tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25840313029230534162024-03-12T22:36:36.115-07:00ambrosiaconcoctions developed from the secret lab.
in case salt is less add more salt..in case sugar is less add more sugar..in case spice is less add more chilly..otherwise congrats you are the first one who came through...mathewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00860741232962357228noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584031302923053416.post-28223196120838769202009-09-21T13:34:00.000-07:002009-09-21T14:03:39.502-07:00Once upon a time……..<div><div><div><div><em>kadalinakkare ponore, kaana ponninu ponore<br />kadalinakkare ponore, kaana ponninu ponore</em></div><div><em>poy varumbol enthu kondu varum -- kai niraye</em></div><div><em>poy varumbol enthu kondu varum </em></div><div><em>oho..ho.. oho..ho.. oho..ho.. oho..oh..</em><br /></div><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384022515180885698" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 211px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcIV7CH3VDaL7Gbij1UuTHFz9-i89eRCX0Gh4C-13AFabIh4ToVt9AfDXdCtFZx8_wAXzk7JNvg9bhNEA1mOI8Ujtt8KG0DDyeCucHq1bFzR2DssZV6L0151CP0mO1HllrHy_qkSyGSdlG/s400/Picture1.png" border="0" /><em>‘poyi verumbol enthu ondaaki therrum.. vayar niraye ?’</em>…… that was the question Pareekutty asked <em>Karuthamma</em> as he was preparing for a fishing expedition…Karuthamma who was standing demurely behind the coconut tree replied…<br /><em><br />‘adhehathinnu fish biriyani undaaki thanaal mathiyoo…’</em><br /><br /><em>‘yes Karu darling…that sounds good!!</em> ’ …… Pareekutty replied<br /><br /><em>Karuthamma</em> holding a palm leaf in her hand timidly stepped towards him ….<br /><br /><em>‘But kochumuthalaali…. kochumuthalaaliyude Atkins diet enthu aavum……..’</em><br /><br />She was worried about kochumuthalaali’s health….After all he was gaining weight these days…<br /><br />Pareekutty held Karuthamma ‘s hands and said….<br /><br /><em>‘Atleast not this day karale…namakku fish biriyani adichitttu ee kadalinakkare paadi paadi nadakkam…what say….’</em><br /><br /><em>‘Oh chetta…how romantic!!</em>’ Karuthamma mumbled turning her face away shyly with her fingers to her chin…..<br /><br />Not wanting to waste much time… Pareekutty hurried up to his thoni….It was thundering in the backdrop….. Karuthamma glanced at the rough seas and asked her boyfriend….<br /><br /><em>“Pakshe chetta….look at the clouds...hear the thunders…and the sea is rough…..”</em><br /><br />Karuthamma looked quite worried….but Pareekutty walked ahead unperturbed for he knew it was global warming…..As he was about to launch his thoni to the waters he turned back and yelled in a deep baritone voice…..<br /><br /><em>‘I ll BE BACK….’</em><br /><br />Karuthamma blew a flying a kiss as he faded away into the vast Arabian Sea…</p><p>As she was on way back to her hut she went to Foodworld nearby and bought about 1 kilo basmati rice….and ghee… It has been long time since she has made fish biriyani and so she had no choice but to visit a nearby internet café…. There she found a <a href="http://www.salkkaaram.com/2007/01/fish-biriyani_22.html">blog</a> by Seenachechi who had written down how to make it… She took a print out and ran home before her dad found her. Once at home she turned on the radio…it came to life….and there was music in Radio Mirchi... </p><p><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUuPEjYHdHk"><em>“Maanennum Vilikkilla</em></a>” </p><p>That song was not a favourite of hers…she changed the station….. </p><p>‘<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynIA7NDr41I"><em>Maanasamaine varoo… Maanasamaine varoo…</em></a>’ </p><p>The song touched her heart and no sooner since she finished slicing 6 big onion and 8 green chillies, tears welled up in her eyes…But there was no one to comfort her….After all <em>Kadalamma </em>was her only comfort at times…It was after all <em>kadalamma</em> who gave her both Pareekutty and Salmon which she needed for the Biriyani.. After marinating about 700 gms of Salmon with a paste made of 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste, 4 tsp chilli powder, half teaspoon turmeric, 1tsp pepper, 1 tsp fennel powder, salt and lime juice she rested for sometime…. She picked the nearby Manorama magazine spend reading a story by her favourite author <em>Thakazhi saar</em> for the next 30 min… That’s when she remembered she had to slice the <em>Thakali’</em>s…Wasting no time she sliced 4 tomatoes into thin pieces… But then she was stuck with a big dilemma…But she had no choice…. She immediately set to her parent’s home….</p><br /><p><em>“Mummy…” </em></p><p><em>“Entha Karuthammye…..” </em></p><p><em>“Mummy…enikku alpum kashuvandi theraamo…..”</em> </p><p>She immediately went back home collecting 50 gms cashewnut….She was happy to avoid meeting her daddy <em>Chembankunju</em> whom she could not ever forgive….As a reminder of his betrayal there still adorned in her kitchen…the dowry he gave it her hubby….. A LG microwave oven… She put 3 cups of rice along with 6 cups of water, 3 cardamoms, 4 cloves, 2-3 pieces of cinnamon, salt, tsp ghee, bay leaves and a pinch of saffron… She set it to 20 min and fried the fish in the meanwhile… In rhythm to sound of fish getting fried in hot oil she started humming her favourite song… </p><p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwppG3Mzpdo"><em>Pennaale pennaale karimeen kannaale kaanaale<br />Pennaale pennaale karimeen kannaale kaanaale<br />Kanni thaamara poomole aha..<br />Kanni thaamara poomole aha..Pennaale pennaale</em></a></p><p>She stopped singing coz she could hear a familiar voice humming in the back ground….</p><p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0ioTXvqCY0"><em>Puthan valakkare…puthan valakkare…</em> </a></p><p><em>“Damn it</em>...” she said…. Any moment Pareekutty would be home…. </p><br /><p><em>“Palani chetta… innu chakkara aanu..fishing innu povunnu ille…”<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiW9O1pqSiFhTHcFhOEu4V4DUycU9rokSnvq-a0csGC8vBSm2gF1IEJHwZgjBlxNwKe6Dq8HyG82dRLA76iBmOXjLyCNZxKr8m9Kl_PkUgmIXrePZjYeAqZ82eV5eBGloFXSA_P5imAs_P/s1600-h/chemmeen2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384024544443819890" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 271px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiW9O1pqSiFhTHcFhOEu4V4DUycU9rokSnvq-a0csGC8vBSm2gF1IEJHwZgjBlxNwKe6Dq8HyG82dRLA76iBmOXjLyCNZxKr8m9Kl_PkUgmIXrePZjYeAqZ82eV5eBGloFXSA_P5imAs_P/s400/chemmeen2.jpg" border="0" /></a></em><br /><br />Fishing was Palani’s first love...and he was promised fish Biriyani as well when he would be back home… </p><br /><div>After frying the onions until brown, karuthamma added 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste to it….And after some time she added 1 tbsp garam Masala, 1 tsp coriander powder, salt and sautéed for sometime.. And finally she added the sliced tomatoes along with coriander leaves and allowed it too cook for a couple of minutes…Once she was sure that the tomatoes were cooked she reduced the flame and added half cup curd to it… And then finally she added the fried fish and allowed it to cook for a couple of minutes… </div><br /><div>But meanwhile something was cooking in the deep seas….<em>Pareekutty</em> and <em>Palani </em>were fishing in the same area….It was recipe for a final showdown…. The deep seas and two men fight it out…and both agreed only one man would have the fish Biriyani… </div><br /><div>Unaware of it Karuthamma layered the rice and the fish mix on a pan which was coated with ghee…She garnished it with fried cashewnut and coriander leaves….After closing the lid she allowed the whole mix to cook on a low flame for a couple of minutes… She knew the aroma of the Biriyani would go far out into the <em>arabikadal </em>and bring back either of the dudes.. </div><br /><div>It has been almost 1 hr since she has been waiting… She got worried… Where are they!!! </div><br /><div>Then someone knocked the door… She couldn’t bear to know who was it… </div><br /><div><em>“Karuthammyeeeeeee…..”</em> A deep voice echoed…….. </div><br /><div>She opened the door slowly… Stood in front of her…the man….the man who was her real love…her childhood crush.. The man who deserved the fish Biriyani… </div><br /><div><em>“chettaaaaaaaa……..”</em> karuthamma cried…… </div><br /><div>The man sniffed the air inside and he knew what was cooking… </div><div> </div><div>“<em>karuthammykku fish biriyani ishtamaano…”</em> </div><br /><div><em>“Marikunathu vere</em>…” Karuthamma replied in a shivering voice..</div><div> </div><div>That evening Jayan chettan and Karuthamma had a candlelight dinner at Neendakara….while 2 bodies washed ashore somewhere nearby....</div><br /><p></p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384025409451961570" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 304px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTeRY_VWSgFzBD40yIuz3zOLE5X4K4mp0pOJKKdA_JNE2HYtoWkG0Y-uaHaY3Zx_JREBRvZjDbkbao8COHCWpzamX0hgV17L4bNEC6h3cTBfeuWWau41XHkkHZ2TgPfsBb4tG-bedsg6wI/s400/Jayan1.jpg" border="0" /><br /><p></p>Jayan chettan had a camera which he got after a recent fight with some <em>kollaakaars</em>...so he took some pics too..<br /><br /><br /><p></p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384027026293652338" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTOyTr1FUpgJHDnFx-02MQe0Ou-E1XOBF6HZMarVSV7QzC-35bCRN1p4egwaAceVKekcRoLtvs9NvLeziPgZ75b_Kk4eNTuvaHkTo-grABt0F_LMQzxOVsF18fe4katHSVSB6F9PmxSimr/s400/DSC09570.JPG" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384027493204016978" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 385px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM5F_PmDxUkCEQ2L237Z42i2DtGY2dIXFPZcbuzDvvjK1sM9LvWoXv3adNnnM2KG37nnknLIIfRd9TlotZz-OKVxQlJczJ1z9zxZncQfoxh9Sf94Cf4bhdOXWJ6KZrWocDliPyz6-Vrh4O/s400/DSC09584.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384027806982522482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgYwuM1De8QVGXpu2F5NApby3uJxx9RGjsqDY2vwr5Wm5TvPfHxRV-w0NEBJjg-ylCT1Goz3h8XJ5AjZjAevEXbIgejmsYkz3C_FHBwWd_8fJjYPrSNV6HHC0TcrMVdsHUR8jvonp0wFoA/s400/DSC09582.JPG" border="0" /><br /><p></p></div></div></div>mathewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00860741232962357228noreply@blogger.com50tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584031302923053416.post-37546190380609228102009-09-15T08:46:00.000-07:002009-09-15T08:49:21.983-07:00A thoran and Egg situation…<div><div><br />When I was a little kid and comparatively new to the world of sin and crime, there were occasional instances where I had my brush with unlawful activities….like stealing toffees from the fridge or mom’s wallet….And apparently I was taught by the nuns in sunday class that all you need to confess it during confession to negate any after effects and maintain status quo….So it happened that this jolly good fella confessed one day to the priest…<br /><br /><em>“achoo….njan mutaayi kattu eduthu”</em><br /><br />What followed was a lengthy sermon….<br /><br />“<em>makane…ee mutta eke ellavarkkum vendi ullathu alle…karthavvu orortharkkum arhikumbol mutta kodukkum……”<br /><br />“but actually achoo….”<br /><br />“ee thettinnu prayachittam aayittu….”<br /><br />“but..achoo..muttaaa…….”<br /><br />“entha mone ..nee ethra mutta kattu eduthathu….”<br /></em><br />“<em>achoo…njan mutta alla eduthathu…muttayyiyaaaaaa….”<br /></em><br />I don’t remember what exactly transpired after that…but the achan had a lengthy pause….and I couldn’t stop laughing thinking this priest was assuming that I stole eggs all this time..<br /><br />But history as is…Following the heartbreaking confession, I took a sudden liking for egg…probably it has to do with the remarkable similarity in shape with numbers that adorned in my progress report…Or it could be due to the fact that I was hen pecked as a little kid to eat more nutritious food… And to this day I have been laying my eyes on any kozhimutta or any kozhi planning to lay one in the vicinity.. To put it simply, Kozhimutta and me is epitome of a harmonious partnership that has withstood the test of time and the only crack in our relation was when I occasionally needed a bulls eye!<br /><br />Dear readers, while the eggonomic benefits of consuming eggs during recession time should not be overlooked, we have to be careful not to put all eggs in one basket… Every egg has a character and personality of its own. A good egg connoisseur can make out which egg has to be boiled, which one has to be scrambled and which one is bulls eyed. Though only a few aashans are still alive who can claim to possess these skills, our state is lucky since a few in my family are the finest connoisseurs I know…If you think I am joking about how serious we are about eggs, even the place we settled down in Trivandrum was chosen after a lot of considerations, pondering over muttashasthra….at Muttada….<br /><br />Although the mistake which happened to the priest as mentioned earlier in the post was a linguistic confusion, its true to an extend that humans have affinity to steal eggs. That’s why in Kerala the most reported thefts are eggs especially from kallu shaaps and hostel messes.. Infact people who could steal eggs from our college canteen were looked at with immense respect by juniors and professors alike. People used to line up in the streets to watch these folklore heroes walk up to the nearby restaurant where they sell their prized catches!!<br /><br />Friends I can write eulogies about egg and its influence in our culture and heritage…but since it’s a food blog I ll rather share with you all a egg dish which was served for the French aristocracy during the times of Napoleon. It’s a exquisite French dish but MAY sound like a Kerala dish….anyways….<br /><br /><br />Hard boil 6-7 eggs, peel off the skin and slice into small pieces…<br />Heat vegetable oil on a cooking pan and sauté 3 big onions until they are transparent<br />Add 1 tsp of ginger-garlic paste, 3 thin sliced green chilies and plenty of curry leaves..<br />Once the raw smell of ginger is gone and the onions started browning, reduce the heat and add 2 tsp pepper powder, 1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder, 1.5 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp turmeric powder and half tsp garam masala, salt to taste.<br />Sauté the entire mixture on medium flame until the masala’s are cooked..<br />Now add the sliced egg and crush it along with the onion mix using a spatula, Allow the egg yolk to get crushed and blend it suitably with the onion-spice mix…<br />Once the masala’s are coated properly garnish it with coriander leaves and cook in a low flame for 2 min.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381721322183950290" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 386px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLkYh_Uz9y1E4byv0qB0aOIKnw_yXbybgvRIsKbx54jm67CqOP90mNssjeNYNDo3_jNXDl5yOgbMMwNIEElPsHL6kW_9Q-10kwca98nE26InA_Av-VRDd-Ks6IMrlY38neRkkuMDbri-B0/s400/DSC09532.JPG" border="0" /> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381721459848558866" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 281px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmJxlq8-BdxPQoevTjbalVfaa5NqlaM-FFPkbA3lxDTfvsUv-R6qIngBD8dkOnUqwD1piySRIcvn_6DCltoqpD1PDiaJ-PjTrK9_yN7dEvuBnpGopzCjyykpQOg3UOibiQamVpgaIqwDFu/s400/DSC09533.JPG" border="0" /><br />The egg thoran is ready and is a lip smacking combo with rice and curd…<br /><br />I must say it’s a very difficult recipe for people who are not versed with the nuances of cooking food…but maybe all you need is beginner’s egg…err…luck!! :-D</div></div>mathewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00860741232962357228noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584031302923053416.post-25903814038142507062009-08-23T03:24:00.000-07:002009-09-02T14:11:39.164-07:00greetings..Happy Ramzan to all of you!!<br />dedidcating this fav song of mine to all...<br /><br /><br />sorry folks...i just realised the song link i put here was not the one i intended..;-P<br />updated..!<br /><br /><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/cIDsRQJhkJ8&hl=" fs="1&" width="425" height="344" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed>mathewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00860741232962357228noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584031302923053416.post-49771599152808368972009-08-08T02:23:00.000-07:002009-08-08T02:31:46.824-07:00Exotica Hamburg la Eggplant dé Soufflé mit Potato gratin<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-MeCIOBAzA6BQUyQyUsxDsbzJW4DJwQ14Fw0v0yvtBVYABTKrWydu47Mmcf8-sphSQZL9w_g4cSQ6y0rriH2dNZY9fsN8ARM_OX_oH9X0fvsoYOBD05sV3mEV7UDgmmFkpqe01L9EVTvv/s1600-h/DSC09258.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367521761615584498" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 344px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-MeCIOBAzA6BQUyQyUsxDsbzJW4DJwQ14Fw0v0yvtBVYABTKrWydu47Mmcf8-sphSQZL9w_g4cSQ6y0rriH2dNZY9fsN8ARM_OX_oH9X0fvsoYOBD05sV3mEV7UDgmmFkpqe01L9EVTvv/s400/DSC09258.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>Well…Friends today I am going to explain how a marvelous vegetarian dish was recently made at my state of the art Italian err German kitchen…The Brinjal dish which was made with exquisite care and fineness will surely make any vegetarian go green with happiness for a change…It might look similar to <em>Baingan ka Barthavu</em> and yet taste different.. For my English speaking readers from Europe, Asia-Pacific and Americas…<em>Baingan ka Barthavu</em> is a famous Indian dish roughly translated as ‘The Husband of the Baingan’…Legend as is the name comes during a swayamvar ceremony in 1632 BC a lady from Lucknow called Baingan Sawant told the audience who had to come to attend the show that she would marry a Brinjal rather than the idiots who had come to attend the contest…The news spread like wildfire was a popular tweet those days and it became a part of folklore to make fun of men who were voted out of swayamvar contest those days…<br /><br />In streets of Lucknow, ladies used to pass snide comments…<br /><br /><em>“Look there goes a wannabe Baingan ka Barthavu”</em> …hihihi…<br /><br /><br />The dish I am going to explain has been christened as “Exotica Hamburg la Eggplant dé Soufflé mit Potato gratin” or in other words Brinjal curry.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367521982276199714" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTBhOQknX6yKDXzx4Gxm2V1RPogIVPDVw8qdf2HszGLcmYOjdnzK8jZa1nmpN3RDa9lSxn-SAE60uWGgXBUNRR-n_HvMHqkB0PsQcz6t707U0a6k0XKQjViewj0i_M3PbhRRIh7WDG_cVo/s400/DSC09262.JPG" border="0" /><br />Brinjal is one veggie like Capsicum which has different names in different parts of the world…Some call it eggplant though scientist have proved that the brinjal is pure vegetarian and has no egg yolk in it…and other like my dad might call it <em>Solanum melongena</em> after all the biologist in him never gives away… Infact given a chance he would go to the <em>palayam</em> market and teach all the vegetable vendors out there that its not <em>pavakka</em> or <em>padavalanga</em>, but rather <em>Momordica charantia </em>and <em>Trichosanthes cucumerina</em> ……. Its only due to the blessings of <em>Velankanni mathaavu</em> that he has not attempted to do the same so far…And it is no solace that the merchants in palayam market are fine exponents of malayalam literature which when spoken with a good tenor and passion can be lethal…Infact the Martyrs column nearby was built in honour of people who tried bargaining with fish sellers inside the market several decades ago.<br /><br />The Brinjal or rather the eggplants which I get here are much bigger than the ones we get in India...<br />What appeals me most about brinjal is its super-utility ….It can be fried…it can be baked...it can be smashed…it can be made as a curry…it can be used for juggling….<br /><br />Btw an interesting info for readers which I got in wiki….<br /><br />“On consuming 9 kilos of brinjal you take as much nicotine in your body as in one cigarette…”<br /><br />Quite interesting info isn’t… I have been trying very hard to spread this news to unsuspecting people…;-P<br /><br />I like making Brinjal curry mainly coz it’s easy to cut into small pieces and don’t require any peeling…Secondly Brinjal curry goes well with rice and curd and is a dish to prepare when I am too lazy to prepare something non-vegetarian…I have decided to make a movie sometime in the future considering the deep respect I have for it….tentatively titled.. “There’s something about Brinjal”<br /><br />Readers would be informed shortly about the release date of the movie as negotiations are on going with the actors…The lead actors are apparently having a busy calendar and I have myself pitched into the negotiation table…Let us hope for the best!!<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367522249973302786" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 263px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGqwcyHqcksAsM_fXOJme_w8Y4DKnrLNzFC_IJfLF35x4TLOxh07i-opfNo603mkfGJxzmd49mahNjpb3X-RVsMz6XwXMfQJ0zs2pN1DS10VAxiadUPa6KBrSbeUhYA6LnCT4t_OTpIN-v/s400/theres_something_about_brinjal2.JPG" border="0" /><br />Anyways…;-D<br />I followed the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=US&v=-gkS9Zf_4KU">recipe</a> as told by the most famous chef in youtube…Though I did my own additions like adding potatoes and adding garam masala to make it a tad spicier…The curry turned out really good and it’s rare that for a veg dish we are left wanting for more…this was an exception…<br /><br />Aaah...before ending the post I couldn’t resist sharing the pic of a fish curry made recently…it turned out nice and I missed some kappa and kallu to go with it! :-( </div><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367522499203457714" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 286px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYDdvi0YKHeOGnLWtys4xqT1HHW9q2EOzUyMHOrquoyqvPYulzctv2K1zfQ81ZR45OIArOI6w7WuBJnf7gWcJhO2VO7JdWlr4jMLk6fg5SSLYVDzssZR1B8GCwgezy6hYswGfvlgsSQxtL/s400/DSC09206.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div></div></div>mathewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00860741232962357228noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584031302923053416.post-25346085693717511012009-06-30T09:49:00.000-07:002009-06-30T21:52:06.851-07:00Yeh Dil Maange Moru!!What has to be one of the most popular catch phrases in the early 90’s, it is no secret the ad gurus created the punch line after the famous bollywood actor had come down to my place and was treated to a nice oonu with lots of curries…And usually the last curry for a typical naadan meal would be our humble moru curry…Shah Rukh was so impressed that day that he told me...<br /><br /><em>’Yeh Dil Maange Moru’</em><br /><br />Poor guy I thought… and I kept serving the moru until he was so full that after 4 rounds of chooru moru and kadumaanga pickle, he got all sentimental:-<br /><em><br />‘Bade Bade Deshon Mein, Aisi Choti Choti..uh..sorry..“</em><br /><br />Shahrukh suddenly looked so distraught and tears welled in his eyes like in Devdas.....his voice quivered like in Darr...<br /><em><br />“kk.kkk.kk..kya boolu .what I really want to say is….. this curry is so awesome ...“<br /></em><br />Later as well all know some ad guy who was there for lunch sold the line to Pepsi and raked in all the money. But the history of Moru dates back to a village in US called <em><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltimore">Baltimoru</a></em> where once a caveman invented this classic dish by twist of fate. ..There is a intriguing story that links the past and the present.<br /><br />Based on studies conducted on the cave paintings archaeologist have found the origin of the curry. It had happened that a Caveman by the name <em>Sasi Kazhakuttom</em> did not manage a kill one particular night. The furious wife and cavewoman Mrs. Gloria Fernandez (she was half Mexican) scolded the poor hunting skills of her hubby and hollered how they are going to feed their 32 kids that night. Sasi was heartbroken and timidly walked out of the cave…He went to the hilltop nearby and shouted at the sun god..<br /><br /><em>‘thilothomia thilothomia…why on earth did you do this to me!!’</em><br /><br />But the sun just kept shining like as usual and Sasi trotted back home…but he knew it would not be glorious to meet Gloria under current circumstances. Back in those times it was legally possible in the state of Baltimooru for the wife to file for divorce if the husband did not bring atleast one wild boar for dinner every night. Sasi was heartbroken and could not imagine a life without his wife and 32 kids (20 of which he could remember by name).<br /><br />Desperately Sasi decided to visit the chief priest S.R. Kattabomman and ask him for a solution to maintain harmony in the family. S.R.K was a very wise man…a man of knowledge…a man who was known to have magic powers from years of meditation.<br /><br />When Sasi told SRK his sad tale he felt sympathetic towards him. He wanted to help him by giving the secret formula which would keep Gloria happy ever after. But there was the curse of the pagan gods that would kill SRK if he ever disclosed the formula to anyone. And thus SRK did the supreme sacrifice by sharing the recipe of Moru curry to Sasi for the greater good. In a dramatic heart wrenching moment while SRK was losing consciousness ,Sasi promised that he would never forget this noble deed and he swore to pray for his return to life. SRK passed away peacefully due to the curse of the then powerful god Coca Cola.<br /><br />Sasi ran to his home in slow motion and made the moru curry using the secret formula which was passed on to him. In honour of SRK he immediately spread the word of Mooru curry to make it popular and even uploaded the recipe in <a href="http://www.pachakam.com/recipe.asp?id=609&RecipeName=Moru%20Curry">Pachakam.com </a>from where this author got the recipe.<br /><br />The lip smacking Moru curry with rice and pickle was served that night at the Cave instead of the usual steak. Gloria and the 32 kids were content and Sasi was finally smiling ….A family disaster averted and peace restored.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353165533374739410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY9eguZk3tM7YBe1tw9IwywzUWk-hA_e6fGaZeRJjY5goeEU3-5qetM2PAChufKDlEF5xwtQYkICOi4_BGDG5SS2No3o1IdXIx0wh4xNuO9k4XEbl7UeAXA1USRsNt4fZzZS33JDniuBIu/s400/DSC09055.JPG" border="0" /><br /><strong>Several several centuries later.<br /></strong><br />Moru curry was by now popular throughout the world….it had spread wide across to places as far as Kerala, Tamil Nadu...etc….And one day when a Sasi Junior had gone to the movies the karma of what happened several 1000 years ago unfolded in front of him in a dramatic climax. As the movie Karan Arjun moved to the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frth3Tv0hHg">final scenes </a>and SK and SRK met face to face...there was a drop of tear in Sasi’s eyes…..it was sign of a prophesy that came true….<br /><br />*<em>Salman Khan is supposed to have a uncanny resemblance to Sasi Kazhakuttom.<br />*SRK is believed to be a direct descendant of S.R Kattabomman and Pepsi had adopted the line Yeh Dil Maange Moru in honour of the legend from Baltimooru.</em>mathewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00860741232962357228noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584031302923053416.post-50241578723892545592009-05-17T11:47:00.000-07:002009-05-17T11:56:13.456-07:00April showers bring Cauliflowers!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWtFxpYxoBha-KrsWRX5LKKhnYjQVNzy9WETFuM2Vu4q80lvKqNAh_OxPHhrr2Zh_jx6iCHxCFzXnSDkyxtcKisimZeHXml5OMR5Ak77SWwi9g5G3mCEv7i1rrA0Q-7bs2E5FDcDTORkWu/s1600-h/DSC09022.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336867231068128162" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 282px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWtFxpYxoBha-KrsWRX5LKKhnYjQVNzy9WETFuM2Vu4q80lvKqNAh_OxPHhrr2Zh_jx6iCHxCFzXnSDkyxtcKisimZeHXml5OMR5Ak77SWwi9g5G3mCEv7i1rrA0Q-7bs2E5FDcDTORkWu/s400/DSC09022.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Its spring time and you can see flowers every where…..The city looks now at its beautiful best…blue skies…long sunshine hours….green promenades….gardens with myriad colors…..And the only blemish on an otherwise great day was our landlady who was coming down to say that she is not happy with our gardening skills in the humble balcony of ours…..So that day she told me…<br /><br /><em>“Mathew….it is high time you remove the weed out and plant some flowers!”</em><br /><br />Flowers….and me…haa…<br /><br />Now that she was insisting I took out the cauliflowers from the refrigerator and adorned our balcony with it…It’s a pretty sight for onlookers walking by and the neighbors are jealous coz everyone is looking at my cauliflowers instead of Tulips and Dahlia’s which they meticulously had grown for springtime…Art enthusiasts drop by and stare from the streets towards my balcony trying to identify the hidden meanings in the piece of modern symbolic art as they see it as…<br /><br />Cauliflower in the midst of tulips….very eclectic design…<br /><br />It did not take much time for me to realize that people don’t appreciate cauliflower in flowerpots…people these days don’t have any sense of taste!!<br /><br />Talking of taste I was informed by my roomie that this idea may invite the wrath of Neo-Nazi’s and the Ku Klux Klan who may not have any clue about my artistic intents…And rather his all day kvetching forced me to take them to where it belongs…to the kitchen.<br /><br />Cauliflower is not a typical south Indian vegetable…infact it’s not even Asian and is more caucasian in nature…white and tastes bland…But it was not until discovered by Gopi in 1623 the vegetable became a hit in Indian cuisine…Things have come a long way since then….Gobi Masala is like naan and butter for every Punjabi now…<br /><br />So this recipe which I got from YouTube is as follows...<br /><br />*Boil the cauliflower florets in water for 10 min after slicing them into small pieces..<br />*Meanwhile in 3-4 tsp of oil crack mustards and jeera…<br />*And then sauté 3 thinly sliced onions 3 green chilies and few curry leaves<br />*Once they are transparent add 2 sliced tomatoes to it and keep sautéing the mix.<br />*After a few min add 1 tbsp of ginger garlic paste and keep sautéing.<br />*And once the tomatoes are cooked add 1 tsp turmeric, 2 tsp chilly powder and salt to taste…<br />*Once the raw smell is gone add the semi-cooked cauliflowers minus the water to it…<br />*Allow the Masala to coat well over the florets and after a few min add 1.5 tsp of coriander powder, mix well and cover the lid for a few min…<br />*Now open and add to it half a cup of water and mix well again…<br />*Allow it to cook for 10 min or until the cauliflower is sufficiently cooked while stirring it occasionally..<br />*Garnish it with coriander leaves in the end before serving it with piping hot chapattis... ;-D<br /><br />And though as a consequence today when I look at my balcony I feel sorry for myself….it now sports tulips and dahlia’s... far from the once glorious veggie garden I had… and no necks turn as passerby's walk by…what a shame!! :(</div>mathewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00860741232962357228noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584031302923053416.post-44781248376553707552009-03-25T06:39:00.000-07:002009-03-25T06:45:34.203-07:00Rajma aur Sherry!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaGVg7OSD8C4GCjoCWYaU_phWk25G5PUD_WgyVNfFsLV2stiIPVthRU2DkZCiIOrGy1l5l3PKKkj7II0y49827WZHHwq_fGEhDeWFlYFz2es2ScR7iAuj1h0Pex35q3Jxszb68B_1eNJ2R/s1600-h/DSC08827-1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317120635618682018" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaGVg7OSD8C4GCjoCWYaU_phWk25G5PUD_WgyVNfFsLV2stiIPVthRU2DkZCiIOrGy1l5l3PKKkj7II0y49827WZHHwq_fGEhDeWFlYFz2es2ScR7iAuj1h0Pex35q3Jxszb68B_1eNJ2R/s400/DSC08827-1.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Few years ago I was completely ignorant about north Indian cuisine…Even during college time, the only north Indian dish I knew was Butter chicken which is now quite pan-Indian. Its so popular at restaurants in Trivandrum that this sardar I know says, a few minutes at <em>Kalavara</em> restaurant reminds of his<em> paaji</em> in Jalandhar. Even the cook out there is called Cherian Singh!<br /><br />And after getting acquainted with many friends from north, I became familiar with things like <em>Paratha…palak paneer…dahi vada….gajar ka halwa</em>….The problem with this kind of naming is that they wouldn’t possibly be able to name something like <em><a href="http://kitchenmishmash.blogspot.com/2008/04/avial-mishmash-of-vegetables-cooked-in.html">Avial</a></em> !!<br /><br />Though I enjoyed these delicacies, I never really ventured into cooking any of em myself.. So last week I decided to make a typical north Indian dish called Rajma masala…Talking of Rajma, I was not familiar with this dish either…Imagine a few years ago, if someone actually quipped from the kitchen..<br /><br /><em>’Do you know where is Rajma’</em><br /><br />I would have said...<em>’I have no idea…I don’t even know her!!’</em><br /><br />Rajma was simply a girl’s name for me …like in <em>Rajma Chowdhary</em> or something.<br /><br />So it was with much apprehension when I saw Rajma for the first time at <a href="http://www.dostana-store.de/NEWDOS~1/about_us.html">Dostana</a> supermarket in Hamburg...Popular know as kidney beans this is supposedly be very healthy which made me extra cautious coz I have strange medical condition of being allergic to such food…But on that instance, I didn’t care much and ‘transplanted’ the kidney beans to my shopping cart. I reaching home carrying approximately 500 such kidney beans that evening. The racket was soon busted when my roommate saw the 500 kidney beans hidden behind the shelves and he asked me the dreaded question that a man would fear most at such times.<br /><em><br />‘Do you have any idea what to do with this stuff?’</em><br /><br />You know, there are the times when you simply wish that a meteor would pass by so that you could divert the topic. But that day I couldn’t count on my luck for such possibilities and had to rely on the life saver of our times, the internet.<br /><br />I searched in youtube and found a beautiful Pakistani lady making Rajma masala. After watching that for approx 10 min, I saw another Pakistani girl doing the same…and then another……Since I found it very interesting I began searching in youtube for “Pakistani girls making Rajma masala”…Finally I realized that youtube is the wrong place for searching recipes and decided on regular websites…Again I ended up mixing several recipes to suite my taste. So this a mix all recipe.<br /><br />The problem here is that if you want to make this curry today, you have to start thinking of it yesterday and keep the beans soaked in water overnight…In other words you should be a far-sighted person to make this curry…and you need a vision and immaculate planning!! Such remarkable qualities enable you to make this wonderful dish…I did it!! hic...hic….;-D<br /><br />Pressure cook the beans(abt 300 gms) along with 2 tbsp of toor dal for around 5-6 whistles…<br /><br />Heat oil in a pan and do the usual thing with mustards and jeera….add 1-2 red chilies as well.<br />Sauté the onions(sliced thin 3 nos) along with 2 green chilies until sufficiently fried and add the ginger-garlic paste(3 tsp)...Now add 2 cardamoms, 3 cloves and 1” piece of cinnamon…Once the raw smell goes, add a paste of 3 tsp of coriander powder, 1tsp turmeric, 1tsp pepper powder and half tsp red chilly powder with 2 tbsp of water to avoid the masala’s getting burned. After 2 min add the sliced tomatoes(2 nos) and allow it to cook…When the oil starts separating out and the mixture of onion and tomatoes are smashed properly. Add salt to taste and a pinch of garam masala…Now reduce the flame and add 2 tbsp of curd to it….Finally add the cooked Rajma along with water remaining in the pressure cooker and cover the lid for 5-10 min or until the masala mix has blended well with the Rajma…Check the spice and salt level and adjust maadi accordingly!!</div><br /><div><br />I thought the curry came out decently well...infact way beyond my expectations...in other words this time I haven’t accumulated miles unlike the last time when the kadala curry created a record of sorts by earning me 10000 miles in a span of few days….and a frequent flier card to the loo!!</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:85%;">P.S. The chappatti is ready made...</span></div>mathewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00860741232962357228noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584031302923053416.post-42364068904450399152009-03-14T15:34:00.000-07:002009-03-16T01:41:15.848-07:00Vol-Au-Vents a la Crème Fraîche and a tag...I was tagged by two wonderful bloggers…<a href="http://yum-world.blogspot.com/">Divs</a> and <a href="http://varshaspaceblog.blogspot.com/">Varsha</a> where I have to write 25 random things about myself…The first question I asked myself was whether there were 25 things about myself to even tell about! But as I started writing it was quite easy to make this list however uninteresting the facts are…So here goes that tag…<br /><br /><br />1. I am a movie buff…though am quite selective about it …I love Padmarajan and Sreenivasan movies…apart from that I love classics...and any movies of Benigni...Spielberg...Tarantino...or Polanski<br /><br />2.I never enjoyed cooking when I was at home in Trivandrum…its was more of cooking due to forced circumstances….though had lots of fun with bro trying out things in the kitchen like putting <em>kudampuli </em>for the <em>sambhar</em> or spoiling the mixie 4-5 times in a month trying to make <em>idli maavu</em>…. my first <a href="http://wetspark.blogspot.com/2007/01/bachelors-cooking-guide-version-10.html">food blogpost </a>is quite silly..;-D<br /><br /><br /><br />3. I find a lot of connect with many bloggers than people whom I know in daily life….sometimes I feel they think so much alike and are of similar wavelength making me comfortable communicating with them…many are almost like family for me.<br /><br />4. I love cold weather or rather moderate weather by European standards...20-25 deg…I get irritated at plus 35…I don’t mind shivering in the cold but I hate to sweat in the sun…But I now appreciate the beauty of sun when it occasionally shows up in winter.<br /><br />5. I love travelling...I have been to several countries in past 2-3 years and considering myself lucky for being able to do so... Norway is next in my wish list..:)<br /><br />6. I don’t think I was proud of myself as a kid or as a college guy…but I somehow feel happy for myself that I managed to hold on to some principles inspite of temptations to break it after I finished studies. Integrity in action is a much under-appreciated value these days.<br /><br />7. I love peach juice and I don’t like sugar in coffee.<br /><br />8. I would like to copy a line here from yumworld...i am a Cancerian as well…infact most of my blogger friends are cancerians…<br /><br />9. I envy people who can sing…that’s something I wish god gave me…and I do have an eclectic taste for music…<br /><br />10. Some of the nicest people I know are not necessarily the richest or most well endowed physically or financially. I learned that there is goodness even in sections of society we disregard as second fiddle or unworthy of attention...<br /><br />11. One of the proudest moments in my life was when I got my parents to Germany and later took them to Paris and Rome…and they send a mail after reaching home about how happy they were…I am highly uncomfortable expressing love or gratitude in person and they know it, it seems…<br /><br />12. I am very instinctive in nature…at times I believe that I have psychic powers too. 4 years ago along with a friend while munching on a home delivered pizza, we were worried about roomies coming soon sharing the already small pizza we had..5 min after we finished the pizza we got a call..4 of them were stuck somewhere in the lift of our flat…;-D<br /><br />13. My all-time favorite TV show is Frasier. I am so much a fan that I would love to visit Seattle if I ever go to USA…<br /><br />14. I love being a travel guide. and I love doing the planning…and I do it in extreme detailing starting from when exactly should I wake up on the day of travel..;-P<br /><br />15. I sometimes wish if I had a sister…just a weird wish...<br /><br />16. You rarely would see me emotional in person…it’s a trait I got from dad which I know is not necessarily good...But I am my own “agony uncle” if there is any..;-P<br /><br />17. I love doing pencil sketching, jigsaw puzzles and watching history related television programs…esp... if it has something to do with world war’s…and besides that I like car and bike shows. I also used to closely follow the Indian election scene when I was a kid. I remember when I was like in 8th or 9th standard and it was exam time and I was forcibly confined to the study room. But my mind was always in the pie chart showing the seats won by Congress, BJP and other parties...<br /><br />18. I am late riser…Its hard for me to wake up without seeing the sun...<br /><br />19. I don’t follow sports religiously…and cricket is not a religion for me….though am a fan of St.Pauli and Arsenal football club…<br /><br />20. I hate liars, hypocrisy and pretentious people…And I love people who don’t have any air about themselves…If you have qualities that is adorable or causing envy in others, don’t allow arrogance to get over you…I have seen a flamboyant ex-banker having had to rely on food from charity...there could be a fall for anyone of us!!<br /><br />21. I love wines…and though am not anyway a serious aficionado at it, I love trying different wines…and my colleagues here know it and that what they usually gift me when the occasion demands… :)<br /><br />22. Three woman I consider as most beautiful are Princess Diana, Konkona Sen and Madhubala…<br /><br />23. I like the money in my job, though I harbor a desire to do something creative at work place…and the farthest I can do now is colorful fonted mails to colleagues...<br /><br />24. I love the smell of cake ovens.<br /><br />25. Three of my favorite books are Curious incident of a Dog in the night time, Diary of Anne Frank and Catcher in the rye.<br /><br />And well a little quick fix for folks who are in a super hurry mode for dinner, I presenta “<em>Vol-Au-Vents a la Crème Fraîche”</em> …ok….that was just to pretend it was a cool French thing!! ;-D<br /><br />Well this is simplest non-veg dish ever known to mankind…fish burji…<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGdj-y8HWIndGPk8SPBug3L0BRvfnkUVEYAqRCBC49lIRIciDXe4PjBGAyVV5OA11Jm5wiwLRXFPIgDihbql4qBlvrk8MC_iRhO26kFYFA_Kc4-KKQebu3diHFspfG2uLNRaCDWXw5nU_L/s1600-h/DSC08819.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313176737445539186" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 262px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGdj-y8HWIndGPk8SPBug3L0BRvfnkUVEYAqRCBC49lIRIciDXe4PjBGAyVV5OA11Jm5wiwLRXFPIgDihbql4qBlvrk8MC_iRhO26kFYFA_Kc4-KKQebu3diHFspfG2uLNRaCDWXw5nU_L/s400/DSC08819.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />There is this ready-to-eat mackerel fillets preserved in olive oil which you can buy from shops here…Just grab a couple of onions, few green chilies’ , curry leaves and fry em in the preservative oil. Once it’s suitably sautéed, add 1 teaspoon pepper, half teaspoon chili powder and salt to taste. Now add the fish fillets (which are already cooked) and blend them along with sautéed onions. This dish <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSeUV7EUC5pP-E0QeT8Z7-LwMYqJ3TyfFlrDo6xnZxp3NixKIBc8CfP8c3LvzO0JOLJJFjqAy8iPHm359ejDSFIJJifHx0uGcjgmRYCcXRYkqockGQsBPif79PVPXKAGgKhHoZXvUX2k8f/s1600-h/DSC08825.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313176912032472258" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 299px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSeUV7EUC5pP-E0QeT8Z7-LwMYqJ3TyfFlrDo6xnZxp3NixKIBc8CfP8c3LvzO0JOLJJFjqAy8iPHm359ejDSFIJJifHx0uGcjgmRYCcXRYkqockGQsBPif79PVPXKAGgKhHoZXvUX2k8f/s400/DSC08825.JPG" border="0" /></a>has a pleasant favour and overwhelmingly tastes of the fish and sauted onions unlike usual Indian dish where the masala is usually more prominent...Just like the short recipe it takes just 10 min to cook this up!!<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#ff0000;">Update:</span> I just found out how the germans use it..they use it as a filling between two bread slices just like jam for their breakfast..;-P</span>mathewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00860741232962357228noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584031302923053416.post-91807674933451028712009-02-23T09:40:00.001-08:002009-02-23T09:53:13.484-08:00Bachelor chicken curry Returns!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5UkNtE0IHIITeRNfBlwGbzSXriShg7VMPPkp8bePWZlxk_IPC4YGIl6MsGqNc6sI822Ly_3iBm4mdoX9MFBgjsmwfVASb1wYurc30iHPcE80CMRf5PLftbwG0k27JOhua3dXsGQ21WdBA/s1600-h/DSC08780.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306049507889332402" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 358px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5UkNtE0IHIITeRNfBlwGbzSXriShg7VMPPkp8bePWZlxk_IPC4YGIl6MsGqNc6sI822Ly_3iBm4mdoX9MFBgjsmwfVASb1wYurc30iHPcE80CMRf5PLftbwG0k27JOhua3dXsGQ21WdBA/s400/DSC08780.JPG" border="0" /></a> <div><br />If you remember, in my last post I had mentioned the apparent breaking up and extra-marital relations which I was pursuing with Begum Mutton …It was a short lived romance leading to nowhere and I guess someone got hold of our personal lives and even made a movie out of it…‘<em>The Curious Case Of Begumji Mutton’</em>…. The paparazzi never…aah!!<br /><br />I was guilt struck and ruing over my deplorable behaviour and to mend broken hearts I planned to meet chicken again . It was a conscious decision when I finally realized that, just like Laila was to Anarkali…Sheela was to Prem Nazir…. someone was for me…This time I carried a beautiful bouquet of curry leaves!!<br /><br />But no one couldn’t predict what I was about to witness…Chicken now an alcoholic, emotionally broke and frozen in some obscure corner, almost like a vegetable..…The sight was heart rendering and as we looked at each other, I couldn’t bear it anymore .I held her wings in passionate embrace and held back the Budweiser which was almost finished by the way…And then we sat down to talk…<br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306049734541785378" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 245px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKa_MP1WuGn_pPjylGhSMs12XqqZUVjoZ7G5Oj8W47fFGvR_tY6Cv8RI-Xa41w0yj4E0RLpbTZcLzLHLH20Tn0Rx8HVC-g4y84JX_E_oCG16RoFQHld70JRYUHxtXQ4nRiqDRczQEJmjrq/s400/DSC08750.JPG" border="0" /><br />As we shared our past, chicken mentioned that the excessive drinking did take a toll on her and she did not have any liver left which was indeed true when I looked carefully after lifting the neck …Infact she did not have most vital organs left inside…Nevertheless I was ready to accept her .. Due to precarious emotional state, she was in I thought of checking her into rehab. But she seemed more in a mood for a trip to Kentucky or Schezwan …Well it was recession time and I couldn’t afford such a long trip and I requested her to modify plans.…cost cutting was inevitable.. I said.<br /><br /><em>”shall we go Hyderabad or Malabar…dance in the onion meadows…throw tomatoes at each other….and apply masala on each other...and spice things up…whatsay? ”</em><br /><br />And she ‘gingerly’ smiled at me and said…<br /><br /><em>“Yes…wherever you take me, my dear!!”</em><br /><br />And then there was magic…a magical aroma which marked the culmination of an universal love story ….beyond borders of the chicken farms…cutting across race and colors ..there was a tear in the eyes of every single<em> naadan kozhi</em>…<em>every single broiler chicken...and every single Slumdog chicken…<br /></em><br />* The End *<br /><br />That was the climax of the much awaited movie as we saw the audience searching frantically for tissues unable to bear the emotional outpour which was building up within them….<br /><br /><em>”The sight of them patching up was so beautiful and I don’t remember seeing such scenes in Kozhiwood for a long long time…..”</em> said one cine-goer who wish not to be named.<br /><br />Well lets hear from the director himself in the segment ‘Director’s cut’<br /><br /><strong>Filmfare :</strong> ‘Sir….Behind the universal appeal of the movie, there is an experienced director visualizing it…what lessons would you like to share with new budding directors ’<br /><strong>Kubrick Chekku:</strong> ‘Well...having decent experience with Asian as well as Caucasian chickens I would like to tell first time Hannibal Lecter’s to never attempt this passion on a frozen chicken. One of the finest piece of german engineering, my<em> vettukathi</em> broke in two when I attempted on a particular ‘Arnold Schwarzenegger chicken’ straight from the freezer!! Those were my rookie days…’<br /><strong>Filmfare :</strong> ‘How do you conceptualize a movie…do you have trademarks of your own!!’<br /><strong>Kubrick Chekku:</strong> ‘I normally start preparing myself emotionally by slicing 3 big onions, 3 green chilies and keeping it aside…Since there is lot of physical effort involved I wash and clean up the chicken and remove the bullet proof vest which comes as a package these days...and then its brutal creativity’<br /><strong>Filmfare :</strong> ‘Err…sir...Could you elaborate’<br /><strong>Kubrick Chekku:</strong> ‘This is when the director reaches a tantric level ,wields his weapon and cuts the chicken into pieces…and he doesn’t calm down until the pieces are marinated with 5 tbsp of chicken masala, 1 tsp of chilly powder, half teaspoon of turmeric, 1tsp salt, 2 tbsp of curd and 1 tbsp of lime juice….’<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306050170321525090" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicbLCw9zVaeTiuI_A22yPH7zb_c_Is_jC0MEY9JLToiqQZIEb4VrMu8MEfT5iadkpPoVLmBQ4jiK-Po4YHgccbVX6ZEW3lm9qiEK8ivanPVf15LfYxTwQwBzod2Yqn_PdQOxd80i9_ZFaG/s400/DSC08751.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><strong>Filmfare:</strong> ‘wow…I assume you take good care of the co-actors too…as you have mentioned in an earlier interview about the importance they play’<br /><strong>Kubrick Chekku</strong> <em>(heh…heh…measured laugh</em>): “You seem to have done quite some research on me…yes…I heat up the oil and add mustard to it once its warm...they are important for the comedy as they will start laughing after sometime…Then the movie slowly transits into serious mode when you put the sliced onions, curry leaves and green chilies along with 1 tsp ginger paste, 1 tsp garlic paste”<br /><strong>Kubrick Chekku :</strong> ‘Once the onions are sautéed and the raw smell goes, introduce the side actor tomato to the scene…He will gradually blend with the other characters paving way for the hero!! That’s when I introduce the marinated chicken pieces…I love this part of the movie…there is music...there is color…and there is aroma ’<br /><strong>Filmfare:</strong> ‘Sir…salute…salute…I am just eager to know the climax’<br /><strong>Kubrick Chekku :</strong> ‘After about 5-10 minutes all the characters in the movie must have blended well giving the hero a glorified status…But you must check occasionally if the characters do have shades of salt and add accordingly… Then you add a cup of water and close the lid…The inner turmoil within the khandaan would happen now….’<br /><strong>Kubrick Chekku :</strong> ‘And then after 10 min when the hero finally restores peace….you open the lid and take a good piece and taste it…If the director is smiling…you know for sure the movie is a hit!!’<br /><strong>Filmfare:</strong> ‘Thanks...for sparing your valuable time with us…and giving the movie buffs enough reason to skip your movies…”<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306050382558191250" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR5D7vmqOHCR1dYhOwusAhAD1PxOoWSde96VDYA39Y1tSWaIkeCp3CS1wEb8M7FnJI4UG-hvcch0_aZ6xdaJQ3Elx80RX474FqT1ilc9x1CrMgBIVYGm0SdYyG9XA359-1i_nI36yGXSUv/s400/DSC08789.JPG" border="0" /><br />Everyone underestimated the marvelous director ..but some years later...in every college…in every tea shop…there was a song everyone was humming……<em> ‘Aap jaise ‘Kozhi’ mere Zindagi Mein Aaye’..taantan....taaanttaaataan....................</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>adios... :-D</em>mathewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00860741232962357228noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584031302923053416.post-106660087203565892009-02-07T15:41:00.000-08:002009-02-07T15:50:35.473-08:00Mumtaz Mutton- Ek Prem kahani<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5bau6py6nhSMiiFcvbL_L4lm5fInnQgeK2Lq9POU2ivuZ0_OOOQ8cPMBzKmx8tL2EauXGqfhZJ8cVN-s9ZL8T1v1fAPKMsNAEQJeQQ1hSF6mbkW5YsG2LbFQtAYlUQzQdl1FOO9DtvbaG/s1600-h/DSC08706.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300205063614808082" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5bau6py6nhSMiiFcvbL_L4lm5fInnQgeK2Lq9POU2ivuZ0_OOOQ8cPMBzKmx8tL2EauXGqfhZJ8cVN-s9ZL8T1v1fAPKMsNAEQJeQQ1hSF6mbkW5YsG2LbFQtAYlUQzQdl1FOO9DtvbaG/s400/DSC08706.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>For the last two years there was a song I kept close to my heart…a song that made my heart beat like “<em>kokokoo...kokokoo</em>…”<br /><br /><em>“Ho Ek Chicken Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga<br />Ek Chicken Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga<br />Jaise Kentucky Roast<br />Jaise Reshmi Ka Kabab<br />Jaise Ujli Kadai<br />Jaise Schezwan ki Raat<br />Jaise Tandoor Mein Ho Ek Jalta aag<br />Ho Ek Chicken Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga”</em><br /><br />It was not just a song but a romance that had stood the test of time and it still does…But being the foodie casanova I am, I found someone new and it has caught my attention ever since…I told my spiritual guru about this dilemma… and he asked…<br /><br /><strong>S.G</strong>: “<em>What do you think?? How will chicken react to this news?”<br /></em><strong>Me:</strong> “<em>I really donno guru… we have always been for each other and Chicki has never left me down…”</em><br /><strong>S.G:</strong> “<em>When did you last meet?”</em><br /><strong>Me:</strong> “<em>At Burger King…last Friday …and as always it was memorable, though it was kinda awkward when Ketchup was lurking us”</em><br /><strong>S.G</strong>: “<em>hmm…a classic case of mid-life crisis. Have you tried something exciting like going out or doing something Tikka?”<br /></em><strong>Me:</strong> “<em>Yeah...we did the Tikka recently and that’s when I saw Mumtaz Mutton at the nearby table…We just couldn’t take our eyes of each other”<br /></em><strong>S.G:</strong> “<em>understandable…it has happened to me once as well” </em></div><br /><div><strong>Me:</strong>"<em>And then"</em></div><br /><div><strong>S.G</strong><em>:"I was given the "Chicken soup for the soul"<br /></em><strong>Me:</strong> “<em>But I wonder if all this sounds like being unfaithful?”<br /></em><strong>S.G:</strong> <em>“No my son… don’t be chicken-hearted…mutton up man!!”<br /></em><br />I knew that chicken would forgive me for this little dalliance I was having…</div><br /><div>like they say “<em>Mard ka dil sirf ek murghi ko samajtha hein”</em><br /><br />So this is how the new crush entered my life …<br /><br />*Cook the kheema (minced lamb 500gm) with a pinch of turmeric and salt in a pressure cooker...Also cook a couple of potatoes and keep em mashed..<br />*Meanwhile sauté thin sliced onions (4), green chilies (3-4) and ginger-garlic paste (2 tsp).<br />*Add the following to the sautéed mix:-<br />2 tsp pepper powder, half teaspoon turmeric, 2 tsp meat masala, half teaspoon chilli powder, half teaspoon garam masala and salt to taste.<br />*Once the raw smell of masala’s are gone add the cooked kheema and mix em well until you the masala’s are evenly coated.. Cook this mix for a few minutes until excess water is drained out.<br />*Add mashed potatoes and crushed coriander leaves and blend the whole mix again..<br /></div><div> </div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300206671300092114" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 295px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuxi4HUF2SGzaxZ_X9kHHl2nyPE1ntyIV6tQHTWgyW4DrOl13LOhAOqdovzP1P1T-7WaFd72Eamqb1tqnRe_yvHn7yx936lnhVe8dit33MOuEaEuMpQxuchyNzxa6WwoVyMZgufHfUH2Mu/s400/aaaa.JPG" border="0" /><br />Now get the puff pastry or anything of that sort…I found this thing called Blatterteig ( rechristened as german roti) which tastes similar to puff pastries after a few flips on a heated pan …<br /><br />Once one side of this roti is cooked spread a layer of the mutton filling which has already been made…Roll em along the short edge and seal it up…Allow it to remain for a few minutes until you get a golden glow on the outside..<br /><br />With a few sliced onions and a glass of wine I guess it’s not hard to fall in love… </div><div> </div><div>P.S. i ll be back Chicken..dont worry!!</div>mathewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00860741232962357228noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584031302923053416.post-82182411828665345712008-11-23T07:17:00.000-08:002008-11-23T07:20:47.094-08:00saare saare sambhar ee!!In 2007 December during a trip to Spain, me and my friend checked in at an authentic spanish restaurant in Seville... We ordered a full fledged lunch which was on offer…The menu said ...wine…soup…starter…main course and dessert , the description though were written in spanish.<br /><br />After making ourselves comfortable and with excellent wine to help, we were enjoying the ambience and looking forward to the siesta which we badly wanted after the long tourist walks. In a few minutes the waiter served us the soup which looked dark orangish in color. One sip and glancing at each other we knew what we were gonna say….<br /><br /><em>“dei...ithu nammalude sambhar alle”</em><br /><br />The waiter was bewildered how both of us told exactly the same comment in the same tone on the so called exotic Spanish soup which he served with so much élan.…Well the Spanish sambhar was our naadan sambhar , a lil less spicy though…Later when the waiter had gone back to get us the main course, it did cross our mind that the Spanish amigo who ran the restaurant probably might be a malayalee who branded the sambhar along famous names like the Paella. So strikingly same was it that we even tried to figure out any resemblance the waiter had with Columbus or Vasco da Gama…<br /><br />Well we actually enjoyed “drinking” the sambhar as a soup and infact under circumstances (that heavenly wine ;-P) we did not find it odd at all.<br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271872684221726530" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 394px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZjZJCHU3ZUaNj3rnOAfR9mm_WCvqiKWf6oYHID3SSSURaC84UkgfXJHXxx5jP2Jfw3p0W4U7FaBSK_SBwsHigJNhJCxv4w6hlvR95Qw-OqGXHLRCRuaE04PfLasv67cgDEe_Oxv3CGa8d/s400/sambhar.jpg" border="0" /><br />Sambhar is an easy quick fix curry for anyone and it will go with practically anything from rice, idli, dosa and even chapatti.(seriously its awesome).. Since my old roommate was a Tamilian I learned their style of cooking sambhar... The recipe has been written based on how I do it which means it may not be the easiest way coz in the kitchen am more a perfectionist planner. Anyways the ingredients would be:-<br /><br /><br />1 cup dal<br />3-4 cups of vegetables (I normally use potato, cauliflower carrot, beans and Brinjal)<br />1 big onion<br />2 small tomatoes<br />Curry leaves<br />2 red chilies<br />3 green chilies<br />Jeeera and mustard<br />Sambhar powder (2.5 tbsp)<br />Chilly powder<br />Salt to taste<br />Tamarind paste (1 tbsp)<br /><br /><br />1) Pressure cook the dal with sufficient water for 3-4 whistles.<br />2) Meanwhile peel and slice potatoes, rest of the veggies and cook em(60%) in a microwave with sufficient water.(6-8 min)<br />3) Slice onions, green chilies, tomatoes and keep em aside.<br /><br />Once they are ready.<br /><br />1) Sauté the onions and green chilies in oil until they are transparent, following which add sliced tomatoes.<br />2) After 3-4 minutes add the sambhar powder along with half teaspoon red chili powder and mix them in low flame.<br />3) Meanwhile transfer the partially cooked veggies and cook this mix in little water with sufficient salt.<br />4) Once the raw smell of masala goes, add the cooked dal and water if necessary and allow it to cook.<br />5) After 2-3 minutes add the tamarind water and mix well.<br />6) In a separate pan sauté the mustard...Jeera...red chilies and curry leaves and transfer the content to the sambhar.<br />7) Serve it with rice or idlis.<br /><br />And guys offer it to Salma Hayek or any Spanish beauty around...]<br />She might actually like the “soup”. ;-Pmathewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00860741232962357228noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584031302923053416.post-9575644778850362952008-10-06T06:48:00.000-07:002008-10-06T06:54:41.660-07:00HAPPY MEAL INITIATIVE<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtGc_bw3HJ0WJLurHBhNPEXt_KxA_Rh37IQ30mVXFDGbxD_LvoQH9SVU9xMRMAugKlFaHAOMoJK5kJHqHgSysC6wFbwLCjmnMPQvqOUG3Rg5mKOb44Tfnj2HFMp9sL5HAjYnP0N-QPXOXY/s1600-h/qqq.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254038949548448818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtGc_bw3HJ0WJLurHBhNPEXt_KxA_Rh37IQ30mVXFDGbxD_LvoQH9SVU9xMRMAugKlFaHAOMoJK5kJHqHgSysC6wFbwLCjmnMPQvqOUG3Rg5mKOb44Tfnj2HFMp9sL5HAjYnP0N-QPXOXY/s400/qqq.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>As a kid I have never had to go hungry at home…because my parents ensured that we had three square meals everyday …Not every one is lucky like you and me…<br /><br />This post is a bit different from the usual posts I have written in this blog…There are no recipe’s (which I fondly call as catastrophes) in this post.. ;-P<br /><br />In the colorful and appetizing world of food blogs I have come across hundreds of dishes from across the world…I started following the blogs initially out of passion for trying something different from the usual fare and then I actually began to enjoy the cooking….<br /><br />As we all know food taste’s the best when...<br /><br />1) The food is served with love...It could be your life partner...your mom. or any favorite people in your life…<br />2) You are really hungry…and I mean dead hungry….<br /><br />We all put lot of devotion to prepare food for the people who fall in the first category…We prepare the spice mix days in advance if you are planning a special dinner or if you are calling friends over home…and there is so much passion involved in creating that perfect carte for our loved ones…We do all this because we genuinely like the people for whom we are serving the food?<br /><br />Though am hardly someone to be called a food blogger, I have seen so many online food festivals and other initiatives in the network of food blogs where recipes and little cooking tips are shared…There so much of knowledge which I get from reading these posts…and I see so much of effort being put to spread this…And I was wondering at the power vested in the deft hands of all food bloggers and the possibility to make a change…So this post is about making a little change for someone else..<br /><br />Most of us haven’t had to experience that feeling in our lives…Most of us as adults could always afford to buy food whenever we needed…and splurge too…But unfortunately there are millions who cant….<br />I am requesting for a small help….Just take time out in a weekend…Instead of cooking for our friends or guests…Think about cooking for someone else if you are willing to..<br /><br /><strong>Call up the nearest charity/ old-age home/ orphanage at your locality and request the caretaker if you could cook a dish for the lunch on a weekend …</strong><br /><br />A little note for folks who are currently abroad in the West…I know many of us put in our little share by donating money to such organizations…But this a request for a little more..<br />If you wonder, there are quite a lot of people in the west who cant afford a meal too…There are hundred’s of people in Europe/ US who survive on the food served at these charities…So the geographical location of where you are doesn’t matter because there are poor people in every nook and corner of this world.<br /><br /><strong>How can I cook for so many people?</strong><br />You don’t have to cook an elaborate meal for 100 people…Just a simple dish…or just cookies…or cakes…would do… It is actually very light on your pockets too but gives a satisfaction beyond that… You can buy 100 chicken legs for just 25$ …:-) I have seen a Korean Woman’s association out here doing that, ordinary housewives who cook and donate homemade food to charities …<br /><br /><strong>Why the charity needs food…they already get it from somewhere?</strong><br />Yes…they get food from mostly shops which donate the unsold stock of bread or veggies or poultry which are close to expiry date…or restaurant’s with surplus food which they are anyways planning to throw away at end of the day…I feel sad when I realize that we still don’t have the courtesy to give good stuff for people who cant afford it…So if you manage to make a little change in the daily palate of almost outdated bread, salads or sausages it will make a lot of change….taste wise and otherwise..<br /><br /><br />I don’t know what to promise you for doing this…Most of the charities can’t afford anything spectacular food wise...they usual survive on ready made food and quick fix meals...A tasty home made food from your wonder hands will go a lot to bring satisfaction to people who are used to this regular fare..<br /><br />I can guarantee you 100% free happiness and broad smile on your face. If you still don’t believe it, check yourself in your mirror after doing it!!:-)<br /><br />I would be glad if you let me know if you have done anything as part of this initiative. Please drop a comment telling:-<br /><br />1) Where you are from<br />2) What did you serve and for how many people<br />3) To which organization did the food go<br /><br />This is a little initiative where I will be very happy even if its just one person who has something to eat from your kitchen’s after reading this post…<br /><br />Thank you..</div>mathewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00860741232962357228noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584031302923053416.post-1559054483452831762008-09-07T11:21:00.000-07:002008-09-07T11:29:48.298-07:00A pudding love story.<div><div><div><br /><p>When I was a kid I always looked forward to visit my native place and especially one place called <em>Chootuvelli</em> where my aunt lived. Apart from the excitement of meeting my cousins there was another reason why I was so eager about it always... To relish the delicacies made by my favourite aunt…Daisy aunty…<br /><br />If there was one person who could easily fit the tag of people who made food with love, it had to be her. Biriyani, meat rolls, chicken fry, mango milk shake from Daisy aunty’s kitchen were legendary, but what held a special place for me was the pudding she prepared.<br /><br />So while I called her up yesterday I was tempted to ask the secret of her pudding. Well I know that I ll never be able to match her tonnes of experience, so I was glad when she explained to me a little innovation of her to make an ordinary pudding look exotic. I love puddings and given a choice between ice cream and pudding, I would sure yeah to pudding any day! If asked specifically why I love puddings its coz they have a mild sensuous pleasure which an ice cream doesn’t have.Its like a porsche versus Hummer, both are poles apart.<br /><br />Pudding powder mix is easily available in the market and I don’t have to explain how to make a pudding. It’s easy to figure out how to make a pudding and you don’t need Mensa level intelligence for that. So how to make the pudding extra special?<br /><br />*Powder a packet of ordinary biscuits (I used walnut biscuits though) to a coarse form.(Don’t make it too fine)<br />*Heat 3-4 teaspoon of butter in a pan and once it has melt add the biscuit powder.<br />*On a low flame keep blending this mix until you get a nice aroma of butter+biscuit.<br />*Transfer this content to the frame where you want the pudding to be served.<br />*Make a nice bed of this mix on it which would act as the base for the pudding.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmsaDnnxUcntNzzPdK4yN1_vX8aD-feCg7smlhb-QNFqjtRwTasHaehQDjoLe0Zq5-SfjHKJhUQCL67mI6jPSe9dsvolVNSWgPGXXXqX65MI5nq21sR5z1tnWhGkEaxihEc7K6I6L0Hf8a/s1600-h/DSC07942-1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243347874649632482" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmsaDnnxUcntNzzPdK4yN1_vX8aD-feCg7smlhb-QNFqjtRwTasHaehQDjoLe0Zq5-SfjHKJhUQCL67mI6jPSe9dsvolVNSWgPGXXXqX65MI5nq21sR5z1tnWhGkEaxihEc7K6I6L0Hf8a/s400/DSC07942-1.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Now go ahead and make the pudding.</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiktQRT3nZdTWr7U6Q-ZuxBxsXylzlLqrnSwqKGCEC17wJaQT9gvjIrKts3njDvKHXHomsLmBtzbnbsGm7WQiTmHGgLt08aU_QGYa3EldN4WsrOTXjlFb3yM6fjg5oJo-FdRezpauBSVBNm/s1600-h/DSC07945.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243348102503929586" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiktQRT3nZdTWr7U6Q-ZuxBxsXylzlLqrnSwqKGCEC17wJaQT9gvjIrKts3njDvKHXHomsLmBtzbnbsGm7WQiTmHGgLt08aU_QGYa3EldN4WsrOTXjlFb3yM6fjg5oJo-FdRezpauBSVBNm/s400/DSC07945.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><p><br />*Just boil the milk and add sugar depending on the content of the pudding powder.(Sometimes sugar is part of it).<br />*Keep stirring it until its quite thick.(like in thick curd).<br />*Be careful not allow any lumps to be formed while heating and make sure an even consistency is maintained. It is preferable to use a whipper if you have one.<br />*Pour the mix over the biscuit base evenly and allow it to settle.<br />*After a few minutes when the heat is gone, keep the frame in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.<br />*Serve it after a heavy non-veg meal..;-P<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243347416975629618" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuTeC_IZoQFWTq0Ys3p4rz1vPS9IEa5cG0kJfe1z-CgldeVa52Pjn6F-rOy9E_TlQ9eqOGVE1n9iSMgv20j2DJ0Uy-qE-F5kvPLw2JBLQdPixc83FMv0gMrIs_NRzCiiuqXqSKFn0MJQwX/s400/collage3.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /></p></div></div></div>mathewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00860741232962357228noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584031302923053416.post-29473522692172240142008-08-24T05:07:00.000-07:002008-08-24T05:10:29.123-07:00olympic omlette<div>As the olympics comes to close...today we had a olympic special omlette in honour of the ocassion..<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238054969533857426" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_YCaoYodzbPcUxRByvWUD0t35nI6TWbkM-Ijcx-y49DMptoInsAnd4mEinh_i-o3nyGdg-2DJdEOjS-iSBFycyY-vws7FHldo_SApTTp7Ir-Z9aXC-GmKUj96Yi1S5mcT2VeIftX76QkT/s400/DSC07933-1.JPG" border="0" /></div><br /><p> </p><p>Lets hope that we offer citizenship to Michael Phelps for the next olympics..rechristian him as Michael Pillai...</p><p>And annex Jamaica.....and we would be fourth in the olympics tally at London!!</p><p>adios...</p>mathewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00860741232962357228noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584031302923053416.post-26151154860826061612008-07-06T03:27:00.000-07:002008-07-06T03:42:20.175-07:00Please beer with this beef!!<div><div>If wine was French, beer was German and noodles were Chinese what could Beef fry be then!!!<br /><br />Yes. It’s Kottayamese!!<br /><br />Beef fry is like the national food of every achayan….While in other parts of the country security is always increased, in kottayam it’s always 'beefed up'!! And it also explains the famous achayans 'belieef' in themselves!!<br /><br />While beef is a taboo word elsewhere in the country it is probably given a reverential status in this part of the state…Local authorities say the average happiness of a kottayamkaaran is linked to the beef consumption of the district….Scarcity of petrol and vegetables doesn’t affect this part of the state…but beef, Jeez it would be like the Cuban missile crisis!!<br /><br />Any Christian function without beef fry is like a Sanjay Leela Bhansali movie without gold. There was this marriage where the groom did not make it. But it was not until the chef told the bride’s dad that the beef from “<em>Paulose yeracchi kada”</em> did not arrive was the marriage called off!! Tragedies <em>“beefall</em>” at the cruelest times...<br /><br />History students in schools embraced Christianity since the teachers always taught this about the calendar…<br /><br /><em>Tell me children what is expansion of B.C?<br /><br />“Beef for Christ!!”</em><br /><br />Poor kids thought they were fighting for own cause…Well it did ofcoz influence people “spiritually” as it was critical to have this “<em>thottunakkaan</em>” with <em>“challaas”</em> for any self respecting <em>kallu koodiyan</em>…It cuts across all class barriers as even the richest estate owning achayan wouldn’t dare have a glass of chivas regal without this classic fry.<br /><br />Well why I say all this is coz, I recently had a knowledge transfer from mom on how real beef fry is made…<br /><br />Ingredients<br /><br />1) 800gms beef sliced in cubes+200 grams liver (this supposedly compensates for loss of liver content in human body for you know whom )<br />2) 4 Big onions thinly sliced<br />3) 1 inch piece of crushed ginger<br />4) 1 teaspoon garlic paste<br />5) Beef masala powder 4-5 teaspoons(I got it from home(a brand called sevana))<br />6) ½ teaspoon chilli powder<br />7) ¾ teaspoon pepper powder<br />8) Curry leaves<br />9) A few bay leaves<br />10) Sliced bits of coconut<br />11) Garam masala (home made the better)<br /><br />After heating oil on the pan crack mustard seeds add ingredients 2) ,3), 4), 8), 9) and 10)<br />Sauté it in low flame until the onions are transparent and the raw smell goes.<br />Now take the pan away from the flame and add ingredients 5) 6) and 7). Be careful that the masala doesn’t get burnt and keep stirring till the raw smell goes.<br />Now add the meat along with sufficient salt and a little oil over it.<br />Mix the whole stuff in the pan until the masala is coated evenly over the meat.<br />Now add a pinch of garam masala and mix the whole thing again.<br />Transfer the whole thing to a pressure cooker along with half a cup water and cook it for 3-4 whistles.(The number of whistle depends on texture of meat)<br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219847031830331042" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihA_v_JAvs64SNoe0DVYGKoKEf1WdWr44FYKxk2Ml0axALlhukJzScwFUdkahZGwLFT-Pj1FnSTPHpZGVIqFIRlUiQJhyUiWSN2da8ZCzcbbooqWuwdaXdMUucVzAzTBI6oFTE6qbZaGd5/s400/DSC07887.JPG" border="0" /><br />Allow the beef to dry in the pressure cooker by further heating if any water is still left. </div><div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219847177343770258" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFLzc89H1xML5Vc07SjQ2fepTbBLDDmN-9CsNm-RLXBGwSSwRSj8iMmcunKtYOejgMBBck41ssA-TQmjClP1S1_M8K7GZTpL_gjbGwzD6Torq_HbplTwwQ-Lo1PJE7R_qLT0o9jnrQlQrv/s400/DSC07890.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br />This is the real beef fry and taste best with sliced onion dipped in vinegar.<br /><br /><br />Oh wait I have to attend a "Beefthoven memorial symphony"... cya later!! ;-P </div>mathewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00860741232962357228noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584031302923053416.post-85482947393554119252008-05-01T00:35:00.001-07:002008-05-01T00:46:58.684-07:00Savolaa..giri..giri..Biryani..!!<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-MhLHTX4coy4dA-uSc9Z_Rm6jieETinOj83DyXa_VAsaZuRKdJGtypDyxDlXB-aZ6f-Yq11IvFNr1yDMaGP4dsh_GqeyosgxsG8yKJtTRoahrBE0aCgmOsYWYiGpg7qow-mX50EH_hUCJ/s1600-h/DSC05376.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5195310038084175410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="317" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-MhLHTX4coy4dA-uSc9Z_Rm6jieETinOj83DyXa_VAsaZuRKdJGtypDyxDlXB-aZ6f-Yq11IvFNr1yDMaGP4dsh_GqeyosgxsG8yKJtTRoahrBE0aCgmOsYWYiGpg7qow-mX50EH_hUCJ/s400/DSC05376.JPG" width="421" border="0" /></a><br /><div align="justify"><strong>Biryani</strong>…The name conjures up when it comes to having a heavy lunch .Or I would rather put it is as the non veg version of sadhya…I often do have biryani at several Indian restaurants out here, but most of em don’t do justice to it and end up like chicken curry mixed in rice…And I was getting bored of the ready made masala mix which simply doesn’t taste like the original...My version of Biryani could be called a semi-quick version…Unlike Hyderabadi biryani which you get in the famous “<em>Paradise</em>” the preparation of which might have started even the day before, mine is a 2 hour fix!.<br /><br />Back in Trivandrum we would often have it from the restaurants near <a href="http://wetspark.blogspot.com/2006/02/another-day-in-cet.html">college</a> after we skipped the morning classes. It was followed by skipping the post lunch classes for allowing the complete digestion of the just consumed Biriyani…The local term is CB for chicken biryani…”So it was always...<em>chetta….oru CB…or chetta oru BB</em>”...It was only until I started working in a software firm the BB became a Bulletin Board.<br /><br /><br />And the recipe I would say was handed over to my mom from her sister who as far as I know makes the best Biriyani of all my relatives…And I wanted the authentic homemade biriyani taste which is actually a bit different from the ones you get in restaurants.. So I make a call home yesterday from office…<br /><br />Me: <em>“Amma..nammal veetil ondakkunnu chicken biriyaniyude method paranju thaa</em>”(Mom..Explain how do we make biryani back home)<br /><br />Amma: ”<em>oh..ok..korachu karayambu….korachu ingi….korachu ellakka...korachu karuvapetta</em>..”(A little bit. X..A little bit Y..A little bit Z..)<br /><br />Me :”OMG!!..WAIT….<em>for godsake in ml’s and grams</em>”<br /><br />Amma..”<em>ok...ekedesham oru kaal finger ingi..oru 3 cups rice..rando..moonoo..naalo veluthulli..uppu taste anserichu</em>”<br /><br />My dad who was on the other end of the line could understand my frustration…We were tailor made to comprehend only actual figures and he gave me the translation of approximate quantities in laboratory terms.<br /><br />Me:”<em>Oh..thanks…Amma good that you don’t teach maths..oru korachu addition..oru korachu subtraction…korachu fraction…hahaha</em>..”<br /><br />After a 10 minutes call where I frequently interjected the conversation with terms like configuration of the <em>kozhi</em>…and delivery time for the <em>masala’s</em>…bugs in the <em>kashuvandi </em>just for the comfort sake of people in office who had absolutely no clue what I was really talking about..<br /><br />Anyways what matters is how we make it…<br /><br /><strong>Chicken<br /></strong>Cut 1 kilo of chicken into smaller piece and marinate them with lemon juice.<br />Meanwhile create a masala paste of 2.5 teaspoon chilli powder, 2.5 teaspoon coriander powder, half teaspoon pepper powder, half teaspoon turmeric, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon garam masala.<br />Mix the masala paste, marinated chicken and 3 tablespoon curd and keep it aside.<br /><br /><strong>Rice</strong><br />Keep ready 3 cups (probably 200 ml each) of rice washed and drained.<br />Fry in ghee cashew nuts and dry grapes and keep em aside.<br />Add more ghee if required and fry thin sliced onion (about one big onion) and keep aside.<br />The above two are sprinklers.<br /><br />In the remaining ghee fry (6 cardamoms, 5 pieces of 1 inch each Cinnamon sticks broken into smaller pieces, 5-6 cloves, 2-3 bay leaves ) for a minute.<br />Add the rice to this mix and keep stirring until the ghee is evenly coated and the rice is pretty much dry. Be careful that the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom.<br /><br />Since we use a microwave oven to cook rice, transfer the content to the bowl and add 6 cups of water to it.<br />Now here comes the innovation from my family. Instead of adding the expensive saffron for the color we add a pinch of turmeric to fake it…I think that was a good trick there..<br />Set it to 20 minutes or till the rice is cooked.<br /><br /><br />Meanwhile in a Mixie/blender make a fine paste of the following<br /><br />4 big onions, 3 tomatoes, 7 green chillies(add more to make it super spicy), 5-6 karuvepella, few pudina leaves, 1 inch ginger piece, 4-5 garlic pieces, 3 teaspoon grated coconut.<br /><br />Heat oil in a pan and add this paste. Keep stirring until the raw smell goes from the mix.<br />Now add the marinated chicken and mix the entire content with sufficient salt.<br />Don’t add water and allow it to cook. Keep stirring occasionally.<br /><br />Meanwhile in a big vessel coat the inside with ghee..<br /><br />Once the chicken is ready, Place the big vessel mentioned above on top of a chapatti pan which is being heated mildly.<br />Layer a bed of rice inside it followed by chicken mix. Do it intermittently until the last layer of rice is placed.<br />Sprinkle on top with fried onion/cashews/dry grapes.<br /><br />Cover the vessel and allow the aroma to spread for 15 -20 minutes in the low heat.<br /><br />Make a quick salad and enjoy the swaadishthu chicken biryani!! </div><div align="justify"> </div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5195312134028215874" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 529px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 251px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="235" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidTqZm5xeTBKJQU1I-TVRl8oh1Cy_lQuL5kwBcAMN7kN3NAEIE7BzVrH5EabS1Zlpd-WCsMhEkCewBuQEowbd8_pSDu7gGjMhHsvq0BUr9apAO0OKiNsg9q7KQbMbPSDHHCvYHYeeTzW1t/s400/DSC05383.JPG" width="464" border="0" /> <div align="justify"></div><br /><div align="justify">P.S We had some appetizer bordeaux wine before the dinner, So it wasnt hard for 3 people to finish this biriyani in one go!!! ;-D </div></div>mathewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00860741232962357228noreply@blogger.com39tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584031302923053416.post-48180455055265120232008-04-05T10:18:00.000-07:002008-04-05T10:23:25.484-07:00Quali-fried Snack!<div><br /><br /><p align="justify"><br />As a school kid evening snack was as important as lunch, breakfast or dinner. Rather they were of higher importance coz most of the time we never knew the snack for the day. And there is nothing like a great snack and tea at evening after a tiring day in school. Most of the time it would be carry over from breakfast like left over puttu resteamed with additional coconut grated …Else it would be second show running of the dosa or idli’s…Anyway we were not a big fan of those as we had more fascination for bakery items. Some times it would be the butter bun or the bakery bread that we called as <em>Bormo bread</em>…Till date I have no clue where we got that name from. Maybe it is just the name of a bakery or some silly names we created ourselves.<br /><br />Talking of bread, reminds me another incident which happen in the early 90’s...It was my first trip to Bangalore or infact our first trip outside Kerala barring the <em>Velankann</em>i trips...A incident which my cousins untiringly make fun of me even today.<br /><br />My dad’s wallet got stolen during a bus ride and we realized it when we got down somewhere near Utility Towers…We had planned the great Indian family shopping trip that night. I heard Dad telling Mom that he lost around 1000 bucks... Considering that those times I was not used to hearing that kind of princely figure and I was more familiar with 20 or 50 paisas or at the most 10 rupees, I assumed that the 1000 bucks was all that dad had. I mean the entire wealth/savings/investments/capital etc.etc. Dad had. I was flabbergasted and stunned and sad that night, that on the way back to our place a very emotionally choked me declared to Appa and Amma…<br /><br /><em>’Nammakku inniyum vela kurunjaa roti medichu jeevikaam’.<br /></em><br />Remember I was dead serious when I told this and I don’t remember how they reacted to it...But this incident reached all my relatives and cousins…and once in a while when they see me or talk over phone they joke....<em>’Hello Chekku…evide nammal vella kurunjaa roti medichaa jeevikunnei’</em>. It has been probably 20 years since it happened and still!! ;-(<br /><br />Coming back to evening snacks, the crowning glory would be the puffs, which would be eaten with such immaculate care. I used to finish the cover layers first leaving the last but one layer and the crunchy meat inside. Making sure that I elaborately showed and moved it around in my brother’s line of sight before enjoying it. And on special days or if Amma was not tired after work, we would have banana fry or sugians.I can keep telling about my fav evening snacks.<br /><br />Well coming to the point the other day I was reminded of all these memories and suddenly it stuck me that it has been ages since I had a tea time snack desi style. For about a year and half it was just tea and maybe some chocolate buns / cakes or croissants. . I was getting real bored of them.<br /><br />Last Saturday I thought of re-living a tea time snack moment...freshly cooked and Indian.<br />I opened the fridge and saw this huge cauliflower. It was just a week before we had a great laugh at home when my roomie bought cabbage thinking it was cauliflower. I asked him where are the florets…<br /><br />He said in remarkable confidence...’<em>those are inside</em>…’<br /><br />So I peeled one layer of cabbage leaves and asked him.<br /><br /><em>‘Now where??</em>’<br /><br />That’s when he got suspicious but still quite sure…<br /><br /><em>‘You gotta take one more layer out…it might be there somewhere inside’<br /></em><br />After the second layer I couldn’t bear not to laugh and had a good timing making fun of him abt that.<br /><br />Cauliflower was a favorite vegetable of mine back home. It was not exactly coz of the taste. But coz it was rarely bought at home…I thought it was good because it was scarce.<br /><br />So that Saturday afternoon I was inspired to make cauliflower pakodas to over come the years of fascination for that vegetable. And since I love the taste of fried onion, I thought lets make it a bilateral pakodas…So here it goes.<br /><br />Cut the cauliflower into smaller florets and clean it.<br />Cook the florets in water along with a pinch of salt until they are like 70% cooked.<br />Drain out the water and keep the cauliflower aside.<br />Slice like 4-5 large onions, a dozen green chillies and add it to the cooked cauliflower.<br />Add two tea spoons of ginger garlic paste, 2 teaspoon red chilli powder, 1 teaspoon garam masala, sufficient salt and a bunch of curry leaves to it.<br />Mix the entire stuff allowing the masala to be coated evenly over the veggies.<br />After sometime add 1-2 cups of gram flour and a pinch of turmeric to it and mix everything with hand.<br />There is probably enough moisture from the cooked cauliflower to get a thick batter of the entire mix. Otherwise add more water but make sure the consistency is even and the masala’s evenly spread out. Add salt again if required..<br />Meanwhile pour oil in a frying vessel and allow it to heat up.<br />Take a small lump of the batter and drop it in the frying pan. Turn it around and fry evenly until it is golden brown.<br />Taste this sample vedikattu and add more spice if necessary to the remaining batter.<br />Now you can fry the rest of the mix pretty fast in set of 6-7 pakodas depending on the size of your pan.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhB8Kwzj2Lkp1nx7fVidI-1r6b5I9N1Oq4dyVPPHV6yYs7lNKsyY1JezUktoA4SKc0cgK0GUMbPi9h38gtMBjDBbYxPBJBs3v1n0nN6fkqbGROmH4B4wjrYb6LCGVfOITUPQUg-7T5ZRcv/s1600-h/DSC05368.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5185813006268806962" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhB8Kwzj2Lkp1nx7fVidI-1r6b5I9N1Oq4dyVPPHV6yYs7lNKsyY1JezUktoA4SKc0cgK0GUMbPi9h38gtMBjDBbYxPBJBs3v1n0nN6fkqbGROmH4B4wjrYb6LCGVfOITUPQUg-7T5ZRcv/s400/DSC05368.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivuckLsPIIFaYxJ4dk9P7Bkf3v79JtHsnUY-Iqu3k-GUAUTyTRqUImlthR1r5GViHjzba3NRNhmJp2Vt7kI0x5JREzEb89nk6cKuXP3sG0fEzm9yj8GkPq9QsWhUv7vQtoJptuu8JiTEiD/s1600-h/DSC05370.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5185812843060049698" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivuckLsPIIFaYxJ4dk9P7Bkf3v79JtHsnUY-Iqu3k-GUAUTyTRqUImlthR1r5GViHjzba3NRNhmJp2Vt7kI0x5JREzEb89nk6cKuXP3sG0fEzm9yj8GkPq9QsWhUv7vQtoJptuu8JiTEiD/s400/DSC05370.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />This snack goes very well with the 4 o clock tea on a lazy Saturday evening and goes very well with a beer too…</p><br /><br /><p align="justify">And the chef had a hearty snack that weekend!! :-)</p></div>mathewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00860741232962357228noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584031302923053416.post-53102276198201201332008-03-30T01:56:00.001-07:002008-03-30T02:01:17.190-07:00There is always something ‘fishy’ before marriage.<div align="justify"><br />In ancient times amongst suriyani Christian families in kottayam, homes with girls of marriageable age would look for certain prized catches…Well talking of prized grooms, it would be guys who could successfully devour that hardest and most intricate piece of fish during the <em>pennu kaanal</em>* lunch …The ladies at the bride’s home would cook it the day before in richest and spiciest of all spices…On the doomsday. I mean the D-day…the most complex piece of the fish head would be served exclusively for the groom’s plate…it marks the beginning of an epic battle.<br /><br />The air is tense on that day…even the cats don’t meoooow…forget that they have competition here.<br /><br />All eyes are trained on the boy and the fish...The fiery fish curry and the quest. Both unbearably HOT!<br /><br />The bell rings in the nearby parish church...The ammachis at home are reciting the <em>kontha</em> (rosary) in murmurs.... <em>Appachan </em>is talking in hushed manner with the other <em>karnavars</em>…<br />The bride’s cousins are already gossiping in the other room…<br /><br />‘<strong>WILL HE MAKE IT?’</strong><br /><br />The guy would be thinking of the years of practice and training he had gone through…<em>karimpumkala shaap</em>**…. He graduated from the best Ivy League F-school (its not what you think.)…The long sessions over a school of fish and kallu…<br /><br />Yes … the real battle is what matters…The girl’s <em>appachan</em> is an old fox…He got the best possible piece in town…<br /><br />It is simply too nauseating for the groom’s mother too…In hushed tones she asks her husband.<br />‘<em>Achaayo…nammalude mon pass aavo</em>…’ (Will our son clear the test?)<br />Achayan doesn’t like last minute jitters and in a harsh tone...<strong>’hmmph…THRESIAAKUTTY!!’<br /></strong><br />And then…<br /><br />They all sit down at the dining table. Children are told to leave. It is all going to be adult material in there.<br /><br />Like the man who loved to revel in big stage, the groom dissects the <em>meen thala</em>*** with <em>Lecterisque</em> ease…The gory cries...<br /><em>ssspppsssppssssshhaahhaa……pspspssssppspppsssss…ssshhahaa…<br /></em>The fish brain ease out of the skull due to the huge vacuum created by the skilled fighter’s labial suction.<br /><br />Meanwhile the umpire Perappans and Appachens are mentally noting the points…they will sit down and tally em in the end…<br /><br />They examine the kill ...Antonychen’s Power 10 glasses don’t lie after all...They seem to be talking in professional lingo....’ <em>eemballu...meeninte andharkadaakam….</em>’<br /><br />Was he too fast…Is there any puli (tamarind) sediments still left?<br />Does the cranium now look like the dinosaur head we saw in Jurassic park?<br />Did the boy drink a glass of water after that? *Well he is sissy if he did that*<br /><br />Many question…It was the battle de mother of the pennu kaanal chadangu…Much much harder than Arjuna did with that reflection on pool archery trick…<br /><br />The girl is simply wondering… <em>Does that guy deserve me?<br /></em>Last time Johnychayan from kozhencherry was thrown out of home because he had hidden sugar cubes in his mouth…Or Kunjoose who tried to bring his own fish skeleton super cleaned with some ‘safedi ka chamkaar powder’…but that unfortunately got stuck in his trouser pocket…14 stitches is what it took.<br /><br />WILL MATHAIKUTTY MAKE IT…??<br /><br />The question that Thavalakuzhi and Mutathupadi family awaits.<br /><br />After a few minutes the warrior was escorted to the living room…<br />Mathaikutty is tense...and tired…He is given a glass of brandy for mild relief…<br /><br />The judges huddled in another room for brainstorming…Gossips run around the kitchens…<br />Mathaikutty was too loud !!…Mathaikutty was too brusque !!…. Mathaikutty was sweating !!<br /><br /><br />His friend from Calicut Meenchantha rings his mobile.<br /><br /><em>’edaa…did you make it’<br /><br />‘Yes...barely.’<br /><br />‘Wow…I can’t believe you …’<br /><br />‘Pray for me...’</em><br /><br /><br />The doors creak…The jury is coming out…Crowds gather around chief judge 96 year old <em>Annamma chedathi</em><br /><br /><em>‘Hello everyone…calm down ...please calm down’<br /></em><br /><em>‘I the chief matriarch of Thavalakuzhi family declare Mathaikutty has cleared the practical for eating our fish curry with CMM level 5 standards’<br /><br />‘Vakkacha...Kariacha…Thankacha…Mercy...Susy...Gracy…everyone...We have found the right groom for Meency…Now that the major chadangu is over…LETS FIX THE DATES!!’</em><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5183457092152899346" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXcKdHItBAB-eTLsBCZIGP9V9X3OC1WVGADA30S1qi0VebGQKw83Cr8oydgWKkYaLJ22_X86cSxlGEC6vBEG-U_CnbRbi0gmuy1hQbQOZxqcFj20-lwwtmXHFmJLVICdko_4sv2NeEYeVE/s400/DSC05357.JPG" border="0" /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><em>*Ceremony of visiting the girl’s house before marriage<br />**The best fish and toddy shop back home<br />*** Fish head</em></span></div><br /><div align="justify"></div><br /><div align="justify">I was planning to write the recipe for this curry..Hey but c'mon we have professionals here..Do check out <a href="http://kitchenmishmash.blogspot.com/2007/01/fish-curry-central-kerala-style.html">this</a> and <a href="http://malluspice.blogspot.com/2007/01/meen-chaar-fish-curry-wcoconut.html">this</a>. Ultimate fish curries..you wont be disappointed after this.</div>mathewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00860741232962357228noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584031302923053416.post-15495745140251144762008-03-06T23:36:00.001-08:002008-03-06T23:39:24.759-08:00Just another wedding tale..<div><div>When I get bored of the regular dishes it so happens that I attempt something, which I see in food blogs or other foodie websites. But often I face the lingua problem where I would know some stuff in English…. others in Malayalam...and others, which I don’t know in either language. Infact it was quite recently that I came to know that ‘Karugapatta’ is not an obscenity which I thought sounds like so.. or Thymol is not Animol’s sister and Fenugreek is not anywhere from Greece. But then lessons learnt however are lessons learnt isn’t? . I remember the blunder done while I was talking to a German aunty who was offended coz after she told me her name, which was ‘Maggie’ by the way, I couldn’t help but say ‘hahaha…we eat Maggi in India’. Why it happens that we don’t have a blunder warning system installed in our brain to avoid such embarrassing comments.<br /><br />Neways last week while cleaning up the fridge I was taking out the vegetables in it. There were carrots, capsicums, bhindi’s and several other stuff in there. I cleaned up the refrigerator after a Herculean struggle. Not to mention the small fight I had with roomie for stocking table tennis balls inside the fridge, which I later realized, were mushrooms. It was just a week ago I had caught him for keeping the ‘ice-age DVD’ in the freezer…He says he want to imbibe the soul of the movie. Never mind we always have some serious conflicts at home regarding the content of the fridge.<br /><br />But the whole point is that a glance on the kitchen table and I saw love in its purest form. It was overwhelmingly emotional and I consider myself lucky to see that. Believe me folks I saw the carrot in love with the bhindi!! Braving the bully Potato and rugged terrains of a cauliflower heap, Carrot overcame the last challenge from onion. Bhindi asked for a slayed onion as a token of appreciation and after a landmark battle, it did finally happen. In a scene reminiscent of dilwale dulhaniya le jayenga on the auspicious day of 2nd of March 2008, Carrot proposed Bhindi..<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174900535696952322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGP368ev6zroySXjTZBCvXILrYkqMt0vaNZhlaEGWLhQsn6C-igGSPDSB3tysabKK0c0Tzk5brzv6MYA7qTufXM8Ltxhxh078c-21kxI6lmt7IMFNd5isAtGR7y5T3Fbm5YPBmtpDienQG/s400/DSC05347.JPG" border="0" /><br />Being the moral priest I decided to solemnize the wedding between carrot (sole heir of Magnoliophyta family) and Bhindi (beautiful daughter of Abelmoschus esculentus). In what was a very passionate scene the carrot and bhindi embraced at the sanctum sanctorum of my non-stick cooking pan. The mustards cracked in joy to celebrate the momentous occasion. As the carrot applied the chilli sindhoor on bhindi’s forehead, the bride gleamed in happiness. The onion who was opposed to the wedding took it with a pinch of salt and arrived at the ceremony for namesake. The best man Pepper Khan made sure things went well without glitches. And so for ever after or err precisely for 20 minutes the carrot and Bhindi lived happily. Around 1 pm in a tragic fun ride down my GI tract it burned to death after falling on a pool of gastric acids in my stomach. As a mark of respect my <em>shradhanjali</em> for this humble dish. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174900810574859282" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC_X7XDJQOzuG4MmdsbmVSCDWP_Y2s_REpBRv-F-txIagey3sxy4X9G6A6vD6cQF1vHi_LQcxpnJN4NxP4opdWPr565cs_m3biCO6FBOq87D0VKYetVcqJ1asiJgzSDa6o-jtI4UiLfDld/s400/DSC05316.JPG" border="0" /></div></div>mathewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00860741232962357228noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584031302923053416.post-82690365350951921512008-02-17T08:18:00.000-08:002008-02-17T08:31:45.128-08:00I discovered am not bad at learning from trying out recipes from other bloggers when i instantly was attracted to try out a chicken dish from this <a href="http://malluspice.blogspot.com/2008/02/ulli-kozhi-chicken-cry-with-lots-of.html">blog</a>.<br /><br />As soon as i saw the pic in that blog, i was like oh..i should try this out sometime..And since when it comes to food matters i dont really procrastinate..So the chicken was bought and cooked as mentioned in that blog..surprisingly it came out just i wished it was!!<br /><br /><br /><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167985581630929090" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOzXPuTA7NLIURFTPCRrRxoqJz0yFePHmeDVvcEP6dX-h-dOhrddak0KV6th2BaSGEgiEqoTG6j2J74l0RNBiaFcPLA-ekrhDyu9cV0KfpKOTI1JKN1rb8eeuCi1qBv9LpJlYOf3VyCX-g/s400/DSC05302.JPG" border="0" /></p><br /><p>A more intimate look is below:-</p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167987312502749394" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7s-DyRF-inBGwX3zEFefnXs2_eyR8Awf5h-ZCz_un-TTSQo68rt4GVnUmxbMcn_6S7cW6GgA59BzxCLUu0jYvOduw75w2P6Uii3eYnXTbB3M4Ky2Ckkie5uzs97FeD2HUgNp9u6qB-0oE/s400/aaa.JPG" border="0" /><br /><p><br /></p><br /><br />folks try out this recipe, it sure is a winner...the bug chef certifies it.. ;-Pmathewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00860741232962357228noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584031302923053416.post-79556355344724401732008-02-11T01:10:00.000-08:002008-02-11T01:36:13.178-08:00Random entry found in Wikipedia.. 2050 A.D<strong>Kerala Fried Chicken (Mathai)</strong><br />Or popularly know in the west as <strong>KFC (M)</strong><br /><br /><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165647942600865970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-aRcJVZT6AiPXWuroNY8KRAvTItqeNAVJpQ-7C_qcdDNnrPlPCLPUyLBXRugiSmp42hN-b_ie6UU9C_NnQwPvPe2Cf_xWi0WH5p2-Wb5TT8zDHyYpx5cOyCeW80ix-zldmZTXQgL9XnGc/s400/DSC05291-1.JPG" border="0" /><br />KFC (M)'s Fried chicken wings with German beer…KFC (M) is a chicken dish made typically by professional chefs of repute. The spices used in the making are passed over by generations from secret kitchens in kottayam and Trivandrum…Carefully selected chickens that regularly gym and have ample wings are used for the making of this dish.<br /><br /><br /><strong>History</strong> </p><p>This chicken dish along with beer is considered by many as the single reason for violent incidents in the past like World war II, the crusades and till recently during the battle of Panipat.Scriptures say men who had a pack of chicken wings and a can of Beck’s were often ruthlessly chased by other men until the spoils were shared. Many psychologist have agreed that fried chicken wings and beer are man’s best friends..<br /><br /><br /><strong>Variants</strong><br />The original KFC (M) is attributed to a blogger who is considered by one and many as ones of the finest chef’s in the world. Due to the humble nature and not being chicken(;-P) about sharing his masterpieces, this dish has been made open source recipe for benefit of disciples.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Million dollar secret<br /></strong>Now come the question of how you make a gem like this. Carefully selected chicken wings are cleaned, massaged and kept aside.3 teaspoons of chicken masala, a tea spoon of chilli powder, pepper powder, salt and half a teaspoon of garam masala is mixed with half cup of curd. Add few drops of lemon juice as well and coat the mix over the chicken wings. Make slits in the wings to allow the masala to hold on well. Keep this mix of chicken and masala aside for one hour. Fry em in hot oil evenly on both sides until they are glowing golden red. Take em out and allow the oil to drain out over the tissues. Serve em hot with sliced onion dipped in lemon and the best German beer you can get hold of...<br /><br /><strong>Influences in Popular culture<br /></strong><br />It has often been mentioned in ad’s reflecting the popular sentiments .For eg:-<br />In a recent ad:’<br /><br />Silly duffer: - “<em>I have 2 houses, 5 sheep’s and a donkey. I ll give em sir!!<br /></em>..<em>Will ya gimme that KFC (M) with beer”<br /></em>Hunk sitting on a harley and holding KFC (M) with beer:- “<em>over my dead body…promise the moon. I ll still say</em> nay!!”<br /><br />Such ads are vindictive of the huge popularity of KFC (M) and celebrities often fight it out to be the brand ambassador of this niche dish.<br /><br /><strong>Consumption muhurthams</strong> </p><p>It is considered auspicious to have this dish esp. during Sunday afternoons on a couch in front of the TV which is showing live cricket, football or formula 1 race.<br /><br /><strong>Fun activities</strong> </p><p>This dish can be used for general fun like:- </p><p>Consuming it in front of people who are taking lent.<br />Take a pack and eat in front of politicians/leaders doing hunger strikes.</p><p><br /><strong>External links</strong><br /><a href="http://www.becksbeer.com/Default.aspx">http://www.becksbeer.com/Default.aspx</a></p>mathewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00860741232962357228noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584031302923053416.post-53041541069457434812008-01-27T03:28:00.000-08:002008-01-27T03:47:34.304-08:00Karma de Non Vegetarisch mealIn parts of the world called bachelor malayalee achayans homes , food plays a pivotal part in life.And when we say food it primarily encompasses chicken..lamb..beef..pork..turkey....okay..well anything which has four legs or two legs and weighing less than 3 kilos…<br /><div></div><br /><div>There is this old boast as per my uncle that his blood is pure coz all bacteria is destroyed by generous amounts of Red labels and Chivas Regals maintaining regular presence…Well it is unavoidable since we make sure that there is no shortage of exotic bacterias from chickenguniya's and others of the ilk..The dish for today from this celebrated cook is pure delight for a non-veggie…The meal is ready in 30 min and we are environmentally conscious during the whole process...</div><br /><div>Utmost care is taken that no plants are hurt during the making of this meal…<br /><br />First cook rice..I know many of you might just smirk and say..what is the big deal in that..uh…</div><br /><div></div><br /><p>Well then let me take through a short history of how difficult it is...<br /><br /><em>The seeds of the rice plant are first milled using a rice huller to remove the chaff (the outer husks of the grain). At this point in the process the product is called brown rice. This process may be continued, removing the germ and the rest of the husk, called the bran at this point, creating white rice.Whereas brown rice contains all ingredients of a healthy cereal, white rice, without the nutrients of rice germ and rice bran, is a standard in industrialized countries for commercial offerings. Today, parboiling is a first method to move some of the nutrients from the bran to the rice corn before stripping the bran, however the energy requirements are high compared to dry processing technologies.White rice may be also buffed with glucose or talc powder (often called polished rice, though this term may also refer to white rice in general), parboiled, or processed into flour. The white rice may also be enriched by adding nutrients, especially those lost during the milling process. While the cheapest method of enriching involves adding a powdered blend of nutrients that will easily wash off (in the United States, rice which has been so treated requires a label warning against rinsing), more sophisticated methods apply nutrients directly to the grain, coating the grain with a water insoluble substance which is resistant to washing....mm..burp..</em><br /><br />After all the above said processes take three cups of rice in a microwaveable vessel and wash it under a tap of water..</p><br /><p>Use hand to wash the grains gently without harming the inner crust of each grain.</p><br /><p><em>Note:For a meal for two you might have to roughly wash 3456 grains..</em></p><em></em><br /><p><br />After washing the rice drain the water using a strainer or by cupping the hands and slightly tilting the vessel until water is completely drained out.</p><br /><p>Take another cup and gently pour six cup of H20 in this vessel.</p><br /><p>Caution:Please make sure that water is uniformly distributed in all corners of the vessel.</p><br /><p>Dry your hands using a dry towel.</p><br /><p>Note that a wet towel doesn’t serve the purpose.</p><br /><p>With utmost care move the vessel to the inner corridors of the microwave oven.</p><br /><p>Close the door.</p><br /><p>Turn the knob outside to 20 minutes.</p><br /><p>Don’t be alarmed by the light that appears inside the inner echelons of the oven.It was part of the trick when God said “<em>Let there be light</em>”</p><br /><p>Stand aside half a meter away from the oven and appreciate the graceful circular motions happening inside the Oven..You ll be amazed to see that the water level falls down every 5 minutes..</p><br /><p><em>You still don’t have to be alarmed about it..</em></p><br /><p>When the knob has reached 19 minutes you can call in your friends and little cousin kids for the big moment..</p><br /><p>Open the door and cautiously take out the vessel.</p><br /><p>Give out a huge sigh..and move both your hands at the same time towards the mouth to show surprise.<br /><br /><em>Tito..Ditto..Mitto..see uncle’s magic....there is no water in it..and that hard thing I put in has turned soft..Howzzaat…!!</em><br /><br /><em>Give a high five to magic uncle..well I wont tell you the secret though...hahaha</em><br /></p><br /><p>After you have impressed the kids with the trick lets get back to business.</p><br /><p>Folks..you have learned the first step of this multi course dinner..well in my talking parlances if some one comes for a second helping of rice..it is counted as second course..OK?? everything should be fair isnt?<br /><br />The second dish is the famed Beef Malarthiyathu the recipie which I revealed to the general public inspite of my apprehension and the fact that it was a well kept secret over the years..<br /><br />The last item is ofcoz the classic pulliserri..I have huge respect for this curry for the sheer easiness of making this..just crack a few mustards..fry onions, green chillies ..a tomato..add half a teaspoon turmeric ..allow it become a blend and add a cup of water..Simmer it for a minute..add required salt. keep it aside for a few minutes so that it cools down..Add a tin of curd and mix it properly..Pulliserri is ready…the entire process takes hardly 10 min.. :-)<br /><br />And there<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160120949166327314" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTLabAB_XPfp79BYykflMCP_rSle4x12sHJbh3NX-G4Yx6KupCpkhE-CoOXWGha3OjPsz_O0psBaOPEy37Zwc0qeIpVtW6t29TZzbgJoYCHPNMMRt482rKSepE25PA-x0lO7oeeIzKvtZs/s400/DSC05245.JPG" border="0" /> we have rice..pullisseri..a beef malarthiyathu..chemeen pickle(not shown in the picture as it was obscenely less) that makes an excellent Sunday lunch..Though I wished we had a nice thoran to go with this..I was a member of “laziness is a virtue club” and hence decided to follow the clubs motto.. ;-P<br /><br /></p>mathewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00860741232962357228noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584031302923053416.post-28302262234168095732007-11-11T09:55:00.000-08:002007-11-11T10:05:17.449-08:00James Bond meets Egg Bonda…<div><div><strong>Source: The M secret dossier</strong></div><br /><div><strong>Location:undisclosed</strong><br /><br /><strong>M</strong>: <em>Miss Moneypenny as you see… we need a name for our new agent. Do you have any suggestions Miss..?<br /></em><br /><strong>Miss Moneypenny:</strong> <em>affirmative madam. ..Q had recently visited Longitude 33 latitude 46 popularly known as Kerala on a secret mission. Apparently at his majesty’s service he attended a “karayogam” meeting to spy on the communist activities there.</em><br /><br /><strong>M:</strong> <em>Miss Moneypenny as you see I don’t have much time to delve in the details of agent Q’s espionage activities. Would you rather come to the point!<br /></em><br /><strong>Miss Moneypenny:</strong> <em>Excuse me for the brief aberration as I was momentarily reminded of my planned vacation at the Kuttanad resort. Coming to the point... Q tried out some of the alien dishes regardless of his safety during the dangerous mission. In a satellite call last week he send the following message.<br /></em><br /><strong>“Cobra 1 2 3…Egg Bonda three cartons urgent...Over”</strong><br /><br /><em>In our track record this is the only message that KGB hasn’t deciphered so far. Let’s call our agent Egg Bond!!.</em><br /><strong><br />Felix Leiter:</strong> <em>Interjection please agents. I would rather suggest a more British name James Bond unless you want to get sued by Vasu’s thattukada who currently holds the copyrights for Egg Bonda as per our intelligence reports.<br /></em><br /><strong>M:</strong> <em>okay...then please welcome JAMES BOND!!<br /></em><br />To cut a long story short the post is about the inspirational egg bonda which I attempted to make recently. In my chequered history of 'mind blowing' and 'gas blowing' culinary exploits I think egg bonda easily can claim the slogan…”<em>You can’t eat just one</em>!”…not that you pass out before finishing the “<em>one</em>”!!</div><br /><br /><br /><div><br />Culinary wise if you can’t make a proper egg dish rule yourself out as cooking for a career coz any egg dish is the easiest tastiest and quickest snack possible...As you all know egg has always been part of our day to day life. It has various advantages other than the proteins and vitamins…It was always employed as a tool of mass protest especially by onlookers during stage shows all over Kerala. The egg has been inspiration for movies like “<em>Andaas Apna Apna</em>” which was later translated to English as “<em>Egg Mine Mine</em>”. It also was sole reason for "French toast revolution" accoriding to historians..<br /><br />So how you gonna make this trendsetting dish... No worries kids when the big chef is here!! ;-P<br /><br />You just got to boil a few egg ...Cut them in half and separate out the yolk. Meanwhile sauté a couple of onions .After they are pretty fried up add ginger-greenchillies paste and a few karuvepallas...Also add half a teaspoon of pepper and salt as required. Now you add the yolk and mix the entire stuff for a few minutes until you get a finely blended mix.<br /><br />Fill up the egg whites with this mix and restore it back into somewhat like an egg shape as shown below.</div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5131644224950284498" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmebCNCu4Zvz4rm1uLgQxKWkBeqSOq-sSrq-9OmTItt5HyTmGigQG4PKJkLZXN6pwPkGAz9CRjgW3KjT4YPEeF7jjeTdrpmIWxabSqx1XCbTJj7FvXXAMQ2BCJKmEBOZOVvvceaH7xFaB5/s400/DSC03663-1.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><div><br />Once you are done with this the next part is to make a thick batter of Maida or besan with a pinch of salt. Dip the half eggs and deep fry it in oil. Just gotta be careful that you don’t over fry it...A couple of seconds is all it takes.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyEohGqINuD0MdvlHDF9UsOULPv5eFch7qi-bpVnIczGpoXQNmxuB1xmiKN9wialZUuGA1PunmO9UNXrM46WWFMbsccinIpIq51glmO-OH4EBEfIZgKYBFHHhdDCEdVakYIRHRt-yYPPz-/s1600-h/DSC03674.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5131644422518780130" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyEohGqINuD0MdvlHDF9UsOULPv5eFch7qi-bpVnIczGpoXQNmxuB1xmiKN9wialZUuGA1PunmO9UNXrM46WWFMbsccinIpIq51glmO-OH4EBEfIZgKYBFHHhdDCEdVakYIRHRt-yYPPz-/s400/DSC03674.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVSUy-QqGC4byjmHws9YOOhySB-VIBR5Jy7_zRftG5RpcHm55WCg8SAO2yXRZ9bb6qfZBMCBRuEArZ7LXh0A8HNba-HuPOYBLB59IjanFbNqNBJL7Q56a1cSXeYkVrMe7wY7HQVka9kITg/s1600-h/DSC03673.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5131645002339365106" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVSUy-QqGC4byjmHws9YOOhySB-VIBR5Jy7_zRftG5RpcHm55WCg8SAO2yXRZ9bb6qfZBMCBRuEArZ7LXh0A8HNba-HuPOYBLB59IjanFbNqNBJL7Q56a1cSXeYkVrMe7wY7HQVka9kITg/s400/DSC03673.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><br />This egg bonda sure make a good snack with wine or beer.!!<br /><br />This post is in loving memory of 4936 eggs I have consumed in my life…So much to make the world a better place to live…sigh.. </div></div>mathewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00860741232962357228noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584031302923053416.post-62660347646487903742007-10-28T12:23:00.000-07:002007-10-28T12:29:34.139-07:00<div><br />Long long ago just like in the movie “<em>Forrest Gump”</em> I used to be chided for a different reason…Instead of “<em>Run Forrest run!!”</em> it was “<em>Eat Carrots son!!”</em><br /><br />I used to wake up in the middle of the night when I used to hear those echoing commands. <em><strong>.”Eat carrots Son!!”<br /></strong></em><br />Several years later I began getting threatening mails from PETA and other such organizations. I suspected PETA to be some sort of crime syndicate who were planning to eliminate me if I did not start consuming greener living things. Since my beloved friend Don Corleone was lodged in Tihar Jail at that time I had to succumb to this external pressure. For fear of my dear life after the Bourne ultimatum from the syndicate I had to take the help of Pachakam.com and thus it resulted in the creation of “<em>Carrobrocolina”…</em><br />Guys don’t get alarmed by the name...It is not that lethal bacteria which killed the dinosaurs, but infact a extremely vegetarisch dish eaten by a peculiar tribe in Germany. Unfortunately I am the sole surviving member and consumer of this tribe.<br /><br />As you see from the slide below it is made of:-<br /><br />Broccoli <em>(not another bacteria again)</em><br />Carrot (<em>we probably might have used it as bails for our cricket matches)<br /></em>Tomatoes (<em>as you know. I always get it from Italy for the authentic touch)</em><br />Onions (<em>round shaped balls with an emotional touch)<br /></em>Green chilies (<em>used as ear buds in 36 B.C by Julius Ceaser’s Grandfather)</em><br />Coconut Milk (<em>mm..mm..yes yes…not the kallu)</em><br /><br />Keep all of them ready and take 4 hours break to get through the sheer exhaustion of it and between take a snap like this. You will be surprised to know that they are infact more photogenic than us.</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126471185023908962" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKbuKOKzfWRg_kgNkVexE_-ynC5HatWCLqixIR4XB8HXnH7oT70Y_zym4C-YwU52bHP2HjvfRd6MwOmU6HhKpRqIwRIGxNIUQ5EycWffSCUmj0W7Hzzwd48RJOiodNcTByD75r9X1AGjGH/s400/1.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br />Please return to the hell hole..err..the kitchen..and heat oil in pan .If you are the kind of person who says life is boring and there isn’t much fun in living etc..etc..I suggest to pour half a glass of water when the oil is hot..Life gets <em>cracking</em> therafter.<br /><br />Now do the regular standardized procedure of making any curry..that is spluttering mustards, adding cloves/cinnamon and cardamom and then a teaspoon of ginger garlic paste followed by sautéing the onions with the right dash of turmeric and chill powder added later on. Now add the cut broccoli cum carrot along with salt and allow it to cook for sometime. Probably you will be dead tired by now and therefore you can help yourself with a beer.<br /><br />Once the carrots and broccoli is semi-cooked add coconut milk, tomatoes and water. Allow it cook till the curry looks edible. Meanwhile seperately fry dry red chilies along with curry leaves and add to the above mix.<br /><br />As always call the person in house whom you hate the most and ask him to taste it.. In case there is no violent physical assault on you after this, the curry can be declared as safe for human consumption.<br /><br />The below picture is the standard specimen of<em> Carrobrocolina</em> and the chef shares a trivia here…This one is the favourite dish of Winston Churchill and Marlin Monroe…You cant cross check that neways.. ;-P<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126471756254559346" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggoC2hCrjJscYgs2c1IFpBaTVi9cqG55PwfQfdTsmZP4-ease6PzhDj22M9gD9UIos1CydDObwyrcLFFQ4x1ZB6rH-G21WuaGIbPFNIRozhIOIPYbSKKS5UVMcE5evel86BL5xw6LMSvx8/s400/2.JPG" border="0" /><br />*Goes well along with chapatti or roti…<br /></div>mathewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00860741232962357228noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584031302923053416.post-56644668338371202162007-09-07T13:41:00.000-07:002007-09-07T13:50:05.998-07:00Beef Malarthiyathu..Well quite late to update this blog as I was on a diet for the last 7-8 months. During this fasting period I skipped my 10 am coffee and 3 pm glass of water off my regular diet...Needless to say I held strong and the fasting was followed religiously which helped me shed .005 gram in the last one year. To celebrate this breaking off the fast I decided to make some nice “<strong>beef malarthiyathu”...<br /></strong><br />I was itching to make something, which would have a naadan flavor...Fortunately after years of experimenting on guinea pigs called my roommates I managed to make something that was edible…<br /><br />Beef Malarthiyathu cooked using the principles of ayurveda is for the health conscious. I have used techniques handed over generations from Josephettan of karimpumkala kallu shaappu to make this culinary delight. . Just kidding man...<br /><br />Well how to make this?? A 20 minute job I ll say... Cut the meat (500 gm) into cubes and marinate it with meat Masala (guys don’t confuse it with desi Masala and stuff). Pressure-cook it without adding any water or salt and after 2 whistles taking it off.<br /><br />Now in a separate vessel heat two tables spoon of oil and drop a pinch of mustard and wait till they make those silly tickling sounds. Add a cup of sliced onions and green chilies (2-3) along with thengaa kothu…when the onions are half fried add a teaspoon of ginger garlic paste. And after say a minute, add curry leaves along with coriander powder (half teaspoon), chilly powder (quarter teaspoon) and some pepper powder (quarter teaspoon)...Allow it to sauté until the entire stuff looks like a fine blend and then add the cooked meat into it. Mix the entire stuff as if your life depends on it. Add more meat Masala if required and salt as necessary. Add water just enough for it get cooked.<br /><br />Now here comes the trick, which most people don’t reveal…beef malarthiyathu tastes good only if it is over fried... so when the Masala starts sticking to the bottom and you get the nauseating smell, turn a blind eye to it or well here, turn a close nose to it...wait for a minute or two and then add a little water say 2-3 teaspoon and scrape out all what is sticking in the bottom. Mix the whole thing again and then you get the authentic dark brown color which otherwise u never gonna get..<br /><br />Delicious beef malarthiyathu is ready to eat...A glass of beer and some sliced onion dipped in lemon is the perfect appetizer for this calorie-fat bomb… <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5107567196519856130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8TThzfzqpOiX_lDNIy37yseGioJPs6s94dcxqW2E-dVz5ug5Sn14lXPxr6MZ6Ic4KtU5Zcipuo88aCSJfruNh0qH-8OGxR3tytwP2xbJ43J2bquJS9AT9gHxhGPu2VZsk9qiFL7lY2wZR/s400/DSC02507.JPG" border="0" /><br /><strong>Statutory Warning<br /></strong><br /><ul><br /><li>Folks abroad who try this dish make sure the exhaust fan is running otherwise am sure you will invite the police home... The smell of masala’s is easily mistaken as poison gas/terrorist attack etc etc in the west.</li><br /><li>‘Navarasa’s’ on the face of the consumer can be safely ignored. But if he/she is in a ‘savasana’ pose for more than three hours after consumption please call 911</li></ul><br /><p><strong>Tips</strong></p><ul><li>Cutting onions are the most difficult part. Take help of woman folk at home who missed the tearjerker serial of the day. They will be more than happy to do it for you…</li><br /><li>If someone asks you whether the dish is healthy. Push him/her over the window or throw chilly powder in the eyes.</li></ul>mathewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00860741232962357228noreply@blogger.com19