Muruinga thakali Curry (Drumstick and tomato curry)

Ingredients:
Drum Stick - 2 nos
Tomato - 2 nos
Chilli powder -½ tsp
Turmeric powder -¼ tsp
Grated Coconut - ½ cup
Cumin seeds (Jeerakam) - 1tsp
Salt - to taste
Water - 1 cup
Oil -1 tbs
Curry leaves- few

Method:

Cut and wash the drumstick and tomatoes into pieces. Pressure cook  Drumstick, Tomato and curry leaves with turmeric powder, red chilly powder, salt and water. Two whistles on high flame will do.

Grind Coconut and jeera into a fine paste. Add this paste to the cooked vegetables and mix well. When it starts boil, remove the cooker from fire. Finally splutter mustard seeds and add to the curry.

 Muringayum thakalium ( Drum stick and Tomato) is a tasty curry with rice.......:)

Recipe Courtesy: Mrs.Prassana Sugathan (Amma)

Mathi masala curry (Sardine Masala Curry)

Ingredients:

Fish - Mathi/ sardine - 5
Big onion - 1 
Tomato -1
curry leaves - few
Ginger- 1 " piece
Garlic- 5 pods

Tamarind (English) / Puli (tamil) / Puli / Valan Puli (malayalam) / Chinthapandu (telugu) / Hunase Hannu / Huli (kannada) / Imli (hindi) / Tentool / Tetul (Bengali) / Amli (Gujarati) / Chinchamb / Amptan (Konkani) / Chincha (Marathi) / Tentuli / Dalima (Oriya) / Imli (Punjabi) / Tamber /  Tambari (Kashmiri) / 

for more details, click the name of the ingredien

Green chilly -1
Tamarind (Valan Puli) - 2 pieces
Masala powder - 3 tsp
Coconut milk - 1/2 cup
Coconut oil - 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste

Method:

Wash and clean the sardine with salt and remove the water. Make (small gashes) Slanting lines on sardines with a knife and keep aside.

Heat oil in pan. An earthen pot or mannchatti is the best to cook fish. Saute sliced onions,curry leaves,and slit green chillies.  Add crushed ginger - garlic and saute again. once done add tomatoes and saute again.

 When they turn light brown, add the masala powder. Saute for few seconds taking care not to burn the masala.

Soak tamarind  in water. Take tamarind pulp by mashing  tamarind in water with hand and  drain the water and pulp with help of big net strainer.  Add this to the pan.Add enough water for the gravy,salt and bring it to a boil. Add the fish pieces and cook again.Cover and cook over a medium heat ,until fish is cooked and gravy is thick.

Once the fish is cooked add coconut milk and give a boil. Swirl the pan or pot to mix the gravy with pieces. For any fish curry, it is better to avoid using a spoon to mix after the fish pieces are added. Fish pieces tend to break with the use of spoon.

Mathi (sardine) masala curry is ready to have with tapioca or Rice.....:)

Recipe Courtesy: Mrs.Prassana Sugathan (Amma)

Butter (Making butter at home)

Ingredients:

Milk  

Method:
After the boiled milk  cools down, the cream get accumulated on the top of the milk. collect them with a spoon and store it a container. If the milk is refrigerated  we can get thick layer of cream .

In a bottle or container add one spoon of curd. Then Collect cream daily to this bottle. (For about 20 days or till your container is full). keep  the bottle refrigerated. You can use cream from both curd and milk.

Wait till  your bottle / container is full...Keep the filled bottle outside the fridge for two days before making butter.

Transfer the collected cream from the bottle to the mixer jar. Pour 1/2 to 1 cup of chilled water also. Use whip option or swirl 2-3 times. Once the froth completely turns to a collective buttery mass stop.

Open and check you can see the butter accumulated. Transfer the butter to a vessel. The buttermilk reserved at the bottom can be disposed.

Wash the butter 2 -3 times in water until water is clear by pressing with a spoon. Allow the butter to float in water for 5mins. 

Your homemade butter is ready for use.......... :) Collect it in a clean container and refrigerate it by pouring water also in the vessaL....:)

Recipe Courtesy: Mrs.Prassana Sugathan (Amma)

Mixed vegetable Pickle

Ingredients:

Beetroot - 1
carrot -1
Green chillies- 2
Dates - 15
Raisins - 15
Ginger- 1/2 "piece
Garlic - 10 flakes
Split mustard seeds - 1 tbsp
salt- to taste
sugar - 1 tsp
Vinegar- 1/2 cup
Red chilly Powder - 2 tbsp

Method:

Cracked mustard Seeds/ Split mustard seeds are easily available in markets. It can also be made at home using mortal and pestle. Or give a swirl in a mixer . Use  yellow seeds only by removing the skin of the mustard.

Cut carrot beetroot,Ginger,Garlic and Dates lengthwise. Chop only 10 dates. Rest have to be grinded in vinegar. Chop green chillies also. In a bowl mix all these vegetables and dry fruits. Add split mustard seeds and red chilly powder to this.Toss well.

Grind 5 dates (from 15 dates) in vinegar(taken from 1/2 cup ). Add this to the bowl and mix with vegetables.

Add sugar and salt. Mix well. If its too thick and some more vinegar. 

Mixed vegetable pickle ready........:) Bottle the pickle. Start using the pickle after three days...:)

Recipe Courtesy: Mrs.Prassana Sugathan (Amma)

Mint Chutney Sandwich

Ingredients:

 Bread slices (white / brown) - 1 loaf
Butter - 2 tsp for each slice.
Mint chutney - 2 tsp for each slice
Tomato- 1 small for one slice.

For Mint chutney: 
Coconut - 1/2 cup
Mint leaves - 1/4 cup
Ginger - a small piece
Green chillies -2-3
Salt - to taste

Method:

First grind Coconut, ginger, green chillies and salt together adding very less water.Add mint leaves and grind again. Mint chutney can be removed from mixer and kept aside.

Arrange bread slices on a flat chopping board and slightly cut the edges. Spread butter and green chutney on all bread slices. Cut tomato in thin round slices. Arrange the tomato slices on bread slices .Cover  sandwiches with butter- chutney  bread slices. Press slightly with hand and cut diagonally. 

 Yummmy mint chutney sandwich ready........:).....my favorite:)))

Recipe Courtesy: Mrs.Prassana Sugathan (Amma)

Pazham Nirachathu

Ingredients :
Plantain (Nenthrapazham ) : 3-4
Grated Coconut : 1/2 cup
Broken Cashewnuts and raisins : 1/2 cup
Sugar : 1/2 cup or more as per taste
Ghee : 3-4 tbsp
All purpose flour/Maida-5 tbsp
Water : as required
Oil : for deep frying

Method:

Heat ghee in a pan and stir fry cashews and raisins.keep aside .Add grated coconut and sugar in the same pan,saute well for 2-3 minutes.Add cardmom powder and mix well.Switch off the stove and let them cool.

      Remove the cover and cut both the ends of banana. From atleast 1 inch of one end make a slit in the plantain lengthwise. i.e the end parts remain intact and wont open.With the end of a spoon, carefully scrape the black seeds inside. Make all bananas like this.

Press and Stuff the filling into these slits using hands. 

 Mix together maida and salt.Add water to this and make a thick batter out of it.Cover the slits using these paste. This is to restrain the stuffing to come out while frying.

Heat oil in a pan.Carefully place the bananas into oil and with a spoon push and pour oil onto the bananas. Flip  and fry them till they turn golden brown.When done remove from oil.

 Pazham nirachathu ready.....cut into pieces and serve with hot tea....:)

Recipe Courtesy: Mrs.Prassana Sugathan (Amma)

Grape Squash

Ingredients:
Black Grapes - 1 kg
Sugar - 1 kg
Water - 1 liter
Tonovin (Grape essence) - 2 tsp

Optional:
Sodium Benzoate - 1 tsp
Citric acid - 2 tsp

Method:
Choose well ripen black grapes itself. Otherwise we will not get the color. Remove stems and wash them thoroughly. 
Take the grapes in a large vessel and add one cup of water (from the 1  ltr water) to it and boil it until the fruits get cooked. While its boiling, keep crushing the grapes with a masher until it is thoroughly juicy. Allow this to be in room temperature. Strain the extract and collect the juice. While extracting the juice use water from one liter water itself. 

Take the sugar, citric acid and water (from one liter water) in a pan and heat it until the sugar dissolves and it bubbles up. Allow this sugar syrup to come to room temperature. Strain the sugar syrup and keep aside. 

 Mix up the  grape extract and the sugar syrup. If needed strain and pour the grape extract. Now add the Tonovin essence to it and mix well. Take a tsp of warm water and dissolve the Sodium Benzoate(preservative) in it. Add it to the squash and mix it up. Sodium benzoate and citric acid is optional if you are using fast you need not add these. Now pour the squash into a sterilized bottle and store in refrigerator.

 With this measurement we will get 2 liters of Squash.To serve, fill 1/3 of serving glass with the grape squash and remaining by water. Mix up well and serve chill topped with ice cubes.......... :)

Recipe Courtesy: Mrs.Prassana Sugathan (Amma)

Kunji Kalathappam

Ingredients:
Boiled rice  -  1 cup 
Sugar    - to taste 
Coconut Milk   - 1/2 cup
Broken Cashew Nuts - 1 tsp 
Raisins- 1 tsp
Salt - a pinch 
Coconut Oil / Refined oil - for deep frying.

Method:

Wash and soak the rice in water for two hours. Grind the soaked rice in a thick consistency. Add nuts, raisins, coconut milk, sugar, cardamon powder and salt to the batter and mix well. keep this batter for 3 hrs.The batter should not be watery and should be Smooth without grains.

Heat oil in a kadai in medium flame. Pour a ladle full of batter into the hot oil. We Should not turn the appam upside down to cook. To cook the top part, with the help of a spoon, pour the hot oil from the kadai onto the top of the appam until it is cooked. The appam should be white in colour with a light brown bottom. When done remove from oil to an absorbent paper.

Kunji kalthappam ready....:)

Recipe Courtesy: Mrs.Prassana Sugathan (Amma)

Kalthappam

Ingredients:
Kaima (biriyani Rice) / Raw rice - 1cup
Jaggery/sarkara  - 200 gms
Cooked rice - 1/4cup 
Shallots - 6
Coconut slices/Theghakothu -1/4 cup
 Coconut oil/ Refined oil - 4 tbsp
Baking soda ( Appakaram) - a pinch 
Cardamon Powder- 1/2 tsp
Salt - a pinch

Method:

Wash and soak rice for 2-3 hrs. Grind it along with cooked rice and 1/4 cup of water . Add cardamon powder,salt and baking soda and Keep it aside.

Melt the jaggery with 1/2 cup of water. Strain and add this to rice batter. Melted jaggery should be very hot while adding to the batter. Immediately mix fast. otherwise the chances forming rice lumps is more. Keep this batter aside for 1 hr.

Take a small pressure cooker for this measurement. Chop Shallots and coconuts into pieces.  In the pressure cooker add 3 tbsp of oil and saute the coconut slices till it become golden brown. Do the same with shallot also. Set aside some of the fried coconut pieces and shallots to garnish on top 

There is enough oil left in the pressure cooker now and swirl the cooker to give a coating of oil on its sides. Keep this burner in sim. Now in another burner heat the set aside batter warm by continuously stirring in low flame. Be very careful that the lumps are formed due to over heating. When the batter is warm pour into cooker. Add the remaining  fried shallot and coconut slices on top of it. Close the pressure cooker tightly without the weight/whistle. Reduce the heat to low.Heat should be extremely low otherwise the chances of getting base burnt is more. Cook for  15 minutes. Check if its cooked by opening the cooker and inserting a fork.if its not cooked keep on low flame for some more time. Switch off the stove. Remove the cooker from the burner and keep unopened for 15 minutes.When it is a bit cool, open and run a blunt knife along the edges to loosen the appam and remove from the cooker. The bottom would be dark brown with the onions and coconuts on top. 

Kalthappam ready.... cut  into pieces and serve with hot tea....:)

Recipe Courtesy: Mrs.Nirmala Jayakrishnan,Calicut (Ammayi)

Vellakareppam (Kannur Appam)

Ingredients:

Boiled rice - 1 cup
Maida - 1/4 cup
Sugar - to taste
Raisins - 1 tsp
Broken cashew nuts- 1 tsp
Cardamon powder - 1/2 tsp
salt-1 pinch
oil- for deep frying

Method:

Wash and soak rice for 2 hours. Drain the water and grind it to a smooth Paste.

Mix maida, sugar, nuts, raisins and cardamon powder with the batter. Mix well. The consistency of the batter should  be like idli batter. keep this batter overnight. 

Heat a Kara appa chetti or Paniyaram pan. Pour oil to 3/4 of each hole.  When the oil  becomes hot, reduce the flame to medium heat and fill the holes with the batter. Fill only up to 3/4 th of the hole. When its getting cooked, flip it over to the other side with a spoon or a skewer. Let the other side get cooked uncovered . Once cooked, remove and drain on a paper. Repeat the same Process for the rest of the batter.We should not make appam brown. Appam should be in white  color with edges light brown.

Super duper vella kareppam ready. With this measurement I could make 28 appams of this size.....:)

Recipe Courtesy: Mrs.Prassana Sugathan (Amma)

20 minutes Paalpayasam

Ingredients:

Unakkalari ( broken brown rice) - 1/4 Cup
Milk- 1/2 Liter
Sugar- to taste
Cardamom Powder - 1/2 tsp

Method:

Unakkalari:

 In a big pressure cooker add half liter of milk and  cleaned rice together.

 Keep cooker on high flame and when the steam starts coming out of the nozzle put weight. After the first whistle simmer the flame.

 Exactly after 20 minutes. (Twenty minutes includes the time time the cooker is kept on flame to the time the flame is switched off). switch off the flame. when the pressure get released open the cooker and add sugar and cardamon powder.

 Paal Payasam ready...:)

Recipe Courtesy: Mrs.Suchetha Jayesh,Calicut.