Spicy Chilly Stand Up Kuzhalappam - Easy Recipe

Spicy Chilly Kuzhalappam is a slightly tweaked recipe with few strands of red chilly and a secret ingredient to make it reeaally crunchy. The snack is made to stand up to create a more impressive look....may be for a restaurant style snacking! Keep reading to know how....

ingredients for kuzhalappam

fine rice flour used for string hoppers (powedered and roasted) - 1 cup
boiling hot water - 1 cup
salt to taste or 1/4 tsp
sesame seeds - 2 tsp
grated coconut - 3 tbsp
small onion or shallots - 4
cumin - 1/6 tsp
dry red chilly (Kashmiri) - 5 (washed, deseeded and cut into thin strips)
Oil to fry
butter - 1 tsp

the method

Wash the sesame seeds twice and let it dry. Grind together coconut, shallots and cumin. Deseed the red chilly and cut it into thin strips as seen on the kuzhalappam in the image.

Measure 1 cup roasted rice flour into a bowl. Boil water with salt and pour it over the flour. Use a spoon to bring the flour and water together into a rough dough. Once the dough has cooled to medium heat, add the butter, sesame seeds, red chilly strips, ground coconut mix and knead it into a smooth dough. You can invert a steel plate and oil it to roll the dough. Pinch a good portion of dough and roll into a circle using an oiled rolling pin. Roll the circle onto the rolling pin to form a tube and then gently slide it out on the side. Now cut through the middle of the kuzhalappam to get 2 pieces. Deep fry in medium hot oil. Once it starts turning golden brown remove it from oil. Place the cut side down and the stand up kuzhalappam is ready to go. I did the rolling and frying simultaneously. You can do it the way you are comfortable with.

Orange Caramel Custard | Make in advance Christmas Dessert

ingredients

Milk - 500 ml
Cream - 200 ml
Egg - 4
Sugar - 10 tbsp or to taste - taste after the eggs are added and just before pouring into the mould
Vanilla - 1 tsp

ingredients for the syrup

10 - 14 tbsp depending on the size of the mould to coat it thoroughly, otherwise the custard wont leave the pan after chilling
Orange juice - 4 tbsp

method 

Place the sugar and orange in a sauce pan over low to medium heat. Do not stir. Let the sugar gently caramelize. When the sugar has caramelized, pour it into a pan or mould of your choice and swirl it to coat the bottom of the pan and the sides. Keep it aside.

In the mean time boil milk and reserve. In another pan, heat the cream in a double boiler. When you see bubbles on the side turn off heat and mix it with the milk. Stir till it comes down to room temperature.

In another bowl, whist the eggs with sugar. Add vanilla extract and give a quick whisk.  Add the egg mix into the milk and strain it into another pan.

Pour this into the caramel coated pan and cover it with an aluminium foil or a thin steel or aluminium lid.

There are two ways of making the custard: Steaming or Baking.

Steaming: Prepare a double boiler and place the custard filled pan into it. The water level should be atleast half the height of the pan. Steam for 40 minutes.

Baking: Follow the same method as steaming to prepare the double boiler and place it in the oven at 160C for 45 to 50 minutes.

Once the custard is cooked, let it cool. Then place in a refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight. Invert the custard to see something which looks like the above.

Cut it and serve with the excess syrup.

Pork Vindalho (Vindaloo)

Pork Vindalho is a much liked dish in Anglo-Indian homes, be it a Goan Anglo or a Fort Kochi Anglo. Tangy, yet delicate this is something worth trying!!

If you are not a pork eater, you can try this with beef.

If you are a vegan do check out the eggplant and potato vindaloo in this  blog.

This is a recipe which i had posted during the initial days of blogging. I am reposting it for this Christmas season.

the recipe

Pork – 1 kg

Ingredients for the Mustard & Red Chilly paste 

 Dry Red Chillies (whole – Kashmiri chillies are better) – 25 – 30 or 3 tablespoon kashmiri chilly powder

 Mustard – 1 1/2 tbsp

 Cumin – ½ tsp

 Pepper corns – 1 tsp

 Cardamom – 3

 Cinnamon – 2 cm piece

 Cloves - 5

 Garlic – 12 – 15 cloves

 Ginger – 3 cm piece

 Shallots (small onion) – 12 – 15

 Vinegar – 4 tbsp

 Tomato - 1

 Oil – 1 tbsp

 Onion – 1

 Turmeric – ½ tsp

 Salt – 1 ½ tsp

 Sugar – ½ tsp

the method

 In a mixer, finely powder the red chillies, mustard, cumin, pepper, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves. Add ginger, garlic, shallots, vinegar and tomato to the powdered mixture and grind to a fine past by adding required amount of water. 

 Cut the pork into flat 4 x 6 cm pieces or any preferred shape. Marinate the pork with Mustard & Red Chilly paste and salt for at least an hour.

 In a pan, add oil. Stir in the onion till translucent and add the turmeric. Add the marinated pork. Cook till done. Add sugar just before turning off heat (Alternatively, the meat can be cooked in a pressure cooker for 7 whistle). Serve with rice or bread.

The addition of 1 tbsp brandy at the end would give a tasty twist to the Vindalho / Vindaloo. 

Eggplant & Potato Vindaloo

Vindaloo or Vindalho is essentially a recipe used to prepare meat. Vindaloo means cooked with wine and garlic. Since white wine is not commonly available in India vinegar is used in the preparation. I tried this eggplant and potato vindaloo to introduce the taste to vegetarian readers. I should confess this tasted better than the meat vindaloo. 

The dish is slight fiery and pungent. Please adjust the quantity of chilly powder to suit your taste. Also, the quantity of cumin, fenugreek and mustard should be in the right proportion otherwise the dish will have a bad taste.

the recipe

Eggplant / Brinjal - 250 gms

Potato - 250 gms

ingredients for the mustard paste

Small onion - 5 or Onion - 1/2

Garlic - 3  cloves

Ginger - 1/2 inch piece

Mustard - 1/4 tsp

Cumin - 1 generous pinch

Fenugreek seeds - 1 pinch

Vinegar - 2 tbsp

Tomato - 2 medium

other ingredients

Small onion - 5 or Onion, chopped - 1/2

Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

Chilly powder - 1 tsp

Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Sugar - 3/4 tsp

Oil - 1 1/2 tbsp

the method

Cut the potato and eggplant into cubes. Parboil the potatoes and keep it aside. Rub salt on the eggplant and keep it aside. This will take away the bitterness from the veggie. Wash it after 10 - 15 minutes.

Grind the ingredients for the mustard paste into a smooth paste (add adequate water to grind).

Heat oil in a pan and add the chopped onion. When translucent add turmeric. Add the eggplant and saute for a minute. Add the chillie powder and mix well. Pour the mustard paste and add the parboiled potatoes. Add salt and pepper powder. Add 1/4 cup water if need be.Stir well and let it boil. Simmer till the veggies have cooked. The consistency of vindaloo is a thick gravy. If there is more water, turn to high heat and let the water evaporate. Add sugar, mix well and turn off heat. Serve with rice or serve as you please.

the recipe goes to the event  Healthy Lunchbox Ideas - Brinjal/Aubergine hosted by Priya event started by Kalyani

Pethipireethu | Kul Kulz | Anglo-Indian Christmas snacks

Pethipireethu | Kul Kulz - Sweet version & Savory version in the background

ingredients

1 kg rice flour (fine roasted flour used for idiyappam / string hoppers)

1 egg - substitute eggs with 50 gms of butter if you dont like to add egg

1 large coconut - grated and ground to a paste (with just adequate amount of water)

2 tables spoon - black sesame seeds - wash thoroughly 2 to 3 times

salt to taste

Oil to fry 

1 table spoon - butter 

method

Keep as many greased flat plates or trays ready to place the tiny balls.

Place the rice flour in a large bowl. Beat eggs with butter and salt and add it to the flour. Add the ground coconut and sesame and start kneading into a soft dough without any coarse surface. 

Start making tiny balls. Make sure it is even by using a tea spoon or a smaller spoon to scoop out the dough and then make it into rounds. Use a fork to make a shape - just press the ball against a greased steel fork.

If possible use a deep and slightly large pan to fry. If the dough sits for long it will lose its smoothness and start dry off.

Heat oil in a pan and gently place the shaped pethipireethu into the oil. Do not stir. Fry in low to medium to avoid quick browning. When the sides start to turn golden color, gently turn it with a slotted spoon. When the other side is also golden, as seen in the picture, drain it from oil. Serve as such or make a sugar syrup and follow the method as in this Diamond Cuts recipe. To make the syrup use 3 cup sugar and 1 cup water.

Meat Chops

Come Sunday and it is day to eat meat. Most of the meat recipes prepared at home are spicy with garam masala. This dry meat recipe is prepared sans the usual spices and can be snacked or served with rice. Check out the recipe:

the recipe

Boneless Meat - 500 gms
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilly powder - 1 tsp

turmeric - 3/4 tsp
Vinegar - 1 tbsp
Ginger, finely chopped - 4 cm piece
Garlic finely chopped - 10 cloves

Shallots (small onion, finely chopped ) - 10 (optional)
Salt - 3/4 tsp

for tempering

dry red chillies (optional) - 2
lime - 1
oil - 2 tbsp

the method

Cut beef into 4 x 4 cm pieces and marinate with vinegar, garlic, ginger, turmeric, chilly powder, pepper powder, shallots and salt for 2 hours. Pressure cook the marinade until done. Reduce the water in the cooked meat to get the dry pieces only.

In a heavy bottom flat pan (preferably) add oil. Cut the whole chillies into 3 or 4 pieces (as seen in picture) and add to the oil. Add the cooked meat. Stir well so that all the pieces are coated with oil. Squeeze the juice from the lime and pour it over the meat to coat all the pieces. Stir until the meat pieces are browned and the meat has fully absorbed the lime juice.

Afterthoughts: If you feel the meat may burn add more oil (1 or 2 tbsp)