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. 

Mutta Puttu | Egg Puttu | Steamed rice flour cake with egg masala

Mutta Puttu

Steamed rice flour cake with spicy egg masala stuffing.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 2 to 3
Ingredients:

1. Egg- 3 small ( or 2 large)
2. Black pepper powder - to taste
3. Onion,finely chopped - 1 large( about 1 cup)
4. Green chilies,finely chopped - 1
5. Ginger and garlic ,finely chopped - 1 tsp
6. Curry leaves,chopped - Few
7. Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp
8. Kashmiri chili powder- 1/2 to 1 tsp ( or according to taste)
9. Coriander powder - 1 tsp
10. Garam masala powder- 1/2 tsp
11. Tomato,finely chopped- 1/2 of a medium (about 1/4 cup)
12. Water - 1 tbsp
13. Salt- To taste
14. Oil- as required

To prepare Puttu:

1. Puttu Podi - 1 to 1.5 cups
2. Water- as required
3. Salt- to taste
4. Grated coconut- as required

Instructions:

To Prepare Puttu mixture-In a bowl,combine together rice flour and salt to taste.Sprinkle water a little at a time and mix well with your finger tips.It should look like bread crumbs and should not form a dough.( To check if it is done,take a handful of the wet puttu mixture and press it.If it holds its shape and crumbles easily when pressed again then the consistency is right.).Cover and keep aside for 10 to 15 minutes.

In a bowl,combine together eggs,salt and pepper powder to taste.Lightly beat the eggs and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan  add the beaten eggs and scramble them.Transfer to another bowl and keep aside until required.

Heat oil in the same pan,add onion,green chilies,ginger,garlic and curry leaves.Saute until onion turns golden brown.

Now add turmeric powder,Kashmiri chili powder,coriander powder and garam masala powder.Mix well and saute for about 30 seconds over low flame.Next add tomato and salt to taste and mix well.

Cook over medium heat until tomato turns mushy and masala starts to leave the sides of the pan.Now add 1 tbsp of water and mix well for few seconds .Add the scrambled eggs .

Mix well until combined.Add more salt if required.Turn off the heat and keep aside.Now to prepare puttu place 1 or 1.5 tbsp of grated coconut as the first layer in the puttu mould.

Next add 2 to 3 tbsp of the egg masala mixture .Loosely fill the remaining portion with the prepared puttu mixture.Top with  grated coconut.if desired.

Cover the puttu mould  with the lid.Fill the pressure cooker ( or the bottom vessel of the puttu maker) with water equal to half its volume.Bring it to a boil.Steam cook the puttu for about 5 to 8  minutes or until you see steam escaping from the tiny holes on the lid. Take out the mould and invert it onto a serving plate.

NOTES

• Adjust the quantity of chili powder according to your taste. 

Mysore Sada Dosa | Mysore Red Chutney

Mysore Sada Dosa

Quick ,easy and delicious Mysore sada dosa with spicy red chutney/spread.
Recipe source: YummyTummy,you can find the original recipe here.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 2 to 3
Ingredients:

1. Dosa batter -1.5 to 2 cups( or as required)
2. Ghee /Oil - as required

For red chutney:

1. Channa dal /kadala parippu - 1 tbsp
2. Urad dal/Uzhunnu  - 1 tbsp
3. Gralic ,sliced- 1 large clove
4. Dry red chilies - 3( see notes)
5. Red chili powder - 1 tsp( i used Kashmiri chili powder)
6. Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
7. Jaggery- 1 tsp
8. Tamarind - 3/4 to 1 tsp(or according to taste)
9. Salt - To taste
10. Water - as required
11. Oil - as required

Instructions:

Heat oil in a pan.Add channa dal and urad dal.Saute until it turns golden brown.

Add garlic and dry red chilies and  red chili powder saute for about a minute .Add grated coconut and mix well and saute over medium flame for about a minute. 

Now add jaggery,tamarind and salt to taste.Allow this to to cool a bit and grind to form a smooth paste adding sufficient quantity of water.

 

Heat a tawa/dosa pan.Lightly brush it with oil.(If you are using a non stick pan,do not apply oil on the tawa,if you do so you will not be able to spread the batter.)Spread a ladle full of batter to form a thin and large circle.Drizzle ghee /oil over the dosa.( use ghee for best results)

When it is cooked and the edges starts to brown spread 2 to 3 tsp of  the prepared red chutney over the dosa.

Let the dosa turn crisp.Fold the dosa and serve with sambar and chutney.

 NOTES

• Use Kashmiri red chilies ,if you like it less spicy and  it also gives a nice red color to the chutney .
• Adjust the quantity of jaggery according to your taste.

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.