Kitchen Corner-Try It

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...

   Candied Peanuts/ Cardamom Flavored Sugar Peanuts Candied peanuts gently laced with the flavor of cardamom are delicious little treats that are hard to resist. These beauties are like nut candies, and the crunchiness and sweetness make it a perfect on-the-go snack. They make impressive gifts during holidays. It is a nice thing to set out at a party or nibble on while watching a movie. This recipe of candied peanut is a little different from the other recipes out there. It is deep-fried to crispy golden and coated with sugar syrup. Cardamom adds a sweet floral scent that makes it irresistible. I love making snack peanuts in big batches and just keeping them handy. I have already shared my favorite Indian-style spiced peanuts . I love both the sweet and savory versions. The candied ones are incredibly versatile and can be added as toppings for salads, ice cream, and desserts. But trust me, they will be gone before you realize. It is so addictive! The candied nut is a popular ...

Butter Bun/ Cream Bun- Kerala Bakery Style There is always a nostalgic feeling when it comes to cozy old fashioned bakeries. They appeal to all ages and the goodies and confectioneries they offer are a die for! The cottage-style bakery near my home in India always invokes fond memories, especially those irresistible treats that adore the glass shelves. They are intriguing and capture your imagination as a child. Do you feel the same about your favorite bakery? Today's recipe is a delicious bakery snack.  It brings back fond memories of childhood favorite snacks. Over the years I have tried several sweets and desserts and oftentimes overlooked this simple snack for fancier ones. But during my trip to India last year, we stopped by at the old bakery. Freshly made butter buns behind the glass shelf's looked so tempting and it rekindled my childhood love for butter bun. I could not stop munching. Now I have one more reason to try it at home. My kiddo is now a fan of this sim...

Kerala Spicy Mixture  Mixture is a crispy and crunchy snack popular in India.  It is a snack mix or a blend of crispy fries, nuts,chips,fried lentils and  tossed with a spice powder.This is a common snack eaten anytime and at all times. You can find this in every bakery you visit, so back in India, there was no need to make it at home. This always comes handy when you have guests at home or just as a tea time snack.My Mom always stock up on mixture and there is one more reason,it is her favorite snack to this day. Because of her I also became a great fan of spicy mixture.I had never thought that one day I'll make this at home. My mom will be so proud of me when she will see this post :). I am not going to say this is easy to make,but it is definitely worth the effort. Make sure to store in air tight containers,mixture can be made and stored for a long time. There are lot of variations for this humble snack- Bombay mix, Madras mixture, chivada,chuda- different...

Rice Vermicelli/Rice Noodle Pancake Rice vermicelli pancake is filling and yummy breakfast.This recipe is inspired from the crispy Asian style rice noodle pancakes. This is a sweet version with plantain, dates and eggs. You can also make a savory version as per your taste. Try this you will surely love it. Ingredients Dried rice noodles- 5 oz. Sweet ripe plantain- 2 small chopped Eggs-2 Milk- 1/3 cup Chopped dates- 1/3 cup Chopped nuts- 1/4 cup Sugar to taste Cardamom powder- 1/3 tsp Salt- a pinch Butter Soak dry rice noodles in hot water for 10 minutes. When soft drain into a colander and set aside. When all the water drains off break into smaller pieces. In a separate bowl beat eggs, milk, sugar and cardamon powder. Add rice noodles, chopped plantains, chopped dates and nut and mix well. Heat pan and lightly grease with butter. Take ladle full of the rice  noodle mixture and place on hot griddle. With the back of the spoon press lightly to form a disc...

Pazham Boli Pazham boli/ethapazham boli is a mildly sweet and delicious snack. It is a quick fix snack that you can serve with tea. I felt like it tastes somewhat like unniappam. This recipe is inspired from Das Shreedharans cookbook which I read some time ago,even though I don't remember the exact recipe. Pazham boli is delicious with great aroma of plantains, ghee and cardamom powder. Ingredients Plantains- medium-2 Cherupazham/small banana-1 Maida-2 tbs Rice flour- 2 tsp Baking powder- a pinch Turmeric powder- a pinch Sugar- 3 tbs (adjust according to taste) Black sesame seeds- 1 tbs Grated coconut- 1 tbs Dry ginger powder- a pinch Clove powder- a pinch Cardamom powder- a pinch Ghee- 1 tbs Oil- 1 tsp In a bowl add chopped plantain and small banana/cherupazham. Gently mash it with your fingers. Into this add maida, sugar, grated coconut, roasted sesame seeds,baking powder, turmeric powder, ginger powder, clove powder and cardamom powder. Mix ...

Fig Layer Bars Fig bar is delicious,moist and flavor packed snack.It is not overly sweet and is perfect as a breakfast or as a snack. I made these bars with dried figs and fig jam,but you can replace it with fresh figs or with fig puree.Bars are easy to put together. It has a buttery crust, jam and dry fruit filling and a crumble topping.Try this, kids will surely love this.   Ingredients All purpose flour- 2 cups Fig preserve/jam- 1/2 cup Dried fig- 8-10 Chilled Unsalted butter- 1 cup ( 8 oz.) Egg yolks-2 Sugar- 1/2 cup Salt- 1/4 tsp Vanilla extract-2 tsp For the topping Sugar- 2 tbs All purpose flour- 1/4 cup Butter- 2 tbs Pre heat oven to 325 degree F and position rack in the center of the oven. Grease 13"x9" baking pan  and set aside. Soak the figs in warm water for half an hour and chop into small pieces. Using a food processor,mix flour,sugar and salt.Add pieces of butter and pulse 8-10 times till the mixture resembles course meal. Add...

Tuna Fish Patties Tuna fish patties is tasty and filling appetizer. You can use fresh tuna or canned ones to make these patties. Tuna patties can be served on their own or used as a sandwich. Try this you will surely love it. Ingredients Tuna- 1/2 lb Potato boiled- 1 medium Onion chopped- 3 tbs Garlic minced- 1 tbs Eggs-2 Bread crumbs- 1/2 cup Dijon mustard- 1 tsp Mayonnaise- 1 tsp Paprika- 1/2 tsp  Chopped parsley- 2 tbs salt and pepper to taste oil Cut tuna into small pieces, add salt and pepper and 3-4 tbs of water and cook in a low medium flame till it is soft and cooked. Drain off excess water if any. If you are using the canned ones, drain and use. In a bowl add the cooked tuna and mash with a fork. Peel boiled potatoes and mash it and add to the tuna. Add the rest of the ingredients, beaten egg, bread crumbs, chopped parsley ,minced garlic,onion, Dijon mustard, mayo, paprika, salt and pepper. Mix all the ingredients well till it is well combin...

Spicy Chickpeas Today is World Diabetes Day and Swathi of Zesty South Indian Kitchen has organized an event  and a group of bloggers are sharing diabetic friendly recipes. It is wonderful to be part of the group. Three members of my family are diabetic, my mom and my in laws. My in- laws today attended a camp, organized by medical center, to help diabetic patients. World Diabetes Day is observed all around the world, to bring better awareness to this  diseases, which if left undiagnosed or unregulated will lead to chronic life threatening situations like heart diseases, stroke, kidney failure and blindness. But a healthy life style,controlled diet and regular checkups has been an effective way in controlling diabetes and preventing serious situations. In recent years there is an alarming rise of diabetic patients around the globe and   researchers point out that the number of people living with diabetes may rise to 592 million by 2035. So  it is impo...