Chemmeen/Prawns Vattichathu (Easter/Christmas Dishes)

Chemmeen/Prawns Vattichathu is a simple and delicious non-vegetarian sea food dish prepared in Kerala homes. This is a finger liking good recipe I prepare for Easter or Christmas. This is my way of preparing this delicious dish with slight variations in masala and ingredients. Enjoy this recipe for Easter this year :)

Ingredients:

Chemmeen/Prawns - 400 gms (cleaned and unveined)

Small onions - 10 nos (sliced)

Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - ½ tsp

Kashmiri Red chilli powder - 3 tsp

Corriender powder - 2 tsp

Black pepper powder - ½ tsp

Garam masala powder - 1/2  tsp

Kudampuli (kukum) - 1 big piece

Thick coconut milk - 1 cup

Curry leaves - 3 string

Dry red chillies - 4 nos

Mustard seeds - ½ tsp

Coconut oil - 3 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Preparation:

- In a bowl, add cleaned prawns, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, corriender powder, garam masala powder, black pepper powder, salt and let marinate for half hour.

- Heat oil in a chatti, splutter mustard, dry red chillies and curry leaves. Add small onions, Ginger garlic paste and saute well till onions turn soft and translucent.

- Now add the marinated prawns and mix well. (Make sure not to break the prawns and prawn head)

- Pour thick coconut milk, kudam puli and mix. Add salt at this stage if required.

- Let the curry boil for a minute. Once done close lid and let cook for 5 minutes.

- Open lid, add curry leaves and let cook on low flame till you get a thick prawn masala gravy.

- Spicy and delicious Chemmeen/Prawns Vattichathu is ready to serve with rice and chapatis.

Note:

- Adding prawn head to this recipe is of choice. I love prawn head so, add them in plenty.

- Adjust salt and spice as per taste.

- This recipe can be served as a thick masala or gravy as your wish. If you need a little gravy in the dish, off flame soon after 5 minutes.

Red Chicken Masala

Red Chicken Masala is a semi dry chicken dish which is very spicy dish. As mentioned earlier, i and my family loves spice and spicy food. This was a dish prepared when my hubby wanted to eat and taste something different and he also wanted it spicy. I had no idea what to do...

This is a dish what i prepared on a blind note. My hubby was very happy and requested to prepare the same on a weekend party for our friends. From that day on, i used to prepare this dish often and our family loves this recipe!!!!

Ingredients:

Chicken - 400 gms

Small onions - 1 cup (chopped)

Green chilli - 2 nos (slit to half)

Garlic - 5 pods (chopped)

Tomatoes - 1 large (chopped)

Jeera seeds - ½ tsp

Kasuri methi - ½ tsp (dry leaves)

Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Kashmiri chilli powder - 1 ½ tsp

Chicken masala - 1 tsp

Vinegar - 1 tsp

Sugar - ½ tsp (optional)

Coriander leaves - ½ cup (for cooking and garnishing)

Oil - 2 tbsp

Water - ½ cup

Preparation:

- Heat oil in a kadai, when hot splutter jeera and methi leaves and saute for a sec.

- Add onions, green chilli, garlic and fry well to brown in color (make sure not to burn the onions). Add tomato and saute well till mushy.

- Once done add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, chicken masala powder, kashmiri chilli powder, salt and fry well till raw smell goes.

- Add the chicken, coriander leaves, vinegar and mix well. Add ½ cup water and let the chicken cook with lid on for 12-15 minutes.

- Once chicken is cooked, open lid and let cook for another 3 minutes for water to evaporate for a semi dry masala. (Can add sugar at this stage if you want to cut down the heat)

- Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with Pulao, Rice or Chapathis.

Easy Ghee Cake

Ghee Cake is a delicious and yummy cake for tea time. Kannur (Kerala) people would have at least once tasted our Sheen Bakery Ghee Cake. I can never ever forget the taste of ghee cake from sheen bakery. I love this cake so much that I searched and searched for the recipe and at last ended up making a yummy cake to my taste.  This a very easy tea time cake and tastes yum, yum and yum:)

Ingredients:

Maida or All purpose flour - 1 ½ cup

Milk - ⅓ cup

Sugar - ½ cup (powdered)

Baking powder - 2 tsp

Eggs - 2 nos

Ghee - 100gms + 5 tbsp

Vanilla essence - 2 tsp

Preparation:

- Separate egg yolk and whites and keep aside.

- Sieve all purpose flour and baking powder together and keep aside.

- Beat egg yolks till fluffy. Once done, add, powdered sugar, ghee, milk and beat well.

- Add flour mix little by little and fold well.

- Now beat egg white well and fold well with cake mixture.

- Dust flour in a cake tin and pour the cake mix. Place the cake tin in a pre heated oven for 35 to 40 minutes at 200 degree centigrade.

- Once the cake is ready, immediately pour the 5 tbsp of ghee over the cake and wait for 15 minutes before serving.

- Tasty and easy Ghee cake is ready to serve.

Chemeen/Prawns Ularthiyathu

Chemeen/Prawns Ularthiyathu is a simple and delicious non-vegetarian sea food dish prepared in Kerala homes. This is my way of preparing this yummy dish with variations in masala and ingredients. Love and enjoy your daily food :)

Ingredients:

Chemeen/Prawns - 250 gms (cleaned and unveined)

Small onions - 15 nos (sliced)

Onions - 1 large (sliced)

Ginger and Garlic paste - ½ tsp each + ½ tsp each

Green chillies - 4 nos (slit into half)

Curry leaves - 2 string

Turmeric powder - ½ tsp + ¼ tsp

Kashmiri Red chilli powder - ½ tsp

Garam masala - 1 tsp

Kudam Puli (kukum) - 2 nos (soaked in warm water with salt)

Fenugreek powder - ½ tsp

Curry leaves - 3 string

Coconut oil - 3 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Preparation:

- Add cleaned prawns, ½ of ginger garlic paste, green chillies, turmeric powder, curry leaves, puli, salt, water and mix well. Cook till prawns are soft and done (make sure not to over cook the prawns). Once done, strain the water and keep aside.

- Heat oil in a kadai, add fenugreek powder, small onions, ½ of ginger garlic paste, green chillies and fry well till soft and brown.

- Now add the sliced onions and fry well till brown in color.

- Add ¼ tsp turmeric, chilli powder, garam masala powder and fry well till raw smell goes. Check for salt at this stage.

- Now add the prawn mixture and mix well till prawns are well coated in the onion masala. Add 4tbsp of hot water and let cook till water is dried on low flame for another 5 minutes and serve hot.

- Spicy and delicious Chemeen/Prawns Ularth is ready to serve with rice and chapathis.

Meen Masala (Fish Masala)

Fish dishes and recipes is a part of every home in Kerala. Fish is prepared in different styles in every part of Kerala. Meen/Fish Masala is a very easy and tasty recipe and can be combined with Rice, Puttu, Chapathis and Appams. Meen Masala is a very flavourful dish and this is my own recipe prepared at home. Trust me, you and family will love this dish and fish dish will always be Meen Masala in your home :)

Ingredients:

Tuna Fish - 250 gms (5-6 medium size pieces)

Onions - 2 large (chopped)

Tomato - 1 large (chopped)

Garlic - 10 pods (sliced)

Ginger - 1 small piece (sliced)

Green chillies - 3 nos (chopped)

Fenugreek seeds - ¼ tsp

Ajwain - ¼ tsp

Mustard seeds - ½ tsp

Curry leaves - 7 strings

Turmeric powder - ½ tsp

Kashmiri red chilli powder - 2 tbsp

Jeera powder - ½ tsp

Corriender powder - 1 tbsp

Black pepper powder - ¼ tsp

Vinegar - ½ tsp

Water - ½ cup

Oil - 4 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Preparation:

- Cut, clean fish with salt, lime and keep aside.

- Heat 2 tbsp oil in a kadai, splutter fenugreek seeds, ajwain and mustard seeds for a minute.

- Add ginger, garlic, green chillies, curry leaves and fry well till slight brown in color. Now add onions and fry well till translucent.

- Once done, add tomatoes and cook till soft and mushy.

- Add turmeric, red chilli powder, corriender powder, jeera powder, salt and fry well till raw smell goes.

- Pour water and let boil for a sec. Add fish pieces,curry leaves and mix to coat the fish well with masala.

- Add vinegar now and let cook on low flame with lid on for 2 minutes.

- Once done, open lid and fry on medium high flame for water to evaporate to a semi thick masala. Sprinkle black pepper powder and add oil if necessary while frying.

- Serve hot with rice, mooru for lunch and chapatis for dinner.

Note:

- This is a semi dry dish. I used Tuna fish, you can use any fish as per your like.

- This is not a spicy dish. Adjust spice according to taste.

- This dish requires a little more oil than the usual cooking.

- I used coconut oil, you can use any oil as per choice.

Chicken Sausage Recipe (Chinese Style)

A sausage is a food usually made from ground meat with a skin around it. Sausage consists of meat, cut into pieces or ground, and filled into a casing, with other ingredients.This is a food prepared at home for easy cooking days and want a change from daily food. This is a very easy preparation with little ingredients. This is my way of preparing this easy dish. Happy cooking to all :)

Ingredients:

Chicken sausage - 4 nos (cut to small pieces)

Onion - 1 large (cut to cube pieces)

Capcicum - 1 large (cut to cube pieces)

Garlic - 5 pods (chopped)

Dark Soy sauce - 2 tsp

Green chilli sauce - 2 tsp

Tomato sauce - 2 tsp

White pepper powder - 1 tsp

White sesame seeds- 1 tsp

Oil - 2 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Preparation:

- Boil, cut chicken sausages and keep aside.

- Heat oil in a kadai, add onions, garlic and saute till translucent. Now add the capcicum and saute till translucent.

- Add soy sauce, chilli sauce, tomato sauce, pepper powder and stir for few seconds. (Taste before adding salt as we have used soy sauce).

- Now toss in the cut sausages and mix well. Cover lid and cook for another 2 minutes.

- Garnish with sesame seeds and serve hot with fried rice or noodles.

Nadan Pepper Chicken

Nadan Pepper Chicken is yet another delicious and authentic dish from Kerala. This is a curry prepared at home every now and then. This is a very simple recipe with every day ingredients you find in your kitchen. Just the aroma of this dish will take you to our 'Gods Own Country'. Try this recipe today and let me know your comments :)

Ingredients:

Chicken - 500 gms

Onions - 2 medium (chopped)

Ginger paste - 1 tsp

Garlic paste - 1 tsp

Tomato - 1 medium (chopped)

Mustard seeds - ½ tsp

Dry red chillies - 3 nos (cut into half)

Curry leaves - 2 string

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Black pepper powder - 3 tsp

Fenugreek powder - a pinch

Salt - to taste

Water - ½ cup

Oil - 2 tbsp

Black peppercorns - ½ tsp (crushed, for garnishing)

Curry leaves - 1 string (for garnishing)

Preparation:

- Heat oil in a kadai, splutter mustard seeds, dry red chillies, curry leaves and fry for a sec.

- Add onions, ginger garlic paste and fry till onions are translucent. Now add the tomatoes and cook till mushy.

- Add turmeric powder, black pepper powder, mix well and fry for a sec. Toss the cleaned chicken and mix well till the masala is coated well in the chicken.

- Add water, salt, fenugreek powder and let the chicken cook with lid on for 15 minutes stirring in between.

- Once done, open lid and let the curry simmer to a thick gravy or to your desired consistency.

- Serve hot garnished with crushed peppercorns and curry leaves.

Note:

- Spicy dish, please adjust spice accordingly.

- This dish can be a served as a semi gravy or as a dry side dish.