Kerala Vegetable stew | Vegetable isthu | Side dish recipes

My mom's cuisine had a great influence of Kerala. We are not Keralites exactly but we speak fluent Malayalam and use coconut in almost everything. Payasams are never complete with that final addition of thick coconut milk and fish curry is just coconut ground with spices and finished with a generous touch of coconut thaalippu. However she has never made the most famous kerala isthu till date. Entering into the blogging world and getting to know about different cuisine has been the best thing of my life. I tried this stew sometime back when I had cans of coconut milk which I had bought just because they were on sale. I didn't make any aapams or idiyaapams to go with it because I am lazy that way but we scooped it up with some wholemeal bread for dinner.

*~What U Need*~ For the ground paste Cashews - a handful Clove -1 Cardamom -2 Cinnamon -1 inch Chillies - 1 Poppy seeds - 2 tbsp, white Par Boiled Vegetables - 2 cups, I used beans, carrot and peas. Coconut oil - 2 tbsp curry leaves - 2 sprigs Ginger - 2 inch piece julienne Onion - 1 medium, copped Salt - as needed Thick coconut milk - 1/2 cup Thin coconut milk - 1 cup How I made it: Grind the spices with a little water to a fine paste. Set aside. Par boil the vegetables and keep aside. Heat the oil in a pan. Add 2 sprigs of curry leaves. Let it splutter. Add in the julienne ginger. Add in the chopped onions and salt. Saute till soft. Add in the ground masala paste and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add in the thin coconut milk and boiled vegetables and let it simmer until beginning to boil. Once the mixture is cooked well, Add in the thick coconut milk and reduce the flame to low. Simmer for 30 seconds. Switch off the flame and serve hot.

Serve with aapams or idiyappams. It is the best combo in the world.

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

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(Amma Cooks) Vadakari.. And I am back!!!

Well I know that the blog has been silent for quiet sometime or let me be honest and say quite a longtime. This time it was not the writer's block all through the way. It started off with the writer's block but then it extended to laziness and finally settled down on bloggers stats. There were days when there were 40+ comments on a single post and then there were days when there were 0 comments. The latter kept on extending which kinda demotivated me. Then came summer and days moved on like minutes.


It was only a few days back that I opened up my blog. As I read through it, I realized how much I had enjoyed writing, editing and posting up a recipe here. I decided to come back and what better way than my mom's traditional recipe. I clicked this picture way back in 2012 when I was an amateur photographer. Well I am no great now, I am still an amateur photographer but atleast I know something about lighting and natural light now. Back to the point, this is my mom's recipe, cooked by her and eaten by us. Good old days, huh!!!

~*What U Need*~ For the vadas Channa dhal - 1/2 cup Green chilli - 1 Red Chilli - 1 Shallots - 6-7 Hing powder - a pinch Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp Salt Curry leaves - 2 sprigs Oil - to fry For the Curry: Onions(large) - 2 Tomato(large) - 1 Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tbsp Coriander leaves - a handful Salt Oil To Temper: Fennel seeds - 1 tsp Cinnamon - 1" pinch Cloves - 2 Cardamom pods - 2 Bayleaf - 1 To grind: Coriander powder - 1 tsp Green chilli - 1 Grated Coconut - 1/4 cup Poppy seeds - 1/2 tbsp How I Made it: Lets prepare the vadas first. Soak the chana dhal overnight. Chop the onions, green chillies and curry leaves finely. In a blender, add the chana dhal, red chilli and fennel seeds. Pulse it 2 - 3 times. You should have some whole chana dhal here and there. Put this mixture in a bowl, add chopped onions, green chillies, curry leaves, hing and salt and mix well. Pinch lemon sized balls. Heat oil and deep fry till evenly brown. Break these into 2 and set aside. Chop the onions. Blend the tomatoes into a smooth paste. Heat oil in a kadai, add the ingredients under to temper. Add the onions and saute till soft. Now add in the ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell goes off. Add turmeric powder and fry. Add the blended tomato to the onions and fry till oil separates. Blend all the ingredients under to grind to a smooth paste. Add this paste to the cooked onion-tomato mixture. Fry till oil separates. Add the broken vada pieces, garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot. ** My Notes: ** Add water to bring to the desired consistency. ** When thick this makes a perfect side dish for chapathis or dosas and when thin, would be great with hot rice. However, we always prefer this with dosas.

So thats it Folks...
With Love,
Vimitha

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Kerala Kadala curry / Kadala curry

There are a few dishes which are etched in my mind mainly because those dishes frequented our dinner tables quite often when I was a kid. We are not from Kerala but the influence of Kerala is a bit more in my place. We cook a lot with coconut oil and kappa puzhukku with meen kuzhambu is still my favorite. And then there is kadala curry and puttu, an all time favorite. Though I don't make the duo a lot, I make kadala curry often to go with our chapathis.

~*What U Need*~ Black chenna/Chickpeas - 3/4 cup, soaked overnight For grinding: Coconut - 1/2 cup Water - 1/4 cup to grind to a smooth paste For the masala: Onions - 1, medium chopped Tomato - 1/2 medium, chopped Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp Green chilli - 1 Curry leaves - 1 sprig Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Red chilli powder - 1 tsp Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp Corinder powder - 1 tsp Coconut oil - 2 tbsp Water, salt How I Made it: Grind the coconut to a smooth paste and set aside. Heat 2 tbsp coconut oil in a pan. Temper with mustard seeds and half the amount of curry leaves. Add the chilli and saute for a min. Add the onions and saute till golden brown. Add the ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell leaves. Add the tomatoes and saute till soft. Add the soaked chenna, enough water and pressure cook for 3-4 whistles or till soft. Once done. Add the spice powders and mix and cook for 3-4 mins. Add the ground coconut paste. Saute for 4 to 5 minutes on a low flame. Add enough water to bring to the desired consistency. Season with salt. Let the curry come to a boil and you see oil separate from the curry. Add the curry leaves and remove from the flame.

Serve kadala curry hot with puttu or appam or steamed rice or rotis.
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Tofu Masala

I am still not out of my slumber. I have an urge to blog but my laziness is way on top of that. And I still haven't got the hang of my dslr. And thats kinda depressing. Added to the fact that I hate to take pictures with my iphone now that I have a high-end dslr on hand. And then it is the whole story again. That put aside, it was a wonderful day today. The weather was at its best and I stepped out after what seems like decades in my spring clothes. It was rejuvenating. The weather is helping me and rekindling me back to form... Hope I will be on track soon.
Coming to today's recipe its a very simple one which I make often to go with our chapathis.

~*What U Need*~ Extra firm Tofu - 14 oz, drained and cut into cubes Greek yogurt - 1/2 cup Onion - 1 Tomatoes - 2 Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp Bay leaf -1 , clove - 3, cinnamon - 1, cumin seeds - 1 tsp Coriander powder - 1 tsp Chilli powder - 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp Green chilli - 1 Kasuri methi - 1 tsp Oil - 2 tsp Salt Coriander Leaves - 1 tbsp How I Made it: Shallow fry the tofu in a skillet. Set aside. Heat 1 tsp oil in a skillet. Add the onion and fry till transparent. Add ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell goes off. Add the tomatoes, green chilli and fry till it forms a masala. Add the spice powders and fry for 3 mins. ONce done cool and grind to a smooth paste. Heat remaining oil. Add bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves, star masala and fry for 1 min. Add cumin seeds and allow to crackle. Add the ground paste and fry for 2-3 mins. Set the heat to low and add the yogurt stirring continuosly. Allow to boil. Add water to bring to the desired consistency. Allow to boil. Add Add Fried tofu and fenugreek leaves and mix well. Let it boil for another 3-5 mins. Remove from flame. Add coriander leaves.

Serve with rotis or rice of choice!!!

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

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Butter Chicken | Side dishes for Parottas/Rotis

As everyone out there is blogging about sweets and savories for Diwali, I donot have even one in my kitty and I am in no mood to make one. That doesn't mean that I will not be preparing anything for the festival, I have some ideas but I am gonna get into it next week only. Diwali is never complete for us without a non-veg three course meal but this Diwali I am planning something new and this Butter Chicken is definitely in the menu. Its rich, creamy and totally addictive and pairs perfectly with parottas and naans.

~*What U Need*~ For the chicken: Chicken - 1/4 lb, with bone Yogurt - 1/4 cup Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp Salt, pepper For the sauce: Onion - 1, finely chopped Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp Garam masala - 1/2 tsp Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp Coriander powder - 1 tsp Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp Tomato puree - 3/4 cup Water - 1/4 cup Cream - 1/8 cup Ghee - 1 tbsp Butter- 2 tbsp Salt and Pepper to taste Kasurimethi leaves - 1/4 tsp Cilantro - 1 tbsp How I Made it: In a bowl, mix together the chicken with the marination ingredients and set aside for 30 mins or overnight. Preheat oven to 475 degrees, place the chicken on a baking sheet lined with foil paper and bake it in the oven for 10 minutes, turn the broiler on high and broil till the chicken is charred and then remove from the oven. In a large pan, heat the oil and butter and allow the butter to melt. Add the cumin seeds and allow them to cook for about 30 seconds. Add the onion and cook till soft, add the ginger garlic paste and cook till raw smell goes off. Add tomato puree and cook for 3-5 mins. Add the garam masala, coriander powder and chili powder and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the chicken, add some water and cover with a lid and simmer for about 20 minutes. Stir in the cream and fenugreek leaves, season with salt and pepper to taste, add in the cilantro and reduce the heat to low and allow to cook gently for a few minutes.

Serve over some jeera rice or parottas or rotis!!!

So thats it Folks...
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Palak Tofu

Just like avocado, the huss has an aversion for tofu. Paneer is welcome in his book but tofu is a strict no-no for him. But I buy it occasionally as in once a month because I like to include it in our diet atleast once a month for the sake of pappu. While I am still experimenting with tofu recipes, I have decided to give the basics a try first, like this palak tofu, tofu masala, kadai tofu etc.

Making palak paneer or palak tofu is a breeze. Blanch, grind and simmer ~ and the sauce is ready to go. And its a healthy way to use all your greens. Spinach is widely used but you can experiment with different greens like baby kale or baby collards. This makes a perfect side dish for chapathis and even better ~ jeera rice. You can add cream at the end to make it more rich or you can replace the milk with cream to give at even more richer taste and use butter or ghee to give at a restaurant style makeover.

~*What U Need*~ Tofu - 10 oz, cubed, extra firm Salt - a pinch Oil - 1 tsp Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp Garam masala - 1/2 tsp Chilli powder - 1 tsp For the sauce/ curry: Spinach - 2 cups, washed Water - 1/4 cup (I used the water that I blached the spinach in) Milk - 1/4 cup Almonds - a handful, soaked in warm water for 10 mins Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp Green chilli - 1 Tomato - 1 Onion - 1, small, chopped Garam masala - 1/4 tsp How I Made it: In a pan, heat oil to medium heat. Add the chopped tofu and saute for 2 mins. Add the spice powders and salt and toss to coat. Cook for 8-10 mins. Meanwhile, boil water in a large pan, put the spinach and blanch for 2 mins. Remove and let cool. Add this to the blender with the water, milk, almonds, ginger garlic paste and blend well. Heat oil in a pan and add 1 tsp cumin seeds and allow to sizzle, add onions and fry till brown. Add the spinach puree and bring it to a boil, add the sauteed tofu and mix gently. Add garam masala and cook in medium heat for 10-15 mins. Taste and season as desired. Add 2 tbsp cream and remove from flame.

Serve hot with Naan or chapathis.

So thats it Folks...
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Spicy Chicken Kheema Potato Curry

A lazy Sunday morning.. hot dosas with piping hot sambar followed by a 3 hour nap and waking up to a lunch of hot rice with amma's chicken curry was my Sunday routine before marriage. Comfort food in every bite and I never asked for more. My heart has been yearning for that comfort for some time now. Sundays are meant to be whiled away while you get pampered with tasty food. But that seems just like mirage these days. The only thing that seems comforting is replicating amma's chicken curry for Sunday lunch. The huss has never been a big fan of the curry and so I make variations, like this. We had it with some white rice and chicken roast and I just traveled back in time, well atleast the eating part.

~*What U Need*~ Chicken kheema - 1/2 lb Potato - 1, cubed Onion - 1, large, finely chopped Tomato - 1, medium, chopped Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tbsp Oil, Salt Chopped coriander leaves - 2 tbsp Cinnamon - 1" Cloves - 2 Cardamom - 2, crushed To roast and grind: Onion - 1/4 cup, chopped Grated coconut - 1/4 cup Chilli powder - 1 tsp Coriander powder - 1 tsp Garam masala - 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp Oil - 1 tsp How I Made it: Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan and saute the 1/4 cup onions. Once soft add the grated coconut and fry till brown. Add the spice powders and fry for another 2-3 mins. Set aside to cool and then blend to a smooth paste. Heat 1 tbsp oil in the same pan and add cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. Once tempered add the finely chopped onions and saute till golden brown Add ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell leaves. Add the chopped tomatoes and fry till mushy. Add potatoes followed by the minced meat. Cook till the chicken sheds water and is half cooked. Add the ground masala and 1/2 cup water and cook till the meat is done and oil separates. Add chopped coriander leaves and remove from flame.

Serve with rice or rotis...

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

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Chicken Kheema Matar Aloo | Minced Chicken Curry with Peas and Potato

Its been a long time since I shared a non-veg recipe here. We have been eating, lots to be frank but I make them for dinner to have it as a side for chapathis and then I just can't take decent photos with the sun going down by 4.00 pm itself. Yeah, gone are the days when I chuck whatever I churn out in the kitchen onto a plate and click a picture with the flash on. Now that I know how important natural sunlight is necessary to get a good capture, I just don't have the heart to click a picture at night.

So yesterday when I decided to make this lip smacking kheema curry for our dinner, I made it way ahead and by ahead I mean well before 4.00 pm. Making chapathis at 3.00 pm is so not right and that left me with nothing to keep in the background. I couldn't complete the setup. And the only styling(sorry to call this styling BTW) that I could think of was cleaning up the pan in which I had made the curry and chucking it into the same pan. Have you ever been in this situation??? Do share some tips on how to style food when you don't have the much needed sides... Coming to this recipe, it is lip-smackingly good and the potatoes and peas adds more flavor to the curry.

Prep time: 15 mins; Cooking time: 20 mins; Serves - 2-3 ~*What U Need*~ Chicken Kheema - 1/2 lb(any ground meat)Ingredients: ( serves 3-4 as side) Cardamom - 2 Cloves - 2 Cinnamon - 1 inch stick Dried bayleaf - 1 Onion - 1, large, finely chopped Tomato - 1, medium, finely chopped Potato - 1, cubed Frozen peas - 1/2 cup, thawed Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsps Chilli powder - 1 tsp Coriander powder - 2 tsp Turmeric powder - a pinch Garam masala - 1/2 tsp Chopped coriander leaves - 2 tbsp Oil, Salt How I Made it: Heat oil in a nonstick pan and temper with cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaf. Add the onions and saute till golden brown. Next add the ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell leaves. Next add in the tomatoes and fry till soft and mushy. Add the spice powders and cook for 1-2 mins. Now add the chicken mince, potatoes and peas and cook till the chicken releases water. Add one cup of water and cook with closed lid till the chicken and potatoes are done. Cook another 2-3 mins till you see oil separating from the curry. Season with salt and sprinkle coriander leaves and remove from flame.

Serve hot with parottas or chapathis.

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

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Methi Malai Matar | Methi Matar Malai

Saturdays are meant for sambhar and aviyal at my place. Its falls in the comfort food category for us. And we have never complained eating it week after week. In fact we get that Saturday feel only when it is the duo. But lately I have been experimenting and its mostly on Saturdays. And so sambar and aviyal has taken a back seat. We make kaarakulambus, we make vegetable pulaos but of everything we make soft fluffy pooris and some delicious side dishes like this methi malai matar to go with the pooris.

Remember the homemade frozen peas that I did sometime back. Well, I podded them, stored them and then I had a solid 2 kg pack. I have been using fresh(...frozen) peas wherever I can. I add them to my tomato rice, my broken wheat upma, my vermicelli biryani and it completes the dish. And then there is this creamy methi malai matar. I have been making this for quite sometime now and we totally love it with pooris.

On a happier note, Munchkins is learning things faster. He has started uttering words, it was his own name the other day and 'baby' yesterday. Not that he hasn't talked anything till date. He says appa(father), amma(mother), thata(grandfather), nana(don't need) and kaaka(crow) but his own name, this was the first time. He is quite a learner. He knows how to hold a pen and has started scribbling around on papers. Whenever he gets a pen, he searches for a paper, yeah he knows that papers are meant for pens. I am making notes of everything and have saved his very first 'writing'.

~*What U Need*~ Peas - 1 cup Dried Kasoori methi - 3 tbsp Onion - 1,chopped finely Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp Green chilli - 1, chopped finely Milk - 1 cup Cashews - 5 Cream - 2 tbsp(optional) Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp Chilli powder - 1 tsp Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Oil - 1 tbsp Salt - as required

How I Made it:
Soak cashews in milk for 15 mins and then grind the cashews to a smooth paste, keep aside. Boil peas until soft and keep aside.

Heat oil, add cumin, ginger garlic paste, green chillies and fry for a minute.

Then add onions and fry till slightly browned. Add the cashew paste and fry it for 2 mins. Add the spice powders, salt and mix well. Add the milk and cook till u see bubbles by the side.

Add the cream and allow to boil. At this stage the gravy will start thickening. Add boiled green peas. Crush the kasoori methi leaves with ur hands. Adjust gravy consistency by adding water, simmer for some time and remove from flame.

Serve hot with naans/chapathis/rotis/pooris.

** My Notes:
** You can use dried peas too. Just pressure cook till soft.
** If you want the gravy to be super rich then use half cream and half milk.
** You can also grind the onions and use.

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