Raw Papaya-Black eyed Peas Thoran(Stir fry)

Raw papaya was one of my childhood favorite and in variably many other vegetables too.I used to love the raw crunchy ones and have sliced ones just like that.And mummy used to peel and cut raw papaya for thoran(stir fry) and I used to grab these thin slices and have it from that.But after coming here,I had not seen the raw papaya until recently I hooked one at the stores.The perfect combo with this is the red chori peas/red cow peas (vanpayar),but I didn't have that and so used black eyed peas.This makes a very filling stir fry with rice.Hope u'll make & enjoy with rice!!

Ingredients
Raw papaya 1 small
black eyed peas 1 cup cooked(refer notes)
grated coconut 1/2 cup
onion 1 small chopped
green chillies 3-4
ginger chopped 1" piece
chilly powder 1/2 tsp
turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
salt
oil 2 tsp

Method
-Wash and cook the beans with salt and turmeric powder.As I used frozen packet,so didn't pressure cook them.If you are using red chori peas(vanpayar),please do pressure cook.
-Peel and cut the papaya in two halves.Deseed and wash it again.Chop it fine as like we do carrots or cabbage for stir fry.Keep aside.
-Heat oil in a pan,splutter mustard seeds.Saute onion ,add in the chopped ginger and green chillies.
-Then add the chopped papaya and grated coconut.Add in the spices.Toss it well,add salt.
-Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes.
-Add in the cooked beans,along with water &cook again for another 10 minutes.Adjust salt.
-Uncover the lid and dry up the water content in it on medium -high heat.
-Serve it hot as a side dish for rice!!

Servings~ 4 adults


NOTES
* I have used the frozen packet of black eyed beans.Actually  red chori or vanpayar is used.
* For added taste,mom usually tempers it with a tsp of boiled rice too.It splutters and gives a unique taste.I haven't done that.
* If you wish a more spicier version,do add half a tsp of chilly powder too.

Boiled Tapioca & Red Dry Chillies Chutney | Kappa Puzhungiyathu & Mulaku Chammanthi

A very old traditional authentic dish of Kerala is the boiled tapioca(kappa puzhukku or kappa puzhungiyathu).The famous combo with this is the kanthari(green chillies chutney),many of the keralite homes had this for breakfast or lunch in the southern parts of Kerala.Years passed by and now things have changed there too,now we get to see this stuff only in the thattukadas(street shops).But being miles away from home,we alawys cherish the good old memories of Kerala.I wasn't a big fan of tapioca when in India but our taste buds keeps changing ryt.So has mine..now I wish to have these traditional ones a lot,probably distance from home has brought out my craving for these foods.Anyways,am happy that I could get yuca here and so could make this at home.This mulaku chammanthi (red dry chillies chutney)is a deadly addictive combo,just loved this.The chutney is bookmarked from kothiyavunnu.com.Thanx Sangeetha for sharing this recipe.Enjoy trying out at home:-)

Ingredients
For boiled tapioca/ yuca/ kappa
Yuca/tapioca 3 lbs(1.5 kg)
water
salt

For red dry chillies chutney/ mulaku chammanthi
red dry chillies 8
pearl onion 4-6 (peeled & whole)
tamarind 1 small gooseberry size ball
vinegar 1 tsp
hot water 1 tbsp
turmeric powder 1/6 tsp
curry leaves
salt
coconut oil 2tsp

Method

FOR BOILED TAPIOCA (Kappa Puzhungiyathu)-
-Peel the skin of tapioca (both the brown and thick pink color)until you reach the white part.
-Cut in cubed pieces,wash under running water until the water turns clear from milky white.
-Boil the tapioca in a thick bottomed vessel with enough water(water level above the tapioca cubes).Wait till it starts to boil,let it boil for 3 minutes.Remove from flame,drain the water completely.
-Add the same amount of water and boil over again with salt. Cook until its done.(Mine got done within 12 minutes)
-Drain the water and serve with chutney or fish curry !!

FOR RED DRY CHILLIES CHUTNEY(Mulaku Chammanthi)
-Heat oil in the pan and roast the chillies followed by the peeled pearl onions until lightly browned on low medium heat.(Check not to burn chillies)
-Allow to cool and grind the roasted chillies,shallots,and tamarind to a coarse paste without adding water,if required add the 1 tbsp of hot water.
-Transfer the mixture in a bowl,add vinegar,salt and oil used for frying.Mix and let it stand for 5-7 minutes to enhance the flavors.
-Serve it with kappa puzhungiyathu(boiled tapioca) /idlis/ dosas/ curd rice,Enjoy!!


Servings ~ 3-4 adults

NOTES
* You can use equivalent amount of red chilly powder too and can use chopped onion instead of shallots but it tastes best with the original ingredients mentioned.

Sending this to EP Series :Curry leaves or Red Dry Chillies hosted by Poonam @ Spicy Aroma

Announcing EP Series : Curry Leaves OR Red Dry Chillies

Hi everyone,
Yet another interesting series of herbs & spices is on its way for August.First of all let me thank each one of you who have regularly supported the event at my space and had been sending me mails and comments for the betterment of the event.Looking forward for all feedbacks & suggestions always.Starting from tomorrow the theme is "Curry leaves OR Red Dry Chillies".You can link your old as well as new entries with specifically these as the main ingredients.You can use either of the two in one dish and also you can link both veg & non veg entries.Please don't link up any recipe that uses curry leaves or red dry chillies as garnish.The event is guest hosted by Poonam@ Spicy Aroma.A bunch of Thanx to Poonam for taking up the initiative to host the event.A few examples to help you boost your brains and to remind you the traditional ones are karivepalai sadam,Curry leaves powder,Red dry chillies pickle,chutneys,curry leaves chutneys etc..Looking forward for more innovative and interesting yummy recipes,please do visit her space for the details of the event.
I would also like to thank Kaveri @ Palakkad Chamayal for hosting EP Series(July)-Fenugreek leaves OR Green Chillies,the round up of which will be posted shortly:-)

Homemade Puff Pastry Sheets from Scratch & Tuna Puffs with Home made pastry sheets !!

Puff pastry sheets are nothing but layers of flour separated by layers of butter and when it is placed in the oven,the butter creates the steam and puffs up the layers.Did you know a perfect made puff pastry sheet had 729 layers?? Though puff pastry sheets are easily available here in stores,yet I wished to try these to keep this as a keeper esp when we get back to India and to identify the amount of ingredients & efforts being put in it while making these sheets.And I must say am now addicted to these home made puff pastry sheets.They were real buttery,flaky and delicious than the store ones.

This is my second attempt in preparing these sheets.In my first attempt ,I forgot to click the step wise snaps and so this time could click some.The only thing I would like to tell is you need to have a lot of patience to roll and wait for the next fold.You may fine the word 'fold' and 'turn' frequently used in making these sheets.'Fold' refers to folding the dough in third like a letter and 'turn' refers to turning the dough so that it face you like a book (see pictures to understand better).Please do read the points to remember before you start making the sheets.The recipe is bookmarked from Naughty Curry,Thanx Deepa for the recipe so well explained that it was very easy to follow.Do check this out and enjoy baking them:-)

INGREDIENTS
FOR PREPARING PUFF PASTRY SHEETS
all purpose flour 2 cups(250gms)
unsalted butter 25 gms,2 tbsp (chilled and cut in cubes)
vinegar /lemon juice 1 tsp
salt 1/2 tsp
water(ice cold water ) 3/4 cup
to place in b/w layers
Unsalted butter 2sticks (226gm) ,1 cup

FOR PREPARING TUNA PUFFS
puff pastry sheets 8 pieces
beaten egg white 1(for glaze)
tuna packet 180gm
onion 1 fine chopped
ginger-garlic paste 1tsp
tomato 1 small chopped
cilantro 3-4 sprigs
coriander powder 1  tsp
chilly powder 3/4 tsp
garam masala 1/2 tsp
pepper powder 1/2 tsp
turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
salt

METHOD-
FOR PREPARING PUFF PASTRY SHEETS
-Sift the flours and salt together.
-Add the chilled,cubed pieces of butter in it.Gently rub the butter along with flour to get a coarse mixture or grainy with your hand or food processor.
-Add vinegar and ice cold water.Knead into a smooth pliable dough.Refrigerate immediately by wrapping in a cling wrap until next use.

Mixing the butter with flour & Whacking the other 2 sticks of butter

-Put the other unsalted butter(cold) mentioned in the list in between two layers of cling wrap or Ziploc bags and whack using the rolling pin into a mashed form or shape it in the form of a rectangle 5"* 8"(approx)
-Flour a rolling surface(refer notes) and roll out the refrigerated cold dough into a rectangle of 8"*12".Roll out in such a way that each side has a protruding dog ear.Brush off the excess flour using pastry brush.
-Place the whacked butter slab in between the rolled dough and fold the four edges of the dough to cover the dough & seal it completely such that the butter should not be visible.
-Gently press and rock the rolling pin back & forth over the dough ,slowly stretching the butter and the dough to form a rectangle.Rock in between to stretch the butter but make sure the butter doesn't seep out the dough.Brush off excess any flour.

'Fold' like business letter as shown on left & then rolling out after the final fold)

-Fold in third like a business letter(as in pic),make sure to brush excess flour and this completes the first fold.
-Wrap it in a cling wrap and refrigerate for half an hour.
-Remove the dough from the refrgerator and turn to place in such a way that it faces you like a book.Lightly dust with flour and placing it facing you like a book ,roll using a rolling pin and stretch again to form a rectangle with rocking and pressing motion.And then brush the excess flour and turn it by 90 degrees to face you like a book and fold in third like business letter as shown before.This completes the 2 nd fold.
-Refrigerate again half an hour and repeat the same step until you complete 6 th fold -7th fold.I completed inn 7th fold.
-After the final turn,roll it out into half inch thick rectangle.Either store as it is or cut in small pieces of 4" squares and separate each with parchment paper to prevent sticking.Freeze by wrapping in cling film until next use.

Servings ~ 15 pieces of 4" square pieces (2 sheets)

POINTS TO REMEMBER WHILE MAKING PUFF PASTRY SHEETS

* Butter should be kept cold at all times.If you feel butter is melting or oozing at any point of time when rolling,refrigerate immediately.

* Winters or an air conditioned room works best to prepare the dough.Use only your finger tips to handle the dough or minimal handling when folding and turning.Our body temperature too transfers into the dough and the butter melts.The best temperature the dough prepared is 16 degrees C or 60degrees F.

* Use a cold surface to roll out the dough.I usually use the back of a large tray so that I can leave it on top f it each time after rolling.Refrigerate both the rolling pin and the tray for best results.*The dough must be refrigerated after every fold for a minimum of half an hour to allow gluten in the flour to link up and retain layering.

* The vinegar or lime juice is used to make the dough more elastic and pliable so that it doesn't break while rolling & folding.I used vinegar.

* Keep an account of number of folds and turns so that you don't miss the number.

* For ideal results when baking,refrigerate the filled puffs for 15 minutes before placing in the oven.

* The original recipe uses 1 1/2 tsp of salt,though in my first attempt I found it was quite high .This time I reduced to 1/2 tsp and that was correct.

FOR TUNA PUFFS-
 Prepare the filling 

• Rinse the tuna under running water and drain in a colander.(I used the packet one with less water in it)
• Heat oil in a pan and saute the onions till translucent.
• Saute the ginger -garlic paste till raw smell disppears.
• Add the chopped tomatoes and add the chopped cilantro.Cook till slightly mushy.
• Add in the spices and toss it well.Add in the drained tuna and add about 1/3 rd cup water.
• Cook covered for 10 minutes.Then uncover the lid and dry up the water content.
• Remove from flame and cool.

Preparing the puffs-

• Thaw the pastry sheet for about half an hour -40 minutes outside or refrigerate overnight.
• Take each piece and place about 2tsp of filling in it.Seal all the edges using a little water and press down with a fork to make a pattern.place on a tray with parchment paper.

• Pre heat oven to 400 degrees F or 200 degreees C.
• Apply the egg white using a brush on top of each sealed puffs.
• Place it in the oven and bake for 15 mins.
• Remove from oven,cool a bit.Serve warm with tea !!

Just to tempt you all,a last one :-)

Scones Topped with Preserve

 Scones are small British quick bread,using wheat or oatmeal or all purpose flour with baking powder as leavening agent.Scones rely on cold butter for their delicate,flaky texture.Scones are best served warm from the oven when the jam is soft & runny,the outside crust of scone is delicious crisp,crumbly yet the inside is soft and flaky.Scones are best served the day they are made.However,while the outsides of scones will soften.They can be stored for few days.Do check this out, everyone will surely love this !!

Ingredients
all purpose flour 2 cup
granulated sugar 1/4 cup(50gm)
cold butter 1 stick
baking powder 1 tsp
baking soda 1/2 tsp
salt a pinch
buttermilk 2/3 -3/4 cup (refer notes)
jam as needed (I used pine apple jam)

Method
-Pre heat oven to 375 degrees and place rack in middle position.Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
-In a large bowl,whisk together the flour,sugar,baking powder,baking soda and salt.Cut the butter in small pieces and blend in flour mixture with a pastry blender or knife.You want the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.
-Add the buttermilk and stir until dough comes together.
-Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead the dough gently,roll in a rectangle 1- 1 1/2 " thick.
-Use a  biscuit cutter or bottle lid and cut out discs,place on a parchment paper lined tray.Then,using your thumb make an indentation in the middle  and press down almost to the bottom of the scone Try not to squash the edges of the scones.Fill each indentation with jam.

-Place it in the oven and bake for 20 minutes until golden brown and tooth pick inserted comes out clean.Transfer on the rack and cool.(mine got ready at 18 minutes)
-Serve with tea !!

Servings~ 15 scones

NOTES
* You can use any flavor of jam or preserve.
* To make your own buttermilk,add a tablespoon of white distilled vinegar or lemon juice to1 cup of milk and then let it stand before 5- 10 minutes before using.
* I prepared slightly thinner scones ,you can make slightly thicker version if you wish.

Baking Partners: New Baking Group Announcement

Baking a homemade bread, cake or cookies will give the best outcome. However in order to achieve the best results, a  perfect recipe and  right techniques are required. We are a small group of home baker friends who love and want to learn more about the nook and corners of baking.  We are planning to try out recipes from books/magazines and cooking shows.Every member gets a chance to present their choice of recipe and share important points with the rest of the group.

• Main purpose of this group is to learn the techniques, critic the procedure if there are ways to improve, and to eat a delicious food.

• Rules are simple, we will choose one recipe  based on a theme and send it out to the group by 16th of every month and  the reveal date will be 15th of the next month . On that day we will  blog about it. A linky tool will be open during that time and each member can link their post.

• First month we are going to do a recipe, 2nd and 3rd month will be a theme and the 4th month we will be back at  a recipe. By doing in between recipes, we will able to learn more.

• All enthusiastic bloggers interested in baking are welcome, please email  to Swathi - favoriterecipes12@gmail.com.

• We will appreciate the use of logo or worded link that will help to spread the word.  A bunch of thanks to Tina for designing this beautiful logo.

• If you   want to make it a gluten or vegan free diet, you can do those modifications also.

Baking partners are-

Reeni (Cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice)

 Julie Erivum Puliyum

Tina  ( Pinay in Texas Cooking Corner)

Priya (Priya's Versatile Recipes)  

 Suja ( Kitchen Corner Try It)

 Archana  ( Tangy Minds)

 Reshmi  ( EasY Cook)

 Prathibha ( Cook Ezee)   

Sweatha ( Tasty Curry leaf)

Priya R ( Cook Like Priya)

Vidhya (  A Portion to Share)

Usha Rao ( My Spicy Kitchen)

Divya Prakash( Divya’s Culinary Journey)

Swasthi Blank ( Swasthi The Health Freak)

Sanoli Ghosh ( Sanoli’s Kitchen)

                                                       Swathi ( Zesty South Indian Kitchen)

Papaya Milkshake

Papaya, a rich source of main essential healthy nutrients,digestive and medicinal properties.The fruit contains low in calories and no cholesterol,but a rich source of phyto-nutrients,minerals & vitamins.Papaya contains easily digestible pulp with soluble fiber that helps to have normal bowel movements; thereby reducing constipation.One of the richest source of Vitamin C(immune booster & anti inflammatory actions), Vitamin A(healthy mucus membrane & essential for vision), Vitamin B complex such as folic acid,riboflavin,thiamine & pyridoxine(essential for metabolism) and a rich source of potassium & calcium.My elder son has started using eye glasses since one year and not only him,there are many other kids too whom I know personally using glasses at early ages.And the best part of the story about preparing this shake is that he doesn't like to eat the ripe fruit just in slices,so always prepare it in shakes.This really tastes good if you drink it immediately.After reading so many healthy benefits,who will resist having such a healthy refreshing drink ??:-)

Ingredients
papaya 400g (puree to get 2 cups)
chilled milk 1 cup
sugar as per taste

Method
-Peel the skin,remove seeds and wash the papaya.Slice and blend in a blender without water.
-Add the chilled milk and sugar,blend again.Serve chilled immediately.

Servings ~ 3 glasses

NOTES
* Don't store the drink for long in refrigerator as it leaves a bitter taste at times.Serve immediately when blended.

Sending this to Serve It Blended, Fun in the Sun, Bon Vivant-Sunny Refreshing Drinks

Mussels Roast | Kallumakaya Roast

Mussel is the common name used for the members of several families of clam.The word 'mussel' means the edible bivalves of marine family.Mussels should always be checked if they are still alive just before they are cooked,enzymes quickly break down the meat and make them unpalatable after dying.A simple criterion to check is live mussels shut tightly when in air or disturbed slightly.Open unresponsive mussels are dead and must be discarded.Though I used the frozen meat but still I found this very important for others to know.Though I haven't had this much before, but tried one or twice and liked it.So,sharing the recipe with u guys :-)

Ingredients
to cook
mussels 250 gms
chilly powder 1/2 tsp
turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
salt
to roast
garlic 2 tsp paste
ginger 2tsp paste
onion 2 large sliced
coconut sliced 2tbsp
tomato 2 chopped
green chillies 3
chilly powder 1 1/2 tsp
turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
coriander powder 1 1/2 tsp
pepper powder 1/2 tsp
fennel powder 1/2 tsp
garam masala 1/2 tsp
salt
curry leaves
oil 3 tbsp

Method
-Wash and clean the mussels after removing them from shells.I used the frozen mussels meat so just cleaned them by poking out the black portion of clams,discard the black area and wash the remaining cleaned mussels in running water.Keep aside.
-Cook the mussels in very little water,salt,turmeric powder.
-Heat oil in a pan and fry the coconut pieces slightly browned,then saute the ginger -garlic paste.Add in the onions and saute till lightly golden brown.
-Add in the tomatoes and green chillies.Add the curry leaves.
-Add in all spices at low flame,saute till the raw smell disappears.
-Add the cooked clams(mussels),give a quick toss.
-Let it cook for another 5 minutes until the masala gets coated.
-Serve it hot with rice or idiappam!!

Servings ~ 3 adults


NOTE
* Clams or kakkairachi is the smaller version of mussels.you can prepare the same with those too.Thanx Vineetha for the info.

Sending this to The Kerala Kitchen event hosted by Geetha @ Sun,moon & Potatoes

Tomato Rice

Tomatoes are rich source of antioxidants and so should be incorporated in our daily diet.Tomato rice is nothing but rice cooked with tomatoes,a very simple comfort food.This can be prepared in a jiffy if you want something really fast & easy.This can be prepared using left over rice too.I usually prepare this on some weekends.The rice has a mildly spicy,tangy flavor and a nice color too.I tried the Vahchef's method as it was very simple and delicious.I served it with papadam & potato mezhukuparetti(stir fry).Do try this out on your busy day :-)

Ingredients
basmati rice cooked/ parboiled rice 4 cups(refer notes)
tomatoes 3-4 large
ghee 2 tbsp
red dry chillies 2-3
mustard seeds 1/4 tsp
cumin seeds 1/4 tsp
chana dal 1/2 tsp
urad dal 1/2 tsp
cashews broken 2 tbsp
onion 1/2 chopped
ginger chopped 1 " piece
green chillies 3 chopped
red chilly powder 1/2 tsp
garam masala a pinch(optional)
asafoetida a large pinch
salt
curry leaves

Method
- Wash & cook the rice as per your convenience.Keep aside to cool.(Don't overcook the rice)
- Heat ghee in a pan and fry red dry chillies, splutter mustard seeds.Then crackle the cumin seeds.
- Add the chana dal,fry till slightly brown.Then,add the urad dal,folllowed by broken cashews.Fry them slightly browned.
- Put the shredded ginger and green chillies.Saute lightly.
- Add in the curry leaves,and spices.Add in the onion.Saute till translucent.Add salt.
- Add in the tomatoes.Cook till slightly mashed.Adjust salt.
- Add in the cooked rice & toss well.
- Serve hot !!

Servings~ 3 adults

NOTES
* You can use basmati rice or parboiled rice.I have used parboiled rice, as thats more comfort rice to me.
* You can use cilantro for garnish too!!

Sending this to Spotlight :rice/rotis/pulao/puri

Unniyappam (Sweet Paniyaram) ~ Traditional Kerala Snack !

Unniappam is a traditional Kerala sweet snack which is very familiar among all the Keralites.These are made in the Dutch pan or the south indian paniyaram pan or unniyappam chatti.I love unniappam from childhood days and my favorite now too.Ideally puttu podi is the rice flour used for making unniappam,says my mom.Puttu podi is slightly coarse rice powder with small tid bits in it and its roasted just for 5-7 mins unlike the idiappam or kozhukatta rice flour.But here I tried it with the regular rice flour that we find in stores and also tried another version with ground rice too.The former was soft appams but the latter with ground rice was very very soft ones.I have explained both the versions,Do give this a try whichever suits you better if you have the unniyappam chatti or paniyaram pan !!

Ingredients
1.Using rice flour method
rice flour 1 cup
banana 2 mashed
jaggery 3/4-1 cup(refer notes)
cumin seeds 1/2 tsp
ghee 2 tbsp
coconut pieces 2 tbsp
cardamom powder 3/4 tsp
oil for deep frying
OR
2.Using ground rice-
long grain rice /pachari/plain rice 1 cup
banana 1 mashed
jaggery 3/4-1 cup(refer notes)
cumin seeds 1/2 tsp
ghee 2 tbsp
coconut pieces 2 tbsp
cardamom powder 3/4 tsp
oil for deep frying

Method

1.Using the rice flour method-

- Boil water (1 cup )water in a pan and add the jaggery in it.Boil until the jaggery melts,turn off flame.Strain for impurities and keep aside to cool.

-Heat ghee in a pan and fry the coconut pieces till golden brown.

-Mash the bananas using a fork or blender whichever comfortable.

-Take the rice flour in a bowl,add the jaggery,bananas and make a smooth batter like for dosas.Add in the cumin seeds and cardamom powder.

-Add in the fried coconut pieces along with ghee,mix well to combine.

-Cover and leave to ferment 6-7 hours.I usually leave it overnight like my mom does it too.

-After fermentation,heat the paniyaram pan.Pour oil until 3/4th full and let it heat well on medium heat.

-Check the consistency of batter,and if required add 2 tbsp of milk.Mix well.

-Using a spoon,pour batter in the holes upto 3/4 th full ideally.(But my pan holes were very small,so I filled full)

-You can see the sides getting slightly browned,then using a skewer or fork turn the other side.

-Let that side get cooked & brown too.Remove from flame using the skewer and drain on a paper towel.

-Pour oil into the holes if required for the next batch.Let it heat and then pour the batter.Repeat the same  steps till you finish the batter.

-Serve with tea,Unniyappam stays good for 3-4 days !!

OR

2.Using the ground rice method

-Wash and soak 1 cup of long grain rice(pachari) in water for 4-5 hours.

-Boil about 3/4 cup of water in a bowl and add the jaggery to it.Melt and strain the impurities.Leave to cool.

-Add half of the strained jaggery and soaked rice in a blender/mixer.Grind it until 3/4th done that is you should have some bits of rice in it.

-Add in the bananas and blend once more.

-Remove from blender and add all other ingredients.Repeat all other steps from fermentation to frying just like the above method.

-The last image shows the ones made with this method.

Servings ~ 20-25 appams

NOTES

* Usually palayamkodan banana/mysore banana is used.But In US ,you can use 1 large overripe banana if you are using puttu podi.But I used 2 bananas as the rice flour wasn't puttu podi.

* Some people tend to add baking soda/baking powder,but here I haven't added anything to the batter.Adding baking soda consumes more oil.Leaving overnight helps the batter to ferment nicely.You can see the inside so soft in the last image.
* You can add 2 tbsp of maida too to the batter to make it more soft,but I haven't added that.(Mom's tips)

* Use the dark color jaggery for unniyappam as this gives the nice color.I have used that.

* You can add black sesame seeds (1 tsp)for added flavor and taste.

* The heat should be kept uniform throughout the process on medium heat.If you increase the heat the inside may not cook properly and gets browned faster.If you cook at low flame,the oil consumption will be more.

(Made from ground rice)

Sending this to The Kerala Kitchen event hosted by Geetha @ Sun,moon & Potatoes

Strawberry Popsicle (No Sugar)

Last week was terribly hot out here and so,carries the heat this week too.Summers always demand something refreshing & cool to preserve the fluids and to replenish our energy.Popsicles are liked by all,esp kids.I wished to try the healthy version of popsicles with no added sugar so that everyone could enjoy them.I have added honey and lime juice to make it more flavorful and juicy.This is  a very simple recipe which everyone could make at home,even kids too !!

Ingredients
Strawberry 3 cups hulled and halved
honey 1/2 cup
lemon juice 3tbsp

Method
-Wash and hull the strawberries,chop them into quarters.Blend it in a blender /food processor without water till smooth.(I usually strain the juice to avoid the seeds,you can leave it just like that )
-Add in the honey and lemon juice,blend again.

-Pour in popsicle moulds or in glasses.I tried both,if you are trying in glasses,cover it with a cling wrap or aluminium foil and then poke a ice cream stick.Freeze until sets(about 6 hours).
- Serve chilled !!

Servings ~ 6 popsicles

Sending this to 'Fun in the sun' event,Serve it  event , Bon Vivant -Sunny Refreshing drinks event

Drumstick-Tuna Stir fry/ Thoran

Tuna stir fry with drumstick is a traditional style thoran or stir fry.It tastes delicious with steamed rice.The recipe is very simple and a healthy one as tuna has many good health benefits on our heart.I had this thoran at a friend's place and liked it.So tried it out at home.You can use any other large fishes too,where the fish can be easily separated of bones.Hope everyone enjoys the taste too!!

Ingredients
Tuna -200g(refer notes)
onion 1/2 medium chopped
pearl onion 4-5
coconut grated 1/3 cup
drumstick 8-10 small pieces
green chillies 4-5
garlic 3 pods sliced
turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
kokum/ kodumpuli 2 pieces
mustard seeds 1/2tsp
curry leaves (I didnot add)
oil 3tsp
salt

Method
-Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds.Saute onion and garlic sliced.
-Wash & put the kokum in 1/4 cup water and leave aside for 15 minutes.
-Add the curry leaves and add the tuna after draining the water.(I usually give a rinse too)
-Add in the green chillies and add the spices.
-Slide the coconut grated and drumstick.Add the kokum with water.Cover and cook on low medium heat.
-In between ,uncover the lid and stir to mix .Cover and cook again.it takes about 12 minutes.Dry up the water.
-Serve hot with rice !!

Servings~ 1 bowl

NOTES
* I used the packet one with very little water.You can use the canned or fresh ones.
* I used the frozen packet of drumstick.You can use the fresh drumsticks.

Sending this to The Kerala Kitchen event hosted by Geetha @ Sun,moon & Potatoes