• 1/2 kg Blue Crab, cleaned and precooked (with 1/2 glass water, 2 tsp Kashmiri Chilli powder, 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder and salt for 7-8 minutes, lid on)
• 1 medium onion, sliced 
• 1 large Tomato, chopped
• 2 cloves Garlic, pounded
• 1 small piece Ginger, pounded 
• Green chilli (optional)
• 2-3 tbsp Coconut oil
• Curry leaves
• 1 tsp Kashmiri Chilli powder 
• 1 tsp Coriander powder
• 1/4 tsp Garam Masala powder 
• Coriander leaves, chopped
• 1 tbsp Raw Coconut oil

1. In a pot, cook the crab as mentioned above and set aside.
2. In a frypan, pour coconut oil, add the sliced onion, salt, curry leaves and sauté until translucent, add the pounded ginger garlic, sauté until raw aroma disappears. 
3. Next add the chopped tomatoes, sauté and cover with the lid and allow to get mushy.
4. Keep the flame on low and add the spice powder and sauté. 
5. Now add in the crab stock water and allow the gravy to reduce a little, add salt if required.
6. Add in the crab and mix and cook covered for 2-3 minutes. Switch off the flame.
7. Finally pour some raw coconut oil and garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves. 

• Coconut oil*
• 1 cup Pachari/ White Rice (soaked for 4-5 hours)
• 2 Robust Ripe Bananas
• 2 tsp Ghee
• 1/2 cup melted jaggery 
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup small coconut pieces 
• 3 large cardamom pods
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup of water
• 1 tsp black sesame seeds
• Baking powder, a pinch
• Salt, as required

1. Roast your coconut pieces in ghee and set them aside.
2. Wash and grind your rice with water (be careful not to make too loose nor too tight)
3. Next add in your bananas, cardamom pods and grind well and transfer to a large bowl.
4. Now add in your melted Jaggery and your roasted coconut pieces, and salt and mix well.
5. Allow to ferment for 8-9 hours.
6. Now add in your baking powder, and black sesame seeds and mix well.
7. Into an Appa Chatti with cavities, pour in your coconut oil.
8. Once the oil is hot, pour in tablespoonfuls of the batter and allow to fry on medium flame and turn 
9. the unniyappams using a stick.
10. Allow to cook well on both sides and transfer to a steel oil strainer.
11. Allow to drain. Your favorite evening snack is now ready to devour.

• Using Coconut oil gives you the best results and taste, nevertheless you may use any flavorless vegetable oil too.
• Usually, the small bananas are used for this recipe, if using the small Kerala bananas, you may use 5 of them. I had only robust bananas with me.

Malabar Mini Vella pola

I am finally posting this here, it is the 26th of Ramadan. Vella pola is a dish that immediately brings in childhood memories of Ramadan. Vella pola is an epitome of Malabar food especially during Ramadan. 

This brings in a lot of comfort and warmth when you have it, feels like your ancestors are sitting and smiling at you and giving you a hug while you relish them. These are super soft and spongy fermented rice cakes or buns. Traditionally this requires 2-3 days of preparation of the dish in which the batter is poured to ferment. It is a long process. So I always stopped myself from trying to make these. 

My grandmother and great grandmothers used to prepare the vessel to help the fermentation process by soaking Pappadam (Pappad) in coconut water for 2-3 days (not exactly able to recall the process) . This is the traditional method and if at all someone I know who makes really tasty traditional food is my mom's uncle's wife. I just love her food that whenever I visit my native she always prepares these traditional dishes for me and either brings them home or sends them over. I can't stress enough, the amount of love she puts in her food. I know you might now think is love even an ingredient. My answer - yes! You NEED to put in a lot of love when you prepare something for someone and it surely shows when you taste it. When I have any doubts regarding traditional food, she is my go-to person. The last time I went to visit her she gave me these fluffy polas that I couldn't get enough of! I had to ask her the recipe and as my memory is always super weak I asked her daughter, Rishooty, my mom's cousin, to send me the recipe through Whatsapp. After hearing the process I have been ever so lazy to make these. Of course we have no patience like the women of the previous generations have had 🙈😅

Recently my mom told me to try it with yeast and voila I couldn't believe it, it was exactly the same but so effortless. I couldn't believe the results. It was the same or even better 😍

The person who came up with this idea is a genius! Now we all can make this at home.. Alhamdulilah. This for suhoor is so soothing. I love to have it for suhoor. Vella pola are normally prepared and steamed in steel plates or any mould that you have. My mom made these in Idli moulds a few days back and everyone wanted to know the recipe, and it looked super cute. I love anything in small portion sizes, unlike the normal Vella polas are cut into squares or triangle.

Ingredients:

For the banana curry

Instructions 

• Notes : If you do not have white rice (Pachari) you may use Jeerakashala rice instead. 
• I made 12 small polas with this measurement. 
• If you do not have pappadam (pappad) you may use Urad dal ( I believe this is because pappad is made from Urad dal and this acts as a substitute for Pappadam) 

Ingredients :

For sambar:

• 1/2 glass Toor dal
• 2 green chillies
• 1 small onion slices
• 1/2 tomato
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1 tsp Ginger garlic paste
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder
• A pinch of asafoetida/hung (optional)
• Salt as required
• 1 potato, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 2 drumsticks/ beans/ ladies finger etc. *

For tempering:

• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1/4 tsp Mustard seeds
• 2 sprig curry leaves
• 2 dried red chillies
• 2 tsp Sambar powder*
• Other ingredients :
• About 2 tbsp tamarind pulp*
• 1 tsp Jaggery (optional)

1. Pressure cook everything in the list under 'for Sambar' except for the vegetables in about 1 and half cup to 2 cup water for 3 whistles.
2. Once the pressure is released on its own, let the cut vegetables cook in the dal curry mixture for about 15 minutes or until knife passes through the vegetables easily.
3. Temper the ingredients under the list 'for tempering' in coconut oil and add the Sambar powder and mix until raw smell of powders dissappear, (be careful not to burn) and toss it into the Curry and let it all boil well. Lastly add the tamarind pulp and Jaggery. Adjust salt and your Sambar is ready! 😋

Ingredients :

• 700 gms bone-in chicken (small cut pieces)
• 8 dried red chillies soaked in hot water for 15 minutes and made into paste
• 2 tsp gg paste
• 1 tsp meat masala/chicken Masala powder
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1 tsp Kashmiri Red chilli powder
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp red chilli flakes (optional)
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• 1 tbsp maida/ all-purpose flour
• Salt as required
• 3/4 tbsp rice flour

• Coconut oil
• Salt as required
• 4-5 tbsp grated coconut
• 3-4 green chillies (slit)
• Curry leaves
• 1-2 tsp of red chilli paste prepared earlier

Instructions :

1. Grind the soaked red chilies to a paste.
2. Marinate the cleaned, bone-in chicken pieces with the items under 'for the chicken marinade' title for at least half an hour to 2 hours.
   
   
   
   
3. Reserve a couple of teaspoons of the chili paste for the coconut roast. The rest of the paste may be added to the chicken marinade.
4. Right before you fry the chicken, mix in the rice flour and fry or med-high heat.
5. Fry for 4 minutes each side for a total of 15-18 minutes or until well done and slightly crispy on the outside.
   
   Drain the chicken on a tissue paper.
6. 
7. Grind the coconut with the reserved chilli paste and salt and set aside.
8. Set aside some of the fried oil and fry the green chillies, and curry leaves in the same Kadai or pan.
   
9. Next, fry the coconut chilli paste until crispy roasted. Be careful not to burn it.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
10. Scoop the fried coconut from the oil and transfer it onto a tissue paper.
11. Serve your spicy chicken topped with your crispy roasted coconut, green chillies and curry leaves.

• Keep a close watch when roasting the coconut, thus one step goes wrong and the whole dish isn't worth it.
• Use coconut oil for frying the chicken for bringing out its 'naadan' flavors.
• Always remember while frying chicken do not overcrowd the Kadai or pan, it makes the chicken soggy and the chicken might not get done from the inside.
• Another tip for the coating to stay in place is to let the chicken cook at least for 3-4 minutes and flip so that the coating cooks and does not stick to the Kadai or pan. 

Kerala Beef Dry Fry

I pressure cooked my beef for about 20 minutes which was timed after my cooker starting giving the screeching sound (might be helpful if you have the same cooker as mine). I will insert a picture of my cooker too. After 20 minutes done, cook on simmer for another 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and wait for the pressure to depart on its own.

• 700 gm beef (small cuts)
• 2 big garlic cloves, paste
• 1-inch ginger, paste
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
• 4 tsp Chilli powder
• 1 tsp meat masala
• 1 1/4 tsp garam masala
• Salt as required
• 1 cup of water
• 1 garlic clove, minced/paste
• 5-6  twigs of curry leaves
• Tomato paste 4-5 tbsp (Optional)
• 4-5 tbsp pure coconut oil

Instructions :

• Mix the beef with all the spices, until salt from the ingredients list. Add 1 cup of water or until the beef is immersed in water.

• Now pressure cook for about 7-8 whistles and let the pressure depart on its own.

• Next, add the cooked beef and fry the beef well until its about dry. Not completely dry.  Your naadan beef dry fry is ready to have with flakey Malabar Porotta! 😍😋