Taste Alert: Homegrown at Kanjirapally

A quick heads-up to anyone who are enroute Peerumedu/Kuttikanam via Kanjirapally. This one is a must-try.

You will find a Homegrown shop owned by Cadbury India LTD very near to Kanjirapally right on the (Kottayam-Kumili) main road, by your left side. Do stop there, Go in and Ask for Coconut Special Juice! 

They blends coconut water with the tender coconut kernel and added sweeteners along with milk and cardamom. 

You are in for a surprise treat, friend!

Behind the Scenes of a Chicken Curry

Another really basic cuisine breakdown. All I had in my freezer was Chicken Breasts left over from the Grilled Chicken Gig. I was really tired and wanted to finish off the dinner process. Finally decided to go for the basic traditional curry style.

Things needed:

Diced Chicken
Onions

Lemon

Green Chillies

Mustard Seeds

Coriandar Powder

Chilli Powder

Turmeric Powder

Tomatoes

Ginger and Garlic Pips

Chicken Masala Powder

Curd

Salt and Oil as needed

Action Plan:

1. Get all your ingredients ready. Take the ginger and garlic pips and crush it to paste on a traditional stone grinder. Add in some lemon juice during the process. (Now, grinding part is optional and the only reason I did it was because of being too lazy to turn on the electric mixer for this job).

2. Chop the onions to semi-rings, tomatoes to dices and chillies to tubes.

All the ingredients ready and handy to go! 

3. Mix well and Marinate for a few minutes, the Chicken Pieces with Chilli Powder, Turmeric Powder, Ginger Garlic Paste, Salt and 2 teaspoons of curd. 

4. Pour some oil in a heated pan and add cut Onions to it. Stir Fry till golden brown and add in tomatoes, green chillies, chicken masala powder, ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder and coriander powder. Stir well. 

  

5. Add in the marinated chicken pieces. Mix them well with the fried masala mix in the pan. Add in water and salt as needed.

6. If needed you can change the mix to a larger vessel. Cook thoroughly with the lid closed. At every occasional check, you can throw in some spices to add some flavor (Cardamoms,Nuts, Leaves, Sticks etc).

You now have a very easy to cook yet tasty Kerala Chicken Curry in front of you. 

Enjoy!

Orange Grilled Chicken: A quick and easy dinner

This is an extremely easy dinner recipe.


Things Needed:
Chicken Breast Steaks 2 Pcs
An Orange
Salt , Pepper Powder , Butter
Microsoft  Microwave Oven


Method:
1. Set up your workspace. Get everything ready and handy. Defrost the chicken. Pre-heat the oven and double check all the ingredients.

At this moment, I was pretty unsure on what to eat after 3 hours of day sleep! Photo: Tripod

2. Put the steaks in water and boil it till cooked. Add in some salt and pepper during the process. 

3. Use a fork to check the cooking progress and once done, take it out. Brush some butter over the cooked steaks. Also add some pepper and salt (If you want to use any grill-sauce on this, now is the time to add in and marinate the steaks). Place the steaks in the grill rack.

4. Grill the steak for about 20 mins (turning sides at 10 mins). 

5. Once if its says Beep and you agree ; place the steaks on a plate and pour in few spoons of the stock (mixed with a cup of orange juice) over it. Serve the very next second!

Contemporary Cuisines of Mandarin Express

Mandarin Express is a contemporary chinese restaurant located in Church Street, Bangalore. My hunt for authentic (even a runner-up) chinese cuisine took me to this fine place, a couple of days back. It was a sunny day and I was really tired after an hour of used-book hunting at Blossoms. Mandarin Express was right across the street and as I was starving, to passing out and eventually death, the decision making process on where to eat was considerably short.

The place looked cozy and pleasant with mood lighting and bright red on everything. (They even had an Orange-tree prototype right at the centre!) 

That's me waiting for my menu to arrive

I started my course with a set of Non-vegetarian Dumplings. 

I am a non-alcoholic but cant resist the occasional vibes from a cold breezer. 

Dumplings came straight from heaven. Amazing mixture and perfectly cooked, it literally melted in my mouth. The texture and the aroma reminded me of the countless and awesome dimsums I had while being in Singapore. A sip of the cold orange flavoured breezer was a quick and effective reset before another fork of Dumpling.

For the main course, I ordered the house special, Meal in a Bowl. 

Another great choice, with a mix of vegetables, meat, rice/noodles and sauces - this will grow on you. The combination I proposed was a bit too spicy, but the breezer helped a lot.

Verdict: Must Visit. Mandarin Express is a bit expensive. An average meal for two should cost you 1500 INR. They have a great menu with a wide variety of Chinese Cuisine. The Ambience is good. They have a lounge area as well, which is open to the streets, but is poorly maintained. Its recommended that you enjoy your meal inside where you can watch all the things in red and once again...the Orange-tree prototype!

Nostalgic Home Food 2: Idiyirachi (Beaten Dry Meat)

Another Nostalgic tastebud memory. The warm crunchy pieces of beaten dried beef multiplying into a thousand little pieces inside your mouth. It was called 'Idiyirachi' (beaten meat) and I tasted it for the first time from an old friend's lunchbox. Making Idiyirachi is not rocket science, not even soup science, but its not a fast deal as well. Here's the recipe, try it out once. Its worth the effort.

Things Needed:

Beef Steak Slices.

Salt.

Sunshine.

Make thin little pieces of the steak slices. Sun dry the pieces for at least 24 hrs. (Ideally that means 24hrs of sun. Moonlight not applicable). Take the pieces and beat to death fibrous dry pulp. Its always good to use the traditional stone beater for this one, but you can alternatively achieve this with 2 or 3 dry spins on your electric mixer. Add some salt, mix and store it in an airtight container. Now remember that its still raw. You can now prepare a variety of dishes with this beauty.

Quickie 1: 

Shallow fry the pieces with a little oil and Chili powder = Total Awesomeness!

Quickie 2 :

Oil fry the pieces with some onions, red & green capsicums, pepper powder and sauces. 

Enjoy!

Nostalgic Home Food 1: Mango Rice with Green Chillies

Here guys and gals, this is one from the list of my all-time nostalgic home food favorites. Now, don't expect anything fancy here. This is a strictly limited list and something very personal. Sometimes its all about the combination, sometimes its a custom-made culinary art. I am sure that many of you might be familiar with the cuisine I am gonna show you today and for those who have no idea how this feels in your mouth, give it a try. 

Mango Rice with Green Chillies

(Not a real picture; doesnt even look the same; just ignore the pic)

Pretty easy to make, this one is definitely a heavy meal by itself. This is a mix and make dish which you can make in less than 5 minutes.

Things needed:

Cooked Boiled Rice.

Ripe Mango- 1

Green Chillies- 2

Mashed Tapioca

Curd

Squeeze till the last drop of Mango to the rice. Add Curd to the rice. Add in lengthy chops of green chillies. Mix well. Add in some Mashed Tapioca (which is thoroughly cooked with a pinch of turmeric powder and salt). Add salt to taste. Mix well and Eat. This tastes best when used as a stand-alone meal. Enjoy!

Newyear's Eve at Kanua

-2011 was going to end soon. I had to make a choice. Time was running out on me.

Yes, the most important decision of the year. Where to have my Newyear's Eve Dinner.

After hours of statistics, analysis, contemplation and confrontation, I decided to pick 'Kanua'-

Kanua is an authentic konkani eat out located in Sarjapur Road, Bangalore.

The place was crowded as it was Newyear's Eve. People were drinking, eating and sitting around but it was totally comfy and quiet. I always liked Kanua for its ambiance, comfort and its awesome food.

I started with Fish. I ordered a Naked Seer Fish Fried and 4 Neer Dosas to accompany it to my impatient mouth.The fish is one of the best dishes you must/should/have to try in Kanua. The texture, the flavorour and the intelligent blend of spices makes the Fish an amazing experience. Neer Dosas just melts in your mouth and is no special as a stand-alone.

 Naked Fried Seer Fish with Tender Neer Dosas

I moved on to a heavier section on the menu. The Prawns Biriyani.

Its so good, I can't put that in words. You will love it. Trust me when I say its the best Prawns Biriyani you will get in Bangalore.

PS: Before eating this one, make sure that you are not allergic to Shrimps of any kind.

I also ordered a Goan Chicken Curry to add some gravy to it.

 Prawns Biriyani with Goan Chicken Curry

Kanua doesnt have an interesting palette of Desserts. They went the authentic Konkani way in that as well and it sort of sucks! 

PS: Don't forget to grab a handful of that ginger candy wrap at the end. They are godsend!

Kanua is a little heavy on the pocket though a must try for all serious foodies!

Average Cost on Meal for Two: INR 2000

Address:

6/2, Kaikondrahalli, Near Wipro Headquaters, Sarjapur Road, Bangalore