Raita

Ingredients

Cucumber(finely chopped) : 1 no
Crarot (grated) : 2 tbsp
Onion (chopped) : 1/2 no
Low fat yoghurt : 1 cup
Tomato : 1 no
Green chilly(finely chopped) : 1 or 2 nos
Salt : as needed

Method

Whisk the curd in a bowl.Add all the ingredients and mix.Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Cheera Parippu Curry

Ingredients 

Parippu/Toor dal : 1/2 cup
Cheera / Palak chopped : 4 cups
Turmeric : 1/4 tsp
Grated coconut : 1/2 cup
Greenchilly : 2 nos
Cumin seeds : 1/4 tsp
Curry leaf : 1 sprig
Salt : as needed
Water : as needed

For Tempering

Mustard : 1/2 tsp
Dry red chilly : 2 nos
Small onions : 3 nos
Curryleaf : 1 sprig

Method
Cook dal with water and salt in a pressure cooker.To this add chopped palak/cheera and cook it again for sometime.Grind coconut,greenchilly,cumin seeds,curryleaf and turmeric together to a fine paste in a mixie by adding little water.Add the paste to the cooked dal and cook it  for somemore time.
Heat oil in another pan and splutter mustard seeds,add redchilly,small onions,curryleaf and fry it.Add this to the prepared dal..



Tip
 Swiss chards,beet leaves can also be used instead of palak/cheera.

Chicken Tikka (Masala)

Ingredients

Chicken  boneless : 3/4 kg(cut into medium sized pieces cleaned & drained)

For Marination

Chilly powder : 1 teaspoon
Pepper powder : 1/2 teaspoon
Garlic paste : 1 tablespoon
Garam masala powder : 1 teaspoon
Lime juice : 1 tablespoon
Curd : 1/2 cup
Oil : a little
Salt : as needed

Other ingredients

Onion chopped : 1 no
Ginger garlic paste : 1 tablespoon
Tomato (ground) : 2 nos
Butter : 1 tablespoon
Chilly powder : 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder : 1/4 teaspoon
Coriander powder :  1 teaspoon
Cumin powder : 1/4 teaspoon
Cream : 1/4 cup
Coriander leaves : as needed


Method

Take the chicken  pieces in a pan,add all the ingredients for marination and mix well.Cook for 10-15 minutes in the pan.Heat oil in another pan,add onion and ginger garlic paste.Saute till the onions are translucent.Add chilly powder,turmeric powder,coriander powder and cumin powder.Saute for few minutes.Add tomatoes and cook for sometime.Add butter to the cooked chicken and mix well.Heat it for 2 minutes under low flame..Finally add cream and heat  again for 2 more minutes.Garnish with coriander leaves.

Chicken Pizza

Ingredients

For pizza crust  (32 cm diameter size)


Maida  : 2 cups
Instant dry  yeast : 1/2 tablespoon
Sugar : 1 teaspoon
Salt : 1/3 teaspoon
Water : as needed
Butter : 1 1/2 tablespoon

For Topping

Chicken boneless (preferably breast pieces) : 1/2 cup
Button mushroom : 3 nos ( thinly sliced   and sauteed in oil)
Green capsicum  : 1/2  (sliced)
Red capsicum  : 1/2   (sliced)
Onion  : 1/4 (cut into cubes)
Black olives   : 3 nos  (sliced)
Pizza cheese : 150 gms

Other ingredients

Pizza sauce : 5 1/2 tablespoon

Method

Cut chicken into small pieces.Heat oil in a pan.Add chicken and stir fry by adding salt and pepper.

In a bowl mix together maida,yeast,sugar and salt .Knead it into a dough by adding enough water.Add butter and knead it again.Put it in a ziplock bag and keep it in refrigerator for half an hour.Press dough lightly to remove air.Take a greased pizza pan and roll out the dough into approximately 32 cm diameter size.Using a fork ,make some holes on the rolled dough.Spread the  pizza sauce evenly  on the dough and leave 1 cms around  the edges.Top up with 50 gms of pizza cheese followed by chicken,mushroom,onion,red and green capsicum.Spread the remaining  cheese on it  and sprinkle with olives.Preheat the oven to 220 degree celcius and bake the pizza base  for 10-13 minutes.

Tip
1)Use Instant dry yeast for better fermentation.
2)Incase  you  want  pizza of smaller size ,adjust the measurements accordingly..

Coleslaw Salad

Ingredients

Cabbage finely chopped : 4 tablespoon
Carrot  finely chopped : 2 tablespoon
Mayonnaise : 3 tablespoon
Yoghurt : 3 tablespoon
Pepper : 1/4 teaspoon
Sugar : 3/4 teaspoon
Salt : 1/4 teaspoon

Method

In a bowl mix yoghurt,mayonnaise,pepper,salt and sugar.Add chopped cabbage,carrot and toss well.Chill in the refrigerator before serving.

Vegetable Pulav

Ingredients

Biryani Rice : 3 cups(washed & drained)
Ghee : 4-5 tablespoons
Beans finely chopped : 1/4 cup
Carrot finely chopped : 3/4 cup
Green peas cooked  : 1/4 cup
Onion(big) thinly sliced : 1 no
Cardamom : 2 nos
Cinnamon : 7 (half inch each)
Cloves : 4 nos
Bayleaf : 1 no
Raisins : 1/4 cup
Cashewnuts : 1/4 cup
Salt : as needed
Boiling water : 6 cups

Method

Heat half of the ghee in a pan and saute cardamom,cinnamon,bayleaf and cloves for sometime.Add rice and saute for 2 minutes.Add water,salt and mix well.Cook till the water is evaporated and rice is cooked(don't overcook).

Heat the rest of the ghee in another pan and fry cashews,raisins and onions one by one and keep aside.

To the remaining  ghee  in the pan after frying onions add chopped carrot,beans,salt and cook.Add peas and saute for sometime.Add the cooked rice,fried onions,cashews,raisins and mix everything well gently.

Kuttanadan Chemmeen Roast

Ingredients

Prawns : 250 gms(cleaned & deveined)

For marination

Onions chopped : 1 no
Garlic  finely chopped :  1 tablespoon
Ginger  finely chopped : 1 tablespoon
Chilly powder :  1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder : 1/4 teaspoon
Coriander powder : 1/4 teaspoon
Garam masala powder : 1 teaspoon
Pepper powder : 1/2 teaspoon

Other ingredients

Coconut slices : 1/4 cup
Kudampuli(kokum) : 2-3 pieces
Warm water :  1/2 cup
Curry leaf : 2-3 sprigs
Oil : 1 tablespoon


Method

Soak kudampuli in water and keep aside.
Take the prawns in a pan,add all the ingredients for marination and mix well. Then add coconut slices,curry leaf,soaked kudampuli along  with water to the marinated prawns.Cover and  cook Stir in between.Saute till the water gets dried up.Add oil to it and fry the prawns under lowflame,till it becomes golden brown.