Omelette with coconut

Oh boy! Am I in a cooking mode today or what??

There is grated coconut, eggs, shallots and even better, curry leaves. Yes!! I know what to make ;D

The mere thought of a hot omlette with coconut and freshly made brown rice is already flooding my palette. Egg dishes are usually the last-minute go-to ones for their taste and simplicity and mutta porichathu is the queen of simple dishes

What I used

1. Eggs: 2
2. Coarsely diced shallots: about 1 tablespoon
3. Grated coconut: 1/2 cup
4. Green chilies finely chopped: 2
5. Curry leaves: a sprig
6. Salt: to taste
7. Oil: for frying

How I made it

It's so simple there is only one thing to do ;D

Mix all the aforesaid ingredients ensuring the amount of salt is fine and fry till the egg is done :D :D

TADAAA!!!! 

This dish pretty much goes with anything, rice, chappathi, bread or even simply munch on if you love eggs 

Godhambu appam

After a long time, once again I am hit with the frivolous energy to just cook and cook... The past 2 days I cooked more food than I could consume and my fridge is packed :D That's good in a way coz it will keep my purse closed and in turn, me rich by a couple of hundreds of rupees ;D yeyyy!!!!! See how some blessings come by.. Am suddenly rich and healthy :D :D

So came today morning and in the thought provoking process of reeling through my memory on the available options for breakfast, I decided to make ada coz it is easy and I had grated coconut, something that is very rare in my kitchen.

But as is typical of me, I reached the kitchen and suddenly, a revelation hit me and just like that, my plans changed! "Aaagh!!!"... I wanted the godhambu appam (wheat bread), which was more like a thick pancake, that my mom used to make along with the evening tea when my sis and I were kids. As they say, destiny has a way of making things work at the right time.. While it took about half an hour to finalise on the ada, it took only a few seconds to confirm on godhambu appam and since destiny comes prepared, it was one of those days when I had all the necessary ingredients ;D ;D Oh destiny!! You amaze me! :D :D

In the excitement that followed, my godhambu appam was ready in a couple of minutes and here is how I went about it

What I used

1. Wheat flour: 1 cup
2. Milk: add enough to make a loose batter
3. Cumin seeds: 1/2 teaspoon
4. Egg: 1
5. Grated coconut: 1/2 cup
6. Salt: 1/2 teaspoon
7. Sugar: 1 tablespoon based on how sweet you want
8. Oil: 1 teaspoon

How I made it

1. In a bowl, add the wheat flour, cumin seeds, salt and sugar and mix well
2. Stir the contents into a thick paste adding milk
3. Then add the grated coconut and egg and if required, add milk to get a moderately loose mixture that will spread on a pan
4. Heat a small pan with the oil and add the entire batter that we just prepared. Since it is a thick bread, keep the pan on low flame so the whole bread cooks through and after about 10 minutes, flip it to cook the other side
5. To test if the bread has been fully cooked, pierce with a fork and if the fork comes out clean, you can be sure it is done

Note: to make the bread softer and flufflier, about half a teaspoon of baking powder can be added and then keep the batter aside for a few mins before cooking so the baking powder can work its magic

For those who don't have all the ingredients (like I do most of the time) or are not a fan of egg and milk, just use water instead :D It will turn out just fine

So there it is!! A hot, tummy-filling godhambhu appam in about 20 minutes .. ideal for breakfast and evening tea

Koorka varattiyathu (Chinese potato stirred fry)

The other day a friend brought home something I hadn't tried cooking before - Koorka or Chinese potato. I have had this at home in different forms, but hadn't made it on my own. And when my friend cooked it, I knew I had to try it on my own :D

My god! it was no easy task. It takes a heck of patience to prepare it for cooking. You see, it's so muddy, full of soil and grit, that I had to wash it umpteen times. Since these baby potato-likes are kind of small like different-sized marbles, peeling them was no less than Herculean task (at least for me ;-))

But once washed and peeled and ready, these babies were a delight :D :D

What I used

1. Koorka: about 250 grams (I made only a small quantity)
2. Cooking oil: 2 tablespoons (I used coconut oil)
3. Mustard seeds: 1/2 teaspoon
4. Curry leaves: a sprig 
5. Shallots: 6
6. Green chilies: 2
7. Dry red chilies: 2
8. Garlic: about 5 cloves
9. Salt: to taste
10. Water: 1.5 cup
11. Tumeric powder: 1/2 teaspoon
12. Pepper powder: 1/2 teaspoon (optional)

How I made it

1. In a saucepan, boil the cleaned and diced koorka with a bit of salt and tumeric powder
   Ensure the contents don't cook to become mushy.  But of course, if u like it mushy, go ahead and try it. The overcooked soft version can be used as filling for wraps as well. But when I made it, I boiled it just enough so that it is cooked and yet firm, not soft enough that it falls apart. I cooked the contents until water boiled and put out the fire allowing the koorka to cook in the hot water, in between piercing with a fork to check the status. Once done, drain off the water and keep it aside.
2. In a frying pan, heat the oil and splutter mustard and curry leaves. The fragrance of curry leaves is such a bliss and lends a freshness to any dish.
3. This is followed by the shallots that have been roughly chopped (I like the sweet taste of sauteed shallots, so I kept the pieces little big), dry red chilies, garlic with enough salt and pepper.
4. Once the shallots have turned glossy and soft, add the green chilies and the pre-cooked koorka.
5. Mix well till all ingredients are well combined and cook for another 10 min.

PS: If you like the koorka to be crispy, continue stirring the contents till the koorka browns. Ensure the rest of the ingredients don't burn.

This is a simple (once the tubers are cleaned of course :D) dry side dish for rice and chappathis :D :D

Upma with leftover keema

Jolted out of my precious sleep by the tring of the doorbell at 10:00 am, I tended to the errand of paying the cable guy, answering the Watzapp messages and a few calls... Suddenly out of nowhere, I was hungry. With a diminished pantry, my options of a hearty breakfast was limited... As I rummaged through the shelves, I came across onion, rava... pinne there was garlic, ginger, ulli chedi, green peas... Perfect!! Upma it is today, making use of what I had !!

What I used

1. Rava: around 1.5 cup (I really didn't measure, kept on adding from the packet based on the water I had added)
2. Medium-sized diced onion:1
3. Chopped ulli chedi: 1 stalk
4. Cooked and  frozen green peas: few 
5. Green and dry red chilies: 1 each
6. Leftover cooked keema that I had: 2 tablespoons (this is completely optional)
7. Finely chopped ginger and garlic: 1 teaspoon
8. Water: about 1.5 cups (I didn't measure this either)
9. Salt: to taste
10. Oil: 3 tablespoons
11. 1/2 teaspoon of mustard seeds and a sprig of curry leaves is recommended (I didn't use it in this recipe as I did not have them the day I cooked this)

PS: carrots and beans are the traditional ingredients of upma. Apart from adding color, it also adds certain amount of sweetness

How I made it

1. In a pan, heat some oil and saute the onion, ulli chedi, green peas, ginger garlic and the chilies together with some salt
2. Once the onion has turned translucent and dry red chilli had fried, add the water
3. Check the salt and add the kheema 
4. Stir the contents and once the water starts to boil, add the rava slowly mixing with the contents of the pan simultaneously. Add enough rava so that the mixture is not too mushy or too dry
5. Keep stirring till fully cooked and turn off the heat

I find upma to be a great breakfast, as well as light snack or dinner. It tastes yumm with banana or just plain sugar. It also works wells with kadala and egg curries. A cup of coffee alongside would complete the meal ;-)

Beetroot mezhukkupuratti

The deep pink beetroot :D :D Mix it with anything and everything turns a dark pink. Nice color to have on plate

What I used

1. 2-3 beetroots cut into small cubes
2. Finely diced onion: 1
3. Green chili: 1
4. Mustard seeds:  1/2 teaspoon (optional)
5. Salt: to taste
6. Oil: 2-3 tablespoons
7. Curry leaves: 1 sprig (optional)

How I made it 

1. In a pan, heat oil and splutter mustard seeds (if using) and saute the onions well with chili, adding required amount of salt
2. Then add curry leaves if you like
3. Once you get the aroma of curry leaves, add the diced beetroot and mix well, ensuring  the contents are fully coated with oil
4. Cover the pan and allow it to cook on low flame with occasional mixing of contents till the beets are soft 

This makes a good combination with brown rice and chappathi

Ulli chedi thoran

It is only recently that I came across this veggie. It was there, a green cluster of long stalks, on the shelf of the supermarket I shop from... Since my taste buds were in demand of something green and crunchy with a fresh taste, I grabbed this, which the store lady introduced as "ulli chedi" and ... let's just say we got to know each other better ;-)

Here is what I did with it...

What I used

1. Chopped ulli chedi (keep the flowers also if it is there on the stalks): around 2 cups
   I chopped in such a way that the pieces were a little thick, not very fine.., you see, I wanted to feel the pieces as I munched on them
2. Finely diced onion: 1
3. Green chili (any chili is fine): 1 sliced longitudinally
4. Cooking oil: 2 tablespoons
5. Salt: to taste

How I made it

1. In a pan, heat the the oil and saute the onion and green chili with the required amount of salt
2. Once the onions have softened, add the chopped ulli chedi and mix well
3. Ensure the content is coated completely with oil and keep on low heat keeping the pan covered, stirring occasionally to enable uniform cooking

         PS: For thorans/mezhukkupurattees, sometimes I add a bit of water so the veggies cook in the              moisture of the steam instead of adding a lot of oil

Like most thorans/mezhukkupurattees, this went really well with brown rice :D :D

Cabbage thoran without coconut

Just one of those days when the palette craves something fresh and veggie, with a bit of sweetness that's spicy as well, I'd opt to have cabbage thoran. This leafy delight, apart from being easily available, requires very less cooking

What I used

1. Finely chopped small or medium-sized cabbage 
2. Chopped onion: 1 big 
3. Green chili: 1-2 based on how spicy you want
4. Salt: according to need
5. Mustard seeds: 1/2 teaspoon
6. Oil: 2-3 tablespoons
7. Curry leaves (optional)

How I made it

1. In a frying pan, heat the oil on medium flame 
2. Splutter the mustard seeds and saute the onion and green chilies
3. If using curry leaves, I prefer to add it at this stage so as to not fry the leaves to crisp and retain the freshness of the leaves
4. Add the required amount of salt to the sauteed onion
5. Finally add the chopped cabbage and mix well ensuring the whole content is smeared with the cooking oil so as to enable even cooking
6. Keep the pan covered for about 10 min and occasionally mix contents till fully cooked