Kerala Style Mushroom curry

A favorite curry from my childhood , I started eating mushrooms at a very young age. the fact that we had the good ones back in our garden and grandma knew how to differ the good ones and the poisonous ones made it easy . I have heard it usually grow after the first rain and i still remember seeing it all fo a sudden when you look outside the morning after the first rain. Later we started buying it from the vegetable market , where it is available year round , from the local farms and seminaries..

An awesome side dish with chapati , this is a regular in my Nj home too...

Recipe for Spicy kerala style mushroom curry

Ingredients:-
Mushroom chopped - 250 gm
Onion chopped - 2 medium
Tomato chopped - 1 medium
Green chile slit lengthwise - 2-3
Ginger and Garlic crushed - 1 tsp
Chili powder - 2 tea spoon
Coriander powder - 1 tea spoon
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/2 to 1 tea spoon
Thin coocnut milk - 1/2 to 1 cup (optional)
Crushed peppercorns - 1/2 tsp
Bay leaves - 1
Curry leaves
Salt to taste
Oil

Method
Heat oil in a pan and add Bay leaves and curry leaves. Add chopped onions and saute for 5-6 minutes. Add chopped green chiles, ginger and garlic and saute till they are soft and have a flavor. Add chopped tpmato and stir fry for 3-4 minutes. Stir in teh chopped mushroom pieces and combine it well.Saute for 3-4 minutes. Make a paste with All the powders , adding little water and pour to the pan. Toss it well and let it stand for a minute. Pour coconut milk or a cup of water( depends on how much gravy you want), sprinkle garam masala and crushed peppercorns and salt. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until mushrooms are cooked and well blended with masala.Serve warm with Appam or chapati
Cheers!!!

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Vegetable Stew

Ingredients:-
Potato cubed - 2
Carrots cubed - 1
Frozen green peas thawed - 1/2 cup
Onion chopped - 2 ( i used white onions)
Green chiles slit lengthwise  - 3-4
Thin coconut milk - 1 1/2 cup
Thick coconut milk - 1/2 cup
Bay leaves - 2
Cloves - 3
Cardamom - 3
Curry leaves
Salt to taste
oil

How to make Veg stew
Heat oil in a pan and add bay leaves, curry leaves, cloves and cardamom. Toss it for a minute .Add chopped onion and green chiles and saute for 4-5 minutes. Shouldnt allow it to turn brown.Now add, cubed potatoes, carrots and green peas and combine it well. saute for 3-4 minutes, stirring continously. Pour the thin coocnut milk and simmer it for 15-20 minutes , or until the veggies are well cooked .( Add 1/2 cup water if needed) Pour in the thick coconut milk and simmer for 2-3 minutes, but do not allow to boil. Add salt to taste and remove from fire.
Serve warm with Appam or chapati.

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Nadan Kappa + Beef Curry( Kappayum Erachiyum) )

Recipe for Nadan Kappa Vevichathu
Serves - 2-3
Total cooking time - 30 minutes
Ingredients:-

Kappa/Tapioca - 1 kg
Salt to taste
Bowl 1

Grated coconut - 1/2 cup

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Shallots - 1
Garlic - 1 clove

Green chiles  - 4

Cumin seeds - a large pinch

Curry leaves - 3

Salt to taste
Method :-
Clean and cut the kappa into small pieces. Cook it with and salt, for 20 minutes or until it is well cooked. Drain and set aside.

Grind all in bowl 1 to a coarse paste . Combine the coconut mix with kappa using the back of a wooden spoon and mix well.Drizzle a spoon of coconut oil too.

Recipe for Simple Kerala Beef curry

For the marinade 

Beef - 1 kg 

Chili powder - 1 tea spoon

Meat masala - 1 tea spoon
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tea spoon
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tea spoon
Salt to taste
Vinegar or lemon juice - 1 tea spoon

For the Gravy
Onions chopped - 2
Curry leaves - lots
Lightly crushed 3 cardamom , 3 cloves and 1 star anise
Tomato chopped - 1(optional)

Coconut cuts - 1/4 cup

Chili powder - 1  tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Garam masala - 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Bowl 1
Green chili - 3

Ginger - a small piece

Garlic - 4-5 cloves

Black Pepper corns - 1 tea spoon

Fennel seeds - 1/4 tea spoon

Method:-

Combine all the ingredients for the marinade and rub it with the beef and set aside for 15 minutes to 1 hour. Pressure cook the marinated beef for 3-4 whistles , by adding a couple of tablespoons of water.

Heat oil in a pan and add crushed spices and curry leaves,add the coconut cuts and fry it 4-5 minutes. 

Stir in the chopped onions and saute for 5-6 minutes, or until soft.
Crush all in Bowl 1 in the small jar of mixie or coffee grinder and add to the pan , saute till the raw smell disappears. Add tomatoes and saute for couple of minutes. Add chili powder,coriander powder , fry for a minute , followed by the cooked beef and liquid if any, garam masala and salt to taste.( add 1/2 to 1 cup of hot water or coconut milk , if you need more gravy )Simmer for 10-15 minutes, remove from heat and serve warm.

 

Happy Cooking

Sarah !

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Chicken Fried Rice

Ingredients:-

Chicken Boneless pieces - 150 gm

Basmati rice - 2 cup

Onion chopped - 2

Ginger and garlic thinly sliced - 2 1/2 tsp

Green chili slit chopped - 3

Crushed peppercorns - 2 tsp

Garam masala - 1/2 tsp

Frozen peas, thawed - 1/2 cup(optional)

Carrot chopped - 1/2 cup

Spring onion chopped - 1/4 cup

Egg - 1 ( optional)

Soy sauce - 1 1/2 tsp

Chilli sauce - 1/2 tsp (optional)

Rice vinegar - 1 tsp (optional)

Salt to taste 

butter/Sesame oil

Chopped celery

Wash and soak basmati rice for 20 minutes and drain. Cook the soaked basmati rice with 3 1/2 -4 cups of water and set aside.

Clean and cook the chicken pieces with salt , garam masala and crushed peppercorns by adding 1/4 cup water, until cooked and all water is evaporated. Shred the chicken pieces well .

Heat butter/sesame oil in a pan and saute chopped onion, ginger, garlic, green chile, until soft. 

Add thawed peas and carrot and saute for another 7-8 minutes , or until it is cooked.

Add chopped spring onion. If you are using beans , cook it and add now..

Add soy sauce and chilli sauce and toss it well. Shift the veg mix to the side of the pan and cook beaten egg and scramble it well, and then mix it with the veg mix. Or make scrambled egg in another pan and mix it 

Add the shredded chicken and combine well.Stir in the cooked rice, rice vinegar,simmer it for 5-8 minutes, stirring frequently for all the veg and chicken mix to blend well with the rice..

Garnish with chopped celery, serve warm.

Cheers

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Chembu Curry

Recipe for Naadan chembu curry 

Serves - 4

Total cooking time - 30 minutes

Ingredients :-
Tamarind pulp - 1 spoon
Bowl 1

Chembu /Taro - 250 gm
Green chilies  split into two - 3-4
Salt to taste
Bowl 2
Grated coconut - 1 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Red chili powder - a pinch
Garlic - 1 clove
Tempering
Oil
Mustard seeds
Shallots chopped - 1
Dried red chiles-2
Curry leaves
Method:-

Dissolve tamarind pulp in 1/4 cup water.Clean and cut the Chembu/taro into  medium pieces.
Cook it with all in Bowl 1 and soaked tamarind and lil more water.Grind all in Bowl 2 to a very fine paste . Add this to the cooked chembu and bring to simmer  for a couple of minutes

Make the Tempering and pour over the curry.Serve warm

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Kuttanadan Chicken curry

Recipe for Kuttanadan Grandmas Special Chicken curry - Kozhi Kurumulagu - masala curry
Serves - 4-6
Total cooking time - 45 minutes.
Ingredients:-
Chicken - 1 kg
Bowl 1
Green chili -3

Ginger  - an inchpiece

Garlic crushed -6-7 cloves

Whole black peppercorns - 1 tea spoon

Fennel seeds - 1/4 to 1/2 tea spoon

Bowl 2

Bay leaves - 1or Cinnamon stick - 1 inch piece

Cloves - 3

Cardamom - 4

Star anise - 1

Coconut Oil - 2 tablespoon

Curry leaves - lots

Onion chopped - 2
Green chili slit lengthwise - 7-8( adjust all the spices as per ur level)
Turmeric powder - a generous pinch
Garam masala - 1 tea spoon
Whole black peppercorns - 1.5 tea spoon
Coconut milk - 1 cup
Vinegar or lemon juice - 1/2 to 1 tablespoon (optional)
Salt to taste
Method :-

Clean and cut the chicken into medium pieces.
Crush all the ingredients in Bowl 1 in the small jar of mixie or coffee grinder. Lightly crush all in Bowl 2 in a mortar and pestle
Heat oil in a pan and add curry leaves and chopped onions saute till they are soft followed by the spice mix in Bowl 1 , and Bowl 2 and saute till the raw smell disappears.

Add Turmeric powder ,Garam masala and stir in the chicken pieces and mix it well and fry for a couple of minutes.

Add coconut milk and cook it covered for 30 minutes , stirring in between , or until  done. Uncover add freshly crushed black peppercorns and vinegar / lemon juice and let simmer for 5-8 minutes. Let stand covered for 15 minutes before serving.
Pressure cooker method :- cook without coconut milk , uncover and simmer for couple of minutes after adding coconut milk.

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Broccoli-Tomato Thoran / Stir Fry

Ingredients:-
Broccoli - 1
Tomato chopped  - 1
Onion thinly sliced - 1
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Ginger grated - 1 1/2 tsp
Green chili chopped - 2 or 3
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Crushed Peppercorns - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds
Salt to taste
Curry leaves
Oil

Method
Boil 3 cups of water and remove from heat. Put Broccoli either as full or as florets in the boiled water and let it stand for 5 minutes.Drain and then finely chop it
Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they pop up add curry leaves, grated ginger, green chiles and chopped onion and saute till onion is soft. Add chopped tomato and toss it well for a minute.Stir in the chopped broccoli , turmeric powder and salt and sprinkle 2 tspns of water and simmer for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently . Add grated coconut  and crushed peppercorns and cook for another 4-5 minutes.  Remove from heat and Serve warm.

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Ethakka - Chemmeen Curry

An amazing combination from my grandmas kitchen, this plantain-prawns curry is a keeper to make any meal enjoyable an delicious..My mom usually make this to feed a crowd of unexpected guests :) , with easy ingredients ..

Recipe for vazhakka chemmeen curry (konju) 

Ingredients:-
Prawns/Chemmeen  - 1 cup
Raw Plantain - 1
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Chili Powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder - 3/4 tsp
Onion/shallots chopped - 1 small
Ginger chopped - 1 tsp
garlic chopped - 2 tsp
Kokum/Fish Tamarind/Kudampuli - 2 
OR
Tamarind Pulp - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Curry leaves
Mustard seeds
Oil
Directions:-
Wash and devein the prawns if you are using fresh prawns. Peel and cut the Plantain into cubes. Soak the kokum/Fish Tamarind/Kudampuli in 1 cup water , Or dilute the tamarind pulp in a cup of water
Grind grated coconut, chili powder , and turmeric powder to a very fine paste.
Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds.When they pop up add curry leaves, Chopped onion, ginger and garlic. Saute till the raw smell disappears. 
Add Coriander powder and toss it well for 30 seconds. Add  Coconut paste  Tamarind with water , and the plantain pieces. Cook n a medium flame for 3-4 minutes. Now Add Prawns and cook it covered on a medium flame for 7-8 minutes, or until they are done.
Serve Warm!!!!!

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