Kitchen Corner-Try It

Papaya Mulakushyam Mulakushyam/Moloshyam is a healthy lentil and vegetable curry that is served over rice. Mulakusham is a simple curry, an old fashioned recipe still made and served in many Kerala homes. It is vegan, nutritious and power-packed with flavor. Mom makes this simple curry and it is one of my favorite. One cannot refuse good home-cooked food that is filling and comforting. It is a versatile curry and you can add any number of vegetables. Now you may ask  what is Mulakushyam?  Well, the term itself means spicy and mulaku is spicy chilly. It is a traditional recipe passed down through generations. Many of these simple curries are forgotten or overlooked. This curry invokes the real nostalgia of simple village life-taste that lingers in your memories. Mulakushyam has a mild flavor yet a distinctive taste with the kick of black pepper. Black pepper was the spice of choice for generations in Kerala cooking. So many still prefer adding only black pepper an...

Paneer Lemon Mint Rice This is a quick and comforting meal for those who love paneer. It is a combination of three enticing flavors paneer,mint and lemon. The mint flavor is not overpowering in this dish but if you are a fan of the mild paneer flavor reduce the amount of mint. You can give your own personal touches but I guarantee that it is a delicious and flavorful rice and you will surely love it. Ingredients Cooked basmathi rice-2 cup Onion - 1 small Ginger thinly sliced- 1 inch thick Green chilly-2 Turmeric powder- 1/3 tsp Lemon juice- 1 lemon Garam masala- 3/4 tsp Shahi jeera- 1/2 tsp Sugar- 1/2 tsp Salt to taste To marinate Paneer- 2 cup (cubed) Ginger garlic paste- 1 tsp Turmeric powder-a pinch Kashmiri Chilly powder- 1/2 tsp Garam masala-1/3 tsp Cumin powder- a pinch Yogurt- 3 tbs (hung curd) lemon juice-a few drops Mint - a hand full   To garnish Cashew nut-6-8 Badam- 5-6 Pistachio-6-8 Ghee- 1 tsp Fresh mint leaves- a few Cook rice and a...

Pineapple Pastry Pineapple pastry/Gateaux is a delicious treat and goes out for all those who have a sweet tooth. It has a soft and melt in mouth texture and is very common in Indian bakeries.  It was everyone's favorite back home. It is basic sponge cake with fruit and whipped cream frosting. Made this for Father's day and my family enjoyed it. Try this,you will surely love it. Ingredients For the cake Self raising flour-1 cup Sugar- 1/2 cup Salt- a pinch Butter- 3 tbs Egg-6 Vanilla essence- 1 1/2 tsp For the filling and syrup Chopped pineapples- 1 1/2 cup Sugar- 2 tsp For the cream Heavy whipping cream- 2 cup Vanilla essence- 1 tsp Powdered sugar- 3 tbs Chopped pineapple and cherries for garnish Chop pineapples into small cubes and add sugar and set aside for some time. Strain out the liquid that comes  from pineapple. Keep the pineapple aside( preferably in fridge) and simmer the liquid in a sauce pan in low flame for t...

Njandu/Crab Varutharacha Curry A typical Kerala style seafood delicacy with great aroma and taste. Its crab cooked in roasted coconut gravy which  is spicy and tangy.I have a crab masala recipe which is a dry version. This recipe was in draft for quiet some time and I almost forgot about it. Crab is a once in a while food,I love it but crab cleaning is a gruesome business. Back at home it is a seasonal food and grandmother was a expert in deciding when to buy and what sort of crab to buy,etc etc..So for today's recipe there is a little preparation before you cook the dish and that is making the roasted ground paste. It is delicious curry and can be served with rice or with tapioca. Ingredients Crab - 8 medium (clean and then cut length wise into half) Onion- 1 medium finely chopped Ginger- 1 inch thick Garlic- 3-4 pods Green chilly - 2 (Make all the three into a fine paste) Kudampuli/Malabar tamarind- 3 pieces Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp Pepper powder- 1/3 tsp ...

Undan Pori Today's post is a delicious snack usually common in small restaurants and tea stalls of Kerala.It resembles very much to the unni appam yet it is different in its taste and texture. Undan pori  is crispy and crunchy and at the same time soft and spongy inside. This snack was regularly seen in our college canteen. But this humble snack was brought it only if there was a shortage of uzhunnu vada and parippu vada. It sounds funny but being away from Kerala I felt a craving for this snack and tried it once, but I did not get the perfect chayakada/teastall taste. When I saw this recipe in Swathi's blog -Zesty South Indian Kitchen-I knew this was the perfect recipe. I tried it and it was really delicious. Thanks Swathi for the recipe. Ingredients Wheat flour- 1 1/3 cup Rice flour- 1/3 cup (optional) Baking soda-a pinch Jaggery- 3/4 cup Small banana mashed-3 Cardamon  powder-1/3 tsp Ghee- 1 tbs Coconut pieces- 1/3 cup salt- a pinch oil for frying ...

Beet Greens Dal  Beet leaves is nutritious wonder green that you can never discard. It is rich in protein,zinc,iron and magnesium and vitamins like A,C and K. I love it as a thoran along with beetroot or mixing and spicing up with lentils.I simply adore this dish because it is simple yet tasty and healthy and can be served over rice. Ingredients Toor Dal- 3/4 cup Tomato-2 medium Shallots- 4-5 Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp Green chilly- 4-5 salt to taste Chopped Beet greens- 3 cups Oil-1 tsp Ghee- 1 tbs Thinly sliced ginger- 1 inch thick Mustard seeds- 1/3 tsp Cumin seeeds-1/2 tsp Fennel seeds- 1/2 tsp (optional) Garlic-3 pods Dry red chilly-2 Wash and soak toor dal for about 3 hours. Pressure cook this along with tomatoes, shallots, green chilly,turmeric powder and chilly powder and salt. Cook this for ten minutes or three whistles. Once lentil is nicely cooked mash with a wooden spoon. Slightly crush garlic and cumin and set aside. Finely chop beet stems...

Egg Biryani  Egg biryani is interesting,quick and tasty recipe.It may look a long process with lots of ingredients,but believe me there is nothing complicated in this dish.It is perfect for a lazy day where you still crave for a royal exotic  meal.It has layers of aromatic rice with spicy egg omelet masala and coconut milk topped with fried hard boiled eggs. Give this recipe a try,you will surely love it. Recipe adapted from here Cooking time- 1 hour Recipe type- Rice/Main Course Cuisine: Indian Ingredients For the rice Basmathi rice- 2 cups Cinnamon- 2 inch thick,Cloves- 4-5,Cardamon- 3,Star Anise-1 Salt to taste Ghee- 1 tbs Rose water- a few drops(optional) For the biryani masala Cinnamon- 2 inch thick,Fennel seeds- 1 1/3 tsp,Star Anise- 1 Cardamon- 4 -5,Cloves- 4-5,Cumin- a pinch,nutmeg- a small piece,Black pepper- 1/2 tsp ( lightly roast this and make a fine powder) (It should be about 2 1/2 tsp- 1/2 tsp to make the omelet 1/3 to fry the egg an...