Chapathi with ghee and Sugar

Another chapathi recipe which is a favourite lunch box recipe at our place. That too during the monsoon season. Kids love this. And it is also easy to make. Do try this.
Meanwhile kids at our place call this the triangle chapathi.

Ingredients:

Wheat flour - 2 cups

Lukewarm water - 1/2 cup

Salt - to taste

Ghee - 5 tsp (unmelted)

Sugar - 5 tbsp

Method:

• Mix the wheat flour and salt. Add lukewarm water little by little and make a smooth dough.
• Keep it aside for 30-40 minutes.
• Split the dough into equal sized balls.
• Roll one of the balls into a nice round chapathi.
• Spread little ghee into half of the chapathi. Sprinkle sugar on top of ghee.
• Fold the chapathi into half. Again spread ghee and sugar and fold the chapathi into quarters. Keep it aside.
• Make all the remaining balls into such triangles with ghee and sugar.
• Heat the tawa with medium heat.
• Take the triangle and spread it with the rolling pin. Don't make it too thin. Just spread a little bit.
• Cook this chapathi in medium heat. Flip the chapathi every 10 seconds so as to cook it evenly.

Sweet chapathis are ready!! Ofcourse no side dish is needed. Enioy!!

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Pan fried Beans

I have tried this pan fried beans when I had been to finland. There I have often packed this for lunch. Since the ingredients like garlic powder and onion powder were easily available over there, this recipe could be made in minutes. I havent tried this recipe in India and I dont know how it would taste without these powders. This pan fried beans is more like a salad but quite filling.

Ingredients:

French green beans - 250 grams

garlic powder - 1 tbsp

Onion powder - 1 tbsp

Olive oil - 2 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Pepper - to taste

Method:

• Clean the beans. Trim the ends and cut then into 2-3 inch long pieces.
• In a stainless steel pot over medium-high heat, combine green beans, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Cook, covered, until the beans begin to sweat. Remove lid and stir occasionally until beans are tender.
• When the beans and spices have begun to 'burn' on the bottom of the pan, which will lend a grilled flavor, stir in the olive oil and turn off heat. Cover, and let stand a few minutes. Scrape the bottom of the pan to incorporate the 'burnt' spices. Beans should have a dark, caramel color, but not black.

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Wheat Parotta

Starting this month's blogging marathon with Kid's friendly lunch box dishes.

Kerala Style Whole Wheat Parotta Recipe is an easy way to consume a parotta without feeling guilty about increasing the calorie. Parotta is one of the famous bread in Kerala which is eaten mainly with Kadale Curry or Egg Curry or with some spicy non-veg curry. This would be a good kids lunch box recipe. Kids like the egg curries and prefer any type of bread with them. But they of-course need varieties.

So I find this wheat parotta very different. Unlike the parotta made of all purpose flour, wheat parottas can be eaten cold. We don't get that rubber feeling. Kerala type parotta is basically a bread which is flaky and has many layer within. This is the result of rolling it thinly and then then folding it several times and then stretching it so that it forms a long thread like dough. It is then folded into a ball and rolled thin.

Ingredients:

Whole Wheat flour - 2 cups 

Ghee - 1 tbsp (for dough)

Milk - 1/2 cup 

Sugar - 1/2 teaspoon 

Water - as required ( Lukewarm)

Ghee or oil  - 5 tbsp (to brush)

Salt - to taste

Method:

• To begin making the Kerala Style Whole Wheat Parotta Recipe , in a mixing bowl put flour, 1 tablespoon ghee, milk, sugar, salt and sufficient lukewarm water and make a hard dough.
• Cover it and keep it aside for 15-20 minutes.
• Divide the dough into equal portions and roll them into balls. Apply some oil on the balls and cover it. Keep it aside for another 5 to 10 minutes.
• Spread a little oil or ghee on the table top. Place ball on it and roll it with the help of a rolling pin into thin sheet.
• Now apply some ghee or oil on the rolled sheet and dust it with the little refined flour.
• Make small pleats and roll into a round ball. Do the same with the remaining balls. Cover it and leave it aside for 5 minutes.Now take the rested balls and roll like chapati.
• Heat non-sticky tawa and place the rolled chapati on it.Drizzle little ghee or oil and cook it from both sides until lightly brown and crisp.

Kerala type whole wheat parotta is ready!!

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Mathan upperi

Guru poornima is actually a festival to celebrate our gurus. SO the next 2 recipes that I am posting here is a token of respect for my gurus in cooking which is non other than my MOM and MIL.

Today's recipe is from my moms cuisine. Honestly I haven't seen anyone else making this until today. Its a simple stir-fry with the Indian pumpkin - known as mathan.

Ingredients : 

Pumpkin : 1 cup (cleaned and chopped into small cubes)
Shallots /Small onion : 4-5 nos (crushed)
Turmeric Powder : 1/4 tsp
Crushed Chilly flakes : 1 tsp
Grated Coconut : 2 tbsp
Mustard Seeds : 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves : 1 sprig
Coconut oil : 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method:

• Heat coconut oil in the pan and splutter mustard seeds.
• Add crushed shallots, crushed chilly flakes, curry leaves  and saute until shallots turns golden  brown.
• Now add the grated coconut and saute for few seconds.
• Add the chopped pumpkin, turmeric powder and salt along with 1/2 cup of water.
• Cook over low flame till its done. 
• Remove from fire and serve hot with steamed rice and Enjoy!!

Note:

• Shallots can be avoided.
• Do not over-cook the pumpkin and make it mushy. Better to cook in an open tava.

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Vazhakka Mezhukkupuratti

As I mentioned in my previous post, todays post is a token of respect to my MIL. So I am posting her signature recipe - vazhakkai mezhukkupuratti - stir fry with raw plantain.

Mezhukkupuratti is yet another wonderful Kerala (South India) recipe which means coated with oil. 

 Raw Banana is cooked and tossed with onion-garlic-red chili coarse paste and then seasoned with coconut oil and other seasoning. Very flavorful dish and goes very well with Pulissery.

Ingredients:

Raw Banana 3 Medium Size

Turmeric Powder 1/4 Teaspoon

Salt To Taste

For Grinding: 

Shallots (Baby onions) 5-6

Garlic Cloves 3

Red Chilli 2

For Seasoning: 

Coconut Oil 3 Tablespoon

Mustard Seeds 1 Teaspoon

Curry Leaves Few

Method:

• Peel and chop the raw banana into cubes and soak them in water till we are ready cook. Soaking in water avoids de-colorisation. 
• In a mixer jar, add garlic, onion and red chili and pulse them once or twice just to crush them coarsely. If you have mortal & pestal you can use that to crush them. Set this crushed spice mixture aside
• Keep a sauce pan in flame and add the cubed raw banana. Add salt and turmeric powder along with water to soak the banana and cook them till they are soft and also little firm. The raw banana should not be mushy. Once the raw banana is cooked, strain any excess water and set it aside
• Heat coconut oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and allow it to sputter. Then add torn curry leaves and then add the crushed spice mixture and saute them nicely in oil till the raw smell goes off
• Once the raw smell of the spice mixture goes off, add the cooked raw banana and toss it gently with the spice mixture and seasoning. Do it gently and do not mash the raw banana
• Finally Garnish with 1 more teaspoon of coconut oil and switch off the flame
• The Tasty and flavor rich Vazhakkai Mezhukkupuratti is now ready to serve!

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Nellikkai Arachukalakki

The last one in this month's blogging marathon is one of my favorites from the traditional palakkad-iyer menu. My mom used to make this but I have never tried this recipe. When I saw the recipe in palakkad-cooking, I thought of trying this. If we have gooseberries in salt-brine we can make this recipe in minutes.

Arachukalakki is a distinctive dish of the palakkad-iyers. It is often made with nellika or with mavudu (salted small mangoes).  he name arachu kalaki exactly translates to the procedure of how this dish is made: Arachu meaning grind and kalaki meaning mix. It is a curd based side dish



Ingredients                      

1.       Fresh or Preserved Nellikai/ Gooseberries/Amla – 2 big or 10 small
2.       Grated Coconut – 2 tblsps
3.       Sour curd – 2 to 3 tblsps
4.       Dried Red Chillies – 3 – 4
5.       Methi seeds – ¼ tsp
6.       Mustard Seeds – ½ tsp k
7.       Curry Leaves a few
8.       Coconut oil – 1 tsp
9.       Salt to taste





Method:

• Heat a small pan with ½ tsp of oil, fry the methi seeds and red chillies. 
• Deseed the Nellikai or gooseberries. Grind the nellikai pieces, grated coconut, fried, methi seeds and red chillies into a fine paste. 
• Add little sour curd to get a smooth paste. Add salt to taste. 
• Transfer the ground pastes into a bowl. 
• Now, adjust consistency by adding some more curd. Mix well. 
• Arachukalaki should not be very thick like thogayal, it should be like pachadi or raita. 
• Heat a small frying pan with the remaining oil, add the mustard seeds, when they splutter pour it on top of the arachukalaki. Garnish with a few sprigs of curry leaves.
• Nellikai Arachukalaki is ready to be served with rice and molagootal. You can also relish the taste of this arachukalaki with idly or dosai.

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