Crab Roast

Kochi is known for its backwaters, sea, the vivid forms of fishing and the wide variety of fish. Crabs taste  exotic even if it is simply boiled with a dash of salt. Crab Roast is an utterly spicy recipe that goes well with rice.  The one character you should have while eating crab is patience :- )

the ingredients

Crab - 500 gms
Ginger - 4 cm piece
Garlic - 10 cloves
Curry leaf - 1 sprig
Green Chilly - 1 small
Small onion - 10 to 15
Turmeric - 3/4 tsp
Chilly powder - 3/4 tsp
Pepper powder - 3/4 tsp
Cocum - 1 piece
Oil - 2 tbsp
Water - 3/4 cup
Salt - 1 to 1 1/4 tsp or to taste

the method

Clean the crab and cut it into four pieces. Break the legs of the crab to let the spice in.

Heat oil in a pan (preferably an earthern pot) and add the chopped small onions. When lightly brown add chopped ginger, garlic, green chillies and curry leaves. Stir it until light brown and then add turmeric, chilly powder and pepper. Stir well till the raw smell is gone. Add the crab pieces and salt. Stir for a minute and  add water and let it boil. Add 1 tsp salt and cocum. Simmer for about 15 - 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Adjust salt. Serve with rice.

Methi Palak Paneer

While watching the Discovery Travel & Living channel, I got to know that Palak Paneer is a royal dish. I was wondering how some green leaves paste would be called so. The explaination however went on to about the combination of cottage cheese and cream in a mildly spiced palak puree. I then realized that it is indeed royal. To be specific Palak Paneer is a Mughalai cuisine. As usual, I wanted give a twist to it by adding some Kasuri Methi or dried fenugreek leaves and I found that the recipe already exists and therefore the Methi Palak Paneer.

the recipe

Palak / Spinach leaves – 1 bunch (30 – 40 leaves)

Cottage Cheese / Paneer – 200 gms

Kasuri Methi / Dried Fenugreek leaves – 1 1/4 tsp

Tomato – 1 or 2

Onion – 1 big

Ginger paste – 1 tbsp

Garlic paste – 1 tbsp

Oil – 2 tbsp

Cream or milk – ¼ cup

Chilly powder – 1 tsp

Pepper powder – ¼ - ½ tsp

Garam Masala – 1 tsp

Green chilly – 1

Salt - to taste

the method

Blanch the palak leaves – Boil adequate salted water to immerse the leaves. Place the leaves in the water until it is wilted (about 2 minutes). Drain the water. Take out the leaves, cut in into 2 or 3 pieces and grind it to a fine paste.

Soak the kasuri methi for 2-3 minutes. Wash twice and keep it aside.

Cut the paneer into small cubes. Heat oil in a pan and lightly fry the paneer in low -medium heat. Drain the paneer and place it in the milk or water. This prevents the paneer from turning rubbery. To the remaining oil, add the onion and sauté till translucent. Add the green chilly, ginger and garlic paste. Saute  for a minute and add the chilly, garam masala and pepper powder. Add ¼ tsp pepper powder and if need be add the remaining ¼ tsp at the end, while checking for seasoning. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and sauté till it turns soft. Add salt. Pour the palak paste, kasuri methi and ¼ cup water and bring it to a boil. Stir in the fried paneer pieces. Turn to low heat and add the milk or cream. Check seasoning and simmer for 5 – 7 minutes. Tastes good with any kind of roti or naan and also with rice and dal.



Aloo, Palak & Garlic Batura

Off late I have been preparing fatty preparations like butter chicken and this deep fried batura. Batura is usually prepared with maida and potatoes. Since it is still very cold in Kerala, I added palak to induce some heat into the body.  I have heard that palak is widely used in parathas during winter season. The garlic is to season the batura and the two veggies that has gone into the making. Further, this is a wheat + maida batura instead of a maida only one. You can also prepare this using wheat alone though you may have to compromise on the color with no compromise to the taste.

the recipe

maida / flour – ¾ cup

wheat – ¼ cup

salt to taste

palak (spinach), finely chopped – 20 leaves

potato – 1 big (boiled & mashed)

garlic – 8 small cloves or 6 medium cloves (this gives moderate garlic taste)

baking soda- ¼ tsp

water – a little less than ½ cup

oil to deep fry

the method

Place the maida, wheat flour and baking soda in a bowl and mix well.  Stir in the chopped palak, mashed potato and finely chopped garlic. Crumble all the ingredients together with your fingers. Sprinkle salted water little by little until the flour mix is kneaded into dough. Divide it into 8 balls and roll into into slightly thick baturas and deep fry it. Serve it with a curry of your choice.

Repost for an Event - Baby Corn Salsa

the original recipe can be read here

Soya Cutlets ( baked or fried )

Until recently, I have been preparing only soya chunk curries. Once I tried to prepare recipes with soya mince, it seems to be very interesting. Therefore, the soya mince curry came up and then I tried to prepare cutlets using soya mince. On the first bite it is very difficult to distinguish whether this is a meat cutlet. However on the second bite you will definitely know that this is soya, because you can taste its flavor.

About Soya Mince, you can either prepare it at home or just use store bought ones. In the soya mince curry I had used a different method to prepare the mince and for this cutlet I followed a different method. The latter is a better process.

I prepared a baked cutlet to reduce the oil intake as well as to save time. You can just bake everything in one go.

the recipe

soya chunks – 20 -25 nos

potato – 2 medium or 3

the quantity of potatoes must be equal to or more than the soya mince bcoz soya has a very strong flavor

onion, finely chopped – 1

garlic, finely chopped – 2 cloves

ginger,  finely chopped – ¼ inch piece

garam masala – ½ tsp

coriander leaves, chopped – 2 – 3 table spoon

lime juice – 1 tsp

turmeric powder – 1/8 tsp

chilly powder – ½ tsp

pepper powder – ¼ tsp

salt to taste

oil – 1 tbsp

to coat the cutlets

milk – ¼ cup

pepper powder – a pinch

bread crumbs – from two slices

the method

Boil adequate water to immerse the soya chunks. Turn off heat. Add ½ tsp salt into the water and stir in the soya chunks. Cover and let it soak for 20 minutes. Drain off and squeeze water from soya chunks. Wash it with fresh water. Cut it into two. Place the chunks in a blender and blend for 2 seconds. It would have become strands. Keep it aside.

Boil, peel and mash the potatoes.

Heat oil in a pan and sauté the onions. When translucent add the chopped ginger & garlic (ginger garlic paste is also okay). Add turmeric, chilly, garam masala and pepper powder.  Stir in the soya mince and salt. Sauté until it is coated well with the spices (add few drops of water if need be). Add the lime juice and coriander leaves. Turn off heat. Let it cool.

Add the mashed potatoes to the sautéed mince. Knead it to a dough. Keep it aside for 10 minutes. Shape it into patties of desired shapes.

Take the milk in a slightly wide bowl and add the pepper powder.

Keep the bread crumbs in a flat plate.

Take each cutlet, immerse it in the milk mix and then put it in the bread crumbs and coat it well.

Preheat over at 200 C for 5 minutes. Bake the prepared cutlets at 200 C for ten minutes. Serve with tomato ketchup or as you please.

* this cutlet can be either baked or fried

Butter Chicken

Butter Chicken is a mild and slightly creamy chicken preparation that can be had with any kind of Indian flat bread like chapati, naan or batura. The addition of butter may not sound healthy, but i feel it is okay to have a little bit of sinful indulgence once in a while.

the recipe



ingredients for the marinade

Chicken - 500 gms

Lemon juice (optional) - 1 tbsp

Salt - 3/4 tsp

Ginger Garlic  paste - 1 tbsp

Garam Masala- 1/2 tsp

Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp

other ingredients

Butter - 1 + 1 + 1 tbsp

Onion - 1 (ground to paste)

Tomato puree - from 2 tomatoes

Kashmiri Chilie powder - 2 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder - 1/4 tsp

Cumin powder - 1/4 - 1/2 tsp

Garam Masala - 1/4 - 1/2 tsp

Coriander leaves & stem, chopped - 1/4 cup

Cream - 1/4 cup

salt to taste

the method

Cut the chicken into small pieces. Marinate it with the ingredients for the marinade for 30 minutes.

Heat one tbsp butter in a heavy bottom pan / pressure cooked in low heat. Add the marinated chicken and saute for about ten minutes.

In another pan add one tbsp butter and pour the onion paste. Add some salt so that the water from the onion will evaporate quickly. Saute for a minute or until the raw smell has gone. Pour the tomato puree and add turmeric, coriander, chilly and cumin powder. Let it boil for a while. Add the sauted chicken and mix well. Bring it to a boil. When the chicken is almost done add the garam masala. Reduce to low heat and add the lightly beaten cream. Stir briskly so that the cream will completely blend with the gravy and will not curdle. Check salt and stir in the coriander leaves. As per butter chicken recipes a final dollop of butter is essential. I have also added the same but it melted and came on top of the curry as you can see in the picture. So it is thoroughly optional whether to add another tablespoon of butter before turning off heat. This is a very tasty preaparation. Enjoy as you please.

the same recipe can be followed to prepare Butter Paneer or even a Butter Potato ;-)

 

Guest Post at Nithu's Kitchen

hi everybody,

glad to inform you that i got a chance to guest post one of my recipe and have a small chat at Nithu's Kitchen which has some yummy recipes.....

i guest (re-)posted Kashmiri Paneer recipe ...please do check out Nithu's Kitchen.....

cheers

roshan

Chembu Curry (Colocasia / Taro)

It is interesting to note how recipes evolve in our kitchen. This chembu / colocasia recipe evolved as a result of a dialogue in a Malayalam movie where the protagonist asks his caretaker to prepare a fish-like chembu curry with cocum / camboge in it. 

in case you do not have cocum, it can be substituted with tamarind pulp.

the recipe

Colocasia / chembu - 300 gms

Turmeric - 1/4 tsp + 1/2 tsp

Green chilly - 1 or 2

Salt to taste

Coconut Oil / veg oil - 1 1/2 tsp

Small onion - 5

Curry leaves - 2 sprig

Chilly powder - 1 1/2 - 2 tsp

Coconut milk (second extract - thin) - 1 cup

Coconut milk (first extract - thick) - 3 /4 cup

Cocum - 2 medium size pieces

Ginger - 1 1/2 inch piece

the method

Peel and cut the colocasia / taro into small cubes. Wash thoroughly. Cook it in second extract / thin coconut milk with 1/4 tsp turmeric, salt and 1 green chilly. Stir in between to check whether it sticks to the pan (add water if need be). Once done, turn off heat.

In another pan, heat oil and stir in chopped onion. When translucent add ginger. Stir for a minute and add curry leaves, 1/2 tsp turmeric and chilly powder. Add 1/4 cup water and cocum pieces / tamarind. Let it boil for 5 -7 minutes. Turn to low heat and add the cooked colocasia and stir well. Check seasoning and let it boil for 5 minutes in low heat. Add the thick coconut milk and stir. Turn off heat when the curry starts to boil. Serve with rice and some veggies.

Peshawari Naan

I came to know about Peshawari naan while searching about the use of Kalonji. Peshawari Naan has similarities to a Kashmiri paratha in terms of the stuffing. I came across two recipes and I have come out with the best of two. I have avoided the use of eggs in the dough and have prepared it with wheat flour instead of maida / flour.

the recipe

Wheat flour - 1 cup

Yeast - 1 1/2 tsp

Sugar - 1 tsp

Salt- 1/2 tsp

Hot water - 3/4 cup

Butter - 2 tbsp

Butter - for pan frying the naan

Shahi jeera - 1/4 tsp

for the stuffing

Cashew nuts - 2 tbsp

Raisins - 1 tbsp

for rolling

kalonji / nigella seeds - 1 /2 tsp

the method

Place the hot water in a small bowl with the yeast, salt and sugar and lightly stir it. Cover the yeast mix and check it after ten minutes. The yeast would have come up. Place the wheat flour in a mixing bowl and make a well in it. Pour the yeast mix, shahi jeera and 2 tbsp  butter and knead it to a soft dough. Cover the dough with a wet muslic cloth. Let it rise (1 - 1 1/2 hours). Divide the dough into 8 - 10 balls. Stuff each ball with few cashew nuts and raisins. Flour a rolling surface and gently roll out oval shaped naans by sprinkling a tiny pinch of kalonji.

The naan is rolled gently to make sure that the air bubbles formed by the yeast is not pressed down completely.

Naan is usually cooked in a tandoori oven or in a usual oven. Since my previous experience with a baked naan was not good, i fried this in a pan, similar to a chapathi. Cook naan in medium to high heat and apply butter on either side. Serve with Kashmiri Paneer, Green Pea Green Kurma or any dish of your choice.

the recipe goes to Stuffed Paratha by Vardhini

Cherry, Cashewnut & Oatmeal Brownies

 

When you don't have many oatmeal porridge fans at home, the only way to add it in our diet  is to change the logic in which it is cooked. I hide the oats in pancakes, bread, sweet & savory dumplings, soups and also tried adding it in brownies. 

The brownie had a chewy texture. It was much to my dislike....so I leave a choice to you, if you like chewy brownies add oats other substitute it with flour and go ahead with the following recipe.As regards the cherry and cashew, it was very tasty. Cherry in chocolate is a really lovely combination. 

the recipe

bittersweet chocolate - 100 gms

butter - 100 gms

eggs - 2

sugar - 3/4 cup

cocoa powder - 2 tbsp

cherry - 1/4 cup

cashewnuts - 1/4 cup

flour - 1/2 cup

oats - 1/4 cup

vanilla extract - 3/4 tsp

the method

Preheat oven at 170 C. Prepare a square pan and line it with a butter paper.

Chop the chocolate and butter into small cubes and place it in a mixing bowl (this will be the mixing bowl for the entire brownie batter). Place the bowl in simmering hot water. Stir the chocolate and butter until they melt. Take it out of the double boiler and rest it until it becomes warm. 

Certain recipes recommend the use of whisk instead of electric beater to beat the sugar and eggs. But I strongly recommend the use of electric beater at speed 1 or 2.

When the chocolate mix is warm add the sugar spoon by spoon until well incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and eggs. Add the eggs one by one. Mix the flour, cocoa powder and oats. Add it to the chocolate and mix well. Mix the cherry and cashew nuts with a tablespoon of flour and add half of it to the batter. Pour the batter to the prepared pan. Sprinkle other half of cherry and cashew on top of the batter.  Bake for 30 - 35 minutes. Keep checking after 30 minutes. The cherry, cashew and oatmeal brownies are done when a toothpick inserted comes out with few lumps of cooked batter.

The recipe goes to Priya’s CWF – Oats event started by Kiran