Nenthra Pazham Pulissery

                Ethapazham Pulissery/ Banana Yogurt Gravy

Yahoo!!! The spring has sprung … no more mittens, scarves and jackets.  The winter is over. Hope not to see you next year. The last snow shower of the season was two weeks back and I clicked some pics…

Chicken Fry

                                                     Simple Chicken Fry
                                                     

                                                             

 Non –veg recipes the simplest ones compared to vegetarian ones as you can avoid cutting. Easy chicken fry is very – very easy 😉. You can finish cooking in minutes. You can serve this fry as an appetizer also. It’s an awesome combination with rice along with Mooru Curry (yogurt gravy) 😋😋!!!. My little just enjoys that combination. You can marinate the chicken and store it in the freezer for days together. You can take the needed amount, thaw it and fry it as and when required. Okay then let’s get started…..

Garlic Lemon Fish / Baked Fish

                      Garlic Lemon Fish / Baked Fish
                                                             
                                                               

As mentioned in my previous blog here is the recipe for Garlic Lemon Fish🐟🐟. As a seafood lover I just love this recipe. Not only that it is too easy to make. If you have fish fillets try this recipe you will love it😍. This is one simple recipe that is way tooooo delicious 😋😋. You can use any kind of fish fillet though the white ones are the best like tilapia, catfish, cod fish etc…You add garlic for an extra flvor.You can either sauté the garlic along with the butter and cilantro or you can add as such as I did, both ways taste good👌. Lemon gives a tangy taste to the fillets which can’t be missed 😊. You can bake or grill this till the fish flakes can be easily pulled apart with a fork. It is indeed a light but healthy meal 💪. Other than cilantro you can add more herbs if you want, the herbs compliment the flavor of the fish .When paired with mashed potatoes it becomes a complete meal 😃. Do give it a try. Okay then let’s get started.

Mashed Potato

                                                       Mashed Potato
                                                           

Here is the recipe for an easy, fluffy, creamy and buttery mashed potato 😋😋. I am not that fond of this recipe.  I like our traditional potato stew, fry and chips. This is my hubby’s favorite recipe, he often suggests this recipe on weekends but as I don’t like I would suggest something else.  Only a very few ingredients are needed to make this super soft potatoes. Mashed potatoes are so velvety and soft that it melts in your mouth. Initially while making this recipe I had a doubt what kind of potatoes are to be choseen for this, after doing a bit of online research I came to a conclusion that Russet potatoes are the best  👌👌. You can also use gold and white potatoes.  The recipe is too simple - boil, peel, mash and add other ingredients, you have a warm creamy bowl of mashed potatoes ready!!! It is slightly different from our Indian style of cooking as we use coconut milk for most of our recipes but here we add milk. Give it a try, who doesn’t like a change 😉. The best combos are baked fish, grilled or baked chicken, stir fried veggies 😊😊. Okay then let’s get started……

Vegetable Fried Rice

                                                        Vegetable Fried Rice

                                                                    

Its been a while we had some rice varities to the list 😉  I made vegetable biriyani a couple of times but I forget to click pictures always 😞. Couple of weeks back I made vegetable fried rice and without fail I clicked pictures also. So here it is.... I like all fried rice varieties ... egg, chicken, pineapple. After coming  to the US hubby took me to a dinner date to a Thai Restaurant ,that was the first time I tried pineapple fried rice. I loved it 😍. Haven’t tried pineapple fried rice yet, will try and post soon. Vegetable fried rice is a very simple and easy recipe to try. You just have to assemble all ingredients and have to add one by one. Give it a try and share your feedback 👍. Okay then let’s get started.

Cheese Cake

                                                             No Bake Cheese Cake
                                                               

A cake without baking… omg!!!!!!! . What else you need to surprise your dear ones. Yes it is a perfect treat for your loved ones on Valentine's day💓💓 . Valentine's day is celebrated all over the world as feast of Saint Valentine. Most commonly observed Valentine’s Day tradition and custom is expressing ones love with  exchange of cards, flowers and gifts. It is the celebration of love. People take opportunity on this day to wish “Happy Valentine’s Day “to anyone they love 😍...be it Father, Mother, Brother, sister, Grandparents or Friends. Yes as I said you too can surprise your loved ones with this simple, yummy no bake cheese cake. This cake is too easy to make but the tough part is you have to refrigerate it for 4-6 hrs or overnight. Cheese cake consists of two or more layers. The bottom part is a crust made with crushed cookies/ graham crackers. The thickest layer consists of cream cheese (soft, mild tasting cheese made with milk and cream), sugar, cream and eggs. As a topping you can add fresh or canned fruits, fruit puree, chocolate or any other topping as you like. The first cheese cake I had was strawberry cheese cake from cheesecake factory restaurant😋😋😋😋 … I loved it (Though I am posting a different cheese cake).  For this cheese cake a spring form pan is a must if you want it to look like a cake or else you can use any dessert cups. Make sure you put rest of the cake back in the refrigerator as soon as you eat it or else it just melts and becomes a pudding.  Okay then let’s get started….

Netholi Peera

                                                         Anchovies with coconut

                                                                  

Anchovies in spicy coconut sauce…oh it's yum....😋. It takes back me to my childhood days where we used to enjoy these kinds of delicacies. Netholi / anchovy is a very small fish even its tiny bones are also edible.  They are cooked in spicy coconut sauce along with gambooge /kudam puli. The flavor is so inviting that we end up having a heavy meal 😃. Usually we make this recipe with fresh Netholi /Anchovy, but here it is too hard 😕 to get those fresh ones so I have tried this with dried ones. You can serve this with rice, dosa or even bread 😉.Give it a try . Okay then let’s get started……

Pineapple Jam

                                Pineapple Jam
                                                   

Who doesn’t like jam 😉😉😉 …. Bread and Jam will be loved by all mommies including me and if it is homemade jam without any preservatives means it will be double okay. I thought preparing jams are a tedious process but it is not so … it is too simple. I prepared strawberry jam 🍓 when we went strawberry picking 🍓🍓 last year. I have followed the same procedure here to make pineapple jam. Some of us will be remembering our “HAPPY “jam brand. I loved their 🍍 pineapple jam 😋 . Those bottles were too cute to look at and it was too delicious. My sisters hated pineapple jam and as always majority wins I had to settle down with mixed fruit jam. As a sweet craver I loved all sweet goodies so that was not a problem 👍. Pineapple jam is my all time favorite 😍.  As I said jams can be made easily at home.  Unlike commercially available jams you don’t have to add preservatives. It stays well for 3-4 weeks if it is properly refrigerated. Try this super easy and super tasty 🍍🍍 jam. If kids hate to eat fruits this is the easiest way to make them eat 😊 . Okay then let’s get started.

Carrot Halwa

                      Carrot Pudding / Gajar Ka Halwa
                                             

                                                       

             

From my childhood I was always eager to eat this dessert . Don’t know why … may be due that old advertisement on Hawkins contura pressure cooker  where the lady makes carrot halwa, hope you guys remember. I always tell my mom to make this but she never did 😞.  As a part of my post graduation internship I had to stay in a hostel at Mysore, there as an evening treat I got to taste this delicious halwa for the first time. Omg!!!! After a long wait I got to eat this super tasting halwa 😃. After coming to US I often make this as carrots are too cheap here ;-) I got a chance to treat my mom too with this. She enjoyed this very much 😍.  It is too easy to make. With a very few ingredients a delicious sweet is ready. It is bit time consuming but if you make this pressure cooker that part also becomes easy. We had a baby shower this Saturday and I made this halwa as a treat for her. I had a very nice time with my friends.  Its winter here , we hardly meet our friends as it is very difficult to step out .We had so much fun playing games and eating many special goodies. Thanks to all of you 😊. Coming back to carrot halwa it is very easy and quick to make. The carrots are cooked along with milk, sugar and ghee. You can also nuts and dry fruits to make it more rich and tasty.  You can also add condensed milk and khoya (less moisture dairy product similar to ricotta cheese).It is mainly prepared during festive season like diwali (festival of lights), Raksha Badhan (love between brothers and sisters). If you want to impress somebody carrot halwa will be your right choice 😉.  Okay then lets get started.

Pav Bhaji

Pav Bhaji
                                                                           

                                                                                             

Pav Bhaji is a popular North Indian fast food. It is one of the most popular Mumbai street foods. It is served in almost all restaurants around the globe.  It is a delicious whole some meal. The rich and tasty vegetable curry (bhaji) is served with butter toasted bread (pav). You can use any vegetable of your choice to make the bhaji like potatoes, peas, cauliflower, bell peppers, radish, eggplant, carrot and green beans.  These vegetables are cooked and mashed and cooked along with ginger, garlic, oinion , tomatoes and spices. Usually we add pav baji masala but I din’t add pav bhaji masala instead I used household spice powders.  It a easy way to make your kids eat veggies as the taste of butter dominates both the pav and baaji 😉. It can be served as a snack or as a meal. It is also a great party snack.  You can make the bhaji in advance. There are many variations in pav baji like fried pav baji with pav tossed in bhaji, cheese bhaji , with cheese on top of the  bhaji the list goes on … here I have made the usual pav bhaji.  Try out this easy and quick recipe and surprise your friends and family 😍😍. Okay then let’s get started.