CHICKEN CUTLET

Ingredients:-
Chicken - 1/2 kg (tender breast pieces)
Onion - 1 Big
Ginger - 1 tbsp (chopped)
Garlic - 1 tbsp (chopped)
Green Chillies - 3 nos (chopped)
Potato - 1 big
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Chicken masala - 1/4 tsp
Garam masala - 1 tbsp
Pepper powder - 1 tsp
Egg - 2 nos (big)
Salt - to taste
Oil - For frying

Method:-
Clean the chicken pieces and cut them into small pieces. Cook it with a pinch of turmeric powder and 1/4 tsp of pepper powder. Once cooked, allow it to cool. Mince the cooked chicken in a mincer and keep it aside.

In a vessel, boil our potato with a pinch of turmeric powder till its well cooked. Peel the potato and once cooled, mash it and keep it aside.

In a pan, heat 3 tbsp of oil, to this add our finely chopped onion, ginger, garlic, and green chillies. Saute it until the onion gets a golden brown color. To this, add 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder, 1 tsp of chilli powder, 1 tsp of pepper powder, 1/4 tsp of chicken masala, 1 tbsp of garam masala powder, and salt. Saute till the raw smell is gone. To this, add our minced meat and cook until the whole water content has evaporated.

In a bowl, mix the above chicken masala and  mashed potato and mix it well. Make small balls and flatten them with the palm of your hands. Dip them in whisked egg and then in bread crumbs. Fry them until golden brown or as you prefer.

Serve them hot with ketchup or any sauce you prefer.

Note:-
1). Use coconut oil or ghee for best results.
2). If you don't want it to be too spicy, you can avoid the green chillies.
3). You can add coriander leaves as well for taste.

Mathanga Parippu Curry/Pumpkin Dal Curry

Ingredient:-
Mathanga/Pumpkin - 150gm
Dal - 1 cup
Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup
Coconut milk - 4 cups
Powdered Cumin Seeds - Little less than a 3rd of a tsp
Pearl Onions - 8 nos
Green chilli - 2 nos (if you want it spicy increase the number of chillies)
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 2 stands
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Ghee/Oil - 1/2 tbsp

Method:-
Clean and cut the pumpkin into small pieces. Wash the dal. Pressure cook both dal and pumpkin together with a pinch of turmeric powder in coconut milk. Let cook for 3-4 whistles on low heat.

In a pan, heat 2 tbsp of coconut oil. Add curry leaves, pearl onion, and green chillies. Once the onions become golden brown, add cumin powder and turmeric powder. Saute it for a min. Add grated coconut to this mixture and cook for another minute. To this, add our mashed pumpkin and dal. Add salt to taste and cook until your desired consistency is achieved. To this, add 1/2 tbsp of ghee or oil and switch off the flame.

Serve hot with rice.

Note: -I use coconut oil because of the rich flavor, but you can use any other cooking oil you prefer.

Yummy Pancakes

Ingredients:-
All purpose flour - 1 cup
Baking powder - 1 tbsp
Sugar - 1 tbsp
Egg - 1 nos
Milk - 3/4 cup
Carbonated water - 1/2 cup (Optional)
Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp
Unsalted Melted Butter - 2 tbsp
Salt - 2 pinch

Method:-
First sieve the flour and baking powder together. In another bowl, whisk the egg. To this, add milk, carbonated water, salt, sugar, vanilla essence, and melted butter. Now, add the milk mixture into our flour and make a lump-free paste and keep it aside for 20-30 minutes.

Heat a pan and once the pan is hot enough, simmer the flame. Now, pour one ladle full of our batter onto the hot pan and cook until you can see the bubbles appear, now flip them and cook the other side as well.

Serve hot with Hershey's Caramel Syrup. This combo works superbly.......................

Note:- I found a recipe from the internet which said using carbonated water could help your pancakes become fluffy and super soft, so just give it a try.

Easy Mathi (Sardine) Curry

Ingredients:-
Mathi (Sardine) - 8 nos
Pearl onions - 15 nos
Green chilli - 1 or 2 (optional)
Ginger chopped - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 2 strands
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Chilli powder - 2 tsp (Kashmiri)
Thin coconut milk - 3 cups
Thick coconut milk - 1 cup
Kudampuli (Gambooge) - 2 pieces
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste

Method:-
First clean and wash the sardine in a mixture of salt and vinegar, then wash it with water. Make some small gashes on it and keep it aside.

Make a mixture of 2 tsp of chilli powder and 1 tsp of turmeric powder by mixing it with water to form a slightly thin creamy paste and keep it aside.

Clean and soak 2 pieces of gambooge/kudampuli in 1/2 a cup of water and keep it aside.

Now, in a pan heat 2 tbsp of oil. To this, add chopped pearl onions, chopped ginger, curry leaves, and green chillies. Saute it till the onions become transparent. To this, add our chilli and turmeric mixture and saute till oil starts to separate. Now, add 3 cups of thin coconut milk (i use eastern coconut milk powder) and allow it to boil. To this, add our fish, kudampuli/gambooge along with the water, and salt to taste. Simmer the flame, cover and cook until the fish gets done and the gravy starts to thicken. Now, add 1 cup of thick coconut milk, stir and switch off the flame. Do not allow it to boil once you have added the thick coconut milk.

Serve it hot with rice, chapati, boiled chembu/colocasia, kappa, etc.....

Yummy Chicken Biryani (My Ammas Recipe)

Ingredients:-

FOR RICE:-
Biryani Rice - 3 big cups
Cinnamon Stick - 6 nos
Cloves - 8 nos
Cardamom - 12 nos
Ghee/Oil - 3 tbsp
Water - 6 big cups
Salt - To taste
Lemon juice of half a lemon

FOR CHICKEN GRAVY:-
Chicken - 1 kg
Onion - 4 big ones
Ginger paste - 2 tbsp
Garlic paste - 2 tbsp
Green chilli paste- paste of 5 chillies
Coriander powder - 11/2 tsp
Chilli Powder - 1 tsp (kashmiri)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Fennel seed powder (perumjeerakam)- 1/4 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tbsp
Coriander Leaves - 1 cup
Celery - 1/4 cup
Salt - To taste
Ghee/Oil - 2 tbsp
Curd (thick curd) - 1 cup
Water - 1 cup

FOR GARNISHING AND LAYERING:-
Onion - 2 big ones
Cashew nut - 1 cup
Coriander leaves - 1 cup
Celery - 1/2 cup
Mint leaves - 1/2 cup
Ghee/Oil - 1-1/2 tbsp

Method:-

FOR RICE:-
First wash and keep aside the rice to drain for at least 15 minutes. In a vessel, place 6 cups of water and allow it to boil . Heat 3 tbsp of ghee/oil in another pot and add cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon. Once it starts to crack or when you get the aroma of the masala, add our drained rice to it and stir until the rice starts to crack. Now, pour the boiling water into the rice along with the juice of half a lemon and salt to taste. Cover and cook in a low flame until the rice is cooked and the water is dried. Spread it in a tray and keep it aside.

FOR CHICKEN GRAVY:-
First, cut and clean the chicken pieces and keep it aside to drain. Now, in a tawa, add 2 tbsp of ghee/oil and add ginger, garlic, and chilli paste. Saute for around 10 minutes and to this add 4 thinly sliced onions and saute till they turn transparent. To this, add 11/2 tsp of coriander powder, 1 tsp of chilli powder, 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder, 1/4 tsp of fennel seed powder and 1 tbsp of garam masala powder. Cook until the raw smell has gone. Now add 1 cup of thick curd to the masala and mix well. Add 1/2 a cup of water and chicken pieces into this. Add salt to taste. Cover and cook. Once the chicken pieces are cooked and the gravy starts to thicken, add 1 cup of chopped coriander and 1/2 cup of celery, mix well and switch off the flame.

FOR GARNISHING AND LAYERING:-
IN a pan , heat 11/2 tbsp of ghee. To this, add 1 cup  of chopped cashes and fry it until golden brown. Transfer it into a plate and keep it aside. Add 2 big thinly sliced onions into the same pan and fry till it turns dark brown in color. Switch off the flame and remove it into a plate.

In a dish, spread some ghee and start layering with a layer of chicken gravy topped with chopped coriander, chopped celery, chopped mint, fried onions, and fried cashews and on top of it, place a layer of rice. Repeat the process until the masala and rice is finished. The top layer should be of rice topped with chopped coriander leaves, mint leaves, celery, fried onions, and fried cashews. Bake it in an oven at 360 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Serve hot.

DOSA/IDILI BATTER

Ingredients:-
Idly Rice (or pachari)- 2 cups
Urad Dal (Uzhunne) - 1 cup
Cooked Rice - 1 cup
Fenugreek Seeds (Uluva) - 1/2 tsp
Water - As required

Method:-
Wash idly rice, urad dal, and fenugreek seeds. Soak them together or separately for at least 6 hours. In a mixer grinder grind the rice, urad dal, and fenugreek seeds by adding little water at a time. To this mixture, add 1 cup of cooked rice and grind it together until smooth. Keep the batter aside in a warm place for 10 - 12 hours for it to rise.


To make idly, add salt to taste and water only if the batter is too thick. Grease the idly pan with oil, so that the idly doesn't stick to the pan. Pour the mixture into the idly pan and steam it for 10-12 mins. Sprinkle little water while removing, so that it will come out easily.


To make dosa, the batter shouldn't be too thick, it should be easy to pour. Add salt to taste. Take a laddle full of dosa batter and add it to the dosa tawa or pan and keep spreading in circular outward motion. Cover and cook until slightly browned. You can add ghee while making dosa, it gives a really yummy and crispy dosa.

Easy Peechinga and Chemmeen Ularthu ((Ridge Gourd/Sponge Gourd)

Ingredients:-
Peechinga (Ridge Gourd/Sponge Gourd) - 2 (medium size)
Chemmeen (Shrimp) - 8 nos (medium size)
Pearl Onion/Onion - 10 nos/1 medium size
Chilly Powder - 1 tsp (If you want it to be spicy increase the amount of chilly powder or add green chillies)
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Curry Leaves - 2 strands
Oil - 2 tbsp
Water - 1/2 a cup
Salt - To taste

Method:-
Clean and cut peechinga into small cubes.
Peel, clean, and cut the shrimps.

In a pot mix peechinga, chemmeen, pearl onion/onion, chilly powder, turmeric powder, curry leaves, oil, water, and salt. Cover and cook on a medium flame stirring occasionally until the oil starts to separate. Serve hot with rice.

Yummy Chicken Sausage Pasta with Cheesy White Sauce

Ingredients:-
Pasta - 400 mg pack
Sausage - 6 nos (slice into small strips)
Salt - to taste
Water - 5 cups
Oil - 1 tbsp
Butter/oil - 1 tbsp

Ingredients (White Sauce):-
Milk - 3 cups
Butter (melted)/Oil - 3 tbsp
Onion - 1/2
Cloves - 4 nos
All purpose flour - 1 tbsp
Cheese - 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese (optional)
Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Salt - As per taste

Method:-
In a saucepan, boil 5 cups of water with 1/2 tsp of salt. To the boiling water add 1 tbs of oil and pasta, cover and cook. Once the pasta is cooked, drain the remaining water and keep it aside. Chop the sausages and slightly fry it in either butter or oil. Now mix the cooked pasta with the sausages.

Method (White Sauce):-
In a saucepan heat 3 cups of milk with 1/2 of an onion and 4 cloves over medium heat, do not boil. In a separate bowl, mix the flour and melted butter/oil together. Add a small spoonful of the warmed milk at a time, whisking until the mixture is runny and smooth. Once the mixture gets thin, add the remaining milk and transfer the content into the saucepan. To this, add 1/2 tsp of pepper powder and cook over medium heat whisking constantly. When the mixture starts to become thick, add grated cheese. Check for salt and add if required. Turn off the heat at desired consistency. Remember that the sauce tends to thicken a bit more once it cools.

Our sausage pasta with cheesy white sauce is ready to be served.

SIMPLE AND EASY OOTHAPPAM

Ingredients:-
Dosa Batter - To make one big dosa

Topping:-
Onion - 1 small
Tomato -  1 small
Tomato ketchup - 1/2 tsp
Green Chilli - 1 nos
Salt - To taste

Coconut oil - 1/4 tsp
Salt - To taste

Method:-
Make ready your dosa batter by adding desired amount of salt. The batter should be of medium consistency.

For the topping, finely chop the onion, tomato, green chilly and mix it with a bit of salt and keep it aside.

Heat a frying pan by slightly greasing it with oil, so that the batter doesn't stick to the pan. Once the pan is hot, simmer the flame and pour the batter (make sure not to spread it too much). Now, spread the tomato ketchup on top of it with the help of a spoon. On top of it, spread the toppings that we had kept aside. Cover and cook until done.

(I prefer to cook both sides)

MUTTA THORAN

Ingredients:-

Egg - 4 nos

Pearl Onion - 15 nos

Kashmiri Chilli Powder - 1 tsp (If you want it spicy, use regular chilli powder)

Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp

Tomato - 1 small

Curry Leaves - 1 strand

Grated Coconut - 1/2 a cup

Coconut Oil - 2 tbsp (You can use any cooking oil)

Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Salt - As per taste

Method:-

Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds. To this add curry leaves and chopped pearl onions. Once the pearl onions become transparent, add the grated coconut and fry until a light golden color appears. Now turn the flame low and add 1/4 tsp of salt, 1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder and 1/4 tsp turmeric powder. Once the raw smell of the masala has gone, add chopped tomato and cook until the oil starts to separate. Break the eggs into a bowl, no need to beat the eggs, and add it into the mixture stirring constantly  making sure no lumps are formed. Remove from fire once the eggs are cooked. Serve hot with rice.

BANANA AND EGG APPAM (This is a yummy recipe i made for my little one)

Ingridients:-
Ripe kerala banana (Ethappazhum) - 1 nos
Egg Yolk or Whole Egg - 1 nos (I used only egg yolk since my little one is only 10 months)
Sugar - 1 tbsp or as per your taste
Coconut Oil/Ghee - 1 tsp
Cardamom - a pinch

First peel and slice the banana and keep it aside. Place a non-stick pan and add 1/2 tsp of coconut oil/ghee and fry the sliced banana on low flame until it becomes tender. Remove from heat and allow it to cool. In a bowl mash the cooked banana using a spoon or fork and mix it along with the egg yolk or whole egg. Make a smooth mixture and to this add 1 tbsp of sugar and a pinch of cardamom. Cook this mixture in the same frying pan using the remaining ghee/coconut oil for a minute or so, until the egg gets cooked. Cook both sides evenly and serve.