Neyyappam or Unni Appam

A sweet made ONLY in Kerala. An all time favorite even  for Lord Ganesha!
Traditionally rice and jaggery is ground with a local variety of banana - Palayangodan or steamed nenthira pazham. Palayangodan is a small yellow banana which is a little tart to taste.
My cousin in Bangalore uses the green variety of banana - robusta in her appam. So I realised that the taste might change a wee bit, but if either palayangodan or nenthiran is not available and you NEED to eat nei appam, what to do? Feel free to add other varieties of banana. After all - necessity is the mother of invention!!

image courtesy : Google Images

A special vessel called appa kara / unni appa chatti / paniyaram pan is used to make this sweet.

Rice - 1 cup
Jaggery - grated 1 cup
Banana - 2 palayangodan / 1 nenthiran steamed
Ghee - for deep frying
Til oil / nallennai / sesame oil - 1 tsp for each depression of the pan

Opt:
Cardamom - 2 pod, skin removed, seeds powdered
Slivers of coconut - 2 tbsp
Til seeds - 1 tsp

Wash and soak the rice for at least 1 hour.
Grind without much water intro a smooth thick paste.
Now add the jaggery and continue grinding. The batter will become loose.
At last add the bananas. And grind for 1 minute.
The batter must have the consistency of idly batter.
Transfer to a vessel and mix in the rest of the ingredients - chopped dry coconut, elaichi / cardamom and til seeds, if using.

Heat the appam kara.
First pour 1 tsp of til oil in each hole of the pan. This will prevent the batter from sticking. (grandmom's trick for her old iron appa kara, which I still follow for my non-stick variant!)
Then top with ghee.

Pour 1 ladle of batter into each hole and flip when the outside gets sealed.
Cook on a MEDIUM flame or the outside will burn and the inside will not be cooked.

Deep fry till golden brown.
Add more ghee , if you feel necessary, before frying the next batch.
Repeat with the rest of the batter.
Enjoy.

Ciabatta Bread

Ciabatta - Italian bread is so easy to make. No knead , just mixing.

a)1/8 tsp active dry yeast
   1/2 cup warm water
    1 cup maida (flour)
Mix these the night before baking and cover with cling film. Keep aside till next day.

b)1/2 tsp active dry yeast
    2 tsp warm milk
Mix these together and keep aside until frothy.

c)2/3 cup warm water
   1 tbsp olive oil
   3 cups maida (flour) + extra for dusting
   1 1/2 teaspoons salt
   1 tbsp sugar

Mix a, b and c together. Start with 2 cups of flour and add in batches more flour. Use maximum 3 cups of flour.

Mix well using a spatula for about 4 minutes. You might think that the mix is very loose, but it should be so.
You will have a jiggly dough.

 Place in an oiled vessel and cover with cling film. Keep aside for 1-1/2 hours until doubled.

Pour on a floured surface and cut into 2. No need to knead.
Form 2 oval shapes on a greased non stick oven proof vessel. Do not work the dough too much as you will loose the air pockets.

Dust the loaf with lots of flour and rest it under a wet cloth.Use a lot of flour or the wet cloth will stickto the dough.
Rest until doubled (45 min).

Make 2 slits on each loaf and bake at 210 C for 20 minutes until golden brown.

Cool and then slice.

Harira - Moroccan 'fast breaking' soup

This soup is served during the holy month of Ramzan as a fast breaking dish. It is extremely wholesome and 1 bowl is all one needs!
Such a healthy soup. Includes cereals, pulses, vegetables and green leaves!!
And the best part, it is one pot recipe!!

1 cup channa (chick pea) - soaked overnight
1/2 cup green gram - soaked overnight
Onion - 1 large
Ginger - 1 tbsp
Garlic - 1 tbsp
Celery (optional) - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tbsp
Tomato - 1 medium
Tomato puree - 1/2 cup
Potato - 1 large, peeled and cubed into large chunks
Salt
Pepper - 1 tbsp
Coriander leaf - 3 tbsp + extra for garnish
Mint leaf - 3 tbsp
White rice - 1/2 cup
Maida - 2 tbsp (might be necessary)
Olive oil / vegetable oil - 2 tbsp
Lemon - 1 for serving

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed vessel with tight lid or in a pressure cooker.
Fry the onion, garlic and celery on medium heat until transparent.
Add the soaked channa / chick peas, ginger, turmeric powder, chilli powder and 2 cups of water. Pressure cook for 2 whistles and simmer for 10 minutes or cook on open flame until the peas softens. If cooking in open vessel, then please keep a check on the water level.
Add the tomato puree, tomato, green gram, potato, rice, salt, pepper, coriander leaf , mint leaf and 4 cups of water.
Heat until boils and reduce flame. Cook till rice softens. If required, add more water.
Just before serving, boil again and if soup is not thick, then add the maida mixed with 1/2 cup of water.
Stir until the soup becomes thick.
Serve hot with toasted bread and lime wedges.

Mushroom coconut milk curry - Cicy curry

My dear friend Cicy Berly kept talking about her Grandmother's cooking skills and how she especially likes the way her grandmom makes 'meen paal curry'.
Since we do not eat 'meen' or Fish, I made used the same recipe to make a really yummy Mushroom curry.

Ingredients:
Mushroom - 200 gms ( preferably Button mushroom)
Small onion - 15
Ginger - 4 inch
Garlic - 8 pods
Curry leaf - 16
Tomato -2 large
Vinegar - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Chilly Powder - 2 tbsp
Coconut Milk - 1 cup
Coconut Oil - 3 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Method:
Grind together half of the small onions, ginger, garlic and curry leaf.
Chop the rest into small pieces.

Heat the oil and splutter the mustard.
Now add both the ground paste and cut onion, ginger, garlic and curry leaves.

When it turns light brown add the turmeric powder and chilly powder.

Fry for a minute and add the chopped tomato.

After another minute add the vinegar and salt.

Cook for 5 minutes on a medium flame till tomatoes are very soft/ mushy.

Add the coconut milk and washed mushroom.
Cover and cook for 5 more minutes.
Serve hot with appam or idiyappam.

Pulinkari - Vellangallore

This is the version of Pulinkary , my grand-mother used to make.
Another version which I frequently make at home is my mother-in-law's style.
So this is north Kerala style and the other one is south Kerala style (?!).
The only difference is the addition of coriander seeds while dry frying the ingredients for the paste.

Bottle gourd / elavan - 1/4 kg, skinned, deseeded and cut into cubes
Brinjal - 2, quartered
Ladies finger - 8, cut into small batons
Drumstick - 1 long, cut into 4 inch long sticks
Colacasia / chembu - 4, skinned and halved

Tamarind - 1 lemon sized ball, soaked and 3 cups of pulp removed
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder - 1tsp
Asafoetida powder - 1/2 tsp

Red chillies - 4
Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Coconut - 1 cup

Coconut oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seed - 1 tsp
Curry leaf - 5
Red chilly - 2, broken

Dry roast the red chilli, urad dal, coriander seed and fenugreek seed until the seeds pop and the dal turns deep red. Grind with the fresh coconut into a fine paste and keep aside.

Boil the Colacasia until it is half cooked.
Then add the bottle gourd, drumstick, ladies finger, brinjal with the tamarind pulp, salt, turmeric powder and asafoetida powder.
When the vegetables are cooked, reduce flame.
Add the ground paste and bring to a slow boil. Boil for 2 minutes.

Splutter the mustard seeds, red chilly and curry leaf in coconut oil and add to pulinkari.
Serve with rice and thoran.

Pulinkary - thodupuzha

Almost an everyday curry like Sambar in Brahmin households.
The most important feature of this dish is the absence of boiled tur-dal, but addition of fresh coconut.
This puliyin-curry is different from the one my mom makes...It is the 'in-law' style....Coriander seeds are missing.

Bottle gourd / elavan - 1/4 kg, skinned, de-seeded and cut into cubes
Brinjal - 1 medium, quartered
Ladies finger - 6 to 8, cut into small batons
Drumstick - 1 long one, cut into 4 inch long sticks
Optional vegetables : Radish and/or Carrot - 1 medium,  cut into 1/2 inch circles or thick batons

Tamarind - 1 lemon size ball, soaked and 3 cups of pulp removed
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Asafoetida powder - 1 tsp (optional)

Red chilly - 4 or more depending on your spice level
Fenugreek seeds / methi / uluva - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal / uzhundu - 1 tsp
Fresh Coconut - 1 cup

Oil (preferably coconut) - 1 tbsp
Mustard seed - 1 tsp
Curry leaf - 2 sprigs
Red chilly - 2, broken

Dry roast the red chilli, urad dal and fenugreek seed until the seeds pop and dal turns deep red.
Grind with the fresh coconut into a fine paste and keep aside.

Boil the bottle gourd, carrot, drumstick, brinjal in water for 5 minutes with salt, turmeric powder and asafoetida powder.

Then add the lady's finger and the tamarind pulp.

When the vegetables are cooked....REDUCE flame.
Add the ground paste and bring to a slow boil on a low flame. Or the coconut will split and the curry will not look nice. Do not roll boil the curry.

Splutter the mustard seeds and curry leaf in coconut oil.

Serve with rice and a thoran.

Killu milakai rasam / Whole spice rasam

My grandmother, (late) Mrs. Lakshmi Suryanarayanan  used to make this rasam for dinner during the rainy season and her children (read: my uncles and aunties) still vouch for its taste.
As this rasam does not have any powdered spices, and is made with whole spices, it is very easy to make.
Try to use coconut oil and whole asafoetida to get the authetic taste.

Ingredients:
Coriander seed / kothamalli / dhania - 1 tbsp

Split channa dal / kadala parippu - 1 tsp

Red chilli - 3 broken into pieces

Fenugreek seeds / uluva / methi - 1 tsp

Asafoetida powder / kayam- 1 tbsp or 1 small ball of asafoetida (fried and powdered)

Tamarind - gooseberry size

Oil - 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds / kadugu - 1 tsp

Curry leaf - 5

Salt

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Jaggery - 1 tbsp

Heat oil and splutter mustard.

Now add the coriander seed, channa dal, red chilli, fenugreek seed and fry till dal becomes red.

Add water. Then tamarind, salt, turmeric powder, curry leaf and asafoetida.

Boil on medium high flame for 5 minutes.

Add the jaggery and 2 cups of water.

Boil for a minute and serve hot.

Some people sieve this rasam and add spluttered mustard and curry leaf. 

I prefer it the way my grandmom made it!