Christmas and New Year Kerala Recipes & Wine Making

Christmas and New Year Kerala Recipes & Wine Making

BEING THE CHRISTMAS MONTH I AM SENDING ALL OF YOU THE BEST OF KERALA'S   RECIPES.

Received from a friend in Kerala

Home Made Grape Wine Recipe

Wine symbolizes celebration and festivals among many Keralites.

Christmas, Easter and many Catholic Weddings are incomplete without sweet tasting wines.

Back Home in Kerala, Wine is usually made using Grapes, Ginger, Pineapple, Chambanga (Rose Apple) and so on. That wine is verysweet unlike the wine which we get in US and most of the other countries. It is not as strong as the Commercial Wines and has a sweet taste similar to grape juice. Home Made Wine used to be my favorite drink during Christmas and Easter.

Colored Caramelized Grape Wine                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

I decided to make Grape Wine for our First Christmas in Charlotte. My friends liked the wine and my friend Hanna had been asking for the recipe for a long time but I was too lazy to write about it. Finally, I made up my mind and here is the recipe for Home Made Grape Wine. Traditionally, in Kerala, wine is made in a Ceramic Jar called Bharani. Since I didn’t have a Ceramic Jar, I bought a brand new Glass Jar for making Wine. I selected pinkish red color grapes for this wine. You can use any variety of sweet grapes for making wine but red grapes would give a nice color to the wine.

Ingredients

1.     Seeded or Seedless Grapes – 2 lbs or 1 kg approx

2.     Sugar – 4 lbs (double the quantity of grapes)

3.     Water – 4.5 liters (Boiled and Cooled or you can use distilled water)

4.     Active Dry Yeast – 2 tsps

5.     Luke Warm Water – 1/2 Cup (for dissolving the yeast)

6.     Cinnamon Stick – 1 (optional)

7.     Cloves – 3 (optional)

8.     Sugar – 1/2 Cup (For Caramelizing)

Preparation Method

1.     Clean the Ceramic/Glass Jar and allow it to sun dry before using it for making wine.

2.     Boil water and allow it to cool completely.

3.     Clean and wash the grapes well and remove the stalks.

4.     Dissolve yeast in luke warm water and keep it aside for 10-15 minutes so that it rises.

5.     Mash the grapes using a wooden spatula or crush the grapes with your hands. Add half the quantity of sugar (2 lbs) to the crushed grapes and mix well.

6.     Transfer the crushed grapes and sugar mixture to the ceramic/glass jar. Add the dissolved yeast to the jar.

7.     If using cinnamon and cloves, add it to the jar. This will give the wine a very nice spicy aroma and flavor.

8.     Add boiled and cooled water to the jar. Mix everything well. Keep the jar closed and airtight for around 21 days.

9.     You will notice air bubbles forming on the top when fermentation is taking place.

10.                        Stir the mixture with a wooden spatula every day for 21 days. (Some people stir it on alternate days but I stirred it daily!) 

11.                        After 21 days, strain the grape pulp mixture into another vessel using a muslin cloth or a clean unbleached cotton cloth. Add the remaining 2 lb of sugar and mix well. The Wine will be hazy at this stage.

12.                        Keep it for another 21 days so that the sediments settle down and the wine becomes clear. Strain the mixture again using a muslin cloth without disturbing the sediments. If you wish to caramelize the wine, you can do it a few days before straining. My wine had a light pink color because of the grapes I used.

13.                        For coloring the wine, I caramelized sugar and added it to the wine and it changed into a rich golden color. You can add the caramelized sugar to the wine a few days before straining it for the second time from the glass jar. Please refer below for details on coloring the wine.

14.                        Store the wine in clean, dry glass bottles. While serving, pour it carefully without disturbing the sediments. The longer the wine is stored, the better the taste.

  OR  

Procedure for Caramelizing Sugar

1.  Take a saucepan and add 1/2 cup sugar.

2.  Place it on medium heat and keep on stirring continuously till the sugar melts and becomes a dark brown color. Keep scraping down the sides of the pan so that the sugar gets caramelized evenly.

3.  Remove from fire and place the pan in ice cool water so the sugar doesn’t get burnt.

4.  Add 4-5 tbsps of hot water to this sugar syrup and mix well. Cool and add the syrup to the wine in the glass/ceramic jar and mix well.

5.  The wine will attain a darker color after a few days.

           For cleaning the pan after use, add water to the pan and bring it to a boil and throw away the solution.

     

      Caramelising sugar in a pan.                                         

      Serving your grapevine

     

Palappam (Kerala Rice Crepes)

Here is a long overdue post. Palappam (Rice Crepe) is a common Breakfast food in Kerala which is served with Vegetable or Meat Curries. I have been getting many requests for the traditional Palappam recipe made by soaking and grinding Rice. I used to make Palappams with Rice Flour but after having laid my hands on a lovely Preethi Mixie, I started grinding rice for Palappams. The recipe for Palappam varies from region to region or probably household to household. Some use Grated Coconut, while other use Coconut Milk. Some use Whole Dairy Milk instead of Coconut Milk. Some use Yeast for fermentation while others use Coconut Water or Toddy. Palappam is often served for Christian Weddings. It goes well with Fish Molee, Vegetable Stew, Egg Roast, Kerala Chicken Curry and so on                                                     

Kerala Palappam

I make Appams for parties and whenever we have guests. Though it is time consuming, the end result is well worth the effort.

Ingredients

1. Raw Rice – 2 cups (Use any short or long grain rice)
2. Cooked Rice – 3/4 cup approx
3. Yeast – 1.5 to 2 tsp
4. Sugar – 1 tbsp + 3-4 tbsp or as needed
5. Salt – to taste
6. Thick Coconut Milk – 1/2 cup
7. Ice cubes – as needed
8. Water – as needed

Preparation Method

1. Soak the rice for atleast 6 hours or leave it overnight.
2. Wash and drain the rice and keep aside.
3. Dissolve the yeast and 1 tbsp sugar in 1/2 cup of lightly warm water. Keep it aside for ten minutes until it foams.
4. Next, you need to grind the rice in several batches. Grind around two handfuls of raw rice along with a few tablespoons of cooked rice and very little water. I add 2-3 ice cubes while grinding each batch to prevent the mixie from overheating. Grind until you get a smooth batter.
5. Transfer the batter to large bowl. Continue doing this with the remaining rice.
6. While grinding the last batch, add the yeast solution to the mixie.
7. Leave the batter in a warm place for 6-8 hours. I usually leave it overnight. Enusre that the bowl is large enough to prevent the batter from overflowing after fermentation.
8. The batter would have risen after fermentation and will look foamy. Stir the batter and check the consistency. Add 1/4 – 1/2 cup of coconut milk to make a batter of medium consistency. If the batter appears thin after fermentation, skip the coconut milk.
9. Add sugar as per desired sweetness (3-4 tbsp) and salt to taste. Mix everything together.
10. At this stage, you can start preparing the Appams with this batter or for extra lacy appams, leave the batter untouched for half an hour. The batter will froth and rise again. Spoon the foamy layer from the batter and transfer it to another dish. Use this foamy batter for making Appams.
11. Heat a Palappam Chatti and lightly grease it with oil.
12. Once the Palappam Chatti is hot, pour a ladle full of batter and swirl the pan in one direction so that the batter spreads to the edges.
13. Keep it covered and allow the Appam to cook for a few minutes.
14. Once cooked the edges of the appam will start separating from the pan. Remove the appam carefully with a spatula.

Note

• You may need to adjust the amount of cooked rice used in this recipe. If you use too much of boiled rice, the appams will become sticky. If the rice used is less, appams won’t be soft. Try using 1/2 to 3/4 cup of cooked rice but not more than that.
• While grinding the rice, try adding very little water. The unfermented batter should be thick as it will rise and thin out after fermentation.
• To make appams with brown laces, increase the amount of sugar.

Vellayappam / Kallappam

Ingredients:

Pachari / Raw rice-1 cup

Choru / Cooked rice-2-3 tbsp heaped

Grated Coconut-1/2 cup

Yeast-1/4 tsp (can replace yeast if Kallu (toddy) is available)

Jeerakom / Cumin seeds-1/2 tsp

Garlic-2 small flakes

Chumannulli / Shallotts -2-3 nos

Sugar- to taste

Salt- to taste

Method:                                                       

• Wash and soak the rice in water for 6 hours.
• Drain and grind this with all the other ingredients in a mixy or grinder adding enough water to a smooth thin batter.
• Keep this batter aside overnight or at least 6-8 hours to ferment.
• To make vellayappam heat an iron or non stick flat pan / dosa tava on medium heat.
• If using iron pan rub with some oil and pour one full thavi / ladle batter and spread slightly with the back of the ladle, it should be thick circular shape.
• You will see a lot of small holes forming while cooking; try to count how many holes are there in one appam while you wait for the first side to become golden brown:D :D. Ok now you can stop counting, and do the rest of the counting while eating :D….
• Flip over and cook other side also.
• Serve with vegetable stew, non veg stew, meat kofta curry, fish molee, beef fry or egg roast.

 This is Palappam with Beef Stew Curry.

Nadan Kozhi ThengaPal Curry (Kerala Chicken Curry in Coconut Milk)

This spice-rich chicken curry preparation of Kerala has regional variations in terms of ingredients used, but nevertheless has the same combination of spices that adds to its flavour. Here is the recipe for a very basic Kerala Chicken curry which uses Coconut Milk. I have used Potatoes in this recipe and I know many Keralites love the combination of Chicken and Potatoes.

Ingredients

1. Chicken – 1.5 pounds
2. Onion – 2 medium (sliced into thin pieces)
3. Tomato – 1 medium (diced)
4. Potato – 1 medium (diced into medium sized pieces)
5. Chicken Masala Powder – 2 tbsp (I use store bought Eastern or Nirapara brands)
6. Coriander Powder – 1 tbsp
7. Kashmiri Chilly Powder – 1 tsp (Alter according to your Spice Tolerance)
8. Garlic Paste – 1 tsp
9. Ginger Paste – 1 tsp
10. Thin Coconut Milk – 1 cup
11. Curry Leaves – A sprig
12. Cilantro – A few (optional)
13. Coconut Oil – 3 tbsp
14. Mustard Seeds – 1/4 tsp
15. Water – As required
16. Salt – to taste

For Marinating the chicken

1. Chicken Masala Powder – 2 tbsp
2. Turmeric Powder – 1/2 tsp
3. Kashmiri Chilly Powder – 1 tsp (Alter according to your Spice Tolerance)
4. Ginger Paste – 1 tsp
5. Garlic Paste – 1 tsp
6. Black Pepper Powder -1/2 tsp
7. Yogurt- 2 tbsp
8. Salt – As required

 OR 

Method of preparation

1. Clean and cut the chicken into 8-10 medium sized pieces and marinate it with the above ingredients. Refrigerate it for an hour.
2. Heat a kadai or non stick pan and add coconut oil. Splutter mustard seeds and sauté the sliced onions and curry leaves till the onions become translucent.
3. Next reduce heat, add chilli powder, coriander powder, chicken masala powder, ginger paste, garlic paste and saute for 2 minutes.
4. Add the chopped tomato pieces along with little salt and saute well till the tomatoes are pulpy and mashed.
5. Add the potato and chicken pieces to the kadai and add 1 cup of water. Sprinkle cilantro leaves.
6. Reduce heat and simmer, covering the pan until the chicken is tender and cooked. This may take around 25-30 minutes depending on the chicken pieces used. Stir the chicken curry occasionally while it gets cooked.
7. Finally reduce heat, add coconut milk and stir gently. Cover and cook for another 2-3 minutes and remove the curry from stove top.

Note

1. Chicken Masala is a grated mixture of Coriander, Turmeric, Chilly, Black Pepper, Fenugreek, Cumin, Cloves, Cardamom, Cinnamon, NutMeg, Mace and so. You can use any store bought chicken Masala Powder or you can prepare it at home. Brands like Eastern, Saras, Melam, Priyom, Niraprara etc. are good. Click here for Home Made Chicken Masala Powder ingredients.
2. You may have to add more water while the chicken gets cooked.

VEGETABLE STEW                                                                                                   
Today’s recipe is a vegetable stew that goes very well with Palappam, Vella appam, Idiyappam or even with bread! It can be easily converted into a non veg stew by adding egg, red meat or chicken…. I cannot say this is the traditional way of making stew in Kerala. Traditionally fennel (perum jeerakam) is not added in the stew…. I got this recipe got from my mother in law when I was a newlywed bride…. Mummy used to make stew like this and I followed the same method…. But in my home Amma’s stew was different and was whiter in color…..even amma also mentioned once that her stew is far different from mummy’s…but I never got a chance to write down the recipe from Amma:( :(

  OR   

Vegetable Stew
Ingredients:
Mixed vegetables -2 cups, cubed (I used Potato, Carrot and French beans… you can even add cauliflower and peas)
Onion 1 big, sliced
Ginger-1 tsp, finely chopped
Garlic- 1 tsp finely chopped
Green Chillies-3-4, sliced
Curry leaves- few
Mustard seeds-1/4 tsp
Garam Masala- 2 Cardamom, 3 cloves, 1” piece Cinnamon, 1 ½ tsp Whole black pepper, ½ Fennel (Perum Jeerakam), crushed together
Tomato-1 big, cubed
Think Coconut Milk- 2 ½ cups
Thick Coconut milk-3/4 cup
*Cashew nut paste-1tbsp
Coconut oil-2tbsp

Method:                                                                                                                                                                         Heat oil in a pressure cooker, splutter mustard seeds and add sliced onion, chopped ginger, garlic, green chillies and curry leaves.

• Sauté for few minutes till the onion becomes soft and translucent.
• Add crushed garam masala and sauté for a minute.
• Add cubed vegetables and mix well.
• Add thin coconut milk and salt and bring it to a boil and add tomato pieces stir and close the lid of the pressure and cook for 5 minutes on medium flame.
• When the pressure drops, open the cooker and bring the curry to a boil and add thick coconut milk and cashew nut paste.
• Cook for 5 more minutes and remove from fire.
• Serve with Palappam, Vella appam, Idiyappam or bread.
• *Cashew nut paste can be substituted with 1 ½ tsp All purpose flour/ maida.

Variations:

For Egg Vegetable Stew: Break 2 or 3 eggs into boiling curry after adding thick coconut milk and simmer for 2-3 minutes, mix well and remove from fire. Tasty Egg Vegetable Stew is ready!                                 

 

For Beef/ Mutton / Chicken Vegetable Stew: If you are a non veg lover, you can add either beef or mutton or chicken pieces along with vegetables while sautéing and continue cooking method above. Your non veg stew is ready!

       

Vegetable Biriyani is a simple preparation made using basmati rice and vegetables
Ingredients: Basmati rice - 4 cups Vegetables like peas,carrots, beans, tomato cut into small pieces - 2 cups Butter or ghee - 100g Green cardamoms - 4 Cloves - 7 Cinnamon 1 inch long - 4 Onion thinly sliced - 1 Cumin seeds - 1 1/2 tsp Sliced ginger - 1 1/2 tsp Salt to taste Lemon juice - 1 tsp Hot water - 4 cups
Method: In a heavy bottomed vessel or a non stick vessel heat the butter and let it melt Put in the cardamoms, cloves , cinnamon and cumin seeds and heat for a minute Now put in sliced onions and ginger and let it slightly brown on low fire. Add the washed rice and fry the rice slowly until all the water has evaporated Now add the vegetables and fry for some more time Now add the hot water and lemon juice Cover the mixture and let it cook on lowest fire for 10 minutes or until the water has been absorbed by the rice. Serve it with salad and pickles.

Chicken Balls
(Serving: 6 persons; Preparation time-20 mints; Cooking time- 20 minutes)

Ingredients:
4 cups Minced Chicken
2 tbsp Onions, chopped
2 tbsp Parsley, chopped
1 egg yolk
300gm Kiri Cream Cheese (Kiri, a brand available in Gulf countries)
2 tbsp Butter
1 tbsp All purpose flour
2 Eggs
1 cup Bread Crumbs
Salt and Pepper to taste          

Method:

·    Heat a pan, add butter and cook the onions until tender. Remove from the heat and mix with parsley, then let it cool.

·    Mix the minced chicken with salt, pepper, egg yolk and cream cheese. Add the sautéed onions and parsley.

·    Divide the mixture into 24 even sized balls and refrigerate for two to three hours.

·    Beat the two eggs with egg yolks. Dust the chicken balls with flour; dip in egg mixture and then in bread crumbs.

·    Fry in hot oil and drain on a kitchen towel. Serve hot.

Kerala Onion Salad (Ulli Sarlas)

There is a special Salad made using Red Onions and Green Chillies in some parts of Kerala like Kottayam. This salad is known as Sarlas or Sarilas. I don’t know how it got that name but people from Kottayam seem to be familar with that name 

Nevertheless, this is the best salad which I have tasted and it goes well along with Fried Rice or Biriyani or Cutlets or Appam or any Kerala Dish. The beauty of this Onion Salad lies in its simplicity

Ingredients

1.    Red Onions (cut into thin long slices) – 3 Medium

2.    Green Chillies (cut into small pieces) – 5 Nos.

3.    Juice of half a lemon

4.    Salt – to taste

5.    Pepper – A pinch

6.    Vinegar – 2 tsp

Preparation Method

1.    Mix together all the above ingredients in a bowl.

2.    Squeeze the onions well for around 2-3 minutes till it is soft and the onions give a deep pink color. The secret to this recipe is that you have to mix everything well with your hand. The more you squeeze the onions, the better.

3. Serve along with Fried Rice or Biriyani.

Christmas Fruit Cake / Kerala Plum Cake Recipe

H ope everybody had a joyous Christmas with lots of fun and food with family and friends. We also had a great time and the last one week I was so busy baking cakes and cookies. It was a baking marathon for me. Made some Sugar cookies for my little one’s school party (recipe coming soon:)) and also 12 Fruit cakes in 2 batches and shared with family and friends….We never buy Kerala fruit cake from shops, as they always have a taste of essence and shajeera, which we hate… I am not someone who tries different fruit cake recipes every year, in fact I stick to either this recipe or the one I posted earlier … both were regularly used by my mom … if I had to choose I would pick this one over the other…. The difference in this cake is the steaming of fruits that makes the cake extra moist and melt in the mouth kind ….So here is my tried and tested Kerala Christmas Fruit Cake recipe, which was published in Malayala Manorama years back by Mrs. K.M. Mathew!

Christmas Fruit Cake / Kerala Plum Cake

     

Ingredients:

*Butter - 100gms
Ghee - 125gm
*Powdered Sugar - 300gms
Egg yolks - 4nos.
Vanilla essence - 1tsp.
Ground orange peel -1/4tsp.
Sugar - 4tblsp (to caramelize)
*Mixed dry fruits – 600gms (I used dates, raisins, currents, cherries, mixed fruits, orange peels, apricot, prunes, cranberries etc)
Cashew nuts - 100gm
Brandy/Rum - 1/2cup
*All purpose flour/ Maida - 250gms.
Baking powder - 1/2tsp
Baking soda - 1/4tsp
Cinnamon power - 1/4tsp
Clove power - 1/4tsp
Nutmeg power - 1/4tsp
*Milk - 1/4cup
*Egg white - 4nos.
Limejuice - 3tblsp
Sugar - 4 tbsp

Method:

• To Prepare the fruits~ Chop all dry fruits and cashew nuts finely and soak them in Rum/Brandy in a clean dry bottle for minimum one week. Stir the fruits at least once a day. (I recommend soaking the fruits months or a year in advance, the more the tastier).
• On the day of baking the cake, transfer these fruits in to a heatproof container with lid and steam this in a appa chemu/pressure cooker/steamer for 10 minutes. Remove the lid and allow the fruits to cool completely.
• To Caramelize Sugar~ Heat 4tblsp sugar in a pan stirring continuously. When it becomes dark brown add 1cup hot water and stir until it becomes thick.(this can be done a day ahead)
• Preparing the flour mix~ Sieve together all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon powder, clove powder and nutmeg power. Toss the steamed cooled mixed fruits in the flour-mix well in a large bowl, so that the fruit is completely coated. Keep aside. (Tossing fruits in flour is to avoid fruits falling to the bottom of the cake during baking time)
• For the cake batter~ Cream butter, ghee and sugar; add egg yolks one by one and beat in. Then add vanilla essence, ground orange peels, caramel syrup and beat well. Add flour-fruits mix slowly alternating with milk to the cream mixture, beginning and ending with flour-fruit mixture. Stir well with spatula to blend uniformly.
• Beat egg whites till stiff add 4 tbsp sugar and limejuice and beat again. Fold in egg whites in to the cake mixture.
• Baking ~ Pre heat oven to 170C/340F. Line the bottom and sides of cake pans with lightly greased parchment / butter paper. Pour cake batter in to prepared pan. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4hours or till a wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. (Start checking after 1hr) Cool in pan on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans. Cool completely on wire racks.
• Storing the Cake~ Prick holes on top of the cake with a skewer then sprinkle a teaspoon or two of Rum / brandy over cake, let it sink in for a few minutes. (Instead you can use a syringe to inject Rum/Brandy inside too; I do that sometimes;). Wrap well with parchment paper and then in aluminum foil for storage. Every week, drizzle / brush another teaspoon or two of Rum/brandy over the cake. Aim to keep it nicely moist but *not* soggy!

Keralian Duck Curry

Duck is a staple in the Backwaters, a region of intricate canals and lakes in the Indian state of Kerala. Aniamma Philip uses whole duck for this spicy dish, accented with cloves and citrusy curry leaves, but boneless breasts are a fine alternative. Make the extra effort to look for fresh or frozen curry leaves; they are much more potent than dried ones.                                       

1. Meanwhile, in a spice grinder, grind the cardamom seeds, cloves and peppercorns to a powder. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric.
2. In a large, deep skillet, heat 1/4 cup of the oil until shimmering. Add the potato slices in a single layer and cook over moderate heat until browned, about 4 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels and season with salt.
3. In the same skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the duck breasts and cook over high heat until browned, about 2 minutes per side; transfer to a large plate.
4. In the same skillet, cook the curry leaves over moderate heat for 2 minutes. Add the garlic, chiles and ginger and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the onion and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the spice powder and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Return the duck to the skillet along with any accumulated juices, cover and cook over low heat for 5 minutes, turning the breasts a few times. Return the duck breasts to the plate.
5. Open the coconut milk and spoon 1/4 cup
6. In a small bowl, mix 1/2 teaspoon of the turmeric with 2 teaspoons of kosher salt and rub over the duck breasts. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
7. of the thickened milk from the top and set aside. Put the remaining coconut milk in a bowl and stir in the water. Add the thinned coconut milk to the skillet and simmer over moderately high heat for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to moderate. Add the fried potato slices and simmer for 1 minute. Add the duck breasts and simmer for 8 minutes, turning once. Stir in the thickened coconut milk and simmer over low heat for 3 minutes. Season with salt. Transfer the duck breasts to plates and spoon the potatoes and sauce around the duck and serve.

Notes ;Don't shake the can of coconut milk before opening to make sure the thickened milk stays on top. If cooking homogenized coconut milk, add the entire can plus 1/2 cup of water at the beginning of Step 6.Serve With Steamed white rice

Unniappam - Kerala style Recipe

Raw rice - 1 cup
Jaggery - 1 cup
Dry coconut - A few pieces
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Cardamom(Elakka) powder - 1 pinch
Baking powder - 1 pinch
Ripe bananas - 2 nos
Oil - As reqd

Preparation Method of Unniappam - Kerala style Recipe

1)Soak raw rice in water for 2 to 4 hrs. 2)Drain it well and grind it in a mixer adding very little water, baking soda and banana. 3)When it becomes a fine paste, add the jaggery to it and grind. 4)Chop the dry coconut into small bits and fry it in ghee till golden brown. 5)Add the coconut bits and cardamom powder to rice and jaggery batter. :- The consistency of the batter should be like the dosa batter. 6)Heat the appam pan and add little oil to all the potions of the pan, so it’s half full. 7)Add the batter to each portion of the pan with a small table spoon. 8)Turn over and cook till the appams are golden brown on both sides.

A. Joyce Mal