A rich Sheer Khurma for Eid- Al-Adha!

For a foodie like me Eid is about indulging in Biryani and wishing all my friends from all over the world. Sheer Khurma is a special dessert made on the occasion of Eid, a popular dessert originated from Persia. This is Vermicelli pudding but what makes it different from the regular Semiya Payasam/Vermicelli Pudding is that the rich ingredients used for the dessert, most importantly the thin nylon Vermicelli and lots and lots of nuts and dry fruits. Sheer Khurma means dates (Khurma) cooked in milk (Sheer). Whenever I attend any Lucknowi food festival at restaurants, the first thing I look for will be Sheer Khurma. Here is the recipe for a delicious Sheer Khurma/Khorma.

Sheer Khurma Recipe

Ingredients

Nylon Vermicelli                      - 1 cup (break it into equal pieces)

Milk                                          - 1 litre (use milk with high fat content)

Cardamom powder                   - 1/2 tsp

Condensed milk                        - 200 gm (I used small tin Amul Mithai Mate)

Sugar                                         - 4 tsps (Add according to your taste)

Ghee                                          - 2.5 - 3 tbsp

Dry fruits (chopped dates, 

cashew nuts, raisins)                 - 1 handful each/ or according your preference

Pistachios (chopped)                - for garnishing

Rose water                               - 1/4 tsp

Preparation

1. In a heavy bottomed vessel, heat the milk. Stir occasionally.
2. Once the milk starts boiling, add condensed milk, sugar and combine well.
3. In another pan, heat clarified butter/ghee and fry the nuts and dry fruits.
4. In the same pan, add nylon vermicelli and fry till golden brown in color. Do not over fry it.
5. To the boiling milk, add cardamon powder and fried nuts and dry fruits (Preserve some dry fruits for garnishing). Stir well for 2 mins.
6. Add the fried Vermicelli. Stir and cook for 5 mins.
7. Once the Vermicelli is cooked well, add rose water and turn of the flame and close it with a lid. Leave it aside for 10 mins.
8. You can serve the Sheer Khurma hot or chilled. Before serving garnish the dessert bowl with dry fruits, nuts, pistachios and saffron strands (optional).

Note: You can increase the amount of sugar according to your preference. As I used a tin of condensed milk, 4 tsps of sugar was good enough for the quantity I made.

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Konju Pappas/ Prawns cooked in Coconut milk!

Hello all,

Today I made something simple and delicious dish using Prawns. It's Konju Pappas (Prawns cooked in Coconut milk). The recipe video will be on my IGTV soon. In most of the Kerala style fish recipes, we add a bit of Fenugreek/Methi/Uluva which enhances the curry taste. In this recipe, you can add sliced tomatoes before adding coconut milk. I used Kudam puli instead of tomato for the sour factor. The Kudampuli taste in fish curry is so amazing. This same Pappas recipe can be used for making Pomfret, Pearl spot, or Seer fish. This curry will go well with rice, chapati, appam, or idiyappam.

Ingredients

Prawns                              - 250 gms

Onion                                - 1 (halved and thinly sliced)

Green Chilli                      - 3-4 nos

Garlic                                - 8 pods

Ginger                               - 1" inch, thinly sliced

Turmeric powder              - 1/2 tsp

Kashmiri Chilli powder    - 2 tbsp

Chilli powder                   - 1 tsp

Fenugreek powder           - 1/4 tsp

Coriander powder            - 1 tbsp

Pepper powder                 - 3/4 tsp

Mustard seeds                  - 3/4 tsp

Curry leaves                     - 3 strands

Kudam puli/ Malabar Tamarind- 2 nos (soak it in water for 15 mins)

Coconut milk                   - 1 cup/200 ml (thick)

Coconut oil

Salt

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. Let it splutter.
2. Add curry leaves and sliced onions and saute for 1-2 mins on a low-med flame. Add 1/2 tsp of salt.
3. Add green chillies, ginger, and garlic and saute till onions become soft.
4. Add Turmeric powder and stir well.
5. In a small bowl combine coriander powder, fenugreek powder, pepper powder, and red chilli powder with 1-2 spoons of water. Make a paste form. Add this paste to the pan and stir well.
6. Add Kashmiri Chilli powder and combine everything together. Stir for few seconds and add Kudampuli pieces.
7. Add 3/4 -1 cup water and bring it to a boil.
8. Once the gravy starts boiling, adjust salt, and add prawns. Cover and cook for 3-4 mins.
9. Remove the lid and cook for a minute and add thick coconut milk.
10. Once bubbles start forming, add some curry leaves and switch of the flame.

Enjoy this Konju Pappas with Rice/Chapathi/Appam/Idiyappam :)

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Firecracker Chicken with Veg Fried Rice!

Who doesn't like a quick and easy meal? So here is my favorite comfort meal which can be prepared in less than half an hour and you can enjoy this meal while binge-watching your favorite Netflix show. Its Veg fried rice with Firecracker Chicken. You will get addicted to this sweet and spicy firecracker chicken. Usually, it's made with Buffalo sauce (hot sauce) and I didn't have it this time, so replaced it with Red Chilli Sauce and this was another hit dish.

Firecracker Chicken Recipe

Ingredients

Boneless Chicken - 2 breast pieces, cut it to 1-inch cubes

Cornflour - 2 tbsp

Egg - 1

Pepper powder - 3/4 tsp

Buffalo Sauce (Hot sauce)/Red Chilli Sauce - 150 ml

Brown Sugar - 2.5 tbsp

Apple Cider Vinegar - 1 tbsp

Red Chilli flakes - 1 tsp

Spring onion - 1 handful (chopped, for garnishing)

Salt

Oil 

Preparation

1. In a bowl add chicken pieces, salt, and pepper powder. Crack in one egg, add cornflour, and mix everything well. Keep it aside for 15 mins.
2. In a small bowl, add the hot sauce, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and red chilli flakes and whisk it well.
3. Heat oil in a pan and once the oil is hot add chicken pieces one by one. Once the lower part turns brown in color, turn the chicken pieces. Fry till golden brown on both sides. 
4. If you are frying in two batches, after frying the second batch, take out the chicken pieces combine it with the first batch fried chicken and put it in hot oil again for a few seconds. This way the chicken pieces will remain crunchy.
5. Heat a wok/pan, add the prepared sauce, and toss the chicken pieces in it.  Make sure all the pieces are coated well with the sauce. Garnish with Spring onion and serve it hot with fried rice or Hakka noodles.

Veg Fried Rice

Ingredients

Cooked Rice - 4 cups (use leftover rice/ prepare fresh rice before 2-3 hours of cooking and leave it in the fridge)

Assorted Vegetables (Carrot, Beans, Zucchini, Baby corn) - 1 cup

Pepper powder - 1 tsp

Light Soya sauce  - 1 tbsp

Vinegar - 1 tsp

Spring onion and celery - chopped, for garnishing

Sesame oil / vegetable oil - 2-3 tbsp

Salt

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a wok and add the vegetables and sprinkle some salt.
2. Saute till the vegetables become soft. Keep the flame high.
3. For making this process fast, cover it for 2 mins (on medium flame).
4. Once the veggies are done, add cooked rice and add salt. Do not put too much salt as Soya sauce contains salt.
5. Saute for a min and add pepper powder, soya sauce, and vinegar. Combine well and turn off the heat. Garnish it with chopped spring onion and celery.
6. Serve it hot.

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A must try Andhra Chilli Chicken recipe!

Hello all,

I love spicy food and this recipe is very close to my heart. The first time I had Andhra Chilli Chicken is from a restaurant in Bengaluru and guess what, this is one popular dish among namma ooru's foodies. A very easy to make Chicken recipe with handful of ingredients. The key ingredients are green chillies and green masala. The green masala is nothing but green chutney I make. For recipe video, check out my IGTV (@soumyagopi).

Ingredients

Chicken                         - 1 kg

Turmeric powder           - 1/2 tsp

Kashmiri Chilli powder - 3/4 tsp

Green Chillies                - 15- 25 nos

Green Chutney (green paste) - 1/2 cup

Onion                             - 1 large, finely chopped

Lemon juice                   - juice of 1/2 lemon

Curry leaves                   - 4-5 strands

Corn flour                       - 1 tsp + 3 tbsps of lukewarm water (optional)

Salt

Oil

For garam masala

Cardamom  - 8 nos

Cloves         - 8 nos

Cassia          - 2 pieces

Coriander seeds  - 1.5 tsp

Cumin seeds       - 1.5 tsp

Dry roast all the spices and coarse grind it.

To make Green Chutney (Masala)

Coriander leaves - 1 bunch (without stem)

Mint leaves         - 1 bunch (without stem)

Green Chillies    - 6-8 nos

Garlic                 - 8 cloves

Ginger                - 1.5" inch

Coconut              - 2 tbsp (optional)

Lemon                - juice of 1/2 lemon

Salt

In a blender, add all the ingredients (except lemon juice) and make a fine paste without adding water. Add lemon juice and mix well. Transfer this to an air tight container and store in refrigerator upto two weeks. Add this green chutney to your raita, chaat and also you can use it as sandwich filling.

Andhra Chilli Chicken Preparation

1. In a large bowl, add washed and cleaned chicken pieces.
2. To this add Turmeric powder, Kashmiri Chilli powder, Green paste and salt. Keep it for marination for min 1 hour.
3. Heat oil in a pan and add chopped onions. Add salt. Stir it till the onions become translucent or turn light brown in color. Add some curry leaves.
4. Reduce the flame to low -medium and add the marinated Chicken pieces. Mix well and stir for 2 mins. Add the green chillies, combine well and cover and cook for few mins.
5. Once all the juices (water) starts coming out from the Chicken, remove the lid and stir occasionally till oil starts appearing.
6. Once the chicken is cooked, add the garam masala powder.
7. Check the salt and spice level at this point. Add green chillies if you need it 'super spicy'.
8. Mix 1 tsp corn flour with 3 tbsps of lukewarm water and add this to the Chicken masala.
9. Add lemon juice and turn of the heat.
10. Serve it hot with Rice, Chapathi or paratha.

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Pazhampori/Banana Fritters on a rainy evening

Pazhampori... This golden beauty is my favourite tea time snack. This popular Banana fritters made of Nenthran variety banana is an absolute favourite snack for most of the Keralites. Today the weather demanded something hot to enjoy with tea. Here is the recipe which many of you guys (including Non-Malayalees) been asking me since long time -  

Ingredients 

Banana (Nenthran) - 1 (cut 1/2 and divide into thin slices)

Maida - 1/4 cup

Rice powder - 1 tbsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Cardamom pow - 1 pinch

Cumin - 1 pinch (crush using hands)

Sugar - 1 tbsp

Black sesame (optional) - 1/2 tsp

Salt (optional) - 1 pinch

Water

Oil for frying

Preparation

• In a bowl, mix everything. 
• Make sure there are no lumps. Batter should be like Dosa batter consistency. 
• Dip banana slices one at a time and gently  drop in the hot oil. 
• Cook it on low flame till both sides become golden brown. 
• Remove fritters from the oil and keep it on a kitchen towel to avoid any excess oil.
• Serve hot with tea/coffee.

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