spices & their malayalam version

most of the time i get confused with the spices names especially the cumin and fennel seeds i never get them correct even when my mother says get me the nallajeerakam or perinjeerakam.i always give the wrong one. i am sure most of u have been through the same problem . so thought let me compile the spice names and put it here.

ALLSPICE	SARVASUGANDHI
ALMOND	BADAAM
ANI SEED (SWEET CUMIN)	SWEET CUMIN
ASAFOETIDA / HING	KAAYAM
BASIL LEAVES	THULASI
BAY LEAVES	KARUVA ELA
BLACK PEPPER/PEPPERCORNS	KURUMULAKU
CAPSICUM (BELL PEPPER/PAPRIKA)	CAPSICUM
BLACK CARAWAY SEEDS	KARINJEERAKAM-BLACK IN COLOR
CARDAMOM	ELAKKA
CASHEWNUT	ANDIPPARIPPU
CAYENNE PEPPER (RED LONG CHILLI)	RED LONG CHILLI
CINNAMON	KARUVAPATTA
CLOVES	GRAMBOO
CORIANDER SEED	MALLI
CUMIN	NALLAJEERAKAM-BROWN IN COLOR
CURRY LEAVES	KARIVEPPILA
DATES	EETHAPAZHAM
DRIED GINGER	CHUKKU
FENNEL	PERUMJEERAKAM-GREEN IN COLOR
FENUGREEK	ULUVA
GARCINIA GUMMI-GUTTA	KUDAMPULI
GARLIC	VELUTHULLI
GINGER	INJI
GOOSEBERRY	NELLIKKA
GREEN CHILLI	PACHAMULAKU
JAGGERY /UNREFINED SUGAR	SHARKARA
LEMON	CHERUNARANGA
MACE	JATHIPATHRI
MINT	PUTHINA
MUSTARD	KADUKU
NUTMEG	JATHIKKA
ONION	SAVOLA/ULLI
POPPY SEEDS	CASCAS
RED CHILLI	VATTAL MULAKU/UNAKKA MULAKU
ROSE WATER	PANINEER
SAFFRON	KUNKUMAM
SALT	UPPU
SESAME SEEDS	ELLU
TAMARIND	PULI
TURMERIC	MANJAL
VINEGAR	SURKA

bread cheese... roll

my arab friend brought this item into office one day and said it's her creation. i thought if she can make it why not me? . this is how i did it.

Ingredients

bread slices : 10
cheese (triangle) : 7
milk : 1/2 cup
bread crumbs ( prepared from the edges of bread slices)
oil for frying

Take bread slices as required you can make 2 rolls from one bread.

with a chappathi roller, roll over each bread to loosen it so that it will be easier to roll. you can remove the edges from each bread slice and make bread crumbs out of the edges.keep the bread crumbs aside.

cut the bread slice into half in the middle.

take some milk in a small bowl to dip the bread roll .keep it aside (do not dip bread now)

now take triangle shape cheese slices and cut it into 3. you need only little cheese may be 1/4 teaspoon. if you don't have triangle slices you can use normal cheese also.put the cheese on the half sized bread and roll it with your hand to make cylindrical shape.dip it in the milk.now it will be easier to finish with the roll and then cover in bread crumbs. keep it aside one by one.

instead of cheese you can use chocolate cream, hazelnut cream or any other flavors your kids like. they will love it. i made it for my children. both of them like it very much and they ask me to make it every time i buy bread .

and it is also very easy to take out in a small tiffin if you are travelling . i am doing it again for my travel after tomorrow :)

unnakkaaya - banana fritters with egg fillings

the name is funny to have it for a food item but don't worry it is superb taste.

unnakkaya means a pod of cotton which we use in to make bed and pillows. the name could have been used because of the shape.

i think everyone should try this at least once. i never tried to do it as i thought its too complicated and never come out good. but two days before i took the chance. well i got the banana required ripe. here is how i made it.

Ingredients
medium ripe indian banana - 5 nos
oil for frying
filling mixture
egg - 2 nos
sugar - as required
cardamom powder - a pinch
ghee - as required

optional
raisins
cashewnuts
scrapped coconut instead of egg

i took around 5 banana medium ripe. boil it whole without cutting. drain the water and take out the banana when the outer skin opens. do not over cook and water should not be absorbed - this is the main point .

now remove the outer skin and keep it to cool down. don't keep it for hours it will harden. run down a knife through the middle and remove the black seeds and thread inside. cut it into pieces so that you can grind it to make a dough. if there are banana pieces in the ground mixture you can take it out and keep it aside, later put all small pieces together and grind again. do not add any water while grinding. this is very important because it will be sticky when u roll it.

now scramble egg with cardamom powder and sugar in a frying pan by adding little ghee. you can add fried raisins and cashew nuts if required not necessary. its still tasty without .

put some oil in your palms and make small balls of lemon size out of banana dough, flatten it in your palms to make a disk shape. add one spoon coconut-egg mixture in the middle of it . fold the edges, press lightly, now roll it in your hands to make cotton pod shape with pointed edges on both sides.

if the dough is loose you will find it difficult to roll, suggestion is keep it in the refrigerator for few minutes and try. if it is too loose add little (very little) rice powder to it (it will lose the softness).

after you finished with all the rolls . in a wok deep fry these rolls until golden brown color. remove from flame, cool it and yummy yummy have it.
actually it came out very well (soft) than i expected. normally we make this special item during fasting days of ramadan for iftaar.