Pazham Pori / Banana Fritters ( Kerala Special)

This particular Tea time snack from Kerala is prepared from a ripened plantain variety nenthrapazham. The bananas should be perfectly riped; not overripe though . Here is the recipe my mother used (No maida). Personally its my all time favorite snack so she used to prepare it very frequently at home.

Nenthrapazham 3 (cut into thin long slices)
Rice Flour   1 cup
Wheat flour 1/2 a cup
Sugar 1 or 2 Tablespoon
salt a pinch
Coconut Oil for frying

Make the batter with the above flour ingredients adding sufficient water. Consistency -  not thick not thin. Heat the kadai with oil in it. Once the oil is hot, dip the stripes in the batter and put it into the oil. Fry till it becomes crispy on both the sides and drain it on a tissue. Serve hot with tea.

Instant homemade Shrikhand

A traditional Maharashtrian meal is incomplete without a dollop of Shrikhand as dessert. I love the taste. Never thought making the homemade shrikhand is such easy process. Asper Wikipedia, this dessert is a fusion of Indian and Persian cuisine. The name shrikhand derived from ksheer which is thickened milk in Sanskrit and qand means sweet in parsi.

Refridgerated thick yoghurt       2cup
Powdered sugar                          1/4 cup
   Cardomom powder                   1/4 Tsp
   Powdered saffron                      1 Tsp
   Almonds chopped for garnishing
                                Take the thick and  creamy yogurt in a bowl. Make sure you strained it and no water left. Further Add in all other ingredients one by one. Mix well. You can either transfer to a piping bag or directly scoop into small glasses. Finally garnish it with sliced almonds on top. Your instant homemade shrikhand is ready to be served.

Nellikka chammanthi (Amla \ Goosberry Chutney)

Amla is extremely  rich in Vitamin C and is a very powerful anti oxidant.  Consumption of which helps to  prevent many diseases. An instant immunity booster and anti ageing. Amlaka is the primary ingredient in the ancient rasayana chyawanprash and Amla tonic. The name derived from the Sanskrit word "Amlaki" meaning nectar of life. As per Ayurveda doctors, Amla can be of great help in balancing the three doshas. 

Here I am sharing a very simple recipe : Nellikka chammanthi

coconut     1/2  Grated

Raw Nellikka (Amla) 4 big

Green chilly   3

Curry Leaves  Twig

Salt to taste

Wash Nellikka thoroughly in water and slice it to small pieces removing the seeds. Grind it with grated coconut green chilly curry leaves and salt. Do not add water.

Optionally you can add small shallot and ginger as well as ingredient  if you wish to. I dint add though.