Spinach/Palak Cutlet Kerala Style

Today I am sharing a healthy and delicious starter recipe spinach/ palak/cheera cutlet.This recipe which is so easy to prepare and full on with the goodness of spinach.This is made from spinach and potatoes.It is nutritious as well as delicious.

My mom usually prepare these cutlets as an evening snack and serve with some ketchup or chutney.

Usually cutlets are dipped in beaten egg and roll it on breadcrumbs and deep fried.We can prepare these by shallow frying also.
My mom made these cutlet for me.I actually prepare meat cutlets  frequently which is more time consuming while these spinach cutlets  are very easy to prepare.we can feed these to kids also by reducing the spices.

Here goes the the recipe...just try it out.....

INGREDIENTS:

• Spinach leaves/palak -1small  bunch(cleaned, finely chopped)
• Potato/aloo-3 large(boiled, peeled, mashed)
• Onion-1 medium, finely chopped
• Green chilly-3, finely chopped
• Ginger-1tsp minced
• Garlic-2-3cloves, minced
• Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
• Garam Masala-1/2 tsp
• Black pepper(crushed)-1tsp
• Breadcrumbs-1/2cup
• Egg-1
• Salt -as per taste
• Oil-to deep fry /shallow fry

METHOD:

• Boil the potatoes, peel the skin and mash it.Keep it aside. 
• Wash spinach leaves well and let it dry thoroughly. Chop them finely. 
• Heat 2tsp oil in a pan and add the minced ginger, garlic and green chillies. Saute for a  minute.
• Then add onion, saute till it becomes light brown.
• Add turmeric powder, garam masala, crushed black pepper and saute for a while.
• Add chopped spinach. Once the spinach has wilted and is semi- cooked (about2-3minutes), add mashed potato to this.Add salt.Mix it well.
• There should be no water in this mixture. 
• Make equal sized balls and roll them into oval or round shape by pressing it with your fingers. 
• Dip each cutlet into lightly beaten egg and roll it in breadcrumbs. Do this one by one.
• Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan.Once oil becomes hot, drop the cutlets slowly into the oil.Fry it in a medium flame until it turns golden brown as shown in the picture. 

NOTES:

1.  Make sure that potato is fully cooked before mashing them.
2. Adding spinach can be replaced with your favorite green (methi/coriander) or vegetable(carrot/beans/peas).
3. You can also use a cornflour dip and roll it on breadcrumbs and fry them.
4. You can also do shallow fry instead of deep fry. 

Serve hot with tomato ketchup, Challas or with Coconut mint chutney and Enjoy this delicious starter.....

Happy Cooking! !!!

LOTUS

Wheat Flour Ada /Godhumai Adai/Wheat Ottada

Ada is a traditional Kerala recipe and we usually serve this as a snack.It is made of coconut and grated jaggery,which is layered inside the wheatflour paste.Later the paste is folded with banana leaf.It can be made in wheat and rice flour.My mom makes with atta/wheat flour and she fills it with coconut and jaggery and it is pretty easy to make.  

 Here is the recipe for wheat flour ada/ottada.....

Ingredients:

• Wheat Flour/Atta-2cup
• Jaggery/sharkkara/vellam(grated)-2/3cup(Adjust the sweetness)
• Coconut(grated)-1/2 cup
• Water-as required
• Salt -a pinch
• Banana leaves-without central strip

Method:  

• Mix the atta flour and salt.Add enough water and keep combining until you get a sticky,slightly elastic,loose dough .It should neither be watery nor hard like for chapathis.But make sure you don't go to either extreme and not to knead too much.
• Add the grated jaggery to the grated coconut and combine with finger tips.
• Take a clean rectangular banana leaf.Scoop out a portion of the dough.Spread  it with your fingers on a banana leaf.Dip your fingers in water and try to spread it.
• Put some coconut jaggery mix and spread it on the ada.
• Fold the banana leaf in half carefully.
• Heat a flat pan/tava.Toast the ada on both the sides  till the banana leaf turns brown and the ada detaches from the leaf.Toast till the golden brown spot appears on the  ada.

NOTES:

• We can use parchment paper instead of banana leaves to make this dish.
• Spread the dough on a rectangular banana leaf as thin as possible.

Serve hot & Enjoy........

Happy Cooking!!!

LOTUS  

Kerala Beef /Chicken/Mutton Cutlet- Kerala Style

 Meat Cutlet 

Cutlets are a very common food in Kerala kitchens-be it the chicken,beef or veg cutlets,every one enjoys this crispy snacks.These are the best appetizers for a party.They can be made in advance.There might not be a single christian house where this does not form a staple food.

I always thought that cutlets are very hard to prepare and time consuming.I never attempted to make these before marriage.I had a lot of experience in shaping and frying them well.But getting the texture correct and not having them fall apart on me while frying gives a lot of experience.
I make it quite often now...almost thrice a month.I am happy to share the recipe to my friends.

Ingredients:

• Beef/Chicken/Mutton-1/2kg(boneless,cut into medium sized cubes)
• Potato-2,large(boiled and smashed)
• Onion-1 large,finely chopped
• Ginger-1tbsp,minced
• Garlic-1/2tsp,minced
• Green chilly-7-8,cut into thin rounds(As per your tolerance level)
• Pepper-1tsp,crushed
• Garam masala-1tbsp
• Turmeric powder-a couple of pinches 
• Curry leaves-1-2sprigs,finely chopped
• Coriander leaves-1tbsp,finely chopped  
• Lemon juice-1/2tsp
• Egg-1
• Bread crumbs or powdered rusk-as required
• Salt to taste 
• Oil-as required 

Method:

1. Clean the meat thoroughly and chop it into medium large pieces.
2. Cook the meat(in pressure cooker) with turmeric powder,half tsp pepper powder and salt till it turns tender.Evaporate excess water and allow to cool. 
3. After cooling down mince the meat and keep it aside.Boil the potatoes,peel the skin and mash well.  
4. Heat oil in a large pan,add chopped onion and sprinkle salt,saute till it turns soft and translucent.
5. Add  chopped ginger,garlic,green chillies and curry leaves, stir for few minutes or until the raw smell goes off.
6. Now add garam masala and crushed pepper stir for few minutes.
7. Add minced meat,stir for few minutes and add mashed potatoes and stir the mixture for few minutes or until all the water content evaporates.
8. Now add chopped coriander leaves and lemon juice and adjust salt and seasoning.switch off heat.
9. Make small lemon size balls out of this mixture and shape them into round or oval shapes patting gently with a flat side of the knife from all sides of the meat balls,until all the cracks that form in between are sealed. 
10. Dip each cutlet into lightly beaten egg and roll it in bread crumbs.Tap off extra bread crumbs.Do this one by one.
11. You can keep this in the freezer for a long time.Divide the cutlets in batches,one batch equal to how many you would need for once.Freeze.Remove from freezer.There is no need to defrost.
12. Deep fry the cutlets in low-medium heat until they turn brown as in the picture.

Meat Cutlet Kerala Style

  

Serve warm with ketchup,mint chutney or challas.....

To make Challas,chop some big onions and add vinegar and sprinkle with some salt.Mix it with your fingers and keep it for at least 10 minutes and serve.

Happy Cooking!!!
  

Vettu Cake/Deep Fried Cake(Kerala Special Tea Shop Palaharam)

VETTU CAKE

Vettu cake is a local snack available in almost all the tea shops(chayakkada)in southern part of Kerala,India.Tea shops in Kerala is a gathering place for local people as well as podiums for long discussions on politics and current affairs.As these discussions heated up and more people will join and the the number of tea consumed will go up drastically along with snacks like parippu vada,uzhunnu vada,pazham pori,bonda and vettu cake.

This was my childhood favorite.Now fancy items have replaced this old traditional tea time snack.I am so glad to share it with you guys:)

I prepared this cake on last weekend.My hubby likes it and took the pics with his favorite camera.So I got some good pics.

VETTU CAKE

I got the inspiration to make this cake from my friend's blog Swapna's Cuisine.
Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

• All purpose flour/maida-2cups
• Rava-1/4 cup
• Eggs -2,big(duck eggs are using in kerala)
• Baking soda -1tsp
• Sugar-1/4 cup
• Salt-a pinch
• Water-as required
• cardamom-1tsp,crushed with half tsp sugar
• Oil-for deep frying     

 Method:

• Sieve  the flour,rava and  baking soda well.

• Beat eggs well with powdered sugar with a hand blender till the sugar completely melts.
• Make a well in the center of the flour and pour the egg mixture.Add salt and cardamom powder.Mix it and knead well by adding water little by little.Make a tight dough.Cover and keep it aside for 1 hour.
• Divide the dough into equal sized strips by rolling.I used aluminum foil to roll out.It helps me to roll it out smoothly.You need not take the entire dough for rolling,you can take part by part.
• Gently press the rolled out dough,so that it forms a rectangular shape strips. Cut them into 1.5 inch piece squares.
• Make a deep cut in the centre using a knife and again one opposite to the first cut.Make one deep cut in the centre for triangular shapes.
• Heat oil in a frying pan deep fry it till golden brown on medium heat.
• Make sure not to over fry this cake as it will become very hard to eat.
• Make sure that oil is not too hot.When the oil is very hot,outside of the cake gets burns earlier and the inside part won't cook properly.
• Once they are cooked,remove it from the oil and transfer to a kitchen tissue to absorb excess oil. 
• Allow to cool and store in air tight containers for up to 2-3 weeks. 

VETTU CAKE

Enjoy with hot Tea/ coffee..... 
Happy Cooking!!!


 

Soya Chunks Cutlets And Hummus

Ingredients:

• Soya chunks-2 cup
• Potato(boiled)-2
• Onion-2,big
• Ginger- 1''piece
• Garlic-3pods
• Green chilly-3-5
• Curry leaves-a sprig
• Turmeric powder-1/4tsp
• Coriander powder-1/2tsp
• Pepper powder-1/2tsp
• Garam masala powder-1tsp  
• Coriander leaves
• Salt to taste
• Oil-as required 
• Egg- 1 large
• Bread crumbs-as required

Method:

• Take lots of water in a big pan and bring to a boil.Once it boils,add soya and switch off flame.
• Cover with a lid and keep aside for 15-20 minutes.
• Pour this in a colander and drain it.Squeeze out the excess water with your hands and mince it in a mixie.
• Chop ginger,garlic,green chillies,curry leaves and onion to a fine pieces.Saute until it turns light brown. 
• Add turmeric,coriander powder and salt.Stir for few minutes.Add minced soya chunks to this.Saute well.Sprinkle a few drops of water and cook for few more minutes in a low flame.
• Add pepper powder,garam masala,chopped coriander leaves/cilantro and boiled,peeled and mashed potato to this.Mix well.Stir for few minutes or till the water content in the mixture evaporates.Switch off flame.
• When the mixture is cool enough to touch,divide the mixture into small equal sized balls and shape them into a round or oval shapes,pressing gently with a flat side of the knife,from all sides of the balls,until all the cracks that form in between are sealed well.  
• Beat the egg using a fork and keep aside.Take bread crumbs in a  plate.
• Dip each of the shaped cutlets in beaten egg and then roll them into bread crumbs,coating all the sides evenly.Do this one by one.remove excess bread crumbs.
• Heat oil in a pan with enough oil.when the oil becomes hot,deep fry it until they turned brown in a low-medium flame. 
• Do not overcrowd the pan while frying as this would end up with your cutlets sticking together.

Serve warm with Hummus and tomato ketchup or with Challas.....
       
Hummus Recipe:

 Hummus is a delicious middle- Eastern dip made from boiled chick peas,tahini(sesame seeds) paste,garlic,lemon juice.It's origin is believed to be from shami region(Lebanon,syria,palestine and jordan).  

Ingredients: 

• chickpeas-150 gms
• garlic-2 cloves
• tahini paste-3 tbsp
• lemon juice-1tbsp
• olive oil-4 tbsp

Method:

• soak dry chickpeas over night.pressure cook with water and salt till soft.Cool and remove the skin.Put them in a mixie with garlic,salt and tahini and blend.add 2tbsp of olive oil and blend.add lemon juice and continue to blend till smooth.Chill in a refrigerator.Drizzle the remaining olive oil just before serving.

Serve chilled with pita bread or with any fried starters like cutlets,vada,samosa etc. 
Happy Cooking!!!
 
 

 

AVAL VILAYICHATHU / SWEETENED BEATEN RICE FLAKES

Aval/Beaten rice flakes vilayichathu is a tea time snack for kids...a jaggery- coconut coated snack.Aval is also known as poha, is beaten dried flakes of rice.We can use any type of Aval like brown rice or white rice. Here I used brown rice Aval.

Ingredients:

• Aval/poha(brown)- 250 gm 
• Jaggery (grated)-1 cup(more or less according to your taste)
• Coconut grated-1cup
• cardamom crushed- 5-7
• Dry ginger crushed -1/2tsp
• Black sesame seeds/ellu- 1tsp
• Chana dal/Split chick peas/Pottukadala -2 tbsp
• Ghee/Clarified butter-2 tsp
• Water -1/4 cup

 Method: 

• Heat a pan  and dry roast the Aval on a low flame for 2-3 minutes.Then remove it from flame and transfer this on to a plate.
• In a thick bottomed pan,melt the grated jaggery with water on low flame.oKeep aside.Let it cool.Strain this to remove any impurities.
• Now reheat the strained syrup on a medium heat,stirring frequently till it reaches one thread consistency.
• Add grated coconut and continue to stir till all the water is absorbed from the coconut.
• Now add Aval/beaten rice flakes,mix it stirring constantly to coat aval with jaggery and coconut.
• Add crushed cardomom and dry ginger powder.When the mixture thickens switch off the flame.Keep it aside.
• Heat ghee in a pan.roast chan dal and add it to the aval mixture.
• Add sesame seeds to the hot ghee and roast lightly.(be careful not to burn the seeds)
• Pour this on to sweetened beaten rice flakes mixture and mix it well.

TIPS:

• This can be stored in the refrigerator for a month.But before you store,allow it to cool completely.
• If you feel that jaggery is more and is very sticky,then add couple of tsp of sugar and mix it well.This will make it dry the Aval mixture. 
• We can add roasted cashew nuts  also. 

Serve with Banana or as it is and Enjoy.....

Happy Cooking!!!