Kitchen Corner-Try It

Aviyal Recipe- Kerala Sadhya Style Mixed Vegetable Curry Aviyal is a traditional dish of Kerala typically made with assorted vegetables. It is a colorful dish and is healthy too. It is an indispensable curry for Kerala Sadhya. If you are new to Kerala Sadhya, it is a hearty meal, a vegetarian feast made on festive occasions. It is always served, on a banana leaf with rice, pickles, chips, and curries ranging from mild to spicy vegetable curries. Aviyal is a filling and less spicy vegetable curry. Aviyal is a Kerala specialty dish but, you can find aviyal in Tamilian feasts too. Aviyal is a mixed vegetable curry cooked in ground coconut and yogurt sauce and flavored with cumin, coconut oil, and curry leaves. You can add as many vegetables as you like. Traditionally we use raw plantains, yam, snake gourd, ash gourd, eggplant, cluster beans, yard beans, drumsticks (moringa), pumpkin, carrots, Chembu( taro), raw mango and pearl onions, etc. I love the flavor of the dish, it is mi

Delicious gooey chocolate cake filled with creamy  caramel flavored coconut pecan frosting will surely be something every chocolate cake lover would die for..and for a chocolate lover like me this was divine.When I first saw the German chocolate cake I was impressed by the beautiful stack of cakes with this gooey frosting and finally ended making one at home. I feel it is one of the most delicious chocolate cake.I have brought a little alterations but for the exact recipe check here .For the chocolate cake you can use either melted baking chocolate or a combination of baking chocolate and unsweetened cocoa powder. Ingredients for the filling Condensed milk- 8 ounce or 1/2 tin Butter - 3 tsp milk- 2 tsp vanilla essence- 1tsp Egg yolks 2 Chopped pecans- 3/4 cup Sweet Coconut - 3/4 cup Salt- a pinch Ingredients for cake 1)Flour- 2 cup Butter - 3/4 stick Cocoa- 1/2 cup Baking powder- 1 1/2tsp Baking soda- a pinch salt- a pinch 2)Semi sweet chocolate- 4 ounce Egg- 3

Chemmeen Pollichathu is a delicious recipe in which prawns is slowly cooked in a tangy and spicy coconut sauce wrapped in banana leaf.The uniqueness of this recipe is due to the distinct aroma infused by banana leaf that is used to cover the fish or the prawns masala. I have used kodum puli as a souring agent. We can also use tomatoes or tamarind. In some regions tender tamarind leaves is used instead. If you are lucky to get tender tamarind leaves try it with this recipe. it tastes even better.Give this recipe a try, you will surely enjoy :) Ingredients Prawns- 1 lb Crushed shallots- 1 cup Ginger- 2 inch thick Garlic- 6-7 Green chilly- 2 Kudampuli/ Gambooge- 2peice ( or use Kokum or Tamarind) Thick coconut milk-1/3 cup Chilly powder- 1 tsp Turmeric powder-1/3 tsp Coriander powder-1 tsp pepper powder- 1/3 tsp Garam masala- 1/2 tsp Fennel powder-1/2 tsp Curry leaves Coconut oil- 2 tsp Heat oil in a pan and add minced garlic,ginger and green chilly

Karimeen Curry/Meen Palu Curry (Cochin Fish Curry) Delicious and spicy fish curry is a must for lunch in every Malayali home .This is nadan fish curry made with pearl spot or karimeen which is popular in Kerala. The fish is simmered with spices and coconut milk and is flavorful and delicious.Different regions have their own variations of fish curry ranging  from the fiery red curry or  mulaku curry to very mild curries like fish molee. Fish curry is made milder by adding shredded coconut either as a fine paste or as coconut milk. Try this curry. You will surely love this as it tastes wonderful with rice or appam. Ingredients Karimeen fish-5-6 (or any fish of your choice) Thinly sliced onion- 1/2 onion Crushed shallot- 1/3 cup Tomato- 1 medium Kudam puli- 3 pieces Ginger sliced- 2 inch thick Garlic - 2 (optional) Green chilly- 2 Thick coconut milk- 1 cup Thin coconut milk- 1 cup Chilly powder- 11/2 tsp Turmeric powder- 1/2tsp Fenugreek seeds-1/2 tsp Mu

Chena Podimas Here is the famous south Indian favorite- podimas but not the classic potato podimas. Here I substituted yam for potato.Yam is a versatile vegetable and this podimas tastes delicious.This goes well with rice and rasam and is now one of our family favorites Yam- 1/2 lb shallots/onion chopped- 1/3 cup green chilly-2 Chilly powder- 1/3 tsp Turmeric- 1/3 tsp Cumin- 1/3tsp Ginger minced- 1 inch thick Coconut- 1/3 cup Urud dal- 1 tsp Chana dal- 2 tsp Mustard- 1/3 tsp Asafoetida- a pinch Curry leaves- one spring Red chilly- 2 Salt oil Cut yam into pieces and cook with salt and one tsp of oil and set aside. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and cumin seeds and fry followed by red chilly,chana dal and urud dal. When it is golden brown add hing,onions,ginger and curry leaves.Saute till golden brown. Add turmeric powder and chilly powder and finally the cooked yam and shredded coconut. Mix well,check for salt and allow to fry in medium heat for

This  spicy fried delicacy and is much favored in Kerala. It is one of the all time favorites next to lobster and crab.Mussels or kadukka is a good source of zinc and folic acid.It is more popular in Malabar regions and there are several traditional and exotic recipes and it can be either fried or stuffed( arikadukka- mussels stuffed with rice paste). As I searched the web I found another interesting recipe of the Malabar region Kadukka pickle!. Anyways I am yet to try arikadukka and pickle. The whole process of cleaning mussels is tedious. It needs to be boiled to open the shells and removal of the wastes etc., will be time consuming. Here I tried with the cleaned and packed mussels. This is spicy and delicious and can be served as an appetizer or a side dish. Ingredients Mussels- 1 1/2 lb Onion sliced-1  Shallot - 8-10 Tomato- 1 medium Ginger-2 inch thick Garlic- 8-10 pods Chilly powder- 1 tsp Pepper powder- 3/4 tsp Coriander powder- 1 tsp Turmeric powder-1/3 tsp

Pavakka fry is quick and easy side dish and goes well with rice and sambar.I know it is one of the less loved vegetable because of its bitter taste..for some reason I have always loved them.Usually I make mezhukkuvaratti or pachadi but this fry is something I love to have occasionally. Try this crispy and spicy pavakka fry, you will surely love it and believe me,you will not feel the bitterness :) Ingredients Bitter Gourd/Pavakka- 2 medium Onion sliced- 1 medium Green chilly- 3 Coconut sliced- a few Chilly powder- 1 tsp Turmeric powder- 1/3 tsp salt to taste Rice flour-1 tsp (optional) Corn starch- 1 tsp( optional) oil for frying Cut bitter gourd into thin slices and mix in green chilly, coconut slices, chilly powder, turmeric powder and salt. Set this aside for 10 minutes. Heat oil in a pan. Mix in corn starch and rice flour into the marinated bitter gourd just before frying.  When the bitter gourd starts changing color to golden brown add in sliced onio

Sooji halwa is a sweet and delicious dessert and is one of the easiest halwa It is very easy to put together and will not take more than 10minutes. There is very little stirring unlike usual halwa preparation. It has the  inviting aroma of roasted sooji, cardamon and ghee and is perfect for any occasion. This recipe is inspired by the sooji halwa of Manjula's kitchen..I used the exact measurement but here I used jaggery instead of sugar. Ingredients Sooji/Rawa- 1/2 cup Ghee - 1/4 cup Powdered jaggery- 1/3 cup Water- 1 1/2 cup Cardamon- a pinch cashew nut chopped- 2 tsp Cashews for garnish Boil water and jaggery till it is completely dissolved, strain and keep aside. Roast sooji in ghee for five minutes till it is golden brown and there is a nice aroma. Add jaggery syrup little by little and stir till the halwa gets thickened for 5 minutes. Add cardamon powder and roasted cashews.Pour into a greased plate and allow to cool and set.Garnish and serve. Send

Chicken pulao is a  quick and delicious one pot aromatic meal.It is different from the elaborate chicken biryani,but equally tasty and great for weekend lunch .Its simplicity in preparation yet delicious taste and flavor makes it a sure winner. Ingredients Basmathi rice- 2 cups Chicken - 1 lb Yogurt- 3/4 cup onion- 1/2 medium tomato puree- 1/2 green Chilly-3-4 Chilly powder- 1 tsp Turmeric powder- 1/2tsp garam masala powder- 1/2 tsp Ginger- garlic paste - 1 1/2 tsp Mint leaves/mint powder - a few/ 1/2 tsp Ghee- 1tsp oil-2 tsp salt Cashew nuts- a few water-3 cups Cinnamon - 1 stick cloves- 4-5 Star aniseed- 2 cardamon- 2 Wash rice, drain and keep aside. Clean and marinate the chicken with chilly powder,turmeric powder, salt garam masala,yogurt and mint leaves and keep aside for half an hour. Heat oil in a pan and add whole garam masala and fry for a minute followed by cashew nuts,onions and ginger garlic paste till onions are golden brown. A

Prawns Theeyal Theeyal is one of the most cherished dishes of Kerala and lip-smacking delicious. It is a very traditional curry with a saucy tangy gravy with a rich dark color. It is a versatile gravy and you can use any vegetable of your choice. So now let's talk about the gravy. It is spicy and tangy coconut gravy and its wonderful aroma comes from roasted coconut. Perfectly roasted coconut brings in the rich dark color, right flavor, and consistency. The gravy is simmered in tamarind sauce. There is a beautiful balance between the nutty sweet flavor of roasted coconut and the slightly tangy taste of tamarind. Added to this is the taste of prawns. Pearl onions or small onions add richness to the curry. Now when I say pearl onions, I mean a lot! You need lots of pearl onions in this curry. Theeyal sounds elaborate cooking, but it is a delightful curry and is worth the effort. This chemmeen/prawns is a great side dish for rice or pathiri. Theeyal is part of Kerala

This is a simple lemon cup cake.It has a wonderful citrus flavor and a delicious tea time cake. Children will love its sweet buttery flavor and a sweet and bit tangy lemon flavored frosting. Ingredients For the cup cake All purpose flour - 1 1/2 cup Baking powder- 1 1/2 tsp Salt- 1/3 tsp Sugar- 3/4 cup Egg- 3 Lemon juice- 1 lemon Lemon Zest- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Essence- 1 tsp Butter- 1/2 cup Milk- 3-4tsp One drop of lemon color(optional) For the Cream frosting. Heavy Whipping-1 cup Confectionery Sugar- 1/2 cup Lemon zest- 1/3 tsp To make the frosting mix cream and confectionery sugar and keep in refrigerator and keep chill till use. Beat them together using a hand mixer until it holds stiff peaks. Sprinkle the lemon zest and fold in. Chill till it is time to do the frosting. To make the cup cake Preheat oven to 350 degree f.Line baking tray(muffin tin) with paper cups and keep ready. Shift flour, baking powder and salt at least two times and keep aside. Beat

 Kurukku kaalan is a popular dish of Central Kerala. It is a delicious yogurt and coconut based dish and is made by slowly simmering cooked vegetables and yogurt and coconut paste to a thick and creamy consistency.Kurukku literally means liquid that is reduced or thickened.It is essential part of the Kerala Sadhya, and is one of my favorites among the wide range of exquisite vegetarian dishes served during Onam or other festive celebrations. The vegetable I have used here is chembu /Taro. Ingredients Chembu- 5- 6 medium ones Yogurt- 2 1/2 cup Coconut- 1 cup Pepper powder- 1 tsp Chilly powder- 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder- 1/3 tsp Cumin- 1/3 tsp Curry leaves Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds- 1/2 tsp Dry red chilly-1 shallot thinly sliced-1 oil- 3 tsp salt to taste Cut vegetable into small pieces. Mix pepper powder in one cup of water and strain. Discard the husk. Use this water along with salt, turmeric powder and chilly powder and cook the taro till it is sof

Delicious Fish Biryani- Kerala Fish Dum Biryani Are you a biryani lover? If you are looking for delicious fish recipes this Kerala-style fish dum biryani is a must-try. It is an irresistibly delicious, soul-satisfying meal and packed with flavor. Fish Biryani is easy to make for a lazy weekend meal or when you have last-minute company. Fish takes very little time to cook, and there is no compromise to taste. It tastes exotic and is finger-licking good. It is a classic combo of rice and fish masala topped with caramelized onions, nuts, cilantro, and mint. There are countless variations of Biryani in India, and each region has its unique flair and taste. For fish biryani, coconut milk, and Malabar spices, add a unique Kerala touch. Kerala-style fish dum biryani is a filling meal that everyone loves. In Kerala, almost everyone loves  fish. The clues of the cuisine of Kerala lie in its geography. The state of Kerala, in South India, is blessed, with a long coastline, rivers, backwaters,