Pidi / Rice balls in coconut milk

Pidi is a dish made with rice flour and coconut milk and usually served with chicken or meat curry. I think it is a traditional dish of Jacobites in Kerala.  I heard about Pidi for the first time from my friend Susan. Susan is one of my best friend. We studied together in 11th and 12th std and then for Engineering at Kothamangalam. Her house was close to Kothamangalam college.  During all my study leaves, which is usually 1 month, I go home, Calicut, for the first few weeks, after that I used to stay at Susan's house for atleast 1-2 weeks. :) Those were some memorable days in my life which I always cherish, company of one of my best friend and her wonderful parents + delicious food cooked by her Mom...Good old days..
So coming back to Pidi recipe, here it goes.

Ingredients:

1. Rice flour (fine)- 1.5 cups
2. Coconut, shredded - 1/2 cup
3. Coconut milk - if using thick paste - 4tbs or if using coconut milk as such - 2.5-3 cups
4. Salt to taste
5. Shallots, sliced - 1/4 cup
6. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Method:

1. Boil 1.5 cups of water. ( use same amount as rice flour)
2. Add shallot , cumin seeds, coconut and salt to it.
3. After a minute, add rice flour mix it well with water using wooden spatula or stiff laddle
4. Switch off the flame
5. Once the flour is almost mixed with water keep it closed till the dough is cooled enough to be touched with hand (it should still be warm)
6. Knead the dough with hand well and make small balls out of it.
7. Heat 2.5 -3 cups of coconut milk in a sauce pan. (if using coconut paste, make thin coconut milk using 3 tbs of coconut milk paste = 2-3 cups of thin coconut milk)
8. Once the coconut milk is about to boil, add pidis/ rice balls in to it. (don't stir). All balls must be fully dipped in coconut milk. If needed, add more coconut milk
9. Cook pidis in low flame for 5 minutes.
10. Give careful stir in between so that pidis don't stick to the bottom and also the stir should not break the pidis
11. Once the coconut milk consistency is thick enough for your liking (some like it thick like me or you can leave it thin too )and pidis are fully cooked through ( took around 15-20 minutes for me), switch off the flame.

Note:

• Pidis can be served with chicken curry
• You may add 1-2 tsp of sugar to the coconut milk to add slight sweetness to the pidis,  this is optional
• I have used Nirapara pathiri podi for making pidi

Saffroni Pear

Ingredients:

1. Pear - 3
2. Sugar - 1 cup
3. Lime juice - 1/3 cup
4. Saffron - 1/2 tsp
5. Cardamom - 5
6. Corn starch - 2 tsp
7. Orange juice/Water - 3 + 1/4 cup

Method:

1. Peel the pear skin
2. Boil 2 cups of water with lime juice, saffron , sugar and cardamom 
3. Add pears in it and cook for about 30 min till pears are cooked
4. Once pears are cooked, take it out and keep aside
5. Mix corn starch in 1/4 cups of water
6. Reduce the syrup or thicken it by adding the corn starch water and switch off the flame

Serve poached pear with syrup!

Paniyaram/ Fried Rice Lentil balls

 

 

Ingredients:



1. Idli batter - 1.5 cups
2. Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
3. Curry leaves - few
4. Pepper corns - 1 tsp
5. Dried dry chilli - 1
6. Ginger, chopped - 1/2 tsp
7. Shallots, chopped - 1/4 cup
8. Carrot, shredded - 1/4 cup(optional)
9. Oil/Ghee - 1 tbs + for frying

 

Appa chatti or Paniyaram pan

Method:

1. Heat 1 tbs of oil for tempering
2. Splutter mustard seeds in it.
3. Fry curry leaves, pepper,ginger, shallots and dried chilli in the oil and switch off the flame
4. Mix the above and carrots with idli batter
5. Heat appa chatti or paniyaram pan
6. Fill 1/2 of each cup with oil
7. Once the oil is hot, spoon the batter in to each cup and cook till the paniyarams are browned(Flip over in between to brown both sides)

 

Serve paniyarams with chutney or sambar

Honey Almond Pear Cupcake

Honey Almond Pear cupcake is made of Almond flour, honey and pears. It is gluten free, butter free and sugar free...

Ingredients:

1. Almond flour - 200gm
2. Honey - 1/4 cup
3. Coconut oil - 1/4 cup
4. Cinnamon - 1tsp
5. Baking powder - 3/4tsp
6. Egg - 2
7. Pear, cut into juliennes  - 1

 Frosted few cupcakes with Dark chocolate ganache, white chocolate ganache and strawberry frosting

Note:
This recipe yields 6 large cupcakes
Use sweet pear

Method:

1. Preheat oven at 180 Degree Celsius for 20 min
2. Combine oil, honey, egg, cinnamon and baking powder well using a hand whisk
3. Add Almond flour mix well with spatula (batter will be thick)
4. Line cupcake mould with liner
5. Spray coconut oil on the liner
6. Place some pear juliennes on the liner, add a tablespoon of batter, then place some pear juliennes and again top with batter and  few juliennes.

Coconut Matcha Icecream

Ingredients:

1. Milk - 1.5 cups
2. Matcha powder - 1/2 tsp
3. Coconut milk, thick - 1 cup
4. Sugar - 3/4 cup
5. Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
6. Egg - 2 medium size

Method:

1. Heat milk in a sauce pan
2. Whisk egg in a bowl
3. Add sugar and vanilla extract to milk and mix well.
4. Add Matcha powder and mix well. (You may add matcha powder by sifting it directly on hot milk and stirring to reduce matcha lumps in the milk mixture)
5. Once the milk is hot, pout 1/2 cup of milk to egg bowl. Whisk continuously when adding hot milk.
6. Once 1/2 cup milk is mixed well with eggs, add egg mixture to the sauce pan which has rest of the hot milk in it, Stir continuously so that the egg don't get scrambled
7. Allow the mixture to start boil. Stir continuously so that there are no lumps and the mixture don't stick to the bottom of the pan.
8. Switch off the flame as the mixture thickens and start to boil
9. Seive the mixture through a mesh and let it chill in fridge over night
10. Add  coconut milk to the icecream mixture and blend it in a blender for 2 minutes
11. Chill it in the freezer and repeat the blending and chilling every 2 hours for 3-4 times
12. If using icecream maker, then skip step 9 to 11. Instead, once the milk mixture cools to room temperature add coconut milk to the mixture and pour to icecream maker  to follow the instructions of icecream maker.