Maida Halwa

Halwa is the speciality of my Kerala, especially North Kerala. Calicut(Kozhikode), which is a district in North Kerala, known for halwa.. People from around the world come over here n buy kozhikodan halwa in bulk n take home or overseas. Though there are different types of halwa made by experts from around Kerala, I am bringing to you the most easiest one. Remember that for any halwa, funda is, stir continuously to avoid forming lumps, for that great yummy halwa!

 

Ingredients :

Maida / All purpose flour : 1 cup

Sugar : 2 cups

Ghee : 1 cup

Cardamom powder : 1 tspn

Ghee roasted cashews&raisins :1/2 a cup

Yellow/orange colour : a pinch if required

• Take a bowl of water and mix maida along with food colour to it thoroughly without forming lumps to a thick consistency similar to that of dosa batter.
• Pour 2 tbspn ghee to a heavy bottomed pan/kadai and when hot, pour the maida batter, stirring continuously under low flame, without forming lumps.
• When it gets tighter n smooth, add sugar and mix well.
• Keep on stirring and pour ghee through the sides of the pan gradually until it rolls off through the sides smoothly. 
• Check sweetness n add more sugar if required. When it starts to melt, you'll see that the consistency gets a bit looser, hence, stir again continuously.
• Its the right consistency when the ghee separates or starts showing over the halwa.
• Now, add cardamom powder, roasted cashews n raisins and mix well. 
• Remove from flame and transfer to an airtight container greased with ghee. Cut into pieces and have them once cool.

Notes

- You may even add ghee roasted maida to water n mix well instead of plain maida.

- You would know it is the right consistency when its not sticking to your hand and can be rolled between your fingers.

- Refrigerate to keep the halwa afresh for 2-3 days.

Nadan meen curry / Fish curry

Meen curry is a regular of almost every household in Kerala I guess.. n why not, when we get fresh n 'pidakkunna' fish over here and also it goes well with rice, our main staple. There are different recipes for simple fish curry; however, I am gonna give you one way of making easy fish curry, without roasting coconut n all..You may use any fish for this recipe however, I like it best using seer fish or king fish (naimeen/ayakoora) or pomfret (aavoli) or Indian mackerel (ayala).

Ingredients :

King fish : 8 medium sized pieces

Fenugreek (uluva) : 1/2 tspn

Curry leaves : 2 sprigs

Salt : as required

Coconut oil : 3 tbspn

Raw mango : 1/2 a mango

Grind the following together with a little water to make a smooth paste;

Coconut : 11/2 cups

Turmeric powder : 1 tspn

Chilly powder : 2-3 tbspn

Shallots : 15 nos.

Green chilly : 5 nos.

Tamarind(puli) soaked in water: ball to the size of half a lemon is to be soaked

• Take a manchatti / claypot (meenchatti). When hot, add 2 tbspn coconut oil and then add fenugreek n saute for a while under medium flame until you get that smell of uluva.
• Add the ground paste and saute thouroughly. Add about 1 cup of water and required salt. Add mango cut into vertical pieces like you do for aviyal.You may replace mango with diced tomato(1 no.) if you wish.
• When its starts to boil, add the fish pieces gently into the pot and then the curry leaves and cook covered until the fish pieces become tender. Add the remaining oil through sides of the pot.
• Check sourness, add more tamarind water if required acc. to your choice. 
• Check salt, add more water or if too loose a consistency, cook uncovered for some more time to match the consistency of your choice. And be ready to have your lunch baby!

Titbits: 

- Remember, if fenugreek seeds exceed its required amount, its more than enough to spoil the curry; hence, never exceed the limit with the expectation that the curry will turn out to be more rich n tasty. 

- Keep in mind that stirring frequently with spoon would reduce the taste of the curry and also might break the fish pieces. 

- The older your fishpot, the greater would be your fish curry.

- You may even add split drumsticks cut into 3 inch pieces to add-on to the taste. 

- Its best to use an arakallu (grinding stone) to grind the ingredients for THE right taste. 

- Adding tomato or mango increases the sourness, its almost equivalent to adding tamarind.

Yummy milk shake - mom's version!

Remember, during college days, almost everyone wud've given treats n taken, and often, that wud b milk shakes, puffs, sandwiches, samosas, cool drinks, etc.. right? it was quick that milk shakes took the place of cool drinks and became an instant hit.. Even though u had to spend much more than cool drinks on shakes, u wud, for the yummy delicious shakes isn't it?.. and thats how we started getting different versions of milk shakes at home.. A shake called 'sharjah'(cant guess how the name came up!) was the first hit acc. to my memory.. That used to be white in colour and my mom 'discovered' this recipe to replace sharjah, and I luv this, try out, it has mother's love in abundance :)...

Ingredients :

Frozen milk : 1/2 a litre pack

Sugar : 7 tbspns

Horlicks : 5 tbspn

Ripe bananas (njalippoovan, the ones u find in wedding receptions): 3 nos.

Crushed groundnut : 100g

Vanilla essence : 1/4 tspn

5 cubes of ice

• Dry roast groundnut and crush them along with sugar. 
• Crush the frozen milk into small pieces to get it blended easily, preferably without opening the cover containing milk. Open and take out the crushed milk after its done.
• Dissolve horlicks or any milk powder of ur choice in a little water separately and keep aside.Or u may just use condensed milk to save the process of dissolving in water.
• Take the canister of ur blender and put bananas, each cut into two. Add crushed milk, groundnut sugar mix, dissolved horlicks, ice cubes and then vanilla essence over it, preferably in this order. Blend until the ice cubes get crushed, becomes frothy smooth n fluffy. Add more sugar if required. 
• Garnish with dry fruits of ur choice, cut into small pieces or some cherry. OHHH!!! THIS IS HEAVENLY!!!

Note : May replace milk powder with bournvita or boost too to get a chocolaty flavour! I guess every keralite's mom wud have different versions of sharjah n abudhabi n all.. however, this one is also not too ordinary to be ignored! Guaranteed!

Cabbage Thoran - for the newly weds, neutral families and amateurs:)!

As one of my best friends' suggested, I'm thinking of concentrating on the basic recipes too a little bit more along with the new ones.. Now, regarding cabbage thoran, what can I say, it is considered to be one compulsory item in the basic menu of any Keralite's tiffin box, isn't it? which simply means its easy to make n also nutritious, which our moms would've aimed at while we were schoolgoers, right? a 'thattikkoottu'(prepared in rush without much effort) item as we Keralites would describe it, this one goes to all those newly weds and those away from home struggling to impress their hubbies :).. 

Ingredients :

Cabbage : 1 cup

Coconut oil : 2 tbspn

Mustard seeds : 1/2 tspn

Dried red chilly : 2 nos.

Curry leaves : 1 sprig

The following are to be mixed together;

Grated coconut : 1 cup

Sliced shallots : 20 nos. 

Finely sliced green chilly : 1 no.

Turmeric powder : 1/2 tspn

Garlic cut into tiny pieces: 5 pods

Crushed ginger : a pinch or about 1/4 inch piece

Cumin seeds(Jeerakam) : 1/2 tspn

Shredded curry leaves : 1 sprig

• Mix the aforesaid ingredients (starting from grated coconut) thoroughly with your hands and keep aside.
• Clean the cabbage by removing the outer cover off it. Cut the cabbage into tiny pieces, as tiny as the grated carrots we use for carrot halwa.
• Take a non-stick pan or kadai and pour oil onto it. When hot, add mustard seeds and allow to splutter. Add red chillies cut into about 1 inch pieces and saute for 2 secs. Now, add curry leaves and now, the seasoning is done with.
• Add shredded cabbage to it. Saute for a while under low flame.
• Add the mixed ingredients and required salt. Mix well with a spatula. Add a little oil through the sides if required. 
• Cook covered under low flame, sauteing them occasionally.
• And... thats it!

 Note : Add a little water after adding the mixed ingredients if you are not using a non-stick pan.

           You may avoid using ginger if you are fine with the raw smell of cabbage.

Tomato Onion Uthappam (along with Dosa batter recipe)

I guess everyone of us make dosa at home and most of 'em should be fed up with eating plain dosas right? At least, I donot admire dosas much if its gonna be routine. Hence, I thought of blogging an easy-to-make uthappam which is very filling n yummy! Now, for those unaware of what uthappam is, it can be considered as an extension of dosas, say a spicier version. Wondering what it is? Interesting part of the story is, you may not even need to prepare a curry or side dish for this version of dosa..easy job done!!!

I guess most of the neutral family guys buy the readymade dosa batter. Anyways, I'm jotting down the plain dosa recipe for all types of sweet families and also for those who wish to learn apart from buying the readymade version everyday.

Ingredients for the Dosa batter:

Raw Rice (Pachari) : 2 cups

Urad dal (Uzhunnu) : 1 cup

Powdered Fenugreek / methi seeds (uluva) : 1/2 tspn

Leftover cooked rice : 2 tbspn or curd : 1 tbspn

Salt : as required

Soda bi-carbonate (sodappodi) : 1/2 tspn

Ingredients for Uthappam:

Finely sliced tomato : 2 nos.

Finely sliced onion : 1 no.

Sliced green chilly : 3 nos.

Salt : to taste

Mix all the above uthappam ingredients with your hand and keep aside.

This is how we make dosa batter ; 

• Wash the rice and dal thoroughly.
• Add methi seeds to it and soak them in plenty of water and leave overnight or for 6 -8 hours for fermentation, in a warm place.
• Wash the mixture again and grind them using a mixie/ wet grinder to make a batter of thick to medium consistency, along with just the required amount of water.
• While grinding, you may add some leftover cooked rice/curd for the idlis / dosas to be too fluffy.
• Once you got a thick batter, add soda powder and required salt to the batter. Now, for that, take a spoon of the batter and mix the soda powder n salt thoroughly in that batter and then mix the same in the whole batter thoroughly.Check salt and add more if required.
• Keep the batter aside for about 1-2 hours again for the effect of soda powder to be visible in the batter; you can see that the batter fluffs up and thats the right time for making dosas.

The making of Uthappam : 

• Heat an iron griddle or non-stick tawa under medium flame. Once hot, pour a tspn of gingelly oil (nallenna) and grease the whole griddle with half an onion or a thick clean cloth or so.
• Pour a spoonful of batter and widen the circumference of the dosa by moving the spoon in a spiral manner. Donot make a too thin dosa for uthappam; like that of masala dosa or ghee roast, it should be thicker than that.
• Add sliced tomato, green chillies & onion above the dosa. You may add a little chopped coriander leaves also along with it.
• Pour some more dosa batter over the slices and then pour ghee over it. After about 1 minute, turn the dosa over and press it with the spatula (chattukam) and turn over again until both sides have been cooked and turned golden brown and shiny. Add more ghee or dalda for richness and crispiness. 
• Serve hot with sambar or chutney or just like that without any side dish.. trust me, its different and yummy!

Note: If the dosa/uthappam is not coming off smoothly or is sticking to the iron griddle and is messy, remove it and pour a little gingelly oil and grease the griddle with a little egg yolk and half an onion.

          You may also replace onion with shallots for the uthappam topping.

Cauliflower / Gobi fry

Today's recipe is gonnabe something made out of a very beautiful vegetable, which resembles a garland of flowers, cauliflower.. There are a vast variety of cauliflower dishes, however, I thought of starting off with the fry version, which takes no much time and is simple n tasty.. Even though cauliflower is considered to be used very commonly in northy dishes, its gradually becoming one of Kerala special recipes too... So, try out n enjoy!

Ingredients

Cauliflower : 1 cup

Rice flour : 1 tbspn

Corn flour : 1 tspn

Chilly powder :1 tspn

Turmeric powder : 1 tspn

Coarse paste of shallots(7 nos), ginger(1 inch piece), garlic(5 pods) and green chilly(2 nos)

Salt : 1/2 tspn

Oil to deep fry

Fried curry leaves (1 sprig) to garnish

• Wash the cauliflower florets thoroughly and boil them with a little salt and 1/2 tspn turmeric powder so as to get rid of the impurities/tiny worms if any. Keep aside to cool.
• Marinate the florets with the coarse paste.
• Mix rice flour, corn flour, chilly powder, remaining turmeric powder along with required salt and a little water to make a smooth paste. Keep aside for about 1/2 an hour.
• Pour oil in a kadai n fry the curry leaves' sprig and keep aside.
• Put the florets one by one and deep fry under medium flame.
• Garnish with fried curry leaves. Serve hot with plain rice or chappathi.

Note : You may replace rice flour with all purpose flour in case you are short of the former, but it would be crispy only if served hot.. 

Rice balls in sugar syrup

This recipe actually came as an idea, thinking of what I would do with the leftover idiappam / rice noodles flour and guess what?! it turned out to be a super duper hit among all, especially kids. Very very very simple recipe, yet yummy! This is how it goes..

Rice flour : 1/2 cup

Grated coconut :1/2 cup

Oil : to deep fry

Cardamom powder : a pinch if required

Sugar : 1 cup

Salt : 1/4 tspn

• Add salt to rice flour and mix well. Boil 1 cup water and pour onto the rice flour and knead the dough until it gets completely wet n sticky. 
• Put grated coconut to the dough and mix well with hand. 
• Keep aside to cool and keep inside the fridge for the flour to get firm.
• Now make tiny balls to the size of a white chick pea(vellakkadala) and keep aside.
• Pour oil to a tawa and once its hot, put the rice balls in it and deep fry until they turn golden brown and remove n place them on a tissue paper. 
• Make sugar syrup with a little water added to sugar along with cardamom powder, boil it by stirring continuously.
• Pour the syrup to the bowl containing fried balls to the level that it cover all rice balls. 
• Garnish with tiny slices of badam or pista and serve crisp. Store in fridge and use later in case there is anything left!
  

Note : You may even boil the water adding grated coconut and then add the rice flour mixed with salt and knead to make a smooth soft dough.

Potato mezhukkupuratti / Potato Stir fry

Hey! here comes a very simple n easy recipe, can be a first try for those amateur cooks out there cuz this turns out to be too good to be avoided by anyone of your guests! :) . I remember, one of my college mates used to bring this for lunch very often and it so happens that she gets nothing left to eat when start 'tasting' her potato stir fry! So, I guess this is again a common recipe of most of the Kerala housewives who has got no much time to spend at kitchen.. Try it out!

Ingredients :

Potato : 4 nos.

Finely sliced onion : 2 nos.

Green chilly : 3 nos.

Curry leaves : 2 sprigs

Turmeric powder : 1 tspn

Chilly powder : 2 tspn

Coconut oil : 2 tbspn

Mustard seeds : 1/2 tspn

Salt : as required

• Wash and peel off the skin of the potatoes. Dice them into tiny pieces and marinate with a little salt, turmeric powder and chilly powder and keep aside.
• Take a non-stick pan and pour 1 tbspn of oil. Add mustard seeds and allow to splutter. 
• Add sliced onion along with green chillies slit into halves or finely sliced ones. 
• Add curry leaves and a little salt and saute until the onion gets transparent.
• Add marinated potatoes and mix well with the remaining ingredients.
• Cook covered under low flame for the potatoes to get cooked. Saute occasionally.
• After about 5 minutes, add the remaining oil or you may opt for butter too.
• Saute well and continue cooking covered, under low flame until the potatoes gets fried /roasted on all sides. Check salt and add if required.

Note : Do not add water to fasten the cooking process cuz that will mash the potatoes. This goes best with plain rice & chappathi.

Puttum kadalayum (Steam cake with chick pea curry)

Wow! puttum kadalayum is THE perfect combo for breakfast for me.. a real delicacy of every Kerala household.. I jus love the combination n would 'gulp' double the quantity of breakfast I would have if its some other variety.. This is a big hit in thattukadas (the dhabas / roadside 'after 12 pm' shops) a low cost dish in our God's own country and people cherish it a lot that they forget the ambience n stuff and jus get into the best thattukadas and order in bulk n eat tummy full.. Now, thats the ranking for today's menu.

However, some of us might have a bad experience of puttum kadalayum since they r usually a regular at hostels due to its low cost and puttu there is often too hard and the curry, too watery... However, I assure you that all those 'haunting' dreams would leave you if you try this out! Definitely!

Ingredients for Puttu / Steam cake

Rice flour : 1 cup

Grated coconut : 1/2 a cup

Salt : 1/2 tspn

Boiled water : 1/4 cup

Plain water : a little

• Add salt to rice flour and mix well. Add boiled water to the flour and mix well with a spatula/spoon. 
• Sprinkle plain water gradually and mix with your hand carefully breaking big rice balls to tiny ones. Mix water until the flour is moist or wet enough to steam.If you feel you cannot break the balls, just run it in your grinder for once and it'll come out well.
• Take a puttu kutti(a cylindrical vessel) and put a 1/2 inch layer of grated coconut and then add about 2-3 inch layer of rice flour and then again grated coconut and continue the process until you reach the top. Remember not to stuff rice flour in such a way that pressure couldn't come out while steaming. Add them very softly; alright! think that the flour n coconut would get hurt if you press.. So, thats the idea, gotcha?!
• Close the lid and keep it over the puttu kudam/pot (which comes along with the puttu kutti) which should contain water enough to steam.
• Keep over high flame and wait until steam comes from the holes in the upper lid.
• Push from the lower end with a spoon to a serving dish and serve hot with... what?? kadala curry is on the way.. wait now!

Ingredients for kadala/chick pea curry

To roast, we require

Grated coconut : 1 cup

Turmeric powder : 1/2 tspn

Chilly powder : 2 tspn

Coriander powder : 1 tspn

Fennel seeds powder : 1/2 tspn

Cardamom : 1 no.

Cloves : 1 no.

Cinnamon : 2 inch piece 

For seasoning, we require

Mustard seeds : 1/2 tspn

Dried red chilly :3 nos.

Sliced shallots : 7 nos.

Curry leaves : 2 sprigs

Black chana/chick pea : 1 cup

Finely sliced onion :a big one

Coconut oil : 3 tbspn

Salt : as required

• Soak chick pea overnight or for about 6-8 hours and pressure cook with a little salt until you hear about 10 whistles on your cooker and keep aside to cool.
• Take a tawa/pan and pour 1 tbspn of oil and add spices and saute for a minute. 
• Add grated coconut along with turmeric powder and saute frequently under low flame.
  Once the coconut gets roasted, add the chilly powder, coriander powder and fennel seeds powder and saute frequently and switch off the flame and keep aside to cool.
• Add a little water and a handful of cooked chana/chick pea along with the roasted ingredients to make a smooth fine paste.
• Take a pressure cooker, pour remaining oil, add mustard seeds and allow to splutter. Then add red chilly pieces and sliced shallots and saute until the shallots turn slightly roasted. Add curry leaves and mix well. Now, thats seasoning.. 
• Add sliced onion along with a little salt and cook covered under low flame.
• Add the paste and allow to mix well. Add required water to reach the consistency of your choice and add cooked chana. Check salt and add if required. 
• Pressure cook under high flame, until you get 5-7 whistles and now, your are done!!!

Note : This recipe goes well with black chick pea and I do the 'no roast' version of this recipe with white chick pea, those beautiful cute ones, remember? Try out n Njoy!!!

Rice Pudding / Kheer

Actually, my rice pudding recipe is something which was an accident-turned-yummy recipe! Once, when I overcooked rice and didn't know what to do out of the leftover, I tried this out to avoid wasting... This is a perfect sweet dish after lunch and also can be given to anyone and everyone cuz this is a darling recipe.. 

Ingredients :

Cooked white rice : 1 cup

Milk : 2 cups

Sugar : 1 cup

Fried cashews : 1/2 cup

Pista / Badam : 1/2 cup

Cardamom powder : 1/2 tspn

Sweetened condensed milk : 1/2 cup

Ghee : 3 tbspn

Salt : a pinch

Fresh / sweetened whipped cream : to garnish

• Take a bowl and pour ghee onto it. Put the cooked rice into it and saute for 2-3 minutes under medium flame.
• Take another bowl and pour milk along with sugar and boil under low flame until the milk reduces to 3/4th of its original content. Keep stirring occasionally.
• Add cardamom powder and then, a pinch of salt and mix well.
• Add the above rice mix to the bowl containing milk and cook covered under low flame to the consistency of your choice. A not too loose to thick consistency is ideal.
• Add condensed milk and stir well. Switch off the flame.
• Add fried cashews (and raisins if you wish) and stir well.
• Garnish the pudding with fresh cream and then, badam and pista over it. Rich isn't it?

- You may also make rice pudding with plain, overcooked basmati rice.

- If the rice is not overcooked, mash it and then saute in ghee.

- If the pudding is too thick, add more milk & required sugar to the consistency of your choice.

Dal curry / Parippu curry

Parippu curry is a favourite of Keralites; and hence, I guess, it has got a significant place in every household and in the minds of every Keralite..A must for onasadhya and during Vishu too.. My hubby, who says a strict no-no to veg curries, 'gulps' a significant amount of rice when it comes to making this dish at home.. and I love to watch it.. The deadly combination of rice with ghee sprinkled/poured over and parippu curry, along with pappad is his all-time favourite. Am sure this would make you 'feel good at tummy' too...

Moong dal (Cherupayar parippu) : 100g

Turmeric powder : 1/4 tspn

Green chilly : 2 nos.

Curry leaves : 2 sprigs

Coconut Oil : 3 tbspn

Grated coconut : 1 cup

Cumin seeds : 1/4 tspn

Garlic : 3 pods

Shallots : 10 nos.

Red chilly : 2 nos.

Mustard seeds : 1/4 tspn

Salt : as required.

• Wash moong dal thoroughly and dry roast slightly for a few minutes.Remove from fire and keep aside.
• Along with 150 ml of water in a pressure cooker, add turmeric powder, green chillies slit lengthwise, 1 sprig of curry leaves, 5 whole shallots, salt and 1 tbspn coconut oil. Wait for 3-4 whistles and remove from flame and keep aside.
• Grind grated coconut along with cumin seeds and garlic.
• Once the cooker depressurizes, open the lid and add the above ground ingredients and cook under medium flame. Add water to reach the consistency of your choice, if less. 
• Add 1 tbspn of coconut oil to it. Check salt and add if required.
  Take a pan and pour the remaining coconut oil. Once hot, add mustard seeds and allow to splutter. Add finely sliced shallots along with dry red chillies cut into pieces and curry leaves(tempering). Remove from flame once golden brown. 
• Pour the above ingredients to the dal curry and mix well. Remove from flame.

This goes best with rice (as described earlier) and chappathi.

This can also be made with Thuar dal / thuvara parippu. Try it out..