Four Special Recipes To Make Your Christmas Merrier

Christmas specials that tweak the tradition and please the palate

The countdown for Christmas has begun with Christmas special delicacies adding to the merriment. Food, no doubt, is one of the best ways to soak in the festive spirit. However, when it comes to older adults indulging in delicacies, one must be mindful of both the taste and the health factor. On this Christmas Eve, Silver Talkies brings before you four Christmas special delicacies, keeping in mind your taste buds as well as your health and your vegan and non-vegan preferences.

PHOTO COURTESY: USAPEEC

In case you’re guessing what’s cooking this Christmas, it could be the Special Mr K’s Christmas Duck Curry which is Prem Oommen Koshy’s (the creator of the famous Koshy’s) favourite Christmas dish. We were lucky to get him to share with us the recipe of this simple Duck Curry which is super tasty, yet not a pain to digest.

Ingredients:

• 1 duck about 2 to 3 kg (cleaned and cut to curry size pieces)

• 3 to 4 tsp coconut oil

• 2 onions sliced thin

• 1 tbsp garlic ginger paste

• 1 tbsp coriander powder

• 1 tbsp chilli powder

• 1/2 tbsp turmeric powder 

• 1 tsp mustard seed

• 5 or 6 curry leaves

• salt and pepper powder to taste

  (Tsp - teaspoon

Tbsp - tablespoon)  

Method :

Saute the onions in your pressure cooker or vessel with the top till slightly brown.Then add your powdered spices and saute till cooked well and the aroma from the spices smells right. Add the ginger garlic paste and cook till brown. At this time add the duck pieces and mix well then add one cup water and  let the duck cook till soft .Pot-cook it for approximately 40 minutes. Pressure cook for about 30 mins. Separately saute the mustard seeds till they pop, then add curry leaves till slightly crisp Garnish the curry once done  and serve hot with rice or paratha. 

PHOTO COURTESY: RADHIKA SHASTRY

 Here’s Cafe Diem’s (one of Coonoor’s quaint coffee houses with delectable small meals and a breathtaking view of the Nilgiri hills) hot selling Christmas special salad for those who find comfort in the healthy palate. Radhika Shastry who quit her corporate job to start her dream cafe in second innings, shared with us this interesting recipe to make your X-Mas menu complete.

Ingredients:

• Green Zucchini  shavings 20gm

• Yellow Zucchini shavings 20gm

• Carrot shavings 20 gm

• Baby beetroot 20 gm

• Tender beans 20gm

• Fresh thyme 2.5 gm

• Fresh oregano 2.5gm

• Goat cheese 40 gm

• Zaatar mix 5gm

• Sumac powder 3gm

• Extra virgin olive oil 1 tsp

• Pepper 1/2 tsp

• Salt 1/2 tsp

Method:

Wash veggies thoroughly.Make them into shavings.Marinade the shavings with olive oil, fresh herbs, Zaatar and seasoning. Grill veggie shavings now marinated for 5 minutes.Make a small ball with Goat cheese and  dust with sumac powder. Transfer all grilled vegetables into a bowl, place sumac dusted Goat cheese on the top of the vegetables and serve warm.  

PHOTO COURTESY: SAVIA FERNANDEZ

For Savia Fernandez, a food enthusiast and a great cook, Country Chicken Stew brings back her childhood Christmas memories, the recipe being her mother’s. “Soft white appam surrounded by lacy, browned crisp edges and stew are the staples for a typical Christmas breakfast in Kerala, particularly in Fort Kochi, my hometown. Stew with bread or appam is irreplaceable in the kitchens of Anglo-Indian houses of our place,” she says as she shares the recipe with Silver Talkies.

Ingredients:

• Country chicken: 1kg

• Thin Coconut milk: 2 cup

• Thick Coconut milk: 1 cup

• Onion: 1 medium

• Cinnamon: 1 medium stick

• Clove: 4-5

• Whole black pepper: 5-6

• Cardamom: 4-5

• Carrot: 1 medium

• Potato: 1 medium

• Beans: 75 gms

• Pepper powder: a pinch

• Coriander powder: 3 teaspoons

• Curry leaves: as required

• Green chillies: 5-6 medium

• Turmeric powder: a pinch

• Ghee: to taste

• Coriander and mint leaves: to garnish

Method:

Boil chicken, potato and carrot with salt, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, slit green chilies, turmeric powder and curry leaves for up to 30 minutes on sim with little water.In a kadai, on a medium flame, heat ghee, add the coarsely grinded spices and stir well. After two minutes add the thinly sliced onions, saute until golden brown, add turmeric, pepper powder and 2 teaspoon coriander powder.Add the thin coconut milk and beans and chicken, cook on low flame for 10-15 minutes.Now add the thick coconut milk and cook for another 2-3 minutes.Switch off the flame, garnish with mint and coriander leaves and serve hot. 

Tips:

Since coconut milk is the main ingredient for this stew, ensure to cook on low to medium flame only; strictly on low flame when thick coconut milk is added and never let it boil.  

PHOTO COURTESY: SPICE AND AROMAS

Rose cookies are a traditional recipe which can be given a healthy tweak for Christmas. But these are not to be consumed daily, warns Edwina Raj, senior dietician at Aster CMI Hospital, Bangalore. She shares with us the healthy version of rose cookies apt for older adults to indulge in.

“We can substitute sugar with natural sweeteners, and use whole wheat flour to retain fibre. Essential fats can be retained through coconut milk and egg in moderation is healthy. The choice of sesame seeds adds minerals as well as plant compounds which brings down bad cholesterol. Ultimately using rice bran oil for frying is better than sunflower oil as it is stable when treated at high temperature. Tweaking traditional recipes will definitely help us to maintain our health during this season of celebration,” says Raj.

Ingredients:

• Whole wheat flour 1cup

• Coconut milk or cow’s milk 250ml

• Egg 1

• Vanilla essence 1 tsp

• Stevia or Erythritol natural sweetener as required

• Sesame seed 2 tsp

• Rice bran oil for frying

• Salt - 1/3 rd tsp

Method

Mix sifted flour into a bowl, salt, eggs, vanilla essence, stevia liquid and coconut milk or cow’s milk.Roast sesame seeds and add into the batter. Mix well till the batter is thick but free flowing Heat oil in a vessel and dip the mould in the oil for about 30 seconds.Thereby dip the heated mould in the batter, half dipped.Immediately, place the dipped mould in the heated oil, fry till golden brown. Drain excess oil through tissue paper, put them on a plate and serve.

 We’re sure it will now be easy to decide on your Christmas platter and these traditional recipes will add to your Christmas cheer. Wish you a Merry Christmas!