Veal Stew

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Mummy, did you know Easter falls on a Sunday this year?

Huh! My dear didn’t you really know it always does?!

This was one of the jokes my brother and his friends would pull on me. I might not have said anything like this, but they would improvise a story around the above joke and tell anybody listening for a laugh. I wonder if he or any of his friends knew Easter was a ‘moveable feast' and that is why it always falls on Sunday

      Happy Easter to you! I am sure you always knew it falls on Sunday. 

Resurrection of Jesus on the 3rd day from his crucifixion. This is the most significant festival for Christians, in fact, bigger than Christmas. Thankfully, it is not as commercialized as Christmas and the gravity and seriousness is honored.

  You must be familiar with Easter eggs as a common feature in the celebrations here in the U.S. But growing up, I do not remember it to be important. Over the summer holidays, which fall now in India, we would color egg shells and place it on plants but that was not to celebrate Easter.  We don't even consider cooking eggs on this day in a special way.  

  Then what do we do? The most important thing to do was to eat a lot of meat and fish.  It starts off with breakfast with appam and stew. Today, I will share veal stew with you which goes well with appam or white bread. Hope you enjoy it. 

   Stewing as a cooking term means to cook meat and vegetables by simmering and thickening by reducing the juices or thickening the gravy with flour or any other thickening agent.  In Kerala, most cooking is slow and on stove stop, and what we call stew is slow cooked, no doubt, but generally to mean a mildly spiced meat or vegetable in coconut milk.

Stew

Ingredients:

Veal – 1.5 Lb

Garam Masala – ½ tspn

Vinegar – ½ tsp optional

Potato – 1 cubed

Pepper corns – 10

Cloves – 10

Cinnamon stick – ½ inch piece

Elachi – 3

Onions – ½

Ginger – 1 Tbspn

Garlic – 3 pods

Green Chili – 6 or as per taste

Coriander Powder – 1 tspn

Coconut Milk – 1 Can

Tomato – 4 or 5 round pieces for garnish

Oil – 2 Tbspn

Salt  - to taste

Method:

1.       1. Make bite size pieces of veal.  Take it with 1/4 tspn salt, vinegar, garam masala and ½ cup water in a pressure cooker and cook for one whistle. 

2.       2. Heat oil in a pan, add pepper corn, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon stick and fry

3.       3. Add onions and sauté for a couple of minutes. (the onions should not be browed in this curry and hence you should not sauté it for too long before you add the following. )

4.       4. Add ginger and garlic followed by green chilies and saute.

5.       5. Slide in cooked meat with all its juices, potatoes and 1 cup of thin coconut milk.  (1/2 C coconut milk + ½ C Water) and cook on low-medium heat till the potato is cooked.

6.       6. Pour the remaining coconut milk and heat through.  Top the gravy with  4 or 5 slices of tomatoes and switch off the fire

Notes:

1.       1. I thin the coconut milk further ever before I add at the final stage because I like the gravy thin.  However, traditionally the cream of coconut milk is added at the end to keep the flavor rich and gravy thick. 

2.       2. Play with the consistency to your liking.  If you feel you should not add too much water fearing the curry will spoil.  It will be a good practice to boil about 2 cups of water and how much you need to thin the coconut milk to your liking.  

3.       3. Stew is served with appam or white bread

Contributor: Sunitha

Varutharacha Pork Curry/ Pork in fried and ground coconut gravy

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  The spicy curry cooking on the stove and a cloudy weather outside is just what I need on a lazy day like today.

  With this kind of weather you can hardly blame me if spicy rich food invades my mind.  I know I talked about doing an Italian fare this week but I just couldn't help myself.  I am too Malayalee I suppose.  Rainy, cloudy weather is reminiscent of monsoon holidays and comfort food.  Therefore, will you forgive me? Shall we take a look at a spicy, tantalizing fare?

   The curry is cooked with pork shoulders.  The shoulder meat is lined with gooey fat (gooey when cooked) making the taste exquisite.   Now, here I am not blowing smoke about my culinary skills.  I am just saying pork shoulder meat has a lot of fat and it's very tasty.  Thanks to J my friend who suggested I buy pork shoulder for curry.

  Now to brag just a little about the curry.   The gravy has a nutty flavor exuding from the fried coconut.  This teamed with curry leaves and all the other spices makes it quite South Indian which means utterly tasty.  A 'hit your senses' kind of dish ironing smooth with coconut.  If you have not yet cooked with this gravy you should.  Agreed it's pungent and the dish bursts with a medley of flavor.  Even then the fried coconut, to repeat myself, adds dimension soothing the piquant spices.  For me, it recreate the smell and taste of Kerala.  I know I said I will just brag a lil but you see..Sigh! Couldn't help myself.

Anyways,  to get you down from the high of a host of spices bite into Brussels sprouts.  The wedges arev sauteed in butter to perfection(read a little crunchy yet cooked).  Heat oil in a pan add 'I can't believe it's not butter' wait till it melts and plop in the wedges.  Stir it around briskly till the white of the sprouts are mottled with brown.  You may be thinking "what the heck" well, I understand your sentiments.  Mixing Indian and a totally American recipe may sound ludicrous but believe me spicy curry served with hot jasmine rice and buttery sprouts are complementary.  

Now, without further ado.....   



Ingredients:

Pork - 2.65 lbs
Turmeric - 1/2 Tspn
Salt - 1/2 Tspn

Saute:
Ginger - 2 Tbspn chopped
Garlic - 2 Tbspn
Onions - 1 Big
Tomato - 2 medium size (tomato on wine kind)
Oil - 1 Tbspn

For Dry Frying

Fennel Seeds - 1 1/2 Tbspn
Cumin Seeds - 1 Tspn
Star Aniseed - 1/2 of one
Cloves - 8 nos
Cardamom - 3 nos
Cinnamon Stick - 2 inch
Whole Pepper Corns - 1/2 Tbsp

Grated Coconut - 1/4 cup
Chili Powder - 1 Tbspn
Coriander Powder - 1 Tbspn
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 Tspn



Method:

1. Take meat, 1/2 tspn turmeric and salt; pressure cook for 3 whistles set aside.

2. Dry fry all the whole spices and ground to a powder
2. Roast the grated coconut to a light brown color add chili powder, coriander and turmeric powder and saute. Keep stirring to avoid burning the coconut and the powders. Dry grind till you powder this and add some water and grind it to a fine paste
3. Heat oil in a pan, saute onions followed by ginger and garlic; two sprigs of curry leaves
3. Add tomato and saute add the ground spice mix
4. Add the meat and all its water to the above and cook off the water at least half of it.
5. Add the ground coconut mix



Contributor: Sunitha

Patties

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     How are you doing this morning.  It's finally the weekend and I am sure you are feeling as good as me.  I am dying to get out and walk in the woods somewhere.  Yes, as soon as we have had this visit I will scour the internet to find somewhere nice to take off on a day excursion tomorrow.  Guess what I have to make a neat sandwich?  Culmination of English and Indian you could say.  Kabab like patties.  I say that because I sneaked some 'Shan Kabab masala into the ground beef I had together with some more ingredients and popped in the oven.  Oh, boy! never did a spur of the moment idea turn out so well.  Tasted like kababs though the texture was not as good because I refused to grind the meat fine in my mixer.  However, if you do have a way of grinding fresh meat at home do that with the recipe that follows and you will be making some delicious kababs at home.

   It's tart and hot and will go into a wrap or sandwich bread and make a pretty good lunch.



Ingredients:

Ground Meat - 1/2 lb
Onions      - 1 small finely chopped
Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tbspn
Salt        - 1/2 tspn
Lemon juice - a squeeze ( I am thinking about 1 tspn)  Please be careful how much you add because the quantity of meat is very little.  Also, if you are using ginger garlic paste its already salted and had a sour taste.
Mint Leaves - 3 sprigs (take out only the leaves and chop fine)
Green chilies - 3 finely chopped or 2 well ground
Shan kabab masala - 1 tspn 
paparika -  a dash
pepper   -  a dash



Method:
1. Mix all the ingredients together.  (Use a glove if you do not like to work with fresh meat)
2. Make small patties, as thin as you can with the palm of your hand and place it on an oven proof tray
4. Bake at 400 D for 20 minutes.  Turn the patties with a spatula after 10 minutes and brush the juices the meat express back on.

Enjoy it as is or sandwiched between bread or crumbled into a wrap with your favorite salad dressing.

Contributor: Sunitha

Pork Ularthiyathu

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    How are you ladies?  I am settling in well with the help of a lot of hookie activity (crochet).  It's been quite therapeutic, crocheting.  All the counting helps to take my mind off of everything else.  It is a much calmer me sitting and talking to you now about all the foodie indulgences of the past weekend. I made some pork ularthiyathu with a lot of other favorites of mine.

  We had a guest over.  He was craving Indian home style food and ever ready for some myself I went all the way and fixed a fare of rice and moru kachiyathu, thoran, meen curry and ularthirachi.  This is a typical lunch at my home in Kerala.  Oh.. it was all very good.  Eating and reminiscing about holidays in Kerala.  We puttered around home eating, chatting,  watching mal flick etc recreating a true holiday.  It felt close to being home on a summer vacation.  Blissful.

  So, about this pork I made.  It came out well.  Not very dry, coated in a generous gravy which was not dripping leaving the meat succulent I was quite pleased with the way it turned out.  We talked away into the night forking up pieces clean off the bowl without dripping or dirtying the carpet.  It's ideal to have with rice and a wet gravy or just as a snack.  It's pungent so adjust the chili powder if you are going to eat it as a snack.    You can do the same with any meat of your preference.  The shallots and curry leaves gives the dish the perk it needs to stand out as a Mal dish.  



Ingredients:

Pork Ularthiyathu

Pork - 2 lbs
Shallots - 2 - 3 cups sliced (I added 3 cups sliced)
Ginger - 3 tbspn coarsely chopped
Garlic - 3 tbspn coarsely chopped
Garam Masala - 2 tspn
Chili Powder - 2 Tbspn (bring it to 1 tbspn if you don't want it it hot; you adjust at the end if you prefer by sprinkling ground pepper)
Coriander - 1 Tbspn
Turmeric - 1/2 to 1 tspn
Curry Leaves - 3 - 4 sprigs
Vinegar - 1 tspn
Oil - 2-3 Tbspn
Salt - to taste



You could pressure cook all of this with 1/2 cup of water until two whistles and then simmer and slow cook till dry. Or you can saute shallots, ginger and garlic followed with the powder masala. Once done add pork stir till the flesh turns white and then add 1 cup of water and slow cook for an hour. Once it has cooked for an hour stir fry until water dries and oil expresses.



Contributor: Sunitha

Pork Curry

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  I have been so out of the blog world.  My husband and I relocated to Ohio and for the last month or so decisions, waiting, biting nails and more waiting took up all the time.  Yes, I was cooking and eating and could have probably taken some pictures and blogged.  However, I was feeling frozen in place with inactivity for some absurd, inexcusable reasons.  Believing you will forgive my lack of visits to your blogs and enthusiasm in blogging generally, I have a recipe for this very tasty pork curry.

 I cannot boast of any new techniques of cooking here.  The taste is familiar and yet slight variations I made while cooking gives it a refreshing newness.  It all started when I visited a friend recently and he served an  awesome chicken curry.  I asked him how he makes it and the way he rambled along with the recipe it was all the same thing that I do. Yet, it tasted different and very good.  Some variations I gleaned from his rambings were that he had added a lot of coriander leaves and his ratio of chili to coriander powder was different from mine.  Having been reminded again how much fresh coriander leaves can break or make a dish I gave this one an abundant dose.  I am not disappointed!

Ingredients:
Pork - 2 lbs
Onion - 1 large
Ginger - 1 Tbspn
Garlic - 1 Tbspn
Potato - 1
Tomato - 1
Curd     - 2 Tbspn
Green chili - 4
Chili Powder - 1 Tbspn
Coriander Powder - 2 Tbspn
Turmeric - 1/2 tspn
Garam Masala - 1 tspn
Tejpatta/Indian Bay Leaf - 1
Coriander Leaves - 1 bunch
Salt - to taste

Method:
1. Marinate pork in curd and salt for an hour
2.. Saute onions till translucent and add green chilies, ginger and garlic and saute
3. Add chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala and turmeric
4. Add tomatoes
5. Add the marinated pork and a cup of water and pressure cook till done. (I kept it for one whistle and then lowered the fire and cooked for a while about 10 minutes
Garnish with plenty of coriander leaves and serve with rice or roti

Contributor: Sunitha

Beef'n'Onions

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    This is another variation of beef with pretty much the same ingredients you will find in most malayalee homes.  However, the variation here is only the amount of onions that is used and no coconut pieces.  This used to be my favorite I remember while I was growing up.  Couple of rotis with this dish was my favorite.  Along the way my mother started doing more authentic Kerala style beef with coconut pieces and slow cooking them in a uruli (a wide mouthed vessel made with copper and brass) etc and the way I am directing to cook beef today is no more common with her.  This morning with some stew beef in hand I decided to replicate an old forgotten taste.

   Happy weekend!

Ingredients:

To Pressure Cook:
Beef                       - 1.4 pounds
Ginger                    - 2 Tbspn chopped
Garlic                     - 2 Tbspn chopped
Turmeric                - 1/2 tspn
Coriander powder - 2 tspn
Chili powder         - 1 1/2 tspn
Salt                       - 1/2 tspn
Vinegar                 - 1 tspn

For Sauteering
Oil - 2 Tbspn (this is a very modest amount and if you don't mind the oil and want to make the dish rich add 2 more altogether 4 tbspn of oil)
Onions - 2 medium size julienne
Black Pepper - 1/2 tspn coarsely ground ( more if you like)
Curry Leaves - 2-3 sprigs (more the tastier)

Method:
1. Mix together everything under 'for pressure cooking' and pressure cook for 2 to 3 whistles.  Each pressure cooker behaves differently so what I am trying to do here is get the meat to cook but stay together and not fal apart
2. Once the meat is cooked heat oil in a pan and saute the onions.  Check for salt in the meat and if you think it can take more add a dash to the onions while you stir fry
3. Once onions are just about translucent add in pepper and the cooked meat with its gravy
4. On a medium fire let the meat and onions incorporate and switch off while the dish is slightly wet
5. This dish is not meant to be dry fried

Serve with rotis or rice.

Note: For this dish if you want to add more spices or chilis you may do so while stir frying it with the onions.  I added a dash of vinegar to spike it up.  In the same way feel free to built up while frying but remember that as the water / soup start evaporating from the pan the taste of the spices starts getting pronounced.

Lamb'n' Cilantro

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   It has been a while since I made lamb at home.  You might know that lamb is not exactly the most famous meat in the US.  Apparently, in the early days the military used to serve mutton (considered meat of older sheep/goat) which is tough meat with a heavy flavor. So much so that, they banned it at home while on their holidays.  This is kind of a "did you know" fact I read on wikipedia.  Either ways, it helped me understand why I could never find this meat in Kroger (my staple stop).
    However, this does not mean there are no more enthusiasts.  I did find some in Sams and found out a couple more places where they are sold.  Hurray! I expressly cut them into bite size pieces and put together this dish..  Fried  onions to a golden brown.  The slightly sweet and caramalized onions paired with generous amount of cilantro takes this dish to the next level.  The flavor of lamb, onions and cilantro blends in to make this exotic treat. 
    Serve it up with some rotis, parathas or plain rice and succumb to the magic it weaves.

Ingredients:

Lamb -2 Lb
Onions - 2 nos
Tomato - 2 nos
Ginger - 2 Tbspn
Garlic - 1 whole (about 2-3 Tbspn chopped)
Coriander – 1 Tbspn
Chili Powder – 1 Tbspn
Garam Masala – 2 - 3 tspn
Cilantro (Coriander) – ½ bunch
Turmeric – 1 tspn
Oil – 2 Tbspn

 Method:

1.      Sauté onions in enough oil till golden brown
2.      Add ginger sauté followed with garlic
3.      Add chili, coriander, garam masala, turmeric and sauté
4.      Add cilantro leaves chopped and then the tomato
5.      Add the washed and drained lamb in and sauté
6.      Once oil clears the pan pressure cook on medium for 4 to 5 minutes

Contributor: Sunitha

Beef Fry/Irachi ulathiyathu- Kottayam Style

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     Kottayam is a town in central Kerala where I come from.  Today I am sharing beef fry, a favorite among  people from my state, made in the Kottayam style.  Some of the best versions of this dish I hear is served in toddy shops. Toddy is the liquor from coconut tree/Palm Tree. There is an interesting read on toddy in Wikipedia. It's also interesting to note how these small shops considered taboo at one time is gaining popularity.

 Disclaimer: if you are travelling to our state make sure a local person helps you buy things from the toddy shop or only go in after checking its okay to do so.  I cannot gaurantee the safety of these places but only say that the food is excellent.  In some of the popular tourist locations these place are safe but always use your judgment before making the decision



Ingredients:

Beef- 1lbs
Shallots/ Onion- 1/2 cup+1/2 cup
Red Chilli powder-1tsp
Ginger-Garlic Paste-1 1/2 Tbsp
Curry leaves- 1- 2 Sprigs
Vinegar- 1tsp
Oil-3 Tbsp

For Garam Masala
Tejpatta/Bay leaf- 1
Cinnamon -1 small piece
Cloves-2
Fennel seeds- 1 Tsp
Black Pepper corns- 5-6

For seasoning and frying:
Mustard seeds-1/4 tsp
Garlic sliced- 1/4 cup
Green chillies(slit)-2
Curry leaves-1 Sprig
Coconut Oil- 3 Tbsp


Method:

1.Grind everything listed under Garam masala, together.
2.Heat oil in a pressure cooker/ the pan you are planning to cook beef.Saute the 1/2 cup onion till it turns translucent.
3.Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute till the raw smell leaves.Add the chillipowder and masala and saute for 2-3 minutes.
4.Throw in the beef pieces along with a sprig of curry leaves and vinegar.Add a few tablespoon of water and cook well.(I do it till 2 whistles come )
5.Heat coconut oil in a frying pan,splutter the mustard and saute the remaining shallots, till it turns translucent.
6.Add the garlic slices and green chillies and saute for 3-4 minutes.
7.Add the curry leaves and cooked beef into this and fry till the beef turns dark brown in color.This will take 45 mins to 1 hour, on low heat.
8.Switch off the flame and wait for at least 1/2 an hour before you serve.

Whenever I make this, half the dish will be gone towards the end of the frying because some of the family will be snacking on it, and never wait for 30 minutes before serving :D)



Notes:
1.The recipe I have given is less spicy (for kids)
2.If you want to taste the authentic one, just add more peppercorns and chilli powder
3.Use coconut oil for the authentic taste :-)
4.You might be surprised to see that coriander powder is missing ;it's not a mistake :-)
5.You could add coconut pieces (thengakothu) while cooking the beef.
6. You could replace beef with lamb or mutton, if you do not take beef.

Contributor: Namitha

Chicken Roast (Kerala Style)

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Autumn is here and I love it! Finally we have some awaited cool weather. I hope you are enjoying good weather where ever you are as much I am. This morning, enjoying the cool breeze blowing in through my patio, bright sunlight finding its way through the lattice work and with some joyous music playing on my CD, I cooked. Have you tried cooking with music? It’s wonderful, rather therapeutic I should say.
So, what did I cook? I made naadan (Kerala style) chicken roast, chocolate chip muffins and healthy bran muffins. No, they are all not for today but it will take us through the rest of the week.
Now, having given you a glimpse of my day let me get down to business. The 'naadan' (country style) chicken roast recipe I am sharing comes from my mom which she got from her mother so we are talking some authentic Kerala cooking today. I spoke to both my mom and her sister so I guess I need to give them both the credit. They are like most of our parents; if you ask them how to make something they will rattle along, oh that, simple! Take a little of this and a little more of that put them all in together give it a good stir and voila! The dish is ready. It took me a couple of conversations with both my mom and aunt to get to the bottom of how much a little bit of this and a little bit more of that means. Either ways, I must tell you after a couple of experiments I have quite mastered the ROAST! Every time I make this dish we lap it up like we have been starving for days. So go ahead and try this and enjoy it with some rice or chapatti!



Ingredients:

Chicken - 4 lbs approximately 2 Kg
Whole red chili - 30 nos seeded
Shallots - 1 lb 450 gms
Ginger - 1/4 cup
Garlic - 1/4 cup
Vinegar - 2 tbspn
Salt - to taste
Garam Masala - 1 tbspn
Turmeric - 1/2 tspn
Coconut Oil or any oil of preference - 4 tbspn
Curry Leaves - 4 sprigs
Potato - 1 thinly sliced rounds
Friend onions for garnishing

Method:

1. Marinate chicken in 1 tbspn vinegar, 1/2 tspn turmeric and a little salt for 1 hour
2. Soak red chillies in 1 tbspn vinegar mixed with 1 tbspn of water after taking out the seed and leave it for a while to soak. (split chili in half and tap it to get the seeds off).  Add a little water to the vinegar
3. Crush the ginger, garlic, shallots and the soaked red chillies and add the mixture to the chicken and cook for 20 min on medium fire
5. Heat oil in a pan and on medium fire shallow fry the chicken and set aside
6. Once all the chicken pieces are fried (read golden brown on both sides) pour the gravy into the pan and cook till oil clears the pan
7. Pour the gravy on top of the fried chicken
8. Decorate with fried potatoes, onions and cashew nuts



Contributor: Sunitha