tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-369046452024-03-13T20:35:25.450-07:00Avidunnum,Ividunnum,Endethumcrispushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00174294986301881285noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36904645.post-26491277936131837622017-01-16T20:39:00.002-08:002017-01-16T20:39:22.923-08:00Chicken soup for cold, flu and when feelin blue<div>
Feeling cold, feeling blue and whats Not nice about a bowl of soup for you?</div>
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This soup was a true blue, flu chaser! One pot soup...err...one cooker soup here with recipe-</div>
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1 cup frozen beans (pinto, lima black eyed or purple hulls)</div>
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Olive oil- 2tsp </div>
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Onion-1 chopped small</div>
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Garlic- 2 cloves minced</div>
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Ginger - 1 inch piece minced</div>
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Chicken breast - 1 1 /2 cups diced/ shredded</div>
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Cherry Tomatoes diced - 2</div>
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3 cups chicken/ vegetable stock </div>
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1/2 cup chopped cilantro (optional or can use dried herbs/cilantro)</div>
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2 tsp. ground cumin </div>
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1 tsp ground pepper</div>
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2 diced green chiles (or acc to spice level) </div>
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zuchinni - 1 small diced </div>
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Button mushrooms- 3 sliced </div>
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green onions - 3 stalks diced</div>
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Method:</div>
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Soak pinto beans overnight in cold water. <br />
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The next day drain beans, then put back into pressure cooker with sufficient water and 2 tsp. oil. Pressure cook the beans - for 2 whistles ( any more and u get beansmush i found out :)), drain to cool.<br />
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Put the cooker back on stove and when hot, add 2tsp oil (ensure the cooker is dry please!)<br />
Add onions and saute until onions are starting to soften. Add dried cilantro, ground cumin, and canned green chiles and saute about 2 minutes more. Then add beans, canned tomatoes, chicken & stock. Cook partially closed till chicken is cooked firm. By now all the flavors have mingled and stir in chopped cilantro or dried herb mix along with sliced green onions. This somewhat light soup is perfect flu chaser or a fall dinner with fresh bread.<br />
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crispushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00174294986301881285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36904645.post-31817360144104119342017-01-16T20:30:00.001-08:002017-01-16T20:30:33.788-08:00Omega 3 dinner<div>
Avacado chappati and Salmon - bell pepper burji- Thats my Omega 3 dinner..i dont like Omega 3 flavor i decided..since three Omega-3's sat on my plate in the guise of mackrel ,avacado and salmon, - i was disgusted. I cudnt stand the smell of one, the taste of the second and both the taste and smell of the third..just How was Crispus suppos'd to eat this stuff...ofcourse all this was stuffed inside chappati, egg and onions...yet i cudnt bring meself to eat the 2nd spoonful..and i was in near tears..</div>
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hungry, flab-conscious and again hungry..what was i to do?? </div>
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i wish i had a cooking genie..who'd make dishes with all the Omegas and the alphas to taste good..and then I cud be perfectly happy n healthy...Instead im trying to coax my flavor overdrive tatebuds to fall in love with the awful tasting 'saayippu' omegas...why cudnt omegas have indian flavors?</div>
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Hmmm..pote...i Had to eat something to stop my rumbling stomach ennu paranju,vicharichu cheyaan thudangiyathu...ended up with avacado mashed into chappati flour and then making that salmon, mackerel bell pepper burji. Voila! There i have accomplished a piece de resistance!- All my omegas perfectly dressed and indianized to taste ! smile, smile smile :)<br />
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crispushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00174294986301881285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36904645.post-23844521894397058002012-06-08T07:08:00.000-07:002012-06-08T12:10:03.806-07:00Spicy chicken BBQ indian style<br />
Came up with recipe after trying many others and this was a hit at one of the pool side BBQs back in TX.<br />
I hope ya'll enjoy it :)<br />
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<b> Ingredients:</b> ( pls increase the qty of masala according to the qty of Chicken)<br />
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• 3 lb Chicken, cut into large pieces, skinned <br />
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt<br />
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or vinegar<br />
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic or 4-5 cloves of garlic<br />
• 1 tablespoon grated or crushed ginger or 2” piece of ginger<br />
• 1 tablespoon Jeera powder<br />
• 1 teaspoon Dhania powder<br />
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder / or serrano chillies minced if u want it very hot<br />
• ½ tsp turmeric<br />
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom<br />
• 2 tablespoon Kasuri Methi<br />
• Few Basil leaves<br />
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves<br />
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper or 20 whole peppercorns<br />
• 1 tablespoon Salt, or to taste<br />
• Vegetable oil, for brushing<br />
• 1 large onion sliced into rings to put in marinade<br />
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Preparation:<br />
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<li> Prick the cleaned skinned chicken all over with a fork. Then, using a sharp knife, cut gashes in the chicken to allow the pieces to get well marinated. Place the chicken in a nonreactive large, shallow dish. </li>
<li>In a blender, blitz the yogurt, lemon juice or vinegar, garlic, ginger, cumin, ground coriander, chilli powder, turmeric cardamom, kasuri methi, basil, cloves, black pepper and salt. </li>
<li>Then pour the mixture over the chicken and rub it in well into the chicken, turning it several times. Put the Onion slices in the marinade with the chicken. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. </li>
<li>Remove the chicken from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before cooking.</li>
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<b>BBQ method:</b><br />
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On the Charcoal grill, prepare the fire for direct-heat cooking about 1 1/2 hours before u are ready to cook so that white ash forms over the coals, then the coals are at its hottest.<br />
Position the grill rack approx 5 inches from the fire. </div>
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Remove the chicken from the marinade, pressing lightly to remove excess marinade, and brush with oil.<br />
Place the chicken pieces on a well-oiled grill rack and grill, covered, with the vents open.<br />
Do Not turn for the first 10mins.<br />
Then Baste with marinade the other side and cook 10 mins. Cook, turning 3 or 4 times basting with marinade or ghee every 10 minutes. Continue until meat is cooked approx 45 minutes or until the juices run clear when a piece is pierced near the bone with a knife. </div>
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Serve with sliced onions, lemon, cucumber and a salad with fruits. Njoy! </div>crispushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00174294986301881285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36904645.post-63234670211173806982010-06-08T13:00:00.001-07:002010-06-08T14:32:50.596-07:00Asparagus Saadam/Rice<span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7_Hp0XQrVUU/TA6j6UAMELI/AAAAAAAAELI/lvXGnZ0_b10/s1600/Asparagus+Rice.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7_Hp0XQrVUU/TA6j6UAMELI/AAAAAAAAELI/lvXGnZ0_b10/s320/Asparagus+Rice.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480498018753712306" border="0" /></a><br />So What is different about this rice from just a thoran-rice? Well, the flavor for one and when you try it, you too will not say this is thoran rice :)<br /><br /><br />Ingredients<br /><br /><ul><li>Cooked & cooled Basmati Rice - 2 plates ( Pls dont use mushy or overcooked rice)<br /></li><li>Asparagus- 1 lb chopped into rounds (discard the fibrous bottom part of the stem)<br /></li><li>Thai green chillies - 2 medium slit</li><li>Garlic- 1-2 large cloves minced</li><li>Red Onion - 1/2 medium diced small</li><li>Cumin/Jeera - 1 1/2 Tbsp</li><li>Almonds/ Walnuts - 10 diced</li><li>Turmeric- 1/4 tsp</li><li>Salt - as needed</li><li>Water- 2 Tbsp</li><li>Olive oil - 2 Tbsp<br /></li></ul><br />Method<br />Once you have the rice cooled and have 2 plates of it ready, then<br /><ul><li style="text-align: left;">In a non stick saucepan, heat up 1 Tbsp olive oil and splutter Cumin seeds for about 10 secs. Add the diced almonds and stir it about till the almonds turn slightly golden.</li><li>Nest, add the minced garlic and the slit green chillies- saute it till the garlic is beginning to turn golden, the chillies will look almost crisped - Then add in the finely diced Onion and saute it well.<br /></li><li>Once onion is sauteed, add the chopped asparagus along with turmeric and salt.<br /></li><li>Next, sprinkle 2 Tbsp water, close with a tight lid and cook it through- approx 5-7 minutes. Asparagus cooks really fast and can turn mushy if unattended. The vegetable must retain a bite to it. Check for salt and the asparagus must be cooked just done - remove from heat. There will be a bit of water at the bottom of the pan, its okay - we will use it with the rice.</li><li>Using a wide saute pan that can hold the rice, heat up 1 Tbsp Olive oil - and splutter 1/2 Tbsp Cumin and when it turns golden, sprinkle some salt and stir it about and immediately add in the cooled rice in batches...mix it up well.<br /></li><li>Lower heat and move the rice to the sides; Add the cooked asparagus (with any remaining water) and fold in the rice gently. Turn off the flame after 1 minute.</li></ul>Enjoy the rice with any non-veg side dish. My pic is with a side dish of fish masala.crispushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00174294986301881285noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36904645.post-57733240692427922172010-06-07T20:53:00.000-07:002010-06-08T08:14:25.669-07:00Butter Chicken masala without ButterYep, this is Butter Chicken masala without butter or cashew - this is the alternate Butter chicken masala recipe that i kinda worked around to suit our family's health specifics -<br /><br /><br />Ingredients<br /><ul><li>Chicken breast cubed - 3/4 kg<br /></li><li>Almonds - 8 or 10 powdered and mixed with 1 Tbsp milk<br /></li><li>Onions - 2 medium sized diced<br /></li><li>Tomato paste - 1Tbsp or more to suit your family's luv of tomatoey taste ;)<br /></li><li>Kasoori Methi (dry methi lvs)- 1 Tbsp ( plus a little for garnishing in the end)<br /></li><li>Thick Yogurt - Tbsp</li><li>Coriander leaves- a handful chopped</li><li>Salt - as needed</li><li>Oil- 2Tbsp</li><li>(I use thick coconut cream as a substitute for the yogurt and milk for my dairy allergic diet)<br /></li></ul>Grind Masala<br /><ul><li>Ginger - Garlic paste - 11/2 Tsp each</li><li>Paprika - 1 Tbsp</li><li>Cinnamon stick 1 inch - 2 pieces</li><li>Cloves- 3 - 4</li><li>Cardamom -2</li><li>Jeera- 1 tsp</li><li>Coriander powder - 1 Tbsp</li><li>Turmeric - 1/4 tsp</li><li>pepper powder - 1/2 tsp</li><li>Chilli powder - 1 tsp</li></ul>Method<br /><ol><li>Grind the Masala ingredients together with minimum water and keep aside</li><li>Heat 2Tbsp oil in a non stick pan that will hold the chicken and when the oil is hot, sautee Onion diced till it turns translucent.<br /></li><li>Add ground masala, sufficient salt and fry till oil separates. Add in the tomato paste and mix well to incorporate the spices.</li><li>Add chicken breast cubes and dried methi leaves - mixing it well with the masala. Add water only to keep it from drying out. Close the pan with lid and cook in medium heat with very little water ( Dont add water if chicken lets out water). Cook until the chicken is tender. Pls do a taste test and adjust the salt or heat level by adding in more pepper powder if need be. There should not be too much gravy.</li><li>Once chicken is cooked, add in the powdered almond mixed with 1Tbsp milk and coriander leaves, mixing it well into the masala and close lid to incorporate the flavors. approx 5 - 8 minutes.</li><li>Once the masala has cooled a bit, mix in a tablespoon of thick yogurt and garnish with the reserved dried methi leaves and coriander leaves.</li></ol>Psst... to make work a whole lot easier, I double or triple the masala and store it for later. That way I need to add in the other ingredients only, saving precious time while cooking.<br /><br />Now the No Butter chicken masala is ready to be served with chappati, roti, Naan, paratha or even jeera rice/pulao.crispushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00174294986301881285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36904645.post-22456855387707429382010-06-07T20:25:00.000-07:002010-06-08T08:13:47.449-07:00Banana Cake<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7_Hp0XQrVUU/TA5eGdWXd4I/AAAAAAAAELA/4_XWjrn7PiI/s1600/banana+cake.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7_Hp0XQrVUU/TA5eGdWXd4I/AAAAAAAAELA/4_XWjrn7PiI/s320/banana+cake.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480421261607139202" /></a><br />I luv cakes, I hate bananas and when I first heard banana cake, I was reluctant to try it...images of yellow banana in a cake just did not seem tasty to me ....Until my first bite of banana cake here in the US. Today my easiest cake is the banana cake and when I told my sister to try making banana cake...she thought the same thing about the cake ..."will it be nice?" bananas and cake?"<br />I got off the phone just now to post this pronto coz after hearing me out, my darling chechy and niece are gonna try this and asked me to post it ... So here's my tried and tested Banana cake recipe for you chech & molu...<br /><br />Ingredients<br /><ul><li>3 overripe yellow banana</li><li>2 cups Maida or Cake flour</li><li>1 1/4 cup sugar</li><li>1 tsp Baking powder</li><li>1/2 tsp baking soda</li><li>1/4 tsp salt</li><li>1/2 cup softened unsalted butter - room temperature( not melted)</li><li>2 large Eggs</li><li>1tsp- Cardamom powder,</li><li>a pinch of Cinnamon powder, Nutmeg powder</li><li>1/2 cup of chopped nuts- (almonds and walnuts mix i use.)</li></ul><br />Method<br /><ol><li>Mash all the bananas, its ok to have some tiney lumps - keep aside.<br /></li><li>Sift all the dry powders together and keep in a bowl<br /></li><li>Cream butter and sugar till fluffy with a electric beater</li><li>Adding 1 egg at a time, beat well and then add the mashed banana</li><li>With a whisk, just stir in, or mix the banana mash (do not overbeat ) and then add the sifted flour.</li><li>Mix in everything getntly - it will look a little lumpy - just gently mix in / fold it.</li><li>Meanwhile start the oven to preheat it to 180 degree C (350 degree F). Once this is done you can -<br /></li><li>Add the chopped nuts and again fold it into the batter.. ensure that you dont overmix the whole batter.</li><li>Grease a Cake tin ( 9 x3x 5) or any size that will have the batter come up till half way. (I notice that if the cake batter is filled in more than halfway up the cake tin, the cake doesnt have enough space to rise while baking)</li><li>Bake in Preheated oven at 180 degree C (350 degree F) for 1 hour.</li><li>Check for doneness after one hour - Insert a clean toothpick in the center of the cake, and if it comes out clean, the cake is done.</li></ol>Take off from oven and cool the cake before you turn it over or eat it. Enjoy!crispushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00174294986301881285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36904645.post-17123589726056508002009-12-20T13:18:00.000-08:002009-12-21T08:30:48.772-08:00Karappinu eazhu azhaga<strong>"Karappinu eazhu azhaga"<br /></strong><br />Crispus: "aano pappa? adhyathe azhagu edhaa? pls paranje pappa, pls pls!"<br /><br />'surprised' Pappa: endhaa?<br /><br />Crispus: "Pappa paranjille...karappine eazhu azhagaa ennu, so pappa 1, 2, 3,4,5,6,7, azhagugalum eniku paranju tharenam...ippo enikku 1st aadhyathe azhagu paranju thaa pappa!"<br /><br />laughing aloud, a nearly cornered Pappa: "edee mole, karappinu aezhu azhagaa, onnum randum onnum illaa"<br /><br />Truly concerned and now feeling -'let down' Crispus: Pls pappa adhyathe maathram paranjaal madhi, pinne ulla 6 azhagum njaan guess cheytholaam"...<br /><br />Pappa 'given up' "Sulll" : "aaa, eniku adhyathethu ariyathilla..enikku urakkam varunnu!"<br /><br />Ennu paranju Pappa immediately saught sharanam in uncalled for sleep right away with the appropriate snore...<br /><br />the point was crystal clear to Crispus - Pappa KNEW it surely and wudnt tell her..<br /><br />hmm maybe mummy might know... It sure would make Crispus happy to know she had aezhu azhagu...cant wait to find out what they were in the first place tho!<br /><br />So off Crispus went to mummy..leaving behind a snoring pappa who perforce had to seek refuge from further probing knowledge enlightening questions from Crispus.<br /><br />He smiled to himself thinking how mummy was to be Crispus' next victim...<br /><br />Fast Fww... 76 yrs old now and pappa is yet to tell Crispus what 'aezhu azhagu' is or are...and Crispus still suspects...Pappa knows surely..<br /><br />Psst..Any chance would u know Karappinu Aezhu Azhagu edhaa ennu?<br />If u do..pls adhyathe azhagu onnu paranju tharamo?<br />:)crispushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00174294986301881285noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36904645.post-90637259966708450652009-11-10T15:38:00.000-08:002009-11-10T20:35:46.896-08:00Meatballs - for babies Big and small :)Meatballs - Something to feed my toddler that was healthy and had meat, veggies and egg ..i researched and read and looked and asked and .....etc..etc<br />Finally i decided Meatballs are the best and I read somewhere in an organic cookbook that turkey was good for babies..and for the big babies too - heart healthy i heard..<br />but I and hubby Hated Turkey in any form..<br />so the meatball was meant Only for my son- so i decided to add fruit and veggies..and came up with my version and you MUST read the end result ... ;)<br /><br />Recipe is here....<br /><br />Ground Turkey- 1 lb<br />Apple - 1/4 minced<br />Button Mushrooms- 1/4 cup minced<br />Small Onion- 3/4 minced<br />Ginger, garlic minced - 2 Tbsp<br />Green chillies - 3 minced ( or how muchever hot u want it)<br />Salt - to taste<br />Pepper - to taste<br />Chicken Masala powder- 1 Tbsp<br />Lime juice- 1/2 a lime squeezed<br />Kasoori Methi (dried Fenugreek leaves) - 1 1/2 Tbsp<br />Egg - 1<br />Cilantro - 2 or 3 Tbsp minced<br />Bread Crumbs - 1/4 cup ( or enough to bind all this together)<br /><br />Method:<br />Preheat oven to 400F.<br /><br /><ul><li>Mince all the ingredients that call to be minced in a small processor so that there wont be any lumps that will stick out of the meatballs while forming it.</li><li>Mix all the above very well by hand in a deep bowl till all the masalas are well combined with the ground meat and form small balls approx 1'' size.</li><li>Spray a Cookie sheet with oil and place the balls in a single layer on the sprayed sheet.</li><li>Spray the balls once again with the oil and bake them at 400F for 20- 25 minutes.</li><li>Ocassionally stir the balls around to get them evenly browned and at the end of 20 or 25 minutes they will be cooked through.</li><li>If u want this done faster- preheat oven at 500F or set the broiler on and bake the meatballs for only 15 minutes.</li><li>Do check for doneness..</li></ul>Result:<br /><br />Mine came out so Un-turkey tasting that me and hubby fell in love with it...all that turkey taste was masked - the mushrooms and apples and kasoori methi made all the diff i guess!<br /><br />I made with 3/4 lb ground meat and got 33 meatballs.<br /><br />the leftovers turned out into Kofta curry and a new creation- Kofta-Andaa Biriyani..<br /><br />Ps..If u try this, Pls do let me know how it came out.<br />Bon Appetit!crispushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00174294986301881285noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36904645.post-25969586697047404872009-09-18T12:13:00.000-07:002009-09-18T12:41:46.773-07:00Jeera Vegetable PulaoEllarum Blogging, enikkum bloggenam :(<br />but there was something quite not practical about blogging recipes, ende cooking ellam is on a 'moi chef par excellence' attitude...so everything had to look 'expert' like to me..who else alle?<br />ingredients eyeball, the color and aroma of the dish..literally eyeball :))<br />so an attempt at my nearly exact measurement recipe..starting with ende priyapetta Kochayn's Jeera-Vegetable Pulao.<br />The Pulao is jeera flavor dominant so i put this name..vere nalla creative names onnum thalayil illa...<br /><br />Jeera -Vegetable Pulao<br /><br /><em>Ingredients</em><br />Basmati rice – 3 cups<br />Red Onions julienned (thinly sliced) – 2 big ones<br />Almonds- 20-30<br />Bayleaves- 4<br />Cinnamon sticks 2”- 4<br />Cardamon crushed – 6 -7<br />Cloves - 8 or 10<br />Jeera (Cumin) – 2 Tbsp<br />Slit Green Chillies – 8 or 9 ( or how much spicy u want the masala)<br />Ghee/Butter /& Vegetable oil- 3 Tbsp + 1/12 Tbsp<br />Ginger Paste, Garlic paste – 2 ½ Tbsp<br />Mixed Veggies- 2 – 21/2 cups ( I use frozen carrots & peas only )<br />½ lemon juice, or more to suit taste.<br />Salt to taste<br />Water<br /><br />Method<br /><br />Rice- Cook rice in double quantity water until just done – The rice should NOT be mushy or too well cooked. Spread out the rice to cool in a tray/plates- (pls ensure rice grains aren’t sticky for a pulao)<br /><br /><p>Heat a big nonstick- Deep skillet/ saucepan (that will hold all the rice later on) with ghee/butter – 2tbsp and 1 ½ Tbsp oil. When hot, ( med –high heat).<br />Add Bay leaves, Cinnamon sticks, Cardamom, Cloves, Jeera and sauté, stir a few seconds.Then add Almonds, Slit green chillies and sauté few 3 minutes. </p><p>Add sliced Onions and sprinkle a dash of salt. Sautee till onion is translucent and starting to turn golden color. Adjust oil accordingly to ensure that nothing sticks to the bottom of pan. Stir often. </p><p>Add Ginger paste and Garlic paste and sauté until raw smell goes and all the masalas are mixed well and then add the Mixed Veggies and stir it well to combine the veggies n masala. Add salt and 2 Tbsp water and give a good stir. Close lid and let the veggies cook- around 5 minutes on MED Heat - check to see if veggies are done. </p><p>Reduce Heat to Med-Low. Squeeze ½ lemon juice (or more) over the veggies masala and add salt. Check Taste- and adj the flavors accordingly.<br />(The whole masala should be on the saltier side since we will be adding all the rice and the flavor needs to come through. Masala at this stage will be semi thick- not dry. If masala looks dried out, add a dash of water and mix again – but Not watery masala) </p><p>Add the cooled rice little by little and gently fold the masala into the rice until it’s all well coated and Pls ensure the rice grains do not break or squished. Add a small pat of ghee/ butter on top and slightly stir. </p><p>Close Lid tightly and turn off flame and let it sit on the heat for 5 minutes when the rice will be perfectly done in its own heat. After 5 minutes, open lid and fluff rice with a fork. Ready to serve with any nonveg or veggie side dish.<br /><br /></p>crispushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00174294986301881285noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36904645.post-10627524910900294692009-05-16T22:24:00.000-07:002009-05-16T22:54:47.489-07:00Wichi's Special - Pappadam mulagu ittadhuWhite thorth tied around his head, mundu madaki kuthi...<br /><br />" evide.. mulagu idichathu?"<br />inspecting the stuff : "mmm..ithu pora"- kurachukoodi unaka mulagum, kochulli venam...nallonam chadhakene!" Wichi said this while tearing up the raw pappadam into slivers with his fingers.<br /><br />Njaan: "sheree". A quick idi later ...with small mathu in the small 'ural'...i show Wichi my work...<br /><br />Wichi: "ippo itto"..and quickly i swipe out the crushed dry red chilli, shallots and garlic into hot oil....everything is nearly smoking n bubbling and frying up at the same time..<br /><br />pungent spicy and hot.<br />a lot of coughing and burning eyes later...<br /><br />"adipolee alle?" <br />"mm mmm" ..i say, happily slurping down the last of the white moru from my plate...<br /><br /><br />Wichi had come home a tad earlier than yesterday after closing shop...even then it was late -11:45 pm... <br /><br />Wichi: "Endha curry?"..<br /><br />Njaan: "Erissery"<br /><br />Wichi swirls the ladle in the bowl and looks at the yellowish liquid and: " thengaa porallo"<br /><br />Nathoon: "thenga adhu madhi, ippole cholestrol kore aayitunde"<br /><br />Wichi: "vaaayake ruchiayittu onnum illa...oru eruvum, thengayum illa!"<br /><br />She went off to sleep in a huff and that left me and Wichi looking at the cold dinner table.<br />I was sleepy but didnt want to leave Wichi to a solitary dinner that too so late....<br /><br />It was Wichi's idea to compensate the the 'not-enuff' thenga in the Erissery, by making an instant hot and adipolee side dish...."<strong>Pappadam Milagittathu</strong>"...truly my Wichi's Special..<br />its guaranteed to burn and delight any strong palate...<br /><br />So thorth thalayil ketti, mundu madakki kuthi...<br />Aangalayum, Pengalum koodi late nightilll oru pappadam milaguittathum, white moru (with lotsa crushed ginger, shallots and green chillies) and Chorum undoo (twas my second round...to give Wichi company ofcourse! ;) )<br /><br /><br />try out the Pappada Milagu ittadhu- Livens up any meal and also is super easy.<br /><br />Tear up raw Pappadams ( no appalams wont do) into small slivers (or u cud cut em up with kitchen scissors like i do) - as many as u want<br /><br />Crush these:- (pref. in a small mortar with pestle)<br /><ul><li>dry red chillies- atleast 4 or 5</li><li>shallots - 2 small or 1 big - halve them first </li><li>garlic - atleast 7 or 8 cloves </li></ul><ol><li>Heat up oil as u would to fry pappadams.</li><li>When real hot..add the crushed stuff and let it fry till golden brown - but not near burnt pls.</li><li>add the torn up pieces of pappadam immediately.</li><li> The pappadam pieces will fry out instantly - mix it up well so that all the crushed masala sticks to the pappadams.</li></ol><p>Ladle out and drain the masala pappadam on kitchen towels..eat with rice and moru.</p><br />family tips:<br /><ul><li>We usually make a huge batch and store it for laters or for tea.. in aritight containers.</li><li>We add the crushed stuff little by little to be fair to all the pappadam pieces. :)</li><li>We add lotsa garlic/ dry chillies / shallots according to "appozhulla taste desire" level</li><li>Best eaten with plain bland curry or best is white moru...Kaachiya moru doesnt get along well with this spicy recipe somehow!</li><li>Do keep some fruits/ cold water nearby ..."Fayyankara erruvaane!"</li></ul>crispushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00174294986301881285noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36904645.post-76773386304021516112009-05-16T15:36:00.000-07:002009-05-16T23:53:39.545-07:00Pappada Boli & Adukkala Praveshamkara mura kara mura kara mura ....<br />Once again i dipped my hand into the tin,<br /><br />"dishum dishum dishum" Premnazir was dishumming the bad guy Joseprakash and Sheela was weeping...fayyankara climaxx<br /><br />Suddenly my hand turned up empty to my still open awaiting mouth...<br /><br />'nge! theerno?" itreyum pettanu! che!<br /><br />ithaa villian Joseprakash is caught...<br /><br />Rest of the movie didnt have the same appeal...i think mainly becoz the there was no more pappada boli for those appropriate scenes...<br />I darent ask mummy again..not after finishing up some pappada boli from the 'Nido' tin...well, not 'some' but a little more, maybe half the tin..che! ...mummy should've made kurechum koodi. ithu mathiyillelo!<br /><br /> The rest of the movie i forgot and neither did i try to find out mummy's delicious pappada boli recipe. She made tons of it i think....all those vacations, at home there was always a tin of pappada bolie for us. none in my family knows her recipe and tho i try to..it just doesnt taste like hers used to.<br /><br />Anyway heres my version <strong>Pappadam boli recipe</strong> ( No correct recipe...just eyeballing here).<br /><ul><li>Kadala maav for batter. </li><li>Ari podi - a little for crispness.</li><li>Pinch of jeeragam, a dash of Hing, aymodakam/ omum seeds crushed, red chilli powder, a pinch of coriander powder, turmeric.</li></ul> Make batter of the above powders with little water - batter shd be thick enuff to coat the papadams each..not too thick but a tempura like coating + add a little warm oil too.<br /><br /> Heat up oil in a cheena chatti/wok/kadai -when oil's really hot - slowly slide the thick batter coated pappadams one at a time...turn em over when light golden fried.<br /><br />Drain on kitchen towels and enjoy with hot tea, kara mura pappada boli.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Adukkala Pravesham</strong><br />....searching out mummy and finding her asleep i knew better than to wake her up for such a trivial thing as some Egg scramble.<br /><br />I wanted it right away.illengill..illengill ....aaa....it was with such persistent 'kothee' to eat something right away that led me to all those kitchen forays..esp when the chance was golden..mummy fast asleep in the afternoon and the kitchen was all awaiting ME! silently i tiptoed into the kitchen...<br /><br />Eggs ready & skillet on the stove...i must be as quiet as possible- mummy better not find out my attempts! pinne...<br /><br />Stove 'on' aakee, motta pottichu ittaal mathi...so here goes.."ttapp". (i felt so grown up!)<br /><br />-right crack, but the force surprised me and motta cracked in my hand and onto the kitchen table...<br />saram illa ennu ende manasu paranju...pinne clean cheytholaam. This shud be easy..atleast mom did this super easy - ...so next one..hit it off center on the egg with the back of the spoon...<br /><br />'ttapp'<br /><br />Che!! this panna egg , fell clean on the floor! ..<br /><br />'aanhaa!' i must break this egg INTO the bowl..it became a vaashi now.<br />nothing stops me...but ofcourse im v v quiet ..dont want Mummy seeing all this...<br /><br />but it fell everywhere else except into the bowl!..<br /><p>and next one..one more ...Pakshe each and every one of them were bad eggs...u know what i mean? they all fell either on the stove, or next to the bowl or again on the floor...</p><br />That was atleast 5 or 6 eggs..<br /><br />Last idea -I tapped the egg shell and all IN the bowl itself . that was a good idea. I picked out the shells..ultra messy by now and smelly...but i will have the egg...by now it wasnt the desire for the egg scramble rather the desire to do the whole thing with the flair and panache mom showed towards cooking. Added a dash of salt..and poured it into the skillet after beating the egg for a second or two..<br /><br />but wait ..'where was the nice yummy frying sound?" i voiced it loud...<br />Ofcourse - Oil..then here it is...<br /><br />I poured a little oil on the egg, around the egg and for good measure all around the the edge of the pan...<br />and waited<br />and waited...<br />after the longest time..i started scrambling the egg all about furiously professional 'mom-like' and it was so so fun...smoky too somehow..<br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>'thwack'</strong> - Ellam valara pettannu aayirunnu<br /><br />Evidunno oru <strong>assall adi</strong> on my poram...ayyyo! njaan njetti poyi..endha pattiyedhu ende purathil?<br /><br /><br />MUMMY!<br /><br />kittye vaakkinu she gave a resounding thwack on my back... two solid ones to stop me mid track of my motta fry by now smelling near burnt...<br /><br />Haa.....adhu kazhinjappol...mottayodu enikku velliya thaalpariyam illa....<br /><br />Chance kittiyaal kazhikaan tharunna motta I'd throw away and if im caught throwing it away, then i'd resort to terrible stinky underhanded paruvaadees... i mean literally stinky idea it turned out..much later, much much later ....<br /><br />the stinky idea is another story, another summer vacation and Cousin 3 stands witness to that one...the loveable Cousin 3. ...<br />by then i was more clever ...i was in 7th grade and so had better ways to do away with eggs or so i thought! :)<br /><br /><br />Pinneyum kurachu 'motta' kathakalumaayi njaan, Crispus. :)<br /><br /><br /><strong></strong>crispushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00174294986301881285noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36904645.post-49496163745742564832007-07-30T14:02:00.000-07:002009-05-16T23:08:56.595-07:00Of Pappadams and Onam and summer vacations"Appallam, Pappadaiiiiii, Appallam, Pappadaiii"...my ears would perk up even though the book was most unputdownabble..i had to see to it that we had nice golden puffed up pappadams especially for Onam.<br />It would do no justice for Onam if we did not have the 'Valiyapappadam' and the 'Cheriyapappadam'.<br />Onam wasnt all that kinda 'traditional-great' in the grey polluted madras city for us -<br />Onam held the magic of verdant fields and thoughts of home-most of the colorful imagery was mallu-movie- fed ideas of what the kerala Onam would be like ..and of hearing the great Onam sadhya that my aunt painted in words for us...No Onam feast was worth its name if there wasnt the Big and small pappadam..especially made for the festival by the 'pandaarams'.<br /><br /><em>The Pandaarams</em> - as far as my limited, aunt-blessed knowledge goes, are a group of people whose sole job seemed to be to make Pappadams of all sorts...and i imagined them having these nice pappadams everyday ..and that sounded nice.<br /><br />(Psst....a family secret...<br />At times when super angry some imp family elders wud use the word 'padaaram' as a curse word too!<br />Always wondered why? Any idea?)<br /><br />I Crispus am a big Pappadam fan..not the usual 4 pappadam eater mind u! I'm the 10 pappadam type ..Crush fluffy pappadams 4 at a time into the steaming rice and make balls...aaaram se..much to the disgust of my neigboring eater..whoever that soul might be and especially so since the pappadams were in gr8 demand and not all got the luck of being allowed 10 pappadams :) .<br />I was lucky becos i was the 'dubai cousin' getting special attention, extra helping of Kesari halwa, extra pappadams...coz i was once-in-2yrs visitor to the family.<br /><br />Apart from the undisguised jealousy of the Cousins 1 & 2, Crispus continued eating with elaborate glee and equal delight in the pappadam-rice. Crispus cud disgust anyone if she set her heart to it. ;)<br /><br />That was when Crispus ran around in just a petticoat and raised a bedlam in the house for the 8 or 9 rys worth of making life very purposeful for Mummy. Mummy's hand would itch to give a whack to Cripus for the sudden bouts of mischief, noise, energy and non stop nonsense in english.<br /><br />Crispus had to show off Dubai school english and again this was much to the envious awe of Cousins 1 & 2 esp. Crispus had saved up all talent for the summer hols so the showing off would be worth it all - with the indulgence, attention of the grandparents, Chechy, 'distant- veliya brother' and 'friend-cheriya brother'.<br /><br /><strong>Njangalude Pappadakaran</strong><br />The Pappadakkaaran came all the way from kerala twice a month to sell it door to door to us mallu families in the colony...<br />we wud buy a lot..enuff to last this man's next visit..get the pappadams, complain a bit about the last stock not having puffed up etc and yet buy a lot more..in the hot blazing madras sun..<br /><br />Pappadakaaran wud put down the heavy bags bulging with pappadams and vatthals and sometimes he would try to sell us chips and mixture. All the while, mom wud ask abt his family; he wud tell his latest stories and then a bit about how GOD has been wonderful to him..how his son in law got a dubai visa, daughter was studying well and then he would do a very unsual thing...he wud always ask mom if she got a moment to pray...tho eager to run back into the cool of the house, mom would oblige, never refuse prayer.. and then he would leave.<br /><br />till...one day..it was Crispus ...buying the papadam, lesser quantity, no talk...<br />mom had passed away..a few weeks ago.<br /><br />this time, he offered his condolence in near silence and asked if we could pray..i said yes and we prayed ..he on the other side of our big gate and me inside our small courtyard..<br />i couldnt stop these damn tears..to be seen like this before the Pappadakaaran...but it was okay...<br />If mom could oblige to pray with an itinerant Pappadakaran, so could Crispus...<br /><br /><br />Now gone are the attention givers and the attention seeker, but Crispus is the quietest soul in the family - given to bouts of eloquence and spewing knowledge..baffling, and impressing the listener - usually Mummy and the rest of the immediate family. Come Cousins, now all grown up in half saree and full skirts and the occasional 'dubai dresses' Crispus fell into a trickle of bare conversation and hid behind the tomes and volumes of which Crispus' pride had no end.<br /><br /><br />i said bye and then i didnt see him much more...<br /><br />I remember his call in the lazy blazing hot afternoons..."Appallam, Pappadaiiiiii, Appallam, Pappadaiii"...crispushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00174294986301881285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36904645.post-1167861699028562282007-01-03T11:51:00.000-08:002007-01-03T14:06:59.666-08:00"Veetil kulam is there. You should sit by it. Great place, tranquil and i'd like us to sit there some time, what say ache?" Pinne ...the talk was serious stuff moving from mom n dad to teh case pending in court and again to the tharavad..and thats when Ponnu asked ..she was very quiet in asking Kochayn this:<br />Nalla white mundu..kara illathe mundu udukenam, puthen white VIP bonus baniyan, thalayil oru white eerazha thorthinde thalakettum,..slowly walk towards the kulam...Ok..Ok..ennu Kohcayn kept saying..<br />Ponnu: "standing at the edge of the silent green waters of the kulam....u are deep in thought"<br />Pinne......<br /><br />otte oru chaatam!<br /><br />"chaadi poyi enikoru thavallaye pidichu tharumo?"<br /><br />what??<br /><br />the guy was flabbergasted...<br /><br />"thamaru povine kondu tharamo ennu aalkaar chodikum, valli..chedi, or pote..even some ela..but thavalayo??..what are u gal?"<br /><br />kochayn just cudnt get it, waht was this girl? he laughed , laughed and Ponnu waited till kochayn laughed out..she herself laughed..from where and just how such an idea came to her she didnt know...while talking of home, tharavad, kulam and their kochu extraordinarily nice dreams..such an idea...<br />that was reality lived out across miles...<br />two dear ones sharing their precious time dreaming of their ordinariness..would GOD bless them soon enough they yearned.<br /><br />this is the beginning of a story...of Kochayn n Ponnu set somewhere in a modern world..but they yearn for the ordinary things of a long ago golden time...over the mail, over the cell phones, and time stilling talks...they talked into the fabric of a peaceful life.<br />Join me?crispushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00174294986301881285noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36904645.post-1162414987363858832006-11-01T12:54:00.000-08:002006-11-01T13:08:12.766-08:00Falling for the fallIts Wednesday, November 1, 2006. Hallelujah! I am alive and fine, breathing in the fresh crisp cold air..this is fall..<br />GOD's best palette is for the fall ..somehow more refined than the myriad colors of spring even..atleast to me.<br />Looking at the great dappled trees where the sun kissed colors are all brushed with deft strokes of GOD ..all amber, fiery orange, deep purple and red even..and the subtle greengray colors..There's this snip in the air...njaan oru kochu kavi aayirunnengil...i wud've written moving poems ....pakshe njaan oru kochu adventurekaari maathram..<br />Ever people felt like hugging this whole 'prapanjam' for the sheer grandiose beauty? GOD's the artist par excellent!<br /><br />Great music and colors move me to stillness, awe and sometimes tears...adhe njaan at times kurachu mushy aayi pogum ...with all this awesome sense of beauty around me..<br />hmmm..if we could get all this colors exactly on nice designer sarees ennu my friendinu thonee poyitundu..i definitely vouch for the designer sarees...do u?<br /><br />Maybe all this because my past was in the dusty, polluted Chennai city?<br />And all this vast clean green green spaces, blue blue and at times firey golden skies are like no other i have seen so far!crispushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00174294986301881285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36904645.post-1162317981533688322006-10-31T10:01:00.000-08:002006-10-31T10:06:21.540-08:00adventurekaariHi! Welcome to Kochukaaryangal..basically kochu visheshangal from avudunnum , Ividunnum pinne kore endeythum...Hope to meet people who can smile, laugh and joke even at themselves once in a while at least.<br />Pinne...Ende kurachu kaaryangal...finished a most ghostly brunch..ghostly because teh soup was an apparition of lunch...it vanished into thin air :( or more practically something like that into my stomach..<br />Diet onnum vellya kaaryam all..anaalum...this was the thinnest lunch..ever :( dunno if i want to continue like this more brunchers/lunches even.crispushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00174294986301881285noreply@blogger.com2