SPINACH STIR FRY/BAYAM GORENG

HOW TO MAKE SPINACH STIR FRY / BAYAM GORENG

INGREDIENTS :

METHOD :

• Wash the greens and allow it to drain in a colander.
• Cut them into long strands discarding the hard stalks and roots.
• Heat the pan with oil over high heat.
• Add Dried Red Chillies and toss them for few seconds until then fluff up.
• Add minced Garlic and stir-fry for about 10 - 15 seconds till fragrant(should not be browned).
• Toss in the Bayam along with a dash of Salt and a pinch of Sugar, stir-fry in quick strokes. 
• When the Bayam starts to wilt, add Oyster Sauce/ Light Soy Sauce and give a quick stir.
• Remove from fire and serve it immediately.
• Goes well with plain fragrant rice or along with any rice/noodles recipe.

NOTES :

• Do not add extra water to the dish.
• Water from the Greens should be sufficient to keep them moist until cooked.
• Do not cover the pan while cooking.
• Stir fry the greens/ bayam on high heat for a short time.  This will retain its nutrients and keep them fresh, green and crunchy. 
• Do not brown the garlic, as they would tend to give a bitter taste to the dish. 
• Adding Sugar will help in retaining the colour of the vegetable.

NOTES :

HOW TO MAKE NYONYA ACHAR / PERANAKAN MIXED VEGETABLE PICKLE

INGREDIENTS :

For the Rempah (Spice Paste) :

To Saute and Mix :

METHOD :

• Cut Cucumbers into thin strips, sprinkle a teaspoon of salt over it and leave it aside for about 15-20 minutes.
• Clean, Peel and Cut Carrots into thin strips.
• Cut Long Beans into 1' long pieces.
• Boil Rice Wine Vinegar along with 1/2 Cup of Water, a dash of Salt and a teaspoon of Sugar. 
• Blanch Carrots and Long beans in the vinegar mix for a few minutes.
• Remove the vegetables from the vinegar mix and allow them to dry on a clean kitchen towel.
• Squeeze the Cucumber to remove any excess water and dry them along with the other vegetables.
• Cut Pineapples into thin strips and keep it aside.

For the Rempah (Spice Paste) :

• Soak Dried Red Chillies in hot water for 10 minutes.
• Heat a pan and Dry Roast Belacan(Dried Shrimp Paste) until aromatic.
• Grind it along with other ingredients mentioned under 'for the Rempah' into a fine paste.
• Heat Oil in a pan and saute the Rempah Paste on a low flame until oil separates from the mix and it turns aromatic for about 10-12 minutes.
• Add Rice Wine Vinegar, Salt and Palm Sugar to the spice paste and mix well.
• Saute it until the spice paste turns a bit dry.
• Switch off the flame and add the vegetables and pineapples to the above and mix well.
• Can add toasted Sesame seeds to the pickle if preferred.
• Store them in clean and dry Porcelain/Glass/Ceramic Jars.

NOTES :

• Blanching, drying and squeezing process, gives a crunchy texture to the vegetables.
• Adjust the salt and chillies as per your taste preference.
• Can substitute Red Chilli Powder instead of Chillies and Turmeric Powder instead of fresh Turmeric. 
• Can use canned pineapple for the recipe. 
• Initially, the spice paste wouldn't be enough to cover all the vegetables.
• Next day press the pickle well into the jar and mix well, the pickle tends to ferment by time and release some water.
• Also, the vegetable gets soaked up well into the spices and releases a perfect blend of flavours.
• Avoid using steel/aluminium/copper containers for storing the pickles, as they tend to react with the acidic nature of salt and vinegar
• Store them in clean and dry Porcelain/Glass/Ceramic Jars.
• Always use clean & dry spoons(preferably wooden spoons) for the pickle.
• Wet Jars/spoons can spoil the pickles as the moisture in them helps in the growth of Fungus.
• Allow it to cool completely before storing it into sterilized bottles. 
• Refrigerate the pickle.  It can stay good even with less oil and preservatives. 

CHUTTARACHA THENGA CHAMMANTHI

INGREDIENTS :

 METHOD :

• Heat Oil, roast the Dry Red Chillies until they fluff up.
• Add Shallots and saute it until they turn translucent in a very low flame.
• Add Curry leaves, Ginger, grated Coconut and fry until coconuts are dry and turn into a slight golden colour. (Care should be taken not to burn the ingredients).
• Add Tamarind and Salt to the above ingredients, fry until they are dry.
• Allow this mixture to cool.
• Grind it into a smooth paste in Mortar and Pestle or in dry blender jar.
• Do not add water while grinding. 
• Roll the ground ingredients into a ball and serve.
• It's a perfect match for Kanji(rice gruel/porridge) or serve it along with Kerala Rose Matta Rice. 
• Goes well with Dosa, Idli and Vellayappam too.

Notes :

• Can also do this with coconut slices.  If using coconut slices, roast them first, as they will take a longer time to fry. Then add the rest of the ingredients one by one.
• Adjust the amount of Red Chillies and Tamarind to your preference. 
• Tamarind Paste serves best for the recipe.
• If using normal tamarind, remove seeds and threads if any and shred it into small pieces and add it into the mix. Do not soak Tamarind in water for this recipe.
• Traditionally all the ingredients are dry roasted over direct flame and finally, tamarind and salt is added along and ground to a thick paste.
• This is a dry chammanthi, grinding it with mortar and pestle (Ammikkal) yields best results.
• Can use a small blender(mixer-grinder) to grind this too, if needed can add few drops of water to the mixture.
• Roll the ground ingredients into a ball and serve. 
• If preferred, drizzle few drops of coconut oil over the Chammanthi.

DARK CHOCOLATE CAKE

 For the Love of Chocolate

HOW TO MAKE DARK CHOCOLATE CAKE

INGREDIENTS :

METHOD :

• Preheat the oven at 180 Degree Celsius for about 10 - 15 Minutes.
• Powder the Sugar and keep it aside.
• Sift the Flour along with Dark Cocoa Powder, Baking Powder and a pinch of Salt thrice.
• In a large bowl beat Butter until soft, add powdered sugar and beat until it's well combined and soft.
• Add Eggs one at a time into the butter mixture and beat well until soft and fluffy, for about 5-6 minutes on medium speed.
• Next, pour in Vanilla Essence and beat it well.
• Add the sifted Flour Mix and Milk in batches. 
• Alternate between Flour and Milk - starting with flour and ending with flour.
• Beat after each batch until the flour is well combined into the mix.
• Slowly pour in the Boiling Water to the cake batter carefully and beat on low speed for a minute or two.
• Grease the Cake Tins and dust them up with Flour. 
• Pour the Cake Batter into the prepared tins and smooth the tops.
• Bake the cakes in the preheated on the centre rack of the Oven at 180 Degree Celsius for about 45 Minutes to 1 hour or until the skewers' comes out clean.
• Let cool in the Cake Tin on the rack.
• Remove cake from pan carefully.
• Cut the cake into the desired shape and store them in airtight containers.
• Stays good for a week at room temperature.

NOTES :

• Eggs and Butter should be at room temperature.
• I have used DARK COCOA  in this recipe, can also use normal cocoa powder.
• For a normal Chocolate Cake, use 13/4 Cups of Flour and 1/4 Cup of Normal Cocoa Powder.
• Can substitute, Brown Sugar instead of White Sugar.
• Adding boiling water to the Cake batter will result in a moist cake.
• Adjust the baking time according to your oven settings.
• I baked the cake for 50 minutes at 180 Degree Celsius. 

• Peel the tapioca and wash it.
• Then cut it into pieces of the desired size.
• Wash it well until the water is clear.
• Boil tapioca in water by adding salt and turmeric powder.
• Cook until the pieces are soft.
• Drain and discard the water.

For Tapioca Vadai :

• Mash the steamed Tapiocas, remove the veins if any and make sure there are no lumps.
• Add the flours and finely chopped Onions, Green Chillies, Ginger and Fennel Seeds to the mashed Tapioca.
• Finally, add chopped Curry Leaves and Coriander Leaves.
• Heat Oil in a pan.
• Take lemon sized Vadai mix and flatten them with your hands.
• Make a hole in the centre of the flatted Vadai with your finger.
• Drop the shaped Vadai mix into the hot oil and deep fry them until they turn into golden brown colour.
• Drain them on paper towels.
• Serve them hot with Coconut Chutney or any condiments of your choice.
• Goes well along with hot-hot Coffee or Tea. 
• Can also be served along with Steamed rice, Curry and Rasam.

NOTES :

Important : Food Safety 

• Tapioca naturally produces cyanide*, which is poisonous to humans; however, the cyanide may be removed during processing.
• So peel and wash it thoroughly with enough water.
• Also, can soak them in water overnight and then discard the water and wash them again before cooking.
• Cook Tapioca with enough water to cover them, and then discard the water once it is cooked.
• These steps ensure that the little amount of toxin present in it are removed.