Cracked Wheat Paysam

Overview
Paysam is a traditional South Indian delicacy made for all festive occasions. I made this paysam for Onam. There are wide varieties of paysam  made with different ingredients. Here I have used Cracked wheat which has a nutty flavor. Paysams are mainly divided into two categories    - white paysams made with plain white sugar and brown paysams made with jaggery . I used molasses instead of jaggery which is a good substitute.

Cracked Wheat Paysam

Ingredients
Cracked wheat - 1/2 Cup
Molasses - 1 cup
Ghee(clarified butter - 4 tablespoons)
Fresh grated Coconut  for coconut milk about - 3 cups
( first milk - 1 cup+ second and third milk  combined 3 cups)
Cashews - a handful
Raisins - a handful
Cumin powdered - 1/2 teaspoon
Dry ginger powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Making coconut milk

1. Combine the fresh grated coconut with warm water and grind in a blender for few minutes. Squeeze out the coconut and strain the coconut milk. this is the first milk

2. Repeat again with the same coconut adding more warm water and grinding again in the blender for the second and third milk.

Strain out the coconut milk and keep aside.

Steps
1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the ghee is a heavy bottom pan. Add the cracked wheat and roast them for few minutes till the wheat turns dark brown and nice roasted aroma comes.

2. Add the Molasses to the roasted cracked wheat and keep mixing it till the wheat absorbs the molasses.

3. Take 1/4 cup of the second milk and mix the cumin and ginger powder in it and keep aside.

4. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of ghee in a pan and fry the cashews and golden raisins in it and keep aside

3. Add the 3 cups of second and third milk to the wheat and mix well with a spoon mixing it continuously till the milk boils and evaporates to become almost half. Add the  cumin and dry ginger powder mixed with coconut milk to this.

4. Bring the whole paysam to a boil. Turn off heat

5. Add the first coconut milk and the fried cashew and raisins to this. Mix well


Serve hot or at room temperature as a dessert

Beef and Koorka

Overview
One of my favorite dishes that my mom used to make. Koorka(Chinese potato) with beef is very delicious and unique combination. Since fresh koorka is hard to find here I have used frozen Koorka. Cleaning fresh Koorka is time consuming and tedious but the end results of using fresh Koorka is definitely worth it, so do use it whenever you get fresh Koorka.  The pleasant aroma that comes when Koorka is cooked with beef and all the spices is mouth watering.

Beef and Koorka

Ingredients
Beef  - 2 pounds
Koorka - 1 pound
Shallots  6- 8 thin sliced
Green chilly - 4  - 6 split at center length wise
Curry leaves 2 sprigs
Ginger 2 inch piece thin sliced
Chilly powder - 1 teaspoon
Coriander powder - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Salt to taste

To Garnish
Olive oil - 4 tablespoons
Red onions thin slices - One medium
Garlic 6 - 8 cloves - thin sliced
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Chilly powder - 1 teaspoon
Coriander powder - 2 tablespoons

For Garam Masala powder
Whole black pepper - 1/2 teaspoon
Cardamom - 1
Cloves - 2
Cinnamon - 1 inch piece
Fennel seeds - 1 teaspoon
Star anise - 2 small pieces

Steps
1. Chop the beef into even size cubes. Wash and drain and keep aside.

2. Grind all the garam masala ingredients to a smooth powder and keep aside.

3. In a pressure cooker combine the beef with thin sliced shallots, ginger, green chillies, curry leaves, chilly powder, coriander powder, turmeric and salt with 1/4 cup water. Mix well and cook till one whistle.

4. Open the cooker and add the Koorka to the beef mix well and cook till the Koorka is cooked well. Turn off heat and keep aside.

5. Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan. When the oil gets hot add the sliced onions and garlic for garnish to it. Saute till the onions are light brown. Add the chilly powder, coriander powder and the ground masala powder saute few minutes. Add the curry leaves to this. Saute few more minutes and then add the cooked beef and koorka to this.

6. Saute well till all liquid has evaporated.

Serve hot with Plain rice.

Onam Special

Overview
Onam is biggest and the most important festival of Kerala. It is the harvest festival of Kerala celebrated with joy and enthusiasm all over the state by all communities. It is a ten day long festival. The most important part of the Onam celebration is the Onasadya. I love making all the Onam dishes for my family. Below are the dishes I made for this Onam. I have the recipe of all the dishes I made in my blog.

Onam Special Dishes

Onasadya that I made
Rice
Sambhar
Avial
Ellissery
Pavakka mezhukupuratti
Kalan
Pachadi
Pulli Ingi
Unni pappadam
Uppari
Paysam

Banana Bread

Overview
Whenever I have over ripe bananas at home I try to make this banana bread which is moist and delicious. My boys love them. Walnuts adds the nutty flavor and texture to this bread. Mashed ripe bananas keep this bread moist. This is pretty easy to make and I mix all ingredients with hand.

Banana Bread

Ingredients
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup( 1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
3 very ripe bananas peeled and mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 cup chopped walnuts

Steps
1. Heat the oven to 350 degree. Grease a loaf pan and keep aside

2. Mix all the dry ingredients - flour, salt, baking powder.

3. Add the eggs to this and mix well . Next add the mashed banana ,vanilla essence and butter. Mix well.

4. Add the walnuts and mix well.

5. Pour the dough into the loaf pan and bake at 350 for about 30 - 40 minutes or till a tooth pick inserted in the middle part of the bread comes our clean.

Serve at room temperature.

Pomfret Curry (Avoli Curry)

Overview
Pomfrets are very common fish in India. They look kind of like the butter fish. They come in two kinds big black ones and small while ones. Here I have used the small while Pomfrets. This dish is made Kerala style with the Kerala tamarind and coconut milk.

Pomfret Curry

Ingredients
Pomfrets about 5 palm size ones
Shallots /red Onions - Thin sliced - 4 tablespoons
Ginger 3 inch piece thin sliced
Green chilly split at center length wise - 4 - 6
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Kerala Tamarind - 4 thin slices soaked in warm water
Chilly powder - 2 tablespoons
Coriander powder - 1 tablespoon
Turmeric - 1/4 teaspoons
Fresh Grated coconut - 1 1/2 cup
Salt to taste

To Garnish
Olive oil - 3 tablespoons
Shallots  thin sliced - 4 tablespoons
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs

Steps
1. Clean the fish well and make gashes on its sides with a sharp knife. Cut each fish into two pieces. Keep aside.

2. Wash and soak the Kerala tamarind in warm water.

3. Squeeze out fresh coconut milk from the 1 1/2 cup fresh grated coconut using one cup warm water. keep aside.

3. Mix the thin sliced shallots, ginger, green chillies, turmeric, chilly powder  and coriander powder with salt , tamarind and one cup water. Heat this mixture in a pan and bring to a boil.

4. Add the cleaned fish pieces to this and bring it to boil again. simmer and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the coconut milk and bring to boil. Turn off heat.

5. In another pan heat the olive oil. When the oil gets hot add the thin sliced shallots to it. Saute till the onions get golden brown. Add the curry leaves to this and turn off the heat.

6. Pour this over the prepared fish curry.

Serve hot with plain rice.

Spinach and Dal

Overview
This is one on my favorite dish that my mother used to make. Fresh coconut ground to a smooth paste and mixed with Dal and spinach adds a unique flavor to this curry. This curry is garnished with mustard seeds, cumin, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves and red whole chillies which adds a very pleasant mouth watering aroma to this dish.

Spinach and Dal

Ingredients
Toor Dal - 1/2 cup
Spinach leaves - a bunch
fresh grated coconut - 1/2 cup
turmeric - 1/4 teaspoon
Chilly powder - 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste

To Garnish
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Mustard seeds - 11 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Red whole chillies broken to pieces - 3
Olive oil - 3 tablespoons

Steps
1. Wash and drain the spinach leaves. Chop finely and keep aside.

2. Wash and cook the Dal with 2 cups water in a pressure cooker till the Dal is cooked well. Add the chopped spinach to this along with salt and chilly powder. Bring to boil.

3. Grind the fresh grated coconut with turmeric to a smooth paste add this to the cooked Dal and spinach and bring it to a boil. Turn off heat.

4. In another dish heat the oil. When the oil is hot add the mustard seeds. When the seeds splutter add the fenugreek and cumin seeds. add the broken red chillies and curry leaves to the oil. saute and then add this to the cooked Dal and spinach.

Serve hot with rice or chapati.

Cheera Thoran ( Spinach Curry)

Overview
Spinach is a nutrient dense food good for your health. A rich source of vitamin A, C and iron. Fresh spinach cooked this way is a special treat. This dish can be served with rice or chapati. I did get this fresh spinach from the farmers market.

Cheera Thoran

Ingredients
Fresh spinach leaves - 2 pounds
Garlic 4 cloves finely chopped
Red onion one medium size finely chopped
Red pepper f;lakes one tablespoon
Turmeric - 1/4 teaspoon
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Fresh grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Salt to taste
Olive oil - 3 tablespoons

Steps
1. Wash the spinach leaves in plenty of water and let the water drain well. Chop finely and keep aside.

2. Heat the oil in a heavy bottom pan. When the oil gets hot add the red onion and garlic to it

3. Saute till the onions are light brown. Add the turmeric and red pepper flakes. Saute few more minutes  and add curry leaves.

4. Add the chopped spinach to this and mix well. cover lid and cook. Remove lid and  saute till all after is evaporated. add the salt and fresh grated coconut to this and mix well.

Serve hot as a side with rice or chapati.