Dry Crab Curry with Fresh Blue Crab

I am back with a delicious and enticing post for you all... Last week I just couldnt find any time for myself, to draft a post and share with you. I didnt make anything new at all last week and so I am posting about the Crab curry - JZ style that I made sometime back.

We have an oriental foods market in MN which is about half an hour or more drive from my home. The market is famous for its wide variety of fresh seafood and vegetables, many of which are also available in Kerala. So the Keralites in MN love to visit this particular shop and try their hands at all the veggies and seafood just like the ones available back at home. Since its really far from my home, we dont go there often, but we do when we can. Once when we went there, they had some fresh blue crab. When I say fresh, I mean frrrrrrrresh!! They were alive, moving around in the basket they were in. I saw a few people try hard with tongs to pick them up and put them in brown paper bags all the while thinking about the delicious stuff they are going to come up with!! But the crabs were fighting tooth and nail, with their claws, viciously attacking the tongs coming at them. I felt envious of the people buying them, I had never made anything with crab before! I didnt even know how to clean or cook the crab.

Anyways, I felt adventurous that day and I asked JM to buy me two of them. JM generously passed me the "honor" of getting the crabs into the bags. After a lot of wrestling around, I got two of them into the bag. All the while we were driving back home, I imagined them escaping the bag and crawling around in the trunk, ready to pinch me with their claws!! ;-)

But to my relief, they were still in the paper bag. After researching on the internet, I boiled them whole for a few minutes and then cleaned them. I cut them in half and proceeded to make a curry that I just thought up then and there. I made the crab curry in a traditional fish pot, the one made with clay, used for making fish curries. I should say that it was really delicious!! Believe me, it really was! It was amazing, with the flavors reminiscent of Kerala Fish Curry. I got good reviews from JM - a true seafood buff, so I am sure that it really was good. I loved it too, apart from the fact that I dont believe in working hard to get a small morsel of delicacies such as shrimp and crab!! ;-) Hopefully you would love this recipe. Try this out and share your results with me.

Recipe (Serves 2):

Blue crab - 2 nos (1 lb)
Green chilli (Serranos) - 1, sliced lengthwise
Onion - 1/2, chopped
Ginger - 1" piece, sliced thin
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Kudampuli (Camboge) - 1, cut into pieces

Method:

Clean and cook the crab for a few minutes with the shell on.

Cut the crab in half.

Saute the ginger, chillies and onion in oil in a saute pan or fish curry pot.

Add the red chilli powder and turmeric powder, saute well.

Toss in the crab halves.

Pour some water in, just enough to cover the crab partially.

Season with salt.

Close the pan with a lid and cook until the water is evaporated and the masala coats the crab.

Serve hot with rice.

Enjoy!!

Tips:

1. I still am not an expert in cleaning the crab, so check out the experiences from others on how to clean it.

Hope you enjoyed reading my post. Wishing you all a great day and an awesome week ahead!!

Steamed rice cakes and Black chickpeas curry (Puttum Kadalayum)

Hey everyone, how are you all doing? I finally started my work at the University this week - on Tuesday! Its become really hectic at home nowadays since I take the bus and have to leave home at 6.50 am. The evenings are just as hard because poor lil LM also gets home after almost 9 hours at school and is really tired after all the running around! I am planning on taking the Fridays off and finally my first weekend is here today!! :-) Its a lot of work at the research lab with a lot of standing and walking around! But I should say that it feels good to be back in a lab after a gap of 3 years. Because of the new experience, I couldnt plan well on my posts last week, but I hope to post regularly from next week onwards!


This recipe for the Black chickpea curry is from my mother-in-law who visited us last year. I had taken these pictures then and was saved as a draft for so long!! Puttu (steamed rice cakes) and kadala (black chickpea curry) is an outstanding breakfast combo in Kerala, India. Eventhough it is more popular as a breakfast item, you can get these anytime you fancy, from one of the roadside stalls or restaurants. Puttu is a simple blend of rice flour, salt and water which is then steamed in cigar shaped or bowl shaped molds. You can also use a regular steamer in which case the puttu will not be in any molded shape. I didnt like it as much when growing up, but after moving to the US and not getting to eat these made it a delicacy for us!!

Puttu can also be eaten with sugar or ripe bananas (for sweet versions) or also with whole moong dal curry (cherupayar curry). Since coconut is abundant there, Keralites typically tend to use a lot of coconut in their cooking - puttu can be made by either mixing grated coconut with the flour or just lining the steamer with grated coconut.

I made these steamed rice cakes in a small steel "chiratta" vessel which is shaped like a coconut shell and can be steamed on the steam outlet of a pressure cooker. So its called chiratta puttu. In addition to imparting the cute shape to the puttu, the "chiratta puttu" vessel also makes it easier to steam the individual portions of puttu in less than a couple of minutes. Read more about puttu at wiki. I usually use the puttu flour available in Indian stores (Double Horse brand), for making these. It is basically plain rice flour, but the ones for puttu is more coarsely ground than the fine rice flour available in general grocery stores. If using fine rice flour, it might help to dry-roast the flour in a skillet, wetting the flour with water and then steaming the puttu.

Black chickpeas takes a long time to cook, so do soak it overnight in water. Using a pressure cooker makes it easier to cook after soaking, even then it takes about 20 minutes. If using a saucepan to took, be advised that it will take longer. Chickpeas curry can be had along with many other traditional Kerala breakfast or even with rice. The coconut milk in the curry makes it an all time delicious and sought after traditional Kerala curry.

I hope these descriptions are enough for those who are not familiar with these dishes. Trust me, its a very delicious combo, especially the black chickpea curry with coconut milk. The recipe follows. So try these out and let me know how it turned out. I would be happy to answer any more questions that you might have. Enjoy!!

Black Chickpea Curry

Recipe :

Dried black chickpeas - 1 1/2 cups
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Garlic - 3 cloves, sliced lengthwise
Onion - 1 small, sliced
Curry leaves - a handful (if using)
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
Canned thick coconut milk - 1/2 cup

Method:

Soak the chickpeas overnight in water.

Pressure cook the chickpeas in enough water for a whistle.

Reduce the flame and cook for about 15-20 minutes.

In a pan, pop the mustard seeds in oil.

Add the sliced onions, garlic and curry leaves and saute.

Once the onions are soft and sauteed well, add the spice powders.

Saute until the spices are well cooked.

Add the cooked chickpeas with any remaining water to the pan.

Season with salt and bring to a boil.

Boil the curry until it is of the desired consistency.

Just before removing from heat, pour the thick coconut milk and mix well.

Serve hot with puttu!!

Steamed rice cakes / Puttu :

Take the desired amount of rice flour and add salt to it. Then add warm water, a little at a time until the flour is just wet. Break up the lumps with your finger tips and palms, until soft and powdery, and just wet. The puttu flour is now ready to be steamed.

One way to make sure that the flour has been adequately wet is to hold a handful of flour and press lightly to shape. If the flour holds the shape and then breaks up easily when pressed, the flour is ready!

For the chiratta puttu:

Boil a cup of water in a pressure cooker. Cover with the lid and allow the steam to escape through the outlet on top. Line the steel puttu mold with a bit of grated coconut. Fill the mold loosely with wet puttu flour. Cover with the mold lid. Keep the mold on top of the steam outlet. The puttu is done when steam comes out of the top of the puttu mold. Srve hot and enjoy with hot chickpea curry!!

Hope you enjoyed reading the post. Have a great weekend!!

Beef Croquettes (Cutlets)

Hey everyone!! Hope you all had a wonderful Easter and Vishu (in Kerala)! Things have been very very hectic for me back home at MN. We came back from California on Friday and have been taking care of several overdue stuff all through this week. I was busy putting together a humble Easter meal on Saturday and decided to stick to some basic dishes (mixed cuisine) including these beef croquettes/cutlets and onion salad as an appetizer, naan, fried rice, pork vindaloo, raita, pappad and pickle for the main course and caramel custard pudding to finish off the meal. I would like to share the recipe for these croquettes today!! I also have a small movie with a few of the floral pictures that I took in CA, along with a song I sung and recorded at home (WARNING : neither perfect nor professional!!). The song is from the new Malayalam movie Sagar alias Jacky. Drop me a word if you like it! ;-). More pictures of the trip will be uploaded soon on "Through the looking glass".

Croquettes are small fried food roll containing mashed potatoes and minced meat or fish as main ingredients and often encased in bread crumbs. This is one of the common appetizers made in Christian homes in Kerala, India for special occasions like Christmas and Easter, even as sides or snacks. I am sure I wouldnt be able to think of any celebration we had without sampling one version or the other of these cutlets!! We usually love the cutlets with a splash of tomato ketchup on the side when served as an appetizer or snack and is a great accompaniment to tea or coffee. It can be dressed up as a more adult-kind of snack with a side salad of onions, green chillies and vinegar rubbed together. It can also be served as a side to fried rice/pulao/plain rice. It is generally deep fried, but I usually shallow fry the cutlets in a skillet and brown them on either sides.

We really enjoyed the cutlets and I am sure you would too. Please do try out the recipe and let me know if you enjoyed it! The cutlets should be fine if made with other minced meat including chicken, pork or turkey (though I havent tried them), or can be subsituted with carrots, beetroots, mashed potatoes and peas for a vegetarian version of the croquettes. Enjoy!!

Recipe (Makes 20-30 cutlets) :

Ground beef - 3 lb chuck
Onions - 1 1/2 medium, diced small
Ginger - 1" by 1" piece, minced
Green chilly (Serrano) - 1, minced
Garlic - 2 large cloves, minced
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Kashmiri Chilli powder - 3 tsp
Coriander powder - 3 tsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Golden Klondike Potatoes - 1 1/2 lb
Eggs - 3, beaten lightly
Breadcrumbs - as needed (~2 cups)

Method:

Cook the potatoes until very tender (in a pressure cooker, saucepan or microwave).

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed skillet.

Saute onions on medium hight heat for about 2 minutes.

Add the ginger, garlic and green chillies.

Saute until the onions are tender (for about 2 more minutes).

Lower the flame and toss in all the spice powders.

Allow the spice powders to cook by adding a tbsp or two of water, on low flame.

Cook the spices until oil separates.

Add the ground beef and separate into smaller chunks using a wooden spoon.

Close the skillet with a lid and cook the beef over medium flame for about 15 minutes, or until no longer pink and is cooked well.

Remove the lid and allow the beef keema to dry.

Allow the beef to brown lightly.

Switch off the flame and allow to cool.

Once cooled, mash the potatoes coarsely and mix in.

Mix the beef-potato mixture until everything comes together.

Shape into round or oval patties or cylinders.

Dip each beef patty in the egg, shake of excess.

Coat the patties well with bread crumbs, one at a time.

If the patties are very soft, set aside until easier to handle (it will harden a bit).

Fry the patties, a couple at a time, and serve hot.

Tips:

1. The cutlets can be deep or shallow fried. I usually shallow fry them with a bit of oil in a skillet. Deep frying gives a uniform brown color to the croquettes. The pictured ones were deep fried. The last picture shows cutlets which were shallow fried.
2. The cutlets can also be frozen (before frying) wrapped in plastic wrap and kept in an airtight container. Thaw in the refrigerator or in the microwave and use as needed.
3. The cutlets/croquettes can be served hot as an appetizer with tomato ketchup on the side, or with a salad of onions and green chillies in vinegar.

Here's a floral treat from California with a home-recording (by JZ @ Tasty treats) as background score!!

Hope you all enjoyed the movie. Have a great day!!

Mango Kulfi & Kudos to Blogger Aid

As many of you know, the food bloggers from across the globe have joined forces and have formed a group named BloggerAid. The growing group of international food bloggers have united in efforts to alleviate World Hunger. "Our vision is a world which provides for and protects the welfare and human dignity of all of its people. A world in which all children can grow, learn and flourish, developing into healthy, active, caring members of society".

BloggerAid has decided to support World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations frontline agency, in its goal to provide food to the less fortunate. For nearly 40 years, WFP has been the largest operator of school meals programs in the developing world.

BloggerAid members are planning to publish a cookbook with the help of all the food bloggers and YOU! and 100 % of the profit from the sales of the cookbook will be directed to School Meals. The cookbook is targeted for sale on Amazon by November/December 2009. Check out the announcement for more details. Non-bloggers can also submit a recipe.

I thought that since I have a strong sweet-tooth, I should be submitting a Dessert!! My contribution to this cookbook is Mango Kulfi. This is the result of my experiment in submitting a recipe to this endeavour. I must say that it was very succesful and I am proud to be contributing this recipe to the book.

As I am not allowed to publish the recipe before the book is released, I can only give you some tempting pictures and a description of how it turned out. The mango kulfi was really creamy and decadent with the perfect texture of authentic Indian Kulfi. The tantalizing flavor of mango turned out to be in an excellent balance with the other ingredients. The flavor of the "spices" added make the kulfi all the more delicious. I garnished it with some chopped mango and pistachios. It is a must-try for all the dessert lovers out there. JM was asking for more every time he tasted it. I am sure he would've finished the entire thing if would've had let him!! I have also fallen in love with this recipe. I definitely will be making more of this. For now, I hope you all like the pictures of this awesome dessert.

The cookbook will contain contributions from many of your favorite food bloggers. I will update you all on the progress of this effort and you can also help by supporting the cause in ways that you can. Thank you all for reading this post with a cause! ;-)

The round-up for Lets go nuts : Almonds will be posted this week. So stay tuned for all the amazing entries from our participants!!


Have a great day!!

Ginger Chutney ( Inji Curry)

Inji Curry or Ginger Chutney is one of my favourite condiments from Kerala cuisine. Last year, we had my in-laws visit us here in MN. During that time, I had my MIL prepare some of her signature Kerala dishes and had posted about them. I still have a few left from last year's collection, some which I had not had a chance to share with you all. This recipe for Inji curry is simple and very delicious. Inji curry is usually a must have during "Onam sadya" which is a festive meal served on plantain leaves along with rice and a wide assortment of curries and condiments. The perfect combination of sweetness, sourness and spicyness makes this simple chutney one of the tastiest sides to an Indian meal. But we dont need to wait for festivals to enjoy such fine curries and condiments, do we!? ;-)

I thought that I'll have my MIL make this and keep in the fridge for use after she is gone. But I am not exaggerating when I say that it was gone in days. It was lip-smackingly good. Try this out and you'll love it. Since she worked without measuring spoons, the amount of ingredients are approximates. Please feel free to work around with the recipe to tailor it to your tastes.

Recipe :

Ginger, chopped very fine - 1 1/4 cups
Green chillies - 5 serranos, chopped very fine
Onion, small - 1/2, chopped fine
Kashmiri chilli powder - 3 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Tamarind paste (concentrated) - 1 tsp
Jaggery - 1/4 of one block
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Oil - as needed
Curry leaves - as needed

Method:

Chop the ginger and green chillies finely.

Heat oil and pop the mustard seeds and curry leaves (if using).

Saute the ginger, onions and green chillies until the ginger turns brown.

The mixture should be dry and the ginger should still have a bite to it.

Add the chilly powder and turmeric powder and saute well.

Stir in the tamarind paste and add water and salt to taste.

Allow the mixture to come to a boil.

Toss in the grated jaggery and cook until the chutney comes to a desired consistency.

Ginger Chutney can be stored in the refrigerator for about 3 weeks.

Tips:

1. The recipe worked well for our family. Please feel free to adapt the recipe to your tastes.
2. Reduce the amount of chilly powder for a milder chutney.

The deadline for "Lets go nuts : Almonds" is March 31, 2009. So friends, please hurry in your entries to jz.tastytreats@gmail.com.

Have a great day!!

Egg Biriyani & Pista Kulfi for an awesome treat!

I just dont know how fast each week passes by! Dividing my time between taking care of a 3 year old, her pre-school, JM's busy schedule and household chores, I just know that Monday (the dreaded day!!) comes by just as soon as the previous one is over! So these days, I havent done much of baking or cooking "specials", for that matter. I am inviting you to share two excellent recipes that I had tried out earlier, from two other talented bloggers. The first one is Shn's Egg Biriyani and to finish it off with a sweet note, there is Sujatha's Pista Kulfi.

This egg biriyani caught my interest the first time I came across Shn's post on the recipe. Immediately I bookmarked it in my favourites. Last year at Christmas, I decided to give this a try. Just because it was just the three of us on Christmas, I didnt feel like preparing an elaborate meal. And coincidentally I fell sick the two days before Christmas. By that time I really needed something simple. We were all happy with the egg biriyani which is actually a little more complex than the name suggests. One would expect the biriyani to be biriyani rice and masala with just hard boiled eggs. But this recipe is a bit more complex with egg omelettes and homemade masala. I was a bit overwhelmed with all the steps, probably because I was not feeling well. Anyways, try this out and you wont be disappointed.

Check out Shn's Egg Biriyani at Mishmash!

I really dont have to say how much I love desserts. When Sujatha posted this Pista Kulfi recipe, I was itching to make it as soon as possible. But since I am on a small sugar-high dessert ban, I had to be patient. The recipe remained attractive among all my bookmarked recipes. Finally a few weeks ago, I made the kulfi and it was out of the world!! I am not kidding, it was awesome! It was melt in your mouth kind which no one would be able to resist. The best part about the recipe is its simplicity and can me mixed together in minutes. JM absolutely loved it, he was willing to have it for breakfast, if I would let him! The recipe was enough for probably 12-14 kulfi-sicles but they were gone in a day! I just cant thank her enough for this delicious dessert. Dont believe me?, try it out for yourself......

Do try out Sujatha's Pista Kulfi recipe at Spicy Khazaana.

My dear friend Ivy of Kopiaste has bestowed upon me, the Adorable Blog award. I thank her immensely for remembering me while passing on the award.

I would love to pass it on to,

Asha of Foodie's Hope and Aroma

Divya Kudua of Easy Cooking

Priya of Priya's Easy N' Tasty recipes

Trupti of Recipe Center

Aquadaze of Served with Love

Soma of eCurry

Finally, dont forget that Lets go nuts: Almonds is the "happening thing"/ ongoing event on Tasty treats. Do check out the event announcement and rush in your delicious entries with almonds in them, before March 31.

Have a great day!

Methi Chicken

Last week had been really hectic for me with the MN Kerala association Christmas celebration and programmes, getting together for practices. So I couldnt do many posts. But today I am feeling much tired because of the nasty weather in MN today! From blizzard warnings yesterday to very low sub-zero temperatures, the weather is unbearable out here! Its -22 C here, so I decided to skip pre-school for my lil one. I feel like writing about something warm and hence today's recipe.

Methi leaves are my new-found love and I had done a post on Methi Parathas last month. Heres a chicken dish that would go with any meal, an awesome dish, with tomato and yoghurt based thick gravy which coats the succulent chicken pieces. The recipe has been inspired from a video by the Vah Chef on VahRehvah.com. Do check out his video on methi chicken. In his instructional video, the amount of ingredients have not been mentioned, so I have come up with a recipe that served the taste of my family well. So please adapt the recipe to your tastes.

Feel like curling up on the bed and snoozing the day away! ;-) Have a great warm day you all!!!

Recipe:

Chicken - 1 1/2 lb
Onions - 1 1/2 large
Tomatoes - 1 can (10 oz), chopped
Greem chillies - 1, sliced
Cumin - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Ginger - 1" piece, chopped fine
Garlic - 2 big cloves, chopped fine
Yoghurt - 2/3 cup, whisked with a bit of water
Water - as needed
Kasoori methi - 1/2 cup
Coriander leaves - a handful




Method:

Heat oil in a large pan and add cumin.

Once the cumin splutters, add the chopped onions.

Saute until the onions are cooked and golden brown in color.

Add the ginger garlic paste and turmeric powder and saute until fragrant.

Toss in the chopped tomatoes and green chillies and mix well.

Once the tomatoes are slightly cooked, add the chilly powder and coriander powder and saute until fragrant.

Pour the whisked yoghurt in and stir well.

Close the pan with a lid and allow the tomato - yoghurt mix to cook for 5 minutes on medium flame.

After 5 minutes, stir the sauce well.

Add the kasoori methi and chicken and stir well to coat.

Close the lid again and allow the chicken to cook completely.

When the chicken is done, remove the lid and allow the sauce to thicken.

Once the sauce coats the chicken, remove from heat.

Serve hot.

Source: Inspired from VahRehVah.com


Tips:

1. The amount of ingredients are those that worked for me, so feel free to change it to your preference.
2. The chef on VahRehVah suggests adding chicken thigh meat in this recipe.
3. Lamb meat can also be used (suggests the Chef), but be sure to pressure cook the lamb separately and add to the sauce.

Just reminding you that Santa's Holiday Challenge is still going on. Dont forget to send in your desserts on or before Dec 31, 2008 for a chance to win Santa's gifts!! Have a great day!

Kasoori-Methi Parathas

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!! I am sorry for my unexplained absence from blogging! My parents are visting from India for a couple of weeks (yay!!), but since the visit is really short (just for 3 weeks!), I am keeping back from blogging. Thank you for all your concerns and wishes!

Most of you would be busy over the long weekend, going on a quick getaways, whipping up a great thanksgiving meal or having guests over. Well, we have a Thanksgiving get-together at the place of a great friend of mine! But I just thought I would post a quick recipe which has nothing to do with Thanksgiving, but is a recently discovered favourite of mine. I've never used kasoori methi (let alone methi leaves!) in my cooking before and this was a welcome treat for me. I absolutely loved the parathas, wish I'd come across it earlier. Again, this is a very common recipe, but still wanted to share with you, my new found love!

I also would like to give all of you a hint that something special is brewing on Tasty treats! The announcement will be made sometime next week. So stay tuned for the exciting and fun activity that I am putting together with a lot of help from my dear friend, Bhags of Crazy Curry!! So friends, please do check back next week and join in the fun!

Recipe:

Wheat flour (Atta) - 2 cups

Kasoori methi - 1/2 cup

Red chilly powder - 1/4 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp

Ginger-garlic paste - 1/2 tsp

Salt - to taste

Water - to knead into a dough

Method:

Put all the ingredients together into a bowl.

Add just enough warm water to make into a dough which is smooth (but not sticky).

Keep aside for 10 minutes.

Divide the dough into 8-10 balls.

Roll out each dough ball into a circle of about 6-8 in.

Heat a griddle and place a dough circle on the hot griddle.

Cook until light brown spots appear on the first side.

Flip the paratha over and cook until the second side is cooked, showing light brown spots.

Drizzle a bit of ghee/butter/oil if needed on both sides and flip again.

Serve hot.

Hope you all enjoyed your visit to Tasty treats. Please do check back next week for the special announcement!

Chicken Biriyani

I have always been fond of biriyanis. It truly is a treat for all senses. The wonderful aroma, color and the taste of the biriyanis would beat any other rice dish, hands down! It also has cherished memories associated with it. It reminds me of my friends whom I am proud to have as friends even after these 5 years! Hmmm!! those really were the good times! I also prefer biriyanis for entertaining because if you get it right, you dont need many other sides to complete the meal. I have already posted another version of chicken biriyani (Hyderabadi dum biriyani) in which the uncooked meat is layered with rice in a pot sealed with dough and cooked over the flame until done. This technique is called a kacchi biriyani in which the meat is cooked after layering with rice. The other one is the pakki biriyani in which the meat and rice are pre-cooked before layering and allowing the flavors to mingle.

This recipe for Chicken Biriyani is one that JM's mother made when she was visiting. It is a very interesting recipe which makes use of both cooking and baking the rice - chicken mix. Addition of ground cashews and khuskhus gives richness and body to the chicken gravy. The other techniques are the ones regularly followed in biriyani recipes. Dont be alarmed by the long list of ingredients, most of them (if not all) would definitely be available in an Indian pantry. I have tried to break up the process into easy steps and I hope it helps anyone who wants to try this wonderful and flavorful dish.

For the rice:

Basmati rice - 1 lb 4 oz

Cardamom - 2

Cinnamon - 1" piece

Cloves - 3

Lime juice - as needed

Rinse the rice with water until the water runs clear.Cook the rice in a heavy pot with salt, cardamom pods, cinnamon, cloves and lime juice or oil, to prevent the rice from sticking. Drain when the rice is just done (the grains should be cooked but separate and not mushy). Keep aside to cool.

Chicken marinade:

Chicken - 1 1/2 lb

Plain yoghurt - 3/4 cup

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Salt - as needed

Cut the chicken into large chunks and marinate with youghurt, turmeric powder and salt for an hour.

To grind:

Cashewnuts - 8-12
Khuskhus - 3/4 tsp

Soak the cashewnuts and khuskhus together and grind to a fine paste. Keep aside. Alternatively, I used dry cashews and khuskhus and powdered them in a spice grinder.

For garnish:

Cashewnuts - a handful
Raisins - a handful
Onion - 1, sliced thin

Fry the cashewnuts until golden brown. Fry the raisins until they puff up. Keep them aside. Fry the sliced onions until crisp and brown. Drain on paper towels and keep aside.

For the chicken gravy:

Cardamom - 2
Cinnamon - 1" piece
Cloves - 5
Star anise - 1, broken
Fennel - 1/2 tsp
Onion - 3 1/2, sliced thin
Green chilli - 2, split lengthwise
Curry leaves - a handful (if using)
Ginger - 1" sliced
Garlic - 3 pods, sliced
Red chilly powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
Tomato - 2 small, chopped
Cilantro - 1/2 cup
Mint leaves - 1/2 cup
Ghee/Butter - 1 tsp, melted

Heat oil in a heavy pan.

Toss in cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, star anise and fennel and saute.

Add the sliced onions, green chillies, curry leaves (if using), ginger and garlic.

Saute until the onions are cooked and tender.

Measure the red chilly powder, turmeric powder and pepper powder and add to the onion mixture.

Add the marinated chicken to this mixture and toss to coat.

Cover and cook the chicken until half done.

Add the chopped tomatoes, cilantro and mint leaves to the chicken and cook until well done.

Now add the ground cashewnut-khuskhus mixture and mix well.

Allow to bring to a boil.

Remove from heat when the chicken is cooked all the way through with a bit of gravy.

Final assembly:

Preheat the oven to 300F.

Grease an oven-safe baking pan.

Layer the pan with chicken and gravy.

Line with a layer of rice.

Repeat the layering and finish off with a layer of rice.

Drizzle a bit of melted ghee or butter on the top.

Cover with aluminium foil and bake in an oven until the gravy is absorbed into the rice.

Open the foil when ready to serve.

Garnish with nuts, raisins and fried onions.

Enjoy hot with pickles, raita and pappad.

Tip:

I unfortunately dont remember the exact temperature at which I baked the rice, but I believe it was 300F for 20 minutes. Since the rice and chicken are cooked before layering and baking, I assure you that it wont be undercooked. the purpose of the baking is to allow the gravy to eveporate and flavor the rice.

I am sending this to the "Rice Mela" hosted by Srivalli of Cooking 4 all seasons. While I am at it, I am also sending a few of my previous rice posts to the mela.

Pineapple Fried Rice:
Coconut Rice:

Turkish tomato pilaf:


Lemon rice:

Click here for more of my rice dishes.

Kerala-style Lamb Stir-fry (Lamb peralan)

Eventhough we are hardcore carnivores, we rarely buy lamb in the US. Even while we were in India, mutton was considered a bit pricey a few years ago, so it was only prepared for special occassions. I first bought lamb in the US for an Easter meal, the recipe for which I have posted on my blog. It was the recipe for a roasted lamb which was marinated overnight in red wine. We loved it! When my MIL came here, we once again bought the boneless leg of lamb for a taste of Indian Lamb Curry. My MIL made this preparation which is relatively easy to execute. With just some basic Indian spices, she made an extraordinary dry lamb preparation which we absolutely loved!! It was just another version of the typical Kerala-style beef that we make at home, and it was fantastic. It would be an excellent accompaniment to rice, rotis or chapathis. We even used a bit of the lamb curry to make a lamb stew for appam, the recipe for which I will post soon. Hope you all would give this recipe a try. This would be a great collection to your lamb recipes!

Recipe:

Lamb (Boneless leg of lamb) - 4 lb

Onion - 2 large, sliced

Thai green chillies - 2 small, sliced

Ginger - 2" piece, sliced

Garlic - 2 cloves, sliced

Red chilly powder - 1 tbsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tbsp

Coriander powder - 3 tbsp

Garam masala - 2 tbsp

Black pepper powder - 1 tbsp

Vinegar - 1 1/2 tbsp

Method:

Heat oil in a large skillet.

Saute the onions, green chillies, garlic and ginger until tender and cooked.

In a small bowl, mix the red chilly powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala and black pepper powder.

Make a smooth paste of the powders with water.

Add the spice paste to the sauteed onions mixture.

Saute well on open flame until the spices are cooked and oil starts to separate from the mixture.

Toss in the cubed meat and vinegar.

Mix until the meat is well coated with the spice mix.

Pour a little bit of water if needed.

Close the pan with a lid and cook on low flame until the lamb is cooked and tender.

When the lamb is cooked, remove the lid of the pan.

Stir fry until all the water is evaporated and the spices cling to the meat.

Serve hot.

Tip:

1. The lamb can also be cooked in a pressure cooker. Saute the onion-spice mixture, mix with the lamb and add the vinegar. Then cook in the pressure cooker. Once the lamb is cooked, transfer the cooked lamb curry to a skillet and stir fry until all the water is evaporated and the preparation is dry.
   

Gulab Jamuns (Fried Milk Balls in Rose Water -Sugar Syrup)

Good day to you all, dear friends!! After my daring pizza toss for the DB challenge, I thought that I should come back to active blogging with a "dessert". Hmm, yes! A dessert with which most of you would be familiar - the golden brown milk balls which are decadent, sweet and spongy - Gulab Jamuns! GlabIn India, you can get these plump cuties from anywhere either ready-made or as ready-to-make mixes. But in the US, I had to search for a recipe to satisfy my craving for these beauties. I honestly can down a few in a sitting! ;-) When I found this recipe, I set out to make them then and there. Over the course of time, I have made them multiple times, with slight changes, because the actual recipe didnt work well for me. Anyways, the recipe given below gave me the best result so far, but I am sure I would continue to experiment with the proportion of ingredients to truly make it the best recipe ever!! The recipe below gave me small jamuns which were spongy, soft and soaked through with the syrup. The addition of rose water (which makes for the 'Gulab' in the Gulab Jamuns) and cardamom truly elevated the flavor and smell of the dessert. I hope you all like my "come-back recipe" and would try it out soon.

I am sending this to Sweet series: Milk sweets with spongy texture event at Mythreyee's Paajaka. Its my first event entry after soooo long! :-)

Recipe (Makes about 32 small jamuns):

Milk powder - 1 cup
All-purpose flour - 2 tbsp
Baking powder - 1/2 tsp
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp (optional)
Whole milk - enough to make a dough
Oil - for frying the dough balls

Rose Water - Sugar Syrup:

Granulated sugar - 1 1/2 cup
Water - 1 1/4 cup
Cardamom pods - 2, crushed
Rose Water - 1 tsp

Method:

Add the sugar, cardamom pods and water to a small saucepan.

Stir the sugar and dissolve in water.

Bring the sugar solution to a boil and remove from heat.

Pour the rose water and keep warm.

Mix the milk powder, all purpose flour and baking powder together in a bowl.

Prepare a dough out of the mix with whole milk, adding just enough to make the dry ingredients come together.

Make small balls of the dough and smoothen them into perfectly round balls.

Heat oil on a very low flame (*).

Carefully toss in a few balls at a time and fry them until golden brown.

Gently move them around with a slotted spoon so that they are evenly browned.

Drain the balls using the slotted spoon and put them in the warm sugar syrup.

Repeat for the remaining balls.

Allow the balls to soak in the sugar syrup until they are soaked through.

Serve cold or at room temperature.

Source: www.indianfoodforever.com

Tips:

1. While making the dough, be sure to add just enough whole milk.
2. To make shaping easier, grease your hands with oil which prevents the dough from sticking to your hands.
3. The sugar solution should be runny and not thick. Only then will the balls soak up the sugar solution and become plump. The syrup will thicken in time.
4. (*)The temperature is key while frying the jamuns. The oil should only be slightly warm when you put the first batch of dough balls. The balls should take a few minutes to pop up. This ensures that the balls are cooked through.
5. Do make smaller balls so that you can be sure that they are cooked through.
6. While frying the jamuns, always heat the oil on low flame.
7. The next time I make the jamuns, I would experiment by adding a bit more of the baking powder to see if it would make the balls more spongy and soft, which would almost melt in the syrup itself.
   

Have a great day, you all. I promise I would post more often now that I am a little bit settled. Dont miss out on any of the posts. My posts are not getting updated on Taste of India. So please check back often or subscribe to Tasty treats.

Kerala-style Vegetable Stew

I am feeling extremely lazy having to adjust again to the life here with just the three of us. The in-laws left last week, so I was pretty busy having to do everything by myself again! So the little free time I get is spent lazily, either relaxing or reading. I wish I could share the recipes with you all, without spending time typing the recipes! ;-) I guess I need a little more time to get to actively blogging again! I browsed through some of my friends' blogs and was blown away by the array of recipes and events on all the blogs. I wish I hadnt missed these recipes and events, and know that I have a lot of catching up to do. Awesome job on your blogs, you all! Hope you all are having a blast! Anyways, here's another one of my Mother-in-law's recipe contributions.

The Kerala-style vegetable stew is a sweet, decadent gravy made with coconut milk as the base, which also have vegetables such as potatoes, carrots and peas. The spices are added whole to this stew, which maintains the light color of the gravy but still lends its fragrance and flavor. This delicious and rich stew is classically paired with appam, which is a pancake made with soaked rice ground into a fine batter with coconut and fermented with the aid of yeast. The appam - stew combo is a staple in the Christian homes in Kerala. It makes a greatly welcomed "special-occassions" breakfast and also seen served as a meal course in the wedding parties in Kerala. The stew is usually garnished with fried cashews and raisins and makes for a filling wholesome breakfast.The hardest part of making the stew in Kerala is the grinding and milking of the grated coconut, but since we get canned thick coconut milk in the US, the work is reduced significantly and hence can be easily prepared. Eventhough the best pairing of the stew is with appam, it also goes well with chappathi or even bread.

Recipe:

Potato - 1, cooked, peeled and cubed
Carrot - 1, cooked and cubed
Onion - 1/2, quartered and cooked
Peas - 1/2 cup, cooked
Whole peppercorns - 15
Cinnamon - 1", broken
Cardamom - 3
Cloves - 5
Star anise - 1, broken
Ginger - 1/2" sliced
Onion - 1 small, sliced
Green chillies - 2, split lengthwise
Coconut milk - 1 cup

Garnish (optional):

Cashewnuts - a handful
Raisins - a handful


Method:

Heat oil in a skillet.

Toss in the whole spices (peppercorns, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and anise) and saute until fragrant.

Add the ginger, sliced onions and green chillies.

Saute until the onions are cooked and tender.

Cook the vegetables in a microwave or on the cooker. Cut the vegetables into bite sized pieces.

Add the cooked vegetables to the onion mixture in the skillet and saute.

Season the vegetables by adding salt to taste.

When the vegetables are uniformly cooked, add the coconut milk.

Stir well until well mixed.

Allow to remain on the flame and stir continuously, until heated through.

DO NOT ALLOW TO BOIL.

Garnish with fried cashewnuts and raisins.

Serve hot.

Tips:

1. The potato can be cooked quickly in the pressure cooker. Halve the potato and cook along with a bit of water for 3 whistles, and then remove from heat. The carrot can also be placed whole along with the potato, and cut after cooking. If any of the vegetables appear undercooked, it can be cooked in the microwave.
2. The vegetables can directly be cooked in the microwave, after cutting into bite sized pieces.
3. We used frozen peas which were cooked in the microwave.
4. If the gravy appears too thick, add water to make it to the desired consistency.

Have a great day. Do visit often for more delicious recipes!