recipes

Food is a lifestyle with focus on cooking healthy, wholesome and beautifully appetizing meals drawn mostly from my Indian heritage along with cross-cultural flavors discovered as an expatriate living in the Middle East.

From breakfast to dessert, Plateful is liberally garnished with sweet and savory home-cooked food—simple everyday meals, timeless favorites, nostalgic comfort food, modern dishes with real wow-factors, tried and tasted recipes from cookbooks and sites I love—interspersed with beautiful photographs, and lots more besides.

From my kitchen. To yours. With love. 

Appetizers & Snacks
Beef Croquettes — Kerala Style Beef Cutlets

Bruschetta

Chicken Cutlets

Chicken Puffs — light, crisp, flaky pastries stuffed with spicy chicken filling —a stunning starter for any occasion

Chickpeas Stir-fry — Spicy Kabuli Chana — Vella Kadala Upperi

Chili Pepper Fritters — Mirchi Pakora — Mulaku Bajji
Chocolate Covered Kiwis on a Stick — boost your intake of antioxidants with this fun recipe

Crispy and Crunchy Tuna Cutlets with Panko
Curried Chickpeas Salad

Fiery Chicken Roast — spicy, addictive flavors

Mini Pizzas with Bread and Pastry Crusts

Potato Croquettes — Aloo Tikki

Spiced Eggplant Fry — Vazhuthananga Porichathu

Spiced, Aromatic Prawn Roast
Spiced, Deep-fried Chicken — Chicken 65

Bread

Banana Walnut Bread to Celebrate Friendship

Breakfast & Brunch

Crispy, savory rice pancakes with potato filling — Masala dosa

Fluffy rice pancake — Idli
Spicy Noodle Stir-Fry with Vegetables — Super Healthy and Easy Weeknight Meal

Steamed Rice-cake with Black Garbanzo Beans Curry — Puttu with Kadala

Cakes
Blueberry Banana and Cream
Eggless, No Bake, Mini Mango Cheesecakes

Intensely Chocolaty Mini Hazelnut Brownie Cake

No-bake cheesecake

Nutella Lava Mug Cake

Raspberry Cupcakes
Soft-centered Mocha Pudding — a wicked treat worthy of special occasions
Speedy Berry Cheesecake in a Glass — impressive and very moreish

Chicken

Butter Chicken — Murgh Makhni — India’s signature gift to the world
Chicken Cutlets
Chicken Puffs — light, crisp, flaky pastries stuffed with spicy chicken filling —a stunning starter for any occasion

Fiery Chicken Roast — spicy, addictive flavors

Kerala chicken roast — permission to indulge, granted!

Spiced, Deep-fried Chicken — Chicken 65

Condiments: Pickles, Chutneys, Relishes

Dry Prawns Chutney — Unakka Chemmeen Chammanthi

Dry Red Chili Chutney — Mulaku Chammanthi

Ginger in Sweet Tamarind Sauce — Inji Puli

Green Mango Chutney — Manga Chammanthi

Green Mango Chutney — Uppumanaga Chalichathu — homemade condiment for the side
Green Mango Pickle — Manga Achar
Strawberry Jam with Redcurrant
Tomato Chutney – one more way to enjoy antioxidant rich tomatoes

Cookies or Bikkies

Anzac Biscuits — syrupy, chewy, crunchy Aussie classic; eggless too

Chocolate Caramel Slice — the perfect holiday treat

Chocolate Puddle Cookie — gluten-free, grain-free and dairy-free too!
Eggless Strawberry Melting Moments—melt-in-your mouth sandwich cookies for the holiday season

Melting Moments — dainty eggless cookies

Pretty Pink Raspberry Macarons

Curries
Butter Chicken — Murgh Makhni — India’s signature gift to the world

Claypot Fish Curry with Coconut Milk — a welcome simplicity to the dining table that couldn’t be more delicious

Country Style Fish Stew — Fish Moilee

Fiery Red Prawn Curry — Chemmeen Mulakittathu

Fish Fillets in Coconut Sauce — Chettinad Meen Kozhambu

Kerala chicken roast — permission to indulge, granted!

Kerala Prawn and Drumstick Curry — Chemmeen Muringakka Curry

Lentil Curry With Zucchini And Spring Onions — Zucchini Parippu Curry

Rasam — Hot and Sour Vegan Soup

Rogan Josh, or, Kashmiri Lamb Curry — sinfully delicious blend of very fragrant spices and flavors

Desserts

Apple Jelly Pudding With Caramelized Cashew Nuts

Chocolate-dipped strawberries
Chocolate Covered Kiwis on a Stick — boost your intake of antioxidants with this fun recipe
Chocolate Orange Truffles. And—Two Wondrous Years!

Exotic Fruit Salad — little nibbles of pleasure for a healthy summer

Fruity Ideas to Celebrate Ramadan: Fruit Salad and Apricot, Raspberry Popsicles
Luxury Dates with Nuts and Chocolate

Oreo “Blizzard” — decadent treat to welcome the golden sun-drenched days

Popsicles — juicy frozen fruits on a stick — a taste of summer

Quick Mango Passionfruit Pudding — sensational summer flavors

Soft-centered Mocha Pudding — a wicked treat worthy of special occasions

Strawberry Crumble — a bit tart, a bit sweet, a bit warm, a bit cold

Strawberry Rice Pudding

Vermicelli pudding — Seviyan kheer — Semiya payasam

Drinks
Anti-Aging Mixed Berry Smoothie
Blueberry Banana Oatmeal Smoothie—a power-packed hearty drink

Berry Blast— delicious powerhouse of antioxidants

Berry Ice Cubes with Yoghurt Froth
Date Shake — simple, seasonal and sensational!
Limonana—Refreshing Mint Lemonade—the coolest of summer drinks

Mango Lassi — summer in a glass
Mango Lemonade

Mango Spritzer

Minty Ginger Granny Smith — crisp, sassy, vibrant fall flavors
Nutella Instant Iced Coffee, aka Homemade Mocha Frappuccino
Pineapple Passion Chiller
Pomegranate Orange Crush — juicy joy to help fight aging

Sarsaparilla Limeade — Nannari Soda Sherbet
Sparkling Apple Lemonade—pretty pink summer cooler

Strawberry Banana Frothy Smoothie

Strawberry apple cooler
Ultimate Parisan Hot chocolate — velvety and so utterly chocolaty
Watermelon Shake
Watermelon Whizz

Egg

Hard-boiled Egg Whites with Veggies — Mutta Thoran
Kerala Style Egg Roast — Naadan Mutta Roast

Fish and Seafood

Clams Fry — Kakka Irachi Varuthathu

Claypot Fish Curry with Coconut Milk — a welcome simplicity to the dining table that couldn’t be more delicious

Country Style Fish Stew — Fish Moilee

Crispy and Crunchy Tuna Cutlets with Panko

Fiery Red Prawn Curry — Chemmeen Mulakittathu

Fish Fillets in Coconut Sauce — Chettinad Meen Kozhambu

Fish fry with red hamour

Fried Sardine — Mathi Varuthathu

Karimeen Pollichathu — Pearlspot fish grilled in banana leaf

Kerala Prawn and Drumstick Curry — Chemmeen Muringakka Curry

Prawns in Tangy Masala - Chemmeen Ularthiyathu
Red Fish Curry — Meen Vevichathu

Spice Crusted, Pan-fried, Sole — Manthal Fry

Spiced, Aromatic Prawn Roast

Tom yum goong – Thai hot and sour noodle soup with shrimp

Frozen Treats

Oreo “Blizzard” — decadent treat to welcome the golden sun-drenched days
Popsicles — juicy frozen fruits on a stick — a taste of summer
Ice Pops — Fizzy Mango Mint Popsicle, and Creamy Chocolaty Fudgesicle — hydrating summertime treats

Meat

Rogan Josh, or, Kashmiri Lamb Curry — sinfully delicious blend of very fragrant spices and flavors

Rice & Pasta

Fragrant Ghee Rice with Raita and Relish — Neychoru with Kachumber and Ulli Surka

Pressured-cooked Chicken Pulao or Pilaf with Raita and Pickles — easy, hearty, satisfying meal
Spicy Noodle Stir-Fry with Vegetables — Super Healthy and Easy Weeknight Meal

Salads

Curried Chickpeas Salad
Kaffir Lime and Chickpeas Salad — refreshingly light and clean flavors

Olive Salad — a simple Middle Eastern mezedhe, aka the meze dish

Spiced, Colorful, Tangy And Crunchy Salad With Sausage, Olives And Vegetables
Strawberry Mache Salad with Poppy Seed Vinaigrette and Almond Brittle

Summer Salad with Lean Chicken Breast and Avocado
Warm, Aromatic Broccoli Salad — Broccoli Upperi

Sandwiches

Chickpea Burger — guilt-free, veggie option to spice up your summer grill

Grilled Chicken Mortadella Sandwich

Soups

Rasam — Hot and Sour Vegan Soup

Tom yum goong – Thai hot and sour noodle soup with shrimp

Tomato Oat Soup

Vegetarian Sides

Banana Blossom With Green Gram — Vazhakoombum Payarum or Chundum Payarum

Cabbage Stir-fry — Cabbage Upperi

Chickpeas Stir-fry — Spicy Kabuli Chana — Vella Kadala Upperi
Curried Chickpeas Salad

Jackfruit Seeds With Green Mango Curry — Chakkakuru Manga Curry

Lentil Curry With Zucchini And Spring Onions — Zucchini Parippu Curry

Mixed Vegetabe Stew — Sambar

Orka Stir-fry — Vendakka Upperi

Potato Croquettes — Aloo Tikki
Pavakka Mulakittadu — Sour and Spicy Bitter Melon Curry — Karela from Kerala

Rasam — Hot and Sour Vegan Soup

Red Spinach Curry — Cheera Curry

Sautéed carrots and capsicum — Carrot upperi

Spiced Eggplant Fry — Vazhuthananga Porichathu

Spiced, Sautéed Chinese Potato — Koorka Mezhukkupuratti

Spiced, Sautéed elephant yam — Chena  Mezhukkupuratti
Spiced Red Beans and Green Banana — Kaya Vanpayar Mezhukkupuratti

Tindora (Ivy Gourd) Stir-fry — Kovakka Upperi

Vegetable Potpourri in Coconut and Yogurt — Avial
Warm, Aromatic Broccoli Salad — Broccoli Upperi

I hope you enjoy the variety of flavors and aromas wafting from this little corner of my world. Thank you for visiting!