Nadan Chemeen Varuthathu / Kerala Prawn Fry

Prawn fry is one of the favorite appetizer dish in Kerala. Fresh prawns marinated with spices and fried in coconut oil. Yumm! My hubby went with his friend to get fresh catch from a nearby town. This prawn fry is prepared in Kerala Style. It is perfect as an apetizer or as a side dish with rice. This is done with basic marination.

Dorayaki / Japanese Pan Cakes / Dora Cake

If you have little kids at home, I am sure you are aware of Dora cakes. One of the famous cartoon character Doraemon's favorite snack. It is a Japanese pancake made of 2 equal size pancakes with bean filling or a sweet filling. It is a favorite among Japanese adults and kids. It's a yummy snack for kids and adults.A simple recipe that can be made in 30 minutes.

Kids are a big fan of the cat robot Doraemon. My son has been telling me to make Dora cakes. I used to laugh it off thinking it is just a cartoon. I thought that there may not be a cake in that name. I was so thrilled when I came across this recipe on cafegarima. The actual recipe is adapted from Just one cookbook. 

This pancake can be made as a snack item for kids to school. It is traditionally supposed to be made with sweet bean paste. In Japanese 'Dora' means gong  a musical instrument. The pancake is in the shape of a gong. ' Yaki' means cooked or grilled. So go ahead and surprise your kids!

Schezwan Vegetable Fried Rice

Schezwan Fried Rice is a famous recipe from the Indo Chinese Cuisine. It seems to have originated from the Sichuan province of China. It is made with sichuan pepper. But we substitute it with red chillies in India. I suggest you make schezwan sauce at home because it is the best. It is better to avoid the preservatives and taste enhancers like ajinamoto in store bought sauces. This is an easy sauce to make with easily available ingredients. 

Kallumakkaya Achar / Mussels Pickle Version 2

Mussels pickle is a speciality of Malabar region. It is seasonal in their availability. It is a very tasty pickle and can be stored for a long time. Kerala Cuisine is known around the world for its hot and spicy dishes. It is also well known for its sea food delicacies. Sea food dishes from mussels, prawns, oysters are all time favorites of the people of Malabar.

I have made a different style of mussels pickle before as my 100th post. It is a dry version.Try this too. It will surely tingle your taste buds. Happy weekend! 

Ragi Dosa / Whole Millet Crepes

Ragi / Finger Millet is a powerhouse of nutrients. I don't know how many people are aware of the health benefits of ragi. In south India it is a staple food and is consumed in many ways starting from childhood. Babies are fed ragi porridge from the time they are 6 months old daily. It is gluten free and easily digestible for kids. It makes their bones strong and help them grow. There are different varieties of recipes with ragi. In Kerala we make Puttu, Porridge, Ada, Roti, Idiyappam with ragi. Ragi can be washed, dried, powdered and stored in airtight jars. Today my recipe is ragi dosa. My kids had it without any fuss. I am a happy mom :)

Beetroot Cutlets

Cutlets are one of the favorite evening snack for everyone in the family. Cutlets are the best way to hide different veggies inside a tasty patty. Kids love them. There are different versions of cutlets. We make vegetable cutlets, Chicken Cutlets, Fish cutlets and sprouts cutlets too. This is an easy snack to make for guests. I make them for my guests. Its their request that this should come on my blog.

Cashew and Saffron Welcome Drink

Holidays are going to start soon!!! Being a mother of 2 boys I am thinking of ways to keep them entertained and feed them nutritious food. Here is a simple recipe which you can make for kids and even for sudden guests at home. There is a subtle flavour of cardomom and cashews. And when topped with saffron threads its like icing on the cake. 

Kerala Style Egg White and Peas Masala

Egg and peas cooked with spices is a delicious side dish with Indian rotis. It also tastes well with Appam. So if you are used to just making stu every time, try this different recipe. Onion, ginger, garlic, chilly and tomato are sauteed in a caste iron wok and then the spices are added. I used the egg whites only. If you like use the whole egg. This is a typical Kerala style dish. The peas with a slightly sweet taste balances the spice level. The same combination is made even with coconut milk. This is the curry usually served in restaurants for breakfast. This is my hubby's favorite dish. It is very difficult to satisfy his palate.The combination of eggs and peas sounds weird but trust me it is yummy! So what are you waiting for? Make this and get your taste buds ready for some good eats!

Chemeen Pollichatu / Kerala Prawns Pollichathu

Kerala is well known for its sea food delicacies and one of the recipes to top the list is the Chemmeen Pollichathu / Prawns Pollichathu. This is a spicy dish that will tingle your taste buds. Prawns is first marinated with the spices and then sauteed in a pan. It is then coated with the masala. This classic preparation is one of the dishes tourists coming to Kerala always look out for. I have always been a fan of Meen Pollichathu/ Fish Pollichathu. It is one of the healthiest way to have fish. It is on one of these searches on the internet that I found this recipe here. Traditionally the prawns is wrapped in a banana leaf , tied into a parcel and then baked on a heavy caste iron skillet or steamed. This brings out the flavours of the dish. This is a slightly easier version. It tasted too good!! 

Healthy Milk Puri for Kids

I haven't met anyone who does not like Puris. Puri is an unleavened deep fried popular bread of India. You go to the south or north of India Puri is a popular Indian breakfast item. It is served with potato bhaji and chutney is also an amazing combination. Today I would like to share a healthier version of puris that can be made easily. This is the Milk Puri where the dough is made with a mixture of room temperature milk and poovan bananas. The puris are soft.