Nimmy&Paul

04/10/2026

Our Orange Cake 🍊
A simple favourite in our home. When our small Chinese oranges are in season, we use them fresh from our garden; otherwise, we buy oranges.
Nimmy makes this soft, buttery cake with fresh orange juice and pours a little extra juice over it while still warm.
Simple, fresh and full of orange flavour. 🍊🍰❤️
— Paul

30/09/2026

Cooking Memories

About four years ago, a group of 16 Americans on a culinary tour joined Nimmy’s cooking class and stayed for lunch. Their tour leader asked us in advance to prepare printed menu cards showing what we would serve, and asked Nimmy to sign them.
One photo shows Nimmy signing the cards in the kitchen, and another shows the printed cards ready for the guests. We placed the menu cards on the tables. The guests sat in groups of five or six, and one photo captures them enjoying lunch.
They also received the recipes separately. Kallappam and Malli Charu were among the four or five recipes on the menu.
I shared the Kallappam recipe a few days ago. Today, I’m sharing Malli Charu 🐔, which was delicious with Kallappam 🥘.

Paul

28/09/2026

Kallappam

For our Kallappam, we use a simple non-stick griddle or a well-seasoned iron griddle.

In the old days, Amma and Sarojini made Kallappam on a heavy iron pan in the outdoor wood-fire kitchen.

The pan may have changed over the years, but the family recipe and those memories remain the same.

27/09/2026

On World Tourism Day, 27 September sharing a short memories of the lovely travellers who have come to our home for cooking classes over the past 25 years. 🌍🥘
So many countries, friendships, recipes and happy moments around our table—memories we will always cherish. ❤️

25/09/2026

This short video of Malai Kofta shows only a small part of yesterday’s cooking day. 🌿🥘
A couple from Israel came for a cooking session and lunch. Before coming, they had written to us by email saying that they wanted to learn how to make vegetarian Malai Kofta. That was the highlight of our class. 🥘
Although the video is only one minute long, the full class took nearly four hours. Malai Kofta itself is a lengthy process, with the soft paneer, khoya and potato koftas prepared separately from the gentle, rich gravy. 🍲
We also made Palak Paneer 🌿, Chicken Cutlets 🍗 and my old family-style Beef Chops 🥩, after asking them what else they would like to cook. We spent time talking about spices—how to add them gently, in the right balance, without making the food too hot. 🌶️
For dinner, I ate the leftovers from the day’s cooking: Beef Chops with moru kachiyathu and rice. 🍚 The moru kachiyathu was a traditional Kerala-style curry made with cooked buttermilk, and the Beef Chops had a wonderful peppery flavour. ❤️

Paul

NimmyAndPaulCooking

25/09/2026

Today, our guests from Israel joined us to learn four or five recipes. Their main request was Malai Kofta. 🌿🥘
A little look at the paneer and khoya we use for it. The kofta preparation and full curry recipe will be shared later. ❤️

24/09/2026

🍚🌿 Vegetable Pulao
Vegetable Pulao was one of the recipes we taught our Japanese couple during their cooking class with us. 🥘✨
Basmati rice, carrot, beans, crisp fried onions, raisins and cashew nuts — simple home cooking. ❤️

Ingredients

• Basmati rice – 1 cup, washed and cleaned 🍚
• Shredded carrot – ¼ cup 🥕
• Shredded beans – ¼ cup 🌿
• Onion – ¼ cup, sliced
• Raisins – a few
• Cashew nuts – a few
• Vegetable oil – 2 tbsp
• Ghee – 1 tbsp
• Boiling water – enough to come just above the rice
• Salt – to taste

Method

Heat the oil in a shallow pan. Fry the sliced onion until brown and crisp. Remove and keep aside.
Fry the raisins and cashew nuts in the same oil. Remove and keep aside for garnishing.
Heat the ghee in a fresh pan. Add the carrot and beans; sauté until soft. Add the washed basmati rice and mix gently.
Add the fried onions and salt. Pour in boiling water, just enough to come slightly above the rice. Stir once, cover and cook on a low flame.
After 5–10 minutes, gently open and check the rice. Once the rice is cooked and the water is absorbed, switch off the flame. Keep covered for a few more minutes.
Transfer to a serving plate and scatter the fried raisins and cashew nuts over the top. Serve warm. 🌿🍚

23/09/2026

22/09/2026

For the past two days, we had a lovely Japanese couple with us for cooking classes, from around 10:30 in the morning until 2:00–2:30 in the afternoon. They have a restaurant in Japan, and this is already their third or fourth visit to our home. We are also hoping to visit them in Japan one day. 🇯🇵🌿
Today we taught them five or six recipes from our kitchen — Thenga Kuthirachi, a dry beef preparation also called Ulartha Erachi, vegetable pulao, vegetable korma, sambar, and Chicken 65. 🍗✨
Chicken 65 always brings back memories of our visit to Buhari Hotel in Chennai in 2001. The famous dish is said to have first been created there in 1965, which is how it got its name. Nimmy and I have made Chicken 65 in many ways over the years, but today’s method was one of the best — crisp, flavourful, with curry leaves and spices.
Usually, we finish it with a squeeze of fresh local lime just before serving, but we could not get it today. Still, it was enjoyed fresh from the pan. 🍋✨

Paul

21/09/2026

Today’s Layered Fish Biryani 🐟🍚
Sear fish, masala and basmati rice, gently layered and cooked slowly together.