Mambazha Pulisseri (Mango-Curd Curry)

Mambazha Pulisseri  (Mango-Curd Curry)

Mango season is here!! So how could we be not making a dish with this awesome fruit? Neither can any Keralite ever miss the chance of tasting the traditional “mambazha pulisseri” which is the dish of the season! It is said that this recipe is well appreciated if the mango variety named “chandrakkaran” is used for making it. Well, we believe any mango variety is equally lovely. So here goes the recipe...do try out for your lunch and just enjoy!

Ingredients:

1.       Ripe Mangoes                   3 medium

 or mango slices                200g

2.       Jaggery                                 2 tsp

3.       Water                                   ½ cup

4.       Turmeric Powder             1 tsp

5.       Salt                                         1 tsp

6.       Coconut scrapings           40g

7.       Green chillies                     3 large

8.       Cumin                                   ½ tsp

9.       Sour Curd                            1 cup

10.   Oil                                           1 tbsp

11.   Mustard seeds                    ½ tsp

12.   Curry leaves                       3-4 nos.

13.   Dry Red chilli                      1no.

14.   Fenugreek                          1 tsp

Method:

1.       Cook ingredients 1-5 in a pan, stirring slightly in between. Do not mash the mango slices. Remove from fire after 5 mins.

2.       Grind ingredients 6-9 in a mixie or food processor, add this mixture to the cooked mango-jaggery mix and cook for one more minute and remove from fire.

3.       In a pan heat oil and then add ingredients 11-14. When the mustard seeds start to pop switch off the flame.

4.        Add this seasoning to the mango curry and serve hot with rice.

Serves 4

Nutritional Information:

1 serving of the curry gives 2.3 g of protein, 10.1 g of fat, 13.6 g of carbohydrates, 154.7 Kcal of Energy, 84.5 mg of calcium and 0.98 mg of iron.

Veg Pulao

Veg Pulao

Here is a recipe from my mom’s kitchen that you can prepare quick & tasty. It takes less than half an hour to cook this delicious pulao. Just make sure you put the masalas right because the choice of veggies to go with is completely yours. I have just added carrots and beans but if you have the time and resources then choose peas, cauliflower...anything could just blend well with this recipe. It is one of the best packed lunch options for your little ones and definitely a dish that can win you praise from your “surprise guests”. J

Ingredients:

1.      Basmati Rice                           1 ½   cup

2.      Onion                                      1 large (70 g)

3.      Carrots(diced)                         50 g

4.      Beans                                      50g

5.      Cloves                                     5g

6.      Cardamom                              2 nos.

7.      Cinnamon                               5 g

8.      Green chilli( chopped finely)   10g

9.      Ginger (chopped finely)           5 g

10.  Garlic(chopped finely)            5g

11.  Fennel seeds                            5g

12.  Ghee                                        15g

13.  Cashew nuts                            20 g

14.  Salt                                          to taste

Method:

1.      Divide the onion into two. Chop one half coarsely and slice the other and keep aside. In a mixer or food processor add the coarsely chopped onion along with ingredients 4-10 and grind well without adding water to make a paste.

2.      In a pan heat 1 tbsp of ghee and add the ground masala paste. Sauté for almost 2 minutes until it loses the raw smell. Remove from fire.

3.      Soak basmati rice in water for half an hour, and then drain away the water.  Add the washed rice into a pressure cooker, along with diced carrots, masala paste and salt. Pour water just enough to submerge all the ingredients and cook for 15 mins.

4.      Garnish the cooked pulao with ghee roasted onion slices and cashew nuts.

Yield: 2 servings

Nutritional Information:

1 serving of Pulao gives 12.9 g of protein, 13.03 g of fat, 126 g of carbohydrates, 674 Kcal of Energy, 56.4 mg of calcium and 2.1 mg of iron.

Burger Buns

Burger Buns

It was one of our dreams to try out buns. Oh ...we love baking! Confession!!! We love burgers too. :-P So here is the burger bun recipe we used and it turned out to be a real good one. Make sure you use the exact measurements of all the ingredients mentioned and you will never be disappointed. Cut out your buns when done, fill them with any patty or veggies of our choice and just enjoy!

Ingredients

1.      Maida                          2 ¼ cup

2.      Dry yeast                     2 ¼ tsp

3.      Milk (lukewarm)          ½ cup

4.      Water                           ¼ cup

5.      Butter(melted)             ¼ cup

6.      Sugar                           ¼ cup

7.      Eggwhite                     1 no

8.      White sesame seeds     10g

9.      Salt                              ¼ tsp

Method

1.      Mix all the above ingredients using a food processor to get a smooth dough.

2.      Cover with a wet muslin cloth and let the dough rest for about 1 ½ hours.

3.      Divide by cutting into equal portions and knead into buns.

4.      Place the buns on a greased baking dish. Brush the tops of the buns with eggwhite.

5.      Sprinkle white sesame seeds over the buns. Cover with a greased thin cling film and keep aside for another hour.

6.      Preheat the oven at 200⁰c for 10 minutes.

7.      Remove the cling film, place the buns in the oven and bake at 200⁰c for 15 minutes. 

Yield : 5 nos

Nutritional Information:

1 serving gives 11.09 g of protein, 10.3g of fat, 77.3 g of carbohydrate, 446.2 Kcal of energy, 48.3 mg of calcium and 2.6 mg of iron.

Classic Egg salad

Classic Egg salad

Here’s another salad recipe for all our friends out there. Feel hungry or need an accompaniment for your roti or rice? This easy to prepare salad is the right choice. It is tasty and colourful too. I would call it a real appetiser.

 Ingredients

1.      Hardboiled eggs                      4 nos

2.       Homemade Mayonnaise        50 ml

3.      Onion                                      60g

4.      Tomato                                    60g

5.      Dried Parsely                          10g

6.      Lemon juice                             1tsp

7.      Kashmiri chilli powder            1tsp

8.      Salt                                          to taste

Method

1.      Mix chopped onion and tomato along with lemon juice and salt.

2.      Add sliced  eggs and pour mayonnaise over it

3.      Sprinkle kashmiri chilli powder and dried parsely.

4.      Refrigerate and serve chilled.

Serves 2

Nutritional Information:

1 serving gives 11.4 g of protein, 12.2  g of fat, 11.8 g of carbohydrate,233.05 Kcal of energy, 82.47 mg of calcium and 2.07 mg of iron.

Coco Crêpes

Coco Crêpes

Coconut is definitely an unavoidable ingredient in a Malayali’s meal. Here we give you the recipe of a simple pancake with coconut filling. It can be best served during hungry evenings with a cup of tea or coffee. It has a very sweet, pleasing taste and is quite easy to make. Working/busy moms should for sure take note of this one! Trust me, your kids are gona love it.

Ingredients

1.      Maida                                      130g

2.      Coconut scrapings                  110g

3.      Sugar                                       30g

4.      Cardamom powder                 1 tsp

5.      Egg                                          1 no

6.      Salt                                          a pinch

7.      Water                                       as required

Method

1.      Combine the flour, beaten egg and salt and whisk well to form a smooth batter. Strain to avoid lumps and keep aside for 15 minutes.

2.      Mix coconut, sugar and cardamom powder to make the filling for the pancakes.

3.      Heat a non stick frying pan. Make crepes by pouring a scoopfull of batter and spread it evenly.

4.      Cook till the pancake is turning slightly brown and remove from fire.

5.      Place two teaspoons of the coconut filling half-an-inch wide across the pancake at one end, fold and roll it to the other end.

Yield: 10 nos

Nutritional Information:

1 serving gives 2.5 g of protein, 5.2 g of fat, 14.2 g of carbohydrate, 114.1 Kcal of energy, 7.5 mg of calcium and 0.45 mg of iron.

Veggie-Sprouts Salad

Veggie-Sprouts Salad

A cup of salad with whatever main course dish you have is a good thing to do if you prefer to remain trim and healthy.  It might sound difficult to some of you...coz eating raw vegetables is kind of boring right? But you could make it interesting. Adding the vegetables of your choice and seasoning them with a little pepper, salt and lime definitely makes it flavourful.

Sprouts are said to be rich in digestible energy, bio available vitamins, minerals, amino acids, proteins and phytochemicals. And of course the importance of raw vegetables need no description. So when put together they give you a bowl full of health. J

Ingredients

1.       Sprouted green gram                                     1 cup

2.       Onion (chopped)                                            50g

3.       Tomato(deseeded, chopped)                         40g

4.       Carrot                                                           40g

5.       Cucumber(chopped)                                     40g

6.       Cabbage(chopped)                                       40g

7.       Pepper powder                                             1 tsp

8.       Salt                                                               to taste

9.       Lemon                                                          1 no.

Method

1.       Mix ingredients 1-7 well.

2.       Squeeze in lemon juice and also add salt according to taste.

3.       Mix well and serve.

Note: If you do not prefer to have sprouts raw, just steam them for a minute and have. Do not overcook. You can also roll it up in a roti or bread and have as a sandwich. It tastes well either way.

Serves 2

Nutritional Information:

1 serving of the salad gives 25.3 g of protein, 1.58 g of fat, 65.4 g of carbohydrate, 376.6 Kcal of energy, 177.8 mg of calcium, 5.2 mg of iron and 106.2 mg vitamin C.

Minty - Gooseberry Drink

Minty - Gooseberry Drink

A glass of chilled fruit juice is always welcome when you get back home from work tired...Isn’t it? What if this soothing drink would also supply you with good antioxidants and all the vitamin C that you need for the day?

There are very few gooseberry lovers that I have met with...and so I guess it is not a very tasty fruit to actually munch on. Its contradicting flavours are way out of my taste choices too. But the recipe of this drink that I got from one of my friends has actually helped me choose gooseberry more. The astringency of amla is lost and it tastes really good with all the goodness of vitamin C locked in.

Ingredients

1.      Gooseberry or amla     30g

2.      Mint or Pudina            10g

3.      Rock Salt                    to taste

4.      Ice Water                    2 cups

Method

1.      Chop gooseberry into small pieces and remove the seed.

2.      In a mixer grind the chopped gooseberry and pudina adding just a little amount of water and rock salt.

3.      Transfer the mixture into a juicer along with 2 cups of water.

4.      Blend well, strain and serve.

Serves 2

Nutritional Information

One serving of the drink approximately provides 0.32 g of proteins, 2.3 g Carbohydrates, 11.05 Kcal of energy, 17.5 mg of calcium, 0.96 mg of Iron and 91.3 mg of Vitamin C.