Idiyappam

Idiyappam
To make this you need to have a idiyappam maker or presser.

Ingredients:
*Rice flour - 2 cups, dry roast for 7-8 mts on low flame or use idiyappam flour.
*Water - 2 cups 
*Salt to taste
*Ghee - 1/2 tsp (or coconut oil)
*Grated coconut - 1/2 cup (approx)

Method:
1. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. (lukewarm water)
2. Slowly pour the hot water little by little into the rice flour and mix with a spoon. It will be difficult to mix but try to bring it all together. Leave aside for some minutes.(leaving for a long time will make the dough hard)
3. While the dough is resting, grease the idiyappam maker and the idli plates.Sprinkle little grated coconut into each depression of the idli plate and keep aside.(try to do it quicker)
4. The dough will be easier to handle once the heat reduces. Knead the
mixture into a smooth yet firm dough,adding 2-3 tbsps of hot water while kneading.
5. Make a cylindrical shape of the dough and place into the idiyappam maker, close the lid and hand press the dough into swirls onto the idli plates.
6. Steam for 12-15 mts and allow to cool a bit. Serve warm with either
sweetened coconut milk, Vegetable Stew,Chicken or Egg curry.

Palappam

Palappam
Cuisine:Kerala
Palappam is the traditional breakfast
of Kerala . It is one of the important dishes during the functions of traditional Suriyani Christians. It is
made of ‘Pachari’ white rice. It is also known as vellayappam. It is usually served along with Coconut
flavored stew or Kadala Curry (black chickpeas) or Egg Curry.

Ingredients
Raw rice - 1 1/2 cups (pachari)soak in water for 4-5
hours
Grated coconut - 3/4 cup
Cooked rice - 2 tbsps (optional)
Salt - 1 tsp
Sugar - 2 tsps
Baking soda - 1/4 tsp
Method
1. Drain the rice and grind it along with grated coconut and cooked rice in a mixer grinder. Add water little by little while grinding. You can add upto 3/4 cup of water. The ground batter need not be too smooth. When you run the batter between your fingers, it can feel a little coarse but not too coarse. Even if the batter is super smooth, its fine.
2. In a stainless steel vessel, add 1/4 cup of the ground batter and 3/4 cup of water. Place it over very low flame and go on stirring constantly. It will begin to thicken, continue stirring vigourosly till it appears like a transparent thick mixture. Turn off heat and bring to room temperature.
3. Add the cooled cooked batter to the remaining ground appam batter and mix well such that there are no lumps.Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup water, if necessary. This batter should not be too runny like rava dosa batter not thick like a masala dosa batter. It should be a slightly thick pouring consistency.
4. Place lid and ferment this batter overnight. It will almost double in size on fermentation.
5. At the time of preparation, add salt, sugar and baking soda. Mix well but do not over beat the batter.
6. Heat the non-stick appam pan on
medium flame for 2 mts. There is no
need to add oil while preparing
appams. Add 2 to 3 drops and use a
tissue to grease the pan all over.
Lower flame, pour a ladle full of batter or a little more than 1/4 cup of batter in the center of the pan.
7. Lift the pan (off the flame of the stove) and twirl the batter in a clock wise direction so that the batter spreads out in a circular shape. Do not twirl more than twice. There will be more batter in the center than the sides, which is fine. Place back the pan on stove, cover with lid and cook on low flame. Check after two mts and if it is done, remove from pan, otherwise continue to cook with lid for a little while longer. It should cook within 2 1/2 mts to 3 mts.
8. The edges will be crisp and will slowly leave the sides of the pan. Use a flat spatula to lift the appam off the pan and place on serving plate. You can cook for a while longer for browner edges.
9. Prepare appams with the rest of the batter. There is no need to add oil for preparing appams in a non stick pan.
10. Serve warm appams with vegetable or chicken stew, egg roast or sweetened coconut milk.

*Left over fermented batter can be
refrigerated upto 2 days and not
beyond that as it has coconut.
*If using toddy, add 1 cup toddy
instead of water.
*There is no need to flip the appam to cook the other side.
*Left over batter that has been
refrigerated and used on the second
day can be sligthly diluted with very
little water.

PUTTU

Puttu is a traditional and most popular breakfast dish of Kerala prepared with rice flour and coconut.
Puttu is usually served with kadala curry or it is served with pazham(small yellow banana)and sugar.Puttu, Cherupayaru curry, pappadam is another great combination.

Ingredients:
*Rice Flour – 2 cups
*Grated Coconut – 1 cup
*Ghee - 1/2 tbsp, melted(optinal)
*Water – as required (approx 2/3 cup)
*Salt – to taste.

Method
1. In a large bowl, place the puttu
powder. Add salt to taste to 2/3 cup of water and slowly add about 2 tbsps at a time to the puttu powder and mix it.Do not add all the water at once. It should be a bread crumb consistency and not form a dough. Add melted ghee and mix. Normally 1/2 cup to 2/3 rd cup of water is sufficient to wet 2 cups of puttu powder.
2. The right consistency of puttu powder is achieved when you take the prepared flour in your fist and close it to form shape. Leave aside this prepared rice mixture for an hour or two at room temperature. When the mixture sits, water is absorbed. After sitting time of 1 or 2 hours, if you find that the mixture is slightly dry, add a little more water and mix.
3. Add 2 cups water to the bottom vessel of the puttu maker and allow to simmer till hot. Wet the puttu mould and lightly grease it. Place the round perforated disc with holes inside the puttu mould such that it fits well at the bottom of the mould. Place 2 tbsps of grated coconut at the bottom of the puttu mould. Carefully and slowly pour about 6 tbsps of the puttu powder from a height followed by another layer of 2 tbsps of grated coconut. Again layer 6 tbsps of puttu powder and finish off with 2 tbps of grated coconut on the top. Place the lid over the puttu mould and place the mould over the water vessel.
4. Steam on high medium flame for 5-6 mts and 4 mts on low flame. Turn off heat and wait for 2 to 3 mts before removing the puttu from the mould with the help of a wooden ladle or skewer. Hold the puttu mould parallel to the serving plate and with the help of a long ladle gently push the bottom disc such that the puttu slides onto the plate. Serve warm.

Chana Masala

Ingredients:

*1 cup Chick peas.

*2-3 tbsp Butter.

*1 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste.

*2 Onions finely chopped.

*2 Tomatoes finely chopped.

*1 tsp Garam masala.

*1/2 Turmeric powder.

*2 tsp Coriander-Cumin powder.

*1 tsp Chilly powder.

*Coriander leaves for garnishing.

*Salt to taste.

Preparation:

*Soak chick peas overnight or for 8-10 hours.

*Take some butter in a cooker,add the chopped onions,ginger-garlic paste and saute till onions turn transparent.

*Add the chopped tomatoes, saute it for sometime.

*Add the turmeric powder,coriander-cumin powder,salt,garam masala,chilly powder and mix well.

*Pressure cook till the chick peas is cooked.

*Garnish it with chopped coriander leaves.

*Serve hot with chappathi/puri.

Rumali Roti

Ingredients:

*1 1/2 cup Whole Wheat Flour.

*50 gms Maida.

*1/2 tsp Baking powder.

*2 tbsp Oil.

*1/2 cup Milk.

*Water to knead.

Preparation:

*Mix wheat flour,maida,salt and baking powder and seive them together.

*Pour oil in the flour and add water bit by bit and make a smooth and elastic dough and set aside covered.

*Now make small balls of the dough and roll like a thin chappathi.

*Heat a tawa and place the roti carefully over it and cook till done,fold it like a handkerchief.

*Serve Rumali roti with Indian curry.

Eggless Naan

Ingredients:

*4 cups Plain flour(Maida).

*1/2 tsp Baking powder.

*1/2 cup Carrots & Mint leaves.

*1 tsp Salt.

*1/2 cup Mlik.

*1 tbsp Sugar.

*4 tbsp Oil.

Preparation:

*Sift the flour,salt and baking powder into a bowl and make a well in the middle.

*Mix the sugar,milk,2 tbsp of oil in a bowl.

*Pour this into the center of the flour and knead.

*Adding water if necessary to form soft dough.

*Then cover the dough and leave for 2-3 hours.

*Divide the dough into balls and leave for some minutes.

*Shape them into oval and cook it in a pan till golden brown.

Ghee Rice

Ingredients:

*2 cups Basmati rice.

*1/4 cup Ghee.

*Coconut milk from half coconut.

*2 cups Onion thinly sliced.

*1 small Cinnamon stick.

*1/4 tsp Cloves.

*2 Bay leaves.

*5-6 Cardamom crushed.

*1/4 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste.

*10 Roasted Cashew nuts and Raisins.

*Salt to taste.

Preparation:

*Wash the rice thoroughly and drain the water.

*Keep a thick bottomed pan on stove and add ghee,onions,cinnamon,bay leaves,cloves,ginger-garlic paste and cardamom and fry for 2-3 minutes.

*After that add the rice which is kept aside and saute for 2-3 mins.

*Once done remove imgredients to a pressure cooker and add coconut milk,water and salt and presuure cook till the rice is done.

*Mix rosted nuts and raisins and leave aside for some minutes.

*Serve warm.