Vattayappam - A Kerala Special Steamed Rice Cake & Celebrating Blog Anniversary

Rinku’s Kitchen Treats is celebrating its 4th anniversary. Oh my time has been flying extremely fast! Creating this blog is one of the best decisions I ever made, as it allows me to connect with people that feel the same way about food as I do. And allows me to share my favorite cuisine- the Kerala cuisine with the rest of the world. I didn't have a plan when I set out on this blogging journey. But I am taking it on a slow pace and enjoying every minute of it.

Foremost, I want to thank my husband and kids who play a large role behind the scenes. And want to thank all my readers for visiting my website and following us on Facebook, and Pinterest. I truly appreciate it! It’s your readership that makes me continue blogging. I would even take this opportunity to thank my family for being so supportive, my friend Shireen,  who has been a constant guide and my other friends who are always there for me.

So to all of you who have been a part of my blogging journey, I want to say an enormous THANK YOU. I really appreciate your kind comments, shares and feedback. Wishing you all a prosperous New Year!

Homemade Chocolates

Let us make homemade gifts for our guests. Easy homemade chocolates.Absolutely delicious and can be made with very little effort and time and just 4 ingredients. This is just perfect as a guest gift even for other functions. You can add in fillings of your choice.

Easy One Bowl Chocolate Cake

The festive season is on and I am sure you have many visitors or last minute dinner guests coming in to visit. This is when you are in a fix as to what dessert can you serve them without much mess in the kitchen. Then this is the right recipe.

This super easy one bowl cake is the perfect dessert for a gathering. It just vanishes in seconds. My family loves it. Just put in all the ingredients in one bowl and you are ready to bake the cake while you are chatting away with friends or guests. Recipe is adapted from here

I added a bit of coffee powder and vanilla essence to heighten the flavour of the cake. My kids loves cakes. And this is going to be the cake I will bake when they crave for a cake. So go ahead and win all that accolades from your guests this season.

Kannur Special Erachi Puttu / Chicken Puttu

Hi everyone! I am back just in time before Christmas and New Year. I don't know if anyone missed me. But I really missed blogging and reading all the reviews and comments. So here I am with a new recipe. It had to be a specialty of my place to start with ( A fresh start) ☺

Puttu is a specialty of Kerala and an authentic breakfast item. They are steamed cylinders of rice flour layered with coconut.There are many varieties of puttu. Now there is even chocolate puttu. You can have it for dinner or as evening snack when you are really hungry. When you are bored with rotis try this chicken puttu for a change for dinner. It is filling and very healthy too.

Mango Lassi - Indian Summer Drink

For Indians, summer is synonymous with mango season. And India boasts of more than 100 varieties of mangoes. No wonder its called the 'King of all fruits' and is the National fruit of India. Mango Lassi is again one of the most popular summer drink in India and has become popular around the world.

The humidity at my place in Kerala, India is so high. There is only one antidote for this - Fresh Mango Lassi. It is a soothing cold drink to beat the heat. Mango Lassi is made with sweet mango, yogurt, honey, cardamom, milk and ice cubes.It is smooth, creamy and tastes heavenly. You can have it anytime of the day. It is an instant energy booster. And above all it is so easy to make! So go ahead and beat that heat...

Banana Bundt Cake

Peace at last for all the kids and moms in India - its vacation time after all that exam fever. Yeah, this calls for a celebration. So I decided to try out another cake which will now add up to my list of favorite cakes because it is an ultra moist, and melt in the mouth kind of cake by Dorie Greenspan. You can make this cake in a cinch with readily available ingredients especially if you are a home baker like me who is always on the look out for easy recipes.

Dragon Chicken - Indo Chinese Starter

Today I would like to share this easy Indo-Chinese starter - Dragon Chicken. We used to order it at our favourite Chinese restaurant as my son likes it. When I saw this recipe in a magazine (Grihalaxmi) I thought why not try it. And voila! I served it and it was over in a few seconds. This is a new addition to our weekly menu of Indo Chinese preparations. My other favorites are the Chicken Fried Rice, Chilly Mushroom and Chilly Chicken.

Basil Seeds Lime Cooler

If you are a fan of Falooda, you must be familiar with basil seeds. In India, basil seeds are commonly used in faloodas. They are also known by the names Tukmaria / Falooda Seeds / Sabja Seeds. Never did I know, that it had so many health benefits. If you are living in the America / Australia then I am sure you must be familiar with Chia Seeds. Chia Seeds and Basil Seeds are not the same but they are very similar when it comes to benefits. You can call them "cousins". Chia seeds are difficult to find in Asia / South East Asia / Middle East. Basil seeds are more common in these places.You can find these seeds in supermarkets / grocery shops.

Neypathiri / Malabar Special Rice Pancakes

A traditional treat of North Malabar- the Neypathiri / Neypathal. It is a deep fried rice roti which is a common breakfast, evening snack or dinner item at houses in North Kerala. There are different varieties of pathiris like the Ari Pathiri ( for all the health conscious people), Prawn Pathiri, Irachi Pathiri, Chatti/atti pathiri, Tyre Pathiri.. 

Naranga Achar / Kerala Style Lime Pickle

No Indian meal is complete without pickles. There is an amazing variety of pickles made in every part of our country with each region having its own special pickles and methods of preparation. In the non vegetarian type of pickles, the most famous in the North Malabar is the Mussels Pickle. Vegetarian pickles the most famous are the mango pickle, carrot beetroot & dates pickle and lime pickle. Some pickles which all are not aware of are the ones like Chena (yam) Achar.