ethekai appam (banana fritters)

ripe bananas -2(cut into strips)

maida-three tablespoons

baking soda-1/4tsp

sugar-1tblsp

water-enough to make a runny batter

oil to fry

salt-a pinch

mix together the maida,sugar,baking soda,salt and water and whisk into a runny batter.Heat oil till its very hot.Turn flame to a slow setting.Dip banana strips into batter and deep fry.Remove when golden brown and leave on kitchen paper to drain excess oil

eat hot.Can be served with a bit of vanilla ice cream or just thick cream

pavaka thoran

pavaka-1 or 2

shallots-5

grated coconut-2 large spoons

salt

green chillies-2

garlic-1 pod crushed

chop the pavaka and onions into very fine bits.Add grated coconut,chopped green chillies,salt and crushed garlic.Add enough water to cook.When the water is all dried up and the pavaka is cooked,take off the flame.Heat a bit of oil,splutter mustard and curry leaves and add to dish.Serve as part of a meal.

spicy beef fry

beef-500gms

onions-4 large

coconut-1/4 cut into small bits

coconut oil-a few tablespoons

chili powder-2 tablespoons

coriander powder-1 tbs

turmeric-1tsp

garam masala-1tbs (home made with all spices and ginger and garlic)

salt to taste

water-1/2 cup

marinate the beef with garam masala,chill powder,coriander and turmeric powder and salt.Add a bit of water and cook in pressure cooker until the beef is well done.If there is any stock left leave on simmer until all the liquid is reduced and coated on to the beef.

heat a bit of oil and fry the coconut bits to a crisp and leave aside.Add onions sliced very fine and fry till a golden crisp.Add a bit more oil into the pan and put in the beef pieces along with curry leaves,the fried onions and coconut.Fry on sim,turning occasionally till the beef turns a dark brown.Serve hot with steamed rice.

tip-the onions must be fried to a crisp or the dish will end up tasting sweet and the flavours will be insipid.

essential for a malayalee kitchen

When I started the kitchen in my house,i was at a loss as to what formed essentials in a good malayalee kitchen.After much discussion with my mother i zeroed down to some basics.The cheenchatty(kadai) is a must have,as is the earthen pot(chatty).The flat ladle(chattuvam) and the tavi(scooped ladle's) are other essentials.But the real must have is the knife.The kerala pichati is so essential to us as is the finger shield.The average Syrian christian malayalee doesn't use the cutting board.For us all cutting is done with the pichati and the finger shield on out fingers.The finger is the cutting board.Strange as it may seem,the knife and the finger shield are two things i import from kerala on a regular basis.While i have mastered the butting board over the years,the true slicing of onions and tomatoes or the fine slicing of mango for home made pickle can only be achieved with these two kitchen essentials.

earthen pots for most things mean the real difference between a tasty meal and a not so special one.Its almost the difference between the old fashioned cheese making and the more modern processed varieties.The fact that masalas don't mix with metal and instead bring out the freshness of the earth is a taste unique and fantastic.And its not difficult and can be adapted to any modern kitchen.These are my kitchen essentials,very little stuff but very important to kitchen life

Ericheri

Yam-1/4 kg

raw banana-1/4 kg

grated coconut-some 100 grams

green chillies-4

garlic-3 pods

cumin seeds -a teaspoon full

turmeric-1/2 a spoon

oil-1 tsp

mustard-a pinch

curry leaves-a few

grated coconut-1 spoon(additional)

cook the yam and banana in a pressure cooker with water and salt.Cool and mash into pulp.Grind the coconut,garlic,green chillies and cumin seeds into a fine paste.Add to mashed vegetables mix well and add turmeric.Add water if too thick.Put back on gas and bring to boil.Set aside.Heat oil in a pan and when hot,splutter mustard,curry leaves and add the spoon of grated coconut.fry a bit till its golden brown and blend into the vegetable mix.Serve hot with steamed rice and appalam

Onam

Onam,the harvest festival in kerala is celebrated by all malayalees irrespective of religion and cast.To the likes of us who have been born and brought up in madras,pongal is more familiar than onam.To me eating the onam meal dates back to the days when i was six or seven and we all got invited to our dad only mallu hindu friends house.Then the feast was laid out on plantain leaves and my mother had to remind me not to overeat as there were lots of dishes to finish but i was already stuffing my face with the ones that came first.I didn't know then how to make all of the dishes(don't know now either) but i remember the names,olan,kalan,ericheri,pachadi,thoran and ada pradhaman were the ones that stuck in my memory.The friend died and the feasts stoped.We never celebrated onam at home as its a meal to be eaten with a large group and ours being a small family it just didnt seem like fun.

This year however thanks to the many ads in the papers of meals that could be ordered,we are finding ourselves eating the foods of every festival,be it hindu,muslim or christian.So for ganesh pooja we ordered the typical foods and had a feast.My mom knew most of the dishes but we decided to keep her for better things.So naturally when onam reared it head and the ads started,the husband keep reading out the names of all the things on offer.The mother worried that the boy may just decide to order out or heaven forbid,go to some mallu joint for lunch.She would have been insulted beyond belief that a mallu house couldn't dish up its own recipes for the son in law(he still being rather important in the house).So we went into full swing.Of course we did eliminate all dishes with curd base(rather a lot but the husband doesn't eat these) and decided to stick to sambar,ericheri,sweet banana chips,appalam,pickle,two thorans and one dry vegggie.We had to have the pride of the feast,the ada pradhaman.I must say my mother loves a challenge so she got into the kitchen to dish up all the favourites and despite my pleas to help refused to let me cut the veggies.I cannot understand this obsession with all pieces being the same length and width,when all we were to do was to puree them.What possible difference did size make.But the mother is a perfectionist so we left her to it.I must admit that the obsession to perfection pays off.The feast was so good that we all had difficulty getting up from the table.Thank god we didn't go too traditional and sit on the floor that would mean sitting there till the food was digested.I must admit that this new idea that we should celebrate all festivals for their food is something i like.Ramzan is next so if that means mutton biryani after the whole vegetarian fare at onam,then I am not complaining.

Simple and safe

Having lived in one culture for years and having grown up to eat the lovely food of kerala,it took a while to appreciate another Indian culture and the foods that go with it.Simple south Indian food always appealed but vegetarian food not being my favourite,it took a while.In fact it took around ten years for me to zero in on the things i liked about the Telugu Brahmin's recipes.The much loved pulisu was something I stayed away from simply because it didn't look too good.But it takes a foodie to inspire one so on one visit to the husbands aunts house(she is a fine cook and loves food) the pulisu was the food of honour at the table.After much persuasion I tested and tasted and was hooked.The simplicity of the dish and the taste can lull any novice into thinking they are master chefs.But like all recipes,each household has their little variations.I checked out the taste at a few homes and zeroed in on my own version which the husband claims can rival his mothers recipe and coming from a man that must be the biggest compliment.After perfecting the recipe and deleting a few things and adding a few more I have hit upon the pulisu that passes muster at our house and is a neat dish to dish up when one is low on lentils,vegetables or are too lazy to run to the vegetable stall and stock up.Fusion is the operative word so I have started mixing telegu and mallu cooking

Pulisu

bottle gourd-1/2

red pumpkin(butternut squash)-1/2 

tamarind juice-1 cup

salt to taste

turmeric-a pinch

sambar powder-1 tbs

jaggery-1 tsp

mustard/curry leaves for tempering

cut vegetables into small pieces and cook with salt,turmeric and water till soft and cooked.Add sambar powder and continue to cook for a few minutes and add tamarind juice and jaggery and bring to boil.Reduce to a thick consistency or add a bit of rice flour to thicken.Hear oil,splutter mustard seed and add curry leaves.Add to mix and serve hot with steamed rice.

Kadu Manga

raw mango-cut into slim small pieces

red chili powder

salt

hing

methi seeds

whole mustard

whole jeera

oil

vinegar

heat oil to lukewarm,add chili powder(it will burn and spoil the taste if the oil is too hot).Add salt and mix.Add raw mango.In the meanwhile dry roast the methi,mustard and jeera and grind coarsely.Add this mixture to the mango already mixed with masala.Add vinegar and mix again to coat all the mango pieces.

Make in small quantities as this can ferment and spoil easily.Keep in the fridge for a week only for best results

Mango salsa

raw mango

onions

green chili

salt

red chili powder

chat masala(optional)

chop mango,onions and green chili into bite size pieces and mix together with salt and chili power.Leave to soak for some 10 minutes and serve.

Mango chutney-mummys recipe

ingredients

raw mango-1

coconut-3 tbsp

chili powder-depending on ones taste for spice

ginger-1.2 inch

salt-to taste

coriander leaves-a few for flavour

whole mustard-1tsp

method

grind together the coconut,raw mango,chili powder,ginger and salt coarsely,add coriander leaves and whole mustard and grind for half a second in the mixer.Mix well and serve

mango mania

The first signs that summer is here is the heat of course,but if that still left you with the fond hope that perhaps the heat was a passing phase,rest assured that the mango tree will dispel any such hope.As the temperature rises the mango tree bursts into bloom and while the flowers are still in the process of becoming little mangoes,the fruit is already available in the market,the street urchins are out with their pocket full of stones to throw at the mango and there is every danger that either our window pane or the glass of the car is bound to be hit sooner than later.Naturally this is also the time to indulge in a mango binge.Its starts with the raw mango.In its pure form one just eats it,savouring the tart,spine tingling rawness of this king of fruit.Once that has happened,the mango is turned into a number of equally lovely recipes until the time its all about the ripe fruit,in which case there are another host of recipes to choose from.

When a mango addict friend from Germany arrived at our door,the reason to start the mango rush was on.Of course like he says a stolen mango tastes far better than the bought one but as the neighbours tree is yet to fruit,we have to settle for the legitimate one.My mother has gone into overdrive and so have we,so between kerala and andhra,we have some interesting combos that I soon modify to create the all new madras recipe.As starters we are listing a few here.

Golden fried chicken with potatoes

chicken-1 kg
potatoes-1/2 lg
curd-2 to 3 tablespoons(thick curd without water)
chili powder-1 to 2 tablespoons
turmeric-1 tsp
salt to taste
meat masala-2 table spoons(this is the made at home kind)
oil to fry

marinade all chicken with all the above ingredients and keep aside.
pressure cook the potatoes till they are half done,cool and remove skin
fry the potatoes in oil(enough to cover them a bit but not deep fried)and keep aside
cook chicken in pressure cooker(if the chicken is tender fry directly as the curd would have softened the meat)without water
fry chicken in the oil till its a nice brown colour,at this point when it shreds don't worry just keep going.
meanwhile soak the fried potatoes in the chicken stock(there will be enough when the chicken is pressure cooked,so don't waste it)
put the chicken,potatoes and gravy back in the pan and mix well and cook on low flame till all the pieces are coated with the gravy.Serve hot garnished with fresh coriander leaves

If there are any leftovers,remove meat from bones and mix the meat with a little mayonnaise.Butter toast and spread the chicken mix and make a neat chicken sandwich.

Desperation equals innovation

I am a firm believer that innovation is important in cooking,in fact it is the cornerstone of a good chefs skills.Sometimes though innovation is a sign of deep desperation,and today was one of those days.Desperation is also part and parcel of every cooks life so it isn't all wine and roses.Sometimes the simplest of recipes have a knack of going horribly wrong and the only thing to do is to clear ones mind,think fast and dish up faster.The chicken fry was one of those mundane recipes that have been done a million times at home so its no rocket science.But get a day when the book I was reading was so interesting that everything else had to wait and being Sunday,if lunch has to wait its cant be too good.A mad scramble to the butcher at 11 o clock and the place is crowded so another mad dash to the frozen foods shop and thank god the chicken was dressed and ready.Yes one had to pay a tad more but these things do happen.The good thing about this place is that the chicken is tender at the bone and almost melt in the mouth so there it was all ready to cook,marinade done and all.Then I go back to the book and by the time i surface its 1 o'clock and that's lunch.Now when one chooses to ignore wise council of mothers that's the warning bell that all is not well.But i simply do not learn.So without much ado and thinking I would save precious time the chicken was put in the pressure cooker and five minutes later all ready(except that the flesh was falling off the bone and there was far too much gravy for a dish that is supposed to be dry).Hmm,this needs some work I think so fry some potatoes and keep aside.Then heat oil and put in the chicken.Like i expected it was turning to shreds but then it cant be helped,also the bits of meat were sticking to the bottom of the pan and creating a crust.At the end of my patience,I did some quick thinking.So after all the pieces were fried and some bits and pieces scraped off the pan,I soaked the potatoes in the gravy and gave them a quick turn in the same pan.Voila the crust dissolved and a rich gravy emerged.So back went to chicken and one quick mix and there was this wonderful moist chicken with fried potatoes which looked and tasted so good that my mother was convinced that it was a new recipe that came from one of the books I had managed to buy at the book fair.Didn't have the heart to tell her that it was her recipe rehashed and served up as new.lesson learnt,stretch ones imagination and that the way to create new things