THE KITCHEN AFFAIRE

Ingredients Cooked & Cooled rice – 2 cups Choped onion- 1/2 cup Diced vegetables(Carrot,Green Beans)- 1/2 cup Green Peas -1/4 cup Chopped Capsicum,Celery & Spring Onion- 1/2 cup Whole dry chillies slit-3 Soya Sauce -2 tsp Green Chilly Sauce – 1 tsp Pepper powder – 1 tsp Salt – to taste Olive Oil - to taste Method Heat oil in a pan and add onion and red chillies. Add all the diced vegetables and green peas and saute well. Add soya sauce,chilly sauce and salt to it. Stir for few minutes. Now add capsicum,celery and spring onion and cook till vegetables are tender. Cook untill all the water evaporates. Finally add cooled rice to it and mix well on high heat. Add pepper powder and stir well. Garnish with Spring Onion greens. You can also add scrambled egg along with this.

This is a recipe that i got from Amma while she was here with us. :)  Simple and delicious is the most easy way to describe it. Goes superb with Rice and a thoran. Ingredients Red gram - 1 Cup Thick coconut milk - 3/4 Cup Thin coconut milk - 1/2 Cup Winter Melon/Kumbalanga - 3/4 Cup - Cut to small square pcs Green chillies - 3 Salt - As required Method Pressure cook the red gram till its soft yet not mushy (Upto 4 to 5 whistles). Take off the lid and continue cooking. Add the melon pcs, slit green chillies and salt to taste. Allow the mixture to cook till the contents of the pressure cooker become a little  concentrated. Add thin coconut milk to the mixture and once its hot enough add the thick coconut milk too. Let it cook for few more minutes. Then its all set to be served.

The thought of pazham pori reminds me of the vendors who walk around us in trains. All my morning trips to cochin was something i would look forward to, mainly for the yummy pazham pori, uzhunnu vada and cutlets.. What an aroma they have.. :) Ingredients Ripe Plantain- 1 ( peel and cut into 2 parts, cut them lengthwise into 3 ) Maida / all purpose flour - 1/4 cup Rice flour - 2 teaspoon ( for crispness of the covering ) Salt- a pinch Sugar -1/4 teaspoon Water - for diluting the batter ( 1-2 tablespoon ) Oil for frying Method For the batter Mix maida, salt, rice flour and sugar with water. Batter should not be too watery. For frying Heat oil in a pan. Dip each banana slices into the batter and fry on a medium flame till get golden colour. Turn occasionally. Drain out from oil and keep in paper towels. Serve with tea / coffee.