Malabar Chicken Curry

       

                     While making chicken dishes; especially Indian dishes, it takes time to get the hang on things. But eventually you would master it, with the most balanced blend of spices and the most exquisite outcome of flavor. And your chicken curry tells all, how great a cook you are or where you stand in the arena of food making. Oh yes! A chicken curry can speak volumes about your culinary skills. And, traditional Indian Chicken dishes is where you can try your hand at perfecting that art at balancing the flavors perfectly. Try your hand at this traditional Malabar Chicken Curry and you would find yourself making it again, if not for reaching that blissfully perfect apex of taste. This recipe is one which I make very often and has never proved wrong for me..

Coming to the recipe...

Malabar Chicken Curry Recipe:

800g chicken, skinned and cut into small pieces
2 large onions, sliced
1/2 tsp freshly ground ginger
1/2 tsp freshly ground garlic
1 large tomato, chopped
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp kashmiri chilli pdr
2 tbsp coriander pdr
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
Salt to taste
1 sprig of curry leaves
3 tbsp coconut oil
       
Method:
 
    Heat coconut oil in a kadai or cast iron wok. Splutter fenugreek seeds in it. It shouldn't turn black. Add onion and saute until it turns slightly brown and translucent. Add freshly ground ginger and garlic and saute until aroma comes out. Now add the chopped tomato and saute until mushy. Then add the spice powders and saute until well blended. Add 1/2 cup of water and bring to boil. Adjust salt and finally add the chicken. Cook in medium to low heat, covered ,until well cooked and the gravy is thick. Remove from heat and serve hot with rice or Chapattis.

Varutharacha Beef Curry

            

            I had a super busy month with making little projects for the Kindergarten and dressing the son up for crazy events at school. I had thought that I had done with all such stuff back in my school days, only to discover that it is not over yet !! All is coming back again to daunt you with your kids going to school....

               All those sweating on making the project perfect and beautiful; preparing all the accessories for a wacky tacky competition; walking up and down the stationary store to find the perfect things for the event... Everything comes back as if in old times. And to make your child confident and special, you need to be a kid again, working with them as serious as could be and bending over the project, like it is the only thing in the world.

               But still... you feel that pure innocent joy, when your child comes back from school and babbles to you about how he performed and how 'Madam frown', patted him for doing well; just like you were that exuberant kid of the kindergarten decades back. 

                So... there is no much time for all those photography sessions, bloghoppings and recipe researches.But still find some time to make something special for the kids and hubby. Only that I never get time to capture them in pictures. So, for now I am posting this Beef Curry  photographed ages back and an inevitable curry in the Malabar area. It goes well with Ghee rice and Thenga Choru, which I have already posted. 

               I won't hold you back for long. Off to the recipe..

Chemmeen Mulakittathu/ Spicy Prawn Curry

                              Hi everybody! Salam/ Peace greetings from me. I have been away from the blog for so long that many of my friends suspected that I quit blogging for good and hence had a lot of enquiries about my absence from the blogosphere. Actually, I haven't.(for the time being). I simply was busy, busy and more busy.

                         To settle back into normal pace of life,after coming back from India itself took a bit of time. To be precise,I belong to that category of living things which takes a long time to adapt to their new surroundings or habitats..

                And then there is the new found infatuation of sewing dresses for my baby girl (the boys have started complaining that I never make clothes for them, but only for their sister.) But then, what's interesting about boys clothes... poor guys..All pomps n glitter goes to the girly things, right? ;) I shall soon post some pics of my new works, Insha Allah ; if I manage to take a few decent snaps.

                So then, here is an old recipe of Prawn which is quite spicy n hot. The spice lovers' very thing. It's my mom's recipe and we used to love it as kids and still do.
Off to the recipe..

Vellarikka Pachadi

Good food is wise medicine. 

~Alison Levitt

 

                         This is an uncooked vegetarian side dish  eaten with rice, which my family is quite fond of..As it doesn't require cooking and can be made in a few minutes, it is one of the frequently found side dishes at our dining table. I was introduced to this simple  dish by my sister in law and later it became one of my favourites. Try this out and you would be hooked to the distinct flavour of ground mustard and yogurt...

Here is the recipe...

Capsicum Chicken (with minimal oil)

              This is one of those chicken dishes which I prepare whenever I am in short of time and has to make the lunch or dinner with haste. As it involves less ingredients and less procedures, it is one of the dishes which always comes handy when you are pressed for time. And also, it uses very little oil; yet has an excellent taste. So it is healthy too..

              I was introduced to this very simple preparation of chicken through my father in law. I  don't remember if I have mentioned earlier, about my father in law's exuberant enthusiasm towards cooking. It is one of those traits which most of the men from his generation lack on all accounts. Sometimes I tease Mr.KB asking why he didn't inherit his father's charm in cooking..

            As for him, my father in law is an excellent cook, an enthusiast in making simple dishes, as well as the most jovial person I have ever met in life! So I had enjoyed every moment of cooking together and learning the basics from him during my early days of marriage.

             My mom in law used to tell that all the ladies in the family had envied her for having a man who knew a great deal of cooking and helped her in it with unadulterated zeal, whenever he was at home.. :) No wonder they did!! I tell Mr.KB that if he was like his dad, I wouldn't have to hiss and hum in the kitchen like a pressure cooker ready to explode whenever we have guests at home ;) And Mr.KB would display a killer smile to the comment as if he was hearing some philosophical joke!!
        So here is the recipe of my father in law's Capsicum Chicken...

Butter Chicken / Murg Makhani



                 When we have guests for dinner, and I find that I have ran out of ideas of what to make, the one dish I end up with in confidence is the butter chicken with butter nan. I will post the recipe of butter nan in future, inshaallah but for now let me rant about the Butter Chicken. It is one of those dishes which has that tantalising look and smell and after tasting, has won me rave reviews.

 

 

           I am of the opinion that the presentation of the dish, its colour and its texture has almost equal importance to its taste. So if the dish is eye candy, you have half won! And if it is equally delicious, then you have  reason to rejoice. I have a friend who presents even the common place ordinary food with a great deal of creativity and often I have found people (including me) express their greatest adoration for her food. Though I am not that  good at presenting a dish with such perseverance, I have found some of my dishes winning admiration just by their texture and colour. Of course Butter Chicken is one among them.

 

Malabar Spicy Fish Fry

             

                For sea food lovers there is nothing more appealing than a perfectly fried fish. Being a sea food lover myself, my occasional mood swings or sometimes the untamable tempers could just be cured by a delicious fish fry. Guess what! Mr.KB has made it a habit to stuff the freezer with all kinds of fresh fishes he can get hold of... poor guy ;)

               Fish can be fried in many ways. From the easiest of ingredients to the most intriguing techniques they taste different, deliciously so. Most of the time, the fishes fried in my kitchen are the easiest versions with minimum ingredients and using up minimum time for marinade. But during weekends and while having guests, I take care to pamper the fishes with special marinades and giving ample time to coat the fish. The difference is outstanding.. Let’s say, like a candy and an ice cream.. Both are delicious on their own ways. But the latter does have a bit more to indulge in. And it wouldn’t hurt to keep the fish coated in the marinade for a couple of hours (if you have enough time). It gives a juicy soft texture to the flesh imbibing the entire flavor, yet the exterior remains crispy and yum.

 

           As for ‘Malabar fish fry’, when ever there is a prefix ‘malabar’ added to any of the dishes, people have begun to read it as ‘intriguing.., sophisticated..  etc. But no! I assure you this Malabar version of fried fish is not that complicated. All you have to do is use the freshest ingredients and push back those readymade fish masalas and spices to where it came from. You wouldn’t be disappointed by the outcome..

 

Coming to the recipe…

½ kg fresh fleshy fish like pomphret, king fish  etc

1 inch piece of ginger, sliced

3 cloves of garlic, sliced

1 green chilli, halved

1 tsp fennel seeds

¼ tsp turmeric  powder

¼ tsp red chilli pdr

½ tsp kashmiri chilli pdr

¼ tsp black pepper powder

2 tsp lemon juice

A sprig of curry leaves

Coconut oil for frying

Method:

   Clean the fish, wash properly and drain. Slash the fleshy parts with a sharp knife. Grind all the other ingredients in a grinder to a fine paste. Marinate the fish with this paste and keep for 1 to 2 hours. Heat oil in a frying pan and fry the fishes, on both sides in medium heat until reddish brown and crispy. Drain on a kitchen tissue to absorb excess oil.Serve hot with steamed rice or roti.

 

Rogan Josh (Restaurant style)

                The temperature is hitting near to lowest in the year. It's freezing out there, under 5 degree Celsius. And everybody is fast drawing back to their habitats, shielding themselves from the bitter cold, except those who cannot help it. The streets seem to be deserted and the shops in the streets are at the lowest time of sales..

                     

 

 

                   The son is so reluctant to go to school. It's difficult to wake him up in the chilly mornings. Only the prospect of getting two days holidays,this week is what gets him going. The room heater is always on duty; right from dawn to dusk. And laziness is at its highest peek especially in the quiet mornings.

 

                   So after the hassles and commotions of the morning; with the son at last send to school and the husband send to office, I usually cuddle up near the younger ones, enjoying the warmth of their blankets and the heater. It is such a nice time to sleep the day away.. But Alas! you cannot sleep to your fill! One of the kids would wake up and ask for food and I have to get up, though reluctantly wearing all the wool that is available in the house:)

 

 

 

           Slowly, reluctantly you have to cast off the layer of laziness from you to become active in the kitchen again. Cooking to the appetite is the greatest way to ward off the chill. The warmth of the steam coming out of the pan on the stove, the aroma of spices which fills the kitchen with warmth, the gurgling sound of water as it boils in the kettle and the little chit chats of the son and daughter is all it needs to swing you into the mood...

 

            So, I made Rogan Josh, the other day..one of my favourite Indian mutton preparations. As the name suggests, it is the synonym of intensity when it comes to flavour and spices. A passionate blend of spices, a sweet n sour kind of indulgence. Perfect for the weather, I say. It goes well with steamed rice and chappatis. I made it the restaurant style, the most popular way it has been prepared ever.

 

 

 

 

 

Rogan Josh (Restaurant Style) Recipe:

 

1 kg boneless lamb, preferably Indian

1tsp freshly ground ginger

1 tsp freshly ground garlic

3 medium onions, finely chopped

2 tbsp tomato puree/ 3 tomatoes blended to pulp

8 cardamom pods/ elakka

2 bay leaves / vazhana ila

1 piece mace/ jathi pathri

6 cloves / grampoo

1 tbsp pepper corns

1 cinnamon stick(2 inches long)

1 tsp coriander pdr

2 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp fennel seeds

3 tsp kashmiri chilli pdr

1 tsp chilli pdr

5 tbsp plain yogurt

1/4 tsp garam masala pdr

1/4 tsp black pepper pdr

3 tbsp vegetable oil

Coriander leaves/ cilantro to garnish

Salt to taste

 

Method:

• Heat oil in a heavy bottomed sauce pan and brown the meat in it. Set aside.
• Put cardamom, bay leaves,mace, cloves, pepper corns and cinnamon stick into the same oil and stir.
• When the aroma comes out, add onions and saute until brown. Add the ginger  garlic paste.
• Add cumin and fennel seeds and saute. Then add the chilli powders and saute in low heat
• Add tomato puree and saute. Adjust the salt and add fried meet cubes. Stir for 30 seconds.
• Add yogurt, 1 tablespoon at a time and stir well to combine.
• Now add a cup of water and bring to boil. Cook covered on medium heat for 1 to  2  hours, stirring occasionally to prevent the gravy from sticking to the sides and bottom of the pan. If you are pressure cooking, it may take 30 to 45 minutes.
• When the cooking is done and the gravy is nicely coated on the meat, sprinkle  garam masala powder  and black pepper powder on top.
• Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with ghee rice or chappatis.

 







Chicken Chettinad

                         Another chicken dish after a long time. It was photographed long back and was not posted due to lack of time. Nowadays majority of my time is spend, moderating the fights between the brothers. Gasp!! It seems they have no other games to play, nowadays. If anybody had to see me standing between them, hands outstretched in a ninja style, I would more or less look like a pressure cooker ready to explode. And it's a pleasure that no body can see me wiggling in between them like a wrestling referee. What's more, they have managed to loosen the space bar (the space bar of all keys!!)on my computer's key pad; and typing a few lines is another kind of wrestling!! phew! It's easier to post a dish with no write ups and ramblings on my part, but I hate to sound like an old cook book. That's the reason why they get procrastinated every now and then.
                         I think I have mentioned earlier that we are a family  which is not very much fond of chicken dishes and gets weary of them too soon unless you try different dishes all the time. So over the years I have learned to experiment on newer flavours and preparations of chicken every time I have to make it.
                     Chettinad cuisine is a South Indian cuisine which is one of the spiciest and most aromatic cuisine in India. The chefs of chettiyar community in southern Tamilnadu were considered as master chefs.

                         We have a restaurant here called Anjappar which specialises in Chettinad cuisine and we were actually smitten by this chicken curry we had from there; and I had to make it, the next time we prepared chicken at home. Luckily I got a magazine which had it's current edition introducing Chettinad cuisine, and I dived in for my chicken recipe. It tasted, very much like the restaurant version and I was quiet pleased with the out come. Very different from other Indian chicken preparations and yes,  very spicy. I made it by the slow cooking method, not pressure cooking it and the result was fantastic. The gravy was nicely coated on the chicken and the flavour was outstanding.. Try cooking it slow on the burner top if you have enough time.. it would be worth spending all that energy and time.

The Recipe:

1 kg chicken, skinned with bone in

2 onions chopped

2 tbsp ginger garlic paste

2 tomatoes chopped

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 sprig of curry leaves

1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

2 tbsp veg.oil

1 cup water

Salt to taste

For grinding:

One cup grated coconut

6 dry red chillies

1/2 tsp pepper corns

1 tsp kus kus or poppy seeds

2  tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 stick of cinnamon (4 inch length)

4 cloves

1 cardamom

Method:

  Heat a little oil in pan and roast the grated coconut till light brown. Add the rest of the ingredients for grinding and roast till aroma comes out. Make sure you don't burn the coconut and spices by stirring now and then. Allow it to cool and grind to a fine paste.

                  Heat oil in a heavy bottomed sauce pan and fry onions till golden brown. Add ginger garlic paste and saute for a few minutes. Add turmeric powder, tomatoes, curry leaves and salt. Cook till the tomatoes become mushy and the oil separates. Now add the ground masala, water and chicken pieces. Mix well. Cover and cook slowly, till done. Stir in between to ensure even cooking and to prevent the gravy from burning. Switch off when the gravy is thick and coated evenly on the chicken pieces. Garnish with curry leaves and chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with rice or chappathis.

Spicy Squid Roast / Koonthal Varattu

           Being an Indian, I love everything spicy, especially the non-vegetarian foods. Non-vegetarian food, if cooked without spices tastes bland and uninteresting.. Though I prepare vegetarian food with out much spices, I like to have non-vegetarian dishes quite spicy.

            Spicy, doesn't always mean hot. Many people misunderstands spicy food to be hot food, with loads of red chilli powder in it, hot enough to pierce holes into the stomach wall. That is the reason why most of the non-Asians dread spicy food as if it is a dagger pointed at  their heart.. In fact you could prepare spicy and yummy food which is less hot. You could reduce the amount of red chilli powder or else use milder varieties like Kashmiri chillli powder. As my family is on the medium level of heat tolerance,I always use a mixture of Kashmiri and ordinary chilli powders in cooking which gives a brilliant red colour as well as exquisite taste to the food.

         This is a squid preparation, I love to cook spicy and is rich in flavours. You could also prepare shell fishes like mussels and prawns the same way. It can be served as a side dish for chappatis and parottas or with hot steaming rice.

Spicy Squid Roast / Koonthal varattu

Things you need:

Squid, cleaned and sliced circularly - 1 kg
Turmeric powder                            - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Onion, sliced                                  - 4
Ginger, finely sliced                        -  a 2 inch piece
Green chillies, slit                           - 2
Red chilli powder                          - 1 1/2 tbsp
Coriander powder                        -  3 tbsp
Black pepper powder                   -  1 tsp
Garam masala powder                  - 1/2 tsp
Tomato, sliced                              - 1
Coconut oil                                  - 2 tbsp

Method:

• Cook the squid with turmeric powder and salt until the water dries out. Keep aside.
• Heat a frying pan and add coconut oil to it. Saute the onions,green chillies and ginger in it, until golden colour. Now add the spice powders and saute for a few minutes in low heat.
• Add tomato to it and saute.Finally add the cooked squid to it .Saute for a couple of minutes and remove from heat.
• Serve hot with chappatis or rice.

Olan - A Kerala vegeterian sadya delicacy

               So... Where to start?

            After leaving blogging behind for almost five months, I seriously don't know how to start again..

          My fingers feel numb from laziness... and my brain refuses to exude anything intelligible..

      Guess what! I seriously believe, these organs would become vestigial if you don't use it for a long time.. ;)

So, let's stop poking the past... and begin again...

      After a long vacation in India, precisely Kerala, what comes to my mind is one of the simple vegetarian sadya dishes which hails from God's Own Country, Olan.

I have had the picture in my draft for some time.. and thought to post it so as to start blogging again. Actually I have no time to take pictures after I cook the food ... upload it.. brighten it.. caption it... blah blah! Right now, my life is running at sixty miles an hour.. or at a higher pace... and I need to sit tight to stop myself from falling off.

      So, what was I talking about? Oh yes! Olan !

A simple dish with very few ingredients and very less spices (or not at all), it is a treat for the taste buds with its mild, yet outstanding flavour. Me and Mr.KB are Olan nuts, if you may call so, because we are simply fond of this vegetarian delicacy . As far as I know, pure coconut milk and pure coconut oil is what imparts that supple sweet flavour which even a hard core non-vegetarian decline to unnotice.

      After having fish and meet for a long week, my family craves for something 'all vegetarian'.A few days of all vegetarian meal, keeps them in demand for non-vegetarian. So, once or twice in a week,  I make all vegetarian meal for lunch, which my family enjoys with much ardor  One of the dishes which frequents these meals is Olan, which became a family favorite ever since I started making it at home.

Olan Recipe

Black eyed beans / van payar, soaked overnight and cooked- 1 cup

Ash gourd,skinned & cut to small square pieces                    - 2 cups

String beans, cut into pieces of 1&1/2 inch length                   - 1/2 cup                                              

Butter pumpkin, cut to square pieces(optional)                       - 1&1/2 cup  

Green chillies, ground                                                            - 2

Thick coconut milk                                                                - 1 cup

Dried red chillies,split into two                                                - 3

Curry leaves                                                                           - 2 sprigs

Coconut oil                                                                             - 2 tsp

Salt to taste

Method:

•  Cook ash gourd, pumpkin, string beans and dried red chillies together with 1/2 cup water and adequate salt.
• When the vegetables are well cooked (almost mushy),add ground green chillies and cooked beans to it and cook further for 5 minutes.
• When the gravy starts drying up, add the coconut milk and stir well.Switch off the heat and pour coconut oil over the Olan. Add curry leaves and stir to combine.
• Serve hot with rice.

Vendakka Pachadi / Okra (Ladies finger) Pachadi

        There are certain vegetarian delicacies which outplays non-vegetarian dishes with their unique flavour and ambiance. Hence they come handy whenever you run out of chicken and fish. There are times when you forget about the bowl of fried fish sitting infront of you and go on eating those vegetarian dishes; totally hooked. There are many Kerala Sadhya preparations made with vegetables and yogurt which are deliciously flavoursome that you hardly notice, you are eating veg. which is otherwise considered to be bland.( Vegetarians, don't take offense! I was only quoting the general assumptions of a non-vegetarian :))

            Pachadi is a dish prepared with vegetables or fruits tempered with yogurt and spices and is an inevitable dish in the Kerala Sadhya. Wide varieties of vegetables like squash, okra, bitter guard and brinjal and fruits like pineapple too are used in pachadi preparations. This is a very easy, quick and delicious pachadi which my mom in law used to make, which I was totally fond of. So when I took over cooking in 'my kitchen empire', I started preparing it whenever I got a handful of fresh okras every now and then, which my son and better half loves to the last bit.



Vendakkaa Pachadi

Okra/ ladies finger  -  1/2 kg

Fresh yogurt           -  1 cup

Turmeric powder    - 1/4 tsp

Red chilli powder    -  1/2 tsp

Vegetable oil           -  2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Coconut oil             - 1 tsp

mustard seeds         - 1/4 tsp

Dried red chilli         - 2

A sprig of curry leaves

Method:

     Wash, drain and cut the okras into thin slices. Mix the spice powders and salt with it and keep aside. Heat a non-stick frying pan and shallow fry the sliced okras in vegetable oil. Transfer it to a bowl and add yogurt. Mix it well.

      In the same frying pan, add coconut oil and splutter mustard seeds in it. Add the dry red chilli and curry leaves and saute for a few seconds. Pour this seasoning over the okra-yogurt mixture and stir to combine. Serve immediately with steaming rice and curry.

Fish curry with Coconut milk

          If there is one thing that Mr. KB would have, again and again without getting sick of it, it is the Spicy fish curry. When I am about to serve lunch, he would ask,"What's the curry?" and when I name the usual vegetable curries I prepare, he would show a "Well, bring it on. I don't mind" kind of attitude. No particular interests nor any exuberant joy. But when it is the fish curry, I see a quaint twinkle in his eyes and a sense of decadent zeal.

            Mr. KB is a man of inhibitions, unlike me who goes really weak on the knees in front of delicious food. He never fly over the top, even if he is enjoying his favourite food. So it was unlike him to pour curry into his plate and lick it with fingers even after he had done with the rice; which is what happened the other day when I prepared the fish curry."Great! Great! So much for inhibitions" I thought. Anyway it is amusing to see that you can bring out the 'barbarism' in people with your food sometimes.

            I used gamboge (Kudampuli) in this fish curry. Gamboge is rarely used in fish curries in the northern Kerala side, but in the south, it is very common. So I have a suspicion that this is a Southern Kerala fish curry though my mom makes it often, the source from which she got the recipe is unknown to me. Another speciality is the addition of thick coconut milk which mellows the fierceful flavour to some extend. In my mom's words,"The quality of the coconut milk determines the taste of the curry". So go for very thick and undiluted coconut milk for better results.

             And of course, the clay pot; which is inevitable for that great flavour. There is more than just flavour to using an earthen pot. The acidity of the gamboge or tamarind which is almost always used in Kerala fish curries may react with the vessel in which the curry is prepared and stored if a metal pot is used. Cooking it in a clay pot (earthen pot) helps to avoid this situation, thus making it more healthier. That must be the reason why fish curry in Kerala is inevitably prepared in clay pots. I am so obsessed with my clay pot, which my mom send from Kerala a few years back, that I would trade anything for it. If you are a more fierce fully spice tolerant kind of person, try my 'fish curry without coconut milk' (meen mulakittathu) which I posted earlier.

Fish curry with Coconut milk:

1/2 kg fresh pomfret or any other fish with thick flesh, cut into pieces

8 to 10 shallots, sliced
2 to 3 cloves of garlic, sliced
a small piece of ginger, sliced into thin pieces
1/2 tsp of turmeric powder
2-3 tbsp of red chilli powder/ kashmiri chilli powder if you are on the low spice level
2 tsp of coriander pdr
2 bells of gambooge or 'kudampuli'
1 1/2 cups of water
1 1/2cup of thick coconut milk
Salt to taste
1 tbsp veg.oil

For tempering:

1 tbsp of coconut oil
a sprig of curry leaves.

Method:

Heat an earthen pot and add vegetable oil. Add shallots, garlic and ginger when the oil is hot. Saute for a few minutes. Now add the turmeric powder, red chilli powder and coriander powder and saute in low heat for a few minutes. Add water to this and increase the heat. When it comes to a boil, add salt and gamboge. Then add the fish slices and cook covered in medium heat for ten minutes or until done. When the fish is well cooked, add the coconut milk. When the mixture starts to boil, remove from heat and pour coconut oil on top. Garnish with curry leaves and serve hot. It goes well with rice, appam, puttu and parottas.
       
       This post also goes to the Kerala Kitchen Event created by Ria and Rose of The Kerala Kitchen, being hosted by Jehanne of the cookingdoctor.

Nadan Beef Varattu / Malabar Beef Roast

                     
                   This is a dish which has been renowned as the favourite of many in family. Mr.KB becomes exuberant and verbose while talking about this beef roast. Nostalgic and alluring, it has only drawn fans to it, the bygone years even beyond the Malabar area. It is one of those traditional tastes which hang on your tongue for so long.. It has such an outstanding influence on my culinary conscience that I often find it difficult to think of any other recipes when ever I get a pound of fresh Indian beef. Call me an old fashioned snob, my mind always refuse to believe that any other recipe could be more yummier. And more often, I end up making the same beef roast again and again.

                     Pardon me for the photos (I know,they sucks). By the time I got organised, the sun had gone and it was already twilight. And to top up the mess, my younger son was screaming crying in his top gear. So I couldn't go for elaborate photos and just took a few quick snaps. I have always forgot to take the pictures of this dish when ever I have prepared it. This time I was keen on taking it, but you see the situation snapped.

Nadan Beef Varattu/Malabar Beef Roast

Things you need:

1/2 kg Indian beef , cut into small cubes

7 to 10 shallots/ cheriyulli, sliced

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground garlic

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp ground red chillis

1 tsp ground black pepper

2 tbsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp fennel seeds/perum jeera

1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds

Salt to taste

For seasoning:

2 to 3 shallots, sliced

1 sprig of curry leaves

1 tbsp coconut oil

Method:

1. Cook the beef with little water and all the other ingredients (except that for seasoning) in a pressure cooker, until well cooked ( about half hour) in medium heat.
2. Heat oil in a wok and add the shallots. When it becomes brown and aromatic,add curry leaves. Add the cooked beef into it and saute in medium to high heat, stirring continuously until the gravy dries up and the beef is coated.
3. Remove from heat and serve hot with rice, pathiri or chappatis( Indian flat bread)

This post  goes to the Kerala Kitchen Event created by Ria and Rose of The Kerala Kitchen, being hosted by Jehanne of the cookingdoctor.

Jeeraka Kozhi / Jeera Chicken

                Some dishes had been reserved for special occasions, back home. Such dishes doesn't come in every day lunch and dinner. They just seem sort of detached from the normal world of goodies and always reminds of those special occasions when they would be served. But the time has changed and we are privileged to have any dishes we like at any times we wish at any time of the year.

                 Food and drinks after child birth had been (and still is) so different from normal in my home land. The woman who gave birth to a baby was treated with much care and attention. Right from what she wears to what she eats was decided by Ayurveda (the Indian system of medicine) and age old theories of older people of wisdom. Right from drinking the 'Kashaya' (medicinal decoction) early in the morning to the glass of warm milk before going to bed, was all part of the routine. So why am I telling you all these things? Well, to explain the background of this particular dish, Jeeraka Kozhi which was of course prepared specially for the new mother on her days after child birth.

                 So why was this dish selected for that special occasion? Because it helps enhance the digestive fire (agni) which is said to be in a decreased state after child birth ( Ayurveda says 80 percent of the diseases occurs due to a fault in the 'jataragni' or digestive fire) and facilitates lactation. The main ingredient, cumin in this dish is both carminative as well as lactogenic. The other main ingredient, black pepper helps enhance the digestion. It was mostly made with organic chicken bought from local farms.

              So you must have pictured this dish by now, as something which is a torture to the taste buds and tastes just like the nauseating 'kashaya' and something which the normal people decline to eat...  Not at all! If you try this once, you will be hooked to the very different and vibrant flavour, enough to tempt you to try it again and again. Let me know, if you are not :)

              I have even a suspicion that the older generation women got pregnant sooner and frequently just to relish this lip smacking preparation after delivery to their fill...(just a guess you know ;) ) As for me, I don't wait to get pregnant, to make this rich and spicy chicken again and again :) It comes often into our dinner table to go with rice and chapattis with out explainable reasons..

Jeeraka Kozhi / Jeera Chicken Recipe

Things you need:

1 small chicken , preferably organic chicken/nadan kozhi( 600 to 700g)

2-3 tbsp cumin seeds / cheriya jeera

2 tsp black pepper

7 to 8 shallots/cheriyulli, skinned

2 to 3 garlic cloves

A small piece of ginger

1 green chilli, split lengthwise

1 large tomato, sliced to medium pieces.

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

2 tbsp coriander powder

For seasoning:

2 shallots, sliced

1 sprig of curry leaves

1 tbsp Coconut oil

Method:

• Skin and cut the chicken to small pieces. Wash and drain.
• Grind the black pepper and the cumin seeds in a mixer until fine. Add the shallots, garlic  and ginger and pulse until a coarse paste is formed.
• Transfer the chicken to an earthen pot and add the spice paste. Add turmeric powder, coriander powder, green chilli , tomato and salt. Mix well and cook covered in medium heat adding little water. Stir occasionally to avoid sticking to the bottom of the pot. When well cooked and tender remove from heat and temper with seasoning.
• For seasoning heat a pan and add coconut oil. Fry shallots in it until brown. Add curry leaves and immediately pour this seasoning over the cooked chicken. Serve hot with rice or rotti.

Linking this to Heart & Soul, Teusday Blog Hop co-hosted by Swathi of Zesty South Indian Kitchen

Ayala Thoran / Mackerel sauted with coconut and spices

  

              Fishes are yummy. Life without fish is unimaginable. If they were bone less they would have been all the more desirable. I always muse about bone less fish variations when I watch Mr.KB meticulously eat his fish. If they are smaller fishes like sardines and mackerels he spend hours eating his fish, painfully fishing out each and every fish bone and delicately arranging them over the circumference of his plate. As for him, he may be able to swallow a needle, but not a fish bone (no matter how minute it is). I try to trick him sometimes, explaining about the loads of Calcium in fish bones and the virtue it is going to do for his bones but nay.. he never budges. He toss the ball back with a classic comment of his own."My bones are already overloaded with Calcium. So may be, I could spare some for you" Nope! Fishes and him- they binds easily. But as for fish bone- He avoids it like plague!

               When I got this recipe of 'Ayala thoran' I had thought, "Well, Mr.KB loves mackerels and when it is boneless he is gonna love it even more". And I was right when the thoran was devoured in haste and much relish. As for a Keralite, any dish can be made yummy with the addition of coconut to it. Hence there are as many varieties of 'thoran' in Kerala as there are coconut trees in it. So it is not a surprise that you can find thorans made with fish, meet and eggs other than vegan thorans. I tried this Ayalathoran, keeping my fish loving (fish bone hating) hubby in mind and it was helped into both father's and son's belly faster than I imagined. My son called it "scrambled fish" and he enjoyed it like his favourite scrambled eggs. Spicy and piquant, it sure is a yummy side dish for lunch or dinner, though it takes a bit of your time to remove the bones of fish prior to mixing everything up.

Ayalathoran Recipe

Things you need:

3 large mackerels( ayala)
2 pieces of gambodge( kudam puli)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
Salt to taste

For the coconut paste:

1,1/2 cup grated coconut
1 green chilli
2 cloves of garlic
1 small piece of ginger
1/2 tsp  whole black pepper
5 shallots / pearl onions/ kunjulli

For tempering:

1 medium sized onion, diced to small pieces
2 tbsp veg.oil
1/4 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 or 2 dried red chillies
1 tsp black grams/uzhunnu parippu
2 sprigs of curry leaves

How to:

Clean and wash the mackerels well and drain.Cut them into big pieces and cook in a vessel adding turmeric powder, chilli powder, gambouge ,salt and adequate water. Remove the bones,smash them up and keep aside.
  Pulse the second ingredients in a mixer until, coarse powder.
   Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan and splutter mustard seeds, red chillies, black grams and curry leaves.Add the diced onion and saute until golden brown. Add turmeric and chilli powders to it and saute. Then add the pulsed coconut mixture and saute for a few minutes. Finally add the cooked fish and mix every thing well. Adjust the salt and remove from heat. Serve hot with rice.

Recipe courtesy: Lakshmi Nair

Sending this to Kerala Kitchen Event hosted by Prathibha of COOK EZEE started by Kerala Kitchen

Beetroot Thoran

                  
                 
                      When I was small and school going, we seldom made beet dishes at home and so it was never send to school with my tiffin of lunch. Some of my classmates used to bring it with rice and I used to look in awe as the colour of their rice changed to pink when the beets were mixed in it. I always envied them and had tried to befriend them. In my eyes, the beet eaters were superior to non-beet eaters simply because they could change the colour of their rice to pink and I had felt myself inferior.

                       When this inferiority complex took hold of me hard, I said to my mom one day, "Well, today onwards, I want beets for lunch. If not, I'm not gonna go to school anymore". My mom wouldn't have understood a bit about my beet love, but nevertheless she included it in my lunch the next day onwards because she couldn't risk the halting of her daughter's schooling. So I was lifted up into the hierarchy of beet eaters in my class and never ever felt inferior again. 

                    This recipe of beetroot thoran is the most common form cooked in northern kerala and is quite delicious on its own.

Beetroot Thoran Recipe:

Things you need:

4 beetroots, skinned and cut into small square pieces
1 cup of grated coconut
2 green chillies
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 sprig of curry leaves
1 tbsp coconut oil
Salt to taste

Method:

Cook the beets in a covered vessel with little water and adequate salt. Pulse the coconut and green chillies in a mixer and keep aside. Heat a frying pan and add coconut oil. Splutter mustard seeds and curry leaves, Now add the pulsed coconut and saute for a minute. Finally add the cooked beets, mix everything well and remove from heat. Serve hot with rice.

  Sending this to Bon Vivant Moments #2 - Savoury Items at Sumee's Culinary Bites

and to CC event Vegan Diet at Srav's Culinary concepts  
and also to Walking through memory lane event hosted by Roshan of Roshan's Cusina started by Gayathri of Gayathri's Cookspot

Kadai Chicken

            It’s time for chicken dishes again. I prefer to eat chicken in the cold season rather than in the hot. In fact it helps fighting the chill to some extend. I made Kadai chicken the other day to kick start my enthusiasm.. to pull myself up in this cold weather. When you are engrossed in making a food you love, you seldom notice the surroundings or how horrible the climate is. The only thing that exists then is the dish you prepare, its delicious whiff and the warmth of your much cherished stove.


           My earlier experiments in kitchen were more often, trying out the dishes I had from the Muglai and Arabian restaurants we frequented in Kuwait. It so happened that the Kadai chicken which we had from one of the Muglai restaurants hooked us to the extend that we visited it frequently just to have that little kadai(iron pot) of delight once again. By much trials and errors I reached a recipe some where near to the original.


            Kadai Chicken is a traditional Muglai dish prepared by cooking chicken with spices and condiments in a Kadai or special cast iron wok. Cooking it in an iron wok gives it a distinct flavor which is essentially the ‘Kadai chicken flavor’. Using freshly ground red chillies and coriander seeds is the key to attaining the original piquant taste.

Coming to the recipe..

Kadai Chicken

Things you need:

Chicken ,cut to small pieces - 1kg
Dry red chillies                    -  4 to 5
Coriander seeds                  -  4 tbsp
Ginger,finely chopped          -  2 tbsp
Garlic,finely chopped           -  2 tbsp
Oil/ghee                               -  45 ml
Tomatoes,finely chopped      -  7
Red chilli powder                  -  2 tsp
Turmeric powder                  -  1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder          -  1 tsp
Corriander powder                -  1 tsp
Kasoori methi powder           - 1 tsp
Green peppers/ Capsicum      -  2 (optional)
Corriander leaves                   -  to garnish
Salt to taste

Method:

• Grind the corriander seeds and dry red chillies in a blender. Wash and drain the chicken pieces. Heat an iron wok or Kadai and add 3 tablespoon of ghee to it. Add the powdered corriander and red chillies to it and stir in low heat .Add ginger and garlic to it and stir until aroma comes out. Add the tomatoes , red chilli powder and turmeric powder. Cook this in medium heat until the tomatoes become mushy. Now add the chicken pieces and salt and cook it in medium heat covering the Kadai with a lid. Stir occasionally to avoid the gravy from sticking to the bottom of the kadai.
• Add 1 tbsp of oil to a frying pan and add coriander seeds and chopped green peppers. Soate for a few minutes and add this to the chicken gravy. Add garam masala powder and kasoori methi powder and mix well. Remove the kadai from heat and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
• Serve hot with chappathis, nan or parottas