Cake

It is only to jot down my mother's cake recipe (before I forget once again!) that I ended up baking two cakes during the weekend. Her cake was always one of a kind and have baked under her tutelage too but yet I had to recheck with her before I started baking. I will not be able to replicate her Christmas cake since the soaking of dried fruits in Rum cannot be done. Nevertheless, both the cake turned out great as per the in-house cake experts :)

Vanilla Cake

Ingredients

1. All purpose / Maida flour - 1 cup (150 gm)

2. Sugar - 1 cup (3/4 if you do not want it too sweet)

3. Butter - 100 gm (I used my favorite Amul salted butter)

4. Egg - 2 nos.

5. Vanilla essence - 1 tspn

6. Baking powder - 1 tspn

Method

Sieve the flour along with the baking powder and keep it aside. Separate the egg yolk and whites. Grease your cake tin by rubbing some butter or by spraying some cooking oil and sprinkle some flour and move it around so that it sticks to the tin. I lined a tin foil and so it was easy for me to remove the cake.

Powder the sugar well and beat this with butter. When it is fluffy add the egg yolks and essence and beat again. You will see the color change from yellow to almost white (the softness of the cake depends on this says my mother).  Separately, beat the egg white until stiff. Fold the flour and egg white into the mix and pour it into your cake tray (Do not forget to pre-heat your oven somewhere along the way).  I baked it under 175 degree Celsius for 50 minutes. You can check if the cake is ready by inserting a skewer and checking if it come out clean.

Leave it out of the oven to cool and enjoy! 

Christmas cake 

Only this becomes the Christmas cake to me :) The difference is in the color and in the addition of dried fruits. 

Ingredients

1. All purpose / Maida flour - 1 cup (150 gm)

2. Sugar - 1 cup (3/4 if you do not want it too sweet) + 1/2 cup for caramel 

3. Butter - 100 gm (I used my favorite Amul salted butter)

4. Egg - 2 nos.

5. Vanilla essence - 1 tspn

6. Baking powder - 1 tspn

7. Dried fruits - as needed
8. Spices  - a piece of cinnamon and two cloves pounded well

Method

Sieve the flour along with the baking powder and keep it aside. If you do not have rum, the dried fruits can be soaked in sugary water. Separate the egg yolk and whites. For caramelizing sugar, heat the sugar in a thick bottomed pan until it starts smoking. Switch off the fire and pour some cold water so that it does not harden up. Leave it aside to cool. Grease your cake tin by rubbing some butter or by spraying some cooking oil. Sprinkle some flour and move it around so that it sticks to the tin. I lined a tin foil and so it was easy for me to remove the cake.

Powder the sugar well and beat this with butter. When it is fluffy add the egg yolks and vanilla essence and beat again. You will see the color change from yellow to almost white (the softness of the cake depends on this says my mother).  Now you can add the caramel and then fold the flour  and egg white beaten stiffly into this mix before you pour it into your cake tray (Do not forget to pre-heat your oven somewhere along the way). The dried fruits can be added before adding the egg white. I baked it under 175 degree Celsius for 50 minutes. You can check if the cake is ready by inserting a skewer and checking if it come out clean.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Air Fryer

It is almost a year since we bought the Air Fryer and I have been meaning to post my experience with the same since then. At the time I bought it, my search for recipes returned only a few. But now I see many, especially Indian recipes. I have chosen a different page since I am not going to post the complete recipe but only a few lines and photos for the ones that I have succeeded.

I don't think an Air Fryer is much different from your convection oven except that the Air Fryer is faster. You can read more about it here.

Vahrehvah has also added Air Fryer recipes this year.

There is much you can do with your Air Fryer if you let your imagination fly :)

Reheating fried snacks is best in Air Fryer since it becomes crispy in a few minutes.

Am compiling the ones I have tried on this  page.

Bitter Gourd cooked with Coconut / Pavakka pattichathe

Bitter gourd makes an appearance rarely in most households unless a doctor orders one to have it! But even this bitter but healthy vegetable has it's fans. Have never asked my mother whether she cooked this vegetable out of love or for it's healthiness. But I used to enjoy this simple thoran/pattichathu which she used to cook.

Bitter gourd cooked with coconut/ പാവയ്ക്കാ പറ്റിച്ചത്

Ingredients:

1.Bitter Gourd - 2 thinly sliced (roughly 2 cups depending on the size)
2. Small onions/cheriya ulli - 5 or 6 nos sliced thin (you can also use one big onion)
4. Green chilly - 3 sliced lengthwise
5. Kokum - 1 nos
6. Shredded Coconut - 1/2 cup 
7. Coconut oil - 1 or 2 tspn
8. Curry leaves - a few
9. Salt - 1/2 tspn

Method

Wash the bitter gourd well and cut it lengthwise to remove the seeds (don't wash it again since it will retain water).  Slice thinly and place it in the vessel along with ingredients 2 - 6. Let it get cooked covered, in low heat. Stir it occasionally ensuring that it does not burn. You can add salt in between. The moisture from the vegetable is enough to cook, so there is no need to add any water. Once it is cooked,  switch off the heat and add the coconut oil and the curry leaves. Stir it well to let the aroma and taste seep in. Cover it and leave it for a while. Enjoy!

Chicken Pickle

Seems like I have been neglecting my blogs! It is not as though I have stopped cooking but posting the recipes is just not happening. But today I have a pickle that turned our very tasty; the only issue is that it may not last long! Anything pickled is tastier if it ages a bit but the subject being chicken, even the children have shed their fear of pickle. 

Chicken Pickle

Ingredients

1. Chicken - 500 gms (breast pieces cut into small cubes and well drained)

2. Ginger  - 1 tablespoon - cut into small pieces

3. Garlic - 1 tablespoon - each cut lengthwise 

4. Coconut - 2 tablespoon cut into small pieces (optional)

5. Green Chilly - 5 nos. - cut into small pieces

6. Chilly powder - 3 tablespoon

7. Vinegar - 1/2 cup

8. Boiled water - 1/3 cup

9. Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon

10. Salt - 1/2 teaspoon

11. Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup chopped

12. Oil - 2-4 tablespoon

Method

Rub the salt and turmeric powder into the chicken and keep it aside for minimum 15 minutes.Fry the chicken until the chicken is dry but not crisp. Set aside. Fry ingredients 2-5 separately until the color changes. The frying is basically to drain the moisture so that the pickle stays for a longer period. 

Now switch off the fire and add the chilly powder and the coriander leaves that have been warmed for a while. I warmed them for 40 seconds in the microwave. Add the water, vinegar and the earlier fried ingredients except chicken and bring it to a boil. Once it starts boiling, add the chicken and switch off the fire.

Once it is cooled, transfer the pickle to a washed, dried and warmed bottle. You can use the microwave to warm the bottle or immerse the bottle in boiling water until sterilized.

Enjoy until the pickle lasts!

A Quick Vegetable/Egg Curry

As mentioned earlier, I do not like to spend too much time in the kitchen and always prefer recipes that are not time consuming. Most of my recipes are thus but last Saturday I needed an extra easy one since my daughter had extra classes in the morning and being a holiday, I overslept. Having frozen vegetables and egg is a plus point during such times. A pressure cooker also comes handy and it ensures that you lose less nutrients.

And being an egg family, most vegetable curries end up with a few eggs! I have a microwaveable appliance which lets me boil eggs while the curry is cooking.

This is where the eggs get cooked while inside the Microwave Oven

Quick Vegetable/Egg Curry

Ingredients

1. Frozen vegetable mix - 1 and 1/2 cup
2. Potato - one medium (cut into big cubes)
3. Tomato - one medium sliced
4. Crushed Garlic and Ginger - 1 tbspn
5. Chilly powder - 1 tspn
6. Coriander powder - 1 tbspn
7. Garam Masala powder - 1 tspn
8. Pepper powder - 1/2 tspn
9. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tspn
11. Coconut powder - 2 to 3 tbspn
12. Green Chilly - 2 sliced
13. Small onions - 4 sliced 
14. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tspn
15. Curry Leaves - a few

Method

Take a pressure cooker and add a tablespoon of oil. Saute the crushed garlic/ginger until the raw smell leaves. Add the rest of the ingredients except 14&15 with one and half cup of water and enough salt. Close the cooker and turn the heat on high until the first whistle. Leave it on simmer for 5 minutes and switch off the flame. 

Heat a tablespoon of oil and let the mustard crackle. Add the sliced onions and curry leaves and fry until brown. Open the pressure cooker (make sure it has cooled down or cool it by holding the bottom of the cooker under the tap water) and add the seasoned oil. The curry is ready in less than 15 minutes! Now enjoy with chapatti or bread.

Garlicky Chilly Chicken

It is a recipe born out of availability. I had some garlic powder sitting idly and thought why not? I also had some piriyan chilly which I now substitute for the Kashmiri chilly. Though the color is not as good as that of the Kashmiri chilly, a good amount does bring out a fair color, while the heat is minimum.

Garlicky Chilly Chicken

Ingredients

1. Chicken - 500 gms (I used chicken breast, cubed)
2. Garlic powder - 1 tbspn
3. Corn flour - 2 + 1 Tbspn
4. Onion - 2 medium, chopped into cubes
5. Capsicum - 2 medium, chopped into cubes
6. Soya Sauce - 1 + 1 Tbspn
7. Hot Sauce - 1 Tbspn
8. Tomato Sauce - 4 Tbspn
9. Coriander leaves - a small bunch
10. Kashmiri chilly powder - 2 Tbspn
11. Garlic and Ginger- 1 Tbspn - finely chopped

Method

Mix the garlic powder, 2 tablespoon of corn flower, 1 tablespoon of Soya Sauce and marinate the chicken in this as long as you can. I did it for less than 30 minutes. Once marinated, fry the chicken until light brown. I did not deep fry it but used only a tablespoon of oil. Set it aside.

Fry the ginger and garlic until light brown in color. Saute the onion and capsicum in high flame for 2-3 minutes. You can saute the capsicum separately to retain the color and add it towards the end. 

Add the sauces (Soya Sauce, Hot Sauce and Tomato Sauce). Stir it well and add the fried chicken. Saute for a few minutes if you have't deep fried it. Now mix 1 tablespoon of corn flower to one and half cup of water and add it to the sauteed mix.Let it boil until the sauce has thickened to your liking. Add the coriander leaves and enjoy!

Eureka Chicken Curry

This chicken curry is from the Facebook Group Ammachiyude Adukkala. The author claims that he invented it due to lack of time. And if lack of time is your problem, then this is a very easy recipe.

Eureka Chicken Curry

Ingredients

1. Chicken - 1 Kg (Cut into medium pieces and drained well)
2. Kashmiri Chilly Powder - 2 Tbspn
3.Coriander Powder - 2 Tbspn
4. Pepper Powder - 1 Tspn
5. Garam Masala - 1 Tspn
6. Onions - 2 cut into cubes
7. Tomato - 3 cut into cubes

8. Capsicum - 2 cut into cubes
9. Green Chilly - 4 sliced
10. Garlic - 8 cloves minced
12. Curry leaves - a bunch
13 Coriander leaves - a bunch

Method

Mix the chicken along with 2-10 ingredients and place it in a pressure cooker along with 1/2 cup of water. Put the flame on high until first whistle. Lower the flame and let it cook for 5 minutes. Take a pan and put 2 tablespoon of oil. (I used my favourite coconut oil). Fry the curry leaves until the beautiful aroma pokes your nose! Open the cooker if it has cooled down and pour the contents into the pan. Fry in high flame until the curry is dry enough. Add the chopped coriander leaves and enjoy!

Prawn Curry

It is the season for prawns here in Kuwait. This means that the prawns are in abundance and they are cheaper. We bought a few kilos from the Sharq fish market and yesterday I made a curry which came out very tasty. Instead of chilly powder that the recipe asked for, I used whole chilies and the less hot variant called the piriyan chilly in Kerala. Now I am back to using home made spices since I feel it would be safer. The piriyan chilly gives a rich red color while it is not at all spicy. 

I soaked them in warm water and grounded them to paste. Look at the rich color it gave to the curry! This was before I added the coconut paste.

Prawn Curry

Ingredients

1. Prawns, de-veined and washed - 1/2 Kg
2. Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tspn
3. Whole chilly - 6 nos or chilly powder 3 tspn
4. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tspn
5. Ginger/Garlic paste - 2 tspn
6. Small onions sliced finely - 10 nos.
7. Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
8. Coriander powder - 3 tspn
9. Kokum - 2 pieces
10. Salt to taste
11. Curry leaves - a sprig

Method

Fry the fenugreek seeds in 2 table spoon of oil until lightly browned. Add the curry leaves and ginger/garlic paste. Fry it until the raw smell leaves. Add the sliced onions and fry until browned. Add the chilly paste and saute until oil separates or if you are adding powders, add chilly and turmeric powders. Now add the prawns and fry on high until a little dry. Add a cup of water and the kokum. Let it cook for a while. Meanwhile, grind the coconut along with the coriander powder. Add this to the boiling curry and check if there is enough water. Else add some water and let this cook until the prawns are well done. Just before you switch off the fire, you can add a few curry leaves to get that extra taste. 

Enjoy with rice or roti!

Mumbai Street Sandwich

Since I am yet to taste the same from Mumbai, thought I shall try and make it myself. It is a very healthy sandwich and one can make it even more healthier by substituting brown bread for white. Since ours is an "egg loving" family, I could not avoid it! But what is a healthy breakfast without an egg? Wink! Actually eggs were not a daily affair while growing up. It only became an everyday affair after I got married to an egg crazy individual. Initially I tried to cut down on it but then I realized that it is not an easy job. But those having cholesterol might as well restrict the intake of eggs. For the time being both me and hubby have kept this fiend at the border. 

Eggs can also satiate your hunger. Recently I cut down on eggs to reduce my weight and realized that I was hungrier and always managed to find something to quell it. The result was that I gained weight. Now I am back to eating eggs. Hubby always cites the example of his grandfather who lived (in Kuttanadu) to a ripe age and for whom one or more duck's egg was a must. Guess the duck's egg is healthier than the hen's since it is able to find a whole range of healthy food either in the rice fields or in the backwaters of Kerala. Unlike earlier, the eggs that we get now is that of the broiler chicken fed in captivity.

I adapted the recipe from Spicy Cookery. 

Mumbai Street Sandwich

Ingredients:

• Bread slices – 4nos
• Tomato – 1no (cut into rings)
• Onion – 1no (cut into rings)
• Potato – 1no (cooked & cut into rings)
• Coriander chutney – 4tbsp
• Eggs - 2 cut into rounds (optional)

Coriander Chutney

Ingredients:

• Coriander/ Dhaniya leaves – 1/4 cup

• Grated coconut – 1/2 cup

• Green Chilies – 1 nos

• Ginger – small piece 

• Small onion/ shallots/ cheruulli – 2 nos

• Curd - 1 Tbs  (optional, I used this instead of water to grind)

• Salt – as per taste.

Method:

• Wash the coriander leaves thoroughly. Don’t remove the stems.

• In a mixer, grind all the above ingredients except coriander leaves to fine paste.

• Then add coriander leaves to it & grind properly. 

• Coriander chutney is ready to serve. Preserve the chutney in refrigerator in an air tight container.

 Method:

• Cut sides of the bread slices (4slices). Spread coriander chutney 1tbsp on inner side of 1 bread slice.
• Place 2pieces of onion rings, 2pieces of tomato rings and 2pieces of cooked potato rings and egg pieces over spread coriander chutney.
• Take the 2nd bread slice. Spread coriander chutney 1tbsp on one side of bread slice.
• Place the spread coriander chutney part of bread slice over the vegetables.
• Place it in a toaster & toast bread till both sides of the bread slice turns slightly brown in color or on a pan until both sides are slightly browned.

Indian-Style Grilled Chicken Breasts

Yesterday our daughter took over cooking from me and surprised us with a very tasty dinner. Am proud of my girl! She does have a knack for cooking and is going to enjoy the same over the years. Since I was at work, she could only phone me to identify the various spices that were needed for the marination. But she managed the over-the-phone tips.

Indian-Style Grilled Chicken Breasts

Adapted from Food.com

The accompaniments too were made by daughter and was tasty. Mashed potato, boiled beans and scrambled eggs.

Ingredients:

1. Curd - 1/2 cup 
2. Tomato paste - 1 tablespoon 
3. Garlic cloves, quartered - 2
4. 1 piece peeled ginger, coarsely chopped or 1 teaspoon ground ginger
5. Cumin powder - 1/2 teaspoon
6. Coriander powder - 1/2 teaspoon
7. Salt - 1/2 teaspoon
8. Cayenne pepper - 1/4 teaspoon
9. Chicken breasts (bone-in or boneless) - 4
10. 2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley



Method

In a food processor, combine yogurt, tomato paste, green onions, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, salt and cayenne pepper; purée until smooth. Arrange chicken in a shallow dish; coat with yogurt mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 1 day ahead. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Place chicken skin-side down on greased grill over medium-high heat; cook for 15 minutes. Brush with marinade; turn and cook for 10 to 15 minutes longer or until golden and juices run clear (or place chicken on rack set on baking sheet; roast at 350°F, basting after 30 minutes with marinade, for 50 to 55 minutes or until juices run clear).

Serve garnished with chopped coriander or chopped parsley.

Malabar Chicken Curry

Having grown up in Calicut, my Hubby often talks about Malabar food. He swears that the Chaps that is served in Calicut hotels cannot be had anywhere else. So it is with great expectations that I cooked this Malabar Chicken yesterday to find out if it would turn out anything like the chaps. Hubby never minces words :). He said the curry is good but it is nothing like the chaps. The chaps it seems has a distinct aroma that enters your taste buds even before the food! But the children who has never eaten chaps loved the curry and made it up for me! They told me that it tasted like a hotel curry that they liked. As for me, I have no idea how chaps tastes and I cannot find a distinctive recipe too for the same. 

Malabar Chicken Curry
Adapted from Marias Menu

Ingredients

1. Chicken - 1 Kg (measured after cleaning)
2. Sliced small onion - 1/2 cup
3. Chopped ginger and garlic - 3 tsp, each
4. Whole dried red chilli - 6
5. Whole coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
6. Fennel seeds (perumjeerakam) - 1/2 tsp
7. Coconut - 1/4 cup
8. Onion - 2 medium, sliced
9. Green chilli - 4  chopped
10. Turmeric powder -  1/2 tsp
11. Tomato - 2 big, sliced
12. Small onion - 3 sliced
13 Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Salt
Curry leaves
Oil - I used coconut oil
Hot water - 1.5 cups

Method

1. Heat oil in a pan and saute curry leaves & sliced small onion. After a few minutes add dried red chilli, whole coriander, fennel seeds,ginger and garlic. When it is fried well, add grated coconut, mix well. Fry it till the coconut becomes golden brown. Let it cool for sometime. Add enough water to the cooled coconut mixture and grind to a smooth paste.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add thinly sliced onion and green chili. When onion is fried well (golden brown colour), add turmeric powder and salt & stir for a few minutes. Add tomato and cook. When tomato becomes soft add the ground paste to this and mix well. Add 2-3 tbsp of water and mix well. Add cleaned chicken pieces to this, combine well and
add hot water for the chicken to cook. Cover and cook in low flame and stir in between and cook till the chicken is done.
3. Meanwhile heat oil in another pan and add thinly sliced small onion(4) and curry leaves. Add chili powder to this and fry well. Add this to the cooked chicken and mix well. Serve hot with ghee rice, plain rice or roti.