Chemmeen Curry | Kerala Prawn Curry

Chemmeen Curry

Kerala style Prawn curry using coconut milk.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 to 40 minutes
Serves: 3 to 4
Ingredients:

1. Prawn,cleaned- 250 to 300 gms
2. Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
3. Onion,sliced - 1 large( about 1 cup)
4. Green chilies,cut into two - 1 ( or according to taste)
5. Ginger and garlic ,crushed - 1 tbsp
6. Curry leaves- 1 sprig
7. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
8. Kashmiri chili powder- 1.5 to 2 tsp (or according to taste,See notes)
9. Coriander powder - 1.5 tsp
10. Garam masala powder- 1/2 tsp + 1 pinch
11. Tomato,chopped- 1 large (about 3/4 cup)
12. Thin coconut milk - 1 cup( or as required)
13. Thick coconut milk - 1/2 cup
14. Salt- To taste
15. Oil- as required

Instructions:

Heat  oil in  a manchatti /pan, add mustard seeds and let it splutter.Now add onion,green chilies,ginger garlic and curry leaves.

Saute until onion turns golden brown.Reduce the flame to low,add turmeric powder,kashmiri chili powder , coriander powder and 1/2 tsp garam masala powder.

Fry for about 30 seconds ,stirring continuously.Next add tomato and mix well.

Cook until tomato turns mushy and the masala starts to leave the sides of the pan.Next add cleaned prawns and salt to taste.Mix well.

Next add thin coconut milk  and stir well.Cover and cook  for about 12 to 15 minutes or until done and gravy turns thick.

Now add thick coconut milk and stir well.Cook for few minutes and bring it to just under a boil.Switch off the stove and add a pinch of garam masala and stir gently.

NOTES

• Adjust the quantity of Kashmiri chili powder according to your taste.I used about 2.5 tsp of Kashmiri chili powder as we wanted it a bit spicy.
• Adjust the quantity of thin coconut milk according to the amount of gravy required. 

Stuffed Bread | Chicken Stuffed Bread

Stuffed Bread

Bread stuffed with creamy chicken filling.
Prep Time: 60 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes
Serves: 4 to 5
Recipe source: Fauzias Kitchen, You can find the original recipe here.
Ingredients:
To Prepare the Dough:

1. Yeast - 1 tbsp
2. Sugar - 1.5 tsp
3. Warm water - as required
4. Egg - 1
5. Milk Powder - 2 tbsp ( or use milk)
6. All purpose flour - 4 cups
7. Oil - 4 tbsp
8. Salt- to taste

To prepare the Filling:

1. Butter - 2 tbsp
2. Chicken,cooked and shredded -1.5 to 2 cups
3. Onion ,chopped- 1 medium
4. Black pepper powder - 1 tsp(or to taste)
5. Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
6. All purpose flour - 2 tbsp
7. Milk - 1 cup
8. Coriander leaves,chopped - 2 tbsp
9. Green chilies,chopped -4
10. Salt - to taste

Other Ingredients:

1. Egg - 1( for egg wash)
2. Water - 1 tbsp
3. Sesame seeds- as required

Instructions:

In a bowl combine together yeast,sugar and 1/4 cup warm water.Keep aside for 8 to 10  minutes or until frothy.

Beat the egg lightly,keep aside.

 

In a bowl,combine together milk powder, all purpose flour and salt.Add oil,yeast mixture and egg.

Add sufficient quantity of warm water and mix well to form a smooth dough,Knead well for about 5 to 10 minutes .Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl. Lightly brush the top of the dough with oil.Cover it with a clean kitchen towel and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in volume for about 1 to 1 and 1/2 hours.

To prepare the filling,heat butter in a pan.Add onion and saute until it turns soft.Now add salt,black pepper powder,garam masala powder and all purpose flour.Mix well until combined.

Now add milk and cook until the mixture turns thick,stirring continuously. 

Add cooked chicken,coriander leaves and green chilies.Add more salt and pepper powder if required.Allow it to cool completely.

Now punch down the risen dough with your fist.Divide the dough into 2 or 3 parts.Take one portion of the dough and place it on a lightly floured surface( or place the dough on a sheet of parchment paper or foil,so that you can transfer the bread to the baking tray easily.).Roll it to form a rectangle.

Place the filling in the center.Using a knife make  inclined cuts on both the sides to form 1" strips.

Fold the top most dough strip diagonally over the filling.Fold the strip from the opposite side to overlap the previous strip.Continue by alternately folding the left and right strips.Beat egg and 1 tbsp water together and brush this over the bread.

Sprinkle sesame seeds on top ,Transfer to a baking tray lined with parchment paper or foil. Preheat oven to 200 Deg C.Bake for about 25 minutes .After baking ,brush with butter and cover with a clean kitchen towel for  few minutes to keep the bread soft.

NOTES

• I scaled down the recipe to 1/2 as you can see in the pics.
• You can also use beef or mutton instead of chicken
• Adjust the quantity of black pepper according to your taste.
  

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Kerala Appam Recipe | Palappam | Kerala Laced Rice Pancakes | Step by Step Pictures

Kerala Palappam

Kerala style laced rice pancakes ( Gluten free and vegan)
Prep Time: 4 hours, + more for fermentation
Cooking Time: 45 minutes
Makes: 18 to 20 palappam
Ingredients:

1. Raw rice ( Pachari) - 1.5 cups( see notes)
2. Grated coconut - 3/4 cup ,heaped
3. Cooked Rice - 1/2 cup
4. Sugar- 1.5 to 3 tbsp 
5. Yeast - 1/4 tsp
6. Water - 1.5 cups
7. Salt-  to taste

Instructions:

Wash the rice well and soak it for about 4 to 5 hours.

Grind together drained raw rice, grated coconut , cooked rice and 3/4 cup water to form a smooth batter.

Next add sugar,yeast and remaining water and blend for about 30 seconds or until sugar and yeast is completely dissolved.

Transfer the batter to a large bowl.Cover and let it ferment  for about 5 to 8 hours( depending upon the temperature conditions) in a warm place , until almost doubled in volume.

After fermentation( for about 5 to 8 hours) add salt to taste.Gently stir the salt in.Cover and keep aside for atleast 30 minutes.The batter will rise a bit and will be light and foamy.

Heat the appachatti over medium high flame.Rub it with some oil if you are using an iron appachatti.( Skip this step if you are using a non stick appachatti.) Gently pour a ladle full of batter into the pan.

Immediately swirl the pan to spread the batter in a circle.Cover and cook for about a minute or until the edges turn golden brown.

Carefully remove the appam from the pan.Serve with vegetable curry/egg curry /chicken curry.

STEP BY STEP PICTURES:

In a bowl,add rice ( i used 1 cup raw rice and 1/2 cup basmati rice)and water , rinse it well.

Soak the washed rice in plenty of water for about  4 to 5 hours. 

Add grated coconut and cooked rice into a blender.

Add the drained ,soaked rice and 1/2 to 3/4 cup water to the blender.

Grind to form a smooth batter.

Next add sugar to the batter.  

Add yeast and the remaining water ,blend until sugar and yeast is completely dissolved ,for about 30 seconds.

Transfer the batter to a large bowl.Cover and let it ferment  for about 5 to 8 hours( depending upon the temperature conditions) in a warm place , until almost doubled in volume.

The batter will look something like this,after fermentation.

Now add salt to taste.

Gently stir the salt in.Cover and keep aside for atleast 30 minutes.The batter will rise a bit.

Now the batter will be light and foamy.

Heat the appachatti over medium high flame.Rub it with some oil if you are using an iron appachatti.( Skip this step if you are using a non stick appachatti.) Gently pour a ladle full of batter into the pan.

Immediately swirl the pan to spread the batter in a circle.Cover and cook for about a minute or until the edges turn golden brown.

Carefully remove the appam from the pan.Serve with vegetable curry/egg curry /chicken curry.

NOTES

• You can also use 1 cup raw rice and 1/2 cup basmati rice ,if desired.I feel adding 1/2 cup basmati rice makes appam more soft  and fluffy.
• Adjust the quantity of water depending upon the type of rice you use.Basically the batter should be a bit watery so that the edges turn out really thin.
• Adjust the quantity of sugar according to your taste.Adding a bit more sugar will help to get the edges golden brown.
• Leftover batter can be refrigerated for upto 2 days.Bring down to room temperature before making appams.
• You may serve appam with Nadan Mutta curry, Kerala Egg curry,Egg curry with potato ,Kadala curry,Kerala vegetable stew,Mutton stew,Kerala duck curry or even fish molly.

Varutharacha Duck Curry | Kerala Style Duck Curry | Nadan Tharavu Curry

Varutharacha Duck Curry

Kerala style duck in spicy coconut gravy.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 50 to 60 minutes
Serves: 4 to 6
Recipe source: Amma 
Ingredients:

1. Duck,cut into medium size pieces - 1 kg
2. Coconut slices - 1/4 cup
3. Turmeric powder - 1 pinch
4. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
5. Onion,sliced - 4 large ( about 4.5 cups)
6. Ginger,garlic paste - 2 tbsp
7. Green chilies,cut vertically- 3 to 4 ( according to taste)
8. Water - as required
9. Vinegar - 1 tsp
10. Curry leaves - 4 to 5 sprigs
11. Black pepper powder,freshly ground - 1/4 tsp( or to taste)
12. Garam masala powder - 1/4 tsp
13. Oil - as required
14. Salt - to taste

For coconut masala paste:

1. Grated coconut - 1 cup
2. Fennel seeds- 1 tsp
3. Cardamom pods - 2
4. Cinnamon stick - 1" piece
5. Cloves - 3
6. Kashmiri chili powder - 2 tbsp( see notes)
7. Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
8. Turmeric powder - 3/4 tsp

Instructions:

Heat oil in a pan add coconut slices and 1 pinch turmeric powder.Fry until it turns golden.Drain and keep aside.

To prepare coconut masala paste,dry roast grated coconut,fennel seeds,cardamom pods,cinnamon and cloves until it turns dark brown,stirring continuously over medium low flame.Reduce the flame to low and  add kashmiri chili powder,coriander powder and turmeric powder.Mix well and cook for about a minute,stirring continuously.  

Transfer this to a plate and allow it to cool completely.Place this coconut mixture in the bowl of a food processor /mixie( do not add water) and process for 1 minute then scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula.Process another 1 or 2 minutes or until it forms a fine paste .( If you are finding it difficult to grind it to a smooth paste,just powder it as fine as possible.).Keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan/ pressure cooker .Add mustard seeds and let it splutter.Add onion and saute until it turns golden brown.

Add ginger garlic paste and saute for few minutes or until raw smell leaves.

Now add green chilies ,curry leaves and duck ,cook for about 5 minutes,stirring well in between.Next add the prepared coconut masala paste and mix well.  

Add water ( about 1.5 cups or as required),vinegar and salt to taste. Cover and cook until duck turns soft and is done.

Add fried coconut slices,black pepper powder and garam masala powder.Mix well and switch off the stove.Serve with rice /appam / chapathi.

NOTES

• If you are using regular chili powder,adjust the quantity according to your taste.