Crispy Prawns Fry

Like the name suggests this next dish is a real easy one. It just involves fried prawns, topped with some crispy onions and green chillies. This one serves as an ideal side with your main course.

Ingredients

• ½ kg Prawns cleaned and deveined
• 1 tsp. Ginger Finely chopped
• 1 tsp. Garlic crushed
• ½ cup Shallots/cheriya ulli finely chopped
• 1 onion medium julienned
• 3-5 Green chilies splits
• 1 sprig Curry leaves
• 1 tbsp.  chili powder
• 1 tsp. Black pepper powder
• ½ tsp. Turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. Coriander powder
• ½ tsp. Garam masala powder
• 1-2 tbsp. coconut oil
• Salt to taste

Combine prawns with chilli powder, turmeric, coriander powder, garam masala and salt. Keep aside for marinating for about 15 to 20 minutes.

Heat the oil in a pan and onions and 2 green chillies and sauté them until golden brown. Set aside. Into the same pan, add shallots, ginger, garlic, curry leaves and the rest green chillies and sauté until cooked. Add the marinated prawns. At this stage you can add 1 more sprig of curry leaves. Add salt, if required. Cover and cook on a low flame until prawns are done. Now garnish with fried onions and green chillies.

Serve hot. 

Mutton Curry

This dish is also from my mom’s kitchen and figures out in my favourite list (this list growing a lot I believe). I have used plantain/raw bananas as a combo for mutton. But then this is optional & you can substitute them with potatoes. You can serve this dish with plain rice/pulao/parotta/chapatti.

Ingredients

• 1 kg mutton, cleaned (cut into small pieces)
• 3 raw plantain/kaaya (optional)
• 2 onions medium chopped
• 1 inch ginger chopped
• 3 garlic cloves crushed
• 4-5 green chillies
• 1 tomato medium finely chopped
• 1 stalk curry leaves
• ½ tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp. chilli powder
• 1 tsp. coriander powder
• 1 tsp. garam masala powder
• 1 tsp. fennel seeds/ perumjeerakam
• ¼ cup coconut grated
• 1 tsp. pepper corn
• 1 tbsp. coconut oil
• Coriander leaves  to garnish

In a cooker, add mutton pieces, plantain (If using), turmeric powder, little water and salt. Pressure cook for about 3-4 whistles. Remove from flame and set aside. Wait until the pressure settles down.

In a non-stick bottom pan, fry grated coconut without adding any oil till it turns slightly golden brown. Add garam masala, chilli powder, coriander powder, fennel seeds/ perumjeerakam and pepper corn. Remove from flam and set aside to cool. (This is our first masala)

Meanwhile, add oil to a pan, and sauté onions, ginger, garlic, curry leaves and green chillies until done. Add tomato and cook till tomato softens. (This is 2^nd masala)

Open the cooker lid and set on low flame. Now grind the first masala with a little water. Pour it into the cooker and mix well.

Now grind the 2^nd masala mixture and add it into the cooker. Mix gently. Check for salt.  Cover and cook on a low flame for about 5-8 minutes until the gravy thickens.

Remove from flame and garnish with coriander leaves.

Lemony Squares

The smell of lemon is something which soothes my mind and body. I go Zestyyyyyyy (ok that is a little exaggerated)!!!!! This dessert is something I always wanted to try and is adapted from one of my cook books. Easy to make and all the ingredients can be easily available.

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups of Flour
• 1/2 cup of Powdered Sugar 
• 230 gms of  Butter unsalted softened
•  14 oz. Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 4 Eggs
• 2/3  Cup of Fresh Lemon Juice
• A pinch of salt
• 1 tsp. Baking Powder
• 1 Tbsp. of Flour

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 by 13 inch baking pan with aluminium foil and set aside.

In a large bowl combine flour, butter and powdered sugar and mix together until it forms dough. Press the dough in the bottom and half way up the sides of the baking pan and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes.

In a large bowl combine condensed milk, lime juice, eggs, salt, baking powder and flour. Here you can add 3-4 drops of yellow food colouring to get a bright yellow lemony colour. Well I have opted that out. Mix well.

Pour into the baked crust and bake for 30 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes at room temperature and 2 hours in the fridge until set.

Dust with confectioner sugar and cut into squares.

Prawns Curry (With Raw Mangoes)

Along with crabs the next seafood option that stirs me up are prawns. This next dish is a typical Kerala curry dish. This dish can be prepared without raw mangoes as well but I love the sour taste of mangoes which makes the curry extra delicious. To get the best of this curry serve it with plain rice. 

Ingredients

• 1 kg Prawns/chemeen cleaned and deveined
• 2 Raw Mango/pacha manga
• 1 ½ tbsp. Chilly Powder
• ½ - ¾ tsp. Turmeric Powder
• 1 small dried gamboge/kokkum( KudumPuli)
• 2 Green Chillies slit
• 1 inch Ginger crushed
• 3-4 shallots/pearl onions/small onions
• Salt-to taste
• 2 stalks Curry leaves
• 2 ½ cup coconut grated
• 1 tbsp. Coconut oil

In a grinder, grind chilli, turmeric and coriander powder with grated coconut. 

Transfer this into a bowl and add 2 ½ cups of water and with the help of a sieve (Arippa) extract the coconut mixture. You will get a thick spicy coconut milk mixture. Add a little more water to the grinded coconut and extract the content by adding ½ cup of water. Keep the spicy coconut milk aside and discard the coconut mixture.

In a non-stick pan or I used clay pot (meen chatti), add the coconut milk, green chillies, curry leaves, ginger and gamboge/kudampuli and salt. Bring to boil on a medium high flame for about 5-6 minutes. Discard the gamboge and add raw mangoes and prawns. Cook till prawns are done and the curry thickens. Remove from the flame.

In a pan, add coconut oil and sauté shallots/ cheriya ulli/small onions till brown. Add this to the top of the curry.

Serve with plain rice.

Crab Roast

I am not a fan of fish (I am one of those few Keralites who don’t do well with fish), however when it comes to crabs, you can say that I am very much a CRABAHOLIC!! In fact the way I used to gorge crabs used to give me disgusting looks even from my hubby. This next dish is something that is always made for me both my mom & my mom-in-law whenever I visit them & the sight makes me go bananas. This dish can be served with plain rice/veg puloa.

Ingredients

• 500 gms Crab-cleaned in vinegar
• 2 medium Onion finely chopped
• 2-3 green chilies slit
• 2 stalks of Curry leaves
• 1 Tomato medium finely chopped
• 1 tbsp. Ginger chopped
• 1 tbsp. Garlic chopped
• 1 tbsp. chilli powder
• 2 tsp. Coriander powder
• ½ tsp. Turmeric powder
• ½ tsp. Black pepper powder
• 1 tsp. Garam masala powder
• ¼ cup Thick coconut milk (Optional)
• 1 cup Water
• Salt- to taste
• 2 tbsp. Coconut Oil

Heat oil in a deep bottom non-stick pan and add onion, green chilies and curry leaves. Saute until cooked. Add ginger and garlic and sauté for a while. Add chilli, turmeric, coriander powder, garam masala powder and pepper powder. Cook for about 5 minutes till oil separates.

Add tomato and cook until it cooked. Add salt.

Add crab and 1 cup of water) and mix well. Cover and cook for about 20-30 minutes. Open the lid and cook until gravy thickens.

Here at this stage, you can add coconut milk, if using, and mix well .Cook until the gravy becomes semi dry.

Transfer to a serving dish.

Beef Ularthiyathu (Beef Fry)

This is one dish that majority of us Keralites will call as irresistible. One of the all-time favourites of my husband (seems like this is also a favourite side dish along with booze). This dish has small boneless beef cubes fried with coconut pieces. It practically stays fresh for like 1 week or more and seems to get tastier each time you reheat it. In my case my hubby’s version usually ends up tastier than my version & for his IP reasons he hasn’t shared his recipe with me yet!!!!

Ingredients

•        1 kg beef boneless- cut into cubes
•     1 tsp. Fennel seeds (Perumjeerakam)
•     1 inch Cinnamon stick
•     4 Cloves
•     1 tbsp. chilli powder
•     3 tsp. coriander powder
•     ½ tsp. turmeric powder
•     1 inch ginger crushed
•     10-12 garlic cloves
•     ½ cup Coconut pieces cut into small pieces
•     ¾ cup shallots/ pearl onions crushed
•     2-3 green chillies
•     1 onion medium finely julienned
•     Salt to taste
•     2 stalks curry leaves
•     5-6 tbsp. coconut oil

Grind together clove, cinnamon and fennel seeds into a fine powder. In a pressure cooker, add grounded spices, ginger, garlic, turmeric, chilli and coriander powder, salt, 1 stalk curry leaves, shallots, coconut pieces and beef together. Add ½ cup of water.

Pressure cook for about 15-20 minutes on a low medium flame. Once the cooker release its pressure, open and cook on a high flame till the water, if any, evaporates.

Meanwhile in a heavy non-stick bottom pan, add oil and sauté onions till translucent. Add green chillies and sauté. Add the beef and the rest of the curry leaves and fry well slowly on a low flame. It takes time but the result will be FAB!!!! Fry till the colour changes into dark brown.

Transfer to a serving dish.

Flower Basket Cake

This is my 100^th post and I wanted to make something special. I have tried my best to make this cake look like a basket. This is a simple vanilla cake with chocolate butter cream frosting. This was made for my dear hubby.

Ingredients

• ¼ cup unsalted butter ( 57 gms)
• 1  cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• ½ cup + 1 Tablespoons milk
• 4 egg whites

Lightly grease 2 9 inch round pans and line bottom with parchment paper.

Pre heat oven to 350˚F (175˚C).

With the standing mixer/ hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Add the vanilla essence and beat for a minute. Add the flour mixture alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with flour. Stir until just combined.

In another bowl beat the egg whites until foamy and fold into the flour mixture. Pour the batter into two pans. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool on wire racks completely.

Chocolate Butter cream frosting

• 2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• ¼ cup cocoa powder
• 6-8 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar, sifted
• ½ tsp. table salt
• 1 tbsp. vanilla essence
• 8 tbsp. milk

Beat butter for a few minutes with a mixer on medium speed. Add 6 cups of powdered sugar gradually and turn your mixer on the lowest speed (so you don’t get a cloud of sugar everywhere) until the sugar has completely mixed with the butter. Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla essence, salt, and 4 tablespoons of milk and beat for about 5 minutes.

Note: If the frosting needs a more stiff consistency, add remaining sugar. If your frosting needs to be thinned out, add remaining milk at a time.

{NOTE: The flowers are made of vanilla butter cream. I had set aside few frosting before adding the cocoa powder. Also I have added few drops of red colour. I have used Tip # 12.

For basket, I have used Tip # 47, 44 & 32.

Leaves are made out of rolled fondants. }