BANANA CHIA CAKE OR BREAD

Banana Chia Bread is moist and makes a great snack or quick breakfast.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg at room temperature
2 tbsp whipped butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar or brown sugar
1/3 cups chia seeds
2 lasrge bananas, smashed
1/2 cup almond milk

Method

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease a medium loaf pan and set aside.
In a large bowl mix butter , egg, banana and sugar.
In a medium bowl add flour, salt baking powder and mix well.
Slowly add flour mixture and milk to wet ingredients, alternating until incorporated.
Fold in chia seeds, place batter in loaf pan or cake pan and place in oven for 60 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

FLAXSEED CHUTNEY

Ingredients

1/2 cup Flaxseeds

1/4 cup urad dal

8-10 nos red chillies

handful copra pieces

marble sized tamarind

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp jaggery powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

few curry leaves

2 tsp cooking oil

Method

Heat a pan and add flax seeds. Dry roast them on  medium flame with continuous stirring till they start spluttering. Transfer it to a container and add urad dal to the same pan. Dry roast them as well till they turn brown.

Assemble all roasted ingredients in a container and let them cool down to room temperature. Add salt, cumin powder, turmeric powder, jaggery and tamarind with it.

Now put everything in a blender and grind them to a coarse powder. 

Transfer it to a bowl and store in a airtight container when cools down.

Note -

Roasting should be carried out in medium flame with continuous stirring , otherwise it will burn and taste bitter

If you dont have copra, add grated coconut and roast it till moisture evaporates from it.

SOYA CHUNKS MASALA DRY

Ingredients

100 gms Soya chunks

1 1/2 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp pepper powder

1-2 tbsp gingergarlic paste

2 tsp coriander powder

2 onions chopped finely

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 1 /2 tsp gram masala

1 tomato chopped

2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

curry leaves

Method

Place the soya chunks in a bowl and fill it up with enough hot water so that the soya chunks are completely immersed. Leave it aside for 20 minutes.After soaking in water, the soya chunks would appear double in volume. Squeeze all the water from the soya chunks. I prefer to cut soya chunk pieces into smaller ones.

Marinate it with pepper powder, chilli powder, ginger garlic paste and salt for 10 minutes.
Heat oil in kadai. Add onions, curry leaves and some salt, salt absorbs moisture from onion and helps onion to get cooked fast. Saute it well until onions turn light brown.

Add turmeric powder, coriander powder and garam masala. Fry it well.

Add tomato and saute until it becomes soft.
Add marinated soya and 1 cup water. Adjust salt. Cover and cook it for 15 minutes.
Now open the lid and cook until the water evaporates.
To have a perfect dry, add 2 - 3 tsp oil. Saute it well until it turns dark in color.            
Garnish it with coriander leaves. Serve it with rice or Indian breads. Enjoy !!!!

BAINGAN BHARTA

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups roasted eggplant pulp, drained
2 large onions, chopped
2 large tomatoes, finely chopped
2 green chili, chopped
3/4 cup frozen peas
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp finely chopped ginger
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1-2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp chilli powder
3 tbsp cilantro,finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
Lemon juice as per taste
salt as per taste

Method

Heat oil in a non stick pan, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, when they pop, add garlic, ginger and chopped onions.Saute till onion is golden brown.
Now add eggplant pulp, keep stirring for 5-10 minutes.
Add tomato, salt , turmeric powder and chopped chillies.
Stir well , unit tomatoes gets pulpy and oil start to seperate out.

Add chilli powder, coriander powder and Garam  masala powder.
Add peas and cook for 5 minutes and check if peas are cooked through.
Mix in cilantro and stir well.
Finally garnish some cilantro before serving.
Enjoy!!!!

WHEAT ELLA APPAM WITHOUT FILLING

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup wheat flour
2 ripe bananas mashed
1/2 cup jaggery grated
2 tbsp chaka varatti
water as needed
Banana leaf/Vazhanayila/wax paper

Method

In a large bowl add wheat flour, mashed bananas, jaggery and chaka varatti alongwith little water ,
Add water little by little till you get a chapati dough.
Then add little more water to make a dough like clay form but should not stick to hands for easy spreading.
Cut the banana leaf from midrib around 15-20 cm length and width.
Divide dough into small lemon sized balls.
Spread the balls into round shape on the banana leaves a sa think layer. Dip the fingers in water and spread if needed. Fold the banana leaf .
Heat water in a idli steamer and allow water to boil.
Spread the ela appam evenly over the steamer base plate.
Close the lid ad steam for 10-15 minutes till appam cooks properly.
If the appam cooks , you will be able to peel teh banana leaf form the appam easly from both the sides.

INDO-CHINESE CHILLI FISH

Ingredients

1 lb Fish boneless

To marinate
1 tbsp soya sauce
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp chilli powder
salt
Oil for frying

3 onions sliced
5 cloves garlic thinly julienne
1 1/2 " ginger thinly julienne
4 nos green chilli slit lengthwise
few curry leaves
3 stalks of scallions thinly sliced
salt to taste
oil
1 tsp soya sauce
4tbsp ketchup

Method

Marinate the fish pieces in Soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, chilly powder and salt. Be aware of the salt in the Soy and Worcestershire sauces while adding  salt. Keep the marinated fish aside for 30 minutes

Heat oil in a non-stick pan and shallow fry the fish pieces. Keep it aside

Heat oil in the same pan and add onions, garlic, ginger, curry leaves and green chilly and saute until the onions are browned

Add the chopped scallions and saute for a minute

Stir in the Soy sauce and ketchup.

Now gently stir in the fried fish and mix gently to avoid braking the fish pieces.

Cook for a minute or two and serve hot.

Notes and Tips

I used low-sodium Soy sauce which is considered healthier than the traditional version.

You can use Paprika instead of Chilly powder or remove the seeds from the green chilly to reduce the heat index

If you are using a white flaky fish like Tilapia be careful, while turning it during frying and also while tossing the ingredients together, to keep the fish pieces intact. 

FISH FRY

Ingredients

1/2kg Fish , any fish 
1 inch piece Ginger
8 cloves garlic 
1 tbsp Black Pepper 
1 tsp Chilli powder
Pinch Turmeric powder 
Few Curry leaves
1/2 tsp Mustard seed
1 tbsp Lemon juice 
3 tbsp Coconut Oil 
Salt to taste

Method

Whole steaks or cut the fish into equal size pieces. Clean and drain it well.

Grind ginger, garlic, pepper, chilli powder, turmeric powder, mustard seeds, curry leaves, lemon juice and salt into a paste.

Marinate fish pieces with the ground paste and keep it aside for at-least 30 minutes.

Heat coconut oil in a frying pan and fry marinated fish pieces by turning both sides on a medium flame.

Kerala fish fry is ready for serving. Serve it hot with onion rings and lemon wedges.

Tips

Any fish of your choice can be used to make this easy kerala fish fry.
If the fish pieces are large, make shallow cut marks on it with a sharp knife, so that the marinade is absorbed easily.