Kovakka thoran - Ivy gourd Stir fry

One more entry to Vazhayila's collection of Vegetable thorans' :)... I know many of you might be thinking what is with me and thorans? Its just that N loves thoran and wants it every other day. In a way i m happy that he likes this so much , because for me its the most easiest dish to make :). a few minutes of chopping, ( seconds in my Food processor) , mixing and cooking, and the thoran would be ready under 10 minutes. 

Ingredients:-
Kovakka/ivy guard - 1/2 lb
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Green chili slit lengthwise - 3-4
Garlic chopped - 2 cloves
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Curry leaves - 7-8
Small onion chopped - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds
Oil
Salt to taste

Method:-

• Clean and Slice the ivy gourd/Kovakka into thin round slices.
• In a bowl combine the sliced kovakka, green chili, crushed garlic,grated coconut , and turmeric powder and salt , mix it well with your hands.
• Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. 
• When they splutter add chopped onion and curry leaves and fry for a minute or two. 
• Add the kovakka mix and toss it well.
• Sprinkle 2-3 tspns of water ,Keep everything to the centre and cook it covered for 6-7 minutes, or until it runs dry. 
• Remove the lid and stir fry it for another 3-4 minutes. Remove and serve warm

Notes:-

--You can add a small piece of crushed ginger , if you like the gingery taste in your stir fries

Cheers

Sarah 

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Blueberry Loaf

You all would know by now that I love Blueberries. Do not ask me for a specific reason , i don't  really know, but i admit i m deeply madly in love with them.Hope u guys remember my a lil dramatic Blueberry Hill!!!!!

Though I m not really into sweet stuffs, I have been trying my hand baking cakes, loafs and muffins for some time, just to make N happy :). I love the smell of baking fruits and I do that a lot with apples and oranges to go with some meat..So when N came with a big bag of blueberry recently, i couldn't think of making anything other than a bread/loaf with it. I adapted this recipe from Joy of baking's Lemon blueberry bread and made it to fit my Blueberry Loafs'.

What can i say??? But This totally irresistible Blueberry Loaf, is a highly addictive one :)..

In picture:- Blueberry Loaf

Blueberry Loaf recipe:_

Ingredients:-

Fresh blueberries - 1 cup

All purpose flour - 1.5 cup

Baking powder - 1 tsp

Unsalted butter - 85 gms

Granulated white sugar - 3/4 cup

Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp

Whole milk - 1/2 cup

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Large eggs - 2

Method:-

Preheat the oven to 350 degree F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan, with butter or nonstick vegetable spray.

In a medium bowl mix together Flour, baking powder and salt.

In another large bowl , Beat the butter until soft, with your hand mixer. Or do this in your electric mixer.

Add sugar and beat until fluffy, add eggs one by one and beat well. 

Put the mixer in Low setting and add the 1/3 rd of flour mix and half of milk. Repeat the process until its done. Gently fold in the bluberries and mix well with a spatula or spoon.

Scrape down the sides and pour the batter to the loaf pan and bake for 55-65 minutes or until the loaf is golden.
To make sure it is done, insert a tooth pick in the center and if it comes out easy and clean, it is done .Remove from oven and let it cool on a wire rack.

In picture:- Blueberry Loaf

On a different note , hope you all heard about the 30 best recipe event happening at Chacko's kitchen. I know this is so last minute, but i thought I will send my Favorite Uzhunnu vada and coconut chutney for the same...

Cheers

Sarah 

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Muringakka Manga curry - Drumsticks and Green Mango in Coconut milk

Remember my Prawn mango curry? One of my Favorite classic kerala recipe,The one dish with which I cant stop eating rice? This is more of a vegetarian version of it, using Drumsticks/muringakka instead of Prawns. Muringakka is a yummy combination with almost everything like, Chemmeen muringakka curry, unakka meen muringakka curry, unakka chemmeen muringakka curry, etc..etc...Making you drool??? oh it happens to me all the time , i hear these names.!!!! Have it with rice, some pickle and a stir fry, for a simply delicious meal ...

In picture:- Muringakka Manga curry , Rice n Ambazhanga Achar, Kovakka thoran

Ingredients:-
Muringakka /Drumsticks - 8-10 medium pieces
Green mango/ Pacha manga - 1 medium
Small onion chopped - 1/4 cup
Garlic crushed - 2 cloves (optional)
Green chiles slit lengthwise - 3-4
Ginger crushed - a small pieces
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chili powder - 1/2 tsp pinch
Corinader powder - 1/4 tsp (optional)
Thin coconut milk - 1.5 cup
Thick coconut milk - 1/2 cup
For tempering
Small onion chopped - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds
Curry leaves
Salt to taste
Oil

In picture:- Muringakka Manga curry , Rice n Ambazhanga Achar, Kovakka thoran

Method:-

Clean and peel the green skin off the drumsticks and green mango..

Heat a tspn of oil in a pan and add Diced Onion, Crushed GG and green chillies and fry for 4-5 minutes

Make a paste with Chilli , Coriander and turmeric powder by adding a little water and add to the pan. Combine it well.

Add sliced mango pieces and drumsticks and salt and toss it for a minute.

Pour thin coconut milk ,Cook it covered till its is done or both are tender to fork. 

Remove the lid and add thin coconut milk and bring to boil.Remove from fire as soon as it is heated through.

Heat oil in pan and add mustard seeds. when it splutter add a tspn of chopped onion , curry leaves and fry for a minute or two. Pour over curry and serve warm!!

Notes:-
--Instead of coconut milk, you can use coconut paste. cook the veggie with water and finally add grinded coconut paste (1 cup) instead of thick coconut milk.
--Add Prawns to make chemmeen muringakka manga medley.
--For those who live in places where green mango is not available , add one or two tomatoes instead of green mango for an equally yummy version.
--About the tempering, you can either do this in the beginning , ie just before sauteing onions or do as it is told in the recipe.
--Garlic and coriander is optional here, but be sure to add it when you make this with prawns.

Muringakka Manga curry

Cheers

Sarah 

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Spicy Thai Chicken Sauté

Feel a chill in the air? Need some easy spicy dinner recipe for your cool fall nights? Then you are at the right Spot!!! This fabulously delicious Thai sauteed chicken is so easy to make and is full of flavor with hot spicy Thai red chilies and hot sauce. 

Thai chicken Sauté

I am  enjoying the autumn splendor with all its brilliant autumn colors. I always wonder why wouldn't fall stay for a bit more longer. By the time i reach half-way, admiring the natures beauty and embracing the fall colors , the short season would have come to an end and the sultry winter creeped in. As the saying goes by shortness bring so much sweetness to it.... But In this case with the tiny hot Thai red chilies, i believe the shortness brings so much heat into it.!!!!! I was brainstorming for a good recipe to enjoy the final wonders of Thai red chiles from my garden , when N asked me to make a quick chicken stir fry. I combined this cute and hot little things with my another favorite Hot chile sauce and some coconut milk to make this chicken sauté. 

Thai Red chilies from my lil garden

Recipe for Thai Chicken Sauté

Ingredients:-

• Chicken - 1 lb
• Cornstarch - 1 tsp
• Fish sauce- 1 tsp
• Onion diced - 1 medium
• Ginger chopped - a small piece
• Garlic chopped 4-5 cloves
• Thai red chiles - 2-3 nos
• Green onion chopped - 1/4 cup
• Hot chile sauce - 1 - 1.5 tsp
• Light coconut milk - 1/2 cup
• Juice of lemon - 1 tsp
• Sugar - 1 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Sesame oil or any oil

Thai chicken Sauté

Method:-

Clean and cut the chicken into medium or small pieces.

Tos the chicken with cornstarch and fish sauce and set aside for 15 minutes.

Heat oil in a wok or pan and saute chicken for 5 minutes.Remove and drain on kitchen towel.

Saute diced onion in the same wok for 4-5 minutes and add chopped ginger, garlic and thai red chiles.

Return the chicken and saute for 2 minutes. Stir in hot chile sauce, green onion and mix it well

Pour in 1/2 cup light coconut milk and sugar and cook it for 5-6 minutes or until the chicken is cooked and dry. 

Stir in the lemon juice and some more green onions and remove from heat. Serve warm!!

Notes:-

--You can always use Worcestershire sauce instead of fish sauce.

--Thai red chiles are really hot , so as the hot chile sauce ,so if you cant handle the heat  adjust the quantity of these two to fit ur heat level.

--I make  Light coconut milk by mixing 2 tablespoons of  canned coconut milk with  water to make 1/2 cup

-- I use hot chile garlic sauce () or Sambal olek , which is widely available in Indian and other Asian grocers' for most of the Thai recipes.

--Mix 2 spoons of hot chile garlic sauce with 1/4 cup plain yogurt for a yummy instant raita.

-- You can always avoid adding sugar , thats is just to adjust the heat of the chiles.

-- Its a great side dish with chapati or white rice; for a yummy Mexican Thai twist , make a wrap by rolling this in a Tortilla.

Thai Red chilies from my lil garden

Cheers

Sarah 

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Butternut Squash Dal

In picture :- Dal with Butternut Squash

Lentil is a staple in every Indian home, no matter where they are. Its both delicious and filling at the same time. A great source of protein i always to try to incorporate this in my weekly menu. I have been reading lately of the importance of using season fresh vegetables and was experimenting on various season fresh produce. So i combined the "autumn fruit" Butternut squash with my everyday quick lentil curry/ Every day Dal and came up with this. I have been following Sanjeev Kapoor's "Andhra Dal"  (coming soon) for quite some time and made some changes to that to spice up my Butternut Squash Dal.Delicious with both rice n roti make this slightly soupy and comfy dish for a light weeknight dinner. Omit the tempering and add some sweet potatoes and some season fresh produce,and simmer for some more time,you will have a beautiful Indian fall vegetable Stew.

In picture:- Red Lentils 

Recipe for Butternut Squash Dal

Ingredients:-

Butternut squash diced - 1.5 cup

Masoor dal/Red lentils - 1 cup

Crushed Garlic - 2 cloves

Green chili slit lengthwise- 2

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Chana Dal/Split bengal gram - 2 tsp

Coriander seeds - 2 tsp

Black peppercorns - 4-5 nos

Dry red chiles - 2

Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida - a pinch

Small onion chopped - 1 tsp

Curry leaves

Oil

Method:-

Clean and rinse Red lentils .In a cooking pot combine Red lentils/Masoor dal,Turmeric powder , crushed garlic, green chiles and salt to taste and cook it with 2-3 cups of water until done, about 15 minutes.

Add butternut squash and cook it covered again for another 10 minutes, or until the squash is tender to fork, or if you like till mushy.

Mean while, In a Sauteing pan Toast Chana dal, coriander seeds and black peppercorns for 2 minutes, without adding oil. Grind to a coarse powder in a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle.

Add this ground spices to the Dal and bring to boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. when they pop up add cumin seeds, dry red chiles, chopped onion,Asafoetida and curry leaves,Fry it for a minute or two and pour over the Dal.

Let it stand covered for 5 minutes and serve warm!!!

In picture :- Dal with Butternut Squash

Cheers

 Sarah 

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Peppery Beef and Potato curry

In picture :- Beef and Potato curry

I have been meaning to post this recipe for a week, but the Topsy turvey me had a crazy, fun filled week which did not even give me a chance to sign in to my space.You have no idea how many guests we had from last Monday till yesterday, starting from relatives to friends, but to be honest  we enjoyed each and every moment spent with them. The late night dinners, the endless walks through the city, the sleepless nights in casinos........Wah!! Remember i told you i had a very bad cold, which was taking away all my good spirits and left me as "Paradise Lost". I wanted a resurrection, and had to cheer me up to welcome all these guests. Pepper is always a panacea for me and Ta da .. I made this Peppery Beef and Potato curry to pep me up.YES !!! Food gives me a lot of pepping. Trust me it cured me well and here I am as "Paradise Regained".

My vegetable garden is in the process of embracing the fall and giving me the last of it good deeds. Thought I will share a picture today of my teen-y tin-y plump-y Red-y cherr-y tomatoes and Thai red chiles.

Back to the pepper beef affair, I had some extra uncooked  Beef from my Slow cooked beef stew ( recipe coming soon), which was not enough to make a big good batch of beef curry, so I did add some potato to increase the quantity, just like our mom's do , especially when they have some unexpected guests for dinner. It was fabulously delicious. The fragrant aroma of this beef curry stimulates the appetite and the kick of pepper takes away all the  illness. I had it with some aromatic white rice and yogurt salad topped with my cherry tomatoes and it truly made an exotic spin to my meal.

Recipe for  Peppery Beef and Potato curry

In picture :- Beef and Potato curry

Ingredients:-

For marinating Beef

Beef - 1 lb

Chili powder - 1to 1.5 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Garam masala - 1/2 tsp

Garlic crushed - 2 cloves

Salt to taste

For making curry

Onion chopped - 2 medium

Potato - 2 medium

Garlic - 4 cloves

Ginger - a small piece

Green chili - 2

Chili powder - 1 to 1.5 tsp

Coriander powder - 1.5 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Crushed peppercorns - 1 tsp

Tomato - 1 

Star anise - 4

Cinnamon - 1

Cloves - 4

Thin coconut milk - 1 cup

Salt to taste

Curry leaves

Method:-

Clean the Meat and marinate with all the ingredients in the marinate section and keep aside for 20-45 minutes. Pressure cook it for 3-4 whistles.

Crush ginger , garlic and green chiles in a mortar and pestle or coffee grinder.

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan and add chopped onions. Saute for 7-8 minutes and add the crushed ginger garlic and green chili.

Add chili, coriander and turmeric powder and fry for 2-3 minutes or still it is aromatic. 

Add chopped tomato and cooked Beef along with cooking liquid if any.

Add peeled and cubed potato combine it well 

Add 1 cup thin coconut milk and 1/2 cup of water and cook it covered for 20-30 minutes or till the potatoes are tender to fork.

Add crushed Peppercorns and crushed star anise,cloves, cinnamon stick and curry leaves and simmer for another 5-8 minutes. Serve warm.

In picture :- Beef and Potato curry

Notes:-

--For a more aromatic version of this curry toast or fry chili, turmeric and coriander powders with out adding any oil in a non stick pan for 2-3 minutes in a low flame and use it.

--You can always add store bought meat masala instead of chili, coriander and turmeric powders. Even i use store bought eastern or Ann's meat masala to make a quick beef or chicken curry.

--Instead of chopping onions and crushing ginger and garlic, use a food processor to do all this together. Peel and cut onion into 2 or 4 pieces , peel garlic and ginger and put all this into food processor and pulse it 3-4 times for a second or two each. You don't have to cry every time you make some curry with all this.

--To make a cup of thin coconut milk using the store bought canned coconut milk, take 1/4 cup of  canned coconut milk in a measuring cup and add water to make a cup . To make thick coconut milk use 50-50 mix of water and coconut milk.

--Instead of regular tomatoes, I used 5-6 cherry tomatoes from my garden and worked out good. But cherry tomatoes gives you the best when used in a salad.
Cheers

Sarah 

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Zucchini Kichadi - Zucchini in creamy coconut and yogurt sauce

Hey all..Hope u had a blissful weekend..The change in the season gave me a cold, hinting the winter is just a breath away.So there was nothing blog worthy happening in the kitchen for some time.I figured this is the time to clear up some things from my drafts. 

In picture :- Zucchini Kichadi

I made this Zucchini kichadi for our Ona sadya in August, with a giant Zucchini from my Aunts garden.We got it a week just before Onam and it was sooo big, almost the size of a pumpkin.(Hope i m not comparing apples to oranges). Thus my Onam sadya had a fair share of Zucchini , showing its presence in Avial, Sambar, Koottu Thoran and Kichadi; yet  we got to eat this fresh produce for many more days. Actually the Sadya this time was a straight from the garden affair, with produce from relatives' , friends' and our own small garden. I wanted to make a Vellarikka( Cucumber) Pachadi / Kichadi, but since i had this Zucchini, I decided to give it a try. It was mind blowing-ly delicious..

On a different note, people always get confused with Pachadi and kichadi. May be people call this with different names in different regions of Kerala . As far as i m concerned Pachadi is the combination of sauteed vegetable with Yogurt, seasoned with mustard seeds, shallots, chile and curry leaves; Where as in  Kichadi , besides the mentioned mix, it will have fine paste of coconut and crushed mustard seeds. If you guys have any thoughts on this, please lemme know..

In picture :- Zucchini Kichadi

Ingredients:-

Zucchini peeled and cubed - 1.5 cup

Green chiles slit lengthwise - 3-4 ( naduve keeriyathu)

Salt to taste 

Water - 1/4 cup

Grated coconut - 1/2 cup

Yogurt/Curd - 1 cup

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp 

Cumin seeds - 1/8 tsp

For seasoning 

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Dry red chile - 2-3 nos

Curry leaves

Oil

Method:-

Cook Cubed Zucchini with green chilies, salt and 1/4 cup water till its is tender and water is all absorbed.

Grind grated coconut with cumin seeds and mustard seeds to a very fine paste by adding a little curd. Mix this coconut paste to beaten curd . Combine the coconut mixture with the cooked Zucchini. 

Bring to boil and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from fire before it boils or it will curdle.

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they pop up add curry leaves and dried red chiles and pour this over the curry. Serve warm

Notes :-

--For making Pachadi with the same, omit grated coconut and cumin seeds, but if you like you can add a pinch of  crushed mustard seeds.
--Do not add water while grinding coconut, add a little curd to get the right mix.
--Stir continuously while simmering the curry , and remove the pan from fire,  as soon as it is heated through so that it wont curdle, just like we do while making moru kachiyathu.
--The flavor of mustard seeds makes this dish unique , how ever,Some doesn't like the strong taste of  grinding mustard seeds with coconut , in that case crush the mustard seeds in a mortar and pestle and add to the curry.

In picture :- Zucchini Kichadi

Cheers

Sarah 

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