Drumstick flower Thoran

I have never been a big fan of drumstick. Everyone keeps telling me how good they are and that we must try to include it in our diet. I do try but I feel no matter how I cook it, it tastes raw. But its leaves. I love them! I love them in curries and also upperi's with coconut. It was a surprise when I first came to know its flowers could be consumed too. I have never had a flower before :)

Here are some health benefits of the drumstick plant...

I have only ever used the flower to make upperi...

What all you'll need:

• Drumstick flowers 2 and half cups
• Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
• 5-6 small onions
• 2 green chillys
• 3/4 cups grated coconut 
• Mustard seeds 1 tsp
• Curry leaves
• Salt to taste
• Oil (I used coconut)

How to make:

• Soak the flowers in salt water for some 10-15 minutes and then wash it clean.
• Grind the small onions, green chillies and coconut.
• Heat oil in a pan add the mustard seeds. when its done spluttering add in the curry leaves. Wait for a few seconds and then add the ground mix of coconut, green chilly and onion. 
• Let that cook for a minute or 2 and then add in the flowers, salt and turmeric. Cook until done. 

It tasted like mushroom and also a bit like cabbage to me. If you havent ever tried it then its worth a go with all its health benefits, it can only do your body good :)

Green Cheera Upperi

You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces, just good food from fresh ingredients....

- Julia Child

Hey everyone... :)

I've not been able to update this blog for a long time since I had my baby in the last week of June 2014. Taking pics of the food I make was easy... but getting the time to write a post on it was not. The little time that I did get when baby was asleep I would want to rest myself. 

And even Steffy is going through the same thing. She had her baby in the first week of November 2014. :)

I was in Saudi for 2 weeks... had gone for a mini vacation to be with my parents and sisters. I thought I might be able to post from there, but sadly weather changes(sand storm for days on) made my kids sick (allergies :( ) and yet again the little time my baby slept I wanted to sleep too.
Alhamdulillah we are getting back to routine now.

Here is an upperi I had made some months back. Its made with my favourite green cheera. I love green cheera upperi with rice, fish curry and fish fry. This upperi is also made the same way as the kovakka one I had posted.

The things you'll need are:

• 2 big bunch of green cheera (Washed and cut)
• 4-5 small onions
• 4-5 tbsp grated coconut
• 2 dry red chillies
• 1 tsp mustard seed
• 2 tbsp coconut oil (You can use any oil u want. Keralites mostly love food cooked in coconut oil)
• salt to taste

How to make:

• Grind together grated coconut, small onions and dry red chilly. Don't grind into a paste.
• In a pan heat 2 tbsp of coconut oil, add mustard seed, let it splutter. 
• Now add in the coconut-small onion-red chilly mix. Cook that for a minute or two until coconut starts changing colour to light brown. Add in the chopped cheera. Mix well. Add salt.
• Cheera cooks very fast. Hardly 5 minutes so do take care. 

This goes great with rice and curry.
Also take note: Its best not to add curry leaves to dishes u make with palak, cheera and other leafy veggies.

Lemon Rice

My son these days gives his orders and I have to make them ASAP coz he is quite an impatient customer. He loves rice items and for the last 2-3 days it has been ghee rice and mandhi rice. Yesterday night while checking out Eliza's, Lincy's Cook Art, my son caught sight of the lemon rice... and he wanted me to make it. He was like, "Take recipe! Go to kitchen!!" :D
He has always seen me checking out recipes for whatever I want to make and he thinks I can make anything... even fruits. Yesterday he was asking for oranges. Told me to check for recipe... :D

Lincy's Cook Art is one of the many lovely blogs I came across while checking for recipes. Her blog is such a pleasure for the eyes. The clicks are just perfect. This is the first recipe I've taken from her and I must say its a simple one too. I had all the ingredients with me. I didnt make any changes what-so-ever.... wasnt in any mood for trying out new stuff coz to be honest I have never had lemon rice before and I didnt know what it tastes like :D

So this is how mine turned out. And I got an A+ from both my son and husband(who unlike me has had it before :P).

There were times when I used to get too excited with my turmeric and almost always add a bit too much... but those days are long back. Now I add the littlest possible. I was a bit reluctant to add mustard seeds to this coz I dont like seeing mustard seeds in anything... only chutneys and thoran's. But as I wasnt sure if lemon rice usually had mustard seed it in or if it was just a malayali thing. I had a neighbour back in Bahrah, Saudi Arabia, who used to put mustard seed in spaghetti. The spaghetti was yum, but I felt odd seeing mustard seed in it. She was an extremely caring lady from Thrissure... :)

Anyway, here's the recipe I took from Eliza...

Ingredients

• 2 cups basmati rice, washed and drained
• 1 big onion chopped
• 1 inch ginger chopped finely
• 2 green chillies
• 1tsp mustard seed
• 1/4 turmeric powder
• 2 tsp urud daal
• 2 tsp moong daal (the original recipe from Eliza said chana daal, but I had only moong daals)
• 6-7 roasted cashew nuts
• 7-8 curry leaves
• 3-4 tbsp oil (I used sunflower oil)
• Juice of 2 lemon

Directions to make: 

• Boil the basmati rice in water with salt and a tbsp oil. Drain when it is almost cooked. Dont let it fully cook or when they sit for a minute or 2 they'd become over-cooked (which is soo not what u would want for ur lemon rice)
• Take a big pan, big enough to contain all the cooked rice, and heat oil in it. Add mustard seeds. Let it splutter. Add in the urud daal and moon daal. Roast for a minute or two until they turn a light shade of golden brown (Don't let it burn).
• Add in the curry leaves and green chillies. Give that also a minute then add in the onions and ginger. Add salt and turmeric. Now cook this until the onions start turning slightly brown(That would take only a minute or 2). Add a few drops of water. Mix well. Switch off flame. Add rice. mix well. Check salt. Add lemon juice. Garnish with  roasted cashews. 
• It's done!

It is a must to add lemon juice only after u have taken the pan off the stove. Coz the heat will turn the lemon juice bitter.. which would spoil the whole rice.

We had this with grilled chicken, yogurt and garlic achaar.

Now, I dont know if my opinion is coz I'm pregnant with my taste buds having a will of their own, but I didnt find it so 'wow'. Don't put much stock in my food opinions these days. I have always been a chocolate and sweets lover... used to crave them when I was pregnant with Ayaan. But in this pregnancy I dont want any. But I sure can eat as much dahi batata puri as possible :D.

Considering lemon rice: Yes, it was nice; but no, I wouldn't want to make it again unless my husband or son or anyone else wants it. It's biryani for me. Nothing can compare. I can have biryani for breakfast, lunch and dinner.. and even in the evening with tea :P I have had it that way when my mom used to make it back in Saudi :). I miss my mom's cooking. Especially her gravy chicken 65, which she makes in a yogurt gravy. Mouth-watering! Mine just never comes out as good as hers.

Anyway, for the rice lovers this would definitely be a must try recipe... :)

Long Beans Stir fry

One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well...

- Virginia Woolf

I've been in one of those moody preggy days for the past few days. Nothing much just missing my family back in Saudi. And then I've been worrying myself sick wondering how Ayaan would find school. I'm sure he would adjust to the schedule....but I just cant help being worried. Plus I went for this pregnancy sugar test yesterday and that totally put me off.
Anyway, back to normal as of now and have started craving dahi puri's!! I just loooooove the dahi puris we get in Bombay Chowpatty! :)

The recipe I'm posting today is just one of those veggies which go with our 'feel good' kerala food comprising of chor, meen curry, meen fry...that is my hubby's favourite meal...

This one I prepared the same way as I did for Kovakka ....

Ingredients:

• Payar/Long beans - 2 medium sized bunches
• Small onions - 5
• 1 dry red chilly
• A handful of curry leaves
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• Salt to taste
• Coconut oil 2 tbsp

Directions to make:

• I cut the beans into an approx of 1 inch length. Cooked it in the pressure cooker with a little water and salt for 2 whistles. Let it cool down placing it under cold running water.
• Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds. When its done with the splutters add in the curry leave and red chilly. After a minute add in the chopped small onions. Cook until they start turning brown. Then add in the cooked beans. Check salt, mix well and ur done! :)

Yeah, its that easy-peasy. I had made mathi(sardine) mulakittathu and mathi fry to go with this :)
I love mathi. And these were quite fresh ones. It's been a long time since we've had mathi. Frying fish makes the whole house stink and mathi seem to give out the strongest of stenches...

But who cares... another happy feel good meal for hubby :)

Kovakka Thoran/Upperi

A few days back my husband went and bought these small cucumbers from the grocery near our place. I had asked him to buy some new veggies for making upperi coz I was fed up of eating only beans, peas, beetroot, cauliflower and cabbage. And so my husband bought these:

(Got this pic from http://kitchentantras.com/... couldnt take a pic of my own with the ones I had coz I used them all up)

They looked like small cucumbers to me and I had no clue what to do with them. As I didnt even know their name I couldn't search for a recipe. I was going to ask my husband but kept forgetting and they have been sitting in the refrigerator for 3 days until last night I remembered and asked. He said it was 'kovakka' and was surprised I haven't had it before.  

While browsing thru google for a recipe I understood that this is made like any other thoran/upperi. Grated coconut, small onions and dry red chillies as the base grind mix.



So this is what I did...

Ingredients:

• Kovakka (Tindora / Ivy gourd). I had around 2 and half cups after I had chopped them.
• 6-7 small onions
• 4-5 tbsp grated coconut
• 2 dry red chillies
• 6-7 curry leaves
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp mustard seed
• 2 tbsp coconut oil (You can use any oil u want. All keralites love food cooked in coconut oil)
• salt to taste

Directions to make:

• Chop the tindora into the shape or size u want. Small size would mean it'd cook faster.
• Grind together grated coconut, small onions and dry red chilly. Semi-grind. Don't grind into a paste.
• In a pan heat 2 tbsp of coconut oil, add mustard seed, let it splutter. Add curry leaves. Then add cumin seeds let it splutter too for half a minute. 
• Now add in the coconut-small onion-red chilly mix. Cook that for a minute or two until coconut starts changing to light brown. Add in the chopped Ivy gourd. Mix well. Add salt and turmeric.
• Cover and let this cook for 15-20 minutes on low flame. Add a little water so that it doesnt burn and stick to the pan. Dont add too much water and make into a paste. The thoran should be dry.
• After 15 minutes check if its cooked according to ur way. (I have noticed with thoran's some people like it almost cooked not fully. And some really want it fully cooked. So let this cook to the level u want.) 

We had it with rice, manthal(sole fish) mulakittathu and manthal fry.
One deliciously Kerala meal... :)
Alhamdulillah! :)

Chana Masala

As I'm pregnant, I want to make healthy choices with food. Less of sugar and more of veggies.
And as I'm going to be eating a lot anyway, why not make it all healthy? Plus, developing likes to healthy food now might make it easier for me during the last few months(I am a big biryani fan. I love, love, loooove all kinds of biryanis). Not that we can predict anything with pregnancy :) .. This is my second baby and I'm all happy and excited! My last went into a c-section coz baby was weighty. So this time I want to try keeping a check on it...

I've opted out of our usual rice for lunch and dinner and turned to chappatis and brown bread.
To go with it I made some chana masala.

This is just me putting all the spices and ingredients I like. It might not be the authentic chana masala recipe :)
But it was yummy enough so I give u a 'go-ahead' to try my recipe without fear of having to throw it in the trash :P

What all you'll need:

• 1.5 cups chickpeas (soaked over night in water, then pressure cooked with a little turmeric and salt)
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium sized tomato, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp chana masala powder(I use Shan chana masala)
• 2 green chillies 
• a handful coriander leaves, chopped
• 2 tbsp lemon juice (I like to add a lot more)
• Salt to taste

How to make:

• Heat oil in a frying pan. Add the chopped onions. Stir and cook until it start turning slightly brown
• Add tomatoes and green chillies. Stir and add in chilli powder, turmeric powder, chana masala powder and salt.
• Let it cook for at least 2-3 minutes and then add in the cooked chick peas. Mix and lower flame and let it simmer for another 5 minutes. 
• Add water if needed, dont let it burn. Switch off flame when u get thick gravy. 
• Add lemon juice and garnish with coriander leaves.
• Enjoy! :)  

It's a great snack to have with tea. I had it with chappati & low fat yogurt for dinner.

Cauliflower Manchurian

This I made a few weeks back.
I wanted to make some new veggie cuisine for dinner and I had seen this recipe the vahchef had put up once. It is an Indo-Chinese recipe. As I had all the ingredients thought I'd give it a try.

It was ok. A bit sweet for my taste. I think it wud have been the chilly sauce I used. But it was a nice change from my normal cauliflower fry, kurma or curry. My son liked it. But then he likes all my cookings :)
Do give it a try...

Here's what all you'll need:

• Cauliflower florets (put it in hot water with salt to kill any germs in it) - 1 cup or 1 and 1/2 
• Maida - 1/2 cup
• Corn flour - 1/4 cup
• Pepper powder - 1 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Soya sauce - 1 tsp

Make a batter with all of the above(except cauliflower) and coat the cauliflower with it.

• Oil for frying

Heat oil in a pan. When oil is hot deep fry the batter coated florets until they turn crispy. Keep aside

For making the sauce:

• Ginger, finely chopped - 1/2 tsp 
• Garlic, finely chopped - 1/2 tsp
• Green chillies, finely chopped - 1/2 tsp
• 1/2 a finely chopped onion
• Capsicum - 1 small
• Peppercorn crushed - 1/2 tsp
• Soya sauce - 1/2 tsp
• vinegar - 1 tbsp
• a pinch of sugar
• chilly paste - 1 tsp (I used chilly sauce coz I havent been able to get a good chilly paste as yet :(.. It makes a big difference.)
• Coriander leaves for garnishing- a few or add more if u want (my husband loves coriander leaves)
• Spring onions, finely chopped - 1 tbsp

Heat oil in a pan. Add ginger, garlic, green chillies, onion and sautee until raw garlic smell leaves.
Lower flame. Add capsicum, salt, peppercorn, sugar, vinegar, chilly paste, soya sauce. Mix well.
Give a minute or two and then add the fried cauliflowers into the sauce. Mix. Switch off flame.
Garnish with coriander leave and spring onions. Serve hot :)

We had it with Daal curry and Ghee rice...

Peas Curry

Ingredients

1. Green Peas - 1 cup
2. Onions - 2 (minced)
3. Tomato - 1 (chopped)
4. Ginger Garlic paste - 2tsp
5. Green chillies - 2 (slit lengthwise)
6. Coriander powder - 2 tsp
7. Chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
8. Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp
9. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
10. Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
11. Coconut milk - 1/2 cup
12. Curry leaves- a sprig
13. Oil - for sauting onions
14. Salt - to taste

Method

Cook peas with just enough salted water. If there is more water, the gravy will become too watery.

While peas is getting cooked, heat oil in a pan and sauté onions until golden brown.
Add ginger-garlic paste, green chillies, curry leaves and the chopped tomatoes. Saute for few more minutes till tomatoes are cooked.

Turn the heat to low and add coriander powder, chilly powder, jeera powder and turmeric powder. Saute till the aroma comes. Be careful not to burn the powders, otherwise the curry will taste bitter.

Add the peas along with water in which it was cooked and combine. Simmer for 8-10 minutes until you see the oil separating and the gravy thickens.

Add the coconut milk and simmer for one more minute.

Your peas curry is ready! Serve with Chapatti, Appam or bread.

Vegetable Pulao

Here is an easy Vegetable Pulao recipe. You'll need at least 3 vegetables. I used carrots, Green peas, chick peas and beans. It doesn't take much effort or time.... plus doesnt create that much of a mess to clean up :P

Things you'll need are:

• Basmati rice - 2 cups (This would server 4+ ppl)
• Vegetables (I used 2 carrots, 4-5 Beans, half a cup cooked chick peas and half a cup cooked, frozen green peas) 
• Chopped Onions - 2 medium sized
• Ginger - 1 inch
• Garlic - 6 cloves
• Green chillies - 2
• Coriander leaves - a handful
• Cinnamon - 1 stick
• Cardamon - 3-4
• Cloves - 3-4
• Salt to taste
• Sunflower oil/ Butter - 4-5 tbsp
• Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
• Chilly powder - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder -1 tsp
• Garam masala - 1tsp

Direction to make:

• Chop all the vegetables and keep aside.
• Grind the garlic, ginger, green chillies and coriander leaves.. keep aside
• In a heavy bottom vessel (which has a tight lid), heat the butter/oil and add the cardamon, cloves, cinnamon sticks. Saute for a few minutes, lower flame and add the onions.
• When the onions start to turn brown add the ginger-garlic-coriander. Saute.
• Add the red chilly powder, turmeric powder, garam masala and salt
• Mix well. All these should be done on low flame so as not to burn them.
• Now we add the vegetable. Between the carrots and beans, the beans take longer time to cook, so I added that first. Let it cook for a minute then added the carrot. Let that also cook for a minute. Then I added the cooked chick peas and green peas.
• Now turn up the flames and add 4 cups of water. Use the same cup u used for measuring rice. If ur taking 2 cups rice, u need to take 4 cups water. The ratio is 1:2. 
• Add the lemon juice and  rice. Mix well. Check salt. Cover with lid. Lower flame.
• Check after 10-15 minutes. I didnt check the exact timings, so can't say if it took more than that to cook. Do check the rice and dont let it go mushy.

Serve with raita and pickles if u want. The rice would be spicy enough. We had it with raita :)

Try it out.. simple enough recipe...
Make and let me know how it turns out....

Cauliflower Kurma

Hey guys....

I had made some veggie gravy Monday night to go with rice for dinner... because I was out of non-veg to make curry :). A meal without fish/chicken is not much appreciated here. So while the guys had gone out to buy some fishy/chickyy, I made this cauliflower kurma.

My husband loves cauliflower and I had a lot of it sitting in the fridge. At first I thought of making cauliflower curry with coconut milk, but then the cauliflower kurma (which is with either thick cream or coconut grinded to paste) has much richer flavour and I love the creamy texture..

I opted for the kurma...

I had thought of frying whatever non-veg they get... but there wasn't any time for that. They came home pretty late... around 11. I had given them a big list of things to buy. Ramadan shopping list. I wanted to keep things ready so that all my fasts are not totally absorbed with cooking. The funny thing about fasting is, we tend to want to make each and everything that comes to mind. Even the food we dislike otherwise starts to sound and look appealing :P :D

This is what all you'll need for making the kurma...

Ingredients:
- Cauliflower - 1 big flower
- Medium sided onion - 1/2 cut lengthwise
- Tomatoes -1/2 cut into cubes
- Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
- Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
- Coriander leaves- 1 tsbp chopped
- Oil - 2tbsp
- Salt to taste

To grind:
- Coconut or Cream (I used cream) - 1/4 cup
- Fennel seeds  - 1tsp
- Cashew nuts - 5
- Onion - 1/2 medium
- Tomato - 1 small
- Garlic -  5 cloves
- Green chillies - 2
- Cinnamon - 1/2 inch piece
- Cloves - 2

How to make:
- Grind all the ingredients under 'To grind'  with little water to a smooth paste and keep aside.
- Clean and cut cauliflower into small florets and pressure cook with salt, water and turmeric powder. It should only be half cooked. Don't let it get overcooked and mashed.
- Heat oil in a pan, add onions and fry till golden brown. Add tomatoes, chilli powder, turmeric powder. Mix well and cook until oil starts to ooze out and the tomatoes are mashed.
- Now add the ground paste and cook till raw smell of garlic leaves and oil starts to separate.
- Now add the cauliflower and mix well. Switch off flame.
- Add more water if the gravy is too thick for ur liking...
- Taste and adjust salt.
- Garnish with coriander leaves. I sprinkled some dry mint on top instead of coriander.

It's a reasonable easy recipe... won't take time if u have clean work space and everything (like grinder and other stuff) ready. The resultant kurma was quite creamy... like butter chicken gravy. This would go best with chapati's or roti's. But I had rice already cooked.You could add potatoes or green peas to it if u want more veggies.

Will try to put up Iftar recipes if time permits. Or else I'll post them all after Ramadan. Ok then, Catch u guys later.....

Ramadan Kareem!! :)

Vendakka ( Okra ) Curry

In my quest to find a way to bring more veggies to our diet, I thought of making one of my mom's old recipe. She puts omelet at the end to the curry.




INGREDIENTS

1. Vendakka - 1 cup
2. Garam masala - 1 tsp
3. Onion - 1/2
4. Curry Leaves
5. Ginger - 1/2 inch
6. Garlic - 2
7. Thin coconut milk - 1/2 cup
8. Thick coconut milk - 1/2 cup
9. Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp
10. Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
11. Cashew nut - 10 (optional)
12. Oil - 2 - 3 tbsp
13. Salt - to taste

PREPARATION

1. Heat half Oil in a pan and fry Okra for a few minutes. Remove from the pan and keep aside.
2. In the same pan heat the rest of the oil and sauté onion, ginger , garlic and curry leaves for few minutes. Be careful not to let the onion turn brown.
   
   
   
3. Now add chilli powder, turmeric powder and garam masala and sauté for few minutes.
4. Now add okra, salt and thin coconut milk and cook for few minutes.
5. If you are adding cashew, grind it with thick coconut milk and add to the curry. Cook for few more minutes and your curry is done!