Achu's Recipes

  Ingredients Condensed Milk - 400 gms: Digestive Biscuit - 200 gms: Unsalted Butter (Melted) - 100gms: Banana Robusta - 4 nos: Whipping Cream - 200 ml Icing Sugar - 1-2 tbsp Preparation Method Place the condensed milk can in a pressure cooker and fill water to cover the can. Keep the lid closed and keep the flame high till one whistle comes. After the whistle,  keep the flame in simmer and cook for another 45mins: Switch off the flame and leave it in the cooker itself for 12-15 hours. Once the can is cooled down completely, remove it from the pressure cooker and keep it aside. Our  Dulce de leche  is ready. Finely powder the biscuits using a rolling pin. Mix the melted butter to the powdered biscuit and mix well. Spread the biscuit mix evenly to the base of an 8-inch springform tin. Gently press down with a spatula or base of a glass bowl and refrigerate for 2-3 hours. After 3 hours evenly spread the Dulce de leche over the biscuit base. Cut the bananas into 1/...

Ingredients All-Purpose Flour /  Maida - 1.5 cup Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp Warm Oil - 2 tbsp Salt - as required Water - as required Onion - 2 medium (finely chopped) Green Chilli - 1 (finely chopped) Ginger - 1 tsp (finely chopped) Tomato - 1 (finely chopped) Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp Garam Masala - 1 tsp Potato - 2 medium sizes (cooked) Green peas - 1 cup (cooked) Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp Salt - as required Coriander Leaves - 1 tsp (finely chopped) Chat Masala - 1/2 tsp (optional) Oil - as required to deep fry  Preparation Method Add flour, cumin seeds, salt, warm oil in a mixing bowl, and mix with hands till the flour become crumble. Gradually add water and prepare a firm dough. Apply 1 tsp oil on top of the dough, cover and keep aside for 30-45 mins: Heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds. Add onion, green chilli, ginger and saute till onion become transparent. Add salt and tomato and cook for 3-4 mins: Add turmeric powd...

Grilled Fish with Sautéed Vegetables can be enjoyed as a complete healthy meal. As we are not using oil and spices it can be enjoyed by family members of any age group. Ingredients Whole Fish (Sea Bass or Sea Bream) - 2 medium size  Ginger - Garlic Paste - 2 tbsp Lemon Juice - 2 tbsp Crushed Pepper - 3 tbsp Lemon - 1 big (cut into round slices) Tomato - 1 big (cut into round slices) Mix Vegetables (Carrot, Beans, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Asparagus, Onion) - 2 cups Butter - 1 tbsp Salt - as required Preparation Method Clean the fish and pat dry with a kitchen towel to remove excess water. Make 3-4 slits on each side of the fish. Marinate the fish with ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice, pepper powder, and salt and keep aside for 1-2 hours (refrigerate the marinated fish overnight for better results). Preheat the oven at 200 degrees C for 10 mins: Line the sliced lemon and tomatoes on the baking tray and place the fish over that. Bake the fish for 20-25 mins: at 200 degrees C, flipp...

Irachi Pathiri / Erachi Pathiri is a north Kerala special snack served especially during the feast. It can be prepared with any kind of meat. Ingredients Wheat Flour - 1.5 cups Boneless Chicken -  250 gms: Onion - 2 (finely chopped) Ginger - 1 tbsp (finely chopped) Garlic  - 1 tbsp (finely chopped) Tomato - 1 (finely chopped) Curry Leaves - as required Garam Masala - 1 tsp Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp Oil - 3 tbsp Salt - as required Egg - 5 nos: Preparation Method Prepare a loose batter out of wheat flour by adding sufficient salt and water. Heat tawa and make thin crepes (dosa) with the wheat flour batter and keep aside (with this quantity I prepared 7 crepes). Cook the chicken by adding salt and turmeric powder and shred the chicken pieces; keep aside. Heat oil in a pan; add onion, ginger, garlic, salt and saute till onion become golden in color. Add tomato, curry leaves and saute for 2-3 mins...

Battenberg or Battenburg is a light sponge cake held together with jam. The cake is covered in marzipan and, when cutting in cross-section, displays a distinctive two-by-two check pattern alternately colored (source: Wikipedia ) Ingredients All-purpose flour (Maida) - 1 1/2 cup Baking powder - 1/2 tsp Eggs - 3 nos: Sugar - 3/4 cup Unsalted Butter - 100 gms: (in room temperature) Salt - A pinch Vanilla essence - 1/4 tsp Lemon juice - 1/2 tsp Cocoa powder - 3 tbsp Milk - as required Mixed Fruit Jam - 4-5 tbsp Whipping Cream or Fondant - as required Preparation Method Grease a 9x9 rectangular baking tray with butter and dust with flour. Using aluminum foil, divide the tray into 2 equal parts, and keep aside. (I used 2 identical small bread tray).  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees Celsius). Beat the eggs using a handheld electric mixer in a large bowl. (Use glass bowl for more soft cake) Add sugar and beat till stiff peaks are formed. Add b...

We, (myself, my husband, and our ten years old daughter), travelled from Bangalore to Dublin through Paris on 13th August 2020, as my husband got an employment offer from Ireland. We all were excited about the relocation but cautious. When our friends and relatives came to know that we travelled during the pandemic, many, who wanted to join their spouse or family abroad, but concerned about travelling with kids, started pinging us asking for the precautionary measures we took and the travel details. This is my humble attempt to write down the preparations for the travel and how we travelled.  Preparation       As soon as we came to know that we have to travel from Bangalore to Dublin any time in August, we started our planning.      We avoided going to any shops for purchase, in order to avoid the interaction with the public so that the risk can be reduced. We purchased all the items which were required for our travel, including shoes, from Amazon...

Ingredients Prawns - 500 gms: (cleaned and deveined) Ginger-Garlic Paste - 1 tsp Red Chilli Powder - 2 tsp Pepper Powder - 1 tsp Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp Garlic - 20-25 petals Onion - 2 medium (cut into cubes) Tomato - 3 medium (cut into cubes) Capsicum / Bell Pepper - 1 (cut into cubes) Oil - 3-4 tbsp Salt - as required Vinegar - 1 tsp Sugar - 1 tsp (optional) Coriander Leaves -1 tbsp (finely chopped) Preparation Method Marinate prawns with ginger-garlic paste, red chilli powder, pepper powder, turmeric powder, salt; keep aside for 1 hour (refrigerate overnight, if possible). Heat oil in a thick bottom pan. Add garlic; saute in low flame till nice aroma comes out. Add onion and saute till onion become translucent. Add tomatoes and cook till tomatoes become mushy. Add capsicum and saute for 2 mins: Add marinated prawns, mix well and cook for 4-5 mins:, keeping the lid closed (if you overcook prawns, its meat becomes chewy). Open the lid, adjust the salt...