Kitchen Corner-Try It

  Baked Cauliflower and Chicken With Cheese Sauce Baked Cauliflower and Chicken with delicious creamy sauce is a fantastic side dish that combines tender cauliflower with chicken. It’s a great side dish for a crowd because it is both quick and inexpensive. Cauliflower is always a favorite option when I plan to make something quick and easy. Steamed cauliflower smothered in a cheese sauce and baked to crispy golden is delicious and the perfect lazy day side dish. This simple version is a good starting point, but there are so many ways you can experiment and find a flavor combo that makes your taste buds happy! Using a mix of different cheese will deepen flavors and also the gooey-gooey texture that everyone loves. Look no further for absolute comfort food that is family-friendly, and it meets cauliflower Au gratin in taste. Cauliflower is a gluten-free, low-crab substitute for rice or pasta. It is rich in nutrients like Vitamin C, anti-oxidants, and dietary fiber. Cauliflower has a ...

Mushroom Egg Thoran   Today I am sharing a recipe that is quick and easy to make and is healthy too. Mushroom egg thoran is an effortless side dish for rice. Do you love scrambled eggs?  I make them all the time for breakfast. Mushroom and eggs are the preferred combination for breakfast. Why not try it for lunch? Mushroom, eggs, and coconut are combined to make a delicious, Kerala-style thoran for lunch. Thoran is Kerala's version of a quick vegetable stir fry with coconut and spices. Growing up, we often have scrambled eggs for lunch. Kerala style scrambled egg/ mutta chikkiyathu is slightly browned, and crispy with onions, coconut, and curry leaves. Mushroom is not commonly used to make thoran, but it tastes amazing. The egg and mushrooms taste so good with the sweet crunch of coconut, and the flavor of cumin and garlic. It is worth a try and goes well with steamed rice and chapati.   If you are craving a simple South Indian meal, then you must try this delightful...

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...

Paneer Tikka Masala Paneer tikka masala is a popular restaurant dish with grilled paneer simmered in a rich tomato gravy.It is a vegetarian version of chicken tikka masala and is easy to put together. It is a perfect accompaniment with rotis and naan. Recipe adapted from Sanjeev Kapoor Ingredients To marinate Paneer - 400 grams Red bell pepper- 1 Green Bell pepper 1 Ginger garlic paste- 1 tsp Turmeric powder- 1/3 tsp Kashmiri Chilly powder- 1/2 tsp Garam masala- 1/2 tsp Cumin powder- a pinch Oil - one tsp Yogurt- 1/2 cup (hung curd) For the gravy Onion - 2 medium Tomatoes- 3 medium Ginger garlic paste-1 tsp Turmeric powder- 1/3 Chilly powder- 3/4 tsp Coriander powder- 1 tsp Garam masala- 1 tsp Cumin powder- 1/2 tsp Kasoori methi- a pinch Bay leaf- 2 Cinnamon stick- 1 Cloves-2 Cardamon 2 Sugar- 1 tsp Cream- 1/2 cup Cut paneer,bell pepper into one inch cubes. Marinate with the rest of the ingredients listed under marinade and keep aside ...

Scrambled egg and cauliflower tastes delicious both as a side dish for rice, chapati or bread.This is something worth trying with cauliflower and you will love the taste of cauliflower combined with egg and finished off with freshly grounded pepper.This looks some what like a cauliflower egg bhurjee.You can also make it little more spicy by adding chilly powder and garam masala. Ingredients Chopped cauliflower-  2 cups Egg- 2 Onion- 1/2 onion or 6-7 shallots Green chilly - 2 Ginger- 1 inch thick Garlic- 3 pods Turmeric powder- 1/3 tsp Pepper powder- 1/2 tsp Spring onions- a little( optional) Curry leaves Oil Salt to taste Heat oil in a pan and saute  crushed onion followed by crushed ginger,garlic and green chilly. Fry this till golden brown. Add turmeric powder and fry followed by chopped cauliflower and salt. Stir fry in medium. Sprinkle a few drops of water and cover for one minute. Beat eggs nice and fluffy. Make a well in center of the caul...

This masala okra stir fry is inspired by the masala stuffed okra with I have been seeing around made by my fellow blogger's. But I was not patient enough to silt and fill in the stuffing and some got slitted  all the way through :(.I ended with this recipe which tasted equally nice:) Okra- 20-25 Onion- 1 medium Green chilly slit- 2 Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp Curry leaves oil hing - a pinch Masala Roasted peanut powder-2tsp Roasted Sesame seeds- 1 tsp Chilly powder- 1/2tsp Coriander powder- 1/2tsp Garam Masala- 1/2 tsp Salt a pinch Cut okra into desired shape. Heat one tsp of oil and add in the ingredients listed under masala and lightly roast it in low flame till the raw flavor disappears and set aside. Heat another two tsp of oil and add mustard seeds. Allow to splutter and add in green chilly, curry leaves and hing. Add onions and fry till golden brown and finally add okra and stir fry for two minutes. You can close with a lid for a few seconds and then conti...

Chenna or yam pachadi is a delicious way to cook yam. I tried this recipe after I saw it in Lakshmi Nair Cookery show. This is a simple and quick recipe and she called it "instant pachadi'. I brought a little variation to the original which was like a chutney- grinding all the raw ingredients in a blender and then adding the thadka. The recipe had asked to use raw yam, but I was a it reluctant to try that since I did not get fresh yam and tried this with the frozen one. Ingredients Yam- chopped- 2 cup Coconut- 1/2 cup yogurt- 1 cup Green chilly- 3 Ginger- 1 inch thick Jaggery- 1 tsp Tamarind a small ball oil Shallot -1 mustard seeds-1/2 tsp Red chilly-3 Curry leaves- Salt to taste Chop the yam into small cubes. Cook this along with slitted green chilly, tamarind juice and salt. Make a fine paste of coconut, ginger, a pinch of  mustard seeds. When the yam cooks add this paste and mix well. Simmer for a minute and add yogurt and heat it for a few s...

Erisseri is a traditional Kerala vegetarian dish. Pumpkin erisseri is the most popular for sadhyas or feasts,  but you can use other vegetables like snake guard, yam, plantain, papaya or a combination of several of these vegetables. Erisseri is usually mashed vegetables and lentils seasoned with roasted coconut, fried curry leaves which adds to its unique flavor and taste. Personally I like pumpkin erisseri due to its mild sweet flavor and beautiful yellow color. Traditionally red beans and black eye beans are used, but you can also use green gram for this recipe.  Ingredients Pumpkin diced - 3 cups Red bean- 3/4 cup Shredded Coconut- 3/4 cup+ 1/3 cup Turmeric- a pinch Dry red chilly- 5 Jeera -1/3 tsp Garlic- 2 pods Curry leaves oil mustard seeds- 1/3 tsp Salt to taste Soak beans for at least three hours and cook them and set aside. Chop pumpkin into cubes and cook with 1/2 cup of water, turmeric and salt. Roast 3 dry red chilly with a little of oil ...

Fried eggplant is a simple and easy recipe. Eggplant is a wonderful vegetable but I like it best when fried and my mother had a tough time making us ( me and sister )eat this when we were kids. But we made no fuss when it was fried. This is definitely lot more calories but what is wonderful in this recipe is that it gets  fried crispy but not soggy. The best  way to fry eggplant is to use very little oil as it has a tendency to absorb and you will never get it crispy. It goes well with rice and dal/sambar, but it is also a nice snack or an appetizer.  Try this recipe ..you will surely love this. Ingredients Egg plant big- 1 Italian bread crumbs- 1/2 cup Chilly powder- 3/4 tsp Pepper powder -a pinch corn flour- 1 tsp Egg-1 Chopped coriander leaves- 2 tsp Chopped lemon grass- 1/2 tsp Parmesan cheese- 1 tsp salt to taste oil for frying Cut eggplant into half inch thick round pieces and sprinkle a little salt after a minute place them on  paper towel ...

 Vazhuthananga Theeyal Theeyal is a spicy side dish made with roasted coconut. It is very aromatic and can be made with vegetables like eggplant, bitter gourd,drumsticks and several other vegetables. Prawns theeyal is also very popular and one of my favorites. This curry is only made occasionally as it cannot be made in a jiffy.It is time consuming especially cleaning and slicing of shallots which is the main ingredient and roasting the coconut. Still this flavorful curry is one of the favorites with my family. Here I am using baby eggplants. Ingredients Baby Egg plants- 8-10 Shallots sliced- 1 1/2  cup Shredded coconut- 3/4 cup Tomato - 1 Green chilly -2 Ginger chopped- 3 tsp Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp Chilly powder- 1 1/2 tsp Coriander  powder- 2 tsp Pepper powder- 1/3tsp( optional) Fenugreek powder- 1/3 tsp Tamarind- gooseberry size ball Curry leaves- 1 spring Oil Salt to taste Roast coconut with one tsp of chopped shallots till brown but ...