Murukku (Chakuli)..... (step-by-step)

There was a powercut and my son was terribly bored ....I dint want him to go outside because of the SUN...so I invited him to my kitchen to make this murukku and he did all the mixing and everything....i just need to do the frying....well, he is a good helper....

Come summer holidays my ammachi (grandmother) used to stock up murukku for us kids. It was supposed to be a healthy snack as it is made of rice flour and besan flour..Murukku as this is called in Malayalam is usually made with besan flour akka chickpea flour (gram flour)...its a traditional snack  The mix is made into a soft dough which is formed into a spiral or coil and it  is deep fried in oil and can be kept air tight for days (I mean if it lasts!!). This recipe is very different from the usual murukku recipe as it has more of rice flour....and it is more soft and crunchy. The secret is that the rice flour is tied in a cotton cloth and steamed for 10 min and then it is mixed with the besan flour to be made into a soft dough.

You will be seeing more of my sons little hand at work here :) infact he did all the spiral works.

Ingredients:

Rice flour: 1 cup (rice flour should be very fine, use idiyappam or pathri flour or you can ask for fine rice flour at Indian stores).
Besan flour: 1/2 cup
Kashmiri red chilly powder: 1 tsp..
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp.
Till seeds: 1 tsp.
Butter/ghee/vegetable shortning, melted: 2 tbsp.
Salt.
Oil for deep frying.

Method:
1. Put the rice flour into a kitchen napkin.

2. Simply cover it and put it in the steamer.

3. Let it steam away for 10 to 15 min.

4. Once it has cooled down, open it and transfer it into a bowl. Break the lumps with your hand.

5. Heat the butter or ghee.

6. Put the besan flour into it and fry it on low flame, the color should not change...so careful here...this is to make the raw smell go.

7. Mix this with cooled rice flour.

8. Put in the red chilly powder, cumin seeds, till seeds, and salt.

9. Make it into a soft dough with water....it should not be too loose or too hard.

10. This is the murukku achu.

11. Put the dough into it.

12. Close it.

13. And squeezzzze!!!

14. Into spirals....aint it pretty.....my son did it :)

15. I like this one better.

16. Deep fry them in hot oil.

Serve them with milk or chai or coffee.

Sharing with Fat Camp Friday.

Mango Milk Shake/Fresh Mango Smoothie.

Summer, summer.....when will you stop loving me!!!

Gosh!!! these days I feel I am being baked by the sun.....and not to mention how it is like in the kitchen...and believe me I hate to be in my kitchen during summers.....but with two hungry brats thats ofcourse inevitable.

The only good thing about summer is mangoes ...hmmm fresh ones, juicy ones, sweet ones.....

This is one of my favorite shake......its so easy that all it needs is 2 min....

Just slice the mangoes, pop them in the blender, add sugar, and some frozen or chilled milk and give it a nice blend.....its READY!!!

I kept 1/2 litre packet milk in the freezer overnight. Frozen milk is the secret to this amazing creamy smoothie...I would recommend to use frozen milk only.....

So lets cool ourselves with this shake/smoothie.

Ingredients:
Mangoes: 2, sliced and chopped.
Sugar: 1/4 cup, depending on the mangoes sweetness.
Milk: 1/2 cup frozen or chilled.

Method:
1. Put the sliced and cubed mangoes in a blender along with sugar and frozen milk.

2. Blend it for 1 minute.
3. Serve immediately.

Another of my favorite summer fruit is Jackfruit which is so abundant in Kerala. This one is from our backyard and thought I would share it here......this was so juicy.

YUMMMMMY!!!

Sharing with Hearth and soul hop.

Potato-Brinjal Masala Curry......Aloo-Baigan Masala Curry

Imagine the chaos at my home....with me down with severe sinusitis coupled with chest infection for 1 1/2 weeks!!!...kids at home....and summer at its highest peak.....

I made this curry before I got sick....we had visited a farm on the outskirts of the city....an organic farm to be precise and got these green fresh organic brinjal from there.

I always love to experiment with my favorite recipes...I love to mix and match my recipes.....I made this curry the same way I make my Pujabi aloo-gobi....but ofcourse with very less oil and believe me I was quite satisfied with the outcome.

You can also make this with the purple brinjal....no rules on that....any brinjal will do....

Ingredients:
Brinjal: 500 gms.
Potatoes: 2, cubed..
Jeera: 1/2 tsp.
Onions: 2, sliced.
Ginger: 1 inch, sliced or chopped.
Garlic: 1/2 pod, chopped.
Red tomatoes: 2, chopped.
Kashmiri chilly powder: 2 tsp.
Coriander powder: 2 tsp.
Garam masala: 3/4 tsp.
Turmeric: A fat pinch.
Salt.
Oil
Coriander leaves for garnishing.
Little water to add while sauting the tomatoes and lastly while cooking the aloo and brinjal.

Method:
1. Cut the brinjal and potatoes into cubes and keep aside.

2. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a kadai. Add 1/2 tsp jeera at let is splutter. Add the sliced onion, ginger, and garlic. Let it fry till it becomes brown.

2. Add 2 tsp Kashmiri red chilly powder, 2 tsp coriander powder, 3/4 tsp garam masala powder, and a fat pinch of turmeric.

3. Mix the masala and let it fry till the raw smell goes....about a min or two. (Note that I used very less oil here).

4. Now add the 2 chopped tomatoes.

5. Add little water to the tomatoes so as to let it incorporate nicely to the masala. Add salt.

6. Mix and let it simmer.....simmer...simmer till it is nicely incorporated....and you really need a bit of patience here....to get the result.

7. Add around half a cup of water......taste and check salt.....let it boil and simmer it.

8. Dunk in the potatoes and brinjal.

9. Mix....mix....mix.

10. Cover and let it cook for around 5 to 10 min.

11. I love coriander leaves...so I just lavish on them........serve hot with roti or rice.

Enjoy!! 

It's perfect with roti.

Sharing with full plate Thursday.

Cold Coffee.............My Way.

With summer at its peak....kids want cold shakes.....this is one of my son's favorite cold coffee....and its easy to make if you have a packet of milk in the freezer....

Ingredients:
Pasteurized milk: 1/2 litre.
Sugar: 1/4 to 1/2 cup (adjust to your taste).
Instant coffee powder: 2 tsp (I used Nescafe).
Chocolate sprinkles.

Method:

1. Take the pasteurized milk from the freezer and with your rolling pin soften it by hitting on the frozen milk packet. (Best way to release your anger too lol ).

2. Cut open the packet and put the softened milk into a blender with instant coffee powder and sugar.

3. Blend it for 2 to 3 min until it is nice and soft.

4. Thats it!! cold coffee is ready...pour into glass.

Serve immediately and sprinkle some chocolate sprinkles.

PS: Can add a generous scoop of ice cream....since the milk is really cold here I serve it on its own.
Sharing with Paisley Passions, Mangoes and Chutney.

Grilled Tandoori Chicken.....Step-by-Step.

I know that I have become a lazy blogger since summer holidays (for kids) started. Roaming the city with my kids, hanging out with them at Focus Mall, watching movies.....yes!! I was a bit lazy to blog.....I love spending time with my kids....sometimes we just drive around and have real fun....after watching Urumi (the new hit Malayalam movie) kids wanted to go to Kappad Beach......and we enjoyed the sunset....

................................................and they played in the sand with my brother's kids.

Now back to cooking.....Tandoori Chicken is a popular Indian dish....chicken is marinated in curd (yogurt) and seasoned with tandoori masala....it is hot and spicy....it is traditionally cooked at high temperatures in a tandoor (clay oven) but can also be prepared in a grill pan or even in a barbecue grill...I always prefer home food to restaurant food...with real fresh ingredients.....no preservatives....no bad oil....or too much butter or ghee....so why go to a restaurant when you can make tandoori chicken right in your kitchen...ah!! homemade food is the best!!!....and don't forget to add lots n lots of love into it. :)

I grilled the chicken in my grill pan with just a table spoon of oil....I did not use any store brought masala or red color.

Ingredients:
Chicken: 2 pieces.
Curd: 1/4 cup.
Kashmiri chilly powder: 2 tsp.
Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp.
Ginger-garlic paste: 1/2 tsp.
Coriander powder: 1 tsp.
Garam masala powder: 1/4 to 1/2 tsp.
Cumin powder: 1/4 tsp.
Kasuri methi: 1/4 tsp (If you have at home go ahead add it if not ...its no big deal....but make sure to buy it next time you shop).
Salt.

Method:
1. Beat the curd lightly with a fork and add chilly powder, turmeric, ginger-garlic paste, coriander, garam masala, cumin powder, kasuri methi, and salt. Mix it nicely and add the chicken into it and rub the marinate into it....keep it overnight in the chicken....the curd acts as a tenderizer and makes the chicken soft.

2. The red color is because I used Kashmiri chilly powder...I did not use any artificial color.

3. Heat the grill pan with a tbsp of oil and gently place the chicken on it.

4. Remember to reduce the flame....it is slow cooking here all through out....close the grill with a lid.....so that the chicken will be cooked nicely.

5. After about 7 to 8 minutes....turn it over to the other side.

6. After about 6 to 7 minutes....it is ready to be served.

Notes:
Serve with lime or sprinkle lime juice over it before serving.
If you have ready made tandoori masala simply mix it with curd and marinate it with chicken.
If you are not that health conscious (as I am) you can definitely add more oil of your choice.
I would recommend you to use Kashmiri chilly powder....if using ordinary chilly powder reduce 1 tsp.

Verdict:
It taste so good and chicken was soft, moist and juicy  inside......a must try one!!!.

Sharing with Made from scratch Tuesday, Hearth and soul hop, Full plate Thursday, Thrilling Thursdays, Paisley Passion, Mangoes and Chutney.