Kappayum Meenum......!!!

This is one of the famous Kerala food.... Mostly seen in southern part of Kerala.... Kappa that is Tapioca and Meen - Fish that can be any variety... I have used sardines here.... This can be used as a snack or even a meal.... Very easy to make and tasty to eat....!!! 

 Ingredients:

(Kappa Puzhuk)
Tapioca	2 medium
Green chilly	2
Turmeric Powder	½ tsp
Shallots	4
Garlic	4 cloves
Mustard seeds	1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds	1/2 tsp
Dried Red chilly	1
Curry Leaves
Salt
Coconut oil
Meen mulakittath (Fish curry)
Sardine	4
Onion	1
Green chilly	2
Ginger garlic paste	½ tbsp
Tomato	1
Tamarind Juice	¼ cup
Turmeric powder	½ tsp
Kashmiri chilly powder	1 tbsp
Fenugreek seeds	a pinch
Curry Leaves
Salt
Oil

Method:

Kappa Puzhuk 

1. Clean tapioca and chop into small pieces,

2. Pour enough water immersing the tapioca, add turmeric powder and salt and cook until soft. Drain off excess water.

3. Heat oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds and cumin seeds.

4. Add sliced shallots into it. When they turn light brown, add green chilies, red chilly, curry leaves and saute.

5. Now add the cooked tapioca into it and mix well.... Kappa puzhuk ready :)

Meen Mulakittath

1. Clean the sardines and keep aside.

2. Heat oil in a pan and splutter fenugreek seeds. 

3. Add onion, green chilly, ginger garlic paste and saute well.

4. Once the onion is done add sliced tomato and saute again.

5. Now add redchilly powder, turmeric powder, salt and mix well.

6. Add tamarind juice into this and 1/2 cup of water and boil for 5-10 mins in medium flame.

7. Add sardines to this and cook until the fish is done. Off the flame and curry leaves, Enjoy with the prepared kappa puzhuk :) :)

Chocolate Brownie.....!!!

This is a form of cake but still has a different texture from normal cakes. They r moist and has crumbs and cracks over them and taste heavenly....Its a great treat for chocolate lovers... I have made it a double chocolate brownie by adding chocolate chips... if you want you can omit that part and add some walnuts... This goes really well with vanilla ice cream and hot chocolate sauce... or tastes awesome even served as it is... Now on to the recipe....

Preparation Time : 10 mins

Baking Time : 25-30 mins

Serves : 6

Ingredients:

Cooking Chocolate (Milk)	150 gms
Butter Unsalted	100 gms
Cocoa powder	2 tbsp
Granulated white sugar	¾ cup
Vanilla Essence	1 tsp
Eggs	3
Flour	¾ cup
Salt	¼ tsp
Semi sweet chocolate chips(optional)	½ cup

           

Method:

1. Preheat the oven at 180⁰C for about 10 mins.

2. Take a heat proof bowl and place above simmering water on stove and melt cooking chocolate with butter.

3. Once it is completely melted, remove from heat and add sugar into it. This might be coarse dont panic.

4. Mix this well with a wire whisk. Add cocoa powder and vanilla essence and mix again.

5. Now slowly add eggs one by one and keep mixing.

6. Add the flour and mix until incorporated. We dont need to use any beater as we dont need any air in the batter.

7. Add salt and chocolate chips and mix and our batter is ready.
8. Pour the batter into a pan and keep this in the middle rack of the oven and bake for about 25 - 30 mins until a toothpick inserted comes out with moist crumps.... Enjoy ur brownies :) :)

Rava Kesari.....!!!

Kesari is an Indian dessert popular throughout the country that originated from Karnataka. It is popular during the festive seasons. The word kesari refers to the spice of saffron which is usually used in this dessert which gives the color to it. However, people now a days use artificial colors to get that look. I havent used either of them. I had no saffron in stock so i dint add that and I dont like adding color as well. If you would like to you can add saffron mixing with water. Now on to the recipe....

Preparation Time : 5 mins
Cooking Time : 15 mins
Serves : 4

Ingredients:

Rava/Semolina	¾ cup
Sugar	1 cup
Water	1 ½ cup
Ghee	½ cup
Cardamom powder	a pinch
Cashew nuts	6-8

Method:

1. Heat ghee in a pan and add rava into it and keep on stirring on medium flame until the rava starts to change its color.

2. Off the flame and keep this side.

3. Now in a pan boil the water and add the fried rava in to this and continue stirring and be very careful at this stage not to form lumps.

4. Cover and cook on low flame for about 3-4 mins until the rava is cooked.

5. When rava is cooked you can add the sugar and cardamom powder into it slowly and keep stirring on medium flame.

6. While you add sugar they might form some lumps but there is nothing to worry coz it will slowly melt in and will be fine.

7. Keep stirring until the kesari no-more sticks to the pan.

8. Now add ghee fried cashews into it and mix and off the flame.

9. You may now transfer this to a greased pan and cool it and cut into pieces.

10 Or can even serve it hot. As it tastes the best when served hot :) :)

Fish Biriyani.....!!!

One more addition to the list of biriyani :)... I am not a big fan of fish biriyani but at times it feels good to have them.... I guess this is one of the easiest biriyani since fish takes less time for cooking. So if you adjust the time of cooking rice side by side i think in a maximum of n hour you biriyani will be ready....

Preparation Time : 10 mins
Cooking Time : 30 mins (+20mins dum)
Serves : 3

Ingredients:

King Fish	½ kg
Rice (Khaima)	2 cups
Onions	4-5
Ginger	1 medium pc
Garlic	10 cloves
Green chilly	8
Tomato	2 medium
Turmeric powder	1 tsp
Coriander powder	2 tsp
Red chilly powder	1 tsp
Fish masala	1 tsp
Cardamom	6
Cloves	6
Cinnamon stick	2
Bayleaf	2
Nutmeg	1
Lemon	1
Water	3 ½ cup
Coriander leaves
Mint leaves
Raisins
Cashews
Ghee
Oil
Salt

Method:

1. Marinate fish with 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, 1/2 tsp red chilly powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, 2 tsp lemon juice and salt for about 15 mins.
2. Mean while wash and drain rice and keep aside.
3. In a bottom thick vessel, heat 2 tbsp of ghee and add 3 cardamom,3cloves,1 cinnamon stick, 1 bay leaf and saute.
4. Now add the rice and salt to it and fry well until the whole water has been absorbed.
5. Now add 3 1/2 cups of boiling water to it and close and cook until the rice is almost done. Off the flame and keep aside.
6. Now heat oil in a pan and fry little onions until crisp and golden brown.
7. In the same oil fry the cashews and raisins and keep aside.
8. Now fry the fish in the same oil until almost done.
9. Now drain the excess oil from this and add rest of cardamom,cloves,cinnamon,bay leaf and saute.
10. Add the whole onions into this with salt and saute until completely soft and translucent.
11. Now add the crushed ginger,garlic,green chilly paste into this and saute again.
12. Once this is done add turmeric powder,coriander powder,red chilly powder and fish masala into this and saute until the raw smell goes off.
13. Now add sliced tomatoes into this and saute until soft.
14. Once this is done slowly add the fried fish and slowly mix them up. Be very careful not to break the fish.
15. Add chopped mint leaves and coriander leaves into this and close and cook for 5 mins
16. Now in a bottom thick vessel add 1 tbsp ghee and add little rice.
17. Above the rice add little of masala, some chopped mint and coriander leaves, come fried onions,cashews and raisins and continue to do the same for 3 layers of rice and 2 layers on masala between it. Above the upper layer of rice spread some mint and coriander leaves, fried onions,cashews and raisins.
18. Keep this closed tightly on a low heat for about 20 mins. Enjoy your fish biriyani with mint chutney,curd and pappad :) :) :)