Kitchen Corner-Try It

  Idiyappam and Pattani Curry- Kerala Breakfast Recipe  Are you looking for a healthy and comforting breakfast? Idiyappam/  string hoppers is a much-loved traditional breakfast of Kerala. String hoppers are healthy and a fun recipe to make. It is steamed rice noodles, delightfully soft and springy.  It tastes delicious with mild stews, vegetable kurma, or green peas curry. If you like to serve it as dinner, try spicy egg curry or chicken curry. It is simple, satisfying, the very definition of comfort food. You might be surprised to find out that it is super easy to make at home.  Today's recipe is my best go-to for making soft and fluffy idiyappam. It goes well with this delicious dried peas curry. The sauce is versatile and is good with any vegetable of your choice, lentils, or beans. The gravy consists of coconut milk and grounds coconut paste. It adds a nutty flavor and tastes like kurma. It is a delicious and healthy vegetarian/vegan recipe , that you will b...

   Coconut Pumpkin Halwa/ Pumpkin Dessert- Mathanga Varattiyathu Fall is the perfect time to enjoy your favorite pumpkin recipes. We have been enjoying it this season in several ways, making pumpkin bread , muffins ,pies , and pancakes. Are you looking for dessert ideas with pumpkin? Then why not try a delicious halwa. The recipe I am sharing today is a sweet delicacy, a rustic confectionery from Kerala. It is one of the many traditional forgotten sweets of Kerala made with simple, locally available ingredients.  Rice and coconut are a staple in all traditional Kerala snacks and sweets. The sweetener can be regular sugar or jaggery. It is gently laced with the flavor of cardamom and ghee/clarified butter. Pumpkins are in season, and there is no better time to try this recipe. Making chakka vilayichathu/ Jack fruit preserve was a yearly tradition back home in Kerala. Vilayichathu/ Varattiyathu is a term used for something that is cooked and reduced like halwa. But a halwa...

  12 Delicious Jackfruit Recipes- Kerala Cuisine Jackfruit is the most versatile of all tropical fruits. It is a common fruit in Kerala and South India. When in the season, it is considered a staple food. The sheer variety of recipes with jackfruit is quite astounding. No wonder it is known as the official fruit of the Kerala state! Ripe jack fruit has a firm texture and tastes like honey. It adds an exotic taste to desserts. The young or tender jack fruit is used for savory dishes and has a meaty texture. The unripe one has a neutral flavor, and we use it to make mashed jack fruit/puzhukku, and it tastes best with spicy fish curry. The edible part of this fruit is the yellow sheath around the seeds, but when it is unripe it will be white. The outside will be green in color, and the ripe ones will turn light brown with a strong fruity fragrance. Jack fruit has recently gained much interest as a plant-based meat alternative. It is starchy and rich in fiber. It is rich in antioxidant...

Unni appam Recipe/ Sweet Rice Fritters   Unni appam is a cute, fun treat that you cannot stop munching. They are deep-fried, delightful sweet bites and are a popular delicacy in Kerala. There is a centuries-old tradition of making unni appam or neyyappam during festivals like Onam and Vishu or as an offering in temples. However, they are also perfect for the rest of the year, and they are popular tea-time snacks. Unni appam contains rice flour, jaggery, banana, and coconut bits, adds flavor and a delightful crunch. They are a blast to make, and fitters are delicious, and  I am sure you will love them too! Unni appam is an old-fashioned tea-time snack. It is a snack I grew up eating and it always has a homey feel to it. If you are new to unni appam, the shape is because it is cooked in a special pan. Unni appam chatti or Appa karal is the characteristic pan used made of cast-iron or bell metal. It comes with multiple half-spherical moulds. The batter has a thick pouring c...

   Chakka pazham Aval Payasam- Jack fruit Pudding/Payasam   Do you like pudding with Jack fruit? Today's recipe is a bowl of fruity goodness that will surely satisfy your sweet tooth cravings. It is creamy rich, dessert made with aval/poha/beaten rice, jack fruit, and milk. Ripe jack fruit has a distinctive fruity aroma and is sweet like honey. Jack fruit is one fruit that makes me super excited, and I love trying different recipes with it. My mom makes a breakfast pudding that is not overly sweet, with ripe jack fruit, coconut milk, and rice dumplings. It is one of those simple, homey recipes that make you nostalgic, and you keep coming back to it time and again. This payasam was inspired by that traditional recipe and is a delightful treat that you can serve on special occasions. Jack fruit is now in season, and there is no better time to try this payasam/pudding. Jack fruit adds an exotic taste to payasam, and you're in for a treat! Chakkapazham payasam has the be...

   Kallu Shappu Karimeen Curry | Kerala Toddy Shop style Pearl spot Fish Curry  Today's fish curry represents the food of rural Kerala, the authentic taste of Kerala. It has a robust, bold flavor and spices that tickle your taste buds. If you like to indulge in spicy fish curries, mashed tapioca/ kappa vevichathu is considered the tastiest combo. This combo is quite popular in toddy shops/ kallu shappu or Kerala's rural taverns. If you are not familiar with toddy shops, they are small taverns that serve a mildly alcoholic beverage called toddy. It is collected from the budding flower stalks of the coconut tree and is either consumed fresh or slightly fermented. But it is not just the toddy, but also the delicious food that makes locals flock to these humble taverns. Food served in toddy shops is simple,  delicious, and very spicy. So if you like spicy food, then this kallu shappu/ toddy shop-inspired fish curry is a must-try. All you need to go with this curry is a ...

    Kerala Style Chicken Chukka Kerala Chicken chukka has a distinct flavor and taste. It is aromatic, slow-roasted chicken that you can pan fry or bake in the oven. The chicken is well coated, with flavorful fried onion masala, and each bite will make you crave for more. If you have been to this space before, you might have noticed that I love experimenting with chicken. So here is one more favorite South Indian style chicken masala . Each state in South India has different variations of chicken chukka/sukka. This one is popular in the restaurant menu in Kerala. So if you want to try restaurant-style chicken chukka at home, look no further. Here is how to make it. What is unique about chicken chukka? Well, the most important, it is a simple recipe.  It is one of my go-to recipes when my family craves chicken. There is no elaborate cooking, and this is perfect for lazy weekend meals.With basic ingredients, you can make delicious chicken in under 25 minutes! The key to m...