Irani pola/ Ramadan recipes

How fast everything flies by ..  the year is half and  it's really sad to say the most precious month is gone by . Alhamdulillah we are blessed to have this month in our lives. Life is so short and doing good to others and ourselves should be the top priority. I  try to bring the kids along with the flow. But it's tough as a parent I n many ways . I have to deal with three kids of which two are already are teens. And ist scary at times. How fast they grow in this world . It's stressfully I keep pace with  flow with their needs. And it's like I cannot catch the breath with them. This Ramadan hadhits toll on my health immensely. Being the reason I couldn't blog much.. i look at it as a deep break in life.

 My taste is drifting  more towards savoury spiceless recipes. I love blant food just like babies. ,,. Pepper is favorite one now. I love to have it in all my curries and pasta which brings me to this new recipe for today . Irani pola ..
What's with the name ? i really have no  clue as yet  but this is a trendy Malabar dish now and occasionally its with spicy red masala. I have changed that with white saucy chicken filling and its delicious.

Ingredients

To blend

1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk
2 small eggs.
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon white pepper powder.

Filling
1 tablespoon butter
200 gms chicken boneless cubed.
1 teaspoon Ginger garlic paste.
1 tablespoon green pepper finely chopped
1 tablespoon Yellow pepper finely chopped
1 tablespoon red pepper finely chopped
2 tablespoon mushrooms finely chopped
1 teaspoon spring onion finely chopped
1 teaspoon red chilli flakes
1  teaspoon pepper powder
Salt to taste
1 bay leaf and green chilli

White pasta sauce
1 teaspoon butter
1 teaspoon garlic chopped
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon plain flour
Salt to taste
1/2  teaspoon red chilli flakes
1/2 teaspoon pepper powder

Method
Heat butter in a saucepan. Add garlic and just stir till raw smell disappear.
Add the flour. Stir quick on low flame. Careful not to burn the flour. Off the flame.
Add the milk and give it a mix and quick stir till no lumps are formed.
Turn on the flame and add the spices.
Turn off the sauce once it thickens
Set aside.

Heat butter. Add the chicken, add 1/2 teaspoon pepper and salt . Just cook til done. Add rest of  the ingredients. And cook till just done. Do not over cook . Discard the bay leaf and the green chillies.
Add the white sauce  which should just coat the ingredients. Mine measured to half cup sauce.

Blend all the ingredients mentioned under blend .

Heat another pan with a dash of ghee.
Pour half of the thick batter into the pan.
Cover cook for 5 minutes .
Add filling on top. And pour rest of the batter to cover the ingredients evenly.
Decor top with corriander leaves , left over colorful pepper rings .
Bake it under medium flame.
Bake for 1/2 an hour, or till toothpicks inserted comes out clean . 
Irani polas are served cold .. reason being it will harden with time .

Notes .
Do not add to much white sauce as it will become mushy and the feeling of it not cooked well creeps in.
The only spice ingredient is black pepper.
And do not forget to place a plate under the pan for baking otherwise you will have burnt layer underneath the bake finally.
Just coat the chicken with white sauce as needed. Don't over do it.

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Crispy chicken parcels,Ramadan recipes

We are stepping into our last days of Ramadan.Prayers and duas are just flowing throughout. Still the feeling of its not enough creeps in. I am always not satisfied until I give my 100 % so may Allah accept our duas and keep his glory on us. As every year Ramadan just flies. The climate in Kerala is very hot. Kids just didn't want to have anything but cool and cold snacks that too very minimal quantity. We tried to have mainly liquids in form of soups ,oats kanjis . And plenty of water.  I have not put any effort on this for blogging..so feeling little damp about it though ...it's just that I couldn't manage it all do i am on no effort to try for longer posts as I have said earlier too.Will try to get back in order inshallah.

Today's recipe is very easy and fun for kids to have.  I prepare atleast one snack on daily basis. None of us have dinner. As suhoor is our main dinner. Followed by a cold drink or tea.
Yes we have a heavy suhoor. I guess all have it in different ways.
Hope you guys like it and enjoy the Ramadan and stay blessed.

Ingredients

Pastry sheets as needed
Chicken masala
Barbecue sauce
Cheddar cheese

How to make chicken masala

2 onions sliced
3 cups boneless chicken pieces
1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
Few curry leaves and corriander leaves .
1 teaspoon Red chilli Powder
1 teaspoon pepper powder.
2 teaspoon butter.
Salt to taste

Method 

Heat butter in non stick pan . Saute the onions .
Meanwhile mix the chicken pieces with ginger garlic paste ,red chilli powder, Salt , pepper powder.
Saute the chicken in butter till done .
Add the leaves. Mix well and cool aside.
Spread one sheet horizontal damp the middle with some flour paste.( 1 teaspoon flour and 2 teaspoon water.)
Place one sheet on it vertical .
Spread  1 teaspoon barbecue sauce in the middle . Top it with 1 teaspoon chicken masala and 1 teaspoon cheddar cheese on top.
Take one left side layer and flip over  the masala . Apply flour paste  and take adjacent layer,cover it.. Again add the flour paste . Repeat with the other two layers and finally sealing well with flour paste ending with a box like samosa.

Note
Fry only in medium heat .
Seal the edges well or else the oil tends to enter through making it soggy.

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Chicken broth soup/Ramadan recipes

This spicy and yet light on your tummy is really delicious. And I wish I and made more . This was an accidental item on the table . As my mom was making fresh boneless chicken, she never discards any bones. Throw all  in with carrots, onions, tomatoes and what ever you feel like into vessel and boil till reduced water content . And Masha Allah I will have to get back to making more of it again. It was that fun having it for iftar.
Here's my recipe for this Ramadan recipe.

Ingredients

1 chicken with bones only.
1 small piece carrot
1 teaspoon diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon diced onions
1 teaspoon Black pepper powder
1 teaspoon butter .
Salt to taste
1 piece cinnamon stick
4 cups water.

Method.
Dump all the ingredients into a cooker and let the whistle go for one and then open and simmer till water is reduced to half quantity.
I didn't add any thickening agents like cornflour or oats .
You can add if you want it thicker
This soup is a bit runny so go for it as I had it 
Serve with fried croutons.

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Fried boiled eggs/ Ramadan recipes 2

Alhamdulillah we are almost to half of this month to fulfil our fasts and our prayers are getting stronger with faith. My cooking is very minimal this month and we have done only what is healthy for our tummy . Thanks for the heat we have only water cool and warm drinks with one basic snack. Last year we overloaded ourselves with too many snacks and the rest would be given away to the needy. This time as the weather is so super hot we non of us want to eat anything heavy. Just few fruits and juice water and one prepared snack which would be usually slightly spicy.
Today's snack is our grandpa special. Fried boiled eggs. Tossing boiling eggs in spicy mix. Grandpa loves to have this every day of Ramadan . His favourite combo would be dosa and fried boiled eggs.
Here's the simple recipe for this Ramadan.

.
Ingredients

5 Boiled eggs
2 teaspoon red chilli powder
2 teaspoon chicken spice powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon plain flour .
Salt to taste .

Method 

Mix all the spices in little water to a fine paste.
Marinate the boiled eggs in spice batter for 10 minutes.
Stir fry in oil till just done.
Serve warm.

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Tharri kachyathe

I am ending this Ramadan with a heavy heart .. How time flies and alhamdullillah we have made our way to attain how much ever time we had to complete our ibadadah.
This ramadan  we planned on having a warm drink evey alternate days .I guess many of you must have be wondering what choices do i have . Well here , Malabar is famous for the luxurious warm drinks. I always like to try something new but with the same ingredients. Last Ramadan, we went only for cold and icy drinks and eventuality would fall sick , so i guess i am having silent break from the flu and the fever so far . So my first recipe for warm drinks this ramadan is samolina drink / thari kachyathe .

 It is served warm not hot . Served with roasted ghee fried nuts straight  from stove top . Anything  served with ghee  and nuts is a way to hint the time to relax  and have it right away , it is the nuts and dry fruits ,  that  floats in the milk which is very slurpy .

 Ingredients 

2 cups milk
2 tablespoon roasted samolina.
4 tablespoon sugar
2 Cardamom crushed
1 teaspoon ghee
Nuts of your choice.
A pich of salt.

Method

Boil the milk and let simmer .
Meanwhile heat a non stick pan .
Roast the samolina/rava for 2 minutes
Add to the simmering milk.
Stir well .
Roast the nuts in ghee.
Add to the milk and add the cardamom powder.
Add sugar and a pinch of salt .
Cover and serve after 10 minutes.
It will thicken by then .
Serve warm .

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Prawn masala cups

Mashallah we are nearing the end of this Ramadan . Working hard to our better deen and cleansing ourself soulfully with dhikr (chantings) and zakath , tharaweeh and still we have so much more to make duas for ourselves . With the time running out it is sense of sadness ... something i cant describe . How time flies during Ramadan . Last 10 days  of Ramadan . The most blessed of all nights and we must attain as much as we can from the prayers asking for forgiveness. The mosques are filling with more crowd amd it is  during these last nights for prayers considered better than thousand nights   ( Laylatul Qadr) that we ask for all good deeds be accepted and sins forgiven ... Ameen. 

Coming to today’s recipe – anything oil free goes out well on the iftar table .this is   unusually  rare presentation of a steamed rice cups filled with prawn masala and fried rice balls.! Lots a pretty easy and lovely colorful idea of a snack to be served in iftars .and kids passed it to be cup pizza. Such crazy ideas came up and i just went by to recreate for our snacks and i wanted  something oil free . And meat free too . Feel free to change the recipe to a filling of your choice .  I used my cupcake moulds  so got a dozen done at one go.
I just love making them and enjoyed it too .and just remember to have them warm .
Here's the recipe.

Ingredients for grinding.

1/2 Coconut grind.
1 teaspoon fennel seeds,
2 small onions .
1 green chillie
Curry leaves few.

For the rice dough

1 cup rice ( jeerakashala/pathal rice ), soaked for 4 hours
Salt to taste

For the prawns masala

500 gm large  prawns , cleaned and deveined.
1 tsp red chilli powder
Salt to taste

1 tbsp coconut oil
1 large onion,
1 small tomato
1 teaspoon Ginger garlic paste
3 green chillies chopped
Curry leaves and coriander leaves

Method
Grind the ingredients with very little water, for the rice dough till coarse  and add 2 tbsp of rice flour and make a soft dough .
Add more flour if needed. It should be coarse.  Add in the coconut grind mix..
Heat a steamer. Grease each cup cake case with oil . And press little rice doughs onto the cups  with 1 inch thickness and cook in steam till done. Make small balls and steam cook too,
Steam for around 10 minutes or till firm to touch. Allow to cool slightly before taking out of the cups
Fry the prawns with the red chilli powder and salt till done  and keep aside .
Fry the rice balls in 1 teaspoon red chilli powder and salt. Keep aside.
Heat oil and saute the onions  for 5 minutes.
Add all the ingredients saute till mushy .
 Add in the fried   prawns and the rice balls
Mix them up till the masala is well combined.
Keep aside to cool .
Stir in the coriander leaves. Adjust seasoning and set aside.

Now fill the masala in the cups and serve .

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