Veg Stew - Kerala Style

I had never had Kerala stew till my sister had ordered some the other day. I was hooked. It felt especially good since I was coming down with a cold. It is also very easy to make.

Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil (or coconut oil if you can handle it) in a pan

When hot, add the following:
4-5 black-peppercorns
3 cloves
1 brown cardamom (badi elaichi)
A few curry leaves
2 green chillies, slit

Then add
1 cup chopped mix veg (carrots, green beans, cauliflower, peas) - I used some frozen mix veg

When the vegetables are tender, add
2 cups of coconut milk
1 stick of cinnamon
Salt to taste

Bring to boil. If you want the stew to be lighter in consistency, then add some water. To make it thicker, add some cashew paste.

Garnish with chopped coriander, and serve with appams (or steamed dosas).

Hummus

I love hummus, and it feels good to indulge because it is also very healthy.
We made this and had it with baked thins from the leftover pizza base dough.

For Tahini:

2 tbsb sesame seeds roasted lightly in an oven or on a pan (they shouldn't brown)
2 tbsp olive oil

For Hummus:
Tahini
2 cups boiled chickpeas (they should be soft enough to mash with your fingers)
3 cloves garlic
3-4 tbsp water left over from the boiled chickpeas
4-5 tbsp olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
4-5 pieces of olives, sliced (optional)
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp cumin powder
Coriander/parsley to garnish

Blend the chickpeas, garlic, tahini, and the water...adding some more water if needed. The consistency should be of a smooth paste.
While serving, top with lemon juice, olive oil, olives, chilli, and top with the greens.

You could also use this as a dip for salad, spread for sandwiches, or pasta dressing.

Traditional Christmas Pudding

A little late to post this, but I had made a few of these over the holiday season and they were great!
The only detterant would be the time it takes to cook it.

Ingredients:
3-4 tbsp flour
Pinch of salt
1 tsp baking powder
1tbsp mixed spice (ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves)
2 eggs
100g dark muscovado sugar
100g butter or vegetable oil
A few toasted pecans
4-5 chopped dates
4-5 chopped prunes
10-15 currants
50g blanched almonds, flaked
Juice of half an orange (it worked well even with cranberry juice)
Zest of 1 orange
1 carrot (grated)
1 apple (peeled, cored, and grated)
2 slices crust-less white bread (not store-bought breadcrumbs. Take 2-3 day old white bread and if it isn't completely dry, then put them in the oven on low heat for 15-20 min taking care to not brown it. Then break them into coarse crumbs by hand.)
50ml Guinness (I used regular beer)
50ml Grand Marnier (I used brandy or rum)

Beat the sugar with butter/oil. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl and add to this.
In a separate bowl, sift the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add this and the rest of the ingredients to the butter/sugar and mix well. The consistency should be a little sloppy - not too dry (add alcohol/juice if it is) and not too runny (add some more flour if it is).

Pour the mix into a greased pudding bowl, cover it with a foil and tie it with string.

Ready the steaming vessel. Use something at its base to prop the pudding bowl so it doesn't stick to the base and burn. Pour in enough water so that it just comes up half way up the pudding bowl. Once the water is warm enough, put in the pudding bowl and cover.

This needs to cook for 6 hours (yes you read it right). This ensures that the flavours soak through all the ingredients. Keep topping up the water level in between. Don't let the water dry out or else the pudding will burn.

This can be made a week in advance and kept in the fridge. To reheat it, steaming is recommended (but I just zapped it in the microwave).

To serve (Optional):
Sprinkle the surface with 2 tbsp soft brown or caster sugar.
Pour 30 ml of brandy or rum and flambe it. It gives a nice toasty crust to it.

Homemade Pizzas

I made cheesy heart-shaped pizzas for Valentine's Day this year. Turned out quite good.
The dough didn't rise much for some reason, but it still was good - like thin crust, and not dry.

Base (makes three 10-12 inch bases):

Dissolve 1 tbsp of active dry yeast in a cup of warm water for 5 minutes.


Sift together:
500 gms of flour (for this, I used a mix of self-raising and whole wheat)
Pinch of salt

Add the yeast to the flour along with some more warm water to knead the flour.
Knead till soft.
Coat the ball of dough with some olive oil - just so it doesn't stick to the bowl and leave to prove for 2 hours.
(You could work on the toppings meanwhile).
After 2 hours, knead it again to remove the air bubbles.
Divide into 3-4 large parts, or 6 smaller ones.
You could roll it out on a floured surface or just stretch it to get the shape you want.
Place it on the floured baking tray and add the toppings.

Toppings:
Tomato sauce (I used store-bought pasta sauce. You could also use homemade sauce)
Veggies (mushrooms, par-boiled spinach, bell peppers, grilled aubergines)
Garnish (capers, olives)
Cooked meats/sausages are optional 
Herbs (chilli flakes, oregano, chives)
Cheese

Bake in the oven at 180 deg C on the lower rack or 25 minutes: the last 7-8 minutes with the heat on just the base.