Oats Payasam for Breakfast

Oats is the new found Health and Fitness Mantra of Keralites. But very few people like it the Porridge style. So Maggi brought out the Masala Oats. It was better but expensive.
I tried this Payasam style Oats and it has come up good.
Ingredients:
Oats - 1/2 Cup
Jaggery- 2 Cubes (Sharkkara)
Cardamom - 2 Pods
Cummin  - 1 Teaspoon
Almonds Chopped - 4-5 Nos.
Raisins - A handful

Boil Oats with 1 cup of water. Add all other ingredients and stir well for 5 min or till the Oats is cooked. You can add more Jaggery if you like it more sweet. But this is a welcome change from the regular Oats Porridge.

Helping your Wife in Cooking

Old time Malayalees have only seen the women working in the Kitchen. The Men sit on the dinner table waiting to be served with their mouth watering Kerala Dishes. They thought it is their right to do it since they toiled in the fields or workplace and the ladies just sat idle at home. Even if the ladies were working, this was the condition. But now times have changed. Men and Women work in Kerala.  Both of them have little time to do their own every day chores. But most of the men even now follow the same habits of our Parents. Surf the Internet or TV or play Rummy. Come in time to the Dinner table and eat..!!

I am fond of cooking and knows the hardship to make a Meen Curry or Beef Kaya. Koorka pork is stupid. Cleaning the Koorka is real tough. So I rarely buy Koorkka even though I like Koorkka Beef very much. Eating it is like Mama Mia...Guys. It is not an easy Lunch. So why don't you help your babe in cooking. Get off that TV or Mobile and help her. Don't vanish to the club or your favorite Hang out with your friends. Help your Wife and see how tough is her life. For your Info, more and more hubbies are cooking now.

To make cooking easy, or learn some tips Call George 9895039531.

Chappathi Versus Rice

Which is Good ? Chappathi or Rice. Changing eating habits in Kerala is evident in the Supermarkets and in Homes. More and more people filling their shopping carts with Atta and more and more brands launching Chappathi Atta with wheat, corn, oats and other super grains. Good for Diabetics, reduces heart diseases and energy goes the Taglines on the colourful Packages. Mallus are realising that eating Chappathi at night is good for their health. Rice is slowly replaced on the dinner table. The Kids are the lucky ones to eat Rice at night. Chappathi accompanies by good Veg curries like Aloo mutter, Chilli Gobi, Bindi or Baingan masalas are good for health. It is easy to make these north Indian curries. Thanks to MDH, MTR and Parampara Spices and ready to cook packets. A little guidance will make it right. Yummy dinner will be ready on the table in minutes.
Call George 9895039531 for cooking tips.

Use of Olive Oil in Kerala Increases many fold

There has been a sudden increase in the use of Olive oil both Extra Virgin and Olive Pomace in Kerala. The Medical shops and Supermarkets are all stocking various varieties of Olive Oil. 5 years ago, Mallus from Gulf used to bring a little green tin of "Olio Sasso" Olive Oil to use as a body massage oil for babies. But now due to the increased awareness of Olive Oil for the health of Heart and the rich presence of Omega-3 in it, many Keralites are using it for cooking or seasoning salads etc. even with its slight sour taste. Mallus love the taste of Coconut Oil for cooking, frying etc. The NRI's who have tasted Olive Oil abroad knows the taste and most of them like it. Now with the modern living facilities and fast paced life, lifestyle diseases are increasing and Heart is damaged due to clogging of the blood vessels etc. BP and Cholesterol are seen in  Kerala males in the late 30's itself.  Olive Oil can reduce the damage caused to the heart.
Call George on 9895039531 to know more about the dishes made with Olive oil. There are numerous Kerala Dishes, Salads and Chammanthies where Olive Oil can be used.
A deadly combination is the Kanthari Mulagu Chammanthy in Olive Oil. Two Birds in one shot. Kanthari Mulagu can reduce Cholesterol and Olive Oil good for Heart and will reduce BP.
Pomace Olive oil does not have any special order or taste during cooking or while eating. Start Olive Oil from today and you will surely save your health.

More Men Cooking in Kerala

Mallus are having a heritage in typical Kerala Food varieties. I think no where in the world one can find such variety of dishes. If you check the food in the Gulf, they have some 10-20 main dishes like Kabsa, Mandhi, Chicken Broast, Lamb grilled or Shawarma and other morning snacks. In Europe and US, the dishes are limited. But in Kerala, there are Veg and Non veg dishes that can be hundreds of variants. If add up the Western or Oriental dishes that Mallus eat, it is indeed surprising. Foreign people generally eat their own preferred dishes. Like a break fast of toast bread, Jam butter etc. Very few Westerners coming to Kerala try  to eat Puttu and Kadala or Idli Sambhar etc. They say it will hurt their stomach. But we mallus are prepared to eat the Arabic food and Mac's or KFC. Our stomachs are seasoned with the hottest of Chillies and Masala. Mallus may sometimes dislike the KFC due to its less spicy nature.

Due to the large Kerala NRI population, more of the new generation Mallus are trying various dishes here which they had in other countries. Thanks to the Supermarkets here which stock almost all Western and Oriental Veggies, Fruits, Spices, Sauces and other items required for making their exotic dishes. It is also easy to cook. More and more guys are cooking now. Thanks to the Male Chefs on various Channels like TLC, Good Times and others.... Also the modern Kitchens with all latest equipments make it faster and easier to cook. So guys if you need any assistance in cooking, call George 9895039531. I will be glad to assist you. North Indian, Arabic, Turkish and Western, Chinese Dishes.

Spaghetti with Bambino Vermicelli or Semiya

Italian Spaghetti styled dish can be made with Vermicelli or Semiya. This dish looks like Noodles and Children will like this dish very much. It can be taken to school as a snack or lunch. Bambino vermicelli is available in Kerala for long time. It costs Rs. 25 and the whole pkt will make enough for 5-6 persons. Preparation: Boil 3 cups of water in a pan. When it is boiling, add crushed vermicelli. Cook for 5 min. keep aside. Ingredients: Large Onion sliced - 2 Large Tomatoes sliced - 4 Cooked Beef - 250 gms Chopped Green Chillies - 4 Chopped Capsicum - 1 Large Chopped Coriander Leaves - 1/4 cup Grind Onions, tomatoes, beef to a fine paste. Saute this in a pan preferably in Olive Oil. When it turns brown, add 2 big spoons of tomato sauce and little Kashmiri Chilli powder, salt as required. Add chopped Capsicum. Saute this whole mixture for a while and then add the Vermicelli. Mix all well enough to make Vermicelli Spaghetti. Good for evening snacks as well. Garnish with Chopped Coriander leaves. (Spaghetti does not have Capsicum and Coriander leaves)

This is a very economical dish which will cost less that Rs. 100 for 5-6 persons.

Kerala Kadala Curry North Indian Style

Here is what I did with my kadala curry which my wife made. I turned it into a delicious North Indian Style Curry for Chappathi. Preparation: Left over Kadala curry - 1 bowl Large Onion chopped - 1 Tomatoes sliced - 3 Dice this two items above in a grinder. saute it on a large pan. add some kashmiri chilli powder. also some chilli chicken masala. add 2 spoons of tomato ketchup, one large spoon of soya sauce. small spoon of sugar and salt as required. Add half a piece of chopped capsicum and saute the whole items to make it a fine puree. Add the kadala curry and simmer for 5 min. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and green chilli. Good for Chappathi/Bread.

Cesar Olive Pomace Oil in India from Borges

Borges of Spain has introduced Cesar Olive Oil in India. I am using the Cesar Pomace Olive Oil at my home in Thrissur. We being Keralites traditionally use Coconut Oil in our homes for all kinds of Cooking and Seasoning. But being an ex-NRI and ardent lover of good food, I prefer Olive Oil to Coconut Oil even for making traditional Kerala Curries. There is no special taste, smell etc. like other sun flower oil etc. And above all, olive oil is very good for health especially heart.  Olive oil is also suitable for North Indian dishes like Chana Masala or Bhindi/ Baingan Curries. Saute Large Onions, garlic, tomatoes etc. in Olive Oil. Add any veggies like Okra, brinjal, cauliflower etc. and cook for some time to make yummy dishes for Chappathi.

Green Chilli

We got some green chillies from the Grow bags supplied by Krishi bhavan. But after 2-3 harvests, small red ants and milee bug attacked the veggies and most of the plants are dying now. I tried my best to ward off the pests by several methods but not successful. I think, those who opted to keep the grow bags on the ground itself had fewer problems like this. I and my wife struggled myself to lift the bags on to the terrace as per instructions from the Agri Officer to keep the plants on the terrace with ample exposure to the sun. mattuppavile krishi as it is called.