All about Food

Ingredients required:
• Chicken curry cut 500 gms• Red onion 2 medium size chopped• Shallots 10 nos sliced• Green chillies 4 nos finely chopped• Ginger 1″ length finely chopped• Garlic 4 cloves finely chopped• Coriander powder 1 tbsp• Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp• Garam masala powder 1/2 tsp• Curry leaves 2 sprigs• Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp• Fennel seeds 1/4 tsp• Tomatoes 2 medium size cut in qtrs• Coconut milk 2 cups• Coconut oil 2 tbsp• Rock salt as required
Take a mixing bowl. Add washed and drained chicken to it. Add turmeric powder, salt and half the quantity of onion, shallots, ginger, garlic and green chili, coriander powder, garam masala and mix well and let chicken be marinated for about an hour. Now add half the quantity of coconut milk and cook the chicken on medium flame till chicken is cooked. 
Heat a pan on medium flame, pour oil and once it’s hot, add mustard seeds. Once it start sputtering, add the remaining quantity of onion, shallots, ginger, garlic, green chili and saute until raw aroma fade away and onion turns translucent. Add coriander powder, garam masala and saute for 2 minutes. Add now tomatoes and cook till it turns mushy. Add now the chicken to it and mix well. Pour in the remaining coconut milk. Check for salt and consistency. Allow to simmer for about 5 minutes. 
Serve along with Appam, Idly or Dosa. 
Happy Cooking! 

An Asiatic curry with various layers of flavour and very rich in nature. The gravy is so yummy as the chicken and vegetables are cooked in Coconut milk. Though the name denote fiery spicy it’s not. It’s miled and rich. 

Ingredients required:
• Chicken curry cut* 500 gms• Dry red chillies 4 nos• Lemon grass 1 stem chopped• Garlic 6 cloves• Galangal 1″ length chopped• Shallots 6 nos sliced• Birds eye chili 6 nos• Coriander roots 5 nos• Kafir lime leaves 3 nos • Thai Basil 5 nos• Lime juice 1 tsp• Coconut milk 2 cups• Sugar 1/2 tsp• Cooking oil 2 tbsp• Fish sauce 2 tsp• Kosher salt to taste • MSG** • Vegetables – Potato,Purple color eggplant, Green color eggplant, Carrots, Button Mushroom 1/2 cup each diced. You may also use other vegetables such as French beans, Pumpkin, squash, zucchini broccoli etc. This is purely personal choice. 
Grind red chillies, bird eye chillies, galangal, coriander roots, shallots, garlic and lemongrass to a fine paste. 
Keep a hard bottom wok on medium flame. Pour oil and once it’s hot, pour in the grinded paste. Pour a cup of water in grinding jar and rinse out the paste residual and pour it to wok. Stir and cook for about 2 minutes. Now pour a cup of coconut milk, salt, sugar, fish sauce and lemon leaves. Allow it to summer. Add chicken pieces and mix well and cook for 8 minutes. Now add vegetables and stir well. Check for salt. Pour the remaining coconut milk, lime juice and cover and cook for another 10 minutes. Check for the sauce consistency. Put off the flame. Add Basil leaves. Garnish with Coriander leaves and sliced red chillies. 
Serve with steamed rice. 
* usage of chicken with bones gives better taste than boneless chicken** Usage of MSG is purely personal. However it’s used in Thai cooking. Q
Happy cooking! 

Pachadi’ it’s a very traditional dish served along with Ona Sadya also during any religious feasts. It can be made with both fruits and vegetables. Also with raw or ripened. 
Ingredients required:
• Raw Mango 2 nos. Cut in to small cubes without removing the skin. • Green chili 4 nos cut in round• Red chili powder 1 tsp• Kosher salt to taste• Roasted cumin powder 1/2 tsp• Roasted fenugreek powder 1/3 tsp• Asafoetida 1/4 tsp• Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp• Coconut oil 2 tbsp• Dried Red chillies 2 nos broken• Curry leaves 2 sprigs• Yoghurt 1cup
Take cut mangoes in a mixing bowl. Add chillies,salt and mix well. Let it rest for few minutes. Add cumin powder, fenugreek powder, asafoetida, red chili powder and combine well. Heat a pan with oil. Once oil is hot, add mustard seeds, red chili and once mustard start sputtering, add curry leaves. Put off the flame. Pour this tempering to mango. Mix well and once it’s completely cooled, take yoghurt in a bowl, whisk it nicely and add it to mango. Mix well. Check for salt. If required, add and mix well. 
This Pachadi can be kept refrigerated for 3 to 4 days. 
Happy Cooking! 

Ingredients:
• Valar Papdi* 500 gms• Ginger Paste 1/2 tsp• Garlic paste 1/2 tsp• Tomato 2 small size chopped• Green chili 2 nos finely chopped• Ajwain (caraway seeds) 1/4 tsp• Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp• Asafoetida 1/3 tsp• Roasted cumin powder 1/4 tsp• Chilly powder 1/3 tsp• Coriander powder 1/2 tsp• Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp• Sugar 1/2 tsp• Lemon juice 1 tsp• Rock salt as required• Coriander leaves 2sprigs chopped• Cooking oil 1 tbsp
*Wash the beans thoroughly, drain water completely. Take each beans and pull out the string/vein from both sides and pull the pods apart, open the pods to see any Worms or mould presence. Then Break the pods in an inch length. 
Heat a pan over medium flame. Pour oil and once it’s hot, add mustard seeds and ajwain seeds. Allow it to sputter. Once done, add ginger, garlic paste and the green chillies. Saute for about 2 minutes until raw aroma from ginger garlic fade way. Add now the papdi,tomato and mix well. Add chilly powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, salt and combine well. Sprinkle little water, cover and cook it for about 8 minutes. Add now cumin powder, hing and sugar. Stir well. Check for salt. Reduce the flame to low, cover and cook for another 5 minutes. Now pour lime juice, chopped coriander leaves and mix well. Serve it along with chapati or with rice. 
Happy cooking! 

Ingredients required:
• Thondekai 500 gms• Tamarind paste 1tsp• Jaggery 1″ Piece• Grated coconut 1 cup• Cumin seeds 1 tsp• Mustard seeds 1 tsp• Red chilly 6 nos• Urid dal 1tsp• Coconut oil 2 tbsps• Curry leaves 2 sprigs• Kosher salt as required

Wash and cut thondekai in lengthwise quarters or further divided according to your choice. It’s absolutely personal choice. 

Add tamarind paste, little salt, jaggery to thondekai and rub it well. Let it get marinated for atleast 30 minutes. 
Now time to grind the masala. In a grinding jar, add grated coconut, cumin seeds, 1/2 tsp of mustard seeds, red chillies and grind to a coarse consistency. Please do not add any water to it. Just grind it as it’s. Mix the grounded ingredients to thondekai and mix well. 
Heat a wok over medium flame. Pour oil and once it’s hot, add the remaining portion of mustard seeds, urid dal and once mustard start sputtering, add dry chillies, curry leaves and once it’s done. Add thondekai mix to it and stir well. Cover it and cook for about 15 minutes on low flame. Intermittently, keep stirring, as we have not added water to it and the vegetable has to get cooked with the water content it has it’s own. 
This method of cooking, where all spices & masala added and it’s getting cooked only after tempering. That’s why this recipe got the name ” Kalspalya” that means all mixed. Check for salt. If required add. Ideal to have with Rice, Chapathi or with Idly, dosa. 
Happy Cooking! 

Ingredients required:
• Long green eggplant 2 nos• Fresh Corn Kernel 1 cup• Turkey berry 1/2 cup• Cherry tomatoes 6 nos• Celery stalk 2″ long finely chopped• Garlic cloves 6 nos finely chopped• Shallots 3 nos finely chopped• Butter 2 tbsp• Olive oil 1 tbsp• Rosemary 1 sprig• Thyme 1 sprig• Freshly crushed black pepper 1/3 tsp• Kosher salt as required
Wash eggplant and dry out water using a kitchen paper towel. Slice in vertically from head to tail end and rub kosher salt on every slice and allow to rest for an hour. Rinse them in cold water and squeeze out water from it. Ensure that the slices are not broken. If not, arrange them on working table and pat dry with paper towel. Take a baking tray, add egg plant slices, corn kernel and turkey berry. Add seasoning, pour olive oil and mix well. Keep it aside for an hour or so. 
Heat a pan over medium flame. Pour butter, once it’s melted, add celery, garlic, shallots, little salt and saute till it’s translucent. Increase flame to high and add eggplant. Sear them flipping both sides to get evenly cooked. Once done, remove eggplant slices from the pan and keep aside. Reduce the flame to medium and add now both corn kernel and turkey berry and other herbs, pepper and saute for about 5 minutes. Add in the extra oil from the marination if any. Add cherry tomatoes and toss it well. After a minute, Once it’s done, remove corn kernel, cherry tomatoes and berry from the pan, discard the herbs sprigs, using back of a wooden spoon, mash garlic, shallots and celery. Strain the sauce. Plate eggplant as shown in picture, fill cavities with corn kernels and decorate it with cherry tomatoes and turkey berry. Pour over the sauce on eggplant. 
Happy Cooking! 

A pickle which is so delicious and can be preserved for months together. Once it’s aged, it taste like meat pickle. 
Ingredients required:

• Tender Banana stem*  cut in 1/2 inch size diced 2 cups• Sesame oil 2 tbsp• Mustard seeds 1 tsp• Garlic cloves sliced 2 tbsp• Ginger 1″ length finely chopped• Red chilli powder 2 tsps• Turmeric powder 2 tsp• Kashmiri chilli powder 1 tsp• Roasted fenugreek powder 1/2 tsp• Asafoetida 1 tsp• White vinegar 1 tbsp• Curry leaves 3 sprigs• Kosher salt as required
Soak banana stem in turmeric water solution for about 30 minutes. Rinse it several times and while every rinse, try to remove any strings/thread on it. Drain and allow to dry. Always look out for tender stem as there will be very less strings compared to large matured banana stem. 
Heat a pan over medium flame and pour oil. Once the oil is hot, add mustard. Once mustard starts sputtering,add the remaining ingredients garlic, ginger and curry leaves. Saute till raw aroma from garlic and ginger is gone. Add chilli powder and saute for another 3 minutes. Now add the banana stem, mix well. Add vinegar and required salt to it. Stir it thoroughly cover the pan and cook for about 10 minutes. There is no need to add any water as water gets released from banana stem. Once done, switch off the flame. Add fenugreek powder, asafoetida and mix well. Check for salt. Allow it to cool and transfer it to an airtight glass bottle or to a porcelain bharani. Should you require to preserve it for a long period, ensure that sesame oil is heated(just make it lukewarm)in order to get oil aroma released. Once cooled, pour over the pickle. This oil layering avoid formation of any fungus on top of the pickle. 
Happy cooking! 

It’s a traditional salad made out of brinjal. There are several varieties of egg plant (brinjal) available. But for this recipe, green round brinjal grown in Udupi region in Karnataka State. You may use other varieties too, but the taste making it with green round brinjal defers from other.  
Ingredients required:
• Gulla Gojju 6 medium size• Tamarind paste 1 tsp• Rock salt as required• Shallots 10 nos finely chopped• Green chili 4 nos finely chopped • Roasted Cumin powder 1 tsp• Coriander leaves 2 sprigs chopped• Coconut oil 1tbsp• Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp• Asafoetida 1/4 

Apply little oil on eggplant and keep on burner over a medium flame. Keep turning all sides untill the whole eggplant is charred and well cooked
Remove and keep it to cool. Once it’s cold, peel of the charred skin and  transfer it to a mixing bowl. Add chopped coriander leaves, cumin powder and salt. Mash the eggplant preferably with your hand or using a potato masher. 
Add now chopped shallots, tamarind paste and mix well. 
Heat a pan over medium flame. Pour coconut oil and once oil is hot, add mustard seeds and allow to sputter. Add hing (asafoetida) and pour in to eggplant. 
Ideal to serve along with any meal. 
Happy Cooking.

Kochi’ is known as the “Queen of Arabian Sea’ since 14 th century and this delicious curry made out of raw mango with licious creamy Coconut milk is very popular in Kochi. Kochi is now known as Cochin, in God’s own Country – Kerala state) 

Ingredients required:
• Raw Mango, peeled & cut in thin slices 2 cups • Fresh Coconut Milk 2 Cups• Onion 3 medium sized finely sliced• Green chillies 10 nos slitted• Ginger 2″ length cut in julienne• Coriander powder 1 tbsp• Turmeric powder 1 tsp• Curry leaves 3 sprigs• Dried red chillies 3 nos• Mustard seeds 1 tsp• Coconut oil 2 tbsp• Rock salt to taste
To marinate mangoes, take a bowl, add mangoes,turmeric powder and salt to it. Mix it well and leave it aside for about an hour. 

Meantime, take a mixing bowl. Add sliced onion, slitted green chillies, 2 sprigs of curry leaves and ginger. Add little salt ( salt is added to mangoes.Therefore ensure only required amount of salt is added now)Combine everything together by kneading it thoroughly. Now heat a clay pot over medium flame. Pour a table spoon of oil and once the oil is hot, add rubbed onion to it and saute till it’s mushy. Ensure it’s not browning. Now add the marinated mango and mix well. Take a cup of hot water, add coriander powder and turmeric powder to it and mix well. Pour this to mango, give a good stir and cook for about 15 minutes on low flameNow add a cup of coconut milk and combine all together. (While coconut milk is added to hot sour ingredients,it may curdle. That’s why the cooking now needs to be on slow flame and adding only one cup of milk at a time will be a precautionary measure) Once the sauce start thickening, add the remaining coconut milk and mix well. 

Heat a pan, pour oil and mustard seeds, dry chillies and once mustard seeds start cracking, add the Curry leaves and pour this tempering to mango curry. Cover the pot immediately for tempering to infuse in to the curry. Leave it for about 10 minutes. Serve mango curry with hot rice,with  appam or along with Idly, dosa or anything else. 
It’s yummy. 
Happy cooking! 

Typical coastal region sambar made with Malabar / Mangalore cucumber. 

Ingredients required:
• Malabar cucumber 1 medium size cut in an inch cubes. Please do not peel out the skin of cucumber. • Tuvar dal (Pigeon pea) 1 cup• Turmeric powder 1 tsp• Jaggery/ palm candy 1″ size piece• Dried red chillies 12 nos. You may take a combination of byadgi & kashmiri• Coriander seeds 2 tbsp• Urid dal (Black gram) 1tsp• Jeera (Cumin seeds) 1tsp• Fenugreek 1/4 tsp• Roasted peanut 1 tbsp• Grateful coconut 1/2 cup• Hing (Asafoetida) 1/4 tsp• Curry leaves 2 sprigs• Tomatoes* 3 medium size cut in qtrs• Mustard seeds 1tsp• Coconut oil 2 tbsp• Rock salt to taste
Cook tuvar dal in a pressure pan for about 3 to 4 whistle duration with turmeric added to it. Once the pressure is released, add the cucumber,salt, jaggery and cook for another 5 minutes or until cucumber is cooked soft. 
Now heat a pan on medium flame. Pour a teaspoon of oil and roast dry chillies**, coriander seeds, fenugreek, urid dal and cumin. Once it’s done, allow it to cool. Grind above roasted spices along with grated coconut to a smooth paste. 
Mix grounded paste to cooked tuvar dal and cucumber and allow to summer on medium flame. Add tomatoes to it and check for salt and consistency and cook for another 5 minutes. For tempering, heat a pan and pour a  teaspoon of oil and once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds and dry chillies. Once mustard seeds start sputtering, add curry leaves.Pour this tempering to cooked dal and cucumber. Pour the remaining coconut oil over the sambar and cover it and allow to rest for 15 minutes. 
* You may use tamarind paste instead of tomatoes** Reserve two dried chillies for tempering
Happy Cooking!