Kerala Chicken curry with coconut milk

 As the name says this chicken curry is made with coconut milk in Kerala style. It goes very well with Vellayappam or Puttu or Porotta or even bread. I made this curry to go with Vellayappam as dinner. Crispy lace edges and spongy center of Vellayappam soaked in chicken curry tastes so good that I love to have it at any time of the day. Vellayappam and chicken curry is my family favorite combo.

Ingredients:

1. Coriander powder- 2 tbs
2. Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
3. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
4. Cloves - 3
5. Cardamom - 2
6. Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp
7. Aniseed - 1/2 tsp
8. Black peppervorns - 1/2 tsp
9. Cinnamon stick - 1 inch piece
10. Oil - 2 tbs
11. Onion, sliced - 1-1.5 cups
12. Ginger, chopped - 1 tsp
13. Garlic, chopped - 2 tsp
14. Green chilli - 2 (optional)
15. Chicken, cut - 1/2kg
16. Thin coconut milk - 1 cup
17. Thick coconut milk - 1/4 cup
18. Coconut oil - 1 tsp
19. Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
20. Curry leaves - 2-4
21. Onion/Shallot, thinly sliced - 2 tbs
22. Salt to taste

Method:

1. Make a paste of coriander powder, chilli powder and turmeric powder in 2-3 tbs of water and keep aside
2. Roast cloves, cardamom, aniseed, cumin powder, peppercorns and cinnamon stick and powder it and keep aside
3. Heat oil in a pan and saute onion, ginger, garlic and chilli in it till onion is slightly golden in color
4. Add salt, spice paste and spice powder from step 1 and 2 and fry again for 2 minutes
5. Add chicken pieces and fry for 2-3 minutes
6. Add thin coconut milk to the above and cooke chicken with closed lid
7. When chicken is cooked well, add thick coconut milk and cook for 2 more minutes under low-medium flame. (don't bring the curry to boil after adding thick milk)
8. Switch off the flame
9. In a small pan add coconut oil and heat it
10. When coconut oil is hot, splutter mustard seed  and fry onion slices and curry leaves in it and switch of the flame
11. Pour the above to the chicken curry and keep the lid close for 10 minutes before mixing it

Serve hot chicken curry with appam!

I am linking this post to FiestaFriday#98 co-hosted by Sadhna @ Herbs, Spices, and Traditions and Natalie @ Kitchen, uncorked.

Vellayappam \ Fermented rice crepe

Vellayappam is any Malayali's favorite breakfast. It is made with fermented rice batter. This mildly sweet crepe goes very well with stew or chicken curry or egg curry.

Ingredients:

1. Raw rice/ Pachari - 2 cups
2. Cooked rice - 3/4 cup ( i have used rice made with ponni rice/ basmathi rice and sona masoori.)
3. Coconut shredded - 1 cup
4. Sugar - 2 tbs
5. Instant dry yeast - a pinch (less than 1/8 tsp)
6. Salt to taste
7. Baking soda - 1/4 tsp

Vellayappamchatti/Pan used for making appam

Method:

1. Soak raw rice for 1-2 hrs in water
2. Grind the soaked rice in a grinder or good blender till it is almost smooth. It is ok to have some sandy feeling when squeezed between your fingers
3. Add coconut, cooked rice, salt and sugar and grind well. The consistency of the batter should be thinner than pancake or dosa batter
4. Add yeast and mix well
5. Keep it in a big bowl for fermentation overnight. (6-8 hrs depending on the temperature).Batter will rise more than double the initial volume.
6. After fermentation, mix it again using a laddle and store it in fridge if you are not going to make appams that time.
7. 30 minutes before making appams, add baking soda to the batter and mix well.
8. Laddle batter to an appamchatti or any non stick pan of similar shape and swirl it to make thin layer on the sides of the pan
9. Close the pan and cook on medium flame till sides slightly browned and crisp
10. Move appam to a serving tray and repeat the same with rest of the appams.

I am linking this post to FiestaFriday#98 co-hosted by Sadhna @ Herbs, Spices, and Traditions and Natalie @ Kitchen, uncorked.

Paneer Palak Paratha / Cottage cheese Spinach stuffed bread

Stuffed paratha with butter is certainly a comfort food for most of us. My family loves to have it for dinner. Here is a simple Paneer Palak stuffed paratha recipe for you to try. Want to make it healthy??? Just don't add that butter on paratha...

Ingredients:

For paratha:

1. Wheat Flour - 3 cups
2. Salt to taste
3. Water - 1 + 3 tbs
4. Butter - 1 tsp/paratha
5. Flour for rolling the dough

For stuffing:

1. Paneer/Cottage cheese, crumbs - 1/2 cup
2. Spinach leaves - 2 cups
3. Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
4. Green chilli, sliced - 1
5. Ginger, chopped - 1/4 tsp
6. Onion, chopped - 1/4 cup
7. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
8. Chaat masala - 1/2 tsp
9. Salt to taste
10. Oil - 1 tsp

Method:

1. Knead flour with salt and water till it reaches the right consistency as any bread dough. I have using stand mixer for this and water quantity mentioned is according to that
2. Keep the dough wrapped in a warm wet kitchen towel
3. Heat oil in a pan and splutter cumin seeds
4. Add ginger, onion and green chilli and saute it
5. Add salt, turmeric powder and chaat masala to it and give a stir
6. Add chopped spinach leaves and cook till the leaves are wilted
7. Add paneer crumbs to the above a mix well and cook for 2 more minutes and mix well to remove any big pieces
8. Heat a tawa or griddle to make paratha
9. Divide the dough into balls of about a lemon size
10. Roll each ball to form thin round shape of about 8 inch size like chapathi
11. Spread 1-2 tbs of stuffing on the above
12. Roll another ball to the same size
13. Cover the stuffing with second chapathi
14. Roll it again starting from the center to the sides to remove any air pockets
15. Place the stuffed paratha on hot tawa and add a tsp of butter on it
16. When one side is cooked, flip paratha to cook the other side, 1-2 minutes on each side under medium flame should be enough
17. Repeat the same with all parathas

Serve parathas with Tangy Paneer or simple yogurt raitha!

I am linking this post to FeistaFriday cohosted by Johanne@French Gardener Dishes and Liz@spades, spatulas & spoons

Sugar Cookies

Happy Holidays to all of you!.
The most awaited Thanksgiving and Black Friday is finally over and I am back to the blogging activities.. We had a wonderful thanksgiving meal at Anjan's colleagues house and a busy Black Friday shopping, starting from 5:30am on Friday morning..hehe I had baked some sugar cookies at home on Thanksgiving day with the help of my 2 year old son who loves to use cookie cutter, rolling pin and taste testing the cookie dough.. :D
Here is some sugar cookies from me to all of you to enjoy this holiday.

Ingredients:

For Cookies:

1. All purpose flour - 3 cups
2. Baking powder - 3/4 tsp
3. Salt - 1/4 tsp
4. Butter - 1 cup
5. Sugar - 1 cup
6. Egg - 1
7. Peppermint extract /any other flavor - 1/2 tsp (optional)
8. Powdered sugar for rolling the dough

For cookie decoration:

1. Icing sugar - 1 cup
2. Colored Sugar sprinkles to sprinkle

Note:

• All ingredients must be in room temperature

Method: 

1. Sift flour , baking powder and salt and keep it ready
2. Beat butter and sugar in medium speed using a mixer for about 2-3 minutes until fluffy
3. Add egg to the above and mix again in medium speed until well blended
4. Add flavoring to the above and mix well
5. Add flour mixture slowly in a steady stream while running the mixer in slow speed. (I have used paper cones to add flour to the mixer)
6. Run the mixer in slow speed till the dough starts to pull from the sides of the bowl
7. Divide the dough into 2 equal parts
8. Move each part of dough  to a wax paper, cover it well by folding the wax paper and keep it in fridge for chilling for minimum 2 hours
9. After 2 hrs, preheat the oven to 350 F heat
10. Take out one part of dough and roll it by dusting enough powdered sugar on rolling mat and pin. If the dough is sticking to the mat or pin, add more powdered sugar. If it is still sticking chill it in fridge till it is slightly hardened
11. Cut the cookies using a cookie cutter and move it carefully to the baking tray with parchment paper and chill the tray in fridge
12. Take out the second part of dough and do the same and chill for 5 minutes
13. Move both baking trays to the oven and bake them for 8-10 minutes until it starts to slightly brown at the edges of cookies
14. Take out the baking trays and keep it for cooling
15. After 5 minutes, slowly take each cookie and place it on a cooling rack

For cookie decoration:

1. Mix powdered sugar and a tbs of water in a bowl using a spoon.
2. If the mixture is too thick, add a tsp more of water. The sugar paste must be spreadable in consistency
3. Spread the sugar mixture on each cookie and sprinkle some colored sugar on top

I am linking this post to FeistaFriday cohosted by Johanne@French Gardener Dishes and Liz@spades, spatulas & spoons

Mulligatawny Soup / Chicken Corn Lentil Soup

Mulligatawny soup is a lentil soup with mild spice level. This soup can be made as a vegetarian soup as well as with chicken. I have prepared it as a chicken soup with sweet corn in it. It serves well for lunch or dinner.

Ingredients:

1. Red Lentil / Pigeon peas (Masoor dal / Toor dal) - 1 cup
2. Split green gram dal (split mung dal)- 1 cup
3. Oil - 1 tbs
4. Onion, sliced - 1 cup
5. Ginger, chopped - 1 tsp
6. Garlic, chopped - 1 tsp
7. Chopped carrot - 1 cup
8. Chopped tomato - 1 cup
9. Chicken broth - 4 cups
10. Chicken breast, chopped to very small pieces - 1/2 kg
11. Pepper powder -1-2 tsp
12. Sweet corn - 1 cup
13. Lemon juice - 1/4 cup +2 tbs
14. Coconut milk - 1 cup
15. Salt to taste
16. Coriander leaves, chopped - 1 tbs

For masala powder:

1. Coriander seeds - 1.5tsp
2. Cumin seeds - 1.5 tsp
3. Aniseed - 1.5 tsp
4. Cinnamon stick- 1/2 inch

Method:

1. Dry roast all ingredients for masala powder in a hot pan until it gives out nice aroma, about a minute.
2. Grind the above to make fine masala powder
3. Heat oil in a big heavy bottomed pan or pressure cooker
4. Saute ginger, garlic and onion  for 2-3 minutes in medium flame
5. Add carrot to the above and saute for 2 more minutes
6. Add masala powder and chopped tomato and give a stir
7. Wash and clean toor dal and mung dal  and add the same to the above
8. Add chicken broth and 2 cups of water and cook till the lentils are well cooked. I cooked it in pressure cooker with weight on for about 20 minutes
9. Keep the soup aside to bring to room temperature
10. Marinate chicken with 2 tbs lemon juice, salt and pepper 
11. Heat 2 tbs oil in a pan and stir fry chicken until the chicken starts to change from white to golden color. Chicken need not turn brown color.
12. Keep chicken aside for later use.
13. Once the soup comes to room temperature blend it well in a blender and pass it through a mesh sieve
14. Heat the soup again and add salt, sweet corn and chicken to it,
15. When sweet corn and chicken is cooked well, add coconut milk to it under low flame.
16. Once the soup starts to bubble, switch off  the stove, add 1/4 cup of lemon juice and coriander leaves.

Serve hot soup with a sprinkle of pepper powder on top!

I am linking this post to FridayFiesta#95 co hosted by  Loretta @ Safari of the Mind and Petra @ Food Eat Love.