Among the different types of ’stews’ that I make, ‘Beef Stew’ is my favorite! I follow my Mom’s recipe which I think is quite unique. In Kerala Christian homes, it is served for Breakfast along with ‘Appam’. But I would go for ‘Bread and Beef Stew’, if given a choice!

Ingredients

Beef cubes- 1/2 kg

Onion - 1 sliced

Green chillies - 4 slit

Ginger - 1″ piece

Salt - to taste

Boiled Potatoes - 2

Boiled Carrots - 2

Peppercorns - 6

Cinnamon - 1″ piece

Cardamom -4

Cloves - 4

Cashew nuts - 6

Kismis - 6

Onion - 1 sliced

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Coconut oil - 2 tbsp

Thin coconut milk - 2 cups

Thick coconut milk - 1/2 cup

All purpose flour/ Maida - 2tbsp

Sugar - 2 tsp

Method

Wash and clean the beef cubes. Put it into a pressure cooker along with sliced onions, ginger and green chillies. Add salt and enough water to cover the beef. Close the lid and cook for 15 to 25 minutes. (The time depends on the quality of beef you are using.) Peel the boiled potatoes and carrots, and cut them into big cubes. Keep aside. In a large non-stick pan, heat oil and add peppercorns. Close the pan with a lid and allow the peppercorns to splutter. Reduce the heat and add cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. Stir for a few seconds and add the sliced onions and curry leaves. Fry till the onion turns pink. Add the cashew nuts and fry till they turn light brown. Now add the kismis and fry for few seconds more. Then add the cooked beef along with the water. Also add the potatoes and carrots. Pour the thin coconut milk and mix well. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes. Open the lid and add sugar and maida mixed with a little water. Add more salt if needed. Simmer it for another 5 minutes more. Stir occasionally. Finally add the thick coconut milk and mix well. When it is about to boil, switch off the flame. Mouthwatering ‘Beef Stew’ is ready to be served!

My dear friend ‘R’ had requested for the recipes of ‘Kappa and Meen Curry’. Therefore, I am posting the ‘Kochi Style Fish Curry’ and ‘Kappa Kuzhachathu’ (as it is known in that part of Kerala). Kappa or Tapioca is a staple food in Kerala. It is served in different forms accompanied with Fish curry, Beef or with Kantharimulaku Chammanthi/Bird’s eye Chilli Chutney. . Once you taste it , you will crave for it more and more!

Kappa Kuzhachathu

Ingredients

Kappa/Tapioca - 1 kg

Grated coconut - 1 cup

Green chillies - 3

Garlic - 1

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds/Jeera - 1/4 tsp

Small onions - 8 sliced

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Dry red chillies - 3 seeds removed

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Coconut oil - 2 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Method

Peel, wash and chop the tapioca. Put them into a pressure cooker. Add salt and pour enough water. Cook for 5 minutes. Grind coarsely grated coconut, green chillies, jeera, garlic and turmeric powder with some water. Drain excess water from the boiled tapioca and mash them slightly. Add the ground mixture and a cup of water. Mix well and let it simmer for 2 minutes. Adjust the salt and put off the fire. In a pan, heat oil and splutter mustard seeds. Add the small onions, curry leaves and broken red chillies. Fry till the onions turn light brown. Pour it over the tapioca mixture and mix well. ‘Kappa Kuzhachathu’ is ready to be served!

Note: When you buy Kappa, see that they are firm and the inside is white in color. The skin should not be too dry. If you peel the skin with nails, the inside skin should be pinkish. I used the peeled frozen ones which are equally good.

Kochi Style Fish Curry

Ingredients

Black pomfret - 600 gms

Ginger - 1″ piece chopped

Garlic - 2 chopped

Gren chillies - 2 slit

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Tomato - 1 chopped

Kudampuli/Kokum - 3 pieces

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Kashmiri Chilli powder - 3 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Salt - to taste

Grated coconut - 1/2 cup

Small onions - 7 sliced

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Mustard seeds - a pinch

Fenugreek/Uluva/Methi seeds - a pinch

Coconut oil - 2 tbsp

Method

Clean and wash the fish with salt and vinegar. Slice them and keep aside. Wash and soak the kudampuli in half a cup of water. Take a large pan, put chopped ginger, garlic, green chillies, curry leaves, tomatoes, salt and kudampuli along with the soaked water. Add coriander powder, chilli powder, turmeric powder and 2 cups of water. Mix well. Keep the pan covered on high flame. When it boils, add the fish pieces, cover and cook on medium flame. Meanwhile, grind the coconut to a fine paste. When the gravy becomes thick, add the coconut paste and a cup of water. Mix gently with a spoon. Let it simmer for 3 minutes more. Adjust the salt and switch off the flame. In another pan, heat oil and splutter mustard seeds and methi seeds. Add the small onions and curry leaves. Fry till the onions turn light brown. Add this to the fish curry and gently stir it with a spoon. Delicious fish curry can now be served with Kappa!

Note: Black Pomfret is the best for preparing this curry. But you can use any fish of your choice. If kudampuli is not available, use a gooseberry size of tamarind soaked in water. Instead of ground coconut paste, you can add thick coconut milk or coconut powder available in stores. Kashmiri chilli powder is milder. If you prefer a very hot curry, use the regular chilli powder.

Hi friends, i am back again! Sorry for the long delay in blogging! I am traveling a lot nowadays and is now in Singapore with my daughter. Please do enjoy my recipes as you used to do and don’t forget to leave your comments!

‘Pork Vindaloo’ is a delicacy among the Kerala Christians and Goans alike. It is because of the Portuguese influence in their cuisine. This pork curry is very easy to prepare and tastes like vindaloo. But it is less spicy and goes well with rice, bread or rotis.

Ingredients

Pork - 1/2 kg (I used Australian Pork Belly)

Onion -1 sliced

Ginger - 1″ piece chopped

Garlic - 2 chopped

Green chillies - 2 slit (I used Bird’s eye chillies/ Kanthari Mulaku)

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Tomato - 1 chopped

Tomato paste - 2 tbsp

Meat masala - 2 tsp

Coriander powder - 2 tsp

Kashmiri chilli powder - 2 tsp

Pepper powder - 3/4 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Garam masala - 1/2 tsp

Water - 1 cup

Vinegar - 1 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Oil - 2 tbsp

Method

Wash and cut the pork into cubes. Heat oil in a pan and add onions, ginger, garlic, green chillies and curry leaves. Fry till the onions turn light brown. Add the tomatoes and continue frying on a medium flame. Add all the powders and fry till the aroma comes out. Now add the tomato paste and mix well. Transfer the mixture to a pressure cooker. Add the pork cubes and salt. Pour 1 cup of water and mix well. Close the lid and cook for 12 minutes or till done. Once the pressure is gone, open the lid and keep it on a medium flame. Add the vinegar and mix well. Simmer for 5 minutes and put off the fire. Yummy pork vindaloo is ready to be served!

Duck Roast is a special dish made for Christmas and New Year. It is also served for lunch or dinner during Kerala Christian marriages.  Duck Roast goes well with appam, puttu, idiyappam, rice, parathas and bread.  It is so delicious that you will start asking for more! 

Being an authentic Kerala recipe, I am sending it to the event RCI - Cuisine of Kerala being hosted by dear Jyothsna of Curry Bazaar.

Ingredients 

Country duck - 1 kg

Onion - 1 large sliced

Curry leaves - 2 sprigs

Green chillies - 4 slit

Small onions - 8 sliced

Ginger-garlic paste - 2 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Coriander powder - 2 tsp

Aniseed/saunf powder - 1 tsp

Pepper powder - 2 tsp

Garam masala - 1 tsp

Vinegar - 1 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Water - 1/2 cup

Coconut oil - 4 tbsp

Method 

Smear the duck pieces with ginger-garlic paste, turmeric powder, coriander powder, aniseed powder, pepper powder, garam masala, vinegar and salt.  Keep aside for 1 hour.  Also mix in small onions and 1 sprig of curry leaves.  Cook it in a pressure cooker with water for 10 minutes.  Heat oil in a pan and add 1 sprig of curry leaves and green chillies.  Fry for a minute and keep aside.  Now fry the onions till golden brown.  Remove from oil and add the cooked duck pieces.  Fry till the pieces are light brown.  Strain and keep aside.  Then add the gravy from the pressure cooker and let it simmer for 5 minutes.  Add the fried duck pieces and mix well.  Let it simmer till the gravy is thick. Put off the fire and add the fried onions, green chillies and curry leaves.  Mix well and serve hot! 

Merry Christmas to all of you!

Even though I was not well, I couldn’t stop myself from baking the Cake for Christmas! This time my daughter helped me in making the cake as well as in other Christmas preparations. Thank God she is here for Holidays!

Here is the recipe for the Fruit Cake I make every year for Christmas. This is a simple and delicious Fruit Cake. Usually I soak the dry fruits in brandy for two weeks. But this time I kept it only for a day. Even then it turned out to be a very tasty Cake!

I am sending this cake to the event ‘Think Spice-Think Cinnamon’ being hosted by dear Sunita of Sunita’s World.

What you need

Almonds - 20

Butter - 200 gm

Demarara Sugar - 250gm

Maida / All purpose flour - 200 gm

Eggs - 4

Milk - 1 cup

Vanilla essence - 1 tsp

Baking powder - 1 tsp

Caraway seeds (cake jeera) - 2 tsp

Orange marmalade - 2 tbsp

For spice powder

Cinnamon - 4 small pieces

Nutmeg - 1 small piece

Cloves - 2

Dry Fruits

Raisins - 100 gm seeds removed

Kismis - 100 gm

Cashewnuts - 100 gm chopped

Tutti fruiti - 100 gm

Candied Orange peel - 20 gm

Candied Ginger - 20 gm

Brandy - 3 tbsp

Method

Mix the dry fruits with brandy and keep it in a bottle overnight. Soak the almonds in water and remove the skin. Keep aside. Powder the spices together. (If you are not using demarara sugar, caramelize 1 cup of sugar and add 1 cup of water slowly to make a syrup. Cool the syrup and add it to the cake batter. Use 200 gm sugar and avoid milk.) Mix together maida, spice powder, caraway seeds and baking powder. Add the dry fruits to it and mix well. Keep aside. In a bowl, mix together butter and sugar till soft. (Use an electric egg beater if you can.) Add eggs one by one and beat well. Add the orange marmalade and vanilla essence and mix well. Fold in the maida mixture and milk alternately. Smear butter on two cake trays. Line them with butter paper and pour the batter. Place the almonds on top. Preheat the oven to 180 C for 20 minutes and bake for 1 hour or till a skewer inserted comes out clean. Let the cakes be in the oven for 10 minutes. Take out and cool on wire racks. Let it cool completely before cutting. Serve with homemade wine and enjoy!

This is a quick and easy Egg Curry which my Grandmother and Mom used to make. In this recipe, the Egg is directly put into the gravy. There is no need to boil the Egg. And no grinding is required to make the gravy. Yet it is a very tasty curry which goes well with rice and rotis!

I am sending this recipe to the event Grindless Gravies being hosted by Sra of whenmysoupcamealive.

Ingredients

Eggs - 6

Onions -2 sliced

Ginger -1″ chopped

Garlic - 4 chopped

Green chillies - 4 slit

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Tomatoes - 2 chopped

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Pepper powder - 1 tsp

Garam masala - 1/2 tsp

Vinegar - 1 tbsp

Water - 2 cups

Salt - to taste

Oil - 2 tbsp

Method

Heat oil in a large pan and add mustard seeds. When it splutters, add onions, ginger, garlic, green chillies and curry leaves. Fry till the onions turn light brown. Add the chilli powder, turmeric powder, pepper powder and garam masala. Fry for few seconds and add the tomatoes and salt. Fry till the tomatoes are soft. Now add 2 cups of water and let it boil. Add the vinegar and mix well. Break each egg and put it gently into the gravy. Do not put one on top of the other. Close the lid and cook on medium flame for about 15 minutes. By then the eggs would have cooked well. Open the lid and allow to boil for one more minute. When the gravy is thick, put off the fire. Serve hot!

This is an easy way to prepare Vattayappam, which is a Kerala Christians delicacy. Vattayappam is one of the breakfast dishes made on Christmas morning. It is sweet and yummy and doesn’t need any side dish along with it. It is also served as a snack. Mini Vattayappams were made in the idli maker and hence the shape of idlis. This recipe does not require any grinding. I will post the authentic Vattayappam recipe later…

What you need

Fine rice flour - 2 cups

Rava or semolina - 1 dsp

Water - 1 cup

Dry yeast - 1/2 tsp

Warm water - 1/2 cup

Sugar - 1 tsp

Coconut milk powder - 25 gms

Sugar - 4 tbsp

Aniseed powder - 1/8 tsp

Salt - as required

Water - as required

Raisins - few

Method

In a small pan, boil rava and 1 cup of water. Keep on stirring till it becomes thick. Keep aside and let it cool. Take warm water in a cup, add yeast and 1 tsp sugar. Mix well and keep aside covered for half an hour. In a vessel, mix together rice flour, sugar, yeast, coconut milk powder, aniseed powder and water. Add the rava porridge and make a thick batter of idli batter consistency. It should not be watery. Keep the batter covered overnight or for 8 hrs. In the morning, add enough salt to the batter and mix well. Boil water in a pressure cooker or idli cooker. Smear oil on the idli maker and pour batter into each mould. Place 4 raisins each on top. Insert the stand into the cooker. Cover and let it cook for 8 minutes. If you are using the pressure cooker, do not put the weight. Open the lid and let it cool for 5 minutes before transferring the Vattayappams to a serving dish.

I had gone for a pilgrimage to Velankanni for a few days. Missed you all so much… Now that I am back, thought of posting a wine recipe which I am sure you all will love till the last drop! This wine is very easy to make. It is made with Pineapple skin! The advantage is that it is done in 10 to 15 days and is ready for consumption! So next time you buy Pineapple, don’t throw away the skin

What you need

Skin of one pineapple

Sugar -1 3/4 cup

Cold water -1 1/2 cup

Egg white -1 beaten

Dry ginger -1/2″ piece

Cloves -3

Cinnamon -1″ piece

Dry yeast - 1/2 tsp

Warm water - 1/2 cup

Method

Mix yeast with half a cup of warm water and keep aside. Take a Bharani or Ceramic jar and put all the ingredients into it. Add the yeast and mix well. Close the lid, cover it with a cloth and tie tightly with a string. Keep the jar in a dark place for 10 days. On the 11th day, strain the mixture through a muslin cloth. Do not squeeze. Pour the wine into a coloured bottle and close it tightly with cork. Place the bottle in a dark place on a horizontal position till it is opened. The wine can be consumed after 4 days or from the 15th day onwards! Old beer bottles can be used for storing the wine. This recipe will yield about 650ml of wine. You can use the skin of 4 pineapples to make wine for Christmas and New Year

My family loves Dates, especially my husband! When I was in Dubai last Summer, my friend Celine used to bring me fresh ripe Dates from her workplace. The fresh ones are juicy and they taste really great! It is Dates Season during Summer in the Middle East. I always make sure to bring lots of Dates from Dubai when I come back to India.

Pickling is a good way of preserving Dates before they become too dry. Date Pickle is very easy to prepare and tastes so good. It can be served with Biriyani, Pulao, Rice or Parathas.

I am sending this to AFAM - Dates being hosted by Chandrika of akshayapatra.

What you need

Seedless Dates - 500 gms

Ginger-garlic paste - 4 tbsp

Chilli powder - 5 tbsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Salt - 5 tsp

Sugar - 3 tbsp

Vinegar - 1/2 cup

Water - 1/2 cup

Oil - 5 tbsp

Method

Cut each date into 4 pieces. Heat oil in a pan and add the ginger-garlic paste. Fry on a low flame till the aroma comes out. Add chilli powder and turmeric powder. Stir and add vinegar, water, sugar and salt. When it starts boiling, add the chopped Dates. Simmer till the gravy is thick and it coats well on the Dates. Put off the fire. Cool and transfer it to a glass jar. This pickle can be served immediately. Store in the refrigerator. It has a long shelf life. Enjoy!

Finally the Christmas Season is here! From now on I will be posting recipes which can be made during the Christmas and New Year Celebrations. Hope all of you will enjoy them! Season’s Greetings to all my blogger friends!!!

Ever since I heard of Cornflakes as the main ingredient for WBB #17 being hosted by Nags of For The Cook In Me, I was thinking about this delicious pudding! But I was wondering whether I could send it for WBB. She was only happy for me sending this pudding for the event!

Ingredients

Pineapple - 1 cup chopped finely

Cinnamon - 1″ piece

Cloves - 2

Sugar - 1 tbsp

Lemon rind - 1/2 tsp grated

Butter - 2 tsp

Krack Jack (or any sweet and salt) biscuit - 3/4 cup crushed

Cornflakes - 1 cup crushed slightly

Grated coconut -1/4 cup

Sugar - 2 tbsp

For the Custard

Milk - 500 ml

Vanilla custard powder - 2 tbsp

Sugar - 6 tbsp

Method

Take the milk in a saucepan and add the custard powder and sugar. Keep the pan on medium flame and stir continuously till it boils. Let it boil for about 2 minutes. When it is thick, put off the fire. Cool and refrigerate. In a small pan, boil the pineapple pieces with 1/4 cup of water, cinnamon and cloves till it becomes soft. Add 1 tbsp sugar and let the excess water evaporate. Put off the flame and add the lemon rinds. Remove the cinnamon and cloves and keep aside. In a bowl, mix together crushed biscuits, cornflakes, grated coconut, sugar and butter. Add the cooked pineapple and mix well. Transfer to a pie dish and bake in a preheated oven at 170 C for 5 minutes. Cool to room temp and serve with chilled custard!