Wrap it up!!

1. Chicken and vegetable wrap

Ingredients:

1. Oil less Rotis or tortilla wraps – 6 no.s
2. Chicken – 250 gm boneless
3. Chinese lettuce – 2 cups washed in salt water and hand shredded to bits
4. Pickled, sliced black olives – 1.5 tbsp
5. Carrot grated – 1 cup
6. Mild pickled peppers – 1.5 tbsp
7. Oregano powder – 2 tsp
8. Olive oil – 2 tsp
9. Salt and pepper to taste


Method:

1. Boil chicken with a pinch of turmeric, salt and pepper to taste. Drain stock and shred the chicken
2. In a salad bowl mix all the ingredients and add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Add the olive oil finally and mix all the ingredients
4. Fill the tortillas and roll into a wrap. Hold in place with a bit of a toothpick


2. Panneer wrap

Ingredients:

1. Oil less Rotis or tortilla wraps – 6 no.s
2. Panneer – 1 cup crushed
3. Mint – 1 sprig leaves only
4. Coriander – 1 cup leaves chopped fine
5. Tomato - 2 med sized, semi ripe chopped fine
6. Onion – 1 small chopped fine
7. Green chilli – 1 chopped fine
8. Juice of 1 lemon
9. Cumin Powder – ½ tsp
10. Salt to taste

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl
2. Fill wraps with the mixture and fold

3. Kheema wrap

Ingredients:

1. Oil less Rotis or tortilla wraps – 6 no.s
2. Mutton kheema – 250 gm
3. Onion – 1 big chopped fine
4. Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp
5. Tomatoes – 2 small chopped fine
6. Green chilli – 1 chopped fine
7. Turmeric powder – a pinch
8. Chilli powder – 1 tsp
9. Green cabbage leaves – cut into squares 1 cup
10. Purple cabbage leaves – cut into squares 1 cup
11. Coriander, mint and curry leaves chopped fine – 1 tbsp
12. Salt to taste
13. Vegetable oil – 1 tbsp
14. Mayonnaise – 2 tbsp

Method:

1. In a wok heat the oil, add 1 tsp fennel seeds and 1 clove and a 1 inch piece of cinnamon
2. Add the onions and green chilli. Sauté till light brown
3. Add the ginger garlic paste and sauté till raw smell disappears
4. Add the tomato and sauté till soft
5. Add the turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt. Saute till oil separates
6. Add the kheema and 1 tumbler of water. Let it cook till water dries completely.
7. Before removing from heat add the chopped leaves and stir. Take off from heat and cool
8. Mix the kheema, cabbage leaves, salt if needed and the mayonnaise in a mixing bowl.
9. Fill the wraps and serve along with pudina chutney or chilli sauce

A MALABAR EVENING

An ideal weekend dinner for me would be on a houseboat in Kumarakaom eating some of my favorite Kerala dishes. The surroundings would have to be imagined while the food needn’t be. The following recipes are my version of God’s own country.

CHICKEN STEW (Serves 4)

Ingredients:

1. Chicken(skinned and cut into medium size pieces) - 1 kg
2. Onions - 4 no.s cut lengthwise
3. Green chillies - 4 slit lengthwise
4. Ginger - 2 inch piece cut into strips
5. Coconut - 1 large grated
6. Cloves - 3, Cinnamon - 3
7. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
8. Bay leaf - 1
9. Pepper - 2.5 tsp powdered coarsely
10. Curry leaf - 1 sprig
11. Oil - 2 tbsp
11. Salt to taste
12. Chicken stock powder - 1 tsp optional

Method:

1. Coconut milk extraction - take 5 cups of water and warm it to bearable heat. Extract 2 cups of thick milk and 3 cups of second milk.
2. Warm oil in a wok or kadai.
3. Add cloves, cinnamon, bayleaf and cumin seeds
4. When light brown and smell of spices escapes add onions,ginger and green chillies
5. Fry till onions are transparent.
6. Add chicken pieces, powdered pepper, chicken stock and salt and turn the chicken with all ingredients for 5 minutes.
7. Add the second extract of milk and let the chicken cook.
8. When cooked add the first milk and curry leaves and remove from flame.
9. Serve hot with aapam, bread or idi appam.


Ghee Rice or Nei Chor (Serves 4)

Ingredients:

1. Basmati Rice – 4 measures or olaks
2. Onions – 4 big cut lengthwise
3. Ghee – 4 tbsp
4. Cardamom – 6, Cloves – 6, Cinnamon – 4, Bayleaf – 2, Star Anise – 2
5. Cashewnuts – 20 no.s(split), Ghee – 1 tbsp
6. Water – 600 ml(approx 6 tumblers)

Method:

1. Wash rice and keep aside
2. Heat ghee in a pressure cooker and add spices
3. When spice smell becomes strong add onions and fry till onion turns light brown.
4. Add rice, salt to taste and water.
5. Cook for 2 whistles on medium flame
6. Fry cashewnuts in ghee till golden brown and garnish rice with the same

Lamb Masala or Mutton Masala (Serves 4)

Ingredients:

1. Mutton – 1 kg
2. Red chilli long – 15 no.s
3. Coriander seeds – 2 tbsp
4. Peppercorns – 20 no.s
5. Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
6. Cloves – 4 no.s
7. Cinnamon – 2 inch piece
8. Cardamom – 4 no.s
9. Onion – 2 large
10. Ginger – 1inch piece cut into strips
11. Garlic – 2 cloves cut lengthwise
12. Curry leaves – 10 no.s
13. Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
14. Salt to taste
15. Oil – 2 tbsp

Method:

1. Cut mutton into small pieces and clean well.
2. Fry red chillies,pepper, cardamom,cloves,cinnamon and coriander seeds without oil till brown. Powder till fine.
3. Add the above spice powder, turmeric powder, salt, ginger , garlic, mutton pieces and water and cook the meat.
4. Water must be twice the quantity of meat.
5. In a wok/kadai heat oil and add onions and curry leaves and cook till golden brown.
6. Add this to the cooked meat. Stir well and simmer for 5 minutes.

Avial(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

1. Carrot – 2 no.s
2. Beans – 4 no.s
3. Drumstick – 2 no.s
4. Ash gourd – quarter
5. Potato – 2 no.s
6. Brinjal – 3 no.s
7. Elephant foot yam or senai kizhangu – quarter
8. Coconut – 1 grated
9. Green chilli – 2(long firm variety)
10. Jeera or cumin seeds – 2 tsp
11. Turmeric – 1 pinch
12. Curd – 1 cup beaten or whipped
13. Salt to taste
14. Coconut oil – 1 tbsp

Method:

1. Cut all vegetables to 2 inch length.
2. Grind coconut with jeera and green chilli to a smooth paste
3. Boil vegetables with salt and turmeric till soft. Add water to just cover the vegetables.
4. Add coconut and cook till blended well.
5. Add curd and turn heat to sim.
6. After 2 minutes shut the stove and add the coconut oil.

Chicken Pudina Masala

Ingredients:

For chicken marinade:

Chicken - 1 kg
Pudina - 1 bunch(leaves only ground to a smooth paste)
Ginger garlic(smooth paste) - 2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1.5 tsp
Chicken 65 masala - 1 tsp
Sour curds - 1 cup
Salt to taste

For masala:

Onions - 3 no.s chopped lengthwise
Tomatoes - 3 no.s chopped fine
Peppercorns - 1 tsp
Bayleaf - 1
Fennel seeds or Saunf or Sombhu - 1 tsp
Capsicum - 2 big cut into cubes
Oil - 2 tbsp

Method:

1. Cut chicken into small pieces
2. Marinade with all the above ingredients for 2 hours or deep freeze for a day.
3. Heat oil in a wok and add bayleaf and saunf and pepper corns
4. Add onions and fry till transparent.
5. Add capsicum and fry for 2 minutes
6. Add tomatoes and cook till pulpy.
7. Add marinaded chicken and cook till soft and oil separates
8. Serve with tandoori rotis or Ghee rice