Beef Mappas (Christmas/Easter Dishes)

Beef Mappas is a very tempting and traditional curry prepared in Kerala during Christmas and Easter day. This is a spicy curry prepared in coconut milk, a stew like curry and tastes delicious any time of the day. This curry is served for breakfast, lunch and dinner. At home, we prefer this curry best to be served with Appam for breakfast. You can prepare this curry with chicken and mutton too. Enjoy your food with love :)

Ingredients:

Beef - 1/2 kg (cut to cube pieces)

Onions - 2 medium

Ginger -  small piece

Garlic - 5 pods

Green chilli - 4 nos

Tomato - 1 medium

Curry leaves - 1 string

Cardamom - 4 nos (crushed)

Cloves - 3 nos

Cinnamon - 1 stick

Thick coconut milk - 1/2 cup

Thin coconut milk - 1 cup

Water - 1 cup

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Red chillie powder - 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Jeera powder - 3/4 tsp

Black pepper powder - 3 tbsp

Coconut oil - 3 tsp

Vinegar - 1 tsp

Salt - to taste

Preparation:

- Heat oil in a cooker, add cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and saute for a minute.

- Add the green chilli, ginger, garlic and fry for a minute.

- Add onions, tomatoes and saute well till onions turn translucent.  

- Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, jeera powder, black pepper powder and fry well till raw smell goes.

- Now toss the cut and cleaned beef, salt and mix well.

- Pour thin coconut milk, water and mix well. Cook for 8-10 whistle. Open cooker, add thick coconut milk, vinegar and let cook on low flame for another 5 minutes.

- Serve hot with Appam or Rice.

Beef Burger

This is a classic Beef Burger prepared by my hubby (Alex). This is his recipe and credit goes to him alone. Burger tastes yummy and will want to try out every weekend. Try this recipe and let me  know your comments. Happy cooking and eating ):

Ingredients:
Beef mince - 500gms
Egg - 1 nos
Bread crumbs - 1/2 cup
Black pepper powder - 1 tbsp
Onion - 1 big (scrape the onions with a scaper)
Parsley - one hand full or corriender leaves half hand full
Salt - to taste

Preparation:

Lightly wisk the eggs. Scrape the onions with a scraper. Don't scrape it too small, or it will turn watery. Add the scraped onions, wisked egg, pepper and salt to the beef mince. You can add a handful of parsley, or if not available you can add half a handful of coriander leaves. Since coriander leaves are pungent and strong in flavour, half a hand full will do. Mix all these ingredients well. Your mixture will be slightly watery, so add bread crumbs to even it out.

Now roll it into medium size balls in the palm of your hands and flaten the top and bottom to shape it into burger patties. Make the patties of a same size so that they will cook evenly. Now freeze them in the fridge for at least an hour. You can store them as patties for later use too. Once you patties are frozen and firm. You can heat a flat base pan and lightly oil it. You don't need more oil as the fat from the burger will ooze out. Once you pan is hot, place the patties and please don't thaw it around. It will come off once the fat releases from the patties. You can grill them for 5 mins on each side. Touch the center if the burger and you should get a bit of a bounce back. Your burger is cooked. Please dont press the bugger while cooking with spatula as it will release all the juices and your burger will be dry.

Once they are cooked, let them rest on a plate for 2 to 3 minutes before assembling.

Cut a bun and toast it in and out. You can add any dressing you like egs. lettuces, onions, tomatoes, cheese and even egg. It's left to you.

I like my burgers plain and simple. So I have just added a bit of mayo, dill and lemon sauce on one cheek of the bun and a chilly tomato sauce on the other.  

Now enjoy your burger.

Andhra Chicken Fry (My Style)

Andhra Chicken Fry is also known as Chicken Vepudu or Kodi Vepudu which is a very common dish prepared in Andhra homes. This dish is prepared in different styles and tastes great. This is a very tasty and flavorful side dish served with rice, rotis or chapathis. This is a fry dish in my version and tastes delicious and cannot stop to ask more. Do try this recipe and enjoy :)

Ingredients:

For marination and cooking:

Chicken - 500 gms (with bone or boneless)

Turmeric powder - ½ tsp

Kashmiri chilli powder - 2 tbsp

Corriender powder - 2 tsp

Jeera Powder - ½ tsp

Ginger paste - 1 tsp

Garlic paste - 1 tsp

Black pepper powder - 1 tsp

Vinegar - 1 tsp

Fresh corriender leaf - ½ cup

Salt - to taste

Oil - for cooking the marinated chicken

For cooking :

Onions - 2 large (sliced)

Green chillies - 6 nos (slit into half)

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Dry red chillies - 6 nos

Black pepper powder - 1 tbsp

Curry leaves - 12 - strings

Oil - 4 tbsp ( 2 tbsp for frying + 2 tbsp for cooking)

Preparation:

- Marinate chicken with turmeric, kashmiri chilli, corriender, jeera powder, pepper powder, ginger garlic paste, fresh corriender, vinegar and salt  for at least 30 minutes.

- In a pan, heat 1 tbsp of oil and fry the sliced onions till golden brown in color and keep aside to cool. Once cooled crush the onions and keep aside.

- In another pan or kadai, heat 2 tbsp of oil, add the marinated chicken and let cook with lid on till chicken is cooked, tender and dry. Once done keep aside.

- Heat 2 tbsp of oil in the onion fried pan, splutter mustard seeds, dry red chillies, curry leaves, green chillies and fry for a minute. Now add the cooked chicken, black pepper powder, fried and crushed onions and fry well till all the masala is well coated with the chicken for 3 minutes.

- Once done garnish with curry leaves and serve with Chapatis, Rotis and also as a side dish with Rice.

Note:

- This is a very spicy fry dish. Adjust salt and spice as per taste.

- No water is added to the chicken for cooking. The chicken is cooked in oil with lid on.

Kottayam Meen/Fish Curry

Kottayam Meen/Fish Curry is very famous and is also know as Naadan Red Fish Curry. This is a curry my hubby loves and can never stop asking more for lunch and dinner. This is a typical recipe by my mom in law and it took few times for me to cook and get it right. This style of fish curry is prepared towards south part of Kerala. Personally, I love the color, taste and tanginess of the kodum (kokum) puli with Kappa and Rice. This fish curry tastes better the next day of preparation :)

Ingredients:

Fish - 500 gms (cut to medium pieces)

Small onions/shallots - 2 cups (sliced)

Ginger - 1 small piece (crushed)

Garlic - 10 pods (cut into half)

Green chillies - 2 nos (slit lengthwise)

Mustard seeds - ½ tsp

Fenugreek (uluva) - ¼ tsp

Kudampuli (kokum) - 2 - 4 nos (soaked in lukewarm water with salt)

Turmeric powder - ½ tsp

Kashmiri red chilli powder - 2 tbsp

Coriander powder - 5 tbsp

Water - 1 - 1 ½ cup

Curry leaves - handful

Salt - to taste

Coconut oil - 3 tbsp

Preparation:

- Heat oil in a clay pot (chatti), splutter fenugreek and mustard seeds.

- Add ginger, garlic, green chillies, curry leaves and saute for a sec. Add onions and fry till translucent and brown in color.

- Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, salt and fry till the raw smell goes.

- Add water and kudampuli to the above mixture. Close lid and let the gravy boil well for 5 mts.

- Open lid and let boil for another 2 minutes till the gravy is slightly thick.

- Add the fish pieces and cook till fish is done on low flame.(Rotate the chatti in between to make sure the fish and masala is mixed well)

- Cook till fish is cooked and gravy become slightly thick.

- Switch off flame, add 1 tbs of oil to the curry and garnish with curry leaves.

- Serve hot with rice or kappa.

Note:

- The best combination with this curry will be rice and vanpayar thoran.

- This gravy always tastes best the next day.

- The curry will thicken by next day. So add water accordingly while cooking and make sure not to thicken the gravy too much.

Diwali Special - Moong Dal Ladoo

Wishing all a Happy Diwali.. Diwali is known as the "festival of lights". This festival spiritually signifies the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, good over evil, and hope over despair. Before Diwali night, people clean, renovate and decorate their homes. On Diwali night, people dress up in new clothes, light up diyas (lamps and candles) inside and outside their home and participate in family puja. After puja the colorful fireworks follow, then a family feast including sweets and an exchange of gifts between family members and close friends.

Ingredients:

Moong dal - 1 cup (dry roasted and powdered)

Sugar - 1 cup (powdered)

Ghee - ½ cup - ¾ cup

Almond and Cashew Nut - 1 cup (powdered)

Preparation:

- Dry roast 1 cup moong dal in a pan. Once done, let cool and powder finely in a grinder.  Powder the 1 cup sugar finely in a grinder and keep aside. Grind almond and cashew nut together in a mixture to a coarse powder.

- Now heat ghee in another pan and keep aside.

- In a large bowl, add powdered moong dal, sugar, half of almond cashew powder and mix well.

- To the above mix, pour heated ghee little by little and blend well with a flat spoon to a semi thick consistency.

- Let this mixture cool for another 3-4 minutes. Now make small ladoos as desired and keep aside.

- Take each ladoo and coat well with the almond cashew powder .

- Decorate each ladoo with raisins and cashew nut if desired (optional).

- Enjoy delicious and yummy Moong Dal ladoo for Diwali and any other occasion.

Vendakka (Okra) Paal Curry

Vendakka (Okra), the one vegetable which is always stocked in my fridge. My son and I love this vegetable and have some other dish prepared thrice in a week. I am used to hearing loads of compliment for my mum in laws Vendakka paal curry from my hubby. I tried the dish many times, but still did not get to the same taste. Still… this recipe tastes delicious for sure.

Ingredients:

Okra - 20 nos (tender and cut to ½ inch piece)

Onion - 1 large (sliced)

Green chillies - 4 nos (slit to half)

Ginger - 1 tsp (chopped)

Curry leaves - 2 string

Turmeric powder - ½ tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Black pepper powder - 2 tsp

Garam masala powder - ½ tsp

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Perumjeerakam - ½ tsp

Cinnamon - 1 stick

Cardamom - 4 nos

Cloves - 3 nos

Thick coconut milk - ½ cup

Thin coconut milk - 1 cup

Salt - to taste

Coconut oil - 3 tbsp

Cardamom powder - ½ tsp (garnishing)

Crushed Black peppercorns - ½ tsp (garnishing)

Preparation:

- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan, add cut okra, salt and fry till soft for 5 minutes and keep aside.

- Grind turmeric, coriander, black pepper, red chilli, perumjeerakam, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom, with 2 tbsp of water to a smooth paste and keep aside.

- In the same pan, heat 2 tbsp of oil, add onions, curry leaves and fry till translucent.

- Add green chillies, ginger and fry well. Now add the grinded masala paste and fry till raw smell goes.

- Now toss the cooked okra and mix well. Add thin coconut milk and let cook for 5 minutes with lid on.

- Once done, add little garam masala powder, thick coconut milk and heat just for a minute and off flame (check salt at this stage).

- Garnish with cardamom powder and crushed pepper.

- Serve hot with chapathi or appam.

Note:

- ½ tsp of Lime juice can be added if needed. I did not use the lime juice.

- Adding tomatoes to this dish is again optional.

Navratri Special Recipes

Happy Navratri and Durga Puja to all my Friends :)

India is a land of festivals and festivals are incomplete without mouth watering dishes.

Festivals in India are incomplete without delicious food, and Navratri is no exception. Navratri is a long festival, which is celebrated continuously for nine days and celebrated with a variety of dishes. Therefore, a variety of dishes are made and served during this festival. Since, in most of the communities, people observe fast during Navratri and eat only one meal a day at sunset, the Navratri meal has special courses and is strictly vegetarian. Even onion and garlic are not allowed in the dishes.

Couple of my friends keep fast on this nine days festival, there are specific recipes which are made only with the ingredients used in the fast. Aloo is one such ingredient which is commonly used in the recipes for Navratri fasts.

Today I have given a special recipe for Aloo Pulao and Aloo Raita, which you can prepare during Navratri fasts. It is very easy dish to prepare with all day kitchen ingredients and delicious to taste.

Aloo Peas Pulao

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice / Jeera Rice - 2 cup

Potato - 2 large (peeled, half boiled and cut to cube pieces)

Peas - 1 cup

Water - 4 cups

Green chillies- 2 nos (slit to half)

Turmeric - ½ tsp

red chilli powder - ½ tsp

Cardamom - 3 nos

Cloves - 5 nos

Cinnamon - 1 stick

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Ghee - 3 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Preparation:

- Heat ghee in a pan, crackle cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and cumin seeds.

- Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, slit green chillies and fry for a sec.

- Add the half cooked potato, peas, salt and saute for few minutes.

- Add the washed rice, cooked masala, water and pour it into an electric rice cooker or cook the rice for 20 minutes in a microwave oven. On cooking stove, cover the cooking pan and let simmer for 15-20 minutes on low flame.

- Serve hot with Raita or Curd Salad.

Note:

- Adjust spice adding more green chilies if desired.

- When cooking potato pulao on a cooking stove, please do not cook potatoes and peas earlier. They will get cooked with the rice on low flame.

Aloo Raita

Ingredients:

Potatoes - 3 nos (peeled, boiled and cut to 1 inch cube pieces)

Curd - 2 cup (beaten well)

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Pepper powder - ½ tsp (white or black)

Red chilli powder - ½ tsp

Salt - to taste

Oil - 1 tbsp (for tempering)

Preparation:

- Boil cut potatoes with salt and black pepper powder.

- In a bowl add the boiled cut potatoes, curd and mix well.

- Heat oil a kadai, splutter cumin seeds, pepper powder, red chilli powder and fry for a sec.

- Add the above mixture to the potato curd and mix well. Add salt to taste.

- Aloo Raita is ready to serve with Poori and Pulao.

Note:

- You can either use white or black pepper powder or black pepper corns.

- Adjust salt and spice as per taste.

- The best taste is serving this dish after refrigerating for at least half hour.