Paal Paayasam

Wishing a Happy Onam to all...

Onashamsakal.... 

No festival is incomplete without a grand feast which ends with a sweet, So today being Onam, i prepared a simple paayasam, Paal Paaaysam.Whereever malayalees are there , they will definitely celebrate it with a grand Kerala Sadya. So wishing you a Happy Onam to all...
I have prepared a simple Onam Sadya also we made pookalam at home.

 Pookkalam

Kerala Sadya

Recipe for Paal Paayasam
Ingredients

1. Kaima rice/Jeerakashala rice/Basmathi Rice - 2 cups
2. Water - 4 cups
3. Milk - 1 1/2 Litre
4. Sugar - 2 cups (the sweetness of my sugar was less)
5. Cardamom powder - 1/4 Tsp
6. Ghee - 1 Tbsp
7. Cashew Nuts - 10 to 15 slit
8. Raisins - 2 Tbsp

Preparation

• Wash and drain water from rice. In a pressure cooker, add rice and water. Cook for 4 whistles on medium flame. Once done off the flame and allow the pressure to release.Transfer this to a bowl.
• In the same cooker boil milk and cook on low flame.Let it reduce to 1 liter.
• Add sugar and mix well until sugar dissolves.Add the cooked rice and mix well. If lumps are there just mash it using a spoon.
• Now add cardamom powder. Switch off the flame and remove from fire.
• Heat ghee in a pan , fry cashew nuts and raisins till golden brown. Pour this on to paayasam and mix well.
• Serve it hot or cold.

Note

• The payasam thickens with time so switch it off accordingly.
• Addition of cardamom powder is optional.
• Also tempering cashew nuts and raisins in ghee is optional. You can directly add it.

Mothagam | Vinayaka Chathurthi Recipe

Happy Vinayaka Chathurthi

Ganesha Chaturthi is the Hindu festival celebrated in honour of the god Ganesha,the god of beginnings and wisdom.The festival, also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi. The festival lasts for 10 days, ending on Ananta Chaturdashi.

The main sweet dish during the festival is the modak, a dumpling made from rice flour with a stuffing of fresh grated coconut, jaggery, dry fruits and some other condiments. It is either steam-cooked or fried.I am making this for the first as for Ganesh chathurthi...Here goes the recipe.

Ingredients

1. Rice flour (Ready made idiyappam flour/ pathiri podi )-1 Cup [I used double horse brand]
2. Sesame oil / Ellannai  - 2 Tsp
3. Boiling Water   -  As needed
4. Salt   -  As needed

For Coconut Pooranam

1. Coconut  -  2 Cups
2. Jaggery   -  1 cup 
3. Elachi/Cardamom - 4

 

 

Preparation

• For the dough, add sesame oil to the dough. Add salt to boiling water and mix well using a wooden spatula. Make a smooth and soft dough. Keep covered.

• You can make equal sized balls and keep covered. 
• For the thenga pooranam, place grated coconut jaggery and elachi powder in a pan, with little of water. Cook on medium flame until, it starts leaving the sides of pan, switch off the flame. Keep it to cool and make poornam balls.

• Meanwhile, boil water in a steamer.
• Make small cups out of the dough,  place the poornam inside the dough and shape it as shown in the figure.

• Repeat and finish the kozhukattais and keep covered until steaming.  
• Arrange the mothagams on the steaming plate and cook for 20 - 25 minutes. Or until they are cooked. When cooked you will see that the mothagams are a little shiny on the outside.

 

 

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

        

    

   

Ariyunda - The Kerala Style

An authentic sweet from Kerala...i have seen, when i was a kid... in my house our maid used to make these. She used to first roast the rice in otturuli and then powder it in "ural & ulakka", a traditional mortar i would say, which is the bigger version of what we use nowadays for crushing spices and all. Nowthat we have mixer/grinder the preparation is very easy.After my marriage my amma used to prepare and send to three of her daughters every year.At home all love this.So here goes the recipe. 

Ingredients

1. Rice - 2 cups (Preferably Kerala Boiled Rice)
2. Crushed or powdered jaggery - 3/4 to 1 cup (add more if the jaggery is less sweet )
3. Grated coconut - 1 cup
4. Cardamom- 5 - 6 nos. (optional) (This will give a distinct flavor)

Preparation

• Heat a  pan and dry roast the rice on medium flame, until it pops up and turns golden brown. Keep it aside to cool for 5 minutes. (First roast 1 cup and then the remaining). 
• Grind the roasted rice using a mixer/ grinder to a fine powder, also add cardamom pods . Transfer it to a bowl.(Keep 1/4 cup aside for coating).
• Now add grated coconut and jaggery to the mixer and grind it for about 3-4 minutes.You will get a paste,to this add the powdered rice and combine well. Transfer the mixture to a plate.

• Shape them into small balls using hand.

• Dust each balls with the rice powder.
• Store in air tight containers.

Notes

• While making balls if the mixture is sticky, just smear a little ghee on your palm and then make the balls.
• If while making balls the mixture is breaking,tightly press and then shape it.
• Dusting is not necessary ,my mother used to do it.

Linking this to Priya of My Kitchen Odyssey event " Favourite recipes" and My Zesty Kitchen, Dish it Out – Kid Friendly Dishes, WTML June 2014 hosted By The Big Sweet Tooth event by Gayathri

 

Blog Anniversary and Love at First Bite....Floating Island

Wow .. i simply can't believe "A Bowl Of Curry" has turned One year old… Happy Birthday….

It has been exactly one year and 2 days since I wrote my first blog post and shared the very first recipe to this blogging world. Since then my life has changed so much. ‘A Bowl of curry’, my sweet little blog has introduced me to a totally new world of cooking and photography.  I used to simply browse internet, just to take down some recipes and that’s it…but later when this became a habit, my kids told why not you also cook something of your special recipes and it. I was like OK. Then they came about with the idea of starting a blog. So on my birthday my daughter started this blog for me….There goes my journey with 'A Bowl of Curry'.

The first blog that I was impressed with was Maria’s Menu and Shab’s Cuisine. Then after I stared to blog, I began to find other blogs that I was impressed with and started to leave comments. Still, visitors to my blog were very few and far between… and I was lucky to get just one comment.

I remember the very first post and the first photo that I posted

Soya Pulav

I remember the day, when I received the first comment on Bread Cutlet, I was so happy that day and I got so tensed when a reader pointed out the mistake in Green Chicken Curry. After that I used to wait for the comments and feedbacks. But later when I joined the Blogging Marathon, it all started, my blog was really liked and recognized by my fellow readers, started appreciating my recipes and photos, also encouraging me by their kind words. I started to make new friends. The first comment, the first like to my facebook page, the first follower on GFC and the number of page views etc.. these little things made me so happy and made my day. My son would keep track of the likes and like on photos and comments and they felt happy too...This was all possible through the support I received from my readers.

Now ‘A Bowl of Curry‘ has become an inseparable part of my life. In this one year of blogging, I have been inspired by so many of you.  I had no idea how many wonderful friends I would meet and how much I would learn. I take this opportunity to thank each of my readers for their continuous support and encouragement. This is just the beginning and I have still got so much to cook, click, write and post…

I hope that ‘A Bowl Of Curry’ will receive the same support in years to come….

On that happy note i would love to share the recipe of the Famous Classic French Dessert "Floating Island".

"Floating Island" or "Ille Flottante" is a classic light French dessert, that is made mostly of egg white. This dessert is served simply with custard and the poached meringue just float dreamily like clouds in it. You can top it with caramel or dust it with praline.. but i can say it tastes divine... 

Recipe source :  The Hungry Australian

Ingredients
For the custard

1. Milk 1 cup
2. Fresh Cream - 1/2 cup
3. Castor Sugar - 1/2 cup
4. Vanilla essence - 1 sp
5. Egg yolks - 3

For the meringue

1. Egg whites - 3
2. Castor Sugar - 1/2 cup
3. Milk - 1 cup

For Caramel Sauce

1. Sugar - 150 gms
2. Water - 100 ml

Preparation

For the custard

• Heat milk in a heavy bottomed pan with vanilla essence until gently simmering. Turn off. Keep aside.
• Meanwhile, whip egg yolks and sugar for a couple of times, until thick and pale in colour.
• Pour the milk mixture , fresh cream into the yolk mixture and mix together thoroughly.
• Rinse out the sauce pan and then pour the entire custard mixture back into the pan.
• Heat on low flame for 10 - 15 minutes, stirring constantly, until you get a thick and cream custard.
• Turn off and leave it to cool.Chill in refrigerator.

For the Meringue

• Whisk egg whites until peaks form. Then add in the sugar, a little at a time, until meringue is glossy and stiff.
• Heat milk in a large, deep frying pan and bring to a slow simmer.
• Using a large spoon, drop two or three spoonfuls of the meringue mixture into the milk and poach for a minute on both the sides. (Be careful it might break).

Caramel Sauce

• Combine sugar and water, cook till the sugar dissolves completely and caramel is been formed.

To serve

• Pour 2 -3 spoon custard into low bowls. 
• Gently lift an island out of the milk with a flat spoon, tap and remove the excess milk and place gently on top of the custard .
• Garnish with caramel sauce or with nuts or praline.

Sending this to 50 Sweet and Savory Holiday Recipes + Add yours to win a surprise Giveaway! by Siri


Sending this to cook-with-comfort event by Sapana

Fruit Custard / Fruit Salad with Custard

Fruit Custard or rather Fruits Salad with custard is one of the easiest dessert anyone can prepare. This is a very creamy delicious dessert with a crunch of fruits in between. This can be best served as a party dessert, for  get togethers or parties for a large crowd.Basically you can add any fruits , but it tastes much better with fruits like bananas, apples, mosambi, orange, grapes, mangoes, pineapple and pomegranate.

You can prepare the custard ahead by boiling milk and adding custard powder to it and allow it to cool, chill it and just add in cubes of fruits available to it.When guests arrive, surprise them by serving it chilled with a dollop of vanilla ice cream, fresh cream or even whipped cream. Can also be garnished with dry fruits or glazed cherry on top or drizzle honey on top of a scoop of ice cream. So, here goes the recipe....

Ingredients

1. Milk - 2 cups
2. Vanilla custard powder - 3 Tbsp
3. Sugar - 4 Tbsp or to taste
4. Mixed fruits cut into cubes - 2 cups or more to tastes of your choice ( I used apples, bananas, grapes and pomegranates)

Preparation

• In a bowl take 1/4 cup of milk , mix the custard powder to it and make a paste. Keep aside.
• Boil the remaining milk in a thick bottomed pan on low fire, when it comes to boil, add in the sugar. Let it dissolve .
• Now add in the custard mix and keep stirring and cook for 3-4 minutes or until it thickens to a creamy texture. Switch off the flame.

• Allow it to cool completely to a room temperature. Refrigerate it.
• Chop and refrigerate the fruits just an hour before you serve it.
• To serve, add a required amount of custard in a bowl, add the chopped fruits.
• Garnish with dry fruits, glazed cherries , whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
• Serve chilled and enjoy................

Notes

• Do not boil the custard for too long, as it has a tendency to burn. 
• It should be a creamy/ slight runny consistency, as it will get thickened after refrigerating.
• Add the fruits just an hour before you serve it.
• When you add citrus fruits, add it fresh while serving because, it will make the custard watery.

Sending this to 50 Sweet and Savory Holiday Recipes + Add yours to win a surprise Giveaway! by Siri

Sending this to cook-with-comfort event by Sapana