Keralite Easter Recipe: Kozhukotta ( Steamed Rice Dumplings with Coconut)

It's nearly Easter and the chocolate industry in the western world is maximising its profits via Easter eggs. When I was little ( and living in India), my memory of Easter eggs were rather different. I never indulged in painting eggshells or stuffing my face with chocolate creme eggs. Instead, I remember gobbling as much kozhukotta as I could soon after Easter mass. Kozhukotta is a steamed rice dumpling with a sweet coconut and jaggery centre. They are shaped like little eggs and are an integral part of Easter festivities in the Malayali Syrian Christian household. My translation of 'kozhikotta' as I called it was chick (kozhi) basket (kotta). The correct translation I believe is 'big rock' , possibly old Malayalam, signifying the tribulations of Christ. Fact is, variations of this recipes are part of the cuisine of various communities in India. A popular version is modak, synonymous with Vinayak Chathurthi festivities. Anyway, here is the recipe.

Ingredients:
250g rice flour, you could buy a shop mix or make it from scratch.
150g fresh grated coconut ( shop bought dessicated coconut may also work)

150g jaggery ( unrefined sugar, molasses)

2 pods of cardamom
375 ml water

 

Method:

Melt jaggery with about 25ml water and add the grated coconut and cardamom. Heat for 10mins and set aside to cool.

Roast the rice flour for about 5 mins to enhance flavour. Add approximately 350 ml water to the rice flour to form a dough like consistency. Make small egg sized balls with the rice flour mixture.
Make a  hole in the centre of each ball and fill with a small quantity of the coconut mixture and seal it. Steam the rice balls for about 15-20 mins and they are ready to serve.

I hope you have fun making kozhukotta and let me know how you get on. Ann x

Amma's Kitchen: Varutha Meen (Keralite Fried Fish)

Ed was winding me up non-stop the other day. Rather than ranting and raving at him, I finally and calmly asked him how he was going to make up for his behaviour. He said: 'I'll buy you fish!'. Although he got berated for being tight northerner etc, he knew exactly what I needed. A nice piece of fish makes me very happy. Whilst back home, my mum's way of showering love was to fry me lots of fish, keralite style. I've never quite been able to recreate her style of fried fish, partly due to lack of availability of the right fish and partly because of how fish is filleted here. My mum ( a.k.a. Amma) has very kindly shared her recipe here as part of a new twist to the food section, Amma's Kitchen.  In case you were wondering, varutha meen is Malayalam for fried fish. Here is how Amma makes it.

Ingredients:
6 pieces of fish (I'd use mackerel or pomfret although I'm sure it works with most fish)
2 tsp chilli powder
Salt, to taste
1 tsp ginger and garlic paste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 lemon
1 onion
2 cups semolina for dipping the fish
1 cup oil for frying



Method:

Sprinkle the fish with the juice of half a lemon, add salt, chilli, ginger and garlic  and set aside to marinate. After about 30 mins of marinating, roll the fish in semolina and deep fry until nicely browned on both sides. The trick is to make sure the fish is nicely fried without getting overcooked and disintegrating. Serve with lemon and onion slices. 

I'm yet to perfect Amma's varutha meen but I'll keep practising. Let me know how you get on with this recipe. Ann x

Beans Thoran and Cabbage Thoran

Thoran is a relatively easy to make side-dish (typically dry) which is often served as part of Sadhya  (Onam meal). My personal favourites are Green Beans Thoran and Cabbage Thoran. It helps that my English hubby, who happens to be a fan of Indian food in general, loves them too. Here are the recipes:

Beans Thoran

Ingredients:
500g Beans
100g grated coconut (I often use Sainsbury's un-sweetened dessicated coconut)
1 Onion, finely chopped
3 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 sprig of fresh curry leaves ( dry leaves can also be used and if available at most supermarkets)
Mustard seeds
1 tsp chili powder ( add more if you like it spicier)
0.5 tsp turmeric powder
3 pods fresh garlic
2 tbsp ginger paste
1 tbsp oil ( use coconut or sunflower oil)

Method:
Splutter the mustard seeds. Add curry leaves and onion and fry till onions translucent. Add the spices and beans cook for another 5 mins. Add ginger, garlic and coconut. Cover and continue to cook until the beans are fully cooked. Halfway through add a bit of the tomato ketchup. It gives it that sweet/sour taste that perfectly complements the beans. Your thoran is now ready to serve.

Cabbage Thoran

Ingredients:
1 medium size cabbage
100g grated coconut (I often use Sainsbury's un-sweetened dessicated coconut)
1 Onion, finely chopped

1 sprig of fresh curry leaves ( dry leaves can also be used and if available at most supermarkets)
Mustard seeds
1 tsp chili powder ( add more if you like it spicier)

0.5 tsp turmeric powder
3 pods fresh garlic
2 tbsp ginger paste
1 tbsp oil ( use coconut or sunflower oil)

Method:
Splutter the mustard seeds. Add curry leaves and onion and fry till onions translucent. Add the spices and shredded cabbage cook for another 5 mins. Add ginger, garlic and coconut. Cover and continue to cook until the cabbage is cooked and looks translucent. Your cabbage thoran is now ready.