Pickled Mangoes

Overview
Ripe mango slices pickled this way goes very well with grilled chicken or fish. The vinegar and spices compliments the sweet taste of mango here.  This pickle taste better after a day or two and stays in the refrigerator for about 10 days. This is a very good pickle to try with your summer grilling.

Pickled Mangoes

Ingredients
3 ripe mangoes cut in to thin long slices
Whole red dry chilly -4
Whole black pepper -1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Cardamom - 3
Cinnamon stick one big one
Lemon juice of one big lemon
Salt - about 5 teaspoon
Vinegar - 1 cup
Water 1 cup
Sugar - 3 teaspoon

Steps
1. Put the sliced mangoes in a clean pickle jar.

2. To make the brine combine water, vinegar and all other spices with salt and sugar in a pot and bring to boil. Heat for 5 minutes. and turn off the heat.

3. When the prepared brine cools fill the pickle jar with mangoes with the brine to the top. Close lid and store in refrigerator.

Serve with grilled fish or chicken.

Uttapam( Savory Rice & Lentil Pancake)

Overview
Uttapams are made with dosa batter. The dosa batter is mixed with finely chopped red onions, ginger green chillies , curry leaves and tomatoes. Uttapams are made on traditional cast iron griddles. Unlike dosas which are thin and crisp Uttapams are made thick. They go very well with coconut chutney and sambar.



Uttapam

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Ingredients
Plain long grain while rice - 1 cups
Urdu Dal while( Black lentil split) - 1/2 cup
Fenugreek seeds - 1 teaspoon
Red Onions - 1 medium finely chopped
Green chillies - 2  - 3 finely chopped
Tomatoes - cheery tomatoes - 10 finely chopped
Curry leaves - 3 sprigs
Olive oil  to oil the iron griddle
Salt to taste.

Steps
1. Wash the rice and Urdu Dal in several changes of water and soak separately. Add one teaspoon of fenugreek seeds to the rice. Let this soak for about 8 hours

2. In a blender make a thick batter by grinding the rice and Urdu Dal mixture along with the fenugreek seeds.

3. Add salt to the batter and keep this in a warm place overnight to ferment.

4. To the fermented batter add the finely chopped red onions, ginger, green chillies, curry leaves and tomatoes.

5. Heat the dosa griddle. When it gets hot smear some oil on it and then add a spoonful of the batter mixture and spread to a round. Do not spread too much the dosa should be thick.

6. When  bubbles start to come on the sides just like when you make pancakes flip it and brown the other side too.

Serve hot with coconut chutney or sambar. Makes about 10 Uttapams

Chilly Chicken

Overview
A very popular Indo-Chinese dish made through out India. There are different recipes for Chilly chicken with gravy and dry. This is a dry version of Chilly Chicken. You can adjust the  amount of pepper and chilly powder to your taste. Chilly chicken goes very well with Nan or Fried rice.

Chilly Chicken

Ingredients
Chicken breast cut into cubes - 3 pounds
Besan( Chick pea flour) - 1 cup
Egg - 1
Whole Black pepper powder - 1 teaspoon
Cloves powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Cinnamon - 1/2 teaspoon
Soya sauce - 1 Tablespoon
Vinegar - 2 tablespoon
Chilly Powder - 1 teaspoon
Tomatoes finely chopped - 1 1/2 cups
Garlic 6 cloves - finely chopped
Ginger - 2 inch finely chopped
Red Onion chopped into chunks - 2
Green Bell peppers - 2 cut into chunks
Crushed red pepper flakes - 1 tablespoon(optional)
Salt to Taste
Olive oil - 6 tablespoons
Oil to deep fry chicken pieces

Steps
1. Cut the chicken breasts into cubes and keep aside

2. Make a thick batter with besan, chilly powder, pepper powder, cloves and cinnamon powder, salt, vinegar, soya sauce and egg.

3. Marinate the prepared chicken pieces in this batter for  about 1 -3  hours in refrigerator.

5. Heat oil to deep fry the chicken pieces. When the oil gets hot add the chicken pieces and fry them till golden brown. Keep them aside

4. Heat about 3 tablespoons of oil in a pan. Add the chopped ginger garlic to this and saute till it turns color. Add crushed red pepper flakes, Saute few more minutes and add the chopped tomatoes to this.

5. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt to the tomatoes and cover and cook till the tomatoes and cooked well and gravy is  thickened.

6. IN another pan heat 3 tablespoons of oil and saute the Red onions and Bell peppers for till the onions are just soft. Do not over do them.

7. Add the fried chicken to the prepared tomato sauce and mix well. Add the sauteed green pepper and onions and mix well

Serve hot with Nan or Fried rice.

Masala Vada

Overview
Masala Vada or Parippu Vada is a traditional South Indian snack . You will find the street vendors selling this through out Kerala. Channa Dal(Split chick pea) is used for this Vada.

Masala Vada

Ingredients
Channa Dal - 2 cups
Red Onions - 2 small ones chopped finely
Ginger 2 inches finely chopped
Green chillies - 3 finely chopped
Curry leaves - 3 sprigs finely chopped
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying the Vadas

Steps
1. Wash and soak the Dal is plenty of water over night.

2. In a food processor coarsely grind the soaked Dal with out water.

3. Add the finely chopped onions, green chillies, ginger and curry leaves to this mix well. Add salt to taste and mix again.

4. Heat oil for deep frying vada in a pan. When the oil is hot make the Vedas. Take a lemon size ball of the Dal mixture. Flat it with your hand and add this slowly to the hot oil.

5. Fry both sides till they are golden brown.

Serve hot. Makes about 15 Vada's.

Pavakka Thoran (Bitter Melon dry Curry)

Overview
Pavakka  or Bitter melon as the name sounds is a very bitter vegetable. But made this way with lots of onions reduces the bitterness and gives this dish a nice flavor. This is a good side dish to have with rice and other curries.

Ingredients
Pavakka  or bitter melon - 4 small ones
Red Onion - 2 medium ones finely chopped
Green chilly - 3 finely chopped
Curry leaves 2 sprigs
Turmeric - 1/4 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Fresg grated coc conut - 1/2 cup(optional)
Salt to taste
Olive oil - 3 tablespoon

Steps
1. Clean the Pavvaka remove seeds and finely dice them and keep aside

2. Heat oil in a pan. When the oil is hot add the mustard seeds. When the seeds splutter add the finely chopped red onions, green chillies and curry leaves to it

3. Saute till the onions are soft. add the turmeric powder, finely chopped pavakka and salt to this and mix well. Cover lid and cook for about 6 - 8 minutes till the pavakka is cooked well.

4. Add Fresh grated coconuts and mix well till all liquid has evaporated.

Serve hot with rice and curries.

Gulab Jamun

Overview
Gulab Jamun is a traditional Indian Dessert made with milk powder and sugar syrup. The sugar syrup is flavored with rose essence or cardamom. Here I have flavored the syrup with Cardamom powder. Traditional these are made with thickened or reduced milk and does take a long time to make. This is an easy recipe to make Gulab Jamun with Bisquick pancake mix and milk powder.

Ingredients
Bisquick pancake mix - 1/4 cup
Non Fat milk powder - 1/4 cup
Milk to make the dough
Sugar 2 cups
Water - 2 cups
Cardamom - 6 - 8
Oil for deep frying the Jamuns

Steps
1.To make the sugar syrup add 2 cups sugar to 2 cups water and bring to boil. Add powdered cardamom seeds to this. Let the syrup boil for about 5 minutes and then turn it off.

2. Mix the Bisquick mix and Milk powder well and add the milk to it little at a time to make smooth dough.

3. Oil your hands and make small smooth marble size balls and keep aside.

4. Heat oil for deep drying the dough balls. When the oil is hot put few of the balls at a time and fry then till golden brown all around. Strain oil and keep aside

4. Add the fried dough balls to the syrup.

Makes about 25 Gulab Jamuns.

Serve hot or cold. Goes well cold with Vanilla ice cream

Ripe Mango Curry ( Mambazha Pullissery)

Overview
This is a very common Kerala Dish made with ripe mangoes. It has this special sweet and sour taste. The sweet taste from the ripe luscious mangoes and the sour taste from the yogurt makes this dish a very good side dish for plain white rice. A similar Pullisery can be made with pineapple too.

Mambazha Pullissery

Ingredients
Ripe mango - 2
Red chilly powder - 1 teaspoon
Fresh grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Cumin - 1 teaspoon
Garlic - 2 cloves
Yogurt - 1 cup
Turmeric - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Olive oil - 3 teaspoon

For Garnish
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Whole red chillies broken to pieces - 4
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs

Steps
1. Skin  and cut the mangoes to small pieces.

2. Cook the mango pieces in 1/2 cup water, red chilly powder and salt. Cook for about 6 - 8 minutes till the mangoes are cooked well.

3. Grind the coconut with the garlic, turmeric and cumin seeds to a smooth paste.

4. Mix the ground coconut to the cooked mangoes and turn on the heat and bring it to a boil. Turn off the heat and keep it aside till it cools.

5. Beat the yogurt well with about 1/2 cup water. Add this yogurt to the cooked mangoes(after it has cooled . If it is hot the yogurt would curdle) and mix well.

6. Heat oil in pan. When the oil is hot add the mustard seeds till it splutters. Add the cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, whole red chillies and curry leaves. Saute few minutes and add this to the mango curry.

Serve this with plain white rice.