Wrapping up 2011 and welcoming 2012 in the sweetest way possible…

A few more hours to bid farewell to 2011 and to welcome 2012. Every year on Dec 31st I go through my picasa album and look at all the beautiful pictures, cherish all the moments that I had in that year and will end up making a collage of all the beautiful moments. I did the same today as well, I can only say that I did have an amazing 2011 and no regrets whatsoever. There were ups and downs and I believe that’s what makes life thrilling. One of the best moments of 2011 was when my husband became a pilot and flying with my pilot was the most amazing part.

I had made a New Year’s resolution to photograph my dinner everyday for 365 days straight, I was able to stick to my resolution and have successfully uploaded all the dinner pictures. This year, I was featured on a gazette and two other websites and was chosen as one of the best food bloggers of 2011. I am so happy that what I am doing with all my heart and passion is finally getting recognized. I can’t thank enough all the lovely people who follow my cooking and who support me unconditionally. Without my readers and fans, I wouldn’t have reached so far. I have no words when it comes to conveying my gratitude to everyone out there who are a part of my life’s journey. THANK YOU!

I have always followed one thing in my life: keep it simple and be genuine, then everything will turn out to be beautiful!

I always make something sweet and delicious for New Year’s eve. Last night, I couldn’t resist and made strawberry-almond swiss roll. As I made the cake with gluten free flour, I was little concerned about the texture of the cake. When the cake came out of the oven, I jumped out of joy seeing the soft and fluffy texture of the cake. Made the strawberry filling and whipped-cream frosting from scratch. The swiss roll tasted so delicious, it was unbelievably soft and creamy. This is a very simple recipe and can be made without much effort.

Wishing everyone a Fantastic 2012!!!

Strawberry and Almond Swiss Roll Recipe

Recipe adapted from here

Ingredients

For making cake:

• Large eggs – 4 (separate yolks and whites)
• Granulated sugar- 3/4 cup
• Almond extract or vanilla extract- 1/4 tsp
• All purpose flour or Gluten free flour- 1/2 cup
• Salt- 1/4 tsp
• Confectioners sugar or powdered sugar for dusting- 3 to 4 tbsp

For making Strawberry filling and Whipped-cream frosting:

• Strawberry syrup (thick syrup) or spread- 1/4 cup
• Heavy cream- 2 1/4 cups
• Sugar- 1/4 cup

Preparation:

Making cake:

1. Separate egg yolks and whites from the 4 eggs.
2. In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks along with 1/2 cup granulated sugar until it turns pale yellow ( You could use an electric hand mixer to gently beat it).
3. Add almond or vanilla extract and flour to the yolk mixture, whisk just until combined (don’t over mix the batter).
4. In another large bowl, using an electric hand mixer beat egg whites and salt until soft peaks form.
5. Slowly add remaining 1/4 cup sugar (1 tablespoon at a time) and beat until the egg whites turn stiff.
6. First, whisk in one third of the beaten egg whites into the yolk mixture.
7. Gently fold in the remaining beaten egg white using a rubber spatula, keep aside.
8. Preheat oven to 350 F.
9. Grease a 10-by-15 inch baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
10. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper.
11. Coat the parchment paper with non-stick cooking spray.
12. Spread the prepared cake batter evenly on the parchment paper.
13. Bake for 15 minutes until a fork inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
14. After 15 minutes, remove the baking sheet from the oven.
15. Gently run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen up the cake.
16. Dust the top of the cake with confectioners sugar.
17. Place another parchment paper on the top of the cake and gently invert the cake on it.
18. Peel off the parchment paper that’s now on top of the cake.
19. Starting from a short side of the cake, gently roll cake along with the parchment paper.
20. Place the seam side or the side where the rolling ended down on a baking sheet and let cool for 20 minutes.

Making strawberry filling and Whipped-cream frosting:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk strawberry syrup with 1/4 cup cream, set aside.
2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer beat remaining 2 cups heavy cream with sugar till soft and stiff peaks form.
3. Fold half of the prepared whipped cream into the strawberry filling, this is to spread on the cake.
4. The remaining whipped cream is the whipped-cream frosting to spread over the swiss roll.

How to assemble:

1. After 20 minutes of cooling the rolled cake.
2. Gently unroll the cake.
3. Spread the prepared strawberry filling on the cake, leaving a 1/2-inch border.
4. Starting from a short side of the cake, gently re-roll the cake along with the filling.
5. This time discard the parchment paper.
6. Place the seam side or the side where the rolling ended down on a platter.
7. Spread over and the sides of the roll with whipped-cream frosting.
8. Using a flat spatula, clean the frosting so that it’s spread evenly. Or using a fork gently run over the frosting to make lines.
9. Garnish the top with roasted almonds, colored sugar balls, sprinkles, glitters etc as per your preference.
10. Refrigerate the swiss roll for at least 2 hours or keep it overnight.
11. While serving, using a sharp knife slice into rolls of 1 to 2 inches wide.
12. Enjoy this delicious swiss roll with your dear ones.
13. This roll tastes delicious and sets really well the next day, so it will be good if you refrigerate this overnight.

A vegetarian version of chilly chicken…

One of the my favorite Indo Chinese dishes is chilly chicken. I’ve had different versions of chilly chicken made my by mom, my aunts, at restaurants and finally made by myself. This is such a delicious dish that I wanted to make a vegetarian version, so that my vegan readers can also enjoy it. While thinking about making vegetarian version, at first I thought of making this with either potato or cauliflower. Then I had a second thought, as most of the Indo Chinese vegetarian recipes are made with cauliflower or potatoes, I wanted to go with a different vegetable. One vegetable that I adore the most is baby corn, I love how tiny and cute it looks. I often add baby corns to my stir fries and so always store canned baby corns in my pantry.

Hence, baby corn was my pick and made chilly baby corn. It turned out to be delicious, I also enjoyed the crunchiness from the baby corn.

Chilly Baby Corn

Ingredients:

• Baby corn, canned- 2 cans (I also added bamboo shoots)
• Oil- for deep frying

To make batter:

• Corn flour- 1/2 cup
• Rice flour- 1 tbsp
• Water- 1/4 +1/8 cup
• Ginger-Garlic paste- 2 tsp
• Ground pepper- 1/4 tsp
• Salt- to taste

For making chilly baby corn:

• Oil- 2 tbsp
• Ginger, minced- 1 tbsp
• Garlic, minced- 1 tbsp
• Red whole dry chilly- 2 no’s
• Onion, chopped – 2
• Green pepper, diced- 1
• Soy sauce- 3 tbsp
• Tomato ketchup- 4 tbsp
• Rice vinegar- 1 tbsp
• Chili paste or sambal oelek- 1 tsp
• Spring onion, chopped – 2 stalks
• Cilantro, chopped- 1 handful

Preparation:

1. Rinse the canned baby corns under running water, pat dry it and keep aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine all the above mentioned ingredients to make a thick batter.
3. Dip the baby corns in the batter and coat it evenly.
4. Heat a frying pan, add enough oil for frying.
5. Fry the coated baby corn in oil till it turns golden in color.
6. Transfer to a paper towel and keep aside.
7. Place a skillet or wok over medium heat, add 2 tbsp oil used for frying baby corn.
8. Add chopped ginger and garlic, stir fry till it starts to turn light golden in color.
9. Add red whole dry chillies and stir fry for a second.
10. Add onions and cook till it turns translucent.
11. Add the green peppers and cook till tender.
12. Add the fried baby corns to it, combine well.
13. Now, add soy sauce, tomato ketchup, rice vinegar and chilli paste, combine well.
14. Stir fry for a couple of minutes.
15. Taste it, if you need it spicy add more of ground pepper.
16. Sprinkle green onions and cilantro over it and stir fry for a minute.
17. Remove from the heat and serve on a platter.
18. Serve with Basmati or Jasmine rice.

One of my favorite, my most favorite cake or dessert without a doubt is Tiramisu…

I was determined enough to make the best cake for my husband’s birthday. Way too many cake ideas rushed through my mind and most of them hardly impressed me. I then thought about the cakes that my husband enjoyed with so much enthusiasm. One cake that topped his favorite list was Tiramisu cake. Not just for him, even it tops my favorite. We’ve always enjoyed tiramisu with utmost delight and if we see this on the dessert menu at any restaurant we wouldn’t leave without ordering it.

I’ve already posted the recipe for making an easy eggless tiramisu in which ladyfinger cookies were used as the base, but for making this cakes were used and I made a two layered tiramisu cake.

I was totally blown away by how delicious this cake tasted, it was absolutely yummy and the best surprise (in food category) I’ve ever given to my husband. He was so moved and touched and was seen busy finishing up the cake. I had to literally plead him to save a few slices so that I could share with my co-workers. I made this non-alcoholic, also I used instant coffee powder to make the syrup instead of espresso.

I made the cake with gluten free flour and it turned out great, you could use all purpose flour or cake flour instead.

Tiramisu Cake

Adopted from Baking: From home to yours by Dorie Greenspan

Ingredients:

For making 2 cakes:

• Cake flour or gluten free flour- 2 cups
• Baking powder- 2 tsp
• Baking soda- 1/8 tsp
• Salt- 1/4 tsp
• Unsalted butter, room temperature- 1 1/4 sticks (10 tbsp)
• Sugar- 1 cup
• Eggs, large- 3
• Egg yolk, large- 1
• Pure vanilla extract- 1 1/2 tsp
• Buttermilk- 3/4 cup

For making espresso or coffee extract:

• Instant espresso powder or coffee powder- 2 tbsp
• Boiling water- 2 tbsp

For making espresso syrup:

• Water- 1/2 cup
• Sugar- 1/3 cup

For making filling and frosting:

• Mascarpone cheese – 8 ounce
• Confectioners’ sugar, sifted- 1/2 cup
• Pure vanilla extract- 1 1/2 tsp
• Heavy cream, cold- 1 cup

Other ingredients:

• Bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, grated
• Cocoa powder, for dusting

Hands down, the best birthday cake ever!

Good things should be appreciated, great things should be raved- I am going to do the latter.

Why am I reviewing this book?

When I first started this website I didn’t care much about food photography, I was more concerned about the recipe and the ingredients. Slowly, I developed an interest for styling the food that I prepared and eventually for food photography. A couple of years ago my hubby bought me a DSLR camera for my birthday. I was overwhelmed by the settings and the things I should keep in my mind to click a descent picture. It was around that time I stumbled upon a food photography blog “Tartelette” by Helene Dujardin. It was love at first sight and I fell head over heels, almost every day I browsed through that website. I kept staring at the stunning food pictures captured by Helene and the way she styled the food was captivating. Her website is an inspiration for a budding food photographer like me.

Early this year when I learned that she has published her first photography book- Plate to pixel I literally jumped out of joy. I couldn’t wait to get hold this book as I knew I could learn a lot of tricks and tips from her book. I got a review copy last month and since then I’v been hooked to it. I never thought that I would ever enjoy reading a photography book but I read each and every line of this book without dozing off. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I am honored to write a review and to spread the word about this “must have” food photography book.

About the Author:

Plate to pixel is written by Helene Dujardin, a pastry chef turned food blogger. In 2006, Helene launched the award-winning blog Tartelette, where she dedicates herself to the art of food, photography and styling. Helene progresses quickly from enthusiast food photographer to professionally working with local and national magazines. She has photographed and styled numerous cookbooks.

The essence of this book:

When it comes to capturing pictures using DSLR cameras, experts will first talk endlessly about exposure, aperture, focal length and all those technical jargons. Before reading this book, these were quite bewildering for me. Helene has explained these concepts really well in a very simple manner and has shown how each setting works through picture comparison. There are eight chapters in this book and it covers literally everything you need to know about food photography. The book first walks you through how to adjust the settings and modes of a DSLR camera. Then, how to capture in natural and artificial light, things you will need to improve your photography while using artificial light. There are chapters dedicated for composition, how to set up for capture, styling the food and after capture.

What I appreciate:

What I appreciate the most is the fact that the author wasn’t a bit embarrassed to share her tiny little secrets with the readers. She was open, genuine and needless to say that she has written this book wholeheartedly which you’ll feel while reading this book. Whether for styling the food or while capturing the pictures she has certain easy to follow tricks and tips. Throughout my read, I felt as if Helene was right besides me teaching with such passion just like a dear friend. This helped me to keep flipping the pages without losing the enthusiasm. Even though some chapters cover certain technical aspects, I didn’t feel bored at all as majority of the pages are filled with food pictures (which of course made me hungry) and I was able to understand the concepts more clearly by looking at the pictures. She has shared many tips and techniques to naturally enhance the food while styling.

What’s unique about this book?

From start to end this book is refreshing and soothing to the eyes. Not just photography enthusiasts, anyone can read this book without being bored and gain a lot of knowledge. It’s easy to understand, covers all the basics, the quality of the book is over the top and the author connects with you throughout the book with her personal stories and shares the circumstances that led to shoot certain pictures. Even if you are not much of a reader you will still find this book interesting as in this book each picture says a story and a lot of learning can be done by just looking at the pictures. At the end she even lets us peek into her camera bag and the tools that often accompanies her.

According to Helene: “there is not one right way to shoot…or even a best way to get the shot you need. The right setting for your specific circumstance is the one that produces a picture that make people say, “Wow”…and not “Ewww.” Practice, practice, practice.”

What I learned from this book?

I’ve always found it hard to shoot in artificial light, this book taught me that with artificial light the possibilities are endless. Exploring is the key to learning photography. After reading this book, first thing I did was to dig my tripod out of the basement, dust it and yes I  am making it work more often. I now have a better idea about how to diffuse, reflect and adjust the lighting. I’ve never thought of telling a story through my food pictures, this book certainly taught me how to convey a story or a message through pictures. I certainly feel my pictures now look better compared to what it was before. However, you cannot master this art overnight, it needs practice and the willingness to explore. Hopefully, soon I can master this art of drawing with light.

Must have photography Book:

If you are a budding photographer or if you want to take some good pictures, then this book is a must have. If you are still not confirmed, read what others who bought this book from amazon have to say.

Gratitude:

Through this post I would like to express my gratitude to Helene for writing this amazing book and for being an inspiration.

A breakfast dish for your loved ones…

I seldom make anything that is drool worthy for breakfast. I am not a breakfast person, not even on weekends. On the other hand, my husband loves to start his day with a delicious breakfast. I have rejected almost all his request for a killer breakfast. Honestly, I get mad at him when he asks for a home cooked breakfast as it’s hard to negotiate with my brain in the morning. By the time my brain comes along my way it would be time for lunch and I’ll be seen busy experimenting in the kitchen.

Having said that, for our wedding anniversary a few weeks ago I tried to get out of my morning comfort zone. After a few moments of tug of war with my heart and brain, finally I succeeded in whipping up a delicious breakfast for my man. Seeing the tiramisu crepes on the breakfast table, he almost screamed with joy and gobbled up effortlessly. After emptying the plate he looked at me and I understood that particular look. That look meant: “It would be nice if you could make breakfast like this everyday”. And I gave the look which said “No way”. Gave him these flowers freshly plucked from my garden along with a warm hug and wished a happy wedding anniversary!

Tiramisu Crepes:

•  Makes: Three sets of 2 layered Tiramisu crepes
• Preparation time: less than 30 minutes

For making Crepes:

Makes: 6 no’s

• All purpose flour- 1 cup
• Egg- 1
• Milk, skim or whole- 1/2 cup
• Vanilla extract- 1 tsp
• Salt- 2 pinches
• Butter, for greasing the pan- 1/2 tbsp/crepes

For making the filling:

• Mascarpone cheese – 3/4 cup
• Powdered sugar- 1/3 cup
• Whipped cream- 1/2 cup

For making coffee extract:

• Instant ground coffee or Espresso- 1/2 tbsp
• Hot water- 1/2 tbsp

Other ingredients:

• Honey- 1 tbsp/crepe
• Whipped cream- for topping
• Fruits of your choice- for garnishing

Preparation:

How to make crepes:

1. In a blender, blend all the above mentioned ingredients for making the crepes except butter to a smooth batter.
2. Place a skillet over medium heat, melt 1/2 tbsp butter on it.
3. Pour one spoonful of batter on the melted butter and spread it into round shape using the back of the spoon.
4. Let the bottom side turn golden in color, flip it over and let the other side turn to golden in color as well.
5. Remove from the pan and keep aside. Repeat this till you use all the batter.

Preparing coffee extract:

1. In a bowl, combine instant ground coffee (any brand) or Espresso with hot water, combine well and keep aside.

For making filling:

1. Using an electric hand mixer, whip the mascarpone cheese along with powdered sugar and 2 tsp of coffee extract till it turns smooth. Avoid over whipping it.
2. Gently fold in the whipped cream into the cheese.

How to assemble:

1. Place a crepe on a wooden board or plate, evenly spread 1-2 tbsp of cheese filling over it.
2. Place a second crepe over the filling, again spread 1-2 tbsp of cheese filling over it.
3. Fold the crepes over to a semi circle shape.
4. Spread 1 tbsp honey over the folded crepes.
5. Top with whipped cream.
6. Garnish with fruits of your choice, I used pomegranate.
7. If you want you could sprinkle some cocoa powder or grated chocolate.
8. Repeat with other crepes.
9. Indulge in this delightful dish for breakfast or brunch.

Tips:

• You could use cream cheese instead of mascarpone cheese.
• Don’t over whip the cheese as it would turn to butter.

My husband’s comment: this tasted better than meat loaf…

Him being a huge fan of meat loaf commented like this, so you could imagine how good this must have tasted. I being a not so huge fan of ground beef found this shami kabab absolutely tasty. The fact that this didn’t have the intense beefy taste encouraged me to have a lot more.

Last year, during my visit to India I had visited my cousin’s in-law’s place. They gave us a grand dinner with so many delicious dishes. One dish that caught my attention was the appetizer they had served, shami kabab. I raved about it after having a couple of them. After coming back from India, the taste of this lingered to my mouth and I had thought about it quite a few times. Finally, I asked my cousin to get the recipe from her mom-in-law. They gladly shared it.

Last night, I gathered all the ingredients for making this and gave it a shot. It came out really good and tasted like the ones I had at my cousin’s place. This was a winning recipe. Thanks to my cousin’s mom-in-law for sharing this recipe to me and I am here sharing with all my dear readers.

Shami Kabab:

Ingredients:

• Ground beef or lamb- 1 lb or 1/2 Kg
• Oil- 1 tbsp
• Cloves- 2 no’s
• Cinnamon- 2 inch slice
• Red onion, chopped small- 1
• Ginger garlic paste- 2 tsp
• Green chilly, chopped- 2 no’s
• Tomato, chopped- 1
• Turmeric powder- 1/8 tsp
• Chilly powder- 1 tsp
• Salt- to taste
• Cilantro, chopped- 2 handful
• Roasted gram-split flour or Daliya flour (porikadala)- 1 cup
• Vegetable oil- for shallow frying the ground beef patties

Preparation:

1. If you can only get hold of roasted gram-split, grind it to a fine powder in a blender.
2. Place a wok or wide pan over medium heat.
3. Add oil, let it turn hot, add cloves and cinnamon.
4. Add chopped onion and little salt, saute till it turns tender.
5. Add ginger-garlic paste and green chillies, saute for couple of minutes.
6. Add tomato, cook till gets mashed up.
7. Now, add turmeric powder and chilly powder to it, combine well.
8. Add ground beef or lamb to it, combine well.
9. Cook the ground beef till the water dries out.
10. At the end it should be a very dry mixture.
11. Taste and add salt to your taste.
12. Sprinkle chopped cilantro, combine and cook for a minute.
13. Remove from the flame and let cool down.
14. In a blender, grind the cooked ground beef mixture to a smooth paste.
15. Even though we used ground beef, it will be still grainy so to make into a smooth texture we have to grind it to a smooth paste.
16. Make sure the ground beef mixture is very dry otherwise the ground paste will be watery.
17. Place the ground paste in a bowl, add 1 cup of roasted split-gram flour and combine well.
18. Make it into a dough constituency.
19. If the dough is too soft, you could add some more flour to get the right constituency.
20. You should be able to hold the dough into patties.
21. Make small round, oval or any desired shaped patties out of the dough.
22. Heat oil in a frying pan, place the patties and shallow fry till both the sides turn golden brown in color.
23. If you want you could deep fry it, it’s your choice.
24. Transfer to a paper towel.
25. Serve on a plate and garnish with cilantro.
26. Serve along with my favorite quick salad or ketchup.

A bowl of soup to keep yourself cozy…

It rained almost every day last week and was quite chilly. Summer has definitely lost its vigor and fall is gearing up. Without a doubt, I love fall colors, the part that I hate the most is when I have to click the fall colors wearing fleece and sneakers. How I wish I could wear flip flops even in winter, wouldn’t it be just awesome? However, this weekend was sunny and bright, we had a fantastic time.

When it gets chilly, only a bowl of hot soup can put a smile on my face. Last week, I made a soup with broccoli and added yogurt instead of cream or milk to make it rich and creamy. I wanted to give the soup a little facelift, if you will, so I topped the soup with bean sprouts and green onions sauteed in butter. The soup tasted delicious with a hint of sour from the yogurt and the topping gave a crunchy bite to the soup. A bowl of this soup, I felt warmed up and refreshed.

Broccoli Yogurt Soup

• Serving: 4 people
• Preparation time: less than 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• Broccoli, florets- 1 small broccoli
• Potato, cubed- 2 no’s
• Onion, red or white- 1
• Water- 1/2 cup
• Ginger, chopped- 2 inch slice
• Garlic, chopped- 2 cloves
• Turmeric powder- 1/8 tsp
• Coriander powder- 1 tsp
• Cumin powder- 1/2 tsp
• Ground pepper- 1/4 tsp
• Chicken stock or vegetable stock, low sodium- 3 cups (or use 1 bouillon cube combined in 3 cups water)
• Yogurt, non-fat and not sour- 1 cup

For making topping (optional)

• Butter, unsalted- 1/2 tbsp
• Bean sprouts- 1 cup
• Green onion, chopped- 2 stalks
• Ground pepper- 1/8 tsp

Preparation:

1. Separate the broccoli florets, cube the potatoes, chop the onions, chop the ginger and garlic, have all the other ingredients ready.
2. Heat a large soup pot or pan, cook the broccoli, potatoes, onion, ginger and garlic in water till the veggies turns tender.
3. Add turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, ground pepper, saute for a minute.
4. Add the chicken stock or vegetable stock to the veggies.
5. Let the stock come to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
6. Remove from the heat and let cool down a bit.
7. Puree the veggies along with the stock in the blender.
8. Return the pureed soup to the pot.
9. Place on low heat, add yogurt and combine well.
10. Heat it for a couple of minutes and not let it boil.
11. Remove from the heat and keep covered.

For making the topping:

1. Heat a small pan, melt the butter.
2. Add bean sprouts and green onions, saute for a couple of minutes.
3. Add ground pepper to it and saute for a minute.
4. Bean sprouts should have a crunchy texture, so don’t over cook it.
5. Remove from the heat.

Serving the soup:

1. Serve the soup in a bowl, top the soup with bean sprouts.
2. Serve hot.

This is too good to resist!

I grew up having this milkshake and never got tired of this. In the U.S (or non-tropical countries), it’s hard to get hold of fresh tender coconuts. Whenever I find them I buy them and most of the times been deceived. It’s very hard to tell if the coconut will taste good or not without cracking it open. If you got lucky you could devour it. Tender coconut pudding, is my favorite South-Indian dessert. Last year, when I visited Kerala – the land of coconut trees, I made this pudding quite a few times and never got tired of it because I knew that I wouldn’t be able to get the same taste until I visit again.

Last weekend, I found coconuts at an Asian supermarket. I took my chances and bought a few. First thing after getting home, I cracked it open and tasted the tender coconut and the coconut juice. I jumped up and down with joy, it tasted fresh just like the ones I get in Kerala. And then there I was busy making tender coconut milkshake and tender coconut pudding.

The milkshake tasted so refreshing and yummy…

Tender Coconut Milkshake

Serves: 2 glasses

Ingredients:

• Tender coconut, chopped 2 inch slice- 1/2 cup
• Tender coconut water- 1 cup
• Milk, chilled- 3/4 cup
• Sugar or honey- 1-2 tbsp

Preparation:

• It’s good to use fresh tender coconuts rather than frozen or canned ones.
• If you have the fresh tender coconut, first make a small hole on the top of the shell using a sharp knife.
• Pour the coconut water into a bowl, keep aside.
• Using a sharp knife break the coconut into halves.
• Be very careful while breaking it, let your husband do this.
• Using a sharp knife cut the coconut from the shell.
• The coconut would easily detach from the shell.
• Cut the coconut into small slices.
• In a blender, blend together the coconut slices, coconut water, milk and sugar or honey.
• Pour into glasses and serve chilled.

Tips:

• Use only tender coconut and not the regular coconut.
• Make sure the coconut has blended well.
• You could adjust the amount of coconut water, milk, sugar according to your needs.

A famous Malabar rice roti which is served for both breakfast and dinner…

Pathiri is a traditional roti that originated from Malabar cuisine. Nowadays, it is commonly served in almost all parts to South India. The texture of pathiri is soft and thin that almost everyone finds it hard to ignore, especially when served with chicken or fish curry. I love to pour some coconut milk over the pathiri, followed by spicy meat curry. It tastes divine.

Pathiri and Orotti are not the same, though they are closely related. Both are made with rice flour. For making orotti, grated coconut is also added. Orotti has a thick texture and is usually prepared in orotti (tortilla) press or the dough is flattened using the hands. While pathiri has a very soft and thin texture, the dough is rolled by dusting it with rice flour to thin round shapes(quite similar to making chapati). Pathiri dough should be rolled as thin as possible, otherwise it wouldn’t have a soft texture and it should puff up while cooking.

My favorite way of having pathiri is with mutton curry, Yum!

Pathiri or Thin Rice Roti

Ingredients:

• Rice flour- 1 1/2 cups + 2 tbsp
• Water- 1 cup
• Salt- little
• Rice flour- more for dusting while rolling the dough

Preparation:

• In a saucepan, boil the water.
• Sprinkle salt to the boiling water.
• When the water boils, add the rice flour and combine it using a wooden spoon.
• Remove from the heat and combine well till incorporated.
• Let it cool down a bit.
• Knead the mixture when it is still warm till it’s soft and smooth.
• Make medium sized balls out of the kneaded dough.
• Place the dough on a wooden board or chapati making board.
• Sprinkle little rice flour over it.
• Using a rolling pin, roll it to a round shape.
• Keep dusting with rice flour to prevent sticking to the board.
• Roll to thin round shape.
• Heat a cast iron skillet or non-stick cooking pan over medium heat.
• Grease the cast iron skillet with little oil.
• Place the rolled pathiri on the skillet or pan.
• When the bottom side just starts to wilt, in about 30 seconds, flip it over to the other side.
• Let the bottom side get a few light golden spots, flip it over.
• Gently press the sides with a spatula, the pathiri will puff up nicely.
• Remove from the skillet and place it on a plate.
• Wipe off any rice flour left on the cooking pan before you place the next rolled pathiri dough.
• Serve pathiris with your favorite curry.
• You could even pour some thin coconut milk followed by chicken or mutton curry: my favorite way of devouring pathiri.

How to serve Pathiri for kids:

While serving for kids, pour some thin coconut milk over it and sprinkle some sugar on it. This tastes really delicious, kids will love it. This used to be my sister’s favorite food when she was a kid.

Tips:

• Make sure to knead the dough till it gets soft.
• If the dough is not soft sprinkle little warm water while kneading.
• I used store bought non-roasted rice flour, if you want you could slightly roast the rice flour in a pan till it starts to turn light golden in color.

How to make puffed up pathiris:

• It depends on how you flip the pathiri over while cooking. If you cook any of the sides too much it won’t puff up, it will turn little hard as well.
• After you place the rolled dough on the pan, make sure to flip it over as soon as the bottom side starts to wilt: first flip within 30 seconds.
• Second flip: When light golden spots appears on the bottom side.
• Most of the time it will puff up by itself. To encourage puffing, gently press on the sides of the pathiri with the spatula.
• Remove from the heat after it has puffed up.