Kaalan/Katti Kaalan

Ingredients:-

1. Plantain Banana/Pachakkai - 2
2. Elephant Yam (Chena) - ½ cup
3. Pepper Powder - 1 tsp
4. Water ~ ½ cup +1 cup
5. Green Chilly - 4
6. Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
7. Salt to taste
8. Curry leaves few
9. Ghee - 1 tsp
10. Sour Yogurt ~ 1 ½ Cups

To Grind:-

1. Cumin/Jeera - 1tsp
2. Grated coconut - 1 ½ cup
3. Water ~ ½ cup (just to grind the Coconut

For Seasoning/Tempering

1. Dry Red Chilly - 2
2. Mustard seed - 1tsp
3. Fenugreek Seeds/Uluva-1tsp
4. Coconut Oil - 1½ tsp

Preparation Method: -

1. Cut the banana lengthwise or cubes, chop the Yam/Chena into medium sized cubes. Soak them in water in two individual/separate bowls for few minutes. Rinse them and set aside.
2. Pour  ½ cup water in a bowl, add pepper powder, stir with a spoon to mix and set aside for few minutes. 
3. The pepper powder will settle down in the bottom, strain the water in to a cooking pan and discard or keep the pepper powder for later use(like for making rasam).
4. Put the veggies to the pan, pour another cup of water, turmeric powder, green chilies, few curry leaves salt and cook till the veggies become tender and water is almost fully absorbed.
5. Add a tsp of ghee and stir well to mix. 
6. With a spoon gently beat the Yogurt/Curd just to remove the lumps if any and add it to the curry. Stir well to mix and simmer the heat and let it cook for a while.
7. Mean while grind Cumin/Jeera and coconut to a smooth paste. Add this to the yogurt-Veggie mix and bring it boil in a medium flame. When the gravy thickens switch off the stove.
8. For tempering heat up a pan, pour coconut oil, add the mustard seeds, when they start to crackle add fenugreek seeds, dry red chilies and curry leaves, stir well and pour over the Cooked Kaalan;
9. This curry thickens a bit when you leave it for a while. Serve warm with Rice. Enjoyyyy!!!!

Note:- Adding Roasted fenugreek powder adds more taste, I didn't have them so didn't add it.

Delicious Chicken Biriyani

Here comes my favorite recipe for chicken biriyani. Yet again Malabar is very famous for different types of Biriyanis. In Kerala, Biriyani is made with a very nice aromatic small rice known as Jeera Rice(jeerakashala rice) also known as biriyani rice. I could not find it in any Indian store here in US, so I have been using Basmathi rice which also gives great aroma and taste. This recipe I am adding here was made for a friends get-together, so the quantity may be high. Please reduce the amount of ingredients according to your requirement.

Ingredients:-

Chicken – 2lbs
Basmati Rice – 4 cups (wash and soak rice for about 15 mins)
Onion thinly sliced- 4(fry few onions and set aside)
Tomato- 2

Green Chillies- 6 slit into halves

Ginger, Garlic crushed - 2 tbsp
Curry leaves few

Coriander leaves few(chopped)
Mint leaves-few(chopped)
Turmeric powder- 1tsp
Chilly powder – 2tsp
Coriander powder- 1 tsp
Black Pepper powder- 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala powder- 2 tsp
Yogurt- 1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Water - 7 1/2 cup

Whole spices (Cinnamon sticks, Cardamom, cloves, Bay leaves, pepper corns)

Vegetable oil
Ghee -3tsp
Cashews and raisins(fry in some ghee and set aside).

Preparation Method:-

Cooking the Rice:

1) Heat up a vessel , add some ghee, cinnamon sticks, cloves, cardamom, bay leaves, pepper corns and fry for a minute.

2) Add water and salt to taste, when water comes to boil add rice, stir it with a spoon till the bottom of the vessel and close it with a tight lid.

3) Simmer the heat to med until rice is cooked(soft). Switch off the flame and let it stand for 30 mins(this will  help rice not to break when you try to take it out when it is very hot)

4) Spread the rice to two or three platters to cool down. Set aside.

Chicken Masala:-

                        

• Wash and clean the chicken and Marinate it with Turmeric powder, chilly powder, pepper powder and salt. Set this aside for at-least 30 mins.
• Heat a wide frying pan or non-stick vessel, pour some oil, add sliced onion, green chilly, ginger-garlic, curry leaves, salt and fry until onions are light brown in color.
• Add tomato and saute until soft. Add coriander leaves, mint leaves and stir till everything get mixed well.
• Add coriander powder and garam masala powder and sauté well.
• Add yogurt and stir until it mix well with masala. Add the chicken pieces and stir well so that chicken gets coated with all the masala. Close this with a lid and let it cook in medium heat for 15-20 mins.
• Open and check for the thickness of the chicken masala, if you feel to lessen the gravy cook it lid open for some more time so that water is evaporated faster and the gravy thicken. 
• Check for the taste and adjust the spices and salt as required. Add few more coriander leaves on top and remove from the flame.

Layering the biriyani:-

1) Pre-heat the oven to 350 degree F. Grease a baking tray with butter/ghee and set aside.

2) Start layering the biriyani with rice and chicken, start with half the rice, followed by chicken masala, fried onions, cashews and raisins.

2) Repeat layering by the rest of the rice and chicken masala topped by rice again until done. 

3) Garnish on top by adding few fried onions, cashews, raisins and chopped coriander leaves.

4) Bake it covered for 20-30 mins. Delicious chicken biriyani is ready to be served with raita, papad and lemon or mango pickle…

Note:- you can use the stove top method instead of a baking to get the dum effect. Add some ghee in a thick bottom vessel and do the same process as mentioned in layering. Cover the vessel with a proper air tight lid and top a heavy vessel(filled with water or something). Keep the flame on low-med and dum it for 15 - 20 mins..

Hiii guyss,

Am back after a short vaccation trip to India and ready for new postssssss.

Cabbage Thoran(Bhaaji/Sabzi)/Cabbage Stir Fry

Thoran means a vegetable side dish (veg bhaji/sabzi) served with rice. In Kerala we make thoran's with variety of vegetables and it is a mandatory dish served daily with rice or chappathi. Cabbage thoran is Keralites favorite and this dish is lucky enough to get a special place in even Kerala Sadya dishes. I have started using the Violet cabbage instead of white one after coming to US sinve it is rich in Iron and vitamins and also is easily available in market. Cooked violet cabbage looks awesome and tastes great :). So here comes the authentic Kerala recipe of cabbage thoran, you can use white or green cabbage which ever you have handy at home. Serve with rice and Moru/yogurt curry!!!

Ingredients: -

Cabbage chopped lengthwise - 1 small
Onion finely chopped-1 medium
Chopped Green chilly – 4
Grated coconut -3 tbsp
Turmeric pwdr- 1tsp
Curry leaves few
Salt to taste
Coconut oil -2 tsp
Mustard seed – 1 tsp
Urad daal – 1 tsp
Whole red chilly – 2

Preparation Method:-



1) Mix chopped cabbage with onion, green chilly, turmeric powder, salt, few curry leaves and grated coconut and set aside (mix these entire things well with hand).
2) Heat up a frying pan, pour coconut oil, add mustard seeds and let it crackle. Add urad dhal, remaining curry leaves, red chilly and sauté for a minute.
3) Add the cabbage mix to this and stir well. Close the pan with the lid and let it cook for another 2-3 mins.
4) Open the lid, stir well and check for the taste. Switch off the flame if the cabbage is cooked enough. You really don’t have to cook this for long, the crispy cabbage tastes better.

5) Cabbage Thoran is ready to serve with Rice/Roti.

Fish Curry(Meen Mulakittathu-Malabar style)

I think fish is a kind of staple food for Keralites (I am not sure about all parts of Kerala, but Malabar is known for fish foodies). Back in my home town I remember women and men waiting for the guy who brings fish on his bicycle. Most of them are in a hurry to get the fish and comes in a hurry thinking they are late and the fisherman might have left. You can clearly make out these confusions from their face and the glowy smile comes up on their face when someone says the fisherman had not come yet and they are also waiting for the fish.

I believe my grandma makes the best fish curry ever and again this recipe of mine has evolved out of her cooking. There are lots of recipes for fish but this is a simple one, anyone can make this curry with the basic ingredients found in every kitchen.

Ingredients: -

King fish – 6 to 8 pieces
Shallots thinly sliced – 3 big or 6 small
Green chilly sliced - 4
Tomato chopped  – 1
Ginger finely chopped – 2 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds – 1 tsp
Kashmiri chilly powder – 2 tsp
Turmeric pwdr – 1 tsp + 1/2 tsp
Lemon Juice - 2tsp + 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Tamarind – a lemon size ball(can use 1 tbsp tamarind paste instead, depends on the sourness u need adjust the amount)
Curry leaves few
Coconut oil - 2 to 3 tsp
Water - 1 cup(to soak the tamarind)

Cooking Instructions: -

1. Cut the fish into med size pieces if the fish pieces are big. In an earthen ware(man chatti) put the fish pieces, some salt(rock salt preferably) and 1 tsp lemon juice and mix with the fishes. Wash and clean the fish gently without breaking the fish and set aside.
2. In a bowl add 2 tsp of lemon juice, 2 tsp chilly powder, 1 tsp turmeric powder and salt and make a paste for marinade. Marinate the fish with this paste and keep for an hour(if possible)
3. Soak the tamarind in 1/2 cup water for 10 minutes. Squeeze out the maximum tamarind paste out of it and set the tamarind water aside. Pour 1/2 cup water to the same tamarind and squeeze out the rest of the tamarind water from it and trash the tamarind. 
4. Heat some oil in a pan and crackle mustard seeds, add fenugreek seeds and saute for a minute. Add shallots, ginger, green chillies and some curry leaves and saute till light brown.
5. Add the tomato and saute till it is soft.
6. Add 1/2 tsp turmeric powder and salt and saute until it mix well. Add the squeezed tamarind water and let it cook well for 5 mins till onion and tomatoes are slightly cooked.
7. Add the fish pieces(u can lightly fry this fish with very little oil if desired, frying helps the fish not to break while you cook) and let it again cook for another 5 mins or till the fish is cooked properly.

8. Remove from stove,add some more curry leaves and a tsp coconut oil on top and serve with Rice or Kappa(Cassava) or anything of your choice. 

Tip: - Fish curry tastes better after four to six hours of preparation or on the next day.