Sukhiyan or Modakam

Ingredients:-

Filling-

Green Gram or Cherupayar                 - 2 cups

Jaggery/brown sugar grated               -1 cup

Coconut (grated)                                    - 1 cup

Ghee                                                          - 1 tea spoon

Cardamom powder                                - 1 tea spoon

Water                                                        - 1 table spoon

Batter-

 Maid/ All purpose flour                       - 1 ½ cup

Salt                                                            - ½ pinch

Water

Oil  to fry

Method:- 

Wash and pressure cook green gram with just sufficient water. When the cooker releases pressure, drain extra water if any in the gram and mash coarsely the cooked gram.  In a pan add 1 table spoon of water and the Jaggery and boil it till it becomes thick add coconut and stir well. Add cooked gram and cardamom powder and stir well. Now it will be very thick and switch off the stove.

When cooled make lemon size balls and keep it aside.

Add salt to Maida and prepare a batter adding sufficient water. The batter should be a little bit thicker than the pan cake batter.  

Heat oil in a pan. Dip each ball in the batter and deep fry them. It is good hot or cold.     

Gulab Jamun

Ingredients:-

Maida/All purpose flour     - 1 Cup

Khoya                                     - 1 ½ Tea spoon

Baking soda                           - 1/2 Tea spoon

Condensed milk                   - 4 Tea spoons

Saffron                                   - ¼ Tea spoon

Rose Essence                        - 2 tea spoons

Cardamom (Crushed)      - 5

Ghee/ Dalda to fry               - 150 gm

Water                                     - 3 cups

Sugar                                      - 3 cups

Method:-

In a bowl put Maida, soda and mix well. To this add khoya, mix again  and add 3 Tea spoons of  condensed milk and mix well, if necessary add the remaining 1 spoon of condensed milk too and  make a smooth dough and keep it aside for ½ an hour. Make small balls from the dough applying little ghee in your palms so that the dough doesn’t stick to your hand. Heat ghee in a pan and fry the balls in a low heat.

Boil sugar and water in a pan for syrup. Add cardamom and saffron to the syrup. After 5 minutes filter the syrup and add rose essence to it. Now it is time to put all the fried balls to the syrup. After  3-4 hours take the Gulab Jamun from the syrup.

Serve Jamun with some syrup. Try it and enjoy.

Kajji Kaya

Ingredients:-

For dough-

Maida/ all purpose flour                    - 1 cup

Dalda/ ghee / any Vanaspathi        - 1 table spoon

Method:-

Mix maida with one table spoon of Dalda/ghee and kneed it with sufficient water to make tight dough and keep it aside for ½ hour. 

For filling –

Dalda/ ghee / any vanaspathi        - 1 table spoon

Cashew broken                                     - 2 table spoons

Resins                                                       - 1 table spoon

Suji                                                             - 1 cup

Grated coconut                                      - 1 cup

Khoya                                                        - 1 cup

Cardamom powder                              - 1 tea spoon

Sugar                                                          - 1 cup

Method:-

Heat a pan and put one spoon of dalda/ghee to it , when it melts add cashew and resins . Stir well and when they are light golden brown add suji and stir well for two minutes. Now add grated coconut and stir well till the mixture becomes light golden color. Add cardamom powder and khoya and stir well. Add sugar and mix well and transfer it to a bowl.

Take a portion of dough in the size of a lemon and roll it to a thin chapatti and spread it on an open Kajjikaya  mold and fill with 1 ½ tea spoon of the filling  and wet the edges with little bit of water and close the mold tightly and take away the excess dough outside the mold. Open the mold and take out the Kajjikaya. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. If you don’t have a mold fill the chapatti and seal it design the edges with a fork or spoon.

Heat  oil in a pan and deep fry them till light golden brown.

Paniyaram/Uppappam/Morappam

Ingredients:-

Raw rice                           -1 cup

Urad dal                           - 1 table spoon

Channa dal                      - 1 table spoon

Toor dal                            - 1 tea spoon

Green chilli chopped     - 2

Onion chopped               - 3 tea spoon

Ginger chopped              - ½ tea spoon

Curd/yogurt                    - ½ cup

Curry leaves                     - 10-15

Asafetida                          - 1 tea spoon

Water

Salt to taste

Oil to deep fry

Method:-

Soak rice, Urad dal, Toor dal, channa dal for 2 hours. Wash and grind it to a smooth batter adding sufficient water. Add onion, green chilli, ginger, asafetida, curry leaves, salt and curd. Mix well. The batter should be a little bit looser than dosa batter.

Heat oil in an Unniyappam Pan and fill batter in each impression just above half full, reduce heat to medium and allow to cook. When one side is done flip over to the other side and cook. Cook until both sides are golden brown. Remove and put them in a tissue paper. Serve hot when oil is drained fully.

Unniyappam

Ingredients:-

Raw rice                                                              - 1 cup

Par boiled rice                                                   - 1 cup            

(Preferably ponni puzhukkalari)

Jiggery (bellam/ brown sugar) grated         - 1 ½ cup

Cardamom powder                                          - 1 tea spoon

Dry ginger powder                                           - ½ tea spoon

Cumin seed powder                                         - ½ tea spoon

Coconut cut into small pieces                        - 1 table spoon

Plantain small (cheru pazham)                     - 1

Baking soda (optional)                                    - ¼ tea spoon

Oil/ Vanaspathi/ Ghee to deep fry                       

Method:-

Soak rice for 3 hours. Wash the rice and drain water. Grind it in a mixer with grated jiggery to smooth batter adding sufficient water. Smash the banana well with your hand. Add smashed banana, cardamom powder, pepper powder, cumin seed powder, baking soda and coconut to the rice batter. The consistency of the batter should be a little bit looser than dosa batter.

Heat oil in an Unniyappam Pan and fill batter in each impression just above half full, reduce heat to medium and allow to cook. When one side is done flip over to the other side and cook. Cook until both sides are golden brown. Remove and put them in a tissue paper. Serve hot when oil is drained fully.

NB: - Usually Unniyappam is made of raw rice. I used par boiled rice too make it soft and more tasty. Try and enjoy!!

Kachori

Ingredients:

Maida/All purpose flour        - 1cup Moong Dal (soaked)               - ½ cup Basen ( channa dal powder)      - ¼ cup Cumin Powder                         - 1 tea spoon Garam Masala                         - 1 tea spoon Red Chilli Powder                   - 1 tea spoon Baking Powder                         - ½ tea spoon Oil for deep frying  Salt to taste

Method:-

Mix flour, salt and baking powder and make smooth dough using sufficient water. Grind the soaked moong dal. Heat one table spoon of oil in a pan and fry the ground moong dal. Add cumin powder, garam masala, salt and chilli powder to it. Stir till it gets dry. Add Basen to it and stir well. Transfer the mix to a bowl. Make lemon size ball from the dough. Flatten them with your palms. Stuff them with 1 tea spoon of filling and seal them and press the ball slightly. Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the kachories till golden brown. It has a shelf life of 10-15 days if kept air tight.

Saboodana Vada

Ingredients:-

Saboodana                                                -2 cups

Peanuts (roasted and coarsely ground)-1 cup

Potato (cooked, peeled and mashed)   - 2 big

Green chillies finely chopped                - 15

Salt to taste

Oil to deep fry

Method:-

Wash and soak saboodana for 2 hours. Add peanuts, potatoes, green chillies and salt to saboodana and mix well to a thick paste. Make 20 equal portions of this mix and round and flatten them to the shape of a disc. Heat oil in a pan and slide the vadas (5 to 6 at a time) and fry them till they are slightly golden color and crispy. Repeat the same with the remaining rounds/vadas. Serve them hot with tomato sauce/coconut chutney.

Potato Stew

Ingredients:-

Potato medium size     - 4

Onion thinly sliced      -1 big

Green chilli split          -3

Ginger finely sliced     - 1 inch piece

Pepper powder            - 1 tea spoon

Curry leaves                 - 2 strands

Coconut milk               - 1 ½ cup

Salt to taste

Method:-

Pressure cook the potatoes. Peel and cut the potatoes into cubes.

 In a vessel cook onion, green chilli, ginger, pepper powder, the diced potatoes and salt, with one cup of water. When it thickens lower the flame, add curry leaves and coconut milk and stir well. Cook for one more minute and transfer to a serving bowl. It is good with Vellayappam and rice.

Okra/Ladies Finger (Vendakkai) Poriyal

Ingredients:-

Ladies finger cut into 1” pieces - ¼ kg

Red chilli powder                         - 1 ½ tea spoon

Basen (Bengal gram flour)         - 1 table spoon

Cumin seeds                                 - 1 tea spoon

Oil                                                   - 2-3 table spoons

Turmeric powder                        - ½ tea spoon

Salt to taste

Method:-

Marinate ladies finger with chilli powder, basen, turmeric powder, and salt and keep aside for 2 minutes.

Heat oil in a pan and put cumin seeds. When cumin seeds start to splutter add the ladies finger to the pan and stir well, close the lid and cook in medium flame. Every 1 minute open the pan and stir. After 5 minutes take the lid (open the pan) and cook for 2-3 minutes. Ladies finger poriyal is ready.

Mixed Vegetable Poriyal

Ingredients:-

Carrot grated       - ½ cup

Green peas          - ¼ cup

Cabbage grated – ½ cup

Mustard seed     - ½ tea spoon

Cumin seed         - ½ tea spoon

Dry red chilli       - 2

Urad dal              - ½ tea spoon

Oil                         - 1 table spoon

Salt to taste       

Method:-

Mix all the vegetables with salt and cook in the microwave oven for 10 minutes.

Heat oil in a pan, add mustard, cumin seeds, red chilli and urad dal, when they splutter add the vegetables and stir. Cook for 2 minutes and switch off the stove.

Onion Samosa

Ingredients:-

 For filling,

Onion diced – 1 cup

Red chilli powder – 1tea spoon

Black pepper powder- ½ tea spoon

Chat masala – 1 tea spoon

Green chilli finely chopped-1

Rice flakes/poha-2 table spoons

Salt to taste

For samosa sheet,

Maida              - 1 ½ cup

Oil                     - 1 table spoon

Baking powder ¼ tea spoon

Salt ½ tea spoon

Water to make the dough

Oil   - for deep frying

Make a paste with 2 table spoons of Maida and water.

Method:-

Mix all items mentioned above for filling and keep aside. Mix Maida with salt, baking powder and one table spoon oil. Add water little by little and make dough in the consistency of chapatti dough. Cover the dough with a wet cloth and let it rest for ½ an hour. After half an hour make thin chapattis of 8” diameter. Put the chapatti in the hot thava and cook each side for 10 seconds and cut into 2” broad and 4 ½ “ long sheets. Fold each sheet in the shape of a cone and fill half the cone with the filling. Close the cone with the Maida paste tightly. Heat oil and deep fry the samosas golden brown. Serve hot with Tomato sauce/ketch up.

Rajma/Kidney Beans Curry

Ingredients:-

Rajma/Kidney beans 1 cup, tomatoes 2, onion 1, green chilli 1, ginger 1 inch piece, cumin seeds 1 tea spoon, turmeric powder ½ tea spoon, red chili powder 3 tea spoons, garam masala 1 tea spoons, dhaniya (coriander)powder 1 ½ tea spoon, coriander leaves chopped 1 tea spoon, oil 3 table spoons, salt to taste and water to cook.

Method:-

Soak the Rajma in water for 6 hours and drain it. In a mixer put tomatoes, ginger, onion, and green chili and make a smooth paste.

In a pressure cooker pour 3 table spoons of oil and heat. When oil is hot put cumin seeds, when it splutters add chilli powder, turmeric powder, dhaniya/Coriander powder and garam masala and stir for 30 seconds. Add the ground paste and stir well for 2 minutes/ till the oil starts to separate. Now add the soaked kidney beans/ rajma and the salt and 3 cups of water, close the pressure cooker and cook till two whistle.

When the cooker releases pressure open the cooker and smash some kidney beans with the ladle and add water if needed. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with rice, chapatti, Vellayappam or Dosa.

This curry is good with Rice, Chapatti, Vellayappam, Dosa etc.

Vellayappam/Aappam

It is a typical Kerala item which comes in the category of pan cakes.

The Ingredients:-

Raw rice 1 cup, grated coconut ½ cup, cooked raw rice 1 table spoon, dry east 1 tea spoon, salt to taste (3/4 tea spoon), sugar 2 to 3 tea spoons, baking powder 1 pinch(optional) and water 1 cup.

Method:-

Grind all the ingredients in a mixer to a nice soft paste add 1 1/2 cup water to the batter. The batter should be a little more light than the dosa batter. Let it rest for 6 to 7 hours to ferment.

Keep the flat shallow kadai (aappa chatty) in the stove. When the kadai is hot reduce heat and pour 1 ½ ladle of batter in the kadai and rotate the kadai slowly so that the batter spreads to the inner sides of the kadai and then place the lid on the kadai and cook for two minutes. Within two minutes open the lid and see if aappam is cooked. Remove the cooked aappam gently from the kadai and place it in a flat plate. In the same way cook the remaining batter also. It is good if served hot with potato stew/rajma/kidney pea curry/even coconut milk mixed with sugar.