Pazham Unda / Undapori

                                                Whenever I have very ripe, ready to wilt bananas on the kitchen counter; the 'no wasting' bell as well as the 'recycling' bell rings in my mind, loud enough to jolt me into some kind of kitchenantics. Two  options rush to my mind all the time. One is the Moist Banana Cake, which the boys are crazy about and the other is this easy peasy old snack of mom, Pazham Unda, which the spouse is quite fond of.

                                        Nowadays, I usually opt for the second; as it is quicker and more easier to make. No need of all those whisking, beating and folding fuss. It can be mixed up in a couple of minutes and prepared in a quarter of an hour. It was one of the easiest tea time snacks mom used to make when we were kids. Back at home, mom used to make it with really ripe 'cheru pazham', the small bananas which is abundantly available in Kerala. I tried it with the chiquita bananas here and it turned out quite as good.

Here is the recipe...

Indo Chinese American Chopsey

               

               American Chopsey is a dish of crispy fried noodles mixed with a tangy sauce of  vegetables and meat, served topped with a fried egg.This is one of the Indo-Chinese dishes I have always been in love with right from my childhood. The fondness towards it remains the same even after all these years. I was so obsessed with it that whenever we visited Chinese restaurants, it was almost always ordered, inevitably. But Chinese dishes never taste that good here in the middle east, as it used to in India. Till date we have tried more than a dozen Chinese restaurants here, but none has rose to our expectations. And it is queit frustrating to think that we need to go back to India to have those delicious Indo Chinese dishes to our fill.

                  So nowadays, whenever I get a craving for some American chopsey, I run to my kitchen to toss up everything quickly and make a super fast Indo Chinese lunch in  no time. When I began to try recipes at home, it was one of the dishes I first began experimenting with; and it turned out to be quite easy to make like most of the Indo Chinese dishes. The kids too love it.

                   One thing to keep in mind while making Chopsey is to use egg noodles instead of plain spaghetti  unlike in Chowmein. Egg noodles give a nice crunchy texture when fried and imparts a rich taste. You can use instant noodles of any brands like Maggi, Indomie etc too. If you are planning to make American Chopsey for your guests; it's better to fry the noodles in advance and store in an air tight container. That way you can conveniently save a bit of time.

                    Actually, the gravy of American Chopsey is red in colour with the addition of tomato ketchup to it. But I prefer to have it without ketchup and hence the pale colour of my sauce. If you like you can go ahead and make the gravy red.

Here is the recipe..

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.

 

Beef Cutlet

              There are many Ifthar dishes I had postponed posting due to unavailability of time... Ramadan is the month you cannot afford much time sitting before the computer and clicking away with ease. The mornings are spent with prayers and worships of Allah and the after noons are busy with preparing mouthwatering delicacies for breaking the fast. So I had withheld many dishes from posting last Ramadan hoping that I could post them later... Time just went by... and looking back I could see I had posted only very few of the Ifthar delights. It is almost time for the next Ramadan. The thought came just as my better half was commenting about Beef Cutlet and how he could wait until Ramadan to eat one... (Ssh... Beef Cutlet is his weakness... he never admits it... But I can see from the number of cutlets he gulps down that he enjoys immensely ;) )

              So I thought it's time to make some. There are two advantages, I can take the pics and he can have it to his fill. My mom used to make it mixed with mashed potatoes, green chillies, onions and minced beef and we used to enjoy it so much. When I was a boarding student at Thrissur we used to have beef cutlets from a small shop near to our school. I used to make up my mind that I would eat only one when I go there, but every time ended up buying two or three. They were so yummy... they just melted in the mouth. Taking one bite, I could see the cutlet was red inside. So I inferred they added beetroots in them. So back home I tweaked my mothers recipes with an extra addition of cooked and mashed beetroots in them and Hooray!! they turned out so much more yummy... Nowadays my mom too makes it by adding beetroots in them.

Here is the recipe....

Things you need:

250 g fresh beef, cut into small pieces, washed and drained
1 large onion, sliced
3 cloves of garlic, sliced
2 sprigs of curry leaves, sliced into small strips
2 green chillies, cut into small slices
1 medium sized potato
1 small beetroot / half a medium sized beetroot
1 tsp red chilly powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1/2 tsp black pepper powder
1 egg white
Coriander leaves (optional)
Salt to taste
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs or rusk powder
1/2 cup veg. oil

Procedure:

1) Cook the beef in a pressure cooker adding half teaspoon of red chilli powder, 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder, one tsp of coriander powder and adequate salt, until moderately cooked. Mince it in a mixer, after cooling and keep aside. You can alternately use minced beef and cook as instructed.

2) Cook the potato and beetroot with skin in a pressure cooker adding adequate water. After it gets cooked drain on a mesh and peel them. Then mash them in a blender or using potato masher and keep aside.

3) Heat one tablespoon of oil in a sauce pan and add onion to it and saute until transparent.Then add the garlic and green chillies and saute. When the aroma comes out, add the curry leaves, 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric powder, 1/2 teaspoon of red chilli powder, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder and 1/2 teaspoon of garam masala powder and saute. Then add the minced beef and saute for a couple of minutes. Add the mashed potato and beetroot and mix well adding adequate salt.

4) Take lemon sized balls from the mix and make round patties about half an inch thick with your palm and keep aside.

5) Beet the egg white in a bowl. Heat a deep heavy bottomed wok and add remaining oil to it. When the oil is well heated, fry the patties by dipping them in the egg white batter and then rolling them in bread crumbs. Using egg white instead of whole egg helps prevent the oil from frothing up. Fry until golden brown.

6) Remove from oil and drain on a kitchen tissue. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with tomato ketchup. Enjoy :)

         And I am off to Dubai on a week's vacation with family.. So next week will be a no post week. See you all with new recipes again, Insha Alla.. Till then.. bye. Take care..

Kozhi Ada / Chicken hot pockets

  

                      It is the crispy, tiny delight of malabar... A nice snack to simply munch on or to go with tea. This sizzler which may be called 'the little brother of Samosa', is a celebrity in ifthars and family gatherings... Yes! you can make the bet! You wouldn't stop with one.. :)

The recipe..

Things you need:

To make about 30 'adas'

For making pastry:
All purpose flour or maida - 2 cups
Water    -    as needed
Salt        -   as needed

For the filling:
Chicken or beef with out bone - 250 g
Onion               - 1, medium sized , sliced into very small pieces
Ginger, minced  - 1 tsp
Green chillies     - 2, cut into very small pieces
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Vegetable oil -  2 tbsp

Others:
Oil for frying  - 2 cups

Method:

Making the pastry:
Make a smooth dough with the flour and water. It should be harder than that for making pooris. Now divide it into small balls, the size of a gooseberry.Keep them aside by covering them in a clean clothe or cling film.
Prepare the filling:
Cook the chicken or beef adding adequate salt and a little turmeric powder. Mince it using a fork or blender and keep aside. Now heat a wok and add 2 tbsp of oil to it. Add onion and saute until transparent.Add the minced ginger and green chillies and saute. Add the minced meat and saute. Finally add all the spice powders and saute until the filling becomes dry and crispy.
Filling:
Take the dough balls and roll them out into thin circles. Keep a little chicken filling in the middle and fold into half moon shape.Join the ends by pressing with a fork.
Frying: 
Fry them in heated oil in a wok until golden brown.Drain on a kitchen towel and serve hot.