Chocolate Milk Shake

 Milkshake, especially Chocolate Milkshake is loved by all, both kids and adults. To make a yummy glass of milkshake, you need only a small number of ingredients and I'm sure kids would love it a lot. Whenever you feel like preparing something quick and easy during those hot scorching summers, all you need to check is whether you have got some chocolate powder, ice-cream and some milk. Well sugar would go right in when you check the taste while preparing a chocolate milkshake ;)

You can even prepare this yummy milkshake if you are arranging a kids’ party or if you have guests at home with a majority of them being tiny naughty ones. I bet they would all love to have some yummy chocolate milkshake at any time of the day or even during night ;)

You may even replace chocolate powder for chocolate syrup that is easily available in the market. Try adding chocolate pieces while blending to give it a different taste too. So, you have got a lot of choices for preparing a yummy chocolate milkshake for your kids. Make sure you add only the right quantity of sugar. I prefer not to add too much of sugar. But the choice is yours.

This is a yummy drink which needs only a few seconds for preparation, and trust me, this could win the heart of anyone. So jot down the ingredients and method of preparation that is given below.

Ingredients (For two)

·       Milk    -  Half a litre

·       Chocolate powder- 3 tbsp

·       Sugar  -   according to your taste

·       Ice-cream-  5 scoops

Method

·       Mix chocolate with a small quantity of lukewarm water in a cup.

·       In a blender, add chilled milk, sugar, chocolate. 2 scoops of ice-cream

·       Blend the ingredients for 10 sec

·       Pour the milkshake in tall glasses and add the remaining ice-cream on top of it.

·       Garnish it with some chocolate flakes if you feel like decorating it for a kids’ party.

Mutton Brain Perattiyathu

Mutton brain dry fry or perattiyathu is a typical dish of Kerala. It is extremely tasty and can be prepared within a few minutes. Make sure you consume it soon after it is cooked. In short, you need to serve it hot. This dish can be considered the specialty of Kerala, and is a good choice for Sunday Brunch.

Ingredients

Mutton Brain -   5 nos ( Since mutton brain is small, for serving four people, 5 nos is needed

Onions           -   2 nos

green chilly    -   1 small

Pepper powder-  1 tsp

Turmeric powder- a pinch

Salt                 - to taste (prefer to add little quantity since it needs less amount of salt)

Method

1. Clean the brain well by carefully pulling off the thin membrane. Make sure that you hold the brain on your left hand and softly pull out the membrane with your right hand.

2. Wash the brain well and keep in a bowl

3. Dice onions, cut chilly

4. Heat  a pan and add some oil to it.

5. Add onions and chilly and saute well

6. Add turmeric and pepper powder to the onions and saute for 30 secs

7.Cut the brains into halves or quarters and add them to the onions

8.Add salt and close the lid of the pan for 10 mnts

9. After 10mnts, open the lid, turn off the stove

10 Serve piping hot

Squid with Veg filling- Kanava Nirachathu

Sea food lovers cannot think of saying “No” to squid delicacies. Squid has that conical hollow shape that often tempts us to fill it with tasty fillings. Cooking with these fillings can enhance the taste of the squid. Though this method is pretty time-consuming, the hard work is worth it when you sit in front of your table. While getting confused about making something special for dinner, you may try this recipe for a change.

Make sure you prepare this recipe if you have sufficient time and patience. With care and patience, you can make this dish an extremely tasty one that will be loved by all at home. To prepare this dish, you need large squids. If you want the taste of the filling to get inside the flesh, you need to close the open part of the squid with the help of a toothpick. Take out the toothpicks while serving, as you do not want anyone to accidentally get a poke in the mouth.

You can even try out your favorite filling to make your dish tastier. Do let me know the changes you have made to this recipe. I would be happy to try them out. For the time being, check out my recipe and have fun!!

Ingredients

·        Squid                       -  10 numbers (large)

·        Onions                     -   3 large

·        Carrot                       -   1

·        Beans                       -    5 nos

·        Ginger garlic paste  -  1 tsp

·        Green Chilies          - 3 small (Add as per your requirement)

·        Chilly powder          - 1 tsp

·        Tomato sauce           - 1 tsp

·        Corn flour                 - 1 tbs

·        Water

·        Oil                            - 

Method

·        Add 2-3 tsp of oil in a hot pan. Simmer the flame and add diced onions and green chilies to it.

·        Add Vegetables- Carrots and beans which are diced into the pan and sauté. Add Salt to taste. Close the pan with a lid for 5 minutes. Let it cook for some time. Do not overcook. The vegetables must have a bit of crispiness.

·        Now add Ginger garlic paste to the vegetables and close lid for 2 min

·        In a small bowl, take 1 tbsp of corn flour and mix it with 3 tbs of water. Mix well so that no lumps are found

·        Add this corn flour batter to the vegetables and allow it to mix well. This helps in binding the mix well.

·        After 2 mins, turn off the stove and let it cool.

·        Clean the squid well and fill each squid with filling.

·        With the help of a toothpick, you can seal the squid.

·        Now place the squids with filling into a steamer and steam for 20-30 mints.

·        After 20mnts, take out the squids

·        Heat a pan and add diced onions (half), sauté well and add half a teaspoon of chilly powder and add tomato sauce and sauté well. Add a pinch of salt and add the steamed squids to the pan.

·        10 Let the squids fry for 5-10 min

·        Serve hot

Chicken Biriyani

Easy Chicken Biriyani Kerala Style

Special occassions are made more spicy with Biriyanis. Though Hyderabad is the hub of Biriyanis, (popularly known as Hyderabadi Biriyanis), Kerala too has its own likings towards this popular Indian favorite.

Biriyani can be made with Chicken, Mutton, Vegetables, Prawns or even with fish. Everything depends upon your taste and your mood. Check out my recipe for Chicken Biriyani and take a dip into the lip smacking delight you would love to have for every special occassion.

Ingredients

·        Chicken- 1 1/2  kg

·        Basmathi rice- 1 kg

·        Onions- 5 large (4 for chicken curry and 1 for frying (this has to be sliced thin))

·        Green chillies- 2 or 3

·        Tomatoes- 3

·        Rambha leaves- 2

·        Corriander leaves- a small bunch

·        Mint leaves - a small bunch

·        Pepper Powder/ Red chilly power- 2 tsp

·        khus khus-  3 tbsp

·        Cashew nuts-  250 gms ( take 100 gms for frying and 150 gms for grinding)

·        Raisins- 20 gms (Optional)

·        water-    1/2 cup

·        Ghee or veg oil-      3-4 tbsp

Method

Step 1

Soak 1 kg Basmathi rice in a vessel for half an hour. The more you soak it, the more firm it will become.

Step 2

Boil water in a pressure cooker or a large vessel. Take about the right amount of water needed for boiling 1 Kg rice. Add some salt, a small piece of cinnamon, one cardamom and 3 cloves to the boiling water. Then add the soaked rice to it. Make sure the rice is cooked perfect. Drain the water off as soon as you find the rice seems perfect for you.

Step 3

Garnishing

Take a large vessel. Pour some Ghee into it. You can even prefer oil instead of Ghee. When the oil has started to heat, add thinly sliced onions into it. This one is for Garnishing. So make sure you do not burn it off. Fry the onions till they turn out golden brown. You may keep them aside for garnishing purpose.

You may use the same oil for frying the raisins as well as the cashews. These are also for garnishing. So take care not to fry it for long. Keep them aside so that you can use them after you prepare the biriyani.

*Care should also be taken to fry each of the garnishing items one by one. Never mix them and fry. You may mess up the whole procedure.

Step 4

In a mixy, you may grind khus khus, cashew, ginger and garlic and pepper powder/corns to a very fine paste

Step 5

Biriyani gravy

The next thing you need to do soon as you finish frying your garnishings is the making of the gravy of the Biriyani.

Make use of the oil/Ghee you have used for frying the garnishings. You may add more ghee if you think you need some more.

·        Add the diced onions (4 nos), and chillies into the hot ghee. Saute till golden brown.

·        Add the herbs that are cut and kept aside, to the onions. You can now add chopped coriander leaves, Pudina/Mint leaves and Rambha leaves to it. Saute for 2 mnts.

·        Add Tomatoes that are diced.

·        Now you may add the cut chicken to the vessel add some Salt close the lid for the chicken to get cooked.

·        After 15 mnts, you will find your chicken all set.

·        Now you may add the fine paste of khus khus, cashew, ginger, garlic and pepper to the cooked chicken.If necessary, add half a cup water too. Make sure you do not add much water.

·        Cook for 10-15 more minutes or till you find the gravy cooked well.

·        Close the lid and switch off.

Step 6

This is the final stage

For a group of 6 to 7 people

Take a Glass bowl you use in the oven.

When it is time to serve, Take the glass bowl and brush some ghee it.

Now add some rice, then add some chicken gravy with chicken pieces to it, add some rice and then add the garnishings (fried onions, cashews and raisins) and microwave for 5 mnts.

You can mix the rice and curry  and microwave as you are about to serve.

You can even mix the whole rice and curry and serve too.

For a group of 10-12 people

For bulk servings, you need to mix the rice and curry evenly and make sure you do not add more amount of gravy to the rice or the biriyani might look too wet and sticky.

Add them in the right proportion in a large vessel if you need to serve to a large number of people.

Place a Tava on the gas stove and place the vessel on top of it.

Close the lid and give a bake to the biriyani.

You can open it after another 10 to 15 minutes time.

Your Kerala Style Biriyani is ready to serve. Serve hot with chicken fry and vegetable raita.

Mutton Stew- Kerala Style

Mutton Stew

Mutton Stew is a very popular dish in Kerala, the southern part of India. It is served hot with Appam, and is considered as a breakfast specialty during festive occassions like Christmas and Easter. Kerala Mutton Stew can delight your taste buds. Make sure you try out this tasty dish. You can even serve Mutton stew with Bread too.

Mutton Stew usually plays a major role in parties or marriages in Kerala. Since everyone loves to eat appam and stew together, it is common for the Christian community of Kerala to make stews every now and then. The beginning of the Easter or a Christmas is marked with the steaming bowl of Mutton stew on the table for breakfast. On such festive occasions, family members sit together to have their share of breakfast along with cake and wine. And women of the house usually make preparations the day before itself, so that they don’t have to hurry up in the morning. Food is served in the morning soon after attending the morning mass. The aroma of the stew and appam actually make me remind of the Christmas Eve or the Easter. Do try this tasty stew to be served in the mornings, especially on Sundays to give your family the spicy touch of God’s Own Country.

Ingredients 

1. Mutton                         -     1 kg
2. French Beans               -     7-8 nos
3. Carrots                         -     2
4. Potatoes                       -     3
5.  Green chilly                 -     1
6. Onions                         -      2 nos
7. Tomatoes                     -      2 nos
8. Pepper Powder            -      1/2 to 1 tsp ( as per your requirement)
9. Coriander Powder      -      2-3 tsp
10. Coriander leaves        -      a small bunch
11. *Garam masala              -     1 1/2 tsp
12. Coconut milk              -     2 cups (thick)
13. Salt                              -      to taste
14. Oil                               -      4 tbsp

 Method:

• Pour oil (coconut oil) in a pressure cooker. If you choose to cook in a pan, you can choose the slow cooking method.
• Add onions and chilies and saute till golden brown.
• Add coriander powder (3tsp) and saute well
• Add Pepper power and Tomatoes and saute till tomatoes become soft
• Now add mutton and vegetables together
• Add salt as per your tastes and pour sufficient water for the meat and vegetables to cook
• Close the lid and cook for 10 minutes in a pressure cooker or slow cook for 30 min in a closed vessel until the meat cooks well.
• Switch off the stove
• Open the lid and check whether mutton is well cooked
• Add Garam Masala and put on the stove and let the curry boil
• Now add the thick Coconut milk to the boiling stew
• And it is time for you to add coriander leaves to it. Do finely chop it  before adding it.
• Let the stew boil for a minute
• Switch off and serve hot with Appam or Bread.

Kerala Mutton Stew is a real delight that you will love a lot. Try this out for any special occasion and make your family happy.

Kerala Kappa-Beef (Tapioca and Beef as evening snack)

Tapioca is loved by the people of Kerala a lot. Though not a native of the land, it has been accepted by the people of Kerala with whole heart. The Maharaja or King of Travancore, Vyshakham Thirunal Maharaja was the one who introduced Tapioca to Kerala during 1860s, and soon it turned out to be the labourers' favorite. Tapioca is called Kappa or Maricheeni Kizhangu in Kerala.

The Tapioca special tried by me today, is Kappa Beef special. This is a really tasty dish or you can call it a snack too, better to be tried during evenings when you really feel like stuffing your hungry tummy with something really yummy. So here is my special recipe for Kappa Beef right for you. Try it out...You will defenitely love its taste.

Ingredients

• Tapioca (kappa)     -  1 big
• Beef                        -  1/2 kg
• Shallots                   -  20
• Onions                     -  2
• Chillies                    - 2  small
• Ginger garlic paste  - 1 1/2 tsp
• Chilly powder          - 2 tsp
• Corriander powder   - 4 tsp
• Turmeric powder      - a pinch or two
• Garam masala            - 2 tsp
• Salt                              - as per taste
• oil                               - 2 or 3 tbsp

Method

• Boil tapioca and keep it aside.
• Cook Beef in a pressure cooker with a 1/4 tsp of salt and a pinch or turmeric. The steam cooked Beef can be kept aside.
• Take a frying pan, add some oil and saute the diced shallots, onions and chillies. Saute till golden brown.
• Add ginger garlic paste and saute for one minute.
• Now add a pinch of turmeric powder, 2 tsp of chilly powder, 4 tsp of corriander powder and add 2tsp of garam masala powder.
• Add the beef and mix well
• Add salt to taste
• Simmer and let it cook for 5 minutes.
• Open the lid of the frying pan and add the boiled tapioca to the beef mix
• Mix well and close the lid for another 5 minutes
• Serve steaming hot. Sure to excite your tastebuds.

Aloo Palak

Aloo Palak    (Potato Spinach curry can be served with chappathis or bread)


Potatoes   - 4 medius sized cut into squares
spinach     - A small bunch
Onions - 2 nos
green chilly - 1
Ginger garlic paste- 1 tsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp
cumin powder - 2 pinches
chilly powder - 3/4 tspn
turmeric- 1/4 teaspoon
coriander powder  - 2 tspn
salt - to taste

method:

• In a pressure cooker, add some oil, and saute thecut spinach leaves for 3 -5 seconds. This helps to maintain the green colour. Take them out and blend to form a paste.
• In the remaining oil, add onions, greenchilly, and saute well-
•  Add chilly powder, coriander powder, turmeric,cumin powder, garam masala and saute well.
• Now its time to add the potatoes,some salt and 2 cups of water. Cook till the potatoes are soft. [If you use a pan instead of pressure cooker, then You need to add 3 cups of water and cook for 20 mnts.]
•  After the potatoes are cooked, add the final ingrediant that is the palak paste or the spinach paste to the curry.
• Boil for 5 minutes.
• Serve hot with chappathis or with bread.