Bread Fruit Thoran | Kadachakka(Cheema chakka )Thoran

Bread fruit /Kadachakka closely relates to jackfruit and belongs to the mulberry family.Its also a good source of vit C ,excellent source of potassium and copper loaded with lots of calories and more of fiber.It helps in reducing cholesterol and acts as a bulk laxative.It.Here,its difficult to find bread fruit but at times its available in the korean markets.Earlier I had posted the kadachakka curry/Bread fruit curry sometime back,this is another healthy version with it too,a simple stir fry !!

Ingredients
bread fruit/kadachakka 1/2
shallots 8-10
green chillies 4-5 vertical slit
garlic cloves 3-4 sliced
grated/shredded coconut 1/2 cup
mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
garama masala 1/2 tsp
salt
oil 2tsp
curry leaves 1-2 sprigs

Method

-Wash & peel the bread fruit removing the tough skin.Wash again,cut in small cubes.Add water(1 cup) in a pan with salt and turmeric powder,cook until tender & soft(takes about 20-25 mins) OR pressure cook the bread fruit with salt,water for 2 whistles.

-Heat oil in a non stick pan or kadai(wok),splutter mustard seeds.Add in the shallots and garlic cloves along with green chillies.Saute until shallots are translucent.Add 1/4 tsp turmeric powder & garam masala.

-Add the cooked bread fruit cubes,coconut shredded.Toss well,cover & cook for  another 5-7 minutes on low medium heat.

-Uncover ,toss again and is ready to serve with rice !!

Servings~ 3 adults

NOTES

* You can add chilly powder if required instead of green chillies.

* You can also add onion in place of shallots but shallots taste better.

* Check water in between while cooking bread fruit ,add if requires more to cook.

Announcing EP Series- Garlic Or Turmeric

Starting from Dec1st,EP series starts its journey with one of my friend,Viya @ Spice N Flavors.A big bunch of thanx to Viya for taking the initiative to host the series this month inspite of her busy schedule these days.The theme for this month is "Garlic Or Turmeric".The rules remain the same except a few changes in the logo.Hope all my blogger friends would participate with the same zeal & enthusiasm as always.Thanx to all those who have been part of this series and participated to make it a great success.So,drop in all your recipes to the event with the theme,"Garlic Or Turmeric" :)
I would also love to thank Divya @Divya's Culinary Journey. for hosting last month's series-Asafoetida &  Fennel Seeds.Thanx all the wonderful participants  too!!

Baked Vegetable Cutlets

Cutlets,veg or non veg forms are always a crowd pleaser and definitely a great appetizer.This time for 'Fried to fav' series -we had this challenge of making these fried cutlets into baked cutlets.And happily I accepted the challenge as I had done it before with chicken cutlets ,broccoli cutlets.This time it was vegetable cutlets.But I should admit that this was the best baked cutlets so far,each time when I baked cutlets I always had a dry bread crust on top which was not appealing as compared to the golden brown fried cutlets.This happened to be a similar try,and tasted just like the fried ones.They were crisp outside with a nice golden color and soft inside.But the deep brown color can't be achieved,however who cares the color,if the same taste is recreated by curtailing some extra calories.So,try these out & enjoy a guilt free delicious snack !!!

Ingredients
potato 2 medium chopped
onion 1 medium sized fine chopped
ginger -garlic paste 1/2-3/4 tsp
carrots 2 medium fine chopped
cabbage  shredded 1/2 cup
beans 1/2 cup chopped fine
cilantro 4-5 sprigs
pepper powder 1/2 tsp
garam masala 3/4 tsp
oil 2 tbsp + 2tbsp
salt
for cover
egg white 1
OR
all purpose flour 3tbsp
corn starch 2tbsp
water 1/2 cup

bread crumbs 1 cup

Method
-Wash and chop all veggies.Take a microwave safe bowl and add the potatoes in it with salt and water.Microwave for 10 mins on high.Mash the potatoes and keep aside.OR Pressure cook the potatoes in a cooker until 3 whistles.Peel and mash the potato, keep aside.
-Heat  2 tbsp of oil in a pan and saute onion till translucent.
-Add the ginger-garlic paste,saute until raw smell disappears.
-Add the chopped beans,carrots,cabbage.Saute until it turns tender and cooked.
-Add the spices,and mashed potato.Add the chopped cilantro.Mix well.Put off flame & let it cool.
-Take small amounts of the mix and roll in your palms to make even patties.
-Take another bowl with egg white or make a thick paste with all purpose flour and corn starch by adding enough water and spread the bread crumbs in a separate plate.
-Dip the patties in egg white or the paste and roll in bread crumbs.
-Pre heat oven to 375 degrees F and keep a tray ready lined with parchment paper.

-Place the patties on the tray.Add a drop of oil in the center of each cutlet so that it evenly spreads.Repeat for all cutlets.(prevents drying of crust)
-Place and bake in the oven for 15-17 minutes.Take this out ,flip the other side and add a drop of oil on the reverse side too.Bake again for 10-12 minutes.Broil the last minute to give a nice color to crust.(But keep a watch over the broiling after 30 secs,varies with oven)
-Remove from oven and serve with ketchup !!


Servings ~ 20 cutlets

NOTES
* You can add any veggies of your choice.The quantities can remain the same.
* Broiling is totally optional,you may burn the cutlets if not properly done.
* You can even use green chillies instead of pepper powder.
* If you are a pure vegetarian then use the all purpose flour,corn starch paste to dip the cutlets and then roll in bread crumbs.

Linking this to Nupur@ UK Rasoi for FRIED TO



Also sending this to Spotlight:Healthy Baking event hosted by Indrani @ Recipe Junction,South indian Cooking event hosted by Divya @ Divya's Culinary Journey, Bake Fest event by Anu @Anu's healthy  ,60 days of Christmas hosted by Priya & Divya

Stuffed Mushroom

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving,gals !! Today's recipe is Stuffed Mushrooms.Stuffed mushroom has a variety of preparations for stuffing(veg & non veg).This is a simple vegetarian stuffing that I tried.This can be served as a great snack or appetizer.You can use both button or bella mushrooms for this recipe.I referred both Kitchen Corner -Try it & A Tasty Challenge for the recipe.Thanx Suja & Asha for the wonderful recipes.Though both recipes are almost same,but I made slight changes here & there taking the tips from both.This is a very delicious recipe and a simple one to prepare for parties & get together.Do check it out !!!

Ingredients
mushrooms 12 medium ones
bread crumbs  1/4 cup
cream cheese 2 tbsp
grated cheese 1/3 cup
onion chopped /shallots fine chopped1/3 cup
garlic 1 clove fine chopped
pepper powder to taste
salt to taste
cilantro chopped 2tsp
oil 2 tsp
olive oil to grease

Method
-Wash the mushroom under running water by holding the button top.Wipe it with a kitchen towel and snap the stem gently without breaking the cavity.Chop the stems very fine,keep aside.
-Heat oil in a pan and saute the chopped onion/ shallots & garlic.Add the chopped mushroom stems.Saute for  about 2 minutes until the water oozes out of the stems and is cooked.Add pepper & salt,switch off flame.
-In another bowl,add the cream cheese,grated cheese,chopped coriander,add sauteed mixture and bread crumbs.Add salt & pepper if required.
-Pre heat oven to 375 degrees F.Line a tray with aluminium foil and grease a tray with olive oil,keep aside.

-Lightly salt the cavities,take a tea spoon full of mixture fill in the cavities.Place each of these in the tray with the filling side facing upwards.Drizzle  few drops of olive oil on top.
-Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.Serve warm !!

Servings~ 3 people

NOTES
* You can even add the bread crumbs at the end on top to get the crispy nature once you have filled the cavities.Add a tsp of butter,mix the bread crumbs & add to the top.
* Be careful not to soak the mushrooms completely in water when washing.
* I have used grated mozarella cheese and low fat cream cheese in the recipe.
* I have used regular chopped onions.

Sending this to 60 days of Christmas hosted by Priya & Divya

A Fondant Baby Shower Cake | Chocolate Banana Cake

It was one of our close friend's baby shower last week and they are expecting their second baby soon.The baby shower was planned as a surprise for her with all cake,kerala snacks,gifts & games.The idea behind selecting the traditional snacks was to recreate the effect of vayarukaanal chadangu/ prasavathinu vidal (occasion of expectant mother to be sent her mother's place for delivery) where we carry lots of traditional snacks to the groom's house and pregnancy is the time you always miss the traditional ones the most when you are away from home,Isn't it??

My part was the cake-This is my second attempt with fondant and I was quite tensed up doing the same as this was the time I had a  larger group to serve the cake unlike the previous one and so did a lot of home work before preparing the cake.The gender of the baby was already known so had no confusions to select the color,hope u understood:)I made a rough sketch of the cake along with colors to see how the final end product will look like.Decided the icing and this is the first time I prepared a Swiss Meringue Butter Cream frosting from scratch and was very much satisfied with the results.I initially wanted to bake a cake using cake mix but my research to fondant cakes taught me that fondant cake are best covered with a denser cake.(The cake mix cakes always easily gets pressed down  due to the softer texture and so the smoothing may not be perfect).So,finally decided to bake a chocolate banana cake.I prepared two cakes -12*8 & 8*8 cake sizes.Then cut the bigger cake,made 10*8 cake size and joined this portion to the top layer to make the 8*8 cake,a 10*8 cake.The cake was liked by all and everyone enjoyed it !!

My first fondant cake is here,check out if interested :)

Ingredients
for chocolate cake- 12*8" (adapted from here)
all purpose flour 1 3/4 cup
granulated white sugar 2 cups(400gm)
unsweetened cocoa powder 3/4 cup
baking powder 1 1/2 tsp
baking soda 1 1/2 tsp
salt 1/2 tsp
eggs 2 large
mashed rip banana 1 cup (2 medium sized banana)
warm water 1 cup()240 ml)
vegetable oil 1/2 cup(120 ml)
milk 1/2 cup
vanilla extract 1 1/2 tsp

for 8*8 cake (I just halved the 12*8 cake measures and prepared the cake,worked great.)

For marshmallow fondant
(refer recipe here in my previous fondant post)

for Swiss Meringue Butter Cream Icing-(adapted from here)
egg white 4 oz(1/2 cup or 3-4 large egg whites)
granulated sugar 1 cup
butter 1 lb(4 sticks) at room temperature (refer notes)
vanilla extract 2tsp(refer notes)

for figurines
gum paste- 3/4 pkt (I used Wilton's)
wilton icing gel colors
edible writers
vanilla frosting 1 pk

Method
For Chocolate Banana Cake-
-Preheat Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place rack in the center of the oven. Butter, or spray with a non stick vegetable spray, a 9 x 13 inch (23 x 33 cm) pan. Set aside. 
-In a large bowl whisk together the sugar, flour,  cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
-In another large bowl,whisk to gether the eggs,mashed bananas,water,milk,oil and vanilla extract.
-Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingrdients and stir until combined.(The batter will be very thin)
-Pour the cake batter in the prepared pan and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
-Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack.Invert the cake after 15 minutes on a parchment paper and let it cool for 1-2 hours before frosting.

In the same way,prepare the smaller cake using half the ingredients and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.Cool completely in the same manner as above before frosting.

(Last two slices of the cake,just for the view inside :))

For Swiss Meringue Butter Cream Icing(SMBC)-
-Lightly whisk egg whites and sugar in a non greasy bowl preferably the mixing bowl (refer notes)
-Hold the bowl over simmering water on the stove top until the sugar is no more grainy to touch i.e sugar is completely dissolved or the candy thermometer reads 140 degrees F(60 degrees C).
-Pour the egg white and sugar mixture in another bowl and using an electric beater /wire whip  beat until its doubles in volume on medium -high speed.When you stop the mixer,the meringue shouldn't move around in the bowl.(I couldn't click all pics ,but some of them are here)

-In the mean time,cut the butter in 2" pieces and add half of the butter to the meringue.(Make sure the meringue is completely cpooled down,otherwise the butter may melt)

-Pulsate the mixer/beater several times until the butter has covere the butter completely.Add the remaining butter and pulsate.Increase the speed of the mixer until you reach medium-high speed.

-Continue beating until the mixture begins to look light & fluffy.Stop & scrape the bowl.

-Add the flavoring and continue to beat on low speed for 45 seconds.Increase the speed to medium high for another 45-60 seconds and put off.
-I made the icing 2 days before preparing the cake.Refrigerated and thawed to room temperature before use.

For Making Figurines-

(figurines-baby,shoes,rattle,baby bottle,gifts)

Click on the individual figurines listed to check out the referred video & sites to make them-
Baby model ,
Shoes pattern,
Rattle,
bow
I used edible writers to do many things on the dress,the writings the rattle.

Assembling of the cake
-If you are using store brought fondant,skip this step.Otherwise prepare your fondant.Place in an air tight container or ziploc bags and leave at room temperature.(Donot refrigerate)
-After both the cakes are completely cooled,I cut out the 2"part from the length and kept aside.Check the dimension of all sides if equal otherwise trim the edges.If the top of the cake has a bulge in the center,trim that out to make it even.
-Take the cake board,place a  tbsp of frosting in the centre and place the first layer of cake.
-Place the cake with the cake board on a turn table and apply frosting /icing in the center.Smooth it evenly and then place the second cake along with the cut out portion.
-Apply icing again and cover the sides too completely.This is crumb coating.Smooth it out using a off set spatula or knife.
-Now,cover the cake and refrigerate for 4-5 hours.
-Then,remove and add the final coat of frosting to clear out all crumbs shown.I used vanilla frosting for this layer.(store brought)Smooth out all sides,remove excess.
-Cover & refrigerate overnight preferably.
-In the mean time,I prepare the figurines using the gum paste(store brought).Add colors and knead to make it smooth before making.
-Leave out to dry.
-On the day of the party,I thawed the frosted cake to room temperature.Leave on a turn table.
-Remove the desired fondant from bag/can.Keep the rest covered in cling wrap.If you want a colored one.Add icing gel colors,knead to get the desired colors.Mine was white at the base,so skipped this step.Sprinkle confectioners sugar on the clean counter top.(fondant takes up dirt very soon)Knead the fondant to get the smooth texture.Add the confectioners sugar as and when required and roll out the fondant on the mat or counter top as thin as possible.Always measure the length,width and height of the rolled fondant,keep 2-3" extra to cover the cake.
-Using the rolling pin,gently flip it over the cake.Now using a fondant smoother,smooth out the sides ,corners and top.Trim out the excess fondant at the base using a knife.(I was short of time,couldn't click pics of the details,sorry)
-Now make your desired patterns with colored fondant..Always cover the bottom layer with a strip or make pleats or simply roll balls and place the corners.Gives a neat look.
-Place your figurines finally,brush a drop of water underneath the figurine to place and glue it up or place just like that.
-I made a bow with the fondant itself as I din't want it to dry completely.
-I was left out with one last piece when I could click the inside of the cake.

Servings ~ 10*8" 2 layered cake (cut 35-40 pieces)

NOTES
* You can use lemon extract,orange extract,almond extract or vanilla extract for SMBC icing as per your tastes.

* Always wipe the bowl (that you use for holding egg whites & beating) with vinegar to avoid any greasy touch.Otherwise your egg white may not cream out well.

* The butter used for SMBC icing should be moist outside but cold inside.

* The icing can be stored in an air tight container in freezer upto 3 months.Defrost completely (several hours) and re whip before using(don't over do)

* You can use the equivalent meringue powder(each tbsp of meringue powder mixed with 2 tbsp water is equal to one egg white )or pasteurised egg whites too to avoid contamination.

* You can easily double the ingredients & prepare a larger batch if required.

* Though the cake size was for 13* 9 pan but I used a 12* 8 pan and could get a good cake with the same measurements.
* Always use the same color of fondant base to the icing preferably.

* Don't refrigerate the cake after fondant is applied.Leave covered at room temperature toprevent drying.
* Use the icing that can be left out at room temperature accordingly.

Okra Curry | Vendakka Theeyal

Okra theeyal or curry is a very authentic and traditional dish of Kerala with the blend of roasted coconut flavors and tamarind.This curry is best served with steaming hot rice.Shallots also play an added flavoring to the curry.Theeyals were always my childhood favorite and still too.So,try &enjoy !!



Ingredients

okra 15-20 small or 10-12 large

shallots/pearl onion 7-8 halved

green chillies 2-3 vertical slit(optional)

tamarind 1 gooseberry size

curry leaves few

oil 2tbsp

salt

to dry roast

coconut 1 cup

coriander powder 1tbsp

chilly powder 3/4 tsp

turmeric powder 1/2 tsp

Method

-Wash and pat dry the okra,cut cubed pieces or slightly larger.

-Heat a pan and dry roast the coconut until golden brown.Refer pics here.Add in the spices on low flame and warm it up.Put off flame and let it cool.Blend them to a smooth paste with little water.

-Soak the tamarind in 1/4 cup water for 15 minutes.Squeeze the pulp and strain.

-Heat the same pan and add oil in it.Add the shallots ,saute until translucent.Add curry leaves.

-Add in the okra and saute till slightly wilted.

-Add in the coconut paste and add 1 cup of water,add salt.Cover and cook for another 8-10 minutes.

-Uncover lid,add in the tamarind pulp,cook again till oil starts appearing on the surface or when okra is cooked well and the gravy thickens.

-Serve hot with steamed rice !!

Servings ~ 3 adults

NOTES

* You can do the similar way for any other vegetables too.

Check out:Pavakka(bitter gourd ) theeyal ,Mushroom Theeyal

Shaped Dinner Rolls

Hi friends,
Sorry that I vanished from the blogosphere suddenly,actually kids were sick at home and had a party yesterday,had to prepare a cake.Kids are slightly better and the cake details will follow soon.I will surely drop by your spaces very soon and I think missed many of the Diwali collections too.
Coming back to today's recipe-Baking Partners # 4 comes with Shaped Dinner Rolls,a long awaited wish of mine to bake these cute ones.The baking experience was awesome,got to learn so many types of shaped rolls,which otherwise I would have never attempted.Thanx a lot to Swathi @Zesty South Indian Kitchen for suggesting these shaped dinner rolls.There were two recipes to prepare,I tried the one with egg.And Swathi had mentioned 7 different shapes,I tried out 4 of them.The dinner rolls turned out very soft & delicious,everyone loved it at home.Though the original recipe yields 2 1/2 dozen rolls,I just halved and made half of it.And I have listed the same measures for 14 dinner rolls.Enjoy!!!

Ingredients
all purpose flour 2 1/2 cup flour
non-fat dry milk powder 1/3 cup(refer notes)
sugar 1/8 cup
yeast 1 tbsp
egg yolk 1
warm water 1 cup (110-115 degree F)
salt 3/4-1 tsp
butter 1/6 cup (approx 2 1/2 tbsp)
for glaze
egg white  1
sesame seeds 1tbsp

Method
-Add the yeast to the leukwarm water .Add the milk powder and sugar to it.Frothing appear by 10 minutes.
-Sift the flour and add 1 cup of flour and egg yolk along with softened butter,salt.
-Add in the yeast mixture and remaining  1 cup flour,knead dough.(If you are using an electric mixer,then mix on low speed,then increase speed to medium and finally knead by hands)
-The remaining 1/2 cup flour should be added to make the dough in the correct texture that means the dough should be soft,not overly sticky and not very stiff.The time you attain this texture stop adding more flour.
-Add half tbsp/ 1 1/2 tsp of oil over the dough and sides to prevent sticking.Cover and leave for 1 hour or until it reaches double in size.
-Punch out the air,knead again.Roll out the dough after dusting the surface with flour.Start cutting out shapes as desired.I tried the rose shapes,braided shape,clover shape & knot shapes.Have a look at this video for detailed shaping,here.
1.Clover shape-

2.Rose shape-

 3.Knot shape-

 4.Braided shape-

-Place on a lined tray with parchment paper and brush the top liberally with the reserved egg white.Sprinkle sesame seeds if desired.Leave for half an hour to rise.
-In the mean time,pre heat oven to 375 degrees F.Place the tray in the center of the oven after half an hour of rise,bake for 15-20 minutes.Mine was done at 16 minutes the first batch,the second batch was the braided pattern were I gave 2 minutes more for nice golden color,you can see the difference.
-Brush the top with butter immediately after its out(hot) from the oven.(The crust remains soft )
-Let it col on wire rack and serve.

Servings ~ yields 14 dinner rolls

NOTES
* If you are making a larger batch,then double the ingredients & prepare.
* I have used carnation brand low fat dry milk powder.You can even use regular milk in place of milk powder.
* Brushing egg white on top gives a nice golden color on top.Be liberal to brush egg white.This step is optional for added effect of color.

sending this to Baking Partners #4 @ Zesty South Indian Kitchen

Kaju Katli | Cashew Burfi & crossed 2,00,000 hits :)

For the past two weeks,I found tremendous collection of sweets pouring down in the blogosphere and in fact each one is still busy making these for Diwali,a festival of lights.But to me,I just made them to satisfy my sweet tooth.So,today's recipe is the famous Kaju Katli and my favorite too.Also,I would like to share that my space has crossed 2 lakh hits a day ago.Thanx to all my frequent visitors of the space and your inspiring thoughts have always boosted me to cook more and more.Hoping to see you all in my ongoing journey with recipes.So,what more do you need to celebrate the day??:-)I had posted the Badam Katli recipe sometime back,the recipe remains the same except for badam I replaced it with cashews.And this is the simplest recipe to make katlis,no churning sugar to one string consistency and no long process of preparation.So,enjoy making this simple sweet at home for Diwali !!

Ingredients
cashews 1 1/2 cup
granulated sugar 3/4 cup(refer notes)
milk 2 tbsp
ghee 1 tbsp
cardamom powder 3/4 tsp

Method
-Blend the cashews in a blender until smooth.Check not too over blend,otherwise it starts to stick with the blades.Keep aside,Powder the sugar and mix the two in a bowl without lumps.
-Heat the ghee in a pan and add the powdered mix into it.Add the milk and cardamom powder.
-Keep stirring with a wooden spoon until the sugar is melted and the mixture starts to leave the sides and from the pan.It forms a dough like.(takes 7-9 minutes)
-Remove the mixture on a large piece of parchment paper.Fold the parchment paper or use another parchment paper to cover the top of the mixture.
-Roll using a rolling pin or a fondant smoother to level the mixture to 1/4 " thickness.Then,using a pizza cutter or a knife and cut out diamond shapes.
-Cool and break in pieces,serve !!

Servings~ 18 pieces

NOTES
* You can use powdered sugar too for the recipe.
* I usually powder the cardamom along with sugar.Remove the skin and add the cardamom to the sugar.

More Indian sweets recipes,here.
                                                                             

                                                                                                                                             

                                                                  

                                                             

Matar- Paneer (without onion & garlic) | Green Peas-Cottage cheese curry

Mattar(Green peas)-Paneer (Indian Cottage cheese) curry is an authentic and traditional curry of North India, especially served with chapathis.We love this combination very much, but this is the first time I tried a dish without onion and garlic.The recipe is adapted from here, it's quite easy and delicious.The curry is also thick and creamy.So, Try & enjoy !!!

Preparation time ~ 10 minutes

Cooking time ~ 20 minutes

Author ~ Julie

Serves ~ 4-5

Ingredients

green peas 1.5- 2cups (refer notes)
paneer 1/2 lb /200- 250 gms
tomatoes 3 medium chopped
ginger 1 tbsp
coriander powder 1 tbsp
turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
chilli powder 3/4 tsp
corn starch 1tbsp
sugar 1/2 tsp
cinnamon 1"strand
bay leaves 2
cumin seeds 1 tsp
oil 3tbsp
salt to taste

Watch on YouTube -

Method
-Cut the paneer in cubes and heat oil in a pan, add the paneer pieces.Fry till evenly slight browned.Remove on a paper towel.
-Mix the corn starch in 3 tbsp of water and mix well without lumps.
-Blend the tomatoes and ginger to a smooth paste.
-Heat the same oil in the pan and add cumin seeds, let it crackle.
-Add the bay leaves, asafoetida and cinnamon strand.Fry for a few seconds.
-Add the tomato paste, coriander powder, chilli powder, turmeric powder and let the mixture cook until it reduces to half.
-Now add the green peas and 1/4 cup of water.Cook on medium heat until the peas becomes tender and add salt, paneer pieces.
-Add the cornstarch mix to thicken the gravy and let it cook for 2–3 minutes until thick and creamy.Add the sugar and mix.
-Serve warm with chapathis !!

Servings~ 2–3 adults


NOTES
* I used the frozen packet of peas, you can use fresh or frozen.If you are using frozen, thaw before you cook.
* You can even add dried fenugreek leaves to the curry for added flavour.
* You can omit corn starch if you don't like the consistency.

                                             

Egg Pepper Roast

What are you guys,cooking today?? Everyday ladies start their day with the same question what to prepare for breakfast,lunch,snacks & dinner?? Is that right?? I do have this in my mind always and always prefer making something special for each day,may be slightly altering the ingredients.I know everyone does this.But then there is always a small sense of challenge in cooking,every time you try out something new.Anyways today's recipe is nothing new but a simple egg pepper roast which I have modified with some sauce.The main spice ingredient is pepper powder.This is a very lip smacking tasty dish that can be served with fried rice,chapathis or even bread or even pack for lunch box !!

Ingredients
eggs 6 boiled & de shelled
pepper powder 1 tsp
salt 1/3 tsp
for masala
onion 2 large thin sliced
tomato 2 large or 3 medium chopped
ginger garlic paste 1 tsp
light soy sauce 2 tsp(refer notes)
turmeric powder 1/4 tsp

pepper powder 1 tsp
garam masala 1/2-3/4 tsp
cilantro 3-4 sprigs

lime juice 1/2 tsp(optional)
salt as needed
oil 2-3 tbsp

Method
- Hard boil the egg and drop them in ice cold water ,de shell. Slit the eggs & keep aside.Add the pepper powder and salt to the hard boiled eggs.Leave for 15 minutes.
- Heat oil in a pan and fry the eggs till slightly browned on all sides with the marinade.It will take about 5-7 minutes.Remove in a plate .
-Add the onions in the same oil and saute onions till slightly browned and starts to leave the oil.Add the ginger-garlic paste,saute till the raw smell disappears.
- Add the tomatoes and saute till the mixture becomes very mushy.Cover and cook for 4 minutes.
- Add in the chopped cilantro and all the spice powders, saute.
- Add the soy sauce and slide in the eggs.
-Cover and cook for another 5 minutes.Add about 2-3tbsp of water if required,adjust salt.
-Mix well,turn off heat.Add in the lime juice.
-Serve hot with chapathis or fried rice!!!

Servings~ 4-5 adults

NOTES
* You  can adjust the pepper powder amount as per your tolerance.
* Add salt with caution as soy sauce contains salt and the eggs coated also have salt.
* The lime juice add a tangy flavor to the masala.You can omit that if you don't like the taste.
* The masala may leave some oil at the end,you can discard that if you feel to avoid fat.
* Adding soy sauce is totally optional.It adds a nice flavor and color to roast.

Mulakku Udachathu | Spicy Chilli Dip for Boiled Tapioca(Yuca)

Spicy chilly dip with boiled tapioca is a nostalgic post for me,although I had this only during my vacation times in Kerala.But my parents have a lot of memories associated with this recipe.The bird eye chillies (kanthari mulakku) is a common pepper variety which I have noticed in Kerala.But when I saw a similar kind in the stores here,I immediately caught hold of some but later only did I realise that its thai red chillies.Both chillies look almost the same in looks & flavor too.And so,I recreated the same good old memory of spicy chilly dip with thai red chillies.All guys from Kerala would love to have this with boiled tapioca/boiled taro roots or even boiled sweet potatoes.The recipe for boiled tapioca is posted here.So,guys enjoy the simple dip !!

Check out for Red chillies chutney for boiled tapioca too,if interested :)

Ingredients
bird's eye chillies(kanthari mulakku)/thai red chillies 3-4
shallots 4-5
coconut oil 2tsp
water 2tbsp
salt

Method
-Wash,peel the skin of shallots.Wash the chillies,discard stalk.
-Crush the shallots & green chillies in a mortar and pestle.
-Dissolve salt in 2tbsp of warm water and add the crushed shallots & chillies.Drizzle the coconut oil on top just before serving.
-Serve with boiled tapioca(yuca) / kappa puzhugiyathu.

Servings~ a small bowl of dip

NOTES
* You can increase the ratio of all ingredients for a larger amount of dip.
* This is a moderately spicy dip.