Mutton Liver Perattiyathu- Mutton Liver Dry Fry

When I was a child, Sundays were considered special. The reason was quite unknown to me. Apart from being a holiday, Sundays had one more peculiarity. It was the day when my Dad used to force both me and my brother to fill up our tummies. Both my Mom and Dad used to cook together and make all sorts of yummy delicacies that still make my mouth water. We usually had a three course lunch that always started with a soup, then with a mutton dry fry with bread and after that comes the main item rice and chicken curry. Well when we reach the rice part, all of our tummies will be filled and we simply say  a big “NO” to the rice and curries.

Today, I am about to share the recipe for Mutton Liver Perattiyathu or Mutton Liver Dry Fry that was one of the best dishes my parents make. Sundays still remind me of those wonderful childhood days when I did not have to care for anything else. What I need to do was simply enjoy the dishes prepared by my Mom. I am thankful to both my parents for making me watch those methods of cooking that both of them used to prepare dishes. Cooking became interesting only when I started cooking. But I enjoyed watching my Mom cook when I was a child. And I cherish those moments a lot. Today, I cook mutton liver and you wont believe it tastes the same as my mom makes. Well watching her cook has helped me a lot.

Checkout the recipe for Mutton Liver Perattiyathu and I think you guys too will try out the recipe during your Sundays!!

Ingredients

·         Mutton Liver – ½ a kg

·         Onions           - 2 large

·         Tomato  - 1 large

·         Green chillies- 2

·         Ginger Garlic Paste- ½ tsp

·         Chilly Powder – ½ or 1 tsp as per your taste

·         Pepper Powder – ½ tsp

·         Turmeric Powder – a pinch or two

·         Coriander leaves – ¼ cup ( This is optional)

·         Salt

·         Oil

Method

1.      Clean the liver and cut into thin slices

2.      Wash once or twice with water

3.      Keep it aside

4.      Switch on the stove and heat a pan

5.      Add oil to the pan

6.      Add finely chopped onions and green chillies to the pan

7.      Sauté for one or two minutes

8.      Add ginger garlic paste to the pan and sauté well for one minute

9.      Now add the liver pieces and tomatoes to the pan

10.  Add salt as per your taste

11.  Now is the time to add chilly powder, turmeric powder, pepper powder and garam masala to the pan.

12.  Close the lid and simmer the pan for 10 minutes. Make sure you sauté the mix within 3 mnts.

13.  Open the lid after 10 mnts and add coriander leaves if necessary

14.  Serve hot with bread or chappathis

15.  Enjoy!!

Muringakka thoran

The most common side dish served with rice in the state of Kerala is Muringakka or Drumstick thoran. We can add more spice to the thoran by adding jackfruit seeds or chakka kuru. This side dish is not a new one for those living in Kerala. Muringa tree is found in common in the backyards of most of the houses in Kerala, and its leaves are perfect for thoran too. Muringa leaves are extremely tasty and healthy too. As Palak leaves are famous in the North of India, the Drumstick leaves are the popular ones in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

People have understood the goodness of Drumstics and have always made it a point to add them in most of the dishes. You will find Kerala fish curries too cooked with drumsticks or Muringakka to make it tastier and healthier of course. You can even find drumsticks in sambars too to make it yummy. Muringakka thoran is loaded with lots of nutrients that are essential for your body. Check the recipe and make sure you try it out with rice.

Ingredients

• Drumsticks -  4 nos
• Jack fruit seeds-  10 nos
• Coconut gratings - 1/4 cup
• Garlic - 4 cloves
• Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
• Green chillies - 2 or 3
• Oil
• Salt

Method

1. Cook the Jackfruit seeds in a vessel with a small amount of water and salt and keep it aside
2. In a mixer grinder, add coconut gratings, garlic, turmeric and green chillies and grind for 2 mnts
3. Cut the drumsticks into small pieces and split it into halves
4. Heat a pan, pour oil, add mustard seeds when the oil is heated
5. Now add the drumstics to it along with curry leaves
6. Add the cooked jack fruit seeds 
7. Now add the coconut mix along with salt
8. Close the lid and cook for 10-15 mnts
9. Serve with rice

Drumstick thoran or muringakka thoran is very good to taste. But care should be taken while choosing the right ones before cooking. If you prefer tasty thoran by your side, then make sure you pick young ones or else you may find it difficult to consume hard ones that show that they are aged. The thoran will be tasty and easy to consume if the inner portion is soft. You may consume the seeds too. there is no harm in it. but make sure you throw off the fiber part. The jelly like inner portion is very tasty when added with the right amount of salt and the correct proportion of coconut gratings. This common dish of Kerala can become your favorite too if you follow the instructions of the recipe. Enjoy a healthy meal with Muringakka thoran with chakka kuru with rice, and train yourself for a healthy day ahead. Though drumsticks are famous all round the world, many are not aware of the goodness of the leaves of drumstick trees. You can make thorans using drumstick leaves and I can guarantee you, it tastes heavens. 

Vella Kadala Curry - Chick Peas Curry

To accompany Chappathis or Puris, you always need the best. One such superb side dish that goes well with Chappathis or Puris is ofcourse the Chickpeas curry or the Vella Kadala Curry as it is said in the language Malayalam. 


Being an ardent fan of Chappathis, I often make it a point to make this curry which is often enjoyed by the members of my family. This curry has a slight touch of chillies, though not too hot, and the tangy taste of tomatoes, that are perfect for your giving your tastebuds the delight you often expect from any food. The only thing you have to focus is to soak it overnight to make your cooking procedure easier. 

Ingredients

• Chick Peas (Soaked) - 1/4 kg
• Onions  - 2
• Green chillies - 1 or 2
• Tomatoes - 1 if large, 2 if small
• Ginger Garlic Paste- 1/2 tsp
• Garam masala - 1/4 tsp
• Chilly Powder  -  1 tsp (or 1 1/2 tsp)
• Corriander Powder - 3 tsp
• Turmeric Powder - a pinch or two
• Oil
• Salt

Method

1. Soak the chick peas over night
2. Before cooking, drain off the water remaining in the vessel with chick peas
3. Heat a pressure cooker and pour oil to it
4. Add mustard seeds (optional) and curry leaves to it
5. Add finely chopped onions and green chillies to it
6. Saute till golden brown
7. Now add the Ginger Garlic Paste to it and saute for 2 mnts
8. Add Chilly powder, Corriander Powder, Turmeric powder and garam masala and saute for 2 mnts
9. Add the diced tomatoes to it and saute for yet another 2 mnts
10. Add the soaked chick peas and saute well
11. Add salt to taste 
12. Pour 1/2 a cup of water and mix well
13. Now close the lid of the pressure cooker
14. Wait for 4-5 whistles
15. Switch off the stove and leave it without opening for 5 mnts or till it is safe to take off the weight of the pressure cooker
16. When you open the pressure cooker, you can check the salt content in it
17. Serve hot with Chappathis or Puris
18. Enjoy!!

The recipe for chick peas curry is a good side dish for Kerala white puttu or Rice cake that is best for a healthy day’s beginning. Children love to take chick peas curry to school inside their lunch box. It can be made into a liquid consistency for chappathis and for rice, make sure you dry it up. Well that one tastes good too. If your child takes rice to school, then drying up the curry will prevent leakage of the liquid out of the lunch box. Garnish with coriander leaves for making it more attractive and tasty too. There are a lot of ways of preserving soaked chick peas. I will definitely make it a point to give you the details regarding storing the soaked chick peas in my future posts. Happy Cooking!!

Caramel Pudding

Talking about Caramel pudding, I simply can't resist thinking of its yummy taste. This pudding is an all time favorite of kids. This yummy pudding can be considered as the basic pudding that beginners usually need to try out. As a child, I was also a great fan of pudding. My Mom used to make for us Bread pudding which is yet another version of this pudding. I must say puddings are fun to have and truly a delight to share. This pudding can be made as a dessert after your supper or can make Sundays fun days for kids as well as grown ups. Try this Caramel Pudding and make sure you surprise your loved ones on Sundays. 

Ingredients

• Milk - 1/2 a litre
• Sugar - 1/2 a cup
• Eggs - 4 nos
• Sugar (again for Caramalizing)- 4 tbsp

Method

1. Take a baking tin or the mould into which the pudding is supposed to be set 
2. Turn on the flame in a low mode and let the mould heat
3. Now add 4 tbsp of sugar into the mold and stir with a spoon until the sugar gets caramelized 
4. When the sugar is caramelized, (when it turns brown -do not overheat or else it will not taste good), you can take the mould and swirl the caramel around it.
5. Keep aside the mould with caramel to cool
6. In a bowl, you can add milk, sugar (1/2 a cup) and eggs
7. Beat it well with the help of a hand mixer or a blender for one or two minutes. Just make sure the sugar has mixed well.
8. Take a steamer and add sufficient water to it. Let it boil.
9. Now you may pour the milk mix to the caramelized bowl
10. Simmer the stove on which the steamer is placed
11. Now you may place the bowl with milk mix to the steamer
12. Close the lid and cook for 10mnts sharp
13. Care should be taken not to over-cook the mix or else your pudding will not set well
14. After 10 mnts in low flame, your pudding would be ready to be taken out of the steamer.
15. Place the mould inside the refrigerator to cool and to set well
16. Cooling process takes around 3 hours or more if placed in the refrigerator. If you place in the freezer, you can get it pretty quicker, but make sure you do not freeze it.
17. After the pudding is set, you can use a knife to separate the pudding from the sides of the vessel.
18. The next step is the most exciting one. Take a place and slowly turn the pudding mould upside down and tap it gently.
19. Your pudding is ready with all the caramel flowing around tempting you to have a scoop.
20. Enjoy!!

I am a lover of Caramel pudding. My love for caramel pudding has actually pushed me to make this yummy pudding for all at home. The pudding is so easy to make and does not need a list of ingredients that are not available at home. This is the reason why Caramel pudding has conquered my heart. Hope this recipe will conquer yours too. Happy Cooking!!

Beef curry with onions and chilly- Beef curry Ulliyum Mulakum

Beef curry with onions and chilly is a traditional method of making beef curry. The specialty of this curry is that coriander powder is not used for thickness or for flavor. All we make use of is onions, chillies and chilly powder. You can cook it in two different ways. The first method includes beef being cooked alone in a cooker with salt and turmeric, and later blending it with onions and chillies with chilly powder that are sauteed earlier. This is the method which I have adopted in making this curry.

The second method includes the sauteing of onions and chillies in the first round and later adding the beef which is not cooked. These two methods do give a bit of taste difference. You can try both methods for two separate days to give a difference in cooking as well as in taste. So if you want to try out this recipe, there is no other way than to go through this recipe.

Ingredients

• Beef - 1 kg
• Onions - 2 or 3 large
• Chillies - 2 large
• Tomatoes- 2 large
• Ginger Garlic paste- 1 tsp
• Chilly Powder - 1 1/2 tsp
• Garam Masala - 1 tsp
• Salt
• Oil
• Coriander leaves- a bunch

Method

1. You can cook the beef beforehand as i have done here
2. In a cooker, you may add large pieces of beef with  1/4 cup water, salt and turmeric
3. Place the weight and cook for 10-15 mnts
4. After the beef is cooked well, take out them and cut them into small pieces. If it is too hot, make sure you hold it with a fork and cut it simultaneously.
5. Keep aside the pieces of meat aside
6. Switch on the stove and place a large pan 
7. Pour oil and heat it
8. Add diced onions and saute
9. Now you may add chillies that are cut into small pieces and saute till the onions are golden brown
10. You can add ginger garlic paste and saute for one minute
11. The next step is addition of masalas. You can add chilly powder, a pinch of turmeric and saute well
12. Add cut tomatoes and saute again
13. Now you can add garam masala, a bit of salt too for the onions (Remember you have already added salt to the meat beforehand. So care should be taken while adding salt)
14. You need not add water since water the cooked beef does have some amount of liquid in it.
15. Add the beef to the masala and boil for 5 mnts
16. After adding Coriander leaves, you may switch off the flame
17. Serve hot with Chappathis, Pooris or Rice
18. Enjoy and Have fun!!

This dish is a specialty of Kerala, and is served hot with rice. Extremely tasty dish that surely makes your mouth water. Try this out. You will not regret. If the right amount of ingredients are added to the curry, it will definitely taste well. Since the meet is cooked first, you will be able to find the curry a bit liquid in nature. You can adjust the thickness by adding a teaspoon of cornflour. This is optional. But the liquid form is lovely to taste.

Vazhakka Baji

Snack time is always made special with variety of bajis. Vazhakka baji or raw banana baji is an evening snack which is always served with tea. The spicy and crispy vazhakka bajis are always a tempatation for the evenings.

The peculiarity of bajis is that they are extremely tasty with tea. Baji can be made with besan or gram flour alone. Usually we find people adding rice flour to it. Adding one teaspoon of rice flour to the gram flour would make the baji crispy. It also helps in enhancing the taste too. As for me, I like it with besan or gram flour alone.

While preparing the batter for any baji, make it a point to make it a little thinner. Too much thin batter will not stick on to the bananas. A thick batter will not fry properly. Hence care should be take while mixing the batter.

Usually while preparing batter for vazhakka baji or any other baji, I prefer to mix it in the morning soon after my morning’s kitchen session is over. I would simply mix up al the ingredients and then leave it in the vessel and keep it closed till evening. This will help the batter to rise up quite well. The bajis will turn out super soft and tasty while doing so.

Being one of my favorite snacks, I make it a point to prepare bajis at least once in a week. Usually, I choose coconut oil for frying bajis. It gives a special aroma to the baji and would taste good. You can even try out any of the vegetable oils available in the market these days. Since everyone is health conscious these days, most of us prefer rice bran oil or sun flower oil for cooking purposes, especially while deep frying. To remove excess of oil from the bajis, you must always place hot fried bajis on a kitchen tissue. If your baji has turned out cold, don’t worry just wrap it around a kitchen tissue and microwave for a minute or two. All the oil will come out and you need not fear for any excess oil in the deep fried bajis.

You can try out Vazhakka baji by checking out the recipe given below. 

      

      

  Ingredients

• Vazhakka or raw bananas- 4 nos
• Besan or Gramflour  - 2 cups
• Chilly powder   - 1tsp (or 2 tsp according to your taste)
• Asafoetida  - 1/4 tsp
• Baking soda - 1/4 tsp
• Salt  
• Oil - For frying

Method

1. In a bowl, add Gramflour or Besan, chilly powder, asafoetida, baking soda and salt
2. Mix well with a spoon
3. Now add water to the bowl and mix it to a fine batter
4. Allow the batter to rest for twenty minutes
5. After 20 mnts, heat a pan and pour oil 
6. Cut the ripe bananas into thin slices
7. Apply salt to them
8. Dip the bananas into the batter and deep fry
9. Serve hot with corriander chutney or tomato sauce
10. Enjoy!!

Three minute Cracker Delight for tea

Evenings are always snack time. And when you are bored of your regular snacks, maybe a small change can make a whole difference. But when you are a bit tired and not in a mood to make something, you would mostly love to sit back. This is the time when you need to try out a quick and easy snack that can be made in a jiffy. I always tend to eat something light during evenings, and quick snacking would do the magic.

When I have a good appetite in the evening, I may not have the time to prepare something special. Well diving into a pack of ready made snack would keep my tummy from growling, but what about the craving for something special? This is where I find myself in a dilemma. During such situations, I try out something really quick and easy, like jam on a Monaco biscuit or cheese toping on it.

 The snack that i have tried out turned out to be a quick and easy one that can be prepared withing the count of one, two and three. All you need are some crackers, mozzarella cheese, chilly flakes and dried parsley. Together, they would make up a very delightful snack that is pretty healthy too. Check the method of preparing this no time snack and enjoy it with a cup of hot coffee.

Ingredients

• Crackers  - 6
• Mozzarella cheese - half a cup grated
• Chilly flakes   - as per your taste
• Parsley (dried) - To sprinkle

Method

1.     Take the cream crackers and arrange it in a baking dish.

2.     Sprinkle Chilly flakes, dried parsley and mozzarella cheese gratings on the crackers

3.     Put it in a microwave oven for one minute and wait till the cheese melts

4.     Serve hot with a steaming cup of coffee

5.     Enjoy!!!

With the crispy touch of cream crackers, the chewy nature of melted mozzarella blended with the chilly flakes and parsley are sure to create a magic to your taste buds. This one should be consumed right after it is heated in the microwave, as it is very necessary that the cheese remain melted while we have a bite of it. I did really feel like eating a pizza that day, when I made this quick snack. Maybe it is because of the melted cheese effect on the cracker that made me feel so.

You can even try this snack as a starter for kids parties. I bet every child would like it. but just make a bit of an alteration by either decreasing the chilly flakes or by avoiding them completely. You can even top it up with your own version to make it yummy. Try out adding a small piece of sausage and add cheese and other herbs to get a different taste. Since crackers have a plain taste, you can find any topping simply great with it. so this one is a great choice for your lazy evenings or as a starter for kids parties.