Kitchen Corner-Try It

Erachi Puttu Puttu is Kerala's time-honored breakfast and is a comfort food for every Malayali.This humble steamed breakfast is now becoming a gourmet dish and puttu festivals are very popular in Kerala.There is a whole range of puttu with different flavors to try.This one is a spicy version with a delicious chicken masala filling.You can try different fillings like prawns masala, fish masala,or vegetable masala or sweet fillings like chakka/jack fruit  or caramelized plantains/ ethapazham. A special thanks to my friend Swathi for sending me Puttu podi :) Ingredients Puttu Podi/ Rice flour- 1 1/2 cup Grated coconut- 3/4 cup salt- 1/3 tsp Sugar- 3/4 tsp Water - 1/3- 1/2 cup For the chicken Masala Chicken(  minced or finely chopped) 250 grams Onion- 1 medium Chopped cashew nuts- 2 tbs (optional) Finely chopped tomato- 1 Chopped ginger and garlic- 3 tbs Turmeric powder- 1/3 tsp Coriander powder- 3/4 tsp Chilly powder- 1/2 tsp Pepper powder-a pinch (o...

Strawberry Ice Cream If you love strawberries in desserts here is the perfect way to enjoy it- delicious home made ice cream.This frozen dessert is refreshing and is the best summer treat ever. Earlier I posted a recipe for home made mango ice cream which was the European way of making with a egg custard base. This recipe is an easy with a simple blend of strawberry puree and cream. It has a creamy,smooth texture. Try this,you will surely love it. Ingredients Whole milk- 1  cup Heavy Cream-3 cup ( 1 1/2 pints) Strawberry Puree- 1 1/3 cup Chopped strawberry- 1/3 cup Sugar- 1 cup Vanilla essence- 1 tsp Process strawberries along with 1/2 cup of sugar in a food processor or blender until it is very smooth. Strain the puree into a bowl, pressing on pulp in strainer and allow to chill in refrigerator. Bring milk and cream to a slight boil or till you see bubbles around the pan,switch off and vanilla essence and let it cool for half an hour or room temp...

Speculoos Cookie Sandwiches Baking partners challenge for this month is cookies.  Swathi suggested that members attempt famous cookies from around the world and four cookies were selected.Dutch Speculoos cookies, Kourabeithes from Greece, Biscotti from Italy and Chinese almond cookies. It was definitely a hard choice to decide which cookie to bake. But  Speculoos Sandwich cookie looked irresistible. What I found interesting is its spice mix of cinnamon,pepper,ginger,clove and nutmeg and the chocolate cinnamon filling. Speculoos cookie is also known as Belgian Spice Cookies or Dutch Windmill cookies and in countries outside Europe they are sold as  Biscoff cookies. It is a special occasion cookie  traditionally made to celebrate St Nicholas Feast (Dec 5-6) in countries like Netherland,Belgium and Northern France.It is a spiced thin biscuit with an image or story stamped on it. ( they use a wooden stamp or a rolling pin to imprint images on the biscuit...

Oreo Cookie Cake My kid is an Oreo cookie fan, so made this cake as a treat for a special occasion. It is chocolaty goodness and  real quick treat if you are in no mood for elaborate cake frosting and decorating. Powder some cookies and sprinkle on top, decorate with a few extra pieces of cookies and you are good to go.The cake is basic chocolate cake and the filling and frosting is creamy soft with the crunch of the chocolaty Oreo cookies. Ingredients Cake flour- 2 1/2 cup Cocoa-1/2 cup Sugar- 3/4 cup Egg-2 Butter- 5 tsp Baking powder- 1 1/2 tsp Baking soda- 1/2 tsp Salt- 1/4 tsp Vanilla essence-  1 1/2 tsp Buttermilk- 3/4 cup For the frosting Cream cheese- 8 oz Powdered sugar- 1 cup Salt- a pinch Vanilla extract- 1 tsp Heavy whipping cream 1 1/2 cup Oreo Cookies- 25 Pre heat oven to 350 degree F and grease and prepare cake tin. Mix cake flour,baking powder,baking soda and cocoa powder. In a large mixing bowl  beat sugar and butter ...

Spinach Onion Pakoras Onion Fitters or pakoda/pakori can be served as an appetizer or perfect snack with a hot cup of tea. Pakoras/pakodas is a common snack in India, a deep fried vegetables fritter made with gram flour/ chick peas flour. Earthy spices, ginger and coriander leaves add flavor and heat.  Hear I used a handful of baby spinach to make this crispy and spicy snack. Spinach adds color and more flavor to the pakodas.The flavor of onion pakodas are irresistible and this fitters and a family favorite. There are unimaginable varieties of pakoda and it is famous as street food as well. You can find pakodas in restaurants, kiosks, street stalls in every part of India with regional flavors added to it.The flour used in this recipe is chickpeas flour and rice flour. Rice flour adds crispiness to the batter. The batter has to be thick and almost crumble like to get the crispy crunchy texture that everyone likes. Add chilly powder according to your spice preference. An impor...

Ethapazham Halwa/Banana Halwa Do you love plantains? This tropical fruit is sweet and starchy. Whether you love or hate them, this sweet plantain halwa is a delicious treat that you should try. And I guarantee it will quickly become your favorite plantain sweet treats! This halwa smells amazing, with an intense caramelized fruity, plantain flavor, and is a die for! Halwa is a popular,  sweet in India known for its gel-like candy texture and is so addictive. Halwas of different shades and colors are beautifully arranged,  in glass shelves in Indian bakeries. Halwa is adored by young and old in Kerala, and there is an indispensable part of festivals and celebrations. Ethapazham/ Nenthra Pazham/banana halwa is best when made with overripe plantains. If you have some black-spotted overripe plantains sitting on the kitchen counter, don't be tempted to throw then away. It is best for this recipe. Plantain halwa is very popular in Kerala, and you get the best banana halwa is Kozhik...

Persian Saffron Rice Today's post is a special rice dish- Persian crispy crusted rice dish infused with saffron. Butter and saffron adds richness to the rice. Saffron's unique delicate flavor and golden yellow color makes it dish even more inviting.The rice for this dish is only partially cooked just like in biryani and then it is steamed until it is cooked through. The rice develops a light crispy bottom crust (tahdeeg/ Tah dig) along with the potatoes.Decorate the rice with toasted pine nuts or pistachios or fried onions and serve this with any spicy side dish. Ingredients Rice-1 1/2 cup saffron -  1/2 tsp (I used 0.26 gram sachet) Butter or ghee- 2tbs ( I used Ghee) Cloves-3, Cardamon- 1 Potato- 1 (cut into slices) Onion-1 Toasted pine nut- 2 tbs (use any nut you like) Slice onions and fry till crispy and golden brown. Toast pine nuts in low flame for about two minutes and keep aside. Gently pound the saffron and soak in 3-4 tbs of warm water. ...

Chicken Ghee Roast  Chicken ghee roast is an exotic aromatic chicken recipe, from South India and it is a recipe that is designed to impress. This Mangalore style chicken ghee roast is a popular restaurant-style dish, but it is simple and you can make it at home. Now does this curry define South Indian cooking? No, it is a unique recipe and one of a kind recipe. But there is no doubt that it will provide you an exotic eating experience. The taste is delicious with complex flavors all melding into each other and ghee gives this recipe its an authentic flavor. Ghee roast is succulent, finger-licking chicken with the right balance of heat and flavor. The beauty of this recipe is the bright reddish color of the chilly paste- and the chilly used is a regional variety called Byadagi chilly. Considering that this dish has only red chilies as the major spice, that's saying something about its uniqueness. This chilly is preferred for flavor and color rather than heat. So you are not...