Tuesday 2 October 2012

Recipe for "Mezhukkupuratti"

Mezhukkupuratti literally means ‘coated with oil’, though the dish is not all that greasy as it sounds. Vegetables are steamed/ boiled with a little water and tossed with seasoned oil which acts as a dressing. A variety of vegetables can be cooked using this recipe and it is the most popular method of conjuring up a quick curry to go with any meal any day!


This simple dish is also a healthy option that does not invite too many calories. A typical Kerala style lunch or dinner is never complete without a mezhukkupuratti made of veggies available at hand, simple spices and a slight tempering to retain the sharp flavors.


Ingredients

  • ½ kg raw banana
  • 10 whole red chilies
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • Curry leaves
  • 10 garlic cloves
  • 5 shallots
  • 1 teaspoon pepper powder
  • coconut oil
  • salt to taste

Procedure
            Chop the raw bananas into small pieces and cook it with water, salt and turmeric powder.  Heat oil in a pan and sauté the crushed red chilies, garlic cloves, shallots, curry leaves and powdered pepper.  When it starts roasting and changes color, add the cooked raw bananas into the pan.  Keep it on a low flame till the water evaporates completely.  This is one of the best side dishes to accompany rice.

Monday 1 October 2012

With the Swiss- German Delegation...

Pepper Trails hosted a 12- member top level German- Swiss travel agents group last April, brought to India exclusively by Kerala Voyages, a leading inbound travel company specializing in experience tourism, on a familiarization trip.

It was one of the largest German speaking agents' delegation to Kerala in the recent years. The group consisted of many special interest tour operators including Windrose Finest Travel GmbH who specializes in luxury experiences, Freun Unterwegs Freun Reisen GmbH and LT Travel AG specializing in women tours, Ultramer Touristik Sud GmBH specializing in group travel to India, Urlaubsrenner, Globus Reisen and Thomas Cook Touristik GmbH. Many of these agents were travelling for the first time to Kerala.

At the Pepper Trails kitchen, we hosted a special edition culinary show for the delegation showcasing the traditional hospitality of Kerala households and t's own culinary delicacies. there was a live cooking demonstration for our guests and I took them through the process of making Appam, Puttu, Kadalakkari, Meen Pollichathu, Meen Peera and Potato Mezhukkupiratty; apart from giving them an opportunity to taste the freshly prepared dishes.

It was a heartwarming experience indeed to share Kerala's culinary heritage with our new found German friends!

Discovering some mouth watering recipes

A sumptuous dinner at Pepper Trails

"Food is music to the body, music is food to the heart"- Gregory David Roberts

A cooking demo in full swing