#Lockdown special # Covid 19# Chembila thoran and chembu curry from garden to table for lunch

Lockdown is good to know my garden so close and find veggies for cooking. During my gardening found taro leaves and decided to prepare taro leaves and taro root today for lunch. Taro starchy root is edible and used in various dishes while the leaves are rarely used by me. The stem I use to prepare with lentils. Taro root was in my pantry. So harvested stem and leaves to prepare thoran. 

Taro leaves are a low calorie green leafy vegetable, with high fibre, potassium, folate, vitamin A and also antioxidants. 

 Ingredients for chembila (taro leaf) thoran 

The leaves are having calcium oxalate which itches while cutting. Wash the leaves thoroughly, peel the outer thin layer of skin from the stem. Again wash it.

Taro leaves and stem 3, onion 1, garlic cloves 4, all three chopped 

Grated coconut 1/2 cup, turmeric powder 1/2 tsp., chilli powder 1/2 tsp., salt to taste.

Coconut oil 1tbsp., mustard seeds 1/4tsp., cumin seeds 1/4 tsp., red chilli 2

Heat a shallow pan on medium heat, pour the oil, drop in mustard and cumin seeds, allow to splutter, add the dried red chilli broken into two each, then add the stem, turmeric and chilli powders, salt and mix well and cook for two minutes, add the leaves, mix well and cook for another two minutes. When it is cooked add grated coconut, combine well and cook for another minute. Chembila thoran is ready. 

Taro root mango curry 

1. Taro root 2, mango 1, both peeled and sliced, onion 1, garlic cloves 4, ginger one inch, green chilli 4, all sliced thinly. 

2. Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp., chilli powder 2tsp., coriander powder 1/2 tsp., salt to taste.

Grated coconut a cup, grinded into paste 

For garnishing, coconut oil 2tsp, dried red chilli 2, broken into two each, mustard seeds 1/4 tsp., fenugreek seeds a pinch. Curry leaves is good. I didn’t use curry leaves because out of stock.

In an earthen pot add the ingredients in 1 & 2, add enough water to cover the ingredients and cook on medium heat. When cooked enough add coconut paste, mix well and cook for another 2

Or 3 minutes in low flame allowing to bubble. Garnish in a pan on flame pouring oil, drop in mustard and fenugreek seeds, allow to splutter and add chilli. When done garnish the curry. 

Serve hot with with rice. This was today’s lunch. Garden produce to the dining table. 

Chembila (taro leaves) thoran 

Taro root Mango curry 

#Lockdown special# Covid19# Rice Balls (kozhukatta)

#Covid 19 # spread around the world 🌍 People are in lockdown fighting against the community spread of the disease covid 19. Let’s make this time at home productive with some own time and time for family members. Prevention is better than Cure. Save our community from the life threatening Virus 🦠 being conscious.
Got the free ration rice from Government. Parboiled white rice and red rice.
Before storing cleaned the rice put it under sun. Commonly parboiled rice is used for cooking rice for lunch. We can make snacks, breakfast and dinner varieties too with this rice. Today got the idea of rice balls ( kozhukatta) made by my mom when we were children. At that time grinder or mixi was not a common thing. Only manual equipments were there. Now kozhukatta is made with fine rice flour. In my teens what amma do is that she soak the parboiled rice overnight. At that time I remember we use only red rice for our use. We cultivate it in our paddy lands and process under our supervisions and finally to the rice mill. Again final cleaning back home. Amma got helpers around her for the outdoor activities.
In the morning the soaked rice is allowed to strain in a sieve. Then the rice is grinded in a two piece hand grinder known as ammikallu ( roller stone) which was most important in traditional kitchens in India 🇮🇳 It is having a flat rectangular stone to keep the spices, condiments or coconut on the top and a cylindrical stone pestle to roll and grind. I had practical sessions in using ammikallu. Now it becomes show case piece replaced totally by the mixer grinder. The rice is grinded into a slightly coarse dough along with cumin seeds and salt to taste.
Now a days I use to make kozhukatta with rice flour because that is the easiest short cut way of making kozhukatta.
Now it’s lockdown time. We have enough time to try, prepare,  enjoy the delicious dish and share in the blog for my beautiful readers. Okay let me try amma’s cooking magic. Soaked the parboiled white rice. For a change decided to prepare rice balls for dinner. Change is good for growth and to become flexible in our life. Me and my husband as
as a team started the process to  proceed and enjoy the taste of our childhood nostalgic memories. My husband is expert in de husking, breaking and grating coconuts. So that part was done by him. Soaked the rice for four hours. You can bite a rice and find whether soaking is enough. It should break between your teeth softly. Strained the rice in a sieve. Allow to drain the water completely. Then start grinding in the mini bowl of the grinder along with cumin seeds and salt to taste. If needed sprinkle water. Ground the rice and make it a little coarse dough. Dough is ready.
How to prepare
Parboiled rice 2 cups, soaked, strained
Cumin seeds 1 tsp., salt to taste. All three grind together as above to get the little bit coarse dough. Divide the dough into lemon sized balls.
Grated coconut 2 cups, grated jaggery 1 cup, mix them together and keep aside.
Flatten the balls, put the sweet mix on it and roll it up and make balls again.
Take an idli cooker or momo pot, fill with enough water to steam cook, put the flat stand to keep the rice balls. Put the cooker on the stove on the flame and allow to boil. By the time put the rice balls made on the stand and close it. Allow to cook. When the steam is coming out with the cooked smell turn the flame in low and allow to remain for two more minutes. It takes about 15 to 20 minutes to get cooked. You can break one with a fork to see whether it’s cooked.
It came out great 👍
Nice time spending in this lockdown period. Going back and enjoying Amma’s style of cooking. These kozhukattas taste better than fine rice flour. Why ? Because  these are having the bite particles in it which are really great and more delicious. Our dinner ready.

Mango Rice (Mango Sadam) Covid 19 Lockdown special

Dear all,
Hope all are safe. Let’s stay positive and strong against Corona Virus 🦠
We can overcome this pandemic situation together. Break the Chain and wipe out the Corona Virus 🦠 While going out in essential situations , wear mask 😷 observe social distancing and wash your hands for 20 seconds with soap 🧼 back home 🏠 and use sanitizer whenever needed.
This lockdown period I am trying new dishes with the ingredients available in our pantry.
Long back in 1995 I remember that I had Mango 🥭 sadam from a restaurant in Chennai. That was delicious. Didn’t turn up to prepare the dish for my own even we had and have enough mangoes 🥭
Early this week we had a lovely harvest of mangoes from our garden. Shared among our tenants and the rest made sweet and sour  pickles, mango chutney, mango pachadi, mango curry like that it goes. Peeled and sliced some and kept for sun drying. That can be preserved for further use. Some are kept for ripening. This mangoes are very good for mampazha pulissery ( mango yogurt curry).
Today is a happy day for me. I recollect the taste of the mango rice I had 25 years back and made it.
Ingredients
Cooked rice 4 cups, allow to cool down. Care should be taken not to over cook.
Grated mango  2 cups, red chilli 4, garlic cloves 4, ginger chopped 2tsp., grated coconut a cup, cumin seeds 1/2 tsp. Grind these ingredients coarsely and keep aside.
For garnishing
Coconut oil 2 tbsp., mustard seeds 1/2 tsp., urd dal splits 2tsp., pepper corns 1 tsp., turmeric powder 1tsp., asafoetida powder 1 tsp., red chilli 2, broken, salt to taste.
Heat a shallow wok, pour in oil, followed by urd dal splits, mustard seeds, pepper corns and red chilli. When the mustard seeds splutter add turmeric, salt and asafoetida powder, mix well and add the mango coconut mix. Combine well and off the flame.
Then add the cooked rice, combine with the garnished mix. Mango rice is ready. Serve hot with pappadum and
curd.
Really delicious and feeling proud. We can be creative at any age if we want to be ❤️

Covid 19 Lockdown specials KANJI with Pickle 😍

We were on a trip for two weeks to Pune. Back home a lot of precautions due to the Novel Corona Virus. We went into home quarantine. What to do? Having enough rice and pulses. Looked in our garden. Found mangoes 🥭 bilimbi and rose apple( jambakka) in our garden. Picked some and made delicious pickles. Pickles are ready to have with rice, roti and even for dosa in contingencies.

Then prepared kanji. That’s rice porridge. We have enough coconuts in our garden. We use to make our own coconut oil. 

About kanji I am having nostalgic memories. In my teenage weekends and holidays my mom gives us ( we siblings) warm kanji or kanji water with grated coconut in it around 11am as a pre lunch meal. Really we don’t like that. But by compulsion we were forced to have that as a healthy food. I can even now imagine the taste off the soul food. Really a great meal. It’s warm, it’s fresh, its simple, it’s delicious and it’s rich with the grated coconut. The softness of rice and crunchiness of coconut gives it a great appearance and taste. As a teenager I thought amma is giving us kanji because it is so simple to prepare.

In my youth due to my official engagements it was so hard for me to cook all the meals. So found some shortcuts and the kanji theme worked out. I came to understand that kanji is easy to make and along with veggies it is a super food for growing kids. I started giving my kids too ‘kanji’ for breakfast. Thank God 🙏our kids enjoyed kanji.

Preparation 

Cook a glass of rice in three glasses of water in a pressure cooker for three whistles. I took full grain rice. Broken rice specially for kanji is also available in market. When the pressure is gone open it, add more hot water if you prefer it thin, add salt to taste. Transfer into a serving bowl. Add a cup of fresh grated coconut over and serve hot with vegetable curry like avial or thoran along with pappad and pickles.

Here we were having no other choice so had kanji with pickles. So delicious 😋 

Kanji (Rice porridge) with pickles

Pickles 

Mango and Bilimbi from our garden 

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Nice experience with RocoMamas Pune

Visited RocoMamas Kharadi Pune located at World Trade Center run by our nephew and his friend on 27th January.
It is the very first outlet in India.
Great ambiance with their artisanal style.
We had welcome drink. A combination of unique menu items and the trendy dining atmosphere makes RocoMamas unique.
The first time we had visited RocoMamas.
My cousin Usha and me enjoyed an innovative delicious heavy lunch with great curiosity.
We had Mutton Sukkha with Sunny Side up Egg,
Cheese Baked Chicken Tikka
Chicken Wings Platter
Peri Peri Chicken Wings and Mofo Wings
and lastly Firebird Chicken Burger 🍔
Hats  off to you guys 🎩🎩
Proud of you and your team behind the venture. Best wishes and Good luck for you guys to open more and more outlets across our country and the Globe 🌍

Thengin manda thoran ( tender portion inside coconut crown)

The tender portion inside the coconut crown is ‘thengin manda’.

Usually it is a sweet thing. And if more members are present it will be only available to eat raw. This time that was not so sweet. So my cousin Usha decided to prepare this dish for lunch. It came out great 👍 It is not a common ingredient to cook. Only when a coconut palm is cut down we shall have this ingredient and cook. 

Ingredients 

Grated coconut 1 cup, turmeric powder 1/3 teaspoon, chilli powder 1/2 teaspoon, cumin powder 1/2 teaspoon, pepper corns 6, shallots 3, garlic cloves 2, both chopped. Grind these ingredients and keep aside.

Thengin manda grated 3 cups 

Coconut oil 1 tablespoon, mustard seeds 1/3 teaspoon, urd dal splits 2 teaspoons, curry leaf a sprig and salt to taste 

Heat the oil in a shallow pan, drop in urd dal splits and sauté till brown add mustard seeds followed by curry leaves and grated  thengin  manda. Combine well and allow to cook in medium flame. When cooked add the coconut mix, combine well and keep in low flame for two minutes. 

It’s a unique and rare dish to have. We had it with lunch. Delicious 😋 Thank you Usha ❤️

Kacchi Dabeli

Kacchi Dabeli is a street food. Dabeli means pressed. Masala stuffed in bun (pav) is exactly Kacchi Dabeli. Originated from Kutch as their favourite breakfast now it is widely accepted as a great snack for evening hours. I had an opportunity to have the dish at Pimpri along with my cousin settled in Pune. Ingredients
Bun ( Pav), mashed potato masala spicy or medium as you like, green chutney, garlic chilli red chutney, imli chutney and sev.
Stuff the bun with mashed potato masala, add your preferred chutney or  chutneys, press the pav on a heated pan over medium flame, light brown both sides, coat with sev and serve hot. It’s delicious 😋

Kids prefer cheese 🧀
So add some grated cheese instead of chutneys or along with.