Butter Biscuit

Ingredients:  

Maida (all purpose flour) - 2 1/2 cups

Baking powder - 2 1/2 tsp

Salt - 1/2 teaspoon 

Sugar - 1 tablespoon

Chilled unsalted butter - 1/2 cup 

Milk - 3/4 cup 

Large egg - 1 no


Method:

Preheat oven to 200 degree Celsius.  Beat the egg with 1 teaspoon milk and keep it aside.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the maida (all purpose flour), baking powder, salt and sugar. 

Cut the butter into small pieces and put it into the maida mixture.  Mix it nicely with your fingers. 

Add the milk and mix it nicely.. do not over mix it. The dough should be sticky, moist.

Knead the dough gently until it comes to a soft dough.

Roll out dough to about a 1/2 inch thickness. 

Cut dough with a knife into square pieces or with a round cookie cutter. 

Place on baking plate and brush the top with the beaten egg and milk mixture and bake for about 10-15 minutes in an oven until the tops are golden brown. 

Remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Serve warm with jam.

Mushroom Thuvaran

Mushroom Thuvaran - Healthy and delicious dish

Video Recipe Below

Spicy Potato Fry

Ingredients:
Big potatoes - 3 nos
Dry Chillies - 6 nos
Ginger garlic paste - 1tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala - 3/4 tsp
Curry leaves, mustard seeds and oil for seasoning

Method:
Wash the potatoes, peel the skin and cut into cubes (to avoid them getting black put into water and keep it aside).

Grind dry chillies, ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder, garam masala and some curry leaves.

Marinate potatoes in the grounded masala with salt added as per taste.

Heat oil in a pan. Season it with mustard seeds and curry leaves.  Add the marinated potatoes, mix well and cook it with the lid closed.  Check to ensure salt is adequate. Once potatoes are cooked, add little more oil and fry them well till the dish gets brown.

Spicy Potato Fry is ready.  Serve with Rice or Chapathies.

Unniappam

Ingredients:

Raw Rice - 1cup
Jaggery - 3/4 cup
Ripe Banana (Palayamthodan preferred) - 2 nos
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Coconut milk to mix

Method: 1

Soak rice for 1 hour.  Grind the rice after 1 hour nicely adding very little water in grinder or mixer.

Mix jaggery and banana nicely in a mixer.  Keep it aside for a while.

Add the jaggery mixture into  rice.  Mix it nicely.  If the batter is thick add coconut milk. Consistency of this should be like dosa batter.  If the batter is too thin add little atta flour.

Mix the batter nicely with a spoon by adding cardamom powder.

Keep this batter for 12 hours to ferment. Little bit Yeast can be used to assist in fermentation depending on climate.  I usually grind it in the evening and make unniappam in the morning.

After 12 hours again mix it with a spoon.  Heat the unniappam pan and add little oil.

Add the batter to each portion of the pan with a spoon.  Turn over and cook till the appams are golden brown on both sides.

In case unniappam pan is not available, you can use frying pan and carefully pour batter to form circular shape. Unniappam pan is required to get proper shape.

Method 2

Soak rice for 1 hr.  Grind it in a mixer without adding water and sieve it.

Mix Jaggery and banana nicely in a mixer.  Keep it aside for a while.

After this follow the steps of method 1

Stuffed Okra Fry

Stuffed Okra Fry is an exotic dish made by stuffing a mix of several spices inside the okra and shallow frying.


Ingredients:

Okra (Vendakkai, Bhindi / Lady's finger) -  10-15 nos
Grated Coconut-  4tbsp
Coriander powder - 1tsp
Chilly Powder  -1tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/2tsp
Cumin Powder -1/2tsp
Roasted peanuts - 1tbsp
Fennel seeds (Perumjeerakam) - 1/2tsp
Asafoetida (Kayam) - a pinch
Coriander leaves
Salt according to the taste
Oil for shallow fry

Method:

Cut the ends and head of Okra.

Make a slit using knife. Take out the seeds from inside and keep it aside

In a meanwhile grind Coconut, Coriander powder, Chilly powder, Turmeric powder, Fennel Seeds, Jeera Powder, Roasted Peanuts and Coriander leaves for stuffing.  Add those seeds and salt with this stuffing and mix it with a spoon nicely.

Take a spoonful of stuffing masala and stuff it into the Okra. 

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, once it starts splutter add asafoetida.

Add all the stuffed Okra slowly into the pan and shallow fry it nicely in low flame until brown colour.

Do not add salt in Okra because we have added salt in the masala.

Garnish it with Coriander leaves.

This taste good with Rice or Chappathi. 

I have added carrots and zucchini for decoration.  Cut carrot and zucchini into round and cook for 3 -4 minutes in the same pan.

Easy Onion Chutney

The Easy Onion Chutney is a quick preparation to accompany Dosa or Poori.

Ingredients:

Onion - 1 medium sized
Red Chilly Powder - 11/2 tsp
Coconut Oil - 1 tbsp
Tamarind and salt according to your taste
Curry leaves, and mustard seeds for seasoning

Method:

Grind onion, chilly powder , tamarind and salt together.

Heat oil in a pan.  Once it is heated up add mustard seeds and curry leaves.

Pour this seasoned oil into the ground mixture.

I always use Coconut oil in this  recipe.  This gives a real taste. You may need more oil for this if you  are adding more chilly powder. Oil will reduce the spiciness.

This chutney really tastes good with poori, roti, and dosa.

Note: Do not shallow fry the onion for this recipe. Grind the onion raw.

Vegetable Poha