Dudhi Chana nu Shaak(Bottle gourd & split Chickpea lentils) 


An amazing dish made out of Dudhi & Chana dal. It goes well with anything such as Indian tandoor flat breads, rice or even bread.
Ingredients required:
• Dudhi 1 large size approximately weighing 500 gms, washed, peeled and diced. • Split chickpea 1cup (soaked in water for 2 hours) • Mustard 1 tsp• Cumin seeds 1 tsp• Ginger paste 1/2 tsp• Garlic paste 1/2 tsp• Cooking oil 2 tbsp• Red chilly powder 1tsp• Coriander powder 1 tbsp• Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp• Asafoetida 1/2 tsp• Roasted Cumin powder 1/4 tsp• Tomato 2 medium size cut in qtrs• Coriander leaves 2 sprigs• Salt as required
Heat a pressure pan over medium flame. Pour oil and once it’s hot, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and once it start sputtering, add ginger garlic paste and asafoetida. Saute till raw aroma fade away. Add now tomato and cook till tomato turns little mushy. Add chilly powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and keep stirring and cook till it release fine aroma. Add soaked and drained channa dal to it, mix well and pour a cup of water. Allow to cook for about 10 minutes without closing the lid. Add now the bottle gourd and mix well add required salt, pour another cup of water, close the pressure pan and cook for about 10 minutes or for 4 whistle duration. Once it’s done, put off the flame and allow the pressure to get released by itself. Once the pressure is completely released, open the pan and give a good mix. Add chopped coriander leaves. Happy cooking! 

Miso Vegetables Soup

Ingredients:
• Miso paste 3 tbsp• Vegetable/Chicken broth 4 cups• Carrot julienne 1/3 cup• Cabbage shredded 1/3 cup• Mushroom finely sliced 1/3 cup• Long beans julienne 1/4 cup• Scallions julienne 1/2 cup• Garlic 5 cloves finely chopped• Red onion 1 medium size chopped• Black pepper crushed 1/2 tsp• Butter 1 tbsp• Salt to taste
Heat a large stock pot over medium flame. Pour the butter, once butter melted and hot, add garlic and onion and saute till it’s soft and mushy. Add the Vegetables to it and just give a good flip. Now pour the stock in to it. Before pouring the stock, remove a cup of broth and Whisk miso paste in it until it’s completely dissolved. Pour it in to stock pot and mix well. Reduce the flame and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes. Serve hot. 

Happy Cooking?

Penne Rigate with Alfredo sauce and Vegetables. 

Ingredients required:


• Penne Rigate 2 cups• Cream 1 cup• Cheddar cheese 1 cup• Black pepper powder 1/2 tsp• Paprika 1/2 tsp• Butter  1 tbsp• Olive oil 1 tbsp• Garlic finely chopped 1 • Broccoli florets 1/2 cup• Carrots diced 1/2 cup• Zucchini 1/2 cup• Bell peppers(red,green,yellow) 1 
• Salt as required
Step 1Boil water in a large stock pot. Once water start boiling, add few drops of oil and required salt. Insert Penne and cook for about 10 minutes. Drain and leave aside. 
Step 2Heat a pan over medium flame. Add cream, butter, cheese, black pepper powder, paprika and boil it till it reduce and start thickening. 
Step 3Heat a pan over medium flame, add butter and olive oil, chopped garlic and saute till garlic turns soft. Add in all vegetables and keep stirring untill it turns soft. Make sure the crunchiness to be maintained. Add required salt. Add pasta and combine well. Now time to add Alfredo sauce and mix well and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes to get everything combined. 
Happy Cooking! 

Chicken Harrisa

Required ingredients:
• Chicken thighs or legs 500 gms• Coriander seeds 1tbsp• Fennel seeds 1 tsp• African red chilly* 10 nos• Garlic 6 cloves• Cumin powder 1 tsp• Olive oil 3 tbsp• Kosher salt as required
* Can be substituted with Guntoor Sannam or Jwala. Soak the chilly in hot water fir about an hour. 
Heat a pan over medium flame. Dry roast coriander seeds and fennel seeds. Grind the soaked chilly along with garlic without using water. But add 2 tablespoon of olive oil and grind to a smooth paste. Add the grounded spice powder, salt and give a pluse. Marinate the chicken using the chilly paste and rest it for few hours, preferably 3hours minimum. Heat a pan over high flame. Pour oil and arrange chicken pieces in it and sear them both sides. Reduce the flame to medium-low and cook the chicken for about 15 minutes. Pour over the left over marinade if any to chicken and keep turning the chicken occasionally. Garnish with lemon wedge. 

Happy Cooking!

Karuveppilai Kuzhambu(Curry leaves Curry) 


A classic traditional South Indian kuzhambu(curry) prepared with fresh curry leaves which is highly nutritious and delicious. 
Ingredients required:
• Curry leaves 2 cups• Shallots 6 nos• Tamarind paste 2 tbsp• Garlic 6 cloves• Sesame oil 3 tbsp• Mustard seeds 1 tsp• Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp• Grated coconut 1 cup• Fenugreek seeds 1/2 tsp• Coriander seeds 1 tsp • Red Dry chilly 4 nos• Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp• Black pepper 1/2 tsp• Urid dal(black gram split) 2 tbsp• Channa dal(Bengal gram) 1 tbsp• Kosher salt
Heat a pan on medium flame. Pour a spoonful oil and once it’s hot, add in red chilly, coriander seeds, pepper, urid dal, Channa dal, cumin seeds and roast it nicely. Add curry leaves, grated coconut and roast it for about 5 minutes. Off flame and allow to cool. Grind it to a fine paste. 
Heat a wok, pour oil and add fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, shallots and garlic. Saute till mustard seeds splutter. Add now the grounded paste. stir well. Pour tamarind paste, and desired quantity of water as per consistency. Add turmeric powder, salt and cook for about 15 minutes. 
Serve with steamed rice. 
Happy cooking! 

Netholi Fry (Anchovy Fish Fry) 


An excellent, predominant dish found in most of all Kallushop (Toddy Shop) in Kerala State also a Star dish prepared at most homes. Crispy, spicy netholi is very enjoyable eaten along with rice. 
Ingredients required:
• Netholi* (anchovy)500 gms• Ginger paste 1 tsp• Garlic paste 1 tsp• Red chilly powder 1tbsp• Garam masala 1/2 tsp• Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp• Cumin powder 1/4 tsp• Lime juice 1 • Black pepper powder 1/2 tsp• Rice flour 2 tbsp• Kosher salt as required• Curry leaves 2 spring’s• Coconut oil for shallow frying
* Though netholi is small in size, it has scales and its very easy to clean it. scrape them from tail to head and pich of its head. 
In a mixing bowl, take ginger paste, garlic paste, red chilly powder, garam masala, turmeric powder, cumin powder lime juice black pepper powder, rice flour, salt and combine together. Add netholi in to it and give it a good rub. You may find the spice mixture along with rice flour sticking to netholi. Just add a few spoonful of water only to give little paste consistency so that masala paste is thoroughly coated on each fish. Cover it and let marinate for an hour. 
Heat a wok on medium flame. Pour oil and once it’s hot, drop each netholi in oil. Never overcrowd the wok. Let there be adequate space so that each will not stick together and it would be easy to turn it for proper frying. Before you remove the fish from oil, put curry leaves and fry it along with fish and remove. 
Happy cooking! 

Kannur Kalmas. 


Kannur, or Cannanore a coastal city in the State of Kerala, God’s own Country. Kannur was an ancient trading port since 16 th century. Kannur Kalmas can be prepared with Prawns, red meats or with ChickenAn ideal snack item available throughout Kannur and even it’s considered as a street food too. 

Ingredients required:
• Chicken* 500 gms• Ginger paste 1/2 tsp• Garlic paste 1/2 tsp• Green chili chopped  1/2 tsp• Red onion 3 medium finely chopped• Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp• Coriander powder 1 tsp• Chilli powder 1/2 tsp• Kashmir chilli powder 1/2 tbsp• Garam masala 1/2 tsp• Black pepper crushed 1/2 tsp• Kosher salt as required• Coriander leaves 2 sprigs• Curry leaves 2 sprigs• Grated coconut 1/2 cup• Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp• Shallots 6 nos• Fennel seeds 1tsp• Rice flour 2 cup• Coconut oil 2 tbsp
* Cut chicken in to 1/4″ size cubes. 
Heat a pan over medium flame. Pour a tablespoon of oil and once the oil is hot, add 1/2 tsp fennel seeds. Wait for it time get crackled. Add now the chopped onion, garlic paste and ginger paste. Saute till onion turns mushy as well as the raw aroma from ginger, garlic fade away. Add chopped green chilly, turmeric powder, coriander powder, chilli powder and stir well. Saute for about 2 minutes. Add now washed and drained diced chicken. Combine well with other ingredients. Add garam masala, crushed black pepper, coriander leaves,curry leaves and mix well. Sprinkle little ( around 2 to 3 tablespoons of water) Cover and cook for about 5 minutes. 
In a grinding jar, take grated coconut, green chilly, cumin seeds, shallots, fennel seeds and grind to a coarse paste. In a mixing bowl, take rice flour, salt, grinded coconut paste and knead it to a smooth dough by using hot water. Pour water only little by little till you achieve satisfactory dough consistency.
Divide the dough in equal parts and roll it to a small disc size. Or keep the dough ball in your palm and keep flattening it to a circle. Keep a spoonful of chicken in center of the flattened rice dough and fold it in to oval shape or like a cylindrical shape, or even as a ball shape. Steam these kalmas (dumplings) for about 20 minutes or till it’s cooked well. Now heat a pan on medium flame. Pour oil and once oil is hot, add Kashmiri chilly powder. Add curry leaves to it and once you get chilli powder fried aroma, place those steamed kalmas in pan and keep searing to get golden color outside. Keep flipping all sides evenly. 
Happy Cooking! 

Kumbakonam Kadapa


Very own dish of the city of temples and monasteries in South India. It’s truly yummy and easy to prepare without much ingredients. 

Ingredients required:
• Green gram ( Moong dal) 1/4 cup• Cinnamon 1″ length• Bay leaves 2 nos• Fennel seeds 11/2 tsp• Onion 2 medium size sliced• Green chilly slitted 6 nos• Tomatoes 3 medium size chopped• Lemon juice 1 tbsp• Boiled potatoes 3 nos. Cut in dice• Coconut grated  1/2 cup• Poppyseed 1 tbsp soaked • Coriander leaves for garnish• Dried red chillies 2 nos• Mustard seeds 1 tsp• Kosher salt as required• Curry leaves 2 sprigs• Sesame oil 2 tbsp

Step 1 Cook green gram in a pressure pan and keep it aside. 
Step 2Grind poppy seeds a grated coconut to a fine paste. 
Step 3Heat a pan over medium flame. Pour a tablespoon of oil and once it’s hot, add in cinnamon, bay leaves and 1 teaspoon of fennel seeds. Once fennel seeds start sputtering, add sliced onion, green chilly and saute till onion turns mushy. Now add tomatoes and stir well and wait for the tomatoes to turn soft. Add now cooked green gram, boiled potatoes and combine well. Add required salt and add a cup of water and allow to summer. Add now the grounded paste, line juice, cover and cook for about 5 minutes. For tempering, heat a pan, pour oil and once it’s heated, add mustard seeds, dry chilly and curry leaves. Once mustard seeds start crackling, pour the tempering to kadapa and give it a good stir. Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves. Serve it along with Dosa,Idly, Appam or with rice. 
Happy cooking! 

Vazhapoo pakoda / Kele ke Phool ki Pakora(Banana Flower Fritters) 

Ingredients required:
• Banana Flower* 1 medium sized• Chickpea flour(Besan) 3/4 cup• Rice flour 3 tbsps• Red onion chopped 1/2 cup• Green chilli 6 nos finely chopped• Ginger paste 1/2 tsp• Garlic paste 1/2 tsp• Garam masala 1/2 tsp• Chilly powder 1/2 tsp• Fennel seeds 1/2 tsp• Cooking oil for frying• Kosher salt as required• Asafoetida 1/4 tsp• Ajwain (caraway seeds) 1/2 tsp• Green chilly 3 nos slotted• Curry leaves 2 sprigs
* Remove the outer layer and you may find florets, discard the Stigma and Calyx ( outer bracts, protective covering for the florets) by pulling out from the florets. Rinse it thoroughly,drain the water and leave it to air dry. 
In a mixing bowl, add banana florets, chopped onion, chopped green chilli, ginger paste, garlic paste, turmeric powder, chilli powder, garam masala, salt, chilli powder, fennel seeds, asafoetida and combine well. Ensure all ingredients are mixed well. Now add both chickpea flour and rice flour. Mix all together and you may notice, the flour is getting coated on florets due to the moisture from ingredients. Now you may add few tablespoons of water if you find it required. 
Heat oil in a wok. Keep the flame on medium and once the oil is hot enough to get pakora fried, keep frying the pakora by dropping the florets in small lumps in to oil. Do not overcrowd the wok. Keep trying it in batches. While frying the last batch, add curry leaves and slitted green chilly and fry it along with pakora. Combine all together and serve hot. 
Happy cooking! 

Gongura Thogayal

Gongura leaves is known as Sorrel leaves or Sour spinach in English. The tangy leaves are used for preparing pickles and for certain other cooking. There are two types of Gongura. Red stem and Green stem. The red stem gongura is more sour than the other variant. 

Ingredients:
• Gongura (Sorrel)leaves 1 bunch or 6 handful of leaves• Mustard seeds 11/2 tsp• Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp• Fenugreek seeds 1/3 tsp• Coriander seeds 1 tbsp• Urid dal(split black gram)2 tbsp• Sesame oil 2 tbsp• Asafoetida 1/2 tsp• Dried Red chillies 8 nos• Garlic cloves 6 nos• Shallots 6 nos• Curry leaves 2 sprigs
Clean gongura leaves. Check for any insects, or any foreign particles. Wash thoroughly 2 to 3 times under running water. Drain it and spread the leaves to air dry. 
Heat a wok under medium flame. Dry roast cumin seeds, 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, fenugreek, red chillies,( reserve 2 nos for later usage) urid dal and coriander seeds till they turned aromatic and crisp. Remove the roasted ingredients and keep it to cool. Grind it to coarse – fine powder. 
In the same Wok, pour a tablespoon of sesame oil and add gongura leaves. Saute it for few minutes till it’s wilted and turn mushy. Remove it from wok and allow to cool. 
Keep the wok on fire, pour in the remaining oil and once oil is hot, add mustard seeds. Once it start sputtering, add red chillies and the garlic, shallots,curry leaves and saute till it’s light brown. Now time to add sauted gongura leaves. Stir well. Add the ground powder, asafoetida,and combine all together. Add required quantity of salt to taste. Saute gongura thogayal on low flame for about 10 minutes till all remaining water content is evaporated. This increase the shelf life of gongura thogayal. Put off the flame. Allow it to cool. Now transfer the thogayal to a clean, dry glass jar and preserve. 
It’s ideal to have with steamed rice, Idly, Dosa or with any other dishes. 

Happy cooking!

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