NENDHRA PAZHA PRADHAMAN

INGREDIENTS :

METHOD :

• Add Jaggery into the 3/4 Cup of water, boil this on a high flame for few minutes.
• Lower the flame and boil for another 5-6 minutes until the Jaggery is melted.
• Remove from fire and strain for any impurities.
• Cut Nendhra Bananas into two or three or just draw lines on both the sides of the Banana and Steam cook them until soft.
• Allow it to cool and scoop out the seeds from the centre portion.
• Mash the steam cooked bananas into a smooth paste without any lumps.
• Heat Ghee in a heavy bottomed pan/Uruli.
• Add mashed Bananas and saute well.
• Cook this on a low flame until fragrant & the banana mix turns slightly dry.
  
• Gradually pour in the Jaggery Syrup and boil it on a low flame for about 8-10 Minutes.
• Powder the Cardamoms with few teaspoons of Sugar into a fine powder. 
• Add Cardamom Powder and Dry-Ginger Powder to the above and mix well.
• Pour thin Coconut Milk into it and cook on a low flame for a few minutes.
• Finally, add Thick Coconut Milk and leave it on a low flame for a few minutes, stirring it continuously.
• Heat Ghee in a separate pan, fry Coconut Slices until they are aromatic and slightly browned.
• Fry Cashew nuts and  Raisins.
• Add these to the Pazha Pradhaman and mix well.
• Serve Nendhra Pazha Pradhaman, hot or cold.

NOTES :

• Can cook Nendhra Bananas in Pressure Cooker or in a Steamer.
• Alternatively and for fast cooking Microwave the Bananas in a microwave safe bowl for about 2-3 minutes.(Depending on the size of the Bananas).
• Sauteing the mashed Nendhra banana in Ghee makes this Pradhaman extra flavourful.
  
• Adjust the amount of Jaggery to suit your taste preference.

CHICKEN STEW - KERALA STYLE

HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN STEW IN KERALA STYLE

INGREDIENTS:

For Chicken Stew:

Spices:

METHOD:

• Clean, Peel and dice Carrots and Potatoes.
• Clean, wash and cut chicken into medium-sized pieces.
• Extract Coconut Milk and keep it aside.
• Heat oil in a pan and splutter the ingredients mentioned under 'Spices' on a medium flame.
• Sauté Onions and Curry leaves along with the spices until onions turn translucent.
• Add slit Green Chillies and finely chopped ginger to the above and sauté for a while.
• Sprinkle Garam Masala and fry this on a very low flame until fragrant.
• Add Chicken Pieces and sauté it until the colour changes into white.
• Add Carrots, Peas and Potatoes to the above and mix well.
• Sprinkle some salt and a pinch of Sugar.
• Add enough water for the Vegetables and Chicken to cook.
• Once the Vegetables and Chicken pieces are cooked, pour Thin Coconut Milk and mix well.
• Leave this to boil on a very low flame, stirring occasionally.
• Finally, pour in the Thick Coconut Milk and give a quick stir.
• Leave this on a low flame for a few more minutes.
• Finally, garnish it with Coriander Leaves.
• This Creamy Chicken Stew is ready to be served with Appam, Idiyappam, Puttu or any dish of your choice.
• Goes well with Bread too. 

NOTES:

• Adjust the number of Green Chillies to suit your spice level.
• If you want spicy stew, can add few more Green Chillies, or finally sprinkle some white pepper over the stew (this is to retain the white colour of the stew).
• If cooking the Chicken pieces and Vegetables in a pressure cooker, just cook it for a whistle.  
• Adding Garam Masala is totally optional. 
• Can use any vegetable oil for the recipe.
• I usually add about 3-4 teaspoons of Milk Powder along with Coconut Milk, which gives you a creamy white coloured Stew.  But it is purely optional.
  

PUNJABI CHOLE/AMRITSARI CHOLE

INGREDIENTS :

To Puree :

For Masala Mix:

For Garnishing :

METHOD :

• Clean, Wash and Soak Chickpeas with enough water for at least 8-10 hours or overnight.
• Remove the water used for soaking the Chickpeas, add 4 Cups of Water along with 2 Tea Bags and 1 Black Cardamom.
• Pressure Cook the Chick peas for 2 Whistles on a high flame and for about 4-5 Whistles on a low flame.
• Wait until the pressure is fully released.
• Discard the Tea Bags.

For Chole Masala :

• Puree the Onions and Tomatoes separately and keep it aside.
• Grind Ginger and Garlic into a fine paste and keep it aside.
• Mash few Cooked Chick peas and keep it aside. 
• Heat Ghee in a pan, splutter Bay Leaves and Shah Jeera on a low flame.
• Add Ginger-Garlic Paste along with Ginger cut into thin strips and saute it until fragrant.
• Follow it with finely chopped Onions and saute it until onions turn translucent.
• Add Onion Puree to the above and saute until fragrant.
• Add Turmeric Powder, Red Chilli Powder, Coriander Powder and fry for a while.
• Follow it with freshly ground Chole Masala Powder and fry until raw flavour goes on a low flame.
• Pour in the Tomato Puree and mix well.
• Leave this on a low flame and cook until oil separate from the masala mix.
• Add cooked Chick Peas to the Masala along with Salt, Sugar and mix well.
  
• Add mashed Chick Peas to the above mix and give a quick stir.
• Leave this on low flame for about 4-5 minutes, if needed, can sprinkle some water at this stage.
• Sprinkle Amchur Powder, Anardhana Powder, Black Salt to the Chole and mix well.
• Leave this on a low flame for another 2-3 minutes.
• Switch off the flame, drizzle Lime Juice.
• Garnish with Coriander Leaves and serve hot with any dish of your choice. 
• Serve sliced Raw Onions along with the curry.

NOTES :

• Adding tea bags while cooking Chickpeas gives a dark colour to the Curry.
• Adjust the number of Spices and Chillies to your taste preference.
• Amchur Powder adds a tanginess to the curry, so adjust the amount of lime juice accordingly.
• For a dry version, avoid adding mashed Chickpeas to the curry.

CHANNA/CHOLE MASALA POWDER

INGREDIENTS :

Do Not Roast:

METHOD :

• Dry roast all the ingredients one by one (starting from bigger ones followed by the next in size) in a very low flame until they are totally dry and fragrant.
• Roast Cumin Seeds and White Sesame Seeds until they pop, on a very low flame.
• Roast all the spices until they turn aromatic and keep them aside.
• Allow the ingredients to cool.
• Do not roast Dry Ginger, Turmeric Powder, Amchur Powder and Nutmeg.
• Finally, add Turmeric Powder, Amchur Powder, Dry Ginger, Nutmeg and Rock Salt to the above ingredients.
• Grind them into a smooth powder in a coffee grinder or in a mixer-grinder.
  

NOTES :

• Can dry the ingredients in sun, but it is totally optional.
• Care should be taken not to burn the ingredients.  It would totally spoil the taste of the spice powder.
• Roast all the ingredients in a very low flame starting from bigger ones followed by the next in size.
• If making a big batch can grind it in a mill.(if the facility is available in your neighbourhood).
• If grinding at home, do not overload the mixer.  Grind them in small batches and mix them together finally.
• Store the ground Masala in an airtight container in a dry place away from heat and sunlight.
• Do not use a wet spoon or wet hand while using the powder.
• Proper storage and handling will increase the shelf life of the Masala.
• Channa/Chole Masala Powder can be used in dishes like Channa Masala, Punjabi Chole and in the preparation of Indian Subzis too.

BUTTER NAAN

      Naan has made its mark in South Asian Cuisine through centuries.  History says it originated in the Imperial courts of Delhi.  It flourished and spread during the reign of Moguls. Though commonly related to Indian Cuisine, it's found in Northern Area of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and surrounding areas. In Turkic languages, such as Uzbek, Kazakh and Uyghur, the flat breads are commonly known as NAAN.    

• Plain Naan – the simplest form served as such.
• Butter Naan – which is brushed with ghee or butter.
• Garlic Naan – topped with crushed garlic and butter.
• Kulcha  – topped with onions/scallions.
  
• Keema/Afghani Naan – filled with minced lamb.
• Roghani Naan – sprinkled with sesame seeds.
• Peshawari Naan and Kashmiri Naan –  slightly sweeter version, filled with a mixture of nuts and raisins/dates.
• Paneer Naan – stuffed with a Paneer and flavoured with mild condiments.
• Amritsari/Aloo Naan – stuffed with mashed potatoes and spices from Amritsar, India. 

HOW TO MAKE BUTTER NAAN

INGREDIENTS :

For Butter Naan:

METHOD:

• Activate the Yeast in 1/4 a cup of Warm Water along with 2-3 teaspoons of Sugar and leave it aside to ferment.
• Sieve the Flour along with Baking Powder and Salt once.  
• Add Sugar and Butter to the flour and mix well.  
• Make a well in the centre and pour the Curd and Yeast mixture.
• Make a soft dough by adding the required amount of milk, little by little.
• Add melted Ghee/Oil to the dough and knead it again for 3-4 minutes until the dough is pliable.
• Cover the dough with a wet cloth and keep it aside for 4 hours or until the dough doubles up.
• Once the dough has doubled up, knead it again. Keep it aside for an hour(if time permits).
• Take one big orange sized amount of dough and roll it out, as for chapatis, but a little thicker.  
• Cut it into half or you can roll it out into triangles, or into teardrop/oval shape.
• It can be rolled into a circle and then cut it into two/four or roll it out into any desired shape.