Elephant foot yam? Now what is that? My kids were stumped. What a weird name! But if you see this yam, which is like a super large yam or potato, it does indeed resemble an elephant’s foot! In Indian cuisine this yam is used in almost every region although it is called by different names […]
Kerala
Valentine’s Day Special: Beet Idlis
The family has a new name for me – ‘sneaky mom’ 🙂 Can’t blame them …I have been really on a roll lately adding spinach and carrot to idlis, then adding beets to the vegan chocolate cake I baked last weekend. So anyways I am happy with the title and the family is not really complaining. […]
Calamari – 2 ways! : Spicy Sauteed and Chick Pea batter fried
Until a few years ago I thought that calamari was ‘fried squid’ – i.e I thought the name of the dish where squid was fried was calamari! So I am sure that some of you might still be under that confusion. So let’s clear your doubts. Calamari, is just the Italian name for squid. And the dish that most […]
Crispy Lentil Fritters (Parippu vada)
Parippu Vada is something you will find in all tea stalls in Kerala along with the ubiquitous Pazham Pori or plantain fritters. I had posted the recipe for pazham pori before in a post where I shared some lovely pictures of Kerala. To me nothing says Kerala more than plates of pazaham pori and parippu […]
Shrimp sautéed with coconut (Prawns and coconut stir fry)
Prawns or shrimp are one of the most common and popular seafood item in my kitchen. You will agree with this I am sure since I have probably posted about a dozen shrimp recipes too here on my blog already. Shrimp is so easy to work with and so versatile. You cannot go wrong with […]
Ginger and Tamarind Chutney (Inji Pulli)
A Kerala sadya (feast) is not complete without the ‘Inji Pulli’ (also called Pulli Inji) which is a sweet,sour and hot chutney made using fresh grated ginger,tamarind,j aggery and chillies. Just the mention of the ingredients makes your mouth water, right? Yum. This chutney actually is very beneficial to the digestive process and enables you […]
Onam Sadya Special: Lentil coconut milk curry (Kerala Parippu curry)
It’s Onam again! And I should say Onam week since Onam is perhaps the only Indian festival that lasts for 10 days! Of course only folks in Kerala still get a chance to celebrate it for 10 days. Less privileged ones like us have to wait for the weekend. But celebrate we will. And how? By cooking an […]
Green Papaya with coconut (Papaya thoran)
Green Papayas are a common vegetable in Kerala and consequently ‘Papaya thoran’ is one of many vegetable dishes in the typical Keralan household. The Papaya fruit is a highly nutritious fruit and an excellent source of vitamin C, folate, vitamin A, magnesium, copper, pantothenic acid and fiber. It also has B vitamins, alpha and beta carotene, lutein and zeaxanthan, […]
Adzuki Beans and Pumpkin coconut curry (Matanga Erisheri)
I did a guest post for Elaine from foodbod this week. And of course since this was for Elaine it had to be vegetarian, gluten free and healthy! So I thought of making this red chori (adzuki beans) and pumpkin curry. Check out my recipe by visiting Elaine’s blog where you will find hundreds of other […]
Kale with coconut (Cheera thoran)
While growing up I did not mind helping my amma in the kitchen when she was cooking although I did not like to do any other household chores per se (especially washing dishes or clothes! ). One thing that I also did not like doing was to clean the greens and chop them for making […]
Okra in coconut milk || Bhindi coconut curry || Kerala Style Bhindi curry
A very happy new year to all of you folks!. Finally I am done with all the sweets and the desserts! How about we go back to some simple, comfort foods for the next whole month? Sounds great doesn’t it? And this bhindi coconut curry with some plain rice is just what I need.! 🙂 […]
Winter melon / Ash gourd yoghurt curry (Kumbalanga Pachadi)
OK this is going to be purely a recipe post. I have no interesting stories to tell. Really I got nothing. I think its all the Diwali sweets going to my head. (And pretty soon they will show up in other parts of my body too! uugh!) Well strict gym routine for the next 4 weeks. […]