Chicken Masala Pockets

Toady i made these delicious fried pockets filling with spicy chicken dry masala to enjoy a beautiful and lovely evening...

Ingredients

1. Maida/APF - 2 cups 
2. Salt - as needed
3. Water - as needed
4. Oil - for deep frying

For the filling

1. Chicken Boneless -250 gms
2. Turmeric powder - 1/4 Tsp + 1/2 Tsp
3. Red Chilly powder - 1 Tsp + 3 Tsp (according to taste)
4. Pepper powder - 2 -3 Tsp (according to taste)
5. Onion (Finely chopped)- 2 medium
6. Green chilly chopped - 3
7. Ginger-garlic paste - 2 Tsp
8. Fennel seeds - 1/2 Tsp
9. Garam Masala - 1/2 Tsp
10. Salt - to taste
11. Oil - 2 - 3 Tbsp

Preparation

It would be better if we make the filling first and keep it to cool.

Filling Preparation

• Cook chicken in a  kadai by adding 1/4 Tsp turmeric ,1 Tsp red chilly powder and salt with sufficient amount of water.Let it cook on a low flame till the meat is soft and all the water is absorbed. Cool it down and crush the cooked chicken in a chopper/food processor and keep aside.
• Heat 3 Tbsp of oil in a pan, add finely chopped onion and saute till onion turns pink to light brown . Add ginger-garlic paste and green chilly. Saute till the raw smells leaves.
• Now add 1/ Tsp turmeric powder, 3 Tsp red chilly powder, and and pepper powder . Saute for 2-4 minutes.
• Now add crushed chicken,garam masala and fennel seeds to it. Saute till the masala becomes dry and the colour changes to dark brown. Allow this to cool down well before filling.

For the pockets 

• Make a dough of the maida, salt and water. Keep it as you do for poori's or chapathi's. The dough shouldn't be too soft.
• Keep it covered for 10 minutes and pinch out balls as you do for chapathi/poori.
• Flatten them using a rolling pin. Fill in the prepared masala, as shown in the pics.

• Cover and seal all the sides properly, cut it using a pizza cutter or a knife or any cutter shapes you have.

• Deep fry them on both the sides until golden brown.

• Serve hot with ketchup or just as it is with your evening tea/ coffee. Chicken Masala Pockets ready... Enjoy!!!

Note

• If you wish you can use only wheat flour for making the dough or may use half maida and half wheat flour.

Paneer Kathi Wraps - My Guest Post For Rafee

Doing a guest post for blogger who happens to be a very very special virtual friend  is rather more happy , celebrating than interesting.So this is also a proud moment for me of being a A Guest at Rafeeda of The Big Sweet Tooth. My friendship with her all happened through her happy and inspiring comments on my blog..I know you all might have got the same experience.She is a very warm and wonderful person.I really wonders at this young age how she manages all the work as wife, mother, as home maker and of course blogger. She takes her time to leave her valuable comments in each blogger's space she visits. I was amazed by the way she writes and understand each quotes from Quran, or any other, and she connects each with our emotions and daily life... when i read those, it leaves a thought in my mind..It is a pleasure to know you Rafee and i am glad to do this guest post and thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.

And today as her guest i have prepared Paneer Wraps, which is a hit at home now.....a lovely recipe.....a very mild but a very filling snack you can call it. 

Please hop over to Rafee's space for the full recipe

Chicken Roll | A Snack Recipe

Whenever i see others posting this recipe , i feel very tempted. Before when i used to see them displayed in bakery's i used to think how are they folding and filling inside it. They used to be really perfect to see and very tasty. I feel this kind of rolls are tastily made in Kerala (:D). I used to also buy and have it at home , my kids just love those.So they were like when is our home chef going to try these. So when all things were ready in my kitchen, i made and surprised my family and they were very happy. I served them for tea and got vanished just like that....i saw them licking the sauce later and they said "while making these you should make lots...hehhee....". I was satisfied...it is a very good snack for parties and small get together's... I enjoyed , hope you will also enjoy these..
A delicious starter that can be served for small or even big get togethers...

Ingredients

For Pancakes

1. Maida/All Purpose Flour - 2 cups
2. Egg - 1
3. Salt- as needed
4. Water - as needed

For the filling

1. Chicken Boneless -250 gms
2. Turmeric powder - 1/4 Tsp + 1/2 Tsp
3. Red Chilly powder - 1 Tsp + 3 Tsp (according to taste)
4. Pepper powder - 2 -3 Tsp (according to taste)
5. Onion (Finely chopped)- 2 medium
6. Green chilli chopped - 3
7. Ginger-garlic paste - 2 Tsp
8. Fennel seeds - 1/2 Tsp
9. Garam Masala - 1/2 Tsp
10. Salt - to taste
11. Oil - 2 - 3 Tbsp

For Coating

1. Bread crumbs - as needed
2. Egg beaten - 2 or 3
3. Maida - as needed (for the sealing and coating batter)
4. Water - to make a paste

Preparation

Making filling

• Cook chicken in a  kadai by adding 1/4 Tsp turmeric & 1 Tsp red chilly powder and salt with sufficient amount of water.Let it cook on a low flame till the meat is soft and all the water is absorbed. Cool it down and crush the cooked chicken in a chopper/food processor and keep aside.
• Heat 3 Tbsp of oil in a pan, add finely chopped onion and saute till onion turns pink to light brown . Add ginger-garlic paste and green chilly. Saute till the raw smells leaves.
• Now add 1/ Tsp turmeric powder, 3 Tsp red chilly powder, and and pepper powder . Saute for 2-4 minutes.
• Now add crushed chicken,garam masala and fennel seeds to it. Saute till the masala becomes dry and the colour changes to dark brown. Allow this to cool down well before filling.

Making Pancakes

• Make a thin batter as for making a usual pancake batter. 
• Heat a non-stick frying pan or tawa and make pancakes.

Making the rolls

• Take  a pancake. Place 1 Tbsp of the filling and fold from the sides and roll it.
• Stick the sides with the maida paste made with maida and water. Arrange all the rolls.
• Dip each rolls in the beaten eggs, and roll in the bread crumbs very carefully. 
• Heat oil for deep frying and when hot, make the flame to medium.
• Now deep fry each of the rolls to golden brown.
• Serve hot with tomato ketchup or any dip you wish.

Notes

• Do not make the pancake batter too loose, as later they might become hard.
• Adjust pepper powder accordingly for the masala filling.
• Make sure the masala is cool enough.
• Seal the sides proper;y, otherwise there is a chance for the masala to pop out.

Unnakkaya - A Malabar Ramadan Snack and My 150th post

With this post today,A Bowl Of Curry completes it's 150th post here.It was a journey with lots of interactions,friendships and   learning experience through valuable comments .I would love to thank each of my fellow foodies out there,for their valuable response and support !

It is Ramadan period, a holy month for Muslims all over the world.As all of you know it is the time when they fast and pray each day and break their fast in the evening. Each Iftar day they make delicious snacks, juices, and rice and much more.Each one differ in taste and preparation from one another.

Malabar cuisine is known for their rich,flavourful and exotic in all senses.Being from Malabar, i have tasted many for their recipes and have shared some of them like Chatti Pathiri,Kakkarotti , Pazham Nirachathu , Arikadukka . Today i am sharing one of the famous and a perfect snack from Thalassery, which will melt in your mouth from the first bite, "Unnakkaya". The name and shape of the snack represents elongated "Cotton Pods". When we think of preparation feel it is a long process, but i would say even a bachelor who loves cooking can give it a try. The steamed plantain is filled with mixture lightly sauted coconut , sugar, scrambled egg, elachi powder in ghee called "Pandam" and deep fried in oil. If you don't like or use eggs you can avoid eggs and make it pure vegetarian. Over to the recipe... 

Ingredients

1. Ripe plantains /Nenthrapazham - 5 
2. Grated coconut - 1 cup
3. Sugar - 3 Tbsp or as needed
4. Raisins -  2 Tbsp
5. Almonds /badam  roughly chopped - 4 Tbsp (You can also use cashew nuts)
6. Cardamom powder - 1 Tsp
7. Egg - 1
8. Salt - a tiny pinch
9. Ghee - 1 Tbsp
10. Oil - for deep frying

  Preparation

• Cut each of the bananas into half and also the stems at both the ends. Steam the bananas in a steamer until cooked soft. You can even microwave the bananas and cook. BUT DO NOT OVERCOOK THEM as later it becomes mushy and wont be able to roll it tight .
• After cooling it, peel off the skin and cut into half and remove the black seed thread.
• Now mash it using a wooden spoon or with your hand into a very smooth dough without any lumps. Keep aside.
• Beat egg with a teaspoon of sugar, 1/4 tsp cardamom powder and salt. Keep aside.
• Heat a tsp oil in a nonstick pan and scramble egg. Keep aside.
• Now heat ghee, fry the raisins, let it puff up , remove from heat and keep aside.
• Add grated coconut and saute for 5 minutes till the moisture is absorbed.
• Add sugar, cardamom powder, raisins, scrambled egg and almonds. Remove from heat and keep aside to cool.
• Grease your palm and take little banana mixture, about a lemon size and flatten it with your thumb, place a 2 tsp of the filling inside., seal the edges and roll into cylindrical shape with elongated edges. Shape the remaining the same way.
• Heat oil in a kadai/deep bottomed pan for deep frying. Deep fry each of them into golden . Fry both the sides.
• Drain on paper towel and serve them hot.

Check out the recipe for Pachamulaku Thengaa Chammanthi

Notes

• Do no overcook the bananas, it will become watery and will become difficult to hold.
• If you don't like or use eggs you can avoid eggs and make it pure vegetarian.

Check out for more Ramadan recipes

        

    

   

'Chatti Pathiri' - Layered Pathiri - Indian Lasagna

 

Chatti Pathiri is a layered dish made in the Northern Malabar region of Kerala, mainly Kannur, Thalassery and Calicut. This is made with either sweet or savory (meat) filling. It is mainly made by the Muslim community during the Ramadan period as an evening snack. It is also called as “Chatti Pathal/Atti Pathal”.

I have made the savory version of it and I am making it for the first time…It comes with 10-12 layers of crepes/pancakes, each layer of crepes/pancakes sandwiched with meat filling and then coated with egg mixture. You can either bake it or cook it on stove top. I cooked it on stove top. 

This is a very rich dish that it would keep you full for longer. After having a piece of it,i didn't have my dinner, it was that full.

When i did a search on internet, i saw that many have recalled it as the "Indian Lasagna" and in Ria's collection it is smartly mentioned as the "Malayalee Lasagna".

Ingredients

For the pancakes/crepes 

1. All purpose flour - 1 1/2 cups
2. Egg - 1
3. Salt - as needed
4. Water - as needed

From this you will get 10 - 12 crepes / pancakes depending on the size (round shape) of it. Make it depending on the diameter of your pan.

For the Masala Filling

1. Chicken Boneless - 1/2 Kg
2. Onion - 7 small
3. Green chilly - 6
4. Ginger-garlic paste - 3 Tsp
5. Turmeric powder - 1/2 Tsp 
6. Red Chilly powder - 3/4 Tsp
7. Chicken Masala - 1 Tbsp (I used eastern Chicken Masala)
8. Garam Masala - 1/4 Tsp
9. Fennel powder - 1/4 Tsp
10. Curry Leaves chopped - 2 Sprigs
11. Coriander Leaves chopped - 1/2 cup
12. Salt - as needed
13. Ghee - melted

For the coating

1. Eggs - 5 (beaten or more depending upon the size of your pan to get the coating and nice shape. I used only 4 eggs, thats why i couldn't get the side correct)
2. Milk -  2 Tbsp
3. Pepper powder - 1/4 Tsp
4. Salt - a pinch

Preparation

Masala Preparation

• Boil chicken pieces with little salt, turmeric and pepper powder. Let the chicken absorb all the water. Cool it down and shred/cut  into pieces.
• In a pan heat oil, add finely chopped onion and green chillies. Fry till onions turns translucent and little brown.
• Add ginger-garlic paste. Sauté till the raw smell goes. Add a sprig of chopped curry leaves to it.
• Add the masala powders and salt to it. Sauté well for few minutes.
• Now add the shredded chicken to it. Mix well and cook closed for 5 minutes.The masala should be a dry.
• Garnish with coriander leaves. Remove from fire and keep aside to cool.

Making Pancakes/Crepes

• Mix flour,egg,salt and enough water in a blender. Blend it to a thin batter.
• Now heat a nonstick pan on a medium heat. Pour a ladle full of batter to the pan and swirl it to a thin round shape using the back of the spoon, like how you swirl it for making dosa. Cook on both the sides. (Do not have to make it crispy)
• Prepare crepes using the remaining batter, you may get up to 10 -12 crepes out of this batter. Keep it aside.
• Make sure that the pancakes do not stick to each other, it might be a pain to separate them.
• Do not change the heat of the pan.

For Coating

• In a wide plate/bowl, beat the eggs and milk , add salt and pepper powder.( I found plate easy ).

Layering

• You can use a small or medium sized non-stick sauce pan/frying pan for the final cooking. With this you will get a cake shaped Chatti pathiri.
• Now grease the sauce pan with ghee.
• Take a pancake/crepe and dip it in "For coating" mixture.
• Place this as the first layer of the "Chatti Pathiri". Spread 1 to 2 tablespoon of the chicken filling evenly over the crepe.Pour a spoon of coating on the sides of the layer and press the masala.
• Now dip the next crepe in egg mixture, make the second layer, spread chicken filling and repeat the same as for the first layer.
• Continue doing the same , until you get the final top layer as the crepe.
• Pour the remaining coating mixture onto the sides and top of the crepe.
• Drizzle a tablespoon of ghee on the sides and top of the crepe.
• Hold both the sides of the sauce pan and give a small shake so that the coating gets through the sides of the pan.
• Cover it with a lid and cook on very low fire for about 30 - 45 minutes.In between check it. If you see the sides golden brown in colour, off the flame  and cover it with a plate and gently flip it over.
• Grease the pan with 2 teaspoon of ghee, gently transfer the chatti pathiri to the pan, but with the top side down .This is done to get a light brown colour on the top side of it. Just cook for 2 minutes. Off the flame.
• Remove from stove and again cover the pan with a plate and slowly flip it over.
• Cool it down and cut like a cake and serve.

Sending this to cook-with-comfort event by Sapana

Kakkarotti - Steamed Rice Dumplings in Spicy Chicken Sauce

Kakkarotti, again here i come with yet another well known dish from Malabar.In different areas of Malabar it is called in various names as Kunji Pathiri, Kunji rotti, Kunji pathal and goes on.I tasted this dish , when i had been to my daughter's friends home, as they had invited us for Ramadan. This dish and many others were very new to me..Since i have started this blog, i am recollecting many dishes from the past. This is one of the dish i loved to make at least once a month at home.

Serves -> 3 - 4 people

Ingredients

For the dumplings

1. Pathiri Podi / Appam podi/Rice flour- 1 1/2 cups (I used pathiri podi)
2. Boiling Water - 2 cups
3. Shallots - 8 - 10
4. Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
5. Fennel seeds - 1/4 Tsp
6. Salt - as needed
7. Oil - 1/4 Tsp

For the masala

1. Boneless chicken cooked with a Tsp of turmeric powder, pepper powder and salt - 1 cup- chopped
2. Grated coconut - 1 cup
3. Onion - 3 nos small
4. Green chilly - 3
5. Turmeric powder - 1/4 Tsp
6. Red chilly powder - 1 1/2 Tsp
7. Fennel seeds - 1/2 Tsp
8. Garam Masala - 1 Tsp
9. Curry leaves - 2 Sprigs
10. Salt as needed
11. Oil - 2 Tbsp

Preparation

Making of rice dumplings 

• In a mixer, add shallots, grated coconut, fennel seed and grind it.
• Take the pathiri podi in a bowl, add the grounded ingredients , salt , mix it and slowly add boiling water to it. 
• Mix well with a spatula. Mix and make a thick and smooth dough.
• Grease your palm with little oil and make small marble sized balls. Slightly press the center of the balls with your finger to give a good shape.(I just love to do this and make my daughter also help me ... also she will be behind me when i am cooking anything special.. to take down the notes and the measurements...).
• Steam this for 20-25 minutes. Transfer it to a plate and cool it. Steam the remaining balls also.

Making of the masala

• In a mixer, grind grated coconut, onion, green chilli and fennel seeds. Grind to a coarse paste.
• Heat oil in a pan, add the coarsely grind masala to it.Let the raw smell of the masala go and cook the masala.
• Add turmeric and red chilly powder to it. Adjust salt.
• Add the cooked and chopped chicken pieces to the masala. Mix well.Saute for 3-5 minutes.
• Add the rice dumplings to the masala. Mix well and add garam masala to it.Also add the stock water if needed. Cook for 5 minutes until masala is well coated and the sauce becomes thick. 
• Finally garnish with curry leaves.
• Ready and serve hot.

Sending this to WTML & Gayathri’s Announcement Page


Sending this to cook-with-comfort event by Sapana

Pazham Nirachathu / Stuffed Plantains

Today also i am posting another famous snack from Malabar "Pazham Nirachathu" / Stuffed Plantain. This is a very tasty and inevitable snack prepared for evening tea time. This is one of the important snack served during Iftar (nombhu thura/ breaking the Ramadan fast) in Malabar. This snack is prepared by stuffing a mixture of coconut , sugar, cardamom, cashews , raisins and sugar. Slit open the plantains and stuff the filling and shallow fry in oil.

Scroll down for the full recipe...

Ingredients

1. Ripe Kerala Plantain - 3 nos.(not too ripe)
2. Grated coconut - 1 1/2 cups
3. Sugar - 1/2 cup (add more if you need )
4. Cardamom pods crushed- 5-6
5. Cashew nuts roughly chopped - 2 Tbsp
6. Raisins - 2 Tbsp
7. Ghee - 1 1/2 Tbsp
8. Oil - for frying
9. All purpose flour/ Maida - 1/4 cup
10. A pinch of salt
11. Water - to make a thick paste

Preparation

• Heat ghee in a frying pan, add the chopped cashew nuts until golden brown. Transfer them to a paper towel.
• Add the raisins, let them puff up like cute little balls. Remove them to the paper towel before they get charred. Keep aside.
• To this ghee add the grated coconut, saute for 2-3 minutes add sugar and crushed cardamom. Mix the cashew nuts and raisins and keep the filling aside. 
• In a bowl mix maida , salt and water to make a thick paste to cover the slits of the banana.
• Now peel the plantains. Make a shallow slit lengthwise in the center of the plantain. The depth of the slit should be made until it reaches the center of the plantain.(Do not cut open the slit.). Now make another slit nearer to that, about 2 inches width. Remove the piece from the banana.
• Now using spoon , fill in the prepared coconut mixture into that gap. Press them tight using your fingers. Now cover it with the piece that you have removed from the plantain.Seal the gap with the maida paste.
• Repeat the same with the other plantains.
• Heat oil in a kadai/ non-stick pan for frying on a medium flame.
• Fry the stuffed plantains, until golden brown. 
• Carefully flip the sides in between.
• Drain them on a kitchen towel.
• Sere it hot with a cup of tea / coffee..

Notes :

• Do not use too ripe plantains, as it will absorb too much oil and hard to hold.
• Instead of coconut, we also use a mix of scrambled eggs, sugar, cardamom and nuts-raisins 

Linking this to Lunch Box series - Kids Delight Event and a pretty Giveaway! and spicing your life 

Arikadukka - Stuffed Mussels... A Malabar Special Snack...

Now as most of us who are familiar with Malabar cuisines,would have heard or tasted the most popular snack,'Kallumakkai Nirachathu' or 'Arikadukka' at least once in their life time. I am sure about it..if not you better be luck next time.

This time when i was returning back from Kerala, my sons made sure that i get some of these mussels o prepare 'Arikadukka'.

'Arikadukka' are fried mussels as the name suggests ,stuffed with a mixture of raw rice paste, shallots and spices, then steamed with shell and fried. These type of mussels or kadukka are easily available in Northern Kerala, especially,the best are available at my place ‘Thalassery’. We prepare delicious curry’s , snacks, fries and the list goes on.but nothing can beat the taste of this delicacy.

In Thalassery near the bus stand we used to get lots of Arikadukka from a 'Thattukada', we call it, 'Undhuvandi'. He makes the best, i have never tasted better than his.My children just loves to have it anytime.Here goes his recipe with a like modification...

Step by step preparation (Its a bit lengthy process).

Ingredients

1. Fresh Mussels with shells – 1 Kg

For the dough

1. Parboiled rice – 2 ½ cups
2. Cooked rice – 1 cup
3. Grated coconut – 1 ½ cups
4. Shallots roughly – 10 – 12
5. Ginger – 1 Tsp
6. Green Chilly - 4-5
7. Curry Leaves – 2 Sprigs
8. Fennel seeds – 1 ½ Tbsp
9. Cumin - 1 Tsp
10. Water – as needed while grinding

For Marinating

1. Turmeric powder – 1 Tsp
2. Red Chili powder – 2 – 3 Tbsp
3. Kashmiri Chili powder – 1 Tbsp
4. Fennel powder – ¼ Tsp
5. Curry Leaves finely chopped – 1 Tsp (Optional)
6. Salt – to taste (If needed or adjust as we have already added salt to the dough)
7. Water – 2- 3 Tbsp
8. Oil - for deep frying

Preparation

• Wash and soak the rice for about 6 – 8 hours.
• Drain the rice and coarsely grind it by adding little water and salt, until you get thick dough. Transfer it to a bowl.
• Roughly chop ginger, shallots and green chili and coarsely grind these with grated coconut, fennel seeds, cumin, and curry leaves.
• Clean the mussel shells by scrubbing all the dirt under running tap water.
• Using a knife, slowly slide in the knife through the slit and open them slowly by not breaking the shells apart. Once it’s open, pull out the hairy substance from the flesh. Wash them clean under tap water, rubbing it gently.

• Add this to the grind rice mixture and mix well.
• Now take a small ball out of the dough and stuff it into the shells. Take off any excess dough and shape them neatly.
• Fill all the shells in the same way.
• Steams cook them for about 25 – 30 minutes, in 2 -3 batches and let It cool. (When hot the dough will be sticky).
• Prepare a thin marinade with items listed out in ‘For Marinating’.
• Once cooled, remove the dough from the shell and dip in the marination and deep fry in oil on a medium flame.