Cottage pie( English meat pie)

Ingredients

Minced Beef - 250 gm
Potatoes - 5 -7 medium size
Milk - 1/4 cup
Butter - 1 tbs
Carrot(chopped) - 3
Chicken stock - 1/2 cup
Worcestershire sauce - 1 1/2 tbs
Onion - 2
Garlic chopped- 1 tbs
Cheese - 75 gm
Pepper powder
Salt

Preparation

Boil potatoes and mash well by adding little milk,salt,pepper (optional) and butter.
In a pan fry the minced meat until its brown in colour.
In a saucepan saute onions,garlic for few minutes. Add chopped carrots,meat and chicken stock.Add salt,pepper and worcesteshire sauce and cook it covered for half an hour.
Meanwhile preheat the oven to 200 degree centigrade.In an ovenproof dish spread the meat mixure.Cover it with mashed potatoes and place it in the oven.After 20 minutes sprinkle the cheese on the top of the pie and bake for another 10 minutes.Serve warm !!
If we use minced lamb instead of beef they call it SHEPERD'S PIE.

Chakka Ada( Vacation special)

Hi friends,
I am back after my holidays.It took me a while to get adjusted with cold weather and empty home which welcomed us back. The vacation was so wonderful,we enjoyed each and every moment and on the way back we stopped in Dubai to visit my sister there.I have never been to Dubai before,so It was like a wonderland to me with the huge buildings and constuctions everywhere.The view from Burj khalifa,the world tallest building was so amazing.Palm island which is a man made island in the middle of sea was another wonder,but weather wise I am happy with London's weather,atleast we can go out wearing layers of clothes.It was too hot in Dubai,outdoor activities is not possible in the hot sun,winter is the best time to visit Dubai.I am sharing some Dubai pictures below.

BURJ KHALIFA








The recipe that I am going to post today is one of the delicacies that my mom cooked for me while we were in India.The jackfruit season in kerala is usually during the months of april,may but my mom reserved few for me in the tree itself.My mom never thought that it would stay in the tree till september,but luckily it didnt ripe and nor did the birds pecked it.So I had the luck to eat jackfruit in all forms both ripen and as a chakka puzhukku with raw jackfruit.

Here goes the recipe.

Jackfruit ripen - 1/4 of the fruit
Rice flour - 1 1/4 cup
jagerry - according to your sweetness
Cardamom powder -pinch
Banana leaf



Preparation

In a saucepan cook the jackfruit with melted jaggery.Allow it to cool down and blend it into a smooth paste. Melt some more jaggery with little water and keep it aside.In a mixing bowl take the rice flour and add the jackfruit paste to it and add the melted jaggery too.Finally add a pinch of cardamom powder.Mix well.Roast the banana leaf in the flame so that it wont tear.Take a spoonfull of the mixture into small banana leaves,press it gently with hands and fold it.Steam the leaves in a steamer for about 30 to 45 minutes. Enjoy with cup of tea !!

Mathi molishan/ spicy sardines and a blogging break

I am all ready to go for an exciting 4 weeks holidays to India and a short Dubai visit on my return.I am now in the phase of clearing out my fridge and pantry.Cooking is just for namesake these days,and I wonder how long will it take for my kitchen to be back on full swing even when I am back.Anyway coming to todays recipe..

Ingredients

Sardines - 3
Shallots - 10 -15
Tomato -1
Redchilly powder - 1 tbs
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Green chillies - 1 or 2
Curry leaves - few
Salt
Tamarind water - (small piece of tamarind soaked in 1/4 cup water)
Ginger -1/2 tbs
Garlic crushed - 1/2 tbs
Coconut oil

Preparation

Cut and clean sardines.In a chatty(earthern pot)/ saucepan add all the ingredients with fish adding little water .Cook till the fish is done and drizzle some coconut oil.
Serve hot with steamed rice.

Happy Onam

Wishing you all a Happy and Prosperous Onam !!

Banoffee pie (English Dessert)

Ingredients(serves 4 )

Digestive biscuits - 10 biscuits
Butter - 35 gm( melted )
Banana - 2
Caramelised condensed milk - 1/2 tin( I used nestle caramel)/ Sweetened condensed milk - 2 tins( see the notes )
Whipping cream-1 /2 cup
Icing sugar - According to your sweetness
Grated Chocolate

Preparation

Place the biscuits in a plastic bag and roll with a rolling pin or powder it in a mixie/ coffe grinder.
Add melted butter to the biscuits crumbs and mix well.
                                                                                                                                                                                  

  Spread the mixture evenly in a tin with removable base and gently press it.     

                                            

Chill   it for 1-2 hours. 

Spread the caramel mixture above the biscuit layer and spread it evenly. 

Slice the banana and make a layer or two above the caramel layer.

 Finally whip the cream with sugar and spread the cream above the banana layer.

Decorate with grated chocolate.

Keep in  the fridge for few hours  before you serve it. Cut and serve  !

Notes -

If you are using condensed milk, immerse the tin in a saucepan with boiling water and simmer  for 2 - 2 1/2 hours.  Make sure that  you immerse the tin completely and the tin is always immersed in water, top up with more water when the water level comes down. Open the tin once its cool.

Ethapazham/Nenthra pazham chuttathu (oven roasted plantain)

Hello Friends,

I feel so bad for not catching up with your posts and for not updating mine too. I think for me active bloggging is not possible for a couple more months.For me winter is the best time for blogging when we dont go out much and have so much time to kill.Eventhough the word Winter itselves scares me I have blogging to look forward too.
I am also excited about our vaccation next month. We are going on to India for 4 weeks. My little boy is going to turn 2 years in september so we are planning to have a small party there with his grandparents ,friends and family. I have already started shopping which never makes me tired.I have to get some gifts for my close family and friends.
I dont have any recipe today I am posting a simple snack which my mother used to make in aduppu(grilling on charcoal),we call it chutta pazham .

Ingredients

Ripe plantains

Preparation
Preheat the oven to 200 degree celcious.Place the plantains in the oven and cook for 20 minutes.Allow it cool down .Remove the skin and enjoy !!

Kalathappam/ Rice cake ( Kannur special ) cooked in oven

Kalathappam is a kannur special tea time snack ,we usually make this is in a pressure cooker but this was my first attempt in oven and the result was unbelievable, it came out so well without any burns which used to be my problem when I make this in cooker.

Ingredients

Jeerakasala rice/ kaima rice/biriyani rice - 1 1/4 cup
Cooked rice - 1/4 cup
Jaggery -5- 6 cubes( according to your sweetness)
Grated coconut - 2 tbsp
Shallots - 10 nos
Coconut slices- 2 tbs
Ghee/coconut oil
Baking soda - 1/4 tsp
Cardamom powder -  1/4 tsp
Cumin powder - a pinch
water - 1 1/4 cup

Preparation

Soak rice for 5-6 hrs in water.Grind rice with cooked rice and grated coconut by adding 3/4 cup water and prepare a loose batter.Add cumin powder and cardamom powder. .
Melt the jaggery by adding 1/2 cup water and add this to the batter by mixing well while adding.
In a thick saucepan add some ghee/coconut oil and saute the chopped shallots till light brown in colour.
In a small pan add some oil and brown the coconut slices.Add this to the sauted shallots.Pour the batter to the saucepan and gently warm the mixture by stirring continiously .Pour the batter into a greased tin and bake in a preheated oven at 170 degree centigrade for 25- 30 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.Allow it cool down for another half and hour before you cut it.