Chocolate Pudding

Valentine's Day wishes to all!! The day for flowers, candies and gifts. 

'If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you.'  by A. A. Milne. :)

On this joyous day let's celebrate with a dessert - a chocolate pudding.

INGREDIENTS

Recipe Source: Good Food

2 cups Whole milk

1/2 cup Sugar

120 gm Dark Chocolate

1/4 cup Cocoa Powder

3 tbsp Cornflour

2 Eggs

1 tsp Vanilla Essence

METHOD

Chop the chocolate into small pieces.

In a pan, whisk sugar and 1 1/2 cup milk.

Heat on medium - high till bubbles appear on the sides.

Remove from heat and add chocolate. Leave for a minute and whisk till smooth.

In a bowl, whisk cocoa, cornflour and the remaining 1/2 cup milk until smooth.

Whisk in the eggs.

Add 1/2 cup of hot chocolate mixture in a slow stream with one hand while you keep whisking with the other.

Heat the remaining chocolate mixture on medium low.

Whisking constantly, gradually add the egg mixture to the pan.

Keep whisking until the mixture thickens and bubbles appear on top. 

Add vanilla essence.

Remove from fire. Divide it into cups and refrigerate for 3- 4 hours. 

It can also be served with vanilla ice cream.

                                       Sending this to

Srivalli's Chocolate Mela

Zesty Palette's - Sweet Luv

Vimitha's - Love & Chocolate Fest

Edible Entertainment -Kids Delight 

Moru Curry / Kerala Style Simple Curd Curry

This little space of mine is where I want to jot down all the recipes passed on to me by my Mom, Amma, relatives and friends. I am so glad that, now I get to share these wonderful recipes with all my friends and the world who are on the look out for authentic vintage recipes. :)

Today, I would like to share an easy recipe that's so simple yet does not compromise on the taste at all. A quick curry to go with rice on a busy afternoon. 

INGREDIENTS
(To serve 8 people)

Curd - 1 litre *
Water - 1/2 cup
Garlic - 8 cloves
Ginger - 1 (1 '' piece)
Green Chilly - 1 (or 2 as per spice level required)
Fenugreek seeds / Uluva - 1 tsp**
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
Chilly Powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste

For seasoning
Coconut Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard - 1 tsp
Dry Red Chilly - 1
Split Black Gram/ Urad Dal - 1 tsp
Curry Leaves - 2 sprigs

METHOD
In a bowl mix the curd with turmeric, chilly powder and water.
In a mixer or using a churner mix it well.
In a pan dry roast the fenugreek till it is brown and the aroma comes out. Powder it and keep aside.
Chop ginger roughly. Crush it along with garlic using a  mortar and pestle .
Chop green chilly into small pieces.
Pour the curd mixture into a kadai or deep pan. Keep it on very slow fire and keep stirring.
Add fenugreek powder, salt, green chilly and the crushed ginger garlic.
Keep stirring till the mixture is just warm and NOT BOILING.
Season with mustard, urad dal, dry red chilly and curry leaves.

Tips:
*Make sure you use fresh curd that is not sour.
**It is best to use freshly ground fenugreek. It gives a distinct flavour to the curry.
Keep all the ingredients ready as you have to keep stirring.
You need to keep stirring so that the curd does not curdle.
You can store this curry for almost a week in the fridge.

Ari Unda / Kerala Rice Ladoos

Ari Unda/ Rice Ladoos are one of the traditional sweets of Kerala. It is prepared during festivals and even when there are sudden guests at home. In the earlier days it used to be prepared in the 'Ural' the traditional stone mortar. The pounding stick is called as 'Ulakka'.I still remember my mom pounding the rice and jaggery in the stone mortar. And she used to do it with so much ease. The way she used to do as if in a musical motion. I remember giving it a try and my it was heavy indeed. As I don't have a stone mortar, I made it in a grinder. Do give it a try.

So here is my mom's recipe to make soft and yummy Ari Undas.

INGREDIENTS

Rice ( Matta rice/ Red Kuttari/Par Boiled Rice) - 1/2 kg
Jaggery - 700 gm
Scraped Coconut - 2 1/2 cup (tightly packed)
Cardamom - 8 pods

METHOD
Pick stones if any in rice and wash.
Strain the water well.
Divide the rice into 3 portions.
In an aluminium (thick bottom) kadai roast the rice, one portion at a time. Keep stirring on medium flame.Roast it till the rice breaks. Bite the rice to see if it cracks easily. The rice pops up.
Transfer to a wide plate or lid to cool a bit. Roast the other portions in a similar way.
When the rice is cooled a bit and still warm add the cardamom and powder it real fine.
Pass the rice powder through a strainer and keep aside.
Transfer the scraped coconut into a grinder and grind it for 3 minutes before adding jaggery.
Pound the jaggery into very small pieces*.
Add this slowly into the grinder.
Grind the mixture into very fine paste.
Now add the rice powder slowly into the grinder.
Grind till everything is well mixed.
Roll it into balls and serve.

Tips:
Use a mixture of dark and light coloured jaggery.
The secret to soft ari undas is the right level of roasting the rice. It has to be very well roasted. The rice breaks and pops up. It cracks easily in your mouth. And the rice powder has to be strained to remove any husk.
*Make sure the jaggery is pounded into small pieces else it will be difficult to grind in a grinder. Add slowly.
In the same way add rice powder slowly. Do not be tempted to add all of it at one go as the grinder stone will get stuck and become messy for you to handle.
The mixture will be very soft. Not to worry the ladoos harden the next day.
Consume it in 2 days if kept at room temperature. Else refrigerate it and consume in a weeks time.

Malabar Aripathiri With Kozhi Roast / Malabar Rice Roti With Chicken Roast

Aripathiri is a thin roti made from rice flour and a speciality of the Malabar region of Kerala. It is so thin that it just melts in the mouth. A healthy roti without oil. It is served for breakfast or dinner and goes well with any masala curries. I like it best with Nadan Varutharacha Chicken Curry or any simple chicken curry or roast.

The only thing to keep in mind when you think of making Pathiri is that you need to be ready to stay long in the kitchen. :) Because no matter how many Pathiris you serve it just disappears in seconds. It is so tasty that you cannot stop eating at just one or two.

Hope everyone had a great Christmas and enjoyed the New Year weekend.

I thought to begin the year with a local special which is one of my favorite too.

Ari Pathiri

INGREDIENTS

Rice flour - 1 1/2 cup + more for dusting
Water - 1 cup
Salt - as required

METHOD
Boil water. When it comes to a rolling boil add salt.
Tip in the flour into a wide bowl.
Add water to the flour.
Using a ladle slowly mix it.
When it is a little cool knead it into a smooth dough.
Make small balls.
Place each ball on a chapathi board. Sprinkle little rice flour on it and roll it into thin pathiris.
Cut out perfect pathiris using a lid with sharp edges.
Heat a tawa. When it is medium hot place one pathiri on it.
After about 10 seconds turn it over and let cook well on that side.
When small brown dots start appearing flip it over and with a wooden ladle press it gently on the sides. When the pathiri puffs up remove from tawa.

Tips:
Use very fine rice powder.
The amount of water may differ depending on the kind on flour used. Just remember that you need to knead it like chapathi dough. 
Knead the flour till it is real soft. If you are going to roll out pathiris after a long time sprinkle some warm water and knead again before use.
Do not use too much rice flour to sprinkle as pathiris will get too dry.
Cook pathiris on medium heat only as if it is too high it gets burnt easily and will not cook inside. And if it is too low it gets stiff.

Chicken Roast with 1 tsp Oil
Recipe Source : My own

Ingredients:

Chicken - 1/2 kg (cut into small pieces)
Onion - 2 large (thinly sliced)
Chilly - 1 slit into half
Ginger - 1'' piece
Garlic - 4
Tomato - 2 large
Chicken Masala - 2 tsp
Coriander Powder - 2 tsp
Pepper Powder - 1/4 tsp
Vinegar / Lime - 1 tsp
Garam Masala - a pinch
Coconut Milk - 1/2 cup (thin)
Oil - 1 tsp
Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup finely chopped
Salt - as required

METHOD
Marinate the chicken with vinegar/lime, salt and pepper for 1/2 hour or min 15 mins.
Chop the ginger and chilly roughly.
Place the ginger, garlic and chilly in a pestle and mortar and crush it.
Heat oil in a nonstick kadai.
Saute the onions till soft.
Add the crushed ginger, garlic and chilly.
Add chicken masala, garam masala and coriander powder. Saute.
Add tomato. Mix well. Add salt. Cover and cook on low flame till the tomato is well cooked.
Add the chicken and cover. Place a heavy weight on the lid. Cook on slow flame.
After 10 minutes open and stir. Again cover and cook till chicken is fully cooked.
Add coconut milk. Stir well. Check salt and let all the gravy get absorbed in the chicken.
Garnish with coriander leaves.

Tips:
Slow cooking helps in absorbing all the flavours in the chicken.
I used Eastern Chicken Masala powder.

Celebrating First Blog Anniversary with Walnut Cake

One year ago on this day, I decided to venture into food blogging. Never did I expect it to give me so much joy. I still can't believe its been a year of blogging. It has surely made me find and try out many recipes which I'd have never attempted otherwise. Looking back,  it has been an amazing journey so far and I would like to thank all my readers and fellow blogger friends for the wonderful support and encouragement. Thank you all and wish you a new year filled with happiness, peace and togetherness.

Here is a healthy version of Walnut Cake. Walnuts are considered to be the king of nuts when it comes to health benefits especially related to heart and circulatory system. They reduce LDL (Bad Cholesterol) and increases HDL (good Cholesterol ). This is the first time I tried baking with olive oil and was surprised to note that there was no evident taste difference in the cake. (I was pretty apprehensive to use it) :) This reminds me of the famous quote by Mark Twain.

" The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd rather not.''

So let's hope to cook, eat , drink and be merry to have a healthy year ahead. :)

INGREDIENTS

Wheat Flour - 1 1/2 cup

Barley Flour - 1/2 cup

Baking Powder - 2 tsp

Cinnamon Powder - 1 tsp

Clove Powder - 3/4 tsp

Nutmeg Powder - 1/4 tsp

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp

Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 1/4 cup

Eggs - 2 at room temperature

Walnut Chopped - 1 cup

Low fat Yogurt - 2/3 cup

Orange Zest - 2 tsp 

Orange Juice - 1/2 cup

Brown Sugar / Cane Sugar - 3/4 cup tightly packed

For Syrup

Orange Juice - 1/3 cup

Orange Zest - 1 small (1'' x 1'') strip

Brown Sugar/Cane Sugar - 1/4 cup tightly packed

Clove - 2

METHOD
Preheat oven to 180 degree C for 10 minutes.
Chop the walnuts into small pieces.
Prepare a 8 inch square baking dish with butter  and line it with parchment paper.
Spread the walnuts in it and toast it for 7 minutes. Remove and transfer it to a plate to cool.
In a bowl mix the dry ingredients - Wheat, Barley, Baking soda, Baking Powder, Salt, Cinnamon powder, Clove powder and Nutmeg Powder.
In a separate bowl whisk the eggs and brown sugar until smooth.
In a small bowl mix the yoghurt, orange zest and orange juice until smooth.
Add this to the egg mixture stirring well along with olive oil.
Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture in 2 batches. Stir just to blend.
Fold in 3/4 cup walnuts.
Bake  for 35 minutes or until the skewer inserted comes out clean.
In the mean time prepare the syrup.
Combine the ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to boil on medium heat. Stir in between.
Cook for 3-4 minutes until it becomes thick syrup consistency. Remove the zest and cloves and let cool.
When the cake is done transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Using a toothpick pierce on the cake at about 18 points.
Brush the syrup on the cake many times making sure that it seeps through the holes made.
Sprinkle the remaining walnuts.
Cut and serve.

Tips:
Chop walnuts into small pieces else the cake may crumble.
2/3 cups means 2 measures of 1/3 cup or as per British Standards 1/2 cup + 1 tsp
This is a medium sweet cake. So increase the cane sugar to 1 cup if you like it sweet.
Use freshly grated orange zest. Zest is the outer most skin of orange, lime or lemon. Just the colored part and not the white part. Use a zester / just use a sharp knife to peel the outer skin and chop fine.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!




Sending this to Julie's Event Christmas Delicacy

Healthy Christmas Pilaf

The countdown has already begun for Christmas. I am sure everyone is busy with shopping and getting ready to welcome guests and friends. There is so much activity around. Love the cold breeze that's the only sign of winter in my part of the world. Just love this climate and the festive season. With 2 celebrations around the corner let's gear up to enjoy every bit of it.

I know it's been a while I have been away from blogging. It's just that my family needed me more and blogging just took a back seat naturally. I am glad to be back but still will not be regular. Kindly bear with me dear readers and blogger friends. I will make up for everything soon.

For the time being let's enjoy this healthy version of pilaf. For all the health conscious friends around the world this is for you. Enjoy!!

INGREDIENTS

Basmati Rice -2 cups

Vegetable stock - 3 cups

Onions - 4 finely sliced

Olive Oil - 2 tbsp

Coriander Powder - 2 tsp

Pistachios/ Cashew nuts - 100 gm

Coriander leaves- 1 cup finely chopped ( loosely packed)

Lime - 1

Pomegranates - 2 medium

To prepare Vegetable Stock

Water - 3 1/4 cups

Bay Leaf - 1

Onion - 1

Garlic - 5 whole

Ginger - 2 cm piece ginger, peeled but whole

Whole Pepper - 6

Carrot - 1/4 cup  chopped roughly

METHOD

Soak rice in water for 30 minutes and drain.

Halve the pomegranates and set the seeds aside.

To prepare the vegetable stock mix all the ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Strain the vegetable stock.

Pour 3 cups of vegetable stock in a kadai/pan. Reserve excess and add if required only.

Bring the stock to a boil and add salt .

Add rice. Do not stir. Cover and cook. When it comes to a boil reduce the flame to low and cook. After 10 minutes or when you see crates formed on top of the rice slowly stir it without breaking the rice. Cover and cook till rice is cooked and fluffy.

Heat a pan and lightly toast the cashews/pistachios. Reserve.

In a pan heat the olive oil. Add the coriander powder and stir well.

Add the onions and lemon juice. Stir fry till onions change colour and looks sticky. 

Add the onions, cashews/pistachios, coriander leaves and pomegranates to the rice and serve hot with Thai style vegetable stew.

Tips:

If the rice is not soaked for 30 minutes, more stock or water will be required to cook it.

To open the pomegranates without making it messy. Make deep slits from top to bottom on the pomegranates on all sides. Then fill a wide bowl with water. Now holding the pomegranates under water pull it open. Remove the white membrane. Now you will see that the seeds settle at the bottom and the white membranes float. Use a sieve to remove the floating parts. Pour out the water and there you have the lovely red seeds and no mess.

Merry Christmas!

Butter Cake

It's so much 'utterly butterly delicious'. That says it. The butter cake was so soft and moist. I have had store bought ones many times before I started baking. Home made ones are surely the winner. My kids were like 'give me more'. :) That says it all. Kids are one of the best (and most tough) judges for your cooking. The smell of butter cake was wafting all over my house. Aah..it was too good.

It just reminded me of the simple cake that mom used to make. I loved baking cakes from the age of 10. Yes, my first baking expedition was then. My best friend's mom bakes such yummy cakes and I thought why not give it a try. It was an utter failure then. LOL..I still remember melting loads of chocolate to make that yummy chocolate cake. Now you know why you see me baking often.

 Looks like the festive season is already here. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

Recipe adapted from here

All Purpose Flour - 200g

Double Action Baking Powder - 2 tsp

Granulated Sugar - 180g

Salt - 1/2 tsp*

Unsalted Butter - 250g

Eggs - 4

Milk - 4tbsp

Vanilla Essence - 1tsp

METHOD

Preheat oven at 180 degree for 15 minutes.

Prepare a 22cm square baking pan by greasing it and lining with butter paper/ parchment paper.

Mix the dry ingredients - All purpose flour, baking powder and salt. Sieve it 3 times.

In a separate bowl mix the butter and sugar. Mix it till it becomes pale yellow.

Add one egg at a time and keep mixing with a hand blender.

Beat well till the mixture becomes of creamy consistency.

Add the vanilla essence.

Add the flour in 3-4 batches taking care to mix well after each addition.

Finally add milk spoon by spoon and mix well.

Transfer the mixture to the baking pan. Tap it lightly on the work space to remove air bubbles and distribute batter evenly.

Bake for 45 minutes or until the skewer inserted comes out clean.

Remove from oven and let cool. 

Slice and serve warm.

Tips:
Use eggs and butter at room temperature.
* If you are using salted butter then omit the salt. But I suggest using unsalted one as the salt added brings out the taste and flavor of the cake.
Add eggs only one at a time and beat on low speed as it may curdle if added too quickly. In that case add 1 or 2 tbsp of flour.

Chocolate Brownies

Let's begin this new week with some rich chocolate brownies. Pack some in your bag and munch it during your break. Good idea? Who can resist brownies. Brownies are baked square bars with rich and dense chocolate. They are very famous in the U.S and a popular lunch box item. A high energy treat.Wow! Chocolate-y goodness in the lunch box. I love chocolate in any form and in a brownie its even better. It is so crunchy and chewy. I got to taste brownies for the first time when Ria baked it for us. It was just awesome!! 

So here it is ...Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS
Recipe Source : Ria

All Purpose Flour - 1 1/4 cup
Cocoa Powder - 2 tbsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Chocolate - 310 gm
Unsalted Butter - 1 cup
Granulated Sugar - 1 1/2 cup
Brown Sugar - 1/2 cup
Eggs - 5
Vanilla Essence - 2 tsp

METHOD
Preheat oven to 175 degree C.
Whisk flour, cocoa powder and salt.
Chop the chocolate and butter into pieces.
In a double boiler , melt the butter and chocolate together.
When it is melted,  remove from fire and add in sugar till it dissolves.
Let the mixture cool to room temperature.
Once cooled add 3 eggs and stir.
Then add 2 eggs and vanilla essence. Stir slowly. Do not over beat.
Fold in the flour in small batches just until its mixed.
When the batter is well blended transfer it to a square baking pan lined with parchment paper or foil liner.
Bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer or toothpick comes out crumbly and slightly moist.
Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
Once cool, lift the ends of the parchment paper or foil and transfer it to a plate.
Place the brownies in the refrigerator for 30 minutes so that it cools. Cut it into squares.

Tips:
Be careful not to over beat the mixture.
While lining the tin with parchment paper leave enough paper on the sides to be able to lift the brownies once cooled.
If you are using salted butter then omit the salt.
Don't be tempted to over bake it as brownies continue to cook in the trapped heat even after it is removed from the oven.
Brownies need to be refrigerated so that it is easier to cut it into clear lines/pieces.

Shahi Paneer / Cottage Cheese in an Exotic Gravy

Shahi Paneer - the name itself suggests its a Royal curry with cottage cheese. It is one of the famous North Indian gravy which is usually had with naan or roti. 'Shahi' seems to be the Indo - Persian name for Royal which denotes that this curry is of Mughal origin in India.

Paneer is cooked in a spicy creamy sauce.The spices that go into the gravy makes it tongue tickling. It is a main course vegetarian gravy dish.

INGREDIENTS
Paneer - 500 gms
Clove - 6
Bay Leaves - 2
Cinnamon - 3   1'' sticks
Green Cardamoms - 6
Onion Paste - 1 cup
Ginger Paste - 2 tbsp
Garlic Paste - 2 tbsp
Red Chilli Powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric- 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder- 1 tsp
Cashew Paste - 2 tbsp
Yoghurt - 1 1/4 cup
Warm water - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 2 tsp
Cream - 1/2 cup
Garam Masala - 1tsp
Green Cardomom Powder - 1/2 tsp
Saffron - a few strands dissolved in 1 tbsp milk
Coriander Leaves- 1 tbsp
Red Colour - 2 drops
Oil - 5 tbsp
Salt - to taste

METHOD

• Heat oil in a pan; add cloves, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks and green cardamoms.
• Saute on medium heat. When they begin to crackle add onion paste. Saute for 2 minutes.
• Add the ginger, garlic paste, red chlly powder, turmeric, cashew paste, red colour and salt.
• Add yoghurt, warm water and sugar. Bring it to a slow boil and simmer till the oil separates.
• Remove the whole spices.Cool and blend in a mixer.
•  Reheat, stir in the cream, garam masala, cardamom powder and saffron mixture.
• Add paneer and cook on low for 5 minutes.
• Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with Naan/ Roti/ any Indian Bread.

Tips:
I have halved the paneer because I wanted more gravy. If you like it thick then use 1 kg paneer.

Pazham Pori / Ripe Banana Fritters

Pazham Pori/ Ripe Banana Fritters is one of the most common snack in any Kerala household. One of the easiest and yummy snack with a cup of tea or coffee. This snack is made from ripe Nendra variety bananas. The trick to making the best pazham pori is the ripeness of the banana. It should not be too ripe.

You will be surprised to see the variety of dishes prepared with banana in Kerala. The banana plants are put to the maximum use. We use the banana flower, banana stem, the raw banana, the ripe banana and of course the banana leaves (for sadhya and making ada). 

I still have fond memories of my summer vacation in Kerala. We used to get so excited when our flight is about to land in Kerala. The view is amazing. The only thing you can see is lush green landscape. It is so cooling to the eyes and soul. Like coconut trees one thing you will find in common in Kerala are the banana plants. Bananas are something we cannot do without any day. The variety available is amazing.

INGREDIENTS

3 Ripe  Banana (Nendra variety) also called Ethapazham
1 Cup All purpose flour
1/4 cup rice flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
A small pinch Baking Soda
A small pinch of Salt
1 cup water*
Oli for deep frying

METHOD
Peel the bananas and thinly slice them length wise.
In a bowl mix the dry ingredients together.
Add water and make it into thick batter.
Heat oil in a kadai.
Transfer the sliced bananas into the batter.
Coat the bananas well with the batter.
When the oil is hot (not smoking hot) add in the banana pieces. About 3 at a time.
Fry both sides till golden in colour and using a slotted spoon transfer to a plate layered with kitchen tissue.
Serve hot with tea /coffee.

Tips:
You can cut the banana into 2 and then cut them lengthwise to make smaller fritters. Check the above picture.
For the authentic taste use coconut oil.
* Keep adding water till it is of thick pouring consistency.
Turmeric powder is added just for colour.
While frying, if the bananas stick to each other just separate them with the slotted spoon in the kadai itself.