Chilly Kappa [Tapioca]

Chilly Kappa by Mocha

The day was chilly and the night was silent. Cold winds were blowing through the howling trees. (Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh)(Sound of winds howling)
And there she was, Chilly Kappa. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr(its her shivering)

Cut .

Oops. Story time over and lets come back to reality.

How was chilly Kappa born? Few years ago, I very badly wanted to have Chutta Kappa(Tapioca)* and chutta mulakku udachathu**. But who could grill tapioca we get in US that was coated with wax. And to think about roasting red chillies with neighbours nearby, a distant dream. But I was all set to at least make the mulakku udachathu. Forget the neighbours. What is the most they could do? Sue me? I gathered the ingredients I thought I needed and went rummaging through my moms famous recipe book to find the recipe.

Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech(sound of brakes applied to my ambitious plan)

The recipe wasn't there. How in world do I make chutta mulaku udachathu. It almost 2.00 am in India, bad time to call Amma.I really didn't want kill recipe by guessing what to do.

So, plan B. Make something else utilizing all the ingredients I had taken out sans tamarind.

So Chilly Kappa was born.

Ingredients

Kappa -1lb

Small Onion - 5-6 chopped

Red chilly Flakes -1 Tbs (Its spicy dish ) or as per your taste

Mustard seeds - 1tsp

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Oil -1tbs

salt as reqd

Method

Boil tapioca in water . Drain the Tapioca and keep it aside. Now take a kadai and add oil. When oil is hot, add mustard seeds, small onions , and curry leaves. When the onion is slightly translucent add the crushed chilly flakes. Now mix in the mashed tapoica and mix thoroughly. Add salt. Your Chilly Kappa is done.

This is very good side dish . It can be served with Inji Thairu(Ginger Yogurt) and rice.

*Tapioca roasted in open flame.
**It is chutney made by roasting red chillies, mixed in with tamarind juice , small onions and drizzle of coconut oil. the charred flavor of red chillies give it a unique taste.

THE END

I am going Nuts for Bananas

I have suddenly been bitten by the blogging bug. I want to participate in every event out there . I suddenly find myself thinking of what to blog, how to blog, when to blog .

So when JFI of the month - Banana was announced By Ahaar I pounced on it. This is ablog that I have published before . I chose this blog not only because it is one of my favorite banana recipe, but alsobecause I didn't have time to think about a new recipe.. So here is ......................................................................

Banana Nut Cake

Yellow cake Mix - 1 Packet

Eggs 2

Brown Sugar -1/4 cup

Water - 2/3 Cup

Baking Soda -1 teaspoon

Vanilla - 1 1/2 teaspoon

Chopped Walnuts -1/2 cup

Mashed Bananas -1 Cup

Start with a Yellow Cake Mix. Add rest of the ingredients to to cake mix . Beat together for 3 minutes. Grease and flour pan. 9x13 Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees. (325 in glass pan) Top with Sour Cream Icing or Cream Cheese Icing. It is better the second day.

Notes.

The cake is moist and melt in your mouth kind. This is a good recipes for people who enjoy making semi home made goodies. Hope you like it.

Show me you cookbook.

Me and My Cookbooks, My Cookbooks and Me

Me and my cookbooks,

My cookbooks and me.

Right in Kitchen ,Right by me,

My cookbooks are very dear to me.

We fill the air with fragrance of clove

And make food that is filled with love.

Me and my cookbooks,
My cookbooks and me.

I flip the pages of these magical books

And create some yummy dishes that's worth all the looks.

Indian , Chinese, Continental whatever it be

Yummy tummy tickling food can be made by me.

Me and my cookbooks,
My cookbooks and me.

This is my entry to Nags "Show me the cook book event". When I started cooking a decade ago, all the help I had was from these books. Even though I rely on Internet for recipes nowadays , I can not let go of my cook books. My favorite one is the Hawkins Recipe book(surprise) that came with the Hawkins pressure cooker I bought. It was by accident that I even opened this book as I thought the recipes in a book like this would be not that good.

But today I know looks can be deceptive.

So now, My all time favorite recipe book goes tooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo...

(Drum roll , please)

HAWKINS FUTURA COOK BOOKS

Tip Series -II

I say pound, you say kilo
I say ounce , you say gram
I say Fahrenheit, you say Celsius.

Cooking is an art. There shouldn't be any rules in art.
But Baking is a science. Exact amounts makes all the difference in world.

One of the things that I find very difficult while cooking is when I have to convert English measurement to American and vice versa . So thought why not round up everything into one place so I have it as a guide always.

Oven Temperatures
                     Fahrenheit        Centigrade

Very Hot         475 - 450             250
Hot                 450 - 375              200
Moderate       375 - 300              150
Slow              300 - 250              125

Spoons, Cups and pinches 

Standard measurements
1 tsp =5 gms
1dsp = 10gms = 2 tsp
1tbsp = 15gms = 3 tsp

1/4 Cup = 4 tbsp = 50 gms
1 Cup = 8 oz = 1/2 pint = 455 gms

1 Kilo = 1000 gms = 2.2 lbs
1 lb = 8 0z

Liquid Measurements

1 tsp = 5 ml
1dsp =10ml = 2 tsp
1tbsp = 15 ml= 3 tsp

1 Cup = 8 oz = 1/2 pint 1 Cup = 1/2 pint
2 Cup = 1pint = 1/2 liter

Tip Series - I

When I left Kerala to US, my mom handed me a diary full of recipes.Poor lady had to make sure that darling spoilt daughter didn't starve her Son in Law. It was perfect little book in all ways. It had basic recipes even how to cook rice. I remember her writing down six methods of making appam. Her thoughts must have been "Hope at least one method works".

The best part of the book was that it was laden with tips. How to , What to, what if and What not.

Here I am sharing with you some of the tips

1. Remove odor of onions from your hands by applying little vinegar.
2. After cleaning fish, rub your hands on the steel sink or apply lemon juice to get rid of the smell of fish.
3. When cake gets stuck to the baking pan , keep a wet towel under the warm pan. The steam will help to release the cake.
4. When you accidentally put more salt in a curry , add bread pieces. It soaks up the salt and you can remove it later before you serve.
5. When grinding urad dhal for dosa , soak urad dhal for only half an hour. this will ensure you will have lot more batter in the end.
6. Watery eyes while chopping onions. Just open the sink and stand near it and cut. Tear are gone.
7. Line the bottom of the vegetable drawers in the fridge with a paper towel to absorb liquids that make veggies wilt.
8. Potatoes: To keep them from budding, place an apple in the bag with potatoes.
9. To get the most juice out of a lemon, bring to room temperature and roll them under your palm on your counter a few times before squeezing.
10. Get yourself a bunch of fresh cilantro, wash and trim of the stems. Dry on paper towels then put in individual freezer snack bags. Freeze. When you need some fresh cilantro just get a pack from the freezer, crush or chop and add to your recipe. Fresh cilantro!