Coconut Icecream

Basic Ice Cream - 1 recipe
Coconut Milk powder - 50 gms
(mixed with 1 cup water)
Thick cream - 1 cup
Tender coconut pulp - 3 cups (minced)

Beat the basic ice cream mixture while placing the container on top of ice.
Once beaten add the cream and continue to beat until light and volume doubles.
Add the coconut milk and beat for another 2 minutes.
Transfer to a freezer-proof container and when half set add the tender coconut pulp.
Mix well and set again.

Garnish:
Toasted dry coconut - 1 tbsp for each scoop
Honey - 1 tbsp for each scoop
Toasted groundnuts - 5 per scoop

Paneer Curry with ground almonds

This recipe was adapted from a recipe given to me by my dear friend , Sheena Abdul.

Paneer - 200 gms, cut into small cubes
Onion - 1 large
Garlic - 1pod
Green chilli - 3, chopped  + 1 slit
Salt
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1tsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Tomato - 1 large
Coconut - 1/2 cup
Almonds or Cashewnuts - 1 tbsp
Coriander leaf - 2 tbsp
Oil - 2tbsp

Grind the onion and garlic into a fine paste.
Grind the coconut and nuts into a fine paste and keep aside for later.
Heat the oil and add the onion paste. Fry till raw smell goes.
Add the green chilli and the all the powders.
After a minute add the tomato and fry on a low flame till the tomato turns pulpy.
Add 1/2 cup of water and the diced paneer.
Cook on a low flame covered for 5 minutes.
Add the coconut paste and add another cup of water if necessary.
Boil and decorate with coriander leaf.
Serve with ghee rice.

Ghee Rice

Basmati rice - 3 cups, washed and soaked in water for 1/2 hour
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt
(opt) Mint leaves - 2 tsp
Cloves - 4
Jeera - 1tsp
Cinnamon stick- 4* 1inch pieces
Pepper - 10
(opt) Cardamom - 2 pods
Onion - 1 medium, sliced thin
Raisins - 1 tbsp
Almond or Cashewnuts - 2tbsp

Heat the ghee and oil in a heavy bottomed vessel and once hot add all the spices.
Add 5 1/2 cups of water, salt and mint leaves.
Once it boils add the rice and cook covered on a low flame for 10 minutes. Do not open pan for a further 10 minutes.
The rice will not stick to each other and all the water must be absorbed by then. Fluff with a fork.
Garnish with fried onions, raisins and nuts.
Serve with Paneer curry.

Raita

This is basically an accompaniment served with hot spicy food to tone down the effect of the main dish.

Cucumber - 1 , chopped or grated
(or)
Carrot - 1 large , grated

Onion - 1 small, minced
Tomato - 1/2 medium, chopped
Curd (chilled)  - 2 cups
Salt
Green chilli - 1, chopped fine
Coriander leaf - 1 tbsp
Jeera powder (opt) - 1 pinch
Chilli powder (opt) - for decoration

If grating the cucumber, you might have to squeeze it to remove its juice.
Mix the vegetables, salt and curd.
Decorate with the coriander leaf and jeera powder/ chilli powder.
Serve chilled.

Kutchi Vegetable Biriyani

This recipe has been adapted from the chicken biriyani recipe made by kutchi muslims. This recipe was given to me by my friend - Safeena Harris.

Ingredients:

For the rice:
Basmati rice - 3 cups
Cardamom - 4
Cinnamon stick - 1 inch pieces - 4
Cloves - 4
Salt
Mint leaf - 2 tbsp
Lime juice - 2 tbsp

Masala:
Onion - 2 large , sliced thin
Ginger paste - 2 tbsp
Garlic paste - 2 tbsp
Carrot - 2 medium, cut into big chunks
Potato - 2 medim, cut into big chunks
Green peas - 1 cup
Tomato - 1 medium, minced (3/4 cup)
Curd - 3/4 cup
Green chilli - 2 slit
Salt
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tbsp
Garam masala - 1 1/2 tsp + 1/2 tsp for garnish
Coriander leaf - 6 tbsp
Mint leaf - 4 tbsp
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Oil (pref. vegetable) - 6 tbsp
Milk - 2tbsp
Saffron or orange food colour - 1 pinch

Method:

Wash and soak rice in water for half an hour.
Boil a vessel of water with all the above ingredients except rice.
Once it starts to boil, add the rice and cook till just done. Drain. Keep aside.

Boil the carrot, potato and green peas with a little salt till just cooked. Keep aside.
Heat the oil and add half of the sliced onion and fry on a medium flame till golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to remove it. Keep aside on a tissue paper to be used later.
In the same oil, add the rest of the onions and saute till they become transparent. Now add the ginger paste and garlic paste. Cook on a low flame till raw smell goes.
Add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, garam masala and salt.
After a minute add the tomato and curd. Cook on a medium flame, stirring often till oil starts to seep from the edge.
Add the boiled vegetables and green chillies with 1/4 cup water. Mix well and turn off flame. Keep covered.

Arranging the biriyani
Take a heavy bottomed vessel and heat till it gets hot. Turn off flame.
Add the ghee and coat the bottom of it.
Now layer the masala at the bottom.
Add the cooked rice on top and press down to get a smooth top.
Mix the saffron or food colour with the milk.
Top the rice with the milk, fried onions, mint leaves and coriander leaf.
Cover with a tight lid.
Bake in oven at 150C for 10 minutes or Keep on top of a hot iron tava. (if possible keep a hot tava on top too).

Serve with raitha and pappad.

Upma ingredient : water Ratio

Usual variants of upma available - rava, semiya and wheat.

Rice upma can be made, but it is not really an upma. It is called kozhakkatta. The rice flour is cooked like an upma, but is further steamed as balls. Find the link of this below.

The ratio of water to each ingredient is different and this is the formula I strictly adhere to.
Rava : water = 1 : 2
Semiya (fried) : water = 1 : 1
Wheat (broken) : water = 3 : 1

Serve with coconut chutney.

Links to recipes:
Vegetable rava upma recipe
Semiya upma recipe
Wheat upma
Upma kozhakkatta

Upma - Semiya or Vermicelli

Feel free to add or remove ingredients.

Semiya - 2 cups
Water - 2 cups
Salt*
Oil - 2 tbsp#
Mustard - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Onion - 1 medium, chopped
Curry leaf - 6
Green chilli - 1 ; slit
Carrot - 1 medium (chopped fine or grated)
Beans or frozen peas - 1/2 cup
Ghee - 1tsp
Coconut - 1/2 cup
Coriander leaf - 2 tbsp
*(Tip: The water must taste salted but not like sea water!)
#(Do not use olive or sesame. I use coconut, sunflower or vegetable)

Heat oil. Splutter the mustard and fry the urad dal until golden brown.
Tip in the onion, green chilli, green peas/beans, carrot and curry leaf.
Cover and cook on a low flame for 5 minutes.
Add the water, salt, ghee, coconut and coriander leaf.
Once it starts to boil, add the semiya ; mix well and cook covered on a low flame for a further 5 minutes till all the water gets absorbed.
Open and mix well.
Serve hot with pickle and/or coconut chutney.