Kerala Fried Rice

Serves : 4 to 5

Basmati Rice : 2 cup
Water : 5 cup
Cloves: 3
Cardamom Pods : 4
Cinnamon Stick : 1
Chopped Onions : 1
Salt : To taste
Mixed Vegetables : 2 cups
Green Peas : 1/2 cup
Cashews : a few
Peanuts : a few
Raisins : A few
Craisins : A few
Fried Onions : Enough to garnish
Saffron Water  Soaked : Few drops
Cilantro and Mint Leaves : A few
Olive Oil : 3 tbsp

Direction:

1. Soak the basmati rice for 1/2 an hour, and then drain it well.
2. Cook the vegetables according to package direction and set aside. Powder all the spices together and set aside.
3. Add 2 tbsp of  olive oil in a suitable pan large enough to cook the rice, and sauté the chopped onions for 5 minutes.
4. Now add the drained rice and stir until lightly browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Add spices, salt  and water.
5. Cover and cook for about 30 to 40 minutes. First few minutes on medium high till it starts to boil, then reduce the heat to simmer and cook for the remaining time.
6. Slightly fry the cashews, peanuts, craisins, and raisins on low heat and set aside.  Fry thinly sliced onions and set aside.  Add all the cooked vegetables to the remaining oil and sauté for few minutes until all the moisture disappears.
7. Ten minutes before turning off the heat,  add a  few drops of saffron color, followed by the vegetables, fried nuts and onions. Few cilantro leaves and mint leaves can also be added for flavor.  Cover and let it sit for another ten minutes on low heat.  Gently stir before serving.
8. Serve with chicken curry, lemon pickle, salad, and pappadam.

Tips:

Always fry the nuts separately in batches.  Do not burn the cashews,  as soon as the color begins to changes take it out of oil and drain on a paper towel. After adding water, taste the water for salt and add more if needed add more. Careful not to break the rice grains while browning, use a wooden spoon and gently stir. Frozen mixed vegetables like beans, carrots, and corn are an easy addition to this dish.

Papaya Erisseri

Raw Green Papaya peeled and cubed : 3 cups
Cherupayar parippu or Moong dal split : 1/3 cup
Water :  4 cups
Grated Coconut divided : 3/4 cup
Cumin seeds : 1/2 tsp
Turmeric : 1/4 tsp
Red Chili Powder : 1/2 tsp
Black pepper powder : a pinch
Salt : To taste
Olive Oil : 1 tbsp
Curry Leaves : A few
Mustard Seeds : 1 tsp
Red Dried Chilies : 3 or 4
Shallots : 2 or 3

Direction:

1. Pressure cook the papayas and the dal along with water, salt, a few curry leaves, red chili powder,  turmeric powder, and a pinch of black pepper powder  for three whistles on a medium high heat.
2. Grind half of the grated coconut  with cumin seeds and make it into a fine paste.
3. Add the mixture to the pressure cooker and cook for a few minutes on medium low heat till it steams but not boil, and remove from the heat.
4. In a kadai, add olive oil and splutter some mustard seeds. Into this add curry leaves, thinly sliced shallots, and dried red chilies. Now add the remaining coconut grated into this and brown the coconut on medium heat. Pour the prepared erisseri mixture into this and stir well.  Remove from the heat.
5. Serve hot with rice and yum! Fish curry, pappadam, and a thoran curry goes very well with this.

Tips:

Water level should always be enough to cover the ingredients in the pressure cooker plus a  bit more above the level of ingredients for safety. Know your pressure cooker. 

Check for salt content once it is pressure cooked. Always better to add less salt than to regret later. If needed, salt can be added at the end.

This is a thick gravy, if it needs to be runny, add a little more water in step 3.

‘Kovaykka’ and ‘Achinga Payar’ Mezhukkupuratti or Tindora and Runner Beans Sautéed.

Tindora or Kovakka : 1/4 kg or .5lb.
String Beans or long runner beans or Achinga : 1/4 kg.
Garlic Clove Thinly Sliced : 1
Red Onions Thinly Sliced lengthwise : 1
Green Chilies Sliced Vertically : 4 or 5
Thinly Sliced Coconut : Optional
Curry Leaves : A few
Water : 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp
Salt : 1 1/2 tsp

For Seasoning:

Olive oil : 2 tbsp
Mustard Seeds : A few
Curry Leaves : a few
Thinly Sliced Pearl Onions: 2 or 3

Direction:

1. Snap the long runner beans between fingers instead of cutting them. Thinly slice tindoras lengthwise.
2. Into this, add cut chilies, sliced onions and garlic, curry leaves, and coconut slices as shown above.
3. Heat up the pan along with suggested measure of water and salt.
4. Cover and cook the vegetables till it is tender. Normally about 15 to 20 minutes on medium heat. Check in between to see if it needs more water. Sprinkle as needed. Check salt also.
5. Heat up a kadai or a suitable pan and add olive oil, splutter mustard seeds,  brown the onions, add curry leaves and now add the already cooked vegetables. Reduce heat. Let it all blend well and rest for few minutes in low heat uncovered.

 

Tips:

Serve with rice, kachiya moru curry,  pappadam, and chicken curry. Beans should be one or two inch long while snapping them. Cut veges to same length and size. Enjoy!

Oatmeal Jaggery

Serving : 1

Oatmeal : 50gm
Jaggery or Molasses : 1 small piece  or to taste
Cardamom Powder : 1/4 tsp
Crushed Cumin : 1/4 tsp
Milk : 1 1/2 Cup
Sliced Banana : 1

Preparation:

Heat up the milk in a sauce pan, add oatmeal along with jaggery, powdered cardamom , crushed cumin and let it cook for 3 to 4 minutes according to the package direction.  Keep stirring occasionally to prevent sticking of it at the bottom of the pan.

Turn the stove off,  remove it from the heat, and add the banana slices in it just before serving and yumm!

Cherupayar Thoran or Moong Dal Delight

Moong Dal:1/2 cup
Salt: 1/2 tsp or To taste
For Grinding:
Shallots : A few for grinding and seasoning
Curry Leaves: A few
Coconut Grated : 1/4 cup or more 
Green Chilies : 4
Garlic Pods : 1 or 2
For Seasoning:
Mustard Seeds :  1/2 tsp
Red Dried Chilies : 3
Water : 11/4 cup
Turmeric Powder:1/4 tsp

Preparation:

1. Wash and remove any foreign materials from moong dal. Pressure cook the dal for up to 3 to 4 whistles.(Know your pressure cooker well). Water level should be sufficient to cover the entire dal plus a bit more to be safe.  If it is already soaked in water for 2 to 3 hours, one whistle should be sufficient.
2. Grate together all the ingredients listed above,  into a coarse mixture.  Keep aside.
3. Heat the pan with 1tbsp of oil in it. When it is heated through crack the mustard seeds in it and reduce heat. Brown thinly sliced onions, curry leaves, and some red chilies. Add turmeric powder.
4. Now add the coarsely grounded mixture in to the oil and sauté for a couple of minutes till the raw smell disappear,  followed by adding already cooked dal, and gently stir the mixture together and lower the heat to the full and cover and let it sit for a few minutes before serving.
5. Serve it with white rice or rice gruel.

Carrot and String Beans Mezhukkupuratti

Serves : 2

Carrots Thinly Sliced : 2 
String  Beans : 1/2 lb
Olive Oil : 1 tbsp
Thinly Sliced Pieces of Coconut :  a handful
Green Chilies Sliced Lengthwise : 4
Red Onions Sliced Thin and Long : 1
Garlic Pod Thinly Sliced Lengthwise : 1 
Shallots Cut Crosswise into Thin Slices : 3
Curry Leaves : A few
Mustard Seeds : 1 tsp
Salt : To taste
Water : 2 tbsp or more

Preparation:

1. Remove the tips of both beans and carrot and cut them uniformly into thin slices. Each slices about an inch long.(see the pic.below to see the size). Keep them separate in separate bowls.
2. In a pan, heat oil  and crack mustard seeds.  Add shallots and brown, also a few curry leaves.
3. Now add the onions, remaining curry leaves, green chilies, garlic slices, coconut slices and sauté for a minute or two.
4. Into it add the green beans and sprinkle a table spoon of water on it and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Now add the carrots along with the remaining table spoon of water and cook covered on medium heat for 15 minutes, add salt  and lower the heat and cook for another 10 minutes or till it is cooked to your taste. Great side dish for rice.

Notes:

Check to see if it burns at the bottom of the pan,  if so sprinkle more water around and cook  covered on low heat.  Also check in every few minutes and gently toss the vegetables  so that it gets cooked uniformly.

Blueberry Carrot Flax Seed Muffins

Makes 8 Medium Muffins

Dry Ingredients:
Flour : 11/4 cup
Milled Flax Seed* : 1/4 cup
Dark Brown Sugar : 3/4 cup
Salt : 1/2 tsp
Baking Powder : 2 tsp 
Wet Ingredients:
Milk : 1/3 cup + 1tbsp
Almond Oil : 1/3 cup
Egg : 1
Grated Carrots : 1/2 cup
Fresh Blueberries : 1/2 cup
Crumbled Topping(optional):
Cardamom Powder : 1tsp
Butter Cubed : 5 tbsp
Brown Sugar : 1/3 cup
Flour : 1/3 cup

 Preparation:

1. Grease muffin cups and preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Using a wire whisk mix all the dry ingredients together.
3. Mix all the wet ingredients together.
4. Add carrots and blueberries to the dry ingredients and mix well.
5. Now pour in the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix gently till the flour is thoroughly wet. Do not beat the flour mixture hard. 
6. Mix all the ingredients for the crumbled toppings together and spoon it over each muffin. Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or  till a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Notes:

Look for milled flax seeds flour at the baking section of any local grocery store.