Palappam
Ingredients
Raw Rice – 1 cup
Granted coconut – 1 cup
Water – 50 ml
Fresh toddy – quarter cup
Cumin – quarter cup
Black gram dal – 2 tbsp
Sugar – 1 and a half tsp
Salt – to taste
Cooked rice – 3 tbsp
Method
Make thick coconut milk using half cup coconut. Soak raw rice and black gram dhal for six hours. Grind soaked raw rice, black gram dal, cooked rice and half cup coconut milk. Grind till you get a smooth paste. Pour this batter into a shallow bowl, add toddy, salt and sugar and stir well.Let it ferment (5-6 hrs), then add thick coconut milk to get a pouring consistency and mix well.
Heat a non- stick appachatty, pour one shallow spoonful of batter and swirl the pan. Cover the pan with the lid and cook on a low heat till done. Serve with fish, chicken or vegetable stew.
Chicken in creamy cashew and coconut sauce
Ingredients
Boneless chicken – 500 gm
(cut into cubes)
Thick yogurt – 1 and a half
tbsp
Ground nutmeg – half tsp
Ground cinnamon –
quarter tsp
Ground pepper – half tsp
Salt – to taste
Water – 1 and a half cups
Cardamom – 4
Cloves – 5, chopped
big onion – 2 nos
Bay leaves – 2
Sunflower oil – 3 tbsp
Ginger garlic paste –
2 and a tsp
Chillie powder –
1 tsp
Turmeric powder –
quarter tsp
Cashew nut – half cup
(soaked in boiling water)
Thick coconut milk – 1 cup
Nuts onion rings and
spring onion – for garnish
Method
Wash and clean chicken, make a marinade with yogurt, nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper and salt.
Marinate the chicken pieces for 1 hour. Make a smooth paste of soaked cashew nuts. Take a shallow pan pour water, add bay leaves, cardamom, cloves and bring them to boil. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and sauté marinated chicken pieces till they become dry. Add chicken pieces into the boiling water and cook till done.
Heat the remaining oil in a pan, sauté chopped onion and ginger garlic paste, till it browns. Add chilli, turmeric powder and stir well for 2-3 minutes.
Add the thick cashew paste to the above mixture, mix well.
Add boiled chicken pieces with stock, stir continuously. Simmer for another 2-3 minutes. Finally, add thick coconut milk and stir well, add salt if necessary. Remove from fire and garnish with nuts, onion rings and spring onion and serve hot.
Strawberry – Cream Gateau
Ingredients
Fresh bread slices – 4 (remove brown sides)
Strawberry – 10-12
Sugar – half cup
Condensed milk – 400 gm
Fresh cream – 1 cup
Lime juice – 3 tbsp
Cashew nuts chopped – three fourth cup
Lemon rind – 1 tsp
Method
Clean and cut strawberries into halves. Heat pan, pour water, add sugar and bring to boil. Then add strawberries and stew it for three minutes. Line a pudding dish with stewed strawberries, top it with bread slices.
Beat the condensed milk, add cream slowly and beat well. Add lime juice drop by drop keep beating till it become thick. Add chopped nuts and lemon rind to it and mix well. Top the soaked bread pieces with condensed milk-nut mix. Decorate with fresh cherries.
