Kitchen Corner-Try It

Koorka Mezhukkupuratti (Chinese Potato Stir Fry) Mezhukkupuratti is a staple side dish for Kerala lunch. It is a quick and easy vegetable stir fry, and you can use several kinds of vegetables to make this stir fry. The term mezhukkupuratti means stir-fried or coated with oil. Shallots, garlic, chilly, etc, are crushed into a coarse mixture and stir fried with the vegetables. Koorka/ Chinese potato stir fry tastes delicious, and it is a healthy side dish for rice. Koorka/ Chinese potato is one of my fav vegetables, and it has a distinctive taste and flavor. It is moist and grainy when compared to potatoes and can hold its shape. It has a distinct aromatic flavor, meaty, and earthy. It is a healthy vegetable and is a rich source of iron, vitamins, and calcium. This seasonal root vegetable is popular in Kerala. For an authentic taste of mezhukkupuratti, it is best to use coconut oil. Shallots, garlic, thinly sliced coconut bits, and curry leaves add flavor and taste. This is a sim

Aval Sharkara Payasam Aval Sharkara payasam is quick and simple payasam/pudding. It is made with rice flakes/beaten rice and jaggery and coconut milk. Earlier I posted aval milk payasam.This is yet another yummy version. Give this recipe a try,you will surely love it. Ingredients Aval (Beaten red rice)- 1 1/2cup Jaggery ( powdered)-250 grams (Adjust according to sweetness you prefer) Coconut milk thick- 1 1/2 cup Coconut milk thin- 2 cup Cardamon crushed- 5-6 Raisins and cashew nuts- a few Ghee- 3 tsp Place aval in a strainer and rinse under running water, strain and keep aside. Add jaggery in a heavy bottom pan, add 1 1/2 cup of water  and bring to a boil.Strain the impurities and bring it back to boil. Allow this to reduce and become a thick syrup. In a separate pan heat ghee in a pan and roast the aval/rice flakes till it becomes crisp. Add thin coconut milk and cook  till aval become soft.Pour the jaggery and crushed cardamom allow the payasam to s

Caribbean Mango Chicken A Caribbean inspired marinade for chicken..it is moderately spicy, sweet and tart.  This marinade can be prepared well ahead of time and can be stored in the fridge for over a week. Marinate the chicken with this marinade and bake for grill the chicken . It goes well with fresh mango salsa and rice. Try this tasty chicken, you will surely love it. Recipe is inspired from here and here Ingredients  Chicken pieces-6 (I used thighs and drumsticks) For the marinade Mango pulp- 1 1/2 cup Lemon juice- 1 lemon Ginger garlic paste- 1 tbs Pimiento pepper crushed-2 (Or you can used red bell pepper) Brown sugar- 1 tsp Molasses- 1 1/2 tbs Yellow Mustard-2 tbs Apple cider vinegar- 2 tbs Smoked paprika- 1 tsp Dry red chilly crushed - 1/2 tsp (optional) Black pepper-1/4 tsp Ground cumin-a pinch Cinnamon powder- 1/4 tsp Clove powder- a pinch Nutmeg- a pinch Salt to taste  Mix all ingredients listed under marinade ( except cumin, cinnamo

Coconut Shrimp Rice Coconut shrimp rice is simple and flavorful one pot dish. This rice cooked in coconut milk. It  is aromatic with coconut, spices, shrimp. Toasted shredded coconut used for garnish gives it a unique flavor and taste. This can be paired with spicy curries or with raita and papad. Try this simple rice dish,you will surely love it. Ingredients  1)For the rice Basmathi rice -1 1/2 cup Cloves- 3 Cinnamon stick- 2 peices Cardamon- 2 Coconut milk thick- 1/2 cup water- 2 1/2 cup salt to taste 2)For the masala Shrimp- 1/2 pound Shredded carrot- 1/2 cup Grated coconut- 1/2 cup Onion- 1 medium Ginger chopped- 1 tbs Garlic- 3 cloves Green chilly- 3 slit Curry leaves- a few Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp Garam masala- 1/ 2 tsp Lemon juice- 1 medium (or you can use one tomato instead) Ghee - 1 tsp  oil and salt to taste Wash rice nicely and add all ingredients listed under( 1) rice and cook in a low medium flame. Once cooked fluff with a for

Cornmeal Scallion pancakes Cornmeal pancakes are crispy and savory pancakes and can be served with sour cream or with maple syrup.This recipe is inspired from Williams Sonoma book  Essentials of Breakfast and Brunch . This is a quick and healthy breakfast recipe. You can add fresh corn kernels to get an interesting sweet crunch.Give this recipe a try,you will surely love it. Ingredients White or yellow corn meal-1 1/2 cups Egg-2 Baking powder-3/4 tsp Sugar- 1 1/2 tsp Salt-1/4 tsp Tomato- 1 medium Water- 1 1/2 cup of boiling water Spring onions- 3/4 cup Butter milk- 1/2 cup Freshly ground pepper  Butter- 2-3 tbs In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal,salt and sugar. Slowly and carefully stir in boiling water,whisk until smooth and quite stiff. Let the batter stand for10 minutes .Make sure it is completely cooled down and then add chopped onions,butter milk,baking powder, eggs, chopped tomatoes and seasoning. Place a griddle pan and heat till medium hot.

Karimeen Molly Karimeen molly/ fish molee is a very popular dish in Kerala. If you are a fan of mild creamy fish curry cooked with coconut milk, you have come to the right place. Kerala is a paradise for seafood lovers. Now you may ask what is fish molee/molly? It is a mildly spiced fish stew made with coconut milk and served with appam or fresh bread. It is a soothing dish that complements any spicy meal. Molee is best relished with appam and the combo is divine. Appam  is laced pancake made with fermented rice and coconut batter. Perfectly made soft appam and delicious fish molly is a personal pride that every malayalee share in common.  What amazes me about Kerala fish curries is that you have a wide range of curries- from spicy hot red fish curry, pungent and bold with earthy spices and tamarind and at the opposite spectrum is this mild fish molee cooked in coconut sauce. Now, this doesn't mean that Fish molly is bland. Coconut gives it a creamy richness, tangy acid

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies  Baking partners challenge recipe for November is Whoopie pies-a delicious treat loved by both young and old. Since this is the month of pumpkins, Swathi suggested making something with pumpkin as the key ingredient. This recipe was suggested by Anitha of Anitha's Kitchen Diary. Whoopie Pies is a traditional Amish recipe. It consists of sandwiched cake like cookies with a sweet cream filling and you can make a variety of flavors and fillings. Here I used cream cheese filling, you can also try vanilla butter cream or marshmallow fluff cream. Pumpkin whoopie pies is moist and  delicious and a great holiday treat. Thanks Anitha for this wonderful recipe. Ingredients All purpose flour- 1 1/2 cup Brown Sugar- 1/2 cup Sugar- 3 tbs Butter - 1/2 stick (4 tbs) Egg-2 Pumpkin puree- 1 cup Baking soda- 1/2 tsp Baking powder- 1/2 tsp Salt- 1/2 tsp Ground ginger- 1/2 tsp Ground cinnamon- 1/2 tsp Clove powder- a pinch Nutmeg- a pinch Vanilla extrac

Vettu Cake Vettu cake is a tea time snack popular in Kerala. It is deep fried sweet dough made of eggs, flour and sugar and flavored with cardamon. The eggs used here is duck eggs, which is widely used to make vettu cake,but you can also use regular eggs,if duck eggs is not available.Vettu cake has a slightly crispy outside with a fluffy texture inside. This  is a popular snack found in tea stalls and canteens all around Kerala. Try this,you will surely love it. Ingredients All purpose flour- 2 1/2 cup Baking soda- 1/2 tsp Salt- 1/2 tsp Duck eggs- 3 Powdered sugar-  1 1/2 cup ( adjust according to sweet preference) Cardamom powder- 1/2 tsp Yellow food color- 2 -3 drops (optional) Oil for frying. In a food processor, powder sugar along with cardamom powder ( if whole cardamom use 5-6) and keep aside. Mix salt, flour and baking soda and keep aside.  Beat eggs lightly and then add the powdered sugar. Mix and beat nicely till the mixture turns light and fl

Semolina Vegetable Puttu  Puttu is steamed rice cake and is Malayali's favorite breakfast. Puttu can be made with rice flour or wheat flour. This recipe uses semolina and is made even healthier by adding vegetables. I clicked this picture when my mother-in law made this for breakfast. Thanks Ammachi for sharing this recipe. Ingredients  Semolina-2 cup Grated vegetables- 1 cup (a combination of shredded carrot, beetroot, chopped beans and green peas) Coconut - 3/4 cup Sugar-1 tsp salt- 1/3 tsp water- 1/2 cup Chop vegetables and  keep aside. Take semolina in a bowl and add grated coconut.Rub in coconut using your palm.Mix sugar and salt in 1/2 cup of water and sprinkle it little by little into the semolina mixture. Mix to form a course damp mixture without lumps, resembling wet sand. To check  moisture  press handful of mixture in form of balls. It should hold together and also easily break off when crumbled. Mix in the vegetable and let it sit for five min

Kerala Duck Egg Roast/Tharavu Mutta Roast Today's recipe is a delicious breakfast. Eggs for breakfast are filling and a great way to start your day. Duck egg curry/ Tharavu Mutta roast is a much-loved traditional breakfast of Kerala, a perfectly tasteful treat with soft lacy appam. This spicy egg curry is finger-licking good. The beauty of this recipe is its simplicity. Eggs are cooked, in a delicious caramelized onion tomato gravy. The gravy has the sweetness of caramelized onions and the acidity of tomatoes. Curry leaves, fennel, and coconut oil add to the flavor. You can also add coconut bits or cashew nuts for an extra crunch. It is an absolute comfort homey food. What goes with the Kerala duck egg roast? In Kerala, egg curries are often made for breakfast, and relished with soft spongy appam. It tastes best with Vella appam. Appam is soft, and spongy laced rice and coconut crepes are popular breakfast. Idiyappam/string hoppers are steamed rice noodles, and they taste de

Pumpkin Pie Pumpkin pie is perfect holiday recipe. It has a flaky and tender crust and a smooth custard filling. The filling is sweet and mildly spiced and easy to make. In order to  make tender and flaky crust, make sure that the ingredients are cold and work quickly to avoid the butter from melting. This recipe is adapted Joy of Baking and William- Somona Ingredients For the crust All purpose flour- 1 1/2 cup Cold unsalted butter- 1 1/2 stick Sugar- 1 tbs Salt- 1/2 tsp Ice water- 5 tbs Filling Pumpkin puree- 2 cup Egg- 3 Heavy cream- 1 cup Sugar- 3/4 cup Brown sugar- 1/2 cup Salt- 1/2 tsp Cinnamon- 1 tsp Ginger- 1/2 tsp Clove- 1/8 tsp Nutmeg- 1 pinch  To make the pie crust , put all the ingredients in food processor ( except ice water) and process for a few seconds till the butter gets incorporated with the flour and resembles course sand. Add ice water little by little, till the mixture combines and will hold together when pinched. If it  is stil