Lychee Pudding

Lychee Pudding

Lychee pudding is a delicious after dinner treat. It is easy to make yet exotic with flavor,taste and texture. Lychee is a summer fruit and is now in season. I picked a bag of lychee from the Asian market. I love to snack on this fruit. I tried this pudding recipe from the book Everyday Chinese Cooking by Leeann Chin. Try this, you will surely love it.

Ingredients
Lychees- 1 1/2 cup
White Grape juice or coconut water- 1/2 cup
Lemon juice- 1 tbs
Sugar-1/2 cup
Unflavored gelatin- 1 tbs
(or you can use agar agar powder)
Sour cream- 1/2 cup
Whole milk- 1/3 cup
Few drops of rum essence or rum- 1 tbs

Take half of grape juice or coconut water in a bowl and sprinkle gelatin and mix well. Let it stand for one minute. Meanwhile heat the rest of the grape juice. Add the gelatin and stir till it is dissolved and well combined.

Make a fine puree of lychee, lemon juice and sugar.
Transfer into a bowl and mix in sour cream, milk, gelatin mixture and rum. Pour into dessert bowl.

Cover with plastic wrap and chill for four to five hours  for the pudding to set. Garnish with lychee,sliced strawberry or berries.

Try this,
Hope you will all enjoy!

Beetroot Egg Curry

Beetroot Egg Curry

Egg curry is simple and easy to make for break fast or lunch.In Kerala egg curry is commonly served for breakfast along with appam or idiyappam. Recently I tried this beetroot egg curry,it is mildly spicy curry  and the caramelized onions and beetroot give  a touch of sweetness to the curry. Try this,you will surely love it.

Ingredients

Eggs- 4
Onions medium-3
Beetroot - 1 medium
Green peas- 1 1/2 cup
Tomato- 1
Curry leaves- a few
Ginger thinly sliced- 2 tsp
Kashmir chilly powder-2 tsp
Fennel powder- 1/3 tsp
Garam masala- 1/3 tsp
Salt as needed
Coconut oil

Boil eggs and keep aside. Peel and grate beetroot.
Heat oil in a pan and add sliced onion, ginger and curry leaves and salt . Saute till onion turns soft and caramelized.
Add grated beetroot and chopped tomato and stir fry for another 4-5 minutes or till oil separates.
Add chilly powder  and green peas.Pour one and half cup of water, cover and cook till the peas get soft .
Finally add boiled eggs ,fennel powder  and garam masala and simmer for another two minutes or till the gravy thickens. Serve with appam or chapatis.

Try this,
Hope you will all enjoy!

Vada Pav

Vada Pav is a very popular street food in India. Road side food joints of Bombay is the best place to get this yummy and filling snack. This is a home made version of the vada pav. Vada pav is basically batata vada served with spicy chutney and bread/pav.I wanted to try this for quite some time and had book marked Tarala Dalal's vada pav  recipe. I found pav bread in our Indian grocery and so decided to give it a try. If you are looking for fresh home made pav bread recipe, check here.

Ingredients 
Pav- bread- 6

For the Vada filling
Cooked and mashed potatoes- 2 large
Ginger garlic paste- 1 tsp
Green chilly paste-3/4 tsp
Curry leaves -a few
Hing- 1/8 tsp
Turmeric powder-1/3 tsp
mustard seeds- 1/3 tsp
Chopped coriander leaves
salt to taste

For the batter
Chick peas flour- 1 cup
Rice flour- 1 tsp
Baking soda- a pinch
salt to taste
Turmeric powder- a pinch
Hing- a pinch
Hot oil- 1 tsp
Oil for frying- 2 cup


 Chilly garlic chutney
Coconut- 3/4 cup
Garlic- 8-10 pods
Hing- a pinch
Kashmiri chilly powder- 1 tbs
Oil- 1 tsp
salt to taste

For the green chutney
Coriander leaves- a hand full chopped
mint leaves- a hand full
Green chilly- 2
Ginger- 1 thin slice
Lemon juice- 1/2 lemon
salt to taste

To make green chutney add all the ingredients listed along with salt and lemon juice into a blender. Make a smooth paste and set aside.

To make the garlic chilly chutney. Heat a pan and add one tsp of oil. When it is hot add chopped garlic and coconut. Fry till it changes color to golden brown. Finally add chilly powder, hing and salt and stir for a few more seconds. Switch off the flame and let it cool down. Put this into a mixer and make this into a course powder.

To make the vada filling. Boil and mash potatoes and set aside.Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds.When it splutters add curry leaves, ginger garlic paste and green chilly paste. Saute till the raw flavor disappears. Add hing and turmeric powder and then the boiled and mashed potatoes and mix well.When it cools down  make small potato patties and set aside.

To make the batter. In heavy bottom pan heat two cups of oil. In a bowl add besan/gram flour, rice flour, pinch of baking powder, turmeric powder,hing and salt. Mix well. Add one tsp of hot oil and enough water to make a smooth batter. Whisk till there is no lumps and the batter should be neither too thick nor too thin. Take each potato patties and dip in this batter and gently slide into hot oil. Fry in medium heat till one side changes to golden brown. Flip to the other side and continue frying till both sides are evenly crispy in the outside. Drain into paper towels and set aside.Continue the process and fry the rest of the patties.

To assemble.Heat a tawa.Slice pav/bread into two slices.Coat with ghee and toast the bread. Spread a layer of green chutney and a layer of garlic chutney on both slices. Place one potato vada in the center and serve. Enjoy with tea.

You might also like,
Bread Pakora
Potato Paneer Bonda
Spinach Onion Pakoras
Sri Lankan Prawn Vada
Sabudana/Sago Pearl Vada
Paneer Pakora
Roti Jala/Net Pancake

Try this
Hope you will all enjoy!

Thirattipal/Palkova

Thirattipal/Palkova

Thirattipal is  rich and flavorful sweet milk halwa,popular in South India. It is different from the milk peda available in sweet stalls and this is a specialty of South India. It is made on special occasions . It has only a few ingredients, but it is time consuming.We used to enjoy this in our college days, because Palkova was available in our college canteen.My mom used to make it by boiling and reducing milk to one third and then adding sugar and cooking it till it thickens.I just tried an easy method of using condensed milk to reduce the cooking time. It can out perfect. Try this you will surely love it.

Ingredients
Condensed milk- 1 tin
Milk- 3 cups
Curd/yogurt-3 tsp
Cardamom powder- a pinch
Saffron- a pinch for garnish (optional)

Mix condensed milk and milk in a heavy bottom pan and bring it to a boil. Reduce the flame and continue to cook till it starts thickening. Stir continuously as it has the tendency to stick to the bottom of the pan.
Add curd one spoon at a time and mix continuously. Do not add it all at once as the milk will curdle fast.Continue cooking for 7-8 minutes or till you attain a desired consistency. Note that thirattipal will thicken as it cools down.
Check with the sweetness and add if you want more sugar. Finally sprinkle cardamom powder and mix well.Allow it to cool down and serve.

Try this,
Hope you will all enjoy!

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!