Vintage Style Peacock Pendant Necklace

This trendy Antique style Bronze Plated Peacock Pendant Necklace is stunning and eye-catching one. Its Metals Type is Lead-tin Alloy. Red, blue, green, rose and clear stone decoration in the Peacock body is nice to see. Peacock feathers enhance its beauty. This rare elegant pendant goes well with Link Chain. Chain length is 100 cm.

 

Comments

Tutti Fruity Cake

Tutti Fruity cake is one of my favorite cakes. It is rich with a touch of pineapple flavor. My all time favorite cake used to be plum cake. During my vacation to India, I visited my in-law’s place. My father –in- law bought some Ghee Cakes, Wow!really that satisfied my taste buds. As I liked Ghee cakes so much, my father-in-law presented 6 packets of ghee cakes to take with us. But our check in baggage were almost full, so my husband insisted that we can take only one or two of the ghee cake packets with us. If the baggage weight is more than what allowed for us, we may have to bin our cakes. But My loving mother-in-law found out place for Ghee cakes in our baggage. We enjoyed them with hot tea for a month.  I plan to make Ghee cake on Our Wedding Anniversary.
Today I tried Tutti Fruity Cake.  Pineapple essence gives essential fruity flavor to the  tutti fruity cake and is an unavoidable ingredient. Unfortunately, I did not have the Pineapple essence. My next choice would have been vanilla essence, but I  ran out of that also. The oven was preheated for the cake and I was in the middle of preparing batter. I started thinking about which flavor I can use to substitute pineapple essence and I figured out that  cardamom can give a pleasant  flavor to my tutti fruity cake. So I decided to experiment with cardamom flavor. I  used 1/4 tsp of Cardamom Powder as a substitute of pineapple essence.
INGREDIENTS:

All purpose flour/Maida or Cake Flour – 2 cups + 1 Tbsp

Sugar – 1 cup

Fruit cake mix – 1 cup

Unsalted butter ( at room temperature) – 1/2 cup

Eggs – 2 nos

Baking soda – 1 tsp

Baking powder – 1 tsp

Milk – 3/4 cup

Pineapple essence – 2 tsp ( I used 1/4 tsp of cardamom powder)

METHOD:

Preheat the oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit/180 degree Celsius.

Grease a loaf pan and keep it aside. I used 8" x 8" square cake pan.

Place the Fruit cake mix in a small bowl and it with 1 Tbsp of All purpose flour/Maida or Cake Flour (from the flour measured for the cake). The purpose of mixing fruit cake mix with flour is to avoid the fruit  pieces sticking together. Also this prevents the fruit from sinking to the bottom of the batter.

In a large bowl, sift together All purpose flour/Maida or Cake Flour , Baking powder,Baking soda and keep it aside

In another large bowl,  beat together butter and sugar until it become light and fluffy (using an eclectic mixer or  hand mixer) for 1 to 2 minutes.

Add one egg at a time to this wet mixture, then add the pineapple extract/essence and beat well.

Now add the flour mixture and milk alternatively in batches and beat well. Do not over beat.

Then add the fruit cake mix to the batter and mix gently, no need to beat.

Pour the batter to the greased pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Place it on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes.

Remove your Tutti Fruity cake from the pan, slice it and serve.

Comments

Sweet potato Fritters/Madhura kizhangu Bajji

Sweet potato  is large, starchy, sweet-tasting, tuberous root. It is one of the most important food crops in tropical and subtropical countries, where both the roots and tender shoots are eaten as a vital source of nutrients.Orange-fleshed sweet potatoes is  one of nature's unsurpassed sources of beta-carotene (a vitamin A equivalent nutrient). Sweet potatoes are rich in dietary fiber, vitamin C, complex carbohydrates, and vitamin B6.  Pink, Yellow and Green varieties are also  high in carotene.

This Sweet potato fritters/Madhura kizhangu Bajji is an easy snack as well as healthy.  I used Basen flour (Chickpeas flour /kadala mavu) and rice flour in this recipe. Even corn meal and rice flour for this fritters tastes good.
INGREDIENTS:

• Basen flour (Chickpeas flour /kadala mavu) – 1 cup
• Sweet Potatoes  – 2 nos
• Rice flour – 2 tbsp
• Kashmiri chilly powder – 1/4 to  1/2 tsp
• Asafoetida powder/hing/kayam – a pinch
• Turmeric powder – a pinch
• Salt – to taste
• Baking powder – a pinch (optional)
• Water – as needed
• Oil – for fryingMETHOD:
• Wash the sweep potatoes well under cold running water  to scrub away dirt and grime from them.
• Boil or steam peeled or unpeeled sweet potatoes,until it is  half cooked. The cooking time will vary depending on the size of the potatoes(15 to 20 minutes for whole potatoes). If you cook in the microwave, 2 minutes cooking is enough. If the sweet potatoes become tender or fully cooked, it is difficult to  slice them.
• Meanwhile in a bowl or plate, mix Basen flour,Rice flour, Salt,Kashmiri chilly powder ,Asafoetida (kayam) powder,Baking powder, Turmeric powder and enough water to make a batter, Batter must not be too thick or too watery.  ( Dosa batter consistency).
• Now slice the boiled sweet potatoes carefully to get 1/4 inch thick round pieces.
• Dip the sweet potato slices in the batter and deep fry in hot oil in medium flame as batches. Keep some space between each sweet potato slices.
• When both sides become golden color, remove then from the oil and drain them in kitchen tissue.
• Serve it hot with tomato sauce or any chutney.
• Enjoy your Sweet potato Fritters/Madhura kizhangu Bajji with hot Tea or Coffee.

Comments

King Fish( Naimeen) Fry/Neimeen Porichathu

INGREDIENTS:

• King fish (Naimeen) -  5 slices (you can use any fish, but in this recipe I have used King fish (Naimeen)
• Ginger – 2”piece
• Garlic pods – 2 nos
• Kashmiri chilly powder – 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder – 1/8 tsp
• Pepper powder – 1/2 tsp
• Lemon/Lime Juice – 2 tbs
• Salt to taste
• Cooking Oil to fry
  METHOD:
• Add 1 tsp of Lemon juice and a tbsp of Salt to the Fish slices,rub the fish slices well. Otherwise add 1 tsp of Turmeric powder and a tbsp of Salt to the fish slices,rub the fish slices well.
• Leave it for 5 minutes.
• Wash the fish slices under cold water, squeeze gently and take into a mixing bowl.
• Meanwhile grind together Ginger, Garlic,Kashmiri chilly powder, Turmeric powder, Pepper powder and enough Salt to get a fine paste by adding a little water.
• If you want make gashes in the fish pieces and marinate the pieces with the ground paste.
• Then keep it aside for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Heat oil in a pan in medium heat and shallow fry the fish pieces. (Place the marinated King Fish( Naimeen) fish  slices on a single layer). Keep some space between each fish pieces.
• Cook on each side for a minute or until they are medium-brown color on both sides.
• Sprinkle oil around the fish when required.
• Drain it on a kitchen towel.
• Decorate fried King Fish( Naimeen) with onion rings and a slice of lime. 
• Can be served as Appetizer or as a side dish with steamed Rice.

Note:

• Please adjust the quantity of spices to suit your taste.
• The ground paste should not be watery.
• Fry the fish pieces on low-medium flame.
• If there are more fish pieces shallow fry them in batches.
• Do not flip the fish a lot while frying as it's very delicate and it will become mushy.

Comments

Jackfruit Jam/Chakka Varatti

The jackfruit has played a significant role in Indian agriculture for centuries.Jackfruit is an aromatic and fleshy fruit. The flesh of the jackfruit is starchy and fibrous, and is a source of dietary fiber. The flavor is similar to a tart banana.It can be eaten ripe, and cooked or uncooked.In Kerala, this fruit is native and is always found in the backyard and its incorporated in different recipes. Keralites always prefer locally and seasonally available ingredients like plantains,mangoes, jackfruits,coconut,tapioca etc. in their regular diet.Variety of delicious dishes can be made using these simple and commonly available ingredients.Although many who eat jackfruit loves it for its delicious taste, quite a few are unaware of the health benefits of jackfruit. It contains vitamin A, vitamin C, riboflavin, calcium, potassium, iron, sodium, zinc and many other nutrients. The seeds of jackfruit also can be used in many delicious curries.Tender jackfruit is used for preparing side dishes and snacks like chips.Ripe jackfruit is naturally sweet with subtle flavoring. It can be used to make a variety of sweet delicacy like cakes, Halwa, desserts, jam and more. Jackfruit Jam/Chakka Varatti is definitely most tasty one among them.
Chakka Varatti/Jack fruit jam is made of  fully ripe jackfruit pulps along with jaggery and ghee (clarified butter), are boiled and simmer for long time to remove the water content to make a thick jam form. Preparing jackfruit jam is a laborious process and  is time consuming at least it takes 5-6 hours. But the outcome of your hard work is for one of the most tongue tingling, sweetest jackfruit jam/chakka varatti.
Traditionally Chakka Varatti/Jack fruit jam is prepared in Uruli (a circular shape vessel made of bell metal) used in Kerala.
INGREDIENTS:

Ripe Jack fruit flesh – 2 kg  or 5 cups (finely chopped)

Jaggery – 1 kg  or 3 cups ( according to the sweet  you need)

Water – 2 cups

Ghee – 1/2-1 cup

Dried Ginger Powder /Chukku – 1 tbsp

Cardamom Powder /Elakka/ Elanchi – 1/2 tbsMETHOD:

• Deseed the  bulbs of the jackfruit and chop them into small pieces.Do not touch the gum while cutting the jackfruit,  it will glue all your fingers together. You can apply oil in  your hands  before cutting the jack fruit. Now use coconut fiber, paper towel,  or magazine paper and wipe the gum off the fruit. Use as many papers  or paper towels as needed but coconut fiber  is better.
• Pressure cook the chopped jackfruit pieces with one cup of water for 6-8 whistles or until soft.
• Drain the water from cooked jackfruit and keep it a bowl.
• Allow the cooked jackfruit to cool and grind them  in a mixer grinder to  get a smooth pulp.
• Heat 1 tbsp of Ghee in a heavy bottomed pan or in wide vessel like "Uruli" add water which we reserve in a bowl and melt jaggery in it to get a thick syrup. Stir it well.
• Use a thick spatula for stirring.
• Now transfer jackfruit pulp to the thick jaggery syrup  and allow all the water to disappear stir continuously till it becomes thick and sticky.
• Add ghee little by little and stir continuously over medium-low heat until you get a dark brown colored thick jam.
• You have to stir continuously to prevent jackfruit jam/chakka varatti from sticking to the vessel/Uruli. Once you feel that this is sticking to the bottom of the pan then you can  add more ghee.
• Now add dried ginger powder/Chukku  and cardamom powder and mix well.
• Remove jackfruit jam/chakka varatti from fire and let it cool to the room temperature.
• Store in an air tight container. Refrigerate it and enjoy.

NOTES:

• Actually I don’t have any hands own experience in the process of jackfruit jam/chakka varatti.Last time when we visited India for summer vacation, My loving mother-in-law and Father-in-law prepared this jackfruit jam/chakka varatti for us. My father – in- law told  me that If properly stored it in an air tight container, it can be preserved for more than a year.
• This  Chakkavaratti is used as a key ingredient in authentic dishes like Chakka Pradhaman, Kumbilappam and Ela Adai .
• Herer you can see my JackFruit Jam( Chakka Varatty) Payasam/Kheer

Comments

Kerala Traditional Manga Necklace

This Beautiful Manga Necklace or Manga Mala is most common traditional jewelry design of Kerala.  Even though  it is a traditional design till it is trendy and eye catching one. Manga Mala is best for your special occasions. It  is a Perfect Necklace with  Saree and traditional costumes.
Comments

Egg Curry with Coconut Milk

INGREDIENTS:

Eggs – 4

Onion, finely chopped  - 2 nos

Tomato, chopped – 1 big.

Green chillies – 3 or 4 , slit lengthwise

Ginger – 2” piece

Garlic – 2 pods

Turmeric powder – 1/8 tsp

Coriander power – 1 tsp

Black Pepper  powder – 1/2 tsp

Cumin powder – 1/4 tsp

Cinnamon – 1 inch piece

Cloves – 2 nos

Fennel powder – 1/2 tsp

Coconut milk – 1/2 cup

Oil – 1 tsp

Salt – to taste

Chopped coriander leaves – 2 TbspMETHOD:

• Boil the eggs and remove its shells. Keep it aside.
• Heat a small pan and dry roast cinnamon, Fennel Powder, Cloves, Black pepper powder, and coriander powder for 1 minutes.
• Allow them to cool.
• Place all these dry roasted ingredients along with ginger, garlic pods, and cumin seeds in a small jar of your mixer and grind it well by adding 1 or 2 Tbsp of water.
• Now heat oil in a pan,add chopped onion, turmeric powder,  and green chillies.
• Cook them until onions  become golden brown.
• Add ground spices to this and mix well.
• Now add chopped tomatoes and sauté well.
• Allow them to cook in medium heat for 5 - 7 minutes.
• Add salt and 1/2 cup of water and simmer for 5 more minutes. 
• Add coconut milk and 1/2 cup of  water and let it boil for 2 minutes. Sauté well.
• If you want, you can cut the eggs into half lengthwise and add them to the boiling gravy. Check for the salt.
• Allow them to boil in medium heat for 2 more minutes or until you get the required consistency. If you want more gravy, you can add 1/4 cup or less of hot water to the curry. 
• Garnish your tasty egg curry with chopped Coriander leaves.

Notes:

If you don’t have cloves, cardamom powder, cinnamon, and Fennel powder, you can use 1/2 tsp of Garam masala and 1/2 tsp of Meat masala.

Comments

Trendy traditional oval red glass beads necklace

This handcrafted jewelry is made with Gold Border Glass Beads and gold color round beads. This necklace length extends with gold plated back chain to fit all neck size.Gold Border Glass Beads come in various colors, shapes and sizes. Glass beads with gold colored border are smart and polished in any space and add a vibrant hue to lift up any area.This elegant necklace is suitable for marriages & party wear.
Comments

Ethakka Appam (Banana(Plantain) Fritters/Pazham Pori

Ethakka Appam / Pazham pori is a is a very popular and traditional dish in kerala. Literally it means “Banana Fry/banana fritters”. It is made out of a special variety of plantain called "Nenthrappazham/Kerala banana" which is highly nutritious and good source of potassium and vitamins A & C.Banana (Nenthrappazham/Kerala banana, which is commonly used to make chips in south India).used to be one of the staple foods of South India and continues to play an important role as a dessert.South Indians usually prepare lot of food items using Banana and one that is sweet and popular is the Pazham pori. Ethakka Appam / Pazham pori is served as a snack along with hot tea or coffee. This snack is common street item in Kerala and one of the fastest and hot selling snacks in trains.These tastes yummy when the plantains are ripe. You could know them looking at the skin of banana becomes a bright black. These are very quick to make at the same time satisfy our tasty buds. Usually this is prepared from Maida and Banana. But in this recipe, I have replaced Maida with something more healthier.
INGREDIENTS:

Gram flour/kadala Mavu/ Chickpeas flour/ Besan flour – 1 cup

Rice flour – 1/2 cup

Sugar - 1 Tbsp

Ripe Banana – 2 or 3

A pinch of turmeric powder

Salt – a pinch

Water – About 3/4 cup water (more or less)

Cardamom powder – 1/8 tsp

Coconut oil to deep fry METHOD:

Gram flour/kadala Mavu/ Chickpeas flour/ Besan flour in a wide bowl.

Add sugar, rice flour cardamom powder, sugar , turmeric powder, salt with gram flour and mix well. I used white sugar, if you want, you can use brown sugar.

Add about 1/2 cup water and adjust the consistency, to make a batter that's slightly more watery than dosa batter. It shouldn't be too thin, otherwise, the Ethakka Appam / Pazham pori will be too oily.

Adding a pinch of turmeric powder only meant to give the color and doesn't change the taste or flavor in any way.

Now cut the plantains/ Bananas into half and then slice each half midway vertically. Further slice each of the quarters into 2-3 thin pieces.

Dip them into the batter, fully coat them with batter.

Heat oil in a pan until its all bubbly. You have to use coconut oil for the authentic taste.

I used a small kadai /pan so that I need only very little oil and that reduces wastage.

When the oil is just short of smoking hot, add in the banana pieces coated with the batter.

Fry both sides till golden in color and using a slotted spoon transfer to a plate layered with kitchen tissue.

Serve warm with tea. Another recipe is here :: http://ourharsha.blogspot.com/2011/10/banana-frittersethakka-appam-pazham.html
NOTE:

• The street food sellers often use eggs and baking powder in the batter, but your homemade Pazham Pori will certainly taste even better.
• No other variety of banana can be substituted for Nendran to give the desired quality.
• The Banana has to be ripe, yet not too ripe for you not be able to handle the cutting.
• When you use rice flour, the batter tends to come out little crispy.The proportion of Rice flour depends on how crispy you want. Without rice flour the fritters tend to become soggy. If you want it crispy, you can add a little more rice flour, but I think the snack tastes better when chewy.
• Take care not to lower your fingers close to the oil.
• More sugar browns the fritters.
• If the batter is watery it will be too oily.Ensure a semi-thick consistency of the batter.

Comments

Kerala Style Egg Curry/Mutta Curry

INGREDINETS:

• Eggs – 2 ( boiled )
• Ginger – 1” piece, crushed 
• Garlic – 2 pods crushed
• Onion – 1 medium, thinly sliced
• Tomato – 1 big , cubed
• Red Chilli powder – 1/2 tsp
• Coriander powder – 1/2  tsp
• Turmeric powder – 1/8 tsp
• Cardamom/Elanchi powder – 1 pinch
• Cinnamon powder – 1/4 tsp
• Fennel powder – 1/4 tsp
• Cloves – 2 nos
• Oil – 1 tsp
• Salt – to taste
• Water – 1/2 cup
• Chopped coriander leaves – 1 Tbsp

METHOD:

• Heat oil in a pan and add the thinly sliced onions and sauté it until they start to turn brown. Do not let them burn, the onions should just start to caramelize.
• Add crushed ginger and garlic to this and sauté until the raw smell is gone.
• Now add turmeric powder, coriander powder, chilly powder , cloves, cardamom powder, cinnamon powder, Fennel powder and sauté for 10-12 minutes in medium flame until the whole mixture has a deep brown color.
• Add water and salt to the masala and stir to mix well. If you want a dry curry, you can reduce the amount of water.
• When the water starts to boil, turn off the stove.
• Place the boiled eggs cut into half on top of the curry carefully and pour some gravy over it to make sure they get coated with the masala.
• You would not want to stir the gravy with the eggs, as it.
• Garnish your Kerala Style Egg Curry/Mutta Curry with chopped coriander leaves.
NOTE:

If you dont have cloves, cardamom powder, cinnamon powder, and Fennel powder, you can use 1/2 tsp of Garam masala and 1/2 tsp of Meat masala. Meat masala is optional.

Comments

Appam and Kerala style Egg Curry

Appam is a fermented rice pancake with soft and spongy texture in the middle and lacy crispy edges. Appam is one of the traditional breakfast dishes of Kerala cuisine. It is the South Indian yeasted, flat bread. It is also very popular in Sri Lanka, where it is known as "appa" (or "hopper"). Appam is very delicious and healthy breakfast dish to start the day off. It can be serve as dinner too. These Appams are cooked in Appachatti, shallow bowl shaped pan. The key ingredients of Appam are rice, yeast and coconut milk. They are (Appam) the perfect thing for soaking up delicious curries. They are also naturally vegan and gluten-free.
Appam and Egg curry is one of my favorite Breakfast/Dinner combination :)

Recipe is here :: Appam and Kerala style Egg Curry/Mutta Curry

Comments

Handmade Pink Kundan Necklace

This is a beautiful Pink gold plated Bollywood style bridal kundan jewelry. This hand made kundan necklace is suitable for marriages & party wear. Necklace extends with adjustable gold-colored cord to fit all neck size.




Comments

Red Coral Beads Necklace

This elegant jewelry is made with Red Coral Beads, Gold plated leaf findings and gold plated round beads. The necklace extends with gold plated back chain.



Comments