Coleslaw & A Yummy Sandwich

I just gobbled up what you are seeing in the picture .. It looks a plain-jane plate , but I must say, it IS one super-duper sandwich once you take a bite !
Coleslaw is my favorite summer-salad.. Well! I do make it in all seasons , but when I think of Coleslaw , summer BBQs comes to my mind ... and in winter I make it just to re-live those summer moments . I do make some other versions of it too , and I will post them in due course of time (... well, that is as soon as the grill is fired up next !)

Now that we are talking about this much savored salad, and if you feel like reading a bit more on who made it first , or the different variants of it , or how the name came to be... Click here;
Wiki has an entire page on it :)

In the meantime, here is the recipe:
(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:
1 cup shredded Cabbage
1/4 cup grated Carrot ( optional)
1/4 cup minced Celery
1/4 cup Alfalfa Sprouts (optional)
1/4 cup Raisins ( or dried Cranberries)
1/4 cup chopped Cashew-nuts ( or pecans , again optional... i love the crunch it gives!)

2 tbs of Mayonnaise
1 tbs of Cream Cheese
1 tsp sugar
A pinch of black-pepper powder
A pinch of salt

How to go about :

• In a medium bowl combine the Cream Cheese, Mayonnaise, Salt , Pepper and Sugar
• Toss in all the other ingredients (mentioned above) and mix well

....and Voila !!
To make the sandwich: Toast Bread , slather a lavish spoon of the slaw on one side and top with another slice of bread . Yumm... !! I have noticed that if stored in a sealed container and refrigerated , this coleslaw keeps well for at-least another day . More tips on storing coleslaw.

This salad is a great way to incorporate something as nutritious as Alfalfa Sprouts.
Please note that the nutrition data I have provided is approximate and for 1 serving, and is calculated with all the ingredients listed above.

Happy Summer Meals to you !

Kozhukkatta

Steamed Rice Dumplings with Sweetened Coconut filling.


One of my favorite snacks from childhood days .. I have had it made in couple of different ways ; with fillings sweetened with sugar or jaggery and then one without any filling.
It was also probably my worst nightmare of a snack while staying in hostels, away from home, for studies. Most school and college hostels in Kerala make this for an evening snack; and probably because it is made in large scale there is hardly any "sweet-surprise" inside the rice layer and therefore end up absolutely tasteless. So one can only imagine how Kozhukkatta has acquired the pet name "la bombe"!
My love for Kozhukkatta is mainly for the really really gooey jaggery-filling. I pack so much of the stuffing in it that by the time the dumplings come of the steaming, they are almost oozing the syrup from all sides. The ratio of the coconut-jaggery mixture is totally dependent on how much sweetness you want , and hence I am not mentioning exact amounts for them. So here is the recipe :

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Rice Flour ( the finely powdered and roasted variety, used for Idiyappam )
• 1 cup water ( 1/2 cup more, if needed)
  
• 1/2 tsp salt
  
• 1 tbs cooking oil
  

For the filling

• Shredded coconut
  
• Jaggery ( I used approximately 1:1 ratio for coconut and jaggery)
  

Procedure:

• Grate the jaggery & mix well with the coconut.
  
• In a medium saucepan boil the water. Add the salt and the oil.
• Remove from heat
  
• In a steady stream add the rice flour and stir ( i prefer to use the handle of a wooden spoon to do this )
• Keep mixing till the mixture forms a smooth dough. (In case the it gets dry, add some more boiling water, about 1/2 cup more )
  
• As soon it cools down to a temperature you can handle , make small balls out of it ( 1 cup of rice flour should yield about 7-8 of these )
• Grease your palms with some oil, and lightly flatten each ball ( Keep the dough on your left palm , press gently to make a 2"circle)
• Put 1 teaspoonful of the filling in the center of the circle and bring the outer-edge together to cover it. ( I wish I had a pictorial to explain this ..Hope to post one soon). The dumplings eventually would like the ones in the picture.

Happy Cooking !

Cherry Tomato Snack

Spring is in the air! This year I want to try growing some tomatoes (..again!). The last couple of attempts went totally awry .. either lack of watering or too much of it, once there were bugs all over the vines and once i even blamed it on the pot ( it was retaining too much water)! On my last grocery trip, I got an issue of Martha Stewart Living in which there is an article "Tomatoes for all spaces".. so , I am all set now. I would like to tell myself that my black thumb is slowly turning green ; at-least the darkest shade of green :) So today I am off to buy some potting soil and some tomato-plants.. hoping to reap a bounty ( or in the least, a handful).
In the meantime , I would love to share with you this super-easy, healthy and beautiful salad/ snack that I had at one of the parties recently.

Ingredients:

• 1 pint Cherry tomatoes ( or any small variety of tomatoes)
• 2 tbs Sour cream
  
• 1 tbs Capers
  
• Salt to taste
  
• 1/8 tsp Crushed peppercorn or to taste
  

Procedure:

• Halve the tomatoes .
  
• In a small bowl mix the sour cream, capers, salt and crushed pepper
• Put a dollop of this mixture on to the tomato ( If you have a pastry bag and tips, you could even use that ..just make sure to use a wide-tip so that the capers can pass through.

Happy Snacking !

Ethakka Appam

Ethakka Appam : Plantain Fritters

Plantains are quotidian in Keralite cooking. We have found ways to incorporate them in pretty much all meals : Ripe plantains as a fruit or snack, Steamed ripe-plantains for breakfast, Plantain fritters as a snack,Plantains cooked in coconut milk for dessert , Plantain Pulisseri & Pachadi with rice and the list goes on.
Plantain fritters are much sought after snack for us. The ripe plantains are thinly sliced, dipped in a sweetened flour batter and then deep fried. Here is how to go about :

Prep time : 10 min
Cooking time : 20 min
Ready in : 30 min

Ingredients:

• 3-4 Ripe Plantains
  
• 1 cup of all-purpose flour or maida
• 1 cup of water ( or maybe 1/4 cup more if needed.. the plan is to get a batter loose enough to thinly coat the plantain slices)
• 1/4 cup of sugar
• 1/8 tsp of salt
  
• a pinch of powdered cardamom (optional)
• 1 cup of cooking oil ( or just enough for deep frying the plantain slices)

You will also need: A small shallow pan & a medium bowl

Procedure:

• Peel the plantains. Cut them across in two or three. Slit each piece into 1/2" thick slices.
• In the medium bowl combine the flour, water, sugar, salt & cardamom powder. Whisk into a smooth batter
• Set the pan in medium heat and once hot, add the oil and wait till it is hot enough*.
• Dip the plantain slices in the batter, so as to cover all sides evenly and carefully immerse in the oil (I use a fork to do this.. you can use any gadget that suits you so long as you don't burn yourself in the process).
• Repeat with more slices , making sure not to overcrowd the pan ( about 3-4 slices in one go)
• Turn them over once they turn golden brown on the sides. Fry till they are evenly golden brown on both sides.
• Carefully transfer them to a plate lined with paper-towels ( to absorb the extra grease).
• Serve hot as a snack with tea or coffee :)

Lifesaver : * The fritters wont be half as fun if they are not fried at the right temperature. Here is a simple test to check if the oil is hot enough. Put a small drop of the batter in the oil. If it sinks all the way in , the oil is not hot enough. If it just floats on the surface and turns burnt right away it is too hot. Around the right temperature, it would just sizzle and gradually turn a golden brown.