Cooking Is Easy

MEEN CURRY WITH KUDAM PULI Kudam puli scientifically known as Garcinia cambogia is actually good for the heart, cholesterol, and fights obesity. We knanayaites use this puli in all our fish (meen) curries. The only other people I know other than us who use Kudam puli is the = Coorgies, but they do not use the whole puli in their curries. They use Kacham puli ie they mix 5 or 10 kg puli with water and heat it and take the pulp by simmering it. So 1 tsp of kacham puli is enough to give puli to 1 kg pork curry or meen curry. They use it to make Coorgie pork fry, chicken curry, and in some vegetable curry. They also put in ½ tsp of kacham puli along with the chilly powder and salt to marinate fish for frying (this I always do when I fry fish and the taste is awesome). If anyone visits coorg please make sure that you get at least one bottle of kacham puli….it is really worth. Update: March 2014 Updated with step by step pictures . MEEN CURRY: Ingredients: Fish: ½ kg. Kud...

I use a lot of butter in my cooking usually for baking and puddings (which I have been doing a lot since the summer vacation set in). Butter has become very costly these days so, why not make butter at home. I have been doing this for a long time and I am never short of butter. Updated step by step post. First boil 1 ½ liters of milk (preferably Milma blue packet) in an open steel vessel and allow it to cool and refrigerate it. Do not close the lid and leave it to cool. Do this in the evening and leave it in the fridge overnight. Next day morning take the cream which has formed on top of the milk and put it in a container and store it in freezer. Do this every day. When the container is full, thaw it and put it in a blender add cold water and blend it. You will get butter within minutes. Rise the butter in water 3 or 4 times and store in fridge and it is ready to make wonderful cakes and cookies. Store the butter in fridge. This cream-less milk is your healthy ...

I am a little lazy when it comes to taking photographs, but I will try my best on that aspect. I know when it comes to making puddings one wants it to be easy and it should turn out well. So today, I am posting two of the easiest and yummiest puddings which are very easy to make and I assure you whoever makes this won’t be disappointed. My amma’s sister, Lata used to make this easy pudding when my brothers and I used to spend our holidays at her house. This is one of the easiest puddings that I have come across. All you need is butter and glucose biscuits. COFFEE BISCUIT PUDDING: Ingredients: Britannia glucose biscuit: 2 or 3 pkts. Homemade Butter: 100 gms. Powdered sugar: 2 cups. Milk: 1 glass. Nescafe: 2 tblsp.(plus little sugar while making the coffee). Egg white: 1 egg. Little coffee mix for serving. Chocolate gratings (optional). METHOD: Cream butter and sugar, fold egg white into it. Warm up the milk, add Nescafe and little sugar and make coffee. Tak...

I know this summer heat is making us want some cool cool drinks, so how about some ladies drink. No I am not talking about wine (that I will post later) I am talking about Irish cream and Apricot brandy which is my favorite . Having lived in Coorg for a long time gave me many wonderful Coorgi friends, who were kind enough to share some of their favorite recipes. Amman, my friend from Coorg handed down this recipe to me which I am going to share today. IRISH CREAM: CONDENSED MILK: 1 TIN. AMUL CREAM: 1 CUP. COCOA: 1 TSP. NESCAFE: 2 TSP. WHISKY: 1 3/4 CUP. ALMOND, VANILLA ESSENCE: 1 DROP (OPTIONAL). METHOD: Mix all this in a blender in low speed, strain, bottle, and refrigerate it. Will keep for 1 week in the fridge. Serve this with crushed ice. APRICOT BRANDY: DRY APRICOTS: 200 GMS. RED KALKANDAM: 100 GM (if u need more sweetness add another 50 grams). 1 BOTTLE: MACDOWEL BRANDY. METHOD: Clean and sun dry the apricots. Crush apricots and red sugar or red...

CAKES CAKES CAKES CAKES I know cakes have always been a fascination for young brides, mothers, and all women. When you see a nicely made up cake you will want to make it for your loved ones, but most of the time it does not turn out well. So I am going to tell a few things which I have learned from my experience. FEW THINGS TO REMEMBER: Basic cake is equal flour, sugar, butter, and eggs. So, if u are taking 4 eggs, flour should be 200 gm, butter 200 gm, sugar 200 gm; if you are using cocoa powder make the flour 150 gm and cocoa 50 gm. Lemon juice and grind give a nice flavour to the cake. Always cook the cocoa powder to get the dark colour; put the cocoa powder in a saucepan pour little water into it and put it on slow flame; when steam comes out, keep aside to cool. When using egg beater to mix cake always whip the egg whites first and keep aside and while separating the yolks see that yolk does not break and fall into whites and also there should not be any water in the...

--> I am married and have 2 children, Nidhi and Namit. I am now a stay-at-home mom that means on duty 24/7 :). I quit my job soon after my husband got transferred to Mercara, Coorg. I love to cook for my family and friends. I always try out something new and if it is really good, it stays in my heart. My husband, Homey and my kids are my greatest critics. I do not go for expensive things, my idea of cooking is to cook with what is available in the house. I am not an expert in cooking nor have a degree in home science. I just use ingredients approximately or if I am following a recipe I follow it. Fifteen years back I never stepped into my amma’s kitchen, but after marriage, I started experimenting South Indian and North Indian foods, then kids came along and that got me hooked to baking; cake, tarts, cookies etc. I think cooking should not be bothersome or troublesome, it should give great pleasure and satisfaction. When someone says “I don’t like cooking” I feel sad because t...