Pepper 'n Spice

Ingredients for cupcakes are : Plain flour - 1 and 1/2 cup Baking powder - 1 and 1/2 tsp Salt - 1/4 tsp Powdered sugar - 1/2 cup Butter - 1/2 cup Vanilla essence - 1 tsp Organic eggs - 3 Milk - 1/2 cup Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. In another bowl, beat sugar and butter until well blended. Add essence. Into this, break eggs one by one, beating well each time. Add flour mixture, stirring until combined. Pour milk and stir until evenly moistened. Pour cake batter into cupcakes. Preheat oven to 180 C. Bake for 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Fried rice is a Chinese dish, but you can make it from a mix of any vegetables or even from yesterdays leftover dinner! Ingredients for the very special green rice are Brown rice - 1 cup Water - 2 cups Olive oil - 2 tsp Salt Green capsicum - 1, diced small Frozen green peas - 1 cup Celery - 1 stem with leaves, roughly chopped Scallions - 3 or 4 with leaves, roughly chopped Green chili - 1, slit through the middle into 2 Oregano - 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder - a pinch Pepper - a pinch Wash rice in different changes of water. In a pressure cooker, add rice, water, 1 tsp of oil and a pinch of salt. Cook until all the water evaporates. Thaw peas. Microwave with a splash of water, 3 minutes. Drain and keep aside. In a saucepan, add 1 tsp of oil. Add chili and scallions. Stir, 1 to 2 minutes on slow flame. Add capsicum, peas and chopped celery stem. Add spices. Add cooked rice. Stir, to mix.  Add salt to taste. Sprinkle chopped celery leaves.

Zucchini that we get here is either dark green or deep yellow in colour. Once the squash is peeled, its inside is white. So it is surprising that when the white insides are pureed, it becomes yellow or green, depending on the zucchini used. Ingredients are : Yellow zucchini - 2, peeled and thinly sliced Water - 3 cups Olive oil - 1 tsp Ginger - 1/2 inch, peeled and thinly sliced Garlic - 2 pods, peeled and thinly sliced Salt Black peppercorns - 2 tsp Mint leaves - a few Microwave chopped zucchini with a splash of water, 10 minutes. Keep aside to cool. Puree cooked zucchini. In a saucepan, add oil. Once it becomes hot, add ginger and garlic. Stir on medium flame, 5 minutes. Add pureed zucchini and water. Stir. Cook on slow flame, 5 to 7 minutes. Crush the peppercorns with a mortar and pestle. Add freshly crushed peppercorns into the soup. Add salt. Stir. Sprinkle mint leaves. Serve warm with toasted bread.

Soba is Japanese noodles. This soup I made is chicken soup with a few noodle strands floating in the broth. If you cook the noodles along with the chicken and carrot, it will absorb the broth.  Talking about soba and Japan, there is an excellent book called Ikigai, which is the Japanese secret to a fulfilling life. I remember enjoying it. Ingredients for the soup are  Soba noodles - a few Chicken breasts - 2, cubed Carrot - 2, peeled and cubed Salt - to taste Pepper - 1 tsp Water - 4 cups Olive oil - 1 tsp Ginger - 1/2 inch, peeled and thinly chopped Garlic - 4 pods, peeled and thinly chopped Boil noodles in water till it swells up and becomes soft. Strain and keep aside. Clean chicken and cook in pressure cooker for 3 whistles. Open lid of cooker, add 3 cups of water, carrot, salt and pepper. Cook on slow flame, 15 to 20 minutes without lid. In a saucepan, add olive oil. When it becomes warm, add ginger and garlic. Stir, 5 minutes. Ad

Meatballs are quintessentially Swedish. I was reminded of the ones at Ikea, a hyygemoment. I have been reading "The little book of Hygge" by Meik Wiking. Its a Danish book about the way to live well. Hygge is a feeling of comfort, closeness, coziness. There is a lot of hyggelig associated with food, especially in food that involves slow cooking like jams and pickles. Its also hygge to have a home cooked meal with your loved ones. Chicken breasts - 2, minced Olive oil - 1 tsp + 3 Tbsp Garlic - 4 pods Ginger - 1 inch Onion - 1, small Potato - 1, medium size Salt Pepper - 1 tsp Chicken masala - 1 tsp Mint leaves - a handful White bread - 4 Organic eggs - 2 Clean the minced meat. Cook in a closed vessel with some water. Peel the vegetables. Slice ginger, garlic, onion into small pieces. Grate potato. In a saucepan, add oil. Once warm, add garlic, ginger. Stir for a minute. Add onion. Saute till very soft. Add potato and cooked meat. Add spi

Olive oil - 1/2 tsp Beans - a few, cut into long pieces Red capsicum - 1, diced Green capsicum - 1/2, diced Zucchini - 1, peeled and diced Cinnamon - 1 small stick Cloves - 3 Cardamom - 3 Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp Turmeric powder - a pinch Salt Pepper - 1 tsp Oregano - 2 tsp Parsley - 1 tsp Cook beans and zucchini by steaming or microwaving. In a saucepan on medium flame, add oil. Add cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. Stir for a minute. Add steamed vegetables and capsicum. Stir. Add all the spices. Stir. Cook for 5 minutes. Serve with steamed rice.

Chembu (Colocasia) - 2 big or 4 cups Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp Chili powder - 2 tsp Salt Water - 1/4 cup Vegetable oil - 1 Tbsp Clean chembu properly. Cut it into small pieces and put in water. Clean well. Put chembu in a vessel with 1/4 cup water. Add turmeric powder, chilil powder and salt. Mix with chembu. Cook until water evaporates or the pieces become soft. In a saucepan, add oil. When it becomes hot, add cooked chembu. Shallow fry until it turns golden brown. Recipe from Mom

Kadala (bengal gram) - 1 cup Salt Vegetable oil - 1 tsp + 1 Tbsp For masala, Onion - 2, medium size, cut into small pieces Red chili powder - 1 tsp Coriander powder - 1 and 1/2 tsp Grated coconut - 1/4 cup Perumjeerakam (aniseed) - a pinch Clove - 1 Cinnamon - 1 small stick Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp Curry leaves - a few Coconut pieces - 1/4 cup Wash Kadala. In some water and little salt, cook kadala. In a saucepan, add a tsp of oil. When its hot, fry onion until it becomes very soft. Add chili and coriander powders. Fry for a second. Remove from flame and allow to cool. Once cool, grind into a paste. Add grated coconut and perumjeerakam. Grind into a thick masala. In the saucepan, add a Tbsp of oil. When hot, add clove, cinnamon, mustard seeds and curry leaves. When the seeds crackle, add the ground masala. Let water evaporate. Add coconut pieces and cooked kadala. Add water. Stir. For a thick gravy, add less water. Add salt according to taste.

Frozen sweet corn kernels - 3 cups Spring onion leaves - 3 or 4, minced Olive oil - 1/2 tsp Garlic - 4 pods, crushed Ginger - 1/2 inch, thinly diced Salt Black peppercorns - 1 Tbsp Water - 2 cups White bread - 4 slices, for breadcrumbs Thaw the corn. Puree. In a deep bottomed saucepan, add oil. Add garlic, ginger and spring onion leaves. Stir, 1 minute. Add pureed corn. Add water. Stir. Bring to boil. Simmer. Crush peppercorn with a mortar and pestle. Add salt and crushed peppercorn. Stir. Simmer, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve warm with breadcrumbs.

Dry ingredients : All purpose flour - 2 cups Baking powder - 1 tsp Cocoa powder - 2/3 cup Salt - 1 tsp Cinnamon powder - 1 tsp Dried ginger powder - 1/4 tsp Wet ingredients : Sugar - 3/4 cup Butter - 2/3 cup Vanilla essence - 1 tsp Organic eggs - 3 Milk - 1 cup Combine dry ingredients. Powder sugar. Add butter to it. Beat till becomes soft. Add essence. Add eggs one by one. Beat till fluffy. Add dry ingredients to sugar butter bowl slowly. Add milk to get the cake mix consistency. Preheat oven to 180 C. Bake for 45 minutes.

Olive oil - 2 tsp Cloves - 3 Cardamom - 4 Aniseed - 1 Cinnamon - 1, small Spring onions - 3, minced Green chili - 2, slit Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp Chili powder - 1 tsp Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp Salt Water - 2 cups Chicken drumstick - 4 or 5 Celery stick with leaves - 1 Marinate chicken in salt and turmeric powder. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. In a pressure cooker, add oil. Add cloves, cardamom, aniseed and cinnamon. Stir for a minute. Add spring onions and green chili. Stir, 2 minutes. Add turmeric, chili, ginger garlic paste, salt. Stir. Add marinated chicken and water. Cover. Cook for 3 to 4 whistles. Garnish with celery Recipe ref : Cure.fit

"Spices" reminded me of the book "Ivory Throne" by Manu. S. Pillai. It begins by telling the reader that the Portuguese came to Kerala and traded in black pepper. The book is a detailed account of the matrilineal system called Marumakkathayam that existed in the Kingdom of Travancore. About three-quarters of the book is definitely worth reading for any Malayalee who wants to know the history and developments in Kerala before and during the British era. Olive oil - 1 tsp Cinnamon - 1 small Cloves -3 Aniseed - 1 Cardamom -3 Salt Mint leaves Celery leaves Basmati rice - 1 cup Water - 2 cups For beans, Olive oil - 1 tsp Onion - 1 small, thinly sliced Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp Salt Turmeric powder - a pinch Cowpea beans - 1/2 cup, soaked overnight Rinse the rice in several changes of water until the water runs clear. Drain. In a pressure cooker on medium flame, add oil. Add cinnamon, cloves, aniseed and cardamom. Stir for a minute. Add rice, water

When we went on dates to coffeehouses like French toast and Cafe Pappaya, I used to order cold coffee. I normally have my tea and coffee sans sugar. So when I chanced upon a cold coffee recipe, I delved right into it because then I could make it my style; sans sweetness. I found that it had only two steps. So simple. And a date at home too during corona times :) Cold milk - 1 cup Coffee powder - 3/4 Tbsp In a blender, add milk. Add coffee. Blend. Top off with vanilla ice-cream. Recipe ref : Cure.fit

This juice is almost always a part of our breakfast. It helps detoxify and also boost immunity. Lemon - 2 Orange - 1 Salt - 1/4 tsp Ginger - 1/2 inch, peeled Honey - 1 Tbsp Water - 3 cups Squeeze juice of lemon and orange in water. Add salt and honey. Grate ginger. Squeeze juice of grated ginger. Stir. Pour into glasses.

Pizza, like many bread varieties originated in Italy. We prefer the thin crust pizzas. The first time I saw pizza baked in a brick oven was at the restaurant Forno Romano in Kista Galleria in Stockholm. The pizzas used to be slid into the oven on a long paddle and baked directly on the hot bricks. Recently, my friend, Priyanka baked a pizza. That gave me the push and enthusiasm to try baking one too. This is not an original pizza recipe. But it did do for us :) For pizza base, Wheat flour - 2 cups + additional for dusting Salt - 1 tsp Yeast - 1 tsp Water - 1/4 cup + additional for kneading Organic jaggery - 1/2 tsp Olive oil - 2 tsp + additional for greasing pan and dough Chicken breasts - 1, cubed into very small Salt Pepper Oregano Red chili flakes Onion - 2 small, sliced into rings Beans - 1 cup, cut lengthwise and steamed Paneer - 1 cup Cheese - 1/4 cup, grated Red cowpeas - 1/4 cup, cooked Olives - 3 Tbsp Pizza sauce - 8 Tbsp In a bowl, mix yeast and jagge

Frankie has its origins in Mumbai, the business capital of India. It was initially sold as a street food. I used pizza sauce instead of the usual coriander mint chutney. The roll is made from wheat flour, unlike the Kathi roll (famous in Kolkata) made from plain flour. Chapati - 3 Pizza sauce - 3 tsp Chicken breasts - 2, cubed small Green cabbage - 1/4, chopped into long strips Olive oil - 1 tsp Onion - 1 small, thinly sliced Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp Ground black pepper - 1 tsp Turmeric - a pinch Chili powder - 1/2 tsp Chicken masala - 1 tsp Salt - 1 tsp Coriander leaves - a few Juice of half a lemon In a saucepan, add oil. Add onion. Saute until soft. Add all masalas. Stir. Add chicken and cabbage. Saute well, 10 minutes. Remove from flame. Squeeze juice of lemon. Mix. Garnish with coriander. On a chapati, spread a tsp of pizza sauce. Place cooked vegetables and chicken in the center. Roll chapati and seal the edges. Recipe courtesy : Cure.fit

Eggs as bulls eye, scrambled and omelette are quick to make. When you have a little more time, you can fill it with vegetables or cheese, as recommended by my uncle, Ashok. He suggests a spinach, mushroom and cheese filling. I have tried with beans and chicken too.  There is contention on whether its a French or Italian dish. The Ancient Romans have made egg with honey, but legend also has that the French emperor, Napolean Bonaparte has had his hand in the discovery of omelette. So while the debate continues, shall we delve right into the recipe? :) Onion - 1 small, thinly chopped Yellow zucchini - 1/2, diced Yellow capsicum - 1/4, diced Salt - 1/2 tsp Crushed black pepper - 1/2 tsp Olive oil - 2 tsp Organic eggs - 4 Saute onion in 1 tsp oil until caramelized. Add zucchini and capsicum. Saute, 5 minutes, or until soft. Add 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Stir and keep aside. Whisk eggs, 1 minute. In a separate saucepan, add 1 tsp oil. Add eggs. Slow cook, 5 minute

Chicken soup is a soul comforting food. Before corona times, our family used to lunch out every Sunday. Usually it would be at the nearby Centre Hotel. Whenever the soup offered in the buffet is sweet corn chicken soup, my little one would have a small bowl. She's been missing the soup, that when she saw that we have chicken in the fridge she specially requested me to make the soup. We had our family Uno cards playing session today, with Mom and Dad too. Also it was a cool, rainy evening. Perfect time to serve the soup. The soup is a clear broth with chicken and sweet corn. In some places, pasta or rice is also added. Chicken breast - 1 and 1/2, diced into small cubes Frozen sweet corn - 1/4 cup Olive oil - 1 tsp Garlic - 2 cloves, finely chopped Ginger - 1/2 inch, finely chopped Salt - 1/4 tsp Pepper - 1/4 tsp Chicken soup cube - 1 Water - 3 cups Celery - 1 stick Coriander leaves - a few Thaw the corn. Mince celery stem. Roughly chop celery leaves. Keep it all

I have been thinking about Bundt cakes, wondering what's so magical about the shape. So I knew I had to procure a Bundt cake tin. As soon as our town was declared a green zone, I ventured to the not so nearby baking store. The Bundt pan that I found enticing was a  beautiful one with grooves and a gap in the centre. This shape is supposed to cook the cake faster than a round or square pan because more of the cake dough is exposed to the pan. The Bundt shape is inspired by a traditional European cake known as Gugelhupf. Plain flour - 2 and 1/2 cup Salt - 1/2 tsp Baking powder - 1 tsp Sugar - 1 cup Ginger powder - 1 tsp Green cardamom - 4, skin removed Olive oil - 1/2 cup Vanilla essence - 1 tsp Organic eggs - 4 Carrot, grated - 1 and 3/4 cup Pineapple, finely chopped - 125 gm Fresh pineapple juice - 1/2 cup Raisins - 1 Tbsp Walnuts - 1/4 cup, roughly chopped Pomegranate juice - 1/2 cup Sieve flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Pow

In Kerala, a dish made by sauteing vegetables is called mezhukkupuratti. Its a common dish alongside rice in our afternoon meals. The vegetables are usually cut lengthwise, or sliced into bigger pieces unlike in a thoran.  There is chena (yam), beans, koorka (chinese potato), cabbage, kovakka (ivy gourd) mezhukkupuratti's, to name a few. Mom made a stir fry from four different vegetables. Okra (vendyakka) - 100 gms Ivy gourd (kovakka) - 250 gms Long beans (achinga payar) - 150 gms Brinjal (Vazhuthananga)- 150 gms Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Chili powder - 1/4 tsp Salt Refined vegetable oil - 2 tsp Water - 1/2 cup Chop kovakka and achinga payar into long pieces. Add turmeric, chili, salt and water. Cook until all water evaporates or until the vegetables are 75 percent cooked. Chop vazhuthananga into long pieces. Wash and squeeze till all water is removed. Add salt and squeeze. In a saucepan, add oil. Saute vazhuthananga until soft and all water evaporates. Add ko

In Kerala, a Hindu wedding function usually ends with a sumptuous meal of vegetarian dishes spread out on a banana leaf. Parippu curry is one of the curries that will be served to you after rice. Its a watery broth. At home, mom makes it thick and creamy by adding grated coconut. Its awesome with steaming white rice. Crush some papad too on the rice, and it becomes a great combination.  Parippu is made from split yellow lentils (moong dal or cherupayar parippu). "Split" implies that the moong beans have been skinned and split. Its a very good source of protein and rich in  B complex vitamins, calcium and potassium  . In North India, dal and roti is a common combination.  Moong dal - 1/2 cup Water - 2 and 1/2 cups Salt - to taste For masala, Coconut, grated - 1/2 cup Chili powder - 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder - a bit Cumin seeds - a tad For seasoning, Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Curry leaf - a few Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp Red chili - 1, roughly chopped Refined ve

Thoran is the archetypal Kerala dish. Its a dry dish with vegetables, grated coconut and spices. At home, we make different thorans from a variety of vegetables like cabbage, beans, carrot, capsicum, spinach, bitter gourd, bottle gourd, beetroot. We also make it from fruits like raw banana and raw papaya, and from flowers like banana flower.  Cabbage thoran is a classic dish in a Kerala sadya. Sadya is the meal served on a banana leaf for Hindu weddings, and other functions. When I started learning cooking, one of the first dish I tried out was capsicum thoran.  Beetroot -1 medium, peeled and grated Refined vegetable oil - 1 tsp Mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp Urad dal - 1/4 tsp Dry red chili - 1, roughly chopped Salt - to taste For masala, Coconut, grated - 1/2 cup Chili powder - 1/2 tsp Cumin - 1/4 tsp Small onion - 2 Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Crush masala and keep aside. In a saucepan on medium flame, add oil. Add mustard, urad dal and red chili. Fry. When mustard

Garlic bread is an Italian bread topped with garlic and oregano. Even though garlic has a strong smell, when this bread is being baked, the smell of roasted garlic is heavenly. I have read that in some traditional medicines, they say its healthy to swallow a garlic clove in the morning. There are also stories that garlic can keep vampires away! That reminds me of the funny movie "Hotel Transylvania". Plain flour - 3 cups and 2 Tbsp for dusting Potato water - 1 and 1/4 cup Sugar - 2 Tbsp and 1 tsp Olive oil - 4 Tbsp Salt - 1 and 1/2 tsp Yeast - 1 and 1/2 tsp Garlic - 3 to 10 cloves, according to personal taste Oregano - 1 tsp Take 1/4 cup lukewarm potato water, add 1 tsp sugar and 1 and 1/2  tsp yeast. Mix well. Set aside to rise, 10 minutes. Combine flour, 2 Tbsp sugar, salt. Add oil and remaining potato water to risen yeast mixture. Add wet ingredients to flour mix, adding little by little, mixing well with a spatula. You will get a very wet dough. Allow do

Kozhukkatta is a rice dumpling served as a breakfast or snack dish. Its usually sweet with a filling of jaggery or grated coconut. Keralite Christians celebrate Kozhukkatta Saturday (the day before Palm Sunday) with the sweet dumplings. We had the salted versions today - uppu kozhukkatta. In some South Indian states, the uppu kozhukkatta is made on Ganesh Chaturthi, the birthday of Lord Ganesha. Rice flour - 1 cup Water - 1 cup Refined vegetable oil - 1 tsp Salt to taste Coconut, grated - 1 cup Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp Bring water to boil with a pinch of salt and oil. Add the water to flour, stirring to remove lumps. Knead into a smooth dough with a spatula. Allow to cool. Add coconut, cumin and salt. Knead again. Make small balls. Steam. Recipe from Mom This is kohukatta made from red rice, the variety of rice that we cook for our everyday meals.

This is a steamed rice noodle breakfast item in Kerala. It can also be made from wheat or ragi flour.  Its usually accompanied with sweetened coconut milk, kadala curry, vegetable stew, chicken stew or mutton stew. When I was young, I remember eating it with milk and sugar. Mom made really soft idiyappams today, which we ate with egg curry. Rice flour - 2 cups Water - 1 cup Refined vegetable oil - 1tsp Salt to taste Coconut, grated - 1/2 cup Sev nayi (semolina press) Idli moulds (to steam) Bring water to boil. Add oil and salt. Remove from flame. Pour boiling water slowly into rice flour, stirring to prevent lumps. Mix well. Knead to form a smooth dough. In idli moulds, first spread coconut. Divide dough into small portions and press each portion through a semolina press onto a perforated plate so that it comes out as many threads. Weave the threads onto the coconut. Garnish with coconut. Steam idli moulds for 7 to 8 minutes. Recipe from Mom

Chicken biryani is one of the favourite luxury dishes in my home. My childhood friend, Anjali whatsapped me the photo of the Thalassery biryani that she cooked. I have been thinking of cooking biryani since then. This is a one pot recipe which involves slow cooking so that the chicken and rice soak in the spices and gravy. My sister, Ann suggested marinating the chicken in yogurt. It works like a charm because the meat is tender and soft when the biryani was done. Biriyani is derived from the Persian word berya, meaning fried. There are so many different types of biriyani in India itself, each specific to the region from where it originates, like Kolkata biriyani, Hyderabadi biriyani... Ingredients are : Olive oil - 1 Tbsp Star anise - 1 Cloves - 2 Cardamom - 2 Cinnamon - 1 Onion - 2 medium, thinly sliced For marination : Chicken drumstick - 5 or Chicken - 500 gms, curry cut pieces Yogurt - 1/2 cup Salt Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp Chicken masala - 2 tsp Juice of 1/2 a

Pea soup reminds me of the traditional Swedish Artsoppa served on Thursdays. Unlike my green pea soup, the Swedish Artsoppa is a thick yellow pea soup served along with knackebrod (crisp bread) and pannkakor (pancakes). The Swedes started this tradition on Thursdays to remind them of Jesus Christ's suffering on Good Friday. Frozen peas - 250 gms Garlic cloves - 3, peeled and crushed Onion - 1 small, thinly sliced Green chili - 2, minced Potato - 1 medium, thinly sliced Chicken soup cubes - 2 Salt - a pinch Pepper - a pinch Celery stick - 1/2 with leaves, chopped roughly Olive oil - 1 Tbsp Water - 1 cup Thaw peas. Heat oil in a saucepan. Add garlic, onion, chili. Saute, 5 minutes. Add potato. Crumble soup cubes. Saute till potato becomes soft. Set aside to cool. Puree. Transfer back to pan. Add water, salt and pepper. Stir. Simmer, 5 minutes. Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with celery.

Here, instead of milk, we use potato water. Take a medium size potato. Peel. Grate. In a vessel, add grated potato and 2 and 1/2 cup water. Bring to boil. Simmer until water reduces to half (1 and 1/4 cup). You can prepare the potato water ahead and refrigerate it. Bring it to room temperature when you are about to make bread. Wheat flour -  3 cups and 1 Tbsp for dusting Potato water - 1 and 1/4 cup Sugar - 2 Tbsp and 1 tsp Olive oil - 4 Tbsp Salt - 1 and 1/2 tsp Yeast - 1 and 1/2 tsp Take 1/4 cup lukewarm potato water, add 1 tsp sugar and yeast. Mix well. Set aside to rise, 10 minutes. Combine flour, sugar. Add oil and remaining potato water to risen yeast mixture. Add wet ingredients to flour mix, adding little by little, mixing well with a spatula. You will get a wet dough. Allow dough to rest, 5 minutes. Place dough on a lightly floured work surface, Knead gently, 10 minutes (lift, spread and throw or stretch and pull). You will get a loose, soft dough; not sticky.

Pumpkin erissery or Manthanga erissery is made from pumpkin and red cowpea beans. I love Mom's erissery with red rice and curd. Erissery, made from vegetables and pulses is an integral part of Kerala sadya.  Pumpkin - 3 cups (skin,seeds removed and diced) Red cowpea beans - 1/2 cup Water - 1 and 1/2 cup For masala, Green chili - 2 Grated coconut - 1/2 cup Cumin - 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Small onions - 1 Salt For seasoning, Olive oil - 1/2 Tbsp Grated coconut - 1/2 cup Mustard - 1/4 tsp Red chili - 1, small Small onion - 1, cut into small pieces Curry leaf - 5 or 6 Cook pumpkin in 1 and 1/2 cup water until it softens. Separately cook beans in water. Strain. Combine cooked pumpkin and beans. Grind masala ingredients to a paste. Add masala to cooked pumpkin and beans mix. In a separate saucepan, warm oil. Add mustard. Add onion, curry leaves, red chili. Saute till onion becomes brown. Add grated coconut. Fry mixture until it becomes golden bro

Mik bread has a milky-sweet flavor and a soft texture. This recipe was shared by Anu, yoga enthusiast and my badminton buddy. My milk bread came out soft and fluffy.  Plain flour -  2 3/4 cups and 1/4 cup for dusting Water - 1/2 cup Milk - 1/2 cup Sugar - 2   tsp Olive oil - 2 Tbsp Salt - 1 tsp Yeast - 1 tsp Take 1/4 cup lukewarm water, add 1 tsp sugar and yeast. Mix well. Set aside to rise, 10 minutes. Combine flour, sugar and salt. In a separate bowl, add milk, oil and remaining water. Add this to risen yeast mixture. Add wet ingredients to flour mix, adding little by little, mixing well with a spatula.  Allow dough to rest, 5 minutes. Place dough on a lightly floured work surface. Knead gently, 10 minutes (lift, spread and throw or stretch and pull). You will get a very loose, soft dough; not sticky. Cover it with a wet cloth and set aside to rise in a warm place, until it doubles in size, 45 mins to 1 hour. Gently deflate dough. Shape and place in greased loaf

Quinoa is a healthy carbohydrate. Its actually a seed, though we eat it like a whole grain. Its so nutritious that a cup of quinoa contains 8 gms of protein. Quinoa seeds, interestingly, have a curly tail once cooked. My aunt, Sandy shared this super recipe with me. Pumpkin - 1/4, chopped small Quinoa and brown rice mix - 1/2 cup Water - 2 cups Cumin - 2 tsp Chili powder - 1/2 tsp Salt - 1 tsp and a pinch for seasoning Black pepper - 1/4 tsp Red cowpea bean - 1/2 cup, soaked overnight Olive oil - 1 tbsp and few drops Lemon - 2 Coriander leaves - a few Preheat oven to 200 C. Toss pumpkin with olive oil, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Spread into a single layer on a sheet pan. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes until pumpkin is tender and starting to brown. Microwave beans in some water for 5 minutes or till cooked and soft. In a cooking pan, add quinoa, water, a few drops of olive oil, a pinch of salt and juice of half a lemon. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simm

I used the green robusta variety of banana for the bread. It has a soft flesh and is bigger than the usual yellow ones. This is the banana bought for our home; everyone likes it. What color of banana do you eat? Did you know that when a banana becomes over-ripe with a number of spots on the skin, it has a high level of sugar? Pumpkin seeds sprinkled on top of this bread is rich in protein and antioxidants. Its also supposed to help in getting good quality sleep. Once you open a packet of these seeds, store it in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. It will last for months. Ripe bananas - 2, large, peeled Organic jaggery - 1/4 cup Olive oil - 1/4 cup Wheat flour - 1 and 1/4 cup (150 gms) Baking powder - 1/2 tsp Salt - a pinch Cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp Pumpkin seeds - 1 Tbsp Almond - 6, cut into small slivers Place cut bananas in a bowl. Add jaggery and mash banana with back of a spoon till jaggery dissolves. Once banana is completely mashed, add oil. Mix. In a se

Jaggery is a good source potassium and is a healthy substitute for refined sugar. I recommend using hard jaggery which is golden brown. I grated jaggery into thin slivers to use in the laddoo. Mom and dad use jaggery when they make anything sweet, like in ada, kozhukatta and aval. Freshly crushed sugarcane juice is very refreshing, especially after a few games of badminton. Me and my badminton buddies used to get it from the road side vendor, who would crush sugarcane with a large apparatus. Hope you enjoy these laddoos as much as we did. It tastes great alongside a dollop of vanilla ice-cream. Jaggery - 1/2 cup Water - 1/4 cup Carrot - 1 and 1/2, peeled and grated Coconut grated - 1/2 cup Green cardamom - 3 Cloves - 1 Almond - 8, cut into small slivers Crush cardamom to a powder with a mortar and pestle. Remove skin. In a small pan, add jaggery and water. On low flame, caramelize, till it turns syrupy. Add carrot and coconut. Sir. Continue to cook on low flame until all m

I used red cowpeas, called vanpayar in malayalam, for the soup. The recipe is my uncle, Ashok's. The whole family loved it. Olive oil - 3 Tbsp Cloves - 1 Cardamom - 1 Cinnamon stick - 1 small Chilli powder - 1 tsp Salt - 1 tsp Pepper - 1/2 tsp Green chilli - 2, 1 spicy one; both minced Onion - 1 medium, thinly sliced Leek - 1, washed well, chopped into thin rings Carrot - 1 small, peeled and thinly sliced Yellow capsicum - 1/2, thinly sliced Tomato - 1, coarsely chopped Pumpkin - 1/4, steamed and pureed Lentils - 1/4 cup, soaked overnight Tomato paste - 3 Tbsp Water - 1 cup Coriander leaves - a few In a medium saucepan, warm oil. Add cloves, cinnamon and cardamom. Saute. Add onion, chilli and leek. Saute for 3 minutes. Add tomato, carrot and capsicum. Add spices. Stir until the vegetables are cooked, 10 minutes. Remove from heat. In a large sauce pan, add tomato paste, pumpkin and water. Stir to remove lumps, 5 minutes. Cook beans in little water in microwave

Kerala is a state with a lot of coconut trees. In fact, Kera means coconut tree and alam means land. We get our coconuts year round from the trees in our garden! Mom made this podi. There's always a jar of podi in the kitchen. Relish your dosa and idli with this homemade chammanthi podi.  Ingredients :- Grated coconut - 2 cups Small onions - 50 gms Ginger - a small piece Curry leaves(small) - 20  Tamarind - as required Salt Heat a frying pan and add grated coconut. Cut small pieces of ginger and onion and put it in the pan. Add curry leaves. Stir together till it becomes dark brown in color. Remove from heat. Once cool, grind into a powder. Add tamarind and salt according to taste. Store in an air-tight jar. Recipe from Mom

Pumpkin, like carrots, is high in beta-carotene. For this recipe, scoop out and discard seeds and any fibrous part. Remove the outer skin too. Slice it into smaller pieces and steam them. Once it cools down, you can puree it. Ingredients for this cupcake are : Pumpkin puree - 3/4 cup Plain flour - 1 and 1/2 cup Baking powder - 1 tsp Salt - 1/2 tsp Cinnamon powder - 1 tsp Dry ginger powder - 1/2 tsp Cloves - 4 Butter - 1/2 cup Sugar - 1/2 cup Organic eggs - 2 Vanilla essence - 1 tsp Milk - 1/4 cup Sift the flour, baking powder and salt. Powder sugar and cloves together. Whisk sugar, spices and butter in a large bowl. Add essence. Break eggs one by one and whisk until well combined. Beat in flour mixture and pumpkin puree alternatively until evenly moistened. Stir in milk to loosen the batter. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Coat 10 cupcake tins with butter and a little flour. Bake until a skewer inserted in the cake comes out clean, 20 minutes. Transfer cakes from the t

You can smell the flavor of freshly baked bread even before you take a bite. There was a small bread shop in Klostergatan in Lund; a small town where we lived in Sweden. The aroma of bread making was so heartwarming and irresistible that I think in the few years we lived there, bread was the main carbohydrate part of our diet; even overtaking rice. Its the yeast that you add, that helps produce these aromatic smells during baking. Wheat flour- 3 cups and 1/4 cup for dusting Water - 3/4 cup Milk - 1/2 cup Sugar - 2 Tbsp and 1 tsp Olive oil - 4 Tbsp Salt - 1 tsp Yeast - 1 and 1/2 tsp Take 1/4 cup lukewarm water, add 1 tsp sugar and yeast. Mix well. Set aside to rise, 10 minutes. Combine flour, sugar and salt. In a separate bowl, add milk, oil and remaining water. Add this to risen yeast mixture. Add wet ingredients to flour mix, adding little by little, mixing well with a spatula. You will get a very wet dough, which starts pulling from the sides of bowl. Allow d

Zucchini also called courgette, comes in green and yellow colours. I found zucchini in our local store and started using it in fried rice, in a steamed form. Exploring more on zucchini recipes, I discovered that it could be used in soups and cakes too. In today's soup recipe, I also added celery. Do you know that every part of the celery plant is usable? The stalks and leaves give out such a nice aroma, that my little one was persuaded to try out this soup and her verdict was "YUM". Green zucchini - 2, peeled and thinly chopped Garlic - 4 pods, crushed Spring onions, with their leaves - 3 Celery, along with their leaves - 1 stick Salt - as required Pepper - 1/2 tsp Olive oil - 3 Tbsp Chicken soup cubes - 2 Water - 2 cups Coriander leaves -a fistful, separated from their stems Yogurt - 1 tsp Snip the ends of the stem of celery stick and slice into small pieces. Steam these and zucchini slices until crisp-tender. Warm a saucepan with oil. Discard the root