Apple Jam

try the jam with this. or plain toast. lovely.

Snickerdoodles

a little crunch when you start, then soft. swet and cinn_ful.

Mexican chicken fajitas starring in a simple Kerala meal

A lot like one of our sides for rice, one of our so called dry curries. Lot of home grown bell peppers this year. So made this and served with our own payarukari/red chori/ lentil soup. With some yogurt and tomato chutney, a nod to the Mexican beans and tomato rice, this meal is fabulous.

Aaloo gobi and then some

There are potatoes and cauliflower and bell peppers and carrots and broccoli in this North indian flavored vegetable dish. Great with rice, rotis including Mexican flour tortillas.

Fish and chips & fish sandwich

Fried cod with greek yogurt tartar sauce

Strawberry shortcake - traditional and northern American

strawberries and whipped cream filled scones and sponge cakes

(Better than) Cheesecake factory crab hash

Roasted pumpkin soup

made with homegrown pumpkin

Chocolate muffin

My easy soft egg bread rolls

almost a brioche

A Chinese night- Beef lo mein and fried rice

Thakkalithokku - South Indian Tomato chutney

Simple home grown goodness

Tomatoes, zucchini and basil -- all grown in my vegetable patch. Awesome freshness.

Sangria

Red white and blue sponge

Malabar kozhi nirachathu and neela pulav Blue rice pulav and stuffed roast chicken Malabar style

Pazhamangaakari - Kerala ripe mango and lentil

Another delicious ripe mango dish with lentils and coconut.

Mambazha pulissery - Kerala ripe mango in mildly spicy coconut sauce

One way of cooking ripe mangoes back home. Delicious with rice.
With a side of fried fresh fish, or fried salted fish, or beef varattiyathu or fried, and chick pea mezhukkupuratti, or on its own, you will eat a bushel of rice. 😀

Kerala varutharacha meenkoottan - Kerala fish in seared spice sauce

Another Kerala special, this dish is heavenly with rice. With the nostalgic aromas of coconut and spices browned in oil along with shallots and curry leaves, this is sure to delight you.

Aviyal

Another vegetable dish from Kerala. A medley with a coconut-cumin-green chili-shallots-yogurt sauce. A staple in sadya. Excellent with rice and sambar or rasam. Add a piece of fried fish, it is a comforting meal.

Kinnathappam

A childhood favorite, this steamed rice cake is another Kerala staple. But while many make this flavored with cumin or cardamom, I always prefer the one that my grandmother and mother used to make -- with pieces of banana on top. you will need the sweet naadan Kerala plantain to make it awesome.

Oalan

One of the staples in a Kerala sadya, I love this mildly spiced coconut milk based vegetable dish. Usually use cucumber, but I have used zucchini here. Cn be made with or without the little red beans. Both versions are delicious with rice.

Hungarian beef and potato soup

On one of those cold early spring days, when winter is over, but has not yet moved away, a hearty beef and potato soup is welcome. And for a change of flavors, I made this Hungarian one. The caraway seeds, paprika and marjoram are what makes this one different.

Paniyaram

A South Indian favorite made with the idli/dosa batter. Can add anything to the batter like you would for uthappam, the only difference being that you cook these in the paniyaram/kuzhiappam/unniappam pan. Serve with sambar, and/or any chutney. There is a sweet version to this too. The Indian answer to the Scandinavian aebleskiver.

Southern potato - sausage hash

The saga of the overcooked rice and the rogue idly

So the other day I decided to make Chinese stirfry and rice. I was careless with the rice, and I couldn't be more careless -- it came out that mushy. 10 cups of overcooked rice. So I decided to recycle it. And with part of it, I made idly, the quick way. Forgot to add a leavener. Long story short - idly came out rock hard aka hideworthy.
But I didn’t give up. I processed the idlies into this form.

this became the koftas/balls below, after I added some chopped onions, ginger, garlic and green chilies plus an egg to bind the dough.

and the spicy kofta curry

to eat with the rice roti I made with part of the overcooked rice.

With part of it, I also made nice, soft, quick idlies, this time, added the leavener, of course.

And a sweet payasam with the remaining rice.

Strawberry sorbet

Strawberry sorbet in my ice cream maker. So fresh! So delicious!

St. Patrick’s Day 2019

Shrimp stir fry in my wok