Mambazha Morkuzhambu

I love pairing sweet curries with rice and some spicy vegetable on the side.Usually when I make sweet Pulisheri with Mango,Banana or Pineapple I make a spicy Potato roast on the side and it makes for a finger licking meal.So when I saw a similar recipe for Morkozhambu using ripe mangoes,I tried it soon after.It tastes a bit different than Pulisheri but I loved it.The tang from the curd and the sweetness from the mango along with the heat from the red chillies made it an explosion of tastes in the mouth.

This year,we've tried a variety of mangoes and loved them all.Usually we stick to Banganpally,Alphonso and Kalaphadi mangoes but this year there are so many varieties available and we tried most of them.I made this curry with Banganpally but you can use any pulpy,sweet mango.

Mambazha Morkuzhambu
Recipe courtesy - Malpat's Kitchen

Ingredients

Banganpally mango - 1,peeled and chopped
Fresh curd - 2 cups
Salt to taste
Sugar - 2-3 tsp(optional)
Coconut oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig

For roasting and grinding

Coconut oil - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 1/2 tsp
Methi - 3/4 tsp
Red chillies - 2
Hing - 1/4 tsp
Grated coconut - 2 tbsp


Method

Cook the mangoes till soft.You can steam/Microwave it,I added a few tbsp water into a pressure cooker along with the mangoes and pressure cooked for one whistle.Cool it down and grind to a smooth paste.
Whisk the curd well so that there are no lumps.
Mix in the mango puree.Add salt to taste.
In a pan add oil and roast the ingredients till the coconut slightly changes colour.Remove from pan and let it cool down.Grind to a smooth paste.
Add this to the curd-mango mix.Cook the curry on a low flame for about 5-10 minutes or till it starts frothing from the sides.Take care not to boil the curry as it may split.
Make tadka with coconut oil and splutter mustard seeds and curry leaves.Add this tadka to the morkozhambu.

Step by step Pictorial

Cook the mangoes till soft.You can steam/Microwave it,I added a few tbsp water into a pressure cooker along with the mangoes and pressure cooked for one whistle.Cool it down and grind to a smooth paste.

In a pan add oil and roast the ingredients till the coconut slightly changes colour.

Remove from pan and let it cool down.Grind to a smooth paste.

Whisk the curd well so that there are no lumps.

Mix in the mango puree.

Add the ground coconut paste to the  curd-mango mix.

Add salt to taste - I added a few tsp sugar as well.

Cook the curry on a low flame for about 5-10 minutes or till it starts frothing from the sides.Take care not to boil the curry as it may split.

Make tadka with coconut oil and splutter mustard seeds and curry leaves.Add this tadka to the morkozhambu.

Tweet

Avil Milk/Milk Aval | Summer Special Drinks

Come summer and all day you feel like gulping down something cold and refreshing.I love Milk based drinks as it fills you up along with quenching your thirst,cool right?So while browsing through some recipes on a website,I read about this popular juice joint in Calicut which served Milk based drinks,all through the year.We had a similar joint in Ernakulam from where we got our regular dose of Sharjah Shake and the likes.It is from that shop I learnt the trick of freezing the milk for milkshakes which makes it creamier and thicker.

Avil Milk/Milk Aval is a very easy recipe which uses only a handful of ingredients,most of which is easily found in your kitchen.There are different ways to make this drink but I followed a recipe from my memory of drinking it in the juice shop in Ekm.The drink is quite filling because of the addition of Avil/Flattened rice flakes,banana and nuts.You could also take it up a notch by adding a scoop of ice-cream.

Avil Milk/Milk Aval

Ingredients

Avil/Aval/Flattened rice flakes - 1/2 cup
Cashewnuts - 10-12,chopped
Banana - 1 small
Sugar - 1/4 cup
Boost - 1 tbsp (you could also use Horlicks or any Malt drink powder)
Cold milk - 2 cups
1 candied cherry for garnish

Method

In a non stick pan,add the avil and dry roast for 5-10 minutes or until the avil turns crisp.This is a mandatory step because if added fresh,the avil would turn soggy.
In the same pan toast the cashewnuts till light golden brown in colour.
In a mixer/blender add the banana,sugar,boost and milk and blend together till smooth.
For assembling the drink - add roasted avil to a tall glass and top with the toasted cashew.Add the milkshake on top.You could also alternate layers of milk and avil but I just added one layer.
Top with some more avil and nuts.Sprinkle some Boost on top and garnish with a cherry.

Step by step Pictorial

In a non stick pan,add the avil and dry roast for 5-10 minutes or until the avil turns crisp.This is a mandatory step because if added fresh,the avil would turn soggy.

In the same pan toast the cashewnuts till light golden brown in colour.

In a mixer/blender add the banana,sugar,boost and milk and blend together till smooth.

For assembling the drink - add roasted avil to a tall glass and top with the toasted cashew.Add the milkshake on top.You could also alternate layers of milk and avil but I just added one layer.

Top with some more avil and nuts.

Sprinkle some Boost on top and garnish with a cherry.

Tweet

Rose Milk with Sabja seeds | Summer Drinks Recipe

Rose milk evokes quite a few nostalgic memories for me.Though we loved drinking milk as kids,the flavored,cool milk drinks which we were treated to every once in a while held a very special place in our hearts.So many flavors to choose from and each were as good as the other,but almost always my choice remained the pink,sweet milk which was fondly named as Rose milk.

I am not amazed that it still holds a special place in my heart even now.I mean,what's not to love.Come summer and I always have a chilled jug of milk inside my fridge with which I could churn out a glass of rose milk any time of the day.I keep trying different concentrates/powders and feel that you have to experiment with the right brand to choose your favorite.I loved this famous Kalathi kadai concentrate but right now,my favorite is this brand(Guruji Rose Sharbat)

While you can have the rose milk as it is,how about the addition of Sabja seeds which make it even more delicious and refreshing?

Sabja seeds,also known as Tukmaria seeds or Falooda seeds are the seeds of Sweet basil.The seeds expand as much as 30 times their size when soaked in water and are full of fiber and packed with nutrition.It also has cooling effects on the stomach and helps in healing acidity and heart burns.

Rose milk with Sabja seeds

Ingredients

Milk - 2 cups,chilled
Rose syrup/sharbat - 2 tbsp
Sabja seeds - 1 tsp
Ice cubes

Method

Soak sabja seeds in about 3/4 cup water for 10-15 minutes.
In a jug add rose syrup and mix in the milk-the concentrate I use has sugar hence I did not add any extra sugar.
Add a tbsp(or more) of soaked sabja seeds and mix well.
To serve,add few ice cubes into a glass and top with the rose milk.Add some more sabja seeds on top if you like.

Step by Step Pictorial

Soak sabja seeds in about 3/4 cup water for 10-15 minutes.

In a jug add rose syrup and mix in the milk-the concentrate I use has sugar hence I did not add any extra sugar.

Add a tbsp(or more) of soaked sabja seeds and mix well.
To serve,add few ice cubes into a glass and top with the rose milk.Add some more sabja seeds on top if you like.

Tweet

Anjeer Milkshake - Fig & Honey Milkshake

While writing out the title for this post,I was reminded of our college days where my friend Mary always ordered a fig and honey ice-cream from Baskins.I still don't know if she really liked it or ordered it just because it sounded exotic and different.We hadn't even known what a fig looks like then,so how can someone rave endlessly about the fruit,I don't understand.Now Mary,do not kill me after reading this ok?

In March,while we were in Udupi attending a cousins wedding,I was startled to find a Fig Milkshake as a welcome drink.I hadn't given much thought to this humble dry fruit but was willing to give it a chance after all.The milkshake was crunchy and sweet and very refreshing on a hot summer day.I could taste the figs as well as a faint ice-cream taste.

I decided to try it and see if it matches the taste.After all,a few ingredients including ice-cream and figs can never go wrong right.

Anjeer Milkshake - Fig & Honey Milkshake

Ingredients (serves 2)

Dried Figs - 5

Honey - 1 tbsp

Butterscotch ice-cream - 80 ml cup (approximately 2 tbsp)

Milk - 1 1/2 cups ( I used 3/4 cup milk ice cubes and 3/4 cup chilled milk)

Method

 
Soak the figs in warm water for 10-15 minutes.This step is important or else the figs wouldn't grind well.

 
In a blender add chopped figs(chopped after soaking),honey,ice cream,milk ice cubes and milk.Blend for 10-15 seconds.

Serve chilled.

Notes

• I haven't added any sugar in the milkshake because figs,honey and ice-cream provide the sweetness.However,if you feel it is not sweet as per your liking,add 1-2 tsp of sugar while blending.
• Soaking the figs in warm water is a must.It wouldn't blend in the milkshake otherwise(speaking from experience!).
• You can add any kind of nuts too for an added crunch.I added Butterscotch ice-cream coz that's all I had.Feel free to add Vanilla too.

Tweet

Apple Milkshake{with Almonds&Cinnamon} | Easy Milkshake Recipes

Of late,I am following a new routine of menu planning.Yes,I've tried it before but planning the menu for a whole week didn't work for me.Availability of ingredients at the given day and our moods(yes,we do eat according to our moods once in a while!)played havoc and after 2-3 days,I gave up.

Now that we do our vegetables and provisions once in a week,menu planning comes a lot handy for me.Only thing,I need to work a bit hard to make it work,resisting the urge to order in or eat out.A diet plan thrown in and it is a foolproof idea.So as part of our meal plan,I've introduced Oats,Muesli and Fruit smoothies as part of our breakfast.Less rice intake in the form of Idli/dosa which we do have twice or thrice in a week anyway.

Not used to having milkshakes as breakfast did work against us:).But top it with a bowl of muesli and 2 dry toasts and it makes for a tasty spread and quite filling too.

Apple Milkshake{with Almonds & Cinnamon}

Ingredients

Apple - 1,peeled & cored
Frozen milk - 1 1/2 cups
Sugar - 1 tbsp
Almonds - 5-7
Cinnamon - 1/4 tsp

Method

 
Mix together all the ingredients in a blender till smooth.
 
Serve chilled topped with some more cinnamon.

 
Notes

• Using frozen milk gives the milkshake a thicker texture.If you like your milkshakes not so thick,use chilled milk instead.
• If you do not like almonds,substitute with cashews.I use the almonds whole hence the milkshake has brown spots all over:)

Tweet

Banana Harshaale | Pazha Madhuram

I am not too fond of Bananas but there are a few exceptions.Like a Sharjah shake perhaps(recipe coming soon)or maybe a Chocolate Banana Cake.You wouldn't catch me eating a ripe banana off the fruit counter,that's for sure.So how about Banana which has crossed its prime,that's only good for a cake I believed.

Last week,when in-laws were here my ma-in-law decided to make this as she felt the weather here was perfect for a chilled milk-fruit based dessert.I was surprised at how easy it was made and how delicious it tasted chilled.I have made a similar version many moons ago.A friend of ours tasted this and said it was Pazha madhuram,something which was made by his grandma during his childhood days.So there.

 
Banana Harshaale | Pazha Madhuram

Ingredients

Ripe Banana - 3-4(we used Yelakki)
Milk - 3/4 cup
Milkmaid - 1/4 cup 
OR
Sugar - 2 tbsp
Cardamom powder - 1 tsp

Method

 
Cut the bananas into small bite size pieces.
Mix in the milk and the condensed milk(or sugar) and add cardamom powder.
Chill for 3-4 hours.

Notes

• Add either sugar or condensed milk(not both as we have done) as that would result in super sweet harshaale.We added more banana and milk to balance the taste.
• Make sure you chill it for at least 2 hours only then the flavors would set in.

Tweet

Mango Crumble

We are at the fag end of Mango season and busy picking the last few mangoes off from the shelves of fruit markets.Every summer it is the same old story.We like eating mangoes as is and never get enough of it,but by the time  the season ends,I panic and start thinking of ways to cook/bake with it for the kitchen as well as for the blog:)

Strangely,this year there was no upkari or gojju since all we could buy this year was Banganapally(my fav) and Alphonso which are not suitable for curries.There were lots of lassis and milkshakes though.

I remembered this recipe from my baking bible Baking from My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan.The original recipe is a Tropical Fruits Crumble which has Mangoes and Bananas.I tweaked the recipe and the quantity to make enough crumble for 3-4 people using one big Mango.Love the combo of Mangoes with Ginger and it was perfect for this recipe too.

Mango Almond Crumble
Recipe roughly adapted from BFMHTY

Ingredients

Ripe Mango - 1 big,chopped into chunks (roughly 2 cups)
Butter - 1 tbsp
Sugar - 3 tbsp
Fresh ginger,grated - 1 tsp
Ginger powder - a fat pinch

For the crumble

Flour - 1/4 cup
Sugar - 1/4 cup
Oats - 2 tbsp
Butter - 30 gms
Almonds,chopped - 1/4 cup

Method

To make the crumble -  
In a mixing bowl,add flour,sugar and oats.Mix in the butter and blend the butter into the flour mix till it resembles bread crumbs.A few big pieces here and there is fine.
 
Mix in the chopped almonds.Refrigerate this crumble till required.
 
In a nonstick pan add the butter and sugar.Stir for a while till the sugar starts to caramelize.
 
Mix in the chopped mango and swirl the pan.Do not stir much as it would make the mangoes squishy.Just keep swirling the pan till the mangoes cook a bit and change in colour.
Mix in the grated ginger and powdered ginger.Transfer to a heat proof pan.

Preheat the oven to 180C.
 
Pour the mango mix into four ramekins or a single pie-dish.
Cover the mango with the prepared crumble.Top with some chopped almonds if you like.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or till the fruit starts bubbling and the topping is a pretty golden brown.
Serve warm.

Notes

• This recipe makes enough crumble for 3-4 people.Though it tastes great on its own,I served it with some Mango ice-cream on the side and it was pure mango heaven!
• The flavor of ginger is not overpowering,in fact it complements the sweetness of the mango and crumble and makes for a perfect after-meal dessert.
• The original recipe calls for mangoes and bananas and uses lime juice and zest too along with ginger.You could try it out for a different flavor combination.

**A special thanks to Jeyashri who gifted me these white ramekins along with some cute cupcake liners.Pleasures of blogging-thanks a ton Jeyashri!

Tweet

Tomato Juice

Summer holidays back then were much looked forward to,starting bang on April 1st through May 31st,sans summer camps and coaching classes,we had all the time in the world to do anything we wanted with no thoughts of school work hovering around our head.We'd have special agendas planned and to be executed during the holidays but by the end of first week we'd be terribly bored and badly in search of new ways to spend time.

Tomato Juice was born on one such lazy afternoon.I remember me and my brother peeped into the kitchen while amma was taking a nap.We wanted something to drink but weren't sure what to make.The huge basket of tomatoes gave us an idea.Filling the blender with crushed ice,we added tomatoes and sugar and gave a whir.The juice was quite thick,so we strained it and were surprised to see it looked just like watermelon juice.It tasted delicious too and soon became our favorite.

It is surprising how I completely forgot about the juice until some time back,talking to my brother brought back fond memories of the same.The recipe is very simple,in fact there is no recipe at all!!
Just put some tomatoes,sugar and ice into the blender and blend till smooth.Strain it and serve chilled with some more ice cubes.That's it!  
1 kg Tomatoes - 25 rs
Work involved - 5 minutes

Reviving Nostalgic memories - Priceless!!

Tweet