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Kerala Beef Pickle - Erachi Achar ( Dry version)

2012-01-17T09:52:00.000-05:00

Its almost the middle of the winter and all I got to see was just a thin coat of snow that too yesterday in the moonless night! Guess the Snotober totally disrupted the winters rhythm. I boarded the "Polar express" and went as far as "Eight below" and climbed up the stairs of many winter castles ; yet my mind aches for a snow fall at home.

The flurries which drizzled for a couple of minutes last week wasn't strong enough to stir up some spirits. I really need the stormy one at least for once! Only the whistling wind and the mean cold seems to have made its late arrival..! Where are you my pretty lil snow flakes?Come you here and cover the naked trees with your white blanket....

...........................

I have an ever lasting love for Pickles - veg and non-veg. Erachi Achar is a traditional Syrian Christian favorite in central kerala, which occupied a regular spot in my family's pantry, along with other veg, meat and fish pickles. Ammachi sees this as a prized possession always and gives us only a spoon or two at any meal , making us crave for it and wait for the next turn :-).

This is not entirely her recipe ; she sun dries the meat with spices for a couple of days and then make it. This is more of my version,with less vinegar , incorporating ammachi's recipe with another one I referred to from the Cook book - The Kerala Kitchen( Moori Erachi Achar pg 203). The recipe from this book has a very interesting ingredient -mustard paste - which I haven't used (& coriander powder ) since I prefer to stick to the traditional one.

We love the dry versions of all the pickles, so that's what I have here for you today ! Black , dry and spicy , just the way I grew up eating . Trust me , this is excellent with drinks( a Red wine for me and my signature Cherry Mojito for N and my dear cousin J )! I am not sure about the shelf life of "this" pickle , since i haven't had to keep it for more than 4-5 days.

Recipe for Nadan Erachi/ Irachi Achar - Kerala Style Beef Pickle

Serves - 8-10 or just 2 people like us

Total cooking time - less than 1 hour

Yields :- These two jars in the picture

Recipe Source :- Partly from my Mom and grandma +partly from The Kerala Kitchen by Lathika George)

Ingredients:-

Bowl 1

Beef - 1/2 kg ( I prefer stew meat )

Meat Masala - 1/2 tea spoon

Turmeric - a generous pinch

Ginger - Garlic paste - 1/2 to 1 tea spoon

Vinegar - 1/2 tea spoon

Salt to taste

To fry meat

Oil - 2 tablespoon

To make masala

Gingelly oil / Sesame oil - 2-3 tablespoon

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tea spoon

Fenugreek seeds - a large pinch

Curry leaves - lots

Garlic chopped - 10 cloves

Ginger sliced - a thumb sized piece ( adjust ginger and garlic as per ur likes)

Green chili chopped - 3-4

Kashmiri Red chili powder - 1.5 tablespoon( if using hot chili powder 1 or 2 tea spoons would be enough)

Vinegar - 1 -2 tablespoons ( add more if you like more, I prefer 2 tablespoons of the normal white distilled one or red wine vinegar)

Whole Black peppercorns - 1 tea spoon

Garam masala - a pinch

Salt to taste

Method :-

Clean and cut the beef into bite sized pieces. Marinate with all in Bowl 1 and keep aside for 20-30 minutes. Pressure cook in a medium flame with 2 tablespoons of water , for 2-3 whistles or until done.

Drain in a colander and reserve the stock( 1/2 cup maximum)

Heat 2 tablespoons of any cooking oil in a non-stick pan and fry the beef pieces till brown.

Meanwhile , heat 2-3 tablespoons of gingelly oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they pop up add fenugreek seeds , fry for 10 seconds , followed by curry leaves, garlic, ginger and green chilies. Fry till the raw smell is gone. I love them to be a bit crunchy.

Make a paste with 1 tablespoon of reserved stock , vinegar and red chili powder and add to the pan and fry till the oil separates. Add the remaining stock , bring to boil and add the fried beef pieces along with any oil in the pan . Crush the whole black peppercorns in a mortar and pestle and add to the pan , along with a pinch of garam masala. Simmer for a couple of minutes , stirring often , till it is thick or dry as you like it . Let cool , transfer to clean glass jars and keep in cool dark place or in the fridge.

Notes:-

For more shelf life add more vinegar ( i say not more than 1/4 cup ), & 2 more tbsp of sesame oil.

I don't add coriander powder or shallots to any of the pickles ; it tastes different the next day.

In hot and humid area , better keep this dry version in fridge.

To make gravy , increase the vinegar and stock qty .

Instead pf pressure cooking and frying the meat, you can bake it @ 375 degree for an hour or more and proceed with the process

Happy Cooking

Sarah

Lately ........ This and that.....

2012-01-10T13:23:00.000-05:00

Yes I know ! Its been quite some time.

Hope you are having the best of this new year yet ! Just dropping in here with no purpose described, but the post may serve its own .

I have this new found addiction to my life like never before , to enjoy each and every moment and hold it with love in a loving cup , like grains of golden sand. While I am at it , I even forgot the day that marked vazhayila's existence , until a reader reminded me ! Its been 3 years( Jan-6th) ..Thanks much to all the readers for making this a popular space ....I am humbled !

I am not really good at making and keeping resolutions at anytime of the year ! but I have made some determinations on the food side. More whole grains, beans, fish and herbs every week , and occasional indulgence in poultry and red meat . Ah lets see! I was determined to ~~master~~ learn baking by baking more often , and was doing a good job until my stove and oven broke and still waiting for the brand new one ! Thus leaving me with no choice but to do something I used to hate to the core ! takeout !

mmm...not as bad as I expected ..How simple is life and how fine tuned are we to dance around the twists and turns !

I always wanted to start a Project 365 , but knowing myself completely , I decided against it ! May be I can use those pics I click here and there , as a filler post , just like this one :-)
To all those who e-mailed me , just to let u know , I am yet to respond to so many emails from November last , and I am sorry and will do as soon as I m done with so many other things thats been cluttering my hands for some time !

Happy Cooking and Wishing you all the best things in life this New Year

Sarah

Kerala Fish Molee - Christmas Special( Salmon in coconut-cashew curry)

2011-12-22T09:10:00.000-05:00

With Christmas closing in so fast , I am excited and overjoyed like y'all , that I may go mad with delight.A drive through my neighborhood makes me feel like I am living in the magical town of "Whoville" , with houses and stores gaily decorated and decked up to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.
There is happiness where ever you look,whoever you see,forgetting all the troubles they may have.There is hope within the sparkle of their eyes , and radiance on their face ; World indeed looks like a good place to live.

Merry , Merry , Merry ; that's what you feel even in the frosty December air..

Though I am old and wise enough to know Christmas is not all about the gifts , I like having one for myself and for N , and for people I love ! Don't you ?

The two pics above are Christmas-y lights from my home and NYC . The second one is the Christmas tree from Rockefeller center .Doesn't it look like ruby and emerald sparkle of a diamond like star up above the sky? So magical !

For us , the Christmas party has started last week with lovely people , fun times and good food & wine. We have a long list of small Christmas dinners , in the coming weekends and I am so looking forward to each one of those ..mm..2011 Christmas so far looks like the best ever..

On the flip side , I definitely miss my parents and brother and the Christmas back home with cousins , but I am happy we are so blessed with so many loving people here , hence I am indulging in the "merry" around !

I have posted my mom's fish molee recipe in the beginning days of vazhayila , but this is more of a "decked up yet easy " sequel to the original one.

A no fried version , where Salmon is cooked in whole spices and ginger-garlic infused coconut milk and finished with a rich coconut - cashew sauce.

After all , Its Christmas people ! Eat , Drink and be Merry ! The Christ is born!

Recipe for Meen Moilee/Molee - Kerala style fish stew with Salmon ( no-fried -version)

Serves - 4

Total cooking time - 30 minutes

Ingredients:-
Cashew nuts - 15

Fish - 450 gm ( I prefer Salmon fillet)
Oil / Butter - 2 tablespoon

Cloves - 5

Cardamom - lightly crushed - 4-5

Bay leaves - 1 or cinnamon - 1

Onion finely chopped - 1

Curry leaves - 7-8

Garlic thinly sliced - 5

Ginger chopped - 1/2 of a thumb sized

Green chili slit - 7-8 (or as per your heat level.)

Turmeric - 1/4 to 1/2 tea spoon

Tomato diced- 1 big plump or 2 medium

Canned Coconut milk - 1/2 to 3/4 cup + 1/2 to 1 cup warm water - mix well

Salt to taste

Garam masala - 1/4 to 1/2 tea spoon ( Homemade)

Black peppercorns - 1/2 tea spoon to 1 tea spoon

Canned coconut milk - 1 cup

Optional Tempering

Coconut oil / ghee/butter -1- 2 tablespoon

cashew nuts

raisins

Method :-

Soak cashew nut in water for 15 minutes .

Clean Salmon fillet and cut into big chunky pieces

Heat oil in a wide mouthed pan and add cloves , cardamom and bay leaf and fry for a minute.

Add curry leaves and onion and saute for 5-6 minutes. Sprinkle some water if needed in between.

Add chopped garlic , and ginger and green chili and saute till the raw smell disappears.

Add turmeric , coconut milk + water mix , salt to taste and combine well.

Arrange fish and tomato pieces in a single layer an inch apart , cover and cook for 10 minutes.

Uncover the pan , add garam masala and freshly crushed black pepper , mix in gently or shake the pan for the masala to get mixed in and cook covered for another 10 minutes or so.

Grind the soaked cashew nut with a lil coconut milk to a fine paste. Mix it with remaining coconut milk

Uncover the pan , add the coconut milk- cashew mix to the pan , let heat through for a minute and remove.

Prepare the tempering and pour over the stew. Let it stand covered for at least 15 minutes before serving

Notes :-

This is a very mildly flavored curry - If you want it to be more spicy add more spices

The gravy depends a lot on the kind of cooking pan you use( wide or deep ), so adjust the coconut milk- water qty accordingly

I prefer not to keep it for the next day , since its so full of coconut milk.

Other Christmas Specials

Kerala Chicken stew
Kerala Chicken Molee
Meen pollichathu
Canned Tuna cutlet
Kottayam style Beef dry fry

Merry Christmas Everyone !!!!

Sarah

Sambar Rice - Quick dinner for cold winter nights

2011-12-16T15:50:00.000-05:00

Apart from the darkness that creeps in the late afternoon with the early sunset , I love everything about december ; even the same darkness in the mornings that allows me to wallow in my bed for an extra hour or two. Its such a special time for people around the world right ; with festive colors , lights and music , everywhere you go! There's something magical about this holiday season , that lifts my spirits sky high ...
I still believe in Santa Claus , do you ? I believed him, and was singing like Marilyn Monroe - "Santa baby"- a hundred times with my own lines , and he came down the chimney a lil early for me this year !

Hows holiday preparations coming along ? Baking goodies , packing and wrapping for friends and family ? I am yet to start my "small baking ritual ", since I m busy with lots n lots of good things that Santa brought me last couple of weeks ......................

Todays recipe is something I fell in love with recently! All thanks to my neighbor "U", for cooking the authentic Kannada Sambar rice for me a number of times , or I should say whenever I craved for it and made me fall in love !

What I have here today is a not-so-authentic , more of a cheat's ( oh yeah mine ) , version for a lazy cold winter night.....A perfect medley of rice , lentils and vegetables to keep you warm n cozy !

Recipe for Sambar Rice( Bisi Bele Bath) - Cheat's Version( A not-so-authentic one)

Serves - 4

Total cooking time - 45 minutes - 1 hr

Ingredients:-
Rice - 1 cup ( I used Sona masoori )
Red Lentils - 1 cup ( You can use any lentils u love)
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Salt to taste
Tamarind pulp - 1 table spoon
Onion chopped - 1
Garlic crushed - 2-3 cloves(optional)
Ginger crushed - a small piece (optional)
Tomato chopped - 1
( 2 cups of vegetablesof your choice ,I used -)
Carrot chopped - 2
Green Beans - a handful
Potato - 1
Green Peas cooked - 1/4 cup
Oil - 1 tablespoon
Spice mix
Sambar Powder - 1 to 2 tablespoons ( use as per ur spice level , I prefer Shakti brand)
Grated coconut - 3 - 4 tablespoons
Curry leaves - 5-6
Cinnamon - a small stick
Cloves - 3-4
Cardamom - 3-4
Mace - 1
Dried red chili - 2
Fenugreek seeds - a pinch
Oil - 1 tea spoon
For tempering
Butter / Ghee- 2-3 tablespoons
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tea spoon( optional)
Grated coconut - 1 tablespoon
Curry leaves
Peanuts / cashew or anything you love - a handful
Hing - a pinch ( optional)
Cilantro - for garnishing

Method :-
Wash and soak the rice for 15 minutes. Drain and cook well( almost mushy).Set aside.
( I used a rice cooker ; for 1 cup of rice 3- 3.5 cup of warm water)
Wash and rinse red lentils , soak for 15-20 minutes, drain and cook with turmeric , salt and enough water.Soak tamarind pulp in a cup of warm water.

Spice mix:- Heat a tea spoon of oil in a pan and fry grated coconut and curry leaves , when it starts turning the color add dried red chili and other whole spices and fry . Switch off the flame , add sambar powder and fry in that heat .Grind to a smooth powder in a coffee grinder.

Heat oil in a pressure cooker or a heavy bottomed pan and add onion and saute , followed by crushed ginger , and garlic. Add tomato , chopped vegetables except green peas, saute for a couple of minutes .
Add salt to taste, spice powder , soaked tamarind with water , cooked lentils and pressure cook for a single whistle or cook till the vegetables are tender. Uncover and add green peas and hing.

Slowly fold in cooked rice and combine well and let simmer for 2-3 minutes.( or take another pan mix rice and sambar as per your consistency and let heat through).
Make the tempering and pour over the rice. Serve warm with chopped cilantro and fried pappadums!

Happy Cooking !

Sarah

In the comfort of simple food .1

2011-12-09T10:00:00.000-05:00

At times , I am humbled by the simple yet satisfyingly rich flavors of natural things !
Hard Boiled Egg + .. I don't mind if it is a tad low on salt , but really appreciate a generous pinch of freshly crushed black pepper

Research comes and goes , but eggs are always good for you , so I've been told !

Happy Cooking !

Sarah

Kakka irachi / erachi ularthiyathu - Kerala Clams Roast

2011-11-29T10:33:00.000-05:00

Hope all in US had a scrumptious Thanksgiving dinner , enjoyed and indulged in the mad shopping frenzy of Black Friday and relaxed on the weekend ! We had a blissful thanksgiving ... Oh boy , I am a happy successful host ...

The only thing that worries me after this long weekend is the guilt of eating too much , feeling heavy and total crap! I am trying to reset the button with meditation.....Thank god , the lent starts within days , wink ...

.......She was there everyday except Sundays , with a wide mouthed aluminium vessel balanced on her hip covered with a thin polythene sheet , and underneath a reserved "kutti" of clams. She brought the smell of oceans with her...

She was in her late 70's , with a heavy body in traditional "chatta and lunki", salt and pepper hair , and tobacco stained teeth...We called her " Kakka Erachi Ammachi .

I never knew her name , didn't bother to ask anyone , until one day my mom mentioned to me about the clams lady's death. I came to know then , her name was "Kunjorotha".

Kunjorotha ... somehow I couldn't fit her into that name ... how could I know a person for so long and not know her name!

She took the first bus from her rural kuttanadan village - famous for freshly caught clams -with a silver colored big " charuvam " full of the same , travelled to changanacherry everyday in the wee hours of the morning , to earn a livelihood.

Our house or I should say our long verandah in the back of our house was her last stop , where she would stay put for a light nap for a while , ate hot food my mom gave her , before she took the afternoon bus back home. On saturdays and off school days she used to tell us stories, old happy stories and sometimes sad , weeping and wiping her tears on the "lunki"..Thus I knew her grandfather " Kachan" and her husband " Thomman" used to work in the paddy fields owned by mom's family in Kuttanad.

Whenever I make some kakka erachi here -which I started to do recently- it reminds me of her laughter and tears , her old stories , and my mom's generosity. I know my mom wasn't just paying her for the clams she brought everyday for us , but for her dinner too, though she never told us. Unknowingly mom was instilling in us some virtues ....

..how food is so tangled in memories ....and how those memories are snuggled somewhere in the cloudy corner of my mind, waiting to be collected by me!

Recipe for Thenga kothu itta Kakka Erachi Ularthiyathu/ Olathiyathu - Kerala style Roasted Clams with Coconut

Serves - 4

Total cooking time - 30 minutes.

Ingredients:-

Clams / Kakka erachi ( cleaned) - 1/2 kg

Vinegar or juice of fresh lemon - 1 to 1.5 tea spoon

Salt

Bowl 1 - to crush

Garlic - 6-7 cloves

Ginger - an inch piece ( i use a thumb sized piece )
Green chili - 3-4
Fennel seeds - two pinches
Black Peppercorns - 1/2 tea spoon

Shallots or onion chopped - 1 cup ( use pearl onions n shallots)
Curry leaves - a handful
Coconut cuts ( thenga kothu ) - 1/4 to 1/2 cup
( You can add a tomato too , if you want it to be tangy)
Red chili flakes - 1 tea spoon
Red chili powder - 1 tea spoon
Coriander powder - 1/4 to 1/2 tea spoon( optional)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tea spoon
Garam masala - 1/2 tea spoon( home made)
Whole black pepper - 1/2 tea spoon
Oil - 2 tablespoon + 1 tablespoon

Method :-

Clean and rinse clams well. Bring to boil 3 cups of water , and add clams to it . Let it stand on a medium flame for 3 minutes. Drain, rinse in cold water and drain again and keep aside.
Add Vinegar or lime juice and salt and keep aside while we make the masala.
Lightly crush all the ingredients in Bowl 1 in a coffee grinder , food processor or small jar of your mixie.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan and add chopped shallots and curry leaves. Saute till it is soft for like 6-7 minutes.
Add coconut cuts and fry for a couple of minutes.
Add the crushed mix and saute till the raw smell disappears and it turns to brown.
(Add tomato if you are using it now and saute till the oil separates )
Add red chili flakes , chili powder , turmeric and (coriander if using) and combine well, fry for a minute or two..sprinkle a table spoon of water if needed.
Add the clams , mix well , and cook covered on a medium flame for 10-12 minutes.( add a 1/4 cup water if needed)
Crush the black peppercorns.
Uncover the pan, add garam masala , crushed black peppercorns , some more curry leaves and saute .
Drizzle a tablespoon of oil , saute till it turns dry and brown.
Serve warm.

Happy Cooking !

Sarah

Unakkameen Podichathu/ Chammanthy - Crushed Salted 'N' Dried Fish

2011-11-21T10:03:00.000-05:00

What are you thankful for this year?

On the Sunday before thanksgiving , I have this habit of jotting down all those things that I am thankful to God almighty , for the past year. I go through each blessing again n again , living those moments one more time , telling him , how grateful I am . I know perfectly , whatever I achieve its 5 % me and 95 % the One above .. How about you guys?

Nothing new for here , as I am so busy planning and preparing for the Thanksgiving Dinner I am hosting this Thursday .

Just to keep this space alive , I thought I will repost this 2 year old recipe with a new dress , I stitched for it a couple of weeks back . I am not gonna blah , blah you on my love for Salted dried fish , as I have talked about it many times on all these posts on Unakkameen / Dry Fish.

So straight to the recipe :)

Recipe for Dried Fish chutney without coconut ( Unakkameen Podichathu)
Serves - 4
Total cooking time - 4-6 hours for soaking + 30 minutes cooking

Ingredients:-
Unakkameen / Dried Salted Fish - 250 gm
Red chili powder - 3/4 to 1 tea spoon
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tea spoon
Shallots - 2-3
Garlic - 1 clove
Red chili - 8-9 or 1 or 2 tea spoon of crushed chili flakes( adjust per ur tolerance..this is really spicy)
Curry Leaves - 3-4
Method:-
Soak Unakkameen / Salted fish in water for 4-6 hours or overnight. Add a sheet of teared newspaper along with it. This absorbs the salt.Then cut it into medium pieces
( Note :- A reader send me a mail , opening my eyes to the ill effects of keeping newspapers with fish , I am not gonna do the same again . Keeping the salted fish a lil longer than usual , i suppose is always better than doing something which can affect your health. Thanks Usha :-) )
Pat dry the fish well and marinate it with chili and turmeric powder and keep aside for 15 minutes.
Heat one or two tablespoons of oil in a pan and fry the fish pieces, until they start to turn reddish brown. Drain on paper towels.
In a mortar and pestle or coffee grinder , or small jar of mixie , add shallots , garlic , chili and curry leaves , and fried fish and crush it. Use the pulse action and pulse it for 3-4 times or until it is crushed.
Good day
Sarah

Squash Blossoms (Thoran) Stir Fry with Coconut

2011-11-13T17:15:00.000-05:00

Hope you all are doing good . No soliloquy , no laments or celebration in this post ! I am just spring cleaning my space .

I have definitely lost my blogging mojo, with a zillion other things taking away my time and thought will clear out some from drafts until I get back the time and motivation for the new !

Squash blossoms is one of those things that I buy from farmers market , every week ; which means I was making this thoran/stir fry at least once a week for the past couple of months . It reminds me a lot of the Pumpkin blossoms (Mathan poovu ) back home and they are more or less same. N's aunt sent us a lot of tender Pumpkin leaves ( Mathan Ila) recently from their dying garden, so we were having a lot of these leaves and flowers this season :). Feeling right at home , though away from home !

Recipe for farm fresh stir fried Squash Blossoms(Thoran) with Coconut and green chili

Serves - 4
Total Cooking time - 15 minutes
Ingredients:-
Squash Blossoms - 1/2 lb
Green chili or fresh cayenne chopped - 1 or 2
Ginger minced - 1/2 tea spoon(optional)
Salt to taste
Curry leaves - 2-3
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tea spoon
Cumin - a pinch
Bowl 1
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Shallots - 2
Turmeric - a pinch
Method:-
Clean and finely chop Squash blossoms .
Lightly crush all the ingredients in Bowl 1.
Combine that with salt , chopped squash blossoms , green chili and ginger.
Heat oil in a pan and mustard seeds .When they pop , add cumin , curry leaves fry for a couple of seconds and add the mix.
Saute for 5-7 minutes , on a medium flame, till it is done and dry.
Sprinkle a couple of tea spoons of water in between , to prevent it from sticking to the bottom
Serve warm with rice, pulissery and fish fry.

Good Day!

Sarah

Stir Fried Soba Noodles With Chicken and Ginger

2011-11-03T10:21:00.000-04:00

It started as a dreamy snow , touching the red leaves with its powdery white. It was a magnificent sight, and a rarity in my part of the world.

I was as excited as the leaves you see in the pictures here , to be touched by the gentle flakes.

Later, it poured down in a kind of frenzy ; inches by inches it rose , the colors and the earth sunk deep in its frozen blanket .

I have been reading a lot about buckwheat lately , but it took me sometime to really get into it. Initially I was fascinated by the fact that its a seed and not a grain.

Its gluten free , low in calorie and high in nutrition , which got me all the more attracted to it.

But honestly I was a bit apprehensive about the taste ; a healthy alternative not always turn out to be a delicious treat right.

My rule of thumb when trying something new is to incorporate it into one of your favorite recipe , know it and then play with it. So I went with the buckwheat noodles aka Soba noodles , made a stir fry following my usual casual recipe for fried rice , which I normally use for making noodles too.

Then I realized, soba noodles has a taste ; a nutty taste to it unlike the other noodles I have tried , so you don't really have to dress it up with so much sauce.

After 2-3 attempts, I got my mix right and this has been my favorite recipe for making Soba noodles ever since.

Recipe for Stir fried Soba noodles with Chicken and Ginger
Serves - 2

Total cooking time - 20 minute for preparation + less than 30 minutes cooking time

( This recipe is developed particularly for Soba / buckwheat noodles and may not work well with other noodles unless you dress it up with some more sauces of your choice)

Ingredients:-
To cook noodles
Soba Noodles - 8 oz pack
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 tea spoon
Water

Chicken - 2 breast or boneless thigh pieces ( Use mushrooms to make it veggie , see notes for options)

Bowl 1
Crushed black pepper - 1/2 tea spoon
Soy sauce - 1 tea spoon
Garlic and ginger powder - a large pinch ( optional)

To stir fry
Oil - 2- 3 tablespoons
Shallots sliced - 2-3
Garlic thinly sliced - 2 cloves
Ginger thinly sliced - an inch piece( I add a 2 inch piece)
Green chili sliced - 1
Bell pepper - 1 ( I used half of a red and half of a green )
Carrot chopped - 1
Black pepper corns - 1/2 to 1 tea spoon
Vinegar - 1 tea spoon ( i used Red Wine vinegar)
Soy Sauce - 1 to 1.5 tea spoon( add more if you want more)

Salt to taste ( be careful since soy is already salty!)

Hot sauce -- for serving

Method:-
Cook Noodles according to package directions ( I always add salt and oil to boiling water ).Drain and set side
There are 2 ways to cook chicken
Clean and cut the Chicken into small strips .Combine all the ingredients in Bowl 1 , add chicken and keep aside for 10-20 minutes.
Heat 1 or 2 spoons of oil in a Wok or any wide mouthed non stick pan . Add chicken pieces and stir fry till they are well cooked and start to turn golden brown . It will take around 10 minutes.( keep the flame medium and its done when you think its cooked)
Or Marinate the chicken pieces( big pieces) with all the ingredients in Bowl 1. Heat 1-2 spoons of oil in a pan and shallow fry on both sides ( 6 -8 minutes each ) or until it is no longer pink and cooked. Then chop it into small pieces.
When the chicken pieces are done , add sliced shallots , ginger , garlic , bell pepper , and carrot and stir fry for 3-4 minutes.
Sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons of water and cook covered for a couple of minutes( 2-3)
Uncover , add Vinegar , mix well .Crush black peppercorns in a mortar and pestle
Add noodles , soy sauce and black peppercorns and combine well and stir fry for 2-3 minutes, or until everything is mixed and well heated through.
Add mint or cilantro or any herbs you like and serve warm with a dash of hot sauce !

Notes:-

Chicken will be a bit hard like the fried in this recipe and not soft ...
If you have left over meat ,chop or shred it in small pieces and use that
Rotisserie chicken works awesome with this recipe too
Substitute Mushrooms for chicken to make it a veggie treat
You can use peas , corns , french beans or any vegetable of your choice , just cook it before or adjust the cooking time in this.
Add whatever sauce you like in it , but only in small quantities.

Have a great day!

Sarah ✍

Thenga Varutharacha Meen ( Mathi ) curry - Canned Sardines in roasted coconut curry

2011-10-27T10:19:00.000-04:00

Looking at the gray-sky outside, with a cup of joe, I can see the yellow , the crimson red and brown all over the trees and ground , creating a bed of colors . What a delightful sight , though the sky warns me its the death of the season baby! Why Mr. Sky do you think that will pull me back from njoying this beauty? Not a bit!

What do you love " the most" about this season?

I don't have a " the most" , but lots of things I love and do ...an evening stroll by the lake near my home witnessing the magical sunset with vibrant colors everywhere ..the sound of crisp leaves under my shoes , as I walk over them in the yet to be raked front yard ..a feeling of breaking away from old , purifying myself and getting ready to embrace the new, and finally the sound and aroma of bubbling soup pot with a stew/soup for my dinner!

A couple of months ago , I was searching for some inspiration to cook , when I came across this recipe in Vanitha. The fact that its a recipe by Lekshmi nair gave me all the more reason to try it at once. Its a bit different from the Varutharacha meen curry recipe I posted some time back. Tried it , liked it and added to my repertoire ever since. N loves Sardines and I hate to buy fresh as it stinks! The only way to accommodate it to our diet is to buy canned !

Recipe for Thenga varutharacha mathi curry - Canned sardines in roasted coconut curry

Serves - 2-3
Total cooking time - 30-40 minutes
Recipe source ( Lekshmi Nair Recipes - Vanitha Pachakam)

Ingredients:-
Fish - 1/2 kg ( i used two 8 oz can of sardines in water )
Tamarind pulp - 1.5 tea spoon
Tomato quartered - 1
Oil - 1 tablespoon
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tea spoon
Fenugreek seeds - a large pinch
Shallots chopped - 2 or 3
Curry leaves - 2 stems
Optional ingredients:-
Garlic chopped - 3-4 cloves
Ginger chopped - a small piece

To Roast and Grind
Grated coconut - 2 cup
Shallots chopped - 5
Oil - 1.5 tablespoon
Red chili powder - 1 tablespoon
Coriander powder - 1.5 tablespoon
Turmeric powder - 1/4 to 1/2 tea spoon

Method:-

Dissolve tamarind pulp in 1/2 cup of water.

Heat a pan, add grated coconut and fry stirring continuously in a medium flame

When it starts to brown , add oil , shallots and fry for a little more time.

Add chili , coriander and turmeric powders and remove from heat.Don't let it burn

Grind this coconut mix to a very fine paste. Add the tamarind water and mix well

Add 1 or 1.5 more cup water to this mix, and bring to boil in a heavy bottomed cooking pan.

Add curry leaves, Tomato, fish pieces, salt to taste and cook covered for 20 minutes.

( For canned sardines , 10-12 minutes is enough as they are already cooked)

Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds. When they pop add fenugreek seeds and fry for 20 seconds

Add chopped shallots , curry leaves , ( garlic and ginger) and fry till they are brown

Pour this over the curry and let stand for 15 minutes covered, before you serve.

Notes :-

You can add dried red chiles and whole coriander instead of powders .
Shallots are always better in this kind of prep , use red onion if you don't have it.
Though the original recipe said coconut oil , I didn't have it , so I used Canola oil.
Garlic and ginger are optional, use it only if you like it!

Other recipes to check:-

Varutharacha meen/fish curry
Mathi curry/ kerala style sardine curry
Varutharacha Beef curry

Good day all,
Sarah ✍

Mutta Chikkiyathu - Scrambled (Breakfast) Eggs + Lil Proud moments

2011-10-20T09:42:00.000-04:00

I smiled , I felt elated ; I smiled again.
Little or Big,moments of appreciation of my pastime's honest efforts - a line of praise , an email from a reader or accolades from popular websites - makes me smile,makes me jittery for a few seconds and then I am back to my composed self .

That being said, I take pride and joy in letting you all know that this humble space of mine received some accolades recently.

A couple of weeks back , Vazhayila has been voted the Top 70 foodie blog on the web by e-college finder . Its only after , people have started asking me about the new logo in the side bar that I really thought of announcing it.

By then Shelley of Yummly , send me a mail , saying my recipe of Nadan chicken and potato curry is featured in their "Spice up your evenings with delicious curries".

Oh boy , I am a certified Yummly blogger now :) . I am so happy that all this came when I was taking my baby steps of freelancing ;).

Back to business , do you think posting such a simple recipe is so silly? Who doesn't know to make this right ? But trust me when I say , it took me weeks of practicing to finally get my first perfect scrambled eggs ;). I wanted the way they make for egg fried rice in restaurants . I just heart it! only after trying several different non stick pans , that it struck me , its the wok that made all the difference. Thus born my perfect - not-so-dry , not-so-moist -small lumps of scrambled eggs.

Recipe for Mutta/Motta Chikkiyathu - Kerala Style Scrambled Eggs

Serves - 2

Total cooking time - 15 minutes

( its just a mix of things that i love , throw in whatever you like)

Ingredients:-

Eggs - 5 large

Salt to taste

Pepper crushed - a large pinch

Oil or ghee - 1- 2 spoons

Mustard seeds - a large pinch

Cumin or fennel seeds - a pinch ( optional)

Onion finely chopped - 1/2 or full of a small one

Ginger chopped/ minced - a small piece

Green chili chopped - 2 small

Curry leaves - 5-6

Tomato finely chopped - 1 small

Turmeric - a large pinch

Red chili powder - a pinch (optional)

Method:-

Heat oil in a wok or nonstick pan and add mustard seeds .

When it splutter add onion , ginger , green chili and curry leaves.Saute until it is soft,for like 3-5 minutes.

Add tomatoes and stir fry 2-3 minutes.Add turmeric and red chili powder and mix well.

Beat eggs with salt and pepper.

Pour in eggs and gently cook stirring( using edges of a wooden spoon) until it is dry and cooked.

Have a good day all :)

Sarah

Apples and Pears ; Finding Colors in Manhattan Greenmarkets

2011-10-17T09:40:00.000-04:00

This year the autumn isn't really an autumn , with most of the trees with still green leaves resisting to turn yellow and red .

On our gals day out in Manhattan , me and my friend P , we took a stroll through 47th street's Dag Hammarskjold Green market ,ogling at the yet to arrive fall colors , in the fruits and veggies there. The sky was pregnant with thick clouds and the mood mellow, creating a perfect milieu to enjoy all the hues of the rainbow there in the market .

We brought home some amazing purple eggplants , made a stir fry exactly the way they demonstrated and it was oh so good! The blood red cayenne , the simply delicious empanadas , and the awesome squash blossoms were all as good as it can get! Here are some colors for you!

Good day

Sarah

Grandma's Nadan Beef - Potato Curry + Oven and Stove top cooking methods

2011-10-11T10:21:00.000-04:00

There is nothing like creating memories with traditional recipes , like the special dishes that mom and grandma makes ; especially when you miss home and your parents the most !

Yeah I miss my mom , my dad and you my dooda!

You know what I do when I wanna recharge my batteries and give an emotional break? I try to recreate the smell and flavor of Ammachi's and Amma's kitchen ; this time Amamchi's special slow cooked naadan beef curry won the toss. Its been so long since we made beef , cos of the healthy diet regime I was blah blah-ing about in last two posts . So the making of this curry was exciting to my taste buds and emotionally enticing !

What's special about Grandma's Beef curry , you might think! Well , she makes it in the old fashioned "Aduppu" , in a wide mouthed Manchatti - Clay pot , and slow cook it for 1.5 to 2 hours.

The smoke , the uniform heat and the clay pot imparts a unique flavor to the dishes , making it the best est ever and the hardest one to replicate.

Don't forget the fact that this kind of "slow cooked in manchatti" beef curry is widely popular in the ubiquitous Thattukada( street stalls) and Chayakada( Tea shops) , accompanied with hot hot kerala parotta , back in Kerala.

When my mom said she made it last day , it triggered my lust for the best and I badly wanted to dive into the comfort of those succulent meat rich with intense flavors.

Since making this in the traditional Aduppu was simply out of the question in my smoke detector filled house, I tried to imitate it in the best possible way I could. Bake it , just like we make the classic American or Irish Beef stew and use the same cast iron cooking pot to retain the heat...I reduced the qty of spices from grandma's original recipe since i cant handle that much heat now , after 3 plus years of living away from home.

The result ,amazingly delicious "melt-in-the-mouth" beef, bursting with flavors,; with a grin, close to my Kuttanadan grandma's.

A Kerala recipe for Grandma's Slow cooked Naadan Beef curry
Serves - 4
Total cooking time :- 30 minutes marination + 1.5 to 2 hours cooking time
Ingredients:-

Beef - 1 kg ( I used stew meat)

Bowl 1 :-To marinate Beef

Red chilli powder - 1 to 1.5 tea spoon

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tea spoon

Garam Masala(Homemade) - 1 tea spoon

Lightly crush - 3 cloves of garlic , a small piece of ginger and 1/2 to 1 tea spoon black pepper ,in a mortar and pestle.

Salt to taste

Vinegar - 1 to 1.5 tea spoon

To saute :-( Increase or decrease the spices and powders as per your tolerance)

Oil - 2 -3 table spoons

Fennel seeds - a large pinch

1 cinnamon stick , 3-4 cloves , 1 bay leaf , 2-3 cardamom and a handful of curry leaves

Onion finely chopped - 2 medium or shallots chopped 1 cup

Garlic chopped - 4-5 cloves

Ginger chopped - 2 cm piece

Green chili chopped - 1or 2

Coconut cuts ( thenga kothu) - 1/2 cup

Tomato chopped - 1 small

Red chili powder - 1 tablespoon

Coriander powder - 1.5 to 2 tablespoon or as per your taste level.

Garam masala( Homemade) - 1/2 to 1 tea spoon

Potato - 2 medium peeled and diced

Water - 2-3 cups

Black pepper - 1/2 tea spoon , lightly crushed

(An update :- A friend of mine made this and made a suggestion to increase the qty of chili and coriander powder . he added 2 tablespoons of red chili powder( marinated with 1 tablespoon and added while sauteeing one tablespoon) and 3 tablespoons of coriander powder in total . so if you are that spice loving person, use these measurements. Thanks P for the tip :) )

Method:-

Clean and cut the beef into 1 inch pieces. Rinse well , till the water runs clear .

Marinate the beef cubes with all the ingredients in Bowl 1 and keep aside for at least 30 minutes. If keeping for more time , refrigerate it.

1) Heat oil in an cooking pot that can be used in oven also ( for baking) or any heavy cooking pot or claypot ( for stove top method) or pressure cooker ( a le creuset cast iron enameled pan or martha stewarts' works best for making in oven and stove top)

2 ) Add fennel seeds , whole spices and curry leaves, fry for a minute or two.

3 ) Add chopped onion and saute for 5-7 minutes , add ginger and garlic and saute till brown.

4 ) Slide in coconut cuts and fry for a couple of minutes and add chopped tomato and saute for 2 minutes.

5 ) Add chilli , coriander and garam masala powder ,and the marinated beef ,cubed potato, combine everything well and saute for 3-5 minutes.

6) Add 2 to 3 cups of water( depends on your cooking pot) , bring to boil and let it stand on medium flame for 10 minutes.

Stove top method :- Let it cook covered for 1 hour in a low-medium flame , giving one or two occasional stir.Uncover it check water and add more if needed and add 1/2 tea spoon crushed black pepper.

Cook it again for another 30-45 minutes in low flame, checking in between for salt and water. Remove from heat and let stand covered for 15 minutes before serving!

Pressure cooker method:- Add only a cup of water or less and pressure cook for 3-4 whistles or more depending on your cooker. Uncover it , add pepper , salt and water if needed and cook on low flame for another 20-30 minutes .

Oven method:- Preheat oven to 350 degree F , while you start cooking.

Increase the temperature to 375 degree F .After boiling for 10 minutes in Step 6 , transfer the oven proof cooking pot to the oven and cook covered for 1 hour ..( Don't forget to cover it with the lid).After 1 hour take it out , give a salt check , add 1/2 tea spoon crushed black pepper , add 1 more cup of water if needed and return to the oven and bake for another 30 minutes or until its is soft . Remove from oven and let stand for another 15 minutes before serving.

Notes:-

Know the strength of your gas flame , before making this and adjust the cooking time thus!
Using heavy bottomed cooking vessel is very important for slow cooking , else the water will be absorbed fast.
Check for water in between to avoid curry sticking to the bottom!
I made in a cast iron cooking pot or Dutch oven which can be used both in oven and stove top!
Add spices as per your taste and the recipe calls for medium spicy beef curry.
Those who cant handle the heat , substitute chilli powder with kashmiri chilli powder or paprika

Happy Eating !

Sarah

Broccoli Rabe (Thoran) Stir fry with Garlic and Cumin

2011-10-06T09:36:00.000-04:00

This is one of those posts , where I write a sentence and hit delete .....Where should I start ? What should I write about ?

mmmm that I am sad my house is so silent when friends went back to India after two weeks of traveling shopping and gossiping ??

that I am sad , "the greatest innovator of our times" has embraced in his own words" the single best invention of life"? Well now you know what I wanted to shout out !Who knew that man could influence billions and make it a way of living with his cool sleek devices!

Isn't it last week we fought over Apple and Jobs S,S and N? Isn't last week we laughed over the pompous gal and her i-phone 4 (G) ?

Vazhayila has lots of thoran in its( or his or hers? I wonder?) archives which I have added in the course of last 2 years. As many of you know N loves thoran , and its a regular in most of our meals no matter its Indian or not! I have been trying to eat seasonal fresh produce lately ; comes autumn the farm stand is brimming with lots of green goodness which I haven't even heard of .
I grew curious over this particular green bunch; the vendor said its really good but a bit bitter and asked me to add some lemon juice in whatever I make ; I brought it home , made a stir fry with coconut, flavored with cumin , ginger and garlic and a dash of lemon juice at the end ! Nothing can satisfy me better , than the pure knowledge of the goodness of something that I eat..

A Kerala Stir fry Recipe With Broccoli Rabe (Rapini)
Serves - 4
Preparation time - 10 minutes
Cooking time - 10 minutes
Ingredients:-

Broccoli Rabe - a bunch
Oil - 1 table spoon
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tea spoon
Cumin - a large pinch
Juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon
Curry leaves - 6-7
Salt to taste
Bowl 1
Shallots chopped - 3 or 4 or half of a medium sized onion
Garlic - 2 cloves
Ginger - a small piece ( optional , I add it cos i like the bite of ginger in all my dishes)
Green chili - 2 small
Black peppercorns - 4 -5 (optional)
Bowl 2
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Grated coconut

Method:-
Rinse the broccoli rabe well in hot water and chop it .
Lightly crush all the ingredients in Bowl 1 in a mortar and pestle or coffee grinder.
Add it with the ingredients in Bowl 2 and mix well with your hands. If you want you can pulse it all in a food processor for 2-3 times, without adding water.
Heat oil in a wide mouthed pan , and add mustard seeds. When it splutter add cumin and fry for 30 seconds and curry leaves and chopped broccoli rabe and saute for 4-5 minutes.
Add the coconut mix and saute for another 4-5 minutes or until it is dry. (Do not add water.).
Sprinkle juice of lemon , mix well and remove from heat.
Serve warm.

Good day all!
☁Sarah

Nadan Chicken and Potato curry

2011-09-29T10:34:00.000-04:00

I wonder how fast summer days squeezed by , when my mind search for cues of the shortest and the most beautiful seasons of the year.

Its been a fun filled summer with lots of trips and gatherings , and the latest one to Niagara last weekend, with friends visiting from India. How I wish I could save a slice of those delicious memories, sigh.

Lot of people have been sending me requests for a chicken and potato curry recipe and I always give them the link for this Nadan beef curry with black pepper .We rarely eat chicken and beef now and have been delaying making this for a very long time. Not that we are turning vegetarian or anything , but we have been trying to eat seasonal fresh produce and go healthy for some time now.

But as you might know kerala syrian christians are known for their daily meat-fish-alcohol intake. So we love chicken , pork & beef ; we make it occasionally and fish many times a week , its just that we take it in a harmless way ;).

During my last trip to the local farmers market I bought a couple of ~~cute lil~~ baby potatoes and I have no clue what was I thinking then , since it wasn't just enough to whip up a curry or stir fry for two with those.

I paired it with chicken and made this curry with freshly crushed black pepper ,ground coriander and coconut milk; and served with herbed butter rice for dinner. Simply delicious !

Recipe for Naadan Chicken and Potato curry with Black pepper
Serves - 4 to 6
Preparation time - 10 minutes plus 30 minutes for marination
Cooking time- 40 minutes.
Ingredients:-
Bowl 1
Chicken - 1 kg ( I used thighs cut into medium sizes)
Salt to taste
Crushed black pepper - 1/2 tea spoon
Crushed 2 cloves of garlic & a small piece of ginger
Meat masala - 1/2 tea spoon ( optional; but I used it )
Bowl 2
Oil - 2 tablespoon
Bay leaf - 1 or 2
Cloves - 3-4
Cardamom lightly crushed - 3-4
A pinch of cumin and fennel ( optional)

Curry leaves
Onion finely chopped - 2 big
Garlic chopped - 3 to 5 cloves
Ginger chopped - an inch piece ( i use a lot of both ! so use as per ur likes )
Bowl 3( this recipe is spicy , so use spices as per your heat level)
Kashmiri red chili powder - 1/2 to 1 tablespoon
Coriander powder - 1 tablespoon ( i use freshly dry roasted and ground coriander)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tea spoon
Water - just enough to make a paste with all the powders.
( or instead of all the powders you can use store bought meat masala , but the quantity depends on the brand , so please look the recipe measurements on the back of the masala pack and adjust the spoons with the kilos of chicken)

Potato cubed - 2 ( if using baby potatoes use 5-7)
Canned coconut milk - 1/2 to 1 cup
Warm water - 1.5 to 2 cup ( depends on how much gravy you want )
Salt to taste
Crushed black pepper - 1/2 tea spoon
Garam masala - 1/2 tea spoon

Method:-
Combine all the ingredients in Bowl 1 and mix well. Keep aside for 30 minutes; else keep refrigerated until you are ready to cook ( take it to the room temperature before 30 minutes you start cooking)
Heat oil in a pan and add the ingredients in Bowl 2 and fry for a minute. Add onion, curry leaves and fry for 5-6 minutes and add garlic and ginger and saute till brown or the raw smell disappears. This will take around 8-10 minutes.
Make a paste with all the ingredients in Bowl 3 and add to the pan and fry for a minute or two.
Add marinated chicken ,salt to taste and cubed potato and combine well and saute for 2-3 minutes.
Mix canned coconut milk with warm water and add to the pan and mix well.
Add garam masala and cook covered in medium flame for 30 to 40 minutes (add more water if needed, )
Uncover , add crushed black pepper ,cook for another 8-10 minutes.( cook more time if you want the chicken to be too tender or if you have bone in or leg pieces ). If you want more gravy , mix coconut milk and water, add to the pan and bring to boil.
Drizzle a tea spoon of oil and curry leaves . Switch off the flame and let stand covered for 30 minutes for all the flavors to blend in .

Good day guys!

✎Sarah

Kerala style Coconut Fish Curry with Tomato

2011-09-23T09:09:00.002-04:00

I recently bumped into Maureen's space while blog hopping and it was love at first sight. She is such a versatile blogger and I adore her photography . When she asked me to do a guest post with a Kerala dish I was excited and jumped at the opportunity . ................Read the rest of the post and recipe here in her Blog - Miss Tam Chiak

I am adding a recipe card below for some readers who requested for the same :)

Good day guys,

✎Sarah

Strolling through Williamsburg and Smorgasburg, Brooklyn

2011-09-18T08:38:00.000-04:00

Hey guys,hope you are all enjoying the end -of the -summer , beginning- of the - autumn season. Just thought will share some summer-y pictures before the colors arrive , of our 9/10/11 trip to Brooklyn. It was mainly meant to eat and shop around the corners of this old charming place. Since my camera tag along any where I go , clicked some pictures too . Hope you guys njoy it.

Netholi / Podimeen Varuthathu - Kerala Style Anchovy Dry Fry

2011-09-14T11:16:00.000-04:00

I am so proud to tell you all that , this small space of mine , Vazhayila.com , reached "the legendary 10,000 hits a day,twice last week. I am not a number gal , neither do I know whether its a big thing; but my friends A and P says it is (hello!!! i don't get 10,000 everyday, wink), and its just because of those two, I am scribbling these lines.
In that case I am so happy,that I was able to reach there with my simple home cooking and your support.

I know , I am yet to respond to many emails ; its just that I am crazy busy now a days with some projects that I am doing. Guys I am really overwhelmed by the love,and support you give me - to a person -whom most of you know only through this space.

When you say, you come here,not just for recipes,but to read me and drool over the pictures, I am truly touched.I am so lucky to get some real close friends through vazhayila ......Thanks a lot.

I was not a big fish and meat eater as a kid , and never drinks milk , since I puke at the smell of it. My parents always feared I will get some calcium deficiency and gave me calcium tablets. Remember those weirdly shaped sweet smelling tablets?

Kozhuva or Netholi as it is popularly known, was the only calcium rich thing my mom was able to feed me . Not exactly this one , but the smaller version of it - Podimeen or chooda. But there was one condition, the fish has to be cleaned and prepared before I come back from school. So our maid used to take it her home , clean it and then bring it back; and mom will dry fry it with lots of curry leaves from our backyard before I am back .Though I loved it I pretend as if I am eating for her sake.Wink. How ~~nasty~~ cute of me?

N loves this , and I make it for him often with "fresh and frozen" cleaned Anchovy ( Seafood Delight brand) I get it in Indian stores here. A bowl of dry fried Podimeen , a bottle of chilled beer and football games , is kin of his idea of relaxing on a weekend.

Recipe for Kerala Style Netholi / Podimeen / Anchovy Fry

Serves - 4

Total cooking time - 40 minutes for cleaning and marinating and 15 minutes to fry

Ingredients:-

Netholi/ Kozhuva/Anchovy - 1/2 kg

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt

Bowl 1

Kashmiri Red chilli powder - 1 to 1.5 tablespoon ( use as per your heat level)

Turmeric powder - 1/4 to 1/2 tea spoon

Ginger - a small piece

Garlic - 3-4 cloves

Black peppercorns - 1/2 tea spoon

Salt to taste

Bowl 2

Curry leaves

Oil as needed for frying

Directions:-

Clean and wash the fish several times.( remove the head, tail and all inside if it is not already cleaned) Marinate it with lemon juice and salt and keep it for 5 minutes.

This helps to get rid of the smell.Wash well and keep aside in a bowl.

Grind together all the ingredients in Bowl 1 to a fine paste , by sprinkling 1 or 2 tablespoons of water.

Put this paste into the bowl , add curry leaves and marinate the fish well.

Keep aside for at least 30 minutes. If you are keeping for more than an hour , refrigerate it.

Heat oil in a deep pan and slide in the fish and fry it in batches , until it is done and dry fried.

Always keep your flame on medium, and this may take 5-10 minutes depending on the frying pan and your gas flame.Serve warm.

Good day all

✎ Sarah

Pacha Manga Pachadi - Onam Sadya Special

2011-09-07T10:14:00.000-04:00

I was lost in a different world of travel , vacation and fun ; reluctant to come back . I felt a void , when N - the key ingredient of my bliss - left for job , after all those perfect days together...I wanted to slide back into my pastime's subtle graces ; but didn't have a clue how !!

Somewhere between , I came to it ; the realization that its the enticing aroma of spices , the orchestra of my tinkling pots and pans and the comfort of healthy home cooking is what's missing and that's the only thing that could bring me back on track.

I teased my palates with our favorite spices, brought home those end - of -the -summer produce from farmer's market and aunts', cooked , ate and shared it with a close circle of friends and I slipped back to my green pastures. I learned a bit hard way " Cooking can be therapeutic ".

Pacha manga pachadi , is one of the first things I learnt to cook from N's mom. Usually served for onam or vishu sadya , she makes it every time she has guests over for dinner.Unlike regular pachadi / kichadi yogurt is not used in this , since mango is already tangy.

Here in this recipe , tiny mango pieces are cooked in mustard and ginger infused coconut milk and finished with a flavorful tempering of coconut oil and curry leaves.

Here is a recipe card to keep :)

Recipe for Kerala style Pacha manga pachadi - Onam Sadya special

Serves - 4

Total preparation and cooking time - 20 minutes

Ingredients:-

Green mango - 1 big

Onion or shallots chopped - 1/4 to 1/2 cup

Ginger chopped - an inch piece

Green chilli chopped - 3-4

Turmeric - a pinch

Curry leaves- 3-4

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tea spoon

Salt to taste

Oil - 1 table spoon

Thin coconut milk - 1 to 1.5 cup

Thick coconut milk - 1/2 cup

Tempering

Oil - 1 table spoon

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tea spoon

Dried red chili - 2

Kunjulli /Shalotts chopped - 1

Curry leaves - 5-6

Directions:-

Clean and chop green mango into small pieces ,like we chop for pickle.

Heat 1 table spoon of oil , preferably coconut oil in a pan and add chopped onion or shallots , ginger , green chili and curry leaves .Saute for 3-4 minutes in a medium flame.Do not let it brown.

Crush 1/4 tea spoon mustard seeds in a mortar and pestle .

Add mango pieces , turmeric and crushed mustard seeds to the pan and mix well.

Cook covered by adding thin coconut milk for like 5-6 minutes in low flame.

Uncover , add thick coconut milk , simmer for two minutes and remove from fire

Tempering :-

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil , and mustard seeds.when they splutter add chopped shallots , dried red chiles , curry leaves and fry till brown.Pour over pachadi.

Notes:-

If green mango is not tangy enough you can add 1 or 2 tablespoons of yogurt.

Good day all ♥♥

✎Sarah

From An Alaskan Getaway

2011-08-31T09:07:00.000-04:00

This was the cause of my long absence from here..We were vacationing in Alaska , to celebrate our 3 years of togetherness . It was a much needed vacation for both of us , N was really busy with his job and I was busy with some writing projects for sometime. We badly wanted sometime off to relax , enjoy and be close to the nature . Though this was a destination chosen by N just out of whim , it proved to the bestest we have been to.

We inhaled a lot of Alaska in the red-yellow-green hills , snow covered mountains , crisp blue seas , umpteen number of glaciers , the grizzly bears , the wolfs , the reindeers and white whales , pretty strange towns etc..It was an experience of a lifetime !!!!!! We hiked till we dropped , and saw a lot of animals in their natural habitat..Don't you think its amazing ?

A trip to any new place is not complete without a visit to the local market right. There was one right next to where we stayed in downtown Anchorage , and it was so lively with fresh fruits , vegetables , baked goodies , music , dance and Alaskan art exhibits. Don't miss some of the wonderful restaurants and brewery if you happen to be in the town and its a seafood heaven. I even tasted buffalo burgers and reindeer sausages ..Yumm!

We got back just in time for Irene , and thank God it wasn't as bad as it was expected to be. Hope you guys enjoy the pictures.

Good day !!!♡♡♡

✎Sarah

Kappa Puzhungiyathu + Mulaku Chammanthy ( Boiled Yucca + Green chili dip)

2011-08-16T14:47:00.003-04:00

I saw this new mallu movie " Salt and Pepper" @ AMC here , and all i have to say about it sums up to " a deliciously yummy experience". A beautifully taken , perfectly cast and brilliantly witty movie , in which the story starts with a take out call for dosa. Oh trust me , this movie makes you wanna eat a lot of yummy things :)

As a matter of fact , ever since we saw S and P , we were talking about all this yummy mallu combo dishes like - Puttu + Kadala , Appam + Erachi stew ,Porotta + Beef fry , Dosa + Sambar , Choru + meen curry ,Kanji + payar, kappa + mulaku ......Thats when N said" Wait , wait , you make most of these dishes often and what about kappa and velichenna ozhicha mulaku chammanthi? Its been ages since you made it and I miss it ".

Mulaku chammanthy

If the love of my life ; especially a food bloggers life ; says he miss something can I sit idle? I got into action , made the recipe of the day , and he pigged out to his hearts content. Thats the story about this recipe

Chenda Kappa +Mulaku chammanthy

Recipe for Kappa Puzhungiyathu / Chenda muriyan kappa / Boiled Yucca

Serves - 4

Total Cooking time - 30 minutes

Peel off the brown and pink skin from 2 large Yucca and cut into big pieces. As you peel and dice , put those into a bowl of water and when everything is done , clean and wash thoroughly , until the water runs clear.

Bring to boil a pot of water and add a generous pinch of salt and cook Yucca pieces for 15-20 minutres or until it is tender. Drain in a colander and set aside.

Recipe for Kanthari or Pacha Mulaku chammanthy / Green chili dip

Serves - 4-6

Preparation time - 5 minutes ( no cooking involved)

(this is a rough estimate , use as per your likings)

Green chiles - 10-12 or Bird's eye chiles - 15

Kunjulli / Shallots / Pearl onion or chopped onion - 1/2 cup

Curry leaves

Salt to taste

Coconut oil - 3 table spoon plus( i used extra virgin olive oil , since thats what i had then)

Combine chiles , shallots and curry leaves in a mortar and pestle or food processor and crush it. If using food processor or mixie , use 3-4 pulse. Transfer to a small bowl and add salt and coconut oil and combine well . ( my mom sometimes add a lil vinegar too in the end)

Kappa Puzhungiyathu +Mulaku chammanthy

See other recipes mentioned in this post

Puttu + Curry
Appam + Kozhi stew
Choru + Meen curry
Kanji + Payar

✎Sarah

Vazhakka + Cherupayar Curry

2011-08-11T10:17:00.005-04:00

How many of you count calories before and after you eat something? Being a foodie I hate to admit it but , yes I do. Its not that i don't eat anything , high in calories , but I regret with a guilty cloud that I did. Any one there who does the same thing?

I know , I am getting off lately than usual , and its just because I am pretty busy with stuffs in the personal front. Though I am trying my best to get me back on track , Mr Time doesn't seem to agree with me. More over now a days, I am not cooking any blog worthy mallu dishes too. After all ,this blog is my pastime favorite right!

In Pic:- vazhakka cherupayar curry

Have you heard of Vazhakka Uppu curry ? It used to be a kanji favorite back home , while growing up and some how lost its charm on the way , until last week when amma said she planned to make it , but ended up making this erissery/curry instead. When she said "Erisseryum , Unakkameen chammanthiyum , acharum ayirunnu innu curry; velliyazcha ayirunnondu erachi illayirunnu " (We had Rice with this curry,Dry fish chutney and pickle for lunch , and since it was Friday , no meat ") ; Catholics abstain from meat on Friday and I try my best to follow it at least till the evening....Ooh I couldn't just resist the urge to make exactly the same as soon as possible.

The combo of cherupayar and vazhakka was that appealing to me and I made this the very next day and it was mind blowing-ly awesome.♡♡♡

I made the unakkameen podichathu with green chiles and added a bit coconut , contrary to the recipe here in this post and I always have 2 jars of Kadumanga -mango pickle for my pickle crazy husband ; so cooking the same meal was such an easy job :)

In Pic:- vazhakka cherupayar curry,Unakkameen chammanthy , kadumanga achar , thayiru mulaku

Recipe for Vazhakka + Cherupayar Erissery / Curry ( Moong Beans + Plantain +coconut)

Ingredients:-
Serves - 4-6 people
Total cooking time - 1 hour

Bowl 1

Cherupayar / Green gram - 1/4 to 1/2 cup

Salt to taste
Water as needed
Bowl 2

Vazhakka / Green Plantain - 3 nos

Green chiles slit - 3-4

Crushed chili flakes - 1 tea spoon

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Salt to taste

Water - 1 cup

Bowl 3 To grind

Grated coconut - 1/4 cup

Cumin seeds/ jeerakam - a large pinch

Shallots - 2-3

Garlic - 2 cloves

Curry leaves - 3-4
Water - as needed

Oil
Curry leaves

Directions:-
Soak green gram for 2 hours . Cook it with enough water and salt and set aside.
Combine all the ingredients in Bowl 2 in a cooking pan and cook covered until the plantain pieces are well cooked.
Grind all the ingredients in Bowl 3 to a coarse paste.
Add cooked green gram to the cooked plantain and bring to boil.
Stir in the coconut paste and simmer for 4-5 minutes , until everything is blended together, stirring occasionally.
Drizzle a table spoon of oil over the curry and some curry leaves . remove from heat, let it stand covered for some more time . Serve warm.Goes well with kanji too

In Pic:- vazhakka cherupayar curry,Unakkameen chammanthy , kadumanga achar , thayiru mulaku

See other recipes mentioned in this post

✎Sarah

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Homemade Garam Masala - Kerala Style

2011-08-04T10:57:00.001-04:00

Have you noticed , how food or the creation of it is becoming a dear ritual of sorts to recreate the taste and smell of our grandma's and mom's kitchen?

At least for me , everytime i make something mallu , i am trying to go back in time and capture all those aromas and stir up some memories , that I can hold close to my heart..Yes food is a kin of time machine for me, a mallu gal living in US.

Garam Masala ( lightly roasted method)

Garam Masala (plain)

Its a plain truth that spices and seasonings are what gives Indian food its uniqueness . Among the umpteen number of spice blends Indian has , from one state to another; one language to another ,most culture within India has this hot blend of Spices " Garam Masala " though the recipe and the mix is different with the addition or exclusion of 2-3 spices. In fact every household has their own unique garam masala recipe. That's what which makes my mom's chicken curry different from yours , yours from your neighbors and so on..

Mine is from my mom , which she got from my kuttanadan grandma , which she might have got from her mother.....A flavorful , beautiful mixture of 3 'C's , an S and an N..I tried many combinations and concluded hers the best...I have seen garam masala recipes from kerala with coriander , fennel and other spices like Black pepper ..but we dont add it . just as my grandma says , for some curries its so wrong to have fennel in it , so better don't mix it with garam masala and for black pepper , it tastes the best when freshly ground and sprinkled when the curry is almost done.

Two Recipes for Homemade Kerala style Garam masala Powder

Total cooking time :- 10 minutes

Yields :- 1 small jar

Ingredients:-

Cardamom - 40 nos( green)

Cloves - 35 nos

Cinnamon Stick - 2 or 3

Star anise - 1

Nutmeg - 1/2 of a whole one ,or you can use one full, if you like.

Optional items

Fennel seeds - 1/4 cup

Black pepper - 2 table spoon

Mace - 2 or 3

Directions:-

Method 1

Arrange all the spices in a baking sheet and sun dry an hour . Grind it to a fine powder in the small jar of your mixie or coffee grinder. Or you can just grind it without keeping in the sun.( just crush the cinnamon in a mortar and pestle before grinding)

Method 2

Heat a small skillet and add all the spices , and fry for 2- minutes . let it come to room temperature and then grind it to a powder. I normally prefer a bit coarse powder . This works best for all nadan meat fry .

For a mild flavor you can follow the method with just cinnamon , cardamom and cloves . This recipe gives you a small jar (as shown in the picture) of garam masala. Its more flavorful when made fresh , since its a tiresome task to do this in the process of making a curry , i stock this small jar always.

Good day

Sarah

Karimeen Fry - Kerala style

2011-07-30T13:29:00.004-04:00

In summer , we are usually busy on Saturdays and rarely cook together , though we love to. After a very long time we didn't have anything planned for the day,and a gathering & a movie only at night, so decided to cook something exotic and enjoy at home.

I doubt whether there is anyone who doesn't like karimeen , the legendary kuttanadan celebrity? I am not sure whether its the taste , the looks or the nostalgia that invokes , makes this black beauty a winner all the time.

I have spent most of my vacations in my mom's place Muttar , a serene , calm place in Kuttanad and i tell you that was like a paradise for this particular fish - Pearl spot. We had like fish mongers carrying only fresh water fish like Karimeen, varal , pallathi and cherumeen , freshly caught from the same place , and they leave a basket full to our maids even before we are awake.

I can never ever forget the boat trips we used to take in summer vacations in R block , vemabanadu lake etc etc with my late grandpa ( appachan) and all mom's sisters in the boat that they used to have once upon a time, with home made Appam and Stew, Kappa and Erachi curry , and umpteen number of deep fried Karimeen and tiny ones and pots n pots of Madura kallu , from our own coconut plantations. Oh Good times!!!! Nothing can replace those experience that I had , and whenever we take house boat cruises , back home now, rather than njoying the trip , we usually relieve the good old times...

Recipe for Kerala Style nadan Karimeen fry ( Pearl spot fry)
Serves - 2
Total cooking time :- 30 minutes plus for marination and 10 plus minutes for frying
(old picture )

Ingredients:-

Karimeen/Pearl Spot - 2 nos (Available in kerala stores in US by Narmada Brands)
Ginger- Garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 table spoon
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil for frying
Curry Leaves
Sliced onion

Directions:-

Mix all the powders and salt and adding a little water make a paste with it.
Apply the paste to the fish and keep it for sometime.
You can either deep fry( 10 minutes) or shallow fry(20-25 minutes) it as per your choice
( Add curry leaves while frying)

Pale Green Spicy Minty Lassi

2011-07-23T00:11:00.003-04:00

Happy Weekend Everyone!!! How have you guys planned the weekend ? a lazy relaxed one or hyper active one? I know its a late post for me in the week , and i have never in my 2 plus years of blogging have composed a post at midnight. I am just back home from a fun filled Friday night party and the remaining weekend and the coming days looks so promising that if I don't squeeze in some time for this post now , it wont happen for some days.

Look at this oh so green and fresh mint leaves from my garden ♥♥

Well the dog days are here with heat waves just flaring up and it doesn't seem to budge any time soon. I couldn't appreciate the little cocktail book I have more than now, ever .

What is the "two minute" wonder drink that keeps you refreshed and rejuvenated in this sultry weather? How about a spicy minty lassi with "store bought and fried at home" vegetable samosas to go with it? The recipe is from Madhur Jaffreys' and I made it with fresh green chiles and mint leaves from my lil garden. Instead, you can make it a bit more easily by adding 2-3 table spoons of store bought mint chutney too..How easy breezy is that? And trust me this is an awesome combo to serve to your guest too.

Recipe for Pale green spicy mint lassi

Serves - 4

Ready in - 2-3 minutes

Ingredients:-
Plain Yogurt - 2 cup
Mint leaves - 15-20 leaves
Cilantro chopped - 3 table spoon
Green chile - 1 chopped
Ginger - 1/2 inch chopped
Roasted ground cumin - 1/4 tea spoon ( optional)

Instead of all the above ingredients you can use 2-3 table spoon store bought Mint chutney

Ice cubes - 3-4

Combine everything in a blender and whizz until smooth, for a minute. Pour into tall glass and serve with Ice cubes mint sprigs

Recipe Source :- Madhur Jaffrey

Have a good one guys

Sarah