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Poori With Potato Masala
Ingredients:
For Poori
Wheat flour - 1 cup
Oil - 1tsp
Water - as reqd.
Salt - as reqd.
For Potato curry:
Potato - 2 ,medium
Onion -1
Ginger(chopped) - 1tsp
Green Chilly - 3
Turmeric Powder -1/4 tsp
Coriander Powder - 11tbsp
Garam masala -1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Mustard seeds - 1/2tsp
Water
Oil
salt
Method:
Put together Wheat flour,salt and oil.Add reqd water and make a soft dough.Keep it covered for 15 minutes.Make small balls and roll them.Deep fry it in oil.
For potato curry first boil the potato .Remove the skin and mash it gently.In a pan heat oil and add the mustard seeds and curry leaves.When it starts spluttering add the ginger,green chillies and chopped onion.Saute well till the onions are translucent .Add the spice powders and mix well.In that add the
mashed potatos and some water.Boil them for 5 minutes .Serve with poori.
Rava Avalose Powder
Ingredients:
Rava - 1cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup
Ghee - 1tbsp
Cardmom Powder - 1/2tsp
Cashews - 1tbsp
Dry Grapes - 1tbsp
Method:
Heat Ghee in a pan ,First fry the cashews and dry grapes and keep it aside.In the same pan roast the rava till it change the colour to light brown.Add the grated coconut and saute well.Then add sugar and mix well till it become golden brown colour.Add Cardmom powder to this.Switch off the stove and allow them to cool.Grind it to smooth Powder.Garnish with cashews and dry grapes.Store it in an airtight container.
Banana Halwa(Nenthra Pazham Halwa)
This is a super duper Sweet.As it is clear by its name ,Nethra pazham is the main ingredient in this Reipe.This recipe is worth trying once.I got this recipe from Sangeetha 's kothiyavunu.com.For original recipe click here.here 's my version.
Ingredients:
Nethra Pazham(extra ripe) - 3 medium
Sugar - 1 cup
Ghee - 1/2 cup
Cardmom Powder - a pinch
All purpose flour - 3tsp
Milk - 1 1/4 cup
Method:
Steam the bananas in a steamer or pressure cooker.cook well and remove the black seeds.Allow them to cool.Make a smooth paste in a grinder.Meanwhile put a heavy bottom pan on the stove and add the milk and sugar.Boil them ,When they reach a thick consistacncy add the banana paste and mix them well.Keep on stirring.you have to be patient,it needs more time.To thicken the halwa add the flour dissolved in 1/4 cup of water.keep on stirring.When they are almost thick add the ghee little by little.Mix well till the colour become
brown.Add cardmom powder .When the halwa is leaving the side of the pan switch off the stove and spread this to a greased plate.Allow them to cool.Cut into squares and garnish with Cashews.Enjoy!!
Tadka Dal Fry
Fried Rice
Ingredients:
Jasmine Rice(use this for authentic taste) - 1 1/2 cups
Carrot (cut into lengthwise) - 1
Cabbage(shredded) - 1/4 cup
Beans(chopped) - 4tbsp
Green Peas - 3tbsp
Egg - 2(optional)
Soy sauce - 1tbsp
Vinegar - 1tbsp
Garlic Paste - 1tbsp
Capsicum(cut into lengthwise) - 1
Chinese Chili Sauce - 1tbsp
Spring Onion - 1/4 cup
Method:
Soak the rice in water for 15 minutes.Cook the rise with salt and allow them to cool down.Refrigerate the rice for best result(i prepared the rice 1day before and kept in fridge overnight.)
In a wok,heat oil and add the garlic paste,saute well.Then add the Vegetables one by one.First add Carrot and saute well for 1minute.Then add the remaining vegetables and cook them for 4 minutes.Pull the vegetables into one side of the pan and put the egg and scramble it.You can put your choice of cooked non -veg here.Mix well and Cook the vegetables till they are soft.Add the cooked rice and mix well.Add soy sauce,vinegar and chili sauce.Mix well gently.Once they are ready garnish with Spring Onions. Serve with Chilli Chicken.
Are meat analogue and in vitro meat the future of cat food?


I would be off-topic again if you assume I should exclusively be talking in this blog about homemade cat food recipes, but the importance of the subject brings me to talk about it here anyway, and if you want my oppinion, I think all what has to do with cat food should be going in this blog, and all that interests cat owners to a lesser extent.
Let's first introduce In-Vitro meat, this is laboratory grown muscle tissue or culture meat, it is animal tissue that has never been part of an actual living animal.
You can also think of it as a meat tissue without a nervous system, which means eating it does not inflict pain to any living animal.
More information on in vitro meat can be found in this wikipedia page.
Meat analogue on the other hand is not meat at all! it is made of vegetable ingredients such as soja and beans, and treated to taste and smell somewhat like true meat. Some call it mock meat, faux meat, imitation meat, or meat substitute. It is believed to be already in commercial production in a form or another and used in many products such as luncheon mixed with real meat.
We already don't know (or not sure) wether vegetable meat is good or bad for cats, what we know is that they like it, and I myself give it to them regularly, it gives them at least some vitamins added to a good amount of fat, but we don't know how they actually process this food.
As for in-vitro meat, I am just waiting for it to arrive to feed it to my cats and even to eat it myself, it is real meat, no catch, it a considerable advace of science that we need to take and use, it is not even genetically modified (at least for now), there are no ethical problems associated to it, and even if humans are culturally not ready for it yet, I can certify it is the future of cat food, in some years when it will be more available, I hope to be the first out there to post an in-vitro meat based homemade cat food recipe.
Until then, I wish you happy cat feeding.
5 Foods for Lower Cholesterol
The Total cholesterol in our body is a combination of HDL and LDL. HDL is the good cholesterol while LDL is the bad one. The acronym "LDL" stands for low-density lipoprotein. When this number gets elevated, fatty substances called plaque have a tendency to stick to the inside of arterial walls.
This in turn can lead to coronary heart disease and in the worst of cases, it can be fatal. That is why it is important to lower LDL, which can be done by including these food items in you regular diet..
Fish:
They contain Omega-3 Fatty acids which are known to stabilize heart rhythms, lower cholesterol and triglycerides, and reduce inflammation in the arteries. One recent study claimed that there is 17 percent less risk of dying from cardiovascular disease by consuming just half a serving weekly.
Olives and Olive oil:
They contain mono-saturated fat which is good for the heart while other types of oils contain saturated fat. Also antioxidants called Polyphenols contained in Olives help reduce inflammation in the blood vessels, improving cholesterol.
Tomatoes:
The lycopene in tomatoes, a powerful antioxidant in the cartenoid family, protects against heart disease by preventing the oxidation of LDL cholesterol. Cooking tip: Because cooking releases lycopene from tomatoes, you'll reap greater reward from sauce, rather than raw tomatoes.
Apples:
The antioxidants in apples and apple juice delay the breakdown of LDL cholesterol by about 20 percent. Also Apple's antioxidants mimic statins, stimulating the liver to remove harmful LDL cholesterol from the blood.
Go Nuts!:
Nuts sure have a lot of fat, but its the good mono-saturated & polyunsaturated varieties which help to lower cholesterol while protecting your heart. This is possible because nuts offer fiber, protein, vitamin E, magnesium, b vitamins, and potassium
Chinese chilli sauce
This is a spicy homemade sauce .You can use this in any chinese or indian-chinese dishes ,also use as a dipping sauce.
Ingredients:
Whole Driedred chillies - 10 no:s
Brown sugar - 2 tbsp
Chopped Garlic- 1tbsp
White vinegar - 4tbsp
Salt - to taste
Sesame oil - 2tbsp
Hot water - 1cup
Method:
Break Whole Dry Red Chilies in half and soak them in hot water for 20 minutes to soften.Drain off water and place soaked chilies in a blender.Add remaining ingredients except the sesame oil.and make a paste.keep it aside.Put a small pan on stove and just heat the sesame oil until it starts to smoke.put this over the sauce.
Store it in an airtight container and keep it in fridge.
Fish Curry(Kottayam style)
Ingredients:
For Marination
1.Fish - 1/2 kilo
Turmeric Powder - 1/4tsp
Red chilly powder - 1tsp
Salt - to taste
For the Masala
2.Ginger(chopped) - 1tbsp
Garlic(chopped) - 1tbsp
Shallots (chopped) - 8nos
Turmeric Powder - 1/4tsp
Red chilly Powder - 1tsp
Fenugreek (uluva)Powder - 1/4tbsp
Kodam Puli(washed) - 2 to 3 pieces
Coconut oil - as reqd.
Curry leaves - few
Method:
Marinate the fish with the no:1 indredients.keep it aside for 1/2 an hr.In a pan add oil and put ginger and garlic,saute well.Add the chopped shallots and saute well for 5 minutes.Add the spice powders and mix well.Let them cool and pulse them in a mixer(just once).In a pan add the masala paste and kodam puli
along with the fish.Add some water and cook this till the fish is done.add the curry leaves and 1tsp
coconut oil to this.
Chana Masala
Chick Peas(White chana) - 1/4 kg
Tomato (blanched and cut into pieces) - 3 big
Ghee - 1 1/2 tbsp
Garlic Paste - 1 1/2 tbsp
Kashmiri chilly Powder - 3/4 tbsp
Coriander Powder - 1 1/2 tbsp
Green Chillies - 3
Ginger(chopped) - 1 1/2 tbsp
Garama masala Powder -1tsp
Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup
Kasoori Methi Powder -3/4 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste
Water - 2 cups
Method:
Soak the Chickpeas in water overnight.Cook the chickpeas with some salt and keep it aside.Take 1 cup of cooked chickpeas and make a paste in a blender.(this will make the gravy thick ).
Heat ghee in a pan .Add the garlic paste ,saute well for 2 minutes.Add Coriander Powder,Chilly powder and Turmeric Powder ,Mix well.Add the blanched tomato and cook well.Add ginger and greenchillies and some salt.When tomatoes are dry add 1 1/2 cups of water and boil them.Then add the chickpeas paste and some water.Add garam masala and Kasoori Methi ,Mix well.Boil them and add Coriander leaves also.Add 1/2 tsp of sugar to this(this will balance the sour taste).Chana masala is ready.Serve with bhatura,poori or chapathi.
Kerala Fish Fry
Ingredients:
Fish - 4 pieces
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilly Powder - 1/2 tsp
Whole pepper corns - 10
Garlic - 4 pods
Salt - to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp
Method:
Make a paste of garlic,pepper,salt,chilli ,turmeric powder
Wash the Fish and marinate with the masala paste. Keep it for 1 hour.
Heat oil in a pan .Put the Fish and shallow fry till it become crisp. Serve hot with rice.
Off-topic: I got a new cat site!
As for any starting website, I will need your remarks and advices, so if you can drop me a mail, I will be very glad.
Say meow to your cat ;)
Indian Sweets: Besan Ladoo (Laddu) recipe
Besan Ladoo Recipe Ingredients:
Cooking Time: 60 minutes
- Besan (Chickpea flour or Gram flour) – 2 cups
- Ghee (Clarified Butter) – 1 cup
- Sugar – 2 cups
- Roasted Cashew nuts – 15 - 20 nos (chopped into small pieces)
- Raisins – 10-15 nos (optional)
- Pista (Pistachios) – 15 –20 nos (chopped into smaller pieces)
Besan Ladoo Recipe Cooking Method:
- Take a heavy bottomed pan. Add besan.
- Stir the besan on low heat for 3 minutes.
- In a separate pan, heat the ghee until it melts.
- Then add the melted ghee into the pan containing the besan.
- On low heat, stir the mixture continuously until you get the typical aroma. This should take about 10-12 minutes.
- Take the pan off the heat and allow the besan and ghee mixture to cool to room temperature.
- Take the sugar in a blender and make it into powder. Then add the powdered sugar, chopped cashew nuts, pista and mix well.
- Now you can take small lumps of the mixture and shape them into ladoos as shown in the pictures.
Cucumber kimchi
I was given a bag of homegrown cucumbers. They were not the tender and juicy ones like those from the supermarket. They were similar to this , a bit tough for salad and taken far too much space in the fridge.
Had thought of making Malay acar (achar) but I still have few jars made a while ago. I wanted something quick and easy. Thought of making stuffed kimchi (oisobagi kimchi) but these
Pumpkin rice 南瓜飯
Dry roasted cashew nuts
Parippu Vada
Easy Egg Masala!!!
This Masala egg goes well with any kind of indian bread.
Ingredients:
4 Boiled Eggs
1 Big Onion, chopped.
1 Medium Tomato
3 Green chillies
2tsp ginger garlic paste
few curry leaves and Coriander leaves
Whole garam masala(2 cardamom,1 small piece of Cinnamon,2 cloves)
1/2tsp Red chilly powder
1/4tsp Turmeric powder
1tsp Coriander powder
1tbsp coconut oil
Method:
In a pan put some oil.When it is hot add the Whole garam masala.Fry for 1 minute.Add turmeric powder, curry leaves ,green chillies and chopped Onion.Saute well for 5 mins.Add ginger garlic paste to this.mix well.Add the chopped tomato.saute well when the oil separates.Add the chilly powder and coriander powder.
Put the eggs to this mixture .Cover the pan and let it cook for 10 minutes.Remove the cover of the pan and Garnish with Coriander leaves.Serve hot.
Rava Idli
Rava - 1 cup
Curd - 1 cup
Chana Dal - 1tsp
Urad Dal - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves(chopped) - 4 tbsp
Green chillies - 3
Baking soda - 1/4 tbsp
Salt - as reqd
Water - 1/2 cup
Method:
Heat oil in a pan.Splutter mustard seeds and add Urad dal and chana dal ,saute well and add the greenchillies and coriander leaves.Add rava and saute well for 2 minutes.Let them cool.In a bowl put the rava,baking soda ,salt and curd.If the mixture is too thick you can add some water to this.Make like normal idli batter consistancy.Grease the idli stand and pour the batter.Steam for around 15 minutes.Serve hot with
chutney.
Ulli Thoran
Onion - 2 big
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Red chilly Powder - 1/4 tbsp
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Mustard seeds - 1/4tbsp
Curry leaves - few
Oil - 1tbsp
Method:
Slice the onion and keep it aside.In a pan put oil and splutter the mustard seeds and curryl eaves .Add the sliced onions and saute well.Add Turmeric, Chilly powder and required salt.Mix well.Cover it and cook the onion.When they are almost ready add the grated coconut .Serve hot with rice.
Chinese spätzle soup ‘gedatang’ 疙瘩湯
Varutharacha Kadalacurry
This is my mom's recipe .The fried coconut gives a nice flavor and tempting colour.This kadala curry goes well with puttu,chappathi,appam etc.
Ingredients:
Kadala(black channa) - 2 cups
Onion - 1 big
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Red chilly Powder - 1/2 tbsp
Salt - as reqd.
For the masala paste
Coconut oil - 1tbsp
Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup
Curry leaves - few
Coriander Powder - 1tbsp
For seasoning
Coconut oil - 1tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 tbsp
Method:
Cook the kadala and sliced onions in a pressure cooker with red chilly powder,turmeric powder and salt.Keep it aside.In a pan put the oil and fry the coconut till it become dark brown colour.Put curry leaves and coriander powder.Mix well.Switch off the stove.Let them cool.Grind it to a smooth paste(u can add some water).Boil them for about 10 mins.In a pan put some oil and splutter the mustard seeds and curry leaves and put the garam masala and saute well.Add this to the curry.Serve hot.
Badam-Milk Pudding
Badam(almonds) - 1/2 cup
Milk - 2 1/2 cups
Corn flour - 2 1/2 tbsp
Condensed Milk - 1tin
Dates - for garnishing
Method:
Blanche the Almonds by pouring boiling water over them in a pot and setting it aside for 3 minutes.Drain off the water and remove the skin.Cut into lengthwise.keep it aside. Boil the milk and slowly add milkmaid ,keep stirring.Mix some water to cornflour.Add this to the Boiling milk.When it become thick consistency add the almonds to this.Mix well and switch off the stove.Pour this to a pudding dish and allow to cool.Garnish with Whole Almonds and Dates.
Pineapple-Banana Smoothie
Fried Chicken Kebab (Kabab) Recipe
Most of the Chicken Kebab or Kabab recipes are the skewed and grilled or tandoor variety where the chicken chunks are marinated in special spices and then grilled on skewers or cooked in tandoor. This is so even though the word Kabab or Kebab in Arabic actually means fried meat and not grilled meat.
This Chicken Kebab recipe is different in that the marinated chicken are fried instead of being grilled and it tastes heavenly.
Chicken Kebab Recipe Ingredients:
- Chicken – 1 kg/2.2 lbs
- Cooking Oil - As required for deep frying
Chicken Marinade Ingredients:
- Maida (All purpose flour) – 4 tbsp (tablespoon)
- Corn Starch – 2 tbsp
- Eggs – 2
- Ginger Garlic paste – 2tbsp
- Lemon – 2 medium size
- Red Chili powder – 2 tbsp
- Garam Masala – 2 tsp (teaspoon)
- Dhania (Coriander) powder – 1 tsp
- Jeera (Cumin) powder – 1 tbsp
- Kebab powder – 1 tsp (optional)
- Green chili – 3 nos (finely chopped)
- Ginger – 1 tsp (finely chopped)
- Coriander or cilantro leaves – 2 tbsp (finely chopped)
- Food color powder – 1/4 tsp (optional)
- Oil for deep frying
- Salt to taste
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Marination time: 4 hours
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Serving: 4-6 people
Chicken Kebab Recipe Cooking Method:
- Break the eggs into a container and whisk them using a spoon.
- Add all the above ingredients except the chicken and mix well.
- If the paste is too thick then you can add more lemon juice or little water.
- Once a thick paste is formed, taste the marinade and then based on your taste needs you can add more of the ingredients.
- Then add the chicken pieces and coriander leaves and mix well until every chicken piece is evenly coated with the marinade.
- Now set aside the marinated chicken for about 4 hours. These 4 hours are important to allow the flavors from the marinade to get into the chicken.
- Heat the cooking oil on a heavy-bottomed pan and deep fry the kebabs till golden as seen in the picture (Note: The dark color in the picture is the result of using food color).
- Allow the Chicken Kebabs to cool on paper towels. Serve hot with onion slices and lemon pieces.
Ela Ada
Ingredients:
For the dough
Roasted rice flour - 2 cup
Coconut oil - 1 tbsp
Water - as reqd
For filling
Jaggiri - 200g
Grated coconut - 1.5cup
Cardmom Powder - 1/2 tsp
Rice flakes(aval) - 1/2 cup(optional)
Banana - 2(optional)
Banana leaves - for wrapping
Method:
Add the boiling water and salt to the rice flour and knead to make a smooth dough .(Same procedure to make idiyappam dough).Keep it aside.
Grate the jaggiri and mix with the coconut.Put a pan on the stove.Add this mixture& stir well.Then add rice flakes small pieces of banana and cardmom powder.Mix well and switch off the stove.Mix well.The main part of the filling is sarkara and coconut.You can make the ada using only this mixture.
On a small piece of banana leaf ,place one rice dough ball,press and spread out on the leaf.Dipping your fingers in water will makes it easy to spread.Spread the filling on top of the rice dough.Fold the leaf in half and press .Make sure the filling does not come out.Steam it for 15 minutes.
Take the steamed ada out of the banana leaf and serve hot :)
Sarkara Varatti
Ingredients:
2 raw Plantain/Nendran Banana
3/4 cup jaggery syrup
1/2tsp ginger powder
1/2tsp cumin powder
2tsp powdered sugar
4tbsp parboiled rice
4cardmom
oil for frying
Method:
Dry roast parboiled rice till they pop up.make a powder with 2tsp of sugar in a mixi.
Remove the skin of banana,cut into 1/4 inch thick slices.Deep fry them until they become golden brown.(Fry them on low heat.It should be crisp)keep that in a paper towel.Boil the Jaggery syrup.When the syrup reaches a sticky consistency, sprinkle cardamom powder, ginger powder and cumin powder.Mix well.Switch of the heat.Add fried banana to this.Stir well to coat.Let it cool for 2 minutes.Then sprinkle the rice powder and sugar mixture till they coated nicely.Let it cool.Store it in an airtight container.
Kaya Upperi(Banana chips)
Kaya upperi- an important item in Kerala Sadya.This snack is very tasty and easy to make.
Ingredients:
Kerala Banana - 3
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Oil - for frying
Method:
Remove the outer skin of the banana.Immerse them in cold water for 10 minutes. pat them dry using a towel and cut into thin slices.
In a bowl put the salt and turmeric powder with some water.
Heat oil in a kadai.When it is hot add the slices of banana and fry it.When it is half done sprinkle the turmeric salt water.It makes a bubbling noise and the oil will come up.When the bubbles are almost settled,take it from the oil and put it in a paper towel.Check salt and yellow colour,if needed u can add accordingly.
Store it in an airtight container when they are cooled.
Ethapazham Pulisseri
Beans-carrot Thoran
Ingredients:
Beans - 3/4 cup
Carrot - 3/4 cup
Onion - 1 medium
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Green chillies - 2
Oil - 1tbsp
Curry leaves - few
Method:
Wash and chop the vegetables(Carrot,beans,onion).In a pan add the oil and splutter the mustard and curry leaves.Add the crushesd coconut and Green chillies.Saute well.Add the chopped vegetables ,salt and Turmeric powder.Sprinkle some water ,cover it and cook well till the vegetables are done.
Aviyal
A delightful mix of all sorts of vegetables. Aviyal is considered an essential part of kerala sadya.
Ingredients:
Carrot - 1/4cup
Chena/Yam - 1/4cup
Indian Cucumber/Vellarikka - 1/4cup
Raw Plantain - 1/4cup
Drumstick - 2
Padavalagha/Snake Gourd -1/4cup
Long Beans - 1/4cup
Turmeric powder - 1/2tsp
Green chillies - 2 to 3
Grated coconut -1cup
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
curd - 5 tbsp
Curry leaves -2strands
coconut oil - 2tbsp
Salt
Method:
Wash and cut all the vegetables lengthwise into 2" pieces(stick shape). Boil the vegetables until just done, with turmeric powder, and salt.keep it aside.Crush together coconut,cumin seeds and green chillies.Add this to the vegetables .Mix well.At this stage add curd also.Mix everything well.Turn off the stove and add the curry leaves and pour the coconut oil on top of the aviyal.Close the lid for 1/2 an hour.Serve with rice.