Another dish off my bucket list.

Churros is a fried dough pastry, predominantly made in Spain, Portugal, France and the Philippines. And my son’s favourite pastry.

Having been meaning to make this one for a long time now. Father’s day was an occasion to try something yummy and new.

Ingredients:

1) 1 cup water

2) 2 1/2 tbsp sugar

3) 2 tbsp oil

4) 1/2 tsp salt

5) 1 cup maida/ all purpose flour

For the sugar coating:

1) 2tbsp fine sugar or powdered sugar

2) 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

Oil for deep frying

Method:

1) Boil the water, sugar, salt and oil.

2) Switch off the fire and add the flour.

3) Take a piping bag with a nozzle and pipe the dough.

4) Take oil in a pan and when the oil is hot simmer the flame and fry the churros on low fire. This will help it brown evenly and also cook well from inside out.

Remove from oil leave on kitchen paper or tissue paper for a few seconds.

Dust with sugar and cinnamon powder.

I also tried making the churro ice cream. Try them when the churros are warm as they melt well.

My trial was a success!

My mom’s favourite evening tea time snack.

Ingredients:

1) jackfruit around 20 flakes

2) 2 cups raw rice

3) 1/4 cup fresh grated coconut

4) 1/2 cup of jaggery ( add more if required)

5) 1/4 TSP salt

6) 2 tbsp ghee

Method:

Soak the rice for 2-3 hours.

Grind the soaked rice, jackfruit, jaggery, coconut and salt together to a dosa/ pancake consistency.

Take a  pan. Pour the ghee and the batter, cover and cook on sim fire till it’s cooked.Toothpick/ knife should come out clean.

Now to get a brown effect on both side turn the kalathappam on another  pan face down, cook on sim till brown and slightly crisp on the other side.

Kalathappam can be had for breakfast or evening tea.

Thank you mummy!

This dish is popular in the costal area of Goa and Karnataka.

One more seafood that is not seen in Chennai and hence had to import from Bangalore. Since they get most of their seafood from Mangalore.

Ingredients:

50 Tissreo/ clams

1/2 coconut scrapped

2 tbsp oil ( I use coconut oil for extra flavour)

2 onions ( 1 small and 1 big)

1tsp ginger finely chopped

6- 8 garlic flakes

1tsp jeera

1/2 TSP turmeric powder

1- 2 TSP chilli powder

2tsp coriander powder

Salt to taste

Corriander leaves for garnishing.

Method:

Wash and steam the clams for 10mins.

Take a little oil in a pan sautee the small onion till transulant, add the scrapped coconut and fry till you get the right aroma and the coconut is a little crisp, just before switching off the fire add the jeera and garlic and leave it to cool.

Take another pan add oil and fry the large chopped onion, when slightly brown add ginger and turmeric and sautee for sometime add Corriander powder chilli powder and sautee for some more time. When all the masala has come together add salt and the steam clams. Cover and cook till the masala and clam have blended well.

Take the roasted coconut and dry grind coarsely. Add to the clams.

Garnish with corriander leaves, open and cook for all the water to evaporate.

Sometimes it is nice to go back to basics. And these again are not available in the stores in Chennai. Mangalore stores in Bangalore, is a good place for me to get the leaves.

Method:

Get the jackfruit moulds from the store.

For the idly:

Soak 1 cup udad Dal and 3 cups of rice along with 1tbsp of methi/ fenugreek seeds in separate containers for minimum 3 hrs.

Grind the above and mix them together. Leave it to ferment over night.

Next morning add salt  to the batter and steam the batter in the jackfruit leaves cup.

Enjoy with chutney and sambar.

The aroma of the jackfruit leaves is something I say!!!

Breadfruit is not available in Chennai. When they are imported from Mangalore,they are made in different varieties. All mangalorean food adornes my breakfast table.

Breadfruit fry

Clean the breadfruit. Apply Turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt to the breadfruit slice. Shallow fry.

Breadfruit Omlette.

Cover the fried breadfruit with beaten egg. Just like my Spanish Omlette recipe.

To know more about breadfruit, please check

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breadfruit

My childhood dream when I first tasted the most awesome tender coconut ice cream at naturals, Mumbai. I would wonder how could someone make such delicious lip smacking ice cream. Not sure what took me so long to try my hands with making this absolute beauty.

My recipe, that was just like the Naturals ice cream.

Ingredients:

1) 1 tin milk maid or mithaimate

2) 1 tin fresh cream, I use amul fresh cream

3) 1 tin fresh tender coconut pulp

4) 1 tin milk

Method:

Blend all the above ingredients in a blender/ mixer and leave it to freeze.

After 5 hrs blend it again in the blender/ mixer. Repeat the process 2-3 times.

Creamy yummy tender coconut ice cream ready to be served.

Nothing like coming back home from a hard day’s work to a hot kitchen.

Bread dough ready. Veggies pressure cooked.

Bake the buns (pav), sautee the boiled veggies in onion ginger, garlic and homemade tomato puree, with pav bhaji masala and a dollop of butter.

Yummy pav bhaji all homemade ready for a cosy family dinner.

Fresh Fruit Ice Popsicle.

Summer motives me to try some new recipes that will keep us cool and happy.

Fresh Fruit Ice Popsicle is made out of fresh fruits no water or sugar added.

Mango and tender coconut popciles:

2 ripe mango

1/2 cup tender coconut water

Zest of 1 lime

Pulp of half tender coconut nut

Blend all the above ingredients in a blender and set to freeze overnight.

Water melon, lime and mint popsicle:

2 cups cut water melon

1/2 TSP lime juice

10 mint leaves

Blend all the above ingredients in a blender and freeze over night.

Pomogrenate, black grape and ginger popsicle.

1 cup pomogrenate peeled

1 cup black grape

1 small piece of ginger

Blend all the above ingredients in a blender and leave to freeze over night.

These are absolutely yummy and guilt free indulgence!!!

Enjoy your summer.