All about Food

Ingredients required:
• Chicken large cuts 6 pcs• Fresh Turmeric* 1″ length• Garlic 5 cloves• Green chillies 3 nos• Coriander roots 5 nos• Lemongrass 1 stalk• Galangal 1″ length• Ginger 1″ length• Fish sauce 2 tsp• Indian curry/All spice powder 1/2 tsp• Cooking oil for chicken frying
Grind turmeric, lemongrass,garlic, green chillies,galangal,coriander roots, ginger to a coarse consistency.Add Indian curry powder,fish sauce and required salt and combine all together to get a perfect marinade.Add chicken to it and mix well.Marinate for minimum 6 hours or overnight. 
• Onion medium size 2 nos sliced• Tomato 2 nos medium chopped• Long grain rice 2 cups• bay leaves 2 nos• Green cardamom • Cinnamon• Chicken stock /Water 4 cups• Sesame oil 2 tbsp• Fried onion 2 tbsp
Heat a wok with oil over high flame for searing the chicken. Place chicken pieces leaving gap in between. Don’t over crowd.Reserve extra marinade if any for later usage. Fry down part for about 3 minutes and flip other side and fry for 3 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate. Reduce the flame to medium and add chopped onions and tomatoes and saute till it’s mushy. Add washed and drained rice now.Add whole spices -bay leaves, cardamom, cinnamon and combine all together. Pour in the chicken stock and leftover marinade if any,add the chicken pieces and stir well. Add fried onion, required salt and cover and cook for about 25 minutes in low flame. 
Happy cooking! 

A traditional dish from the region of Malabar in State of Kerala – God’s Own Country. 
Kalathappam is rice cake cooked in pressure cooker and comes in 2 variations. Sweet & unsweetened. 
Ingredients required:
• Rice powder* 2 cups• Cooked rice 1 cup• Cumin seeds roasted 1 tsp• Palm jaggery 2 cup• Green Cardamom 1 tsp• RKG Ghee (Clarified butter)1/2 cup• Coconut oil 3 tbsp• Coconut finely diced pieces 2 tbsp• Cashew nuts 10 nos• Shallots sliced 10 nos• Baking soda 1/2 tsp• Salt as required
* You can also use raw rice which need to be soaked and grinded. In a pan, add a cup of water and Jaggery and boil. Ensure its completely dissolved. Strain it using a fine sieve and allow to cool. 
Take rice flour in a blender jar. Add little water and blend. Pulse few times and add cooked rice to it and grind. Add Jaggery syrup, green cardamom powder, salt,roasted cumin seeds and combine well. Pour the batter in to a bowl, add baking soda and mix well and allow to rest for an hour. 
Heat a pressure cooker under medium flame. Pour coconut oil and once it’s hot, add coconut and saute for about 2 minutes. Add shallots and cashew nuts and saute until it’s light golden brown. Transfer half of it for later usage. Pour in the rice batter. Do not mix. Scatter the reserved fried cashew, coconut and shallots on top of the batter.Drizzle over the ghee. Cover the pressure cooker. Do not use the pressure weight. Increase flame to high and cook for about 5 minutes. Reduce the flame to low and cook for another 20 minutes. Allow to cool. Transfer Kalathappam to a plate. 
Happy cooking! 

An yellow curry with coconut and turmeric base which is very popular in Bali. Ingredients required:
• Tilapia fish large size 2 nos(remove head) • Lemongrass# 3 stalks • Kafir lime leaves 6 nos• Fresh chillies 5 nos• Lime juice 1 tsp• Shallots 5 nos• Ginger 1″ length• Fresh Turmeric 1″ length• Coriander roots* 5 nos• Black pepper 1/4 tsp• Kosher salt as required• Fish sauce 2sp• Coconut oil 2 tbsp• Coconut milk 1 cup• Palm sugar 1tsp• Baby potatoes 250 gms
* You may use coriander powder is coriander roots are not available. # Chop 2 stalks and keep another for later usage. 
In a blender grind chopped lemongrass,kafir lime leaves, shallots, ginger, fresh turmeric, coriander roots, black pepper to a smooth paste. 
Heat a pan over medium flame. Pour coconut oil and once oil is hot, add bruised lemongrass, kafir lime leaves (reserve 2 for garnishing),baby potatoes and saute for about 2 minutes. Add grounded paste,sugar,fish sauce and stir well. Add required salt and allow to simmer under low flame for about 10 minutes. Once the essential oil and aroma is released, add cleaned and washed fish to it.Cover and cook under medium flame for 5 minutes. Turn the fish and check for seasoning. Pour coconut milk and give it a good stir, ensure you stir from sides and slowly so that the fish doest break. Allow it to summer for another 5 minutes. Put off the flame. Garnish with fried shallots and kafir lime leaves. 
Ideal along with Steamed rice
Happy cooking! 

An unlike to any other traditional mode of preparation, instead of Paneer (Cottage cheese), I’m using boiled egg. Anda ka Funda! 
Ingredients required:
• Palak (Spinach)*500 gms• Eggs 3 nos. Hard boiled cut in qtrs• Onion 2 medium size chopped• Tomato 1 medium chopped• Green chillies 5 nos slitted• Ginger 1″ length finely chopped• Garlic 5 cloves finely chopped• Cloves 4 nos• Cumin seeds 1 tsp• Fennel seeds 1/3 tsp• Cinnamon 1″ length• Bay leaves 2 nos• Chilly powder 1/2 tsp• Turmeric powder 1/3 tsp• Coriander powder 1 tsp• Mustard oil 2 tbsp• Ghee 1 tbsp• Fresh cream 2 tbsp• Rock salt as required
# Reserve Ginger julienne and green chilly for garnish. # Wash spinach under running water twice minimum and blanch. Once it’s done, drain and allow to cool. Puree the spinach and keep aside. 

Heat a wok over high flame. Pour mustard oil and once it’s absolutely hot, reduce the flame to medium.  Add cumin seeds, fennel seeds,cloves cinnamon,bay leaves and saute for about 2 minutes. Now add ginger, garlic and onion. Saute until it turns translucent. Add now chilly powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and stir well and saute till the spices get completely done. Add chopped tomatoes and saute. Once the mixture starts releasing oil, pour in the grinded palak.Add required salt,Combine well and allow to simmer on low flame for about 5 minutes. Add ghee, fresh cream to it and give it a good stir. Add boiled eggs to it. You may add whole eggs,cut in halves or quarters. Garnish with ginger julienne & green chilly. 
Happy Cooking! 

Ingredients required:
• Chicken* 500 gms • Ginger 2″ length Julienne cut• Onion Medium size 2 sliced• Mushroom 1/2 cup sliced• Spring onion 1 stalk chopped• Garlic cloves 4 nos crushed• Fish sauce 2 tsp• White Pepper powder 1tsp• Dark Soy Sauce 1tsp• Oyster sauce 1ts• Sesame seeds 1/2 tsp• Salt to taste• Cooking oil 2 tbsp• Sugar 1/3 tsp
* Boneless cut in to an inch length cubes. 
Take a mixing bowl, add chicken, pour fish sauce(half quantity,reserve balance for later use), soy sauce, white pepper powder, required salt and combine together. Add chicken and mix well and allow to rest for half an hour. 
Heat a pan over medium flame. Pour oil and once it’s hot, add crushed garlic, onion,ginger (reserve few julienne for later use) and saute for about 3 minutes.Flame on high, add mushroom and saute. Add now the marinated chicken and saute for 5 minutes. Reduce the flame to medium – low. Mix together oyster sauce, sugar and fish sauce and pour in the chicken. Stir fry till chicken is cooked. Add spring onion and white sesame seeds. Garnish with ginger julienne. 
Happy Cooking! 

Ingredients required:
• Moong dal(Mung bean) 1/2 cup• Cabbage finely chopped 3 cups• Carrot finely chopped 1 cup• French beans finely chopped 1 cup• Grated coconut 1 cup• Green chilly 5 nos slitted• Mustard seeds 1tsp• Urad dal(black gram skinned) 1tsp• Dried red chilly 2 nos cut in pieces• Curry leaves 2 sprigs• Sesame oil 2 tbsp
# Soak Moong dal in water for about half an hour. Wash twice and keep ready. Heat a wok under medium flame. Pour oil and once it’s hot, add urad dal, mustard seeds, red chilly and curry leaves. Once mustard start sputtering, add moong dal and saute for about 3 minutes. Pour a cup of water, stir well and cover the wok and cook for about 5 minutes. Add carrot, french beans, green chilly and mix well. Add salt as required and allow it to cook for 5 minutes. Add cabbage and stir well and saute for about 3 minutes. Add grated coconut and give it a good mix. Check for salt. The dal and vegetables shouldn’t be mushy, but cooked as we need to retain little crunchiness. 
Ideal to serve along with steamed rice. 
Happy Cooking! 

Ingredients required:
• Spinach 250 gms• Whole milk  6 cups• Heavy cream 2 cups• White Vinegar 2 tbsp• Lemon juice 1 tbsp• Kosher Salt as required• Crushed black pepper 1 tsp• Oregano 1/2 tsp• Garlic powder 1tsp
Step 1Heat a heavy bottom stockpot on medium flame. Pour milk and cream to it and allow to boil. Keep stirring. When it start to boil, add the vinegar and keep stirring in circular motion. Add now lemon juice and keep stirring slowly in circular motion. Switch off the flame and keep stirring slowly for 2 minutes. Strain it using a cheese cloth and allow to rest for few minutes so that entire water will get drained out. Once water is completely drained, transfer it to a bowl. 
Step 2Take water in a stock pot. Heat over medium flame. Add a pinch of salt and once water starts boiling, add spinach to it and boil for 3 minutes. Drain the water completely and chop it finely. 
Step 3Take a mixing bowl. Add chopped spinach and the ricotta. Add garlic powder, required salt, crushed black pepper and combine all together with your hand. Loosen ricotta by breaking it in to tiny pieces along with chopped spinach. Once it’s completely binded together transfer it to a glass bowl and refrigerate. 
# If you are not using it immediately, you may spread a tablespoon of olive oil as a protective cover so that spinach ricotta will not loose it’s moisture. 
Happy Cooking! 

A delicate,luscious and mild vegetable kurma cooked with selected vegetables, mildly spiced,enhanced flavor with coconut milk. 
Ingredients are
• Potatoes 2 medium size • Carrot 1 medium size• French beans  6 nos• Cauliflower 3 florets• Fresh Green peas 1/2 cup• Coconut milk 1 cup• Grated coconut 1 cup• Cinnamon 2″ length• Green cardamom 4 nos• Cloves 4 nos• Green chilly 6 nos• Black peppercorn 1/2 tsp• Fennel seeds 1 tsp• Cumin seeds• Garlic 4 cloves• Poppy seeds*2 tbsp• Cashew kernel* 2 tbsp• Bay leaves 2 nos• Shallots 6 nos • Sesame oil 2 tsp• Curry leaves 1sprig• Rock salt as required
# Cut potatoes, carrots and French beans in dice of equally size. Boil them for about 5 minutes and keep aside. # Soak poppy seeds and cashew kernel in water for about an hour. # Grind grated coconut along with cumin seeds, garlic, soaked poppy seeds, cashew kernel,shallots and green chilly to a fine paste. 
Heat a pan over medium flame. Pour oil and when it’s hot, add mustard seeds and once it starts sputtering,add fennel seeds, cardamom, cinnamon, black peppercorns, cloves, bay leaves, curry leaves and saute for about 2 minutes. Add the grounded paste and mix well. Add in the parboiled vegetables required salt and check for consistency. If water is required, use the boiled vegetable water and cook for 5 minutes. Now add coconut milk,stir well, cover the pan and allow to simmer for another 5 minutes. Occasionally stir it down and once you find it mild creamy consistency, put of the flame cover thr pan and allow the vapour to settle down. 
Happy Cooking!  

Ingredients required:
• Chicken thighs 500 gms• Lemongrass* 2 stalks• Fish sauce 2 tsp• Sugar 1tsp• Corn starch 2 tbsp• Salt as required• Onion 2 medium sized sliced• Garlic cloves 5 nos chopped• Red chillies 5 nos finely chopped• Red bell peppers chopped 2 tbsp• Cooking oil 2 tbsp• Fresh Young coconut water 1cup
* Chop lemongrass finely. Seperate the stem side (bottom part) and the tender shoot portion. 

In a mixing bowl, add chopped lemongrass (tender portion), fish sauce, (reserve one spoon for later usage) salt, corn starch, chicken thighs and combine well and marinate for an hour. Heat a Wok over medium flame. Pour in the oil. Once oil is hot, add sliced onion, garlic, lemongrass and chilly. Saute well. You may make some space in wok, by gathering the sauted mixture to one side. Add the chicken over there, pour a spoonful of oil. Increase the flame to high, sear the chicken from both sides and now mix all together. Add fish sauce and sugar. Mix all together and pour the tender coconut water to itStir, cover the wok and let it simmer for about 10 minutes or until it’s cooked. 
Garnish with scallions. 
Happy Cooking! 

Ideal for breakfast or as snack at anytime, anywhere which can be made very easily with bare minimum ingredients. 
Ingredients are:
• Sausage* 400 gms• Siracha sauce  2 tbsp• Cooking oil 1 tbsp
* You may use any type of sausages as it’s purely personal choice. 
Two vertical cuts on each sausage up to midway linking both at same length. Heat a pan over medium flame. Pour oil and once it’s hot, add the sausages and saute till it gets seared properly. Keep flipping sides to get crispness on cut ends. Now pour Siracha sauce in the pan and give it a good toss. Off the flame to avoid Siracha drying out. 
Happy Cooking!