Sunday, December 21, 2008

Kerala Christmas Recipes – Pick & Create your own menu



From the house where I grew up, there is a mosque just 200 feet away from my home……and in less than 100 feet from there is a temple……and within the next half a kilometer , there is one more temple and a church. Whether it is in a straight line or in a triangle, this co-existence of different religious institutions is something you can find uniformly throughout Kerala and this attitude of tolerance and cohesiveness is reflected in the celebration of festivals as well. Onam or X’mas or Eid, Keralites across the state celebrate the festival season with the same fervor and gaiety. We embrace the non-religious aspects of any festival season and make it a reason and season for celebration. Non- X’ians may not follow the month long advent and the mid-night mass, but right from writing out season’s greetings to hanging paper lanterns to Santa’s visit to each home, in the company of carol groups are part of generally everyone’s X’mas celebration and part of my memory too. One may not make a grand feast at home yet he /she is part of feast at their friends’ houses…….everyone gets to enjoy atleast a piece of cake and a small glass of wine………and for the same reason, before and after marriage, X’mas holds a special place in my heart. So this year, I thought I will draft out a menu-chart for the readers of this blog to help you create your own traditional Kerala X’mas menu to prepare the grand feast.

As in any other celebration, food is the central part and mainly because of the month-long advent followed till the eve of X’mas, the feast usually is a gastronomic extravaganza and based on my personal experience, it is generally a non-veg affair. But the trademark of the season is fruit cake and sweet wine. Guests are usually treated with a piece of fruit cake and wine and here’s the list of my choices for you:


Fruit Cake Beetroot Wine - Sweet wine Grape wine Pineapple wine

Breakfast:
X’mas day breakfast is something everyone looks forward to and for many like us, it’s always Paalappam with a stew of your choice:

Paalappam Potato Stew Beef Stew Kerala Chicken Stew Duck Roast

Lunch:
Lunch is a grand feast with a table full of delicious array of food and you could make it a course menu. Hope the choices below will help you make up your mind on what to cook:

I - course
Meat Cutlets Meat Rolls in White Sauce Deviled Eggs - Indian Style Chemmeen Vada - Kerala Style Prawn Fritters


II - course
Meen Pollichathu Chicken Fry Chemmeen eerkiliyil kuthi varuthathu Mashed Tapioca & Fish Curry


III - course
If you are having new guests for lunch, you may repeat the course of Paalappam or bread with stewed meat or seafood.

Paalappam Beef Stew Fish Molee Karimeen Pappas Crab Roast Duck Roast


IV - course
Chicken Biriyani Chemmeen Biriyani Egg Biriyani Fried Rice Vegetable Ghee rice Ghee Rice Mutton Curry

V - course (Rice & curries)
Kuthari Choru with

Non-Veg:

Chicken Roast - Kuttanadan Style Beef Varattiyathu Roast Chicken Mutton Fry Chemmeen Varattiyathu-Prawn Roast Prawns Stir Fry Mutton Liver Fry Njandu Varutharachathu Fish Curry - Central Kerala Style Pepper Fish Fry Mutton Curry Curried Sardines Mathi Varuthathu Erachi Olathiyathu/Sauteed Chicken Fry Duck Curry

Pork Fry

Veg:

Mambazha Pulissery Sambar Chakkakkuru-Maanga curry Rasam Sambharam Cabbage Thoran Koorka


Pickles & Condiments

Manga Achar/ Spicy Mango Pickle Pickled Raisins Puli Inji Pappadam ,Pazham and Banana chips

VI - course
I personally prefer to keep a dessert menu with a combination of something fancy and traditional.

China Grass Pudding Orange Delight Mango Sorbet Tiramisu Parippu Pradaman/Payasam Semiya Payasam Double Chocolate Pudding Parfait Name it ! Caramel Pudding

Tea Time Snacks
Diamond cuts Mexican wedding cookies Fruit Cake Pazham Pori Orappam Kuzhalappam Achappam Vattayappam

Supper
By the end of the day , you re probably stuffed up till your neck and will be mostly in a mood to have something light and the best option is to go for a bowl of….

Kanji & Payar Dried Prawn Condiment Manga Achar/ Spicy Mango Pickle Manga Chammanthi

I hope the menu options come handy for atleast a bunch of confused minds out there! There are many other dishes too that are part of the feast; this list is purely based on the recipes I have featured till now.

And my dear Non-Keralite friends, please don't be confused that we eat all the above mentioned dishes in one single feast, these are just a list of choices for you to mix and match and create our traditional X'mas feast :)

For more options, Go to complete recipe index.

We wish you all a beautiful , peaceful and safe X’mas :)

Luv
Shn

No part of the content ( articles, photographs, recipes) of this blog may be reproduced without my written permission.Copyright © 2007-2010 Kitchenmishmash.blogspot.com. All rights reserved.

53 comments:

  1. Hi Shn,

    Your blog is like cooking google to me :) My new year resolution is to start a food blog with full courtesy to Mishmash :) Love ur presentation, and when i read through, i feel sometimes whether its me writing..so resemblance in all stuff, mother's recipes, chayakkadayile puttu, meenkari chechi etc etc ..Never wrote any comments before, but this time i am the first one to comment here! A Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year..

    Indu

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  2. i am a frequent visitor of ur blog.u are such a talented person.ur hubby is indeed very lucky to get u as his wife!!!any ways u have done a wonderful job and keep it up...merry christmas to u!!!!!!!!!

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  3. Thats so very helpful...thnks for all the efforts u put up in creating menus :-)And yeah...Merry christmas and a verey happy new year to u and ur family !

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  4. OMG Shn, that's such a beautiful and well planned menu. My gosh each picture looks right out of a glossy magazine!!!!...very tempting dishes and yes what a wonderful idea for menu...will surely come back to this page when I need to plan a feast...thanks..:))

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  5. That is a really beautiful menu you have drawn up! Merry Christmas and Season's Greetings!

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  6. Merry Christmas! and Happy New Year! Shn.

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  7. What a delightful spread, Shn. I would have a hard time choosing a few.

    Festive wishes to you and yours, and do keep warm :-)

    -Sunita.

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  8. This is such a lovely post with all the food to be cooked lined up!Thanks so much.Merry Christmas to you and family.Now I have to go figure out my exercise plan for next year after eating all these goodies.

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  9. I can very well relate to the post about Non-Christians celebrating X'mas,hanging Christmas star, waiting for Santa,writing Seasons Greetings..trip down memory lane!Such a nice post-as always of course!I hope I can draw out a small and simple menu from this!Merry Christmas to both of you and your family!

    Cheers

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  10. Beautiful and well planned menu Mishmash!!!! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and your family!!!

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  11. Hi Shn, that was a very helpful effort in gatherin all the recipes and giving suggestions. Looks like a mini google to me... Continue inspiring .... Great work!!!! Merry X'mas!!

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  12. wow thts such a yummy selection! kothiyavunnu...wish u a very happy and wonderful xmas:)

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  13. Dear Shn, that is an eye popping feast, even if only one dish prepared for each course.

    A Very Merry Christmas!

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  14. Good Morning dear,

    Beautiful blog, great presentation of the receipes. Thank u so much for the beautiful menu presented for this X-mas.

    I have never commented on this blog but yes I have been a silent looker who tries new receipes during the weekend.

    Anyways tks. again and wish u and your fly. a great X-mas and a prosperous and fun filled New Year.

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  15. Merry Christmas to you and CCJ!

    I know that I have been tardy with my communication this year but I promise that I will make up for it in the new year.

    All my love and best wishes.

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  16. hi, I made your fruit cake this time also and just like last time, it tasted awesome. I could send some cake to my home in cochin also through a friend of mine and everybody at home loved this, once again thank you for this recipe.

    Some of my friends/readers mailed me for a fruit cake recipe and I sent them your link. They too are very happy with the cake :)

    Wish you and your family a merry xmas & a wonderful new year!!

    take care
    Maria

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  17. Shn,
    Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and family.
    You are so right.It is yet another wonderful quality of the keralites to be able to co-exist.It is a trait which amazes people of other states. And more than ever we need to be the model example for the other states of India that religion is a personal preference but unity can enhance lives.

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  18. Dear Shn,
    It my first xmas after getting married and I feel aweful that I cannot make Xmas as grand as my mom and grandmoms. But I am sure, taking guidance from your blog I will be able to have a grand celebration next year...
    Merry Xmas to you and your family!
    -Love,
    Sherin

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  19. Merry X'mas and a happy new year Shn!

    I thought of you each time I baked a christmas cake this year. (I made 3 batches) I used my own recipe, but remembered your post with its foolproof instructions :-)

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  20. What a great idea to present a pick-and-choose photographic menu ! Too late for this year, but I'm definitely heading here when Vishu or Easter rolls in!

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  21. That's a real visual feast.

    Happy New Year, Shn!

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  22. U have a wonderful blog. First time here. Do visit mine, Happy Christmas and New yr!

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  23. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2009

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  24. Dear Mish mash
    I am writing this to say thank you for the wonderful recipes. In two of my parties, I served your lamb, kuttanadan chicken, potato stew and egg biriyani recipe. They were sooooooo good and very well appreciated. In fact they just flew off the serving dishes. I used to live in kerala, so the authenticity is wonderful. Also the measurements are so clear that any body could do it. For my parties I had to triple it and it still was excellent. Thankyou and Season's Greetimgs.

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  25. Mallugirl has left a new comment on your post "Kerala Christmas Recipes – Pick & Create your own ...":

    this is a wonderful spread!! i can just look at this all year long and decide what to make!!

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  26. Amazing collection of dishes, Shn! All of them have me drooling. Hope you had a wonderful Christmas! :)

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  27. Dear,
    While reading this article I was thinking/dreaming if...I were u".
    I too got x-mas xperience but u might have never xperienced one like that
    to taste it
    pl visit read & comment
    http://manjaly-halwa.blogspot.com

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  28. wish you a wonderful new year, dear shn.

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  29. wish you a wonderful new year, dear shn.

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  30. Hi Shn,
    I first stumbled upon your blog when I was searching for chukku kappi recipe. I was sick that day and my husband made me the awsome chukku kappi for me. From then i am a regular visitor of your blog. My husband and I are big time foodies. So we love your website!!
    I love the way you write, and your recipes. So far i ahev tried out palappam & kuttandan chicken curry. My husband tried out kuttanadan fish curry. All turned out so well that if i am to make any curry i will refer ur website. This time when iw as home for xmas, i ahve recommended ur webiste for my mom expecially to make cake.
    Thank you so much for this wonderful blog and we will always be the regulars of your website.

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  31. Look at that spread, I am salivating looking at the pictures Shn. Happy Holidays and have a great new year ahead!

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  32. a hundred times over....may god bless u...

    i jst saw the spread and i was in heaven...

    not only tht i had dug up ure blog to ask u how to make tiramisu...and i saw it was on the dessert list..so reading thru that now...will ask if i get stuck at any point in the recipe

    god bless once again

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  33. ouch...i was hoping u'd make the cream cheese at home...i have malaee...lots of it...we are a milk guzzling household...now i need to know how to make cream from it

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  34. what a wonderful selections! Thanks for your guide but I have missed it... haha.... Happy New Year!

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  35. Hello,
    I am absolutely new to your blog, but after seeing the plethora of platters I just couldn't help myself to add you to my blogroll. Hop eyou dont mind. Happy New Year.

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  36. Your Christmas menu plan takes me back home without physically moving an inch! :D

    best wishes for a happy, peaceful and prosperous New Year, Shn.

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  37. Hi Shn ..

    Wish u and ur family Happy New Year ..

    love
    veena

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  38. Hi shn, you have a lovely blog! I have made quite a few recipes from here, and they have never failed me! I am new to blogging and it takes me quite a while to plan and write the posts and mine are really short posts...makes my admiration for your blog even higher!

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  39. Hi shn, happy new year. I see you are not blogging since X Mas! :))

    Take your time, enjoy. Wonderful post for reference to all your recipes, looks great.

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  40. Wooooooooooo, what a spread, awesome clicks, great recipes....all very tempting, nice menu...

    Merry X-mass and Happy New Year.

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  41. Wow! so many items for the festival. That's awesome. I always wanted to try home made wine. I will definitely try this soon. so many dishes. If it is very colourful to see I just imagine how delightful it will be to have it all. So nice...

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  42. Hi Shn,
    Thanks for the Kerala Mutton Curry!
    It looks very tempting! We will try it next Friday! Also I need that promised 'Garam Masala' recipe!

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  43. ur site is an ocean of great taste.
    i juz came across ur site very recently....n hav tried many dishes frm ur posts.the pachadi was sooo yummy...that it has bcom my in laws fvt...keep postin more...n keep up da grt work!!!

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  44. im newly married and in london..hardly know cooking..and miss mom..cant even call her up every now n then n ask for recepies..cant thankyou enough!! u have done a brilliant job..absolutely ravishing..thanks a ton again!!

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  45. Annie here from chennai,thanks for the long lost kerala recipes,.my husband is a die heart lover of kerala food,.it reminds me of my grandma's kitchen in pala(kottayam dist)

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  46. I'm Leena from Dubai. I hAve no words to describe the joy of finding ur website.was lookin for pudding recipe and was amazed bythe way u make praline.best part is the narration. Wanted to try ur biryani recipe.but in dxb poppy seeds r banned.not sure if tat is replaceable.
    Oneday will try the other recipes such as kalathapam.neverhad it but the pic is soooooo temptin.
    Takecare

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  47. What a brilliant post - this is exactly what I was looking for. Thankyou!

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  48. I ran across this post just in time for the upcoming 2010 xmas holidays coming up... I am so excited. Great post

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  49. Hi,
    Wanted to thank you for your Fruit cake recipe.Made it twice it was a big hit.This is the only cake my husband likes but never able to get that taste we used to get back in kerala.But this one is just the rite one.My husband loves it too .Thank you once again and keep posting more delicious recipes

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