Clam Fry - Kakka Irachi Varuthathu

The backwaters of Kochi are a rich source of tasty fish, prawns and clams. Some of these tasty creatures  are specific to the backwaters of Kochi that extends to Alleppey, Kollam and Kumarakom. To name a few are pearlspot (Karimeen), mullet (Kanambu and Thirutha), mud crabs, prawns and these tasty clams.

All these are also a part of the 'Gods own country' tag. Uunfortunately these are facing a hard time because of the unscrupulous or rather unthoughtful developments that are clogged around Kochi. It seems some tourists choose Kochi or Alleppey just to eat the Karimeen which is turned into a mild fish moilee to suit their palette.

A major part of the backwaters was sold for real estate development when the Goshree Bridge was commissioned. The filling of backwaters continues without giving a thought on the environmental disasters that can ensue. 

The latest development strategy is Emerging Kerala. I did not really delve into the details, but just know that days after the announcement we are also going through hours of loadshedding (no power supply). The sun is shining quite well these days. So I think it is a coincidental indication that we should switch to Solar Power and save the earth ourselves.

Sorry for getting intp the contemporary news......coming back to the clams....these are collected by professional clam collectors by diving into the backwaters. They boil it and the shells are removed before it reaches the commercial place - the markets and individual sellers. 

Eating clams from hotels may not be a very good idea because it requires good cleaning. You can see a black portion of it in the fresh ones which is dirt. You should pinch it off or use a fish scissor to cut it off.

Recipe for Clam Fry (sometimes clams are mistaken for mussels)

Fresh Clams – 300 gms approx (if you are using canned clams use just 225 – 250 gms)

Ingredients to boil the clams

Ginger – ½ inch piece sliced into juliennes

Turmeric – ½ tsp

Green chilly – 2 nos

Curry leaves – 2 sprigs

Garlic – 4 cloves (optional)

Salt to taste

Ingredients to fry (this is not a deep fry)

Oil – 3-4 tbsp  (coconut or vegetable oil)

Onion – 2, julienned

Garlic – 6 cloves, chopped

Curry leaves, again – 1 or 2 sprigs (you can remove the curry leaves from the boiled clams)

powders
Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

Chilly powder – ½ , ¾ or 1 tsp depending on your taste

Pepper powder – ½ tsp

Salt to taste

The method

Clean the clams first by washing it in hot water twice and then by removing the dark / dirt as mentioned in the last paragraph above. Once done, rinse in cold water twice to get rid of any dirt sticking to the clams.

Place it in a heavy bottom pan or clay pot with water covering just half of the clams. Add all the ingredients to boil, and cook in medium heat for about 15 minutes or until it turns soft. There should be only about 2-3 tbsp water once the clams are cooked.

Heat oil in a wide, heavy bottom pan or cast iron skillet and add the onion and garlic. Stir it till it is translucent. Add the curry leaves and powders and stir for few seconds. Add the boiled clams and turn to high heat. Keep stir till the water evaporates from the clams. When water is almost fully evaporated from the clams cover the pan with a lid. The clams will give a bursting sound inside and turn firm. This is the consistency. Turn to low flame and carefully open the lid and stir so that all the clams get high heat and explode. Continue this till all clams turn hard as you see in the picture. Serve with rice. You won’t need anything else to have this.

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Mail me to roshanscucina@gmail.com to clarify any doubts before trying a recipe..

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Simple Flavourful Semiya Payasam (without condensed milk)

All the luxuries in life need not be reaally luxurious. I just wanted to say that you can enjoy gourmet food without the oomph ingredient which in this recipe is the condensed milk. 

We were not at home this Onam and i just couldn't manage myself without preparing a payasam, though i had few varieties of payasam during the Onam celebrations at my office. Coming to condensed milk, it is not an ingredient which i usually store. Because it cannot be stored for more than a day especially if the can  has been opened once. There is one thing you need to be careful with the tin. In our violent urge to lick the last bit of condensed milk left in the tin it is usual that we try to wipe it with our finger. But if the rim / seal of the tin extents out even a little bit, it is very likely that we get injured. Well, i have got injured that way and got a deep wound in my pointing finger. 

This was a quickfix Vermicelli payasam which i prepared after returning from office (bcoz) i couldnt wait till the next weekend. The sun was setting and i tried to get the last bit of sunlight and there you can see the shadow of our window in the photograph.

The recipe is simple. Preparation & Cooking time - 20 minutes. Serves four sumptuously.

ingredients

Use the same cup to measure the ingredients - the right proportion yields best results

Vermicelli / Semiya - 1 cup

Sugar - 1 cup

Milk - 3 cup (2 1/2 + 1/2)

Water - 1/3 cup

Cashewnutes - a handful

Raisins - 3-4 tbsp

Cardamom - 6-8 medium sized, peeled

Ghee - 1 1/2 tbsp

the method

Heat a sauce pan in medium heat and add ghee. Fry the cashewnuts and raisins and keep it aside. To the remaining ghee add the vermicelli and stir till the vermicelli starts to turn golden brown.

Add water and half cup milk and let the semiya cook (about 7 minutes). Stir continuously to avoid the mixture from forming a layer on top. Cook in medium heat continuously.

Semiya / Vermicelli is a kind of pasta. The normal cooking time for all types of pasta is 9 minutes. Vermicelli is stirred in ghee to make it non stick and to prevent it from turning mushy.

When the vermicelli has been cooking for seven minutes add the remaining milk. Continue stirring. You can keep your eye off to grab other ingredient. That much time the payasam can hold without you :-)

I like to powder the cardamom with sugar bcoz i dont store cardamom in powder form. Put the sugar and cardamom in a mixie jar. I mentioned flavorful in the name for a reason. When you powder the sugar and cardamom you can add few fried nuts also to bring in that added flavour. Put it in the mixie for, say, 5 - 8 seconds. Add the sugar to the semiya mixture. Stir well and let it boil for 1 or 2 minutes. Add the friend cashew nuts and raisins. Serve at room temperature.

The Semiya Payasam has a not so thick not so runny consistency.

Belated Onam Wishes!

Butterscotch Apple & Walnut Cookies

Butterscotch Cookies are simply gorgeous. I think it looks and tastes awesome. So a mention to its looks is unavoidable. This is the second time i am trying a butterscotch cookies and so there is a shot of apple and walnuts to take it another level of taste.

Preparing the butterscotch is slightly tricky when you try it for the first time. When you add the butterscotch into the cookie mix it is likely that it solidifies. So in each trial i come out with some solution so the butterscotch gets incorporated into the dough without turning hard.

the recipe

Plain flour (Maida) - 150 gms

Wheat flour - 150 gms

Sugar - 100 gms

Brown Sugar - 75 gms

Butter - 100 gms (50 + 50) @room temperature

Walnuts - 100 gms

Apple -2 medium sized

Vanilla extract - 1 tsp

Baking powder - 1/2 tsp

Baking soda - 1/2 

Salt - 1 generous pinch (omit salt if you are using salted butter)

Milk - 3-4 tbsp

Egg -1

Water - 3-4 tbsp

Method

Measure both the sugar and powder it. Divide it into two portion. One portion is to be used up for the butterscotch. Place the other half in a bowl. Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Sieve it once and mix with sugar. Keep it aside. This forms the dry ingredients.

Deseed the apple and blend it to form a puree. I dint peel the apple. It is left to you how you puree them. No probs whatever the method. You may have to use 3-4 tbsp milk while blending.

Place 50 gm of butter and soften it with a folk. Add the egg and just beat it till mixed. Pour the apple puree into it.  Place all the dry ingredients into the bowl and mix till the ingredients turn into a cake like batter. Well, this is a cookie but we are not talking dough, instead it is a thick batter. Once this is done, cover the bowl and keep it aside or keep it in a refrigerator.

Method to prepare the butterscotch....this is tricky

If you browse through the web you can see many recipes for butterscotch, prominent ingredients being butter, brown sugar, vanilla and cream. I am going to share with you my own recipe...which has not let me down thus far, when i have used this in cookies as well as puddings.

Place half of the powdered sugar mix in a heavy bottom saucepan, in medium heat.When the sugar is almost melted add 50 gm butter and keep stirring till the butter is fully incorporated. Turn to low heat and add water. The butterscotch will loosen up. Turn off heat and keep stirring continuously. When it has reached pour tablespoons of butterscotch over the cookie batter and immediately mix the batter. Continue till the butterscotch is fully used up.Roast the walnuts and stir into the cookie mix. Place the batter in the refrigerator for one hour.

Preheat oven at 180 C.

Prepare a baking tray by applying butter and flour or just place a baking sheet. Spoon one tablespoon batter by leaving one inch space between cookies. Bake the cookies for 12 minutes.

Oven temperatures differ. Bake till the edge of the cookies start to brown.

The recipe goes to Bake Fest

Uppum Mulaku (Salt & Chilly) ....an instant pickle from Kerala

The uppum mulaku is like a traditional dish of Kerala. ‘Uppu’ means salt and ‘Mulaku’ means chilly (either green, red or some red chilly powder).

Please don’t laugh at it because it brings a smile to anybody when you say there is an uppum mulaku in the platter. It is unconventional and so it is traditional too.

Uppum Mulaku is usually prepared when there is no spicy curry or just as an accompaniment for rice gruel or porridge. There is an English word for rice gruel which is Congee. I came to know about this only recently. In Malayalam, rice gruel is called kanji and in Tamil it is kanchi.

I do not know the evolution of this uppum mulaku recipe, however I am gonna write some of my assumptions. It is like a research J

(i) The first recipe should have been just some salt in a side dish (plate or bowl) with a fresh green chilly with stem to be had with rice porridge. There is a method to eat it. You should take a spoon of the congee and bite the tip of the green chilly. The bitten greenchilly is then dipped into the salt before taking another spoon of congee. I have had this combination just to experiment. This is an explosive, you should try it. I am not a fan of green chilly so it remains a one time testing.

(ii) The second type of uppum mulaku I have known is a crushed combination of salt, green chilly and shallots and sometimes with few drops of coconut oil. This probably is an evolved one to give the recipe a oniony zing and a slight creaminess.

(iii) The third type of uppum mulaku is what I have had at home. This is a combination of salt,crushed shallots, chilly powder, few drops of vinegar and few drops of coconut oil.

(iv) The fourth and final recipe is a slightly advanced version, the one which you see in the picture. The recipe is as follows:

ingredients

Shallots – 15

Chilly powder – 1 tsp

Salt – to taste

Seedless Tamarind – 1 tbsp

Coconut oil – ¾ to 1 tsp

Vinegar – 1 tsp

the method

Roughly chop the shallots and place it in a mortar. Add salt and chilly powder and crush it. Place the tamarind in the mortar and crush it to blend with onion mix. Check salt, pour the coconut oil and vinegar and give a quick mix. Serve it immediately with rice, kanji or boiled tubers like tapioca (Kappa) or greater yam (Kaachil).

This is a Kerala based pestel or an instant pickle and if by any chance you have leftovers you can keep it in the fridge, though it is not known to have been stored for a longer period. Using it fresh, the better. 

If you do not have a mortar, put all the ingredients in the smallest mixer jar and crush it for just 2 seconds.

the recipe goes to EP series Curry leaves or Dried red chillies event started by Julie

Kuccha Baingan Ka Bartha with a Mustardy twist

This is Kuccha baingan ka bartha. Kuccha means raw but in this recipe, the main ingredient which is eggplant/brinjal is roasted and then mixed with raw ingredients. The mustardy twist was a last minute idea for this recipe to taste our kind of recipes....because too much of experimentation is a big no here.

The idea for this recipe is from Nisha's Kitchen and the recipe is for this month's blog hop.

ingredients

4 plump eggplants - around 400 gms

ingredients for the seasons

1 tomato, chopped
1 sprig coriander leaf, chopped
1 tsp store bought mustard
salt too taste - add salt only after adding mustard and tasting it. salt is not required if the mustard is on the salty side.

I have not added any kind of chilly or pepper. The original recipe has 1 finely chopped green chilly, onion and lemon juice. Since the mustard has some kind of wine or vinegar in it, i did not add lime juice. The onions, i just skipped it.

method

Poke a skewer into the brinjal and roast it over direct heat from your stove by holding the skewer above the flames. I did this for about 5 minutes and felt this would take time. So i took the eggplants off the skewer and placed in the oven for 10 minutes in the Grill + Microwave option. The eggplant came very well cooked and it was easy to peel. So the next step obviously is, take the eggplant out of the oven and let it cool. Peel the eggplant.

Cut the eggplant and remove the hard part from the stem. Take out the pulp, chop it or mash it and place it in a bowl. If there is too much seeds, discard some of them. Add the chopped tomato, coriander leaves and mustard and give a quick mix. Check salt.

The interesting part of this recipe is its applicability. You can have it with chappati / roti or serve it chilled with some tacos or use as a topping for a bruschetta or just hid it in a salad. It is really tasty. 

The goes to Blog Hop hosted by Radhika

Mushroom Tarts

ingredients for the tarts

180 gm flour (maida)
75 gm unsalted butter (chopped into cubes)
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt (if using salted butted dont use salt)
30-35 ml chill water

Method 1: Mix the flour with salt and sugar. Place it in a bowl. Stir in the chopped butter and crumble it with your fingers. You can also use a knife to cut the butter through the flour to crumble it. Sprinkle the chill water and slowly gather the crumbled flour and shape it into a disk.

Method 2: Place the flour, butter, salt and sugar in a mixer jar and use the whip button. When the ingredients reach a crumble form add water through the small lid until  the flour mix is just collected. Take this into a bowl and shape it into a disk.

Refrigerate the dough for one hour.

Roll the dough and cut out circles that fit in muffin cups. Place the circles in muffin cups and leave it in the refrigerator for another one hour. This will make the dough firm and it will not pull down while baking. Use the excess dough to make small rings or whatever you feel like and place it on the filling of the tart.

Recipe for Mushroom filling

Mushroom - 300 - 400 gms ( i used oyster mushrooms - these are soft than button mushrooms). Cut into thin strips. Use only the soft part. I used home grown mushroom, still i rinsed it in a bowl of water mixed with vinegar and salt.

Onion - 2 large

Garlic - 3 cloves

Salt - to taste

Turmeric - 1/4 tsp

Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp

Oil - 2 tbsp

Cheese - as much as you need

method to cook the mushroom

Heat oil in a pan and add the onion and garlic. Stir till the onion is translucent. Add salt, turmeric and pepper. Stir for few seconds and add the mushroom. Do not add water. Turn to low flame. Let the mushroom cook in its own liquid for about 6-7 minutes or till tender. Turn off heat. 

Baking the Tart

Usually, tarts are filled and then baked. I am slightly apprehensive about this idea because i feel the juices in the filling will melt the dough. So i baked the crust first and then placed the filling just till the cheese melted.

The original recipe called for baking at 190 C for 15-20 minutes. Since oven temperatures differ you can check after ten minutes. I'll tell you what i did - i baked the crust at 190 C for 10 minutes and then filled about 1 1/2 tsp of mushroom filling, grated some cheese over it and placed a ring of the excess dough and baked for another 5 minutes. I think you should go by your logic for this step. The tart can served as a started or packed as a lunch or just snack.

The recipe for the tart crust is adapted from Joy of Baking. But i have reduced the quantity of butter. Yet the tart had a melt in the mouth texture.

Idiyappam Recipe - Soft, Buttery

Buttery, Soft Idiyappam (String Hoppers) or Noolputtu

Yesterday I was writing an article for an epicure magazine. I actually wrote these lines - the search for the perfect recipe or ingredient is never ending. This idiyappam recipe is something like that. After years of research i learnt that the amount of rice flour should be equal to the amount of water, i.e. when measuring 1 cup flour use 1 cup salted water. However this took a twist when using certain brands of rice flour. The flour wouldn't absorb the 1 cup water or sometimes the 1 cup water wouldn't be adequate to collect all the flour into a dough and then I will end up in a soup (like the kolaveri soup story, especially if it is in the morning :-] ). Then I have to think about some other recipe to use up the watery or dry dough. Later i learnt that you should add water as the flour absorbs the liquid and stir the mix then and there. Then comes the butter story. When I visited my aunt i saw her pouring a lot of coconut oil into the idiyappam dough. She said it gives a soft texture. It was true. When we had the idiyappam later, it was just melting in the mouth. However, i am not a fan of coconut oil so i first used ghee and then i thought a saturated fat would be more apt. So I tried using butter and the string hoppers were as good as the aunt made ones even with just 1/2 tsp butter.

ingredients for the string hoppers

rice flour - 2 cups

water - 2 1/4 cups*

butter - 1/2 tsp

salt - 1/3 tsp or as needed

grated coconut - 1/4 of a coconut (optional)

* Use the same cup to measure rice flour and water. The 1/4 cup water is only a reserve. Use it only if required. Because once you mix the dough and then feel that it is too dry and try to add water, the idiyappam will not turn out good.That is why the reserve.

method

Place the rice flour in a wide bowl. Boil the water with salt. Once boiled, pour it into the flour continuously but slowly in a circular motion. This will give time for the flour to absorb and you will have time to stir the flour (use a spoon) and water mix. When you have used up almost 2 cup water check whether the flour has absorbed all the water or if the dough requires more water. Add the remaining water and mix well if need be. At this point the dough will be hot. Place the butter at the back of the spoon and roughly spread it on the dough and give a quick mix. Let the dough cool. When it is cold enough for your hands to handle knead it into a smooth dough. 

Prepare idli moulds by placing a teaspoon of grated coconut. Press the dough over the coconut to form idiyappams. Steam it for 10 - 15 minutes. If you have banana leaf, cut it into small squares and press the idiyappams over it and steam it. The banana leaves give an aromatic floavour to idiyappam.

Serve the idiyappam warm with vegetable stew or beef stew or masala curry (Kadala or black garbanzo bean) or with vegetable kurma or mughlai chicken. There are actually unlimited combinations for string hoppers.

Enjoy!!!

Rajma & Carrot Makhani

This recipe is inspired by the Rajma Masala prepared by Sona. Since the makhani gravy is much liked by all at home i prepared the rajma makhani  with the carrots to give a mild sweetness.

Rajma - 1 cup (soaked overnight or for 6 to 8 hours)
Carrot - 2

Oil - 1 1/2 to 2 tbsp
Onion - 1 large
Garlic -6 cloves
Ginger - 1/2 inch piece, peeled & julienned
Tomato - 2 large

Powders
Turmeric - 1/3 tsp
Chilly powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/3 tsp

Coriander - 1 sprig, chopped
Butter - 1 tsp
Milk or cream - 2- 3 tbsp

method

Pressure cook the rajma for 8 whistle or till turns slightly mushy.

Heat oil in a pan. Mince the onion and garlic and add to oil. Saute for a while. Add the julienned ginger.Stir for few seconds and add all the powders. Grind the tomatoes to a fine paste and add it to the masala. Add the chopped carrots and cooked rajma. Add salt. Bring it to boil and then simmer for 15 to 30 minutes. Check taste. Add milk, sprinkle the coriander leaves and add the butter. Stir well. Turn off heat. Serve with naan, roti or rice.

the recipe goes to Blog Hop by Radhika

Idichakka Thoran (Tender JackFruit stir fried with Coconut & Spices)

I had been waiting for years (patiently) to prepare this Idichakka Thoran, because the tender jackfruit available in shops is usually over-aged and the thoran would not have the right consistency. So where are the jackfruit trees gone???? We do not have one either in my house or my hubby's house. We live in an apartment and so there is no question of having a Jack tree though i would say we are lucky to have a Curry leaf tree, lots of Jasmine, a Moringa Tree (the tree which yields Drumsticks), a Jampaka (dont know the English name), a custard apple tree and a tree which yields a leaf which was used to pack meat (Irachi pothiyunaa ela)...i dont know the actual Malayalam word for it...and no patience to search for it anyway...

So the story of sourcing this tender jackfruit is like this: My friend went to meet her Mother-in-Law which is in a rustic setting and the way to the place is through Kuttanad. She asked me whether i need a Kuttanad Duck or a Kuttanad Karimeen or anything which is not available in Kochi. The first thing that came to me was a Tender Jackfruit. The reason why this came to my mind is: there are two jackfruit trees in our neighbourhood  and i have been eyeing on the tender ones for sometime this season and asked my husband whether i can ask for a tender jackfruit from them. My husband says NO whenever i nag about this - just this season okay. Even in Kerala now the culture has turned out that you dont socialize with your neighbors, ....... hmmm.  

The recipe is from my mother. We used to have this Tender Jackfruit Thoran every summer season when we were in Valparai. There is a lot to be written about this ..... I'll better write the recipe now.

the ingredients

Tender Jackfruit - 1

Oil to grease your hand and knife

Adequate paper to save your kitchen counter top from the Jack glue

method to clean the Jackfruit

Spread a newspaper or parchment paper in your counter top and place the Jackfruit. Grease your hands and knife with oil. Cut the Jackfruit into rounds with the greased knife (wipe away the glue).Quarter the rounds and cut off the middle part. Now the glue will start oozing out of the fruit. Use coconut fibre or tissue paper to clean it off. Cut/peel the thorny skin (only the green coloured part) of the jackfruit using a sharp knife. Once peeled cut it again into the size of medium sized potato cubes. Place this in water mixed with a tablespoon of salt and a teaspoon of turmeric. This is to get rid of any glue like stuff in the pieces.

ingredients to boil the tender jackfruit

salt to taste

green chillies - 2 or 3

turmeric - 1/2 tsp

Place the cleaned jackfruit in a pressure cooker with 3/4 level water (of the fruit). Add salt, turmeric and green chillies and  pressure cook for 2 whistle. When the steam goes off drain the water. Take each piece and lightly smash it with the back of a spoon.

ingredients for seasoning

oil - 3 - 4 tbsp

mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

urad dal - 1/2 tsp

l large onion - chopped

gently crush 1 cardamom, 2 cloves and 1/2 inch cinnamon

grated coconut - 5 tbsp or 1/3 of a coconut

salt to taste

turmeric - if need be

chilly powder - 1/2 tsp

pepper powder - 1/2 tsp

curry leaves - 2 sprigs

method

Heat a wide pan / uruli chatti and add oil. Add the mustard seeds and urad dal and saute for few seconds. Add the onion and curry leaves. When translucent, add turmeric, chilly powder, pepper powder, spices and salt. Add the grated coconut, stir for few second and add the smashed tender jackfruit. Stir well. Check taste and serve with rice and curry

Note: The stage of the Tender Jackfruit is important for this recipe otherwise it will turn out to be fibrous in texture.

Chocoban Milk Shake

Chocoban = Chocolate + Banana

ingredients to make 2 cups 

Banana - 2
Grated Chocolate - 4 to 5 tbsp ( Instead of chocolate you can use chocolate horlicks, boost or bourvita)
Sugar - to taste
Milk at room temperature - 2 cup (measure according to the serving glass)
Hot milk - 1/2 cup (to dissolve the chocolate)

method

Place the grated chocolate in a cup and pour the hot milk and gently stir so that the chocolate dissolves. Into a mixer jar add the chopped banana and the milk dissolved with chocolate. Blend it till you get a smooth mixture. Add the remaining milk and blend again for about 3 seconds. Check sugar and add more sugar if required. Place the milk shake in the refrigerator for half an hour (i kept it in the freezer for 15 mins bcoz kids were impatient...). Blend it again for 3 seconds. This makes the milkshake frothy. Serve it in tall glasses garnished with grated chocolate.