Kitchen Corner-Try It

  Spicy Chicken 65/ How To Make Kerala Restaurant Style Chicken 65 Chicken 65 is fiery, crispy fried chicken bites, perfect for a cocktail party or a delicious snack. It is always a crowd-pleaser, and besides, there’s nothing like a deliciously spicy chicken fry. Sounds exciting, huh? Then check the recipe, it is super simple to make, and you can enjoy restaurant-style chicken 65 at home. Chicken 65 is one of the easiest and tastiest of chicken fry dishes from South India and found on the menu of every South Indian eateries/ restaurant. It is a peculiar name for a chicken dish. You might wonder why the name Chicken 65? It seems like this is a mystery. Some sources suggest that it was the 65th item on the menu list. Another viable reason is that it was named after the year it was introduced in the hotel menu, in 1965 at the Buhari hotel in Chennai. But there is no doubt this delicious, flavorful chicken is an addictive starter and is a pure joy to indulge. The chicken pieces are mar...

Roti Jala- Malaysian Net/lace Crepes Roti Jala/Roti kirai is a traditional Malayan savory crepe with a beautiful lacy pattern. Roti Jala means net bread, and it has a pretty net/ lacy pattern. It is a delicious tea-time snack and tastes delicious with chicken or beef curry. It is considered a traditional dish of the coastal community-the crepes are inspired from the fishermen's net and hence made like a net. Roti Jala batter is simple as any crepe batter, and you can whip it up in minutes. It is fun to make, and you can involve your little helpers. The beautiful golden yellow color is from turmeric. Turmeric powder adds a savory touch and is best with a spicy curry. But if you want to enjoy it as dessert, add yellow food color. There are so many colorful roti jalas that you can make- my favorite dessert is the green one flavored with pandan extract. Beetroot juice or butterfly pea flower water can be natural coloring agents. To make the roti jala, there is a special cup with ...

Sambar Vada Urad Dal vadas/ medu vada is a much-loved traditional breakfast and snack in South India. I grew up eating this deep-fried goodness, and of course, it is made at every South Indian home, restaurant, and tiffin center. It is relished, with sambar and chutney as breakfast or snack. When these crispy fried urad dal vadas get soaked in delicious aromatic sambar, it is relished as sambar vada. Sambar vada is popular in South Indian restaurants and tiffin stalls. Uzhunnu vada/ medu vada soaked in sambar is a filling and satisfying snack and represents the simple, homely flavors of South Indian breakfast. Crispy fried Medu vadas are delicious snacks, crisp on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. Vadas are deep-fried savory snacks flavored with shallots, ginger, green chilly, and curry leaves. Vadas are soft and fluffy inside, and they soak up the sambar. The result is soft, and melt-in-mouth vadas that taste divine. You can garnish it with chopped onions,  to...

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...

Paneer Kathi Rolls Paneer katti rolls is a delicious wrap with a flavorful paneer tikka masala filling . It is quick and easy to make and is perfect for lunch box and picnics. It has an enticing smoky flavor of grilled paneer and its tangy spicy marinade makes it everyone's favorite.You can use left over paneer tikka to make the wraps. Ingredients For the wraps Wheat flour- 1 cup Maida- 1 cup Sugar- 1 tsp Salt - to taste Milk- 1/2 cup Oil- 1 tsp` For the filling Paneer - 200 grams Red bell pepper- 1/2 cup (sliced or cubed) Green Bell pepper 1/2 cup Onion- 1/2 cup Gram flour- 2 tsp Ginger garlic paste- 1 tsp Turmeric powder- 1/3 tsp Kashmiri Chilly powder- 1tsp Garam masala- 1 tsp Cumin powder- a pinch Chat masala- 1/2 tsp Yogurt- 1 cup (hung curd) lemon juice-1/2 lemon To make chutney (Optional) Mint leaves- a handful Coriander leaves- a handful Green chilly-1 Ginger- 1 small piece yogurt- 1/2 cup To make the filling Cut paneer into ...

Rasa vada/Rasam vadai Rasa vada is a delicious tea time snack common in  restaurants and tea stalls. It is also served as breakfast in tiffin stalls in South India. Spicy, crispy parippu vada made with thuvar vada/ channa dal soaked in tangy and mildly spiced rasam smells and tastes yummy . Try this, you will surely love it. Ingredients To make vadas  Thuvar vada/ channa dal-1 cup Green chilly- 3 Shallot- 2 chopped Ginger- 1inch thick Hing/ asafotida- a pinch Turmeric powder- a pinch Curry leaves salt to taste Oil for frying-1 cup To make rasam  Tamarind pulp thick- 1/2 cup Shallots- 3-4 Garlic crushed- 2 pods Turmeric powder- 1/3 tsp Chilly powder- 3/4 tsp Cumin powder- 1/4 tsp Fenugreek powder- a pinch Sugar- 1/4 tsp salt to taste Asafoetida/Kayam- a pinch Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds- 1/3 tsp Curry leaves- a few Chopped coriander leaves- a little Oil - 2 tsp   To make rasam : Heat two tsp of oil in a pan. Add mustard...

Choco Balls Choco balls is quick yummy treats for kids and can be made in a jiffy. It has only few ingredients like biscuits, condensed milk and cocoa. You can change the recipe and add ingredients of your choice like nuts, coconut or dry fruits. Ingredients Arrowroot biscuit - 12-15 (Graham crackers or any biscuits of your choice) Cocoa powder- 2 tbs Condensed milk- 1/2 tin Sugar- 2 tbs (optional) In a food processor make a fine powder of biscuits, cocoa powder and sugar. Keep two tbs of this mixture aside. Empty the rest into a bowl and mix condensed milk. Mix till it resembles damp sand. Grease your hands and make small balls. Roll the balls in the biscuit crumble mixture(you can also use coconut of sprinkles instead) Keep this in the refrigerator for an hour and enjoy! Try this Hope you will all enjoy!

Baked Chicken Pinwheels Baked pinwheel with chicken filling can be served as a savory appetizer or tea time snack. This recipe has yeast dough,you can substitute it with ready made puff pasty dough.You can be creative and use any kind of filling-vegetables, spinach, tuna or meat stuffing.   Ingredients Flour - 1 cup Yeast - 3/4 tsp Warm water- 1/3 cup Salt - a pinch Sugar- 1 tsp Egg-1 melted butter- 2 tsp For the filling Cooked and shredded chicken-1 cup Roasted pepper- 1/3 cup Sun dried tomatoes chopped- 1 tbs salt and pepper to taste Garlic powder-  1/2 tsp Parmesan cheese- 1 tbs Chopped parsley- 1 tbs In a wide bowl, mix flour salt, instant yeast and sugar. Now add the milk,melted butter and egg and knead into a smooth and soft dough. Cover with a damp cloth and allow it to proof until doubled in size (40 to one hour). To make the filling first cook chicken and shred into thin pieces. Add chopped roasted bell pepper, sun dried tomatoes,chop...

Bread Bonda/ Fried Bread  Balls with Potato Filling Bread bonda is a crispy, light bite to indulge with a cup of tea. This delicious tea-time snack has a delightfully crispy bread crust and a potato filling. You can use up the leftover bread slices, and the filling is spiced mashed potatoes. The filling is placed in the center, shaped into a ball, and coated with bread crumbs for extra crunch. The balls are deep-fried till they attain a crispy golden exterior. Bread bonda has the same delicious filling as potato bonda . But instead of a batter for coating, we are using bread. Bread Bondas is a simple and delicious snack. It is heartwarming and will make you nostalgic. It was a favorite in our college canteen menu and served with chutney, ketchup, and hot tea. When I was in school and college, mom meticulously packed lunches for us, and silly me was jealous of my friends who eat canteen food. I was the lucky, oblivious person because mom packed delicious lunches. I was curious ...

Paneer Pakora Pakoras/pakodas are yummy tea time snack and also served as appetizers. They are batter dipped and deep fried. You can make pakoras with sliced vegetables or meat. This one is made with paneer. Ingredients Paneer cut into thin slices- 12-14 pieces Gram flour- 3/4 cup Rice flour- 2 tbs Chilly powder- 3/4 tsp Turmeric powder-1/3 tsp Coriander powder- 1/2 tsp Amchur powder- 1/3 Cumin powder-a pinch Ginger garlic paste- 1/2 tsp Chopped coriander leaves- 2 tsp Salt to taste Oil for frying Cut paneer into small thin slices. Make a batter with rest of the ingredients except oil. Batter should be a medium thick consistency. Dip each piece of paneer into the prepared batter, coat evenly and drop into hot oil and fry this on both sides. Fry each side for two minutes on medium flame. When it is slightly brown and crispy remove from oil and place  fried pakoras on a paper towel so that the excess grease is removed. Serve this with dates and tamarin...

Masala Bun/Bun Nirachathu Today's recipe is stuffed bun with a spicy chicken masala filling. It is inspired from the Malabar snack bun nirachathu. In this recipe I used regular yeast bread dough and stuffed with the filling and baked like regular bun. You can also make an easy version of this recipe by using store brought bun. I will add the recipe below. You can be creative with the filling, it can be either sweet or spicy filling.Kids will love this stuffed bun and it is a yummy and filling snack. Ingredients All purpose flour – 3 cups Instant Yeast – 7gm/1 pkt Milk – 1 ¼ cup (lukewarm) Butter – 3 tbsp Sugar – 4 tbsp Egg-1 Cardamom powder– a pinch Salt – 1 tsp For the chicken Masala Chicken(  minced or finely chopped) 250 grams Onion- 1 medium Chopped cashew nuts- 6-7 Chopped ginger and garlic- 3 tbs Turmeric powder- 1/3 tsp Coriander powder- 1/3 tsp Chilly powder- 1/2 tsp Pepper powder- 1/3 tsp (or according to your taste) Garam masala-1/2 ...

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 turn...

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...

Orange Raisin Scones Scones are perfect tea time snack or just with a cup of coffee for  brunch.I made these scones with citrus flavored and raisins. It is only recently that I started baking scones and never knew it was so easy to make,there is not much kneading needed and can be made in a jiffy. It is buttery and tender in the inside and crispy in the outside.You can add cranberries or chocolate chips instead of raisins. Ingredients All purpose flour- 2 cups Baking powder- 1 tsp Baking soda- 1/2 tsp Salt- 1/2 tsp Sugar- 1/2 cup Butter- 5 tbs Egg-1 Orange juice- 1 orange Orange Zest-1 tsp Vanilla essence- 1 tsp Heavy cream- 1/2 cup Raisins- 1/3 cup Pre heat oven to 350 degree F and line baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl mix flour,baking powder,soda,salt and sugar. Take butter that is  cold and chilled (not room temperature) and cut into small cubes. Add this to the flour and mix using a pastry blender( or with hand or a food proc...

Avocado Mango Salsa Refreshing mango and avocado salsa with a little it of tangy from lemon and heat of chillies. You can serve this fruity salsa as an appetizer with chips or as part of the main meal. Serve over some baked fish or meat to make a colorful and filling meal. Ingredients Mangoes cubes- 1 large Avocado cubed-2 medium Plum tomato diced- 1/2 Onion- 1/2 finely chopped Green chilly chopped/Jalapeno- 2 Pepper- a pinch Lemon- 2 tsp juice Finely chopped cilantro- 1 tsp salt to taste In a bowl add all the above ingredients,toss and mix and let it marinate in the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving. Serve with chips or with sea food,meat or tacos. Try this Hope you will all enjoy!

Ethapazham Kozhukatta Today's recipe is a tasty and guilt free snack.It is kozhakatta with the different filling. It is caramelized ripe plantain and coconut filling.Usually we use plantain to make ada or puttu for breakfast.But this time I used it as a filling for kozhukatta instead of the usual jaggery coconut filling. It had an inviting flavors of ghee, plantain and cardamon.Serve this with a cup of tea as a snack or as breakfast. Ingredients Rice flour- 2 cups Hot boiling water-1 1/4 cup Salt to taste Sugar- 1 tsp Coconut oil- 2 tsp For the filling Ripe plantain- 2 Coconut 1/2 cup Sugar- 3 tbs (or according to sweetness you like) Cardamon  powder- 1/2 tsp Ghee- 2  tsp To make the filling cut plantains into small pieces. Heat ghee in a pan and add chopped plantain and stir fry for about 2-3 minutes or till it becomes soft. Add sugar and mix and allow the sugar to melt and caramelize. Mix in coconut and cardamon powder. Allow the mixture...

Kerala Snack Ottada- Rice Parcel in Banana Leaf Ottada is sweet rice flour parcels wrapped in banana leaves. There is nothing fancy about ottada, and it is one of the forgotten, traditional old-fashioned teatime snacks of Kerala. There is the smell of charred fresh banana leaves. You bite into crispy sweet rice and coconut filling flavored with chakkavaratti/ jack fruit jam. Jack fruit preserve is a staple in Kerala homes, but it is an optional flavor enhancer. Rice and coconut are important in all traditional Kerala snacks, and jaggery or palm sugar is the preferred sweetener. These traditional teatime snacks are simple, and it invokes nostalgic sweet childhood memories. Grandmother sometimes wraps it into neat parcels and place it on embers or burning charcoal. It will need lots of practice, so for a novice like me, the slow cooking on manchatti is the better option. Kerala delicacies like elaada, kozhukatta , and ottada are very similar to each other. Elada and ottada have t...