Kaya Bajji

Kaya Bajji is a common Snack in South India.It is tea time snack.It is easy to make and very tasty.
For Kaya Bajji plantain slice dip in batter and is deep fried in Oil.

INGREDIENTS:

• Raw plantain(Bajji Kaya) -2 nos
• Gram Flour- ½ cup
• Maida - 1 tbsp
• Rice Flour -½ cup
• Chilly Powder - ½ tsp
• Asafoetida Powder - ¼ tsp
• Salt to taste
• Oil - for frying
• Water- required to make batter

PREPARATION METHOD:

• Mix the Rice Flour, Gram Flour, Maida, Red Chilli Powder, Asafoetida powder and salt with water to make a thick batter.
• Heat Oil in a pan. .
• Peel off the skin and slice the plantain.
• Dip each slice into batter and put it into the hot oil.
• Fry both the sides until it turns golden brown. 

Recommended Combination: Serve hot with Tea or Coffee.

Ethakka Appam

Ethakka Appam / Pazham Pori is a term used for fried plantain in Kerala. It is a very popular snack among Keralites.
Banana is usually dipped in sweetened wheat flour batter and then fried in Coconut or Vegetable Oil.

INGREDIENTS:

• Ripened banana - 2 nos
• Maida / all purpose flour - 1cup
• Rice flour - 2 tbsp
• Besan flour / kadalamaavu- 2 tbsp
• Sugar-  3 tbsp
• Salt- a pinch
• Water- required to make the batter
• Oil -for frying

PREPARATION METHOD:

• Peel and Cut the banana into 2 pieces.
• Slice each piece again into 3 equal pieces of same thickness.
• Make a thick batter by mixing together the flour, sugar and salt with little water.
• Heat Oil in a pan.
• Dip the banana slices in the batter and put it in the hot Oil.
• Fry it till both the sides turn in golden colour.

Recommended Combination: Serve hot with Tea or Coffee

Diamond Cuts

Diamond cuts are polular tea time snack. We can easily prepare this by adding fried maida cuts into sugar syrup.

INGREDIENTS:

• All Purpose Flour/ Maida - 1 cups
• Hot Water - ½ cup
• Butter or oil - 1 tsp
• Sesame seeds - ½ tsp
• Sugar - 1 cup
• Salt - a pinch
• Oil - for frying.

PREPARATION METHOD:

• Mix Oil or Butter, Salt and Flour.
• Slowly add warm water.
• Knead the dough with hands gently until it becomes soft and keep aside for 30 minutes.
• Make the dough into Small balls and roll as Chappathi.
• Cut this into small diamonds.
• Heat oil in a Pan.Deep fry these pieces till golden colour.
• Remove from Oil and let it cool.
• Dissolve Sugar in 1  ½  cups water.
• Boil this syrup in a vessel, stirring constantly till one-thread consistency is reached.
• Add fried diamond cuts into it and stir them well.
• Allow them to cool.
• When it completly cools store them in tight conatiners.

Recommended Combination: Serve with Tea or Coffee.

Chicken Cutlet

Cutlets are prepared as vegetable or non-vegetable patties fried in oil.
Chicken cutlet is made by adding minced cooked chicken made as a patty and fried in oil.
The snack is good to be served hot during tea time or as an appetizer.

INGREDIENTS:

• Boneless Chicken -500 g or 1 lb
• Potatoes -2 big
• Onion(chopped) -2 nos
• Chopped Ginger -1 tbsp
• Chopped Garlic - 1 tbsp
• Green Chilly (chopped) -3 nos
• Turmeric powder -¼ tsp
• Pepper powder-1 tsp
• Corriander powder - ½ tsp
• Chilly powder - ½ tsp
• Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
• Bread Crumbs - 3 cup
• Egg -2 nos
• Curry Leaves-few
• Oil for frying
• Salt to taste

PREPARATION METHOD:

• Cut the chicken into small pieces and with turmeric powder, salt, pepper powder and water.
• Mince the cooked chicken and keep aside.
• Cook Potato, peel and mash well and keep aside .
• Heat oil in a Pan.
• Add ginger, garlic, green chillies, chopped curry leaves and chopped onion and saute till the onion become light brown in colour.
• Add chilly powder, corriander powder and garam masala powder and saute for a minute.
• Add minced chicken and mashed potatoes and stir well.
• Remove the mix from fire and allow to cool .
• Make small balls from this mix and flatten them.
• Heat oil in a pan.
• Beat the egg in a bowl.
• Dip the flattened patties in it and roll them in bread crumps.
• Slide each of the patties in hot oil and fry them till it turns golden brown on both sides.

Recommended Combination: Serve hot with Tomato sauce.

Chakka Appam

Chakka Appam is an seasonal authentic kerala snack.
The main ingredients include Jack fruit, Rice powder and Jaggery. The dough is wrapped in 'Vazhanayila' (can use Banana leaves too) and cooked in steam.

INGREDIENTS:

• Roasted Rice flour-2 cups
• Ripe Jack fruit pulp - ½ cup
• Jaggery- 1 cup
• Grated coconut -1 cup
• Salt- a pinch
• Cardamom powder(optional) - a pinch

PREPARATION METHOD:

• Mix Jack fruit pulp, Jaggery, grated coconut, salt with rice powder very well.
• (optionally you can add cardamom powder to it)
• Add little water and knead to make a soft dough.
• Take a small ball of dough and spread it in one half of banana leaf/ Vazhana ila ( bayleaf) and fold the leaf.
• Stem the Appam in a steamer or idli cooker till it fully cooked.

Aval Varattiyathu

Aval Varattiyathu is a delicious snack in kerala.
The main ingredients are Aval,Grated coconut and jaggery.

INGREDIENTS:

• Aval or rice flakes - 1 cups
• Jaggery - 1 cups
• Grated coconut -1 cup
• Nicely Sliced Coconut -3 tbsp
• Sesame seeds - 1 tbsp
• Kadala parippu - 2 tbsp
• Cashewnut - 10 nos
• Cardamom powder - ¼ tsp
• Ghee - 3 tbsp
• Curry leaves -3 leaves

PREPARATION METHOD:

• Heat a pan and lightly fry Grated coconut.
• Dissolve jaggery in 2 cups water.
• Bring this syrup to boil in a vessel, stirring constantly till one-thread consistency is reached.
• Remove from fire .
• Add Aval and fried grated coconut and mix well.
• Heat Ghee in a pan.
• Put Sliced Coconut, Sesame seeds, Kadala parippu, Cashewnut and Curry leaves and fry it.
• Add the fried ingredients along with cardamom powder and mix well. 

 Combination: Serve with Pazham.

Aval Nanachathu

Aval /Rice flakes is easily digestible form of raw rice.It is used to prepare snacks such as
Aval nanachathu,Aval Varattiyathu etc.

INGREDIENTS:

• Aval/Rice Flakes -1 cup
• Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
• Jaggery/Sugar -1/4 cup

PREPARATION METHOD:

• Squeeze all the ingredients using hand.   
• Keep it aside for 10 minutes to get the Aval soft

Recommended Combination: Serve with Pazham

Achappam

Achappam is a Kerala snack. It is prepared using a special mould (Achappam mould). The mould is dipped in the batter and fried in Oil.
Beat the eggs and sugar well.

INGREDIENTS:

• Raw rice powder -2 cup
• Sugar(powdered) - 6 tbsp
• Thick Coconut milk - ¼ cup
• Eggs - 2 nos
• Cumin seed - ½ tsp
• Sesame seed - ½ tsp
• Salt - pinch
• Oil for frying

PREPARATION METHOD:

• Mix together rice powder, Salt and beaten egg.
• Add Codonut Milk, Sesame seed, Cumin seed and mix to make a batter.(like dosa batter)
• (add little water if the batter is thick)
• Heat the oil and dip the achappam mould.
• Once the mould is hot enough, dip 3/4th of mould into the batter.
• Dip it in oil again and shake the mould so that the achappams will come out easily.
• When it turns golden brown, turn and cook the other side and remove from Oil

Recommended Combination: Serve with Tea or Coffee

Semiya Payasam

Semia Paayasam is made of fried Vermicelli cooked in milk and Cardamom powder, seasoned with fried Cashew nuts and Raisins.

INGREDIENTS:

• Semiya/ Vermecilli - ¼ cup
• Milk - 3 cups
• Sugar - 1 ¼ cup
• Water-1 cup
• Ghee -2 tsp
• Cardamom Powder- 2 pinch
• Cashew nut - 10 nos
• Raisins - 10 nos

PREPARATION METHOD:

• Heat 1 tsp of ghee in a pan.
• Fry raisins and Cashew nut and remove from the pan and keep aside.
• Add one more tsp of ghee.
• Add vermicelli and stir till it becomes golden colour.
• Add water and 1 cup of milk to Vermicilli,let it boil and keep stirring occasionally.
• Once the Vermicilli is half cooked add Sugar, Cardamom powder and remaining milk and stir the mix.
• Reduce the heat, cover the pan and cook the payasam in low heat for 45 minutes.
• Turn off the stove, add fried Cashewnut and Raisin and mix well.

Recommended Combination:Served hot or cold

Paalada Pradhaman

Paalada Pradhaman is yet another popular paayasam served during auspicious occassions in family.
It is made up of Rice Ada cooked in Milk with Sugar.

INGREDIENTS:

• Rice ada(ready made) - ½ cup
• Milk- 4 cups
• Sugar- 1 cup
• Ghee - 2 tsp

PREPARATION METHOD:

• Soak rice ada in boiling hot water for 10 minutes and rinse them in cold water.
• Heat a pan and add ghee.
• Add Ada in to the ghee and saute for 2 minutes.
• Add Milk and Sugar into it,let it cook and keep stirring occasionally.
• Once the Ada is cooked, reduce the heat.  
• Cover the pan and cook the payasam in low heat for 45 minutes.
• (you can add cardamom powder if you like the taste)
• Remove from fire.