Kerala Spicy Mixture

Kerala Spicy Mixture

 Mixture is a crispy and crunchy snack popular in India.  It is a snack mix or a blend of crispy fries, nuts,chips,fried lentils and  tossed with a spice powder.This is a common snack eaten anytime and at all times. You can find this in every bakery you visit, so back in India, there was no need to make it at home. This always comes handy when you have guests at home or just as a tea time snack.My Mom always stock up on mixture and there is one more reason,it is her favorite snack to this day. Because of her I also became a great fan of spicy mixture.I had never thought that one day I'll make this at home. My mom will be so proud of me when she will see this post :). I am not going to say this is easy to make,but it is definitely worth the effort. Make sure to store in air tight containers,mixture can be made and stored for a long time.

There are lot of variations for this humble snack- Bombay mix, Madras mixture, chivada,chuda- different regions have their own versions.This is the spicy Kerala style mixture made in coconut oil with lots of fresh curry leaves for extra flavor.You can add anything to the mixture along with sev and bondhi. It can be peanuts,cashew nuts, chips,fried lentils,puffed rice, beaten rice,corn flakes. Try this, you will surely love it.

Ingredients
 To make sev
Gram flour- 1 1/2 cup
Rice flour- 1/2 cup
Butter- 1 tbs
Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste

To make bondhi
Gram flour- 3/4 cup
Baking powder- 1/4 tsp
salt to taste
turmeric powder

To make spice mix
Dry red chilly-5
Ajwain- a pinch
Asafoetida- 1/2 tsp
Black pepper- 1/4 tsp
Urad dal- 2 tsp
Mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp
Garlic -1 clove
Curry leaves- 4-5
Chilly powder- 1 tsp
Salt 1/2 tsp
Sugar- 1 tbs

Other ingredients
Peanuts- 1 cup
Chickpeas or channa dal- 1/2 cup
Puffed rice- 1 cup
Beaten rice- 1/2 cup
Plantain chips- 1/2 cup(optional)
Fryums- 1/2 cup (optional)
Curry leaves- 2 springs
oil for frying

Soak chick peas for 4-5 hours,drain and set aside.
To make the spice powder, dry roast dry red chilly, curry leaves,ajwain ,black pepper, urad dal and mustard seeds in a low flame for 2-3 minutes. Towards the end add garlic too. Allow this mixture to cool down and make a fine powder. Mix in sugar, salt, chilly powder and asfoetida powder.Set this aside.

To make the sev you will need a string hopper or an idiyappam maker. In a bowl add gram flour, rice flour, turmeric power salt and mix. Add butter and rub the flour with the butter. Now add water little by little and knead into a smooth dough softer than chapathi. Fill the dough into string hopper maker/mold. It will have flat disc with tiny holes, select the smallest hole disc.Press the dough into the oil in a single stream ribbon into the oil.Fry one side for one minutes, turn to the other side and fry for one more minute. When it is crispy golden color, remove from oil and place on paper towels to absorb the excess oil.Continue frying in batches. Once it cools down crush the sev  into crumble and sprinkle a little of the spice powder.

To make the bondhi mix gram flour, baking soda,turmeric powder and salt. Add water to make a smooth runny batter.Place a perforated spoon/ spatula with holes just above the oil. Pour the batter into the spoon, gently shake and allow the drops to fall into the oil. Keep the spoon just above the oil and the droplets will take shape of tiny round balls.Allow this to fry till light golden.remove from oil and place on paper towels to absorb the excess oil.Sprinkle a little of the spice powder and toss the bondhi.

In the same oil fry curry leaves till crispy drain and set aside.Fry peanuts and soaked chick peas till golden and drain. Fry fryums,chips and beaten rice till crispy.
Into a large mixing bowl add crushed sev, fried bondhi,curry leaves, fried peanuts and chickpeas,beaten rice and puffed rice. Sprinkle the spice powder little by little toss and mix well.
Store in air tight containers. Serve with tea.

Like this snack, you might also like these snack
Chakka Vattal/Jack fruit Chips
Maida Butter Murukku
Kappalandi Mittayi/Peanut Ladoos
Avalose Unda/Rice Ladoos
Chicken Puffs
Sukhiyan

Try this,
Hope you will all enjoy!

Chakka Varatti- Varattiyathu- Jack fruit Halwa/Preserve

Chakka Varatti/ Jack fruit Jam

Chakka or jack fruit is a common fruit in South India. Jack fruit is a seasonal fruit and there are several delicious jack fruit recipes. Ripe jack fruit has a distinctively strong aroma and is naturally sweet. It tastes best for desserts. Chakka varatti is a popular jack fruit delicacy of Kerala which is made with fully ripe jack fruit bulbs. Chakka varatti is mainly a preserve and if made in the right consistency can be stored and used for more than a year. Never heard of jack fruit jam? Well, you're in for a treat!

Making chakka varatti was a yearly tradition back home in Kerala. The smell of varikka chakka is divine. By the way varikka chakka is the variety used to make chakka varatti. It is very sweet, tastes like honey and has a firm flesh even when it is ripe. Jack fruit is the most versatile of all tropical fruits. It has a strong fragrance when ripe and your whole house with be filled with a strong fruity aroma. Jack fruit is seasonal but you can enjoy it year-round if you make this preserve. Chakka varattiyathu is also used as the main ingredient to make Chakka pradhaman/payasam . It is used to make sweet snacks like kozhukatta, kumbilappam, and Ela ada, etc. It is mixed with coconut and used as a filling for steamed dumplings.

There are a few things etched in my memory when I think of making chakka varattiyathu. The young me sitting with the elder members of the family, grandmother, and her sisters and listening to their stories. They used to talk about their childhood happy times and the sad ones like the recession, World War II and the time when food was rationed. During those hard times, jack fruit became a sustainable food and they made several affordable recipes with jack fruit. It changed my outlook on this fruit. Long story short I have started deeply admiring this fruit and its versatility.

Making this preserve involves a lot of patience and labor. Fully ripe jack fruit bulbs have to be first cooked with jaggery and ghee and then reduced to the form of a halwa. but I promise it is definitely worth the effort. Try this, and enjoy your delicious homemade chakka varatti :)

Ripe Jack fruit recipes from Kerala
Chakka Varattiyathu
Chakka Pradhaman/Payasam
Chakka Ada
Chakka Kozhukatta
Chakk Pazham Pori
Chakka Pazham Puzhukku

Jack fruit is common in Kerala and the state fruit of Kerala. Ripe sweet jack fruit is eaten as a snack by itself just like any other fruit. Young and tender jack fruit are used to make savory curries and stir-fries. When in the season it is considered as a staple food. Mashed jack fruit is prepared just like mashed tapioca and served with spicy fish curry.

Jack fruit has recently gained much interest as a plant-based meat alternative. It is starchy and rich in fiber. It is rich in antioxidants, vitamin c, magnesium, and potassium. It is good for your skin and boosts the immune system. The best place to find fresh jack fruit in the US is specialty markets like Whole Foods or Asian and Indian Stores.

How to make Chakka Varatti

Cooking and Prep Time- 2 hours

Recipe type- preserve/dessert

Cuisine- Kerala/ Indian

Ingredients
Ripe Jack fruit chopped-7 cups
Jaggery powdered-1 kg
Ghee- 1/2 cup
Cardamon powder- 2 tsp
Dry ginger powder- 1 tsp( optional)

Prepping the Jack fruit 

Use varikka chakka variety for this recipe. It is very sweet and firm flesh even when it is ripe and has a chewy texture. This variety has less fiber and is good to make chakka varatti

Cut it into half and then into four quarters. The pale-yellow, plump bulbs, which are edible and joined at the core. Slice off the core and use your hand to pull it away from the white fibers, discard the fibers and the rind. Save the seeds for curries and stir fry.

To make the chakka varatti 

Boil jaggery with one cup of water till completely dissolved and strain out the impurities. Put it back to the stove and simmer on medium flame till it thickens to one thread consistency.

Chop the jack fruit into small pieces. Add this into a blender and make a puree.

Take a heavy bottom pan and add the jack fruit puree. Cook it on medium flame and stir occasionally. Let it cook completely and thicken. This will take about 10 minutes. If you do not like the puree method, you can cook the chopped jack fruit and when it cooks mash well with the aid of a potato masher. 

Add in jaggery and let it cook and reduce. Stir continuously at this stage as the mixture will tend to stick to the bottom of the pan. 

Add in ghee little by little and when the mixture thickens add cardamom and dry ginger powder and stir continuously till the mixture leaves the sides of the pan and roll to form a dark softball. Let it cool down completely. It will thicken as it cools. Store in an airtight container. Enjoy!

You might also like,
Chakka Pradhaman/Jack fruit Payasam
Chakka Ada
Chakka Vattal/Chips
Chakka Kuru Ularthiyathu
Chakka Puttu
Sweet Kozhukatta


Try this...

Hope you will all enjoy.

Pepper Prawns Fry

Pepper Prawns Fry

Deep fried spicy and salty prawns is irresistible and one of my favorite ways to eat prawns. This crispy fry will be a perfect treat for your family. Pepper Prawns fry is crispy fried prawns with exciting flavors of garlic,butter,zesty lemon and kick of pepper.It is my take to butter garlic shrimp,but a little spicy.This recipe is so versatile and easy to prepare.

If you get fresh prawns try frying it head on, it has an irresistible delicate crispness to it, juicy and equally tasty.Thanks to hubby who convinced me that the head is the most flavorful part of prawns...so true.If you are not a fan of the head,no worries, it is still tasty and irresistible.

The spicy marinade has black pepper,roasted bell pepper and bird eye chili. Bird eye chili is  hot spicy one,if you cannot handle the heat you can skip it or substitute with a less spicy one.Roasting pepper enhances the flavor and bird eye chili and black pepper contributes a little heat which is the key to this recipe. You will find this a perfect appetizer or serve it as a snack.

Ingredients
Prawns large- 12-14 large
Turmeric- 1/4 tsp
Garlic- 4 pods
Ginger- 1 small piece
Green bell pepper cubes- 4-5
Bird eye chilly- 2-3
Pepper powder- 3/4 tsp
Chilly powder- 1/2 tsp
Egg white- 1
Corn starch- 1 tsp
Butter- 1 tsp
Curry leaves- a few(optional)
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying
Lemon juice- 1 tsp

Wash the shrimp with its head on. Trim the long whiskers and the pointy part of the head. Remove the shell but keep the head and tail intact. Using a sharp knife make a slit and remove the vein.Wash thoroughly under running water and set aside.
In a pan heat one tsp of oil and saute cubed bell pepper (1/4 of a small bell pepper will be enough), ginger and garlic and a few curry leaves. Saute till changes color and has a good aroma. Allow this to cool down and make a fine paste. Mix in butter,turmeric,chilly powder,pepper powder,salt,egg white and corn starch. Marinate the prawns and set aside for 10-15 minutes.
Heat oil in a pan. Add curry leaves and then fry the prawns in batches.Deep fry the prawns for two to three minute till it is crispy and golden.Drain on paper towels.Drizzle lemon juice before serving.

Try this,
Hope you will all enjoy!

Mexican Tuna Salad

Mexican Tuna Salad

Tuna salad can be served as an appetizer with crackers or spread on bread to make a terrific sandwich or wrap.If you like fish this salad with fresh and zesty flavors is a must try. Tuna salad is quick, protein rich and healthy salad that can also be served as a main dish salad.It is a simple salad with cooked or canned tuna, fresh greens,avocado and a zesty mayo dressing.Mix them all together and you whip up a quick and easy meal for your family.

I cook fish almost everyday,but mostly it is curried,fried or grilled fish.But fish in salad was something I did not want to try for a long time. But I was amazed when tried for the first time,now I make this at least once in a week.Tuna salad sandwich is one of my kids favorite sandwich.

Our local supermarket has frozen tuna,but you can make the easy way with canned tuna.You can add more veggies like cucumber,bell pepper,celery, carrot, peas etc. Since I am making for my kid who is a picky eater,keeping mine simple with veggies of his choice.Chill for 15 to 20 minutes before serving for the flavors to blend together wonderfully.This recipe can be easily modified according to your taste. Try it, you will surely love it.


Ingredients
Tuna - 1/2 pound
(if using can tuna use around 10-12 0z)
Onion chopped- 1/2 cup
Garlic salt- a pinch
Boiled and drained corn- 1/2 cup
Tomato chopped-1
Pickle jalapeno chopped- 1/4 cup chopped
Chopped cilantro or parsley- 1 tsp
Mayonnaise- 2 tbs
Sour cream- 3 tbs
Lime juice- 1/2
Olive oil- 1 tsp
Tabasco sauce- a few drops
Cumin powder- a pinch
Salt and pepper to taste
Avacado-1
lettuce,bread or chips for serving

Defrost tuna. In a pot add tuna, 1/2 cup water, salt and pepper and cook the tuna. If there is excess water, drain and then with a fork break into smaller chunks.
Chop onion and drop into a bowl of cold water. Let it sit for 5-6 minutes. This is an optional step, it helps to reduce onion flavor. Drain when it is time to use.Cook corn till soft,drain and set aside.
In a bowl mix tuna,onion, tomatoes, corn,chopped lettuce,pickled jalapeno and any vegetable of your choice. In a separate bowl add mayo, sour cream, lemon juice,olive oil, garlic salt,Tabasco sauce,cumin, chopped cilantro,salt and pepper. Whisk and pour over the tuna and mix well. Chill for 15 to 20 minutes.Serve with sliced avocado, lettuce and lime wedges.

Try this,
Hope you will all enjoy!

Mushroom Soup

Here's another recipe that comes from Chrissy Teigen's Cookbook, Cravings:  Recipes for All the Food You Want to Eat.  As you can probably tell, I loved her cookbook!  She had me laughing with each page, she's hilarious and I was drooling over every one of her recipes.  I've made a few of her recipes, Chicken Lettuce Wraps , Prosciutto-Wrapped Stuffed Chicken Breasts, and Perfect Seared Scallops with Warm Corn Salad.  We've loved it all!   

Now, about this Mushroom Soup, I have to start out by saying this soup is UGLY.  You know the saying, "you eat with your eyes" and if that's the case you might not try this soup.  But, look past the ugliness and take a bite.  It's really good!  It's also healthy, there's no cream added.  The texture is creamy and chunky at the same time.  In the photo that's a pat of butter on top of the soup. At first, I didn't think it needed it but Chrissy says to add it so I did and it did add that perfect something.  I'm just saying, that girl knows what she's doing in the kitchen.  If you like mushrooms, you'll love this soup!

*I should mention that you really need a food processor to chop the mushrooms as 3lbs is A LOT of mushrooms!

Ingredients:

3 lbs of assorted mushrooms (roughly chopped)*see note

4 tbsp unsalted butter (plus 6 pats for serving)

1 small onion (chopped)

6 cloves of garlic (minced)

1 tbsp fresh thyme (plus more for garnish)

2 cups chicken broth (I used beef broth)*see note

salt and pepper to taste (I used 1 tsp salt and 1/4 freshly ground pepper)

Directions:

1. In a large soup pot (starts out big and once the mushrooms cook it will shrink down) melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about 8 minutes.  Add the garlic and stir one more minute.
2. Add your mushrooms, thyme, a teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, stir until the mushrooms shrink down to about half of what you started with about 10 minutes.
3. Add broth, and bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer for 15-20 minutes. The mushrooms should be tender and the soup thickened slightly.
4. Use a blender or an immersion blender to puree about half the soup. Once smooth stir it back into the pot.  
5. If needed, add additional broth and salt and pepper to taste and stir.
6. Serve in bowls and top each with a pat of butter and some thyme.

*Notes:

• If you have a food processor, use it to chop your mushrooms in batches.  Make sure you pulse so not to puree. You can chop by hand but there are a LOT of mushrooms!
• I used white button, (baby bella) crimini and shiitake mushrooms.
• I used beef broth instead of chicken broth, only because I forgot to get chicken broth at the store.  I'm not sure I'll make it with the chicken broth as the beef broth was so good.

Adapted from Chrissy Teigen’s Cravings: Recipes for All the Food You Want to Eat

Spicy Stuffed Eggplant-Mediterranean Diet

Spicy Stuffed Eggplant

Today's recipe is meat stuffed spicy eggplant inspired from Lebanese and Turkish Cuisine. Recently I am trying  lot of stuffed dishes with chicken,squid and fish. This stuffed eggplant is now one of my top favorites. Eggplant is a versatile veggie and cooked in the right way, you can create innumerable recipes with it.Fried or baked eggplant is tender and tasty and goes well with rice. If you are not a great fan of eggplant/aubergine, try this stuffed version.It is insanely good and I am sure will change the way you think about this humble veggie.

Stuffed eggplant is great as a main course dish. You can serve it with rice,bread or with fresh salad and you have a satisfying dinner. Recently I have been trying a Mediterranean diet and this dish is perfect and filling with veggie salad. It is also perfect when you have guests as it is filling and makes a pretty presentation.In Turkish and Mediterranean region Karniyarik is an imperial dish fit for a King or chieftain.You can use lentils and mushroom for a vegetarian version.There is also a Thai version of stuffed eggplant using chicken and spicy sambal.You can pan fry the eggplant,steam it or grill it until the skin is charred and the pulp tests soft when pierced with a fork. You can serve stuffed eggplant as an appetizer too. Cut into thick one inch slices,grill them and top with the filling or use small variety eggplant for bite size individual servings. This filling freezes like a charm, so feel free to make a big batch. You can be creative with it, top it on a sandwich or use it in a wrap. The options are endless. The recipe is adapted from the book The Frugal Gourmet,by Jeff Smith and Food and Wine Try this you will surely love it.

Cooking time- 45 minutes
Cuisine- Turkish recipe

Ingredients
Eggplant- 2
Ground lamb or beef- 1 pound
Tomato puree- 1 cup
Chopped onion- 1 large
Garlic- 3 cloves
Chopped red bell pepper- 1 cup
Chopped parsley- 1/4 cup
Toasted pine nuts-  1 tbs
Tomato Paste- 2 tbs
Hot pepper paste- 2 tbs
Paprika- 1 tsp (optional)
Ground all spice- 1/2 tsp
Ground Cumin-1/2 tsp
Cinnamon powder- 1/4 tsp
Black pepper and salt to taste
Ghee- 1 tsp
Oil- 2 tsp
Sliced green bell pepper or tomato- for garnish

Steps to make this recipe..
Step one is to bake the eggplant with salt and pepper till it is soft in the inside.
Step two is to make the spicy and flavorful filling with meat onions and tomatoes.
Final stage is to spoon in the filling and on top of the eggplant and bake. Keep reading for the detailed step by step instructions.

Cut eggplant into half length wise. Sprinkle salt cover and set aside for 10 minutes. Using a paper towel pat dry. 
You can use the pan fry method or bake in the oven. Drizzle  eggplant with oil , salt and pepper to taste and place on baking sheet. Set oven temperature to 350 degree and bake until the skin is charred and the pulp is soft when pierced with a fork. Using the fork gently push down gently till it forms like a boat or a depression enough to spoon in the filling.

To make the filling,heat ghee and oil in a pan and add ground meat and saute till the meat is slightly brown. Add chopped onions, garlic and bell pepper and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add tomato puree and simmer for 5-6 minutes or till the oil separates. Mix toasted pine nuts,tomato paste, hot pepper paste and all the spice powder. Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes or till all the water evaporates. Mix in the chopped parsley and switch off the flame. Allow this mixture to cool down a bit.

Place the baked eggplant in a baking dish.Spoon this filling on top of the baked eggplant. Place sliced green bell pepper or sliced tomatoes. Bake at 350 degree F for about 10 minutes. Serve with flavored rice or salad or pita bread.

Like this recipe, try other similar recipes,
Spicy Eggplant Fry
Stuffed Squid with Spicy Prawns Filling
Tuna Fish Patties
Vietnamese Fish Cakes
Crispy Calamari/Squid Rings

Try this,
Hope you will all enjoy!

Prawns and Vegetable Stew

Prawns and Vegetable Stew

Prawns and vegetable stew is quick and easy to make.It is made with generous amount of coconut milk, and has a delicate flavor and great taste. Spicy chills and earthy spices gives the right balance of sweet, spice and flavor. Stew made with coconut milk is one of the quintessential dishes of Kerala cuisine. Appam and stew is a  popular breakfast recipe. Appam and chicken stew is served as first course at wedding parties. This is a classic one you will never get tried of eating.


 Mild, creamy and flavorful stew eaten out of the bowl  with soft bread is an absolutely comforting meal. It is my go to especially on cold winter evenings.It is simple enough to make for a weekday dinner, this curry barely takes 10 minutes to make.You can use a combination of vegetables like potatoes, sweet potato,peas,beans, carrots or any vegetable of your choice.You can also experiment with different flavors like adding Thai curry paste for a different flavor and taste. You can also serve it over rice or with appam. Try this you will surely love it.

Ingredients
Prawns cleaned- 1 cup
Onion chopped- 1
Tomato- 1/2
Ginger- 1/2 inch thick
Garlic- 2 cloves
Green chilly-3
Curry leaves- a few
Chopped vegetable- 3 cup
(potatoes,carrots, sweet potato, beans and peas)
Turmeric-1/2 tsp
Coriander powder- 1/2 tsp
Chilly Powder-1/2 tsp
Coconut milk- 2 cup
Coconut oil
Salt to taste
Whole spices-cinnamon- 2 piece, clove-4
Green cardamom-2, star anise-1,fennel seeds-1/2 tsp

Clean and devein prawns,marinate with salt,pepper and a pinch of turmeric powder and set aside. Chop vegetables,onion and set aside.
Heat oil in a pan and add prawns and stir fry till is golden for three minutes. Drain this from the oil and set aside.
In the same pan add more oil and add the whole spice and roast. When there is a nice aroma add the chopped onions, garlic, ginger and curry leaves. Saute till translucent.Add the tomatoes and vegetables and saute for a minutes before adding the spice powders.Pour half of the coconut milk and one cup of water. Cover and cook in medium flame for 6-7 minutes or till the vegetables are cooked.Now add the prawns and simmer for one minute.Pour in the coconut milk and simmer in low until heated through,do not boil.Garnish with fresh curry leaves. Serve with appam or bread.

Try this,
Hope you will all enjoy!