Fruit Salad

• Mango (ripe) -1 cup
• Pineapple – 2 cup
• Grapes – 1 cup
• Orange – 1 cup
• Banana - 1 cup
• Apple – 1 cup
• Cashew nuts- 4 or 5

For the custard:

• Milk - 2 1/2 cup
• Custard powder – 2 Tbsp
• Sugar -2 Tbsp

Add custard powder to 1/4 cup milk and make it into a paste and keep it aside. Boil milk and sugar. When it stars boiling, add the above prepared paste into this and stir it continuously in low flame until it thickens. Cool it and add the vanilla essence and condensed milk (optional). Mix well and keep it refrigerated.

Combine together chopped pineapple and sugar in a pan and saute it (do not overcook it). This is to prevent the pineapple from giving a bitter taste when put directly in the custard. After this, cool it and add the rest of the fruits, except apple, into the pineapple mixture. Add the apple pieces only when you are ready to serve. Alternately, you can put the apple pieces in a small sugar syrup until it is ready to be served which prevents it from turning brown. Keep it refrigerated.

While serving, put the fruits in a bowl followed by the custard and decorate it with chopped nuts & cherry. Serve it cold.

Palappam

Rice Flour – 2 cups

Coconut milk – 2 cups(medium)

Coconut milk – 1 cup (thick)

Yeast – 1/2 teaspoon

Sugar – 1/2 tsp

Water – 2 glass

Add 1/4 cup lukewarm water to 1/2 teaspoon yeast & sugar & mix well. Allow it to rise. Take 2 cups of rice flour in a bottom deep vessel. . Add the yeast & sugar mix & mix well. Add the medium thick coconut milk little by little. Mix well. Keep it overnight. Don’t keep it in fridge. Next day morning,first mix the batter well & add the thick coconut milk little by little. Add salt & sugar to taste. Heat Appachatti ( Appam Kadai) & pour 5-6 tablespoon of batter into it & rotate the appachatti and make sure that the batter is spread in a circular form. Cover & cook. Once the middle portion is cooked, remove from fire. Serve hot with stew

Chicken Stew

Chicken -small boneless pieces(3cups)

Carrot- 1cup chopped in to small pieces

Beans-1 cupchopped in to small pieces

Potato -2 cubed

Onion -2

Ginger garlic paste -1tsp

Coconut milk (thick )- 1 cup

Coconut milk (medium)-2 cup

Cardamom-4

Clove -3.

Cinnamon -1

Oil-2tbsp

Salt -asrequired

Pepperpowder -11/2 tbsp

Coriander powder -1teaspoon

Garam masala powder – 1teaspoon

Green chilly- 3.(cut in two halfs)

Curry leaves -1stem

Coriander leaves – as required

Cashew nuts 50 gms finely chopped

Boil the vegetables and keep aside. Wash and clean the chicken pieces. Heat oil in a pan, add onion, ginger garlic paste , green chilly and sauté well. Add cardamom, clove, and cinnamon and sauté. Add pepper powder , curry leaves coriander powder & garam masala powder for 2-3 minutes . Now add the chicken pieces, salt and mix thoroughly

Add the 2nd milk and cook. When the chicken pieces are half done, add the cooked vegetables mix well and cook. When chicken and potatoes pieces are done, add the 1st milk. When it begins to boil, remove from fire. Fry the cashew nuts in oil and decorate the stew and serve it with delicious Palappam.

Note: same way you can make mutton or beef stew

Green gram thoran

Green gram soaked -21/2cups

Shallots- 10 nos

Dry chilli -3nos

Curry leaves -2 stems

Ginger garlic paste -1 teaspoon

Coconut grated – ½ coconut

Pepper powder -21/2teaspoon

Salt -as required

Turmeric powder -1/2 teaspoon.

Fennel powder -1/2 teaspoon ( add if u like only)

Oil – 21/2 tbsp

Cook the soaked green gram in pressure cooker in a medium flame. Cook till 2 whistles and turn off the gas. Heat oil in a frying pan & add ginger garlic paste,curry leaves ,shallots, dry chillies & saute till the shallots turn into light brownish color .Then add fennel powder ,turmeric powder &pepper powder,stir well. Add the grated coconut with salt & mix well. Cook for 2mins,add the cooked green gram and mix it well .Cook it closed on a low flame for 5-10 mins. Serve it hot with steaming rice.

Bitter gourd thoran

Bitter gourd -2 cups chopped in to small pieces
Grated coconut- ½ coconut
Shallots-6nos
Chilly powder -2tsp
Turmeric powder -1/2tsp
Salt as required
Oil- 2bsp
Curry leaves -2sprig

                                               Heat oil in a pan . Saute shallots & curry leaves for 3mins then add chilly powder ,salt ,turmeric powder&mix well .Then add the grated coconut & chopped bitter gourd &mix well. Cook closed for 5 mins.


Tip: to reduce the bitter taste of bitter gourd ,keep it overnight in a bowl of luke warm water mixed with vinegar.