Vidamatte? Appo nee enne ingarne enge poga vidamatte?
Is there a keralite who does not know this dialogue, or the circumstances under which it was delivered? Mannichitrathazhu must be one of the Malayalam movies I have seen most number of times. I find it thrilling even today, and do try to watch the amazing ending every time the movie is on TV, which is atleast once a month. I remember the first time I saw it, my family was huddled around the TV and not anyone uttered a word. My mother, wise as ever, realized that it would be an impossible feat to get us to the dinner table. She brought our dinner, a delicious macaroni and raita, to the living room :) . And inspite of being spellbound by the movie, I was able to appreciate the delicious meal. I think it makes a great TV dinner, for when that much awaited program is on. And if someone tells you that you should have dinner at the dining table, set an example for the kids, blah blah blah, you know just how to react…( it works, seriously !!!)
Recipe:
Ingredients
1. 450 grms macaroni
2. 400 grms boneless chicken cubed
3. 300 grms button mushrooms sliced
4. 3 large onions
5. 1 large tomato
6. 1 tbsp ginger paste
7. 1 tbsp garlic garlic
8. 3 tbsps red chilli powder
9. 1 tbsp coriander powder
10. ½ tsp turmeric powder
11. 5 cardamom, 5 cloves, 1 inch cinnamon, 1 tbsp fennel seeds ground together
12. 2 tbsp pepper powder
13. 1 chicken stock cube
14. 2 tbsp soya sauce
15. 1 tbsp chilli sauce
16. 1 tbsp tomato sauce
17. 3 tbsp oil refined
18. Salt to taste
Method:
Cook macaroni according to package instructions till al dente and keep aside.
Heat a pan and dry roast chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and the ground spices till you get a strong smell of the roasted powders. Be careful not to burn the masala powders, or you will have to start fresh. If you do not roast the masala, the curry may have a slightly raw taste of the powders.
Grind the onions and tomato separately adding as little water as possible.
Heat oil in a pan large enough to hold the chicken and macaroni. Sauté the onion paste till it browns lightly. To this, add the ginger and garlic pastes and fry for a few minutes till the onion paste darkens. Reduce heat to minimum and add the roasted powders and mix well. Add the tomato paste, chicken, mushrooms, chicken stock and salt and stir it so that the chicken is coated well with the gravy. When the chicken is half cooked, add soya, chilli and tomato sauce. Let it simmer till the chicken is completely cooked. Remove the chicken pieces with a slotted spoon and tear them into shreds. Transfer the cooked macaroni and shredded chicken back to the pan along with the pepper powder and mix well. Heat for a few minutes and serve hot with a tomato and onion raita.
If you are using chicken with bones, increase the weight to around 650 grms. Once chicken is cooked, remove all bones, shred the chicken, and add it to the cooked macaroni.
A couple of weeks back, I was very busy with work and could not find time for my home chores. This left my husband and son frustrated (they should be able to appreciate the work I get done at home now), and both were particularly unhappy with the rather cold and oily noodles that we got from a nearby food joint. Finally I decided to give in to my husband’s pleas and groans, and pretending to be flattered by his remarks that I was a great cook, I cooked something that brought a satisfied smile to everyone’s face, but did not take too much of my time. It was the very simple Kerala style chicken fry. Chicken is marinated with a spice mix and deep fried in coconut oil infused with aromatic curry leaves. I would not recommend making chicken fry a part of your regular diet considering the amount of oil it consumes, but indulging once in a while should not be very harmful, alle?
Recipe:
Ingredients
500 grams chicken thighs/legs (or any fleshy piece of chicken)
2 ½ tbsps red chilli powder
1 tsp pepper powder
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tbsp vinegar
Salt to taste
A few curry leaves
1 cup coconut oil (or to deep fry)
Method:
Clean chicken pieces thoroughly and make slits on it so that the marinade is absorbed into the chicken.
Mix together the chili powder, pepper powder, turmeric powder, ginger garlic paste, vinegar and salt to form a thick paste. Rub the marinade thoroughly into the chicken pieces. Let it rest in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.
Heat oil in a wok. Add curry leaves and fry for a few seconds. Place the chicken pieces in the oil, and fry each side in medium heat till the meat is well done.
Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and garnish with lemon wedges.
Enjoy!
Imagine you have no prior cooking experience, but you have to assume duties as a cook for a large group of people. You see a variety of vegetables, coconut etc in your kitchen. What would you make? Well, Bhima, one of the Pandava brothers, chopped up the vegetables, boiled them together and topped the dish with grated coconut. And thus was born aviyal or avial which has a unique place in typical Kerala cuisine. No Sadhya is complete without this absolutely delicious and nutritious dish.
Another story is that the first avial was made when the heavens ran out of food during a feast. Lord Krishna came to the rescue, and as he wandered through the kitchens, he saw large amounts of leftover vegetables and curd. He asked the cooks to steam everything together and the ultimate product became the most sought after dish. How are we poor earthlings supposed to resist heaven’s favourite recipe?
Recipe:
Ingredients
1. ½ kg vegetables (A mixture of yam, raw banana, carrots, beans, drumstick, cucumber, potato or any other vegetables of your choice) diced
2. ½ tsp turmeric powder
3. 8 green chillies slit in half
4. 1 large onion diced
5. 1½ cup grated coconut
6. ¼ cup curd or 4-5 raw tomatoes or a raw mango or tamarind pulp
7. Salt to taste
8. ½ cup coconut oil
9. A few curry leaves
Method:
Pressure cook all the vegetables including the raw tomatoes or tamarind pulp, if that is what you are using as the souring agent.
You could grind the coconut coarsely, but I am going to add it as is to the cooked vegetables, and it tastes just as good. Add turmeric powder, salt and green chillies and mix well. Heat the avial for a couple of minutes more. If you are using curd, add it now. Finally add coconut oil and curry leaves and give it a good mix. If you do not like the flavor of coconut oil, you could add any other vegetable oil.
Happy Onam !!!
Today is Thiruvonam, the most important day of the carnival of Onam, celebrated by Keralites everywhere. I get to hear the Onam story every year, and I love the beautiful legend. It is believed that a wise, benevolent and judicious king called Mahabali ruled over Kerala. The state witnessed it's golden era during the reign of this great king and he was the beloved of all his subjects. However, the gods felt challenged and a plot was hatched to curtail his growing powers (Talk about politics!!!). Lord Vishnu transformed himself into a dwarf called Vamana and approached Mahabali while he was performing a yajna and asked for alms. Pleased with the dwarf brahmin's wisdom, Mahabali granted him a wish. The Vamana asked for a simple gift — three paces of land — and the king agreed to it. Vishnu in the guise of Vamana then increased his stature and with the first step covered the sky, blotting out the stars, and with the second, straddled the netherworld. Realising that Vamana's third step will destroy the earth, Mahabali offered his head as the last step. Vishnu's fatal third step pushed him to the netherworld, but before banishing him to the underworld Vishnu granted him a boon. Since he was attached to his kingdom and his people, he was allowed to return once a year from exile. Onam is the celebration that marks the homecoming of King Mahabali. It is the day when a grateful Kerala pays a glorious tribute to the memory of this benign king who gave his all for his subjects.
People dress up in their best and welcome Mahabali with Pookalam which are beautiful floral decorations laid on the ground. As the festival is traditionally a harvest festival linked to prosperity, people also spend a lot of time feasting, singing and dancing. What I love most about Onam is the lavish vegetarian meal or sadhya eaten on a banana leaf.
I prepared some traditional dishes to welcome Mahabali and I was most eager to make cheru payar payasam which is a sweet made of green gram dhal or moong dal.
Recipe:
Ingredients
1. cup or 200 green gram dhal
2. cup thick coconut milk from 1 grated coconut
3. cups second coconut milk from the same grated coconut
4. 250 grams jaggery
5. 1 ½ tbsp sago
6. 5 tbsps ghee or clarified butter
7. ½ tsp cardamom powder
8. ½ tsp cumin seed powder
9. ½ cup coconut – thin slices
10. ½ cup raisins
11. A few cashew nuts
12. Water, as required
Method:
Cook the sago in a cup of water, drain and keep aside.
Fry the coconut slices, raisins and cashew nuts in two tbsps of ghee and keep aside
Melt the jaggery in a quarter cup of water.
Roast the green gram dhal in a pressure cooker. Once the dhal is roasted properly, wash it and pressure cook it in as little water as possible. Make sure that all the water is absorbed.
Add the melted jaggery to the cooked dhal and mix well. Stir in the second coconut milk, cooked sago and remaining ghee and boil till the payasam thickens. Add the cardamom and cumin seed powders to the thick coconut milk and add to the payasam. Finally add the raisins, cashew nuts and coconut slices to the payasam. Do not boil the payasam after adding the thick coconut milk or the payasam will curdle.
Welcome to my blog where I will write about anything that interests me, which is almost always - FOOD !!! I have always enjoyed good food, but it was not until I started off a family that I tried a hand at cooking. I did not have a choice but to cook, and I was surprised to discover that it was quite a pleasurable affair. :) I think I have inherited the "cook gene" from my father, who completely enjoys the time he spends in the kitchen, chopping, stirring, frying...While he is a perfectionist, keeping a watchful eye on the clock while that egg boils away, my mother, also a great cook, goes more by instinct. And as always, just when I wondering how I was going to feed my eternally hungry husband and picky eater son, my parents came to my rescue. They send me delicious recipes, share cooking tips, and forever suggest variations to improve my dishes. And I want to share all of this with you, so keep aside your pack of instant noodles and get set to pleasantly surprise your family and friends. Enjoy !!!
