KERALA CHICKEN STEW

Ingredients

0,5  kg chicken pieces, washed
1 potato, peeled and cubed
1/4 tsp ginger paste
1/2  tbsp ghee
2 cloves garlic, sliced
3 green chillis, partially slit
2-3 cloves
2  onions, finely sliced
3/4 cups thin coconut milk
1/2 cinnamon
1 cardamom
4 pepper corns
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper pwd
1/8 tsp turmeric pwd (optional)
pinch fennel pwd (optional)
1/4 tsp garam masala pwd
1/4 cup thick coconut milk
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
8 curry leaves
3/4  tbsp oil
salt to taste


Method 

Heat oil and ghee , add few curry leaves, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, pepper corns and saute for few secs.
Add garlic slices and saute for for few secs. Add ginger paste and saute for few secs. Add the green chillis and sliced onions and fry for 5 mts.
 Add turmeric pwd and mix. Add the chicken  and cook over medium heat for 8 - 10 mts.
 Add the thin coconut milk and salt and combine. Cook without lid for 5 mts. Add garam masala pwd, fennel pwd and potato cubes and place lid. Simmer till the chicken and potatoes turn tender and the gravy thickens. Turn off heat. Add the thick coconut milk, few fresh curry leaves, lemon juice and pepper pwd and mix .
Serve with appam, rice or roti

SPICED BUTTERMILK - NEER MOR

Ingredients

2 cup -Thick curd/ plain yogurt
2 tblsp Chopped ginger
4 Green chilli
7- 8 cups  Water (Adjust the quantity depending upon your curd's thickness and sourness)
2 spring Chopped curry leaves
2 tblsp Chopped coriander
 pinch of Asafoetida
1 Lemon(optional)

To temper

Pinch of  asafoetida
2 spring Curry leaves
2 tsp Oil
2 tsp Mustard


Method

Chop ginger, green chilly, coriander and curry leaves very finely and  you can also try grinding the chilly, ginger and few curry leaves to add it in the buttermilk.
In a deep  bowl, place the thick curd.
Beat the curd  and add all the other items including salt. Make sure you beat/ whisk the buttermilk well coz, the frothy top adds a lot of flavor
Add water and mix well. If If the buttermilk is not that sour and you need to make a lot, then you can squeeze lemon
Temper the items given under ‘To temper’ table and mix it to the buttermilk.
Add a pinch of asafoetida raw and rest while tempering, both together gives a great flavour. Keep refrigerated to have it chill, when ever needed.

COCONUT CHANA DAL STIR-FRY

Ingredients

2 onion, finely chopped
4 green chillis
2 small cup chana dal
6 tbsps grated fresh coconut
2 carrot or few beans – optional
1 tbsp oil


For seasoning/popu/tadka

10 garlic cloves, crushed
4 dry red chillis, tear and de-seed
2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp split gram dal
10 garlic cloves, crushed
few fresh curry leaves

Method

 Cook the dal till it turns soft but not mushy.
 Boil the beans or carrots and keep aside.
 Heat oil  add the mustard seeds and let them splutter, followed by the urad dal and cumin seeds, let the dal and cumin change color. Add the curry leaves, dry red chillis, garlic and stir fry for a few seconds.
Add the green chillis and chopped onons and saute till the onions turn transparent. add the carrots or beans and stir fry for 4 mts. If not using vegetables, add the cooked chana dal once the onions turn transparent.
 Add the cooked dal and salt and combine well and let it simmer for 3 mts. Add the grated coconut and stir fry for 5 mts.
Serve with rice and rasam.

FILTER COFFEE -FILTER KAAPI

Ingredients 

  6 tbsp  Coffee Powder 
  1 1/2 cup  Water 
  4cups of coffe  Fresh Milk 
  coffee filter
   Sugar to taste 

   Method 


Put the coffee powder in the upper container, fix it on top of the lower container and tap the container gently, so that the powder will settle 
Bring water to rolling boil and pour it over the coffee powder. Close it with a lid and leave it undisturbed for 15 minutes.
The coffee decoction will get collected in the lower container
Boil milk for a few minutes stirring continuously. Pour needed decoction in a cup and add milk and sugar to taste. If you want it strong, add more decoction.
 Serve hot and frothy in tumbler and davara. 

CRUMBLED MUTTER PANEER

Ingredients

1/2 tsp garam masala
2 tsp oil
2 cup crumbled paneer
1 cup fresh green peas
2-3 tomato
1 cup low fat milk
3 tbsps chopped fresh corainder for garnish
big pinch coriander pwd
1/2 tsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
salt and pepper to taste



Method

Heat oil and  add the chopped tomatoes and peas and cook on low heat till soft, about 4 mts. Add salt and mix
 Add crumbled paneer and stir well to combine and cook for 3 mts.
 Add pepper, coriander pwd, garam masala and kasoori methi and mix , cook further for another minute.
 Add the milk and go on stirring constantly till the subzi reaches a semi-wet consistency. This could take about 7 mts .  Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot with rotis.

KAJU PANEER

Ingredients

1/2 kg paneer
2 tsp ghee
2 large onion
ginger-green chilli paste
2 capsicum, chop into small pieces
3 tsps coriander pwd
3 tsps kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves)
3 cups low fat milk
2 tsp malai/top of milk
cashew nut paste
salt to taste
1 1/2 tbsp oil

Garam masala pwd 

4 cloves
2 cardamom
2 cinnamon

Method 

Cut the paneer in  cube and saute in  ghee till lightly browned
Blache the 2 onion  for 7 mts and make a coarse paste
Make ginger-green chilli paste with 2 ginger piece and 8 - 10 green chillis
Make cashew nut paste - soak 24 cashews in warm milk for 10 mts, grind to a paste
 Heat oil  add the onion paste and saute for 7 mts.
Add the capsicum pieces and saute for 3 mts.
Add ginger-green chilli paste, coriander pwd and mi well. Add also few tbsps water and saute for 1- 2 mts.
Add milk and cashew nut paste and simmer for 7 mts.
Add paneer, crushed kasuri methi and salt. Simmer for a few more mts.
 Stir in malai, garam masala pwd and kasuri methi and min , cook for a mt. Turn off flame.
Let it sit for a while before serving. The gravy thickens, so at the time of serving, add a little milk and combine. Serve hot with rotis or naan.

RICE AND LENTIL MEDLEY

Ingredients

3 cups old basmati rice
1/2 tsp turmeric pwd
1 cup split yellow moong dal
5 bay leaves
4 tbsps oil or ghee
2 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 large onion finely chopped
10 cloves
1 cup carrots and potatoes (chopped into small cubes) or mixed vegetables  (peas, carrots, potatoes, cauliflower)
2 large tomato finely chopped
1 tsp coriander pwd
1 tsp garam masala pwd
salt to taste
1/2 tsp whole black pepper
10 cups of water

Method 

 Wash the rice and dal and soak them together in water for 15-20 mts.
 In a  pot, heat oil or ghee. Add the cumin seeds, let them splutter and turn slightly     brown. Add the cloves and bay leaves and let them pop few seconds .
 Add the onions and ginger and saute them, when  they begin to turn brown, add turmeric pwd and mix.
Add the mixed vegetables and cook them covered for 5 mts on low heat.
Add the tomatoes and cook them till they form a gooey paste.
Drain the water from the rice and dal mixture and add to the onion-tomato mixture. Combine and add the pepper pwd, coriander pwd, garam masala pwd and salt. Mix well till the spice powders are blended well with the rest of the other ingredients.
 Add the water to the above mixture, bring to a boil, cover and cook on low heat till both the dal and rice are cooked. This could take approx 20-25 mts.
 Serve it as a meal by itself or with a pickle of your choice, yogurt and appadam

TOMATO PANNER

Ingredients

4 large ripe tomatoes (blanch, de-skin and puree)
2 large onion (blanch for 6-7 mts and make a coarse paste)
2 tsp coriander pwd
ginger-green chilli paste (2 ginger piece+10 green chillis)
1/2 kg paneer cube
4 tsps ghee
 2 cup of water
large pinch cumin pwd
pinch of haldi
turmeric pwd
pasupu
2 1/2 tsp kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves)
garam masala pwd ( 6 cloves,2 green cardamom and 2 cinnamon)
3 tsps malai/fresh cream
cashew nut paste (soak 12 cashewnuts in warm water for 10 mts and grind to a paste)
salt to taste
3 tbsps oil


Method 

 Saute the  in the  ghee till lightly brown, remove into a bowl, add the water to the fried paneer cubes and let them sit for 5mts, drain the water and keep aside
Heat oil , add the onion paste and saute till light brown, approx 5 mts. Add ginger-green chilli paste, coriander pwd, turmeric pwd and cumin pwd and mix.
Saute for other 2 mts.
Add tomato puree, crushed kasuri methi and salt. Stir and let it simmer for 5 mts on low to medium flame.
Add the paneer and simmer for 5 mts. Add a cup of water and let it cook on medium heat till you get the desired curry consistency.( about 10 min ). Remove from fire, stir in fresh cream/malai, cashewnut paste and garam masala pwd. Simmer for 2-3 mts.
Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with rotis or naan.