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Friday 30 September 2011

Pressure Cooked Sardines/ Sardine Sandwich


Pressure cooked sardines tastes like the  canned ones.It can be refrigerated & used like it, without the fear of salt or chemicals used in canning.Sardines are rich in Omega 3 fatty acid, so include it in your diet & protect your HEART!       
Here I’ve made sardine sandwiches.

INGREDIENTS:

Sardines: 500 g
Onions: 1 cup chopped
Shallots: 1/2cup chopped
Green chilli: 3 chopped fine
Ginger: 1”piece chopped fine
Tomatoes: 3 blanched, skinned & chopped fine
Red chilli powder: 2 tsps
Tomato sauce: 1/2cup
Vinegar: 1 tbsp
Oil: 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

METHOD:

Mix the onions, shallots, green chilli, ginger, tomato, chilli powder, tomato sauce, vinegar & salt in a bowl.
In a pressure cooker, layer half the onion mix & place fish one by one over it.
Cover with remaining onions & dribble oil over it.
Pour a cup of water cover cooker & place on fire.
After the first whistle, lower flame & cook for 1 hour.
When done the fish bone will be soft, you can give it to children too.

Sardine Sandwich:

Cooked sardine: 2
Butter: 1 tbsp
Cucumber: 6 slices
Tomato: 1 sliced              
Bread: 6 slices

Mash the fish with a fork, add the butter.
Apply on one side of the bread, layer cucumber, tomato, or lettuce over it.
Cover with another slice, cut side & serve.

Thursday 29 September 2011

Pan Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce (Party Menu)



Everybody knows this recipe, usually made on a charcoal barbeque. You can also do the same on a pan, of course sans the charcoal flavour!

INGREDIENTS:

Chicken: 250 g boneless
Coconut milk: 2 tbsps (thick)
Chilli powder: 1 tsp
Coriander powder: 1 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/4tsp
Ginger- garlic paste: 1 tsp
Lemon grass: 2 tsps finey chopped
Sugar/jaggery: 1 tsp
Vinegar: 1 tsp
Salt to taste
 Oil: 1 tbsp

METHOD:
Cut chicken into long pieces & marinate with all the above, except oil.
Let it rest for at least 4 hours.
Skewer it on bamboo skewers.
Grease a non stick pan & place the sticks on it, dribble oil in between.
Keep rotating the sticks till evenly browned.
Serve with peanut sauce & salad.

PEANUT SAUCE:
Roasted peanuts: 1 cup coarsely crushed
Onion: 1
Garlic: 1 tsp
Lemon grass: 1 tsp
Red chilli powder: 1 tsp
Tamarind paste: 1 tsp
Coconut milk: 1/2cup
Oil: 2 tbsps
Sugar/jaggery: to taste
Salt to taste
 
Coarsely crush onion, garlic & lemon grass.
Heat oil, fry crushed onion paste.
Add chilli powder, tamarind, coconut milk & half the crushed nuts.
Pour 1 cup water, add salt & sugar.
Adjust consistency by adding more water, if required.
Mix in the remaining nuts before serving for that extra crunch.  

For those who like the sauce spicier, fry a teaspoon of red chilli powder in 2 tbsps of oil & pour over peanut sauce before serving.

Tuesday 27 September 2011

Baked fish (Just bakes)



INGREDIENTS:
Fish: 500 g boneless
Onion: 3 sliced
Capsicum: 2

Marinade:
Curd : 1 cup
Red chilli powder: 1 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/4tsp
Pepper powder: 1/2tsp
Cumin powder: 1/2tsp
Ginger- garlic paste: 1 tsp
Lime juice: 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

METHOD:

Marinate fish with the ingredients in marinade for 1 hour.
Layer a baking dish with sliced onions & capsicum.
Place fish over this & bake at 1800C for 40 minutes.
You can sprinkle some grated cheese over it, if you like, before baking.
Serve with garlic bread.

Tuesday 20 September 2011

Cheese biscuits (Just Bakes)

This new section is for only baked items, like the name suggests. It will contain both sweet & savoury, veg & non veg recipes.
Here's the first one.



INGREDIENTS:
Plain flour: 200 g
Butter: 50 g
 Cheese: 100 g
Pepper powder: 3/4tsp

METHOD:

Pre-heat oven to 1800C.
Rub butter into flour till it resembles crumbs.
Add cheese & pepper powder, sprinkle a tablespoon of cold water & form a dough.
Do not over knead.
Rest dough for 20 minutes in a refrigerator, then roll into small balls, press centre with your finger, place on baking tray.
Bake at 1800 C for 15 minutes or till golden brown.
Let it cool well before storing.

Saturday 17 September 2011

"Asthram" (Maami's Corner)

A very traditional preparation with yam, colocasia or cassava & generally served with rice porridge (Kanji) & ghee.
Courtesy: Elsie Morris

INGREDIENTS:
Yam/colocasia: 500 g
Red chilli powder: 1 tsp
Coconut: 1 cup
Shallots: 5
Green chilli: 5
Turmeric powder: 1/2tsp
Cumin seeds: 1/4tsp
Curd: 1/2cup or 1 tsp tamarind paste
Mustard: 1/4tsp
Red chilli: 2
Curry leaves
Oil: 2 tsps
Salt to taste
  
METHOD:

Pressure cook yam, with 2 cups water, chilli powder & turmeric powder, for 3 whistles.
Grind coconut with shallots, green chilli, cumin & a few curry leaves to a coarse paste.
Put the ground paste into cooker, add tamarind/curd & salt.
Boil for 2 minutes more & season with mustard, dry chilli & curry leaves.

Tuesday 13 September 2011

Paal payasam (Quick Fix) onam special



INGREDIENTS:

Raw rice: 50 g (a handful)
Milk: 1 litre
Sweetened condensed milk: 1 tin
Sugar: 2 tbsp
Salt: a pinch

METHOD:

Pressure cook washed & soaked rice in milk for 15 minutes.
After steam goes, pour the condensed milk, stir well.
Add sugar & a pinch of salt.
Rest the payasam for 10 minutes before serving.

NOTE: Generally, paalpayasam in Kerala is not flavoured with cardamom. But rice kheer in the North, similar to this payasam, is not only flavoured but dry fruits are also added to it. 

Friday 9 September 2011

Kadala pradhaman (Traditional Fare) Onam special

Pradhamans/Payasams normally takes a long time to prepare, but with instant coconut milk it can be made in a jiffy.

INGREDIENTS:
Channa dhal/Bengal gram dhal: 250 g
Jaggery: 200 g
Coconut milk powder: 5 tbsps                                                                                                                   
Water: 750ml
Coconut: 1/2cup grated
Raisins: 25 g
Cashew nuts: 25 g
Ghee: 3 tbsps
Cumin powder: ½ tsp
Dry gingerpowder: 1/2tsp
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
METHOD:

Pressure cook dhal with 2 cups water till soft.
Mix the coconut milk powder in water & keep aside.
Melt jaggery in half a cup of water, cool & strain to remove dirt.
In a heavy bottomed pan, add the cooked dhal & pour the jaggery syrup.
Cook till it is reduced to a thick paste, add ghee in between & keep stirring till it reaches a soft ball consistency (the taste depends on this, so do it patiently).
Now, pour coconut milk. Bring to boil.
In a small pan heat ghee, fry nuts, raisins & coconut till brown.
Pour into pradhaman & add the flavourings.
Let it rest for sometime before serving.

NOTE:
Another variation is the green gram dhal pradhaman. Method remains the same.

Monday 5 September 2011

Olan (Maami's Corner) Onam special


This is one of the must-haves for any Sadya, and very easy to make.

INGREDIENTS:
  Ash gourd/white pumkin/"Kumbalanga: 250 g
Yam/chena: 100 g
Cow peas/red/Vanpayar: ½ cup
Coconut milk: 1/2cup (thick)
Green chilli: 5
Coconut oil: 1 tbsp
Curry leaves
Salt to taste

METHOD:

Soak beans overnight. Cook the beans well & keep aside.
In a pan, cook ash gourd & yam with green chilli & salt in three fourth cup of water.
Then, add the cooked beans, let the water evaporate, if there’s any.
Now, pour thick coconut milk, do not boil.
Adjust salt, pour coconut oil & drop in the curry leaves.
Cover & keep for sometime before serving.

Even though traditionally the red variety (called "vanpayar") is used, I have used white ones. 

Sunday 4 September 2011

Fish Kebabs (Quick Fix)


INGREDIENTS:
Fish: 250 g (boneless)
Egg: 1
Red chilli paste: 1 tsp or chilli powder: 1 tsp
Garlic: 10 pods
Green chilli: 2
Corn flour: 11/2tbsps
Mint: 1 tbsp chopped
Salt to taste
Oil to fry

METHOD:
Grind fish with garlic, chilli paste, egg, salt & garlic to a smooth paste.
Transfer to a bowl, add corn flour, chopped mint & green chilli. Mix well.
Heat oil, put spoonful of the mix in oil, deep fry & serve with salad & sauce.