Kozhi Mulakittathu

A very simple and effortless preparation using easily available ingredients.Thats what i like most in this recipe.

Here it goes..

Ingredients :-

Chicken cut into medium sized pieces – 1/2 kg
Red Onion Sliced – 250 gm
Tomato chopped- 200 gm
Garlic paste – 2 tsp
Ginger chopped- 1 inch piece
Chilly powder – 3-4 tbsp (You can also use 2 tbsp kashmiri chilly + 2 tbsp red chilly )
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves – 2 sprigs
Coconut oil – as needed
Salt – to taste

Method:-

Clean the chicken pieces and mix it with chilly powder,turmeric powder and salt.Add little water and cook it covered in a medium heat.Keep it aside.Heat oil in another pan and throw onion slices into it.Saute it until onion turns translucent.Add ginger,garlic,curry leaves and tomato into it and fry it until tomato turns soft and oil seperates.Now add the cooked chicken into the gray and stir well.Add 1/2 cup of water and let it come to a slow boil.Simmer it until the gray thickens.Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with roti/rice.

Recipe Coutesy :- Ummi Abdulla (Vanitha Pachakam)

Chena-Vazhakkaya Erissery

Erissery is a popular dish in Kerala,a variety of erisseris can be prepared by substituting different vegetables,pulses or a combination of vegetables and pulses.In some parts of Kerala,Erisseri is even served in traditional Sadyas.Of all the erisseris Vazhakka- Chena Erissery is my favorite.

Ingredients:-

Fresh Plantains(Vazhakkaya) along with the skin cut into big pieces – 1 cup
Yam/Suran(Chena) cut into big pieces – 1 cup
Grated coconut -1 and 1/2 cup
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Chilly powder – 1 tsp
Black Pepper powder – 1 tsp
Cumin seeds(Jeerakam) – 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
Red chillies whole – 2
Curry leaves – a sprig
Salt – to taste
Oil – as needed

Method:-

Mix together plantain pieces,yam pieces,chilly powder,turmeric powder and salt and cook them in a pan or a pressure cooker adding just enough water.When they are cooked well,mash it lightly with the back of a spoon.

Now grind together 1 cup coconut,cumin seeds and pepper powder into a coarse paste and add this paste into the vegetables and boil it until it reaches a thick consistency.Turn off the heat and let the erissery rest for a while.

Now heat oil in another pan and pop mustard seeds.Add whole red chillies,curry leaves and the rest of the grated coconut into it and fry until coconut reaches a golden brown color.Pour the seasoning over the erissery.Mix well and serve hot with rice.

The plantains i’ve used here were not fresh and thats why the color of erissery is brown.Erissery prepared with fresh green plantains will be in light greenish yellow color.

Note:-Instead of red chilly powder you can again use pepper powder and that’ll give a diiferent flavour.

Recipe Source :- Vanitha

See more Erissery Recipes here :

• Cherupayar-Kaaya Erissery
• Padavalanga -Parippu Erissery
• Squash,Banana&Yam Erissery
• Jackfruit Erissery
• Mathan-Dal Erissery
• Pumpkin Erissery

Papaya Drink

Papaya,which is considered to be one of the healthiest and nutritious fruit is often ignored by many people.Personally,I too hate this fruit,but on the other hand my kid loves it.This Papaya drink is his new favorite,the recipe is adapted from an old edition of  Vanitha magazine.It goes like..

Ingredients:-

Ripe papaya pulp – 1 cup
Honey – 3 tbsp
Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
Cold Milk – 1 small glass

Method:-

Blend all the ingredients together,and transfer it into a  glass.Top it with some whipped cream and serve immediately.
Recipe Source : Ammu Mathew(Vanitha) 

Orange Chicken

Last day I found this recipe, while going through my previous ‘Vanitha‘ magazines.I love Chineese cuisine,and crispy Orange chicken is by far the most favorite.Somehow I missed this recipe earlier,otherwise I could have tried it long back.Luckily I had all the needed ingredients in my pantry and so prepared it ,then itself.I could say,the Indianized version of Chinese Orange chicken was better and suited our taste

Crispy Orange Chicken

Here goes the recipe..

Ingredients:-

Boneless Chicken cut into small pieces – 1/2 kg
Rice Flour – 1 and 1/2 cup
Soda water – to prepare batter
Gingelly/Sesame Oil – 1 tbsp + to deep fry chicken pieces (The original recipe from Vanitha calls for Indian Gingelly oil and I’ve used the same.It can be  available in Indian grocery stores.But in Chinese cooking they use sesame oil.)

(An Update from Pushpa : Gingelly oil & sesame oil r 2 different oils, though both r made of the same sesame seeds. Gingelly oil is used in indian cookings while sesame oil is used in chinese cookings. Both have totally different taste & aroma. )

Crushed Garlic – 6 pods
Grated Ginger – 1 tsp
Red Chilly Flakes – 2 tbsp
Dark Soya Sauce – 2 tbsp
Orange Marmalade – 1/2 cup
Salt – to taste
Pepper – to taste

Spring Onion greens
Orange slices

Method:-

Mix together gingelly oil and crushed garlic in a pan,and then slowly heat the pan.Saute garlic for 1/2 minute and then add red chilly flakes and ginger.Fry for 1 minute.Stir in soy sauce and orange marmalade,add salt and simmer until the gravy thickens.Switch off the stove and allow it to cool.
Cook chicken pieces adding little water,salt and pepper.Seperate the chickn pieces from the broth and keep it aside.Prepare a medium thick batter using rice flour and soda water.Heat gingelly oil in a pan .Dip the chicken pieces in the batter and deep fry it until golden brown in color.Drain it into a tissue paper.
Immideately add the chicken pieces into the gravy.Mix it well,decorate with spring onion greens and orange slices and serve.

Recipe Courtesy :- Kunjunjamma Raju,Vanitha

Onion Chutney

I’ve tried this Onion Chutney last week.This is used as an accompaniment for various South Indian snacks,but i like it a lot with Idli and Dosa.The recipe is from my favorite Womens magazine ‘Vanitha‘.

Onion Chutney served with Dosas

Here’s the recipe..

Ingredients:-

Chopped Onion – 1/4 cup(I’ve used red onion)
Oil – 1 tbsp
Dried Red Chillies – 4
Ginger – a small piece
Tamarind – gooseberry sized ball
Curry leaves – a few
Salt – as needed

Method:-

Heat oil in the pan and saute onion till translucent.Mix together sauteed onion and all the other ingredients and grind to a smooth paste. Chutney is ready to be served.

See more recipes of Onion Chutney from fellow bloggers :-

Krishna and Arjuna’s

My Dhaba’s

Indira’s

Reddy’s

Shireesha’s

Meena’s

RP’s