Kitchen Corner-Try It

Paal payasam/Palpayasam Happy Onam to all my friends and readers! Wish you all a very happy and prosperous Onam!!! Onam is finally here and no celebration is complete without a sweet dessert. I am sure no Malayali can think of a sadhya without a payasam. Pal payasam is definitely a star,my all time favorite :) This is a rich delicious payasam where the rice is cooked in milk till it attains a creamy texture. The milk gets reduced and the flavor and taste is very much  like palkova. It has very little ingredients, but it is time consuming and  needs a little patience to prepare this dessert. Here I have used basmathi rice but it is best if we use payasam ari (rice) or rose matta rice.Try this you will surely love it. Ingredients Basmathi Rice- 2 hand full ( or rose matta rice) Milk- 5 cup Sugar- 1/2 cup Cardamon crushed-4-5 Cashew nut- 8-10 Wash and soak rice for one hour. In a heavy bottom pan pour milk and bring it to a boil and al

Kadumanga/Mango Pickle Today's recipe is a tongue tickling and addictive mango pickle.This pickle is called Kadamanga and is quick and instant pickle.It is an indispensable part of Kerala Sadhya , our traditional vegetarian feast. This pickle is made for wedding feasts and major festivals like Onam and Vishu. Sadhya preparation is a lengthy process and at home pickles are usually made the day before. Mango, lemon and ginger pickle is must have for sadhya. I think Kadumanga is the easiest pickle to make. Ginger pickle or inji curry takes more time to make, so I start with it and kudamanga is the final pickle. This hard to resist spicy condiment can be made in a jiffy. We rarely get raw mangoes here and last week I was so glad to come across raw mangoes in our grocery store. I took a few and planned mango pickle and a batch of kadumanga for Onam Sadhya. I am not sure about the authentic version. This is how my mom makes at home,so sharing her recipe. This is quick and ins

Stuffed Mushrooms Stuffed mushrooms is a quick appetizer or snack. It is a perfect addition to an appetizer tray for a get together. I have used a very simple stuffing but there are endless options both vegetarian and non vegetarian that can be used for the filling. Ingredients Mushrooms- 12 medium sized Cream cheese- 2 tbs Grated  cheese- 1/3 cup I used both Parmesan and mozzarella cheese)  Italian style bread crumbs- 1/3 cup Shallot finely chopped- 2 garlic- 2 cloves Pepper powder-a pinch Cajun spice mix- a dash (optional) Chopped parsley/coriander- 2 tbs salt to taste Extra virgin olive oil Preheat oven to 375 degree F. Hold mushrooms under running water and using a damp cloth gently scrub the  top and snap out the stem (do not discard,chop finely and add to the filling) and using a spoon gently scrap and make it a perfect cavity for the filling. Heat one tsp of oil and saute garlic, shallot and mushroom stems till it is soft. In a bowl mix well cream cheese, che

Alli Pidi/Pal Kozhukatta Alli Pidi or is it mani puttu or paal Kozhukatta, I am not exactly sure what the name of this breakfast/snack recipe.If my grandmother(mom's mother) see this recipe she will call it a slightly different version of maniputtu. Maniputtu is actually steamed rice balls soaked in coconut milk. I feel that there is no cooking process involved in the second stage. Mani puttu in South Kerala is a totally different recipe.It is steamed thicker  string hoppers/idiyappam and coconut. ( will post that version some other time). Now what ever be its name this recipe is worth trying. It is really quick and delicious treat and was one of my favorite after school snack. At home it was usually prepared with left over idiyappam dough and it was relished by every one. It is steamed rice balls stewed in sweetened and flavored coconut milk sauce. You can shape the dough into balls or cylindrical. Ingredient Roasted Rice flour ( idiyappam flour)- 1 cup Roasted cumin po

Reine de Saba avec Glaçage au Chocolat: Chocolate Almond cake Hi all, Welcome to our Baking Partners first challenge post. Baking Partners is a group of enthusiastic bloggers  who are passionate about baking. Main purpose of this group is to learn new techniques and help each other perfect baking and have fun.  Our first post is a tribute to the legendary Julia Child the renowned chef,author and television personality. It is her 100th Birthday( August 15) and this recipe is adapted from her book " Mastering the Art of French Cooking" ( two volumes). Her book is loved by both professional cooks and by home cooks alike- a treasure  for all those who love good food. It is also considered as the most influential works in American cookbook history. Julia Child was a great cook and a wonderful instructor.Who will not love Julia when she said "..careful cooking is love". She taught a wide range of audience the magic of home made food and sharing with tho

India is celebrating 66th Independence Day. Wishing all my friends and readers Happy Independence Day! On this occasion I salute all those great men and women of India who cherished,dreamed, visualized and dared to act! I salute all those who were the first to lead the movement and all those who followed their lead. I salute the father who inspired his sons and daughters to follow his footsteps of sacrifice and courage. I salute the mother who cheerfully sacrificed sons and daughters knowing very well that she will have to spent the rest of her life in misery and loneliness. I salute those who left lucrative post,titles and kingdoms and all those men and women who gave their daily wages knowing well that their kids will have to remain hungry. I salute all those men who marched peacefully with leaders in large groups during the day time but many times had to spent painful nights suffering and lonely in prisons.Their agony was unknown, their wounds unattended,their stories were n

Ellu unda/Sesame Seeds Ladoos Today's recipe is a simple guilt free sweet- the crunchy and tasty ellu unda/sesame seeds balls. As a kid I used to love this and I love it even now. You can make these in batches and store it and it can a healthy treat for kids. I have used a little coconut in my ellu unda/til ladoo but it is optional.The most important part of this recipe is making the jaggery syrup and its consistency. You can either melt jaggery and water and thicken the syrup or add powdered jaggery to little ghee and melt it.The former will give you soft ladoos and the latter harder crispy ones. You can also add peanuts for extra crunch.   Ellu unda/Sesame Seeds(Til) Ladoos Recipe Ingredients Sesame seeds- 1 1/2 cup Powdered Jaggery- 1 1/2 cup Grated coconut- 3/4 cup Ghee- 2 Tbs Cardamon powder-  1/2 tsp Dry ginger powder/Chukku podi- 1/2 tsp Dry roast sesame seeds till it starts popping up and there is a nice aroma. Allow this to cool down. Dry roast coco

Dil Pasand (Sweet Puffs) Dilpasand/Dilkush is a snack made with puff pastry and has a sweet filling.This sweet puff is found bakeries and food stalls all over South India.Back in my home town the bakeries sell two versions of this. It had the same filling of sweet coconut,nuts and tutti-fruit. The only difference was the crust It can be either flaky crispy puff pastry or a sort of rough pasty dough sometimes very close to sweet bun.If you are craving for something sweet as a tea time snack try this simple and yummy snack. Ingredients Pastry dough sheets-2 Egg white-1 (for the glaze) For the filling Shredded coconut-3/4 cup Cashew nuts-  8-10 Raisins- a few Glazed cherries- 1/2 cup Tutti fruit- 2 tbs Sugar- 2 tbs ( adjust according to your taste  I used more of glazed cherry which was sweet) Cardamon powder- 1/2 tsp Ghee- 1/2 tsp To make the filling Heat ghee in a pan and slightly fry cashews and raisins and keep aside. Next slightly roast coconut for

Green Masala Chicken Roast Green masala chicken roast is delicious chicken busting with flavor.The masala is inspired by the Goan green chicken curry and is cooked  like the Kerala chicken roast.Chicken is marinated and cooked in a fresh green masala  paste of coriander,mint, green chilly and is shallow fried. It is a dry version and is great accompaniment with rice, chapathi or fried rice. Try this,you will surely love it. Ingredients 1)Chicken - 1 1/2 lb  Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp  Thin coconut milk- 1/2 cup Salt to taste To make the green masala paste Coriander leaves- chopped- 1 1/2 cup Mint leaves- a hand full Ginger - 2 inch thick peice Garlic- 8-10 pods Green chilly- 5-6 ( adjust according to taste) Black pepper whole- 1 tsp Powdered Garam masala Fennel seeds- 2 tsp Cloves-5-6 Cinnamon - 2 peices Star aniseed- 2 Cardamon- 3 To saute Thinly sliced Onion- 2 medium Ginger thinly sliced- 1 inch thick piece Garlic- 4-5 Coriander powder- 1/2 tsp P