101th post: When Life gives you lemons, make Lemon Pickle

My old housekeeper used to spoil us with really good pickle. Better than those shop-bought sesame laden, soggy pickle you get in supermarket, she would make jars and jars of freshly preserved lemons so we could enjoy them with steaming hot rice and curry. I always thought that homemade pickle is a near-impossible task, until she came along to our house and surprised us with her ‘hidden talents’. I was told that each region in India, or in fact, every household in India would have their own homemade version of this 'achar', and anything goes from lemons, limes, beet roots or even ginger and onions!

East-meet-West Kofte curry: Cooking for friends

As we are getting used to the long, long day of fasting, there is also something poignantly nice about Ramadhan.

The iftars.

Planning the menu for family. Being greedy with dozens of delicacies laid nicely on the table, and waiting impatiently for the azan to mark the end of the fast as the sun sets. And best of all, cooking and entertaining for fellow friends who fast, and gather for meals like families.



That was what we did last weekend. Since my move here, I got to know few friends who instantly became close friends. Suhaina is one of them. Much that I love entertaining, I was also apprehensive as Suhaina is a great cook, having established a food blog herself full of beautiful homemade goodies and food with memories of her home. So the menu was planned intently and the table was set. I wanted something unique for her, a reminder of what we left behind in England as well as food that would bring all of us closer during the break of the fast.



One of the dishes that I prepared was this kofte curry. An east-meet-west dish, easily translated as Italian meatballs should I add more tomato ragu or a Mughal specialty should it be more spice infused. The dish was borne, really out of my indecisive nature. I wanted both the taste of mediterranean as well as Mughal in the curry, so I mixed them up and voila, a dish was served!



Since Cousy is a big fan of meatballs, the dish was a winner for her too. Days later Suhaina reminded me to put up the recipe here, and knowing how terrible I could be with blog updating, I thought it was a good push to put up this post asap..hoping that this delicious curry would be your iftari menu too;-)


Beef Kofte Curry

For the kofte:

500g minced beef (or lamb)
1 egg
1 big green onion-diced
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp minced ginger
2 tbsp beef masala powder
a pinch of salt
2 tbsp plain flour
1 tsp olive oil
4 tbsp canola oil-for shallow frying
For curry:

5 shallots-sliced finely
4 tomatoes-diced finely
3 tbsp tomato puree
1 cinnamon stick
cloves and cardamom-a handful
2 bay leaves
3 tbsp biryani powder
water as required
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sumac powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
a handful of coriander leaves

Method

1. Prepare the kofte (meatball).
2. Combine all the ingredients listed for meatballs in a bowl. Mix altogether and form balls the sized of gold balls.
3. Shallow fry until the kofte are golden brown. (I used Phillips airfryer for health reason as no oil was needed).
4. Keep the meatballs aside, drain the oil on kitchen towel.
5. Prepare the curry.
6. Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan or dutch oven. Temper the cinnamon, cardamom cloves and shallots until golden brown and aromatic.
7. Add in the diced tomatoes, bay leaves, biryani masala powder, tomato puree, sumac, pepper and oregano. Slowly add some water until paste is formed and the oil splutter.
8. When the hot sauce is simmering, add the pan fried kofte balls and reduce the heat to medium. Season with salt.
9. As the sauce thickens, add the coriander leaves and turn off the hob after few minutes.
10. Serve piping hot with main dish of your choice. This dish is also perfect for pita sandwiches, with nan or flavoured rice.

Note: I have added on a link above on homemade biryani powder. Or alternatively you can also use any biryani powder readily available in Indian or Asian shops.

A bountiful of potatoes...

My husband loves potato bonda.

Crispy shells of fried gram flour with melt-in-the mouth potato filling, spiced up and served really hot on cold, gloomy days..marvellous! It came as no surprise then that he has been asking, begging me to make some for a long, long time. And not that I deliberately keep him waiting, but truth be told, I did not know any local Indian grocery store nearby that might sell Gram flour, the staple to make those crispy, spicy shells that he yearns for. Even some 24-hour stores which are totally drive-worthy for some late night adhoc shopping could not lure me into some nightly shopping after work, just for a bag of gram flour.





So days became weeks, and weeks became months. There were no sight of potato bonda in our home. Until one fine day, amongst a stack of dhals and other sundries, I spotted the yellow bag. Full of promises, and wishes coming true. I was well pleased to find bags of gram flour in our local wet market that we visit often for some fresh fruits, vegetables and poultry. I could see the broad smile on The Husband's face when I casually toss a bag into our shopping basket, and in my mind, I was hoping that I would have no emergency operation that might require me to go to work again, as how last few Saturdays have been. I just wanted to stay home, and enjoy my cooking. And hope against hope for some heavy rain that afternoon, that would have been perfect.

Anyway, the rain never came. But potato bondas were swiftly presented on our table with a fresh pot of tea. Times like this are what memories are made of. Couscous enjoying her first bites of potato fillings, whislt exclaiming in her baby language 'Hot! Hot!', and the whole plate was licked clean in no time by The Husband, leaving me a couple behind, just for courtesy sake.



I could tell that there would be more request coming my way for those delicious tea time snack to be made again. As I tend to be a wee bit more 'adventurous' when it comes to creating savoury dishes, I realised that I never had any proper measurements or even exact ingredients whenever I made Bonda in the past. The taste invariably is different all the time, albeit claimed to be delicious at all times ( or maybe he is just being polite!). This time, I thought I would jot all the ingredients down, and replicate the same recipe for next time.

There will definitely be a 'next time'.

Potato Bonda

4 large potatoes-boiled and mashed
2 cups gram flour
1 red onion-diced
1 tbsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper powder
1/2 tbsp cumin seeds
few sprigs curry leaves
water as needed
Vegetable or canola oil to fry

Method
1. In a large bowl, add the mashed, boiled potatoes together with salt, coriander powder, chilli and paprika, cumin power, turmeric, curry leaves and onion. Mix well.
2. Scoop a tablespoon of the mixture and form small balls using cleaned hands.
3. In a separate bowl, put the gram flour and add water as needed until thick batter is formed. Add a pinch of salt, black pepper powder and cumin seeds.
4. Heat the oil to deep fry. Dip each potato ball into the gram batter until it is well covered and gently immerse them into the oil. Fry all sides until golden brown.
5. Serve piping hot with a good cuppa of chai.

King Prawn Biryani..for the royal in YOU

So how's the New Year resolutions going? Now that it is already past mid-January, I bet some of you might have fallen off the healthy- bandwagon so here I am, kick starting the mantra of healthy eating with a twist, do you know that you can still enjoy your scrumptious food without compromising the taste, and  oh, without resorting to just salads?

I'm sure many of you would judge biryani as high calorific food, something only for special occasions, and the cumbersome methods of making it. Well, it could be simpler. This is one of the main dishes that seem to adorn our dining table almost on weekly basis, and certainly on ad-hoc notices too. I remember too well how to make those royal delights, so much so that the recipe seems ingrained in my brain and ready to whiplash into the culinary dance of pots and pans, to produce fluffy cooked basmati rice nicely blended with the rich spices and meat. 

My mom is the expert when it comes to making biryani. She would enlist a long list of ingredients, and spices ground from scratch. She would  probably give me a weird look if I say that my biryani is not laden with ghee but olive oil instead. She would probably also turn her nose up if I ever dare mention shop-bough biryani masala, so I compromise whenever I cook her signature dish at home; I stay true to my olive oil yet I follow her road of roasting and grinding the spices from scratch..and what a difference it gives to the taste! And if I want to go up a notch on my healthy menu, I choose seafood instead of the lamb. Like this prawn biryani. Ready in a jiffy, yet gives the false impression of day long labour in the kitchen.

My mouth waters again just at the mere thought of savouring those succulent prawns and morsels of the spiced rice. I think it is about time I make them again. Especially with the weekend looming, this is the perfect entertaining meal in my book, or a lazy one pot meal for the family. Babies included. 

Enjoy the recipe, and do replicate it at your own home:-)

Jumbo King Prawn Biryani

1 kg (6 cups) basmati rice-soak for 30 minutes in water and drained

12 cups water (with 1 tbsp salt mixed in)

500g large king prawns-cleaned

4 tbsp olive oil

2 cinnamon sticks

3 cloves

5 shallots-julienned finely

2 large red onions

2 inch ginger-minced

2 bulbs garlic-minced

2 tomatoes-chopped coarsely

a generous pinch of saffron (soak in 3 tbsp of water)

yellow food colouring

1 handful of chopped coriander leaves

1 handful of chopped mint leaves

Garnishing: Fried shallots, roasted almonds

Biryani masala:

2 cinnamon sticks

3 cloves

3 bay leaves

2 tbsp coriander powder

1 tbsp cumin powder

1 tsp chilli powder

1/4 tsp turmeric

1 tsp fennel seeds

5 cardamoms

5 peppercorns

Method

1. Prepare the biryani masala. Dry roast all the spices on low heat until they are fragrant. Pulse in a blender to form fine powder. 

( You would yield a large quantity of the masala, which can be stored in an airtight container for at least 1 month if not used immediately)

2. Heat the olive oil in a wok. Fry the cloves, cinnamon and shallots until fragrant.

3. Add in half portion of the sliced onions, ginger and garlic (Keep some onions, ginger and garlic aside for the prawn). Fry until the raw smell is gone and onions are wilted.

4. Add in the washed and drained basmati and coat the rice well with the other ingredients.

5. Once the rice are almost dry, transfer it to the rice cooker and pour in salted water. Alternatively, the rice can be cooked in a pot covered with a lid, under low heat. Cook rice until 3/4 cooked

6. Whilst rice is cooking, heat some olive oil in the wok. Shallow fry the king prawns until they turn pink. Set aside.

7. Using the same oil, fry the remaining onions, ginger and garlic until the raw smell is gone.

8. Add the biryani masala and fry until oil splutters. Add in the  saffron with water and tomatoes.

9. Once tomatoes are a bit mushy, add the prawns and 1/4 cup of water. Season with salt and simmer on low heat until the gravy thickens.

Layering method

Place 1/3 of the cooked  rice in a dutch oven or casserole.Splash the yellow food colouring and using a fork, colour bits of the rice to form colourful tinge of yellow. Garnish the top layer with half of the coriander and mint leaves. Place half of the prawns with gravy and repeat the layering process until complete with rice on top.

Steam or bake the rice for further 15 minutes.

Garnish with some fried shallots and roasted almonds.

Scoop from the bottom of the dish for servings.

* Sending this flavourful dish to The Kerala Kitchen, which is hosted this month by Kaveri of Palakkad Chamayal*

 

The Ever Versatile Kerala Chicken Roast

I don't know whether it's the enticingly unique description of 'roast' or the mouthwatering pictures that did it, but the moment I saw Nashi of Plateful's recent post on 'Kerala style Chicken Roast'; a roast that does not involve oven, I knew then that this dish is a definite bookmark for the weekend. She really knows how to describe her curry well, I tell you, as I was on trance for the whole week and could not wait for the weekend to try out the curry. I agree with her that most Indian curries which are popular especially in the West tend to veer towards North Indian Mughlai dishes, leaving the South Indian counterpart a bit neglected. Roast is a term used in Kerala dishes where the gravy is semi-dry.  In our household, we tend to have an easy quick of chicken fry masala which is almost like this curry sans coconut milk. I thought it was time for me to try a creamier version of chicken roast, and voila, the result was just outstanding.

 When you get two thumbs up from your Kerala-born father who esteemed this curry as 'the best remembrance of his childhood days in Kerala and the best he has tasted so far', I thought I shall post it here too for the benefits of all, although if you are after fabulous clicks and stunning photography, I suggests you head off to Nashi's space where the justice to the curry is definitely done.

We had ours a good few hours ago with hot, steaming fragrant rice, and the taste is still lingering in my palate. Next time I shall make some Roomali roti to go with it, this is a definite keeper, and gives all the Mughlai dishes a good run for their money.

The Ever-Versatile Kerala Chicken Roast

recipe adapted from here, originally from Vanitha magazine

1 whole chicken-skinned and cut into small pieces

Marinade:

1.2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tbsp chilli powder

juice from 1 lemon

1/2 tsp salt

4 tbsp coconut oil

2 medium sized onions-sliced

2 tomatoes-diced

4 cloves garlic- minced

2 inch ginger-grated

1 tbsp chilli powder

2 tbsp coriander powder

1/2 tbsp fennel powder

1/2 tbsp garam masala

few sprigs curry leaves

lemon wedges

1 cinnamon stick

salt to taste

2 cloves

1 can thick coconut milk

Method

1.Marinade the chicken pieces with the marinade ingredients and keep for at least 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, dry roast the spices: fennel powder, coriander and chilli powder. Keep aside.

3. Heat the coconut oil in a wok and shallow fry the chicken in batches until almost cooked and golden brown. Keep aside.

4. Using the same oil, fry the curry leaves, cinnamon stick and cloves until fragrant. Add the onions and minced ginger-garlic. 

5. Once the onion is almost translucent, add the dry roasted spices. Let the mix be well blended and add the tomatoes followed by the fried chicken.

6. Coat the chicken well with the spices and add the garam masala.

7. Pour the coconut milk, season with salt and tiny bit of lemon juice.

8. Reduce the heat and let the curry simmer until the gravy changes to darker colour and becomes semi-dry.

9. Serve warm with rice, rotis, baguette, the choice is yours.

White Flour Poori

I am initially hesitant to put up this recipe on the blog, as I would not claim this to be a 'healthy' recipe, and we really do try to steer clear from the deep fried goodies. But you know what, those pooris happened to be one of my childhood favourites,so when my aunt made them recently and they puffed up so nicely, I just had to do them myself and share them with all of you!

Our household usually prefers the plain flour poori, instead of the healthy wholemeal version, and believe it or not, I have never made the wholemeal pooris at all, and have always stuck by this awesome recipe, so I couldn't compare which would taste better. I know that most Indian households prefer poori with channa curry, but in our carnivorous family, every time when there is some leftover beef or lamb curry from the night before, pooris always fare well on our breakfast menu.

I have an eternal love for all things bread, healthy or not, they feature much better than rice on my day-to-day menu. From unleavened Indian breads, to buns and seeded loaves, they remain here to stay, Noawadays I could count the days of deep frying pooris, thanks to the vigourous use of bread maker that produces beautiful homemade brioche and loaves, and also my personal desire to stay trim, but then those puffed up heavenly would make me succumb, and down I fall from my so-called healthy bandwagon. But one thing for sure, there is no regret, as they do taste divine. The taste and oh so smooth flaky pieces surely do make up for the whopping calories, in my book at least!

My generous aunt has graciously shared her recipe here, so here goes, white flour poori that will never fail you, and will always be the crowning jewel on your breakfast table.

White Flour Poori

1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 tbsp ghee
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp milk powder
salted lukewarm water as required
Oil for deep frying

Method

1. In a bowl, place the flour, milk powder, baking powder and ghee. Add the salted water gradually and knead until dough is formed. Rest the dough for 10 minutes.

2. Form small balls, the size of pingpong balls. Using a rolling pin, roll each ball into a disc of about 1 cm thickness.

3. Ensure that oil is very hot ( but not smokey) before frying each disc of poori. Fry until both sides turned golden brown. If the oil is at right temperature, the pooris should puffed up during frying.

4. Serve warm with curry of your choice.

Note: Sending this recipe to this month's Kerala Kitchen and Let's Cook: Scrumptious Breakfast, an event hosted by Radhika of Tickling Palates.

Coconut and Mint Lamb Curry

We've been away, away from the cloudy days of London summer to the exotic Dubai and tropcs, driven by the crave of sun and a change of scene. This blog, inevitably suffers from a bit of abandonment and I thought it's time to resurrect it with a post almost as good as the lamb pilaf that I had at the Emirates Lounge. I have a love-love relationship with lamb. Anything lamb would be in my good book, and this curry is exceptionally good that it becomes one of our easy comfort food as well as exotic dish that we entertain friends with. After years of blending in my palate with British food, our tolerance for spicy food has shamefully diminished, yet this curry always brings back the love for the heat. This is also our 'bonding time' curry as The Husband and I would savour the morsels with our own preferred choice, rice for him and naan for me. It always works, and there will be no leftovers.

I think this curry will be a winner amongst my family members who love everything spicy too, though I have had requests for macarons instead! Bring on the flavours, I say. Even on holidays, my baking bug hasn't left me yet, it's a therapy on its own to see the cakes rise beautifully, the macarons finding their feet slowly and the spices to infuse and form exotic blends of gravy. This is what life is for, food for families, food for gatherings and certainly food to soothe away the sorrows.

It was such a beautiful feeling to go out to the backyard, pick those bunches of fresh mint from the soil, mix the lamb chunks with the homemade yogurt that has curded beautifully overnight and blend all the spices with fresh coconut, picked minutes ago from the swaying trees. Such delight! Something that I will never be able to do in the UK, yet how we made do all these years with products on supermarket aisle. I am betting my luck that this lamb curry would taste way nicer with the fresh produce, either way, this curry is a must-try. A perfect pot of heated love for your loved ones.

Coconut and Mint Lamb Curry

500g boneless lamb chunks
2 medium sized green onions-finely sliced
1 cup plain greek style yogurt
2 inch ginger-grated finely
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
1 tbsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1/2 tbsp paprika
1/2 tbsp chilli powder
1/2 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp black pepper
1 cup freshly grated coconut (or dessicated coconut sprinkled with water)
salt to taste
4 tbsp olive oil

Method
1. Marinate the lamb pieces with ginger and yogurt for few hours, preferably overnight.
2. Dry roast the coriander seeds, paprika, chilli powder, cumin and black pepper until fragrant and slightly brown. Put the spices into the food processor, add the coconut and mint in and pulse until finely blended. Set aside.
3. Heat the olive oil in the casserole pan or wok. Fry the onions until golden brown, add the fennel seeds. Once fragrant, add the blended spices and fry until oil splutters a bit. Add the marinated lamb pieces and lower the heat. Season with salt. For a bit of gravy, pour about 1 cup of water and let the gravy simmer on low heat until thickens and the meat is well cooked.
4. Garnish with mint leaves and serve warm with roti, naan or pilau rice.

Note: Sending this recipe to The Kerala Kitchen.

Stir-Fry Tapioca with Saffron

I have been inundated with work and house chores lately. Sneaking a breather is beginning to be more of a luxury, especially with a mobile little munchkin exploring the world to her heart's content. This blog, initially started as my anecdotes and virtual 'happenings' has piqued The Husband's interest to the extent that he is showing off his own culinary skills to 'compete' with me. Not that I'm complaining. Sometimes I welcome a break from the kitchen with sheer delight,  and it is nice to be pampered with delicious food once in a while;-)

You would be glad to know that this post, from recipe to pictures are exclusively my husband's. I play no role in it, I even suggested that he could probably do my first guest post! Without much contemplation he says that he shall stick to lawyering instead:P. So here I am,  after his persistent nudges, I am posting my husband's recipe, his all time favourite tapioca with fenugreek. Even though I was initially skeptical when he came home with some humongous, rustic looking tapioca one fine Sunday, I was well impressed with how well this dish turned out. We thoroughly enjoyed it with some rice and chutneys.

On different note, I received my first blog award from Ms Wan from Cooking Varieties. It totally made my day! Thanks a lot Wan, for the appreciation and the little joy it brings, especially for a newbie like me. Food blogging is really a warm community with kindred spirit that I would be very happy to be part of, and contribute to. Ms Wan is already a veteran amongst the food bloggers. Her interesting food blog laced with a lot of health benefits, recipes and guest posts would appeal to many readers, from all hook and corner of the world. Receiving the Reader Appreciation award from Ms Wan is such an honour. Those who have not been to her blog, do hop over here.

Without further ado, let's enjoy the tapioca, a refreshing yet spicy dish.

Stir-Fry Tapioca with Saffron

500g tapioca-cut into 1 inch cubes
4 shallots-sliced thinly
1 tsp mustard seeds
a handful of coriander leaves
1 inch ginger-grated
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp turmeric
3 green chillies-chopped
a pinch of salt
few twigs of curry leaves
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
few strands of saffron-soak in warm water

Method

Boil the tapioca cubes until 3/4 done.
Whislt the tapioca is boiling, heat the olive oil in a wok. Add in the mustard seeds until they splutter. Add the grated ginger, fenugreek and curry leaves; fry until fragrant and add the shallots.
Once the shallots are golden brown, add green chillies, saffron with the water and turmeric. Finally  drain the tapioca ( do not throw the stock just yet) and add into the wok. Simmer on medium heat. If the tapioca becomes too dry, pour some tapioca stock to give some moisture. Add the coriander leaves and turn off the heat.
Serve warm.

Note: Submitting this recipe to The Kerala Kitchen and Priya's Now Serving; Cooking with Fenugreek, the event is  the brainchild of Kiran of Sumadhura.

Malaysian Muhibbah Monday: Murtabak/ Keema Paratha / Erachi Porotta

Malaysia is a melting pot of different cultures, different ethnic backgrounds and inevitably, this brings out an eclectic mix of cuisines, rated as one of the best in the world. One such cuisine that remains ever so popular amongst Malaysians is 'Mamak' cuisine, best found in 24 hour cafes and restaurants. Alas, not many Malaysians even know the origin of Mamak, which found its heritage in Malabar, amongst the Malabaris who made their voyages within the Far East and rooted a big settlement in Malaysia. Neither is this fact known to many Malabaris in Kerala. 

Given my ancestry, Mamak food is our everyday food at home. Better than restaurant, and certainly more varied and spiced than what most Malaysians knew. First time when I cooked Malabari food and presented to my husband, he was shocked to find out that the so-called Mamak dishes are stuff that he finds in Kerala! Such is tradition. It lasts through generations and generations, and the palate is never changing. There is one example of how diverse the countries might have been, but what is famously known as Murtabak in Malaysia is actually known as Keema Paratha in Kerala, (or erachi porotta) a fact that I only discovered last week!

Sometimes, I do have a 'Conflict of Country-neither here nor there' as I have lived in England for so long, yet the tradition of Kerala and Malaysian food have always intertwined in our daily choice of food. Just like I cannot live without my Scottish oats porridge in the morning and scones for tea, I still yearn for some Mamak food ever so often that I usually would follow my heart's desire and cook it fresh at home. Murtabak as I knew it, or Keema Paratha as The Husband is accustomed to it, is one of Malabar dishes that we both savour with delight.

 

I am not surprised if most Malaysians do not know how to make Murtabak from scratch, but I will certainly be surprised if a Keralite can't do a keema paratha! Also, the Malabar paratha (porottha) is way different than a North Indian paratha, though both version taste just as delicious.

 

For Malabar paratha, there is a art to tossing and spinning the dough until it becomes a really thin layer. Murtabak is simply upgraded from the plain paratha by filling it with spiced minced meats and fold the sides into an envelope. They are tasty and very filling on its own or could also be served with yogurt or dhal curry.

Murtabak

For the dough
2 cups plain flour
3 tbsp ghee
1 egg
a pinch of salt
1 tbsp sugar
3/4 cup water (approximate)
3 tbsp warm milk

Mix all the ingredients except the water. Add the water gradually whilst kneading the ingredients into a sticky dough. Divide into small balls and oil the dough balls with some ghee. Keep aside in a container for at least 4 hours.


For the meat filling
250 g minced lamb
1 medium sized onion
2 cloves garlic
1 inch ginger
1 chopped tomato
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garam masala
a pinch of salt
few twigs of curry leaves
1 cinnamon bark
few cloves and star aniseeds
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
3 tbsp oil

Heat the oil in a pan. Fry the curry leaves, cinnamon, cloves and aniseeds until fragrant. Add in the chopped onion, tomato, ginger and garlic. Fry until onion turns golden brown. In a bowl, mix the turmeric, coriander powder, paprika and cumin with few tablespoons of water to form a paste. Add into the pan and fry for few minutes.

Add the meat and well coat with the spices. As the meat will produce some water, simmer on low heat until the meat is well cooked and almost dry. Add some water accordingly if the meat becomes too dry. Cook for about 30 minutes. Add the garam masala and chopped coriander leaves just few minutes before turning the hob off. Cool the filling prior to use.

Assembling the Murtabak

After about 4 hours, take out the dough balls. Using oiled hands, stretch the dough, toss and spin on air (this takes a bit of expertise but do-able) until it becomes a circle and as thin as a tissue paper. Drizzle some oil on the dough. Beat an egg (optional) and spread the egg on the dough before putting the meat filling on the centre of the circle. Fold the edges into an envelope so a rectangle is formed.

Heat a skillet and spray with some oil. Fry the murtabak until golden brown on both sides.

Serve warm with dhal or yogurt and pickle. Enjoy!

Note: Submitting this recipe to Malaysian Muhibbah Monday, hosted by Sharon from testwithskewer and Suresh from 3hungrytummies.

Savala Vada (Onion Vada/Onion Fritters)

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This snack is our family favourite. When I ran out of ideas for tea time snack, or when the baking bug needs its bountiful rest, this vada would be my old friend re-invited back to the kitchen, time and time again. I tried to ban anything deep fried for the obvious health reasons but sometimes the craving caves in and I thought, oh well, only this time. Especially when it rains outside and all we want to do is curl up in the duvet, watch some silly matinees and munch something hot and spicy. This delectables are perfect for those lazy afternoons.

Now that the summer fasting is on us, those afternoon cravings would only get heightened, and it is easily justifiable to munch on those sinful deep fried snacks after hours and hours of starvation. Not that we need any excuses. Alas, it was not the same to munch on these at 9pm at night instead of mid afternoon! We like it plain, just the way it is, though I think it would also taste delicious with chilli sauce to kick it up, if your palate can take the heat.

This vada is so easy to make, but there is a catch. As yeast is used in the batter, it really needs to be kept to rise for approximately couple of hours before frying. If you can wait that long, your patience shall be rewarded by crispy, yet soft doughtnut like fritters, perfect with a cuppa. Make a big batch, as one vada is never enough!

Savala Vadas (Onion Vada/Onion Fritters)

2 cups plain flour

3/4 tsp instant yeast

3/4 cup water-adjust accordingly

2 red chillies-finely chopped

1 big red onion-finely chopped

1/2 tsp minced ginger

few twigs of curry leaves-finely chopped

a pinch of salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Oil for frying

Method

1. Proof the yeast with lukewarm water, kept aside for around 10 minutes. Mix all the other ingredients with flour. Add in the yeast and mix well. The batter should be thick enough to form sticky balls on the hand. Cover the bowl and keep the batter at room temperature for about 2 hours. 

2. Heat the oil in a wok. Oil the palm of hands and using finger, shape the batter into doughnut shapes with round  hole in the middle. Slide into the oil and fry until golden brown.

3. Serve hot, on its own or with chutneys, chilli sauce or yogurt.

Note

Submitting this recipe to Taste of Pearl City's Any One Can Cook, Kitchen Flavours' Joy from Fasting to Feasting and Jabeen's Iftar Nights event.

Neyappam

I am a bit apprehensive as this will be the first time I am participating in the monthly Kerala Kitchen event, daring I must say, given that my childhood exposure to Kerala food has been reignited only recently, thanks to The Husband's request on Kerala cuisine at home.  My Food Guru, The Mom actually laughed out loud when I showed her the pictures of my Neyappam on Skype. 'Amazing, she says, 'you have actually made perfect neyappams!'. Yes, across 5000 miles apart what we do best these days is compare the recipes. We both actually made the neyappams few weeks ago, both using the same recipe, both done on same day. Cool, eh? The only uncool thing is, hers turned out looking way better than mine. The expertise on neyappam-making comes with age, I say.

Truth being told, bring me any cakes or cupcakes recipe, I shall tackle it in no time. But traditional Malabari palaharam or desserts, they are just out of my league. It feels like sitting the surgical membership exam all over again. Terror down my spine, I tell you.

Thought to self: making macaron is way easier. Anyhow, trying to stay true to my Malabar roots, I tackled the adventure of sweet neyappams nonetheless. Rice, check. Ghee, check. Jaggery, check. Flour, oh, aplenty in the pantry. Few hours later, I was doing a chicken dance in my kitchen, with the Baby bouncing by the hip. My mom shared her little tip of frying each one at a time, fully immersed in the oil only for few seconds and fliiping both sides. But guess who actually gave me a  proper coaching on how to fry the neyappams? None other than The Husband himself! Amazing, truly amazing. This man whom once surprised me by 'suddenly appearing' in the flight that I was in and proposed  to me in front of 200 passengers with exquisite roses and...and... THE signature blue box in his hand still makes me reel with delight  and giddy with excitement; surprised me he did with culinary skill up his sleeve this time!

As the neyappams came out, all crispy on the edge and fluffy inside, it just brought reminiscence of my childhood days, running around in hot summer day with freshly fried neyappams in my hands. We never put grated coconuts in our batter, as Mom believes they last longer without. I know some recipes call for coconuts and even bananas. Neyappams are traditionally made for Eid or festivities, although in our household they are popular all year round.

So here's my humble offering for all to share., I'm sending it to The Kerala Kitchen event for this month. They are addictive, and I really enjoyed them, again and again.  The Husband was happy with it. So all is good in my world.

Neyappams
yields around 20 pieces

1 cup pachari (raw rice)
1 cup jaggery
1/4 cup water
3 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp ghee
OIl for deep frying

Method

1. Soak the rice in water for at least 4 hours. Drain off the water and sieve to dry. Pulse the rice in the food processor until they become grainy, and not too smooth. Keep aside in a big bowl.

2. Cook the jaggery with the water in a small heavy bottomed pan. Once the jaggery is melted, pour this immediately into the rice. Add in the flour and ghee. Mix all together into  a well blended thick batter.

3. Heat the oil. Spoon the batter gently into the hot oil. Let it float up before flipping it on to the other side. Remove it off the heat when both sides turn golden brown. Fry each one singly until the batter is finished.

4. Neyappams are ready. They can be stored away in an airtight container and will be kept well for couple of weeks.

Mutton Varuval

I have been away. Nice, long road trip with an old dear friend, all the way to the old English countryside, escaping from it all including the blogging. It was such a relief to be away from the routine, until just before we left for home,  I missed my own cooking when I was presented with the so-called King Prawn Biryani, in the 'English' B&B that we were staying. It was so despicable that  I even wonder what was so authentic about Anglicised Indian food that is now so typically available-Bhuna, Dopiaza, Dhansak, Balti..but they all taste the same to me! I am usually contented with whatever I order, but that particular day, I was craving for proper Indian and boy, was I disappointed. The only consolation was, the place that we were visiting in Cotswolds was so breathtaking that it blew my mind away,so I made do without my curry:-(

I'm sure many would agree that it is difficult to get proper Indian food in the UK. The real, authentic, fully spiced up and full of flavour that is. Sometimes, when my craving is overwhelming, instead of ordering the same-taste-different-name takeaway, I usually resort to my never-fail curry; Mutton or Chicken Varuval. This curry is strictly not a typical Kerala dish, being Chettinaad in origin, but we have it a lot at home.  It's easy to make and is great with rice, rotis etcs.

Try it once, and you will be hooked..just like me.

Chetinaad style Mutton Varuval

1kg mutton-cut into pieces (preferably with bone)

3 medium sized onions-chopped finely

1 inch ginger

2 cloves garlic

1 cinnamon sticks

5-6 cloves

2-3 cardamoms

few twigs curry leaves

1 tbsp poppy seed- soak in warm water for 10 minutes

1 teaspoon peppercorn

2 green chillies

3 tbsp cashews-roasted 

1 tbsp coriander powder

1 cup thick  plain yogurt ( I use Greek style)

/2 tsp turmeric powder

few tbsp oil

Method

1. Prepare the spices. Grind 2 onions(chopped), ginger, garlic, poppy seeds with the soaked water, peppercorns, chillies, cashews, coriander powder and turmeric into a smooth paste. Set aside.

2. In a frying wok, heat the oil and fry the cinnamon stick, curry leaves and cloves. Add in the chopped onions. As the onions produces nice aroma, add in the mutton pieces and fry until brown slightly.

3. Add in the blended spice paste and coat the mutton thoroughly. Pour in the yogurt along with 2 cups of water and salt, cook for around 20 minutes until the meat is tender and has absorbed most of the water.

4. The Varuval is ready to be served. Garnish with chopped coriander optionally.