Kinnathhappam

Ingredients:

1. Rice powder -1 1/2 cup
2. Coconut grated  - 3/4 cup
3. Shallots - 3 or 4
4. Cumin  - a pinch
5. Jaggery - 1/2 cup approx (adjust according to your sweetness)

Method:

1. Grind coconut, shallots and cumin to become a fine paste.
2. Mix this well with rice powder. Keep aside.
3. Melt jaggery adding little water and let it thicken.
4. Mix everything well, adding water little by little until you get a batter a little more thicker than the dosha batter. Garnish with cashew and raisins, or coconut flakes.
5. Pour the batter into a plate and steam it well until cooked.

Kallummakkaya Nirachathu / Arikkadukka / Stuffed Mussels

Ingredients:

1. Mussels, with the shells. - 1/2 Kg
2. Rice flour 1 cup
3. Turmeric powder a pinch
4. Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp
5. Shallots 5-6
6. Coconut 3/4 cup
7. Ginger 1 tsp crushed
8. Garlic pods 1 tsp
9. Green chillies 2 small
10. Onion 1 small
11. Curry leaves few
12. Coriander powder 1 tsp
13. Kashmiri chilly powder 1 tsp
14. Garam Masala powder 1/2 tsp
15. Pepper powder 1/2 tsp

Authentic Thalassery is prepared by using parboiled rice. Rice is soaked and ground coarsely, without adding water, with coconut, cumin and shallots.
Here I am using my Mom's own recipe, which follows.


Method:

1. Clean mussels well and cook by adding salt, turmeric powder and pepper powder.
2. Cut onion into small pieces and saute in coconut oil.
3. When they are translucent, add ginger, garlic, green chillies, one by one. Make the curry leaves very small by tearing to small pieces and add.
4. When they are saute well, add coriander powder, chilli powder and GM powder.
5. Now add the cooked mussels and boil off any water that remains.

 6. Grind coconut, shallots, cumin and little turmeric powder to a paste. A very fine paste is not needed.
 Boil 3/4 cup of water, and add it to the rice flour and kneed well as you do for Idiyappam.
 Now add the coconut paste and kneed well.
7. Make equal sized balls and stuff the cooked mussels equally inside the balls.
8. Now stuff the balls into two of the shells each.
9. Deep fry each shell and serve hot.

Pazham Nirachathu/ Stuffed Banana

Pazham nirachathu is a very tasty snack from the Malabar Cuisine. It is the best fit if you are searching for a quick, simple, nutritious, healthy, kids friendly dish.

Ingredients:

1. Ripe plantains 2
2. Coconut 3/4 cup
3. Sugar  3tbsp
4. Cashews, broken 1 tbsp
5. Cardamom powder a pinch
6. Raisins
7. All purpose flour 2 tbsp
8. Oil/ Ghee

Method:

1. Heat ghee in a pan. Melt the sugar completely. Now add coconut, cashews and raisins. Mix and saute well for few mins (2-3).
2. Cut the bananas half and make 3 slits without reaching the ends. Optionally, you can do this with the full bananas.
3. Fill in the coconut cashew mixture into the slits.
4. Make a paste with the All purpose flour, sugar and salt.
5. Stick up the slits with the paste.
6. Fry in oil.
7. Enjoy with your evening tea.

Madakku Dosha / Love Letter / Coconut Crepe

Madakku dosha always bring me memories about my hostel days. We used to get this as snack during our tea times. We used to call it "garbhini doshas" , (pregnant doshas :-)) . It is a really simple recipe and goes well in your breakfasts or as a snack with tea/coffee.

INGREDIENTS

All Purpose Flour 2 cup

Milk 1/2 cup

Water 1/2 cup

Egg 1 large

Butter melted 2 tbsp

Salt -  a pinch
Grated Coconut 1/2 cup

Sugar/Melted Jaggery  1/2 cup

Cardamom Powder 1/2 tsp

Cashew Nuts  6-7 pieces

Raisins  1 tbsp

Salt a pinch

METHOD 

Heat ghee in a pan. 

Roast cashew, raisins in the pan followed by grated coconut.

Add the sugar/melted jaggery, stir continuously.

On medium low heat, make it into a thick sticky filling. 

Remove from heat and stir in the cardamom powder. Keep it aside.

This forms the filling.

Whisk together the all purpose flour and the egg in a large mixing bowl.
Gradually add in the milk and water, stirring to combine and make a dosa like batter.
 Also add butter and salt.

 Heat a non-stick frying pan. Pour the batter into the center of the pan and swirl to spread evenly.

Cook the crepe  and remove from heat.

Once the crepes are cool, put the filling in the center of each crepe and roll it .

Pazham Pori / Plantain Fritters

Pazham pori is one of the common snack in any Kerala househod. It is made from ripe plantain , called ethappazham. It is one of the easiest and yummies snack to have in your evenings with a cup of tea.

INGREDIENTS

Ripe banana 3
Flour 1 cup
Gram Flour - Kadala mavu  1/4 cup
Salt - small pinch
Sugar - 3 tbsp
Oil

METHOD

Peel the bananas and cut them thin lengthwise. Mix all ingredients in a bowl and add some water. Mix and make a thick batter. Dip the bananas well in the batter and coat it.  Heat oil in a pan kadai and add the bananas one by one. Fry both sides well. 

Apple Pola / Apple Pudding

I was searching  across the net for some desserts to prepare for Iftar. I came across this simple recipe by Sufaija in Shabs cuisine. It turned out really good. But the thickness was less as I used a large pan for preparing the pola.

 Ingredients

Apple 1
Eggs 2
Milk powder 2 tbsp
Sugar 2.5 tbsp
Flour 1 tbsp 

Method

Blend all ingredients together to get a smooth paste. Grease a non stick pan well with ghee and cook covered in very low flame. Cook until sides are brown. Flip over after 10 minutes. Server warm or cold.

 

Here is the link to the original recipe by Shabs 

Egg Fritters

Ingredients:

Boiled Eggs 2
Onions 2
Besan flour 1/2 cup
Rice powder 1 large tsp(optional)
Red chilly powder 1 tsp
Garam masala powder 1 pinch
Green chillies 3
Ginger a small piece
Curry leaves few
Water
Salt

 Method:

1.Grate eggs to very fine pieces.
2.Chop onion, green chillies, ginger, curry leaves finely and mix well with all other ingredients & egg.
3. Add water & salt to make a thick batter.
4. Heat oil in a pan . Take a small portion of the batter & fry till golden brown.
5. Turn over & repeat the same for other side.
6. Serve hot or warm.

Recipe Source:

Adapted from a malabar cookery book.

Chicken 65

Ingredients:

1. Boneless chicken 1/2 Kg (small cubes)

2.Corn flour 2 tbsp

3.Maida (All purpose flour) 1 tbsp

4.Yogurt 2 tbsp

5.Soya sauce 2 tsp

6.Ginger garlic paste 2 tsp

7.Red Chilly Powder 2 tsp

8.Hot Chilly Powder 1 tsp

9. Garam Masala Powder - Freshly grounded 1/2 tsp

10.Lemon Juice 1 tsp

11.Egg 1 

12.Vinegar 1/2 tsp

13.Salt -to taste

14.Oil - As required

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients together all ingredients and marinate the chicken pieces with this.Refrigerate for 2-3 hrs.

Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the chicken pieces until they turn reddish brown and are very crispy.

Garnish with fried green chillies,curry leaves,onions & coriander leaves.

Chemmeen Ada (Prawns Ada)

Meen Kayam (Fish Masala for frying prawns)

Ingredients:

1.Chilly Powder - 2 tbsp

2.Turmeric Powder - 1.5 tsp

3.Ginger - 1 small piece

4.Garlic pods - 4-5

5.Fennel Seeds - 1 dsp

6.Salt

7.Coconut vinegar

Preparation of Meen Kayam

Grind together all 7 ingredients well 

Chemmen Pathiri

Ingredients

1. Prawns - 1/2 Kg

2. Coconut Oil - 1.5 tbsp

3.Onion - 3 medium sized

4.Coriander leaves - few

5.Curry leaves- few

6.Ginger - 1medium sized

7.Garlic pods - 4

8. Green chilly - 2

9. Grounded fennel seeds powder - 1 dessert spoon

10.Garam masala powder- 1 dessert spoon

11.Pepper Powder 1 dessert spoon

12.Salt

Preparation of Prawns masala

1.Addthe meen kayam to prawns in a pan & saute well. 

2.Now add 1/2-3/4 cup  water and  cook in low flame for few minutes.

3.Saute in between and let the meen kayam mix absorb into prawns, until water is dried.

4. When water is absorbed, add 1.5 tbsp coconut oil. Saute well

and let it fry lightly. Slgihtly mash the prawns.

5.Now keep aside the prawns fry.

6.Saute sliced onion, in oil, in a pan. When it turns to brownish, add mashed garlic, green chillies, ginger,minced curry leaves and coriander leaves. Saute well. Add more oil  if required.

7.Add fennel seeds powder, pepper powder, garam masala powder.

8.Saute well until the raw smell goes.

9.Now add the fried prawns to the mixture. Mix well.

For Ada

1. Rice Powder 11/4 -1.5 cups

2. Water - same qnty as rice powder.

3.Salt

4.Coconut milk 1/4 cup

Preparation 

Prepare the dough the same way as you do for Idiyappam .

While mixing the dough use coconut milk instead of water for better taste.

When dough is ready, make a ball ( larger than lemon sized).

 Roll it flat using a rolling pin/pathiri press to form  a palm sized disc.

 Fill it with prawns masala and  fold it so the disc is closed as shown in the picture.

Press the edges firmly  so that ada is closed all through the edge.

Repeat the same for the remaining dough.

Steam the adas in a steamer  with/without plantain leaves covering the adas.

Cook for 7-10 minutes.

Serve when cooled.

Source:

Amrita TV taste of kerala for prawns masala preparation.

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. 

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.