Stuffed Bell Peppers

Ingredients

Bell Peppers – 4 nos (tops cut and seeds removed)

Minced beef/mutton – 500 gm

Rice – ½ cup, cooked

Onion – 1 big

Garlic – 4 nos, chopped

Salt – as required

Black Pepper Powder – 1 teaspoon

Chilly flakes – ½ teaspoon

Olive Oil – 2 table spoons

Tomato Sauce – 2 table spoons

Tomato Paste – 2 table spoons

Philadelphia Cream Cheese – 3 table spoons

Mozzarella Cheese – grated, for topping

Water

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 220°C.

Boil some water with salt in a large pot and add in the bell peppers.

Cook until the peppers are tender. Take out carefully and keep the bell peppers aside.

Add olive oil in a pan and saute garlic and onions. Now add the minced meat. Add salt and pepper powder. Now add in the tomato paste and tomato sauce. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Sprinkle chilly flakes to it and combine well. Add in the cooked rice and mix well. Add the cream cheese and off the fire. Stuff the bell peppers with this mixture and place in the baking tray. Bake it in the oven for 15 minutes.Take out the baking tray and top up the peppers with grated mozzarella cheese and bake for 10 more minutes.

Pineapple Pachadi / Onam Special

INGREDIENTS

Pineapple – 10 cubed pieces.

Black Grapes – 10 nos (Seedless)

Turmeric powder – ½ teaspoon

Water – 1 glass or as required to cook pineapple

Grated Coconut – ½ cup

Yogurt – ½ cup

Green Chillies – 3 nos

Cumin seeds – ½ teaspoon

Salt – as required

For seasoning

Oil – 1 tablespoon

Ghee – 1 teaspoon

Mustard seeds – ½ teaspoon

Dry Chilly – 3nos

Curry leaves – 1 sprig

METHOD

1.     Grind coconut, cumin seeds and green chillies with yogurt.

2.     Cook pineapple with turmeric powder in 1 glass of water.

3.     Add the ground mixture to the cooked pineapple.

4.     Add salt and cook in low flame for 5 minutes.

5.     Add in the grapes and mix well.

6.     Fry the seasoning ingredients and remove from the fire.

Notes

You can add sugar or jaggery if pineapple is not sweet enough.

Adding ghee will bring more taste to the curry.

Varutharacha Meen Curry (Fish in coconut gravy)

Ingredients

King Fish – 10 pieces

Small Onion – 6 no

Fish Tamarind – 3 pieces

Green Chilly – 2 slitted

Ginger – ½ inch chopped

Fenugreek – ½ tea spoon

Oil – as required, I used coconut Oil

Salt – as required

Curry leaves – a few

Ingredients for Ground Paste

Coconut – 1 cup

Small Onion – 3 no

Garlic – 3 no

Pepper Seeds – 1 tea spoon

Turmeric Powder - 1 tea spoon

Chilly Powder – 1 table spoon

Coriander powder – 1 ½ table spoons

Fenugreek seeds – 1 tea spoon

Method

Fry coconut until light brown color in low fire. Add all the ingredients listed under ground paste one by one and fry for 3 minutes. Grind this to a smooth paste by adding water. Soak fish tamarind in warm water for a while.

Heat oil in a pan. Add fenugreek seeds and small onion. Add curry leaves and saute well. Add the ground mixture and add water. Now add the soaked fish tamarind, ginger and salt. Boil for 5 minutes. Add the fish pieces and slitted chilly. Cover the pan and cook until the fish is cooked. Serve hot with rice.

Chocolate Dosa (Kids Special)

Dry Ingredients

Plain Flour/Maida/All purpose flour – 1/2cup

Cocoa powder – 1 table spoon, I used unsweetened cocoa

Sugar – 5 table spoons

Wet Ingredients

Egg – 1

Milk – 200ml

Water – 150ml

Vanilla Essence – a drop

Steps

1.Sift flour and cocoa powder.

2. Add sugar.

3. Combine all the wet ingredients and mix well.

4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well.

5. Batter must be medium thick.

6. Heat a dosa pan and spread a laddleful of batter to make a circle.

7. Serve hot with honey or butter.

Ginger Chicken (Chinese plus South Indian Fusion recipe)

Chicken – 1kg, Marinate with turmeric powder and salt.

Masala Paste

Ginger – ½ inch piece

Garlic – 3

Bell pepper (Capsicum) – half

Grind all these to make a thick paste.

Ingredients

Ginger – 1 inch piece cut into long thin slices ((julienne ginger)

Garlic – 4, crushed

Green Chilly – 3 slits

Curry leaves – a few

Onion – 2 chopped

Turmeric powder – 1 tea spoon

Chilly powder – 1 table spoon

Garam Masala – 1 table spoon

Pepper powder – 1 tea spoon

Salt – as required

Water – ½ cup

Soya sauce – 1 tea spoon

Tomato ketchup – 1 table spoon

Coriander leaves – 2 table spoons, chopped

Carrot – half, long thin slices 

Capsicum – half, long thin slices

Method

Saute garlic and ginger in coconut oil. Add chopped onions and curry leaves. Fry until onion turns light brown color. Add turmeric powder, Garam Masala, chilly powder, and pepper powder. Now add the ground paste (ginger garlic capsicum) and mix well. Add the chicken pieces and salt. Add water and cover until the chicken is cooked. Add some coriander leaves, soya sauce and tomato ketchup. Mix well. Now the gravy will be thick. Add carrots and capsicum. Garnish with coriander leaves and julienne ginger. Serve hot with roti or rice.

Fruit Salad

Ingredients
Milk – 500 ml

Sugar – 6 table spoons

Custard Powder – 3 table spoons

Vanilla Essence – 1 tea spoon

Fresh Cream – 3 table spoons (optional)

Fruits – Apple, Grapes, Mango, pineapple, blueberry, dates. (you can add any of your choice)

***Cut the fruits to small square shaped pieces. Add 1 table spoon sugar to the cut fruits and refrigerate. ***

Method

Mix custard powder in a little milk and keep aside. Boil the remaining milk with sugar. Add the custard mixture to the boiling milk and stir continuously for 5 minutes. Remove from the fire and allow it to cool. Now add vanilla essence and cream. Mix in the fruits and refrigerate again. Serve Chilled.

Caramel Vanilla Custard Pudding

Milk – ½ litre

Vanilla Custard Powder – 2 table spoons

Sugar – 3 table spoons

Gelatin – 1 table spoon

Water – 50 ml ( to soak gelatin)

Vanilla Essence – 1 tea spoon

Fresh Cream – 3 table spoons

For Caramelize

Sugar – 4 table spoons

Water – 50 ml

Heat the sugar in a pan without water until it turns golden brown. Keep stirring until you get the caramel liquid. Now slowly add water to the caramel. Stir continuously and remove from the fire.

Method

1.     Soak Gelatin in a small cup of water (use cold water).

2.     Mix custard powder in a little milk and keep aside.

3.     Boil the remaining milk with sugar.

4.     Add the pre mixed custard to the boiling milk.

5.     Boil in very low fire until the mixture gets thick.

6.     Add the caramel liquid.

7.     Add the soaked gelatin to it and mix well.

8.     Remove from the fire and allow it to cool.

9.     Now add the fresh cream to it.

10.  Finally add the vanilla essence.

11. Refrigerate for 5-6 hours and serve.

Spicy Pepper Chicken Roast

Chicken – 1 kg

For marination

Turmeric powder – 1 tea spoon

Chilly powder – 2 table spoons

Coriander powder – 2 table spoons

Garam Masala – 1 table spoon

Salt – ½ tea spoon

Lemon Juice – 1 table spoon

Marinate Chicken with all ingredients and refrigerate for 1 hour.

For Cooking

Onion – 1 big

Green Chillies – 2

Ginger– 1 tea spoon crushed

Garlic – 1 tea spoon crushed

Tomato – 1 chopped

Turmeric powder – 1 tea spoon

Chilly powder – 1 tea spoon

Coriander powder – 1 tea spoon

Pepper powder – 1 tea spoon

Crushed Pepper – 1 table spoon

Curry Leaves – 2 sprigs

Salt – as required

Oil

Method

Heat Oil in a pan and saute onions, green chillies, ginger and garlic and a few curry leaves. Add turmeric powder, chilly powder, coriander powder and pepper powder. Fry until you get a nice aroma. Now add tomatoes and mix well until tomatoes are cooked. Add the marinated chicken to the mixture and mix well. Cover the pan and cook the chicken for 15-20 minutes. Spread the crushed pepper and mix well. Serve hot with rice or roti.

Honeycomb Cake

Ingredients

All purpose flour/plain flour/maida – 400g

Sugar – 400g

Water – 250ml

Butter – 150g

Eggs – 6

Condensed Milk - 250g

Water – 200ml

Baking soda – 1 tea spoon

 Method

Step 1

Heat the sugar in a pan until it turns dark golden brown. (It means we are caramelizing the sugar). Please do not add water when you caramelize. It will take a while for this process, please wait patiently. Keep stirring until you get caramel liquid. Now slowly add water to the caramel. Stir continuously. Remove from the heat. Add butter and set aside to cool.

Step 2

Beat the eggs in a bowl and add condensed milk to it. Now sieve the flour and baking soda to the egg and condensed milk mixture. Mix well. Add the caramel butter sauce to it and mix well.

Step 3

Pre heat the oven to 150°C. Butter a baking pan and dust with flour. Pour the mixture to the pan and bake for 1 hour. The yummy honeycomb cake is ready.

Mayonnaise recipe

Ingredients

Egg Yolks – 2

Sugar – 2 table spoon

Lemon Juice – 3 table spoon

Olive Oil – 100ml

Salt – a pinch

White Pepper Powder - a pinch (Optional)

Method

Blend the egg yolks together with lemon juice, salt and sugar. Now add 40ml olive oil and blend for a few seconds. Again add the 30 ml olive oil and blend. You can see a semi creamy texture now. Add the remaining olive oil and blend well. You can sprinkle white pepper powder on the top. I use black pepper as I did not have white pepper in stock. Pour the mixture into a bowl. Wrap it with plastic. Refrigerate it and enjoy a mayo salad or chicken mayo sandwich.

Notes: Mayo will not be thick as soon as you finished blending. It will take a while.

Easy and Soft appam/Palappam/Vellayappam

Ingredients

Fine Rice Flour – 2 cups

Coconut – grated ,1 cup

Sugar – 3 table spoon (optional)

Yeast -  1 tea spoon

Salt – a pinch

Rava/Semolina – 1 table spoon

Water –  1 cup

Method

Boil half cup of water and add rava to it. Make it to a thick mixture. Add yeast and sugar to a little luke warm water and keep for 20 minutes. Grind the coconut with 1 cup of water. Add these mixtures to the rice flour and mix well. Add a pinch of salt.

Notes – You can replace coconut with coconut milk too.

Chicken/Kozhi Varattiyathu

Chicken – 1 kg

Ingredients for marinating

Ginger Garlic paste –  2 table spoon

Chilly powder – 2 table spoon

Turmeric powder – 1 teaspoon

Salt – as required

Marinate chicken with all the ingredients and keep for 1 hour. Medium fry the chicken pieces and keep aside.

Ingredients for cooking

Onion – 2

Ginger Garlic paste – 1 table spoon

Green Chillies – 3

Garlic – 4, crushed

Turmeric powder – 1 tea spoon

Garam Masala – 1 tea spoon

Chilly powder – 1 tea spoon

Coriander powder – 1 table spoon

Chicken Masala – 1 table spoon

Tomato – 1

Oil – as required (use the same oil used for chicken fry)

Method

Heat oil in a pan and saute the onions. Add ginger garlic paste, crushed garlic and green chillies and mix well. Add all the powders and fry for 2 minutes. Add tomato and salt. Saute well until the tomato gets cooked. Now add the fried chicken and cook in low flame.

Chocolate Chiffon Cake

Dry Ingredients

All purpose flour/Maida  - 200gms

Cocoa powder – 25gms

Baking powder – 2 teaspoon

Baking soda – 1 teaspoon

Salt – 1/2/ teaspoon

White Sugar - 150gms

Method

Sieve all the dry ingredients and mix well. Keep that aside.

Wet Ingredients

Egg Yolks – 5 nos (separate yolks of 5 eggs and white of 6 eggs)

Oil – 120 ml ( I use sunflower oil )

Water – 180 ml

Vanilla Essence – 1 table spoon

Method

Whisk the egg yolks. Add oil to it and mix well. Then add water and vanilla essence. Keep it aside

For Cream

Egg Whites – 6 nos ( which is already separated)

White Sugar – 150 gms

Method

Beat the egg whites using a hand mixer and add sugar slowly to it and beat well until you get a fluffy cream.

Chocolate Glaze

Chocolate – 175 gms ( I use Hershey’s Dark Chocolate)

Butter – 50 gms

Vanilla Essence – 1 tea spoon

Method

Melt the chocolate and butter and add vanilla Essence.

Procedure

Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix gently. Now add the cream to this and mix well. Grease a baking tray with butter and bake this mixture in 180° for 45 minutes.Now pour the chocolate glaze over the top of the cake and push it to the sides using a knife.

A very easy Egg Fried Rice

Ingredients

Basmati Rice – 2 cups

Eggs – 3

Onions – 1 big, chopped

Carrot – 1, chopped

Spring Onion – ½ cup

Pepper Powder – 1 1/2 teaspoons
Olive Oil – 2 table spoons

Method

Pressure cook the basmati rice with salt. Switch off the fire after 1 whistle. (it is always better to refrigerate the cooked rice overnight for fried rice). Heat Oil in a wok and saute the onions till light pink colour. Add the chopped carrot and cook for 5 mins. Now add eggs and immediately add the cooked rice. Mix well until the eggs get coated well with the rice. Now add spring onions and pepper powder. Add salt and heat well for 5 mins. Garnish with spring onions.

Salad

 Ingredients

Onion – finely chopped

Tomato – 1

Green chillies – 2

Yogurt – 1 cup

Chilli powder – a pinch for garnishing

Method

Mix all ingredients together and garnish with a pinch of chilli powder.

Chilli Chicken

Chicken - 500 grams, cut into small pieces

For marination

Ginger – 1 inch piece

Garlic – 3 cloves

Chilli powder – 1 tsp

Pepper powder – 1/4 tsp

Corn flour – 2 tbsp

Soya sauce – 1 1/2 tbsp

Salt

Ingredients

Onion – 2 chopped

Capsicum -1 cut into square sizes

Ginger & garlic – 1 tsp each

Chilli powder – 2 tsp

Water – 1 cup

Soya sauce – 1 tbsp

Tomato sauce – 2 tbsp

Spring Onion – for garnish

Olive Oil – 2 tbsp

Salt – as required

Method

Grind all the ingredients for marination to a smooth paste. Marinate the chicken pieces with the ground paste and refrigerate for 1 hour. Fry the chicken pieces till it becomes golden brown and keep aside. Heat some oil in another pan and saute onion, ginger and garlic. Mix chilli powder in 1 small cup of water. Add this to the mixture. Now add capsicum. When it starts boiling add soya sauce and tomato sauce. Mix well and add fried chicken pieces. Cook till the chicken pieces are coated well with the sauce. Garnish with spring onion.

Notes - You can use kashmiri chilli powder for colour.

Easy Neychoru/Ghee Rice

Ingredients

Basmati Rice - 2 cups

Ghee – 5 table spoons

Cardamom – 3

Cinnamon – 1 medium piece

Cloves – 3

Onion – 2 (thin sliced)

Salt – as required

Water – 3 cups

Method

Soak Basmati rice for 30 mins. Heat ghee and fry 1 thin sliced onion until it turns brown. Fry raisins and keep both aside. Add the remaining ghee in another pan and fry all the spices first and add other finely sliced onion and fry for 2 mins. Now add the rice and gently fry for 2 mins. Add water and salt and cook until the water get drained and rice is soft. Garnish with fried onions and raisins.

Parippu Payasam

Ingredients

Cherupayar parippu/Split Moong Dal – ½ cup

Jaggery – 1 cup, grated

Light Coconut milk – ½ cup

Thick Coconut milk – 1 cup

Ghee - 2 table spoons
Cashew nuts, coconut pieces and raisins – any number as you wish

Procedure

Wash the parippu well and drain the water. Fry it for 5 minutes without oil/ghee. Cook parippu in boiled water. Once it’s cooked well, add Jaggery and bring it to boil. Add light coconut milk and boil for 5 minutes. Now add thick coconut milk and low the fire for 2 minutes. Fry cashew nuts, raisins and coconut pieces in ghee and mix with payasam.

Notes 

I pressure cooked parippu up to 3 whistles and simmer the fire for 5 minutes.Please reduce the measurement of jaggery if you are using the dark jaggery. I have used the light colour jaggery which is not so sweet. You can also melt the jaggery and add to parippu.Usually Cardamom is not mandatory for parippu payasam. You can add it if you like the taste. I did not use cardamom.