Toddlers can be weird when it comes to food. My little one currently dislikes eggs in almost every form, be it fried, scrambled or poached. Eggs need to be disguised in fried rice, pasta and baked goodies. It is the same with bread or else I would have happily made PBJs every day!

One morning, I decided to scramble eggs with tortilla strips because I had read about the Tex-Mex dish ‘Migas‘ somewhere. It was an instant hit with my toddler who didn’t even realize that it had eggs or bread.

Tex-Mex Migas (Tortillas with Scrambled Eggs)

The Spanish word ‘Migas‘ means ‘crumbs‘ in English. It is a breakfast dish traditionally found in the Spanish cuisine. This is a great way to use eggs, bread, meat and veggies in your breakfast. I have often made Migas using sausages, potatoes, bread, tortillas, bell peppers etc. Here is a simple recipe for Migas.

Ingredients

1. Tortillas – 2
2. Diced Onions – 1 medium
3. Slit Green Chillies – 1
4. Eggs – 2
5. Black Pepper Powder – 1/4 tsp
6. Salsa – 2 tbsp
7. Milk – 1 tbsp
8. Butter – 2 tbsp
9. Boiled Corn – 1/4 cup
10. Tomato Ketchup – 1 tbsp
11. Shredded Mozzarella Cheese – 2 to 3 tbsp
12. Salt – to taste

Preparation Method

1. Heat butter in a big non stick pan and saute onions and green chillies until the onions turn translucent.
2. Cut the tortillas into small strips and keep aside.
3. Beat the eggs with salsa, milk, black pepper and salt to taste.
4. Throw in the tortillas to the pan and saute for a few minutes until it gets crispy.
5. Reduce heat to medium and add the beaten eggs.
6. Add tomato ketchup and mix well.
7. Scramble thoroughly until the eggs are cooked and mixed with the Tortilla pieces.
8. Add the cooked corn to the pan and toss everything together.
9. Add the shredded cheese and allow it to melt before removing from heat.
10. Serve with hot sauce, sour cream, avocados or ketchup.

Jackfruit (Chakka) grows abundantly in Kerala and other tropical regions. You can find a jackfruit tree in the backyard of almost every house in Kerala. Ripe jackfruit (Chakka pazham) is really sweet and tastes best when in season. There are two varieties of ripe jackfruit in Kerala : Varikka Chakka (firmer and crunchier inner flesh) and Koozha Chakka (soft and moist inner flesh). Raw or unripe jackfruit has a mild flavor and is used in many dishes and also for making crunchy jackfruit chips.

This summer, we were blessed to visit our home town in Kerala and we enjoyed wonderful dishes made by our loving mothers and aunts. Here is the recipe for Chakka Vevichathu or Chakka Puzhukku – Raw Jackfruit cooked with coconut. This is a main dish and is usually served with Fish or a Meat-based curry.

Chakka Vevichathu (Mashed Jackfruit with Coconut)

My favorite side dish with Chakka Vevichathu is any spicy Chicken curry like this one. The leftovers can be reheated by either steaming in a Steamer (Appa Chembu) or my preferred way is to saute it in some oil. Sauteing it in coconut oil with mustard seeds, shallots and curry leaves makes it really special. In fact, I feel it tastes better than the original.

Chakka Puzhukku (Kerala Style Jackfruit with Coconut)

Ingredients

1. Raw Jackfruit – 1 medium sized
2. Water – 2.5 to 3 cups
3. Salt – to taste
4. Coconut Oil – 1 tbsp
5. Curry Leaves – 1 sprig (for garnishing)

For Grinding

1. Grated Coconut – separated from 1 small coconut
2. Green Chilly – 1
3. Curry Leaves – 5 small sprigs
4. Garlic – 2 or 3 cloves
5. Shallots (Kunjulli) – 3 or 4
6. Whole Peppers – 1.5 tsp
7. Whole Cumins – 1 tsp
8. Turmeric Powder – 1/2 tsp
9. Water – 2 tbsp approx

Preparation Method

1. Cut open the jackfruit and separate the petals or flesh from the seeds.
2. Cut the flesh into long strips of more or less the same size. Wash thoroughly. Drain and keep aside.
3. Grind the coconut and other ingredients with little water to form a coarse paste. Keep aside.
4. In a big pot, add 2.5 to 3 cups of water and a little salt to the jackfruit. Cover and cook on medium heat for around 10 minutes till it is steamy inside.
5. Give it a good stir and check if the jackfruit has become soft. It should still be firm and not mushy.
6. Add the ground coconut mixture to the jackfruit. Do not stir. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes till more steam is seen on top.
7. Now, mix everything thoroughly and do a taste test for salt. Simmer for another 2-3 minutes.
8. Add 1 tbsp of coconut oil to the mixture and stir once more. Remove from heat. Garnish with more curry leaves.

Important Notes

• Do not overcook the jackfruit or it will end up being mushy.
• If there is less water in the pot, the jackfruit might end up sticking to the pan. So adjust water accordingly.

Breadfruit (Kadachakka) is a tropical fruit found abundantly in Kerala. It looks similar to a very small jackfruit. The unripe fruit is often used in curries and stir-fries. Once cooked, the flesh tastes similar to that of Potato. It is also known as Sheema Chakka. I have tasted Varutharacha Kadachakka Curry several years ago but don’t remember eating it in any other form.

Kadachakka Mezhukkupuratti (Breadfruit Stir fry)

When we visited Kerala this summer, we were able to get a taste of a simple stir fry made using unripe Breadfruit or Kadachakka. It tastes delicious with Rice and is so easy to prepare. Here is the recipe for Kadachakka Mezhkkupuratti (Breadfruit Stir fry). Next time, I visit the Indian grocery store, I need to buy Kadachakka.

Ingredients

1. Kadachakka – 1 big
2. Sliced Onions – 1 medium
3. Chopped Garlic – 2 small cloves
4. Turmeric Powder – 1/2 tsp
5. Red Chilly Powder – 1 tsp
6. Salt – to taste
7. Water – 1 cup
8. Oil – 1 tbsp
9. Mustard Seeds – 1/4 tsp
10. Black Pepper Powder – 1 tsp
11. Garam Masala Powder – 1 tsp
12. Curry Leaf – 1 sprig

Preparation Method

1. Peel the skin off the Breadfruit. Cut it into long strips and soak it in water for 10 minutes so that it doesn’t change color.
2. In a vessel, combine the breadfruit with onions, garlic, turmeric powder, chilly powder, 1 cup water and salt to taste.
3. Bring everything to a boil on medium heat. Simmer for around 5 minutes or until the Breadfruit is soft and the water has evaporated.
4. In another pan, add 1 tbsp oil. Splutter mustard seeds and curry leaves.
5. Add the cooked breadfruit to the oil along with garam masala and pepper powders.
6. Stir fry on medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Serve with rice.

Mutton Stew is a mouth watering dish from Kerala made by simmering Mutton in Coconut Milk. Mutton tends to be expensive in Kerala and so people usually prepare it only for special occasions like Christmas and Easter. Appam and Mutton Stew are usually served as a course for Christian Wedding Receptions and other Parties.

In our home, we cook Chicken and Beef more than mutton. I have occasionally made Mutton Stew and Mutton Biriyani. This is my first recipe for a Mutton dish on this website. Many readers have been requesting me for a mutton recipe and so finally, I decided to make a video.

Here is my first video recipe for Mutton Stew. I am hoping to do more videos but it sure is time consuming.

Ingredients for Pressure Cooking Mutton

1. Mutton (cubed into curry sized pieces) – 1 kg
2. Vinegar – 1 tbsp (for soaking)
3. Potatoes (Peeled & diced) – 1 big (2 cups approx)
4. Sliced Carrots – 1 big (1 cup approx)
5. Slit Green Chilies – 2
6. Crushed Ginger & Garlic – 1 tbsp
7. Black Pepper Powder – 2 tsp
8. Salt – 1/2 tbsp
9. Water – 1 cup

Ingredients for Garam Masala Powder

1. Cardamom – 4
2. Cinnamon – 1 stock (2″ long)
3. Fennel Seeds – 1 tsp
4. Cloves – 5
5. Black Peppercorns – 8 to 10
6. Star Anise – 1

Ingredients for making Stew

• Coconut Oil – 2 tbsp
• Sliced Onions – 1 big (2 cups approx)
• Bay Leaf – 1
• Curry Leaves – a sprig
• Crushed Ginger & Garlic – 2 tbsp
• Whole Cashews – 10 to 12
• Thin Coconut Milk – 2 cups
• Thick Coconut Milk – 1 cup
• Frozen Green Peas – 1 cup
• Vinegar – 2 tsp
• Salt – to taste

Preparation Method

1. Clean the mutton by washing it 3-4 times. Soak it in 1 tbsp vinegar for 5 minutes for removing any unwanted smell. Rinse the mutton thoroughly and allow the water to drain.
2. Pressure cook the mutton in 1 cup of water along with potatoes, carrots, salt, green chillies, crushed ginger and garlic for 4-5 whistles on medium high heat. Keep aside and allow the pressure to subside naturally.
3. Meanwhile, crush the whole spices for garam masala powder using a Mortar & Pestle (You can also use a spice grinder). Keep aside.
4. Heat a big wok and add 2 tbsp coconut oil.
5. Add the finely crushed garam masala powder and saute for 2 minutes.
6. Next, add the sliced onions and bay leaf to the pan. Saute for a few minutes.
7. Add a sprig of curry leaves, 2 slit green chillies, 2 tbsp crushed ginger & garlic and a little salt. Saute for a few minutes until the ginger and garlic is fragrant.
8. Add whole cashews to the pan. Saute for 5-7 minutes until the onions soften
9. Add the cooked mutton along with it’s gravy to the pan. Mix everything.
10. Gently add 2 cups of thin coconut milk to the pan. Add salt to taste. Stir well. Cover and simmer everything for 10 minutes.
11. Next, add 1 cup of frozen green peas followed by 1 cup of thick coconut milk. Cover and simmer for 5 more minutes.
12. Add 2 tsp vinegar to the stew and simmer for a couple more minutes. Remove from heat.
13. Allow the Mutton Stew to rest for 2-3 hours for the flavors to mingle. Serve with Appam, Idiyappam, Roti etc.

Tips

• You can also wash the mutton using a few tablespoons of Atta (Wheat Flour) to remove any unwanted smell. This works as good as vinegar.
• I have used Canned Coconut Milk in this recipe for convenience.