Safna's Cook Book

Pazham Pori is an all time favorite evening snack item in Kerala.It is made using nenthrapazham/ethakka fruit.For better taste, we should use super ripe and sweet bananas.It is also called Ethakka Appam or banana fritters.This is a very simple and deliciously easy to make a snack for unexpected guests. Ingredients Ripe Plantain / Nenthrapazham - 2 All purpose flour / Maida - 3/4 cup Rice flour - 2 tbsp Sugar - 3 tbsp Baking soda / Cooking soda - 1/4 tsp Cardamom powder / Elakai podi  - 1 tsp Turmeric powder - a pinch (optional) Black sesame seeds - 1 tsp (optional) Water as needed Oil - for frying Preparation Peel the bananas and cut it in lengthwise. In a bowl, take maida, rice flour, sugar, baking soda, cardamom powder, turmeric powder and black sesame seeds. Blend it nicely into a smooth thick batter by adding necessary water. Heat oil for deep frying. Dip the banana slices in the batter and evenly coat them. Drop it in hot oil and fry the batter coate

Dal Baati is a popular dish of Rajasthan and in some parts of Madhya Pradesh. I got a chance to taste this in my trip to Udaipur, this month (March-2015). From there I heard that Rajasthani food is incomplete without Dal Baati. This is a part of Rajasthani Thali. I hope you know Thali is same like Kerala Sadhya. Dal Baati consists of two parts. First is the Baati something similar to south Indian Uzhunnu vada (Medu vada) but not that soft. Second is the dal (Parippu curry). Baati is made of wheat flour, rava and besan.Baatis are generously dipped in ghee but if you are not comfortable dipping the baati in ghee,you may drizzle little bit over the fried baatis. I had this 2-3 times from Udaipur and got the method of making this from famous veg restaurant in Udaipur, Natraj Dining Hall. The healthy part of this is, the dal  is prepared with a combination of five(panch) different types of Dals. Channa dal (Kadala parippu), Toovar dal (Thuvara parippu), Moong dal(Cherupayar parippu),Urad

Tapioca(cassava roots)is enjoyed througout the world due to its unique composition of carbohydrates,minerals,vitamins and organic compounds.Some of the health benefits of tapioca include its ability to help in healthy weight gain,improve digestion,prevent diabetes,lower cholesterol and many  more.In kerala tapioca is known as kolli,kappa,marchini etc.Tapioca has a unique and delicious flavour and is prepared in many ways in kerala - Kappa puzhughiyathu(boiled tapioca),Kappa biriyani,Kappa masala,in curries and stews,as chips and papads.This is a dish that can be used as a evening snack with tea or it can be had as a filling breakfast dish as well.Try this dish with a cup of hot glass of black Tea.

This is Unniyappam, one of the best snacks of Kerala. The name itself or the picture below will definitely take every Keralites to nostalgic memories. We have a neighbour back in Kerala, an old lady living alone. We call her chechi. Whenever we go home for vacations, the very next day morning we can expect her with some very delicious Unniyappams. This is still continuing. Unniyappam is made in many ways and some people use Atta instead of maida and rawa.But the basic ingredient is a mixture of  rice flour with jaggery and grated coconut. Ingredients Rice Flour/Raw Rice            -   1 cup Maida                                    -   1/4 cup Rawa                                     -    2 tbsp Ripe banana                           -    2 Black sesame seeds               -   1 tbsp Grated jaggery                       -   1 1/2 cup Cardamom powder                -    1 tsp Baking soda                           -    a pinch Jeera powder                          -

Fruit cake is a mouthwatering cake which is soft,fluffy and easy to make.I made this cake with  raisins,tutti fruitti,dates,walnuts and cashews.we can use any combination of dry fruits,nuts and tutti fruitti.Try baking in a loaf pan. Ingredients All purpose flour          - 125 gms Sugar                            - 125 gms Butter                           - 125 gms Eggs                             - 2 Vanilla essence            - 2 tsp Baking powder            - 1 tsp Baking soda                 - 1 tsp Dry fruits                     - 150 gms Cashews                       - 5 Preparation Sieve flour, baking powder and baking soda. In a mixing bowl, bring together butter and sugar, whip until a smooth paste appears. Add eggs one by one and whip the mixture with each addition. Add the vanilla essence. Now incorporate the flour little by little in the batter and blend until a smooth dough is formed. If you find your dough to be too

This prawns fry is a quick cook if all your ingredients prepared before you turn the heat on. Make sure they are thoroughly cooked but take care not to overcook them or they will become very hard.Delicious!!! Ingredients Prawns                        -        250 g Ginger garlic paste     -         1 tsp Chilly powder             -         1 tsp Turmeric powder        -          1/4 tsp Cumin powder            -          1/4 tsp Pepper powder            -          1/2 tsp Salt                              -          to taste Oil                               -          3 tbsp                              Curry Leaves               -          1 sprig Preparation Combine all spice powders with ginger garlic paste. Add prawns and mix well. Marinate it for half an hour. Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry it for 5-7 minutes.