All we want for Christmas is…food! From plum cake, cookies and meat preparation to wine and fruit punch, the grand Christmas lunch is something many wait for. If you are thinking of an elaborate menu for a sumptuous lunch this year, CE has you covered. Here are six delicacies by home chefs that you will surely crave
Appam and stew
by Sabitha Rita
Ingredients
For appam: Rice: 2 cups
Cooked rice: ½ cup
Coconut mylk: ½ cup
Active dry yeast: ½ tsp
Sugar: 1 tsp
Salt: to taste
For stew: Coconut mylk: 1 cup
Mixed vegetables (carrots, potatoes, peas): 2 cups
Onion (sliced): 1
Green chilies (chopped): 2
Ginger (grated): 1 inch piece
Garlic (minced): 3-4 cloves
Turmeric powder: ½ tsp
Black pepper: ½ tsp
Method
For Appam: Soak rice for 4-6 hours; grind with cooked rice, coconut mylk, and water to make a smooth batter.
Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water, add to the batter, and let it ferment for 6-8 hours.
Add salt, mix well, and make thin pancakes in an appam pan.
For stew: In a pot, sauté onion, green chillies, ginger, and garlic until fragrant.
Add turmeric, black pepper, and curry leaves; sauté for a minute.
Add mixed vegetables (can even add mutton or chicken as an alternative) coconut mylk, and salt.
Cook on simmer until vegetables are tender.
Adjust seasoning, and serve the stew with appam.
Guava Perad or Guava cheese
by Rachel Nigli
Ingredients
Guavas with red flesh: 1 kg
Sugar: to taste
Lemon juice
Butter: 2 tbsp
Food colour (optional)
Method
Steam the fruit till tender and then remove the skin.
Grind or mash the pulp and filter it so the seeds get separated. Keep the pulp aside.
In a vessel, add the purée and sugar. The weight of the pulp and sugar should be the same or according to desired sweetness.
Cook on medium heat till the mixture bubbles and then reduce the heat.
Keep stirring continuously or the pulp will get burnt.
Add lemon juice and once the pulp starts leaving the vessel, add two tablespoons of butter and food colour (optional).
Once the mixture forms a soft dough, test if done by dropping a little in a cup of water. If a ball forms, it is ready to be taken off the stove and poured onto a greased plate.
Wait till cool and cut according to choice.
Roast turkey
Ingredients
Turkey: weighing 3 kg
Mixed vegetables (carrot, potato, beetroot and beans): 3 cups, Butter
Method
Make a slit in the skin of the turkey at the bottom and smear the butter all around.
Place it on a platter of carrot, potato, beetroot and beans cut evenly, and bake for close to two hours at 120°C.
After an hour, turn the turkey over to bake.
Once done, remove and keep aside. The juice and vegetables from the roast are made into a purée. Pour this sauce over the carved roast while eating.
Carrot Cake
by Nia Crystal Franklin
Ingredients
Grated carrot: 1 cup
Maida: 1.5 cups, Sunflower oil:1 cup
Eggs: 3, Butter: 50 g
Powdered sugar: 1 cup
Baking powder: 1 tsp
Vanilla essence: 2 tsp
Method
Beat the eggs and add vanilla essence to it.
Add butter, oil and powdered sugar to that bowl and mix well.
Sieve maida and baking powder thoroughly (3-4 times).
Add this mix to the bowl little by little and mix it thoroughly (make sure there are no lumps).
Add grated carrots to the mixture in the bowl.
Take a baking pan and butter the surface and edges.
Pour the cake batter into it.
Bake the cake at 180 degrees Celsius for 40-45 minutes.
For decoration, use whipping cream powder and add milk to it then beat it thoroughly until it gets thick. Use the cream to decorate.
Pidi with nadan chicken curry
by DEENA Abraham
Ingredients
For Pidi: Raw rice powder: 1 kg
Grated Coconut: 1 ½ cup
Jeera: 3 g, Garlic: 1 clove
Salt to taste
For Chicken curry:
Chicken: 1.5 kg
Pepper powder: 1 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1 tsp
Coriander powder: 150 g, Chilli powder: 100 g
Garlic: 1 clove
Ginger: 10 g
Garam masala: 25 g
Chicken masala: 25 g
Coconut: 1 cup
Shallots: 30 pieces
Curry leaves: A few
Lemon: 1
Salt to taste
Method
For Pidi: Fry raw rice powder and grated coconut in a pan until it turns light brown. Grind jeera and garlic. Add these to boiling water along with salt.
Knead it like chapathi dough and make it into small balls.
Boil 2 litres of water in a pot and place these balls in boiling water. Do not stir till the whole thing gets boiled. When it is done, stir with a spoon and allow it to cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Pidi is ready.
For chicken curry: Clean the chicken and then cut it into small pieces.
Marinate by adding pepper powder, garlic, ginger, garam masala, chicken masala, curry leaves, turmeric powder, coriander powder, chilli powder, salt, and lemon juice. Allow to rest for 30 minutes.
Fry coconut and a sliced shallots in a pan and until dark brown. Grind this mixture.
Add this to the marinated chicken and cook the chicken for 30 to 40 minutes till it is well done. Serve this curry mixed with pidi or on the side.
Kala kala
by Sabitha Rita
Ingredients
All-purpose flour: 2 cups
Semolina (optional for texture): ½ cup
Coconut mylk: ½ cup
Ghee: ¼ cup
Powdered sugar: ½ cup
Salt: a pinch
Oil: for deep frying
Method
In a large bowl, combine flour, semolina, ghee, powdered sugar, and a pinch of salt.
Gradually, add coconut mylk to the mixture and knead it into a soft dough.
Take small portions of the dough and roll them into small cylinders or shape them using a kala kala mould.
Heat oil in a deep pan for frying.
Fry the kala kalas in batches until they turn golden brown and crisp.
Remove them from the oil and place them on paper towels to absorb excess oil.
Once cooled down, store them in an airtight container.
Inputs by Aleena Manoj, Aparna U and Sonu M Kothari
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