Chocolate Pista Roll

Ingredients

• 1 cup khoya (mawa), recipe below
• 1/4 cup sugar 
• 2 tbsp pistachios, chopped
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder 

Recipe for Instant Khoya

Ingredients

• 1 cup full fat milk powder (I used Amul Dairy Whitener)
• 1/2 tbsp ghee (Clarified butter) 
• 1/4 milk

Preparation

• Take milk powder in a bowl.
• Heat milk and ghee in a small pan till it comes to a boil.
• Add this hot milk-ghee mixture to the milk powder. Mix it with spoon. It should look like crumbled khoya. If it still looks dry you can add more milk 1 teaspoon at a time.
• You can shape it while it is warm. As it cools it will hold that shape and it will harden. After that it can be grated or crumbled as needed.

Preparation

• Take khoya and sugar in a pan. Turn the heat on medium and stir continuously till the sugar is dissolved and all the moisture goes. Switch off after the mixture starts to leave the sides of the pan. Divide the mixture into two equal parts.
• Add chopped pistachios to one part. (I also added two drops of pistachio essence and green food colour - optional)
• Add cocoa powder to another part.
• Mix each part well.
• Shape them while it is warm. (If the mixture cools completely, it will be hard to give them a shape. Grease your hands with a little ghee or oil and place the cocoa mixture on an aluminium foil. With a rolling pin make an even rectangle of 6 inches x 3 inches. Next make a pista roll of 6 inches long and 1 inch diameter.
• Then place the pista roll on the cocoa sheet and roll so that the cocoa sheet covers the pista roll evenly from all the sides.
• Now roll it back and forth with your hand to seal the joints and to make the roll tight. Then cover it with aluminium foil and chill in the refrigerator till it becomes firm (about 20 minutes).
• Then using the sharp knife cut into pieces. (Clean the knife in between to make clear cuts.)

Note:

The cocoa sheet must be at least 1/2 inch thick or it might break.

Kerala Mutton Stew

Ingredients

• 500 grams mutton (I always use male goat meat shoulder)
• 1 medium potato, peeled and cubed
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and cubed
• 1 1/2 tsp garlic, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp ginger, finely chopped
• 3 green chilli peppers, split in half
• 1 tsp pepper powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp fennel powder
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• 1/2 tsp pepper corns
• 3 cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick, 1 inch
• 3 cardamoms
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 1 cup thick coconut milk
• 1 cup thin coconut milk
• 1/2 cup water
• Salt to taste

For tempering

• Curry leaves, 1 sprig
• 8 cashews
• 6 to 8 shallots, chopped

Preparation

• Pressure cook mutton with pepper powder, coriander powder, vinegar, salt and water. 
• Heat oil in a sauce pan. Add cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, pepper corns, fennel seeds and saute till they splutter. Add onions, ginger, garlic and green chilli and saute till tender. Add the cubed potatoes and carrots, saute for about 1 minute. Add the thin coconut milk, cover and allow to cook till potatoes and carrots are just cooked. 
• Add fennel powder, stir and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the mutton and the stock and allow to boil for a few more minutes. Add thick coconut milk and switch off.
• Heat oil in a small pan, add cashews and curry leaves, and chopped shallots and saute till golden brown. Add it to the curry. 
• Serve hot with appam (ஆப்பம்) or idiyappam after about 15 minutes.

Tranquebar Fish Curry

This recipe is from my maternal grandfather who hailed from Tranquebar in Tamil Nadu. 

Ingredients

• 1 kilo king fish (Seer fish), cleaned and sliced
• 2 tomatoes, blended in a mixer
• 1/2 vengaya vadagam (See notes below)
• Juice of tamarind (about 1 1/4 inch diameter ball)
• To grind:
• 1/2 coconut, diced
• 8 to 10 shallots
• 2 heaped tsp chilli powder
• 2 heaped tsp coriander powder
• 3 green chilli peppers, slit in half
• Curry leaves
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp oil 

Preparation

• Grind the four ingredients to a fine paste. 
• In a bowl, mix the ground paste, blended tomato and tamarind juice. Add water to a not too thick consistency. Add salt and adjust to taste. 
• Heat oil in a pan, add the vadagam in small pieces, curry leaves and saute till browned, about 1 minute. 
• Pour in the mixture and allow to boil. Add the slit green chillis. Simmer for about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Add the cleaned fish, Turn the flame to high and allow to boil for about 2 minutes or until fish is cooked. Switch off and serve hot with rice.

Notes:

1. You can add more or less of chilli powder and green chilli peppers as per your spice tolerance.
2. Vengaya vadagam - sun-dried seasoning ball - தாளிப்பு வெங்காய வடகம். It is available at grocers. I use homemade vadagam given to me by my aunt who makes these vadagams laboriously and distributes to our families. I've given the recipe for my aunt's homemade vadagam below:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 kilo shallots, finely chopped 
• 3 large handfuls curry leaves, finely chopped
• 150 grams mustard seeds
• 100 grams cumin seeds
• 100 grams black gram, soaked in water for an hour, drained and pulsed in a mixer
• 150 grams black gram whole or split
• 150 grams fenugreek seeds
• 100 grams turmeric powder
• 500 grams garlic, minced or pulsed once in the mixer
• 150 ml castor oil
• 100 ml sesame oil

Preparation:

• Mix all the ingredients in a bowl thoroughly. Take heaped tablespoonfuls and spread on a plastic sheet. Dry it under direct sunlight for a full day.
• Put it back in the bowl and mix thoroughly again. If it is a little dry, add some more oil. Shape it into balls of 1 inch diameter. 
• Dry it in the sun for about a week. Store it in airtight containers.

Tub Trim Grob (Rubies in Coconut Milk)

This is a dessert we tasted in Absolute Thai. I found the recipe at http://www.thaitable.com/thai/recipe/rubies-in-coconut-milk. I tweaked the measurements and the colour a little to taste and colour.

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 2 cups coconut milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cans whole water chestnuts, about 50 to 60 pieces. See note.
• 15 drops rose (You can mix red colour with rose)
• 2 cups cornstarch
• 1 cup water

Preparation

• Slice each water chestnuts into half, making 2 round disks. Make three more cuts into the disks to make about 12 pieces. 
• Drop the food colouring into the chestnut and stir. 
• Put the cornstarch in a bowl. Drain the chestnuts of any juices and drop them into the cornstarch. Shake the bowl to coat the chestnuts with the flour. Scoop the chestnuts into a strainer and shake off any excess flour. Put them into another bowl. Sprinkle some water over the chestnuts and put them back in the bowl of flour.
• Bring a pot of water to boil. Put the coated chestnuts into the boiling water. The cooked chestnuts will float on the water. Scoop them up in a strainer and dump them in a bowl of ice water.
• Microwave the sugar and water in a cup for about 3 to 4 minutes till syrupy. 
• Divide the chestnut rubies into bowls. Add equal amount of coconut milk and sugar syrup. Add syrup more or less to taste. 
• Serve chilled or with crushed ice.

Note:

Water chestnuts are available online at amazon.in, ebay, etc. They are also available in Amma Nana supermarket, Chennai.

Green Mutton Curry with Potatoes

This recipe is my mother's own creation and has been tried and tested for about 43 years now. It was always on our family menu at least once in a fortnight and whenever we had guests for lunch or dinner. This recipe has gone far and wide through relatives and friends. I'm posting it so that many others can also relish this our favourite dish!

Serves 3 to 4

Ingredients

• 500 grams mutton (I always use goat meat shoulder)
• 2 potatoes, unpeeled
• 2 medium onion, diced
• 1 big bunch coriander, cleaned and roots removed (Use stems if tender)
• 8 to 10 green chilli peppers (More or less as per the spice tolerance)
• 1/2 coconut, ground to a fine paste
• Curry leaves for seasoning
• 3 cloves 
• 1 cinnamon piece, about 2 inches
• 4 tsp. oil or as required
• Salt to taste
• 2 cups water for pressure cooking. 

Preparation

• Heat 1 tsp oil in a small pan and saute the green chilli peppers and the coriander together till coriander turns a bright green, about 2 to 3 minutes. Switch off, cool and grind in a mixer to a thick, fine paste.
• Pressure cook mutton and potatoes with salt and water. Switch off and set aside mutton. Peel the potatoes and dice them. Set aside.
• Heat the rest of the oil in a sauce pan. Add cloves and cinnamon and when it splutters, add curry leaves and onion. Saute till the onion is tender. 
• Add the green chilli - coriander paste and saute till the raw smell goes.
• Add the mutton stock, stir and allow to boil for a minute. Add the mutton and diced potatoes. Stir and allow to boil for 2 minutes. 
• Finally add the coconut paste. Stir, allow to boil for another 2 to 3 minutes and switch off.
• Serve hot with rice.

Cajun Jambalaya

I happened to watch TLC at the tail end of the recipe for Cajun Jambalaya. It looked very delicious so I searched the internet and found quite a number of recipes for Cajun Jambalaya. I finally decided to go with the recipe of Emeril Laggase on foodnetwork.com. Special lunch for New Year's Day 2016

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 16 medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and chopped
• 4 ounces chicken, diced
• 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning, recipe below
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped green pepper (capsicum)
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce (I used Tobasco sauce)
• 3/4 cup rice
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 5 ounces sausage, sliced
• Salt and pepper

Creole seasoning:

• 2 1/2 tablespoons chilli powder
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper (You could used 1 more tbsp of chilli powder instead)
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly. Store in a container in the refrigerator.

Preparation

• In a bowl combine shrimp, chicken and Creole seasoning well. 
• In a large saucepan heat oil over high heat with onion, pepper and celery, 3 minutes. Add garlic, tomatoes, bay leaves, Worcestershire and hot sauces. Stir in rice and slowly add chicken stock. Reduce heat to medium and cook until rice absorbs liquid and becomes tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. 
• When rice is just tender add shrimp and chicken mixture and sausage. Cook until meat is done, about 10 minutes more. 
• Season to taste with salt, pepper and Creole seasoning and serve hot.

Shrimp Cargot

I was browsing through the internet for shrimp appetizers when I found this quick, simple and straightforward recipe on allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 20 large shrimp, pealed and deveined (about 50/kilo count)
• 20 large mushrooms, stems removed
• 4 tbsp shredded mozzarella cheese

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 165 degrees.
• Heat butter & garlic in a skillet in medium heat until butter begins to bubble. Stir in the shrimp & cook until they turn pink, about 3 minutes. 
• Place one shrimp into each mushroom cap & place into a small baking dish. Spoon the garlic butter into the mushroom caps and top each with mozzarella cheese.
• bake in the preheated oven until mushrooms are tender & the cheese is golden & bubbly about 20 to 25 minutes.