Padavalanga Parippu Curry

Ingredients:

• Snakegourd (padavalanga) : 2 cup
• Dal : 1 cup
• Coconut : 1 cup
• Turmeric : ½ Tsp
• Shallots : 2 Tbsp
• Green chilly : 3
• Cumin seeds : ½ Tsp
• Coconut oil  : 1 Tbsp
• Mustard seeds : 1 Tsp
• Curry leaves : few
• Dry red chilly : 3
• Water
• Salt

Soak the dal for 30 mins. Then pressure cook the dal and the chopped snakegourd with required amount of water, salt and a pinch of turmeric powder. Keep it aside. Then grind the coconut, 1 tbsp of shallots, green chilly, cumin seeds and little turmeric powder into a fine paste. Pour this grounded coconut paste into the cooked dal. Then heat it for a few minutes. Remove it from fire. Season it with mustard seeds, shallots, curry leaves and red chilly.

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Tomato Fish Curry

Ingredients:

• Fish : ½ kg
• Tomato : 2 big
• Chilly pdr : 2 Tsp
• Coriander pdr : 2 Tsp
• Turmeric pdr : ¼ Tsp
• Roasted cumin pdr : ¼ Tsp
• Fenugreek pdr : ¼ Tsp
• Sliced shallots : 6
• Sliced ginger : 2 Tsp
• Coconut oil : 2 Tbsp
• Green chilly : 2
• Salt
• Curry leaves
• Coconut milk powder : 1 pkt (25gm)
• Water : 1 ¾ cup

Clean and cut the fish into medium pieces. Grind tomato, chilly pdr, coriander pdr, turmeric pdr, and cumin pdr into a fine paste. Heat oil in a kadai and saute the sliced shallots and ginger for a few minutes. Add the grounded masala paste into this and saute it well. When the oil starts to separate from it, pour 1 cup of water into it and boil it. Then reduce the flame and put the fish pieces. Sprinkle the fenugreek powder and salt. Cover and cook it well. When the gravy starts to thicken, pour the coconut milk (dissolve the 25gm milk powder in ¾ cup water) into this and heat it for couple of minutes. Finally add the curry leaves and remove it from fire.

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Onion Rings

Ingredients:

• Onion : 1 big
• Flour : 1¼ cup
• Baking powder : 1 Tsp
• Salt : 1 Tsp
• Egg : 1
• Milk : 1 cup
• Bread crumbs : 1 cup
• Salt
• Oil

Cut the onion into rings. Combine together flour, baking powder and salt. Then, put the onion rings in the dry mixture and coat the onion rings with it. Keep it aside. In a mixing bowl, beat the egg and milk well. Dip each onion rings in this egg mixture and roll it in bread crumbs. Fry it well.

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Mushroom Mezhukkupuratty

Ingredients:

• Mushroom : 15
• Onion : 1 big
• Garlic pods : 10
• Curry leaves : few
• Garam masala : 1 Tsp
• Pepper pdr : 1½ Tsp
• Turmeric Pdr : ¼ Tsp
• Mustard seeds : ½ Tsp
• Coriander leaves : 2 Tbsp
• Salt
• Oil

Clean and chop the mushrooms. Heat oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds. Put the sliced onion, curry leaves and crushed garlic into this. Saute till the onion become translucent. Reduce the heat and add turmeric pdr, garam masala, pepper pdr and required amount of salt. Saute it well and put the chopped mushrooms and stir it with the masala. Cover and cook it in low flame. When it is cooked, add the chopped coriander leaves and stir it for a couple of min. Serve it hot with rice or roti.

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Eggless Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

• All purpose flour : 1¼ cup
• Baking powder : 1½ Tsp
• Baking soda : 1½ Tsp
• Cocoa pdr : 4 Tbsp
• Powdered sugar : 1 cup
• Cofee pdr : 1 Tsp
• Honey : 2 Tbsp
• Vegetable oil : ¾ cup
• Milk : 1¼ cup

Sieve together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder twice. Keep it aside. Add milk, honey, coffee pdr and powdered sugar into a pan and heat it well. When the sugar melts completely, pour it into a mixing bowl and cool it. Then pour the vegetable oil into the cold mixture and stir it. Finally, add the dry ingredients and vanilla essence into it and combine well using a spatula or with a wooden spoon. Pour the batter into a greased 8 inch pan. Bake it for 40 mins at 180° C. It took 47 mins for me in an convectional microwave oven. 

Transfer it into a wire rack and cool it completely. Then garnish it with dark chocolate ganache and chocolate shards and fans.

For the Ganache :

• Baking chocolate (at room temp) : 200 gm
• Fresh cream : 200 ml

Chop the chocolate into small pieces. Heat the fresh cream till it starts to boil and pour it over the chopped chocolate. Mix it well until it melts completely. Cool it to the room temperature and pour it over the cake. 

[Recipe Courtesy: Lekshmi Nair]

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Ultra-moist Chocolate Cup Cake

Ingredients:

• Milk : 1 .5 cup
• Butter : 100 g
• Oil : ¼ cup
• Cocoa pdr : ½ cup
• Self raising flour : 1 cup
• Egg : 1 beaten
• Baking soda : ½ Tsp
• Sugar : 1 cup

Pre-heat the oven to 180° C. Heat together butter, oil, cocoa pdr and milk well. When the butter melts completely, remove it from fire and cool it. Then add flour, baking soda, sugar and beaten egg into the above  mixture and combine well. Pour it into the cupcake liners and bake it for 15 to 20 mins. 

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Kashmiri Chicken

Ingredients:

• Chicken : 1 med
• Chilly pdr : 1 Tbsp
• Coriander pdr : 1 Tbsp
• Ginger paste : 2 Tsp
• Garlic paste : 2 Tsp
• Turmeric pdr : ½ Tsp
• Garam masala : 1 Tsp
• Cumin pdr : ½ Tsp
• Salt : as rqd
• Egg : 1
• Oil : as rqd

Clean and cut the chicken into small pieces. Marinate the chicken with ingredients from chilly pdr to egg. Keep it for 2 hrs. Then fry it well.

For Gravy:

• Onion : 3 big chopped
• Tomato : 3 small (paste)
• Ginger paste : 2 Tsp
• Garlic paste : 2 Tsp
• Kashmiri chilly pdr : 1½ Tbsp
• Coriander pdr : 1½ Tbsp
• Garam masala pdr : 1½ Tsp
• Cumin Pdr : ½ Tsp
• Grounded chilly : 6
• Cashew paste : 50 g
• Grounded kismis : 50 g
• Fried cashews and kismis : 25 gm
• Water : 2 cup
• Salt
• Oil

Heat oil in a kadai and saute the chopped onion till brown. Add ginger-garlic paste into this and again saute it. When it's void of its raw smell, add coriander pdr, chilly pdr and cumin pdr into this and roast it for a couple of mins. Then pour the grounded tomato into it. Stir it well. When gravy turns thick and oil starts to separate, add cashew paste, salt and water into this. Boil it well. When gravy starts to thicken, put fried chicken pieces and grounded kismis into this. Boil it for a few mins. Finally add the fried cashews and kismis. Mix well and remove it from fire.

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