Stir Fry String Hopper

 

This is the great recepi with leftover string hoppers or iddiappam. Easy peasy recepi which can be prepared in a simplest way. Some call it kothu iddiappam and some as iddiappam uppuma. Whatever name it is the taste matters and I shall say it's delicious 😋. I made this with leftover iddiappam from our previous night dinner and Dandelion love this stir fry string hoppers for their breakfast.

Different from our usual sweet iddiappam with sugar and sheredded coconut or the savoury version of dipping the vegetable stew or gravies,  this recepi is a must to try. I have made the non-spicy version you may add chilly powder or chilly flakes for hot and spicy iddiappam. 

This stir fry iddiappam are great to dish out for family gathering or as a tea time treat with a cuppa. It's a healthier dinner option as well. Guess, with this yummy iddiappam recepi there'll be no more issues of having unsolved  leftover iddiappam issue 😀.

Ingredients

3 pcs string hoppers/iddiappam

2 tbsp ghee

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1 tbsp cashews 

1 spring curry leaves

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 red chilly,chopped

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves 

1 tbsp lemon juice 

Salt to taste

Methods

Cut the iddiappam into small pieces and keep aside. 

Heat ghee in a pan and fry the cashews till golden. Remove from pan and keep aside.

In the same pan,  add mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds splutters add onion and garlic. Sautee till the onion soften. 

Add curry leaves,chopped chilly and turmeric powder. Stir and add the iddiappam.

Stir and add the roasted cashews,  cook for a minute or two. Turn off the heat and add lemon juice. Stir and transfer to a serving plate.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve.

Chakka Nei Appam

 

If you're a fan of traditional sweets than,  this recipe is definitely for you. Chakka nei appam or jackfruit kuzhi panniyaram often serves as Neiveidhyam or as an offering to God on suspicious day. I made this for Ganesha Chahurti as prasadham for Lord Ganesha. May His blessings be upon each and everyone of us. 

Coming back to the recepi, we were having jackruit in abundance here in the market and I bought some back for snacking. I served it as a fruit bowl for our breakfast and reserved some for making appam. Choose a ripe jackfruit for the recipe. To enhance the taste I reserved some chopped jackfruit pieces to add into the batter so that,  we could bite into the tiny bit of jackfruit in the appam. Those little addition enhance the taste and texture to the appam.

I have tried the same recepi by adding coconut pieces which goes well too but, I prefer the jackruit pieces better.  Different people different taste. Try both and let me know your preference. The sweet and fragrance jackfruit appam are great as tea time or even as breakfast. This soft, spongy and fluffy Kerala special sweets is absolutely delicious and will make others wanting for more. 

Ingredients 

1 cup raw rice 

1 tbsp year dhal

1 cup grated jaggery

3 cardamom pods

1 cup jackruit,deseeded & roughly chopped 

1/4 cup finely chopped jackfruit

1/4 tsp fenugreek

1/2 cup ghee

Pinch of salt 

Methods

Wash and soak rice with urad dhal and fenugreek seeds for at least 2 hours. 

Grind the soaked rice mixture with jaggery, cardamom pods and 1 cup chopped jackfruit by adding little water. Grind into smooth batter. 

Transfer batter to a large bowl, add salt and mix well. Cover with lid and rest the batter for at least 2 hours to ferment. 

Add the 1/4 cup of chopped jackfruit to the fermented batter and stir. 

Heat the kuzhi panniyaram pan over low heat and add 1 tbsp of ghee to each hole of the pan. 

Pour the batter into each hole and cook for 1-2 minutes and using a bamboo stick gently flip the appam to cook on the other side.  Let it cook for another 1-2 minutes till golden brown. Remove from the pan. 

Continue the process with the remaining batter. 

Serve with a hot cup of black tea or milk chai.

Safflower Tea

 

One of the simplest the tea recepi ever and thats Safflower tea for you. Do not mistake Safflower with Saffron eventhough, both look similar. Safflower also known as poor man's saffron has been used for ages as substitute to Saffron. Just like Saffron, Safflower derive a beautiful golden hue when soak in water which is perfect for food dying with natural way. Safflower oil used for salad dressing as well. 

My elder Dandelion is a big fan of herbal teas especially fruits and flowers tea. She have almost 20-25 varieties of herbal tea collection and Safflower are one of them. I used Safflower for my Indian kheer,making tea and in my aromatic rice varieties. In this recipe,  adding honey is an optional. There are days we just have our Safflower tea without any sweetener and it tastes as good.  I bought Safflower via online and absolutely no regret of buying. One of my best tea purchase I shall admit. 

Safflower aids weight loss, lowers cholesterol,improves blood sugar levels,boost heart health, soothes dry skin and reduce inflammation. Safflower has potential for blood thinning which prevent blood clotting thus,  if you have bleeding disorder or undergoing surgery do avoid taking Safflower. Just like everything & anything moderation is the key. Do not overconsume Safflower tea or oil. 

Ingredients 

1/2 tsp Safflower 

1 cup hot boiling water

1/2 tsp honey

Methods

In a cup add Safflower and hot boiling water. 

Cover with lid and steep for 5-7 minutes.

Strain the tea and add honey. Stir and enjoy.

Chocolate Apricot Biscotti

Another recepi requested by my younger Dandelion. She's a chocolate freak and which child doesn't? I give in to her request and baked her delicious chocolate Biscotti with dried apricots. Chocolate and apricot really go well.  I'm a regular when it comes to apricot. Dried apricots are always available online or in Middle Eastern groceries here and I buy them for snacking.

I love the not so sweet but chewy and fleshy apricots in my smoothies,salads or even as munching on it's own. The same apricots went into this chocolate apricot Biscotti which my Dandelions love on every bite. It's chocolatey, chewy and burst and absolutely delicious. For an extra kick I added milk chocolate chips in the batter..white chocolate chips goes well with the recipe.

Store in air tight container and it stays good for a week or two. Great as tea time snack or even for parties. Dunk in a tall glass milk or thick glossy hot chocolate for an amazing Biscotti experience.

Ingredients

2 cups + 3 tbsp all purpose flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted

1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots 
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
1/4 cup butter,room temperature
1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon powder

1 tsp baking powder
2 large eggs,room temperature
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt


Methods

Preheat oven at 350'F or 176'C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Keep aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour,baking soda,baking powder,salt and cocoa powder. Keep aside.

In another bowl, beat sugar and eggs on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes. Beat in butter and vanilla for another 1 minute.

Reduce speed to low and gradually, add the flour mixture,chocolate chips and chopped apricots. Scrape the sides of the bowl and beat until well mixed. 

Lightly dust a clean working surface with flour and knead the dough. The dough will be sticky, sprinkle the remaining 3 tbsp flour and continue kneading. Shape the dough into 2 (8x2 inch) logs.

Place the logs 2-3 inches apart on the prepared baking tray and flatten the surface slightly . 

Bake in a preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 10-15 minutes on baking tray.

Using a sharp knife, cut the logs diagonally into 1/2 inch slices. Arrange on baking tray and bake for 18-20 minutes on the same oven temperature until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool completely on wire rack.

Store in an airtight container.

Sri Lankan Paan Or Thatti Bread

Sri Lanka is the one place that in bucketlist to visit. Beautiful country with equally mouth watering delicacies. I tried few of Sri Lankan cuisines at home and marvel with the ingredients and preparation. One of those tried dish is this ever beautiful Sri Lankan Paan bread or Thatti bread. It might be a tedious process but, trust me it's all worth the hard work.

I love those beautiful crust that formed and the smell of freshly baked bread.  I placed butter paper on each section of the bread for easy separation but,  it's truly exceptional. The brushes oil flour mixture could easily do the trick but I was just skeptical since,  it's my 1st trial. This bread can be found in most of Sri Lanka be it in restaurants or on the street and most home do make their own. One of the most popular Sri Lankan bread.

The bread make an ideal breakfast or as an tea time treat. Serve along with coconut sambol,seeni sambol or dip in curry wit a hot tea. Heaven on earth I shall say. 

Ingredients

3 1/4 cups bread flour
1 package active dry yeast
350g  lukewarm water

235g lukewarm milk

36g butter, room temperature 
1 tsp granulated white sugar
1 tsp salt

For The Oil Flour Mixture

30g bread flour

30g coconut oil 

3 tbsp melted butter 

Methods

In a stand mixer bowl, add yeast,warm water,warm milk and sugar. Stir and keep aside until foamy.

Add the room temperature butter,salt and 3 cups flour.  Knead about 10 minutes to form a elastic & pli dough.

Place the dough in a greased large bowl, cover with damp kitchen towel and let the dough rise for about 1 to 1 1/2 hour in a warm place.

Oil Flour Mixture 

Add the melted butter and 35g bread flour in a bowl and keep aside. 


Dust a clean working surface with flour, and punch down the dough and divide the dough into 6 equal balls. 

Cover the dough with kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm place for 15-20 minutes.

Take a ball flatten to the same with of your loaf pan.

Roll the dough to form cylinder and gently press the edges and both sides (left and right of the dough) to seal.

Place the dough seamside down and brush with the oil flour mixture. Continue with the remaining dough. Do not over crowd the pan as the dough will double in size during proofing. 

Cover the pan with kitchen towel & rest for another 30 minutes. Spray the top with water. 

Bake for 30-40 minutes. Remove from pan and carefully separate each slices on a baking tray and brush with melted butter.  Change oven setting to broil and broil for 1-2 minutes till brown. Repeat the same on the other side of the bread. 

Remove from oven and let it cool completely before slicing. 

Serve with coconut sambol.

Marina Boat

 

This is my version for a quick tea time treat or make an excellent breakfast as well. I call them marinara boat as the baguette resembles a boat 😉. It's filling,cheezy, and absolutely delicious. One recepi you shall pin for a lazy meal as this can be prepared in a jiffy. Perfect as a bachelor dish or for a weekdays light dinner as well.

This mozarella boat is a short cut version on pizza with marina sauce and assorted toppings. Do play out your creativity to customize according your preferences. Spinach,bell pepper,dried thyme,cooked shredded chicken,sausages and countless toppings works well for this beautiful boat.

I used store bought marina dip just to finish up the jar which is nearing it's expiry. You can make your own fresh marinara sauce as well. Serve with a dipping of marinara sauce on the sides for the extra kick. Yummy to my tummy 😋

Ingredients

4 loafs of baguette (medium)

1/2 cup marinara sauce (store bought)

1/2 cup diced chicken pepperoni

1 1/2 cup shredded mozarella

2 tbsp dried Italian herbs

Sea salt for sprinkling

Chilly flakes for sprinkling

1/4 tsp blackpepper powder

1/4 cup of sliced black olives

5 sweet pepper,sliced

Melted butter for brushing

Methods

Preheat oven at 350'F or 175'C. Line a baking tray with baking sheet.

Cut a V into top of the baguette, remove the top and the interior leaving a 1/2" inch on the sides.

Place the baguette in the prepared baking sheet.

Spread the marinara sauce to the baguette,top with sliced pepperoni,sweet pepper and olives.

Sprinkle with mozarella cheese. Top with sliced pepperoni,sweet pepper and olives.

Season with salt, Italian herbs,chilly flakes and pepper. Brush the sides of the baguette with melted butter.

Baker for 11-12 minutes or till the cheese melted. Cool wire rack for 5 minutes. 

Slice and serve with marinara dip.

Amaranth Poori

I actually came across of dehydrated fruits & vegetables while surfing online. Since, it's interesting i started to click here and there till i found this one particular shop that sells organic fruits and vegetables in powder form without any addictives,coloring or preservaties. Curisioty kills and before knowing i placed orders for a dozen of the vegetables and fruits powders. Parcel received and the happy me started to play around by infusing them in my cooking. One of it is this amaranth or red spinach poori.

Red amaranth are rich with proteins,magnesium,calcium,pottasium,copper,dietry fibers and minerals. Adding amaranth into your diet is essential for healthy well being. Amaranth is a good source of natural food dying as the vibrant colour gives a beautiful red hue to food. As my family loves fluffy poori this Amaranth poori are a hit in my household and perfect for our Saturday lunch. Soft,fluffy,deep fried poori is indeed a great way to start our weekend.

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup rava/semolina

1 tbsp amaranth powder
1/2 cup warm water
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 tsp butter
Oil for deep frying

Methods

In a large bow, add all purpose flour,salt,sugar,semolina,amaranth powder and oil. Mix well.

Add little warm water at a time to knead the dough into a dough.

Smear 1 tsp butter on the dough and cover the bowl. Let the dough rest for 10-15 minutes.

Knead the dough for 1 minute and roll the dough into equal sized balls.

Dust a clean working surface and your rolling pin with flour. Roll out the dough into medium thickness.

Over a medium flame, heat oil in a frying pan for deep fying. Gently slides the poori  from the sides of the pan to the hot oil.

Once the poori floats, gently press the ladle on one side for the poori to puff up. Flip the poori to cook on the other sides. Once the poori turns golden, drain the oil and place them on a plate lined with kitchen towel to absorb excess oil.

Continue the process with remaining dough.

Serve with gravy of your choice.

Notes

The oil shall not be too hot or too cold.

The dough should not be too soft. It shall be slightly stiff.

Do not roll the poori too thin this will prevent from the poori puffing up while frying.

Indian Style Pan Fried Pomfret

Pan fried Indian style pomfret is an easy to prepare dish which can can be served as side dish or even on it's own. Coated with aromatic Indian spices this succulent and juicy pomfret are ideal as a bachelor recepi as well. Minus the marination timing, this dish can be prepared in a jiffy without compromising on the taste.

I bought some fresh white pomfret for pan fry for our Sunday lunch. I cooked claypot fish curry and made this pomfret dish as a sides and everyone at home love it. The masala are not overpowering and the fish are soft and not dried out. Somehow, the ajwain or carom seeds gives that wonderful nutty flavour to the delicious fish. Serve with lemon wedges,cucumber slices and a sprinkle of chilly flakes for the extra kick.

Ingredients

1/2 kg pomfret, cleaned & scored

4-5 tbsp coconut oil

For The Marinade

1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp Kashmiri chilly powder

For The Masala

1 1/4 tbsp coriander powder

1 1/4 tbsp cumin powder

1 tbsp kashmiri red chilly powder

1 1/4 tsp garam masala

1 tsp turmeric powder

2 1/2 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1 tsp carom/ajwain seeds

1 tbsp fennel powder

2 tbsp Kasthuri methi,crushed

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp gram/besan flour

1 tbsp coconut oil

For Garnishing

Cucumber slices

Lemon wedges

Sprinkle of chilly flakes

Methods

In a bowl, add all the imgredients listed under "For The Marinate" and mix well. Rub the fish with the paste and marinate for 30 minutes.

In another bowl, add all the ingredientd listed under "For The Masala" and mix well. Rub in the masala to the marinated fish.

Heat a tawa with coconut oil and place the fish on the tawa and gently give a shake to prevent from the fish from sticking on the tawa.

Cook for 4-5 minutes and gently flip the fish to cook on the other side. Cook for another 4-5 minutes and transfer tp a serving plate.

Serve with lemon wedges,cucumber slices and a sprinkle of chilly flakes.

Punjabi Dum Aloo

This could easily be one of the hardest potato recepi i ever cooked with plenty of ingredients,dry roast,grinding & the dum process. I'll never take potato for granted. I was having Punjabi dum aloo when i grabbed some cute baby potatoes recently. Despite of the tedious process, this recepi is worth trying. Absolutely rich and delicious.

I used both cashews and cream in this recepi for the rich and creamy gravy. Do not skip the palm sugar as it enhance the flavour to the tastebud. The freshly ground spices gives the additional flavor to the gravy. If you couldn't find baby potatoes, use regular potatoes cut into halves which works well with the recepi. Serve with rice or chapati this potato recepi are yummylicious 😋

Ingredients

To Dry Roast

1"inch cinnamon stick

1/2 tbsp fennel seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

3 cloves

1 tbsp coriander seeds

3 green cardamoms

For The Curry

1/2 kg baby potatoes

1 green chilly

5 cloves garlic,chopped

1 large red onion,chopped

1"inch ginger,chopped

1 cup plain yogurt

2 tbsp + 1 tbsp mustard oil,divided

2 tbsp heavy cream

1 tsp palm sugar

1 tbsp kasturi methi,crushed

1 cup of water

1/3 tsp garam masala

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1 1/4 tsp Kashmiri chilly powder

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp hing

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp black pepper powder

Salt to taste

Methods

Boil water in a pan, add potatoes and cook for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and cover the pan with lid. Let the potatoes remain in the pot for 15 minutes.

Drain the potatoes and rinse with cold water. Peel off the skin and prick the potatoes all over with a toothpick. Keep aside.

Heat a pan and dry roast all the ingredients listed under "To Dry Roast". Roast the ingredients on low-medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Let the ingredients cool down amd grind into fine powder.

In a pan, heat mustard oil and fry green chilly,garlic and ginger till fragrant. Add the onion and cashews, saute till onions turns soft. Let the ingredients cool down and grind into a fine paste. Keep aside.

In a pan add remaining 4 tbsp mustard oil and fry the boiled potatoes till all sides turns golden. Transfer to a pan and let it cool down. Prick again the potatoes on all sides.

To the same pan, add hing,bay leaf, cumin seeds and 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilly powder. Saute for 20-25 seconds.

Add the prepared cashew onion paste and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add black pepper powder and the ground spice powder. Stir well and cook for a minute.

Remove pan from heat and stir in the yogurt. Stir continiously to mix well.

Place the pan again on medium heat amd cook for 3-4 minutes by stirring continiously.

Add the remaining 1/4 tsp Kashmiri chilly powder and turmeric powder. Cook for another 4-5 minutes.

Add the potatoes and 1 cup of water. Stir and cover with lid tightly and cook in dum method for 5-7 minutes.

Add garam masala,cream and crushed kasthuri methi. Add the remaining 1 cup water and simmer on low heat for 3-4 minutes. Cover with lid and cook for another 4-5 minutes.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Thazampoo @ Kewra Water Nan Khatai

This is my second time baking Nan Khatai but, this time with varition. I replace rose water with equally fragrance kewra or thazampoo water which turns out really good. The whole house filled with the aromatic of kewra water  and it was very much intoxicating.

Kewra water can be found in shops selling Middles Eastern goodies. I was excited to found kewra water and without thinking twice grabbed a bottle. I use it for my sherbet,flavoured rice and this is my first trial with cookies. The cookies are bursting with the sweet kewra flavour,nutty in taste and melt in your mouth.

Ingredients

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 confectioners sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/8 tsp salt
Pinch of baking soda
Pinch of cardamom powder
1/4 tsp kewra water
1 1/3 tbsp crushed dry rose petals
1 1/2 tbsp chopped pistachio

1 /2 tbsp chopped almonds

Methods

In a bowl, combine flour,salt,cardamom powder and baking soda. Keep aside

Using an hand or stand mixer, beat butter and confectioners sugar till pale and fluffy.

Add kewra water and beat for 2-3 seconds.

Add in the flour mixture in 2 batches making sure to beat after each addition. Do not overbeat.

With a spatula, fold in the rose petals. Shape the dough into a log and wrap in a cling wrap. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven at 375'F or 180'C. Line a baking tray with parchment papet and keep aside.

Divide the dough into a equal 16 small sized balls and place onto a prepared baking tray.

Using a knife, gently slit the top of the balls to create a design.

Sprinkle chopped pistachio and almonds on the prepared cookie dough and give a light tap for the pistachio to stick onto the cookies during baking in the oven.

Bake for 18-20 minutes or till the edges slightly golden.

Remove from oven and let it cool on the tray for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container.

Notes

• You may easily double up the recepi. Original recepi yields 16-18 cookies

Grapefruit And Orange Cooler

 

This is what i call as grapefruit cooler bursting with citrus tastes. The sweet aroma of grapefruit and orange are perfect as cooler on sunny days. The bright orangy colur of the cooler are definitely a crowd puller. Honey balances the tartness of the blood orange and enhance the flavour.

Grapefruit aka blood orange comes in pink and deep dark red colur. Grapefruits are known for its tartness thus, natural sweetener like honey works well to reduce the tartness. 

To get 100% of daily recommended vitamin C just consume whole grapefruit everyday for your vitamin C fix. High in antioxidants and boost immune system to fight bacteria and viruses. This is a fruit that one shall hv in their everyday diet.

Ingredients

2 cups water

150 mililitre orange juice

200 mililitre grapefruit juice

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 cup ice cubes

4-5 tbsp honey

Mint leaves for garnishing

Methods

In a pitcher, combine grapefruit juice,orange juice,lemon juice and water. Stir.

Add honey and ice cubes. 

Pour into serving cups and garnish with mint leaves.