Tomato, Lettuce and Grapes

I have been away from this blog since a long time, partly because of laziness and partly because of different events in life.

Christmas is fast approaching and it is that time of the year, when we all want to put on our best and do our best. The current financial crisis affecting each one of us in one way or the other, splashing out on entertainment expenditure is a thing which we want to put off. Get the whole family involved in cooking the Christmas dinner, and we can have the best entertainment in our life time. The closeness, each one of us get helping out are those moments we cherish in life.

Today I am starting this section with a simple salad.

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 a Iceberg lettuce
2. 2 cubed tomatoes
3. 6 to 7 seedless green grapes
4. 4 tblsp. sprouted mung beans
5. 3 tblsp. balsamic vinegar
6. 1 tsp. black pepper powder
7. Salt as required
8. 2 tblsp. honey

Method:

* Tear the lettuce into pieces and put it in a container. Add water to it and leave it in the fridge for 10-20 minutes.
* Add the ingredients from 5 to 7 to the ingredients from 2 to 4. Toss and mix all these properly.
* Take out the lettuce from the fridge, drain water and then mix it to the above ingredients.
* Spread this out in a dish and sprinkle honey on top.
Source: Vanitha: Dec 15-31, 2007.

Happy Onam

Wishing each one of my blog readers a "Happy Onam 2008".

Lemon Curry

Lemon curry plays a very important role when serving the onam lunch. The lemon used here is vadukkapuli lemon. I do not know the translation of this particular lemon. If it is me, who is cooking I would use any lemon available to me in that particular place.

Ingredients:

1. 1 kg lemon
2. lemon sized tamarind
3. 2 tsp. turmeric powder
4. 100 gms chilli powder
5. salt as required
6. mustard
7. curry leaves
8. dried red chillies
9. 2-3 tsp. fried and ground fenugreek seeds (methi/uluva)

Method:

• Cut the lemon into small pieces.
• Take the juice out of the tamarind and put it in a heavy bottomed vessel and cook.
• Add 8 glasses of water.
• Add turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt. When it starts boiling set the flame to low.
• When the water has evaporated to almost 4 glasses and the tamarind and chilli has cooked, add the cut lemon pieces and mix. It should not cook for more than a minute. Take it off the stove.
• Splutter the mustard seeds, dry chillies and curry leaves in a little coconut oil. When it cools down a bit add the powdered fenugreek and mix it with the lemon curry.
• This curry has shelf life of 2 weeks, so can be prepared before onam.

Source: Vanitha magazine, April 1-14, 2006.

Cooker Pal Payasam (Rice Pudding)

Ingredients:

1. 6 cups milk
2. 1 cup sugar
3. 1/4 cup rice

Method:

• Put all the ingredients into the cooker and cook until the cooker gives out one whistle.
• Lower the fire and cook for half an hour more.
• Switch off the stove and leave the payasam in the cooker without opening for another half hour. Serve. You may garnish with fried nuts and grapes.
• Never fill the cooker more than half at any time as this will make it overflow.

Source: Vanitha Magazine 1-14, 2007

Vegetable Mallipirlan

Ingredients:

1. 600 gms boiled vegetables (Carrot, beans, cauliflower etc.)
2. 20 ml. oil
3. 3 green chillies sliced
4. 5 gms garlic sliced
5. 5 gms ginger sliced
6. 100 gms onions sliced thin
7. 2 sprigs curry leaves
8. 15 gms coriander powder
9. 15 gms chilli powder
10. 5 gms turmeric powder
11. salt as required
12. 60 ml. thick coconut milk
13. 10 ml. coconut oil
14. 3 gms mustard
15. 2 dry red chillies
16. 1 sprig curry leaf
17. 5 gms coriander leaf

Method:

• Sauté in hot oil items listed from 3 to 7.
• Add the items listed from 8 to 10 and mix for some time.
• Add the cooked vegetables and sauté for some more time. Add salt and water as per requirement and let it boil.
• Add the coconut milk and when it thicken take it off the heat.
• Splutter mustard seeds, dry red chillies and curry leaves in coconut oil and pour it on the curry. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Source: Vanitha Magazine August 15-31, 2007

Malabar kootocurry

Ingredients:-

1. 100 gms chickpeas (Kadala/channa)
2. 300 gms yam (chenna/suran)
3. 300 gms plantains (athaka/kela)
4. 7 green chillies (pacha mulag)
5. 20 gms ginger
6. 2 grated coconuts
7. 20 gms cumin seeds
8. 2 tsp. turmeric powder
9. salt as required
10. 50 ml. coconut oil
11. 10 gms mustard seeds
12. 50 gms coconut sliced
13. 5 dried red chillies
14. 2 sprigs of curry leaves

Method:

• The chickpeas should be soaked overnight and then cooked.
• Peel and cut the plantain and yam into small pieces.
• Slice the ginger and green chillies into small pieces and cook it along with plantains and yam by adding enough water.
• Mix this with the chickpeas.
• Grind coarsely items listed at 6,7 and 8. Mix this with the cooked vegetables and cook a little more and remove from fire.
• Sauté mustard, coconut slices, dry red chillies and curry leaves in hot coconut oil and pour over the cooked curry.
• Serve it with rice.

Source: Vanitha magazine August 15-31, 2007

Puli Inji (Tamarind Ginger curry)

Puli Inji is one of the items served in Onam. The main ingredient in this dish is ginger. Ginger is a medicinal herb and is used in many curries in India. Puli inji has a sweet and sour taste. Here is another translated recipe from vanitha.
Ingredients:-

1. 100 gms ginger
2. 5 green chillies
3. 250 gms tamarind
4. 40 gms chilli powder
5. 10 gms turmeric powder
6. 1 pinch asofoetida (hing/kayam)
7. 1 piece jaggery grated (gud/sharkara) adjust according to the taste required
8. salt as required
9. 10 ml. coconut oil
10. 1 sprig curry leaves
11. 1/4 tsp. fenugreek powder (methi/uluva)

Method:-

• Cut ginger and green chillies into very small pieces. (Please peel the ginger first) and fry this in 5 ml. coconut oil until light red in colour. Use a heavy bottomed vessel or it may get burnt.
• Add one litre water to the tamarind and take out the juice from it. Sieve the juice and add it to the fried ginger and green chillies and boil.
• Add all the items from 4 to 8 above and boil it until the mixture thickens. Remove from the top of the stove.
• Sauté the curry leaves in the rest of the coconut oil and pour over the puli inji curry. Add the asofoetida powder to this, mix and serve it with rice.

Source: Vanitha magazine August 15-31, 2007

Varuthaaracha Sambar

The main items for onam are usually the same everywhere. The dishes are sambar, aviyal, kuttu curry, olan, kalan and so on. But this is made differently in different places. Today I am putting here sambar made Trichur style.

Ingredients:
1. 6 dried red chillies
2. 2 tblsp. coriander
3. 1 tblsp. split chickpeas (channa dal/kadala parippu)
4. 1/4 tsp. fenugreek seeds (methi/uluva)
5. 1 tsp. coconut oil
6. 1 cup grated coconut
7. 1 tsp. mustard seeds
8. 1/4 tsp. fenugreek seeds
9. 1 pinch asafoetida (hing/ kayam)
10. 1 tsp. ghee
11. 1 gooseberry sized tamarind
12. 1 cup tuver dal (pigeon peas/tuvera parippu)
13. 1 tsp. turmeric powder
14. salt as required
15. 2 drum sticks
16. 4 lady's finger
17. 1/2 cup pumkin pieces
18. 1 potato
19. 4 colocasia (kannan chembu)
20. 1 carrot
21. 2 green chillies slit from the middle
22. coriander leaves as required

Method:

• Cook the tuver dal and turmeric. It should not overcook.
• Cook the cut vegetables, turmeric powder, tamarind and salt. The vegetables should not get mashed. So cook accordingly.
• Roast the ingredients given under items 1 to 6 in coconut oil to a red colour. When it is cold, grind these to a paste.
• Now assemble the cooked tuver dal, vegetables and ground paste and boil . Water may be added if necessary.
• Fry the seasoning of mustard, fenugreek seeds and asafoetida in ghee and pour over the sambar. Switch off the stove and garnish with coriander leaves.

Source: Vanitha Magazine, September 1-14, 2005

Charuparippu curry

Ingredients:

1. 100 gms Mung dal (charupayar parippu)
2. 1/2 a grated coconut
3. 5 gms cumin seeds
4. 2 tsp. coconut oil
5. 1 sprig of curry leaves
6. salt as required

Method:

• Grind the coconut and cumin together in a mixie.
• In a heavy bottomed vessel heat the mung dal and keep it aside.
• In the same vessel add half a litre boiling water and add the washed dal.
• When the dal is cooked and mashed add the coconut masala and let it boil.
• Add the required salt, curry leaves and coconut oil.
• Serve it hot.

Source: Vanitha Magazine August 15-31, 2007

Pineapple Khichdi

With onam fast approaching I thought of translating some of the onam recipes from the past issues of vanitha for those of you who do not have access to vanitha magazine or those who cannot read malayalam. Here is the recipe for pineapple khichdi.

Ingredients:

1. 100gms pineapple
2. 2 green chillies
3. 1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
4. salt as required
5. 1/2 a coconut
6. 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
7. 1/4 litre yogurt
8. 1 tsp. sugar

Method:

• Cut the pineapple into small pieces.
• Boil the pineapple along with green chillies, turmeric powder, salt and little water. When the water has evaporated, remove it from fire.
• Grind the coconut and cumin into a fine paste and mix it with the yogurt and cooked pineapple.
• Splutter mustard seeds, 2 dried red chillies and a few curry leaves in coconut oil, and season the khichdi with it. Adjust salt according to your taste.
• Lastly add one tsp. sugar.

Source: Vanitha magazine, Sept 1-14, 2006

Leek Soup

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup onion cut into small pieces
2. 2 cups small pieces of leek
3. 1 tblsp. butter
4. 2 cups water
5. salt as per taste
6. 1/2 tsp. powdered black pepper
7. 1 cup milk

Method:

• Heat butter in a heavy bottomed vessel and saute the onions and leeks.
• Add water and salt to this and let it cook for five minutes and then take it off the flame.
• After it cools down, blend it in a blender.
• Heat this mixture after sieving it.
• Add milk and powdered black pepper to the soup and serve it hot.

Source: Vanitha Magazine, October 2007

Mushroom Korma

Ingredients:

1. 250 gms. mushrooms
2. 1 tomato
3. 1 cup thick coconut milk
4. 6 cloves of garlic
5. 1 piece ginger
6. 1/4 cup onions
7. 5 green chillies
8. 1 tsp. garam masala
9. 2 tsp. coriander powder
10. 1/2 tsp. chilli powder
11. 1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
12. 2 tblsp. oil
13. 2 sprigs of coriander leaves
14. 1/4 tsp. mustard seeds
15. 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
16. salt to taste.

Method:

• Heat oil in a pan. Put in the mustard seeds and as soon as it splutters add sliced onions.
• Now add sliced ginger, green chillies, garlic and tomatoes and saute.
• Add all the spice powders from 8 to 11 with a little water and mix.
• When water has evaporated add the mushroom pieces and salt. Cover and cook on slow fire.
• After it has cooked add the coconut milk and when it starts boiling add the coriander leaves and lemon juice. Switch off the stove.
• Serve with rice.

Source: Vanitha Magazine, August 1-14, 2006.

Chicken Vindaloo (Easter Cooking)

Ingredients:

1. 1 kg. small chicken pieces
2. 2 tomatoes
3. 3 onions
4. 1 garlic
5. 1 big piece ginger
6. 1 tsp. powdered mustard
7. 1 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
8. 1 1/2 tsp. cumin powder
9. 3 tsp. vinegar
10. 5 cloves
11. 1 inch cinnamon
12. 1 tsp. fennel seeds
13. 2 cardamoms
14. 1/4 cup oil
15. salt to taste

Method:

• Cut the tomatoes into small pieces.
• Slice 2 onions very thin and keep it aside.
• Grind the other onion and all items from 4 to 13 to a fine paste.
• Marinate the chicken pieces with this paste for 3 hours.
• In a heavy bottomed vessel heat oil and saute the sliced onions.
• Now add the marinated chicken pieces and 1/4 cup boiling water. Cover and cook. Mix the contents in between cooking time.
• After the chicken is cooked properly and the masala covers the chicken well, add a pinch of sugar. Mix and take it off the heat.
• Put the chicken vindaloo in a slightly flat dish and garnish with small grated carrots.

Source: Vanitha Magazine April 15-30, 2006

Hyderabadi Mutton

Ingredients:

1. 1 kg. small mutton pieces
2. 100 gms. coconut oil
3. 3 onions
4. 50 gms ginger
5. 10 green chillies
6. 50 gms cashew nuts
7. 2 tsp. chilli powder
8. 1 tsp. coriander powder
9. 1 tsp. turmeric powder
10. 100 gms. garlic
11. 3 tomatoes
12. 50 gms coriander leaves
13. 2 sprigs curry leaves
14. salt, garam masala as per requirement

Method:

• Wash the mutton pieces thoroughly and keep it in a colander to drain.
• When oil is heated put in the onion slices and saute it to light brown colour. Now add ground ginger and garlic.
• Add cashew nut paste and mix thoroughly.
• Add the mutton pieces and mix. After this one should add the chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric, tomatoes, curry leaves and salt.
• When it is nearly done add one tsp. garam masala.
• Add sauteed green chillies and coriander leaves.

Source: Grihalaxshmi Magazine October 2007

Chicken Mughlai

Ingredients:

1. 1 chicken
2. 12 dried red chillies
3. 1 1/2 inch ginger
4. 1 tsp. garlic
5. 1 inch turmeric
6. 2 cups sliced onion
7. 4 dsp. oil or ghee
8. 1 1/2 cup 3/4 inch cubed potatoes
9. 1/2 cup almonds/cashew nuts
10. 1 cup plain yogurt
11. salt as per requirement
12. a few springs of curry leaves

Method:

• Cut and wash chicken pieces. Drain the water.
• Grind ginger, chillies, turmeric and garlic into a paste.
• Powder the almonds/cashew nuts and keep it aside.
• Mix the ground paste (except the dry fruit mixture) with yogurt and salt.
• Marinate the chicken pieces in it for an hour.
• Fry the onions in ghee. Add the marinated chicken to it.
• Now add the powdered cashew nut/almond mixed with 2 cup water.
• When this starts boiling , cover it and cook on low flame.
• Boil potatoes and fry them.
• When chicken is cooked add these potatoes along with some curry leaves.
• Serve hot.

Source: Vanitha Magazine

Chicken Mapaas

Ingredients:

1. 14 pieces of chicken medium pieces
2. 4 cups of coconut milk
3. 2 potatoes
4. 250 gms sliced onions
5. 25 gms cut green chillies
6. 5 gms ginger sliced
7. 1 tsp. ginger and garlic sliced
8. 100 gms coconut oil
9. 1 tsp. chilli powder
10. 1 1/2 tsp. coriander powder
11. 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
12. 2 pinches of garam masala powder
13. Few slices of shallots
14. Few curry leaves
15. salt as per taste
16. 1 tblsp. vinegar

Method:

• Heat oil and saute onions, ginger, green chillies and curry leaves until golden colour.
• Put in and saute garlic-ginger paste, chilli powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder.
• Add a little of the coconut milk and water and put in the chicken pieces and cubed potatoes to cook.
• After the chicken has cooked add vinear, salt and garam masala.
• Lastly add rest of the coconut milk and sauted shallots.

Source: Vanitha Magazine

Chettinad Pepper Chicken

Ingredients:

1. Chicken pieces - 1/2 kg
2. Ginger - 1/4 inch
3. Garlic - 8 cloves
4. Black pepper - 4 tsp.
5. Grated Coconut - 1/2 (or 1 side)
6. Oil/vanaspati - 50 gms.
7. Trurmeric powder - 1/4 tsp.
8. Cinnamon - 1/2 inch piece
9. Cloves - 3
10. Water - 1 cup
11. salt as per taste
12. Ghee - 2 tblsp.

Method:

• Grind together ginger, garlic, black pepper and coconut.
• Heat the oil and roast cinnamon and cloves.
• Put in the chicken pieces and the ground masala and saute.
• Add 1 cup water and let it cook for 15 minutes.
• In a heavy bottomed pan add the ghee and when it is hot put in the cooked chicken pieces and fry till crispy.

Source: Vanitha Magazine

Goan fish curry

Ingredients:

1. Fish pieces - 8 pieces
2. Dried red chillies without seeds - 1/2 cup
3. Onions - 1/4 cup
4. Cumin - 1/4 tsp.
5. Ginger - 1 inch
6. Garlic - 1
7. Turmeric - 1/2 tsp.
8. Fried coconut - 3 tblsp.
9. Vinegar, salt - as per taste
10. Tamarind (Vallan Pulli) - 1 full tsp.
11. Coconut milk - 3/4 cup

Method:

• Grind ginger and garlic together. Grind onion separately.
• Grind red chillies, cumin, tamarind and turmeric powder together.
• Grind the fried coconut to paste.
• Heat oil and saute onions until brown then add the ginger garlic paste and further saute it until brown.
• Now add the chilli, cumin paste and saute.
• Add the fish pieces , salt and vinegar. Cover and cook.
• When fish pieces are half done, add the coconut paste with a little water.
• Before lifting off the fire add the coconut milk and let it cook until the gravy is thick enough for your choice.

Source: Vanitha Magazine

My passion

Jotting down recipes was a passion since my childhood days. I used to watch my mother collect recipes from books and telling us that she will give us these recipes when we are married of. Anyway, she forgot all about it but I started following her footsteps. I started buying recipe books. Going to the library became a routine. I used to go and search for cooking books and look at all the wonderful colours food can offer us.

The only hurdle for me during my childhood days in reading these recipes was that they were all in malayalam. Being brought up outside kerala, malayalam was not my strong point. This hurdle fell off to some extent when my grandpa started teaching me malayalam alphabets whenever I went to kerala to visit him. Gradually, I started joining the letters together and started reading.

Everytime I go back to India, my mother keeps all the vanitha magazines for me to take the recipe section back to South Africa. While going through these sections, I thought of those people like my daughter who does not know to read malayalam but would like to try these recipes. So, here comes the motivation for my blog. I tried to contact malaya manorama for permission but did not get any reply. All the recipes in this blog are the recipes from different issues of vanitha magazines. I hope this blog would help those who have a passion for cooking.