Lentil and snake gourd vegetable

Lentil and snake gourd vegetable, Kerala style

This is what we had for lunch today with rice. Thanks to Valerie Bruce for prompting me to post entries of my cooking. I have been cooking all the while as I have a growing teenager son who is perpetually hungry, sometimes just twenty minutes after a full dinner or lunch. Poor thing, he even has stretch marks on his back and shoulder blades as he is growing faster than his skin.

This is a typical Kerala dish that can be served with steamed rice, pickle and raita( salad vegetables in yoghurt). The lentils and yoghurt provided the protein, the vegetable, the vitamins and fibre while rice provided the carbohydrates.

The above are the raw ingredients. Nice and colourful picture, but the lentil ( masoor dhal or red lentil as it's called in English but really looks pink) turns yellow when cooked. This dish is not too difficult to cook and cooks quickly too as masoor dhal is a quick cooking lentil especially when soaked. This is a good alternative too non- vegetarian protein. The tricky part of this recipe is to find all the ingredients in one's kitchen. If it's a Indian kitchen then most of these items would be staples.

Preparation time 

15 minutes

Cooking time

15 minutes

Ingredients

Snake gourd - medium sized , prepared and cut into small pieces

Massor dhal - 1 medium sized cup soaked in water for 2 hours and drained

Coconut - grated and fresh - 3 tbsp

Onion - one cut into small pieces

Garlic - 3 cloves cut into small pieces

Curry leaves - a sprig

water - 1.5 cups

For seasoning

Mustard - whole mustard seeds 1/2 tsp

Oil - 1 tbsp( I use canola oil)

Course chilly powder - one tsp (adjust to taste)

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Once the ingredients have been prepared, heat oil in a wok. When the oil is hot , add the mustard seeds to the hot oil and have the mustard seeds spluttering. Add in the curry leaves , followed by the onions and the garlic. Once the onions turn golden brown, add in the course chilly powder and a few minutes later, the coconut. Sit for two minutes.

Next, add in the massor dhal as well as the snake gourd vegetable. Sit for a few minutes and then add in water and salt. Stir and cover the wok and let this cook in high heat for five minutes. Reduce the heat and continue cooking. Stir occasionally and let the dhal and vegetable cook till the water gets evaporated. Add additional water if needed, that is if the dhal needs more water to cook.

Serve hot with rice and raita.( will post a raita recipe soon - yoghurt with salad vegetables)

An interesting fact - curry leaves help to reduce cholesterol. Ever since I have learned this, I add in additional curry leaves into everything that I cook as it not only enhances the flavour but also helps to keep us healthy. 

Baked pumpkin with rosemary and onions

This is one of my own creations and I feel happy that it tasted good even though there is really nothing unique about this dish. It must have been its simplicity that made the dish taste yummy. As I just had pumpkin left in the fridge, I thought I would try out something fun with the things that I would have at home. As the dish turned out quite nice, I know I will be making this more often.

I do think I need to learn the art of food photography. I've taken a close up shot here and perhaps for another blog entry, I should learn to take some mouth watering shots.

Prep Time : 10 minutes
Bake time: 10 minutes

Ingredients
500 grams of Pumpkin
1 large onion peeled and cut in rings
Rosemary (dried) 1/2 tsp
Garlic : one clove diced into small pieces
Olive oil  1tbsp
pepper and salt to taste

Peel, chop and dice the pumpkin into one inch pieces. Put the pumpkin into a baking pan. Add oil, rosemary, garlic, pepper and salt. Mix and set to bake in a preheated oven for 10 minutes at 180 celsius.

Serve hot with steamed rice

Terriyaki Fish

I haven't posted for a long time though I am been cooking dinners all the while. I have held off from baking pastries and cakes as I am my biggest consumer and I simply cannot indulge in more carbs or sugar. 

Dinner today was Terriyaki pan fried fish, baked pumpkin with rosemary and onions along with steamed rice. It was simple to prepare and everyone enjoyed dinner too! The pumpkin recipe was my innovation and I am glad it came out well. I have been watching a few cooking shows, one of them being, Giada at home and felt inspired to try something new and different. Besides, pumpkin was the only vegetable felt in my fridge.

Terriyaki Fish

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time : 6-8 minutes

Serves : 4 people

Ingredients for Terriyaki Fish

Salmon or Pangasius Fish Fillet : 4 medium sized pieces

Terriyaki sauce  : 4 tsp

Pepper : 1/2 tsp

Cooking oil: 1 tsp

Marinate the fish fillet in the terriyaki sauce and pepper for 15 minutes. Heat a pan and drizzle the oil onto it. Fry each side of the fish for around three minutes till both the sides turn golden brown. Pour a few drops of the fried Terriyaki fish to lock in the moisture.

Seve with steamed rice and vegetables.

Thayir sadam - Yohurt Rice - Curd Bath with Fried Karimeen (pearlspot fish)

One of my favorite dishes is Thayir sadam or simply yohurt rice. It's so easy to prepare and can be had with pickle or fried fish. I tend to prepare thayir sadam especially when there is left over rice from a previous meal. It's a great comfort food and yummy too. Now what can I say about fried Karimeen or fried pearlspot fish, its the favorite fish amongst malayalees ( people who belong to Kerala, India)

Prep time - 10 minutes
Cooking time - 10 minutes

Serves - 1 person


Ingredients for Thayir sadam

Cooked rice - 2 medium sized cups
Green chilles - 2 medium sized spilt in half lengthwise
Mustard - 1 tsp
Onions - 1 small diced
Channa dal (Yellow lentil ) - 1 tsp soaked in water for 10 minutes
Curry leaves - 2 small sprigs
Oil - 1 tbs
Salt - a pinch
Yohurt ( plain) - 1 medium sized cup
Ginger - a 1/2 inch piece finely pounded or ground

Heat oil in a wok, when the oil is very hot add mustard seeds and when it splutters add onions, curry leaves, green chillies, ginger and the yellow lentil and saute for a few minutes till onion becomes translucent and the yellow dhal turns crispy.
Add the rice to this mixture along with the salt and stir well. Switch off the heat and then add the yoghurt to the rice.
Thayir sadam is ready to be served with pickle or fried fish or sarlas ( red onion salad)

Notes: The Thayir sadam thickens as it cools down so you will want to add more yoghurt to bring it to the consistency you want.

Fried fish

Prep time: 35 minutes
Cook time : 5 minutes

Serves - 1 person

Ingredients

1 Karimeen /pearlspot fish cleaned and cut into small pieces
1/2 red chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
2 tbs oil to fry the fish
1/2 tsp to marinate the fish

Clean and cut into small pieces the Karimeen or pearlspot fish. Marinate with salt, turmeric, red chilli powder and oil. Keep for half an hour and then fry in deep oil till its crispy.

Easy Banana Bread

This is one of the easiest recipes that I know for baking that always turns out delicious banana bread.
This was shared by Joan Pettigrew years back and its been tested and tried many times. I am reminded of my Indian cooking, just throwing in spices and stuff into a wok on the stove while I prepare an indian curry. I don't know why its called banana bread because it's just tastes like a banana flavoured cake.

Ingredients

Mix in single bowl the following ingredients, in this order:

1 cup mashed bananas
i cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter, very soft
1 egg
1 tsp cinnamon
1tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
11/2 cup flour
a pinch of salt

Mix well in order given and bake at 350 Farenheit for around 30 minutes. Check to see whether the banana bread is done before taking it out of the oven and placing it on a rack.
Eat it while its warm or serve with whipped cream.

Notes: I reduce the butter and sugar in half and compensate it with more bananas. My oven gets this banana bread ready in 20 minutes time while preparation time is just 10 minutes.

Prawn curry with Kodumpuli and coconut milk

I usually fry breaded prawns as an appetizer for sit down lunches and dinners but this time I cooked them in a curry with coconut milk.

The prawns or shrimps were cleaned and washed with the shells remaining just around the tail end. These were then marinated for an hour time and then cooked with traditional Kerala kodumpuli. Kodumpuli is a sun dried and smoked fruit that helps to add sourness to a dish and typically leaves it's strong, unique and tasteful flavour. This is very traditional to Kerala and rarely used outside the region. And then again, it is usually used only with fish or shrimp curry. We get our annual stock when we go back home each year as it grows in the backyard of my sister in law's home.  I like to cook this dish in  a clay pot as the various flavours blend well bringing out the aroma of all the spices. This dish is best served with hot steamed rice.

Ingredients

Large prawns or shrimp 500 grams

onion - 1 slices in long pieces

green chili - 4 cut in long slits

ginger and garlic - julienned 1 tbsp each

curry leaves - a few

Shallots - 2 

coconut milk - 100 ml

chili powder - 1 tsp

turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

coriander powder= 1/2 tsp

Kodumpuli - 5-6 pieces washed 

Salt - 1/2 tsp or add more 

Oil - 2 tbsp

Water - 1 cup( 200 ml)

Marinate the washed and cleaned prawns with the chili, turmeric, coriander powder ,one tbsp oil and salt in a clay pot or a large pan. After standing this for a half an hour 's time, add to this the curry leaves, onions, ginger, green chili, garlic and green chili. Mix and keep aside. In another pan, bring to a boil the Kodumpuli with the water. Pour this into the prawns and place the clay pot/pan on the stove on medium heat. The prawn will turn pink on cooking for 10 -15 minutes. Add the coconut milk and turn off the stove. Heat oil in another pan, fry shallots and curry leaves in 1 tbsp of oil and season the prawn dish with this. Serve with steamed rice.

Enjoy!

Pepper chicken

I love this dish as it so simple to make and it goes so well with rice, chapati and even bread. In fact , it tastes better the next day. I often make this in a large batch and freeze it in small containers. It can be made as a dry preparation or a gravy type depending on how you would like it best. I prefer the dry version. This may be served as an appetiser too.

Ingredients

Chicken - 500 grams
Onions - 3 medium sized
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Curry leaves- a few
Ground pepper - 1 tsp or more if needed
Lemon juice- 2 tbsp
Garam masala /Meat masala- 1 tsp
Light soy sauce - 1 tsp
Ketchup - 1tsp
Oil - 2 tbsp +1 tbsp
Shallots - 2-3
Coriander- a sprig for seasoning
Salt - 1/4 tsp or more if needed

Marinate the skinless chicken that has been cut into small pieces with pepper, lemon juice and salt. Let it stand for half an hour. Meanwhile, saute the finely sliced onion, ginger and garlic in 2 tbsp of oil. Add to it , the garam masala and stir for a minutes time. Then add the soy sauce and ketchup. Add the marinated chicken to this and stir in high heat. Once all the masala is spread evenly on the chicken pieces and the chicken begins leaving liquid, then cover and cook on slow heat for 5 - 10 minutes.  Open the lid and cook for another 5 -10 minutes till chicken is done.
In a frying pan, heat the 1 tbsp of oil and fry the sliced shallots and a few curry leaves. Add the cooked chicken to this and stir till all the liquid in the curry evaporates well. Sprinkle with coriander leaves. The dish is ready to be served.
Enjoy!

Notes
I prepare my own garam masala for all meat preparations. I usually prepare it in a large batch and bottle it in advance. Perhaps for another blog entry, I will write out a detailed recipe for that. Store bought garam masala is also fine.
I usually prepare this dish with chicken breast meat as it fleshy and contains the least amount of fat.