Avocado Milk Shake

Ingredients

Avocado: 2

Chilled Milk: 1 ltr

Sugar: 1 cup (as per taste)    

Method Of Preparation

Peel and separate  the Avocado pulp and seed.

In a blender add the avocado pulp, sugar and some milk.

Blend well and transfer to a bowl.

Add the balance milk and stir well.

Serve Chilled.

Spinach-Egg Stir Fry

Ingredients

Spinach green/Red): ½ bunch

Egg: 3

Onion: 1

Green Chilli: 3

Ginger: 1/2 “piece

Turmeric powder: ¼ tsp

Salt: needed

Coconut oil/refined oil: 4tbsp          

Method Of Preparation

Heat oil in a pan add finely chopped ginger pieces, when it turns slight brown add the chopped onion and green chilli.

Stir till it becomes translucent. Add turmeric powder and then add finely chopped spinach.

Add salt, lower the flame and close with a lid for 2-3 minutes.

When spinach is ¾ cooked (it takes only 2-4 minutes to get spinach cooked, don’t over cook. All the leafy vegetable when over cooked becomes slight bitter taste.) Add the egg to it.

Increase the flame a bit and continue stirring till you get the egg done.

Serve hot.

Poovada

HAPPY ONAM TO ALL

Ingredients

Rice Flour (Ari Podi/Pathiri Podi): 1 cup

Water: 1 ¼ cups

Grated Coconut: 2 cups ( Approx)

Grated Jaggery: 1 cup (Approx.)

Salt: needed               

Method Of Preparation

In a bowl add water and enough salt and put on flame.

When water boils add rice flour to it and stir well and lower the flame and continue stirring for 2 minutes and switch off the flame.

When it is slightly cooled knead well without lumps. Take time and knead it well till you get it very soft.

Take lemon sized balls from it and roll to 1/2 “ thick chappathi (you can use pathiri press to make this)

Take the chappathi and keep on your palm and add little grated coconut and little jaggery to it.

Fold it into a crescent  shape (fold into half) and seal the edges and make impression with fingers at the sealed edges ( you also get poovada maker in the market).

Do the same process with the rest of the dough.

Take the steamer and arrange the prepared poovadas and steam to about 10-15 minutes.

Switch off the flame and open the steamer and take out the poovadas only after it is slightly cooled so that you can get it neatly.

OR you can also deep fry the poovadas in oil.

Puli Inji

Ingredients

Tamarind: 1 big lemon sized

Ginger finely chopped: 4tbsp

Green Chilli chopped: 3tbsp (as per your tolerance)

Jaggery powdered: 4-5tbsp

Salt: ½ tsp

Coconut oil/any refined oil: 3-4 tbsp

Mustard seeds: ½ tsp

Curry leaves: 1 string

Method Of Preparation

Soak tamarind in warm water to about 5-10 minutes.

Extract the juice from it. (Should be about 1 ½ -2 ½ cups). Keep this aside.

Heat oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds and add curry leaves.

Add ginger pieces to it and roast until it slightly changes the color and then add the chopped green chillies.

Roast it for about 2minutes. Then add the tamarind juice to it.

Let the tamarind juice boil and become thick.

When it starts to thicken add jaggery and salt to it.

From this stage stir continuously till you get the consistency of puli inji.

Switch off the flame. When cooled store in clean dry and air tight bottle.

Sambharam/Spiced Butter Milk

Ingredients

Yogurt/Curd: 1 cup

Ginger: 1” piece

Lemon Leaf: 3

Curry leaves: 2 strings

Green chilli: 2

Chilled Water: 2 ½ -4cups

Lemon Juice: 3tbsp (optional) (I add when the curd is not too sour, I feel addition of lemon juice gives nice flavor to it)

Salt: needed

Method Of Preparation

In a blender add yogurt, ginger, green chilli, Lemon leaf and curry leaves.

Blend it well.

Strain it into a bowl and add water and salt. Stir it.

Add lemon juice if needed and stir again.

Serve chilled. 

Garlic-Bird's Eye Chilli Pickle

You can check the health benefits of Bird’s Eye Chilli here
Ingredients

Indian Garlic whole peeled: 4 cups

Bird’s Eye Chilli/Kanthari Mulak (whole): 2 cups

Kashmiri Chilli Powder: 4-5 tbsp. (as per tolerance)

Asafetida: 1 ½ tbsp

Mustard Powder: 1tbsp (dry roast mustard seeds and powder it)

Fenugreek seeds: ¼ tsp

Mustard Seeds: few

Curry leaves: few

Coconut/refined oil: ¼ cup

Vinegar: 2 cups

Salt: required

Method Of Preparation

Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds and fenu greek seeds. Then add curry leaves to it.

Put the flame in very low and add chilli powder, asafetida powder and mustard powder to it. Stir well and switch off the flame.

Let it cool a bit and add garlic and bird’s eye chilli to it. Add salt and stir well.

Then add vinegar to it. (You can adjust the quantity of pickle according to your desired consistency of the pickle.)

Stir well and when cooled well store in an air tight bottle.

Spring Onion Thoran

Ingredients

Spring Onion: 1 bunch

Shallots: 3

Mustard Seeds: ½ tsp

Salt: needed

Turmeric Powder: ¼ tsp

Coconut grated: ¼ cup

Green Chilli: 3 (as per your taste)

Coconut Oil: 3tbsp

Method Of Preparation

In a blender add grated coconut and green chilli and blend coarsely. Keep this aside.

Wash and chop spring onion. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds and add chopped shallots to it.

When shallots turns translucent, add turmeric powder and stir.

Then add chopped spring onions and salt stir and close with a lid for 3 minutes. (Don’t overcook)

After 3 minutes open the lid and stir frequently till you get it done.

When it is done add the blended coconut, stir well and switch off the flame.

Mint Lemonade

Ingredients

Lemon: 6

Mint leaves: 6-8 leaves

Cardamom pods: 3

Ginger: ½ “piece

Sugar: 2 ¼ cups Approx. (as per taste)

Chilled Water: 1.5 ltr

Method Of Preparation

In a blender add mint leaves, cardamom pods, ginger and sugar. Add some water and blend it for 2-3 minutes.

Strain it and squeeze the lemon juice to it.

Add the balance water and stir.

Serve chilled. Can add fresh mint leaves to it while serving.

Veg.Salad With Tahini Dressing

Ingredients

Onion: 1

Carrot: 1

Cucumber: 1

Tomato: 1

Capsicum: 1

Tahini sauce: 1 cup (or as per taste)

Black Olives whole: 10-15

Salt: needed

Olive Oil: 2tbsp

Lemon juice: 2tbsp (optional)

Method Of Preparation

Heat oil in a pan and add capsicum and roast it for few minutes without losing its crunchiness.

Chop carrot, onion, cucumber and tomato.

In a bowl take all the vegetables, black olives and add tahini sauce and salt if needed.

Mix well with spoon.

Add lemon juice (this step is optional, if you like it a bit tangy you can add lemon juice otherwise avoid the step.)

Refrigerate it for one hour and serve chilled.

Cherupayar Parippu Payassam

Ingredients

Cherupayar Parippu/ Splitted moong dhal: 250gms

Jaggery: 650gms

Coconut Milk Powder: 150 gms (can use 1 cup 1^st thick fresh coconut milk+ 3cups 2^nd coconut milk)

Salt: a pinch

Coconut pieces/Thenga Koth: ½ cup

Raisins and cashews: few

Cardamom powder: 1tsp

Dry ginger powder: ½ tsp

Water: as required

Ghee: 2tbsp

Method Of Preparation

Heat a non stick pan and dry roast the cherupayar parippu to about 3-4 minutes without much changing its color

When it is cooled wash and pressure cook by adding needed water. Switch off the flame after 3 whistles and Open the cooker only after the pressure releases.

In another pan, melt jaggery by adding 1 cup water. Strain and keep aside. Dilute the coconut milk powder in 1 cup water and keep aside.

Open the pressure cooker and switch on the flame.

Stir well and add melted jaggery to it.

When boils lower the flame and stir continuously (if using fresh coconut milk add the 2^nd coconut milk at this stage and let it boil well and become thick)

When it becomes thick add the diluted coconut milk powder to it. Switch off the flame when you get the consistency of payassam.(if using fresh coconut milk add the thick fresh coconut milk at this stage and don’t allow it to boil.)

Heat ghee in a pan and roast the coconut pieces, cashews and raisins. Add this to the prepared payassam. Add cardamom and dry ginger powder. Add this all as soon as you switch off the flame and close with a lid for 5 minutes.

Serve hot or cold.

Fish Fry With Bird's Eye Chilli

You can check the health benefits of Bird’s Eye Chilli here

Ingredients

Fish: 500gms

Shallots: 10-15

Ginger: 1 small piece

Garlic Cloves: 5

Birds Eye Chilli/Kanthaari Mulak: 15-20 (as per your tolerance)

Curry leaves: 3 strings

Salt: needed

Coconut Oil: 5-6tbsp

Method Of Preparation

Clean, Wash and make slits on fish and keep aside.

In a blender add shallots, ginger, garlic, curry leaves, Birds Eye Chilli and salt. Blend to a smooth paste.

In a bowl take the shallot paste, add 1tbsp coconut oil to it and add fish to it and mix well with hand.

Marinate to about 1 hour.

Heat a wide non-stick pan and add coconut oil and shallow fry the fish in low flame till both sides get cooked.

Serve hot with rice.

Soya Chunks Pulav

Ingredients

Basmathi Rice: 2 ½ cups

Water: 4 cups

Soya chunks: ½ cup

Onion: 1

Mixed vegetables with corn: 1 cup (I used carrot, beans, green peas and corn)

Ginger-Garlic Paste: 1tbsp

Lemon Juice: of 1 lemon

Bay leaves: 2

Cloves: 5

Cardamom: 4

Aniseed: 2

Cinnamon Stick: 2

Salt: needed

Butter/Ghee/Refined Oil: 4-6tbsp (you can use more ghee if needed)

Coriander leaves: few (optional)

Method Of Preparation

Wash and soak rice for about 1 hour. (Drain it after 1 hour)

Soak soya chunks in hot water to about 15-20 minutes. Then squeeze and wash well and keep aside. (Squeeze and wash well so as to remove the raw smell of soya chunks)

Heat butter/ghee in a pan add thinly sliced onion and take out when it turns golden brown and keep aside.

To the same ghee add the mixed vegetables, sauté for 3-4 minutes and take out from ghee and keep aside.

Then add the soya chunks to it and roast it for 4-5 minutes and take out from ghee.

Then add bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and aniseed to it and stir for a minute and add ginger garlic paste and stir for a minute. Then add water to it. When water boils add drained rice, roasted vegetables and soya chunks to it.

Add salt and lemon juice too. Close with a lid.

When boils lower the flame and stir occasionally till you get it done.

Switch off the flame and add fried onions and coriander leaves.

Serve hot with any kind of raita or any side dish as per your desire.

Olive-Zatar Focaccia

EID MUBARAK 

Ingredients

Wheat Flour: 4cups

Yeast: 2tsp

Sugar: 1 ½ tsp

Salt: needed

Olive oil: 2tbsp

Warm water: 1 ¼ cups (or as needed)

For Topping

Black Olives: needed

Zatar: 4-5tbsp (you can add more if needed)

Olive Oil: 3-4 tbsp

Egg white/milk: for brushing

Method Of Preparation

In a bowl add sugar, yeast and ¼ cup luke warm water. Wait for 5-8 minutes till it gets fermented.

In another bowl take wheat flour and salt.

Then add the fermented yeast, olive oil and warm water and knead to form soft dough (the dough should not be too sticky or too hard, consistency is somewhat sticky dough)

Wait for 45 minutes-1 hour or till the dough double its size.

Take the dough and roll on a floured or oily surface.

Roll flat to a 1 ½ ” thick dough. Brush the top with egg white.

Mix olive oil and zatar together and brush on top of the dough well. Press with fingers on top or prick with a fork. Spread the chopped olives on top of the dough.

Cover with a damp cloth and wait for another 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile preheat the oven.

Bake at 180⁰C to about 45-50 minutes or till done.

Cool on a wire rack

Slice and serve.

Note: While you use wheat flour, knead the dough with warm water so as to get good outcome.