Duck Curry / Tharavu Curry

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

1. Duck – 1 kg, cleaned, cut into medium-sized pieces and drained to remove excess water (do not remove the skin)

2. Onion – 2 medium, thinly sliced

   Ginger – 1.5 inch, thinly sliced

   Garlic – 12 – 15 small cloves, thinly sliced

   Green chilies – 5 -6, slit

   Curry leaves – 1 sprig

3. Tomato – 2 small, sliced

4. Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

    Kashmiri chilly powder – 1.5 tbsp

    Coriander powder – 1.5 tbsp

    Fenugreek powder – 1/8 tsp (optional)

    Garam masala powder – 1 tbsp

5. Coconut milk – 1 cup, medium-thick

6. Salt – To taste

7. Coconut oil – 2 – 3 tbsp

   Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp

   Dried red chilies – 2, broken

    Thenga kothu / sliced coconut – 1/4 cup

8. Whole spices – cloves – 4 – 5 , cardamom – 1, cinnamon stick – 1 inch, vazhanayila / bay leaves – 1 – 2, slightly crushed whole pepper corns – 1/2 tsp

9. Hot water – 1 cup

    Vinegar – 1 tsp

Method

1. Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pan at medium heat. Splutter mustard seeds and fry dried red chilies and thenga kothu until golden colored. Add the whole spices and saute until fragrant or for a few seconds.

2. Add ginger, garlic, green chilies, curry leaves and thinly sliced onion. When the onion turns light golden, add the spice powders numbered  4. Mix well and saute until the raw smell of spices is gone, about 30 seconds or so.

3. Add 1 cup hot water, 1 tsp vinegar, sliced tomato pieces, few curry leaves, enough salt and the duck pieces. Mix well. Bring to a boil and bring down the heat to medium-low. Cover and cook for 30 minutes or until the duck is almost done, stirring once or twice in between. Open and cook for 5 minutes at high heat until the gravy almost dries up, stirring in between so that it won’t stick to the bottom.

4. Add 1 cup coconut milk. Mix well. The curry would be light brown in color now. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to medium-low. Continue cooking for another 10 - 12 minutes without covering, until the curry changes to a brown color and oil starts floating on top. Switch off. Serve this super-delicious curry with porotta, appam, chapathis etc.

 

 

 

 

Technorati Tags: Tharavu Curry,Nadan tharavu curry,Duck,Duck curry,Kerala Style Duck Curry,Kerala Duck Curry

Mutton Curry with Coconut Milk

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

1. Mutton – 1 kg, cut into small pieces

2. Whole spices – Cinnamon stick – 1 inch, cloves `4 - 5, cardamom – 2 - 3, whole pepper kernels – 1/4 – 1/2 tsp

3. Onion – 1.5 large, thinly sliced

   Ginger – 1 inch, thinly sliced

   Garlic – 5 - 6, chopped

   Green chilies – 5 - 6, slit

   Curry leaves – 1 sprig

   Potato – 2 medium, cut into large cubes

4. Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp

    Chilly powder – 1/2 tsp

    Coriander powder – 1 tsp

    Garam masala powder / fennel powder – 1 tsp

5. Water – 3/4 cup

6. Coconut oil – 2 tbsp + 1 tsp for seasoning

   Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp

   Dry red chilies – 2, broken

   Curry leaves – A few

  Pearl onions – 4, thinly sliced (optional)

7. Salt – To taste

Method

1. Slightly crush the whole spices in a mortar and pestle.

2. Heat coconut oil in a pressure cooker. Add whole spices and saute until fragrant. Then add sliced onion, ginger, garlic, green chilies, curry leaves, potato cubes and salt. Saute until onion turns transparent. Add turmeric powder, chilly powder, coriander powder and garam masala powder. Saute for a minute and then add the mutton pieces, 3/4 cup hot water and enough salt. Mix well. Bring to a boil and cover with the pressure cooker lid. Pressure cook for 3 – 4 whistles depending on the toughness or tenderness of the meat. Switch off. Open after 10 minutes. Check for salt. Sprinkle 1/4 tsp pepper powder and a pinch of garam masala powder. Add 1 cup thick coconut milk, few curry leaves and cook for one minute at low heat. Switch off.

3. In a small pan, heat 1 tsp coconut oil. Splutter mustard seeds and fry dry red chilies and curry leaves. Add thinly sliced pearl onion, if using and fry until browned. Pour over the prepared curry. Set aside for 10 minutes. This curry tends to get thick over time. Serve with appam, idiyappam, chapathis etc.

Tips

1. The recipe of this curry is similar to that of mutton stew but it tastes different because I added turmeric powder, coriander powder, mustard seasoning etc. You can follow the same recipe for making mutton stew but avoid adding turmeric powder, coriander powder, chilly powder and seasoning with mustard seeds (step 3). Instead of seasoning, add a tsp of coconut oil once the curry is done.

2. Also cut the potato into large cubes and saute them along with the onion, green chilies etc in coconut oil. This will improve their taste and will prevent them from getting mashed up in the curry.

Kerala Style Prawn Fry / Nadan Chemmeen Varuthathu

 

 

 

Ingredients

1. Prawns – 20 – 25, cleaned and washed

2. Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

   Chilly powder – 1 tsp

   Ginger – 1/2 inch, roughly chopped

   Garlic – 5 – 6 cloves, roughly chopped

   Pearl onions – 3

   Pepper powder – 1 tsp

3. Curry leaves – 2 sprigs

4. Salt – To taste

5. Oil – To shallow fry

Method

Grind the ingredients numbered 2 in a mixer. Combine with curry leaves and enough salt. Marinate the prawns with this mixture for at least 30 mts. Shallow fry in a pan until both sides are browned and done, about 8 – 10 minutes at medium heat. Serve immediately.

Vegetable biriyani with Green apple raita

 

 

 

Today’s post is about a special kind of vegetable rice – actually its a cross between a fried rice and a vegetable biriyani, so I will leave the naming ceremony to you guys. It is an easy to make dish, you can try it with fresh / frozen veggies and its super- tasty! It goes very well with a simple green apple raitha(recipe below), pappad and a pickle.

The recipe of this biriyani was shared by my friend Rajani – it was actually passed on to her by her mother. I would like to thank her for this tasty dish! Hope you all would love this as much as we did!

 

Ingredients ( Serves 5 - 6)

1. Basmati rice – 2.5 cups

2. Vegetables - Mushroom – 2 cup, chopped, Carrot – 1 large cubed, Beans – 1 cup, cut into 3/4 inch pieces,

   Frozen green peas – 1 cup (I used a 225 gm pack of sliced mushroom (and chopped them), a pack of frozen peas and carrots – 340 gm and 10 – 15 green beans, cut into 3/4 inch pieces)

3. Yoghurt – 2 tbsp

4. Salt – To taste

5. Vegetable stock cube – 1 ( Mixed in 1/4 cup hot water. It is optional)

To grind to a coarse mixture

4. Ginger – 1 inch, roughly chopped

   Garlic – 8 large cloves, roughly chopped

   Green chilies – 8 - 10, halved

To garnish

5. Onion – 1 medium-large, thinly sliced

   Cashews and raisins – 3 tbsp each

   Vegetable oil or ghee – 3 tbsp

   Cilantro (coriander leaves)– 1/2 cup, chopped

Method

1. Wash and soak the basmati rice in enough water for 20 mts. Meanwhile boil water in a deep vessel. To the boiling water add ghee / oil – 1 tsp, whole spices (cloves – 4 - 5, cardamom - 2,  cinnamon stick – 1 inch). Add enough salt. The water should be slightly salty. Now add the soaked rice and cook it until done. Drain the water and set aside.

2. Coarsely grind the ginger, garlic and green chilies. Transfer it to a small bowl and add 2 tbsp yoghurt. Mix well and set aside.

3. Heat 3 - 4 tbsp oil or ghee in a large non-stick pan at medium heat. Fry raisins until plump and drain on a paper towel. Fry cashews until golden and drain. Add the sliced onion and fry until golden brown, stirring in between, takes about 15 minutes at medium heat. Drain on a paper towel. Add the beans, cubed carrots, frozen green peas and mushroom. Water will ooze out from the mushroom. Saute for about 10 - 15 minutes or until all the water is evaporated and the vegetables are dry. Now add the ground ginger-garlic and green chilly mixture mixed with yoghurt. Saute until their raw smell is gone and the veggies are a little browned and well-coated with the ginger-garlic mixture. It takes about 10 - 12 minutes. Add the vegetable stock if using. Mix well and stir for 2 minutes or until the veggies are moist. Switch off and set aside.

4. Smear a little ghee on an oven-safe cookware. Add some fried onion, chopped cilantro, cashews and raisins. Now spread some vegetable mixture and then add some cooked rice on top. Repeat the process, the top layer should be that of the rice topped with fried onions, cashews and raisins. Bake at 350 F for 20 - 25 minutes. Keep aside for 20 mts before serving. Mix the rice gently. Serve hot with green apple raita, a pickle and pappad.

Tip

If you do not have an oven, you can mix the vegetable mixture, ingredients to garnish and cooked rice after step 3, in a wide non-stick pan. But this tastes best when baked.

 

 

Green Apple Raita

1. Green apple – 1/2, cut into small cubes
2. Onion – 1/2 small, cut into small cubes
3. Tomato – 1 medium, seeds removed and cubed
4. Salad cucumber – 1/2 small, peeled and cubed
5. Green chilly – 1, finely chopped
6. Cilantro – 2 tbsp, chopped
7. Yoghurt – 3/4 -1 cup, beaten with 1/4 – 1/2 cup water
8. Salt – To taste

Transfer all the above ingredients to a large bowl and mix well. Check for salt. Set aside for 10 minutes. Serve with vegetable biriyani.

 

 

Chicken Kurma

Ingredients (Serves 4)

1. Chicken – 3/4  kg

2. Onion – 1.5 cup, sliced and halved

3. Whole spices – cloves – 7 – 8, cinnamon stick – 1 inch, cardamom - 4

4. Ginger – garlic paste – 1 tbsp

5. Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

    Chilly powder – 3/4 tsp

    Coriander powder – 1 tsp

6. Tomato – 1 large, chopped

7. Yoghurt – 1/4 cup

8. Cashews – 8 – 10, soaked in enough water for 10 – 15 minutes

    Thick coconut milk – 1/4 – 1/2 cup (Adding coconut milk is optional. It tastes really good even without it)

9. Green chilies – 4, slit

    Lemon juice – 1 tsp

10. Cilantro – 1 – 2 tbsp, to garnish

11. Vegetable oil – 1 tbsp

12. Salt – To taste

Method

1. Wash and clean the chicken. Cut into medium pieces.

2. Grind the soaked cashews along with thick coconut milk (or in enough water) and set aside.

3. Heat oil in a heavy – bottomed pan at medium heat. Add sliced onion and saute until transparent. Add whole spices and saute until fragrant. Now add ginger-garlic paste and saute until their raw smell is gone.Add spice powders numbered 5. Saute until their raw smell is gone. Now add tomato pieces. Saute until the tomato pieces are cooked. Next add the chicken pieces along with 1/4 cup yoghurt. Add enough salt. Bring down the heat to medium-low. Cover and cook until half-done. Now add the ground cashews in coconut milk. Cover and cook until fully done. Check for salt.  Add more water if required, it should have a medium consistency. Switch off. Add slit green chilies and lemon juice. Mix well. Garnish with chopped cilantro. This goes well with vegetable pulav, appam, chapatis etc.

Technorati Tags: Korma,Chicken Kurma,Kerala kurma recipe,Chicken Kurma - Kerala,chicken

 

Recipe Courtesy – Neetha Vinu

 

Spicy Egg Curry – Kerala Style

 

Wishing you all a very happy Easter!!

 

 

 

Ingredients

To grind

1. Onion – 1/2, medium

    Tomato – 1.5, medium-small

    Garlic – 3 large cloves

    Ginger – 1 inch

Grind all the above ingredients to a fine paste, in a mixer.

Remaining Ingredients

2. Eggs – 8, hard-boiled

3. Onion – 1 large, chopped

4. Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

    Chilly powder – 1 – 1.5 tsp

    Coriander powder – 1.5 - 2 tsp

    Garam masala powder – 1.5 tsp

5. Sugar – 1 tsp

6. Fennels / perumjeerakam – 1/2 tsp, crushed

7. Pepper powder – 1/8 tsp

8. Oil – 1.5 tbsp

    Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp

    Dry red chilies – 3 – 4

   Curry leaves – 1 sprig

9. Cilantro – To garnish

Method

Heat oil in a deep pan. Splutter mustard seeds and fry dry red chilies and curry leaves. Add chopped onion, little salt and saute until transparent. Add the ground onion-tomato mixture mentioned under ‘To grind’ and saute until oil appears. Bring down the heat. Add turmeric powder, chilly powder, coriander powder and garam masala powder. Saute at low heat for about 1 minute taking care not to burn the powders. Add the boiled eggs and stir for a few seconds. Add the crushed fennels, sugar and mix well. Add 1.5 - 2 cups hot water, salt and bring to a boil. Cook covered for 2 – 3 minutes. Open and add 1/8 tsp pepper powder. Check for salt. Garnish with cilantro. Serve with appam / idiyappam / chapatis / porotta / puttu etc.

 

 

Recipe Courtesy – Manju Jyothish

Palappam / Vellayappam with Rice Flour

 

 

Ingredients (Makes about 30 appams)

1. Rice flour – 2 cups (Raw rice flour is usually used for making palappams, but you can also use roasted rice flour. We have used roasted rice flour here.)

2. Yeast – 1 tsp (We used rapid-rise yeast)

3. Thick coconut milk – 1 can / 400 ml (We used 1 can chaokoh coconut milk)

4. Grated coconut – 1 handful (Grind it to a coarse paste (tharutharuppayi))

5. Salt – To taste

6. Sugar – 2 – 3 tbsp or to taste

To cook (Kappi Kachan)

7. Rice flour – 1/2 cup

8. Sugar – 1 tbsp

9. Water – 2 cups

 

 

 

 

Method

1.Mix 1/2 cup rice flour with 1 tbsp sugar and 2 cup water. Heat a pan and add this mixture. Stir it at medium-low heat for a few minutes (pavu kachuka or kappi kachuka) until you get a thick paste (kurukku). It should not form any lumps. Leave aside to cool.

2. In a bowl, mix 1 tsp yeast with 3 tbsp luke-warm water. Keep aside to rise.

3. In a large vessel, combine 2 cups rice flour with enough salt, around 2 - 3 tbsp sugar, 1 can coconut milk and ground coconut mixture. Taste-check for salt and sugar. Add the cooled kurukku (step 1) and risen yeast mixture. Add some water, the batter should have an idli batter consistency. Allow it to ferment in a warm place ( You can keep it inside your oven after heating it for 20 - 30 seconds or you can leave the oven light on) for at least 6 - 8 hrs or overnight. When fermented, the batter will almost rise double. Be sure to use a large vessel as it might overflow. Before making appams, check for sugar and salt. If the batter is thick, dilute it by adding around 1/2 cup water. We need a dosa batter consistency.

4. Make palappams using appachatti. Heat the appachatti at medium-high flame and pour a ladle full (thavi or a little more than 1/4 cup) of appam batter into it. (Remember to smear the appachatti lightly with oil if its not nonstick). Hold both the handles of the appam chatti, lift from the stove and gently swirl it to spread the batter around, in one direction. You need to swirl it only once or twice for a thin lace on the edges. Now bring down the flame to medium and cover with its lid. Cook until done on one side only. It will take around 2 - 4 mts. Before removing the appams, turn the heat to medium-high flame for a few seconds in order to brown the appam lace. Remove the appam and repeat until the batter is finished. Serve warm with egg curry/any stew/kadala curry/vegetable korma/ fish moli or any curry of your choice. The batter will keep in the refrigerator for about 2 - 3 days.

 

 

 

 

Recipe Courtesy – Manju Jyothish (This was made by her, I just took the pictures )

Technorati Tags: Palappam,Kerala Specials,Vellayappam,Appam,Kerala,Kerala Breakfast,Easter Recipes

Our Christmas Menu

Create your complete Christmas menu from this yummy collection. The recipes included here are mostly non-vegetarian, please check out our Recipe Index for more options.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas!!
First Course

Appetizers

Served with challas (onion salad) / tomato ketchup

Chicken

 

Chicken Cutlets (Pictured)
Chicken 65

Easy Chicken Kathi Roll – Kerala Style
Nadan Kozhikal Varuthathu / Chicken Drumstick Fry

Shish Taouk / Lebanese Chicken Kebabs
Spicy Chicken Wings Roast - Bachelors’ special
Chicken Tikka
Tandoori Chicken

Seafood and Egg


 

Crab Cutlet
Fish Fingers (Pictured)
Breaded Fish Fry
Karimeen Pollichathu

Nadan Chemmeen Fry
Prawn - Spring Onion Fry
Spicy Prawn Roast

Second Course

Appam / Bread with Curries





Kallappam
Palappam (Pictured)
Palappam with Rice Flour


Non-Vegetarian Curries for appam/bread





Chicken / mutton Stew
Chicken Mappas
Nadan Chicken and Potato Curry in Coconut Milk (Pictured)

Kerala style chicken curry with a thick gravy

Pepper Chicken
Spicy Chicken Curry - Kerala Style
Fish Moli / Fish Molee
Egg and Potato Curry
Egg Roast

Kerala Egg Curry in Coconut Milk

Spicy egg curry – Kerala style
Mutton curry with coconut milk

Vegetarian





Kadala Curry
Vegetable Stew
Potato Stew / Ishtu (Pictured)

Third Course

Biriyani / Pulav / Fried Rice
Served with raita, biriyani chammanthi, pappadam and lemon pickle




Chicken Biriyani
Green Chicken Biriyani / Biriyani with Mint and Cilantro
Chicken Pulav
Lamb Biriyani (Pictured)
Fish Biriyani
Prawn Biriyani
Kappa Biriyani/ Tapioca and Beef Biriyani/ Kappa Erachi
Hari Phari Biriyani /Vegetable Biriyani

Vegetable Biriyani with Green Apple Raita
Vegetable Pulav
Ghee Rice / Neichoru - Served with any spicy non-veg curry, raita, pappadam and pickle


Rice / Noodles



Chicken Fried Rice
Sausage and Veggie Fried Rice
Mixed Noodles (Pictured)

Side-dishes for Fried Rice / Noodles 




Butter chicken
Chilly Chicken (Pictured)
Chicken and Vegetable Stir-fry
Chilly Fish
Gobi Manchurian
Vegetable Manchurian

Side-dishes for plain rice / pulav
For more veg and non-veg options click here

Beef





Beef Pepper Roast (Pictured)
Beef-Kaya Ularthu
Nadan Beef Ularthiyathu / Beef Fry
Beef Vindaloo
Nadan Beef Curry and Roast


Chicken

 

Chicken Chilly Roast

Chicken Kurma
Chicken Roast
Chicken Piralen
Whole Chicken Baked (Pictured)
Garlic and Kashmiri Chilly Chicken
Spicy Chicken Curry

Mutton





Mutton Curry
Mutton Liver Fry/Roast (Pictured)
Meat Pattichu Varathathu

Duck

 

Duck Curry – Kerala Style

Seafood

Baked Fish (Pictured)
Fish Roast
Kottayam Style Fish Curry

Fish and tomato Curry
Fish Curry in Coconut Milk - Trissur Style

Chemmeen Masala Thoran

Chemmeen Ularthiyathu

Prawns in a roasted coconut masala 
Prawn Pappas
Prawn Roast - Two Versions

Squid Roast

Vegetarian

Kachiya Moru
Aviyal
Cabbage Thoran (Pictured)
Cherrupayar Thoran / Moon Bean Stir-fry

Fourth Course

Desserts





Caramel Custard - Two Versions
Creamy Caramel Flan with Condensed Milk (Pictured)
Mango Pie
Fried Ice cream
Pineapple Souffle

Cakes

 

Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Carrot Cake
Chocolate - Almond Upside-down Cake (Pictured)
Chocolate Cake
French Yoghurt Cupcakes
Fruit Cake
Marble Cake
Basboosa / Semolina Cake

Tea-time Snacks

Nadan




Achappam
Ethakka Appam
Ethapazham / Ripe Banana Cutlet
Vattayappam (Pictured)
Vazhakoombu Cutlet / Banana Flower Cutlet

Cookies / Bars / Other bakes and snacks




Chicken Puffs (Pictured)
Chicken, Veg and Meat Rolls
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate Walnut Bars

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies (Snow Caps)
Bread Pizza
Brownies

Egg Puffs

Dates, walnut and nutella laddus

Honey roasted almonds
No-bake Peanut Butter Squares

Palmiers / Elephant Ears
Plaited Prune Bread
Stuffed Bun
Snow Balls / Mexican Wedding Cakes
White Chocolate Bars


Pickles




Fish Pickle
Lemon Pickle / Naranga Achar
Vella Naranga Achar / White Lemon Pickle
Kaduku Manga Achar

Technorati Tags: Kerala Specials,Easter Menu,Christmas Specials,Xmas Party Menu,Kerala Christmas Recipes,Kerala Easter Recipes,Easter Specials