Red Rice Puttu

I bought a kilo of red rice from an Indian grocery having puttu in mind. Simply because i want to try a new version rice puttu instead of ordinary white rice flour puttu. Actually, it has been almost three weeks since i bought the red rice which i totally forgotten about till, suddenly it striked my mind. The next day,  red rice puttu in the making 😁.

If you manage to find red rice flour that will save a lot of your time on the preparation. Just cut off the package and dry roast the flour. I used raw red rice thus, the preparation a bit lenghty though. As we all know red rice has it's own benefit. It's high in fiber,zinc,calcium and iron. Rich in antioxidants it helps in preventing cancer and renew damage cells. 

This puttu makes a perfect healthy breakfast even dinner. It's quite filling and hearty dish to serve for the whole family. I serve with banana for extra kick and flavour.

Ingredients

3/4 cup red rice 
1/4 cup freshly grated coconut
1/2 cup jaggery powder
1/4 cup water
1 tsp ghee/clarified butter,melted
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cardamom powder

Methods

Wash and soak the red rice for an hour. Drain and spread on a clean kitchen cloth to absorp water till completely dry.

Grind to a fine flour. Heat a pan and dry roast the ground rice flour for 1-2 minutes on low flame. Cool completely.

Boil the 1/2 cup water and add salt. Stir well and keep aside.

Transfer the roasted flour to a bowl and add cardamom powder.

Gradually, add the boiled salted water and mix well to form crumbly texture. To get the right consistency, take some of the wet flour and press with your palm. It should be like a ball and when put it back into the bowl, it shall fall loosely.

Heat water in a idli pan or steamer. Grease the idli pan with little oil and spread the wet prepared flour and steam for 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the melted ghee grated coconut  and jaggery powder while it still hot.

Serve hot or warm.

Amma's Fish Head Curry

This fish head curry are my mother's speciality. I have tasted so many fish head curry in restaurants or within my family but, nothing comes near to mom's. I shall say all my family and relatives drool over this lip smacking curry. Fish head curry are quite popular in Malaysia with many restaurants serve their variation or family recepi. There are Indian version of fish head curry, Malay have theirs and so do Chinese.

The Indian-Muslim fish head curry are loved by many across races. It's hot,spicy,tangy and large fish head for whole family to devour. Personally, we prefer medium sized fish head to cook at home. The gigantic fish head a bit scary stuff to handle and serve. Medium sized head are much flavourful works best for this delicious curry recepi.

Why tau pok? Not sure why but mom just love the way it soaks the thick curry well and each bite of the bean curd the spicy curry will ooze out in your mouth. Do not worry about overcooked vegetables as, we are cooking the dish in low heat the vegetables are perfectly cooked and not mushy. The point of cooking on low flame is, to let all the flavours develop well and comes through together for an amazing fish head curry. Amma's fish head curry goes really well with hot white rice..heaven 😋

Ingredients

For Marination

4 pcs fish head, approximately 1 1/2 kg

1 tbsp sea salt

3 tbsp turmeric powder

1 1/2 tbsp chilly powder

2 tbsp lemon juice

For Curry Paste

3 cups thin coconut milk

1 1/2 cups thick coconut milk

1/2 cup tamarind water, dilute a lemon sized tamarind in 1/2 cup water

10 pcs okra,remove stem

3 large onions, sliced

6-8 cloves garlic, crushed

2"inches ginger, crushed

3 brinjals, cut into 4

3 large tomatoes, sliced

4-6 green/red chillies

2 sprigs curry leaves

10 pcs tau pok/dried beancurds, halved

Handful chopped coriander leaves

1 1/2 tbsp cumin powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

4 tbsp chilly powder

2 tbsp coriander powder

1 tsp mustard seeds

3 tbsp fish curry powder

1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds

6-8 tbsp coconut oil

1 cup water

Salt to taste

Methods

Coat the fish well with ingredients listed under "For Marination". Rub the marination well into the fish and marinate for 30 minutes.

In a large wok, heat oil and add mustard seeds. Once the seeds splutrers add curry leaves,fenugreek seeds and cumin seeds. Cook for 10 seconds.

Add the sliced onion and sautee till translucent. Add the crushed ginger and garlic. Sautee till fragrant.

 Add the coriander powder,cumin powder,turmeric powder,chilly powder and fish curry powder. Saute till oil separates.

Add the tamarind water and water. Cook for another 2-3 minutes with lid on.

Add thin coconut milk and cover with lid and cook on low heat for 3-4 minutes.

Add the sliced tomatoes,tau pok,okra and brinjals. Give a stir and season with salt.

Gently add the marinated fish and cook for 20 minutes. Remove the vegetables and gently flip the fish and cook for another 5 minutes with lid on.

Add thick coconut milk and the cooked vegetables. Stir gently without breaking the fish and cook for another 1 minute. Turn off the heat. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve hot with white rice or roti.

Charcoal Lemonade

I bought a packet of activated bamboo charcoal for my baking. Somehow, the idea came to try them in my drink. While thinking how i shall put it together, a bountiful lemon sitting in my basket, caught my attention. Charcoal lemonade it will be 😁. The sexy, classy black drink made it's way into our tummy.

Unlike ordinary charcoal made from bone or sawdust, activated charcoal heated at high temperature which packed with health benefits. It helps to with stomach flu, cholesterol,aid digestion and to treat poisoning. Reminds me why doctors prescribe charcoal for food poisoning as it's good for detoxification as well.

I'm attracted with the elegance black hue of the drink and trust me, there's no trace of charcoal or smoky flavor. The drink tastes lemonade 😀. You may add ice cubes for that extra kick but, i prefer to store in the refrigerator to chill. Yummy black beauty is ready to gulp.

Ingredients

3/4 cup lemon juice

4 cups cold water

1 1/4 tsp activated charcoal powder

5 tbsp honey

Methods

In a large pitcher or cocktail bowl, add lemon juice,cold water,charcoal powder and honey. Stir well.

Refrigerate for an hour.

Pour into serving glass and serve chilled.

Kuih Lopes

This is one of my favourite kuih or snack which loved by many Malaysians as well. Kuih lopes can be found in most kuih stalls. I always get my hands everytime i came across of this delicious snack. I shall say this kuih brought back my chilhood memories.

Those days, our Malay neighbour aunty used to make kuih lopes and will carry a plateful of this green beauty over to our house and we'll have tea at our home with mom's vadai. Food does brought back sweet memories. The taste of the auntie's kuih lopes still lingers in my tongue and mind. 

As much as i love spicy stuff, i can't deny my sweet tooth. Thus, no wonder this sugar syrup drizzled lopes is one of my favourite. Personally, thin sugar syrup is a biggest drawback in serving of kuih lopes. Always make sugar the syrup are thick for a perfect lopes.

Ingredients

300g glutinous rice

15-20 pcs pandan leaves

400ml water

1/3 tsp green food coloring

Salt to taste

Banana leaves

1 cup freshly grated coconut

1/4 tsp salt

For The Sugar Syrup

1 cup palm sugar/gula melaka

1/3 cup dark brown sugar

3 tbsp water

1/4 cup water

Methods

Wash and rinse glutinious rice 3 times.

Add the pandan water,green food coloring and salt. Stir and let it sit for 1 hour. Lined a 9"inch baking tin with banana leaf and pour the glutinious rice mixture.

Boil water in a steamer  and steam for 25-30  minutes or till the glutinious rice are cooked.

Turn off the steamer and let it cool completely. Press the glutinous evenly in a plate greased with cooking oil.

Cut into medium sized circle using a cookie cutter and keep aside.

For The Sugar Syrup

In a pan, add water,brown sugar and palm sugar. Cook till sugar completely dissolved and simmer till the sugar syrup thickened.

Combine grated coconut and salt. Stir.

Coat the glutinious rice disc with coconut mixture.

Pour over the sugar syrup and serve immediately.

Rava Idli

If you're looking for instant idli. No, i'm not talking about store bought instant idli flour. You can make your own soft and spongy idli in a jiffy at home. No hours of fermentation or grinding required. It's simple and easy way of making idli with everday ingredients we find at home.

If you're using unroasted rava, lightly roast in ghee over medium-low heat for few minutes till fragrant. Becareful not to burn the rava. Different brand of rava requires different amount of water. As rava tends to absorb liquid, adjust water as needed to form a batter resembles idli batter consistency.

You may add grated carrot to the batter for variation. I decided to go with the basic and love it to the core. Fruit salt and eno plays an important role in this recepi thus, do not skip. Serve with sambar and chutney. I had my rava idli with a special chutney which recepi coming soon.

Ingredients

1 cup roasted semolina/rava

2 1/2 tbsp ghee

1 1/4 cups plain yogurt,room temperature

1/3 cup water

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp channa dhal

1 tsp urad dhal

2 sprigs curry leaves

1 green chilly, chopped

Pinch of hing/asafoetida

Salt to taste

1 1/2 tsp fruit salt/eno

Methods

In a bowl add semolima and keep aside.

In a pan, heat ghee and fry mustard seeds. Once mustard seeds splutters, add cumin seeds,chana dhal and urad dhal. Saute till urad dhal turns golden.

Add curry leaves and hing. Saute for 20 seconds and add into the semolina.

Add salt,yogurt and water. Mix well. Add fruit salt and stir to combine. 

Cover and rest the batter for 15-20 minutes.

Boil water in idli pan and grease idli mould.

Stir the prepared batter, add water if needed. The batter shouldn't be too thick or too thin.

Pour the batter into greased idli mould and steam for 10 minutes.

Remove from steamer and unmould.

Serve with sambar and chutney.

Sevviyan Kheer

 

Since this is an auspicious Aadi month, i prepared one of the most popular kheer as prasadham or offering. Seviyan kheer or vermicelli kheer often take its place during Indian festivals or celebration like wedding. Often serve as desserts in the end of a hearty meal, kheer is an ideal choice to mellow down spicy Indian food.

During my childhood, mom used to make this rich seviyan kheer for festivals. I have sweet memories of stealing ghee fried nuts,whenever mom make us this delicious delicacy. We made it a point, the more nuts, the more yummy your kheer is 😆.

The kheer has the tendency to thickened during cooling process thus, add milk according your preference. You may substitute jaggery with sugar but, jaggery enhance the taste of the kheer. An easy yet divine tasting sevviyan kheer is ready for neiveidhyam.

Ingredients

1 tsp ghee/clarified butter

10-12 almonds, chopped

10-12 raisins

1 cup vermicelli

1 cup whole milk

4 pods cardamom,crushed

Pinch of saffron

1/4 cup jaggery

Methods

Heat ghee in a pan on medium low heat. Fry the cashews and raisins till golden. Keep aside.

On the same pan fry vermicelli till golden and add milk. Increase heat to medium and let the milk to boil.

Once boil, add crushed cardamom pods amd saffron. Stir.

Add jaggery and stir. Add fried cashews and raisins. Cook till sugar dissolved and switch off heat.

Serve warm or cold.