Beef Cutlet

The second recipe for picnic hampers is beef cutlet. This is a little sinful snack fried in oil and made with meat and potatoes. But for people who like meat and fried items, this would be ideal for picnics. This crunchy and crispy meat treat is a specialty from kerala. It is a good finger food or starter or snack for Indian parties and festivals. In christian marriages in kerala, Appam or Bread and Stew with cutlets is a popular combination. 

Ingredients:

Beef - 250 grams

Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tbsp

Oil - 1 tbsp

Big onion - 1

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Pepper powder - 1 tsp

Chilly powder - 1 tsp

Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp

Potato (boiled) - 1

Garam masala powder - 1 tsp

Salt - to taste

Bread crumbs - to roll the cutlets

Egg white - 2 eggs

Oil - for deep frying

Method:

• Chop the beef into small pieces. Wash and clean well.
• Mix salt, turmeric powder, coriander powder, chilly powder with the cleaned beef and marinate it for 30 minutes.
• Cook the beef in pressure cooker for about 3 whistles or until they are softly cooked.
• Once cool, take only the beef pieces (without the water) and add them to a mixer. Just pulse the beef pieces. Be careful not to grind them.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a non-stick pan, add ginger and garlic paste. Saute for 1 minute.
• Add chopped onion saute until golden brown.
• Add pepper powder and garam masala powder. Saute for another 1 minute.
• Add the minced beef. Switch off the stove.
• Once cool, add the mashed potatoes. Check for salt and mix everything together and evenly. The beef mixture is ready.
• In  a plate spread the bread crumbs and keep it ready.
• Beat the egg whites and keep it ready.
• Take a small portion of cutlet mix in your palm; make a small flat round shape.
• Dip it into beaten egg white.
• When egg whites well coated, place it into bread crumbs and cover/roll well.keep aside.
• Do the processes until all cutlets mix complete.
• Heat oil in a frying pan. When it’s hot enough for frying, place the shaped cutlets one by one.

• Fry until crispy and golden. Remove from heat.
• Serve hot and crispy with some tomato sauce or pudina chutney!!

Notes:

You can alternately buy and use minced beef. Directly add these to the sauted onions and cook in low heat. Do not add water. The water from the minced beef would be enough for cooking.

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Uzhundhu Kozhukattai

This week for the Blogging Marathon I have selected Picnic hampers. I love to go on one-day picnics. Who doesn't love right? That too I love to go on a long drive, park the car somewhere and have packed snacks or packed lunches... yummmm. And of course we do this often. Travelling to our hometown has become one such picnic hobby for me.

The first recipe I would like to present as a picnic hamper is these uzhundhu kozhakkattai. These are steamed rice dumplings which have urad dal as the filling. Very healthy snack item since these are steamed and urad dal gives a lot of strength. So all the more ideal for picnic. Yeah these kozhukkattais are usually made during vinayaka or ganesh chathurthi in southern India.

Ingredients:

For the filling:

Urad dal - 1/2 cup

Green chillies - 4

Grated coconut - 1/2 cup

Salt - as needed

Mustard - 1 tsp

Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp

Oil - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

For the outer covering:

Idiyappam flour - 1 cup

Water - 1 &1/3 cup,or as needed

Sesame oil - 1 tsp

Salt - to taste

Method:

• Boil water with oil and salt. Take the flour in a broad vessel. Add the boiling water little by little and mix with the help of a ladle.
• Let it cool for about 5 min, it may be warm, still knead with your hands to make a smooth dough.The consistency should be like our chapatti dough...non sticky. Keep covered till you use to prevent drying. Make equal size balls out of it.
• Soak the urad dal for an hour. In a mixer, grind green chilies with salt and half the asafoetida and lastly add well drained urad dal and run the mixer only twice or thrice (Use juice/inch option) to a coarse consistency. Take care that Urad dal should not be ground smooth.
• In a greased idly plate, steam this mixture in idly pot for 5-8 minutes. Cool down and crumble it.
• In a broad pan/kadai, heat the oil and season with mustard, asafoetida and curry leaves. Then add the steamed mixture and fry in medium flame till the mixture becomes dry..(3 min)
• Lastly add grated coconut and fry for a minute.This mixture should be fluffy.. 
• Take each rice flour ball. Flatten it into a small round shape. 
• Place 1 spoon of filling in the centre. Fold the dough and seal it. You can make any shape as you like.
• Steam the kozhukkatais in a idli cooker for about 10 minutes until the rice flour dough is well cooked and looks shiny.

Notes:

• Adding coconut is optional, but it enhances the taste very well
• Keep the dough always closed and try to finish making the kozhukattais as soon as possible as keeping for long time may lead to cracking/dry kozhukattais
• Grease your hands generously with oil each time you make kozhukattai, to get it smooth.

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Layered Banana Custard

Another sweet for the mother's day special is the layered banana custard. Since we always have a stock of bananas at home, I keep trying to find out some sweets or alternate recipes to finish off the bananas. I am not sure if this recipe is my own invention or if I found this out in any blog. Anyways I have been making this recipe often now.

I guess this recipe can be made with other fruits also. I usually make this recipe in batches of 6 to 10 cups and refrigerate it. It stays good for about a week. This will be an ideal dessert for parties also and easy to make. Do try it out.



Ingredients:

Banana - 10
Honey - 3 tbsp
Custard powder - 50 grams
Milk - 500 ml
Sugar - 30 grams
Vanilla essence - 2 tbsp
Condensed Milk - 50 ml
Grated Coconut -  5 tbsp
Dry fruits - 5 tbsp

Method:

• Chop the bananas finely. Soak them in honey and keep it aside.
• Mix the custard powder, sugar and milk. Stir well such that the sugar and custard powder is dissolved. Add the vanilla essence also.
• Boil the milk mixture until it thickens and forms a nice custard.
• Takes glass bowls. First add a layer of the prepared custard.
• Next layer add the soaked bananas.
• Next layer add a spoon of condensed milk.
• Top it up with grated coconut and dry fruits.

Rich banana custard is ready!! Refrigerate and serve chilled!!

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