Kitchen Corner-Try It

Kanava, koonthal or squid is popular among the sea food lovers of Kerala.Calamari fries is popular recipe in restaurants.This is not deep fried  but a dry preparation with squid cooked along with crushed coconut and spices.Cleaning squid is the difficult part a I was lucky to get cleaned ones in Asian market here. For cleaning instructions search here .It is a delicious side dish with rice..give this recipe a try..you will surely love it Ingredients Kanava/Squid- 1 lb Shallots- 6-8 ( or one medium onion) Ginger- 1 inch thick Garlic- 3-4 Green chilly-2 Grated coconut- 1/2 cup Chilly powder- 1 tsp Pepper powder- 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder- 1/3 tsp Kudam puli- 1-2 small piece. Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp Curry leaves- a few Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp Coconut oil Clean and cut the squid into into small pieces or round rings and set aside. Crush the grated coconut in a mixer and add in chilly powder, salt, turmeric, ginger and garlic .Mix this with the squi...

Green Peas Egg Curry Egg and peas taste delicious, and this simple, breezy curry is my best go-to curry for breakfast. In Kerala, egg curries are always made for breakfast and relished with soft spongy appam, idiyappam, chapathi, or bread. Every home has its easy egg curry, and it goes with almost anything. The recipe I am sharing today is mildly spicy curry flavored with coconut milk. It adds flavor and creaminess to the gravy. Kerala-style egg peas curry is made with dried green peas/ Pattani. The fresh tender green peas (garden peas/ English peas) are sweet and mild, but they are seasonal. The dried green peas are matured green peas pods with complex flavors. It is protein-rich, with a sweet nutty taste. Eggs are also protein-rich. So here you have a perfectly healthy breakfast that keeps you satisfied till lunchtime. I often do meal preps for the week to help reduce cooking time, on busy mornings. Peeled hard-boiled eggs are super easy food you can prep each week. They a...

Green Beans Stir fry  Simple and quick Asian style green beans stir fry with the flavor of garlic, bell pepper and roasted sesame seeds and the crunch of  peanuts.It is  delicious and flavorful dish and the little spiciness comes form chilly sauce and chilly flakes.Goes well with fried rice or any Asian style dinner. Ingredients Green beans chopped- 2 cup Roasted peanuts- 1/4 cup Roasted Sesame seeds- 2 tsp Garlic- 3 cloves Onion- 1 medium Soya sauce- 1 tbs Sugar- 1/3 tsp Chilly garlic sauce- 1 tbs Chilly flakes- 1/3 tsp Corn starch- 1 tsp(optional) Cut beans into desired size. Put it in microwave in high for one minute. Heat oil in a pan and add chopped garlic and saute for a few seconds and add the green beans,onions and sprinkle chilly flakes and a dash of salt. Fry this in for3-4 minutes till light brown spots appear on the beans. In a bowl mix soya sauce, sugar, chilly garlic sauce and add to the fried beans. Lower the flames...

Here is a delicious and healthy way to start your day This is a quick breakfast/brunch recipe.This is the regular pan cake mixed with cooked and mashed sweet potato. It is light and satisfying, low in starch and can be made in a jiffy just like the regular pancakes, provided you have cooked sweet potatoes in fridge :) You can cook sweet potatoes and store them in fridge for two to three days just like potatoes( do not peel off the skin, pat dry and store in Ziploc bags). Give this recipe a try. Ingredients Sweet potato- 1 medium Flour- 1 cup Baking powder- 1tsp Salt- 1/2 tsp Sugar- 3 tsp Egg- 2 Milk- 1 cup Melted butter- 2 tsp Vanilla essence- 1 tsp Nutmeg- a pinch Cook sweet potato in boiling water and cook till its tender. But it should remain firm. Peel off the skin and cut into small pieces (otherwise just poke sweet potato with a fork and place in the over at 350 degree F for one hour) Combine flour,salt,baking powder and nutmeg and keep aside. In a mixer ble...

Kerala Mutton Peralan Mutton peralan is a popular recipe in North Kerala and is mutton in a dry gravy. This is spicy and delicious mutton which is relatively easy to make  but tastes exotic.This peralan recipe was little different from the peralan recipe I had tried earlier. I found this recipe in a TV show called "Taste of Ramdan" and it looked so delicious that I decided to give it a try. I brought about a little changes to the original recipe and my family enjoyed.It is a delicious accompaniment with rice or pathiri. Ingredients 1)Mutton - 1 l/2 lb Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp Pepper powder- 1/2 tsp Salt to taste 2) For masala Shallots crushed - 1 cup Onion finely chopped - 1 medium Ginger and garlic finely chopped - 3-4 tsp Whole red chilly- 3-4 Turmeric powder- a pinch Chilly powder- 1/2 tsp Pepper powder- 1/2 Coriander powder- 1 tsp Cumin - 1/2 tsp Fennel powder- 1/2 tsp Garam masala- 3/4 tsp Thick coconut milk- 3/4 cup 3) For Garnish Cashe...

Bottle gourd/ Lauki and dal is a delicious combination and is a great accompaniment with rice or chapatis. It is light and filling with the touch of cumin and a bit tangy from tamarind and tomatoes. I was not much confident to try bottle gourd mainly because we never had much of this veggie in our part of Kerala. Its freshness and tenderness attracted me that I finally decided to give it a try. I did not have a recipe and decided to  try my moms spinach dal recipe,but used lauki instead. Try this recipe..you will surely love it.  I ngredients Bottle gourd- 1 medium sized tender Chana dal- 1/2 cup Onion -1 medium Green chilly-  2-3 Tomatoes - 1 Garlic- 2 cloves(crushed) Turmeric powder- 1/3 tsp Chilli powder- 1 tsp Cumin - 1/3 tsp Asafoetida- a pinch Tamarind- a small lemon sized ball ( soak in half cup of water) Curry leaves Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp.  Cook soaked chana dal in  two to three cups of water till it gets mashed up( soak at least for...

Semiya Payasam  Semiya or vermicelli payasam/kheer is a yummy dessert,  easy to make, and truly delectable. It is a delightful treat- a sugary, creamy rich, dessert made with vermicelli and milk. It has the beautiful fragrance of ghee and cardamom. The trick to make a perfect semiya/ vermicelli payasam is to boil milk and sugar till the milk is reduced, and it attains a slightly creamy consistency. An easy shortcut to achieve perfect consistency and richness is to add sweetened condensed milk. It helps in giving the payasam a thick, creamy texture. I think few could resist a warm or chilled bowl of payasam to end a  hearty meal. Payasams are festive puddings. Whenever it's time for a celebration or festival, I make this payasam because it is the easiest and also my favorite. I made this for Vishu along with sweet boli, and the combination was divine. Boli is very popular in southern Kerala and is served along with pal payasam or semiya payasam during Sadhya . Payasam is...

Asparagus egg thoran is a real comfort food and it is stir fried asparagus with coconut,eggs and a touch of cumin.Asparagus is a healthy vegetable and is rich in fiber, folic acid and vitamins. I tried asparagus thoran when I saw  it in Nisha and Maya's blog and it soon became a family favorite. Once I tried this thoran with eggs and it tasted delicious.This is definitely one of the simplest recipe with asparagus. Give this a try..you will surely love it. Ingredients Asparagus - 1 bunch Onion- 1 small Coconut- 1/2 cup Cumin- 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder- 1/3 tsp Green chilly-2 Egg-2 Pepper powder- a pinch Garlic-2 pods Curry leaves Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp Wash and clean asparagus. Discard its woody base and chop and keep aside. In a mixer crush and mix shredded coconut, cumin and garlic and turmeric powder Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds and fry curry leaves. Add onion,green chilly and fry till golden brown. Now add asparagus and salt and fry for two min...

Chicken Ularthu/Ularthiyathu This is another Kerala style roast with has a perfect blend of flavor of coconut and freshly grounded spices and coconut oil.Ularthu is a kind of sauteed stir fried chicken. Usually thin slices of coconut is added but here I have used grated coconut. It is a dry preparation just like chicken fry . It is time consuming and you need to take extra care not to burn the masala, but it is worth the effort.Try this, you will surely love it. Ingredients To marinate Chicken - 1 Kg Pepper powder- 1 tsp Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp Salt to taste For the masala Grated coconut - 1 cup (or thinly sliced coconut- 1/2 cup) Shallots- 15-20 Ginger- 2  inch thick Garlic- 8-10 Chilly powder- 1 tsp Chilly flakes- 1/3 tsp Whole pepper- 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder - a pinch Coriander powder- 3 tsp Garam masala- 3/4 tsp Fennel powder- 1/2 tsp Curry leaves Coconut oil Cut chicken into small pieces and marinate with the ingr...

Vada kootu curry is a spicy vegetarian curry made with Vadas.  It is urad dal/black gram, soaked and made into a paste, fried and added to a  spicy potato and coconut stew. It is made and served during Sadhyas in southern part of Kerala. It is different from the Kootu curry of Northern Kerala  were veggies like yam and plantains are used along with chick peas. You can use uzhunnuvada and cut into pieces and make this curry. It is flavorful and tastes delicious, especially these urad dal dumplings which get soaked in aromatic and creamy coconut sauce. Try this recipe,you will surely love it. Ingredients For the Vadas Urad dal- 1/2 cup Green chilly- 2 Whole pepper- a  few Salt Oil for frying For the gravy Potato- 2 large Onion chopped- 1 medium Ginger and garlic paste- 2 tsp Kashmiri Chilly powder- 1 1/2 tsp  Coriander powder-2 tsp Pepper powder- 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder 1/3 tsp Garam Masala- 3/4  tsp Coconut Milk thick 3/4 cup Coc...

Pineapple Halwa   Today's recipe is a rustic confectionery, a chewy dessert treat that everyone loves. But this halwa is unique. There is something very appealing and delightful about fruit halwa. I am not talking about dry fruit halwa, but the ones made with fruit purees, like pineapple, tender coconut, jack fruit, plantain, passion fruit, etc. They are decadent and delicious and are perfect for any occasion. This pineapple halwa recipe was adapted, from the Kozhikodan style fruit halwa recipe. I love traveling and exploring local food habits and regional variations. The SM street in Kozhikode, also known as Mittayi Theruvu, is a treasure trove for all foodies, with a sweet tooth. You can find innumerable varieties of halwa in various hues and flavors. If you love the pleasant smell of pineapples, here is a mouthwatering dessert. It is so tasty and addictive, buttery with a chewy gel-like texture that you can never stop eating. You can use pureed pineapple or pineapple juice...