Mint Pulao | Pressure Cooker Method




This is a very easy rice recipe you can make in Pressure Cooker. Add it to your Christmas Menu.

Ingredients for the mint chutney

A large bunch of mint
1 1/2 inch piece of ginger
6 cloves of garlic
Curd 4 tbsp or Juice of 1 lemon

Ingredients for the pulao

500 gms of Basmati Rice (approximately 4 cups)
1 large onion, sliced
a medium stick of cinnamon
6 cloves
a tbsp of pepper corns
Veg oil - 2 tbsp
Almonds or cashew nuts - as much as you need
Salt to taste
8 cups of water

the method

Wash and soak the rice in water for 15 minutes. Drain it and set aside.

Heat oil in a  pressure cooker and add the onions, cinnamon, cloves, pepper corns and nuts. Meanwhile grind the ingredients for the mint chutney.

When the onion turns translucent, add the mint mix and saute for 10-15 seconds. Add the rice and salt and stir gently. Add the water, give a quick stir and put the lid of the pressure cooker. Let the whistle blow once. Turn off heat. Open the cooker when the pressure is gone. Serve this with potato wedges or a chicken curry or if it a weekday, serve with an omelette.

If you don't like to cook in pressure cooker, cook the rice separately and then season it using the method mentioned above.


Karimeen Pollichathu | Authentic Recipe


Karimeen Pollichathu


Karimeen Pollichathu is a famous fish-dish in Kerala, especially in the areas that have backwaters where pearlspots or karimeen is prevalent. The recipe below is medium spicy, which can be eaten by adults and kids. If you want a spicy version increase the quantity of chilly powder by 1 more teaspoon and the coriander powder by half a teaspoon.

the recipe

Karimeen or other soft fish fillet - 500 gms
salt and turmeric to marinate the fish
Oil to sear the fish

for the gravy

2 Onion or 15 Small onions
2-3 green chillies or 6 bird eye chillies (kanthari mulaku)
6 medium sized garlic cloves

Crush all the above ingredient in a mortar or just blend it in mixie for 5 -7 seconds

3/4 inch ginger - crushed (keep it separately)

turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
chilly powder - 1 1/2 tsp
coriander powder - 1/2 - 3/4 tsp
pepper powder - 1/2 tsp

tomatoes - 3 medium

salt to taste
thick coconut milk - 125 ml (extracted from half a coconut)
coconut oil - 1 1/2 tbsp
curry leaf - 2 sprigs

Banana Leaf to wrap the fish - 2 , half portions

Method

Marinate the fish with salt and 1/4 tsp turmeric. Fry the fish quickly in Oil. It need not turn crispy. This is only for the protein to get sealed to the skin. Check the image below.




To make the sauce, you can use the oil left over from frying the fish. Heat the oil and add the crushed onion, garlic and chilly. Stir for a minute and add the crushed ginger. Add all the powders and stir for few seconds. Add the tomatoes and salt to taste. Let the tomatoes soften. Check salt and turn off heat.

I like to add the coconut milk into the banana leaf wrap, so that it cooks along with the fish and does not lose flavour from overcooking it...i mean cooking it twice.

Heat the banana leaf over fire. Place it in a pan.

I did not go the contemporary way of wrapping one fish in a parcel. Instead i used a method whereby you can save time.

Once the banana leaf is placed on a wide pan (an Uruli), pour half of the tomato sauce over it and 3/4th of the thick coconut milk, as seen in the picture below.



Place the fish as seen in the picture, place the remaining tomato mixture and drizzle some coconut oil. Place another banana leaf on top.



Customize your batch according to the size of the pan you are using Fold it in a manner that the juices do not run out of the wrap. Place heavy plate or spoon on the leaf. Pour a tablespoon of coconut oil on the side of the wrap. Close the pan / uruli with a lid. Place the pan on the stove and cook it in low flame for 15 minutes.

Once done, be prepared for the nice aroma of coconut milk, coconut oil and the fish pollichathu itself. Open the wrap carefully and serve the fish with rice, palappam or  soft idiyappam.

Karimeen Mappas is another recipe you may like



Ambalapuzha Pal Payasam | Rice Pudding - Pressure Cooker Method



This is one of the easiest payasam recipes; easier than semiya payasam too.. For this payasam aka kheer you can just use the ingredients that are always available in a Kerala pantry. I had seen this recipe first on Asianet during my schooldays and i had tried to memorize the recipe by creating a proportion for the ingredients. It was 1:2:3:4. It should have been 1 cup rice, 2 cup sugar, 3 pods of cardamom and 4 cup milk....but now i am not sure whether the proportion is correct, so there is no proportion measure in this recipe. It was long time ago and there is no online videos of that recipe / cookery show which used to be hosted by two ladies. So, i have arrived at the following recipe and i think the photograph stands testimony that it came out well. As i mentioned, this was an experiment and so the following recipe serves just 4. Multiply it for more...bcoz you wouldn't feel fulfilled with just one dessert bowl full of this.

ingredients

Raw Rice - 75 gms
Milk - 1/2 litre (500 ml )
Sugar -150 - 200 gms
Cardamom - 6 pods
Boiling hot water - 1 cup (this is a part of my experimentation)

method

Soak the rice in hot water for 15 minutes. Meanwhile bring the milk to a boil in a deep pressure cooker. Add the soaked rice with water, sugar and powdered cardamom (you can powder the sugar and cardamom in a mixie - small jar). Stir and let it come to a boil. Place the lid of the cooker and the whistle, and turn the heat to low flame. Let it cook for 25 - 30 minutes. Choose the smallest burner in your stove top so that the payasam cooks slowly. It is better to turn off the cooker after 25 minutes. Serve warm. I like to serve this payasam plain without any fruits and nuts. It is still delicious. 

Rice pudding is not just specific to Kerala or India... There is an Egyptian version of rice pudding too.

Pacha Manga Pachadi | Raw Mango in Curd and Mustard gravy



Mango Pachadi is similar to other pachadis in Kerala cuisine. One difference in this recipe is the addition of chilly powder and turmeric. This is inspired by a hotel en route to Alleppey. We stopped at this restaurant and took away our lunch and in it i found this Mango Pachadi. The one i have tasted at other places are usually white and the mango remains partially raw. I am totally against raw mangoes 'coz my teeth cant stand the sourness...hope atleast some of you would have had that experience while biting into raw mangoes. I have wondered whether it is just psychology or if it really causes that feeling. 

After tasting the fully cooked mango recipe, i tried this and it tasted as good as the restaurant one. I usually prepare all curd based curries in clay pot. Some of the other curd based curries in this blog are ethapazham pulissery, beet root pachadi and pavakka pachadi

ingredients

2 medium sized raw mangoes
1/2 to 3/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/3 of a medium coconut
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp chilly powder
1 green chilly (optional)
250 ml thick curd
salt to taste

method

Peel the mangoes and cut it into bite size cubes. Place it in a clay pot. Add salt, turmeric, chilly powder and just adequate water to cover the mangoes. Cook it in low flame till almost done. Grind the mustard seeds, cumin, coconut and green chilly to fine paste. Add it to the mangoes and stir well. Beat the curd till soft and add it to the mangoes. Check salt and turn off heat. The curd will cook well with heat from the gravy. Serve with rice and pappadam. This makes a simple and filling meal.

Spicy Brinjal and Potato Stir Fry

Brinjal is one of my favourite vegetables. Growing up in the hillstation Valparai we had our own patch of vegetable garden and we use...