Salt and Spice

Nendhrapazha Pulisseri

Pulisseri is a famous Kerala dish. Here I have made the Pulisseri using ripe Kerala Bananas called Nendhrapazham or Ethapazham. It is a sweet and sour dish and is so yummy!

This is my entry for JFI hosted by Mandira.

What you need:
Ripe Kerala Bananas -2Chilli powder -1\4 tspTurmeric powder -1\4 tspWater -2 cupsGrated coconut -1\2 [...]

Vidhan Soudha

Living in Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka State; I felt the need to take part in the RCI – Karnataka event hosted by dear Asha.

The above picture is that of Vidhan Soudha, the Karnataka State Assembly Building which is the largest of its kind in India. Bangalore is called the Garden City [...]

Prawns fry or chemmeen ulathiyathu is my favourite! Everyone in our family likes it very much. If you are a non vegetarian, you should try this dish at least once. I am sure, every time you buy prawns you will end up making this dish!
Ingredients:
Prawns -1\2 kg
Onion -1 sliced
Ginger -1″ piece chopped
Green chillies -2 slit
Curry [...]

This is a special payasam made with chakka varatty (jackfruit jam) and aval (rice flakes). When you add jaggery and coconut milk, the payasam is called pradhaman. My husband had brought me three packets of Sara’s precooked chakka varatti from Kochi. I had some aval at home, so here came the idea of making this [...]

I like growing vegetables in my compound. In February, I had a good harvest of Pumpkins from my backyard. This inspired me to grow Bitter Gourd this time. In April, I sowed the seeds, which were bought from a nursery. It began to give yield from last month onwards! Now, every week I get enough [...]

This is a very tasty dish. Mexicans use lots of chillies in their recipes. I got this recipe some 15 yrs ago, when I first bought my rice cooker. A cookery expert showed us how to make Mexican rice in the rice cooker. Ever since, I used to make it often at home. You can [...]

My family loves chicken fry. If it is fried chicken, it will vanish within no time! This authentic Kerala recipe has very less ingredients and is easy to prepare. You can smear the masala on the chicken pieces and even refrigerate them. Take out and fry them as and when you need it.
What you need:
Chicken [...]

This is a Tamil Nadu recipe. It is made with the instant rice sevai available in stores. You can also make it with broken home made idiyappams or rice noodles. It is very easy to prepare.
Ingredients:
Rice sevai -200 gmsOnion -1 choppedGinger -1\2″ pice choppedGreen chillies -3 choppedCurry leaves -1 sprigDry red chillied -3 broken, seeds [...]

This is a typical Central Kerala style fish curry in which mangoes are used instead of ‘kudampuli’. Sardines belong to the ‘oily fish’ category. They are rich in Omega -3 fatty acids, which lowers the bad cholestrol level in the blood. So, eating Sardines are good for the heart!
What you need:
Sardines -10
Raw mango -1 small [...]

Avial is a famous Kerala vegetarian recipe. Is is one of the essential items served in ‘Onasadhya’!  A variety of vegetables like drumstick, carrot, yam, pumpkin, string beans and snake gourd are used to make this recipe. In fact, you can use whatever vegetables are there in your kitchen!
What you need:
Mixed vegetables -3 cups
Small onions [...]