Meen Vevichathu

Ingredients:

1. Fresh fish - skinned and cut into pieces( 2 pounds)
2. Shallots - 6
3. Garlic - 8 cloves
4. Ginger - 1 inch piece
5. Curry leaves - 2 springs
6. Methi/Fenugreek seeds - 1/4'th tsp
7. Chilly powder - 3 tsp
8. Corriander powder - 2 tsp
9. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
10. Cocum soaked in water - to taste
11. Salt - to taste
12. Coconut Oil - 1 tsp
13. Vegetable oil - 1tsp

Method:
Heat vegetable oil and add the fenugreek seeds.When it splutters add the crushed ginger,garlic and shallot mix.

Saute for 2 minutes ,then add the corriander,chilly and turmeric powders and mix well.
Add in the cocum water and salt and an additional cup of water and bring to a boil. Taste for salt and sourness and adjust the seasonings now.
Add the fish pieces into the boiling gravy and cook on medium flame until fish is cooked and gravy thickens.
Turn the flame off . Add curry leaves and pour the coconut oil on top .Cover and let the flavors blend.

This curry tastes better the next day .Cooking in a manchatti enhances the flavor.

Chicken Dumplings

Dumplings, as defined in a standard English dictionary, fall in two main categories: these are either "piece[s] of dough, sometimes filled, that are cooked in liquid such as water or soup" or alternatively "sweetened dough wrapped around fruit, such as an apple, baked and served as a dessert."
The common Chinese dumpling generally consists of minced meat and chopped vegetables wrapped into a piece of dough. Popular meat fillings include ground pork, ground beef, ground chicken, shrimp, and even fish. They are usually boiled or steamed.

If dumplings are fried in a small amount of oil, they are called potstickers.

In Nepal, Tibet, and Sikkim, steamed dumplings known as momo (or momo-cha) are a popular snack. They are similar to the Chinese version.

Ingredients for the filling:

1. Chicken without bones - 1 pound
2. Onion - 1/4'th chopped fine
3. spring onion - 1 spring
4. ginger - 1/2 tsp chopped
5. garlic - 1/2 tsp chopped
6. green chillies - 2 or 3
7. soy sauce - 3 tsp
   

Method:
Put all the ingredients in a food processer and pulse until blended.

Ingredients for the wrap:

1. All purpose flour/maida - 1 cup
2. Water - to knead to poori like consistency
3. Salt - to taste

Method:
Roll the dough into a thin large sheet and cut out small rounds 2.5 " in diameter.

To form the Dumplings:

Lay the wraps on a flat surface and place a spoon of filling in the center and bring the edges together and close them with pleats or whatever shape you prefer.brush a little water on the edges so the dough will stick.

Steaming the dumplings:
Steam the dumplings for 20 minutes in a steamer or pressurecooker without weight .

Shallow frying the dumplings:
For a cruchier texture saute in a nonstick pan with a spray of oil.

Tandoori Chicken

Ingredients:

• chicken 1 whole with skin - wash ,dry and prick with a fork or make gashes with a knife
• Tandoori masala (shan) - 1 Packet
• Sour curd - 1.5 cups

Method:

Marinate the chicken with the tandoori masala mixed in yogurt in a ziplock bag overnight.


Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Set the chicken in a large baking tray and bake in the oven for 35 - 45 minutes until the chicken is cooked .You will have to turn the chicken in between .


Set your oven to Broil on high and broil the chicken until it is browned turning it as necessary and basting with the juices and ghee.

Uppumanga Chammanthi

Ingredients:

1. Uppumanga /salted preserved mangoes - 1 cup chopped.
2. Grated coconut - 3/4'th cup(If mango is not sour reduce the amount of coconut).
3. Green chillies - 8 depending on how spicy you like it.
   
4. shallots - 1
5. Curry leaves - 2
6. salt - to taste(preserved mango has enough salt so you might not need additional salt)

Method:

Grind all ingredients to a smooth paste in a foodprocessor /blender without adding water.

Grilled Chicken

Ingredients :

1. Chicken - Legs,thighs or whole chicken cut into big pieces.
2. Curd - to marinate
3. Shan tandoori masala - to taste
4. Ghee - for basting

Method:

Marinate the chicken in the tandoori masala mixed with yogurt preferably overnight in the refrigerator . Grill the chicken pieces on an outdoor grill or broil in the oven , basting with some ghee as needed.

I precook the chicken pieces on the stove top until 3/4'th done and finish the last part of the cooking on the gril or under the broiler.

Serve with steamed vegetables and garnigh with Onion rings, chillies etc.

Chuttaracha Thenga chammanthi

Ingredients:

• Grated coconut - 1 cup
• Dry red chillies - 8
• Shallots - 1
• Tamarind - 1 marble sized piece
• Salt - to taste
• Curry leves - 2

Method:
Dry roast the red chillies in a pan without oil.Add all the ingredients into a blender/food processor and grind to a semi smooth paste without adding water.It takes a while to get it ground without water .

Chiratta puttu

Ingredients :

1. Rice flour(not the very fine type but a little coarse is better)
2. Water
3. Salt
4. Grated coconut

Method:

Mix the rice flour with enough salt and sprinkle water in it and mix it to a consistency where if you hold a hand-full in a tight fist it forms a ball , but can be crushed back to the powder form easily.If you like the puttu smooth and soft you can pass this mixture through a sieve and remove any big clumped up pieces.

Pour water in a pressure cooker and close the lid without the weight on.You need a coconut shell with one of the eye poked off so that it can rest on the pressure cooker stub . Put a layer of grated coconut into the coconut shell and follow with a layer of the wet rice flour until the coconut shell is full.Don't push it down - it has to be airy and loosely packed.Steam cook it for 10 minutes or until you see the steam come out from the rice flour .


Invert in on to a plate and serve with a ripe banana, kadala curry, chicken curry or Ghee and sugar.

Mango Pudding

Ingredients :

1. Mango pulp - 32 oz can
2. Cream cheese - 8 oz
3. Cool whip OR Sour cream - 8 oz
4. Sugar - 1 cup
5. Hot Milk - 1 cup
6. Knox unflavored Gelatin - 3 envelopes

Method:
Dissolve the gelatin in one cup of hot milk.If it forms lumps strain the mixture. Add all of the ingredients into a food processor and process until blended. Pour it into trays and cool until set(approximately 4 hours).