Mahe-Style Poached Egg Stew

Many of you will know that Mahe is a coastal town in Kerala that was under French rule in the pre-independence era of India. This made for a very  interesting situation as it was a French colony within a British colony and it remained a part of "French India" until 1954, a solid 7 years after the British left! There were a lot of cross-cultural influences, be it in language, food, customs, etc.

Being my dad's ancestral town and where I spent a good 7 years of my life, I have a lot of memories associated with it-from the famous St. Theresa of Avila's Church to the beautiful beaches and the estuary where you can see the Mahe river blending into the Arabian Sea, giving you unforgettable sunsets (right behind my grandparents' house). Nights are spent with the cool sea breeze wafting through the house and the sounds of the gentle waves lapping on the banks of the river....well, sometimes I forget that this is a food blog! So to get back to the topic at hand-Poached Egg Stew! I figured this was definitely a "love child" of the French and Kerala cuisine....like so many other fantastic recipes, some of which I've featured on this blog (see the end of this post for more Mahe-special recipes). This one is easy to make and we usually pair it with "appams" or bread for breakfast. For me, the best part of this, apart from the fact that its delicious, is that I don't have to boil any eggs and shell them!

The No-Fry Modern Fish Molee

I had earlier blogged about a "no-cook" fish molee (perfect for you singletons-check it out here). 
This "no-fry" fish molee is a lovely variant of the traditional one, a modern twist to a classic favorite, without any spices or spice powders, and it can be made in under 20 minutes! Vegetarians can just substitute the fish with vegetables to come up with an equally delectable vegetable stew....

Fish Preserve Cannanore/Kannur Style

This is a recipe I've posted before, but I'm re-posting it here because I felt it was a unique recipe that was in danger of being forgotten by many in Kerala, especially those of you in the Cannanore/Kannur region. My grandmother, grandaunts, aunts, mother, all used to make and still cook this dish, and so do my cousins and I, but many people in the North Malabar region itself are unaware of this, which is a pity because this is truly a different and delicious way to prepare that all time Kerala favorite-fish!

Scrambled Paratha or "Kothu Parotta"

I love this recipe for a variety of reasons. It does not require any curry or side dish and can be had on its own. It’s versatile as a snack or a mini-meal any time of the day. It’s perfect to recycle any leftover parottas, veggies, or chicken. It can be made in a jiffy and everyone will love it. It’s a great way to combine bread, eggs, meat, and vegetables, all in one dish! Vegetarians can easily modify this-see the Tips section below to know how! If porottas aren't accessible for you, then maybe you could use tortillas instead or any other type of flat breads!

Mom's "Casual" Fish Vindaloo

Before I start this post, I'd like to first thank all of you who've written in to me enquiring about this blog, or rather my absence from the blogosphere...It felt great to know you're still checking in, inspite of my not keeping it updated and for that, I'm truly apologetic...sometimes life does get in the way of your best intentions! After my last blog post, and starting with the new blog series on the kiddie party menu, a lot of stuff happened-shifting to a new city, home, keeping up with my freelance writing job, etc.-and suffice it to say that something I really enjoyed doing-writing and blogging and keeping in touch with all of you readers-just took a backseat. I will have to abandon my kiddie party menu series for now, but will take it up again as soon as I get hold of the recipe folder that held those recipes! So here's onto a new recipe, minus any series :-)

Party Menu Series#1-Chicken Mixed Masala

This is the second post of my new series on party menus. For the first recipe, please see Mother's Day Cauliflower-Potato Fry. For the third recipe, see Parsee-Style Coconut and Cashewnut Rice. And for the fourth, see Strawberry Cheesecake

This recipe lends itself well as both a dry dish as well as a gravy dish. As I mentioned before, it's one of my mom's original recipes and one that she makes quite often. The only catch is that each time she makes it, and I ask her the recipe, it'll be different from the previous time as she just forgets how she made it before! So one fine day I decided to just write it down as she'd told me that day, once and for all, and that is the way I follow it ever since. I think the problem with even the most well-meaning mothers is:

1. They never follow any measurements, everything is just a rough estimate, or as they say in Hindi, "andaaza".
2. They keep changing the dish every time they make it, tweaking it, subtracting or adding ingredients-which makes it difficult to catch the recipe and replicate it!
3. You can never quite make the dish as tasty as when your mom makes it, even when you have the exact recipe!

Anyway, onto the dish!

To serve 6

1. Half kilo chicken (this is approximate for 6 people-it might be just enough if you have other dishes on the menu and also depends on the appetite of your guests, so obviously please adjust the amount of chicken and ingredients accordingly)
2. 1 large onion, sliced
3. 2 large tomatoes, cubed
4. 2 green chillies, slit
5. 2 sprigs curry leaves
6. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
7. 1 teaspoon chilli powder
8. 2 teaspoons coriander powder
9. 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
10. 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (saunf or perinjeerakam)
11. 4 cloves
12. 1-inch cinnamon stick
13. 4 tablespoons oil

• First off, in your spice grinder jar, just whizz together the turmeric, chilli powder, coriander powder, peppercorns and fennel seeds, with a little water if necessary. This is just to combine everything well to a fine paste.
• In a pressure cooker, heat the oil and throw in the cloves, cinnamon and curry leaves.
• When the whole spices splutter and the curry leaves change color, tip the onions in and fry until they turn a light brown.
• Now add the tomatoes and green chillies and fry till the tomatoes become well-mashed.
• Now add the ground paste and fry till it changes color to a darker shade and the oil oozes out the sides (do all this on a low flame to avoid burning).
• You can add the chicken at this point, stirring to combine everything well. Let it fry well for about 5 minutes before you add enough water to just cover the top of the chicken pieces and close the lid.
• Put the weight on and after the first whistle, pressure cook on simmer for 5 to 8 minutes.
• When cool, open and let it simmer and fry till the gravy dries out, adding a little more oil (if you want it semi-dry).  If you want some gravy, just leave it as it is and serve hot.

Goes well with both rice and chapathi.

TIPS:

Sometimes my mom used to dry-roast all the ingredients for the spice paste, without oil, and then grind them. If you have more time, you could do this. Adds a little more flavor to the dish!

You could also add cubed potatoes along with the chicken.

Those of you who are terrified of pressure cookers can still cook this using the open or closed pan method (this tip is obviously applicable for all the recipes on this blog that are cooked in a pressure cooker!)

Kidney Beans with Minced Meat/Soya Granules- (Chili Con Carne)

This recipe is from Kanchana aunty (dad's sister), who has made this fairly regularly, for almost hundreds of years now :-)...It's super-easy and delicious. It goes well with rice or rotis. Use it as a filling for rotis and make it a "wrap". You could even use it as a filling for tacos or tortillas (and make a quesadilla!). 

This recipe is actually a variation of the Spanish "chili con carne", which translated means "chilli with meat". The Americans call it just "chili" (and it happens to be the official dish of Texas!!)

If you're buying fresh kidney beans (rajma), there is a wide variety available in the market that could confuse you. Some take forever to cook, some cook in a jiffy, some require soaking, and some don't. The variety that I bought does not require soaking and only needs to be pressure-cooked for 20 minutes. The name was not available, so I'm posting a picture of it here to make it easier for you to choose-

And here's the final dish:

Vegetarians, just substitute the mince with soya granules!

      Here's the recipe, to serve 4

1. 1 cup uncooked rajma (kidney beans)
2. 200 grams minced meat, washed and drained (try to get fresh mince-it cooks faster!) or 200 grams soya granules, soaked for 10 minutes in hot water and drained (or follow instructions on the pack)
3. 1 large onion, chopped fine
4. 10 flakes garlic, chopped fine
5. 1 medium size capsicum, chopped fine (I used red)
6. 1 large tomato, chopped fine
7. A pinch of turmeric powder
8. 1/2 teaspoon cumin (jeera) powder
9. 1 teaspoon coriander powder
10. Lots of pepper
11. Salt to taste
12. 4 tablespoons vegetable oil

• In a pressure cooker, heat the oil.
• Add the onions and fry till translucent.
• Now throw in the garlic, fry till the garlicky aroma wafts out (how I love this!).
• Then add the tomato pieces and fry till a little pulpy.
• Add all the spice powders-turmeric, cumin, coriander and fry till the raw smell is gone.
• It's time now to put in the mince (or soya granules). Fry it well for a few minutes, until the minced meat changes color to a dark brown.
• After this, add the rajma (kidney beans).
• Add water, just enough to cover the surface.
• Close the pressure cooker and after the first whistle, simmer and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.
• When it has cooled, open the cooker and add the chopped capsicum, pepper and salt.
• Let it bubble away for 2 to 3 minutes, just enough for the capsicum to be cooked but still retain its crunch.
• Take off the heat, keep covered for at least 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

TIPS:

If you are hard-pressed for time, you could also opt for a can of baked beans or canned beans, although there is no substitute for the taste and flavor that comes out of fresh beans.

If you're even further pressed for time (!), then use the ready-to-eat kheema that just needs to be defrosted and heated. Mix both the baked beans and the ready-to-eat kheema. Then fry the rest of the ingredients and mix into the beans-mince mix (like a tadka!).
Freshly ground pepper is any day more forceful than the previously powdered pepper. So invest in a good pepper mill or the old-fashioned mortar and pestle (good for grinding small amounts of pepper and spices).

I'm linking this to:

Fish Vindaloo (or Fish Preserve)

This is an unusual fish curry recipe, unusual for Kerala, that is, but is very much a true-blue, authentic one, from Cannanore. It used to make a regular appearance on my grandmother's (dad's mom) dinner table, whenever she bought a particular type of fish called "mulluvaala" in Malayalam. I don't know the English name for this fish (if anyone can help on this one, please comment or email me!), but it's an extremely bony one, which is why this method of cooking is perfect for it, as it makes the bones soft, mushy, and chewable. You can make this with any other small, bony fish-I like to use sardines.

This is one of those recipes that nobody knows what the name is, but when my grandma used to make it, I used to be reminded of the pork vindaloo preparations, maybe because of the vinegary flavor to it-so I just named it Fish Vindaloo! I got this recipe from my dad's sister, Kanchana aunty, who used to make it often. This sometimes reminds me of the taste of tinned fish in tomato sauce-it's delicious, very easy to prepare, and keeps well for a few days (if there happen to be leftovers, that is!).

This is a recipe you should try at least once-even if you're skeptical about it!

I'm going to list out the exact, original recipe here. I normally cook it with half the quantity of fish, so naturally, use half the quantity of all the other ingredients.

      Serves 6

1. 50 nos. sardines (about 2 kilos), washed and cleaned, topped and tailed
2. 2-inch piece of ginger, julienned
3. 3 pods garlic
4. 4 green chillies, slit
5. 1 large onion, chopped fine
6. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
7. 1 to 2 tablespoons chilli powder
8. 1 cup vegetable oil (preferably coconut oil for the authentic taste)
9. 1 cup tomato ketchup
10. 1 cup vinegar (reduce this if you want it less tangy)
11. 1 sprig curry leaves
12. Salt to taste

• Now comes the unbelievable part-Just add all the above ingredients into a pressure cooker, mix well, close the cooker and after the first whistle, simmer for 45 minutes-not less and not more!
• Take off the flame after the 45 minutes is up, wait for the cooker to cool, then open and transfer to a serving dish.

Serve hot with rotis, cooked tapioca (kappa), rice, or bread.

TIPS:

Even if you're halving the quantity of fish (and the other ingredients), stick to the 45-minute cooking time.

I have only tried this with sardines, so I don't really know if there are other fish (other than "mulluvaala") that could be suitable for this.
If you are using any other bony fish (like "mulluvaala") which has harder bones, then add half cup of water to the mix.
If you want it less sweet and more spicy, use tomato chilli sauce instead.

Can also be used as a sandwich filling, if you mash the fish afterwards.

Can be used as a preserve-will keep for several months in the refrigerator.

(Most of these tips courtesy Vrindechi, another exponent of this curry!)

Tomato/Egg Aviyal

This recipe is versatile in that it can be used to make a vegetarian curry or an egg curry. It's something my mom's mother used to make often, with eggs, and the recipe was given to me by my mom's sisters-Geetha aunty and Beena aunty. Although my mom too had spoken to me about this dish, she didn't really know the exact recipe, but everyone was unanimous in their opinion that this was an easy and mouthwatering curry.

I don't think I will ever have the kind of culinary skill that my grandma had-she was known to be a fantastic cook. In fact, my mom always says that she could eat rice with just a sambhar if it was cooked by her mom-you didn't need any other side dish, meat or fish, pickles or pappads, etc. I think my grandma's culinary skills were matched by her generous, compassionate, and motherly qualities-traits that my mom and her sisters seem to have inherited! My only regret is that I didn't get the time to get to know my grandma really well-she passed away when I was only 9 years old. But I think a part of her lives on in me, through my mother-after all, isn't that what life is all about, in the end? So I like to collect and make recipes that she used to make and somehow it makes me feel connected to her in some way. So here's to her tomato and/or egg aviyal!

To serve 2

1. 3 medium-sized tomatoes, chopped coarsely
2. 1 large onion, chopped coarsely
3. 3 green chillies, slit open
4. 1/2 cup fresh grated coconut, ground to a fine paste with a little water
5. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
6. 2 teaspoons chilli powder (adjust to your liking)
7. 1 sprig curry leaves
8. 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
9. Salt to taste
10. 2 eggs, hardboiled, shelled, and halved (you can leave them whole too or add more eggs, obviously...)

• In a pan, add the tomatoes, onions, green chillies, turmeric powder, chilli powder, salt and 1/4th cup water.
• Cover with a lid and cook on low heat until the tomatoes get pulpy.
• Now add the ground coconut paste and stir well. Simmer for a minute.
• Add the boiled eggs and stir.
• Pour in the oil and the curry leaves.
• Remove from fire and serve hot.
• Goes well with poories, rotis, or even rice.

TIPS:

If making this into a vegetarian curry, just omit the eggs and do everything else the same way.

It tastes even better with coconut oil.

Add more water at the later stage to get the consistency you like for your gravy.

A Warm Winter Soup That's Good For Body and Soul!

Sometimes I don't know where my food blog begins and where my personal blog ends...the lines begin to blur after a while.

Like today, my recipe is for a soup that I make for my son, and I thought about it because today was a sort of landmark day for me-in the 16 months since he's been born, I was away from him for nearly 8 hours today, for the first time ever. Up until now, I've only been away from him for a maximum of 2 to 3 hours, but today was an exception as I had a class to attend, and so with my husband holding fort, I bravely set out, but with my heart in my mouth, all along thinking about them and calling up whenever I could. I needn't have worried, because apparently father and son had a great bonding time, with Riyaan eating and sleeping like a model baby-maybe he understood I was away and he shouldn't be any trouble for his dad! But the moment I walked into the door and he saw me, the way he came running and crying, "mummeee mummeee"....whoa! I was hit with a whole truckload of emotions I never even knew I had in me! Every little thing I've done for him till now seemed worth it, all the so-called "trouble" and "efforts" I take to give him the right foods, the right nutrition, the right upbringing, values, etc. etc...And of course, the right soup!

This soup is great to have in the cold, winter months. It's great for adults too and is packed with the goodness of cereals, proteins, leafy greens and vegetables. Its an amalgamation of recipes I got from two friends, Anita and Priya, with the end result being a new, but equally hale and hearty soup, which has been certified delicious by Riyaan and his friend Prathulya (Priya's son)...So here's the recipe, to serve 2.

1. 1 chicken breast, or 2 large pieces of chicken, chopped into chunks
2. 1-inch piece ginger, slit fine (julienned)
3. 1/2 cup quick cooking oats
4. 1 medium carrot, washed, peeled and diced
5. Half a bunch spinach leaves, washed and chopped
6. 1 teaspoon cornflour (optional), dissolved in 1/4th cup warm water
7. Salt and pepper to taste
8. 1/2 cup milk

• In a pressure cooker, put in the washed chicken pieces, ginger, salt and pepper.
• Pour enough water to cover.
• Close the lid, place the weight on, and after the first whistle, simmer for 8 minutes.
• When cool, open, and if you've used chicken pieces with the bone, remove from the cooker and debone it, then put it back into the cooker.
• Now, into the broth in the pressure cooker, add in the rest of the ingredients (with the already cooked chicken also), except the milk.
• Pressure cook again for 10 minutes, if making for toddlers, and for 5 minutes if it's for grownups.
• When cool, puree the mixture in your blender, adding the milk to make it smoother.
• Warm again if necessary.
• Transfer to a soup bowl and slurp away-feel the soup warm up your cold-battered bones!

TIPS:

For grownups, garnish with a dollop of cream and croutons.

You could also add other dried herbs as seasonings, like oregano or thyme.

For my friends who are novices in cooking-To make croutons, just cut bread slices into cubes and saute them in butter on low heat until golden brown on all sides. Dunk them into the soup when you're ready to eat...adds an extra crunchy yummy texture to the soup.

Vegetarians can make this soup by substituting the chicken with a cup of mixed vegetables instead.

Chicken "Mulakittathu"

The Malayalam word, "mulakittathu", could roughly be translated as "put into chilli"! Surely you've all heard of "Mulligatawny soup", which is a South Indian spicy soup, but which basically features pepper. I can't help but wonder if this curry and that soup are somehow related...

Coming back to this chicken curry, I remember having this since forever and my dad says that it's his grandmother's recipe-that's my great-grandmother (of Girija Vilas, Tellicherry) and I'm sure my children and grandchildren will be having it too! It's charm lies in its simplicity-it uses just two masala powders and two whole spices, but the taste and color of the curry, if made correctly, will be delicious and a vibrant red.

Without further ado, here's the recipe (to serve 4)

1. 500 g chicken (increase the quantity if you're a chicken lover, obviously!)
2. 5 cloves
3. 1-inch piece cinnamon
4. 1-inch piece ginger, chopped fine
5. 5 flakes garlic
6. 1 large onion, chopped fine
7. 1 large tomato, chopped fine
8. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
9. 2 tablespoons chilli powder (or more, if you can handle it)
10. Oil-As per your discretion
11. Salt-To taste

• In a pressure cooker, heat the oil and let the whole spices (cloves and cinnamon) splutter.
• Add the onions, ginger and garlic and fry till they get translucently pink.
• Now tip in the tomatoes and fry till pulpy.
• Add the masala powders and fry till the raw smell is gone.
• Add the chicken pieces and stir around till well coated with the masalas.
• Add about half or one cup of water, enough to cover the chicken pieces.
• Put the lid on, wait for the steam, put the weight on, and after the first whistle, simmer for 5 to 8 minutes.
• Cool and serve hot with either rice or chapathis.

TIPS:

My mother says it's much more tasty if you cook it in a pan or kadai, on a slow flame, with the lid on, rather than pressure cooking it.

My dad likes to add cubed potatoes and carrots to it (along with the raw chicken pieces). This gives the curry a whole new flavor, especially with the carrots, which makes it sweet and spicy.

In the picture taken above, I had added coconut milk (thick milk, half a cup or 2 tablespoons coconut milk powder dissolved in half a cup of warm water). This was to reduce the spice level for a friend of mine. If you do this, while it will still be delicious, you won't get the original fiery red hue of the chilli powder-so the curry won't be living up to its name!

The No-Fry Chicken Pulao

I love technology...whether it's in the form of a new web browser, a new handset, a new TV set, a new camera, domestic appliances..whatever it is, the moment I get it, I get this urge to get to the bottom of it, into each and every nook and corner, find out how it works, what it can do for me, how it can make my life better and easier; in short, I like to milk it to its maximum potential! Even when I started this blog, I couldn't help staying up late at night, tweaking the template, trying out new color schemes, changing the fonts, researching gadgets and widgets, adding and removing elements and changing layouts....you get the idea!

So it was when I got a new microwave oven - I have used it in whichever way it could be used, all the options that came with it, tried out most of the recipes in the cookery book that came with it, and also the cookery books that came with my friends' microwave ovens! After all, if a piece of technology is there for your use, why not use it to the maximum for your own benefit? So I will be adding a new category here-Microwave recipes.

This recipe, simply called "Murg Pulao" is from the Nita Mehta microwave cookbook that came with my friend Lakshmi's oven. I've made it a couple of times and I think it's a great recipe to have in your repertoire. For those times when you have unexpected guests (as a certain friend of mine seems to be having trouble with!)....you might want to give them great food, but not feel like slogging away in the kitchen while everyone else seems to be having a fun time in the living room! Or you just might want to give your family a delicious Sunday lunch, but feel like taking a rest from the kitchen yourself. Or you might just be lazy to cook. Or you might have a toddler who wants all your attention and you just can't spend too much time in the kitchen without a major toddler nuclear meltdown! Or you're a bachelor/bachelorette, wanting to impress that special someone or just your friends, but don't know much of cooking. This recipe is perfect for all these scenarios.

Serves 2 (according to the recipe in the book-increase the quantities if you want more)

The measurements for the spices are my own approximate measurements

    1 cup (185 g) Basmati rice, washed and soaked in 2 cups water for 20 to 30 minutes

    250 gm chicken, cut small (or 2 chicken breasts, cut into chunks)

    To be ground to a fine paste:

1. 2 onions, large
2. 1-inch ginger
3. A handful of garlic flakes
4. 3 red chillies
5. 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
6. 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
7. 1 teaspoon saunf (perinjeera)
8. 1-inch cinnamon stick
9. 1 teaspoon cloves
10. 1 teaspoon cardamom pods
11. Salt to taste
12. 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• Wash the chicken and keep in a strainer to drain off all the water.
• Mix the ground paste with the chicken pieces (no need to keep for marination).
• Transfer to a FLAT and DEEP microwaveable dish. Microwave, covered, on high power for 3 minutes.
• When the 3 minutes is up, add the rice with its water, salt to taste, and a pinch of turmeric powder. Stir to combine everything well.
• Cover again and microwave on high power for 13 minutes (open and stir again at around 6 minutes).
• Serve after 5 minutes with papad, raitha, and pickle....

Because most of the whole spices in the Indian garam masala repertoire is included in this list, the aroma that wafts out of the oven and when you open the lid of the dish is incredibly aromatic....just a friendly warning, in advance :-)

TIPS:

Make sure to drain all the water from the chicken pieces after you wash them.

Resist the temptation to rinse out the mixie jar with water to get out all the spice paste to pour into the chicken. If you stick to just the water that's with the rice, you'll get a better result.

Garnish with cilantro if you like.

Quickest Paneer Chilli Ever!

I love paneer. In fact, I love it so much that it's surprising how late in the day a paneer recipe has made its appearance in this blog. Normally I always end up making paneer butter masala (my love for paneer only being rivaled by my love for butter!). If not that, then I just grate paneer into my chapathi when rolling it out to make it a paneer parantha or make pakoras (fritters) out of it.

This recipe was given to me by Neeraja (chechi), my cousin, who is actually more like the elder sister that I don't have. She is someone whose advice and suggestions never fail to make sense, and who I look up to for her articulate, confident, down-to-earth and practical approach to life. She also seems to have inherited the gene for culinary expertise that runs in the family (her mom's Shepherd's Pie has made its way into this blog). While her persona as the head of the psychology department at a well-known women's college is one of being a strict disciplinarian, she indulges us all with her recipes and food, cooked and baked, sourced sometimes from the home science department of her college :-), other times from newspapers and magazines. The recipes she sends are invariably always something different and unique. I have a backlog of recipes from her to cook through, and they will be featured here as soon as I photograph them!

This paneer chilli takes hardly 15 minutes to make!

Ingredients:

1. Paneer                      350 grams, cubed
2. Egg                           1
3. Cornflour                  Half cup
4. Ginger-Garlic paste    1 teaspoon
5. Onions                      1, large, coarsely chopped
6. Green chillies             2, chopped fine
7. Soya sauce                1 tablespoons
8. Vinegar                     2 tablespoons
9. Coriander leaves        2 tablespoons, chopped

• Make a thick batter with the egg, cornflour, ginger-garlic paste and salt (to taste) with a little water, if needed. Just thick enough to coat the paneer.
• Dip paneer pieces in this and shallow fry till golden brown. Keep aside.
• In the same pan, fry the onions on high heat for less than a minute.
• Add the green chillies, soya sauce, vinegar, fried paneer, and salt to taste.
• Mix well, garnish with coriander leaves. Take off heat.
• Serve with a smug (again!) smile.

TIPS:

You could use a stock cube or Maggi vegetable cube as seasoning in the end, to make it even tastier. Just remember to use less salt on the whole then.
You could also add capsicums for an extra crunch.
Also try it with tomato sauce or tomato chilli sauce (thanks for this and the previous tip, Prateik!)

She also used leftover dosa batter once instead of the cornflour and it turned out really yum-try it out that way too!

Green Gram Pulao

There is something to be said about the pleasures of spending time with a friend who enjoys doing the same things you do and who also has a child almost the same age as yours. I think my son and Priya's son met each other for the first time when we were still pregnant with them! Now we get together often in each others houses, have lunch/snacks, swap books, share notes on stuff, even do baking together (recipes to follow soon). So this post and the two posts that follow this one will be of dishes that I cooked when I invited Priya and her kids for lunch the other day (that's when I made the Caramel Custard for dessert).

The recipe for this particular rice dish was given to me by Asha (Koshy) aunty, a very dear friend of ours. She's someone who is not only a culinary expert, but also an extremely quick cook, who makes even a complicated meal seem like child's play. She wouldn't break into a sweat even if 10 more people unexpectedly dropped in for a meal and in fact, loves having people around. Not to mention her joie de vivre and motherly nature, which makes us look forward to going to Pune often!

I make this dish frequently, as it's very easy and quick...

 Ingredients (To serve 2 to 3)

1. Rice (Basmati)                   1 cup
2. Green gram                         Half cup
3. Water                                  2-1/2 cups
4. Ghee                                    2 tablespoons
5. Cloves                                 4
6. Cinnamon                            1-inch stick
7. Onions                                 1, big, sliced thin
8. Green chillies                      3, slit into half
9. Ginger-Garlic paste             1 tablespoon
10. Tomato                                 1, big, chopped fine
11. Cilantro (coriander leaves)  A handful, chopped fine

• Wash the rice and green gram.
• Soak the rice and green gram together for at least 4 hours.
• In a pressure cooker, heat the ghee and let the cloves and cinnamon splutter.
• Add the onions and fry till translucent.
• Add the green chillies and ginger-garlic paste and fry till a nice aroma wafts out.
• Now add the tomato and fry till a little pulpy.
• Drain water from the rice and green gram and tilt both into the pan. Fry for about 2-3 minutes.
• Pour in the water, add salt, and close the lid. Put the weight on, and after the first whistle, simmer for 5 minutes.
• When cool, garnish with cilantro, transfer to a serving dish, and happily tuck in!

This goes well with just a pickle and pappad as accompaniments (so it's perfect for all you students, singletons, and generally lazybones!). It is even better with pepper chicken, the recipe of which will follow this one!

TIPS:

You can increase the health quotient of this by substituting sprouted green gram for the whole gram.

Mahe-Style Fish Salad

This recipe was brought to my attention by Vrinda chechi (Vrinda Giri, in Chennai now), who is my dad's cousin (the Fish Baked In White Sauce  that I remembered even after 15 years was cooked by her mom!). From day one of this blog, Vrindechi has encouraged me with her comments and suggestions on the phone, on emails, and on this blog. She herself is a repertoire of recipes and told me that this particular fish recipe was a Mahe classic and used to be cooked quite often during her childhood days. My dad also told me the same thing later. Apparently, there were a lot of innovative cooks back then!

Since recipes like this rarely have a name, Vrindechi and I agreed to call it a "fish salad" because of the similarity this had to a salad dressing (or whatever!). I think its important to document recipes like this, before they get forgotten and lost between generations. Of course, it also fits perfectly in my category of "effortless cooking" and could even be called not just the mother, but the grandmother of all easy fish curry recipes (maybe its the sister of the Pasted Chicken recipe!). It not only looked good, but tasted fantastic and had minimal effort behind it! Hats off to our grandmothers/aunts or great-great grandmothers/aunts who came up with this!

Here's the recipe (Serves 4)

   Fish     4 slices if its the big, fleshy variety or 8 whole pieces of smaller fish

1. Turmeric             1 teaspoon
2. Chilli powder       2 tablespoons
3. Salt                    To taste
4. Onions                1 big, chopped fine or pearl onions 10, chopped fine
5. Green chillies       2, chopped fine
6. Coconut milk       1 cup, thin in consistency (or use coconut milk powder, 5 teaspoons in one cup water)
7. Vinegar               1 tablespoon, but adjust to taste
8. Coriander leaves  2 tablespoons
9. Salt                     To taste

• Make a paste (with water) of the turmeric, chilli powder and salt.
• Marinate the fish in this and rest 10 minutes.
• Shallow fry till lightly done on both sides.
• Now mix all the remaining ingredients in a bowl.
• Next, you have two options. A-Take the fried fish out of the skillet and dunk it into the coconut milk dressing that you just prepared. Or, B- If you're like me and the kind that likes to polish off the skillet in which the fish was fried, oil, masala and all, then go ahead and leave the fish in the skillet itself after frying, take off the heat, and pour the coconut mixture over the fish. Do not stir with a spoon. Just swirl it around.
• It is important to note that you do not need to heat the fish after the coconut milk gravy is added. It might be difficult at first to believe this could be good since its not cooked, but just take it as a salad dressing for fish :-).

That's it! Fish salad ready! Serve with bread or roti or even rice!

Pasted Chicken

This is the first recipe featured on this blog that is not from the family archives. I can confidently say that this is not just the mother, but the grandmother of all easy recipes! Just right for all you bachelors and bachelorettes and lazy cooks and time-starved wives and mothers (and husbands and fathers too!).
This was published with this name in the popular Malayalam women's magazine, Vanitha. I unfortunately did not take down the name of the contributor, but hats off to her for coming up with such a creative, easy recipe. Seasoned cooks may not believe that this could turn out to be a delicious dish because the ingredients needed are so basic (my mother was tempted to add some more ingredients and spices when I cooked this first, but please resist that temptation!). Trust me, it's so good that even a certain Mr. J couldn't stop raving about this when he had it the first time and now it's a firm family favorite!

For 500 g chicken, curry cut (As usual, may serve 4, unless you are chicken lovers, which might then serve 2!!!)  
1. Oil                      Half cup
2. Chilli powder       1 tablespoon
3. Pepper                To taste
4. Tomato Ketchup  3/4th cup
5. Salt                    To taste
• Marinate the chicken pieces with the oil, chilli powder, pepper and salt for just 10 minutes.
• Heat a nonstick pan-don't add any more oil-and put the marinated chicken into it, stirring a little to mix everything .
• Cover and cook on low flame till the chicken is about half cooked (about 15 minutes) at which point, pour in the tomato ketchup. Stir to mix well.
• Continue cooking on low flame till it's fully cooked. Serve with a smug smile :-)
Tips
• If you want it as a dry sauce, cook uncovered on low flame after you add the ketchup. If you continue cooking it covered though, you'll get a nice saucy gravy.
• You can increase the amount of ketchup if you like it to be tangier.
•  I modify it now to add an equal mix of tomato ketchup and chilli  garlic sauce (Del Monte brand), which is even yummier.

Swift Stew

I've been receiving emails from a few of you-who I place fondly in the "kiddie" category-who stay away from home for study/work reasons and who feel like cooking at least a couple of times a week to get all that canteen/restaurant food out of your system. This recipe is for you. It's very easy to make, fast to cook, requires only ingredients which almost anybody would (and should!) have in their kitchen, and absolutely yummilicious. Goes well with bread, even better with appams, ghee rice, and can be-albeit compromisingly- eaten with chapathis :-)

Stew is cooked in a variety of ways, even within a small state like Kerala. Even within one family, I guess different people would have their own ways of making a stew. This one is the way I've seen my mother make it, and it's generally the way its prepared in Mahe, but modified a little by her. It's one of my brother's and my favorite dishes and used to be a Sunday breakfast standard with appams, or even dinner on other days. Even though I'll never be able to replicate the taste of my mom's stew (as my brother keeps telling me!) the way I make it is still a favorite with my husband and I'm proud to say, even my son now!

Here goes:

For 500 g chicken, curry-cut pieces (which might serve 4 people-or less, if they are true foodies!)

1. Oil                      2 tablespoon
2. Cloves                5
3. Cinnamon           1-inch piece
4. Onions                2 big, chopped into small pieces
5. Ginger                1-inch piece, chopped fine or julienned
6. Green chillies      2, each slit lengthwise into 2
7. Tomatoes            1 big, chopped small
8. Cornflour            1 teaspoon
9. Potatoes             2 large, diced (optional)
10. Coconut milk      1 cup, thick (I use coconut milk powder -Maggi or other brand-4 tablespoons mixed in half a cup of warm water)
11. Pepper               As much or as little as you can handle (use white pepper if you want a nice creamy color)

• In a pressure cooker/pan, heat the oil.
• Throw in the cloves and cinnamon, wait till they sizzle.
• Put in the onions, ginger and green chillies and stir around till the onions get translucent (meanwhile, enjoy the mouthwatering aroma that wafts through!).
• Now add the cornflour and stir around for a few seconds.
• Throw in the tomatoes and stir for just a minute. They should not become pulpy.
• Add the potato cubes and chicken pieces and stir till everything is mixed well.
• Now add enough water to just cover the chicken, put the lid on, wait for the steam to come out and put the weight on. After the first whistle, simmer and cook for 7 to 8 minutes. Switch off and wait impatiently (if you're like me) for it to cool and open.
• Now switch the flame back onto a slow simmer, pour in the coconut milk, simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, add pepper, and transfer to a serving dish. If you like to garnish with cilantro, go ahead!
  
  
  
  
  

One-Pot Basic Dal Tadka

It would be only fitting if my first post is a recipe that is my mother's, one that is my comfort food and all-time favorite, and which would do justice to the name of this blog-Easy cooking! Easy peasy, I promise you!

I'm going to list the ingredients in the order of their appearance and usage in the recipe, just because it's easier for me to remember when typing it out, so here goes...

(Serves 2-4, depending on appetite!)

For this dal tadka, you need:

1. Ghee/oil-1 tablespoon (less or more as per  your taste, of course!)
2. Mustard seeds-1 teaspoon
3. Cumin seeds (Jeera)-1 teaspoon
4. Curry leaves
5. Dry red chillies-2, each split into two
6. Onions-1 big, chopped fine
7. Green chillies-2, slit
8. Tomatoes-1 big, chopped fine
9. Turmeric powder-A pinch
10. Chilli powder-1/2 teaspoon
11. Dal (of course!)-Tuvar-1/2 cup, soaked for 10-15 minutes
12. Cilantro (coriander leaves)-Chopped, to garnish as needed
13. Salt (but of course!)

• In a pressure cooker or pressure pan, heat the ghee.
• Throw in the mustard, cumin, fennel, curry leaves and dry red chillies. Wait till the spices splutter.
• Now, dunk in the onions and green chillies and fry till onions are translucent.
• Then it's time to add the tomatoes and stir them around till they get pulpy.
• Stir in the haldi and chilli powders, fry for 1 minute.
• Now add the dal (after draining off the water in which it was soaking) and stir for a minute.
• Add about a cup of water and salt to taste.
• Put the lid on the cooker-(I wait for the steam to come out before putting on the weight).
• After the first whistle, simmer and switch off after 4-5 minutes.

• Wait till it cools, open and garnish with cilantro.
• Serve warm with a warm heart and a sweet smile :-)

You could use other dals like masoor, moong, etc. Just adjust the amount of time for soaking and cooking.