Shrimp Pickle

Ingredients:
Shrimp

Vinegar

Garlic 1/4 Qty of shrimp

Salt pepper turmeric powder chilli powder

Oil

Method:

Grind turmeric, pepper , salt and vinegar

Marinate shrimp in above paste for 1-2 hrs

Fry

Take out then fry garlic in same oil

Take out then put red pepper in low flame

Put in salt if reqd add vinegar if needed then mix everything

If sour then boil water and put

Adjust salt vinegar pepper

Badam Burfi (Almond Burfi)

Ingredients
Almonds 2 cups
Milk 1.5 cup
Sugar 2 cup
Saffron 1 pinch (optional)
Nuts for garnishing (optional)
Ghee 4 tbsp

Method
Blanch almonds in water to remove skin
Put in hot water and cover with lid
Keep aside for 1.5 hour
Soak saffron in milk
Grind blanched almonds with milk
In a pan heat ghee, sugar and almond paste, stirring continuously, to make a smooth but tight paste.
It should be moist, thick and sticky, not dry. If dry, add little water or milk.
Grease butter paper and put the lump of almond paste on it. Knead it to a dough.
Spread it with hand in form of rectangle
Roll it with rolling pin to 1/3 cm thickness
Garnish with nuts
Let it freeze
After it is set, remove from fridge and cut it into diamond shapes with the help of scale and pizza cutter

Turkey Meatballs

This is an easy recipe to make your kid have some protein and veggies. Perfect for his lunch box. It goes with carbs like spaghetti, pasta or a rice dish too. Not to mention it is extremely yummy!

Ingredients
Ground turkey 2 lb
Bread crumbs 1.5 cup
Eggs  2
Onions 1
Parmesan Cheese 1/4 cup
Vegetables like Spinach, Celery 1 cup
Coriander leaves 1/2 bunch
Tomato paste or ketchup 3 tbsp
Black pepper powder 1/2 tsp
Lemon juice to taste
Salt
Oil

Method

1. Squeeze water from turkey with tissue so that excess water is drained off
2. Finely chop all vegetables
3. Mix all ingredients
4. Make lime sized balls
5. Grease pan and arrange balls atleast 1/2 inch apart
6. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 mins

You can freeze them for upto a month. 

Enjoy!

Spicy Kurkmura Mixture

We all love to have a little bit of crunchy, salty, spicy snack in evening. This recipe is way better than store bought and healthier as well.

Ingredients

Kurmura 1 big packet
Corn flakes 1 packet
Peanuts 3 cup
Chana dal or dalia 1 cup
Curry leaves 5- 6 spring
Uncooked rice 2 tbsp
Oil

Dry spices
Chili powder 1 tsp or to taste
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Amchur powder 1/2 tsp
Hing 1 tsp
Salt 1 tsp or to taste
Sugar 1 tbsp

Method:

1. Roast rice and let it cool
2. Grind roasted rice with dry spices
3. Taste and adjust spices as needed and keep aside
4. In a pan heat oil and fry below ingredients , one at a time, 
1. Peanuts
2. Chana dal (If you use dalia, no need to fry)
3. Curry leaves till crispy
4. Corn flakes, if not crispy
5. In the end in remaining oil fry kurmura and corn flakes so that they become hot and oily and spices stick to them
5. Mix all ingredients in a big bowl while kurmura is hot
6. Let it cool and store in air tight container

Avial

Avial is the most popular Kerala dish as I know. It is the highlight of Onam sadhya. It is very healthy as it has a bunch of boiled veggies with hardly any frying in oil. It tastes splendid too. Here is my Mom's recipe.

Ingredients

1)
2 cup vegetables - preferably country veggies like dudhi, pumpkin, plantain, drumsticks, carrots,tindora, okra, eggplant
1 pinch turmeric powder

2) 
1/2 cup  grated coconut
2-3 flakes garlic
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 chillies

3) 
2 tbsp yoghurt
curry leaves
coconut oil


Method

1. Cut vegetables lengthwise
2. Boil the veggies in water till 3/4 cooked with turmeric and salt- put veggies that take longer to cook first then others
3. Grind a coarse paste of ingredients no.2)
4. Add it to the boiling veggies
5. Add a spoon of curd 
6. Add salt and adjust by taste
7. Add few curry leaves and a spoon of hot coconut oil
8. Turn off stove

Easy Quesadilla

This is an easy peasy mexican Quesadilla  recipe. Its got lots of cheese and sourcream so I prefer to go the fatfree variety but still tastes good.

Ingredients

corn-bean salsa - store bought from walmart

1 medium onion chopped

1 bell pepper chopped

salt as per taste

pepper as per taste

sour cream as per taste - I use the lighter variety

Flour tortilllas

shredded cheese - I use Krafts 4 blend fat free cheese 

olive oil

Method:

1. Stir fry onion and bell pepper for 3-4 minutes with a sprinkle of salt
2. In a vessel, make filling mixture by mixing together salsa, onion- pepper fry, salt, pepper and sour cream.
3. Heat tortilla in pan with olive oil on both sides
4. Apply thin layer of sour cream on 1 side
5. Put cheese on one half of the tortilla
6. Spread filling mixture on top
7. Top with cheese
8. Fold the tortilla
9. Heat in low till cheese melts

Tip:

Add stir fried, shredded chicken in filling mixture if you crave for a chicken quesedilla!

Mango Curry

My mom's mango curry recipe- no its not sweet but savory! Love it yumm!

Ingredients:

1) 

Ripe mangoes- 5 or 6 of small size. or 1 big US size.  If big cut into 1 inch slices

Salt

Turmeric pdr - 1/4 tsp

2)

Grated coconut - 1 cup

Jeera - a pinch

Garlic - 1 piece

Small onion(pearl onion) - 2-4

Green chilly - 2-3

Turmeric pdr - 1 pinch

3)

Small onion (pearl onion)  - 3 , cut into pieces

Whole red chillies- 2

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves

4) 

Salt

oil

Method:

1. Peel mangoes and cook them with salt and turmeric pdr with 1.5 cups of water for 10 mins
2. Grind together the no.2) ingredients with 1/2 cup water to fine paste
3. Add this paste to mangoes. 
4. Check salt and water. The gravy of this curry has medium thick consistency
5. Cook for 5-7 mins on low flame
6. Make tadka in oil with no.3) ingredients and add to curry

Chicken/Fish Cutlet

This is a very tasty recipe for making cutlets. My mom makes beef and chicken cutlets. I have ventured to try fish and vegetable ones too. They are yummy and like they say, no one can have just one.
Ingredients:

1. 2 big size potatoes mashed
2. Bunch of cilantro
3. 6 green chilies
4. 1 onion finely cut
5.  2 cup ground chicken or beef OR 2 cans tuna
6. 1 tsp red chili powder
7. ¼ tsp turmeric powder
8. 3 egg whites
9. 4 bread slices
10. Oil
11. Salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat the bread slices in microwave till they become stiff. Grind them in grinder to make breadcrumb powder. The powder should be fine.
2. Fry onion and green chilies. Add chili and turmeric powder.
3. When onion turns transparent, add tuna/chicken/beef and fry till cooked/done. Keep aside for cooling it down.
4. Mix this fried mixture with mashed potato, cilantro and salt to make dough.
5. Divide the dough to make oval shaped patties with this dough. Size is around 3“ long and ¾ “ thick. Press it in centre to flatten it a bit.
6. Roll this patty in egg white and then in breadcrumb powder. Make sure that the patty is coated completely in this powder. To make crunchier cutlets, repeat this step.
7. Deep-fry the patties till the color turns golden brown.
8. Remove the patty from oil, strain oil and place them on tissue to remove excess oil

Serves 4
Serving suggestion: Serve hot with tomato ketchup

Mix-Veg Pickle

Spring is here! Perfect time to make a pickle. Try this simple recipe for a spicy, flavor-laden pickle. Courtesy my Mother-in-law

It can be refrigerated for up to a month but it has never lasted for more than 10 days!

Ingredients:
Half of cauliflower - florets broken into bite size
2 carrots - cut bite sized
5-6 green chilies - cut bite sized

3-4 garlic - separate the cloves
1 cup red chili powder
2 tbsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi seeds)
juice of 6 lemons
1 cup oil
3/4 cup salt

Method:

1. Wash and dry the veggies and chillies on a cloth in sun for 1 day till completely dry
2. Grind mustard seeds to a fine powder
3. In a  clean dry vessel, add chilli pwder, salt, ground mustard seeds powder, oil, lemon juice and mix well
4. Add the veggies, chilies, fenugreek seeds and garlic and mix well
5. Taste and adjust lemon juice or salt as required
6. Close tightly and place indisturbed for 3 days
7. Open on 4th day and taste for any adjustment like lemon juice or salt. 
8. Pack it in a bottle and its ready to go

Avacado Chutney

This chutney is a welcome change to the traditional chutneys. It is healthy and has good fat content. It goes very well with idli, dosas and as a side for rice. 

Whats more, this is a big hit with the little man! 

Thanks to my sis-in-law,Divya, for getting me hooked to it

Ingredients:
1 medium avacado
1 medium tomato
1bunch corainder leaves
3-4  cloves garlic (Yes I am a garlic lover and I don't deny it)
2 chillies (add more to make it spicy!)
some curry leaves
1 tsp jeera
1 tsp lemon juice
Salt
Oil


Method:

1. Heat oil and fry cumin seeds
2. Add chopped tomato, coriander leaves, garlic, chillies and curry leaves and fry till tomato is done
3. Let it cool
4. In a grinder add the fried ingredients along with chopped avacado and some water
5. Grind it till smooth paste. 
6. Add salt and lemon juice and give a pulse to mix well

Variation:

Tip:
Adding lemon prevents the chutney from losing its green color and gives a tangy taste

Add bell pepper while frying to give extra zing! Thanks Preethi for the tip!

Gongurra Mutton Curry

Another staple from my husband's town. This is a combination of meat and greens, so is very healthy than just a regular meat dish. It is made very spicy traditionally but I prefer to cut down on the spice.

Ingredients:
Mutton
Gongura leaves (Sorrel leaves/Pitwaa)
Onion
Chillies
Red Chilli powder
Oil
Salt

Method:

1. Cook Mutton separately as done in Mutton Curry
2. In a Pressure cooker put a layer of onion, chillies, chilli powder then top with Gongura leaves
3. Close cooker and cook till 1-2 whistles
4. Remove whistle and top and cook for 5 mins till Gongurra is done, Stir so that the leaves are smashed
5. Add mutton pieces and Oil from the curry, Add extra oil if needed
6. Cook for a few mins till oil separates at the top
7. For extra flavour add pudina leaves and boil

This cury tastes best the next day when the flavor of the leaves seep mutton pieces

Andhra Style Mutton Curry

Traditional Mutton curry recipe from my Mother-in-law's kitchen! You could just use this as a regular meat curry or use this curry as base to other curries like, Adding gongurra leaves for Gongurra Mutton curry.  You can also add veggies like potato, tomato, drumsticks for extra flavor. Test your imagination!

Ingredients:
Mutton
Onion
Chillies
Coriander
Mint
Ginger Garlic paste
Red Chilli powder
Garam Masala Powder
Salt
Oil

Method

1. Heat oil in presuure cooker and add onions and chillies till golden
2. Add ginger garlic paste and saute
3. Add mutton pieces and mix
4. Add Red chilli powder, garam masala poder, coriander and mint leaves
5. Add salt to taste
6. Add little water and close pressure cooker til 2-3 whistle
7. After 2-3 whistles remove whistle and cook on sim flame for 10-15 mins

 You can set aside around 1/4 kg mutton pieces for Gongura mutton curry

Royyalu Aakura Curry (Shrimp Veggie Curry)

I love shrimp. But because of its high cholesterol virtues I only cook it occasionally. This recipe gives an alternate way of having shrimp by cooking it with veggies. This makes it a more healthier choice with a chance of experimenting with different vegetables for different flavors.
My mother-in-law cooks a batch of shrimp and pairs them everyday with a different vegetable. Each day is a flavor feast while keeping your cholesterol in check.

Ingredients:
Shrimp
Vegetable like Thotakura/Chavuli/Amarnath Leaves, Gongura/Pitwaa/Sorrel Leaves, Dosakkaya/Keera/Cucumber
Onion
Chillies
Ginger garlic paste
Turmeric powder
Red chilli powder
Salt
Oil
Water
Tadka: Mustard seeds, Jeera, Chana Dal

Method:

1. Clean Shrimp and boil them in a pan with water, salt, turmeric powder and ginger garlic paste till the water is drained.Keep it aside. If you are making a big batch you can put in fridge for 2-3 days and only use some in the dish. 
2. Wash and drain vegetables and cut them
3. Put tadka in oil in a pan and fry
4. Add onions and chillies and fry
5. Add cooked shrimp and mix
6. After a little while add the cut vegetables
7. Cover pan with lid and let the curry cook in the vegetable's juice, no need to add water
8. After a while add red chilli powder and stir 
9. Switch of gas when veggies are done

Coconut Chutney

Traditional coconut chutney with a twist. Goes well with idli and dosas!
Replace Pudina leaves with Methi  or coriander leaves for a different chutney altogether!

Ingredients:
Cocount Grated
Pudina (Mint leaves)/Methi (Fenugreek leaves)/ Coriander leaves
Chillies
Tamarind
Garlic
Jeera
Salt
Oil

Method:

1. Fry the leaves in Oil along with chillies
2. Grate coconut if pieces
3. Add fried leaves
4. Add garlic, jeera, tamarind and salt and grind
5. You can refrigerate for a few days