My First Guest Post - CHICKEN MASALA VADA

Today i am happy to be guest writing to one of my blogger friends. She is Priya Elias of 'The Humpty Dumpty Kitchen'. This name was something which caught my eyes...cute and a bit naughty...and i was in love with the name of her blog.Few weeks back i got her mail, regarding the 'guest post' she hosted on her blog. I just grabbed it , as it was my first ever one. Thanks a lot for this wonderful opportunity.

PLEASE visit her blog "The Humpty Dumpty Kitchen", for this recipe and do check out some of her recipes and her beautifully clicked gorgeous pictures. I came to know about through this blogging world. I adore the way she writes in each posts and how she mentions her hubby,"The Techie Man".

As i was digging my head, what to post, i thought, why not something from Malabar???. So i prepared this snack, named by my family, as "Chicken Masala Vada". It is inspired from Malabar Muslim snacks. For the full recipe check out here.

Thanks Priya for giving me this opportunity and letting me take over your blog for a day. Happily looking forward to a growing friendship.

Mathanga Erissery - Kannur style

Ingredients

1. Mathan (pumpkin) - 1 cup (Cut into cubes)
2. Mampayar ( Black beans) - 1 cup
3. Grated coconut - 1 cup
4. Cumin seeds - 3/4 Tsp
5. Shallots (cheriyaulli) - 10
6. Pepper  - 1 1/2 Tsp
7. Turmeric powder - 1/2 Tsp
8. Red chilly powder - 1 Tsp
9. Garlic - 4 cloves
10. Curry Leaves - 2 Sprigs
11. Salt - to taste

For Tempering 

1. Coconut Oil / Oil  - 1 - 2 Tbsp
2. Mustard seeds - 1 Tsp
3. Dry Red Chilly - 3-4
4. Curry Leaves - 2 Sprigs
5. Coconut slices (Thenga Kothu) - 2 Tbsp

Preparation

• Wash and soak mampayar with enough water overnight.
• Pressure cook mathan, mampayar, turmeric powder and salt. Cook for 2-3 whistles. Keep aside.
• In the meanwhile, coarsely grind grated coconut, pepper, red chilly powder, shallots and cumin seeds, without adding water.
• Now add this coconut masala to the cooked gravy.Mix well and let it boil.Once it starts to bubble ,add curry leaves and crushed garlic. Remove from flame.

For tempering

• Heat coconut oil/oil in a pan, throw in some mustard seeds, let it splutter. Lower the flame add dry red chilly, curry leaves and coconut slices.
• Pour this on to the gravy. Mix well. 
• Serve hot with rice.

Sending this to Side Dish Mela 

Chicken in pepper masaala

Ingredients

1. Chicken - 1/2 Kg
2. Onion - 2
3. Tomato - 2
4. Green chilly - 3
5. Turmeric powder - 1/2 Tsp
6. Pepper powder - 4 -5 Tsp
7. Garlic crushed- 1/2 Tsp
8. Ginger crushed - 1/2 tsp
9. Salt - as required
10. Coconut milk(Thick) - 1/4 cup
11. Ghee - 1/2 Tsp
12. Oil - 2 Tbsp
13. Curry Leaves - 1 Sprig
14. Coriander Leaves - 1 Sprig

Preparation

• First marinate the chicken with turmeric powder, pepper powder and salt. Keep for 1/4 to 1/2 hour.
• Heat oil in a pan, saute sliced onions, cooked till soft and transparent. Add sliced tomatoes and slit green chillies to it. Saute until the moisture is absorbed.
• Cook on low flame, add ginger to it. Saute well till the raw smell goes.
• Now add the marinated chicken pieces to it with 1/2 cup of water to it(Mix water in which the chicken was marinated). Cook closed on slow fire.
• When the chicken pieces are cooked and soft, slowly add the coconut milk to it. ( Do not let it boil.). Mix well.
• Add garlic and ghee to it. 
• Garnish with fresh curry leaves and coriander leaves.

And this recipe was tried by my blogger friend Tanya of Easy and Simple Foods and here is her recipe....

Muringayila Parippu Curry - Daal and Drumstick Leaves Curry

           Every time we go to our regular thursday market, the first thing my husband will search for are the different leaves and among them first comes the Drumstick Leaves (Muringayila) and the Palak. He just loves it and so the leaves are healthy too. Now he has found the drumstick tree at one of his friends house nearby, he makes it a point to go and get it from there once or twice a week. So this time when this "Muringayila" came to our house i thought, let cook it.. I usually cook muringayila thoran, muringayila parippu curry, chakkakkuru (jackfruit seeds) muringayila thoran and also muringapoo mutta thoran etc.. and recipes yet to be invented.. hahaha...So here is a very healthy recipe for my lovely readers...

Health Benefits

           Every part of this tree has its medicinal value, may be its leaves, fruit , seeds inside the fruit , flower etc... This is a very good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium, Potassium, Iron and Protein. And it also helps to reduce the internal body heat.

Ingredients

1. Toor Daal - 3/4 cup
2. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
3. Red Chilly powder - 1/4 Tsp
4. Green chilly slit - 5-6
5. Shallots (Cheriyaulli) - 4-5
6. Grated coconut - 1/2 cup(Grind it to smooth paste with a pinch of turmeric powder)
7. Drumstick Leaves - 1 cup
8. Cumin (Geera) powder - 1/4 Tsp
9. Curry Leaves - 2 Sprig
10. Salt - as required

For Tempering

1. Coconut Oil /Ghee- 2 Tbsp
2. Mustard Seeds - 1 Tsp
3. Dry red chilli - 3
4. Curry leaves - 1 sprig
5. Garlic - 1 clove

Preparation

• Pressure cook toor daal with turmeric,red chilly powder, shallots, green chilly and salt, with 1 1/2 cup  water. Cook for 2-3 whistles. Keep aside and let it cool.
• Clean the leaves by plucking each leaves from the stem and discarding the stem, yellow and dried leaves. Wash the leaves 2-3 times and drain it.
• Now to the toor daal , add the smoothly grind coconut paste, mix it well and let it boil slowly. Add curry leaves and check the salt.
• When it boils, add the drumstick leaves to it . Mix well, also add cumin powder and allow it to cook for about 4-5 minutes.
• In a pan, heat oil, splutter mustard seeds, add dry red chilly and curry leaves. Off the flame and add garlic. Pour this onto the curry.
• Serve hot with steamed rice. 

Note

• If the curry is too thick, you can add enough water.( Do not add too much)

Linking this to Seasonal Food event hosted by Shama natarajan of Easy2cookrecipes

Sending this to Side Dish Mela

Spicy Potato Bhaaji

Ingredients

1. Potato - 4
2. Onion- 2
3. Ginger chopped – 1” piece
4. Turmeric powder  - ½ tsp
5. Red Chilly powder  - 1 Tsp
6. Fish masala – 2 tsp
7. Mustard seeds – ½ Tsp
8. Split urad Daal – 1 Tsp
9. Curry Leaves – 1 sprig
10. Coriander Leaves chopped – 2 sprigs
11. Salt – as required
12. Oil – 2 Tbsp

Preparation

• Wash and cut the potatoes into cubes and pressure cook for 2 whistles. Do not overcook it.
• In a pan heat oil, splutter mustard seeds, split urad daal and curry leaves.
• Add sliced onions, saute till onions are translucent and soft.(Do not brown it). Add chopped ginger to it. Saute till the raw smell goes.
• Add turmeric powder, red chilly powder.Mix well for 5 minutes. Add fish masala. Mix well. Add salt to adjust.
• Add boiled potatoes to it. Mix until masala is well coated on the potatoes.
• Garnish with coriander leaves.
• Serve hot with chapatti or any rotis.

Linking this to Seasonal Food event hosted by Shama natarajan of Easy2cookrecipes

Sending this to Side Dish Mela

Choco Bread Pudding

 Ingredients

1. Bread Slices (I used Milk Bread)- 6 
2. Eggs - 3
3. Milk - 2 cups
4. Sugar powdered - 3/4 cup
5. Cinnamon powder - 1 Tsp
6. Vanilla Essence - 2 Tbsp
7. Cashew Nuts chopped , Raisins  - 1/2 cup
8. Chocolate Spread - as needed
9. Sugar - 1 Tbsp
10. Butter - 45 gms

Preparation

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Grease your baking dish with butter and keep aside.
• Spread butter on side of bread slice and spread chocolate spread on one side of another piece of bread. Make a sandwich of both.Repeat the same for all the slices.
•  Cut into 2" cubes.
• Layer it in the baking dish with buttered side up.
• In a bowl beat the eggs one by one. Then add milk, powdered sugar,vanilla essence and cinnamon powder. Mix well.
• Spread some dry fruit mix. Then pour the custard mix slowly onto the bread slices.
• Let it soak for about 15 - 30 minutes.
• Sprinkle some sugar and the remaining dry fruits mix on top of it.
• Bake in the preheated oven at 180 degrees for about 40 - 45 minutes. Serve warm or refrigerate and serve cold.

Note

• You can use sweet bread, milk bread, butter bread etc
• If you want you can cut the edges of the bread slices. I left it like that itself..
• The pudding is moderately sweet, but if you like it super sweet, use more sugar.
• You can also use jam on another layer of bread, or any sweet spread which you like.
• You can also add walnuts.
• You can also use left-over breads.

Onam - Onam Sadya Recipes....

********HAPPY ONAM*******

Onam is a festival celebrated by the people of Kerala, India. It is a traditional ten day harvest festival that marks the homecoming or the annual visit, of the mythical King Mahabali. It is festival rich in culture and heritage.It is a celebrated by people of all religions and castes with the same zeal.

Onam is celebrated in the beginning of the month of Chingam(Aug-Sep), the first month of Malayalam Calendar. During these days, we have so much of cultural events like Athachamayam, Vallam Kali, Pulikkali, Thumbi Thullal, Thiruvathirakali, Onappattu etc..The rich cultural heritage of Kerala comes out in its best spirit during this ten day Onam festival.

On the day of Thiruvonam, we have a very grand feast called the Onasadya. This meal consists of 11-13 essential dishes, which is served in banana leaves. On this day morning, in every house , there will be a Onapookkalam, a carpet made of flowers of different varieties.

So Happy Onam once again to all keralites across the world......

Green Peas Vada

Ingredients

1. Green Peas - 1 cup
2. Onion - 1 Big
3. Green chilly - 6
4. Ginger finely chopped - 1/2 Tsp
5. Coriander Leaves chopped - 1/2 cup
6. Mint leaves chopped - 1/2 cup
7. Curry Leaves chopped - 1 Sprig
8. Salt - to taste
9. Oil - for deep frying

Preparation

• Wash and soak green peas for 6-8 hours. Coarsely grind the soaked green peas in a mixer,without adding water.
• Transfer this to a bowl, add finely chopped onion, green chilly,ginger, salt, coriander,mint and curry leaves.Mix well with a spoon.
• Heat oil for deep frying. Keep on medium flame.
• Smear some oil on your palm, take a lemon size ball of the mixture,and press gently with your other palm to a round shape.

• Now put it gently into the hot oil and deep fry until golden brown. Repeat and same for 3-4 vadas per batch. 

• Hot Hot Green Peas Vadas are ready to serve.. with spicy coriander chutney or ketchup.

• Enjoy with a cup of hot tea or coffee!!!!!!!!!!

 


Linking this to Whats with my Cuppa 2 and "Nupur's Whats with my Cuppa!! "

Kallu Shaap Meenthala Mulakittathu

Ingredients

1. Fish Head - 1/2 Kg ( I used Etta Meenthala/Cat Fish Head)
2. Onion Sliced - 3
3. Tomato roughly sliced- 2
4. Ginger - 1" piece
5. Tamarind - 1 lemon size (soaked in water)
6. Turmeric powder - 1/2 Tsp
7. Red Chilly powder - 4 Tbsp
8. Crushed Mustard - 1/2 Tsp
9. Garlic crushed - 5
10. Curry Leaves - 2 -3 Sprigs
11. Salt - as requied
12. Coconut Oil/Oil - 4 Tbsp

Preparation

• In a cooking vessel, (preferably a Manchatti/ Kalchatti, an 'Earthen Pot'), heat coconut oil, fry onions till translucent and soft. (do not brown it).
• Add tomato, ginger, curry leaves, saute for 5 minutes, till tomato gets softened.
• Add turmeric powder , red chilly powder and salt. When the raw smell goes , add the fish head.Mix well.
• Now add the tamarind water (Squeeze the tamarind pulp well). Add half cup water , mix well, close the lid and let it boil.
• If you feel water/gravy it not enough add 1/4 cup water and boil it nicely, until the gravy it thickened.
• Add curry leaves, garlic and crushed mustard, Mix it and let it cook for only 2 minutes. Immediately off the flame.(DO NOT LET IT BOIL).

Note

• This is a very hot curry. You can either increase or decrease the amount of red chilly powder. You can also use Kashmiri Red Chilly Powder.
• While preparing this catfish head curry, it is a must that we add crushed mustard , otherwise it will not taste good.
• If you think your gravy has become more watery, you can 1/4 - 1/2 cup of thick coconut milk.
• Once you add crushed mustard to the gravy, DO NOT LET IT BOIL(Very Important), or else the gravy will taste sour (Bitter). 
• You can any fish like ayila/mackerel, or any big fish.