Carrot Cashew Milk Shake

Ingredients

1.Carrot - 4
2.Milk - 500 ml
3.Sugar
4.Cashew nuts - 6

Preparation
Make a fine paste of cashew nuts and keep aside.
Cut carrot to small pieces and cook it using 1 cup milk and some water. 2/3 whistles in pressure cooker.
Boil the rest of the milk by the time and let everything cool.
Blend all well , adding cashew nuts as well.
Adjust the sugar and consistency according to your taste.
Serve cold.

Notes
Almonds can also be used for the milk shake, instead of cashew nuts.

Mutta marichathu/Kaya Pola (Egg & Plantain Cake)

This one is a sweet dish, especially during the Ramadan season. It is very easy to cook and very nutritious. Its a good evening snack to give for kids.

Ingredients

1.Ripe Plantains - 2

2.Eggs - 4

3.Sugar - 8 tbsp

4.Crushed Cardomom - 5-6 nos

5.Ghee - 1-2 tbsp

6.Cashew Nuts - 9 (broken)

7.Raisins - 1 tbsp or more

Preparation

1.Cut the plantains lengthwise and cut them into small cubes.

2.Fry them in ghee in a medium sized sauce pan, till golden brownish colour comes(here & there).

3.Fry cashew till brownish, after removing the plantains.

4.Fry raisins also till golden brown.

5.Beat the eggs well along with sugar and powdered  cardamom.

6.Transfer the plantains, cashews & raisins into the beaten egg and stir it until spreads evenly.

7.Now transfer the mixture into the same pan and cook in lowest flame.

8.Cover with a proper fitting lid.

9.Cook until the top part is set. It should take around 10-15 mins. You can see it first rises well and then sets back

10.Transfer this to another plate and serve hot or warm with tea.

Notes

Take care not to burn the lower part of cake , cook in low flame only. It is better to keep watching while it gets cooked. 

Idiyappam

Ingredients

1. Rice flour - 1 cup

2.Water - 1 cup

3.Salt

4.Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup (Optional)

Preparation

1. Bring the water to boil in a vessel large enough to put the dough also.

2.Add the flour with continuous stirring , when water is boiling.

3.Stir for 1-2 mins and switch off.

4.Transfer the dough, after sometime to another vessel, in which you can mould the dough till soft and smooth.

   Try doing it when the dough is warm enough.

5.Keep the steamer ready , and put strays of coconut in each tray cells.

6.Allow the dough to pass through Idiyapam mould. Keep a plate under , to collect the noodle like idiyappam. Rotate them in round to make the idiyappam shape and place it in cooker/steamer.

7.Repeat the same for all Idiyappams.

8.Now steam for 5mins.

Unnakkaya

Ingredients

Ripe  Bananas ( Nenthrampazham )
 - 2

Grated coconut - 2 tbsp

Sugar - 2 tbsp

Raisins - 2 tsp

Cashew nuts, chopped - 5 tsp

Ghee ( for coconut ) - 2 tsp

Oil / ghee
 ( for shallow frying ) - 2 tbsp

Preparation

Steam the banana till it becomes tender. Mash it into a fine paste. Divide into six equal portions.

Heat ghee in a frying pan. Add cashew nut,  Sauté on a low heat till it turns slightly brown and fragrant. Repeat the same with raisins and keep aside. Dissolve 2 tbsp sugar in 1little water , now add coconut and saute for 2mins. Mix it with cashew nuts & raisins. Divide it into 5 portions again
Take a little of the banana paste in the palm, flatten it, stuff it with grated coconut- cashew - kismis mixture and roll into elongated shape very carefully.

Heat oil / ghee in a wide frying pan. Arrange each one gently and shallow fry on a low heat till golden color on both sides ( approximately 15 - 20 minutes ).

Notes

Fillings can be altered according to your taste. Egg can be added optionally.

Dry fruits - The healthy capsules

Dry Fruits are an Important ingredient for iftar and in the month of Ramadan. Muslims break their fast

with Karakka(dried dates),water and other dry fruits. They are very nutritious and an  enormous source of energy, hence called the healthy capsule Read More

Dry fruits are an important item for iftar & during the month of Ramadan

Appam

Ingredients

Raw rice - 1 cup

Cooked Rice - 1/2 cup

Coconut grated - 3/4 cup

Semolina - 2 tbsp

Sugar 1 tsp

Water

Salt

Preparation

Soak raw rice for 2-3 hours. Wash and grind with other ingredients except semolina, sugar & salt. Now combine the semolina with water. Boil till it becomes thick. Add this to the batter and keep for fermenting for about 12 hrs.Add minimum amount of water in mixing the flour.

Add salt & sugar, and cook appams in appachatti.

Notes

If the batter is too thick, you can add coconut milk to make the desired consistency.

After cooking keep aside the left over batter and let it ferment more. You can use this batter , the next time

you cook appam. You  will not need to add Semolina.