Unniappam / Neyappam / Paniyaram ( Rice and Jaggery Dumplings)

In Celebration of Good News.....I received a good news yesterday that my cousin had delivered a healthy baby and both mother and baby are doing great....So to celebrate, I made Unniappams...

Unniappams can also be made in large quantity ahead of time and can be stored in an airtight container.Appakara also known as Paniyaram pan , is used to make Unniappams/Paniyarams.


Things You will need:

Rice Flour- 2 cups
Jaggery- 1/2 lb; melted
Cardamom - 1 tsp
Ripe Banana - 2 ; crushed/blended to fine paste
Baking powder -1/2 tsp
Oil- around 1/2 cup;to fill the pan
Water- 2 cups

Preparation Method:

Add jaggery to 2 cups of water and melt it on stove top.
After melting the jaggery completely, strain it.
In a bowl , add rice flour,baking powder, cardamom and blended/crushed bananas.
Now slowly pour the melted jaggery to this bowl ,little at a time,and mix the content really well.
Make sure there are no lumps.
Heat the oil in the pan.
Once oil is well heated, reduce the flame to medium high and pour the batter into each of the pan holes.



When the bottom of each Unniappam is brown , turn them over.
Once the Unniappam is brown in all sides , remove from pan.



Prepare and share with friends and family for all celebrations.





*****THIS RECIPE IS A WINNER*****

Lite Gobi Manchurian

I tried this method to keep it 'lite' for my family. They loved it and so I thought I will share it with you as well....Do try it at and let me know...

Things you will need:

Gobi (Cauliflower)- 1 ; cut into florets
All Purpose flour (Maida)- 1/2 cup ( this is what makes the dish lite)
Corn Flour- 1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Pepper Powder- 1 tsp
Green Chillies- 2 or 3 ; finely chopped
Garlic- 3 or 4 pods ; finely chopped
Ginger- 1 inch piece; finely grated
Onion- 1 medium size; diced
Green Onion - few; finely chopped
Soy Sauce- 2 tbsp
Tomato Ketchup - 2 tbsp
Chilli Garlic Paste- 1 tbsp
Oil -2 tbsp for frying and 2 tbsp for gravy

Preparation Method :

Using water mix all purpose flour, corn flour, pepper powder and salt into a fine paste.
Mix the florets in the paste and shallow fry till the florets turn golden brown on all sides.
Heat 2 tbsp oil in the same pan and add the ginger, garlic , onions and green chillies and stir till onion turns golden brown.
Now add soy sauce,chilli garlic paste and tomato ketchup.
Stir well for 3 mins.
Now add the shallow fried Gobi kept aside and mix well.
Garnish it with green onions.
Serve 'Lite Gobi Manchurian' hot with Chappathi/Indian Bread.

Vegetable Biryani - Quick and Simple

Things you will need:

Peas and Carrots Mix- 1 cup
Broccoli - 1 cup
French style beans -( these are bite size beans slit in half)-1 cup
I used the frozen bags bought from local grocery for each of the above vegetables.
Onion- 1 large;diced

Garam Masala powder- 2 tsp; adjust according to your taste and tolerance;
Biryani Masala- 2 tsp; adjust according to your taste and tolerance;

Basmati Rice- 2.5 cups;washed and soaked
Bay leaf- 1
Garlic- 4; sliced
Ginger- 1 inch piece;grated
Red Whole chillies- 3
Salt - to taste
Ghee- 3 tbsp
Maggi Tomato Pudina Sauce- 2 tbsp; If unavailable,chopped tomatoes and mint leaves can be used.
Water- 5 cups

Preparation Method:

Heat ghee in the pressure cooker pan.
Add red whole chillies and bay leaf and wait till its fried.
Now add onions, ginger and garlic and saute in low-medium flame.
Drain the water off the basmati rice.
Now add the rice to the pan and fry well.
Each grain should change its color.
This will require constant stirring on medium-high flame.
Now add garam masala,biryani masala and sauce and stir well.
Reduce the flame to low-medium and add the vegetables along with water and salt.
Give the mixture a final stir and close the pan with the lid and pressure weight.
After 2 whistles,turn off the flame and set the cooker aside for it to cool/release the pressure.
You may also run the lid under cold water to help release the pressure before unsealing/opening the cooker.

Serve 'Vegetable Biryani' hot with raita or plain yoghurt/curd.

Koorka Mezhukupuratti (Sautéed Chinese Potato)

Koorka, as it is called in Kerala, is a well known tuber.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF KOORKA ( Courtesy:http://ecocrop.fao.org)Its a tuber from a herb that is a creeper, has succulent stems and aromatic leaves.It produces tubers in clusters at the base of the stems. The tubers are round, dark brown or black and aromatic.
USES The tubers are used in the same way as potatoes.
GROWING PERIOD Annual herb, tubers may be harvested 120-180 days from planting.
COMMON NAMES Sudan potato, Madagascar potato, Hausa potato, Koorkan kizhangu, Kentang dwaja, Ratala, Country-potato.
FURTHER INFO Native to tropical Africa, possible Ethiopia. Also cultivated in South East Asia,like Kerala in India.


Heres a pic of Koorka Plantation.

It is a part of a typical Kerala household meal and is very tasty. I was very glad to find a bag at a local grocery store here. So heres how I served it at home.....



Things you will need:

Koorka/Chinese Potato - 1 lb; washed thoroughly,peeled,cut into bite size pieces
Red Whole chillies- 3 or 4
Onion- 1 medium size;diced
Curry Leaves
Turmeric powder- 1tsp
Red Chilli powder-1 tsp
Salt to taste
Mustard Seeds- 1 tsp
Green Chillies- 3 or 4 ; slit in half lengthwise
Oil- 2 tbsp

Preparation Method:

Heat oil in a pan.
Add mustard seeds and wait till they splutter.
Now add onion , green chillies,curry leaves and red whole chillies.
Once onion is brown in color,add turmeric powder and red chilli powder until the raw smell is gone.

Now add koorka,salt and cook covered in low-medium heat for 5 mins.Stir occassionally.
Make sure there is no water content in the pan.
Do a taste test and add salt if necessary.

Sautéed Chinese Potato or 'Koorka Mezhukupuratti' can now be served with steamed rice and Sambhar or Mambazha Pulissery.

Onion Pakoda/Onion Fritters

In a bowl mix the following:

Onion-2,cut into bite size strips
Green Chillies- 2, cut into bite size strips
Cilantro- few, chopped finely
Curry Leaves- few, Chopped finely
Salt to taste
Ginger- 1 inch piece,cut into long strips

In another bowl mix the following:

Chick Pea Flour/Besan- 2 cups
Rice Flour- 1 cup
Red Chilli powder- 2 tsps
Garam masala powder- 1 tsp
Coriander Seeds- 2 tsps
Cumin seeds- 2 tsps
Baking powder- 1 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Mix the ingredients of the first bowl into the ingredients of the second bowl. Make sure it is mixed well.Now add a little water.Add just enough to wet the whole mixture and make it sticky.

Heat 2 cups of oil in a thick bottom pan/kadai.Now using a spoon take spoonfulls of the mixture and drop it into the oil .Deep fry in medium high flame.

Serve hot with Ketchup, Mint Chutney or Onion Chutney and a hot cup of tea or coffee.

Shahi Murg Korma - Very Royal and Delicious!! (Awards)

In a pan dry roast the following:

Cumin seeds-1 tsp
Fennel seeds-1 tsp
Coriander Powder- 2 tbsp
Red Chilli Powder-1 tsp
Turmeric Powder- 1 tsp
Cloves- 2 or 3
Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
Star Anise- 1 piece
Cinnamon Powder-1 tsp
Pepper Seeds - 4 or 5
Nutmeg Powder- 1 tsp
Dry Ginger-1 tsp

Once the raw smell is gone , grind to a fine powder.

In the same pan heat 1 tbsp oil and add:
Chicken- 2 lb; boneless, skinless; cubed.

Once chicken changes its color add:

Onion- 1 medium sized diced
Green Chillies- 2 or 3 ; slit
Curry Leaves- few; chopped
Garlic- 3 or 4 ; chopped
Ginger paste-1 tsp

Saute till the onion is brown in color.

Now add the dry roasted powder along with 1 tsp garam masala powder.
Cook covered on low-medium flame for 4 mins.Stir occasionally.
Add 1/2 cup water and bring it to a boil.

Now add the following and let it simmer for a few minutes:

Cashew - 1/2 cup; powdered
Cream- 1/2 cup

Add salt to taste and garnish with chopped cilantro.

Serve hot with Chappathi/Indian Bread or Steamed Rice.




Thanks a lot to Sangeetha Subhash for sharing this Award with me.I would like to use this opportunity to thank all my readers for their encouragement.








I would like to pass these awards on to my blogger friends :

Ashwini
Shubha
Sumathi
Abraham
Deepthi