Moru Curry

It is one of kerala's traditional dish which is also called as puliserry. Here no vegetables or fruits are added. It can be made in 10 to 15 minutes and goes well with rice.

Ingredients:

• Curd(sour)-1/2 cup
• Salt to taste

For grinding:

• Grated coconut-1/2 cup
• Green chilly-4
• Cumin seeds-1 tspoon
• Turmeric powder-1 tspoon
• Garlic-1 clove
• Curry leaves-1 pinch

For tempering:

Oil-1 tspoon

Dry red chilly-2

Cumin seeds-1/2 tspoon

Mustard-1/2 tspoon

Curry leaves-1 pinch

Preparation:

(1) Grind all the ingredients shown under "for grinding" heading and make a fine paste by adding small amount of water.

(2) Take the grinded contents in a vessel and add curd to it.

(3) Add salt. Mix well. Adjust the sourness and saltness to your desired taste.

(3) Season with the ingredients shown under "for tempering" heading.

(4) Pour it to the prepared mixture. Heat in low flame for 1 minute. Never boil.

Your Moru Curry is ready. Have it with rice.....

Tips:

• Moru curry can be used for 2 to 4 days if refrigerated. Taste increase from day 2.

Chicken Thoran

It is a quick chicken recipe which can be made in 30 to 40 mints. This is a popular dish in the region adjoining Trivandrum (my native place). I got this recipe through my ammumma(my guru in cooking :) )...It tastes too good with rice.

Ingredients:

• Chicken-1/2 kg
• Salt to taste

For Grinding:

• Grated coconut-1/2 cup
• Small onion-4
• Turmeric powder-2 tspoon
• Chilly powder-3 tspoon
• Cumin seed-1 tspoon

For Tempering:

• Oil-1 tspoon
• Dry red chilly-2
• Cumin seed-1/2 tspoon
• Mustard-1 tspoon
• Curry leaves-1 pinch

Preparation:

(1) Wash and clean chicken. Cut into small pieces.

(2) Grind all the ingredients shown under "for grinding" heading in a mixer. Make a coarse mixture (just like you make for vegatable thoran).

(3) Heat a large pan and add chicken along with the grinded coconut mixture. Add salt. Also add 1 cup of water. Mix well. Boil the chicken by closing the lid for 20 to 25 minutes.

(4)  Now chicken will be cooked well. Don't retain water in it.

(4) Heat oil in a pan and season the ingredients shown under "for tempering" table. Pour it to the boiled chicken.

 Your chicken thoran is ready. Have it with rice.

Rasam-Quick Recipe

Its a quick rasam recipe….

Ingredients:

• Tomato-1 (medium)
• Garlic-5 cloves(crushed)
• Pepper powder-1 tspoon
• Rasam powder-3 tspoon
• Asafoetida powder-1/2 tspoon
• Salt to taste
• Tamarind 
• Oil-1 tspoon
• Coriander leaves-1 sprig

To temper:

• Dry red chilly-3
• Cumin seed-1/2 tspoon
• Mustard
• Curry leaves-1 pinch
• Oil-1 tspoon

Preparation:

(1) Chop tomato and crush garlic. Keep it aside.

(2) Soak tamarind in water and extract the juice. Take 3 cup of water in a vessel. Add tamarind juice and salt to it. Mix it and keep aside.

(3) Heat oil in a pan. Add crushed garlic. Stir it. Once the color changes add chopped tomato. Stir it till tomato changes mushy.

(4) Add it to the tamarind water that you prepared and heat it for 5 to 6 minutes. Add rasam powder and asafoetida powder.

(5) Mean while season with the ingredients shown under "to temper" heading.

(6) Pour the seasoned ingredients to rasam mixture. Heat it for another 2 minutes. Add pepper powder. Add coriander leaves to garnish(i didn't used).Mix it and switch off the flame.Now tomato rasam is ready(Don't allow rasam to boil).

Hyderabadi Mutton Biriyani

This is a "layered mutton biriyani".Reference from vah-reh video and tips from my hubby..:).It came out well.......

Ingredients:

• Mutton-1/2 kg
• Basmathi rice-2 cup
• Onion-1(big)
• Green chilly-4
• Biriyani masala-1+1 tspoon 
• Garam masala(bay leaf,cardamom,cinnamon,cloves)-each a pinch
• Cumin seeds-1 tspoon
• Black pepper-2 pinch
• Pepper powder-2 tspoon
• Yogurt-2 tspoon
• Ginger garlic paste-2 tspoon
• Chilly powder-2 + 1 tspoon 
• Coriander powder-1&1/2 tspoon
• Turmeric powder-1 tspoon
• Coriander leaf-3 pinch
• Mint leaf-3 pinch
• Ghee/Oil-2+1 tspoon
• Fried onion-1 fistfull
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

(1) Wash and clean mutton. Marinate it with biriyani masala, ginger garlic paste, chilly powder, turmeric powder, salt and yogurt for 1 to 2 hours.

(3) After marination boil mutton for 4 whistles. Keep it aside.

(4) Cook basmathi rice to 50% (half cook) in water along with cumin seeds and little salt. Keep it aside.

(5) Mean while chop onion, green chillies, mint leaves and coriander leaves. Also take 1 fist-full of fried onion (available in market) and keep aside.

(6) Heat ghee in a pan.Add garam masalas(see above) one by one. Saute till a nice aroma arose.Then add chopped onion.Once color changes add green chillies. Stir well til onion changes brownish. Again add biriyani masala, chilly powder and coriander powder. Stir well. Add fried onion (1/2 fist-full). Mix it. Finally add 1 pinch of mint leaves and coriander leaves. Switch off the flame and keep this masala aside.

(7) Take a tray. Spread ghee to its bottom. Make layers as shown in below steps.
(a) Add one layer of rice to the lower level followed by mutton pieces. Spread some drained water over the rice which we already kept aside.

(b) Again add one layer of prepared masala followed by remaining rice.Spread some drained water from mutton which we already kept aside.

(c) To this add a layer of fried onions (1/2 fist-full) followed by 2 pinch of coriander leaves and mint leaves.

(d) Cover the tray tightly with a foil paper.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the tray inside the oven and boil it for another 40 minutes.Now rice will be cooked completely.

(7) Take out the tray and mix all the contents.  Now hyderabadi mutton biriyani is ready.Have it with Raita (CLICK HERE to see the preparation of Raita).

Tips:

• U can also cook this without oven. Place a tawa (dosa making utensil) over the stove and keep this biriyani ingredients(as layers given above) in a tightly closed vessel above the tawa for 2 hrs in low heat.

Watermelon Juice

Ingredients:

• Watermelon-2 cup (de-seeded and chopped)
• Honey/Sugar-2 tbl spoon
• Lemon juice-2 tspoon
• Ice cubes-3 to 4

Preparation:

(1) Take water melon and cut your desired piece. 

(2) Remove the thick skin from it.

(3) Chop into various cubes by making it de-seeded.

(4) In a blender add honey/sugar, lemon juice, chopped melon and ice cubes. Grind it well.

(4) Now water melon juice is ready.

Tips:

• Addition of sugar/honey depends on sweetness of watermelon.
• U can filter the juice but better use it because the filtered out  content ll be rich in fiber.

Mulaku bajji/Chilly bajji

Ingredients:

• Long green chillies-4
• Besan (kadalamavu)-1cup
• Red chilly powder-2 tspoon
• Turmeric powder-1 tspoon
• Asafoetida (kayam)-1/2 tspoon
• Tamarind water
• Oil to fry
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

(1) Take green chillies and clean the outer layer.

(2) Make a partial lengthwise slit in each chilly (cut vertically along one side).Remove the seeds inside if you don't like it to be too spicy.

(3) Make a mixture of salt and tamarind water. Dip chillies into it for 5 minutes (Make the mixture to penetrate inside the slits).

3.Mix besan,chilly powder,turmeric powder,asafoetida and salt in water and make a thick batter.

4.Dip chillies one by one into the batter and make perfect coating on all sides.

5.Heat oil in a pan. Deep fry the chillies in oil till they turned golden brown. Now mulaku bajji is ready.

Have it with ur tea:)

Raita

It is a quick made side-dish which can be made in 5 mints.It goes well with parotta, chappathi and biriyani.

Ingredients:

• Onion-1 (medium)
• Yogurt-1 cup
• Green chilly-5
• Coriander leaves(optional)-2 pinch
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

(1)Finely chop onion,green chillies and coriander leaves.

(2)Take yogurt in a bowl.Mix it with chopped onion,green chillies and coriander leaves along with salt. Your raita is ready.

Have it with your favorite dish....

Meen Pollichathu/Fish fried in banana leaf

I want to try this recipe with Karimeen (pearl spot fish) but i got Avoli (pomfret fish)!!!No probs. We had it with kappa puzhukku and it was too yummy....

Update:

Here you have to reuse the cooked oil. So those who wish to avoid it, follow this recipe which i tried with pearl fish/Karimeen-Meen Pollichathu-kerala style . I used to follow the recipe given in link as i found it more tastier.

Ingredients:

• Fish-2 (I used pomfret)
• Big onion-1
• Oil-3 tspoon
• Chili powder-3 tspoon
• Turmeric powder-1 tspoon
• Pepper powder-1 tspoon
• Garam masala-1 tspoon
• Ginger garlic paste-1 tspoon
• Curry leaves-1 pinch
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

(1)Take the whole fish and clean it well. Using knife make horizontal cuts over the fish which helps the marinated content to penetrate inside.

(2)In a bowl add chili powder, turmeric powder, pepper powder, garam masala, ginger garlic paste and salt. Mix it with water and make a fine paste. Now fish masala is ready. Take more than half of this masala and paste it over the fish. Make sure to coat it along all cuts(Keep the rest of fish masala aside).Leave it for marination about one hour.

(3) Heat oil in a pan. Deep fry the marinated fish. No need to cook the fish entirely. Cook it till lightly brown on both sides that is about 2 minutes per side. Keep the half cooked fish in banana leaf/aluminum foil paper.

(4) Chop onion into thin slices. Add chopped onion into the same oil where we fried the fish. Keep on stirring. Once onion turns light brown add the rest of fish masala which you kept aside along with curry leaves. Keep on stirring till onion turns golden brown. Switch off the flame.

(5)Using a filter take out fried masala and onion from the oil. Be sure to filter out all oil drops since too much of oil is not good for health. Now you will obtain a semi gravy like consistency masala. Paste this masala over the half cooked fish. Try to paste on both sides. Neatly wrap the fish using banana leaf/foil paper.

(6)Heat a pan and sprinkle water over it. Place the wrapped fish into it. Sprinkle water over the banana leaf too. Close it with a lid. Heat till the color of banana leaf turns brownish. Be sure to sprinkle water in periodic intervals else leaf will tear off. Now fish will be cooked fully.

Meen Pollichathu will be ready once the banana leaf turns brownish...

Have it with your favorite dish....