Mutta Thoran or Egg Thoran

Egg thoran is something that is best as a side dish for rice and as an evening snack for kids. To make the perfect egg thoran with a bit of difference, you can try out this method.

To be frank, this one is a bit quick and easy to make recipe that will give you great amount of applause from your loved ones. This simple egg thoran is fast to make and good to taste. Just try out this recipe if you need a quick five minute snack or a quick side dish for rice.

Ingredients

• Eggs - 4 nos
• Green chilies - 2 nos
• Ginger - 1/4 inch
• Turmeric powder - a pinch 
• Garlic - one clove
• Shallots - 3
• Onion - half of a medium
• Grated coconut-  1/4 cup
• Salt
• Curry leaves
• Mustard seeds

Method

• Finely chop half or the onion and keep it aside
• In a bowl, break the eggs and add salt. Mix it well with a fork and keep aside
• Take a mixer jar, add coconut gratings, shallots, green chillies, ginger, garlic and turmeric powder.(you can add a pinch of jeera powder if you prefer). Run the mixer and grind it and keep it aside
• Take a pan, switch on the stove and heat it. Now add 3 tbsp of oil, add mustard seeds and pop them. Now add curry leaves
• To to pan, you may add finely chopped onions and saute it for 3 minutes.
• Now add the coconut mix to the pan and saute for 5 min. A tempting aroma rises up. Add a pinch or two of salt just right for the coconut mix.
• Now you may add the beaten eggs to the pan and scramble it well with a wooden spatula.
• Serve hot.
• Enjoy!!

Simple Vegetable Fried Rice

Fried rice is an easy to make rice preparation that simply needs the right ingredients with the right technique. It can be tried out even by beginners and get a perfect result that can boost up their confidence for trying out more complex dishes in future. So I insist that beginners need to try their hand cooking fried rice at home and serve it to the ones they love and care a lot.

Here I have tried out fried rice with onions, carrots and beans. But for better taste and the perfect aroma, you can add a capsicum, cauliflower and peas. This one is a simple fried rice with 3 vegetables that is always available in your refrigerator.

Ingredients

• Basmati rice - 2 glasses
• Beans - 1/2 kg
• Carrot - 1/2 kg
• Onions- 2 large
• Ginger - 7-8 cloves
• Garlic- 1/2 inch
• Green chillies- 2 small
• Black pepper powder- 1 tsp
• Salt
• Ghee- 2 tsp
• Vegetable oil- 3 tbsp

Method

• Cook the basmati rice separately, drain and keep aside. Make sure that you do not overcook it. 
• In a frying pan, add vegetable oil and add finely chopped onions, green chillies and saute.
• Add the finely chopped ginger and garlic to it and saute
• Now it is the turn of the vegetables. Saute well
• Add salt and black pepper, mix well
• Let it cook for 5-8 min. 
• Switch off flame after the vegetables are done
• Now in a frying pan, add ghee and heat it
• The cooked rice should be added to the ghee and mix well in slow flame
• To this, you may add the cooked vegetables and if you choose, add some fried raisins or nuts to it.
• Add celery to the rice and mix well.
• Check salt 
• If you prefer to add soy sauce and tomato sauce, you may add them at this point. But i prefer plain fried rice this time.
• Serve hot with chicken curry, vegetable curry and enjoy your fried rice!!

Crispy Chicken Fry

Frying chicken the crispy and tasty way is sometimes a real challenge. But fortunately this is not a hilarious task. All you need is a good idea about the right ingredients to be added and a whole lot of love. So here you go the recipe for crispy chicken coming right away. Make sure to avoid consuming fried chicken from branded food outlets to avoid health issues and give your kids the goodness of homemade fried chicken.

Ingredients

• Chicken (tender chicken)- 1/4 kg
• Red chilly powder - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Corriander powder- 1 tsp
• Garam masala powder- 1/4 tsp
• Corn flour  - 2 tbsp
• Egg- 1/2

Method

• Wash the chicken pieces. Tender chicken is needed for enhanced taste. Here i have bought Suguna Chicken
• In a bowl mix all the ingredients with the chicken peices
•  In a frying pan add sufficient oil for deep or shallow fry
• Fry all the chicken pieces and serve hot
• Enjoy!!

Nostalgic Comfort: My Grandma's Vegetable Stew Magic (Ishtu-Kerala Style Vegetable Stew)

Nostalgic Comfort: My Grandma's Vegetable Stew Magic

Introduction:

Being a proud Keralite, the aroma of Vegetable Stew has been woven into the fabric of my childhood. This delectable side dish, crafted with love and tradition, is the perfect dance partner for Appam, the breakfast delight that Kerala proudly claims as its own. Allow me to share a personal ode to this soul-warming curry that not only tantalizes the taste buds but also whispers stories of health and beauty from every simmering pot.

Ingredients:

Carrots - 3 (for a vibrant crunch)

Beans - 10 nos (for a playful twist)

Potatoes - 3 nos (for the hearty foundation)

Onions - 2 large (for the symphony of sweetness)

Ginger - 1 inch (for a touch of warmth)

Garlic - 2 cloves (for a subtle kick)

Green chilly - 2 nos (for a spicy serenade)

Green Cardamom - 2 (for a fragrant note)

Cinnamon stick - 1 (for a dash of nostalgia)

Cloves - 2 (for a hint of mystery)

Black pepper corns - 6-7, crushed (for a peppery heartbeat)

Cashew nuts - 6 (ground to a paste with water, for a creamy crescendo)

Thin coconut milk - 1 1/2 cups (for a light, coconutty embrace)

Thick coconut milk - 1 cup (for a rich, indulgent finale)

Salt (to season the memories)

Oil (for a touch of tradition)

Method:

Heat a pressure cooker, and let the magic unfold.

Add a splash of oil or ghee and toss in the green cardamoms, cinnamon stick, and cloves. Let them sauté until the kitchen fills with their enchanting aroma.

Introduce the finely chopped onions, green chilies, and ginger to the cooker. Saute them until they form a delightful medley, echoing the stories of generations past.

Now, let the stars of the show make their entrance. Add all the colorful vegetable pieces to the cooker and sauté for a brief two-minute dance.

Pour in half a cup of water, setting the stage for the thin coconut milk to join the performance. Let it simmer in the background, infusing each vegetable with the essence of Kerala.

Season this culinary symphony with salt, crushed peppercorns, cashew paste, thick coconut milk, and a sprinkle of curry leaves. Let the flavors harmonize over a gentle flame.

Simmer the flame for two minutes, allowing the stew to reach its flavorful crescendo.

Turn off the flame, and unveil the masterpiece. Serve hot with Appam, and savour the nostalgia with every bite.

Enjoy the heartwarming embrace of my Grandma's Vegetable Stew. This not only fuels the body, but also paints a portrait of health, beauty, and the timeless flavours of Kerala. Bon appétit!

Dal Thadka

Dal Tadka, which is a North Indian side dish served with Rotis, is the one simple dish that you can make within minutes. You need not spend a lot of time sauteing different ingredients one by one. So I prefer to make it often when i find the hungry tummies at home asking for a quick delicious meal.

Ingredients

•  Toor Dal- 1/2 a cup
• Masoor Dal- 1/2 a cup
• Green chillies- 2 nos
• Onion - 1 large
• Tomatoes- 2 small
• Ginger - 1/2 inch
• Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
• Garam Masala - a pinch or two
• Asafoetida- a pinch or more
• Water - 2 cups
• Cream- 1 1/2 tbsp
• Kasurimethi- 1 tsp (Optional)
• Coriander leavers- 2 tsp (Optional)
• Salt
• Oil

For Tadka

• Ghee- 1 tsp
• Red chillies- 3 or 4
• Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
• Red chilly powder- 1 tsp
• Asafoetida- 1/4 tsp

Method

• Take a pressure cooker
• Add the lentils(Masoor dal and toor dal) to it after washing well
• To this add finely chopped onions, green chillies, tomatoes and ginger
• Add sufficient water 
• Now add in the turmeric powder and asafoetida. Mix with a spatula
• Switch on flame and cook for 10 min
• Open the pressure cooker after 10 min and mash the lentils with a spatula gently
• You may add kasuri methi and corriander leaves along with the right quantity of salt
• Pour in a serving bowl and keep aside

Tadka

• Take a frying pan
• Add ghee to it and heat it
• Now in goes the cumin seeds. Let it splutter
• Add the red chillies (here i have made use of dried ones)
• Mix well with a spatula
• Add the red chilly powder to the pan
• Mix well
• Now switch off the flame and pour the hot tadka to the cooked dal
• Serve hot with rotis
• Enjoy!!

Ginger Rasam or Inchi Rasam

Ginger is said to have many therapeutic values. It is mostly consumed for curing digestive problems. Rasam is a favorite rice accompaniment that usually makes rice more tasty and tangy. Ginger rasam is a great combination for rice and curries, moreover it also helps in digestion of food the proper way. You can even consume rasam as a soup after food for enhancing proper digestion.

Ingredients

• Ginger- 2 inch length
• Toor Dal- 4 tbsp
• Red chilly powder- 1 tsp
• Pepper powder- 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric- 1/4 tsp
• Fenugreek powder - 1/4 tsp
• Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp
• Garlic cloves- 2 nos
• Tamarind - 1 1/2 lemon size
• Tomatoes - 2 nos
• Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves

Method

Step 1

• Heat a pan
• Dry roast Toor dal and keep aside
• In a mixer jar, add toor dal and ginger and grind to a paste by adding a little bit of water
• Keep the paste aside

Step 2

• Grind Garlic and shallots and keep aside

Step 3

• Grind the tomatoes 
• Keep them aside

Step 4

• Take a bowl with 1 cup of water
• Add tamarind to it 
• Make a paste 
• Strain this paste and keep aside

Step 5

• Heat a Kadai
• Pour sufficient oil
• Add in mustard seeds to the oil and pop them
• Add the ground shallots and garlic to the kadai and saute for 2 minutes
• Now add the toor dal and ginger paste to the kadai and saute 
• Add fenugreek powder, asafoetida, turmeric and pepper powder. Saute well

• Add the tomato paste to the kadai and saute well

• Now pour 2 cups of water and allow the water to boil. This is to make sure that the toor dal gets cooked up.
• You may may simmer the flame to add the tamarind mix to it
• Add sufficient water to give it a loose consistency
• Add salt and switch off the flame after 2 minutes
• Pour the rasam in a serving bowl
• Serve with rice or pour it to a glass and have a sip whenever you want.

Watermelon in Sugar and Lemon juice

We always welcome scorching hot summers with Watermelons and lemons. So why don't you combine them to get the super cool effect your body would love a lot?

Ingredients

• Watermelon pieces- de-seeded 1/4 of a large water melon (serves 2)
• Lemon - 1 small
• Sugar - 2 tbsp (or more if you have a sweet tooth)
• Mint - 2 to 4 leaves

Method

• Cut the watermelon into small cubes and de-seed them
• Add the watermelon pieces to a bowl
• Add strained lemon juice, Sugar and mix well with a large spatula
• Remove to contents to a glass
• Garnish with mint leaves
• Enjoy a hot summer day with watermelons in lemon juice.