Brinjal Salad (Maami"s Corner)

This week a good friend of mine passed away-my class mate & neighbor too. She was kind enough to share two really quaint recipes, one of which I had already posted- Pork Thoran. This the other offering  from Reno I post, as the year closes, with fond memories of good times we’ve shared otherwise. 

INGREDIENTS:

Brinjal/egg plant: 1 large purple variety

Onion: 1 chopped

Green chilli: 1 chopped

Coconut milk: 1/2cup

Salt to taste

Oil to smear on brinjal.

METHOD:

Rub oil on the brinjal & roast over  fire till the skin blackens well. 

Keep covered for some time, this helps remove the skin easily.

Mash, add all the other ingredients, mix well.

Serve with any rice preparation.  

 NOTE: you can steam the brinjal for about 15 minutes instead of roasting.

Beef Roast (Traditional Fare) -2

I have given one recipe for beef roast earlier.This recipe is very different, in that, it doesn’t require ginger, garlic or garam masala. It can be served not only with rice, but also as a sandwich filling.

Courtesy: Flori D’cruz

INGREDIENTS:

Beef: 1 kg

Onions: 3 sliced

Red chilli: 10 to 12 crushed

Turmeric powder: 1/2tsp

Vinegar: 2 tbsps

Oil: 5 tbsps

Salt to taste 

METHOD:

Wash beef & cut into 3 pieces.

Marinate with salt & turmeric powder.

Pressure cook for 15 to 20 minutes (depending on the cut of beef). Do not add any water.

When done,evaporate the excess stock & brown the meat in its own fat.

Cool slightly & slice the beef.

Heat oil in a frying pan, add sliced onions & fry it brown. Now, add crushed chillies.

When fragrant, add sliced beef.

Stir well, before taking off the fire add the vinegar.  

Strawberry Soufflé (Quick Fix)

INGREDIENTS:

Strawberry: 200 g, use strawberry crush/syrup instead about 200 ml

Milk: 1 litre (full cream)

Gelatine: 3 tbsps

Eggs: 3 separated

Vanilla essence: a few drops

Sugar: 3/4cup

METHOD:

Soak gelatine in half a cup of water. Double boil to melt.

 Liquidise strawberries. Keep aside.

Mix the egg yolks with milk & sugar, keep on fire & stir continuously till it comes to a thin custard like consistency. Put aside to cool.

When cool, add the gelatine & strawberry pulp. 

Whisk egg whites with 2 tsps of sugar till it forms soft peaks.

Fold the egg white into custard.

Pour into a glass dish & chill in refrigerator.

Note: stewed pineapples are a good alternative to strawberries. Also, make sure temperature of custard & fruit are the same otherwise it can curdle. 

Raisins Pudding (Traditional Fare)

We are used to cold or frozen desserts, but when the weather is cold too, we have to think of something warm. I have a few good hot pudding recipes, here’s one.

INGREDIENTS:

Golden raisins: 100 g

Carrot: 100 g grated

Currants or sultanas or dates: 100 g

Almonds: 100 g chopped

Nutmeg powder: 1/2tsp

Cinnamon powder: 1/2tsp

Caramel Syrup: 2 tbsps

Butter: 75 g

Plain flour: 100 g

Bread crumbs: 50 g

Sugar: 150 g

Baking soda: ½ tsp

Coke or beer: 150 ml

METHOD:

Grease a jelly mould & keep aside.

Dust the fruits & almonds with flour.

Beat sugar & butter well.

Mix all the ingredients one after the other.

Transfer into the greased moulds, cover with foil & steam for one hour.

Unmould & serve with custard sauce.

For custard sauce, cook half a litre milk with 2 beaten eggs, 3 tbsps sugar & 1 tsp vanilla essence till it coats the back of the spoon. Serve it warm with hot pudding. 

Or chilll the custard & serve with warm pudding.

Coco-Nut Burfi (Quick Fix)

I remember the pink coconut candy & “matrimony” (cashew nut candy) that my mother used to make for Christmas.  Aunty Esmy was an expert at this & my mother learnt it from her. This recipe is something in betweeen these two, using both coconut & cashew nuts & coloured with beet root instead of artificial colours. 

 

INGREDIENTS:

Coconut: 150 g grated fine

Cashew nuts: 150 g powdered

Condensed milk: 1 tin (400 g)

Milk powder: 5 tbsps

Beet root: 1 tbsp grated

Cardamom: 3 powdered

 Ghee: to grease a tray

METHOD:

In a non stick pan, mix coconut, cashew nut powder, condensed milk, beet root, milk powder & cardamom powder.

Put pan on the stove & heat up.

Stir till it becomes a soft ball ( takes about 10 to 12 minutes)

Transfer onto a greased tray, cool & cut into pieces.

Rava Idlis (Quick Fix) Maami's Corner

 After all the trouble we take in grinding the batter the previous day, fermenting it & making Idlis or Dosas, no one appreciates it. For a change try these Rava Idli. Quick & simple. No grinding, no fermenting!

INGREDIENTS:

Rava/semolina: 1 cup

Curd: ½ cup (preferably sour curd)

Fuit salt/ENO: 3/4tsp

Salt to taste

Oil to grease moulds

METHOD:

Mix rava with curd & enough water  to make a batter of pouring consistency.Add salt & set aside to soak for about 10 minutes.

In the meantime, grease the idli moulds & heat water in the steamer.

Add the fruit salt, pour into moulds immediately & steam for 10 minutes.

Serve with any chutney or sambar.

Vellayappam (Traditional fare)

For Christmas breakfast, lace or paal appams are something we can’t do without.But sometimes we’d like a change too. Here’s a very traditional appam that’s good with any meat curry.

INGREDIENTS:

Raw rice: 1 cup

Cooked rice: 1/2cup

Coconut: 1/cup

Cumin seeds: 1 tsp

Shallots: 6

Yeast: 1/tsp( instant)

Sugar: 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

METHOD:

Soak raw rice for an hour & grind with cooked rice,shallots, cumin & coconut gratings to a smooth paste. (the batter should be of a pouring consistency)

Add yeast, sugar & salt. Mix well & keep in a warm place to ferment.

(Instant yeast takes about an hour, whereas, active dry yeast takes about 6 to 8 hours)

Make small appams (like "Thattu dosas) on a hot tava, cover & cook. Do not turn over.

When done transfer to a plate & make the rest likewise.

Serve with any meat curry.

Kollam Special fish Curry (Traditional Fare) Seafood

A very simple, spicy fish curry, generally made with Sardines but you can use any variety.

Courtesy: Rosaline Xavier

INGREDIENTS:

Sardines: 500 g

Shallots: 100 g

Dry red chillies: 15

Turmeric powder: 1/4tsp

Tamarind pulp: 3 tbsps (thick)

Coconut oil: 1 tbsp

Curry leaves

Salt to taste

METHOD:

Crush shallots & red chilli together.

In an earthern ware pot, add crushed masala, turmeric powder, curry leaves, tamarind pulp & half a cup of water.

Bring to boil, add salt & fish.

Cover & cook on slow fire till done.

Swirl pot in between.

When done, pour coconut oil & take off fire.

Good with rice.

  

Prawn Balchao (Traditional fare) Sea food

This is similar to our prawn pickle, but here onions & tomatoes are used to make the gravy.

INGREDIENTS:

Prawns: 500 g preferably small ones

Oil: 200 ml

 Onion seeds/nigella/kalonji: 1 tsp

For the masala:

Red chilli: 10

Onion: 150 g

Tomato: 150 g

Cinnamon: 1 stick

Cardamoms: 3

Cloves: 6

Black pepper: 1 tbsp

Cumin seeds: 1 tsp

Ginger: 2 tbsps

Garlic: 20-25 pods

Vinegar: 150 ml

Sugar: 1 tbsp

Salt

METHOD:

Grind the ingredients for masala using vinegar.

Clean & devein prawns.

Heat oil, add the onion seeds & cleaned prawns. Stir till all the water evaporates & the prawns are partially fried.

Now, add the paste, sauté well till the gravy releases all the oil. Add salt & any remaining vinegar.

Cool well before bottling.

Note: dried prawns can be used too. For this, dry roast the prawns before adding to the masala.