'Ona Sadhya' & my rattlings on Onam !

I know I am a bit late here at my space, but better late than never coz the sun has just rose at some part of the world, so all my kin & kith out there celebrating Onam, 'Wish you a very happy Onam & a glorious year ahead'. Onam has always been a memorable time for me right from childhood. When I was young it was about holidays & when I grew up it was about food. And somehow it was always easier for me to talk or write for a pretty good time about Onam starting with 'Onam is the harvest festival of Kerala. It spans for 10 days & usually occurs in the month of August or September!' Now that's what Onam actually is, but for me it has struck a slightly deeper & different chord. I have always been amused when I think about it from that point of view !

It's one festival that I have seen people really thrive to be with their extended family & spend time together - be it in dicing up veggies, prepping up for the sadhya, lining the courtyards with lovely patterns of flowers & leaves or just discussing the current issues or catching up with each other ! Spirits do go down when they can't make to their hometown for an Onam hols. And what do such souls do? They do have associations which chirp in together & have the 'Ona Sadhya' & the innumerous games & programmes like Vadamvali (pulling the rope) & Kaserakali (Musical chair) to name a few ! All these feels & conveys one of the commendable aspect of the natives of 'God's own land' - their sense of oneness & their undying faith in the age ole adage 'Kanam Vittum Onam Unnanam' (You have to eat the Ona Sadhya even if it is by selling your land)

Onam 2012 - back in Kerala

Still in confusion on how to make this pookalam beautiful with the limited flowers in hand

Finally, this is what we managed !!

So moving on from my rattlings, we did celebrate Onam this year in our own small way, with whatever we could muster up. This time we had to celebrate here in Norway & couldn't get to fly back home like we did last year :( So we had a mini Ona Sadhya served in lovely plantain leaves, the traditional way. Luckily I found a pair of leaves last week from the Asia shop, it did cost me a bit but c'mon it's Onam & I wanted to gather up all that I could to make it feel as homely as it could be. But sadly, I could not find enough ingredients to make some 'Aviyal', the must have dish for any Sadhya as Deeps puts it. And also Ada for making Ada Pradhaman & that's when google gods helped me. Me & Deeps prepared some Ada yesterday. It was so exciting to do that from scratch ! Pineapple Pachadi was also prepared by Deeps & stacked up yesterday night. And Puliyinchi is from my Mil, which we got when we came back from our vacation. And the rest all was prepared today morning by me ! I did forget to get some bananas, but still the platter looks good, right? I didn't get enough time to take individual pics of the different dishes, but then maybe some other day? Do let me know if you would like to see any of the particular recipes here & I would prepare & post them soon :)

Dishes in order

1. Pappad
2. Manga Achar (Mango Pickle)
3. Naranga Achar (Lemon Pickle)
4. Puliyinchi
5. Ishtu (Stew)
6. Pineapple Pachadi
7. Mathanga Erissery (Made with Vanpayar/Red Cow Peas instead of Tur Dal in recipe) 
8. Cabbage Thoran
9. Achinga Payar Upperi (Long Beans Stir Fry)
10. Rice
11. Rasam
12. Pulissery
13. Sambar
14. Palada Pradhaman

Cheers,

Chitz

Turnip Stir fry | Noolkol Poriyal | Madhuramullangi Thoran

Turnips & Shallots stir-fried & served with coconut dressing

Turnips, I seriously am not sure what they are called in Tamil or Malayalam or any other Indian language for that matter :D When I asked my mom she said, 'It's Nukal na??' But somewhere else I read Nookal is actually called 'Kohlrabi' in English & it means German Turnip. When I asked my fellow bloggers in FB, Sangeetha, Nithya & Princy also told me it's Madhuramullangi in Malayalam & Nookal in Tamil. Anyways, the turnips that I got here does not exactly resemble the one that we get in India. This is white in color & does not have those antennae-like shoots from the bulb. Rather the bulbs are smooth & round and they have the leafy extensions from the top of the bulb (like in carrots). 

So putting aside the confusion on the name, I went ahead & prepared it just like how mom makes the Nukal poriyal. It tasted almost the same as the original Nukal that we get back in India. So do not hesitate to try them out as they are very low in calories & also rich in Vitamin C & dietary fiber. Moreover it is a very easy & simple recipe to prepare. 

Recipe Source: Ma

I Took: 30 minutes

Serves: 3-4 persons

I Used:

Turnips	-	1 cup - diced
Shallots	-	8-10 no - sliced
Grated Coconut	-	3 tbsp
Mustard	-	1 tsp
Red Chilly	-	2 no
Curry leaves	-	A sprig
Oil	-	1 tbsp
Salt	-	As Needed

The Way:

1. Peel the skin of the turnips & rinse them thoroughly. Dice into small cubes
2. Boil the diced turnips along with salt & turmeric powder (optional). Avoid turmeric powder if you want to retain the yellow color 
3. In a frying pan, heat oil. Splutter the mustard seeds. Add red chilly & the sliced shallots
4. Saute them for a while until they turn slight brown. Add the curry leaves & the boiled turnips. Mix well
5. Allow them to become dry. Add the grated coconut & give it a nice stir. Switch off the flame & serve

Cheers,

Chitz

Chinese Scallion Pancakes with Ginger dipping sauce - IFC Challenge #1 | Cong You Bing

When  Saraswathy and Shobana geared up to create this new event 'International Food Challenge' I knew I that I am definitely gonna participate in this one ! C'mon, who would want to miss a chance to learn some exotic dishes from the cuisines around the world? The added advantage is you can make them at home without having to search for that speciality restaurant in your locality :D And as it would please anyone, the first challenge was to experiment on Chinese cuisine especially from the Cantonese region. So let me give you guys some heads up on this cuisine as shared to us from the event organisers. 

Cantonese Cuisine, also named Yue Cuisine or Guangdong cuisine, is one of the main cuisine styles in China. It comes from Guangdong Province in southern China and it is one of among the eight great traditions of Chinese cuisine. The basic cooking techniques of Cantonese cuisine include roasting, stir-frying, sautéing, deep-frying, braising, stewing and steaming. Steaming and stir-frying are most commonly used to preserve the ingredients' natural flavors. The most characteristic cooking methods of Cantonese Cuisine are cooking in salt, cooking in wine, baking in a pan, and soft ¨C frying. 

We were given four recipes to choose from namely Spiral Moon Cake, Cantonese Savoury Glutinous Rice Dumplings, Cantonese Wonton Noodles Soup & Chinese Scallion Pancakes. I chose Chinese Scallion pancakes, the simpler one. This closely resembles the Kerala parottas in that APF is used to make these pancakes. Spring onions or Scallions is used as a stuffing. This is served with a sweetishly sour dip. I enjoyed having these, especially the dip which made the pancakes more tastier !

Recipe Source: Adapted from here

I Took: 40 minutes

Serves: 3-4 pancakes (5 or 6 inch dia)

I Used:

For Pancake:

All purpose flour/Maida	-	1 cup + more for dusting
Scallions/Spring Onions	-	¼ cup
Oil	-	4 tbsp
Salt	-	1 tsp / As Needed
Boiling-hot Water	-	¼ cup / As Needed

For Ginger-Dipping Sauce:

Thin Soya Sauce	-	¼ cup
Rice Wine Vinegar	-	¼ cup
Chopped Scallions	-	¼ cup
Crumbled Dried Red Chilly	-	1 tsp
Ginger	-	1 tsp
Toasted Sesame seeds	-	1 tsp
Sugar	-	1 tsp

The Way:

1. Sift together flour & salt. Add 2 tbsp oil and mix well
2. Slowly add the boiling-hot water & knead until it forms a soft & smooth dough
3. Cover with a damp cloth & allow it to stand for 20-30 minutes
4. Divide the dough into 3-4 pieces of equal size & roll them into balls using hand
5. On a floured surface, place a ball & roll it into a thin circle using a rolling pin
6. Spread a tsp of oil evenly over the pancake & sprinkle 1-2 tbsp of scallions over it
7. Roll up the pancake from one end (horizontally) like a rug
8. Curl (vertically) the roll around in a spiral. With the palm press the top of the spiral to flatten it. Using a rolling pin, roll again & flatten to achieve a 5 or 6 inch pancake
9. In a hot non-stick pan, pan sear both sides of the pancake (like you make chapathis) until golden brown. Add oil if necessary
10. Mix all the dipping ingredients together. Cut the pancake into wedges and serve them with the dipping sauce

Notes:

• I omitted rice wine vinegar in the dip as I did not have them. Still tasted awesome !

Cheers,

Chitz

Ribbon Pakoda | Ola/Ottu Pakoda | Ribbon Murukku | Nada Thenkuzhal

Ribbon shaped fritters prepared from besan flour

Not many of you would need an intro to this lovely snack ! You might have always seen your mom or granny prepare this for Diwali or Janmashtami & just munching them as such is a delight on it's own :) It is also a very common snack/fritter in the South Indian bakeries. At times, on lazy days, we used to have them as an accompaniment to rasam sadam when cooking elaborate meals with poriyals & kootu were not in picture. Have you tried them that way? If not, do take a chance. You would love them. As a matter of fact, they taste awesome with sambar sadam too ! Very easy to make, just mix all the ingredients together & fry them in hot steaming oil. Voila, your fritters are ready. Now let's take a peep on the ingredients that needs to go in for the dough :)

Recipe Source: Ma

I Took: 40 minutes

Serves: 3-4 cups

I Used:

Besan Flour	-	1 cup
Butter	-	2 tsp
Red Chilly powder	-	1 tsp
Black Sesame Seeds	-	1 tsp
Asafoetida	-	1 tsp
Oil	-	For deep frying
Salt	-	As Needed

The Way:

1. In a bowl mix together the besan flour, butter (softened), red chilly powder, black sesame seeds, asafoetida & salt 
2. Add water little by little & mix together to make a soft yet firm & non-sticky dough. It should not be watery & almost like the chapathi dough
3. Meanwhile heat oil in a kadai to deep fry. Grease with oil the string hopper/idiyappam mould with the ribbon pakoda disc on. Fill the mould with the dough 
4. Press the dough onto the hot oil in circular motion to form a single layer. Do not overcrowd as it will not ensure even & fast cooking
5. Fry them until the sizzling (shh) sound ceases. Turn over to the other side & fry again till the sizzling ceases 
6. Drain the excess oil onto a tissue paper & cool completely. Continue the same process with the remaining dough

Store in airtight container and enjoy them over a cuppa chai !

Notes:

• If the sesame seeds are too big, then they might get stuck in the disc & you will not get the desired shape. If then, pulse them in the mixie before adding to the dough. This ensures that they are fine enough to get through the holes of the disc
• If you like the pepper flavour you can add ½ tsp freshly ground pepper. Again make sure they are fine enough to get through the holes of the disc
• Originally dalda is used in the preparation of this pakoda, but considering the side effects on health I used butter instead !

Cheers,

Chitz

Coorgi Chicken Curry with homemade Coorgi Masala Powder | Coorg Style Chicken Curry

Chicken prepared in Coorgi style with freshly ground Masala & sauteed onions

Each of us have our own unique ways of celebrating our special days. Some do it with sweet, some with wine & yet others would be out in the wild :D We do it with chicken, but now you guys would not be surprised as I have already mentioned many a times of our undying & dedicated love for this lovely ingredient. And for those of who are asking what's special today, it's Deeps' birthday. Though he did not want any celebration a.k.a indication that he is older by a year, I wanted to do prepare something simple yet not the regular kind of food for our lunch today. He is not a great fan of sweets nor cakes. so I resorted to our all time favorite, chicken. I did not want to try something very new for the fear of something going wrong somewhere, hence decided on this simple & flavorful Coorgi style chicken curry. 

I had already prepared this awesome gravy (adapted from Sinful Curry) 2-3 times before & every time it received a good review, by Deeps as well as some guests to whom we served this :) So I paired it up with the subtle yet lovely Peas pulav & wrapped it up with a rich creamy custard fruit salad with ice cream. Both mind & tummy full & satisfied :D And coming to the recipe it was originally for pork, but since the strong flavors & the simplicity of the recipe pulled me towards it, I had to replace it with chicken. And also this authentic recipe requires Kanchampuli, the Coorg special vinegar prepared from Gambooge, but since I did not have neither the extract nor the whole Gambooge I used our normal tamarind & extracted the pulp & used it. So nothing else would stop you now from trying out this. Enjoy :)

Recipe Source: Sinful Curry

I Took: 40 minutes + 2 hour(marination)

Serves: 2-3 persons

I Used:

For Coorgi Masala powder:

Coriander seeds  - 3 tbsp Pepper  - 1 tsp Cumin seeds  - ½ tsp Mustard - ¼ tsp Cinnamon  - An inch piece Cloves  - 4 no Green cardamom  - 2 no

To Marinate:

Chicken  - ½ kg Coorgi Masala powder  - 2 tbsp Red chili powder  - 1 ½ tsp Turmeric powder  - ¼ tsp Tamarind Extract - 1 tbsp (Refer notes) Salt - As Needed

To Saute:

Onions	-	1 medium sized - sliced
Shallots	-	5 nos - sliced
Ginger-Garlic Paste	-	1 tbsp
Coorgi Masala powder	-	2 tsp
Mustard seeds	-	¼ tsp
Curry leaves	-	A sprig
Coriander leaves	-	To Garnish
Oil	-	2 tbsp

The Way:

1. In a pan dry roast (without oil) the spices under 'For Coorgi Masala powder' until they turn brown & the aroma of the spices come out. Allow it to cool & then grind it to a fine powder in a mixie. Keep aside
2. Clean & cut the chicken into small or desirable sized pieces. Marinate it with the ingredients under 'To Marinate' & refrigerate them for 1-2 hours
3. Cook the marinated chicken with ¼ cup of water until done. Alternately you can pressure cook the chicken for a whistle or two as well
4. In a pan, heat oil. Splutter mustards & curry leaves. Add shallots & onions and saute them nicely till they turn deep brown. Take care not to burn
5. Add ginger-garlic paste & fry till the raw smell goes off. Now add coorgi masala powder & give a stir
6. Now add the cooked chicken pieces & cook on low flame until they are mixed well & the gravy thickens to your desired consistency. You can also let it dry completely if preferred
7. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves

Serve with Jeera Rice/Peas Pulav/Coconut Milk Rice or Roti/Appam/Idiyappam !

Notes:

• The original recipe calls for Kanchampuli (the Coorg vinegar extracted from kachampuli or gambooge), but since I did not have it I used normal Tamarind
• The original recipe is for Pork, since I do not eat it I used chicken instead

Cheers,

Chitz

Kathirikai Kara Kulambu | Kathirikai Masala Kuzhambu | Spicy Brinjal Curry with Coconut

Spicy Gravy with Brinjal & Coconut-Poppy seed paste

I am very picky about this particular veggie brinjal. I do not enjoy all the dishes prepared with it. For me to like them, they should not have their inherent taste, rather their flavor has to be enhanced with some added ingredients like coconut or lentils :D I am sure that there are many out there who would second me on that. Rather than the simple & normal Brinjal fry or Kathirikai Murungakkai poriyal, I would prefer some more elaborate preparations like Kathirikai Gosthu or Kathirikai Kara Kuzhambu. This is yet another tasty lip smacking preparation of my mom's. Usually she finds ways to avoid coconut but when her Son-In-Law is in town she goes about with the extra indulgence by including coconut. So I actually get to enjoy her preparation when Deeps is at home. Since it is both his & my favorite I prepare this often at our place too. This is very easy to make & makes you have an extra helping of rice too ;)

Recipe Source: Ma

I Took: 40 minutes

Serves: 3-4 persons

I Used:

Brinjal - 4 medium sized  Onion - 1 medium sized - chopped Tomato - 1 medium sized - chopped Tamarind - Lemon sized Red Chilly powder - 2 tsp Coriander powder - 2 tsp Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Grated coconut - ¼ cup Poppy Seeds/Khus Khus - 1 ½ tsp Mustard - ¼ tsp Fenugreek - ¼ tsp Curry leaves - A sprig Coriander leaves - 3-4 sprigs Oil - 1 tbsp Salt - As Needed

The Way:

1. Rinse the brinjal in water & cut them into 2 inch long & 1 inch thick pieces and keep them immersed in water till use
2. Soak tamarind in ¼ cup water for 15-20 minutes & extract the pulp
3. Grind together coconut & poppy seeds to a fine paste with ¼ cup of water. Keep this aside
4. Heat oil in a pan. Splutter mustard. Add fenugreek. When they start to turn colour, add the onions & saute till they turn transparent and start to change colour
5. Then add the cut brinjals & saute for 3-4 minutes till the oil coats the brinjals and they slowly start to shrivel. Now add the tomatoes & fry till they get mushy
6. Add the red chilly powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder & salt. Saute well till the raw smell goes off
7. Add the tamarind juice, curry leaves & 2 cups of water. Allow it to cook in medium flame until the brinjals are cooked
8. Now add the ground coconut paste & give it a stir. Allow it on low flame for a minute or so & then remove from heat. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves

Serve hot with rice !

Cheers,

Chitz

Raspberry Iced Tea | Raspberry Ice Tea Recipe

Hi mates, so I am back after my short vacation trip to Venice & Pisa. It was really hot at this time of the year there & I have had its effects too, the nasty tan ;) But we did have a great time there walking around the entire city through the calle (alleyways) & travelling in their water boats, which by the way is their main mode of transportation like the bus & train in other cities !! And not to forget the exquisite cuisine, we experienced sea food at its heights there with a wide variety to choose, ranging from lobsters & king crabs to squids & giant prawns & the local sole fish. All contended & tummy & heart filled, I reached back with a slight fever & cold. So not much of cooking happening now. It's just some hot kashayam brewing & light food to munch on, so I am utilizing that to post an iced tea recipe that has been in my drafts for quite some time now :)

Raspberry is one fruit that I find very difficult to eat as such :D But it's benefits are too great to ignore this fruit - antioxidant rich, fights cancer & even increases metabolism rate & cuts down that extra fat :) So I decided to somehow include it in our diet. That's when the google search yielded this beautiful Iced tea recipe. And Deeps is a die hard fan of iced tea or any drink of the tea & coffee family & that made me all the more excited to try this awesome drink. It's pretty simple to brew up & a lip smacking drink when served chilled with ice cubes. Sip it over while you munch your evening cookies & you will definitely want to make more soon :)

I Took: 20 minutes

Serves: 5-6 glasses

I Used:

Raspberry	-	2 cups
Sugar	-	⅓ cup
Water	-	4 cups
Tea Bags	-	5 tea bags

The Way:

1. In a saucepan bring 2 cups of water & the raspberries to a boil. Reduce the heat & allow it to simmer for 3-5 minutes. Then strain it & discard the pulp. Keep aside
2. In another saucepan bring 2 cups of water to a boil.Stir in sugar until dissolved
3. Remove from heat. Add the tea bags & steep for 5-8 minutes. Discard the tea bags. Alternately you can add tea dust or leaves too. If then, strain the tea leaves/dust
4. Add the raspberry juice to the tea mixture. Chill them in refrigerator for 3-4 hours & serve with ice

Cheers,

Chitz