Appam & Chicken Stew

Appam is another variety of rice pancake or dosa. A regular dosa is prepared on a flat pan, whereas appams are prepared in deep round pan also known as 'kadhai' to get that unique bowl shape. After spreading the batter on to the kadhai, some of the batter settles down at the bottom. That  bread like soft base makes it very different from the normal dosa.

Very popular in Kerela and Tamil Nadu served as breakfast or as a light dinner. Any kind of spicy gravy goes well with these slightly sweet appams from coconut milk based curries to any kind chettinad curries.

Serving Size: Makes around 20 appams (depending on the size)

Fermenting time: overnight

Preparation time: 2 minutes for each appam. (30 minutes Approx) 

Ingredients:

For Appam

• 2 cups short grain rice (wash & soaked for 3 hours)
• 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds (soak with rice)
• 1/2 cup freshly grated coconut 
• 1/2 cup cooked rice
• 2 cups water (or little more) for grinding

Grind the above mentioned ingredients to a smooth batter, consistency should be a little more thin than the normal dosa batter.

Keep the batter covered in a warm place for 8 hours or overnight. Once the batter has fermented and bubbles appear on the surface add the following ingredients:

• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• Salt to taste

Mix the batter well and the consistency should be a thin flowy batter but not too watery. Set aside for 10 minutes and then start making appams one by one. 

Method:

• Heat a kadhai and slightly grease with cooking oil using a tissue or a small clean cloth. 
• Pour a ladle full of batter into the kadhai and rotate the kadhai so that the batter sticks to the sides of the pan, and rest of the batter settles down.
• Cover and cook on medium heat for 30 seconds and then slowly scrape off the edges of the dosa and remove from pan and serve hot. Appam has to be cooked only on one side so there is no need to flip over.

Chicken Stew Recipe

Ingredients:

• 500 gms of chicken (cut into small pieces)
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped tomato
• 2 tbsp of ginger & garlic paste
• 2 or 3 green chilies finely chopped (add more if needed)
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tsp of coriander powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 bay leaf & small piece of cinnamon stick
• 1/2 tsp garam masala powder
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves
• Salt
• 5 tbsp of cooking oil

Method:

1. Heat oil in a saucepan and add bay leaf and cinnamon stick along with chopped onion. Saute till light golden.
2. Add 2 tbsp ginger and garlic paste and chopped green chilies, fry for few seconds and then add tomatoes and cook till soft.
3. Now add all spices - 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 2 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp cumin powder and fry for 2 minutes.
4. Add chicken pieces and cook on high heat for 1 minute and stir well till all the chicken pieces are well coated with spices. Add salt  and 1 cup water and cook covered till chicken pieces are almost 90% done.
5. Add 1 cup coconut milk, 1/2 tsp garam masala powder and 1 tbsp lemon juice. Cook on low flame till chicken is cooked and tender.
6. Finally add chopped coriander and check the salt and other seasoning. If the spice is less then add more green chilies chopped according to your preference.
7. Serve hot with Appam. 

Meat & Cheese Quesadilla

Ingredients:

• 6 rotis / tortillas
• 500 gms beef / chicken mortadella slices ( any kind of cooked meat)
• 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 2 green capsicum sliced
• 2 big tomato sliced
• 2 cup shredded cabbage
• 1/2 cup pickled jalapenos or 2 to 3 mild green chilies sliced
• Cooking oil or butter for toasting. 

Note: In case if you do not have mortadella, you can use any kind of cooked meat such as, left over chicken tikka pieces or left over cooked mince.

For Vegetarians: You can use paneer tikka pieces.

Method:

1. Heat a pan and add oil or butter. Keep a roti or tortilla on the hot pan, and sprinkle handful of cheddar and mozzarella cheese.
2. Arrange the meat pieces and chopped vegetables. Sprinkle some more cheese on top.
3. Place another roti on top and press slightly. Wait for a minute. 
4.  Carefully flip over the roti on the other side and toast for few seconds. The cheese starts to melt because of the heat and binds the quesadilla together.
5. Remove from pan and cut into four pieces with a pizza cutter.
6. Serve hot.

Potato & Chutney Breakfast Toast

Sometimes it happens that we have some leftovers and really do not understand how to utilize it in the best way. This breakfast toast is all about that. When there is no more idli or dosa batter left and lot of chutney and potato bhaji remains, just spread it over the bread slices and shallow fry. Kids love it as it is not at all messy and tastes equally good. 



Ingredients:

• Slices of bread
• Potato Bhaji
• Any chutney
• Some cheese slices (according to your preference)
• 3 to 4 tbsp of sesame seeds
• Cooking oil for frying.

Method:

1. Heat a pan with few spoons of oil.
2. Take a slice of bread and spread 1 tsp of chutney.
3. Sprinkle some grated cheese or pieces of cheese slice.
4. Spread 2 tbsp of potato bhaji and sprinkle sesame seeds.
5. Now shallow fry the bread slice with filling side down. 
6. Cook on medium flame for 3 minutes and slowly turn the slice over and cook on the other side till the bread slices is crisp.
7. Serve hot with tomato sauce.

For Green Chutney

Ingredients:

• 1 cup fresh grated coconut
• 1 small piece of ginger grated
• 1 clove of garlic chopped
• 1 green chili chopped (1-if it is too hot; 2 if mild)
• 1/2 tsp cumin whole
• 1 tsp full tamarind pulp (or 1/4 cup tamarind soaked juice)
• 3 tbsp roasted chana dal (also known as phutana)
• Small bunch of fresh coriander leaves chopped (1 cup)
• Salt to taste
• 4 curry leaves.

Method:

Grind all the above ingredients with half cup of water to a smooth paste. Before taking out from the grinding jar, taste and check the seasoning and adjust the salt, chili and tamarind accordingly. Add water if needed according to the consistency of your choice. Add more water if you want it thin and less water to keep the chutney dry.

For Potato Bhaji

Ingredients

• 3 medium size potatoes
• 2 medium onion
• 1 inch piece of ginger
• 2 to 3 green chilies
• 6 to 7 curry leaves
• 1 tbsp urad dal
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 dry red chilies 
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves
• 4 tbsp cooking oil
• Salt to taste.

Method:

1) In a pressure cooker, boil 3 medium size potatoes. No need to peel or cut. Once it is cooked, peel and mash the potatoes.

2) While the potatoes are getting cooked, you can prepare the tadka and keep ready.
3) For Tadka (tempering): Heat oil in a sauce pan and add 1 tbsp urad dal and 2 tsp cumin seeds. When it starts crackling and changes color, add 2 dry red chilies, chopped ginger, green chilies and curry leaves.
4) After a minute, add 2 medium onion roughly chopped, and fry till they just soften, do not brown the onion.
5) Add 1/4 tsp turmeric and fry for few seconds till well combined with onion.

6) Add the mashed potatoes and mix well.

7) Finally add salt and chopped coriander. And cook for 2 minutes and remove from the heat.

Kerala Paratha | Malabari Parotta

I am very fond of Keralite Cuisine and malabari paratha happens to be my all time favorite. Finding the right recipe and right way of making this paratha was a challenging job for me. My curiosity for this, did not stop me from entering the restaurant kitchens to see and learn as to how they come up with such a 'melt in the mouth' and 'layered parathas'. 

There is no fixed recipe, be it  'Kerela Paratha', 'Celyon Paratha' or 'Malaysian Paratha'. All have their own versions but the appearance is almost similar. To actually master this paratha, you need lot of patience and practice.







Serving Size: 8 parathas (depending on the size)
Preparation time: 15 to 20 minutes for kneading
Resting time: Overnight or minimum 3 hours
Cooking time: 20 to 30 minutes


Ingredients:

• 2 cups plain flour ( maida / all purpose flour)
• 1 egg 
• 1/2 cup milk (@room temperature)
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• Warm water as needed (approx 1/2 cup)
• Cooking oil for greasing and roasting the parathas.

Method:

1. In a bowl mix together, 1 egg, 1/2 cup milk, 1/4 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp sugar and 1/2 cup warm water. Mix well till everything is well combined.
2. In a large mixing bowl, add 2 cups plain flour and salt. Add the liquid mixture little by little as you go on bringing the dough together into a large mass yet sticky and slacky dough. Add more plain flour if needed and knead for 5 minutes by applying some oil on the surface of the dough. Leave the dough covered for 15 minutes.
3. Again start kneading the dough for 5 minutes till it gets a smooth soft texture.
4. The secret for soft paratha is to leave it overnight in room temperature, or at least 2 to 3 hours.
5. Divide the dough into lemon size portions. Roll out each portion into a large thin disc, so thin and transparent that the surface on which you are preparing should be visible. Do not worry if there are any holes or if the shape is not round.
6. Pour few drops of oil on the rolled out dough and spread it evenly with your hands.
7. Start folding like a paper fan with small pleats, starting from one end to the other. Twist the whole pleated dough and swirl it around to make a small twisted disc. See the pictures for illustration.
8. Apply some oil on the twisted disc and keep covered with a wet cloth till you have finished this step with all the other portions.
9. Heat a pan, and with help of a rolling pin start rolling out the disc to small parathas by using only oil (no plain flour).
10. Cook the paratha on both sides using oil till golden. Repeat with all the parathas. 
11. To bring out the layers from the cooked paratha, slightly smash the paratha between both the palms. (slight crushing).
12. Serve hot with a spicy gravy.

Step by step method

  

Thalassery Chicken Biryani | Kerela Style Chicken Biryani

Thalassery is a town on the Malabar Coast in Kannur district in Kerela. The biryani is named after this place, and also the most popular and best served biryani throughout Kerela. 

Let me tell you what is so special about this biryani and how it is different from other biryanis. Other than spices, it is the technique and also a different kind of rice used.

In other type of biryani, we usually cook the rice in lot of water and then strain it. Whereas, here we will cook the rice like a regular pulao, by cooking the rice in the measured amount of water or similar to steamed rice. Instead of using the regular long grain basmati rice, we use the short grain aromatic 'Jeera Rice'. This type of rice is very popular in southern part of India.

Jeera Rice can be substituted with Basmati rice in case if it is not available, but the technique remains the same. Other dominating ingredients are the flavor of curry leaves and green chilies. 





Serves 5 to 6
Preparation Time: 15 to 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour
Total: 1 hour 30 minutes (approx)


Ingredients

For Chicken:

• 1 kilogram of Chicken
• 2 large onions
• 2 medium tomatoes
• 2 tbsp ginger & garlic paste
• 3 green chilies (or more)
• 3/4 cup yogurt 
• 1 tbsp red chili powder
• 1 tbsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• Biryani Spice Powder : Dry roast and grind together - 6 cloves, 4 cardamom, 2 pieces of cinnamon sticks, 1 tbsp whole black pepper, 1 tbsp fennel seeds (badi saunf), 1 tsp whole cumin.
• 1/2 cup chopped mint
• 1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves
• 6 to 7 curry leaves
• Salt
• 1/4 cup cooking oil (or less)

For Biryani Rice:

• 4 cups Jeera rice
• 1 small onion sliced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 big size cinnamon stick
• 3 cardamom
• 7 and 3/4 cups of water
• 4 tsp salt (according to taste)
• 4 tbsp of ghee (or cooking oil)
• 1 tbsp vinegar

Ingredients for Dum cooking:

• 1 small sliced onion and deep fried
• 1/4 cup whole cashewnuts fried
• 2 green chilies sliced
• 7 to 8 curry leaves (or more)
• 1 tsp garam masala powder (any brand)
• 4 to 5 tbsp ghee
• 1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves

Preparation:

1. Wash and cut chicken pieces into medium size.
2. Slice 2 large onion, 2 tomatoes, mint leaves and coriander leaves.
3. Prepare biryani spice powder.
4.  Keep all the dum ingredients ready.
5. There is no need to soak the rice in advance. Wash the rice just before cooking.

Method:

1. Heat 1/4 cup cooking oil in a large saucepan and fry 2 large onion sliced along with 3 green chilies till golden brown. Add mint leaves, 2 tbsp of ginger garlic paste, 2 chopped tomatoes and curry leaves. Fry till tomatoes soften and oil separates.
2. Add chicken pieces, 1 tbsp red chili powder, 1 tbsp coriander powder, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder and biryani spice powder. Fry on high heat for 1 minute and stir well till everything is well combined.
3. Then add 3/4 cup whisked yogurt, salt and chopped coriander leaves. Cover and cook on medium low heat till chicken is almost cooked. 
4. While the chicken is cooking, prepare biryani rice. 
5. Heat 4 tbsp of ghee in a large non stick vessel and add bay leaf, cinnamon stick and cardamom.
6. Now add sliced onion and fry till soft and pink. To this add the measured water - 7 and 3/4 cups of water.
7.  Once the water starts to boil, add salt (4 tsp) and 1 tbsp vinegar. Wash the rice and add to the boiling water. Bring the water and rice to a boil, and then reduce the heat, cover and cook on low flame till rice is almost cooked and water has evaporated.
8. With help of a ladle, lift up the rice from sides and bottom and allow the trapped steam to come out. Do not over cook the rice. Switch off the heat and keep the vessel partially covered. 
9. In a large vessel or same vessel in which you cooked gravy, make the first layer as chicken gravy. For second layer, add half of the cooked rice. Then sprinkle pinch of garam masala powder, curry leaves, sliced green chilies, half of fried onion and some fried cashewnut and few tbsp of ghee.
10. Again make a layer of other half of the rice, and repeat all the things from step 9.
11. Make deep dents in the rice for steam to circulate. Cover the vessel well and keep for dum cooking on medium heat for 5 minutes. And then reduce the heat and cook on low heat for another 10 minutes. Once the steam starts forming, switch of the heat and leave the biryani covered for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
12. Serve hot with Raita, Pickle and Pappad.  

Step by step method

Biryani Spice Powder:

Chicken preparation:

Rice Preparation:

Dum Cooking: