Red Currant Cookies

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              It was just recently that I came to know about currants. We do't get it in India (down south), living in The Emirates has it's own perks, the supermarkets are stocked with exotic fruits and vegetables. I came across these beauties this a few days back and was so excited that I couldn't wait to get home and pop it in my mouth. I returned home took out the currants washed and had one and guess what it was so SOUR! I was so disappointed , I had earlier made the same mistake with strawberries(it looked ripe :/). 

I mean look at them, they look sooo attractive and I seriously thought that it would be super sweet. Anyways I was in a fix, did not know what to do with the entire packet as I was hardly able to eat one, seeing my reaction my husband wouldn't even have one. Then as always google came to the rescue. I found a lot of recipes using red currants. I wanted to make a cake, but unfortunately the required amount of currants were more than what I had so ended up baking these cookies. I got the recipe from here. The cookies when baked & cooled is crispy and it becomes soft later on. The cookies where good, a combination of both sweet & sour.

Recipe source: eatinmykitchen
Ingredients:
All purpose flour                             -                   150 g.
oats                                                  -                    100 g.
salt                                                    -                   ¼ tsp.
baking soda                                      -                    a pinch
baking powder                                  -                    ½ tsp.
butter, softened(at room temp.)       -                     110 g.
granulated sugar                               -                    150 g.
ripe banana, mashed                        -                     1
Egg, small                                        -                     1
Vanilla extract                                 -                     ½ tsp.
red currants, ripe                              -                    150 g.

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C / 360°F  and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Combine the flour, oats, salt, baking soda and baking powder in a bowl. 
3. In another large bowl, mix the butter and sugar until fluffy with a beater. Add the mashed banana, egg and vanilla and continue mixing until well combined. 
4. Stir in the dry mixture with a spoon gently until you have a lumpy dough. Gently fold in the red currants. Do not over mix.
5. Drop a tablespoon of dough on the lined baking sheet, leaving enough space in between them as they will expand in the oven.
6. Bake in the oven for about 13 minutes or until golden, they will be quite soft at first.
7. Remove them from the oven and let it cool a bit, before transferring them onto a wire rack.
8. The cookie will be crispy the first day and will soften gradually.

Avial (Mived Vegetables With coconut)

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                                This is a traditional dish of Kerala made with a variety of veggies. Before when I tried out this dish it was watery and my SIL used to make fun off me saying "ha you have made mango mappas again".The problem being, I used curd and the the gravy was watery. This time around I used raw mango instead of curd and I nailed the dish. This is how my mom makes it and it's a bit time consuming dish & a bit dry, unless of course you make use of  a pressure cooker. If you prefer using curd instead of mango click here

Ingredients:
A mix of Veggies of your choice(cut in small strips)  -   ½ to ¾ kg. 
(I used yam(chena), snake gourd(padavalam), long beans(achinga), Carrot, Drumstick, Cucumber(vellarika))
Raw Mango            -         a small piece(depends on the sourness)
Coconut Oil            -        1 tbsp.
Turmeric powder   -         ½ tsp.
Chilly powder        -         1 tsp.
Salt as required
Curry Leaves a few sprigs
Coconut Oil           -          ½ tbsp.

For Grinding:
Grated Coconut     -         of half a coconut
Cumin                   -         1 tsp.
Green Chilies       -           4

Method:

1. Cut the yam(chena) in small and long strips, immerse it in water and set aside.
2. Cut the remaining veggies and place it in a separate  bowl of water.
3. Peel and cut the raw mango and place it separately aside until needed.
4. Heat a tablespoon of oil in  a hard bottomed vessel and place the drumsticks, achinga, snake gourd, carrot, Yam(chena) and finally vellarika one above the other respectively.(ref. Notes)
5. Add the turmeric, chilly powder and the required amount of salt on top of the vegetables, close the vessel with a lid and cook it on low flame.
6. Coarsely grind the coconut, cumin and the green chilies and set aside.
7. When it starts to boil combine all the vegetables together.
8. Add the raw mango when the yam is about ¾ done, close and let it cook.
9. Check if all the veggies have been cooked well, if so make a hole in  the middle of the cooked vegetables. Take all the water from the center and pour it over the surrounding vegetables, continue doing this until there is no water left in the center.
10. Now add the coarsely grounded mixture and the curry leaves and combine well.
11. Finally drizzle the remaining coconut oil on the avial and remove from flame & serve with rice.

 Notes:

• The reason as to why the veggies are arranged is because no water is added & also to prevent the yam from losing its color.

Olan(Ash Gourd In Coconut Milk)

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                   Olan is another one of the items in the Onam(a festival in Kerala) sadhya, which is made with coconut milk. I have used a combination of ash gourd and vanpayar (cow-peas), this can also be made using raw banana, pumpkin etc. This is a simple dish which requires less time, unless you are using fresh coconut.

Ingredients:
Ash Gourd, peeled & chopped in small cubes    -       500 g.
cow-peas(vanpayar)                                            -        ¼ cup (soaked overnight)
Green Chilies, slit                                               -       4  
Thick Coconut Milk                                           -       ½ cup
Curry Leaves                                                      -        a sprig
Coconut oil                                                         -       1 tsp.
salt as required

Method:

1. Cook the cow-peas until just cooked, drain &keep aside.
2. In a deep heavy vessel combine the ash gourd, green chilies and add water just enough to cover the vegetables and cook until the gourd is just soft.
3. Now add the cooked beans and the required amount of salt and let it boil for about 4 mins.
4. Combine the thick coconut milk and turn off flame and add the coconut oil and the curry leaves to the dish and serve.

Notes:

• Do not overcook the veggies.
• The olan will become slightly thick after some time(it's not a bad thing).

Irani Chai

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                  So this other day I was reading the e newspaper and I came across this article something about Irani Chai and Hyderabad and as always I stopped reading the news and started going after the recipe of "Irani Chai". There were so many recipes on the net and  almost had the same ingredients and method. I am a tea person and I like my tea strong and with foam on top. My husband did not like the tea, he said it was too thick for him. The tea is a bit thick and I wouldn't have it on a regular basis, once a month may be. But it tastes good with a hint of spices and nice aroma, not too sweet too. It's a simple recipe using very few ingredients.

Ingredients:(serves 2)
Full Fat Milk              -        2 cups
Condensed Milk        -         2 Tbsp.
Tea powder               -         1 Tbsp.
Cardamom pods        -         3
Ginger, crushed         -         1 Inch

Method:

1. First make the tea decoction, by adding a tablespoon of tea powder to 1 ½ cups of boiling water.
2. Add the cardamom and the crushed ginger. Close the vessel(to prevent escaping steam) with a lid and reduce the flame. Let it simmer until the water is reduced to half its amount.(keep checking in between else you will be left with only the soaked tea powder and no decoction like I had, I had to redo this step)
3. Meanwhile boil the milk on medium flame(you can use normal milk with medium fat) until the milk has reduced to nearly half its amount, add the condensed milk and mix well. 
4. The milk will become thick. Remove from flame and add the reduced tea decoction  to the milk and serve.
5. Add sugar only if required(most probably you won't be needing it)