Easter Recipes

Wishing all of you a very Happy Easter in advance!!! May the blessings of the risen Lord be with all of us.

Many Keralaites observe Lent from Ash Wednesday to Easter, abstaining from non vegetarian food and alcohol. After the Easter Vigil Mass or Sunday Morning Mass, it’s celebration time with lots of non-vegetarian food and wine.

Many of you would be contemplating what special dishes to prepare for Easter. Here are a few recipes from my collection. You will find recipes from different cuisines but most of these are traditional Kerala dishes. Whether you are celebrating Easter with family or inviting friends, you can select dishes of your choice for all the courses, and prepare a grand feast.

1. Appetizers

If you were observing Lent and abstaining from Meat and Alcohol, the very best way to open your Fast is with Home Made Wine and a non-veg appetizer like Fish or Chicken Cutlet. Onion Salad (Sarlas) is a great combo with most of the following appetizers.

1. Home Made Grape Wine
2. Hot and Sweet Fish Fingers
   
3. Fried Shrimps
4. Kerala Style Chicken Cutlets
5. Kerala Fish Cutlets
6. Spicy Boneless Chicken Bites
7. Karimeen Varuthathu (Pearl Spot Fry)
8. Grilled Chicken Kebabs
9. Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
10. Fried Masala Shrimps
11. Kerala Chicken Fry
12. Onion Salad (Ulli Sarlas)
13. Spicy Fried Chicken
14. Chicken Salad Sandwich
15. Sweet and Spicy Baked Chicken

2. Appam and Curry

After the round of appetizers, you can either go for Palappam or Kallappam along with a Vegetarian or Non Vegetarian Gravy of your choice. Appam is also the most popular choice for Easter Breakfast. Another option is to serve Pidi (Rice dumplings) with Chicken Curry.

1. Easy Appam
2. Traditional Kerala Palappam
3. Egg Roast
4. Fish Molee
5. Chicken Masala Gravy
6. Kerala Chicken & Potato Curry
7. Spicy Beef Tomato Curry
8. Kerala Chicken Gravy
9. Red Chilly & Tomato Chicken Curry
10. Mutton Stew
11. Pidi (Kerala Style Rice Dumplings)
12. Kerala Style Chicken Curry for Pidi

Vegetarian Curries for Appam

1. Vegetable Stew
2. Vegetable Khurma
3. Cauliflower Green Peas Masala Curry

3. Bread and Curry

After Appam and Curry, the next course would be sliced Bread (usually fresh Bakery Rotti which we get in Kerala) or Dinner Roll served with another Non Vegetarian Dish. You may skip this course and go directly to the Main Course.

1. Bakery Bread (Rotti)
2. Fish Masala Curry
3. Tomato Chicken Roast
4. Kerala Chicken Gravy
5. Kerala Chicken Roast
6. Tomato Chicken Curry
7. Kerala Pork Masala
8. Beef Masala
9. Butter Chicken
10. Spicy Chilly Fish Masala
    
11. Beef/Pork Chops

4. Main Course

You can prepare Fried Rice, Pulav, Ghee Rice or Biriyani for a contemporary main course.

1. Indian Fish Pulav
2. Shrimp/Prawns Fried Rice
3. Nasi Goreng (Malaysian Fried Rice)
4. Simple Fish Biriyani
5. Chicken Fried Rice
6. Beef/Pork Fried Rice
7. Egg Biriyani
8. Egg Fried Rice
9. Vegetable Fried Rice
10. Kerala Fish Biriyani
11. Vegetable Biriyani
12. Chicken Pulav
13. Ghee Rice (Neychoru)
14. Chicken Biryani
15. Asian Style Veg Fried Rice
16. Shrimp/Prawn Biriyani
17. Thai Yellow Curry Pulav

Sides for Fried Rice

Here are a few Indo Chinese Sides for Fried Rice.

1. Chilly Chicken
2. Chilly Prawns
3. Chilly Gobi
4. Chilly Fish
5. Asian Chicken Curry in Peanut Sauce
6. Asian Style Pork Curry
7. Butter Chicken

Side dish for Biryani

If you are making Chicken Biriyani, then you can chose a dry side dish like Fish Fry or Prawns Roast. If your making Fish Biriyani or Egg Biriyani, then Chicken Fry will be a  good choice.

1. Kerala Fish Fry
2. Kerala Beef Fry
3. Spicy Beef/Pork Fry (Irachi Varuthathu)
4. Kerala Chicken Stir Fry (Kozhi Varattiyathu)
5. Kerala Chicken Fry
6. Prawns Tomato Roast
7. Kerala Chicken Roast
8. Tomato Chicken Roast
9. Pork Ularthiyathu (Kerala Pork Stir Fry)
10. Spicy Fried Chicken

Side dish for Ghee Rice/Pulav

Since Ghee Rice is a simple flavored Rice, it is served with a spicy Non vegetarian Gravy like Mutton Curry, Chicken Curry or Beef Curry.

1. Kerala Chicken and Potato Curry
2. Kerala Chicken Gravy
3. Beef Masala
4. Chicken Masala Gravy
5. Spicy Beef Tomato Curry
6. Onion Chicken Curry
7. Tomato Chicken Curry
8. Kerala Style Chicken Curry
9. Paneer Butter Masala
10. Butter Chicken

Accompaniments for Ghee Rice and Biriyani

For Biriyani and Ghee Rice,  you can prepare any Raitha (Salad with Yogurt) and Pappad as an accompaniment.

1. Mint Cilantro Chutney
2. Raitha – Onion Tomato Raitha
   
3. Salad – Onion Salad
4. Plain Yogurt
5. Pickle
6. Pappad

5. Kerala Style Main Course – Rice with Curries

You can also go for Kerala Style Main Course instead of a contemporary main course like Biriyani and Fried Rice. Rice is served with one main Curry/Gravy, one or more Vegetarian Sides and one or more Non Vegetarian Sides.

Gravies or Curries for Rice

1. Dried Prawns Mango Curry (Chemeenum Mangaayum)
2. Seasoned ButterMilk (Moru Kachiyathu)
3. Pulishery
4. Spinach Lentil Curry (Cheerayum Parippum)
5. Kerala Sambar
6. Tomato Rasam
7. Thakkali Curry (Tomato Curry)
8. Parippu Curry (Red Lentil Curry)
   

Non Vegetarian Sides for Rice

1. Kerala Fish Fry
2. Fried Anchovies (Netholi/Kozhuva)
3. Kerala Beef Fry
4. Spicy Beef/Pork Fry (Irachi Varuthathu)
5. Pork Ularthiyathu (Kerala Pork Stir Fry)
6. Kerala Chicken Stir Fry (Kozhi Varattiyathu)
7. Kerala Chicken Roast
8. Prawns Tomato Roast
9. Dried Prawns Stir Fry
10. Spicy Kerala Chicken Masala
11. Beef Masala
12. Kerala Chicken Fry
13. Chemmeen Ularthiyathu (Kerala Style Sauteed Prawns)
14. Kakka Irachi Ularthiyathu (Stir Fried Clam Meat)
15. Kozhuva Peera Vechathu (Anchovies Simmered in Coconut Paste)

Non Vegetarian Gravies for Rice

1. Fish Curry
2. Simple Prawns Curry
3. Spicy Pork Curry
4. Red Chilly Tomato Chicken Curry
5. Kerala Chicken and Potato Curry
6. Kerala Chicken Gravy
7. Chicken Masala Gravy
8. Netholi Fish Curry (Kozhuva/Anchovy Curry)
9. Spicy Chilly Fish Masala
10. Varutharacha Meen Curry (Fish in Roasted Coconut Gravy)
11. Kerala Style Tomato Fish Curry
12. Thenga Aracha Meen Curry
13. Fish Curry with Raw Mango in Coconut Milk

Vegetarian Side Dish for Rice

1. Cabbage Thoran
2. Beans Thoran
3. Cabbage Carrot Thoran
4. Ivy Gourd Thoran
5. Aviyal
6. Beans Mezhkkupuratti
7. Spinach Thoran
8. Achinga Mezhkkuperatti
9. Mushroom Theeyal
10. Mushroom Thoran
11. Peechinga Thoran

6. Desserts

1. Cake with Ice Cream/Whipped Cream
   
2. Fruit Salad
3. Gulab Jamun with Ice Cream
4. Creamy Mango Almond Sherbet
   
5. Simple Mango Pudding
6. Pumpkin Pie Pudding

7. Touchings for Alcoholic Drinks

For those of you want a few touchings for Alcoholic drinks, you can choose any of the following:-

1. Kerala Beef Fry
2. Spicy Beef/Pork Fry (Irachi Varuthathu)
3. Pork Ularthiyathu (Kerala Pork Stir Fry)
4. Prawns Tomato Roast
5. Fried Chicken Sausages
6. Sausage Crumble Stir Fry
7. Kerala Chicken Fry
8. Fried Anchovies (Netholi/Kozhuva)