There is a new place in town called Simply South by Chef Chalapathi Rao. We went there recently and had their heavenly Kerala stew with Appams and fell in love with this dish. The coconut milk was light and aromatic and the taste of the dish still lingers.

Here is my version of the stew. 

Method

1. Slice 1 carrot, 1 potato, 12 beansinto cubes of equal sizes and keep aside
2. In a pan, heat 1 tsp coconut oil.
3. Add the spices - 3-4 cloves, 1 cinnamon, 2 cardamom and 1/2 tsp black pepper and saute till for 2 mins.
4. Add 1 finely chopped onion to it and saute it. Add finely chopped 1 inch ginger and 5-6 garlic flakes and saute till the onions become transparent. Don't let it become brown.
5. Add 1 handful of curry leaves and 2-3 finely chopped green chillies and saute it for a few more minutes.
6. Add the sliced vegetables and saute well.
7. Now add 1 cup of thin coconut milk *, salt and bring it to boil.
8. Lower the flame, cover and cook it till vegetables are soft for around 10 mins.
9. Now add 1/2 to 3/4 cup of thick coconut milk * and cook for another five more minutes.
10. Garnish with curry leaves fried in coconut oil.
11. You can serve this vegetable stew with chapatis, appams or rice.

*Thick and Thin Coconut milk

1. Take 1/2 coconut and grate it. Blend it in the mixer with water and a pinch of salt to a fine paste. Strain the first batch and this gives you thick coconut milk
2. When the same leftover coconut is again blended in the mixer with more water and strained, you get a batch of thin coconut milk.

This post is long due. Tried my hand at cupcakes for the first time on Anya's 3rd birthday last October.
Wanted to make simple fluffy chocolate cupcake and followed this recipe from Youtube. I tried a small batch a week in advance and once that came out well, multipled the same ingredients by 6 for a larger batch of 50 cup cakes.

Here is a the recipe for a small batch of 8 cup cakes. While making cakes, I somehow don't like the hassle of mixing one ingredient at a time or the order given in the recipe. I always tend to just add all ingredients in the bowl and then mix it well and the cakes have always turned out to be good.


This is how I made it and it turned out to be really nice and soft and the children loved it.

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celsius. Line 8 muffin cups with paper liners.
2. As the oven is heating up, Take 3 tbsp buttermilk, 1 large egg, 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract, 3 tbsp unsalted melted butter, and  1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour, 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/8 tsp baking soda,  1/8 tsp salt  and 1/3 cup sugar in a bowl. Combine everything well and whisk it.

2.  I added some choco chips to the batter before putting it into the muffin cups for added chocolate :)
3.  Spoon the batter into the muffin cups and cook it for around 20 mins. This depends on your oven so please keep checking until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove the muffin cups from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.



I prepared these a day in advance and kept it in air tight containers.
On the day of the birthday, I made chocolate ganache* and decorated the cupcakes with it. Sprinkled a generous topping of sprinkles and gems and the cake was perfect for a birthday party for toddlers :)

*Simple Chocolate Ganache Recipe
1. Heat 200 ml of Amul Cream in a pan. When it comes to a boil, add it to 1 cup of Chocolate chips and let it soak for a minute.
2. Now whisk the chocolate till they mix well 
3. You can add a bit of Vanilla essence if you feel like or a dollop of Amul butter. Keep it in the fridge and scoop it on the cake before serving.

We had a Thai themed Potluck to celebrate a good friends birthday and the only Thai starter I has ever eaten was this one. So decided to cook this for the potluck.
As usual this may not be the authentic recipe but is a mish-mash of the different recipes I found online with some bit of improvisations according to my tastes.

Method

1. Take 500 gms of chicken breasts. Wash it and clean it and cut it into long triangular pieces and keep aside
2. Make a marinade by grinding together (I used my mixer gridner) 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp coriander powder 1 tsp fish sauce, 1 tsp chilli sauce, 10 garlic flakes, 1 tsp brown sugar, 1 tsp soya sauce, 4 tsp coconut powder or coconut milk, 1 small marble sized tamarind piece, 2-3 tsp of peanut butter ( you can replace this with peanuts), 3 fresh red chillies thinly sliced, 3 leaves of lemon grass and 2-3 lemon leaves. You can replace lemon leaves with 2 tsp lemon juice. Adjust the salt and sugar according to your taste. Add some oil to this marinade. This marinade has a yummy peanut and lemon taste.
3. Marinte the chicken well and  leave this in the refrigerator overnight for the perfect satays.
4. Take 6 inch bamboo skewers and dip them in water for 30 mins. Take out the skewers and arrange the chicken 1 each on each skewer
5. Preheat the oven @ 220 degree Celsius. Grill the chicken and after 15 mins turn them on the skewer. You can brush some marinade on the chicken as you turn them over.
6. It takes about 40 mins to cook but then may depend on your oven. Keep an eye on the chicken to ensure it is not burnt. Remove from the oven when cooked and serve with peanut sauce.
7. You can also fry this on the tawa but it may not turn out as juicy as it is in the oven.

Peanut Sauce

1. Heat a pan and pour 1 tbsp of sesame seed oil in it. 
2. Add 5-6 flakes of finely chopped garlic to it.
3. When the garlic is slightly brown add 1 tbsp coarsely ground roasted peanut  to it. 
4. Add 3 tsp peanut butter, 100 ml of coconut milk, 1 tsp soya sauce, 1 tsp chilli paste and lime juice, mix well and cook it till it reaches a boil. Adjust for salt and sugar. 

Anya, my daughter loves chicken which is not very spicy. Had some chicken breasts in the refrigerator and decided to cook this not too spicy dish for her.

Very simple recipe and difficult to get this wrong.

Method

1. Clean and wash 250 gms of chicken breasts. Cut them into small 1 inch slices, season with salt and pepper and keep aside.
2. As the chicken is marinating, chop 2 small carrots into longish slices. Cut 2 onions into 4 pieces and separate the florets. You can also dice some spring onions. Cut 1 green capsicum into small cubes.
3. Take 1 tsp soya sauce, 1 tsp green chilli sauce, 1 tsp finely chopped ginger and garlic, 1 tbsp white flour(maida), 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1 tbsp corn starch, 1 egg white and water (as needed) to prepare a fine batter.
4. Add the chicken to this batter, coat it well and deep fry in a oil. As the chicken starts getting golden brown and cooked, strain and keep aside. 
5. Prepare a mixture of 1 tbsp sugar, 1 cup water, 2 tbsp white vinegar, 1 tbsp tomato ketchup, 2 tsp soya sauce, 1 tsp red chilli sauce and 1 tbsp corn starch, mix well and keep aside.
6. Now for the sauce, take a wok and add 1 tbsp oil to it.  Add 1 tsp each of finely chopped ginger, garlic and chilli. (You can add more of this according to taste)
7. Add the cut vegetables and saute this well for 5 mins. Add the sauce, mix well and bring to a good boil. Check if the vegetables are cooked till they are nice and crunch. When almost done add the chicken and cook till all the chicken and vegetables are well coated with the sauce. 
8. Garnish with spring onions greens and serve.

Note: The original recipe contains pineapple chunks added along with vegetables, but I did not use it.

Anything tastes good with a generous helping of grated coconut :)
Here is one really good side dish with authentic Konkani flavors - one of my favorites.

Method

1. Place 500 gms of cleaned prawns  in a bowl, add salt, pinch of turmeric powder, 1 tsp red chilli powder and 1 tsp ginger garlic paste and mix well. Let them marinate for 1 hour if possible.
2. Take a dry pan and heat it. When the pan is hot, add 2tsp coriander seeds, a pinch of fenugreek seeds and 4 to 5 dry red chillies and dry roast it till fragrant. Let it cool and then blend it in the mixer with 1 marble sized piece of tamarind and 2-3 tsp of grated coconut and some water to a coarse paste. Keep aside
3. In another non stick pan, heat 1 tbsp of oil (coconut oil will give it additional flavor). Add 1 tsp of mustard seeds and when they splutter add a handful of curry leaves. 
4. Add 2 finely chopped onions to the pan and saute them till translucent. 
5. Add 1tsp each of finely chopped ginger and garlic and saute it well.
6. Add the masala paste and saute well. Add the prawns and coat it well in the masala. Add some water if needed and Let it cook for 10-15 mins or till cooked.
7. Adjust the salt. 
8. Garnish with 2 tbsp grated coconut (the more the better ;)) and lots of finely chopped coriander leaves.

White or cream based gravies are not my forte and hence I generally avoid cooking them. However we happened to taste this dish at a restaurant and instantly liked it. Decided to muster up some courage and try this dish. While trying to find the recipe, came across this recipe from Tarla Dalal, so tried making 2 variations of the same base curry with Methi Malai Mutter and Methi Malai Chicken and both turned out awesome.
Here is how I made it

Method

1. Clean and marinate 500 gms of boneless chicken with salt and keep aside for an hour.
2. Make a paste of 1 small onion, 4 green chillies , 1 inch piece of ginger, 3 garlic cloves, 1 tbsp cashewnuts, 2 tsp poppy seeds (khus-khus) in a grinder. User water to get a fine paste. Keep aside.
3. Blanch 2 medium tomatoes, peel out the skin and grind it to a puree and keep aside.
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4. Take a pan and add 1 tbsp ghee and saute the chicken till it is almost cooked on a medium flame. Cook till almost 80% done and keep aside to rest.
5. Wash about a cup of methi (fenugreek leaves). Squeeze out the water and chop them finely and sprinkle some salt and keep aside.
6. Heat 1 tbsp of butter in another pan and add 1 tsp cumin seeds and 1/2 tsp shahi jeera seeds.
7. When the seeds crackle, add the methi (squeeze out any excess water) and sauté on a medium flame for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the fenugreek leaves and keep aside.
8. Add 1 tbsp butter in the same kadhai, add 2 grated small onions and saute till translucent.
9. Add the cashew nut paste and saute for 2 mins. Add the tomato puree and saute for 2 mins.
10. At this point check the consistency of the gravy. You can cool the gravy and blend it in a mixer if you want a finer gravy.
11. Add 2 tsp of garam masala powder, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 1 to 2 minutes.
12. Add the fenugreek, cooked chicken or 1 cup of green peas, 1/2 cup milk, a pinch of sugar and salt.
13. Add 2 tbsp of fresh cream and cook on a medium flame for 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
14. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rotis.