Beetroot Raitha or Salad

Beetroot is a good combo for Yogurt for a cool cool Salad.

Preparation

Slice big onions very thin. Mix well with lime juice (1/2 a slice) and salt and leave it aside for 30 minutes in the ref.

Slice beetroot small small cubes or grated. Add 1 cup yogurt. Add the onions and cool little bit.

Beetroot raitha in a beautiful purple colour is ready. Good side dish for Pulao, Fried Rice, Biriyani etc.

Spinach or Cheera

I observed for the last two years, that soon after March or the month of Kumbam, Cheera shoots up the earth where it is irrigated in my backyard. It will flourish like wild bush if it rains. (Venal Mazha) Spinach is a great source of Iron and is the best leaf in the veg. domain. Add a little Kabuli Chana to the Cheera curry and some MDH North Indian masala and garnished with butter is a yummy dish for Chappathi.

Easter harvest at seeandoh farms

Our back yard is flourishing with several veggies this year. Most of it will be ready for Easter. Ivy gourd is ready to flower. I use the leaves for the meantime. Known as Kovakka, this humble veg. is so powerful to arrest Diabetes. Bitter gourd is growing neck to neck one step above. I have a decent "Pandhal" for it. There will be sure fight pretty soon. The vines are already entangled. Underneath it grows Kumbalam and Mathan. Just a few feet ahead is a row of Tomatoes, Peas and Vellari. All will have a street brawl on the ground and the fittest will survive to see the days preceeding to Good Friday when there is a huge demand for veggies. I will share the veggies with others if I get a good harvest. All organically cultivated.

Bachelor Quick Dinner Ideas

Bachelors find very less time to cook and usually want to cut costs on eating out. Here is a quick method to prepare mouth watering dish for 4-5 people for the cost of one single item on a Restaurant Menu.

Preparation

Buy a Knorr Chinese Hot & Sour or Manchurian Pack from the supermarket.

Slice some carrots like matchstick type (2-3 nos), capsicum (big-1), garlic 5-6 pods and green chillies (2-3 big).

Cut the Knorr pack and add to water as given in the instructions on the pack. Bring it to boil by stirring.

Saute the veggies or semi boil it. Add it to the pot and slow simmer for 5 min. A delicious Chinese dish for 4-5 bachelors ready for Chappatti or bread. Ideal for a quick dinner on table.

Water Melon Salad

It is summer and Water Melons are stacked on the roadside. This humble fruit makes a great Salad

Preparation

Slice water melon 2 cms cubes. Cut carrot, apple, tomatoes, cucumber etc. as small cubes. Mix all in bowl. Add half slice lemon juice, little salt and garnish with packed.. crushed and sliced mint leaves.

The Fruit-veg salad will quench thirst, hunger and is loaded with energy.

Try Tomato sauce, ketchup, Chilli sauce, Mayonnaise either in a combination or separate as per your choice to this salad. Creativity and imagination can fire your taste buds.

Egg Pizza Georges Style

Eggs can be used to make to Pizza with locally available ingredients.

Preparation.

Take two eggs and beat it thoroughly adding a small tsp salt. Slice Onions, tomatoes, capsicum, green chillis, garlic etc.

Heat oil in flat frying pan. Pour the eggs and wait till it start to harden.

Saute the veggies and decorate the sliced veggies like on a Pizza. Now turn the pan upside down on to a plate and then fry the reverse side of the Egg Pizza.

Use Tomato sauce for the Pizza.

Coke or Pepsi cola recommended to wash down the Pizza.

North Indian Chana, Peas and Rajma Curry

I love North Indian dishes and especially Kabuli Chana Masala, Rajma Curry which I used to have in my NAVY years, Green Peas curry and Mung Dal (Cheru Payar) Masala. I prepare these curries with Olive oil.

Preparation:

Saute sliced onions in Olive oil. Add sliced tomatoes, capsicums, garlic and ginger to it. Add MDH Chana Masala and some Kashmiri Chilli powder.

Cook the Dals/Chana separately. Chana must be almost paste like or mash it with a large spoon. Add this to the sauteed items in the pan. Bring to boil. Add some butter, packed coriander leaves and green chilli sliced. Use it with Chappathi, Porotta, Nan or even Buns/Bread.

I love to have 7 up/Sprite etc to wash down the meal.

Pineapple Salad Vs Kerala Summer

Summer is Pineapple season in Kerala. A cheap and delicious fruit of the tropics. It adds a sweet taste to your veg salad. Mix slices of Pineapple with Cucumber, Tomatoes, Capsicums, Onions, Carrots etc. You can even add slices of apple. Squeeze half a slice of lemon and some salt to taste. The sweet, sour and tangy flavor of the fruits and veggies are simply irresistible.

All Leaf Curry Kerala Nadan Elacurry

Another delicious elacurry of Kerala I tried is made of Cheera, Thazhuthama, Muringa ela, Kovakka ela, Muthil etc.

Preparation:

Saute some onions and tomatoes in olive oil or sunflower oil. add some MDH masala after 5 min. add either red chilli powder or chopped green chillies. add the leaves chopped very small and sprinkle some salt water. stir occasionally to get a fine ela curry.

Good for Chappathi and Rice.

This curry is fully loaded with Iron, folates and lot of other goodies good for our body.

Cheera with Iron, folate etc.

Muringa good for BP

Muthil good for Liver and digestive system

Kovakka ela good for Daibetes etc.

Preserve Coriander Leaves at Home

I read somewhere that coriander leaves can be preserved at home by plucking out the leaves, roll it in a piece of news paper with some water sprinkled on inside and keep it in the Fridge in a bottle.

I tried it and it works good. Keeps the leaves fresh for 4-5 days..!!

Georges Menu on 01 Mar 12

Yesterdays carrot curry was not bad. We had some regular carrot upperi for afternoon. I took two large spoons of it in this curry.

Preparation

Heated some ghee in a pan. Sauted onions, garlic for 2-3 min. Added some North Indian Chana Masala (MDH brand) and red chilli powder. Added water and boiled. Added the Carrots and some mixture which was left over from the kids snacks. It gives a Rajasthani touch to the curry. Added some corn flour and chopped Coriander to garnish. Yummy Carrot Masala curry for Chappathi.

The secret taste maker: I stock the Maggi Chicken cubes at home. Added 1/2 a portion of 1 cube to this curry. It was delicious.

The best part is I recycled the left over portion for the morning Oatmeal breakfast. A yummy Oats Masala ready. I guess it is something like the New Masala Oats from Saffola.

Salt and Pepper style Cooking Tips

I love to share my recipes and simple cooking tips with anyone who is like minded. Pls call George 9895039531 or e-mail cando.adventures@gmail.com

I have some books for reference in Western and Indian Dishes.

The Australian Womens Weekly Cook Books

BBC Good Food India Mag

The Perfect BBQ Book

The Chefs special

on Seafood Platter and Veg fiesta

I source some veggies from my backyard grown on pure organic methods. Thinking healthwise.

Puli or tamarind sauce sweet and sour

Soak some Puli (Idicha valan puli) in water for sometime. Drain the liquid and squeeze the tamarind to get a thick sauce. Add jaggery (Sharkara liquid) to it. Salt to taste.

This is a good sauce for all salty snacks. Samosa, Tapioca, Potato finger fries, mixture or Bhajjis.

Add coriander leaves for more taste...

Cheap Evening Snacks for Kerala School kids

My kids loved the Pori + Nila kadala snack they tasted in Ooty..!!

Pity it is not available in Kerala.

It is a simple snack that can be made at home in less than 2 min.

Stock Pori at home. Also some kadala (groundnuts)

Preparation

Mix Pori+ kadala+ chopped Onions+ salt and pepper+ lime juice very well in a bowl.

The delicious anytime snack is ready.

(Kadala can be either raw, sprouted, salted or plain available in the shops.)

To experiment, add some mixture to the recipe.

I buy some special Rajasthani mixture varieties available behind Puthenpally.

Replace Pori with this and mouth watering home made Bhelpuri.

You can add coriander leaves to this.

Healthy Snacks for School kids in Kerala

What does your kid in Devamatha or Nirmala Matha School, Thrissur take for morning snacks ? Probably Mixture, Potato or Tapioca fries, Cup cake, Bread toast, Jam Butter ??

Why the same snacks. Need a change ?

Try some jam on the Vatteppam or Velleppam slices. I tried it. Taste great and healthy too. Steamed food..!!

I buy appam from the Puthen palli area... Jam plus a sprinkle of sugar on top. Yummy snacks for the kids.

Boiled Bananas with sugar and Honey. Give a hanky/napkin for cleaning the hands.

Sprouted Kaduku or Mustard Salad

Kadaku, Malli, Ellu, Uluva, Jeerakam etc. are excellent for sprouting. They are loaded with great stuff to pep up your body, digestive tracts, heart, muscles and what not...

Coriander, Sesame, Mustard, Fenugreek, Jeera all can be soaked in water overnight to germinate.

Mixed with some cucumber, tomatoes and lime plus salt is very tasty salad.

Add olive oil and tomato sauce to it.

Sprinkle any of these sprouts to your regular bowl of Salad.

Sprouted Bean Cherupayar Salad Kerala style

Any type of bean, peas etc. sprouted add tons of vitamins, proteins etc to your diet. Very healthy snack and side dish for your meals.

Sprouted beans

Cherupayar, Kadala, Groundnuts, Rajma or Kidney bean etc mixed with regular veg. salad are a great combination.

Wash, rinse the bean and leave in a bowl of water overnight. Drain the water in the morning and leave it till evening to have a great sprouted salad for dinner. The plant will start to grow the next day and will have to be transfered to the Ref. for 2-3 days use.

Olive Oil in Kerala not Olio Sasso

I used Olive Oil in cooking while I was in KSA. I love the taste, smell and health qualities of Extra virgin Olive oil. Olive oil is now available in Kerala supermarkets, groceries and medical shops.

Olive oil is a familiar face in Kerala through the NRI Gulf population. But sad to say, it was only used as a massage oil. Mallus do not like the smell and taste of it. Also it is not suited for Kaya upperi or Beef Kaya ..!!

People gifted or used Olive oil to new borns and older people as well.

I searched the Internet and found that the green Olio sasso tin from Italy can be used for cooking as well. So I found 2-3 cans in my home and started using it in cooking and also for Salad dressing.

I use Olive oil for North Indian and Chinese dishes.

Thattukada Items Modified version

Thattukadas are famous in Kerala for their cheap and local food. I sometimes buy food from Christopher Nagar Thattukada in Ollur. Usually chilli gobi, chilli beef, chilli chicken etc. I buy two plates some times dry type. I then modify the dish with my own recipe to make it enough for 4-5 people. Simple and very few items needed.

Chop some big onions in thin slices, tomatoes, green chilli and garlic finely chopped like Chinese style. Capsicum will be great and will add the taste.

Pour oil in a kadai/ frying pan. Saute the onions first, add the chilli + garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes, add 1 cup water, some soya sauce, tomato sauce and bring it to boil. Add the thattukada item and stir the pan well to mix all the ingredients. Pour some corn flour to make the gravy thicker. Add capsicum and coriander leaves if available. Salt to taste.

Yummy chilli chicken for 5 people for the price of two.

Veg Salads Kerala Style

Great Veg salads can be made in minutes with ingredients available in Kerala especially nadan veggies.

Veggies generally used:

Tomatoes, Carrots, Beetroot, Radish, Cabbage, Cucumber, Broccoli if available

Onions, Lime juice salt to taste.

Garnish with Mint, Coriander, Parsley leaves chopped.

Olive oil is a fine combination extra virgin preferred.

Fruits like apple, water melon etc. are also used.

Tomato sauce, Ketchup, Green chili sauce, Mayonaise etc are used to pep up the taste

Local veggies used:

Instead of Cucumber, Vellari or Kovakka can be used.

Raw Pappaya grated is also a very good substitute.

Ripe pappaya, chambakka, Sabarjill, Plums, Pomegranate, Orange, Musambi and other lime variants will easily blend into the Salad. Adding yogurt (Thairu) is another great combination for a veg salad. Try it out

Salad on Georges Menu 29 Feb 12

A pure veg salad for dinner on 29.02.12

Ingredients

Sliced Cabbage+Onions+Pappaya (semi ripe from my backyard)

Chambakka pickled in saltwater from my Ref.

Added Lime jiuce + salt

Garnished with chopped Coriander + Mint leaves

Mixed all Ing. very well to have a great home made salad in minutes

Salt and Pepper style

The movie salt and pepper was a boost to all the budding chefs and food lovers. I too love to cook, experiment various dishes, especially salads. Cooking is fun and eating food made by oneself is great. I love to make North Indian and Chinese dishes. Salads of various fruits and veggies. I also do some farming since last year and has harvested a lot of veggies. I even shared my harvest with my neighbours. It was surprising to see them return stuff harvested in their homes. I started a good social gesture of sharing and loving thy community. I use only organic methods for farming.

Healthy Salad of Black Bean

Boil black beans and drain water. Slice some violet cabbages, big onion, add corn and mix with Black Bean and lime juice plus salt to taste.

Black Bean

Black Bean or Turtle Bean Salad

I got this bean from KAU ABARD extn. counter, Thrissur. They said it is Soy bean. Look at the stuff I harvested. I searched on the Internet and found that it is Black bean indeed. It is a Mexican favourite for salad. I cooked it to make a kind of Dal Makhani. But the bean was very hard to boil and finally I had to grind it in the mixer. I have sown the seeds again last week.