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.

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.  

Paneer Masala (Maami's Corner)

INGREDIENTS:

Paneer: 250 g cubed

Capsicum:  100 g

Tomato: 3 pureed

Coriander seeds: 2 tsps

Red chilli: 5 to 7

Kasuri methi/dry fenugreek leaves: 1 tsp

Cashew nut paste: 2 tbsps

Green chilli: 2 chopped

Ginger: 2 tsps

Garlic: 10 pods ground

Ghee/clarified butter: 2 tbsps

Coriander leaves

Salt to taste

METHOD:

Grind coriander & red chilli together.

Heat ghee in a kadai, add garlic paste, capsicum & ground paste.

Cook till fragrant.

Add green chilli, ginger & cook further.

Now, add the tomato puree & sauté further.

Stir in cashew paste.

Sprinkle kasuri methi & add salt.

Last add the cubed paneer.

Garnish with coriander leaves & serve with rotis.

Oats Idli (Quick Fix)

The ability of this cereal to lower blood cholesterol is commendable. I have experienced this personally. Make it a regular breakfast item. I know, we think only of the porridge when we say Oats but there’s more.  I have given the oats puttu  recipe, now, the idlis! No compromise on taste, I promise.

INGREDIENTS:

Oats: 1 cup
Semolina/rava/sooji: 1/4cup

Fresh curd: 1/2cup

Fruit salt/Eno: 1/2tsp

Salt to taste

To temper:

Onion: 1 chopped fine

 Green chilli: 1 chopped fine

Curry leaves:  a few

Oil: 2 tsps

METHOD:

Mix curd with the oats, rava, salt & half a cup of water. Keep for a while to soak.

In the mean time, do the tempering. You can use urad dal or channa dal also , to give that extra bite.Pour enough water to get a dropping consistency. 

Stir in the fruit salt.

Grease idli moulds & pour a ladle full into each & steam for 10 to 15 minutes.

This takes a little longer to cook unlike the rice idlis.

Serve with any chutney/sambar.

Mattar -Aloo Kheema (Traditional Fare)

INGREDIENTS:

Minced beef: 500 g

Green peas: 100 g

Potato: 250 g cubed small

Onion: 2 chopped fine

Garlic: 1 tbsp chopped

Ginger: 1tsp chopped

Green chilli: 2 chopped

Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp

Pepper powder: 1/2 tsp

Garam masala powder: 1/2 tsp

Chilli powder: 1/2 tsp

Coconut   grating: 1 small cup

Coriander leaves: ½  cup

Salt to taste

Oil: 2tbsps

METHOD:

 Grind coconut & coriander leaves to a coarse paste. Keep aside.

Heat oil, fry onions, garlic, ginger, green chilli till fragrant. Add the spice powders. Fry well.

 Put in the minced beef. Cover & cook till meat is half done.

 Now, put peas & cubed potatoes. Stir well, add salt, cover & cook for 5 minutes more. Open lid, mix in ground coconut.

This is a dry dish. Serve with rice, or rotis .It can be also used as a filling for toasted sandwich or Katti rolls.

 

Mor Kolambu (Maami's Corner)

This is traditional Trichy (Tamil Nadu) style Mor Kolambu.

INGREDIENTS:

Ash gourd/kumbalanga: 100 g or colocasia/chembu/arbi

Green chilli: 6

Coconut: ½ cup

Turmeric powder: ½ tsp

Curd: ½ litre

Bengal gram: 1 tbsp

Coriander seed: 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

For tempering:

Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp

Red chilli: 2

Fenugreek: a pinch

Oil: 1 tbsp

METHOD:

Soak Bengal gram, coriander seeds. Grind with coconut & green chilli.

Cook the vegetable with turmeric & salt.

Add the ground masala. Let it boil for some time. Take it off the fire.

Pour in beaten curd. Mix well.

For tempering, heat oil, splutter mustard seeds, add red chilli, fenugreek & curry leaves.

Cool slightly before pouring into the Mor kolambu.

Madras Mutton Curry (Traditional Fare)

Madras mutton curry is very famous all over. This gravy is served with parathas, ghee rice or just plain white rice. Try this.

INGREDIENTS:

Mutton: 500 g

Shallots: 100 g

Curry leaves

Coriander leaves

Oil: 1 tbsp

salt to taste

MASALA- 1

Red chilli powder: 1 tbsp or 6 whole chillies

Coriander powder: 1 tbsp

Black pepper powder: 1 tsp

Cumin seeds: 1 tsp

Dry roast all ingredients in 1 & powder.

MASALA  2

 Coconut: 1 cup

Fennel/aniseed: 1 tsp

Poppy seeds/khus khus: 1 tsp

Dry roast fennel & poppy seeds & grind with coconut.

FOR TEMPERING:

Garlic: 1 tsp

Cinnamon: 1” piece

Cloves: 4

Cardamom: 2

Coarsely crush all ingredients for tempering & keep aside.

METHOD:

In a pressure cooker, add mutton, shallots, salt & masala 1. Cook for 10 minutes.

When done add masala 2 & water, according to gravy required.

In another pan, heat oil, add crushed ingredients & curry leaves. Fry till fragrant.

Pour into the mutton curry. Sprinkle coriander leaves. Adjust salt.

Serve with plain white rice or rotis.

The famous Madras Mutton Curry is ready!

"Meen Pollichathu"-1 (Traditional Fare)

Traditional “Meen Pollichathu” is nothing like the present day preparation, where the fish is fried and then coated with masala & wrapped in banana leaf.

This recipe is from Kollam & let me tell you, I  have  tasted this yummy pollichathu only there. And another point to note here is, the use of the leaves of the tree lettuce to wrap the fish. Every home would have one growing in their back yard or along the fence. These eaves are edible. Of course, you can use banana leaves instead. 

INGREDIENTS:

Fish: 4 (mackerels, pomfret or sardines can be used)

Red chilli powder: 2 tsps

Ginger: 1” piece

Shallots: 6

Curry leaves: a few

Tamarind: a small ball

Black pepper: 1 tsp

Jeera/cumin: 1/2tsp

Fenugreek/methi: 1/4tsp

Salt to taste

Oil: 1 tsp

Tree lettuce leaves 

METHOD:

Grind all except fish, oil & tree lettuce leaves.

Make slits on both sides of fish, apply masala & keep aside for half an hour.

Rub a little oil on the leaf & place a fish on it. Cover with another one & cook on hot girdle /tava.

Sprinkle a little water, cover & cook for 10 minutes. Turn over & cook the other side too.

Brown both sides well.

Serve with the leaf, it is edible too.          

Kadala curry- a variation (Maami's Corner)

In Kerala, Kadala curry is made using roasted coconut masala, which generally takes a long time to prepare. This one is different, using fresh coconut & is simple to make. No compromise on taste.!

INGREDIENTS:

Bengal gram/chick peas: 1 cup, soak overnight

Coconut: 2 tbsps

Cashew nuts: 6

Onions: 1 chopped

Tomato: 1 choped

Garlic: 2 tsps crushed

Green chilli: 2 slit

Fennel: 2 tsps

Red chilli powder: 1 tsp

Coriander: 1 tsp

Turmeric powder: 1/4tsp

Garam masala powder: 1/2tsp

Curry leaves: a few

Oil: 2 tsps

Salt to taste

METHOD:

Pressure cook soaked gram till really soft, adding 2 cups water.

Grind the coconut, cashew nuts, 1 tsp fennel & a few curry leaves together. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan, add the remaining fennel, then add the onion, green chilli & curry leaves.

Sauté well. Add chilli powder, coriander, turmeric & garam masala.

 Now, add chopped tomatoes & sauté till soft.

Put in cooked gram & ground paste.

Stir well & simmer on low flame till thick.

Serve with “Puttu”,” Appam” or “Rotis”.