Hot from my oven

Masala Chai

I couldn’t be more happier when my dearest friend [from childhood]called me few months back to tell me that she and her family is moving to Singapore!
And what is even better ..she managed to find a place very close to mine!!
Of course the rest is obvious…! Whenever we catch up its always good food+great conversation. Its like we can carry on our babble forever!

The other day when I went to her place , she said she is going to make me her special Masala Chai..
And she started to make the Chai, we were soo busy talking talking [little gossiping as well] that she made her special tea, poured to cups, served to her /mine parents and the respective husbands..
And guess what!! She totally forgot to give one cup to her dearest friend :-)And whatz even worse… I didn’t even realize that until my mom said that the tea is awesome!!
I didn’t want the poor thing to make another cup just for me..So I got the recipe from her instead

So here is the Masala Chai recipe from my dearest ,bestest friend!

Masala Chai
For the Masala Chai Powder
3-4 Sticks Cinnamon
1 tspn Cloves
1 tspn Cardamom
Powder all the above ingredients well in a mixer until it is coarsely ground.

For the Chai
2 Cups Milk.
Sugar to Taste
1 inch Fresh Ginger
2 tspn Black Tea leaves/2 Black tea bags
Directions:
Bring the milk to boil. [I prefer to have 1 cup Milk+1 Cup water ratio ,but for a richer taste you can use 2 cups milk]
Grate the Ginger finely.
When the milk is about to boil add the ginger+ Sugar+ Tea leaves
Lower the flame and Add about ½ tspn of the Masala Chai powder and stir for few seconds.
Switch off the flame, cover the pot with a lid to let the flavors infuse well for about a minute.
Now it’s time to enjoy the hot, refreshing Masala Chai

Pavakka Puli /Bitter gourd in Tamarind gravy

Tangy and spicy with a tint of sweetness..yes, that would be a perfect description for this dish!

This one is my mom’s signature dish and one among my favJ

I must say it is a perfect accompaniment with rice!!

Pavakka Puli /Bitter gourd in Tamarind gravy

Ingredients

2 small Bitter gourds

15-20 Shallots

Tamarind -1tbspn

3 Green Chilies

1-1 1/2 tspn Chili powder

½ tspn turmeric powder

Pinch of Asafetida

A Small piece of Jaggery

1 Cup water

Salt to taste

For tempering

1 tspn oil

¼ tspn Mustard seeds

Curry leaves

1-2 Dried Red chilies

Directions

Chop the bitter gourds, shallots and green chilly finely

Soak the tamarind in ¼ cup water for 15 minutes. Mash the tamarind well and extract the juice

Add tamarind extract, chili powder, turmeric powder, Asafetida, jaggery , salt to water and bring to boil.

Add the bitter gourds, shallots and green chilies to the boiling water

Simmer until the bitter gourds are cooked well and the gravy is thickened.

For tempering , bring the oil to a boil in a small pan- Add the mustard seeds, once it has crackled - add the red chilies and curry leaves and sauté for few seconds

Add to the bitter gourd gravy and mix well.

Pappada Vada/ Pappad Fritters

Pappada vada is a popular tea time snack in my hometown ,Palakkad.

The fresh Pappadams are dipped in a batter and deep fried to make these crispy and spicy snacks

There is a famous place selling pappada vada in Ottapalam, which is on the way to my father’s Tharavadu/ancestral home

So during holidays when we are driving there, we stop by and get loads of these yummy vadas and gorge on it on the way

We usually get few packs so that we can give some to cousins and Aunts back home..But by the time we reach there..Me and my sister would have already finished most of it ..

Leaving just bits and pieces in the packJ

This time around when my parents came for visit, I had asked mom to make these during one of the weekends so that I can take a few clicksJ

My mom being a bit hyperactive like most moms, made it on the very first day itselfJ

So here goes my mom’s version of Pappada vada

Pappada Vada/ Pappad Fritters

Ingredients

6 Pappadams/pappad

½ Cup Rice flour

2 tspn Gram flour

1 tspn Chilli powder

1 tspn Cumin seeds

1 tspn Black sesame seeds

Salt to taste

A pinch of Kayam/Hing/Asafoetida

Oil for deep frying

Directions

Mix all ingredients except pappadam, add enough water and make a smooth batter.

The batter should not be too runny, it should be a bit thick .

Heat the oil in a wok.

When the oil is hot enough, dip each pappadam in the batter and deep fry both sides until it is browned well.

Drain it on a kitchen towel and njoy the crispy Pappada vadas

Chembu Curry /Taro Curry

Yippie my parents are here and I am enjoying moms specialties and spending some quality time with them..

We have so much stories, gossips and happenings to catch up so I hardly turn on my laptop these days.

Other than that I am on a hibernation mode ! Doing mostly eating, napping, and followed by more eating

Of course I am ardently taking clicks of all dishes Amma has been making..

So stay tuned for more Kerala recipes!

Here is one of my fav comfort dish..Chembu Curry aka Taro Curry

Chembu Curry/ Taro Curry

Ingredients

1 or 2 Chembu/Taro

¼ Cup grated Coconut

1/4 Cup Yogurt

1 Green Chilli

½ tspn red chili powder

½ tspn turmeric powder

½ tspn salt

½ tspn Cumin seeds

For tempering

1 tspn oil

¼ tspn Mustard seeds

¼ tspn Fenugreek seeds

Curry leaves

1-2 Dried Red chilies

Directions

Remove the skin of taro and wash well.

Cut the taro to ½ inch cubes

In a pot add about 1 cup water, add the taro, salt , chili powder and turmeric powder and simmer until the taro has cooked through and is soft.

Blend together Coconut, Green Chilly, Cumin seeds with little water until it is smooth.

Add the coconut mix and yogurt to the taro and cook for 2-3 minutes until it is foamy.

For tempering , bring the oil to a boil in a small pan- Add the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds .Once the fenugreek seeds turn darker add the chilies and curry leaves and sauté for few seconds

Add to the curry and mix well.

Enjoy the comforting curry with rice

Nellikka Juice/Gooseberry Juice

Nellikka/Amla/Gooseberry is one of the fruit with a lot of goodness according to Ayurveda. It is powerhouse of vitamins, excellent cooler ,a great antioxidant and the list goes on and on.

My father has this notion that nellikka is an ottamooli meaning, it can heal all illnessJ

He always gets a big bag of gooseberries when it is on season and our fridge would be filled with Nellikka Kuppi’sJ aka Gooseberries in Brine

Needless to say we had lots and lots of it when we were growing up in all forms..as pickle, curry, chutney and even as juice until I reached that point where I started to hate it..grrr

And Nellikka was on my hate list for a long time..

During the weekend we went down to Little india to get some Indian veggies and these freshest gooseberries caught my eyes..

It was too cute to resist and I got some..Quick call to Amma to get her recipe of the Nellikka juice ..as that is the easiest thing to make:-)

We loved the refreshing flavor of it ..I think I will chuck off Nellikka from my hate list:-)

Nellikka Juice/Gooseberry Juice

Ingredients

3 Large Gooseberries

½ Inch Ginger

10 Curry leaves

Half green Chilly

¼ tspn Sea salt

1 Cup water

Directions

Chop the gooseberries and discard the seeds

Add all ingredients except water in a blender and blend it for 1-2 minutes.

Add water and blend for 1 minute. Sieve and njoy the refreshing and healthy juice

Honeydew Sago Dessert

I was never a fan of Honeydew until I tried this Chilled Honeydew Sago dessert during one of the trainings in office

Honeydew Sago is a cold dessert which is very popular in Singapore and Malaysia.

I have tried two versions of this, one with Coconut milk and another version with Soymilk

I prefer the Soymilk one as I find the other one with Coconut milk/cream a bit heavy

Both are equally yummmmmy thoughJ

Honeydew Sago Dessert

Ingredients

1/4 Cup Sago

2 tbspn sugar

1 Cup Soy Milk

Quarter of a Honey Dew

Directions

Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the sago.

Cook it until it become translucent. For me it took about 10 minutes.

Strain it and wash the sago under cold water.

Cube the honeydew to ¼ inch slices. Take half of the honeydew cubes and puree it.

Now mix it all together, Soy milk, honeydew puree, cubed honeydew, sago and sugar and chill it.

Now enjoy the cooling and refreshing honeydew sago dessertJ

Banana Blueberry Buckwheat Muffins

I just got a pack of Buckwheat flour few weeks back as they were on sale in the organic section in the supermarket
After making two batches of pancakes over the last two weekends I realized thatz the only thing I know to make out of the buckwheat is the pancakes.
Sigh….I still have a huge portion left in the pack :-) So chose to try making some muffins out of the buckwheat and turned out scrumptious
This whole meal, healthy, fruity ,nutty muffins makes a perfect grab and go breakfast
These grab and go muffins make a perfect healthy breakfast

Banana Blueberry Buckwheat Muffins
Ingredients
½ Cup Buckwheat flour
½ Cup Whole wheat flour
1 tspn Baking powder
1 tbspn Flax seeds
¼ Cup Pecans chopped
¼ Cup yogurt
2 Banans Mashed
3 tbspn Date Syrup /Agave nectar /Honey
1 tbspn Oil
1 Whole egg+1 egg white
½ Cup blueberries

Directions
Sift the flour +baking powder and add in the flax seeds and pecans and mix well.
Mix together the wet ingredients -egg, mashed banana, Sweetner, Oil, yogurt
Add the wet ingredients to the dry mix and stir until just combined.
Add the blueberries and spoon the batter to muffin cups.
Bake in a 180 Degree preheated oven for 25-30 minutes.