Breadfruit/Kadachakka Puzhukku

Breadfruit/Kadachakka Puzhukku

Kadachakka Puzhukku is cooked and mashed breadfruit with coconut and spices. This recipe is very similar to the kappa/tapioca puzhukku. In my home town, jack fruit and bread fruit are available seasonally. Sometimes they are made like tapioca and served along with rice and fish curry. It is a yummy combo. Try this, you will surely love it.

Ingredients
Bread fruit/kadachakka- 1/2 kg
Turmeric- 1/2 tsp
Shallot-2
Grated coconut- 1 cup
Cumin- 1/2 tsp
Garlic-2 pods
Green Chilly- 4-5
Curry leaves-  3-4
Salt to taste

For Tempering
Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
Whole red chilly- 1
Curry leaves- a few
Coconut oil- 2 tsp

Peel the skin off the bread fruit and cut into cubes. Transfer this into a heavy bottom vessel. Add salt  turmeric powder and 2 cups of water. Cook till it is soft and mash with the back of a spoon.

Make a course paste of coconut and cumin.Crush chilly,garlic shallot and curry leaves and mix to the paste.

Add this coconut mixture into the cooked mashed bread fruit and mix evenly. Let it cook for another one or two minutes so that the raw flavor of the coconut mixture disappears and switch off the flame.

Heat coconut oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and when it splutter add red chilies and curry leaves. Pour this over the mashed curry and give one good mix. Serve with spicy fish curry.

You might also like,
Mashed Tapioca/ Puzhukku
Ellum Kappa/Kappa Biryani
Kadachakka Ethapazham Stew
Chemmeen Kadachakka Masala
Kadachakka Payasam


Try it,
Hope you will all enjoy!

Cherry Sorbet

Cherry Sorbet

Sorbet is a delicious frozen dessert perfect for summer parties. It is very simple and yet refreshing.The chilled  fresh fruit juice with a melt in mouth texture makes it really unique. In this recipe I have used pitted fresh cherries, strawberries and fresh ginger. Try this you will surely love it.

Ingredients
Cherries- 2 1/2 cup
Strawberry- 1 cup
Sugar- 1 cup
Water- 1 1/2 cup
Ginger - 2 thin slice
Mint- 5-6 leaves
Juice of one lemon
Rum extract- a few drops (optional)

Remove the seeds from the cherries and the top stem of the strawberry.
In a medium sauce pan add half of the pitted cherries, one cup strawberry, sugar, sliced ginger, mint leaves and water. Bring this to a boil. Simmer in low flames for 6-8 minutes till the fruit is soft and the syrup thickens. Switch off the flame and strain and allow the syrup to cool down.

Add the rest of the cherries, rum extract, lemon juice and the syrup into a mixer and blend into a smooth puree. Pour into a container and refrigerate till it is chilly.
Pour into chilled ice cream maker and churn for 15 minutes or till you attain a desired consistency. Transfer into a freezer safe container and let it set for at least 2 hours.

If you want to make it without the ice cream maker, simply pour the puree into a freezer safe container and freeze for 2-3 hours. Transfer it into a food processor and blend till smooth. Transfer into the freezer safe bowl and let it set for 4 hours.

Try this
Hope you will all enjoy!

Goan Shrimp Curry

Goan Shrimp Curry

This is a simple Goan style shrimp coconut curry. The gravy is mildly spicy and the key ingredient is ground coconut paste. It is yummy and goes well with rice or chapati.

Ingredients
Shrimp- 1 lb
 Kashmiri red chilly- 5-7
Grated coconut- 1 cup
Coconut milk -1 cup
Onion finely chopped- 1
Ginger- 1 inch
Garlic- 4-5
Tomatoes- 1
Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1/3 tsp
Pepper powder- 1/2 tsp(optional)
Coriander  powder- 1 1/2 tsp
Tamarind - small ball
Vinegar- 1 tbs
Whole spices- 2 clove, 1 stick cinnamon and 2 cardamom 

Coriander leaves- 2 tbs chopped
Salt to taste
Oil

Clean and de vein the shrimp.Soak Kashmiri red chilly,mustard seeds and cumin seeds in vinegar and warm water and set aside for half and hour.
Chop onions and tomatoes and keep aside.
In a blender make a smooth paste of the soaked red chilies,mustard,cumin, ginger and garlic,grated coconut,pepper and coriander powder.
Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan and the whole spices followed by chopped onion. Saute till golden brown. Add the grounded paste, turmeric, and salt and saute  till oil separates.
Pour the pulp of the tamarind,sliced tomato and shrimp. Cover and cook for 4-5 minutes. Finally stir in coconut milk and add chopped coriander leaves.After a minute switch off the flame.

Try it
Hope you will all enjoy!

Goan Fish Fry

Goan Fish Fry

Fish fry is my all time favorite comfort food and we make them often for lunch and dinners. For all those lazy days, I usually stick to a simple and basic marinade for fish fry. But sometimes experimenting with different regional flavors is good to take simple fish fry, to the new level.This recipe is inspired from Mye's Kitchen and from a tv show. The marinade has an enticing flavor similar to the Vindaloo marinade.This is a tasty and tempting fish fr. Try this you will surely love it.

Ingredients
King Fish- 4 slices
Kashmiri chilly powder- 1 1/2 tsp
Ginger- 1 inch piece
Garlic- 5-6 pods
Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
Whole black pepper- 1/2 tsp
Fennel seeds- 1/4 tsp
Clove- 2
Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds-1/ 2 tsp
Roasted fenugreek seeds- a few
Rice flour or semolina- 1tbs(optional)
salt to taste
Vinegar- 1 1/2 tbs
oil for frying

Clean fish and squeeze some lemon juice,rub on the fish and then give a final rinse.

Make a paste of ginger, garlic,black pepper,cumin seed,mustard seeds,fenugreek seeds,clove and fennel seeds. You can add vinegar instead of water and blend into a smooth paste. Once it is smooth add chilly powder, turmeric powder, salt into the mixer jar and pulse a few more times.

 Apply this on the fish let it  marinate for 2 hours in refrigerator or best it left to marinate over night in the fridge. Just before frying dust with rice flour or semolina.

Heat oil in a pan and when it is very hot,gently place the fish.Fry in medium flame.After three minute gently flip over and fry the other side till it is done. Serve warm with rice.

Try this
Hope you will all enjoy!

Guava and Lychee Cooler

Guava and Lychee Cooler

Guava and lychee cooler is delicate and refreshing summer drinks. Both guava and lychee are in peak season and so here is a yummy summer drink. You can also use this combo to make cocktail drink or add fruit punch take this juice to the next level. Try this,you will surely love it.

Ingredients
Guava- 4 small
Lychee-8-10
Sugar- 2 tbs
Ginger- 1 thin slice
Lemon juice- 1/2 lemon
Mint leaves- 2-3
Ice crushed- 1 cup
water or fruit punch-2 1/2 cup

Cut guava into small pieces. Peel lychee skin and remove seeds.
 Add the lychee flesh,chopped guava, sliced ginger, mint leaves and water. Blend in a mixture till it is pulpy.Strain the juice and remove the seeds of the guava.
Stir in sugar and lemon juice and crushed ice.
Serve with mint leaves or lemon wedges.

Try this
Hope you will all enjoy!

Neyyappam

Neyyappam

Neyyappam is a traditional sweet/snack of Kerala. It is deep fried fitters made with rice and jaggery and with the enticing flavor of ghee and cardamom.You can use karupatti/palm jaggery or regular jaggery. Batter is mixed into a smooth thick paste and fermented overnight. But you can add baking soda if you want to make it the same day itself.  The proportion of rice and jaggery/karupatti is 3:2 ratio,adjust according to the sweetness you prefer.This ever popular delicacy is soft in the inside and crispy in the out side.

Ingredients
Raw rice- 2  cup
Karupatti- 1 1/3 cup
(adjust according to taste)
Cardamon crushed- 5-6 pods
Chopped coconut slices- 3 tbs

Dry ginger/chukku - a pinch
Cumin powder- a pinch
Black sesame seeds- 1/2 tsp
Baking soda- a pinch
Salt- a pinch
Ghee- 2 tbs
Oil for frying

Wash and soak rice for 4-5 hour. Drain and spread the rice on kitchen towel and allow to air dry till it is almost dry. Make a fine powder of the rice and sieve. The rice flour need not be silky soft. The ratio of fine rice flour and coarsely grounded rice flour is 3:1. Set this flour aside.

Mix powdered karupatti with 1/2 cup of water and bring to boil. When it dissolves completely switch off ,strain the impurities and allow to cool.

Heat ghee in a pan and roast sliced coconut till it turns golden brown. Add black sesame seeds and roast for another minute.

In a bowl add rice flour, roasted coconut and sesame seeds,crushed cardamon, dry ginger powder  and  salt. Mix the karupatti syrup and whisk to make a smooth batter with consistency similar to idli batter. Allow it to ferment over night at room temperature.

Half an hour before frying add a pinch of baking soda, gently mix the batter. Leave it in the counter for another half an hour.Heat 2 cups of oil in a pan and pour ladle full of batter into the oil.Fry in medium low flame or the inside of the neyyappam also gets cooked.Fry on both side till it becomes evenly brown. Drain into paper towels. Serve with tea.

Try this,
Hope you will all enjoy!

Door County Weekend

My husband, Kevin and I spent the 4th of July weekend in Door County.  We've gone several times over the years and each time we see and do something new.  This time, we went on a kayak tour, stayed in a new B&B, watched the fireworks on friends sailboat and ate at a few new restaurants.  So if you ever find yourself in Door County here's a few of our favorites. 

Our first stop was lunch at Wild Tomato in Fish Creek.  They now have a new location in Sister Bay.  This is a must stop every time we're in Door County.  They have gourmet pizza combinations, burgers, appetizers, really fresh salads and a great beer selection.

We were going to start with the Cherry Walnut Salad but our waiter was telling us how good the cheese curds are so we ordered and.....they were really that GOOD!

Our stay for the weekend was at the Double S Lodge in Sister Bay.  This B&B is amazing!  The second we drove up we knew we were in for a treat.  What a beautiful property!  The owners are Steve and Sandy.  They are wonderful hosts and thought of every detail to make our stay fabulous! 

The lodge is gorgeous!  

Our Room #4 was perfect.  The bed and pillows were so comfy!!  We even had a small balcony that we enjoyed.

This basket was waiting outside our bedroom door every morning at 7:30am with hot mugs of coffee and pastries.  This was one of our favorite details.  We'd sit in bed (or on our balcony) with our coffee and treat reading before it was time to go down to breakfast at 9:00, so relaxing.

Breakfast each morning was made by Sandy and was delicious!  

Another cool detail is that they source a lot of local ingredients.  They even had their own blend of coffee from Luna Coffee Roasters.

Another perk is Steve and Sandy have bikes for their guests to use.   

At 5:00pm there's a fun little happy hour with wine, beer, and yummy cheese platter.  Wine and cheese, one of my favorite combinations.  How did they know?!

We played the croquet course they had set up in the woods.  Just for the record, I WON!  

Those chairs are set up around a campfire and the best part is.....

at dusk, Steve brings out the whiskey and s'mores.   It was nice sitting around the fire getting to know the other couples.  What a nice way to end the evening. 

A must-see is the grass roof with grazing goats on top of the Al Johnsons Swedish Restaurant.  It's a sight to see!  We haven't eaten there but went to the outside beer garden.  

It was such a beautiful day.  We enjoyed a few drinks and played a giant Jenga game.  It was a really close game but Kevin won.  He even played with a drink in his hand!

This is where it all came tumbling down!!

One afternoon we went on a kayak tour. 

We kayaked under towering bluffs, paddled past Eagle Bluff Lighthouse, and rode along the shores of Peninsula State Park.  It was a lot of fun being on the water and seeing beautiful Door County from a different view. 

Two nights we ate at the Wickman House.  Why twice?  Well, the food is absolutely delicious and their selection of craft cocktails makes you want to come back just to try a different one.  You need a reservation as they are always packed.  We didn't have a reservation the second night but got lucky and got a seat at the bar.  Sitting at the bar was so entraining.  The drinks are one of a kind and the bartenders are great! I wouldn't come to Door County and not come here, it's a favorite. 

A high point of the weekend was spending time with some new friends on Mark and Laura's sailboat.  We had a few cocktails, Mark grilled us all a wonderful dinner and then we had the best seat in the house for the fireworks.  

We had The Fun Guy pizza, with five types of sautéed mushrooms, spinach and caramelized onions on garlic cream cheese. Super tasty!  I'll admit, it was a lot of cheese for one meal but a little over-indulgence on vacation is okay, right!?

Door County, we will miss you but will be back next year.  Thanks, Mark and Laura for the wonderful night.  Also thanks to Steve and Sandy, you spoiled us and we can't wait to stay at the  Double S Lodge again next year!