Kitchen Corner-Try It

Karikku Payasam/Tender Coconut Payasam Tender Coconut/karikku is a favorite among Malayalees. The water of tender coconut  is refreshing and is a thirst quencher on hot summer days. It is available year around and is used to make several tasty desserts and puddings. Karikku payasam is a simple and quick dessert made with the fleshy meat of the tender coconut along with coconut milk and jaggery. Try this you will surely love it. Ingredients Karikku/Tender coconut meat- 1 cup Tender coconut water- 1 cup Thick coconut milk- 1 cup Powdered jaggery- 3/4 cup (Adjust according to sweetness you prefer) Water- 3/4 cup Cardamom crushed- 5-6 Raisins and cashew nuts- a few Ghee- 2 tsp In a heavy bottom pan bring 3/4 cup of water and jaggery to a boil. Simmer till it is completely dissolved.Strain the impurities and return to the stove and allow to thicken. Cook tender coconut meat in coconut water till it becomes soft (note if it is too tender you can skip this...

Manga Achar/ Mango Pickle Green mango pickle is a delicious and spicy condiment. We rarely get raw mangoes here and few weeks back , I was so glad to come across raw mangoes in our grocery store. I have already shared pickle recipes with mango like Kerala kadumanga/mango pickle and Andhra mango pickle/ aavakaya. This mango pickle is spicy,sweet and sour.  Ingredients Green Mango cubes- 3 cup Garlic- 15- 20 pods Ginger- 2 inch thick piece Dates- 8-10 Chilly powder- 4-5 tbs (or according to your spice tolerance) Fenugreek powder- 1 1/2 tsp Asafoetida-  1 tsp Salt- to taste Sugar- 1/2 tsp Gingerly oil- 1/2 cup Mustard seeds- 1/3 tsp Vinegar- 1/2 cup   Cut mangoes into cubes. Sprinkle salt, cover and leave it in room temperature for 4-6 hours. Soak dates in half of the vinegar. After about an hour make it into a paste. Using a mortal and pastel crush ginger and garlic (around 10-15) into a course mixture. Slice the rest of the garlic. H...

Pazham Boli Pazham boli/ethapazham boli is a mildly sweet and delicious snack. It is a quick fix snack that you can serve with tea. I felt like it tastes somewhat like unniappam. This recipe is inspired from Das Shreedharans cookbook which I read some time ago,even though I don't remember the exact recipe. Pazham boli is delicious with great aroma of plantains, ghee and cardamom powder. Ingredients Plantains- medium-2 Cherupazham/small banana-1 Maida-2 tbs Rice flour- 2 tsp Baking powder- a pinch Turmeric powder- a pinch Sugar- 3 tbs (adjust according to taste) Black sesame seeds- 1 tbs Grated coconut- 1 tbs Dry ginger powder- a pinch Clove powder- a pinch Cardamom powder- a pinch Ghee- 1 tbs Oil- 1 tsp In a bowl add chopped plantain and small banana/cherupazham. Gently mash it with your fingers. Into this add maida, sugar, grated coconut, roasted sesame seeds,baking powder, turmeric powder, ginger powder, clove powder and cardamom powder. Mix ...

Malaysian Chicken Curry Puffs Malaysian Curry puffs are popular Asian street food. Curry puffs are popular in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, etc. I think there are differences in recipes, but do not have an exact idea as to why they are different. I came across recipes which have two types of dough, water dough and butter dough which is very close to the regular pastry dough/store brought dough. This recipe is a simple homemade version of the Malaysian Curry puffs. I love this recipe because it is close to the Indian snack samosa and Kerala chicken puffs. Samosa has a similar crust with spicy potato or meat filling. Kerala puffs have a spicy curried filling and the crust is puff pastry. Since my family enjoys both these recipes I was super excited to try this recipe. This deep-fried crispy and spicy snacks are irresistible and perfect for tea time munching. The stuffing used here is a spicy chicken filling which is incredibly delicious. If you like to experiment with bold flav...

Vellarikka Manga Curry/Cucumber Mango Curry Today's recipe is a common curry for lunch in Kerala and reminds you of its regional flavor and taste. Moru curry or yogurt curry with cucumber or ash gourd is a favorite curry that is served over rice. Coconut based curries and lentil curries are also served with rice. This is a simple combo of cucumber and green mangoes.  This is a coconut based curry. Try this,it is yummy with rice, fish fry and thoran. Ingredients Green Mango- 1 Cucumber- 1 medium sized Tomato-2 small Shallots- 5-6 Ginger- 1 tsp chopped Garlic- 1 clove(optional) Fenugreek powder- a pinch Cumin seeds- 1/3 tsp Green chilly- 4 Coconut-1 cup Turmeric powder- 1/3 tsp Chilly powder- 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds- 1/3 tsp Dry red chilly -2 Curry leaves- 1 spring  Peel off skin and discard seeds of cucumber and  mango and chop into cubes. Add one cup of water , green chilly, garlic,turmeric powder, chilly powder and salt. Cover and  c...

Pepper Coconut Chicken Stir Fry This recipe is a typical Kerala style easy chicken stir fry. It has the enticing flavor of coconut oil, the crunch of roasted coconut and the spicy kick of ground black pepper. It is a simple dish with little ingredients which can be put together quickly. Try this you will surely love it. Ingredients Chicken - 1/2 kg Onion sliced- 1 large (or use pearl onions for extra taste) Thinly sliced coconut-3-4 tsp Grated coconut- 1/3 cup Fennel seeds- 1/2 tsp Cloves- 4-5 Ginger- 1 inch thick piece Garlic- 5-6 cloves Turmeric powder- 1/3 tsp Chilly powder- 1/3 tsp Whole pepper- 1 1/2 tsp ( adjust according to taste) Coriander seeds-1 tsp Curry leaves Coconut oil- 3 tsp salt to taste Dry roast pepper,cloves and coriander seeds for two to three minutes. Allow it to cool down a bit and make a fine powder. In a pot add the chicken pieces, half of the ground pepper and coriander powder, turmeric powder, chilly powder and sliced onion...

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...

Padavalanga Chemmeen Varutharacha Curry/ Snake Gourd Prawns Curry Padavalanga/ snake gourd is a very common vegetable in Kerala. Padavalanga was always grown in our backyard at home and mom always made different kinds of recipes with snake gourd. It is a healthy vegetable and is used in recipes like aviyal, sambar,theeyal etc. I already posted a parippu recipe and a thoran with snake gourd. Combination of prawns and snake gourd is also super yummy. Try this,you will surely love it. Ingredients Prawns- 250 grams Padavalanga/snake gourd- 1 medium Green chilly-1 Tomato-1 medium Ginger chopped- 1 tsp Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp Salt to taste To roast and grind Coconut-1 cup  Pearl onions-5-6 Fenugreek seeds - a few Chilly powder-  1 1/2 tsp Coriander powder- 2 tsp mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp Pearl onion sliced-1 curry leaves oil   Clean prawns and set aside. Thinly slice shallots and ginger. Gently scrap the snake gourd.Cut lengthwise and r...

Fruit Sandwich Want a quick and tasty tea time snack? Try these quick and delicious sweet tea sandwich. The filling is whipped cream and fruits and you can not stop at one as these are irresistible. This recipe is adapted from Japanese fruit sandwich.Kids will surely love it. Use any fruit of your choice to make this sandwich. Ingredients Bread slices-6 Heavy whipping cream- 1 cup Sugar- 3-4 tsp Fruits of your choice I used mango slices, strawberry and kiwi Using a hand or standing mixer first whip the cream. In a bowl whisk chilled whipping cream for about two minutes. Gradually add the sugar,little by little and continue whipping  till it attains soft peaks. Cut off the bread crusts neatly and spread the cream. Arrange the fruits and top with a bread slice. Cover and wrap with a cling wrap. Refrigerate for a hour, or freeze for 15 minutes, slice and serve. Try this Hope you will all enjoy!

Mango Sago Pudding/Mango Tapioca Pearls Pudding Since it is mango season we are getting lots of mangoes here. I wanted to try this pudding for quite some time now. It is a humble yet tasty pudding with mangoes and sago/tapioca pearls. Try this you will surely love it Ingredients Sago/Tapioca pearls- 1 cup Ripe Mango- 3 Condensed milk- 1/2 cup Milk-1 cup Sugar- 2-3 tbs Cardamom powder-  1/2 tsp Rose water- a few drops (optional) In a deep heavy bottom pan bring 7-8 cups of water to a boil. Add the sago pearls and gently mix. Leave this to cook in medium flame for 10 minutes. If the water thicken drain out and add more warm water and cook. When the sago pearls are cooked and looks transparent, drain . Transfer the cooked sago pearls into a  bowl of cold water and set aside. Make a puree of diced mangoes, milk, condensed milk and sugar. Transfer this puree into a bowl.Drain off all the water from the tapioca pearls and mix with the mango puree. Mix car...

Green Chickpea Paneer Curry Green chickpeas is healthy and easy to cook. It is very tender and cooks faster than the regular chickpeas/chana.It has a smooth buttery texture. I found green chana/choliya in the freezer section of our grocery store. Green chana and paneer is a yummy combo and this curry goes well with chapati/ naan.  Ingredients Green Chana- 2 cup Paneer cubed- 150 grams Onion - 1 large Tomato- 3 Green chilly-2  Ginger- 1 inch thick piece Garlic- 3-4 pods Cashew nuts-10-12 Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp Kashmiri chilly powder- 1 1/3 tsp Coriander powder- 1 tsp Garam masala- 1/2 tsp Meat masala- 1/2 tsp Cumin powder- 1/8 tsp Cardamom powder- a pinch Coriander leaves chopped- 3 tsp Oil- 3 tsp salt to taste Fry paneer till it turns golden brown and set this aside. In the same pan and add chopped onion, cashew nuts, chopped ginger and garlic and saute for a minute. Add 3 chopped tomatoes and saute till the tomato turns soft and mu...

Coconut Halwa Coconut halwa is flavorful and yummy sweet. This halwa is made with coconut milk and grated coconut. The bakery near our home in Kerala sells this version of coconut halwa and it was my favorite.You can also lightly toast the coconut. It will improve flavor and give a slight crunch and texture to the halwa. Halwa is very popular in Kerala and you get the best banana halwa is Kozhikode, a city in North Kerala. Earlier I posted nenthra pazham or ripe plantains halwa. This coconut halwa is also tasty and definitely worth the effort.Try this halwa, you will surely love it. Ingredients Grated coconut- 3/4 cup Coconut milk thick-2 cup Coconut milk thin 3 cup Sugar- 2 cup Corn starch- 3/4 cup Cashew nuts- 1/2 cup Ghee-1/2 cup Cardamom powder- 1 tsp Toast grated coconut and cashew nuts till it turns slight golden. When it cools down make a it into a fine powder. You can add chopped nuts instead of grinding it. In a heavy bottom pan add the thin c...

Korean Chilli Garlic Chicken Korean Chilli Garlic Chicken is crispy and spicy chicken. Crispy batter fried chicken is coated  with a flavorful marinade of soya sauce,garlic, leek,chilli oil and dry red chilli. This recipe is adapted from Korean chicken of Maangchi . If you like spicy flavorful fried chicken, this recipe is worth a try.Its yummy. Ingredients Chicken pieces- 1 lb Leeks chopped-a hand full ( I used 2 leek stems ) Garlic - 5-6 cloves Ginger sliced- 1 tsp Crushed dry red chilly- 1 tsp (or according to spice tolerance) Potato starch or corn starch- 3-4 tbs Soya sauce- 3 tbs White vinegar- 1 tsp Chilly oil- 2 tbs Rice syrup or corn syrup- 1 tsp Chilly sauce- 1 tsp (optional) Sugar- 1/2 tsp Salt and pepper to taste Cut chicken into small bite size pieces. Marinate with salt, pepper, a few drops of soya sauce and corn starch. Set aside for 10 minutes. Heat  1 1/2 cup of oil in a pan. Drop coated chicken pieces and fry in batches. Do ...

Fish Roe/Meen Mutta Omelet Fish Roe omelet is quick and easy to make. It can be served along with rice like normal omelets.It was also be used as a sandwich.This is my mom's recipe. She usually makes fish roe fries for small fish and omelets or meen mutta thoran when we get more quantity of fish roe.Roe is the egg mass of the fish. We can make  omelet by cutting off the thin membrane and scooping out the egg mass. Try this you will surely love it. Ingredients Fish roe- 1 cup Egg- 1 Finely chopped pearl onion- 3 tsp Finely chopped ginger and garlic- 1 tsp Chopped green chilly-2 Chopped coriander leaves and curry leaves - 1 tsp Turmeric powder- a pinch Grated coconut- 2 tsp Fennel powder- a pinch Salt and pepper to taste oil for frying Carefully cut off the thin membrane and scooping out the egg mass or slightly break open with your fingers. Beat one egg lightly and mix.Add all the rest of the indigents except oil and blend well. Heat a pan and driz...