Vettu cake/Fried cake

Vettu cake is one lovely snack found in all small thattukadas in kerala. I love making it at home. We cherish it with lots of school and college memories. It is my son's favourite too. Have it with hot steaming tea. :)

You need

• All purpose flour - 1 cup
• Baking powder - 1 tsp
• Sugar - 1/4 cup
• Egg - 1
• Cardamom - 3 
• Oil for deep frying

Method   

• Powder sugar along with cardamom seeds well.
• Sieve together maida and baking powder.
• Beat egg
• Mix together the maida, baking powder, sugar and cardamom.
• Add beaten egg little by little until you get a perfect dough.
• Keep aside for 10 minutes
• Roll the dough into a long cylindrical shape and cut into small pieces as shown
• Make a deep cross cut on each piece

• Heat oil
• Put the cut face of the dough down first into the oil.
• Deep fry until golden brown.

Mango cake

A very easy and quick cake. It is eggless too. We enjoyed having this during tea time. I got the batter for the size of 19.5 cm x 9.5 cm loaf pan. 

 You need

• Mango puree - 1 cup
• Maida (All purpose flour) - 1 cup
• Baking powder - 1 tsp
• Sugar - 1/2 cup (powdered) (Increase if you need it more sweet)
• Oil - 1/3 cup

Method

• Puree the mango without adding water. Keep aside
• Sieve together all purpose flour and baking powder. Keep aside. 
• In a bowl beat together powdered sugar and oil until they're well blended
• Into this add mango puree and blend well
• Fold in the flour mix slowly into the above mango mix.
• If the batter is thick loosen by adding little milk. 
• Pour into a buttered baking dish and bake at 150 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Sprouted Moong Gram Stuffed Paratha

I had some sprouted moong gram and was not in a mood to make any salad. Tried these healthy parathas and it tasted very nice. It is an easy recipe with not much ingredients and can be put in a category of healthy lunch box ideas. Do try

 You need

• Sprouted moong gram - 1 cup
• Ginger - a small piece chopped
• Green chilli - 2 chopped
• Onion - 1 small chopped
• Coriander leaves - 1  bunch chopped
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Wheat flour - 2 cups
• Water as required 
• Salt to taste
• Oil for sauteeing

Method

• Make a dough out of wheat flour adding required amount of water. Keep aside.
• Cook sprouted moong gram adding enough salt. Keep aside (avoid over cooking)
• Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan. Add chopped ginger, green chilli and onion.
• Saute until it turns light brown.
• Add turmeric powder and salt (remember you've cooked sprouts with salt).
• Saute and add moong gram sprouts. Mix well and add chopped coriander leaves. 
• Stir fry on low flame for 5 minutes and switch off. 

• Make a lemon size ball out of the dough prepared earlier. 
• Make a small hole in the center and spoon 1 tbsp of sprout mix. Cover the hole with dough
• Roll out into a circle and put on hot tawa.
• Add ghee or oil and cook both sides until done. 

Chocolate Mousse in Chocolate Cups

Hey I saw this here and was super excited to try. The chocolate cups turned out well. I made a simple eggless mousse to fill the cups. The choco cups with mousse are so divine that you're sure to drown. Why waiting?. Make it for your family and enjoy. I used muffin cups to make the choco cups, but would prefer cupcake sizes next time. It is too rich. A lovely dessert which will surely get you claps. In the original recipe they've asked to use semi sweet chocolate. I used a mix of milk and dark chocolate. The below will get you 3 to 4 muffin size cups

For chocolate cups
You need

• Milk chocolate - 50 gm
• Dark chocolate - 50 gm

Method

• Line muffins cups with paper liners
• Melt chocolate using double boiling method. The bottom of the bowl shouldn't touch the boiling water.
• Stir continuously
• When the chocolate has completely melted and is smooth, spoon into muffin liners
• Using a pastry brush, brush chocolate over bottom and sides to coat evenly
• Place the coated cups in muffin tray and freeze them for 30 minutes or until firm
• Give a second chocolate coating to each cup in the inside and freeze until completely set.
• Once set peel off the muffin liners very carefully
• Cover and keep frozen until use

For mousse
You need

• Chocolate chips - 100 gms (I used a mix of white and milk chocolate chips)
• Cream - 170 gms
• Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
• Sugar (as required) - I didn't use

Method

• Beat cream with powdered sugar until you get soft peaks
• Melt chocolate chips using a double boiler.
• When it has completely melted and is smooth, allow its temperature to drop a bit. It should be warm.
• Fold the beaten cream into the melted chocolate and beat well.
• Pour into the chocolate cups and freeze for atleast one hour before serving. :) 

Award time

Tisa of Blessings from My Kitchen shared the below award with me. Each award is a great inspiration and push to go forward. Go and visit Tisa's space. It is a wonderful space to be in. Not only her recipes and snaps but her write ups are also too good. Thank you Tisa for remembering and sharing this award with me.

Rules of The Award:

1. Display the blog award.
2. Create a link to the site that nominated you. 
3. Write 7 random facts about yourself 
4. Display the links of the blogs you love and pass on the award.

Skipping the third rule as I've already done it twice. :)

Passing on this award to

Sangeetha of Spicy Treats

Suja of Kitchen corner

Julie of Erivum Puliyum

Avika of Variety is the Spice

Pratibha of Cook-ezee

Shabnam of Shabbu's Tasty Kitchen

Congratulations and do share this award!

Also I got the below one in the category Healthy dish for Julie's event EP series at Surabhi's space

My entry was Minty Baked Chicken drumsticks

Rava Idli with Coriander chutney

Rava Idli is a quick simple idli. It makes life so easy. I love this because you get a flavourful idli in a jiffy. This doesn't require any fermentation. You can make the batter and use it then itself. Enjoy the weekends with this super fast idlis

Rava Idli
You need

• Rava/Semolina - 1 cup
• Curd - 1 cup
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Baking soda - 1 tsp
• Urid dal - 1 tsp
• Asafoetida - 1 pinch
• Oil for sauteeing
• Salt to taste

 Method

• Heat oil in a thick bottomed vessel
• Add mustard seeds. When it starts spluttering add cumin seeds. Saute for a few seconds
• Add urid dal and saute until light brown. 
• Add rava into the above mix. Saute for 2 minutes and switch off the flame. Allow it to cool 
• Mix together curd and baking soda.
• When the rava is cool, add the curd mix, asafoetida & salt. Blend well.
• If required add little water to get a pourable consistency. It shouldn't be too loose. 
• Pour the batter into idli pathram and steam for 10-15 minutes

Coriander chutney

You need

• Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
• Shallots - 2
• Ginger - a small piece
• Green chilli - 2
• Coriander leaves - 1 bunch
• Salt to taste

Method

Grind together all ingredients in a mixie and temper with the below ingredients (I usually don't like tempering this chutney and have skipped it here)

Tempering

1. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
2. Shallots - 2 sliced
3. Oil - 2 tsp

Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. When it starts bursting add shallots and saute until golden brown.
Add to the chutney

Moong gram dosa/Pesarattu

We love to have this wonderful andhra breakfast. It is so easy to make and lovely to taste. The batter is a ready to use one and there is no need for fermentation. My son loves the green colour and likes to have it by himself. I read that spicy ginger chutney goes well with it. Here I've tried our simple chutney. It also goes well with it. I like to grind all ingredients together rather than adding the coriander leaves and shallots after grinding the batter. And also love to add loads of coriander leaves while grinding

 You need

• Moong gram - 1/4 kg
• Shallots - 5
• Ginger - a small piece
• Green chilli - 4
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Coriander leaves - a bunch

Method

• Soak moong gram in water for atleast 3 hours.
• After 3 hours grind all ingredients together in a mixie adding enough water to get a dosa batter.
• Place tawa on flame. When it becomes hot pour 2 small laddles of batter on to the tawa. 
• Sprinkle little ghee or oil and turn to the other side when one side is done.
• Take from tawa when both sides are done. 
• Repeat with remaining batter. 

For the chutney

You need

1. Grated coconut - 1 cup
2. Shallots - 2 
3. Ginger (chopped) - 1 tsp
4. Green chilli - 2
5. Salt to taste 

For tempering

• Oil
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Sliced shallots - 1

Method

• Grind together all ingredients from 1 to 4 adding enough water to get a smooth paste.
• Heat a kadai
• Add oil. When hot add mustard seeds
• Add sliced shallots and saute.
• When it turns light brown add the ground coconut paste. If it is too thick add little water and let it simmer for half a minute.
• Switch off 

Puttu and Egg masala

Puttu was my father's favourite breakfast. He liked to have it with banana. But I like to have it with something spicy always. It was puttu and egg masala for breakfast. I was quite confused how to explain puttu making. :) .. Anyway google came to my help. Do google out "puttu maker" if there is anyone who wants to know what a puttu maker is. I used instant puttu flour to make puttu. Otherwise it happens to be lenghty process of soaking rice, grinding it and then dry roasting it. Earlier amma used to do this and pack me lovely white rice puttu flour. Now since we get all kerala things in middle east we avoid that whole workload at home.

For Puttu
You need

• Puttu flour - 2 cups
• Water - 1/4 cup
• Salt to taste
• Grated coconut - 1/2 cup

Method

• Mix salt in water.
• Rub in water little by little into the puttu flour until you get a wet bread crumb like texture.
• Bring the wet flour together and cover it. Keep aside for 30 minutes.
• In a puttu maker, put a handful of grated coconut followed by few spoons of wet flour followed again by grated coconut. Repeat this process till you reach the top. Close with lid and steam for 5-7 minutes.

Note : Here while making puttu I added a little egg masala (recipe below) also along with coconut in between the flour layers. 

For egg masala
You need

• Onion - 1 chopped
• Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Vegetables (carrot/beans/green peas/corn) - 1 cup (diced)
• Tomato - 1 chopped
• Egg - 2 
• Red chilli powder - 2 tsp (increase/decrease acc. to your tolerance)
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Garam masala - 1/2 tsp (optional)
• Salt to taste
• Oil for sauteeing

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Method

• In a thick bottomed vessel heat oil 
• Add ginger-garlic paste and chopped onion. Saute until transparent
• Add all powders and saute until raw smell leaves.
• Add vegetables and saute. Add salt. Cover and cook for 5-6 minutes on low flame. 
• Break the eggs in a vessel. Add salt and beat well
• Add beaten eggs to the vegetables and leave on low flame for another 3 minutes
• After 3 minutes stir and add tomato. Stir fry until 75% of the moisture leaves. 
• Serve hot with puttu.

Idli and Sambhar

Today we had Idli and sambhar for breakfast. My sambhar is a quick one. I've used sambhar powder which we get in market. This makes it more easier to make. I love to temper it with cumin seeds, so have used cumin along with mustard seeds. 

For Idlis

You need

• Urid dal - 1 cup 
• Raw rice - 2 cups
• Cooked rice - a handful
• Salt to taste

Method

• Soak Urid dal and raw rice in water separately for atleast 3 hours
• Grind rice and dal separately. 
• Add cooked rice to raw rice while grinding. 
• Mix together the separately ground batters. Add salt to taste. 
• Keep it overnight to ferment or for atleast 10-12 hrs.
• Pour the batter in idli pathram and steam for 10-15 minutes.

Note: I use a mixie to grind dal and rice. So the above measures are for a mixie user. :)

Sambhar

You need

• Toor dal - 1/2 cup
• Water - 4 cups
• Tomato - 2 medium sized
• Onion - 1 diced into medium size
• Potato - 1 diced
• Carrot - 1 diced
• Cucumber - 1 diced
• Drumstick - 1 cut into small pieces
• Sambhar powder - 3 tsp (we get nirapara sambhar powder here. I use that)
• Kashmiri chilli powder - 1 tsp (Optional)
• Asafoetida (hing) - 1/2 tsp
• Coriander leaves - 1 bunch (I like lots in sambhar)
• Tamarind juice - 1 tbsp  (from a gooseberry size tamarind ball) (Optional)

For tempering 

• Oil as required
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Shallots - 3 sliced
• Dry red chillies - 2

Method

• Soak toor dal in water for 1 hour.
• Put toor dal, diced onion, potato, carrot, tomato and cucumber in pressure cooker with 2 cups of water. Cook for 1 whistle and put the flame on low. Wait for 1 more whistle and switch off the flame. 
• In a frying pan dry roast the sambhar powder and chilli powder (you can avoid if you don't want it spicy) for a minute. Switch off. 
• When the pressure is relieved from the cooker, open it and add powders. Mix well
• Add drumsticks and handbroken coriander leaves.
• Add the remaining 2 cups of water. 
• Check for the tanginess. If you want it more tangy add tamarind juice as required. (I usually don't use tamarind)
• Add asafoetida and mix well. Put on the flame on low and let it simmer for 5-10 minutes.
• Put a frying pan on flame.
• Add oil.
• When oil becomes hot add cumin seeds
• When cumin seeds starts bursting you get a lovely aroma.
• Add fenugreek seeds, sliced shallots and dry red chillies. 
• When they become brown switch off and pour in sambhar which is simmering. 
• Let is simmer for a minute. Switch off and serve with Idlis/dosas

Appam and Chicken curry

I was into snack making for the past few days. I think my blog is totally lacking in the breakfast area. So decided to celebrate "breakfast mela" this whole week. The other reason is I'm totally drained of recipes. My head is not working so I think I'll cling on to lovely breakfasts for a while until I get all my screws tight and my little imaginations and searches starts working. My husband says breakfast is the important meal of the day, so make it as heavy as possible. But I know he is a foodie and wants to enjoy appam, dosa, idli or anything that doesn't bite him backwards. Hope you all are into a beautiful week and off your monday blues. It was appam and chicken curry today for breakfast and I'm sharing it with you all.

For Appam
You need

• Raw rice - 1 cup
• Sugar - 3 tsp + 2 tbsp 
• Yeast - 1 tsp
• Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
• Cooked rice - 1 handful
• Salt to taste

Method 

• Soak the rice in water for 2-3 hrs.
• Grind together the above ingredients with water and make it into a smooth batter.
• I usually use an aluminium pot to pour in the batter. It requires 8-10 hrs for fermentation. Leave overnight for fermentation. In the morning add 2 tbsp of sugar and mix well. Keep it aside for 15 mins. The batter will be ready for making beautiful laced appam. If the batter is too thick you can add a little milk and use

You can a use an appam chatti (readily available in all indian utensil stores) to make round lacy appams........ enjoy!!!!

For chicken curry
You need

• Chicken - 1/2 kg cut into medium pieces
• Chopped ginger - 3 tsp
• Chopped garlic - 3 tsp
• Green chilli - 3 (slit lengthwise)
• Onion - 4 big (sliced)
• Potato - 2 medium sized (cut into cubes)
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1 and 1/2 tbsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
• Thin coconut milk - 2 cups
• Thick coconut milk - 1 cup
• Oil for sauteeing
• Salt to taste

Method

• In a thick bottomed vessel, heat oil.
• Add mustard seeds and let it splutter.
• Add chopped ginger, garlic and slit green chillies.
• Saute until the raw aroma leaves
• Add sliced onions and saute until they become transparent
• Add all your powders. Saute until raw smell goes
• Add potato and chicken pieces and saute for 10 minutes on low flame. 
• Pour in thin coconut milk and add salt to taste. 
• Cover and cook until chicken is done. 
• Add thick coconut milk and let it simmer for 1 minute. 
• Switch off the flame.
• Serve with appams

Bread cups with filling

At times I think we should be named "snack family". Everyday we need something to munch on in the evening. So this is today's teatime snack. It is quite easy to make. Bread cups will be ready in 10 minutes. If you want to make a quick filling, try making a scrambled egg. You can make the filling of your choice. Do try. Have a great weekend. 

You need

• Bread slices - as required
• Oil for brushing

For filling

• Frozen vegetables - 1 cup
• Boneless chicken - 1/2 cup
• Chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
• Tomato sauce - 2 tsp
• Soya sauce - 1 tsp
• Garlic - 1 clove
• Salt as required
• Oil for sauteeing

Method

• Cut circles out of the bread slices.
• Brush some oil on both sides of bread circle and put it in a muffin hole
• Bake at 150 degree celsius for 10 minutes. Your cups are ready

For the filling

• Cook boneless chicken and tear into small pieces
• Heat oil in a pan.
• Add chopped garlic. When it turns light brown, add the thawed vegetables and cooked chicken pieces
• Cover and cook for 2 minutes.
• After 2 minutes add chilli powder and pepper powder. Saute. 
• Add tomato sauce and soya sauce. Saute again
• Add salt as required (remember soya sauce contains salt)
• Stir fry for a few minutes until dry

Allow the filling to cool a bit before spooning into the bread cups. It is a yummy starter or a great snack after school.

Water melon-Lemon-Mint Drink

A perfect drink to beat the summer. Water melon as such is a wonderful thirst quencher. The addition of lemon and pudina makes it more refreshing. Enjoy this drink and beat the heat!!

You need

• Water melon flesh - 1 cup (tightly packed)
• Lemon - 1/2 of one small lemon
• Pudina leaves - 3
• Sugar -  as required
• Water - 1/4 cup

Method

• Put all ingredients in a blender and blend well.
• Pour in glass and serve (If you don't like the small tiny bits of pudina, sieve and use. The flavour of pudina won't be lost.)

Broccoli Mushroom Stir fry

It is only recently that we started using broccoli. Actually I didn't know what to make of it until I saw this recipe. It is quite simple and quick. You can serve this with rotis or as a starter too. Yaa a healthy starter. My son likes to pick and eat each piece. Use the dry red chilli flakes as per your tolerance level.

You need

• Mushrooms - 8 big (I used button mushrooms)
• Broccoli - 10 florets (medium sized)
• Garlic - 1 clove
• Dry red chilli flakes- 1 tsp (increase/decrease acc. to your tolerance)
• Oil for stir frying
• Salt to taste

Method

• Wash the broccoli florets and put in boiling water. Let it simmer for 5 minutes. Add salt to taste.
• After 5 minutes drain the water and put the florets in cold water.
• Chop mushroom into medium size pieces
• In a thick bottomed vessel heat oil.
• Add chopped garlic and let is turn light brown. 
• Add the mushrooms. Add salt to taste (remember you've already added salt while boiling broccoli. So add accordingly here). Saute for 2 minutes. 
• Add broccoli florets and dry chilli flakes.
• Put on low flame and saute until all water dries up and you get a colourful stir fry. (You don't to have to add water. It oozed out of mushroom)

Chicken Ball Curry

This is a simple chicken curry which has small gooseberry sized chicken balls in a thick gravy. Usually in koftas you use chicken mince. Here I've used cooked chicken and ground it in a mixer. Grind the chicken very well so you can make the balls tight, otherwise there is a chance that they'll break when you put it for frying. My son enjoyed this curry with his morning appams and his rice at noon. So I can confidently say this is a versatile curry. I've used the same gravy to make Paneer Peas masala which I posted sometime back. Do check that too.

You need

• Oil for frying and sauteing
• Salt to taste

 For the chicken balls

• Boneless chicken - 1/4 kg (I used one chicken breast)
• Onion - 1 (chopped)
• Chopped ginger - 1 tsp 
• Chopped garlic - 1 tsp
• Chopped green chilli - 1 tsp
• Cornflour - 2 tbsp

For the gravy

• Onion - 3 big
• Tomato - 1 big
• Chopped ginger - 3 tsp
• Chilli powder - 2 tsp (increase/decrease acc. to your tolerance)
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
• Milk - 1 cup

Method
For making chicken balls

• Cook boneless chicken pieces with salt
• Grind cooked boneless chicken in a mixer very well
• In a thick bottomed vessel pour little oil and saute chopped ginger, garlic and green chilli.
• When they turn light brown add chopped onion. Add salt. 
• Saute until it becomes transparent and then light brown.
• Leave it to cool. 
• When cool put in mixer and grind along with the already ground chicken (just a small rotation is enough)
• Move the above into a bowl and make small gooseberry size balls out of it.
• Roll in cornflour and deep fry until golden brown.

For the gravy

• Heat little oil in a pan
• When hot add chopped ginger and sliced onion.
• Saute until they become light brown. Put the flame on low.
• Add chilli powder and turmeric powder. Saute until raw smell goes. 
• Switch off the flame and let it cool
• Chop tomato and put in a mixer.
• Put the above sauteed onion mix also with chopped tomato in mixer and grind to a smooth paste.
• Switch on the flame and put a thick bottomed vessel on flame.
• In this pour the onion-tomato paste and let it simmer until most of the water dries up. Stir occasionally.
• Add cumin powder at this stage and stir again. 
• Add milk and mix well. Put in the fried chicken balls and let it simmer on low flame for 5 minutes. Switch off
• Serve with rotis