Simple Clear Chicken Soup

Hi, everyone, I'm glad to meet all of you after a long break. Some of you might be thinking what have happened to Arthy,she is missing in action. Anyway to be frank, I have been extremely busy with work, work and work only, I have cooked many dishes all these days but never had enough time to take pictures. Now let us take a look at what I have to share with you today, Simple Clear Chicken Soup.

Ingredients:

100g of boneless chicken (sliced thinly)

1 pc of chicken carcass/ bones (optional

10 pcs of white fish balls

1/2 a carrot (sliced)

A handful of cabbage (cut coarsely)

A handful of cilantro leaves

A handful of spring onion (sliced)

1 chicken stock cube (store bought)

1.5 liter of water

In a pan, boil water, stock cube, chicken carcass until the stock reduces to 2/3. Now add in chicken slices, carrot, cabbage and fish balls, let it simmer until chicken is completely cooked. Finally before serving add in cilantro and spring onion. Adjust seasoning if needed and now our Simple Clear Chicken Soup is now ready to be served.

Do try and let me know how it turned out for you!

Drumstick Leaves Thanni Chaar

Ingredients:
2 cups of drumstick leaves
1/2 cup of masoor dal (soaked)
1 onion sliced thinly
1 green chilli (slit)
3 garlic pods (peeled)
1 tbsp of coconut cream
Salt to taste

Boil masoor dal until the dal is cooked and soft, add sliced onions, garlic and green chilli let it simmer further, now add in the leaves and boil for another 5 minutes. Finally add coconut cream and salt, add salt to your preference. 

Now our Drumstick Leaves Thanni Chaar is ready to be served. Do try and let me know how it turned for you!

Kerala Kappa Masala/ Tapioca Masala

Blogging is a very interesting hobby to do, you get to know so many other bloggers from all around the world sharing their recipes with talent and photography skills which I really admire. I have joined many groups and share my recipes with others, recently I have joined group known as Kerala Kitchen, got to know lots of friends and Nags from Edible Garden have suggested that we should have cook-along event every month with selected recipes. I was so excited because, being a Malayali from Malaysia there are many recipes that we hardly cook and have forgotten over the years, my grandparents have taught my mom many Keralite recipes but I never take time to learn all of it. So this is a great chance, for me to learn with the others.

This month we have to cook Kappa Masala, which the recipe have been shared by Nags. This is slightly different from what my mom cooks but it tastes so delicious that I ate this as it is for lunch today. This is a very simple recipe and requires very less ingredients and you need so less a time to prepare it, I just love the flavour of garlic in this dish. Now let us see how to make this Kappa Masala, this recipe have been adapted from Edible Garden who is hosting Kerala Kitchen's cookout this month;

Ingredients:
500 g of kappa/tapioca
5 cloves of garlic
5 dried red chilies
1 tbsp of coconut oil
1/2 tsp of mustard seeds
1/2 tsp of split urad dal
1 sprig of curry leaves
1/4 tsp of turmeric powder
Salt to taste

Peel the tapioca and cut into cubes, wash and drain. Now boil the tapioca with some salt and turmeric powder until its soft but not too mushy for about 10 to 15 minutes, once its cooked drain and keep aside.

I have used dry mill to blend dried chilli and garlic to a coarse paste and keep aside, you can even use pestle and mortar to crush garlic and dried chilli.

In a pan, heat coconut oil and add mustard seed and let it crackle, once the seeds crackle add the curry leaves, chilli and garlic paste mix well and then add in the cooked tapioca. Mix well all the ingredients without breaking the tapioca and let the masala coat the tapioca. Add more salt if needed and our Kappa Masala is ready to be served.

Do try and let me know how it turned out for you!

Mix Vege Stir Fried with Chicken

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of minced chicken
1 pack of peas
1 carrot (sliced)
1 cup of cauliflower
3 garlic pods (chopped)
1 tbsp of oyster sauce
1/2 tbsp of corn slurry
3 tbsp of water
1 tbsp of oil
Salt to taste

In a pan, heat oil and fry chopped garlic and minced chicken, add all the vegetables and oyster sauce, fry all for a couple of minutes. Now add in salt and water stir very quickly, finally add in the corn slurry let the sauce thicken and ready to be served. Serve in a platter, do try and let me know how it was!

Broad Beans, Potato and Carrot Stir Fry

Ingredients:
200g broad beans (chopped)
2 small potatoes (cubed)
1 carrot (chopped)
1 tsp of mustard seed
1 tsp of cumin seed
1 green chilli (chopped)
1 tsp of ginger garlic paste
1/4 tsp of turmeric powder
1 tsp of red chilli powder
1/2 tsp of cumin powder
1/2 tbsp of coriander powder
1 onion (chopped)
A pinch of hing
2 tbsp of oil
Salt to taste
Water

Heat oil and fry mustard seed once it crackled add in cumin seed, onion, ginger garlic paste, green chilli and hing until it releases aroma. Now add in broad beans, potato, carrot, turmeric powder, chilli powder and coriander powder with a splash of water, add salt and cover to cook. 

The water should be completely evaporated and our Broad Beans, Potato and Carrot Stir Fry is ready to be served. Do try and let me know how it turned out for you!

Prawn and Radish Kaara Kuzhambu/ Curry

I have been craving for my mom's cooking for the past few days, I have been cooking for many years now but still nothing beats my mom's cooking maybe because she mixes the spices with the right amount  and pour lots of love in what ever she cooks. Ma, I love you so much! Now coming back to today's recipe mom makes this curry so well and the taste lingers in our tongue even after so many hours having it. I have tried making this curry as similar to mom's, radish is a very nutritious and contains very low calorie, it also very useful in treating constipation and detox the body. Mom always says that radish also prevents and fights urinary tract infection and excellent kidney cleanser.

Now let us look at how to make this curry;

Ingredients:

5 small radish (sliced thinly)

1 cup of prawns (cleaned)

1 tomato (chopped)

1 onion (sliced)

1 tsp of ginger garlic paste

1 tsp of fenugreek seed

1/4 tsp of turmeric powder

1 tsp of chilli powder

1 tbsp of meat curry powder

1/2 cup of tamarind juice

1 sprig of curry leaves

2 green chili (slit)

2 tbsp of oil

Salt to taste

Water

In a pan, heat oil and fry fenugreek seed, curry leaves, onion, green chilli and ginger garlic paste. Then add the sliced radish until its almost soft and slightly browned, now add enough water and turmeric, chilli and meat curry powder and let it boil until the raw smell of the spices are gone. Boil the gravy further until it reduces a little and add salt and prawn.

Finally pour the tamarind juice and let it simmer for a couple of minutes. Finally add in sliced tomatoes and turn off the flame and cover the pan. Now our Prawn and Radish Kaara Kuzhambu is ready to be served.

Do try and let me know how was it!

Pineapple Fried Rice (Vegetarian)

My husband loves Thai fried rice because they add pineapple to it, the sweet and sour taste of the pineapple adds an unique taste to the rice. I planned to fry some rice not in Thai style but my own version by adding some pineapple chunks to it. Now let us see how I made this;

Ingredients:

2 cups of cooked rice

1/4 cup of pineapple chunks

1/4 cup of frozen mixed veges

1/2 cup of soy made sausages

3 pcs of bird eye chilli (chopped)

1 tbsp of mushroom sauce

Salt to taste

Oil to fry

Heat oil in a frying pan and fry sausages, bird eye chilli for a couple of minutes then add frozen mixed veges, stir well until the veges are soft. Now add the mushroom sauce and salt mix well with the veges and stir in the cooked rice. Incorporate all the ingredients well and finally add the pineapple chunks, Pineapple Fried Rice is ready to be served.

Do try and let me know how it turned out for you!

Pepper Aloo Gobi/ Potato Cauliflower Fry

Ingredients:

 250 g of cauliflower (cut into small florets)

1 large potato (cubed)

1 sprig of curry leaves

1 green chilli (slit)

1/2 tsp mustard seed

1 tsp of chilli powder

1/4 tsp of turmeric powder

1/2 tbsp of coarse black pepper

Salt to taste

Oil

Boil potato and cauliflower until both are half cooked, drain and keep aside.

In a pan, heat oil and add mustard seed once it crackle and curry leaves, green chilli and the boiled vegetables. Fry everything for a couple of minutes, then add chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt fry for another minute.

Finally add black pepper, incorporate well with the vegetables. Now our Pepper Aloo Gobi Fry is ready to be served. 

Do try and let me know how it turned out for you!

Brinjal and Carrot Sambar

Ingredients:

1 cup of masoor dal/red lentils

1 tbsp of meat curry powder

1 brinjal (chopped)

1/2 carrot (chopped)

5 garlic pods

1 tsp of gingely oil

1/2 tsp of hing

Salt to taste

Water

Tempering:

3 pcs red dried chilli

2 tsp of mixed tempering spices

1 sprig of curry leaves

1 tomato (cut into wedges)

5 shallots (chopped)

2 tbsp of oil

Soak masoor dal in hot water for about 10 minutes and clean until the water runs clear, then pressure cook the dal with gingelly oil, hing, garlic, 3 cups of water and salt until the dal is completely cooked and mashed. It takes about 3 to 4 whistle in a pressure cooker.

Now add brinjal, carrot and curry powder to the dal and cook for 5 more minutes. Finally temper the sambar with the tempering agent and pour it to the sambar. Close the lid of the cooker to trap the aroma inside until ready to serve.

Now our Brinjal and Carrot Sambar is ready to be served, do try and let me know how it turned out for you!

Potato and Soy-Made Chicken Masala (Vegetarian)

Ingredients:

2 potatoes (cut into small pieces)
100 g of soy-made chicken
1/4 cup of frozen mix vegetables
1 large onion (sliced)
1 tomato (chopped)
1 tbsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 sprig of curry leaves
1 green chilli (slit)
1 tsp cumin seeds
Salt to taste
Water

In a pan, heat oil and fry soy made chicken until its slightly browned and keep aside.

In the same pan, fry onion, cumin seed, curry leaves and green chilli then fry for a couple of minutes. Now add tomato and fry until it turns mushy, add potatoes, salt and turmeric powder with some water let the potato turn soft. 

Now add fried soy-made chicken and frozen mix vegetables to the above mixture, then add coriander powder and let the gravy simmer and thickens. Our Potato and Soy-Made Chicken Masala is ready to be served with chapati or poori.

Do try and let me know how it turned out!

Spinach Curry/ Kirai Curry

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of toor dal

14 cup of moong dal

A bunch of spinach (cleaned)

1/4 cup of coconut milk

1 brinjal (cut into small pieces)

1 tsp mustard seed

2 dried red chilli

5 bird eye chilli

1 onion (sliced)

3 garlic pods

Salt to taste

Oil for tempering

Wash and soak toor dal and moong dal for at least 30 minutes. Then pressure cook dal, garlic, bird eye chilli until soft.

Next add in spinach and let it soften, now add the sliced onion, brinjal, salt and mix well until cooked. Let all this boil until brinjal soften then add coconut milk let it simmer for a few minutes and turn off the flame.

Finally temper the curry with dried chilli and mustard seed and pour over the curry. Cover the pan and let the flavour trapped in the cooker until ready to eat.

Now our Spinach Curry is ready to be served. Do try and let me know how was it!

Simple Fried Flat Noodle

Simple and easy to prepare meal would be what every woman prefer making especially when she's busy and do not have much time. Okay to go to that list I have prepared this Stir fried Flat Noodle, I have added chives, tofu and chicken pieces to this dish. Now let us see how to make this;

Ingredients:

1 pack of flat noodles (fresh ones)

3 pcs of white tofu (cubed)

2 pcs chicken breast (cubed)

5 cloves of garlic (diced)

2 tbsp of chilli sauce

2 tbsp of chilli paste

1 tbsp of light soy sauce (depending on individual preference)

A bunch of chives (cut into 1 inch length)

Heat oil in a a wok

Fry diced garlic once lightly browned add cubed tofu and fry for a couple of minutes

Then add cubed chicken pieces and fry until almost cooked

Add in the chilli paste and chilli sauce to the chicken and tofu, mix evenly

Add in chives and stir together with the other ingredients

Now add the flat noodles and mix well, add in the light soy sauce

Now our Simple Fried Flat Noodles is ready to be served

Do try and let me know how it turned out!

Guest Post by Swasthi Blank: Vegetable Biryani

It's the week of celebration at my blog, I think many of you have known many of my blogger sisters are doing guest post for the past few days. Adding to the list will be Swasthi the owner of Indian Healthy Recipes blog, I love her recipes especially the healthy versions and admire her pictures of food. If you have visited her blog before you would know how much love she puts in her cooking and photography, let me not waste any time and introduce our star today Swasthi Blank.

Hi Everyone! I am Swasthi , author of Indian Healthy Recipes. I am delighted to be here on Arthy’s space to share a simple Vegetable Biryani Recipe.  We all love biryani, but many never attempt to prepare this at home, feeling it to be a tedious process. But trust me! Making a good biryani is just a simple task and an art, which can be gained by practice. I have used a homemade biryani masala powder, but if you wish you can replace it with any store bought powders, though I cannot suggest you any brand as I have not been using them for years now. Now on to a non-mushy and spicy Vegetable Biryani recipe.

Ingredients:

1 cup of aged basmathi rice (soaked for just 10 to 20 mins)

½  cup of chopped onions

1/3 cup of tomatoes chopped

6 to 8 baby potatoes or 1 large potatoes cubed and soaked in salt water till you prepare.

¼ cup of carrots chopped

¼ cup of green peas

Few thinly sliced capsicum pieces (optional, but adds aroma to the rice)

1 ½   tbsp ginger garlic paste

½ cup mint leaves

½ cup Coriander leaves

2 to 3 green chilies (adjust as per your taste)

A pinch of turmeric

1 ½ tbps melon seeds paste (smooth paste, optional, but adds a lot of taste)

1 ¼ tbsp. homemade biryani masala powder (can use store bought too, but adjust the quantity as needed) (adjust as per your taste)

1 ¾ cup Water (works right for me always)

4 to 5 tbsps. oil

Dry spices

1 bay leaf

5 green cardamoms

1 star anise

3 inch cinnamon stick

6 to 8 clove

Few pepper corn

Method

1.   Fry the capsicums in 1 tsp of oil and set aside.

2.   Heat oil in a pan, add spices and sauté

3.   Add ginger garlic paste, sauté

4.   Add tomatoes, little salt, turmeric and fry till the tomatoes turn mushy and then later become dry (all the juice must be evaporated)

5.   Add the onions, carrots, peas and potatoes fry on medium for 2 mins

6.   Add mint and coriander leaves, sauté for 2 to 3 mins

7.   Pour water, add salt, biryani masala powder

8.   Cover and cook till the potatoes are half cooked usually takes around 3 to 4 mins on medium flame.

9.   Add rice , melon seed paste and cook on a medium flame till all the water is evaporated. Mix well

10.Close the pan with a tight lid and simmer the flame to minimum, the flame should barely touch the pan. Cook this way for 7 to 8 mins, checking in between. If rice is undercooked can sprinkle some warm water and cook. Add the fried capsicums. Off the heat.

Serve after 15 mins

Thanks dear Arthy for giving me this opportunity.

The pictures makes me drooling, what you think? Awesome recipe isn't it, do try and visit her blog she has more surprising recipes there!

Carrot & Peas Stir Fried with Tofu

Ingredients:
1 pack of peas
1 carrot (cut as per your preference)
2 fried white tofu
2 tbsp of mushroom sauce
1 tbsp of diced garlic
1 tbsp of oil
Salt to taste

Clean peas and carrot, wash, drain and keep aside.

Heat oil in a wok and fry garlic until fragrant, now add in tofu, peas and carrot stir very quickly. Then add mushroom sauce, salt and stir for another minute. Ready to dish out, do not over cook the veges as it wouldn't taste good.

Now our Carrot and Peas Stir Fried with Tofu is ready to be served.

Do try and let me know how it turned out!

Healthy Chinese Style Mix Vege

Ingredients:

2 cups of Cauliflower (cut into florets)
1 pack of Holland Peas (cut into 2)
1 carrot (cut thinly into semicircle)
10 pcs of cashew nuts (optional)
1 tbsp of diced garlic
2 tbsp of oyster sauce
1 tbsp of corn slurry
1 onion (sliced thinly)
1/4 cup of water
1 tbsp of oil
Salt to taste

In a pan heat oil and fry cashew nuts until golden and keep aside.

In the same pan, fry onion and diced garlic until fragrant, add Cauliflower, Carrot and Holland Peas and fry for a minute. Pour water, add in oyster sauce and salt, cover to cook for a couple of minutes. Finally add in corn slurry and stir well to incorporate with the veges to thicken the gravy.

Garnish with fried cashew nuts and our Healthy Chinese Style Mix Vege is ready to be served.

Do try and let me know how it turned out for you!

Beetroot Stir Fry

Ingredients:

1 large beet root (cleaned and grated)

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 sprig curry leaves

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

2 tbsp coconut grated

1 tsp mushroom sauce

1 green chili (slit)

1 tsp oil to fry

Salt to taste

In a pan, heat oil fry mustard seed and let it splutter. Then add curry leaves, green chili, grated beetroot and stir well. Now add turmeric powder, salt and mushroom sauce mix everything together. 

Cook the beetroot until completely soft and add grated coconut, incorporate coconut with beetroot and our Beetroot Stir Fry is now ready to be served.

Do try and let me know how it turned out!

Carrot-Long Beans Spicy Thoran

This is a must have dish when my mom cooks Kerala vegetarian dishes, we love this dish so much because it's spicy and tasty. Very simple and easy to make and complements sambar, sothy or moru curry or with just plain rice. Let us look at the recipe;

Ingredients:

1 carrot diced small

10 long beans cut small

1/4 cup of grated coconut

1/2 tsp of turmeric powder

4 dry red chili

1 onion sliced

1 tsp mustard seed

1 sprig curry leaves

1 tbsp of oil

1/4 cup of water

Salt to taste

Blend coarsely onion, dry red chili and coconut with water and keep aside.

In a pan, heat oil add mustard seed and curry leaves, let it crackle then add in carrot and long beans. Stir in turmeric powder and salt until everything is well incorporated. 

Let the carrot cook for about 5 minutes and pour in blended ingredients and let is simmer. The liquid should be totally evaporated and the thoran will be dry.

Now our Thoran is ready to be served, do try and let me know how it turned out.

Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

5 pcs chicken (cleaned)

1 onion sliced thinly

3 cloves of garlic

1 cu of chopped cabbage

1 tsp of pepper powder

1/4 tsp of turmeric powder

1/2 tsp of salt

3 cups of water

Mix all the ingredients above and bring to a boil until the chicken is completely cooked, I didn't use any oil because chicken will release oil, our chicken soup is ready to be served. 

This soup is very filling and healthy for everyone and most importantly its easy to be prepared.

Chicken & Cabbage Diet Soup

Talking about diet plans, especially diet to loose weight, all of you definitely have all sort of different diet plans that you have tried and succeed personally. To name a few- Atkins Diet, High Protein Diet, Low Carbohydrate Diet, Cabbage Soup Diet, Low Calorie Diet, 3 Apple a day diet, Banana Diet, Grapefruit Diet and many more. All this diet plans use different dietary plans to achieve targeted weight loss depending on individuals capability and health conditions.

I have combined two types of diet plan which comprises of Cabbage Soup and High Protein Diet.

I have a very easy diet meal for those who are on diet, especially for people who are on high protein  and low carbohydrate diet.

This is a very very very simple recipe and can be cooked within 15 minutes, come let us look at how I made this soup.

Ingredients:

1 cup of chicken keel cubed

2 cups of cabbage chopped

1 large onion sliced

3 garlic pods

1 tsp of ground black pepper

1 tbsp of fried onion

3 cups of water

Salt to taste

In a pot, add all the ingredients above and let it boil until the water reduces to 1 1/2 cup or as desired.  Garnish with fried onion and our soup is ready to be served, make sure you consume while its still hot.

This is simple isn't it?

Do try and let me know how it turned out.

Drumstick Leaves Stir Fry

I love drumstick leaves stir fried, especially if served together with thick fish curry, wow the taste is so  delicious and unforgettable. I have fried this leaves with grated coconut, I just love it. Let's look at how I prepared this.

Ingredients:

2 cups of drumstick leaves
1/4 cup of grated coconut
1 onion sliced
3 garlic chopped
1 green chili (slit)
1 tbsp of salted water
1 tbsp oil

In a pan, pour oil add in garlic, green chili and onion saute for a minute. Now add in the leaves and stir in, it will quickly clump together, stir and spread it then add salted water, mix the leaves well. Add the grated coconut and stir in mixing the leaves with the grated coconut.

Our stir fry is now ready, do try and let me know how was it.