Kerala Black Pepper Beef Short Ribs

 

Melbourne's CBD features some amazing laneways that are famous for iconic artwork, cozy bars, tempting dessert lounges and an array of restaurants that feature food from all over the world. One of them is called the Daughter-in-Law and they call themselves the "unauthentic Australian Indian cuisine." When our friend visited from India, we decided to check this place out.  I was pleasantly surprised to see all the "ghenda phool" garlands - and it immediately reminded us of the time when we had been to Delhi with this same friend to purchase these garlands for our daughter's wedding. How fitting that we selected a restaurant that reminded us of those days!  

We ordered the food and one of the items in the menu was the Kerala pepper beef short ribs. This dish was easily my favorite on the night - may be because I am biased towards Kerala cuisine, but that aside, I was determined to try it out at home.

It is surprisingly easy to make and I came very close to what was served that night, so I am very pleased with myself. It can be an easy dinner when you plan to study or work in the garden. It doesn't require constant monitoring and it can be served with store bought pita bread, naans or rice.  I served it with Kerala parotta.

Idichakka Thoran - Green Jackfruit Stir Fry

 A few weeks ago, the family and I visited a "New Age" cafe where they were spruiking "pulled jackfruit" burgers as the new vegan go to food - that tasted even better than meat. The Keralite in me came out - and I decided I was going to order that, against my husband's wise advice. The pulled jackfruit was extremely disappointing leaving me craving for the real thing. I find it really annoying that people, including me, fall for such marketing ploys and then end up hating a perfectly great dish.

Of course, I could never hate the jackfruit - it is one of my favorite fruits.  And I know exactly what it could taste like if done properly.  

On that note, as I walked past my green grocer a couple of days back, I spotted green / unripe jackfruits. I immediately picked up a piece and brought it home. Finally my craving could be satiated.

On that note, let us move on to the Idichakka Thoran. Sure, it looks like pulled pork.  But this dish has been around for decades before pulled pork became fashionable. Most people in Kerala have a jackfruit tree in their back yard - and we did too. And this dish has been a staple of many households for decades.

Paneer Bhurji - Scrambled Indian Cottage Cheese

 Today was a busy day at home - clearing up my son's room. Then a quick run to the green grocer to get some essentials for the week. I found some lovely yellow capsicums at a great price, so I picked up a few. I also had left over paneer from last week, so it is going to be a quick and easy Sunday night dinner with some Lebanese bread and Paneer Bhurji.

I will take the left overs for lunch tomorrow in my sandwich and toast it. Very versatile dish, and the capsicum is my own addition -which you do not normally find in Paneer Bhurji. I added it in as I have so many of them! Back to the grind tomorrow!

Chettinad Garlic Chutney - Poondu Puli Kulambu

 Garlic season is here and the market is brimming with beautiful, fresh, fragrant garlic.  This chutney is bursting with flavours out of this world - and needs a simple rice or roti to go with it. Today I have paired it with yogurt rice as it is a hot day here in Melbourne.  Finally we have Summer at our doorstep after all the rain.

This chutney is called Poondu Puli Kulambu - which means garlic tamarind gravy.  This was introduced to me by my friend Manikumari who I went to University with. She stayed at home and attended school while I was in the hostel and eating boring hostel food.  So whenever she invited me over for a meal, I would never say no. There was an amazing cook in her house who would whip up delicacies to feed us starving students from University!

This gravy celebrates the cuisine of Chettinad - or Chettinadu and it is very unique and full of flavour.  Though most of us are familiar with the Chicken Chettinad, there are several other dishes which are rarely available in restaurants but are equally if not more flavoursome.  In this dish, we bring out the nutty, buttery flavours of garlic and marry it with the tangy tamarind and other staple spices.

Rajam's Fish Mollee

 In 1993, when I was getting ready to migrate to Australia, I would sit with my mother for hours and write down recipes in my little brown diary.  I have thumbed through my diary for several years now and it is heavily stained, and dog eared. I have been transferring recipes from the diary into the online platform.  The diary however retains the magic of my mother's memories, the cooking smells that came from our kitchen at home and the delighted squeals of the rest of the family when the food was plated up.  The online platform, I find, doesn't have the soul though it is very convenient.

This recipe was one of the most loved of my appa's and he would get the fish sliced thinly from the market so amma could make it just the way he liked it.  The fish we bought for this dish was Spanish Mackerel but I guess you can use any firm fleshed fish. I was lucky that the fish monger at my local market sliced the fish thinly for me just how I like it.

This recipe is said to have been passed down from the Portuguese traders  who visited Kerala to buy spices.  It has now become one of the most sought after dishes in restaurants that is well known by all Keralites and a lot of visitors too.

This stew is very versatile and can be served with appam, rice, idiappam or bread rolls and toast.

Today I have served it with red rice flour idiappams.

Mattar Paneer - Cottage Cheese with Green Peas

 Lately I have been listening to this gorgeous lady from a Facebook page called "Papa Mummy Kitchen".  The hostess talks in Hindi, is always beautifully dressed and is so efficient and thorough in the kitchen. I tried this recipe since I had all the ingredients handy. I didn't manage to get the colour she achieved, but the taste is good. 

You have probably had this dish in your local Indian restaurant - it is made from green peas and Indian cottage cheese called paneer. Paneer is made from cows milk that has been split by using lime juice or vinegar.  When the milk splits, the curds are separated with a muslin cloth and weighed down to make a block of cheese.  

You could go to your local Indian grocer and buy a block of cheese about 250 grams for approximately AUD 7.00  The rest of the ingredients are all easily available and if you can make some chappaties to go with the main dish, that would be great.  Or you can do what I did and get some "roti chanai" also called parotta to serve with your mattar paneer.  By the way, mattar means green peas and paneer is cottage cheese in Hindi.

Egg Curry with Fresh Cream

 With Orthodox Easter just gone by, some of you might still have a large amount of boiled eggs at home which you can use to make this beautiful curry and have it with pita bread and / or rice.  It is a mild curry full of flavour and a great way to use up those boiled eggs!

Rasa Vadai - Lentil Fritters in Tomato Soup

 The person who introduced me to this dish is my beautiful grandmother Ella. She must have been a great foodie in her days.  All I know is that she was a fabulous cook!  Every time she made rasam, she would make these lentil fritters and they would be dunked into the rasam and served with rice.

Rasam is a thin vegetarian soup that is more like a broth, tangy and hot and perfect for having as an appetizing drink or with some rice as a meal.  You might be familiar with mulligatawny soup which translates to pepper water or, in other words, rasam. The British gave it that fancy name and it is now popular all over the world.

Anyway, back to my grandmother Ella. She would fry up these crisp lentil fritters and leave them in the rasam to soak and it made a healthy and delicious meal.  It is much later that I came to know that this dish is a speciality of the little town where my parents are from.  Therefore, I have to include it in my list of recipes!  

Yakhni Lamb - Lamb cooked in a yogurt gravy

 I hardly watch TV.  I just do not get the time. However, sometimes, when channel surfing, I stumble across really interesting series. Raja, Rasoi Aur Anya Kahaniyan is one of those. Roughly translated the title means "Of Kings, Kitchens and Other Stories". And this series encapsulates a whole lot of history into their cooking shows. The very first episode I happened to watch happened to be about the cuisine of Kashmir. Being from the other end of the country (roughly 3700 kms), I found the entire episode fascinating. Kashmiri cuisine is influenced by the new spices and ways of cooking brought over by the traders on the Silk Road. The traders were Middle Eastern, Chinese and European.  they brought along with their goods methods of cooking and a bit of their culture into India. The introduction of saffron, cooking meat on the barbeque, marinating meat, the fact that even the Brahmins in Kashmir eat meat, all of this was a fascinating concept. 

Even the fact that when the people of Kashmir called you over for a meal, there is no bias based on religion or caste. The Wazwan or a Kashmiri Buffet was an eye opener and immediately had me wanting to go there to have a taste! The Wazwan literally means "Cooking Shop" - and it is a spread of many courses of succulent and mildly flavoured meats and vegetables. The interesting thing for me being from South India and being used to the common idea of cooking meats with ginger and garlic, Kashmiri cuisine was totally out of this world.

After going through various recipes, I thought I would try out the Yakhni Lamb and we were not disappointed! And for all my Australian friends who want to try a curry with no chilli - this is a very good one to start with. Tender Australian Spring Lamb, a yogurt based sauce and some fluffy fried rice or naans to go with it. What more can you want on a lazy Saturday afternoon?

The key ingredients which you probably will not have in your pantry is mustard oil, dry ginger and black cardamom. Yes, there is such a thing called black cardamom, guys. Your local Indian grocer will have these, so make a trip and collect them before you start.

Raw Green Mango Pachadi - Green Mango Yogurt Salad

 In Summer, when raw green sour mangoes are in season, I buy a few, wash them, chop them and freeze them. This way I can make my favourite recipes even when the raw mango season is over. In this recipe I have used frozen mango slices, green chillies and shallots.  The pomegranate makes for a pretty as well as refreshing garnish with a burst of sweetness in the mouth.

Pachadis are South Indian versions of the raita and can be made with different vegetables / fruit.  The essential ingredients are coconut, ginger, green chillies and yogurt. An array of fruit and vegetables like beetroot, ginger, okra, eggplant, pineapple, mango, zucchini, cucumber etc can be used as the "star" ingredient - and all pachadis are tempered with mustard seeds, curry leaf and dry red chilli.

It is served at room temperature and is an essential part of a Kerala meal. The South Indian equivalent of a raita, if you will.

Pomegranates have just come into season in Melbourne - they are juicy and sweet. In this version I have mixed a traditional pachadi with an unusual garnish and this was such a pleasing effect on the tongue. A dance of flavours on the palate! 

Parippukeerai - Purslane with Mung Dal

 Who would have thought! When I saw this common weed displayed as an edible on Vasili's Garden on Channel 31, I was very curious about it.  It sparked my interest and I read up on it.  It is a vegetable called purslane and it has a very high content of omega 3 fatty acids plus proteins, vitamins A, C and E and minerals like iron, potassium, calcium and magnesium. The leaves of this plant have a salty lemony flavour and hence it is called "uppukeerai" or salt spinach in my homeland.  I am lucky to have this vegetable growing in my garden freely.  It has pretty red stems and tiny yellow flowers so I have let it grow freely.  Today, however, I decided to harvest, cook and taste for myself this magical herb with so much of goodness in it.  And I must say I was not at all disappointed. Salty, tangy and just perfect with mung dal.  As Vasili would say, Maresi!! I will be making this all through summer as I still have heaps of this in my yard. Make sure that you harvest your purslane from a known area - where weed spray has not been used.

Sundal - Chickpea Salad

 Amma used to serve this up as afternoon tea once in a while.  I was never a fan of it in my younger days. As I grew older and my taste buds changed, I realised that I have become a huge fan of chick peas. It is filling, packed with nutrients and above all, so tasty - and don't forget, gluten free. That ticks so many boxes. If you are thinking of controlling your appetite, chick peas are a great option as a small amount keeps you feeling full for longer.

In my youth, we never bought tinned chick peas. In fact, I was not even aware of the tinned chick peas until I came here to Australia! Amma did it the old fashioned way - soaking the chick peas over night and then cooking them the next day.  This recipe is however, made with the tinned chick peas - reducing the cooking time. Also, in amma's recipe there are no added raw vegetables. I added them in as I wanted something light and fresh for dinner on this hot Melbourne evening!

This is also served as a popular street food item in news paper cones in Marina Beach, Chennai. You can use your choice of legumes and /or garnishes.

Amaranth Stir Fry

 Amaranth is a versatile plant that has been around for longer than us! It is an ancient seed grain and used like a cereal.  You can eat the leaves and stalks of the amaranth. My neighbour gave me some seeds that I randomly threw in the garden beds and now I have a few plants that I can harvest the leaves regularly from.  One of these plants has grown like Goliath - and is like a small tree!  I was able to harvest enough leaves to cook a dish for lunch for the family. I was reading that in the right conditions they can grow 5 to 8 feet - which was news to me as I have only seen them in the market bundled up in bunches of 10 - 20 plants, root and all, and about 6 to 8 inches long.

There are lots of varieties of Amaranthus - my own favourite is the one that dyes everything red once it is cooked. I used to love mixing it with the white rice and having a spectacular red rice meal.  The one that is growing in my garden is a green Amaranthus and there is no colour that comes out of the cooked leaves.  Nevertheless, it is tasty and very nutritious. There are a lot of uses for Amaranthus leaves - when they are young, you add them to salads and eat them raw, the older leaves are cooked in a stir fry, with dal or even pickled. They can be stuffed into chappaties or fried in an omelette too.

Asians, Africans, Europeans and South Americans cook the Amaranthus - in fact, it was originally cultivated by the Aztecs and Incas and spread all over the world from there.  The seeds are highly nutritious and they are gluten free.  They are rich in various proteins, micronutrients and anti oxidants along with manganese, magnesium, iron and phosphorus.

Chellammal Grandma's Chicken Curry

 I love family history - especially when it relates to food! My husband's dad is from a place called Agasteeswaram near Nagercoil. This recipe belongs to his mother.  What is beautiful about this recipe is the simplicity, use of easily available ingredients and the effortlessness of making this dish. Every time he spoke about his mother's special chicken recipe, my father in law's eyes would light up and he would promise to make it for me some day. He discussed the recipe with me, but never ended up cooking it for me. So based on what he told me, I have tried to recreate Chellammal grandma's chicken recipe. 

I believe when Chellammal grandma made this dish, it was almost pure white like the coconut milk she used. The reason for the colour in my dish is that I browned the chicken pieces before adding the coconut milk.

I can imagine grandma cooking this dish, putting it all together in an earthen pot, and after making sure the coals were burning red hot in her wood fired stove, she would go off to do other chores.

When she came back in an hour or so, the food would be ready to serve to the hungry family. 

Aloo Gobi - Potato Cauliflower curry

 Aloo means Potato in Hindi and Gobi is Cauliflower. This dish is a simple, rustic, vegetarian delight to take you back to simple eating after all the feasting over the holiday season.

We are all back at work and I keep looking for simple and easy things to cook, as well as use up the vegetables in the fridge.  My husband was craving this North Indian staple so here it is! It is Friday night and we decided to just get some fresh naans from our local take away Indian to go with this curry.

Bhagare Baingan - Eggplant in a rich peanut sauce

I did not know that this dish was introduced to India by the Moghuls!  Ever time I blog I try and do a little research on the origin of the dish - and this dish has been around for a long time and I love it but I never thought of researching it until now. It is a famous side dish that is served with biriyani or pulao rice and/or breads like chappaties or naan.  This dish hails from Hyderabad and it arrived in India via the Silk Road, the recipe carried by Moghul traders all the way from Tashkent which is the capital of Uzbekistan.

I love egg plant in all forms so naturally I embraced this dish when I first tasted it and have been making it fairly regularly at home. It is best to use full, small eggplants for this dish - aesthetically that is what looks great. However, with the Christmas rush and all I had no time to go hunting for baby egg plants.  I just used a couple of the big ones, sliced thickly.

This dish has a flavourful, nutty, and rich base sauce that soaks up breads and rice nicely and blends with the eggplant in a beautiful union that makes the soul happy.

Andrea's Dry Cauliflower Curry

 Andrea is a dear friend of mine, we go back a long way.  We studied together in the same school for 10 years and she migrated with her family to Australia.  I followed a decade later and we got back in touch.  When you are a new migrant, it is a luxury to have a childhood friend live close by.  The friend becomes your family and I appreciate all the help she gave us to help us settle into Melbourne. She introduced me to this curry when she brought it over one time - to save me cooking when I had just had my baby.  I love the simple flavours in this dish. This dish can be had as a side dish with Indian meals or you can have as part of your meat and 3 veggies combo with a steak or lamb chop.  As usual, remember you do not have to add chilli just because I have added it to the dish.  

Kerala Chicken Stew

 I decided to celebrate my birthday a day earlier - why not?!  Considering it is lockdown and I cannot do anything else anyway.  I got up early to day to make appam and chicken stew for the family.  This is such an easy dish and you can adjust the spice levels to suit your taste.  It goes well with freshly baked white bread - or any other type of spongy bread, like the Kerala Appam.

Onam 2021

 

Onam, the harvest festival celebrated by people of Kerala irrespective of religious beliefs is a food fest. Various vegetables prepared and served on a banana leaf is the highlight of the festival.  Back home we used to be entertained by various sideshows on the street during Onam.  There was always a Onam fair, street dancers, decked out elephants that strolled along, boat races, new movies that were released on the day, flower carpet competitions and snack making that started a few days ahead of the main celebrations.

Beef Ularthiyathu - Pan Roasted Beef - Kerala Style

 Most of my Australian friends here in Melbourne think that Indians do not eat beef.  Not if you are from Kerala.  Keralites love their beef and there is a treasure trove of Kerala Beef recipes that I have tasted and enjoyed. Most of the beef dishes have an element of coconut and coconut oil which is very distinctive.  I have not used coconut oil, but you can use it to get a feel for what it tastes like.

This recipe is based on my mother's instructions.  She is long gone, but the taste of her food still lingers in the corners of my mind and heart.  This week my friends in Kerala have kicked off their Onam or harvest festival celebrations and I find that my heart is longing to go back home.

Though Onam is a vegetarian festival, this dish jogs my memories of home which is why I have cooked it today.  Hope you enjoy this as much as my family does.