Pidiyum Kozhiyum, A traditional Kerala Christian food...

Ingredients :

For Pidi :

• Rice flour : 1 cup + 1 Tbsp
• Salt : as required
• Grated coconut : ¾ cup
• Crushed cumin seeds : ½ Tsp
• Crushed shallots : 5
• Curry leaves : few
• Water : 4 to 5 cups

Add salt, ¼ cup of grated coconut, crushed cumin seeds, crushed shallots and few curry leaves into the water and boil it. Then, pour the required amount of water into the rice flour and mix it well. Allow it to cool. Then, make it into a soft dough (same like kozhukatta or idiyappam dough). Add little coconut and required amount of salt at this point. Combine it well and make it into small balls. Keep it aside. 

Again, heat the rest of the water and when it starts boiling, add the above prepared rice balls, rest of the grated coconut, few curry leaves and salt  into it and cook well. Mix the 1 tbsp of rice flour with half cup of water. When the rice balls are fully cooked, pour the rice flour mix into it and make it thick. Remove it from fire. Serve it hot with yummy and spicy chicken curry.

Lemon Frosted Lemon Cake

Ingredients:

• Unsalted butter : 1 cup
• Granulated sugar : 1 cup
• Vanilla essence : 1 Tsp
• Eggs : 4
• Zest of one large lemon
• All purpose flour : 2 cups
• Baking powder : 2 Tsp
• Salt : ¼ Tsp
• Fresh lemon juice : ¼ cup

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt twice. Beat the butter and sugar till it turns creamy and pale in colour. Then, add eggs one by one into this and beat well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add vanilla essence and lemon zest. Next, add the flour mixture and lemon juice alternatively into the egg mixture by 3 batches. Mix it till it turns creamy. Transfer the batter into a greased cake tin and bake it for 40 to 45 mins. Remove it from the oven and cool it completely.

For Frosting :

• Sifted icing sugar : 1 cup
• Fresh lemon juice : 2 to 4 Tbsp

For the frosting, mix the lemon juice with the sifted icing sugar. Pour this lemon glaze over the cooled cake and allow it to set properly.

(Note: I felt that the lemon glaze in the recipe was a bit tangy for our taste. So, add the lemon juice for the frosting according to your taste.)

Fish Curry with Coconut Milk

Ingredients:

• Fish : ½ kg
• Onion : 1 
• Garlic : 2 Tbsp
• Ginger : 1 Tbsp
• Green chilly : 5
• Curry leaves 
• Chilly powder : 2 Tsp
• Turmeric pdr : ½ Tsp
• Coriander powder : ½ Tsp
• Thick coconut milk : 1 cup
• Semi-thick coconut milk : 1½ cup
• Kudampuli (Malabar tamarind, fish tamarind) : 2 pieces
• Dry chilly : 3
• Mustard seeds : 1 Tsp
• Fenugreek seeds : ¼ Tsp
• Shallots : few
• Coconut oil : 3 Tbsp
• Salt

Clean and cut the fish into medium pieces. Soak kudampuli in a little water and keep it aside. Put the fish into a chatti (clay pot) along with sliced onion, garlic, green chilly, curry leaves, chilly powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, 1 tbsp of oil and salt. Combine all the ingredients well and keep it aside for 15 minutes. Then, add the soaked kudampuli and semi-thick coconut milk and mix it. Cover and cook it in medium flame. Then, reduce the flame and pour the thick coconut milk. Heat it for a couple of minutes and remove it from fire. Heat coconut oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds. When it splutters, add sliced shallots, curry leaves and dry chilly. Saute it for a few minutes and pour it over the fish curry. Serve it with hot rice.

Kadachakka (bread fruit) Thoran

Ingredients:

• Kadachakka : 1 
• Grated coconut : 1 cup
• Shallots : 4
• Green chilly : 4
• Curry leaves : few
• Turmeric powder : 1/2 Tsp
• Salt : as rqd
• Mustard : 1/4 Tsp
• Water : 1/4 cup
• Coconut oil : 1 Tbsp

Clean and cut the kadachakka (bread fruit) into small pieces. Keep it aside. Crush together coconut, shallots, green chilly and turmeric powder. Heat the coconut oil in a kadai and put mustard seeds into it. When it splutters, add curry leaves and one sliced shallot into it. Then,  add the crushed coconut mixture and salt. Saute it for a few seconds and add the sliced kadachakka pieces into it. Combine it with the coconut mix. Sprinkle a little water over it. Cover and cook it well.

Spicy Mushroom Masala

Ingredients:

• Mushroom : 250 gms
• Onion chopped : 1 big
• Crushed ginger : 1 Tsp
• Crushed garlic : 1 Tsp
• Curry leaves : few
• Coriander leaves : few
• Chopped tomato : 1
• Green chilly : 2
• Chilly powder : 2 Tsp
• Coriander powder : 1 Tsp
• Turmeric powder : ½ Tsp
• Cumin powder : ½ Tsp
• Garam masala : ½ Tsp
• Tomato sauce : 1 Tsp
• Fresh cream : 1 Tbsp
• Vegetable oil : As required
• Cardamom : 2
• Cinnamon : 1 piece
• Cumin : ¼ Tsp
• Water : As required
• Salt : As required

Clean and cut the mushroom into pieces. Heat oil in a pan and put the whole spices (cardamom, cinnamon, cumin) into it. Saute it for a few seconds and add chopped onion, ginger, garlic, curry leaves and green chilly. Saute till the onion turns golden colour. Reduce the flame and add all the masala powders into the onion and roast it till it's void of its raw smell. Next, put the chopped tomato and combine it with the masala. Add a little water and cook it well. Then, add the tomato sauce, salt and mushroom. Cover and cook for a few minutes. At this time, add required  amount of water and cook it for another 5 to 10 minutes. Finally, add the chopped coriander leaves and fresh cream. Mix and remove it from fire.

Recipe Courtesy : youtube

Inji Chammanthi (Ginger Chutney)

Ingredients:

• Ginger : 2 big pieces
• Shallots : 4
• Dry chilly : 4
• Coconut oil : 2 Tbsp
• Salt to taste

Peel off the ginger skin and cut it into small pieces. Crush it well using a mortar and pestle. Then keep it for some time and squeeze it well to remove the extract. (The extract is usually used for treating stomach ailments. So, we usually prepare this chutney with the leftover ginger, after we take the extract.) Keep it aside. Then roast the dry chilly in little oil. Put the crushed ginger, dry chilly, shallots and salt into a grinder and crush it well. Transfer it into a bowl and pour required amount of oil and mix well.