Kovakka (Indian Gerkins) Fry

Kovakka or Tindora is also known as the Ivy gourd. There are a number of ways to make this vegetable, but today I am sharing a very easy method of kovakka fry.

It is rich in minerals and B complex vitamins.

Ingredients:

1. Kovakka – 250gm
2. Sambar powder – 1 tsp
3. Salt – as required
4. Oil

Preparation Method:

1. Wash Kovakka and cut into long slender pieces.
2. Make a paste of sambar powder and salt. Marinate kovakka with this paste.
3. Now heat oil in a pan and deep fry.
4. Serve with hot rice as a side dish. Enjoy!

Lemon Rice And Sambar

This is a very simple and delicious south Indian dish। One can also make it with leftover rice. Serve lemon rice with sambar and pappad.

Ingredients:
1. (raw rice) – 1cup
2. Red chilli ( big)- 4
3. Chana dal – 3 tsp
4. Urad dal – 1 ½ tsp
5. Green chillies – 2
6. Curry leaves – 2 strip
7. Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
8. Turmeric Powder – 1 tsp
9. Lime Juice – 1 1/2 ( medium)
10. Salt – 1tsp

Preparation Method :
1. Cook the rice with one spoon of salt. Keep it aside in a plate to cool.
2. Heat 2 tsp oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, curry leaves and green chilies.
3. Add red chilli, chana dal and urad dal. Fry it and add turmeric powder, mix and turn of the fire.
4. Then add lime juice and mix it.
5. Add rice and mix। Now your lemon rice is ready serve with sambar and pappad.

Sambar

Ingredients:

1. Yellow split peas and toor dal (together) – ½ cup
2. Carrot (big) – 1 sliced into round shape
3. Green beans – 8 cut into medium pieces
4. Drum sticks – 15 pieces
5. Cabbage – a small piece
6. Potato – ½ of a medium one cut into cubes
7. Okra – 4 cut into 2
8. Green Chillies – 3 slit
9. Onion – 1
10. Tomato- 2 small
11. Red chilli – 5
12. Chana dal – 2 tsp
13. Urad dal – 1tsp
14. Jeera – ½ tsp
15. Fenugreek powder – a pinch
16. Curry leaves – 1 strip
17. Asafetida powder – a pinch

18. Mustard seeds – ½ tsp

19. Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
20. Sambar powder – 2 tsp

Preparation Method:

1. Cook dal in a cooker with a little salt and a pinch of turmeric powder. Keep it aside.
2. Add all the vegetables into the cooked dal and pressure cook it again.
3. Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds.
4. Add jeera, chana dal, urad dal and red chilli, fry it.
5. Now add a pinch of fenugreek powder into it and mix.
6. Then add onions, when it become transparent add tomato and fry.
7. Add turmeric powder and sambar powder. Mix it. Add this mixture and a pinch of asafetida powder into the cooked vegetables and let it boil.
8. Sambar is ready serve with lemon rice.

Murukku

Murukku is one of the most popular South Indian snacks। Here is the recipe for making crispy rice Murukku. Enjoy it with a cup of tea.
Ingredients:
1. Rice flour- 2 cup
2. Urad dal – ½ cup
3. Jeera – 1tsp
4. Chana dal flour – 3 tbs
5। Salt – to taste
Preparation Method:
1. Soak urad dal in water for 4-6 hrs and grind it together with jeera and salt.
2. Mix rice flour, ground urad dal and chana dal flour by adding water. Make a thick batter.
3. Stuff the dough in the murukku achu and press it into circles on a plastic sheet or aluminum foil.
4. Heat oil in a pan, once it is hot carefully drop the murukku into the oil and deep fry both sides until it turns brown and crispy.
5. Place the fried murukku in a paper towel to absorb the excess oil.
6. Once it is cool keep it in an air tight container. One can keep it for weeks.

Coconut Laddu

Laddu is a very popular sweet of India made during festivals and feasts. This is a very simple recipe made with grated coconut. Your kids will love it!

Ingredients:
1. Coconut (grated) – 4
2. Jaggery ( small pieces) – ½ kg
3. Water– 1 cup
Preparation Method:
1. Boil one cup of water in a thick bottom pan and add jaggery into it.
2. When the jaggery dissolves in water, filter it.
3. Pour this jaggery liquid into the pan and boil.
4. When it boils, add grated coconut and keep on mixing in a low flame.
5. Keep stirring to make sure that it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
6. Mix thoroughly until the mixture forms a thick consistency, and the coconut turns to dark brown in color. (Approximately for 30 minutes).
7. Keep it aside for sometime. Once the mixture is cool enough, wet your hands lightly and make small round balls. Enjoy and share your thougts.

Egg puffs

Puff Pastry is a deliciously light, flaky pastry made from dozens of layers of specially prepared pastry dough. Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry sheets is ready to bake, so you can skip the work and still enjoy perfectly made golden, flaky pastry. This is a very tasty tea time snack made with boiled egg and fried onions.

Ingredients:

Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry sheets -1
Eggs (boiled) – 4
Onion (medium) – 2
Green chilies (chopped) – 2
Garlic pods (chopped) – 3
Ginger 1” piece – chopped
Garam masala – 1 tsp
Turmeric powder – a pinch
Curry leaves – 5
Mustard seeds – a pinch

Preparation method:

1. Separate the pastry sheets and thaw them at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
2. Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds.
3. Add curry leaves, green chilies, chopped ginger, garlic and onions.
4. Sauté it until the onions become transparent.
5. Add garam masala, turmeric powder and salt. Mix it and keep it for cooling.
6. Cut one pastry sheet into 2 and roll it out on a lightly floured (maida flour) surface into a square shape using a rolling pin.
7. Now cut the egg into two halves and place one half on one side of the pastry sheet.
8. Fill it with 1 spoon masala and close with other side of the sheet.
9. Then seal it by pinching or pressing the edges together.
10.Pre heat the oven to 400 degrees.
11.Place the puffs in an aluminum foil covered baking tray.( spray the foil paper with pam)
12. Then bake it for 15-20 minutes until the puffs become golden brown.
13. Check the progress after 10 minutes and turn it upside down.
14. Serve with tomato sauce and tea.

Fried rice

This fried rice recipe is colorful, simple to make and tastes fantastic. This is made with fresh vegetables, egg and soy sauce. A great way to use up the leftover rice- in fact, old rice makes the best fried rice.

Ingredients:

Basmati rice -2 cup
Eggs -4
Green beans finely chopped -1cup
Carrot finely chopped -3/4 cup
Green onions finely chopped – 2 cup
Green peas (frozen) – ½ cup
Green chilies (chopped) – 2 tbs
Ginger chopped – 2 tbs
Ground pepper -2 tsp
Soy sauce – 2 tsp
Curry leaves – 1 strip
Coriander leaves – a few chopped

Preparation Method:

1. Cook the rice with 4 cups of water, salt and 2 tsp of oil. (one can use the leftover rice)
2. Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt and 1 tsp of ground pepper.
3. Heat oil in a pan. Add beaten eggs and scramble it.
4. Transfer the scrambled eggs to a plate and add 2 tsp oil into the pan.
5. Add chopped ginger and green chilies and fry it.
6. Then add green peas, carrot and beans. Sauté it for 2 minutes and add green onions.
7. Sprinkle some water and cover the pan.
8. When the vegetables are cooked well add salt and 1 tsp pepper powder.
9. Now add the cooked rice, soy sauce, scrambled eggs and mix well.
10. Garnish with fried cashews, raisins and chopped coriander leaves.
11. Now the fried rice is ready serve with chicken curry and raita. Enjoy!

Chicken Curry (kerala style)

Health Benefits:

Chicken is a very good source of protein, selenium,B6 and cancer-protective B vitamin , niacin. People who are meat eaters, but are looking for ways to reduce the amount of fat in their meals, can try eating more chicken. The leanest part of the chicken is the chicken breast, which has less than half the fat of a trimmed Choice grade T-bone steak. The fat in chicken is also less saturated than beef fat .Research published in the August 2004 issue of the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry indicates regular consumption of niacin-rich foods like chicken provides protection against Alzheimer's disease and age-related cognitive decline.

This is a typical kerala style chicken curry using coconut milk. This dish is very easy to prepare and need less time. It can be served with roti, appam or fried rice.

Ingredients:

Chicken Breast tenders – 2.2 lb (1kg)
Tomato (medium) – 11/2 chopped
Onion chopped – 1 ½ cup
Chopped ginger – 2 tbs
Chopped garlic – 1 tbs
Slit green chilies – 4
Coconut milk (thick) – 1 cup
Coconut milk (thin) – 1 cup
Water – 1 cup
Lime juice -2 tsp
Oil – 3tsp
Curry leaves – a few
Turmeric powder – ¾ tsp
Chilli powder – 1tsp
Coriander powder -2 tbs
Salt – as required
For garam masala:
Cumin seeds -1/2 tsp
Whole cumin seeds – ½ tsp
Pepper (black) -1/2 tsp
Cloves – 4
Cardamom – 2
Cinnamon – 3 small pieces (powder these together)

Preparation Method:

1. Clean the chicken thoroughly with water and lime juice and cut into medium pieces.
2. Marinate it with 1 tbs of salt and 2 tsp of lime juice. Keep it in fridge for ½ hr.
3. Heat oil in pressure cooker, add mustard seeds.
4. Add ginger, garlic, green chilies and curry leaves. Sauté it.
5. Add chopped onion and sauté it until the onion becomes light brown.
6. Then add tomato and mix.
7. When the tomato become soft add all the masala.
8. Fry it for 30 seconds and add chicken pieces.
9. Fry it for 1-2 minutes and add thin coconut milk and water.
10.Pressure cook it for 2 whistles.
11.Then add thick coconut milk. (one can use canned coconut milk).