Zucchini Baji

Ingredients:
Zucchini – 1 small, sliced thin
Besan Flour/Chick Flour
Chili powder – 1tsp
Asafetida – ¼ tsp
Salt – as required
Oil for frying

Preparation:
Slice zucchini into thin round shapes and keep aside.

Take a bowl and mix the above said ingredients by adding little water. The batter should not be very liquid. Heat oil in vessel, dip the cut zucchini into the batter and coat well on both the sides and fry until golden brown. When done drain them on paper towels.

Serve hot with Mint/coconut chutney or chili sauce

Chocolate Banana Smoothie

Ingredients
Banana -1 large
Milk – 1 cup
Sugar – 2 tbs
Coco powder - 1tsp
Vanilla essence – few drops
Ice cubes – as required

Preparation:
In a blender mix all the above ingredients and blend until it becomes smooth. Pour it into a glass, add ice cubes and serve immediately

Watermelon Morukari

Ingredients:
Watermelon – ¼ piece small of watermelon
Yogurt (Curd) – ¾ cup
Garlic – 4 or 5 flakes
Ginger – small piece
Green chili - 2
Red chill - 3
Curry leaves - few
Mustard – 1tsp
Asafetida – ¼ tsp
Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
Salt to taste
Oil for seasoning


Preparation:
Scrape the bottom part of the water melon and keep aside. Grind ¾ of the scraped watermelon and green chili. Chop the remaining into small pieces. Beat yogurt in a blender adding little water. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds & asafetida, when mustard seed splutters add red chili & curry leaves and sauté for few seconds. Then add ginger & garlic and sauté until raw smell goes away.

Add the ground watermelon into it and allow it to boil, when it starts boiling nicely & starts becoming thick add the chopped watermelon pieces, mix well, allow it to boil for few minutes. Finally add yogurt mix well and remove from fire.

Note: This recipe has a taste of sweet & sour. Those who like the taste of sweet & sour, will surely enjoy this.

Pazham pori

Pazham pori is a very popular snack in kerala. You can find this in almost every Restaurant, Tea shops and all Railway stations in Kerala. Its very simple recipe & easy to make.

Ingredients:
Riped Plantain (Ethapazham) – 3
All purpose flour – 3/4th cup

Rice flour -1 tbs
Sugar - 1/3 cup ( I like it little sweet so I add more sugar)
Oil for frying
Baking powder - ½ tsp
Safforn or Yellow colour – This is optional

Preparation:
Peel and cut the plantain into 3 equal portions and again slice it lengthwise into 3 or 4. Make sure it is of equal thickness.

Prepare a dough with all purpose flour, wheat flour, rice flour, sugar, baking powder. The consistency should not be very thick.

Dip the sliced plantain in the batter and coat it well on both the sides.

Deep fry till golden brown. Drain excess oil by putting it in a paper towel.

Server hot with tea as evening snack.

Rice Pathiri with Lamb gravy

Ingredients:
Rice flour - 2 cup
Water - 2 cup
Jeera – 2tsp
Oil for frying
Salt to tase

Preparation:
Boil water adding salt, when its starts boiling well, add the rice flour into it. Keep stirring to make a smooth and soft dough. Remove from fire, close with a lid & keep aside for few minutes. Allow it cool. Then add jeera to it & knead the mixture well, do not add water.

Make it into small balls. Then take each balls and roll it into very thin, round shapes on banana leaf. (Usually banana leaf is used for this. But I used Plastic wrap as I dint have banana leaf) Heat oil in a pan and fry it.

Serve with mutton or chicken gravy

Potato Poori masala

Potato poori masala is a simple recipe which is prepared in every house either for breakfast or dinner.

Fresh Potatoes from my garden

Ingredients:
Potato - medium size 5 or 6
Onion – 2 medium size
Tomato – 1 small
Green chili – 3 No’s
Curry leaves - few
Red chili powder – ½ tsp
Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Mustard seeds – few
Salt to taste & oil for sautéing

Preparation:
Boil potatoes, peel off the skin, and dice into small pieces and keep aside. Heat oil in a pan add mustard seeds, when it splutters add onion and sauté for sometime,when it starts changing color add tomatoes & green chilli sauté for 2 to 3 mins. Then add the potatoes mix well,add water as needed to adjust the dish to the consistency you like let it boil for 10 minutes. When done serve with hot poori.

Nesi Lemak ( Malaysian food)

Nesi Lemak is a Malaysian food. It is rice prepared
in coconut milk, and served with boiled egg, peanuts,
Netholi fry ( Anchovy),Gravy & Cucumber.

Source: My husband
Ingredients:
Rice - 2 cups
Coconut milk - 3 cups
Water - 1cup
Salt-1 tsp

Preparation:
Wash rice, drain and keep aside. Take heavy bottom vessel, pour coconut milk and water into it, mix it with salt, then add the drained rice, cover with lid, simmer it and allow it to cook.

Meanwhile clean the fish, add some turmeric powder,chili powder, salt & mix well and fry nicely. Boil the egg, cut it into halves, Cut cucumber into slices.

When rice is cooked, serve with the above said items. Usually it is served in leaf.