Plantain Puttu / Ethapazham Puttu

Ingredients

• Rice flour - 2 cups
• Ripe plantain - 1, chopped
• Sugar - 1tsp
• Coconut - 1/2 cup
• Salt

Preparation

1.In a bowl, mix rice flour and salt, then add water little by little and make it wet and mix well with hand without any lumps. Sprinkle some sugar on the banana pieces.

2.Boil water in a cooker with lid & without weight. In the mold/puttu maker,add a tbsp of grated coconut followed by plantain slices and then top with the moistened rice flour.Again top it with a second layer of plantain slices and grated coconut,cover with lid.

3.Place on cooker and steam cook until the steam comes out of the tiny holes on top of the lid for 5 minutes.Remove from cooker and invert on a plate and serve.

Gobi 65

Ingredients

• Cauliflower - 1/2 of a medium
• Corn flour - 4 tblsp
• Curd - 2 tblsp
• Baking powder - a pinch
• Red chilli powder -  2 tsp
• Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves - A sprig 

Preparation

1.Separate the cauliflower into small florets, boil water with salt and turmeric powder, keep the florets inside this water covered until it is parboiled. Drain water completely.

2.Mix curd,corn flour,cooking soda,salt,red chilli powder and ginger garlic paste to make a thick batter.

3.Heat pan with oil enough to deep fry. Dip florets in batter and deep fry until golden brown and crisp in medium flame. Drain in paper towel,add the curry leaves and serve hot.

Beef Vindaloo

Ingredients

• Beef – 1 kg 
• Onions – 3, chopped
• Tomatoes – 2, chopped

To grind

• Chilly powder – 1.5 tbsp
• Kashmiri chilly powder – 2.5 tbsp
• Pepper powder – 1 tsp
• Garam masala – 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
• Mustard seeds – 2 tsp
• Fenugreek seeds – 1/4 tsp
• Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Ginger-garlic paste – 2 tbsp
• Sugar – 2 tsp
• Vinegar – 2 tbsp

Preparation

1.Grind the ingredients to a fine paste. Add this paste to the beef pieces. Add salt and mix well. Keep aside for 1 hour.

2.Heat oil in a pressure cooker and fry the onions till light brown in color. Add tomatoes and fry till oil separates.

3.Add the marinated beef and fry for a minute. Add 1/2 cup of water and mix well. Cover and cook on a low flame till done.

4.Once it is cool, open the lid and simmer for 5 minutes, till the gravy is thick.

Strawberry Mousse

Ingredients

• Fresh Cream - 1/2 cup
• Strawberries - 10
• Sugar - 2 tbsp 

Preparation

1.Take fresh cream in a bowl and whip till soft peaks forms.

2.Chop strawberries roughly and add it to a blender along with sugar and blend it to a puree.

3.Reserve little puree and add the rest to the whipped cream. Whisk it well until the strawberry puree is well blended.

4.In the serving glass add a tbsp of reserved strawberry puree. Then add the mousse till the rim of the glass.Refrigerate it at least for an hour.Serve chilled and garnish with strawberry pieces.

Meat Rolls

Ingredients

• All purpose flour – 2 cups
• Egg – 1
• Egg-white – Of 2 eggs
• Bread Crumbs – 1/2 cup 

For filling 

• Chicken/ beef –  250 gm
• Ginger – 1 tsp minced
• Garlic – 1 tsp minced
• Pepper powder –  1 tsp
• Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
• Garam masala –  1/2 tsp
• Salt – To taste

Preparation

1.Marinate meat with salt, turmeric and pepper powder for 30 minutes and cook in a pressure cooker. Mince when it cools down.

2.Heat oil in pan and add minced ginger, garlic. Saute for a minute and add the minced chicken. Add  pepper, chilly and garam masala. Mix well and switch off.

3.Beat the egg well and add the flour, salt and water to make a batter. Make thin dosas with the batter.

4.Fill the top end of the dosa with 1 tbsp of the filling and fold the top end of the dosa over the filling. Now fold the right and left sides towards the centre.

5.Now start rolling down to form a tight roll and seal the bottom end with some batter. Be careful not to tear the dosa.

6. Dip them in beaten egg-white and then in bread crumbs. Deep fry in hot oil at medium heat until golden brown.

Payyoli Chicken Fry

Payyoli is a place in north Malabar coast of Kerala. The preparation of chicken fry is bit different and the dish is very popular too.

Ingredients

• Chicken - 1/2 kg
• Ginger Paste - 1 tbsp
• Lemon juice - 1 tbsp 
• Kashmiri chilli - 8
• Grated Coconut - 1 cup
• Green chilli - 4

Preparation

1.Marinate chicken pieces with salt,lemon juice and half of ginger paste and keep it aside for 10 minutes.

2.Boil kashmiri chilly with enough water for 5 minutes and grind well to make a thick paste.

3.Again marinate chicken with ginger paste,3/4 part of kashmiri chilly paste and keep in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

4.Heat oil in a pan in high flame.When it gets hot, reduce the flame,add chicken pieces.Close the pan with a lid.Fry both side of the pieces till golden color.Take pieces from oil.


5.Mix the remaining chilly paste in grated coconut and fry in the same oil.Fry green chilly and curry leaves in same oil.Garnish chicken pieces with grated coconut,green chilly and curry leaves.

Tomato Pulissery / Thakkali Pulissery

Pulissery is a curd based side dish for rice and it is a popular dish in Kerala. It can be prepared with pine apple, mango, ash gourd,papaya etc. Here i have used tomatoes, so it is called tomato pulissery.

Ingredients

• Tomatoes - 2 
• Coconut - 1/2 cup
• Green chillies - 2
• Shallots -  2 
• Cumin seeds - a pinch
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
• Beaten Yoghurt - 1/2 cup 
• Dried red chillies - 2

Preparation

1.Grind coconut along with cumin seeds,green chillies,shallots,salt with enough water to make a fine paste.

2.Boil tomatoes with little water, salt,turmeric powder and chilli powder.

3.When the tomatos get cooked,add the coconut paste,mix and boil  until it gets little thick.

4.Add the beaten yoghurt to this and stir well in low flame.Do not let the yoghurt to boil.Stir well. Switch off the flame and keep it aside.

5.Season the mustard seeds with dried red chillies and curry leaves.Pour the seasoning to the curry.

Anchovy Fry / Netholi Fry

Anchovy is a small, common salt-water fish.  Anchovies are rich in protein, vitamins and minerals that help in maintaining good health.Omega-3 fatty acid, found in large quantities in anchovies, actually strips away unhealthy cholesterol.

Ingredients

• Netholi/Anchovy - 250 g 
• Chili powder  - 1 tbsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Lemon juice -  2 tsp
• Salt

Preparation

1.Clean fish with salt and wash several times.

2.In a bowl add chili, turmeric, lime juice,salt with little water to make a fine paste.

3.Marinate the fish in the paste for 5-30 minutes.

4.Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the fishes in a medium flame.