Potato Stew / Ishtu / Eshtu

Aappam is one of my favorite morning breakfast, obviously on weekends. (In weekdays, never find time to eat). Mostly, I like coconut milk for Aappam, but for a change I prepared this Potato stew (called as Ishtu/Eshtu). To my surprise, all my family members loved this. (Think they got bored of coconut milk always... he he he...). I took the recipe here.

Ingredients

• Potato - 3 (boiled and peeled) (cut 2 potatos into small cubes and smash 1 potato)
• Carrot - 1 (cut into small pieces)
• Coconut Oil - 2 tsp
• Cinnamon stick - 1/2 inch
• Fennel seeds - a pinch
• Cloves - 3
• Star anise - 1
• Bay-leaf - 1
• Ginger paste - 1 tsp
• Garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Onion - 1 (big - cut lengthwise)
• Green chillie - 2
• Thick coconut milk - 1 cup
• Thin coconut milk - 2 cup
• Salt - as needed
• Curry leaves - few

Method

• In a Kadai/Wok, add fennel seeds, crushed bay leaf, star anise, cinnamon stick and cloves. Fry for a min. 

 

•  To this add onion and fry.

•  Add Ginger-garlic paste and green chillies.

•  When the Onion are translucent, add the potato cubes and 1 cup of the thin coconut milk. 

• To this add the smashed potato.

•  Add the carrot and remaining 1 cup of coconut milk

 

• Cover and allow the veggies to cook.

•  Add the thick coconut milk, and curry leaves and switch off the stove after 5 min.

• Serve hot with Aappam.

Notes:

• Adding carrot is optional.
• Actually I used, store bought coconut milk and with half of that added water and mixed. So I felt little oily. Hoping to try with fresh coconut milk next time.

This goes to the following events

Favorite Recipe - Breakfast @ Zesty sounth Indian Kitchen

Taste of Tropics - Coconut @ Nivedhanam

Fun Fair food @ thoushaltcook

Prawn Fry / Eral Varuval

Ingredients

• Prawn - 1/2 kg
• Chilli powder -  1.5 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Rice flour - 1/2 tsp
• Corn flour - 1/2 tsp
• All purpose flour - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - as per taste
• Oil - for deep frying

Method

• Wash and clean the prawns with salt.
• Add all the ingredients expect oil.
• Allow the prawns to marinate for 1 hr in freezer. (outside let it rest fo 2 hrs)
• In a kadai, heat oil on medium flame.
• When the oil, is hot, start frying the prawns batch by batch ( i fried it with 5 to 6 prawns at a time)
• When the prawns turn, reddish brown, take out from the oil and filter the excess oil, with kitchen towel.
• When prawns are finished, in the same oil, fry the curry leaves, and garnish the prawns.
• Serve the prawns as side dish. 

Baby Corn Pulao

In my early cooking stages, thought pulao is something very different and cannot be done that much easily. My thinking was totally wrong, when I started trying out the pulao/pulav's. This is one of such an easy pulao, to be tried out for the beginners.

Ingredients

• Basmati Rice - 3 cups
• Water - 4.5 cups (or as directed by the back side of basmati rice pack)
• Babycorn - 5 to 6
• Green peas - 1/4 cup
• Mint leaves - few
• Coriander leaves - few
• Salt - as per taste
• Ghee - 4 tsp

To Temper

• Oil - 3 tsp
• Cinnamon stick - 1 crushed
• Star anise - 2
• Bayleaves - 1
• Fennel seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Cloves - 3 to 4
• Cardamom - 1

Method

• Soak the biryani rice for 20 - 30 min.
• Wash the baby corns and cut into small pieces as shown.

• In a pressure cooker, add the ingredients under temper (Ingredients II), one by one and slightly fry.
• Add the onions and fry.

 

  Add green chillies, ginger - garlic pastte

•  Add the mint leaves and Coriander leaves and saute nicely.

•  Add in the green peas and keep stirring for 1 min.

•  Add in the baby corns and salt.

•  Add the water and allow to boil.

•  When the water starts boiling, add the soaked rice.

•  Slightly mix the baby-corn and rice.

• Close the lid and keep the flame in low. Do not use whistle. Allow to cook in low flame for 10 to 15 min. Switch off .
• Open the lid and add ghee and slightly mix the cooked pulav, without breaking the rice.

• Serve it with plain raitha or with any spicy side dish.

Thick Chicken Soup

This soup is easy and tastes great. I used to have this soup in my office canteen. It is of great demand, during rainy days. So we used to come early to the canteen to have this soup especially.

Ingredients

• Chicken - 200gms
• Butter - 1 tsp
• Chicken Stock/Vegetable stock - 4 tsp
• Milk - 1/2 cup
• Water - 6 cups
• Corn  flour - 2 tsp
• Green chillies - 1 (chopped finely)
• White pepper - 1/5 tsp
• Black pepper - 1/4 tsp

Method

• Chop the chicken into fine pieces.
• In a wok, add 1 tsp butter and chicken pieces.

• Fry for 4 to 5 min, till the chicken becomes little dry.

• Now add the water and the chicken/vegetable stock and mix well.
• Add the green chillies and black pepper and milk.

• Allow the chicken pieces to cook nicely.

         

• Meanwhile, add 3 tsp water to the corn flour.

• When the soup starts boiling, add the corn flour mixture and stir.

• The soup, starts thickening. 
• Sprinkle white pepper, give a stir and switch off and serve the hot soup.

Dates Cake - No Egg / No Butter Version

As always love the Eggless version of the cakes. This one is definitely a must try one. I mostly followed the same step as of Banana Walnut cake and the result was simply amazing. This version is not much sweeter, as I dont like too much sweet. Next planning to try more sweeter version, by adding more dates.

Ingredients

• Dates - 1 packet (200gms)
• Milk - 1/2 cup (more or less)
• Oil - 1/2 cup
• All purpose flour - 1.5 cups
• Sugar - 3/4 cup (if dates are very sweet can reduce the sugar quantity)
• Baking powder - 1/2 tsp
• Baking soda - 1/2 tsp
• Almonds - 2 tsp (crushed)

Method

• Remove seeds from dates, wash and soak the Dates in hot milk for 1/2 hour.

•  With 4 or 5 tsp milk, grind the dates to a smooth paste first.

•  Later add the remaining milk and give a one more grind.

•  In a big bowl, add the all purpose flour, baking soda and baking powder and sift nicely, so that all flours are mixed properly.

•  In another bowl, transfer the dates paste from mixier grinder and add sugar and mix well.

•  Add this sugar - dates paste to the flour mix.

•  Mix them thoroughly, without any lumps. If thick, can add 2 tsp of milk.

•  To this add the oil and mix gently. (do not over mix)

• Preheat the oven with 180 deg C.
• Dust the baking tray with oil and then with all purpose flour, so that cake does not stick to the bottom.

•  Pour the dates-flour mix to the tray

• ( Optional ) Add crushed almond pieces on top for decoration. ( I forgot to mix it along with the mixture. So added at the top ). 

•  After 40 min, insert a toothstick and check it comes out clean. Take out the cake from oven and let it cool down.

•  Cut the cake and serve. 

• Yummy delicious cake is ready to eat

Notes:

• Replacing almonds with walnuts would be a better option too. 
• You can increase the quantity of sugar, if you want more sweet cake.

Sending this to Party snacks event @ En Eniya Illam