. Add the ada in it and close with the lid of the cooker and keep the “weight” on the pressure cooker. Simmer the flame to low.

Let it cook for 45 minutes.

Keep an eye on it. Make sure that it does not whistle to release the pressure. If it tends to, then remove the cooker from the stove and keep it aside and keep it back once the pressure is reduced.

After 45 minutes, switch off the flame and let it cool down until the whole pressure is released.

If the payasam does not reach the required consistency and colour, stir it for few minutes on high flame. If the payasam is too thick for you, add some milk and boil.  This depends upon the pressure cooker and hence cannot be predicted. In most cases, you should get it right J.

Add the butter to the hot payasam and stir occasionally to avoid cream getting formed on the top.

Heat the ghee and fry the cashews until light brown .Add them to the payasam and serve hot.

I love the cold version as well  J

Recipe Courtesy:  Mummy(My father's sister - I call her Mummy :) 

Pathiri with Prawns Masala

I usually make my pathiris non-flavored, but last time I saw this recipe on net and thought should give a try. This sounds like neypathal without deep frying. All of us liked this very much and this has now become our way of making pathiris J. To pair with it, I have the yummy prawns masala. It is completely a coconut milk / oil based recipe and hence am sure that anyone from Kerala would love this. Others give it a try, may be you guys will fall for coconut oil with this ;). I was not able to get the step by step pics this time. I shall update the post with more pics when I make this next time.

Pathiri:
Ingredients for Pathiri (Serves 4):

          Rice flour             --   3 cups
          Water                    --   4½ cups
          Salt                         --   as required
          Grated coconut --   1 cup (optional)
          Shallots                --   2 (optional)
          Cumin seeds       --   2 tsp (optional)
          Oil                           --   1 tsp


Preparation of pathiris:

Grind the grated coconut, shallots and the cumin seeds to a coarsely - fine paste (something in between coarse and fine).

Boil the water with the required salt and oil. Once it comes to a boil,add the ground mixture.Let it stay for half a minute. Simmer the flame, and add the flour. Keep mixing while you add the flour.and switch off the stove.

Leave it to cool a bit. Knead well while it is still warm. Make smooth small balls from this dough, as we do for chappathis. Make round pathiris using a press pan/chapathi press/tortilla press.

If you do not have a press pan, you can either roll it out as we do for chapathis or use a flat plate and a zip lock to make a press pan.  Cut the zip lock into 2 plastic sheets. Grease the inner sides well. Keep a pathiri ball on one sheet and cover with the other. Using a flat plate / tiffin box press on top of it. Make sure you do not apply too much pressure to tear your pathiris.

Cook the pathiris on a flat pan on a medium flame until they puff up slightly.

Prawns Masala:

Ingredients for Prawns Masala (Serves 4):
       To marinate: 

           Shrimp/Prawns    --   1 lb / ½ kg 
          Chilly Powder         --   3/4 tsp
          Turmeric Powder  --   ¼ tsp
          Salt                              --   to taste
          Lemon juice             --   1 tsp

     For the masala:

          Garlic                          --   4 -5 cloves, chopped fine
          Ginger                         --   2 inch piece, chopped fine
          Green chillies           --   4 - 5, slit
          Onion                          --   2 medium size, sliced thin 
         Tomato                       --   1 large, chopped
         Turmeric Powder   --   ½ tsp
         Chilly Powder          --   2 tsp
         Coriander Powder --   2 tsp
         Cumin Powder        --   1 tsp
         Black Pepper Powder --   1½ tsp 
        Coconut pieces       --   as required
        Kokum / Kudam puli   --   1 big piece 
        Coconut milk            --   1 cup, medium thick consistency
        Coconut oil               --   2 tbsp / as required
       Curry leaves             --   2 - 3 springs
        Salt                               --   as required

Preparation of Prawns Masala:

Clean and devein the prawns. Marinate it with turmeric powder, chilly powder, salt and lemon juice. If keeping for more than half an hour, refrigerate it.

Soak the kudam puli in half a cup of water.

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Add the chopped ginger, garlic and slit green chillies.Saute until they are light brown ( 1 - 2 minutes). Add sliced onions and saute until they are golden brown.Now add the chopped tomato. Once the tomatoes is cooked and becomes mushy, add turmeric powder, chilly powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and pepper powder.Saute well until the raw smell goes off. Add the kudam puli with the water, coconut slices and mix well. Add the coconut milk and mix. Let it boil and let the gravy reduce to half. At this stage add the marinated prawns and cook. Make sure to stir in-between and it does not burn in the bottom of the pan. Let the whole gravy get evaporated and you get a thick masala. Switch off the stove.

Optionally add a tsp of coconut oil and garnish with curry leaves.

Pathiri Recipe Courtesy: Internet, Sorry I do not remember where I read this.
Prawns Masala Recipe Courtesy: Amma 

Mutton Varattiyathu

Ingredients:

To pressure cook:
Mutton                --   1 lb (½ kg)
Green Chillies   --   4 - 5
Ginger                 --   2 inch piece
Garlic                  --   4 - 5 medium cloves
Onion                  --   1 medium size
Salt                      --   to taste

To saute:
Shallots / Pearl Onions --   ¾ cup finely sliced
Green Chillies                    --   2 - 3
Curry leaves                      --   2 springs
Coconut Slices                  --   as required
Turmeric Powder           --   ¼ tsp
Chilly Powder                  --   2 tsp
Coriander Powder         --   4 tsp
Salt                                       --   to taste
Coconut Oil                       --   2 ½ tbsp

Masala powder:
Fennel seeds                    --   1 tbsp
Cinnamon sticks            --   5 -6, 1 inch piece
Cardamom                       --  1
Cloves                                --  2
Whole Black Pepper    --  ½ tbsp

Preparation:

Cut and clean the meat well. Marinate it with the slit green chillies, finely chopped ginger, finely chopped garlic, chopped onions and salt. Keep it aside for 15 - 20 min. Pressure cook until done.

Meanwhile, grind the whole spices to make the masala powder.

In a thick bottomed pan, heat oil and saute the sliced shallots and green chillies until the onions are translucent. Add the coconut slices and the curry leaves, leaving a few curry leaves to garnish at the end. Saute for a minute or two. Now add the turmeric powder, chilly powder and coriander powder. Saute on low flame until the powders are roasted well with the onions. Make sure that you do not burn the powders.

       

Now add the masala powder, leaving a pinch for final garnish. Mix it well with others on low flame.

Now add the cooked meat to this masala along with the water obtained on cooking.If there is no water, add a little water along with the meat. Coat the meat well with the masala. Cook covered until it comes to a boil on a medium flame. Adjust the salt level at this stage.

    

I love to cook the dish until this stage and then leave it in the refrigerator and do the rest the next day. This helps the masala to blend well into the meat. Also at times, I remove the extra fat that forms on the top of the gravy on cooling. Just trying to eat healthy ;)

Then let it be on a low flame and roast the meat, stirring occasionally until it is dried as required. Few minutes before switching off the flame, add the remaining curry leaves and masala powder. Optionally add a tbsp of coconut oil and mix well. The final garnishing leave a nice aroma.

Serve hot with rice or appam or pathiri.

Receipe Courtesy: Mishmash

Kallummekkaya/Mussels Fry

Ingredients:

Kallummekkaya/ Mussels  --    1 cup (cleaned and half cooked) / 25 to 30nos small size
Onion                                           --    1 medium, thinly chopped
Green Chilly                              --    3 - 4
Ginger garlic paste                --    1 Tbsp
Tomato                                       --    1/2  of a medium size
Chilly powder                          --    1 tsp
Coriander powder                 --    1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder                   --    1/4 tsp
Salt                                                --   to taste
Mustard Seeds                         --    1 tsp
Oil                                                  --    1 tbsp
Curry Leaves                            --    1 spring

Preparation of kallummekkaaya fry:

At times, I get cooked and shelled mussels here. If using those, I just marinate them with 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder, 1 tsp of chilly powder and a little salt.

If using fresh ones, I clean them depending on the size. For small ones, I fill them in a large pan and heat it.No need to add water. Toss it in between so that all of them are heated and the shells are wide open. Once cool, pick them out of the shell. Strain the water that comes out while steaming the mussels and Wash the mussels in it. This helps to retain the sourness of the mussels.

Heat oil in a pan. Splutter mustard seed and then add onion,salt, green chillies and ginger garlic paste.Saute till it the onions are translucent and then add the tomatoes. Saute until the tomatoes are squishy. Add all the masalas and saute until the raw smell goes off.

     
 

Then boil it for 2 minutes with half cup of water and add mussels. As these are already cooked it will not take more than 5 - 10 minutes. Simmer until the required gravy remains.

Serve hot with rice / chapathi / pathiri.

Recipe Courtesy: Amma 

Banana Cream Cheese Cake

Ingredients:

Crust:
     Graham cracker/Vanilla biscuits --   20 - 25 nos
     Dark brown sugar                                --   3 tbsp
     Unsalted butter                                     --   ½ cup

Cheesecake filling: Recipe from here
     Cream cheese softened                      --   24 oz
     White sugar                                            --   ¾ cup
     Eggs                                                           --   3
     Bananas                                                   --   4 ripe
    Vanilla Extract                                      --   2 tsp
     Fresh lemon juice                                --   1 tsp

Creamy Custard Topping:
       Unflavored gelatin                           --   1½ tsp
       Cold water                                           --   1 tbsp
       Whole milk                                           --   1 cup
       White sugar                                         --   1/3 cup
       Egg yolks                                              --   4
       Vanilla Extract                                  --   2 tsp
       Heavy whipping cream                 --   1½ cup

Preparation of the cheese cake:

Crust:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan and keep ready.

Grind the crackers/vanilla biscuits into a fine powder. Mix this with brown sugar and melted(and cooled) butter in a bowl until well combined.

          

Press mixture on the bottom and sides of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes or until set and lightly browned.

           

Cheesecake filling:

Preheat the oven to 320°F.

Mash ripe bananas well and sprinkle the lemon juice and set aside.

Beat the cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy.Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Then add in the bananas and vanilla extract. Mix well.

Pour into the prepared crust.Place pan on a cookie sheet and bake in the 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees and bake an additional 75 minutes, or until center is almost set

Let it cool. Run a warm knife through the rim of the pan before you remove the sides. Refrigerate for 5 - 6 hours or overnight.

Creamy Custard Topping:

Soak the gelatin in cold water and let it rest for 5-6 minutes.

Meanwhile whip the yolks and sugar until light and thick. Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until hot but not boiling. Slowly add it into the egg mixture.Make sure to beat continuously while adding the milk.

Keep this mixture over a water bath and cook until it start to thicken. Add vanilla extract and mix well to dissolve.

Melt the gelatin and add into the egg mixture. Let it cool until half set, I kept it in the refrigerator. Make sure you stir in every 5 - 10min to keep the mixture smooth.

Whip cream to soft peaks. Fold in the cream to the half set custard. Spread the vanilla cream over the entire top.

Chill and serve. Run a wet knife around the outer edge of the cake before removing the sides for a cleaner look.

Mango Cake – Eggless

Ingredients:

Fine Semolina/Rava    --   1 cup
Mango pulp                     --    1 cup (You can use readymade or homemade pulp)
Butter                                 --   ½ cup
Sugar                                  --   ½ cup
Baking powder              --   1 tsp
Ground cardamom      --   ½ tsp
Chopped walnuts/almonds  --   ¼ cup

Preparation of mango cake:

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9 inch pan and keep aside.
Mix the semolina/rava with sugar, cardamom powder, chopped nuts and baking powder. Melt the butter and add it to the semolina mix and mix well.Now add the mango pulp and mix again. Let it sit for 10 minutes.
If using homemade mango pulp, make sure that you make a thick pulp. In case the pulp is thin, keep the mix aside for a while until the rava absorbs the water  content.

Pour the mix into a greased pan and sprinkle some almonds on top. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a tooth pick or a skewer inserted inside comes out clean. Make sure you do not overbake as the upper layer of the cake becomes hard.
Let it cool and serve.

Recipe Courtesy: Red Chillies