Nei Choru / Ghee Rice

Nei Choru is another one of the traditional Muslim dishes made during special occasions. This was what my mom used to make during most weekends back home. It is a quick and easy dish, but that does not in any way affect its grandeur. It definitely belongs to the group of those royal dishes such as Biryani and Pulao. The flavor of the ghee and the spices makes it all the more regal. The flavor was filling up the place so much, that my son was climbing up on a bar stool to see what was cooking!

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Serves 4-5 people

Basmati Rice	- 1 1/2 cup
Oil	- 1 tbsp
Cinnamon	- 1 - 2" stick
Cloves	- 3
Cardamom	- 3
Onion	- 1 small size (around 0.35lb - sliced)
Ginger Garlic Paste	- 1 1/2 tbsp
Green Chilly	- 1 big (sliced of round)
Water	- 3 cups
Ghee	- 2 tbsp + 1 tsp
Salt	- to taste
Raisins	- 1/2 a handful (optional)
Cashew nuts	- 1/2 a handful (optional)

1. Soak the rice for around 30 minutes and drain it.

2. Heat oil in a pan and add cinnamon, cloves and cardamom to the oil and saute for a minute. You could use ghee instead of oil as well.

3. Add the Onions and saute until transparent.

4. Add ginger-garlic paste and saute until the raw smell is gone.

5. Add the green chillies and saute for another minute.

6. Add the water and salt and let it boil.

7. Add 2 tablespoons of ghee when the water starts to bubble.

8. Add the drained rice to the boiling water.

9. When the water is almost evaporated, turn off the stove and close the pan with a lid and let it rest for 15-30 minutes.

10. Fry the cashews and raisins in the remaining 1 tsp of ghee until the raisins are plump.

11. Garnish the ghee rice with the fried cashews and raisins. You could also fry some onions and garnish.

This aromatic ghee rice goes well with most all curries, be it Vegetarian or Non-Vegetarian. Bring in a Raita, Pappadam and pickle to the table and you are ready for a perfect feast.

Kinnathappam - A Traditional Dessert

Kinnathappam is another one of the Eid specials and is a traditional dessert made especially during special occasions. It is a soft, slightly wiggly but firm, all white with specks of cumin, cardamom flavored, melt in your mouth kinda dessert. The history of Kinnathappam is similar to Paalaada, with a South Tamil Nadu Origin and mostly made by Muslim population in South Tamil Nadu/Trivandrum regions. The name Kinnathappam is because it is made in a "Kinnam" meaning plate. As a kid, I used to drink the batter for the Kinnathappam as much as or even a little more than I actually ate the Kinnathappam. It is one of the best desserts ever!

Makes two 9" Plates

Sona Masoori Rice	- 1 cup (or any good variety of raw rice)
Water	- 2 cups
Eggs	- 2
Coconut Milk	- 2 cups (thick)
Salt	- 1/4 tsp
Sugar	- 1 cup
Cardamom	- 4 pods (powdered)
Ghee	- 1 tsp
Cumin Seeds	- 1/2 tsp

1. Soak the rice for at least 3 hours.
2. Grind the rice into a fine paste with water as needed using a grinder. When grinding is done, add the remaining water as mentioned in the recipe. Total quantity of water used should be 2 cups.
3. Now using a muslin cloth/cheese cloth or a fine mesh strainer, strain the batter.
4. In a mixer beat the eggs, sugar, salt and coconut milk and blend everything together.
5. Add this to the rice batter together with the powdered cardamom. The consistency of the batter would be watery.
6. Heat water in a steamer and place a Steel Plate or Cake Pan in the steamer. I used a 9" cake pan, as I didn't have a steel plate, which is traditionally used.
7. When the steam starts to come, add 1/2 tsp of ghee to the pan.
8. Add 1/4 tsp of cumin to the pan, when the ghee starts to melt. Leave the pan in the steamer for a minute for the cumin to slightly coat with the ghee.
9. Take the Pan out of the steamer and pour half of the thoroughly mixed batter to the pan, filling around 1 1/4 inch height.
10. Close the pan with an aluminium foil and transfer it back to the steamer and close the steamer.
11. Let it steam for 25-30 minutes.
12. Take the pan out of the steamer and let it cool a bit. Cut into desired shapes and serve. Repeat the same with the remaining batter to make another plate of Kinnathappam.

Note:- It would be ideal to grind in a grinder than a mixie/mixer, if you want the Kinnathappam to be soft. My first attempt was using a mixer and did not come out that soft. So this time I used the grinder. If you do not have a grinder, try using cold water to grind in a mixer (that's a tip from my mom).

The taste is enhanced when Kinnathappam is served chilled. You could avoid the cumin, if you do not like its taste in a dessert.  And when making this, do not forget to taste the batter before steaming it up! You do not want to miss the taste of the batter either :-)

Update:- This recipe was featured as one of the "30 Best Recipes of 2010":

Paalaada - Yummy Rice Crepes

Paalaada is one of the specialty dishes that is made back home during Eid and other special occasions. It is as thin as a crepe paper and just melts in your mouth. Paalaada is so thin that it is folded to some special shape that makes it easy to handle. The name may be cause it is as thin as the skin that forms on heated milk which is called "Paal - Aada" in Tamil/Malayalam. Paalaada is basically a South Tamil Nadu Muslim recipe and being nearer to the border is also made by Muslims in Trivandrum area as well - that is the history that I know of.

Back home, we would not even let Mom fold that first Paalaada that comes out of the pan, as it is definitely for tasting. I still follow that tradition :-) and eat the first one that comes out sharing with my son. But the only thing is that you find it hard to stop with that first one!

Makes 40 - 45 (Serves 5-6 people)

Basmati Rice	- 2 cups (or any variety of raw rice)
Water	- 2-3/4 cups
Eggs	- 2
Coconut Milk	- 1-1/2 cup (thick)
Salt	- to taste

1. Soak the rice for at least 3 hours.
2. Grind the rice into a fine paste with water as needed. Do not exceed the total quantity of water mentioned in the recipe.
3. Add eggs and coconut milk also to the mixer and blend everything together.
4. Add any remaining water to the batter. The consistency that you need is really very watery.
5. Add Salt as needed. Your batter is now ready to be prepared.
6. Heat a 10" or 12" skillet at slightly higher than medium flame.
7. When the skillet is hot, pour a ladle full of batter (a little less than 1/4 cup) into the skillet and immediately rotate the ladle to spread the batter. Watch attached video (My first attempt at the video, rather R's!).



8. Wait for 30-40 seconds until the sides of the paalaada start to come off the pan. You could either use your hands to take it out or turn the skillet upside down on an aluminium foil or a plate to take the paalaada off the skillet.
9. Paalaada is now ready to be folded in any shape you need. I have shown one method in the video or you could fold it into 4.

This goes perfect with any spicy naadan preparations like Mutton Curry, Beef Curry, Chicken Roast, or any vegetable curries. Or as mentioned in the start of the post, eat it without any curries! It is definitely a treat for your taste buds and a must try!