Beef Olathiyathu

Beef Olathiyathu can be easily tagged as the most popular item amid the non vegetarian delicacies conceived in South Kerala. Olathiyathu means to stir fry and this recipe uses nadaan everyday spices and fresh coconut slices to bring together an impressive entree.

Ingredients

Beef (cubed): 2 cups

Red onions (sliced): 3 cups

Green chillies (slit): 7-8

Ginger (chopped): 1 tablespoon

Garlic (chopped): 1 tablespoon

Curry leaves: lots of it

Coconut slices (chopped): 5-6 tablespoons

Turmeric powder: 2-3 teaspoons

Chilli powder: 5-6 teaspoons

Pepper: 2-3 teaspoons

Coriander powder: 4 teaspoons

5 spice Garam masala: 2 teaspoons

Chicken masala : 2-3 teaspoons ( optional)

Heat some oil in a deep pan. Saute the chopped ginger, garlic, green chillies, curry leaves and saute well. Add the sliced red onions and saute until it is pinkish. Now add salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, pepper, garam masala, chicken masala and saute well until all the spices blend in and the onions are reduced to almost half the quantity. Add the cubed beef and let it cook on slow fire in the mixture. It is better to cover the pan as the meat tends to get cooked well done. Once the beef has cooked in the onion mixture, add the coconut slices and keep sauteing until all the water dries up. Though the process may sound tedious and time consuming, the result is completely worth the wait and goes perfect with parathas, rice or just plain to snack while you enjoy a mug of cold beer.

Happy eating!!!

White Coconut Chutney

Chutney is a classic accompaniment to a main dish adding the decorative touches to a complete meal. A handful of creative ingredients coming together into a paste can be best described as chutney. Though it compliments different entrees like bread to dosa to rice, its true beauty lies in its assortment from being sweet to spicy, wet to dry, fine to coarse.

Our first one is the traditional coconut chutney which is most famous in Kerala and pairs great with Dosas or Idlis.

Ingredients

Grated coconut: 1/2 cup
Green Chillies: 2-3
Ginger (chopped): 1 teaspoon
Curd/Yogurt: 1/4 cup
Salt to taste

Seasoning
Curry Leaves: few
Mustard Seeds: 1/2 teaspoon
Dried Red Chillies: 1

Grind grated coconut, green chilli and ginger finely. Add the curd and mix well or run the mixer just once. Add salt and season it with spluttered mustard seeds, dried red chilli and curry leaves.

Tomato Chutney

A perfect mix of tangy and spicy, this tomato chutney is very easy and quick to make and adds a dash of color to brighten up any boring platter.

Ingredients

Tomatoes (Chopped): 2
Red Onions (Chopped): 1/2
Dried red Chillies: 2-3
Ginger (Chopped): 1 teaspoon
Coconut: 1 tablespoon
Curd/Yogurt: 1/2 tablespoon
Curry leaves: a sprig

Heat some oil in a pan. Add the red onions, dried chillies, ginger, curry leaves and saute. Sprinkle some salt, when the onions turn pink add the tomatoes and saute. Add coconut and turn off the heat immediately. Let the coconut cook in the heat of the pan. Once everything is cooled add the yogurt and grind in the mixer.

Seasoning with mustard seeds and curry leaves in oil is optional.

Chettinad Style Prawn Fry

Chettinad style of cooking is well known for its meat and seafood preparations using a range of pungent and aromatic spices. This cuisine, named after its place of birth Chettinad, awakens your taste buds bringing out its fiery yet delightful essence in every single bite. This recipe can also be used with any other kind of meat. So just go ahead and give it a try!!!

Ingredients

Fresh or frozen Prawns: 25-30(Marinated in turmeric, chilli powder and salt)
Onions (Sliced): 1/2 cup
Ginger(Sliced): 1 tablespoon
Garlic (Sliced): 1 1/2 tablespoon
Curry leaves: handful
Oil to fry
Salt to taste

Marinade
Fennel seeds/Saunf/Perinjeerakam: 3 teaspoons
Green chillies: 3-4 (You could also use the dried red chillies to enhance the color and spice)
Grated coconut: 1 tablespoon
Tomatoes (chopped): 1
Chilli powder: 2 teaspoons (optional)
Chicken Masala: 2 teaspoons
Garam masala: 1/2 teaspoon

* We have used the home made "5 spice garam masala" using 1/2 Star anise, 2-3 cloves, 1/2 stick cinnamon,1-2 cardamom pods and1 bay leaf.

Grind all the marinade ingredients to make a fine paste and keep aside. Heat some oil in a deep pan. Saute the sliced ginger, garlic and onions until golden. Add in a few curry leaves while keeping some aside for garnish. Add the ground paste and saute well. Once the raw flavor of the spices have worn off, add in the prawns and fry. Note that prawns get cooked fast and excess cooking might make them rubbery. Mix well and garnish with a few curry leaves and a dash of lemon juice. Serve hot.

Rava Methi Dosa

This dosa recipe is the store bought instant rava dosa mix with a little makeover. Fresh methi (fenugreek) leaves might be bitter, but when added into a dosa like this they are simply delectable. You not only get a great dosa, but you also get all the nutritious greens!!!

Ingredients

MTR Rava Dosa mix: 1 cup
Yoghurt: 1/2 cup
Water: 1/2 cup
Red Onions (chopped): 4-5 tablespoons
Green chillies (chopped) : 2-3
Fresh methi leaves (Chopped): 1 bunch
Curry leaves: a sprig

Mix all the ingredients to make a thick batter. Heat the dosa pan/tava. Scoop out and spread the batter to make dosas. Goes great with sambhar or even plain pickle.

Adai Dosa

Adai dosa is a great change from the regular dosas and can provide as a nutritious snack for everyone in the family. It is definitely worth a try for all the first timers.

Ingredients:

Idli rice: 1/2 cup

Whole Moong dal: 1/4 cup

Toor Dal: 1/4 cup

Urud Dal: 1/4 cup

Chana Dal: 1/4 cup

Coconut: 1/4 cup

Red chillies: 3-4

Curry leaves: 1 Sprig

Ginger(chopped): 1/2 teaspoon

Asafoetida/Hing: a pinch

Salt to taste

Soak the lentils and rice together in warm water for a minimum of 1 hr. Grind it into a smooth batter. While grinding, add the coconut, red chillies and salt. Finally add the asafoetida, chopped ginger and curry leaves to the batter and mix well.
Heat the dosa tava or pan and scoop out a batter and spread. Flip to crispen both the sides.

Enjoy them hot.

Set Dosa

Dosas are a delicacy from South India where it is known to have originated from. Very similar to crepes , these are basically made of rice and lentils. Nowadays there are newer ways of modifying the ingredients to bring out fancy variations among them. The crispness and slenderness of the Dosas add the distinctive touch making it a breakfast favorite in many Indian homes. Check out our dosa section for our other creations .

Our first try is the Set/Thattu Dosa which happens to be the plumpest of the lot.It is often served as a set of three which is why it is named so..
Ingredients
Idli Rice: 2 cups
Poha (Aval): 3/4 cup
Cooked Rice: 1/4 cup
Curd/Yoghurt: 1 cup
Methi seeds (Uluva): 1/2 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Water

Soak the rice and methi seeds together in warm water for a minimum of 2-3 hrs . Sprinkle some water on poha/aval and keep it aside. Grind the rice and aval/poha to make a thick batter. Use the least amount of water while grinding. Mix the yoghurt and salt to the batter and keep it aside for atleast 4-5hrs to ensure fermentation.

* Paper thin Aval/poha/rice flakes takes lesser time to soak then thicker ones.
* The curd we mostly get in the US are less sour and hence takes longer to aid in fermentation.

Heat the Dosa pan/tava, apply oil and pour a scoop of the batter. Spread it and cover it with a lid and let it cook. Set dosas are soft and spongy as they are usually steam cooked without flipping onto the other side.You can alter the crispness to your liking.

Enjoy these hot with any chutney or any curry.

Tuna-lentil Kebabs

Though these aren’t the actual grilled kebabs, these are just as tasty and only get better as appetizers. This interesting recipe combines the goodness of lentil and fish to make it a perfect snack with a healthy streak.

Ingredients
Cans of Tuna in water: 2
Channa Dal: 1/2 cup
Ginger (sliced): 1 tablespoon
Garlic (sliced): 1 tablespoon
Green chillies (chopped): 5-6
Curry leaves: a sprig
Red onions (chopped): 1/2 cup
Chicken masala: 1 1/2 tablespoon
Oil to fry
Salt to taste
Wooden skewers: 30

Soak the channa dal in water for a minimum of 3o mins and grind it coarsely. Add the chopped onions, ginger, garlic, curry leaves and chicken masala and once again run the mixer .Make sure that it doesn't become a smooth paste because we need to get the crunch of the lentil and the spices. Add the tuna (water completely squeezed out) into this paste and mix well. If the mixture gets soggy by any chance, just add a little bread crumbs which will soak up the extra moisture. Add salt if necessary. Shape them into finger sized kebabs.

Meanwhile soak the skewers in cold water for about 15 mins. Pierce the skewers into the kebabs and fry them until golden and crisp.We have nothing more to say...Just go ahead and try it !!!!

Mocha glazed Choco Brownies

Brownies come in all guises – some with nuts and some without, some with a swirl of marshmallows or some just plain chocolatey. The texture is the key that makes a brownie unique from all of its baked siblings. These decadent Brownies are chewy with a crunch of nuts and a strike of coffee making it the perfect kill for a sweet craving.

Ingredients (Makes about 16-20 pcs)

All purpose flour: 1/2 Cup

Cocoa powder (unsweetened): 1/3 cup

Sugar (white): 1 cup

Eggs (medium) : 2

Unsalted Butter: 1/2 cup

Walnuts or Pecans: 1/4 cup

Baking powder: 1/4 teaspoon

A pinch of salt

Glaze

Sugar: 4-5 table spoons

Fresh cream: 1/2 Cup

Cocoa powder: 1- 1 1/2 table spoon

Coffee powder: 1 teaspoon

* Using the eggs and butter kept at room temperature helps in making a smooth batter.

Begin by beating the sugar and butter (either using a hand mixer or hand beater) until all the sugar has dissolved. Add the eggs and beat little more until ivory color. Add a few drops of vanilla essence. Meanwhile sieve the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt. Fold these dry ingredients slowly into the earlier mixture and mix well. The batter is pretty thickish and needs a spoon to pour out. Add some of the nuts into the batter and mix well while keeping some nuts aside to spread on top.

Take a buttered dish, spread out the batter evenly and spread the remaining nuts on top. Preheat the oven at 350˚ F and let it bake for 15-20 mins. Poke into the centre and check if the batter is cooked. It should come out little crumbly. Turn off the oven and rest it a little more in the oven. Make sure to keep a cautious eye while baking.

To make the glaze, pour the fresh cream into a saucepan. Stir in the sugar, cocoa and coffee powder. Keep mixing on low – medium flame until everything combines well. Dip a buttered glaze brush into this sauce and spread it evenly on top of the brownie. Cut into squares after and serve.

Definitely try them out and treat your loved ones !!!

Mirchi Bhajji / Mulakku Bhajji

A total coincidence that both of us craved for the exact same thing to rejoice the Seattle rains (which is almost every other day here in Seattle) -Mirchi Bajjis and hence this post. Every bite into these spicy snacks recalls the sight of “thella walas “(vendors on little trolleys) on the street corners back home, making these roadside treats.

Ingredients

Jalapeno peppers: 4-5

Onions (Chopped): 2-3 tablespoon

Ginger-garlic paste: 1/2 teaspoon

Cilantro leaves (chopped): 1 tablespoon

Gram flour/Besan: 1 Cup

Water: 1/2 cup

Turmeric powder: 1/2 teaspoon

Chilli powder: 1 teaspoon

Salt to taste

Oil to fry

* People who do not like it very spicy, you can deseed the jalapeno peppers and don’t necessarily have to add the chili powder. Kashmiri chili powder is a good alternative adding the color without the spice.

* You can use the whole peppers or cut them length wise. We have cut up in small discs to make them into a bite-size.

Mix the flour, turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt with little water to make a thickish batter. Add the ginger garlic paste, chopped up onions and cilantro. Finally dip and coat the jalapeno peppers with this batter and fry them in hot oil until golden. Serve hot with ketchup and spice up your evening cup of tea.